A new report out of The Information this evening outlines more details concerning Apple’s efforts when it moves to securing original content rights. The report, which reiterates some of what we already knew concerning Apple’s efforts, focuses on the company’s reserved and “quixotic” attitudes…

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As it struggles to keep user growth up to par with services like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, Twitter today is rolling out a new way to discover users. Announced in a tweet from a Twitter designer, users can now create custom QR codes to make it easier to follow and discover accounts…

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As expected, Microsoft today made its Visual Studio developer environment available on macOS. The first preview of Visual Studio for Mac is live now, with Microsoft hoping that the cross-platform availability will push more developers to build for Windows.

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Filed under: Apple

A new report from research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today details Apple’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus launch, showing some numbers that support the company’s continued claims of increasing Android switchers and more.

It also shows that the iPhone 7 adoption managed to outpace that of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus during its first month of sales, although falling short of the iPhone 6/6 Plus launch:
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The new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar is the first of Apple’s Macs to include a Touch ID sensor built-in for Apple Pay, unlocking the Mac with your fingerprint, and authentication purposes in third-party apps.

Other Macs can use Apple Pay, but they need to use a nearby iPhone or Apple Watch to authenticate and complete the purchase.

Here’s how it works:

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Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Daily Deals: Logitech Harmony Smart Control $70, Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker (Refurb) $130, more

Games/Apps: Deus Ex Go $1, PlayStation 4 Pro 1TB Console $370, iOS freebies, more

You can never have too many Lightning Cables, pick up this ZeroLemon MFi 10-footer for $6 Prime shipped

iTunes Gift Cards 15% off: $50 for $42.50 + up to 20% cards from Barnes & Noble, Cabela’s and many more

Amazon is discounting one-year Prime memberships down to $79 this Friday (Reg. $99)

Black Friday 2016:

Amazon’s month long Black Friday event starts today, get a sneak peek at some of the best upcoming deals

Best Buy Black Friday 2016: Apple Watch Series 1 $219, iPad Air 2 $275, iTunes GC, 49-inch 4K UHDTV w/ Chromecast $200, more

Walmart’s Black Friday 2016 Ad: iPhone 7 + $250 GC, iPad Mini 2 32GB $199, 55-inch 4K UHDTV $298, much more

Target Black Friday 2016: iPad Pro $150 off, iPhone 7 + $250 GC, Xbox One + $40 GC, iTunes, Beats headphones, much more

Amazon launches its Black Friday Store with new deals every five minutes + gift guides to make shopping easier

Dell Cyber Monday 2016: PlayStation 4 Bundle w/ two games + $25 GC $280, VIZIO 50-inch 4K UHDTV $400, more

GameStop Black Friday Ad: PS4 bundle + extra game $250, Deus Ex Mankind $30, more

Staples just posted its Black Friday 2016 Ad: Amazon Echo Dot $40, Chromecast $25, much more

App Store Free App of the Week: Perchang just went free for the very first time (Reg. $2)

Call of Duty iOS sale: Strike Team, Zombies & Black Ops Zombies down to $2 each

The best messenger bags, cases and sleeves for the new MacBook Pro

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Smartphone Accessories: Aukey 54W QC 2.0 5-Port USB Charger + 3-pack USB-C Cables $23 Prime shipped ($12 off), more

• Headphone Deals: V-Moda Crossfade $80 or Harman Kardon SoHo $40
• The newly introduced Nook Tablet 7 is available for pre-order: $50 shipped
• Breaking Bad Complete Series Blu-ray sets: Special Edition $99 + more
• 40% or more off Men’s Casio Pro Trek Watches: Solar Digital Quartz $87, more
• Save $25 off $100 on Dewalt, Bosch and Makita tools: 2-piece Combo Kit $165, more

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

Apple Watch users will appreciate this aluminum dock + MFi charging puck for $31 Prime shipped

Supercharge your home’s Wi-Fi & enjoy foolproof Time Machine backups w/ Apple’s 2TB Time Capsule: $199 (Reg. $299)

Extend the life of your MacBook Air/Pro by upgrading its SSD, Transcend 240GB kits now $135

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Filed under: Apple

Apple’s new flagship MacBook Pro replaces the function key row with a dynamic multi-touch display called Touch Bar. This new screen changes based on which app you’re currently using and enables quick access to additional functionality throughout macOS.

One example of this is how Touch Bar handles screenshots. Whether you’re using the system keyboard shortcuts to create a screenshot or using the optional screenshot button on Touch Bar, you can assign the app or folder where you want the screenshot to save to on-the-fly.

And since Touch Bar is actually a second display, you can create a screenshot of whatever Touch Bar is displaying using a new system keyboard shortcut…

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Filed under: Apple

Tucked in Amazon’s big Black Friday news this morning was the announcement of a handy Package X-Ray feature for its iPhone shopping app. The app can now leverage your iPhone’s camera to reveal the contents of an Amazon delivery without having to actually open up the package or hunt down tracking numbers.

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I’ve always upgraded my MacBooks. Usually, I would spec out my machine with the best processor and GPU, and couple that to the bare-bones RAM and drive, then upgrade those components myself to avoid the Apple premium. Sometimes I’d upgrade more than once during a machine’s lifetime.

My Late 2011 17-inch MacBook Pro, for example, was bought with 8GB RAM and a 750GB hard drive. I immediately upgraded the RAM to 16GB – a ten-minute task – and swapped out both the hard drive and optical drive for two 1TB hard drives. Later on, when SSD prices fell to more sensible levels, I swapped out the spinning metal drives for a couple of 1TB SSDs. In this way, the 17-inch machine I was reluctant to give up has remained remarkably usable even five years on.

That approach is no longer an option. The RAM has long been soldered on in MacBooks, and the past couple of days confirmed what I suspected about the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar when I maxed-out my order: the SSD, too, is soldered on and thus non-upgradable …

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Apple’s new AirPods appear to take totally wireless earphones one step further than any competitor so far, but we can’t be too sure just yet because of the delayed release and impending launch. AirPods were originally set to release in late October, then Apple said it needed ‘a little more time’ to ensure they’re ready for customers.

We’re now moving past the iPhone 7 launch and into the holiday shopping season with no set launch date for AirPods, but there are a few guesses at just when we should expect to buy Apple’s new wireless earbuds …

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Filed under: Apple