9to5Toys Lunch Break: 13″ MacBook Air $790, Amazon Echo Dot + Ecobee3 Thermostat $200, up to 70% off GTA games for Mac, more

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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Grab a current-gen 13-inch MacBook Air (1.6GHz/8GB/128GB) for over $200 off today: $790 shipped (Reg. $999)

Pick up Apple’s entry-level 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro for $1,030 shipped (Reg. $1,299)

ecobee-echo-dot

Pick up a free 2nd Gen. Amazon Echo Dot with the purchase of an Ecobee3 Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat: $200 shipped ($300 value)

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Get up to 70% off a load of Rockstar Mac games today: Grand Theft Auto Trilogy for $9

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Grab a 1st Gen. 42mm Apple Watch Sport in Space Gray for $219 shipped (Orig. $399)

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Apple offers 50% off top tier games on the App Store: BADLANDS 2, Monument Valley, Sword & Sworcery & many more

Minecraft Story Mode goes free for the first time on iOS & Android (Reg. $5)

App Store Free App of the Week: Shadow Bug and its ninja action go free for the first time (Reg. $4)

The Apple Award winning Threes! puzzler is now available for $1 on the App Store (Reg. $3)

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The Best Console Game Releases for October: Mafia 3, Gears of War 4, Battlefield 1, Dark Souls 3 DLC and more

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Giveaway: Mophie’s new modular Hold Force lineup gives your iPhone 7 flexibility ($220 value)

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

casecrown-ipad-case-deals

CaseCrown iPad Pro (9.7- or 12.9-inch) folio cases in a variety of colors from $6 Prime shipped

samsung-j5200-hdtvs

Add a new Samsung 1080p Smart HDTV to your bedroom or den for as little as $290 shipped

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

speck-candyshell-grip-iphone

Put a Speck CandyShell Grip Case on your iPhone 6/s for $8 or 6/s Plus for $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $20+)

Luvvitt iPhone 7/Plus cases/screen protectors (multiple colors/styles) from $4.50 Prime shipped (Reg. $13)

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Pick up the GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera (refurb) for $234 (Orig. $400)

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Apple AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Wireless Base Station (cert. refurb) drops to $100 at Best Buy (Orig. $199)

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Filed under: Apple

Apple Watch Series 2 post-review tidbits: watchOS 3.1 battery life, GPS navigation, water resistance & more

Shortly after the Apple Watch Series 2 release last month, I gave the second-generation version model a fairly detailed review that I was pleased with noting the benefits of GPS and waterproofing like unlocking new workouts and other capabilities. Testing included open water swims, outdoor cycling without iPhone, and battery life observations during regular use. In the month since publishing, I’ve noticed a few things worth following up with…

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Filed under: Apple

Comment: Something is wrong when an Apple fan steps outside the Apple ecosystem

I love the Apple ecosystem. It’s not perfect by any means, but I’d say that the vast majority of the time it lives up to Steve’s famous ‘it just works’ promise. It’s the main reason that I have two Macs, an iPad and an iPhone.

So when a big Apple fan deliberately moves outside of that ecosystem, that’s a sign that something is very wrong. And I do so not just in one area, but two. The common theme? iCloud …

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Filed under: Apple

Sprint wants to give your iPad unlimited data for $20/month (and a few strings attached)

Sprint wants to attract more iPad customers with its new $20/month unlimited data plan for tablet users. As with most carrier deals, there are a few strings attached.

You have to purchase the cellular iPad from Sprint, have at least one phone line with the carrier and turn on AutoPay for automatic billing.

It’s also not totally unlimited if you want to do anything beyond email and web browsing.

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Filed under: Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook was considered by Hillary Clinton as US Vice President pick according to leaked emails

As the US Presidential campaign for Hillary Clinton continues to reel from daily deluge of emails released from Campaign Chairman John Podesta via Wikileaks, we’re finding a number of topics related to Apple and specifically its CEO Tim Cook.

Today’s installment is probably worth noting. It has Cook listed as a possible VP candidate pick by Podesta along with many other political, business and tech luminaries seen below.

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Filed under: Apple

Opinion: Could Apple’s rumored plan to drop the 11-inch MacBook Air signal a big price-drop for the 12-inch Retina MacBook?

A report from last night suggests that Apple is planning to drop the 11-inch MacBook Air when it unveils new MacBook Pro models later this month.

Macotakara has an above track-record, but the move would – on the face of it – seem surprising. The 11-inch Air has always served two purposes. First, it has been the machine of choice for those who want a Mac in the sleekest possible form-factor. It of course lost that role when Apple launched the 12-inch MacBook, so that side of things makes sense.

But the 11-inch machine also served a second role since the plastic MacBooks were phased out: as the entry-level machine designed to bring new customers into the Mac world. In particular, it appealed to students on a tight budget – customers whose lifetime value to Apple would be huge once hooked on Macs from a young age. It’s not a market Apple would want to abandon.

So what might Apple be planning if the rumor is true … ?

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Filed under: Apple