9to5Toys Lunch Break: 1st Gen Apple Watch Stainless Steel $299, AT Headphones $29, Twelve South Mac Stand $54, more

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

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Daily Deals: 1st. Gen Apple Watch Stainless Steel + free Sport Band from $299, Toshiba 55-inch Smart HDTV $400, more

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You can now pick up a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Pro Headphones for just $29 shipped (Reg. $49)

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Twelve South’s aluminum HiRise MacBook stand is on sale for $54 shipped (Reg. $70)

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Get a $100 iTunes Gift Card for just $85 with email delivery from PayPal (15% off): save on apps, music, movies & more!

Get some free money with up to 20% off Gift Cards + free email delivery: Lowe’s, Jiffy Lube and more

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Apple’s 21-inch 4K iMac has a beautiful display, save $199 today: $1,300 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Take $569 off Apple’s high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: $1,930 shipped (Reg. $2,499)

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The A-to-Z Programming Language Bundle (Learn C, Java, Python, Google Go, much more): $39 ($413 value) | 9to5MacAcademy

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Show off your new iPhone 7/Plus with a Slickwraps protective skin, exclusive 35% discount now live

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Design your own official Apple Magic Mouse & Keyboard in any color w/ this exclusive discount code

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App Store Free App of the Week: Flowing Meditation & Mindfulness goes free for the first time (Reg. $3+)

True Skate: one of the best skate sims for iPhone/iPad just went free (Reg. $2)

Keyboard Maestro for Mac: $20 (Reg. $36)

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Review: Twelve South’s HiRise 2 Deluxe brings a slimmed-down design to your iPhone, iPad or Android device

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

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Pick up 5TB of fast Seagate USB 3.0 External Storage for $110 shipped (Reg. $130)

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

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OtterBox iPhone 7/Plus cases are the standard and up to 31% off at Amazon – Commuter: $35, Defender w/Belt clip/kickstand: $36

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The Inkjet days are over, upgrade to Brother’s Duplex Laser Printer w/ AirPrint for $150 shipped (Reg. $200)

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Timbuk2’s 48-Hour Flash Sale has up to 40% off our favorite styles: Uptown 15-inch MacBook Backpack $83 (Reg. $119), more

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Filed under: Apple

Comment: Still holding out hope for my dream MacBook

I came across a tweet from 2012 in my Timehop feed this week where I declared my intent to buy a 15-inch MacBook Air assuming one would exist eventually. The first MacBook Pro with Retina display was introduced earlier that year and had a 25 percent thinner design, but it was still pretty hefty.

My hope has been for a MacBook that prioritizes “thinness” over power to deliver a larger display in a lightweight casing. Bigger MacBooks are heavier MacBooks and 11-, 12-, and 13-inch screens just aren’t ideal for me full-time. With new MacBooks way overdue, I’m still holding out hope for something close to my dream MacBook (and at the current rate it might even be the powerful one).

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Filed under: Apple

Apple ecosystem key to company remaining world’s most valuable brands, says Interbrand

Interbrand’s annual brand value report lists Apple as the world’s most valuable brand for the fourth year running, estimating the total worth of the brand at $178B, up 5% on the previous year. Apple first knocked Coca-Cola out of Interbrand’s top slot in 2013.

Apple is a technology company that leads innovation with their products and software platforms, providing seamless experiences across devices, and empowering people with breakthrough services.

The company says that Apple’s ecosystem is the biggest contributor to the value of the brand …

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Filed under: Apple

Comment: Apple’s rescheduled earnings call could suggest new Mac announcement October 27

When the largest company in the world changes the date of a quarterly earnings call, there has to be a good reason. It’s not the sort of thing you do on a whim.

Apple has done this once before, and there was indeed a very good reason, which it shared with us: to allow senior Apple execs to attend the memorial service of long-standing board member Bill Campbell.

This time, however, no explanation has been offered, and enquiries by reporters have received no response. I’m with Philip Elmer-DeWitt in thinking that there’s one very plausible explanation …

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Filed under: Apple

As latest govt surveillance revealed, end-to-end encrypted Facebook Messenger chats now available to all

While some have questioned the need for strong encryption to protect simple chats between friends, the continuing revelations of mass surveillance by governments does make the issue a matter of principle for some. Just yesterday it was revealed that Yahoo may have allowed the government to scan all of its users’ emails. And, as I’ve argued before, we all have perfectly innocent things to hide.

Facebook began testing Secret Conversations – Facebook Messenger chats protected by end-to-end encryption – back in July, promising a wider rollout later in the year. The company has now told Wired that the rollout is complete, and that the feature is now available to all Facebook users …

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Filed under: Apple

PSA: The Apple Watch Series 1 is just as fast as Series 2 [Video]

There seems to be a bit of confusion about the differences between the Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2. To be sure, there are several differences between the two. We addressed these in our previous Apple Watch walkthrough, but speed isn’t among those differences.

The point is, if you’re just looking for a faster, more agile Apple Watch, then you’ll be happy with any of the watches that you can currently buy from Apple. The company has discontinued the original, notoriously slow Apple Watch (Series 0), so anything you purchase in store or online will be one of the new, faster models. more…

Filed under: Apple