You can finally buy a rainbow Pride Apple Watch band just like Apple’s exclusive employee bands

A little more than a month ago Apple gave a limited-edition rainbow colored Apple Watch band to its employees who marched in San Fransisco’s LGBT Pride parade. With no official release in sight and no worth alternatives on the market, it seemed the only way to get your hands on one was to pay insane eBay prices. But that’s all changed this morning. Clockwork Synergy, a watch accessory maker based in Maryland, has just launched a Pride version of its Classic NATO Apple Watch band featuring a rainbow design that looks nearly identical to the one Apple gifted its employees. What’s more, both bands are made of nylon.

more…

Filed under: Apple

9to5Toys Lunch Break: Anker iPhone cases/more from $2, Klipsch In-Ear Headphones $35, Brushstroke app free, more

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: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

anker-iphone-protection

Klipsch’s X4i In-Ear Headphones w/ iPhone Controls in black are now just $35 shipped (Reg. $50+)

Brushstroke-sale-01

Take nearly $300 off Apple’s 13-inch 256GB Retina MacBook Pro: $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

9to5-acadamy-launch

Introducing the 9to5Mac Academy: Tech, business, and software improvement courses at great prices

hocus-sale-03

App Store Free App of the Week:Hocus puzzler goes free for the first time (Reg. $1)

Fantastical 2 Calendar and Reminders just hit its all-time low on Mac + up to 50% off iOS versions from $3

amovee-acrylic-headphone-stand-2

The best headphone stands & hangers to keep your desk/office nice and tidy

Here are our top-picks for your backpack this school year to stay organized and powered up

How-To: Quickly (and safely!) clean your HDTV using only a few basic items

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

dji-phantom-4-9to5toys

DJI Phantom 4 Quadcopter gets its first real discount ($200+) pick it up for under $1200 w/SD card + Tax only in NY

Samsung UN55JS9000 Curved 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD 3D Smart LED TV (2015 Model)

HDTV deals from $150: Samsung Curved 55-Inch 4K Smart $1,200 shipped ($400+ off), many more

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

mophie-iphone-juice-pack-wireless

Bring wireless charging to your iPhone 6/s with this mophie battery case setup for $85 shipped (Reg. $100)

iPhone 6/s/Plus & Apple Watch cases starting from $3.50 Prime shipped (Reg. $13+)

Your choice of stylish felt sleeves and carrying cases for MacBook from $4 Prime shipped

ue-roll-sale-01

Best Buy 3-day sale: UE Roll Wireless Bluetooth Speaker $50, 48-inch Roku HDTV $300, iPhone 6s on contract $1, more

five-star-spiral-notebooks-1

Back-to-School/Office Supplies: 3-pack Five Star Notebooks $9, more

more…

Filed under: Apple

Video shows working version of what appear to be official Apple Lightning Earpods

A video has been posted by a mobile accessory company showing a working version of what appear to be Apple’s official Lightning Earpods. We’re expecting Apple to supply these with the iPhone 7, the first iPhone without a 3.5mm headphone jack.

As with many claimed iPhone 7 photos and videos, it’s impossible to say for sure whether we’re looking at the real thing or a mockup, but while there is plenty of motivation to create mockup phones to allow cases and other accessories to be made, there is much less incentive to create fake earphones …

more…

Filed under: Apple

Spotify launches Release Radar as its battle with Apple Music continues [Poll]

Spotify may still comfortably be the market leader in streaming music, with 30M paid subscribers against only half that for second-placed Apple Music, but it’s had a full decade to reach that number – against just over a year for Apple’s service. Playlists are a key battleground in the competition between the two, and Spotify’s latest weapon is Release Radar.

Release Radar, launching today, is a personalized For You-style playlist updated weekly. Unlike Discover Weekly, a playlist focused on discovering new music, Release Radar focuses primarily on the artists you already know and love …

more…

Filed under: Apple

Latest Spaceship Campus drone footage shows landscaping underway; emphasizes scale

The latest Apple Campus 2 drone footage from Matthew Roberts shows the huge dirt pyramid shrinking as the earth is starting to be used for landscaping work.

The footage also gives a good sense of the scale of the campus, flying over the two-million square foot parking garage and 100,000sqft fitness center outside the spaceship building itself. The main R&D center is another completely separate building, and we also see multiple smaller R&D centers being constructed …

more…

Filed under: Apple

Disney launches child-focused messaging app w. built-in games & safety features

Just when you think there can’t possibly be room for yet another messaging app, along comes Disney with what looks like a decent attempt to prove us wrong. Disney Mix is a new messaging app designed for use by kids as young as four, using the tagline ‘chat, share, play.’

The free app offers stickers from just about every Disney movie you could name, customized cartoon avatars, built-in games and safety features designed to keep things family-friendly …

more…

Filed under: Apple

Report: Apple developing custom low-energy Bluetooth chip for its own wireless headphones, may launch with iPhone 7

The removal of the 3.5mm analogue headphone jack from the iPhone 7 is well documented at this point. What is less clear is what Apple will offer as a replacement for new iPhone buyers. There have been rumors (and alleged photos) of Lightning EarPods to be bundled in the box … but there has also been rumors of Apple developing Bluetooth headphones too.

A report from Forbes says Apple has been working on an in-house custom designed Bluetooth chip for several years. The Apple Bluetooth component focuses on power efficiency and could enable Apple to debut new wireless headphones with really long battery life, perhaps in concert with the iPhone 7 launch — expected release date is September 16th.

more…

Filed under: Apple