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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Apple 13-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/256GB (newest version): $950 (Reg. $1,199)

Apple 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro (newest version) 2.7GHz/8GB/256GB $1,200 shipped (Reg. $1,499)

Apple’s 12-inch MacBook now $300 off: 256GB $1,000, 512GB $1,300 + extra $50 savings w/ .edu email

Apple Mac Pro 12-core Xeon/64GB/1TB: $8,799 shipped (Reg. $9,599), more

Aukey USB-C 4-port USB chargers w/Prime: Power Strip $14, USB-C Hub $9, Gig Ethernet $14, more

Giveaway: Outfit your Apple Watch with one of Throne’s handmade leather bands ($330 value)

How-to: Save up to $10/month on your cable bill by buying this $40 DOCSIS 3.0 Modem

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 128GB Wi-Fi in all colors: $800 shipped (Reg. $949)

Apple 12.9-inch iPad Pro 32GB Wi-Fi in all colors: $695 shipped (Reg. $799)

This emergency flashlight can charge your phone, start your car, or help you break out of it: $80 shipped

App Store Free App of the Week: HoPiKo speed-run platformer goes free for the first time ($2 value)

The Walking Dead: Michonne is now available for iOS, Android and consoles

All Access is the new one stop app for DC Comics/Film/TV news and more

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Snag one of these discounted HDTV antennas and finally cut the cord, deals from $13 Prime shipped

• TCL 50-inch 1080p Roku Smart HDTV w/ 3 HDMI inputs $375 shipped (Reg. $420+), more
• Daily Deals: 128GB Flash Drive $20, Acer Chromebook $150, more
• Save 25% on Anker’s 20000mAh PowerCore battery: $30 Prime shipped (Reg. $40)
• Snow Joe’s best selling snow throwers (multiple options) from $102 shipped (Reg. up to $380+)
• Games/Apps: Bayonetta 2 (Prime only) $24, Nintendo NFC reader $15, freebies, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Beats by Dr. Dre Beats Studio Over-the-Ear Wired Headphones $150 shipped (Orig. $300)

Trianium 3100mAh iPhone 6/s MFi Battery Case: $18 Prime shipped (Reg. $36)

MFi Apple-Certified Lightning + microUSB Braided Cables: 6-foot $13.50, 3-ft. $12.50, more

• Grab the best-selling GoPro HERO4 Silver Action Camera for $299 (Reg. $330+), more
• ULAK iPhone 6/6s and iPad mini cases from $2 shipped (Reg. up to $11 each)
• D-Link 802.11ac Routers: AC1750 Gigabit $60, AC750 $30, more
• SanDisk Mobile Storage: 200GB microSD card $80 (Reg. $100), more
• LG Smartwatches: Urbane w/ HRM in gold or silver $180 shipped (Reg. $230+), more
• Paracord Survival Bracelet/Knife/Fire Starter: $4 Prime shipped (Reg. $6)
• Media – HD downloads: Black Mass $10, Jurassic World $10
• $100 Toys R Us Gift Card for just $85 w/ email delivery from PayPal
• Kindle First eBook freebies for March: The Big Fear, more
• Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 5.5-inch (Unlocked) for $179 shipped (Reg. $249)
• LG 20W Bluetooth Speakers: P7 $55 (Reg. $115), more
• Free PS Plus Games for March: Broforce, Galak-Z, Super Stardust HD, more
• Free Xbox Live Gold Games for March: Borderlands, Lords of the Fallen, more
• LD West’s gun holster-style iPhone case & wallet combo: $20 off, deals from $109 shipped
• Microsoft Band 2 Activity Tracker: $175 (Reg. $215+)
• Replace your wallet with the Adonit Wallet Case for iPhone 6/6s: $17 (Orig. $25)
• Netflix March Preview: “House of Cards” Season 4, “Daredevil” Season 2, more
• Brit Awards 2016 performances are now available to download/stream for free
• Athletic Apparel: Nike extra 20% off clearance, Reebok Outlet 50% off
• Hisense 55-inch 1080p 120Hz LED Smart HDTV w/ 3 HDMI inputs: $370 (Orig. $548)
• 12 classic Pixar films in HD for $15 ea, Mad Max: Fury Road & The Martian $10 ea
• Rolo Travel Bag keeps you looking good on the road: $45 (Orig. $61)
• Have someone from Amazon take care of that honey-do list and get a free $30 gift card
• Carriers & retailers roll out major pre-order bonuses for Samsung’s Galaxy S7

Show off and charge your Apple Watch + iPhone w/ this aluminum dock for just $23 Prime shipped (Reg. $39), more

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

DJI’s Phantom 4 drone is coming later this month with a new obstacle avoidance system

Grovemade’s new wooden MacBook Dock offers a Made in America home for your device

Brooklyn’s own Grado Labs introduces its first Made for iPhone earbuds w/ Siri control

• Brita’s new Wi-Fi Infinity water pitcher automatically orders new filters from Amazon
• Raspberry Pi 3 hits with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth after four long years
• Zepp partners with Old Hickory for a new smartphone-connected baseball bat
• Victronix teases its new Cyber Tool fitness tracker for the popular INOX watch
• Explore Renaissance Italy in the new Assassin’s Creed Identity action RPG for iOS
• Pokémon Sun and Moon on Nintendo 3DS confirmed, pre-orders now live
• Marshall’s first Bluetooth headphones tout impressive battery life alongside a retro design

Review: Audioengine turns it up to 11 with its newest Bluetooth HD6 powered speakers

Filed under: Tips and Tricks Tagged: 9to5Toys, Amazon, app deals, Apple Watch bands, Best Buy, Daily Deals, free apps, Gold Box, handmade leather bands, iPad Pro, MacBook Air, USB-C, video games

This week Zac and Benjamin discuss everything from the FBI to the iPhone SE, new details about Apple’s upcoming March event and even a new Pokémon app. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed. Big thanks to Harry’s and Casper for sponsoring this episode.

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Filed under: Happy Hour Tagged: Apple event, FBI, Happy Hour, iPhone 5se, Podcast

Adobe is out with an updated version of Lightroom for iPhone and iPad today which includes one highly requested feature. Starting with versions 2.2, Lightroom for iOS supports full resolution image output. This means quality is retained when editing and sharing photographs using Lightroom whether the image was shot on the device or imported from another device.

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Filed under: Apps Tagged: Adobe, Lightroom, photography

Bloomberg hosted a lengthy interview with Apple head lawyer Theodore Olson, to discuss the ongoing FBI vs Apple case in light of the congressional hearing from yesterday. Bloomberg’s Emily Chang quizzes Olson on various aspects of the case and although much of what is said is merely a repeat of what Tim Cook and other Apple representatives have said before, there are a few new tidbits. Olson says there isn’t a middle ground he can foresee between Apple’s staunch privacy position and the data collection wishes of the FBI. Olson was last quoted saying that if the FBI got their way, it would lead to an Orwellian society.

Watch the full fifteen-minute interview below …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Encryption, FBI, hearing, iPhone 7, Judge, Ted Olson

Kanye West must actually be $50 million in debt like he claimed, as today he’s getting called out for exposing his own illegal downloading activity in a tweet.

West was only trying to show off a YouTube video he was listening to, but eagle-eyed followers — including electronic music producer Deadmau5 — spotted a few tabs in the background of Safari that show West was browsing PirateBay download pages for torrents of a popular $200 plug-in called Serum developed by XferRecords (pictured below).

Serum is a synthesizer plug-in popular among electronic music and hip-hop producers available as standard VST or AU files to be used inside of music production apps like Apple’s own Logic Pro X, ProTools, and other similar audio production suites. Sure it’s possible Kanye could claim it wasn’t his computer and he was just using it, but it’s hard to imagine why a musician of Kanye’s caliber (and with his bank account) would be in any studio stealing copies of a $200 piece of software made by a small developer. 

West hasn’t responded to the criticism of the apparent torrenting activity, which many are quick to point out follows reports that West was considering legal action related to a record number of illegal downloads of his latest album. That’s the same album he decided to make only available on streaming music service Tidal while recently cancelling planned releases for Apple Music and other competitive services.

And if you want to help Kanye afford a copy of Serum, there’s a gofundme project set up here to contribute.

Filed under: Apple Music, Apps, General, Mac Tagged: AU, kanye west, Mac, Piracy, pirate, piratebay, Plug-in, Safari, serum, Torrent, VST, xferrecords

IBM today announced that it’s launching the first app that will run on its new Watson Health Cloud for ResearchKit — SleepHealth — as it also makes that platform available to researchers building their own apps that work with Apple’s ResearchKit.

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Filed under: Apps, ResearchKit Tagged: American Sleep Apnea Association, Apple watch, IBM, iOS 9.3, Night Shift, researchkit, sleep tracking, sleephealth, watson health cloud

Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne has weighed in on the continuing Apple Car rumors. In an interview with Reuters at the Geneva auto show, the executive said Apple should think twice before jumping into making cars. He said automobiles are a ‘complex business’ and it makes more sense for Apple to partner with an existing car manufacturer than do everything itself. The exec felt so strongly about this, he described it as an illness to want make cars independently.

“If they have any urges to make a car, I’d advise them to lie down and wait until the feeling passes,” Marchionne told journalists. “Illnesses like this come and go, you will recover from them, they’re not lethal.”

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Filed under: AAPL Company, Apple Car, iOS, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple, Apple Car, fiat, iOS, iPhone

There were a few face-palm moments in yesterday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, from committee members who appeared not to know what encryption is to Apple’s lead lawyer Bruce Sewell having to make a hasty switch from his iPad Pro to paper when the device apparently failed. (Some suggested it may simply have timed-out and auto-locked, but it’s unclear why he wouldn’t use Touch ID to let himself back in.)

Overall, though, it was a serious discussion of the issue, with each side making its points in a calm, rational manner and being subjected to many probing and intelligent questions.

It wasn’t a one-sided battle by any means. FBI Director James Comey made some solid arguments that clearly hit home. But my view is that Apple not only won on points, but also scored the knock-out blow …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, Opinion Tagged: Apple Inc, Congress, Encryption, FBI, House Judiciary Committee, Opinion, San Bernardino

Apple is ramping up security and privacy efforts on all fronts right now, although most attention is currently directed towards the ongoing Apple FBI iPhone backdoor case. Reddit user MaGNeTiX has found that Apple is taking a big step in iOS 9.3 (currently on beta 5) towards transparency when an iOS device is being managed by an institution or enterprise through MDM. If your iPhone is being tracked by the company, it is now clearly marked in the About page of Settings and the Lock Screen. It’s hard to get more clear than a permanent ‘This iPhone is managed by your organisation’ message at the bottom of the screen …

Apple lets companies track and manage iPhones through an MDM deployment program. iOS 9.3 will remove any ambiguity as to whether the company is tracking the device …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS, iOS Devices, Tech Industry Tagged: devices, employees, iOS, iOS 9 beta 5, lock screen, MDM, phones

Shortly after yesterday’s Congressional hearing, Apple filed a formal objection to the court order instructing it to assist the FBI in breaking into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Apple had previously filed its mandatory response, in which it called for the court to vacate the order. This was a 65-page detailed document setting out the reasons the company believed the order should not have been granted. The document filed yesterday was rather shorter …

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Filed under: AAPL Company, iOS Devices Tagged: Apple Inc, court order, Encryption, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, privacy, San Bernardino, United States District Court for the Central District of California