9to5Toys Lunch Break: Anker PowerLine Lightning Cables $8, Trine for Mac $2, Roku Ultra 4K Media Player $80, more

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Anker’s new PowerLine II Dura Lightning Cables get a nice discount, from $8

Trine 1, 2 & 3 for Mac now on sale from $2 each (Reg. up to $15)

Roku Ultra 4K HDR Streaming Media Player as low as $80 (Reg. $120+)

App Store Free App of the Week: Blyss iOS puzzler goes free for very first time

Nintendo Switch Review: The hybrid that changed my mind about consoles

Review: Waterfield Designs CitySlicker case for Nintendo Switch

SwitchCharge aims to solve the biggest problems for Nintendo’s latest console

Colorware will now let you create the Nintendo Switch of your dreams… for a cost

9to5Rewards: Fabriq Wireless Speaker w/ AirPlay and Alexa [Giveaway]

Most Fashionable Watches and Smart Watches of 2017

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Kingston Digital’s 480GB A400 SATA 3 Solid State Drive is down to $110

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Bring pixel art to life with PIXIO magnetic construction sets

Bang & Olufsen’s BeoSound Shape AirPlay and Chromecast speakers are almost here

Dbells’s HD Live is the “smartest Video Doorbell and Security Cam available”

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

Powerbeats3 Wireless Headphones in all colors from $150

VIZIO’s SmartCast 55-inch 4K HDR UHDTV is down to $600 shipped

Anker iPhone 7/Plus Cases and Screen Protectors from $2 Prime shipped

more…

Filed under: Apple

Comment: Apple’s announced intention to design its own GPUs adds weight to idea of ARM-based Macs

Apple’s announcement earlier this week that it plans to design its own GPUs for future iPhones and iPads did more than signal bad news for Imagination Technologies. It also added weight to the idea that Apple will at some point want to ditch Intel chips in Macs in favour of its own design of ARM-based CPUs.

The arguments in favor of Apple designing its own Mac processors are exactly the same ones that led the company to design its own A-series chips for iOS devices. Apple gets total control – something the company values highly.

Control of costs is part of it, of course. Tim Cook in particular got to the position he’s in today in large part by demonstrating a mastery of the supply-chain, and a significant goal there is to keep costs as low as possible in order to maximise margins. Apple eliminates royalty fees by designing its own chips, and that will further boost margins.

But while cost is of course one motivation, there are two even more important benefits to Apple-designed CPUs …

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Filed under: Apple

Report: Apple Watch Series 3 late this year; continued two-generation strategy

A supply-chain report backs an earlier claim that the next-generation Apple Watch – which would be dubbed the Series 3 if Apple retains its existing naming scheme – is scheduled for launch in the second half of this year. It also suggests that Apple will continue to offer a choice of two generations of Apple Watch at different price points.

Digitimes reports that while Quanta will remain the sole supplier of the new model, a new supplier, Compal Electronics, will be added to the roster to continue production of older models …

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Filed under: Apple

Western Union now lets you Apple Pay for mobile money transfers and bill payments

Western Union has long supported Apple Pay in stores for sending money and paying bills, and now the service is bringing in-app support for Apple Pay to mobile money transfers. This lets you send cash from your bank account to someone else using Apple’s fast and secure payment service rather than manually entering in and saving your debit card information.

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Filed under: Apple

Poll: Is $1000 an important psychological barrier when it comes to buying the iPhone 8?

We’ve been hearing conflicting reports about the likely retail cost of the iPhone 8. Some reports have suggested that the price could exceed $1,000, the price reflecting its premium positioning in the line-up thanks to features like an OLED screen and augmented reality.

A report yesterday contradicted this, suggesting that the price will actually remain in three figures, somewhere around the $850-900 range.

Does this kind of difference matter … ?

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Filed under: Apple

Apple considers teaching Siri to recognize your voice & only your voice

Allowing Siri access from the lock screen is a potential security threat that has, in the past, allowed someone to access personal data like photos. Additionally, Siri will respond to any command given by anyone when your device is unlocked.

Apple thinks it has a solution, using a combination of special phrase to ensure that Siri responds to you and only to you …

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Filed under: Apple

Launch of next-generation iPhone 8 may be pushed to October or November, says report

The iPhone 8 may debut later than we have been used to, according to a new report. For the last few years, Apple has announced its new iPhone lineup at a September event in the fall with a release date a couple weeks later. For example, the iPhone 7 was announced on September 7th and released on September 16th.

This year, Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) is suggesting that the launch may be pushed back to October or November, as production of the radical new iPhone has faced challenges …

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Filed under: Apple