RIAA: Highest artist rates come from Apple Music as music industry slowly rebounds

The Recording Industry Association of America is out today with an overview of the performance of the music industry during 2016. As detailed in a blog post, the music industry saw revenue of $7.7 billion during 2016, up 11.4 percent compared to the year before.

Perhaps most notably, the report states that streaming music revenue from Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube made up the majority of that revenue for the first time ever.

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Filed under: Apple

Analyst: iPhone 8 to be not as curved & edge-to-edge as Galaxy S8, higher ASP w/ $1000 OLED model

Today in a note to clients, JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall offered his latest analysis on Apple’s supply chain, giving us a look at his predictions for iPhone 8 sales as well as details on specs and pricing. Following Samsung’s introduction of the Galaxy S8 yesterday, the report notes that based on current supply chain intel Apple’s OLED is expected to be less curved than the S8 and therefore less of a so-called edge-to-edge “infinity” display:

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Filed under: Apple

9to5Toys Lunch Break: High-end MacBook Pro $300 off, Ecobee3 Thermostat $199, Twelve South Headphone Stand $72, 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:

B&H takes up to $300 off high-end 2016 MacBook Pro models (Tax NY/NJ only)

Apple’s entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro is on sale for $1,280

Save $234 on Apple’s entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air: $765 (Reg. $999)

Ecobee3 Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat has HomeKit + Alexa control: $199 (Reg. $249)

Twelve South Fermata Headphone Charging Stand first notable price drop: $72

Apple’s AirPort Extreme 802.11ac Base Station goes to $159 (Reg. up to $199)

Apple Watch Series 1 gets a big discount at Target, priced from $200

Target launches $300 gift card promo with iPhone 7/Plus purchase

B&H launches new iPad pre-orders with discounts, rewards and tax in NY only

iTunes and Amazon launch DreamWorks $10 HD movie sale: Bee Movie, Shrek, more

Don’t Think Twice is this week’s iTunes $1 HD Movie Rental (Reg. $5)

Blyss iOS puzzler goes free for very first time (Reg. $2)

9to5Rewards: Mophie iPhone 7 Juice Pack Air Battery Case [Giveaway]

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Elgato Eve HomeKit-enabled Smart Light Switches from $40, 2-pack $76

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Garmin Forerunner 935 hits with a big price tag, impressive data-driven features

Flter uses VPN and Tor over your home network to protect privacy and security

Musicon is the super intuitive way for kids to create and learn to play music

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

Belkin offers two Wemo Mini Smart Plugs for $51 ($70 value)

Mac App Roundup: MacX Media Bundle $20, Disk Drill PRO 3 $35, Lifetime Mac Bundle $39, more

Amazon’s popular 6-inch Fire Tablet (refurb) is selling at $35 (Orig. $100)

AmazonBasics iPhone 7/Plus cases available from $1 in multiple styles

Ringke iPhone 7/Plus cases $4 Prime shipped

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Filed under: Apple

Hands-on: Apple’s $329 iPad is not without compromise, but a solid buy for upgraders and new users [Video]

I fully expected to outright dislike the new budget-friendly 9.7-inch iPad, but it’s the type of product that’s hard to hate. Sure, it lacks the gorgeous laminated, anti-reflective display of the iPad Air 2, and sure it’s not as svelte in either thickness or weight. But there’s no denying that the 2017 iPad with A9 dual core processor in tow, is a good value.

With base model storage starting at a healthy 32 GB, the new iPad is priced so reasonably that it’s almost an impulse buy for anyone previously on the fence about iOS tablets. No longer do you have to pay an extra $100 to obtain a model that will actually work over the long haul from a storage perspective. No longer are you left with an anemic processor that feels somewhat feeble after an iOS update or two.

Even with its obvious shortcomings, the 2017 iPad is worth considering as long as you know what you’re getting into. If you’re brand new to the world of iOS, or you’re coming from an iPad 2 or an original iPad Air, then you may want to seriously consider the new iPad. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough as we explain. more…

Filed under: Apple