9to5Toys Lunch Break: 15″ MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar $330 off, iPhone/Apple Watch Dock $23, 6.6′ Braided USB-C Cable $7, more

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TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Save nearly $330 on the entry-level 15-inch MacBook Pro w/ Touch Bar, marked down to $2,070 shipped (Reg, $2,399)

Charge your iPhone and Apple Watch on this dock in three colors for $23 Prime shipped (Reg. $36)

Smartphone Accessories: iOrange-E USB-C 6.6 foot Braided Nylon Cable just $7 Prime shipped, more

Apple unveiled a slew of new Watch bands today, here are the best third-party alternatives for less money

iTunes $100 Gift Card from PayPal for $85 with email delivery – save 15% on games, apps, subscriptions, and more!

The high-octane F1 2016 racer for iOS gets its very first price drop on the App Store: $4 (Reg. $10)

9to5Rewards: Dive into Sling TV on all your favorite devices with a $75 gift card [Giveaway]

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Your choice of thin bezel monitors at Amazon: Acer 24-inch WQHD $180 or HP 23-inch 1080p IPS $115

MORE DEALS STILL LIVE:

The #1 best-selling 4K A/V Receiver at Amazon gets a 33% price drop: Sony 7.2-Ch. w/ HDR + Bluetooth for $198 (Reg. $300)

Put Twelve South’s HiRise Apple Watch Dock on your nightstand for $25 (Reg. $35)

Nest Cam Outdoor is a best-seller, buy it now for $160 shipped (Reg. up to $200)

Unlock your door with Siri: August 2nd Gen. HomeKit-enabled Smart Lock for $183 shipped (Reg. $230)

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Filed under: Apple

WikiLeaks’ latest Vault 7 documents profile CIA’s exploits for Mac & iPhone

In their ongoing efforts of leaking government security documents, WikiLeaks has just dropped the latest in their Vault 7 collection. Titled “Dark Matter,” this release contains documents showcasing various projects undertaken by the CIA to infect Apple computer systems and iPhones. The Mac specific infections are considered a bit more serious to combat, considering they infect the EFI and persist even after re-installations.

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Filed under: Apple

Hands on with Apple’s new spring 2017 iPhone leather and silicone cases [Video]

As part of its announcements on Tuesday, Apple launched several new colors of its iPhone cases to give customers some new fashion options for the spring — if buying a whole new (RED) iPhone is a step too far. Apple videoblogger DetroitBORG has picked up all six of the new leather and silicone cases, showing them off in a well-produced video …

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Filed under: Apple

Opinion: A spring iPad event now seems unlikely, but that 10.5-inch iPad is probably still real

A spring iPad event this year has so far been taken almost as established fact. Apple has held one annually in recent years, and we’ve heard multiple reports about what to expect this year – one of them even suggesting a specific date.

The flagship product expected to be announced at the event was a new 10.5-inch iPad with a micro-bezel design that would allow it to have the same external dimensions as the current 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

But recent events suggest to me that, while the 10.5-inch iPad is probably real, it’s unlikely it will be announced at a spring event. Instead, it’s more likely to be at WWDC – or even later …

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Filed under: Apple

Apple Watch may soon automatically detect when you’re driving and only show important alerts

Apple Watch is useful at putting notifications just a glance away on your wrist when you’re not using your iPhone, but that can be a distraction when you’re driving. In a recent Feature Request, we suggested Apple could address this issue by automatically enabling its upcoming Theater Mode feature on Apple Watch when the iPhone detects you’re in the car. Now it appears Apple has something similar in mind…

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Filed under: Apple

iPhone owners have more smart home devices, are more satisfied with their phones – J.D. Power

A new J.D. Power study shows that U.S. iPhone owners are more satisfied with their phone than owners of any other brand – though just one point above Samsung. Apple’s average score was 840/1000 while Samsung was just 0.1% behind at 839.

That’s no great surprise, and the consumer intelligence company also noted a further factor that also should come as no surprise …

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Filed under: Apple

Apple patent describes iPhone or iPad docking into MacBook-style dumb terminal

As perhaps further evidence of Apple exploring ways to make its entry-level products more affordable, a patent published today describes using an iPhone as the brains of a MacBook-style dumb terminal. As usual with patents, the language is dense, but the illustrations make clear the concept.

An electronic accessory device, comprising: an operational component that provides an output to a user; a housing carrying the operational component, the housing having a recess; and a control interface coupled to the operational component and configured to receive a control signal from an electronic host device when the electronic host device is positioned within the recess and coupled to the control interface, wherein the electronic accessory device is inoperable without the electronic host device being coupled to the control interface.

The idea itself is not a new one, and is similar in essence to a currently-available HP product …

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Filed under: Apple