As we enter the last week before Christmas, Amazon and Best Buy are offering discounts on a wide variety of Apple products and accessories. This ranges from the Apple Pencil 2 to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and even iTunes gift cards. Check out all the sales below, and note that due to stock some devices are seeing shipping estimates after Christmas.

iTunes Gift Cards

You can get the $100 App Store and iTunes gift card for $85 this week at Amazon, using the promo code ITUNESPROMO. To get the discount, choose the $100 iTunes gift card option, fill out the recipient’s email information, and add it to your cart.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Like with other Amazon promos, on the checkout screen you can enter the code to see your discount applied. Although we saw 20 percent off sales on Black Friday, this is currently the best offer for iTunes gift cards online, so if you’re doing any last-minute Christmas shopping this might be one of your last chances.

iPad

There are a few iPad models on sale this week, including the iPad Pro, iPad Air, and new iPad mini. A few of these offer lowest-ever prices, including the 64GB iPad mini 5 and 256GB iPad Air.

• iPad mini 5 (Cellular, 64GB) – $509.00, down from $529.00 ($20 off, lowest ever)
• iPad Air (Wi-Fi, 256GB) – $549.99, down from $649.00 ($99 off, lowest ever)
• 11-inch iPad Pro (Wi-Fi, 512GB) – $949.99, down from $1,149.00 ($199 off)
• 11-inch iPad Pro (Cellular, 64GB) – $799.99, down from $949.00 ($149 off)
• 11-inch iPad Pro (Cellular, 512GB) – $1,099.99, down from $1,299.00 ($199 off)
• 11-inch iPad Pro (Cellular, 1TB) – $1,299.99, down from $1,499.99 ($199 off)

Apple Pencil 2

At Best Buy, My Best Buy members can get the Apple Pencil 2 for $104.99, down from $129.00. We rarely see discounts on the second-generation Apple Pencil, and this is currently the lowest price we’ve tracked for the accessory among the major Apple resellers online.

MacBook Pro

• 13-inch Mid 2019, 2.4 GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,549.99, down from $1,799.00 ($249.00 off)
• 13-inch Mid 2019, 2.4 GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $1,699.99, down from $1,999.00 ($299 off)
• 15-inch Mid 2019, 2.6 GHz 6-Core, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD – $1,999.00, down from $2,399.00 ($400 off, lowest ever)
• 15-inch Mid 2019, 2.3 GHz 8-Core, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD – $2,299.00, down from $2,799.00 ($500 off, lowest ever)

Powerbeats Pro

You can get the Powerbeats Pro in all four colors (Black, Ivory, Moss, Navy) for $199.95, down from $249.95. This is currently the lowest available price for the Powerbeats Pro online.

The older BeatsX are also on sale this week, available for $79.95, down from $99.95. Colors on sale at this price include Satin Silver, Black, and Black-Red.

More holiday deals and discounts can be found in our full Deals Roundup.

This article, “Deals: Save on iTunes Gift Cards (15% Off $100), iPad Air, Apple Pencil 2, MacBook Pro, and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Adobe today announced that it is rolling out an update for Photoshop for iPad with its promised “Select Subject” feature and more.

Select Subject uses machine learning to enable users to automatically select the subject of an image to speed up complex selections. Adobe says the feature works exactly the same on the iPad as it does on the desktop.

Adobe is committed to continue improving Select Subject to work even better on tricky subjects like hair and fur.

Last week, Adobe also began rolling out performance improvements for its cloud documents system. The enhancements are already live for PSD files that are 75MB or larger. Depending on the size of your file and your network performance, Adobe says upload and download speeds are up to 90 percent faster.

In the first half of 2020, Photoshop for iPad will gain additional features, including the “Refine Edge” brush for selecting soft edges, integration of Lightroom and Photoshop workflows on the iPad, and more.

Photoshop for iPad received poor reviews following its release, but its rating has slowly improved from 2/5 stars to 3.3/5 stars on the App Store.

This article, “Photoshop for iPad Receiving ‘Select Subject’ Feature and More Today” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today announced that it will be collaborating with ABC News to provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the key events of the 2020 U.S. presidential election through the Apple News app.

The coverage will begin with the Democratic primary debate on February 7, 2020 in New Hampshire. Apple News will feature ABC News videos and live-streaming coverage, as well as FiveThirtyEight polling data, infographics, and analysis during key moments in the 2020 election, according to Apple.

Apple News, ABC News, and WMUR-TV will also partner for the February debate, the first to be held after primary voting begins.

The partnership will extend through Super Tuesday, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, the general election debates, election night, and the 2021 presidential inauguration.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

This article, “Apple News Partnering With ABC News to Provide Coverage of 2020 U.S. Presidential Election” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

TIME has published a list of what it believes are the 10 most important gadgets introduced in the last decade, and three Apple products have made the cut, including the iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods.

Justin Sullivan / Getty

The original iPad was unveiled by the late Steve Jobs in 2010, while the Apple Watch and AirPods were released in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

“Before the iPad’s introduction in 2010, the idea of a ‘tablet computer’ was mostly relegated to slick science fiction movies and unwieldy laptop-adjacent monstrosities running terrible software,” writes TIME‘s Patrick Lucas Austin. “Apple’s iPad — like the iPhone before it — resulted in a cultural shift for personal computing, and set the tone for the next decade of portable devices.”

Austin adds that the Apple Watch “set the standard for what a smartwatch could do,” while he believes AirPods are “the gold standard of truly wireless audio,” especially after the launch of AirPods Pro.

The list also includes the Tesla Model S, Raspberry Pi, Google Chromecast, DJI Phantom, Amazon Echo, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Adaptive Controller.

This article, “iPad, Apple Watch, and AirPods Named to Time Magazine’s Best Gadgets of the Decade” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Popular to-do app Things reached version 3.11 today on iPad and iPhone, bringing a big update to its Quick Find feature and some other notable improvements.

The Quick Find bar is used to quickly switch between lists, find to-dos, and search for tags. That functionality has been expanded and now includes the ability to generate lists for specific types of data.

For example, typing “Deadlines” generates a list of all upcoming (or passed) deadlines. Likewise, typing the keyword “Repeating” brings up all repeating to-dos in one convenient place.

Meanwhile, “Tomorrow” brings up a list for planning your next day, “All Projects” provides an overview of all your goals, and “Logged Projects” offers an overview of past achievements.

While not technically a list, typing “Settings” or “Preferences” into the Quick Find bar offers another way to get to the app’s settings screen. Also, to make Quick Find easier to access in longer lists, you can now just tap a list’s title to bring it up, instead of having to scroll all the way to the top. Tapping it will also now show recently-viewed lists for convenient access.

Additionally in this update, you can now see the date when an item was created or completed, using a new Get Info option. On Mac, you can now hold down the Command key when clicking a link to open it in the background. And on larger iPad Pro models, the sidebar width has been increased to accommodate longer project titles.

Things 3.11 for ‌iPad‌ is priced at $19.99 [Direct Link] while the ‌iPhone‌ version (which includes Apple watch support) is priced at $9.99. [Direct Link] A 15-day trial of Things for Mac is available on the Cultured Code website.

This article, “Things 3.11 Update Brings Enhanced Quick Find Bar and Other Improvements” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Arcade is now available with an annual subscription option, priced at $49.99 per year in the United States, $59.99 per year in Canada, £49.99 per year in the UK, and €49.99 per year in many other European countries.

Until now, Apple Arcade was only available with a $4.99 per month subscription in the United States, totaling $59.88 in a year. In other words, the annual subscription effectively provides 12 months of Apple Arcade access for the price of 10 months in return for paying upfront — a savings of $9.89.

To switch to the annual subscription plan on an iOS device, open the App Store, tap on your profile photo in the top-right corner, tap on Subscriptions, tap on Apple Arcade, and select the one-year option.

Apple Arcade provides access to over 100 games across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac, all without ads or in-app purchases.

The annual option was first spotted by German blog iFun.de.

This article, “Apple Arcade Now Available With $49.99/Year Subscription Option” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Seven years after its original release on iPhone, TiVo’s mobile app has finally been updated to support streaming over cellular networks.

The TV entertainment service’s mobile offering previously required users to find a Wi-Fi hotspot if they wanted to stream shows on mobile, but the company has finally decided to allow users to stream live and recorded shows over their cellular connection.

Tech blog Zatz Not Funny! has pointed out that TiVo’s approach remains “a bit kludgey” when streaming content over mobile. For example, there’s no way to skip ads like you can on TV, although the absence of pre-roll ads should mollify that lack.

Most users will likely just be happy to have the option of watching shows on the go without having to track down a decent Wi-Fi network.

The TiVo app is a free download for ‌iPhone‌ and iPad available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

(Via Engadget.)

This article, “TiVo iOS App Gains Support for Cellular Streaming” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

This week’s big news was obviously the launch of the new Mac Pro, and we had tons of coverage about Apple’s new professional desktop machine and accompanying display. The first orders will begin arriving next week, and we’ll have much more coverage to come.

In other news, Apple launched its interest-free iPhone installment plan for Apple Card users in the United States, we saw the release of iOS 13.3 and other related updates for Apple’s various platforms, and we may have at least a partial fix for some of the issues related to popping noises coming from the speakers of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

New Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR Now Available to Order

After over two years of waiting, Apple is now accepting orders for its all-new Mac Pro, with pricing starting at $5,999 in the United States. With an impressive selection of upgrade options and optional $400 wheels, a fully maxed out Mac Pro runs over $52,000.

Apple says a rack-mounted version of the computer is also “coming soon,” with pricing starting at $6,499.

The new Mac Pro is complemented by the Pro Display XDR, which is also now available to order for $4,999. Both products are in the process of shipping to customers, with deliveries expected to begin early next week.

New Mac Pro Accessories Added to Apple Store Along With Logitech 4K Webcam for Pro Display XDR

Apple has added a selection of accessories for the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR to its online store, including graphics and storage modules, a lock adapter, an AUX power cable kit, and more.

For the Pro Display XDR, there is an optional $999 stand, a VESA mount adapter, and Logitech’s new 4K Pro Magnetic Webcam for $199.95.

Meanwhile, on our YouTube channel this week, we’ve shared a video highlighting useful accessories for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Subscribe to MacRumors on YouTube for new Apple-related videos every week!

Apple Card’s 24-Month Interest-Free iPhone Installment Plan Now Available

Apple Card Monthly Installments are now available in the United States, allowing customers to purchase a new ‌iPhone‌ with ‌the Apple Card‌ and pay for it over 24 months with no interest.

For each iPhone purchased with the Apple Card, you will receive 3% Daily Cash. If the iPhone is purchased between December 10 and December 31, it is eligible for a doubled 6% Daily Cash as part of a holiday promotion.

We’ve put together an explainer on how Apple Card Monthly Installments work, including how to view and make monthly payments.

Apple Releases iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3

Apple this week released a series of software updates, including iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3, macOS 10.15.2, watchOS 6.1.1, tvOS 13.3 for the Apple TV, and an update for the HomePod speaker.

The latest iOS and iPadOS versions introduce Communication Limits for Screen Time, letting parents control who their children are able to contact, with the feature covering FaceTime, Phone, Messages, and iCloud Contacts.

iOS 13.3 and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.3 also add support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. That means physical security keys like the Lightning-equipped YubiKey can be used for more secure two-factor authentication in place of a software-based two-factor authentication option.

In related news, MacRumors contributor Steve Moser has uncovered references of unreleased “Powerbeats4” headphones in iOS 13.3 code.

Initial Reports Suggest macOS Catalina 10.15.2 May Fix 16-Inch MacBook Pro Popping Sound Bug for Some Users

Following last week’s news that Apple was investigating a popping sound issue with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, it looks like Apple might have made some progress in addressing the problem.

Some users have suggested the just-released macOS 10.15.2 update may resolve the issues, although not everyone agrees. Apple’s original support document about the issue did state that a fix would come in future software updates — plural.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we’ve covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

This article, “Top Stories: New Mac Pro Orders Begin, Apple Card iPhone Installments, iOS 13.3 Released” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple Pay with Express Transit mode is coming to the Washington Metro in 2020, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced today. No specific timeline has been provided yet.

Starting next year, riders in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area will be able to add their reloadable SmarTrip fare card to the Wallet app and simply hold their iPhone or Apple Watch near a contactless payment reader at Metrorail stations or on Metrobus buses to pay their fare.

Express Transit mode allows for tap-and-go payment, eliminating the need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode. The device does not need to be waked or unlocked, either.

This announcement comes less than two weeks after Transport for London rolled out Apple Pay with Express Transit mode across its system. Apple Pay with Express Transit mode is also rolling out to 85 additional MTA stations in New York City this month, including the busy hub of Penn Station.

Express Transit mode is also supported in Portland, Beijing, Shanghai, and Japan.

Update: As noted by the blog Ata Distance, Apple Pay support for the Shenzhen Tong and Lingnan Pass fare cards is also planned for 2020. This will mark a major expansion of Apple Pay across transit systems in Shenzhen and several other cities in the Chinese province of Guangdong.

This article, “Apple Pay With Express Transit Mode Coming to D.C. Metro and More Chinese Cities in 2020” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Apple today updated its iTunes Remote app with support for Apple Music and the Apple TV apps in macOS Catalina, enabling a feature that was first introduced earlier this week in ‌macOS Catalina‌ 10.15.2.

Following today’s iOS update and the macOS 10.15.2 update, the iTunes Remote app can be used to control playback in the Music and TV apps in ‌macOS Catalina‌.

The new version of the iTunes Remote app also supports Dark Mode in iOS 13 and later, enabling a darker theme when ‌Dark Mode‌ is turned on.

iTunes Remote is a free app for controlling music libraries and other content on the Mac with the iPhone. It can be downloaded from the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]

This article, “iTunes Remote App Gains Dark Mode and macOS Catalina Support” first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums