Category: Apple Insider

By Christine McKee
Friday, November 23, 2018, 12:44 pm PT (03:44 pm ET)

To celebrate the holiday weekend, AppleInsider is giving away an RX 580 Gaming Box, complete with an AMD 8GB Radeon 580 video card. This portable eGPU solution features Thunderbolt 3 plug and play connectivity for use with USB-C Macs, including current MacBook Pros.

Valued at $420, we’re giving away one RX 580 Gaming Box that was gently used for testing purposes only. Entering the giveaway is quick and easy. Simply retweet this tweet or subscribe to our YouTube channel using the widget below. You can also gain additional entries by following us on Instagram to view exclusive photos from Apple events.

The entry period for this giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Nov. 29, and the winner will be announced here on Nov. 30. Definitely check back to see if you’ve won. No purchase is necessary to enter, and the sweepstakes is open to U.S. residents aged 18 years and older. Please note, contest entries will be verified upon selecting a winner. Best of luck!

Gigabyte RX 580 Gaming Box Giveaway

Apple Black Friday deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this weekend on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

By Christine McKee
Thursday, November 22, 2018, 11:19 pm PT (02:19 am ET)

Price wars are going on now, resulting in the lowest prices ever seen on Apple’s new hardware with our exclusive coupon. Eligible items include Apple’s 2018 MacBook Air, 2017 13″ MacBook Pro with function keys, Apple Pencil 2, 27″ iMac 5K, Smart Keyboard Folios and more. Plus, load up on accessories with rock bottom prices on OWC docks. Only at AppleInsider.

Kicking off Black Friday, Adorama has slashed the price of Apple’s standard 2018 MacBook Air in Space Gray to just $1,049 with promo code APINSIDER (the lowest price seen to date). Apple’s current 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys is also marked down to $1,099, while the 256GB config is on sale for $1,249, an all-time low. Need accessories? OWC Thunderbolt 3 docks are marked down with coupon, along with the Apple Pencil 2 and Smart Keyboard Folio.

Each offer comes with free shipping within the contiguous U.S. Adorama also will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside New York and New Jersey, potentially saving shoppers another $100+.

These are the best deals on the models below, with even more exclusive offers available in our Apple Price Guides and in our Black Friday roundups.

2018 MacBook Airs

2017 13″ MacBook Pros with function keys

Add a multitude of ports to your MacBook Pro with OWC’s 12-port Thunderbolt 3 docking station.

OWC docking stations

27-inch iMac 5K

2018 11″ iPad Pro

2018 iPad Pro accessories

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

Exclusive

By Christine McKee
Wednesday, November 21, 2018, 11:52 pm PT (02:52 am ET)

The best Black Friday deals can be found at AppleInsider, with a $225 exclusive discount on every new 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega graphics. Plus, save $100 on Apple’s 2018 Mac mini or up to $1,050 on closeout MacBook Pros with coupon. These are the most aggressive deals seen to date on the new configs, with free shipping and no tax outside NY and NJ.

For a limited time only, Apple authorized reseller Adorama is taking $225 off every Mid 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with Vega 16 or Vega 20 graphics and $100 off two 2018 Mac mini systems for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. These deals, which can be activated with coupon code APINSIDER using the pricing links below and in our Price Guide, deliver the lowest prices anywhere on the newly released configurations.

With initial benchmarks showing a strong performance increase in Geekbench on the Vega 20 models, these machines make great holiday gifts. And since Adorama will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside NY and NJ, many shoppers can save up to $800 compared to buying from Apple. Adorama is also offering no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months on purchases of $1,000 or more using the Adorama Credit Card.

Those looking for the greatest savings can also take advantage of up to $1,050 off Mid 2017 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros with coupon.

To snap up the discounts, shop through the pricing links below or in our Price Guide and enter coupon code APINSIDER during checkout using the step-by-step instructions near the bottom of this post. Need help? Send us a note at deals@appleinsider.com and we will do our best to assist.

2018 Mac mini deals

2018 15″ MacBook Pros with Vega 16 graphics

• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 16) Space Gray: $2,824* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 16) Silver: $2,824* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 16) Silver: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $4,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 16) Silver: $4,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $6,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 16) Silver: $6,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 16) Silver: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 16) Silver: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $4,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 16) Silver: $4,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $6,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 16) Silver: $6,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 16) Silver: $3,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 16) Silver: $3,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $4,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 16) Silver: $4,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $6,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 16) Silver: $6,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 16) Silver: $3,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $3,924* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 16) Silver: $3,924* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $4,724* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 16) Silver: $4,724* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 16) Space Gray: $6,724* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 16) Silver: $6,724* ($225 off)
  *Price with coupon code APINSIDER. Adorama will not collect tax on orders shipped outside NY & NJ.

2018 15″ MacBook Pros with Vega 20 graphics

• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 20) Space Gray: $2,924* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 20) Silver: $2,924* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 20) Silver: $3,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $4,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 20) Silver: $4,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $6,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 20) Silver: $6,124* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 20) Silver: $3,324* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,724* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 20) Silver: $3,724* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $4,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Silver: $4,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $6,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz 32GB 4TB Vega 20) Silver: $6,524* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 512GB Vega 20) Silver: $3,224* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 1TB Vega 20) Silver: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $4,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 2TB Vega 20) Silver: $4,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $6,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 16GB 4TB Vega 20) Silver: $6,424* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 20) Space Gray: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 512GB Vega 20) Silver: $3,624* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $4,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 1TB Vega 20) Silver: $4,024* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $4,824* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Silver: $4,824* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Space Gray: $6,824* ($225 off)
• 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz 32GB 2TB Vega 20) Silver: $6,824* ($225 off)
  *Price with coupon code APINSIDER. Adorama will not collect tax on orders shipped outside NY & NJ.

2017 15″ MacBook Pro clearance deals

2017 13″ MacBook Pro with Touch Bar closeouts

• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.1GHz 8GB 1TB) Space Gray: $1,749* ($650 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.1GHz 16GB 256GB) Silver: $1,449* ($550 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.1GHz 16GB 1TB) Space Gray: $2,049* ($550 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.3GHz 8GB 512GB) Space Gray: $1,549* ($550 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.3GHz 16GB 256GB) Space Gray: $1,549* ($550 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.3GHz 16GB 512GB) Space Gray: $1,649* ($650 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.5GHz 8GB 256GB) Space Gray: $1,549* ($550 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.3GHz 8GB 1TB) Space Gray: $1,849* ($650 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.3GHz 16GB 1TB) Space Gray: $1,999* ($700 off)
• 2017 13″ MacBook Pro w/ TB (3.5GHz 8GB 1TB) Space Gray: $1,949* ($750 off)
  *Price with coupon code APINSIDER. Adorama will not collect tax on orders shipped outside NY & NJ.

(*) Step by Step Instructions for Coupon Deals at Adorama

1) Make sure you’re using a browser with cookies enabled that isn’t in private mode.
2) Click on the price link to the desired configuration from this article or the Adorama price links in our Price Guides. You MUST click through our links in the same shopping session that you use our coupon. If you try to save a link for late, the coupon WON’T WORK. Once you click through a price link, you’ll see a price that’s higher than advertised (we’ll fix that in a moment).
3) Add the MacBook to your cart anyway, and when you’re done shopping, begin the checkout process.
4) After you enter your shipping information, move to the Payment section during checkout.
5) Look for a link that says “Do you have a gift card or promo code?” next to the gift icon. Click that to bring up a coupon code field.


6) Enter the coupon code APINSIDER in the field and click apply. The discount should appear under “Promo Savings” above the order total.
7) That’s it. If you live outside NY & NJ Adorama will also not collect sales tax on your order.

As always, if you have any issues, you can reach out to us at deals@appleinsider.com and we’ll try and help.

(*) Step by Step Instructions for Special Financing with the Adorama Credit Card

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

Stalwart patent troll Uniloc filed a pair of lawsuits over the weekend claiming technology used in flagship Apple communications products, namely FaceTime and iMessage, infringe on property initially developed by HP and Philips.

Uniloc’s latest legal overture, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on Saturday, leverages patents dating back to the early 2000s.

The first suit targets Apple’s FaceTime video conferencing service with a U.S. Patent No. 8,539,552 for a “System and method for network based policy enforcement of intelligent-client features.”

Filed with the USPTO in 2003 and crediting former 3Com engineers, the ‘552 patent details methods of enabling and enforcing network policies between a communications service and client devices. Specifically, the IP’s claims protect techniques of intercepting and intelligently filtering signaling messages that trigger communications services including caller ID, call waiting, multi-way calling, multi-line service, and codec specification.

FaceTime works in a similar manner by first binding a supporting device to a phone number or Apple ID, information that is used server-side for caller identification. When a user starts a FaceTime conversation, a signaling message is sent to FaceTime’s servers, which determines whether the target device is authorized to accept a call, the suit reads.

If the target device is authenticated, a connection is established and the sender’s information — caller ID credentials — are divulged to the recipient.

Filed with the USPTO in 2003 by Hewlett-Packard, the ‘552 patent was signed over to 3Com that same year. HP regained control of the IP, and more than 1,500 other assets, as part of its acquisition of 3Com in 2010.

Uniloc’s main Luxembourg arm took control of the IP in 2017 before signing it over to Uniloc 2017 LLC in May of this year.

Uniloc claims Apple’s iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad Mini, fourth-generation iPod Touch and later versions and MacBooks running OS X and later infringe on multiple claims of the ‘552 patent.

In its second suit, Uniloc takes aim at iMessage audio features with U.S. Patent No. 7,020,252 for a “Group audio message board.”

The patent, granted to Philips in 2006, details a “communal audio message recordal apparatus” that enables multiple users to record and access audio messages. Each message carries a “qualifying parameter,” such as a timestamp or geographic location, which is used to grant or deny access to recordings.

The ‘252 patent presents an alternative to sifting through irrelevant messages, or gating access to messages, posted to a community style board. For example, users who visited a nightclub might be granted access to recordings from other users who also visited the venue within a specified time frame.

Uniloc construes the IP more narrowly, saying Apple’s service allows users to record voice messages that expire after a set period, specifically two minutes after it has been played by a recipient device.

The ‘252 patent was filed for in 2001, then reassigned to IPG Electronics 503 in 2009, Pendragon Electronics in 2012 and finally Uniloc Luxembourg in February of 2018. Uniloc 2017 took control of the IP in July.

Uniloc’s suit targets iOS devices running iOS 5 or later and Mac products running OS X or later.

Both suits seek unspecified damages, reimbursement of legal fees and other relief deemed fit by the court.

Saturday’s lawsuits were filed a month after Uniloc’s last play at Apple, which perhaps not coincidentally involved an HP patent and FaceTime.

In 2017 alone, Uniloc sued over Maps, Apple ID, remote software updates, AirPlay, autodialing, battery technology, device wake-up, step tracking, AirPlay, the Home app, the Apple TV Remote app and Apple Watch GPS capabilities.

Uniloc is one of the most active patent trolls in the U.S., leveraging reassigned patents or vaguely worded original IP against a number of tech firms including Activision Blizzard, Aspyr, Electronic Arts, McAfee, Microsoft, Rackspace, Sega, Sony, Symantec and others.

An interview previously recorded with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple Park aired on Sunday night, with the executive telling Axios’ Ina Fried and Mike Allen that he sees privacy regulation of tech as an inevitability.

Tim Cook on HBO

Fried challenged Cook to answer why Apple takes Google’s money to be the default search engine when Google’s business explicitly relies on making money off of user data.

“We’ve been having a national discussion on tech and privacy, you guys have been a loud proponent of privacy, it fits in well with what you do,” asked Fried. “How concerning is to you that even if it’s other people’s technology, Facebook, Google, whomever, it’s happening still on your devices?”

Tim Cook reiterated that privacy is a core value, not ancillary to their business, and he named some of the features Apple implemented to act on that core value.

“It’s not that it fits in with what we do, it’s that this is a core value of ours,” said Cook. “If you look back over time, we were talking about privacy well before iPhone, so we’ve always believed that privacy was at the core of our civil liberties. This is not a matter of privacy versus profits or privacy versus technical innovation, that’s a false choice. What we’ve done is, your device has incredible intelligence about you, but I don’t have to have all of that as a company.”

Fried pushed back, asking about Google’s positioning as the search engine for iOS.

“You don’t directly have a big advertising business or make a lot of money off the data, but Google pays you on the order of billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine and they do have that business,” pressed Fried. “If you really want the user to be totally free, why take that money?”

“Well, one, I think their search engine is the best, and that’s very important, but two, look at what we’ve done with the controls that we’ve built in. We have private web browsing. We have an intelligent tracker prevention,” answered Cook. “So what we’ve tried to do is come up with ways to help our users through the course of their day, and it is not a perfect thing, I’d be the very first person to say that. But it goes along way to helping.”

Then the discussion turned to government regulation of user privacy.

“So, there’s broad support for more federal regulation of tech,” asked Mike Allen. “Do you think that’s inevitable?”

“Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of regulation, I’m a big believer in the free market, but we have to admit when the free market’s not working, and it hasn’t worked here,” responded Cook. “I think it’s inevitable that there will be some level of regulation.”

Cook has spoken in favor of federal regulation in the past and called for the US to consider legislation, outlining four key points that any legislation should contain.

In this interview on the Apple Park campus, Cook discussed his screentime habits. Cook also continued to position Augmented Reality as a game-changing technology, by demonstrating an AR landscaping application for positioning of trees in AR on the Apple Park lawn.

“Technology should amplify human performance and human experiences, and AR arguably does an unbelievable job at that, and I think it’s going to change everything,” Cook reiterated on the AR. “I think in a few years, we’re not going to be able to imagine our lives without [augmented reality]. It’s that profound a platform.”

Cook was also asked about the male-dominated workforce and ensuing culture in Silicon Valley. Apple’s CEO is expecting change on that front, soon.

“I think the Valley has been open and accepting to many different people from many different walks of life, but I agree 100% from a gender point of view that the Valley has missed it, and tech in general has missed it,” said Cook. “I know for one, we spend a lot of energy on this, and are constantly asking ourselves how can we improve more and listening to what our folks tell us, and I got to believe other folks are doing this too, so I’m actually encouraged at this point, that there will be more marked improvement over time.”

Axios teased the interview earlier on Sunday. At present, the full interview is not available on any venue other than HBO streaming services.

By Christine McKee
Saturday, November 17, 2018, 10:44 pm PT (01:44 am ET)

LG’s 27-inch 4K display is on sale for $289.00 today only during B&H’s DealZone Event. A discount of $210 off retail, this deal delivers the lowest price anywhere on the UHD monitor.

For one day only, save $210 on LG’s 27-inch 4K UHD display (27UD68-P) during B&H’s DealZone Event. Priced at $289.00 after the instant discount, this offer provides shoppers with the lowest price anywhere, with third-party sellers on Amazon charging at least $100 more.

This monitor has HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.2 connectivity, so current MacBook Pro users will need a cable like this to benefit from the additional screen real estate. However, it’s a great way to get an abundance of screen space without breaking the bank.

In addition to the cash savings, B&H is also throwing in free expedited shipping on orders shipped within the contiguous U.S., putting the display in your hands in a matter of days. B&H also will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside AL, HI, IL, IN, KY, MD, ME, MI, MN, MS, NJ, NY, ND, OK, VT, WA and WI.

This deal is valid today only while supplies last.

Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows:

By AppleInsider Staff
Friday, November 16, 2018, 08:04 pm PT (11:04 pm ET)

Big-box retailer Walmart is predicted to overtake Apple as America’s third-largest online retailer by the end of 2018, a result of a wider slowdown in smartphone and consumer electronic sales, according to a report Friday.

Apple’s online storefront was recently updated for the 2018 holiday shopping season.

According to new statistics from eMarketer, spotted by TechCrunch, Walmart will capture $20.91 billion online retail spending this year, a figure that equates to 4 percent of the market. The number is up from 3.7 percent in a previous forecast from the same research firm.

The performance is expected to unseat Apple from its current spot as the No. 3 online retailer in the U.S. For 2018, eMarketer’s latest estimates suggest the iPhone maker will bump its ecommerce share 0.1 percent to end the year at 3.9 percent.

Apple is expected to show a net positive of 18 percent, less than last year’s growth, due to what eMarketer describes as a domestic slowdown in electronic device sales. By contrast, Walmart’s online sales — including profits from Sam’s Club and Jet.com — will grow 39.4 percent, a rate bested only by online home goods store Wayfair’s 40.1 percent.

“Walmart’s ecommerce business has been firing on all cylinders lately,” said eMarketer principal analyst Andrew Lipsman. “The retail giant continues to make smart acquisitions to extend its ecommerce portfolio and attract younger and more affluent shoppers. But more than anything, Walmart has caught its stride with a fast-growing online grocery business, which is helped in large part by the massive consumer adoption of click-and-collect.”

Ahead of both Walmart and Apple is eBay, which will see its share of the online market decline from 7.6 percent in 2017 to 7.2 percent this year.

Amazon remains king of the online marketplace with a massive 48 percent share of the market in 2018, according to eMarketer’s November forecast. The ecommerce titan is due to rake in more than $252 billion in the U.S., up more than 29 percent year-over-year.