Category: Apple Insider

Exclusive

By Christine McKee
Friday, December 21, 2018, 08:16 pm PT (11:16 pm ET)

Apple authorized reseller Adorama is knocking $50 off every single 2018 Mac mini with Apple’s 10 Gigabit Ethernet upgrade. This deal also includes free shipping with no tax collected on orders shipped outside New York and New Jersey, making this exclusive offer the most aggressive discount available.

Delivering the lowest prices available, Apple authorized reseller Adorama is knocking $50 off every 2018 Mac mini with 10Gb Ethernet capability with coupon code APINSIDER. When paired with a 10Gb switch, customers can expect faster file transfers, all while future proofing your network connectivity. In addition to the exclusive coupon discount, Adorama will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside New York and New Jersey. For many shoppers outside those two states, this can equate to anywhere from $120 to $370 in savings compared to buying from Apple directly. Since Adorama is an Apple authorized reseller, these are the same factory sealed systems you woud get from Apple.

To activate the discount, you must shop through the pricing links below or in our 2018 Mac mini Price Guide and apply promo code APINSIDER during checkout. Need help? Send us a note at [email protected] and we will do our best to assist.

Quad-core 10GbE Mac mini deals

Six-core 10GbE Mac mini deals

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:

By Roger Fingas
Sunday, December 16, 2018, 03:50 pm PT (06:50 pm ET)

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs was, for a time, deadset on U.S.-based manufacturing of computers, an effort which collapsed after just eight years.

A factory in Milpitas, Calif., circa 1984.

Jobs had “deep convictions” about Japanese-style manufacturing, according to Randy Battat, who told the New York Times about his time as an electrical engineer at Apple and helping to launch early laptops. The company established U.S.-based Macintosh manufacturing in the early 1980s, beginning with a heavily automated factory in Fremont, Calif.

“The Japanese were heralded as wizards of manufacturing,” Battat explained. “The idea was to create a factory with just-in-time delivery of zero-defect parts. It wasn’t great for business.”

In fact the result was “really shameful” and slipshod, said Jean-Louis Gassee, a French office automation specialist who became president of Apple’s product division in 1988, well after Jobs’ departure. He blamed the issue at least in part on overall deficiencies in U.S. infrastructure.

“We don’t have a manufacturing culture,” Gassee complained, “meaning the substrate, the schooling, the apprentices, the subcontractors.”

President Donald Trump and others have urged companies like Apple to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. Decades of corporate offshoring have drained the country of its capabilities in that area however, and higher labor, safety, and environmental standards would likely increase Apple’s expenses and already high pricetags. The company has nevertheless done some U.S. manufacturing in the post-Jobs era, namely building the cylindrical Mac Pro in a factory in Austin.

By Christine McKee
Saturday, December 15, 2018, 03:01 pm PT (06:01 pm ET)

For two hours only, eBay is knocking 10% off already reduced prices on tech or 15% off everything else. With a max discount of $75 off, it’s a great time to snap up the lowest prices available on Apple’s latest iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and Apple Watch Series 4 right before Christmas.

10% off tech or 15% off everything else

With just two hours remaining before the deal expires, now is the time to take advantage of eBay’s latest coupon, which knocks 10% off tech and 15% off everything else. This offer includes Apple’s latest products, such as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, HomePod, MacBook Pro, Beats headphones and even 2018 iPad Pros, with no minimum spend and a max discount of $75 off.

To snap up the deals, apply coupon code PICKUPSALE during checkout. The 10% discount is valid in the following categories: Cameras & Photo, Cell Phones & Accessories, Computers/Tablets & Networking, Consumer Electronics, Video Games & Consoles, while the 15% discount works in all other categories with the exception of warranties and protection plans, gift cards, coins, paper money, coupons and real estate. The offer is open to eBay members with a registered address in the United States, Canada, Latin America or the Caribbean. Coupon can be used once within a single transaction (or cart), while supplies last. Offer expires at 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Dec. 15.

Up to $75 off the following:

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:

Alongside the Texas campus, the company plans new or expanded sites in Seattle, Pittsburgh, Colorado and more over the next three years.

Workers at Apple’s Reno, Nevada data center

Apple is spending $1 billion to build a new campus for engineering, research and customer support in Austin and is doing so as part of U.S.-wide expansion plans. The new 133-acre campus will initially house 5,000 new staff and together with Austin’s existing 6,200 Apple employees is expected to make the company the largest private employer in the city.

“Talent, creativity and tomorrow’s breakthrough ideas aren’t limited by region or zip code,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook. “Apple is proud to bring new investment to cities across the United States and significantly deep our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin. And with this new expansion, we’re redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide.”

The new Austin campus, situated a mile from the current one, will continue Apple’s policy of being powered by 100 percent renewable energy. In addition to a building ultimately able to house 15,000 people, the site will also feature 50 acres of preserved open space.

Alongside the Austin campus, Apple announced that over the next three years it is planning to enlarge workforces in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City to over 1,000 employees each. It’s also intending to expand existing facilities in Boulder, Colo., as well as Boston, New York, Pittsburgh and Portland, Ore.

Apple’s projected US employment by 2022 (Credit: Apple)

Apple currently employs 90,000 people across all 50 states, including 6,000 who have been added this year. This year’s new hires are part of a five-year plan to add 20,000 jobs in America and contribute $350 billion to the economy.

These figures are to do with direct spending by Apple but the company claims that its work is also enabling a much wider indirect impact on American employment. In all, Apple says it is responsible for the creation and support of two million jobs in the U.S. including employees at some 9,000 supply firms and 1.5 million jobs related to the App Store.

“Apple is among the world’s most innovative companies and an avid creator of jobs in Texas and across the country,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbot. “Their decision to expand operations in our state is a testament to the high-quality workforce and unmatched economic environment that Texas offers.”

Apple also announced plans to invest $10 billion in data centers across the U.S. in a program due to take five years. Presently the existing data centers in North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada are being expanded while a new one is being planned for Waukee, Iowa.

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