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Get lifetime access to Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Business 2021 for just $54.99

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Don’t miss out on this Microsoft Office for Mac deal that will save you time and money. A lifetime Home & Business 2021 license is available at an 84% discount, offering access to Microsoft’s popular suite of Office tools for a fraction of the retail cost.

This month’s best Office for Mac deal offers users the perfect opportunity to access popular software tools at up to 84% off. Select between Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac or Office Professional 2021 for Windows. Each is available for a one-time purchase price of $54.99.

In the case of Microsoft Office Home & Business 2021 for Mac, you’ll be able to install the software on one Mac and access classic Office apps, including Microsoft Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

About the Office for Mac promotion

  • Lifetime license for Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams & OneNote
  • One-time purchase installed on 1 Mac for use at home or work
  • Desktop access only (cannot be used on iPad)
  • Version: 2021

Includes

  • Microsoft Office Word
  • Microsoft Office Excel
  • Microsoft Office PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Office Outlook
  • Microsoft Office Teams
  • Microsoft Office OneNote

The deal is only available for a limited time, so if you’re looking for a steep discount on an abundance of tools to enhance your productivity, head over to this StackCommerce page and look for the advertised offer.

Need help with your purchase? Fill out this support form and StackCommerce’s team will be in touch.

Additional Apple deals

Best Apple prices

Want to save some dough? There are plenty more deals going on today in the Apple space, including exclusive discounts on the new M2 MacBook Air. Here’s an overview of the special offers running this August:

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Spigen Enzo leather case review: Luxury iPhone 13 protection at a price

AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

The Spigen brand is most oft known for its budget-friendly array of cases. Its new luxurious Enzo iPhone 13 model proves that the case maker has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

There’s a good chance you’ve heard of Spigen before. It’s a widely popular brand of affordable cases that has sold more than 50 million worldwide. There are unique options with built-in wallets, extra grip, and superb protection.

The Italian-inspired Enzo case features a level of craftsmanship we’ve not seen before and is certainly a luxury product. Rather than rolling off a production line like hot cakes, Spigen can only produce 50 cases per week while ensuring the level of desired quality.

Quality certificates on the new case

Quality certificates on the new case

The Enzo case arrives in a bespoke box. As you open the box, you’ll find your Enzo case wrapped in tissue paper alongside a hand-numbered certificate of authenticity. You’ll also have a pair of quality tags locked to the case to bolster its provenance.

Intricate construction

The Enzo case is exceptionally slim yet comprised of several layers that culminate in a compact yet protective cover.

Genoma leather

Genoma leather mark

On the inside is a layer of suede that nestles against your phone. It’s stamped with the leather brand and the magnetic ring location. The body is made from polycarbonate to provide a rigid frame.

Around the edge is a polyurethane bumper. This bumper has air pockets in the corners that act as airbags in the case of a drop. The Enzo case promises four feet of drop protection thanks to the frame and bumper.

Spigen logo on the Italian leather

Spigen logo on the Italian leather

It ends with fine Italian leather on the exterior. The leather doesn’t wrap around the sides but just covers the back. This is due to the improved drop protection properties of the bumper versus the added bulb of wrapping it in leather.

Spigen says they use genuine Genoma leather from Italy. A cursory Google search doesn’t yield much information on this leather itself — perhaps it is Spigen’s own brand of leather, but Spigen does provide some additional details.

The leather is ethically-sourced, full-grain leather that is vegetable tanned without using any chemical dyes in Tuscany, Italy. We can’t verify any of that, but the leather does feel high-quality with no blemishes.

When you touch the leather, it feels very soft and smooth but not too soft as to promote scratches.

Like all high-quality leather goods, the case should develop a unique patina based on your daily use. This is one of our favorite aspects of leather cases, as no two will ever look the same.

Anodized aluminum buttons

Anodized aluminum buttons

Each button is endowed with anodized aluminum to make them easier to press. These covers are silver, contrasting the black leather.

Most leather cases cover the buttons in more leather, which reduces the tactility of the buttons and fosters a subpar experience. Apple uses anodized aluminum buttons on its iPhone cases, and we have a similar level of quality here.

Aluminum ring around the camera

Aluminum ring around the camera

Aside from the buttons, there is an aluminum ring around the camera module.

Using the Enzo case

Along with the case, Spigen includes a wrist strap for the phone. It secures with vinyl string to the lower-right corner to a built-in anchor point.

Removable strap

Removable leather strap

The lanyard is leather with a suede lining, just like the case itself. Most times, if case manufacturers include a lanyard with their phone cases, they’ll cheap out. It’s nice to see the same case quality extend to its accessory.

MagSafe ring on the inside of the Enzo case

MagSafe ring on the inside of the Enzo case

We already mentioned that the Enzo case supports MagSafe, as is evident by the magnet denotation inside the case. This means any MagSafe accessory will work.

In our testing, we tried various MagSafe chargers, MagSafe wallets, stands, and mounts. All held just fine. The connection was solid and secure, and the leather slides less than the metal of a naked iPhone.

Should you buy the Spigen Enzo case?

For most users, there’s no need to buy the Spigen Enzo case.

Don’t get us wrong. We very much love the quality of this case. It’s impeccable. But with a price tag of $150, there are plenty of other great cases you could opt for.

If you’re willing and able to spend that kind of cash on an iPhone case, by all means, the Spigen Enzo is a worthy choice. The fit is perfect, the materials are second-to-none, and it feels great to hold.

Spigen Enzo case on a MagSafe charger

Spigen Enzo case on a MagSafe charger

It’s impressive to see Spigen pull out all the stops on this high-end case that differs so drastically from the usual plastic shells it pumps out year-after-year. We hope Spigen feels empowered by how excellent this case is to explore other high-end options.

Hopefully, next time they come in just a bit more affordable so more users can experience them.

Spigen Enzo case pros

  • Incredible quality in craftsmanship and materials
  • Fits our iPhone 13 Pro like a glove
  • Metal buttons add a nice touch and contrast to the black leather
  • Premium experience from the unboxing, to the certificate, to the product
  • Highlights Spigen’s expertise as a case manufacturer
  • Supports MagSafe
  • Includes leather wrist strap

Spigen Enzo case cons

  • Price tag puts it out of reach for many
  • Wish the lanyard was easier to remove

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Where to buy

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Uber closing rewards program in favor of pushing Uber One subscription

AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

Ride-hailing service Uber is closing down its loyalty program, Uber Rewards, with users being urged to sign up for the Uber One subscription to get regular Uber and Uber Eats discounts.

Since 2018, Uber Rewards provided users with discounted rides and food deliveries, by earning points from spending money on the service. The free-to-join loyalty program is now being wound up, in favor of a paid alternative.

In an email to Uber Rewards users seen by The Verge and an update to support pages, users are warned that Uber Rewards is ending on November 1, 2022. Participants will continue to earn rewards points until August 31 and will have until October 31 to redeem any points in their account against any applicable rewards.

Uber won’t be replacing Uber Rewards directly, but instead is nudging users in the direction of Uber One. All Uber Rewards users will be able to try out the Uber One membership free for a month, according to the email.

Rather than requiring users to earn rewards, Uber One instead works from a monthly fee of $9.99 or $49.99 per year. For that fee, users get to place Uber Eats orders without paying a delivery fee, get up to 10% off eligible Uber Eats deliveries and pickup orders, 5% off Uber rides from top-rated drivers, and other bonuses.

The closure of Uber Rewards may be unwelcome to high-volume users of the service, since they would also be high points earners. Earning 7,500 points designated a user as “Diamond tier,” which provided premium customer support, three free Uber Eats deliveries, and complimentary ride upgrades, among other bonuses.

Diamond tier customers will still have phone support after Uber Rewards’ closure, Uber claims.

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Apple shares first look at ‘Lessons in Chemistry’

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The upcoming Apple TV+ series “Lessons in Chemistry” is set to hit the streaming platform in 2023.

Apple on Friday shared a first look at upcoming drama series “Lessons in Chemistry.”

“Lessons in Chemistry” is set in the 1950s, when a young, aspiring scientist named Elizabeth Zott (Lawson) is fired from her lab after finding out she’s pregnant. She takes a job as a host on a cooking show and winds up teaching her audience more than just recipes.

Staring alongside Larson are actors Lewis Pullman (“Top Gun: Maverick”), Aja Naomi King (“How to Get Away with Murder”), Stephanie Koenig (“The Flight Attendant”), Patrick Walker (“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey“), Thomas Mann (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”), Kevin Sussman (“The Big Bang Theory”), and Beau Bridges (“Homeland”).

“Lessons in Chemistry” joins a growing slate of Apple TV+ dramas, including highly praised workplace drama “Severance,” and sci-fi alt-reality drama “For All Mankind.”

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FTC will begin exploring new regulations on data privacy, corporate surveillance

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The Federal Trade Commission has kickstarted an effort to expand data privacy rules and regulations that could place additional restrictions on how firms collect and use personal information.

On Thursday, the FTC announced that it was exploring new rules that could crack down on “commercial surveillance and lax data security practices.” It marks the first major regulatory undertaking by FTC Chair Lina Khan, who is a noted critic of Big Tech.

As part of its push, the FTC voted 3-2 along party lines to publish the advance notice of proposed rule making and to begin receiving comments on a “wide range of concerns about commercial surveillance practices.”

“Our goal today is to begin building a robust public record to inform whether the FTC should issue rules to address commercial surveillance and data security practices and what those rules should potentially look like,” Khan said in a statement.

Although the FTC’s rules could take years to enact, but they could restrict what tech giants are able to do with data. For example, sources told The Wall Street Journal that one option could be to declare some data collection practices unfair or deceptive. The FTC is reportedly also exploring multiple paths.

In addition to the FTC’s proposed rule making, Congress is also exploring bipartisan legislation that could enact federal privacy regulations dictating what companies can do with user data, and how they can go about collecting it.

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Disney+ to hike prices, introduce ad-supported tier in December

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Disney+ will introduce a new ad-supported tier of its streaming service later in 2022 while hiking the price of the current ad-free plans, including bundles with Hulu and ESPN+.

The new pricing structure, which will also include ad-supported versions of its Hulu and ESPN+ services, will officially debut to the public on Dec. 8, Disney announced on Wednesday.

Under the new structure, a basic Disney+ subscription with ads will cost $7.99 — the same cost as its current pricing tier. A premium version with no ads will run customers $10.99 a month.

Hulu with ads is also seeing a price increase from $6.99 a month to $7.99 a month. A premium Hulu subscription with no ads is also getting more expensive at $14.99, instead of the $12.99 it is currently.

ESPN+ will remain the same price at $9.99 a month with ads.

As far as the Disney bundle, existing subscribers will see their subscription hiked by a $1 to $14.99 a month. Note that this only applies to legacy Disney Bundle subscribers — new subscribers will pay $19.99 a month for Disney+ and Hulu with no ads.

A basic Disney Bundle with ads across Disney+ and Hulu will cost $9.99 a month. Adding in ESPN+, which isn’t included in the basic plan, will add $2 to that price point.

“With our new ad-supported Disney+ offering and an expanded lineup of plans across our entire streaming portfolio, we will be providing greater consumer choice at a variety of price points to cater to the diverse needs of our viewers and appeal to an even broader audience,” said Kareem Daniel, Chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution.

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Final Cut Pro & iMovie updates have fix for export & playback bug

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Apple has updated both iMovie and Final Cut Pro X with a minor fix that addresses a bug in both video editing apps.

The updates, version 10.3.4 for iMovie and version 10.6.4 for Final Cut Pro X, are now available to download from the Mac App Store. Both updates are free.

According to Apple’s release notes, the updates address an issue that caused video frames to be out of order during export or playback. That bug fix was the only listed addition in Apple’s release notes.

Some Final Cut Pro X users has noted that the bug specifically affected ProRes workflows. Prior to the update, only inconvenient workarounds like optimizing media files worked.

Apple’s last update to iMovie and Final Cut Pro was released earlier in 2022 and also addressed several bugs.

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What’s new in iOS 16 beta 5: Battery percentage in status bar, music visualizer, & more

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Apple has issued iOS 16 beta five to developers which, as always, contains a number of bug fixes and feature enhancements. Here’s everything new we’ e uncovered thus far.

This marks the fifth developer beta of iOS 16 that Apple has seeded ahead of its release this fall. A public beta will likely be following shortly in the coming days assuming there are no catastrophic bugs in the developer-only beta.

We’ve installed it on our testing device to track down any changes or new features that Apple has implemented since the last beta. Many of the changes are under-the-hood bug fixes, but some are user-facing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWaPfRo_tM]

Battery status

Apple has given users the ability to view their battery percentage in the status bar once more in the most recent update. With this enabled, the remaining battery is displayed as a percentage atop the battery icon in the top-right corner.

When showing the percentage, the battery background will be full. If you head to Settings > Battery you can toggle this feature on or off.

Battery percentage in the status bar

Battery percentage in the status bar

Lock Screen

We’ve seen a few more tweaks to the lock screen this time, including the media player.

Perspective Zoom, which was in the last beta, has once more been removed. This is likely temporary as the last time we saw this added to iOS 16 it was quite buggy.

New visualizer and button animations

New visualizer and button animations

The now-playing widget on the Lock Screen has a new music visualizer. It appears to match the music currently playing rather than being a stock animation.

This is coupled with new button animations. When you tap the play/pause button or the forward back buttons they have a new animation that goes with. The animations feel very polished and smooth and give a nice level of detail.

Other changes

When using an Apple Watch to locate your iPhone, Apple has included a new audio tone. It sounds more like a ringing locator tone that is slightly higher pitched than before.

New copy and delete option for screenshots

New copy and delete option for screenshots

When taking a screenshot, there’s a new option to copy and delete the image when you tap Done. This allows you to copy the image to paste into any other app without having to first save the image to the Photos app.

In the Music app, albums that support Dolby Atmos and Lossless audio have those designators more prominently displayed alongside the genre and release year. This is relocated from further down on the info panel before.

New splash screens in several apps

New splash screens in several apps

Finally, Home, Photos, Maps, and Reminders all have new splash screens to tout their new features.

Coming soon

At the moment, iOS 16 is currently in developer beta. A public beta is scheduled to be released in July before a full release this fall. Stay tuned to AppleInsider as we walk through more features for Apple’s upcoming software updates.

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Updated 2022 iPad Pro models could use four-pin Smart Connectors

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Apple could provide users of the 2022 iPad Pro with more connectivity to accessories, with a rumor claiming a pair of “four-pin connectors” will be added to the tablet’s casing.

The iPad Pro has a Smart Connector, a row of three exposed pins on the lower rear of the tablet, which is used to connect with hardware such as the Magic Keyboard. If a rumor is to be true, the concept could be expanded for the upcoming range of iPad Pro models.

According to Chinese sources of Macotakara, the general design of the housing of the 6th-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro and 4th-gen 11-inch iPad Pro will be the same as the current models. However, rather than just offering the usual three-pin Smart Connector, Apple instead plans to use two “four-pin” connectors instead.

The report claims the new connector type will be located at the top and the bottom of the iPad Pro, but stops short of saying exactly where they will be positioned.

It remains to be seen what the extra pin could be used for as part of a connection, given Apple’s existing pin-based connectors. The report reasons that the extra pin could help with power transfers between the iPad Pro and a connected accessory.

The current Smart Connector’s use of three pins may mean the new connectors won’t be compatible with three-pin accessories. MagSafe, another pin-based connector used in the MacBook Pro, uses five pins.

While the number of pins in the rumor may be questionable, having two connectors does offer the potential for smaller accessories to be attached, one at either end of the tablet.

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This weekend’s best Apple deals: $119 Apple TV 4K, $299 iPad, $179 AirPods Pro, $354 off Mac

AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content.

Save up to $354 this weekend on a variety of Apple products, ranging from the Apple TV 4K to iPads and the latest M2 MacBook Air.

Apple resellers, including Amazon, Best Buy, B&H and Adorama, are all offering best-of-the-web pricing on select Apple products, with discounts knocking up to $354 off the latest gear this Saturday and Sunday. Check out our top picks below and in our Apple Price Guide.

Apple TV 4K

Apple AirPods

iPad

The popular $299 iPad deal is also back at Amazon, with both Space Gray and Silver models in stock.

HomePod mini

M2 MacBook Air

14-inch MacBook Pro

The 14-inch MacBook Pro is up to $354 off, with exclusive discounts on both the systems themselves and AppleCare (the latter at Adorama). You can check out the full rundown of deals in our 14-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide.

  • 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Pro, 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB, 1TB): $2,199 ($300 off)
  • 14″ MacBook Pro (M1 Max, 10-core CPU, 24-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD) Gray: $2,545 ($354 off)

16-inch MacBook Pro

The larger 16-inch MacBook Pro is also eligible for triple-digit savings this weekend, with discounts on every configuration at your fingertips in our 16-inch MacBook Pro Price Guide.

Even more deals

Cheap Apple prices

AppleInsider and Apple Authorized Resellers are also running deals on Mac and iPad hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on accessories, software and more. Here are just a few of the sales going on this week: