Category: Apple Insider

These fresh discounts deliver the lowest Apple prices available for each particular configuration, according to the AppleInsider Price Guide.

In the case of the 2020 MacBook Air, the $859 price at Adorama represents a $140 discount off retail thanks to a $100 instant discount stacked with $40 off coupon code APINSIDER. This configuration in Gold is equipped with a dual-core 1.1GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of memory and a 256GB SSD. Check out these activation instructions for help redeeming the coupon.

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 Air or iMac to your cart anyway, and when you’re done shopping, begin the checkout process.
4. 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.
   
5. Enter the coupon code APINSIDER in the field and click apply. The discount should appear under “Promo Savings” above the order total.
6. That’s it. As always, if you have any issues, you can reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll try and help.

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive discounts on Mac hardware that will not only deliver the best Apple prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on AppleCare, Office 365 and more. These offers are as follows:

Apple’s newest MacBook Pro is $200 off at B&H Photo, with units in stock and ready to ship just in time for back-to-school. This configuration is equipped with a 10th Generation Intel Core i5 quad-core processor, along with 16GB of RAM and a spacious 1TB SSD.

Now $1,799, the system in Space Gray also qualifies for free expedited shipping within the contiguous U.S. Payboo cardholders shipping to eligible zip codes can also save on sales tax, putting another $145 back in your pocket on average.

2020 13-inch MacBook Pro discounts

2019 13-inch MacBook Pro deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive discounts on Mac hardware that will not only deliver the best Apple prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on accessories, Office 365 and more. These offers are as follows:

Shortly following the signing of an Executive Order by President Donald Trump that effectively bans TikTok and WeChat in the US from September 20, TikTok issued a statement claiming it would “pursue all remedies” against it. It appears that those remedies may start arriving in the next week.

According to a source of NPR, TikTok will be filing a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, where the app’s US operations are located, as early as Tuesday.

The lawsuit will allege the order is unconstitutional as the Trump administration failed to provide a chance for TikTok to respond. Furthermore, the suit will insist the administration’s national security justification for the order’s creation is without merit and baseless.

“It’s based on pure speculation and conjecture,” said the source. “The order has no findings of fact, just reiterates rhetoric about China that has been kicking around.”

In defending the order, White House spokesman Judd Deere said “The Administration is committed to protecting the American people from all cyber-related threats to critical infrastructure, public health and safety, and our economic and national security.”

In its statement on the ban on August 7, TikTok claimed it was “shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process.” After citing its attempts to engage with the US government for a “constructive solution to the concerns,” TikTok believes “the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses.”

TikTok went on to suggest the order “risks undermining global businesses’ trust in the United States’ commitment to the rule of law,” and that it sets “a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets.”

After the death of Steve Jobs in 2011, both Wall Street and Silicon Valley worried about Apple’s future. But, nine years later, Apple’s revenue and profits have more than doubled and the company’s market valuation is higher than the GDP of Canada, Russia or Spain.

Those gains have been made under the helm of Cook, who succeeded Jobs in August 2011. According to a profile in The Wall Street Journal, the past nine years have seen the tech executive reform Apple to more closely resemble himself.

Compared to Jobs’ outspoken devotion to design, Cook is described as much more methodical and focused on finance and social good. Although Apple under Cook has a “more relaxed workplace” environment than Apple under Jobs, staffers said that Cook is similarly “demanding and detail oriented.”

The CEO’s attention to detail “causes underlings to enter meetings with trepidation.” And Cook’s precision has “reshaped how Apple staff work and think,” the Journal adds.

“Middle managers today screen staff before meetings with Mr. Cook to make sure they’re knowledgeable. First-timers are advised not to speak. “It’s about protecting your team and protecting him. You don’t waste his time,” said a longtime lieutenant. If he senses someone is insufficiently prepared, he loses patience and says, “Next,” as he flips a page of the meeting agenda, this person said, adding, “people have left crying.”

Another time, Cook reportedly got irritated that Apple shipped 25 computers to South Korea instead of Japan. Although some sources said it seemed like a minor accident, Cook warned that “we’re los­ing our com­mit­ment to ex­cel­lence.”

The Apple executive rarely visits Apple’s design studio, which Jobs frequented. At a 2012 meeting to review an early Apple Watch prototype, Cook was absent. Sources say such an absence would have been unthinkable under Jobs.

Also unlike Jobs, who thought Apple’s cash was best directed toward research and development, Cook is much more willing to return cash to investors. In 2013, Cook had a three-hour dinner with Wall Street investor Carl Icahn that ended with dessert consisting of Apple logo cookies.

Colleagues and acquaintances who spoke to the Journal said that Cook was a “humble workaholic with a singular commitment to Apple.” Even longtime colleagues rarely socialized with Cook, and former assistants said that he doesn’t often partake in personal events.

Apple declined to set up interviews with Cook or senior executives, but “helped arrange calls four phone people it said could speak to areas of importance to Mr. Cook such as environmentalism, education and health.”

Of those four employees, one had never met Cook, and the others who spent a combined total of a few hours with the chief executive.

The proof of Apple’s shift may be in its products. The company has largely failed to release the type of market-disruptive products that Jobs was famous for.

Instead, Apple has dominated accessories that surround the iPhone — including the Apple Watch, AirPods and services like Apple Music. The Apple Watch has outsold every other watch in the world, while AirPods made up more than half of all headphones sold in 2019.

The order, which follows weeks of threats to ban the popular video app from the U.S., will essentially force ByteDance to divest from TikTok or stop operating in the country.

In the order, the White House claims that the spread of Chinese-owned apps in the U.S. “continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States.” The order then singles out TikTok and says “action must be taken to address” its threats.

Citing the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the order will prohibit any transaction with ByteDance and would place sanctions on any company found to be violating it. It will take effect in 45 days after its release or on Sept. 20, whichever comes first.

Previously, Trump said TikTok would need to end its operations in the U.S. if an American company, such as Microsoft, did not purchase it.

Although Apple was said to have expressed interest in acquiring ByteDance, the Cupertino tech giant later refuted those rumors. Currently, Microsoft is reportedly in talks to buy TikTok — a move that Trump approved of Thursday.

According to The Verge, Trump also signed a parallel order applying the same ban on Tencent, the Chinese-based owners of WeChat.

The president has also stated that a significant portion of the money from the deal should go to the U.S. Treasury, a move that China and some experts are cautioning against.

The nine-minute “Shot on iPhone” short film, titled “The Stunt Double,” is described as a “journey through cinema history.” As mentioned, it was shot completely vertically — or in “portrait orientation” — by Chazelle, an Academy Award-winner who is known for films such as “Whiplash” and “La La Land.”

“Watch as classic genres are flipped on their side, from action movies to silent films, spy flicks to westerns, reframing and modernizing the movie magic we know and love,” Apple wrote.

Alongside the short film, Apple also released a behind-the-scenes clip showing off how Chazelle used iPhone 11 Pro features like extended dynamic range and the ultra-wide-angle lens to create a cinematic feel.

Along with Chazelle, the behind-the-scenes short also features director of photography Linus Sandgren, production designer Shane Valentino and costume designer April Napier, among others.

Apple regularly shares photographs and videos as part of its “Shot on iPhone” campaign, but Chazelle’s contribution is the first to be shot solely in a vertical aspect ratio.

Look Around, first introduced in iOS 13 version of Apple Maps, is a rival to Google’s Street View that lets users explore various cities from an on-the-ground perspective.

On Tuesday, Apple quietly introduced four new cities in Japan to Look Around, including Kyoto, Nagoya and Osaka. The four Japanese cities mark the first time that Apple has expanded Look Around internationally.

Twitter user @Kanjo first spotted the feature being rolled out in Tokyo earlier on Tuesday. As of writing, it doesn’t appear that Look Around for Tokyo is live for users in the U.S.

The feature initially launched in Cupertino, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; San Francisco, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii. Since its debut, Apple has added support for 11 U.S. cities in total.

Although Apple didn’t announce the new Look Around additions, its website does note that it has been collecting pedestrian-level image data across Japan since March 2020.

Users should now be able to Look Around the four Japanese cities simply by searching them in Apple Maps on devices running iOS 14.

When iOS 14 debuts this fall, users will for the first time be able to replace Apple’s default Safari and Mail apps with third-party options. Developers must adhere to Apple’s rules to be eligible for consideration as an alternative.

Detailed in a support document, spotted by MacStories’ Federico Viticci on Monday, Apple’s guidelines note third-party apps must meet certain criteria before being considered as system defaults.

As it applies to web browser apps, eligible titles must meet functional benchmarks, provide adequate user privacy and ensure proper access to internet resources, Apple says. Apps must specify HTTP and HTTPS schemes in its Info.plist file and can’t use UIWebView. On launch, the app must provide a text field for entering a URL, search tools or a “curated” list of bookmarks, the docuemnt reads.

When opening a URL, a default app must “navigate directly to the specified destination and render the expected web content.” One exception to that rule is support for parental control or “locked down” modes that restrict web navigation.

Third-party apps can also present a “Safe Browsing” or other warning when online content is suspected of phishing or other safety issues. Apps with proper entitlements are unable to respond to Universal Links for specific domains, Apple says, adding that the special links can be opened to other apps.

To protect users, browsers will be rejected if they are found to be illicitly accessing photo files, location (including always-on location access), HomeKit databases, or health databases. Apps that poll for Bluetooth devices while running in the background will also be denied.

Mail apps must follow a relatively short list of directives that includes correct scheme specification in a plist file and the ability to send and receive messages from any valid email recipient. Apple notes that apps can implement user-controlled mail screening features, like those offered by Basecamp’s new Hey email service.

Major third-party web and email apps are expected to integrate requirements to achieve default status in time for a debut alongside iOS 14 this fall.

Prefer less expensive AirPods 2? Check out the best AirPods deals across the entire line, with prices starting at $129.

Latest Apple AirPods deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running additional exclusive discounts on Mac hardware that will not only deliver the best Apple prices on many of the items, but also throw in bonus savings on AppleCare protection plans, Office 365 and more. These offers are as follows:

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the slow return to normal is making it financially hard for some families, leading to some tough choices about bill payments. In a continuation of the established program by Apple and financial partner Goldman Sachs, Apple Card customers are able to avoid one outgoing cost for the month.

Apple Card users are now able to defer their August payment without incurring interest. To do so, they will need to talk to a financial representative to request entry into the scheme, or to extend any existing deferments.

The program continues a pattern of assistance Apple has offered from March until July, with August’s addition making it a total of six months of deferment for some customers.

1. On your iPhone, open the Wallet app.
2. Tap the “…” button
3. Tap Message
4. Type “I want to enroll in the Customer Assistance Program.”
5. Tap the send button

The deferment program is one of a number of initiatives Apple has put in place to assist its customers with financial planning. Apple Card offers the ability to buy Apple products in installments, gives insights via the Wallet app on how a user may better use the card to avoid paying interest on their outstanding balance, and in June Apple launched a four-month “Path to Apple Card” credit coaching program.