Category: Apple Insider

Exclusive

By Christine McKee
Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 08:19 pm PT (11:19 pm ET)

Apple Authorized Reseller B&H Photo has clearance MacBook Pro inventory on hand right now and that means exclusive savings for AppleInsider readers. Save up to $1,900 — the lowest prices of the year — on high-end 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro notebooks. All with free expedited shipping and special financing incentives.

Loaded MacBook Pros fall to $1,229

The MacBook Pro deals, which are courtesy of B&H Photo, are available only at AppleInsider and offer the lowest prices available on the premium 13-inch and 15-inch models, according to our Mac Price Guide.

Each notebook features one or more upgrades, such as additional RAM and/or extra storage. In the case of the 2018 Core i9 MacBook Pro (15-inch), the config also offers upgraded graphics and a 2.9GHz processor (in addition to 32GB of memory and a spacious 2TB SSD).

Those looking for a 13-inch MacBook Pro can also find discounts of $450 to $500 off upgraded Mid 2017 models, with prices starting at just $1,229 for configs with 16GB of memory. When comparing these specs to similarly equipped 2019 models, it would cost anywhere from $350 to $400 more to purchase Apple’s latest version.

Let’s also not forget the loaded 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro deal. To put that offer in perspective, it would cost at least $600 more to upgrade to a 16-inch MacBook Pro with 32GB of memory and 2TB of space.

Along with the exclusive cash discounts, B&H is offering no interest financing when paid in full within 12 months using the B&H Financing Card on any of these MacBook Pros. Or save on sales tax with an instant tax refund in eligible states with the B&H Payboo Card (click on the “check savings” link on this page and enter your ship-to zip code to see if your state qualifies). Expedited shipping is also free within the contiguous U.S. for speedy delivery to your door.

To redeem the discounts below, you must shop through the pricing links in this post from the AppleInsider desktop site using a laptop, desktop or iPad (we’re sorry, but the offers cannot be redeemed in mobile apps at this time).

13-inch MacBook Pro blowout deals

2018 15-inch MacBook Pro clearance deal

*Special activation instructions
To activate the discounted prices, you must shop through the special pricing links above or in our 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro and 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro Price Guides from a laptop, desktop or iPad. We apologize, but the offer cannot be redeemed in mobile apps at this time. Need help? Send us a note at [email protected] and we will do our best to assist.

Additional Apple deals

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

Interested in additional Apple hardware? See if there is a Mac, iPad or Apple Watch deal that will save you $100s by checking out prices.appleinsider.com.

By Mikey Campbell
Friday, January 24, 2020, 05:41 pm PT (08:41 pm ET)

An Apple representative is slated to attend a meeting on Monday held by the Carin Alliance, a nonpartisan group currently advocating to push through government policy that would allow fast, easy access to patient health information.

Ricky Bloomfield, Apple’s clinical and health informatics lead, is scheduled to join a meeting at which attendees will discuss efforts to support a Department of Health and Human Services initiative on medical data interoperability, CNBC reports.

Proposed by the HHS in 2019, the proposal would modify rules governing access to health information, allowing patients to more easily obtain and share personal data. These provisions must first pass muster with the Office of Management and Budget, which is where the Carin Alliance comes in.

According to a press release (PDF link), the group seeks to “rapidly advance the ability for consumers and their authorized caregivers to easily get, use, and share their digital health information when, where, and how they want to achieve their goals.” At the upcoming meeting, advocates will ask the OMB to release rule changes proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), as well as the 21st Century Cures Act: Interoperability, Information Blocking, and the ONC Health IT Certification Program. The group cites consensus reached during a public comment period.

Those in favor of the policy modifications seek to modernize America’s health records system. Existing systems silo data and limit cooperative exchange between health care providers. Currently, patients looking to switch doctors or facilities, or share data with others, are typically required to request hard copies of medical histories. Data is often stored on physical media like CDs that are not easily transferrable. Others are denied access altogether, the report notes.

Proponents of the rule changes argue barriers that inhibit free movement between doctors and health institutions are proving detrimental to public health. Opposing voices, like medical records giant Epic, actively urge customers, like hospitals, to fight the proposals out of supposed concern for patient privacy.

Along with Apple’s Bloomfield, more than 40 representatives from major medical and tech companies, including Microsoft, will take part in the gathering either in person or by phone, according to an attendee list released Friday (PDF link).

Bloomfield is a physician with a background in mobile technology who currently serves as pediatric hospitalist at Stanford Children’s Health and an adjunct clinical assistant professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is currently working on technologies that allow users to carry health information on iPhone, the report said.

Apple has long been an advocate of making health data portable and in 2018 launched the Health Records feature on iOS. Built into the Health app, Health Records enables iPhone users to securely store and share medical data from participating healthcare providers. The effort debuted with support from 39 medical groups, later expanding to 75 backers in less than six months. Most recently, veterans gained access to the feature when the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs integrated support for Health Records in November.

By AppleInsider Staff
Thursday, January 23, 2020, 05:59 pm PT (08:59 pm ET)

Apple has leased the entirety of San Jose’s “Triangle Building,” a well known six-floor office building near the company’s main Apple Park campus.

Apple is leasing the entirety of the “Triangle Building” in San Jose. | Source: Google Maps

The tech giant has leased all six floors of the 86,000-square-foot office building at 5300 Stevens Creek Blvd., according to public filings reported by Mercury News.

Apple first rented a portion of the building in 2012, though information from property listing services reveal the company did not continuously use the space. Today’s reported lease appears to be a more permanent endeavor, as construction is underway on all floors to make ready for whatever plans the company has in store for the property. Apple logos can be seen throughout the building, the report said.

The new lease expands Apple’s presence in the area. Last year, the iPhone maker snapped up two buildings on the same street, while today’s report notes office space leased in a complex located directly across from the Triangle Building.

Apple owns and leases multiple properties in and around the Bay Area of California, including a headquarters in Cupertino and offices in Santa Clara, San Jose, Milpitas and beyond. Locations range from the high-profile, multi-billion-dollar Apple Park in Cupertino to smaller operations in Sunnyvale, the latter of which has been described as a “black site” by contractors.