MacRumors

Best Buy today launched an early access sale for members of the My Best Buy program, marking the first day of a new 3-Day sale that's gearing up this week. Only one Apple product has an early access discount -- the mid-2017 refresh of the MacBook Air -- but there are a few other deals on 4K television sets and Bluetooth headphones. As the week progresses and Best Buy opens up the sale to more users and adds new products, we'll be sure to share any notable discounts.

For now, take a look at a few of the early access sales below:

• MacBook Air with 13.3-inch Display, Intel Core i5, 8GB Memory, 128GB Flash Storage - $874.99, down from $999.99

• MacBook Air with 13.3-inch Display, Intel Core i5, 8GB Memory, 256GB Flash Storage - $1,074.99, down from $1,199.99

• Sony 1000X Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (Black or Grey Beige) - $249.99, down from $399.99

• Sharp 43-inch Class LED 2160p Smart 4K Ultra HD TV - $329.99, down from $349.99

• Samsung 55-inch Class LED 2160p Smart 4K Ultra HD TV - $999.99, down from $1,499.99

For these early access deals, remember that you'll need to be logged in to your My Best Buy account in order to see the sale prices.

There are also a few discounts on items outside of the 3-Day Sale, ranging from the latest iMacs, to multiple Philips Hue lamps, and even DJI's new miniature Spark drone. Check them out below:

• Apple 21.5-inch iMac, Intel Core i5 (2.3GHz), 8GB Memory, 1TB Hard Drive (Latest Model) - $999.99, down from $1,099.99

• Apple 27-inch iMac, Intel Core i5 (3.5GHz), 8GB Memory, 1TB Fusion Drive (Latest Model) - $1,899.99, down from $1,999.99

• Philips Hue Lamps and Light Fixtures - Get 20 percent off the Hue White Ambience Wellness Lamp, Wellner Lamp, Beyond Lamp, Phoenix Lamp, and more.

• DJI Spark Quadcopter in Alpine White - $449.99, down from $499.99

• Sphero Spider-Man - $129.99, down from $149.99

It's worth noting that previous sales on Apple Watch Series 2 and iPad mini 4 remain ongoing at Best Buy, so if you're interested in those products you still have a chance to purchase them at a discount. There are many more items on sale on Best Buy's Hot Deals page, including Epson all-in-one printers and select Insignia cables and chargers, so be sure to browse all of the discounts here.

For more of the latest deals on Apple products, accessories, and more, head over to our Deals Roundup.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy

Apple Maps now provides indoor maps for eight additional airports in the United States, as the new feature continues to roll out in iOS 11.

The recently added airports include O'Hare International and Midway International in Chicago, McCarran International in Las Vegas, Baltimore–Washington International, Miami International, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International, Oakland International, and Portland International.

The feature has also been available for Philadelphia International Airport and San Jose International Airport since iOS 11 was in beta.

When searching for these airports, Apple Maps users can tap "look inside" or simply zoom in to view terminals, boarding gates, security checkpoints, airline check-in desks, baggage claim carousels, information kiosks, restrooms, stores, restaurants, parking garages, and even escalators, elevators, and stairs.

It is even possible to browse by floor, or search for shops, food, drinks, or restrooms in a specific terminal. Tapping on a restaurant, for example, brings up a detailed place card with photos, hours, and additional information.

Apple software engineering chief Craig Federighi previewed Apple's indoor maps at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Skip to around the 1:07:50 mark of Apple's WWDC 2017 keynote video to watch.

Apple said indoor maps will also be available at several other major airports, including Los Angeles International, JFK and LaGuardia in New York, San Diego International, Toronto Pearson International, Vancouver International, Heathrow and Gatwick in London, and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Apple is also adding indoor maps to shopping malls, making it easier to find the exact location of stores, restaurants, restrooms, escalators, elevators, and stairs on each floor. Users can also filter stores by categories such as clothes, shoes, accessories, beauty, food, and drinks, with detailed place cards for each.

A few shopping malls currently supported include Westfield's Valley Fair in San Jose and the San Francisco Centre.

(Thanks, Abel La O Fernandez!)

Apple and GE today announced a new partnership that will provide developers with the tools to make their own powerful industrial apps.

The two companies unveiled a new software development kit for iOS that will give developers the ability to make iPhone and iPad apps that use analytics from GE's industrial "Internet of Things" platform Predix.

For example, a Predix app can notify workers on their iPhones of a potential issue with equipment, such as a wind turbine, and allow them to collaborate with remote teams when performing inspections and repairs, collecting relevant data instantly.

Apple said these industrial apps will "close the information loop" faster and thereby increase cost savings and minimize unplanned downtime.

"GE is an ideal partner with a rich history of innovation across the industrial world in areas like aviation, manufacturing, healthcare and energy," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. "Together, Apple and GE are fundamentally changing how the industrial world works by combining GE's Predix platform with the power and simplicity of iPhone and iPad."

"The partnership between Apple and GE is providing developers with the tools to make their own powerful industrial IoT apps," said GE CEO John Flannery. "Our customers increasingly need to arm their workforces through mobility. Working together, GE and Apple are giving industrial companies access to powerful apps that help them tap into the predictive data and analytics of Predix right on their iPhone or iPad."

GE also said it will standardize on iPhone and iPad for mobile devices, and promote Mac as a choice for its global workforce of more than 330,000 employees. In turn, Apple said it will promote GE's Predix as the industrial "Internet of Things" analytics platform of choice to its customers and developers.

The new Predix SDK for iOS will be available to download on Thursday, October 26, and Predix apps will be available on the App Store.

Apple Pay support in Spain has been extended to CaixaBank and ImaginBank, according to reports out of the country this morning.

Spanish tech blog AppleSfera first reported that cards issued by the banks were working with Apple's mobile payment system as of Tuesday, and CaixaBank has now officially confirmed the support.

Apple Pay integration with Caixabank had been promised "before the end of the year". Previously the biggest financial entities in Spain to support Apple Pay were American Express and Banco Santander (Mastercard cards), so the addition of CaixaBank and ImaginBank (CaixaBank's mobile arm) should see the digital payment platform get a lot more coverage in the country.

Apple Pay is expected to be introduced in the near future to several more countries including Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.

(Thanks, Eduardo!)

Apple pushed an update to users of its iTunes U iOS app on Tuesday, bringing the education-focused service up to speed with recent changes introduced in iTunes 12.7 last month.

Apple launched iTunes U in 2007 as a free repository of educational content through the iTunes Store, allowing educators to create course collections comprising audio, media, handouts, ebooks, and other bundled content. In 2012, Apple introduced the iTunes U iOS app, enabling users to access their collections within an app container.

However, September's iTunes update completely removed the App Store, and with it the section for managing iTunes U Collections. Apple previously notified educational institutions using iTunes U that it would be migrating their collections to Apple Podcasts.

iTunes U collections can now be found in the Podcasts section of iTunes on Mac or PC, or in the Podcasts app on iOS devices or Apple TV. After the iTunes U iOS app is updated to version 3.6, it will only include courses, not collections. The app version history also indicates performance improvements for accounts with a large number of courses.

Facebook Live, the feature that allows Facebook users to broadcast live video to followers and friends, was today updated with support for screen sharing.

As noticed by The Next Web, there's now a button for sharing your computer screen when broadcasting on Facebook Live.

Using the screen sharing feature requires a Facebook Screen Sharing browser extension to be installed in the Chrome browser.

Facebook's built-in screen sharing feature lets users decide what to share based on application, with an option available to stream specific browser tabs.

Screen sharing was previously available in Facebook Live, but it required third-party Open Broadcaster Software to use, and it was more complicated to get running than Facebook's new solution.

Eftpos, a debit payments network in Australia, today announced that ANZ eftpos Access cards now feature support for Apple Pay.

ANZ is the first bank in Australia to make in-store eftpos mobile payments available to 1.6 million ANZ eftpos Access cardholders through Apple Pay.

Visa, American Express, and MasterCard credit and debit cards issued in Australia by participating banks already supported Apple Pay, but the addition of eftpos is notable as it's widely used in the country.

"Today marks a significant milestone for eftpos as we move from our traditional card based payment method into mobile, enabling consumers with an iPhone or Apple Watch to choose the eftpos account they wish their mobile payment to be made from, being either their eftpos CHQ/SAV account. Customers can set their account preference out of CHQ/SAV and then save themselves entering their account each time they pay. After providing trusted, secure card-based payments for 30 years, eftpos can now also be used to make mobile payments," Mr Jennings said.

"About 1.6 million ANZ eftpos Access cardholders now have the opportunity to make payments on an iPhone or Apple Watch, many of whom may not have had the opportunity to make in store mobile payments before. As Australia's most used debit card network, we are thrilled to be providing ANZ eftpos Access customers with more payment choice, with added benefits of enhanced security and comfort."

As Business Insider points out, support for eftpos reduces fees for both customers and retailers compared to other payment methods.

Support for eftpos is now listed on Apple's Australian Apple Pay website and Apple Pay is available to ANZ Access card customers in Australia immediately.

Popular messaging app WhatsApp was today updated with a new feature that's designed to allow WhatsApp users to share their location in real-time with family and friends.

Live Location through WhatsApp features end-to-end encryption and includes tools to allow users to specify who they share their location with and for how long.

To use Live Location, WhatsApp users need to open a chat with a person or group, select the "Location" feature in the attach button, and then choose the new option to "Share Live Location." When selecting the share option, users can select an amount of time the location sharing feature will last before expiring.

The person on the other end will be able to see the user's real-time location on a map, and if, in a group chat, more than one person shares their location, multiple locations will be displayed on the same map.

Live Location is available on both iOS and Android devices, and it will be rolling out to the WhatsApp apps "in the coming weeks."

WhatsApp can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Google today asked customers who use the Gmail for iOS app to test a new feature that will allow non-Google accounts to be added to and checked from the official Gmail for iOS app.

Right now, the Gmail app for iOS devices only supports Gmail accounts, but the addition of support for third-party email accounts would put the app on par with other popular iOS apps like Spark, Airmail, Alto, Edison Mail, and other options.

Gmail for Android already supports third-party email accounts.

Google is allowing Gmail users to sign up to test the feature through a beta application. Requirements include using the Gmail for iOS app, having a non-Google email account, and iOS 10 or later.

Customers are asked to enter their name, Gmail address, iOS device, and provider of the non-Google email account to be used in the beta. There's no word yet on when the feature might launch following the beta test.

Gmail for iOS can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Dropbox today introduced a new account option called Dropbox Professional, aimed at individuals who need more storage and features than are available with a standard Plus account, but don't need a business account.

Priced at $19.99 per month, Dropbox Professional offers 1TB of storage and it includes a new feature called Dropbox Showcase.

Dropbox Showcase allows for Dropbox content to be organized into a PDF with a customized layout, visual previews, captions, and personalized branding, turning it into a portfolio of sorts.

Along with Dropbox Showcase and 1TB of storage, the new tier includes OCR and Smart Sync, a feature previously limited to Dropbox Business users. Smart Sync allows users to customize where files and folders are stored, with options for storing locally, in the cloud, or both.

With OCR or optical character recognition, Dropbox can understand the text in scanned documents, allowing for them to be searchable. The final feature available in Dropbox Showcase is an option to cause a document to remotely expire.

The introduction of Dropbox Professional comes two weeks after Dropbox introduced its revamped brand design that focuses on bright, contrasting colors, and introduces new fonts and logos to its products.

Dropbox users can sign up for Dropbox Professional starting today.

Apple is gearing up to launch Apple Pay in Sweden next week, according to a report by Swedish site MacPro [Google Translate]. The site stated that the first financial partner with Apple Pay in Sweden will be the bank Nordea, and that the two companies will jointly announce the mobile wallet collaboration one week from today, on October 24.

During its third quarter earnings call in August, Apple confirmed that Apple Pay would be expanding to Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and United Arab Emirates before the end of 2017. So far, the mobile payments service hasn't yet appeared in any of these areas, and a rumor about Germany gaining Apple Pay functionality by September has also failed to materialize.

Currently, Apple Pay is available in the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Canada, Switzerland, France, Hong Kong, Russia, Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Taiwan, and Ireland. In a future update to iOS 11, Apple Pay will also gain a new person-to-person payments feature -- Apple Pay Cash -- so that users can transfer money to one another within Messages. This feature will only be available in the U.S. at launch.

Update 1: MacPro has reported that Finland and Denmark could see the debut of Apple Pay next week as well.

Update 2: MacPro has now shared the retail partners Apple Pay will have in Sweden at launch: Pressbyrån, 7-11 and Elgiganten.