MacRumors

Apple authorized reseller Adorama is offering an impressive $1,000 discount on the high-end 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar.

2016 15 inch macbook pro space gray
The special Black Friday sale drops the price of last year's high-end MacBook Pro in Space Gray to $1,899, down from Apple's original price of $2,899 last year. That is by far the lowest price we've ever seen for this particular model.

The high-end 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro is equipped with a 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and both dedicated AMD Radeon Pro 460 and integrated Intel HD Graphics 530 graphics.

While newer 2017 MacBook Pro models with Kaby Lake processors were released in May, the performance improvements driven by the small bump in base and turbo frequencies are relatively minor and shouldn't be a big deal for most customers.

B&H Photo Video has a few other notable discounts on select 2016 MacBook Pro configurations:

- 2016 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys: 2.0GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, Intel Iris Graphics 540 - now $1,149, originally $1,499 ($350 off)
- 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar: 2.7GHz Core i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, AMD Radeon Pro 455 - now $2,099, originally $2,799 ($700 off)

The deals are available until various times today while supplies last. B&H Photo Video was earlier offering $800 off the base model 2016 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, but it has run out of stock for that particular deal.

For additional deals on Apple products and accessories, including other Macs, be sure to check out our Best of Black Friday article and Black Friday roundup, which both continue to be updated throughout the day.

Disclaimer: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Adorama and B&H Photo Video and may receive a small commission if you click one of the above links and make a purchase.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Today is Black Friday, meaning many people are out shopping at physical stores to take advantage of the best deals, but there are also discounts hitting apps and movies that you can buy at home on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. Because of this, we've taken a look at the best games, productivity apps, and movies you can buy at a discount today. Of course, this is just a glimpse into the extensive sales you can find by checking out the App Store and iTunes Movies Store.

We've listed some of the best deals on the most popular apps below, but to find tons more apps and games that are on sale, make sure to visit our sister sister site AppShopper.

itunes black friday
Games
- Strike Team Hydra - $0.99, down from $7.99
- Mini Metro - $1.99, down from $4.99
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Classic - Free, down from $2.99
- Demon's Rise 2 - $0.99, down from $7.99
- Arkanoid vs Space Invaders - $0.99, down from $4.99
- Lara Croft GO - $0.99, down from $4.99
- Thomas Was Alone - $0.99, down from $4.99
- Bastion - $1.99, down from $4.99
- Alto's Adventure - $0.99, down from $4.99
- Forbidden Desert - $1.99, down from $6.99
- Another Lost Phone - $1.99, down from $2.99

Apps
- Fantastical 2 for iPhone - $2.99 (40% off)
- Fantastical 2 for iPad - $4.99 (50% off)
- Calendars 5 - $2.99, down from $6.99
- PDF Expert - $4.99, down from $9.99
- Printer Pro - $2.99, down from $6.99
- Scythe - Free, down from $3.99
- Be Focused Pro - $0.99, down from $1.99

Mac Apps
- iStat Menus 6 for Mac - $9.99, down from $18
- iStat Menus 6 Family Pack - $14.99, down from $25
- Git Tower for Mac - $39.50, $50 off regular $79 price
- Audible - Hundreds of audiobook titles discounted to $4.95
- SmartMockups - $32, 35% off regular $49 price
- CleanMyMac 3 - 30% off
- MacPaw App Bundles - 30% off
- Fantastical 2 for Mac - $39.99 (20% off)
- Cardhop for Mac - $14.99 (25% off)
- Chatology for Mac - $14.99 (25% off)
- RapidWeaver 7 - $44.50
- Squash 2 - $7.50
- Little Snitch - 50% off
- Unclutter - $4.99, down from $9.99
- Civilization V - $9.99, down from $29.99
- Civilization VI - $29.99, down from $59.99
- Sim City Complete Edition - $9.99, down from $29.99
- Sim City 4 Deluxe - $4.99, down from $19.99
- Sims 2 Super Collection - $14.99, down from $29.99
- Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 Platinum - $4.99, down from $19.99
- Call of Duty Black Ops - $19.99, down from $39.99

If you want to build up your iTunes Movies library, this week is the time to do it because Apple is discounting a long list of films on iTunes for Black Friday. Prices have dropped on everything from holiday favorites to new releases, all encompassing multiple genres. We've rounded up some notable deals below, with additional sales available through iTunes on Mac and iOS devices, as well as the Apple TV.

Under $10 Holiday Movies
- Elf
- Jingle All The Way
- Home Alone
- Die Hard
- A Christmas Story
- The Holiday
- The Family Stone

Under $12.99 4K iTunes movies to buy
- Labyrinth
- How to Be Single
- The Maze Runner
- Assassin's Creed
- Alien: Covenant
- Mad Max: Fury Road
- War for the Planet of the Apes
- Transformers: The Last Knight
- Baby Driver
- Wonder Woman

$4.99 HD iTunes movies to buy
- Fruitvale Station
- Big Eyes
- The Evil Dead
- Southpaw
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Ender's Game
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- 27 Dresses

$9.99 HD iTunes movies to buy
- Kidnap
- A Ghost Story
- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
- Snatched
- The Big Sick

Catch up with all of the latest deals in our Black Friday Roundup.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Best Buy has discounted all fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad models with Wi-Fi + Cellular by $200 on a two-year contract with Verizon.

ipad 9 7 low cost
This limited time Black Friday deal drops the price of Apple's budget tablet to an all-time low of $259 for 32GB of storage or $359 for 128GB of storage, compared to regular prices of $459 and $559 respectively, in the United States.

The deal is available for select Gold and Space Gray models on Best Buy's website, with the deal for other models available at Best Buy stores only.

- 9.7-inch iPad/32GB/Space Gray — now $259, regular $459
- 9.7-inch iPad/128GB/Space Gray — now $359, regular $559
- 9.7-inch iPad/128GB/Gold — now $359, regular $559

Apple's fifth-generation iPad is its latest 9.7-inch tablet, released in March 2017 as a lower cost alternative to the iPad Pro.

The tablet, simply named iPad, is similar in many ways to the iPad Air 2, but it has a faster A9 chip, a brighter Retina display, and it is slightly thicker and heavier. It also lacks a fully laminated display and anti-reflective coating.

Other tech specs include an 8-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera, 1.2-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera, two speakers, Lightning connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, Touch ID with Apple Pay, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, and Bluetooth 4.2.

Given its price point, the tablet lacks most iPad Pro features, including a True Tone display, Smart Connector, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard support, 4K video recording, LTE Advanced, and four-speaker audio.

For deals on other Apple products and accessories, including non-cellular iPad and iPad Pro models, make sure to check out our Best of Black Friday article and our Black Friday roundup, which continue to be updated throughout the day.

Disclaimer: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy and may receive a small commission if you click one of the above links and make a purchase.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Similar to years past, one of the best deals going on this Black Friday revolves around discounts on the App Store and iTunes gift card, allowing you to snag some expensive cards at a slight discount and apply it to your Apple Music subscription, movie and book purchases, and much more. For this reason, we've decided to round up some of the places that are offering nice discounts on App Store and iTunes gift cards today.

itunes gift card via paypalNote: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

We've noted the retailer, discount amount, and whether the card is physical or delivered via email in the list below, all of which are in stock as of writing:

- PayPal Digital Gifts on eBay: $100 for $85 (email)
- Amazon: $100 for $85 with promo code ITUNES15 (email)
- Target: Buy one get one 30 percent off (email)
- Best Buy: Buy one get one 30 percent off (physical)
- GameStop: buy one get one 20 percent off (physical, in-store only)
- Costco members: $200 for $180, $100 for $90, and $25 for $22.50 (email)

As an example, the BOGO 30 percent off deals (when purchasing two cards of the same amount) will break down like this:

- Buying two $15 iTunes Gift Cards = $25.50
- Buying two $25 iTunes Gift Card = $42.50
- Buying two $50 iTunes Gift Card = $85
- Buying two $100 iTunes Gift Card = $170

Sam's Club is one of the major retailers that had an iTunes gift card deal, but it's out of stock online now. The deal was $84.47 for an iTunes card multipack that totaled $100. Also of potential note for frequent Walgreens shoppers: the retailer has a deal where you can get a $10 Walgreens gift card when you buy a $30 or $50 iTunes gift card.

For a look at all of the best Black Friday sales, make sure to check out our main post and visit our Black Friday Roundup.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

Thanksgiving is well underway in the United States, and Black Friday deals online and at brick and mortar stores are starting to go live across the country. Major retail stores like Target, Best Buy, and Walmart will be opening their doors this evening, while many online-only deals are already live.


Below, we've rounded up some of the best deals we've come across on Apple products like iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Macs, and accessories, and many, many more deals can be found in our dedicated Black Friday roundup.

iPhone

Walmart is offering a $300 Walmart Gift Card with the purchase of an iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, or iPhone 7 Plus on an AT&T Next or Verizon Device Payment plan. This deal is limited to stores, with activation appointments available starting at 6:00 p.m. Actual activations will begin at 8:00 p.m.

walmartblackfridaydeal
Sam's Club is offering a $100 Sam's Club gift card with the purchase of "any Apple iPhone," which may include the iPhone X, but it isn't clear if the retailer will have any in stock. This deal does apply to the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus.

Target is offering a $250 Target gift card with the purchase of an iPhone 8 or an iPhone 8 Plus on an installment plan from Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T.

If you prefer a straight cash discount, Best Buy is offering up to $200 off the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus on an installment plan from Verizon, Sprint, or AT&T.

iPad Pro

There are several deals to be had on the latest 2017 10.5 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models, with multiple retailers offering discounts.

Best Buy is discounting the 10.5-inch iPad Pro by up to $150, while Target will be offering a $120 discount, dropping the price on the entry-level 64GB 10.5-inch iPad Pro model to $530, down from the regular price of $650.

2017ipadpro
B&H Photo is also offering several iPad Pro models at $50 to $100 off.

- 10.5-inch iPad Pro: 64GB, Wi-Fi - $599.00, down from $649.00
- 10.5-inch iPad Pro: 256GB, Wi-Fi - $699.00, down from $799.00
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro : 64GB, Wi-Fi - $739.00, down from $799.00
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro: 256GB, Wi-Fi - $849.00, down from $949.00

5th-Generation iPad (2017)

Both Target and Best Buy are offering the 2017 32GB iPad for $249.99, which is a discount of $80 off of the regular price of $329.99. Walmart is offering the same deal.

97ipad
For some cellular 2017 iPad models, Best Buy is offering a $200 discount. At $200 off, the 32GB 2017 iPad with cellular is available for $259, down from the regular price of $459. A two-year Verizon service contract is required to get the deal.

Apple Watch

There are essentially no deals on the new Apple Watch Series 3 models, with the exception of Kohl's. Kohl's is offering $90 in Kohl's cash with the purchase of select Apple Watch Series 3 models.

apple watch series 3 trio
Target is discounting Apple Watch Series 1 models by $70, dropping entry-level pricing down to $179.99. That's the best Series 1 deal, and Macy's is matching it by discounting Series 1 models by $70 as well, while Best Buy is offering a $50 discount if the previous deals are unavailable for some reason.

MacBook Pro

When taking into account B&H Photo's free shipping and no taxes on orders outside of New York, the company is offering the best deals on most MacBook Pro models. Adorama, which doesn't charge taxes outside of New York and New Jersey, is also offering the same discounts. MacMall and Best Buy's prices are similar on most Macs, but they can't beat no taxes for the most part.

macbookpromodelssideview
Best Buy does actually have the best discounts on 15-inch MacBook Pro models and some higher-end 13-inch models, offering $50 off over Adorama and B&H, but in states where sales tax is a factor, B&H or Adorama deals are still likely to be better overall. In some cases, Amazon also has comparable deals.

Best Buy is discounting all 15-inch MacBook Pro models by $250, while 13-inch models are between $150 and $200 off.

13-inch MacBook Pro models

- 2.3 GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,349, down from $1,499
- 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,349, down from $1,499
- 3.1GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,649, down from $1,799
- 3.1GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) - $1,629, down from $1,799
- 3.1GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,849, down from $1,999
- 3.1GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Gray - (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,849, down from $1,999
- 3.1GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) - $2,049, down from $2,199
- 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) - $2,249, down from $2,499

15-inch MacBook Pro models

- 2.8GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,199, down from $2,399
- 2.8GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Space Gray (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,199, down from $2,399
- 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Silver (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,599, down from $2,799
- 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Gray (Amazon) (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $2,599, down from $2,799
- 3.1GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) - $3,199, down from $3,399

MacMall is offering discounts on a wide range of MacBook Pro models with non-standard configurations, allowing customers to purchase machines with upgraded components like RAM and graphics cards.

- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.3GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,909, down from $2,099
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.1GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,029, down from $2,199
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,299, down from $2,499
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.1GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD - $2,379, down from $2,599
- 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.3GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD - $2,449, down from $2,699
- 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Mid 2017): 3.1GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,699, down from $2,999

B&H Photo and Adorama also have deals on several older MacBook Pro models.

- 13-inch MacBook Pro (Late 2016): 2.0GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,149, down from $1,499
- 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Late 2016): 2.6GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,599, down from $2,399
- 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Late 2016): 2.9GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $1,899, down from $2,899
- 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (Late 2016): 2.7GHz, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD - $2,099, down from $2,799

MacBook

Adorama and B&H are offering the best deals on the current 2017 12-inch MacBook Pro models, with discounts of $150.

retinamacbook
- 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Gold (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Rose Gold (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Silver (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,149, down from $1,299
- 1.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Gold (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,449, down from $1,599
- 1.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Rose Gold (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,449, down from $1,599
- 1.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Silver (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,449, down from $1,599
- 1.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD in Space Gray (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,449, down from $1,599

MacMall has a decent discount on an older high-end 2016 MacBook model if you don't need the latest version, offering it for $1,379, down from its regular price of $1600.

- 12-inch MacBook (Early 2016): 1.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB flash storage - $1,379.00, down from $1,599.00

MacBook Air

Best Buy has the best deals on the MacBook Air at $200 off each model. These are the 2017 MacBook Air models that received refreshed processors back in June.

macbook air
- 1.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD - $799.99, down from $999.99
- 1.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD - $999.99, down from $1,099.99

iMac

Best Buy, Adorama, B&H Photo, and MacMall all have deals on various iMac models, some of which are discounted by $200 or more.

imacs 2017

21.5-inch

- 2.3GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HD (Best Buy) - $899.99, down from $1,099.99
- 3.0GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB HD (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,179, down from $1,299
- 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion (Best Buy) - $1,599.99, down from $1,799.99

27-inch

- 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,649, down from $1,799
- 3.5GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion (Adorama) (B&H Photo) - $1,849, down from $1,999
- 3.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 2TB Fusion (Amazon) (B&H Photo) - $2,099, down from $2,299
- 4.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD (Adorama) - $2,849, down from $3,099

Amazon and eBay Deals

Both Amazon and eBay are offering a huge number of rotating deals that will change on a regular basis throughout Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

Deals go so quickly and are so numerous that it's impossible to list them, but make sure to check out both sites to see what's on sale. eBay and Amazon are both offering discounts on iPhones, iPads, and tons of Apple accessories.

Best Accessory Deals

- $100 iTunes Gift Cards - $85 from Amazon with Promo Code ITUNES15
- BeatsX wireless headphones - $99, down from $149
- DJI Spark drone - $399, down from $499
- Beats Studio 2 Wireless Headphones - $160, down from $380
- Powerbeats wireless headphones - $160, down from $200, Plus $20 Target gift card
- Apple-branded iPhone cases - 15 percent off regular price
- Apple Watch bands - Up to $30 off
- Philips Hue bulbs - 20% off
- Philips Hue Lightstrip - $40 off
- Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard - $10 off
- August HomeKit Smart Lock - $80 off
- $100 iTunes Gift Card Multipack - $84.47, down from $100
- Sonos speakers - Up to $100 off
- BlackPods AirPods - $40 off any BlackPods order, including mail-in
- UE Boom 2 speaker - $80, down from $200

Make sure to check out our Black Friday roundup for specific times on when retail stores will open and for more information on the deals listed above. Our roundup also features hundreds of additional deals on Apple products and Apple-related accessories, so it's worth taking a look if you want to get a good deal on a new Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

The iPhone X officially landed in 13 more countries on Friday, with launches in Albania, Bosnia, Cambodia, Kosovo, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Montenegro, Serbia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey.

In the countries and territories listed, Apple's latest smartphone is being sold exclusively by authorized third-party resellers and carriers, with the exception of Turkey – where Apple has a retail presence in Zorlu Center and Akasya Acıbadem – and Macau, where an Apple store is based at Galaxy Macau. Apple's flagship device also became available to customers in Israel on Thursday for the first time.

iphonexcolors
The iPhone X is also available to buy through regional online Apple stores in Malaysia (from RM 5,149), South Korea (from ₩1,420,000), Thailand (from ฿40,500), and Turkey (from 6.099 TL), with prices varying depending on local currencies. Apple appears to have made provisions for launch day availability in the above countries, with online shipping estimates at 1 to 3 business days at the time of writing.

Over the last couple of days, iPhone X shipping estimates have improved to around 1-2 weeks in the U.S. and Canada, and across Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, where the iPhone X has been available since November 3. Early iPhone X rumors had suggested the device would be available in severely limited numbers until well into next year, but the balance between supply and demand appears to be leveling worldwide.

In related news, according to a report on Thursday in the London Metro, Apple's offices in South Korea were "raided" earlier this week by state regulators. The article reports that authorities visited Apple's Seoul offices and questioned the company's business practices.

The raid is said to be part of an ongoing probe that was launched after Apple took action to address local authorities' concerns about unfair contracts that the company had with South Korean firms commissioned to repair its devices. However, the incident has led some to question whether South Korean authorities are trying to hamper the success of iPhone X in the region, which is home to rival Samsung.

Lee Jae-yong, acting chairman of Samsung, was jailed for five years for corruption in August 2017. He was charged with bribery, perjury and other crimes following an investigation which led to the impeachment of South Korea's then-president, Park Geun-hye. Also known as Jay Y Lee, the 49-year-old business magnate was accused of making payments in exchange for political favors.

Related Forum: iPhone

iphone x dual lens cameraThe 2016 iPhone 7 Plus was the first Apple smartphone to feature a dual lens camera, and this year's iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X followed suit, improving upon last year's design with larger sensors and better signal image processing. The iPhone X also benefits from added optical image stabilization and larger aperture on the telephoto lens.

In what may come as a surprise to most casual snappers, the telephoto lens in Apple's dual camera isn't always activated when the 2x zoom is selected in the native Camera app. In some low light scenes, iOS opts to crop a wide angle image instead in an effort to obtain a better image with less noise and a lower likelihood of blurring.

With this in mind, Studio Neat designer Dan Provost recently conducted an experiment to see how much the telephoto lens in the iPhone X improves upon the one in the iPhone 7 Plus. To do this, he looked at how much light is required before an iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X switches to the telephoto lens when the 2x zoom mode is selected. This would show Provost if the frequency of cropping an image is at all reduced in Apple's latest smartphone.

I placed an object (in this case, an old Rolleiflex camera) on a white backdrop, and flanked it on both sides with two LED studio lights. I set up the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X on tripods (using the Glif, natch) and positioned them to keep the framing as similar as possible. Then, starting from a completely dark room, I slowly raised the light levels and observed when the lens switched on each camera. The results are in the video below.


As the embedded video demonstrates, Provost discovered that the iPhone X switched to the telephoto lens much more quickly in his artificial low light scenes, requiring approximately 2 fewer stops of light before switching to the telephoto lens, compared to the iPhone 7 Plus.

"This is obviously great news, and speaks to how improved the second lens is after just one year," says Provost. "In my own use of the phone for the past couple weeks, it does indeed seem to be the case that I am very rarely presented with a 2X cropped image."

You can learn more about Provost's iPhone X low light photography experiment over on the Studio Neat website.

Related Forums: iOS 11, iPhone

Apple's annual Black Friday shopping event has kicked off in the United States, with Apple offering customers Apple Store gift cards worth up to $150 with the purchase of select devices including Macs, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.

appleblackfridayevent2017
Apple is offering gift cards for a range of products, but many newer devices, including the iPhone X and the Apple Watch Series 3, are not included in the promotion. Gift card amounts by product:

- iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air - $150 gift card
- iPhone 6s and 6s Plus - $50 gift card
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus - $50 gift card
- Apple Watch Series 1 - $25 gift card
- 5th-generation iPad - $50 gift card
- iPad mini 4 - $50 gift card
- iPad Pro - $100 gift card
- iPhone SE - $25 gift card

The gift card with purchase deal is available both online and in Apple's retail stores. Customers are limited to two gift cards per product category, and as usual, refurbished products and educational store purchases do not quality for a free gift card.

Apple's US Black Friday sale follows the launch of its Black Friday discounts in Australia and New Zealand, which started on Friday morning local time in those countries. Similar one-day deals are also being offered in several other countries in Europe and North America, including Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and more.

Many third-party retailers in the United Stated are offering better discounts than Apple on various iPhone, iPad, and Mac models, so it may be best to shop around before making a purchase. Make sure to check out our Black Friday roundup for all of the best deals we've found on Apple products and accessories.

Related Forum: Community Discussion

ModMy today announced it has archived its default ModMyi repository on Cydia, which is essentially an alternative App Store for downloading apps, themes, tweaks, and other files on jailbroken iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

jailbreak iphone

A jailbroken iPhone running iOS 6 via New Atlas

ZodTTD/MacCiti also shut down last week, meaning that two out of three of Cydia's major default repositories are no longer active as of this month. ModMy recommends developers in the jailbreaking community use the BigBoss repository, which is one of the last major Cydia sources that remains functional.

The closure of two major Cydia repositories is arguably the result of a declining interest in jailbreaking, which provides root filesystem access and allows users to modify iOS and install unapproved apps on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

When the iPhone and iPod touch were first released in 2007, jailbreaking quickly grew in popularity for both fun and practical reasons. Before the App Store, for example, it allowed users to install apps and games. Jailbreaking was even useful for something as simple as setting a wallpaper, not possible on early iOS versions.

Even in later years, jailbreaking remained popular for a number of popular tweaks that Apple has eventually implemented into iOS, such as system toggles, lock screen widgets, quick reply for text messages, screen recording, multitasking, picture-in-picture mode on iPad, and keyboard trackpad mode.

With many of those features now available out of the box, the allure of jailbreaking is considerably less for many people.

"What do you get in the end?" asked Cydia creator Jay Freeman, in an interview with Motherboard. "It used to be that you got killer features that almost were the reason you owned the phone. And now you get a small minor modification."

One downside to jailbreaking is that it has always been a violation of Apple's End User License Agreement that every iOS user agrees to. While not illegal in the United States, due to an exemption in the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, jailbreaking also technically voids your device's warranty coverage.

In a statement provided to Cult of Mac back in 2010, Apple said jailbreaking can "severely degrade the experience" of an iPhone.

Apple's goal has always been to insure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience. As we've said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.

Apple's cat-and-mouse game with jailbreaking has been ongoing for over a decade, and it may be finally winning the battle given advancements in iOS security and decreasing interest in jailbreaking.

iOS 11 is the first major version of Apple's mobile operating system that has not been publicly jailbroken. A few developers have claimed to exploit iOS 11 at various security conferences, but no Mac or PC tool like Pangu has been released for the public to download and jailbreak their own devices with.

The lack of a public jailbreak for the latest iOS version after several months has fueled a so-called "death spiral" for jailbreaking.

"When you get fewer people bothering to jailbreak, you get fewer developers targeting interesting things, which means there's less reasons for people to jailbreak," said Freeman. "Which means there's fewer people jailbreaking, which causes there to be less developers bothering to target it. And then you slowly die."

iOS users still interested in jailbreaking can visit our Jailbreaks and iOS Hacks forum section and /r/jailbreak on Reddit.

Apple has updated its website to indicate that the iPhone X launches in three additional Latin American countries in early December.

iphone x angled
Namely, the iPhone X will be released in Colombia starting December 1, Chile on December 7, and Brazil on December 8. The device will be available from select carriers and authorized resellers in each country.

In Brazil, the iPhone X will also be on display and available to purchase from the country's two Apple Stores at VillageMall in Rio de Janeiro and the Morumbi shopping center in São Paulo. Inventory will likely be extremely limited.

iPhone X will start at 6,999 Brazilian reals in Brazil, the equivalent of slightly more than $2,150 USD based on current exchange rates. That's more than double the iPhone X's starting price of $999 in the United States.

Apple's prices in Brazil being significantly higher than in the United States is partly the result of the country's 60 percent duty on imported products valued up to $3,000, and likely other factors such as stricter labor laws.

Apple hasn't provided iPhone X pricing information for Chile or Colombia, or release dates for other countries in South America.

iPhone X first launched November 3 in the United States and over 50 other countries. The device was also released in Israel today and arrives in 13 additional countries, including Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey, tomorrow.

iPhone X orders on Apple's website now ship in an estimated 1-2 weeks around the world, down from 5-6 weeks after the device first launched.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple's one-day Black Friday shopping event is now live in Australia and New Zealand, offering customers free Apple Store gift cards worth up to A$210 or NZ$210 with the purchase of selected new Apple products today.

black friday apple au nz
The deals are available through Apple's online store, and at Apple retail stores in Australia, through November 24. Apple's terms and conditions state each customer is limited to two gift cards per product category.

For the Mac, eligible models include any new 12-inch MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro, including custom configurations ordered online. Mac mini and refurbished Macs do not qualify.

Australia

• 9.7-inch iPad: $70 gift card
• iPad mini 4: $70 gift card
• iPad Pro: $140 gift card
• iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: $70 gift card
• iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus: $70 gift card
• iPhone SE: $35 gift card
• Apple Watch Series 1: $35 gift card with select models
• Mac: $210 gift card with select models

New Zealand

• 9.7-inch iPad: $70 gift card
• iPad mini 4: $70 gift card
• iPad Pro: $140 gift card
• iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: $70 gift card
• iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus: $70 gift card
• iPhone SE: $35 gift card
• Apple Watch Series 1: $35 gift card with select models
• Mac: $210 gift card with select models

Apple will likely extend its Black Friday event to the United States, Canada, Europe, and select other regions tomorrow. In the U.S., the gift cards could be worth up to around $150 to $160 based on currency exchange rates.

Black Friday marks one of the few times in a year that Apple offers deals on its products. Be sure to read our Black Friday roundup for several other deals on Apple products and accessories, and larger discounts in some cases.

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Shipping estimates for the iPhone X have improved across Europe and Asia today, with many regional online Apple stores now quoting delivery within the first eight days of December.

France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom now all show shipping dates between December 1 and December 8, suggesting Apple's production ramp-up efforts are paying dividends well beyond U.S. shores.

Screen Shot 8
Slight variations in shipping dates can be found in other European countries such as Italy and Spain, which show estimates between December 1 and 11. Meanwhile, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland currently give a 1 to 2 week estimate.

Elsewhere, regional online stores in Asia, including China, Japan, and Singapore, quote delivery dates of between 1 and 2 weeks. The same also goes for New Zealand, while Australia now offers a more specific date range of between December 1 and 8.

U.S. shipping estimates for iPhone X improved on Wednesday to 1 to 2 weeks, but prior to today, estimates across Europe and Asia remained at 2 to 3 weeks.

Back in early November, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company was working to ramp up iPhone X production week by week, with the aim of getting the new smartphone out to customers "as soon as possible."

Previously, rumors had suggested the device would be available in severely limited numbers until well into next year, but the balance between supply and demand already looks to be easing worldwide.

Related Forum: iPhone

The U.K. government announced in Wednesday's annual budget that it plans to clamp down on tax avoidance by increasing the tax it collects from online giants such as Apple and Amazon.

In his Treasury speech to the Commons, Chancellor Philip Hammond said income tax would be charged on royalties relating to U.K. sales, even when they are paid to a low-tax jurisdiction and would not normally be taxed in the UK under current rules.

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The new rules are due to come into effect from April next year, and estimates suggest they will raise approximately 800 million pounds ($1.07 billion) in extra tax over the next five years. However, Hammond admitted they would only go some way to balancing out the taxation treatment of digital firms, and that more would have to be done to tackle tax avoidance.

Multinational digital businesses pay billions of pounds in royalties to jurisdictions where they are not taxed and some of those relate to UK sales.

This does not solve the problem, but it does send a signal of our determination and we will continue work in the international arena to find a sustainable and fair long-term solution that properly taxes the digital businesses that operate in our cyberspace.

Apple recently came in for criticism when the so-called Paradise Papers revealed that the company sidestepped a 2013 crackdown on its controversial Irish tax structure by moving the majority of its offshore cash holdings to the small island of Jersey, a self-governed territory with loose ties to the United Kingdom.

The papers showed that Apple's two key Irish subsidiaries were managed from the Jersey offices of offshore tax law firm Appleby from 2015 until early 2016. Apple reportedly chose Jersey after exploring several potential tax havens, such as Bermuda and the Cayman Islands.

Apple apparently turned to Jersey after European officials began to crack down on the so-called "Double Irish" tax structure it had exploited. The loophole allows for multinational corporations to funnel revenue through an Irish subsidiary, which in turn sends that money to another Irish subsidiary that has residency in a tax haven. The practice has enabled Apple to save billions of dollars in taxes globally.

Apple responded to the revelations contained in the Paradise Papers by saying that it made regulators in the U.S. and Ireland, and the European Commission, aware about the reorganization of its Irish subsidiaries, and added that the changes haven't reduced its tax bill.

Last year, the European Commission ordered Ireland to collect $14.5 billion in back taxes from Apple, after it concluded that the country's tax agreements with the tech giant represented "illegal state aid". Both Apple and the Irish government are currently appealing the ruling.

Apple has repeatedly highlighted its position as the largest taxpayer in the world and reiterated the fact that it holds overseas cash because that's where the majority of its products are sold. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that Apple is willing to repatriate some of its offshore cash holdings into the U.S., but he also recently said that tax reform is "sorely needed" first.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular writing program Ulysses received an update to its iOS app today, bringing a revised interface and full compatibility with iPhone X.

Various interactions in the Ulysses UI have been reworked, and the app now fully complies with the all-screen design of the iPhone X's OLED display.

Ulysses iPhone X
Beyond the changes induced by the iPhone X screen, the update brings redesigned editors for objects like images, annotations, notes, and footnotes. The text counter has also been tweaked based on user feedback, as has the automatic fullscreen mode.

In addition, Ulysses now also supports Face ID, Apple's new facial authentication system, to complement its privacy options, which previously only offered passcode protection. With Face ID enabled, writers can unlock their text libraries with a simple glance.

Lastly, the app ships with a new default editor theme, featuring sparsely applied colors and bold black headlines, which the developers say is simpler, cleaner, and more typographic.

Ulysses can be downloaded for free on the App Store and the Mac App Store. After a 14-day trial period, a subscription is required to unlock the app on all devices. A monthly subscription costs $4.99, while a yearly subscription is $39.99. Students can use Ulysses at a discounted price of $11.99 per six months. The discount is granted from within the app.

Tag: Ulysses

Apple supplier Foxconn says it has stopped interns from working illegal overtime at its factory in China, after reports emerged that at least six students worked eleven-hour days on iPhone X production lines.

Today's announcement follows a Financial Times report earlier this week that revealed around 3,000 students worked at its iPhone X assembly plant in Zhengzhou, as the firm struggles to catch up with demand for the smartphone after production delays.

foxconn iphone production

A worker assembles iPhones in a Foxconn factory

Apple on Tuesday said an audit had confirmed "instances" of student interns working overtime at the supplier facility in Henan province, and both Apple and Foxconn said they would take remedial action to stop the practice, which breaches Chinese laws preventing children from working more than 40 hours per week.

"Apple is dedicated to ensuring everyone in our supply chain is treated with the dignity and respect they deserve," the tech giant said today in a statement given to the BBC. "We know our work is never done and we'll continue to do all we can to make a positive impact and protect workers in our supply chain."

Foxconn, which operates the intern program, told the BBC in a statement that it had taken "immediate action to ensure that no interns are carrying out any overtime work". It added that "interns represent a very small percentage" of its workforce in China and that the breach of labour laws was inconsistent with its own policies.

Foxconn is thought to hire large numbers of seasonal workers each year to assemble the latest iPhone models in time for the busy holiday shopping season. The FT report, citing an anonymous Foxconn employee, said there can be up to 20,000 workers producing up to 300,000 iPhones per day. However, this year it appears the manufacturer has found it particularly challenging to keep up with demand for the iPhone X, which Apple has described as being "off the charts".

As per its supplier responsibility efforts, Apple requires manufacturing partners like Foxconn to limit working hours to no more than 60 hours a week, with a mandatory rest day once every seven days.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: Foxconn
Related Forum: iPhone

Amazon has made its Echo Buttons, the company's "first Alexa gadgets", available to pre-order on its U.S. website. First announced in September, the $20 accessories come in packs of two and are designed to allow Amazon Echo owners to play family trivia games with the voice-activated smart speakers.

echo buttons
About 3 inches (76mm) wide and 1.5 inches (38mm) tall, the Echo Buttons each have a multi-color LED on top that lights up the push button. The devices are powered by two triple-A batteries and connect to Echo speakers via Bluetooth.

Amazon says the buttons will work with four Alexa skills when they ship on December 19 in time for the holidays, including name-that-song game "Beat the Intro" and "Fourth Down Football Trivia", with support for more sound effect and quiz games expected further down the line.

Echo Button Alexa Skills
The Echo Buttons are compatible with all old and new Echo devices as well as the forthcoming Echo Spot, but they don't work with the Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire TV, or any other non-Echo device.

Note: This article includes affiliate links and MacRumors may benefit if you click on them

Facebook is continuing its seemingly relentless trend of copying Snapchat with the testing of a new feature that plays on the latter's chat streak challenge, which encourages users to "keep your streak going" when messaging friends.

Facebook Messenger streaks include an emoji status to indicate friends that a user is currently in a streak with – who they've messaged for at least two days in a row – and encourages them to keep chatting to keep the streak alive.

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A spokesperson for Facebook Messenger who spoke to Mashable confirmed its testing of the feature, saying it was a way "to see at a glance fun facts about the people you message with".

"For example, a lightning bolt may appear next to the name of a person you've messaged with for at least three days in a row, and a counter will indicate how many consecutive days you've been chatting. We're interested to see if people enjoy this insight, but we don't have any additional information to share at this time."

Streaks have been a popular feature with younger Snapchat users for some time, with many seeing them as a fun, addictive challenge to see how long they can make a streak last for. Whether or not the trend catches on with the wider age demographic of Messenger users is a different proposition, and will undoubtedly dictate the chances of a wider rollout.

In its last straight-up feature clone, Facebook created a facsimile of Snapchat's day-long, vanishing post idea in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, which gained 100 million users following the Snapchat-like update last year.

Popular third-party iOS podcast app Overcast reached version 4.0.1 on Thursday, bringing some much-requested features including a new true-black dark theme and sleep timer option.

overcast

New Black dark theme compared to Light theme with System font option enabled

The new Black theme, shown above, joins the existing Light and Dark themes, and has been designed with the iPhone X in mind, offering a slick new look for the smartphone's 5.8-inch OLED display as well as being easier on tired eyes.

As before, users who like to change things up depending on the time of day (or night) can swipe up or down with two fingers to quickly change between a light and dark interface – the only difference being that the Light-Switch gesture now simply chooses the most recently used dark theme.

In another neat UI appearance tweak, users can now also opt to turn on the system font for whichever theme they choose.

Elsewhere, there's a new sleep timer option that stops playback at the end of the currently playing episode, plus a bunch of smaller improvements including one that's supposed to fix auto-resume playback after taking a call.

Overcast 3.1 is available as a free ad-supported app for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]