Apple Stores across Japan have today begun selling different configurations of the Fukubukuro, or "lucky bag", giving customers the chance to purchase a random assortment of products sold at a steep discount, reports Japanese blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate].
Apple's grab bags are sold as is, and returns are not accepted unless a product is found to be defective. Still, the bags have been quick sellers on previous occasions, with many people lining up the night before to get their hands on a bag.
As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to customers of Apple retail locations in Japan, though other countries, like China, may see the same traditional Apple Store sales during the new year.
Wednesday October 1, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, and Safari.
More features and changes will follow in future versions,...
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Jeff Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several...
Thursday October 2, 2025 7:26 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Nearly two weeks after the iPhone 17 series launched, analysts at investment banking firm Morgan Stanley said demand for the devices has been "modestly stronger than we originally expected," based on a combination of extended shipping estimates on Apple's online store and information it gathered from Apple's supply chain.
There has been strong early demand for the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro,...
Saturday October 4, 2025 8:19 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple's website offers a list of nearly 200 new features and changes (PDF file) included in the software update, released last month.
Apple also shared equivalent lists for iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe.
iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 and newer. To install the update, open the Settings app on your iPhone, tap on General, and tap on Software Update.
Below, we have highlighted eight ...
Friday October 3, 2025 3:39 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
The MacBook Air is Apple's most popular laptop – a thin, fanless machine that wields quiet power thanks to the efficiency of Apple silicon. While the M4 model isn't exactly old, attention is already turning to its successor.
Apple doesn't telegraph new product launches ahead of time, but we can draw a surprisingly clear picture of what to expect by looking at Apple's silicon roadmap,...
After launching new iPhones last month, Apple is promoting iCloud+ with a prominent banner on its home page, in a bid to boost its services revenue. In addition to more storage, all iCloud+ plans include five perks for iPhone users.
As a refresher, iCloud includes 5GB of storage for free. If you want extra storage, you need to subscribe to an iCloud+ plan. In the United States, prices range...
Monday October 6, 2025 11:56 am PDT by Juli Clover
With the second beta of iOS 26.1, Apple updated the design of alarms set on the iPhone, making them harder to dismiss than before.
Stopping an alarm in iOS 26.1 beta 2 requires a new Slide to Stop gesture rather than a simple tap. You can continue to tap to snooze an alarm, but if you want to turn it off entirely, you need to use a swipe.
Transitioning from a tap to a slide gesture to...
Monday October 6, 2025 5:05 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
A new iPad mini is "absolutely" on the way, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released a year ago?
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code that Apple mistakenly shared in...
There can be a huge amount of legal and other problems, depending where you are.
One: Obviously the store won't accept returns if you don't like the contents, just like you can't return a lottery ticket that didn't win. Not accepting returns might be illegal in some country.
Two: Not telling you exactly what you get in a sale might be illegal in some country.
Three: In some country, this might be considered to be a lottery, and a store would need a license to run a lottery which might be hard to get, or a lottery might be illegal.
Four: Depending on the attitude of customers, people who got less than they expected might get angry and cause the store more trouble than this is worth. Obviously culture dependent.
Fifth: Depending on the attitude of customers, they might deeply distrust an offer like this and expect to be ripped off, so very few would buy and many would think that the store attempted to rip them off, which is not good for business. Obviously culture dependent.
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As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to Japanese customers, ...
I suppose it is not limited to Japanese customers, but to customers who go to an Apple Store in Japan, right? Japanese customers turning up in a store in New York won't get a "Lucky Bag", and I won't be refused one in Tokyo because I'm not Japanese?
Four: Depending on the attitude of customers, people who got less than they expected might get angry and cause the store more trouble than this is worth. Obviously culture dependent.
totally a waste of money. the chance of getting a mac air is probably 1 in 10 or 20.
why would anyone spend $345 on belkin case.
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are you kidding me? none of the bags are worth it unless you get mac air
Oh really? An iPad mini that costs $299 isn't worth $345 including a $100 bag and a $60 battery? iPad Air at $499 plus a $50 smart cover not worth $345? $149 iPod nano with another $200 worth of stuff not worth $345? Math not your strong suit?
The US got the 12 days of apps this year and look what happened. :rolleyes: The App Store is a total mess and most are whining because they think they're entitled to more than they're being offered.
We're not culturally stable enough in the US to have something like this. Everyone has $345 to blow, especially when it mean they're getting $1,000+ worth of stuff. Look at what happens on Black Friday.
