To alleviate a severe blood shortage, the American Red Cross has teamed up with Apple to offer a 4-month Apple Music trial to those who donate blood, platelets, or plasma during the month of August.
Blood donors will need to donate blood from August 1 to August 31 to get the free 4-month Apple Music special, which will be delivered by email. The trial is limited to new Apple Music subscribers who have not tried the service yet.
Those who donate before August 15 will also be entered to win a VIP journey to the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee.
Appointments to donate blood can be made through the Red Cross website.
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the AirPods Max 2 received more attention, Apple also released a second pair of headphones last month: Nike Powerbeats Pro 2.
Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The headphones were released on March 20 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and a ...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:14 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
CarPlay Ultra...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
Saturday April 11, 2026 9:07 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the AirPods Max 2 received more attention, Apple also released a second pair of headphones last month: Nike Powerbeats Pro 2.
Nike Powerbeats Pro 2 are the same as the regular Powerbeats Pro 2, except they have a two-tone design consisting of black and Nike's signature Volt neon green-yellow color. The headphones were released on March 20 in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., and a ...
Then I noticed it’s only for people who haven’t had a trial.
So actually it means absolutely nothing since Apple is already offering these 4 months to anyone. I got an advert yesterday but it was no use since I’ve used a previous trial.
I used to donate all the time when they’d come to our high school and college and everything. But sadly, they won’t accept my blood even though im Married and in a monogamous marriage. It just happens to be to another man.
oh well, maybe someday. If they’d open it up, I’d donate each chance I could.
I was coming here to make this very point. The discrimination against gay men is still going and frankly, offensive. All blood is tested. HIV isn’t a gay disease and their continued rhetoric defending this discriminatory policy is ridiculous. Apple should use their power to put an end to this practice.
I used to donate all the time when they’d come to our high school and college and everything. But sadly, they won’t accept my blood even though im Married and in a monogamous marriage. It just happens to be to another man.
oh well, maybe someday. If they’d open it up, I’d donate each chance I could.
Do you have a link? Here is a link describing the 3-month offer for new users which can be extended to a 4-month offer for any US military with an ID.me number. ('https://9to5mac.com/2021/07/13/apple-music-offering-up-to-four-months-free-for-us-military-and-veterans/') I believe the 4-month offer to all Red Cross blood donors is a new thing.
Donating now is a great idea -- even if no incentives are available to you personally. 😃 Supplies are at critical levels in many parts of the country. A friend recently noted that SoCal is giving only half-transfusions to people who need transfusions. We can address this shortage. Besides getting vaccinated and practicing distancing/masking protocols, this is a specific thing we can do to assist in this health crisis.
Even if you have burned out your free offers, your non-technical Apple users may still have them available. Please let them know that the Red Cross is hurting. Thanks!
who's going to tell the red cross that bestbuy ('https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-free-apple-music-for-6-months-new-subscribers-only/6451501.p?skuId=6451501') gives away 6 months to new subs for free no anti gay blood needed
As a gay man myself I only wanted to say that HIV/AIDS is mostly a gay disease. The hysteria in the 80’s when it was first spread and discovered made people think it can happen to anyone. But to this day it remains primarily a gay disease, one only has to check the statistics of infection rates every year to see this. It is what it is.
This is from HIV.gov:
“In 2019, the largest percentages of HIV infections were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact (66% overall and 81% among males.)”
That doesn’t make it any less discriminatory since all the blood is tested.
