Apple has announced CloudKit, a new way for developers to create cloud apps. Apple takes responsibility for the server-side elements of apps. This leaves developers with a greatly simplified client-side development experience.
A teardown by an engineer investigating the differences between genuine and counterfeit iPad chargers found that despite looking almost identical externally, there were big differences internally, impacting on both power delivery and safety.
One safety difference is obvious: the Apple charger has much more insulation. The upper (high-voltage) half is wrapped in yellow insulating tape. Some components are encased in shrink tubing, there are plastic insulators between some components, and some wires have extra insulation. The counterfeit charger only has minimal insulation.
While the genuine charger delivered slightly above the 10W claimed, the counterfeit delivered only 5.9W, meaning it would take almost twice as long to charge. The fake charger power delivery was also found by engineer Ken Shirriff to be “noisy and low quality.”
But it’s the safety side that provides the greatest argument for sticking to the real deal. For example, safety regulations require a gap of at least 4mm between high- and low-voltage sides of any transformer. The genuine Apple charger comfortably exceeds this with a 5.6mm gap, while the fake charger gap was just 0.6mm.
The Apple charger also uses triple-insulated wire, while the fake one is uninsulated but for a thin varnish coating.
The full teardown is worth a read if you want chapter and verse, but the tl;dr version is that cheap chargers are cheap for a reason.
Following a proposal that many fear threatens net neutrality, a plethora of tech companies today have come together to support net neutrality in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission. The group is led by Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Netflix, and Twitter, as well as many others. Notably missing, however, is Apple.
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Last Call updates:
Apple iPad Air 16GB WiFi (space gray or silver) $430 shipped (Reg. $499)
Western Digital My Passport USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drives: 1TB $59 (Reg. $85), 2TB $99 (Reg. $150)
Spotify cuts 50% off Premium subscriptions for US students, now just $5 per month
Other great deals from today:
More great deals still alive:
Loopy HD, the iPad app that Jimmy Fallon and Billy Joel used last week, is 50% off for a limited time http://t.co/Z6d2vM5GYi
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 24, 2014
Take $5 off your first Amazon Local purchase. http://t.co/BBtEg8uUhY
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) March 21, 2014
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Apple Tablet Roundup: $30 off all iPad mini w/ Retina display WiFi models, iPad 4th gen 128GB $520, more
Virgin Mobile cuts unsubsidized iPhone 5s to $440 or iPhone 5c for $360 shipped (Update)
Apple 15″ MacBook Pro w/ Retina display (current gen) 2.0GHz/8GB RAM/256GB $1,700 shipped (Reg. $1999)
Other great deals from today:
Some great deals on Timbuk2 Bagshttp://t.co/UFa6WqLMwE
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) January 28, 2014
More great deals still alive:
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Last Call updates:
Anker 5-port Family iPad/tablet/iPhone USB charger: $16 shipped
JBL High-Performance 6-Piece Home Theater Speaker System $280 shipped (Reg. $1,199)
Logitech TV Cam HD with built-in Skype software $100 shipped (Reg. $200)
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/427956771739959296]
Other great deals from today:
More great deals still alive:
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Last Call updates:
https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/426837161368121344
Best Buy 2-Day Doorbuster Sale: $50 off iPad Air plus iPad mini/iPhone discounts
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFBOnvOR4MA]Get 50% off all Otterbox Armor Series cases & 25% off select Otterbox Defender cases
Amazon Gold Box: Up to 73% off SwissGear computer backpacks
Other great deals from today:
More great deals still alive:
While past devices claiming to be internal iPhone prototypes have been pulled from listings, such a rare device sold for nearly $1,500 on eBay today from a seller based in the Australia called ‘applefancollector’.
Here it goes! My wife says I have too much stuff, so I have to reduce my collection.
I am selling a very rare original iPhone engineering prototype. These were used to test the
iPhone’s various features. To do so, a special test software was installed, which is still running
on the device perfectly.This is device is especially rare, as it shows the initial iOS version installed and the signal
strength values etched on the back. This was done by Apple internally and is guaranteed genuine.
While the authenticity and how the seller acquired the device remains unclear, the non-standard iPhone software running on the device matches similar instances of such devices.
The device which sold also appears to be in excellent condition as it wasn’t used as a phone adding to its worth. The auction reached upwards of $500 in this instance before it sold at its listing price of $1,499.
Some last minute Christmas gift ideas from 9to5Toys.com:
Gift Card Mall has the $50 iTunes gift card for $40 shipped. The 20% discount is the lowest we’ve seen. Keep in mind this isn’t guaranteed to make it to the house before Santa.
If you need a guarantee, Best Buy’s Ebay site will give you $10 off $50 or more, via coupon code CLICKLASTMINUTE on “site-to-store” meaning you have to get in your car here.
Today only, Best Buy's eBay offers $10 off $50, via coupon code CLICKLASTMINUTE
http://t.co/Hw93zagjAV— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) December 23, 2013
If you want to stay at home, Amazon will still ship certain gift items to your home for free 1 day meaning you have only a few hours left.
If all else fails, Amazon emailed and iTunes emailed gift cards are always popular.
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PayPal has announced a new section dedicated to online gift card purchases. The “Digital Gifts” store has opened with what PayPal describes as a “marquee merchant”, namely iTunes. Although buying iTunes gift cards with PayPal has been possible for a long time thanks to eBay, this is the first time PayPal is selling the cards directly through themselves.
Naturally, you can pay for the cards with your PayPal account credit. The company poses the store as a really simple way to give a meaningful gift to someone for the holidays.
Buying a digital gift from PayPal is as easy as one-two-three: select a gift and denomination, enter your PayPal ID and Password, send the gift to a loved one or redeem it on the spot. Simple, convenient and secure. To help open the digital doors we have just started offering iTunes codes.
The store is currently offering iTunes cards in $15, $25, $50 and $100 variants. Gifts can be bought for yourself or gifted to someone else via email. Whilst PayPal is not offering the best deal by any measure (offering gift cards at face value), the service is quick and convenient.
Amusingly, despite being a digital good, the store is reporting that $15 and $25 cards are already “sold out”.
Taking advantage of a new technology introduced in iOS 7, eBay for iPhone has integrated sharing support for AirDrop in the latest update to its app.
AirDrop sharing allows you to share content you are viewing with others around you without your friends having to search the app or click any links. eBay also integrated Pinterest board sharing in its new version.
Customers in the US and UK now have the option to pickup purchases at local retailers as well.
Download or update the latest version eBay for iPhone for free on the App Store.
(eBay for iPad also received an update, which was mostly supplemental. Both change logs below.)
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eBay has hired Apple’s head of e-commerce R.J. Pittman as its new Chief Product Officer and Senior Vice President, the online payments company tells us today. At eBay, Pittman will lead marketplace development and product strategy, and he will report directly to eBay President Devin Wenig. At Apple, Pittman has served as the brains behind Apple’s online sales platforms. Before Apple, Pittman was a Product Manager at Google.
As he describes on his LinkedIn profile:
Ebay has updated some of its mobile apps today with new features and support for additional devices. Its Motors and Fashion apps, which provide dedicated experiences for browsing vehicles and fashion products on eBay, today get support for iPad. The Motors app also gets a redesign for iPad, improved search, and updated layouts on both iPhone and iPad.
Ebay also updated its StubHub iOS apps today with new interactive maps for the upcoming pro and college football and basketball seasons. You can now “filter listings by section on 1,800+ maps and see the view from your section on more than 400 maps.”
The updated StubHub, eBay Motors, and eBay Fashion apps are available for free on the App Store now.
From 9to5Toys.com:
Update: This one is over. Don’t forget to follow 9to5Toys.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Email, RSS to get the latest deals as fast as possible.
Gift Card Mall via eBay is offering a $50 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $35 with free shipping/no tax/limit 4. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for an iTunes card of this value ever.
Give the gift of one-stop entertainment. Each card includes a code redeemable for music, movies, TV shows, games, apps, and more on the iTunes Store, the iBookstore, the App Store, and the Mac App Store. Recipients can access their content on an iPod, iPad, or iPhone, and watch or listen on a computer – Mac or PC.
We all buy a lot of media through iTunes and App Stores. I easily spend $200/year. Now I just saved $60 easily.
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Update: Gazelle has announced an extended 50-day price lock window. That will give you until October 15th to send your iPhone in, but you’ll have to lock in your price before Apple’s September 10th event to take advantage.
With the unveiling of a next-generation iPhone expected on September 10th, it’s once again time to start thinking about trade-in options for your current device. While iPhones typically hold their resale value much better than competing devices, previous iPhone models historically experience a big drop in trade-in value in the 3-4 weeks leading up to an iPhone announcement. That’s highlighted in the chart above showing average decline in selling prices for previous gen iPhones leading up to the iPhone 5 launch.
With reliable reports of the next-gen iPhone coming early next month (no word on if that means the rumored iPhone 5S, 5C, or both), now is the time to get the most for your iPhone if you plan on upgrading when Apple’s new device finally becomes available. Apple is testing its own trade-in program that should launch in the coming months, but until then we’ve put together a chart showing where to get the most out of your device today:
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eBay has just released a new app for iOS that will allow customers to customize select products to be manufactured using 3D printing technology. As per its description, the app allows you to select a from a pre-determined list of available products, choose a design, and then further customize that specific item for yourself or someone else.
Customers can choose from a variety of materials including plastics, woods, and metals to create anything from personalized iPhone cases to figurines or even jewelry. The company notes that there is no limit to the amount of products you can customize and print.
eBay is relying on partnerships with established 3D printing companies to back its program including Makerbot, Sculpteo, and Hot Pop Factory. The app, eBay Exact, can be downloaded from the App Store today free of charge.
As part of the celebrations of the 5th anniversary of the Apple App Store, ebay asked 200 iPhone owners to try to make it through four days without using any apps. Here’s what happened …
This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated
eBay’s iPhone application has received a significant update that affects both the user-interface and some core features.
Notably, the application’s interface has been tweaked for simplicity and features an improved bidding process for soon-to-be-ending auctions, larger photo views, and the ability to checkout multiple items simultaneously in the United States and United Kingdom.
Perhaps the most interesting and handy feature, though, is the ability to quickly sign-up for an eBay account by scanning your Drivers License with the iPhone’s camera. eBay owns high-profile barcode scanning technology, so perhaps that is used to make that new feature a reality. The free update is available on iTunes.
eBay’s (separate) iPad app also got a notable update today: release notes below.
Apple’s eBay refurbished items store looks like it is closed for business (via Daily-Deals). All items were taken offline Saturday evening, and the store remains empty as of early Monday morning.
We reported in November that a representative of eBay told us Apple was running the store, possibly through intermediaries. An eBay spokesperson declined to refute the information at the time. An Apple spokesperson also declined to comment.
The store gained added attention because of the requirement that tax only be paid immediately in a few states, as well as PayPal payment options, and that it sometimes offered prices lower than the official Apple Store on Apple refurbished items.
We’ll miss you Apple eBay Store, but remember you can always find the best prices on Apple products on our product pages or on 9to5Toys.com.
9to5Mac first broke the news that Apple sold refurbished merchandise through its own eBay store last year, equipped with the same price tags, full warranties, and approved inspections, and now the company has dropped prices on many of those items below what it offers at store.apple.com.
9to5Toys and eventually Dealnews recently noticed a $100 price cut for Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz i5 and 128GB of storage (now over). It costs $100 more at store.apple.com for the same refurbished unit.
An even better eBay deal has emerged today: Apple’s 11.6-inch MacBook Air with 1.8GHz, 4GB SDRAM and 256GB SSD is only $949. It’s certified refurbished unite, while the same refurb model goes for $1,059 on Apple.com, and the 256GB MacBook Airs start at $1,299 new. All items come with free standard shipping, and eBay adds sales tax for only a few states at purchase and allows folks to pay with PayPal and BillMeLater.
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Originally thought to be a prototype by its seller, this rare, transparent Apple Newton 110 was apparently given to a limited number of developers during an Apple Conference. The seller estimated through his research that there was somewhere between 150 units and 1,200 units produced. These have popped up for sale online in the past, but it’s clearly a rare piece. The seller will let it go for the Buy Now price of $1,350. A gallery is below:
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It is the holiday shopping season again, and we know many of you will be looking to buy Apple- and Apple-related products this year. To help out, we’re compiling a new section of 9to5Mac called Apple products and separate sections for each of Apple’s lines. Elsewhere, we have seen buying guides, pricing guides, related news and predictions, but we’re wrapping them up into one page per product.
How it works:
1. With the help of our 9to5Toys editors, we’re finding the lowest prices on Apple products in the U.S. and keeping a matrix of the biggest retailers’ prices. Here’s the current static matrix of MacBook Airs.
2. For the last few months and going forward, every post we do on a related product will be propagated to the page so you’ll have a roundup of the latest information on each product line. Additionally, in every post on a topic, you’ll notice a new link to the product section on the right.
3. We’ll also have a record of Apple’s past updates on each product, which should help in estimating the next product cycle.
4. Finally, we have our best predictions on upcoming products from 9to5Mac’s editors headed by Mark Gurman.
Together—this information should help Apple product users and buyers make smart, informed decisions.
Enjoy!
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Seth Weintraub and Danny DeSilva contributed to this post.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been posting links to a mysterious Apple refurbished store that appeared on eBay about a month ago and has been hiding in plain sight ever since. Labeled only “Refurbished Outlet” with hidden corporate information and nothing in the way of contact information or a traceable backend, the store gets impressive 99.7-percent positive reviews from buyers. But, there is no information on where devices are coming from.
We thought Apple might be testing the waters to sell refurbished products directly to customers through eBay, and it seems that’s exactly what is happening. We discovered that this is in fact an Apple-run Store within eBay. It is in trial, and it could open the door to much bigger things. No one would go on the record at eBay, however.
Aside from the image fonts above, which are an uncharacteristic wreck, there are many telltale signs of Apple’s direct involvement. Just like Apple’s own refurbished products, the “refurbished outlet” products all have the following:
The prices on the products are also identical to the Apple Store’s refurbished prices across the board (below)
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What does that symbol mean? It is the “Protologo”.
[tweet https://twitter.com/protologo/status/237262624142786560]
More pictures and a video below:
