MacRumors

Research firm Kantar Worldpanel has released a new report (via TechCrunch) highlighting global smartphone sales over the August-October period, finding that Apple's market share in most regions is unsurprisingly now higher when compared to the months leading up to the release of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c. Apple's share is, however, lower when compared to the prior-year period with the iPhone 5 launch.

Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: “In almost all markets, the iPhone 5S and 5C releases have given iOS a significant bounce compared to the previous month. Generally, Apple’s share of the market still remains lower than when the iPhone 5 was released, although this is not wholly unexpected as shoppers tend to react more positively to ‘full’ releases than incremental improvements such as the 5S and 5C.

Apple's total market share in the U.S. hit 52.8% during October, with the report attributing the overall growth during the 12-week timeframe to the appeal of the cheaper iPhone 5c and noting that half of all iPhone 5c owners had switched from competiting brands:

“The cheaper 5C appeals to a broader audience than Apple usually attracts. In the US, the biggest demand for these mid-end models is coming from lower income households. Some 42% of iPhone 5C owners earn less than $49,000 compared with just 21% for iPhone 5S. iPhone 5C customers also tend to be slightly older at an average of 38 years compared to 34 years for the 5S. The good news for Apple is that this wider appeal is attracting significant switching from competitors. Almost half of iPhone 5C owners switched from competitor brands, particularly Samsung and LG, compared with 80% of 5S owners who upgraded from a previous iPhone model.”

While the iPhone continues to enjoy strong market share in the U.S., it also continues to face challenges in mainland Europe and China, where Android's market share is around 70% or even higher in many countries. Apple has, however, had more success in Japan, where the addition of NTT DoCoMo as a carrier partner helped the iPhone garner 76% of the market in October and 61.1% for the broader August-October period.

Dell has posted details of a new 24-inch monitor sporting a 3840x2160 "4K" Ultra HD resolution at 185 pixels per inch on its website (via Anandtech), suggesting the company may soon be selling 4K monitors to its consumer and business customers. No pricing or release date information, however, was included in the listing.

The development could provide insight into future Apple 4K monitor offerings as the two companies have historically used the same supplier for their display panels.

From Dell's listing:

See more of everything — down to the smallest detail

Whether it’s video editing, CGI animation or application and game development, the Dell UltraSharp 24 Monitor – UP2414Q gives you an up-close-and-personal view.

- Our highest pixel density sharpens the tiniest details in videos and images for stunning results.
- Ultra HD 3840 x 2160 packs in four times the resolution of Full HD.
- Get a clear and consistent view with an ultrawide 178°/178° viewing angle.

Diagonally Viewable Size: 60.47 cm 23.8" (23.8-inch wide viewable image size)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen (16:9)
Panel Type, Surface: In-plane switching, anti glare with hard coat 3H
Optimal resolution: 3840 x 2160 at 60 Hz (DP1.2*)
3840 x 2160 at 30 Hz HDMI
Contrast Ratio: 1000: 1 (typical) 2 Million:1 (Max) (Dynamic Contrast Ratio)
Brightness: 350 cd/m2 (typical)
Response Time: 8 ms (gray to gray)
Viewing Angle: (178° vertical / 178° horizontal)
Color Support: Color Gamut (typical): Adobe RGB 99%, sRGB 100%
1.07 Billion colors (8 Bits +AFRC)
Pixel Pitch: 0.137 mm
Pixel Per Inch (PPI): 185
Backlight Technology: LED
Display Type: Widescreen Flat Panel Display
Display Screen Coating: Antiglare with hard-coating 3H

It is unknown if Apple would use the same 16:9 3840 x 2160 panels for a 4K display, as some have suggested that the company may prefer to push Thunderbolt 2 to its limit and support the wider 4096 x 2160 "Cinema 4K" standard given that the display will undoubtedly be targeted at professionals, many of whom in the film industry will be working with content using that resolution standard adopted for film production.

With the new Mac Pro, expected sometime this month, supporting up to three 4K displays simultaneously, there had been hopes that Apple would release updated Thunderbolt displays with 4K displays in the near future. Though these new 4K display panels have been announced from a number of potential suppliers, we have heard no firm details about new Thunderbolt displays from Apple.

Update: Dell has now officially announced the UP2414Q display, which launches in the Americas today for $1399 and will be available worldwide on December 16. A 32-inch UP3214Q model is also available for $3499 and a 28-inch model priced at under $1000 will follow in early 2014.

Nearly 20 months after the launch of FileMaker Pro 12 by Apple subsidiary FileMaker, Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the upcoming debut of the next-generation database software, FileMaker Pro 13, with new entries in its online stores in several countries. Several versions of FileMaker Pro 12 are also shown as discontinued in those stores, while the new versions are listed as shipping "within 24 hours" despite no official announcement of their launch having been made yet.

Screenshots accompanying the new listings show a new "Share" button in the toolbar, as well as an iOS 7-styled makeover for the FileMaker Go apps for iPhone and iPad. The listings otherwise appear to primarily be placeholders for the time being, using the same box art as their predecessors with the exception of replacing "12" with "13". Product descriptions are also fairly generic, lacking any discussion of new features or other details on the upcoming software.

FileMaker Pro 13 versions currently showing in Apple's UK online store include:

- FileMaker Pro 13 for iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC and web (£286.95)
- FileMaker Pro 13 for Non-Profit and Education (£199.95)

- FileMaker Pro 13 Advanced for iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC and web (£454.95)
- FileMaker Pro 13 Advanced for Non-Profit and Education (£272.95)

New versions of FileMaker Server are not currently listed in Apple's stores.

In addition to FileMaker Pro, FileMaker had previously offered a series of consumer-focused Mac and iOS database apps under the Bento name, but that line was discontinued several months ago.

Update: Apple has removed the FileMaker Pro 13 listings from its online stores.

(Thanks, John!)

Apple, not known for its partnerships with third-parties, is once again recognizing December 1st as World AIDS Day at Apple Retail Stores and on its website. Apple has also done something similar for the past two years.

Some stores, including several locations in the United Kingdom and the United States, are expected to color their Apple logos red for the occasion. A MacRumors reader sent in two images from the Regent Street store in London noting that the coloring process has already taken place in preparation for the store's opening today, as it is already December 1st in the UK.

Every day, 900 babies are born with HIV. (RED) works with companies like Apple to fight for an AIDS‑free generation by creating (PRODUCT)RED merchandise. A percentage of gross profits from the sale of those products goes to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS programmes in Africa. Since its introduction, (PRODUCT)RED has generated more than $215 million for the Global Fund — more than $65 million from Apple alone. You can help make an impact by purchasing a (PRODUCT)RED iPod or (PRODUCT)RED accessories for iPhone and iPad.

Apple sells a number of PRODUCT (RED) items where a percentage of the profits are donated to the Global Fund to fight AIDS in Africa. There are (RED) versions of the iPod shuffle, iPod nano, iPod touch, the iPad Air and iPad mini Smart Covers, the iPad Air Smart Case, the iPhone 4S Bumper, and the iPhone 5s case.

The move follows a special charity auction by Sotheby's to benefit Product (RED) last week, which involving the auctioning off of one-of-a-kind products designed by Jony Ive and Designer Marc Newson. Items included a red Mac Pro, a pair of solid gold Apple EarPods, a special edition Leica camera and a one-of-a-kind aluminum desk. In total, all of products auctioned off at the special event raised nearly $13 million.

Apple has also raised more than $65 million for Product (RED) since 2006.

Thanks, Lee!

Note: Due to the potentially controversial 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.

With Black Friday well under way, many of the best deals have already sold out, or were only available in-store only. Here's a list of what's still available online.

Apple Store

Apple's online Black Friday sale continues until tonight with gift cards ranging from $50-$150 depending on model.

Apple's Black Friday sale is over.

iTunes Gift Cards, Accessories and Mac Software

- $100 iTunes Gift Card - $85 ($15 off)
- Apple TV - $85 ($15 off)

- Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 - $49.99 ($50 off)
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 & Premiere Elements 12 - $69.99 ($80 off)
- Quickbooks 2014 for Mac - $181.30 ($68.65 off)
- Microsoft Office 2011 Mac - $99.99 ($40 off)
- VMWare Fusion 6 - $38.88 ($21 off)

iPad Air

iPads were quick to sell out from various locations. BestBuy is sold out online for many products, but they still offer $50-$70 discounted prices for iPad Airs for online order with the option for in-store pickup.

MacMall now offers lower discounted prices on the iPad Air, though you may have to call them directly to reserve it at that price.

- iPad Air Wi-Fi - $20-$34 Off
- iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular - $20-$34 Off

BHPhotoVideo also has similar discounts for iPad Airs.

MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac

The deepest Mac discounts from BestBuy sold out quickly. But some still remain:

- 15" Retina MacBook Pros - $150 off
- 21.5" iMac - $200 off

MacMall's Black Friday Mac sales continues with online availability:

iOS developers are discounting their apps as well with prices tracked in real-time on AppShopper.

Pricing and availability changes rapidly on Black Friday, so sales may not be current. Some links may be via our affiliate links which can financially benefit this site.

Apple's online stores for the United States and Canada have just come back online for Black Friday's one-day shopping event, and, like its stores in Australia and New Zealand, the company is using bonus gift cards rather than discounts as customer incentives.

Apple's European stores saw a more traditional discounted pricing scheme, with prices reduced on products directly, rather than offering a gift card promotion.

Gift cards are offered with the purchase of the following items in the U.S.:

- iPad Air: $75 gift card
- iPad mini: $50 gift card on non-Retina models, no gift card on Retina models
- iPad 2: $50 gift card
- iPod touch: $50 gift card
- iPod nano: $25 gift card
- MacBook Air: $150 gift card
- MacBook Pro: $150 gift card for both Retina and non-Retina models
- iMac: $150 gift card
- Apple TV: $25 gift card
- AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule: $50 gift card

- Various accessories: Gift card amounts vary, including $50 for the Nest Thermostat, $25 for the Anki DRIVE Starter Kit, $25 for the Nike+ FuelBand, and $25 for the Automatic Smart Driving Assistant.

The discounts should run through the day today both on Apple's online store and in its retail outlets across North America.

Deals from third-party retailers may be even better than Apple's pricing for some customers, and we've summarized some of the best Mac and iPad deals over the past several days. We are also keeping track of deals on Apple products, accessories, software, and more in our Black Friday roundup.

Apple's online stores for a number of European countries have just come back online for Black Friday's one-day shopping event, and unlike in Australia and New Zealand where the company is using bonus gift cards rather than discounts as customer incentives, Apple's European stores are seeing the more traditional discounted pricing scheme.

Apple is expected to be using the gift card offer in the United States, and it is unclear why the company's European stores have stuck with discounts rather than moving to the new gift card scheme.

Examples of discounts include the following items (prices from UK store):

- iPad Air: Save £31-61
- iPad mini: Save £15 on non-Retina models, no discount on Retina models
- iPad 2: Save £25
- iPod touch: Save £25
- iPod nano: Save £11
- MacBook Air: Save £81
- MacBook Pro: Save £81 on both Retina and non-Retina models
- iMac: Save £81
- Apple TV: Save £15
- AirPort Extreme: Save £15
- AirPort Time Capsule: Save £25
- Various accessories: Discounts vary

Sales in Apple's U.S. and Canadian stores should begin at midnight Pacific Time.

Deals from third-party retailers may be even better than Apple's pricing for some customers, and we've summarized some of the best Mac and iPad deals over the past several days. We are also keeping track of deals on Apple products, accessories, software, and more in our Black Friday roundup.

Apple's online stores for several countries including Australia and New Zealand have launched their Black Friday one-day shopping events, also giving an idea of what promotions will be like as the event launches in a number of other countries over the coming hours.

As rumored, Apple is offering offering gift cards with purchases rather than direct discounts on most items. While many customers would prefer discounts over free gift cards, others may appreciate that the gift card offers typically represent better deals than seen with discounts in past years.

Gift cards are available with the purchase of the following items (prices from Australian store):

- iPad Air: A$ 75 gift card
- iPad mini: A$ 50 gift card on non-Retina models, no gift card on Retina models
- iPad 2: A$ 50 gift card
- iPod touch: A$ 50 gift card
- iPod nano: A$ 25 gift card
- MacBook Air: A$ 150 gift card
- MacBook Pro: A$ 150 gift card for both Retina and non-Retina models
- iMac: A$ 150 gift card
- Apple TV: A$ 25 gift card
- AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule: A$ 50 gift card
- Various accessories: Gift card amounts vary

Gift card amounts for customers in the U.S. and other countries should be similar and cover the same products. Sales in Apple's U.S. store should begin at midnight Pacific Time.

Some third-party retailers such as MacMall may be offering even better deals than Apple, particularly when sales tax difference and discounts vs. gift cards are taken into account, and we've put together several overviews of deals for Macs and iPads. Additional deals are summarized in our Black Friday roundup.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company was collecting location data through iPhones and iPads even when the devices' geo-location data was turned off, reports Reuters. Koh found that the plaintiffs had not adequately shown that they relied on Apple's alleged misrepresentations, writing in her ruling:

Plaintiffs must be able to provide some evidence that they saw one or more of Apple's alleged misrepresentations, that they actually relied on those misrepresentations, and that they were harmed thereby.

The plaintiffs alleged that Apple was collecting location data in violation of its own privacy policy and also claimed Apple lured them into spending more money on their devices than they would have if they had known about the sort of data that Apple had been collecting.

The case is one part of a nationwide litigation that combines 19 related lawsuits. This specific lawsuit was first filed in 2011 and was one of the first of many lawsuits against Apple and other tech companies regarding location data and privacy.

Concerns regarding location data have have ramped up in recent months following news of a U.S. government program called PRISM allowing the National Security Agency direct access to user data on corporate servers from Internet companies like Apple, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook and more. Since then, Apple and other companies have reiterated statements on customer privacy.

Black Friday, which falls on November 29 this year, will see multiple retailers offering discounts on Apple's lineup of Macs, including the Retina MacBook Pro, the MacBook Air, and the iMac. While Mac discounts haven't been as popular as iPad discounts, there are still some great deals available from retailers like Best Buy, MacMall, and Amazon, which will price match the lowest available price.

We've listed the best Mac deals from our Black Friday Roundup below, but these discounts are likely to be popular so customers aiming to get a good price should purchase early.

11 and 13-inch MacBook Air

Best Buy is offering a $150 blanket discount on all MacBook Airs, beginning on Friday, November 29 at 10 AM. Customers will be able to take advantage of the deal both online and in Best Buy stores.

MacMall will be offering a $102 discount on both the 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air models, dropping the price of the entry level 11.6-inch MacBook Air to $897 and the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air to $997. MacMall's deals are available online.

Because Best Buy charges sales tax in all states, many customers may find that MacMall's deals offer higher discounts. MacMall only charges sales tax in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

13-inch Retina MacBook Pro

As one of its "Doorbuster Deals." Best Buy is offering a $200 discount on the entry-level 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which comes to $1,099.99.

MacMall is offering $102 off of its stock of 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros, bringing the price of the entry-level model down to $1,187.

15-inch Retina Macbook Pro

Best Buy is offering a $150 blanket discount on all of its 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros, bringing the cost of the entry-level model down to $1,849. This deal is available both online and in-store now

MacMall is offering $150 off on current generation standard configuration 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. Other 15-inch models are $102 off. MacMall's prices, which are available now, will offer a better deal to customers who do not live in one of the states where the company charges sales tax.

iMac

Best Buy will be offering a $200 discount on the entry-level 21.5 iMac, dropping the price from $1,299 to $1,099. The discount is available now.

MacMall is offering a $102 discount on both 21.5 and 27-inch iMacs, which will be available online beginning today at 12 PM PT.

Apple TV, Airport Express, iTunes Gift Cards

Other notable discounts from Best Buy on Apple accessories include a $15 discount on the Apple TV, a $20 discount on the Airport Extreme, and a $100 iTunes card for $85.

For a full list of deals on Apple products ranging from iPads and iPhones to Macs and accessories, make sure to check out our Black Friday Roundup and our guide on how to get the best deal on an iPad. Our roundup includes a list of deals on hardware, accessories, software, and apps, and will be updated as new deals become available.

Earlier this week, Apple teased its upcoming Black Friday promotion, which typically sees the company offering small discounts on a select number of products.

While Apple normally offers standard price cuts during Black Friday, this year’s event might focus on Apple Store gift cards with purchase rather than straight discounts, according to 9to5Mac. The promotion could see customers receiving an Apple Store gift card for later use when buying an eligible product.

Gift cards will likely be offered with the flagship products that Apple typically discounts, including iPads, iPods, MacBooks, and some accessories.

The gift card amounts are said to fluctuate based on the product. For example, gift cards that accompany accessories will have lower amounts of money than Macs. We’re hearing that accessories, such as the Dropcam, will likely include a gift card worth around $25, and Macs could include a $100 card. iOS Devices like the iPad will include a $50 Apple Store gift card. Some more expensive third-party products will also include $50 gift cards.

Apple is expected to announce its Black Friday deals on Friday, November 28 at midnight Pacific Time in the United States, but more information should be available tomorrow morning when Black Friday deals go live in Australia provided the gift card promotion isn't limited to the United States. Last year's discounts included $101 off MacBook Pros and Airs, $41 off the iPad with Retina Display, and $31 off of the iPod touch.

Online retailer MacMall has kicked off their 60 hour Black Friday sale just now. The sale runs until midnight on Friday. Traditionally, 3rd party retailers have offered better discounts than Apple once sales tax is taken into account. MacRumors is an affiliate partner of MacMall.

Their full sale list covers both new and previous generation products. We've pulled out some of the current-generation products of interest and their respective discounts:

Discounts on the MacBook Airs are most notable for a percentage of their total price. Also notable are the $150 discounts for 15" Retina MacBook Pros. MacMall also offers steeper discounts for previous generation machines.

When looking for the cheapest price, it's good to know which retailers charge sales tax automatically. MacMall charges sales tax in California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Tennessee, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

MacMall also runs physical retail stores in Illinois (Chicago) and California (Santa Monica, Torrance, Huntington Beach) and are offering in-store deals at those locations.

We expect to see additional Black Friday sales at Apple's online store though that doesn't kick in until Black Friday itself. We will also cover other sales and discounts. Please send in any notable Apple-related sales.

As numerous potential customers have discovered, the Retina iPad mini has been in very short supply since its quiet launch earlier this month, with Apple reportedly struggling with display yields that have limited production.

Several analysts had previously predicted that Retina iPad mini production would be limited to roughly two million units for the fourth quarter of 2013, but a new report from Digitimes claims that the production issues have been solved and that Apple has forged ahead with orders for four million units for the month of November as the company scrambles to build up its supplies for the holiday shopping season.

As bottlenecks in making components for the iPad mini with Retina have gradually been removed, Apple has increase orders in November to nearly four million units, according to Taiwan-based supply chain makers.

Currently, Apple's orders for the iPad mini with Retina have already surpassed those for the first-generation iPad mini, the sources noted.

In-store availability of Retina iPad mini models has improved markedly for Apple's U.S. retail stores, with the company starting to offer walk-in sales late last week, although availability of Wi-Fi models remains much stronger than for cellular-capable models. Orders placed through Apple's online store are currently being quoted 5-10 business day shipping estimates for all models.