MacRumors

In line with yesterday's announcement, Apple's redesigned Mac Pro is now available for order through the company's online stores. The Mac Pro currently ships by December 30, though upgraded versions list a non-specific "January" shipping estimate.

The new Mac Pro is available in two stock configurations, starting with a $2999 model equipped with a 3.7 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 12 GB of RAM, dual AMD FirePro D300 graphics chips, and 256 GB of flash storage. A higher-level $3999 model bumps the specs to a 3.5 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and dual AMD FirePro D500 graphics. Additional build-to-order options are available for up to a 12-core processor, 64 GB of RAM, dual AMD FirePro D700 graphics, and 1 TB of flash storage.

Aside from the two stock models, build-to-order options can be configured individually, with pricing compared to the base $2999 Mac Pro as follows:

CPU (Stock: 3.7GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5)
- 3.5GHz 6-Core: +$500
- 3.0GHz 8-core: +$2000
- 2.7GHz 12-core: +$3500

Graphics (Stock: Dual AMD FirePro D300 with 2GB GDDR5 each)
- Dual AMD FirePro D500 with 3 GB GDDR5 each: +$400
- Dual AMD FirePro D700 with 6 GB GDDR5 each: +$1000

RAM (Stock: 12GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC - 3x4GB)
- 16GB (4x4GB): +$100
- 32GB (4x8GB): +$500
- 64GB (4x16GB): +$1300

Flash Storage (Stock: 256GB PCIe-based)
- 512GB: +$300
- 1TB: +$800

The Mac Pro also includes options to add on both Apple's 27-inch Thunderbolt Display and Sharp's 32-inch 4K Display that Apple temporarily began offering in Europe in early December. The Sharp display is available for $3595. Mac Pro buyers can also choose to add on a newly released matching black Thunderbolt cable, available in 0.5 and 2 meter lengths for $29 or $39, respectively.

A fully loaded 12-core Mac Pro with 64GB of RAM, dual AMD FirePro D700 GPUs and 1TB of PCI-e based flash storage retails for $9599 in the United States.

Ahead of the Christmas holiday, several major retailers are offering significant discounts on popular Apple products like the iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, and various iPads and Macs. We've gathered the best holiday deals below for consumers looking to get the latest Apple products for lower prices.

Some of these deals, many of which are in-store only, may vary by location and are only available while supplies last. All iPhone deals listed require a two-year contract.

iPhone 5s (Regularly Starts at $199):

- $119, 16GB: Walmart (In-store only through Dec. 24)
- $119, 16GB: Sam's Club (In-store only through January)
- $125/$225/$325, 16/32/64GB: Best Buy (In-store and online)
- $120/$220/$320, 16/32/64GB: MacMall (In-store only through Dec. 19)
- $150, 16GB: Target (In-store only)
- $119/$219/$319, 16/32/64GB: Fry's (In-store only)

iPhone 5c (Regularly Starts at $99):

- $25, 16GB: Sam's Club (In-store only through January)
- $27, 16GB: Walmart (In-store only through Dec. 24)
- $20/$120, 16/32GB: MacMall (In-store only through Dec. 19)
- $50/$150, 16/32GB: Best Buy (In-store and online)
- $50 with $50 Target gift card, 16GB: Target (In-store only)

16 GB iPad mini (Regularly $299):

- $260: Toys R Us (In-store only)
- $299 with $50 Walmart gift card (In-store only through Dec. 24)
- $299 with $100 RadioShack gift card (In-store only through Dec. 24)
- $299 with $30 Target gift card (In-store and online)

iPad Air (Regularly Starts at $499):

- $479, 16GB: MacMall (In-store and online)
- $450/$550, 16/32GB: Toys R Us (In-store only)

Macs:

- $100 off MacBook Airs: Best Buy
- $160 off 21.5-inch iMacs, Models ME086LL/A and ME087LL/A: Best Buy
- $160 off 27-inch iMac, Model ME088LL/A: Best Buy
- $24-$49 off current generation 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros: MacMall
- $59-$99 off current generation 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros: MacMall
- $29 off current generation 13-inch MacBook Air: MacMall
- $10-$102 off current generation iMacs: MacMall

MacMall's Mac deals last through December 19, while Best Buy's are through December 24. Both are available both in-store and online.

A recently resolved criminal case shows how a man was able to hack a high school classmate's laptop in order to take nude photographs with her computer's camera without her knowledge, before attempting to use the images to extort her, reports The Washington Post.

Though Apple's FaceTime camera is designed to always illuminate the adjacent green light at the top of the screen, software has been written to separate the camera and light hardware, allowing both illegal -- and legal, the FBI has used similar software in criminal investigations -- ways.

While controlling a camera remotely has long been a source of concern to privacy advocates, conventional wisdom said there was at least no way to deactivate the warning light. New evidence indicates otherwise.

Marcus Thomas, former assistant director of the FBI’s Operational Technology Division in Quantico, said in a recent story in The Washington Post that the FBI has been able to covertly activate a computer’s camera — without triggering the light that lets users know it is recording — for several years.

A pair of students at Johns Hopkins examined Apple's webcam indicator [PDF] and discovered both how to disable the LED indicator, and a way to modify OS X's kernel to keep nefarious users from taking control of the LED. The vulnerability they described does not work on Macs built after 2008, but it is likely that similar hacks exist for newer machines.

In the older vulnerability described in the Johns Hopkins study, the software bypasses a hardware interlock that the camera uses in an attempt to ensure the indicator light illuminates whenever the camera is active. It is not known precisely which software package the defendant in the case used to compromise his classmate's computer, but the Hopkins study is the first public confirmation that Apple's camera system can be compromised.

The easiest way for users to protect themselves -- aside from standard security protocols like not downloading strange applications, or allowing untrusted people access to the computer -- is to put a small piece of tape across the camera.

Apple and China Mobile have not yet finalized a deal that will allow the world’s largest carrier to sell the iPhone, reports Reuters. Earlier in December, a report from The Wall Street Journal suggested that negotiations were all but complete, with the two companies on track for a release sometime around December 18, the expected date for the carrier’s 4G launch.

While China Mobile did launch its 4G network earlier today, bringing 4G speeds to its more than 700 million customers, there has been no sign of an iPhone deal.

Xi Guohua, the chairman of the world’s largest mobile phone carrier, said on Wednesday morning that his company had no announcement to make on any deal to carry Apple’s smartphones. Xi was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Guangzhou, a southern city of China.

Multiple signs of an approaching deal between the two companies have popped up during the final months of 2013, with Apple receiving licensing needed to operate on China Mobile’s TD-LTE standard in September and releasing the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c with TD-LTE support.

Though a deal has not been struck, it is clearly in the final stages as China Mobile has been accepting iPhone pre-orders and heavily promoting both the iPad and the iPhone in stores across China.

China Mobile is expected to bring millions of new customers to Apple, significantly increasing the company's presence in China. While Apple currently has deals with smaller carriers China Unicom and China Telecom, both carriers combined have fewer subscribers than China Mobile.

Apple's stock price is currently down nearly 1.8 percent following the lack of a deal announcement.

Apple today announced that its redesigned Mac Pro will go on sale tomorrow through the company's online and retail stores, as well as select authorized resellers.

Apple today announced the all-new Mac Pro will be available to order starting Thursday, December 19. Redesigned from the inside out, the all-new Mac Pro features the latest Intel Xeon processors, dual workstation-class GPUs, PCIe-based flash storage and ultra-fast ECC memory.

Designed around an innovative unified thermal core, the all-new Mac Pro packs unprecedented performance into an aluminum enclosure that is just 9.9-inches tall and one-eighth the volume of the previous generation.

Pricing for the Mac Pro begins at $2999, with a second stock configuration available for $3999. Apple has yet to announce full build-to-order pricing, but earlier this week we outlined expected retail pricing based on price quotes being offered to some business customers. Based on these quotes, a fully loaded Mac Pro will cost approximately $9999.

Update: Apple CEO Tim Cook has posted a Tweet regarding tomorrow's launch, including a photo of new Mac Pro units on the assembly line in Austin, Texas.

Samsung has signed a contract to produce 30% to 40% of Apple's 14-nm A9 chip family in 2015, with the remainder of the production load being handled by other Apple supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), reports Digitimes.

The news comes after a report back in July stating that Apple had signed a deal with Samsung to cooperate in producing A9 processors based on a 14-nanometer process node, though it was not known then whether Samsung would be the sole supplier of the chips. The claim also came weeks after TSMC confirmed a deal with Apple to begin producing A-series chips in 2014, but was also followed up by a report in September stating that Samsung would also be helping out with A8 chip orders as well.

Apple has apparently been seeking to reduce its reliance on Samsung as a component supplier as the two companies have become fierce rivals in both the mobile marketplace and in the courtroom. The two companies have, however, continued working together in several areas, particularly where Samsung's competitors in the component market are unable to match its technology, production capacity, or pricing.

Furthermore, a look into the A7 processor in September revealed that Samsung was indeed the manufacturer for the chip, with the chip produced at a smaller 28-nm node compared to the 32-nm A6. Currently, the A7 chip is used in the iPhone 5s, the iPad mini with Retina Display, and the iPad Air. Teardowns of all three devices revealed that the iPad Air includes a slightly faster variant of the A7 chip clocked at 1.4 GHz compared to the iPhone 5s and Retina iPad Mini which both include an A7 chip clocked at 1.3 GHz.

Apple has added the ability to gift ebooks to friends and family through the iBookstore, reports Macworld. Users have long been able to purchase songs, movies or TV shows through iTunes, as well as standard gift cards, but the ability to gift a particular book is new.

Books can be gifted immediately, or the gift email notification can be held for a particular date, making holiday shopping particularly easy. Apple added the ability to gift App Store apps back in 2010.

Gifting in the iBookstore works identically to Apple’s iTunes and App Store counterparts: Just choose the book you’d like to gift, then tap either the dropdown arrow next to the price (on a Mac) or the Share button (on an iOS device). On a Mac, select “Gift This Book”; on iOS, choose “Gift”—then add the recipient’s email, the sender’s name, a brief message, and the date you want it sent (now, or later). One note: On iOS, it looks like you have to tap the “Today” field under “Send Gift” in order to change to a different date.

Users can only purchase gifts for recipients using their same country store; there is no ability to gift books internationally.

Continuing our series of roundups summarizing the latest news and rumors about each of Apple's products, today we are publishing five new roundups covering the company's iPod and AirPort lineups. The new roundups include iPod touch, iPod nano, iPod shuffle, iPod classic, and AirPort.

Apple's iPod lineup has not seen much in the way of updates recently, with a September refresh seeing only a slight change to color offerings for the iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod shuffle with the previous slate color option being replaced with a new space gray option carried over from iPhone 5s. The new color later made its way to the iPad Air and iPad mini as well. Given that Apple typically updates its iPods in the fall each year, new iPods are not expected until late next year.

The AirPort line of Wi-Fi base stations is currently divided, with the larger AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule models having been updated in June with new designs and support for the latest 802.11ac networking standard. The AirPort Express has not been updated to support 802.11ac and was last updated in June 2012 when it received an Apple TV-like redesign.

As with our previous roundups, the goal of our iPod and AirPort roundups is to simply answer the question of "What are you expecting" for Apple's future products at any given time. That opinion evolves over time as new rumors surface, and our roundups will be updated regularly to reflect the latest rumors.

All of our roundups remain accessible through a dedicated index page showing a time-ordered list based on the last date each roundup was updated, as well as directly through the "Roundups" tab in the navigation bar on all MacRumors pages.

Samsung has hired Tim Gudgel, a senior Apple Retail Store designer and five-year veteran of the company, reports The Information. Gudgel, who has worked for Apple since March of 2008 according to his LinkedIn page, previously worked for Novartis, and as an architect at Gehry Partners. Earlier this year, Samsung hired another former Apple Retail executive who had previously been hired away by Microsoft for its retail efforts.

Earlier this year, Samsung and Best Buy announced that the electronics maker would open 1,400 store-within-a-store concepts at Best Buy locations across the country. Apple has a number of similar dedicated "Apple Shops" inside Best Buy locations.

The Information suggests that the hire is part of a continued retail push by Samsung. The New York Times looked at the efforts of technology companies like Samsung, Microsoft and Google as they attempt to build up their own retail efforts.

Forget the floating Google showrooms. When it comes to retail, Samsung Electronics is contemplating a bigger plunge.

The South Korean company's U.S. telecom unit recently hired a senior Apple store designer, Tim Gudgel, as it ponders a deeper investment in U.S. retail, according to two people close to the company. Mr. Gudgel specializes in store design and planning.

Gudgel is mentioned in a patent application as one of the inventors of the glass design of the Upper West Side Apple Store in New York City.

For comparison, Apple has more than 400 retail stores worldwide, with more than 250 located inside the United States. Microsoft currently operates 81 stores, including 31 temporary locations, though the company has not found significant success with its retail efforts.

Samsung's hardware products are significantly more popular than the Windows-based devices that Microsoft sells at its stores, and the company could see more foot traffic and sales as a result. Currently, the vast majority of Samsung's U.S. smartphone sales occur at the thousands of cellular carrier stores across the U.S.