Friday after Thanksgiving marked 2011's Black Friday sales. Retailers including Apple offered modest discounts on Apple products that day. Cyber Monday is the online extension of that sale into the following week.
Amazon, MacMall and Best Buy are continuing some sales today. The greatest discounts that remain are on Apple's MacBook Pro line. We've highlighted the largest discounts here:
iDownloadBlog reports on a new package available for jailbroken iPhones that enables Siri-like dictation on previous generation iPhones. The package is called Siri0us and is being distributed via Cydia to jailbroken devices only.
Dictation works great on the iPhone 4, transcribing words into text rather quickly. The technology is actually Naunce-based dictation, but the end result is pretty much the same as Apple’s Siri. As you can see in the video, small ads are displayed in the bar above the mic icon. You will need an internet connection for the microphone to show up.
The package seems to emulate the Siri interface for dictation, but reportedly uses Nuance speech recognition on the backend. This video shows it in action:
There have been a number of attempts to port the entirety of Siri to previous generation devices, but those attempts have been limited by the need for Apple server authentication. This port bypasses Apple's servers and seems to use Nuance for the voice recognition engine. Of course, you won't get Siri's artificial intelligence features or sassy attitude, but you can get some on-the-go dictation.
iPhone 4 (3.5") top vs Galaxy S (4") bottom via Engadget
Macotakara claims that Hitatchi Displays and Sony Mobile Display Corporation have begun shipping 4-inch LCDs for a new iOS device:
According to Asian source, Hitachi Displays, Ltd. and Sony Mobile Display Corporation started to ship 4-inch LCD for new iOS device and LCD for iPad 3. These 2 companies will be merged their business with Toshiba Mobile Display Co., Ltd., as "Japan Display" in 2012 spring.
The report doesn't specify which iOS device that the screens would be used for, but the most natural choice would be the next generation iPhone. Apple has been said to be exploring the use of a 4" display for their upcoming iPhone. iLounge previously indicated that the 2012 iPhone would use a 4" display.
So far, Apple has only used a 3.5" display across its iPhone line, and there have been arguments that 3.5" may be the ideal size for one-handed use.
VR-Zone reports that Intel is quietly working on developing a standard docking format for their upcoming Ultrabook platform. The new docking system would incorporate a Thunderbolt connector as well as what appears to be a proprietary connector as well.
The non-Thunderbolt port would reportedly be used for power as well as direct access for the Ethernet controller which is required to support technologies such as Intel vPro and Microsoft's Connected Standby.
Apple's own solution has been much simpler. Their Thunderbolt Cinema Display offers a single cable which splits into a Thunderbolt cable and a Magsafe power cable. The Thunderbolt cable carries USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Ethernet, and Video from your laptop to the monitor.
Unfortunately, that separate non-Thunderbolt docking connector in Intel's proposal would likely prevent it from being directly supported on the Mac. Still, any major adoption of Thunderbolt technology can only help industry acceptance and the proliferation of more accessories. Belkin has already announced their own Thunderbolt docking solution which works much like Apple's display.
Intel is aggressively pushing forward the concept of the Ultrabook which bears a close resemblance to Apple's MacBook Air. Ultrabooks are expected to be the hot product at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 which takes place in January.
The Wall Street Journal offers their own sources that confirm that Apple will be using Sharp as a source of display parts for the upcoming iPad 3.
Apple Inc. is adding Sharp Corp. as a maker of screens used in the next-generation iPad, people familiar with the situation said Thursday, as the U.S. consumer electronics company moves to diversify component suppliers for its products.
According to their source, Apple is also investing in Sharp's panel manufacturing factories in Japan to ensure it can get enough supplies for its iOS devices.
Sharp already supplies iPhone panels and is also said to be supplying panels for the next iPhone which is also due next year.
Sharp has been mentioned a number of times by various rumors as a new source of iPad screens for Apple. A recent analyst report said that production of iPad 3 screens was already underway and included Samsung, LG and Sharp.
Then, just on Wednesday, another analyst reported that Sharp may actually be supplying Apple with specially designed screens for the iPad 3. According to that report, Apple and Sharp have developed a new technology to allow a thinner high resolution display for the next iPad. Finally, Sharp may also be involved in Apple's television set plans, also supplying parts for that project as well.
Black Friday kicked off on the day after Thanksgiving and frequently offers customers short term sales on many products. While Apple does participate, their discounts tend to be rather small. Other online retailers can sometimes fill the gap to offer more enticing offers.
Sales Tax
National retailers such as Apple and Best Buy charge local sales tax on all orders. So, the advantage of using other online-only retailers is not getting charged that sales tax at the time of order (though you are typically expected to report it later). Local sales taxes are automatically charged for the following retailers in the following states:
- Amazon: Kansas, Kentucky, New York, North Dakota, or Washington - MacMall: North Carolina, Illinois, New York, California, Tennessee, Minnesota, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
So, if you are in one of those states, it may make sense to look elsewhere or simply buy locally anyway if the savings are comparable.
iPad 2s
BestBuy was offering $45 off all iPad 2 models, but it appears to be sold out online. You may have luck at your local stores.
MacMall is offering $25-$45 discounts on iPad 2s as well depending on model. They appear to still be in stock.
Apple's online store is offering $41-$61 off the iPad 2 depending on model. Stock should be good from Apple.
Discounts on Other Apple Products
Apple's online sales prices will be on their online Apple Store, but their discounts will generally be the worst for most products (iPad 2 exception above), especially when sales tax is included.
Here's a list of prices at MacMall, Amazon and Apple Online's prices across the range of Apple's products.
We've heard that retail Apple Stores will price match on Black Friday with other authorized retailers if asked.
Please note that prices may fluctuate during the day, though we try to keep on top of them. Several of the vendors listed are affiliate partners with MacRumors and referred sales may benefit the site financially.
Bloomberg reports that an Australian appeals court is currently hearing testimony in its review of the injunction currently preventing Samsung from selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the country due to complaints from Apple of design infringement.
According to the report, judges in the appeals case appear to be somewhat skeptical of the fairness of the injunction, leading to speculation that they may lift the injunction when they rule on the case early next week.
“The result looks terribly fair to Apple and not terribly fair to Samsung,” Federal Court Justice Lindsay Foster said today at a hearing in Sydney on Samsung’s appeal for the ban to be overturned.
Federal Court Justice Annabelle Bennett issued an injunction Oct. 13 barring the sale of the Galaxy 10.1 Tab in Australia until Apple and Samsung resolve the patent dispute at trial. Bennett failed to consider the “dire consequences” of the ban on Samsung, which has been “entirely shut out” from marketing the device, Neil Young, Samsung’s lawyer, said today.
Judges also questioned whether lifting the injunction would severely harm Apple during the approximately three-month window before the full trial can take place in March.
The introduction of the Galaxy tablet at 600 Australian stores would also affect sales of iPhones, Mac computers and applications because people who buy one device tend to purchase other related products, [Apple lawyer Stephen] Burley said.
“We’re talking about a period of three months and all of Apple will come tumbling down?” [Justice John] Dowsett said. That’s “very speculative,” he said.
Samsung has noted that it will scrap the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launch in Australia entirely if it is not permitted to sell during the holiday shopping season, arguing that it will have missed the window to make an impact in the market. The company has also faced lawsuits and injunctions in other countries and just last week introduced a tweaked version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany in an attempt to skirt around an injunction there and satisfy complaints that the original design too closely mimicked that of the iPad.
Penn-Olson reports that China Telecom has begin posting large iPhone 4S promotional banners in its retail stores, teasing a debut for the device without revealing a launch date.
Telecom sources told Sina Tech that the photos circulating online — like the one here — are indeed actual photos of local China Telecom offices, but that the posters were clearly designed just to “get attention” and don’t indicate Telecom was about to start selling the phone yet, though they will sell it eventually.
The iPhone 4S has yet to officially appear for sale in China, even at Apple's existing carrier partner, China Unicom, which ranks as the second largest mobile carrier in the country.
China Mobile, the world's largest carrier, and China Telecom, the country's #3 carrier, have been working hard to land the iPhone for several years. China Telecom had reportedly geared up for a $234 million marketing push for what was then thought to possibly appear as the iPhone 5, but no official announcement from Apple or China Telecom regarding an expansion of iPhone availability in China has yet been made.
Much has been made of Foxconn's efforts to begin producing iPads in Brazil, but the initiative has also included iPhone production that has moved along at a bit faster pace than the iPad plans.
As evidence of the fact that Brazilian iPhone production is already up and running, MacMagazine.com.br shares photos [Google translation] of a new 8 GB iPhone 4 carrying markings revealing that it was manufactured in Brazil.
Aside from an "Indústria Brasileira" notice replacing the usual "Assembled in China" statement found on most iPhones, the new Brazilian model also includes a regulatory agency logo from Anatel, the Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications. The software also reports a model number of MD198BR, with the "BR" suffix suggesting a Brazil-specific model.
Apple has yet to introduce the 8 GB iPhone 4 in Brazil, but a separate source has reportedly told MacMagazine.com.br that the device is set to launch on December 2nd. The launch of that device would almost certainly come alongside the debut of the iPhone 4S in Brazil, although specific information on a launch date for the iPhone 4S has not yet been received by the site.
High Brazilian import taxes on goods such as the iPhone and iPad have resulted in slow adoption of Apple's devices in the world's fifth most populous country. By moving production into the country, Apple and Foxconn hope to spur growth there while also expanding and diversifying manufacturing for worldwide distribution.
iPad production has apparently yet to begin in Brazil, although Foxconn has claimed that it will be ramping up manufacturing of the device there next month.
A day before the start of the holiday shopping season, Apple has posted a new iPod Touch TV ad to its YouTube page titled "Share The Fun".
With iMessage, Game Center, FaceTime and more, you can share the fun on iPod Touch.
By showing teenagers using the iPod Touch to play and communicate with their friends, Apple seems to be advertising the iPod Touch to parents as an alternative to smartphones with expensive data plans.
Apple's Black Friday one-day sale has started to go live (AUS) in their international online Apple Stores. The U.S. sale should begin sometime tonight.
As reported, the discounts appear similar to last year, with expected discounts in the U.S. to be $41-$61 off iPad 2s and $101 off MacBook Pros, Airs, and iMacs.
As usual, App Store developers frequently use the holidays to hold sales on their apps. AppShopper tracks these sales for both iOS and Mac App Stores.
Our affiliate partner MacMall has already started their Black Friday sales with discounts across a range of Apple products and accessories. We'll be putting together a round up of all deals on Apple products. Please submit tips for any other good Apple-related deals that are spotted.
Just yesterday, a report surfaced regarding Big Fish Games' plans to launch a subscription-based gaming service on the iPad. For a monthly fee initially set at $4.99, the service would allow users to access a number of Big Fish-distributed games through a dedicated app.
The app had actually been available since last week, although new subscriptions had been disabled ahead of the official launch due to high demand, according to the developer. But with the Bloomberg report from yesterday and a press release from Big Fish Games this morning, the new service appeared to be up and running.
The offering did not last long, however, as Apple quickly pulled the app following the official launch. According to a new report from Bloomberg, Big Fish Games claims to be in the dark about Apple's reasons for removing the app.
[Big Fish Games founder Paul] Thelen said he was surprised by the move because Big Fish had worked with Apple for several weeks to ensure that it met the requirements for recurring monthly charges made through the App Store, a method most commonly used by magazines and newspaper publishers.
“It was officially approved,” Thelen said. Apple had even seen the app's press release before it went out earlier today, he said.
Apple declined to comment to Bloomberg on the app's removal and has not yet responded to Big Fish's requests for explanation, leaving questions about whether Apple will indeed allow subscription-based gaming services on the App Store and about how to reconcile the app's removal with Big Fish Games' claims that it worked rather closely with Apple to ensure the approval of the app.
Rumors of a high-resolution 2048x1536 display for the iPad 3 have been circulating for some time now, but the new display's effect on the device's form factor is still up for some debate.
A claim from earlier this month regarding Apple requiring two light bars in order to manage the much higher resolution of the iPad 3 was followed just last week with a report that the device will be 0.7 mm thicker than the iPad 2 in order to accommodate that dual light bar design.
More claims of a 2048x1536 display for the iPad surfaced earlier this week, with that analyst's source indicating that Apple will continue to use in-plane switching (IPS) technology for the new display.
But a new report from Jeffries analyst Peter Misek and shared by Forbes claims that Apple will not be using IPS on the iPad 3, and has in fact invested $500 million to $1 billion in new equipment to allow Sharp to produce the required displays using technology permitting a thinner and lower-power design.
Also, we believe that Apple and Sharp together have a modified IGZO (indium, gallium, zinc) technology to achieve 330 dpi, which is sufficient for an HD display while not using IPS nor having to include dual-bar LED backlighting. In our view, this should lead to several design advantages, namely the device can be thinner, battery life should be longer, and the overall experience for users should be meaningfully improved.
Misek noted in a separate report issued earlier today that Apple and Sharp are also working together on displays for an Apple television set, with a retooled Sharp manufacturing line preparing to begin mass production of those obviously much larger displays in February.
Last month, it was reported that Sony Pictures was courting Aaron Sorkin to write the screenplay for the movie version of Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs. Sorkin, who is famous for his work on The West Wing, The Social Network, Moneyball, and A Few Good Men, has been seen as a strong contender for the job and already worked with Sony on another tech story with The Social Network.
E! Online now reports that Sorkin has publicly addressed the rumors, noting that he is "strongly considering" taking on the screenplay.
"Sony has asked me to write the movie and it's something I'm strongly considering," Sorkin told us at the P.S. Arts Express Yourself 2011 event in Santa Monica.
...
"Right now I'm just in the thinking-about-it stages," he said. "It's a really big movie and it's going to be a great movie no matter who writes it."
While work on the screenplay is obviously yet to get underway, rumors have suggested that George Clooney and Noah Wyle are leading contenders to play the role of Steve Jobs. Wyle previously portrayed Jobs in the 1999 made-for-TV film Pirates of Silicon Valley.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last week opened a new exhibit honoring Steve Jobs at its museum in Alexandria, Virginia. Located in the atrium of the office's Madison Building headquarters, the free museum offers interactive exhibits, a portrait gallery and a theater.
The Steve Jobs exhibit consists of 30 giant iPhone-like display panels, most of which display the front pages from over 300 patent and trademark filings that bear Jobs' name as inventor or co-inventor. The remaining panels offer a brief description of the exhibit and photos of Jobs.
“This exhibit commemorates the far-reaching impact of Steve Jobs’ entrepreneurship and innovation on our daily lives,” said Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO David Kappos. “His patents and trademarks provide a striking example of the importance intellectual property plays in the global marketplace.”
Located in the atrium of the Madison Building, the exhibit features more than 300 of the patents that bear the name of the iconic innovator along with many of the trademarks that have given Apple its instantly recognizable identity around the world. The display gives insight into the visionary commitment Jobs gave to each of the products and designs he influenced during his time with Apple, the company he co-founded at the age of 21 with his friend and fellow computer enthusiast Steve Wozniak.
The Steve Jobs exhibit at the USPTO Museum runs through January 15, 2012.
Samsung has released a new commercial for its Galaxy S II smartphone, stepping up its direct assault on the iPhone by mocking dedicated iPhone fans who wait for hours in long lines for the launch of the latest model despite it looking identical to the previous one.
The ad plays on the excitement of iPhone fans waiting to get their hands on a new model who are then distracted by seeing passersby carrying the Samsung Galaxy S II. The iPhone fans' interest is gradually piqued, although some hold out in their apparently irrational dedication to the iPhone:
iPhone fan: "I could never get a Samsung. I'm creative."
Friend: "Dude, you're a barista."
The ad goes on to tout the Galaxy S II's large screen and 4G data capabilities, concluding with one of the Samsung users saying, "Yeah, it's a Galaxy S II. This phone...is amazing."
AllThingsD reports on a new research note from Jeffries analyst Peter Misek suggesting that manufacturers are already "scrambling" to react to claims that Apple is preparing to enter the television set market. And rather than innovating on their own, competitors are reportedly focused on trying to identify what Apple will do to revolutionize the industry.
“Based on our discussions, interestingly other TV manufacturers have begun a scrambling search to identify what iTV will be and do,” says Misek. “They hope to avoid the fate of other industries and manufacturers who were caught flat footed by Apple.”
Misek notes that Sharp appears to be retooling an LCD production line to suit Apple's needs, with mass production on the line reportedly targeted for February 2012. Such a development could put a product release sometime in the middle of the year. Previous rumors had claimed that Apple could announce its television set by late 2012 and launch the product by early 2013.
Whatever Apple's plans are, Misek suggests that competitors will almost certainly be six to twelve months behind with their own offerings, giving Apple a significant advantage in the marketplace if it truly does offer a revolutionary new product.
Sony has been the most visible company seeking to head off Apple's potential blockbuster entrance into the market, working to develop a "four screen" strategy across TVs, computers, tablets, and phones and investigating Web-based television services that would enable consumers to bypass traditional cable companies.
Apple has dabbled in television with its Apple TV set-top box and TV content available through the iTunes Store, but the company's ultimate plans are said to be much more ambitious, involving actual television sets incorporating Siri functionality that premiered in the iPhone 4S. The company has also reportedly developed a "new technology" for delivering content to TV sets and has expressed interest in offering "best of TV" bundles of shows, although content providers have yet to agree to such a plan.
MacRumors readers Daniel (photo above) and Matthew let us know that Apple had posted a new digital sign overnight at the location of their upcoming Grand Central Station store. The sign reads "Apple Store, Grand Central. Arriving Soon."
There had been some reports suggesting an imminent launch, though construction workers have said there still is a lot to do that would push the opening into December.
Update: The New York Post reports that Apple is planning to open the new store on Friday, December 9th, but no official announcement has yet been made.
Update 2: techfootnote has posted a brief video showing the flipping animation on the new signage. Additional messages beyond the "Arriving Soon" note include "Grand Central Has Added Another Stop." and "Get Your Train(ing) Here."
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are Apple's newest iPhones and follow last year's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, but how different are the two latest models, and what exactly does a "Pro" device offer?
The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro are Apple's newest iPhones and follow last year's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, but how different are the two latest models, and what exactly does a "Pro" device offer?
Black Friday kicked off on the day after Thanksgiving and frequently offers customers short term sales on many products. While Apple does participate, their discounts tend to be 
Just yesterday, a 
Last month, it was reported that Sony Pictures was 
