Tuesday, December 4, 2018

$100 Off The Samsung Chromebook Pro w/Backlit Keys And A Free 250GB SSD


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Deals: B&H Photo Discounts 2017 MacBook Pro and 12.9-Inch iPad Pro to New Low Prices

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In a new flash sale that began today, B&H Photo is offering the 2017 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar (3.1 GHz, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for $1,599.00, down from $1,999.00. This is a custom configuration of the older MacBook Pro, and a solid discount for anyone willing purchase a previous generation model and not the latest 2018 MacBook Pro.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Also at B&H Photo, the retailer has numerous versions of older 2017 models of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, with discounts reaching to as much as $330 off original prices for both Wi-Fi Only and Wi-Fi + Cellular models.

These represent the lowest-ever prices for every iPad Pro listed below, so be sure to visit B&H Photo and check out the sale before it ends later this week. We've listed the models currently available for order as of writing, but the full list (including those on backorder) can be found in our Deals Roundup.


Wi-Fi + Cellular

Wi-Fi Only
There are a few other flash sales happening today at Best Buy and Woot. To start, at Best Buy you can get the Beats Pill+ portable speaker in Black for $108.99. The Pill+ is currently priced around $129.99 at places like B&H Photo and Walmart, and was originally $229.99 when it launched in 2015.


At Woot, you can buy refurbished models of the iPhone X at discounted prices, with the 64GB marked down to $659.99, from $999.99. The 256GB model is available for $749.99, down from $1,149.99. Woot explains that these iPhone X models "are expected to have a moderate level of wear & tear including (but not limited to) scratches, dents, and dings. Outside of their physical appearance, they have been tested to be in full working condition."

Be sure to keep an eye on our full Deals Roundup as you shop around this holiday season.

Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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Acer Chromebook Spin 13 Review: Performance at a Premium


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iOS 12 Adoption Hits 70%, Compared to 59% for iOS 11 Last Year

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70 percent of eligible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices are running iOS 12, as measured by the App Store on December 3, 2018, according to the latest adoption figures shared by Apple on its App Store support page today.


Apple also says 72 percent of devices sold in the last four years are running iOS 12. By comparison, 63 percent of devices introduced since September 2014 were running iOS 12 as of October 29, 2018, but those figures cannot be directly compared due to Apple's tweaked wording for this particular chart.

iOS 12 was installed on 60 percent of all eligible devices as of October 29, 2018, so adoption is up 10 percent in five weeks.

iOS 12 adoption is outpacing iOS 11, which was installed on 59 percent of eligible devices as of December 4, 2017, according to Apple. This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as iOS 11 suffered from quite a few bugs over its lifespan, while Apple has focused on performance and stability in iOS 12.

Meanwhile, Apple says 21 percent of all devices remain on iOS 11 and nine percent are running an older iOS version.

Related Roundup: iOS 12

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Apple Orders Drama Series 'Swagger' Based on Early Life of NBA All-Star Kevin Durant

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Apple has placed a straight-to-series order for "Swagger," a drama series based on the early life of NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, according to Variety. The series was put into development back in February.


The series, produced by Durant's Thirty Five Ventures, Imagine Television, and CBS Television Studios, is said to be inspired by Durant's youth basketball experiences. It reportedly explores the world of amateur basketball in the Washington, D.C. area, including players, their families, and coaches.

"Swagger" is said to "walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption." Reggie Rock Bythewood will reportedly serve as writer, director, executive producer, and showrunner.

Durant is a two-time NBA champion with his current Golden State Warriors team, a nine-time NBA All-Star, and was the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2014 and Rookie of the Year in 2008. He is also a two-time gold medal winner in men's basketball at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympic Games.

"Swagger" will be one of well over a dozen original TV series and movies that will be distributed through Apple's widely expected streaming video service, which will reportedly launch in more than 100 countries in 2019. A full list of Apple's planned TV shows and movies is available in our Apple TV roundup.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 12
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Caution)

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iFixit Begins Selling 2018 Mac Mini RAM Upgrade Kit, Save Up to $275 Versus Apple

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Unlike the previous 2014 model, the 2018 Mac mini has user-upgradeable RAM. The repair experts at iFixit are now selling a do-it-yourself RAM upgrade kit for the 2018 Mac mini that can save you hundreds of dollars.


The upgrade kit includes 16GB or 32GB of 2,666MHz DDR4 RAM, the same type of memory Apple uses in the 2018 Mac mini, along with all of the tools and bits needed to complete the upgrade: an iFixit opening tool, a spudger, angled tweezers, a precision bit driver, and three types of 4mm Torx precision bits.

2018 Mac mini models are equipped with 8GB of RAM by default, but they can be configured with 16GB or 32GB of RAM on Apple's online store for an extra $200 or $600 respectively. By comparison, iFixit charges $164.99 for its 16GB kit and $324.99 for its 32GB kit, reflecting savings of $35 and $275 respectively.

Three things to keep in mind:
  • This is iFixit-branded RAM that matches Apple's specifications.
  • If you ever need in-warranty service on your 2018 Mac mini, and Apple detects that you opened up the computer, the Genius Bar is permitted to and likely will deny service. Apple's warranty forbids do-it-yourself repairs.
  • There is a risk of damaging the Mac mini if the upgrade is not completed carefully.
Those interested in proceeding can follow iFixit's 2018 Mac mini RAM replacement guide.

iFixit also sells the 16GB RAM modules individually for $159.99 each.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Tag: iFixit
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Buy Now)

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Hulu and AT&T to Test 'Pause Ads' in 2019, Automatically Playing Commercials When You Hit Pause

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Streaming TV services offered by companies like Hulu and AT&T are testing the waters for a new type of advertising called "pause ads" (via Variety). The idea behind pause ads is that instead of facing forced commercial breaks at specified interludes, users would be more accepting of ads that play when they choose to pause a show for a bit while they do something else.

Hulu says it plans to launch pause ads in 2019, but not much else was given in the way of details regarding which of its numerous streaming plans will include the new type of commercial. The plan likely to see pause ads is Hulu With Limited Commercials, which interjects a few ads throughout a show's runtime, similar to live TV, but again this hasn't been confirmed.


AT&T cited similar interest in pause ads, stating that it also plans to launch technology in 2019 that plays a video when a user pauses a TV show. For both companies, it's unclear exactly how long these ads will run for, and if you'll be able to immediately cancel them out by simply hitting the play button and resuming your TV show.

According to Hulu vice president and head of advertising platforms Jeremy Helfand, pause ads will not be home to longform advertisements, but will instead focus on commercials where advertisers "have seconds" to deliver a message effectively. Over the next three years, Hulu expects "more than half" of its advertising revenue to come from these so-called non-disruptive experiences.

AT&T advertising vice president Matt Van Houten claims that the company is even working on a version of pause ads that will be interactive, so that viewers can "telescope" to more information from the advertiser by clicking on a remote. AT&T knows that viewers will raise concerns over the new type of advertising, but Van Houten claimed that they are just the next iteration of the "flying toaster" screensaver found on Macintosh computers in the late 80's.

Hulu on pause ads:
“As binge-viewing happens more and more, it’s natural they are going to want to pause,” says Jeremy Helfand, vice president and head of advertising platforms for Hulu, speaking of modern-day couch potatoes. Hulu intends to unveil what it calls “pause ads” in 2019. When a user chooses to stretch, or get a snack, he says, “it’s a natural break in the storytelling experience.”
AT&T:
“We know you’re going to capture 100% viewability when they pause and unpause,” says Matt Van Houten, vice president of product at Xandr Media, AT&T’s advertising division. “There’s a lot of value in that experience.”

In time, he suggests, consumers might prefer the pause pitches to other forms of TV commercials.
Some advertising executives are already unsure if pause ads will catch on. Tim Halon, CEO of media and advertising consultancy company Vetere Group, questions whether pause ads will be too disruptive: "Just because you can doesn't mean you should...if it's simply inserting, let's say a reverse-mortgage ad with a direct-response phone number? I don't know if that aids the consumer experience."

When it comes to advertising, many companies have had to walk a fine line in the past, particularly for streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. Earlier this year, Netflix tested a new feature that added video promotions for shows in between episodes, but users quickly pointed out their frustrations with the test and it never rolled out wide. Netflix executives still claim that there is not currently a plan to run traditional commercial advertisements on its service.

Although details about its service are still sparse, Apple is rumored to offer its upcoming TV shows free to Apple device owners through its TV app, and commercials are not expected to be a part of the experience.

Tags: AT&T, Hulu

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