Holiday

Apple prematurely leaks exclusive Apple Watch Sport models for Chinese New Year

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 5, 2016

Apple will sell some new, exclusive Apple Watch Sport designs to celebrate the Chinese New Year, MacRumors said Tuesday. As evidenced by Apple's websites in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, the new models of the Apple Watch Sport will be available in the aforementioned countries until February 22.

That information was briefly available on the website before being removed earlier today. With a rumored Apple Watch 2 media event planned for March, Apple is likely to roll out additional bands to accompany the launch of a second-generation Apple Watch.

The best apps and games for new Apple Watch owners

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

So, Santa left you a little gift under the Christmas tree in the form of Apple Watch and now you want to know what apps and games you should start off with. Lucky for you, we have recent experience at being new to Apple Watch, as well as about eight months worth of knowing which titles we think are perfect for beginners.

So, if you have just unwrapped your Apple Watch and want to know what you should add first, we have a list of the best 10 apps and games for you.

The best apps and games for new Apple TV users

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If Santa (or maybe your hard-working, thoughtful spouse) brightened your holiday with Apple's fourth-generation set-top box this year, you've got a big surprise in store for you. Not only can you watch your favorite movies and television shows from such apps as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and HBO Go, but Apple TV 4 has also been updated with its own App Store full of interesting content for your big screen.

If you just unwrapped a new Apple TV and are wondering where to start, we've created a list of the 10 best apps and games for new users.

10 games to play with the family over Christmas

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

If your family is coming to visit, or if you are headed home for the holidays, you may be in need of some festivities that will keep any opinionated uncles from talking about politics and religion.

One way to keep things light is to participate in good old-fashioned family game night. Whether you pass-and-play on the iPad, compete via Game Center on your iPhone, grab two controllers for Apple TV 4, or simply pull out a tabletop board game from grandma's dusty closet, we have some suggestions for keeping spirits bright as you while away the evenings this holiday season.

Our favorite music and movies to celebrate the holidays

Lory Gil ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

As the holidays approach, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite holiday traditions. In addition to guzzling eggnog and mixing up hot toddies, we like to settle in with our families, watching classic Christmas movies and spinning our top choices for hall-decking tunes.

Hopefully, these recommendations will spark inspiration for you and give you something to fill the cold winter nights with friends and family as you celebrate the holiday season. Feel free to let us know what your favorites are so other iDB readers (and us, too) can add them to our yearly traditions.

iDB holiday gift guide: Christian’s picks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Is it that time of year again? Gosh, time surely flies, doesn't it? And what an action-packed year it has been in terms of exciting Apple product releases and upgrades, new-category product launches, interesting new accessories, novel new apps and games and what not.

I believe in smart holiday shopping that doesn't force you to break the bank just to purchase cool gifts that your friends and family will actually love, not pass along like a hot potato. So without further ado, I present you my personal holiday gift guide.

Apple products among the most popular Black Friday items at Target

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

Target, the second-largest discount retailer in the United States behind Walmart, today released a chart listing the most popular products that shoppers were purchasing on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

The iPads were top sellers in Target's brick-and-mortar and online stores, with the retailer selling an iPad every second throughout the day on Thanksgiving, Forbes reports.

Holiday shutdown: don’t expect new apps or updates between December 22-29

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Apple on Friday announced to developers that it will be performing its annual iTunes Connect shutdown for the holidays next month. The company posted the bulletin on its developer portal this afternoon, saying that it will not be accepting new app or update submissions beginning on December 22 through the 29th.

iOS again beats out Android in Christmas Day mobile shopping

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 29, 2014

Just like last year, Apple's iPhone and iPad again dominated online shopping traffic and online mobile sales during Christmas Day, according to an IBM survey first shared by VentureBeat.

Based on data from IBM's real-time Digital Analytics Benchmark, which tracked approximately 800 retail websites in the United States, iOS devices were responsible for an average of $97.28 per order spent online versus $67.40 for Android users, a difference of 44.3 percent.

In other words, a commanding 57.1 percent of online shopping via mobile during Christmas Day was carried out using an iPhone or iPad, an increase of 8.3 percent versus the previous year.

Happy new year 2015 wallpapers for iPhone and iPad

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Today marks the last Wallpapers of the Week post for 2014! We are completing the first calendar year of the series, which started mid-2013. Earlier this year, we celebrated the one year anniversary of the series with our top images.

This year we published more than 52 Wallpapers of the Week posts, including some special edition mid-week releases for important events. Some of the most popular posts include: Interstellar; Apple's 5K iMac Retina image; October 16 Keynote wallpapers; a pre-release of the iOS 8 flower wallpapers, which received almost 1,000 media shares; September 9 Keynote wallpapers; geometry style; and galaxy images.

Take a step inside to celebrate 2015 and another upcoming year of wallpapers.

2K holiday sale: Sid Meier’s Pirates, Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies, BioShock and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 2, 2018

2K is having a holiday sale of a number of its premium iPhone and iPad games, including the high-seas adventure game Sid Meier’s Pirates, the WW2 strategy flight sim Sid Meier’s Ace Patrol: Pacific Skies, the award-winning first-person shooter BioShock and more.

If you're in the market, now's a good time to pick up these finely done games at a reduced price before the iTunes Connect holiday freeze window closes on December 29.

Reminder: Beats offering 10% off headphones and speakers with free shipping

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 22, 2014

Although this has been running for a couple days now, it's worth noting that Apple-owned Beats is running a nice holiday promotion that offers discounts on select headphones and speakers and free next-day shipping on all in-stock items at the Apple Online Store.

As Bryan Wolfe of AppAdvice writes, the special promotion offers the Solo2 headsets for $179.95 instead of the regular $199.95 price point. As for the latest Studio Wireless headsets, they are available for $341.95, normally a $379.95 value.