Holiday

Apple to kick off annual ‘Lucky Bag’ one-day sale in Japan on January 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple has confirmed that its retail stores in Japan will be kicking off the holiday 'Lucky Bag' promotion next Thursday, January 2, 2014. The country's annual sales event is something of a local tradition and Apple has made sure to delight its loyal fans with mystery bags filled with randomly picked products.

These bags are discounted so the customer typically ends up paying less than the total combined value of the included goods. The trick is that shoppers can't really tell what's inside a bag until they have bought it...

A look back at some of Apple’s old Christmas commercials

Cody Lee ∙ December 24, 2013

Apple's been causing a lot of commotion lately with its latest iPhone 5s commercial 'Misunderstood.' The ad, for those who haven't seen it, depicts a teenager with his head buried in his smartphone while the family participates in holiday activities, and has a delightful twist.

But Apple hasn't always been so sentimental around the holidays. In fact, it's been making Christmas-themed spots for over two decades now, and many of them tended to err on the side of humor. Don't believe me? Check out some of these Apple ads from the last 20 years...

iDB holiday gift guide 2013: Chris’ picks

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

You’ve already heard from Cody, Lory, Oliver and Jim about their gift suggestions so it’s my turn now to articulate some of my favorite gadgets and accessories to possibly make your holidays merrier.

My personal picks may not be what you'd call tremendously diverse, but they do reflect the values I'm all about: innovation, practicality, power and true passion for awesome design which doesn't sacrifice form over function and inspires folks to get the most from their gadgets.

Plus, I stand by these products as a direct result of using them myself and have voted for each and every one of them with my wallet. It's my hope these suggestions will help you choose something worthy of that special someone with a technological bent, or at least give you some fresh ideas on boosting your everyday computing.

I proudly present Christian's favorite holiday gift ideas...

iDB holiday gift guide 2013: Jim’s picks

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated March 14, 2018

The second annual holiday gift guide is taking submissions from the iDB editing team. Looking back, there are quite a few items that made my list this year, most of which were released in 2013. Also, as the hardware review editor, many of the items were reviewed on the site.

Last year I took a look at bargain priced items, but I threw pricing to the side this year. Why limit the excitement to items under $30? Take a look below for my suggested gifts for the gear head in your life. In no particular order, genre or category, let's dive in...

App Santa: deep discounts on 15 popular iOS apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

With less than 24 hours until the annual App Store holiday freeze, developers are pushing out last-minute app updates like crazy.

But more importantly, 'tis the season when not-to-be-missed promotions and discounts become available as an early Christmas present.

Cody yesterday covered a bunch of notable iOS games discounts from the likes of Disney, Warner Bros and others and today a brand new holiday deal on iPhone and iPad apps goes live to help your wallet.

App Santa, a collaborative effort by high-profile developers, is offering deep discounts on fifteen popular iPhone and iPad applications, including 1Password, Tweetbot 3, Launch Center Pro, Screens, Clear+ and more. You can grab these fine apps with as much as 60 percent discount. Your download links are right after the break...

Apple airs new holiday-themed iPhone 5s TV ad

Cody Lee ∙ December 16, 2013

Apple has tonight begun airing its first new commercial in nearly a month. As you'd imagine in mid-December, the spot carries a holiday theme and focuses on the new iPhone 5s handset and its AirPlay feature.

The ad shows a teenage boy capturing his family participating in various holiday activities like decorating the Christmas tree and playing in the snow on his iPhone 5s, and then playing it for them on their TV set...

Apple offers free Lorde single in ’12 Days of Gifts’ app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Last week, Apple updated its '12 Days of Gifts' app for the 2013 holiday season. The update was a fairly significant one, because for the first time ever, the company opened up access to the application for folks in the United States.

And Apple is celebrating the occasion by giving away a free gift early. While the actual 12 Days of Gifts event isn't scheduled to begin until December 26, users with the app installed right can pick up Lorde's new single 'No Better.'

Your free Holiday Playlist awaits you in Apple Store app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

As is its wont, Apple is once more giving away a bunch of Christmas-themed songs to make your holidays merrier.

Akin to its 2009 promotion of the then-new iTunes LP format which gave U.S.-based users a free downloadable selection of 20 holiday songs from a variety of popular artists, this time around Apple is giving away individual holiday favorites through a special link in its Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad.

A total of eight songs are available for download, including performances by such acts as Mary J Blige, The Robertsons and Kool and the Gang. Jump past the fold for the instructions on claiming your free music...

Apple publicizes holiday ordering deadlines

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 2, 2013

If you're going to buy an Apple product this holiday season, you'll be wise to plan your purchase in advance unless you can cope with broken hearts on post-Christmas deliveries. But holiday shoppers needn't worry too much as Apple is feeling your pain.

This morning, the company has refreshed its U.S. Online Store with a handy guide specifying the important ordering deadlines for Macs, iPads, iPhones, iPods and accessories for delivery by December 24, 2013.

Deadlines vary from one product to another. For example, Apple's Next Day Shipping is available for many, but not all iPads. Specifically, if you're buying an iPad mini with Retina display, your best bet is to place an order with Apple by midnight on December 5 for delivery by December 24.

The full breakdown follows right below...

Apple’s gift card-only Black Friday deals now live in North America, cash discounts in Europe

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

Following Apple's Black Friday deals that went live yesterday on the Australian web store, the company this morning refreshed its United States and Canadian outlets with 2013 Black Friday promotion.

Just as we suspected, this year the iPhone maker has rather disappointedly opted not to offer actual discounts on products and instead is luring shoppers with Apple Store Gift Cards, redeemable against purchases solely at a later date.

Apple has never offered deep Black Friday discounts and this year's gift card-only promotion will no doubt disappoint bargain hunters who'll be better served shopping elsewhere (iDownloadBlog has you covered with a comprehensive roundup of Black Friday deals)...

Apple’s 2013 Black Friday to be based around gift cards, not product discounts?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Black Friday, for our international readers, is the Friday following Thanksgiving Day, which is observed on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States and on the second Monday of October in Canada. While Thanksgiving is a national holiday and is celebrated as such, Black Friday is not.

What Black Friday does is it kicks off the Christmas shopping frenzy by having major retailers open extremely early and offer huge discounts.

Not Apple, America's greatest retailer since the turn of the century.

To Apple, Black Friday is a one-day shopping event with only modest discounts. Example: last year, Apple's Black Friday sale included $101 off MacBook Pros/Airs, a rather modest $41 off the iPad with Retina display and a paltry $31 off iPod touches, Airport Express base stations, the Magic Mouse and other select accessories.

And this time around, Apple's Black Friday promotion may focus on Gift cards rather than actual discounts on products, reports a well-informed blogger. Duh...

T-Mobile offering iPhone 5s/5c with $0 down for Black Friday weekend only

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 14, 2016

Black Friday is just around the corner and TMoNews is reporting that T-Mobile USA will be offering Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c with $0 down on its usual installment plans, for the Black Friday weekend only, November 29. Following the weekend, limited time pricing "for these amazing devices" will be available beginning Cyber Monday, December 2, as per the carrier's internal memo.

I'm guessing these prices are for entry-level iPhones with sixteen gigabytes of storage. For those wondering, that’s a $149 saving on the iPhone 5s and a $49 saving on the iPhone 5c right off the bat as you’ll be paying about $20 per month for 24 months on T-Mobile's installment plans. I've included the full details right after the break...