Tag Archives: iTunes store

Weekend 9to5Toys roundup: $875 MacBook Air, $1,150 iMac, 15% off iTunes gift card, $179 Nest thermostat, much more

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From 9to5Toys.com:

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9to5Toys scours the net each day to bring our US readers the best deals in consumer electronics. Below are the absolute hottest deals going on right now. Most of these promotions are only available for a limited time, so be sure to lock in these savings if you see something you like.  Check back often as we are constantly posting new deals.

Also bookmark 9to5Toys.com/Daily-deals for 35+ of the top daily deals across most of the biggest shopping sites in the US including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, and many more.

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Ending today: Best Buy is taking $125 off the price of MacBook Airs for the next three days to celebrate Mother’s Day. That yields some of the lowest prices we’ve seen. The retailler knocks off $100 across the board, then using code MOM25 knocks off another $25.

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Amazon has stepped up and is offering a staggering $150 off three out of four standard configuration iMacs (21″ & 27″).  This discount is yielding the lowest prices we have ever seen on these super-skinny iMacs.  Don’t wait too long to pull the trigger, this is an unadvertised sale that Amazon could pull the plug on at any moment.

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The current generation MacBook Air, iMac and Retina MacBook Pro do not include a CD/DVD optical drive, but you can pickup a discounted Apple Superdrive right now for just $69 (Reg. $79).

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Ending today: Best Buy is offering a $100 iTunes gift card for just $85.  That is a total savings of 15% off future purchases of Apps Music, Movies and any other content on the the App Store, iTunes, Mac App Store and iBook Store.  This is the first iTunes deal we’ve seen in nearly 2 months and a perfect opportunity to surprise Mom on Mother’s Day

Other great deals on stuff we love:



Apple Celebrates A Decade Of iTunes By Highlighting 10 Year’s Worth Of Chart-Toppers

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The iTunes Store celebrates its tenth anniversary this month, and Apple is marking the occasion with a new promotion called “A Decade of iTunes.” iTunes users can enjoy a timeline that recognizes key moments throughout the store’s history, as well as a look back at ten year’s worth of chart-topping tracks and albums.

The timeline begins with the birth of the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003. At the time, it had 200,000 songs priced at 99¢ each, and more than 1 million songs were sold during the first week.

The timeline then takes us through other important landmarks in the store’s history, such as the start of its international rollout in 2004, the introduction of podcasts and TV shows in 2005, the sale of its billionth song and the introduction of movies in 2006, and the sale of the 100 millionth iPod in 2007.

Other notable landmarks include the day iTunes became America’s number one music retailer and the introduction of the App Store in 2008, and a record 25 billion songs sold in February of this year. Apple also notes important product releases, such as iPod, iPhone, and iPad launches.

You’ll also be able to see the top-selling songs and albums for each year as you click through the timeline, and of course, you can purchase anything that takes your fancy there and then.

Source: iTunes

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Apple’s Paid Apps Are Making The iTunes Store Finally Turn A Profit

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Independent Asymco analyst Horace Dediu has done some number crunching on the iTunes Store for an upcoming report titled “iTunes Business Review.” What he has found so far is interesting: the iTunes Store has actually started to generate a profit for Apple in recent years.

Apple has never considered the iTunes Store as a money maker but rather a more break-even endeavor that helps sell hardware with high profit margins. However, the success of Apple’s own apps in the iOS and Mac App Stores has started boding well for the company’s bottom line.

Apple makes paid apps like Pages and Garageband that perpetually float around the top of the App Store charts, and these apps (including more expensive, niche titles like Final Cut Pro) are starting to bring in a signifiant amount of revenue. Dediu calls Apple’s Software group “forgotten heroes.”

“Although I estimate that the software business has been overtaken by the Apps and Music businesses in gross revenues, it keeps an operating margin similar to that of Microsoft or about 50%,” notes Dediu. iTunes costs about $3.75 billion to run. That’s an insane amount of money for only managing software and digital goods.

Based on Dediu’s analysis, Apple’s own apps make the company around $2 billion a year and keep iTunes in the black. Not too shabby.

Source: Asymco

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Apple’s ‘break-even’ iTunes business now estimated to make $2B a year

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Asymco’s Horace Dediu has estimated that Apple’s iTunes business, initially intended only to cover its costs as a way of driving hardware sales, now earns the company annual profits of a cool $2 billion.

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What started as just a music store now sells music, video, books, iOS software, and Mac software. Revenues have grown five-fold in 7 years, with total sales approaching $5 billion a quarter and notching up an estimated 23 billion transactions a year.

Despite these heady numbers, Asymco believes Apple’s margins on most sales are almost non-existent: just 2 percent on apps and a wafer-thin 1 percent on music. Where Dediu thinks things are different is in the blue area termed ‘Apple Software’ that covers all the Mac software the company sells.

  • iWork, which includes Pages, Numbers and Keynote ($20 each)
  • iLife, which includes iMovie, iTunes, iPhoto, GarageBand (free with new computers but otherwise $15 each)
  • OS X updates (typically $19.99)
  • OS products including downloads of iOS and OS X. These are mostly free but some OS X updates are not free (typically $19.99 for new version Professional software, including Final Cut Pro ($299.99), Logic Pro ($199.99), Aperture ($79.99), Compressor ($49.99) and Motion ($49.99)
  • Apple Remote Desktop ($79.99)

If margins here are in line with industry norms of 50 percent, that means Apple makes $1.8 billion a year. Add in the tiny margins from the much higher total sales of other categories, and that gets you to the $2 billion figure. Not bad for a break-even business.



Apple launches Apple TV in India for Rs 8,295 ($150)

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Apple-TV-India

Screen Shot 2013-02-19 at 9.44.29 AMAfter officially bringing iTunes music and movies to India alongside a huge international rollout in December, Apple appears to have now launched Apple TV in the country. The Apple TV product page on Apple’s India website was first spotted by BGR India, but Apple has yet to issue an official press release announcing the product launch. The product page doesn’t include a “buy” button, and some reports claim stock has not yet made it to Apple resellers in the country. BGR first posted a screenshot of Apple’s site showing an Rs 7,900 price tag, but Apple’s website now shows a price of Rs 8295 (as pictured to the right). That’s roughly $150 USD and slightly higher than first rumored. As pictured above, the product page also highlights a number of Bollywood films and other local content in addition to The Wall Street Journal, YouTube, Vimeo, and MLB.TV.



NPD: iTunes Leads The Race In Online Video On Demand [Report]

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Awhile back it was reported that the iTunes Store is one of the biggest media companies in the world. The iTunes Store generated $8.5 billion in revenue last year, which is more than many of America’s top media companies combined.

Apple has been the tech industry’s pioneer for abandoning physical media, and iTunes is a testament to the success of digital downloads. According to a new report from the NPD Group, iTunes dominates its competitors in terms of online video on demand.

Netflix is winning the subscription-based game, but iTunes leads the race in digital movie purchases and rentals. TV show rentals from the pay-TV operators like Showtime accounted for over two-thirds of video on demand rentals. That’s probably because you can’t really get them anywhere else, at least not yet. Apple is rumored to be working on a TV subscription service that would allow you to pay for channels without the interference of a traditional cable or satellite provider.

Full digital movie purchases (not rentals) accounted for a small segment of the video on demand market at only 16%. Customers clearly prefer to rent or stream content.

Apple is the biggest player in internet-based video on demand (iVOD) with iTunes:

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Surprisingly, physical DVD sales aren’t suffering as badly as you would think. Apple has clearly bet against physical disks by removing optical drives in its Macs, but the disk is not dead. At least not yet. Companies like Redbox (who has also gotten into the streaming game) are doing very well.

“There is a significant base of video customers in the U.S. who continue to be comfortable with physical formats, and a large majority haven’t made the complete transition from discs to digital video,” according to NPD. “For the time being, at least, consumers still like to own and rent movies and TV shows on DVD and Blu-ray, even in a world of where connected devices and digital rental, streaming, and ownership options are becoming more accepted and commonplace.”

This probably has a lot to do with the fact that content providers have yet to successfully adapt their business models to the internet. Looking at you, HBO.

Source: NPD Group

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Design Quality Apps With This Free Video Tutorial Course [Freebie]

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Looking to design an app that gets the attention of those shopping in the iTunes Store? Today’s Cult of Mac Deals offer consists of a free video tutorial that explains important aspects of design – aspectx that propel apps ahead of the competition.

In this course you’ll learn how to create an application from beginning to end, working alongside an expert app developer to create a recipe app from start to finish so you’ll be able to get an inside look at a successful app developer.

Here’s what you’ll get with this free course:

  • Over 11 action packed video tutorials that include 1 hour of content
  • You’ll be able to access these videos online forever using your customized URL

With this free offer you’ll be able to incorporate the business mentality that’s necessary for app success! Maximize your app’s potential with this Cult of Mac Deals offer today – because your time is almost up!


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More 20% off iTunes gift cards. Pay with Paypal tax free or pick up at Best Buy

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From 9to5Toys.com:

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If you are still trying to get in on the 20% off iTunes gift cards, two new options sprung up over the break.  GiftCardMall via Ebay Daily Deal offers a $50 iTunes gift card for $40 with tax only in Colorado, today only. Without tax, that’s the lowest price we’ve seen to date on an iTunes gift card. You can also pay via Paypal.

For its Rewardzone customers (free Sign-up), Best Buy also offers 20% off iTunes gift cards from $15-$100 yielding prices of $12-$80. This deal is valid thru the 29th and is available with free shipping online or in-stores for pick up. Not into the Rewardzone? Best Buy will still give you 15% off.

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Printable/Email-able gift cards for Christmas shopping slackers everywhere

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So you waited too long and you need a last second gift for that last person on your shopping list? No problem Apple fan! We’ve got some great options for you.

1. Head over to the iTunes store and either email or Print a gift card in $10, $15, $25, $50 or $100 denominations. Or save a few bucks at Walmart/Sams Club.

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2. Amazon has a load of Printable and email-able gift options including embedding your own photos and videos for a personal touch. You can even send gifts over Facebook if that is your thing. Amazon carries lots of Apple products and peripherals which your giftees will love. Best Buy offers the same services.

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3. If you live near a Best Buy, site to store is still open until 3PM in most areas and of course your neighborhood Apple Store will still sell you an Apple product until they close (check hours but most open until 4:00).

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4. A site called iCardGiftCard will sell you any matter of gift cards from various stores which you can email or print out.

5. Give the gift of content for your iPad or AppleTV from Hulu (two week free trial) or Netflix (one month free trial).

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15% off iTunes gift cards

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From 9to5Toys.com:

Update: Best Buy is now down to 15%. Still worth your time.

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Today only, Best Buy knocks 20% off the price of physical iTunes gift cards across the board from $15 -$100 (including the very handy $10 three-pack). iTunes gift cards are good for music, videos, iBooks, movies, and iOS/Mac Apps.  They can be ordered site-to-store for pick-up up until 3PM on Dec 24th or ship for free if you don’t need them by Christmas.

If you are looking to buy an email-redeemable iTunes credit, Walmart still sells a $50 emailled iTunes credit for $40, though readers sometimes complain about Walmart’s reliability.

Obviously, these make great last minute gifts/stocking stuffers and are an easy way to get 20% off all of your Apple media.

Amazon also offers gift cards that can be sent via email, Facebook or printed out in any denomination.

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