Apple to end iTunes Allowances feature on May 25, suggests using Family Sharing instead to oversee kids spending
Apple has announced that users can no longer setup iTunes Allowances for kids from today, ahead of a complete shutdown of the iTunes Allowances program on May 25th, 2016. iTunes Allowances let parents set up monthly credit for their kids to spend on App Store and iTunes Store purchases.
In the support note announcing the closure, Apple recommends families instead use Family Sharing to manage purchase and spending habits across family members. This does not impact the availability of iTunes Gifts — Apple customers will still be able to buy iTunes gift cards to give to friends and family as normal.
9to5Toys Last Call: iTunes Gift Cards 20% off, APC 8-Outlet UPS $42, Anker 15,600mAh Power Bank $24, more
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Today’s can’t miss deals:
Last Call Updates:
SanDisk Connect Wi-Fi Flash Drive for iOS/Android: 64GB $50 (Reg. $60), 32GB $30 (Reg. $40)
- Belkin QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 in White/Gold: $49 shipped (Reg. $100)
- Microsoft is announcing a new Xbox One bundle every day this week
- Exploride combines the best iPhone features into one safe head-up display unit for your car
- Learn to hack a Raspberry Pi with this Starter Kit of hardware and courses for $115 (Orig. $804, CA Tax Only)
- Netflix October Preview: Arrow Season 3, Homeland Season 4, Hemlock Grove Season 3, more
- Four magazine subs for $16 (or less): Wired, Dwell, ESPN, GQ, Rolling Stone, Men’s Fitness, and many more
- Home: Hoover’s best selling upright vac $65 (Reg. $130), NutriBullet Blender + $10 GC $80 (Reg. $130), more
iTunes gift cards 20% off: $100 for $80, $50 for $40, $25 for $20 shipped
Gift Cards w/ email delivery: Staples $100 for $85, Applebee’s $50 for $40, other restaurants, more
Daily Deals: APC Back-UPS 550VA 8-outlet UPS $42, BenQ 1080p DLP Projector $630, more
Keep your Wi-Fi running during a power outage – APC Network Backup UPS w/ dual USB: $40 shipped (Reg. $65)
USB Power: Anker 15,600mAh Battery Pack $24 (Reg. $30), Lumsing Wall Charger + 3-ft. MFi Lightning Cable $10, more
GoPro introduces a new cost-effective action camera with Wi-Fi capabilities
Review: JBL’s new Xtreme Bluetooth speaker goes big on sound and design
More new gear from today:
Games/Apps: Dishonored Definitive $30, Disney Infinity 3.0 Star Wars Starter Pack $50, iOS freebies, more
- Buy 2 Board Games, Get 1 Free: Star Wars Pictopia $25, Jenga $9, Monopoly $20, more
- Loot Crate: 3-Month Subscription: $49 Shipped (Orig. $58, CA Tax Only)
More deals still alive:
App Store Free App of the Week: Doodle Jump SpongeBob SquarePants ($2 value)
GoPro HERO4 Session + $40 Amazon Gift Card: $299 ($440 value)
- The best 5-port USB power supply (Aukey 8A/40W) is $10 Prime shipped (orig. $50)
- Wrap your new iPhone 6s with Speck’s CandyShell Grip case for $14 shipped (Reg. $25+), more
- Twelve South HoverBar 3 adjustable arm stand for iPad $60 shipped (Reg. $100)
- First Generation Lytro 16GB Digital Camera $80 (Orig. $199)
- Seagate Backup Plus 8TB USB 3.0 Desktop External Hard Drive $200 shipped (Reg. $250)
- Double your iPhone battery w/ this 3,100mAh MFi Apple-Certified Case for $20 Prime shipped (Reg. $37)
- Shine on! Free MP3 Downloads: Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here (Reg. $8), much more
- Jawbone’s new high fashion UP2 Activity Tracker gets its first discount: $80 shipped (Reg. $100)
- QNAP NAS w/ AirPlay: TS-131 1-Bay $135 (Orig. $215), HS-210 2-Bay Fanless $145 (Orig. $289)
- City Sports extra 20% off: Nike Pro Dri-Fit Hoodie $36 (Orig. $90), jackets, more
- KeySmart 2.0 Titanium Key Organizer: $30 Shipped (Orig. $44, CA Tax Only)
- Lyrix Axis Levitating Wireless-Charging Speaker: $140 Shipped (Orig. $200, CA Tax Only)
- Bluetooth speakers: I-Venstar waterproof $26 (Reg. $35), Altec Lansing $44 (Reg. $54), more
- Grand Theft Auto iOS titles $3 ea: Chinatown Wars, Vice City and GTA III (Reg. $5 ea.)
- Freebies: Krispy Kreme coffee & doughnut + Outdoor Life mag + Natural Green Cleaning eBook + More!
- Freebies: 7 country music songs + Lost in Space TV episodes + Popular Science magazine + more!
- Freebies: Cinnabon MiniBons + 8BitBoy on Steam + Zipcar $25 credit + More!
- Freebies: Best of albums from Elvis, Nas, 311, more + Nikola Tesla eBook + more!
- VIZIO 49-inch M49-C1 120Hz Smart 4K UHDTV $590 shipped (Reg. $720)
- Headphones: Symphonized Wooden In-ear $16 (Reg. $25), Sennheiser Over-ear + DAC $500, more
- MacUpdate Bundle: 10 apps including Toast 14, DevonThink, ExpanDrive, Boom, and more for $50
- Private Internet Access VPN offers browsing protection, 2-year subscription now $60 (Orig. $80)
New products & more:
You can make the new J-Force electric surfboard go 0-35MPH with the bend of your finger
Apple’s new Beats Active Collection brings sporty colors to familiar headphones
- Kwikset drops the extras on its new internet-connected deadbolt lock to hit a lower price point
- Minecraft is set to hit the Oculus Rift VR headset this spring
- Skreens combines your DVR, Xbox One, Roku and more onto one screen
- Polk’s new flagship Omni S6 speaker goes after the multi-room audio crown
- Fallout 4 LE Loot Crate features over $150 worth of rare gear, pre-order now
- Sony reveals the first 1TB PlayStation 4 for North America w/ new COD: Black Ops III bundle
- Samsung goes old school on its new Serif TV set with help from fonts
Apple’s Back to School sale returns to Australia and New Zealand w/ gift card promo
Apple’s annual Back to School sale in Australia and New Zealand has gone live with a promotion for qualifying students to receive Apple Store credit with the purchase of a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Similar to last year, the Back to School sale includes the usual education pricing on Macs and iPads, but this year Apple is including Apple Store gift cards rather than App Store gift cards like last year.
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Apple Online Store frontpage redesigned ahead of Black Friday, pushing iOS devices, Macs and Beats accessories
For Black Friday, Apple has refreshed the frontpage of its online store with a rather-drastic redesign. Each product category now dominates the webpage, with full-bleed images of their main product lines. The new iPad updates get the top spot, but interestingly Apple TV and Beats headphones also get prime placement. In fact, the product images for Beats accessories are so large, it only takes four images to dominate the screen.
The strap-line ‘From one gift come many’ headlines the page, which also links up with Apple’s upcoming retail store holiday changes. The same tagline will soon be featured in Apple Store windows around the world, highlighting the wide scope of the iPhone and iPad, as shown below.
Apple retail gift cards arrive in third-party stores for the holidays, in-store Beats repairs begin tomorrow
Apple is making a big push with gift cards for the holidays with the most notable change being gift cards for its retail stores arriving through third-party retailers, according to sources. The company already sold iTunes/App Store gift certificates through a number of retail parters, but it has just recently started selling its Apple Store gift cards outside its own channels as well. Apple Retail will also make changes to repair procedures tomorrow including the introduction of in-store repairs for Beats products.
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Google Wallet iOS app adds gift cards, invoicing, ability to send money from debit cards for free
Google today announced new features for its Google Wallet app for both iOS and Android that makes it easier to manage gift cards and request and send from debit cards.
Like Google Wallet already allowed for loyalty cards, the app now lets users store, redeem, and check gift card balance:
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9to5Toys Last Call: Radio Shack Black Friday ad, video games, iPad Air cases, Starbucks gift card 50% off, more
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Radio Shack Black Friday ad leak: Beats Pill, Apple TV, Roku 2, PS3/Xbox 360 consoles
Game/App Deals: Arkham Asylum: $1, Arkham City: $5, 250 GB Xbox 360 console w/ 2 games & $50 GC, $20 off Xbox Gold, iOS freebies, Call of Duty: Ghosts $45, more
- BoxWave Blackout Case with Glossy and Black Matte Finish for iPad Air $8 shipped
- CaseCrown Bold Standby Pro iPad Air case (multiple colors) $5 shipped
Other great deals from today:
- New! $5 for a $10 Starbucks eGift card (50% savings)
- New! SOUL by Ludacris SL100UB on-ear headphones $30 shipped (Reg. $150)
- New! $50 Brookstone credit for $25 (online and in-store)
- New! 1 year magazine subscriptions: Popular Science: $5 (Reg. $48), Forbes: $20 (Reg. $104)
The best deals that are still alive:
- Western Digital TV Play 1080p media player w/ Netflix, YouTube, more $40 (Reg. $70)
- This Week In Entertainment: Lady Gaga ARTPOP free iTunes Radio stream, Eminem, We’re The Millers
- Pebble Smartwatch (red or black) as low as $120 shipped for .edu email holders, $150 otherwise
- CaseCrown Bold Standby Pro iPad Air case (multiple colors) $5 shipped
- Chromebook Deals: Samsung 11.6-inch : $190 shipped (Reg. $249), HP 11.6-inch: $266 shipped (Reg. $280)
- Logitech UE 6000 headphones $89, UE Mini Boombox $59, Solar Bluetooth iPad Keyboard Folio: $29, more
- MFi All-in-One Lightning Card Reader for iPad Air and iPad mini $24 after coupon
- Google Chromecast $30 + free shipping for shoppers w/ .edu email account (Reg. $35)
- Portable battery chargers: Photive dual 5200mAh: $30 shipped (Reg. $80), RAVPower 3000mAh: $20 (Reg. $40)
- The best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles
Mac software bundles:
- The SuperStacked Mac Bundle: Over $3,000 Worth Of Premium Developer & Designer Tools $49
New product announcements & reviews:
- Synology unleashes its most affordable 2-bay NAS ever, the DS214se for $160
- Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak reveals early start time and ample video game deals
- Target’s PS4 launch week ad leaks: will offer buy 2 get 1 free on PS4, Xbox One games, others
- Amazon launches Kindle Matchbook, offering Kindle versions of print books for $3 or less
9to5Toys Last Call: Staples eGift cards 20% off, COD: Ghosts $45, Lady Gaga ARTPOP iTunes FREE stream, more
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Staples $50 eGift card for $40: Save on gadgets, tech accessories, office supplies, more
Call of Duty: Ghosts $45,76% off Rockstar games incl. GTA, Max Payne: starting at $3, iOS freebies, more
Synology unleashes its most affordable 2-bay NAS ever, the DS214se for $160
Other great deals from today:
- New! This Week In Entertainment: Lady Gaga ARTPOP free iTunes Radio stream, Eminem, We’re The Millers
- New! Western Digital TV Play 1080p media player w/ Netflix, YouTube, more $40 (Reg. $70)
- New! Audio-Technica QuietPoint active noise-cancelling headphones $40 shipped (Reg. $80)
- New! Chromebook Deals: Samsung 11.6-inch : $190 shipped (Reg. $249), HP 11.6-inch: $266 shipped (Reg. $280)
The best deals that are still alive:
- Pebble Smartwatch (red or black) as low as $120 shipped for .edu email holders, $150 otherwise
- CaseCrown Bold Standby Pro iPad Air case (multiple colors) $5 shipped
- Logitech UE 6000 headphones $89, UE Mini Boombox $59, Solar Bluetooth iPad Keyboard Folio: $29, more
- MFi All-in-One Lightning Card Reader for iPad Air and iPad mini $24 after coupon
- Google Chromecast $30 + free shipping for shoppers w/ .edu email account (Reg. $35)
- Portable battery chargers: Photive dual 5200mAh: $30 shipped (Reg. $80), RAVPower 3000mAh: $20 (Reg. $40)
- Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR w/ 18-55mm IS II Lens + 16GB memory card + bag $376 shipped ($509 value)
- Samsung 5.1 smart Blu-ray home theater system (refurb): $130 shipped (Reg. $230 new)
- Get a free Sonos wireless bridge ($49 value) w/ the purchase of any Sonos Play wireless streaming speaker
- The best Apple-certified (MFi) Lightning cables in various lengths, colors, and styles
Mac software bundles:
- The SuperStacked Mac Bundle: Over $3,000 Worth Of Premium Developer & Designer Tools $49
New product announcements & reviews:
- Toys R Us Black Friday ad leak reveals early start time and ample video game deals
- Target’s PS4 launch week ad leaks: will offer buy 2 get 1 free on PS4, Xbox One games, others
- Amazon launches Kindle Matchbook, offering Kindle versions of print books for $3 or less
Facebook adds iTunes digital cards to Gifts
Facebook just announced that Gifts, the website’s latest endeavor into social e-gifting, would now offer iTunes digital gift cards starting today.
Facebookers can send the digital cards to their friends along with recommended albums, movies, apps, etc. The iTunes cards come in $10, $15, $25, or $50 price points through Facebook Gifts.
Get more details at Facebook’s Newsroom page.
In related news: Sam’s Club is now offering four $25 iTunes gift cards for $79.88 (over 20 percent off), while Best Buy has 15 percent off all cards.