Confirmed Pre-order date for the iPad Pro!

This morning Apple announced that, as anticipated, the 12.9 inch Retina Display iPad Pro will be on sale in Apple Stores, select carriers and Apple Authorized Resellers ‘later this week’ (we’re guessing Friday), AND that pre-orders will begin this Wednesday, November 11. You will also be able to pre-order the Apple pencil and the Smart keyboard on Wednesday.

As we told you guys at the end of last week, Sam’s Club had already begun accepting pre-orders for the iPad pro but has since sold out.

From the Sauce, Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing:

“The early response to iPad Pro from app developers and our customers has been incredible, and we’re excited to get iPad Pro into the hands of customers around the world this week, iPad Pro is the most powerful iPad we’ve ever made, giving users the ability to be even more creative and more productive with the epic 12.9-inch Retina display, powerful 64-bit A9X chip and groundbreaking Apple Pencil and new Smart Keyboard. We can’t wait to see what they do with iPad Pro.”

Pricing for the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the entry-level 32GB Wi-Fi only model. A 128GB Wi-Fi only model is available for $949, and a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model is available for $1,079.

The iPad Pro is available in the three signature iPad colors: Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. The Apple Pencil retails for $99, while the Smart Keyboard comes in at $169.

iPad Pro

Are you thinking of pre-ordering or buying an iPad Pro next week?  Are you on the cusp of a decision between want and need? Need a reminder of what it is exactly? Watch this!

Do you need some extra cash to help make your iPad Pro dreams come true – ( 32GB – $799 and 128GB  – $949,  128GB version with 4G – $1,079)? Do you have an old, broken or water damaged iPhone at home in a drawer somewhere? Send that stinky iPhone to us! We’ll give you cash via PayPal, Check or Bitcoin to help you buy that shiny new iPad Pro! 

Were we all wrong about the release date of the iPad Pro?

Yes, the answer is, probably, yes. How do we know? Sam’s Club, of course! And some logic mixed in there. In an email sent out to members this morning, Sam’s Club advertised a release date of the iPad Pro as Friday the 13th of November. Spoooooky iPad release date.

This makes some sense, as the previous estimated release date of the 11th of November is Veterans Day here in the United States.

Apple is yet to comment. How uncanny.

If you’re a member of Sam’s Club – you’re in luck! They’re accepting pre-orders for the 32 and 128GB Wi-Fi iPad Pro models in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold. You’ll also be able to get the devices at a slight discount, as they’re offering the two models at $787 for 32GB and $937 for 128GB, compared to Apple’s pricing of $799 and $949.

Pricing on the iPad Pro starts at $799 for the 32GB Wi-Fi only version and goes up to $1,079 for a 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model. The Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard, its two accessories, are sold separately for $99 and $169.

We’ll let you know as soon as Apple themselves gives a solid release or pre-order date!

Apple introducing a new shopping category to the App Store!

The iOS App store will today be updated to include a new shopping category.

The category will encompass apps that offer shopping (DUH), as well as auction apps, savings, coupons, reviews etc. etc. These apps previously found their home in the Lifestyle App but, as that category has grown so much, Apple seems like they thought it was fair to give shopping their very own roomy home.

Apple will be highlighting those Apps within the category that support Apple Pay, but the things to look out for today is the ‘Save While You Shop’ category which will be offering exclusive discounts, free gifts and free shipping at places like Everlane, Zappos, Groupon, and Nordstrom. SWEET, RIGHT?

Look out for the Shopping category to pop up later today in the App store, and, looking to the future a lil’, in the Apple TV App store ( which currently only and Entertainment and Games).

Today’s a good day to shop!

Eddy Cue talked iPad Pro and audience members got punked

Yesterday, Apple’s SVP of software and services Eddy Cue spoke at the Dropbox Open conference with CEO Drew Houston, where he talked about, among other things, Apple’s upcoming release of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The iPad Pro is said to be released this coming Wednesday the 11th of November, and so far there’s been no confirmation of that date or any hint if Apple will be having a pre-order date preceding the release.

Eddy Cue did not give any more hints regarding that however he did bring out an iPad Pro to show off on stage. And then this happened:

Eddy Cue pulled out an iPad Pro and Drew Houston said “look under your chairs, guys!” and we did and there was nothing #DropboxOpen

— Casey Newton (@CaseyNewton) November 4, 2015

Haha. Suckers.

We’ll let you know the minute we find out when you can pre-order the iPad Pro! In the mean time, check out what you can expect from that bad boy here!

Inbox by Gmail is getting a new feature, and you’ll really like it

Do you use the Inbox by Gmail App? Are you interested in a more efficient and rapid way to respond to emails? Duh. Well, the guys over at Gmail had an idea, and it looks to be a pretty decent one. They’re going to answer your emails for you. Kind of.

The feature is called ‘Smart Reply’.

When you receive an email, it will give you three options of phrases and short sentences to choose from, for a reply. The responses are created by deep machine learning and analysis of the content of the email and will (hopefully) make perfectly awesome sense.

The feature also learns over time which replies you pick most often, and which one’s you discard, making the process even more efficient.

From the sauce:

“For those emails that only need a quick response, it can take care of the thinking and save precious time spent typing. And for those emails that require a bit more thought, it gives you a jump start so you can respond right away.”

The feature will be rolling out later this week as part of the Inbox by Gmail App, which you can get from the App store!

Check out the official Gmail blog for more info!

Want to buy an Apple related Andy Warhol painting?

You can! Next week, in fact.

On November 12th, Sotheby’s will auction off a Macintosh painting by Warhol, however the price-tag is enough to stop more than a few of us. The painting has a starting bid of $280,000, but the auction house is estimating that the painting will receive between $400,000 and $600,000.

The artwork is an acrylic and silkscreen canvas painting featuring Apple’s old rainbow logo between the words Apple and Macintosh, and is from Warhol’s “Ads” suite from 1985, which was 1 year after the OG Macintosh was released.

An intriguing tidbit about the inspiration for the painting, right from the Sauce:

“We went into Sean [John Lennon’s son]’s bedroom–and there was a kid there setting up the Apple computer that Sean had gotten as a present, the Macintosh model. I said that once some man had been calling me a lot wanting to give me one, but that I’d never called him back or something, and then the kid looked up and said, ‘Yeah, that was me. I’m Steve Jobs.’ And he looked so young, like a college guy. And he told me that he would still send me one now. And then he gave me a lesson on drawing with it. It only comes in black and white now, but they’ll make it soon in color…I felt so old and out of it with this young whiz guy right there who helped invent it.” — Andy Warhol

Interested? The auction starts on November 12 at 9:30 AM Eastern. Check it out! 

Apple still top dog.

A few weeks back Interbrand released their annual ranking of the world’s most valuable brands, and surprise surprise (was it though?) Apple is still number 1. Apple has held the valued (see what we did there?) ranking since 2013 when it knocked Coca-Cola out of the top spot.

Since last year’s ranking, Apple has grown in brand value a total of 43 percent, and increased from $118.9 billion last year to $170.3 billion in this year’s survey, up a total of about $51.4 billion in brand valuation from 2014 to 2015. Crazy amount of value!

Following close behind the Cupertino-based company are brands like Google, Microsoft, and Samsung in second, fourth, and seventh place, respectively.

Apps & Gadgets of the week! Pet friendly edition

We all love our little best friends in fur -n- feather costumes, right? Whether we’re talking Egg the chicken who’s scared of thunderstorms, Papanu Guinea Pig, Itty Bitty the cat, Barrack Obarka the dog, Urso the friendly bear, or Mr Squeezy the Boa, we all want to make sure our best pals are looked after, happy and safe.

Here’s a bunch of tech to help you do just that! Just remember- no amount of pet tech can replace cuddles! Except maybe with Mr Squeezy. Be careful of his cuddles.

*WoofTrax, through the Walk for a Dog mobile app, creates fundraising opportunities for shelters and rescues while encouraging dog+human regular exercise! Simply pick a shelter or rescue organization and log your walks through the App. The more you walk, the more your charity will receive during the donation period! Win win!

*Would you like to build your pet’s face out of Lego? WHO WOULDN’T?! Brickshots will help you out! Register, upload a photo of your pet and the App will tell you the exact Lego bricks needed, with a full description including the Lego Element ID, along with building instructions. Can anyone say best Christmas present ever?

*Now to something a little more important – help for your pet when there’s an emergency. The ASPCA App, PetTech,  and The American Red Cross Pet First Aid App are all comprehensive mobile apps that cater to pet emergencies, including what to do if faced with a missing pet, pets in a natural disaster, poison control, CPR and a whole host of other vital services and information sources. Pick one that best suits you and your pet or download them all to be really safe.

*BarkHappy, DoggyDatez and Tindog are ‘dating’ apps for your dog…kinda. If you want to meet up with other similarly minded dog lovers/walkers, or find dog friendly places, use these apps to make a big happy dog loving group of friends. Not in a weird way.

*PupTox, $0.99 from the App Store, gives you access to a trove of information about what is and isn’t toxic for your pet, from certain foods to garden plants, etc.

*  Tagg is a GPS tracker that lets you see where your pet is on a map, gives you driving directions to where they are if you need them, and alerts you if your pet gets out. Handy for Mr. BeaglePants who forgets to look up when he’s following his nose.

*Play with a cat in a way that doesn’t involve him knocking things off shelves and get the Cat Fishing App.  Trust us, it’s quality hilarity.

*Do you take your pup on walks to awesome places? Strap him up with a Go-Pro harness and video that shizz! $59.99 with 2 day free shipping and you’ll be showing the world what you and your best bud get up to.

*PetPace is an awesome collar and accompanying mobile app that tracks your pet’s health and fitness in real time. Track your beloved’s temperature, pulse, respiration, activity, positions, and calories to get an overall idea of your pet’s health and fitness.  $149.95 plus a $14.95 Monthly Service Plan.

* A little easier on the wallet and focussing on your pet’s activity, Whistle is a GPS pet tracker that provides insight into your dogs’ daily activity levels in real time as well as medication reminders and information on how much activity he/she should be getting for their breed and weight. You can also track them if they wandering.  $79.95 with free shipping.

* If you’re more of a Mr Squeezy type of pet owner (SNAKE) then SnakeKeeper is for you.  Keep track of your snake’s feeding, weight and shedding cycles and review the statistical information on your mobile.

So there you have it. Slightly dog heavy on the apps, so if you have any more pet friendly apps or gadgets please let us know! And REMEMBER THE CUDDLES!

$50 off Apple Watch with iPhone purchase? Yes!

Do you live in Cali or Massachusetts? Looking at buying a new iPhone soon? Maybe an Apple Watch as well? Maybe even getting in on some early Christmas shopping (go you good thing)? Well we have some good news for you!

Beginning today, October 30th, running through to November 15th, Apple is running a promotion giving customers $50 off an Apple Watch when they buy any new iPhone. This promotion is only valid in-store, and doesn’t include the Apple Watch Edition or Apple Watch Hermes models.

The promotion is available only at participating stores, which include Burlingame, Chestnut Street, Corte Madera, Hillsdale, San Francisco and Stonestown in the Bay Area, and Boylston Street, Burlington, CambridgeSide and Chestnut Hill in the Boston metro area.

Merry Christmas!! /Halloween.

Oh and, guys? If you like the sound of this promotion and can think of some lucky peeps in your life deserving of some lush Apple goods but need some extra cash to make the transaction, we can help you out!

Send in any old, stinky, water/beer damaged, broken or used iPhone and we’ll send you some cash! What can we say, we like helping.