Forget “Black Friday.” It’s MAC Friday…at Connecting Point! | Nov. 28th, 2014
So what’s cooking at Connecting Point on Black Friday?
We’re getting LOTS of calls at both our Bend and Medford stores, asking what we’ve got cooking for Black Friday. Unfortunately, you would need a Double Secret Probation Top Level One Security Clearance for us to tell you. We can say this: You’ll find all the details in the Thanksgiving Day editions of the Bend Bulletin and the Medford Mail Tribune. We’ll be posting it on our website, and on Facebook. And it’s going to be HOT.
But there will be additional promotions, in the form of contests, giveaways, special deals, and more that won’t be in the ads. In order to hear about them, you’ll need to keep your eyes on either the Connecting Point (Bend, OR) or the Connecting Point (Medford, OR) Facebook page (pick the one closest to you). We’ll also be posting the same info to our Twitter feed. Giveaways and special deals will require you to be present in person, but we promise to give you plenty (20-30 minutes) of advance warning before each one. Follow us…to save and WIN!
Deal of the Week | Nov. 21st, 2014: Six-foot HDMI cable for $3.99
If a cable isn’t rated HDMI 1.3a Category 2, then it’s not full 1080P. This cable is, and thus is perfect for the latest high-refresh-rate HDTV’s, Play Station 3, Blu-ray players, HD DVD players, XBOX, and audio systems that support Dolby Surround Sound and TRUE HD Surround Sound.
The latest revision for HDMI doubles the bandwidth of the original, and has opened the door for a host of potential new advancements in Home Theatre Audio/Video performance. New features such a “Deep Color,” higher color gamut, and high resolution, multi-channel audio formats like Dolby True HD and DTS HD Master Audio will make higher bandwidth demands than ever before. Equipment manufacturers are bringing out new devices to take advantage of these new features. You’ll want to be ready.
And fortunately, “being ready” doesn’t mean “being broke.” These cables are normally 20 bucks, but all this week (or at least while supplies last), they’re a steal at $3.99.
Deal of the Week | Nov. 14th, 2014: Flexible-Neck Five-LED USB Computer Light for $9.99
Let there be light – anywhere, any time. This cool USB-powered light boasts five super-bright LEDs that offer dual output: one side shines bright white light that illuminates the surface of your keyboard, while the other side emits a soft blue light that is easy on the eyes in low-light situations.
This device features a flexible eight-inch neck and is bus-powered; just plug it into any open USB port – and light up the night!
Learn all about this week’s cool Deal right here.
Deal of the Week | Nov. 7th, 2014: VIBE Juicys Comfort Earbuds for 99¢
So many audio jacks, competing for such a limited pool of earbuds.
Your phone. Your laptop. Your MP3 player. Your tablet. Your Wi-Fi washer/dryer (OK, maybe not).
Point is, a lot of gadgets support a set of earbuds. And many of them didn’t come with any. Or you’ve misplaced them. Or accidentally run them through your Wi-Fi washer/dryer.
What if you could lay claim to a bottomless pool of said earbuds? So many, you would never be lacking. So many, they were forever at your beck and call. Sounds great, but prohibitively expensive, right?
Not necessarily. Because effective immediately, you can stock up on earbuds. Great-sounding earbuds, in your choice of six tasty colors. And you can do it for less than a buck apiece. Because this is Connecting Point’s Deal of the Week—and we don’t mess around here.
A roundup of this week’s new Apple product announcements
During yesterday morning’s special press event, Apple introduced a host of new products, along with some restructuring and repricing in their product lines (you can now get a new iPad for a little as $250, and a new Mac mini starts at just $500). Here are the highlights, along with availability information (as best we can determine—we will update this post as details emerge):
iPad Air 2: The big splash was made by the debut of the iPad Air 2, a crazy-thin (just 6mm) iteration of its flagship full-sized tablet. It’s not only thinner, but faster, too. And you can now add a third color choice to the current Space Gray and Silver: Gold. The new color choice, along with the addition of TouchID, brings the iPad Air 2 in line with Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Prices start at $499.99. Available for pre-order immediately; we expect to begin filling orders in roughly two weeks. Find out more.- iPad Air: Yep, it’s sticking around—but it’ll cost you substantially less. Prices now start at $399.99. Available almost immediately. Find out more.
- iPad mini 3: Similar specs to the original iPad mini 2, but now adds TouchID and the new Gold color choice. Available for pre-order immediately; we expect to begin filling orders in roughly two weeks. Find out more.
- iPad mini 2 and iPad mini: Now cost much less than before. The Wi-Fi 16GB iPad mini, for example, now sells for $249.99—the lowest price ever offered for a new iPad. Available almost immediately. Find out more.
If you’re interested in a specific model iPad, contact us and we’ll get you the very latest availability and pricing.
Other announcements…
iMac 27-inch with Retina 5K Display: The “5K” stands for “5000”—as in 5000+ pixels. The new flagship iMac boasts more than four times the pixels of its 27-inch brethren. That’s impressive enough, but the fact that it will sell for $2499.99—that’s just nuts. Most 4K standalone monitors sell for more than that. Basically, Apple’s throwing in a quad-core Mac with all the bells and whistles for free. Available for pre-order immediately; we expect to begin filling orders in roughly one week. Find out more.- Mac mini: The littlest Mac got a well-deserved, long-delayed makeover. The entry price point dropped a hundred bucks to $499.99—the lowest price ever for a new Mac. It now comes with two Thunderbolt 2 ports and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Available for pre-order immediately; we expect to begin filling orders in roughly one week. Find out more.
- OS X 10.10 Yosemite: The long-awaited major update to the Mac’s operating system looks to be an impressive one, with hundreds of new features and enhancements—and is available for free download immediately.
Deal of the Week | Oct. 17th, 2014: Multi-Tip Portable USB Charger for $5.99
This charger puts you in charge—of when and where you recharge your devices. Fill it up with juice at the nearest convenient USB port, and you’re ready to replenish on the fly.
Tips are included for the three major types of USB connectors: 30-pin dock connector, Mini-USB, and Micro-USB.* The integrated charging gauge lets you know when it is ready to go. And it even has a handy little LED flashlight built in, with its own flashing mode, for all those desert island emergency-type situations.
Learn all about this week’s cool Deal right here.
*Sorry, does not work with the Lightning connector found on the most recent iPhones.
Apple Special Event | October 16, 2014, 10 am PDT: “It’s been way too long.”
Apple’s highly anticipated special event, taking place later this morning, will be streamed live. Live streaming video requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Live streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.
UPDATE – SUMMARY OF EVENT: New iPads (including the impossibly slim iPad Air 2), new iMacs (including the impossibly pixeled iMac with Retina 5K Display), and new and cheaper Mac minis. Oh yeah—and the official release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite. It’s a free upgrade, and you can download it here.
