_Dear Friends,_

The big news this week was official confirmation of the worst-kept secret in recent Apple history. Apple announced after the bell on Wednesday that they would be acquiring Beats Audio in a $3 billion deal. In addition to the wildly popular Beats headphones and speakers, Apple gains access to Beats Music, the subscription-based music service that Tim Cook described as the first subscription service to “get it right.” The key is “human curation” married with technology.

Of course, Apple also gets Jimmy Lovine and Dr. Dre as part of the Apple executive team. People, product, and a service justify the biggest acquisition in Apple’s history. It will be very interesting to watch how Apple integrates and changes Beats, but more so, how Jimmy Lovine and Dr. Dre change Apple.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior VP of Internet Software and Services described Apple’s product pipeline for later this year as “we’ve go the best product pipeline that I’ve seen in my 25 years at Apple.” We are going to get at least a sneak peek at that pipeline and Apple’s plans during the keynote presentation Monday at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Tim Cook and his team will present at 10am Pacific (1pm here in Eastern time). Stream it live on “*Apple’s website*”:http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/ and follow along with us as we cover the event.

There have been a lot of rumors floating around, and while Apple normally concentrates on software at WWDC, there have been some notable hardware updates at these conferences as well: the Power Mac G5, iSight camera (there was one under each attendee’s chair), the Mac Pro (old) and the latest Mac Pro, which was introduced with Phil Schiller’s infamous comment, ??”Can’t innovate anymore, my ass?!”?? I expect some very exciting news and will be watching the stream to enjoy the presentation. I am highly skeptical of the 4-inch iPhone that unfolds into an iPad mini that one analyst reported, but I am sure there will be new toys for all of us!

My Kibbles & Bytes exclusive special this week is a Chill Pill Audio bundle. This bundle includes a set of black Chill Pill speakers for the ultimate in portable sound in a very compact package, and a Tuxedo Black Chill Box which features big sound with the convenience of wireless Bluetooth connectivity. This is normally a $129 value, but this week for Kibbles & Bytes readers, you can get these two Chill Pill Audio products for only $99!

“*Grab the Chill Pill deal here!*”:http://www.smalldog.com/wag900001454/

Our Memorial Day weekend sale went over pretty well, so we figured we’d bring it back with some additional inventory for those of you looking for great deals! We’re searching every nook and cranny we can to add more items at deep discounts.

**Starting Friday, June 6th, and running through Sunday June 8th,** South Burlington will host another special 3-day sales event during “*normal store hours.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/burlington

We’ll have all kinds of items on sale; most iPhone cases will check in around $5 and iPad cases can be found for as low as $10, but some items will even be as low as **$1!** These are discontinued items, customer returns or items that simply have damaged packaging. If you’re a bargain hunter, then this is the weekend for you!

While you’re shopping these deals, don’t forget about the big savings for the **Dads and Grads** on your list and pick up some great deals on computers, iPads and more.

“*Get a preview of our Dads & Grads specials at Smalldog.com/dadsandgrads.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/dadsandgrads

As I write this, I’m sitting on the Greyhound bus, and my display is shaking ever so slightly with the bumps in the road. I had also placed my iPhone on the windowsill (albeit precariously) before it fell onto the edge of my MacBook Pro and then landed on the floor, making a noise loud enough to wake my neighbor across the aisle (sorry!).

Some slight shaking of the screen is normal under those circumstances, but the continuous motion and those like it will eventually wear the hinge down to a point where the display flops back and forth like a fish. Sometimes, with much labor involved, this looseness can be remedied with a thread-locking compound on the hinge screws. However, this doesn’t always resolve it, and the hinges themselves can be separated from the display assembly housing. The only complete fix for that would be a new display assembly, which can range from $450-750 or more. (…or one could live with the floppy-fish-like display.)

Fortunately, I have some advice to avoid this altogether. Being aware of these simple rules can keep your display hinge stiff and reliable.

1. Never lift your computer by the display. I know it’s tempting, and I’ve done it many times myself. But this will be the most torque you could possible place on it.
2. Avoid using cases that might add extra weight to the display assembly. It takes a lot of force to keep that much weight aloft, and adding more exacerbates the situation.
3. Avoid using the computer against your legs in bed with the display at a wide angle (pushed far back) is a particularly precarious position and puts a lot of pressure on the hinges. If you do this, you may have noticed the display is sometimes far too eager to close.

The newer MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (Retina) models do have lighter displays, which have helped a great deal, but for those of us with the older, more ubiquitous unibody models, and even for owners of newer machines, following these tips can save your display and keep it lasting for years to come.

Want a new Mac or iPad or know someone who does? (We can think of several dads and grads who have them on their lists…) Well, we have some great news — our special financing promotion is back! Come into any Small Dog Electronics retail store and you can apply for *no interest financing* for up to 18 months.

Buy any Mac or iPad and anything else in the store (additional accessories, software and other products) are covered by financing as well. That means no-interest payments for up to a year and a half. Just pay your balance in full by the time the finance period ends, and you’re good to go.

* *6* month offer: No minimum amount
* *12* month offer: Purchases of $499 – $998
* *18* month offer: Purchases of $999 and up (until 10/31)

*How to Apply*
Come in to any of our retail locations — “*Waitsfield*”:http://www.smalldog.com/waitsfield, “*S. Burlington*”:http://www.smalldog.com/burlington, “*Rutland*”:http://www.smalldog.com/rutland, VT, or “*Key West, FL*”:http://www.smalldog.com/keywest — and any of our helpful Specialists can assist you with the application. It can take as little as five minutes to receive approval for financing!

Click here for more details: “**Smalldog.com/finance**”:http://www.smalldog.com/finance

If you’re a Vermonter, you may have recently heard that legislation has been passed that will prohibit the handheld use of phones while driving. Many states have done this, and I personally agree that will help to make the roads safer.

In plain language, the new legislation prohibits drivers from texting, scrolling through music and generally touching their phone (or device) while driving. This means the phone will have to integrate with the car in one way or another.

So, as with all change, it means making adjustments. As the Purchaser here, I felt it was important to show off the products we currently offer in our stores and online to help you create a hands-free solution for your car. I’m going to share my personal setup, as it’s always best to share something you have experience with!

The list of available options to help create a hands-free setup is a big one, considering that there’s a range of audio features in cars on the road. The first relevant one is the cassette adaptor (though I realize that some of you reading this may have never seen a tape deck in a car, or know what a cassette is, but nonetheless…). We still carry a cassette adaptor for use with your iOS devices — “*find it here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/83761/

In audio technology history, after the cassette came the CD — and unfortunately, there was no way to create a CD adaptor. So that’s where FM transmitters came in; these allow you to set your FM dial and transmitter to the same frequency to play audio through your stereo. Technology has grown since the introduction of MP3 players, so even though overall output reaches a quality threshold, newer features such as ClearScan (used by Belkin) help make the use of FM transmitters better. “*Find it here.*”:http://www.smalldog.com/product/78001/

Most recently, cars have been manufactured with auxiliary inputs and/or Bluetooth (and USB in limited capacity, meaning this doesn’t always allow for all phone options to be used). The aux input looks like a headphone jack, so you’d need a cable to plug in. It’s a nice (static-free) option, but doesn’t always allow for hands-free talking. Bluetooth allows for all of the above and does it wirelessly. You can stream music, talk, and even tell Siri to send a text for you while your hands stay at 10 and 2.

I’ll cover each of these options a little more in-depth in coming weeks, but on to my setup. I am lucky to have a car with Bluetooth built-in, so I just needed a way to mount my phone. I use the “*Rokform case*”:http://www.smalldog.com/search?search=rokform we carry which includes a great 3M mounting bracket (it won’t ruin car interior plastic — I tested it!) for placement where ever you’d like in your car. It also allows for me to mount it both horizontally or vertically. I then plug in my car charger, the phone syncs to my stereo and I’m off!

??Scroll down to check out these case specials for Kibbles & Bytes readers!??

In the meantime, feel free to share what your setup looks like. What products have you found to transition to hands-free driving? Email me at “*will@smalldog.com.*”:mailto:will@smalldog.com

It’s that time of year again…the Worldwide Developers Conference starts Monday and we’re all anxiously waiting to see if there are going to be any new products or software. Like Don mentioned in his intro, there are always a ton of rumors that float around — but we’ll have to wait to hear about all of these on Monday like the rest of the world.

Other than new exciting announcements happening during the opening Keynote, WWDC is also a time for about a thousand Apple engineers and five thousand developers come together to attend sessions on Design, App Frameworks, Services, Location and Motion, Graphics and Games, Media, Core OS and Tools and Performance.

You can check out the Keynote on “*Apple’s site,*”:http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/ — however, if you’re unable to watch be sure to follow us on Twitter at “*@hellosmalldog*”:https://twitter.com/hellosmalldog as we give you updates and head over to our “*blog*”:http://blog.smalldog.com afterwards where we’ll give you the full recap.

Now let’s hope for some cool new Apple products and software!