Dear Friends,

Apple had some announcements for Earth Day. The most significant was that they are committing to a plan to use 100% recycled materials in their products to help end mining of rare earth minerals. Apple already has set some standards for protecting the environment. Nearly 100% of Apple’s electricity (96%) is generated by renewable energy. When Apple’s new Cupertino campus opens it will be the largest LEED Platinum-certified building in North America. Over 99 percent of the paper in Apple’s product packaging is from recycled or responsibly managed sources. And, in only two years, through partnerships with the Conservation Fund and World Wildlife Fund, they have achieved the goal of protecting or creating enough sustainably managed working forests to cover all of their product packaging needs. I applaud Apple for recognizing the reality of climate change and putting their money where their mouth is in protecting our planet. More is needed but Apple seems very committed. You can read their latest Environmental Report here.

In another quiet announcement Apple made iMovie, Numbers, Keynote, Pages, and GarageBand for both Mac and iOS devices free to all users. Previously, it was free with a purchase of a Mac or iPad but now all users can download these powerful apps. MacOS, iOS and movies, spreadsheets, presentations, word processing and music all for free!

This week’s Kibbles & Bytes exclusive features the gold MacBook. Makes me think of James Bond! This diminutive powerhouse is the latest iteration of the venerable MacBook. This week I am bundling the MacBook in gold with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD drive with AppleCare Protection and the Hyperdrive gold USB-C hub. This hub gives you 4 ports: 1 x HDMI, 2 x USB 3.0, USB Type-C with power delivery. We are taking $150 off this bundle exclusively this week for Kibbles & Bytes readers. You get the brand new gold MacBook, AppleCare Protection and the USB-C hub for only $1,459.97 this week only!