Kibbles & Bytes Blog

We are excited to announce a private special offer on select items for Small Dog Electronics newsletter subscribers.

The details of this exclusive deal are so hush-hush that we can’t tell you about them here!

“**Visit our website to see what we’re offering**”:http://www.smalldog.com/secretsale our valued readers.

All orders must be placed by phone and this offer is good while supplies last. We look forward to hearing from you!

Recently we published an article about AppleCare and what it did and did not cover. One of the things AppleCare does not cover is accidental damage–for example, a cracked screen on an iPhone that got dropped. When we have to inform a customer that their broken screen voids the warranty, the general reaction is not too positive; most of the responses heard from customers are not printable in our blog.

Fear not, Apple has heard your cries! Today, Apple responded with the new AppleCare+.

With an availability to coincide with the new iPhone 4S (available October 14th), AppleCare+ extends your iPhone’s warranty coverage to 2 years, but also adds coverage for accidental damage. The price is $99, and replaces the currently available coverage of $69.

With AppleCare+, Apple will cover up to two repairs relating to “handling errors.” Whether this also covers an accidental drop into a swimming pool is unclear, but if you break the screen, Apple will repair or replace your phone for the low, low price of $49 per incident. Definitely cheaper than $150-200 charged by some websites, and you no longer have to buy a new phone due to an “oops!” moment.

There are only two downsides to this: First, it only covers iPhones. Second, Apple’s site says “AppleCare+ must be purchased together with new covered equipment,” which means you can’t add it to an iPhone 4 that you already own. Still, a lot of people will be lining up to upgrade to the new iPhone 4S, and it’ll be nice to have the peace of mind that if they drop it on their way out of the store, they are covered.

__”We love music, and we’re still making great iPods.”__ Today, Phil Schiller announced changes to both the iPod nano and the iPod touch.

*iPod nano*
iPod nano now has larger icons for easier navigation, while maintaining the same size, weight and capacities. Users swipe between icons rather than seeing a grid. For the fit-conscious, Nike+ features are built-in, eliminating the need for the dongle (though who doesn’t love that word?).

He also showed off 16 new clock faces, perfect if you have your eye on a “*cool nano-enabled watch band.*”:http://store.apple.com/us/product/H5111VC/A/HEX-Vision-Metal-Watchband-for-iPod-nano-6th-Gen (Side note: Now I have a birthday present for grandma, who loves Mickey Mouse!)

The prices have also come down:

* *8GB iPod nano: $129.99* (formerly $149.99)
* *16GB iPod nano: $149.99* (formerly $179.99)

In the same 7 colors: Graphite, Silver, Green, Blue, Red (Apple Product (RED) Only), Orange, Pink

*iPod touch*
iPod touch is now offered in White, taking a cue from the iPhone 4. (I love that White is now a “new” color, considering that iPods were __only__ offered in White when they were first introduced!)

The 8GB model saw a price break as well, finally dropping below the $200 mark (if just barely) at $199.99. All models–8GB, 32GB and 64GB will be able to run iOS 5 when it’s released, and new models will ship with it preinstalled.

* *8GB iPod touch: $199.99* (formerly $229.99)
* *32GB iPod touch: $299.99*
* *64GB iPod touch: $399.99*

iPod touch will be ideal for iOS 5 because with Wi-Fi, it utilizes so many features present in the iPhone and iPad. (iOS 5 details to follow…)

All new iPods will be available October 12th. As far as we can tell, iPod shuffle and iPod classic remain the same.

__”iCloud stores your music, photos, documents, and more and wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. Automatic, effortless, and seamless–it just works.”__

*Well, Apple, that’s what we’re waiting for! And come October 12, the wait’s over.*

What is iCloud? Here are some of the highlighted features:

*iTunes in the Cloud*
Automatically download new music purchases to all your devices over Wi-Fi (or 3G). No syncing necessary. Download anything you’ve already purchased in the iTunes Store to all your devices.

*Photo Stream*
iCloud pushes any photo from your iOS device or computer to the other–without syncing. Photos from your computer will automatically show up in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Same for the Aperture or iPhoto Library on your Mac or Pictures Library on your PC. With Photo Stream, you’ll have access to the last ~1,000 photos on your device stored on iCloud (not your computer or iOS device–unless you want it).

*Documents in the Cloud*
It keeps your documents up-to-date automatically–“so you don’t have to!” You’ll have access to your docs (and most recent updates) wherever you are on whatever device you’re using. By signing into “*icloud.com/iwork,*”:http://icloud.com/iwork you’ll be able to view and edit your iWork files–and even download in iWork, Word or PDF format.

*Apps, Books and Backup*
Your apps will be everywhere you are–no need to download any multiple times on each device or computer you have. Same with books. iCloud will push all apps and books (including any notes, highlighted text, etc.) automatically (sensing a theme here?). iCloud will back up your data daily over Wi-Fi so you can rest assured that all of your data is safe.

*Calendar, Mail, and Contacts*
iCal, Mail and Contacts will all also be pushed automatically, plus any bookmarks, notes or reminders that you’ve written to yourself will be included.

*Find My Friends and Find My iPhone (or iPad, iPod touch and Mac)*
Turn your device into a location device–by sharing data, you can pinpoint where your friends and family are, making events, ski trips and more convenient and worry-free. Same goes for your iOS device should you misplace it or it gets stolen. Piece of mind in the digital age!

More to come on iCloud, but look for it October 12. Visit “*apple.com/icloud*”:http://www.apple.com/icloud for more details and “*icloud.com*”:http://icloud.com on October 12th.