UPDATED 11:10 EDT / NOVEMBER 20 2014

Apple early on Black Friday buzz with free shipping

In Apple Inc. news today, the iPhone maker changes the ‘Free’ button to ‘Get’ in the App Store, unveils Black Friday offerings, and reveals a new plan to regain relevance in the music industry.

Apple gift cards

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From Free to Get

 

If you have recently downloaded an app from Apple Inc.’s App Store in the last 24 hours, you may have noticed a little change – the ‘Free’ button has been replaced with a ‘Get’ button.

The change was implemented quietly and Apple has yet to release any information regarding the change, but it may have something to do with the pressure coming from the European Commission.

Earlier this year, Google agreed to stop labeling apps and games with in-app purchases as free. This follows a request from the European Union to change their labeling after receiving tons of complaints from angry parents who had to pay for purchases made by their kids who were not aware that clicking a button in an app costs real money.

Google implemented changes at the end of September by removing the word ‘free’ in its Top Apps and Top Games categories. When Google made the announcement of the impending changes, the EU was quite pleased with the search giant’s quick action but was not too happy about Apple’s slow compliance. The Cupertino giant did, however, release a statement explaining its efforts towards stricter app policies.

“[O]ver the last year we made sure any app which enables customers to make in-app purchases is clearly marked. We’ve also created a Kids Section on the App Store with even stronger protections to cover apps designed for children younger than 13,” Apple said in a statement at the time.

Finally, Apple has gotten with the program and relabeled its ‘Free’ button as ‘Get,’ whether it offers in-app purchases or not, and made sure that if an app offers in-app purchases it is clearly visible to people.

Holiday Gift Guide

 

Apple holiday gift guide promoApple has unveiled its holiday gift guide with the tagline “From one gift come many.” Black Friday is the perfect day for many to start shopping for holiday gifts, and Apple has unveiled its gift guide a week early to begin the buzz.

Apple offers free-two day shipping on all items in stock and orders placed by 5PM EST during the holiday season. It also offers consumers the convenience of paying for items online and getting it in just an hour in the Apple Store of their choosing, instead of waiting for the item to be shipped.

Apple products highlighted in the promotion are the iPad, iPhone, Mac and Apple TV, along with other accessories such as Beats by Dr. Dre headphones and speakers, Parrot Bebop Drone, Orbotix Ollie, Tangible Play Osmo, iTunes Store and Apple Store gift cards.

Beats Music in every iPhone

 

Beats headphonesAs iTunes downloads continue to decline, Apple has hatched a plan to regain relevance in the music industry. Bundling Beats Music, a music subscription service that came with Apple’s acquisition of Beats Electronics early this year, Apple iOS devices will soon have a new native app.

Beats Music directly competes with popular music streaming service Spotify Inc. By making Beats Music a native app, the service will be exposed to millions of iPhone users all over the world, as Apple hopes to keep users in its ecosystem instead of rival music services.


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