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TUAW Buyers Guide: Spend that $100 iPhone credit

Scott McNulty
Updated ·4 min read

You might recall that Apple issued $100 store credits to iPhone early adopters. While the deadline for getting your $100 store credit has passed, the credit itself never expires (sweet). Why not use that 'free' money to buy friends or family a lovely gift from the Apple store? We've compiled a few suggestions to get you started.

Please note that all of the product links in this post point to the online Apple store, since that is where you can use your credit. These items might be found cheaper elsewhere.



iKaraoke, Griffin, $49.95. I can't think of a holiday which wouldn't be enhanced by singing karaoke with your iPod. The iKaraoke, using holiday magic, gets rid of the vocals on any track in your iPod to let you be the star. Hook your iPod up to a stereo, gather the family around, and let the good times roll. The only downside is that there isn't an automated way to find the lyrics to the songs you're singing.

Nike Amp+ Remote Control, Nike, $79.95. This one is for the fitness nut, or aspiring fitness nut, in your life. This nifty watch is also a wireless controller for an iPod nano outfitted with the Nike + module (the one that tracks how far you've run and let's you upload that info to a website). It is pretty sleek, and gives you access to all the features of the Nike+ module: at the press of a button it will tell you how far you have gone, how many calories you've burned, and if you need a little inspiration your power song is only a button push away.



iPod shuffle, Apple, $79.95. Everyone loves iPods, right? The iPod shuffle makes the perfect stocking stuffer for everyone: for someone who already has an iPod it makes a nice backup, and it is a great introduction to the iPod neophyte in your life. The shuffle comes in 5 colors, and engraving is free (though don't try to engrave naughty words onto it. No one thinks that's funny).

Marware USB Travel Dock for 2nd Gen iPod Shuffle, Marware, $19.95. Buying this in addition to the second gen iPod shuffle listed above will put you slightly over $100 but it is totally worth it. The included iPod shuffle dock is fine, but the Marware dock eliminates the cord which, whether you're traveling or sitting at your cluttered desk, is one less cable to have to worry about in a life full of cables. This clever little dock plugs right into a USB port, and is just wide enough so it won't block access to the other USB ports. Bravo.




Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, Aspyr, $79.95. Are you adequately prepared to rock? If you don't have Guitar Hero 3 for the Mac, you sure as heck aren't! I know the kids like this game (and the young at heart) so you can't go wrong with this one. Who says the Mac isn't a good gaming platform? It has a good beat and I can dance to it!


iWork '08/Family Pack, Apple, $79/$99. Once you're done kickin' with Guitar Hero no doubt you'll want to make a graph to display how much fun you had. Enter iWork '08. Apple's most recent productivity suite isn't an Office killer but it makes creating newsletters, spreadsheets, and presentations a breeze. Lots of little enhancements, as well as the addition of Numbers, make this a must have. I know this might not seem like the world's best Christmas present, but it is sure to excite someone you know (and if you get the Family Pack you can cross 5 people off your list, as long as they all live in the same house!).




VIBE Duo Earphones/Headset, V-MODA, $99.95. The iPhone comes with a cool headphone/headset combo, a great idea. Sadly the headphones (as is the case with all iPods) aren't very good. There are plenty of high quality headphones you can use with your iPhone but most require some sort of 3rd party adapter if you also want to use them as a headset. The VIBE replaces all the functionality of the included headphones/headsets and offers up better performance to boot.

SE110 Sound-Isolating Earphones, Shure, $99.95. I'm an Etymotic man myself, but Shure makes fantastic earphones. The SE110 will make your music come alive like never before with the included iPod earbuds. You'll hear things in your music which weren't there with other earphones (which is both a good and bad thing. Good because the quality is great, bad because it might make you want to re-encode your entire music collection). Now, to some 100 bucks on earphones is crazy but just think about how often you use your iPod and you'll know this is a gift that will keep on giving.