pricedrop
Latest
Apple temporarily cuts USB-C dongle prices to appease MacBook Pro buyers
Last week Apple announced its new lineup of MacBook Pros and revealed they include only new USB-C-style connectors, dropping all legacy ports (other than, oddly enough, the headphone jack.) While the aggressive move means owners can charge their laptop through any of the jacks, and have the new capabilities offered, it also means that simple things like plugging in an iPhone to charge will require an adapter of some kind, which is not included. As my former podcast partner Ben Drawbaugh noted, stocking up on dongles to go with your new laptop gets pricey fast, and Mac buyers have responded angrily online in our comment sections and elsewhere, However, now Apple says it will help them make the switch by "reducing prices on all USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 peripherals we sell, as well as the prices on Apple's USB-C adapters and cables."
The OnePlus 2 now costs $349
If you need a high-end phone but have budget issues, OnePlus has permanently lowered the price of its OnePlus 2 smartphone from $389 to $349 (€345 and £249 in Europe and the UK). That makes it just $100 more than its entry-level OnePlus X phone, and could push it from "kinda expensive" to "okay, I can handle that" for a lot of folks. To prevent any bent noses, the company said it would refund the $40 difference to anyone who purchased the OnePlus 2 within the last 15 days. It'll also throw in a free StyleSwap cover for a limited time.
Uber's price cuts arrive for New York City passengers
Uber announced price cuts to encourage riders to use the service during the winter months a few weeks ago. Today, the price drop is hitting New York City. Passengers in the Big Apple can expect fares to drop by about 15 percent. For example, getting from Bay Ridge to Sunset park used to cost $10.54 with UberX, and now it'll set you back $8.96. The minimum fare is also reduced from $8 to $7 and other Uber options, like the SUVs on UberXL, are seeing a price drop as well.
Lyft is dropping prices to get you out of the house
It's so cold outside. Well maybe not right now (thanks climate change), but the colder weather does tend to keep us indoors and out of ride-hailing services. To lure us out of our warm abodes, Lyft is cutting prices on rides in 33 cities. Some of the cities with reduced fares include Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC. Sorry New York and Chicago, you're still on the hook for full price.
PlayStation 4 drops to €350 across Europe and £300 in the UK
With Uncharted 4 slipping into 2016, Sony's PlayStation 4 doesn't have much in the way of exclusives this fall. But in its ongoing battle with Microsoft and the Xbox One, the company does have a fallback to stay competitive: price-cuts. After dropping the system to $350 in the US, Sony is now doing the same for the rest of the world. Starting today, the 500GB model will cost $349.99 across Europe and £299.99 in the UK. Furthermore, the console is dropping to $479.95 in Australia, $569.95 in New Zealand and AED1399 in the United Arab Emirates. Sony doesn't have Halo 5 or Rise of the Tomb Raider (at least, not yet) but the PlayStation 4 does have a broad, extensive library including Bloodborne, Until Dawn and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. If you've been waiting to jump to "next-gen," or already own an Xbox One, there's really been no better time to pick up a PS4.
PlayStation 4 drops to $350 in the US
Sony is cutting the base price of its PlayStation 4 from $399.99 to $349.99 including a game. The drop has been heavily rumored following a similar cut in Japan last month. The new prices come into force tomorrow with the release of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, as you'll be able to pick up a PS4 bundled with the game. Following that, the next scheduled $349.99 bundle drops in mid-November with Star Wars Battlefront. The cut also applies in Canada with prices starting from CAD429.99, as the chart below illustrates.
PlayStation 4 is getting a price cut in Japan
If you were holding off on a price drop before buying a PlayStation 4, I hope you're living in Japan. Sony just announced that its latest home console is getting a price cut to 35,000 yen (around $300) in the region, starting October 1st. You might be asking how this affects everyone else. Well, for starters this is a Sony sanctioned price cut and this is the first official one for the PS4. With the upcoming Paris Games Week (that Sony's pledged to be at in a big way) this could very well signal a price drop in Europe. And then we have the upcoming PlayStation Experience show in the United States later this year, which could see the asking price drop domestically too.
iPhone 5s and 5c get a £100 price drop
Not really interested in Apple's new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus? How about a smaller iPhone with an even smaller price tag? That's exactly what's on the table after Apple cut the price of an unlocked iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c by £100 each following yesterday's event. That means can now pick up a 16GB or 32GB iPhone 5s for £459 or £499 respectively, while the price of the more colourful iPhone 5c (8GB) has dropped to £319. Although the Apple Watch won't be available until the new year, the company has said iPhones from the 5c up will support the new wearable, meaning you won't miss out if you decide later that you want a smaller screen on your wrist.
Apple drops iPhone 5s price to $99 and the 5c to 'free' on contract
We're at Apple's big iPhone 6 shindig, and as you might expect, Apple's new 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch handsets have rendered its previous handsets a little more... moot. But hey, that means it's discount time! As with previous phone launches, Apple has lowered the starting price of the current 16GB iPhone 5s from $199 to $99 on contract, while the bottom-rung 8GB 5c runs a cool "zero." Both devices will also ship with iOS 8 starting September 17th. Check out our liveblog of Apple's iPhone event to get the latest news as it happens!
This new, low-end AMD graphics card's meant for budget-conscious PC gamers, and maybe Steam Machines, too
Not every gamer has the desire means to get the latest and greatest graphics hardware. Fret not budget-minded PC aficionados, for AMD's rolling out a new, more powerful low-end GPU that should suit your financial constraints. Called the Radeon R7 265, it brings twice the memory bandwidth of its predecessor, the R7 260x, which AMD claims translates into a 25 percent performance boost. It'll cost $149 when it goes on sale in late February, and with its debut, AMD's also dropping the cost of the aforementioned 260x to a scant $119. Naturally, those meager price points will appeal to cost conscious consumers, but AMD's announcement could have an effect on Steam Machine OEMs, too. We saw AMD's higher-end R9 graphics in several of the Steam Machines at CES, and we've been playing with a working iBuyPower prototype packing an R7 260x for awhile now. So, it stands to reason that the 260x and 265 will prove awfully attractive options to manufacturers trying to hit the all-important sub-$500 price point needed to compete with other gaming consoles. And, who knows, maybe these new (relatively) inexpensive options will help drive down the prices of both more powerful cards and the GPUs being offered by AMD's competition.
Wii U sales jump in wake of price cut, increased by 200 percent in September
It looks like Nintendo's Wii U is finally getting the shot in the arm it needs: according to the latest numbers, the console's sales jumped 200 percent last month. The company points to the Wii U's August price drop and the introduction of a limited-edition Legend of Zelda bundle for the increased interest, the former of which parrots the company's success with cutting the 3DS' original price back in 2011. Nintendo optimistically says that the sales boost only measured the first 15 days of the new price, but NPD's numbers tell a different story, reporting that "sales were up over 100% on an average per-week basis from August 2013." Neither outfit defined the base number the contested multiplier is working from, however. At least one thing's for sure: the 3DS is still selling like hotcakes, outpacing all other hardware for the month of September -- not bad, considering that it was also the first month in almost three years that the PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360.
Nintendo dropping Wii U price by $50 on September 21st, ahead of PS4 and Xbox One launch
Well, the Wii U's time as the only "next-gen" console on the market is about to come to an end. Its brief reign was marred by software bugs, missing features and a questionable price. Now with the PS4 and Xbox One preparing to launch an all out assault on the gaming market, Nintendo is trying to make its console-plus-tablet platform a little more alluring by dropping the price. Starting on September 20th, the Wii U will cost $50 less, making the deluxe bundle with 32GB of storage a slightly easier to digest $300. (The basic bundle, should you be able to find it, will remain $299.) At $100 less than the PlayStation 4 and $200 less than the Xbox One, it's not a bad option for those with smaller gaming budgets -- especially if those people happen to have kids or like to host parties. Of course, its library of available games still leaves something to be desired and its hardware is nowhere near as capable as its competitors, so it's not exactly a clear winner. If you were considering buying a Wii U, clearly your best bet now is to wait until at least September 20th for the new price to go into effect. Update: A Wii U bundle that includes The Legend of Zelda: the Wind Waker HD , which we first reported last week, will also launch on September 20th for $300. That rig includes a black console, a GamePad with special branding, a download code for the digital version of Hyrule Historia, a book and a Nintendo eShop download code.
Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight gets another $20 price drop, undercuts competition
Looking for a new e-reader? Barnes & Noble is trying to get your attention. The bookseller has knocked a solid $20 off the price of its Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight reader, underselling its competitors by the same amount. This is actually the device's second major price reduction-- the first drop, late last year, matched its price to Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite. Although price cuts often lead up to a device refresh, earlier this year Barnes & Noble was rumored to be stepping back from new hardware launches. Either way, we won't scoff at a cheaper Nook, considering how versatile it can be with a little encouragement.
Surface RT prices slashed in UK and Australia, 32GB model down to £279 or $389
Following the significant price cut Microsoft's Surface RT received in the US recently, its cost has begun dropping in other regions, too. In the UK, Redmond's official online store is selling the 32GB model for £279 (down from £399) and the tablet with 64GB of storage for £359 (reduced from £479) -- adding £80 to those prices will get you the Touch Cover bundle. UK retailers John Lewis and PC World are offering the same discounts (although the latter is £0.99 more expensive across the board), and Microsoft's Australian store is knocking up to 180 Aussie dollars off the tablets and cover bundles. We imagine all countries the RT ships to will follow suit if they haven't already, so check your local MS store for confirmation. Meanwhile, it's hard to escape the feeling that RT as a whole has been overtaken by full-fledged Windows 8 machines. [Thanks, Erik]
Dell XPS 10 with Windows RT gets major price cut: base model now $300
We don't know for sure that Dell's been experiencing the weak demand for Windows RT Samsung's been so vocal about, but significant price cuts to its XPS 10 tablet hybrid suggest it hasn't exactly been flying off the shelves. Not only has the $500 tag for the tablet with 32GB of storage dropped to $300, but adding another 32GB now only costs $50 more, instead of $100. Savings have extended to the keyboard dock, too -- opting for the bundle used to increase the overall cost by $180, but now that peripheral is only a $50 extra. (Make sure to lead with the bundle though, as it's $100 if added from the tablet-only customization options). The cost of optional LTE hasn't changed, however, so that 4G radio still costs an additional $100. While we haven't reached fire sale territory just yet, the cuts are still a welcome discount for consumers. In the interest of preserving profit margins, perhaps Dell should ask Acer's president to consult next time it's cooking up new hardware.
PS Vita 3G price drops to $199 at certain Sony outlets
Just when we had gotten used to the idea that the PS Vita's price drop in Japan would not be followed by a similar one here, Joystiq reports many Sony stores are offering the 3G bundle at a discount. While not all the stores contacted had the lowered $199 price, most of the ones that were still open at this hour did. We're not seeing this price drop reflected in any other stores, and there's no official announcement of any change, which only contributes to the confusion. Different store employees gave different explanations for the change, including a few indicating the model would be discontinued. The online shop still shows both the WiFi and 3G models for $249, so for now all we know is that if you are interested in buying, it would serve you well to look around for the lower price.
PS Vita price cut: both 3G and WiFi models reduced to 19,980 yen (around $215) in Japan starting Feb. 28th
SCEJ President Hiroshi Kawano introduced a PS Vita info session earlier today. Detailing "everyone's PlayStation Vita," he announced a price drop for Japanese models right from the outset. Starting from February 28th, the price will drop down to 19,980 yen for both the 3G (previously 30,000 yen) and WiFi (once 25,000 yen) models. Yep, both will receive a substantial price-cut alongside a a 7-day free trial of PS Plus (including Uncharted, Ridge Racer and four more titles free during February), plus a free download campaign for its Torne TV service until the end of March. No word on whether the rest of the world will benefit from the same price reduction, but we've got in touch with Sony Computer Entertainment to check. Maybe we'll hear more on Wednesday. Update: And SCE aren't saying anything more about those price drops elsewhere -- you can wait two days, right?
Nintendo Wii console drops to $130 in two-game bundle
With both the holidays and the Wii U fast approaching, Nintendo has decided to drop the price of its older Wii console to $130 when sold with Wii Sports Resort and Wii Sports. The cheaper package should arrive in the States by October 28th and will ship in black (alongside black Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers), thereby replacing the current New Super Mario Bros. bundle that sells for around $150.
Target, Walmart list price drop for B&N's Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight to $119
Check those calendars. It's September 29th, which means, for those who follow the world of e-readers, that we're two days from Kindle Paperwhite day. According to Target and Walmart, it also means that Barnes & Noble's own illuminated e-reader, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, is getting a $20 price cut, down to $119. That price puts the reader on par with the entry-level Paperwhite (no 3G, with ads). Let the battle of the front lit e-readers commence! Update: Check out some official pricing update info from B&N after the break.
Sony's PlayStation Portable dropping by ¥3,000 to ¥13,800
Just because Sony's focus during the Tokyo Game Show is on its two newest consoles, the Vita and the PlayStation 3, doesn't mean the company's forgotten about the PlayStation Portable. During its press conference this evening, Sony dropped ¥3,000 (about $40) from the ¥16,800 (about $215) base price of the PSP in Japan, putting the console at ¥13,800 (about $176). It's unclear if any price drop will affect North American or European consumers, but we'll update as we find out more.
