Apple Stores across Japan have today begun selling different configurations of the Fukubukuro, or "lucky bag", giving customers the chance to purchase a random assortment of products sold at a steep discount, reports Japanese blog Mac Otakara [Google Translate].
Apple's grab bags are sold as is, and returns are not accepted unless a product is found to be defective. Still, the bags have been quick sellers on previous occasions, with many people lining up the night before to get their hands on a bag.
As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to customers of Apple retail locations in Japan, though other countries, like China, may see the same traditional Apple Store sales during the new year.
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by Joe Rossignol
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
There can be a huge amount of legal and other problems, depending where you are.
One: Obviously the store won't accept returns if you don't like the contents, just like you can't return a lottery ticket that didn't win. Not accepting returns might be illegal in some country.
Two: Not telling you exactly what you get in a sale might be illegal in some country.
Three: In some country, this might be considered to be a lottery, and a store would need a license to run a lottery which might be hard to get, or a lottery might be illegal.
Four: Depending on the attitude of customers, people who got less than they expected might get angry and cause the store more trouble than this is worth. Obviously culture dependent.
Fifth: Depending on the attitude of customers, they might deeply distrust an offer like this and expect to be ripped off, so very few would buy and many would think that the store attempted to rip them off, which is not good for business. Obviously culture dependent.
----------
As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to Japanese customers, ...
I suppose it is not limited to Japanese customers, but to customers who go to an Apple Store in Japan, right? Japanese customers turning up in a store in New York won't get a "Lucky Bag", and I won't be refused one in Tokyo because I'm not Japanese?
Four: Depending on the attitude of customers, people who got less than they expected might get angry and cause the store more trouble than this is worth. Obviously culture dependent.
totally a waste of money. the chance of getting a mac air is probably 1 in 10 or 20.
why would anyone spend $345 on belkin case.
----------
are you kidding me? none of the bags are worth it unless you get mac air
Oh really? An iPad mini that costs $299 isn't worth $345 including a $100 bag and a $60 battery? iPad Air at $499 plus a $50 smart cover not worth $345? $149 iPod nano with another $200 worth of stuff not worth $345? Math not your strong suit?
The US got the 12 days of apps this year and look what happened. :rolleyes: The App Store is a total mess and most are whining because they think they're entitled to more than they're being offered.
We're not culturally stable enough in the US to have something like this. Everyone has $345 to blow, especially when it mean they're getting $1,000+ worth of stuff. Look at what happens on Black Friday.