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.
Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28.
The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by Juli Clover
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak.
As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station.
According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by Juli Clover
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code.
In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. iOS 26.2 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation iPhone SE.
The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon.
Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week.
iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1.
Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings.
macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21.
There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
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.
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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.
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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.
