Technologies

Best Buy Expands Apple Upgrade Program to Include iMac and Mac Studio Desktops

The «Upgrade Plus» program, which Best Buy launched for MacBook laptops in October, helps people finance Apple computers over 36 months and then upgrade.

Best Buy on Tuesday expanded its Apple computer upgrade program less than two months after its launch, helping people finance an iMac or Mac Studio desktop, in addition to its existing MacBook laptop offer from October. In each case, customers can finance an Apple computer over 36 months, with options to buy it outright at the end of the three-year cycle or turn it in for a newer model.

The move, which offers financing options through Citizens Financial, is among the first of its kind to bring smartphone-like payment and upgrade programs to the computer market. Best Buy’s program starts at $20 per month for a $999 MacBook, with $280.35 remaining to pay on the device, if customers are approved for a 0% interest rate after a credit check. If they trade it in for another MacBook, payments merely continue and Best Buy «will make the final payment on behalf of the customer.» Best Buy will also cover the final payment if a customer turns in the laptop instead of upgrading or paying the final price.

«We’re excited about the amount of customer interest we’ve seen in the Upgrade Plus program over the past couple months,» Jason Bonfig, Best Buy’s chief merchandising officer, said in a statement. «It’s been great to partner with Apple to now bring this program to iMac, especially during a time when customers are looking for value more than ever.»

Read more: Best MacBook for 2022

Best Buy’s move to expand its Upgrade program comes as monthly financing and subscription schemes have become increasingly popular across the tech industry. Apple, for example, doesn’t offer a similar upgrade program for its computers, but it does for iPhones. Other companies, including software giant Microsoft, have increasingly turned to financing and subscriptions as well to lure in new customers with low upfront costs for its Xbox video game consoles.

Environmental advocates believe these subscriptions may have another benefit as well. Companies and retailers are effectively incentivizing people to turn in devices when they’re ready to upgrade, which may help create «closed loop» recycling, in which older machines are kept out of landfills. Instead, they can be torn down for parts or refurbished and reused by someone else.

Best Buy said it plans to similarly find a «second life» for working devices turned in through its program.

The company’s fine print notes that the program does not include configure-to-order models, nor open-box, pre-owned or refurbished items. Citizens Financial will also charge between 0% and 29.99% interest annually, depending on a customer’s credit worthiness.

Technologies

The Most Exciting Video Game Rumors and Leaks Ahead of 2026

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Dec. 17

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Dec. 17.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Nod (off)
Answer: DOZE

5A clue: Naval submarine in W.W. II
Answer: UBOAT

7A clue: Tricky thing to do on a busy highway
Answer: MERGE

8A clue: Heat-resistant glassware for cooking
Answer: PYREX

9A clue: Put into groups
Answer: SORT

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Break up with
Answer: DUMP

2D clue: Falls in line, so to speak
Answer: OBEYS

3D clue: Legendary vigilante who cuts a «Z» with his sword
Answer: ZORRO

4D clue: Rarin’ to go
Answer: EAGER

6D clue: Common reminder for an upcoming appointment
Answer: TEXT

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

You Can Watch an Exclusive Avatar: Fire and Ash Scene on TikTok Right Now

Disney and TikTok partner on an immersive content hub for James Cameron’s latest movie about the alien Na’vi.

If you’re not quite ready to head to the theater to watch Avatar: Fire and Ash, an exclusive scene preview might sell you on the visual spectacle. As part of a new collaboration with the social media giant, Disney is posting snippets of its new movie to its TikTok account.

This scene isn’t part of any trailer and won’t be posted to other social media accounts, making TikTok the only place you can view it — unless you buy a movie ticket. A first look at the new movie’s scenes isn’t the only Avatar-related bonus on the social media platform right now, either. TikTok has partnered with the house of mouse to bring an entire «immersive content hub» to the app.

A special section of TikTok includes quizzes and educational videos that explore the alien world of Pandora shown off in the movies. On TikTok, you can take a personality quiz to find out what Na’vi clan you most closely align with and unlock a special profile picture border to use on your account.

Science and fiction blend together with a series of videos from real doctors who explain the basis for some of Avatar’s world-building. If you want to learn about exoplanets or how realistic the anatomy of the movie’s alien animals is, these videos will feed your brain while still providing entertainment value.

Perhaps the most enticing part of Disney’s latest social media collaboration is the opportunity for fans to win prizes and trips. TikTok creators who make edits with the #TikTokAvatarContest hashtag are entered into a competition to win Avatar merchandise. The biggest winners will be able to take a trip to visual effects studio Wētā Workshop in New Zealand or visit Avatar director James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment Studio in Los Angeles.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is the third installment in director Cameron’s cinematic passion project. While the first Avatar movie was released in 2009, Cameron didn’t release another entry in the franchise until 2022. In total, there is a five-movie arc planned for the indigo alien Na’vi on the moon of Pandora.

The Avatar movies are known for pushing the boundaries of CGI visual effects in cinema. They are also historically big winners at the box office: the original Avatar is the highest-grossing film of all time, earning $2.9 billion across its theatrical releases. Its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, is the third-highest-grossing film of all time, trailing Avengers: Endgame. You can stream those movies on Disney Plus.

It remains to be seen whether Avatar: Fire and Ash will financially live up to its predecessors. The film currently has mixed reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.