iTunes

Apple has opened donations directly through iTunes to help with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The storm hit Texas as a category 4 cyclone, causing catastrophic flooding in Houston. The floods are expected to get worse as rain totaling up to three feet is forecast to blanket the area through Wednesday. Those with an Apple ID can easily send donations to the American Red Cross using iTunes, the App Store or Apple's online store.

Apple Music subscribers have a new option to save $20.88 on their 12-month billing through iTunes. Apple has added an annual individual subscription to the streaming music service that can be selected for $99.00. This shaves a solid 17.4 percent off the monthly rate. Monthly subscriptions to Apple Music run $9.99, which totals $119.88 over an entire year.

The original documentary by Alexander Dunn "808: The Movie" has launched exclusively to Apple Music subscribers. The film is also available for pre-order on the iTunes Movie store at $16.99. iTunes users can download or rent the title starting on December 16th. One can also get the soundtrack for 808 from Apple Music or iTunes. The documentary is narrated by the Apple Music Beats 1 DJ Zane Lowe.

Apple has opened up a donation page via its storefronts on iTunes, the App Store and Apple.com. As the company has done in the past, 100% of donations made using its payment systems will go directly to the American Red Cross. The donations made via iTunes will help boost Hurricane Matthew relief efforts by the organization, which is helping those affected by the storm. Matthew smacked the Caribbean and several US states, leaving hundreds dead and millions without power.

Regularly backing up your iPhone to iCloud or iTunes is likely routine for most, but making an archived backup on iTunes probably isn't. The difference between the two is that an archived backup won't be overwritten by subsequent backups, which isn't the case with iCloud backups or automatic iTunes backups. Though usually not necessary, archiving a backup is essential if you plan to install an iOS public beta or if you think you might want to downgrade after installing a new iOS.