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Apple’s 12 Days Of Gifts Begins Today

By December 26, 2013Apple

Apple continues its “12 Days of Gifts” tradition this year. Free downloads may vary by geographical location, according to Mashable. The site’s Stan Schroeder received the game Real Steel for the iPad free. Apple Insider and others reported receiving free digital downloads of four Justin Timberlake songs as today’s gifts (depending on who you are, this may be a gift, or a lump of coal). He performed the songs live at Apple’s 2013 iTunes Festival, which was held in London this year.

apple 12 days of gifts

Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts App

The free downloads can only be accessed through the 12 Days of Gifts app, which is available in iTunes in some of the company’s many markets. Many iTunes users have taken advantage of Apple’s free downloads over the years, although in the past, the 12 Days of Gifts app was only available in Canada and some major countries in Europe.

This year, however, U.S. customers have access to the app for the first time. A user review on the app states that the app requires iOS 7, however, one person comment on a MacRumors post about this story that Apple users still running iOS 6 can download the Justin Timberlake songs directly from iTunes free without accessing it through the app. It does look like two of his songs from the festival are available free directly through iTunes, although there are reported to be four available through the app and we weren’t able to verify if the two freebies on iTunes are the same as two of the four which are free through the app.

Apple’s tradition of giving away downloads

In the past, Apple has given away e-books, apps, music, movies and other digital content through the promotion. Earlier this month, Apple offered the single “No Better” by Lorde as part of a preview promotion for the 12 Days of Gifts app. The company called it a “gift to get you started.”

The program runs from today through Jan. 6, and a new free download is offered each day for just 24 hours. Some of the free content offered by Apple  isn’t available in all of the markets where the 12 Gifts app is available.