Year: 2012

Apple opening retail outlets in Chengdu and Shenzhen where iPads are made

Reuters reports that Apple is planning to open two new stores in Chinese cities Chengdu and Shenzhen, regardless of its ongoing legal spat with China's bankrupt display maker Proview over the rights to use the iPad moniker in the 1.33 billion people market.

Chengdu and Shenzhen are also homes to the world's largest manufacturing sites. It's also where contract manufacturer Foxconn runs production facilities where iOS devices are being made...

Angry Birds Space hits 100 million downloads in 76 days

Wow, just wow. Angry Birds maker Rovio just announced in a tweet that Angry Birds Space, the latest installment in the popular series, has hit the hundred million downloads mark across all platforms.

If that didn't give you a pause, remember that just a little over a month ago the game topped 50 million downloads in the first 35 days since its launch (ten million downloads in the first three days)...

Rumor: next iPhone may feature an HD FaceTime camera

AppleInsider points to a new research note today from KGI's Mingchi Kuo, an analyst it says is "known for having sources deep within Apple's supply chain." The note claims that Apple's next smartphone could feature a new HD-capable front-facing camera.

The high resolution shooter, which would be a significant upgrade from the current VGA sensor used in the iPhone 4S, would allow users to make higher-quality FaceTime calls, and, according to Kuo, will be repositioned to the center of the handset...

Why Apple would want to make the iPhone’s screen bigger

According to recent rumors, reports and speculation, Apple's next-generation smartphone will finally receive a bump in screen size. It seems like everyone is convinced that the next iPhone, expected to drop later this year, will be sporting an all-new 4-inch display.

But while we've heard a number of theories regarding how Apple could go about implementing such a change, we've yet to hear any explanations for why it would want to. Why would it all of a sudden want to change the iPhone's display size after 5 years?

Apple starts raising WWDC banners at Moscone

You've heard all of the rumors and speculation, but just in case you needed more proof that Apple's highly anticipated WWDC event was on the horizon, here you go. As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has started hanging WWDC banners at the Moscone Center.

Apple used its World Wide Developers Conference to unveil iOS 5 last year, but it has also been known to use the opportunity to show off new hardware. So what can we expect from this year's event? Keep reading...

iPad maintains its US tablet market dominance as Kindle Fire continues to fall

TUAW points to a newly-published ChangeWave survey today regarding the wish lists of potential tablet buyers. And surprise, surprise, the iPad is still miles ahead of the competition in terms of consumer demand.

According to ChangeWave's data, collected from a poll of almost 3,000 American consumers, a staggering 73% of people who plan to buy a tablet in the next 90 days will be getting an iPad...

Don’t hold your breath for Files.app in iOS 6, here’s why

Geeks have been holding their breath for direct file system access in iOS ever since the original iPhone's debut five years ago.

Unless you jailbreak, your ability to get down and dirty with the file system is limited by Apple's vision that basically boils down to Jobs' mantra that the app is the only file system you'll ever need.

It would be unwise to bet on Apple progressively breaking away from this kind of philosophy with the introduction of iOS 6 come next Monday, no matter how strongly you may feel about the rumored Files.app.

Here's why. And before you jump straight to the comments, bear in mind that this is just one writer's opinion...

Why Apple could sell more than 50 million iPhones this holiday season

In a research note today, Canaccord Genuity analyst Mike Walkley told investors that if rumors of a sixth-generation iPhone redesign materialize, Apple could sell more than 50 million handsets this holiday season.

The number itself isn't overly significant — Apple sold 37 million iPhones last holiday quarter, more than double the 16 million it did the previous year — but the factors that could make it possible are...

Apple rolls out 5.0.2 update for Apple TV

It looks like Apple has just pushed out an update for its Apple TV, bringing the software to version 5.0.2. No details have been posted yet about the new build, numbered 9B830, but we expect Apple's site to be updated shortly.

Owners of second and third generation Apple TVs can download the update over the air by opening up the device's Settings menu and selecting General > Software Update. Full changelog, once Apple posts it, after the break...

MountainLionCenter now available on Cydia

[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZZ8tS2cfIk[/tube]

MountainLionCenter — the jailbreak tweak that adds an OS X Mountain Lion inspired Notification Center panel to your iPad, was just released on Cydia's BigBoss repo as a free download.

As noted yesterday, this is a feature that's been long overdue; in my opinion, it makes Notification Center a lot less intrusive feeling on the iPad. Couple it with IntelliScreen X, and it's even better.

It should be noted, that despite my ability to get it working on my iPhone, the tweak has been released as iPad only, at least for the time being. Be sure to check out our full walkthrough of MountainLionCenter, and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

Apple granted patent for magical television remote

An interesting patent grant surfaced in the United States Patent and Trademark Office's database this morning. Building upon a number of previously patented inventions, this latest filing describes an enhanced remote control that could include a touch-sensitive surface to control one or more on-screen objects...

We are giving away $1,400 worth of iPhone and iPad accessories

Summer isn't going to to be here for another couple of weeks but the the folks at ZAGG and iDB have decided to kick off the season early with an awesome giveaway that you won't forget anytime soon.

Our good friends at ZAGG have been generous enough to offer iDB readers $1,400 worth of iPhone and iPad accessories, so we have decided to put up a simple contest to give those accessories away...