Year: 2016

The lengths Apple goes to in order to keep trademark filings undetected for six months

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

There have been at least 343 instances in which Apple took advantage of section 44(d) of the US Trademark Act to keep its trademark filings confidential for a period of six months, Quartz reported Monday in an interesting write-up titled “Why Jamaica knows about Apple’s new products before the rest of the world”.

The article explains that Apple files trademark applications in places where these databases are not searchable online, via shell companies to conceal its identity and six months before applying for the same trademark in the U.S.

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iPhone display units are preloaded with a software kill switch to discourage theft

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 21, 2016

Apple's long preloaded special OS images on display devices in stores. When news broke that it's started removing security tethers from iPhone display units at flagship stores to let users try how the iPhone fits in their pocket, I thought the move would encourage thieves to lift untethered devices.

That could prove easier said than done due to a software kill switch that automatically disables the device if a customer goes out of range of the store Wi-Fi.

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KGI: Apple could add 5-7 million iPhone sales due to Note 7 discontinuation

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

Global Note 7 recall and discontinuation could prove to be a blessing to Apple, helping the Cupertino firm boost iPhone sales by five to seven million units, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a note to clients this morning, a copy of which was obtained by MacRumors, the analyst speculates that Apple and Chinese Android manufacturer Huawei could be the primary beneficiaries of the Note 7 discontinuation, with Apple potentially seeing an influx of orders for the iPhone 7 Plus due to its dual-camera system.

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Tim Cook says Apple wants to use AI to boost iPhone battery life

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016
iPhone 7 battery

Apple's boss Tim Cook traveled around Japan on a bullet train last week as part of his whirlwind tour of the country, his first visit since becoming CEO.

Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review, Cook expressed hope that Apple Pay will help realize a cashless society and hinted that the company's new research and development center in Yokohama, near Tokyo, would be “very different” from its Chinese R&D center as it would explore “deep engineering”.

He then said that Apple wants to use artificial intelligence to turbo charge the iPhone battery life.

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Bloomberg: Apple gives up building a car, for now

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2016

Project Titan, Apple's ambitious initiative to build an electric vehicle by 2020-2021 reportedly fell apart amid management crisis, supply chain issues and departures, prompting the company's leadership to shift gears and focus on autonomous self-driving software, for now.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported Monday that Apple will decide fate of self-driving software by late 2017 as the new direction no longer includes building its own car.

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How to receive a notification when your friends are leaving or arriving at a set location

Steffen Reich ∙ October 17, 2016

Apple’s Find My Friends app has been much maligned over the years and for many served as a great example that Apple does bloatware just as well as the competition. With the arrival of iOS 10 and the ability to delete the stock apps some users might find pesky, Find My Friends certainly must be a contender for the title of most frequently trashed app on the Home screen.

This comes in spite of the fact that, over time, Find My Friends has actually inherited some redeemable qualities: next to a useful widget, one feature in particular has enjoyed little to no exposure, even though there are compelling real life use cases for it.

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I challenge you to try this iOS puzzle game

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 17, 2016

I recently downloaded a puzzle game called Blackbox on my iPhone because I was bored one night, and I never thought I would get so enthralled in a mobile game.

This is probably one of the more unique games you’re ever going to play because it’s not like most of the games you play on your iOS devices. In fact, it’s not even close. 

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CallKit issues reportedly force Apple to put some call-directory extensions reviews and approvals on hold

Andrew O'Hara ∙ October 16, 2016

If you've tried any of the call blockers, or spam identifiers in iOS 10, you've surely been disappointed. I've tested out a number of them and they really haven't seemed to do anything at all. Most of the time not blocking, or even identifying calls. It appears we may now know why.

It looks to be an underlying issue with CallKit, Apple's new framework that powers these types of apps.

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Doctor Strange wallpapers for iPhone

Jim Gresham ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The Wallpapers of the Week section is an ongoing list of curated images for iOS devices. Each collection is sourced from around the Internet, submitted by a reader, or linked to a topical pop culture reference. Today's section includes a reader submitted image as well as other great captures from around the net.

Another collection in the Marvel movie series, Doctor Strange is releasing this upcoming November 4, in what will most likely prove to be another hit movie in the comic book inspired realm. Step inside to grab your wallpapers before the action hits theaters.

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