iPhone News

Plastics design engineers required for ‘new Apple product developments’

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

Talk about timely news. Just as I ran a story about a patent Apple was granted yesterday which describes what looks to be the rumored less-pricey iPhone that could be made from "transparent materials such as clear plastic", news broke that the Cupertino, California gadget designer posted a new job listing for Manufacturing Design Engineer with a focus in Advanced Plastic Tooling and Process.

Now, Apple's been moving away from plastic towards aluminum for pretty much all of its products in years past. Why on Earth would then Apple be looking to expand and improve its current plastics division unless, of course, it's in fact working on a less expensive iPhone for emerging markets, made with a cheaper plastic case to keep costs down?

US authorities can access your iCloud data without a warrant

Cody Lee ∙ January 30, 2013

Cloud computing has really taken off in recent years as a cheap, flexible way for folks to store their documents and data. Apple's iCloud service, for example, has garnered more than 250 million users in just a little over a year.

But while we're all busy uploading our lives to the cloud, it's worth mentioning that it's not totally secure from prying eyes. A recently renewed Surveillance Act gives US authorities permission to access your data without a warrant...

Budget iPhone patent?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

Well, lookie what we have here... The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) yesterday published an Apple patent which at first blush appears to outline a device seemingly resembling what the rumored elusive budget iPhone is supposed to be.

An aspect that particularly piqued our interest: unlike Apple's iOS devices, this one has no home button on its face. There's also a rear-facing camera - interestingly, it has no cam out the front for making video calls - and the entire thing is encased in a "clear plastic body"..

Apple wins trademarks for Apple Store design and layout

Cody Lee ∙ January 30, 2013

Apple Stores provide an unmistakable, unique shopping environment. The company has spent years perfecting the look and feel of its retail shops, with their large glass windows, clutter-free product tables and walls of accessories.

And it looks like Apple will now be able to protect all of that hard work with a few newly acquired trademarks. This past week, the US Patent and Trademark office granted the company trademarks on its retail design and layout...

Adoption rate: iOS (60%) vs Android Jelly Bean (10%)

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

I just stumbled upon a nice post by Doug Hamlin highlighting how Android fragmentation seriously derails Google's ability to deploy the latest and greatest version of its mobile operating system to as many devices as possible, especially compared to Apple's iOS software. At the time of this writing, and based on Google's own numbers, Jelly Bean (both Android version 4.1 and 4.2) powers a total of 10.2 percent of devices in the wild. By contrast, 300 million Apple devices (out of 500 million) upgraded to iOS 6 and above in just five months...

Apple updates Remote app with improvements for search, stability and more

Cody Lee ∙ January 30, 2013

Is it just me, or did last November's update to the Remote application, which came alongside iTunes 11, significantly affect stability? I use the app on a daily basis to control my Apple TV, and it seems like I'm constantly having to restart it.

Well hopefully that changes today, as Apple has just pushed out an update for Remote, bringing it to version 3.0.1. The app's change log says that it includes a number of improvements, including search results, song rating and stability...

Despite better demand, retailers must order iPad 4 before they can sell iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

Apple's $329 7.9-inch iPad mini is on fire: according to a new report out of Asia, the mini Apple tablet is outselling its bigger brother, the iPad 4, by up to four to one for off-contract sales through the retail chain. Looking only at subsidized carrier sales, the iPad mini is outselling iPad 4 by up to three to one. But despite booming sales of Apple's inexpensive tablets, retailers are cunningly required to first order iPad 4 before they can place orders directly for the iPad mini...

RIM rebrands, announces the first two BB10 devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

RIM's long-awaited BlackBerry 10 event just finished up, and the company had quite a lot to talk about. On top of announcing that it's rebranded itself to BlackBerry (no more Research in Motion), it unveiled its first two BB10 handsets.

I won't get into the dramatics here. Everyone knows what's on the line for the struggling smartphone-maker. And it has essentially bet its entire future on this new mobile OS and these new devices. So without further ado, let's take a look...

‘Apple TV 3,2’ is just a minor internal upgrade

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

Don't get too excited about that unreleased Apple TV device which popped up in Monday’s iOS 6.1 release - Apple confirmed it's just a minor internal upgrade that won'y affect product features at all. That much was expected: after all, the very 'AppleTV 3,2' designation indicates a minor refresh (current-gen 1080p Apple TV is being referenced as 'AppleTV 3,1'). We kinda hoped that the new Apple TV would run third-party apps or become a full-blown television set, but Apple says 'no'...

Ballmer dashes Office for iPad hopes (for now)

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2013

Following up on yesterday's release of cloud-based Office 365 for Macs and Windows PCs, Microsoft's energetic CEO Steve Ballmer sat down with Ashlee Vance of Bloomberg Businessweek to talk biz, competition and discuss what's next for the productivity suite. Office 365, basically a subscription-based offering, shouldn't be confused with the just released Office 2013 suite.

Despite several credible leaks proving that Microsoft is working on Office for iPad, Ballmer isn't afraid of an Office-less iPad. Little wonder, considering the Windows maker is keeping a tablet version of Office exclusive to Windows 8 tablets as a crucial advantage over other tablets...

Siri Eyes Free coming to Honda’s 2013 Accord and Acura cars

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

Car maker Honda announced Wednesday that some of its 2013 vehicles will feature integration with Apple's Eyes Free, a voice-activated system that lets compatible Siri-enabled iOS devices running iOS 6 to interact with the driver. Honda joins a host of other car makers who announced support for Siri's Eyes Free mode or are already supporting the feature in high-end vehicles.

Apple at WWDC 2012 announced Eyes Free and said a number of car makers will be supporting it, including GM, Audi, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Land Rover, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, GM and Chrysler. Eyes Free allows drivers to interact with their iDevices using voice and bypassing touch input, thus increasing safety...

Judge rules that Samsung did not ‘willfully’ infringe on Apple’s patents

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2013

Last August, a California jury found Samsung guilty of infringing on several Apple patents in a high-profile trial. The initial damages awarded to Apple totaled $1.05 billion, but since Samsung was found to have 'willfully' infringed, that amount was expected to multiply.

Not so fast. The two companies have been attending post-trial hearings with Judge Lucy Koh over the past few months to plead their cases for appeals and other motions. And tonight, Judge Koh has issued a ruling overturning the jury's willful infringement finding...