Claimed iPad Pro manufacturing mold shown in leaked photo

A photograph of a manufacturing mold for the rear shell of an ‘iPad Pro’ was posted Thursday to China's Weibo microblogging service, indicating that Apple's ostensibly larger iPad model could be entering mass production pretty soon.

As first reported by MacRumors, it wasn't immediately clear whether the supposed mold is for an actual iPad Pro shell or for a dummy unit which was posted online back in May 2014.

Apple announces new records for the App Store, New Years day was its best day ever

Apple on Thursday announced that the first week of January set a new record for billings from the App Store, with customers around the world spending nearly half a billion dollars on apps and in-app purchases. It also revealed New Year’s Day 2015 marked the single biggest day ever in App Store sales history, as customers presumably used gift cards and took advantage of App Store sales.

iPod shuffle could be next on the chopping block

Marketing image showing a hand holding an iPod shuffle by its clip

The diminutive iPod shuffle, Apple's $49 clip-and-go music player, could get phased out in the near future as supplies of the device are dwindling across retail channels.

As noted by 9to5Mac, iPod shuffle shipping times on the Online Apple Store dropped to 7-10 days while Apple Retail Stores appear to have run out of stock around the country.

Contrast this to the iPod touch and nano, both of which continue to be available within 24 hours. Originally launched in January 2005 and having been through multiple iterations and form factor changes, the device hasn't been updated since September 2010 and therefore could easily be the next iPod model to fall victim of consumers' changing habits.

Apple rumored to be switching to OLED screens for future iPhones

Apple is teaming up with its contract manufacturer Foxconn on building OLED-based screens for future smartphones and wearables, GforGames reported Thursday citing a fresh report from Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, one of the leading newspapers in Japan.

Foxconn is said to be working with touch panel company InnoLux, also an Apple supplier, to put together an ecosystem which will allow the production of sixth-gen low temperature poly-silicon films, aimed at entering mass production in 2016.

Best apps for comic book fans

I’ve been a comic book collector for about 10 years. I have a closet filled with long boxes stuffed to the max with bagged-and-boarded titles that I’ve loved through the years. While nothing beats the feeling of thumbing through 44 pages of glossy print comic books, I also love to sit down with my iPad to read the digital version, especially for comics that are out of print or hard to find.

Today, we’ve got a list of the best apps for comic book lovers. I did not include any readers by the majors because those are obvious. This list digs a bit deeper into comic fandom with DRM-free readers, manga finders, games, comic creation apps, and more.

Apple to reportedly expand iOS beta testing to include retail employees

Breaking the long-held tradition of restricting iOS beta releases to developers and select Cupertino campus employees, Apple has plans to expand pre-release mobile software testing to select retail employees, according to a report today by Mark Gurman. The program is set to commence soon with a beta version of iOS and comes nearly half a year after Apple's introduction of public betas for OS X Yosemite, its desktop operating system.

Photo Organizer 8 adds power-user features to the stock Photos app

Let's face it; the stock Photos app in iOS 8 is severely lacking when it comes to power user features. Just to name one example, there's no way to select a range of photos. Instead, you have to tap on each photo that you wish to select one by one. That's really just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lack of power-user features in the stock Photos app. Fortunately for jailbreakers, Photo Organizer 8 solves many of the stock app's shortcomings.

Poll: how do you feel about Apple’s reportedly radical MacBook Air redesign?

A well-sourced report from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman has ignited a heated debate on social media about the practicability of a brand new twelve-inch MacBook Air model as it's said to ditch standard USB ports, the SD Card slot and even its Thunderbolt I/O and MagSafe power connector in favor of a single, fully reversible USB Type-C port.

Critics who call it a step back usability-wise, not forward, mention the original MacBook Air which released in January 2008 with just one USB port on it. On the other hand, they forget that USB Type-C does a lot more than standard USB. For starters, it can safely replace Thunderbolt for video and data I/O and MagSafe for charging.

That being said, there are still some fundamental questions like how am I supposed to connect an iPhone to the machine if the only USB port is used for charging? I'll ellaborate on the viability of a one-port MacBook Air further below, but first tell us, if you will, your initial reactions to the purported design of the forthcoming notebook.

Apple seeds new OS X 10.10.2 beta to developers

Apple has seeded a new beta of its upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 this afternoon. The update, labeled build 14C94b, is available through the Update tab in the Mac App Store and the Dev Center for all registered Mac developers.

Today’s release comes a few weeks after the previous OS X 10.10.2 beta, and Apple has once again asked developers to focus their testing efforts on Wi-Fi connectivity—a long-standing Yosemite issue—as well as Mail and VoiceOver.