Carl Icahn knows what he wants, and he usually gets it. These days, what Carl Icahn wants is Apple to initiate a $150 billion buyback program of its stock. Although Tim Cook hasn't clearly expressed it, he's been reluctant to follow Icahn's request, which led him to file a precatory proposal.
A precatory proposal is a fancy term which, in clear English means a shareholder proposal for a stock buyback program to be voted on at Apple's next annual shareholder meeting...
Plex for iOS has been updated with an all new design taking cues from iOS 7. As expected, translucency, new buttons and icons are at the heart of this update, which doesn't really bring anything new in terms of features, besides a new player for music and videos and the ability to detect URLs on the clipboard for quick queuing to myPlex.
This update also brings the usual performance and stability improvements that are to be expected.
The app is a free upgrade for existing users. For everybody else, it is available in the App Store for $4.99.
During its October iPad event, Apple confirmed that its redesigned Mac Pro would be available in December, but it wouldn't get any more specific than that. The month has already started, so technically, we could see it any day now.
But according to German retailer Conrad Electronic, we still have about two weeks before we see the highly anticipated desktop. Conrad has begun taking pre-orders for the computer, and says it's officially launching on December 16...
Following a significant delay, the Internet giant Google finally released its free Wallet for iPhone app back in September 2013. But in bringing its troubled mobile payment service to Apple’s platform, Google left out some of the capabilities found in Wallet's Android counterpart, such as the ability to make in-store payments with the app (not surprising considering iPhones lack NFC). The company added a few new features via two recent updates and today the Wallet app has been refreshed with some new functionality.
For starters, you can now instantly sign on to Wallet if you use other iOS apps from Google. Google previously rolled out this rather useful feature to its popular iOS apps, allowing you to, say, just tap your Google Account already used in Chrome in order to log in to the Gmail iOS app.
Go past the fold for additional details...
As is its wont, Apple is once more giving away a bunch of Christmas-themed songs to make your holidays merrier.
Akin to its 2009 promotion of the then-new iTunes LP format which gave U.S.-based users a free downloadable selection of 20 holiday songs from a variety of popular artists, this time around Apple is giving away individual holiday favorites through a special link in its Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad.
A total of eight songs are available for download, including performances by such acts as Mary J Blige, The Robertsons and Kool and the Gang. Jump past the fold for the instructions on claiming your free music...
Games Workshop is adamant to take over Apple's iOS platform by storm. Its Warhammer Quest for the iPhone and iPad was released earlier this year to generally positive reviews (read Lory's take).
But more Warhammer-branded games are scheduled for release on iOS devices in the upcoming months.
Back in August, they announced Warhammer 40,000: Space Wolf, a new title coming to the App Store in 2014. And now, another upcoming Warhammer iOS game has been announced, called Warhammer 40,000: Storm of Vengeance.
Both Storm of Vengeance and Space Wolf are due in 2014 and feature a selection of characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Space Wolf, developed by Hero Craft, is a free-to-play, turn-based tactical combat game.
As for Storm of Vengeance, it's being developed by Eutechnyx of the Ninja Cats vs Samurai Dogs fame and tells the story of “a pivotal moment in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, during the legendary planetary conflict on Piscina IV,” according to a recent press release.
More on both titles after the break...
As Apple continues work on implementing the iOS 7 iBeacon technology inside its own retail outlets, third-parties are taking notice.
Case in point: the shopping app Shopkick, which has recently teamed up with Macy’s to deliver the first major retail system based on Apple's new iBeacon trigger technology.
If you're not familiar with it, iBeacon is an indoor positioning system based on Low Energy Bluetooth (BLE), also known as Bluetooth 4.0 or Bluetooth Smart. It taps tiny, pervasive transmitters which can send push notifications to iOS or Android devices within close proximity.
These notifications can deliver marketing messages like discounts and some have speculated that iBeacon could even power a new kind of point of sale wireless payment solutions that won't require NFC.
And now, one company has taken iBeacon presence notification one step further by imaginatively using Apple's technology to give bar patrons free access to Newsstand magazines and help sell subscriptions...
Three, one of UK's top wireless companies, yesterday began turning on its new fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network in select locations. The carrier claims to run the UK’s fastest-growing 3G network which covers more than 97 percent of the country's population.
In addition to Three's first LTE sightings in the UK, the company is also extending its Feel At Home roaming service to the United States, starting today. The U.S. joins other countries where Feel At Home has been available, including Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Italy, the Republic of Ireland and Sweden.
The service allows Three's UK-based Feel At Home customers to use their voice minutes, text messages and cellular data for no charge while traveling outside the UK and roaming the aforementioned countries...
As shocking as it is to folks who live in the United States, in most places around the world smartphones are actually sold contract-free. This is especially true for Europe and certain parts of Asia, where people typically buy even the highest-end devices full price and separate of wireless contracts. It is also true, however, that off-contract unlocked iPhones usually command the lowest prices in the U.S.
Elsewhere, an unsubsidized iPhone can set you back a fortune due to local regulations dealing with import taxes, fees and other factors affecting cost of doing business locally. Here's an interesting chart depicting iPhone prices around the world, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)...
If you've perused the wall of iPhone accessories at your local Apple Store, you know that cases aren't just for protecting the handset anymore. Some of them have built-in batteries or flashlights, and some even feature built-in knives.
The case we're talking about today is also multi-functional. It's called the Apple Worm, and in addition to protecting your iPhone, it features a built-in Lightning cable that will allow you to charge the device and doubles as a stand...
Google is reportedly preparing a beta release of a toolkit that will help developers create native Chrome apps for iOS and Android. The move is said to be a part of a bigger initiative to bring based Chrome packaged desktop apps to mobile platforms.
The news comes from a recently discovered GitHub repository called Mobile Chrome Apps, which was created by Google software developer Michal Mocny. A search on Google Groups confirms the project, which is slated to enter beta in Jan. 2014...
Apple caused quite a bit of commotion this September when it unveiled two new custom cases for its two new iPhone models. The 5s case is boring for the most part, made of leather, but the 5c case and its crocs-like design drew a number of oohs and aahs.
In our review, we praised the case for its construction, but questioned the placement of the rear holes as they let part of the 'iPhone' label show through. Well interestingly enough, a new report claims Apple was working on a crocs-like case for the 5s as well...