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Apple may have partnered with GlobalFoundries on iDevice chip production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

Milpitas, California-headquartered GlobalFoundries, one of the top semiconductor operations in the world, owns and runs cutting-edge multi-billion dollar production facilities all over the globe in places like Germany, Singapore and the United States.

Along with TSMC, GlobalFoundries gets frequently contracted to build various chips for such clients as AMD, Broadcom, Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics. And now, the company has apparently scored a major win, Apple, if a new report is anything to go by.

According to an unnamed source "close to the company" who spoke to the Times Union newspaper, GlobalFoundries may soon start building processors for iPhones, iPads and iPods at its new $6 billion Fab 8 facility in Malta, New York, just north of Albany...

How to add burst mode to the stock camera app in iOS 6

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

A recently released jailbreak tweak, called Burst Mode, allows users to continuously take photos with iOS 6's stock Camera app. It's not as feature rich as the burst mode found in iOS 7 for the 5s, but it's a nice compromise for jailbroken iOS 6 users.

Burst Mode allows you to take as many photos as you want using a simple tap and hold on the shutter button, or a press and hold on your iOS device's physical volume button. Along with its burst mode capabilities, the tweak features a nice array of bonus features to take advantage of as well. Have a look inside as we look at what makes this free jailbreak tweak tick.

DisplaySearch: Apple prioritizes wearables, puts iTV on the back burner

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 11, 2013

So what's up with the supposed Apple television set, that elusive iTV? According to the latest chatter, the iTV plans have been put on hold as wearables take priority inside the 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino walls. The notion jives with Tim Cook's recent assertion calling for new a Apple product category in 2014 and a bunch of patent filings and high-profile hirings pointing to an iOS-powered wearable device with health and fitness sensors, the rumored iWatch.

Of course, that a non-Apple product is delayed by another unannounced product isn't necessarily newsworthy in and of itself, but given the source - DisplaySearch - we thought you should at least be informed about what's making the rounds across Apple's components and supply chain in Far East...

Feast your eyes on new iSpaceship renderings

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

Apple has overcome the last hurdle as the City of Cupertino in October approved the spectacular ring-shaped glass structure called Campus 2, also known as the iSpacehip project. Now, it's already over budget and behind schedule so don’t look forward to working in outer space before late-2015 or early-2016, when Campus 2 is slated for completion.

Wired has obtained a batch of new renderings which depict some interesting Campus 2 tidbits, including detailed shots of the interior design, including the cafeteria, the gym area, the upper level of the 1,000-person underground auditorium and even the parking garage. Jump past the fold for the full gallery...

Tweetbot 3 gets swipe actions, lists as timeline, text size independently of iOS 7 Dynamic Type

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 14, 2018

Tapbots' Tweetbot, the popular iPhone, iPad and Mac client for Twitter, has been updated today on the App Store with a dozen new tweaks that will enhance your productivity.

My favorite improvement has got to be the ability to set in-app typeface independently of my system-wide text size preference, as defined under iOS 7 Settings > General > Text Size.

The enhancements in Tweetbot 3.1, among other tweaks, include the new square avatars, the ability to email conversations and hide profile badgets, quick reply (or other action) via the right-swipe gesture and the return of the 'Last tweet x minutes ago' label and using a list as your timeline.

Changelog is right after the break...

BitTorrent Sync gets iOS 7 makeover, now supports iPads natively

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

BitTorrent's free Sync iOS app launched on the App Store in August, offering privacy freaks and NSA haters a way to securely share and sync files between devices. The software uses end-to-end encryption of everything transferred between your devices and bypasses the cloud altogether: your stuff is being moved directly between devices, using BitTorrent’s efficient P2P distribution architecture.

If you're concerned about NSA snooping, industrial espionage or good ol' eavesdropping, BitTorrent Sync is as robust a solution as these things get. And now, the teams has posted a long expected update to bring the app in line with the general iOS 7 design...

How to manage Diagnostic & Usage Data on iPhone

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 3, 2026

Learn how to view your iPhone or iPad’s diagnostic and usage data, and how to completely remove the diagnostic logs.

Five-inch iPhablet to comprise one out of each four iPhones in 2014

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 11, 2013

Analysts think Apple will respond to competition by producing not one, but two large-screen iPhone models in 2014. According to Piper Jaffary's Gene Munster (infamous for its Apple-branded television set prediction), the iPhone 6 will make its debut in September 2014 and it’s going to be a “blockbuster” release thanks to a blown up screen.

His peer, Peter Misek over at Jeffries, thinks the iPhone 6 will offer a 4.8-inch screen. If anything, Samsung has managed to prove that phablets sell: the company predicts shipping a total of hundred million units of the five-inch Galaxy S4 smartphone and the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3 devices this year.

Whichever way you look at it, phablets have quickly gone from a niche category to being the hot new form factor. How does this change in market dynamics affect Apple?

Apple expected to increase holiday-quarter iPad screen purchases from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 11, 2013

Samsung of South Korea may have gotten itself into hot water with Apple over patents and design issues, but its semiconductor unit continues to churn out unabated the Apple-designed engine which powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod devices. As for Retina screens, Apple originally sourced mobile displays from non-Samsung suppliers such as Sharp and LG Display.

Last we heard, recent yield and quality issues have reportedly prompted the iPhone maker to turn to its frenemy for help. Korea’s ETNews last Friday claimed Apple has asked Samsung for help as Sharp struggles to solve burn-in issues with IGZO panels for the iPad Air.

At the heart of the production issues is Japanese giant's malfunctioning of the thin-film transistor display technology. Corroborating the report, a display research firm on Monday said Apple's purchase of Samsung-made panels for the iPad is about to skyrocket in the fourth quarter...

How to create custom keyboard shortcuts for Mac apps

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated November 8, 2021

Have you ever used a specific menu command in an app and wondered to yourself, "Why is there no keyboard shortcut assigned to this command?" Or "why can't I change that shortcut to something else?" I think we've all been there before. Fortunately, fixing the issue requires little more than a few minutes of your time. Inside, we'll show you how easy it is to quickly create a keyboard shortcut for your favorite apps.

Sorcery! 2 review: the epic adventure continues

Lory Gil ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

As an avid role-playing game fan, I am always up for a literary adventure. Whether it is a choose-your-own story or a tabletop group game base on the 20-sided die mechanics, I get a twinkle in my eye when someone says “RPG.”

Steve Jackson is a well-known author of gamebooks from the mid 1980s. His series Sorcery! was a big hit and the first adventure in the series was turned into a fantastic iOS game back in May. Today, the same company that developed Steve Jackson’s Sorcery! has launched a follow up game based on the second series in the original book. Sorcery! 2 follows the adventurer into “Khare: Cityport of Traps”...