Apple has released an update for iTunes this afternoon, bringing the software to version 11.1.3. Don't get too excited though, it appears to just be a maintenance release with a handful of improvements.
Those improvements include a fix for a known issue where the equalizer may not work as expected, as well as enhanced performance when switching views in large iTunes libraries and other bug fixes...
Apple has issued a public report this afternoon entitled 'Report on Government Information Requests.' The piece details the number and types of requests it receives from governments around the world for user and device information.
The company said it considers it a responsibility to provide its users with "the best privacy protections available," and that it has published the report "in the interest of transparency for our customers around the world." More after the fold...
Yesterday, New Hampshire-based materials manufacturing company GT Advanced announced a multi-year agreement with Apple to provide steady supply of the sapphire glass, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide known for its superior durability and scratch resistance. Apple relies on this pricey gemstone to protect the iPhone 5s's Touch ID sensor and has been using it for camera lens cover on all iOS devices since the iPhone 5.
The strategic supply agreement is valued at more than half a billion dollars in cutting-edge equipment and some folks have combed through Apple's patent filings for a clue to building next-generation iDevices with sapphire glass covers instead of Gorilla Glass.
Here's a video tour of GT's manufacturing process behind making the scratch-resistant, tougher-than-Gorilla-Glass sapphire displays for smartphones...
Philips has expanded its Hue line of iPhone-controlled lighting with a new bulb this week, called the BR30. Unlike previous Hue bulbs, the BR30 is designed to fit into recessed sockets to create the effect of light shining from a hole in the ceiling.
The BR30 bulbs are designed to fit the standard E27 screw base and deliver 600 lumens of light. And like other Hue bulbs, they provide a full range of color, except the light is delivered in a downward beam instead of being omnidirectional...
With the iPhone 5s, Apple made security more convenient by allowing users to unlock their devices with a quick tap of its Touch ID Home button. It's kind of like having a password, without having to type it in every time.
And that's essentially what Knock, a new iOS app by Knock Software, does for the Mac. It allows you to keep your computer secure, without having to type in a password every time. Simply give your iPhone a knock to unlock...
Earlier this morning, T-Mobile filed its September quarter earnings and announced selling 540,000 iPhones amid iPhone 5s shortages, representing fifteen percent of T-Mobile’s prepaid and MetroPCS-branded devices sold. During an earnings call with Wall Street investors, company executives dropped another interesting factoid: just on the iPad Air launch day this past Friday, the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier has managed to move more tablets than it'd done throughout the entirety of the prior quarter.
It's an ambiguous data point which doesn't reveal much in terms of numbers, nor does it tell us which specific tablet brands moved the needle on the iPad Air launch day. However, it jibes with claims made by other carriers such as AT&T, which yesterday said its Apple tablet activations over the iPad Air launch weekend tripled compared to last Fall’s launch...
I'm a big fan of TwelveSouth's work. Andrew and Leigh Ann and the team are good people who make stylish, Apple-exclusive accessories. The company's won me over with its BookBook series of cases for iPhones, iPads and Mac notebooks. I'm currently using their BookBook for MacBook Air which looks a lot like a Harry Potter spell book, along with the BookBook for iPhone that doubles as my wallet for cash, credit cards, IDs and stuff like that.
But now, there's one carrying case to rule them all, the BookBook Journal. It may look like another vintage book, but this dapper, hardback leather case has compartments, pockets and adjustable bands to hold your iPad along with a bunch of accessories, such as power adapters, cables, USB drives, styluses, mice, earbuds or and more...
Spotify, the popular Swedish streaming music startup, today gave its iPhone and iPad app a little love. In addition to support for new languages like Japanese, the new Spotify 0.9 for iOS now includes artist tour information, including such details as concert dates.
Several search-related improvements and the usual bug fixes are also part of this Spotify release.
The free update is available immediately on the App Store and I've included additional details below the fold...
Google has just updated its native Search app for the iPhone and iPad with a slew of new features, starting with a number of new types of Google Now cards and the ability to activate the voice search handsfree, simply by saying “OK Google” like on Android. This feature works on the iPhone 4s or later devices. You can now enjoy one-touch sign-on and elect to receive alerts for delayed flights and upcoming appointments and events, as well as for public transit reminders.
The app now supports new types of reminders for movies, actors, TV shows, musicians and web content updates, including location-based and time-relative entries like “Remind me to buy coffee beans at Starbucks,” or “Remind me to check out the fair this weekend”. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...
T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, has sold 540,000 iPhones during the September quarter, comprising between ten and fifteen percent of the telco's total 5.6 million smartphones sold, which includes T-Mobile's prepaid and MetroPCS-branded devices.
By comparison, the #3 Sprint typically reports iPhone sales comprising as much as 25 percent of all smartphone sold.
For example, Sprint said it sold 1.4 million iPhones during the third quarter of 2013, 40 percent of which went to new customers, versus the five million total smartphones sold...
Thanks to Apple's economies of scale, advanced manufacturing, smart engineering and the latest technological solutions, Apple's fifth-generation full-size iPad, the iPad Air, is actually cheaper to produce than the third-generation model - despite packing in the latest technology, research firm IHS Suppli has discovered in a new teardown analysis.
Total cost of components that go into the latest iPad is between $274 and $361, depending on the model, which is still $42 cheaper than the entry-level iPad with Retina display. The priciest iPad Air component by and large is its Retina display and the touchscreen assembly.
Both components incorporate a number of improvements such as fewer, more advanced LED lights providing the backlighting to the display and a new type of sensor known as a cycle-olefin polymer (COP) sensor located right underneath the outer layer of Gorilla Glass. More tidbits right bellow...
When I was in high school, my English teacher taught me that the best way to get starting on developing an essay was to brainstorm ideas and then creating an outline. It is the ultimate way to organize your thoughts into a visual landscape where you can further create.
MagicalPad 3 HD is a productivity app for the iPad that lets you brainstorm, create outlines, mind maps, add flowcharts, make scrapbooks, and share your ideas with others...