Apple

Google Play Music now supports gapless playback, playlist downloading and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Google's Play Music client for the iPhone and iPod touch recently picked up some useful new capabilities such as the ability to filter Downloaded Only tracks, edit playlists on the go, Shuffle Artist and more. Today, Google has pushed another update making the application even more useful than before.

The new Google Play Music version 1.3.0.2190 includes a few bug fixes and improvements, as well as three new features. For starters, you can at last enjoy albums such as Pink Floyd's "The Wall" precisely the way they were meant to be heard - with gapless playback...

New Apple TV, Find My iPhone and Find My Friends betas also available

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

As Apple seeds a third beta of both iOS 8 (build 12A4318c) and OS X Yosemite Developer Preview (build 14A283j) to developers, we're dutifully updating our articles with a running list of changes.

In the meantime, new betas of the accompanying Apple TV firmware - as well as Find My iPhone and Find My Friends betas - are now available to Apple's registered iOS developers through the company's Dev Center...

Apple releases OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 3

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

In addition to seeding the third beta of iOS 8 this morning, Apple has also released the third Developer Preview of its new OS X Yosemite operating system. The update comes three weeks after Preview 2, and over a month after Apple announced Yosemite at WWDC.

The update is labeled as build 14A283o and can be downloaded via an update in the Mac App Store, or as a full download from Apple’s online developer center. It does not, however, appear to be out in Apple’s recently-launched public Yosemite Beta Seed program yet…

Apple seeds iOS 8 beta 3 to developers: here is what’s new

Cody Lee ∙ July 7, 2014

Nearly three weeks after releasing the second beta of iOS 8, Apple has this morning seeded the third beta of iOS 8 to developers. The beta is labeled as build 12a4318c, and is available for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

If you're a registered iOS developer, you can grab the new beta from either the online dev portal as a standalone download, or via your device's OTA (over-the-air) update mechanism. You'll find all the details on beta 3 after the break...

Video: limited bending stress test of iPhone 6’s claimed sapphire cover

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Our favorite parts leaker, Australia-born Sonny Dickson, is back at it again with a new video that seems to offer a look at an alleged sapphire-strengthened cover glass, presumably for Apple's next iPhone.

As you know, all iPhones models incorporate Gorilla Glass designed and produced by U.S.-based company Corning.

That being said, pundits have been calling for a sapphire iPhone ever since Apple earlier in the year confirmed prepaying over half a billion dollars to GT Advanced to secure multi-year supply of sapphire glass on an exclusive basis.

For those unfamiliar with sapphire, Wikipedia is your friend. In a nutshell, the precious gemstone's hardness is second only to diamond, making it a no-brainer for the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6...

Google’s Page and Brin think Apple is doing too few products

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs used to offer a nice word of advice to Google co-founder and boss Larry Page. "You guys are doing too much stuff," he'd tell Page.

Today, Page thinks Google's multi-pronged approach to product development is paying off big time as the search monster now has its tentacles in a number of lucrative businesses. Contrast Google's approach to Apple, which only does a few things at the time.

This is part of Apple's DNA, but Page is unimpressed.

He didn't heed his mentor's advice and think Apple's laser-sharp focus on things that matter the most is limiting its ability to compete. “It sounds stupid if you have this big company and you can only do, like, five things,” Page said during a fireside chat with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla...

Apple’s obsession with iPhone 6 thinness could yield marginal battery improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

As a rule of thumb: the bigger the phone, the stronger the battery. At least, this has been the case with the vast majority of jumbo-sized Android handsets.

And it's easy to see why: phones with larger displays need bigger enclosures that offer more space inside for internal components such as the battery.

Many pundits expect Apple's iPhone 6 to exhibit a notable battery capacity boost, but a new report is now alleging that both a 4.7 and 5.5-inch handset offer a slight boost in capacity from the battery used in the iPhone 5s, presumably because Apple is adamant to retain the World's Thinnest Smartphone crown...

Skype refresh brings back voice messaging and contact profiles

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Having unceremoniously removed voice messaging from the recently remastered Skype 5.0 for iPhone, the Microsoft-owned VoIP provider on Monday pushed a minor update that has brought the useful feature back while adding two others.

The new Skype 5.2 for iPhone is rolling out this morning. In addition to voice messaging, the refreshed Skype app has also brought back the ability to access contact profiles while allowing you to add participants to the existing conversation at any time...

Annual Sun Valley conference starts tomorrow, Apple’s Cook and Cue said to be in attendance

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

The annual Sun Valley conference hosted by Allen & Company, a premier investment bank for the media and entertainment sector, is about to kick off Tuesday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to again attend the confab that many insiders liken to a mogul-fest because it gathers under one roof media moguls, Silicon Valley luminaries, finance titans, influential investors and powerful figures in tech...

Korean watchdog orders Apple to change App Store refund policy

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

It used to be that in the past you could get updates for an iOS or Mac app after asking for a refund. However, Apple's relaxed policy concerning refunds and app updates has recently been tightened after the company updated the App Store's Terms of Service to prevent this.

Turns out this may not be the only change in store as South Korea's Fair Trade Commission has now ordered both Apple and Google to take action and revert their unfair no-refund app store policies...

Foxconn confirms it’s starting to deploy robots to help assemble iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., also known in the Western world as Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, will soon start deploying sophisticated robots to help assemble iPhones, CEO and Chairman Terry Gou announced during a shareholder meeting Monday.

Foxconn assembles a range of consumer electronics products for other companies, including iPhones and iPads. The plan to replace factory workers with robots was first announced two years ago, but hit roadblocks due to high cost of robot deployment...

Apple warns developers of incoming CloudKit data wipe, suggesting iOS 8 beta 3 might be around the corner

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple just sent an email to its registered developers warning them that the company will be performing a server-side CloudKit data wipe for iOS 8 beta and OS X Yosemite Developer Preview, on Monday July 7.

If this data wipe is not unusual, it definitely comes at an interesting time, suggesting that not surprisingly, iOS 8 beta 3 and and the third OS X Yosemite Developer Preview might be right around the corner...