Apple

Apple engineer explains how FaceTime came out of work done for Game Center

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

When Apple was unveiling a new video-calling capability on the then new iPhone 4 at the WWDC 2010 keynote, Steve Jobs presented the feature as one of his famous 'one more thing' moments.

FaceTime debuted as a hassle-free video calling service between iPhone 4 devices and was initially Wi-Fi-only, but Apple eventually rolled it out across the lineup so it's available across Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices on both Wi-Fi and cellular.

The engineer behind the feature, Roberto Garcia, was forced to spill the beans on how FaceTime came out of work done for Game Center in his testimony during the fourth week of the second Apple vs. Samsung trial in California, here are the juiciest bits...

Apple, Google and others settle anti-poaching suit

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2014

Reuters is reporting this afternoon that Apple, Google, Adobe, and Intel have reached a settlement in their long-running antitrust lawsuit filed by employees who claim the companies agreed to not hire employees from one another.

The settlement comes just a month before the trial was slated to begin in the US District Court of northern California. The lawsuit covered more than 60,000 workers, and damages from the trial were expected to exceed $9 billion...

You can have lunch with Tim Cook, for a sizable charity donation

Jake Smith ∙ April 24, 2014

CharityBuzz is running a campaign for one donor to have lunch with Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, at the Cupertino-based headquarters. The donor will have to make the highest, sizable donation, to benefit the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.

The lunch donated by Cook himself, has an estimated value of $100,000, with the current bid on Tuesday currently sitting at $50,000. If past charity drives from Cook are any indication, the lunch should blow past the estimated value...

Sega’s kart-racing game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, is now available free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2018

Released in January 2014, Sega's Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has delighted fans of Mario Kart-style racers with a World Tour mode designed specifically for mobile and its awesome multiplayer implementation supporting up to four players simultaneously, both locally and online.

The official iOS port of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for consoles, the game debuted with a price tag of five bucks and has since seen several price changes in an effort to boost downloads.

As Sega continues to experiment with various monetization methods, they've now taken the freemium route by slashing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to zero bucks and throwing in a bunch of paid in-app upgrades...

RunKeeper adds new Goal Coach feature, personalized dashboard and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Popular fitness mobile software, RunKeeper, has received a nice little update today implementing a brand new Goal Coach feature to keep you motivated, a personalized goal dashboard to go with it and more.

RunKeeper is great for the active types interested in tracking the pace of their runs, measuring workout distance, charting weight loss and what not.

Unlike some of the other health and fitness-tracking apps for the iPhone found in the App Store, RunKeeper is available free of charge. The new 4.5 version is now live so give RunKeeper a whirl if you haven't already and say 'hello' to the new you...

Facebook buying Moves app in a bid to join fitness-tracking fray

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

After acquiring virtual headset maker Oculus Rift for $2 billion (the deal got a thumbs-up from feds), Facebook now seems to be moving into the fitness tracking space with news of its latest acquisition, Finnish startup ProtoGeo Oy that created the fitness-tracking app Moves, available free in the App Store.

The development comes amid some major reshuffling in the fitness and health tracking market.

For instance, Nike is currently in the process of shuttering its wearable-hardware division that produces FuelBand-branded accessories and there are rumors that the company is collaborating with Apple on a sensor-laden fitness band that would control other devices via gestures...

Cook on why Apple isn’t rushing out new products

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

Following Apple's earnings release yesterday, Tim Cook expectedly teased new products on a conference call with Wall Street analysts and investors. Hints of new gadgets were also dropped in Apple's media release announcing the earnings.

“We’re eagerly looking forward to introducing more new products and services that only Apple could bring to market,” Cook was quoted as saying in Apple's press release.

And now responding to pressure from analysts who demand new-category devices, Cook sat down with The Wall Street Journal on Thursday to reflect on Apple's development process, touch on such subjects as mobile payments and explain why Apple isn't rushing out new stuff to market just to please investors...

Refreshed MacBook Airs said to launch as early as next week

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

Apple last refreshed its ultra-thin MacBook Air family at the annual developers conference last June, adding Intel’s power efficient Haswell processors for all-day battery life, the latest 802.11ac Wi-Fi networking, faster graphics and SSD, lower prices and more.

Now, we recently heard rumblings that Apple is going to refresh Airs soon with a small speed bump and now a French blog is citing reliable sources as claiming that updated ultra-portables are just around the corner, allegedly launching as early as next week...

Opera launches Coast browser on iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

After releasing the iPad-only version of Coast back in September, Opera Software on Thursday launched the iPhone edition of its WebKit-based iOS browser. Now available free in the App Store, Coast brings a clean web browsing experience to the smaller iPhone and iPod touch screen, featuring a simplified user interface with seamlessly integrated Google search, elegant animations, automatic iCloud syncing of home screen tiles and more...

New report says iPhone 6 may feature curved display, all-aluminum shell

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

According to a new report from Japanese blog Macotakara, the next-generation iPhone may see some radical design changes. Citing 'reliable sources,' the publication said that the handset will feature rounded edges, a curved glass display, and an all-aluminum rear shell.

More specifically, the report says that the iPhone 6's display will be slightly curved in order to accommodate the new rounded edges. It even goes so far as to liken the device's profile to the Japan-made Squair Curvaceous Bumper [above], an aluminum bumper for iPhone...

Apple announces 20 million Apple TVs sold to date

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

During Apple's earnings call earlier this afternoon, CEO Tim Cook announced that the company crossed the 20 million sold mark for the Apple TV during the last quarter. The mention is noteworthy as Apple doesn't typically breakout numbers for the set-top box (though it has on occasion).

The move falls in line with Cook's previous sentiments regarding the Apple TV—at a shareholders meeting in February Cook said 'it’s a little more difficult to call the Apple TV a hobby these days,' and comes amid rumors that the company is preparing to launch a new version of the device...

Angela Ahrendts to join Apple as retail chief next week

Cody Lee ∙ April 23, 2014

During this afternoon's quarterly earnings call, Tim Cook announced that Angela Ahrendts will be officially joining Apple next week. The announcement was made last October, but Ahrendts has been under contract with her previous job—CEO of luxury clothing company Burberry—until now.

Ahrendts will join Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores, a position that has seen significant turnover in recent years. In 2011, Ron Johnson left for a CEO position at JC Penney, and his replacement, John Browett, was ousted in less than a year due to a conflict in strategy...