Apple

Apple says new Mac Pro uses 68% less energy than previous generation

Cody Lee ∙ January 2, 2014

We all know that Apple's new Mac Pro is smaller than its predecessor, and in most instances more powerful, but did you know that it's also far more green as well? The Cupertino company released an Environmental Report today on its latest desktop saying just that.

According to the report, the new Mac Pro uses less than half of the allowed energy limit under Energy Star requirements, thanks to its various power-efficient components. And it also requires 68% less power than the previous-generation Mac Pro while in idle mode...

Readdle’s ‘Scanner Pro’ goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Cody Lee ∙ January 2, 2014

Apple has named Readdle's popular 'Scanner Pro' its App of the Week for this week. This means that through next Thursday, you’ll be able to pick up the application for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—a sizable savings of $7.

For those unfamiliar with the app, Scanner Pro essentially turns your iOS device into a portable scanner. It can scan documents, receipts, notes, photos, and more, and then upload them to Dropbox, Evernote, and other web services...

Feed Me Oil 2 arrives, get downloading

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2014

The beginning of a new year is always a good time to release some new software. We're only two days into 2014 and already a pair of nice premium games has made an appearance on the App Store.

Earlier this morning, Sega released its Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed while UK-based developer True Axis brought us the awesome Jet Car Stunts 2.

And now, UK-based Chillingo has released a sequel to its liquid physics puzzler Feed Me Oil, a $2.99 download for the iPhone and iPad. And this time around, oil and water can mix for the first time...

Best Buy drops iPhone 5s to $124.99, offers iPhone 5c for free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 1, 2017

The U.S. consumer electronics retailer Best Buy is offering up a new time-limited discount on Apple's flagship iPhone 5s, the colorful iPhone 5c and on additional products from Apple and other vendors. The entry-level iPhone 5s with sixteen gigabytes of storage will set you back $124.99, a $75 saving over its normal asking price of $199.

As for the iPhone 5c, you can grab it free (as in: $0 upfront), down from its $99 price point. The 32GB iPhone 5c models are available for $79. Both discounted iPhones are available across all four major carriers and entail a new two-year contract...

Sega’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed is now available to download

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Rather unexpectedly and with little fanfare, games maker Sega has released a brand new title on the App Store. Called Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, the game is actually the official iOS port of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for consoles and part of its 2013 winter release schedule.

If you've played Mario-like kart racing games such as Rovio's Angry Birds Go!, you should feel right at home in Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. A pared down version of Transformed on consoles, the game sports a brand new World Tour mode designed specifically for mobile, with multiplayer both locally and online for up to four players...

Rumor: surface finish treatment issues holding back mass production of iWatch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

According to the latest supply chain chatter, Apple's unannounced iWatch wearable device is facing production difficulty stemming from weak yields.

The point at issue here is that the surface finish treatments dealing with the device's body are reportedly showing unexpectedly low yield rates of less than 50 percent.

Needless to say, that's totally unacceptable for mass production.

According to a report coming straight out of Taiwan where the bulk of Apple's component suppliers and manufacturers are located, both the iPhone maker and the chip giant Qualcomm - which is also pursuing a smartwatch of its own - are finding it difficult to produce tiny wearable devices using metal injection molding (MIM)...

Shoots & Leaves turns your photos into Reminders and instantly creates sharing links

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

With the impending demise of the popular cross-platform file-sharing app Bump, sharing your photographs with the web at large, without going through popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, could easily become something of a mess involving switching between multiple apps to get the job done.

Fortunately, Shoots & Leaves ($1.99 in the App Store) comes to the rescue.

As the name implies, this little gem of an app - though not a file-sharing solution per se - allows you to turn photos into tasks with a single tap and easily create URLs for your photos that can in turn be emailed, shared on the web and more, for everyone to see online.

It supports multiple image-hosting services, user-defined actions, sending to third-party apps and lots more. Have a quick look at it right after the break...

Jet Car Stunts 2 has landed in the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2014

Jet Car Stunts 2, the official sequel to the quite popular over-the-top stunt driving game, is now available as a free download in the App Store. Jet Car Stunts 2 for the iPhone and iPad features even more outlandish courses/jet physics than the original, with insane jumps, ludicrous speeds and manic car handling guaranteeing hours of fun to those who've found themselves desperately addicted to the original title.

In what's increasingly becoming the positive trend, Jet Car Stunts 2 supports physical iOS 7 controllers and even includes a level creation feature. Your launch trailer along with additional tidbits can be found right after the jump (pun intended!)...

Apple’s Lucky Bags promotion goes live in Japan

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2014

As announced a week ago, Apple today kicked off its Lucky Bags promotion in Japan. The 36,000 yen (approximately $345 USD) mystery bags filled with randomly picked Apple products and third-party accessories are being offered today only to customers in select Apple retail stores across the 128 million people country.

Also known as Fukubukuro, or Mystery Bags, Japan’s annual New Year’s Day tradition entices shopper with grab bags containing unknown contents. Although buyers can't tell what they’re actually getting until they look inside, these mystery bags contain a selection of products worth more than the value of the Lucky Bag.

Here's what fans in Japan are finding in their Lucky Bags from Apple...

Day 8 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ iBook

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 20, 2018

We are now on day 8 of the big 12 Days of Gifts event, meaning Apple has removed Rayman Jungle Run and has posted a new free item for download. Today’s gift is the iBook: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

For those unfamiliar with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it started out as a web comic in the early 2000's and has since branched out into a wildly popular franchise with books, movies and more. This is book #1 in the series...

Export your data: Google-owned Bump and Flock are shutting down effective January 31

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Back in September 2013, Google announced it was buying the popular mobile file-sharing apps Bump and Flock for an undisclosed sum. It was a typical acqui-hire (a talent-focused acquisition) so we were expecting the Internet giant would phase out these apps from the App Store and fold their functionality into Android.

Sure enough, the Bump team last night issued a notice informing users that the service will shut down effective January 31, 2014.

Customers are given a chance to export all their data ahead of the shutdown, including photos, video, contacts from both Bump and Flock and more...

Hackers leak 4.6M Snapchat usernames and phone numbers, see if you’ve been affected

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Bad news, Snapchat fans: a group of anonymous hackers have successfully exploited a nasty security hole in the popular IM application to hijack a whopping 4.6 million usernames and phone numbers, publishing this private data on a website called SnapchatDB.info.

The circa 40MB SQL database dump (also available as a CSV file) includes phone numbers and usernames, along with the affected users' geographical region information.

Why did they do it? The leaked private information “is being shared with the public to raise awareness” of a Snapchat API exploit they'd used for the hack.

Snapchat has been aware of the security loophole in its application since August, but did literally nothing to patch it. Is there a way to see if you've been affected? Yes, there is. Read on for the full reveal...