Apple

Schools complain of iPad web filter issues after iOS 7 update

Apple's been making a big push into education in recent months, updating iTunes to allow users under the age of 13 and touting new features in iOS 7. It says the update makes it 'easier for institutions to put devices in the hands of students.'

But for many schools with student iPads deployed, the update is actually making things more difficult. Various educators across the US are reporting that iOS 7 has left their devices unfiltered when accessing the Internet away from school...

Apple’s iSpaceship campus clears another Cupertino hurdle toward 2016 landing

Apple's over-budget and behind-schedule proposed 'spaceship' campus took another step closer to reality Wednesday night. The plan first outlined in 2011 by Steve Jobs cleared the planning commission of Cupertino, Calif., Apple's homebase.

If no more hitches appear, the new Apple headquarters will go to city council later this month with final thumbs-up or thumbs-down in November...

Apple seeks sanctions against Samsung for sharing patent license terms

In a new twist to their ongoing legal battle over patents and other intellectual property, Apple has filed a new motion for sanctions against Samsung in a California court for sharing confidential information.

According to the filing, Apple is accusing the Korean tech giant of illegally disclosing sensitive details of its 2011 patent licensing agreement with Nokia in order to better negotiate licensing terms for itself...

It’s not just Samsung: everyone games benchmarks except Apple and Motorola

Nobody reviews hardware more exhaustively than chip gurus over at AnanadTech - for these guys, no detail is too small and nothing escapes their scrutiny. When the publication set out to review the Galaxy Note 3, it shamed Samsung by spotting some tweaked code which artificially inflates the device's scores on popular benchmarks by anywhere between twenty to fifty percent.

Not only did it provoke a reaction from Apple's marketing head honcho Phil Schiller, the discovery has prompted AnandTech to really scrutinize other device makers. Shockingly enough, turns out most Android OEMs pad their results by increasing CPU/GPU clock speed during benchmarking to make them look good.

So, who are the cheaters? Almost everyone, except Apple and Motorola. Samsung, HTC, Asus, LG and many others are all dirty and guilty of gaming the benchmarks.

If that's not the biggest wake-up call the benchmarking industry has ever seen, I don't know what is. I myself feel dirty even blogging about this, but the numbers don't lie and that's the sad state of things. Just who are the cheaters? Go past the break for the full disclosure...

New ‘Spin’ iOS chatting app does full HD 60FPS video and Wideband 44kHz audio

Doesn't it bother you that popular mobile video chatting solutions draw from pedestrian video compression technology (maxing out at 720p, at best) and rarely provide acceptable audio quality?

Case in point: Microsoft-owned Skype, which bragged about its recent iOS client update bringing high-definition video calling - though it's limited to 720p. Spin, a brand new free of charge iOS mobile together experience, is unlike any chat you've experienced before.

Three years in the making, Skype's hot new competitor is exclusive to the iPhone and iPad and capable of delivering cinematic experiences with full HD 1080p video (1,920-by-1,080 pixel resolution, to be precise) at sixty frames per second, along with crisp Wideband 44kHz audio.

You and your parents should immediately download Spin. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Qualcomm exec says Apple’s 64-Bit A7 chip is a ‘marketing gimmick’

In a recent interview with Techworld, Qualcomm's chief marketing officer Anand Chandrasekher told the publication that he thinks that Apple's 64-bit A7 processor is just a 'marketing gimmick' and that it adds 'zero benefit' for the customer.

The executive's remarks follow several weeks of discussion on the processor, which is the first 64-bit chip to land in a smartphone, from all corners of the tech world. Here's why he thinks it's more of a marketing stunt than a technical enhancement...

Eddy Cue talks iTunes Festival and iTunes Radio in EW interview

September was a big month for Apple and its iTunes team. In addition to running its iTunes Festival—a 30-day long concert with some 60 performances, the company also launched a new streaming music service called iTunes Radio.

And yesterday, the folks over at Entertainment Weekly had the chance to sit down and talk with the man behind it all: Apple's SVP of software and services Eddy Cue. We've posted a few choice excerpts from the interview after the fold...

NBA 2K14 hits the App Store

If you're into sports and are a fan of basketball and the NBA in particular, the newly-released NBA 2K14 for iOS devices should be on your list for consideration. The game has been published by 2K Games, a Take-Two Interactive subsidiary notable for its recent release of Lucid Games' 2K Drive for the iPhone and iPad.

Of course, it's really an updated version of 2K's ongoing NBA series for the iPhone and iPad, refreshed with the 2013-14 season stats, players, venues and other data (just like EA Sports' FIFA series)...

iCloud push email reinstated in Germany

After a German appeals court a month ago lifted the injunction which prevented Apple from offering push notifications for its iCloud email service, owners of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices in the country can finally again enjoy push notifications for incoming iCloud email messages. The feature has been disabled for German users for about 19 months after it had to be shut down following a legal wrangling with Motorola over patents.

Apple’s ever-growing cash horde pegged at one-tenth of all US corporate dollars

Some people collects rocks, other people collect stamps. Apple, however, likes cash. Turns out the iPhone maker, all by itself, controls ten percent of all corporate cash in the United States.

Just how much is that? New data shows Apple's bank account of $147 billion represents ten percent of the $1.48 trillion held by non-banking U.S. companies.

Here's another factoid to make you even more uneasy about that measly savings account of yours: all together, Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Pfizer - not exactly nickel and dime operations - account for another fifteen percent of all U.S. corporate cash...

Apple starts training support staff on OS X Mavericks ahead of impending release

The AppleCare support staff has begun official OS X Mavericks training in anticipation of the looming OS X Mavericks release, a reliable blog has learned. The upcoming Mac desktop operating system release should hit the Mac App Store before November and will bring a host of improvements and new features, including Maps integration across desktop and mobile, better handling of notifications, and several new features for power users. Apple first demoed OS X Mavericks at its summer developer conference in June 2013...

Virgin Mobile lands iPhone 5s/5c, $100 off unsubsidized

Virgin Mobile, Sprint's prepaid brand, started offering the new iPhones for $100 less compared to Apple's official unsubsidized pricing. Both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are available with a $100 discount when purchased unsubsidized. This means Virgin Mobile customers can get the entry-level 16GB iPhone 5s for $549 (Apple's price: $649) or the colorful 16GB iPhone 5c for $449 (Apple's price: $549). Virgin's plans include unlimited data (throttled after 2.5GB) and start at just $30 a month. More details right below...