Apple

Rhapsody gains offline mode, exclusive playlists curated by human editors

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 22, 2013

I'm a simple guy when it comes to listening to digital music: the iTunes/iTunes Radio + Spotify combo pretty much has me covered these days. That's not saying I'm not on the lookout for music solutions outside the Apple-Spotify landscape.

Take the once relevant jukebox app and music subscription service Rhapsody (remember them?), which has been trying to become relevant for years now.

Just two months ago, the firm has renewed its efforts by overhauling its aging mobile app, adding tons of goodies.

In another update issued today, Rhapsody version 3.5 brings out standard social sharing features and the useful offline playback mode whilst putting exclusive curated content front and center...

Older iPhones comprise almost half of Apple’s U.S. handset sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 22, 2013

Apple's iPhone 5 accounts for just over half of the company's smartphone sales, with 48 percent coming from the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, according to new research. That compares to the iPhone 4S which comprised about 75 percent of Apple sales almost a year after launch.

The figures illustrate how a larger portion of Apple's smartphone revenue is being generated by lower-cost iPhone models, a concern for investors heading into Tuesday's third-quarter financial report...

Canary motion detector bolsters up home security while looking stunning

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

iOS continues to change modern living for the better by improving upon the connected home promise through various innovative app-enabled accessories from third-parties, like the beautiful and smart Nest thermostat, the intelligent Philips light bulbs and clever locks by the likes of Jawbone and Kwikset, to name just a few.

Canary, "the world's first smartphone security device for everyone" by a New York-based startup, promises to beef up your home security by bringing motion detection, push alerts, streaming spycam video and other goodies to your iPhone by way of an IndieGoGo crowd-funded project.

The stylish device, reminiscent of Jony Ive's industrial design work, comes packed with a 720p HD camera, wide angle lens, Wi-Fi connectivity and smart sensors that detect motion, and is easy to set up on your mobile device. I've included a promotional video for your viewing pleasure just after the break...

Nervous Wall Street expects flat June quarter on lack of major product launches

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Tuesday is either report card day or judgement day for Apple, depending on your particular doom-and-gloom scenario. The iPhone maker is expected to report a flat mid-summer quarter as investors question whether the best days of the company are behind it.

At the same time, observers see the third quarter as peculiar, given that no new iPhone or iPad has been announced, opening up CEO Tim Cook's leadership to speculation and questions whether the iPhone maker can come back from two consecutive quarters of disappointment...

High-end smartphone market gone, warns analyst

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 22, 2013

Welcome to the commoditization of smartphones, or the Emachining of the iPhone. As the handsets move from only the hands of first-adopters to something even your grandma owns, prices are plummeting. It is to the point where one analyst declares the end of the high-end smartphone gold rush.

The average price of a smartphone has fallen nearly $100 in the past year as consumers dismiss talk of 4G and other technical debates, concentrating on just one question: is it good enough and within reach of their wallet...

Apple: dev portal breach hasn’t compromised iTunes accounts or credit cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 22, 2013

You're probably aware by now Apple's portal for its registered developers has been down since noon on Thursday, July 18. The firm on Sunday updated the standard "we'll be back soon" message at the service's landing page to warn the "maintenance will take longer than expected".

Adding fuel to fire, Apple soon after emailed developers with details on what they revealed as a nasty security breach that may have left some private information exposed. Unfortunately, the company stopped short of detailing precisely what information might have been compromised and how.

Be that as it may, the seeming privacy scare has left many scratching their head over the potential unpleasantries that might transpire next. Apple on its part did confirm the breach won't affect consumer iTunes account and said no credit card data had been compromised...

Beat Jony Ive at his own game using this interactive iOS 7 design tool

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 22, 2013

After June's iOS 7 announcement us bloggers have gotten to become premium design experts. So much ink has been spilt on the new look of Apple's mobile operating system, with observations of armchair analyst, resident critics, the quotidian and alike touching on such topics as Apple's golden ratio, the icons, the flatness, the colors and just about every aspect of the software overhaul one could think of.

And that's perfectly okay. And now, those who insist they could do a better job at revamping iOS 7 can take a crack at it. An amusing tool by Usvsth3m lets you create your own iOS 7 design masterpiece by customizing the iOS 7 icons, wallpapers, fonts (good-bye Helvetica Neue, no?), color scheme, corners, shadows - and even put in their own slogan. Will you give it a go and let your inner designer shine through?

Researcher claims he alerted Apple of developer center vulnerability

Cody Lee ∙ July 22, 2013

As you've probably heard by now, Apple's developer center was hacked. The portal has been down for over 4 days now, as the company says it is completely overhauling its systems, updating its server software, and rebuilding its entire database.

A statement from Apple claims ‘an intruder’ attempted to secure personal information about developers from the site, but it provided no further details about the incident. Now, a security researcher is claiming responsibility for the attack...

WSJ: Apple testing 13-inch iPad, larger iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple and its suppliers are testing larger screens for iPhones and tablets, according to a new report by The Wall Street Journal. The outlet claims the Cupertino company has asked its Asian partners for a wide range of screen sizes for prototype devices.

In recent months, Apple has requested smartphone screens larger than 4 inches—the size of the displays on its current iPhone and iPod, as well as screen designs for a new tablet device that is said to measure slightly less than 13 inches diagonally...

Apple developer site hacked, some info may have been exposed

Cody Lee ∙ July 21, 2013

On Friday, we noted that Apple's developer center—where it hosts downloads, documentation and other resources—had been down for a record 48 hours. Well here it is Sunday, and the dev portal appears to still be out of commission.

At first, the company was mum on the outage, saying only that it was sorry that "maintenance was taking longer than expected," and that it would make up for the lost time. But today, it broke the silence, announcing it has been hacked...

Screen recording app xRec hits App Store, works on non-jailbroken devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Capturing a video of whatever is on the screen of your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad in real-time normally requires a jailbroken device and one of useful Cydia apps such as ScreenRecorder or Display Recorder by Ryan Petrich.

Official App Store solutions are unfortunately far and few between. And even when such an app does slip past the App Store approval team, it's only briefly.

Tapping iOS video recording APIs, xRec by developer Akın Öğünç lets you easily capture contents of your iDevice's screen, without having to jailbreak or cheat by hooking up your device to a computer to use a desktop screen capture software instead...

Apple Store app to be redesigned with free iTunes content in iPhone sales push

Cody Lee ∙ July 20, 2013

Apple will release a new version of its Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPod touch next week, according to a new report. The update will include a redesigned interface and a handful of new features, including free downloadable iTunes content.

The move is said to be part of Tim Cook's goal to sell more iPhones direct from Apple's direct sales channels. Apparently, the plan is to get the app installed on as many device's as possible so that more people are exposed to the company's choice products...