Apple

Apple, Amazon and Google in the bidding war to acquire Toshiba’s flash chip unit

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 1, 2017

Although Toshiba saw strong overall results from its HDD/SSD business in 2016, it's spinning off the lucrative NAND flash unit into a separate company. It's a last-ditch effort to plug a gap after the firm reported a heavy one-off $6.3 billion loss in December 2016, prompting its chairman to resign.

Korean Herald cited yesterday's report in Yomiuri Shimbun Daily claiming that Apple, Amazon and Google are engaged in a bidding war to acquire the Japanese giant's NAND flash unit. A very diverse conglomerate, Toshiba is Apple’s top supplier of memory chips for iOS devices and files as the second-largest flash chip maker in the world after Samsung Electronics.

Now that Apple has stopped discounting USB-C accessories, check out these cheaper alternatives

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 1, 2017

It was fun while it lasted: the age of Apple's discounted USB-C adapters and dongles is over as of today. But don't you worry as we just updated our roundups of cheaper USB-C adapters and USB-C cables from third-party vendors that you may need for your new MacBook Pro.

Following complaints from customers regarding the need for various dongles, Apple temporarily discounted many USB-C peripherals sold in its stores as a way to assuage their concerns. The limited-time deals were supposed to end on December 31, 2016 but the company extended the price cuts until March 31, 2017.

You can now search over a million unique Stories on Snapchat

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Snapchat users can now search over one million unique Stories on the ephemeral messaging service, the company said Friday.

“We’re rolling out Stories in Search starting today in select cities and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do,” said the company.

To find a Story that might interest you, simply enter a keyword in the Snapchat for iPhone's search field to instantly see relevant Stories.

Check out Twitter’s new default profile image replacing the infamous egg avatar

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

In a blog post today titled “Rethinking our default profile photo”, Twitter announced that accounts without a profile image will now show a new, more generic avatar rather than the old icon resembling an egg. Twitter recently added new features to its mobile app in the form of notification filters that let you filter out “egg” accounts, as well as mute words, phrases and more in your timelines. The original egg profile image has lasted on the service for full seven years, but it's now run its course.

Apple hires former YouTube and Spotify veteran to help shape its video content strategy

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Apple has hired Shiva Rajaraman, a product leader formerly with Google's YouTube, Spotify and Twitter, to accelerate its failing video content strategy, The Information reported yesterday citing people familiar with the matter. The paywall'd article cites three people briefed on the hiring as saying that Rajaraman will help shape Apple’s video strategy to take on established players like Amazon and Netflix.

Barclays: iPhone 8 to sport 3D sensors on both front and back

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with a few other sources, believes Apple will bet heavily on augmented reality with iPhone 8. He predicted the device's front-facing camera will use a bespoke 3D sensor to let users take 3D selfies, map their surroundings, scan nearly any real-world object in three dimensions and more.

Analysts Andrew Gardiner, Hiral Patel, Joseph Wolf, Blayne Curtis and Mark Moskowitz reported in a Friday research note, obtained by 9to5Mac, that iPhone 8 may use a second 3D sensor out the back for augmented reality features.

Watch new iPad Pro ads highlighting portability, all-day battery and educational features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Yesterday, Apple expanded its collection of iPad Pro ads based on real tweets from real people with a trio of new videos running fifteen seconds long each. The commercials highlight the device's light weight, portability, all-day battery life and the many advantages it brings to students in school. Using the “Real problems... answered” tagline, the clips can be streamed from Apple's official YouTube channel.

Apple’s new “Live Bright” ad highlights best Apple Watch Series 2 features

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Apple on Friday published a new commercial for Apple Watch Series 2 via its YouTube channel. Titled “Live Bright” and running one minute and fourteen seconds long, the video takes viewers on a quick tour of some of the best new features of Apple's second-generation wearable device, including built-in GPS, water resistance to 50 meters, a dual-core S2 chip “and a display that’s two times brighter than before”.

Barclays: 2017 iPhones will have True Tone display

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

According to research note from Barclays, obtained by MacRumors, all three iPhone models this year will adopt True Tone technology that's currently available only on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

The research notes states that both Apple's rumored all-new iPhone 8 model with an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display and the iterative LCD-based iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus will each include a “full spectral sensing” ambient light sensor to support a “True Color” screen.

Download Panols free via Apple Store app to create stunning panoramas for Instagram

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Apple is giving away Panols for a limited time, a $1.99 savings, but only through its official Apple Store app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Created by Juan Arreguin, Panols allows you to share the panoramic photos taken with your iPhone, as well as other photos stored in your photo library, with Instagram users everywhere. Taking advantage of Instagram's profile grid, Panols showcases your panoramas to their full effect in the standard three-across display view.

You can edit the name, description and geolocation of all your photos and be assured that your original photo will remain intact as the app uses a copy for all edits.

SAP Cloud Platform SDK for iOS now available to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Apple said yesterday that a software-development kit (SDK) for SAP Cloud Platform development is now available to iOS developers. Announced in May 2016, the Apple-SAP partnership aims to help reinvent business processes and workflows. The SDK lets developers build native iOS apps in Swift, Apple’s modern programming language, and integrate them with SAP's Cloud Platform.

For the uninitiated, SAP is a German business software maker that writes enterprise software for managing business operations and customer relations.

Apple officially opens iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in India

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 31, 2017

Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing and the guy in charge of all App Stores at Apple, announced on Twitter this morning that the company's iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in the Yelahanka area of Bengaluru in India is officially opening. Bengaluru is the home of India’s startup scene. The populous country has some of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world.

Apple also published useful resources at developer.apple.com/accelerator, including information pertaining to local iOS development scene.