Apple

Apple granted a patent that’d allow advanced car control via your iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2016

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on Tuesday granted Apple a patent that could be a perfect fit for Project Titan, its not-so-secretive electric car project.

The proposed invention outlines an advanced vehicle access control system that would permit an iPhone to do things like open your car doors, start or shut off the engine for specific time frames and for specific duration of time, adjust and activate personalized car settings and more.

“The feature set described in this invention went far beyond anything that could have been conceived working with CarPlay,” explains Patently Apple, which first caught wind of the granted patent.

Tim Cook reaffirms Apple has no desire to become a MVNO carrier

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 24, 2016

Apple CEO Tim Cook was interviewed at Startup Fest Europe in Amsterdam today by retired European Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Nellie Kroes.

Asked if Apple would consider launching its own telecommunications service to cut off carriers, Cook responded by ruling out an Apple MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator).

Cook said his company lacks the expertise to do so and reiterated that Apple is in fact quite content with the things carriers do.

Can’t remove your payment info from your Apple ID? Here’s why

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Not everyone wants to have their credit card or debit card linked to their Apple ID. Some people are afraid of having their financial information tied to online merchants and digital content stores because of the unfortunate reality of identity theft and unauthorized purchases.

With that in mind, what should you do if you don't want a credit card that you've already linked to your Apple ID to be there, but the 'None' payment method option isn't showing for you?

We'll talk about that in this post and explain why the option isn't available to you.

Kuo: thinner MacBook Pro models coming with OLED touch bar and Touch ID

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro models later this year with a thinner design, built-in Touch ID and other new features, reports Ming-Chi Kuo. In a note to investors on Monday, the high-profile analyst said the Pro laptops will make their debut in Q4 of this year.

Kuo says this will be the "most significant upgrade ever undertaken by Apple." In addition to an all-new thinner and lighter design, and Touch ID, the new MacBooks will also include an embedded OLED display touch bar, that will be located above the keyboard.

Another leaked schematics reaffirms dual-camera as iPhone 7 Plus exclusive

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

Differences between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6/6s and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus/6s Plus are mostly confined to screen size, battery and optical image stabilization on the bigger model.

With the next iPhone, this imaging gap between the regular-sized model and its 5.5-inch brethren is expected to widen by a significant margin.

Purported iPhone 7 technical drawing discovered on Chinese forum Baidu by Italian-language HDBlog serves as yet another indication that the flagship iPhone 7 Plus model will be exclusively outfitted with a rumored dual-camera system, leaving the regular-sized iPhone 7 model with modest photography improvements stemming from a larger camera package.

New concept video imagines assumed iPhone 7 Plus features based on the rumors

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

Apple's next smartphone refresh may or may not bring a major design overhaul to the iPhone that fans have been holding their breath for, but we still fully expect the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus to be worthwhile upgrades in terms of both the looks and the features.

The rumor-mill does think, however, the device could have a cleaner look and feel due to the antenna lines being relocated to the very top and bottom.

The rear camera is said to protrude less from the housing and have a bevelled look and we might even get a pair of grilles at the bottom for stereo speakers. Taking it all in, Dutch 3D artist Jermaine Smit has imagined the iPhone 7 Plus in a concept video.

Apple seeds first betas for OS X 10.11.6 and tvOS 9.2.2 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ May 23, 2016

In addition to iOS 9.3.3, Apple on Monday also issued first betas for OS X 10.11.6 and tvOS 9.2.2 to developers. The new 10.11.6 beta, build 15G7a, can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or via the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store, and tvOS 9.2.2 can be installed via iTunes or Apple Configurator.

Production machinery orders spiking ahead of iPhone’s switch to OLED screens

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

Many in the rumor-mill agree that Apple is planning to build an iPhone around the brighter, more power efficient AMOLED screen tech. New clues of 2017 bringing a major change to the iPhone's display technology appeared with news this morning that the world's top maker of display-making equipment, Applied Materials, reported an almost fourfold leap in orders for OLED production machinery.

Spotify price-matches Apple Music’s $14.99 per month family plan

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Spotify may currently be running circles around Apple Music with the more than 30 million paid accounts versus about 13 million paying customers on Apple's music service, but that doesn't mean they're standing still.

In an attempt to make its service more competitive with Apple's, Spotify said today that families of six can now subscribe for just $14.99 per month, or appropriate local pricing, effectively price-matching Apple Music's family plan.

Camera bump to remain part of iPhone design for another year, leaked photo suggests

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

A claimed photo of an alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 7 backplate, which surfaced on a Weibo account this morning, gives us a closer look at the handset's protruding camera, cleaner antenna lines and more. Prior leaks showed a camera design not flush with the housing, but the new photo suggests that the rear camera could be slightly bevelled, too.

Airmail 3 for OS X is here, brings best features from its iOS edition to the Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 23, 2016

Developer Bloop on Monday issued a major update to its excellent OS X email client on the Mac App Store, Airmail. Available as a free upgrade for existing users, Airmail 3 brings some of the best features from its iPhone and iPad edition to the Mac.

In addition to improved handling of your VIP contacts and the ability to quickly reply to emails from a notification, Airmail 3 includes a rich set of options for customizing your menus, gestures, keyboard shortcuts and folders.

The app now integrates with your calendar, has a lot faster message rendering engine, will sync more settings via iCloud between OS X and iOS editions (rules, VIP contacts and Smart Folders) and more.

Apple asks suppliers to prepare for much higher-than-expected iPhone 7 production

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 25, 2017

Peak iPhone? If the latest supply chain report is to be trusted, the Cupertino firm doesn't envision iPhone sales tapering off anytime soon, at least not this year. Barron's said Monday, citing a report in the Taiwanese publication Economic Daily Times, that Apple has now asked its contract manufacturers and Asian suppliers to prepare for a much higher-than-expected iPhone 7 production volume in 2016.

Instead of ordering about 65 million handsets, which would have been in line with what Wall Street had been predicting, Apple needs between 72-78 million units of the new iPhone produced this year.