Apple

Apple on the hook for $5+ million over hindered performance of older iPhones with iOS 9

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2015

Apple is under fire over planned obsolescence concerning the iOS 9 software update, with a new class-action lawsuit accusing the company of intentionally slowing older iPhone models with the update, AppleInsider reported Wednesday.

Filed with a New York district court on Tuesday, the lawsuit also accuses Apple of deceptive trade practices and false advertising which assured customers that iOS 9 would run fine on older handsets dating back to four-year-old iPhone 4s models without stating that the upgrade would cripple legacy handsets severely.

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Apple said to be close to signing OLED deal with Samsung and LG Display for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 30, 2015

A report Wednesday by ET News contends that Apple is “close” to signing a definitive supply agreement with both Samsung Display and LG Display concerning OLED screens for future iPhones.

Although iOS devices have used ubiquitous liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels since their inception, organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology features deeper blacks and requires less power because it doesn't need a power-hungry backlight module to illuminate the pixels.

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Twitter hires Apple’s Director of Worldwide Inclusion & Diversity, Jeffrey Siminoff

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016
Twitter's bird logo set against a transparent background

Twitter has hired Jeffrey Siminoff away from Apple, TechCrunch discovered on Tuesday. Twitter's human resources chief Brian Schipper has since confirmed the hire on Twitter, saying that Siminoff will serve as the micro-blogging startup's new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, replacing its departing director Janet Van Buysse who spent six years at the company.

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iPhone 6c rumored to sport a larger battery, Touch ID and A9 chip with 2GB of RAM

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

According to a report Tuesday published by Chinese publication MyDrivers and relayed by Gadgetz Arena, Apple's rumored iPhone 6c will surprisingly run the in-house designed A9 system-on-a-chip that powers the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus and include two gigabytes of RAM for smooth multitasking—again, just like the current-generation iPhone models..

Citing unnamed sources at Foxconn, Apple's manufacturing partner, the report states that the device will enter mass production in January for an early-2016 launch.

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Check out Snapdrop, a web-based clone of Apple’s AirDrop

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

The easiest way to share content between your Mac and an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is AirDrop, a device-to-device wireless transfer technology built into the bowels of iOS and OS X. But when you want to transfer files between Apple devices and other platforms, AirDrop isn't very helpfu.

AirDrop, as you know, is limited to iOS and OS X and doesn't work on Android, Windows or other operating systems and computing platforms. Enter Snapdrop, an interesting web-based HTML5 clone of AirDrop by German developer Robin Linus.

Billed as the easiest way to transfer files across different devices, Snapdrop runs in a web browser and doesn't require you to install any special software. But does it work as advertised? Read on to find out.

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Apple files trademark applications for Beats 2, 3, 4 and 5 radio stations

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple’s streaming music deals include permissions for additional Beats stations and now it's come to light that the Cupertino firm back in November filed trademark applications for Beats 2, Beats 3, Beats 4 and Beats 5 stations with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

As first reported by the French blog Consomac, all four trademark applications are assigned to “Beats Electronics, LLC” and the word marks look just like the existing logo for the Beats 1 radio station.

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Patents hint that broadcast TV and presence detection features may be coming to Apple TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple is researching a pair of interesting new features to give its fourth-generation Apple TV some new smarts and make the box more TV-like. Titled “User detection by a computing device” and “Input device & user interface interactions”, these inventions outline a fresh new user interface for changing channels on an iOS device and a presence-aware remote to keep playing content as long as someone is in the room.

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Popular puzzle game Har•mo•ny 3 is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple has named the puzzle game Har•mo•ny 3 from BorderLeap its new Free App of the Week in the App Store, meaning you can download the $1.99 iPhone, iPod touch and iPad game at no charge until this coming Thursday.

Released seven months ago as a third game in the series, Har•mo•ny 3 is framed as a challenging puzzle game of “beautiful colors and captivating music, unified in perfect harmony”.

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Hyundai confirms CarPlay will launch in 2016 Sonata, with a twist

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

The Detroit Free Press reported Monday that the automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company will release CarPlay-enabled Sonata in the first quarter of 2016. Apple’s software platform for the car will require Sonata owners to “buy an SD card with new software” to access CarPlay features.

This sounds like an odd implementation of CarPay given that Hyundai already offers Google's Android Auto software integration at no additional charge.

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Apple wants additional $180 million in supplemental damages from Samsung

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 28, 2015

Apple wants a Christmas present from Samsung in the form of an additional $180 million in supplemental damages (damages for infringements after the cutoff date of the jury trial), FOSS Patents reported this past weekend.

The iPhone maker on Christmas Eve filed a motion seeking the additional $180 million on top of the initial $548 million settlement that Samsung has agreed to pay to Apple (though a reimbursement may be demanded later).

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