Apple

My #1 next-gen iPhone feature request has nothing to do with Force Touch or better cameras

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 14, 2015

A bunch of short-sighted analysts are downgrading $AAPL on the basis that the rumored Force Touch screen on the 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' won't be enough of a hardware differentiator to motivate owners of the present-generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to upgrade.

To them, I say: you'd be hard-pressed to call Force Touch the defining feature of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. A convenience, yes. But a marquee new feature? No way.

But wait, what about “the biggest camera jump ever”? Surely a rumored 12-megapixel back shooter with 4K video capture and a five-megapixel upgrade to the iPhone's paltry 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera would warrant an upgrade?

While perks like substantial camera upgrades, force-sensing screens, faster chips, two times faster LTE and a stronger body are much appreciated, these expected enhancements won't convince me to upgrade my rusty old iPhone 6 Plus unless the forthcoming phones offer this one feature I have been craving for years now.

Court denies Samsung’s latest appeal request in ongoing patent case

Cody Lee ∙ August 13, 2015

The US Federal Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied Samsung's request to reconsider the court's decision to uphold damages awarded in its patent infringement case, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The damages amount to more than $400 million.

This is just the latest turn in what seems to be a never-ending patent case between Samsung and Apple. In 2012, a jury found Samsung guilty of infringing on Apple's patents and awarded the iPhone maker $1 billion in damages, which has since been cut in half.

New Apple diversity report shows growth in hires of minority workers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Apple on Thursday issued an updated diversity report, to provide transparency on its efforts to beef up hiring of women and minorities. The company is one of many Silicon Valley firms that has been criticized for having a mostly white, male work force.

According to Apple's data, men still account for 69% of its workforce, and 54% of its US employees are white. It's trying to move the needle though, as it's hired 11,000 women since last year's report (an increase of 65%), and over 5000 non-white workers.

Apple designer Marc Newson criticizes auto industry over lack of progress

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

An interview with the world renown designer and recent Apple-hire Marc Newson popped up in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, covering a wide range of topics. The discussion yielded a number of interesting tidbits, including Newson's thoughts on automotive design.

When asked what his design pet-peeve is, News responds unapologetically "the automotive industry." He goes on to elaborate, "there were moments when cars somehow encapsulated everything that was good about progress. But right now we’re at the bottom of a trough."

Apple releases iTunes 12.2 with Beats 1 and Apple Music fixes and enhancements

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2015

In addition to releasing the iOS 8.4.1 software update for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad with Apple Music fixes and enhancements, and the OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 software update with a crucial patch for the dangerous DYLD exploit and more, Apple today also posted a new version of iTunes with a bunch of fixes and improvements.

Among other things, iTunes 12.2 for Mac and Windows contains improvements for Beats 1, Apple Music and Connect features while fixing a few issues with the software.

Apple releases OS X 10.10.5 with patch for DYLD bug and other fixes

Cody Lee ∙ August 13, 2015

In addition to iOS 8.4.1, Apple on Thursday also seeded OS X Yosemite 10.10.5, a free update for Macs. The release comes after two developer betas and a month of testing, and you can find it in the Updates tab of the Mac App Store.

Most notably, the update features a patch for the DYLD privilege escalation bug that was discovered earlier this month. Apple says in the release notes that the software includes fixes for both Mail and Photos apps, as well as QuickTime.

Samsung unveils Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note5 as new iPhones loom on the horizon

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2015

Samsung held its Unpacked 2015 media event this morning, a few weeks earlier than usual as the firm looks to steal Apple's thunder. Predictably, they unveiled two new devices: an even larger-screened Galaxy S6 with a curved screen, officially called Galaxy S6 edge+, and a fifth-generation Note phablet marketed as the Galaxy Note5.

Both devices run Android 5.1.

In addition, the South Korean conglomerate said Samsung Pay, its own mobile payment service, will go head-to-head with Apple Pay this September.

Grab Civilization: Beyond Earth for Mac for $20 today, down from $50

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2015

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth has dropped to just $20 on the Mac App Store today, down from its regular asking priced of $50 a pop.

Developed by Firaxis and ported over to the Mac platform by Aspyr Media, Beyond Earth is a premium sci-fi strategy game set in the distant future in which a series of unfortunate global events have destabilized the world “leading to a collapse of modern society, a new world order and an uncertain future for humanity”.

Apple releasing Boot Camp 6 with full Windows 10 compatibility and updated drivers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2017

Apple's Boot Camp utility, which allows Mac customers to boot directly into Windows, is getting an important update later today bringing full compatibility for Windows 10 to 64-bit Intel-based Mac notebooks and desktops.

The update allows a wide range of Mac systems dating back to 2012 models to run Windows 10 natively, as opposed to running Microsoft's operating system and OS X side by side using virtualization software like Parallel's Desktop for Mac.

Deutsche Telekom opens online reservations for upcoming iPhones ahead of September’s unveiling

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 13, 2015

German wireless carrier and one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, Deutsche Telekom, has opened an online reservations system for customers looking to buy unreleased next-generation iPhones, likely to be marketed under the 'iPhone 6s' and 'iPhone 6s Plus' monikers.

German blog Apfelpage.de, which first reported on the news Thursday morning, said customers can register their interest with the carrier promising to expedite delivery as soon as the new iPhones become available, on a first come first served basis.

Microsoft Office apps pick up better Outlook integration with ‘Send with Outlook’ and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2015

Microsoft today issued refreshed Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad in the App Store. The new versions of these mobile productivity apps include several new features, most notably tighter integration with Microsoft's Outlook for iOS app.

In addition to richer Outlook integration across all three apps, you can now change selected text in Word to uppercase, lowercase, sentence case and more, as well as view comments in PowerPoint next to the slide in a task pane.

Apple recalling some third-generation Apple TV models due to faulty component

Cody Lee ∙ August 12, 2015

Apple is recalling some third-generation Apple TV models due to a faulty component, reports MacRumors. The site says that the company began contacting select customers yesterday who recently purchased an Apple TV, informing them that their devices had shipped with an unspecified faulty part.

Alongside the warning, Apple is offering to exchange the bad set-top boxes for new units shipped from the company. As of Wednesday afternoon, no word had been posted on Apple's official website regarding the recall, suggesting that the amount of affected devices out in the wild is fairly small.