Apple

Celebrate Star Wars Day with discounted games, featured books, TV shows & movies, Disney events and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

Today is Star Wars Day, an unofficial annual celebration of everything Star Wars, and Apple is joining festivities with limited-time discounts on select Star Wars-themed games and In-App Purchases for the iPhone and iPad on the App Store.

In addition, the iBooks Store is running a dedicated Star Wars section highlighting books, comics, graphic novels and other Star Wars content.

But we're only getting started.

The iTunes Store has joined the big push by featuring Star Wars music, related television shows and additional iOS apps at standard prices, while Disney is pulling out all the stops with special events at its studios and resorts.

Google ends YouTube support on older Apple TVs and pre-iOS 6 hardware due to API changes

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 4, 2015

Following up on its original plan to end support for older Apple TVs, iPhones, iPods and iPads due to API changes, YouTube is no longer accessible on second-generation Apple TVs and iOS devices manufactured in 2012 and earlier, as first reported 9to5Mac.

The app has simply disappeared from the Home screen on second-generation devices, with owners of these boxes reporting inability to access the Settings menu option to hide or show it along with other channels.

Super Mario knockoff makes it into the App Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 31, 2018

We're not expecting this one to last long on the App Store so all you fans of retro gaming out there in search of a Super Mario Bros-like experience on your iPhone should act now before it's too late.

I'm old enough so you can trust me when I say that Super Bros! by Greek developer Papadakis Kostas (not to be confused with Greek pianist Konstantinos Papadakis) is the closest thing to the original game.

Somewhat incredibly, Super Bros! has managed to get past Apple's App Store review team and is available for download, for now. The $1.99 iPhone game is a total knockoff of the 1985 classic platform video game internally developed by Nintendo R&D4 and published by Nintendo as a pseudo-sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros.

Apple reportedly makes push to kill free music streaming tiers

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 4, 2015

The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly taking a closer look into Apple’s business practices ahead of the rumored Beats Music relaunch, with DOJ officials having already interviewed high-ranking music industry executives about Apple’s business habits, The Verge reported Monday.

Citing multiple sources, the publication claims that Apple's “aggressive tactics” have garnered scrutiny from DOJ, which has apparently taken issue with Apple's push to kill free Spotify streaming ahead of Beats relaunch. If true, the cunning move has the potential to reduce competition for Apple's music service as popular service like YouTube, Pandora, Rdio and others are also the target.

12.9″ iPad Pro rumored to feature stylus, NFC, Force Touch input, USB-C connector and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro is understood to include a number of interesting hardware features, including a Bluetooth stylus accessory, support for Force Touch input and a USB-C connector, AppleInsider has ostensibly learned from a person familiar with Apple's future product plans.

Dubbed by the press 'iPad Pro,' the device believed to be in the works should feature a larger 12.9-inch display, as rumored many times before. The timetable for release for this device is unknown at this point and AppleInsider is adamant that a number of changes are in tow to the iPad lineup.

Apple Watch and potential skin irritation

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

Apple makes a big deal of the materials with which the Watch and its many bands are made and has even put together a special Craftsmanship webpage and promotional videos highlighting why its materials represent an achievement in itself.

Some people, however, who suffer from allergies or are simply sensitive to certain materials touching their skin should take into account the following tips and guidelines in order to avoid skin irritation, maximize comfort and prevent long-term damage to the device.

Hands-on video compares size of alleged iPad Pro cases with iPad Air 2

Cody Lee ∙ May 1, 2015

Popular YouTube channel Unbox Therapy on Friday posted a hands-on video with 2 alleged iPad Pro cases, comparing them in size and design with the iPad Air 2. The clip gives you a good idea of how much bigger the rumored 12-inch iPad would be than the current 9.7-inch model.

Additionally, the cases add weight to the accuracy of previous industrial renderings and case leaks. Despite the fact that they come from different manufacturers, and are made up of different materials, they're identical to both each other and many past cases in terms of size and features.

Apple confirms tattoos can impact heart rate sensor performance on Apple Watch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

In an update to an Apple Watch support document this week, Apple confirms that tattoos around the forearm and wrist area can impact the heart rate sensor performance on the wearable. Earlier this week, Watch owners took to Twitter and Reddit to complain that their tattoos were causing all sorts of errors with the device.

Apple addresses the issue in a document entitled "Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it." Many factors, it says, can affect the performance of the Watch's heart rate sensor, including skin perfusion (blood flow), irregular motion/movements, and permanent or temporary changes to your skin.

Poll: should Apple allow third-party Watch faces?

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2015

Apple touts rich personalization through custom faces as one of the cornerstones of its wearable device, but not everyone agrees. Skimming through your comments paints quite a different picture as tinkerers and jailbreakers alike are clearly big on the idea of third-party faces for the Apple Watch.

As much as built-in ones are customizable with tint colors and complications, surely official Twitter or Facebook faces that showed current status, photos and what not would have been much appreciated, am I right?

As third-party faces development is a highly polarizing issue among the Apple faithful, we're curious to hear your position on the matter.

So, should Apple deliver?

20 new Flyover locations added to Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2015

The Apple Maps service has expanded Flyover coverage to an additional twenty locations around the world. Following today's update, owners of iPhone, iPod, iPad or Mac devices in the United States, Australia, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Spain can being enjoying realistic three-dimensional virtual tours of select cities and landmarks, including the Arches National Park in Utah, Mont Saint-Michel in France and many more.

38mm Apple Watch Sport component costs estimated to begin at $81.20

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2015

Based on the initial Apple Watch teardown analysis conducted by hardware experts at iFixit, Chipworks and ABI, research firm IHS Technology has now estimated the cost of components — so-called bill of material — that go into building each 38mm aluminum Apple Watch Sport at $81.20.

The figure excludes other significant costs associated with assembly, packaging, delivery, logistics, overhead, marketing, sales, licensing, advertising and other related expenses.

For clarity, Apple CEO Tim Cook said on an earnings call earlier this week that component cost breakdowns around Apple products are inaccurate and “much different than the reality.”

Here’s what Apple’s custom designed Apple Watch ‘S1’ chip packs in

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2016

The Apple Watch is driven by Apple's in-house designed system-in-package (SiP) processor, called S1. Laying flat in the bottom of the Watch casing, it integrates many subsystems into one remarkably compact module, essentially miniaturizing an entire computer architecture onto a single chip.

Because it's completely encapsulated in resin to protect the electronics, neither experienced teardown wizards over at iFixit nor semiconductor experts at Chipworks were able to take a detailed look at the S1 innards without basically destroying the package.

Thankfully, ABI Research saw to that.

Thursday, the research firm has published its teardown analysis which delves into the S1 to identify a number of individual components that make up the SiP. Here's what they found.