Apple

Suppliers projecting 50M iPhone shipments in Q1

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 16, 2017

After shipping a record-smashing 74.5 million handsets during the holiday quarter, representing more than half of Apple’s total revenue for the quarter, the Cupertino firm could be poised to move about 50 million iPhone units in the first quarter of this year.

Tuesday, trade publication DigiTimes cited estimates by Taiwanese handset suppliers who expect shipments of iPhone devices to grow from the 43.7 million units in the year-ago quarter to as many as 50 million shipments in Q1 2015, a 14.4 percent annual increase.

Slow Shutter! available for free within the Apple Store app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

Those of you who enjoy app deals may be interested to know that Slow Shutter! has gone free for a limited time. Apple is currently offering promo codes for the popular camera app, which typically costs $1.99, within its Apple Store app.

Slow Shutter's flagship feature is its ability to capture long-exposure photographs. This means that you can create the kind of beautiful photos of moving objects (think moving cars at night) typically reserved for more expensive cameras.

Review: PlugBug World by Twelve South, the versatile little charger Apple should have made

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2015

Aren't you sick and tired of those unsightly, clunky wall chargers lying underneath your desk? I'm all for simplification so solutions that cut down the number of power adapters needed to juice up my devices are bound to win my attention.

Twelve South's PlugBug World is a cute hybrid charger which connects to any MacBook brick or Apple USB wall charger.

By integrating an additional 2.1-Amp USB port, this compact accessory can quickly recharge any iOS device, or a lower-powered USB device, while feeding power to a MacBook at the same time.

Continue reading as I let you in on the PlugBug's little secrets, such as its cunning adaptability, versatility and smart design choices that make it stand out from other products and turn it into an indispensable companion in your mobile arsenal.

Failed sapphire plant to become global command center for Apple cloud

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2015

Apple's dream of engineering an unbreakable iPhone has shattered spectacularly to pieces after its ambitiously conceived manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona has failed to produce sapphire-hardened sheets of glass on an industrial scale, prompting its partner GT Advanced Technology to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. But that doesn't mean there's no just as grand plan B for the mega-facility.

Bloomberg is reporting, and Apple has confirmed, that the Arizona plant will become a “command center” for Apple's worldwide network of data center.

Apple seeds iOS 8.2 beta 5 to developers

Jake Smith ∙ February 2, 2015

Apple has seeded a new beta build of iOS 8.2 to developers on Tuesday, marking the fifth build of the software.

The new software, build number 12D5480a, is available to download over-the-air and should be available through the Developer Center soon. Apple claims the new beta "contains bug fixes and improvements."

Todoist shows off its Apple Watch productivity app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2015

When I think of it, the more it seems to me that the Apple Watch will be a boon to my productivity. For instance, the Watch will send me meeting reminders and calendar invitations, which beats having to pull an iPhone out of my pocket.

Todoist, a cloud-based task and project-management service, promises to do the same for to-do lists. Their Watch app is nearly finished and now developers have shared screenshots (via TechCrunch) and a video which demonstrates how Todoist will bring to-do lists and task management to the wrist.

Google Earth Pro goes free, a $399 per year saving

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

The Internet giant Google announced over the weekend that the Google Earth Pro desktop application is now available at no cost. A business-oriented upgrade to Google Earth, Google Earth Pro used to command an annual subscription fee of $399 so this is a significant development.

It has more features than the standard edition of Google Pro, including map-making tools and add-on software such as movie making, GIS data importer, advanced printing modules, radius and area measurements and more.

Samsung schedules ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2015’ event for March 1

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The South Korean consumer electronics giant, Samsung, today announced that it will be holding its annual ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ event next month, as reported by the SamMobile blog.

Titled ‘Galaxy Unpacked 2015,’ the event is scheduled for March 1, coinciding with Mobile World Congress which runs March 2-5 in Barcelona, Spain.

Of course, we fully expect the Galaxy S6, or whatever it's called, to go head-to-head against Apple's latest iPhones. The invites have gone out to select members of the press and feature black background, what appears to be a profile of a curved device and the “What's Next” tagline tease.

Brand new Apple Store is opening in Tianjin, China this coming Saturday

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 2, 2015

Apple's retail expansion in China, coinciding with the Chinese New Year festivities, continues unabated with a brand new store now scheduled to open in Tianjin on Saturday, February 7, at 10am local time, as noted on the company's Chinese retail website.

The brick-and-mortar store is located near the Nankai District in the city of Tainjin, a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China.

Apple airs its first advertisement targeted specifically at China

Jake Smith ∙ February 1, 2015

No, not a Super Bowl advertisement.

The China arm of Apple has debuted its first television advertisement in the region on Sunday, during a time when China has been crucial to Apple's quarterly profits.

The one minute and a half advertisement, shown on the Apple China website and titled "Start Something New", is geared towards the Chinese New Year. It's similar to the US Apple advertisement called "The Song".

Report: Apple Stores to keep gold Watches in MagSafe-equipped safes overnight

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 31, 2015

Apple will house those pricey Apple Watch “Edition” units in safes overnight, according to the well-informed blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.

Unnamed sources told the author that each Apple retail store that'll carry the device is going to be outfitted with safes designed to keep the most pricey version of the wrist-worn device protected from theft while charging overnight. The Apple Watch “Edition” features a case crafted from 18-karat gold.

Some of the stores have reportedly already begun installing the safes ahead of the Watch’s launch in April.

Apple wants some Watch apps ready in two weeks

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 30, 2015

According to sources who spoke to MacRumors on condition of anonymity, Apple told certain developers to have their Watch apps ready by mid-February.

Ostensibly, among them is one of biggest Apple Pay partners who was reportedly asked to prepare an iOS app with WatchKit support and have it ready to launch in the App Store by February 12.

The wrist-worn gizmo is arriving in April, Apple CEO told investors on an earnings call earlier this week. Conventional wisdom says testing third-party apps ahead of the launch is necessary to ensure key Watch apps work properly and, more importantly, don't create a major drain on the battery.

Another possibility: carefully-selected developers get a chance to show off their apps at a launch event, assuming there's any. In addition to furthering the Watch narrative, featuring third-party apps in live demos at another event would go a great length toward explaining what the Watch is really for and maybe turn us all into believers.

Sounds plausible?