Apple

iPod shuffle could be next on the chopping block

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 8, 2015

The diminutive iPod shuffle, Apple's $49 clip-and-go music player, could get phased out in the near future as supplies of the device are dwindling across retail channels.

As noted by 9to5Mac, iPod shuffle shipping times on the Online Apple Store dropped to 7-10 days while Apple Retail Stores appear to have run out of stock around the country.

Contrast this to the iPod touch and nano, both of which continue to be available within 24 hours. Originally launched in January 2005 and having been through multiple iterations and form factor changes, the device hasn't been updated since September 2010 and therefore could easily be the next iPod model to fall victim of consumers' changing habits.

Apple rumored to be switching to OLED screens for future iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Apple is teaming up with its contract manufacturer Foxconn on building OLED-based screens for future smartphones and wearables, GforGames reported Thursday citing a fresh report from Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, one of the leading newspapers in Japan.

Foxconn is said to be working with touch panel company InnoLux, also an Apple supplier, to put together an ecosystem which will allow the production of sixth-gen low temperature poly-silicon films, aimed at entering mass production in 2016.

Apple to reportedly expand iOS beta testing to include retail employees

Timothy Reavis ∙ January 7, 2015

Breaking the long-held tradition of restricting iOS beta releases to developers and select Cupertino campus employees, Apple has plans to expand pre-release mobile software testing to select retail employees, according to a report today by Mark Gurman. The program is set to commence soon with a beta version of iOS and comes nearly half a year after Apple's introduction of public betas for OS X Yosemite, its desktop operating system.

Poll: how do you feel about Apple’s reportedly radical MacBook Air redesign?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 14, 2018

A well-sourced report from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman has ignited a heated debate on social media about the practicability of a brand new twelve-inch MacBook Air model as it's said to ditch standard USB ports, the SD Card slot and even its Thunderbolt I/O and MagSafe power connector in favor of a single, fully reversible USB Type-C port.

Critics who call it a step back usability-wise, not forward, mention the original MacBook Air which released in January 2008 with just one USB port on it. On the other hand, they forget that USB Type-C does a lot more than standard USB. For starters, it can safely replace Thunderbolt for video and data I/O and MagSafe for charging.

That being said, there are still some fundamental questions like how am I supposed to connect an iPhone to the machine if the only USB port is used for charging? I'll ellaborate on the viability of a one-port MacBook Air further below, but first tell us, if you will, your initial reactions to the purported design of the forthcoming notebook.

UBS research: Apple sold 69 million iPhones last quarter

Jake Smith ∙ January 7, 2015

The latest numbers from research firm UBS indicated Apple has blown its previous iPhone sales records by selling 69 million iPhones in the last quarter of 2014, fueled by the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus holiday sales. The rest of Wall Street believes Apple sold 65.5 million, however research from the UBS Evidence Lab says it sold close to four million more.

CES 2015: OWC puts desktop-class SSD into USB 3.0 thumb drive, previews FusionDrive-like app

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 7, 2015

At CES, Other World Computing launched several new products aimed at Apple users, including a new desktop-class solid state drive (SSD) packaged inside a tiny USB 3.0 thumb drive form factor and a work-in-progress version of the forthcoming Transwarp software which marries traditional hard drive to SSD cache akin to Apple's own FusionDrive solution.

CES 2015: upgraded Flir One thermal imager has 4x resolution, works with any Lightning iOS device

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 2, 2018

This time last year at at CES in Las Vegas, the world’s first private thermal imager, the Flir One, was announced and released six months later in the form of a case that slides onto an iPhone 5/5s. And now at CES 2015, a much improved version got unveiled which works with any Lightning-enabled iOS device and Android smartphones via USB.

Additionally, a Flir One software developer kit (SDK) was released in December for the iOS platform.

Android developers will gain access to the SDK in the Spring. Both iOS and Android editions of the Flir One SDK will let programmers write apps which access absolute temperature data for all pixels and control the camera’s shutter mode, in both manual and automatic settings.

Photos: Apple planning second cylindrical glass Apple Store in China

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Amid a global retail expansion that's been spanning recent years, Apple is duplicating the iconic design of the cylinder glass architecture of its Shanghai store to a new store in Chongqing, China. IFO Apple Store reports the Cupertino-based company dismantled the huge steel structure that has been covering the entrance for nearly the past year on Wednesday, revealing a 30-foot tall glass structure that will lead to the underground store like in Shanghai.

After T-Mobile, AT&T to roll over your unused data to the next month, but with a twist

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 7, 2015

Wednesday, AT&T promised to give folks on its shared plans rollover data. Beginning January 25, the more than 50 million of its Mobile Share Value customers will be able to carry over any unused cellular data allotment to the next month.

Any unused, shareable plan data in a given month gets rolled over to the next, as long as family members are on the same Mobile Share Value plan.

T-Mobile back in December launched a similar data rollover feature called Data Stash.

CES 2015: Pioneer unveils new CarPlay receivers with Sirius radio, advanced Bluetooth and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 9, 2016

Shortly after Kenwood went head to head with Pioneer with its own aftermarket receivers with CarPlay integration, the company responded by announcing a second-generation Networked Entertainment eXperience (NEX) in-dash receivers with CarPlay support.

Building on the features introduced in the previous NEX series (the $1400 AVIC-8000NEX, $1200 AVIC-7000NEX, $900 AVIC-6000NEX, $750 AVIC-5000NEX and $700 AVH-4000NEX), the updated receivers offer better displays, support for Bluetooth connectivity and are Sirius XM-Ready.

Facebook’s WhatsApp popularity continues with 700 million active users, vows improvements

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

WhatsApp, the huge messaging app owned by Facebook, announced on Tuesday that it now has 700 million monthly active users, making it one of the most popular networks on the entire web. The app, which allows users to send texts without paying for messaging plans through carriers, has reached its new milestone of 700 million active people by adding 100 million users since August.

Monster suing Apple Beats founders Dre and Iovine over headphone line

Jake Smith ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Monster, who helped create the original Beats headphones in 2007, is suing Apple's Beats Electronics in a San Mateo County Superior Court, USA Today first reported on Tuesday.

The suit, filed on Tuesday and discussed by Monster CEO Noel Lee at CES 2015, says that the Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre concealed the role of Monster and Lee in designing and engineering the headphone line, as well as educating them about engineering, manufacturing, distributing, and selling the headphones that Monster and Lee invented.