Apple

iWatch parts, tech specs and design leaked by claimed schematics

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 8, 2014

With just a little more than 24 hours to go until Apple's major September 9 media event, an anonymous Reddit post on Monday shared half a dozen technical drawings seemingly revealing a plethora of iWatch parts while pointing at the device's rectangular appearance, a round sensor plate at the bottom and other design features.

While Reddit is not an accurate source of leaks, the detailed nature of the schematics (reposted on Imgur) should not be dismissed lightly even though we can't vouch for the veracity of the images nor can we confidently say the device pictured is in fact Apple's wearable gizmo.

Twitter testing upcoming Buy button

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

Twitter, the popular micro-blogging service, on Monday said it started testing a new Buy button with a small percentage of its users in the United States.

The company said the feature, which allows users to buy products directly from the tweet, is part of a broader effort to make shopping from mobile devices “convenient and easy, hopefully even fun”.

Launch partners include Fancy, Gumroad, Musictoday, Stripe and many more. Users will get access to offers and merchandise “they can’t get anywhere else,” with the ability to buy stuff directly in Twitter's mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Apple said to use tokenization tech to secure mobile payments

Cody Lee ∙ September 7, 2014

Bank Innovation is out with a new report this evening, claiming that Apple will be utilizing tokenization technology in conjunction with NFC in its upcoming mobile payment service. Token tech is a favorite amongst financial institutions, as it's considered to be extremely secure.

How it works is that instead of transmitting account and credit card numbers, tokenization sends complex codes over the air between devices. These codes are only used one time, so even if they are intercepted by a third-party with the intent of fraud, they would be of no use.

Video offers a closer look at a stronger 2,915mAh battery possibly bound for iPhone 6

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2014

The prolific leakers over at the French blog NowhereElse.fr [Google Translate] on Sunday have managed to get hold of a short video which purportedly shows off a 2,915mAh battery said to be bound for a 5.5-inch iPhone 6.

In the past week or so, we've been treated to several sightings of 1,810mAh, 2,100mAh and 2,915mAh batteries for the upcoming Apple handsets.

This, however, marks the first time the part's been captured on video.

Compared to the ~1,560mAh unit inside the iPhone 5s, this alleged iPhone 6 battery is twice as strong. Whether the added juice is only meant to power the iPhone 6's power-hungry 5.5-inch screen alongside new sensors and an NFC chip for mobile payments, or perhaps extend the handset's total run time, shall remain anyone's guess until next Tuesday, 10am PT.

September 9: the redesigned iPhone 6 and the mysterious iWatch

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Ever since the introduction of the iPhone 5s, the Apple community has been looking forward to the iPhone 6 in hopes of receiving two much-wanted features – a larger screen and considerably longer battery life. These expectations, fed by countless rumors of everything from a built-in barometer to an NFC chip, are reaching an all-time high as the iPhone 6 is nearing launch.

For quite a while now, rumors of an Apple-made wearable device – commonly referred to as "iWatch" – have been floating around, stirring excitement among Apple users and urging Android vendors such as Samsung and Motorola to introduce their own smartwatches. While these devices are largely limited to displaying notifications and dealing with minor tasks, Apple's iWatch is rumored to focus heavily on health sensors and tracking.

With Apple making official the predictions of a September 9 event, the world is breathlessly awaiting the unveiling of whatever Apple has been developing over the past few years. This event could very well be the biggest Apple has had since the 2007 introduction of the original iPhone.

Apple and Disney upgrading in-store iBeacon/NFC ahead of iPhone 6 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

Here's another piece of evidence to help complete the Apple mobile payments puzzle: according to a new report by 9to5Mac, Apple and Disney stores in the United States have been upgrading in-store iBeacon transmitters and NFC sensors ahead of the company's big reveal on Tuesday.

The upgraded sensors, which include the new Gimbal Series 20 Proximity Beacons, will allow the companies to track customers inside their stores with an even greater degree of precision.

As it's been widely reported, both the iPhone 6 and iWatch are rumored to be outfitted with a Near-Field Communication (NFC) chip to support mobile payments. It's “one of the hallmark features” of the iPhone 6, according to Wired. The Apple wearable device has “a role in mobile payments,” too, as per The Wall Street Journal.

Nearly half of Flyover locations now have city tour enabled under iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2014

In the run-up to the forthcoming iOS 8 launch, Apple appears to have recently added dozens of cities and landmarks to the automated three-dimensional Flyover tours available in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, according to evidence MacRumors discovered Sunday. Specifically, as many as 40 locations are Flyover city tour-enabled out of the 90 cities where regular Flyovers are available.

Apple has also been expanding Flyover coverage with the latest additions of the Yosemite National Park in the United States and Wellington in New Zealand.

From China with love: iPhone 6 video preview, or is it?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 4, 2017

Following yesterday's batch of videos featuring an alleged iPhone 6 booting to iOS 8, a new footage has surfaced Sunday morning offering what appears to be the most detailed video overview of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 6 ahead of Tuesday's keynote.

Shared by French blog NowhereElse.fr [Google Translate] and running seven minutes and seventeen seconds long, the interesting clip found after the break is not of Gizmodo's iPhone 4 magnitude.

That being said, it does offer a series of comparisons between a device which appears to be an iPhone 6 and the current-generation iPhone 5s, including stock apps like Camera and more.

Poll: is leaked iPhone 6 design too Android-ish?

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2014

With 48 hours until Apple's big reveal, we've by now seen our fair share of leaked footage showing off a nearly-assembled 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and a new iOS 8 Passbook icon with a credit card pictogram on top.

There's also that fresh clip out of China making the rounds this morning, giving us our best look yet at purported iPhone 6 design and the smoothness of iOS 8 running on the device. Still, there's no denying that all some folks can muster after seeing these videos is Android.

I guess you could make an argument that the iPhone 6 design aesthetics are reminiscent of some high-end Android handsets from the likes of HTC and others. On the other hand, there are only so many ways to design a bar phone.

What are your feelings on the matter? Is the leaked iPhone 6 design too Android-ish for your tastes? And has the handset lost the design language that made it uniquely an iPhone, do you think?

Apple Store app offering ‘iMaschine’ free for a limited time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 1, 2018

Folks looking to kill some downtime this weekend should head on over to the Apple Store app. Apple is always offering up free iOS content in its digital storefront, and its latest benefaction is the popular beat-making app 'iMaschine.'

iMaschine promises to put "professional groove production in the palm of your hand." It features 16 pads with over 400 samples, a melody keyboard, and a voice recorder for vocals. You can even sample sounds directly from iTunes.

Apple said to be dominating shipping capacity out of China ahead of iPhone 6 event

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

TechCrunch is out with a late report this evening regarding Apple's supply chain movements ahead of next week's iPhone event. The outlet claims that it has once again taken over a majority of the shipping space out of China, likely to help move its new handsets.

In fact, Apple's shipping volume is apparently so high right now, that it's begun displacing shipments from other manufacturers. TC's Matthew Panzarino says that shippers, such as FedEx and UPS, are so booked up, it's causing delays for other major device makers.

Renowned designer Marc Newson joining Apple’s design team

Cody Lee ∙ September 5, 2014

Vanity Fair is reporting this afternoon that world-famous designer Marc Newson will be joining Apple's design team. His exact role is unknown at this time, but he will be working closely with long-time friend Jony Ive, and his design team, to help shape future products.

The outlet says that Newson will continue to be based out of the United Kingdom, but he will frequently travel to Cupertino. The designer has in the past collaborated with Ive on design work for Apple, but today's announcement makes his input and participation official.