Apple

Apple allegedly brings new supplier on board to help solve iPhone 6 battery production woes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 5, 2016

Problems with mass production of ultra-thin batteries is among the reasons cited for a rumored delay of a 5.5-inch iPhone 6 model.

Last month, Asian sources said both LG Chemical and Samsung, Apple’s battery cell suppliers for the iPhone, were struggling to produce battery components measuring 2mm or less.

Apple's technical requirements apparently pose technical challenges as standard smartphone batteries have a thickness of roughly 2.8 – 2.9 millimeters. A new report alleges that Apple has now solved the issue by bringing a new supplier on board, Hsin Chu, Taiwan-based Simplo Technologies...

Apple’s fabled 12.9-inch iPad Pro rumored to launch before year-end

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2016

Apple's fabled large-screened iPad, dubbed by the press iPad Pro, is still on the table and should see a formal release before the end of this year, if you trust a report from the Economic Daily newspaper.

The Chinese publication also said earlier this morning that the iWatch will be launching during the third quarter of 2014 in three models and two sizes, with a high-end model ostensibly incorporating a screen with a sapphire-glass coating.

While we don't put too much faith into reports by Chinese media, Economic Daily's accuracy is better than that of most other Chinese and Taiwanese outlets...

Rumor: iWatch to come in three models and two sizes, one featuring sapphire screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 6, 2016

Apple's rumored iWatch is said to come in three different models and two sizes: 1.6 and 1.8 inches. That's the gist of a new report from the Economic Daily newspaper which claims that one 1.6-inch model and two 1.8-inch models are in the works, with one of the bigger models incorporating a sapphire-strengthened screen.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo speculated back in April that the iWatch would come in two sizes, one for men and the other for women. That being said, this is the first time we heard that the device would come in both sapphire and non-sapphire varieties...

Apple is now encrypting your iCloud emails in transit between providers

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 15, 2014

A month ago, Apple confirmed that it would soon start encrypting iCloud Mail traffic in transit.

As Google's Transparency Report noted at the time, Apple and several major email providers did not properly encrypt email messages sent and received from other providers like Gmail and Yahoo, creating security concerns.

Although Apple only encrypts emails sent between its own iCloud customers, the company appears to have stepped up iCloud Mail security and is now finally protecting your emails from eavesdropping as they travel between various third-party email service providers using end-to-end encryption...

Google starts clearly labeling Flash content in search results

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 15, 2014

Users of Apple's iPad, back when the device debuted in 2010, were used to seeing holes on websites in place of Adobe Flash content.

But not for long as those holes were getting plugged real fast - even more so after Steve Jobs penned his famous critique of Adobe's proprietary runtime, titled 'Thoughts on Flash'.

Though most web videos no longer require Flash, some websites and web applications continue to rely on Adobe's technology for interactivity, animations and what not. From now on, it's easier to identify Flash items in search results because Google Search now flags Flash content, saving you clicks...

Apple launches iPhone and iPad trade-in program in Australia

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

As expected, Apple has officially launched its iPhone and iPad trade-in program in Australia today. The company made the announcement via a statement provided to an Australian MSN affiliate this morning.

Customers can receive a maximum of A$250 (or roughly $234 USD) for their iPhones, and A$215 ($202 USD) for iPad trade-ins. Newer devices like the iPhone 5s and 5c are not eligible, nor are first-gen models...

Apple launches new ‘iTunes Pass’ service in Japan for refilling iTunes credit

Cody Lee ∙ July 15, 2014

Apple has launched a new service in Japan called iTunes Pass. The program is actually quite interesting, as it appears to allow customers to purchase iTunes Store credit from an Apple retail store, using Passbook instead of physical gift cards.

Users have long been able to store gift cards in Passbook, but we've never seen a direct-to-Passbook service like this, without the need to redeem a code. It almost looks like this could be a prequel to Apple's oft-rumored mobile payment system...

Apple says iOS 7 is now installed on 90% of compatible devices

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 27, 2018

Apple has updated its App Store support page for developers this week to reflect new information regarding iOS 7 adoption. According to the company’s usage data, the latest versions of its OS are running on 90% of iOS devices accessing the App Store.

That’s just a small jump from Apple's report a few months ago, where it claimed iOS 7 adoption had reached 87% of compatible devices. But it's still impressive given what the adoption rate looks like for competitors, and how hard it is to move the needle...

Apple could fire longtime ad agency TBWA, look to Beats’ Jimmy Iovine to regain marketing mojo

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 14, 2018

Gossip along Madison Avenue is growing more fluent about Apple tiring of its longtime ad agency TBWA Media Labs over a series of disappointing ads. The client-agency relationship is said to have deteriorated to the point where the iPhone maker ostensibly appears on the brink of putting its ad account up for a formal review and firing the ad agency after 30 years of fruitful collaboration.

The rumor arrives just as Apple has found itself under fire from Samsung, which aired the snarky 'Wall Huggers' ad last week to paint the iPhone users as mindless zombies who huddle around power outlets trying to charge up their devices.

The New York Post asserted Monday, without mentioning sources, that Apple and TBWA are at the break-up point. TBWA is a unit of Omnicom Group, the world's largest advertising agency holding company. Apple, the story goes, also appears ready to look to music mogul Jimmy Iovine, now an Apple employee following the $3 billion Beats buy, to help it "regain its marketing mojo"...

5 calculator apps Apple featured in App Store’s Productivity Monday section

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 22, 2022

To me, calculator apps are a lot like weather apps - I can never get enough of them. In an effort to help you increase your mobile productivity, Apple is now featuring several great third-party calculators in an App Store section titled Productivity Monday.

Featured iPhone and iPad software includes both paid and free calculators, including the gorgeously designed minimalist Digits app with the ability to edit complex calculations and get instantly updated results...

Poll: what’s more important to you – screen size or battery life?

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 14, 2014

Pundits and fans are in agreement that a bigger screen will be the #1 selling point of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 6 refresh. With two models in tow, one with a 4.7-inch screen and the other using a phablet-class 5.5-inch display, the iconic smartphone will for the first time go comfortably past four inches.

So, who's willing to trade a bigger screen for a much-improved battery that could keep you going for 24 hours or more, on a single charge? For the sake of completeness, One survey identified a longer-lasting battery as the top feature request by early iPhone 5 adopters ahead of the handset's September 2012 launch...

Rumor: Apple’s secret partnership with Intelligent Energy to boost iPhone battery performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 1, 2017

Rumor has it that Apple has secretly partnered with a British fuel-cell firm called Intelligent Energy on deploying its fuel cells in electronic devices such as MacBooks, iPhones and iPads within a few years.

Intelligent Energy's technology converts chemical energy from fuel stored in the cells into electricity.

The technology could potentially allow future iPhones and iPads to run on a single charge for days or even weeks. As a bonus, the process is green and highly efficient...