Apple

Touch ID coming to iPads, iOS code hooks suggest

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

There's hardly any doubt at this point that Apple will roll out its Touch ID fingerprint reader to all iOS devices sooner than later. As you know, the sophisticated fingerprint sensor debuted last September as an iPhone 5s exclusive and is based on technologies from Israeli startup AuthenTec that got acquired by Apple for the reported $356 million in the summer of 2012.

While Apple was originally rumored to bring fingerprint-scanning to its tablet lineup, its manufacturing partner TSMC was unable to build enough of the sensors for the iPhone 5s alone, causing handset shortages after the launch.

Notable mentions of Touch ID for the iPad have been discovered in the iOS code, indicating an upcoming iPad hardware refresh might include the fingerprint sensor. It's worth pointing out that iOS code frequently contains placeholders and hooks for unreleased features that never see the light of day. This is not the first time Apple's code references Touch ID for iPads but we felt you should know about this...

Mobile Safari creator on iPhone development and meeting Steve’s exacting standards

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2018

Francisco Tolmasky was only twenty years old back in 2006 when Apple hired him straight out of college. The whiz kid was immediately thrown into a big job at the famously secretive company that demands nothing but excellence from its employees.

Specifically, the young engineer was one of the early members of the team that created mobile Safari and Maps on the iPhone. The New York Times sat down with Tolmasky to discuss the challenges of developing desktop-class mobile software and meeting Steve's exacting standards when it comes to ease of use, here are the juiciest bits...

NBC’s ‘Today’ offers peek inside Apple’s North Carolina data center

Cody Lee ∙ April 25, 2014

Continuing with its recent 'green' marketing push, Apple offered folks a rare look inside its Maiden, North Carolina data center last night. The company paired up with NBC chief environmental correspondent Anne Thompson to do a spot on Thursday's edition of the 'Today' show regarding its various environmental initiatives.

The piece is fairly short—just under 3 minutes—but it's interesting because it gives you a peek inside Apple's data center operations, and details some of the equipment used to power the large buildings. Also, it features a brief appearance by the company's newly-appointed Vice President of Environmental Initiatives Lisa Jackson...

Pioneer exec talks CarPlay and what it’s like to work with Apple

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

Since Apple announced CarPlay last month, the most common question has been about aftermarket products. Most folks don't have the money to just go out and buy a brand new car, so they want to know when they'll be able to install the system in their current vehicle.

Initially, the prognoses didn't look very good, but Apple confirmed last week that both Alpine and Pioneer are working on aftermarket CarPlay solutions to be released this year. And recently, MacRumors sat down with Pioneer's Ted Cardenas to talk about the project...

Addictive slicing game KingHunt goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

A week ago, Apple's App Store editorial team slashed Horn, a noteworthy third-person action adventure game with great graphics, to zero bucks.

Today is Thursday, which means that another paid iOS app or game has gone temporarily free as part of Apple's ongoing Free App of the Week promotion. This time around, it's KingHunt by renowned publisher MountainSheep.

A great time killer that will feel instantly familiar to anyone who has played Fruit Ninja for a few brief seconds, KingHunt is being billed as the next-generation slicing game. The game is now available free of charge until next Thursday, down from its usual asking price of four bucks for the universal iPhone and iPad download, so grab it now while it's hot...

Some users seeing significant battery life improvement with iOS 7.1.1

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2014

In addition to Touch ID enhancements and bug fixes, it looks like iOS 7.1.1 also brings about battery life improvements. Several users are reporting seeing markedly-improved battery life since installing the update, which Apple seeded to the public on Tuesday.

ZDNet's Adrian Kingsley-Hughes says that battery performance on his iPhone 5 dropped significantly following last month's iOS 7.1 release. But since updating to 7.1.1, Hughes says that it's gone back up to just as good, if not better, than it was when he first got it...

Apple offers resolution for FaceTime woes but you may not like it

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

After some folks on iOS 6 and older versions of OS X started complaining about being unable to make or receive FaceTime calls on their devices, Apple has responded by releasing an emergency fix for the FaceTime app on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. Getting to the root of the problem, the company on Thursday published a support document that casts more light on the issue.

People have apparently been experiencing FaceTime connection problems due to a bug resulting from a device certificate that expired on April 16, 2014. Luckily, there's a simple resolution for the problem, one which you may not necessarily like. Hit the jump for the full reveal...

Apple engineer explains how FaceTime came out of work done for Game Center

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 24, 2014

When Apple was unveiling a new video-calling capability on the then new iPhone 4 at the WWDC 2010 keynote, Steve Jobs presented the feature as one of his famous 'one more thing' moments.

FaceTime debuted as a hassle-free video calling service between iPhone 4 devices and was initially Wi-Fi-only, but Apple eventually rolled it out across the lineup so it's available across Mac, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices on both Wi-Fi and cellular.

The engineer behind the feature, Roberto Garcia, was forced to spill the beans on how FaceTime came out of work done for Game Center in his testimony during the fourth week of the second Apple vs. Samsung trial in California, here are the juiciest bits...

Apple, Google and others settle anti-poaching suit

Cody Lee ∙ April 24, 2014

Reuters is reporting this afternoon that Apple, Google, Adobe, and Intel have reached a settlement in their long-running antitrust lawsuit filed by employees who claim the companies agreed to not hire employees from one another.

The settlement comes just a month before the trial was slated to begin in the US District Court of northern California. The lawsuit covered more than 60,000 workers, and damages from the trial were expected to exceed $9 billion...

You can have lunch with Tim Cook, for a sizable charity donation

Jake Smith ∙ April 24, 2014

CharityBuzz is running a campaign for one donor to have lunch with Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, at the Cupertino-based headquarters. The donor will have to make the highest, sizable donation, to benefit the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights.

The lunch donated by Cook himself, has an estimated value of $100,000, with the current bid on Tuesday currently sitting at $50,000. If past charity drives from Cook are any indication, the lunch should blow past the estimated value...

Sega’s kart-racing game, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, is now available free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2018

Released in January 2014, Sega's Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed has delighted fans of Mario Kart-style racers with a World Tour mode designed specifically for mobile and its awesome multiplayer implementation supporting up to four players simultaneously, both locally and online.

The official iOS port of Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for consoles, the game debuted with a price tag of five bucks and has since seen several price changes in an effort to boost downloads.

As Sega continues to experiment with various monetization methods, they've now taken the freemium route by slashing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to zero bucks and throwing in a bunch of paid in-app upgrades...

RunKeeper adds new Goal Coach feature, personalized dashboard and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Popular fitness mobile software, RunKeeper, has received a nice little update today implementing a brand new Goal Coach feature to keep you motivated, a personalized goal dashboard to go with it and more.

RunKeeper is great for the active types interested in tracking the pace of their runs, measuring workout distance, charting weight loss and what not.

Unlike some of the other health and fitness-tracking apps for the iPhone found in the App Store, RunKeeper is available free of charge. The new 4.5 version is now live so give RunKeeper a whirl if you haven't already and say 'hello' to the new you...