Apple

Rumor: Galaxy S5 to integrate fingerprint scanner into Home button, not as sophisticated as Touch ID

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Apple paid big bucks to acquire AuthenTec, the world's leading maker of fingerprint sensors. Following the $356 million deal, it took Apple's teams an additional year or so to apply AuthenTec's technology to Touch ID. An in-house project, Touch ID has rethought what fingerprint scanning on mobile devices should be like, resulting in a seamless and integrated solution that, in Apple's parlance, "just works".

That's not saying Touch ID isn't without pitfalls.

Apple cautions that fingerprint scanning doesn't work well with greasy or wet fingers and there are reports of old people's prints not being recognized properly as a result of a few decades worth of scarring and general wear and tear.

Despite rumors that Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S5 would feature iris scanning, KGI Research analysts instead pointed to a fingerprint sensor.

And now a publication called SamMobile says it's been able to confirm with a Samsung source that the feature will work by swiping one's finger over the handset's redesigned Home button. It would let users unlock the device by swiping and remember website passwords, the latter not (yet) being supported by Touch ID...

Ad execs disparage iAds over Apple’s ‘slow, cocky and downright stingy’ approach

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2014

iAd, Apple's advertising platform, continues to struggle to gain traction and retain big name advertisers. A new report by industry publication Advertising Age claims that Madison Avenue media buyers are unimpressed by the performance of iAds, which they contributed to Apple's "slow, cocky and downright stingy" approach to ad sales.

The problem boils down to Apple's lack of understanding of advertising as a relationship-driven business...

Apple may call Android creator Andy Rubin to testify in Samsung case

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2014

Andy Rubin is one of the original creators of Android and Apple may summon him to testify in a new trial set for late-March as part of the ongoing Apple v. Samsung legal battle. According to a report by TUAW, a witness list Apple filed with the court last week has revealed the iPhone maker is considering calling Rubin to testify on the potentially sensitive topics of the development of infringing Android features. He may also be asked to comment on "Google documents relating to such development"...

Concept: Apple’s rumored health/fitness band

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2014

There has been absolutely no shortage of downright silly iWatch concepts, with a few notable exceptions of compelling renderings doing their best to depict what an iWatch might - but probably never will - look like. The vast majority of the renderings are probably way off mark in their depictions of an Apple-branded wearable device.

But as Tim Cook has reportedly given the nod to Apple engineers to focus on health and fitness functions, it's becoming clear we could see a fitness band from Apple rather than an iWatch. This newest batch of renderings comes from the creative team of the British technology magazine called T3, which posted a nicely done smart bracelet concept dubbed the iBand...

Realmac adds iPad support to Clear for iPhone, migrates Clear+ users to Clear for free

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2018

Realmac Software has finally added native iPad support to its popular Clear to-do application for the iPhone and iPod touch. They're also moving customers from Clear+ back to Clear for free.

These changes are in response to user confusion amid complaints from people who were uncertain which version to buy, with some even mistakenly buying the iPhone edition when they really wanted the universal version that natively supports all form-factor iDevices.

Clear for iPhone with the newly added iPad support is now available in the App Store for $4.99. Clear+ remains a separate $4.99 download, though it's going to be offered free of charge for a limited time to allow Clear+ owners to migrate to Clear without being forced to buy the app twice...

Rumor: iPhone 6’s A8 chip won’t integrate LTE

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 18, 2014

Starting with the iPhone 5, Apple has switched to using a single-chip LTE module which, by the way, costs $10 more than the cellular module in the iPhone 4s.

There has been talk lately of Apple possibly adopting a tightly integrated solution that would combine both LTE modem and a main processor on a single A8 chip, akin to many Android devices.

According to a new report by Fudzilla, this won't happen in the next iPhone generation as Apple is once again looking to turn to its longtime supplier Qualcomm for dedicated LTE chips...

Apple posts update for iTunes Connect web portal

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Apple has posted an update for its iTunes Connect portal this evening. Developers use this portal to track and manager their App Store apps, and tonight's update has brought about a new Sales and Trends sections that allows them to better parse sales data.

The move should appease developers, who have long-complained that the iTunes Connect portal lacked useful reporting tools. In fact, many developers have forgone using iTunes Connect entirely for app figures, opting for other analytics services like App Annie...

Philips taking on Apple’s iBeacon tech with smart lights

Cody Lee ∙ February 17, 2014

Philips has officially joined the onslaught of competitors looking to go head-to-head with Apple's iBeacon geolocation technology. At a retailer in northern Germany, the company is testing out a lighting unit which includes a built-in beacon that can relay information to smartphones.

It works a lot like many of the iBeacon solutions we've seen thus far. When shoppers enter a store, opening a companion app on their smartphone reveals a map and their location, and from there, they can search for various product, get directions to them, and receive other information...

Apple seeds OS X 10.9.2 build 13C62 to developers

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 20, 2018

Apple has seeded the seventh OS X 10.9.2 beta to registered Mac developers this afternoon. The last few betas have each come about a week apart, but this one comes less than a week after beta 6.

The new build is available to all registered Mac developers through the Software Update tab in the Mac App Store, or as a full download via the Mac section of Apple’s online developer portal…

Huawei video teases new devices by slamming iPhone and Siri

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2014

Chinese handset vendor Huawei's video is teasing new smartphones, tablets and phablets coming. The clip has an iPhone owner conversing with Siri, Apple's digital personal assistant.

The narrator asks Siri about new things coming to Mobile World Congress this year, which runs February 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain. To this, Siri responds in a rather robotic, slow-talking voice that there will be “a new tablet with a beautiful slim design” with a “huge battery” that "gives you days of use," likely referring to new Huawei devices.

She also says: “One more thing: this device can even support the next generation LTE network.” Not sure about the 'even'. It's 2014 and LTE compatibility is hardly worth getting excited about in your talking points.

The video closes with the narrator asking, “Wow! What are they Fruit or Some Song?” Siri replies: “No. They are Huawei. It looks like Huawei is ready to amaze the world again”. I've included the video right after the break so give it a watch and meet us in comments...

BlackBerry diehards pan T-Mobile over iPhone offer

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2014

After T-Mobile CEO John Legere recently advised BlackBerry fans to switch to Apple's iPhone 5s, all hell broke loose as diehard fans deemed the offer insulting and took to social media to express their distaste for T-Mobile's sleezy direct marketing tactics.

The carrier invited customers via email to switch to an iPhone 5s for $0 down as a “great offer for BlackBerry customers” because the Apple handset has the right tools "to do more".

Judging by the amount and the intensity of backlash, it wasn't T-Mobile's finest moment: after all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the struggling Canadian smartphone maker owns one of the most loyal and ardent following out there, the types of people who are especially sensitive to anything related to Apple...

Jony Ive’s brief removal from Apple’s Leadership page blamed on a technical glitch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

After being promoted to Apple's Senior Vice President of all Design, London-born industrial designer Jony Ive's prominence both internally and externally has raised tremendously as a result. Ive's become arguably the most important Apple exec as he now gets to control and oversee key aspects of the company's product development efforts.

According to Walter Isaacson's bio book on Steve Jobs, the Apple co-founder ensured there was no one at the company to boss Jony around. Small wonder then that the blogosphere went into overdrive as Ive's bio photo disappeared from Apple's corporate Leadership web page earlier this morning, albeit only briefly.

The page wouldn't show Ive among the high-ranked Apple executives, such as CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller. Making matter even more peculiar, the URL never stopped working and would continue to take visitors to Ive's bio page.

Shortly after Ive's photo was back up again, an Apple spokesperson said in a written statement that the brief removal was the work of a technical glitch and cautioned bloggers not to read too much into it...