Apple

Amazon listing suggests possibility of imminent Apple TV hardware refresh

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 18, 2013

The Apple blogosphere is rampant with news that the online retail giant Amazon somehow "confirmed" a new Apple TV hardware in a listing on its German website. Cooler heads caution northing could be further from the truth. What Amazon did is it changed availability date for the $99 Apple set-top box on Amazon.de to October 23. While this does not "confirm" or "prove" anything, the date is nonetheless interesting given Apple is set to reveal its next-generation iPad lineup next Tuesday, October 22.

Let the speculation begin...

Apple seeks Samsung penalty for leaking secret Nokia patent terms

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 18, 2013

A court earlier this week denied motions by Samsung to delay a probe into whether it improperly disclosed a confidential 2011 licensing agreement between Apple and Nokia.

Although Samsung lawyers argued the original judge made mistakes in ruling the South Korean firm committed a breach of privacy, Judge Lucy Koh found the decision "eminently reasonable".

Earlier this month, Apple filed a legal motion claiming Samsung illegally disclosed details of the patent licensing agreement in order to improve negotiations. The iPhone maker alleges the information revealed was part of documents turned over as part of the Apple v. Samsung case...

Massive setback for Android: Apple’s ‘Steve Jobs patent’ reconfirmed for original iPhone

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 18, 2013

In a case of good timing, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has reconfirmed a multitouch patent credited to Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs and the original iPhone design.

On the sixth anniversary of the iconic smartphone, the U.S. government reaffirmed the massive patent that was called into question in 2012.

Jobs was among the more than two-dozen people named in the massive 364-page patent filed in 2006.

The USPTO had issed a preliminary invalidation of the patent package, but now believes all 20 patents are valid...

Watch iSpaceship approval press conference vid

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Apple's upcoming spaceship-shaped corporate building, called Campus 2 or iSpaceship, has cleared the last hurdle as the City of Cupertino Council approved the project. Encompasses more than 2.8 million square feet, Steve conceived iSpaceship to house office space, various amenities and roughly 12,000 employees (to put that in perspective, the city of Cupertino has a population of just over 60,000).

Cupertino Mayor Orrin Mahoney and Apple's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer spoke at a press conference yesterday, officially announcing the approval of the Apple Campus 2. They also filed a bunch of sometimes nonsensical questions, have a look after the jump...

Yahoo Screen update adds AirPlay multitasking

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

Yahoo last month posted a new iPhone and iPad app, Screen, pitched as a remote control for web video of sorts.

That's a tall order, I know, but keep in mind that the Internet giant hosts tons of original and licensed news, sports, food and entertainment video content from the likes of MLB, UFC, The Onion, Martha Stewart and others.

Deal breaker: AirPlay support was non-existent.

That's quite a bummer for yours truly as those juicy vids beg to be watched on my big screen TV. Luckily for me (and everyone else), Yahoo heard my pain and issued an update so I can now finally beam a clip to a TV through my $99 Apple TV box while using the app to browse Yahoo's Screen library. Cool!

AT&T introduces new data plans for tablets: 250MB for $5/day, 1GB for $25 per 3 months

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Today, at GigaOM’s Mobilize conference and ahead of Apple's iPad event next Tuesday, AT&T cunningly announced a pair of new data-only cellular plans beginning with the basic tier that will set you back five bucks per day, which buys you 250MB of 3G or high-speed 4G LTE cellular data. It's a nice option for those who only occasionally use their iPad while out and about, without Wi-Fi nearby.

Charlie Penrose, AT&T’s Senior Vice President of Emerging Devices, said at the conference that his company hopes the new tablet-only data offering will give customers yet another reason to consider cellular devices instead of overwhelmingly opting for Wi-Fi-only tablets. Jump past the fold to read about AT&T's other tier...

Researchers claim Apple has the ability to access encrypted iMessages

Cody Lee ∙ October 17, 2013

Following the June report claiming that several tech companies were actively participating in the NSA's PRISM data mining program, Apple issued a statement regarding government information requests and user privacy.

In the statement, the company suggested it was unable to access or decrypt iMessage messages, alleviating fears that Apple could monitor those conversations. But according to a team of researchers, that may not be the case...

Banners go up at Yerba Buena Center ahead of Tuesday’s iPad event

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

With less than a week until Apple's big reveal next Tuesday, October 22, banners are now going up the Yerba Buena Center for Arts building downtown in San Francisco, California.

Banner design calls for a bunch of colorful leaves we saw on Apple's invitation, possibly mimicking the iOS 7 color scheme or suggesting colorful iPads.

Check out the images after the break and let us know what you think down in the comments section...

Real Steel: World Robot Boxing hits iOS

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Time to fight some larger-than-life robots! I'm not sure why exactly Real Steel hasn't done so well at the box office, but I've had a great time watching the movie (twice) and thought Huge Jackman fit the role perfectly. If you haven't seen it, Real Steel is based on the 1956 short story Steel by Richard Matheson and follows former boxed Charlie Kenton who owns the aging robot Ambush.

It's year 2020 and human boxers have been replaced by robots so cash-strapped Kenton makes a living by sending Ambush to fight other robots in tournaments across the country. The animatronics, stunts, special effects and acting are all very smooth.

DreamWorks, whose movie-making arm released the movie, has released a new tie-in, Real Steel: World Robot Boxing, for the iPhone and iPad as a free to play download on worldwide App Stores (the game previously soft-launched on the New Zealand App Store only)...

First iPhone 5s ad: ‘your finger is the password’

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 17, 2013

Since announcing a pair of new iPhones on September 10, Apple has not aired a single television commercial or published a newspaper ad to promote the flagship iPhone 5s.

Instead, all of Apple's advertising activities to date have centered around the colorful iPhone 5c, ostensibly because the company is having lots of issues fulfilling iPhone 5s demand.

But as Tim Cook & Co. expand the new iPhones into new markets - an additional 50+ countries will get the handsets by November 1 in addition to eleven launch countries - the first print ad for the iPhone 5s has just been spotted in The New Yorker magazine. It looks nice and I've included it for your viewing pleasure right after the jump...

Apple gets federal babysitter to watch over iBooks sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 17, 2013

Apple's federal e-book babysitter was named Wednesday. New York Judge Denise Cote assigned former Department of Just Inspector General Michael Bromwich to monitor Apple's compliance with antitrust laws concerning e-book sales. In July, Apple agreed to an independent monitor after being found guilt of conspiring with five publishers to fix prices.

Although Apple has called such a monitor unnecessary, DoJ prosecutors demanded the step as part of the final court remedy. Judge Cote, however, threw Apple a bone, reducing Bromwich's monitoring duty to just two years, less than half of the five years the Justice Department had originally wanted...