Apple

iOS keyboard to gain additional languages and scripts, job posts indicate

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 24, 2018

Whenever I find myself entangled in another Android vs. iOS debate, Android's liberalized keyboard is unmistakably brought up as a key argument playing to Google's favor. Indeed, for the most part the iOS keyboard has remained unchanged throughout the years, sans a few improvements here and there.

That will change when iOS 7 comes this Fall as it makes the iOS keyboard smarter by introducing black and white theme, enhanced auto-correct that can fix misspellings in a combination of words and a few other small tweaks. While there are no signs of Apple opening up the iOS keyboard to third-party developers anytime soon, new job ads indicate the company is working on adding support for additional languages and writing systems...

Report claiming that Nexus 7 outsold iPad mini in Japan found misleading

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 12, 2018

In January of this year, market research firm BCN posted a report claiming that the Nexus 7 outsold the iPad mini in Japan during the holidays. Google's tablet accounted for 44.4% of all tablets sold in the study's 2,400 stores during the period, besting Apple (40.1% ) for the first time.

Fast forward to last week, when Google unveiled the new Nexus 7. Google's SVP, and leader of the Android team, Sundar Pichai, took the stage and began rattling off statistics about the platform. And of course he referred to the BCN report, which we have since learned is very misleading...

Joy of Tech constructs hilarious Apple Status page

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 28, 2017

With all of the distractions and sensationalism in the tech media these days, it's tough to really understand how Apple is doing as a company. It seems like every rumor is followed by an 'Apple is doomed' report, and it probably doesn't help that it's so secretive.

But never fear, as usual, Joy of Tech is here to help clear up some of the confusion in a way that only it can. The comic creator has put together a Status page—yeah, similar to the one Apple made for its Dev Center—to show where Apple is at on a lot of things...

Apple chasing Control Center Android app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Did you know Android has its own Control Center? No, really - earlier this month developer Hi Tools Studio earned free publicity by releasing an app that brings the full iOS 7 Control Center user experience to Android phones and tablets. And boy, is it a pixel-perfect copy of the headline iOS 7 capability, down to all of the included features and then some.

Now, the iPhone maker rarely files app complaints with Google so they could have just as easily turned a blind eye on this one had this particular developer not crossed the line so obviously. Hence, Apple has asked the Internet giant to pull the software on the basis of copyright violation...

Tim Cook spotted in China again meeting with local carriers

Cody Lee ∙ July 30, 2013

Tim Cook is back in China this week, according to a new report. The CEO is allegedly there on business, talking with the local carriers there about Apple's leveling iPhone sales in the country, as well as its upcoming iPhone launches.

Citing sources familiar with Cook's meetings, tech.ifeng.com claims that Cook met with China Telecom's senior leadership this week. The talks are supposedly over, but it is not yet known if the executive has returned to the US...

Foxconn reportedly hiring 90,000 workers to help with iPhone 5S production

Cody Lee ∙ July 30, 2013

A new report out of Taiwan this morning claims that Foxconn is going on a major hiring spree to help fill orders for Apple's next generation iPhone, believed to be the iPhone 5S. Production on the handset is said to be ramping up ahead of its fall launch.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Taiwanese publication Focus Taiwan reports that Foxconn is starting to heavily recruit for its Shenzhen plant, and it's looking to add as many as 90,000 people to its workforce as it begins to fulfill major 5S orders...

Showtime Anytime app, now with Live TV

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 30, 2013

If you watch cable on your iPhone and iPad, you're probably aware of the Showtime Anytime iOS app which gives subscribers on-demand access to every single episode of a dozen exclusive Showtime TV shows, plus championship boxing and 60 Minute Sports.

But Showtime fans have long been yearning for the ability to watch live television programming on their iPhone, iPod and iPad devices and now their prayers have been heard...

Intel’s TV box to include server-side DVR that records everything for at least three days

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 22, 2017

We've been hearing for months how Intel's been hard at work developing its own Apple TV contender, which sources claim includes a television service of sorts. Conceivably frustrated enough with “everyone doing a half-assed Google TVs," the world's top chip maker reportedly set on to engineer a set-top box itself "and do it right.”

These rumors may soon prove true: according to a new report, Intel aims to turn the industry upside down by introducing supercharged DVR functionality said to tap a powerful server farm that records and stores every piece of programming for at least three days.

Now, TiVo devices have had a similar patented DVR feature called Trick Play for years. But Trick Play doesn't hold a candle to Intel as it relies on local TiVo storage to record just up to half an hour tops of recently viewed television...

Latest Apple TV beta adds music purchasing and ‘touch to setup’

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Yesterday, Apple seeded beta 3 of Apple TV 5.4 software. And looking at the change log, it initially appeared that the update was little more than a maintenance update, as there were no new notable features. But a couple of cool things have since been discovered in the release.

For one, it looks like Apple has re-added the ability to purchase music through iTunes—as it stands, users can only purchase TV shows and Movies through iTunes on their Apple TV, and this appears to change that. And two, a new 'touch to setup' feature has been added...

Apple and Motorola drop 14 patents from upcoming Florida lawsuit

Ed Sutherland ∙ July 30, 2013

In a sign that tech companies have moved beyond the patent litigation stage of throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks, Apple and Google-owned Motorola Mobility Monday dropped more than a dozen patents in preparation for a Florida patent-infringement lawsuit.

The move signals both companies are seeking the strategic upper-hand in a case which has exasperated the presiding judge. In the case scheduled for August of 2014, Google-owned Motorola dismissed eight patents while Apple dropped six yesterday, after previously trimming two patents, according to a joint stipulation filed before the District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami...

iOS 7 Beta 4 offers screenshot detection API

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2013

iOS 7 Beta 2 brought with it an unintended consequence of messing up apps like Snapchat.

Specifically, as Snapchat requires a finger on the screen to hold the photo open while viewing it, the program would no longer close the photo viewing screen upon taking a screenshot.

Even worse, Snapchat couldn't actually detect that the user took a screenshot of a sent photo, possibly creating a huge privacy concern.

With today's release of iOS 7 Beta 4, Apple has introduced a brand new API to let third-party apps be notified when the user takes a screenshot, in order to respond accordingly...

Apple may post three more iOS 7 betas before Golden Master seed in September

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 29, 2013

Now that Apple's Dev Center is live again after an eight-day outage, the company is getting ready to release the fourth iOS 7 Beta later today, if prominent bloggers and Twitter are to be believed.

In fact, a bunch of inactive download links for iOS 7 Beta 4 seem to be already up ahead of the official release on the Dev Center.

And if you ask BGR, Apple will release just three more betas for developers before the Gold Master version is ready for prime time in early September...