9to5Mac did an awesome job combing through an iOS 6 build running on a prototype next-generation iPhone unit.
They were able to surface a couple interesting details which help paint a pretty accurate picture of the innards likely to power the final product.
These reportedly include a variant of the A5x chip sporting an ARM S5L8950X processing core, 1GB of RAM and "something entirely new" for the graphics subsystem...
Remember talk of Apple's enhanced Maps app thought to feature cutting-edge 3D view?
Apparently a few years in the making, looks like Cupertino is now ready to supplant a Google Maps backend with its own in-house mapping solution come June 11.
And now, screenshots from a "trusted source" have surfaced, depicting this exciting three-dimensional mapping view in action. The admittedly gorgeous photos look authentic and conceivably show off the power of a declassified missile targeting technology Apple got hold of with their 2011 acquisition of advanced 3D mapping startup C3 Technologies...
Earlier today, Google CEO Larry Page took to company blog to break the big news: having obtained necessary approvals from watchdogs on both side of the Atlantic, the search giant has finally closed its $12.5 billion acquisition of the ailing handset maker Motorola Mobility in a move meant to “supercharge the Android ecosystem”.
The transaction will close by May 23 and is rumored to see Google laying off up to one-third of Motorola staff.
Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha is stepping down (not unexpected) and will be replaced by Dennis Woodside whom Apple tried to poach last year. The new CEO already promised "fewer, bigger bets", meaning Motorola should streamline its portfolio to focus on a select few hero devices.
So, Googlerola is alive and the search giant is now officially a handset maker - one sitting on an enormous pile of patents. In fact, the search Goliath is now in a position to directly fight Apple's allegations against Android makers.
Taking it all in, we analyze what repercussions - if any - this development potentially poses for Apple and its ongoing legal spat against major Android backers such as HTC, Samsung and, yes, Motorola...
With one in two in the United States now owning a smartphone (was 40 percent of mobile subscribers in 2011), app downloads are on the rise, too.
Compared to last year, the average smartphone consumer in the U.S. now has 41 apps on their home screen, a 28 percent increase from 32 apps in last year, according to a Nielsen study released this morning.
Here are the top five downloaded apps across the iOS and Android platforms...
According to a new report from 9to5Mac, developers are starting to see iOS 6 code strings in their app logs, signaling that Apple is currently testing the software's compatibility with App Store applications.
This would seem to confirm earlier reports that the company is set to unveil the latest iteration of its mobile operating system during a keynote presentation at its WWDC event next month...
Color me skeptical, but I'm still scratching my head over over a surprising report by Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter which has it that Google's Chrome browser is coming to iOS some time during the June quarter of this year or, if not, then "definitely this year".
If true, this would be a big news as Chrome ended 2011 within spitting distance of market-leading Internet Explorer. Heck, it even overtook Microsoft’s product to become the world’s most popular browser for a day and is certainly expected to become the top browser this year.
The big question is, will Apple allow Chrome into the App Store and let Google own all the searches? Bear in mind that the search giant currently pays Apple an estimated 60 percent revenue share for the searches done through Safari's search box...
For the most part, mobile Safari serves its purpose as the default web browser in iOS. But it's definitely not feature-packed. And to get more options, you typically have to either install a third party browser, or add a jailbreak tweak.
But OSXDaily points to a cool trick that makes adding a new feature to Safari as easy as creating a couple of bookmarklets. Have you ever wanted to quickly change the font size of a website on your iPhone or iPad? Well, here's how...
Are you a developer? Have you visited the iCloud.com beta login page recently? In case you missed it, two new icons appeared at a beta login page for iCloud.com briefly before Apple took the beta page down. This clearly suggests Apple is working on bringing Notes and Reminders web apps to iCloud.
Folks also discovered references to an upcoming iOS 6 beta in the code strings for this iCloud beta page.
As we told you last week, Apple could be bringing iOS and Mac Notifications to the iCloud website. So it all makes sense now: Reminders and Notes apps, which are now available on iOS devices and are coming to Macs with Mountain Lion installed later this summer, will also be replicated on the iCloud web site along with web notifications.
Let's hope Apple will take the resulting notifications conundrum seriously...
If a new rumor is to be believed, iOS 6 - the next major release of Apple's iOS operating system powering the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad - will forgo Google Maps in favor of Apple's in-house mapping service based on incredible 3D maps. The headline new feature will still be called Maps.
However, this is where all similarities reportedly end. The iPhone maker is rumored to innovate Google-backed maps in iOS with an awesome 3D technology based on a declassified missile targeting technology. This in-house solution is said to offer "a much cleaner, faster and more reliable experience". More importantly, Apple's own mapping service will reduce their dependency on Google.
Moving from a Google Maps backend to an Apple backend is also important given that the two companies have been at odds ever since the search Goliath decided to challenge the iPhone with its Android platform...
Right on the heels of the iOS 5.1.1 firmware update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that was pushed on Monday, Apple has just released an incremental Apple TV software update.
The Apple TV software version 5.0.1 carries a build number 9B206f and should be available for download for both the second- and third-generation set-top box using the Software Update option in your device's menu...
The search giant Google is reportedly looking to replicate Apple's Game Center with a native Android app of its own.
Despite the ongoing patent war waged between Apple and a bunch of Android backers over the look and feel of iOS software, Google is reportedly looking to simply copy Game Center.
The search firm needs own social gaming service so Android gamers have a central place to connect with each other, check out leaderboards, scores and challenge friends.
And if their other products are anything to go by, Google's thing is likely to feature deep integration with Google+, their another social thing...
A new feature is being tested by Apple, according to reports, that allows iOS banner notifications to be displayed on the iCloud website. It's unknown whether this particular occurrence was only a one-time test or a sign of things to come.
While notifications on the iCloud website may prompt some to scratch their head, this could actually indicate Apple's plans to roll out rich web apps to iCloud that would benefit from the ability to display notifications, much like Google's Chrome lets web apps render unobtrusive notifications even when the browser is minimized...