News

TSMC reportedly wins exclusive contract to build A11 chips for 2017 iPhones and iPads

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

Citing a story in the Chinese-language Economic Daily News newspaper, Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes reported yesterday that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will be the sole supplier of an Apple-designed 'A11' chip, which should power 2017 iPhone and iPad models.

In other words, Samsung could be on the outs for the next two generations of iPhone processors as both this year's A10 and next year's A11 are now said to be exclusively manufactured by TSMC. The A11 chip will be built on the foundry's cutting-edge ten-nanometer FinFET process.

Thanks to Pokémon GO, Nintendo is now worth more than Sony

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

This morning, Nintendo shares finished trading another fourteen percent higher following the release of its crazy popular augmented-reality game, Pokémon GO, which launched on the App Store on July 6. Put simply, Nintendo shares have doubled in value since the launch of Pokémon GO, BBC said.

The report adds that thanks to the game, Nintendo's market capitalization has now surpassed that of another Japanese giant, Sony.

Claimed “Sonora” and “Dos Palos” iPhone 7 code-names suggest no ‘Pro’ model

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

The rumor-mill briefly toyed with the idea of so-called 'Pro' model being added to this year's iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus lineup. We even saw claimed iPhone 7 Pro dummy case and an alleged detailed iPhone 7 Pro design schematics. On the other hand, lack of leaked iPhone 7 Pro parts casts doubt on that theory.

According to prolific leakster Evan Brass of @EVLeaks, who this morning tweeted purported iPhone 7 code-names, the iPhone 7 Pro may not be in the cards for 2016 iPhone lineup after all.

Pixelmator 2.3 for iOS brings out Magnetic Selection, Quick Selection & more

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

The popular Photoshop alternative, Pixelmator, on Tuesday refreshed its iPhone, iPad and iPod touch application on the App Store, bringing out two desktop-class tools—Magnetic Selection and Quick Selection—along with numerous selection improvements and a bunch of fixes for the Apple Pencil, the iPhone version of the app and more. The Smart Selection and Magnetic Selection tools first appeared in Pixelmator for Mac in May 2016.

Apple Pay launches in France with Visa and MasterCard support

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 19, 2016

Apple today announced that its mobile payments service, called Apple Pay, is now accepted in France through launch partnerships established with card issuers Visa and MasterCard. Customers in France can now add their MasterCard and Visa cards to the Wallet app on their iPhone and start paying for goods and service in stores and apps with Apple Pay.

Video walkthrough: everything new in iOS 10 beta 3

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 6, 2024

Apple this morning released a third beta of iOS 10 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The latest build is available right now to developers registered with Apple Developer Program and public beta testers signed on Apple Beta Software Program. Like prior iOS 10 beta releases, beta 3 packs in about a dozen or so tweaks, refinements and some new features. Without further ado, here's our overview of everything new in iOS 10 beta 3.

Apple starts rolling out iTunes Match with audio fingerprinting to Apple Music subscribers

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

When it debuted more than a year ago, Apple Music originally lacked support for iTunes Match, instead relying on a less accurate metadata matching system. That feature, however, has been inconveniencing many Apple Music subscribers who couldn't properly match songs they already had in their iTunes libraries.

As first reported by The Loop, iTunes Match with audio fingerprinting is now being rolled out to all Apple Music subscribers and it works like a charm.

iTunes 12.4.2 is out, resolves playback issues with short Apple Music songs

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

Following the release of the OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 software update with bug fixes and security enhancements earlier this morning, Apple also released a minor update to iTunes. Now available through the Mac App Store's Updates tab, iTunes 12.4.2 for Mac and Windows fixes an issue which caused an annoying issue with Apple Music tracks shorter than 60 seconds.

tvOS 9.2.2 now available for fourth-generation Apple TV with bug fixes and speedier performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

In addition to releasing OS X El Capitan 10.11.6, iOS 9.3.3 and watchOS 2.2.2 software updates, Apple this morning also posted a bug-fix tvOS release for the fourth-generation Apple TV. Available via the Software Update mechanisms in Settings → System → Software Update, the tvOS 9.2.2 software update packs in performance improvements, bug fixes and security enhancements found since the release of tvOS 9.2.1 two months ago.

OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 hits Mac App Store with bug fixes and security enhancements

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

A sixth major software update to OS X El Capitan 10.11 since its September 2015 debut is now available for public consumption as a free-of-charge release on the Mac App Store. To apply the update, launch the Mac App Store on your computer and click the Purchased tab: OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 should be sitting there, waiting for you to download it. If not, give it a few minutes or hours as new software takes some time to propagate across the Internet.

iOS 9.3.3 released with bug fixes and performance improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

Apple is releasing minor OS updates to its install base today, starting with a bug-fix focused watchOS 2.2.2 update for the Apple Watch and continuing with iOS 9.3.3, which appears to include a bunch of bug fixes and unspecified performance improvements. The update can be applied on your device over-the-air in Settings → General → Software Update or downloaded through desktop iTunes.

Apple posts watchOS 2.2.2 bug-fix update for Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 18, 2016

In addition to treating developers to new betas of iOS 10, tvOS 10 and watchOS 3, the Cupertino company this morning also released a minor software update for Apple Watch owners. The watchOS 2.2.2 software update, a minor bug-fix release, is now available for download through the Watch companion app on an iPhone and includes more than a dozen bug fixes.