News

Apple Patent Hints at Possible Hybrid Electronic Paper Display in iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 2, 2018

Patents are extremely interesting. They tend to show what a company's capable of. We generally don't get to see this in consumer products, as they are derived from marketing research and cost effectiveness calculations. But it would certainly be interesting to see all of the crazy ideas that get flung around Cupertino's campus and never hit retail stores.

Luckily, Apple's patent filings give us a glimpse of what they've been working on. Their latest filing, uncovered by Patently Apple, describes a display that can switch between high resolution color and electronic paper for reading books. This would certainly entice iDevice hold-outs that just couldn't ditch their e-reader's ink print...

iPhone 5 Pics Leaked Again

Cody Lee ∙ April 7, 2011

Take this one with a grain a salt, as most of these leaked photos are proven to be fake. For Apple's sake, let's hope the case follows suit. These leaked pictures depict a very iPhone 4-looking device with some minor differences.

These photos were posted early this morning on BGR's website. They are supposedly snapshots of the up and coming iPhone 5 and have been making some noise around the internet today. They were said to have been sourced from a Vietnamese forum post, but that is anything but confirmed....

Apple Exploring Smart Bezels and Indicators for Future iPhones

Cody Lee ∙ April 7, 2011

One of the things Apple is most known for is its innovation. They haven't reinvented the wheel with any of their products, they've just made the wheel sexy and easy to use. Patents are a good resource for information on Apple's past and future innovations. Although patents don't always make it to the assembly line, they do shed some light on what Apple's been working on.

Patently Apple is an expert at keeping up with Apple's latest ideas. After the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPT) makes Apple's patent filings public, Patently Apple posts them on their website with a pretty good break down of all the tech talk. Their latest gossip is on a filing from late 2009 by the Cupertino company, concerning a "Smart Bezel." I know it sounds unusual, but Apple is looking to completely change how we interact with our devices...

One Man Turned Jailbreaking iPhones into a Full-Time Job

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

For most of us, we jailbreak because we want to. We do it to get customized apps, tweaks, or to give our iDevices a complete makeover. Even though the process has become extremely simple, we still feel a sense of accomplishment after our device reboots and that Cydia icon is glowing off of the screen.

I've jailbroken friends devices for them, and showed them how to use Cydia to download things. While software like PwnageTool and RedSn0w do most of the iPhone hacking for you, it still isn't recommended for the not-so-tech savvy. One Virginian college student has capitalized on that fact by turning jailbreaking into his full time job...

White iPhone 4 Once Again Pulled From Apple’s Inventory

Cody Lee ∙ April 6, 2011

White iPhone 4 rumors are a dime a dozen these days. But because of the device's mysterious non-existence, we all still seem to pay attention. At any rate, if you tried to visit the online Apple Store late last night, chances are you saw the above message.

It's been back up and operating for a while now, but why did Apple take their store offline? Typically this is just a sign of site maintenance, and sometimes it can mean that Apple is preparing to launch a new product. A Mac news website is claiming that this time, Apple took the store offline to remove white iPhone 4 SKUs...

Consumer Reports Names iPad 2 its Top Tablet

Cody Lee ∙ April 5, 2011

Consumer Reports hasn't been a big Apple fan lately. In recent reviews of the iPhone 4, they have stated that they couldn't recommend the smartphone to consumers due to problems with the antenna. If you remember, Apple took a lot of public criticism with the iPhone 4's antenna design.

In fact, Consumer Reports gave both versions of the iPhone 4 (GSM and CDMA) failing scores because of the issue, but they seem to see Apple's tablets in a different light. They put the iPad 2 up against several competitors and the results shouldn't surprise you.

The iPad 2 went up against the likes of Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and several other tablets varying in price range. Even the original iPad was thrown in for comparison. Each tablet was tested on 17 different criteria including portability, ease of use, touch screen responsiveness, and many others.

Surprisingly, the original iPad beat out most of the competitors, and actually tied with the Motorola Xoom. The tablet from Motorola was the closest competitor to the iPad 2, but recorded awful scores for ease of use and portability. The iPad 2 easily trumped the rest of the competition, making it Consumer Reports' top tablet.

The test results confirm Apple's theory behind the iPad 2's success. Consumers don't care about hardware stats. It's things like ease of use and portability that really appeal to customers looking to buy a tablet. They are looking to browse the internet and play mindless games, who cares if the thing has 4 processors? Although the competition is getting better, it seems as though they're still missing the boat.

What do you think?

Dev Team Releases Jailbreak for iPads on iOS 4.3.1

Cody Lee ∙ April 4, 2011

After weeks of waiting, a jailbreak solution for Apple's latest firmware has finally been released. The announcement that so many iDevice hackers have been waiting for, arrived extremely early this morning courtesy the Dev Team.

The jailbreak released is for iOS 4.3.1. It covers the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, the latest 2 generations of the iPod touch, the Apple TV2, and of course the iPad. As we've reported previously, the iPad 2 cannot be jailbroken with this software.

But don't worry, if you have an iPad 2 and are itching to customize it, known iPad hacker Comex is hard at work to bring you an iPad 2 jailbreak solution. We are told he has a working exploit, but hasn't figured out how he wants to package it for mass distribution. We will certainly let you know when we have more information on his progress.

If you have an original iPad, and are wanting to jailbreak it, feel free to go ahead and upgrade to iOS 4.3.1 via iTunes.You will also want to make sure that your iTunes is updated to the latest version. If you've done both of those already, sit tight, we will bring you a complete step by step guide on how to jailbreak your iPad shortly.

Is anyone ready to jailbreak their iPad?

Original iPad 4.3.1 Jailbreak to be Released Today

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Those of you who have been waiting on a jailbreak for iOS 4.3, pay attention! There was some major news in the community early this morning and it looks like the jailbreak we reported on yesterday could be released sooner than expected.

MuscleNerd was at it again this morning, tweeting details of the impending jailbreak announcement. The popular iPhone hacker claims that the Dev Team is looking to release the jailbreak today for Apple's new software. If you recall, there hasn't been an official hack released since Apple launched iOS 4.3 alongside their iPad 2.

After weeks of silence, it looks like the Dev Team is ready to drop the much anticipated software. It will become available for Mac users via Pwnage Tool and PC users via RedSn0w. For those who haven't used either title, they are very similar to GreenPois0n which we cover here. These programs make jailbreaking your iDevice as easy as plugging it into your computer, and following the onscreen directions.

Although it is looking like the software won't go live until late tonight, i0n1c has been telling the Twitter world that if the topic #sundayisfunday becomes trending, the Dev Team might be enticed to release the jailbreak early.

As a reminder, the jailbreak released today is only for devices running iOS 4.3.1 and excludes the iPad 2. MuscleNerd was kind enough to give those that await the iPad 2 jailbreak some info as well. Although the exploit works, he mentions, it isn't suitable for mass distribution yet.

Original iPad owners looking to jailbreak Apple's latest firmware, stay tuned. We will let you know when the software is available, as well provide you with an easy step by step tutorial to help you through it. Those of you with iPad 2s, keep checking back for the latest in the iPad 2 jailbreak story.

Anyone looking to jailbreak their original iPad on 4.3.1?

New Apple TV2 4.3 Jailbreak Available Soon

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 30, 2016

While we have shown you how to jailbreak your Apple TV2 with Seas0nPass, there hasn't been an untethered solution available for the latest firmware. The tethered jailbreak requires you to connect your Apple TV2 to your computer every time it restarts.

Well good news to all of you folks who have been waiting to jailbreak your second edition Apple TVs on iOS 4.3, for real. The latest news in the iDevice community is that an official jailbreak is near from the famous Dev Team. This will work for the iPhone, the original iPad, and it looks like the Apple TV2.

Expert iDevice hacker MuscleNerd shared the good news yesterday via Twitter that the ATV2 was covered in the latest jailbreak. He also gives nods to Saurik and NitoTV for helping finish the Apple TV2 exploit.

For those not familiar with the names, Saurik is extremely popular on the jailbreaking scene thanks to all of his work on Cydia. NitoTV is jailbroken software for Apple TV. It serves as an advanced media player and the front end for several plugins.

If you want to take advantage of the new features in iOS 4.3, but you also like having your Apple TV jailbroken, stay tuned. We will keep you up to date on the latest Apple TV2 jailbreak news.

Is anyone excited for an official Apple TV2 jailbreak?

The Dev Team's 4.3.1 Jailbreak Doesn't Work With iPad 2

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

If you just recently got an iPad 2 and are wondering if there is a jailbreak available, there isn't. The iOS 4.3.1 jailbreak that is so close to being released by the Dev Team, will not work on Apple's new tablet. Those who were looking forward to hacking their new gadgets will have to wait a little longer.

A series of tweets from known iDevice hacker MuscleNerd yesterday helped shine some light on the current status of the iOS 4.3 jailbreak. He hinted that the 4.3.1 jailbreak by the Dev Team, popular iDevice hackers, will be released sometime in the near future.

It will likely be distributed via RedSn0w and Pwnage Tool, and should work fine for iOS 4.3.1 on the original iPad. Although MuscleNerd claimed the RedSn0w-bound exploit would't work on Apple's latest tablet, he did mention that Comex has found another solution that does.

For those who weren't aware, Comex had a jailbreak for 4.3 almost ready to go, and then Apple dropped iOS 4.3.1 last week. This update magically patched the hole that Comex was using for his hack, forcing him back to the drawing board.

Comex's new exploit is based on the same one he used for Jailbreak Me, so hopefully iPad 2 owners get the benefit of a Userland jailbreak. This method is the easiest by far from a user's perspective, as it just requires them to navigate to a website in Safari. Other jailbreak techniques require additional software and multistep processes.

The bottom line is that an official jailbreak for the iPad 2 is imminent, we just aren't sure of when that will be. As always we will keep you updated on the latest iPad and iPad 2 jailbreak news.

Does anyone have an iPad 2 and are dying to jailbreak it?

Future iPad Updates to Bring Spaces?

Cody Lee ∙ April 1, 2011

Spaces is a great tool to help you multitask beyond having multiple applications open. It virtually gives you multiple screens. If you own a Mac computer then you definitely know what feature I am talking about.

For those who don't know what Spaces is, it allows you to create multiple work spaces in Mac OS X. A workspace is basically a desktop, it's everything you see open on your current screen. Moving to another Space will move you to another screen completely, you have the same desktop wallpaper and icons, just no apps or windows open.

Patently Apple has discovered a patent filed by Apple that shows their famous Spaces technology running on a tablet device. It also describes many different multitouch gestures that would allow you to control the feature.

It appears as though Apple is interested in bringing the popular feature to its iPad lineup. Although patents don't always make it to consumer products, they do give a good indication of what future products may encompass.

That being said, notice in the figure above of what Apple calls a multifunction device. That looks an awful lot like an OS X dock. Will Apple's next iPad support a more functional version of OS X? Or is this a different product all together?

What do you think of these patent filings?

Apple’s iPhone Joins a Long List of Plaintiffs in Yet Another Patent Lawsuit

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

My hat goes off to the lawyers of the tech world. How do you keep track of who's suing whom, and for what? If you're an Apple attorney, it seems like that would be extra tough.

Just like in sports, the team doing the best has the biggest target on their backs. And as of right now, there isn't anyone hotter than Apple in the portable electronics market.

Unlike sports, teams in the electronic industry don't go for the target by trying to get better; they sue you. While that was meant to be more of a joke, if you were in Cupertino's law offices right now, nobody would be laughing. Apple Insider is reporting on yet another lawsuit involving Apple and the iPhone...