Rumors

Apple restarting iPhone 4 production for India and other markets

Cody Lee ∙ February 4, 2014

Apple has reportedly resumed production of the discontinued iPhone 4, according to a new report. Citing sources familiar with the company's plans, The Economic Times is reporting that Apple hopes to sell the handset in places like India, Indonesia, and Brazil.

The Mac-maker is hoping that the device will help it recoup market share in these countries and other developing markets, where few carriers offer subsidies on their smartphones and prices of consumer electronics tend to run much higher than the global average...

WWE channel coming to Apple TV on February 24

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

A representative of the World Wrestling Entertainment has seemingly confirmed that the upcoming 24/7 WWE Network will be landing on the Apple TV on February 24. Responding to a question on Facebook, the rep said that once the network launches, subscribers will be able to access it directly from their second or third generation ATV...

New report says iPhone 6 will feature larger IGZO displays, 2GB of RAM and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

We've seen multiple reports over the last few weeks claiming to have knowledge of iPhone 6 features. The consensus seems to be that Apple's next smartphone will come in two sizes, 4.8-inches and 5.5-inches, and offer up a variety of performance bumps.

And today we're adding a new report to the stack, from analysts at KDB Daewoo Securities Research. In a note issued to investors last week, KDB agreed this year's iPhone will come in two sizes, and said it will feature IGZO technology, 2GB of RAM and more...

Tim Cook visits with Prime Minister, retailers in United Arab Emirates

Cody Lee ∙ February 3, 2014

Following his trip to Ireland last week, Tim Cook was spotted at several electronics outlets in the United Arab Emirates this weekend. The CEO posed for pictures while visiting malls in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The reason for his visit is unknown, but a UAE-based newspaper is reporting that Cook also met with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and other officials while in the region...

Apple reportedly working on solar, motion charging for iWatch

Cody Lee ∙ February 2, 2014

The New York Times is out with a new report this evening, claiming that Apple is exploring a variety of different charging methods for its mobile devices in an effort to improve battery life. These methods include induction, solar and kinetic.

While patents and other evidence suggest that the company has been experimenting with these technologies for years now, the report cites sources within Apple saying that interest has been reinvigorated by the oft-rumored iWatch project...

Health & fitness tracking features said to headline iOS 8

Cody Lee ∙ January 31, 2014

Over the past year or so, Apple has been hiring a number of doctors and other experts in the medical field to work on an unknown project. And up until now, we've known little about its plans outside of recurring iWatch speculation.

But a new report out this afternoon may help shed some light on what it's been working on. Apparently health and fitness tracking are going to be headlining features of iOS 8, and they're expected to play well with Apple's smartwatch...

Another medical device expert joins Apple to work on unknown project

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple continues to add to its mysterious team of medical device experts, with the latest report exposing the hiring of Michael O'Reilly, the former chief medical officer and executive VP of medical affairs at pulse oximeter firm Masimo Corporation.

For those unfamiliar with the term, pulse oximetry is a non-invasive and accurate way of measuring your pulse by monitoring oxygen saturation in the blood stream. And some folks have speculated that O'Reilly is using his expertise on the iWatch...

Job listings suggest Apple’s working on new iPod product

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

During the latest Apple earnings call, CEO Tim Cook commented that his team has known for a while that the iPod is a declining business. Sales for the nearly 15-year-old product line have essentially been on the decline since 2008.

As you can imagine, this coupled with the fact that the iPod line hasn't received any major updates since 2012, has led to speculation that the mp3 player is on its way out. But a few recently-discovered Apple job listings suggest otherwise...

Apple pushing to open Arizona sapphire plant to start producing ‘critical’ component

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

By now, most of you have probably heard that Apple has teamed up with manufacturing partner GT Advanced Technologies to open up a plant in Mesa, Arizona for producing sapphire. The plant is nearly ready to open, and Apple has already begun hiring engineers.

Up until now, though, little has been known about what kind of parts this sapphire factory would be producing. But some new documents just surfaced that may help fill in the blanks. Apparently, Apple is going to use the plant to produce a new 'critical' component...

Google selling Motorola Mobility to Lenovo for $2.9 billion

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

Well this is an interesting turn of events. It appears that Google has decided to sell its Motorola Mobility arm to electronics giant Lenovo for $2.91 billion. The deal is said to include the entire Motorola division and some 10,000 of its 17,000 patents.

If the deal gets approved, Google would be selling Motorola for far less than the $12.5 billion it paid for it back in 2011. It looks like it's holding on to some of Motorola's IP though, and retaining licenses to its other patents, so it wouldn't be a total loss...

Bug in iCloud web portal hints at future Bookmarks support

Cody Lee ∙ January 29, 2014

It's been discovered today that an error on Apple's iCloud web portal displays a "Coming Soon" message for iCloud Bookmarks, suggesting that the feature may soon be available on the website. This would allow users to remotely access their bookmarks using virtually any browser.

The page, which you can see in the screenshot above, appears briefly when visiting this URL from your computer. It was originally accessed by installing the Chrome extension for the iCloud Control Panel for Windows on a PC, and so far, no one is quite sure what to make of it...

Pundit makes the case for a solar-powered iPhone 6

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

It would seem that much of the tech world is expecting Apple to give its iPhone line a significant refresh this year. The company is believed to be working on not one, but two new models with larger displays, and of course there will be the usual performance bumps.

But if you ask Matt Margolis of Seeking Alpha, the iPhone 6 may feature much more than just a larger display. The analyst thinks the handset could utilize a sapphire display with an embedded solar power panel, and he makes a pretty interesting case for the theory...