Screen

Apple Stores to start repairing iPhone 5c screens next week

Apple will begin conducting in-store screen repairs for the iPhone 5c next week, according to a report from 9to5Mac. The site says that under the new practice, the company will be able to repair most displays 'within the hour.'

This means that Apple Stores will no longer have to replace an entire device due to a cracked screen. And the initiative will not only help Apple save money on repairs, but it'll also save users from having to setup new devices…

Remotely control your computer from your iOS device with Screens 3.0

Ever away from your desk, but need to access something on your desktop? What about copying something on your Mac and pasting it to your iPad? Thanks to a new updated version of Screens, Edovia dev team is making remote view a simple and easy task for any user.

Previously, remote viewing was a complicated task reserved for the super nerds and IT geeks. However, with the spawn of tablets, the common man is now capable of logging into remote desktop through simplified app clients. As I am frequently away from my desk traveling, I decided to take a closer look at Screens...

Review: Armorz tempered glass skin for iPhone

Screen protectors are either hit or miss. As a naked iPhone user, I use neither a case, nor a skin. There is too much room for disappointment with many iOS device skins. Consequently, I am a true iPhone nudist. I am however not opposed to giving screen protections a try for review.

Inside, I take a quick look at the Armorz Stealth Extreme Lite Tempered Glass for iPhone 5/c/s. After receiving one from Armorz, I installed it on my wife's 5c and was more impressed than originally anticipated. My wife is still currently enjoying it, even though she prefers a nude iPhone as well. There are all types of screen protection on the market, but the Armorz is my first experience with a tempered glass variety...

Apple could enhance Touch ID with trackpad capabilities, embed sensor right into display

Last week, Patently Apple shed light on an Apple patent filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office which covers the various aspects of its Touch ID fingerprint scanner, a new feature exclusive to the iPhone 5s.

The invention is entitled Capacitive Sensor Packaging and details collapsing the full fingerprint maps into a hashed, encrypted data securely stored on the A7 chip's Secure Enclave. It's curious that the patent's main inventor, Wayne Westerman, developed Multi-Touch technology at Fingerworks, a startup Apple snapped up in 2005.

In another massive 612-page patent application Apple filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization in May 2013, the iPhone maker indicates it's been researching mobile screens with Touch ID embedded, along with trackpad capabilities allowing for panning of on-screen content by moving your finger over the Touch ID Home button...

Retina iPad mini teardown: LG Display Retina panel, larger battery, A7 and more

Yesterday, I wondered on Twitter what was taking the repair magicians over at iFixit so long to do their ritual teardown of Apple's stealthily-released iPad mini with Retina display. My prayers have been listened to as iFixit has torn apart the device, revealing its guts and components for the whole world to see. As you could imagine, they found an Apple-designed A7 chip inside, slightly underclocked versus the iPad Air.

On top of that, there are usual suspects in terms of wireless and supporting chips. As for the titular update to this iPad mini - the Retina display - the teardown analysis has identified an LG Display-supplied 7.9-inch in-plane switching LCD with a 2,048-by-1,536 screen resolution.

While the resolution is the same as the iPad 3/4/Air, the images are crisper at 326 pixels per inch (264 ppi on the iPad Air) due to a shrunken form factor, as noted MacStories editor Federico Viticci noted in his hands-on article.

Other tidbits follow...

Bloomberg: curved-screen jumbo-sized iPhones coming in 2014

We've been hearing a lot lately about jumbo-sized iPhones, but the iPhablet meme is so passé now. So how about a curved-screen iPhone? I'm not talking about a Galaxy Round type of device - according to a new Bloomberg report, a large-screen iPhone featuring a flat screen with the cover glass "that curves downward at the edges" is in the works.

This sounds a lot like the Lumia range as the high-end Nokia devices sport slightly curved screen edges. Note that this is the first time we've heard the curved-screen iPhone being mentioned by a major big media publication. The Bloomberg article also mentions two large-screen models planned for release in the second half of next year and a new pressure-sensitive screen technology. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

Quality issues reportedly prompt Apple to cozy up to Samsung for iPad screens

It's no secret Apple's been working around the clock to decrease its reliance on Samsung for components. I'm also sure you know the two frenemies have been entangled in a complicated web of lawsuits the world over for two years. Now, various market repots have indicated Apple months ago showed Samsung the door by introducing other mobile display makers to the iPad supply chain, namely LG Display and Sharp.

In an interesting reversal, research firm NPD DisplaySearch said Wednesday it believed Samsung actually gained on the iPad screen supplier LG Display because Apple in April and June reportedly sourced more 9.7-inch iPad panels from LG Display than from Samsung...

As Apple misses a beat, Amazon is Retina-fying Kindle lineup

Hot on the heels of yesterday's Google event which saw, among other goodies, introduction of the second-generation Nexus 7 tablet with an improved 1,920-by-1,200 screen, the Kindle maker Amazon is now said to be refreshing its Fire tablet family around higher-resolution displays, too.

And as Apple and its Asian suppliers scramble to solve manufacturing challenges that continue to plague a second-generation iPad mini, Amazon's top-of-the-line Kindle reportedly features a significantly overhauled display that packs 30 percent more pixels than the Retina iPad, into a smaller 8.9-inch screen compared to Apple's 9.7-inch device. Ouch!

Ongoing challenges forcing Apple to buy Retina iPad mini screens from Samsung?

Run for years by the then op-chief Tim Cook, Apple's supply chain has become the stuff of the legend. Would-be watchers naively believe deciphering Apple's next move is as easy as keeping tabs on the chatter coming out of Asia's supply chain. Tim Cook, of course, begs to differ: on one of conference calls, Apple's boss cautioned investors against drawing conclusion from any one data point as the company's supply chain is a very complex beast.

So here's something for investors and fans to chew on: ET News reported Tuesday that Apple is considering tapping Samsung Display to produce low-power Retina screens for the upcoming second-generation iPad mini because AU Optronics (AUO) was unable to deliver. Samsung would presumably make the screens alongside LG Display, Sharp and perhaps Japan Display, according to a previous February 2013 report...

Apple now offering in-store $149 replacement screens for iPhone 5

A recent MarketWatch article has blamed high iPhone 5 repair costs on Apple’s tight control of the supply chain, which in turn dictates aftermarket prices.

Perhaps responding to the criticism, the company has reportedly started selling a replacement screen component for the iPhone 5 for $149.

Tipsters claim that the replacement display is offered in-store only, with or without AppleCare+.

Although $149 is notably higher than the corresponding iPhone 4S screen assembly which costs about $95, Apple's asking price undercuts the repair wizards over at iFixit who offer an iPhone 5 replacement screen for $200.

And in response to Apple's competitive pricing, some service shops are now starting to tweak their repair rates accordingly...

DigiTimes: 33 percent lighter iPad 5 on track for September release

DigiTimes, the-sometimes-reliable Taiwanese trade publication, on Monday ran a report which quotes sources with Taiwan's supply chain who claim that a fifth revision to Apple's full-size 9.7-inch iPad will be 25-33 percent lighter than its previous generation.

The fifth-generation iPad is believed to be entering trial production next month, meaning the device should be on track for a rumored September launch. Initial output is pegged at up to three million units until Apple and its manufacturing partners reach yield levels necessary to ramp up production...

Apple ostensibly sampling 1.5-inch iWatch screens

The pretty accurate Japanese blog Macotakara passes along a pair of Taiwanese reports claiming that Apple is now evaluating and sampling tiny screens for its rumored smartwatch, affectionately dubbed by the media as iWatch. Apple's technologies chief Bob Mansfield, who is believed to have taken particular interest in wearable technology, along with a team of 100+ engineers are reportedly evaluating 1.5-inch screens based on OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode).

OLED is important because it doesn't require a backlight so it's more batter-friendly than a liquid crystal display (LCD). Additionally, OLED screens render deeper black levels and are thinner and lighter than LCDs, which are major feats for small form-factor wearable gadgets like smartwatches...