Mark is an award-winning journalist who worked at 9to5Mac for over six years. He covers Apple and other topics related to the consumer technology industry.
Launched at Macworld this week, a clever new Kickstarter project called the “iMacompanion” aims to put a USB port on the front of your iMac or Apple Thunderbolt Display. Video overview:
The port blends in with the aluminum coloring of the stands on those Apple displays and connects to the main USB ports on the back via an ultra-thin cable that slides under the base of the stand. If funded, the creators of the project aim to ship by fall of this year.
Apple has begun sending out iTunes Store credits to customers affected by the recently (partially) settled ebook price fixing situation. The lawsuit, which involves companies such as Apple, Amazon, Hachette, Harper Collins, Penguin, Macmillan, and Simon & Schuster, has not been fully settled as Apple recently appealed the ruling in which it was found guilty of conspiring to fix ebook pricing. Regardless, the company has sent out credits:
Following the debut of Microsoft Office for the iPad earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken to Twitter to endorse the launch and congratulate recently appointed Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft Office for iPad brings the complete office suite of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel to Apple’s tablets with a freemium business model.
Apple is also promoting Office on the App Store’s homepage (thanks, Chad):
News of a pair of notable Apple personnel changes has emerged today. First on the list is a notable addition to Apple’s online retail store management team. According to his LinkeIn profile, Delta Vice President of Marketing Bob Kupbens has traveled to Apple to become the company’s new Vice President of Online Retail. This move comes at a time in which Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts transitions into Apple’s top retail role as the new Senior Vice President of both retail stores and online retail. Apple’s current online stores VP is Jennifer Bailey, and recent reports have indicated that she is transitioning to lead Apple’s upcoming mobile payments initiative. Perhaps Kupbens is Bailey’s replacement on the online stores front…
Indications from several sources (including our own) indicate that the iPhone 5c is set to see an expansion tomorrow with a less-expensive, lower-capacity 8GB model. But that might not be the only Apple iOS device announcement for tomorrow. According to a source, shipments of Apple’s fourth-generation iPad with Retina display have been arriving at Apple Stores with notices to not open until tomorrow (images below)…
Just in time for March Madness, Apple has added a new channel dedicated to ACC Sports to the Apple TV. The channel, called ACC Sports, features sections dedicated to many of the ACC colleges (Atlantic Coast Conference). It is unclear if the application will be able to live stream games from the major basketball tournament as March Madness is a CBS-branded event. Nonetheless, it’s likely that ACC Sports will at least offer highlights and updates after the games. News from other NCAA divisions will likely to be found in the already-existing Watch-ESPN app. (More images and details below).
Seven years out from the original iPhone’s introduction, and four years past the iPad’s launch, Apple has found its next market ripe for reinvention: the mobile healthcare and fitness-tracking industry. Apple’s interest in healthcare and fitness tracking will be displayed in an iOS application codenamed Healthbook. I first wrote about Apple’s plans for Healthbook in January, and multiple sources working directly on the initiative’s development have since provided new details and images of Healthbook that provide a clearer view of Apple’s plans for dramatically transforming the mobile healthcare and fitness-tracking space…
Besides adding new Maps, Healthbook, and iTunes Radio applications, Apple plans to enhance and refine the functionality of some of its current pre-bundled applications and features for iOS 8. Here is a list, provided by sources, of some of the refinements Apple is considering for select applications and system functions in iOS 8:
The above screenshot claiming to represent iOS 8 just showed up on a Weibo account. Even though the source of the images is absolutely uncertain, I have confirmed with several sources that these shots are legitimate. Earlier today, I detailed the new Preview and TextEdit apps shown above, and I previously discussed Healthbook. I’ll have more news on Healthbook in the coming weeks. Until then, you can check out a higher-resolution mockup of the Healthbook icon below. I’m not sure what the Tips icon is for, but it is probably a user-guide of some sort. Of course, it’s plausible that the icons are works in progress. More images below:
When Apple introduced both iOS and iCloud, its goal was to eliminate the classic file system found in Mac OS X and make synchronization so seamless between devices that it “just works.” Nearly three years after iCloud’s introduction, Apple is still moving closer to this goal. The company is working on a pair of new iCloud applications for iOS as well as improved tools for developers to build iCloud-infused applications, according to sources with knowledge of these initiatives…
Several time NBA MVP and lead Samsung celebrity spokesman LeBron James also has phone problems. The above Tweet is gone; probably in an effort to not upset Samsung… (via Eli Langer).
In an effort to boost usage of its new streaming music service that launched alongside iOS 7 last fall, Apple is considering changes to iTunes Radio. The Cupertino company is now testing iTunes Radio as a standalone application with iOS 8, according to sources briefed on the plans. iTunes Radio first arrived as a feature within the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system’s Music application. As a tab in the already-existing Music app, iTunes Radio has not received a promoted presence on iOS, and this likely has deterred growth for the service in terms of advertising revenue and usage…
Apple is readying an upgraded version of its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Maps application for the next major release of iOS in an effort to battle Google for mobile maps supremacy, according to sources briefed on the plans. Apple CEO Tim Cook, Senior Vice Presidents Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi, and Maps head Patrice Gautier are using the new app to move toward fulfilling a promise to users that the iOS Maps application will eventually live up to the “incredibly high standard” of Apple’s customers…
<a href="http://ios.e-lite.org">Downloads on iOS-Elite</a>
Besides supporting all iOS 7 devices, iOS 7.1 brings support for a pair of new iPad models: iPad 4,3 (download link) and iPad 4,6 (download link). These models have not been announced by Apple, but they likely represent minor hardware revisions…
As Apple’s Finance department transitions into a new era under the watch of incoming CFO Luca Maestri, the team is seeking acquisition integration analysts. The new job position was posted earlier today on Apple’s job listings website. The listing is seeking an analyst who could examine companies acquired by Apple and assist in integrating that company’s resources into existing teams within Apple. The person will need to work on integration with the HR, Legal, IS&T, Real Estate, Operations, Finance, and Tax teams:
In line with our report from a couple of weeks ago, Apple’s in-store iPhone trade-in program has arrived in Canada. The Reuse and Recycle program allows an iPhone user (of the first 3G model and newer) to trade-in their iPhone for a gift card that can be applied toward the purchase of the new iPhone. The amount of money on the card will vary by model and the quality of the older iPhone. The program first launched in the United States last year, quickly expanded to the United Kingdom, and then it reached France earlier this year. The launch in Canada has been confirmed via Apple’s Canada retail pages in the Apple Store iPhone app.
4K display running at “Retina” resolution on 10.9.3
Earlier today, Apple provided developers with the first beta for the upcoming release of OS X Mavericks version 10.9.3. Apple did not disclose any new features coming in 10.9.3, but we have discovered that the update includes notable enhancements for users with Macs connected to 4K-resolution monitors. With 10.9.3, Mac users can now natively set their 4K monitors to run the Mac operating system at a pixel-doubled “Retina” resolution.
The new settings, which appear nearly identical to the settings on a standard Retina MacBook Pro display, can be seen here on a 10.9.3 Mac connected to a 4K monitor:
Just under two weeks after releasing OS X Mavericks 10.9.2, Apple has seeded the first beta of OS X Mavericks version 10.9.3 to developers. The build number is 13D12. Like its predecessor, it is likely that 10.9.3 focuses on additional bug fixes. Apple asks developers to focus on Graphics Drivers and Audio during testing. We’ll update this post if new features are discovered.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling through the United States this week for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) annual conference, and he is scheduled to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook today. The meeting plans were revealed on the Prime Minister’s Twitter account earlier this week:
In an effort to boost usage of its new streaming music service that launched alongside iOS 7 last fall, Apple is considering changes to iTunes Radio. The Cupertino company is now testing iTunes Radio as a standalone application with iOS 8, according to sources briefed on the plans. iTunes Radio first arrived as a feature within the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch operating system’s Music application. As a tab in the already-existing Music app, iTunes Radio has not received a promoted presence on iOS, and this likely has deterred growth for the service in terms of advertising revenue and usage…
