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Mark Gurman

@markgurman

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.

Mark is regarded as one of the go-to reporters for all Apple-related matters, one of Wired‘s top 16 people to follow in technology, and one of TIME Magazine‘s top 25 bloggers of 2013Mark has also been profiled by CNN Fortune multiple times, NPR, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, the Huffington PostBusiness Insider, Columbia Journalism Review, MarketplaceHaaretz, and USA TodayMark was also recently named to the 2015 Forbes 30 under 30 List.

In 2012, Mark published the first photos of the iPhone 5, broke the news about Apple’s switch to an in-house Maps application, revealed the first 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro, forecasted that Apple would update the iPad’s software with Siri support, and accurately revealed the iPad mini’s higher-than expected price point.

In 2013, Mark published the first photos of the original iPad Air, provided the first details about Jony Ive’s end-to-end iPhone and iPad software update called iOS 7, provided information about OS X Mavericks, and detailed Apple’s early work on the Apple Watch.

In 2014, Mark revealed Apple’s work on a new Health application for iOS 8 and the Apple Watch, Ive’s redesign of OS X called Yosemite, and details about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Mark started out 2015 with a significant scoop detailing Apple’s yet-to-be-released 12-inch MacBook with a Retina display, thinner design, and more advanced trackpad and keyboard. He has continued the year by reporting on several details about iOS 9, including the new Proactive Assistant, redesigned Siri, upgraded Maps with transit functionality, new system font, split-screen iPad apps, Swift 2.0, as well as predicting a performance focus for both that software upgrade and OS X El Capitan. Mark finished the year by reporting the majority of the details about the new Apple TV, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Apple Watch updates, the iPad Pro, the iPad mini 4, and iMacs.

Mark started out 2016 with exclusive reports on Apple’s work on a pair of completely wireless Beats headphones for the iPhone 7, details on the iPhone SE, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, Apple Watch updates, Apple’s March product event, new Apple retail initiatives, and Tim Cook’s Town Hall meeting with Apple employees.

Mark has also written long-form features on “Apple Anonymous,” a group of retail employees who discuss work over Twitter and the fascination of watches by Apple executives. Most significantly, in fall 2014, Mark published an extensive profile of Apple’s PR and Communications department that was compiled over two months into nine chapters. Mark also provides analysis on relevant technology industry topics, such as Apple’s recent executive shakeup. Mark kicked off his writing career at the end of 2009, and he had his first significant break in 2011 with a story detailing Siri and the iPhone 4S.

You can follow him on Twitter.

Connect with Mark Gurman

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Mailbox email app for iPhone removes reservation system following scaling improvements

The Mailbox for iPhone email application no longer has a reservation system, its developers announced today. The developers say that improved scaling contributed to this.

Good news! Mailbox is now available without having to wait in line. After 10 weeks of around-the-clock hard work, our engineering team has scaled the Mailbox service to deliver over 100 million messages per day (and growing). We believe we can now confidently handle new users as they sign up, so we’ve pulled down the reservation system.

It is unclear if Dropbox, the new owner of Mailbox, contributed to the new scaling efforts. The developers say that the app processes 100 million emails per day. Yesterday, Mailbox was updated with interface enhancements and new snooze options.


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Facebook for iOS gains ‘ChatHeads’, iPad app redesigned, Brichter working on Home

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Facebook has released an updated version of its Facebook application for iOS today, bringing the iPad application more in line with the website’s recently announced redesign and adding some features from the Android-based Facebook Home software. The Verge took a hands-on look at the updated app.

The iPad application now has a more streamlined, simplified user-interface that focuses more on content such as photos…


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Apple releases minor Xcode update with fixes/improvements

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Today, Apple has released a minor update to its Mac Xcode software development suite. The update includes various performance improvements and bug fixes. It is available on the Mac App Store as a free update. Thanks, D!

What’s New in Version 4.6.2

• Improves LLDB performance for debugging Objective-C code.
• Fixes an issue where the crash log database could grow very large.
• Additional bug fixes and stability improvements.


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Apple says small number of Apple TVs have WiFi issues, opens replacement program

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Apple has informed its official retail stores, AppleCare employees, and authorized resellers that a small number of third-generation Apple TV units have WiFi issues. These issues surround not being able to locate a WiFi network, unable to join a network, and dropped or intermittent connections.

Apple has determined that a very small number of Apple TV (3rd generation) products might experience one of these Wi-Fi related connectivity issues: Cannot locate network, Unable to join network, Dropped or intermittent connection.

If an Apple technician determines that an applicable Apple TV has these issues, the unit can be replaced as part of a replacement program that Apple has begun because of these WiFi issues. Apple says that replacements can be offered free of charge up to two years after the device’s purchase date.

Here are the serial number pairs that are eligible:


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YouTube app for iOS now offers access to Live Streams, TV queuing

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Today, Google has updated its YouTube for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with a few important new enhancements. Notably, users of the application can now access Live streams directly from within the app.

Additionally, the interface has been updated for quicker access to subscriptions via the My Subscriptions feed. TV queuing, another notable addition, will allow users to create a queue of videos to watch later on their TV.


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Verizon CEO takes credit for convincing Steve Jobs to make iPhone 5 LTE, says half of wireless traffic is now video

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At NAB, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told attendees that half of his network’s wireless traffic is used for downloading video. McAdam reportedly added that he expects video to take over 2/3 of the Verizon network by 2017. The CEO thanks the carrier’s investments in LTE technology for making this happen.

On the subject of LTE networks, McAdam also shared an interesting tidbit regarding an encounter with Steve Jobs and Apple during the development of the current iPhone, the iPhone 5. One of the latest iPhone’s premier new features over its predecessors is support for LTE networks in regions across the globe. McAdam says that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was initially reluctant about including LTE in the iPhone 5, but McAdam’s descriptions of LTE’s speed capabilities changed Jobs’ mind:


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OS X 10.8.4 code confirms new Macs incoming with super-fast 802.11ac Gigabit wireless support

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Apple is preparing to soon release new Mac computers that support super-fast 802.11ac Gigabit wireless, according to code-findings inside of Apple’s latest OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 beta seed to developers. The code was located by a tipster inside of the operating system’s WiFi-frameworks folder. As you can see in the image directly below, the 802.11ac code is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest public release of Apple’s Mac operating system.

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Previous reports have claimed that Apple is working with wireless chipmaker Broadcom to produce 802.11ac chips for future Macs. Now, it appears, Apple’s software is ready to support the new wireless technology as well. More details below…


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Apple and Yahoo in active discussions regarding increased partnership for Siri data, search

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Yahoo’s Mayer and Apple’s Ive at dinner

Apple and Yahoo are in active discussions regarding increasing their partnership, according to The Wall Street Journal. While the report does not provide any true specifics regarding what an increased partnership could entail, the report notes that discussions have surrounded increased Yahoo integration into Siri. Additionally, Yahoo is reportedly exploring ways to reduce Apple’s reliance on Google for web search functions.

Data from Yahoo Finance and its weather site already come preloaded onto iPhones and Yahoo data like sports stats help power Apple’s voice-activated “assistant” Siri. But the companies continue to discuss new arrangements, including possible deals to get more content from Yahoo Sports and Yahoo News, among other Yahoo Web properties, preloaded onto Apple devices or available through an expanded partnership with Siri, one of these people said.

Apple and Yahoo have had a lengthy history in terms of iPhone/iOS-related partnerships. Yahoo was the first third-party email service to be integrated into the iPhone Mail app with free push email technology. In fact, one of Yahoo’s founders joined Apple co-founder Steve on stage at the Macworld 2007 iPhone announcement to discuss the partnership (video). Yahoo is also a Safari web search option and a data source for weather, stocks, sports data for iOS applications and Siri…


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Panic’s Status Board iPad app starts rolling out around the world

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Popular app developer Panic’s new Status Board application for iPad has begun rolling out around the world. We’ve spotted it in the Australia iTunes Store and in some other regions. Update: Now available in the U.S. Store. 

Use the easy built-in panels to automatically see data about your life: calendar, tweets, e-mail, weather, news, and more. Or, use the pro panels, Graph and Table, with your own customized data sources, to see relevant data about your business or organization.

Based on the App Store description and screenshots, it appears that this application is sort of like a “dashboard” for your iPad’s display.

The app allows you to add clocks, weather, your calendar, new emails, Twitter updates, and feed headlines, according to the App Store description.

In Australia, the app is priced at $10.49. This translates to $9.99 in the U.S. store.

We will have a full review up when the application is available in the U.S. iTunes Store.

Update: The app is out, here’s our full review. 


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‘iPhone 5S’, cheaper iPhone to come in multiple new colors, July announcement?

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According to Macotakara, new colors will be one of the more visible features of Apple’s next-generation iPhone models. According to a new report from the Japanese website, Apple’s iPhone 5 successor, already dubbed by some as the “iPhone 5S,” will come in three additional colors on top of the already existing black/slate and white/silver designs found on the iPhone 5.

It seems that it will have gossiped if the 5-color lineup of low-priced edition iPhone is carried out until now, but iPhone 5S may be 3 colors added to 2 colors of iPhone 5 1 color somehow. However, the informed sources did not tell about the kind of detailed color.

The site also claims that Apple’s already-rumored cheaper iPhone will come in five colors, but the report does not specify if this is five colors in addition to the black and white models or including the black and white options. Multiple analyst reports have previously claimed that Apple’s next iPhones will likely come in new colors.


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AnoStyle is giving away an anodized iPhone 5 to a 9to5Mac reader!

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We’ve previously covered and reviewed AnoStyle’s anodization service for iOS devices like the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. We found the process for an iPhone 5 to be seamless:

There isn’t much to report besides everything turned out great and I love the result. It feels and looks like my iPhone, only in gold. The only con to AnoStyle, at least for the gold color option, is that the text below “iPhone” on the back is now extremely faint. Other than that, I feel like I own a limited edition iPhone (dusts shoulder off), and at least four people have asked me how I managed to snag a gold iPhone.

Today, AnoStyle has agreed to giveaway an anodized iPhone 5 to a 9to5Mac reader. The winner, which we will select and announce one week from today, can choose either a black/slate or white/silver iPhone 5 plus the anodized color (red, pink, yellow, orange, blue, teal, green, violet, gold, copper, bronze, blue steel, rose gold, or flat black).
 The iPhone 5 is an unlocked 16GB unit, but the winner can choose to pay the difference for a higher capacity model.
How to enter:

Intel announces 2014 Thunderbolt update with 4K support; opens door for Retina iMacs?

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Retina iMac mockup via MacSpoilers

Retina iMac mockup via <a href="http://macspoilers.com/665/a-slimmed-down-retina-imac-rumored-to-launch-with-the-ipad-min/"><em>MacSpoilers</em></a>

Today, Intel announced a new version of its Thunderbolt technology that will ship with devices in 2014. The new Thunderbolt technology supports up to 20Gbps throughput, which is up from the 10 Gbps supported by the current version of Thunderbolt.

Notably, the new technology supports 4K resolutions, which could open the door for even higher-resolution Mac displays. Perhaps, this is the technology that Apple needs to work with in order to begin a Retina display rollout for its all-in-one desktop computer, the iMac, or even Mac Pro compatible Thunderbolt displays.


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Rumor claims Mac Pro update coming this month

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According to an unverified rumor from MacDailyNews, Apple will announce the next generation of its Mac Pro line sometime this month.

Apple will announce its replacement for the company’s Mac Pro lineup this month, a source who has been correct about Apple product matters in the past has just informed us. We cannot independently corroborate this information, so this item has been categorized as a rumor.

MacDailyNews says its source for this information has provided accurate information in the past, but the site still classifies the information as a “rumor” because it could not corroborate the details. The site previously reported accurate information regarding iCloud pricing and the iOS name.

The site is not sure if this will be a revamp to the existing Mac Pro or a new computer that will be deemed as a Mac Pro replacement.

Earlier this year, we reported that new regulatory standards forced Apple to discontinue its current model of Mac Pros. The computer has since been removed from multiple European online stores.

Apple CEO Tim Cook previously told an Apple customer that Apple is working on something “really great” in the Pro space for “later” in 2013.


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Will Facebook Home ever come to iOS? Zuckerberg says it would require Apple partnership

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lep_DSmSRwE?rel=0]

Asked if Facebook Home would eventually reach iOS devices, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, pointed directly to Apple. He said that working on Facebook Home for Android was smooth because the openness of the platform did not require any Google intervention. Home on iOS would require a direct partnership with Apple.

We have a great relationship with Apple. Anything that happens with Apple is going to happen with partnership. Google’s Android is open so we don’t have to work with them.


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WSJ: Apple beginning production of next iPhone in Q2, 4-inch cheaper iPhone still on track for later in 2013, colors possible

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The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will begin production of its next-generation iPhone during Q2 2013. The report reiterates previous claims that Apple’s next flagship smartphone will sport a design akin to the current iPhone 5. Production of this “iPhone 5S” device during Q2 could point to a release this summer. Previous claims have said that the next iPhone could launch as soon as August.

Apple Inc. AAPL +1.09% plans to begin production of a new iPhone similar in size and shape to its current one in the second quarter of the year, according to people familiar with the device’s production, teeing up a possible summer launch for the next version of its flagship device.

Various analysts previously said that Apple would debut an “iPhone 5S” like device during summer 2013. Some have said that the new iPhone will come in multiple color options much like the recently released fifth-generation iPod touch. The WSJ hints that Apple has been at least toying with that idea. While keeping the iPhone 5’s design, this iPhone 5S will likely include a faster chip and an improved camera sensor…


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AT&T says it will turn on HD Voice/wideband audio support later this year

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At the VentureBeat Mobile Summit today, AT&T Senior Vice President Kris Rinne said that the United States carrier will support HD voice (wideband audio) later this year, as noted by AllThingsD. HD Voice is a new phone technology that uses more frequencies so cell phone calls sound clearer.

Apple’s iPhone 5 launched with hardware support for the feature last fall, but only around 20 carriers, all international, support it.

T-Mobile, which will begin carrying the iPhone later this month, will become the first U.S. carrier to support it. Seth Weintraub, who attended the T-Mobile iPhone 5 launch event, wrote up some hands-on thoughts regarding the HD Voice/Wideband audio quality:

I tested out the HD Audio, and it sounded great, but it was hard to differentiate in the crowded hall from regular calls. The true test will be when I get to use it with headphones in quiet environments, which we hope to try out in the coming weeks. Also, HD calling only works when both people are using the feature. So, unless all of your friends buy T-Mobile iPhone 5′s, you won’t likely get the opportunity to hear it too often.

Sprint and Verizon Wireless, the other two major U.S. iPhone carriers, are yet to announce plans for an HD Voice rollout. (Image via gdgt).


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San Francisco DA met with Apple over phone thefts, hints next two iPhones designed under Jobs

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The San Francisco Examiner reports on meetings between San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and mobile device makers regarding phone thefts. Because Apple’s iPhone was reportedly involved in over half of robberies in San Francisco over the last year, the DA’s office is pushing for Apple and other phone makers to implement a uniform system for disabling devices that have been reported stolen. Publicizing this proposed technology would help reduce thefts, the DA believes.

Because the iPhone is at the center of the issue, Gascón met with Apple’s Government Liaison. The conversation with this person, Michael Foulkes, is described as “underwhelming:”


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Amazon takes on Dropbox with new Cloud Drive file syncing feature

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Amazon has updated its Cloud Drive platform with a file sync feature across computers. This new feature allows Amazon to take on Dropbox by allowing users to sync chosen content within a folder across the web and a folder on OS X and Windows. Amazon users get 5GB of storage for free, which is the same as what Apple’s iCloud offers free of charge, but storage upgrades up to 1000GB are available.

https://twitter.com/jbrodkin/status/318810175106596864


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2014 Macworld/iWorld conference moved from early February to late March

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The 2014 Macworld/iWorld conference has been moved from early February to late March. The new dates are Thursday March 27th through Saturday March 29th. Macworld shares some of the reasoning behind the change:

By moving the conference to late March 2014, IDG World Expo will make life easier on exhibitors and attendees alike: It avoids overlap with the 2014 Super Bowl, to be played on February 2, and gets a little more distance from the holidays, winter travel, and the annual CES conference in early January. The rescheduled dates also keep consistent the conference’s recent Thursday/Friday/Saturday schedule; the initially planned February dates would have spanned a Saturday through Monday.

The event will also now take place in San Francisco’s Moscone North, rather than Moscone West.


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