Apple

6,155 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - March 2014

Apple News and Brief History

Before you can properly understand Apple News, it’s important to know its history. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1977, Apple’s sales were growing with the success of its early computers. Within a few years, Jobs and Wozniak hired designers and a production line crew. Apple went public in 1980 and was an instant success. Over the next few years, Apple shipped new computers featuring new graphical user interfaces, such as the original Macintosh in 1984. As the market for personal computers expanded through the 1990s, Apple lost market share to the cheaper Microsoft Windows on PC clones. Eventually, Wozniak and Jobs both left Apple. Jobs would go on to found NeXT and would return to Apple when NeXT was acquired in the late 90s. Apple then began a journey to the great second act in the history of the business world.

Since the release of the iPod in 2001, Apple has become a major player once again in the technology industry. After releasing the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, and the Apple Watch in 2015, Apple is now one of the largest companies in the world. Apple’s worldwide annual revenue totaled $274.5 billion for its 2020 fiscal year.

Today, Apple operates retail stores all across the world, has a growing services division, and an ever-expanding hardware lineup. The technology industry follows Apple news to see where the company is headed in the future.

Keep reading for the latest Apple news

U.S. soldier says his iPhone helped save his life from a suicide bomber

Ben Lovejoy Mar 11 2014 - 8:05 am PT

35 Comments

You’re looking at the damage caused by a ball-bearing as it struck the iPhone in a soldier’s pocket after a bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan, reports KSL.

Staff Sgt. Shaun Frank survived a blast from just feet away. Part of the reason is because his iPhone stopped some of the shrapnel from piercing his body.

“They did tell him when he got back to base that that iPhone probably saved his life,” said Frank’s sister, Alisha Lantz.

Given that the phone was in his pants pocket at the time, I did wonder whether saving his life might have been an exaggeration, but writing in the comments below Sgt. Frank said:

I can confirm that the iPhone did in fact save my life by saving my artery! Lucky or just someone watching down on me from above, either way I am making the most of my time left on this earth as you never know when your time is up.

The phone was destroyed in the explosion. Apple said the company will replace it, but they would need to retain the destroyed phone. Frank chose to have the phone returned as a memento, and his sister, Alisha Lantz, is now appealing to Apple to send him a new one.

“Beausee the old phone meant so much to him, we chose to get the old phone,” Lantz explained.

It’s been months now, and Frank is still in Afghanistan without a phone. His family in Utah is doing everything they can to get him a new one.

“He needs a new iPhone. Apple, please give him a new iPhone,” Lantz said. “I’m just so proud of him. He’s just… he’s my hero.”

Apple has declined to comment.

Will Apple extend sapphire screens to iPads, even at a cost to its margins? [Poll]

Ben Lovejoy Mar 11 2014 - 7:46 am PT

27 Comments

While it’s not yet certain that the iPhone 6 screen will get a sapphire layer, that’s certainly the way things look at present – providing a screen that is pretty much impervious to scratches (though no more resistant to breakage).

The problem with sapphire is it’s about ten times as expensive as Gorilla Glass. There have been vague suggestions that new manufacturing techniques might narrow the gap, but it still seems likely that Apple will have to sacrifice a bit of margin to introduce the material.

That’s likely a cost the company can afford, given the marketing benefit of an effectively scratchproof screen. But will we also see sapphire screens on iPads … ?
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iOS 8: Apple polishes Maps data, adds public transit directions service

Mark Gurman Mar 11 2014 - 6:00 am PT

58 Comments

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…

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iTunes Radio beats Spotify to take 3rd place in U.S. music streaming, eyes up #2 spot

Ben Lovejoy Mar 11 2014 - 5:32 am PT

13 Comments

iTunes Radio, launched alongside iOS 7 six months ago, has now overtaken Spotify to become the third most popular music streaming service in America – and looks set to take second place within the next quarter or two.

Reporting on listening data compiled by Edison Research, Electronista estimates that iTunes Radio’s 8 percent market share gives it around 20M listeners, and says that it is the fastest-growing of the top three services …
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Xcode 5.1, iAd Producer 4.1.2 released with improved iOS 7.1 compatibility

Mark Gurman Mar 10 2014 - 12:00 pm PT

0 Comments

Alongside the release of iOS 7.1 for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch customers, Apple has updated Xcode and iAd Producer with enhancements to better work with iOS 7.1 devices.

iAd 4.1.2 is already showing up in the Mac App Store’s Software Update section:

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iOS 7.1 builds for two new iPads 4,3 and 4,6 released, likely minor hardware revisions

Mark Gurman Mar 10 2014 - 11:31 am PT

10 Comments

<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…

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Apple looking to boost M&A team with acquisition integration analysts

Mark Gurman Mar 10 2014 - 7:48 am PT

3 Comments

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:

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Apple Store iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in program reaches Canada

Mark Gurman Mar 10 2014 - 6:55 am PT

1 Comment

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.

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Most iPhone 6 concept videos are silly, this one could be fairly accurate [Poll]

Ben Lovejoy Mar 10 2014 - 5:47 am PT

41 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPY5Bu67iY4]

There are a lot of very silly iPhone 6 concept images and videos around, from convex curves that maximize reflections and vulnerability to damage, to completely transparent phones (invisible batteries and circuit boards are the new black, apparently). This concept by Sam Beckett isn’t terribly exciting, but it is likely reasonably close to what we might expect Apple to do …
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iTunes Festival channel shows up on Apple TV ahead of SXSW concerts

Mark Gurman Mar 8 2014 - 8:28 pm PT

1 Comment

Ahead of this upcoming week’s iTunes Festival concert series at SXSW, Apple has added an iTunes Festival channel to the Apple TV so that users can live stream the concert’s content. Late last week, Apple released an updated version of the iTunes Festival application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The Apple TV application is similar in style to the iOS app, and it includes a colorful logo…

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Review: Onkyo ES-CTI300(SS) On-Ear Headphones with Control Talk for iOS Devices

Seth Weintraub Mar 7 2014 - 2:46 pm PT

9 Comments

I’ve been on the search for the perfect headphones for my whole life.

Apple’s fall out of my ears if I think too hard and I even have problems keeping typical in-ear headphones in my ears when working out. Getting those weird things that go around my ears to hold them isn’t a great general purpose solution. In-ear headphones also typically lack the depth of sound of over the ear headphones.

Unfortunately, over the ear headphones often lack the mic and iOS controls that you can easily get with in-ear headphones. Add that they are usually bulky and heavy and are too hot on the ears and you usually have a non-starter as a general purpose headset.

The Onkyo ES-CTI300(SS) On-Ear Headphones with Control Talk for iOS Devices aim to be the best of both worlds…

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Doomed? Apple is #1 and growing in latest comScore smartphone numbers

Zac Hall Mar 7 2014 - 10:34 am PT

4 Comments

These are the kind of numbers you will likely hear Tim Cook and company quote during a keynote or quarterly earnings call with investors. Digital analytics tracker comScore is out with a new report today showing a steady lead and continuous gains by Apple among U.S. smartphone users in the three months leading up to the end of January 2014.

59.8 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones (66.8 percent mobile market penetration) during the three months ending in January, up 7 percent since October. Apple ranked as the top OEM with 41.6 percent of U.S. smartphone subscribers (up 1 percentage point from October).

On the platform side, Apple picked up a point (from Android and BlackBerry) during the three month period while Android held its lead but dropped half a point. The current difference between iOS and Android in platform rankings differs by about 10 points.

Compare these numbers to the year ago figures for extra fun.

Beats Music announces its API now open for developers

Zac Hall Mar 7 2014 - 6:27 am PT

3 Comments

Paid streaming service Beats Music is one of the newest players to the subscription-based entertainment scene, but the company isn’t letting that hold them back. As CNET reports, Beats Music has opened its API to developers allowing others to include the service in new implementations without direction partnership.

“This isn’t just about giving access to the catalog of music,” said Rogers. “This is about people who are subscribers to a premium music service that has premium music features, as a subscriber you should have access anywhere.”
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Finally a smartwatch concept that I could actually see myself wearing

Ben Lovejoy Mar 7 2014 - 4:50 am PT

28 Comments

I’ve said before that if Apple or anyone else wants to persuade me to wear a smartwatch, they’re going to have to design something that looks like a stylish watch rather than a chunk of smartphone glued to a strap.

Even most of the concept images floating around haven’t really hit the mark in my view. But this one, by Hungarian designer Gábor Balogh and spotted by The Verge, does.

Granted, it suffers the usual concept image issue of being designed with little thought to practicality (what happens when I answer that call?), and it’s not an iOS interface we’re seeing, but Balogh himself says that he’s aiming to illustrate a principle rather than a specific user-interface. That principle being that a watch should, first and foremost, work as a watch.

Check out the full set of images on Balogh’s Bēhance page, and let us know in the comments what you think.

iPhone owners 46 percent less likely to need to replace their phone

Ben Lovejoy Mar 7 2014 - 4:23 am PT

18 Comments

Image: iosguides.net

Figures from insurance company ProtectCell show that iPhone owners are 46 percent less likely to need a replacement than owners of other smartphones, and 11 percent less likely to need a repair.

While iPhones seemingly have higher build quality than other phones (or perhaps more careful owners), it comes as no surprise to see they are more desirable to thieves, with iPhone thefts 65 percent higher than those of other smartphones. A number that will hopefully fall when word reaches the criminal world about Activation Lock.

Update: ProtectCELL emailed us to say their press release contained the wrong figure (reading 54 percent instead of 46 percent). We have updated with the correct one.

Apple building support for driving 4K displays at ‘Retina’ resolution, 60Hz output from 2013 MacBook Pros

Mark Gurman Mar 6 2014 - 8:02 pm PT

19 Comments

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:

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Apple seeds first OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 beta to developers

Mark Gurman Mar 6 2014 - 4:03 pm PT

5 Comments

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.

Update: 10.9.3 builds in support for running 4K monitors at Retina resolution. All of the details here.

Thanks, D!

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Mercedes-Benz plans aftermarket CarPlay installations for older vehicles by end of the year

Jordan Kahn Mar 6 2014 - 9:48 am PT

28 Comments

Update: Mercedes told us its “goal is to offer an after market solution by the end of the year.”

There have been a lot of mixed reviews of Apple’s CarPlay, a new feature that brings iOS into the car by displaying a customized interface for core iOS apps on in-car displays of select vehicles. A couple of the the common complaints you’ll be hearing about CarPlay: Its implementation varies from vehicle to vehicle as car makers use different touchscreen technology and varying approaches to meld CarPlay with their own in-car systems. Another problem is that it’s so far only coming to a few new vehicles by the end of this year including a pricey new FF from Ferrari, a new C-Class from Mercedes-Benz, and the XC90 SUV from Volvo. That certainly didn’t make owners of last year’s C-Class model happy, but the good news is we’ve confirmed that at least some car makers are planning to offer aftermarket installations for older vehicles.
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Caltech and NYU economists call for Apple ebooks trial verdict to be overturned

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2014 - 7:00 am PT

7 Comments

Apple’s prospects of a successful appeal against the ruling in the ebooks trial may be improved by a brief filed by two economists from Caltech and NYU who suggest that the ruling was in error and call for it to be reversed.

Apple was found guilty of anti-competitive practices on two grounds. First, it asked publishers to switch from a wholesale pricing model – where publishers sold books in bulk and retailers set their own prices – to an agency model, where publishers set prices and retailers took a percentage cut. This, the court found, reduced price competition …
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Pixelworks stock jumps 40 percent in pre-trading after disclosing Apple relationship

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2014 - 6:20 am PT

2 Comments

Shares in video processing specialist Pixelworks are up 39 percent in pre-market trading after an SEC filing surfaced revealing that Apple represented more than 10 percent of its revenue, representing a spend by Apple of $5M+.

SeekingAlpha speculates that Apple is seeking assistance from Pixelworks in developing its long-rumored full television set, though the company’s technologies would seem equally applicable to Apple’s existing products, from iPhones to Macs.

It’s unlikely that either company will enlighten us: Pixelworks only disclosed the relationship because publicly-traded companies are legally obliged to reveal major clients, defined as accounting for more than 10 percent of the revenue.

Pixelworks also makes the VueMagic app which allows wireless presentations to be projected from an iPhone or iPad.

iPhone case will measure heart-rate, blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation & lung function

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2014 - 5:47 am PT

11 Comments

A prototype iPhone case tested by Engadget aims to provide a comprehensive array of vital signs, encompassing heart-rate, blood pressure, temperature, oxygen saturation & lung function.

Readings are done with your hands in a comfortable position, and the health tracker was able to return our vital signs as well as a fancy ECG graph of our heart in just a few seconds. Out of the box, you’ll be able to pair it with your Wi-Fi scale and fitness tracker, so you can keep an overall picture of your health in the same place …
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Judge denies Apple injunction for patent infringements by Samsung, sets worrying precedent

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2014 - 5:22 am PT

5 Comments

I know, your eyes are probably glazing over by now at yet another Apple v. Samsung patent story. It seems scarcely a week goes by without one of the two companies winning a point, losing a point, filing an appeal, winning an appeal, losing an appeal or applying for some kind of court order. And if you were losing count, the latest news reported by FOSS Patents that a California court has rejected Apple’s application for an injunction against Samsung still relates to the original patent battle between the two companies which began back in 2011.

Apple was originally awarded almost a billion dollars in damages for patent infringements by Samsung. Apple had argued that monetary damages were insufficient, and that the court should also have ordered that the infringing products be withdrawn from sale …
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Top Apple execs each awarded 35,000 shares, worth up to $19M at today’s price

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2014 - 4:43 am PT

7 Comments

An SEC filing reveals that six of Apple’s top execs were each awarded 35,000 Restricted Stock Units (shares that cannot be immediately traded), with a current value of more than $19M. Of this, $12M is awarded outright, subject only to remaining with the company until at least April 2018, with a further $7M dependent on Apple’s stock performance.

The bonuses were awarded to Senior VPs Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, Dan Riccio, Phil Schiller, Bruce Sewell and Jeffrey Williams. It’s likely that Jony Ive will receive the same, though his stock awards do not have to be reported to the SEC …
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Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Tim Cook in Cupertino

Mark Gurman Mar 5 2014 - 2:39 pm PT

13 Comments

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:

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