Apple

Apple has revamped its plans for a new flagship San Francisco store in Union Square after concerns that a popular bronze fountain and sculpture would be removed, and that the building design wouldn’t offer sufficient visual interest from the exterior, reports SFGate.

Apple has presented city officials with a revised design for the flagship store it wants to build across from Union Square at Post and Stockton streets. And where the initial proposal in May consigned the fountain to an unknown fate, it now will stand amid steps leading up to a plaza between the back of the Apple Store and the side of the Grand Hyatt San Francisco.

The building design, designed to provide 45 percent more space than its existing Stockton store, also faced accusations that the steel and glass cube would be too boring for passers-by. Apple now plans a full-height window and skylight in what was to have been a featureless wall, and to set the glass frontage back to create a more interesting shape.

Apple’s US stores are the most profitable retail spaces in the country, beating even Tiffany and Harrods in earnings per square foot.

Via MacRumors

The iPhone as an intelligent remote control, and a DIY silent disco device – Apple patents

Ben Lovejoy Aug 27 2013 - 4:46 am PT

Moving beyond today’s remotes (image: bttremote.com)

An iPhone may fall under the generic heading of a mobile phone, but a combination of the convenience of apps and the ability to use the iPhone as a remote for everything from playing a movie to changing the color of our lighting means that many of us use them at home almost as much as we do when out & about.

In a patent published today, Apple explores the potential of the iPhone to act as an intelligent remote with the kind of functionality typically associated with high-end home automation setups. The idea is based around the concept of ‘scenes’. Having a romantic night in with your partner? You probably want the lights dimmed, the music on softly, the TV off. Movie night? The big-screen on, Apple TV selected as the source, surround-sound speakers selected, volume up higher – and so on …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Virgin is selling iPhones at next month’s prices (20% off), iPhone 5 starts at $440 unsubsidized

Jordan Kahn Aug 27 2013 - 12:01 am PT

3 Comments

From 9to5Toys.com:

Today only, Virgin Mobile is offering prepaid iPhones at up to 20% off. These are some of the best price we’ve seen and the lowest price from this carrier by as much as $110. You can pick up the 16GB iPhone 5 starting at just $440. The 8GB iPhone 4 is available for $280 and the 16GB 4S is $360 right now as well. This discounted prices will appear once the item is added to your cart. Also you must be transferring from another carrier.

Apple iPhone 5 16GB: $439.99 (Reg. $550)
Apple iPhone 5 32GB: $519.99 (Reg. $650)
Apple iPhone 5 64GB: $599.99 (Reg. $750)

Poll: Which iPhone 5S/5C color would you choose?

Jordan Kahn Aug 26 2013 - 8:22 am PT

10 Comments

Rumor has it Apple is about to introduce an iPhone 5S alongside a new lower-cost iPhone 5C at an event early next month. On top of a fingerprint sensor and iOS 7, it’s also expected to introduce new color options for the device for the first time. We’ve already reported that Apple has plans to introduce a new gold color option for its next generation iPhone and, if leaks are to be believed, the lineup will also include a selection of iPod-like colors for the lower-cost iPhone 5C. A report this morning claimed that Apple could even introduce a fourth grey or ‘graphite’ color iPhone 5S pictured above, but we’re skeptical to say the least.

Will Apple’s new iPhone colors be a hit with consumers? Or will you be sticking with the classic white or black iPhone when it comes time to upgrade? Let us know in the polls below:

iPhone 5S:

iPhone 5C:

Remember what the iPhone 5 looked like in all the pre-announcement leaks?

Let me remind you; http://t.co/vWv9ZAUUx2 http://t.co/AxR3F51DHn

— 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓 (@sentry) August 26, 2013

Apple limiting access to iWork for iCloud beta due to overwhelming response

Ben Lovejoy Aug 26 2013 - 6:40 am PT

It seems that Apple’s beta release of iWork for iCloud has proven popular as some users are being denied access with a message stating that Apple has had an ‘overwhelming response’ to the service …
Expand
Expanding
Close

New ‘leaked’ photos claim to show fourth iPhone 5S color – graphite – but we’re skeptical

Ben Lovejoy Aug 26 2013 - 6:02 am PT

23 Comments

With a dramatic title of ‘Behold: The First Part Leaks of the Grey or Graphite iPhone 5S!’, Sonny Dickson has released what he claims are leaked photos of a fourth iPhone 5S color: grey.

Given the extent of the apparently solid leaks of the gold or champagne color, it would be odd for there to have been no prior leaks of a fourth color. There are several alternative explanations for what is apparently shown here.

First, this type of photo is very easy to fake, either in Photoshop or by overlaying readily-available black glass on a white iPhone. Second, it could be a genuine Apple prototype from a stage at which Apple was trying out other colors. Third, it could be a quality-control failure. Finally, and most likely of all, it could be a counterfeit. Counterfeit iPhones have been around in China for years (hell, there are even counterfeit Apple stores), some of which attempt to be close replicas and some of which use different colors. It’s a near-certainty that there are already knock-offs in existence based on the 5S.

Even lighting and angle can create this kind of illusion. The photo below is simply a standard white iPhone 5 which appears very similar in appearance to the claimed graphite 5S without any alteration:

This doesn’t appear likely to be the explanation in this case, as we see the phone from several angles, but it does serve as a useful reminder not to get too excited by such claims.

Remember what the iPhone 5 looked like in all the pre-announcement leaks?

Let me remind you; http://t.co/vWv9ZAUUx2 http://t.co/AxR3F51DHn

— 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒂𝒓 (@sentry) August 26, 2013

None of this means the photos couldn’t be genuine, but that’s certainly not where we’d be putting our money. Either way, we don’t have too long to wait: the iPhone 5S is expected to be unveiled at a media event on 10th September and go on sale on the 20th.

Japan’s largest wireless carrier, NTT DoCoMo, reportedly in talks to sell iPhone

Seth Weintraub Aug 26 2013 - 1:37 am PT

3 Comments

iPhone 5S Champagne

Bloomberg is reporting that shares of NTT DoCoMo are rising on rumors that Japan’s largest carrier will get the iPhone this year. The company’s rivals, KDDI and Softbank (who just bought Sprint) both currently carry the iPhone and saw their share price drop in morning trading.

[DoCoMo]Chief Financial Officer Kazuto Tsubouchi said there are compelling reasons for Apple and his company to reach an agreement, according to an interview published in SankeiBiz. For Apple, it doesn’t make business sense not to allow Japan’s largest wireless carrier to sell the iPhone, while DoCoMo wants to be able to sell most popular handsets, Sankei said.

The original Sankei article is here (translated) with the relevant bit translated by 9to5Mac reader Kazuto Kusakari:

A new iPhone from Apple is expected in September. The Japanese market are paying close attention to whether NTT docomo will be selling the new model or not. Having sold two other models as their main phones in the past summer season, the company is ready, as the vice-president Kazuto Tsubouchi has commented “the only problem is WHEN we are going to sell it.”…

Tsubouchi adds, “Nothing has changed. It will be difficult (to sell the iPhone on September 10th). But for Apple, it is not economically reasonable to not sell the iPhone on Japan’s largest carrier. As for NTT docomo, we must sell phone the customers desire. It’s a matter of terms.

Apple is also working on China’s largest carrier, China Mobile, which also doesn’t currently carry the iPhone. If Apple can hook one or optimally both of these two monster carriers, it will be able to sell significantly more iPhones in Asia.
Expand
Expanding
Close

$50 Apple iTunes Card for $35 shipped (Update: over)

Jared Weintraub Aug 24 2013 - 1:02 pm PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

Update: This one is over. Don’t forget to follow 9to5Toys.com on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Email, RSS to get the latest deals as fast as possible.

Gift Card Mall via eBay is offering a $50 Apple iTunes Gift Card for $35 with free shipping/no tax/limit 4. That’s the lowest price we’ve seen for an iTunes card of this value ever.

Give the gift of one-stop entertainment. Each card includes a code redeemable for music, movies, TV shows, games, apps, and more on the iTunes Store, the iBookstore, the App Store, and the Mac App Store. Recipients can access their content on an iPod, iPad, or iPhone, and watch or listen on a computer – Mac or PC.

We all buy a lot of media through iTunes and App Stores. I easily spend $200/year. Now I just saved $60 easily.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple opens iWork for iCloud beta to all users ahead of expected public release this fall

Jordan Kahn Aug 23 2013 - 6:11 am PT

6 Comments

After first announcing its new iWork for iCloud productivity suite back in June at WWDC, Apple has been slowly rolling out access to more people ahead of a public beta release scheduled for this fall. It first extended the privilege to developers, then Apple employees, and in July started sending out invites to select non-developers. Today, several tips note that Apple now appears to be letting in anyone with an Apple ID despite not sending out invites or officially announcing a public beta. We’ve confirmed access to the beta on a non-developer account, but let us know in the comments if you’re unable to get in.

Following the unveiling of the new iWork for iCloud suite, we speculated that Apple could possibly move to make its other iWork suite of apps on iOS and Mac available for free. Our thinking: it’s hard to imagine Apple allowing users to create documents for free on iCloud but not seamlessly transfer from iOS to Mac without having to throw down $30 for the three iOS apps. Adding even more weight to that theory, Apple was briefly showing the apps listed alongside the collection of free Apple apps that it presents most users with when launching the App Store on their iOS device for the first time.

Apple previously announced it was planning on releasing a public beta for iWork for iCloud this fall but perhaps is opening the beta today to help beta test the apps among a larger group of users ahead of an official announcement. Apple is expected to unveil new iPhones at an event next month on Sept. 10, and there is a possibility we’ll hear more about iWork for iCloud alongside details for Mavericks and possibly the new Mac Pro.

Report: Apple negotiating w/ media companies for pay TV service, working on full-fledged TV set

Jordan Kahn Aug 22 2013 - 8:55 am PT

A new report from Quartz today offers some details on Apple’s content negotiations for a much rumored revamped Apple TV. Most of the report echoes what we’ve heard several times in the past– Apple is apparently talking with HBO, Disney, MTV and others about a new TV service. According to Quartz, it could include a pay TV service that would see Apple “essentially becoming a cable company itself,” as well as the release of a “full-fledged television set”:

One alternative being considered is that Apple could essentially become a cable company itself. Under that scenario, sources say, Apple would launch what is formally known as a virtual multichannel video programming distributor. Apple is still interested in striking deals with cable companies that would allow people to plug their cable lines into the back of the TV set, bypassing a cable box, sources say. But at least two years of negotiations haven’t progressed very far.

Sources say Apple has concluded that it doesn’t need all, even most, content providers on board before it can release a TV set that people would buy. It just needs enough good programming to distinguish the new product, which will try to simplify the experience of connecting internet video to the TV.

The report doesn’t offer up any details that we didn’t hear around this same time last year (and the year before that), but it appears Apple could be closer to reaching the deals it needs to launch the next-generation of Apple TV. Earlier today we reported that former Hulu SVP Pete Distad has now officially started his new role at Apple as Product Marketing VP and is thought to be leading Apple executives through negotiations with cable and media companies.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Hulu SVP Pete Distad starts work at Apple as Product Marketing VP

Jordan Kahn Aug 22 2013 - 8:12 am PT

0 Comments

Pete Distad, who was previously SVP of Marketing and Distribution at Hulu, has officially started his new role as VP of Product Marketing at Apple this month, according to a change to Distad’s LinkedIn page over the last week. Hulu’s executive bios page appears to be down as well, possibly while it’s updated to remove Distad’s bio.

Bloomberg reported in July that it heard Apple was recruiting Distad to lead negotiations as Apple was reportedly close to reaching a deal with Time Warner. At Hulu, Distad was responsible for content distribution and customer acquisition/retention on the company’s management team. That includes “subscriber acquisition and retention, paid, on-channel, and brand marketing, distribution and promotional partnerships, and content marketing.”

In its July report, Bloomberg said that Apple and Time Warner planned to “announce an agreement within a few months” that would bring Time Warner TV shows to the Apple TV. The report claimed Distad was being hired to help with negotiations with cable and media companies.

In June Apple added Time Warner’s HBO GO, as well as WatchESPN, Sky News and more to its existing Apple TV service, but reports over the last year surrounding a much-anticipated revamped Apple TV claimed Apple was hitting various roadblocks with cable companies.

A new report today from Quartz offered some updates on Apple’s continued negotiations with content providers for a pay TV service.

Earlier this week we reported that Apple picked up Levi’s Senior VP Enrique Atienza for its U.S. retail team.

Apple invents a flexible material to create truly seamless enclosures for MacBooks & other products

Jordan Kahn Aug 22 2013 - 7:05 am PT

7 Comments

The US Patent & Trademark Office today published a new Apple patent application (via PatentlyApple) that details a flexible material that could be used as a hinge to create a seamless enclosure for devices like the MacBook, for example. Apple details a technical process of using specialized machinery to laser cut “flex apertures” and interlocking features in a rigid material to allow it to bend and function as a hinge. On top of creating a seamless enclosure, Apple claims the process would allow it to reduce the size of devices that are often increased due to traditional hinge solutions. Imagine if the enclosure of a MacBook didn’t include that black plastic hinge and instead appeared to be a seamless piece of aluminium connecting the display to the bottom half of the unibody.

While MacBooks might seem like the obvious application for Apple’s invention, it also notes the usual list of devices that could potentially use the technology including everything from smartphones to televisions and game consoles. The patent also shows the material being used on headphone cables to allow a flexible connection from the cable to the earbud to prevent damage, and on what appears to be an iPad Smart Cover-like accessory:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple poaches Levi’s Senior VP for U.S. Retail as search for chief continues

Mark Gurman Aug 21 2013 - 1:45 pm PT

Apple has poached Enrique Atienza from Levi Strauss, a global clothing sales powerhouse, to become a top director for its U.S. Retail market, according to sources with knowledge of the hire. Atienza served as Senior Vice President, Retail Americas and Global Store Operations at Levi’s, according to Levi Strauss spokeswoman Sarah Young. Young also said that Atienza recently left the company, but she would not confirm details regarding the transition or circumstances…

iPhone 5C shell sized up and shaken down in new video

Jordan Kahn Aug 21 2013 - 9:31 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOhAzd0tp28]

A new video has made its way online today showing what is allegedly the rear casing of the much rumored plastic-backed, lower-cost iPhone 5C that many expect Apple to officially unveil early next month. The report from Taiwan’s Apple Daily claims to provide some precise measurements for the lower-cost iPhone. Coming in at 24.55mm x 59.13mm x 8.98mm, the iPhone 5C appears to be slightly larger than the iPhone 5 due to the plastic back. The site also put the back shells through a number of scratch resistant tests in the video above and noted that its sources claim the device will include a reinforced material that will protect from everyday wear and tear. The roughly translated report also seems to claim that the iPhone 5S, in addition to the new dual LED flash and gold color option that we previously reported, will come in 3 colors. However, it isn’t clear if it’s referring to just the White/Black and Gold, or additional colors. We’re assuming the shot of the blue iPhone 5S in the video above is for illustration purposes only. Probably.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Wacom announces affordable pressure-sensitive Creative Stylus for drawing & painting on an iPad

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2013 - 5:15 am PT

5 Comments

Wacom, the company that makes professional-grade drawing tablets with four-figure price-tags, has just announced something a little more affordable: the Intuos Creative Stylus for iPad at $99.

Wacom claims the pressure-sensitive stylus with 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity provides a realistic pen-on-paper feel. The stylus works with a range of iPad apps, including a new version of Wacom’s own free app, Bamboo Paper. The latest version of the app adds Dropbox and Tumblr support, as well as additional tools and color palettes …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Survey suggests iPhone 5C could make Apple the top-seller in the world’s largest market – China

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2013 - 4:48 am PT

If the iPhone 5C is launched in China at $400, and Apple’s partnership with China Mobile for a TDD-LTE version of the handset proceeds as expected, Apple’s market share in China could jump by a massive 19.3 percent – enough to make Apple the number one seller.

The prediction, reported in Fortune, was made by Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty on the back of an AlphaWise survey of 2,000 mobile phone owners in China. Full details below …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Security researchers sneak malware past Apple’s App Store review using ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ approach

Ben Lovejoy Aug 20 2013 - 4:12 am PT

5 Comments

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology managed to get a malicious app approved by Apple and included in the App Store by using a ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ approach, where the behaviour of a benign app was remotely changed after it had been approved and installed.

It appeared to be a harmless app that Apple reviewers accepted into the iOS app store. They were later able to update the app to carry out a variety of malicious actions without triggering any security alarms. The app, which the researchers titled “Jekyll,” worked by taking the binary code that had already been digitally signed by Apple and rearranging it in a way that gave it new and malicious behaviors …
Expand
Expanding
Close

Logitech announces Ultrathin, water-repellant Keyboard Folio & Protective Case for iPad mini

Jordan Kahn Aug 20 2013 - 1:00 am PT

Logitech, the company behind some our favorite cases and keyboards for iPad, today announced the newest member of its iPad keyboard case family with the addition of the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Folio for the iPad mini priced at $89. It is currently available for pre-order with an expected release later this month in the US, Europe, and some locations in Asia.

Logitech appears to be making the case itself a little larger than the iPad mini in order to achieve a more comfortable keyboard size, but its solution for holding the iPad mini in snug seems to be a little more elegant than some of the other solutions we’ve seen. The company tells us the case utilizes a “SecureLock system” to hold the iPad in securely, and it’s using new materials that are “ultra-thin and ultra-light” in addition to being water-repellant.

It’s also making a version without a keyboard called the Logitech Folio Protective Case for iPad mini at $49 (pictured below). Logitech will be making the cases available in a selection of colors including grey, purple, and pink, but didn’t offer any specific details on availability. We’ll have a review as soon as they become available.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple wins three times more customers from Samsung than Samsung does from Apple

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2013 - 6:16 am PT

8 Comments

New figures from CIRP reported in Fortune show that Apple wins three times as many smartphone customers from Samsung as Samsung does from Apple: 20 percent switched from a Samsung handset to an iPhone, while only 7 percent switched in the opposite direction.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest chunk of iPhone buyers – 42 percent – were upgrading from a previous iPhone, while the rest were split between those switching from other brands (around 30 percent) and those upgrading from a featurephone (26 percent) – with a handful of first-time cellphone buyers making up the rest.

With iPhone prices higher than the average for Samsung’s range of smartphones, it’s also no surprise to see that the educational attainments of iPhone owners tend to be higher, this being a rough proxy for income.

‘A lot of things wrong’ as Jobs movie opens with disappointing revenues

Ben Lovejoy Aug 19 2013 - 5:12 am PT

13 Comments

The long-awaited Jobs movie opened this weekend, with Box Office Mojo reporting that it took seventh place in the weekend openings, grossing $6.7M against top-grossing movie The Butler at $25M. Distributor Open Road Films had expected Jobs to gross $8-9M.

Playing at 2,381 locations, Jobs opened in seventh place with an estimated $6.7 million. While it was never expected to match The Social Network, it’s still very disappointing to note that the Steve Jobs biopic earned less than one-third as much as the Facebook story. This is also one of star Ashton Kutcher’s lowest openings ever—among nationwide releases, it’s only ahead of 2003’s My Boss’s Daughter ($4.9 million).

Jobs had plenty of issues, including awful reviews and a comedy star playing dramatic (almost never a good idea). Most important, though, was the movie’s apparent tonal issues: while plenty of people enjoy their Apple products, the deification of Steve Jobs is a bit of a turn off. Jobs received a weak “B-” CinemaScore, and all indications are that it will disappear from theaters quickly …

Key Nike FuelBand developer and fitness expert Jay Blahnik confirmed to join Apple, likely working on iWatch

Mark Gurman Aug 17 2013 - 2:09 pm PT

3 Comments

Jay Blahnik, a globally recognized fitness expert and instrumental consultant in the development of several Nike fitness products, has confirmed his new role at Apple. In July, we reported on unconfirmed whispers out of the fitness industry that Blahnik had been hired at Apple, likely to work on the iWatch. We’ve also since confirmed with additional sources that he has joined Apple, and these people say that Blahnik will be working on the iWatch team…

Review: The Bose SoundLink Mini is the best-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker…ever

Seth Weintraub Aug 17 2013 - 7:12 am PT

90 Comments

We’ve had a look at just about all of the best portable Bluetooth speakers on the market but Bose, a company known for high (prices and) quality speakers, has never made our ‘best of‘ lists. Its regular Soundlink and Soundlink II products at $300-$349 have sound and features that lower-priced competitors, especially Logitech UE, JBL Charge and even the Beats Pill were able to handily beat.

All of that ended the moment I got the $199 Bose Soundlink Mini, a product that shows that Bose is willing to think outside of its “hyper-premium price” box without sacrificing the quality of its product…

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple starts new campaign to push businesses to convert tools to iPad apps

Mark Gurman Aug 17 2013 - 12:02 am PT

1 Comment

Apple has replaced its iPad in Business apps website with a new site that is much simpler and more direct. The new page highlights multiple specific use cases for which a business could use an iPad, then presents specific applications to complete those tasks. The old website was more cluttered and less specific. The iPhone version of Apple’s business apps website still showcases the older format…