iOS Devices

In January, we published the first photos of actual rear shells for Apple’s upcoming fifth-generation iPad. Based on these photos, the next iPad will carry a design that is akin to the iPad mini, but, of course, larger.

Today, we have received the first photos of a carrying case for this redesigned 9.7-inch iPad. Once again, this new evidence of a redesign points to a form-factor that is narrower in comparison to previous full-sized iPads.

The edges of the case also point to a more squared-off design, as found on the current-generation iPad mini. Our previous photos of the fifth-generation iPad parts point to the design also because almost as thin as the iPad mini. Thanks to Steve at Minisuit, who make great cases for iOS devices, for the lead.

Update: We have received additional photos of iPad 5 (the blue ones) cases. We’ve put a full gallery below:

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Due to an increase of crimes related to Apple’s iOS devices in New York City, the city has now assigned a dedicated team of police officers to recovering stolen Apple devices. This according to a report from the New York Post that detailed the process law enforcement goes through when an Apple device is reported stolen, which includes contacting Apple to get the location of the device:

Every time an Apple device is stolen, detectives attempt to get tracking numbers from the victim or online records… That number, known as the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity, is then shared with the officers in Police Headquarters who pass it on to Apple…The California-based company then informs the NYPD of the device’s current location — and it can track it even if it was reregistered with a different wireless provider.

The report also detailed accounts of police recovering devices—including an iPad tracked to the Dominican Republic and another involving a stakeout at a bus stop:

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Purported back shells for the next-generation iPad mini have surfaced on the WeiPhone Forums, however the shell’s authenticity is unverified. It appears that these shells are marginally thicker than those for the current generation iPad mini.

Obviously, if these truly are thicker, natural speculation points to these shells being supportive of a Retina display iPad mini. When Apple moved to a higher-resolution display in the third-generation, the product’s casing was thicker to accommodate new graphics and battery components.

Matching previous rumors regarding Apple’s first iPad mini revision, the casings appear to look very similar in design and ports/buttons to the casings for the current iPad mini model. With the iPad mini also rumored to gain a Retina display, the slightly thicker enclosure may point to these shells being legitimate…

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With the recent departure of longtime iOS chief Scott Forstall, many expect some big changes in iOS 7. Not only is Jony Ive taking over design responsibilities related to iOS, but also Apple is increasingly coming under criticism for its aging core iOS apps and highly requested features already available on other platforms that it has yet to implement. We discussed some of the big software features iOS 7 might have in store, but today we present a roundup of the best iOS 7 concepts we could find starting with a new one from the creator of jailbreak tweak Auxo.

Sentry, the original designer behind the popular Auxo jailbreak tweak, yesterday posted the new Quick App Switching concept above (via iFun). While Auxo provided a screenshot of running apps integrated into the iOS multitasking tray, the concept above takes a different approach and aims to add speed to the app switching process.

This next concept comes from YouTube user imjeanmarc and shows a tray accessible from the lock screen, providing quick toggles for Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.:

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Update (Feb 21st): This has been fixed according to a reader. The iTunes and App Stores use HTML on the backend so Apple can “push” updates via backend code changes:

As of this morning, the bug is gone! No update required! Looks
like the somehow they pushed the update! I can no longer change the
account in the App Store or iTunes store! This reminds me when I was
beta testing 6.0 and Apple changed the behavior of downloading updates
not requiring a password (they also allowed free apps with no password
for a short while). That didn’t need an update to change either.
They seem to have ways of fixing App Store behavior without needing to
update iOS. I’m still running 6.1 on my devices, haven’t gone to
6.1.2 yet.

Would be nice for an official answer from Apple, but so far, it’s
working correctly! Also, I see redeem and send gift are grayed out
also, at the bottom of the App Store. Same for iTunes Store.

For those unaware, iOS 6 received some beefed up Restriction settings when it was released that allowed users to select “Don’t Allow Changes” for an entire account linked to an iOS device. This option was particularly useful for schools and organizations that wanted to limit a device to a specific account and keep students and others from installing apps not approved by the institution. Without the restriction, students or employees could easily change the iTunes account linked to the iOS device. Unfortunately, as noticed by one frustrated 9to5Mac reader, it seems there are several backdoor methods of bypassing the setting…

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Following several reports of iOS 6.1 bugs, Apple has released iOS 6.1.1 for the iPhone 4S. It is currently available over-the-air via the iOS settings application. iOS 6.1 bugs caused significant issues for AOL’s mobile meeting management software. 

Apple says that the iOS 6.1.1 update addresses the previously discussed cellular performance and reliability issues with the iPhone 4S.

The update was recently put into beta for developers to add several Japanese Maps enhancements for all iOS devices. Apple says that the beta with Maps fixes for Japan will be renamed to a different version number when it is publicly released.

A direct download link for the publicly released iPhone 4S update is available here.

Is it Jailbreakable?…

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Following reports about some carriers in Europe issuing warnings not to upgrade to iOS 6.1 due to issues with 3G performance, it seems a fix is already in the works. The issue was not just with 3G through carriers such as Vodafone and three in Austria, many users in Apple’s own forums complained of similar problems, degraded battery life, and more. Users have also had problems with Exchange support, causing AOL corporate to temporarily disable the ability to manage mobile meetings from iOS devices running iOS 6.1.

Today, a report from German language blog iFun claimed that carriers have already completed testing a 6.1.1 update to address the bugs and a 23MB update carrying build number 10B145 should be available over-the-air soon:

After ifun.de this information is already in version 6.1.1 of the night on Monday as “Testing Complete” and should be offered the iPhone community with little flow as a wireless update. Sources which are applicable in the past on the issue dates of iOS 6.0.2 and iOS 6.1 as well as the eradication of the “SMS spoofing problem” have informed, indicate the large 23MB update with UMTS-compatible.

Apple’s first beta release for 6.1.1 was released last week with build number 10B311.

According to a report from Nick Bilton from The New York Times, citing people close to the situation, Apple is currently in the process of developing a wristwatch that utilizes curved glass. This isn’t the first time Bilton has reported that Apple has wearable devices in the works, and there has recently been many rumors that Apple could indeed compete with a Bluetooth watch of its own. In December 2011, Bilton reported that a small group of people at Apple were “conceptualizing and even prototyping” wearable devices. The group was likely lead by wearable computer expert Richard DeVaul at the time, and it was said to be prototyping a “curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist.” DeVaul jumped ship to Google in 2011, but Bitlon said Apple is pushing ahead with its bendable iOS wristwatch.

In today’s report, Bilton claimed the watch would run iOS and stand out from the competition due to Apple’s unique process of implementing curved glass in wearable form factors:
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Bruce Tognazzini, Apple employee #66 and founder of Apple’s Human Interface Group, published his thoughts on a potential smart watch product from the company (via MG Siegler) yesterday. While we have seen the launch of several Bluetooth smart watch products from startups this year, Tognazzini thought a watch from Apple could “have a profound impact on our lives and Apple’s fortunes.” One of the many interesting ideas Tognazzini has about how Apple might take advantage of a wearable device is the ability to build better maps:

Using pressure data from millions of watches, Apple could build a precision altitude map of the world. This map would indicate true altitudes everywhere that iWatch wearers travel. The granularity would be several orders of magnitude greater than ever before attempted for a wide-area map at a cost several orders of magnitude less than Flyover.

In the article, Tognazzini explained what he thought will be the standout features of an iWatch from Apple. While outlining the some of the apps you might expect like fitness and remote control applications, he said Passcodes and enhanced Find My iPhone features would be the two killer apps:

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Logitech’s Ultrathin keyboard cover for iPad has been one of our go-to recommendations for a quality tablet keyboard case that doesn’t add too much additional bulk for a while. The company might have some new, slimmer competition from Archos and Zagg, but Logitech announced it is bringing its popular Ultrathin keyboard cover to the iPad mini today.

Equipped with the same magnets, as well as auto-wake and the slim aluminum cover, Logitech’s Bluetooth EasyType keyboard with a three-month battery life and built-in stand is a essentially a scaled down version of its predecessor that we love. Logitech also said the new keyboard would maintain a traditional layout and standard key size, so you won’t have to sacrifice a smooth typing experience for the smaller form factor.

Logitech is taking preorders for the new Ultrathin Keyboard mini in black and white for $79.99 on its website and expects to make shipments this month. The previous Ultrathin model for iPad 2, 3, and 4 is available for $20 more through Amazon and other fine retailers for $99.

Another video showing off the new iPad mini model from Logitech is below:

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‘Radio Buy’ buttons, above, enlarged, put together from files, below

Having a look around our newly jailbroken iPads with iFunBox, we happened on a new set of files in the iPad Music.app. The files are called some variation of “radio button” with an icon that looks similar to the radio icon that used to be in iTunes for Mac (it was traded for a more prominent top location in iTunes 11 without the antenna tower). The iPad music app currently doesn’t have any radio functionality, so our first thought was that Apple would be adding an iTunes-like ‘traditional’ streaming radio to the iPad. Notably, jailbroken iPhones don’t contain these files in the Music app.

More interestingly, the name of these button files and are labeled with “buy” in the filename. This could imply exciting new functionality. We heard no shortage of rumors that Apple planned to take on the Pandoras and Spotifys of the world with its own ‘Radio’ service, and Bloomberg predicted a Q1 2013 (current) launch…

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Wow! 270,000+ active users on http://t.co/YQrXEeVQ!!! #evasi0n

— pod2g (@pod2g) February 4, 2013

If you have not jailbroken an iOS device in a while, you might wonder what all the excitement is surrounding today’s launch of the evasi0n jailbreak tool for iOS 6. (Note: Some people are having issues with the default Apple Weather app after install.)

[tweet https://twitter.com/MuscleNerd/status/298543670888644608]

Over the years, many features that were once jailbreak-only made their way to iOS or via third parties through the App Store. However, there are still many things you can do with jailbreak tweaks that aren’t possible on non-jailbroken devices. With over 270,000 active users at any one time on evasi0n today, we put together a list of some of the most interesting and useful tweaks that caught our attention in recent months:

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iOS 6.1 was released just last week, but there’s already a public jailbreak available, thanks to the work of a new team of hackers known as Evad3rs. The jailbreak, called “evasi0n,” works on all versions of iOS from 6.0 and up, and it supports all current iOS 6.1 devices except the third generation Apple TV. According to the Evad3rs team, the following devices are supported on iOS versions 6.0 through 6.1:
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