An new ad by Apple that debuted on Monday takes something of a different approach than the company's recent iPhone and iPad commercials -- both in that it features a Mac (in this case the MacBook Air) and that shows off clearly-used equipment featuring user's methods of customizing their Air models mostly through the use of stickers, giving the ad its name. Using a stop-motion approach, dozens of customized MBAs are shown at one point even "playing" a game of Space Invaders on the lid.
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[Updated with rebuttal from Apple] Apple's iOS platform contains several backdoors that may allow for Apple and/or governments to collect private data, according to a forensic scientist, Jonathan Zdziarski. Presenting at the recent Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE/X) conference, Zdziarski said that that there are several conspicuous design gaps -- and some deliberately-included forensic services -- that make it possible to extract data using forensic tools. The services have names such as "lockdownd," "pcapd," and "mobile.file_relay."
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5 hours ago | Posted in: computers
Intel has goosed the speed in its latest Haswell Core i5 and Core i7 processors, first unveiled yesterday. The new chips are destined for notebooks such as the MacBook Pro, which is expected to get a speed bump sometime this summer. The new clock speeds range from 2.2GHz to 3.0GHz across three new Core i5 models and four new Core i7 offerings. In addition, four budget "Bay Trail" Celeron and Pentium processors were released as well, rated between 1.58GHz and 2.16Hz.
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A new report citing unnamed sources "familiar with the matter" claims that Apple has put in orders for its largest-ever initial iPhone run, asking suppliers Foxconn and Pegatron to produce between 70 million and 80 million units for the devices' debut in the fall through the end of the year. Claiming that the order includes both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models (though the latter has yet to reveal solid evidence of actually existing), the new upcoming production run compares to the 50-60 million units ordered for the iPhone 5s and 5c last year.
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9 hours ago | Posted in: software, Apple
Television and movie streaming service Netflix is updating its integrated app for Apple TV. Its popular web and iPad feature "Post-Play" has been brought to the Apple TV, allowing users a brief countdown once a show's credits begin rolling, followed by automatic playing of the next episode in a series - unless otherwise interrupted. AppleInsider has speculated that though the Post-Play feature was found on multiple Apple TV units during testing, it is likely that the update has yet to be fully released to all customers.
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On Monday, Apple posted an EFI update specifically aimed at the mid-2011 model MacBook Airs that are running OS X 10.9.2 (Mavericks) or later. The update addresses two wake-from-sleep issues: one in which the computer would take longer than expected to wake from sleep, and the other (more rare) issue of cooling fans ramping up to full speed on waking from sleep. Owners must meet both conditions (mid-2011 MBA, and running Mavericks 10.9.2 or later) for the update to apply.
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Apple has informed developers testing both of the forthcoming Apple platform releases, iOS 8 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite, that it will again delete content stored on the CloudKit database serving both platforms tomorrow, July 22. Although details were not listed this time, the effect is expected to be the same as the previous "wipe" of the database, which took place on July 7. Anyone testing the iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library or Mail Drop attachment features will see their cloud-stored data destroyed.
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Yahoo could be looking for aggressive growth in its mobile platforms, as reports from Recode and TechCrunch indicate that the search company is acquiring mobile analytic and advertising startup Flurry. While official news of the deal has yet to be announced, sources say that the news is expected to come in later today.
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Facebook users no longer need to worry about trying to find a post on that interesting band or restaurant they didn't have time to read. The social media company announced today that it launched Save, a feature that allows users to collect items for later consumption into one place. The feature is rolling out to mobile app and web-based users of the social media service.
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(Updated with other beta releases, more Yosemite changes) Apple is now seeding its fourth betas of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite to developers. Perhaps the most significant change is in the latter, which includes the first beta of iTunes 12. The updated media player uses a flatter, streamlined design more in keeping with Yosemite, and is the first version to support Family Sharing, something also present in iOS 8. While Yosemite is still only accessible to developers, sources claim that the first public beta could go live later this month, after Apple has put more polish on it.
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In an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian last week, fugitive American whistleblower Edward Snowden made it clear that he opposed cloud companies that had access to user data. He specifically pointed out Dropbox as being "hostile to privacy" for a number of reasons, including a board appointment of an ex-government official with ties to suspected privacy violations.
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Western Digital has updated its Network Attached Storage-focused WD Red range of hard drives with new capacities and models. The main WD Red line now includes drives with 5-terabyte and 6-terabyte capacities, while the new WD Red Pro drive line is aimed at medium to large businesses, including a few additions to help in an enterprise environment.
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16 hours ago | Posted in: iPhone
New photos show what is believed to be a rear shell for the iPhone 6 from a later stage of manufacturing. The shell notably has an iPad-style inlaid Apple logo, and a smoother overall appearance, unlike some earlier leaked shells. The reason for the switch to an inlaid logo is unclear, but it's speculated that Apple may want it to light up, possibly to serve as a notification light, something present on many non-Apple smartphones.
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18 hours ago | Posted in iOS apps
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GoodReader is a PDF reader that features both annotation and cloud sync capabilities. In v4.2 Auto Sync can now be executed in the background, meaning users can continue reading documents while the sync engine is running. Additionally, the Auto Sync can also now be scheduled for automatic periodical execution.
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Cut the Rope is the iPhone version of Chillingo's popular puzzle game where players attempt to feed Om Nom candy. The game includes 350 levels that are broken down into 14 boxes, each with its own theme and gameplay elements. A new set of levels, dubbed Pillow Box, has been added in v2.4. In this set of levels Om Nom has fallen asleep and users must use lamps to illuminate stars and wake him up.
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Actions allows an iPad to be used as a remote controller for any computer app. Users can set up custom shortcuts for any function offered by a desktop app, and organize these shortcuts into Sets and Subsets. A new Keyboard power-up has been added as an in-app purchase for this release. This power-up givers users the ability to recall the keyboard at anytime with a quick swipe. Network reliability has also been improved, and various minor bugs have been fixed.
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Hipstamatic is a mobile photography application that looks to replicate the look and feel of plastic toy cameras. The update fixes a bug that prevented users from uploading images to Flickr. Several other minor bugs have also been addressed with this release.
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Twitter is the official iOS client for the popular social networking site. Through the software users can view their timeline, replies, and direct messages, as well as post new messages. This minor update includes several small changes to the UI and to Direct Messages.
19 hours ago | Posted in: Investor, Apple
In tomorrow's results call, Apple may beat official revenue guidance for its fiscal third quarter, according to a consensus forecast compiled by Fortune. The magazine polled over two dozen analysts, and came up with a consensus of $38.4 billion, topping the $36-38 billion Apple predicted when revealing its Q2 results. The poll group was split between 15 professionals and 12 amateurs, of which the latter are said to be the most optimistic.
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20 hours ago | Posted in: Apple
A new Apple Store will open in Chongqing, China on July 26 at 10AM local time, according to the company's website. The outlet is situated in the Paradise Walk Mall; it should be a prominent landmark in the area, rising at least three stories tall with a massive glass facade similar to its twin in Shanghai. At present, that facade is covered with a "coming soon" logo featuring colored dots sprayed out from the building's Apple logo.
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Google is now allowing for the creation of reminders in Google Search. Similar to the vocal method using Google Voice Search and Google Now on smartphones, Google Operating System reports users can set a reminder by typing "Add reminder" or "Create Reminder" in the search box. A reminder card with extra settings will then appear, with a "Remind me on Google Now" link finalizing the notification.
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