Tag Archives: Apple

Apple to Release Larger iPhone

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Apple is said to introduce new, larger iPhones “6”  and next gen iPhone 5c in Quarter 3 of 2014. According to rumor, the new phones are expected to boast 4.7 and 5.5 inch Retina displays.  Apple introduced the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c last September.

AppleRumors.NET reported last week that Apple signed a deal with Sapphire glass manufacturer GT Advanced Technology.  Apple’s nearly half billion dollar investment will likely allow for the next gen iPhone to sport sapphire displays.  Also reported on the next gen iPhone is LiquidMetal, a powerful and strong alloy which could make the iPhone nearly indestructible.

Apple currently uses Sapphire on its iPhone 5s (the camera lens and Touch ID sensor) and LiquidMetal for the SIM ejector.

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Apple Updates Remote

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Apple yesterday updated Remote (AppStore.com/Remote), it’s remote app for controlling an iTunes library or Apple TV. Remote has been updated with iOS 7 features, making the new version 4.0 update a major uverhaul.

Remote is the latest Apple app to receive a major update (Apple updated podcasts, Find my Friends, iTunes Trailers, and other apps in the past few weeks.

Most notably, Apple has not updated iBooks and iTunes U with iOS 7 designs. This leads us to ask, Will Apple update them in the coming weeks or hold an education event similar to it’s January 2012 event?

Breaking: Apple Signs deal with GT Advanced Technology

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Apple today signed a deal with Sapphire display manufacturer GT Advanced Technology for $578 Million.  GT Advanced Technology creates virtually indestructible sapphire displays, one of the hardest stones in the world.

Touch ID

Touch ID – Sapphire

Currently, Apple uses sapphire on its iPhone 5s (and 5) for the camera lens and the newly introduced Touch ID.  The precious stone helps to protect against scratches.  Additionally, sapphire is extremely lucid, allowing for a clear image (or in the case of a display, clear resolution).

Sapphire displays currently sell for about $30, in comparison, Gorilla Glass costs approximately $2-3 per display.  The hefty price of Sapphire is expected to decrease to about $10 per display.  

I would personally love to see a 5 inch sapphire iPhone 6 in 2014.  Analysts  also expect Apple will implement sapphire crystal into the rumored iWatch, expected to debut sometime next year.  

Sapphire iSight Lens

Apple’s New Mac Pro

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Apple’s much anticipated Mac Pro is to be available for purchase in December of this year. Apple’s new circular design sets this generation apart from the previous generations’ rectangular and bulky design. The new Mac Pro is to weigh only 11 pounds (5 kg) compared to the Mid-2012’s 41 pounds (18.7 kg). 

The new Mac Pro will come standard with a 256GB SSD. The Mid-2012 Mac Pro came standard with 1TB of storage. Although the SSD will be a much quicker option some consumers want more space at the sacrifice of speed. 

With the new boosted processing power of the Mac Pro you will be able to perform more tasks than ever before. This will allow you to use much more processor dependent programs on your computer.The new Mac Pro does have boosted processing power coming standard with 3.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon E5 with 10mb L3 cache or you can get the 6-Core version for an extra thousand dollars which comes with a 3.5Ghz 6-Core Intel Xeon  E5 with 12mb L3 chace. Compared to the 2012’s which you could either get a 12-core with two 2.4Ghz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5645 or a 3.2GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon W3564. The new Mac Pro definatly has more processing power especially when you shell out the extra cash to configure it even more. 

Apple shows us that they are expecting people to use more graphic intensive programs on the Mac Pro. They have added major improvements to the graphics software, something that Apple is not know for.They worked to improve the graphics power on the new Mac Pro by having them come standard with either 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM or 6GB of GDDR5 VRAM. The 2012 version only came with 1GB GDDR5.

Apple decided to add more connectivity to the new Mac Pro. This will allow you to connect more of your devices to your machine. It comes with 4 USB-3 ports, 6 Thunderbolt 2 ports, 1 HDMI 1.4 UltraHD port, and a set of Gigabit Ethernet ports. 

With the addition of more memory than ever to the Mac Pro you will now be able to use the Mac Pro to run a multitude of programs at once without slowing your computer. The Mac Pro comes standard with 12GB (three 4GB sticks) of 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory and configurable to 64GB! This will allow for people to use this computer to run multiple virtual machines.   

The Mac Pro will be available for purchase this December for the prices of $2999 and $3999. 

Apple confirms iPhone 5S Manufacturing Error

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Image Credit : gadgeticworld.com

Apple says that “a very limited number” of iPhone 5S models have been sold to customers with battery problems.

The new iPhone 5S boasts a ten hour battery life but some users have found that to be false. The statement made by Apple does not disclose the exact amount of units plagued by this manufacturing error, but it seems to imply a number hovering around a few thousand units.

Apple says to know which users are affected by the error and will contact you, if you happen to own one of those devices. They also said that they would replace all affected devices.

Steve Jobs’s Childhood House gains Landmark Status

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Image Credit: appleinsider.com

Last Monday evening the Los Altos Historical Commission was unanimous in its assent to designate the house that Steve Jobs grew up in, a landmark. This has quite some history behind it, as it was the site which produced the first batch of 100 Apple I computers by the “two Steves” (Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak) as well as Job’s.  50 were then sold to a local retailer and the balance going to other members of the Homebrew Computer Club, an early microcomputer enthusiast’s group of which the two Steves were a part. Apple moved to Cupertino nine months later.

This house was the beginning of an era so huge that it is no wonder it is being honored with landmark status. “Steve Jobs is considered a genius who blended technology and creativity to invent and market a product which dramatically changed many industries. His influence is expected to be felt by multiple generations forthcoming,” wrote Commissioner Sapna Marfatia. These words couldn’t be more true and Steve Jobs will forever be remembered now more so than ever because of this defining moment.

Breaking: Apple Announces Quarterly Earnings

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Apple today announced earnings of $7.5 Billion on 33.8 Million iphones, 14.1 Million iPads, and 4.6 Million Macs.

According to Apple, the sale of 33.8 million iPhones was record breaking for the September three-month quarter. Apple sold 0.1Million more iPads this year than it did last year. However, Mac sales are down, at 4.6 Million units sold compared to 4.9 Million a year ago. Apple’s official conference call begins at 2:00 PST at investor.apple.com.

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Editorial: Is the iPad Enough?

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Apple on Tuesday released the latest iteration of its popular iPads, dubbed the iPad ‘Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display’.  While the iPad Air sports a super slim and lightweight design, new processors, and more, some have asked if that’s enough for the iPad to stay afloat as the top tablet.  The iPad Mini with Retina Display brings a new Retina display, A7 chip, and advanced wireless to the table (among other features).

Credit: AppleApple’s iPad, nicknamed the “Jesus Tablet” by early adopters, was a radically innovative product when it debuted in 2010.  No other company had anything close to it; it ushered countless of Android copycats and what Steve Jobs declared “the Post-PC Era.”  But are those copycats more innovative than Apple and do they have the ability to usurp Apple’s dominance?

A recent study found that within the next year, Apple’s iPad will hold a mere 49% of all tablet marketshare in comparison with Android, anther dominant competitor.  But why and isn’t that a large number?  Well, Apple’s iPad at one point dominated nearly 100% of all tablets and that number has been decreasing substantially over the last few years.  Additionally, Android is a free software, so any manufacturer can essentially “borrow” Android from Google, use it as their OS, and then ship a tablet, phone, or even an Android PC (gosh!).  We’ve seen some super cheap Android tablets – ones you could buy for $39, but they’re never really caught on.  However, Google’s new Nexus 7 is certainly a hit – an a hit right at Apple.

Image Credit: Google

The Nexus 7 features a super sharp display, slim and lightweight design, a fast Snapdragon processor, the latest Android OS, etc.  In fact, CNN rated it the best Android Tablet one can buy – that says something, especially for a tablet so affordable  With all these are incredible features, the most remarkable is the price.  The new Nexus 7 comes in at $229, one hundred dollars cheaper than Apple priced the iPad Mini when it was released last year.  Shocking?  Well, yes it is.  Consumers know that when they purchase an Apple product, they’re given an incredible device, amazing support, and a world full of hundred of thousands of apps. Google doesn’t offer amazing support – believe me, I’ve tried reaching out to them – and they don’t have a world of hundreds of thousands of tablet-designed apps.  However, these factors are developing.  Google’s support does indeed get better, while developers are designing tablet optimized apps. So what does this mean for Apple?  It needs to lower the price of its iPads to stay king among some intense competition.

Image Credit: AppleApple’s first generation iPad Mini (which is still around, fyi), is now being sold for $299 – only $30 cheaper than when it was released.  The current iPad Mini with Retina Display is being sold for $399 –  $170 more than the Nexus 7.  This brings a new question to mind, “Is the iPad Mini with Retina Display better than the Nexus 7?”  Well, that’s a decision you have to make, but it’s an important one.

I still feel that Apple has the dominance over Android and that iOS 7 is a robust mobile OS – much more than Adnroid.  But one never knows what could happen, and with Android developing at a steady pace, the future is uncertain…