Updated at bottom
Earlier tonight, iPhone hacker Chpwn tweeted what appears to be the first discovery of Carrier IQ involvement in Apple’s mobile OS.
The Carrier IQ story has until now focused entirely on Android, Nokia and Blackberry devices, however Chpwn has discovered references to servers operated by Carrier IQ in a binary called /usr/bin/IQAgent in iOS 3.1.3. Read more
The next minor version of iOS has just been seeded to Apple developers, bringing with it at least one welcome addition: voice recognition in text input areas.
This would allow the user to speak instead of tapping through the on-screen keyboard in any area that requires text input, for instance you could dictate messages to the AOL Instant Messenger app or the Twitter app. Read more
Reliable sources have reported on prototype Mac motherboards based on Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chipsets being tested in Cupertino for years, but so far none have seen the light of day. One recent rumor even suggests the current Macbook Air was planned around AMD’s “Llano” platform but switched to an Intel alternative at the last minute. Will the latest generation of prototypes be any different? Read more
Several of our followers on Twitter and Facebook have recently expressed interest in the state of Apple’s efforts to merge its various forms of messaging/chat/videoconferencing/IM functionality across its two key platforms, iOS and Mac OS X. New code spotted in iOS by third party developers may shed some light on this. Read more
Apple announced today that it is appointing multi-industry giant Art Levinson as Chairman of the Board, and added Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company, as the board’s newest member.
With this move, insiders at the Executive Suite say that Apple’s corporate structure will get a big boost on both the traditional fronts and many unique new ways of moving Infinite Loop’s business forward with unparalleled strength of innovation and fresh perspectives as Levinson is known for having a foot firmly planted in both of those starkly different worlds simultaneously — and with Iger’s addition to the Board, Apple’s growing ties with Disney are cemented and that will be hugely important for the company’s next big strategic move: AppleTV. Read more
Apple’s next generation of mobile iDevices will be powered principally by A5-class System-on-a-Chip (SoC) hardware, according to Rumors’ sources. The A6 will indeed be introduced next year, as has been long rumored, but may be exclusive to the family of next-generation AppleTV devices at first.
According to sources, the iPhone 5, iPod Touch 5 and iPad 3 will all be powered by a series of chips that, regardless of how they will be marketed by Apple, will be essentially unchanged from the A5 except for clock speed differences and a possible switch of suppliers (thusly, also possibly a switch in manufacturing processes but with little functional effect). Unless the iPad is split into two or more tiers as has been considered for the entire iOS device family more than once in the past and is expected to happen with the AppleTV’s next generation, the A6 is expected to be exclusive in its initial production run to the new AppleTV family. Read more
The next-generation iPhone and iPod Touch will be based on a unique type of OLED display, according to sources, which is far more shatter-resistant than the current “gorilla glass” and LCD design used in the iPhone 4/4S and previous generations.
One of the chief problems with the iPhone and iPod Touch to date has been its easily damaged glass touch screen, and in the case of the iPhone 4/4S, the glass back panel. The iPhone 5 and its corresponding iPod Touch cousin will, according to a report just in from sources familiar with Apple’s 2012 Hardware Roadmap, replace the “square” design of the iPhone 4 and 4S with a solid frame — in some prototypes, this is metal (usually aluminum, though Titanium has been explored due to its superior strength in extremely thin configurations) and in others, a thermoplastic carbon fiber material — and a new type of capacitative touchscreen which incorporates a much tougher, nearly shatterproof outer surface material with an organic LED (OLED) display that is significantly larger than today’s “retina” TFT LCD. Read more
Apple has quietly updated their Macbook Pro line with slightly faster processors, more hard drive space and improved discrete GPUs for the 15-inch and 17-inch models.
The entry level 13-inch MBP now ships with a dual-core 2.4ghz Core i5 processor, paired with integrated Intel HD graphics 3000, and a 500GB rotating hard drive. A dual-core 2.8ghz Core i5 processor is optional. Read more
The release of iOS 5 and Mac OS X 10.7.2 today will bring with it the public launch of Apple’s new iCloud service.
Accordingly, Apple has removed the “beta” tag from iCloud.com, the main portal on the web for features like Find My iPhone, Back to my Mac, remote wipe and lock. The site also provides access to iWork and your iCloud or “me.com” email and contacts.
For now it appears that only registered developers and those who have installed iOS 5 on a device (legally or otherwise), can login to the site.
Everyone else will be greeted with this message:
Stay tuned for more 🙂 Read more
After months of waiting, the day is finally here.
Today, Apple will push the final build of iOS 5.0 out to the iTunes update servers for the following devices:
The links above are direct firmware file links so you can restore or update with option+click in iTunes.
The iOS 5 update includes iCloud, a completely overhauled notification system, Wi-Fi sync, Newsstand for reading magazines and newspapers, Twitter integration, a much improved Mail app, and the ability to setup and use your iPod Touch, iPad or iPhone without tethering it to iTunes on a desktop PC or Mac. Read more
After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, Steve Jobs died today at the age of 56.
Apple has posted a tribute to him on their homepage, along with this message:
Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being.
Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.If you would like to share your thoughts, memories, and condolences, please email rememberingsteve@apple.com
Apple CEO Tim Cook also sent this message to Apple employees earlier today:
Read moreTeam,
I have some very sad news to share with all of you.
Credit: GDGT
Starting today, the very successful iPhone 4 is just $99 for the 8GB model, pushed out of the top spot by the new iPhone 4S.
As far as we know, the iPhone 4 will remain unchanged aside from the reduced memory and a new Apple model number for inventory purposes. Given the popularity of the iPhone 4 even when it started for $199, we expect these things to fly off the shelves in the next few months.
In addition, the nearly 3 year old iPhone 3GS is simply free if you sign a contract. Despite its age, the 3GS can run iOS 5 when it comes out October 12th, making it an excellent option for someone on a budget. Read more
Today during the press event at Apple’s Cupertino campus, CEO Tim Cook unveiled the next iteration of their popular iPhone platform: the iPhone 4S.
For those of you who were expecting an iPhone 5 today, you shouldn’t be disappointed. This is essentially what everyone was expecting the iPhone 5 to be: A5 processor, more ram, and a handful of new features, some exclusive to the new device. There’s no new design this time around, though.
Apple says the new iPhone 4S is 2x faster in the CPU department, with graphics performance 7x faster.
The new device also has a special antenna system designed to improve call quality by using one antenna for transmission and another for reception.
In addition the iPhone 4S is now a ‘worldphone’ and should work on pretty much any carrier* in any country, including Apple’s newest partner: Sprint. Read more
Credit: GDGT
For the first time, the Touch is now available with a white face like the iPhone 4, previously it was only available in black.
The new model now has the same A5 chip found in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, along with an increase in ram memory (no word on how much, yet). ed: Apple for some reason chose not to include the A5 chip in the new Touch model, so it remains with the A4
Pricing on the white model is identical to the black version, 8GB/$199, 32GB/$299 and 64GB/$399. Read more
Apple says Carrier IQ unused, will remove it from iOS 5
In a statement made this morning to AllThingsD, Apple says it no longer uses Carrier IQ in iOS 5, had never used it to record or transmit personal information, and plans to remove the software entirely in a coming update to the mobile OS:
Read more