After Math: Call me, maybe
It’s been a banner week for mobile devices not made by Apple (you’ll have to wait until the 7th for those). Samsung, quite literally, blew its chance to gain ground on Apple, given the new iPhone’s reputed lackluster feature set. Google likely killed off Project Ara, its modular smartphone. Verizon and T-Mobile both rolled out new service plans aimed at stretching subscribers’ data plans. Hasselblad actually made a photography device that won’t require the life of your first born to obtain. And Nubia unveiled its newest flagship phone — but where’s the bezel. Numbers, because how else would we determine market share?
Here’s how the iPhone 7 Plus’ dual cameras could work
Apple’s 2016 iPhone launch event may be just days away, but that isn’t stemming the tide of leaks and rumors. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (who is frequently, though not always, on the mark with Apple launches) has published a last-minute report claiming very detailed knowledge of Apple’s handset plans, including a few tidbits that have remained unclear. He now says he understands how the larger 5.5-inch model’s (for sake of reference, the iPhone 7 Plus) long-reported dual rear cameras would work. The two 12-megapixel sensors would reportedly be used for both zoom and “light field camera applications” — typically, that means after-shot refocusing. This would be at least somewhat similar to the dual-camera setup on the Huawei P9, where you can play with focal points and simulate different apertures. Huawei doesn’t offer an enhanced zoom, though.
On top of that, Apple would purportedly include higher-quality lenses (with more elements) and extra LED flashes to produce more natural color in low-light photos.
If the report is accurate, you also wouldn’t have to worry quite so much about Apple ditching the headphone jack. Much like Motorola, Apple is supposedly bundling a headphone adapter (in this case, Lightning to 3.5mm) in every iPhone 7 and 7 Plus box on top of native Lightning earbuds. It still wouldn’t be as elegant as a native 3.5mm port (you’d likely have to go wireless to listen to music while you charge), but you wouldn’t have to buy a dongle to keep using your pricey wired headphones.
There’s more. Kuo also hears that the A10 chip powering the new iPhones will run at a much higher 2.4GHz clock speed (the A9 in the iPhone 6s and SE tops out at 1.85GHz). And if you’re the sort who has to get a new color to prove that you have the latest iPhone, it might be your lucky day. The analyst elaborates on a previous rumor by claiming that Apple will replace its seemingly ubiquitous space gray color with “dark black,” and there would even be a glossy “piano black” if you’re feeling ostentatious. Oh, and the purported second speaker grille? That would hold a new sensor to improve Force Touch, though it’s not certain how that would work.
To top it all off, the report also supports a few existing stories. The new iPhones would indeed be water-resistant, surviving depths of 3.3 feet for 30 minutes. And Apple would not only double the base storage, but the mid-tier’s storage as well. You’d be shopping between 32GB, 128GB and 256GB models, much like you do with the iPad Pro. The display resolution won’t be going up, Kuo says (boo!), but you would get the smaller iPad Pro’s wider color range. All told, Apple would be counting on a ton of iterative improvements to get you to upgrade. Even if this isn’t the big redesign you’d hope for, it’d be more than just a modest tune-up.
Source: 9to5Mac
What we expect from Apple’s big iPhone event
Apple is holding a big press event next week, and it’s a pretty safe assumption at this point that we’re getting a new iPhone. We’re not expecting a radical reimagining of the device, but there might be a few surprises here (like no headphone jack!) to keep people on their toes. Will we see a new Apple Watch? Maybe. New MacBook Pros? Probably not. A play to repay $14.5 billion in back taxes? Keep dreaming. Watch the video above for all the latest on the Apple rumor mill.
Apple activates its Twitter account ahead of iPhone event
Apple has activated its Twitter account and redesigned the Newsroom just days ahead of its iPhone 7 event on September 7th. The company has had a Twitter account since September 2011, but has never tweeted anything and, until now, had a generic “egg” avatar. That’s now been replaced by the Apple logo and a background with the same design as its event invitation. It still has only 50,000 followers, but that will change very quickly if it starts to tweet regularly.
My guess as well: they’ll live tweet the event. https://t.co/XBbhk3ptZM
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) September 2, 2016
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has broken numerous Apple stories in the past, suggested that Apple activated its Twitter account in order to live Tweet next week’s event. The company has live-blogged events before, to accompany its video streams, but doing one on Twitter would be new.
Apple also redesigned its Newsroom press relations site. Articles are now much larger, feature images, and have been arranged in a “Storify” style with a card for each. The company recently added three “Apple Original” articles about how to use Siri. At the bottom of each article, it now includes the direct contact information for PR personnel, something it has never done before. The changes wouldn’t be that big a deal for most companies, but Apple hasn’t changed its approach to the press since, well, forever.
Source: Apple (Twitter), Apple
Steve Jobs’ vintage wardrobe is up for auction
What’s an Apple fanboy or fangirl supposed to do once they’ve filled their basement with vintage Apple hardware? Start filling up the closets with Steve Jobs’ old clothes, of course. As TechCrunch reports, a whole wardrobe of the late Apple founder’s shirts, bowties, watches, ID badges and other tossed-off goods are currently up for auction.
Weirdly, the items seem to have ended up in the estate of actress Jane Fonda, but they could soon be in your own very personal Jobs collection thanks to “auction house to the stars” Julien’s Live. The NeXT-branded turtleneck pictured above is on the auction block, of course. But true fans of nineties-era Steve might be more interested in this full ensemble of nicely distressed Levi’s, Versace button-up and Neiman Marcus bow tie (starting bid $400), this epically pleated pair of Versace slacks with matching necktie (starting bid $300), or the leather jacket Jobs wore while flipping the bird to IBM (starting bid $4,000).
On the other hand, if you really want to live the Steve Jobs way, we might suggest taking a look at his “bathrobe and electric razors” set, so you can lounge around your home feeling as though you just nailed another perfect keynote. Or, for the ultimate in ironic fanboyism, look no further than this set of five certified, Jobs-owned t-shirts commemorating everything from the founding of Standford’s Computer Science department in 1965 to the 1989 launch of NeXT computers.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Julien’s Live
Apple is hunting down unused, dysfunctional apps
Apple has vowed to remove from the App Store any programs that no longer work, don’t follow current review guidelines or are simply outdated. Starting September 7th, Apple will review and remove apps that crash on launch, and the company will contact developers whose apps don’t meet the new guidelines. Developers then have 30 days to submit an update; otherwise, their programs are gone for good.
Even if they’re removed, apps will continue to work for anyone who has already downloaded them (and that includes in-app purchases). Plus, new developers won’t be able to steal the names of deleted apps — those remain tied to the original developer’s account.
Apple also plans to fight spammy and long names in the App Store, TechCrunch reports. After September 7th, all app and update names will have a maximum length of 50 characters. This gets rid of apps that attempt to capture extra search relevance with names that read like a list of Tumblr tags.
These moves are aimed at cleaning up search results in the App Store, which hosts more than 2 million games, tools and time-wasters. September 7th also happens to be the day of Apple’s big iPhone event, where we expect to see the so-called iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
Source: Apple, TechCrunch
Recently patched iOS security flaw also affects OS X
Last week Apple rolled out a patch for iOS that closed a security flaw that could give attackers control over a device by having a user click a single link. Now, Apple is patching the same hole in the Safari web browser on the desktop, with new updates for the browser as well as OS X Yosemite and El Capitan. Lookout Security and Citizenlab identified the flaw based on a link sent to a human rights activist, and believe the “cyber war” organization NSO Group was selling the exploit to governments like the UAE.
You may or may not be a target of government surveillance, but now that the vulnerability is widely known others could try to use it. That means it’s probably a good idea to make sure you have the latest updates installed right now before you click another shady web link.
Kurdos #Apple for quickly patching Safari & OS X for Webkit and Kernel vulns identified by @citizenlab and @lookout https://t.co/G3SwH72xln
— citizen lab (@citizenlab) September 1, 2016
Via: Motherboard
Source: Apple – OS X Update info, Apple Safari update info
Tim Cook says EU tax ruling is ‘total political crap’
Apple and other giant tech companies have long stashed cash overseas where they’ve paid less taxes on it, but the days of that happening could be numbered. Earlier this week, the EU said that Apple must pay back a whopping $14.5 billion plus interest because of an illegal tax deal between the company and Ireland. Unsurprisingly, Apple is appealing the ruling, and CEO Tim Cook is angry at the way the company’s actions have been characterized.
“It’s total political crap,” Cook said of the EU’s ruling to the Irish news publication Independent. “No one did anything wrong here.” Specifically, Cook denies that Apple paid incredibly low tax rates in Ireland for years, including less than 1 percent in 2014. “They just picked a number from I don’t know where,” Cook explained. “In the year that the Commission says we paid that tax figure, we actually paid $400 million. We believe that makes us the highest taxpayer in Ireland that year.” Cook also pointed out that Apple pays a worldwide total tax rate of 26.1 percent and that the company paid taxes in Ireland at the “statutory rate” of 12.5 percent.
Beyond Apple’s battle with the EU is the question of whether or not any of this money will flow back into the US: Companies like Apple are expected to pay a 35 percent tax rate to the US on overseas profits, but only once they move that money back to America. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, Cook has begun hinting that Apple is getting ready to move some of its vast cash reserves back into the US.
According to the WSJ, Cook told Irish state broadcaster RTE that Apple could repatriate some of its overseas funds in 2017. “We provisioned several billion dollars for the US for payment as soon as we repatriate it, and right now I would forecast that repatriation to occur next year,” Cook said. But he’s also previously said that Apple wouldn’t do this until changes to the US tax code offered a more fair rate, something that apparently Cook expects to happen sooner than later.
Amid all of this financial turmoil, Apple is expected to unveil the next iPhone and Apple Watch next Wednesday. There’s no sense of how long it’ll take for the company to resolve its issues with the EU, but Cook indicated that he hopes to work directly with Ireland to mount the case against having to pay back that money.
Source: Independent.IE, The Wall Street Journal
Zagg Debuts New ‘InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense’ Screen Protector Infused With Sapphire Glass
Zagg today announced the launch of its two newest screen protectors for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, introducing the InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense and the InvisibleShield Glass+.
The Sapphire Defense InvisibleShield is a hybrid glass screen protector infused with sapphire to give it superior scratch resistance. According to Zagg, the Sapphire Defense combines sapphire, glass, and traditional screen protection for a “virtually indestructible” screen protector that offers 7x better impact protection compared to an unprotected screen.
It also features smudge resistance, a self-healing surface to mask minor scratches, and the smooth feel and clarity of traditional glass screen protectors from Zagg.
“Almost everyone can relate to the fear associated with accidentally dropping your smartphone onto a hard surface,” said Brian Stech, president of ZAGG. “As mobile devices have become the epicenter of our lives, we believe your screen should look as good today as the day you first purchased your device. This mentality drives us to work tirelessly to ensure mobile users can charge through life free from the fear of a damaged screen, confident to know the world’s most advanced screen protection and lifetime warranty are protecting them.”
The InvisibleShield Glass+ is a less expensive tempered glass screen protector which Zagg says features advanced impact protection, scratch resistance, and reinforced edges. It’s constructed from several layers to protect against scratches and it offers 2x more impact protection than an unprotected screen.
The InvisibleShield Sapphire Defense is priced at $49.99 while the InvisibleShield Glass+ is priced at $39.99. Both new screen protectors can be purchased from the Zagg website, with the Glass+ coming in early September and the Sapphire Defense coming in early October.
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Apple to Clean Up App Store, Eliminate Outdated and Non-Functional Apps
Apple today notified developers about some upcoming changes to the App Store, which are designed to make it easier for customers to find high-quality app content.
Starting on September 7, Apple will begin removing old, outdated apps that have not received compatibility updates, do not comply with current review guidelines, or that no longer function as intended. This will see the elimination of many older apps that have been long abandoned.
Quality is extremely important to us. We know that many of you work hard to build innovative apps and update your apps on the App Store with new content and features. However, there are also apps on the App Store that no longer function as intended or follow current review guidelines, and others which have not been supported with compatibility updates for a long time. We are implementing an ongoing process of evaluating apps for these issues, notifying their developers, and removing problematic and abandoned apps from the App Store.
Apps across all categories will be subject to Apple’s new review process this September. Developers with problematic apps will be notified and will have 30 days to make changes to their app to prevent it from being removed from the App Store. Apps that crash on launch will, however, be removed from the App Store immediately.
Apple also plans to limit the number of characters that can be used in an app name, preventing some developers from using excessively long app names to influence search results. Beginning on September 7, app names submitted in iTunes Connect for both new apps and app updates will be limited to a maximum of 50 characters.
Search is one of the most frequently used methods for customers to discover and download apps from the App Store. In hopes of influencing search results, some developers have used extremely long app names which include descriptions and terms not directly related to their app. These long names are not fully displayed on the App Store and provide no user value. App names you submit in iTunes Connect for new apps and updates will now be limited to no longer than 50 characters.
Over the course of the last few months, Apple has been dedicating resources to improving the App Store. In June, Apple announced plans to open up app subscriptions to all product categories, offer more favorable subscription revenue splits, improve sharing tools, and introduce ads to App Store search results to give developers new ways to promote their apps.
Update: Apple has also released updated App Store guidelines that cover new features in iOS 10 like SiriKit, sticker packs, Messages App Store, the new subscription policies, and more.
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