Mysterious Apple Van Captured on Video in Palo Alto Residential Neighborhood

A largely unmarked van with rooftop cameras, similar to the one originally spotted roaming Bay Area streets earlier this month, has been captured on video in Palo Alto, California. MacRumors obtained the footage from reader Jonathan Shiu, who recently recorded the van driving past Juana Briones Park on Clemo Avenue, a residential side street located approximately 10 miles from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino.

It has been increasingly speculated that these fifth-generation Dodge Caravans, which are reportedly leased to Apple, are part of the company’s work on an electric car, but it is also possible that the vans are being used for a project similar to Google’s Street View. It is conceivable that the rooftop cameras are being used to either collect mapping data for Apple Maps or as sensors to assist with self-driving initiatives.

Earlier this week, the Financial Times reported that Apple is hiring automotive experts to work in a top-secret research lab located near the company’s headquarters. The Wall Street Journal soon followed up with a report claiming that Apple has hundreds of employees working on developing an electric vehicle, and Reuters added that the project will involve self-driving cars.

Apple is likely in the early stages of research and development for any electric car project, and it is fully possible that the iPhone maker scraps the initiative before it ever reaches the public. With both Google and Tesla already invested in electric and self-driving vehicles, it will be interesting to see if Apple enters the industry or remains on the sidelines in the months and years ahead.

Another Purported ‘iPad Pro’ Case Shown in New Photos

French website Nowhereelse.fr has shared new photos for another possible third-party case for the so-called “iPad Pro” tablet. The black protective cover has cutouts for a Lightning connector, rear-facing camera and microphone, volume rocker, mute switch and power button, consistent with previous iPad Air and iPad mini designs. The case does not have a cutout on the left side like the purported iPad Pro case that surfaced last month, nor does it have speaker cutouts due to having a different design that leaves the top and bottom edges exposed.

This second third-party case appears to originate from a Chinese accessory maker that also makes cases for the iPad Air 2, providing yet another side-by-side comparison of how much larger the iPad Pro could be alongside current iPad models. The veracity of the source is questionable, but this case is consistent with past leaks. The photos lack an object for size reference, but the case does appear to be large enough to house the iPad Pro, which has been rumored to feature a 12.2-inch to 12.9-inch screen.

A lack of physical hardware and component leaks for the oft-rumored iPad Pro has resulted in these third-party cases providing the clearest hints about the sizing, features, and design of the 12-inch tablet. The iPad Pro is rumored to feature a triple-core A8X or A9 processor, 2GB of RAM and Touch ID, and may ship with an optional stylus. Multiple reports claim that Apple will begin to mass produce the iPad Pro, also referred to as the “iPad Air Plus,” in the first half of 2015. Another report claims that the tablet could launch between April and June.

Apple hires the UK’s biggest radio DJ to help boost its music service

While Apple reportedly has “hundreds” of employees working to build the fabled “Apple Car,” the company is also busy integrating its Beats acquisition into iTunes. We may not have to wait too long to see fruits of that union, but before we do, Apple is acquiring talent to ensure the launch gets off to a good start. The UK’s biggest radio DJ, Zane Lowe, today confirmed that after 12 years at the BBC’s Radio 1 station, he’s abandoning Britain for the sunnier skies of Cupertino.

Zane, who will broadcast his final show on March 5th, is renowned for championing new music and was instrumental in the rise of big UK acts like the Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Ed Sheeran. He’s also conducted a number of interviews with some of the biggest names in music, including Jay Z, Kanye West, Eminem, Chris Martin and producer Rick Rubin.

Not much is known about the New Zealander’s new position at Apple, other than that he’ll help to build the company’s iTunes Radio/Beats Music products. However, given his close relationship with artists and knowledge of the global music scene, it’s easy to speculate that the radio DJ could help curate playlists for Apple’s “new” music service and continue conducting interviews with the artists featured within them.

[Image credit: Chris Thompson, Flickr]

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Source: BBC News

BBC Radio DJ Zane Lowe Joining Apple’s iTunes Radio Effort

Noted DJ Zane Lowe, who has headed up BBC Radio 1’s popular evening new music show for over a decade, is leaving the broadcaster next month to join Apple, reports BBC News. Lowe has won a number of awards for his radio show and other work over the years, and was nominated for a Grammy Award this year for his role in writing and producing Sam Smith’s album “In The Lonely Hour.”

Zane said: “I want to thank everyone at Radio 1 for their support and friendship. “The station has allowed me to share incredible music with the country’s best music fans.”

During his time on the station, the New Zealand-born DJ has become well known for championing emerging talent and many acts have made their breakthrough after having one of their tracks named as “hottest record in the world” on Zane’s show.

While Lowe has apparently not publicly stated what role he will take on at Apple, The Guardian says it will involve the company’s iTunes Radio streaming music service.

Lowe’s role will likely include more than iTunes Radio at some point, however, with Apple currently working toward a revamp of the Beats Music subscription streaming service it acquired last year. Part of the plan reportedly involves folding Beats into the iTunes brand and integrating it with OS X and iOS.

As a result, there may be some changes in store for iTunes Radio, which has reportedly seen a lukewarm reception and has only expanded to Australia since its U.S. launch in late 2013, despite rumors of a number of other countries receiving access by early 2014.

From the Forums: Apple Watch Size Comparison [iOS Blog]

With the Apple Watch poised to launch in April, excitement for the wrist-worn device has been building within the forums. In particular, a few users have posted discussion threads that compare the 38mm and 42mm Apple Watch based on photographer Ryan Mack‘s print-to-size diagrams. Both mockups are attached to a regular watchband to provide a realistic preview of how the Apple Watch could look on the wrist. Read more

Apple’s Automobile Project Said to Include Self-Driving Cars

Following up on yesterday’s series of reports about a “top-secret research team” at Apple working on an electric car, Reuters now weighs in with its own source claiming the project involves a self-driving electric car.

Technology giant Apple is learning how to make a self-driving electric car and is talking to experts at carmakers and automotive suppliers, an automotive source familiar with the talks said on Saturday.

The Cupertino, California-based maker of phones, computers and watches is exploring how to make an entire vehicle, not just designing automotive software or individual components, the source said.

“They don’t appear to want a lot of help from carmakers,” the source, who declined to be named, said.

The source’s of claim of self-driving capabilities for the vehicle directly contradicts yesterday’s Wall Street Journal report, which specifically stated a self-driving car was not part of the effort. Reuters‘ source is from the automotive industry rather than at Apple directly, so it is unclear how complete the source’s information is.

Apple would not be the only major technology company working on self-driving cars, as Google has been working on such a project for a number of years and has made significant progress in the area. Major car manufacturers are also working hard on technology that would make their cars at least somewhat autonomous.

Google’s prototype self-driving car
Yesterday’s report from The Wall Street Journal provided a fair bit of detail on Apple’s efforts, noting that Tim Cook approved the project last year. Former Ford engineer and longtime Apple design vice president Steve Zadesky given permission to build a team of up to 1,000 employees largely from within the company to work on the project at a Silicon Valley location separate from Apple’s main campus.

Apple Watch Roundup Updated

Apple CEO Tim Cook says Apple’s goal with the Apple Watch is to “change the way you life your life,” and that everyone is going to find a feature they can’t live without in the device.

He also recently shared news that the Apple Watch will be released in April. Check out our roundup to find out more.

Hundreds of Apple Employees Working on Creating Apple-Branded Electric Vehicle

Following up on today’s report suggesting that Apple is recruiting automotive technology and vehicle design experts to work in a secret research lab, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple is developing an electric vehicle.

According to the publication’s sources, Apple has hundreds of employees working to design an Apple-branded minivan-like electric vehicle under the code name Project Titan. The large size of the team indicates that the company is serious about the project, but it’s possible that Apple may not go through with plans to create a car despite its current research efforts.

Apple may decide not to proceed with a car. In addition, many technologies used in an electric car, such as advanced batteries and in-car electronics, would be useful to other Apple products, including the iPhone and iPad. Apple often investigates technologies and potential products, going as far as building multiple prototypes for some things that it won’t ever sell. Any product would take several years to complete and obtain safety certifications.

Apple executives have reportedly flown to Austria to meet with contract manufacturers of high-end cars, like Magna Steyr.

Rumors that Apple is working on a vehicle first started circulating last week after mysterious vans equipped with cameras and leased to Apple were spotted on Bay Area streets. Speculation led some to believe the cars were for a possible mapping project, while others postulated that they were self driving vehicles.

It’s not known if the vans are related to Apple’s rumored electric car project, but they roused enough interest to lead to its discovery. Earlier this week, an Apple employee who saw the car rumors told Business Insider that Tesla employees had been leaving the car company to work on an Apple project that was “too exciting to pass up” and that would “give Tesla a run for its money.”

That rumor led Financial Times to discover Apple’s efforts to recruit vehicle experts, such as former Mercedes-Benz R&D President and CEO Johann Jungwirth, who joined Apple back in September, which in turn led to the uncovering of the full scope of “Project Titan” at Apple.