Discarded Power Mac G5s ‘Upcycled’ Into Modern Office Furniture [Mac Blog]

Apple’s Power Mac G5 has a distinctive aluminum design that was disruptive when it launched in 2003. Inspired by this milestone in design, designer Klaus Geiger has “upcycled” this aging Apple hardware into furniture because the machines are “simply too good to be disposed of.” (via DesignBoom)

As part of a project aptly titled “Benchmarc”, Geiger has carefully created a sitting bench using a carved wooden plank that forms a bridge between two Power Mac G5 units. The machining on the wood is aligns the curve perfectly with the shape of the Power Mac chassis.

Beyond benches, Geiger also has crafted a movable conference table, file cabinets and more using discarded Power Mac machines. Additional concept renderings include an entire office full of furniture designed around old Power Mac G5 units.

Though interesting as a one-off furniture design project, this isn’t the first time Apple hardware has been recycled. Both the iMac and the Mac Pro have been converted into fish aquariums, while a Power Mac G3 became an unusual roadside mailbox.

Foxconn Looking to Build $5.7 Billion iPhone Display Factory to Win Apple Orders [iOS Blog]

Apple’s main assembly partner for iOS devices, Foxconn, is looking to increase its presence in Apple’s supply chain as it considers constructing a new plant to provide display’s for the popular devices, according to The Wall Street Journal. Total investment in the project could reach $5.7 billion.

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. , is discussing a possible investment with the government of Zhengzhou, about 750 kilometers south of Beijing, according to people familiar with the talks. The two sides are discussing terms such as how to divide the investment, which could reach as much as 35 billion yuan ($5.7 billion), the people said.

The display is typically the most expensive single component in Apple’s iOS devices, and the company has long sourced the parts from a variety of vendors including Samsung, LG Display, Sharp, and Japan Display. Foxconn has been seeking to improve its display expertise in recent years, pursuing a troubled partnership with Sharp as it has tried to position itself to win orders for iPhone and iPad displays.

GT Advanced Technologies Officially Announces Sapphire Settlement With Apple

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Apple and its sapphire supplier GT Advanced Technologies had reached an agreement to effectively dissolve their partnership and allow GT to shut down operations at the Apple-owned sapphire production plant in Mesa, Arizona. Under the deal, GT will seek to sell off the over 2,000 sapphire furnaces currently installed at the facility, with the majority of the proceeds from those sales going to Apple to help repay $439 million in loans Apple made to help the operation get underway.

GT has now officially announced the deal and published the full agreement, redacting only the amounts Apple will be paid per furnace sold.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, which is subject to approval by the Bankruptcy Court, GT will be released from all exclusivity obligations under its various agreements with Apple. GT will retain ownership of all production, ancillary and inventory assets located in Mesa and Apple is provided with a mechanism for recovering its $439 million pre-payment made to GT over a period of up to four years without interest, solely from a portion of the proceeds from ASF® [Advanced Sapphire Furnace] sales. The agreement provides for a mutual release of any and all claims by both parties. As a result of the agreed upon terms, GT retains control of its intellectual property and will be able to sell its sapphire growth and fabrication technology, including ASF and Hyperion™, without restrictions.

While the two companies are severing their production agreement, they will remain in contact as GT continues its research work focused on producing larger sapphire boules of over 165 kilograms. The two companies will meet at least quarterly to discuss GT’s progress on that front, with potential collaboration still possible if both sides agree to move forward.

GT filed for bankruptcy earlier this month as it became clear the company was spending over a million dollars per day to run the operation even as it was apparently unable to produce sapphire of the quality required by Apple. GT’s troubles began as early as February as it was late in meeting milestones to qualify for Apple loan payments. Apple’s continued withholding of the final $139 million payment may ultimately have resulted in GT deciding to pull the plug on the operation, even as Apple reportedly continued to try to help overcome GT’s technical problems.

GT is looking to wind down its sapphire production operation by the end of the year, wrapping up sapphire boule production currently underway and decommissioning the furnaces to prepare them for storage and resale. Roughly 650 employees at the Arizona plant have already been laid off, and the company will continue to lay off additional employees across its locations as it brings the production partnership with Apple to an end.

(Image: GT’s Advanced Sapphire Furnace)

Nike CEO Hints at Continued Partnership With Apple to Develop Stylish Fitness Wearables

Nike CEO Mark Parker sat down with Bloomberg’s Stephanie Ruhle to discuss the company’s brand and product strategy (via The Guardian). During the 13-minute-long “Market Makers” segment, Parker confirmed that he is bullish on Apple and the wearables market, hinting at a continued partnership between the two companies at the 9:45 mark.

Though Nike recently discontinued further development on its FuelBand fitness wearables, the sports and fitness company is not ready to abandon the wearables market, instead waiting for the market to mature beyond it current geeky status.

“I think it’s going to be a big part of the future, absolutely,” said Parker. “I think the form it takes is critical. You can go from the very geeky kind of wearables today – we’ve all seen some of those – to what I think you’ll see in the future, things that are more stealth, more integrated, more stylish and more functional, yes.”

Echoing his earlier comments, Parker suggested Apple may be part of Nike’s wearables strategy with the Nike CEO noting that the two companies that have a long history of working together can do things together they couldn’t do alone.

“Technologically we can do things together that we couldn’t do independently,” Parker said. “So yeah, that’s part of our plan, to expand the whole digital frontier in terms of wearables, and go from what we say is tens of millions of users – right now there’s 25 million Nike+ users – to hundreds of millions.”

Parker wouldn’t divulge details on any upcoming Apple-Nike collaborations, but the companies traditionally have worked together to promote each other’s health and fitness technologies. Apple has sold the FuelBand fitness bracelet in its retail stores, while the Nike+ Move app was among the first to support the M7 motion co-processor in the iPhone 5s.

The fitness partnership between Apple and Nike actually extends back to 2006 with the launch of Nike+iPod products such as the “Sport Kit” that allowed users to embed sensors in Nike shoes to wirelessly communicate exercise information to the iPod nano. Parker also has a long-term relationship with the Apple’s leadership, having worked closely with both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, with Cook having served on Nike’s Board of Directors since 2005.

Christian Bale Hired for Steve Jobs Role in Sorkin Biopic Without Auditioning

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has confirmed in a Bloomberg interview that actor Christian Bale will indeed star as Steve Jobs in Sorkin’s upcoming biopic based on Walter Isaacson’s 2011 biography of the Apple co-founder. Bale, who was said last week to be in talks for the role, met with Sorkin but did not have to audition for the part.

“We needed the best actor on the board in a certain age range and that’s Chris Bale,” Sorkin told Bloomberg Television’s Emily Chang on a coming edition of “Studio 1.0.” “He didn’t have to audition. Well, there was a meeting.”

Shooting for the film will begin in the coming months in what will be a challenging role for the established actor. Bale reportedly will appear in every frame of the movie with speaking parts that exceed three movies combined. The movie will focus on three 30-minute scenes that detail three different product launches.

The movie will be released by Sony, with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire fame associated with the project.

Apple to Open 25 New Stores in China Over Next Two Years, Says CEO Tim Cook [Mac Blog]

Apple will open 25 new Apple Stores in China over the next two years, according to CEO Tim Cook who spoke to Chinese news outlet Sina (via Reuters). The news comes as Cook was reported yesterday to be meeting with China’s Vice Minister Ma Kai to discuss the security of user data. The CEO also tweeted a picture of himself in Zhengzhou, where he visited a Foxconn assembly factory.

The Apple Store at the Hong Kong Plaza in Shanghai
Apple opened its first location in China in 2008 with a store in Beijing, and has since built a number of other stores in other major areas like Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chongqing. The company has also greatly expanded its presence in the region throughout the past few years, striking a deal with the country’s biggest carrier China Mobile and meeting with government officials to discuss market growth.

Later this week, Cook will reportedly attend meetings at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, where he is a part of the advisory board to the university’s School of Economics and Management. The CEO is said also to be meeting with Chinese firms Baidu and Alibaba over the next week to discuss collaboration.

How to Use ‘Instant Hotspot’ On a Mac with OS X Yosemite [iOS Blog]

With OS X Yosemite, Apple has included a number of Continuity features that improve the integration between iOS and Mac devices. OS X Yosemite includes a feature called Instant Hotspot which allows users to more easily use their iPhone’s wireless cellular data connection from their Mac or iPad.

With Instant Hotspot, there is no longer a need to enter a password to connect as security is handled through a common iCloud account. An iPhone can even be in sleep mode and allow your Mac to initiate Instant Hotspot, with no additional settings needing to be enabled aside from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Before you Start

You need iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite in order to use Instant Hotspot. You also need to ensure that your data plan with your wireless carrier allows for internet hotspot capabilities. In the United States, AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, allow phones to be used as hotspots with select data plans. Sprint offers mobile hotspot capabilities with a monthly add-on plan.

Also, make sure both your Mac and iPhone are logged into the same iCloud account, and check that your Mac supports Instant Hotspot. This can be done by clicking the  symbol in the top left-hand side of the Menu bar, navigating to About This Mac, clicking on System Report and clicking on the Bluetooth listing. You should see information about whether your system is compatible with Instant Hotspot and Handoff.

After you ensure that you have a compatible Mac and data plan, follow the instructions below to turn on Instant Hotspot:

Steps

1. Turn on Wi-Fi on your iPhone (Settings -> Wi-Fi) and Mac (Menu Bar -> -> Turn Wi-Fi On.

2. Turn on Bluetooth on your iPhone (Settings -> Bluetooth) and Mac (Menu Bar -> Apple -> System Preferences -> Bluetooth -> Turn Bluetooth On).

3. On your Mac, click the Wi-Fi symbol in the menu bar. A new “Personal Hotspot” heading now appears near the top, and will be followed by the name of your iPhone. On the right side of your iPhone’s name, signal strength, network type, and available battery life are displayed. Click on your device’s name to begin using it as an Instant Hotspot for your Mac.

4. You may now begin using the Internet on your Mac with your iPhone acting as an Instant Hotspot. On the Mac, the Instant Hotspot connection between both devices is represented by a special icon that shows a link over the traditional Wi-Fi symbol. On the iPhone, the connection is represented by a blinking blue bar that shows that a Personal Hotspot is active.

When a tethered Mac or iPad switches to a Wi-Fi connection or is no longer connected to an iPhone, Instant Hotspot automatically turns off. This feature is designed to save battery on the iPhone, because tethering can use a significant amount of battery life.

Troubleshooting

While we had few issues with Instant Hotspot, several members of our forum have had more inconsistent results. Several people have had to try logging out and back into iCloud on their devices, turning Wi-Fi off and then back on, or even rebooting their devices. These steps may help if you are having trouble turning using Instant Hotspot.

Olloclip Debuts New 4-in-1 Photo Lens for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus [iOS Blog]

Popular photography accessory maker Olloclip today unveiled an all new 4-in-1 photo lens designed for the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus. The 4-in-1 Photo Lens has been completely revamped for Apple’s iPhone 6 devices and has gained several new features.

For the first time, the Olloclip lens is designed to work with both the front and rear-facing cameras, letting users take both traditional photos and selfies with the four lenses. Like previous Olloclip accessories, the newest version includes fisheye, wide-angle, 10x and 15x macro lenses.

Both the fisheye and the wide-angle lenses provide a wider field of view for iPhone photos, while the two macro lenses are designed for ultra close-up photos.

A single 4-in-1 Photo Lens is able to fit both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and its new customizable pendant design allows it to be clipped to a backpack, lanyard, key ring, and more for easy access.

For enhanced portability, this new photo lens is now wearable through an included customizable pendant (package includes three colored pendants) and can be clipped to a backpack, lanyard, key ring or just about anything. Easily accessible, your olloclip is always ready when that incredible photographic moment arises.

Olloclip’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus lens will be available beginning in late November, but it can be preordered today from the company’s website for $79.99.