Apple Inviting ‘Top Fashion Editors and Bloggers’ to September 9 Media Event
Apple has extended invites for its upcoming September 9 media event to “top fashion editors and bloggers”, reports Reuters. The news comes as the company is expected to unveil its first wearable device at the event, which has been frequently referred to as the iWatch.
Apple is forging closer ties to the fashion world as it plots its foray into the fertile field of wearable technology, trying to win over a critical crowd that may prove crucial to the success of consumer gadgets worn around the body.
Previous reports have suggested that the iWatch will be a “fashionable device“, coming in a number of different materials and having a variety of band and face options. Other rumors have suggested that the device may also come in a number of screen sizes , and feature a curved, flexible display along with biometric sensors to track health-related metrics.
The report also states that Apple held a private, “first-of-its-kind event” last month at an Apple Store in New York to show a variety of fashion and retail apps to a group of style editors. Multiple fashion editors also told Reuters that the company has held other separate events in New York City for members of the fashion industry to review new products and meet the team behind them.
Apple has also hired a number of fashion industry experts in the past year, which include former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve who works on “special projects” and directly reports to CEO Tim Cook. Last October, the company also hired former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, who is currently Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores.
While the iWatch is expected to be announced at the company’s media event next week, reports have suggested that the device will not begin shipping until early next year.
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Working next-gen iPhone reportedly spotted with payment support built-in
We’ve seen way, way too many leaks of the next iPhone’s design, but none of them have showing a truly functional device — until today, apparently. With the help of cnBeta, Chinese leaker zzray has posted photos and video that reportedly show off a fully functional 4.7-inch iPhone. On the surface, it’s exactly what you’d expect: it’s the iPhone 5s on a grander scale, with more real estate for icons and other content.
Look closely, however, and you’ll see hints of something more under the hood. Notice that new Passbook icon? A new stripe in the icon shows a credit card, supporting claims that the new iPhone will include a mobile payment system (and thus NFC). It’s hard to say for sure that this is exactly what you’ll see when Tim Cook and crew take to the stage on September 9th — this could still be pre-production hardware or an extraordinarily clever knockoff — but it at least seems to represent the real deal.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Via: MacRumors
Source: cnBeta (translated), zzray (Weibo, translated)
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Apparent Working 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Reveals Home Screen Layout, Passbook Icon With Payments
Chinese site cnBeta highlights a series of photos posted by Weibo user zzray showing what is claimed to be an official, functional, and activated iPhone 6. While the authenticity of the device can not be confirmed, it does have some interesting characteristics worth noting.
iPhone 5s (left) and claimed iPhone 6 (right)
(Click for full size)
First, the overall design looks very polished and in line with previous iPhone 6 leaks. The tapered edges of the front glass can be clearly seen, and the round dual-LED True Tone generally missing in clones is present. The body also shows a recessed cavity for the volume buttons, as has been seen recently on a shell believed to be legitimate but also generally missing from clones.
Claimed iPhone 6 (left) and iPhone 5s (right)
(Click for full size)
Photos of the home screen reveal a different icon for Passbook, adding a fourth horizontal stripe to the current stripes showing an airplane, a movie camera, and a coffee cup. This new red stripe appears to include an image of a credit card, likely indicating support for mobile payments through Passbook.
Claimed iPhone 6 (left) and iPhone 5s (right)
The home screen layout includes the possibility of a sixth row of icons (in addition to the dock at the bottom), one more than on 4-inch iPhones. The horizontal layout remains at four icons, with simply a bit more separation between the icons.
App Store (left) and Settings “About” screen (right) on claimed iPhone 6
(Click for full size)
The user has also posted a brief video showing the device being unlocked with Touch ID. Photos also show the App Store, as well as the About screen in the Settings app showing a 64 GB model running iOS 8.0 build 12A365, being accessed on the device.
While there is certainly a chance the device could be a fake or clone, there appear to be no immediate indications from the photos
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Apple Again Dominating Shipping Capacity Out of China Ahead of iPhone 6 Launch
As Apple prepares to unveil the iPhone 6 and its much-rumored iWatch at its September 9 event, TechCrunch reports that the Cupertino company has once again booked a high amount of shipping space out of China. The company’s shipping volume is reportedly so high that it’s begun displacing competitors attempts at shipping during the fall.
Apple shipments via major concerns like FedEx and UPS are said to be ‘unprecedented’ for the holiday quarter, pointing to a massive number of iPhones and whatever other devices Apple announces for the fall season. The company is apparently flooding its channels with devices, causing shipments for other ‘top tier’ device makers to be delayed to make way for Apple products.
Competing manufacturers have apparently been told by shipping companies that they cannot fulfill their deadlines because they were being booked by a “very important customer”, which is likely to be Apple.
Last year, a report indicated that Apple begins moving new iPhones from Foxconn and Pegatron factories to distribution centers around the world through shipping companies with extra security detail. Once they’re in distribution centers, Apple begins managing the flow of the devices to the people who want them based on device color and size.
Similarly, MacRumors reported in 2012 that Apple had been moving buying up shipping space in high volume in advance of the launch of the iPad 3, also moving them to distribution centers around the world before its official launch.
Ahead of Apple’s September 9 event, it’s highly likely iPhone 6 models are stealthily being moved across the world, ready for deployment as soon as orders begin.
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Walgreens, CVS Expected to Partner With Apple for Mobile Payments Service
Popular drugstores Walgreens and CVS are expected to partner with Apple on its upcoming mobile payments initiative, accepting purchases made with the company’s new iPhone payment system, reports Re/code.
CVS and Walgreens are expected to accept purchases made with the new iPhone payment system, details of which Apple plans to announce Tuesday, according to a person briefed on the plans. With more than 15,000 locations combined, acceptance by the two chains will give Apple a huge footprint if all of their stores are involved.
Earlier this week, Apple was rumored to be partnering with retailer Nordstrom, leading to fears that its upcoming payments service would be limited to higher-end retailers, but it appears that Apple will also be aiming to sign deals with stores people visit regularly. As noted by Re/code, getting stores that people frequent on board could lead to quick acceptance of the new mobile payment service.
EasyPay mobile payments concept by Ricardo Del Toro
Re/code‘s report also divulges some information on how the system might work, allowing shoppers to “wave or tap” their iPhones at checkout terminals. The service is said to work over NFC, transmitting payment information from the phone when the device is near the store’s checkout area. NFC may, however, be supplemented by other wireless technologies, and Touch ID is expected to be integrated into the system for added security.
Sources caution that Apple’s payment system may in some cases employ additional wireless technologies either in conjunction with, or in place of, NFC. The new payment method will also likely include the use of fingerprint identification already available on the latest iPhones as an added security measure.
In addition to inking deals with various retailers to support the system, Apple has also established deals with major credit card companies Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as credit card issuers.
Apple is expected to unveil its mobile payments service on Tuesday, along with the iPhone 6 and its much-anticipated wearable device. Both the iWatch and the iPhone 6 are said to play an important role in the new mobile payment service, as the two devices are rumored to include support for NFC.
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Apple hires famed industrial designer Marc Newson to work with Jony Ive
Marc Newson is well known for putting his design touch on everything from bikes to cars to cameras to — of course — watches, and now he’s joining Apple to work with his good friend Jony Ive. Vanity Fair reported he will be joining Ive’s design team, but still work from the UK and also take on projects outside of his work with Apple. Newson has worked with Apple before, and collaborated with Ive on a one-off aluminum desk for Bono’s (RED) auction last year that sold for $1.68 million. Check out his portfolio here — while he probably can’t help Apple work out improvements to cloud security and two-factor authentication this seems like the right person to design a smartwatch (or whatever it is we’ll see on Tuesday) that people actually want to wear.
[Image credit: Theo Wargo via Getty Images]
Source: Vanity Fair
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Buyer’s Guide: Deals on the 2013/2014 Retina MacBook Pro, 2013 MacBook Air, and More [Mac Blog]
This week’s Buyer’s Guide has deals on the 2013/2014 Retina MacBook Pro, the 2013/2014 MacBook Air, the Mac Pro, and several Apple accessories.
The deals on Macs aren’t as significant as they have been in past weeks, but Apple’s back to school program is still ongoing until September 9, offering EDU customers a gift card with the purchase of a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. Best Buy is also continuing to offer EDU customers $100 off all MacBooks and the iMac.
Retina MacBook Pro
There are a few deals 2014 Retina MacBook Pro this week, including the 13-inch 2.6Ghz/8GB/256GB model, which available for $1,379 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The high-end 2.5Ghz/16GB/512GB 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro is on sale for $2,374.99 from Best Buy, B&H Photo, and MacMall.
There are also some deals on remaining 2013 Retina MacBook Pros. The 2.6Ghz/8GB/512GB 13-inch model is available for $1,299 from Adorama and B&H Photo. The 2.0Ghz/8GB/256GB 15-inch model is available for $1,599 from Adorama and B&H Photo.
The non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro is also on sale for $999 from Best Buy, Adorama, and B&H Photo.
MacBook Air
B&H Photo is continuing to offer rock bottom prices on remaining inventory of the 2013 MacBook Air. The 1.3Ghz/4GB/128GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $779, while the 1.3Ghz/4GB/256GB 11-inch MacBook Air is available for $889 and the 1.3Ghz/4GB/256GB 13-inch MacBook Air is available for $949.
Mac Pro
Stock configurations of Apple’s Mac Pro desktop computer are available at slightly discounted prices from several retailers this week. The 6-core 3.5Ghz/16GB/256GB machine can be purchased for $3,739.99 from Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo, while the 4-core 3.7Ghz/12GB/256GB machine for $2,839.99 from Best Buy, Amazon, and B&H Photo.
B&H and Adorama, as always, are a good choice for buyers who live outside of New York and New Jersey, as the sites only charge sales tax in those states.
Apple Accessories
TextExpander 4 for Mac is available for $16.99 from StackSocial, a discount of $18 off of the regular $34.99 price. The Beats by Dre urBeats Earphones are available from Groupon for $74.99, down from $99.
The Griffin Survivor Case for the iPad mini or iPad Air is available from Groupon for $24.99 to $27.99, offering savings of 65 percent. Groupon is also offering the Belkin Stylus + pen for $9.99, a discount of $25 off the regular price. Finally, the MetaWatch Strata Smartwatch is available for $39.99 at Best Buy through DealMac, a savings of $40.
MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors.
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Industrial Designer Marc Newson to Join Apple Under Jony Ive
Designer Marc Newson is joining Apple, under the leadership of design head Jony Ive, reports Vanity Fair. Newson is a well-known industrial designer who has created a range of items for luxury retailers, and his work has even been shown off at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Newson has created everything from furniture to eye glasses, and his has been described by Vanity Fair as having a “love of color and of sensual curves,” with his work taking on a “futuristic, vaguely Jetson-like flair.”
Mark Newson with Bono and Jonathan Ive
Newson is a longtime friend of Jony Ive. Last year, Ive and Newson teamed up to create a range of products for an auction to benefit Product (RED), including an aluminum desk, a Leica camera, and a set of solid gold EarPods, among other items.
“Marc is without question one of the most influential designers of this generation,” Ive said in a statement provided to VF Daily. “He is extraordinarily talented. We are particularly excited to formalize our collaboration as we enjoy working together so much and have found our partnership so effective.”
According to the report, Newson will continue to be based in the United Kingdom, but will make frequent trips to the company’s Cupertino headquarters. Newson is also said to have collaborated on some designs for Apple earlier this year, before joining the company.
While Newson will work under Jony Ive, it is unclear which specific projects he will take on. When asked if he would work on the iWatch, Apple declined to comment.
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What to expect when you’re expecting an iPhone 6 (or iWatch)
Look, going off the sheer number of leaks we’ve seen the past few months, there’s no way you didn’t know Apple was planning to unveil a horde of new gadgets next week. Hell, the folks in Cupertino are even counting down to the event (and the livestream that goes with it) on Apple.com. If all those rumors and reports hold true, two iPhones and two wearables will take the stage next week, so let’s take a moment and dissect what we know (and what we think we know) about Apple’s newest batch of gear.
Two new iPhones in 2014
In a concession to how people’s smartphone tastes have shifted, Apple’s been working on not one, but two iPhones: a 4.7-inch version and an awfully phablet-esque 5.5-inch model for those who think iOS 8 really needs some room to breathe. Debates have raged over whether Apple will cover those displays in ultra-durable sapphire crystal (no more battered screens!), but KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the company won’t take the plunge — instead saying they’ll offer 128GB versions of the new iPhone instead. Naturally, our fingers are crossed for both. The New York Times also points out that iOS 8 will include a one-hand mode for folks who can’t quite wrap their mitts around these bigger phones.
Look beyond those screens and you’ll notice a completely different body — the last time Apple revamped the iPhone’s look this dramatically, we got the angular iPhone 4. Time almost seems to be running in reverse, as leaked component photos and videos point to a thinner, rounder unibody aluminum affair that’s actually very evocative of the original iPhone. One of the possible side effects of that slimdown is a sleep/wake button that now lives on the phone’s right edge and a camera pod that juts out slightly. Speaking of, we’re not quite sure how robust those shooters are (most guesses are either eight or 13 megapixels), but yet another component leak may confirm that the 5.5-inch iPhone has optical image stabilization. Many of the most compelling images of the new iPhones (or what we think are the new iPhones) have come from longtime leaker Sonny Dickson and a high-end Russian accessory maker called Feld & Volk. Meanwhile, some new Russian leakers have apparently slapped some Apple bits and bobs together to give us what may be the closest thing to the official iPhone 6 we’ve seen so far.
So yes, dramatic redesign. Fine — how about what’s inside? There isn’t much known about the iPhone’s new 64-bit A8 processor, but a little sleuthing by MacRumors suggests that it might come paired with 1GB of RAM (just like the 5s before it). Yet more poking around with components revealed that 16GB of storage is still the baseline (well, for the 4.7-inch model, anyway). Oh, and both the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have said the new iPhones will come with NFC chips that are meant to work with a new payments system Apple has been slaving away on. That’s, well, huge. Thanks to iTunes, Apple is sitting on top of a seriously silly amount of people’s payment information — turning your iPhone into your wallet (CNET lays out a few interesting possibilities) might wind up being one of the most lucrative things Apple could do.
So, when can you get these things? The ceaseless whispers from the rumor mill says they should officially launch a few weeks after the event, and many expect the 4.7-inch version to start at the usual $199 with a contract. That means — you guessed it — the bigger version would probably start at around $299 on-contract and the 5s would assuredly slide down the price scale to $99.
The iWatch cometh
Prognosticators have been calling for an Apple smartwatch since smartwatches became a thing, and it looks like they’re finally getting their wish. Apple’s expected to pull back the curtain on its first wearable next week too — we just hope it isn’t actually called the iWatch. What do we actually know about the thing? Not a ton, but still more than you might think.
For a company and gadget types that are so prone to causing leak-y hysteria, it’s sort of a shock that we still don’t know what the thing’ll look like (all of the images in this story are renders, natch). The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal just published two of the most detailed peeks at Apple’s wearable we’ve seen yet, and they point to the existence of two differently sized watches with curved (and maybe even flexible) OLED screens coated in sapphire glass. Last time that “two model” rumor made the rounds, Business Insider guessed that Apple was working on distinct versions for men and women, but it’s also possible we’re just looking at two different form factors à la the traditional Samsung Gear and the bracelet-y Gear Fit. Either way, we’ve already seen style play a big part in people’s smartwatch preferences. Remember Google I/O? Attendees were given both Samsung’s and LG’s Android Wear watches, but an audible groan ran through the crowd when they realized they wouldn’t get the utterly handsome Moto 360.
Thankfully, we’ve got a slightly better sense of what the watch will actually do. You can bet Apple’s watch will deliver email, message and app notifications to your wrist, and the Times adds you’ll be able to view maps on it as well. We know that Siri is getting smarter (behind closed doors, anyway), and she may play a role in how apps are displayed on devices with limited screen sizes. Sound familiar? Then there’s the wellness angle. Apple’s making a big mobile health push in the form of HealthKit for iOS 8, and its watch would be the perfect tool to collect some of that data on the fly. All told, the Journal says there will be more than 10 sensors nestled in the watch to help keep tabs on your body — expect mundane components like accelerometers mixed in with more exotic fare. Sweat sensors, anyone? (Fine, maybe not). As it turns out, the watch could tie into the new payments platform Apple has been tinkering with thanks to a built-in NFC chip, so it’s possible you’ll be able to pay for your morning coffee with a tap of your wrist soon enough. Oh, and when it comes time to give the thing some juice? Apple is notorious for being all about appearances, which lends credence to the reports that they’ve eschewed icky cables in favor of a wireless charging system.
For all the uncertainty surrounding the wearable, one thing seems clear — Apple’s probably going to sell a stupid number of them. Better start scrimping now: A report from Re/code (which accurately pinpointed the event’s date in advance) suggests that Apple’s wearable won’t actually start shipping until early next year, and Apple brass has at least talked about selling it for $400.
Filed under: Mobile
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Apple Employees ‘Set Low Expectations’ For iWatch Battery Life
Ahead of the expected debut of Apple’s wearable at Tuesday’s media event, Jessica Lessin of The Information (via Business Insider) has shared some hints on what the device’s battery life might be like. According to her report, employees familiar with the device have “set low expectations” for its battery life.
Lessin did not give details on how long the iWatch’s battery might last, but past rumors have suggested that battery life was one of the main areas Apple was struggling with during the device’s development.
2.5-inch iWatch concept from SET Solution with curved, rectangular display
In the build-up to the new Apple Watch, it is easy to get seduced by the rumored features. Curved screen! Wireless charging! Jony Ive thinks it’s slick!
But–and I hate to burst everyone’s bubble here–the appeal of the world’s most highly anticipated wearable computer is going to come down to something a lot more mundane: battery life.
News of battery life issues first surfaced in March of 2013, suggesting iWatch prototypes had been seeing poor battery life, in the range of a day or two. At the time, Apple was said to be aiming for four to five days before charging, but it’s unknown if the company managed to hit that goal.
In light of battery issues, Apple explored several different charging technologies for the device, including solar charging, motion charging, and wireless charging. Solar charging was a bust, but according to rumors, the final device will ship with wireless charging capabilities, which could help to reduce the burden of frequent charges.
With just four days to go until Apple’s wearable device is unveiled, rumors have been picking up. Recent information for the iWatch points towards two display sizes, a curved OLED display, a range of band options, a multitude of high-quality sensors, and NFC support, in addition to the aforementioned wireless charging.
Though we expect to see the iWatch at Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6 event, many reputable sources have suggested the device won’t ship to consumers until early 2015.
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AIVAnet 