Apple Adds Several New CarPlay Partners, Including Fiat Chrysler Brands and Mazda

Apple today expanded its list of automobile manufacturer partners that plan to support CarPlay in future models, adding a number of brands from the Fiat Chrysler group: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Ram. Also officially joining the list of CarPlay partners today is Mazda (via Wired). These additions follow a recent announcement by Audi, which plans to integrate Apple’s CarPlay system into its vehicles beginning in 2015.

These new partners join existing CarPlay partners Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, and Honda, which are introducing CarPlay compatible vehicles before the end of the year, and a number of other brands promising future support. Besides new cars, Alpine and Pioneer also are adding CarPlay support to their aftermarket consoles, allowing owners of existing automobiles to adopt Apple’s in-dash car technology.

CarPlay uses an automobile’s built-in dashboard display to provide hand-free operation of your iPhone. Drivers will be able to take advantage of the Siri-powered technology to make calls, receive messages, get directions and listen to music while keeping their eyes on the road.

Apple’s new CarPlay partners include Chrysler, Mazda and more

Apple and Google are preparing to duke it out in the automotive arena, and the former just nabbed a few more partners to add to its arsenal of allied car makers. The folks in Cupertino quietly updated the CarPlay section of the site to include a handful of new names, including Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat (including those flashy, track-friendly Abarth models), Jeep and Mazda. That brings the full number of CarPlay partners to 31… though that count includes sub-brands like Dodge’s RAM line of pickups and aftermarket players like Alpine and Pioneer. Of course, it’s not like these car manufacturers are playing favorites or anything: a majority of them are also members of the Open Automotive Alliance, an organization that’s focused on bringing Android Auto into cars as soon as this year. Long story short, you won’t just have to worry about financing and trim levels next time you buy a car — chances are good your smartphone will factor in the decision too.

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Via: The Loop

Source: Apple

Apple Looks to Boost AppleCare+ Membership With New 60-Day Purchase Window

Apple today revised its AppleCare+ support service, lengthening the time new iPhone and iPad owners have to purchase the protection plan from the previous 30-day window to an extended 60-days. The new 60-day AppleCare+ option is available both in store and online in all AppleCare+ regions, with the exception of Japan which still offers the original 30-day window, reports 9to5Mac.

AppleCare+ is a premium warranty service for iPhone and iPad owners, providing warranty support and accidental damage coverage for two years from the date of device purchase. The plan costs $99 and includes two accidental damage replacements that cost $49 per incident for the iPad and $79 for the iPhone.

Apple also is discontinuing the previous AppleCare option that extends warranty service for the iPad and iPhone, but does not provide accidental damage coverage. Going forward, Apple will only offer the standard 90-days of free support that is included with every iPhone or iPad purchase as well as the option to upgrade to two-years of AppleCare+ for $99. This change goes into effect today in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Apple hopes these changes as well other other future improvements will boost the adoption rate of AppleCare+. To compete with carrier and insurance options, Apple may improve its insurance plans for the iPhone as well as expand AppleCare+ internationally beyond its current coverage regions. The international service now has approximately 30 million subscribers and has brought in more than $2b in revenue since its introduction three years ago.

Rumored iPhone 6 Parts Show Volume and Power Buttons on Separate Cables

While we’ve seen plenty of mockups and more recently a few claimed legitimate exterior parts such as rear shells and front panels from the iPhone 6, little in the way of internal parts as surfaced so far. But three new photos surfacing today (via Apple.club.tw) show what are claimed to be a pair of flex cable parts from the iPhone 6.

The photos are of fairly poor quality and it is not specified whether the parts are from the 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch model, but the parts do closely resemble legitimate parts from other devices and an Apple logo and Apple-style part number are present on one of them.

iPhone 6 volume/mute flex cable
Unlike on the iPhone 5s, where a single part houses both the left side volume buttons/mute switch and the top power button, these iPhone 6 parts show the two areas on separate flex cables. This change would seem to be consistent with the larger size of the iPhone 6 and the reported shift in the location of the power button from the top edge to the right edge.

iPhone 6 volume/mute flex cable
One cable, which is shown from the front and back in two of the photos, appears to simply contain the volume buttons and mute switch. There appears to be greater separation between the volume buttons and mute switch than on corresponding parts from previous iPhones, but it is unclear just how much extra distance there might be in the finished product given the flexibility of these cables. Mockups and drawings have shown elongated volume buttons and perhaps a little extra distance separating the mute switch, but the difference does not appear as significant as suggested by the flex cable part.

Separate iPhone 6 flex cable with what appears to be power button
The second flex cable shown in the photos is less clear in terms of function, but appears to include the power button, although Kyle Wiens of iFixit points out that it looks somewhat larger than on previous models.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 around September of this year, with a larger display being the key feature for the device. Other likely improvements include a new A8 chip, camera enhancements, and perhaps a more durable Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple Rolls Out New 16 GB iPod Touch Internationally

Apple last week refreshed its iPod touch lineup with a new 16GB model that offers a camera and color options to replace the stripped-down model it introduced last year. After debuting in the US, the new iPod touch today became available internationally, landing in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries worldwide.

As revealed by iFixit, the new 16GB iPod touch is a lower capacity model of Apple’s existing fifth generation iPod touch lineup that was introduced in 2012. The model features a 4-inch display, Apple’s A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and color choices that include yellow, blue, pink and more. The new 16GB version lowers the entry-level price point to $199, down from $229 for the now-discontinued silver-only model.

Apple traditionally refreshed its iPod lineup during its annual September press event, which often focused on iTunes and music. Apple de-emphasized music in 2013, opting to unveil the iPhone 5s. The Cupertino company is expected to continue this trend in 2014 with the possible unveiling of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The future of the iPod line remains unclear as sales of the units continue to slide quarterly.

Samsung and GlobalFoundries to Produce Apple’s 14-nm A9 Chips in 2015

Samsung and GlobalFoundries have landed orders from Apple to produce the 14-nanometer A9 processor starting next year, reports DigiTimes. The 14nm chips will be rolled out of GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8 factory in Malta, New York, which Samsung will also use to produce Apple’s A-series chips.

According to Samsung and Globalfoundries’ roadmap, the two foundries plan to push their initial 14nm LPE (low power early) process, which was verified in February, into risk production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and small volume production in early 2015, the sources indicated.

The report also notes that longtime Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will attempt to secure orders for Apple’s A9 chip by introducing new semiconductor processes by early next year. Apple is also reportedly considering Intel as a partner to produce the A9, according to the sources.

Last year, it was reported that Samsung and TSMC would be sharing production of Apple’s A9 chip in 2015, with the former producing 30% to 40% of the total order. Samsung and GlobalFoundries have aided each other throughout the past year, with Samsung helping set up the Fab 8 factory last year and GlobalFoundries providing the backup location when needed. Samsung and GlobalFoundries announced in April that they would be adopting the same chip production process to prepare for next-generation mobile devices.

Apple’s 14-nanometer A9 processors are expected to be used in the company’s 2015 iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, this year’s forthcoming iPhone 6, iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 are expected to use Apple’s 20-nanometer A8 processor, which is being produced by TSMC. Samsung was said to be splitting the production load for the A8 with TSMC, however the company is said to have dropped out due to low yields.

Apple Launches 2014 ‘Back to School’ Promotion with Apple Store Gift Cards Up to $100

As indicated yesterday, Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion offering qualified educational purchasers an Apple Store gift card of up to $100 with the purchase of a new Mac or a $50 gift card with the purchase of a iPad or iPhone. This year marks the first time that Apple is giving out store gifts cards with purchases, as the company has usually offered iTunes Store/App Store/iBookstore gift cards in years past.

Get a $100 Apple Store Gift Card when you buy a Mac for college. Or a $50 gift card when you buy an iPad or iPhone.* You’ll also save on a Mac or iPad with education pricing.

Eligible devices include all Macs except the Mac mini, all iPads (fourth-generation, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display, iPad mini), and all iPhones (5s, 5c, and 4s). The full eligibility requirements for the program can be found in Apple’s terms and conditions (PDF).

New Apple Store graphics (Image Credit: IFOAppleStore)
Apple has also updated its in-store graphics at its various locations, with IFOAppleStore noting that the photography style of the newer images used are richer and darker than the previous ones. The new graphics are also said to be based on the recent “Your Verse” iPad ads which featured music composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and travel blogger Chérie King.

Apple’s Back to School promotion runs from today through September 6 and is available in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Apple Building its Own Speech Recognition Team to Power Siri

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Nuance, which is responsible for the technology behind Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, was in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition. Now, a new report from Wired states that Apple is forming its own in-house speech recognition team to power the next-generation of Siri.

“Apple is not hiring only in the managerial level, but hiring also people on the team-leading level and the researcher level,” says Abdel-rahman Mohamed, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, who was courted by Apple. “They’re building a very strong team for speech recognition research.”

Throughout the past few years, Apple has hired a number of high-level speech researchers in Nuance, including former vice president of research Larry Gillick. A number of those researchers are working at Apple’s office in Boston, which was also rumored last year to be working on an in-house Siri solution that moves away from Nuance’s technologies.

While the forthcoming version of Siri in iOS 8 still features the same technology provided by Nuance, it is possible that Apple could debut its own in-house voice recognition solution in a future version of iOS. Siri in iOS 8 will feature a number enhancements, including hands-free “Hey Siri” voice activation, music recognition by way of Shazam, streaming voice recognition, and more. Apple will launch iOS 8 this fall.

Apple’s In-House Advertisements Scoring Lower Than Its Outsourced Ads

Apple’s in-house advertisements are scoring lower than those created by TBWA\Media Arts Labs, a unit of Apple’s longtime ad partner TBWA\Chiat\Day, according to Ace Metrix ad-watching data compiled by Bloomberg.
Image via Bloomberg

So far, ads made by the in-house team have received a cooler reception from viewers on average than those made by the agency. Ace Metrix gathers data from hundreds of TV watchers to discern how persuasive and entertaining an ad is.

“Chicken Fat” is the Apple in-house team’s biggest ad success so far, scoring a 611 from Ace Metrix. However, the ad scored lower than two Media Arts ads, “From the Heart” and “Gigantic”, since late last year. “Gigantic” is Apple’s highest scoring ad since late last year. The highest ever score for an Apple ad was 696 for a 2010 FaceTime commercial.

The lowest scoring ads for Apple include its “Your Verse” campaign, showing off how people are using their iPads in various parts of the world doing different activities, like traveling the world, climbing mountains or directing a Bollywood dance number. None of those ads scored higher than a 600 in Ace Metrix’s scale.

Comparatively, Samsung and its agency have had better luck, netting a 739 score for a Samsung Galaxy S5 commercial showing the water-proof phone being used during a water fight. The ad is the second Galaxy ad to top the 700 mark for Ace Metrix.

Rob Siltanen, an advertising consultant who wrote the ad copy for “Here’s to the crazy ones” told Bloomberg that Apple’s struggles may be coming from trying to hard to represent themselves.

“The hardest ads I’ve ever worked on were ads for myself,” Siltanen says. “There’s a truism out there that applies: ‘The lawyer who represents himself in court has an idiot for a client.’ It’s very hard to have the necessary perspective to do the job right.”

Alternatively, Boston University ad professor Edward Boches says Apple could be struggling selling itself as a leading company and may be more comfortable playing off other companies, like Microsoft.

Apple has found it difficult to find its footing with advertising recently, expanding marketing efforts and creating its 1,000 person in-house ad team in recent months. While the Cupertino company has taken greater efforts to control its advertising, it is still collaborating with TBWA\Media Arts Labs.