Apple Representative Appears at Senate Hearing on Distracted Driving [Mac Blog]

Apple’s director of Federal Government Affairs appeared at a daylong summit for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to discuss distracted driving. A number of other executives appeared at the session as well, including representatives from Google, Samsung, AT&T, Sprint, Toyota, General Motors, and more.

The summit, a multi-part roundtable discussion called “Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving”, will look at what manufacturers, OS makers, carriers, and car companies can do to decrease distracted driving.

On Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV will host a daylong summit titled, “Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving”. The meeting will explore how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. With the explosive growth of cellphones and smartphones, and the increasing levels of online connectivity available to people at all times, more drivers are tempted to stay connected in their cars.

In the final discussion, Senator Jay Rockefeller IV will issue “a public challenge” to all parties to “collaborate and build more robust technological solutions to distracted driving”.

The Committee has posted video of the discussion on its website.

Minimalistic Puzzle Game ‘Threes’ From Developer of ‘Puzzlejuice’ Now Available [iOS Blog]

Threes! is a simple puzzle game that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master. Made by Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer, developers that have been behind some popular apps like Puzzlejuice, Hundreds, and Ridiculous Fishing, Threes!‘ gameplay can be distilled down into a single easy-to-grasp concept: combine blocks in factors of three to create ever increasing numbers.

Gameplay consists of sliding numbered blocks onto one another to form higher numbers, but some important rules turn an easy concept into a challenging puzzle. Only like numbers can combine together, for instance, 3 and 3, to form a 6, which can then only combine with another 6. 1 and 2 are limited to combining with each other.

Each slide produces additional numbers on the board, and the idea is to continually clear numbers by combining them, because the game ends when the board is full. Our sister site TouchArcade has published a review of Threes!, essentially calling it simple, accessible, and well-designed.

Games of Threes! quickly escalate to an epic dance of block management, as much like the classic puzzlers we grew up on, you’re given a hint of what’s coming next in the form of a red “2″ block, a blue “1″ block, or a white numbered block. When you slide the blocks in a direction, whatever block is next slides in from the opposite direction, leaving you with a shocking amount of things to consider each time you place your thumb on the screen.

For each flawless movement, without some intense analysis, there’s also an equal chance that you’ll accidentally make an unintended combination and in turn wind up with a block you can’t immediately using junking up one side of the game board.

TouchArcade gives Threes! five stars and says that it is “about as close as it gets to a perfect mobile game.” The site has also posted a TA Plays video depicting the gameplay.

Threes! is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]

Apple Preparing for Massive Production of Devices with Sapphire Displays

GT Advanced, the company that has partnered with Apple to open a sapphire plant in Mesa Arizona, has purchased and received a total of 518 sapphire furnace and chamber systems with another 420 machines on order, according to analyst Matt Margolis (via 9to5Mac). The company has also purchased multiple “Sapphire Display Inspection Tools” from Intego.

The sheer amount of equipment purchased indicates that a massive sapphire production operation is being installed at the Arizona factory, and as rumors have hinted, the large amounts of sapphire being produced, along with the tools ordered, could hint at a future ultra-durable iPhone display.

Matt Margolis believes that with the current equipment the factory has, it could produce between 103 and 116 million displays per year, with an additional 84 to 94 million possible when taking into account the 420 furnaces on order. Apple could, in total, produce 100 to 200 million ~5-inch sapphire displays, enough for its entire line of devices. In 2013, Apple sold approximately 150 million iPhones.

In documentation, GT Advanced itself suggests the aforementioned Sapphire Inspection Tools are aimed at device displays.

Lowering manufacturing and fabrication costs of sapphire is a key driver for accelerating the adoption of its use in new market segments such as cover screens for smartphones and mobile devices. GT Advanced Technologies is working with key downstream technology providers to optimize fabrication processes and technologies to lower the cost of sapphire cover screen material.

GT is partnering with Intego GmbH to develop a series of automated sapphire inspection tools that will increase the yield of high quality sapphire material from each boule and ensure that only high quality material enters the value stream. The SIRIUS Slab automated sapphire inspection tool begins a new level of repeatability and performance throughput to the production of sapphire material intended for high volume markets such as mobile and touch screen devices.

In November, shortly after the partnership between GT Advanced and Apple was announced, it became clear that GT Advanced, with Apple’s help, was aiming to drastically increase its sapphire production.

A recent patent pointed to Apple’s interest in using sapphire as a display cover on future iPhones and shortly after, a report suggested Apple partner Foxconn had already began a small trial production of 100 devices with a sapphire display.

Those rumors, along with today’s report, indicate that Apple is almost certainly aiming to use sapphire as a major component in an upcoming product such as the next-generation iPhone or the company’s much-rumored iWatch. Currently, the company uses limited quantities of sapphire to protect the camera on recent iPhones and to cover the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5.

Sapphire, as the second hardest mineral after diamond, is incredibly durable and scratch resistant, as can be seen in the video below. An iPhone with a sapphire display would be almost impossible to scratch in day-to-day use.

Video courtesy of Pocketnow
Apple and GT Advanced are said to be aiming to take the Mesa, Arizona plant live by February in order to begin immediate production of a “critical new sub-component” for iOS devices.

Olympic Athletes May Use iPhones Without Restriction During Opening Ceremony Says IOC

The International Olympic Committee confirmed today that Olympic athletes are free to use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremonies, including iPhones. They are also not required to cover any logos on their devices.

Yesterday, it was reported that Samsung had asked athletes to cover the logos on devices made by competitors during the opening ceremonies as a condition for receiving a free Galaxy Note 3 smartphone in the gift bags given to all athletes.

In an email exchange with MacRumors today, an IOC spokesperson was asked about athletes being asked to cover non-Samsung logos on mobile devices. She responded saying the report was “not true”:

No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games.

The Samsung Note 3 that were distributed are a gift to the athletes, so they can capture and share their experiences at the Games, and the phones also contain important competition and logistical information for competing athletes.

Olympic athletes are controversially banned from mentioning any non-sponsor products during their time at the Olympics, including on social media and clothing. Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter, the rule covering the mention of non-sponsors, does have a specific exemption for sponsor logos on clothing or equipment that cover less than 10% of the surface area of the product in question.

It is possible that Samsung requested that logos be covered, but it is not an official IOC request and athletes will not be penalized for using or displaying non-Samsung phones.

iOS 7 Bug Allows Disabling of ‘Find My iPhone’ Without Password

A bug in the current version of iOS 7 appears to allow users to disable Find my iPhone on a device without typing in a password, which effectively hides it from being located on iCloud.com.

Deactivating Find My iPhone takes just a few simple steps and it can be easily repeated on devices running the current version of iOS (7.0.4). The exploit involves making a few simple changes to the iCloud account section of the Settings app.

Video via Bradley Williams
MacRumors has been able to successfully replicate this bug on an iPhone and an iPad running iOS 7.0.4, but could not get it to work on a device running iOS 7.1, so the flaw will likely be fixed with the upcoming update.

This is a potentially serious bug as Find My iPhone is a useful method of locating a lost device. While this exploit does disable Find My iPhone and allow for an iOS device to be erased, it does not remove Apple’s Activation Lock theft deterrent system. After being erased, the device will remain locked to the original account and continue to ask for that Apple ID and password during the setup process to resume functionality.

The bypass only works on a device that does not have Touch ID or a Passcode enabled, as the exploit requires access to the Settings menu. To avoid having Find My iPhone disabled, users should update their phones with a Passcode and install iOS 7.1 when Apple releases the software.

MacRumors has contacted Apple for comment on the exploit and we will update if we receive new information.

Apple Worked to Open Brazil Retail Store Ahead of World Cup [Mac Blog]

As noted this morning, Apple has plans to open its first retail store in Brazil on Saturday, February 15. The store is located in the Village Mall luxury shopping center in Rio de Janeiro’s famous Barra Da Tijuca borough.

Brazilian news site The Globe [Google Translation] had an opportunity to speak with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer about the store opening, which has been in the works for several years.

The Village Mall in Rio
According to Oppenheimer, Brazil is an increasingly important market for Apple. The company first launched an online store in the country in 2009 and is “very excited” to bring a physical store to Brazil.

Brazil has been a tough market for Apple as prices on iOS devices in the country have been prohibitively high. Apple cut the price of the iPhone 4 and 4s in Brazil back in early 2013, and just recently announced plans to continue selling the low-cost iPhone 4.

The new Apple Store in Rio de Janeiro takes on unique “pavilion” design with a single floor and a long, curved glass exterior, which Oppenheimer says is one of the few stores to have the design worldwide. The concept is based on two spaces, with the front dedicated to product testing and the back focusing on sales of accessories and services.

Apple recently opened a similar store in Palo Alto at the Stanford Mall. The one-story location features a glass enclosed front room filled with iPads, iPhones, and MacBooks for people to test out along with a spacious back room for accessory sales, Workshops, and Genius Bar appointments.

In the interview, Oppenheimer also confirmed Apple was indeed aiming to open the first Brazilian Apple Store ahead of the FIFA World Cup, which will take place in Rio this summer, and ahead of the 2016 Olympics.

The first Brazilian Apple Store will open on Thursday, February 15, and Oppenheimer says there are already plans for additional retail stores in Brazil, where Apple sees “great opportunities.” “We are already planning the opening of new stores in the country, continuing our investments in Brazil,” he said.

Initial Phase of Apple’s Expanded Austin Operations Center Ready for Occupancy [Mac Blog]

The first two buildings in Apple’s new Austin, Texas campus are ready for occupancy, with the company having been issued temporary occupancy permits for two office buildings that span 290,000 square feet, according to a report in the Austin Business Journal. Photos published last year showed the buildings under construction along with a landscaped pond, fences and sidewalks, while new photos accompanying today’s report show the initial phase of the campus appearing essentially complete.

The Cupertino, Calif.-based technology company has been issued temporary certificates of occupancy for two buildings totaling 290,000 square feet. Another four buildings are in early stages of permitting review, totaling 513,000 square feet. Two parking garages are in the city’s planning review process and two other buildings are planned, according to city officials.

Apple’s two new buildings on Austin campus (Nick Simonite/Austin Business Journal)
The plans for the expanded campus were announced in March 2012 and include two major phases of development with an expected completion date of 2021. Apple agreed to invest $56.5 million to build the new facility in the first phase of the project, while the second phase includes a $226 million expansion. Apple is expected to finish the entire first phase of construction before December 31, 2015.

Apple committed to spend approximately $304 million on the project and will hire 3,600 employees for the 38-acre operations center when completed. The city of Austin and Texas’s Enterprise Fund have agreed to contribute $30 million in incentives to the project. Apple, thus far, has invested $27.1 million in the design and construction of these first two buildings, which are adjacent to Apple’s original operations campus in the city.

Apple Fuels iWatch Rumors by Seeking Exercise Physiologist to Lead Fitness Tests

Apple is looking to hire an Exercise Physiologist to oversee cardiovascular fitness and energy expenditure tests at its main headquarters campus. The new position was posted to the company’s job board today (via 9to5Mac).

Design and run user studies related to cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure, including calories burned, metabolic rate, aerobic fitness level measurement/tracking and other key physiological measurements.

Candidate will be knowledgeable about the physiological effects being measured and how to avoid potential inaccuracy and experimental error due DOE flaws and/or reference monitor (i.e. metabolic cart, etc.) usage issues.

The role will need to apply relevant knowledge to the design of products and their testing/validation through user studies.

The requirements of this position suggest the employee will be working on Apple’s rumored fitness-focused wearable. The company has been making a strong push into the medical and fitness field with recent hires like sleep expert Roy J.E.M Raymann from Philips Research and Michael O’Reilly, M.D., former Chief Medical Officer of pulse oximetry company Masimo.

This elite team of medical researchers is presumably designing Apple’s iWatch along with fashion experts like Former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, who was hired last year to work under Tim Cook on a “special project”. Apple’s fitness band may connect to the iPhone via Healthbook, a fitness app expected to be released alongside iOS 8.