Alex Heath - page 14

Details surrounding Apple’s mobile payments platform have been surfacing more frequently leading up to its big media event tomorrow. Now it’s being reported that Apple will incentivize merchants and customers to use its service with a special rewards program.

Although it has been widely reported that the 5.5-inch iPhone won’t come out until months after the 4.7-inch model, both sizes are now expected to ship on the same day later this month.

What will Apple call its new iPhones tomorrow? The safe bet is “iPhone 6” for the 4.7-inch model, but what about the larger 5.5-inch version? iPhone Air? iPhone Pro iPhone 6L?

“iPhone 6 Plus” will be the name Apple goes with, according to a new report.

Pictures of what is allegedly a working iPhone 6 have surfaced on the Chinese social network Weibo. While tons of parts have leaked up to this point, this is the first time we’ve seen what appears to be the device powered on and running iOS 8.

The 4.7-inch device looks legit, although it’s authenticity cannot obviously be confirmed. On the screen, there’s a new Passbook icon. This hints towards the mobile payments platform Apple is expected to unveil at next week’s event.

It was only a matter of time before Apple spoke out more publicly about the controversy surrounding the compromised iCloud accounts of numerous celebrities.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Tim Cook revealed that Apple is adding new security measures to iCloud in the coming weeks. Users will be notified by email and a push notification for account activity, including whenever an iCloud backup is accessed. Two-step verification will also be strengthened to cover more aspects of iCloud.

Cook also said that Apple plans to raise more “awareness” about internet security.

Apple has updated its official retail app with a cleaner look for iPhone that matches the iPad version.

In fact, today’s update is mostly about tying the experience of the app together between devices. From now on, any shopping you do inside the Apple Store app will be wirelessly synced from device to device. So you can add items to your cart on the iPhone, add more on the iPad, and then complete the purchases on your Mac.

Some smaller design tweaks, new icon, and layout improvements have also been added.

When Apple pitched the iPhone 5 to the world, it was adamant that its 4-inch display was designed to still fit easily in one hand. And indeed it was, because the screen was only elongated. The width stayed the same.

It sounds like a small detail, but one-handed use is something Apple has always stressed in its design choices for the iPhone.

And that makes the prospect of a 5.5-inch Apple phablet puzzling. How will you be able to use such a big phone with one hand?

New details about the bigger of the two rumored iPhone 6 sizes have surfaced, and Apple has reportedly solved the problem with software.

Apple’s September 9th event is nearly here, and you know what that means: last-minute rumors galore.

The New York Times weighs in today with several new tidbits, including details about the iWatch. Not only will Apple’s wearable sport a curved sapphire glass display, but it will reportedly power up via wireless charging.

The five largest banks in the U.S. have reportedly struck a special deal with Apple for its upcoming mobile payment platform.

According to Bank Innovation, Apple has managed to negotiate a lower transaction fee with American Express, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Capital One, and Bank of America. How? By convincing them that Touch ID and location-aware NFC will make its mobile payments more secure.

Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has a big research report out today with his late-minute predictions for Apple’s September 9th media event.

It’s a doozy of a note, mainly because it lays out not only juicy iPhone 6 and iWatch details, but the revelation that Apple is expected to introduce the second-gen iPad Air at the event as well.

Kuo, who nailed most of the details surrounding the iPhone 5s/5c launch last year, is saying that both 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models will be announced. On top of that, both will have a 128GB storage option. He also makes some interesting predictions regarding Apple’s sapphire plans and iWatch specs.

In his latest column for The New York Times, Nick Bilton drops an interesting tidbit about Jony Ive and the iWatch.

The mythical wearable, which is expected to finally see the light of day at next week’s Apple event, is something Ive has been bragging about around Apple HQ. He thinks it will be so good that even Swiss watchmakers won’t know what hit them.

It’s been a hard few days for iCloud. Now the App Store is suffering a serious outage that’s keeping apps from downloading and updating.

Apple hasn’t announced the iPhone 6 yet, but that isn’t stopping the world’s largest carrier from opening up preorders.

In Beijing, China Mobile has begun accepting preorders for the unreleased smartphone in both 4.7 and 5.5-inch sizes.

Like a favorite ’90s song, Cultured Code’s Things is a to-do app that many remember fondly, even though they can’t deny its outdatedness.

Once an app worthy of an Apple Design Award, Things has languished in its pre-iOS 7 state for far too long. The good news is that development of Things isn’t dead, as Cultured Code has shown with a preview of its awesome iOS 8 extension.

Today Apple released the seventh update to its developer build of OS X Yosemite. With the public release of Yosemite expected to arrive around October, Apple is polishing some of the finer details to get the OS ready for prime time.

Like always, we’ve collected today’s changes in Yosemite.

Apple flat-out denies that an iCloud security breach led to the trove of celebrity nudes that leaked over Labor Day weekend. “None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud or Find my iPhone,” said the company in a statement.

Private photos of stars like Jennifer Lawrence were posted on the internet over the weekend, and initial reports pinned the hack on a flaw in iCloud’s login security.

Apple is “actively investigating” if and how iCloud is to blame for the hacking of numerous celebrity accounts.  Dozens of nude and scandalous photos were posted on the internet over the weekend featuring famous actresses like Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst.

Though still unconfirmed at this point, many have speculated that the hack was a result of a flaw in iCloud’s security.

Apple’s 2014 iTunes Festival begins today with performances every day through the month of September. Like previous years, each performance will be streamed in HD for free through iTunes and the festival’s dedicated Apple TV channel.

To kick things off, electronic artist Deadmau5 is headlining tonight at The Roundhouse in London. Apple has revealed that Spanish singer and conductor Placido Domingo will close the festival on September 30th.

A slew of reports and leaked pictures have suggested that Apple could ship a new Lightning cable with reversible USB connector in the iPhone 6’s packaging. That’s not happening, according to venerable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo, who is rarely off the mark with his Apple predictions, has said that a new charging cable won’t debut this month due to “cost concerns” and “limited improvements to overall user experience.”

We’re fairly confident that Apple will show off the iPhone 6 at its September 9th media event next week, but when will the new hardware actually go on sale?

Signs are pointing to Friday, September 19th for the date that preorders begin—at least in the Netherlands. The Chinese media and Deutsche Telekom support representatives have already mentioned the 19th as new iPhone day too.

If you love learning about the technical intricacies of your favorite gadgets, chances are you’ve heard of the website AnandTech.

The founder of the 17-year-old site, Anand Lal Shimpi, has been a highly regarded tech reviewer for years. Over the weekend, he announced his retirement from the world of journalism with no explanation.

Now it has been revealed why he quit: to work for Apple.

Apple will show off the iPhone 6 to the world in less than two weeks, and like always, an executive in an untucked dress shirt will explain why it’s the best iPhone ever.

If you pride yourself on knowing Apple history, then we’ve come across a cool summary of each iPhone launch to date. The six-minute video hits the highlights from each iPhone event since 2007.

One of the great mysteries of the App Store is why certain apps get rejected and why others don’t. Apple has let a surprising number of ripoffs and clones through the store’s iron gates, yet some developers face rejection for seemingly innocent apps.

“Before you develop your app, it’s important to become familiar with the technical, content, and design criteria that we use to review all apps,” explains Apple on a new webpage called “Common App Rejections.”

To get a true appreciation for how massive Apple’s new UFO-shaped campus will be, a drone equipped with a GoPro was flown over the construction site.

We’ve seen some aerial pictures of the site beginning to take shape as work begins on Campus 2, but this is by far the coolest look yet.

After years of reports saying that NFC is coming to the iPhone for mobile payments, it looks like it will finally be a reality on September 9th.

Part leaks have indicated that Apple’s next-gen iPhone hardware will indeed be equipped with NFC to make transactions for physical goods at brick and mortar stores. Now Apple has struck a partnership with American Express, Visa and MasterCard to support mobile payments in the iPhone 6, according to new reports.