For the past several months it’s been thought that Apple will unveil the next iPhone and rumored iPad mini in September. This past week it was suggested that Apple would instead hold two separate events for each product, with the first taking place on September 12th and the second in October.
Today a new report from the reliable AllThingsD “confirms” that Apple will indeed hold a separate iPad mini announcement in October following the release of the new iPhone.
Let’s be honest: you think you’re an Instagram aficionado. You know the rule of thirds. You know how to use tilt-shift to perfectly accentuate that leaf. Your shots of coffee shops balance lights and darks perfectly. You can capture the magic of a beautiful sunset unlike any other (X-pro II, am I right?).
To get to the next level of your Instagramming career, you need to start getting your photos out there for the world to see. If the popular page won’t give you love, consider slapping a Creative Commons license on your pics.
Microsoft recently redesigned its company logo for the first time in 25 years. The design is dead simple: four boxes in a square that pays homage to the original logo.
What would it look like if Microsoft redesigned Apple’s logo? The above concept comes from L8. Logos have also been made for brands like Starbucks, Firefox, Twitter, Pepsi, and Google.
I think it’s safe to say that Apple’s own logo wins.
Source: L8
Thanks: Andrew
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 launch event happened in New York City last night, and celebs like Sports Illustrated covergirl Kate Upton were in attendance. Given Samsung’s high-profile legal feud with Apple, it’s particularly unfortunate that a shot of the beautiful Upton depicts her sitting next to her white iPhone.
You’d think that Samsung would have the due diligence to at least give its paid guests appropriately-branded phones. Oh well, at least it gave us an excuse to post it on Cult of Mac.
For months rumors have been saying that Apple is getting ready to launch two major, new products this fall: the iPhone 5 and iPad mini. Both of these names are placeholders for what will be the sixth-generation iPhone and a 7-inch version of the current iPad. Everyone pretty much agrees that the new iPhone will be announced on September 12th, but opinions are split on the possibility of Apple also announcing the iPad mini during the same event. While it’s nearly 100% confirmed that a unibody iPhone 5 will be announced on the 12th and then ship on the 21st, specific dates have not surfaced for the elusive iPad mini—we haven’t even seen so much as an incriminating part leak.
While some think that Apple will announce both the new iPhone and iPad mini at its September event, it actually makes more sense for Apple to hold two separate media events this fall for each product. Here’s why.
It’s been relatively quiet on the Apple TV jailbreak front since the untethered jailbreak was released for iOS 5.0.1. The only thing we really know about the third-gen Apple TV jailbreak is that it won’t be released for awhile. An untethered jailbreak is being worked on for new Apple TV owners behind the scenes, but no ETA has been given.
A lot is still happening in the Apple TV jailbreak community, however. FireCore today announced a huge update to the popular aTV Flash (black) software. Version 2.0 will supercharge a jailbroken Apple TV with even more features and improvements. A short beta period for aTV Flash (black) 2.0 will be offered before the final release, and there’s a limited number of spots available for those interested.
Back in April, Facebook decided to acquire Instagram for a staggering $1 billion. After the acquisition was announced initially, The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) launched an antitrust investigation that barred the deal from going through. In essence, Instagram hasn’t actually been touched by Facebook yet.
Today the FTC approved Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram, but the deal is worth $747 million instead of the original $1 billion.
The 2012 U.S. presidential election is only months away. Leading up to election day, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will continue debating one another and fervently addressing the “issues’ in passionate speeches and ad spots.
Obama and Romney go head-to-head in a new iOS game developed by the makers of Infinity Blade, and well, you get the idea.
Good news for our readers up north: Spotify should be available in Canada very soon. An exact date hasn’t been announced by Spotify, however.
As part of the music streaming service’s expansion plans, certain countries in Asia and South America could possibly be added in the near future as well.
Today Google updated its Chrome browser in the iOS App Store with the ability to share webpages to Twitter, Google+, and Facebook. By updating now, Google has beaten Apple’s own Safari browser to the punch. Safari in iOS can share directly to Twitter, and Facebook integration is coming in the fall with iOS 6. Google+ integration is not offered, and given Apple and Google’s rocky relationship, don’t expect to see it ever.
September is going to be a big month for Apple fans, with more confirmation today revealing that an official media event is scheduled to take place Wednesday, September 12th. Apple is expected to announce the next iPhone at the event and then make the smartphone available the following Friday, September 21st.
While a new iPhone is on the cards, there seems to be slightly less assurance that we’ll see the rumored 7-inch iPad mini. There has also been some whispers that Apple will also announce an updated version of the current third-gen iPad in September, which seems even more far-fechted.
Details may be up for debate, but Apple is definitely up to something in the iPad space. A new report today reveals that Apple has instructed authorized resellers to triple display space for the iPad on the store floor. The alleged deadline for this new requirement? September 12th.
One of, if not the, staple app for jailbreakers is called biteSMS. Apple’s Messages app is nice, but biteSMS takes it to a whole other level. If you have a jailbroken iPhone, there’s no reason you shouldn’t get biteSMS. A marquee feature is the ability to quickly reply to a message from anywhere in iOS (including the lock screen) without entering the actual Messages app. It saves a lot of time and looks really cool. And Quick Reply just scratches the surface of what biteSMS can do.
Fans of biteSMS will be happy to learn that a major update has been released today that brings several new improvements. The Cydia app’s developers have also offered a 50% discount for those of you wishing to buy the version without ads.
For the past couple of years, Ecoute has been a considered a staple third-party music player on the Mac. Known for its lightweight, minimalistic design, Ecoute works as an iTunes companion. With access to a Mac’s iTunes library, social network integration, shortcuts, and a simplistic design, many Mac users swear by Ecoute as their music player of choice on the desktop.
Today the makers of Ecoute have launched an official iPhone app in the App Store. Ecoute for iOS serves as a beautiful music player with Twitter integration, AirPlay support, music filters, podcast support, and more.
We’re getting to the stage where we could almost build a complete iPhone 5 out of all the parts leaks that have surfaced in recent weeks. Everything from the front panel to the slightly-tweaked home button has been shown, and now we’re just waiting for Apple to officially lift the curtain next month.
While we wait, more parts continue to leak out from supply chain sources overseas. Today hi-res shots of a fully assembled back casing for the next iPhone reveal the new headphone jack placement at the bottom of the device along with the rumored micro dock connector.
Yesterday a nasty iPhone SMS spoofing hack was detailed by iOS hacker pod2g. Someone with malicious intent could theoretically change the reply-to number in a SMS message without your knowledge. For instance, you could receive a SMS from a number pretending to be your bank. If you replied with a password or other sensitive data, your security would be compromised. The hack also allows for someone to send a completely spoofed message from a random number.
This bug has been on the iPhone for years and is still present in the iOS 6 beta. Apple today released an official statement addressing the issue.
We’ve seen multiple iPhone 5 part leaks in the months leading up to Apple’s rumored September 12th announcement, and new tidbits continue to surface as the event draws near. Today more alleged components have hit the internet, including a fully assembled front panel for the next iPhone.
The panel shows a taller display with a centered FaceTime camera above the earpiece.
We’ve seen plenty of iPhone 5 leaked parts in recent weeks, and Apple is expected to host a huge media event next month revolving around all things iOS. On the iPad mini front, certain parts have started surfacing more recently, although we have yet to see the device’s rumored 7.85-inch display in all of its glory.
New leaked parts for what would allegedly be a smaller iPad have been released today, and a high-res shot of the dock connector reveals the smaller 8-pin design that’s also rumored to appear in the next iPhone.
Months ago, it was discovered that AT&T would likely charge for FaceTime over Cellular in iOS 6. You can’t actually use the feature in the iOS 6 beta on any carrier, and it was believed that AT&T would charge it as an additional service, like tethering.
Today AT&T has revealed that it will in fact not charge for FaceTime over Cellular, but customers will have to be on one of AT&T’s new Mobile Share data plans.
The developers at Tapbots, makers of popular third-party Twitter client Tweetbot, have reassured everyone that their Twitter app isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Twitter announced a new set of rules for developers yesterday that could be interpreted as the beginning of the end for third-party Twitter clients like Tweetbot, but Tapbots is confident that their app’s future is secure.
Twitter wants developers to focus on making apps that enhance Twitter’s own apps and web experience. Very little room is being left for traditional clients like Tweetbot. The good news is that the clients that already boast huge user bases shouldn’t be in danger of disappearing.
Apple has seeded yet another OS X 10.8.1 developer beta today (build 12B17). The update contains no known issues, and developers are still asked to focus on specific areas like Active Directory, iCal, and Microsoft Exchange in Mail.
The first 10.8.1 developer beta was released one week ago, and this second minor update indicates that the public release is right around the corner.
Apple released OS X Mountain Lion to the public on July 25th, 2012 for $20 in the Mac App Store. The first 10.x.x update to a major OS X release usually comes with many bug and compatibility fixes that were discovered in the first release. Expect it to drop soon.
Twitter has announced some new changes that make it significantly more difficult and tedious to develop third-party software around the social network. We’ve known that Twitter was evolving its business model and changing its attitude towards developers for quite some time, but this recent announcement marks the first major shift towards a closed Twitter. To put it plainly, many developers probably won’t be looking at Twitter as a potential platform to build on anymore.
What’s changed? Along with a host of new rules and restrictions that limit how apps like Flipboard interact with Twitter, developers are now being told to basically stop developing traditional clients like Twitterrific and Tweetbot. The golden age of Twitter is over.
Yesterday The Wall Street Journal shed some light on Apple’s future plans for the TV, noting that the company was in talks with cable providers to offer live broadcasts through an Apple set-top box. The report also alluded to the possibility of an Apple-branded HDTV.
Tonight The Journal published a follow-up report that adds more details to yesterday’s story, including the not-so-surprising revelation that Apple wants to greatly simplify the overall TV viewing experience.
Apple announced a $45 billion stock dividend and repurchase plan back in March, and the company starts paying its investors today, August 16th. $2.65 per share will be payed out for all owned shares of record as of Monday, August 13th.
Today marks the first dividend Apple has payed out since 1995. If you own Apple stock, you should see the payment deposited in your brokerage account before the day is over.
Walk into your local AT&T, Verizon or Sprint store and ask to look at the latest and greatest smartphone. A store employee will show you the Samsung Galaxy lll and other Android phones from the likes of HTC and Motorola. You may be shown a Windows Phone like the Nokia Lumia 900. At Verizon, you’re definitely going to be shown about the Motorola DROID RAZR 4G.
You won’t get pitched the iPhone as easily. In fact, many walk into a store with the plan of buying an iPhone and come out with the latest Android phone in hand.
Why? Employees and customers we’ve spoken to agree that sales reps from all three big carriers discriminate against the iPhone on the store floor, but it’s not a conspiracy: profit margins and device-specific incentives pressure employees to intentionally steer customers away.
It was recently reported that Apple’s retail employees around the world have been experiencing staffing cutbacks. Word on the street was that some major internal changes were taking place within Apple Retail, and new hires were getting laid off in stores on multiple continents.
In a very uncharacteristic move, Apple today publicly admitted that it “messed up” with recent changes to its retail staffing, and that things will be going back to the way they were before the layoffs.
