Apple’s online store has gone down ahead of the company’s keynote presentation at WWDC in just under four hours. We’ve had our suspicions that the company will be refreshing a number of its Macs, and this almost confirms they’ll be available to order today.
As we patiently wait for Tim Cook to kick off Apple’s WWDC keynote in just under five hours time, the last of the WWDC rumors and reports are spilling in. One of the more questionable pieces comes from KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who believes the new MacBook Pro won’t get that thinner, lighter, MacBook Air-like form factor we’ve all been hearing about. But that a resurrected MacBook will instead.
Since iOS 5 was introduced last summer, our lock screens finally do something worthwhile, and that is present all of our unread notifications in one place, so that we can see what we’ve missed at a glance. However, when you have no outstanding notifications, the lock screen is stall a rather boring place.
AnimateLockscreen is a new jailbreak tweak that aims to change that, by breathing new life into your lock screen with gorgeous animated wallpapers.
We’re almost certain Apple will announce a new MacBook Pro at WWDC this week, but what we’re not quite so sure of is exactly what the new notebook will bring. An Intel Ivy Bridge processor and a high-resolution Retina display seem like the most feasible changes, but there’s also been much debate over a new design.
Some reports have suggested the device will sport a thinner, lighter form factor that will be heavily influenced by the MacBook Air. While others have claimed the design will remain the same as existing MacBook Pros. Now a leaked logic board for the upcoming device seems to side with the latter.
Heading up this week’s must-have apps roundup is Color Splash Studio, a terrific photo manipulation tool originally built for Mac OS X, which has finally made the leap from Mac App Store to iPhone. We also have a great music video mixing tool from Algoriddim, the guys behind Djay; a camera app that’s perfect for your kids, and more.
Kicking off this week’s must-have games roundup is Uplink, a title you may remember from 2001, when it made its debut on PC. This computer hacking simulator has now been remastered for the iPad’s touchscreen, and despite being 11 years old, it’s still an awesome game.
Accompanying Uplink is a hugely enjoyable platformer, a unique take on golf, a first-person catapulting game, and more.
Apple has produced some of the most memorable adverts in history. Its “1984” commercial for the original Macintosh is still talked about today, and we can all remember the “Mac vs. PC” commercials, and the dancing silhouettes that were used to promote the iPod. However, it hasn’t quite been the same story in recent years.
Despite promoting incredibly popular products like the iPhone and the iPad, Apple’s most recent commercials have been far from unforgettable. In fact, the CEO of one ad-tracking firm has revealed that Apple is being mocked for its latest Siri commercials, which employ celebrities to sell a feature that rarely works in real life.
When Apple pulled Airfoil Speakers Touch from the App Store last week, many believed that the Cupertino company was gearing up to introduce the same functionality to iOS 6 later this year. It seems, however, that this was just wishful thinking. In letter to one customer obtained by Cult of Mac, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, explains the real reason why Airfoil Speakers Touch was pulled.
I don’t know about you, but I find my iPhone’s speaker just isn’t loud enough. I’m forever propping it up against a wall to amplify its sound while I’m in the shower, cooking dinner, or assembling the flat-packed furniture my wife insists on purchasing all too frequently. But AudioGlove is an iPhone case that solves my problem.
It’s the first case that features an “acoustically engineered retractable waveguide chamber that “naturally” amplifies the sound coming to and from the iPhone.” It requires no batteries, cords, or docks — it just makes your iPhone louder using the power of science.
Color Splash Studio, a terrific photo manipulation tool for Mac OS X, has made the leap from Mac App Store to iPhone today. Priced at just $0.99 — with 60% to celebrate its launch — the app allows you to convert your images to black and white, and then inject color back into specific areas.
“You have tools and powers no similar app offers,” its description promises.
Macs equipped with Retina displays are high on everyone’s wish-list right now, but despite many rumors claiming we’ll see them announced at WWDC, we’ve still had our doubts they’ll arrive this year. However, we’ve been handed a glimmer of hope this morning after Retina-ready Mac applications began appearing in the Mac App Store.
We covered Pix & Stix back in May, when they were just a Kickstarter project looking for funding. A year on, they’re now in full production.
The rubberized drumsticks and guitar pick are designed to make iPad apps like GarageBand a much more enjoyable experience, allowing you to rock out on the drums or on guitar just like you would in real life, without brusing your finger tips. But are they any good?
My favorite gadget is most certainly my iPhone… or my iPad. I have a tough time choosing between the two, but it’s definitely one of those devices. And I’m sure many of you feel the same way about your smartphone or tablet, after all, we use things every single day for all kinds of tasks.
But for Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, it isn’t either of these things. His favorite gadget is his aging transistor radio, which was given to him by his parents when he was eight years old.
Virgin Mobile has this morning confirmed that it will be the second prepaid carrier to offer the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, beginning June 29. The devices will be priced at $549 and $649 respectively, but users can enjoy the fact that there’s no commitment and no activation fees. Otherwise,
SoundHound has updated its popular music searching and discovery app for iOS today, introducing a whole host of new features. Version 5.0 makes SoundHound faster than ever before, according to the release notes, and brings high-resolution album art and images, an improved user interface, a new SoundHound Player with LiveLyrics, and lots more.
We’re all itching to see what iOS 6 has in store for our iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, and we’re expecting Apple’s keynote address at WWDC next week to provide the first look at the new update. But the software could already be out in the wild. One YouTuber has published a three-minute video in which a purported iOS 6 beta is shown off for the first time.
Some of its features include new “iStore” and Dictionary apps, improvements to Spotlight search and the Maps app, enhancements to multitasking, and more.
We’ve seen a good number of images claiming to be the sixth-generation iPhone’s rear panel in recent weeks, all of which feature identical designs. But what isn’t entirely clear from these images is just how different these leaked panels are when compared to those that feature on our iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S.
However, thanks to this video from parts supplier ETrade Supply, it’s easy to see the changes Apple has made to its next iPhone (assuming this is indeed a genuine part, of course). And there are a lot of them.
Apple and Samsung have long been battling over whether or not the latter copies the iPhone and iPad with its range of Galaxy devices, and there’s a chance it may not end well for Samsung. But right now, it’s only helping the Korean company’s business. According to one unnamed executive, the legal battle “is worth it” because it’s increasing its brand awareness.
Apple is reportedly gearing up to open two new stores in China which will be positioned near the Foxconn factories that assemble the large majority of its Mac and iOS devices. There are currently only five Apple retail stores on China’s mainland — three in Shanghai and two in Beijing — but Chengdu and Shenzhen could be home to another two very soon.
Recent rumors surrounding Apple’s next-generation iPhone have been largely focused on whether or not the device will get a bigger display and LTE connectivity, and what it will look like. But according to one analyst, we should also be talking about the handset’s front-facing camera, which is finally expected to become HD-capable for high-quality FaceTime calls.
Apple extended its library of iOS emoji icons in its iOS 5.1 release, and the icons have been present in every firmware build that has landed ever since. However, the Cupertino company is yet to activate the latest set, and so they remain hidden within your device’s software. Fortunately, a new jailbreak tweak called Emoji2 for iOS 5.1+ unlocks them all for you.
Kicking off this week’s must-have apps roundup is a beautifully simple timer app for the iPhone that could mean you never need to set timers manually again. There’s also a terrific app for beaming your photographs to almost any display — without additional hardware or software. Plus lots more.
Opening this week’s must-have games roundup is a stunning first-person shooter that has you protecting planet Earth from invasion from the “Xenos,” who are on a mission to infect every civilian that gets in their way. We also have a crazy dual-stick shooter that has made the leap from Xbox LIVE to your pocket, an update to Angry Birds Space, and lots more.
Cricket Wireless became the first prepaid carrier to offer the iPhone yesterday, but it’s unlikely it’ll be the last. One source claims that both the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S will also be arriving on Boost Mobile later this year.
Apple’s ability to turn over its inventory incredibly quickly is seen as one of the Cupertino company’s greatest strengths. But just how quickly does it sell its products? According to Gartner’s Supply Chain Top 25 league table, Apple clears its entire inventory every 4.9 days. That’s faster than Amazon, Coca-Cola, Dell, and Samsung. In fact, the only company that turns over its inventory quicker is McDonald’s.