The iPhone 5s wasn’t the first smartphone to offer a fingerprint scanner, but it’s undoubtedly the most popular one to date. In fact, it’s so popular that Touch ID is now driving massive growth in the smartphone fingerprint scanner market, with sales of fingerprint scanning handsets expected to reach 525 million units in 2017.
All demand, but no supply!
24 hours after being launched in India, retailers sold out of the iPhone 5s — leading to retail chains asking for replenished stocks, following an unprecedented demand for the new smartphone.
In more welcome airport-related news than the reports that Apple’s Maps app steers people the wrong way across Fairbanks Airport taxiway, Apple has released an update (version 1.3.3) of its AirPort Utility — the app which allows you to manage your Wi-Fi base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule, from the comfort of your iOS device.
One of the better ways to see what’s coming up in any calendar is the list view. It’s a handy way to see, at a quick glance, the major events of the next few days.
Unfortunately, Apple has taken this view from its new iOS 7 Calendar app and hidden it away.
Here’s how to get it back.
Most developers have had their iOS 7 apps ready for weeks but Apple is still racing to update all of its own apps to mesh better with iOS 7’s new look. The Remote app for iPhone and iPad is the latest Apple app to get the iOS 7 treatment as Apple just published version 4.0 to the App Store.
The updated app comes with an all new iOS 7-style look as well as support for iTunes 11.1 but there’s no mention of new features in the release notes so it looks like we’re just getting a facelift for now. iPhone and iPad owners can use the device to control Apple TV as well as remotely access computers on the same Home Sharing account to play music, queue up additional songs, create playlists and more.
The new update can be found in the App Store for free.
Source: iTunes
While Apple has aimed to keep the design of the iPhone consistent over the last six years – same screen size, same form factor, same metal band antenna on the outside – Google has managed to keep fans excited by providing different variants of its flagship Nexus device every single year.
Sure, all those different screen sizes and hardware changes have helped push the state of horrific fragmentation in the Android market, but at least fandroids get new design choices every year. To celebrate the release of the Nexus 5, our friends over at GadgetLove created an awesome GIF GIF showcasing how the Nexus has evolved over the years.
Check it out below:
Apple’s design patterns are pretty much set at this point: every other year, they radically overhaul the look of the iPhone or iPad.
Next year’s iPhone 6, then, will be a major departure from the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, and designer Federico Ciccarese of Ciccarese Design has a good idea of what to expect: a slimmer device that looks a lot more like an iPad Air or iPad mini called (yup) the iPhone Air.
I just moved to Germany, which means that I get a lot more weather than when I lived in Spain. There, a quick once-a-week check was plenty to know whether you should get the umbrella from the attic. In Germany, I check every time I want to leave the house.
And now there’s a great app which will will let you customize your own weather notifications, right there on your iPhone.
If you believe the reports, Apple is currently working on a way of charging iOS devices using solar panels. If you’re not content to wait, however, and want a quick-and-easy means of charging your iPhone or iPad right now, you might want to consider investing in this Indiegogo crowd funding campaign to create a mobile wireless charging solution for Apple products.
Based on the increasingly popular Qi inductive electrical power transfer system, iQi Mobile Wireless is set to bring true, low-cost wireless charging to iOS device. This is done without the fuss of plugging and unplugging wires, since charging is achieved simply by placing your iPhone or iPad on a Koolpuck charger.
Don’t look now, but kids want iPhones for Christmas. Well, a third of them do, anyway.
A survey of 12- to 17-year-olds conducted by Ebates found that an iPhone tops the wishlist. One third — specifically 32% — of those surveyed want an iPhone. (Some 12% want a Samsung Galaxy phone.)
Ho, ho, hold on a second. Is this a good idea? Should children “own” wireless gadgets?
If not, why not? And if so, which one?
Well, I’m going to tell you.
The iPhone just became much more cost-friendly in the second largest wireless market in the world. India’s third largest carrier, Reliance Communications, has started selling the iPhone 5c and 5s with a two-year contract. Indian customers have previously only been able to purchase the iPhone for its full, unsubsidized price off contract.
India is a key emerging market for Apple, and this move could significantly bolster iPhone sales in the country if it catches on at other Indian carriers.
You can never have too many headphones. I’ve written before about how I’ve got different ones for different use cases, so when an ergonomic set of earbuds suited for the iPhone 5, 5S, and 5C become available at a low price — well…I’m all ears.
Cult of Mac has a set of earbuds that meets that criteria, The iPhone 5/5S/5C headphones are only $14.99, but you’ll also get free shipping to select countries. Plus, if you buy two pairs, you’ll get one at 50% off the already low price!
I like some notifications. I try to keep it down to a dull roar, of course, but I enjoy knowing when I get a phone call, text message, and email from specific clients or friends.
It’s just that when I see all these notifications in my lockscreen, I mentally dismiss them, only to have them appear again the next time I check my iPhone for the time.
I messed around with it a bit yesterday, and came up with this solution, thanks to iOS 7.
If you switched from an iPhone to an Android-powered smartphone because you felt a 4-inch display was just too small, then Apple may give you a reason to switch back next year. Several industry experts are predicting that the Cupertino company will step up its pursuit of high-end Android smartphones by finally introducing a larger 5-inch display with the iPhone 6.
One of the much touted features of iOS 7 is the new organization feature of the Photos app. When I opened it for the first time, back in the beta, I was dismayed to see the Year view.
The photos? They’re tiny! How the heck am I supposed to find the photo I want? I’m old and need glasses. Sheesh.
Ahem.
It turns out to be much simpler than you’d think to scan through the photos in this view.
While Google was busy spilling all the new details of its new Google+ photo editing features this morning, the company also announced that Snapseed will be getting some sweet new features of its own. True to Google’s word, Snapseed 1.6 just hit the App Store is includes a new HDR scape filter that brings a stunning look to photos.
Snapseed users will find the HDR Scape filter next to the old Drama filter that provided similar HDR filters for photos, however HDR Scape’s results are a great deal more impressive. To adjust the strength of the filter users simply swipe left to right. Google also added a Shadows slider in the Tune Image section that will brighten dark areas naturally.
Here’s a look at HDR Scape in action:
Halloween is coming soon, which means you need a costume to show off how incredibly awesome you are. Maybe you’re still undecided and need a little bit of inspiration. When it comes to Apple-themed costumes there are a lot of great ideas out there and you don’t have to spend a lot of money to make them.
We’ve rounded up some of the best Apple Halloween costumes from the past few years to help you decide what you should be. Check them out:
Have you ever wanted to copy and send files to and from your Mac at any time…and from any device? Cult of Mac Deals has got you covered – thanks to Spotdox.
With Spotdox, you can access any file on your Mac from anywhere. Spotdox is an add on for Dropbox that gives you remote access to all of your files, any time, from any device so you’ll never get stuck without that important file or folder again. And Cult of Mac Deals is offering Spotdox for life for only $19 – a savings of 66% – during this limited time offer.
A Google smartwatch powered by Android with built-in Google Now is in the late stages of development, according to people familiar with the matter, who have been speaking to The Wall Street Journal. Google is now in talks with Asian suppliers, which could begin mass producing the device “within months.”
Although Apple is still (very) profitably plugging along with the iPhone, there’s a new king of smartphones, and it’s Samsung. The Korean gadget maker continued to dominate smartphone sales in the third quarter, shipping over 88 million smartphones this quarter compared to just 33.8 million iPhones shipped. And it gets worse for Apple.
According to research consultants Counterpoint Research, Apple captured 34% of the 2.8 million Japanese mobile phone sales this September, marking a sizable increase from the estimated 14% seen in both July and August.
The news is even more impressive when, as Counterpoint director Tom Kang notes, “This is the first time any handset brand has crossed the 30% mark in the last decade in one of the most modern digital handset market in the world, Japan.”
We’ve all been there: Some mornings simply aren’t compatible with a task as sophisticated as groping for an iPhone and then pawing at the screen or volume button to activate the snooze.
And for those especially drooly mornings when even smacking a massive rubber button is too much of a challenge, there’s the wobL: a stand-app alarm combo for iPhone that works simply by — you guessed it — wobbling it.
During this afternoon’s earning call, Tim Cook was asked about the iPhone 5c and whether the company is disappointed with sales after customers were expecting Apple’s plastic iPhone to be significantly cheaper than its $99 price tag on-contract.
Before diving into iPhone 5c expectations, Cook clarified that even though customers may have expected the iPhone 5c to be Apple’s entry level phone, the company has never considered it to be its cheapest model. That honor goes to Apple’s other cheap phone – the iPhone 4s.
Tim stated that the iPhone 4s is priced as a entry-level offering to giving customers full-access to iOS at a cheap price, while the iPhone 5c is being sold as a mid-tier offer with the 5s of course at the top. Cook elaborated the the iPhone 5c was a good way for Apple to enter the mid-tier market and expand sales in the category. With a record number of iPhones being sold last quarter Tim says he’s pretty pleased with the results so far.
The arrival of iOS 7 has not only demonstrated a whole new look to Apple’s mobile platforms, but also new opportunities for exceptional design. So if you’ve got a great app idea for this beautiful new platform, but your design skills leave a lot to be desired then Cult of Mac Deals a deal for you.
This deal is for some stellar templates that will give even the most aesthetically challenged app creator the ability to make a great-looking iOS 7 app. And you can get your hands on these 7 templates for only $29.99 – a savings of 94%!
We’re still waiting for Tim Cook and Peter Oppenheimer to start today’s earnings call, but now that the closing bell has rung Apple just released its official financial results for Q4 2013. So far the numbers look pretty good with Apple beating analyst estimations for revenue and profit with $37.5 billion and $7.5 billion respectively.
Sorting through the pile of information and numbers Apple just gave us can make your head spin, so we’ve broken it down for you. Here are the most important numbers you need to know from today’s earnings: