Carl Icahn, the richest investor on Wall Street who has been pressing Apple to make a $150 billion stock buyback, has announced the next phase of his master plan. He has submitted a proposal to Apple shareholders that asks them to vote on his buyback, which effectively puts more pressure on Apple to meet his demands.
The question is whether a more aggressive buyback is actually in Apple’s best interest.
Conrad Electronic, an authorized Apple reseller in Germany, has begun taking preorders for the new Mac Pro. Availability is listed for Monday, December 16th.
Apple has said that the Mac Pro would be available before the end of the year, but an exact date has not yet been given. It could very well be that this reseller is hedging its bets and trying to garner some press attention, but this wouldn’t be the first time a third-party reseller has correctly predicted a recent Apple product launch. The date could favorably coincide with the opening of the Apple Store in Düsseldorf, Germany on December 14th.
TimeStamp — Productivity — Free
I’m a fan of apps that are basically just a giant button that does one thing easily, so TimeStamp really appeals to me. It’s a productivity tracker that independent contractors can use for invoicing purposes. It may also be of interest to people trying to figure out where their time goes. It’s just a big green button that you touch to stop and start, and when you’re done timing whatever it is, you can just drop your results into the appropriate category on the second tab.
My browse-to-watch Netflix ratio is something like 5 to 1. That’s unsettling.
For a fun experiment in data visualization, the good folks over at MobileUnlocked have put together a world map showing how the cost of an iPhone 5s varies around the world.
The official iPhone 5c case isn’t exactly Apple’s most widely acclaimed product design ever. Even if you love it, you have to admit it looks a lot like those brightly-colored, foam rubber shoes with the holes in them known as Crocs. And if you’re like me, and think the iPhone 5c case is pure trash, it seems almost insulting that Apple overlooked the iPhone 5c case’s design flaws and released it anyway.
According to a new report, though, Apple wasn’t just about to unleash the so-called ‘Croc’ case on consumers once, but twice. Not only did Cupertino intend for the hole-filled design to be the official case for the iPhone 5c, but they wanted to give the luxury, high-end iPhone 5s the same treatment.
Brazenly calling itself the “ultimate defense” for protecting passwords, documents, credit cards and all your other private stuff, FaceCrypt is being advertised as one of the most secure ways of controlling access to your iOS device.
Instead of asking for an alphanumeric password — or even Touch ID — FaceCrypt requests that users take a “selfie” to prove they are really the person they say they are.
When Apple bought Twitter analytics company Topsy for over $200 million earlier this week, many commenters were taking aback. How does Twitter analytics of all things fit into Apple’s general acquisition strategy?
Although they broke the story, it looks like The Wall Street Journal were wondering the same thing themselves. The result is an excellent breakdown of Apple’s major acquisitions in 2013. Unfortunately, it doesn’t shed much light on why Apple bought Topsy, but it does show Cupertino’s areas of interest.
When people talk about Android’s “fragmentation” problem, what they are referring to is the fact that the majority of Android devices are not running the most current version of Google’s mobile operating system.
The reason this is a big deal is because an ecosystem is only as strong as how many devices are running a current version of the operating system: older versions of Android are not only more vulnerable to malicious exploits that have been patched in more recent versions, but apps running on them can’t make use of newer Android features.
A new chart released by Fidlee shows exactly how bad Google’s fragmentation problem has become. Although iOS 7 runs on almost all Apple iPhones released in the last five years, there are few Android devices that are supported by the most recent version of Android just two years after they are purchased.
The Atlas ID is a waterproof case for your iPhone 5S that lets you use the Touch ID sensor even while the iPhone is in the case (although both you finger and the button cover need to be dry for it to work). However, you can still use the regular unlock when the screen is wet, and you’ll be having so much fun snapping underwater picks that you won;t care anyway.
Insert quips about bricking your iPad here.
Lego accessories have been popular for Apple products for a while now, and now that trend continues with Belkin’s new Lego iPad mini Case — which comes with an official grid of Lego studs on the back.
Has it really been less than three months since the roll out of iOS 7?
Well, however long it has been that has clearly been enough time for most users — since new data from online ad network Chitika reveals that iOS 7 is currently running on more than 70 percent of North American iOS devices.
No, it’s not a Mac or an iPhone accessory. It’s not even a camera gadget. But I have no doubt you’re going to love the Victor Wallet from WaterField design. It’s thin, it has a soft, finger-loving lining and it comes with a strap to keep it shut.
Created by London-based university students Carrie Bale, Doug Hindson and Jooyoung Ryo, “Skew” is a charmingly low-fi animation which gently lampoons the monotonous cycle of our day-to-day lives in the digital world.
Apple stock closed at a new 2013 high on Tuesday — rising 2.7 percent (or $15) over the course of the day to finish at $566.32.
For those keeping score, that’s the best close Apple’s stock has had since December 4, 2012, and means that the company is up by 6 percent so far this year — although still down on the $700 all time high which accompanied the iPhone 5.
Bokeh is an iPhone app (and web service) for easily “lifeblogging” your photos and thoughts. And because nobody but you really cares about the mundane details of your days, Bokeh can be used as a private diary, too, albeit a private diary that you access via the web. So what’s the gimmick? What sets Bokeh apart from all the other lifeblogging apps out there? It has a great calendar view, making it easy to browse and zero-in on the exact memory you forgot.
The Gramophone for iPhone and iPad certainly isn’t the first horn-speaker we’ve seen for our iOS devices, but it might be the most beautiful. The speakers, which run from $200 to $300 depending on size, is fashioned from wood and metal and will boost the sound output of your device by 3x.
RotoView is an app that lets you zoom in super close on your iPhone photos, and then scroll around them by tilting the iPhone itself. It is also a great example of how iOS 7-native design can help an app look great, when otherwise it would very likely look awful.
Olloclip has turned from being a maker of a neat novelty iPhone accessory into a purveyor of an entire iOS lens system. The newest member of the family is the Macro 3-IN–1, a set of closeup lenses with built-in light diffusers and high-quality optics.
It’s become horribly obvious that the more a driver fiddles with their phone, the better chance they have of becoming involved in a car accident. But even taking one’s eyes off the road can be problematic — so Slovakian-based Sygic has added a head-up display mode to their iOS turn-by-turn navigation apps that tries to alleviate the problem by keeping the driver’s eyes focused on the road.
Yes, Joshua Young is a doctor. And yes, the strange device he built and now wields is indeed sonic. But no, it’s not a screwdriver.
Instead, Joshua’s intricate alloy AUUG controller is an imaginative musical device that turns the iPhone or iPod into a unique instrument that uses accelerometer magic to bend and blend sound.
Back in April, I called Infuse the best media player for iOS out there. VLC hadn’t returned to the App Store at the time, and Infuse was the slickest, most versatile video player available in the App Store.
VLC for iOS made its triumphant over the summer, but Infuse continued to hold its own with support for over a dozen video formats, AirPlay, and video transfers over WiFi. But after the release of iOS 7, Infuse’s theatre-like UI started to look dated. Today FireCore released Infuse 2.0, the app’s biggest update yet that includes a completely redesigned interface, more video formats, 1080p with surround sound playback, and improved streaming.
A week ago Honda brought Siri Eyes Free integration to its 2013-2014 Accord and 2013 Acura vehicles. The automobile maker said it had additional functionality to announce today, and the news is out. Honda has put a 7-inch “Display Audio” touchscreen in its 2014 Honda Civic and 2015 Honda Fit that is one step closer to Apple’s “iOS in the Car” dream becoming reality.
Following the software leaking on Apple’s U.K. site yesterday, FileMaker Pro 13 is officially available for purchase. The Apple-owned business management software’s first major update in nearly two years includes over 50 new features, including WebDirect, which offers the ability to access databases through a web browser.
Moon Chart — Reference — $2.99
If you’re looking for a quick, easy-to-use reference guide for that giant rock in the sky, Moon Chart is a pretty good one. It’ll show you the phase and point out what scientists have named all those holes and fiddly bits, and it’s all indexed. So if you have a bet with your buddy as to where Flammarion is in relation to Sinus Medii, this app will help you settle that weird, random thing I just made up.
Australian publisher Halfbrick (Jetpack Joyride, Fruit Ninja, Age of Zombies) announced Tuesday that its new free-to-play band simulator game Band Stars will release to the App Store on Thursday, December 5.
The game, developed in collaboration with Australia-based Six Foot Kid, has been in development for a while, with an early build available last March at the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco. Come this Thursday, you’ll be able to download the game for free onto your iOS device and start a band.