A questionable report was making the rounds this morning from Taiwan-based publication Digitimes saying that Apple was planning to introduce two new iPads at the Macworld|iWorld conference on January 26th, 2012. The models were said to be targeted for the low-end and high-end consumer markets.
We voiced skepticism about this rumor (which also claimed that the iPad 3 would feature double the battery life and a higher-quality display), and now the Digitimes report has been debunked.
When we install new apps on our iOS devices, they don’t just take up the storage space needed for the app itself, but they also consume space needed for storing “documents & data.” This can be all sorts of things, including save files for your games, pictures, videos, and content downloaded through in-app purchases.
Here’s how to see how much storage space each of your apps is using for “documents & data,” and how you can reclaim that precious space.
First came the consumer wave of tablet users, now it’s the turn of small business. Almost 75 percent of small businesses plan to mark 2012 with a tablet — odds on an iPad. “The iPad, just in the consumer market, is synonymous for ‘tablet’ in the business market,” new research finds.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwwWqRV2RsI
(Warning: video is NSFW)
All I wanted for Christmas was an iPhone. That’s it. But my parents went off and bought me a stupid Kindle Fire…those dumb bastards. Actually I’d be pretty happy with receiving a new Kindle Fire, and I already have an iPhone 4S with the fancy camera and everything so I don’t need a new one of those, but apparently a lot of people were disappointed on Christmas morning when they didn’t unwrap a shiny new iPhone. Taking the audacity of privileged consumerism to new heights of hilarity, comedy writer Jon Hendren compiled the stream of dejected tweets into a music video to express the world’s ingratidude.
“WTF?! I Wanted An iPhone” is a catchy (but NSFW) tune that captures little treasures of bitterness that bloomed on Christmas morning. The enormous display of ingratitude is a bit shocking. Hey @SamStandsFoSwag we’re sorry mom and dad got you the black iPod Touch instead of the white one, but maybe when you graduate high school and get a job you’ll realize, “Oh dang, spending $200 on a silly music player is not the funnest thing to do in world.”
While there are countless little-known videos on YouTube that are well worth a watch for any Apple fan, this Ghostbusters parody has to be one of the best. The clip was filmed for an International Sales Meeting held in 1984 and it sees a team called the “Blue Busters” free the world from IBM PCs and replace them with the Macintosh.
Just how popular were Kindles as Christmas gifts? Amazon said today it sold at least 4 million of the devices in December, or 1 million each week. Sounds great until we check Apple numbers and find the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant demolished the Internet retailer’s sales hype in about one day.
Despite slowly declining from June until September, the number of free apps downloaded from Apple’s App Store hit a record high during November, with 5.65 million downloads per day. And Apple has the iPhone 4S and iOS 5 to thank.
For the second month in a row since the fifth-generation device was launched, the App Store has seen record downloads among the top 200 free apps.
There are only 16 hours left to purchase our deal on the UX Course for Founders from Udemy.
Steve Jobs held the belief that great design and user experience provide a significant competitive advantage. Apple’s products reflect this mantra and I think we’d all agree – it’s working. We’ve recently brought you some amazing instructional courses on how to build your dream startup ideas. Much of what those courses teach are the core mechanics or the “back-end” of projects.
Our newest deal is an instructional video course that focuses on the art of moving from the idea stage through the various steps of designing the user experience. But it doesn’t stop there, it goes on to provide you with specific actions to follow at the end of each stage. No creative skills needed, and no design tools required. Just a pen and paper or a whiteboard and markers, and you’re all set to go. Sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know and this course put that on display for me personally.
While there are many benefits to gaming on an iOS device, such as cheap games and an impressive handheld experience, there is one downside: no physical control pad. That won’t be much of a problem to some, but to gamers like me — who like to play first-person shooters and retro platformers — a physical control pad compatible with our iOS devices is truly missed.
That’s why the 60beat GamePad is a dream come true for iOS gamers.
Apple has a treat in store for us in 2012, according to one Digitimes report, which claims the Cupertino company will release not one but two new iPad models, one of which will boast more than twice the battery capacity of the current model, with a 5- to 8-megapixel camera.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZEypDIqekQ
One of the most useful little introductions to Apple’s iOS 5 software are the new multitasking gestures on the iPad, which allow you to use four-finger swipes to switch between the apps you have running in the background. Unfortunately we didn’t get these on the iPhone, but thanks to a new jailbreak tweak called Zephyr, we can add them ourselves.
Good ol’ Verizon, always passing the savings onto its customers. If you didn’t catch the sarcasm in that last statement, prepare yourselves for disappointment. Verizon apparently believes you should be charged a “convenience” fee for paying your bill. Yea, I know — what a convenience it is to shell out hundreds of dollars to a company that has three outages in one month. Okay, so the “convenience” fee really only applies to anyone trying to pay their bill online or over the phone with any method other than electronic check. You’re also safe from being charged a fee if you are enrolled in AutoPay.
Popular remote access service LogMeIn has released an updated App Store app that gives iOS device users basic remote access to a Mac or PC. Instead of the previous $30/month free, customers can have remote access from iOS for free.
Famous director and producer JJ Abrams owns a special effects company called Bad Robot Interactive. Abrams’ company has released an iOS app in the App Store called Action Movie FX that allows you to create realistic special effects on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
Once you shoot video on your iOS device, Action Movie FX will let you choose a type of special effect to add. The end result is some pretty impressive footage.
A potentially sad story of a holiday gone wrong has a happy ending – two actually – thanks to a stolen iPad and some efficient police work. A homeowner in southern California heard some noises in his home at 3:30AM on Christmas Eve, only to find that the visitor wasn’t Santa.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is having a personalized iPad app built by programmers inside the Cabinet Office that will provide him with the latest information he needs to run the country, The Telegraph reports. The app, which was inspired by advisers after a trip to the U.S., will compile real-time information like NHS waiting-list figures, crime statistics, unemployments numbers, and more all in one place.
Like its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch which utilize the company’s A4 and A5 processors, Apple’s upcoming television set will be powered by a custom-built chip made specifically for the Cupertino company. Sources claim that a number of manufacturers are currently bidding for Apple’s order, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL).
If you received an iPad for Christmas, there is a 95 percent chance you connected to a local Wi-Fi network to slurp up data, a new study predicts. Where does that leave cellular carriers? Out in the cold with their expensive data plans and 3G tablets, that’s where. The really bad news for folks like Sprint is the trend for 9.5 out of 10 tablets to exclusively use Wi-Fi doesn’t appear to be changing.
If Apple got into the TV set business, they could give cable operators a run for their life, right? Probably, but some observers suggest the tech giant should not try to reinvent the wheel – a broken one at that. Instead, any Apple TV set should be based on Internet streaming, making cable television obsolete.
Apple has begun issuing its employees with Apple-branded hoodies as a thank you for all their hard work during a terrific year for the Cupertino company. In addition to a free hoody, employees also got extra vacation time over Thanksgiving, and some departments were given personalized noted from higher-level staff, according to 9to5Mac.
Wow! 2011 has been one of the most interesting years in recent memory for Apple Inc. Of course the death of Apple’s co-founder, Steve Jobs, stands out as one of the most important events of the year for Apple, but there have been a load of other stories too that have made 2011 a very memorable year for the fruit company. From one controversy to the next, to record-breaking earnings, and new products, Apple has plowed through 2011 with a steady determination to be the best technology company on the planet. Only one device underwent a redesign (the iPad), while other form factors stayed the same. Instead of focusing on making pivotal leaps forward with hardware, Apple’s main focus of 2011 was to fortify their strong foundation in the software game.
Here’s Cult of Mac’s look back on the Apple in the year 2011.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPEPfJHfKU
Following the rollout of its new Timeline feature earlier this month, Facebook updated its official iOS app to introduce the new feature to the iPhone. It did not introduce Timeline to the iPad, however. But according to one report, it’ll be here by late January.
Having been forgotten at Apple’s ‘Let’s talk iPhone’ event back in October, the completely redesigned iPhone 5 is now on track for a Fall 2012 launch, according to a “close source” who is familiar with Apple’s plans. And like the iPad, the sixth-generation device will reportedly sport an aluminum rear casing, with a rubberized bezel much like Apple’s iPhone 4 bumper cases.
Intel has reportedly begun notifying PC makers that it will “fully release” its Thunderbolt technology in April of 2012. This means that companies like HP and Dell will be able to sell Thunderbolt-equipped notebooks and desktops.
Apple and Intel partnered for the launch of Thunderbolt, and Apple has made the connection architecture standard for its notebooks and desktop computers, excluding the Mac Pro. It appears that Apple won’t be the only Thunderbolt-equipped computer company on the block anymore.
With rumors of a standalone Apple television set ramping up, Digitimes is reporting that Apple has told suppliers to begin prepping for the manufacturing of an Apple TV set in the first business quarter of 2012, with an expected release in the fall.
The TVs in question will only be available in 32-inch and 37-inch flavors initially, according to the report. Rumors have suggested that Apple will eventually abandon the current Apple TV set-top box and focus on an integrated solution with its own television hardware.