MacRumors

Analysts were sour on Apple last year, believing the company's stock would not climb over the $700 mark it crossed briefly in September 2012. Now with a 7-for-1 stock split and a continuing stock repurchase plan, this negative sentiment is changing with analysts revising their price targets for the again-hot stock, reports Fortune.

In recent weeks, analysts have adjusted their price targets by as much as 30 percent, with prices now ranging from a low of $87 from Morningstar's Brian Collelo up to a high of $124 from Stephen Turner of Hilliard Lyons. With the recent upgrades, the analysts' average price targets are now above Apple's all-time high once the stock split is accounted for.

As noted by BTIG's Walter Piecyk, some of this optimism stems from new U.S. carrier plans that will expand the number of customers eligible to upgrade to Apple's next generation iPhone and new leasing options that offer upgrades with a minimal upfront cost.

“Historically we estimate that ~20% of AT&T’s subscriber base was eligible for an upgrade during an iPhone launch quarter. That eligibility dropped to a low of the mid-teens in the second half of 2013 due to the stricter upgrade policies. We expect AT&T's new Mobile Share Value plan to increase the percentage of AT&T post-paid subscriber base eligible to upgrade to over 65% by the time the next iPhone launches. In absolute terms that is the difference between 10 or 11 million eligible for upgrades and 45-50 million.”

Wireless carriers in the U.S. have been modifying their consumer cellular and data plans, introducing no-contract options and new incentives that make it easier for customers to upgrade to new phones. Much of this change has been initiated by T-Mobile, which started its Uncarrier promotion in early 2013 with a no-contract Simple Choice plan that lets you pay for a phone in installments with a low upfront cost and early upgrades. Other carriers, such as AT&T, have followed suits with similar plans.

Just over a month after Apple announced plans to purchase Beats Electronics and the Beats Music service, Google has made its own music purchase, acquiring streaming music service Songza.

First launched in 2007 and revamped in 2011, Songza is a curation-based music service much like Beats Music. Songza offers a multitude of customized playlists created by music experts, which revolve around different moods and activities. For example, in its iPhone app, Songza provides playlists for "Working Out," "Waking Up Happy," "Feeling Confident," and more.

Beats Music, meanwhile, boasts "in-house curators" that provide handpicked albums and playlists based on a user's personal tastes. There's also a feature called "The Sentence," which offers playlists based on location, feeling, and genre. The two services are both similar in regards to their emphasis on human curation, which is becoming a must-have feature in the streaming music arena. Beats Music's focus on curation was one of the driving factors behind Apple's purchase of the service.

Apple has plans to keep Beats Music separate from its own iTunes and iTunes Radio offerings, and Google too has said that Songza will remain independent, though it has plans to integrate Songza features into Google Play Music and other Google services in the future. Both Songza and Beats Music are set to remain available on multiple platforms.

We aren't planning any immediate changes to Songza, so it will continue to work like usual for existing users. Over the coming months, we'll explore ways to bring what you love about Songza to Google Play Music. We'll also look for opportunities to bring their great work to the music experience on YouTube and other Google products.

Like Beats Music, which had 250,000 subscribers in May three months after launching, Songza is relatively small at five million users compared to competitors like iTunes Radio, Pandora, and Spotify. The major differentiating factor between the two services is cost -- Songza is free and ad-supported while Beats Music requires a monthly subscription.

The terms of the deal between Google and Songza were not disclosed, but some reports have suggested Google paid around $15 million for the service. Apple's Beats deal is still awaiting regulatory approval and is expected to close next quarter.

Last week, Apple announced that the company would be discontinuing their Aperture photo management software to focus development on the new Photos app that was introduced at WWDC. Details on Apple's new Photos app, however, remains scarce, leaving Aperture users with a lot of uncertainty.

Ars Technica was able to get additional information from an Apple representative, who indicated that certain professional-grade features would be coming to the new Photos app:

When asked about what Aperture-like features users can expect from the new Photos app, an Apple representative mentioned plans for professional-grade features such as image search, editing, effects, and most notably, third-party extensibility.

Some of these editing features are already depicted in the screenshot that Apple released of Photos at the time of the announcement:

The screenshot shows an adjustments panel with settings for Light (Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Brightness, Contrast, Blacks), Color (Saturation, Contrast, Cast), Black & White (Hue Strength, Neutral Boost, Photo Tone, Grain), Definition, Vignette, White Balance, and Levels.

Apple has promised that existing Aperture users will be able to import their libraries into the new OS X Photos app. Photos is expected to be released early next year.

The United States Federal Trade Commission today filed a complaint against T-Mobile, accusing the carrier of charging customers for unauthorized SMS subscriptions that delivered information like horoscopes and celebrity gossip at prices up to $9.99 per month.

T-Mobile reportedly collected 35 to 40 percent of the amount charged to consumers, at times continuing to bill customers even after it was clear the charges were fraudulent. According to the FTC, T-Mobile made "hundreds of millions of dollars" using these tactics.

The FTC suggests that the charges were unauthorized because of the high volume of T-Mobile customers seeking refunds. The company has allegedly received a high number of consumer complaints since 2012. T-Mobile is also said to have made it difficult to detect the charges, as a summary bill did not show a third-party charge or a recurring subscription. T-Mobile bills also made it "nearly impossible for consumers to find and understand third-party subscription charges."

After looking past a "Summary" section as well as an "Account Service Detail" section, both of which described "Usage Charges" but did not itemize those charges, a consumer might then reach the section labeled "Premium Services," where the crammed items would be listed.

According to the complaint, the information would be listed there in an abbreviated form, such as "8888906150BrnStorm23918," that did not explain that the charge was for a recurring third-party subscription supposedly authorized by the consumer.

T-Mobile also failed to provide full refunds to customers after the charges were discovered. The FTC is asking for a court order to prevent T-Mobile from continuing to charge customers for fraudulent services and to provide full refunds for its "ill-gotten gains."

T-Mobile has not yet commented on the FTC's complaint, but the company's outspoken CEO, John Legere, will undoubtedly have a response.

In recent months, T-Mobile has worked hard to distinguish itself from other mobile phone carriers with its "UnCarrier" initiatives designed to disrupt traditional mobile service. The company has uncoupled device costs from service costs, introduced a Jump upgrade plan, provided unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, offered customers up to $350 to switch carriers, and announced plans to allow customers to "test drive" the service.

Update 1:30 PM PT: T-Mobile has released a statement calling the FTC's complaint "unfounded and without merit." T-Mobile goes on to state that it stopped billing for Premium SMS services last year and has launched a "proactive program" to provide full refunds for customers.

Apple today expanded its list of automobile manufacturer partners that plan to support CarPlay in future models, adding a number of brands from the Fiat Chrysler group: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Ram. Also officially joining the list of CarPlay partners today is Mazda (via Wired). These additions follow a recent announcement by Audi, which plans to integrate Apple's CarPlay system into its vehicles beginning in 2015.

These new partners join existing CarPlay partners Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, and Honda, which are introducing CarPlay compatible vehicles before the end of the year, and a number of other brands promising future support. Besides new cars, Alpine and Pioneer also are adding CarPlay support to their aftermarket consoles, allowing owners of existing automobiles to adopt Apple's in-dash car technology.

CarPlay uses an automobile's built-in dashboard display to provide hands-free operation of your iPhone. Drivers will be able to take advantage of the Siri-powered technology to make calls, receive messages, get directions and listen to music while keeping their eyes on the road.

While we've seen plenty of mockups and more recently a few claimed legitimate exterior parts such as rear shells and front panels from the iPhone 6, little in the way of internal parts as surfaced so far. But three new photos surfacing today (via Apple.club.tw) show what are claimed to be a pair of flex cable parts from the iPhone 6.

The photos are of fairly poor quality and it is not specified whether the parts are from the 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch model, but the parts do closely resemble legitimate parts from other devices and an Apple logo and Apple-style part number are present on one of them.

Unlike on the iPhone 5s, where a single part houses both the left side volume buttons/mute switch and the top power button, these iPhone 6 parts show the two areas on separate flex cables. This change would seem to be consistent with the larger size of the iPhone 6 and the reported shift in the location of the power button from the top edge to the right edge.

One cable, which is shown from the front and back in two of the photos, appears to simply contain the volume buttons and mute switch. There appears to be greater separation between the volume buttons and mute switch than on corresponding parts from previous iPhones, but it is unclear just how much extra distance there might be in the finished product given the flexibility of these cables. Mockups and drawings have shown elongated volume buttons and perhaps a little extra distance separating the mute switch, but the difference does not appear as significant as suggested by the flex cable part.

The second flex cable shown in the photos is less clear in terms of function, but appears to include the power button, although Kyle Wiens of iFixit points out that it looks somewhat larger than on previous models.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 around September of this year, with a larger display being the key feature for the device. Other likely improvements include a new A8 chip, camera enhancements, and perhaps a more durable Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple today revised its AppleCare+ support service, lengthening the time new iPhone and iPad owners have to purchase the protection plan from the previous 30-day window to an extended 60-days. The new 60-day AppleCare+ option is available both in store and online in all AppleCare+ regions, with the exception of Japan which still offers the original 30-day window, reports 9to5Mac.

AppleCare+ is a premium warranty service for iPhone and iPad owners, providing warranty support and accidental damage coverage for two years from the date of device purchase. The plan costs $99 and includes two accidental damage replacements that cost $49 per incident for the iPad and $79 for the iPhone.

Apple also is discontinuing the previous AppleCare option that extends warranty service for the iPad and iPhone, but does not provide accidental damage coverage. Going forward, Apple will only offer the standard 90-days of free support that is included with every iPhone or iPad purchase as well as the option to upgrade to two-years of AppleCare+ for $99. This change goes into effect today in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Apple hopes these changes as well other other future improvements will boost the adoption rate of AppleCare+. To compete with carrier and insurance options, Apple may improve its insurance plans for the iPhone as well as expand AppleCare+ internationally beyond its current coverage regions. The international service now has approximately 30 million subscribers and has brought in more than $2b in revenue since its introduction three years ago.

Apple last week refreshed its iPod touch lineup with a new 16GB model that offers a camera and color options to replace the stripped-down model it introduced last year. After debuting in the US, the new iPod touch today became available internationally, landing in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries worldwide.

As revealed by iFixit, the new 16GB iPod touch is a lower capacity model of Apple's existing fifth generation iPod touch lineup that was introduced in 2012. The model features a 4-inch display, Apple's A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and color choices that include yellow, blue, pink and more. The new 16GB version lowers the entry-level price point to $199, down from $229 for the now-discontinued silver-only model.

Apple traditionally refreshed its iPod lineup during its annual September press event, which often focused on iTunes and music. Apple de-emphasized music in 2013, opting to unveil the iPhone 5s. The Cupertino company is expected to continue this trend in 2014 with the possible unveiling of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The future of the iPod line remains unclear as sales of the units continue to slide quarterly.

Samsung and GlobalFoundries have landed orders from Apple to produce the 14-nanometer A9 processor starting next year, reports DigiTimes. The 14nm chips will be rolled out of GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 factory in Malta, New York, which Samsung will also use to produce Apple's A-series chips.

According to Samsung and Globalfoundries' roadmap, the two foundries plan to push their initial 14nm LPE (low power early) process, which was verified in February, into risk production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and small volume production in early 2015, the sources indicated.

The report also notes that longtime Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will attempt to secure orders for Apple's A9 chip by introducing new semiconductor processes by early next year. Apple is also reportedly considering Intel as a partner to produce the A9, according to the sources.

Last year, it was reported that Samsung and TSMC would be sharing production of Apple's A9 chip in 2015, with the former producing 30% to 40% of the total order. Samsung and GlobalFoundries have aided each other throughout the past year, with Samsung helping set up the Fab 8 factory last year and GlobalFoundries providing the backup location when needed. Samsung and GlobalFoundries announced in April that they would be adopting the same chip production process to prepare for next-generation mobile devices.

Apple's 14-nanometer A9 processors are expected to be used in the company's 2015 iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, this year's forthcoming iPhone 6, iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 are expected to use Apple's 20-nanometer A8 processor, which is being produced by TSMC. Samsung was said to be splitting the production load for the A8 with TSMC, however the company is said to have dropped out due to low yields.

As indicated yesterday, Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion offering qualified educational purchasers an Apple Store gift card of $100 with the purchase of a new Mac or a $50 gift card with the purchase of an iPad or iPhone. This year marks the first time that Apple is giving out Apple Store gifts cards with purchases, as the company has usually offered iTunes Store/App Store/iBookstore gift cards in years past.

Get a $100 Apple Store Gift Card when you buy a Mac for college. Or a $50 gift card when you buy an iPad or iPhone.* You’ll also save on a Mac or iPad with education pricing.

Eligible devices include all Macs except the Mac mini, all iPads (fourth-generation, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display, iPad mini), and all iPhones (5s, 5c, and 4s). The full eligibility requirements for the program can be found in Apple's terms and conditions (PDF).

Apple has also updated its in-store graphics at its various locations, with IFOAppleStore noting that the photography style of the newer images used are richer and darker than the previous ones. The new graphics are also said to be based on the recent "Your Verse" iPad ads which featured music composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and travel blogger Chérie King.

Apple's Back to School promotion runs from today through September 9 and is available in the United States. The program is expected to also be made available in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Update: For those purchasing through authorized campus stores, Apple is offering the traditional iTunes/App/iBooks Store gift card rather than an Apple retail/online store gift card.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Nuance, which is responsible for the technology behind Apple's virtual assistant Siri, was in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition. Now, a new report from Wired states that Apple is forming its own in-house speech recognition team to power the next-generation of Siri.

“Apple is not hiring only in the managerial level, but hiring also people on the team-leading level and the researcher level,” says Abdel-rahman Mohamed, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, who was courted by Apple. “They’re building a very strong team for speech recognition research.”

Throughout the past few years, Apple has hired a number of high-level speech researchers in Nuance, including former vice president of research Larry Gillick. A number of those researchers are working at Apple's office in Boston, which was also rumored last year to be working on an in-house Siri solution that moves away from Nuance's technologies.

While the forthcoming version of Siri in iOS 8 still features the same technology provided by Nuance, it is possible that Apple could debut its own in-house voice recognition solution in a future version of iOS. Siri in iOS 8 will feature a number enhancements, including hands-free "Hey Siri" voice activation, music recognition by way of Shazam, streaming voice recognition, and more. Apple will launch iOS 8 this fall.

AgileBits recently launched an iOS 8 version of 1Password for beta testers, which includes support for Touch ID and app extensions, two new developer features introduced with iOS 8.

With the update, 1Password beta testers are now able to use Touch ID to unlock the app's main password, which then allows the app to supply passwords directly to Safari using extensions. The entire process has been demoed in a two Vine videos from Gabriel Nevado (via MacGeneration), who accesses his 1Password content using Touch ID and is then able to enter a password from the app directly in Safari using the Share sheet.

Accessing 1Password on an iOS device with iOS 7 requires users to enter a master password each time the app is opened, and while the app has a built-in browser, it is not possible for the app to input passwords in Safari automatically. With iOS 8's new APIs, apps like 1Password are able to provide a much simpler user experience.

Earlier this month, MacStories shared an in-depth look at app extensions, which allow third-party apps to share services with other apps. The feature also lets developers create widgets for the Notification Center and it allows for custom system-wide keyboards for the first time. Touch ID integration for third-party developers is also one of the 4,000 new APIs Apple introduced with iOS 8.

The iOS 8 1Password update is only available to beta testers at the current point in time, but will likely be released to the public following the official launch of iOS 8, which is expected this fall.

Apple's in-house advertisements are scoring lower than those created by TBWA\Media Arts Labs, a unit of Apple's longtime ad partner TBWA\Chiat\Day, according to Ace Metrix ad-watching data compiled by Bloomberg.

So far, ads made by the in-house team have received a cooler reception from viewers on average than those made by the agency. Ace Metrix gathers data from hundreds of TV watchers to discern how persuasive and entertaining an ad is.

"Chicken Fat" is the Apple in-house team's biggest ad success so far, scoring a 611 from Ace Metrix. However, the ad scored lower than two Media Arts ads, "From the Heart" and "Gigantic", since late last year. "Gigantic" is Apple's highest scoring ad since late last year. The highest ever score for an Apple ad was 696 for a 2010 FaceTime commercial.

The lowest scoring ads for Apple include its "Your Verse" campaign, showing off how people are using their iPads in various parts of the world doing different activities, like traveling the world, climbing mountains or directing a Bollywood dance number. None of those ads scored higher than a 600 in Ace Metrix's scale.

Comparatively, Samsung and its agency have had better luck, netting a 739 score for a Samsung Galaxy S5 commercial showing the water-proof phone being used during a water fight. The ad is the second Galaxy ad to top the 700 mark for Ace Metrix.

Rob Siltanen, an advertising consultant who wrote the ad copy for "Here's to the crazy ones" told Bloomberg that Apple's struggles may be coming from trying too hard to represent themselves.

"The hardest ads I've ever worked on were ads for myself," Siltanen says. "There's a truism out there that applies: 'The lawyer who represents himself in court has an idiot for a client.' It's very hard to have the necessary perspective to do the job right."

Alternatively, Boston University ad professor Edward Boches says Apple could be struggling selling itself as a leading company and may be more comfortable playing off other companies, like Microsoft.

Apple has found it difficult to find its footing with advertising recently, expanding marketing efforts and creating its 1,000 person in-house ad team in recent months. While the Cupertino company has taken greater efforts to control its advertising, it is still collaborating with TBWA\Media Arts Labs.

Apple updated its investor relations page today to note that it will announce its earnings for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of 2014 on Tuesday, July 22. The earnings release typically occurs just after 4:30 PM Eastern Time following the close of regular stock trading, and the conference call is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.

MacRumors will provide running coverage of the earnings release and conference call.

The release will provide a look at sales of the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini during their third quarter of availability, as well as iPhone 5s and 5c sales through the first half of 2014. Apple reported iPhone sales of 37.4 million during the second quarter of 2014, along with 19.5 million iPads and just under four million Macs.

There have been no major hardware releases during the first half of 2014, but Apple is said to have many projects on the horizon, including the iWatch, the iPhone 6, a revamped Apple TV and a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air. It is unlikely the upcoming products will be discussed during the call.

In its fiscal second-quarter earnings call, Apple guided expected revenue of $33.5 to $35.5 billion and gross margin between 36 and 37 percent.

Apple appears to be testing its two-factor authentication system on some iCloud.com accounts, asking for a verification code before allowing users with two-factor verification enabled to access various iCloud.com apps.

First noticed by AppleInsider, the two-factor verification system for iCloud.com requires users to enter a verification code sent via SMS or to a trusted iOS device before the iCloud.com versions of Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can be used.

Previously, accessing these apps only required an Apple ID password, but now "Find My iPhone" is the only app that remains accessible without a two-factor verification code. Computers used to access iCloud.com have a "Remember This Browser" option, requiring a verification code to be entered only once.

Originally implemented back in March of 2013, two-factor verification is an opt-in system designed to increase Apple ID account security by requiring identity verification before allowing users to make account changes or purchase content on new devices. It replaces standard security questions with a security code delivered to a trusted device.

At this time, it is unknown if Apple is simply testing the feature with some users or working on a wider rollout for all iCloud.com users with two-factor verification enabled.

Update 3:30 PM PT: Apple appears to have disabled two-factor verification for some iCloud.com accounts that previously had access to the feature, suggesting it may have seen an accidental early launch.