MacRumors

Beats will launch its Beats Music service in the United States within the next couple of months, reports The Next Web. The service will be available via the web and an iOS app, directly competing with other available music services like Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, and Apple's newly released iTunes Radio.

According to Beats COO and president Luke Wood, Beats Music will focus on both content curation and playlists, with Beats hiring employees to create playlists based on artists, activities, and moods. iTunes Radio is also heavily curated.

"We’re going to focus really heavily on playlists, because that’s how we consume music and that’s how most people consume music."

"We’re talking about real depth of personalization and knowing who I am, who you are, what we’re listening to, what we like, what we’ve listened to before and then offering up music that is highly relevant to our taste profile."

Prior to the launch of both Beats Music and iTunes Radio, Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine met with Apple executives to discuss its music subscription service, called "Project Daisy" at the time.

While Apple CEO Tim Cook and SVP of Internet Services Eddy Cue expressed interest in Beats’ model and rollout plans, no deal emerged between the two companies. Despite that, Apple and Beats maintain a close relationship, with Apple retail stores offering Beats products and using Beats by Dre headphones to demo iPods and other products.

Skype today updated its iPhone and iPad apps to version 4.13, introducing a slight redesign that better fits the aesthetic of iOS 7. Though the Skype apps already used a "flat" iOS 7-style design, additional white space has been introduced for an overall cleaner look.

The app also includes improvements to accessibility with better Voice Over integration and enhancements to both audio and video calling.

Today we’re pleased to release Skype for iPhone and Skype for iPad, version 4.13. In this release we’ve focused on bringing a refreshed look for iOS 7. In addition we’ve made improvements to accessibility, audio and video calling.
What New in Skype for iPhone and iPad 4.13:

Refreshed look and feel for iOS 7
Accessibility improvements, including:
-Improved accessibility of dialpad with touchtype support
-VoiceOver announces the senders name when messaging
-VoiceOver improvements for group chats
General fixes

Skype is a free app that can be downloaded for the iPhone and the iPad. [Direct Links: iPhone/iPad]

In a note published to clients late last week, a survey by investment research firm Canaccord Genuity (via Fortune) revealed that the new iPhone 5s was the top-selling phone at all four major U.S. carriers in September, with the lower-cost iPhone 5c second in sales at AT&T and Sprint. The Samsung Galaxy S4 placed ahead of the iPhone 5c in sales at Verizon and T-Mobile, with the firm attributing strong sales of Samsung's flagship device to price cuts initiated in June.

"We believe these price cuts combined with Samsung's aggressive marketing and effective advertising campaign for its existing and new high-tier smartphones, such as the recently-launched Galaxy Note 3, could potentially help Samsung reduce high-tier smartphone share losses to Apple in October despite the strong iPhone 5s and 5c demand."

In September, Apple announced that sales of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c surpassed nine million during their launch weekend, breaking previous records set by past iPhones. Analytics firm Localytics also shared data that also revealed the iPhone 5s outsold the iPhone 5c by roughly 3.5x during the launch weekend as measured by customer usage.

Photo sharing service 500px has released a significant update to its iOS app, which includes features such as a new edge-to-edge design for full resolution photos as well as new swipe gestures for inline "Like" and "Reply" actions. The iPad version of the app now also displays an improved photo details drawer showing user interaction such as likes and favorites, and a refined Flow interface featuring user avatars and activity.

We've made 500px for iOS an even better way to find your inspiration and to show off your best work. With an all-new visual design, the world's best photography fills every screen from edge to edge, making 500px feel right at home in iOS.

500px's iOS app was the subject of controversy earlier this year after it was pulled for containing questionable content in the form of nude photos, but the app returned a week later after fixing the issue. 500px last saw a major update this past April, which brought performance enhancements and features such as the Flow interface for the iPad.

500px can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Following announcements from Best Buy and RadioShack that they will be offering $50 gift cards to iPhone 5c customers that will bring the prices down to $50 for a 16 GB model with a two-year contract, Walmart will be undercutting even those offers starting today by dropping its pricing to $45, reports MarketWatch.

While Best Buy's current offer is good only through next Monday and RadioShack's is scheduled to run for about a month, Walmart's pricing will be valid throughout the holiday shopping season. Walmart has been offering the iPhone 5c for $79 since launch, a $20 discount from standard pricing.

Price drops around the holidays are not terribly unusual for major iPhone retailers, but stores are being rather aggressive in announcing price drops on a brand-new iPhone model so soon after launch. iPhone 5c models have been in relatively good supply since their launch, while the more expensive iPhone 5s has seen significant shortages. The iPhone 5s has not seen any significant sale announcements, although Walmart has been offering the 16 GB model for $189, a $10 discount from normal pricing, since launch.

As noted by ABC News, Best Buy yesterday began a brief promotion offering $50 off of the price of the iPhone 5c. With the 16 GB model normally priced at $99.99 on a two-year contract in the U.S., the discount cuts pricing on the device to just $49.99. The offer brings the cost of the higher-capacity 32 GB model down to $149.99 with a contract.

The discount, which comes in the form of a gift card that can be applied to the in-store iPhone purchase itself, comes just two weeks after the device's launch and beats Walmart's $79.99 pricing on the 16 GB model that has been available since launch.

iPhone 5c supplies have remained fairly strong throughout Apple's distribution channels, giving retailers some incentive to reduce pricing to help drive sales. That availability contrasts with significant shortages seen for Apple's flagship iPhone 5s, most acutely with the silver and gold models.

The $50 gift card offer on the iPhone 5c is valid through Monday, October 7.

Update: RadioShack will be offering a similar promotion starting tomorrow, with in-store iPhone 5c purchasers eligible for a $50 gift card they can apply to the purchase of their devices. The promotion will run through November 2. Customers can also take advantage of RadioShack's Trade & Save program to receive up to $250 in store credit for trading in their current iPhones.

Disney is teaming up with NimbleBit, the developer behind free-to-play hits like Tiny Tower, Pocket Planes, and Pocket Trains to release a new title called Star Wars: Tiny Death Star.

As noted by our sister site TouchArcade, the game appears to combine Tiny Tower-style gameplay with the Star Wars universe. In Tiny Tower, the goal was to build up a tower filled with various businesses, collecting and managing resources to continue to expand.

The Empire needs your help! In collaboration with LucasArts and Tiny Tower creators NimbleBit, Disney Mobile introduces Star Wars™: Tiny Death Star™, a new game for mobile devices. Live life on the dark side and join Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader on a mission to attract Galactic bitizens, run intergalactic businesses, and build an all-new Death Star. Construct unique Star Wars themed locations to attract iconic characters and species to your space station in this 8-bit style game. Star Wars: Tiny Death Star will soon be available worldwide.

Though there is no prospective release date included with the game’s announcement, Disney says that it is coming soon, which could mean within the next week or two. Like other NimbleBit and Disney games, it will likely be free-to-play.

Apple India executives Maneesh Dhir and Sanjay Kaul have stated in a meeting with retailers that the company will be focusing on consumers in small cities and towns in the country in order to grow sales, reports The Economic Times (via The Next Web).

The executives state that Apple desires to build 100 exclusive standalone stores under the franchise model in smaller markets, and will aim to do so by the end of the current fiscal year. The company is precisely interested in the changing demographic of the market, with both executives feeling that the aspiration level of Apple products amongst the youth are growing along with the population of wealthy citizens.

The move comes amid Samsung's success in the Indian hinterland, said a senior executive with a retail chain, besides which companies such as Sony and Nokia have been able to sell smartphones costing in excess of 30,000 in areas outside the metros. The 16 GB iPhone 5 costs 45,500. India pricing for the upcoming iPhone models - the 5C and the 5S - hasn't been announced yet.

"Apple has realised that if it wants to grow fast in India, it has to look beyond the metros," said the CEO of one of India's retail chains. The company wants to grow upwards of 30% year-on-year in India and feels the smaller markets would play a critical role since the aspiration level of Apple products amongst the youth and rich is growing there as well.

India notably does not have any Apple Retail Stores in its country; however a report in January 2012 stated that Apple was interested to build stores in the country after business regulations were eased. Apple was also planning for 'significant growth' of its reseller network in India as reported last March.

Figures from research firm Canalys reported in August for Q2 2013 showed that India is now the third largest smartphone market in the world, with 129% growth in the region resulting in 9 million smartphone shipments during the quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook also mentioned during the company’s Q3 2013 earnings call that iPhone sales in India were increased by 400% year-on-year, while the iPad posted double-digit growth in the region, highlighting the potential for future growth in the market.

Berlin-based Security Research Labs has detailed various exploits within the iPhone 5s' Touch ID security feature and iOS 7 that allow would-be criminals to bypass the device's security features, reports Reuters.

The method for bypassing the Touch ID security feature found on the iPhone 5s is very similar to the one used by the Chaos Computer Club, which also claimed to hack Touch ID earlier this month. A video posted on the group’s website shows how Touch ID can be bypassed using information gathered from fingerprints left on the victim’s phone display, demonstrating that a photo taken with the iPhone 4s can be used for developing a mold.

Another video by the group outlines a scenario in which a knowledgeable criminal could steal an iPhone 5s running iOS 7, use Control Center on the lock screen (enabled by default) to turn on Airplane Mode and disable the device’s connectivity, then using a fingerprint mold to bypass the lock screen and disable other various security features. Ultimately, the group shows how an attacker could conceivably gain complete control of a victim's device, Apple ID, and even other services such as Google accounts.

The group ends the video by suggesting Apple do the following to increase security efficiency in iOS 7:

1. Make Airplane Mode inaccessible from the lock screen by default and require PIN after setting Airplane Mode or removing SIM Card
2. Warn users not to store password-reset email accounts on iDevices
3. When device is lost for good, advise users to revoke its privileges
4. Do not inform potential attackers how the device is protected
5. Upon reconnecting to the Internet, iOS should not allow email retrieval before the device’s wipe- or don’t-wipe status can be retrieved

Aside from any future changes Apple may make to increase security, users can already prevent the simple bypass of the Remote Wipe feature by turning off access to Control Center from the lock screen.

iOS 7 has recently been the subject of much praise by security officials, including the New York Police Department, which passed out flyers in New York City recommending users to update to iOS 7, along with government officials who have praised iOS 7’s Activation Lock. Meanwhile, Touch ID has been the subject of much scrutiny since its release, with U.S. Senator Al Franken sending a letter to Tim Cook asking a number of questions about the security of the system and the exact fingerprint storage process. Apple has also published an extensive knowledge base article about the benefits of the Touch ID system to alleviate some consumer concerns.