MacRumors

A new research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicates that Apple will include Touch ID across all new iOS devices in 2014, boosting shipments and bringing the fingerprint sensor to the iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3. The report reiterates previous claims made by Kuo last month, which noted that Apple's next-generation iPads will feature Touch ID upon their releases this fall.

touchid

Apple’s Touch ID module should see shipments soar 233% in 2014. We believe every new iOS device launched this year will be equipped with Touch ID, including 4.7” and 5.5” new iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 2 with Retina display. Considering shipments of new products and iPhone 5S sales last longer than in 2013, we forecast unit sales of the fingerprint sensor module to grow 233% to 120mn for 2014.

Kuo also notes that Apple will change its Touch ID module design to utilize tin over previously used chemicals to enhance durability. Apple is also expected to stick with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and its subsidary XinTec to produce the fingerprint sensors.

Last month, it was noted that TSMC provided the first batch of fingerprint sensors for the iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3. A report in January noted that TSMC would begin production on the sensors sometime in the second quarter of this year with a new 12-inch fab processing method, however a report in February stated that TSMC would be using the same 8-inch fingerprint sensor processing method used for the iPhone 5s.

Improved shipments of Touch ID will also likely help launch supplies of all three devices, as low yield rates of the component was said to be a key factor contributing to the limited supplies of the iPhone 5s at its launch last September.

Related Roundups: iPad, iPad mini
Related Forums: iPad, iPhone

Google subsidiary VirusTotal announced (via The Next Web) and launched a version of its VirusTotal Uploader for OS X, bringing the popular malware scanning tool to Apple's platform for the first time.

virustotal_uploader
After a quick installation, the program allows users to drag and drop any file, folder, or application to perform a malware scan. VirusTotal Uploader utilizes over 50 different databases to search for any traces of malware.

Hopefully this will lead to VirusTotal receiving more Mac applications, diving deeper into an increasingly targeted OS by attackers and allowing antivirus companies and researchers making use of VirusTotal's backend to build stronger defenses against these threats.

VirusTotal Uploader for OS X can be downloaded for free from the utility's official website.

Apple will launch a new software platform that will let the iPhone directly control lights, security systems and other household gadgets at WWDC next week, according to a report from The Financial Times.

The piece claims Apple will make a "big play" in smart home technology by working with device makers give them official approval, like the "Made for iPhone" program does for some accessories like headphones and speaker docks, and software support in iOS 8.

Nest Thermostat

The scheme will be similar to Apple’s existing “Made for iPhone” label, given to compatible headphones, speakers and other accessories, but with a new brand and logo. Apple may also provide additional checks and assurances that certified products are not vulnerable to hackers.

The Cupertino-based company was likely to emphasise the privacy protections built into its smart home system, one person familiar with Apple’s plans told the FT, given heightened sensitivity about technology companies’ access to personal information amid revelations about US intelligence agencies’ online surveillance programmes.

The piece notes that plans can always change, but that Apple has launched a number of initiatives over the past year or two, including CarPlay and iBeacon, to expand the reach of the iPhone and have it interact more with the real world and other electronic devices in it.

Apple's retail stores sell a number of different components of the so-called "Internet of Things", including the Google-owned Nest Thermostat (pictured above), Philips Hue lightbulbs and Belkin WeMo Wi-Fi enabled light switches.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2025

French site MacBidouille revives rumors that Apple is actively developing ARM processor based Macs. According to a source that they describe as reliable, Apple has prototypes of several ARM-based machines, including an iMac, Mac mini, and 13" Notebook with 4-8 64-bit ARM Quad-core processors.

macbookair-a7
These machines are reportedly far along in development, and come with a new keyboard that incorporates a large-format Magic Trackpad. Apple might even be ready for an announcement but is reportedly hesitant to make the move.

MacBidouille isn't a frequent source of rumors, so its hard to gauge its source's credibility, but rumors of ARM-based Macs have been circulating for years. It seems likely that Apple has prototyped such devices, but many have doubted the feasibility of moving forward with such a plan.

The first inklings of such a plan might have come when Apple threatened to abandon Intel's chips if they didn't work to slash power consumption. While AMD might have been one way to go for Apple, the first rumors of an Apple migration from Intel to ARM processors appeared earlier that year. Later, a report claimed that Apple already had an ARM (A5) powered MacBook Air in their labs back in 2011.

An analysis in 2012 suggested that Apple shifting from Intel to ARM wasn't implausible but it faced several hurdles. The most significant one was Apple's own ARM chips being able to keep a pace with Intel's future roadmap.

Apple, however, has been making great strides in performance in their ARM processors. The A7 is described as desktop class even in an independent analysis. In fact, the A7 chip is currently being underutilized in Apple's iPhone and iPad devices, leaving some of its power untapped.

Related Roundups: iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini
Related Forums: iMac, MacBook Air, Mac mini

Apple has debuted two new video ads for its "Your Verse" iPad Air campaign that showcases the tablet being used in a variety of situations. The pair of ads profile Esa-Pekka Salonen, a Finnish conductor who composes music with the iPad Air, and travel blogger Chérie King, who uses various apps to map her journeys and translate foreign languages on the fly.


Salonen's Your Verse ad
displays the musician taking a simple musical concept and developing it into a full composition, using apps such as Touch Press' The Orchestra and Notion to sound out various instruments. The composer is also seen using Pianist Pro, which is shown being used before a whole orchestra plays a musical piece.


Meanwhile, King's one-minute spot shows the writer traveling to various places including Morocco and Vietnam while using the iPad Air in a number of ways. Apps such as Wordpress, Facebook, and Twitter are shown being used to record the journey, while Triposo and iTranslate are used to find popular destinations and translate foreign languages in real time, respectively.

As with the other Your Verse ads, both videos have corresponding sections on Apple's website which go into details about the stories of both individuals and how the iPad Air has helped.

Apple debuted its initial Your Verse iPad ad in January alongside a corresponding website that shares a number of experiences. Other stories have noted the iPad's use in mountaineering, sports, choreography, oceanography, and more.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Several readers have noted a strange error message appearing when trying to perform software updates from the Mac App Store.

invalid-certificate

An Error has occurred

The certificate for this server is invalid. You might be connecting to a server that is pretending to be "swscan.apple.com" which could put you confidential information at risk.

Swscan.apple.com is one of several servers that Software Update uses to communicate with Apple. The apparent problem is that the security certificate for the server appears to have expired. The certificate was originally valid from May 22, 2012 to May 24, 2014.

expired
This is a problem that Apple will need to fix on their side. In the meanwhile, users can manually download updates from Apple's support site.

Update: This may also be the cause of NSURLErrorDomain error -1012, which appears to have started in the same time.

Update 2: Apple appears to have fixed the certificate.

Michael Simmons of Flexibits noted earlier today that the App Store no longer allows customers to reinstall or update refunded App Store apps.

refund
An error message now notifies users when they try:

Update Unavailable with This Apple ID

This update is not available for this Apple ID either because it was bought by a different user or the item was refunded and cancelled.

While Apple has never had an automatic way to get refunds for apps, Apple does allow users to "Report a Problem" on their purchases and options include ways to get a refund.

In the past, customers were allowed to continue updating and reinstalling apps even if they were given a refund on the price of the app. This new functionality has also been extended to the Mac App Store.

Last week, reports indicated that Apple's acquisition of Beats would not be finalized until this week. With the week ending and no deal having been announced, a new Billboard report offers insight into what could be holding up the deal.

beatsdreBillboard's sources indicate the deal "is complicated", as it would be Apple's largest acquisition. In addition, the news apparently leaked "too early", with Apple nowhere near ready for news to break despite publications like Re/code and The Financial Times reporting that the deal is close to completion.

A video that was uploaded to YouTube of actor/musician Tyrese alongside Beats co-founder Dr. Dre is another possible reason for the delay, with Dre claiming that he was the first billionaire in hip hop after the deal. The video apparently "freaked Apple out" and had the Cupertino company outraged.

Apparently, the Apple family near imploded with outrage when that video went up on Facebook of an ‘excited’ Dr. Dre with R&B singer/former Coca Cola pin-up Tyrese. In the video they share, in language perhaps unsuitable for a family blog, how Dre will be hip-hop’s first billionaire and other nice things about Compton.

Fourth, Apple allegedly isn't sure whether to give Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre roles as permanent consultants or whether to give them full-time executive roles. Apple is also apparently unsure whether the two of them would fit into the company's corporate climate, despite reports that Iovine and Dre are the "big prizes" of the acquisition.

Finally, another rumored sticking point is Apple's valuation of Beats Music, which has around 200,000 subscribers and has been speculated as one of the main reasons behind the acquisition. Apple is apparently planning to keep Beats Music separate entity from iTunes in order to avoid cannibalization of iTunes music sales.

Apple pundit John Gruber of Daring Fireball offered another scenario, discrediting the Billboard report and speculating that Beats may have leaked to the deal, angering Apple and scuttling the acquisition before it could be completed.

While there have been a multitude of iPhone 6 mockups and case leaks, actual parts said to be from the iPhone 6 have thus far been in short supply. We've seen what might be the front panel of the device along with possible batteries and a manufacturing mold used for creating the phone's chassis.

What is said to be a backlight panel for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 has now appeared on Chinese Twitter-like site Weibo (via Nowhereelse.fr) [Google Translation]. There is no way to verify the legitimacy of the images, but the backlight design does appear similar to the backlight panel of the iPhone 5s and the 5c, with a few small differences -- the connector has been relocated and the pins themselves have a different design.

backlightpanel
Little new information about the iPhone 6 can be gleaned from the images, legitimate or not, but previous rumors have suggested that Apple will take advantage of advancements in LED backlighting technology to shift to thinner components for the iPhone 6, shrinking the thickness of the device considerably. Current rumors and design schematics have suggested the iPhone 6 might be between 6 and 7mm thick, considerably thinner than the existing 7.6mm iPhone 5s.

While today's part appears to be for the 4.7-inch iPhone, Apple is expected to release the iPhone in two sizes: the aforementioned 4.7-inch version and a larger 5.5-inch version. While the 4.7-inch iPhone is expected to launch in the fall, possibly as early as September, the 5.5-inch version has reportedly experienced production issues that may push its launch back several months.

backpanel2
Along with new backlighting technology that may result in a thinner design, the iPhone 6 is also expected to feature an A8 processor, camera improvements, and 802.11ac WiFi.

Related Forum: iPhone

Apple kicked off a new promotion in time for Father's Day that offers free shipping on all online purchases placed through May 29. This limited time offer waives the $50 minimum purchase Apple usually requires for free shipping.

apple-store-saleb
Besides the Father's Day branding and shipping promotion, Apple also updated its website with a gift guide that showcases the top gifts this year for Dads. Items highlighted on the list include the iGrill mini Smart Grilling Thermometer, Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Over-Ear Headphones and the Nike+ FuelBand SE.

Apple's retail and online sales experiences may change now that Angela Ahrendts is at the helm of Apple's retail operations. She reportedly shook up the in-house retail team and started reaching out to Apple Store employees in her first few weeks on the job. She is expected to focus on increasing Apple's presence in China, improving mobile payment options and redesigning the "end-to-end Apple Store sales experience."

In line with an earlier rumor, Apple today launched the 8 GB iPhone 5c in India, reports The Times of India. Apple is offering the phone with a Rs. 4,000 discount ($68), bringing the price down to Rs 33,500 ($572). For a limited time, Apple also is including a free case worth Rs 2,000 with every purchase.

iphone5c
Apple released the 8 GB version of the iPhone 5c earlier this year and brought the phone to more than 16 countries outside the US. Apple introduced this low-capacity model as an affordable option that also is compatible with a growing number of developing LTE networks overseas.

Apple has been expanding its presence in India, bringing back the iPhone 4 earlier this year and growing its network of retail stores in the country. According to Canalys's 2013 estimates, India is the third largest smartphone market in the world and growing. Apple is aware of the opportunity, with CEO Tim Cook reporting in Q3 2013 that iPhone sales in the country increased 400 percent year-over year.

The 8GB iPhone 5c sits at the bottom of the iPhone lineup in India, nestled in between the reintroduced 8GB iPhone 4 (Rs. 22,900) and the 16GB iPhone 5c (Rs. 41,900).

Apple is leading the way in the adoption of sapphire, with the company producing the material in limited quantities in its new Arizona plant. A portion of this material is expected to land in the iPhone 6 and possibly the iWatch as a scratch-resistant display material. According to Korean media reports (via GforGames), both Samsung and LG are showing renewed interest in sapphire following Apple's early success in manufacturing the material.

sapphire_furnaces

Furnaces for sapphire glass production

LG and Samsung allegedly explored the feasibility of using sapphire in their phones last year, but rejected the material due to the high cost of production. Now that Apple is moving forward with the material, Samsung and LG are reevaluating their earlier decisions, reaching out to sapphire glass manufacturers and requesting product samples for examination.

This year however, the aforementioned Korean tech giants might be forced by the industry to reconsider their decision. With numerous other gadget manufacturers putting a lot of thought into making sapphire glass feasible, and with Apple already operating the sapphire glass processing plant in US, Arizona, LG and Samsung are supposedly going to jump on the sapphire display bandwagon sooner rather than later.

Sapphire may be a critical component of Apple's rumored iWatch, providing an outer scratch-resistant layer to the wrist-worn device. Recent rumors also suggest Apple may incorporate a sapphire crystal display into its upcoming iPhone 6. A recent research note from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests the initial supply of sapphire displays could be limited, forcing Apple to use the material only in select high-end models of the upcoming handset.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPhone

Transcend has introduced new JetDrive Lite expansion cards designed to increase the storage capacity of the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. The cards provide up to 128 GB of additional storage for less than $100.

jet-drive
The new JetDrive Lite expansion cards are tailor-made with a flush design that matches the case form factor of both the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro models. This on-the-go storage solution offers read and write speeds of 95MB/s and 60MB/s, respectively.

With their substantial amount of storage space, Transcend's JetDrive Lite expansion cards provide plenty of space to backup, store, and carry personal documents, photos, movies, and music.

[...]

When inserted into the card slot of a compatible MacBook Pro with Retina display or MacBook Air, the low-profile JetDrive Lite will not stick out like an SD card and can be left in place for on-the-go storage.

The company offers separate products for the different MacBook models due to design differences between the machines. While the 13-inch MacBook Air and the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro can be upgraded to 64 GB and 128 GB capacities, the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is limited to 64 GB.


The JetDrive Lite Series of expansion cards are available now with prices starting at $49 for the 64 GB version and $99 for the 128 GB capacity card.

jimmy-iovine-crop-324x285Bringing "culturally aware" managers to Apple is a big part of why Apple is interested in acquiring Beats, according to a new report from TechCrunch.

The piece claims that Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre are the big prizes at the company, and that it fits with Tim Cook's recent hiring of high-fashion managers like Angela Ahrendts from Burberry, wearable expert Ben Shaffer from Nike, and Paul Deneve from Yves St. Laurent.

Dre and Iovine have design and marketing savvy from Beats that could be significant for the company, which has struggled somewhat with its marketing efforts since Steve Jobs has passed away.

A well-placed source has confirmed rumors that Apple’s acquisition of Beats “is happening” but was close to falling apart multiple times. The source said with “70% certainty” that Apple’s planned multi-billion acquisition of headphone maker Beats will go through. But Apple isn’t buying Beats for the technology, they’re buying the talent.

“They want Jimmy and they want Dre,” said the source. “He’s got fashion and culture completely locked up.”

In a separate TechCrunch piece, a different reporter says Apple is looking to operate Beats as an external streaming music service to avoid cannibalizing its iTunes download business.

Reportedly, it's not that Apple is worried about losing its 30% cut of song downloads, but Apple launching a streaming music service could decimate the more than $1 billion that iTunes generates for record industry revenues.

Because it’s deeply conscious that pumps a lot of blood into the music industry. My source says iTunes execs started deeply considering streaming at least two years ago. They realized a sudden move for iTunes from downloads to streaming could lead to dark days for the record business, reducing musical inventory – and revenue – accordingly.

The piece argues that Apple may be looking to grow its streaming business on the side as iTunes music downloads drop, and that the company is looking to "bridge the download and cloud eras gracefully."

It says Apple executives are looking to strike a deal with record labels that would allow the company to sell a subscription music service for $5 per month, half of what Spotify charges, but with a higher cut of revenues.

Supposedly the acquisition will be announced soon, perhaps during Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote on June 2.

Office for iPadMicrosoft's design manager for Office for iPad has posted an interesting piece discussing the company's design philosophy behind the software.

The software, released back in March, has been well received by both users and critics. It's seen more than 27 million downloads and has already seen a significant update to add features that weren't ready for launch.

Han-Yi Shaw writes about the scenarios that the team imagined Office for iPad users would find themselves in, as well as the user experience goals they had:

- Familiar Office experience, with no learning curve
- Unmistakably Office, optimized for iPad
- Immersive and removes distractions
- Document content, not UI, takes center stage
- Experience is always beautiful, fast, and fluid

The purpose of a familiar Office experience is simple: a low learning curve and high user confidence. However, it’s just as important to strike a balance between “unmistakably Office” and “platform optimization,” which means optimizing for iOS platform conventions and touch-first user expectations. The most important, yet challenging, goal was finding the sweet spot between the essence of Office and iOS. Fortunately, since the Office for iPad and Mac team (formally known as the Macintosh Business Unit) is made up of Apple platform specialists, we were able to apply our deep knowledge of Apple platforms to the task.

The piece talks about how Microsoft redesigned The Ribbon -- the control strip at the top of all Office programs -- to mesh with Apple's design philosophies following the release of iOS 7. "That meant stripping out extraneous detail," said Shaw. "If there was a visual treatment or text label that wasn't absolutely necessary, we stripped it away."

Old and New Office
The full piece is an interesting peek behind the curtain for designers and anyone interested in how software used by millions of people gets built.

Office for iPad is available from the App Store. [Direct Link: Word, Excel, PowerPoint]

Recent weeks have seen a number of cases and physical mockups for Apple's rumored iPhone 6, and now we're getting a good look at the aluminum mold being used by case manufacturers as they prepare for the upcoming launch, courtesy of MobileDirect.ro.

iphone_6_mold_1
Rather than a dummy model made to resemble the iPhone 6 directly, the mold is intended to represent the general shape of the device for the purposes of creating cases to fit the device and its physical features. As a result, the mold contains holes and depressions to allow it to be attached to machines for making the cases.

iphone_6_mold_3
The iPhone 6 is expected to be available in two display sizes, both larger than the current 4-inch display on the last several generations. A 4.7-inch version has been rumored to be launching first around the September timeframe, with an even larger 5.5-inch model reportedly following several months later.

iphone_6_mold_2

Related Forum: iPhone

pixelmatorPixelmator has updated its incredibly popular image editing software to version 3.2, including a completely redesigned repair tool, 16-bits per channel color support and a much-requested Lock Layers feature.

The new repair tool includes quick, standard and advanced modes that use retouching algorithms to remove imperfections or unwanted objects from images more efficiently. The Lock Layers feature lets users prevent any alterations to finished layers so they can't be changed accidentally, and the 16-bits per channel support, introduced in Pixelmator 3.1, now works on all Macs, not just the Mac Pro.

"Packed with incredible features, Pixelmator 3.2 Sandstone delivers the most empowering image editing experience Pixelmator fans have ever had," said Saulius Dailide of the Pixelmator Team. "Redeveloped from the ground up Repair Tool, 16-bits per channel support and Lock Layers feature make Pixelmator an excellent image editor that is just as fun and easy-to-use as it is powerful."


Pixelmator 3.2 is a free upgrade for existing users, while new users can download the app from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [Direct Link]

At Fortune's recent Brainstorm Green conference, Apple VP of Environmental Initiatives Lisa Jackson spoke about her role at Apple and the company's green initiatives, reports Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Apple 2.0. Jackson joined Apple's executive team last year and formerly served as the head of the Environmental Protection Agency.


After a brief discussion of Jackson's background and Apple's green achievements, the highlight of the 16-minute interview occurs when Jackson was questioned by Patagonia's environmental chief Rick Ridgeway. Ridgeway inquired how Apple can boast about reducing its carbon footprint on individual products, when its overall footprint increases each year as the business grows. After chuckling about being "put on the spot," Jackson responded seriously:

Listen, if all of us sustainability professionals have to resort to "make and sell less stuff" as the answer to the problem, then we are suffering from an extraordinary lack of imagination. And innovation. One of the things that your company -- certainly I think Apple -- is about is trying to understand where the technology innovations and other innovations are that help us to reduce carbon intensity. We're not advocating for less people to have access to our products. That's not the answer we're looking for.

Apple has made great strides in the area of the environment, reducing the carbon footprint of its Mac business by 27 percent over the past eight years and powering most of its facilities almost entirely with renewable energy.