MacRumors

Apple yesterday posted a job listing for a "Buzz Marketing Manager" based out of New York (via Dwight Silverman and Business Insider), with the description outlining a position responsible for managing such areas as product placement in film and television and fostering relationships with "high-profile influencers" to promote the Apple brand.

- Product placement in film & television. Work with the creative side of film & TV to place Apple products. This includes getting necessary approvals, managing and trafficking product inventory, following up with studios, and monitoring media for successful placements.

- Build and maintain relationships with high-profile influencers. Influential Apple users could be directors, actors, artists, athletes, designers and select brands or institutions. Determine which relationships have potential to maximize benefit to Apple.

- Leverage relationships to book events at Apple Store Soho. Collaborate with Apple Retail, PR and iTunes to ensure maximum positive outcome for the effort. Produce a podcast for each event into iTunes and maximize the promotional value of the content through PR efforts and partner channels.

Apple describes the role as new and reporting to the head of worldwide Buzz Marketing, suggesting that Apple is expanding its efforts in the area.

Buzz marketing has been receiving significant attention recently, in large part due to Samsung's aggressive efforts in the area led by the "Oscar selfie" posted by Ellen Degeneres. The stunt, which became the most retweeted Tweet in history, was quickly revealed to have been coordinated by Samsung, which was a promotional sponsor

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Modern Family's "Game Changer" episode with iPad promotional tie-in

Apple's Buzz Marketing program has been in place for two decades, however, having been developed and led by longtime Apple employee Suzanne Lindbergh until her departure for Jawbone last October. On her LinkedIn profile, Lindbergh highlights her role in helping produce over 1,500 events for Apple's in-store Meet the Filmmaker/Actor series, as well as her work on Apple's original "Hello" teaser ad for the iPhone and a promotional tie-in for an episode of Modern Family days before the launch of the original iPad.

In the wake of its acquisition of prepaid carrier MetroPCS last year, T-Mobile US indicated that adding the iPhone to MetroPCS's lineup was "a possibility" but not an imminent move. A year later, things are looking a bit more positive for MetroPCS customers, with T-Mobile's Mike Sievert telling Re/code the carrier is "very interested" in bringing the iPhone to MetroPCS.

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“We are very interested in that,” Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told Re/code. “We think the Metro PCS customer would be as well.” [...]

Part of the challenge is finding an attractive way to make it affordable enough for all of MetroPCS’s customers, many of whom have tighter budgets and some of whom might not have good enough credit to qualify for device financing.

MetroPCS had approximately nine million customers at the time of its acquisition by T-Mobile, and the carrier now operates as a separate brand running on T-Mobile's network in an expanded set of markets. T-Mobile has also reclaimed substantial portions of MetroPCS's former spectrum for use in enhancing the overall T-Mobile network.

Related Forum: iPhone

As first noted by MacStories, Apple today launched a "Best of April" section in the App Store, rounding up the best new apps, updates and games released within the past month.

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At the top, the new section highlights the "Best App & Game" with separate picks for both the iPhone and iPad. For the iPhone, Apple selected The New York Times' NYT Now news curation app and physics-based adventure game Leo's Fortune, while Comedy Central's official iOS app and Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft were chosen for the iPad.

Also included are picks for "Great Games" and "Amazing Apps", which features new and recently updated apps including Monument Valley, SpeakaZoo, Hitman GO, and Union.

It is likely that Apple will regularly update this section with a new collection of apps every month, and joins the App Store's other highlighted sections for "App of the Week" and "Editors Choice". Apple also rolled out an "Indie Game Showcase" section on the App Store last month.

Former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts has officially joined Apple and is now listed on the company's executive page alongside other major Apple execs like Jonathan Ive, Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, and Craig Federighi.

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Ahrendts will take on the role of Senior Vice President of Retail and Online stores, a position that has seen significant turnover in recent years. Back in 2011, Ron Johnson left the position to join J.C. Penney after 11 years with Apple and while the role was filled by John Browett in 2012, he was ousted just months later. Since that time, Apple has operated without a retail leader.

Angela is responsible for the operation and expansion of Apple retail and online stores, which have redefined the shopping experience for hundreds of millions of customers around the world. Apple retail stores set the standard for customer service with innovative features like the Genius Bar, personal setup and one-to-one personal training to help customers get the most out of their Apple products.

Back in October, when Ahrendts' hiring was first announced, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted he was "thrilled" she was joining the team, emphasizing that she shared Apple's values, "focus on innovation," and the company's dedication to customer experience.

Prior to joining Apple, Ahrendts served as CEO of Burberry beginning in 2006. She is largely credited with boosting Burberry back to fame after a decline, tripling the company's revenue and working to merge Burberry's online experience with the brick and mortar experience.

With her luxury brand experience and her dedication to improving customer experience, it's possible that Ahrendts could bring some significant improvements to both the online and retail shopping experience at Apple, at a time when the company is poised to launch several new flagship products, including the iPhone 6 and the iWatch.

applelogo.pngApple will begin notifying its users of secret personal data requests from law enforcement, according to The Washington Post, as the company believes users have a right to know in advance if their information is being targeted by the government.

Apple, Microsoft, Facebook and Google all are updating their policies to expand routine notification of users about government data seizures, unless specifically gagged by a judge or other legal authority, officials at all four companies said. Yahoo announced similar changes in July.

Prosecutors, however, say the move could tip off criminals, allowing them to destroy potential digital evidence, cover their tracks and intimidate potential witnesses before law enforcement can build their case. Alternatively, the Post notes that some companies who already notify users before a government requests have found that investigators have dropped data requests to avoid having suspects learn of their inquiries.

In the United States, the typical search warrant requires the police to notify the suspect that they are being searched. However, so-called "sneak-and-peek" warrants are not unheard of and allow investigators to search a suspect's house or other property without any notification. This ability was expanded in the PATRIOT Act, allowing the Federal Government to utilize such warrants in nearly any crime.

Apple and the other companies are seeking to nullify these sneak-and-peek warrants as they pertain to the digital realm.

Apple's changes will be unveiled in an updated privacy policy later this month, an Apple spokeswoman told the Post, and users will be notified in "most cases" when their information is requested by a government entity. Cases in which Apple would not notify users include data requests from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and subpoenas from the FBI for national security investigations.

“Later this month, Apple will update its policies so that in most cases when law enforcement requests personal information about a customer, the customer will receive a notification from Apple,” company spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said.

The Cupertino company has been increasingly concerned about privacy matters since the discovery of secret intelligence program PRISM, with CEO Tim Cook saying the NSA would have to cart them "out in a box" before it could access Apple's servers. Apple has also hired certified privacy professional Sabrina Ross as privacy counsel to oversee the protection of customer data.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

notabilityPopular note taking app Notability has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, it is available as a free download for the first time since it was released in 2011.

Notability allows users to make sketches, take notes, annotate documents, sign contracts, record lectures, and more. It supports input via a finger or stylus and includes palm rejection to make note taking easier.

In addition to touch-based input, the app has a built-in text editor and it also has the ability to record audio. Notability lets users import documents in a wide variety of formats, including PDF, DOC, and PPT.

Notability is a universal app and it has iCloud support, so notes can be transferred between the iPad and the iPhone. It also has support for several different services, including Dropbox, Box, and Google Drive.

Welcome to Notability, a powerful note-taker on iPad and iPhone: sketch ideas, annotate documents, sign contracts, complete worksheets, keep a journal, record a lecture, jot travel notes, or teach a class. With iCloud support, your notes always travel with you!

Write, illustrate and annotate using gorgeous ink. Notability's zoom window helps you quickly and clearly draw every detail, while the palm rest protects your notes from unwanted marks. Choose the right pen and paper for any project.

As Apple's App of the Week, Notability will be available as a free download from the App Store for the next seven days. [Direct Link]

Japan iTunes Match
Apple is expanding its iTunes Match service to Japan, according to a MacRumors tipster and the company's iTunes Match availability website. The service, which costs ¥3,980 per year, allows iTunes users to match their existing iTunes libraries with high quality versions of songs from Apple's iCloud. After matching, content is available in iCloud and can be accessed from any device. iTunes Match is $25 per year in the U.S and, at current exchange rates, the Japanese version costs roughly $39.

Japan was one of the few countries where Apple sold music but did not offer iTunes Match. Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden all gained iTunes Match last December, and Apple launched its iTunes Radio music streaming service in Australia in February.

Thanks @shigeyas!

Apple may be adding to its wearables team, as MIT researcher Eric Winokur will be joining the company in the coming weeks, according to a source who spoke to MacRumors. Winokur, who does research at MIT's Medical Electronic Devices Realization Center, has recently worked on an ear-worn "wearable vital signs monitor." According to his LinkedIn page, one of his specialties is "wearable medical device R&D."

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My professional experience includes many aspects of research and development in the electrical engineering field, with an emphasis on medical monitors. From conceptualizing designs to following through with circuit layout (both IC and PCB) and building full prototypes, I have enjoyed being involved in the entire process.

Specialties: Wearable medical device R&D, circuit design, PCB and IC layout, signal processing, physiological to electrical signal conversion

Winokur is listed as an author on a number of academic papers focusing on cardiovascular ear-worn devices that measure vital signs. His work was published in two 2012 papers, the first entitled "An ear-worn continuous ballistocardiogram (BCG) sensor for cardiovascular monitoring" and the second entitled "A wearable vital signs monitor at the ear for continuous heart rate and pulse transit time measurements." Ballistocardiography aims to measure the movement of blood into major vessels with each heart beat.

Both papers describe an ear-worn device that is designed to wirelessly monitor vital signs using a built-in triaxial accelerometer. The devices are described as taking on the form factor of a hearing aid and are wirelessly connected to a PC for data recording and analysis.

Word of Winokur's hiring comes just as a rumor has surfaced claiming Apple is planning to launch EarPods headphones with integrated heart rate and blood pressure sensors. While the claim is extremely sketchy, Apple patent applications have revealed the company's interest in integrating biometric sensors into headphones in the past.

Regardless, it is unclear if Winokur will continue his work on ear-worn monitoring devices at Apple or perhaps move to focus on wearables in general, such as the iWatch. Given the timing of his hiring, it is unlikely his expertise will impact any of Apple's product plans rumored for later this year, but he may certainly contribute to the company's ongoing efforts in the health and wearables area.

In a 2011 interview with ABC, Winokur described the benefit of the medical device he was developing, suggesting it was to be worn in the ear all day for continuous monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate.

"The goal is to have this worn, basically throughout the day," Eric Winokur, an MIT Ph.D. candidate told Ivanhoe.

It measures heart rate and blood pressure at your head, and could help doctors track conditions like high blood pressure more accurately and continuously to better personalize treatment.

Winokur listed some typical questions that patients will be able to get answers to using the device, "Is my medication working? Should I increase it? Should I decrease it? What's my overall health?".

In recent months, Apple has taken an intense interest in health monitoring, hiring multiple health experts with a range of skills and interests, including non-invasive monitoring of heart rate, oxygen saturation, glucose, and more. Many of the experts have joined the company's iWatch team, focusing on developing a sensor-laden wearable device that may be released later this year.

Alongside the iWatch, Apple is also developing iOS 8, which is said to have a heavy focus on health with its included "Healthbook" app, designed to aggregate health-related data from a variety of sources. While Winokur's role is currently unknown, he is set to join Apple next month.

Apple today expanded iTunes in the Cloud in Germany, adding access to movies and television shows. As noted by German site iFun.de [Google Translation] German users are now able to download TV shows on their Apple TVs, as well as access previously purchased movie and television content on any of their Apple devices.

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Prior to today's update, iTunes in the Cloud in Germany was limited to music, apps, and e-books, though German users were able to purchase movies via iTunes. Apple has also reportedly updated its terms of service in the country to reflect the new content offerings, but the iTunes in the Cloud support page and the country's Apple TV page have yet to be updated.

iTunes in the Cloud, which allows iTunes users to download previously purchased content, initially launched back in June of 2011 in the United States, with U.S. users receiving access to movies and TV shows in March of 2012. Apple has been working on expanding movie and television show coverage to additional countries since that time. Currently, a number of countries have iTunes in the Cloud access to movies, while television shows are limited to just five countries.

Apple last expanded iTunes in the Cloud back in August of 2013, adding movie support in Japan and seven other European countries, including Austria, Switzerland, and Italy.

Update 3:00PM PT: Apple has also expanded iTunes in the Cloud in Spain, adding access to movies.

Streaming music app Beats Music for iOS was today updated to version 2.0.0, adding compatibility with the iPad. The app, first released in January, was previously limited to the iPhone.

The new iPad app includes an interface that has been designed specifically for the tablet's larger screen, incorporating features like Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library, and Offline Mode. Support is included for both landscape and portrait modes.

Along with iPad support, the app has also gained "Find Your Friends," a feature that allows users to find and follow their Twitter friends on Beats Music.

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What's New in Version 2.0.0
You asked for it, and we listened! Introducing Beats Music for iPad:
- A stylish and sophisticated interface designed specifically for the iPad's larger screen
- All your favorite features including Just for You, the Sentence, Find It, My Library and Offline Mode
- Dedicated support for both landscape and portrait modes
- In-app subscription and account management via your iTunes account

Additionally, so you aren't listening alone, for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch:

- Find Your Friends — adds the ability to find and follow your Twitter friends on Beats Music

and much, much more!

Beats' streaming music service has a heavy focus on curation to distinguish it from competitors like Spotify, Rdio, Pandora, and iTunes Radio. The company hires music experts to curate stations and create playlists from the service's music catalog of 20 million songs.

Beats Music can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but accessing requires a $9.99 per month subscription. Unlimited streaming and unlimited downloads are included in the purchase price. [Direct Link]

stanger-wifarerWifarer CEO and co-founder Philip Stanger has left his position at the company he founded to join Apple in a leadership role, reports TechCrunch. Stanger was hired individually and not as part of a larger acquisition of the Wifarer company.

Stanger recently updated his LinkedIn profile to reflect his new job at the Cupertino company, while at the same time, the leadership page detailing the executive team at Wifarer has been removed from the company's website. Wifarer is known for its indoor positioning system (IPS) technology, which debuted first for Android and more recently for iOS.

The company's technology uses existing Wi-Fi networks, iBeacons, or the company's own Bluetooh LE beacons to accurately locate customers when they are moving through an indoor venue. Apple apparently hired Stanger for his expertise in this area and either did not want Wifarer's technology or was unable to negotiate a deal acceptable to both parties. TechCrunch notes, however, that Stanger's background does not appear to be technical, making it unclear what role he will play at Apple.

The hire is additionally odd - versus, say, a complete acquisition of the small company – because Stanger’s background, which includes a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Master’s degree from Yale University, is not (at least formally), technical in nature. Instead, he worked at places like Paramount Pictures and the BBC prior to Wifarer.

Apple has been making a push into the indoor location field as part of its larger efforts at bringing mapping and location functionality in-house, as evidenced by its 2013 acquisition of startup WifiSLAM.

A seemingly wild rumor of Apple planning to launch new EarPods headphones with integrated heart rate and blood pressure sensors has been making the rounds today after the claim was posted on anonymous information sharing platform Secret (via Reddit).

Apple's new EarPods will have sensors in them, for heart rate & blood pressure. Also iBeacons so they don't get lost. They will require the lightning port, it's why the audio jack was moved to the bottom. [...]

It stores the data in a similar way to thumbprint point data, fully encrypted and nothing identifiable. But nice to send to your doctor to keep track of at which point your blood pressure started rising for example. [...]

Redesigned remote too. Extra mic for better noise canceling.

While a number of major tech stories have in fact broken on Secret, the anonymous nature of the platform makes it all but impossible to separate legitimate claims from fiction without corroborating information from other sources. As a result, it's easy to dismiss this EarPods rumor from someone claiming to have recently been let go from Apple.

But what makes the rumor a bit more interesting is that it has roots in Apple's research as documented in patent applications dating back years. Whether the Secret rumor is a fake inspired by those patent filings or if there actually is something to it is unknown, but it's worth taking another look at what Apple has proposed.

In one patent application filed in March 2007 and claiming a priority date of September 2006, Apple proposes using sensors integrated into various accessories or even devices themselves to collect physiological data.

The present invention can include systems and methods for integrating sensors for tracking a user's performance metrics into electronic devices and accessories therefor. In one embodiment of the present invention, the electronic devices can include portable media devices similar to iPods sold by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. or cellular telephones similar to iPhones designed by Apple Inc.

In one embodiment, the present invention can include headsets having one or more integrated physiological sensors. The headsets can be, for example, headphones for receiving audio signals from a media device or headsets for communication with cellular telephones. The sensor signals can be transmitted to a data repository through the same communication channel through which audio signals are transmitted to the headset (e.g., hard-wired or wireless).

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Apple's concepts for sensor clipped onto earlobe (left) to monitor pulse/oxygen levels or adhered to the skin (right)

Alternatively, Apple proposes using sensors embedded in an iPod or iPhone "sling" armband to monitor such data. Notably, two of the inventors listed on the patent filing are longtime accessories head Jesse Dorogusker, who moved to Square in 2012, and "father of the iPod" Tony Fadell, who left Apple in 2008 before starting Nest.

A second filing, which was granted as a patent this February, more directly addresses headphone-based physiological monitoring, although the application is also quite old, having been filed in August 2008 with an October 2007 priority date.

The invention pertains to a monitoring system that can be placed proximate to the head or ear of a user. According to one embodiment, the monitoring system can be used with a hearing device, headphones, earbuds or headsets. The monitoring system can, for example, be used to monitor user activity, such as during exercise or sporting activities. The positioning of the monitoring system can also facilitate sensing of other user characteristics (e.g., biometric data), such as temperature, perspiration and heart rate.

Advantageously, the invention can provide monitoring capabilities within a hearing device. Assuming the user is otherwise using the hearing device, such as to provide audio output by a portable media player, the user gains monitoring capabilities without requiring the user to wear or carry an additional article.

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Apple's concepts for sensors integrated directly into earpiece (left) or in a separate housing (right)

Biometrics have been rumored to be a significant part of iOS 8, with a new "Healthbook" app for tracking various types of health-related information being a key addition to Apple's mobile operating system. With Apple also rumored to be deploying biometric sensors in an upcoming iWatch, it's clear that the company has been looking at ways of collecting health-related data for many years and the effort may finally be coming together.

Tag: Patent

Research firm IDC today published its tablet shipments estimates for the first calendar quarter of 2014, with Apple holding onto its lead in tablet market share. According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, the iPad accounts for approximately one third of all global tablets shipped in the first three months of 2014.

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Worldwide tablet shipments in 1Q14 in millions of units (Source: IDC)

On a vendor basis, Apple remains the number one manufacturer, but its dominance is starting to slip. iPad shipments declined both quarterly and yearly, causing Apple to lose some ground to rival Samsung, which saw increases in both units shipped and market share.

Apple maintained its lead in the worldwide tablet plus 2-in-1 market, shipping 16.4 million units. That's down from 26.0 million units in the previous quarter and well below its total of 19.5 million units in the first quarter of 2013. Despite the contraction, the company saw its share of the market slip only modestly to 32.5%, down from the previous quarter's share of 33.2%. Samsung once again grew its worldwide share, increasing from 17.2% last quarter to 22.3% this quarter. Samsung continues to work aggressively with carriers to drive tablet shipments through attractively priced smartphone bundles. Rounding out the top five were ASUS (5%), Lenovo (4.1%), and Amazon (1.9%).

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Apple's iPad shipments (red) and share of worldwide tablet shipments (blue) for 2Q11–1Q14 (Source: IDC)

On a platform basis, Android is the leader with a two-thirds share of the market, followed by iOS. Windows market share remains small, but is growing due to popularity of inexpensive, hybrid notebook tablets like the ASUS Transformer T100.

When analyzing these numbers, it is important to note that IDC tracks shipments instead of sales, making it impossible to know how many shipped devices were actually purchased by consumers and how many remain on retail shelves. IDC's figures also are estimates, as most companies do not release their exact tablet shipment data. Research firms like IDC must rely on supply chain data and calculations from information that is made public by manufacturers to build their estimates.

mr-blood-drive-2014
MacRumors is pleased to announce the Fifth Annual MacRumors Blood Drive, throughout the month of May 2014. Our goal is to increase the number of life-saving donations in real-world communities by encouraging everyone in our online community to step forward. While most blood drives are specific to a geographic location or collection center, our blood drive is online and worldwide. Our past blood drives have collectively recorded donations of hundreds of units of blood and platelets.

We ask that you:

1. Donate blood or platelets at any donation center or hospital near you. Join the bone marrow registry in your country. Sign up for the organ donor registry in your state, province, or country.

2. Post in the MacRumors 2014 Blood Drive! thread. Tell us about your donation or registration experience, or post a post-donation selfie. We'd like to thank you.

3. Share the news and our message with other people you know, online and in person. Convince one other person to donate blood in the month of May. Help us thank the donors who post about their experiences.

For details see the MacRumors 2014 Blood Drive! thread and our traditional Honor Roll of recognized donors.

Why donate blood or platelets?

Donated blood and platelets save the lives of people recovering from accidents, undergoing surgery, or struck by illness. These are people in your own neighborhoods who need your help. Donated blood and platelets are needed every 2 seconds, not just when hurricanes, earthquakes, and other disasters occur. An hour of your time could save up to 3 lives.

Why join the bone marrow registry?

With a simple cheek swab you are volunteering to donate stem cells or bone marrow if you match someone dying from a disease like leukemia. There are many thousands of people each year searching for donors to save their lives. You might be the one and only person who can save a particular patient's life.

Why join the organ donor registry?

Thousands of people die every year while waiting for organ transplants. Your donation of organs when your own life ends could save the lives of as many as 8 people.

The lives you save may belong to your friends, neighbors, relatives, or complete strangers. Someday you may receive the same generosity from others. There's no gift more precious than the gift of life.

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This year's first blood donor: forum member "stridemat"

What to do today

See the links and general information in our two knowledge base articles: Blood and Platelet Donation and Organ, Tissue, and Bone Marrow Donation. Donor eligibility rules vary by country.

1. If you are eligible to donate blood: Schedule a blood or platelet donation, in May if possible. Register for the bone marrow registry. Register as an organ donor.

2. If you aren't eligible to donate blood: Some people aren't eligible to donate blood for medical reasons, while others are barred by government policies that many find outdated. Speak your mind about it in the Blood donor eligibility thread. You can probably still register for the bone marrow registry and register as an organ donor.

3. Help our drive by thanking donors and convincing a friend or relative to donate blood.

Apple charity

Apple's support for charity has picked up in recent years. Apple has supported a number of health, relief, and charity efforts over the years, especially through Product (RED). See our updated knowledge base article: Apple Support for Charity.

mavericks_round_iconAccording to 9to5Mac, Apple may use WWDC 2014 to focus on OS X 10.10, giving the desktop OS more attention than iOS 8 during the annual developer conference. Apple allegedly has been moving iOS user interface developers to the OS X teams in order to finish up the new design in time for early June conference.

As has been previously reported, Apple is not merging the two operating systems, opting to keep iOS and OS X as separate entities, but the next version of OS X may share similar design elements with iOS 7.

The new look will have similar toggle designs to iOS 7, sharper window corners, more defined icons across the system, and more white space than the current version. However, OS X characteristics like the Finder, multi-window multitasking, and Mission Control will not disappear in favor of a more iOS-like experience.

Apple is targeting the desktop OS for release in the fall along with new hardware that will ship with this latest OS X version. Though the internal development codename of OS X 10.10 is "Syrah," the shipping name is still unclear, with Apple apparently securing trademarks for popular California locations that would match the new theme started with "Mavericks."

On the iOS 8 side of development, Apple is allegedly pushing some features of iOS 8 off to version 8.1 as the company focuses intently on its next version of OS X. Though Apple may present most of the new features of iOS 8 at WWDC next month, some notable additions such as transit functionality in Maps may not be available until later versions of iOS 8.

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iCloud will reportedly see some significant changes in the coming year with improvements on the developer side that make it easier to implement support for the service. Siri may also see Shazam integration, allowing users to identify a song using the voice assistant. Lastly, iOS 8 is reportedly being optimized for Apple's upcoming A8 processor and the rumored larger display of the iPhone 6.

The new iPhone’s larger display, as well as a “high-priority” iOS device that is not an iPhone, also lends itself to another core iOS 8 addition. The feature, dubbed by Apple employees as “multi-resolution support,” is designed to improve the performance of both App Store applications and the general iOS operating system across multiple new iOS device resolutions.

Apple TV is also now a priority for Apple, with the company rumored to be bringing in hardware and software engineering resources from within the company to work on the next generation device. Apple may be concurrently developing new hardware as well as a revamped iOS-based software system to power the device. Apple had hoped to introduce the hardware in early 2014, but the product's debut has been pushed off. It is, however, unclear whether a new Apple TV will make its way into the WWDC keynote.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: 9to5Mac
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Ephemeral photo sharing service Snapchat has released a significant update to its iOS app today, which brings integration of a new "Chat" text messaging feature and "Here" live video chat feature.


The app's new Chat feature allows a user to swipe right on a friend's name in the inbox to start text messaging, as messages in the chat screen disappear upon leaving the window. While in a conversation, users can also press and hold the blue photo button to pop in and out of live video chat, which uses a swipe up gesture to share video on the iPhone's front facing camera and a swipe gesture down to share video on the rear facing camera.

Snapchat saw its last major update in October 2013, which brought a new "Snapchat Stories" news feed feature. The app has also been the subject of some controversy in the past few months, as a security breach last December compromised the user names and phone numbers of more than 4.6 million customers, while a vulnerability in February opened up the iPhone to denial-of-service attacks.

Snapchat is a free app for iOS devices and can be downloaded through the App Store. [Direct Link]

A new physical mockup claiming to be based on real iPhone 6 machine schematics from supply chain sources has surfaced on Chinese technology blog 86Digi (via Nowhereelse.fr, Google Translate).


The physical mockup shows the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 as a 6 mm thin device featuring rounded corners and various physical changes. In line with other reports, the model shows the power button now located on the top right hand side of the device, rectangular volume controls on the left, and the camera and circular LED flash on the rear.

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Notably, the mockup also shows two antenna breaks cut out on the device's rear, with the post noting that Apple will incorporate a three-stage aluminum design on the back of the iPhone 6. This is partially in line with a report from Mac Otakara last week that claimed Apple would be doing away with the glass breaks currently found on the iPhone 5s in favor of an aluminum design, although it is unsure how Apple will incorporate changes to its overall antenna layout to accommodate the new look.

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The photos and video of this new mockup follow images of other physical mockups in recent days, including another model from a case manufacturer showing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and one showing the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 based on design drawings shared by Japanese magazine MacFan last month.

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The iPhone 6 is expected to be unveiled this fall in two different sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. The 4.7-inch version of the device will likely ship first in the third quarter of 2014, while the 5.5-inch version is estimated to ship later this year or early next year as Apple solves issues with the phone's display and battery.

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In addition to a larger display, both versions of the iPhone 6 are expected to include a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and an improved camera that may feature optical image stabilization or electronic image stabilization. Jefferies analyst Peter Misek also claimed in a research note earlier this month that Apple is negotiating for a $100 price increase on the iPhone 6.

Related Forum: iPhone

Logitech has unveiled its new Case [+] product for the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5, which contains a metal case and multiple magnetic attachments including a leather cover, a mount for use with vehicles, a wallet, and an external battery.

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The Logitech Case [+]

The [+] tilt attachment provides users with a leather cover that can also be used on the rear of the iPhone as a mount or kickstand, while the [+] drive attachment can be used as a magnetic mounting solution on a car's dashboard or windshield. Both attachments connect to the back of the case, while the [+] tilt attachment can be detached to be used as an earbud wrap.

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Logitech's [+] tilt Attachment

Case [+] also includes a [+] wallet accessory that can be attached to the back of the phone to hold cash, credit cards, and keys, as Logitech's "Magnashield Technology" prevents cards from being demagnetized. Finally, the [+] energy attachment includes a mountable 2,300 mAh battery that utilizes a port connector, and also includes LED lights that display how much battery is left in the case.

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Logitech's [+] energy Attachment

Logitech's Case [+] system will be available later this month for $199 and can be preordered now from the company's official website.