Fitbit, the fitness company behind the Fitbit line of wearable activity tracking devices, today updated its Fitbit iPhone app with a new "MobileTrack" feature, which is designed to offer iPhone 5s users standard Fitbit activity tracking without the need for one of the company's fitness bands.
To track movement and activity, the revamped Fitbit app uses Apple's "M7" motion coprocessor. First introduced with the iPhone 5s, the M7 chip accompanies Apple's standard A7 processor and captures motion data from the phone's compass, accelerometer, and gyroscope, facilitating the continued capture of movement without significant battery drain.
With MobileTrack, the Fitbit app is able to track steps, distance traveled, and calories burned. Fitbit's physical offerings, including its newest Fitbit Force band, track those standard metrics along with active minutes, sleep, and stairs climbed.
Along with MobileTrack, the newly updated Fitbit app also includes redesigned alarm settings, custom water goals, and several other design enhancements.
- The Fitbit app now features MobileTrack which offers basic Fitbit activity tracking directly using your iPhone 5s. - Redesigned Silent Alarms settings. Set, switch, edit, and remove alarms faster than ever. - Set your own custom water goal. - Redesigned profile editor. - Redesigned tracker settings. - Redesigned sign-up and sign-in. - Tap on people in Friend Finder to see their profile. - Swipe on friends on your leaderboard to Cheer, Taunt, or Message. - Tap on tabs to auto-scroll to the top.
Earlier this year, Fitbit competitor Nike introduced a similar app, called Nike+ Move, which is also designed to track physical activity. Several other apps have also been engineered to use the M7 coprocessor for measuring movement.
Over the course of 2013, Apple released a number of exciting new products, including the radically redesigned Mac Pro, a thinner and lighter iPad Air, and an iPhone with cutting edge fingerprint recognition technology.
2014 will likely bring even more innovation to Apple's product lineup, with current rumors hinting at highly anticipated products like the Apple smart watch, a larger iPhone and iPad, and new developments with the Apple TV. A number of these products have been rumored for some time, but the spate of Apple product releases over the past few months and the imminent turning of the calendar offers a chance to bring those rumors back to the forefront.
According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple has plans to create "great products" in areas the company does not participate in today, and in a recent email, Cook told Apple employees that there's a lot in store for Apple in 2014, "including some big plans that we think customers are going to love."
In the list below, we've highlighted Apple's prospective 2014 product plans, outlining what customers might see from Apple in the next 12 months based on current rumors.
iPhone 6 Apple's next iPhone is rumored to come equipped with a larger screen size, somewhere between 4.7 and 5.7 inches. Some rumors have suggested that Apple might release the phone in two separate sizes, both of which are larger than the current 4-inch iPhone 5s/5c.
Left to right: iPhone 5, Galaxy S III, "iPhone Plus", Galaxy Note II (Source: Marco Arment)
The larger iPhone, which will likely incorporate a faster 20-nanometer A8 chip from TSMC, may also include sweeping design changes in the form of a curved display. While it is possible Apple will release an updated iPhone earlier in the year, the most likely release target for the larger-screened device is September or October.
iPad Pro Along with a larger iPhone, Apple may be planning to add a larger iPad to its current tablet lineup, which comprises the 9.7-inch iPad Air and the 7.9-inch iPad mini. The "iPad Pro" or "iPad Maxi" as it has been called by the media, is rumored to include a larger 12.9-inch display, which would be most similar in size to the current 13.3-inch MacBook Air.
Mockup of the 12.9-inch iPad next to a 13-inch MacBook Air
The display reportedly offers higher pixel density nearing ultra high-definition quality and it will likely adopt many of the design elements offered in the current iPads, like an ultrathin chassis and narrow side bezels. Aside from a larger screen size, not much is known about Apple's larger iPad, and it is unclear when such a product might be released.
iWatch Apple's much-anticipated "iWatch," which was a major rumor focal point in 2013, will likely be released in 2014. According to rumors, the smart watch will primarily function as an accessory to the iPhone and the iPad, providing at-a-glance access to common iOS functions.
The watch may also include a multitude of biometric functions, possibly offering a pedometer and heart rate monitor, among other things, and it could also serve as a home automation hub. While it is entirely unclear what the iWatch will look like, rumors have indicated that it could have an OLED display in the range of 1.3 to 1.7 inches, possibly coming in multiple sizes for a customized fit.
Apple's iWatch may incorporate an ultra durable sapphire glass screen, as the company recently signed a deal with GT Advanced to ramp up sapphire glass production. Rumors have also hinted at a flexible, curved design.
Over the course of 2013, Apple ramped up its work on the iWatch, with a team of 100 product designers working on the project. The company also filed for iWatch trademarks in multiple countries throughout 2013.
Currently, Apple's iWatch is expected to debut during the second half of 2014.
Apple Television Apple has been long rumored to be making some upgrades to its Apple TV, either in the form of a revamped set top box with additional functionality or a full blown television set. It is unclear what Apple will do in the television arena in 2014, however, as rumors have suggested that the company has shelved its TV plans for the time being in order to focus on wearables like the iWatch. Television remains an area of "intense interest" for Apple, according to Tim Cook.
If Apple does release a television-related product in 2014, it will likely be a new set top box that could bundle key features like an App Store and Siri, along with additional content offerings.
In 2013, Apple worked hard to beef up content offerings, adding several new channels, including WatchESPN, HBO GO, Vevo, Yahoo Screen, and PBS. The company is also said to be in talks with cable provider Time Warner and a deal with that company, as well as other improvements in content, could come in 2014.
Improving content and reaching deals with various cable companies and content providers is a necessary step before Apple can make headway in the television industry.
4K Display Many people believed Apple would introduce a new Thunderbolt Display alongside the Mac Pro, as it has been two years since the last Thunderbolt Display update. No new display appeared, but it is possible that the company will debut a new display product in 2014, likely offering a 4K resolution of 4096 or 3840 x 2160 pixels.
In late 2013, Apple supplier AU Optronics introduced new 27 and 32-inch 4K display panels, sparking speculation that revamped Thunderbolt Displays were on the horizon, though concrete information on a new display or a possible release date is unavailable at the current point in time. In lieu of a 4K Thunderbolt Display, Apple is offering a 4K 32-inch Sharp display as an add-on to the Mac Pro.
Other updates: iOS 8, OS X 10.10, MacBooks, and More As it does every year, Apple will undoubtedly offer refreshed MacBooks over the course of 2014. Recently, a rumor has suggested that a 12-inch MacBook with a MacBook Air-style design and a Retina display could make its debut in the middle of 2014, and other incremental updates to products like the Retina MacBook Pro will come as well.
Apple has several products that have not been refreshed for quite some time, including its lineup of iPods and the Mac Mini, which could see updates in 2014.
New versions of both iOS and OS X are also expected, though few details are available on the software at this time. iOS 8 may include improvements to Maps, iOS in the Car, and a possible Siri API, while the next version of OS X could take on some iOS 7-style design elements. iOS 8 will probably arrive during the fall along refreshed iPhones, and it is likely that a revamped version of OS X will come during the same general time frame.
As part of its 12 Days of Gifts promotion, Apple is making Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning film Hugo free for all iTunes users in the U.S. and Canada. International customers receive Chris Columbus' holiday classic Home Alone.
The movie is the most valuable gift that Apple has offered through the 12 Days of Gifts app, which will continue giving one gift per day through January 6th.
Users can get the movies either through the 12 Day of Gifts app, or by downloading the movie directly from the iTunes Store on their Mac, PC or iOS device. It's likely that the movie will be free for today only so users are encouraged to download the film without delay.
Hugo received significant critical acclaim, making a number of year-end top-ten lists for 2011. The film won five Oscars for Best Cinematography, Art Direction, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing, and was nominated for six more including Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Costume Design, and Film Editing.
Welcome to a magical world of spectacular adventure! When wily and resourceful Hugo discovers a secret left by his father, he unlocks a mystery and embarks on a quest that will transform those around him and lead to a safe and loving place he can call home. Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese invites you to experience a thrilling journey that critics are calling “the stuff that dreams are made of.” *Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
Longtime New York Times Magazine design director Arem Duplessis is leaving the publication to take a position with Apple's internal marketing team, according to Mediabistro. Duplessis answered a few questions for Mediabistro, but did not address what his exact role at Apple will be.
I’ve been at The New York Times Magazine for almost ten years. I have worked with some of the smartest people on the planet and it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I feel very fortunate to have been able to experience such a great gig. With that said, it’s time for a new chapter and a new challenge.
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday supplement for the venerable newspaper, offering a range of content including feature-length pieces from well-known contributors, highly regarded photography features, and a puzzle page with the newspaper's famous Sunday crossword.
Prior to joining The New York Times Magazine in 2004, Duplessis had spent time as design director at Spin and GQ magazines.
Apple's marketing team, which is drawn from both internal staff and agency TBWA/Media Arts Lab, recently lost one of its high-profile members for the second time when Scott Trattner joined Facebook earlier this month. Trattner had spent nearly a decade as Executive Creative Director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab before leaving in August 2012 to join Samsung's ad agency 72andSunny. That appointment lasted just seven months, however, with Trattner rejoining TBWA\Media Arts Lab in February of this year.
Apple and Samsung have reportedly resumed settlement negotiations over their ongoing patent-infringement dispute, according to The Korea Times. A source from the Korean Fair Trade Commission (FTC) told the newspaper that the two companies are in "working level discussion" about a potential deal, adding that Apple and Samsung are attempting to narrow differences over royalty payments.
Samsung still prefers to sign a comprehensive “cross-licensing” deal, allowing the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer to access all Apple’s design-related, some standard-essential and commercial patents; while Apple is asking Samsung to pay over $30 per device for Samsung’s patent violations, which Samsung thinks is “too much,” said another Samsung official who is familiar with the issue.
The report also states that Samsung Mobile CEO Shin Jong-Kyun may fly to the United States to discuss patent issues with Apple CEO Tim Cook early next year. Last year, Cook met with Samsung CEO Choi Gee-Sung to discuss the subject, however, those talks reportedly failed because Samsung would not accept Apple's demand for patent royalties. Both companies also met face-to-face in Seoul earlier this year, but there was said to be "no indication" of an imminent agreement as the discussions failed to progress.
Apple and Samsung have been in a long, ongoing legal battle that started in 2011, with the first U.S. trial awarding $1 billion to Apple in 2012. However, a judge voided nearly half of that amount in March, with a jury in the damages retrial last month ruling that Samsung is to pay Apple $290 million for willfully violating multiple patents. A second infringement lawsuit between the two companies will also be held on March 31, 2014, with a separate injunction trial centering around Apple's call for a U.S. ban on Samsung products potentially preceding it.
An alleged prototype version of Apple's original iPhone has sold on eBay for $1499, with the device appearing to be in excellent condition and containing signal strength measurements etched on the rear casing. The device is also shown running Apple's internal diagnostic software.
I am selling a very rare original iPhone engineering prototype. These were used to test the iPhone's various features. To do so, a special test software was installed, which is still running on the device perfectly.
This is device is especially rare, as it shows the initial iOS version installed and the signal strength values etched on the back. This was done by Apple internally and is guaranteed genuine.
The authenticity of the device has not been confirmed, and similar signal strength etchings do not appear to have been seen on other prototypes, but the device does lack the standard regulatory text on the rear casing that would be present on a non-prototype unit. A reddit user claims to be the buyer of the device, but it has not yet been delivered to allow for further testing of its authenticity.
It is not unusual for prototype Apple devices to appear on eBay, and many of these auctions are quickly removed, presumably at Apple's request. This auction was able to be completed, perhaps due to having been posted for only two days and having ended through a "Buy It Now" purchase well ahead of the scheduled ending time.
Among "commercial channel" sales to distributors for corporate, government, and business customers, the iPad held the biggest share of sales for any tablet in the U.S. during 2013, while sales of Google Chromebooks made up a bigger percentage of the laptop market compared to Mac notebooks, according to a new report from The NPD Group.
The data in the report showed that the iPad accounted for 15.8% of personal computing device sales in the channel, which was greater than that of Android tablets at 8.7% and Windows tablets at 2.2%. However, the iPad's share of unit sales in the U.S. this year is down from the year-ago period, where it made up for 17.1% of sales. Sales of both Android tablets and Windows tablets grew by 4.5% and 1.4%, respectively.
Meanwhile, sales of Chromebooks in the United States grew to 9.6% in 2013, surpassing the 1.8% share of unit sales held by Apple notebooks. Windows notebooks still held on to 34.1% of the market, but was down 8.8% from the 42.9% share it held last year.
The news follows a broader report from October stating that Mac sales were down 7% year-over-year for the full September quarter, as the decline of traditional PC sales as a whole is likely due in part to the rising popularity of tablets.
Both the iPad and the MacBook line of notebooks saw refreshes this year, as Apple announced the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display along with updated models of the 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro at its October event. New versions of the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air were also announced at Apple's WWDC keynote this past June, and featured enhanced performance with significantly improved battery life.
Apple could also be gearing up to release new types of both products in 2014. Rumors of a larger-size iPad for release in 2014 have surfacedoccasionally throughout the past few months, and a report in October from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated that Apple may be planning to release a 12-inch MacBook with an all-new design in the middle of 2014.
Apple has released its preliminary proxy statement in a filing to the SEC. The filing is an announcement of the 2014 annual stockholders meeting, as well as proposals that will be voted on at the meeting and details of executive compensation arrangements.
Among other things, the filing details a forthcoming vote on investor Carl Icahn's proposed $50 billion share repurchase program that was filed for earlier this month. If approved, the proposal would still be on a non-binding "advisory" basis, and would specifically call for the company to commit to fulfilling no less than $50 billion of share repurchases during Apple's fiscal year ending on September 27, 2014.
However, Apple's Board of Directors has recommended a vote against Icahn's buyback program, stating that it is still “considering options“ for how to return cash to shareholders:
The Board and management team are thoughtfully considering options for returning additional cash to shareholders and are currently seeking input from shareholders as part of the Company’s regular review.
With breakthrough products and services such as the Mac, iPod, iPhone, iPad and App Store, the Company has created huge market opportunities, and the Board and management team believe the opportunities that lie ahead are just as exciting. Given such large and global markets, the Company competes with large companies around the world, many with their own significant technical capabilities and significant capital. This dynamic competitive landscape and the Company’s rapid pace of innovation require unprecedented investment, flexibility and access to resources.
...The Company is updating perspectives on its capital return program for 2014 and beyond. The Company is collecting input from a very broad base of shareholders, believing that the input of all shareholders is important and should be considered holistically. The evaluation of the capital return program continues to be thoughtful, deliberate, and consistent with a conservative financial policy that supports risk-taking and innovation. Consistent with its pattern for the last two years, the Company is on track to complete its regular review and thorough analysis and to announce any changes to the current program by March or April of 2014.
Since first disclosing his position in Apple back in August, Icahn has been vocal about asking the company to increase its buyback as he has dramatically increased his stake in the company. Apple, for its part, announced a significant increase in its capital return program back in April of 2013, and management pledged to reexamine its share repurchase and dividend programs in the first half of 2014.
Also detailed is a proposal on establishing a separate entitled committee that would oversee human rights issues raised by the company's activities, such as the recent accusations of labor violations at primary suppliers like Pegatron and Biel Crystal and the welfare of its own employees.
Apple also recommended a vote against the proposal, stating that its Supplier Responsibility team and report already audits suppliers to an effective extent and that establishing a committee would be “redundant“ and add little value to its existing commitment to human rights and social responsibility.
The preliminary proxy statement also noted the earnings of CEO Tim Cook's total compensation for 2013. While Cook saw an increase in his salary this year to $1,400,006 from $1,357,718 last year, the CEO gave up about 7,100 shares tied to his bonus stock award that was changed in June to be more performance based. At the stock's current price of $560.09, this would mean that Cook lost out on $3,976,639 in bonus earnings.
Overall, the shareholders meeting will hold votes on eleven proposals related to director reelection, compensation, and more.
The 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders will occur at Apple's 1 Infinite Loop headquarters on February 28, 2014 at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.
With the first new Mac Pro units having made their way to reviewers and even some early online orders arriving in the closing days of 2013, more details on the new machines are continuing to surface.
Other World Computing (OWC) has performed a quick teardown on one of the new machines, and while documentation currently consists of only a small set of photos, the company has confirmed that the Intel Xeon E5 processor found in the Mac Pro is indeed removable, allowing for future upgrades. All four available CPUs for the new Mac Pro use the same LGA 2011 socket standardized on the Mac Pro's motherboard.
The main processor is one of the most significant variables in the cost of the new Mac Pro, with the four available CPU options spanning $3500 in upgrade charges. Pricing relative to the stock 3.7GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 with 10MB of L3 cache is as follows:
- 3.5GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5 with 12MB of L3 cache: +$500 - 3.0GHz 8-core Intel Xeon E5 with 25MB of L3 cache: +$2000 - 2.7GHz 12-core Intel Xeon E5 with 30MB of L3 cache: +$3500
Using a removable socketed processor rather than the soldered processors found in most of Apple's Macs means that users may be able to upgrade their machines in the future as their needs change and/or chip prices decline.
Earlier this week, OWC also shared a photo showing the new Mac Pro driving a total of six 27-inch displays, each with a horizontal resolution of at least 2500 pixels. The new Mac Pro offers six Thunderbolt 2 ports for connectivity, allowing for a number of combinations of displays and other peripherals.
In the wake of a rocky launch of Apple's mapping services as part of iOS 6 last year, Nokia debuted its own iOS app bringing its "HERE" maps to the platform in the form of a free app. Based on the NAVTEQ mapping data used in many vehicle navigation devices, the HERE iOS app included a number of features including offline mode and transit and walking directions.
Earlier this month, HERE quietly disappeared from the App Store, and The Indian Express reports (via Engadget) that Nokia has now issued a statement blaming unspecified changes in iOS 7 for driving the company's decision to remove the app.
When approached for a comment, a Nokia spokesperson sent The Indian Express an official statement. It read, "We have made the decision to remove our HERE Maps app from the Apple App Store because recent changes to iOS 7 harm the user experience. iPhone users can continue to use the mobile web version of HERE Maps under m.here.com., offering them core location needs, such as search, routing, orientation, transit information and more, all completely free of charge."
As the report notes, the HERE iOS app was not particularly well received by users, having suffered from a number of bugs and received no updates during its year on the App Store. Consequently, it seems likely that poor adoption and an unwillingness by Nokia to invest significant effort in fixing the app's issues played significant roles in HERE's demise on iOS as well.
Without more information from Nokia, however, the exact set of circumstances leading to the removal of HERE remains unclear, and it is unknown exactly what changes in iOS 7 the company is referring to in its statement. Some users have criticized the look and feel of the redesigned operating system, with some usability issues also having been raised.
The dramatic design change in iOS 7 has also led many third-party developers to invest significant resources in redesigning their own apps to match the new aesthetic, and perhaps Nokia simply felt that it did not want to commit to make the necessary changes and improvements to its iOS app in order to attract and retain users.
Mobile trade organization CTIA has launched Know My App, a website dedicated to informing consumers about the impact that specific apps have on data usage, reportsPCWorld. The group notes that while tools have been available to measure an app's post-installation impact on data usage, the new website is the first to measure data usage before a download.
Currently, the site allows users to search for an app by name, operating system or category, and currently includes test results for the top 50 paid and free apps from the App Store and Google Play. CTIA also pledges to add more apps to the database in the coming months, and is also inviting developers to submit their apps for testing.
The website was developed in a joint effort between product testing company Intertek and CTIA's Application Data Usage Working Group, which includes members such as Apple, Cisco, Google and LG. The tool also comes as wireless providers such as AT&T and Verizon have imposed different policies on data usage throughout the past few years with the offering of tiered data plans for customers.
During the original Apple v. Samsung trial in 2011, Apple requested an injunction to prevent Samsung from selling its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets within the United States. Apple stated that the products in question violated three of its multitouch software patents, including the "rubber-banding" patent covering bounce back along with the tap-to-zoom and pinch-to-zoom patents. Judge Lucy Koh then formally denied Apple's request, suggesting there was no evidence Apple would suffer irreparable harm if Samsung was able to continue selling its products.
Last month, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Judge Koh must reconsider her decision to not ban Samsung devices that infringed on Apple products. Now, FOSS Patents is reporting that Apple has renewed its bid for a U.S. ban on Samsung products, requesting that a separate injunction trial be held on January 30, 2014.
It's important to focus on the asserted patents, not the accused products. Obviously, the products that are named in an April 2011 lawsuit (such as the Galaxy S II) are no longer commercially relevant. But Apple is seeking an injunction that would also cover "any other product not more than colorably different from an Infringing Product as to a feature found to infringe" (which is consistent with the Federal Circuit's TiVo v. EchoStar opinion).
The trial concerning a possible Samsung product ban will also be separate from a second infringement lawsuit to be held on March 31, 2014. Apple and Samsung also participated in a damages retrial last month that followed the original trial in 2011. The jury in the retrial found Samsung liable for $290 million in damages, with Samsung then filing a motion to delay its payments to Apple. That motion however was later denied by Judge Koh, basing her decision on three factors centering around the pace and progress of the case as a whole.
The majority of online orders from mobile devices on Christmas day were placed by iOS users rather than Android users, according to a new report from IBM. 23 percent of total online sales on Christmas in the United States were made from iOS devices, while just 4.6 percent were made from Android devices. Overall online traffic from iOS devices was at 32.6 percent, compared to 14.8 percent for Android.
As a percentage of total online sales, iOS was more than five times higher than Android, driving 23 percent vs. 4.6 percent for Android. On average, iOS users spent $93.94 per order, nearly twice that of Android users, who spent $48.10 per order. iOS also led as a component of overall traffic with 32.6 percent vs. 14.8 percent for Android.
iOS users also spent nearly twice as much on their online orders, with the average order coming in at $93.94 compared to $48.10 per order from Android devices. When comparing tablets to smartphones, consumers made more purchases via tablets (19.4 percent vs. 9.3 percent) on smartphones and paid slightly more than smartphone users.
Overall online sales were up 16.5 percent in 2013, with mobile sales surging up to nearly 29 percent of all online traffic for a year-over-year gain of 40 percent.
IBM's data was gathered using its IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, which analyzes data from approximately 800 retail sites in the United States. The company saw similar sales numbers during Black Friday, where iOS was responsible for 18.1 percent of sales with an average order amount of $127.92, compared to 3.5 percent and $105.20 for Android.
Siri may be able to search through and tag user photos in the future, according to a new Apple patent application published today by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider). Entitled "Voice-based Image Tagging and Searching," the application describes a system allowing digital images to be tagged with various identifiers like the name of a person, a location, or an activity in a photograph, which can then be searched for via voice commands given to a "voice-based digital assistant," aka Siri.
A user could, for example, take a photograph and then speak a description of what is in the photograph. Saying a phrase like “this is me at the beach” would automatically tag a photo with the appropriate information, which could later be recalled with a simple voice-based search. Apple specifies that beyond spoken information, additional tags could be added such as a user name and location.
Moreover, because the natural-language processing is capable of inferring additional information, the tags may include additional information that the user did not explicitly say (such as the name of the person to which "me" refers), and which creates a more complete and useful tag.
Once a photograph is tagged using the disclosed tagging techniques, other photographs that are similar may be automatically tagged with the same or similar information, thus obviating the need to tag every similar photograph individually. And when a user wishes to search among his photographs, he may simply speak a request: "show me photos of me at the beach."
According to Apple, the ever increasing number of digital photographs stored on electronic devices like the iPhone have created a need for "systematic cataloging" to facilitate improved organization and simpler image searches. Current approaches to photo tagging, Apple says, are "non-intuitive, arduous, and time-consuming," with voice-based photo tagging representing a dramatic increase in both the speed and convenience of photo tagging.
Beyond recording information based on spoken text strings, Apple also suggests that its system could automatically tag photographs based on previously captured user images and data, recognizing faces, buildings, and landscapes. Based on the stored photographic data, users could then conduct voice searches via Siri, quickly locating all relevant images.
Apple first began improving its photo organizational systems with iOS 7, revamping the Photos app with information on when and where photos were taken. Images within the app can be organized into "Moments" using this information, which already provides a solid basis for the addition of photo searches to Siri in the future.
The patent application, which was originally filed on March 13, 2013 and published today, lists former Apple employee Jan Erik Solem and Thijs Willem Stalenhoef as inventors. As with all of Apple's patents and patent applications, it is unclear when and if the technology will make it into a final product.
Ahead of Christmas, the evad3rs released the evasi0n jailbreak for iOS 7, allowing Apple users with newer devices like the iPhone 5s, 5c, and Retina iPad mini to jailbreak their devices for the first time to access tweaks and apps outside of the App Store.
Shortly after the jailbreak was released to the public, controversy surfaced with Cydia administrator Jay Freeman noting that evasi0n did not include an official version of Cydia, an iOS application that allows users to install software on jailbroken devices. Freeman also revealed that the jailbreak inexplicably included a third party app store called “Taig” for Chinese users.
The Taig app store was quickly found to include pirated apps, prompting the evad3rs to explain their position via an open letter claiming no knowledge of the piracy and pledging to further investigate the issue.
Now the evad3rs have published a second open letter to the jailbreak community, announcing the removal of the Taig app store from the evasi0n jailbreak.
However, after investigation and after notification from the community, we found examples, including pirated tweaks, Apple App Store apps, and even pod2g's PodDJ app. We dropped the ball on this. While we at first did not believe Taig purposefully violated our agreement, the depth of the transgression against the software developers and the jailbreak community cannot be overlooked and we could not move forward after that even if it were fixed.
We terminated our relationship with them. We are very disappointed that they have decided to put up a cracked version of the jailbreak on their site that installs Taig. We did not give them any permission or source code.
Following the controversy, there were rumors that the evad3rs had accepted money from Taig for the deal, which the evad3rs now deny. "We have received no money from any group, including Taig," reads the letter. "Our donations are being given to Public Knowledge, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure to help protect jailbreaking as your legal right."
The evad3rs team also clarifies that no user data was obtained by Taig, and that exposure was limited to users who had their computer's language set to Chinese.
The evasi0n jailbreak, which no longer includes Taig, can be downloaded directly from the evasi0n website. Evasi0n does not include an official version of Cydia, and according to the evad3rs, they are "working hard to fix the problems with the jailbreak."
Apple has officially started giving away free downloads on its "12 Days of Gifts" app for iOS devices, starting with an exclusive EP from Justin Timberlake made up of four live performances from the 2013 iTunes Festival. Before the official start of the giveaway, the app delivered a bonus song and video from New Zealand singer Lorde.
Apple's "12 Days of Gifts" giveaways will run daily from December 26 through January 6 and will offer users samples of a variety of content, including songs, apps, books, movies from across Apple's digital stores.
During the new year in Japan, retailers often offer a Fukubukuro, or “mystery bag,“ which is a grab bag filled with a random assortment of products sold at a steep discount.
Apple has participated in this tradition for quite some time, and will once again be offering its "Lucky Bag" in several different Apple Retail Stores across Japan on January 2.
Lucky Bags, which Apple will sell this year for 36,000 yen, or $345, usually contain items like iPods, headphones, and t-shirts. A few fortunate folks, however, have received big-ticket items in past years, like iPads or MacBook Airs, which have made Lucky Bags ultra popular in Japan.
Apple's grab bags are sold as is, and returns are not accepted unless a product is defective. Still, the bags have been quick sellers on previous occasions, with many people lining up the night before to get their hands on a bag.
As with past years, Apple's Lucky Bag promotion is limited to Japanese customers, though other countries, like China, may see the same traditional Apple Store sales during the new year.
Apple has been fined 20 million New Taiwan dollars ($670,000) by the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission after the company was found to be unlawfully influencing the price of the iPhone on the country's cell phone carriers, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Under article 18 of Taiwan's Fair Trade Act, an enterprise is not allowed to decide the prices of their goods after handing them over to a third party for resale. The company reportedly asked Taiwan's three major service providers to adjust iPhone rates, including Chunghwa Telecom, Far Eastone Telecommunication, and Taiwan Mobile.
"Through the email correspondence between Apple and these three telecom companies we discovered the companies submit their pricing plans to Apple to be approved or confirmed before the products hit the market," it said in a statement.
Apple may choose to appeal the Taiwanese government's decision, however it may face a fine of 50 million New Taiwan dollars ($1,700,000) if it does not comply with the initial ruling. Furthermore, the ruling itself applies to iPhones only, with the government having no current plans to investigate Apple's price interference with iPads in the region. Apple's office in Taiwan has also not issued a statement on ruling.
Fitbit, the fitness company behind the Fitbit line of wearable activity tracking devices, today updated its Fitbit iPhone app with a new "MobileTrack" feature, which is designed to offer iPhone 5s users standard Fitbit activity tracking without the need for one of the company's fitness bands.
As part of its 12 Days of Gifts promotion, Apple is making Martin Scorsese's Academy Award-winning film 
Longtime New York Times Magazine design director Arem Duplessis is leaving the publication to take a position with Apple's internal marketing team, 
Apple has released its 
The majority of online orders from mobile devices on Christmas day were placed by iOS users rather than Android users, according to a new report from 
Apple has been fined 20 million New Taiwan dollars ($670,000) by the Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission after the company was found to be unlawfully influencing the price of the iPhone on the country's cell phone carriers, reports 
