Apple today released EFI Firmware Update 2.7 for the mid–2013 MacBook Air, which comes with several Boot Camp-related bug fixes for the MacBook Airs that were released in June.
MacBook Air EFI Firmware Update 2.7
This update is recommended for MacBook Air (mid 2013) models.
This update addresses an issue which may cause a black screen to appear when installing Windows 7 or Windows 8 using Boot Camp Assistant if both an external optical drive and USB thumb drive are connected to the system. This update also ensures that the system will boot by default into OS X after installation of Windows 8.
Apple's senior vice president of design Jonathan Ive and industrial designer Marc Newson have collaborated on more than 40 objects, such as the one-of-a-kind Leica Rangefinder camera and the solid gold Apple EarPods, that will be auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York later this year to benefit Product (RED), Bono's charity that has a long running partnership with Apple.
The duo interviewed with Vanity Fair to talk about the collaborative design process and the exceptional amount of work that went into many of the products that will be up for auction.
Despite differences in aesthetic taste, Ive and Newson work well together due to an uncompromising obsession with detail and a shared belief that design involves more than surface appearance, a point that Jony Ive has spoken about in prior interviews.
"We are both fanatical in terms of care and attention to things people don't see immediately," Ive said. "It's like finishing the back of a drawer. Nobody's going to see it, but you do it anyway. Products are a form of communication—they demonstrate your value system, what you care about."
"You discover that very few people have the level of perfection we do. It is actually very sick," Newson said. "It is neurotic."
Later, waving his hand around the Claridge's suite, Ive said, “All of us in this room see the same things, the same objects, but Marc and I see what's behind them."
Coming up with a theme and deciding what to produce took the two men more than a year and a half, with months spent contemplating what to include, tracking down rare objects, and contacting manufacturers and factories. An extensive amount of time went into each object, especially the two handmade items – a desk and the Leica camera.
"I found it a very odd and unusual thing to put this amount of love and energy into one thing, where you are only going to make one,” Ive said. “But isn't it beautiful?" The camera's dollar worth is hard to estimate, since it is an art piece as much as a functioning object, but the value of the time Ive, Newson, and Leica's own engineers put into it probably totals well into six figures, and possibly seven.
The camera that Ive designed involved 947 prototype parts and 561 models. 55 Apple engineers assisted in the process, spending a collective 2,149 hours. Final assembly of the finished camera took 50 hours and more than six days.
During the interview, Ive also had a few words to say about the care and the precision involved in designing the iPhone, a set of qualities that distinguish Apple and its products from other smartphone manufacturers.
"The most important thing is that you actually care, that you do something to the very best of your ability," Ive told me. "We can't explain it in a fiscal sense, but the care that goes into the iPhone is equivalent to what goes into watches and other things that are significantly more expensive. I love the idea that the phone will be so broadly accessible."
The full Vanity Fair article, which includes further tidbits on the design histories of both Ive and Newson along with detailed information on several other products that will be up for auction, is well worth a read. The Sotheby's auction for Product (RED) will take place on November 23.
Following the announcement of BlackBerry's layoffs that will see a loss of 40 percent of its staff, Apple has begun poaching BlackBerry talent via a recruitment drive near the BlackBerry offices in Ontario, reports the Financial Post.
In the Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre on Sept. 26, located in Cambridge, Ont. on the outskirts of the Kitchener-Waterloo region where BlackBerry was born, the iPhone maker invited local talent with the aim of luring them to their Silicon Valley operations.
According to a LinkedIn invitation, the majority of positions open at Apple are located within Cupertino, California. Apple has said that it will provide both relocation and immigration assistance to any candidates that are hired, but it is unclear exactly what positions Apple is looking to fill.
Apple's attempt to snap up BlackBerry employees comes as the company itself contemplates a $4.7 billion takeover bid from Fairfax Financial, which BlackBerry initially received on September 23.
Amid worries that Fairfax Financial cannot come up with the full funding, BlackBerry is also reported to be considering a breakup of the company, as other companies like Cisco and Samsung have expressed interest in only parts of the company. Piecemeal elements, such as patents or its enterprise network, could be more valuable than a standard sale.
At the current time, BlackBerry continues to seek out the best option for the eventual sale of the company. BlackBerry has until November 4 to receive other proposals as Fairfax Financial works to get financing to solidify the deal.
During its ongoing financial troubles, BlackBerry has released a new cloud service designed for managing mobile devices and is also set to launch the iOS and Android versions of BlackBerry Messenger in the future. The company previously prepared the release for September 22, but had its servers overwhelmed by an unauthorized Android version of the app which has since delayed the launch.
Apple is reportedly cutting iPhone 5c production in half from 300,000 units to 150,000 units per day, according to claims by C Technology [Google Translate], which leaked a number of photos of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c ahead of their launches last month. As highlighted by Unwired View, gray market pricing for iPhone 5c units has also been falling as availability has remained solid.
The official price of iPhone 5c in China is 4448 Yuan ($726). But there is a thriving grey market over there, with iPhones bought in the U.S, Europe and Hong-Kong, illegally smuggled into the country. With real people taking real risks with their real money, this market is very sensitive to the real demand for any gadget, and very quick to adjust prices accordingly.
Care to guess the current price of unofficial iPhone 5c in China? 3000 to 3300 Yuan ($489-539), according to checks done multiple by local tech sites, and a quick review of offers on China’s main online marketplace – Taobao. That’s a drop of 30% below the official price. And, according to some sources, you can now sometimes find iPhone 5c as cheaply as 2600 Yuan.
The iPhone 5c has been available in much greater supplies than the iPhone 5s, which continues to be difficult to find and for which gray market prices in China remain high. There has, however, been some dispute about how much of the plentiful iPhone 5c supplies might be due to weak demand and how much is a result of Apple simply having been able to ramp up production sufficiently to meet early demand.
While a decrease in iPhone 5c production would be a signal that Apple has plentiful supplies in its distribution channels, it is not necessarily an indication that the company significantly overestimated demand for the device, which retails for just $100 less than than the iPhone 5s. Apple no doubt ramped up production leading up to the iPhone 5c launch in order to meet pre-order and launch-day demand while also shipping a significant number of units into its distribution channels to stock retail locations for sales in the following weeks. Apple was unable to make a similar production ramp for the iPhone 5s, reportedly due to fingerprint sensor shortages, leading to very tight supplies that continue to be an issue three weeks after launch.
Apple will certainly be adjusting its iPhone 5c production orders to meet customer demand as it did by immediately boosting gold iPhone 5s production, but it is unclear whether the currently alleged iPhone 5c production changes have been part of Apple's strategy all along or if they are a response to weaker than expected demand.
Fitbit today has launched its newest wearable activity tracking device, the Fitbit Force, reports AllThingsD. The Bluetooth 4.0 wristband includes all the features of the popular Fitbit Flex activity wristband that was launched in May of last year, and adds new features such as a built-in altimeter that measures workout data such as stairs climbed, a bigger OLED screen, watch capabilities, and an "Active Minutes" feature that tracks the varying levels of exercise.
A powerful Force for everyday fitness, this sleek wristband is with you all the time. Stay motivated to keep moving with real-time stats right on your wrist. Track steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed and active minutes throughout the day. At night, track your sleep and wake up silently with a vibrating alarm.
The device will gain additional features particular to iPhone users running iOS 7, including the ability to receive call notifications on the wristband. Reports AllThingsD:
Soon after launch, Fitbit will release a software update that will allow iPhone users running iOS 7 to receive notifications about incoming calls (name and phone number) on the Force’s display. The wristband can also vibrate to alert you to a call.
Including this feature is sort of an experiment for Fitbit to gauge people’s interest in getting these types of alerts on a fitness-tracking device. Based on the reaction, the company will then decide whether adding other notifications for things like new text messages and email makes sense.
The release of the Fitbit Force comes as Nike is expected to release a follow-up to its Fuelband activity tracker, along with speculation that Apple will release an iWatch wearable device in the relatively near future, a device which may also contain fitness tracking features.
The Fitbit Force wristband can be ordered from the Fitbit web store for $129.95, with shipments beginning in 3-4 weeks.
Following an extended effort over the past several years, Apple is set to open its first retail store in Istanbul, Turkey at beginning of 2014, reports The Wall Street Journal [Google Translate]. The store will reportedly span over 2000 square meters (over 20,000 square feet) and will be located in the heart of Istanbul's new multi-use Zorlu Center, between luxury retailers Burberry and Louis Vutton.
The store is currently under construction and surrounded by a barricade, but is reportedly set to feature a cubic glass ceiling, making it only the second store to boast the architectural feature. Previous photos have shown the store to be located underneath a central plaza at the shopping center, with the barricades perhaps enclosing a plaza-level entryway similar to that seen at Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue retail store located in New York City. The report also states that Apple is working on a total of four stores in the country, with the Zorlu store scheduled to be the first to open.
Apple has been preparing to launch retail stores in Turkey for some time, having listed initial job postings for stores in Brazil and Turkey last November. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also visited Apple this past May as a part of the country's move to purchase 10.6 million tablets for its school children. Apple vice president for education John Couch also met with Turkish president Abdullah Gül in February to discuss a $4.5 billion iPad initiative.
iOS strategy-action game XCOM: Enemy Unknown has received an update today that brings various new features, including asynchronous multiplayer and multiplayer leaderboards with full Game Center support. The update also includes optimizations for iOS 7, as well as general bug fixes. 2K Games has also put the title on sale for 50% off, with pricing currently set at $9.99.
The game, which was released for gaming consoles in October 2012, was originally announced for iOS devices this past March and released in June with touch-optimized controls and interface tweaks. Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of XCOM developer Take-Two Interactive, also stated in July that the success of the game on iOS was ultimately showing of consumer willingness to pay premium prices on mobile devices.
Our sister site TouchArcade also gave the game a positive review upon its release, stating that its controls were inuitive and well-suited to an ultimately deep and entertaining game. XCOM: Enemy Unknown can be downloaded from the App Store for the now reduced price of $9.99. [Direct Link]
Takashi Tokita, longtime director at producer at video game company Square-Enix, announced today that the company will be releasing a mobile-optimized version of Final Fantasy VI for iOS this Fall, reports Kotaku. The game was originally released in 1994 as Final Fantasy III in North America, and follows the release of various Final Fantasy games on iOS, with Final Fantasy V [Direct Link] being the most recent release by the company this past March.
"The battle systems have been altered for the other [mobile remakes] for Final Fantasy and VI will be the same. For instance grinding was an issue and people had to spend a lot of time leveling up. Now on the mobile devices the battle systems have been adjusted so you don't have to fight as much and can enjoy the game for what it is."
Tokita also teased a potential release of the mega-popular Final Fantasy VII for mobile devices sometime in the future:
The Legacy series won't necessarily end with VI, Tokita said, when we asked him if it could include VII, VIII, IX, X and beyond. "We are aware that we have tons of VII fans," he noted. "We have VII fans in our own company. If this Legacy project works out well, we would like to one day be able to work with VII."
Apple has been granted authorization by the Brazillian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) needed to sell the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in the country, reports ZDNet. The new devices have received approval to operate with 4G technology avaliable in Brazil on the 2600 MHz band, while previous models had been limited to the 700 MHz band level. The devices will be produced domestically at the Foxconn factories in São Paulo.
However, it is not known at this time when Apple's new iPhones will launch in the country, as it is not included in the two new rounds of international iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launches that Apple announced yesterday. Last year, the iPhone 5 was approved for Brazil in October only to be launched in the country on two months later on Friday, December 14, almost three months after the phone's launch in the first wave of countries.
The news also comes as Apple won the right to legally use the "iPhone" name in Brazil last month, after a judge ruled in favor of the Cupertino company in an ongoing lawsuit with Brazillian company IGB Electronica, after a long legal battle that stretched for almost a year. A report in August also indicated that Apple's first Brazillian retail store will open in December in Rio de Janeiro after recruiting prospective employees in November 2012.
Following a brief promotion earlier this week in which Best Buy reduced pricing on the iPhone 5c by $50 just two weeks after launch, an internal document obtained by TechnoBuffalo reveals that the retailer will offer a minimum $100 gift card toward the purchase of the iPhone 5s or iPhone 5c for any working smartphone. The promotion will begin this Friday, October 11 and run through October 19.
The offer requires that the device being traded in is able to be powered on. Water damaged devices and devices with cracked screens are also not eligible for the program, and customers who bring in packaging or original accessories may see the value of their trade-in increase. The offer also extends to customers who have current reservations for either phone.
The 16 GB models of the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s start at $99.99 and $199.99 respectively, with iPhone 5c supplies remaining plentiful throughout Apple's distribution channels, giving retailers some incentive to reduce pricing to help drive sales. That availability contrasts with significant shortages seen for Apple's flagship iPhone 5s since launch nearly three weeks ago.
U.S. carrier T-Mobile today is announcing a new addition to its "UnCarrier" smartphone plans, adding unlimited texting and 2G data roaming in 100 countries, as well as voice calls from those countries at 20 cents per minute, reports AllThingsD.
Data speeds will be slow, but likely adequate for basic email and perhaps even for mapping and navigation apps. Users will be able to purchase increased data speeds, with speeds reverting to the slower, free option once they have run out. Passes are available for one day and 100MB for $15, one week at 200MB for $25, or two weeks and 500MB for $50.
The new program does require customers to return to the U.S. at least once every six weeks, and six weeks out of every three months must be spent stateside. The program rolls out to postpaid customers on October 31st.
The company also introduced a new plan for customers who call internationally, offering $0.20 per minute calls to many countries, including when dialing a mobile phone. Landline calls are free to 70 countries, while free texting to 200 countries is also included, for $10 per month.
The fear of high charges often prompts customers to leave their phones at home, keep them in airplane mode or turn off cellular data when traveling overseas.
“There’s just so many pieces of data that suggest to us this is a huge issue and pain point but also a huge opportunity,” T-Mobile CEO John Legere said in an interview, noting that Americans take 55 million international trips per year. However, he said 40 percent of customers turn off their phones to avoid high charges, while many others get stuck with high bills when they return.
T-Mobile launched a new phone purchase program earlier this year in an attempt to differentiate itself from other carriers, allowing customers to purchase phones for a moderate down payment and then pay monthly fees until the phone is paid for. After that, the owner's monthly bill drops.
In July, T-Mobile introduced 'Jump', a phone upgrade program that allows customers to upgrade phones as frequently as once every 6 months.
Apple began offering free apps, books, and music via its Apple Store app back in August, and today the company has made hit endless running game Temple Run: Oz available at no cost.
Normally priced at $0.99, Temple Run: Oz was created through a partnership between developer Imangi and Disney to promote the "Oz the Great and Powerful" movie. Like other Temple Run games, Oz is an endless runner that takes advantage of power ups. It is set in the land of Oz and includes special features like hot-air balloon flying.
Temple Run: Oz is the exhilarating sequel to the classic game, based on the film Oz the Great and Powerful. In this game you’ll run, fly, an slide across the yellow brick road.
The Apple Store app can be downloaded from the App Store for free [Direct Link] and Temple Run: Oz, which is universal, can be downloaded by tapping on the icon in the "Featured" section of the Apple Store app. According to the Apple Store description, Oz will be available until November 15.
Research firms Gartner and IDC today released their preliminary calculations of PC shipments for the third quarter of 2013, finding that worldwide shipments fell by roughly 8% over the year-ago quarter, extending the current sales slide to 18 months. Top worldwide vendors Lenovo, HP, and Dell held up reasonably well, but smaller vendors such Acer and Asus experienced dramatic year-over-year declines in of around 22% according to Gartner and 34% according to IDC.
"The third quarter is often referred to as the 'back-to-school' quarter for PC sales, and sales this quarter dropped to their lowest volume since 2008," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. "Consumers' shift from PCs to tablets for daily content consumption continued to decrease the installed base of PCs both in mature as well as in emerging markets. A greater availability of inexpensive Android tablets attracted first-time consumers in emerging markets, and as supplementary devices in mature markets."
Gartner's Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q13 (Thousands of Units)
According to Gartner's numbers, the U.S. market held up significantly better than the global market, actually registering a 3.5% increase in shipments led by fourth-place Lenovo's 24.6% gain. For its part, Apple was the only one of the top five vendors to see a year-over-year decline in shipments, falling by 2.3% to take 13.4% of the market. Apple was, however, able to show some relative strength over the previous quarter, using its popularity in education to increase its U.S. share from 11.6% in the second quarter to 13.4% in the back-to-school third quarter.
Apple's U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q13 (Gartner)
IDC's numbers painted an even worse picture for Apple, with the company's 11.2% year-over-year decline in U.S. Mac shipments trailing the overall U.S. market, which declined just 0.2%. As in the Gartner survey, third-place Apple, which garnered 11.6% of the U.S. market according to IDC, was the only one of the top five PC manufacturers to see a decline in shipments.
As usual, neither Gartner nor IDC covered Apple's worldwide market share for the quarter, as the company does not rank among the top five vendors on a worldwide basis.
The only Mac product Apple updated leading into the back-to-school shopping season was the MacBook Air, which was updated at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The iMac, Apple's flagship desktop machine, was not updated until late last month while the MacBook Pro has not been updated since February. Apple's Mac mini is also due for an update, and an all-new version of the Mac Pro is set for release by the end of this year.
Apple is set to reveal its revamped fifth-generation iPad later this month, and ahead of the event, new high-resolution images of the upcoming iPad’s casing and front panel have been released by Australian writer Sonny Dickson, offering a clear view of what can be expected from the redesign.
Though the iPad’s components have been shown off in multiple photos and videos, these high-quality images provide a better look at the slimmer, mini-style iPad 5.
The fifth-generation iPad has been designed to look similar to the iPad mini, adopting smaller side bezels that cut a significant amount of bulk from the tablet. As a result, it is thinner, lighter, and smaller in size than the existing fourth-generation iPad.
Apple’s newest iPad is expected to include a new 64-bit processor from the A7 family introduced in the iPhone 5s, and it may also include an improved 8-megapixel camera. There has been speculation that the company could include the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that debuted with the iPhone 5s on both its revamped iPad and iPad mini, but thus far, there have been no physical signs of the feature.
As depicted in the photos, the iPad will be offered in both silver/white and black/space gray. Space gray, introduced alongside the iPhone 5s, is a lighter color that replaces the existing slate color. While it is possible that Apple will also offer the fifth-generation iPad in gold, there have thus far been no confirmed part leaks depicting the color.
Apple is expected to unveil both the fifth-generation iPad and the second-generation iPad mini during an October 22 event that will also showcase other Apple products such as Mavericks and the Mac Pro.
Foursquare’s new automatic recommendation service, initially introduced on Android in August, is rolling out to iPhone users. The company has released a new version of its iOS app today, which introduces a redesign and will give a “few thousand” users access to the feature.
With the new recommendation system, Foursquare runs continually in the background, monitoring location to provide recommendations on nearby restaurants and other venues. It will also offer information on popular food and beverage choices following a check in, pulling data from comments that users have left about each venue.
Today we’re excited to start rolling out this smarter Foursquare. Here’s how it will work: when you sit down to dinner, we might ping you with the can’t-miss dish on the menu (like the screenshot from a sushi bar below). Or when you arrive in a new neighborhood or city, we’ll suggest a few places that your friends love (like below, after you’ve wandered into a new neighborhood). It’s like having a ton of local friends stuffed in your pocket wherever you go.
Because it’s powered by billions of check-ins, it’s also smart: we’re going to ping you when you sit down at a new place where your friend left a tip, not when you’re on your daily walk to work. And using this feature doesn’t check you in; this isn’t for sharing, just for making sure you don’t miss great things.
While only a few thousand iPhone users will get access to the feature today, the company plans to continue rolling out the service to additional users as it did on the Android platform.
Along with the rollout of the recommendation system, Foursquare’s newest update introduces a simplified design that shows only the most recent check-in for each friend. Additional check-ins are now accessed via profile pages, and a newly introduced "nearby" button displays friends that are located in the vicinity.
Foursquare is an iPhone-only app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Frog Design founder and former Apple design consultant Hartmut Esslinger's upcoming book Keep It Simple - The Early Design Years of Apple is set to be released next month, with the book discussing the foundation of Apple's design from the creation of the original Macintosh and throughout the 1980s. Fast Company has released a few excerpts from the book, which includes new details about early interaction between Esslinger and Steve Jobs, noting how Jobs took interest in foreign design and ambitions for the first Macintosh:
In fact, Steve didn’t really know much about design, but he liked German cars. Leveraging that connection, I explained that design like that has to be a complete package, that it must express the product’s very soul; without the excellent driving experience and the history of stellar performance, a Porsche would be just another nice car--but it wouldn’t be a Porsche. We also discussed American design, and I offended him when I insisted that American computer and consumer electronics companies totally underestimated the taste of American consumers--Sony’s success with clean design being the proof. He was gracious enough to concede that Apple didn’t make the cut, but he also said that he was out to change all that, which was why he was looking for a world-class designer.
When I asked him about his bigger ambitions, he simply smiled and said: “First, I want to sell a million Macs. Then I want Apple to become the greatest company on earth.” For some strange reason, we both agreed that those goals were absolutely achievable.
The book also contains information about how Apple's need for a sole design leader and design team led Esslinger's Frog Design to win over Steve Jobs and ultimately become a part of Apple's effort to revolutionize the computer industry:
At the end of the meeting, I again urged Steve to rethink Apple’s existing design process and the way it placed designers at the mercy of engineering. I told him that, in my opinion, Apple needed one design leader and one team reporting directly to him, and design had to be involved years ahead of any actual product development in Apple’s strategic planning. With that framework in place, Apple could project new technologies and consumer interactions for years ahead, which would help avoid shortsighted ad-hoc developments.
Steve reluctantly promised that if frog won the competition, design would take a top position at Apple and report directly to him. I left his office that day feeling motivated and inspired, but also quite aware of the challenge we were taking on. My brief experience at Apple had convinced me that neither its division managers nor its designers would accept this change without a fight, and Steve had assured me the battle would be mine to win. Naturally, there were some points where we disagreed--Steve believed that “one insanely great product” would define Apple, whereas I insisted that Apple needed a comprehensive strategy that could generate a line of great products. But we launched a pivotal collaboration that day, creating what would become one of the most successful and influential designer/entrepreneur alliances in the history of consumer technology.
Keep It Simple - The Early Design Years of Apple will be released on November 7, 2013.
Apple is set to revamp the displays for the majority of its product lines within the next year, according to supply chain research done by NPD DisplaySearch (via CNET). The new research corroborates an earlier report that Apple is set to revamp its displays across multiple product lines and offers some speculation on Apple's plans rooted in the supply chain hints.
Based on supply chain research, we believe Apple is planning to revamp nearly all of the displays in its products over the next year. This would indicate that Apple, once again, intends to count on display technology for new product innovation. We can speculate about Apple’s new products as follows:
DisplaySearch speculates that Apple may launch both a 4.7-inch and a 5.7-inch iPhone next year, roughly in line with a Wall Street Journalreport from September claiming Apple has been experimenting with iPhone models carrying displays of 4.8 inches to 6 inches, perhaps for a 2014 release.
DisplaySearch's report also covers the slimmer-bezeled iPad and Retina iPad mini, which will reportedly be unveiled on October 22. Unsurprisingly, the report indicates that both displays will carry the same 2048 x 1536 resolution as the current full-size iPad. DisplaySearch also suggests that a 12.9-inch iPad is set for debut next year, in line with the Wall Street Journal'sreport that Apple is looking at larger iPad models.
The MacBook Air, which is unlikely to get an update at Apple's October 22 event, is likely to see a new 12-inch Retina Display model launch next year, according to DisplaySearch's findings. This new low-power MacBook Air would likely feature a 2304 x 1440 display, although this would be the usable screen real estate at a non-Retina equivalent of just 1152 x 720, lower than that of the current 11-inch MacBook Air. Users would, however, be able to opt for higher-resolution non-Retina settings as seen on the Retina MacBook Pro. Mac display upgrade rumors also fall in line with earlier reports that Apple is set to move to IGZO displays, which allow for higher-resolution displays with lower power consumption.
DisplaySearch also claims there will be two Apple-branded 4Kx2K television sets in 55- and 65-inch sizes, feeding longstanding rumors of an Apple television set project that has yet to come to fruition. Finally, the report claims that 1.3- and 1.6-inch iWatch models could debut in late 2014 with flexible 320 x 320 AMOLED displays. This, too, falls in line with earlier rumors claiming Apple is set to adopt AMOLED display for its smart watch device.
The first of these rumored devices with all new displays is reportedly set for an unveiling at an iPad-centric event on October 22. Apple has yet to officially confirm the event, but should send out media invitations roughly one week ahead of time.
Microsoft is preparing to launch an updated version of its Remote Desktop tool for OS X and a new version for iOS later this month, reports ZDNet. The company will also reportedly release a version of the app for Android and its new Windows RT platform, which comes as the company is pushing to make access and communication with its Windows operating system universal and throughout various platforms.
Further, with Windows Server 2012 R2 Microsoft is introducing the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, available for download in application stores later this month, to provide easy access to PCs and virtual desktops on a variety of devices and platforms, including Windows, Windows RT, iOS, OS X and Android.
Additionally, Microsoft MVP Michel Roth has stated (via Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows) that the company is very serious about the upcoming applications, which reportedly will be full-featured and not include stripped functionality like that of ported clients:
"Microsoft is very serious about enabling BYOD [Bring Your Own Device] by means of desktop virtualization," Roth writes. "When you see the clients you'll notice they are pretty sweet and not as basic or as 'v1' as you might expect. The iOS Remote Desktop app supports iOS 6 and 7 and the Android Remote Desktop app is poised to support Android versions as far back as Gingerbread. The OS X Remote Desktop app provides even more functionality that you would expect from a 'desktop app'. Think about 'seamless windows' or 'applications portal'."
Notably, the Mac App Store already contains various cross-platform remote desktop clients, but none of them are official or licensed. Microsoft does however have a Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac that ships with Office 2011, but has received little recent support and is limited in nature compared to other full featured clients.
Apple today released EFI Firmware Update 2.7 for the mid–2013 MacBook Air, which comes with several Boot Camp-related bug fixes for the MacBook Airs that were released in June.
Following the announcement of BlackBerry's layoffs that will see a loss of 40 percent of its staff, Apple has begun poaching BlackBerry talent via a recruitment drive near the BlackBerry offices in Ontario, reports the 
Apple is reportedly cutting iPhone 5c production in half from 300,000 units to 150,000 units per day, according to claims by 
Takashi Tokita, longtime director at producer at video game company Square-Enix, announced today that the company will be releasing a mobile-optimized version of Final Fantasy VI for iOS this Fall, reports 
Apple has been granted authorization by the Brazillian National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) needed to sell the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in the country, reports 
U.S. carrier T-Mobile today is 
Apple 
