MacRumors

Apple today announced that it will hold its eighth month-long iTunes Festival in London this year, featuring 30 nights of concerts at The Roundhouse throughout September. Artists set to perform at this year's iTunes Festival include Maroon 5, Pharrell Williams, Beck, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, and more.

"The iTunes Festival in London is back with another stunning line-up of world class performers and tremendous new acts,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “These live shows capture the heart and soul of iTunes and we love bringing them to our customers in the Roundhouse, as well as to the millions of people watching all over the world for free."

As with past years, free tickets for the concerts will be avaliable through iTunes in a lottery system. The iTunes Festival will also be broadcast via Apple TV, iOS app, and the iTunes desktop application.

The 8th annual iTunes Festival follows the first U.S. iTunes Festival at South by Southwest (SXSW) this past March, which was held at the Moody Theater. The iTunes Festival in London last year featured performances from a number of artists including Justin Timberlake, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Jack Johnson, and Jessie J.

Last week, a video posted by YouTube user Marques Brownlee showed the alleged front panel of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 being put through a number of scratch tests and significant bending. Now, Brownlee has released another video putting the same display through more rigorous scratch tests, this time with two different types of sandpaper.

Brownlee cites the Mohs scale of mineral hardness in his testing, which is a scale rating mineral hardness from 1-10. The iPhone 5s' Gorilla Glass display is rated at a 6.8, while sapphire crystal, which Apple uses for the iPhone 5s Touch ID home button, is rated at 9. The two sandpapers used for the test include garnet, which is rated at a 7 on the Mohs scale, and emery, rated slightly above an 8.

Upon testing, both types of sandpapers were able to scratch the iPhone 6's front panel, but it did show better resistance than the Gorilla Glass display for the iPhone 5s. Notably, the sapphire Touch ID home button on the iPhone 5s did not display any marks after being scratched by the sandpaper. This would indicate that the alleged front panel from the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is not sapphire crystal, but instead perhaps a next-generation version of Gorilla Glass. It is also possible that the panel could be a hybrid sapphire coated display, which was patented by Apple last year.

A report last month claimed that Apple would only be using a sapphire display in the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 over concerns about high cost and limited supply. Earlier rumors had indicated that Apple would have enough sapphire glass for production of both iPhone 6 models and the iWatch in 2014.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 6 in early September with a release coming a few weeks later. It is unclear whether the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions of the device will launch at the same time, with recent reports claiming that the larger iPhone 6 will be released later this year or in early 2015. In addition to a larger display, both models of the iPhone are expected to include a faster A8 processor, a thinner profile, an improved camera, and Apple's new iOS 8 mobile operating system.

Intel's continued Broadwell delays may cause Apple to push back the release of its rumored 12-inch MacBook, reports Taiwan's Economic Daily News [Google Translate].

According to the site, the device will not ship until late 2014 or early 2015 as it is expected to use Intel's 14-nanometer Broadwell chips, which have been delayed numerous times. The most recent rumors have suggested the U series Broadwell chips designed for use in Apple's MacBooks may not ship until February of 2015.

Apple's 12-inch MacBook, which is said to include a Retina display, has been described as a successor to the MacBook Air. Rumors originally pointed towards a fall 2014 launch date with mass production beginning in the third quarter.

News of the 12-inch MacBook first surfaced in October of 2013, with KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo describing the device as a MacBook with the portability of the 11-inch MacBook Air but the productivity of the larger 13-inch model, with a high-resolution display.

Rumors have also suggested the 12-inch MacBook will have a redesigned ultrathin chassis with a revamped trackpad design that doesn't incorporate a mechanical button as well as no fan assembly for quieter operation.

Along with the 12-inch MacBook, Intel's Broadwell delays are likely having an impact on several of Apple's planned product releases. The first chips designed for Apple products are not expected to begin shipping until early 2015, and the chips designed for the Retina MacBook Pro and the iMac may not ship until mid-2015, meaning Apple will be unable to launch significant product updates until the chips are ready.

Though the 12-inch MacBook is delayed, a separate report from Economic Daily News [Google Translate], suggests new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Air models are set to enter production next month with new processors, chassis, screen, and other components.

Six months after the launch of the iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, analysts are expecting a slight rise in iPhone sales from last year, with little growth in sales of the iPad, according to new reports from Philip Elmer-Dewitt of Fortune.

Q3 2014 iPhone sales estimates from 15 Wall Street professionals and 11 amateurs range from 31.8 million to 42 million, averaging 35.88 million. During the year-ago quarter, Apple saw 31.24 million iPhone sales, and the estimated year-over-year change is 4.64 million or 14.85 percent growth.

Q3 2014 iPad sales estimates from the 26 analysts range from 12.3 million to 16 million, averaging 14.43 million. During the year-ago quarter, Apple saw 14.62 million iPad sales, and the estimated year-over-year change is -0.19 million, or a slight -1.27 percent decline, which may not be as dramatic as the dip in sales during Q2 2014.

Did sales bounce back in Q3? The 26 analysts Fortune polled are almost evenly divided on the question, with slightly more expecting iPad sales to be lower this quarter than they were the same quarter last year.

The average estimate -- 14.35 million -- suggests that iPad sales were down sequentially and flat year over year. But behind that average is a rather wide range, from a high of 16 million (submitted by Asymco's Horace Dediu and Hilliard's Stephen Turner) to a low of 12.26 million (from Canaccord's T. Michael Walkley).

Thus far in 2014, Apple has not released new iPad or iPhone models. The company is expected to launch several new devices in the fall, however, including the iPhone 6 and updated models of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display, which will lead to much stronger sales later in the year.

Apple will announce its earnings for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of 2014 on Tuesday, July 22. The earnings release is posted just after 4:30 PM ET following the close of regular stock trading, and the conference call is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.

The European Commission announced today that Apple has not adequately addressed the issue of unauthorized in-app purchases, providing "no concrete and immediate solutions" to the problem, reports Reuters. This subject of in-app purchases within free apps was the focus of a recent EU investigation following complaints from several consumer groups in European Union member countries.

Apple said in a statement that it would address these concerns, but failed to disclose when and how it would make any necessary changes.

Apple takes great pride in leading the industry in parental controls that are incredibly easy to use and help ensure a great experience for parents and children on the App Store. The parental controls in iOS are strong, intuitive and customizable. And over the last year we made sure any app which enables customers to make in-app purchases is clearly marked. We've also created a Kids Section on the App Store with even stronger protections to cover apps designed for children younger than 13.

These controls go far beyond the features of others in the industry. But we are always working to strengthen the protections we have in place, and we're adding great new features with iOS 8, such as Ask to Buy, giving parents even more control over what their kids can buy on the App Store.

Our goal is to continue to provide the best experience for our customers and we will continue to work with the EC member states to respond to their concerns.

Apple faces legal action from European Union member countries if it is found to be in violation of the EU consumer protection law. The company currently is being investigated by Italy's Antitrust and Competition Authority, which is reviewing in-app purchasing policies for apps that are labeled as "free." Apple faced similar scrutiny in the US, recently settling with the FTC in an agreement that provided $32 million in refunds to parents whose children purchased unauthorized in-app items.

Apple's lawyers had tattled on Google to the FTC in an effort to point out that Apple was not alone in experiencing issues with unauthorized in-app purchases by children, but the EU today praised Google for its changes to address the problem, including moves to ban the use of the word "free" when referring to apps with in-app purchases.

Apple has implemented a series of changes in recent versions of iOS that prevent errant in-app purchases. iOS now requires users to enter their passcode before initiating an in-app purchase, notifies consumers before an in-app purchase is made and obtains express consent from consumers before billing them for an in-app purchase. More recently, Apple added an "Offers In-App Purchases" disclosure to app detail pages and inserted an "In-App Purchases" label for apps listed in its featured Top App Charts

Following the premature posting of information about the program, Amazon today officially announced Kindle Unlimited, a new e-book and audiobook subscription service that provides unlimited access to 600,000 Kindle titles and thousands of Audible audiobooks for $9.99 per month. Subscribers can access the content on any Kindle device or via the Kindle app on the iPad, iPhone or Mac.

The Kindle Unlimited service includes high-profile Kindle titles such as The Hobbit and the Harry Potter series as well as popular audiobooks like The Hunger Games trilogy and Life of Pi. The service includes popular Kindle features including Highlights, X-Ray and Whispersync for Voice, which allows users to switch between listening and reading a book without losing their place.

Amazon is offering Kindle Unlimited with a 30-day free trial that also includes a free three-month membership to the full Audible service with access to more than 150,000 audiobooks. After this trial period is over, subscribers must pay $9.99 per month for the Kindle Unlimited service and can opt to continue the additional Audible membership for $14.95 per month.

Apple manufacturing partner Foxconn is set to begin mass production on the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 this month, according to local media cited by Reuters. The larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will begin production a month later, in August.

Mass production of a 4.7-inch successor to the wildly popular iPhone 5 series of smartphones will begin during the third week of July, Taiwan's Economic Daily News said, without citing sources. Production of a 5.5-inch version will begin during the second week of August, it said.

Foxconn is also set to hire around 100,000 additional workers to help meet future demand for the device, according to a Chinese state-run news agency. Fellow Apple manufacturing partner Pegatron is also ramping up hiring, recruiting over 10,000 for its own facilities to help manufacture the iPhone. Additionally, it was reported last week that Foxconn was planning on deploying 10,000 robots to help employees with less intensive tasks like tightening screws.

Apple is widely expected to announce the iPhone 6 in early September, with a release coming a couple weeks later in late September. While it's unclear whether both the 4.7- and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 models will launch at the same time, the one-month delay in mass production could mean that the 5.5-inch is either available in lower quantities at first or will be announced at the same time as the 4.7-inch model and launch shortly after. Previously, it's been rumored the 5.5-inch model had been experiencing production issues.

Other than larger displays, the iPhone 6 is expected to include a thinner, iPod touch-like design, an A8 processor, and an improved camera, potentially measuring 13 megapixels. The larger model is expected to come with a $100 price increase, optical image stabilization and greater storage capability.

Alongside his resignation from Apple's board of directors after 17 years of service, Intuit chairman Bill Campbell spoke with Fortune about his time with the company, sharing some insights about the company he first became associated with over 30 years ago as a marketing executive.

Among the topics touched on by Campbell was the conflict he faced while serving on Apple's board while also assisting Google's then-CEO Eric Schmidt, a situation not always embraced by longtime friend Steve Jobs.

“Steve would say, ‘If you’re helping them you’re hurting me.’ He would yell at me,” recalls Campbell, whose normal banter typically needs to be sanitized for most publications. “ I’d say, ‘I can’t do HTML, come on. I’m just coaching them on how to run their company better.’” He continued in both roles for years.

Long seen as "Steve's guy" on the Apple board, Campbell also had praise for Tim Cook, who has been officially at the helm of Apple for nearly three years now.

“Apple is an institution now,” he said. “Tim’s done an amazing job of building bench strength within the organization. There’s a whole set of new and smart people who are taking over. You’re watching that company grow up.” [...]

“Tim is a calm, thoughtful guy,” he said. “He studies things and thinks about them, makes a decision, and moves on.”

Highlighting his feelings on Cook, Campbell notes that Cook has thoughtfully offered to make a contribution in Campbell's honor to recognize his service to Apple. That unspecified contribution will involve Campbell's home town in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area.

Apple today issued a press release announcing that Susan Wagner, founding partner and director of BlackRock has joined its board of directors. BlackRock, which owns 2.82 percent of Apple, is a well-known investment management corporation, co-founded by Wagner in 1988.

Wagner will replace Bill Campbell, who has served on Apple's Board of Directors for 17 years.

"Sue is a pioneer in the financial industry and we are excited to welcome her to Apple's board of directors," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "We believe her strong experience, especially in M&A and building a global business across both developed and emerging markets, will be extremely valuable as Apple continues to grow around the world."

Wagner has been recognized as one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and has also been honored by the National Council for Research on Women. She supports the Women's Initiative Network at BlackRock, which is designed to "foster the full potential of women" within the company.

Earlier this month, a report from The Wall Street Journal suggested Apple CEO Tim Cook was looking to add new members to Apple's Board of Directors, as several members of the existing board are older than 63 and have served for more than a decade.

Apple has faced criticism over its lack of female leadership, which Cook has been aiming to remedy. Wagner's appointment to the board follows the high-profile hire of Angela Ahrendts, who joined Apple as head of retail earlier this year. Wagner is the second female on Apple's board, joining Andrea Jung, who has served since 2008.

Art Levinson, Apple's chairman, said in the company's press release that the board "conducted an exhaustive search" for someone who could strengthen the board's "breadth of talent and background." Wagner herself says she's always admired Apple and is "honored to be joining [the] board."

(Image courtesy of TIME)

Smartphone manufacturer Kyocera, known for its line of rugged phones, is developing a new smartphone that utilizes a sapphire display, according to new teaser video published today.

The video teases a product called "Sapphire Shield," which Kyocera says is a "truly affordable pure sapphire display." According to a Kyocera representative that spoke to MacRumors, Kyocera's Sapphire Shield display will be used in upcoming Kyocera smartphones, giving the devices a competitive edge when it comes to durability.

Kyocera's official video follows an unofficial video leaked last week by a YouTube user and shared by CNET, comparing Kyocera's sapphire display to a piece of impact resistant glass. The two displays are scratched with rocks, presumably concrete, and while the glass is irreversibly marred, the sapphire comes away unscathed. The sapphire display also manages to survive a drop test that shatters the standard glass.

Kyocera is the first mainstream smartphone company to officially announce plans to utilize a sapphire display, but rumors have suggested that Apple is also planning to use a sapphire display in at least some models of the iPhone 6. Stress tests on the rumored front panel of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 were published earlier this month showing the panel's extreme durability as it withstood scratching and bending, but it remains unclear if the front panel is indeed sapphire or the almost-equally-tough Gorilla Glass.

Major smartphone companies like LG have researched sapphire, but have largely said that sapphire is impractical due to the material's limited supply and its high cost. In a report last week, one smartphone representative suggested the only reason to use sapphire was for marketing purposes, given the much lower price of Gorilla Glass.

Currently, luxury smartphone manufacturer Vertu uses sapphire displays in devices that cost upwards of $10,000. Apple's partnership with GT Advanced, however, reportedly allows it to create sapphire at a much lower price point and Kyocera also claims that its own sapphire is "affordable."

Kyocera has not released details on when its sapphire-covered smartphone might debut, but we may get our first look at a mainstream sapphire smartphone later this year if Apple's upcoming iPhone 6, due to be introduced in September, does indeed utilize the material.

Construction at Apple's Spaceship campus is continuing at a rapid pace, according to new images posted to Twitter by KCBS news and traffic reporter Ron Cervi. Cervi has been taking aerial shots of the campus to track construction progress for the last several months.

In the most recent set of images, the perimeter walls that will house the foundation of the building appears to be growing closer to completion, indicating a significant amount of construction has taken place since June, when the wall first started going up. Cervi also mentions "underground tunnels" in one tweet, referring to deep furrows in the dirt.

Pruneridge Avenue, the road that runs through the campus, has remained closed since last month, and traffic in Cupertino around the campus continues to be somewhat congested. Apple has closed off several sidewalks in the area and a large green privacy fence keeps the entire area hidden from view at street level.

The completed Apple campus 2, located in close proximity to the company's existing Infinite Loop campus, will feature the famous 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building, an underground parking facility able to accommodate 2,400 cars, a 100,000 square foot fitness center, and a 120,000 square foot auditorium.

Said to be the "most energy efficient building of its kind," Apple's new campus will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy and populated with more than 7,000 trees.

Apple hopes to finish the first phase of construction on the campus in 2016.