MacRumors

Over the weekend, The New York Times released an in-depth profile of Apple CEO Tim Cook. For that piece, the publication interviewed Jony Ive, Apple's head of design, and now The New York Times has released a transcript of the full interview with Ive, which points towards Apple's design philosophies, how the company has changed under Cook, and the new products that Ive is working on.

In an anecdote about Steve Jobs and the creation of small, highly focused design teams as his legacy, Ive says that Cook has continued on with Jobs' push for innovation, nudging Ive and his team into new areas of exploration that includes all new materials.

I've worked for the last 15 or 20 years on the most challenging, creative parts of what we do. I would love to talk about future stuff -- they're materials we haven't worked in before. I've been working on this stuff for a few years now. Tim is fundamentally involved in pushing into these new areas and into these materials.

Ive's statement about working with new materials is incredibly vague, but rumors have suggested that Apple has been experimenting with a range of materials that have not yet seen wide usage in its devices, including sapphire crystal, which may make its way into the iWatch and the iPhone 6, Liquidmetal alloys, which the company may use for various iPhone parts, and possibly graphene, which is seen as the hot new manufacturing material.

Apple has experimented with sapphire as a cover for the home button and the camera lens on the iPhone 5s, and Liquidmetal has been used in the iPhone 3G's SIM tool removal device, but both materials are ripe for extended usage in Apple's future devices.

Along with hinting at future products, Ive also spoke on a recent management change that saw him taking over the software interface design team, saying that the changes made in that department are not as dramatic as one might imagine as the design teams have always worked together closely. According to Ive, titles are unimportant at Apple. "That's not the lens through which we see our peers," he says.

The rest of Ive's interview can be read over at The New York Times. The full piece on Tim Cook, which has details on product development and Apple's plans for the iWatch, is also well worth a read.

The Wall Street Journal profiles one of Google's recent acquisitions which has implications on mapping, competitive intelligence and even privacy. Skybox Imaging is an intelligence company that by the year 2018 will be able to take satellite imaging to the next level:

By the time its entire fleet of 24 satellites has launched in 2018, Skybox will be imaging the entire Earth at a resolution sufficient to capture, for example, real-time video of cars driving down the highway. And it will be doing it three times a day.

The ability to take such frequent imaging will certainly aid Google's Maps product, but it also opens up a market for competitive intelligence. Skybox says they are already looking at Foxconn every week and are able to pinpoint the next iPhone release based on the density of trucks outside their manufacturing facilities.

Google plans on initially using the technology to improve their Maps product, potentially providing more up-to-date satellite images, but Skybox executives have long term plans for offering their data to outside developers for a fee.

Speech-recognition company Nuance, which is responsible for the technology that powers Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, is in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition, reports The Wall Street Journal. The company has spoken about a possible sale with Samsung and other private-equity firms, but it is unclear if a deal has been reached.

The Burlington, Mass., company has recently spoken about a possible sale of the company with Samsung Electronics Co. and private-equity firms, some of the people said. It isn't clear where sale talks, some of which happened earlier this year, currently stand or if they will lead to a deal.

Nuance is well known for its speech recognition and dictation recognition software, which includes Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It has also formed partnerships with multiple companies, such as Amazon, and released an API for developers. Nuance's best known partnership is with Apple, however, as its speech and dictation recognition algorithms are the backbone of Siri.

The exact nature of the partnership between Nuance and Apple was unknown for many years as the deal between the two companies was kept secret, but in 2013, Nuance CEO Paul Ricci confirmed that Nuance's technology powers Siri's voice recognition capabilities. "We're a fundamental provider for Apple," he said at the time.

It is unclear what impact a possible Nuance acquisition would have on Apple's relationship with the company. Apple may be forced to find another solution for Siri's voice recognition abilities, but it's important to note that many of Siri's functionalities beyond voice recognition come from integration with other companies like Yelp, OpenTable, and Wolfram Alpha.

Back in 2013, a report suggested that Apple may already be working to move Siri development in-house, stepping away from longtime partner Nuance. Apple has a dedicated Siri team in Boston that may be working on a voice recognition solution in the event that Apple is forced to end its partnership with Nuance. Nuance's talks with Samsung and other parties remain in the early stages, however, as noted above.

iOS 8 brings several enhancements to Siri, including real-time feedback, Shazam integration, hands-free voice activation, and the ability to open the App Store for the first time.

Macworld's Jason Snell provides a nice hands-on writeup about Apple's new OS X Yosemite. Snell focuses on the user-experience from a long term Mac user, focusing on the visual and usability changes of Mac windows. He notes the increased use of transparency and the varying implementation of title bars in many applications:

Overall, Snell feels that many of the design changes were done with Retina displays in mind:

For a while now, I’ve thought that 2014 would be the year that Retina spreads across the Mac product line. After spending time with Yosemite on both Retina and non-Retina systems, I’m more confident than ever in that guess. Yosemite’s new design feels like it was built for Retina displays: Thin Helvetica Neue replaces the long-serving but chunky Lucida Grande as the system typeface.

Apple first introduced Retina displays into the Mac line in with the Retina MacBook Pro in June, 2012. Since that time, Apple has been slow to extend Retina screens to the rest of their lineup.

The MacBook Air seems likely to be the next Mac to deliver a Retina Display. Signs point to a 12" Retina model later this year, and there has already been early evidence in Yosemite of Retina iMacs in testing.

WebMD today announced Healthy Target, a service that collects biometric data from activity trackers, wireless scales and other health monitoring devices and uses this information to deliver tips on healthy living. The release comes as a number of companies, including Apple, are looking at ways to integrate health and fitness tracking from a variety of sensors and devices to give consumers an overall look at their health profiles.

Healthy Target will be integrated into WebMD's mobile app [Direct Link], allowing iPhone owners to aggregate all their health and fitness data into one application. Users will then receive health recommendations and fitness insights using WebMD's physician-reviewed content.

"Consumers will appreciate the ease of incorporating their biometric data into our Healthy Target program and the health insights and recommendations offered to help them sustain a healthier life," said David Ziegler, Director of Product Management for WebMD. "With more than 40%[1] of consumers using mobile devices to access health information, the time is right for a mobile app that can help translate data into life-improving insights."

Besides pulling in step information from the iPhone 5s' M7 coprocessor, Healthy Target also connects to devices from Entra, Fitbit, UP by Jawbone and Withings, with additional manufacturers expected to be announced in the coming weeks and months. According to Re/Code, the service uses the FDA-approved, secure online health repository 2net Platform from Qualcomm to sync this health data.

Healthy Target is one of several recent new health app initiatives including HealthKit from Apple, Samsung's S.A.M.I, and the rumored Google Fit, which may be unveiled at Google's I/O developer conference later this month.

Earlier this month, Apple briefly introduced its new HealthKit platform and associated Health app. Using HealthKit APIs, device manufacturers and app developers can share health and fitness data with Apple's Health app, which will debut with iOS 8. Apple's rumored iWatch product also is expected to be a primary focus of this health and fitness-related platform.

The updated WebMD mobile app with Healthy Target [Direct Link] is available today in the iOS App Store.

A growing number of complaints on Apple's Support forums suggest there is an ongoing problem with Apple's iTunes Match service. According to the posts in multiple threads, the service times out when users try to upload new tracks for matching by Apple's iTunes servers.

"I've been using iTunes Match for about a year and a half and have started experiencing a new problem in the last couple of days. I've added a few new tracks to my library over the last couple of days and have attempted to "Update iTunes Match." However, the matching process is stalling out at the end. It looks like it's just about to finish but then it never does, " writes Apple Support forum member Ryan Hargrove.

The issue apparently began on June 9/10th and is still affecting users almost a week later. Various attempts to fix the issue by updating iTunes, restarting the computer and more were unsuccessful.

"This started today. It was working fine. I have deleted my entire library and I can't even get one song to go through. Thoughts? I've been working with this all day. I have uninstalled iTunes, downgraded iTunes, upgraded iTunes again. Finally, I erased all data...Libraries...playlist data, etc.. I'm extremely frustrated now. I had synced about 4,000 songs since September and it had been working fine," writes Apple Support forum member ExileAtkins.

Apple has not acknowledged the problem, with its System Status page still showing that all iTunes services are fully operational. Further tests by affected users and MacRumors staff suggest the problem may only involve tracks that are not included in Apple's iTunes library. These self-recordings and Indie music tracks appear to stall during the upload process, while recognized songs are matched without issue.

We have reached out to Apple for comment and are awaiting a reply. Since this problem is likely a server issue on Apple's side, affected users will have to wait until Apple addresses the issue internally.

(Thanks, David!)

Earlier this month, Apple updated its App Store review guidelines to allow for "approved" virtual currencies in apps. Now, Coindesk (via The Next Web) reports that Bitcoin wallet app Coin Pocket has launched in the App Store, becoming the first app on iOS that allows users to send and receive the virtual currency.

In addition to Coin Pocket, gift card purchasing app eGifter has also received an update to now accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. Earlier this month, betting app Betcoin also appeared on the App Store with in-app Bitcoin spending capabilities. Its developer, Omri Cohen, noted that the app was an experiment to test what Apple would allow ahead of the policy change on virtual currencies in apps.

Prior to its policy change, Apple displayed past tendencies to remove and deny apps that promoted virtual currencies, notably asking the developers behind private messaging app Gliph to remove the app's Bitcoin sending capabilities. With the launch of Coin Pocket however, it is now likely that users will be seeing many more Bitcoin-related apps in the App Store provided they follow Apple's guidelines.

Coin Pocket [Direct Link], eGifter [Direct Link], and Betcoin [Direct Link] are all free apps for iOS devices and can be downloaded through the App Store.

Apple will reportedly have enough sapphire glass for both of its iPhone 6 models as well as the iWatch in 2014, based on the latest supply chain check at the company's sapphire glass manufacturing partner GT Advanced done by analyst Matt Margolis for Seeking Alpha (via GforGames).

As a result of my most recent supply chain check I believe that the Mesa sapphire operations will have ample supply to cover the iWatch, the 4.7" iPhone and the 5.5" iPhone with full sapphire cover glass in 2014. Additionally, the maximum sapphire screen capacity of the Mesa facility is likely to exceed 200m annual units.

Margolis notes that GT Advanced has installed more than 2,500 furnaces and is expected to work with sapphire boules that weigh between 200 and 235 kg. The plant is waiting for its final prepayment from Apple in order to finish construction and secure equipment, which is expected to be received by the end of this month.

In February, Margolis estimated that Apple would be gearing up for mass production of devices with sapphire displays, with equipment in the factory leading to a yield of anywhere from 100 to 200 million ~5-inch sapphire displays. A yield of over 200 million sapphire displays as indicated by this latest report means that Apple could possibly produce more than enough sapphire displays for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and the iWatch.

Previous reports indicated that sapphire display supply constraints may force Apple to reserve the scratch resistant material for its larger iPhone models, with expenses perhaps driving up the retail price for consumers. Other reports suggested that initial sapphire production would target the iWatch instead of the iPhone 6, however the reported volume of raw material and equipment purchased would likely hint at bigger plans for sapphire display production.

Apple's 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to be released later this year, with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 launching near the end of 2014. In addition to a sapphire display, both phones will likely include a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and an improved camera. Meanwhile, the iWatch is expected to be revealed at an October event and may launch later that month.

A new profile on Tim Cook done by the New York Times has shared a variety of details discussing the Apple CEO's leadership style over his nearly three year tenure as the head of the company, including his influence on product development, brand expansion, and "quiet" approach to design. The profile also sheds new light on the development of Apple's highly-rumored "iWatch" smartwatch.

The report notes Cook's differences in management compared to Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, sharing how the CEO has made key decisions to release unique new products and acquire new talent over the past few years. Moreover, his attempts to broaden Apple's brand by expressing support for initiatives such as environmentalism and charitable giving were also highlighted.

A number of Cook's peers spoke on Apple's pressure to deliver another breakthrough product, with Apple design chief Jony Ive saying that Cook has "not neglected" the company's central mission of "innovation," noting that it has been "hard" for the company and its CEO to "be patient."

Honestly, I don’t think anything’s changed,” he said. And that includes the clamor for some exciting new thing. “People felt exactly the same way when we were working on the iPhone,” Mr. Ive added.

New details were also shared on Cook's influence on the iWatch, with the report noting Cook has been "less involved" in the direct engineering of the device, delegating the hands-on roles to other executives such as Ive. Cook is said to be interested in the smartwatch's "broader implications", taking an interest as to how the device could help people monitor their health more efficiently. Sources said that the iWatch is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of this year, which is in line with previous reports.

Cook has also managed to acquire new personnel throughout the past few years, hiring personnel such as former Burberry chief Angela Ahrendts to head Apple's retail efforts and former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve to lead "special projects." U2 lead singer Bono, who worked closely with Apple through the (Product) RED initiative, says that Cook is amassing a "creative brain trust," adding that Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics was done to expand the company's creative perspective in the absence of Jobs.

Disney CEO and Apple board member Bob Iger also shared perspective on Cook's decision making towards new products:

Since he took over, the company has released a number of upgrades, including a smaller tablet, the iPad Mini. Mr. Cook “thought the world would love a smaller and less expensive tablet,” said Robert A. Iger, the chief executive of Disney and a member of Apple’s board. It was a product that Mr. Jobs thought did not have a market, he said.

The profile finally speaks on Cook's approachability as told by developers and employees at the company, highlighting the CEO's ability to hold conversation and express his activism and perspectives. Overall, while Apple has experienced criticism amid slowing revenue growth and the lack of drastic product expansion, the profile notes that Cook has gained a considerable amount of influence throughout his tenure as CEO.

Apple is expected to launch a variety of new products this year, including bigger iPhones, a new Apple TV, and refined iPads, as well as new MacBooks and an upgraded iMac in addition to the aforementioned iWatch.

A couple of new model photos of the rumored iPhone 6 have been posted to Twitter by SonnyDickson. The new images depict the 4.7" and 5.5" iPhone 6 side by side -- both front and back.

The images show what we have already seen about the iPhone 6, including the rounded case edges and larger form factors. Apple is expected to release the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 around September of 2014, while the 5.5-inch version may come later.

Photos of iPhone 6 dummy models have been floating around for months, making even more frequent appearances in recent weeks.

With iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, Apple is focusing heavily on increased integration between desktop and mobile through several new "Continuity" features, including Handoff, which allows users to start a task on one device and swap to another nearby device.

While Handoff doesn't appear to work reliably at this point in time and is listed as one of the features currently unavailable in the beta software, some users have been able to get it working, giving us a quick glimpse at how the feature works.

A video from French site Mac4Ever displays how the feature works with Maps, Safari, and Mail. A map opened on the iPhone is automatically picked up by the Mac, displayed in the lower left corner of the screen, with the process repeated for a site in Safari and an email message in Mail.

Handoff is also demonstrated in a second video from Cult of Mac, which explains how Handoff works and shows the feature being used with Safari and Mail. The video also demonstrates a second Continuity feature, which allows Macs and iPads to make and answer phone calls relayed through an iPhone.

Handoff, Mac/iPad phone calls, and the other Continuity features will continue to be refined during the iOS 8/OS X Yosemite beta testing period. Both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite are currently available to developers and are expected to be released to the public in the fall.