MacRumors

Apple's rumored "Healthbook" app for iOS 8 may be the company's first big push into the current health and fitness craze that is being fueled by wearable technology, and a new report from 9to5Mac offers a look at what users can expect from the app as well as a few renderings of the app said to be recreated from actual screenshots.

The renderings show a Passbook-inspired user interface with cards for different heath and fitness data points, with the app able to keep track of vitals mentioned in previous rumors such as heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity and more. Notably missing from the renders are parameters for other topic such as stress and pregnancy tracking, which had been suggested in a separate report from MobiHealthNews last month.

Each category of functionality is a card in the Healthbook. Cards are distinguished by a color, and the tabs can be arranged to fit user preferences. As can be seen in the above images, Healthbook has sections that can track data pertaining to bloodwork, heart rate, hydration, blood pressure, physical activity, nutrition, blood sugar, sleep, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and weight.

A big chunk of the Healtbook app will be dedicated to measurable health parameters such as blood sugar levels, oxygen saturation, bloodwork values and more. The blood sugar tracking would let diabetics enter their daily or weekly glucose levels and track changes over time, while the bloodwork tab would allow users to enter the results of routine bloodwork tests that are used to screen for overall nutrition as well as heart, kidney or liver disease. When combined, these parameters will provide the user and their doctor with a snapshot of the person's overall health at any given time.

Another focus of the app is fitness, with the ability to track activity levels, nutrition, and weight changes over time. Data in these tabs would provide detailed analysis of calories burned, BMI, body fat percentage and more. This section, which also includes sleep tracking and hydration measurement, provides the user with an overview of their fitness and allows them to monitor any changes over time.

The mechanisms by which the app will retrieve this health and fitness data, especially the more difficult to measure vitals such as hydration and blood sugar, are not clear, although it is likely the app will utilize some combination of the iPhone's M7 motion coprocessor, third-party devices, third-party apps and Apple's own wearable devices such as the rumored iWatch.

Thanks to the capabilities of the iPhone 5s’s M7 motion co-processor, Healthbook could technically receive steps, miles walked, and caloric data from the iPhone itself. However, that is where the M7 stops being useful for Healthbook. Blood, hydration, and respiratory rate information would clearly need to come from other sources.

Apple has been hiring health and fitness experts to build out its iWatch team, and is rumored to be using this expertise in the development of its first wearable device. The iWatch is rumored to launch later this year, and Healthbook should debut as part of iOS 8 in a similar timeframe late this year.

Apple is planning to release a new 8 GB version of the iPhone 5c tomorrow, according to an alleged note to retailers from Vodafone's O2 unit in Germany shared by Caschys Blog [Google Translate]. The legitimacy of the note is unverified, but German site iFun reported a similar tip [Google Translate] just a few minutes later and several tipsters have even reported to MacRumors that shipments of the new models have arrived at carrier stores in the UK.

Pricing on the 8 GB model has yet to be revealed, but one of the sources has indicated that the device will be available in all of the existing color options. All of the reports we've seen so far have come from Europe, but the device would presumably see a worldwide launch as there would seem to be little reason for Apple to limit distribution to Europe.

Apple's iPhone 5c has seen lower than expected sales since its debut last September alongside the flagship iPhone 5s, with the iPhone 5c essentially representing an iPhone 5 repackaged in colorful new plastic shells and available in 16 GB and 32 GB capacities priced $100 below the corresponding iPhone 5s models. A new 8 GB model would allow Apple to bring the entry-level price for the iPhone 5c even lower, and while the capacity may not be enough for some users, many budget consumers may find it acceptable and Apple does currently offer an 8 GB iPhone 4s as its cheapest option in most countries.

Update 8:17 AM: A photo of a packaging label from the new 8 GB iPhone 5c has now surfaced.

Former Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane's highly anticipated book, Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs, debuts tomorrow with the goal of examining Apple's transition following the death of Steve Jobs.

While the book includes some interesting tidbits such as Jobs' comments on TV at a 2010 company retreat, Haunted Empire will likely not sit well with many Apple fans given Kane's thesis that the company is entering a period of decline without Jobs' guidance. That may indeed be the case, but the impression Kane gives readers is that she reached her conclusion before even embarking on the project, proceeding to selectively choose anecdotes to support her predetermined view.

Haunted Empire has relatively little praise for Apple, offering a rather disjointed series of chapters jumping from one topic to the next in an effort to show how dysfunctional Apple has become without Jobs. The book begins with a prologue setting the stage for Apple's transition with a description of the company's celebration of Steve Jobs following his death in October 2011. The first few chapters then focus on Jobs' earlier decline in health, including inside details on his 2008 conversation with New York Times reporter Joe Nocera regarding his health issues.

As Jobs began to move to the sidelines with several medical leaves of absence, Tim Cook's star began to rise with his handling of Apple's day-to-day operations, and his so-called "Cook Doctrine" shared on an earnings conference call in January 2009 offered the first good look at the executive's philosophy. Apple was flying high at that point on strong iPhone growth, but Kane alleges that Jobs resented Apple's success under Cook's stewardship:

Jobs returned to Apple at the end of June [2009] just as had said he would. On his first day, he threw a series of tantrums, ripping people apart and tearing up marketing plans. When Jobs heard about the press's sterling evaluation of Cook's performance, he hit the roof. Cook had done an excellent job, but the leadership and skill he showed in doing so was unsettling. He was also still sore about the "Cook Doctrine." Jobs chewed him out in a meeting with other executives.

"I'm the CEO!" Jobs yelled.

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Electronics analyst Sun Chang Xu reports on her Weibo account that the next iPhone may add a pressure, temperature and humidity sensor.

G for Games relayed the report and points out that the "pressure" in this context is certainly atmospheric, not blood pressure:

According to Sun Chang Xu (news chief analyst at ESM-China), sources close to the matter have revealed that Apple will catch up in the “sensors department”, as the iPhone 6 will feature pressure, temperature and humidity sensors. Please note that the analyst is probably not referring to blood pressure (this feature is rumored to be implemented in Apple’s iWatch) but to atmospheric pressure.

This same analyst previously reported that Apple may use "optical sensors" to measure heart rate and oxygen levels in the rumored iWatch. The addition of these atmospheric sensors would bring it up in line with Samsung's S4 which included similar atmospheric sensors.

The addition of more sensors to the iPhone 6 seems a natural progression with all the recent reports that Apple has been aggressively hiring individuals in the area of health sensors. iOS 8 is said to include a Healthbook app which reports on many health related sensors.

In a lengthy interview with The Sunday Times, Apple's Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive discussed a number of topics including his philosophy on design and collaboration, the strong relationship he had with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, and the future of Apple along with thoughts on new product categories.

Speaking on his approach to design, Ive stated that he starts on a project by imagining what "a new kind of product should be and what it should do," revealing that his design team consists of 15 people from the United States, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and Britain. Ive added that the majority of work amongst his team happens in his office, which consists of computer controlled cutting machines and a large wooden bench that resembles a Genius Bar for new products and prototypes.

Ive also discussed his tried-and-true approach of perfecting a product's design:

[Ive] spent "months and months and months" working out the exact shape of the stand of the desktop iMac computer because "it's very hard to design something that you almost do not see because it just seems so obvious, natural, and inevitable." When he has finished a product, even one as fresh and iconic as the white headphones that came with the first iPod, he is haunted by the idea: could I have done it better? "It's an affliction designers are cursed with," Ive frowns.

On the topic of his late friend and former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Ive spoke out against the negative comments about Jobs' tough management style, stating that the former CEO had unique characteristics which led to great work:

So much has been written about Steve, and I don't recognize my friend in much of it. Yes, he had a surgically precise opinion. Yes, it could sting. Yes, he constantly questioned. 'Is this good enough? Is this right?' But he was so clever. His ideas were bold and magnificent. They could suck the air from the room. And when the ideas didn't come, he decided to believe we would eventually make something great. And oh, the joy of getting there!

When asked about wearable technology and whether Apple will make an iWatch smart watch, Ive replied that there are "obviously rumors about [Apple] working on one", but stated that he would "obviously" not be talking about the subject, likening the rumors surrounding the iWatch to "a game of chess." Recent reports have pointed to Apple currently developing such a device to be revealed later this year, which may include health-tracking features and integration with other iOS devices.

Finally, Ive answered as to whether he'd stop working at Apple if the company could no longer make innovative products, and gave his optimistic vision for the future:

"Yes. I'd stop. I'd make things for myself, for my friends at home instead. The bar needs to be high." But, he adds: "I don't think that will happen. We are at the beginning of a remarkable time, when a remarkable number of products will be developed. When you think about technology and what it has enabled us to do so far, and what it will enable us to do in the future, we're not even close to any kind of limit. It's still so, so new."

Traditionally a quiet figure, Ive has been very instrumental in Apple's success since assuming his role after the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, designing some of Apple's most successful products including the iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Currently, he leads Apple's Industrial Design Group and oversees the company's Human Interface division, a position he took in October 2012 after then-Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall left the company. Ive also directed the effort behind iOS 7, which was released last September and featured a completely new design in addition to various other tweaks.

According to a passage from Yukari Kane's upcoming book Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs, in 2010, Steve Jobs told Apple executives that the company would not be releasing a television. Business Insider relays the exchange which occurred at Apple's 2010 "Top 100" retreat for Apple executive, managers and employees.

The attendees of the Top 100 retreat would hear presentations of Apple's business and often be exposed to new Apple products. The contents of the meeting are supposed to remain secret. The last day of the meeting, Jobs offered to answer any questions, and someone asked if Apple was going to release a television next.

Yukari says "Jobs didn't hesitate." He said, "No."

"TV is a terrible business. They don't turn over and the margins suck," said Jobs. (Unlike iPhones which are wildly profitable and replaced every two years, a TV gets replaced every 8 years, and isn't all that profitable.)

Jobs reportedly went on to say that he did want to control the living room, but that the current Apple TV set-top-box would remain a hobby until Apple was able to get the the content it needed.

There was apparently some disagreement amongst attendees if Jobs was sincere in his comments. Back in 2003, Jobs had told reporters that he didn't feel that Apple could add much value to mobile phones. The iPhone was announced four years later. Meanwhile, it's been three years since this statement, and other reports, including Steve Jobs' biography attributes comments from Jobs that he had "finally cracked" the difficulties in building an Apple television set. Meanwhile, Tim Cook also has made comments more recently that TV remains an "intense interest" for Apple, though that may refer to enhancing the Apple TV set-top-box experience than releasing a full-scale television.

While a recent report from a customer service representative indicated that Pioneer was exploring the possibility of bringing support for Apple's new CarPlay iPhone vehicle integration to third-party dashboard systems and Mercedes-Benz acknowledged efforts to bring extend support to its own older vehicles, it appears that full support will take some time to appear given challenges involved in the implementation.

AppleToolbox spoke with both Volvo and Ferrari, two of Apple's launch partners for CarPlay, and both manufacturers acknowledged that extending compatibility to older vehicles would be difficult, with Ferrari ruling out the possibility and instead promoting its alternative phone integration systems.

The new system CarPlay is available only on new range cars and cannot be installed on older ones. However, since we know that infotainment solutions are really important for our customers and also owners of older vehicles deserve the same care as all other customers, we developed an AfterMarket product aimed at offering last generation infotainment, completely compatible with most recent phones.

Volvo does not appear to have ruled out older model support for CarPlay entirely, but acknowledges that it would be difficult for the company to add that support.

We have not announced any plans for an aftermarket solution for Apple CarPlay. While I cannot reveal any potential future products, I can say that there are major roadblocks for this, both from a technical as well as from a usability point-of-view.

And despite Pioneer's statement of interest earlier this week, which the company backed away from in a statement to AppleInsider, other third-party manufacturers are expressing reservations about whether they will even pursue CarPlay support. In an email to MacRumors, a Kenwood representative indicated that the firm would be "looking at" CarPlay but that adoption is not imminent.

I can tell you Apple CarPlay won't be in any of our 2014 product. We will be looking at this operating system along with Google's.

I haven't had any discussions with our engineers regarding Apples willingness or unwillingness to extend into aftermarket.

Currently our [radios] support many of the features found on Apple CarPlay including SIRI control, AV content and even Navigation Apps, so perhaps this interface will have more of an impact with OEM systems that lack that kind of connectivity?

It's clear that there remain a number of unknowns regarding CarPlay, and it seems that Apple has not kept third-party manufacturers abreast of its plans. As a result, it may yet be some time before those manufacturers can have proper discussions with Apple and explore just what it would entail to add CarPlay support to their products.

Microsoft has a complete version of Office ready for release on the iPhone and the iPad, according to a new report from Reuters. The software is said to be ready to go as soon as new CEO Satya Nadella decides on a launch date.

The lack of Office software on Apple's devices is becoming a serious issue for Microsoft as it hemorrhages both users and revenue to simpler apps, losing its grasp on an entire generation of users. According to one analyst estimate, Microsoft is losing approximately $2.5 billion per year avoiding an iPad version of Office.

As Microsoft fails to bring its productivity software to Apple's mobile platform, companies are switching from the Office suite on computers to a cheaper, simpler, touch friendly solution. Reuters gives Artivest Holdings, a New York financial services startup, as an example of one company that has begun to shun Microsoft Office.

At Artivest Holdings, Office has been largely replaced by Quip, a simple and free word processor that allows users to create documents and send messages on any platform, including iPhone, iPad, and desktop. Hundreds of similar productivity apps that mimic Office features are available in the App Store at little or no cost.

"There are no more Microsoft Word documents being circulated. If someone emails me a Word document, I'll tell them to put it in Quip," said Artivest Chief Investment Officer David Levine.

Microsoft has positioned its products, including PCs and tablets, as productivity tools that outshine the iPad's capabilities, but the company's moves to keep its software largely on its own platforms have not been paying off as the iPad has soared in popularity despite Microsoft's efforts to paint it as a device solely for consumption in an extensive anti-iPad advertising campaign.

The slew of Office-style apps available for users has begun to motivate Microsoft to ramp up its deployment efforts, in the hope that it's not too late to win back some customers. Office for iOS could come at any time, and news leaked earlier this week that Microsoft has plans to release a free version of its OneNote note-taking app on OS X to increase cross-platform compatibility and to compete with apps like Evernote.

The speed with which apps like Quip have been adopted is forcing Microsoft to intensify its efforts to bring the powerful but aging Office software suite to tablets and smartphones, according to people close to the company.

"We have some pretty exciting plans," said John Case, the top Office marketing executive, without giving any details. "Certainly, interest in Office on the iPad is extreme. When they (customers) want to do real work, they are going to want to use Office."

Recent rumors have suggested a version of Office for the iPad will be available soon, though an exact release date is unclear. Microsoft is also working on an updated version of Office for Mac that should debut later in the year.

Apple has "shelved" its plans to produce a larger-sized tablet, according to a report from Digitimes. Nicknamed the "iPad Pro", the 12.9-inch tablet was rumored to be under development with a launch date possible early next year.

Apple's alleged move comes as these larger tablets face hurdles because the form factors are not compatible with the existing ecosystems, forcing manufacturers to scale back on their plans, claims Digitimes.

However, most of the large-size tablet projects face difficulties because of lack of support from related platform developers and ecosystems. Apple has also been said to shelved its large-size tablet project.

It is unclear whether Apple having "shelved" the iPad Pro is a permanent move or if the company is simply taking a wait-and-see attitude with the project for the time being.

Rumors of the iPad Pro first surfaced last May with a claimed early 2014 launch timeframe, but while a number of other sources have weighed in with their own claims about the device including word that production on the device's display had already begun, targets for the device's launch have slipped over time. Most recently, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has frequently offered accurate information on Apple's product plans, suggested last month that while the iPad Pro remained under development, its launch would likely not come this year.

As rumors of a larger iPad gained steam throughout the latter half of 2013, Samsung moved to introduce its own product with the launch of a 12.2-inch tablet early this year.

Digitimes has a mixed track record with its reporting, frequently obtaining accurate information from within Apple's supply chain, but on occasion seeming to misinterpret that information.

Besides adding new Healthbook, TextEdit and Preview apps, Apple may also change existing pre-bundled applications in iOS 8, claims 9to5Mac. Apps slated for improvement include Notification Center, Voice Memos, Messages, Game Center and CarPlay.

Apple may be simplifying existing apps like Notification Center, doing away with the "All" and "Missed" views and combing them into one “Notifications” view. The new Notification Center will contain "Today" and "Notifications" views, making it easier for users to keep track of items that are immediately important. Voice Memos also will see a redesign with controls that distinguish between recording and playback functions.

Messaging may be tweaked with an optional auto-delete function that will remove older messages after a certain amount of time. This new feature would be useful for iOS owners who have older devices with less storage space and prefer not to use that valuable space to store old messages.

Apple also may remove Game Center as a standalone app from both iOS and OS X, opting instead to embed the functionality into games that support the social gaming service. The company also is considering improving inter-app communication by creating a new API that allows apps to share data.

For example, a future photo editing application could have the ability to push the edited content for upload via the Instagram or Facebook apps. The debut of the API has been in development for the past couple of years, and it had been removed from the launch version of iOS 7 last year for unspecified reasons. With that in mind, it is plausible that Apple could, again, choose to hold back the functionality.

As hinted by Volvo, CarPlay may be updated to support WiFi connections instead of relying on the lightning cable to link an iOS device to the car's in-dash system. Also expected are underlying improvements that boost the performance of iOS 8.

In addition to the in-app tweaks, Apple has been working to speed up iOS 8 in comparison to iOS 7. Applications are said to launch more quickly, close more quickly, and overall system navigation is said to feel much smoother and more stable. Apple sped up animations and improved stability in the recent release of iOS 7.1, but the enhancements in iOS 8 are said to go a bit further.

From these early iOS 8 rumors, Apple appears to focusing on the overall iOS experience by improving key apps like Maps, Siri and Notification Center and speeding up performance of the operating system. The company is expected to unveil iOS 8 at WWDC later this year, with a release possible this fall.

After debuting a range of playful iPhone 5c ads on Tumblr in early March, Apple has expanded its campaign to the The New York Times and the front page of Yahoo.com. The Yahoo homepage currently features an ad block on the right side hand of the page that houses eight different iPhone 5c ads with the tagline "Find your colors."

Each ad features a short animation, mirroring some of the original Tumblr ads. There's a spot called "Catwalk," for example, which features a series of lens flashes, "Baaaa," which mimics a herd of sheep, and "99 Luftballoons," which offers floating red dots with music from the popular song.

In each video, a series of dots are depicted in different arrangements that eventually come into line as the same dots on the back of the iPhone 5c case, which then zoom out to show the full iPhone 5c. Apple has approximately 17 different animated iPhone 5c ads that are being displayed on the web, both on Yahoo's properties and on The New York Times site earlier this week.

According to a Times representative, Apple's grid-based ad was a customized format offering "a transparent overlay to depict a rich brand experience" that was indeed designed by the company though it featured a Sprint logo.

Apple has aggressively advertised the iPhone 5c since its release, but the move to social media sites like Tumblr is new territory for the company, which typically sticks to billboards, television commercials, and other types of traditional advertising formats. Web ads are not new for the company, however, as Apple has recently shown its Your Verse ads on a range of websites.

It appears that the campaign on the Times website may have ended, but it is likely that Apple will expand the animated advertisements to other websites as well in an effort to further market the iPhone 5c to a wide range of consumers.

During the company's Q1 2014 earnings call, Apple revealed it had seen lower than expected sales of the iPhone 5c due to high demand for the flagship iPhone 5s. Some reports indicated that the iPhone 5s was outselling the iPhone 5c by a two-to-one margin and Apple scaled back production of the mid-tier phone shortly after launch.