MacRumors

Apple has acquired transit service HopStop.com to improve its mapping service, reports Bloomberg. News of the deal comes just hours after the reported purchase of Locationary, a company that focuses on location crowdsourcing.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) agreed to buy online transit-navigation service HopStop.com Inc., people with knowledge of the deal said, seeking to improve mapping tools after a rocky debut for its directions software last year.

Apple has confirmed the acquisition in a statement to AllThingsD, but declined to comment further: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

According to its website, HopStop, which also has an iOS app, is a service that is designed to offer detailed subway, bus, train, taxi, walking and biking directions to more than 600 cities throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

The service’s App Store description also notes that it provides HopStop Live! functionality that allows its users to communicate in real-time about stations, train lines, and buses, relaying potential delays and other pertinent information.

Apple's Maps app, which was introduced alongside the iPhone 5 after a move away from Google Maps, has been widely criticized for both its poor directions and its glaring lack of public transportation directions. Currently, the app redirects users to third party mapping applications when public transit routes are required.

As with its acquisition of Locationary, HopStop will allow Apple to strengthen its mapping services, incorporating accurate, real-time information on public transportation routes and improved walking/biking directions.

Microsoft today released another anti-iPad commercial, this time focusing on the iPad's lack of a USB port while highlighting the Surface RT's keyboard and stand. The ad once again returns to using Siri's voice to point out the iPad's shortcomings.

"Oh dear, I need a little help here," says Siri as the Surface is propped up with its included kickstand. "I'm sorry, I don't have a USB port," Siri continues, before lamenting about the Surface keyboard. "Oh snap, you have a real keyboard too?"

Microsoft's newest ad comes just a day after the company announced that it was taking a $900 million charge "related to Surface RT inventory adjustments," during its fiscal fourth quarter earnings report. As of Sunday, Microsoft discounted the price of its Surface RT by $150.

The 32GB version of the tablet now sells for $349 compared to $599 for the 32GB iPad, which is another point that Microsoft uses in its newest advertisement. "This isn't going to end well for me, is it?" Siri asks, just before the prices flash on the screen. "No, definitely not ending well. Do you still think I'm pretty?"

Following yesterday's announcement, Microsoft stock fell 12%, marking its worst single day drop since 2000.

Apple and Samsung have been in settlement negotiations following Apple's victory in a patent lawsuit last year, according to The Wall Street Journal. This contradicts a report from last November that said Samsung was not interested in settling with Apple.

The talks included face-to-face meetings in Seoul and reportedly came close to a resolution in February, but have since "cooled off". The sides remain in discussions, according to The WSJ.

In the negotiations, described sparingly in heavily redacted documents from the U.S. International Trade Commission made public earlier this month and by people familiar with them, Samsung has pushed for a broad patent cross-licensing deal that could settle all outstanding litigation between the companies. It is unclear whether Apple was interested in such a deal.

The possibility of a broad settlement, or a series of separate deals, marks another twist in the relationship between the two technology giants that began with Samsung supplying parts necessary to make smaller and thinner iPod music players in 2005, and has ballooned into fierce competition over smartphones.

The most recent development in Apple v. Samsung was the scheduling of a new damages trial for November, after Judge Lucy Koh ruled that the original jury may not have had a clear understanding of the patent issues. She said this resulted in a lump sum award that did not distinguish between patent violations, making it impossible for the court to determine which part of the damages were applicable to each patent.

Ahead of the launch of iTunes Radio this fall, Nielsen has published its findings on U.S. music sales for the first half of 2013. Amongst other things, the survey showed total streams of both audio and video music increased 24% to 51 billion streams versus the same time period last year.

With digital album sales rising only 6.3% and digital single-track sales actually down 2.3%, streaming music is clearly a major growth area for the music industry and with Apple launching iTunes Radio on millions of iOS devices this fall, it could give a further boost to the music streaming.

iTunes Radio will include Pandora-style genre- and artist-based channels, extensive iTunes Store integration, and both ad-supported and ad-free subscription options. It is expected to launch to the public this fall alongside iOS 7.

TechCrunch has the full report, including lists of the most streamed songs and purchased albums.

Over the past several weeks, an increasing number of photo leaks of what has been claimed to be the rear shell of Apple's rumored upcoming lower-cost plastic iPhone have surfaced, showing a device just slightly larger than the iPhone 5 and carrying the same layout of physical features, albeit with simplified microphone and speaker grille designs along the bottom edge.

Japanese magazine Weekly ASCII now shares some new closeup photos [Google translation, via Mac Otakara] of a yellow version of this plastic rear shell, showing it in good detail while also placing it alongside an iPhone 5 for comparison. The design continues to show a screw hole layout consistent with leaked iPhone 5S logic boards, suggesting that both the iPhone 5S and the lower-cost iPhone may share very similar logic board designs, at least at a broad level.

There is no confirmation that this rear shell is a genuine one leaked from Apple's supply chain, and the sheer number of photo leaks from various sources suggests that some of these parts may simply be unauthorized replacement parts. Still, these parts are appearing in significant quantities standardized around a common design that is also consistent with long-running rumors of Apple's plans for the device. At a minimum, there is a good chance that these parts offer a good representation of what Apple's lower-cost iPhone will look like.

AllThingsD reports that Apple has acquired Locationary, a Canadian company focused on crowdsourcing location and other data on local businesses for improved accuracy.

Apple has acquired the Toronto-based Locationary, a small Canadian startup, backed by Extreme Venture Partners and Plazacorp Ventures. Multiple sources familiar with the deal tell AllThingsD it closed recently and includes Locationary’s technology and team, both. The price of the acquisition couldn’t immediately be learned.

Referred to as a "Wikipedia for local business listings" by AllThingsD, Locationary uses crowdsourcing and other means to improve local search results for mapping purposes by verifying such data as location and whether or not the business is still in operation.

Apple is obviously interested in Locationary for its potential to improve Apple's mapping services, which have received significant criticism since their launch in iOS 6 last year. Locationary's platform will help Apple to offer accurate data on various points of interest, enhancing the local business search integration that is a key part of mapping and navigation services.

Over the past couple of months, there have been multiple reports indicating that Apple may be delaying its rumored Retina iPad mini until early 2014, with Taiwan's Economic Daily News citing Retina panel shortages as the primary reason.

DigiTimes now reports that LG Display has made some progress with its production of iPad mini Retina panels and is expected to ship them later this year.

The sources also added that LG is reportedly making new headway in producing Retina panel technology for use in the next-generation iPad mini, and expects to ship about 2-3 million units a month in preparation for Apple's expected October release date

The new claims are in stark contrast to a DigiTimes' report from earlier this week, which stated that an upgraded Mini would ship in late 2013, while the Retina iPad mini would not ship until 2014. NPD DisplaySearch analysts have also published similar reports suggesting two separate Mini refreshes, but have flip-flopped multiple times over the tablet's release date. While it's unclear which reports are true, it's clear that Apple will ship a Retina iPad mini at some point in the future.

Apple's next generation iPad mini is expected to feature an "almost bezel-free" design, along with processor upgrades and a lighter, thinner design.

Digitimes' report also reiterates that the upcoming fifth generation iPad will be lighter, smaller and more powerful. Previous reports have claimed that the tablet, which is expected to be released sometime in the fall, will have a more iPad mini-like design.

Ma Ailun, the 23-year-old Chinese woman who was killed via electric shock when answering a call on her iPhone last week, was most likely using an unauthorized third party charger, reports the South China Morning Post.

Knockoff chargers often use low cost supplies and fail to meet standards for the adequate isolation of electrical input and output, making them more dangerous than brand name chargers that are subject to safety regulations.

According to Xiang Ligang, a telecommunications expert interviewed by CCTV, the charger Ma had been using may have been a "knockoff" - a fake.

"Knockoff chargers sometimes cut corners," Xiang said. "The quality of the capacitor and circuit protector may not be good, and this may lead to the capacitor breaking down and sending 220 volts of electricity directly into the cell phone battery."

The woman was also reportedly using an iPhone 4 at the time of the incident, rather than an iPhone 5 as was originally stated. The iPhone 4 contains stainless steel, while the iPhone 5 is primarily aluminum. It is still unclear what caused the malfunction, as the iPhone 4 apparently remained functional after the incident.

Xiang said that normally, the electric current from an overloaded charger would overheat the phone’s casing, damaging the circuits inside and rendering the device unusable. In the case of Ma’s iPhone 4, however, authorities said the phone could still be started normally despite severe traces of burning on its exterior. The phone’s data cable, charger, and plug were all intact.

A police investigation into the incident is underway, and Apple has pledged to look into the accident. "We are deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident," said an Apple spokeswoman. "We will fully investigate and co-operate with the authorities in this matter."

A second iPhone related electrocution has also been reported (via ZDNet), involving a man who was injured while connecting his iPhone 4 to a third party charger 10 days ago. The man, who is currently in a hospital in Beijing, remains in a coma.

After introducing iWork for iCloud during its Worldwide Developers Conference and sending invites to registered developers soon after, Apple has begun inviting normal users to test the software according to a number of MacRumors tipsters.

The following invitation is being sent out to users who have been accepted into the iWork for iCloud beta:

We’ll soon be introducing a new and exciting feature to iCloud. It’s called iWork for iCloud and it’s a suite of apps — Pages, Numbers, and Keynote — that make it easy for anyone with an iCloud account to create and edit great-looking documents, spreadsheets, and presentations right on the web.

We’d like to invite you to be one of the first to try it, so we’re giving you early access to the iWork for iCloud beta. All you have to do is sign in to iCloud on a Mac or a PC using the current version of Safari, Chrome, or Internet Explorer. Then just click on Pages, Numbers, or Keynote and you’re off.

We’re really proud of these apps and we’d appreciate your help in making them as great as they can possibly be. So we’d love to hear your feedback as you use them.

Sign in to iCloud.com to get started with iWork for iCloud today.

Sincerely,

The iWork Team

iWork for iCloud offers in-browser versions of Apple's iWork software suite, including Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. The software can be accessed from both PC and Mac computers as well as a number of mobile devices. It is expected to be released to the public later this year.

Thanks to Jason and the other tipsters!

Apple today released an update for the Mid–2013 MacBook Air to fix both an issue that caused some users to experience severe flickering when using Adobe Photoshop and a bug that caused some users' Wi-Fi to intermittently disconnect.

This update is recommended for MacBook Air (mid 2013) models.

This update fixes an issue that in rare instances may cause an intermittent loss in wireless connectivity, an issue with Adobe Photoshop which may cause occasional screen flickering, and an issue which may cause audio volume to fluctuate during video playback.

News of the screen flickering issue emerged shortly after the release of the 2013 MacBook Air, when users began noticing display flickering when using Photoshop, especially when accessing the app's larger brush tools. An Adobe representative noted that it was likely a driver or GPU issue and last week, a tipster reported that OS X 10.8.5 fixed the issue, suggesting that Apple had found a solution.

New MacBook Air owners also experienced Wi-Fi connection issues, prompting Apple to begin looking for a solution in mid-June after issuing an order for Apple Geniuses to "capture" MacBook Airs experiencing connectivity problems.

Apple's June 2013 MacBook Airs use the newest 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard, which is designed to offer faster connectivity and bandwidth.

The update can be downloaded via the software update page or through the software update tool in the Mac App Store.

After launching an investigation into the anti-theft practices of smartphone manufacturers like Apple, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón will today test how Apple’s Activation Lock feature holds up against determined thieves, reports CNET.

First introduced at WWDC, Activation Lock is designed to prevent Find My iPhone from being deactivated, which keeps stolen iPhones from being wiped and reactivated. The feature is included in iOS 7, which is expected to be released to consumers this fall.

Gascón and Schneiderman are planning to bring in security experts from the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center to attempt to bypass Activation Lock in order to gain access to an iPhone. The security team will also test the Lojack for Android software on a Samsung Galaxy S4.

"While we are appreciative of the efforts made by Apple and Samsung to improve security of the devices they sell, we are not going to take them at their word," Schneiderman and Gascón said in a joint statement. "Today we will assess the solutions they are proposing and see if they stand up to the tactics commonly employed by thieves."

The two officials have pushed for greater anti-theft measures from cell phone manufacturers after a spike in mobile device thefts. While carriers agreed last year to develop a centralized database to track stolen phones, it has proven to be largely ineffectual. Both Gascón and Schneiderman have stated that they believe Activation Lock is an inadequate theft deterrent and Gascón has urged Apple to implement a "kill switch" that would permanently disable stolen iOS devices.

The results of the Activation Lock investigation are expected to be released later today.

According to a new report from mobile analytics firm Flurry, free apps supported by ads and/or in-app purchases are becoming an increasingly popular choice for developers and consumers alike, with 90% of iOS apps now being offered for free. In 2012, that number was just 84%, marking a 6% increase over the past year.

Some might argue that this supports the idea that "content wants to be free". We don’t see it quite that way. Instead, we simply see this as the outcome of consumer choice: people want free content more than they want to avoid ads or to have the absolute highest quality content possible.

Flurry also compared the pricing of both Android apps and iPhone and iPad apps, finding that iOS users are generally more willing to pay for content. The average Android app price as of April 2013 was $0.06, while the average iPhone app price was $0.19.

iPad apps have traditionally been more expensive with developers charging a higher premium for more screen real estate, which caused the average iPad app price to be a good deal higher than Android or iPhone apps at $0.50. iPad apps, on average, are priced 2.5 times higher than iPhone apps and eight times higher than Android apps.

Due to the uptick in free apps, Flurry suggests that consumer behavior indicates ad-supported content will continue to surge, and that ads in apps are a "sure thing for the foreseeable future."

Flurry collects its data from the more than 350,000 people that access its Flurry Analytics tools.