MacRumors iPhone and iPad Blog: Apps, News, and Rumors

According to a new report from market research firm IDC (via The Wall Street Journal), Apple became China's fifth largest smartphone manufacturer during the fourth quarter of 2013, taking 7% of total market share in the country. Notably, the report does not include iPhone sales numbers from the region's largest carrier China Mobile, which began selling the iPhone through a partnership with Apple ...

Apple is planning on introducing two new phones this year featuring displays of 4.7 and 5.6 inches, with the former using a traditional Gorilla Glass display and the latter featuring a sapphire screen, according to a new report from Taiwan's Economic Daily News [Google Translate] (via Mac Otakara). The report also states that due to its experimental nature, Apple's 5.6-inch phone will not be...

Last year, Realmac launched Clear+, a universal, iOS 7-compatible version of its task manager that was meant to replace the original iPhone-only version. The original version of Clear was discontinued, but consumer backlash over having to pay again for a new copy of the task manager prompted Realmac to continue updating the iPhone app. After months of maintaining two versions of the app, Realmac h...

Apple has released another story in its current "Your Verse" ad campaign for the iPad Air that showcases the extraordinary use of the tablet in a variety of situations. This latest edition shows how mountaineers Adrian Ballinger and Emily Harrington have used the iPad when scaling some of the world's most renowned mountains. Ballinger and Harrington are shown using the iPad from base camp...

A concept video of a 13-inch "iPad Pro" running a full version of OS X has been posted by Italian consulting company SET Solution (via Funky Space Monkey). The iPad in the video is depicted as having a large form factor with very thin bezels, and is shown displaying OS X Mountain Lion with touch controls. The video also shows off the ability to easily connect an Apple Wireless Keyboard and Magic ...

Previous rumors have indicated the first major update to iOS 7, iOS 7.1, will be released to the public in March after a testing period that initially began in November. AppleInsider today echoed those rumors with a report suggesting the release could come towards the middle of the month. Citing an "unverified source," the site specifically points to a March 15 release date, which is highly...

Apple has updated the iTunes Connect portal that developers use to track and manage App Store apps. The site has a new Sales and Trends section that allows developers to track sales across certain time periods, sales groups, and more, as well as estimate total revenue amounts, iMore reports.The lack of modern, useful reporting tools has been a source of developer complaints since developers have ...

Apple's first retail store in Brazil opened in Rio de Janeiro this weekend, with approximately 1,700 customers waiting in line for the grand opening (via The Globe]. Customers started queueing up on Thursday night for the Saturday morning debut, with groups waiting both inside and outside the Village Mall. Photo from The Globe The opening of the Rio de Janeiro store was announced last week...

T-Mobile is planning to implement some changes to its "Jump" early upgrade program, according to TmoNews. The company has plans to nix the six month waiting period and eliminate limits on how often customers can upgrade their devices, but there's a caveat – under the new terms, customers must pay off 50% of their existing device costs before being allowed to upgrade. As with the existing...

The official Apple Store app for iOS offers free books, apps and other content that users can download to their iOS device, and the company has recently updated its promotion to make Tetris [Direct Link] from Electronic Arts available for free. The current Tetris offer is advertised as "A throwback for you. On us." Typically priced at $0.99 in the iOS App Store, the app is free when users...

Last month, it was reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Electronics CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon agreed to attend a mediation session on or before February 19 ahead of a second patent infringement lawsuit between the two companies set for next month. Now, ZDNet Korea [Google Translate] (via The Verge) is reporting that both companies met in the United States last week but failed to reach an agreement ...

BlackBerry Messenger for iOS was today updated to version 2.0, adding a number of features to the app that have long been a part of the native BBM function on BlackBerry's own line of phones. Version 2 of BBM for iOS now supports direct voice calling between BBM users over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Channels, another feature new to the update, allow users to communicate in a group setting...

Apple's Chief of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, will be among the witnesses that both Apple and Samsung lawyers plan to call to the stand when the two companies return to court in March, reports PCWorld. The second trial will cover newer products that were not able to be included in the first jury trial. Phil Schiller was first called as a witness during the initial patent dispute between ...

Taco Bell is planning to roll out its mobile ordering platform nationwide later this year, according to a report from Nation's Restaurant News, an industry trade publication. Taco Bell has been developing its new mobile ordering app for two-and-a-half years, testing the platform at five stores in California.A number of other restaurants have supported mobile ordering, including Chipotle, as...

While some hints about the functionality of Apple's upcoming smart watch have surfaced through software leaks and the company's hiring of a slew of sensor experts, the design of the product still remains a total mystery. It is unknown what kind of screen the device will have, how the band will work, and how it will incorporate the myriad sensors it is rumored to include. For that reason, a...

Almost half of the consumers who buy a new smartphone are storing their older phone instead of recycling it in the used handset market, according to the "Mobile Mountain Study" conducted by research group OnePoll for resale site SellCell (via MarketWatch). These unused phones are worth almost $47 billion, with older iPhone models accounting for approximately $13.4 billion of these hoarded phones. ...

Rovio today announced a new version of its popular Angry Birds game after hinting about it yesterday on Twitter. The upcoming Angry Birds Stella features the "fierce and feisty" female lead character, Stella, along with her "friends and (fr)enemies." Angry Birds Stella will open a door to a part of the Angry Birds universe you've never seen before! There will be plenty of fun and adventure, ...

Verizon today introduced its new "MORE Everything" plans, which offers up to double the monthly data for customers while also implementing doubled bandwidth, a complimentary 25GB of cloud storage, and unlimited international messaging. The carrier is also offering discounts for customers enrolled in its Verizon Edge early upgrade program, as those with monthly data plans of 8GB of data or...