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

M.I.C. gadget points to a report [Google translation] from Chinese tech site Zol.com.cn earlier this week claiming that Apple Senior Vice President for Operations Jeff Williams is currently in China dealing with the public relations fallout from criticism of the company's iPhone warranty policies in that country. The criticism appeared to have been coordinated by China's state-run media, with...

Foursquare has been updated to version 6.0, which includes a significant redesign that brings the Explore section to the forefront of the app. Previously Explore’s search capabilities were hidden away, requiring a tap to access the search menu.With the new Foursquare 6.0, we've crunched our billions of check-ins to instantly show you the most interesting things nearby. They're insights that only...

As noted by Mac Otakara, Japanese firm ACCESS today announced [Google translation] that Apple has agreed to license a set of patents related to Palm's smartphone technology. ACCESS acquired the patents when it purchased PalmSource in 2005. ACCESS notes that the portfolio of patents, which was licensed to Samsung in 2011, includes intellectual property from Palm, PalmSource, Bell Communications ...

Panic, the developers behind several popular apps such as Coda and Transmit, have released a new productivity app that allows users to easily view a variety of data relevant to their lives in a single screen. The app, called Status Board, was accidentally released in December but was quickly pulled. It allows users to use the app's built-in panels to display information like calendar dates,...

iMessage and FaceTime are both offline for "some users", according to Apple's iCloud System Status page.The outage began just after noon Pacific time today, and the company has not given any indication of when service will be restored. Affected users will see iMessages fail to send and FaceTime calls fail to...

Google has updated its Chrome browser for iOS to version 26, adding full-screen browsing on the iPhone and iPod touch, new printing options, and the ability to save webpages as PDFs to a Google Drive account. When scrolling down with full screen browsing, the toolbar at the top of the screen will disappear for more reading real estate. Scrolling back down will cause the bar to reappear....

AppGratis CEO Simon Dawlat today issued a statement about the recent removal of the AppGratis iPhone and iPad apps from the App Store, confirming that the apps were pulled for violating App Store guidelines 2.25 and 5.6, which state the following:Guideline 2.25 Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be...

Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White is out with another research note today sharing some highlights from day seven of his trip to China and Taiwan to talk with technology companies and other sources. Based on discussions with officials at an unnamed "tech-supply chain company", White now believes that Apple's iPhone 5S due for release later this year will arrive in two or possibly even...

Starbucks and Apple have long had a partnership to give away iTunes Store and App Store content to Starbucks customers, with the "Pick of the Week" program using physical cards with redemption codes on the back to allow users to download their free content. As noted by CNET, Starbucks has now gone mobile with the Pick of the Week program, allowing users to access each week's selection directly ...

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has debuted (via TUAW) a new iPad program that allows mothers who are not able to visit with their newborn babies in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to connect with them via a video chat on multiple iPads, dubbed BabyTime. The program is available to mothers who undergo cesarean sections or other complications during pregnancy and will receive...

HBO Go for iOS has been updated to version 2.1, most notably adding AirPlay multitasking support to allow video content from the HBO Go app to stream to the television while leaving the iPad or the iPhone free to operate other apps. The update also offers new interactive features for the channel's popular Game of Thrones series, which just had its season three debut last week. HBO Go offers...

According to a court ruling from the California Court of Appeals (via Orin Kerr), using a mobile phone such as Apple's iPhone to check or update a mapping or GPS program violates the state's distracted driving law. Vehicle Code 23123, aka the distracted driving law, was developed to prohibit drivers from texting and making handheld calls with a mobile phone. The ruling came in late March after ...

Back in March, Marvel announced that it would give away 700 of its No. 1 digital comics as part of a South by Southwest promotion. Unfortunately, the promotion caused more demand than expected and Marvel shut it down early after the ComiXology servers were overwhelmed with requests. Marvel today resurrected the promotion, once again offering consumers the chance to download 700 first issue...

AppGratis, a popular app discovery app on the iPhone, has been pulled from the App Store following the recent launch of its iPad version. TechCrunch reports that AppGratis has not spoken publicly about the issue, but other apps have been pulled from the App Store for violating a rule on displaying 'Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the...

Best Buy has slashed pricing on third-generation iPad models by thirty percent, bringing the price down to $315 for the 16GB Wi-Fi models. Comparable refurbished units are available for $379 directly from Apple.However, the iPads are only available via in-store pickup and it appears that selection varies widely between stores.Potential purchasers can check availability for individual models...

Apple yesterday rolled out another tweak for its iOS App Store, adding age rating icons to the top section of each app's information page. While the ratings have long been included in app details at the bottom of the pages, the new icons are much more prominent to help parents quickly assess whether a given app might be age appropriate for their children. The change comes roughly two weeks...

Walmart is offering 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Mini models for $299 across the U.S. (via DealNews)This is the lowest price seen for a brand new iPad Mini and is the same price Apple asks for the refurbished unit. It requires in-store pickup, but customers can reserve one from the website and pick it up...

Music subscription service Rdio has expanded to video, today launching a movie and television streaming service called Vdio. Vdio functions like iTunes rather than like Netflix, allowing users to purchase and rent video content. Though it does not offer a subscription service, Vdio does incorporate social content discovery, allowing users to see what their friends are viewing. Vdio users are...