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

Credit card processing company Square is rolling out a trial of its payment platform in New York City taxicabs using iPads with custom cases as payment terminals, the New York Times reports. The system will be outfitted in 30 cabs to start, with the main benefit being ease of use. Passengers can swipe their card at any time during their journey, sign the screen with their finger, and then have a...

Bloomberg notes that the Russian government has reclassified the iPad as a computer, in order to avoid a steep import tax. The story was originally reported [Google Translate] by the Russian newspaper Vedomosti. The reason for the tax was because the 3G iPad was considered a GPS-enabled navigation device. With the change, the iPad is now considered a mere computer -- however, many other...

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Apple will not be opening a special "pop-up" retail store at the city's massive SXSW festival this year. Apple briefly opened such a store at last year's festival to support the launch of the iPad 2.Apple Inc. will not create a pop-up Apple Store downtown for South by Southwest Interactive Festival this year, Apple officials confirmed Monday. Last...

Apple has posted its list [iTunes Link] of the top 25 bestselling apps of all time, following the download of the 25 billionth app from the App Store. The list, transcribed by MacStories, gives some insight into the types of apps that users are buying, and how those differ between the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad. The top 9 apps on the bestselling paid iPhone list are all games, with...

Last week, EA launched The Simpsons: Tapped Out, a new title that is a big part of its expanded strategy into freemium. The game appears to be one part The Sims and another Tiny Tower. Using the same writers and voice actors as the TV series, the game features a Springfield wiped out by a nuclear explosion caused by Homer. The town isn't actually destroyed, but players must rebuild the...

CNET reports that Foxconn, Apple's primary manufacturing partner for iOS devices, has recently begun adding in-line x-ray imaging machines to its production lines, seeking to improve quality control while also seeking to increase automation.Foxconn Technology, which has about 1.2 million employees working at its myriad factories in China, has begun adding automated inline X-ray inspection systems ...

With a Retina iPad 3 expected just next week, one developer has created a small utility that allows the iPad simulator to run in 2X mode. The utility is available from Ryan Petrich. In order to run it on the latest version of Xcode, you will need to symlink /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer to /Developer and /Developer4. Meanwhile, stroughtonsmith shows how his app SameGame...

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $9.36 million contract to purchase as many as 18,000 iPad 2s, according to Bloomberg. The plan is to replace bulky and heavy flight bags full of navigational charts and other materials with iPads in order to reduce the weight of pilots' bags and save fuel on flights. The Air Mobility Command, which is purchasing the iPads, provides transport and refueling...

Gizmodo is floating a rumor that the name for Apple's next tablet will be iPad HD, rather than iPad 3. They base this information on alleged part listings from Griffin and Belkin. Accessories manufacturers don't have a clue about Apple marketing plans until the very last minute. They usually get the physical specifications for new product versions in advance, so they can have products ready for...

A British sports book is offering odds on whether certain features will be included in the iPad 3 which is expected to be announced next week. The web is awash with rumours about the specifications of the new hardware and Sky Bet has chalked up odds on exactly which features it will and won’t have. Sky Bet’s Helen Jacob, said: “It would be foolish to bet on the specification of most...

Marvel has made more than 80 of its graphic novels available on the iBookstore [Direct Link]. Titles include novels from the Avengers, Captain America, Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men, and more. "Marvel is taking the world of comics by storm and releasing a massive selection of our best and brightest graphic novels on the iBookstore," said Peter Phillips, Senior Vice President & General Manager,...

Apple's iPhones were the top three most popular smartphones in the United States for all of 2011, according to comScore's 2012 Mobile Future in Focus whitepaper. NPD reported similar results for the months of October and November, when the iPhone 4S was the most popular smartphone in the country after it was released. For the full year, the iPhone 4S was the country's third most popular...

Samsung has been taking on the iPhone -- and the perception of Apple's "fanboy" customer base -- with its advertising for several months now. In its latest ad, Samsung pits a user with the Samsung Galaxy Note -- the company's new 5.3" Android smartphone -- against an iPhone user, seeing which phone is better for a few tasks of questionable use. via Cult of Android...

Rovio is expanding the Angry Birds universe once more. Angry Birds Space is launching on March 22 and a teaser trailer went live this morning that combines official NASA footage with some "out of this world" gameplay. Kotaku: "Our focus is to delight our fans and we're excited to launch Angry Birds Space on multiple platforms," Rovio's North America general manager Andrew Stalbow said in an ...

The Charlotte Observer reports that a total of 25 iPhones valued at over $16,000 have been reported stolen from Apple's Northlake Mall retail store in Charlotte, North Carolina. While smash-and-grab robberies are not terribly unusual at Apple retail stores, this case has an unusual twist in that the suspect appears to have been an employee of the store.“The iPhones were stolen from the Genius...

German site iFun.de reports [Google translation] that has it has received information from a source "to be taken seriously" claiming that the iPad 3 will debut there on Friday, March 23. No other details on the claim are offered, although the report does conflict with an Asian report from earlier today claiming that the iPad 3 would begin appearing in Europe in April following a mid-March...

AFP reports that Proview Technology has expressed a willingness to work toward a settlement with Apple in the "iPad" trademark dispute in China, even as the company continues to press forward with current lawsuits and plans for new ones seeking as much as $2 billion in damages."We are now preparing for negotiations," Proview's lawyer, Xie Xianghui, told AFP. "The court cases will continue until...

As it has in previous years, the NCAA division I men's basketball tournament -- also known as March Madness -- will be streamed both online and to iPhones and iPads. Unlike previous years, iPad and iPhone users will need to pay a $3.99 to watch the Big Dance. CBS and Turner are sharing the NCAA broadcast duties across four television stations. Here's how it breaks down: Mac users will be able...