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

Digitimes reports that Apple and other handheld device vendors are making plans to begin releasing devices featuring curved glass in the first half of next year.Suppliers of the non-Apple camp are working on products with curved cover glass in attempts to gain a competitive edge in the handheld device market dominated by Apple, sources in the glass industry said. But Apple reportedly also has...

Engadget points out this interesting Rover App-Controlled Spy Tank from Brookstone. This remote control tank drives around will sending back live audio and video from the device. It has both a built in mic, video camera, and even night vision. Wireless connectivity is over Wi-Fi which gives you a range of 200 ft unobstructed, or 100 ft around walls and into other rooms. No word...

JP Morgan analysts claim that Apple is cutting orders from iPad component suppliers by 25% for the upcoming quarter.Several supply-chain vendors indicated in the past two weeks that Apple, the world's biggest company by market value, lowered fourth-quarter iPad orders 25 percent, the first such cut that analysts at JPMorgan’s electronic manufacturing services team in Hong Kong said they have...

OKITE is a Japanese alarm clock app. It's designed to help users wake up, but with a twist: it sends embarrassing messages to the user's Twitter account every time they hit snooze. Tofugu, a blog covering Japanese culture, points out that this type of public shaming is uniquely punishing in Japan: The interesting cultural thing about this app is the whole public shaming thing. In America when ...

Several MacRumors readers have pointed out that case company Otterbox, which gained some publicity yesterday for the discovery of boxes for a new "iPhone 4S" case, is currently featuring a promotional banner on its website that some have suggested could be a hint at Apple releasing both iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 models next month. But TUAW answered the question by reaching out to Otterbox for...

EA frequently runs sales on its iOS games, slashing the prices on its games down to $0.99. Today, the price drops a little further on two games, the iPhone and iPad versions of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2012, in a promotion with @FreeAppADay. The games normally sell for $4.99 and $6.99 for the iPhone and iPad versions respectively, but are discounted today in concert with the PGA TOUR Championship, ...

Ars Technica reports that support for Marvell's quad-core Armada XP processor has recently been added to the version of Apple's "Clang" compiler used in its Xcode developer tools. It is unclear, however, why support for the ARM-based processor has been included.A developer who works on low-level ARM assembly coding for security products was the first to alert Ars that support had been added...

Digitimes reports that iPhone touch panel supplier Wintek has apparently experienced some production issues that have caused minor defects in some of the panels being produced for the next-generation "iPhone 5".The defect, "delayed bubble", is difficult to avoid during panel production, particularly when the defect is not detected during the process of laminating touch panels, and only later...

The Financial Times reports its web app, launched this past June, has more readers than the version sold on the App Store, which has since been removed. The web app has more than 700,000 readers according to Reuters. The FT chose to develop an HTML5 app rather than a native iOS app because Apple takes a 30% cut of subscription revenue made through the App Store, and refuses to hand over all...

NASA has released a collection of free sound files from its historical archives for use by space buffs as ringtones. The set includes sound clips from historic Apollo and Mercury missions, Sputnik's "beep beep beep", shuttle launch audio and more: - Apollo 13's John "Jack" Swigert commenting "Houston, we have a problem" - Crackle of the historic last launch of the space shuttle, STS-135 -...

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam spoke out strongly in favor of AT&T's proposed merger with T-Mobile on Wednesday. The merger has been challenged in two separate lawsuits by the Department of Justice and Sprint. McAdam, at an investor conference, said the AT&T/T-Mobile "match had to occur" because spectrum is such a valuable commodity. AT&T has proclaimed the need for increased spectrum as the...

CNET reports that Apple is piloting a new program at its San Francisco flagship retail store, allowing store employees to check out loaner iPads for up to a week. The program is an additional perk to satisfy its employees and provides them with more hands-on time with the device to help them better assist customers.The program, which one source described as a "pilot," lets employees borrow from...

Marketwatch reports that KDI Corp will be selling the next generation iPhone come October, likely alongside rival Softbank, who had enjoyed exclusivity up until now.In a blow for the Japanese cell phone carrier's rival, Apple and KDDI have already entered into a sales pact for the new phone, Nikkei Business said, citing sources close to the matter.KDDI will reportedly making preparations for...

Publications participating in Apple's Newsstand feature, coming this fall in iOS 5, will only be able to update their issues once per day, according to documents obtained by AppAdvice. The background downloading feature of Newsstand is interestingly handled by push notifications. That is, when new content is ready, the developer can, once a day, send a push notification to your device with...

Calls made using Apple's video chat program, FaceTime, are encrypted end-to-end and -- with the right setup -- are HIPAA compliant, according to a statement from the company obtained by ZDNet. This matters because any products for healthcare purchased with federal funds must be HIPAA-compliant. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was a large health-care bill...

Hit photography app Instagram has released version 2.0, with live effects, new filters and much higher resolution photos. Instagram now offers live previews of filters: See the world through Instagram’s stunning effects before you even snap a photo. Simply select a filter, hold the camera up to the scene and see the world through Instagram’s visual effects. We’ve re-written your...

iPhone accessory maker Mophie has released the second-generation of its Juice Pack Universal line. The 3 external batteries are designed to recharge iPods and iPhones, and for the largest model, the iPad as well. The Juice Pack Reserve is very small and shaped like a Zippo lighter and has a 700 mAh battery. It plugs directly into the bottom of the iPhone or iPod Touch. The Reserve is available ...

Dow Jones Newswires briefly reported earlier today that Apple would begin selling 3G-capable models of the iPad 2 in China on Wednesday. With it now being Wednesday in China, sales of the device have officially begun for immediate shipping. We noted earlier this month that Apple had received certification for the device and was expected to begin selling it soon thereafter.Apple Inc. (AAPL) ...