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

Square has updated its very popular credit-card charging app for small businesses and released the Square Card Case, announced this past May. The Square app has been updated to improve transaction speed, add support for $0.00 price points (so merchants can keep track of notes on orders like 'no cheese') and stopped requiring signatures for purchases under $25. As for the new Square Card...

The iPhone 3GS is still holding strong in the U.S. smartphone market, ranking as the second most popular handset during the second quarter. The device's success is clearly due to the low $49 price tag, even if the cost of the service contract greatly exceeds that of the iPhone itself over the two-year term. Last week, we noted that we had received a tip that Best Buy would be offering an...

Earlier this week, it was reported that Delta Air Lines was testing iPads to improve real-time communications with flight crews. Now, British Airways is giving iPads to cabin crews to improve customer service in the air. The iPad lets crew quickly identify where each customer is seated, who they are travelling with, their Executive Club status and any special meal requests. It gives cabin crew ...

As the iPhone 5 gets closer to release, resellers are starting to offer reduced pricing on older iPhones. Canadian carrier Telus is offering the iPhone 4 for CAD$99 with a 3-year plan. The Telus deal runs through September 7. We are also hearing that Best Buy will be offering the 3GS for free with a 2-year plan on August 22 as part of a larger promotion. Best Buy has done this particular ...

Bloomberg reports that Apple is among the companies considering making a bid to provide as many as 15 million tablet devices to Turkish schoolchildren over the next four years. Microsoft and Intel are also said to be interested in bidding on the project.Apple officials told [Turkish Trade Minister Zafer] Caglayan during his visit to the U.S. that the Cupertino, California-based maker of smart...

id Software has dropped the price of the iOS version of its Rage game to free for a limited time. Rage for iOS is an arcade style rails-shooter that has been adapted from the upcoming PC and console version due later this year. The iOS version came out back in November:RAGE for iOS begins with a selection of three levels (or, "seasons" of the Mutant Bash TV...

Interested in an iOS-controlled model helicopter, but turned off by the Parrot AR.Drone's $299.99 price tag? Griffin has announced the Helo TC, a $49.99 helicopter controlled via an iOS app. It's not nearly as fancy as the AR.Drone, but at 1/6th the price, it could be a fun toy for users looking to fly something with their iPhone. Instead of using WiFi, the Helo includes a "case" that the...

Yesterday, as part of a report detailing a rumored timeframe for iPhone 5 pre-order and launch dates, 9to5Mac included an image of what appears to be an iPhone display assembly production line that had been posted to Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo. The photo was also posted to the forums at Chinese site WeiPhone.com with a different watermark, so it is unclear what the original source of...

This info graphic from Reuters is an updated version of one the Guardian built nearly a year ago. In a single graphic, it shows how many companies are involved in litigation over mobile patents, and how they are all interconnected. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the lawsuit coverage on MacRumors recently, Apple is at the center of more lawsuits than any other...

Last month, it was reported that Apple and Google were considering bidding to acquire mobile technology firm InterDigital, primarily for the firm's portfolio of over 8,800 patents and 9,700 pending patent applications. InterDigital had decided to explore potential strategic moves for itself, including potential sale of the company, and the company had drawn significant interest due to the...

Delta Air Lines is testing 22 iPads as "EFBs" or electronic flight bags, in an effort to save weight and improve communications with its pilots, according to Flightglobal. Steve Dickson, Delta's senior vice president for flight operations, said that each iPad is loaded with "Jeppesen Mobile TC charting software, a GoodReader document viewer that contains all of our manuals in an electronic...

Apple and Starbucks have expanded their music partnership to offer free apps as well. The coffee chain is now offering customers free "Pick of the Week" cards with App Store redemption codes for featured apps. The first app is Shazam Encore, a music-identification app that normally sells for $5.99. Apple and Starbucks have had a relationship for years, originally offering free songs and...

FOSS Patents reports on news from the German media indicating that enforcement of the preliminary injunction barring Samsung from selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 anywhere in the European Union outside of the Netherlands has been temporarily suspended in all affected countries other than Germany. The temporary suspension, which is in effect until a previously-scheduled hearing set for August...

Several MacRumors readers have informed us that wireless carrier O2 has sent out notices to its retail stores announcing that it will be beginning a three-week process to change out the iPhone displays in its UK stores ahead of the launch of the iPhone 5. While we don't believe that O2 has specific information on a release date for the iPhone 5, which has been rumored to not be appearing until ...

Amazon is targeting college students with a new iPhone app, aptly named "Amazon Student". The app ties together a number of features in a package specifically for students. Users can compare prices, buy or sell textbooks, and sell other items they don't need (like video games or DVD's that are no longer needed) as well. The app includes Amazon's barcode scanning software too. The idea is a...

Claims of media event and launch dates for the iPhone 5 have quickly accelerated as attention turns toward the window for such an event, which is likely to open in just a few weeks. Just today, a claim of a September 7th media event appeared and was quickly debunked, and other rumors of an iPhone 5 launch for September or even as far out as late October have also been swirling. TiPb now...

iPhoneinCanada.ca reports that employees at Canadian wireless carrier Rogers are currently beginning "pre-launch training" for the iPhone, suggesting that the carrier is preparing its staff members for the roll-out of the iPhone 5.As of August 11th, the training for the iPhone pre-launch will start. Please complete this training once notified by the Just in Time (JIT) training coordinator in...

Cable provider Cablevision and media conglomerate Viacom yesterday announced that they have settled a lawsuit over Cablevision's carriage of Viacom television channels on its "Optimum" apps for Apple's iOS devices. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but Viacom's channels will continue to be offered through the service.Viacom and Cablevision have agreed to resolve their pending...