Apple's decision to keep OS X and iOS as close to each other as possible when it comes to the underlying technology that powers them both has been beneficial to the firm in the past. Unfortunately that also means that some security holes found in one are likely to also be evident in the other, meaning both will require patching. Conventional wisdom says that if you have two platforms with the same security problem, you patch them both at the same time, but it seems nobody told the folks at Apple, leaving one security researcher to lay into the company over the matter.
Apple's Q2 FY14 earnings call on Wednesday revealed that the sales figures of certain products have not been as strong nor impressive as in previous years, with the iPad numbers in particular having faltered year-on-year. But given the growing number of competitors in both the tablet industry and the emerging "phablet" market, this is perhaps to be expected, and even the popularity of the all new iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina Display haven't prevented sales of the Apple slab from dipping somewhat.
There's been a lot of speculation in recent weeks about what Apple will announce during this year's WWDC in San Francisco. Apple's annual developer meet and greet will undoubtedly feature an early iOS 8 reveal, giving us all a chance to see what the future of iOS holds.
The Apple iPhone 5s may be approaching the latter months of its shelf-life, but even with tech column inches being dominated with speculation pertaining to its eventual successor, Apple is keen to reiterate to us the versatile nature of its current flagship. A new ad, entitled ‘Powerful,’ showcases just how useful the iPhone 5s can be in creating great music, videos, and even launching fireworks - a timely reminder that the device is not just for playing Candy Crush and Flappy Bird.
Hitherto, those looking to test out beta releases of Apple's OS X would need to sign up to the Developer Program, which, for $99 per year, looked quite a steep fee for the casual, inquisitive user. Now, however, the Cupertino company has introduced a new OS X Beta Seed Program, whereby users can test out pre-release builds of the Mac software simply by signing up with an Apple ID - no annual fee required.
Over the weekend, it emerged that Nike was essentially closing off its FuelBand endeavors, laying off a large quantity of the project's workforce in the process. Given the close relationship between Nike and Apple, and with the so-called iWatch on the horizon, there was always going to be a conflict of interests, but with Nike having calmed its project down to a virtual halt, the stage looks set for the iWatch to launch. However, a new report suggests that Nike and Apple are to collaborate in the creation of an apparently separate "smart band," which will feature gesture controls and supposedly launch in the fall.
Apple and Samsung are currently contesting a patent battle in a California court, with the Cupertino company convinced that its Korean counterpart has lifted certain copyrighted iOS features. Given that Samsung already lost in court versus Apple and was forced to pay over a billion dollars in compensation in a previous judgment - a decision that was later reduced on appeal - it's fair to say that the Galaxy maker has developed a bit of a reputation, and in its latest ad campaign, Apple seems to be reveling in it.
The rumored partnership of David Fincher and Christian Bale may be no more, with two new names now in the frame to make Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs biopic.
There's been a marked increase in the number of channels and streams added to Apple TV during the past few months, and today, those already tethered to subscriptions of The History Channel, A&E and Lifetime can enjoy these channels on their Apple-branded set-top.
As the iPhone 5s grows closer to the end of its lifecycle, attention has already shifted to what people think, hope or want Apple to offer when they finally announce its replacement. The iPhone 6 is always going to garner plenty of attention, and as is always the case with big iPhone releases, people have been hard at work creating 3D modeled representations of what they want the handset to look like and which features they hope make the jump from wishlist to reality.
