In a world where we can manage our iPhones and iPads from the cloud and need never plug them into a computer thanks to iCloud, it's easy to forget that actually iTunes exists for the very same purpose. We know that we don't all use it here at Redmond Pie, and at least one writer doesn't even have an iTunes library to call his own. Music streaming services like Spotify and Rdio make iTunes even more redundant, so when Apple released iTunes 11.1.4 today it took some work to get excited about it.
It's the beginning of a new year, and for tech fans, it means looking ahead and making predictions regarding what we may or may not be seeing from the market's biggest names. Naturally, speculation pertaining the next iPhone, unofficially dubbed the iPhone 6, has been rife, and throwing in another suggestion today is Timothy Arcuri of Cowen and Company, who has suggested, among other things, that the next Apple handset will feature a 4.8-inch display.
Witnesses on the scene in New York are reporting that a snowblower has accidentally collided with one of the glass panes in Apple's Fifth Avenue Retail Store. It's certainly not unusual to see a heavy piece of machinery snowblowers on the streets of New York City as part of the cleanup crew that is dealing with the aftermath of a heavy snow storm. However, Apple employees will be slightly dismayed to see that such substantial damage has been caused to the $450,000 piece of glass that forms part of the store's iconic "cube" exterior.
Apple may have enjoyed a successful 2013 with the iPhone 5s in particular, smashing first-weekend sales records for a smartphone, but even with the impressive number of units shifted, the Cupertino company only has to look at BlackBerry or Nokia for a reminder of where complacency can lead. Thus, with the dust having settled on that major smartphone release, Tim Cook's men are out to discover how iPhone buyers feel about their purchase, specific features like Touch ID, as well as rivaling products like Android. Taking the form of a rather long survey, it looks as though the fruit company is seeking thorough, enlightening feedback in its quest for an even more fruitful 2014.
Nike's FuelBand may be seen by some as a bit of a high-priced gimmick, but despite the naysayers, it continues to sell in fairly strong numbers. As well as building a growing number of admirers, FuelBand now arrives in a plethora of different colors and versions in the form of FuelBand SE, and is as stylish as it is practical. With this in mind, UI design guru Todd Hamilton has offered his take on the enigmatic Apple iWatch by basing it heavily upon close buddy Nike's likeable gizmo, and the result is truly something to behold.
By now I'm sure you all know the drill; Apple releases a new beta version of its iPhone and iPad operating system and I download it, use it for a few hours and then report back with what's changed, both good and bad. I've been doing this for a while now, and through the process of writing about changes in betas both big and small I've come across some great improvements as well as some alterations that, looking back, probably weren't the best idea Apple's iOS team ever had.
The number of larger iPad, or so-called 'iPad Pro' reports have been aplenty over the past six or so months, and a new piece over at DigiTimes, which claims that Apple is aiming to drop the 12.9-inch slab by the third quarter of this year, only serves to fuel this burning fire. Once upon a time, the blogosphere would have laughed at any notion of Apple delivering a slate so much larger than the full-sized iPad Air, but the iPad mini has shown that under Tim Cook, anything is apparently possible, and the iPad Pro will serve as the higher-end option for consumers seeking the ultimate performance.
Apple gadgets are not only expensive to purchase and own, but also rather pricey when it comes to repairs. After stumping up an arm and a leg for an iPhone, for example, you're often left with sky-high bills when the worst happens, but in fairness, the Cupertino company is trying to lower repair costs with the new AppleCare+ initiative. As part of this, Apple will be replacing iPhone 5c displays in-store as of next week, according to a report over at 9to5Mac.
Being the raging tech fans that we are, particularly when it comes to new and exciting gadgetry, it should come as very little surprise that talk has already progressed with regards to the next iPhone. Depending on what's being said and who's saying it, Apple could be planning another two-pronged assault on the smartphone market, and although the iPhone 5c and 5s represented the first dual release since the iPhone's inception, it's fair to say that we could be in for a couple of even more exciting treats this time around. We spoke earlier of the possibility of a 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch model, and although the report was based on some loose estimations, once concept maker has already come through with some intriguing renders of a 4.7-inch iPhone 6. Check it out in all of its glory after the break!
Reports pertaining unreleased Apple gadgets are aplenty, particularly at this time of the year when analysts and commentators try to piece together the release calendar using clues, tip-offs, historical context and some good, old-fashioned conjecture. And now a new report has just popped up which is backed by some research, and believes that Apple may be preparing an iPhone 6 with a 5.5-inch display, while the screen of the so-called iWatch device may be comprised of flexible AMOLED.
