It's a fair assessment to make that Apple's Passbook feature hasn't been adopted by consumers with the kind of enthusiasm that the early hype suggested, but with NFC said to be arriving with the iPhone 6, the voucher / pass / wallet service could soon become a staple part of iOS users' diets. The Cupertino's move to launch iTunes Pass in Japan is certainly indicative of a more concerted push with Passbook, and as of today, Japanese consumers will be able to top up their iTunes credit via Passbook at Apple's brick-and-mortar retail outlets.
Beats Electronics, which was recently acquired by Apple, has enjoyed an immensely successful first few years in business, and while its hardware arguably offers premium audio quality, there's no doubt that the company's ties with music and popular culture have helped it to reach the dizzy heights of being Apple's largest ever acquisition. As well as music, an industry in which founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are heavily invested, football / soccer players have certainly helped to broaden the appeal of the brand, and now, Beats has returned the favor by presenting Germany's World Cup-winning squad with some 24-carat gold Beats Pro headphones.
Apple's iPad is among the most coveted in the tablet game, and given that the Cupertino outfit is credited with forging this now-lucrative market, this is to be expected. However, while it's a well-made device - as is the case with most hardware out of Cupertino - the nickel element of its metal finish is apparently causing irritation on the skin of young children coming into contact with the slate.
It seems that the 5.5-inch Apple iPhone 6 "will it, won't it" saga is set to continue. Apple is widely expected to continue the development of the iPhone by introducing a new 4.7-inch model as well as a larger 5.5-inch "phablet" variant which will appeal those individuals who love a larger display. The question surrounding the release isn't whether or not the purported larger device exists, but whether Apple and its supply chain partners are able to flawlessly manufacture the parts necessary for the device in the required quantities. According to Ming-Chi Kuo - a well respected industry analyst from KGI Securities - the larger in-cell touchscreen panel and the redesigned metal casing that forms the exterior of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 are proving to be problematic, meaning that a launch could be pushed back to 2015.
There are plenty of things that accompany a new iPhone release. There are the inevitable rumors, then the ever-increasing number of leaks and supposed dummy models that start to appear thanks to third-party case manufacturers and the like. But there's a third feature of a new iPhone release that is arguably even more characteristic of the Apple community, and that's the 3D render of the unreleased device itself.
Although the iPhone 6is all the rage in the tech blogosphere these days, another product that has been generating a lot of is the rumored Apple iWatch (mind you, it may be rumored technically, it’s all but certain that the device is seeing the light of day this fall or the holiday season). Since we’re not entirely certain yet what the device would look like, designers are continuing to take jabs at what the possible product might be, and a new concept courtesy of SET Solution pits the iWatch dangerously close to looking like a miniature iPhone.
There has long been debate about whether the Apple eBay Store is actually 100% official or not, with some believing that Apple lets a third-party run its eBay presence so that it doesn't have to worry about it itself, but the general consensus is that it's as good as official. With that in mind, it's often been a good place to bag a good bargain. The store has had a restock recently too, which means you're going to want to check it out if you’re eager to grab yourself a new gadget to play with.
iOS 7.1.2 download links are now live for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, fixing a bug pertaining to the encryption of email attachments and iMessage delivery. Additionally, a further lock screen-related bug has also been dealt with, and so if you’re running iOS 7.1.1 on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, it is highly recommended that you download the update right away.
The iPhone 6 parts leaks are arriving thick and fast, and having seen a fair bit of the alleged sapphire glass front cover for Apple's upcoming handset over the last couple of days, we've now got what appears to be a legitimate leak of the device's front frame. Notably, it includes a large shield used to keep the display element separate from the major interior components, and although there's no way of confirming its authenticity, it's certainly plausible when we consider some of the other leaks we've seen lately.
Thanks to the rife speculation regarding the iPhone 6, the burst of iWatch-related fanfare we found ourselves caught up in earlier this year has largely died down. But despite being consumed by the prospect of two larger handsets out of Cupertino later on this year, we've still a keen eye out for Apple's first wearable, and if you were hoping to get your hands on the device at launch, new reports of delays and production issues suggest that you might have a hard time in doing so.
