Apple, like all of the big tech companies, is always filing new patents and ideas with the USPTO, and one published this week suggests that the company could be looking into solar-based charging options for both the MacBook and the iOS device range. Such technology is already available, but its use is extremely limited, and with solar charging peripherals often bulky and impractical, Apple is looking for a simplified way to charge devices without he use of an inevitably hard-to-find plug socket.
Today is Halloween, and to most Americans, that means parties, costumes, pumpkins - the works. But for many of us geeks, it's the eve of the release of the iPad Air, and with the larger of the two new Apple tablets now ready for release, Apple fans far and wide are preparing themselves to queue overnight once again. But the iPad mini with Retina display, which Apple also announced at a special event last week, remains pretty elusive as far as a release date goes, and with yield issues apparent for some time now, it's unknown when the smaller slate will actually make its debut. Now, however, we might finally have our answer.
We think it's pretty fair to say that Apple's recent announcement of the iPad Air didn't exactly blow everyone's mind when it comes to technological innovation. The unveiling of the next-generation full-sized iPad pretty much fell in line with what the majority were expecting in the fact that it offers an improved but evolutionary upgrade from its predecessor. The introduction of the Apple A7 chipset and the improved engineering principles mean that the device will ultimately be faster, lighter and thinner than all other iPads to date, but the Primate Labs Geekbench 3 tests give us a pre-release indication of just how capable the iPad Air is.
Apple is no stranger to catastrophic clangers when it comes to hardware. Can anyone ever forget the debacle that was lovingly named 'antennagate' by journalists after the iPhone 4 suffered from what we can only call a debatable antenna flaw. For a company that prides itself in the details, Apple can have some pretty woeful slips when it comes to quality control.
Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks may be the two foremost operating systems available at desktop level, but they weren't always as slick, intuitive and feature-rich as they appear in the present day. Over the past 30+ years, the respective OSes for PC and Mac have seen many changes, and although we certainly couldn't go through a day using the old software from the eighties, nostalgic heads will probably want to check out an interesting Web-based emulator that runs both Windows 1.01 And Mac OS System 7. It's certainly a bit of a throwback, and even if you're not perhaps old enough to remember either of these vintage release, it's definitely worth taking a peek.
Apple has officially published their latest financial results that give a thorough insight into how the Cupertino based company has performed in the last fiscal quarter. Many technology analysts and industry insiders have been using the days running up to the Apple Earnings Conference Call to declare their predictions that the company would fall short of projections due to lackluster demand for the iPhone 5 because new devices were on the verge of being announced. With posted revenues of $37.5 billion it seems that Tim Cook and his executive team can take a lot of positives from the financial performance.
Earlier this week at Apple's latest media event, the Cupertino company finally released the newest Mac operating system: OS X Mavericks, to the world. Alongside this release came a more silent release of iOS 7.0.3 which brought with it full iCloud Keychain compatibility to go along with Mavericks. If you're unaware of what iCloud Keychain allows you to do, think of it like browser saved passwords, for all of your Apple devices. Once you have set up this new feature, you'll be able to sign into all of your favorite websites in Safari without having entered any of your passwords. It even stores your credit card details for purchases. Don't worry, the data is all encrypted locally, so Apple won't be handling all of your credit card numbers without your permission.
Apple’s earnings release for the third quarter of 2013 is just around the corner, with the company announcing its financial performance for Q3 next Monday. That means it’s time for earnings previews, and famous Apple Inc. analyst Gene Munster has provided just that. Among all the discussion on Apple’s financial performance and upcoming prospects, what interests us most is Gene’s claims of a new iPhone 6 being in the works; one with a considerably larger screen, and that will see the light of day around summer next year.
The jailbreak scene allows iOS device owners to manipulate their beloved gadgets in all manner of weird and wonderful ways, but with iOS 7 having just been released last month, we're not quite there yet. As such, we're basically restricted to what Apple offers and allows, and any neat little tip or trick should be boxed up, shared and savored. One reader of Redmond Pie has discovered a handy way to discreetly capture videos or photos on iOS 7, and whether you were actually in the market for a secret camera or are just simply looking for something a little out of the ordinary to try, this trick has you covered.
When you find yourself in the position that Apple is in as a company, it seems that you become an easy target for replication and parody. No company is whiter than white these days, but Apple has often found their work and announcements being mimicked and mocked a lot more than the average company in the technology industry. The latest business giant to take a pop at Apple is Amazon, who is using the recently announced iPad Air to advertise their own Kindle Fire HDX tablet that is available immediately for pre-order.
