There's been plenty of speculation recently surrounding Apple's product plans for the remainder of the year. Conjecture and Internet based chit-chat continues to grow regarding what may or may not be included in iOS 8. Most of which will be either confirmed or denied when we get our first glimpse of the firmware in June at WWDC 2014. There's also mounting speculation about the fruit company's plans for the next-generation iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 6, with most focus being specifically placed on the device's display dimensions. Ming-Chi Kuo, of KGI Securities fame, has added fuel to that fire and put the cat amongst the pigeons by releasing a product timeline, indicating that Q3 could be a huge period for Apple.
The company has been applying a lot of man hours and internal resources into not only polishing and fine tuning the Messenger app, but also implementing, testing and experimenting with new features. This month's introduction of free-of-charge VoIP calling has finally accelerated the product to the point where Facebook feels comfortable enough to remove chat from its main app, a move that will be rolling out over the next eight weeks.
It's been a busy day for Dropbox by all accounts, with the cloud storage company having earlier on released an Android version of the Mailbox app it acquired for $100 million last year. Underlining its intention to mix it with the major players in mobile space, Dropbox has released a new photo and image gallery app called Carousel for both Android and iOS, which makes it very easy for users to share their memories with friends and family.
Siri may have become something of a modern cult figure since its introduction alongside the iPhone 4s back in 2011, but with the big announcement of Windows Phone 8.1 last week, Microsoft also took the wraps off Cortana, its very own Siri alternative. Given the very nature of the mobile market, we know that competition will be fierce, and as per a very funny, mocked-up parade of the respective voice assistants on an American chat show, the blue touchpaper has already been well and truly lit.
The fact that Dropbox forked out a cool $100 million to acquire Mailbox last year is a testament to how highly regarded the app is, but while it's now seen as the go-to email solution for those rocking an iOS device, the fact that it's only available on the iTunes App Store is very limiting. But when a company pays such vast sums of money to acquire something, expansion is generally forthcoming, and as such, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Dropbox has released the Mailbox app for Android, as well as announcing a desktop version.
Microsoft finally released its long-awaited update to the Windows 8.1 operating system on Tuesday, and while the original Windows 8 build was very much focused around the touch-based future of the OS, Windows 8.1 Update 1 has brought quite a few optimizations for those on the traditional desktop. As has been discussed quite a lot during the past couple of days, Windows 8.1 Update 1 makes it much easer for keyboard and mouse users to navigate their way around, and to help ease consumers into the new software, Microsoft has released a series of walkthrough videos.
Even though Apple doesn't tend to announce new iPhones until the fall of each year, we've already heard a lot of information with regards to the so-called iPhone 6. Notably, the consensus seems to be that the Cupertino will deliver two variants of the forthcoming handset - one packing a 4.7-inch display, and a further model boasting a panel in excess of 5.5 inches. We've also heard, however, that the larger of these two releases will be delayed until next year, and a new report out of Taiwan also appears to suggest that only one will be available in time for the purported September release bracket.
You may find this hard to believe, but GTA 5 is actually the 15th release in the GTA series. The critically acclaimed action-adventure masterpiece made its initial assault on the gaming world back in September 2013 with immediate availability on Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. In the time that's followed, both Sony and Microsoft have launched new consoles, with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One effectively replacing the older hardware.
Towards the end of March, a few schematic leaks emerged detailing 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch iPhone models. At the time, it was reckoned that said documents outlined supposed lower-end, 'iPhone 6c' devices, but now, one designer has put together some renders of what these handsets might look like if treated to the premium, flagship design language.
It's rather difficult to get too excited about a product that is spoken about but never seen, and while we've heard report after report pertaining to the so-called Apple iWatch, there's been little evidence to corroborate the claims. Nevertheless, new bits of information are suggesting that the device will arrive around August-September time, with an abundance of sensors and fitness-centric features to help Apple tap into the $3 trillion healthcare market. Full details of the latest revelations can be found after the break!
