Intel's Haswell chip, with its credentials as a very power-efficient processing infrastructure, has done wonders for Apple's Mac range, and in particular, MacBooks, which have seen significant battery life increases over the fleet of machines running on the preceding Ivy Bridge. The next-generation Broadwell chips were thought to be headed to Macs at some point this year, but with Intel apparently beset by delays, we could be waiting until the middle of next year before we can get our hands on the new Broadwell-powered machines.
The Internet is abuzz with rumors and reports surrounding the upcoming iPhone 6 these days (both of them, apparently), and rightly so, since there’s hardly been a device in recent history that has been so extensively leaked. However, that doesn’t mean that Apple’s current reigning smartphones, namely the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, are to be discarded just yet. In an effort to boost sales and keep the interest piqued in their offerings, Apple has partnered (once again) with eBay for a “low-profile Factory Outlet store” that is selling Apple Certified refurbished iPhones at a much discounted price, all complete with Apple’s one-year warranty.
Aside from being one of the greatest innovators that tech has ever seen, Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and former CEO, was also a fascinating character. Often described as a frosty character in the workplace, this aspect of his personality was seldom more obvious than at lunchtime, when Apple employees would shun the head honcho through fear of being fired.
Whenever Apple launches new software - invariably around this time of year what with the Worldwide Developers Conference - we usually have to say goodbye to several devices and applications in the process. A natural part of the evolutionary process, the likes of the popular iPhone 4, for example, won't be seeing the forthcoming iOS 8, and in apparently, Apple also plans to cull Aperture and iPhoto from OS X in favor of OS X 10.10 Yosemite's new Photos app.
Now that WWDC is over, we can get back to wondering what hardware Apple will announce this year. It's a given than the iPhone 6 will be brought to market towards the last quarter of 2014, but what it will contain and how it will look is still up for debate.
Apple recently took the decision to bring the manufacturing of some of its Mac line-up back to the United States, and given how popular a move it was, it is no surprise that the company has seized upon almost every available opportunity to mention and showcase the American arm of its manufacturing landscape. Tim Cook, being the head of the organization and all, was only too keen to tweet images of his encounters with Mac Pro production line workers at the Austin plant, but in a bit of a PR gaffe, showed that staff are being prompted by iMacs running on Microsoft's Windows.
Various reports have already suggested that this year, Apple will be releasing a myriad of new and exciting products. From the iPhone 6 to the iWatch, iPad Pro to the 4th-gen Apple TV, the blogosphere as been inundated with rumor and speculation. Indeed, Tim Cook already noted earlier on in the year that Apple had some exciting "new product categories" lined up, and now his sidekick and SVP Eddy Cue has added that the fruit company's forthcoming roadmap comprises "the best product pipeline that [he's] seen in 25 years at Apple."
With Apple having spent $3 billion to officially take Beats Electronics under its wing, the Cupertino company has wasted no time in moving its new subsidiary onwards and upwards. The Beats Music app, which offers streaming music to customers in a similar business model to Spotify et al, was immediately updated on iOS following yesterday's press release, and now, some new headphones have become available to pre-order. The $199.95 'Solo2' headphones, an upgrade on the Solo HDs, sport a more sizeable, tweaked design, and also promise to deliver improved sound quality.
We told you yesterday on the news that some iPhone users in the United States and Australia had reported that their iPhones were being held ransom by someone going by the name of Oleg Pliss, and that the situation was somewhat unclear. With users having their devices locked remotely via Apple's Find my iPhone feature, initial thoughts were that iCloud had potentially had a breach in security with accounts being compromised as a result.
Earlier on in the month, it came to light that Apple had struck a deal with Beats Electronics to purchase the audio-focused company, in a union that would serve as the Cupertino's costliest acquisition by some margin. Now, Apple has issued a press release offering official confirmation on the takeover, worth a cool $3 billion.
