After what seems like an eternity of constantly battling one another in a courtroom, Apple and Google have come to a mutual agreement that will see the two technology giants ending all current patent litigations against each another. In an effort to avoid an escalation of the situation, and to prevent any additional bad blood from developing between two of Silicon Valley's most important companies, Apple and Google are understood to have thrashed out a ceasefire that is mutually suitable to all involved.
Whatever eventually happens with regards to the iPhone 6, the so-called "iWatch" and the many other Apple products that are supposedly going to appear later on in the year, the new iOS 8 software will no doubt prove integral. So far, we've heard that it will pack Healthbook, an iTunes Radio app, and several other new features as well as improvements to pre-existing services like Maps. If any enhancements are in the offing for Control Center -- which, itself, only arrived with September's iOS 7 -- then we certainly hope that they'll take at least some cues from this concept below.
Apple's acquisition of Beats Electronics certainly came out of the blue, but the company does have some notable history. Along with the revelation that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was a long-time fan of Jimmy Iovine - the guy who has manned Beats since its inception along with Dr. Dre - a conference call between Dre and Jobs has recently come to light where the two men discuss Apple's iTunes music service.
This week's big tech headline came on Thursday, as it was revealed that Beats Electronics was to be acquired by Apple for a upward of $3 billion. Not only does it represent the Cupertino's costliest purchase in its history, but it's also the first time that Apple has moved in for a high-profile, well-known commercial entity, and its a move that will also render Beats' two most influential figures - Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine - members of Apple's executive team.
Executives constantly jump ship between some of the biggest names in tech, and today, Nokia's former photography lead Ari Partinen has joined Apple in a move that will doubtlessly help to improve the point-and-shoot credentials of the iPhone and iOS device range in general. Given the reverence of the Lumia camera range, this is a massive coup for Apple, and Partinen will officially begin his work in Cupertino from June.
When our iOS devices are locked with a passcode, we, as consumers, like to think that the data behind it is secure as can be. However, in compliance with guidelines in place for use by US law enforcement officials, Apple has revealed precisely what it would potentially be able to extract from your handset if the cops ever wanted to investigate the contents.
A fresh report suggests that Apple is in final talks in the process of acquiring Beats Electronics, maker of speakers, headphones and other music-related products and services, for a whopping $3.2 billion. The story is currently developing, but if true, it would represent Apple’s largest ever acquisition.
If you're an avid follower of mobile tech coverage, you'll have found that Apple's elusive iPhone 6 continues to command a fairly decent proportion of the blogosphere's column inches, which isn't bad going given that we're still over four months from the purported release. Based on a bunch of info an accompanying leaks, we've painted what we believe to be a fairly vivid picture of what Apple is preparing to release in Q3, and a new comparison of an iPhone 6 mock-up against pre-existing iOS devices offers an even better perspective.
Following on from earlier reports that Apple, among a string of other companies, was planning on opening up a store on location at New York's upcoming World Trade Center Mall, it has now been all-but confirmed by independent reports that this will indeed be the case.
In the very latest Apple vs. Samsung court battle, the latter was ordered to pay its rival damages to the sum of almost $120 million, but as one might perhaps have anticipated, the Korean company is having none of it. John Quinn, Samsung's lawyer in this particular case, has noted that the Galaxy maker will request that the award of damages be reduced to zero, which is a rather brazen step given the size of the initial award.
