It's that time of year again when Apple takes it upon themselves to remove some of the pain that is commonly associated with full and part-time education. The Cupertino based company has once again kept up with what is becoming an annual tradition by announcing this year's "Back to School" promotion, which includes some great discounts for those embarking on their studies. In addition to the education based discounts, Apple is also extending the campaign by rewarding those who purchase an iPhone with a $50 gift card that can be redeemed through iTunes. More details on the offer can be found right after the jump.
In the technology blogosphere, anything to do with Apple and Samsung rivalry gains an extra spice almost instantly, even if it’s something as indirect as Apple’s microprocessor deal with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) for the preparation of the Cupertino giant’s sophisticated microprocessor chips being used in the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Yes, after almost 3 years, Apple has finally managed to sign a deal with TSMC for the SoCs used in its iDevice lineup, resulting in the former moving away from relying on Samsung for the processor component.
For quite a while now, rumor and speculation have suggested that Apple could be planning to release its very own gaming controller for iOS. Third parties, if you'll excuse the pun, seem way ahead of the game in this respect, with many vendors and developers already supporting the traditional physical peripheral, but if Apple were to go ahead and bring its own official offering, it could be a real game-changer. According to mutterings at WWDC, the Cupertino is plotting exactly that, but not on its own, and with some documentation for iOS 7 pertaining to a Game Controller having just popped up on the dev site, official physical gaming controller support is about to become a reality starting from iOS 7.
Over the last few years, both home and business users have felt the need to edit their office documents on the go, without resorting to local software. Many solutions have shun as winners providing this; Apple is now stepping up to the plate and bringing its iWork suite to the Web, under the form of iWork for iCloud.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference commences from next month on June 10th, and the well-informed Jim Dalrymple has waded into the ongoing debate by casting his expectations on the forthcoming event. He suggests that, in terms of new hardware, we shouldn't hold out any hope of a significant new iOS device, but we could see some alterations to the Mac line. As well as that, he goes into detail with regards to OS X and iOS, both of which will certainly be seeing new versions. Details can be found right after the break.
Speaking with Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at D11 in California on Tuesday night, Tim Cook was predictably coy with regards to specific information on upcoming Apple products and services. Speaking calmly and in his typically emollient fashion, the Cupertino head honcho spoke broadly of his company's desire to continue innovating, on Google's Glass project, and an assortment of other important topics in tech space.
Apple's products are sometimes said to sell themselves, but sometimes they need a little help along the way. Showing products in the right light can be half the battle during the early days of a product's life cycle, and that's where a good photographer comes in. Apple has one of those, and he’s great, and has been interviewed in detail. Check out the video right after the jump.
Some very interesting information pertaining to Apple's iOS 7 has emerged today, which will see reasonably thorough makeover retaining many familiar aspects whilst "flattening" much of the user interface, as reported before. Although, as 9to5Mac reports, the changes will be some of the most significant the software has seen in its lifetime, it is also reckoned that users will have little trouble adapting to the changes.
Microsoft may be languishing behind Apple and Google in the mobile operating system stakes, but that hasn't stopped the Redmond outfit from coning out on the offensive with its latest Windows Phone ad. You can check it out after the jump.
Oh, Apple, when will you just release a budget iPhone so that we can finally call time on all this speculation?

