Apple may already be the big player in online music sales, but it currently has no dog in the music streaming hunt, with the likes of Spotify and Pandora ruling the fledgling market. That doesn't mean that the Apple juggernaut isn't looking to crawl its way into the space that has already proven unpopular with music labels.
In what must be filed as an especially speculative report, Pocketgamer claims to have gotten word from game developers that Apple may be planning to announce some description of standalone controller / joypad in the near future. The Game Developers Conference at San Francisco's Moscone Center concludes today after five days of new and exciting exhibitions and announcements, but under the surface of awards and revelations, it has been revealed that Apple may have been holding hush-hush meetings at the event to discuss its controller endeavors.
It's common knowledge that Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple back in the seventies, was ousted from his own company; only to return several years later and take the company from its knees and on the brink of collapse, and help it grow to become the world's most valuable company. It's a fascinating story, and one which will be documented to great length in the upcoming movies based on the life and times of the late, great Cupertino leader. As anticipation for the first movie, entitled jOBS, which hits cinemas very soon, there's likely to be a noticeable increase in Jobs-based coverage, and to kick things off, ex-Mac OS fanboy Tim Holmes has uploaded some interesting pictures of the moment Jobs returned home.
Apple frequently files patents with the USPTO, and while many fail to bear any kind of fruit, some offer a unique insight into the company's future plans. A recently published filing is of particular interest, since it details a portable device featuring a wrap-around AMOLED display, built entirely from glass, and also including a face-tracking feature. More info and images right after the jump.
Some claims just seem too much to believe, so when Microsoft's Frank Shaw claimed that the company's Windows Phones had in fact outsold Apple's hugely popular iPhone in seven different markets, more than a few of us were a little skeptical. Turns out he was right, but he didn't tell the entire story. More details right after the jump.
The talk of Apple releasing its own television set never seems to cease, and according to a report from the famously hit-and-miss Digitimes, the Cupertino may be plotting an Ultra High-Definition, 4K resolution effort. The report has cited unidentified supply chain sources in stating that Apple is planning a TV set boasting a resolution of 3840 x 2160 - a mighty step-up from the current, 1080p HD displays in the majority of households. It will be the company's first connected TV set, and the Digitimes report also goes on to suggest that voice and motion control will be supported.
Beginning on April 12th, Apple Retail Stores will be selling a slightly-modified A1428 model of its flagship iPhone 5, featuring support for AWS bands. According to Engadget, facilitating Advanced Wireless Services is something requiring slightly re-jigged hardware and thus, those wielding the older model of iPhone 5 cannot enjoy the benefits by means of a software update.
After what has seemed like an eternity in waiting, T-Mobile will finally begin carrying the iPhone 5 from April 12th. The carrier, which currently sits behind AT&T, Verizon and Sprint in the pecking order in the United States, will be the fourth major network to offer the Cupertino handset after the aforementioned, and as well as being compatible with T-Mobile's just-launched LTE network, there'll also be HD voice thrown into the mixer. The pricing structure is also rather impressive, with a 16GB iPhone 5 costing $99 up-front, followed by 24 monthly installments of $20.
Chevrolet has, along with Honda, outlined its intention to integrate Apple's Siri technology into production cars, in a system known as "Eyes Free". Handsfree technology, while useful in helping prevent drivers from becoming distracted whilst behind the wheel, isn't without flaw; and by implementing this new, Siri-based system, major car manufacturers hope to make our roads even safer moving forward. The initial reports of Chevrolet's Siri integration, which first came to our attentions at the end of last November, we got a fairly good insight of how the system would work. Now, following last month's announcement that the 2013 Chevy Sonic and Spark would be among the first to feature Eyes Free, the company has just aired an advertisement showcasing the technology.
iOS 7 is largely expected to make an appearance at this year's WWDC, and under the influence of Jony Ive, some are expecting more radical changes than previously seen under the guidance of Scott Forstall. Ive doesn't strike us as somebody who finds it difficult to dream up new designs, but if he and his team were ever stuck, they could always turn to the multitude of designs offered by Apple fans across the world. We've seen many an iOS 7 concept during the past six months, but this demonstration of a revamped "App Switcher" concept by one Jesse Head has left us relatively awestruck.
