For the last year or so, many have been wondering when Apple would open up its set-top box, known as the Apple TV, to developers for third-party apps. At the same time, excitement about a major upgrade to the iPhone has already started. An analyst from Jeffries has answers from both of these questions based on “channel checks”.
If you've had an eye on the MacBook Pro with Retina display but have been waiting for Apple to lower its price points a little, then you'll be pleased to learn that today, the day has come. By means of a press release, the Cupertino has announced a few changes to its revered notebook lineup which also sees both the 13 and 15-inch models ship with faster processors, and the 256GB SSD variant of the 13-inch MacBook Air drop to just $1,499.
Apple is renowned for meticulously, almost obsessively arranging each element of its vast product range, with every detail carefully placed in order to facilitate the sleekest of finishes. The iPhone 5 is a fine example of a well-designed smartphone, and with the introduction of a partial aluminum finish to the argument, many have lauded it as the most aesthetically-pleasing to date. But surely, a shell fully-enclosed in the light, robust material has to be seen as the ultimate dream, and a recent patent award to Apple concerning the antenna suggests such a dream could soon become reality.
Apple's unannounced but much rumored 'mini' iPhone is something that has been the subject of much guess work and conjecture for quite a while now, and with the rumored June release date closing in the talk is only going to intensify. The latest round of claims and counterclaims comes courtesy of Topeka Capital analyst Brian White, and he reckons he knows what the phone will be called as well as how much we'll have to pay in order to own one.
When it comes to Apple based rumors, we have learned in the past that there is generally no smoke without fire, which could be a particularly interesting idiom for technology lovers considering the speculation surrounding an Apple branded wrist watch just won't seem to go away. We've been hearing for quite some time that Apple is planning on jumping aboard the smart watch band wagon, but additional fuel has been added to the fire thanks to unnamed sources residing within the company's Cupertino campus.
Everyone who takes active interest in the developments within the smartphone and consumer technology industries seem to love a good Apple related rumor. It's probably a good thing as well, considering speculation regarding the next-generation of any Apple product seems to occur almost immediately after the release of the current model. Now that the 128GB fourth-generation iPad has come to fruition and is off the conjecture radar, attention is being turned back to the iPhone and the potential for Apple to release two new models before the end of the current year.
Apple's iTunes Music Store has just passed a significant milestone, having sold its 25 billionth song, once again entrenching its reputation as the world's most frequented online music hub. As is always the case when Apple reaches a milestone, the downloader of track #25,000,000,000 - Phillip Lüpke from Germany - has received a very neat prize - in this case, a €10,000 iTunes Gift Card.
Apple's range of iPhone, iPad and Mac hardware generates significant interest and revenue for the company, but there is also an extremely healthy interest in the software that leaves through the company's Cupertino doors and ends up on our digital shelves. The company's iOS firmware has been top of the discussion agenda over the last few weeks for various reasons, but we mustn't forget the recent speculation and interest surrounding the next-generation of Mac OS X. We are under no illusion that Apple will manage to blindside us with certain aspects of OS X 10.9, but it seems that the current recruitment drive for interface engineers is suggesting that Apple's next desktop OS could come bundled with the Siri digital assistant, as mentioned before as well.
With the release of the iPhone 5, the iPad mini and a revamped iPad just in the last few months, some may think that Apple is slowly forgetting about the Mac. Despite all of the speculation, traffic from Macs running OS X 10.9, which has not yet been announced, has increased dramatically over the past few weeks, which strongly suggests that a Developer Preview might be just around the corner.
Concept designs of future iterations of our favorite products keep us dreaming of what one day may be, and given their reputation among the design elite, it's fair to say Apple gadgets get a lot of attention from designers and concept-makers. Ricardo Afonso envisions the iPad eventually taking on a transparent look at some point in the future -- a simple pane of glass which, as he puts it, "blends perfectly with the surrounding environment". Check out the images and video below for more.
