How Xbox One opens the door for the next Apple TV

It's 2014. Apple has gathered everyone together for a special event. As Tim Cook presents, he says, "Today we're introducing three revolutionary new products. The first one is a cable box. The second one is a revolutionary streaming-media device. The third is a new way to play games on your TV. So, three things: a cable box, a streaming box, and a game console. Are you getting it? These are not three separate devices. This is one device. And we're calling it iTV."

The next Apple TV, that long-fabled product, doesn't exist yet. But it could. And it should. And it's not too late, not by a long shot. In fact, the future-of-TV transformation has yet to be settled, or even determined. It's a mess right now. The door is open. Apple can seize the moment.

If you think the Xbox One jams up Apple's plans, think again. The Xbox One is Apple's best friend. Apple needs the emerging TV landscape to be tackled, and whatever mistakes are made, Apple can improve upon them, and show everyone why that strategy was mistaken. This is the Apple Way. The iPhone was built on old smartphones, the iPad on failed tablets. The landscape now is littered with half-good, half-bad solutions: TiVo, Wii U and TVii, Google TV, Roku, Xbox 360, PS3, even the current Apple TV. None of them truly replaces your cable box. None of them is the true, absolute future of TV...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

Apple to Expand Social Network Integration in iOS 7 with Support for Flickr and Vimeo

Apple has been making efforts to offer deep social network integration in its mobile operating system, first offering Twitter integration in iOS 5 and then Facebook integration in iOS 6. According to 9to5Mac, Apple will expand its social network integration even further with iOS 7, including support for both photo sharing site Flickr and video sharing site Vimeo. 

As with Facebook and Twitter integration, Vimeo and Flickr integration will allow users to be able to sign in to the social networks in the Settings menu. Those one-time sign-in credentials will be usable across iOS, providing comprehensive sharing options and easy integration with other downloaded apps.

Flickr is a logical addition to iOS given Apple's existing relationship with Yahoo, and popular video hosting site Vimeo is also a logical choice for iOS 7 as Apple continues to move away from Google products. Apple stopped offering YouTube as a stock iOS app with iOS 6 and also introduced its own mapping app, discontinuing its use of Google Maps. 

While Apple continues to allow direct video uploads to YouTube from its camera app, Vimeo integration will give iOS 7 users an additional option for video uploads. As with Yahoo, Apple has an existing relationship with Vimeo, having offered integration with the service in OS X Mountain Lion. 

As noted by 9to5Mac's unnamed source, though Flickr and Vimeo integration is currently in the works, as with all beta software, there is a risk that it could be removed before the public release of iOS 7. 

Apple's upcoming operating system is expected to feature a "flatter" design to modernize the look of iOS 7 while removing many of the skeuomorphic design elements that were introduced with iOS 6. Apple is expected to debut iOS 7 at its upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June with a release to follow in the fall, and MacRumors has noted a surge in traffic from devices running iOS 7 suggesting that a preview is imminent.

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple Reportedly Testing 1.5-Inch OLED Displays for Smart Watch

Japanese blog Macotakara points to a pair of reports in today's edition of Taiwanese newspaperEconomic Times addressing rumors surrounding Apple's smart watch effort. According to the first report, Apple has begun sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays from RITEK subsidiary RiTdisplay. 

The report also claims that RITEK's joint venture RitFast will be supplying the touch sensor technology for the watch. 

Today's report echoes a December claim about Apple's plans for RiTdisplay's 1.5-inch displays and word that Intel is involved in Apple's effort, but includes a detail indicating that Apple had originally hoped to use a 1.8-inch display in the smart watch. That display, however, proved to be too large and the company shifted to the smaller 1.5-inch display size. 

The second report offers an overview of the smart watch industry, with "market rumors" indicating that Foxconn has already received orders for Apple's smart watch. But with order volumes said to be around 1,000 units, the production run would clearly be a small-scale trial. 

Rumors of an Apple smart watch ramped up in the months following that December report about Apple and Intel working together, with The New York Times later reporting that Apple was "experimenting" with curved glass smart watch designs and Bloombergfollowing up to claim that Apple has 100 product designers working on the project. 

"iWatch" rumors peaked in February and March of this year amid claims that the device could launch "as soon as this year", but things have been relatively quiet for the past several months. 

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple iOS 6 devices get nod for U.S. military use

U.S. military members will now be able to use the iPhone 5, along with the Samsung Galaxy S4and BlackBerry 10 devices.  

The U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has approved the use of Apple iOS 6 devices on the Defense Department's networks, the agency said in a statement Friday.

That means the DOD can provide iPhones and iPads running iOS 6 to its employees, though employees cannot use their own devices on the military network, a DISA spokeswoman told CNET.

"It doesn't mean [Apple is] getting a contract with us or anything like that," DISA spokeswoman Alana Johnson said. "It just means that specific operating system, Apple iOS 6, is approved as long as they have that particular operating system."

Samsung and BlackBerry received security clearance earlier this month. The nod from the Pentagon means that iOS 6 devices, Galaxy S4, and BlackBerry 10 devices can be used by U.S. government and military departments that tap into the Department of Defense networks. Access to these networks requires high security standards and could clear the way for lucrative contracts with the government.

Source: CNET

Apple Announces Winner of App Store's 50 Billionth Download Contest

Apple today announced the winner of its "50 Billion App Countdown" promotion that saw the company pass that milestone on Wednesday afternoon. 

Word game Say the Same Thing from the band OK Go was the milestone download, with Brandon Ashmore from Mentor, Ohio making the winning download. Ashmore will will receive an iTunes Gift Card worth US$10,000. For the first time, Apple also gave the fifty downloaders after the big winner US$500 iTunes Gift Cards.

Apple ran similar promotions for ten billion and twenty-five billion downloads, in January 2011 and March 2012 respectively. 

The App Store took just under five years to hit the fifty billion download mark, though the rate of downloads has been accelerating and is now at more than 20 billion app downloads per year.

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple to Relocate Flagship San Francisco Retail Store to Union Square

Apple's San Francisco flagship retail store has been a particularly high-profile location for the company since it opened nine years ago, but the San Francisco Chronicle reports that Apple has submitted plans to move the store to a new location three blocks away. The new location at Stockton and Post streets will be directly adjacent to Union Square, the focal point of San Francisco's high-end shopping district.

Apple says that the new location will increase its staff from the current 350 to 400 at the new location, but no timeline for construction and the move has been announced. 

The current flagship store at 1 Stockton Street is located directly adjacent to an entrance for a subway station serving both San Francisco's Muni Metro and the broader BART rail system. The new location is several blocks from the main Market Street transit corridor, but remains well served by transit and city officials hope that the new location will help draw more customers into the Union Square shopping district. San Francisco is also in the early stages of work on a new Central Subway line that will include a station directly at Union Square. 

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple Updates iTunes to Version 11.0.3 With New MiniPlayer and Improvements

Apple has released an update to its iTunes music and media application, bringing it to version 11.0.3.

The update updates the compact MiniPlayer, adding album artwork and a progress bar, as well as better support for multi-disc albums and large iTunes libraries. This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

- New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork. In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer. 

- Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.

- Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.

This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries. It weighs in at 187.50MB on the Mac, and is available through the Mac App Store, Software Update, and direct from Apple's Software Download Page. The last update to iTunes was released back in February.

Source: Mac Rumours

Foxconn's Push Into Televisions Hints at Preparation for Possible Apple Television

The New York Times reports on Foxconn's efforts to diversify its business, recognizing that while Apple is and will remain an important customer currently responsible for about 40% of Foxconn's revenue, it needs to tap into other markets in order to improve its own stability. 

One major push for Foxconn has been the television market, where it has invested with Sharp in an LCD panel factory in Japan and begun releasing its own televisions in partnerships with RadioShack and Vizio...

Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours

Apple Begins Countdown to 50 Billion App Store Downloads

Apple has posted a new contest on the App Store offering a $10,000 gift card to whomever downloads the fifty billionth app from the App Store, similar to previous promotions. Apple said during its most recent earnings call that the company has surpassed 45 billion app downloads.

Apple's most recent contest was for 25 billion downloads back in February 2012. This time around, Apple is also giving $500 gift cards to the next fifty people to download apps after the fifty billionth.

The download count currently stands at just over 49.2 billion.

Source: Mac Rumours

Blockbuster releases On Demand video streaming app for iOS

Blockbuster announced its entrance back into the video streaming game in January after pledging to exit that market late last year. Today, Blockbuster's reincarnation as a video streaming service continues, as the company rolled out its On Demand app for iOS, bringing "thousands" of movies to iPads and iPhones running iOS 4.3 and up. By adding Apple devices to the fold, Blockbuster can now shoot movies to the majority of mobile devices -- previously it was only available for Android (plus Mac, PC, Roku and Samsung Smart TVs). So, if you're looking for 1080p video with 5.1 surround streaming to your Apple-fied mobile screen, your download awaits.

Source: Engadget

Apple Releases iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone 5 With New Speakerphone Audio Profile

Apple today released a minor iOS 6.1.4 update, bringing an updated audio profile for speakerphone. The new version, which arrives as Build 10B350, appears to only be for the iPhone 5. 

The update did not involve a beta testing period for developers and follows the release of iOS 6.1.3 in mid-March.

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple Risking iOS 7 Delays With Jony Ive's Design Overhaul

 Over the past several months, rumors of Jony Ive's influence on iOS 7 as part of his new role overseeing user interface design in addition to hardware have surfaced, indicating that Ive is pushing to adopt a "flatter" design that will modernize the look of iOS. 

In a lengthy report, Bloomberg now notes that this major effort to remake iOS puts Apple at risk of delaying the launch of iOS 7. While a public launch is said to currently remain on schedule for "as soon as September", Apple's internal deadlines have been pushed back as Apple's software teams race to complete their work and ready a preview for next month's Worldwide Developers Conference...

Read the full story here. Source: Mac Rumours