MacRumors : Mac News and Rumors

Apple Projected to Set New March Quarter Record with 42 Million iPhones Shipped Posted: 19 Mar 2014 07:46 AM PDT Apple appears poised to continue its string of setting new year-over-year records for quarterly iPhone sales, based on new data from Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty. According to Huberty's "AlphaWise" smartphone tracker, Apple is on track to ship 42 million iPhones during the January-March quarter, topping the March quarter record of 37.4 million iPhones set last year. Morgan Stanley's AlphaWise tracker follows Google Trends data, and the firm touts that it has been more accurate than analyst consensus in recent quarters. Analyst consensus and Morgan Stanley's own supply chain estimates have been pegging Apple's iPhone shipments for the quarter at 38 million units, but demand numbers appear likely to push that number up. The strong demand appears in nearly all geographical regions, with U.S. carrier and retailer promotions in particular being cited for increasing customer interest. One area that has not fared as well is China, which is seeing weaker momentum this quarter due to the earlier launch of the iPhone 5s/5c in that country. New iPhones have typically debuted in China several months after the first wave of launches, but Apple made strong efforts to ensure that China was included in that first wave for the latest iPhones. The January addition of China Mobile as an iPhone partner is offsetting that loss of March quarter momentum in China somewhat, but not enough to turn the overall trend for the country positive. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Apple Seeds Safari 7.0.3 and 6.1.3 for Mavericks and Mountain Lion to Developers • Amazon's Apple TV Competitor to Launch in April as Chromecast-Like Dongle • Apple May Reintroduce Discontinued iPad 4 Alongside 8 GB iPhone 5c Tomorrow • Former Apple Marketing VP Reflects on Steve Jobs and Marketing • Changes in iOS 7 Security Make Kernel More Vulnerable to Attack • 8 GB iPhone 5c Packaging Label Shown in New Photo • Apple Updates 'Apple Store' Apps for iPhone and iPad With Minor Improvements • Apple TV Concept Envisions iPod Touch-Style Remote

Apple Named Most Valuable Billion Dollar Brand in America Posted: 19 Mar 2014 04:34 AM PDT Apple has been named the most valuable billion-dollar company in the United States by brand identity firm Brand Finance, reports the Silicon Valley Business Journal. The standing was revealed in a new rankings report done by the firm which listed the top 50 billion-dollar brand names in the U.S., as Apple's $104.6 billion valuation was ahead of other technology companies including Google, Microsoft and Verizon which were valued at $68.6 billion, $62.8 billion, and $53.5 billion, respectively. Throughout the past year, a number of other sources have also regarded Apple to be among the world's most valuable companies, with brand identity firm Interbrand putting the company's value above Coca-Cola and American business magazine Forbes heralding Apple as the world's "Most Admired Company" ahead of Amazon. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Apple Seeds Safari 7.0.3 and 6.1.3 for Mavericks and Mountain Lion to Developers • Amazon's Apple TV Competitor to Launch in April as Chromecast-Like Dongle • Apple May Reintroduce Discontinued iPad 4 Alongside 8 GB iPhone 5c Tomorrow • Former Apple Marketing VP Reflects on Steve Jobs and Marketing • Changes in iOS 7 Security Make Kernel More Vulnerable to Attack • 8 GB iPhone 5c Packaging Label Shown in New Photo • Apple Updates 'Apple Store' Apps for iPhone and iPad With Minor Improvements • Apple TV Concept Envisions iPod Touch-Style Remote

Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls New 'Haunted Empire' Book 'Nonsense' Posted: 18 Mar 2014 01:05 PM PDT Yesterday, we highlighted Haunted Empire , a new book from former Wall Street Journal reporter Yukari Iwatani Kane examining the transition Apple has undergone with the death of Steve Jobs. While the book includes a few interesting tidbits, our view was that Kane had selected anecdotes to support a predetermined conclusion that Apple is in decline. With the book debuting today, Apple CEO Tim Cook has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement about the book, calling it "nonsense", according to CNBC . Cook's statement reads: This nonsense belongs with some of the other books I've read about Apple. It fails to capture Apple, Steve, or anyone else in the company. Apple has over 85,000 employees that come to work each day to do their best work, to create the world's best products, to put their mark in the universe and leave it better than they found it. This has been the heart of Apple from day one and will remain at the heart for decades to come. I am very confident about our future. We've always had many doubters in our history. They only make us stronger. The book's release comes as Apple fans continue to wait for the first major product releases of 2014. Earlier today, the company brought back the 16 GB fourth-generation iPad as a low-end model to replace the iPad 2 and released a new 8 GB iPhone 5c in several countries to offer a cheaper option compatible with LTE networks. Update 3/18 2:22 PT: Yukari Kane has given a statement to Re/code on Cook's condemnation of her book. "For Tim Cook to have such strong feelings about the book, it must have touched a nerve," Kane said. "Even I was surprised by my conclusions, so I understand the sentiment. I'm happy to speak with him or anyone at Apple in public or private. My hope in writing this book was to be thought-provoking and to start a conversation which I'm glad it has." Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Amazon's Apple TV Competitor to Launch in April as Chromecast-Like Dongle • Apple May Reintroduce Discontinued iPad 4 Alongside 8 GB iPhone 5c Tomorrow • Former Apple Marketing VP Reflects on Steve Jobs and Marketing • Changes in iOS 7 Security Make Kernel More Vulnerable to Attack • 8 GB iPhone 5c Packaging Label Shown in New Photo • Apple Updates 'Apple Store' Apps for iPhone and iPad With Minor Improvements • Apple TV Concept Envisions iPod Touch-Style Remote • Transcend Debuts 128GB RAM Upgrades for 2013 Mac Pro

Next Version of iTunes Restores Local Contact and Calendar Syncing Posted: 18 Mar 2014 11:45 AM PDT Apple today seeded a new version of 10.9.3 to employees, reports 9to5Mac , but more importantly, the company also launched a new iTunes 11.1.6 beta, which includes an important syncing feature that has been missing since the launch of Mavericks. According to the release notes, iTunes 11.1.6 "restores the ability to sync contacts and calendar information to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from your Mac running OS X 10.9.3." When iOS 7 and Mavericks were introduced back in September, Apple removed local syncing in favor of cloud syncing, allowing users to sync calendars, contacts, bookmarks, and notes only via iCloud. Many users were unhappy with the feature removal and their inability to sync information to their iOS devices using their Macs. Apple's Support Communities has a 212 page thread on the issue, and MacRumors has received multiple complaints about the removal of local sync since Mavericks was released. It appears that the next version of Mavericks and iTunes 11.1.6 will restore the feature, once again allowing users to sync locally. At the current point in time, iTunes 11.16 and the newest version of OS X 10.9.3 are only available to Apple employees, but the betas should be seeded to developers in the near future. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Amazon's Apple TV Competitor to Launch in April as Chromecast-Like Dongle • Apple May Reintroduce Discontinued iPad 4 Alongside 8 GB iPhone 5c Tomorrow • Former Apple Marketing VP Reflects on Steve Jobs and Marketing • Changes in iOS 7 Security Make Kernel More Vulnerable to Attack • 8 GB iPhone 5c Packaging Label Shown in New Photo • Apple Updates 'Apple Store' Apps for iPhone and iPad With Minor Improvements • Apple TV Concept Envisions iPod Touch-Style Remote • Transcend Debuts 128GB RAM Upgrades for 2013 Mac Pro