iPad Air 2 Dummy Model Again Showcases Touch ID, Thin Profile Ahead of Expected October Unveiling Posted: 08 Oct 2014 07:18 AM PDT Well-known Vietnamese blog Tinhte.vn today published images that reportedly show the design of Apple's next generation iPad Air 2. The pictured device has the same general form factor as the existing iPad Air, but includes a thinner 7 mm profile that measures roughly the same as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and thinner than the current 7.5 mm iPad Air. In line with previous rumors, the iPad Air 2 model also includes a home button with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
Claimed iPad Air 2 mockup from Tinhte.vn While this latest report includes detailed photographs and a video, they only give us a hint at Apple's next-generation iPad as the device in the photos is described as a dummy model used by accessory manufacturers to test out and showcase their designs and not an actual iPad Air 2 unit leaked from a Foxconn assembly line. Similar to previous leaks, the iPad model has the same external design features seen in earlier leaks and in MacRumors' own dummy unit on hand since June.
Tinhte dummy unit (left) vs. MacRumors dummy unit (right) Of perhaps most note, the Tinhte.vn and other dummy models include two distinctive small holes in the area of the rear camera -- one on the back and one of the side of the casing. The hole closest to the camera is undoubtedly for a microphone, while the other hole likely marks the presumed location of the mute/rotation switch, which is not depicted ini full on the models. Today's report and an earlier one have suggested this hole is for a microphone rather than simply marking the mute/rotation switch location, but we believe this interpretation is likely incorrect. Apple is expected to unveil its iPad Air 2 and possibly a new Retina iPad mini at a press event to be held on October 16. The next-generation iPad Air is rumored to included a faster A8 processor, anti-reflective display, Touch ID, and a gold color option. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple's Ultra-Slim 12-Inch Notebook Reportedly Entering Production in Small Quantities Posted: 08 Oct 2014 12:35 AM PDT Quanta Computer has begun production on Apple's ultra-slim 12-inch MacBook and will look to ramp up its efforts beginning November, reports Digitimes. Despite these newest efforts however, the report also states that the notebook will not be ready in time for this holiday season.
Specifically, component makers are reportedly having issues with the new MacBook Air's ultrathin chassis, which is said to be slimmer than the current 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air. The supply chain sources also add that the 12-inch MacBook Air will come with a touch-enabled Retina display. Rumors of an ultra-slim 12-inch MacBook from Apple have gained traction throughout the past few months, as reports from Jack March last month indicated that the notebook would launch in multiple color options and feature fanless internals. A fanless machine would also suggest that the machine would adopt an ultra low-power processor, such as the Broadwell-Y Core M processors recently announced by Intel. However, a touch-enabled Retina display seems less likely for the 12-inch MacBook, as the inclusion of one would greatly increase the cost of the machine. A multi-touch 12-inch MacBook would also likely conflict with Apple's rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which is said to be launching early next year. March's report previously indicated Apple appears to be aiming for a mid-2015 launch for its 12-inch notebook. The notebook will reportedly come in silver, gold, and space gray options. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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New Apple Pay Setup Screens Unearthed in iOS 8.1 Beta 2 Posted: 07 Oct 2014 09:28 PM PDT Hours after Apple seeded the second iOS 8.1 beta to developers, developer Hamza Sood has located the Apple Pay setup screen in the Passbook app, the Apple Pay setup screen in the initial iOS 8.1 setup and Apple Pay setup on the iPad. Previously, Sood had found the Apple Pay setup screen within the Settings app.
The iPad gets the same setup screen as the iPhone version, but does not mention the ability to use Apple Pay in a retail store as no current iPads contain the NFC technology required to use the feature and it is uncertain whether it could be included in future iPads. Additionally, Apple Pay requires Touch ID, which current iPad models do not have, although future iPads are expected to have the new Touch ID home button. iOS 8.1 is likely to be the update to include Apple Pay, although Apple has not yet flipped the switch within the betas seeded to developers. Instead, the company seems to have been preparing the features behind-the-scenes. Alongside Apple Pay, iOS 8.1 is expected to include a host of bug fixes for issues in iOS 8, including a fix for Bluetooth connectivity problems. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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GT Advanced Bankruptcy Unlikely to Affect Apple Watch, But Sapphire for Future iPhones in Doubt Posted: 07 Oct 2014 08:55 PM PDT A new report from KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple's sapphire partner GT Advanced Technologies' recent filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection will not affect its upcoming Apple Watch. However, he cautions that it does raise concerns about the possibility of future iPhones using sapphire displays.
... but it raises uncertainties on iPhone touch panel use of sapphire cover lens. Kuo suggests that GT Advanced's ASF (advanced sapphire furnace) sapphire ingot isn't the only one it's considering to use for iPhone displays, though it is the company's preference due to the superior drop-test performance of GT Advanced's sapphire. And while Kuo believes that Apple still wants to use sapphire displays for iPhones, the bankruptcy of GT Advanced will likely result in bottlenecks in ASF sapphire production. Other sapphire ingot suppliers are unlikely to benefit, as they do not measure up to Apple's higher drop-test standards. Apple had been widely expected to include sapphire display covers on some iPhone 6 models, but that development did not arrive. As Kuo notes, Apple still plans to use sapphire displays for Apple Watch, as it uses an ingot less than 6-inches and Apple's standards for drop-tests on the Watch are not as stringent as those for iPhone. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone and iPad Remain Popular With Teens, Interest in Apple Watch Tepid Ahead of Unveiling Posted: 07 Oct 2014 03:03 PM PDT Apple's iPhone continues to grow in popularity with U.S. teenagers, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster's latest semiannual teen survey, which asked approximately 7,200 teens with an average age of 16 years about their device usage habits and future buying plans. 67 percent of surveyed teens owned an iPhone, compared to 61 percent in the Spring survey, and 73 percent of teens expect their next phone to be an iPhone. Much of Apple's gains in ownership came from Android, which lost five percentage points over the last several months. iPhone usage among teens may jump significantly in the next few months, as the survey was conducted just before the introduction of the larger-screened iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
As for the upcoming Apple Watch, interest among teenagers remains relatively low. Only 16 percent of teens said they would be interested in purchasing an Apple Watch for $350, down slightly from the Spring survey where 17 percent expressed interest. Munster's survey was, however, conducted before the Apple Watch was announced, so interest numbers may shift in the next Spring survey. Younger customers have always been important to Apple as it gives the company a chance to create lifelong customers. Apple's recent acquisition of Beats Electronics, for example, may have partially taken place as an effort to remain relevant among teenage users. In a survey of 10,000 students, a quarter believed the deal would make Apple more "cool," while 50 percent believed the acquisition would increase Apple's popularity among students. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Releases Second OS X Yosemite Golden Master Candidate to Developers, Public Beta 5 Posted: 07 Oct 2014 01:33 PM PDT Apple today released a second golden master candidate of OS X Yosemite to developers, a week after releasing the first candidate golden master and the fourth public beta. Apple has also released the fifth public beta to those who signed up to beta test the new Mac OS. The latest Yosemite update, build 14A386a, can be downloaded from the Mac App Store and through Apple's Mac Dev Center.
Over the course of the beta testing period, each Developer Preview has added new features and refined the look and performance of OS X Yosemite, although changes have become less obvious in more recent builds as Apple begins finalizing Yosemite ahead of its public release, which is expected in late October. The current build, like the previous golden master candidate, may not be the final version of OS X Yosemite, depending on the outcome of final testing. Last year, Apple seeded multiple golden master versions of OS X Mavericks, with the final version coming a couple of days ahead of the software's public release. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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GT Advanced CEO Sold Off Stock Ahead of iPhone 6 Announcement Posted: 07 Oct 2014 12:32 PM PDT GT Advanced CEO Thomas Gutierrez sold over 9,000 shares of GT Advanced stock just a day before Apple announced the iPhone 6, reports The Wall Street Journal . The September 8 sale netted him approximately $160,000 at an average price of $17.38, before the company's stock dropped 13 percent to $14.94 on September 9 after it became clear the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus did not include sapphire screens. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, though the timing is suspect, the September 8 sale was part of a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 Plan enacted in March, according to SEC filings. Along with the $160,000 he earned on September 8, however, Gutierrez sold shares on several other occasions throughout 2014, earning him more than 10 million dollars as GT stock rose on rumors that Apple would use its sapphire for the new iPhones. In comparison, the CEO did not sell any of his shares in 2013.
GT Advanced filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, promising to continue operations as it goes through a transitional phase to reorganize its business. "Today's filing does not mean we are going out of business," said Gutierrez. "Rather, it provides us with the opportunity to continue to execute our business plan on stronger footing, maintain operations of our diversified business, and improve our balance sheet."
Under the terms of the agreement between Apple and GT Advanced, GT Advanced is required to pay back the $578 million loan over the course of five years. If the loan is not paid back, Apple is entitled to the equipment that GT Advanced purchased. When a deal was struck between the two companies, GT Advanced noted that sapphire production for Apple would result in substantially lower gross margins, but was confident that a recurring revenue stream would be beneficial for growth in the long run. Apple was widely expected to include sapphire display covers from GT Advanced on some iPhone 6 models, and it is unclear why sapphire was not used at all. GT filings did, however, suggest that the company saw poor sapphire yield rates, which may have impacted Apple's decision to stick with alternate materials. Apple is not subjected to any type of commitment to purchase sapphire from GT Advanced, and though the Apple Watch does indeed include a sapphire cover, it is unclear whether the sapphire being used is sourced from GT. GT's stock dropped approximately 90 percent after the company's bankruptcy announcement and has seen little gain since then. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Hands-Free Siri Interactions Result in Highest Levels of Mental Distraction While Driving Posted: 07 Oct 2014 11:35 AM PDT Used as an in-car hands-free system, Siri causes a high level of mental distraction while driving, according to research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. In a thorough study [PDF] that measured the cognitive workload of 45 drivers completing in-car tasks using various voice-based technologies, Siri's high complexity and low intuitiveness resulted in some of the highest levels of mental distraction. Using a five-category rating system, researchers measured Siri-based interactions like sending and receiving text messages and emails, updating Facebook or Twitter, and modifying calendar appointments. Various measurements to record distraction were taken during three separate experiments, in-car on residential streets, without driving, and in a driving simulator.
Siri was found to produce the highest mental workload on the researchers' scale, and use of Siri in a car even resulted in two crashes during the simulator study. It was also given the lowest rating of intuitiveness along with the highest rating of complexity, due to its lack of consistency and its inflexibility when it came to voice commands.
According to the researchers, interactions with Siri may improve over time as the voice assistant is able to learn accents and other characteristics of a user's voice, but many commands resulted in overly complex interactions that could be fixed via "improvements to the software design." Though the AAA study looked at the distraction level when using Siri directly on an iPhone, it did not look at CarPlay, Apple's new in-dash system that the company says is a "smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car." Other similar in-dash systems did, however, result in high levels of cognitive workload in a companion study, but cognitive demand varied highly based on the number of comprehension errors and the number of steps required to complete an action. Early CarPlay reviews have suggested that the system's Siri integration is improved compared to Siri on the iPhone, as it was judged to be easy to use with simple menus and navigation. The study comes ahead of a set of voluntary guidelines the AAA is planning to create, encouraging users to minimize their cognitive distraction by cutting back on the use of voice-based technologies while driving. According to the AAA, voice-based interactions within a vehicle result in "significant impairments" to driving that may "adversely affect traffic safety." Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Apple Seeds Second iOS 8.1 Beta to Developers Posted: 07 Oct 2014 10:15 AM PDT Apple today released the second beta of iOS 8.1, build 12B407, to registered developers for testing purposes, just over a week after the release of the first iOS 8.1 beta. Apple has also released Apple TV Software beta 2 and Xcode 6.1 golden master seed 2.
Along with iOS 8.1, Apple is also simultaneously working on iOS 8.2 and iOS 8.3, all of which are expected to add new functionality to the operating system. iOS 8 has had a rough start, with Apple temporarily removing HealthKit ahead of the launch of iOS 8 and then releasing an unstable iOS 8.0.1 update that disabled the cellular and Touch ID service of many users. Apple released iOS 8.0.2 to fix the issue, but several other problems have come to light, including a bug that causes iCloud Drive documents to be deleted. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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