As we close out one week and kick off another, let’s take a moment to look back at the attention-grabbing headlines from the past seven days (April 7 – 13). Some of the news you may recall, some may be new to you, but all the topics below are worthy of a second mention.
Samsung Galaxy S5′s Heart rate monitor compared with a free iPhone app
One of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the built-in hardware heart rate monitor that it comes with. However, these features are already available on other devices, including the iPhones, courtesy of dedicated applications. A new video has now compared the heart rate sensor on the Samsung flagship with the apps that perform the same function on the iPhones to compare which fares better.
Internal documents reveal Samsung’s top priority in 2012 was to “Beat Apple”
Apple isn’t the only one whose internal documents are being released publicly in the ongoing Apple-Samsung trial. An internal Samsung presentation titled “Samsung Business Forecast” gives us a look at the company’s goals and strategy for 2012.
WWDC 2014 Rumor Roundup: iOS 8, OS X 10.10 and more
Apple announced its WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2014 for developers will be held from June 2nd to June 6th at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco, California.
iOS 8 and iPhone 6 to support Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for better call quality
We already know a number of things about iOS 8, the next major update to Apple’s mobile operating system for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. A new report claims that another feature iOS 8 will bring to the iPhone is Voice over LTE (VoLTE).
Auxo 2 update brings support for CCToggles, improved performance and bug fixes
Auxo 2, one of the best jailbreak tweaks for iOS 7 that was released last month, has received an important update.
When A3tweaks released Auxo 2 last month, one of the biggest gripes was that it did not support some of the popular tweaks such as CCToggles, LockHTML3 etc.
The latest update not only adds support for CCToggles, LockHTML 3, but also brings optimized performance and loading. It also includes a number of bug fixes and improvements.
Apple targeting Q3 2014 for massive refresh of its product lineup
KGI Research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple is targeting Q3 2014 for a massive product rollout that will extend across most of the company’s product lines, reports 9to5Mac. Kuo and KGI are usually reliable, which lends some credence to their predictions for a big holiday quarter for Apple.
In the latest product roadmap from KGI Securities (which are typically released on an annual basis), analyst Ming Chi Kuo gave his predictions for the forthcoming iWatch, and has revealed a lot of interesting tidbits about the Apple wearable that we haven’t heard up to this point.
New Apple TV Set-Top Box to Play ‘Key Role’ in 2014, Feature Motion Controls
In a recently-released research note, well-connected KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo notes that the Apple TV set-top box is set to receive a refresh later this year, with the updated device playing a “key role” in Apple’s ecosystem. The new device will include a plethora of innovative new features including motion control, which will allow users to interact with the device without the need for a remote control.
T-Mobile offering LTE iPads for the price of Wi-Fi models along with 1GB of free data
As we are all aware, LTE models of the iPads cost $130 more than the standard Wi-Fi models. However, a new deal from T-Mobile U.S. bridges this disparity in pricing by offering LTE iPads for the same price as their Wi-Fi siblings.
Last night, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo released an extensive research note outlining Apple’s product roadmap for 2014.
Ming Chi-Kuo has a good track record when it comes to predicting Apple’s product plans based on his supply chain sources. He had correctly predicted most of Apple’s product releases last year and the entire fall lineup in 2012. So unlike other analysts, we pay attention to what he has to say.
He has made the following predictions about iPhone 6, which will be launched later this year.
iPad Pro concept imagines larger iPad with 2 A7 processors, 12.9 inch display and more
Rumors suggest Apple is working on a larger 12.9-inch iPad that’ll debut sometime later this year. The device will reportedly be targeted towards professional customers and the enterprise. Ramotion Inc made an iPad Pro concept based on these rumors, imagining how the device would look and be marketed.
Internal documents reveal Samsung knowingly lied about Galaxy Tab sales figures
Back in 2011 when Apple was already launching the second iteration of the iPad, the only Android competitor it had was the Samsung Galaxy Tab. It was revealed back then that the Korean manufacturer had sold over 2 million units of the tablet until January 2011. However, a new report from Apple Insider confirms that these figures were greatly exaggerated by the company as it only sold 1 million units of its flagship tablet.
Apple’s Former Safari Chief Don Melton shares memories of Steve Jobs
Don Melton is not a renowned Apple figure for most people and you naturally won’t see his name on Steve Jobs’ biography either. But his contributions to the Safari browser and WebKit have been immense. He has been involved with Jobs back since the days of NeXT to what eventually turned into a full time gig over at Apple.
WWDC 2014 Rumor Roundup: iOS 8, OS X 10.10 and more
The Conference will most likely kick off with a Keynote from Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and other Apple Executives. We expect Tim Cook to be the first to take the stage and reveal a lot of statistics and numbers related to the entire ecosystem of Apple’s products.
Apple is also expected to give us a sneak peak at iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, the next generation operation system for iOS devices and Mac. Here are some of the details we’ve heard so far. We expect a lot more details to be revealed as we get closer to the event.
