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. Some of the news you may recall, some may be new to you, but all the topics below are worthy of a second mention.
Apple launches new MacBook Airs with faster Haswell processors, drops prices by $100
As expected, Apple has just launched updated MacBook Airs with faster versions of Intel’s Haswell processors. It has also reduced the prices by $100 for each model.
CNBC picks Steve Jobs as the Most Influential Business Leader from the past 25 years
In celebration of its 25th year in television, CNBC has announced a list of most influential business leaders from the past 25 years. And topping this list is the co-founder of Apple and one of the great visionaries our generation has seen, Steve Jobs.
iWatch reportedly enters production, will launch in the second-half of this year
Apple is widely rumored to release the iWatch, a smartwatch with a focus on health and fitness, following Tim Cook’s multiple statements saying the company will enter new categories in 2014. A new report says that the iWatch has already entered production, and will be launched in the second-half of 2014.
Innovative case uses electromagnetic energy to display Notifications on the back of your iPhone
A unique new iPhone case called Lunecase has gone up on Kickstarter which has managed to catch our attention. This accessory will notify users whenever there’s a message or an incoming phone call with a glowing set of LEDs on the back. Interestingly, the case doesn’t need a separate battery to work as it relies on electromagnetic energy from the device itself.
Apple starts manufacturing sapphire with small production volumes
GT Advanced has started production of sapphire in its joint manufacturing operation with Apple. A small quantity of the material is reportedly leaving the Arizona facility for a manufacturing partner in China, which is using the deliverable to make sapphire covers, claims a report from analysts at UBS Research.
WWDC 2014 rumors: Focus on OS X 10.10, New Features pushed to iOS 8.1, iCloud improvements
As we move closer towards WWDC 2014, more rumors have emerged, predicting the announcements Apple will be making at they keynote, scheduled for June 2nd. We already know Apple will preview major upgrades to Mac OS X, and iOS at the conference, but the folks at 9to5Mac have a lot more information about the announcements.
Apple hires CEO of indoor location startup Wifarer; sparks speculation about Indoor Maps in iOS 8
Apple is rumored to be planning big changes for its Maps iOS app in iOS 8, including improvements to quality of data and transit integration. Another area Apple has expressed interest in is indoor location, and the company has taken another step forward in this direction by hiring Philip Stanger, the CEO of indoor positioning startup Wifarer.
Apple won’t unveil new Apple TV or iWatch at WWDC 2014 [Report]
Apple does not plan to unveil the rumored iWatch or the new Apple TV at next month’s WorldWide Developer Conference (WWDC 2014), reports John Paczkowski of Re/code.
Paczkowski reports that according to his sources familiar with Apple’s plans, it will focus on OS X 10.10, iOS 8 and perhaps the rumored Healthbook app as we reported yesterday.
The report also notes that Apple won’t be unveiling the software for the new Apple TV.
Apple acquires low-power display startup LuxVue
Apple has acquired LuxVue, a startup that develops low-power, microLED-based displays for consumer electronic devices, possibly to use its technology in future versions of iOS devices, leading to improvements in battery life.
In breaking news, the jury has reached a unanimous verdict in the second Apple vs. Samsung trial.
After three days of deliberations, the jury has found that Samsung willfully infringed on two out of five Apple’s patents.
The jury has ordered Samsung to pay Apple $119.6 million in damages, which is significantly lower than the $2.2 billion that Apple was seeking. Samsung argued that it should pay only $38.4 million or $1.75 per device in damages
iOS 8 Wishlist: Interactive or Actionable Notifications
Apple is widely expected to unveil iOS 8, the next generation mobile operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at the WWDC 2014 Keynote on June 2nd.
So with less than a month to go, I take a look at some of the features that I really hope make it to iOS 8′s feature list.
iPhone 6 physical mockup compared to iPhone 5s
We’ve seen plenty of iPhone 6 mockups that show Apple’s next-generation iPhone with the much-rumored larger 4.7-inch screen. One concern many iPhone users share is that will the iPhone 6 get too big to manage? New images comparing an iPhone 6 physical mockup with the iPhone 5s show how the larger device would stack up against the 4-inch iPhone.
iOS 8 Wishlist: Touch ID integration with Third-party Apps and Mobile Payments
One of my favorite features of iPhone 5s is the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. If you had a horrible experience with fingerprint scanners on laptops like I did, it is almost “magical” how well Touch ID works. It isn’t perfect, but it works almost 100% of the time, and Apple continues to improve its performance and reliability.
However, one of my biggest gripes with Touch ID on the iPhone 5s has been its limited utility. You can currently use it only to unlock your iPhone and purchase items from iTunes.
I expected Apple to extend its functionality in subsequent iOS software updates, but that unfortunately hasn’t happened. I hope Apple unlocks its full potential at least in iOS 8.
iPhone 6 physical mockup compared to Samsung Galaxy S5
We’ve seen plenty of iPhone 6 mockups that show Apple’s next-generation iPhone with the rumored 4.7-inch screen.
Yesterday, Italian site Macitynet shared photos of the iPhone 6 physical mockup, which gave us a good idea of how the larger iPhone would stack up against the 4-inch iPhone 5s.
