apple

Low-cost iPhone rumor reignited by Apple supplier's hiring spree

A boost in hiring from one of Apple's key suppliers could be yet another sign of a low-cost iPhone.

Pegatron, which makes the iPhone and iPad, said that it will build up its workforce in China by up to 40 percent during the second half of the year, Reuters reported Thursday. Such a huge increase suggests that the company could be equipping its factories to produce the much-rumored low-cost iPhone, which could launch sometime in the third quarter.

Certain suppliers have already told Reuters that Apple is prepping a less-expensive model of its smartphone geared toward developing markets. Several … Read more

Morgan Stanley sees new iPhones by September

A Morgan Stanley note to investors adds to the mounting evidence of new iPhones coming in the fall.

In a research note on Wednesday titled, "Systems and PC Hardware Asia Trip Takeaways Part I," Katy Huberty of Morgan Stanley said new iPhones appear to be on the way.

"Multiple new iPhone SKUs begin production in Jun/Jul, on track with the Sept launch we model," she wrote in a note sent to investors and obtained by CNET.

That's not exactly breaking news -- as speculation of new iPhones has been rife -- but the fact … Read more

App makers piggyback on iTunes 50 billion app giveaway

Apple's got about 429 million more app downloads to go before it tops 50 billion, and two companies are putting money down if their apps are the 50 billionth.

Addappt, a social address book service that launched last June and was created by former Microsoft and LinkedIn employees, says it will give the person who wins Apple's 50 billion app download giveaway a $10,000 Apple store gift card if the app they downloaded was -- you guessed it -- Addappt.

That prize would be on top of the $10,000 App Store gift card Apple says it … Read more

KeyBit keyring clings to your MagSafe adapter

It feels good to own a new Mac notebook. You're on top of the world until you haul your laptop someplace and let your battery run low before realizing that you're a MagSafe adapter short of juicing up. If only you hadn't lost that tiny, but critical, piece of equipment.

Apple changed the MagSafe power adapter hookup for its laptops in 2012, leaving consumers with a few gazillion out-of-date power adapters. To remedy the situation, Apple offered a $9.99 MagSafe to MagSafe 2 converter. It works, but it's small and easy to lose. … Read more

iOS 7 showing up in Web traffic logs ahead of public reveal

Apple's next mobile operating system is showing up increasingly in Web traffic logs ahead of its public debut.

That's according to Onswipe, a startup that makes Web sites more touch-friendly for tablets and smartphones. The company tells TechCrunch the testers running the yet-to-be-released version of the software made up nearly a quarter of people visiting sites that used Onswipe's technology last week.

In a follow-up report, Macrumors says it too has noticed a bump in devices running iOS 7 that are visiting its site.

It's not unusual for future versions of Apple's software to get … Read more

Future iPhone could sport invisible buttons

The iPhone could one day come with buttons and controls that blend right into the background, effectively making them invisible.

Granted to Apple on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patent dubbed "Disappearing button or slider" describes how various controls on the iPhone and other devices would normally stay hidden and fully appear only when needed.

A button would be made of the same material as the housing of the phone, so it would blend in seamlessly. But it could be selectively backlit through small holes to pinpoint its location, or the backlight itself … Read more

Nokia takes on iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 in latest Lumia video

Nokia is taking the fight to Samsung and Apple in a new video posted to YouTube.

Dubbed "The Hurricane," the video follows a roller coaster going around its track as it's being filmed by Nokia's new Lumia handset, the Lumia 928, as well as by Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S3. Thanks to the handset's 8.7-megapixel PureView camera, Nokia argues, Lumia's visuals will be much better than those of its rivals when recording video.

After showing the roller coaster moving around the track, Nokia's video compares frames to those … Read more

'Next' iPhone display production to begin, says Japan report

A Japan-based report indicates that production of at least one key component for the next iPhone will begin next month.

Sharp will begin volume production in June of the display "panel" for the "next" iPhone model at its Kameyama plant in Mie prefecture, according to a report in Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, a major Japanese industrial newspaper.

Sharp's Kameyama plant has not been operating at anywhere near full capacity but production of the next iPhone's display is expected to bring the plant to "full production," the report said.

The specifications for next iPhone … Read more

The complete guide to using Android with a Mac

For some reason it's a common belief that Android devices and Macs just don't get along. This misconception may have been true back in Android's infancy, but nowadays there's a long list of methods, apps, and services that let you use your Android device with your Mac. It's impossible to cover every app and service available, but I'm going to share the best of the bunch.

Most of the services listed below rely on the cloud to make the process of moving data between devices painless, while other methods require the tried and true … Read more

Apple ordered by German court to change its privacy rules

Apple has to amend its customer privacy policies in Germany following a court ruling issued Tuesday.

The Berlin Regional Court found that 8 of the 15 clauses in Apple's data use policy were invalid because they didn't comply with German law. Specifically, the company is no longer allowed to request "global consent" to use customer data, which gives it carte blanche to use any information. Further, Apple cannot use location-based data to target specific products and services to consumers based on their location.

The court also found that Apple cannot request the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, … Read more