Category: Apple

Scam! Fake Apple Apps Show Up On Google Play Store

In case you were browsing the Google Play Store and found supposedly Apple-made mobile apps inside, apps that would be usually found in its own App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch use, then you should probably stay away from them.

A said “Apple Inc” developer has uploaded a series of popular iLife and iWork applications in our beloved Google Play Store. These include Garage Band, iPhoto, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers and Pages. The “apps” were just released in the Play Store with no announcement from Apple, making it seem like a very well-elaborated scam.

Not only does the developer’s name take Apple’s identity, but the developer’s website directs you to Apple’s homepage, the email is [email protected] and the descriptions seem rather convincing. To the unexperienced Android user, this may very well seem legit. But do you really think Apple would release such apps in their largest competitor’s app store? No way.

It seems some users have already paid for and downloaded these apps, so please beware.

Somebody at Google must have been tipped off because all of the fake apps have been removed. But the real question is, how did they get into the Google Play Store in the first place?

This is where Apple strict monitoring of the Apps they put up in the App Store is appreciated.

November 18, 2012
Google Maps For iOS Nearing Release : WSJ

Google Maps for iOS is almost ready for release to Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices, reports the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The WSJ report uses information from someone knowledgeable about Google Maps software development. The source reveals that Google handed out a test version of a new Google Maps for iOS app to put final changes before submitting it to the Apple App Store.

While it’s expected that Google’s iOS Maps will include walking and transit directions, the WSJ’s source claims that Google will also bundle its turn-by-turn navigation feature, available free on all Android devices, in the app. This would bring the functionality to par with Apple Maps, which is why some pundits still think Apple will not approve the app when it is submitted.

Google Maps for iOS could see the company derive a huge amount of revenue from sponsored business listings and other product tie-ins. But while it’s possible to change default apps in Android, Apple Maps will continue to be the default service used within third-party apps.

Google apps such as YouTube, Google+ and Search are available on iOS, and are very popular despite not being integrated directly into the operating system. Apple would not comment on the matter, but it would seem likely that they view Google’s services as a thorn in its proverbial side.

November 17, 2012
$1.5 Million Worth Of Apple iPad Minis Stolen In Heist At JFK Airport

Apple’s latest product release is always a hot commodity— a fact that certainly isn’t lost on the bandits and black marketeers of the world. The company was the victim of a large scale heist at JFK Airport in New York this week, where two men absconded with multiple crates containing approximately $1.5 million worth of iPad Minis.

In what has been described as a “Goodfellas”-style heist, two thieves reportedly stole about 3,600 of the Apple devices from a cargo building at John F. Kennedy Airport earlier this week. The New York Post, which had the exclusive on this story, writes:

[quote]The crooks struck shortly before midnight on Monday and used one of the airport’s own forklifts to load two pallets of the tablet computers into a truck, according to law-enforcement sources.

They might have gotten more, but the thieves drove off leaving three more pallets of the Apple tablets behind after they were challenged by an airport worker returning from dinner.[/quote]

The million-dollar iPad mini caper has reminded some of the infamous 1978 Lufthansa heist, which was immortalized in the 1990 film “Goodfellas.” The Lufthansa heist thieves reportedly stole $5 million in cash and nearly $900,000 in jewelry from the very same JFK cargo building from which the iPads were snagged, the New York Post notes.

There were three pallets remaining in the building when an airport employee confronted the pair and they drove off.

“So, as a caper goes, it was probably unsuccessful,” a source told the New York Post.

Airport workers are being questioned by the New York gumshoes and given polygraph tests, with the thieves still at large.

The sought-after devices had just arrived from China and were set to be distributed to Apple Stores all over the country. Now they’re headed straight for back alley retailers who won’t treat them nearly as nicely!

November 16, 2012
HTC Could Pay Up To $8 Per Handset Sold To Apple in New Agreement

Over the weekend, HTC announced that it has licensed several Apple patents for 10 years, and will pay the company an undisclosed amount per phone sold to use several features in its Android devices. The agreement came after a several year patent battle between the two companies, in which Apple accused HTC of patent infringement and even managed to delay the release of its One series devices in the U.S. through an import ban. While the statement also referred to “cross-licensing” of a select number of HTC patents, likely pertaining to LTE technologies, Apple is expected to be the ultimate winner in this deal.

With the licensing settlement announced, it could set the bar for other Android OEMs, many of whom do not have the deep pockets of Samsung. So just how high is that bar? HTC is likely paying Apple between $6 and $8 per phone sold, which could account for nearly $200 million in revenue for Cupertino if HTC’s projection of 30 million devices sold next year is accurate. The Taiwanese company is already paying Microsoft some $5 per handset sold, but HTC says neither deal will have a material impact on its finances. HTC’s revenue for 2012 is expected to be roughly $10 billion CDN, though its last few quarters have seen a precipitous drop in net profit.

Whether other companies will follow suit remains to be seen, but this is unlikely to be the last time we hear about Apple’s renewed, albeit less frantic, war on Android.

November 13, 2012
Apple’s Passbook Enabled Gift Cards Now Featured In App Store

Apple has made a couple of small-but-useful changes to its Apple Store app aimed at making shopping more efficient in its retail stores. Version 2.4 of the app lets users ask Siri for help in finding prices on Apple products. It also allows users to buy Apple gift cards (to be sent via e-mail) directly from within the app. The gift cards are now Passbook compatible, to boot.

Any Apple gift card that is purchased online and sent via e-mail—whether via the Web-based Apple Store or the iOS app—can now be loaded up via Passbook, which was launched along with iOS 6 in September. When the recipient clicks a link in the e-mail, Passbook will open to load up the details of the gift card. Then, whenever the recipient walks into an Apple Store with an iOS device, the app should bring up the gift card automatically on the user’s lock screen so it can be used to make purchases.

Unfortunately, Apple gift cards that are loaded into Passbook can’t be used in conjunction with the self-checkout system (EasyPay) built into the Apple Store app, so you’ll have to check out with a real human if you want to use the gift card balance.

Still a long way before this feature makes its way into India? Definitely.

November 12, 2012
HTC and Apple Settle Patent issues with 10 year licensing deal

So at least one patent dispute is coming to an end, HTC and Apple have entered a 10 year patent licensing deal to end all issues with their disputes.

[quote]HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC. [/quote]

[quote]We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.[/quote]

The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

[toggle_box title=”Press Release” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Posted Nov 11, 2012
HTC AND APPLE SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE. All Patent Litigation Between The Companies Dismissed

1.Date of occurrence of the event:2012/11/11

2.Company name:HTC Corporation

3.Relationship to the Company (please enter “head office” or
“affiliate company”):Head Office

4.Reciprocal shareholding ratios:N/A

5.Cause of occurrence:HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement
that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year
license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents
held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

6.Countermeasures:None

7.Any other matters that need to be specified:There is no material
adverse impact on the financials of the Company.

HTC AND APPLE SETTLE PATENT DISPUTE

All Patent Litigation Between The Companies Dismissed

TAIPEI and CUPERTINO, California – November 11, 2012 – HTC and Apple have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.

“HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC.

“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”

-end-

[/toggle_box]

November 11, 2012
Diagonal Scrolling Issue Plagues iPhone 5

UK mobile game development company CMA Megacorp revealed a previously undetected bug on the iPhone 5 on Friday morning on Twitter. The issue appears while diagonally scrolling on the iPhone 5, which sometimes caused the touch screen to drop out or even freeze, according to Slash Gear.

Recombu, a gadget comparison website, decided to test out this problem to see if it was affecting other iPhone 5 units as well. The video clearly depicted the difference between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5. The former generation Apple device had no issue quickly scrolling, while the newer handset would stutter, slow down and even completely freeze at a certain point.

Fifth generation iPod Touch users are also reporting the same problem, narrowing the issue to the new 4-inch Retina display and not necessarily software, as it was first thought to be.

Outside of rare cases, most users will never experience the problem in traditional apps. Games, however, stand to be tragically affected by the problem, as there are many hack-and-slash games that require constant and repeated diagonal slashes across the screen.

It will be interesting to see if and how Apple responds to this issue, which is threatening to become another “gate” after “Mapgate” swept the world earlier this year.

Are people holding it right?!

Check out the video below :

November 10, 2012
iPad Mini Retina Display Rumors already here

The iPad Mini came to market only a few days ago, but the rumors of the next generation of iPad Mini have already begun. Chinese-language DoNews said in a story dated November 7 that iPad Mini display makerAUO is working on a 2,048×1,536 pixel resolution display for the next iPad Mini Retina.

Boasting the same resolution as the iPad 3 and 4 with Retina display the next iPad Mini’s ppi will end up to be over 300 ppi vs the 264 pixels per inch on the current gen of iPad. Well most would sspeculate these to be wild Industry rumors, it would be only logical for Apple to complete the iOS platform and enable each device on Retina. Especially since Retina has transferred over to the Mac OS based Macbook Pros as well.

The next iPad Mini is supposedly going to be launched next year, either in their Feb-March iPad refresh or their new October announcement schedule. Either way, Apple is still selling out their iPads and expecting to do better this month when the Cellular variants of both the iPad Mini and iPad 4th gen come into sale.

November 8, 2012
Apple : 3 Million iPads Sold Over The Past 3 Days

The iPad mini and the “fourth generation iPad” went on sale last Friday. The iPad mini is smaller, thinner and lighter than any previous version of the 10-inch iPad and Apple sent out a very interesting press release today. Usually when a product launches they boast about the millions of sales it produced in 3-days. This time around they did – claiming that “Three Million iPads in Three Days” – but that number combines both the iPad mini and the fourth-gen iPad with Retina display.

[quote]No clear numbers on how the iPad mini specifically performed. Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, noted that“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth generation iPad. We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”[/quote]

This “practically sold out of iPad mini” is somewhat new for Apple. They have repeatedly sold out of product on launch weekend. The iPad mini was released in 34 countries on Friday. Perhaps people are waiting for the 3G version to be released in a couple weeks.

Regardless, 3 million iPad sales in something to be proud of.

November 5, 2012
iPad Mini Teardown : Samsung Display, Stereo Speakers And Low Repairability Score

The iPad mini isn’t even officially on sale yet, but iFixit managed to get its hands on one to tear apart.

Like many of Apple’s other gadgets, the iPad mini isn’t very easy to open up and repair yourself. iFixit gives it a 2 out of 10 repairability rating.

A lot of the parts are familiar, coming from either the iPhone 5 or MacBook Air, and Samsung makes a somewhat surprising appearance as an LCD panel supplier, something some early reports suggested Samsung would not be involved in supplying this component for this device.

[quote]”Though the markings on the back of the LCD (display) don’t turn up much information, the Samsung display driver IC (chip) reveals that Apple, once again, went with Samsung in its display manufacturing,” iFixit said, detailing the teardown on its website.[/quote]

The iPad mini is the first Apple tablet to come with stereo speakers, likely owed to the space saved from the new Lightning port. This makes it more-than-likey the fifth generation iPad will sport a similar design. Judging from early reviews, the lack of physical speaker separation renders the addition largely superfluous — there’s no real dynamic range — but it’s still a welcome find.

Image Courtesy : iFixit

Unlike with the iPhone 5, the mini’s LCD and glass are not fused together into a single unit, so these parts can be replaced individually if needed. Also, the battery is also not soldered to the logic board here. Still, the battery and other parts like the front- and rear-facing cameras, front glass, and logic board are held together with “copious amounts of adhesive,” according to iFixit.

November 2, 2012
Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac updated for Windows Phone 8
The Mac app for connecting and syncing your precious upcoming Windows Phone 8 device has been updated on the Mac App Store. Not only has the app been updated to Version 3.0 but it has also received a new “Windows Phone” name, to prevent further name changes one can presume. The app has added support for Retina MacBooks and also drag and drop sharing capabilities b/w some of Apple’s native apps like iPhoto and iTunes.

The new app will support all upcoming phones including the ATIV S, HTC WP 8X and 8S along with the Nokia Lumia Devices. Full Changelog below :
- Support for Windows Phone 8
- Drag and drop files between Windows Phone and your Mac desktop
- Drag and drop files from Finder to your Windows Phone 8 devices
- Support for iPhoto 9.3.2 and Aperture 3.3.2
- Support for battery charge state (Windows Phone 8 devices)
- Enhanced capability support for ringtone files (Windows Phone 8 devices)
- Support for Retina display Macs
[Mac App Store]
November 2, 2012
Breaking : iPhone 5 Price for India confirmed Rs. 45,500 for 16GB, Rs 52,500 for 32 GB
The iPhone 5 has not officially been announced, but we have been tracking its progress from the day it was announced in the US. The iPhone 5 is arriving at stores on the 28th of Oct and may go on sale as early as the same day. Some stores, including iStore (Reliance-Apple tie up) is saying that they will be allowed to sell the phones only on the 2nd of November. Most third party retailers known to iGyaan are sticking with the Oct 28th delivery dates.

The iPhone 5 price has been finalized at the earlier speculated Rs.45,500 for 16 GB with only one year warranty as always and not the Rs. 47,999 price mark (supposedly including the 2 year warranty). Apple is expecting big sales with the iPhone 5 in India, and claims that they will sell atleast double of what they sold last year with the iPhone 4S.

Apple is also pegging big on iPhone and iPod sales this year, and has also enabled localization of apps in the App Store to show prices in Rupees instead of US dollars. The nano sims that will work with the new iPhone 5 are already at network providers and Vodafone has confirmed that they are ready with sim cards in major metropolitan cities for the iPhone 5 influx.

iPhone 5 Price in India
- 16 GB : Rs 45,500
- 32 GB : Rs 52,500
- 64 GB : Rs 59,500
The above prices are also close to the Rs 8000 incremental prices suggested by iGyaan during Laucnh of the iPhone 5.

You can also book your phone like we did from the below number :

Gizmolution +91 9560061018

(We are not in any way affiliated to the above retailer, and the number is for information only)
October 26, 2012
MacBook Pro Retina 13-Inch Teardown : Redesigned battery, Samsung flash, Soldered RAM

The $1,699 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display has a reconfigured battery that is much easier to remove, an iFixit teardown reveals.

Now that Apple has taken the wraps off its latest MacBook Pro, a 13-inch notebook updated with the company’s high-definition Retina display, the teardown team over at iFixit has taken the screws to it—or out of it, as the case may be. During the analysis, the company noted the most striking change was the redesign of the device’s battery—which has been changed in a few ways.

The flash storage in the 13-inch MacBook Pro taken apart by iFixit is a Samsung MZ-DPC2560/0A2 unit rated at 3.3 volts and 2.39 amps with 256 gigabytes of storage.

The disassembly discovered that the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has the same AirPort card as its 15-inch counterpart, while the heat sink has been slightly scaled down to fit into the smaller notebook. Apple has also once again used fans with asymmetrical blade spacing to reduce fan noise.

And like the 15-inch model, the RAM is surface-mount soldered to the logic board, meaning no upgrades are possible. Apple does not offer any more than 8 gigabytes of RAM on the new 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Another strange inclusion found in the notebook is a flash memory chip on the trackpad board. The same feature is also found in the 15-inch model, but iFixit doesn’t know why a trackpad would require flash memory.

“The 13in MacBook Retina is slightly more recyclable than the 15in Retina,” the Ifixit team said on its Macbook teardown page. “Once inside, it took us ‘only’ 15 minutes of prying to remove the battery, and we didn’t puncture the battery cells.”

Ifixit also found that the battery fitted inside is glued into the laptop’s top case, but is slightly less difficult to remove compared to the 15in model.

One of the biggest worries for the Ifixit crew is the display assembly, which it says is almost impossible to take apart. “If anything ever fails inside the display, you’ll need to replace the display as a whole,” it said.

As a device repair site, iFixit rates the repairability of the electronics it disassembles. They found that the 13-inch MacBook Pro is a slight improvement over the 15-inch model in terms of recyclability and repairability, specifically with relation to the removal of the device’s batteries. Still, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display could only earn a repairability score of 2 out of 10.

October 26, 2012
New 12W Adapter Will Charge iPads Quicker Than 10W Adapters Says Apple

The morning of Apple’s iPad mini event earlier this week, there was a handful of new accessories coming including four new Lightning adapters and a 12W USB power adapter. We didn’t hear much about them during the event, but the new cables and adapters have hit Apple’s online store now, including a Lightning Digital AV adapter and Lightning to VGA adapter, with most shipping in “2-3 weeks”.

On the product page for the new 12W USB charger, Apple confirmed it would indeed ship with Retina iPads. With the new fourth-gen replacing the third-gen iPad—that would essentially cover just the iPad 4. It is, however, selling the adapter by itself for $19 online and listing compatibility with iPad 2, iPhone 4S, and iPod touch fifth-gen and up. Many readers have wondered whether the adapter would allow for faster charging with the iPad 3 and fourth-gen iPad.

9to5Mac received confirmation of this super-charging power from Apple which said, “We don’t have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed.”

This is good news to iPad third generation owners who were disappointed with the slow charge times from the original 10W adapter.

Customers who want to turbocharge their device can buy the new 12W USB power adapter for $19 from Apple’s online store.

[9to5Mac]

October 26, 2012
Exclusive : iPhone 5 in India, Buy from your Favorite Retailer starting Sunday Oct 28th.

iPhone 5 India launch details were earlier reported on the Oct 11th on iGyaan. Continuing on that, Apple has taken orders from retailers to deliver iPhone 5 in India for stocking and will give confirmed stock deliveries by Sunday the 28th of October. While we are still awaiting an official announcement from the fruit company for the iPhone 5 India, we have already booked units from our known retailer.

Apple will launch the iPhone 5 in India upwards of the Rs. 46999 price expected, for around 47999, unfortunately there is no further news on the 2 year warranty being bundled at launch. While we are digging further into this, expect an official announcement soon. We are also sure of there being no carrier tie ups for the iPhone 5 in India, unlike previous iPhones that were distributed by Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel and the likes.

The nano sims are already at network providers and Vodafone has confirmed that they are ready with sim cards in major metropolitan cities for the iPhone 5 influx. Apple expects to do doubly well in India compared to the launch of the iPhone 4s which received mammoth demand. According to Apple they have already received hundreds of thousands of requests for the iPhone 5 in India.

If you are in South Delhi and would like to Pre Order your iPhone you can do it from the retailers number listed below. We are in no way tied with them, but have pre-ordered our iPhone 5 from them.

The iPhone 5 is a touchscreen-based smartphone developed by Apple and released on September 21, 2012. It is the sixth iteration in the iPhone series succeeding the iPhone 4S. The phone is a slimmer, lighter model that introduces a higher-resolution, 4-inch screen to the series and is the first to support a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Other new features include a custom-designed ARMv7 processor called the Apple A6, an update to Apple’s mobile operating system known as iOS 6, and support for LTE. (Info via WiKi)

Gizmolution +91 9560061018

(We are not in any way affiliated to the above retailer, and the number is for information only)

October 25, 2012