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Apple’s iPhone 6 Goes Out of Stock in India Within Days

A feat that was thought to be only achievable by Xiaomi has been achieved by its papa bear, Apple. The technology superpower’s latest flagship smartphone, the iPhone 6 has gone out of stock in India just days after its official release. In the nation’s capital, Apple’s ardent fans had even lined up at midnight to be the first to buy the device.

Apple had brought in a stock of 55,000 devices for sale in India on the midnight of 16th October. The entire stock got sold in just 3 days. Now the company is planning to bring 25,000 new devices soon to quench the demand for the latest bestseller. It was said that there will be a delay of three days before the devices are available again.

55,000 devices flew of the shelves in just three days.

Apple’s new iOS based devices not only have bigger screens that make them more multimedia friendly, they also have seamless connectivity features with other Apple devices. This, for now, separates these devices from everything else in the market.

The reason for the clearing up of shelves, even at such high price tag, might be the current festive season. With Diwali right around the corner, everyone is trying to attract new customers and seems like Apple has clearly made its mark. It wouldn’t be long before we get a final tally who scored the most off this festive climate.

October 20, 2014
Teardown of 5K Retina Dispay iMac Reveals What’s Inside

Continuing with its fascination for Apple products, iFixit, who are known for surgically removing all the organs of devices and laying them side by side, has acquired and disassembled the new iMac with 5K Retina display.

Apple’s newest iMac continues to use many of the same design elements from previous iMacs, including an easily accessible RAM upgrade slot, the same SSD, and logic board on the back of the device. With the RAM slot, users will be able to install their own RAM modules with little trouble.

Along with an AMD Radeon M290X GPU and i5-4690 processor from Intel, the iMac contains SK Hynix 256 MB GDDR5 SGRAM. It uses the same SanDisk PCIe SSD as the late 2013 Retina MacBook Pro, with Marvell Controller, and it uses the same AirPort/Bluetooth card that was used in the 2013 27-inch iMac.

Though, the processor, GPU, and display controller (sporting a wider display data cable) have received significant upgrades. The teardown also revealed that the 5K display, which sports the screen resolution of 5120 x 2880, has been manufactured by LG Display. It is the same supply partner that has also manufactured previous generation iMac displays.

The 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display earned a repairability score of 5 out of 10, the same score earned by the 2013 27-inch iMac. iFixit pointed out that the RAM, hard drive, and CPU are user replaceable with some adhesive cutting, but removing the glass and LCD panel from the machine remains a difficult task.

October 18, 2014
Google Adds New Layer of Security Features with Android 5.0 Lollipop

Android 5.0 Lollipop is Google’s most significant release of Android yet with a whole lot of features debuting with it. Everyone seems to be super excited about the newly upgraded features like support for 64-bit processors, Material Design, the improvements to power management and the switch from the Dalvik RunTime to the Android RunTime, ART, which are touted to make our devices smoother and faster.

But this time around, Google has added some great new security features as well. The first way is the built-in kill switch, also known as Factory Reset Protection. It essentially prevents anyone from wiping and resetting your device if it’s stolen. If thieves can’t factory reset your device, then they won’t be able to successfully resell it.The feature requires a Google ID and password before a phone can be reset, and only works when a phone passcode is enabled.

The second is linked to the first and uses a feature that has been present in Android since 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which is device encryption. Until now, encryption has been an optional security feature that most people only activate if their corporate email account tells them to do so. From Android 5.0, encryption is going to be enabled by default. This gives users another PIN or password to remember but keeps the data on the device much safer from the notorious hackers’ eyes. Without device encryption, a thief could access the information on the device.

October 18, 2014
Vertu Introduces the Aster, a Luxury Android Smartphone Priced at Rs. 4,75,000

Just when people were raising a hue and cry about how pricey the new generation flagships are, Vertu the king of luxury phones has brought its Aster to India. Vertu, which was formed by Nokia (hope you still remember that name,) is known for its premier hand-crafted and ornamented phones. The Aster too comes from this family of opulence.

The phone comes in multiple color options that are made of elegant materials.

Vertu had for long stayed with the Symbian operating system but now it has made a shift to the Android OS. The device runs Android KitKat. It comes with a 4.7 inch Full HD display protected by Sapphire Crystal display.

The Aster is powered by a 2.3GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor. It comes with 2 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. It is juiced up (or rather champagned up) by a 2275 mAh battery. The phone is Qi Wireless Charging Compatible.

Vertu also offers multiple phone case options

It comes with a 13 MP camera on the back and a 2.1 MP camera on the front provided to have a skype chat about your new multi-million acquisition.

But with Vertu, it’s not about what lies inside the device, but what’s on the outside. The materials used in the production of this device include carefully selected leathers and skins and space age hardened titanium for the side rails, back plate, pillow and sound bar. There isn’t anything as ostentatious as this one.

The Conceirge service is a really attractive feature for the elites who buy this phone.

The main service feature offered by the phone is the concierge service. Aster comes with six-month concierge service that can be extended. Using the service you can get in touch with a personal concierge who can assist you with recommendations and priority bookings. They facilitate your every request, from finding the perfect gift to accessing exclusive events. The service is accessible 24-hour from anywhere in the world.

So if you have half a million rupees to spare for a communication device, this must be it.

October 18, 2014
Prices of Apple iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and Retina iMac Announced for India

A few days back, Apple completed the unvieling of all its latest devices. While there were several important announcements, the highlight of the event would be the release of the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and the latest iMac which carries the title of being the ‘World’s Highest Resolution Display’. And looks like the three are going to be arriving in India sooner than later.

After releasing the latest generation iPads and iMacs, Apple has now unveiled the price of all their devices for the Indian market on their official website.

First up, the iPad Mini 3

The device comes in Wi-Fi + Cellular, and Wi-Fi only variants with storage options of 16, 64 and 128 GB. The Wi-Fi only models are priced as – 16GB for Rs. 28,900, 64GB for Rs. 35,900 and the 128GB variant comes for Rs. 42,900.

For the Wi-Fi + Cellular models the pricing is, 16GB for Rs. 38,900, 64GB for Rs. 45,900 and 128GB has a tag of Rs. 52,900.

iPad Air 2

The bigger iPad is priced in about the same price category, just slightly heftier. The Wi-Fi only models are priced as follows: 16GB for Rs. 35,900, 64GB for Rs. 42,900 and the 128GB for Rs. 49,900.

The Wi-Fi + Cellular models are priced at – 16GB for Rs. 45,900, 64GB for Rs. 52,900 and 128GB for Rs. 59,900.

The new iMac is a creative professional’s dream come true.

iMac with Retina 5K display

This was definitely the showstopper of the event. It is literally a desktop with the best display on the planet. The 27 inch 5K monster comes at a price of Rs. 1,79,900. The price is definitely justified when you check out the innards of the computer that flaunts the 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB RAM. It also holds an AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics processor with 2GB of GDDR5 memory. This is a creative professional’s dream come true.

October 18, 2014
HTC Finally Brings Desire 820 and 820q to Indian Shores Along with the Budget-Friendly 516C

Having unveiled the new Desire 820 and 820q in India last month, Taiwanese tech giant HTC has now released them for the market. This is part of a mass release by HTC, who also brought the recently launched Eye series to India. The phones are competitively priced and will find a lot of takers in the market.

HTC Desire 820

The HTC Desire 820 comes with an Octa-Core processor (4 x 1.5 GHz + 4 x 1.0 GHz,) which will give it a good boost in performance. The RAM on the device is 2GB. It has 16 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 128 GB. Add this with a 5.5 inch 720p HD display and HTC’s Boomsound, this device becomes a multimedia delight.

The main camera on the Desire 820 is a 13 MP shooter with a F/2.2 iris. The selfie camera on the front is a good 8 megapixels. The device is juiced up by a 2600 mAh battery.

The phones multicolor design option makes it look youthful and as it is priced at Rs. 24,990.

The dual tone color options will entice a lot of people to buy the 820’s.

HTC Desire 820q

HTC Desire 820q comes with pretty much the same features as the Desire 820, but with some miniscule tweaks. The device is powered by a `1.2 GHz, quad-core processor along with 1 GB RAM. That’s about the difference between the two models.

The Desire 820q is priced at Rs. 22,500. Both Desire variants run Android KitKat 4.4 out of the box and will get a Lollipop update soon.

HTC Desire 516C

The last offering by HTC is going to play in the category of the Moto G and Xiaomi Mi3. The HTC Desire 516C is a budget offering from the company.

It comes with a 5-inch qHD display. It processing capabilities are overseen by a 1.2 GHz, Quad-Core Snapdragon 200 processor. It has 1 GB RAM and has an internal storage of 4 GB that is expandable up to 32 GB.

The 516C has a 5 MP main camera and has a measly 0.3 MP selfie camera. It is powered by a 1950 mAh battery. It will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com for Rs. 12,990. For what it offers, this price is extortion. HTC should reconsider the price of this device.

Overall, the Desire 820 and 820q seem like great devices to own, and their funky exteriors make them extremely ‘desire’-able.

Do check out our hands-on of the devices:

October 18, 2014
Nexus 9 Listed on Google Play Store in India for Rs. 28,900

Google on Wednesday announced three new devices, all attempting to enter a space which competitior Apple has enjoyed monopoly over the past years. Now, Google’s Nexus 9, the HTC-made tablet is “coming soon” to India.

The tablet has been listed on Google India’s Play store. It is not yet available but once it does, it will cost Rs.28,900 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and Rs. 44,900 for the 3G version with 32GB memory. Three official origami-inspired leather covers for the tablet have also been listed. They will be available in three color variants, Black, Mint Intiqo and Lime stone.

Google describes Nexus 9 as a tablet that “is for work and play, with its just-right 8.9-inch screen and front-facing stereo speakers”. Now according to insider sources, the company will be bringing the Nexus 9 to India by the 2nd week of December, which come in line with this listing.

Nexus 9 is a slim, sleek and sexy looking tablet. Its processing might is taken care by a 64-bit NVIDIA Tegra K1 Dual Denver processor clocked at 2.3GHz. It comes with 2GB RAM and is available in 16GB and 32GB storage variants. The device has an 8.9 inch IPS LCD display with 4:3 aspect ratio. It has a resolution of 2048×1536 and is covered in Gorrila Glass 3.

The camera at the rear will not do 4K video because it is just an 8 MP snapper, but its a wide lens and a great module. The aperture is f 2.4 and the sensor is a BSI sensor. For power you get a 6700 mAh battery, that should last you through the day and then some.

It weighs only 425 gm for the Wifi only and 436gm for the LTE variant, keeping it light and extremely portable. The tablet is easily held with one hand and the back panel feels great as well. The device is one of the first devices to run the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop OS along with the Nexus 6.

October 18, 2014
HTC Launched the RE Camera for Rs. 9,990 in India

Along with One (M8 Eye), Desire Eye, the Desire 516c, Desire 820 and Desire 820Q smartphones, HTC on Friday launched the Re Camera in the Indian market. We spent a whole day testing out this new camera, read more about it here.

“HTC has continually set the standards in mobile technology since 1997, and once more, we are redefining the concept of imaging forever,” said Chia-Lin Chang, President of Global Sales and Chief Financial Officer, HTC. “As a company we are devoted to innovation, as we endeavor to combine the best experiences with the best hardware design as possible. Today HTC has taken a bold step to introduce a new product category, with a remarkable little camera called, RE. A product that you once pick up, you will not want to put it down. RE, will allow our users to get out from behind the lens and live and experience moments.”

HTC Re is essentially a small handheld camera, which features a 16MP sensor with a 146-degree wide-angle lens. Packed in a waterproof shell, HTC RE camera is capable of recording full HD videos, 120 fps slow-motion videos, time-lapse videos as well as Zoes.

Inbuilt is an HD microphone and speaker along with rating for durability – IP57 Dust & Water Resistant IPx7 (body), IPx8 (with cap). The camera houses a 820 mAh battery which is rated for 1,200 16MP photos; 1 hour 40 min of continuous FHD video recording. It comes with an 8GB card loaded and supports upto 128 GB cards offering good storage capacities.

The camera works over Bluetooth 4.0 and Wifi. RE Camera supports iOS 7 and along with all KitKat equipped Android phones. HTC is hoping that RE camera will help the users in stepping out from behind the camera and enjoying the life as it happens. The camera includes just two buttons, one for image/video capture and other for slow motion video. There is not even a power button present on the device and it utilizes the integrated grip sensor to detect whether someone is holding and it switches itself on.

RE will be available exclusively on Snapdeal.com in India at an introductory promotional offer for a limited period, Rs. 9990/-

October 18, 2014
HTC Brings Out the Desire EYE and One (M8) EYE in India

A couple of weeks back, the One (M8 EYE) quietly went on sale in China. Now, HTC unveiled the new One (M8 Eye) and Desire Eye smartphones in the Indian market at a press event in Mumbai.

According to the company, the One (M8 Eye) will go on sale tomorrow for Rs. 38,990, while Desire Eye will be released in late-November exclusively on Amazon India. The pricing of Desire Eye is a mystery at this moment.

HTC Desire EYE is the first of a kind phone designed to allow users to capture front and rear images in 13 mega pixels. Other specs mostly make it compete with several flagship smartphones out there, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset clocked at 2.3 GHz.

The HTC Desire Eye also boasts a 5.2-inch full HD 1920 x 1080p IPS LCD display, along with BoomSound speaker config. The cameras however, are the highlight of the Desire Eye, with a set of 13 MP cameras, and dual led flash on both sides, the rear camera is a f/2 aperture lens equipped module, whereas the front camera has a f/2.2 aperture lens setup.

The M8 Eye looks like the standard model in every respect except for the fact that the 4MP UltraPixel shooter has been replaced by Sony’s 13MP IMX214, the same sensor used on the HTC Butterfly 2 and the HTC Desire EYE. However, unlike the Desire EYE, the front-facing camera is still a 5MP sensor.

The new M8 will ship with the same ‘Eye Experience’ software as the HTC Desire Eye the company announced two weeks back. The HTC One (M8 EYE) also includes the new HTC EYE Experience features like Face Fusion, HTC Split Capture, and advanced face tracking features for conferencing.

October 18, 2014
India is Readying its Own GPS System

The Global Positioning System or GPS has made our life extremely convenient. If you have access to a GPS device, you are never going to get lost on this planet. The GPS system is currently in control of the United States government. Now the Indian government’s plan to have its own navigation system is underway and got its 3rd satellite today.

ISRO successfully launched the PSLV-C26 rocket that sent the third satellite in the Indian System. The rocket lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 1.32 am and injected the satellite into the orbit about 20 minutes later.

The Kargil war of 1999 had incited a need for an in-country navigation system. The US government back then had refused the request of the Indian government to use the navigation system to keep track of enemy movement. This led to the inception of the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS.)

The 3rd Satellite of IRNSS Constellation was launched through PSLV-C26

The IRNSS will be a network of 7 satellites out of which 3 are already in orbit. The system is expected to be ready by its deadline of 2015, which is next year. Once fully functional, it will provide navigation support for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation. Like the GPS and Russian GLONASS, it can also be integrated into mobile phones. But they should really think of a cool new name integrating with mobiles; it might be cool to have a navigation feature named in Hindi.

IRNSS is expected to have an accuracy of less than 20 m over the Indian Ocean region and less than 10 m accuracy over mainland India, which sounds awesome. It will have a coverage of 1,500–2,000 kilometres. It will provide two chief functions: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) which is accessible by all users and Restricted Service (RS), which will be encrypted for military use.

With the IRNSS becoming functional, India will join an elite league of countries with their own navigation systems. Currently, there are two functional systems of navigation: GPS and GLONASS. Apart from these there’s the planned European Union’s Galileo positioning system, China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System and India’s IRNSS. This technological initiative taken by the country is appreciated, and its credit goes to the scientists at ISRO.

October 18, 2014
Twitter Gets Musical with its New Audio Card Feature

All of our Twitter timelines are going get more musical after the social networking giant launched a new Twitter Audio Card feature that is already being used by SoundCloud and Apple’s iTunes.

“The world’s most influential musicians and media producers already share unique audio content through Twitter every day. Today we’re introducing a new way for you to experience audio directly on Twitter. ” Twitter wrote on the official blog. “With a single tap, the Twitter Audio Card lets you discover and listen to audio directly in your timeline on both iOS and Android devices. Throughout your listening experience, you can dock the Audio Card and keep listening as you continue to browse inside the Twitter app.” blog post added.

HOT !!! Here is the @robin_schulz remix of #Dangerous !!! I really love it. Click below to listen to the track ;) https://t.co/nSxejse9Rc

— David Guetta (@davidguetta) October 16, 2014

In SoundCloud’s case, the Audio Card opens up a full-screen player for the audio, complete with whatever artwork the creator has uploaded to SoundCloud for it. The audio will continue playing when the card is minimised, though. As the new feature launched, Guetta tweeted a link to a new remix of his song Dangerous, while Chance the Rapper followed suit with a link to his new single No Better Blues.

This next one’s the first song on our new album! Listen here http://t.co/KVfURdxooT. — Foo Fighters (@foofighters) October 16, 2014

Twitter also announced that content by select iTunes artists will also appear in Audio Cards, allowing users to preview music that has not been released yet. U.S. rock band Foo Fighters gave fans a taste from their new album “Sonic Highways” by tweeting their song “Something From Nothing.”

It is worth noticing that the iTunes player on Twitter plays the whole song, unlike the preview on iTunes Store itself, which plays less than 2 minutes of it. Twitter said it is still testing Audio Cards, and plans to open it up to more partners and creators. The feature follows other Twitter Cards that allow users to add more content to their tweets such as in-stream videos.

October 17, 2014
After Acquiring Motorola, Lenovo to Become the Third Largest Smartphone Vendor in India

New reports by IDC have revealed that Lenovo is set to become the third largest smartphone vendor in India. But only after the completion of its acquisition of Motorola Mobility is complete. The acquisition is considered one of the sharpest move in the industry for the Chinese company, which has previously made its name though PC sales.

“Presently, Motorola is at number four in India. And, we are expecting to close the acquisition by the end of the calendar year, which we believe make us the third largest smartphone player the in the Indian market,” Amar Babu, managing director at Lenovo India said.

Amar said that Lenovo’s smartphone business has grown by 200% year on year, much faster than the rest of the market. He added that Lenovo will build the Motorola brand the way it has built the ThinkPad notebook brand within the company.

The overall Indian smartphone market is expected to cross 80 million devices by shipments, up from 44 million a year back. Shipments grew by 84% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2014 to June, with vendors shipping a total of 18.42 million smartphones.

The company is also positive on setting up manufacturing units in the country, given the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Indian government and the company is hoping for certain incentives by the government that would encourage the same.

The company is already the number one player in the PC market in India. In the Indian smartphone market, Lenovo lags behind Motorola, which is the fourth largest player. The company also plans to enhance its position in the tablet market in India. Lenovo recently launched its new range of ‘Yoga’ tablets in India, priced between Rs 20,990 to Rs 47,990. The range — comprising of four devices — will go on sale today exclusively on eCommerce site, Flipkart.

October 17, 2014
Apple Might Make the SIM Card Obsolete

Yesterday Apple finally unveiled all the new generation of products from its stable. All the new-gen iPads and iMacs are here. The new iMac with a 5K display stands out amongst all the announcements as it will be a boon for creative professionals. But there was one announcement that caught everybody’s eye which was the announcement of the Apple SIM.

Apple SIM is a reprogrammable SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) that you can use to switch from carrier to carrier, networks and pricing plans using just a user-friendly software in the device. The card will still be removable and if you buy a carrier locked device then it will carry the carriers SIM card. Though it though seems like this convenient new technology will be appreciated by people always on the move and might actually replace the concept of the SIM card in the long run.

With Apple SIM you can switch between multiple networks and pay plans.

The concept of a universal SIM card sounds great, but it will come with its challenges. Presently removable GSM SIMs including the Nano-Sim and Micro-Sim are convenient and are easy to acquire. They also give the option of a removable battery which lets users carry multiple batteries always to have a charged device. Also convincing every mobile operator in every country to join in on the Apple SIM revolution would be tough.

Apple does not like SIM cards and has been at the forefront of the introduction of the new age SIMs. But there is also a hope that this will usher in a new era of moving across multiple networks with ease. The folks, who travel internationally, can save tonnes of dough by switching to local networks without having to pay the excessive roaming charges.

There is one other major issue that needs to be addressed, and that is the big Android, iOS fight that defines the present Smartphone. Both sides are equally formidable opponents to each other. While Apple has constantly challenged the market with new SIM innovation, the massive Android market has usually provided solutions. Android market would have to adopt to this SIM or maybe Google can use its sheer size to keep the SIM cards going. This might actually create a real divide between the two smartphone superpowers.

As this is still the beginning of the Apple SIM, we won’t know its prospects as of yet. In the coming future, we’ll get a chance to reflect on the development of this innovation. We need to play with this new technology to give a definitive answer.

October 17, 2014
Sony Promises to Update Xperia Z line to Android 5.0 Lollipop Soon

The new upgrade for the Android mobile OS, Android 5.0 Lollipop is finally here. However, it could be a while before Google’s new software becomes available on some of our favorite devices. Sony has confirmed that its entire Xperia Z lineup will make the jump to Lollipop starting next year.

Android 5.0 updates won’t roll out until 2015 for your Xperia device, they only confirmed that Lollipop is coming eventually. Sony notes that the Z Ultra Google Play Edition is first in line followed by the Xperia Z3 and Z2 families, also Z1 and Z devices won’t be left out either.

According to the announcement, “entire premium Z series” means the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, Xperia Tablet Z, Xperia Z1, Xperia Z1S, Xperia Z Ultra, Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z2, Xperia Z2 Tablet, Xperia Z3, Xperia Z3v, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact will all be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop.

October 17, 2014
Apple Event Round Up : The 8 Most Important Things Apple Announced

On Thursday, Apple held its second product release event in six weeks. The 90-minute event at Apple’s headquarters here was a sombre affair compared to the mega-launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Watch and Apple Pay. This time the news was expected, however, Apple plenty of new hardware and software during the event.

The company added to its product line the two new iPads, a 27-inch iMac with eye-popping Retina display, and OS X Yosemite, Apple’s latest desktop operating system. The iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3 and the devices will go on sale later next week in 29 countries (India is not on the list) while pre-orders open online today.

We are listing the important highlights of the event that will take considerably less time than it will take you to re-watch the event:

1. The New iPad Air is Skinnier Than Ever

Apple has relied on its time-tested strategy for updating a offering – make them thinner. The new device is only 6.1 mm thick, thinner than the new iPhones by almost 1mm. As expected, it is powered by the new Intel A8x Chip, a 2nd gen 64 bit architecture, which is 12 times faster than the current one. Apple claims that graphics performance of the new iPad Air 2 is 180 times faster, which gives console like gaming experience on the iPad Air 2. The tablets will feature a fingerprint scanner similar to the one found in the latest iPhones. The sensor enables people to use a fingerprint instead of a passcode to unlock the device, also can be used to make purchases using Apple Pay.

The new iPad Air 2 houses the 8MP iSight camera on the back with a f/2.4 aperture and supports HD video recording. Along with that, there is a front camera which features a new face time HD camera, burst selfie, slo-mo and more. The iPad Air 2 runs on the latest iOS 8.1 and features a LCD layer on the display and an anti reflective coating, reducing reflection by upto 56 per cent. The iPads are priced starting $499 (16GB). The 64GB version is available for $599 and the 128GB for $699.

2. There added a iPad Mini too, with Touch ID

Apple confirmed the third generation iPad Mini featuring the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor during the event. iPad mini 3’s screen is at 7.9-inches with a 2048×1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi). Apart from the Touch ID, it has the same Retina display with an aluminum coating at the back. It will be available in gold, gray and silver colour variants.

It features a 5 megapixel iSight camera and a FaceTime HD camera. The camera carries the iOS8 features such as time-lapse and panorama. This iPad features dual microphones, on the front and back. Instinctively, when you switch cameras from front to back (or vice versa), the microphones switch, too. The price starts at $399 (Rs. 24,574 approx.) for 16GB in Wi-Fi only, while the 128GB + LTE model will cost $729. Pre-orders start tomorrow and shipping starts by the end of next week.

3. Apple Pay Will go Live on Monday (Only in the USA)

Apple confirmed it will begin rolling out the service next week on 20th October i.e. on Monday. Apple’s payment system allows people to bump their phones to pay for items in the 220,000 stores that have NFC (near-field communication) readers, as well as pay for items in apps by using the fingerprint scanner on Apple’s newest mobile devices.

Once third-party apps also use the Touch ID features, you can use this feature on other apps as well. As far as Apple Pay is concerned, it will be available only in the US and essentially allow users to replace their credit card with their device to make actual payments.

4. New iMacs come with the ‘World’s Highest Resolution Displays’

Along with Yosemite, Apple is bringing out the updated version of iOS. They’ve spent time and effort taking in user feedback and have updated the problem-prone update. iOS 8.1 brings the Camera Roll and iCloud Photo Library in beta, a feature that allows you to store all of your photos from all your devices in the cloud. The new iMac features a 27-inch display with 5210×2880 pixels resolution, which is 14.7 million pixels, which according to Apple, “is the world’s highest-resolution display”. Seven times more pixels than a Full HD TV, 67 per cent more pixels than 4k. The display is only 5mm thin at the edge.

The Oxide TF and a new low-power backlight helps it use 30% less energy despite the large display and heavy resolution. The base model runs on a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor, AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics card, has 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB Fusion drive. The iMacs are priced starting $2499 (Rs. 1,53,913 approx).

5. Developers can Start Working on Apple Watch Apps Next Month.

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook remained vague about when the company’s smartwatch will go on sale, saying only that it will be early next year. But the company is releasing WatchKit, software that will let developers start working on apps for the devices.

6. Yosemite is already available

Taking continuity to the next level. Apple definitely is the first company to benefit from this because of its enormous hardware ecosystem. OS X Yosemite is the upcoming eleventh major release of OS X, Apple Inc.’s desktop and server operating system for Macintosh computers and it will be available from today. It can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for Free.

Yosemite gives you mirrored access across all Apple platforms for instant access. For example, the iPad recognizes what you’ve been working on and prompts you about it. You can stop working on the Mac, pick up your iPad and start working on your project right way without a second of lag. There is no need for third party apps. There is no need to open a cloud app and download the file, it’s always there.

7. iOS 8.1 Will Roll Out on Monday

Along with Yosemite, Apple is bring out the updated version of iOS. They’ve spent time and effort taking in user feedback and have updated the problem-prone update. iOS 8.1 brings the Camera Roll and iCloud Photo Library in beta, a feature that allows you to store all of your photos from all your devices in the cloud.

8. Apple SIM is a new iPad Air 2 hidden feature

Perhaps the most interesting news about Apple’s new iPad Air 2 tablet is buried at the bottom of one of its marketing pages: It will come pre-installed with a new “Apple SIM” card instead of one from a specific mobile operator.

Apple explains, “The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad. So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you—with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip.” So far, Apple lists three of the top four US operators—AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile—as partners. In the UK, there’s EE, a joint venture between T-Mobile and Orange. Apple says participating carriers may change.

October 17, 2014