Apple is expected to announce iPhone 5S release date later this fall. A new report published earlier today suggests that one of Apple’s display partners, Sharp, will begin manufacturing iPhone 5S display panels in June.

The latest claim by Japanese newspaper Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, confirms claims made by The Wall Street Journal last month about iPhone 5S production beginning in the second quarter. The report also mentions that Japan Display and LG Display have also received mass production orders for the LCD panels.

It’s been widely reported that Apple had been facing production issues with the fingerprint sensor in IPhone 5S, which caused delay and the release date was pushed further. Apple had faced production issues even with the white iPhone 4 which caused delay in the launch of the white color model.

Apple has pushed the iPhone release cycle from June every year to September – November timeframe. The iPhone 5S is expected to be announced at a special event later this fall. During the quarterly earnings call Apple CEO, Tim Cook, did hint at a strong product lineup which will be introduced during the fall and beyond.

According to the rumors and reports published online iPhone 5S is widely expected to carry the same design as the iPhone 5 but, will feature fingerprint sensor, upgraded camera, faster CPU performance and more.

{via MacRumors}

iPhone 5S Release Date Near As Sharp Begins Display Production? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple products will be coming to US Cellular later this year, as the carrier announced its future plans during its quarterly earnings release. Apple has been steady attempts to bring its product line up to as many carriers as possible to increase the adoption and availability of iOS devices.

We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year. By further strengthening our device portfolio, we’ll give consumers another great reason to switch to U.S. Cellular, and enable our existing customers to choose from an even wider variety of iconic smartphones, and enjoy the outstanding U.S. Cellular customer experiences they deserve.

The carrier announced that its smartphone penetration is at “43 percent of core market customers and growing quickly”. It is in Apple’s best interest to make its smartphones and tablets to more local carriers in the US and globally. The Cupertino, Calif., based company has been facing intense competition from Samsung. Increasing the availability of Apple’s devices on more carriers would help in gaining more market share and customer satisfaction.

Apple is known to ask carriers to commit purchase of certain number of iPhones and most carriers have been happy to strike deal with the iPhone maker. Major carriers like AT&T and Verizon have been reporting iPhone as a popular smartphone and accounts for a large portion of their activations.

{via MacRumors}

Apple Products Coming to US Cellular This Year originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) plans to spend $100 billion in share buy-backs in the next few years. AAPL recently sold $17 billion’s worth of corporate bonds in order to fund its buy-back plan.

During FY 13 second quarter earnings call Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced that it has a cash balance of $145 billion where two-thirds of this money is in overseas subsidies. If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) were to bring the cash back to the US, the company would be liable to pay huge taxes and therefore borrowed the money in form of corporate debt.

According to a report published by Bloomberg, Apple Inc. (AAPL) saved approximately $9.2 billion in taxes by borrowing a part of the money that it requires for the stock buy-back plan. The figures were provided by Moody’s Investment Services and a senior vice president at Moody’s said, “From a pure corporate-finance theory perspective, this was a no-brainer,”. The report further mentions:

If the funds had come from Apple’s offshore cash pile of about $100 billion, the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker would have had to pay a 35 percent tax to repatriate the money, Granovsky said. That means Apple avoided about $9.2 billion in taxes. And since interest payments are tax-deductible, that’s another $100 million a year, Granovsky said.

The $17 billion corporate debt sale set a new record as the world’s largest debt sale. A report by The Financial Times reveals that the demand for the bond reached $52 billion as bond investors were confident about Apple’s cash structure.

Apple’s stock has dropped since its September record due to investors being skeptical about the company’s ability to bring the “next big thing” to the market. Investors are likely waiting for Apple to enter into new markets with the widely rumoured Apple TV or smart watch.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Saves $9.2 Billion In Taxes By Raising Corporate Debt originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple’s App Store is about to hit yet another milestone as the company has updated its website with a countdown to 50 billion downloads. Apple will also be giving away US$ 10,000 App Store Gift Card to the user who downloads the 50 billionth app. The next 50 users who download apps from the App Store could win $500 App Store Gift Cards.

No purchase is necessary in order to be a part of this giveaway. All users in supported countries are automatically entered as they download free or paid apps. Additionally, you can also visit the official promotion page here to fill out a form (limited to 25 entries per person per day) and enter the giveaway.

In January this year Apple announced the App Store had crossed 40 billion downloads and has added another 10 billion in just under 5 months.

The App Store today offers some of the best apps and games created for smartphones and tablets. It changed the way people thought about apps on a mobile device and continues to revolutionise what we can accomplish with them.

Even as the App Store is about to hit 50 billion downloads it’s worth remembering that Steve Jobs was opposed to the idea of having third party apps on the App Store as he was concerned “his team did not have the bandwidth to figure out all the complexities that would be involved in policing third-party app developers.”

Today Apple continues to dominate the mobile app market with high quality of apps available in the App Store and the amount of revenue developers generate from it.

Apple’s App Store about to hit 50 billion downloads originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

iOS 7 is the next major software release for Apple’s most profitable product lineup. Following the ousting of Scott Forstall the development of Human Interface design has been handed over to Industrial Design chief, Jony Ive. It has been widely reported that under Ive iOS 7 is expected to receive a complete overhaul and feature a very flat design without much of the skeuomorphic elements.

According to a new report published by All Things D, in order to stay on schedule for iOS 7 release date and the preview slated for WWDC 2013 Apple has allocated additional engineers from OS X team. The publication cites unnamed sources close to the matter as saying, “the company has been “borrowing” engineers from the OS X 10.9 team as part of an effort to double down on iOS 7.” Apple had to resort to similar measures during the launch of the original iPhone when engineers from OS X 10.5 were asked to work on the iPhone OS. Even though Apple is working in a crunch mode the sources expect iOS 7 to be on schedule for preview and final release date.

iOS 7 is being touted as a major release as Apple’s operating system over the recent years has come under intense criticism for lack of innovation and stale design. By appointing Jony Ive as the head of interface design the company has sought to bring increased collaboration between hardware and software services. The face of Apple’s hardware has been in the hands of Ive and the company has seen tremendous success and won customer satisfaction for its design.

Many reports suggest that Ive is leading the design team to work on a flat design as opposed to the faux textures, leather border and seams.

“Put it this way,” said one source who has been briefed on iOS. “You know Game Center’s green felt craps table? Well, goodbye, Circus Circus.”

Will replacing skeuomorphic design with a flatter one help give iOS the much needed refresh it needs? Will it cause unrest among users who have grown to love the leather stitched seams and book shelfs? We will get a preview of iOS 7 during WWDC 2013 and it will be interesting to see what Jony Ive’s team has in store for us.

iOS 7 Release Date on Schedule As Apple Adds More Engineers originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

As iOS 7 release date nears, new details about the upcoming software update are being revealed in the blogosphere. We recently reported on iOS 7 design to be very flat and feature an overhaul of default icon sets. According to a report published by 9to5 Mac, Apple is looking to introduce tighter in-car integration in iOS 7 maps and Siri.

According to people familiar with the plans, Apple is working with car makers on updated versions of car center consoles that could attach to iOS devices like the iPhone. Specifically, an iPhone could be plugged into a car and an optimized, redesigned version of Apple Maps will appear on the car’s built-in display instead of a proprietary GPS system found in many cars.

Sources have described this as a feature akin to a video-out or mirrored display representation of the iPhone’s Maps app onto the bigger screens included with most modern vehicles.

Apple introduced “Eyes Free” in iOS 6 last year and many top car manufacturers committed to integrating the feature in new car models. Chevrolet was one of the first manufacturers to integrate “Eyes Free” in Spark and Sonic models.

The report further mentions that the technology to control Maps and Siri via increased in-car integration will be included in iOS 7 however, public launch could possibly see some delay due to the need for “extensive car-based testing, improvements to apple Maps and Siri infrastructures, and deals with car makers.”

Even though these plans may sound ambitious given the fact that Apple’s mapping and Siri technologies have been under constant criticism. It appears that the Cupertino, Calif., based company is committed to making their cloud services better and expand its use outside the iOS environment.

iOS 7 to Boost In-Car Integration of Apple Maps and Siri originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple’s next major mobile software release, iOS 7, will feature a flatter design losing artificial textures and skeuomorphism. According to a new report published by 9to5 Mac, iOS 7 is expected to introduce a complete redesign of the operating system but will continue to keep the basic functions and behaviour of the OS.

Last October, Apple fired Scott Forstall and made Jony Ive the head of human interface design. It has been widely reported that Ive was never a fan of the skeuomorphism used in iOS and actually leans more towards a flatter and clean design.

 

While the look of the updated system may be surprising to some, iOS 7 is reportedly not more difficult to use than earlier versions of software platform. There is apparently no new learning curve in the same way there was no learning curve when the iPods went color. While iOS 7 does look different, its core apps and system fundamentals (like the Lock and Home screens) mostly operate in a similar fashion to how they do today.

iOS 7 is codenamed “Innsbruck,” according to three people familiar with the OS. The interface changes include an all-new icon set for Apple’s native apps in addition to newly designed tool bars, tab bars, and other fundamental interface features across the system.

A recent update to the Podcasts app for iPhone and iPad could give us some clue to what we could expect in iOS 7. When Forstall was heading the iOS team the app featured design of an old tape recorder and later when the app was updated under Ive’s leadership the skeomorphism was replaced with flatter design elements and focused more on ease of use.

The report on new features in iOS 7 points us to new gestures being investigated by Apple that could reveal more information to the user by just swiping left or right of the screen, just like how Notification Center can be accessed by swiping the screen downwards.

Since Jony Ive now leads both hardware and human interface design teams, the software design teams now get early access to the prototype designs so that the software and hardware look even more similar. Apple feels that this move will “increase collaboration across hardware, software & services”.

iOS 7 to Feature ‘Flat Design’ Under Jony Ive’s Leadership originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple will showcase the next major release of OS X during WWDC 2013 keynote event and according to a new report OS X 10.9 will focus on power-user features. OS X 10.9 has been widely reported to be internally codenamed as “Cabernet” which won’t bring a complete UI change to the operating system but will improve the overall performance and functions of the OS.

In a new report 9to5 Mac details the upcoming features of OS X 10.9 highlighting tags and tabbed browsing mode in the Finder. A new version of Safari is also reported to be in the works that will feature a “redesigned backend for improved page loading, speed and efficiency”. Another pro-user friendly feature that could be introduced is the ability to open different full-screen apps in a multiple monitor setup.

The report further details a new multi-tasking system for OS X that could be similar to iOS and also bring app pausing for background apps to OS X. This could bring more efficiency, performance and battery improvements to the MacBook lineup.

Siri for OS X has been rumoured to be in the works since the introduction of speech dictation in OS X Mountain Lion. The report suggests that it’s possible that Apple may launch Siri only on next gen products.

Apple’s WWDC 2013 press release also clearly mentioned that the company will showcase “advances in software technologies and developer tools” which suggests that we will see a preview of Xcode 5.0 as well.

Last year, Apple previewed Mountain Lion before WWDC and then released it in July. This year due to management shakeup in the iOS department the teams from OS X were brought over to work on iOS and thus the company had to push the OS X 10.9 preview to June.

It will be interesting to see if Apple would still launch OS X 10.9 in July or if it will push the release of iOS 7 and OS X 10.9 to later this fall.

OS X 10.9 Release to Focus on “Power-User” Features originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple’s WWDC 2013 keynote event will kick off on June 10 where the company is expected to preview OS X 10.9, iOS 7 and now according to a new report we may also see next gen MacBook Pro models. The company in the recent years has used WWDC as a platform to showcase the latest advancements in its software and has made efforts to schedule hardware announcement events separately.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in his report about Apple’s WWDC 2013 mentions that the company will introduce new models of MacBook Pro and MacBook Air that will be based on Intel’s latest Haswell processors. Kuo also believes that Apple will continue to offer non-Retina MacBook Pro models which is contrary to the claims made earlier.

Contrary to our previous projection, we now think Apple will continue to make the MacBook Pro alongside the MacBook Air and Retina MacBook Pro because the 13” MacBook Pro remains the most popular product in the MacBook line. Also, there is still demand in emerging markets, where Internet penetration isn’t advanced, for optical disk drives.

Kuo is his predictions for WWDC 2013 notes that updated non-Retina MacBook Pro models could ship “very soon” after WWDC but, the new Retina-MacBook Pro models may ship at a later date.

MacBook Air lineup is also expected to be refreshed however, the analyst believes that we may not see a Retina MacBook Air just yet and cites “cost, thickness and production concerns” as the top issues.

{via MacRumors}

WWDC 2013 Keynote To Feature Launch of Next Gen MacBook Pro Models? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

According to a new report Apple is expected to launch lower priced iPad mini this year that could hit the market at $199 – $249 price points. With Android gaining market share in the smartphone and tablet market many analysts believe that the Cupertino, Calif., based company should address the low priced market segment.

We’ve reported on rumors about Apple working on a cheaper iPhone and now as iPad mini refresh is expected soon reports about cheaper iPad mini are beginning to flourish. The second gen iPad mini is expected to carry the same design but feature high resolution retina display and upgraded cameras. The processors and RAM would also see an update to support the high processing power required by the retina display.

In a research note, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo mentions:

Prior to iPad mini 2 launch, Apple might roll out a more affordable iPad mini to compete with Android products. To cut costs, Apple might push for lower component prices, use a more advanced process to produce the A5 processor, simplify metal casing production, remove the rear camera, cut storage to 8GB and find more component suppliers to lower costs. We think this cheaper iPad mini retail for US$199~249.

Kuo believes that at a lower price point Apple will be able to cater to the low end of the tablet market which is currently dominated by Android tablets. Apple has publicly denied all reports of a low-cost product and have continued to stress on quality of the products. However, it will be interesting to see if the company introduces a low cost tablet in the market to remain competitive and stop Android from dominating any particular market segment.

{via MacRumors}

Apple to Launch “More Affordable” iPad Mini at $199 – $249? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Adam Bell, a jailbreak developer, has now released an iOS jailbreak tweak that brings Facebook chat heads to iOS systemwide. The new jailbreak tweak is called ‘Message Box’.

Facebook recently announced Facebook Home for Android that offers deep integration of the social media giant’s services into the operating system. One of the features highlighted on Facebook Home was the ability to have “chat heads” systemwide no matter which app you were using.

Facebook chat heads on homescreen and floating on top of other apps allows users to always stay connected with their friends and continue the conversation without the need to switch apps. Facebook recently updated it’s iPhone, iPad app and brought chat heads to its native app however, the feature is limited to being just inside the Facebook app for iOS.

Message Box for iPhone / iPad allows users to float the active chat heads and access the messages on the homescreen or any other app. The jailbreak tweak is known to be stable however, a few stability issues have been reported on the web.

If you find yourself using Facebook chat a lot then this jailbreak tweak could be a must have for you. The tweak is available for free on the developers GitHub page and will also be made available on on BigBoss Cydia repo.

Jailbreak Tweak ‘Message Box’ Brings Facebook Chat Heads to iOS originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) under intense criticism over the past several months, it is not surprising that the company’s CEO, Tim Cook would come out and regret some of the steps they took in the past. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been seeing its stock in a tailspin, analysts worrying about gross margins, and many claiming that the company is lacking in innovation.

On Tuesday, during Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Q2 2013 earnings call, Cook admitted that Apple should have waited until 2013 to release the new redesigned iMac. The new iMac uses a new screen lamination process that caused many problems when it was introduced in late 2012, and the radically thin design appeared to be slightly bold for something was to be released within weeks of its announcement.

The new iMac was released into a mass of customers that hadn’t seen any new products in months, and as a result, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) delayed the iMac, which resulted in a decline in sales for the holiday quarter. Mac sales slipped to 4.1 million, mainly because of the failure of iMac’s launch. Cook admitted during the earnings call that this was a mistake and commented on the situation:

We felt our customers had to wait too long. In retrospect, yes, I sort of wish we had done it after the turn of the year. Customers wouldn’t have had to have waited as long as they did.

Tim Cook’s apology is a sign of the type of leadership that the company is now under, with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s former CEO, Steve Jobs rarely offering up an apology for any mistakes made. Jobs simply found a way to prove the company right or make amends through actions. Cook has already apologized for the failed Maps app in iOS, as well as for its subpar handling of warranty issues in China.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) CEO Admits Release of Redesigned iMac Could Have Waited Until 2013 originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Late Thursday night, Apple aired a new iPhone TV advertisement, called “Photos Every Day” focused entirely on the device’s camera. This ad is very different than other iPhone commercials that have been aired in the past with words flashing across the screen, followed by a shot of an app that describes that word.

This ad is a full minute long and focuses entirely on people using the iPhone’s camera in everyday situations to take photos and videos on a hike, a run, at the beach, on a walk as well as to to take random photos of plants, art, family, friends, and shots of landscapes.

The ad also shows other Photos features in use, such as photo editing, Panorama, and flash. Apple has improved its camera on the iPhone greatly over the past few generations, adding flash in the iPhone 4 and as well as an 8 megapixel camera in iPhone 4S. As a result, they ended the ad with the following line:

Every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera.

It is unclear if Apple also plans to do this with other features of the iPhone such as Siri or perhaps even iOS itself. However, this type of ad campaign, with shots of the device in use in real life has worked for Apple’s competitor, Samsung which has advanced quickly in the smartphone market with its line of Galaxy S smartphones.

So far, from comments across the web, it appears that customers are responding positively to this new ad direction. It will take some time to see if that does help push up iPhone sales in the near future.

{Via 9to5Mac}

Apple’s New TV Ad “Photos Every Day” Says iPhone is the Most Popular Camera originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has increased its international retail presence over the past several years, and has opened new stores in Barcelona, as well as a number of stores in and around China. AAPL has been opening stores and gravitating towards regions where their revenue has increased. On Thursday, Apple Inc. announced through its website that it will be opening its first ever retail store in Germany’s capital, Berlin.

Despite the fact that Apple has other stores, this will be the first one available for people of the city and will be the 11th Apple Store in the country overall. The store will be located alongside Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm and will be the country’s largest store in Germany to date. Apple has scheduled the grand opening for May 3rd at 5:00pm local time. Although most Apple Retail stores open early in the morning, the company may be moving to a later time to ensure that there will be a large presence for the grand opening.

Apple has increased its international retail presence greatly over the year, adding more and more customers to its closed environment and ensuring over 120 million visitors to its stores and $50 million in revenue for the year. The company is also scheduled to open a new store Adelaide, Australia around the same time as this one in Berlin. Apple has reach that no other tech company has in today’s market and it is using that leverage to expand well beyond the company’s birthplace in California.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) to Open First Retail Store in Berlin on May 3rd originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Wednesday, Apple scheduled its WWDC 2013 conference for June 10-14 and noted that tickets would go on sale early Thursday morning. When tickets went on sale at 10:00am on Thursday, it took only two minutes for the tickets to sell out. During ticket sales of WWDC 2012, it took two hours and Apple scheduled a separate date for sales in order to make sure that all developers have a fair chance of purchasing tickets.

However, Apple has set a new record of two minutes which will likely cause employees over at Apple to rethink how to issue tickets to developers for next year’s WWDC. WWDC tickets have sold very quickly for the past few years, with the company’s products becoming more and more popular. It is likely that tickets sold out so quickly because there has been pent up demand for Apple’s next versions of iOS and OS X, with iOS 6 facing intense scrutiny since its release.

This is the sixth straight year that Apple has had WWDC tickets sell out, with WWDC 2010 selling out in eight days, 2011 selling out in under 12 hours, and 2012 in 2 hours. Apple has been called on to increase the size of the conference but is restricted by the number of engineers that it has available to assist developers with their applications. This raises new concerns about future WWDC events and brings into question if Apple will be willing to hire more engineers with the increasing number of developers attending each year.

{Via MacRumors}

WWDC 2013 Tickets Sell Out in Less Than 2 Minutes originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Wednesday, Apple announced that annual WWDC conference is officially scheduled for the week of June 10-14. The WWDC 2013 conference will be held in the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco where the Cupertino, California based company held all of their other previous conferences. Apple has priced tickets for the conference at $1599 for each developer that attends. The company is also reportedly giving away 150 free WWDC tickets to student developers. Apple is calling the student promotion the WWDC 2013 Student Scholarship.

We look forward to gathering at WWDC 2013 with the incredible community of iOS and OS X developers,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Our developers have had the most prolific and profitable year ever, and we’re excited to show them the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps. We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.

Last year, for WWDC 2012, Apple posted up the sale of tickets alongside of its announcement which caused all of the tickets to sell out within two hours. As a result, the company is putting some time between the announcement and sale of the tickets and is giving all developers an equal chance of purchasing tickets. Developers who are “underage”, meaning between the ages of 13 and 17 must have their tickets purchased by a parent or guardian who must also a member.

Apple is limiting the tickets to one per person and five per organization. There is no doubt that the tickets will sell out once again, due to pent up demand for the company’s new products. However, Apple has created a more leveled and fair purchasing process by selling the tickets one day after it announces the date for the event. Developers who do not attend the event or are not able to purchase a ticket will be able to watch the session videos, which became free last year. Apple will be posting the session videos as the event is happening to ensure that all developers get a chance to watch as WWDC is carried out.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple’s WWDC 2013 Conference Set For June 10-14 originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Tuesday, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) announced its quarterly results for Q2 of 2013, noting right at the beginning of the call the $9.5 billion profit off the $43.6 billion in revenue. With this revenue and profit, the per share price comes out to about $10.09 per diluted share as opposed to the $12.30 per diluted share at this time last year. Last year, in Q2 of 2012, AAPL posted a revenue of $39.2 billion and a net quarterly profit of $11.6 billion. The company reported a lower than expected profit for the first time in over a decade.

Apple’s international revenue account for 66% percent, which isn’t surprising when considering how important China and other nations in the region are to Apple’s revenue and profit. The company also noted that gross margin for the quarter was 37.5 percent as opposed to last year’s 47.4 percent. Apple also increased the dividend payments that it pays out to its shareholders up to $3.05 per share, which will be able to be paid out starting May 16. The company currently pays out up to $11 billion per year in dividends to its shareholders.

Apple also has $145 billion in cash and marketable securities for acquisitions of companies. The company has generally used this money to acquire smaller firms and agencies to integrate into the development of a number of their products. The company also has major plans to increase it repurchasing of shares, increasing to $60 billion up from $10 billion. By doing so, the company will ensure that Apple will have an earnings per share increase should they maintain their current profits. The company plans to spend up to $100 billion in cash for its capital return program by the year 2015.

During the second quarter of 2013, Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones, up from 35.1 million from Q2 of 2012, as well as 19.5 million iPads, up from 11.8 a year ago. Apple’s Mac sales were just under 4 million, after a solid 4 million sold last year. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook commented on the quarter:

We are pleased to report record March quarter revenue thanks to continued strong performance of iPhone and iPad. Our teams are hard at work on some amazing new hardware, software and services, and we are very excited about the products in our pipeline.”

Apple’s CFO, Peter Oppenheimer also commented on the company’s cash balance, adding on to the optimistic comments of CEO Tim Cook.

“Our cash generation remains very strong, with $12.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter and an ending cash balance of $145 billion

Apple, looking ahead to the third fiscal quarter of the year, set a expected revenue of $33.5-35.5 billion and gross margin between 36 and 37 percent. With the company under fire in recent months, over issues with iOS, the late release rumors surrounding the next iPhone and iPad 5, it will be interesting to see how Tim Cook maneuvers the company and its new products to positively affect Apple in the next fiscal quarter.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Reports Q2 2013 Earnings Results, $43.6 Billion in Revenue and $9.5 Billion Profit originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

With rumors about a new second generation iPad mini, as well as an iPad 5, it is no surprise that Apple and authorized retailers are lowering prices on the tablet. On Tuesday, Apple cut prices on refurbished 2nd generation and 3rd generation cellular iPads, offering up to a $50 discount on the WiFi+Cellular models.

The reduced price comes just as rumors about the iPad 5 are beginning to heat up, and customers are beginning to expect a new full-sized iPad with a design similar to the current iPad mini. In early April, a refurbished iPad 2 was priced at $399, but with the discount is brought down to $349. This means that customers will be able to enjoy a total savings of $180.

If customers purchase a 32GB or a 64GB model, the iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G is available for $429 and $529, while the 32GB and 64GB models of the 3rd generation iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular are priced at $499 and $579, respectively. This is a bargain, when considering that each of the iPads will come with a standard 1 year warranty, which will cover any damage or defects caused by the company’s manufacturing process. Apple is not offering any discounts on the WiFi versions of the 2nd and 3rd generation iPads, which remain priced at $319 for the 16GB iPad 2 and $379 for a 16GB third generation iPad.

Apple’s refurbished devices are required to pass a series of stringent checks, in order for the company to ensure that customers receive a device that is fully operational. Each defective device that is refurbished receives a new shell and a new battery. The only remaining pieces of the older device are the cameras, chips, etc. Essentially, customers are receiving a brand new device, with the same 1 year standard warranty as a new iPad at a discount.

By reducing prices, Apple is likely clearing out stock before the iPad 5 arrives, which will eventually will also be sold as refurbished. It is unclear if Apple plans to reduce prices on the refurbished iPad mini prior to a refresh, however, there is some time left as the new model isn’t expected until the September timeframe.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Reduces Prices on Refurbished 2nd and 3rd Generation Cellular iPad, Ahead of Next Gen Refresh originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Late Sunday, an earthquake with magnitude 4.8 occurred in the city of Ya’an, China in the Sichuan province, causing over 189 deaths and over 11,000 injuries. Almost instantly, rescue teams began searching for survivors and money began flowing in through different channels to help the victims of the terrible quake.

Big corporations such as Apple didn’t stand by either, donating money within 15 hours of the earthquake striking the region. Apple has pledged $8 million to help in the recovery efforts, showing that at times help is something that can be used from anyone, not just the government and aid organizations.

China has been a major source of revenue for Apple, and the company has benefited greatly from the country. Some would consider it insensitive for the company not to help, especially since the Cupertino company has given aid to many other disasters including the tsunami in Japan in 2011 and Hurricane Sandy in the U.S just last year.

Apple updated their website in China to show their support for the victims although the company also released a separate press release to note the dollar amount they would be donating. The full statement, which has been translated to English reads as follows:

In this difficult time, our hearts are with the victims of the Sichuan earthquake closely linked in addition to the form of cash donations to help the affected people to tide over their difficulties, we are also committed to the new Apple device as part of the disaster area schools, Apple employees at any time in the local stand-by to help.

Apple has been getting bad press in China recently, with a series of claimed “double standards in customer service and returns policies”. It is a no-brainer for Apple to try and fix this issue and try to regain the support of the people of China, and this is a great first step that shows that the company does care about its customers and their concerns.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple Donates $8 Million to Chinese Earthquake Victims originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Earlier this year, KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo reported on Apple’s upcoming iPhone 5S with a fingerprint sensor and the rumored lower cost iPhone. Kup specifically noted in his report that the Cupertino company would run into issues when including the fingerprint sensors, particularly with the color coatings on the sensors.

Although Kuo initially claimed a June/July timeframe, he later noted that this time would likely be pushed back to a September timeframe because of the issues. It appears that Kuo was right, with a report from Reuters on Monday noting that Apple’s suppliers are under pressure due to uncertainty about demand for the company’s products. Reuter’s report highlights all of the same issues noted by Kuo, which may create more issues for Apple, particularly in terms of stock price.

Supplier sources in Japan and Taiwan, home to dozens of Apple suppliers, said they initially expected mass-production of the next iPhone to begin in June.

That date may have begun to slip beyond June, the sources said. The phone, widely referred to as the iPhone 5S, is expected to include new features such as a fingerprint sensor. A supply chain source in Taiwan said Apple was trying to find a coating material that did not interfere with the fingerprint sensor, and this may be causing a delay.

In the report, it was also noted that a Japanese supplier has given word that “small-scale production” of screens for Apple’s lower cost iPhone will begin next month, followed by mass production in June. This likely means that the iPhone won’t be released to the public until at least September. The lower cost iPhone is expected to use the same 4 inch screen as the iPhone 5, but will have a plastic casing and will lack a fingerprint sensor. Apple has been under fire recently, with its stock in a tailspin, and increasing criticism of Tim Cook’s ability to navigate the company in the right direction.

{Via MacRumors}

iPhone 5S Release Date Pushed Past June Due to Issues with Fingerprint Sensor? originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

On Monday, a set of photos were posted by a case company called Tactus with claims that the parts in the images belonged to the rumored iPad 5. A separate report also leaked images of what it claimed to be genuine iPhone 5S parts. Tactus had published an image earlier this week of what it claimed to be the rear shell for Apple’s upcoming lower cost iPhone.

Now, the company has posted what appears to be the rear shell of the rumored iPad 5. The shell, which has the same slate color currently seen in the iPad mini and iPod lineup suggests that this part may be genuine. For the past several months, numerous reports have claimed that Apple’s iPad 5 would have a design similar to the current iPad mini.

This would allow the company to sync up all of its devices in terms of design and use the same materials and color scheme on their entire iOS lineup. This is the first time the entire interior is seen, since the initial reports that go back as early as January. Apple has yet to set up an event or a timeframe to release the iPad 5, however, several reports are suggesting that this time frame will likely be around September. The September timeframe is in accordance with previous releases of iOS devices, including the iPod touch, iPhone 5 and the iPad mini.

Alongside the image of the claimed iPad 5 rear shell, Japanese parts shop Moumantai posted a pair of photos showing what it claims to be the nano-SIM tray from the iPhone 5S. The trays appear to be identical to those currently seen in the iPhone 5, which may suggest the screen size and depth of the device will likely remain the same in the next generation. In the report, Moumantai noted that the iPhone 5S trays were in several colors, including gray and bronze/gold colors, however, it is possible that this was done to match the Slate/Black and White/Silver colors of the iPhones themselves.

Despite the site claiming that the SIM trays are from the upcoming iPhone 5S, it is hard to tell which parts are genuine and which parts are older pieces from the current iPhone 5. Parts for the iPhone 5S have surfaced earlier this year, however, there has not yet been any solid claims that suggests that the parts may be any different than anything seen before.

{Via MacRumors}

iPad 5 Rear Shell and iPhone 5S SIM Tray Photos Surface Online originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple introduced Siri with the iPhone 4S and later released it onto several other iOS devices, including the iPod touch and the iPad. The personal assistant helped users to voice dictate text and also search the device locally as well as the other queries on the web. However, Apple failed to mention to users that it would store some of their searches.

On Friday, Apple revealed to Wired that it stores anonymous Siri data from its users for up to 2 years before removing them from the servers. This means that sensitive data may be stored in the cloud, in a place that may not always be secure. After being questioned about privacy, Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller noted that Apple only keeps this data to to improve the service, adding that it takes customer privacy very seriously.

Even with these guarantees, some users may still be skeptical about the information being stored, especially with Apple’s iOS 6 having serious bugs, including one with the passcode lock that allowed for a hack to bypass the screen. Siri operates entirely in the cloud, even local song searches on the device itself requires a data connection. This allows Apple to record and save certain voice clips of a user’s searches.

Each clip is assigned to a user through a random number, and is not associated with any Apple ID, device number, or email address. On the user’s end, the only way to stop Apple from collecting the data is to turn off Siri which then prompts Apple to delete the random number assigned to that user. Siri’s strict reliance on a data connection concerns many users and privacy advocates who fear that the personal data in Apple’s servers may somehow be leaked or used wrongfully.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple Admits to Storing Anonymous Siri Data From Users For 2 Years Before Deleting originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Earlier this week, The Verge reported on a new iPhone jailbreak hack that allows for users of iOS devices to integrate Facebook’s new ‘Chat Heads’ feature directly into the operating system. Currently, Chat Heads is only available to iOS users through the iOS app, while Android users have the feature directly integrated on their devices. This allows them to continue conversations on Facebook from anywhere in the operating system via a hovering bubble that when clicked, opens into a full fledged messaging window.

The trick, according to [developer Adam Bell], was isolating the Facebook app from the Chat Heads living inside it. Chat Heads inhabit a separate layer inside the Facebook app, so it was just a matter of finding that layer and making the rest of the app transparent. “The hardest part was getting this all to render on top of everything else,” Bell says, which means Facebook is always running on your phone. Apparently, Bell’s tweak doesn’t take much of a toll on battery life. “It doesn’t seem very resource intensive,” he says. “Only when you move the Chat Head is it actually doing anything.”

Earlier in the week, Facebook was reported to be in talks with Apple to bring the Home feature to the iPhone. However, no solid details have yet emerged on the deal or if Apple will agree to a social network taking over the face of iOS. However, until Facebook and Apple do reach a deal, users will have this hack as an option, which will be available on jailbreak app stores Cydia and Github, likely in the next few days. A video of the jailbreak from The Verge outlined how the feature functions on iOS, with the chat bubble clearly shown hovering above apps on the iPhone:

{Via MacRumors}

iPhone Jailbreak Tweak Integrates Facebook ‘Chat Heads’ Directly Into iOS originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, Jony Ive has achieved yet another accomplishment, having been awarded knighthood last year at Buckingham Palace. Now, the forty-six year old designer has made Time’s 100 most influential list with the likes of many other notables in Time’s lists which includes President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and even Pope Francis.

Ive is listed under Time’s Artist category and is including in the same category with others such as writer George Saunders as well as actress and actor, Jennifer Lawrence and Bryan Cranston. The small anecdote written below Ive’s image was written by musician and activist Bono of the band U2. Bono was also a close friend of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Bono noted that Ive pursued “greatness over profit” and also went on to say:

What the competitors don’t seem to understand is you cannot get people this smart to work this hard just for money. Jony is Obi-Wan. His team are Jedi…

Jony Ive has been with Apple for over 16 years, having started in 1996 as leader of the company’s design team. Under his leadership and design sense, the company released several successes, which include numerous generations of the iMac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Late last year, Apple also appointed Ive with the role of leading and providing guidance for the Human Interface (HI) team at the company, which will allow for a tight integration between hardware and software, something that Apple is quite popular for.

Jony Ive has received many awards over his long career at Apple and worked under two of the company’s greatest CEO’s, Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. With his latest Time recognition, there is no doubt that the designer has many more years and many for awards to get through.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, Jony Ive, Makes Time’s 100 Most Influential List originally appeared on: Touch Reviews

Verizon was first of the four major carriers in the United States to have reported their first quarter of 2013 earnings results. Last week, Verizon announced that they activated a total of 7.2 million smartphones during the quarter with 4 million of those being iPhones. This comes out to be about 55% of total smartphone activations in the United States. In their earnings report,

Verizon also noted that 50% of the iPhones activated this quarter were the iPhone 5, meaning that the iPhone 4S and the 4 made up the other 50% of activations. Verizon performed below last year’s results in terms of iPhone activations when considering that the company activated 2.2 million less iPhones than last year. However, it is crucial to note that last year’s fourth quarter was when Apple introduced the iPhone 5 which may shift some of the numbers around for the carrier.

Apple shipped a total of 35.1 million iPhones across the world and Verizon activated 4 million of them this quarter and 3.2 million during the year ago quarter. This means that Verizon has had a 25% rise in iPhone activations.

{Via MacRumors}

Verizon Reports 25% Rise in Activations, Accounts for 55% of Total Smartphone Activations originally appeared on: Touch Reviews