A new picture has been published which apparently shows the front panel of the next generation iPad 5, demonstrating significant design changes for the next iPad. The picture, published by French site Nowhereelse.fr, shows an iPad front panel that has significant thinner side bezels, apparently taking design influences from the iPad mini, which also has thinner side bezels. The image is consistent with recent rumors suggesting that the iPad 5 would adopt an iPad mini-like design with a thinner form factor and rounded, rather than tapered, edges.
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Author Archives: AppleBitch
First Picture Of iPad 5 Front Panel With New Design Appears
Posted in News, Rumor
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Apple Hiring To Add Significant New Features To FaceTime And iMessage On iPhone
Apple is looking to add some additional features to both iMessage and FaceTime applications on iOS devices. The company has today posted a job opening for an iOS Communications Application Engineer who will help to make significant improvements to the FaceTime and iMessage applications on iPhone. The advertisement asks for someone who will ‘take the revolutionary iPhone to the next level’ and ‘will be responsible for implementing new features to our existing FaceTime and iMessage applications’.
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Rumor: Spotify Is Going To Launch A Streaming Video Service
Spotify, the highly popular free and paid-for music streaming company, is apparently planning to launch a video streaming service that would be intended to take on services like Netflix and HBO. The news comes from Business Insider who apparently have the information from two sources, and are saying that Spotify wants to expand into the on-demand video market with the intention of investing in original programming, much like the recent efforts of Netflix and House of Cards.
Spotify is apparently trying to secure funding partners for the venture, in addition to reports that it is now estimated to be worth in excess of $3 billion. The production of original programming and distribution through company owned channels (a la Netflix and HBO), could generate significant amounts of revenue for Spotify, rather than simply relying on narrow margins of profit from music streaming.
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New Trojan Hits Mac Web Browsers
A new piece of adware is apparently circulating which affects the web browsers on OS X devices, causing them to display advertisements on webpages with no ad code implemented. The report on the new Trojan comes from Doctor Web, a Russian security firm (via TNW), who report that the Trojan which is called Trojan.Yontoo.1, can inject code to Chrome, Safari and Firefox browsers which causes them to display advertisements.
The Trojan works by utilizing a variety of websites, sometimes displaying innocuous content like movie trailers, and tricks users into downloading what they think is a video plugin called Twit Tube. Instead of a movie plugin, the program then downloads a piece of injectable code for the Chrome, Safari or Firefox browsers, which then causes ads to display on any pages to which the user browses. The ads are targeted towards the site that is being browsed, as in the example given by Doctor Web, the ads for an iPad appeared on the Apple website.
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Apple Releases iOS 6.1.3
Apple has today released the next update to the iOS operating system for their mobile devices in the form of iOS 6.1.3. The update contains a number of minor bug fixes and enhancements including significant improvements to Maps in Japan and a fix for the bug that allowed a malicious user to bypass the passcode and access the Phone application.
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Apple Releases OS X 10.8.3
Apple has today released the next significant update to the Mac operating system in the form of OS X 10.8.3. The update which has been in beta testing for a number of months, brings with it the ability for users to redeem iTunes gift cards via the camera on their Mac. In addition, Boot Camp, the Apple platform for running Windows on the Mac, has received a number of enhancements, including support for systems with hard drives of 3 terabytes in size and extended support for Windows 8.
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Apple Releases New iMac With Wall Mount Adaptor
Apple has today released a new iMac model with a minor modification in the form of a VESA wall mount adapter incorporated into the rear of the device. The new model utilizes a wall or desk mounting VESA-compatible arm instead of the aluminum stand that regular models are shipped with (via MacWorld). The VESA customized iMac is available in both the 21 inch and 27 inch versions of the iMac and costs $40 (£36) to have the option included with a new iMac purchase.
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Eye Tracking Technology Being Offered To Apple For iPhone
A new report today is suggesting that a new eye-tracking technology is being offered to Apple for inclusion in future versions of the iPhone. The report comes from the New York Times who say that a start up company called uMoove has been working on eye and head tracking technology for three years and is offering it to smartphone manufacturers like Apple and Samsung.
The company is creating a software tool kit to allow the tracking technology to be utilized by applications and that this toolkit would be made available to work with the iOS operating system. The technology has been rumored to make its first appearance in a Samsung phone later this month, but there is no word if and when it will arrive on Apple devices.
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Rumor: iPhone 5S Will Incorporate Fingerprint Sensor
Another report is today suggesting that one of the major new features to be included in the iPhone 5S is an integrated fingerprint sensor for biometric user authentication. Following on from previous reports that Apple is looking to fingerprint sensor technology for its mobile devices, China Times (via Macotakara) is saying that the new fingerprint sensing technology in the iPhone 5S will enable heightened security for new Near Field Communications (NFC) technology that will also appear in the device and can be used for mobile payments.
The report suggests that Chipbond will be the dedicated manufacturer for the processor chips that will be used to enable the new NFC and fingerprint recognition technologies. This follows on from claims by KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo who has suggested that the iPhone 5S would be announced at an Apple event in June and then go on sale in July. The analyst was among the first to claim that the iPhone 5S will have a fingerprint recognition sensor placed underneath the Home button.
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No Firefox For iOS Devices Until Apple Makes A Big Change
Mozilla, the company behind the highly popular Firefox browser for OS X and Windows devices, will not be bringing the Firefox browser to iOS devices until Apple makes a major change in policy. Speaking at the SXSW conference in Austin, TX, Mozilla Vice President of Products Jay Sullivan, noted that Firefox would not appear on iOS devices until Apple allows third party browsers to use their own JavaScript rendering engine Nitro (via CNET). Currently, any third-party browsers for iOS use the UIWebView component, which is moderately slower than Nitro, thus translating to Safari being faster than any third party browser could ever be.
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