Author: Husain Sumra

Apple has begun rolling out a new print ad on the back of magazines like Rolling Stone showing off how big the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are compared to older iPhone models, as noticed by The Mac Observer. The ad simply depicts both of the new…

As the first reviews of both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hit the Internet, T3 took the opportunity to post the first unboxing of the iPhone 6, depicting the specific packaging and layout of the box for the smaller device.

The video starts off showing off the new packaging for the iPhone 6, which, unlike the packaging for other Apple products, does not feature a color photo of the device on the outside. Instead, the box features a white, textured silhouette of the device inside. The rest of the video goes through standard unboxing protocol, showing off included documentation, the EarPods and the Lightning cable.

Apple will begin selling both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus this Friday, September 19. The standard 16 GB configuration of the iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299.

The second half of Tim Cook’s extensive interview with Charlie Rose has been released online, which means that both parts are now viewable for those who haven’t seen it. Both interviews are available on Hulu and Charlie Rose’s website (via Daring Fireball). However, Hulu limits the interviews to those in the United States.

The first half of the interview, has Cook speaking about Steve Jobs, the acquisition of Beats as well as Apple’s interest in television alongside some thoughts on management from the Apple CEO. The second half of the interview, has Cook talking about privacy and how the Cupertino company does not try to collect data on its users.

The second interview, below, also features a segment with notable designer Yves Behar, who has designed numerous iPhone-connected products like the Jawbone and Vessyl Smart Cup.

Those who cannot watch the interview on Hulu can watch both parts on Charlie Rose’s website.

Apple today updated its App Store review guidelines ahead of the launch of iPhone 6 and iOS 8, adding sections for new features such as extensions, HealthKit, HomeKit and TestFlight. Additionally, Apple tweaked its introductory remark to specifically c…

Apple and Samsung have issued a joint statement today announcing an agreement to drop all patent lawsuits against each other outside of the United States, according to Bloomberg.

“Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop all litigation between the two companies outside the United States,” the companies said in the statement. “This agreement does not involve any licensing arrangements, and the companies are continuing to pursue the existing cases in U.S. courts.”

The move is yet another signal that the long-running patent dispute between Apple and Samsung may be winding down, as it was reported in June that the two companies were trying to find “common ground”. The two also agreed to drop their cross-appeal rulings on the ITC ban of older Samsung phones around the same time.

In May, it was reported the two were looking to negotiate an out-of-court settlement. And earlier this year, it was reported that Tim Cook sat down with Samsung Electronics CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon in a mediation session. However, the two sides did not come to an agreement at that time.

Apple has already settled patent disputes with other companies, like Google / Motorola Mobility in May of this year and HTC back in 2012.

While iOS and Mac OS X have traditionally followed different release schedules, Apple’s recently announced Continuity features suggested it was possible for Apple’s two operating systems to debut at the same time. However, Apple is planning to stagger the releases of both iOS 8 and Mac OS X Yosemite, reports 9to5Mac, citing sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans.

iOS 8 is expected to launch in September alongside the iPhone 6 while OS X Yosemite will not launch until October. Apple used the same release schedule last year, launching iOS 7 alongside the iPhone 5s in September and OS X Mavericks one month later in October.

Continuity allows users to work seamlessly between iPhone, iPad and Mac, with the ability to start emails on one device and easily finish it on another, or using Macs and iPads to answer phone calls and “green bubble” text messages. Because iOS and OS X have never been designed to work better together than with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, many saw a dual release as a good opportunity for Apple to cross-promote both its iOS devices and Macs with a stand-out new feature like Continuity.

Apple is planning on using engineering and user interface design members from the iOS team to help complete OS X Yosemite in time for a fall release, with a public beta planned as early as later this month.

With the introduction of OS X Yosemite, Apple introduced a significant visual change with an iOS 7-like “flat” look and completely redesigned icons. While Apple’s icons will see a refresh once Yosemite is released, users will have to wait until third-party companies have updated their icons to match Apple’s new design language for OS X icons.

In the meantime, users in this long running MacRumors’ forums thread have been designing their own “flat” versions of both Apple and third-party applications, allowing some users to switch out their icons until the real thing is available. Additionally, some users are redesigning Apple’s own icons for users who are using Mavericks rather than the Yosemite beta.

iWork, Twitter, Skype and 1Password icons by Arn0
While the icons may not be fully representative of the official icons, they do provide a look into Apple’s new icon philosophy enacted upon an icon not designed for it, allowing for a glimpse into various companies’ processes.

Forum member Arn0 had been taking requests from other forum members, recreating various icons to fit more along more nicely with Yosemite’s design aesthetics.

Alongside stand-alone apps like 1Password, Twitter and Skype, Arn0 also redesigned icons for entire suites of software, like Adobe’s Creative Suite. Thread starter Humex has been sharing a number of different examples of flat OS X icons from around the web, including concepts that hew closer to Apple’s style than Arn0.

Alternatively, designers like drflash have taken a different approach to flat design. Rather than mimic Apple’s philosophy and match OS X Yosemite, they created their own design language with Flat OS, which provides a completely different experience for OS X users. The design seems to marry “flat” design alongside some skeumorphic principles, giving icons a more tangible feel.

Flat OS X by drflash
In a blog post on Gizmodo, MartianCraft’s Nick Keppol explains that Yosemite’s new look centers around four basic ideas: visual rhythm in the dock, three basic icon shapes and their design grid, shape hierarchy and lighting effects and materials.

Visual rhythm allows the new dock to look more consistent, although that is helped by the fact that OS X icons are now broken up into three types: circles, squares and titled rectangles. While Apple itself isn’t totally consistent with these three types, Keppol found that – for the most part – circles are used for more consumer-oriented apps, squares are used for System-related utilizes and titled rectangles are used for applications that are most often used for work.

Finally, Apple uses Hollywood-style yellow and orange highlights and blue and teal shadows to give the metal-like materials that the icons are made out of feel warm and tangible. This helps create the illusion that the icons are more physical than previous icons while also looking flatter than before.

If you’d like to switch out your icons until they’re fully upgraded with OS X Yosemite, the icon sets shown are linked above, while all of Arn0’s redesigned icons are available to download via Dropbox. Icon sets from arn0 and other designers are also available to download via the forum thread. Here are easy instructions on how to change app icons on OS X.

Apple today launched a new $49 Mac Pro Security Lock Adapter in its online store, offering users of the new Mac Pro a way to easily secure their machines using existing Kensington locks. Previously, users had to resort to custom building their own locks or ordering more expensive third-party solutions.

Apple’s lock adapter is a simple metal bracket that secures the lift-off cover of the Mac Pro to the base of the machine with a security cable, preventing access to the machine’s internals. The cable lock can then of course be secured to a bulky object or dedicated security ring found on some desks to make it difficult for thieves to steal the machine.

The Mac Pro Security Lock Adapter lets you use a compatible Kensington or similar style third-party lock (sold separately) to keep your Mac Pro secure. The adapter attaches without tools and does not modify or damage the Mac. With a compatible lock connected, the Mac Pro Lock Adapter secures the housing to the enclosure, preventing access to internal components.

Since the Mac Pro’s appearance in its retail stores, even Apple has had to use alternate methods to secure the machines, opting for an Ethernet-based alarm system that simply sets off an alarm when the Mac Pro is removed rather than securing it in place.

The Mac Pro Security Lock Adapter is available now in the Apple Online Store for $49. The adapter is not yet being offered for immediate pickup in Apple’s retail stores, but will presumably be making its way to the company’s stores around the world in the coming days.

While there have been plenty of videos comparing the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 to the Samsung Galaxy S5 and other smartphones, there haven’t been many comparing the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 to other devices.

However, YouTube channel TechSmartt (via AppleInsider) has acquired a dummy of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and compared it to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, offering a look at Apple’s rumored “phablet” against its main competition.

When compared to the 5.7-inch Note 3, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is slightly taller. This correlates with an earlier size comparison that found the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 was the same height or taller than leading Android smartphones that had slightly larger screens.

If believed, these dummy models signal that the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be taller than the Note 3’s height of 151.2mm. The extra height is largely due to a carryover of design decisions from previous iPhone models, which include identically sized top and bottom bezels. These bezels contain the FaceTime camera, the Touch ID Home button and numerous sensors.

Apple has introduced new specifications for manufacturers in the company’s Made for iPhone (MFi) program that allow them to create headphones that connect to iOS devices via a Lightning cable rather than a regular 3.5mm headphone jack, according to 9to5Mac.

The Lightning headphones will be capable of receiving lossless stereo 48 kHz digital audio output from Apple devices and sending mono 48 kHz digital audio input. The input means that the headphones will also support a microphone for audio input following Apple’s upcoming update. Manufacturers will be able to take advantage of Apple Headphone Remote controls like Volume Up/Down/etc, as well as other buttons for launching specific apps such as iTunes Radio or initiating playback controls on iOS. In addition, the headphones can be made to work specifically with a companion iOS app and launch a specific app when connected to an iOS device.

The specification includes two configurations for headphones. The first is called Standard Lightning Headphones, which uses minimum components when paired to a digital-to-analog converter. The second is called Advanced Lightning Headphones, which allows for more complex features like active noise cancellation.

The Lightning cable-equipped headphones would also allow iOS devices to power or charge headphones that require electricity, and would also allow for headphones to potentially power or charge up iOS devices.

Reports suggest Apple is planning to allow high definition music downloads and playback on iOS devices as well as new in-ear headphones that could take advantage of high-quality audio and take advantage of Lightning Cable MFi specifications. It is also possible Apple uses newly purchased Beats Electronics’ popular headphone line to accelerate adoption for the new standard.

Microsoft Research has demoed a new augmented mechanical keyboard that allows users to use motion controls either on or slightly above the keyboard to interact with their computers. The prototype was curiously made using keycaps from an Apple keyboard….

In his first report to US District Judge Denise Cote, external compliance monitor Michael Bromwich says that his relationship with Apple has “significantly improved” since Apple was ordered to hire him to ensure the company complies with antitrust requirements in the wake of the e-book antitrust case, reports the Wall Street Journal.

After the Second Circuit panel issued its decision in early February, we took steps to reestablish contact and to attempt to “reset” our relationship with Apple, as this Court had directed during the January 13, 2014 proceedings and in its January 16, 2014 opinion. Those steps prompted constructive responses from Apple. As more fully described in this Report, the relationship between Apple and the monitoring team has significantly improved over the past six weeks and has become more focused on achieving the goal of enhancing Apple’s Antitrust Compliance Program pursuant to the Final Judgment.

Bromwich goes on to say that there’s been a shift in tone in his relationship with Apple, largely due to the new in-house point of contact that Apple has assigned to work with Bromwich and his team. The new contact has helped Bromwich and his team attain more information and provide a greater commitment to solving disputes than its predecessor, although Bromwich also notes the information was largely about Apple “generally” and that more would be required.

This is a promising turn in a relationship that has so far been troubled, with Apple complaining of Bromwich’s exorbitant fees and Bromwich complaining that Apple was blocking interviews and interfering with his investigation. Apple later requested Bromwich’s removal. While the request was not granted, Judge Cote did place boundaries on Bromwich’s monitorship.

Just a couple days before the iPhone launches on China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier, Apple CEO Tim Cook sat down with the Wall Street Journal to discuss how “incredibly optimistic” he is about Apple’s new cooperation with the carrier. “We’ve go…

A number of Black Sabbath’s 1970s albums, including Paranoid and Masters of Reality have finally made their way to iTunes with limited exclusivity, according to the New York Times. Previously, only the bands later material was available on iTunes.

On Tuesday the band and its label, Warner Brothers, announced that iTunes had started selling its first eight studio albums, along with three compilations. But iTunes’ window of exclusivity is expected to be short. According to people briefed on the deal who were not authorized to speak about it, Black Sabbath’s music should come to streaming services in about a week.

Tony Iommi, the band’s lead guitarist, said that it had “been a long time trying to explain to fans why the music wasn’t available.” While there is no official explanation for the delay, it’s widely believed a dispute between the band and Warner Music was the cause.

The eight studio albums are available on iTunes for $9.99 a piece while the three compilations range from $9.99 to $59.99. [Direct Link]

Apple is being forced to change its refund policy to fit under Australian consumer law after it was found to be lying to consumers about what they were entitled to by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), according to The Sydney Mo…

Apple has published a new announcement for developers on its dev center website notifying them that all new App Store submissions must be built with the latest version of Xcode 5 and optimized for iOS 7. Starting February 1, new apps and app updates …