News tagged ‘Mac’
Top 10 Stories of the Week
It is Sunday today, that is why I have made up a list of the most interesting posts of the past seven days. As usual, the articles worth your attention are available below. You may take a look at them right now.
Apple Pay to Support Federal-Payment Cards - U.S.Government
According to the information that was made public ahead of the White House Summit on Cybersecurity at Stanford University, the U.S. government may soon make Apple Pay available for the owners of federal-payment cards. The big event may take place in September. These cards include Social Security cards as well as those issued to veterans getting financial support from the state. The official U.S. government acknowledgement will become a massive step forward for Apple, which can help the company lure lots of new customers not only from the USA, but also from other countries. Moreover, this acknowledgement proves that the NFC-based payments system ensures a high level of security for customers, banks and other partners of the company.
Apple Working on iOS 8.4 with Support of New Streaming Music Service?
As I’ve already told you, the guys from Cupertino are currently working on iOS 8.2, iOS 8.3 and iOS 9. As it turns out, there’s one more iOS version in the work. This version is codenamed Copper and people familiar with the matter believe it will be released sometime after the official launch of the long-awaited Apple Watch in April. As to the new features of the mobile operating system, they remain unknown. The only thing we know is that Apple is currently planning to add the support of the revamped Beats-based streaming music service to iOS 8.4.
iOS 9 to Become Minor Update with Stability and Performance Improvements?
As you probably know, the guys from Cupertino are expected to make iOS 9 available to customers worldwide later this year. The new version of Apple’s mobile operating system will be most-likely released alongside the new iPhone in September. According to reliable insiders, the next iOS update codenamed Monarch will contain a wide number of stability and performance improvements, however, it won’t boast of major design tweaks or new functionality.
Apple to Release Updated MacBook Air on February 24th - Rumor
According to the latest rumors shared by reliable insiders, the guys from Cupertino will show us an updated MacBook Air later this month. Since Apple has no media events planned for February, this won’t be the 12-inch MacBook with Retina display and a number of serious performance improvements. This will be just a slightly better version of the existing laptop. The updated MacBook Air is expected to become available on February 24th.
Apple Begins Training Retail Employees Ahead of Apple Watch Launch
According to the latest report from people familiar with the matter, Apple has begun training its retail employees in the USA and the U.K. ahead of the launch of the long-awaited Apple Watch. The stores staff has reportedly begun getting acquainted with the new wearable device, its specs and features. Retail employees should be aware of every particular detail of the smartwatch in order to be able to sell it and help those customers who encounter problems connected with the gadget.
Apple Releases First OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 Beta to Developers for Testing
Apple has recently released the very first OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 beta to developers for testing. The release of the new version comes just a week after the public release of OS X Yosemite 10.10.2, which contained a number of stability improvements and a fix for the Wi-Fi connectivity issue. In case you don’t remember, this issue affected a wide number of Mac and MacBook users all over the world.
Samsung to Become Apple A9 Chip Supplier, Not TSMC
According to the latest rumor published by Re/code reporters, Samsung will become Apple’s sole chip supplier. Looks like the guys from Cupertino have finally made up their mind. The decision to choose the Korean manufacturer, not Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is cased by the fact that Samsung uses a more advanced manufacturing technology and can produce more chips at a given time.
iOS 8.2 to Be Released in March, Ahead of Apple Watch Release
According to what reliable sources write, iOS 8.2, which can boast of the support of the long-awaited Apple Watch, will be officially released to users worldwide ahead of the release of the smartwatch. In case you don’t know, earlier it was reported that the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system will become available alongside the release of the wearable device.
iOS 8 Adoption Rate Reaches 72% - Apple
According to the latest figures published on Apple's App Store support page for developers, iOS 8 adoption rate has reached 72% over the last few months. The number of iPhones, iPads and compatible iPods with iOS 8 on board has grown 3% since January, 20th. The reasons for such growth are the public release of iOS 8.1.3 and strong demand for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.
Strange Apple Vehicle Spotted in California
A strange car with a complicated system of cameras on the roof has been recently spotted in Concord, CA. How is this car connected with Apple? Well, reporters and analysts claim the vehicle is either a mapping car similar to those Google uses to improve its maps and develop the Street View feature, or a self-driving car from the future. Below you may take a look at the image showing a black Dodge Caravan with massive cameras used for unknown purpose.
Apple to Equip Its Retail Stores with Safes to Store Gold Apple Watch Units
Apple has recently begun equipping its retail stores with safes to store gold Apple Watch models, reliable insiders write. The reason for such a step is quite obvious: gold smartwaches are pretty expensive, moreover, because of the material they’re made of, they can be considered as jewelleries. According to the most recent rumors, the gold Apple Watch may get the price of about $4.999-9.999. The difference between the luxurious “Edition” device and the entry-level aluminum model is truly enormous as the latter one will reportedly cost $349.
Apple Remains Top Tablet Vendor, Samsung Stands in Second Place
Although Apple’s tablet sales become weaker and weaker with every new quarter, the company currently remains top tablet vendor in the world. According to the latest figures from a research firm called IDC, in the last quarter of 2014, Apple sold 21.4 million iPads and got the market share of 28.1%. Closest rivals are traditionally Samsung and Lenovo with 11.0 and 3.7 million devices sold over the last three months and market shares of 14.5% and 4.8% respectively.
Filming for Steve Jobs Biopic Continues at De Anza College
Universal Pictures has recently started filming first scenes for the long-anticipated Steve Jobs biopic written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by Danny Boyle. Earlier this week, the film crew was seen at the Flint Center at De Anza college, where Steve Jobs officially announced the very first Mac back in 1984.
Apple Asks Selected Developers to Finish Apple Watch Apps By Mid-February
Although the long-anticipated Apple Watch is expected to hit the store shelves no sooner than in April, Apple has already asked several developers to finish their apps by mid-February. For example, one of the biggest Apple Pay partners has been recently notified that he should finish its Apple Watch-compatible application by February, 12th.