Apple

The NY Post reports that Apple’s music-streaming Pandora ripoff has hit a snag; Sony wants more cash. No rush, guys! https://gizmodo.com/apple-might-be-trying-to-launch-its-own-pandora-knock-o-5941217

Yep, The TSA Is Definitely Stealing iPads

An ABC investigation has found what you might have suspected all along; if you leave your iPad with airport security, a TSA agent might just keep it for himself. The investigators went to 10 airports and put iPads through the screening machines in the little plastic containers, and then didn’t claim them just to see…

A Week With the iPhone 5

After waiting in line to buy and spending seven days with the iPhone 5, living with it, owning it, I can say confidently that it’s the best smartphone you can buy. The whiners, the babies, the cranky zealots who think it’s boring, or disappointing, or not different enough? They don’t understand. The iPhone has finally…

Sharp: Don’t Blame Us for iPhone 5 Shortage

You’re going to wait three to four weeks for your iPhone 5 if you order it online. But Sharp—one of Apple’s touch panel suppliers—says it’s not to blame for the hold up. Wait times and shortages are business as usual when it comes to an Apple launch. Part of the reason this time around, due…

Apple CEO Tim Cook Apologizes for Apple Maps, Suggests You Download… Bing

Apple Maps is a mess, to the point that now Apple CEO Tim Cook has now issued a public apology for it. And—in a very un-Apple fashion—has directed iPhone users to alternatives like Bing, Waze, and, well, Google. https://gizmodo.com/why-apple-maps-wont-get-better-anytime-soon-5945014 Here’s the full letter: To our customers, At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that…

Steve Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field Lives On

The rule of thumb for following Apple is that if you want to know what Apple PR’s official line is, you just need to read the top-tier Apple apologists like John Gruber and MG Siegler. They’re pretty much operating as unpaid Apple spokesbots. Apple briefs these guys, but instead of having the balls to do…

Apple Maps Works Great—If You Get Directions First

Trouble with Apple Maps? Being led down the wrong road, or worse, down roads that don’t even exist? Don’t worry! All you need are some good ol’ fashioned Apple Maps directions to set you straight. https://gizmodo.com/17-people-apple-maps-has-already-horribly-misled-5944897 It’s possible that this parody from Jest is a whole lot funnier if you haven’t upgraded to iOS 6…

Your Future iPad’s Display Might Have Built-In Speakers

Apple’s always publishing patents, but here’s one that sounds rather fun: imagine an iPhone or iPad with a flexible display that has speakers built in to it, to provide surround sound. The patent describes a flexible display with all manner of built-in features: a tactile keyboard, laser mics and speakers. Much of this is made…

Google Street View’s Coming Back to the iPhone

After iPhone users lost Street View thanks to the Apple Maps mess, it’s coming back, and Apple can’t stop it even if it wanted to. While an official Google Maps app might be miles off, that’s not stopping big G slapping Street View into its web app. It should be here within two weeks. [NYT…

Got an AT&T iPhone 5 off-contract and wanna use it on another carrier? Just restore it in iTunes: job done! [TechCrunch]

Apple’s iPhone 5 A6 Processor Seems to Dynamically Overclock Itself

The iPhone 5’s processor might be faster than we thought. According to TLDToday, the A6 is clocking in at 1.3GHz after an update to the Geekbench benchmarking app, which is supposed to do a better job of detecting what’s actually going on with the A6. It had previously clocked in around 1GHz, and the difference…

Now Foursquare Fits on Your iPhone 5 Screen, Too

Foursquare is the latest big-time app to get a pixel expansion that takes advantage of iPhone 5’s big screen. [iTunes]

Gyft: Send Gift Cards From Your iPhone

You give a friend a thoughtful gift certificate for their birthday, but how do you know it’s not going to sit in a drawer forever and just end up expiring? It’s not for lack of gratitude, but because those plastic cards are easy to forget about. Gyft is an app that gifting a whole lot…

Is Your iPhone 5 Camera Seeing Purple?

The latest iPhone 5 defect claim to emerge from the mists is the issue of purple flares appearing in camera images where lighting is particularly bright. The issue was first pointed out in the AnandTech forums, and apparently Apple has acknowledged the issue. Plus looking at testing done by Mashable, the issue seems like anything…

Why Apple Really Ditched Google Maps

It’s been a curious thing, wondering why Apple dropped Google Maps in iOS 6 in favor of its own, half-baked mapping system. According to AllThingsD, the answer could be pretty simple: Turn-by-turn voice navigation. https://gizmodo.com/the-new-apple-it-doesnt-just-work-5946425 According to ATD’s sources, basically, Apple’s deal with Google never included turn-by-turn, even though Android has had that feature for…

Apple’s Next Revolution: Prison Shanks

Earlier this week there was a giant 2,000-person brawl at a Foxconn factory where they make iPhones. While labor organizations might try to protect workers from Apple, how Apple is protecting them from each other? Enter the iShiv. https://gizmodo.com/foxconn-shuts-factory-after-2-000-employee-brawl-breaks-5945772 Advertised in the bit below, the revolutionary (not to be confused with resolutionary) new product was…

Don’t Buy Cheap iPhone 5 Cables Because They Don’t Exist Yet

Despite Apple’s attempts to block you from getting your hands on cheap Lightning cables for your iPhone 5, plenty of sellers are hawking generics online. The only trouble is, they’re selling a product they almost certainly don’t really have. https://gizmodo.com/heres-the-chip-apple-is-using-to-stop-you-from-buying-c-5945889 Peter from Double Helix cables has been talking with the Chinese suppliers behind the listings…

Is the USB End of Your Lightning Cable Getting Stuck In Your Computer?

Cnet says that iPhone 5 owners are complaining about the USB end of their Lightning cables getting stuck in their computer. And apparently, Apple is willing to replace the cable. Has this been a problem for anyone else? [Cnet]

The New Apple: It Doesn’t Just Work

Some people willingly overpay for half-baked features in obscure gadgets. These are the early adopters of the world, and they know full well that the things they buy will not work perfectly. Hiccups and glitches are just part of the contract, the accepted trade-off for being first. Apple’s customers are not these people—iPhones are the…

NYT: Google Will Release Google Maps for iOS By the End of the Year

Corroborating an earlier report, the New York Times is reporting that Google is currently developing Google Maps for iOS and hopes to finish it by the end of the year. So iPhone owners running iOS 6, get used to the mixed up world of Apple Maps for the next couple of months. https://gizmodo.com/apple-didnt-have-to-make-apple-maps-yet-it-still-had-a-5946435 Why the…