IHS has conducted its teardown of the iPhone 5c, and the firm said that the bill of materials (BOM) for the device is some 12 percent less expensive than the iPhone 5 it replaced in Apple's product line. This is in keeping with thoughts on the device, but the IHS report offers some specifics on those differences.

Seriously Samsung?

∞ Read this on The Loop

All iMacs now leave you an empty PCIe SSD slot to use if you don't go in for the Fusion Drive or SSD upgrade, but it's still hard to get at. iFixit

Just one day after Apple quietly refreshed its iMac lineup with Intel's new Haswell processors, the teardown artists at iFixit have pulled both the...

Some of the much-lauded visual effects in iOS 7 turn out to have a downside — they cause nausea in a portion of the population afflicted with vestibular disorders. You can turn off the parallax effect, but the animations are stubbornly persistent, despite serving no functional purpose. Has motion become the new skeuomorphism?

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Yesterday a story popped up Giant Bomb claiming that EA executive Frank Gibeau said Apple had paid the company a “truckload of money” to launch PopCap’s much anticipated Plants vs Zombies 2 title as an iOS exclusive. Apple quickly denied the comments in a brief statement following the story and said that no money was exchanged with the publisher. As if that wasn’t enough, EA representatives today issued an official statement on the matter saying that the comment was taken out of context (via PocketGamer):

“A comment...

While the iPhone was available from the four main U.S. carriers from 20th September,  those who want to stick with smaller regional carriers have so far had to wait. 1st October is now known to be the magic date for nine carriers, with others expected to announce shortly.

The nine companies who have so far announced that they will have both the iPhone 5s and 5c available from that date (via MacRumors) are:

- Appalachian Wireless
-...

While Apple has yet to announce a schedule or country list for its second major round of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launches, the company does appear to be coordinating a minor expansion of availability for Tuesday, October 1, with a number of smaller regional U.S. carriers announcing plans to launch the devices on that date.

Carriers involved in the October 1 launch include:

- Appalachian Wireless
- Bluegrass Cellular
- C Spire
- Cellcom
- GCI
-...

Did you know that in the Messages app in iOS 7 you can delete single or multiple texts from a conversation with a friend? The same gesture that enables this editing capability can also be used to forward a message to someone else. To see how it's done, check out the short video tip below and remember that you can watch it in full-screen mode for more detail.

iOS 7 video tip: Deleting Messages originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 25 Sep 2013 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | ...

Security researcher Marc Rogers replicated the Touch ID spoof performed by the Chaos Computer Club, who tricked the fingerprint scanner in the iPhone 5s with a fake fingerprint. Rogers claims that there’s little to fear for regular users, as the technique requires expensive equipment and expertise. Rogers makes the case that Touch ID is still an improvement in iPhone security, as many users don’t use a PIN or passcode to secure their devices.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

For the last several years, with the introduction of a new iPhone, the replaced model or models shift down to fill lower spots on the ecosystem. This year, Cook and company out of Cupertino tried something different. While this is an "s" year, with the previous brand new model and form factor being uprated with new internals, the base model has been completely supplanted by a new model, in this case, the iPhone 5c. How different is the new model, really? MacNN aims to find out in our review of the new 'low end' iPhone....
  ...

Back in June, we posted about common irritations of iOS(6) device deployment, especially in schools or other environments trying to remove features that could distract students. Just like with the Genie, we asked for three wishes:

- 1. Prevent the addition of other email accounts, or 2. the sign-in (or creation!) of Twitter/Facebook(/Vimeo/Flickr, etc.) accounts

Yay! Rejoice in the implementation of your feature requests! At least when on a supervised device, you can now have these options show up as greyed out.

- 3. Disable the setting of a password lock…

Boo! This is still in the realm of things only an MDM can do for you. But at least it’s not something new that MDM’s need to implement. More agile ways to interact with App Lock should be showing...

Learn which kinds of memory to use with your iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) computer.

iTunes audio may have distortion such as pops, crackles, or drops when played through a Thunderbolt display.

On September 25, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple's latest trademark application for "Advertising Re-Imagined." The trademark is in relation ...

Nest thermostat versus “ugly white crap” smoke detector

Nest Labs, the high-profile startup created by “father of the iPod” Tony Fadell, is reportedly planning to set its sights on a hi-tech smoke detector, following the successful launch of its Learning Thermostat.

Former WSJ journalist Jessica Lessin cites “people close to the startup” as saying that the new device could go on sale later this year. It’s speculated that the smoke detector would also detect carbon monoxide, and would be offered with a subscription-based monitoring service. More mundanely, it could...

No. Your iPhone is not waterproof.

“Update to iOS 7 and become waterproof” claims the ad (see below) explaining that “In an emergency, a smart-switch will shut off the phone’s power supply and corresponding components to prevent any damage to your iPhone’s delicate circuitry.”

C’mon, people. Use your noggin.

∞ Read this on The Loop

iFixit has taken a look at the newly-released generation iMacs, tearing down both the 21.5 inch and 27.5 inch variants. Although most of the internal structure is the same, which is to be expected given that the new iMacs have retained the same casing, there are some small differences.

iFixit points out that the 21.5 inch iMac now includes a Fusion Drive SSD bay as standard, improving future upgradeability prospects of the machine. With last year’s model, this expandability was only available if customers had specifically ordered the iMac with a Fusion Drive originally. As the new drives...

To download NeoOffice from the developer's site, a minimum donation of $10 is required. The developer also mentions that users may download NeoOffice for free via torrents.

NeoOffice is a fully-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.

Released as open-source software under the GNU General Public License (GPL), NeoOffice is fully functional and stable enough for everyday use. The software is actively developed, so improvements and small updates are made available on a regular basis.

Please consider donating to the NeoOffice project, see the link below on this page.

...

Nice walkthrough of the changes that came to the Photos and Camera apps with the move from iOS 6 to iOS 7.

∞ Read this on The Loop

SmileOnMyMac (http://www.smileonmymac.com) has updated TextExpander, a Mac OS X utility that lets users define abbreviations for frequently-used text strings and images, to version 4.1. The new version features a new predefined snippet group with over 200 popular emoji. It also prepares TextExpander to be compatible with OS X 10.9 ( Mavericks)

read more

Tim Cook’s may be on Twitter now, but he’s probably not going to be retweeting a poor showing from Siri on the late night program last night.

.

Actress Jane Lynch’s tweeted a recent experience with Siri in which it apparently responded to her request for directions to Le Pain Quotidien with “I have no listing for Let Pam Cookie Ian.” She recounted the story in an interview on Conan, in which two further live Siri attempts also failed.

The first, Lynch’s voice on O’Brien’s phone, wasn’t really a fair test: Siri keeps personalised voice files for each user on its servers. But the second, in which O’Brien used his own phone, resulted in the infamous “I’m really sorry about this, but I can’t take any requests right now” message.

With...

The next five years will see a major shift towards smartphone- based mHealth, where hardware attachments link to companion app on the smartphone, according to a new report from Juniper Research (www.juniperresearch.com).

The report forecasts that by 2018 there will be 96 million users of app-enabled mHealth and mobile-fitness hardware devices, up from 15 million this year. In the healthcare sector, app-enabled mHealth will be used to enable services ranging from remote patient monitoring to mobile ultrasound services.

read more

Apple hasn’t yet finished building its massive new datacenter in the Pacific Northwest — let alone lit it up — but already the company is mulling its expansion.

The Oregonian reports that Crook County, Ore., officials are scrambling to bring a 96 acre parcel of land adjacent to the site of Apple’s Prineville data center into city limits for industrial zoning and possible purchase by a company operating under the pseudonym “Project Pillar.”

While officials declined to identify the company, they did tell the publication that it has had dealings with the county in the past, during which it went by a different name: Maverick. And that was the code name used by Apple as it negotiated the Prineville data...

You can give your iPhone 5 a heaping helping of extra "juice" with any of three Juice Packs from Mophie.

The US$79.95 Juice Pack Helium (pictured) is a thin, 1500mAh protector battery case that provides your Apple smartphone with up to 80% extra battery life. Available in a variety of colors, it's 13% thinner than any of Mophie's previous Juice Packs.

The $99.99 Juice Pack Air, available in three hues, is the bigger brother of the Juice Pack Helium. It sports a 1700mAh protective battery case that gives you an extra 100% of battery life.

read more

Many of us use a Keyspan Serial adapter to manage devices with serial ports on them. Those who find you need to console into devices but hate the fact that you have to either use Zterm (which is no longer maintained) or boot a Windows Virtual Machine will find an application called goSerial pretty handy. GoSerial makes a Keyspan serial to usb adaptor, connected with a null modem cable, useful. You will be in CLI heaven in moments. goSerial can be downloaded here.

You can also use the screen command. The screen command will open a virtual terminal and provide the functionality of an old DEC VT100 terminal. Screen is one of the more useful tools when dealing with several servers concurrently, or several VT sessions as the case may be.

To open a screen session into an APC:

screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 2400

To open a screen session into a Qlogic:

screen /dev/tty.KeySerial1 9600

To open a screen session into a Promise RAID:

screen /dev/tty....

There are many thousands of apps. Whatever your goal, as Apple’s erstwhile advertising campaign proclaimed, “There’s an app for that.” But some apps are simply must-haves—whether for their functionality, their interface brilliance, or just their entertainment factor. Here are ten apps your new iPhone shouldn’t be without.

THE GOOGLE WORLD Google Maps is great for getting transit directions in your local city.
1. Google Maps (free)

When it comes to online mapping services, Apple has made inroads, but Google still rules. The free Google Maps app gives you more than just maps: It also provides turn-by-turn navigation for driving, walking, and bicycling, and—Apple Maps’s one major omission—public transit directions. It’s quick and easy to use, too.

2....

Industry observers had been snickering about a promise made by Apple's chief executive Tim Cook to "double down" on security, but a series of jaw-dropping surprises have proven that, outside of a steady stream of immaterial leaks, the company remains an opaque mystery to its competitors, to pundits and even to analysts tasked with understanding the inscrutable innovation factory.
  ...

Jeff Bezos presses the “Mayday” button on one of Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HDX tablets. A few seconds later, a fresh-faced twentysomething named Dylan pops up in a small window on the tablet, offering live customer support.

The Amazon CEO probably doesn’t need the help himself, but he’s betting that plenty of average customers do — both those new to technology and even those who are experienced, but don’t remember every setting on their device.

“Things that you do every day, you know how to do, but things you do once every couple of months, you sort of forget,” Bezos said in an interview at Amazon’s Seattle offices this week. “Describing to the customer where to tap and what to do is very difficult. Here, our tech-support agents can just draw on your screen.”

The free 24/7 help service is one of several new software features on the updated Kindle Fire tablets...

Apple on Tuesday introduced its late-2013 family of iMac desktop computers and authorized reseller MacMall says it's prepared to begin shipping three of the five standard retail configurations tomorrow, each of which is offered to AppleInsider readers at the lowest prices anywhere through exclusive coupons.
  ...

Following up on an initiative meant to woo users away from their iPads by offering at least $200 for used examples of the tablet, Microsoft is now said to be preparing an extension of the deal to include used iPhones as well.
  ...

High quality images purporting to show a chassis bound for Apple's expected next-generation iPad hit the Web on Tuesday, offering a peek at how the casing may look dressed in the company's new "space gray" color.
  ...

Maintenance release with lengthy laundry list of improvements and fixes, plus added support for 10.9 Mavericks and ($34.95 new, free update, 8.6 MB)

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Ahead of Apple’s new iPad launch later this year, a flurry of high-resolution images of Space Gray shells for the upcoming fifth-generation iPad have emerged. These shots show the same detail as our shots from January, but the color is obviously new. These new photos also give a peek at some internal components and a silver model for the future iPad.

Apple replaced its “Slate” color for Space Gray with the new iPhone 5s, and it makes sense that it would bring that color across its iOS Device lineup. A photo of a Space Gray backplate for a new version of the iPad mini hit the web a few weeks ago.

You can find a full gallery of the new Space Gray iPad images below (...

Q:

I want to buy an iPhone 5S, but how can I disable the fingerprint-recognition feature so it doesn’t send my prints over the Internet where somebody might steal them?

A:

First of all, the fingerprint-recognition feature, which allows you to unlock your phone with just a touch instead of a password, is off by default. Unless you turn it on and then train it to recognize your fingers, it doesn’t operate and you can just keep typing in a password, or use no lock method at all.

Secondly, Apple says the fingerprint data never leaves your phone, never goes onto the Internet and never even is backed up to the cloud. Instead, Apple says, it is stored in a secure area of the phone’s processor chip, and the scanner checks with this stored data—not with any online database—to decide whether your finger matches the stored parameters.

Q:

...

Apple is continuing development of its rumored larger-sized iPad and working with supplier Quanta Computer, reports Chinese site United Daily News (via Mac Otakara). While United Daily News calls the tablet a 12-inch device, rumors from The Wall Street Journal suggest that Apple is actually testing an iPad that is closer to 13-inches diagonally.

News that Apple was testing a larger iPad first surfaced in May, and was later confirmed in July. Such a tablet could be similar in size to Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air,...

iPhone drop tests are nothing new, but the folks at RatedRR posted a great video of Apple's new iPhone 5s (gold) being drop tested (twice, it passed one, failed the other), dropped in water (shockingly, it passed), and then shot (twice) with a 50 caliber rifle. OK, that last one was no contest, but it's in slow motion, and everyone knows that things being shot in slow motion makes for fun watching. Check it out. The images of the iPhone after it was shot the second time are interesting.

Exaggerated larger iPad mockup

Apple is moving forward with a larger version of its iPad tablet and it is working with Quanta Computer for manufacturing, according to United Daily News (via Macotakara). UDN does not have a substantial record in Apple reporting, but it is one of Taiwan’s most prominent newspapers. Today’s report refers to the larger iPad design as featuring a 12-inch display, though recent rumors have pegged the screen-size as closer to 13-inches…

...

AT&T customers traveling overseas may not have to look too far for Wi-Fi access in the future. Today, the company signed an agreement with global hotspot provider Fon that gives AT&T customers access to Fon's nearly 12 million hotspots on smartphones and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices. Fon's members will gain access to AT&T's nearly 30,000 hotspots in the US in return.

Fon's a fascinating business -- the company's members share their home Wi-Fi and in turn get free access at all other Fon hotspots. The company provides special routers to members that prioritize the homeowner's internet traffic but allow secured access to other Fon members nearby.

To access the Fon hotspots, AT&T customers just need to install the free Wi-Fi International...

Apple senior vice president and general counsel Bruce Sewell sold nearly $12 million in Apple stock on Monday after 25,000 restricted stock units vested, a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission shows.
   ...

No sooner had Apple announced the 2013 iMacs than they also issued a day-one EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) update for the speedy new all-in-ones.

The update is targeted at an issue that sometimes occurs when installing a Boot Camp partition with Windows 7 or Windows 8. The issue appears when an external optical drive (the devices have no internal optical drive) and a USB thumb drive are connected at the same time, causing the screen to go black.

The update also ensures that the default boot drive for the system will be OS X after Windows 8 is installed. iMac (late 2013) EFI Update 2.1 can be downloaded from Apple's support pages, and requires that the Mac be running OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 or later...

A leaked AppleCare+ document reveals that Apple plans to tweak the program for international travelers later this week. The changes will allow iPhone 5 owners who travel out of the country in which they purchased their phone to receive replacement devices from international Apple retail stores and authorized repair centers.

The updated policy covers customers traveling to Brazil, China, India, Korea, the Middle East, Russia, Taiwan, Turkey, the United States Canada, and more. A chart indicates which countries are able to replace specific versions of the iPhone 5 (GSM, CDMA, etc.). For example, only the version with the model number A1428 can be serviced in Brazil, while China can only replace the A1429, A1429 (MM),...

Apple's vice president of Worldwide Government Affairs Catherine Novelli has been nominated by President Barack Obama for Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, a post at the State Department.
  ...

The White House has announced four new nominations for jobs in The Obama Administration, including Apple’s Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs Catherine Novelli. Novelli will be nominated by President Obama to join the State Department as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment.

Catherine Ann Novelli, Nominee for Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment, Department of State

Catherine Ann Novelli is Vice President of Worldwide Government Affairs at Apple, Inc., a position she has held since 2007.  Previously, Ms. Novelli was a partner at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, LLP from 2005 to 2007.  From 1991 to 2005, she served at the Office of the United States Trade Representative and from 1997...

For all of the publicity that swirled around the less expensive and more colorful iPhone 5c, the reality is that the new iPhone 5s is the top dog in worldwide sales. That's the report from Localytics, a firm that analyzes mobile stats. In the data analysis that started Friday and ended yesterday, Localytics saw that despite some expectation that the iPhone 5c would fit perfectly with Chinese consumers, the fact is that 91 percent of iPhone sales there were for the more expensive iPhone 5s. Numbers were pretty similar around the world, with the UK having the lowest ratio of iPhone 5s to iPhone 5c sales, with "only" 69 percent of new iPhone sales being for the 5s. Here in the US, 76 percent of new iPhone sales were for the 5s.

...

Catherine Novelli, VP of Worldwide Government Affairs for Apple, has been tapped for a State Department post. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama’s administration said it has nominated Novelli to serve as Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment. Once a top trade official during the George W. Bush administration, Novelli has been Apple’s top lobbyist since 2007.

When a library created in Aperture 2 is opened in Aperture 3 for the first time, some photos may be much darker than expected.

Nissan has signed a deal with Apple to be an exclusive automotive advertiser on iTunes Radio, according to an official announcement by the carmaker. The exclusivity will hold through the end of 2013. The company adds that it plans to treat iTunes Radio as a priority platform for advertising new vehicles, beginning with the latest Rogue, Leaf, and Versa Note models. Some form of agreement was rumored prior to iTunes Radio's September launch....
  ...

So you stood outside all night to be the first person in line at your local Apple Store just to get your hands on a gold iPhone 5s. Or maybe you dropped upwards of a thousand dollars on eBay because your couldn't track down a gilded Apple smartphone yourself. Either way, these 18-carat gold earbuds are the perfect accessory -- as long as you have a cool $14,500 USD to spare.

The earphones -- which go by the name of Happy Plugs -- are crafted in Sweden and feature a whopping 25 grams of gold per earbud. And hey, they even look like the original Apple earbuds you probably already have a few pairs of. Just make sure such an opulent purchase won't prevent you from paying the rent.

...

Apple paid EA a "truckload of money" to delay the Android version of Plants vs Zombies 2 according to Frank Gibeau, head of EA Labels, reports gaming site Giant Bomb.

With the exception of China, Plants vs Zombies 2 has not launched on Android yet -- the fact that the game is iOS-only is a big win for Apple.
“Apple gave us a truckload of money to delay the Android version [of Plants vs Zombies 2],” said Frank Gibeau, head of EA Labels.

Giant Bomb confirmed the quote with several sources who watched the presentation today.

It is unclear what a “truckload of money” means, and we have no further details on the apparent agreement between Apple and EA.
Apple, for its part, categorically denies the report, saying that no money was exchanged. It's also possible that there was some sort of marketing agreement between...

If you are experiencing slowdowns and other problems from the lack of available hard drive space, there are several things you can do to get yourself up and running again.

Airplane manufacturing giant Boeing is debuting new iOS apps in Europe this week aimed at getting airline mechanics faster access to parts and maintenance information using Apple's iPad.
   ...

Although Apple's Prineville, Ore., data center is still being built, the company is reportedly looking to purchase more land at a nearby location that will purportedly be home to a second structure of equal size.
   ...

Apple is considering purchasing another 96 acres of land in Prineville, Oregon in hopes of expanding its data centers even further, The Oregonian reports. The assistant planning director for Crook County confirmed to the paper that a company code named 'Project Pillar' has expressed interest in buying the land -- and The Oregonian believe that 'Project Pillar' is indeed Apple:

The property awaiting transfer is covered by the same tax break agreement that Apple now operates under. And Stenbeck said Pillar previously went by the code name Maverick -- that's the name Apple used last year when it paid $5.6 million to buy 160 acres of Crook County land for its first Prineville data center...

This time last year, Apple began construction of a 338,000-square-foot data center on the bluffs above Prineville, just down the highway from a similar facility owned by...

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for September 24, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 24 Sep 2013 15:57:00 EST. Please see our...

Over the weekend, the Chaos Computer Club announced that it had bypassed Apple’s Touch ID sensor using a photograph of a fingerprint to create a fake fingerprint model.

The full fingerprint emulation process has now been detailed in a new video from CCC member Starbug and replicated by security expert Marc Rogers, who believes the average consumer has nothing to worry about.

As seen in the video, the CCC uses a fingerprint taken from the screen of the iPhone 5s and then uses a complicated multi-step process to convert it to a usable print. According to Starbug, who spoke to...

Chuck Wendig:

You don’t want books to be pirated; you implement DRM. DRM mostly just pisses off regular users who suddenly have reduced access to the thing they thought they owned. They decide to become pirates, instead, because it’s easier and it gives them the access to the content in the way that they want it.

DRM creates — and then challenges — pirates.

It punishes regular readers.

Funny, interesting piece from the writer about publishers and publishing.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Apple released a firmware update on Tuesday for new iMacs introduced earlier in the day. iMac (late 2013) EFI Update 2.1 focuses on Boot Camp related issues and Windows support. Boot Camp is Apple's boot technology that allows Macs to put up into either Windows or OS X.

Markzware has announce a new version of its preflight solution, FlightCheck 7 Mac. This new version of pre-press software for the Macintosh platform has added support to preflight Adobe documents created with InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, and Photoshop CC graphic software for Adobe Creative Cloud.
 

read more

Apple is preparing a supplemental update for OS X 10.8.5 to address several issues with FaceTime HD cameras on the company's latest MacBook Air models, external drive handling, HDMI audio, and USB Bluetooth adapters, reports 9to5Mac. The update, which arrives as Build 12F42, has been seeded to Apple employees and should be making its way to a public release in the near future.The OS X v10.8.5 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5. This update:

- Resolves an issue that may prevent certain applications from using the FaceTime HD camera on mid-2013 MacBook Air systems
- Fixes an issue that may cause external drives to be ejected after the computer goes to sleep
- Addresses an issue that may prevent HDMI audio from working after waking from sleep
- Fixes an issue that may prevent certain USB...

Nested folders (or, folders within folders) is one of the most useful features of iOS 7. Unfortunately, it's more of a glitch than anything Apple intended to include, so there's no official guide from Apple on how to do it. But don't worry, we're here to help.

Placing folders within folders is a fantastic way to clean up your home screen, and it can be a godsend if you want to send unwanted, undeletable apps into a dark unseen corner.

Here's how to pull it off:

We'll start with these four apps, but you can use absolutely whatever apps you want.

1. First, we combine two apps to create a folder, and then combine the remaining two apps to create a second folder.

2. Now, hold a finger on one of the folders so that it becomes grayed out.

3. As soon as it does this, press the Home button twice to bring up the multitasking menu. This trick will ...

Other World Computing (OWC) has announced the immediate availability of the OWC Memory Upgrade Kits from 8GB to 32GB for the new 2013 iMac 27-inch models that were just announced.

OWC’s kits offer memory configurations not offered by the factory as well as savings of more than US$240 compared to same-size factory options. Like all OWC Memory Upgrade Kits, a "how-to" install video and OWC Lifetime warranty are included.

read more

Outdoor Tech has released the Privates wireless headphones that feature a touch-pad interface that allows you to control tunes with the flick of a finger.   

The Privates' touchpad interface is located on the right earpiece and allows the user to change tracks and control volume with the swipe of a finger. They also feature a 3.5mm auxiliary jack for a wired connection to kick it old school in situations that don't allow for Bluetooth connectivity, like on an airplane, with a non-Bluetooth device, or if you forget to charge them. 
           

read more

Well-respected analyst Walter Piecyk from BTIG has compiled the above table that provides a comprehensive look at the currently quoted shipping times from Apple’s Online Store and carrier online stores. While Apple quotes a consistent “October” for shipping, AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint get more specific.

The chart breaks down the days depending on device color and storage configurations. Consistently, the Gold models seem to be farthest out for shipping, while the Space Gray units will ship the soonest. While these are quotes for online, it is possible that you could find a new iPhone 5s sooner from a physical Apple Retail store.

However, the carrier stores we’ve spoken to are quoting similarly long wait times until they will be able to receive and allocate an iPhone 5s. In summary, if you...

For the last week or so I’ve been testing out IK Multimedia’s new iRig Pro, the company’s audio interface that connects to iPhone, iPad and your Mac. That means that one interface can serve multiple purposes for you.[...]

Ars expressed surprise on Monday that a hacker was able to bypass fingerprint protection less than 48 hours after its debut in Apple's newest iPhone, but not everyone felt the same. The hack, carried out by well-known German hacker Starbug, required too much expertise and pricey equipment to make it practical, according to critics.

Marc Rogers, a security expert at smartphone security firm Lookout, was among the skeptics. After independently devising his own bypass of Apple's Touch ID, he concluded it was anything but easy. "Hacking Touch ID relies upon a combination of skills, existing academic research, and the patience of a Crime Scene Technician," he wrote. Rogers went on to say no one would know just how feasible Starbug's hack was until he released...

If you listen to the pundits, Apple really messed up by not making the iPhone 5c more affordable. The underlying assumption by those so quick to second guess Apple's iPhone 5c strategy is that Apple is losing the marketshare war with Android. Consequently, the reasoning goes, Apple needs to churn out some cheap devices (and quick!), flood the market and gain some of those elusive marketshare points back.

Apple, however, doesn't let marketshare be the overarching metric that guides its business strategy. Indeed, it's somewhat bewildering that analysts who get paid to make sense of the tech industry so often lose sight of the fact that marketshare in and of itself is not the be all and end all.

In truth, the type of users you have can sometimes be more important than how many users you have. Indeed, this dynamic can be seen across many industries.

This notion is why television shows with a core audience of 18-34 year old males, for example, can often command...

Everyone knows what FaceTime is for: face to face communication. But what happens when you put an iPhone behind the eyepiece of an astronomical telescope and make a FaceTime call? Delightful, remote viewing of the moon and planets.

Kyle Vanhemert wrote a great article about Apple’s design choices in iOS 7.

∞ Read this on The Loop

An app hosted on Google Play is letting Android users communicate with people on iOS or Mac devices over iMessage, reports note. Simply dubbed iMessage Chat, the app appears to work by pretending to be a Mac mini when it contacts Apple's iMessage server. It may potentially be dangerous though, since users have to enter their Apple ID, all traffic received from Apple is funneled through a server in China, and the app has the ability to download and install software in the background, which could potentially be a vector for malware....
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Pixelmator has been updated to v2.2.1 in the Mac App Store. The update introduces a brand new file format that is said to use a number of modern OS X technologies to improve the speed of image editing. Compared to previous releases the software should now open and save documents twice as fast, and has also gained the ability to automatically save changes in the background. Along with various other improvements, Quick Look support has also been enhanced to allow users to preview Pixelmator documents without needing to open them first. The image editing software can be purchased from the Mac App...
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The same day that Apple reported a record 9 million iPhone sales for its launch weekend, a Blackberry enthusiast writing for ABC News spun the numbers as "a cause for concern," while a Wall Street Journal blogger followed up with a warning not to read too much into it.
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It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive TUAW Deals, a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked iOS and OS X selections.

TUAW's Daily Deals

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iOS...

New teardowns of the iPhone 5s and 5c conducted by IHS iSuppli suggest that Apple lowered its iPhone production costs with the new hardware. Apple is estimated to be spending at least $191 in components to build a 16GB 5s, and $210 on a 64GB model. Assembly costs roughly $8 per phone, putting the expense of building a 5s between $199 and $218. By contrast, the iPhone 5 is estimated to have cost Apple at least $205 to build....
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IHS Suppli has released its estimate of the component costs involved in building the iPhone 5s, performing a virtual teardown based on information revealed by Apple and industry knowledge. The estimate, which does not include numerous other costs involved in product development, manufacturing, and sales, such as research and development, software, patent licenses, marketing, and distribution expenditures, pegs the component cost of the 16 GB iPhone 5s at $199.

The full report has not yet been released but <em>AllThingsD received early access.

Apple spends at least $191 on components to build a 16 gigabyte iPhone 5s. The cost rises to $210 for a 64GB unit. The cost of assembly adds another $8 per unit,...

Following the public release of iOS 7, Apple's newest operating system is thrown into the fire against its strongest competitors in a battery of user experience tests, and coming out on top against Samsung's customized Android build and Microsoft's Windows Phone.
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Though it has a new camera module, faster processor and fingerprint sensor, the components in the new iPhone 5s are only slightly less expensive than those in the iPhone 5, says IHS. Not surprisingly, the iPhone 5c is cheaper than either the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 5s.

According to AllThingsD, which got an advanced look at the IHS report, the iPhone 5s costs US$199 to build, as compared to $205 for last year's iPhone 5. Components for the 16 GB iPhone 5s cost Apple $191, with another $8 tacked on for assembly. The jump to 64 GB of storage in the 5s bumps up the price by $11, bringing the final cost to $218 for the model.

By using a colorful polycarbonate shell instead of aluminum, Apple is able to trim the cost of the iPhone 5c to $173 for the 16 GB model and $183 for the 64...

Learn how to resolve the "Inbox is full" message that may appear on your iPhone when you attempt to check voicemail.

WD, a Western Digital company, has redesigned its My Book and My Book for Mac lines of external desktop drives to provide as much as 4TB storage capacity and enhanced data protection for those who create and collect large volumes of data, video, music and photos.

read more

Some users of the new iOS iWork apps are experiencing "blue screen of death" crashes, complaints indicate. The crashes can potentially affect Pages, Numbers, and Keynote alike, and are easy to trigger. After launching one of the apps, users just have to open an existing document and then hit a device's Home button. This may not only kill the app, but force the device itself to reboot. Not all users are suffering from the problem however....
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Apple recently enabled its reservation system for online customers looking to buy an iPhone 5s. Shortly after going live, the company removed this in-store pickup option. Apple's website now says that the iPhone 5s is not eligible for pickup and that all purchases must be made in the store.

We don't know why Apple did this flip-flop, but it's possible that the reservation system went online earlier than planned. Apple typically has sold new iPhones in the store on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first few weeks after launch. Once demand and supply start to even out, the company then enables in-store pickup on its website. It's also possible Apple will turn on the option and turn it off as inventory ebbs and flows.

If you are still on the hunt for an iPhone 5s, your best bet is to keep checking back with...

The new silicon found in Apple's iPhone 5s has been viewed under a microscope, revealing some of the secrets of the custom-built A7 processor and M7 motion co-processor.
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St. Clair Software (www.stclairsoft.com) has rolled out Default Folder X 4.5.11, an update to their utility for Mac OS X. Its custom keyboard shortcuts put your favorite and recent folders at your fingertips.

Version 4.5.11 is compatible with the developer release of OS X Mavericks and fixes issues on Mac OS 10.8 and 10.7 as well. Default Folder X 4.5.11 is a free update for existing version 4 users. It costs $34.95 for new users.

A teardown of Apple’s iPhone 5s and 5c by research firm IHS reveals just a few internal differences between the new phones. IHS estimates the 5s costs Apple between $199 to $218 for components and assembly — the lower cost for a 16GB model, and the higher cost for the…

At its media event introducing the new iPhones earlier this month, Apple highlighted several chip innovations included on the iPhone 5s including a new A7 main chip with one billion transistors and a smaller M7 "motion coprocessor" designed to efficiently measure accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass data and thus allow for enhanced fitness tracking, navigation, and more.

Chipworks and iFixit have now posted a teardown revealing what's inside these chips, as well as several other components of the iPhone 5s, offering an interesting first glimpse at these components at the heart of the device.

In looking at the A7, Chipworks noted that it is indeed manufactured by Samsung using its 28-nm process node. Apple has been seeking...

Parallax is a new feature that is introduced in iOS 7. As the user moves their device, the background image and icons move on the screen to match the movement of the device. Parallax gives the device a quasi-3D effect and adds depth to it, but some people prefer to use their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch sans the motion.

To disable Parallax go into Settings, then tap on General.

Then tap on Accessibility.

Scroll down until you see Reduced Motion.

Tap on Reduced Motion. By turning on Reduced Motion it will:

Reduce the motion of the user interface, including the parallax effect of icons and alerts.

To turn on...

Apple has pulled the Personal Pickup option from web and app-based orders for the iPhone 5s, shoppers point out. The option appeared just yesterday, making it unusual that Apple would rescind it so quickly. Personal Pickup lets people buy a device online, but then claim it at a local Apple Store....
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Typinator turbo-charges your typing productivity.

Type a little. Typinator does the rest.

We've all faced projects that require repetitive typing tasks. With Typinator, you can store commonly used text and images in quick keywords and abbreviations. From email templates to code snippets to website URLs, there's no easier way to recreate repetitive text at a moment's notice.

Workflow-friendly features

• Uncomplicated configuration. Quickly and easily create abbreviations and assign replacement text and pictures.
• Simplified migration. If you already use TextExpander, TypeIt4Me, or a similar app, you can migrate to the highly praised Typinator using simple drag-and-drop importation methods.
• Conversion options. Instantly convert currency values, measurement units and more.
• Extensive app compatibility. Your text...

Soccer (or football) fans rejoice. EA Sports has released FIFA 14 for iOS. The app features 33 leagues from the English Premier League to the German Bundesliga battling it out in 34 licensed stadiums, with over 600 licensed teams, and more than a whopping 16,000 players. There are some great features in it too, like Football Club Match Day, which allows you to sync your game to real-world events, including player injuries, suspensions, and team changes. You can, of course, build your own fantasy team, as well as play your friends in multiplayer matches.

Previously, FIFA games on iOS were a paid download, but with FIFA 14, EA has decided to release the game for free with support for in-app purchases. FIFA 14 is available for iPhone and iPad as a universal app, just be sure you've got enough free space on your...

Just as pretty, probably a little faster. Apple Inc.

Just a day after announcing its iPhone launch numbers, Apple is updating its iMac lineup. Last year's all new iMac was an impressive performer and quite the looker, and an update to Haswell was expected at some point this year. Pixel density enthusiasts may be disappointed to learn that there wasn't a move to a higher density display at either the 21.5-inch or 27-inch SKUs. Thankfully, pricing hasn't changed, so the base model retains its $1,299 sticker, while the 27-inch model starts at $1,799. That's not to say nothing's changed. So what's new?

Right off the bat is the addition of Intel's new Haswell processors, with the base 21.5-inch model most likely sporting the quad-core Core i5-4570R (2.7GHz base clock, turbo up...

Likely indicating still steady demand for the iPhone 5s, Apple has removed pick-up-in-store availability for its high-end smartphone after just one day.
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Apple is offering a $22.99 credit to customers who purchased the fifth season of Breaking Bad via the iTunes Season Pass. Customers expecting to get the full final season found the 16 episodes were split into separate “seasons” by iTunes, requiring separate purchases — the episodes were split into two…

After its problematic debut, Apple’s latest update to Apple TV is available once again. Pulled on Saturday following reports that it rendered some devices on which it was installed unusable, Apple TV 6.0 was re-released Monday evening. The firmware update includes a handful of new additions like iTunes Radio and AirPlay from iCloud, a feature that allows people who have purchased content from Apple’s iTunes store to stream that same content to other Apple TVs.

Skipping an announcement during its September press event, Apple today unveiled the 2013 edition of the iMac. The desktop is making the switch to Intel's Haswell platform, and now comes standard with 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and PCIe-based SSD storage, where selected. The base 21.5-inch model comes with a 1TB hard drive, 8GB of RAM, a 2.7GHz quad-core Core i5 processor, and intergrated Iris Pro graphics. Both the 21.5- and 27-inch sizes support Core i5 configurations up to 3.4GHz, and NVIDIA GeForce 700-series videocards....
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How many of those 9 million first weekend sales were for the iPhone 5s vs the iPhone 5c? There’s been a lot of speculation about how many of each device Apple is selling, and whether or not lack of availability of the gold iPhone 5s is due to low supply or simply the higher demand. Apple is staying quiet on the breakdown of 5s units vs 5c, but today...

Wireless wonders

This week's roundup of iOS accessories brings an avalanche of Bluetooth-enabled audio gear, along with keyboards, docks, mounts, and more.

Beacon Audio

The $80 Phoenix 2 is a Bluetooth speaker system that offers 360-degree-sound projections, 10-hour battery life, a microphone for use as a speakerphone, along with two speakers and a subwoofer. Beacon says this system is “your boom box’s worst nightmare.”

Grace Digital

This company’s Bluetooth Amplifier powers traditional speakers with its Class-D amplifier, and it offers both analog and aptX-enhanced Bluetooth audio connections, letting you stream music or plug in. (It can pair with up to eight different devices.) The amplifier also includes a USB port for powering your iOS device while streaming the...

Adobe Premiere Elements helps you turn milestone moments into memorable movies you'll share with pride. Use automated options in this movie editor to create great-looking movies, and share via social networks and on virtually any screen.

Version 12.0:

New:

• Take your videos with you wherever you go. Easily view, relive, and share your Elements videos on your smartphone or tablet. And finally--unlock the photos from your mobile device, and see them in your Elements albums back at home.
• Learn as you use. Use Guided Edits to learn advanced editing techniques with built-in video tutorials. Build your moviemaking savvy in no time.

Enhanced:

• Discover a friendly and intuitive environment. Organize, edit, enhance, and share more quickly and easily thanks to big, bold icons; a helpful Action bar; and the ability to choose from...

Adobe Photoshop Elements 12--the #1 selling consumer photo editing software--helps you edit pictures with powerful, easy-to-use options and share them via print, the web, Facebook, and more.

Version 12.0:

New:

• Take your photos and videos with you wherever you go. Easily view, relive, and share your Elements photos on your smartphone and tablet. And finally--unlock the photos from your mobile device, and see them in your Elements albums back at home.
• Easily move objects. Move objects in a photo and have the background automatically filled in with Content-Aware Move.
• Pet-Eye Correction. Remove green, yellow, and other "pet eye" discolorations as easily as you remove red eye in photos of people.
• Share from Editor. Sharing options previously only available in the Organizer are now available in the Editor.
• Add your...