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...

Tech repair site iFixit has torn down the latest model of Apple's iMac, finding that the refreshed desktop has a lot in common with its predecessor, including a low repairability score.
  ...

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....
  ...

There are no shortage of stories detailing how the iPad is increasingly becoming a mainstay in the airline industry. Whether it's being used as a replacement for flight bags or provided to travelers for entertainment purposes, Apple's trusty tablet has certainly earned its fair share of frequent flier miles.

And now comes word that maintenance crews will be getting in on the iPad action as well.

Boeing on Tuesday announced the impending release of a new suite of iPad apps geared towards airplane maintenance.

The applications, which were developed in conjunction with several major airlines, will enable technicians on the ground to quickly access airplane manuals, part numbers, and airplane maintenance history. The suite of iPad apps will also allow technicians to...

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

Back in 2009, I had the chance to spend some time with the folks at MIT’s Aerospace Controls Lab to watch some of the groundbreaking work being done with variable pitch quadcopters (basically, a helicopter with four horizontal propellors, each capable of operating at an independent speed). The thing I loved most about their setup was that the whole thing was controlled by an iPhone, communicating with a series of sensors mounted on the ceiling.

Things have really come a long way since then. Watch Raffaello D’Andrea throw this quad like a baseball and the quad instantly recover. Beautiful.

Since Marissa Mayer took the helm of Yahoo, one of her top priorities has been to keep Yahoo Mail relevant to people's digital lifestyles. Yahoo has always been on the bleeding edge when comes to webmail interfaces -- steadily bringing desktop features to its online offering. What it needs is something to attract eyeballs and subsequently, new accounts to the service.
One way to do that is to take the browser out of webmail, as developer Xiaomeng Lu has done with Mail for Yahoo!

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...

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...

Behold the latest in beard innovations – the beard ramen bowl.

Microsoft, which recently announced a trade-in program for users who want to exchange their working iPads for a Microsoft Surface tablet, is said to be planning to expand the program to iPhones as it seeks customers willing to buy the unpopular first-generation Surface even as the company prepares the already-announced Surface 2 line to head to retail. The expanded program, said to begin on Friday, will accept iPhone 4S or 5 units and reward traders with a $200 Microsoft store gift card, which can be used for other MS products and accessories, such as an Xbox....
 ...

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...

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:

...

Popular Twitter client Echofon has been completely redesigned for iOS 7. The new version is mostly structured the same as its predecessor, but it trades in the black tab bar and blue navigation bar for a mostly white-look. The new client actually looks like many of Apple’s new pre-bundled iOS 7 applications. Alongside iOS 7′s launch, Twitter redesigned its official app for iOS 7, and we previously covered several other iOS 7-designed...

America has the dollar store. Japan has the ¥100 store. TUAW has been covering iOS accessorizing on the cheap in a series of recent posts. Today, the focus turns international.

TUAW reader TokyoJoe writes, "This pic is from Daiso, one of the biggest ¥100 shop chains in Tokyo. They have a decent selection of iPhone 5 and 4S cases as well as cables and stands." Here you see just a taste of the variety on offer. The Daiso selection included many colorful options ranging from animal prints to old fashioned book styles, to basket weaves.

Have you found some great dollar store finds, whether in the US or not? Drop us a note, send in pictures and share the low-end fun.

...

A report out of the Far East on Tuesday claims Apple is teaming up with longtime partner manufacturer Quanta Computer to develop a 12-inch version of the iPad, reigniting speculation that the company is mulling a larger tablet model.
  ...

I really like the Line 6 gear.

∞ Read this on The Loop

iFixIt and Chipworks have conducted a joint teardown of Apple's new iPhone 5s, with Chipworks handling the A7 processor that powers the device. On Tuesday, iFixIt published its findings on the A7, including the fact that it uses Samsung's 28 nm fabrication process, and that it's packed full of power.

Apple has been constructing a 338,000-square-foot data center near Prineville, Oregon for some time -- the first of two it plans to open -- but even as construction is finishing on the first project, the iPhone maker is already said to be thinking about expansion. According to reports in local papers, Apple is considering the purchase of a separate parcel of land some 96 acres in size near the town for additional development, though the nature of its interest hasn't been expressly revealed....
 ...

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.

Apple today updated iMac to bring numerous high-performance enhancements to the world’s leading all-in-one desktop. iMac now features fourth-generation Intel Core processors, new graphics, and next-generation Wi-Fi. In addition, it now supports PCIe-based flash storage, making its Fusion Drive and all-flash storage options up to 50 percent faster than the previous generation. “iMac continues to be the example that proves how beautiful, fast and fun a desktop computer can be,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

From 9to5Toys.com:

A large majority of the deals we cover each day come from a variety of ‘Daily Deal’ websites or are so popular that they don’t even last 24 hours. We know you can’t be at your computer every second, so we’re going to round up the best deals each day to make sure you have a fair shot at the deals you want. Be sure to follow 9to5Toys.com so you never miss a deal... Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.

Today’s featured deals...

Apple on Tuesday launched a refresh of its iMac all-in-one computer with faster processors, communications and storage, as well as new graphics capabilities. The launch comes amid weak PC sales worldwide, a slowdown in the growth of global tablet shipments quarter-over-quarter, and reports that the iPad is stumbling in China. So who would want a faster, better-connected desktop with advanced storage options and a massive hard drive? "Anyone who's a stone Apple PC user," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.

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.

Apple is at work on a "Supplemental Update" for OS X 10.8.5, a source says. The patch has reportedly already been seeded to Apple employees, and should reach the public in the next few days. It's expected to cope with several glitches in Mountain Lion, including apps failing to utilize the FaceTime HD camera on the 2013 MacBook Air, and external drives being ejected after a Mac goes to sleep. It also solves a problem with HDMI audio going silent after waking from sleep, and a bug that prevented some USB Bluetooth adapters from operating....
 ...

Apple TV has reposted its 6.0 software update. Interestingly, the update now appears to be based upon iOS 7.0.2, making Apple TV the first device to include this version of iOS. The iPhone 5c and 5s currently run iOS 7.0.1, as did the original version of the 6.0 software update.…

Scouting NY:

the properties in Monopoly were in fact named after the streets of Atlantic City. Monopoly itself has a long and complicated history, but the addition of Atlantic City-based street names can be traced to one Ruth Hoskins. Hoskins had learned a version of the game in Indianapolis, and upon moving to Atlantic City in 1929, made her own copy from scratch naming properties after streets where her friends lived.

This past weekend, I was driving through south Jersey, and decided to make a quick detour through Atlantic City to see what the Monopoly board looks like in real life.

I had forgotten that the Monopoly properties were real. Sadly, none of them match up to what I imagined them to look like.

...

If you were feeling wary of updating your Apple TV due to reports of bricked set-top boxes, Apple has re-released version 6.0 of the device’s software. It’s also taken the wraps off another feature of the update not covered in last week’s hands-on: automatic setup from your iOS device.

This feature, first rumored a few months back, lets you configure the set-top box’s Wi-Fi password, iTunes Store account, and language and region format preferences just by touching your iOS device to your Apple TV.

Of course, there are a few restrictions: Your iOS devices must be running iOS 7, and the process requires an iPhone 4s or later, third-generation or later iPad, iPad mini, or fifth-generation iPod touch. You’ll also have to enable the iOS...

A new report from Morgan Stanley suggests that the iPhone 5c's better-than-anticipated margins and popularity will propel Apple past previous analyst expectations.
  ...

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.

AT&T has made an agreement with Wi-Fi hotspot network Fon to provide each others customers with overseas Wi-Fi. Customers of Fon will be able to use AT&T's 30,000-location Wi-Fi hotspot network at various stores and businesses in the United States, while AT&T customers can use Fon's international network of close to 12 million hotspots....
  ...

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 ...

Apple is preparing to release a new version of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.5 to end-users in the coming days, according to a source. The Mac operating system update has already been supplied to Apple employees. The new version is referred to as a “Supplement Update” to 10.8.5, and will be available via Software Update in the Mac App Store…

The original OS X 10.8.5 release arrived earlier this month, and it included improvements to Mail, WiFi connectivity, and screensaver functionality. The follow-up will fix some bugs that have been reported with the original release. According to the release notes (shown above), the supplemental upgrade includes fixes to FaceTime on newer MacBook Airs, USB, HDMI, and external drive connectivity.

The build number is 12F42, and this is...

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.[...]