News

4 things to expect from Apple’s iPhone 6 event

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Next week, Apple is expected to reveal a host of new products to its fans and the world. The company created a countdown timer on its website, telling viewers to watch for a live webcast event on Tuesday, September 9, held at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino California. 

30 years ago on the same day, Steve Jobs revealed the first Macintosh personal computer to the world. Fans and the media have been speculating what could be launched on that special day. Here are four products you can probably expect to see:

1. The official release of an iWatch

Ever since Pebble’s 2011 Kickstarter campaign sold customers on the idea of strapping a mini iPod to a wristband, and raised over $3 million and the official backing of Apple itself, customers have been bombarded with smart watches from other manufacturers. On Tuesday, Apple may announce the creation of an official wearable device. The iWatch is currently listed as having a curved LED display, the ability to sync with iCloud and HealthKit services to track exercise and medical routines, and an initial price tag of $400. There’s no word on when it ships to stores, however.

While customers have been traditionally hesitant or unwilling to “wear” smart devices on their wrist, expect Apple to discuss the iWatch and attempt to make a wearable device into a cool marketing brand on Tuesday.

2. The ability to make online payments with an Apple device

While iPhones have been able to conduct everyday consumer banking for years–including depositing a check by taking a picture with the built-in camera–having the ability to pay for something in a grocery store just by tapping your phone has been a long-time dream for consumers. Apple has been rumored to be in partnership talks with credit card companies American Express and Visa on a possible Apple-brand payment platform. Instead of carrying around credit cards and cash, a customer might be able to digitally pay for everything through their Apple device instead.

While other smart phones use “near field communications” chips that can be used at a grocery checkout service, Apple has preferred to rely on its Passbook application for its customer base. That could also change on Tuesday.

3. The iPhone 6, with a larger screen

Current iPhones have a display that measures 4 inches across diagonally. By contrast, many phone manufacturers like Samsung and Nokia have developed products with much larger and easier to read screens, and those manufacturers have enjoyed comparatively higher demand for those products than Apple’s customer base.

Long-time loyal fans have been asking Apple for years to develop larger screens; Apple is widely expected to release a product on Tuesday with a larger screen, or at least discuss the feasibility of future iPhones with larger screens.

4. Apple’s giant, public emphasis on strong security

Expect a 90% chance of mentioning this in the webcast, not only for the recent hacking of Hollywood actresses’ iPhones, but also if Apple discusses their new iCloud, new products and payment systems. Public scrutiny is something Apple management has always tried to avoid, and mentioning security will only win them points on Tuesday.

News

Apple releases OS X Yosemite beta 7 to developers

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Apple Computers released their newest update to OS X Yosemite on Thursday. The new build, 14A343f, includes new app icons for the dashboard and several graphical tweaks to help Apple users customize their screen. Apple also released updates for OS X Sever 4.0 Developer and the Apple Configurator 1.6.

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Yosemite will be shipped apart from iOS 8.  Here’s a list of tweaks to the latest version: 

– New icons in the System Preferences app

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– A new dark menu and dock mode with thinner font

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– New icons for the Dashboard, Keychain, Disk Utility, and Migration Assistant

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– A new Spotlight search for Dark mode

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– File versions browser are now the same as current Time Machine user interface

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– Software Update removed from Apple menu, replaced with update notifications from the App Store

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– Yosemite now allows Skype calls by default

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– New icons for the ColorSync Utility

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Yosemite is currently slated for release in mid to late October.

News

Apple updating security for iCloud

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After last week’s mass release of nude photos from multiple Hollywood actresses, Apple Inc. announced new security measures to keep user accounts safe.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Chief Executive Tim Cook said hackers were able to brute force into the actresses’ phones by correctly guessing security questions and opening their passwords.

None of the passwords were leaked directly from the company’s servers, he claimed.

Cook says Apple will now alert users through email notifications and allow them to take action immediately when someone moves iCloud data to a new device, logs into an account for the first time, or when changing a password. Apple will start notifying members of the changes in two weeks.

Cook admitted Apple should have done more to make people aware of the dangers of hacking.

“When I step back from this terrible scenario that happened and say what more could we have done, I think about the awareness piece,” Cook said. “I think we have a responsibility to ratchet that up. That’s not really an engineering thing.”

Apple will also increase two-factor authentication, which requires an Apple user to have both a main password and either a separate four-digit one-time code or a long access key purchased with the system in order to unlock the device.

With the feature is turned on, these steps will be needed to to sign into an iTunes account from another device. Two-factor authentication will also be used for iCloud accounts.

Cook claimed that most users don’t have two-factor authentication, so Apple will encourage people to download the newest version of iOS and activate it. If the celebrities already had the system in place, hackers wouldn’t have had an opportunity to guess the correct answers to security questions, Cook said.

Outside security experts critized Apple for made the previous security too easy to hack, in only requiring answers to security questions.

“There’s a well-understood tension between usability and security,” said security researcher Ashkan Soltani to the Wall Street Journal. “More often than not, Apple chooses to err on the side of usability to make it easier for the user that gets locked out from their kid’s baby photos than to employ strong protections for the high-risk individuals.”

The new notifications will only notify users after their devices have been hacked, Soltani claimed.

The company is trying to salvage its reputation ahead of a new product launch announcement next week. Apple is cooperating with federal law enforcement to investigate and prosecute the hackers. The company did not release information on how many users were affected.

Apps

Why does the App Store continue to reject new apps?

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The App Store houses thousands of applications that can be used on all kinds of Apple devices. In fact, Apple says that there are nearly 1.2 million applications available today. As appealing as the variety is, there are concerns over how some people who make their apps end up getting rejected by Apple. Apple has a number of different reasons for why it refuses some applications.

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The main reason why Apple rejects apps is because the company doesn’t have enough information on those apps. About 14% of apps are rejected due to this reason. This especially comes from when people don’t provide demo usernames and passwords for programs that require people to log in for some reason. Apple needs full access to new apps and if it does not have access to them or information on those programs then it will reject new apps.

In addition, apps that have bugs and errors in them will be rejected. Apple wants to ensure that any app that is uploaded will actually work without any faults.

The user interface is another aspect of apps that Apple looks into. If a person uploads an app that features an interface that is overly convoluted or difficult to manage then that app will be rejected.

The relevance of a description or other pieces of data that relate the app that is being submitted will also be a real factor. If the description, screenshots or other pieces of data are not reflected in the actual project then the app will be rejected. Apple wants to encourage truth in advertising above all else.

The same can be said for fraudulent information and anything that may be poorly represented. If the program is represented in a way that is misleading or incorrect in some form then it will not get into the App Store. Apple only wants to work with those who do business in an honest and trustworthy way.

Anything listed as a “trial,” “demo” or “beta” version will also be rejected. Apple does not want to take in programs that do not appear to be completely finished. The company only wants programs that it knows are accurate and ready for use without creating any future problems.

Finally, all apps with placeholder text will be rejected. Therefore, all app developers must be aware of what they are doing when preparing their work the right way. The standards that Apple has are certainly strict. The reasons for why the company rejects so many apps are important for all who want to send in their own apps to consider.

iPhone

Sapphire Glass vs Gorilla Glass

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Apple has been using Gorilla Glass for years when it comes to getting its products protected. Gorilla Glass is a sturdy glass material that is known to handle many impacts. However, a new glass display may be used in the future.

The Sapphire Glass display may be used by the iPhone 6. It is believed that it will provide iPhone users with an even stronger option that will prevent shattered screens from ever being a problem again while also keeping scratches from being a serious concern in any case.

As appealing as the concept of Sapphire Glass is, there is a need to compare the two options with one another. uBreakFix has taken a closer look at how the Sapphire and Gorilla glass options work as a means of figuring out which one is the better overall choice.

There were three tests that uBreakFix used – the scratch, impact and bend tests. These tests were designed to create a more well-rounded look at how these glass options can function. Here’s a look at how the two fared in all of those tests.

Scratch

A tungsten drill bit was used on both glass items to determine which could scratch first. The Sapphire Glass option resisted scratches better than the Gorilla Glass did. This is a big reason as to why Sapphire is used in the TouchID system on the iPhone 5.

Impact

Some hard impacts were also imposed on these two surfaces. These include cases where the phone was dropped from a distance. The damages to the Gorilla Glass were less intensive than they were for the Sapphire Glass. Therefore, the Gorilla option still works best when it comes to cases where the iPhone is dropped.

Bending

The four-point bending test was used to determine which glass body can handle pressure. The Gorilla Glass surface was more resilient and did not warp, crack or wear out from all the pressure it dealt with as it was being bent. While the Sapphire Glass can also handle such pressure, its threshold for how much it can bear with was much less than what Gorilla Glass can handle.

In summary, Gorilla Glass is still stronger than Sapphire Glass in terms of how resilient it it and how it can handle impacts. However, Sapphire Glass is a better choice when it comes to finding something that resists scratches. All iPhone enthusiasts should take a look at these points as Apple considers new glass materials for the future.