Apple Archives - Argyll Free Press

iPhone 7 Leaks Already Surfacing

March 14, 2016 By Michael Turner Leave a Comment

It seems that it’s only a week left until Apple holds its event where the iPhone 5se will finally make it into the spotlight, but fans are already busying themselves with iPhone 7 leaks. Sure, there’s plenty of us who have been waiting for a smaller scale iPhone 6, but there’s no new hardware to witness in that. Whereas iPhone 7 – whenever that comes out – will surely come storming and packing a hell of a punch.

So, a French website that specializes in technology seems to have managed to get its hands on several images depicting what looks like the iPhone 7 along with schematics and other types of information. The things that we already know about Apple’s plans regarding the next iPhone seem to confirm the fact that the photos that this website has revealed are truly the real thing. The best hint that we got was the fact that there is no headphone jack to be found, and instead, you can find another speaker in its place.

So what else is there to be seen in the leaked photos? Quite a few, but sadly not all that amazing yet.

First and foremost, an image depicting the back of what we at least think is the iPhone 7 has gone through several small changes. To list a few, the rear of the iPhone gazing at us from the distant horizon lacks the antenna lines we got so accustomed to. While phone makers have been doing a better and better job of hiding them in the past year, nobody has managed to hide them from view completely yet so in that respect, Apple may be the first to do so. The antenna bands are still there, though, visible around the edges at the bottom.

The rear suggests other changes too, though; for example, the rear camera hole appears to be a little larger than the one we can see these days on the iPhone 6. It is also placed a lot closer to the edge, meaning that the rumored iPhone 7 Pro version of the phone will most likely exist, in the version that features dual cameras.

Lastly, the images depicting the chassis of the iPhone 7 suggest that the phone will be thinner than the current iPhone 6, appealing to the requests of the public, it would seem. In spite of concept art and other supposed leaks suggesting that the iPhone 7 display will stretch all the way to the very edges of the phone, it hasn’t yet been confirmed by leaked information or otherwise.

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The Mac App Store Just Lost Sketch

December 2, 2015 By Kenneth Scott Leave a Comment

The Apple Store is starting to lose more developers.

The Mac App Store just lost Sketch, an application for professional digital design for Apple. This is expected to have a negative effect on the company, even though it is not the first application to be pulled from the store. However, other developers have started to voice their discontent.

Sketch has been pulled from the store by Bohemian Coding for several reasons. First of all, the time required for an update to be submitted and approved was very long and unprofitable. Secondly, there are not many pricing options for updates. Lastly, the guidelines on sandboxing have a lot of technical limitations from Apple, like the access an app can have to programs or systems.

However, users who have bought the Sketch application will have the option to download it from the official website of Sketch, in order to receive further updates.

Bohemian Coding is a very important partner for Apple. It has already won two of its awards for design. Furthermore, Apple was relying on the developer for wireframing WatchOS apps, as it was also providing them with templates.

The team from Sketch stated in a blog post that they have been thinking about their options and this is the conclusion. As the application recorded great progress over the last year, the same cannot be said about the customer experience for the Apple Store. By selling their application directly from their website, the company will remain easily-approachable and responsive, and will ensure a better experience for its customers.

Sketch is not the first app to be pulled from the Mac Store. BBEdit from Bare Bones Software was removed because of the sandboxing restrictions, as well as the lack of pricing options for updates. The App Store support provided by Quicken also left for pricing reasons, while Coda, a web development tool from Panic was pulled from the store because of the restrictions regarding sandboxing. But the list doesn’t stop here. Parallels Desktop, TextExpander, Paragon NTFS and Hazel were removed for similar reasons.

As the Mac App Store just lost Sketch, we can expect other developers to remove their applications. Apart from the reasons mentioned above, the developers are also quite upset about the fact that they have to give 30% of their revenues for apps to Apple. Maybe it is time for the company to make a change.

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Apple Improves iWork Apps on All Platforms

October 16, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Apple improves iWorks apps on all platforms by adding new features. Even though the Cupertino-based company didn’t announce anything regarding their Keynote, Numbers, and Pages apps in the last few months, software devs have been hard at work trying to bring them to modern times.

Apple just rolled out a major update for the trifecta of power on all of the company’s platforms – iCloud, OS X and iOS. They have been brought to speed with the latest iOS and OS X, along with some highly anticipated features.

So, for iOS Numbers, Keynote and Pages can now work with Picture in Picture, Slide Over and Split View on the iPad. All of the multitasking features that iOS 9 delivered are now fully integrated with the big A’s apps.

It’s worth noting that VoiceOver received a well deserved polish and it’s vastly improved to better help visually impaired people.

Finally, Apple has removed the beta tag from it’s iCloud.com web apps and it has also added a lot of new features from the company’s other platforms. Users now have the ability to comment on iCloud.com – let’s see how many trolls does Apple manage to gather in 48 hours.

Apple has also added quintessential Google Docs features, and it was about time they did so. Users can see all of their shared docs within the browser on their smartphone.

Apple Improves iWorks apps i.e. Keynote, Numbers and Pages on all platforms

With these awesome new updates, it has become a serious competitor to Google Drive apps and Office.com web productivity apps.

A really great addition is iWork 2008 and 2006 support for the latest version. It was about time if you ask me. Users have been calling Apple out for being too lazy. Other features consist of improvements for Microsoft Office docs compatibility i.e. no more random errors, and Mac finally gets OneType – amongst other awesome features.

These aren’t eye-candy additions – no new icons, or stunning visuals. These are well deserved under-the-hood polishes that we have been waiting for quite some time now. To be frank, productivity apps like the ones mentioned above don’t really need design overhauls – they just need to function better and more reliable.

Even though news is out that Apple improves iWork apps on all platforms and that the company will continue to roll out more updates in the near future, the Cali-based tech giant is keeping silent.

With these awesome new updates, it has become a serious competitor to Google Drive apps and Office.com web productivity apps.

For a comprehensive log of changes you can check the official patch notes, if you will, on their website.

See Elon Musk, Apple isn’t the Tesla Graveyard as you put it. The company actually cares about its users. It also makes profit – unlike others.

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Elon Musk Says That Apple Hires Their Rejected Engineers

October 9, 2015 By Nancy Young Leave a Comment

Wizkid Elon Musk is not concerned that Apple could be a potential rival in the electric car industry. He says that the Cupertino-based tech giant hires employees that were ultimately fired by Tesla.

Elon Musk told the Handelsblatt, a German publication, that Apple has only poached engineers that didn’t make it at Tesla. He continues to add that they were clearly not important to the company.

Elon Musk says that they have a running joke regarding fired engineers that join the Cupertino-based company – he dubs Apple the Tesla Graveyard. Individuals that don’t make it at Tesla, ultimately go to work for Apple.

Considering this, nobody at Tesla is worried because Apple is working on their electric car program titled Project Titan.

Elon Musk isn’t the only one foretelling Apple’s demise if the company decides to sink money into its automotive ambitions. Bob Lutz has warned Apple that their new project may end up being a giant money pit.

The Tesla founder respects that Apple is trying to actually build something significant, but he adds that cars are way more complex than your average smartwatch or phone. He continues to explain that the giant tech company will never be able to surpass his own success, nor reproduce it. Yet, he failed to argument why.

Success is a somewhat of a relative term to Elon Musk, considering that Tesla is expected to turn a profit from 2020 upwards.

It’s not news that Apple and Tesla are battling over engineers. Regardless of how much Elon Musk wants to say that those who end up in Apple are Tesla rejects. However, Tesla is indeed getting the big end of the stick – in May, they announced an attrition rate of five to one.

Apple is reportedly enticing ex-Tesla employees to jump ship by offering a 60 percent salary raise and a staggering $250.000 signing bonus.

In the past couple of months Apple has been pushing aggressively on their Project Titan front. Reports earlier this year claim that almost 1.000 employees have been assigned on their electric car project. But despite how many individuals have been hired by Apple, nothing else has surfaced. We don’t expect anything to leak, because Apple keeps a contractually tight lid.

A few weeks ago reports have showcased that Apple is secretly undergoing car operations out of a hidden dedicated facility in San Jose.

Elon Musk is a respected entrepreneur, and a brilliant mind, but he seems to be putting on his poker face with these statements. We aren’t sure whether Apple’s electric car will be a hit or a not, but considering that Elon Musk is discussing Project Titan reassures us that Apple is indeed working on one.

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The Apple Watch Hermes Collection is Now Available

October 6, 2015 By Deborah Campbell Leave a Comment

The Apple Watch Hermes collection is now available and it ranges from $1,100 to $1,500 – it comes with Hermes-infused colors, bands and clock faces.

Apple’s new Watch collection was announced in September during the big iPhone 6s event. The Apple Watch Hermes collection is now available in select Apple and Hermes stores. Locations include Los Angeles, Toronto, Miami, New York, San Francisco and several other cities in Asia and Europe.

Depending on the style of the band and how big you want it to be, the Hermes collection will vary in price. The special French-designed Watch comes in three completely different styles and five exquisite colours – this leads to ten different looks to choose from.

Apple’s new collection will showcase three new leather band designs. Cuff, who is the bulkier of the bunch is inspired by equestrian fixtures, notes Apple. Single Tour follows the same equestrian style and Apple says that the buckle resembles the one found on the straps of a horse’s girth. The last design is the Double Tour, which is exactly what you’re thinking of – you can wrap the band two times around your wrist.

Size really matters when it comes to Apple Watch.

The Double Tour Model

Take the 38mm Double Tour – it comes in four colours such as Brown – Fauve, Grey – Etain, Light Brown – Capucine and Blue – Bleu Jean.

The Single Tour Model

The 38mm Hermes-designed Single Tour can be bought in Fauve, Capucine, Black – Noir, while the bigger 42mm model of Single Tour is only available in Fauve and Noir.

The Apple Watch Hermes Collection showcases the bulkiest model, called The Cuff.

The Cuff Model

The last one of the bunch, and the bulkiest one too, is The Cuff. It’s available only in 42mm sizes with a Brown strap. It’s also the most expensive Hermes-Apple Watch model you can buy – it costs $1,500.

According to sources close to Apple and Hermes, their alliance has started way before Apple announced their first Watch iteration. All of the smartwatches included in the Apple Watch Hermes Collection have special new clock faces designed by the luxury brand, as well as their logo stapled on the back.

Worth noting is that this is the first time Apple has allowed so much material branding from an outsider on one of their products. We kinda figured that 2015 and 2016 will be the cornerstone for Apple, but we didn’t thought that they are keen on redesigning themselves so fast.

In all fairness, the Hermes branding is done in traditional Apple style – keeping everything simple and elegant.

Target will be selling the Apple Watch starting with the 25th of October, but it won’t have the new Hermes collection in store. At least, not for now.

Hermes brings more elegance and a certain style to Apple’s smartwatch don’t you think?

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Apple TV Apps – Plex and VLC Incoming

September 15, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

The next gen Apple TV was announced last week. It has been redesigned to better suit its target demographic. It has an overhauled Siri, which comes with a new search function and also its very own App Store.

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted, during the announcement, that the future of television is apps. Therefore, expect a plethora of Apple TV apps in the near future.

This also means that we’ll witness a ton more new apps that were not available for the earlier versions of Apple’s TV. The first to see the light on day on Apple’s TV will be Plex and VLC.

Jean-Baptiste Kemp, one of the lead developers of VLC, unveils that video playback is now possible. He has been also reported of saying that Plex, who he co-founded, will be available on Apple’s new platform. It’s only a time of evaluating their position and which path it’s best to take Plex on.

This isn’t shocking news, but still it’s important, not only for the Cupertino-based company. With these new Apple TV apps, users will have the possibility to stream local content to their box-of-wonders using different devices. This frees up the dependency of using Apple’s pre-installed online streaming services.

Plex will be available on Apple TV soon, founders note.

This is relevant in countries like India and any other place where Netflix’s presence is absent. Apple’s TV, or Amazon’s Fire TV, turns from a highly-appreciated device into a literally useless box in 5 seconds flat.

These Apple TV apps aren’t revolutionary. That’s not the case. They have been available for the majority of Android-enabled set-top-boxes. In India they are witnessing a surge of popularity.

An Android set-top box manufacturer reports that the most used app on his product is YouTube. Following in second, third and fourth place are Plex, XMBC and VLC.

Their target demo for India is going to be different than what Apple has been focusing on in Europe or the US. Yet, it’s a great sign that the big A is starting to focus on markets like China and India.

Huawei and Xiaomi have been relentlessly trying to push their products there and they have achieved brand recognition, among other things.

Huawei is also a big player in Europe. Their smartphones product-line is starting to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. It’s just a matter of time until Huawei has the perfect opportunity to go deeper into the set-top box market in Europe and US.

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The Next Gen Apple TV Will Be Game-Changing

September 3, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

On the 9th of September, on a Wednesday, Apple will most definitely unveil their next gen Apple TV.

It will feature more powerful components and a new touchpad-friendly remote.

However, the new remote will be one of the main highlights. The touchpad input greatly improves its usability and the built-in motion sensors will make it function as a game controller.

Software-wise, the next gen Apple TV will be packed-full with features. It will have its very own App Store and, of course, Siri will be fully integrated. The beloved digital assistant will support hardcore voice control, sources add.

Reports note that the next gen Apple TV will come with a feature that old Apple TV users have been craving for years.

I’m talking about universal search.

Think of Popcorn Time, but legal. You can search for a TV series or a movie and results will displayed from various sources.

Sources close to Apple note that this will be a game-changing addition. The end-user is the one to profit out of this. We will have the possibility of choosing from a wide variety of streaming video services – why should I pay $10 for Breaking Bad when I can get it at $5?

Be sure that Apple’s iTunes Store will be displayed each and every single time.

But a search function is pretty useless without filters. The Apple TV’s universal search will allow users to search for directors and actors, among other things.

All these things can be done via Siri.

Yet, not only Siri resides at core of this new functionality. In 2013, Apple acquired a video discovery startup named Matcha.

The Proactive search feature found in iOS 9, along with Matcha, is rumoured to also be part of the stew, 9to5Mac reports.

The universal search feature is going to be a cornerstone for Apple’s TV, a device that suffered immensely from its text-based capability. This may very well transpose the next gen Apple TV as a reliable entry-level video-streaming-oriented device.

9to5Mac also reports that the price of the new Apple TV will start at $149. In the near future, Apple will sell internet TV service subs. The faster they make this happen, the more households will be enticed to install an Apple TV.

Of course, Apple declined to comment on these rumors. Go figure.

We’ll have to wait until the 9th of September for the official announcement.

We are more than curious to see what Apple’s TV main competitors, Amazon Fire TV and Roku, have in store for us. If they don’t act fast, they might just lose the head-start they have.

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Samsung Vs Apple Drawing Closer To An End?

August 24, 2015 By Cristopher Hall Leave a Comment

With the two smartphone giants pitted against each other, it’s no wonder everyone is keeping their eyes people on the Samsung vs Apple patent suit. Which one of them are you rooting for?

The war between the two companies begun back in 2011, with the iPhone maker hitting Samsung with various patent infringement suits. In July 2012 the companies had opened over 50 lawsuits world wide against each other and were both taking the hit in the form of billions of dollars in damages. A year later Apple was receiving a favorable ruling in the USA, while Samsung was winning in South Korea, Japan and the UK.

Fast forward to 2015, when Samsung vs Apple is still ongoing, making the headlines and wasting the companies’ money. The newest development is Samsung’s decision to request the Supreme Court of the United States to rehear their appeal. A San Jose federal jury found Samsung guilty of violating the iPhone’s patents back in 2012.

According to the ruling from 2012, Samsung violated Apple’s patents in twenty three products. As a consequence, Samsung has to pay $548 million, well under the $1 billion Apple originally requested.

While Samsung’s appeal has already been denied twice now, they’re running out of options. So they decided to take it up with the Supreme Court and argue before them. Other big names are expected to show up in the Samsung vs Apple epic battle.

So far, Samsung has benefited from support from Hewlett Packard, Google, Dell, eBay and Facebook, all backing up the South Korean phone manufacturer’s efforts.

On August 19, Samsung said they intend to ask SCOTUS to take over the case, after a couple of years of unsuccessful tactics, appeals and patent lawsuits.

We can understand Apple is only trying to protect its intellectual property, but how much is too much? The ongoing Samsung vs Apple lawsuit speaks volumes about the two giants’ determination to dispute each and every patent suit.

An overall view on the two smartphone manufacturers’ business betrays their noble intentions. The effects of the fifty open lawsuits translate into expensive law and courtroom tactics that have ended up far away from the original intent of the first suit.

Will the Samsung vs Apple patent war that seems eternal ever end? Neither of the two parties seem bent on finding an amicable solution for the battle, especially when each loss from one of them translates into the other’s win.

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What’s the Difference Between Apple Pay and Samsung Pay?

August 20, 2015 By Roxanne Briean Leave a Comment

Samsung Pay has just been launched in South Korea – it’s a mobile wallet service.

Samsung joins its competitor Apple, which released its proprietary software last year, in trying to convince people to use their smartphones, rather than the traditional plastic card, when they make in-store purchases.

Samsung believes that it has the upper-hand because their tech works with a larger number of payment terminals already present in stores.

In reality, it’s unknown if this trend will start to gain popularity. It has already garnered a small cult following, but what about other non-geeky members of the public spectrum?

The two tech giants, Apple and Samsung are offering full support so the trend kickstarts itself and relinquishes our bulky wallet, or handbag.

A couple of questions are most certain on everyone’s mind – What is Apple, and Samsung Pay? What’s the difference between them?

Basically, this new form of payment replaces your credit card. The huge difference is that Samsung Pay uses a tokenisation system, and Apple doesn’t.

Samsung Pay is only available in South Korea, for the moment being. The company will expand to the States on the 28th of September. The Seoul-based tech firm has plans to further expand into UK, Spain, and China sometime in the near-future. Rumors have it that by the end of 2016, Samsung Pay will be available in the recently mentioned countries.

This represents a more aggressive rollout strategy on behalf of Samsung. Apple’s Pay service has limited itself to the US and UK, with no future plans of expanding its territory.

Samsung Pay will only work on the company’s latest flag-ship smartphones.

Galaxy Note 5
Galaxy S6 Edge plus
Galaxy S6 Edge
Galaxy S6

Those who provide your credit card will have to get involved in this scheme.

How to Use Samsung Pay

All you need to do to use Samsung Pay is to swipe from up to bottom on your smartphone’s/tablet’s face and the app will appear.

Afterwards, you’ll have to choose your credit card from a list. You can add as many as you like. The device will then scan your fingerprint, and you’ll be required to provide the Pin code.

Within 15 seconds of doing this, provide the device to the payment terminal so the transaction can be completed.

Terminals that use tap-and-go through NFC are compatible with Samsung Pay.

How safe is Samsung Pay

Pretty safe. It doesn’t use a static PAN – primary account number; for transactions. In its stead, it uses a tokenissation system to protect against the threat of hackers copying the coded details on a users magnetic stripe.

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Samsung And Apple Better Put Their Boxing Gloves On

August 13, 2015 By Karen Jackson Leave a Comment

Samsung and Apple are in the lead on the smartphone market, but for how much longer? The Korean tech giant is expected to introduce two new smartphones, possibly the new version of Galaxy S6 edge, that will have a curved screen, and Galaxy Note 5, their newest phablet.

If Samsung usually holds on to device announcements until September, this year they might want to get a head start over their main competitor, Apple. The latter will probably announce the latest version of iPhone (6s or 7) on September 9. This would give Samsung enough time to beat Apple to market.

It’s no secret Samsung has been struggling to make ends meet and satisfy the market’s requirements. This stemmed from the slow manufacturing process caused by the curved screen of the new smartphone.

But Samsung can’t be happy looking at the numbers. Their sales are sluggish, with most recent reports showing their incomes have decreased by eight per cent as a whole and as much as thirty eight per cent only in the mobile division.

This is happening as a result of the fierce competition on the smartphone market. With Chinese manufacturers like Huawei and Xiaomi breathing down the necks of Samsung and Apple, the fight for territory is only now beginning.

Samsung and Apple are currently holding the first places on the Australian market, but the jury is still out for who’s winning the third place. With Sony, HTC and LG witnessing severe sale drops, other cheaper manufacturers seize the moment to expand to new markets.

We’re talking about Xiaomi and Huawei, whose devices are on the rise. They are already on the first place on the Chinese market and now they have their eyes set on Australia. There’s no wonder their smartphones are doing well. Xiaomi released the Mi Note in January, selling it for $487, as opposed to Apple 6, for which you had to pay $1286.

Huawei decided for another strategy. They went ahead and increased their prices. It was a bold move, but it paid off. Only in the first half of 2015 they witnessed their revenues doubling, reaching 7.23 billion dollars.

They’re also looking at an increased demand. During the last six months their shipments spiked by thirty nine per cent as opposed to the last years’ deliveries. With Samsung and Apple staying on the high end edge of the smartphone spectrum, is Huawei’s strategy getting the firm on its path to number one?

Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge sales didn’t match Samsung’s expectations. While they can blame it on the ever changing smartphone market, that doesn’t change the fact the competition is advancing at a strong pace.

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How to Use Samsung Pay

How safe is Samsung Pay

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