Apple’s iOS 7 Test Icons Discovered in Springboard.app

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Hidden inside iOS 7′s Springboard.app file are the images to the right. Discovered by iFans forum member core1, the images depict various actions or test icons included in iOS 7 beta 1.

The images, which range from hilariously relevant to whimsical, likely exist for internal testing. They are all at the 2x resolution, which marks them as being retina images.

The inclusion of these images shows just how early the iOS 7 beta 1 is. Images such as these have never been discovered in past betas, as they were likely removed long before developer test builds were issued. The icons are also strange in that they do not reflect icons actually in iOS 7: both the dockicon and hairfade are both actual photos, and none of the icons carry the neon colors of the icons that actually made it in to iOS 7. That suggests that these icons are only being used to test specific functions found within iOS 7′s springboard, and not the look nor the feel of icons on the homescreen.

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WWDC 2013: iTunes Radio, iWork in the Cloud, and a New Mac Pro

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iOS 7. MacBook Air refresh. OS X 10.9 Mavericks. Today’s opening Keynote of WWDC 2013 brought a downright deluge of news. However, there’s still more. Included in today’s updates were announcements regarding iTunes and iWork, as well as the reveal of a completely redesigned Mac Pro.

Let’s start with iTunes Radio. (more…)

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Apple Lands at #6 on the Fortune 500

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Fortune, a well-respected magazine, is out today, and with it came the annual FORTUNE 500 ranking, which lists the top 500 corporations in America based on revenue for the past year. Apple, for the first time in its history, has made the top ten, coming in at #6.

Other notable tech companies that made the list include: Facebook, coming in at #482; AT&T, #11; Verizon, #16; Microsoft, #35; and Amazon, at #49. Naturally, it’s difficult for technology companies to crack the top ten, which includes corporations of such caliber as General Motors, Exxon, and (at #1) Walmart.

Do you think Apple will remain on the list next year?

[9to5mac]

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Apple Records Strongest March Quarter in Company History

apple_logo_grey1Just moments ago, Apple announced its financial earnings results for the second quarter of the fiscal year. And for the second consecutive quarter, the Cupertino-based corporation posted record-breaking numbers with $43.6 billion in revenue thanks to strong sales in each of its main product categories.

During the three month period ending in March, Apple sold 37.4 million iPhones, 19.5 million iPads and just under 4 million Macs. In the year-ago quarter, comparatively, Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads and 4 million Macs.  (more…)

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Apple to Report Second Quarter Earnings This Afternoon

Apple Rainbow LogoA quick reminder that Apple will be announcing its financial results for the second quarter of the fiscal year at 4:30 PM Eastern, with many Wall Street analysts on edge about how the Cupertino-based corporation performed during the three month period. Despite increasing sales and revenues from its products, Apple has been heavily scrutinized about its future outlook due to increasing competition and shrinking profit margins.

Yahoo Finance (via 9to5Mac) predicts that Apple will report upwards of $42.5 billion in quarterly revenues, based on analyst’s sales predictions of 36.5 million iPhones, 18.3 million iPads, 4.1 million Macs and 6.25 million iPods. In January, Apple posted its best quarterly financial results ever in the aftermath of a strong holiday shopping season. Yet, since that time, its stock has fallen from the $700 mark to around $400 per share.

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The Onion Posts a Hilarious Tim Cook Satire

The Onion Posts a Hilarious Tim Cook Satire

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Eighteen months after the death of his mentor, Apple CEO Tim Cook was seen Wednesday pounding the tombstone of company founder Steve Jobs and begging for guidance in his leadership of what was once the largest corporation in the history of the world.

The Onion, as most know, is one of the world’s most hilarious satire news websites. This post is most likely a play on yesterday’s news that APPL fell below $400. I laughed far too hard at this.

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Apple Falls Below $400 for the First Time Since 2011

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While we did see Apple finish the day off just a smidgen over $400, the Cupertino corporation saw its stock price fall below $400 earlier–for the first time since December 2011. This amounts to a nearly 6% drop today alone. CNBC speculates the main reason being a report from DigiTimes that iPad mini shipments could drop “20 to 30 percent quarter-over-quarter to 10 to 12 million in the June quarter.” (more…)

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Foxconn Ramps Up Hiring In Order to Meet Demand for Upcoming iPhone

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The WSJ, famed for their accurate Apple sources, is reporting that Foxconn is beginning a massive hiring spree in order to meet demand for the next-generation iPhone. Foxconn, who has long been a favored manufacturing partner for Apple, temporarily paused hiring new workers during the Chinese Holidays. That pause has been lifted, and it seems likely that the recent hires are due to a tighter timeframe that would involve a new iPhone being pushed out this summer, instead of in September or October.

Foxconn is infamous for having poor working conditions, and Apple has in the past been put under pressure to either help improve said conditions or terminate the long-standing partnership between the two companies.Last year, stories circulated that conditions were improving steadily, albeit at a pace slower than some wished. Regardless, it seems as if the partnership between Apple and Foxconn remains strong.

[The WSJ]

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WSJ: Production of a Refreshed iPhone to Begin this Quarter, Summer Launch Likely

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Apple may release a new iPhone model sooner, rather than later, if reports from The Wall Street Journal are to be believed. While rumors of a refreshed iPhone launching earlier in the summer than previously thought aren’t new, this is the first time that an outlet such as The WSJ has thrown their hat in to the ring.

According to their report, Apple will begin production of a successor to the iPhone 5 this quarter. The successor will likely be an “S” update, with improved internal specifications and software features, but without any major change in the physical design. Beginning the production this early of a device that will be easier to produce than the redesigned iPhone 5 suggests that Apple may announce and release the device earlier than previously thought. Credible rumors point to an August launch.

[The WSJ]

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Sassy Schiller Sasses Android

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Phil Schiller doesn’t like Android. He works at Apple, and Apple is currently engaged in a full battle with Android. So the following comments he made to The Wall-Street Journal shouldn’t be particularly surprising.

Mr. Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of world-wide marketing, also said that Android users are often running old operating systems and that the fragmentation in the Android world was “plain and simple.”

He added that “Android is often given a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn’t as good as an iPhone.”

Let us also keep his current role at Apple in mind: he’s the head of marketing. (more…)

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