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A Peek Into the Life of a Tweak Developer and WWDC Student Scholarship Applicant

Posted by Stephen Hall at 2:03 pm

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Last week, Apple opened up its scholarship program for students and announced that it will be selecting up to 150 developers to get free tickets for WWDC 2013 (a $1,599 value). Not only will these students get free tickets, but they will get to go to the event–many developers that were even willing to pony up full-price for the tickets didn’t catch them in time.

Upon hearing this, I went on a manhunt to find a student entering the competition. This is yet another year that Apple has offered students this opportunity, and I wanted to offer you–the iFans readers–a peek into one of these developers’ lives and their contest entry.

This past Monday, I reported on the NowNow tweak and its compatibility with the iOS version of Google Now. Nick Frey, the developer of this tweak, just so happened to mention on Twitter that he submitted his entry for the WWDC Student Scholarship program. He was kind enough to share a little about himself and his entry, and you can find that interview below. (more…)

Does This Calculator Look Familiar to You?

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 11:48 am

Braun ET66 Calculator

If this calculator looks awfully familiar to you, it’s probably because you’ve used it before. Probably not this exact physical calculator, but the lookalike Calculator app on iPhone or iPod touch. As the late Steve Jobs once said, “good artists copy, great artists steal.” Very much true. Apple’s original Calculator.app was inspired by the Braun ET66 calculator, which now has a replica model that has been re-released. Touché.

This isn’t the first time that Apple has been “inspired” by a popular object in real life. Most recently, Apple was forced to settle with the Swiss Railway for using its iconic clock design in the Clock app for iPad. The two parties eventually reached an agreement that has Apple license the famous clock from Swiss Railways. Hopefully these incidents will be few and far between when iOS 7 arrives with less skeuomorphism. (more…)

Count Up to 50 Billion Apps and Win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card

Posted by Stephen Hall at 2:54 pm

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Yes, this has happened before. We first covered one of Apple’s app download milestone giveaways at the 10 billion mark, and then again at the 25 billion mark. Amazingly, there was just a little over a year between those two milestones. Today Apple has announced that it is nearing yet another: The number of apps downloaded has doubled in just about 15 months. (more…)

Apple ID Phishing Attack Compromises Over 100 Websites

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 6:52 pm

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The Next Web reports on a new phishing attack, which has compromised over 100 websites. The scam, which relies on users mistakenly entering Apple ID details in to non-Apple websites, allows hackers to gain access to any and all information stored with an Apple ID, including financial details. Further, it allows hackers to take control of actual hardware devices by using Apple’s remote wipe features.

(more…)

Rumors are Slowing, But That Doesn’t Mean Apple Is

Rumors are Slowing, But That Doesn’t Mean Apple Is

Posted by Stephen Hall at 3:21 pm

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Well, if you were paying attention, you might have noticed that I left out one highly successful Apple product of the 2000s, a device that wasn’t part of the rumor trinity: the iPod. The iPod came out in October of 2001 and was something of a surprise to everybody. Rumors of an Apple digital music player had only sprung up about a week before it was unveiled. Before any of those storied Apple rumors above came to fruition, we got a product that wasn’t rumored at all. And, I don’t know if you noticed, but the iPod turned out pretty OK.

MacWorld did a great roundup of the Apple rumors from the last 10 years. While they note that the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple set-top box were the three most-rumored devices, they remind us that the iPod was basically a complete surprise. Right now the Apple rumor mill has slowing, but the author of this article wants to remind us that that’s okay. Whether Apple’s next big thing is an “iWatch” or otherwise, they’re undoubtedly working on something. And Tim Cook says he’s ready to introduce an “exciting new product category” going into 2014.

Yep, iOS 7 Will Ship on Time

Posted by Stephen Hall at 3:01 pm

Co untless rumors have been flying today that Apple is frantically trying to pull together its iOS 7 at the last moment and that said software update may be facing “delays.” Others, including 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman have said otherwise. iOS 7 will not be delayed. Apple is simply having to pull engineers from other departments to get it done. Connected Apple pundit Jim Dalrymple has this afternoon confirmed this information with the iconic “Yep.” (more…)

Apr

Mac Hardware Refreshes Will Be Hardware Highlight of WWDC?

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 5:06 pm

Macs

WWDC 2013 is in just over a month, and the rumors are just firing up. While we already have a pretty good idea what to expect on the software front thanks to Mark Gurman over at 9to5Mac, the details on possible new hardware have simply not yet appeared. While most aren’t expecting new iOS devices until later this year, the Mac line could use some updates in certain areas. Today, we have the first credible rumors of what may happen come June. Unsurprisingly, they involve new Mac hardware configurations. (more…)

Apr

Apple’s iOS 7 Said to Be ‘Very, Very Flat’

Posted by Stephen Hall at 1:00 pm

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According to sources from 9to5Mac, iOS 7 is in for a major UI overhaul courtesy of the man himself, Jony Ive. While it may prove to be irritating for existing customers, the new “flat” UI apart of Apple’s next major iOS iteration will be attractive to those new to the platform. (more…)

Apr

Are iOS Users More Loyal to the Platform?

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 2:40 pm

A new report out on smartphone marketshare shows that Android’s lead may soon diminish, as users of the current Android devices jump ship to other platforms (including iOS, but also BB10, Windows Phone, and others). The idea is that Android users are far less loyal to their platform than iOS users, and as the Android users upgrade devices they are far more likely to choose another operating system.

This has little to do with loyalty to a specific company. (more…)