Federico Viticci

10874 posts on MacStories since April 2009

Federico is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, where he writes about Apple with a focus on apps, developers, iPad, and iOS productivity. He founded MacStories in April 2009 and has been writing about Apple since. Federico is also the co-host of AppStories, a weekly podcast exploring the world of apps, Unwind, a fun exploration of media and more, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about portable gaming and the handheld revolution.
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“iPhone 5G” Case Suggests Thinner Bezel, New Camera Flash Placement

As noted by GadgetsDNA (via MacRumors), a new case design surfaced on e-commerce website Alibaba seems to suggest a new camera flash placement for the next generation iPhone, as well as a thinner bezel with an horizontal edge-to-edge display design. The case points to the new iPhone model as “iPhone 5G”, contradicting a recent report that claimed Apple was working on an iPhone 4S, sharing the same industrial design of the curent-gen iPhone 4.

1.100% brand new high quality crystal case for iphone 5g .

2. Provides a comfortable grip, added protection against accidental drops .

3. Perfectly fits the iPhone 5g, easy to insert and remove .

4. Unique design allows easy access to all buttons, controls & ports without having to remove the case.

5. Durable and Beautiful design

The case has a slot for the camera flash on the opposite side of the lens, which is rumored to receive an upgrade for the iPhone Apple will likely unveil in September. As far as theories about the larger display go, a report from This Is My Next in April claimed Apple was working on a completely redesigned iPhone with a “teardrop design”, a larger display, a new Home button, and worldphone capabilities. It’s worth noting, however, that former Engadget editor Joshua Topolsky (now writing for This Is My Next) also said the iPad 2 would get an SD slot and an higher resolution screen – features that weren’t implemented by Apple in the final product. Several rumors in the past months suggested Apple could release a redesigned iPhone 5 with a larger screen, NFC compatibility and a tweaked Home button design, but recently multiple sources and analysts close to “people familiar with Apple’s plans” seem to believe the next-generation iPhone will launch in September with a design similar to the iPhone 4, and upgrades to the CPU, RAM, and rear-facing camera lens.

Apple Offers Free iOS and Mac Repairs Following Japan Disaster

[image via]

As noted by TUAW, Apple has started offering free repairing services for iOS devices, Macs and Cinema Displays damaged during the Japan earthquake and tsunami in March. The list of supported devices is available here [Google Translation] and includes any Mac model, Apple Cinema Displays, iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. Customers who live in the municipalities listed in the Disaster Relief Act of 2011 can apply to the free repairing service.

Following the earthquake and tsunami, Apple offered its support to victims and staff multiple times. Most notably, a story from an Apple employee in Japan described how the company allowed  customers, employees and regular people to find shelter inside the Apple Stores, using the power lines to recharge their computers and in-store Macs to connect iPhones and iPads. The company then set up a special page in the iTunes Store to donate to the American Red Cross for the Japan relief fund. Apple CEO Steve Jobs also sent a letter to all Apple Employees a few days after the disaster.

Xcode 4.1 Developer Preview 5 Released

Alongside an update to Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview, Apple also released a new build of Xcode 4.1 to developers. Xcode 4.1 Developer Preview 5 is available now for download in the Mac Dev Center, and requires the installation of Lion Developer Preview 3, released through Software Update.

This is a pre-release version of Xcode 4.1 for both Mac and iOS development. This release requires Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview 3 and includes iOS SDK 4.3.

The first build of Xcode 4.1 was released in February after the first Lion Developer Preview, with new builds following the release of Lion Developer Preview updates.

Apple Releases Lion Developer Preview 3

Apple just released a new OS X Lion Developer Preview. The update weighs at around 1.07 GB and it’s available now in the Software Update control panel. It is recommended for all users running Lion DP 2, and Apple’s Mac Dev Center seems to confirm the new build is indeed Lion Developer Preview 3, although the direct link on the Dev Center still goes back to Lion Developer Preview 2. It appears Apple is now seeding Lion DP update only via Software Update.

Mac OS  X Lion Developer Preview 3 is now available via Software Update for systems running developer preview 2 update 2.

 

In the past weeks, Apple released via Software Update two updates for Lion Developer Preview 2; these latest updates to Lion DP 2 are needed in order to install Developer Preview 3 through Software Update. Read more

First Build of Mac OS X 10.6.8 Seeded to Developers

As noted by MacRumors, Apple has seeded the first build of Mac OS X 10.6.8 to developers. The new build, which carries number 10K521, confirms there’s room for at least one more Snow Leopard update before the release of 10.7 Lion, scheduled for this summer.

According to people familiar with the new build, focus areas for 10.6.8 are AirPort, Graphics Drivers, Mac App Store, Networking, QuickTime and VPN. Apple released the last public version of Snow Leopard, Mac OS X 10.6.7, on March 21, including fixes for Mac App Store, SMB servers and Back to my Mac.

Analyst: iPhone 4S Coming with HSPA+, Minor Design Changes

BusinessInsider relays a report from Jefferies analyst Peter Misek claiming that, according to his industry checks, the next-generation iPhone will be called “iPhone 4S” and it will come with a dual-core A5 processor, and better cameras. Whilst these specs have been reported by several other sources in the past, Misek also seems to believe the iPhone 4S will indeed feature minor “cosmetic changes” (thus contradicting rumors we’ve heard in the past few weeks) and support for HSPA+ networks.

Because the 4G chips weren’t ready, Apple is going with the minor update to the iPhone 4.

Misek also revealed the next version of the phone will work with Sprint, T-Mobile, and China Mobile.

Speculation arisen around the next-gen iPhone model suggested Apple was already testing iPhone 4 prototypes running a custom A5 chip (the same found on the iPad 2) for better performances, but those old reports couldn’t specify whether the temporary iPhone 4 demo units would result in an iPhone 4-like design for the final product. Misek believes the iPhone 5 – which was rumored to have NFC, a bigger screen, 4G connectivity, or a thinner form factor, among other things – will look like an iPhone 4, only faster on the inside. Upgrading the 3G performances of the iPhone also falls in line with Tim Cook’s recent statements about LTE 4G chipsets, which the COO mentioned the Q2 2011 earnings call, saying they would have required “design compromises” Apple wasn’t willing to accept.

Google News Goes Local on Mobile Browsers

With an official post on Google News’ blog, Google has announced that starting today in the United States, Google News will be able of displaying location-based content on iOS and Android mobile browsers. By giving access to your location information in iOS Safari, Google News will find news relevant to where you are in the US with a new section called “News near you.”

To use this feature, visit Google News from the browser of your Android smartphone or iPhone. If this is the first time you are visiting Google News on your phone since this feature became available, a pop-up will ask you if you want to share your location. If you say yes, news relevant to your location will appear in a new section called “News near you” which will be added at the bottom of the homepage. You can reorganize the sections later via the personalization page.

The updated section is available now on news.google.com, but it’s restricted to the United States. Remember you’ll have to grant Safari access to your location, otherwise the feature won’t work.

AOL Launching Flipboard-like “Editions” for iPad This Summer

Following a trend that sees publishers and companies struggling to deliver personalized content to iPad owners who want to filter news and articles out of their Twitter and Facebook social feeds, AOL is planning on releasing a Flipboard-like magazine for iPad this summer called Editions, BusinessInsider reports. Editions, currently teased on the web with an official landing page, appears to be a much more complex solution than Flipboard though: whilst the iPad app of the year 2010 pulls any link shared on your Twitter or Facebook account, not applying any sort of filtering or smart recognition algorithm, Editions will try to be intelligent enough to only display content that’s relevant to you, related to your location, in a way that reminds of a daily newspaper delivered to you once a day. Call it a mix between Flipboard and News Corp.’s The Daily, AOL’s Editions will even go as far as creating a cover for the top story in your social feed, as well as aggregating all content from AOL-owned publications like TechCrunch and Engadget.

To pick these stories, Editions will look at what your social networks are recommending and the general topics they seem to be interested in, as well as your location (to deliver local news). Then, it will look at which stories you click on and how long you spend reading them, and adjust over time.

Editions is also not meant to replace Web surfing – instead, it will be delivered once a day, just like a newspaper. Temkin noted that AOL’s usage statistics show that people don’t use an iPad like a mobile phone, checking it constantly throughout the day. Instead, usage peaks at morning and night, when people are home and have some time to sit back and read.

Editions will launch this summer (before September 20th, they say) only on the iPad, as AOL doesn’t believe Android tablets will gain much “traction.” The idea sounds interesting – as every concept revolving around automatic news personalization does – but it’ll have to face fierce competition from the likes of News.me (which relies on a similar concept and is developed by the folks behind URL shortening service bit.ly), Yahoo’s upcoming Livestand and the next version of Flipboard, which is rumored to be heavily based on a new algorithm for better news filtering as the result of the acquisition of Ellerdale Project last year. Flipboard recently announced they tripled the app’s usage and doubled the userbase in just over two months.

Foxlink to Expand Apple’s Retail Distribution in Asia with 50 New Stores

According to a report by Digitimes published today, Foxlink is planning on opening 50 new Apple-exclusive retail stores in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea by the end of 2011. Currently, Foxlink has 50 stores in Asia, and the move to double its presence  to sell Apple products-only could drive a significant change in Apple’s retail distribution in these countries.

Taiwan-based Foxlink plans to expand the number of its exclusive stores for Apple products in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea to 100 outlets by the end of the year, from 50 currently, according to the company.

In addition to Foxlink, Cybermart, the Foxconn Group’s retail chain in China, will also open a new store in Changchun, Jilin province, China in July with the store to also set up an exclusive outlet of 200 square meters to sell Apple products.

Back in late January, it was also reported that Cybermart International, Foxconn retail subsidiary, announced its intention to open 500 new Apple-licensed stores in Greater China. The first store was set to open in Tianjin on April 1, 2011, and Digitimes claims today other locations include Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Changchun, Taiyuan, Xinjiang, and Kunming. At the Q2 2011 earnings call, Apple announced the opening of a 5th store in China, with Tim Cook confirming that Apple was “on a tear” in the country thanks to iPhone sales being up 250% in Greater China.