iPhone 6 Case Maker's Renderings Display Antenna Cutouts, Thin Design

iPhone 6 design renderings aimed at helping case manufacturers create early iPhone 6 cases ahead of the device's release have surfaced on Ukranian website UkrainianiPhone [Google Translate] (via Nowhereelse.fr), from what the site calls a "reliable source of information."

The renderings are seemingly based on the same general design principles found in schematics leaked back in early March, but they provide more detail on what we might possibly expect from the iPhone 6. As with most of the current design leaks, the authenticity of the renderings cannot be confirmed.

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While the majority of renderings, cases, and iPhone 6 details leaked up until this point have failed to explain how Apple will incorporate antennas into the iPhone 6, the new Ukrainian renderings suggest that the back shell of the iPhone will not be all one piece, potentially leaving room in the aluminum casing for possible antenna inserts, similar to the design of the existing iPhone 5s. There are separate top and bottom pieces depicted in the renderings as well, which also point towards an antenna.

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According to the renderings, the device will have a thickness of 6mm, which is somewhat in line with predictions from reliable KGI securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who pointed towards a thickness of 6.5 to 7mm. At 6mm, the iPhone 6 would be significantly thinner than the iPhone 5s, which is 7.6mm thick. The renderings also suggest the iPhone 6 will have a length of 138mm and a width of 67mm.

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As with the original design schematics, the renderings incorporate a rounded flash, which is a departure from the existing pill-shaped True Tone flash introduced with the iPhone 5s. There's also a sleep/wake button located on the right side of the device, and rumors have thus far suggested Apple could move the button to make it easier to access sleep/wake on a larger device with one hand.

Overall, the renderings are more or less in line with previous iPhone 6 rumors, which have indeed pointed to a thinner design with smaller bezels. Apple's iPhone 6 is also expected to include an upgraded A8 processor, Touch ID, and an improved camera.

GameStop Expanding Beyond Video Games with Aggressive Growth Plans for 'Simply Mac' Stores

Major video game retailer GameStop is making a significant push to broaden its business, expanding its retail operations with new brands and stores that will focus on Apple gear and AT&T Mobility products, reports The Star-Telegram.

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While the diversification will include a move into AT&T mobile services through GameStop's acquisition of Spring Mobile, of more interest for Apple users is GameStop's plans for Simply Mac, a chain of authorized Apple resale and repair shops that focuses on smaller markets where Apple has not shown interest in opening its own stores. Founded in 2006 in Utah, Simply Mac grew to eight stores by October 2012 when GameStop acquired a 49.9 percent stake in the Apple reseller. In November 2013, GameStop exercised an option to purchase the rest of Simply Mac, which now includes 23 locations focused in the western half of the United States, and GameStop has plans for a significant expansion of the Simply Mac network.
[GameStop CEO Paul] Raines said GameStop’s confidence in rapid growth at the small chains, acquired for about $110 million last year, is buoyed by their strong ties to industry leaders AT&T and Apple.

Steve Bain and Jason Ellis, the executives who built Simply Mac and Spring Mobile, continue to run the operations for GameStop and see strong growth opportunities. After opening 23 stores this year, Bain said, the company plans to open 50 more Simply Mac stores in 2015.
While its stores are smaller and lower profile than many of Apple's retail stores, Simply Mac's push to open nearly 75 stores through the end of 2015 appears to dwarf Apple's own plans in the United States. Apple typically opens around 30 stores per year, but at this point the majority of those are outside of the United States.
The “transformation,” as CEO Paul Raines dubbed it, is intended to keep GameStop growing and leverage its expertise in store operations and buying and selling used devices. He said he envisions GameStop as a “family of specialty retailers that make your favorite technologies affordable and simple.”
As GameStop expands into the lucrative mobile phone and Apple device market, the retailer plans to downsize its video games operations by closing up to 130 of its 6,400 GameStop stores sometime this year. Though video games will remain its primary focus, GameStop CEO Rob Lloyd believes the company's new technology brands could generate up to $1 billion in revenue and contribute up to 10 percent of GameStop's revenue by 2016.

This move into Apple's retail segment comes at a time when Apple is in the middle of a retail transition. The company is awaiting the arrival of retail head Angela Ahrendts, who is completing her transitionary period at Burberry. Apple also is rumored to be working on a mobile payments system under the leadership of Jennifer Bailey, who allegedly left her executive role in online retail to spearhead this new mobile initiative.

Apple Leaves Users Vulnerable By Not Fixing iOS and OS X Security Issues Simultaneously

Notable computer security researcher Kristin Paget, who worked on Apple's security team before leaving for Tesla in early 2014, has taken to her blog (via Ars Technica) to criticize Apple for fixing more than a dozen security flaws in iOS weeks after patching them in OS X.

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iOS 7.1.1, released yesterday, patched multiple WebKit vulnerabilities that were initially fixed in OS X with the release of Safari 7.0.3 on April 1. The delay between fixes, says Paget, alerted hackers to serious flaws potentially exploitable on Apple's mobile operating system and then gave hackers ample time to exploit the vulnerabilities.
Is this how you do business? Drop a patch for one product that quite literally lists out, in order, the security vulnerabilities in your platform, and then fail to patch those weaknesses on your other range of products for weeks afterwards? You really don't see anything wrong with this?

Someone tell me I'm not crazy here. Apple preaches the virtues of having the same kernel (and a bunch of other operating system goop) shared between two platforms – but then only patches those platforms one at a time, leaving the entire userbase of the other platform exposed to known security vulnerabilities for weeks at a time?
Addressing Apple, Paget goes on to write that Apple needs to sit in front of a chalkboard and write out "I will not use iOS to drop 0day on OSX, nor use OSX to drop 0day on iOS."

In addition to the WebKit vulnerabilities that were patched out of sync, Apple also recently exposed a major OS X flaw when patching the same flaw in iOS. Back in February, with the release of iOS 7.0.6, a major SSL connection verification vulnerability came to light. Known as the "goto fail" bug, it left iOS and OS X users vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks where hackers could pose as a trusted website to intercept communications or acquire sensitive information.

Apple launched iOS 7.0.6 on a Friday, fixing the vulnerability on iOS but leaving OS X users vulnerable to attack until the following Tuesday, when it released OS X 10.9.2 to patch the security flaw.

Apple Reports Record March Quarter Results, Splits Stock 7-for-1, and Boosts Share Buyback

Apple today announced financial results for the first calendar quarter and second fiscal quarter of 2014. For the quarter, Apple posted revenue of $45.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $10.2 billion, or $11.62 per diluted share, compared to revenue of $43.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.

Gross margin for the quarter was 39.3 percent compared to 37.5 percent in the year-ago quarter, with international sales accounting for 66 percent of revenue. Apple also declared an increased dividend payment of $3.29 per share, payable on May 15 to shareholders as of the close of trading on May 12. The company currently holds $150.6 billion in cash and marketable securities.

In addition to the increase in the dividend payment, Apple said it will dramatically increase its share repurchase authorization to $90 billion from $60 billion and will execute a 7-for-1 stock split as of June 9. The company says it expects to spend over $130 billion in cash under its capital return program by the end of 2015. Apple is now paying $11 billion per year in dividends to shareholders.

Apple previously had a 2-for-1 stock split back in 2005.
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Quarterly iPhone unit sales reached 43.7 million, compared to 37.4 million in the year-ago quarter, and the company sold 16.35 million iPads, down from 19.5 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 4.1 million Macs compared to just under 4 million in the year-ago period.
“We’re very proud of our quarterly results, especially our strong iPhone sales and record revenue from services,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re eagerly looking forward to introducing more new products and services that only Apple could bring to market.”
Apple's guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 includes expected revenue of $36-38 billion and gross margin between 37 and 38 percent.

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Apple will provide live streaming of its fiscal Q2 2014 financial results conference call at 2:00 PM Pacific, and MacRumors will update this story with coverage of the conference call highlights.

Conference Call and Q&A Highlights are available in reverse chronological order after the jump.

- 2:58 pm: The call is complete.



- 2:58 pm: A: Reason that I stripped off hobby label, when you look at sales of the Apple TV box itself, and the content that was bought directly off Apple TV, for 2013, that number was over $1 billion. It didn't feel right to me to refer to something that's over $1 billion as a hobby. From an investment point of view, we continue to make the product better and better so it doesn't feel right from that POV either. We have HBO Go already on Apple TV and you have to authenticate in order to use it, but you have to do that with Amazon's service as well from my brief read of their announcement. From that, they got some older content from HBO to put on there and I haven't had a chance to evaluate exactly what it is and don't have a personal POV of that. Look broadly, compares extremely favorable to the content that is on the Amazon box. Sold about 20 million Apple TVs and we have a pretty large installed base there. I'm feeling quite good about that business and where it can go.



- 2:56 pm: Q: Apple TV is no longer a hobby, why did you make that distinction. Interesting to hear your feedback on HBO/Amazon announcement today and what you think that means in terms of content partners being able to work with players like yourself.



- 2:56 pm: Looking at this data and deciding to continue investing in a big way. Plan to triple number of Apple Retail Stores in China over next two years, continuing to build out channel, expand online. 40,000 points of sale on iPhone. even 40k is low number considering broad land mass and number of folks in China. I feel like there's still loads of opportunity there and feel really good about how we're doing.



- 2:55 pm: A: All-time revenue record in Greater China, $9.8 billion. iPhone up 28% versus IDC market forecast of 20% growth. Gained share. Mac units were up double digit, up 13%, far outpacing IDC PC market forecast of negative 8%. Gained share there as well. iTunes software and services, more than doubled it year over year in triple digits, look at iPad, take out channel inventory ins and outs, look at demand instead of sell-in, grew by 6%. IDC expected flat tablet market in China. Literally did well in every single area in China. Wasn't just because we were able to come to an agreement with the world's largest carrier, that was key but as you can tell there are other things going on. Also, I had mentioned this briefly, if you look at some of the numbers we're seeing on first time iPhone buyers, people that bought the ipHone 4s, 85% were first time iPhone buyers. The 5c, 69% were first time iPhone buyers. These are extraordinary. As you expect, these are heavily android switchers. 62% of people who bought 4s switched, 60% who bought 5c switched from Android.



- 2:52 pm: Q: China Mobile is a driver in China, but can you talk about other carriers or products in China?



- 2:52 pm: A: Lot of moving parts, lot of acquisitions, lot of people giving up to a degree. At the end of the day, we see it as, the part of the market that we're interested in, the market of people who really want the best smartphones. They're not all at the high end of the price band. We have smartphones that go down to an affordable price with the 4s, we're proud to ship that product. I think that this quarter, if you were unsure, hopefully this quarter demonstrates to you that we can do well in a number of geographies, from emerging to developed markets. Some of the numbers we've experienced, through the first half of 2014, Brazil up 61%, Russia up 97%, Turkey up 56%, India up 55%, Vietnam up 262%. I could go on. The point is, there are an umber of markets out there where we're beginning to really catch on to a number of customers. I am particularly proud of the results in these markets because these have not been historic strong pints for Apple. We've been working at China for a while and we've learned a lot. I'm proud of what we've done there. Some of these other numbers that I've read show we've had success outside of there as well.



- 2:50 pm: Q: Some competitors are cutting prices quickly on smartphones, there's a lot going on with competitors. How are you seeing the market?



- 2:49 pm: So many examples out in the marketplace where it’s clear the objective was to be first. Apple customers want great, insanely great, and that's what we want to deliver. That's the way we look at it. From an acquisitions point of view, we have done 24 in 18 months. We're on the prowl. We look for companies that have great people and great technology and that fit culturally. We don't have a rule that says we can't spend a lot. It's important to us that strategically it makes sense and that it adds values to our shareholders. Not in a race to spend the most or acquire the most. Want to improve products. To the extent that they do that, we will continue to acquire. We will seem to keep some quiet and some of them are impossible to keep quiet.



- 2:48 pm: A: Stay focused on things we do best and focus on high level of quality that our customers expect. Feel comfortable in expanding things we're working on, doing that in the background but we're not ready to pull the string on the curtain. Have great things we're working on that I'm proud of and excited about. For us, we care about every detail. When you care about every detail and about getting everything right, it takes a long time to do that. That's not new. We didn't ship the first MP3 player, nor the first smartphone, nor the first tablet. In fact, there were tablets being shipped a decade or so before then. We shipped first successful modern tablet, smartphone and MP3 player. It means much more to us to get it right than to be first.



- 2:46 pm: Q: Is there something about Apple's product set that keeps Apple focused on hardware rather than making TV shows or whatever that the company might have the money to do?



- 2:46 pm: In the Enterprise, we're seeing virtually all -- 98% of the Fortune 500 using iPad -- latest data says 91% of activations of tablets on Enterprise were iPads. Astonishing number and many of those enterprises are writing apps that are key proprietary apps for running that business. This is great for that company because they're more productive. Once again, just like in education, what we have to do in Enterprise is focus on penetration. needs to be deeper and broader but int terms of having people write apps we're doing a good job. If you look at US as a proxy in retail, NPD, we had 46% share. Embedded in that 46%, there's a lot of things in there that I wouldn't put in the same category as iPad that are weighing the share down. Not a market we would play in in a type of product you would never see an Apple brand on. Feel like we're doing well there. Office, I believe, does help. Very unclear to say how much. If it would have been done earlier, it would have been even better for Microsoft frankly. Lots of alternatives out there from productivity point of view. Some of which we brought to market, some brought by other developers. Is a key franchise in Enterprise, having it on iPad is good and I wholeheartedly welcome Microsoft the App Store to sell Office. Customers responding well. Customer sat is 98% on iPad. Nothing in the world with 98% customer sat. 2/3 planning to buy a tablet planning to buy an iPad. Usage numbers are off the charts, far and exceeding Android. 4x exceeding web traffic of Android combined. When I back up from all of these, I feel great. Every 90 days it won't be a number that everybody is thrilled with, but over the arc of time, iPad looks very very good. iPad has a great future. The thing that drives us is the "next" iPads, the things that are in the pipeline. The things we can do to make the iPad even better. No shortage of work going in on that, nor any shortage of ideas. I can't help but be extremely excited about where we are and I think we did a reasonable job of explaining what the disconnect between what we expected (we hit it, the high end of our expectation) and the street's view of it. I believe the vast majority is just channel inventory. We should have been even clearer on last quarter, but I am very bullish on iPad.



- 2:41 pm: A: When I back up from iPad, here's what I see. It's absolutely the fastest growing product in Apple's history. Its the only product that we've ever made that was instantly a hit in three of our key markets, consumer to business including enterprise, and education. If you look at it, 4 years after launching the first iPad, sold 210 million. More than we or I think anyone thought was possible. Interesting to note that that's twice as many iPhones as we'd sold in a comparable period of time. 7x as many iPods as we'd sold in that period of time. Important to put into perspective. Have come a long way very quickly. Looking at by market, by education market, we have 95% share. Focus in education is on penetration. Getting more schools to buy. My belief is that the match has been lit and its very clear yo the educators that have studied this, student achievement is higher with iPad in the classroom than without it.



- 2:39 pm: Q: I understand the iPad is not as weak as it appears on a sell through basis but relatively flat year over year. Can that accelerate with Office on the iPad?



- 2:39 pm: Most important thing that we do is to make great products that really get our users excited to want the next one. That will always be the case. You can bet that's where the vast majority of our attention is there. In terms of BOM pressure of any new product, you've seen in the past that it exists. We also have a way of working down the cost curve. That was key in achieving the 39.3% gross margin for this past quarter. As I said before, we price things at a level that is fair for the value that we're providing. We're certainly not stuck on certain price points, we price at value that are fair for the value that we're delivering.



- 2:38 pm: A: On iPhone 4 question, we sold a very, very low, single digit percentage of those. Had extremely minimal impact on results on the quarter. In terms of general upgrade or installed base, some of the programs that the carriers are running, may serve to increase the upgrade cycle. Some areas where customers can pay a bit more in the beginning and have the ability to essentially upgrade each year. Some that work that way, some that work the way that more of the way that you're leaning. How these balance are very difficult currently to conclude. Regardless of how those balance, what I see as the bigger opportunity for Apple, the smartphone market is only a billion or so units. Will eventually take over the entire mobile phone market. We've seen our ability to attract new users to iPhone to be very significant in the emerging markets. We were seeing new to iPhone numbers on the iPhone 4s sales in the 80%’s in certain large geo's. This gives us great comfort that we can continue to grow and we may not be able to attract some of those buyers to our top phone because of price point, but if we can get them in on the entry iPhone, it gives them a great product and a great value and gets them into the ecosystem. As you know, our ability to keep customers is very good and our ability to show other products that Apple produces to a family that's buying Apple products is also very good. At the macro level, I see the opportunity of the market and getting more people into the Apple ecosystem much larger than any of the noise around the different carrier plans. Some of which, I think, help, and some of which work the opposite way. Unclear to me how those net. Also important to know that the bulk of the things that you're seeing in the US are not occurring in many other geo's in terms of upgrade policies and so forth. Each country has its own cadence associated with this. The US is in the 30% of our business, not 100% so it's important to weigh it with the proper perspective.



- 2:34 pm: Q: If you could talk about how you think about replacement cycles generally for the iPhone, over the longer term. US carriers have started introducing plans that may ultimately encourage people to keep their phone longer than two years because their total price paid is less. One could argue and I'd like your opinion about that pushing out replacement cycles. The imperative for Apple to continue to introduce great products to encourage people to upgrade with great frequency, introducing great products puts pressure on BOM and pricing. In order to make a great phone, it costs more to do so, managing that margin pressure?



- 2:32 pm: A: When you look at $41 in decline, about half of that was driven because we have continued to do very well in emerging markets with the 4s. I've mentioned that there are a lot of markets where we have grown very strongly. Half of that decline came from stronger sales of the 4s. Other half was as we move away from the quarter when we launch the product, we have lower capacity mix.



- 2:32 pm: Q: On iPhone ASPs this quarter, they were down $40. Largest sequential decline that we've seen in history. Can you help us understand what drove that? Mix? Good growth in each of three models. were you seeing strong growth in 4s? How significant, if any, was selling older generation iPhone 4?



- 2:30 pm: A: We saw some pressure in the quarter because of stricter enforcement of upgrade policies, primarily in the US. If you really look at iPhone, the strength was very broad based. As I had mentioned, we gained share in a whole host of markets. From developing like US/UK/France/Germany, to more emerging like China/Vietnam, and had the largest total sales of iPhone in BRIC countries than we've ever seen.



- 2:30 pm: Q: Looking at iPhone upside for March quarter, China was a key driver. Within the US, did you see as much pressure in US carrier upgrade policies that you saw in holiday quarter? Is this headwind behind us now?



- 2:29 pm: A: March quarter was very good, three reasons: better volume, better costs, favorable mix in both products and services. Q3, as you've seen from our revenue guidance, we are expecting some loss of leverage from sequential decline in revenue. Expecting less favorable mix. This is something typical that happens to us as we move farther away from the quarter when we launch a new product. To offset, it's a partial offset, we will have some cost improvements.



- 2:28 pm: Q: Can you walk through key drivers of June quarter margin upsides?



- 2:28 pm: A: We believe things should be priced at a fair price for what they deliver. We make decisions when we're closer to market.



- 2:28 pm: Q: Question around iPhone ASP. Looking at trend, iPhone 5s demand has surprised the upside this cycle. Does that give you confidence that Apple could charge more for highly innovative products in the future or does the strategy remain to keep innovation at the same price as current products?



- 2:27 pm: A: In that category, there are several things not just App Store revenues. If you look at App Store only, it would look a little different. In terms of your question, I do believe that we can monetize more than we are from a services POV in existing areas and in new areas. I'm encouraged when we look at the App Store, the strength was broad-based. Growth was in the triple digits in China.



- 2:26 pm: Q: 800 million accounts is big jump, yet iTunes software and services growth decelerated. What's your view on better monetizing installed base in the future?



- 2:25 pm: We wish him all the best in his approaching retirement at the end of September. Would also like to recognize him, that he has never missed guidance in his 10 years as CFO which must be an all-time record for CFO's.



- 2:25 pm: Tim: Peter Oppenheimer transitioning from CFO role in June. Peter has been Apple CFO for 10 years. Apple is 20x the size it was when Peter became CFO. "Expertise, leadership and incredibly hard work have been instrumental to Apple's success."



- 2:24 pm: Taking 7:1 stock split to make Apple more accessible to more investors.



- 2:23 pm: Expect revenue between $36-38 billion, compared to $35.3 billion YoY. Gross margin between 37 and 38%



- 2:22 pm: To repatriate foreign cash under current US tax law, would incur significant tax consequences. Don't believe this would be in best interest of tax holders. Encourage streamlining of tax code. To execute capital return program, intend to access debt markets again.



- 2:21 pm: Domestic cash down to $11 billion this year. Will hold sufficient domestic cash to ensure liquidity.



- 2:21 pm: Apple one of the largest dividend payers in the world, paying $11 billion per year.



- 2:20 pm: Have delivered on intention to return capital to shareholders at fast pace. Spend $66 billion of total $100 billion program announced last year.



- 2:19 pm: By end of March 2014, spent $46 billion in $60 billion share repurchase authorization.



- 2:17 pm: Among people planning to purchase a tablet within 90 days, 2/3 plan to buy an iPad.



- 2:16 pm: iPad generated 4x mobile web traffic than all Android tablets combined.



- 2:15 pm: Strong performance from MacBook Pro and MacBook Air



- 2:14 pm: Cumulative app downloads top 70 billion.



- 2:14 pm: iTunes Stores generated $5.2 billion in billings, up 24% year over year.



- 2:13 pm: Luca Maestri is taking over the role of current CFO Peter Oppenheimer on the call. He will be promoted to CFO later this year when Oppenheimer retires.



- 2:12 pm: iPhone increase of 6.3 million iPhones from last year, 17% growth. China Mobile drew strong growth.



- 2:10 pm: Dividend is important, increasing for second time in two years. Planning for annual dividend increases going forward.



- 2:10 pm: Think deliberately about how much, and in which way to return cash to shareholders. Vast majority of capital return to share repurchase because believe current stock price is below value.



- 2:10 pm: Able to return significant capital to shareholders. Began 2 years ago, more than doubled program last year. Increasing size once again adding $30 billion. $130 billion in total return. Size and pace is unprecedented, and expect to complete by December 2015.



- 2:09 pm: We appreciate all input from shareholders. Will continue to seek input going forward, and will update conclusions around this time each year. Continually evaluate return of capital in light of most current information. Enables us to be thoughtful about size, mix, pace of program.



- 2:08 pm: Acquired 24 companies in past 18 months. Must maintain financial flexibility.



- 2:08 pm: Update to capital return program. Guiding principles for capital allocation, and conclusion on changes making for this year: Apple created tremendous value for shareholders by creating great products that enrich people's lives. That will always be our top priority and driving force. Invest in R&D, investing in hardware, software and services, supply chain, global presence with retail stores, marketing and distribution, expanding products and services into new categories and "we are not going to underinvest in this business".



- 2:07 pm: Strong halo effect we've seen over and over again in our history. Customers that have a great experience with their first Apple product become strong and loyal owners.



- 2:06 pm: Two-thirds of people registering an iPad in the last six months were new to iPad. Half of people registering iPhones were new to iPhone.



- 2:06 pm: Total revenue of over $103 billion in first 6 months, earnings per share growth close to double digits.



- 2:06 pm: Investing in retail stores, opened first stores in Brazil and Turkey, stores in 15 countries. New retail and online leader Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple next week.



- 2:05 pm: Strong results in Greater China, all-time quarterly revenue record, approaching $10 billion. Japan, revenue up 26% in spite of foreign exchange headwinds and where smartphone market share reached 55%.



- 2:05 pm: Continue to believe tablet market will surpass PC market and that Apple will be beneficiary of this trend.



- 2:05 pm: iPad sales came in at high end of Apple's internal expectations. Realize they were lower than analyst expectations. Almost all of the difference can be explained by two factors: in March 2013 quarter, significantly increased iPad channel inventory. This year, significantly reduced it. Second, ended December quarter 2012 with substantial backlog of iPad mini that was shipped in the March quarter. Ended December this year in supply/demand balance.



- 2:04 pm: Gained share in computer market, defied industry trends by growing while industry contracted.



- 2:03 pm: Have 800 million iTunes accounts, most with credit cards attached.



- 2:03 pm: New all-time record for sales in BRIC countries. (Brazil, Russia, India, China)



- 2:03 pm: Gained share in US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Vietnam and Greater China.



- 2:03 pm: Demand for each iPhone model stronger than its predecessor.



- 2:03 pm: Best gross margin percentage since September 2012. iPhone was key in driving stronger than expected results, 44 million iPhones, a March quarter record.



- 2:02 pm: Tim Cook: "Very strong results we're reporting for the March quarter." Is a new March quarter record and strongest non-holiday quarter ever.



- 2:01 pm: Apple CEO Tim Cook on the call with CFO Peter Oppenheimer and Corporate Controller (and future CFO) Luca Maestri.



- 2:00 pm: Apple's earnings call will begin momentarily.



- 1:56 pm: Apple's stock price is up significantly after hours, up nearly 7.5% to $563 from $525.



- 1:47 pm: The second quarter earnings call will begin in approximately 10 minutes.



Former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to Join Apple Next Week

During today's second quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company's new retail and online leader, Angela Ahrendts, will be joining Apple next week.

Ahrendts first resigned from British luxury fashion house Burberry in October of 2013, but was contractually obligated to stay on with the company for another six months as it transitioned to new CEO Christopher Bailey. As of April, Ahrendts fulfilled her obligations and became free to leave Burberry to join Apple.

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Earlier this month, rumors suggested Ahrendts might stay on with Burberry until June in order to pick up a two million pound performance bonus, but it appears that she will not be staying with the company in order to collect the payment.

Ahrendts will join Apple as the Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores, a position that has seen significant turnover over the past several years. In 2011, Ron Johnson left Apple for J.C. Penney, after building up Apple's retail presence during his 11-year tenure. Johnson was then replaced by Dixons CEO John Browett, who served less than a year at Apple. Since Browett's departure, the position has been empty.

Apple Acquired 24 Companies Over Last 18 Months, 'We're On The Prowl' for More

During today's second quarter earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple has purchased a total of 24 companies over the last 18 months, some that are known and some that remain unknown.

Just over half of Apple’s acquisitions have come to light, which means the company has purchased a number of additional companies that have not been disclosed. So far in 2014, Apple acquired SnappyLabs, a company that produced a burst-mode photo app, and Burstly, the company behind the Testflight iOS beta testing platform.

2013 saw Apple acquire several different mapping apps, including BroadMap, Embark, HopStop, Locationary, and WiFiSlam, along with other notable additions like 3D company PrimeSense and Novauris, a speech recognition company. Back in October, Tim Cook noted Apple had completed 15 strategic acquisitions in 2013, pointing towards a number of new acquisitions already in 2014.

The technology from Apple’s acquisitions will likely make its way into future products and updates. For example, all of the mapping acquisitions are expected to be put to use in iOS 8, which will see the addition of transit directions and possibly improved indoor mapping techniques.

During the call, Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that investing in research and development along with hardware, software, and services were top priorities, and that the company was "on the prowl" for new companies to acquire.

Apple CEO Tim Cook: It 'Means More to Us to Get it Right' Than to Be First

During the question and answer portion of today's financial earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained why the company has been slow to put products out in 2014, pointing towards the company’s attention to detail and its desire to "perform at a really high level of quality" that Apple's customers expect.

Cook noted that Apple did not ship the first MP3 player, smartphone, or tablet, but he said that the company did release the first "acceptable" and "modern" smartphone, tablet, and MP3 player when it launched the iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

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"We care about every detail and it takes us a bit longer to do that. That's always been the case," he said. "It means more to us to get it right than to be first."

Cook pointed towards examples in the marketplace where the clear objective was to be first, possibly referring to Samsung and its poorly received Galaxy Gear smart watch. Apple customers "want great, insanely great," said Cook, and "that’s what we want to deliver."

According to Cook, Apple has many products in the pipeline that the company is excited about, but it is not yet ready to "pull the string on the curtain." He did say, however, that Apple has expanded the number of things the company is working on behind the scenes.

iPhone 6 Case Compared to iPhone 5s, Nexus 5 and Galaxy Note 3 in New Video

We've seen several examples of cases designed for the rumored 4.7-inch version of the upcoming iPhone 6, and in a new video, Unbox Therapy compares a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 case to the iPhone 5s, the Nexus 5 and the Galaxy Note 3, giving us an idea of how the iPhone 6 might look next to other large-screened devices.

The 4.7-inch case is depicted next to the 4-inch iPhone 5s, the 4.95-inch Nexus 5, and the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 3. The case is closest in size to the Nexus 5, which gives the best representation of how a 4.7-inch iPhone may feel in the hand. The iPhone 5s looks quite a bit smaller than the case, while the Galaxy Note 3 looks significantly larger.



Along with a size comparison, the video points out some of the design features on the case, which may translate to design changes on the iPhone 6. As has been pointed out in other case and part leaks, the sleep/wake button has been moved from the top right of the device to the right side.

Rumors have suggested the sleep/wake button might be relocated in order to improve one-handed use on a larger device, and the volume buttons might be altered as well, gaining a rectangular iPad-mini-style shape rather than the existing circular buttons on the iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 6 case is also noted to be quite thin, which is in line with previous rumors about the device. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 6 could be significantly thinner than the existing 7.6mm iPhone 5s at 6.5–7.0mm and it may also have a narrower bezel.

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Rendering of the iPhone 6 in both 4.7 and 5.7-inch sizes

Apple is expected to ship the iPhone 6 in two different sizes, the 4.7-inch version described in the video and also a 5.5-inch version that has reportedly seen some production delays. While the 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 may make its debut as soon as September, the 5.5-inch version may not ship until 2015.

Along with a thinner profile, multiple sizes, and a narrower bezel, the iPhone 6 might include a sapphire crystal screen, an A8 processor, and camera improvements in the form of optical image stabilization.

iPhone 6 Size Compared to Galaxy S5 and Other Android Phones

With a large bulk of the rumors for the iPhone 6 revolving around its purported increased screen size, there have been a healthy amount of iPhone 6 renderings exploring what the phone could look like and how big it would be compared to the current iPhone 5s.

MacRumors forum member deuxani decided to take it a step further and compared the 4.7" iPhone 6 to its Android-based competition.
If the rumors are true, at least one model of the iPhone 6 will contain a 16:9 4.7” screen. When you think about it realistically the iPhone 6 will have a home button with a finger print scanner the same size as the iPhone 5S. Also will the top and bottom bezels have the same height for symmetry. The side bezels will be smaller than the iPhone 5S, but they will not be non-existing.
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First, deuxani compared the rumored iPhone 6 to the Motorola Moto X and LG G2 Mini, two 4.7-inch Android phones, that were actually smaller despite having the same screen size. This is largely because of of the rounded Touch ID sensor on the bottom and the need for the top and bottom bezels to be symmetrical due to Apple's design philosophy.
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Compared to the 5" Nexus 5 and the 5.2" LG G2, deuxani found the iPhone 6 could be as tall as either phone with less screen real estate.

And finally, when compared to this year's flagship 5" HTC One (m8) and Samsung Galaxy S5, deuxani found that the Android devices were larger in every way.
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In conclusion, deuxani found that the iPhone 6 could find it difficult to impress in screen size alone when compared to its Android competition. However, the iPhone 6 may stand out in thinness, which was highlighted in a video earlier today comparing an leaked iPhone 6 case to other devices.

Apple has been rumored to release two larger sized iPhones this fall. The rumored sizes are 4.7" and 5.5", though the 4.7" version is thought to arrive first as Apple is allegedly having a difficult time finding a thin enough battery to place in the 5.5" model. A recently released Apple slide revealed that the company acknowledged that consumers wanted larger screened phones, which Apple couldn't provide them at the time.

Report Claims iPhone 6 Will Feature Curved Display, All-Aluminum Rear Shell

Apple's next-generation iPhone may feature rounded edges and a curved glass display, according to a new report from Mac Otakara [Google Translate].

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The Squair Curvaceous Bumper

Citing "reliable sources", the publication notes that the iPhone 6's cover glass will sit flush with the device's rounded corners, departing from the straight edges seen on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5s. The report likens the device's profile to the Squair Curvaceous Bumper, a Japan-made aluminum bumper for the iPhone that features a rounded housing.

The report also claims that Apple will do away with the rear glass antenna breaks found on the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s in favor of an all-aluminum design. Such a move would likely mean that Apple is incorporating significant changes to its overall antenna layout, perhaps positioning current radios in different locations.

Throughout the past few months, various reports have indicated that the iPhone 6 may feature slightly rounded edges. However, only a few reports have claimed that the device will feature a curved glass display, with Bloomberg noting last December that the company was working on two iPhones with large curved screens for this year. That account however was contrasted by The Wall Street Journal this past January, which said that Apple would not be using a curved display in its devices.

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Renderings of the iPhone 6 (4.7'') and iPhone 6 (5.7'') based on leaked schematics

Apple will likely unveil the iPhone 6 later this year in two different sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. It is also likely that the smaller 4.7-inch version of the phone will ship first in the third quarter of this year, while the larger version is estimated to ship later due to challenges with the device's display technology and battery life.

In addition to a larger display, both versions of the iPhone 6 are expected to include a thinner, bezel-free design, faster A8 processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor and an upgraded camera with optical image stabilization. The device is also expected to debut with Apple's latest iOS 8 mobile operating system, which will likely feature enhancements to Maps, Siri, and iCloud in addition to a new "Healthbook" app. Apple is also said to be negotiating with carriers to increase the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.

Updated 11-Inch and 13-Inch MacBook Airs Reportedly Coming Next Week

Apple may be planning to update its MacBook Air line next week, according to a new report from MacGeneration [Google Translate]. Citing reliable sources, the website notes that references have been made towards new devices featuring screens of 11-inches and 13-inches, which are the current display sizes for the MacBook Air.

Apple last updated the MacBook Air in June 2013, which featured Intel's energy-efficient Haswell processors, faster PCI Express-based storage, and faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

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If the claims turn out to be true, it is likely that a new MacBook Air at this point in time would feature a small speed bump among few other changes. As outlined by Intel's processor roadmap, Apple could choose to use a number of just-launched processors for an updated entry-level MacBook Air, including the 1.4 GHz i5-4260U, 1.4 GHz i5-4350U, or the 1.5 GHz i5-4360U.

Notably, the 4350U chip has been available since last year, but Apple elected not to use it in the current MacBook Air. It is also unclear as to what processor Apple would integrate into an updated high-end MacBook Air, as leaked roadmaps have still yet to show a direct successor to the current i7-4650U chip.

Multiple reports have also indicated that Apple is working on a brand new 12-inch MacBook Air for later this year. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the notebook is expected to feature a thinner design than the current MacBook Air, and utilize a fan-less cooling system, buttonless trackpad, and higher resolution Retina display.

While it is unclear how a 12-inch Retina MacBook Air would fit into the current lineup, analyst Daniel Matte argued that the laptop will be exactly 11.88'' in diagonal screen size, allowing Apple to offer a Retina Display (2732 x 1536, twice 1366x768) with the exact same PPI as the iPad Air (264 PPI).

Apple is also expected to update its line of Retina MacBook Pros during the third quarter of 2014 alongside the aforementioned 12-inch Retina MacBook Air.

Apple Researching Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity Sensors for Mobile Devices

A pair of patent applications published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and spotted by AppleInsider describes how an electronic device such as an iPhone, iPad or even a wristwatch could be used to detect ambient conditions such as temperature, pressure, humidity and sound. The applications appear just as Apple has been rumored to be incorporating such functionality into the iPhone 6, and the company's rumored iWatch has also been said to include an array of sensors.

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Cutaway view showing environmental sensors inside a mesh-covered recess in a device's body

The first patent, titled "Electronic Devices With Environmental Sensors," describes a device equipped with a speaker, microphone and a suite of sensors to monitor environmental conditions in the immediate surroundings. Sensor components may include a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor and other sensor combinations.
An electronic device may be provided with environmental sensors. Environmental sensors may include one or more environmental sensor components and one or more acoustic components. Acoustic components may include a speaker or a microphone. Environmental sensor components may include a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, or other sensors or combinations of sensors for sensing attributes of the environment surrounding the device.
The second patent, "Electronic Devices With Temperature Sensors," is more specific, covering electronic devices that can monitor ambient temperature. In this scenario, a thermal sensor could be embedded into a button, switch or slider component. A piece of thermally conductive metal could be used to transfer temperature data from the air or from an item such as a finger placed on the material to a sensor embedded within the device.

Though these are inventions and not a specific feature roadmap for future devices, they do suggest Apple is considering the ways in which sensors could be incorporated into a device to improve the overall user experience. For example, Apple could use the temperature sensor technology to build an iWatch that could warn you when you are starting to overheat while mowing the lawn in the high summer heat.

Looking beyond the patent applications, Apple has been hiring experts from the health and medical sensor field in recent years. The long list of new hires include former Philips sleep researcher Roy J.E.M Raymann, biosensor hardware engineer Nancy Dougherty, pulse oximetry expert Michael O'Reilly and others. These engineers allegedly are joining Apple to work on its iWatch team, which may also include exercise physiologists and other non-hardware experts.

Apple's iWatch is rumored to include biometric functions such as pulse rate, blood oxygen saturation, glucose levels and more. Apple is said to be making the health-tracking experience more accessible to the general public and may use the iOS 8 Healthbook app to compile this health and fitness data and present it in a user-friendly way.

Pioneer Talks CarPlay: Working with Apple, Pricing, and the Future

Following last month's formal introduction of Apple's CarPlay system for integrating iPhones with in-dash vehicle systems, there were some questions about whether the feature would be able to make its way to aftermarket products or if it would be limited to auto manufacturers putting it into brand-new vehicles. That question was answered earlier this month, with both Alpine and Pioneer announcing their plans to launch CarPlay-compatible systems.

Pioneer appears to be in the best position to move quickly with CarPlay, as its latest NEX systems already include CarPlay-compatible hardware, which will be enabled with a firmware update expected in early summer. In contrast, Alpine will not be launching its CarPlay support until the fall as part of new product debuts.

MacRumors recently spoke with Ted Cardenas, marketing vice president in Pioneer's car electronics division, and he shared a bit of perspective about CarPlay and its development. Far from being taken by surprise by Apple's CarPlay announcement last month, Cardenas notes that Apple signaled to Pioneer that there would be coming changes to in-car connectivity even prior to last year's Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple first showed what was then known as iOS in the Car as part of its iOS 7 preview.

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According to Cardenas, development picked up in earnest in July of last year, with Apple putting together a dedicated team to help car manufacturers and aftermarket electronics companies build out their CarPlay support. Unsurprisingly, Apple took a fairly hands-on role in the process, sharing specifications and other information to assist Pioneer with its work.

Cardenas notes that Pioneer is "very excited" to be at the forefront of CarPlay, working with Apple to deliver solutions to consumers so that they don't need to wait to purchase a new car in order to experience the feature. He also points out that Pioneer has a particularly vested interest in getting CarPlay implementation right, as it may be one of the major factors influencing what brand and model of in-dash system to purchase, whereas CarPlay performance will undoubtedly be a much lower priority for customers looking to purchase an entirely new vehicle.

In addressing the entry cost for aftermarket CarPlay support, Cardenas acknowledges that the current $700-$1400 range for Pioneer's NEX series is higher than many consumers would like to see. But CarPlay requires robust technology, and the multi-core processors, significant RAM and onboard storage, and touchscreens needed in NEX systems for the feature all contribute to driving costs up. Pioneer is certainly looking to bring down that entry price for CarPlay-compatible systems and drive further expansion of the technology, but the company understandably won't have anything to announce on that front until after the CarPlay firmware update is delivered to the first wave of Pioneer products.

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Pioneer's initial U.S. lineup of CarPlay-compatible NEX systems

Pioneer has a long history in consumer electronics and vehicle electronics in particular, and the company has long sought to embrace new technologies to enhance the customer experience. To that end, Pioneer was one of the first companies to make a significant effort into smartphone-car integration with its AppRadio system launched in 2011.

The firm is also supporting the MirrorLink consortium that is offering similar integration as CarPlay for non-Apple smartphones. Even with that support, Cardenas believes that CarPlay support will be very popular with consumers, given Apple's place in the market and users' desire for simplicity and seamless integration.

MacRumors also asked Cardenas about any potential plans to bring Wi-Fi support for CarPlay to Pioneer's products, but he had nothing further to share on the topic given than none of Pioneer's current NEX models offer Wi-Fi support. Volvo had initially reported that Wi-Fi support for CarPlay would be "coming in the near future", but the company quickly removed that statement from its press release and Apple has been silent about any plans to augment CarPlay with wireless connectivity to eliminate the need to directly connect the user's iPhone to the car via a cable.

On its CarPlay page, Apple notes that the feature is coming to specific models from Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo this year, although Honda has yet to make any announcement about its plans. Apple also lists Alpine and Pioneer as on board for aftermarket support, and there may yet be more announcements coming.

Tim Cook Auctions Charity Lunch Meeting at Apple HQ

Charity auction site CharityBuzz is hosting a second listing to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, this time offering a lunch meeting.

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The auction is the second Cook has volunteered his time for, with last year's coffee auction raising $610,000 for the RFK Center for Justice & Human Rights. The 2014 auction benefits the same cause, which aims to achieve a "just and peaceful world by partnering with human rights leaders, teaching social justice and advancing corporate responsibility."

Two people can meet with Cook for lunch, for approximately one hour. The cost of the meal is included, and the auction winner must agree to travel to Cupertino for the meeting, which will be scheduled on a "mutually agreed upon date."

The current high bid on the auction, which has an estimated value of $100,000, is at $10,000 with 19 days left to go. The auction will end on Tuesday, May 13. Due to shill bids last year, all bidders are required to submit credit card authorization to bid.

Apple's Future OS X Names May Include Yosemite, Mammoth, Big Sur, Redwood, Pacific, and More

Following recent trademark investigations related to the iWatch, French site Consomac has discovered [Google Translate] that Apple may also be using a pair of shell companies to protect various California-related names in anticipation of future OS X releases. Apple's Craig Federighi announced at last year's Worldwide Developers Conference that the company would be shifting gears on OS X naming, moving from big cats to "places that inspire us in California". The current OS X Mavericks was the first to adopt the new naming pattern, taking its name from a popular surfing spot known for its massive waves.

Consomac notes that a pair of companies going by the names of Yosemite Research LLC and Coast Research LLC applied for trademarks on several California-related terms in the category of computer software on the same day back in early December. The terms for which the companies are seeking trademark protection include Yosemite, Redwood, and Mammoth (via Yosemite Research), and California, Big Sur, and Pacific (via Coast Research).

As with several other Apple shell companies created for quietly protecting trademarks, such as CarPlay Enterprises and perhaps Brightflash USA, both Yosemite Research and Coast Research are registered in the state of Delaware and use the Corporation Trust Center as their addresses. Both companies were registered with the state on November 22, 2013. Those details by themselves do not clinch the companies' association with Apple, as the Corporation Trust Center is used by many companies large and small to facilitate corporate registrations, but it is consistent with Apple's past behavior.

Another intriguing connection noticed by Consomac is that the attorney listed on the Coast Research applications is Stephen Brown, and an attorney by the same name is listed on an "iGuide" application dating back to late 2007 from iGuide Media LLC, a company MacRumors linked to Apple a number of years ago. Another attorney on that iGuide application is James Johnston, who was involved with Apple's efforts to protect the "iPhone" name using another shell company by the name of Ocean Telecom Services LLC.

The U.S. trademark applications by Yosemite Research and Coast Research from early December also all cite filings in Trinidad and Tobago for priority purposes, similar to Apple's CarPlay strategy. Those California-themed filings in Trinidad and Tobago were made on June 7, 2013, the Friday before Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote where it announced the change in naming scheme for OS X.

Taken together, all of these pieces of information make a strong case for Apple being the company behind the recent California-themed trademark applications. If this is indeed in the case, past history shows that Apple may or may not elect to use all of these names for future versions of OS X. For example, the company long ago filed for protection on various big cat names to reserve them for OS X releases, but never used some of them such as Lynx and Cougar.

The next version of OS X, 10.10, has been showing up in server logs for some time and according to 9to5Mac is expected to feature a "flatter" look compared to OS X Mavericks. Apple made similar changes with iOS 7, but the OS X changes are said to not be as drastic as those seen on iOS. OS X 10.10 is likely to be previewed at this year's WWDC, which will kick off with a keynote on June 2.

Update 10:15 AM: MacRumors has discovered many more trademark applications from other apparent shell companies that carry the same Corporation Trust Center address and June 7, 2013 priority dates from applications in Trinidad and Tobago. As with the other registrations, the U.S. applications were filed on December 5 or 6.

iOS 6 Users on Devices Able to Run iOS 7 Must Upgrade to Fix FaceTime

Apple today released a new support document, detailing the issue behind the recent problems some iOS 6 users have been experiencing with FaceTime. According to Apple, a bug resulting from an expired device certificate has rendered FaceTime unusable on older versions of iOS and the only solution to the problem is to update to the latest version of the operating system.

Devices capable of running iOS 7 must be upgraded to iOS 7.0.4 or later, while devices unable to run iOS 7, such as the fourth-generation iPod touch, must upgrade to iOS 6.1.6.
If you started to have issues making or receiving FaceTime calls after April 16, 2014, your device or your friend's device may have encountered a bug resulting from a device certificate that expired on that date. Updating both devices to the latest software will resolve this issue.

If you're using iOS 7.0.4 or later or iOS 6.1.6, this issue doesn't affect you.

If you're using these versions of OS X or FaceTime for Mac, this issue doesn't affect you:

- OS X Mavericks v10.9.2 or later
- OS X Mountain Lion v10.8 with the latest security updates
- OS X Lion v10.7 with the latest security updates
- FaceTime for Mac version 1.0.5 or later for Mac OS X v10.6
While FaceTime does work with iOS 6.1.6, that particular update is not available to recent devices that are able to run iOS 7, which means iOS 6 users with newer devices who wish to access FaceTime must upgrade to iOS 7.

There's a sizable contingent of iOS users who opted to stick with iOS 6 over iOS 7 due to the drastic visual changes introduced with the operating system update, so Apple's upgrade suggestion is likely to be unpopular with those users.

Apple's FaceTime issues first began on April 16, with many iOS 6 users reporting an inability to use the service. At that time, it was unclear whether Apple would implement a fix, but customer service representatives have been presenting iOS 7 updates as a solution since the problem was first uncovered, and it appears that Apple does not plan to offer another solution. The company did, however, release a FaceTime update for OS X users to fix the issue earlier this week.

Apple, Google Settle Class-Action Anti-Poaching Lawsuit

Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe have settled the lawsuit levied against them for their anti-poaching agreements, reports Reuters. The settlement was revealed in a court filing, but the terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

The no-hire agreements between the companies first came to light in 2011, after tech workers filed a class action lawsuit alleging the companies had conspired not to poach employees from one another in an effort to keep salaries lower.

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No-solicitation agreements dated back to 2005 and in addition to Apple, Google, Intel, and Adobe, involved Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar, among others. The agreements prevented company recruiters from contacting employees on specific no contact lists.

The United States Department of Justice got involved in the lawsuit back in 2010 and the companies were required to cease entering into anti-poaching agreements. A class-action civil suit covering 64,000 employees was allowed to proceed, and that is the lawsuit that was settled today for an unspecified amount of money. The terms of the settlement will be presented to District Judge Lucy Koh on May 27.

Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Intuit previously settled their cases for approximately $20 million.

Update 4PM PT: According to Reuters, the four companies have agreed to pay a total of $324 million in order to settle the lawsuit. While spokespeople for Apple, Google, and Intel declined to comment, an Adobe representative said the company settled "in order to avoid the uncertanties, cost, and distraction of litigation."

The class-action suit was asking for $3 billion in damages, which could have tripled to $9 billion under antitrust law.

California Rejects 'Kill Switch' Requirement Legislation for Smartphones

California legislators narrowly rejected a bill that would require smartphone manufacturers like Apple to preload and automatically enable antitheft "kill switch" in their phones, according to CNET. The law was backed by California State Senator Mark Leno and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon.
Failing to reach a minimum of 21 votes in favor, the final tally was 19 yes's to 17 no's, with one senator not voting. Leno told CNET that he plans to take the bill up again next week. "The game is not yet over," he said.
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Gascon accused opposition of the bill of protecting the interest of the "billion dollar industry profits" of the wireless industry and their insurance partners. Though some critics of the plan note that wiping software and locking phones would be ineffectual as thieves are likely to sell the device's hardware components.

The law was unlikely to affect Apple much, as the company introduced its own antitheft technology with iOS 7's Activation Lock feature, which locks a device to a user's iCloud account and is automatically turned on when Find My iPhone is enabled. However, Apple would likely have to make Find My iPhone mandatory to meet the requirements of Leno's bill.

Activation Lock won cautious optimism from both Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman when it was announced at 2013's WWDC.

The Smartphone Theft Prevention Act, a federal bill that would also mandate the inclusion of a "kill switch" in smartphones, has been introduced at the national level.

New iPhone 6 Renderings Highlight Curved Display, Rounded Corners

Following a report from Mac Otakara yesterday claiming the iPhone 6 will feature a curved glass display and an all-aluminum rear shell, French website Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate] and designer Martin Hajek have partnered up to showcase renders visualizing such a device based off of the recent information.

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The renderings show an iPhone 6 that emphasizes rounded corners, complete with display glass that slightly wraps around the front of the device. Similar to other previous renders, the phone is shown with a power button on its upper right side, with rectangular volume controls on its left. The bottom of the device is also shown housing a headphone jack, Lightning port, and speaker.

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To this point, multiple reports have indicated that the iPhone 6 will feature slightly rounded edges, which would be a departure from the straight edges seen on the iPhone 4 and 5s. However, only Bloomberg noted that the device will carry a curved glass display, with a report last December stating that Apple would be releasing two iPhones will large curved screens in the second half of 2014.

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iPhone 5s (left) and iPhone 6 with curved glass display (right)

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 later this year in two different sizes of 4.7 inches and 5.5 inches. According to recent reports, the 4.7-inch version will be the first to ship, while the larger 5.5-inch version will ship later as Apple attempts to solve issues with the phone's battery life and display.

Aside from a larger display, both models of the iPhone 6 are expected to feature a thinner profile, faster A8 processor, an improved camera with optical image stabilization, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. According to Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, Apple is also negotiating with carriers for a $100 price increase on the iPhone 6.

Hints of Touch ID Support for iPad Found in iOS 7.1 Code

Since the release of the iPhone 5s last September, most observers have expected that the Touch ID fingerprint feature will be making its way into the iPad lineup as Apple is able ramp up production on the sensors, so it is no surprise that KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo earlier this month predicted that both the iPad Air and Retina iPad mini will be gaining the feature later this year.

Actual evidence of iPad Touch ID support has now been discovered by French iOS developer Pierre Blazquez, as noted by iDownloadBlog. The evidence comes in the form of a BiometricKit bundle in iOS that serves as the framework for the Touch ID functionality, with the bundle being listed as compatible with both iPhone/iPod and iPad families.

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Apple classifies its iOS devices into three families, with iPhone/iPod receiving a "1" designation, iPad receiving a "2" designation, and Apple TV classified as "3". BiometricKit is currently showing compatibility with both 1 and 2 families, although it is not exactly clear when iPad was added to the list.

Apple is likely to stick to its typical yearly upgrade cycle for this iPad generation, meaning that new iPads should appear in the latter part of this year. Kuo predicts that the new iPads will appear in late Q3 around the same time as new iPhones and perhaps Apple's much-rumored iWatch.

Update 9:07 AM: As noted by Benjamin Mayo, the reference has been around for "several iOS updates", but it still indicates that iPad support is likely in the works.

Transcend Debuts JetDrive SSD Upgrade Kits Up to 960GB for MacBook Air, Retina Macbook Pro

Transcend has introduced new JetDrive SSD upgrade kits designed for the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro with Retina display. The upgrade kits offer up to 960GB of internal storage capacity and come with both installation tools and instructions.

JetDrive kits also ship with an aluminum USB 3.0 enclosure, which allows upgraders to reuse their original SSD, and all kits include a five year warranty.


Stop shuffling around your files and fretting about storage space. Transcend's JetDrive SSD upgrade kits offer up to 960GB of storage capacity. Upgrading your Mac to a JetDrive SSD ensures you'll have plenty of space for all your favorite music, videos, and photos.
The JetDrive SSDs are able to take advantage of JetDrive Toolbox monitoring software, which keeps track of the health of the drive and enables TRIM support for optimum write speeds and SSD life. JetDrive SSDs also have maximum read speeds of 495MB/s and maximum write speeds of 495MB/s.

The company has three separate products for early MacBook Airs, mid–2012 MacBook Airs, and mid-2012 Retina Macbook Pros, in multiple capacities. While mid–2012 MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros can be upgraded with 240, 480, or 960 GB of storage space, earlier MacBook Airs (late 2010 and mid–2011) are limited to 240 or 480 GB. Transcend's JetDrive kits are not PCIe and are not compatible with the most recently released 2013 MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros.

Transcend's JetDrives can be found on Amazon.com, with prices ranging from $190 for the lower end upgrade to $600 for the higher end upgrade. Ordering information and specific links can be accessed on Transcend's website, but the 960 GB SSDs have yet to make their way to Amazon.

Nike CEO 'Excited' About Future of Fitness Partnership with Apple

Late last week, it was revealed that Nike is scaling back its FuelBand hardware effort to focus on the software side of its fitness tracking ecosystem, sparking speculation of a potential partnership with Apple focused around the iWatch or other Apple hardware.

Nike CEO Mark Parker appeared on CNBC earlier today, and while he would not directly address specific plans with respect to Apple, he did note that Apple is a longtime partner and that he is "excited about where that relationship will go forward."
Parker: [Y]ou're going to continue to see us commit to this area, to focus on expanding the reach. Today, we have about 30 million FuelBand users. We're hoping to push that to over 100 million. We have partners that we work with...obviously the most visible partner we have is Apple. We've been working with them for a long time. And we're excited about where that relationship will go forward.

CNBC's Sara Eisen: Well, can you give us a hint? Are we going to expect some sort of collaborative device coming out? Nike and Apple?

Parker: I can't really say that. There's been a lot of speculation, which I understand. I will just say the relationship between Nike and Apple will continue. And I am personally, as we all are at Nike, very excited about what's to come.


Parker went on to discuss how Nike is going to focus on the software side of the wearable fitness device market going forward, integrating it into some of of Nike's products as well as those of partners. With those partnerships, Nike is seeking to further its primary goal of expanding the overall Fuel ecosystem to as many people as possible.

Speculation of a Nike-Apple partnership is natural given the long history between the two companies, highlighted by the Nike+iPod initiative to bring pedometer and other fitness tracking to Apple devices. Apple CEO Tim Cook has served on Nike's board of directors for nearly a decade, and he is frequently seen wearing a Nike FuelBand.

Apple Initiates iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program [Updated]

Apple has initiated a recall of some iPhone 5 models because the Sleep/Wake button may "stop working or work intermittently", according to an Apple statement given to The Loop.

The company has created a special support website for the recall where customers can enter their iPhone serial number and see if their phone is one of the "small percentage" of iPhone 5 models that are affected.

Affected phones can be brought to an Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider, though the phone will need to be sent to an Apple Repair Center for servicing. Stores will have some iPhone 5 16GB models available as loaners. Another option is mailing the iPhone to Apple, with details available on the recall program's website.
Replacement of the sleep/wake button mechanism is done at an Apple Repair Center. There are two ways to send your iPhone to the repair center—carry-in or mail-in. See below for details. The replacement process takes approximately 4-6 days from the time your iPhone is received at the repair center until it is returned to you. Your iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and is otherwise in working order. Before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you will need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings.
Users who believe they have paid for an out-of-warranty replacement to rectify this issue should contact Apple regarding a refund and the company notes that this does not extend warranty coverage for any other issues. Additionally, the program is only effective for two years after the initial retail purchase of the iPhone 5 unit in question, meaning buyers who purchased the iPhone 5 when it first was released have at least five months to have their machines repaired.

Apple requires that any phone that receives a sleep/wake button replacement under the program be upgraded to iOS 7.

Update: In addition to repairs, U.S. Apple store employees have been offering iPhone 5 users with a faulty sleep/wake button a $350 trade-in credit towards a new device, according to multiple tipsters.

Apple is only giving the credit to users who specifically ask about an upgrade, but the credit amount is above what the store typically gives for an iPhone 5 trade-in. The phone must be in full working order aside from exhibiting sleep/wake issues. 

Apple Regains Market Share in Some Countries with Strong iPhone 5s Sales

Research firm Kantar Worldpanel has released a new report (via TechCrunch) highlighting worldwide smartphone sales over the January-March period, finding that Apple has regained share in markets such as Europe, Japan and Australia due in part to the strong sales performance of the iPhone 5s.

Dominic Sunnebo, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, comments: "Apple regained ground in the first quarter of 2014, primarily due to the strong performance of the iPhone 5S, growing its sales share in Europe, Japan and Australia. By contrast, Windows had a tough start to the year as a result of its entry-level Nokia models facing fierce competition from low-end Motorola, LG and Samsung Android smartphones."

Apple's total market share in Japan, Australia, and Europe hit 57.6%, 33.1%, and 19.2%, which are increases of 8.6%, 2.0%, and 0.1% compared to the same timeframe last year, respectively. In the United States, Apple's market share was at 35.9%, which was down 7.8% compared to the 43.7% market share it held a year ago. 

However, Sunnebo noted in a prior Kantar report highlighting smartphone sales over the August-October 2013 period that customers in the U.S. generally react better to "full releases" like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5 than "incremental" updates such as the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c. Apple is expected to release a larger-screen iPhone 6 this year with new features including a thinner profile, faster A8 processor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, and an improved camera with optical image stabilization. 

Meanwhile, the iPhone's surging popularity in Japan has continued in the months following its debut on the country's largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo:

Sunnebo continues: "Japan’s love affair with Apple shows no sign of fading. Even though the iPhone has now been available on Japan’s largest carrier, NTT DoCoMo, for a number of months Apple still accounts for more than 40% of sales on the network. The success of the iPhone is also filtering through to the iPad, with almost a quarter of Japanese iPhone owners also owning an iPad. With smartphone penetration in Japan lagging well behind Europe and the US, Japan will remain a key growth market for Apple." 

Despite its solid market share in numerous countries however, the iPhone continues to face challenges from Google's Android platform, which had its market share continue hover above 70% in many markets. Microsoft's Windows Phone also increased its market share, with the platform even holding a 4.3% advantage over iOS in Italy.

Apple Expected to Release Updated MacBook Airs Tomorrow

As was initially reported last week, Apple's updated MacBook Air may launch this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Shipments of new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Airs are currently arriving in Apple Stores across the country, according to 9to5Mac, with plans to put the computers on display beginning tomorrow morning.

The MacBook Air refresh is expected to be minor and could arrive with little fanfare. Updated MacBook Air computers may include a slightly improved Haswell processor with a small speed boost and few other changes.
Tomorrow’s 11-inch and 13-inch Airs are codenamed J41A and J43A, respectively, and their SKUs are simply a variation to the current MacBook Air SKU labels. For example, the entry 13-inch MacBook Air of today is known as "MD760LL/A", while this week’s refreshed version is known as "MD760LL/B." It's unclear if Apple will even promote the updated Airs.
Though Apple is planning just a minor MacBook Air refresh for this week, the company is also said to have a second 12-inch MacBook Air in the works that will be released later in the year.

The 12-inch MacBook Air is expected to feature some major design changes in the form of a slimmer chassis without fans, a Retina display, and a buttonless trackpad.

It is unclear when tomorrow's updated MacBook Airs might make their first appearance, but it is possible Apple will take its online store down tonight in order to update inventory ahead of an in-store release tomorrow.

Angela Ahrendts to Bring a Personal Touch to Apple's Retail Operations This Week

During last week's earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Angela Ahrendts will be transitioning from Burberry and officially joining Apple this week as its head of retail. Her achievements and personality as the CEO of Burberry have been well-publicized, but her Midwestern roots, early career influences, and resulting business and life philosophies are less well-known. These characteristics were recently detailed in a lengthy profile by CNET.

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Ahrendts was born in 1960 in the small town of New Palestine, Indiana, where she was one of six children. As a young girl, she "lived vicariously through fashion magazines" and moved to New York after graduating from Ball State University to pursue her dream job in the fashion industry. She got her start at bra maker Warnaco and then landed a position at Donna Karan in 1989. She rose through the ranks at DK to eventually become President of the New York-based fashion house.

When Donna Karan changed its focus, Ahrendts transitioned to Liz Clairborne as the executive vice president and finally landed at Burberry, where she rejuvenated Burberry's image and sales as CEO of the London fashion house. When she started in 2006, Burberry was a well-known rainwear company and upon her leaving a short eight years later, the company is now an internationally acclaimed fashion label.

Ahrendts has a personal management style that keeps her in touch with her employees, traveling to stores to meet them and "communicating constantly" with them via email to thank them for their work. She credits her Midwestern values that taught her compassion towards others, humility, and hard work were the keys to success. It is this human touch that Ahrendts will be bringing to Apple's all-male executive team and will be a balance to the company's technology and engineering focus.
"Technology has given us access to the world and its sea of content, allowing us to never speak to another person if we don't want to," she said. "Computers and smart devices are among the greatest intellectual gifts ever created for man, but if not balanced with human contact, may offer little to develop ones heart. Don't get me wrong, I am mesmerized by this Digital Tsunami, but Google doesn't have all the answers, and are all those people on Facebook truly your friends?"
Ahrendts will be joining Apple at a time when its retail sales are flat, despite an increase in the number of retail stores opening worldwide. As noted by Bloomberg's European correspondent Caroline Hyde, analysts are watching Ahrendts closely with the expectation that she will bring her luxury flair to Apple's retail operations and repeat with Apple what she did with Burberry.



Ahrendts will head up Apple's retail push in 2014 and beyond after several years of instability in the division. The company confirmed during its recent Q2 2014 earnings conference call that it will continue to invest in retail stores in 2014. It recently opened its first retail stores in Brazil and Turkey, expanding Apple's retail presence to a total of 15 countries. Apple also will continue its focus on China with a plan to triple the number of Apple retail stores in the Asian country over the next two years.

Apple Execs Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi to Speak at Code Conference in May

Apple executives Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will speak at the first annual Code Conference hosted by Re/code, the site reported today. The duo will headline the second night of the event in late May.

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We are very excited to have both Cue and Federighi at the event to talk about a range of things about the company that remains at the center of the action, especially in the important mobile sector. From the shifting entertainment and communications landscape to the fast-moving wearables space to, well, everything digital, these two play a very important role.
Eddy Cue serves as Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services handling the iTunes Store, App Store, iCloud, and more, while Federighi serves as the senior vice president of Software Engineering, overseeing both iOS and OS X.

Both Cue and Federighi report directly to Tim Cook and are responsible for overseeing many essential elements of Apple's ecosystem.

Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher of Re/code have done multiple yearly conferences, formerly under All Things D. Past events have included interviews with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and last year’s event featured current Apple CEO Tim Cook, who spoke about wearables and television.

The 2014 Code Conference will also feature speakers like General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. While the event is sold out, the site does have plans to post news and videos on Re/code throughout the conference.

New MacBook Airs to Feature Minor Processor Update

Earlier this morning, news of an imminent MacBook Air refresh surfaced, and now there are additional details on what we can expect from the update. As initially reported, the new MacBook Airs will include updated Haswell processors with no other specification changes.

As can be seen in an image of the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air specs provided to 9to5Mac, the notebook will offer a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, a very minor boost from the current entry level 1.3Ghz processor in the 13-inch version. Build to order models in both 11 and 13-inch varieties are expected to see the same minor processor improvements.

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The MacBook Airs continue to offer the same amount of storage space, RAM, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and there has been no upgrade to Thunderbolt 2, which was included in the latest Retina MacBook Pro. The Airs continue to use Intel's HD Graphics 5000 and it is unclear whether updated Haswell processors will bring any boosts to battery life.

It is unknown when Apple plans to introduce the new MacBook Air computers, but it is possible Apple will take its online store down tonight in order to update inventory ahead of an in-store release tomorrow.

Apple's iPhone 6 Could Be as Thin as Current iPod Touch

Last week, a case designed for the iPhone 6 was compared to an iPhone 5s, a Nexus 5, and a Galaxy Note 3 in order to explore how the upcoming device might look compared to other large-screened devices.

Today that same case has been compared to a current generation iPod touch by Unbox Therapy, suggesting the future iPhone 6 could be as thin as the existing iPod touch. In the video, a fifth-generation iPod touch is placed inside of the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 case, demonstrating a perfect fit when it comes to depth.



Released in 2012, Apple's current generation iPod touch measures in at just 6.1mm thick, while the iPhone 5s 7.6mm thick. iPhone 6 rumors have already suggested the device could be much thinner than the iPhone 5s, and reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted a thickness of 6.5mm to 7.0mm.

The way the iPod touch fits in the case also suggests that the iPhone 6 could have the elongated, rectangular buttons of the iPod touch rather than the circular buttons of the iPhone 5s. This is in line with previous rumors and with a possible volume button part leak posted in our forums earlier today.

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Possible iPhone 6 volume button part leak

While it's impossible to tell whether the iPhone 6 case in the video is a legitimate representation of what Apple's next-generation device might look like, the case design does resemble previously leaked schematics, case maker's renderings, and manufacturing molds.

Along with a thinner design and a larger, the iPhone 6 is also expected to incorporate slimmer bezels, an upgraded A8 processor, and an improved camera via optical image stabilization. While a 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 is expected to ship in the fall, a 5.5-inch version may also come somewhat later in the year due to production issues that have delayed its release.

Apple Updates MacBook Airs with Faster Haswell Processors and $100 Price Drop [Updated]

As indicated last week and yesterday, Apple today launched updated MacBook Airs, which feature faster versions of Intel's Haswell processors at $100 less for each model.

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All standard models of the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air now come with a faster 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor along with the same 4GB of RAM. Both entry-level configurations of the 11-inch and 13-inch models now sell for $899 and $999 with 128GB of flash storage, while the higher-end 11-inch and 13-inch models now come in at $1099 and $1199 with 256GB of flash storage, respectively.

Build-to-order options include a 1.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor with up to 8GB of RAM on both the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs.

Apple is also rumored to be working on a 12-inch MacBook with a new ultra-slim design and a high resolution Retina display for later this year.

The updated 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs are available today through Apple's various retail locations and online store, with all standard configurations showing availability of "within 24 hours."

Update 1:28 AM: Apple's updated MacBook Airs are now available in its U.S. Online Store with each model now costing $100 less compared to the previous model.

Update 1:36 AM: Notably, the battery specs for both new models list slightly longer iTunes Movie playback times, with the 11-inch model jumping from 8 to 9 hours of playback and the 13-inch model jumping from 10 to 12 hours.

Update 6:08 AM: Apple has issued a press release announcing the minor update.
“With MacBook Air starting at $899, there’s no reason to settle for anything less than a Mac,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Macs have never been more popular, and today we’ve boosted the performance and lowered the price of MacBook Air so even more people can experience the perfect everyday notebook.”
The press release also highlights the significant increase in battery life for movie playback through iTunes.

Update 9:00 AM: Refurbished MacBook Air computers have dropped to all time low prices, with an 11-inch 2012 model available starting at $599. 2013 models are available starting at $719.

iPhone 6 Camera May Feature Electronic Image Stabilization, Bigger Pixel Size

Apple may be planning to use electronic image stabilization instead of optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6, according to new details shared on Weibo [Google Translate] by ESM China analyst Sun Chang Xu (via GforGames). Xu suggests that the iPhone 6's camera will also boast a larger pixel size of 1.75 um compared to the 1.5 um pixel size of the iPhone 5s' camera, which would result in a higher picture quality as more light can be taken in.

While previous reports have indicated that Apple is looking to integrate optical image stabilization into the iPhone 6, adding an electronic image stabilization system would allow for the device to have a slimmer camera that does not protrude out of its body. To this point, a number of alleged iPhone 6 images, including renders posted by Japanese magazine MacFan last month, have depicted the iPhone 6 with a protruding camera.

Xu also previously reported on her Weibo account that the iPhone 6 will add pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors, and that the iWatch will utilize optical sensors to measure heart rate and oxygen levels.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 this fall in two different sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. The smaller 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 will likely ship first, while the larger 5.5-inch version is estimated to ship later due to challenges with the device's display technology and battery life.

In addition to a larger display and an improved camera, both models of the iPhone 6 are expected to include a thinner, bezel-free design, faster A8 processor, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The device will also likely debut with Apple's iOS 8 mobile operating system, which will feature improvements to Maps, Siri, and iCloud in addition to a new "Healthbook" app. Apple is also said to be negotiating with carriers to increase the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.