Big-Ass iPhones Coming Soon

At some point next year, making fun of people-with-big-ass-phones won't seem as funny anymore, since Apple has decided to jump on the big-ass phone bandwagon — Reuters reports that Apple is cooking up some plans for a 4.7-inch and a 5.7-inch iPhones which may be introduced next year.

UNDER PRESSURE
Apple's possible shift to offer what is often referred to as "phablets" - chunkier smartphones not quite big enough to qualify as tablets - comes as the long-time consumer and investor darling faces pressure to deliver more than one new handset model a year. Critics say its pace of innovation has slowed since the death of legendary co-founder Steve Jobs.

It seems that the Samsung's Galaxy S4 has really taken a bite out the iPhone market — which leads me to the questions; will we ever get those tiny earplug phones from Minority Report? And what happened to the time when the future of phones was suppose to be the smaller the better.

$99 iPhones?

With lots of pretty colors and cheap plastic, hopefully BPA, PVC, lead and phthalate free for your baby's safety.

BROADER PRODUCT RANGE
Analysts say the company needs a cheaper gadget to push on in growth markets in China and India, and to counter Samsung's edge in having phones priced up and down the spectrum. China, the world's biggest smartphone market, is set to grow 48 percent this year, outpacing the global increase of 31 percent, according to industry forecasts.

Welcome to the NEW Apple Inc.

Read More

Apple Novelty: Mac Pro

Apple has once again taken the personal computer (desktop) and hammered it down into a tiny little space — somewhere out there, there's a group of Power Mac G4 Cube fans wiping off some drool with the back of there hands.

If you pay a visit to apple.com and go through the full presentation, you may find yourself muttering a low wow — the thing is simply hot — though the great and power Woz did not seem too impressed by Apple's latest novelty.

Radical Yet Completely Logical

The new Mac Pro looks unlike any other computer. Because it is unlike any other computer. By rethinking the architecture of its internal components, we had the chance to rethink the entire enclosure. And since everything centers around a unified thermal core, we were free to design a much leaner, lighter, quieter, and far more streamlined structure. Its unique design and beautiful finishes are executed to an extraordinary degree of precision. And at just 9.9 inches tall with a diameter of just 6.6 inches, it’s a pro desktop computer that can actually sit on your desk.

Made In The USA? WTF?

With the new Mac Pro, we’re assembling the entire product and machining several of its high-precision components in the United States. By leveraging the innovative power of industry-leading companies in Texas, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, and over a dozen other states across America, we're able to build a product that's impeccably constructed and beautiful in every detail. In other words, exactly as it was envisioned by our designers and engineers in California.

That last bit of information really caught me off guard — very smart move by Apple, considering all the negative attention that cheap overseas assembly has had lately.

The Bottom Line
If Apple doesn't make the same pricing mistake they made with the Cube, this thing may end up being a big hit — their fan base has grown considerably since then.

Read More

iOS 7 - New iPhone & New iTunes Radio

Apple has unveiled a new operating system for the iPhone and iPad - which actually just makes it look more like the other smart phones out there.

Here's a word from a trusted Apple geek - John Gruber:

The design of iOS 7 is based on rules. There’s an intricate system at work, a Z-axis of layers organized in a logical way. There is a profound reduction in the use of faux-3D visual effects and textures, but iOS 7 is anything but flat. It is three dimensional not just visually but logically. It uses translucency not to show off, but to provide you with a sense of place. When you pull the new Control Center panel up from the bottom of the screen, its translucency lets you know that you haven’t gone somewhere new, you’re just looking at something over where you were.

But there is one awesome new feature which I must give praise for - The Kill Switch!

The Kill Switch feature is a theft deterrent — if you lose your iPhone, or if some jack-ass steals it, you hit the kill switch and your mini-computer becomes a paper weight which can only get reactivated by you and no one else - though, I would just give it a few months before someone can crack that.

iTunes Radio

Apple also unveiled a new(old)  subscription Internet radio service called iTunes Radio. Members will be able to personalize their music based on what they've listened to and what they've purchased on iTunes.

iTunes Radio will be free with advertisements, and will be available this fall in the U.S. A commercial-free version will be available for subscribers of Apple's iTunes Match music-storage service - costs $25 a year.

See the Official Keynote @ apple.com/apple-events/june-2013

Read More