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Apple Reportedly Strikes Deal with Broadcom to Add 802.11ac Gigabit Wi-Fi to 2013 Macs

TheNextWeb reports that Apple has struck a deal with wireless chip firm Broadcom that will see high-speed 802.11ac 5G "Gigabit Wi-Fi" come to the company's Mac lineup later this year.
While it’s believed that Apple’s 2013 Mac lineup will feature the same designs as their late-2012 counterparts, they are set to include a range of updated internal features and hardware. We’ve learned about one such chipset change – the inclusion of 802.11ac networking – providing Apple’s updated Mac range with super-fast WiFi connectivity.

Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have told The Next Web that Apple has struck a deal with chip maker Broadcom to outfit its new Macs with 802.11ac chips.
The report notes that 802.11ac will roughly triple the speeds seen with the current 802.11n standard, supporting up to 450 Mbps on one antenna and up to 1.3 Gbps when used with three antennas as on Apple's latest Macs.
According to our sources, the WiFi chip isn’t currently available and is still in development. As for availability, we have been told that if work goes according to schedule, they should be part of the new line of Mac computers. There is no word on whether Apple will introduce similar chipsets in the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Time Capsule or other products.
A similar report from nearly a year ago claimed that 802.11ac would be coming to Macs in 2012, but the development failed to occur as Broadcom has apparently continued to work on its chips supporting the forthcoming standard.

Apple Interested in Purchasing Social Turn-by-Turn Navigation Company Waze?

Citing "rumours flying around", TechCrunch reports that Apple appears to be investigating the possibility of acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. Waze, which takes advantage of real-time info from users to help others keep up-to-date on the latest road and traffic conditions, is already a partner in Apple's new Maps app, and an acquisition could help Apple beef up its struggling mapping services.

The report suggests that an acquisition of Waze could be even more beneficial for Apple than a deal with Foursquare, which holds only a limited audience internationally.
Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it’s far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google’s project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze’s approach. Waze turned mapping into not only a game, but also a way for drivers to be social, reporting road obstacles, traffic and police traps. It is properly useful.

It would also cost Apple northwards of $500M+ to buy Foursquare (which has raised $71 million is known to be raising another round), and gain, what? The location of restaurants, bars and airports? Given Waze has raised $67 million, Apple could acquire far better mapping data and a real driving app.
Waze was one of the iOS apps featured by Apple as an alternative to its own Maps app for users looking for another solution while Apple continues enhancing its offering. The service has over 30 million users across iOS and Android, and has proven popular as a free alternative to other turn-by-turn navigation services.

Apple Interested in Purchasing Social Turn-by-Turn Navigation Company Waze? [Updated]

Citing "rumours flying around", TechCrunch reports that Apple appears to be investigating the possibility of acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. Waze, which takes advantage of real-time info from users to help others keep up-to-date on the latest road and traffic conditions, is already a partner in Apple's new Maps app, and an acquisition could help Apple beef up its struggling mapping services.

The report suggests that an acquisition of Waze could be even more beneficial for Apple than a deal with Foursquare, which holds only a limited audience internationally.
Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it’s far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google’s project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze’s approach. Waze turned mapping into not only a game, but also a way for drivers to be social, reporting road obstacles, traffic and police traps. It is properly useful.

It would also cost Apple northwards of $500M+ to buy Foursquare (which has raised $71 million is known to be raising another round), and gain, what? The location of restaurants, bars and airports? Given Waze has raised $67 million, Apple could acquire far better mapping data and a real driving app.
Waze was one of the iOS apps featured by Apple as an alternative to its own Maps app for users looking for another solution while Apple continues enhancing its offering. The service has over 30 million users across iOS and Android, and has proven popular as a free alternative to other turn-by-turn navigation services.

Update: TechCrunch has updated its article to note that Apple is offering roughly $400 million plus $100 million in incentives for Waze, but Waze is said to be holding out for something closer to $750 million.

Apple Interested in Purchasing Social Turn-by-Turn Navigation Company Waze? [Updated]

Citing "rumours flying around", TechCrunch reports that Apple appears to be investigating the possibility of acquiring Waze, the popular social turn-by-turn navigation company. Waze, which takes advantage of real-time info from users to help others keep up-to-date on the latest road and traffic conditions, is already a partner in Apple's new Maps app, and an acquisition could help Apple beef up its struggling mapping services.

The report suggests that an acquisition of Waze could be even more beneficial for Apple than a deal with Foursquare, which holds only a limited audience internationally.
Because Waze maps are built on the location of moving cars, it’s far more accurate than check-in apps. Outside of Google’s project to map cities with Streetview cars – something which has taken years to complete – and the real-world mapping undertaken by volunteers on the Open Streetmaps open source project, there has been little to match Waze’s approach. Waze turned mapping into not only a game, but also a way for drivers to be social, reporting road obstacles, traffic and police traps. It is properly useful.

It would also cost Apple northwards of $500M+ to buy Foursquare (which has raised $71 million is known to be raising another round), and gain, what? The location of restaurants, bars and airports? Given Waze has raised $67 million, Apple could acquire far better mapping data and a real driving app.
Waze was one of the iOS apps featured by Apple as an alternative to its own Maps app for users looking for another solution while Apple continues enhancing its offering. The service has over 30 million users across iOS and Android, and has proven popular as a free alternative to other turn-by-turn navigation services.

Update: TechCrunch has updated its article to note that Apple is offering roughly $400 million plus $100 million in incentives for Waze, but Waze is said to be holding out for something closer to $750 million.

Next-Generation iPhone to Launch in More Colors, Multiple Sizes?

Following up on a report last month from Jeffries analyst Peter Misek claiming that the next-generation iPhone could launch in the middle of this year with as many as 6-8 colors, Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has issued a report today indicating similar information. White also believes that Apple could offer the device with multiple screen sizes.
Our checks indicate that the next iPhone will have more choices for customers. This entails an expansion in both the color patterns and screen sizes with the next iPhone (i.e., likely called the iPhone 5S) that we currently believe will be launched in May/June with certain supply production starting in March/April.
White believes that the addition of multiple color choices for the iPod touch late last year was a "testing ground" for Apple and that the company is now moving toward bringing similar option to the iPhone, and eventually to the iPad.

As for screen size, White believes that Apple may for the first time offer a brand-new model with multiple screen size options for different segments of the market.
Although Apple offers a 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and a 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the Company has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model. We believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach. This eventually opens up the possibility for a lower-priced iPhone (i.e., iPhone mini) with a smaller screen size that could allow Apple to further penetrate markets such as China and open up opportunities in India. At the same time, Apple could unveil a larger screen size compared to the recently updated 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5.
Discussion of a larger screen size is particularly difficult to believe, given that Apple just transitioned to a taller screen with the iPhone 5, the first time Apple has changed the screen size on the iPhone since its launch.

In considering how Apple might make the iPhone's screen even larger, essentially the same set of issues debated before the launch of the iPhone 5 appears: more pixels or same resolution at lower pixel density. The latter solution in particular likely offers little for Apple, as the company is almost certainly uninterested in lowering pixel density simply to offer the same amount of screen real estate at a slightly larger physical size.

As for the former, Apple increased only the vertical pixel count for the iPhone 5, allowing for a larger screen while still offering full compatibility with apps designed for the smaller screens of previous devices. It seems difficult to believe that Apple would undertake yet another increase in pixel count so soon after the iPhone 5 debut, particularly if it involved increases in both vertical and horizontal directions.

iPhone5mod Launches Ultrathin Keyboard and Game Controller for iPhone 5 [iOS Blog]

Over the past several months, we've been following the progress of iPhone5mod, one of several companies that have developed unauthorized versions of Apple's new Lightning connector, allowing them to launch a number of accessories, adapters, and cables for customers frustrated by the slow pace of development on official solutions.


iPhone5mod is now launching an interesting new product today in the form of an ultrathin keyboard/game controller for the iPhone 5. The $49.90 EX Hybrid Game Controller consists of a thin back cover for the iPhone that provides magnetic attachment for a pair of 2-mm thick aluminum plates: one offering a keyboard and a second containing gamepad controls. The plates also include integrated batteries for up to 40 hours of active use, with a separate charging station for the plates included in the package.





TSMC to Begin Trial Production of Apple’s A6X Chip This Quarter

AFP reports on claims from Taiwanese newspaper Commercial Times indicating that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is set to begin trial production of Apple's A6X chip sometime this quarter. The chip is currently used in the fourth-generation iPad introduced in October.
The Taiwanese company has been contracted to manufacture the A6X chip, which drives Apple's iPad4 tablet, with trial production set for the first quarter of this year, Taiwan's Commercial Times reported.

The move is the latest in a strings of efforts by Apple to switch mass manufacturing contracts away from Samsung, it said.
Apple has been rumored for some time to be trying to switch to TSMC for production of its A-series chips, with some reports claiming that TSMC would be coming on board late this year for next-generation chips. More recent reports have claimed that TSMC could start production for Apple as soon as the second quarter, perhaps in line with today's rumor of trial production in the first quarter of the year.

Apple’s New iPhone 5 Ad Showcases Do Not Disturb… The Day After It Stops Working [Video]

Do Not Disturb on. Even when you don’t want it to be.

Apple has posted a brand new iPhone 5 advert to YouTube called “Dream.” Featuring tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams, it humorously promotes the Do Not Disturb feature that Apple introduced with iOS 6. However, Apple could have picked a better time to publish it. The clip comes a day after iPhones switched over to 2013 and the Do Not Disturb feature stopped working properly.

If you’re unfamiliar with Do Not Disturb, it’s a terrific feature that doesn’t get anywhere near enough praise. It’s a toggle that can instantly block all phone calls, text messages, emails, and other notifications from bothering you when you don’t want to be bothered.

The best part about it is that you can schedule it to work at certain times. For example, Do Not Disturb is automatically activate on my iPhone between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. every day.

The problem is, on Tuesday morning when we rolled over into 2013, Do Not Disturb decided it no longer wanted to schedule properly. Users found that it didn’t deactivate when it was supposed to, and notifications that they should have been receiving weren’t coming through. The only way to fix this was to shut off the scheduled feature and toggle Do Not Disturb manually.

For me, the feature still isn’t working properly today.

Nevertheless, Apple’s new iPhone 5 ad is a good one — probably my favorite so far. Check it out below.

Source: YouTube

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Apple Has Already Started Testing The iPhone 6 And iOS 7

It seems like the iPhone 5 just barely came out, but Apple is hard at work on the iPhone 6 – or iPhone 5S if that’s what they’re gonna call it. Starting the new year off, developers have already seen evidence that Apple is testing the next generation iPhone and iOS 7.

The Next Web has spoken to multiple developers who have shown them references to a new iPhone and iOS 7 being tested. Developers’ logs show that Apple has been testing new hardware that carries a ‘iPhone6,1′ identifier. The iPhone 5 carries an identifier that’s either ‘iPhone5,1′ or ‘iPhone5,2′ depending on the LTE model of the iPhone and which 4G bands it operates on.

Along with the iPhone 6 being tested, it’s running iOS 7 which Apple isn’t expected to release until mid-2013. The iOS 7 references have started appearing much earlier compared to iOS 6 references we saw last year. iOS 6 didn’t start appearing in analytics until a month before it was announced at WWDC.

The references to the new iPhone and iOS 7 did not reveal any clues about new hardware or software features. Are Apple’s engineers rushing to get a big iOS 7 update earlier than we’re expecting? Who knows. But as the first version of iOS with Jony Ives fingerprints all over it, we can’t wait till Apple lets us get our greasy hands all over it.

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Source: TNW

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Build A Faster, Smarter, And Stronger Mac With The Yazsoft Mac Bundle [Deals]

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  3. Attachments Menu: Attachment Menu indexes all Apple Mail messages that contain attachments and puts them in an organized, always accessible menu bar. Finding that attachment you’re looking for will never be easier than with Attachments Menu. (Value: $10)
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