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Apple iPad Pro Is Coming Soon, Rumors Say

November 26, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

2014 has been a very productive year for Apple, releasing the much-anticipated iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, new iPads and the latest Yosemite OS. There are rumors hinting at a new Apple device, the iPad Pro, which is said to be released next year.

Some say that the new Apple iPad Pro will replace the iPad Mini lineup and the new lineup will be bigger in size. Apple has been working on its new iPads for some time now and we know that Apple releases one product a year. This year was an exception because Apple released 2 devices last year.

Apple will not turn into Samsung, which releases several products a year, but is hoping to come up with at least two models of their devices yearly.
The tech world is obviously pretty excited to see the Apple iPad Pro, which will supposedly be bigger than any Apple tablets released so far. Some say that the Apple iPad Pro might be released at the end of this year or at the beginning of the next one. The price will be somewhere that of an iPad Air and a MacBook. There are rumors saying Apple is actually working on two editions of the iPad Pro models.

The Apple iPad Pro with a 2K screen resolution will be released sometime next year, as many sources indicate. Apparently, Apple will be joining hands with Quanta Computer to manufacture the new iPad series. Apple wants its new tablets to be either 12.9 or 13.3 inches and analysts forecast that it will be released in the first half of 2015.
The upcoming Apple iPad Pro will probably have a 12.9 inch screen, since the MacBook Air has proved to be a huge success with its 11.6 inch screen.

Some actually believe that the Apple iPad Pro series will be heavier than previous models. It will feature similar camera as iPhone 5 S, which comes with a dual LED flash, an aluminum back and a Touch ID. The new iPads will probably have a HD front camera for quality video calling, a feature many iPad users really appreciate.

Apple Beats Music Streaming Service Is Coming Soon

November 20, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

If you use Apple as your main tech device provider and you have an iPhone, iPad or any other mobile devices, be prepared to receive a new service. The Apple Beats music streaming service was just purchased with approximately $3 billion and is coming soon on iOS mobile devices.

Official sources report that Apple is about to include the Beats music streaming service win with the upcoming upgrade of the iOS mobile operating system, starting next year. Some believe that the new music service will be on all Apple devices, whether the users want it or not.
Recent rumors said that Apple will integrate Beats into their iTunes service or that Apple will merge the two brands.

The Beats music streaming service was co-founded by one of the most popular hip-hop singers and producers, Dr Dre. The fact that Apple bought this service makes it the biggest purchase in the history of Apple. That’s why many believe Apple is preparing something huge for the release of the new Beats music streaming service. Official sources say that Apple has sold more than 800 million mobile devices and currently, their iTunes service has more than 200 million active users, users who buy songs every day, of course.

Apple has a history of forcing its products down the users’ throat. Remember the latest decision to include U2’s latest album on all iOS users’ devices? Not many appreciated that move, on the contrary. Apple Maps, though, it was not well received when it was first released and now it’s being used frequently. Maybe Beats music streaming service will be a success, we just have to wait and see.

Apple will have to convince at least a fraction of its users to subscribe to Beats in order to compete with Spotify, which has more 12,5 million paying subscribers. Analysts forecast that music streaming services are on the rise. The subscriptions will rise from the current 20 million subscribers to 150 million users by the year 2025.

Many tech experts are curious to see how will Apple manage to include the Beats music streaming service on iOS devices without upsetting the users.

Apple Lawsuit Over Deleted Messages

November 12, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Lucy Koh, the District Judge of San Jose, California has directed tech giant Apple to face another federal lawsuit. The latest Apple lawsuit claims that Apple Inc. has failed to announce its customers regarding the messaging system blockage. According to official sources, Apple did not inform its users that they will not be able to receive any kind of text messages from other Apple iOS devices if they moved from iPhone to a different smartphone, like and Android or Windows Phone.

One of the ex-iPhone users who suffered from this blockage is Adrienne Moore, who claims that Apple made it very difficult for her because she didn’t receive the messages from Verizon regarding her contract.
Moore, the plaintiff in the latest Apple lawsuit said that Apple failed to inform her that any text messages would not be sent if the iPhone users decided to switch to another phone brand. She complained that she lost many messages because of the blockage and it’s all Apple’s fault for not letting her know.

Moore is seeking compensation of damages and a class action status from the Apple lawsuit. Luckily for her, the unfair competition laws in the state of California are on her side. Judhe Koh said that the plaintiff has every right to sue Apple because her text messages should have reached her and didn’t because Apple failed to inform her, thus disrupting the contractual relationship between company and user.

In its defense Apple said that its message app iMessage that was running on the plaintiff’s iPhone could not identify when the user switched to a different mobile device.

Before the latest Apple lawsuit, the tech giant recognized it had a problem with the text messages not being delivered after the users switched to a different non-iOS phone, so this week Apple launched an online tool that allows the user to retrieve the text messages if moving to a different non-Apple mobile device. The new Apple tool tells its users to turn off the iMessage system on their Apple phone before switching to a different mobile device.

Masque Attack Threat, How Dangerous Is It for iPhones?

November 11, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

The recently discovered Masque Attack that threatened the iPhone and iOs devices mainly is not as dangerous as it was initially believed. The “virus” was discovered by the security company called FireEye and they said that the threat has been around for some time. Also, the Masque Attack threat is quite easy to avoid, said FireEye. The only thing iOs users should worry about is the overall Apple security, which proved to be not exactly flawless.

The California based security firm FireEye explained how a corruoted iOS app can be installed on an iOS device, through a mistake in the misuse of the developer or enterprise certificates. These corrupted mobile apps can spy on the phone’s user and can eventually take over the entire phone.

FireEye says that Masque Attack has been known for quite some time and it’s based on a flaw in the iOS security model, the same that caused the WireLurker malware. The WireLurker was the first malware to affect a non-jailbroken iOS device.
Usually, iOS devices owners take their apps only from authorized places like the iTunes App Store, which is strictly maintained by Apple. The iOS devices always check if the apps have the Apple certificate, which is a sort of signature that confirms the apps were made by Apple.

But Apple also gives their certificate to other large enterprises and software developers. Developers usually install unfinished apps on iPhones in order to test their software. Each developer can use the Apple certificate up to 100 times. Also, enterprises have to install the apps on the employee iOS devices and each certificate can be used unlimitedly.
Stefan Esser, who is a German security researcher, said that:

“It is known for YEARS that enterprise certificates can replace iOS apps on the fly.”

FireEye explained how the Masque Attack really works: an iOS user is lured on a website that has a corrupted app that has an official app name like “New Flappy Bird”. The app is not the same as the official, safe one , but it’s a malicious app that can have access to the user’s private details, like his Gmail account.

Apple Unveils New iPad Air 2, Mac Mini and OS X Yosemite

October 17, 2014 By Deborah Cobing Leave a Comment

In an earlier article today, we presented you the latest Apple devices which were unveiled at the Apple Media Event yesterday, October 16: the new iPad Mini 3, the iMac with a Retina 5k display and Apple Pay. Today, we’re going to take a look at two more amazing devices and a new update to the OS X Yosemite operating system.

New iPad Air 2

The much anticipated iPad Air 2 finally arrived and it’s got Touch ID. The rumors were also right about the color gold, in which the new iPad Air 2 is now available. It’s got a brand-new A8X chip, the same Retina Display but a new antireflective coating that makes the new iPad Air 2 the least reflective tablet on the market, says Apple. The new iPad Air 2 is also thinner and lighter, but we expect that from a new iPad, don’t we?

The new iPad Air 2 has some new prices: for the Wi-Fi models you pay $499 (16GB), $599 (64GB) and $699 (128GB). The cellular ones are a bit pricier as always: $629 (16GB), $729 (64GB) and $829 (128GB).If you are in the U.S. you can preorder the new iPad Air 2 today!

Mac Mini

The new Mac Mini is a wonderful device, a thin client. Naturally, Apple doesn’t call it that, but that’s what it is. A slim and compact personal computer, that comes without a display, keyboard or mouse. It’s got integrated Intel HD Graphics 5000 and Intel Iris Graphics, 8.0.2ac Wi-Fi and models start from 4GB of RAM, 500GB of internal memory and a processor speed of 1.4GHz; this standard model’s price is $499. For $699 you get a faster processor, 2.6GHz with 8GB of RAM and 1TB of internal memory. If you want the 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and 1TB Fusion Drive model, you’ll have to pay $999 for it!

OS X Yosemite

During their Media Event, Apple also presented their latest OS X Yosemite operating system. It comes with all the new devices, but is also available as a free download with all Macs since 2009 (some more models from 2007 and 2008 are compatible, but you’re going to have to double check on that). The free upgrade is available starting today, October 17, so if you own a Mac that is newer than 2009, go ahead and update its operating system!

Are you going to get the new iPad Air 2? Are you interested in the new Mac Mini? Drop us a line in the comment section below and tell us about it.

Apple Reveals New iPad Mini 3, 27-Inch iMac With 5K Display and Apple Pay

October 17, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Apple has announced more countries that will get the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, this week and yesterday it revealed more additions to its growing family of devices. During the Media Event Apple has revealed the new iPad Mini 3, the 27-inch iMac with 5K display and Apple Pay. Let’s take a quick look at these devices and see what the fuss is all about.

iPad Mini 3

iPad Mini 3 got its own fingerprint reader, the Touch ID! It was about time Touch ID came to the iPads, don’t you think? The new iPad Mini 3 also comes in the color gold, which was pretty much expected. Other than that, there isn’t much to say about it. Granted, it’s got a better wireless, but the display is the same as it is on the iPad Mini 2 (which is now the official name for the iPad Mini with Retina Display) and so is the A7 chip.

27-Inch iMac With 5K Display

The most stunning reveal was definitely the 27-inch iMac with 5k display. The display is one of the most stunning displays ever created. It has a resolution of 5,120 x 2,880 with 14.7 million pixels, four times more than what the standard iMac has. You also get a 3.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 for the standard model, as well as 8GB of memory and a 1TB Fusion Drive. All this greatness for a great price: $2,499 (for the standard iMac)!

Apple Pay

We’ve talked about Apple Pay before, but now we’ve got a date for it! October 20 is when it is going to become available, along with the update for the iOS 8.1. Apple Pay allows its users to make payments with their smartphones. You don’t even have to open an app to make a payment, you simply present your iPhone, authenticate the payment with your finger and then you get a gentle vibration that tells you the payment was approved. Pretty smart, don’t you think?

Keep your eyes peeled, because we’ve got more! Two more devices will be presented in a new article here on States Chronicle, the new iPad Air 2, Mac Mini and the update to OS X Yosemite!

Apple is Rumored to Delay the Launch of the 3 Gen iPad Mini

September 23, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

According to Commercial Times, a Taiwanese publication that’s known for their spot-on Apple rumors, has just revealed that Apple won’t be launching their 3 gen iPad Mini this October, as it was hoped. It appears that the iPad Pro rumors may have some truth behind them and some voices are saying that the 12.9 inch iPad that is thought to launch next year is what’s keeping Apple from releasing an update to the iPad Mini at the end of this year.

The publication has cited supply chain sources and said that the California-based tech giant will not be launching the 3 Gen iPad Mini at the event that is expected to take place in October of 2014.

At this October event, the new iPad Air 3 is expected to launch and up until now, it was believed that the 3 Gen iPad Mini was going to also be introduced. Apple has always done this (the past two years), so there was no indication that this year they would do it differently.

There are two reasons why the 3 Gen iPad Mini is not going to be launched this year: firstly, all of Apple’s effort went into the conception, production and marketing of the Apple Watch and secondly, the rumors are saying that Apple is focusing a lot of their efforts into creating a new and larger (12.9 inch) iPad, called the iPad Pro, which is thought to be presented to the public earlier next year.

More rumors are saying that the 3 Gen iPad Mini is going to have pretty much the same features that the new iPad Air 3 is rumored to have: Touch ID fingerprint sensor, the new A8 processor and the same Retina Display resolution.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below about the 3 Gen iPad Mini, we love hearing from our readers.

Samsung And Apple Are Back In Court: Who’s The Guilty One?

March 31, 2014 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

The giants of the mobile world have some issues to resolve. And they’re going legal about it. Samsung and Apple are back in court because they accuse each other of copying features and designs on their new smartphone and tablet models. It’s not even the first time this happens. Apparently Apple is accusing Samsung for stealing five of their patents and for using them on the new Galaxy smartphones and tablets. On the other hand, Samsung sued Apple for ripping off two ideas for their iPads and iPhones.

Among other things, the Apple attorneys wrote that Apple has revolutionized the world of mobile devices in many ways and that Samsung has been constantly copying their technology in terms of features, designs and products. Samsung’s law people state that ever since the early days of the mobile device business, Samsung has been a pioneer and Apple has stolen many ideas for their iPhones, iPods and iPads products.

Samsung and Apple are back in court trying to resolve the fact that Samsung stole Apple’s “tap to search” technology that lets the user search for a phone number or address and put it into a map. The other feature stolen from them by Samsung is the famous “slide to unlock” feature which allows users to swipe the screen of the phone in order to use it.

Samsung is suing Apple for “borrowing” their wireless technology used for a faster sending and receiving info and data.

Samsung And Apple are back in court – what are the sums at stake?

All this cat and mouse legal battle means that if Apple wins, Samsung will have to pay a $40 royalty for every device that has Apple tech on it. If Samsung wins, then Apple will have to pay around $6 million.

Samsung and Apple are back in court and we really hope they will come to an agreement soon because all this “I was here first” game is getting a little too old.