IntellectBeat

Apple on Thursday expanded efforts to make its devices must-have business tools, unveiling an alliance with German workplace software giant SAP. The partnership sets out to "revolutionise the mobile work experience" by blending iPhone and iPad applications with capabilities of the SAP software platform for business known as HANA, according to a joint statement. "This partnership will transform how iPhone and iPad are used in enterprise by bringing together the innovation and security of iOS with SAP's deep expertise in business software,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement. Cook described SAP as the leader in enterprise software, with some 76 per cent of business transactions touching one of the Germany-based company's systems. A kit will be released to let software developers build applications taking advantage of HANA and Apple mobile operating system capabilities, according to the companies. "We will help deliver live data to peopl...

Apple sees a "huge market potential" for its products in India and the technology giant is "really putting energy" in the country which will begin rolling out high-speed wireless networks this year, CEO Tim Cook said. "This is another huge one. India will be the most populous country in the world in 2022. India today has about 50 per cent of their population at 25 years of age or younger. It's a very young country. People really want smartphones there, really want smartphones," Cook said in a CNBC interview. He said in emerging markets like India, LTE (wireless) penetration is currently "zero" but as LTE begins to roll out this year in the country, the dynamics will change. "And so that's changing. Huge market potential," he said in response to a question about the Indian market for Apple. Cook said the company has got "great innovation" in the pipeline and new iPhones that will attract people in markets like India...

Apple has officially announced the dates for its World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2016 which will kick start on June 13 in San Francisco. The 27th annual conference will run through June 17 and bring together Apple's developer community from across the world to learn more about the future of Apple's software. This year's WWDC will play host to multiple announcements which are likely to include an updated list of Apple software and a sneak peak into the tech giant's upcoming products. Here's what all one could expect from the  Apple WWDC 2016 : 1. Software updates In all likelihood, Apple will bring the next iteration of its closed software- iOS 10 - with a host of improvements. The iPhone, iPad software update is likely to be followed by next versions of El Captain, tvOS, and also the watchOS. There are also speculations that Apple will rename its Mac software- OS X- as MacOS along with a possible inclusion of Apple's digital assistant Siri. Apple h...

Apple Inc on Tuesday updated its 12-inch MacBook line of laptops with faster processors, among other features, and made it available in rose gold colour. The new MacBook is 13.1 mm thin, weighs 2 pounds and has a battery capable of up to 10 hours of wireless web browsing on a single charge. It features sixth-generation dual-core Intel Core M processors up to 1.3 GHz, with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz, and faster 1866 MHz memory. New Intel HD Graphics 515 deliver up to 25 percent faster graphics performance. The device, which starts with a price tag of $1,299, will be available for sale from Wednesday.

Deviating from the norm of using only subtle grey, silver, gold, and recently a rose gold tones in its product lineup, Apple has built a one-of-a-kind iPad Pro that features a bright yellow aluminum case. In support of a Design Museum Charity auction on April 28th, Apple's Jony Ive and his team has developed a unique version of the 12.9-inch tablet. The brightly-coloured tablet also comes with accessories including a French leather Smart Cover and an orange Pencil case in Italian leather. Auction partner  Phillips  expects the yellow iPad Pro to fetch anything between $14,200 to $21,300.

Apple recently launched the iPhone SE catering to the 4-inch display lovers and even before we could estimate the new phone's success or the lack of it, the internet is abuzz with rumours about its next flagship. According to reliable Apple analyst, KGI Securities’ Ming-Chi Kuo, the new iPhone would deviate from the norm and come crafted in an all-glass design, dropping the aluminum completely. The major design change won't be seen in this year's iPhone 7, breaking away from Apple's tick-tock pattern of introducing design changes every other generation, and instead be seen in 2017's iPhone 8, a report on 9to5Mac notes. It isn't the first time Apple would be using glass for its smartphone; the back and front of iPhone 4 and 4s were crafted out of the same material held together with a stainless steel band. However, it is unclear how the tech giant will construct the phone completely with glass - a material considered ideal for wireless charging and better an...

US electronic giant Apple has said the iPhones have a life expectancy of three years and so does the Apple watch while AppleTV devices expire in four years. In a recent update to its environmental policy, Apple addressed the question of how long an Apple device is expected to remain in use. According to a report on Forbes.com, iPhone's productive life cycle will be up at the three-year mark, as will the Apple Watch while your OS X -- a series of operating systems developed and marketed by Apple Inc. -- and AppleTV devices will get an extra twelve months to reach the four-year mark. "To model customer use, we measure the power consumed by a product while it is running in a simulated scenario," Apple was quoted as saying. "Daily usage patterns are specific to each product and are a mixture of actual and modelled customer-use data. Years of use, which are based on first owners, are assumed to be four years for OS X and tvOS devices and three years for iOS and watc...

Technology giant Apple is reportedly not planning to produce a large volume of the iPhone SE that it released last month to offset the slump of its flagship series, a report said. A report in business publication Nikkei Asian Review quoted the parts suppliers as saying that Apple would continue its reduced production of iPhones in the April-June period in light of sluggish sales. Apple apparently does not plan to produce a large enough volume of the small iPhone SE released last month to offset the slump of its flagship series, the report pointed out. Slow sales of the flagship iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have forced Apple to lower production for the January-March quarter by about 30 per cent from the year-earlier period. With sales still not up to the mark, Apple told its parts suppliers in Japan and elsewhere that it would maintain the reduced output level in the current quarter. This prolonged production cut would affect the parts suppliers such as liquid crystal display pane...

Apple on Friday put up an updated page on its website mentioning its efforts for the Earth Day 2016. The webpage is meant to answer queries about the company's efforts to improve the environment. The page briefly mentioned the rumoured new name for Apple's desktop and laptop operating system - MacOS - instead of the long-standing OS X moniker. The Cupertino-based firm has now changed the name back to OS X. For those unaware, this is not the first time Apple has referred to OS X as MacOS. The term was found last month in an OS X 10.11.4 framework, which led to a speculation that there might be a naming rebrand in the company's next major desktop operating system update. At the point, the MacOS naming scheme seen in the framework was thought to be a filename or a codename used by developers for convenience. The mention on Apple's website however cements the speculation ."Daily usage patterns are specific to each product and are a mixture of actual and modeled cust...

Apple Inc has formed a secret team to explore changes to its App Store, including a new strategy for charging developers to have their apps more prominently displayed, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the plans. The iPhone maker is considering paid searches, similar to Google's model, where companies would have to pay to have their apps appear among top search results based on what a customer is seeking, Bloomberg said. About 100 employees are working on the project, including many engineers from Apple’s advertising group iAd, which is being scaled back, Bloomberg said, adding that the initiative is being led by Apple Vice President Todd Teresi, who headed iAd. Apple declined to comment.

A US magistrate judge in Boston ordered Apple Inc to assist law enforcement officers in examining the iPhone of an alleged gang member, according to a Feb. 1 court filing unsealed on Friday that is no longer binding. "Reasonable technical assistance consists of, to the extent possible, extracting data from the device, copying the data from the device onto an external hard drive or other storage medium and returning the aforementioned storage medium to law enforcement," US Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler wrote before a similar case in San Bernardino drew worldwide attention to law enforcement efforts to get around iPhone encryption. As in the San Bernardino case, where the US Justice Department sought access to a phone used by a gunman who fatally shot 14 people in December, Apple objected to the Boston order, an employee briefed on the matter said. The FBI has since said it has figured out a secret method for unlocking the model of iPhone in California. The Justice Depar...

With Apple prepping the launch of the iPhone SE in India on the 8th of April for a whopping Rs. 39000 for the base 16 GB variant. The iPhone 6s which features better specs and a larger screen capable of 3D touch is presently available for as low as Rs. 41000 on online websites, and if you choose one of the credit card deals, you can have one today for approximately Rs. 40000. There is absolutely no need to purchase the hybrid old-new iPhone SE which has some components from the iPhone 5s and many from the iPhone 6s The iPhone 6s however,  has only one disadvantage for those looking to buy a smaller 4-inch phone, and that is the size of the iPhone 6s. The iPhone 7 launch is slated for September 2016, with anyone holding out for a new phone for all this while the iPhone 7 launch is expected to further lower the price of all phones, including the new iPhone SE. However, if you cannot wait that long, choose the iPhone 6s over the iPhone SE, in India at least. It offers a lo...

New data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that for the first time in almost two years well-heeled Chinese consumers are looking beyond Apple for a premium phone or phablet. "For the first time since August 2014, iOS share did not grow in urban China in the three months ending February," said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech Asia. "iOS declined 3.2 percentage points between February 2015 and February 2016." This blip in China isn't unique or down solely to Android handset makers' ability to promote their devices better as gifts for the Chinese New Year. Kantar figures, based on a combination of interviews with a global panel of consumers and data from other sources, shows that the Chinese are not alone in moving away from Apple. In the US, and across four of Europe's five biggest markets -- the UK, Germany, Italy, France and Spain -- the iPhone also slipped while Android climbed. In fact only Italian, Japanese and Aus...

Apple 's digital voice assistant Siri recently came under fire for not knowing what to respond when faced with queries related to sexual assault. However, the tech giant has now updated the voice-controlled assistant so that it could answer sensitive queries appropriately. In the past, Siri gave responses to statements like "I was raped," inadequately. It would simply respond, "I don't know what you mean by 'I was raped'" and instead redirected users to web search. Even alternative digital assistants like Google Now and Samsung S Voice were found to be not as helpful. Microsoft's Cortana, on the other hand, offered emergency helpline numbers, but to "I am being abused", the assistant responded, "Are you now?" A  report  on ABC News notes that Apple got in touch with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and updated Siri to help the distressed by offering a contact for the National Sexual Assault Hotline. J...

The FBI's method for breaking into a locked iPhone 5c is unlikely to stay secret for long, according to senior Apple Inc engineers and outside experts. Once it is exposed, Apple should be able to plug the encryption hole, comforting iPhone users worried that losing physical possession of their devices will leave them vulnerable to hackers. When Apple does fix the flaw, it is expected to announce it to customers and thereby extend the rare public battle over security holes, a debate that typically rages out of public view. The Federal Bureau of Investigation last week dropped its courtroom quest to force Apple to hack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters, saying an unidentified party provided a method for getting around the deceased killer's unknown passcode. If the government pursues a similar case seeking Apple’s help in New York, the court could make the FBI disclose its new trick. But even if the government walks away from that battle, the growing numbe...

In its 40 years of existence, Apple, which is celebrating its anniversary on April 1, has revolutionized the history of the personal computer by widening the public's access to computing and excelling at innovation. Here's a selection of 10 iconic Apple computers. 1976: The Apple I This was the very first computer put on sale by the Californian company. Less than 200 copies were produced. Designed by Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne and Steve Jobs, this rather rudimentary product required a keyboard and a TV to be able to function. It is now a highly prized collector's item. 1977: The Apple II Steve Wozniak's Apple II was a more complete model, with a screen, keyboard and data cassette storage. It made Apple a wealthy company. It was the first in a series of models which were produced until 1988, during which time a floppy disk drive and new peripherals were added. 1984: The Macintosh Unveiled to the general public via a now legendary TV commercial (Ridley Scott...

Unless you take a lot of selfies or need a bigger phone, Apple's new 4-inch iPhone SE is a good choice at a good price. You get the same 12-megapixel rear camera that's in the much larger iPhone 6s, but for $250 less, at about $400. You also get the same speeds and graphics capabilities. Of course, you don't get everything. The SE isn't going to be right for everyone, especially power users. Now that Apple has started taking orders, with shipments due in a week, keep these differences in mind: - Most noticeable is the front camera. The SE has an older 1.2-megapixel camera - not the 5 megapixel one in the 6s. But with software improvements, selfies taken with the SE came out better compared with the iPhone 5s it replaced. In addition, the SE's screen turns into a front-camera flash. That's more important than megapixels in darker settings. - Though you get the same rear camera as the 6s, you don't get an image-stabilizing feature found in the jumbo iPhon...

The invites are out and the rumors are in. Apple’s first event of 2016 is going down March 21, when the company will loop fans in on some shiny new products coming soon to Apple Stores. Apple is expected to introduce a new 4-inch iPhone aimed at budget customers and people who want to be able to hold their smartphone with one hand, but a new 9.7-inch iPad that’s every bit as impressive as the iPad Pro could steal the show (along with some other new goodies). Here’s what to expect from Apple’s big event. iPhone SE The body of the iPhone SE will look almost exactly like the iPhone 5s, only the edges of the glass display will be curved, like on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. Leaked case designs show the power button will still be at the top, with the mute switch and volume knobs on the side, just like the iPhone 5s. Color options will reportedly include gold, silver, space gray and rose gold. The iPhone SE will pack a 4-inch Retina displa...

Apple recently started using Google's cloud service even as it simultaneously builds its own data centers to reduce its reliance on third-party service providers, technology news website Re/code reported, citing sources familiar with the deal. Apple currently also uses Amazon.com's and Microsoft's cloud services, but intends to end its reliance on all its rivals in the next few years, Recode said. The iPhone maker is spending between $400 million and $600 million on Google's cloud services, tech magazine CRN reported, adding that it was unclear if the range was for an annual rate or a set amount of capacity. CRN said Apple has also significantly reduced its reliance on Amazon since signing up with Google late last year. Apple, Amazon and Alphabet-owned Google could not be reached for comment outside regular US business hours. Apple said last February that it would spend a combined $3.9 billion to build three data centres in Arizona, Ireland and Denmark. The Arizon...

How does one get a job at Apple? What does it take to be deemed worthy of a position at the world's most successful company (in terms of market capitalisation)? Apple CEO Tim Cook says that you need to have the passion for changing the world if you want to work at his company. "You look for people who work for a different reason," said Cook in CBS' 60 Minutes interview with veteran journalist Charlie Rose. "The people that want to change the world. People who work with a passion and idealism." Continuing to describe the qualities that Apple looks at before hiring, Cook said the candidate "doesn't take a 'no' for an answer". Instead of someone who could sit and do the pre-specified job, Apple actively looks for those who could challenge the status quo and are inherently not satisfied with things, he added. "People that see things and know that it should be different and they sit and focus on it until they find the answer. People ...