Apple Rolls Out New 16 GB iPod Touch Internationally

Apple last week refreshed its iPod touch lineup with a new 16GB model that offers a camera and color options to replace the stripped-down model it introduced last year. After debuting in the US, the new iPod touch today became available internationally, landing in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries worldwide.





As revealed by iFixit, the new 16GB iPod touch is a lower capacity model of Apple's existing fifth generation iPod touch lineup that was introduced in 2012. The model features a 4-inch display, Apple's A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and color choices that include yellow, blue, pink and more. The new 16GB version lowers the entry-level price point to $199, down from $229 for the now-discontinued silver-only model.



Apple traditionally refreshed its iPod lineup during its annual September press event, which often focused on iTunes and music. Apple de-emphasized music in 2013, opting to unveil the iPhone 5s. The Cupertino company is expected to continue this trend in 2014 with the possible unveiling of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The future of the iPod line remains unclear as sales of the units continue to slide quarterly.

Apple Launches 2014 Back to School Promo, Canada Sees iTunes Card Increase

As reported yesterday, Apple has kicked off its annual Back to School promo; offering extra credit to eligible customers who buy a Mac, iPad or iPhone for university. This means Apple will give Canadian customers who qualify a $110 Apple Store gift card when buying a Mac, or a $55 gift card if opting for an iPad or iPhone. Up, respectively, $10 and $5 from last year.

Not all devices are eligible for Apple’s educationally aimed pricing though: while you can save up to $200 on a Mac computer, or up to $20 when buying an iPad, you still have to pay the full price for an iPhone, though you get a $55 gift card as compensation.

Eligible devices include all Mac computers, with the exception of the Mac Mini. For example, if you are after a Mac Pro, you can have the entry level desktop computer, with 3.7GHz Quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, and 12GB 1866MHz DDR3 ECC memory for $2,899, meaning you can both save $200 and get a $110 gift card by email.

As for the MacBook Air, Apple’s educational promo means a saving of $50 for the entry level 11-inch model, and, as mentioned above, for the $20 iPad models.

The Back to School promo is valid from July 1 to September 9 2014.

Apple Launches 2014 Back to School Promo, Canada Sees iTunes Card Increase is a post from: iPhone in Canada Blog - Canada's #1 iPhone Resource

Samsung and GlobalFoundries to Produce Apple's 14-nm A9 Chips in 2015

Samsung and GlobalFoundries have landed orders from Apple to produce the 14-nanometer A9 processor starting next year, reports DigiTimes. The 14nm chips will be rolled out of GlobalFoundries' Fab 8 factory in Malta, New York, which Samsung will also use to produce Apple's A-series chips.

According to Samsung and Globalfoundries' roadmap, the two foundries plan to push their initial 14nm LPE (low power early) process, which was verified in February, into risk production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and small volume production in early 2015, the sources indicated.

The report also notes that longtime Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will attempt to secure orders for Apple's A9 chip by introducing new semiconductor processes by early next year. Apple is also reportedly considering Intel as a partner to produce the A9, according to the sources.



Last year, it was reported that Samsung and TSMC would be sharing production of Apple's A9 chip in 2015, with the former producing 30% to 40% of the total order. Samsung and GlobalFoundries have aided each other throughout the past year, with Samsung helping set up the Fab 8 factory last year and GlobalFoundries providing the backup location when needed. Samsung and GlobalFoundries announced in April that they would be adopting the same chip production process to prepare for next-generation mobile devices.



Apple's 14-nanometer A9 processors are expected to be used in the company's 2015 iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, this year's forthcoming iPhone 6, iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 are expected to use Apple's 20-nanometer A8 processor, which is being produced by TSMC. Samsung was said to be splitting the production load for the A8 with TSMC, however the company is said to have dropped out due to low yields.

Apple Launches 2014 'Back to School' Promotion with Apple Store Gift Cards Up to $100

As indicated yesterday, Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion offering qualified educational purchasers an Apple Store gift card of up to $100 with the purchase of a new Mac or a $50 gift card with the purchase of a iPad or iPhone. This year marks the first time that Apple is giving out store gifts cards with purchases, as the company has usually offered iTunes Store/App Store/iBookstore gift cards in years past.

Get a $100 Apple Store Gift Card when you buy a Mac for college. Or a $50 gift card when you buy an iPad or iPhone.* You’ll also save on a Mac or iPad with education pricing.

Eligible devices include all Macs except the Mac mini, all iPads (fourth-generation, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display, iPad mini), and all iPhones (5s, 5c, and 4s). The full eligibility requirements for the program can be found in Apple's terms and conditions (PDF).




New Apple Store graphics (Image Credit: IFOAppleStore)


Apple has also updated its in-store graphics at its various locations, with IFOAppleStore noting that the photography style of the newer images used are richer and darker than the previous ones. The new graphics are also said to be based on the recent "Your Verse" iPad ads which featured music composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and travel blogger Chérie King.



Apple's Back to School promotion runs from today through September 6 and is available in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

Apple Building its Own Speech Recognition Team to Power Siri

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Nuance, which is responsible for the technology behind Apple's virtual assistant Siri, was in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition. Now, a new report from Wired states that Apple is forming its own in-house speech recognition team to power the next-generation of Siri.

“Apple is not hiring only in the managerial level, but hiring also people on the team-leading level and the researcher level,” says Abdel-rahman Mohamed, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, who was courted by Apple. “They’re building a very strong team for speech recognition research.”

Throughout the past few years, Apple has hired a number of high-level speech researchers in Nuance, including former vice president of research Larry Gillick. A number of those researchers are working at Apple's office in Boston, which was also rumored last year to be working on an in-house Siri solution that moves away from Nuance's technologies.



While the forthcoming version of Siri in iOS 8 still features the same technology provided by Nuance, it is possible that Apple could debut its own in-house voice recognition solution in a future version of iOS. Siri in iOS 8 will feature a number enhancements, including hands-free "Hey Siri" voice activation, music recognition by way of Shazam, streaming voice recognition, and more. Apple will launch iOS 8 this fall.

App Extensions, Third-Party Touch ID Access Demoed With iOS 8 1Password Beta

AgileBits recently launched an iOS 8 version of 1Password for beta testers, which includes support for Touch ID and app extensions, two new developer features introduced with iOS 8.



With the update, 1Password beta testers are now able to use Touch ID to unlock the app's main password, which then allows the app to supply passwords directly to Safari using extensions. The entire process has been demoed in a two Vine videos from Gabriel Nevado (via MacGeneration ), who accesses his 1Password content using Touch ID and is then able to enter a password from the app directly in Safari using the Share sheet.






Accessing 1Password on an iOS device with iOS 7 requires users to enter a master password each time the app is opened, and while the app has a built-in browser, it is not possible for the app to input passwords in Safari automatically. With iOS 8's new APIs, apps like 1Password are able to provide a much simpler user experience.





1Password beta notes image via Dave Teare


Earlier this month, MacStories shared an in-depth look at app extensions, which allow third-party apps to share services with other apps. The feature also lets developers create widgets for the Notification Center and it allows for custom system-wide keyboards for the first time. Touch ID integration for third-party developers is also one of the 4,000 new APIs Apple introduced with iOS 8.



The iOS 8 1Password update is only available to beta testers at the current point in time, but will likely be released to the public following the official launch of iOS 8, which is expected this fall.