iOS 8.1.3 Fixes Exploits Used by TaiG Jailbreak [iOS Blog]

It appears that today's iOS 8.1.3 update fixes many of the exploits that were used for the iOS 8 TaiG jailbreak, which worked up until iOS 8.1.2. The earlier Pangu jailbreak was disabled with the iOS 8.1.1 update that was released on November 17.



TaiG has not yet confirmed whether iOS 8.1.3 breaks its jailbreak tool, but reports on the MacRumors forums and on Twitter suggest that is indeed the case. Apple's support document detailing the security fixes in iOS 8.1.3 credits the TaiG jailbreak team for four vulnerability fixes.





At the current time, Apple is still signing iOS 8.1.2 so it's possible to downgrade from iOS 8.1.3 back to iOS 8.1.2 or upgrade to iOS 8.1.2 from an earlier version of iOS, but that could end at any time.



Released this morning, iOS 8.1.3 includes a range of bug fixes including a repair for a lingering Wi-Fi issue, and it also reduces the amount of storage space required to perform an iOS update.

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Posted in 2015 at 11:53PM, January 27

Apple Reports Record First Quarter Results

Apple has announced financial results for its fiscal 2015 first quarter ended December 27, 2014. The company posted record quarterly revenue of $74.6 billion and record quarterly net profit of $18 billion, or $3.06 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $57.6 billion and net profit of $13.1 billion, or $2.07 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 39.9 percent compared to 37.9 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 65 percent of the quarter’s revenue. The results were fueled by all-time record revenue from iPhone and Mac sales as well as record performance of the App Store. iPhone unit sales of 74.5 million also set a new record. “We’d like to thank our customers for an incredible quarter, which saw demand for Apple products soar to an all-time high,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Our revenue grew 30 percent over last year to $74.6 billion, and the execution by our teams to achieve these results was simply phenomenal.”

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Posted in 2015 at 10:22PM, January 27

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Brought More Android Switchers, New Customers Than Prior Models [iOS Blog]

During today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked about the sales split between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. He declined to provide specific numbers on the split, but he did confirm that the iPhone 6 was the most popular device.



"Obviously to sell 74.5 million devices, they were all popular," Cook said. "Both did incredibly well. We're really proud of them, along with the iPhone 5s and 5c."



According to Cook, there was some clear geographical preference for the iPhone 6 vs the iPhone 6 Plus. Some locations skewed higher to iPhone 6 Plus preference, while others preferred the iPhone 6. He didn't specify which regions preferred which devices, but data has suggested Asian countries favored the iPhone 6 Plus.





During the call, Cook also mentioned that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus brought the highest Android switcher rate over the course of the last three years and that there's still a lot of opportunity to see growth as only a "small fraction" of the installed base (in the low teens) has upgraded to a new device. Thus far, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have brought the highest number of customers new to iPhone than in any prior iPhone launch.



Cook said the company is getting "great feedback" about the quality of the products that they're shipping, and that in emerging markets, iPhone growth was "absolutely stunning." The company is very bullish on the iPhone going forward, expecting to see a lot of new adopters in Q2 2015 as well.



"We believe that it's the best smartphone in the world," said Cook.



Apple managed to reach supply/demand balance on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in January, when shipping dates finally hit 24 hours. Before that, iPhone supplies remained somewhat constrained throughout the holiday season.



Today's earnings report revealed record iPhone sales, at 74.5 million, or 46 percent growth year over year. The iPhone makes up an impressive 69 percent of Apple's revenue, which hit $74.6B during the quarter.

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Posted in 2015 at 10:51PM, January 27

The Apple Watch will start shipping in April

We finally have confirmation on when you'll be able to get an Apple Watch. During an earnings call on Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple is going to start shipping the highly anticipated Apple Watch starting in April this year. This is a little bit later than some of us were expecting, although it generally lines up with reports we've read about Apple retail employees getting training on how to use the device next month so they'll be set to help interested buyers with it at launch.

Continue reading...

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Posted in 2015 at 10:15PM, January 27

Tim Cook: Apple Watch on Schedule to Ship in April [iOS Blog]

During today's earnings call covering the first fiscal quarter of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared some new details on the prospective launch date of the Apple Watch. According to Cook, Apple Watch development is currently on schedule, and the company is planning to ship the device in April.

Development for Apple Watch is right on schedule, and we expect to begin shipping in April.

When the Apple Watch was announced, Apple gave a vague "Early 2015" launch date for the device, making it unclear when it would actually ship. Several rumors recently pointed towards a March launch date for the device, but it appears it will actually begin shipping out to consumers a month later, in April.



Now that we know when the Apple Watch is expected to launch, the only unknowns about the device are battery life and its cost. Rumors have suggested that battery life will be somewhat disappointing, lasting approximately 19 hours during "mixed use."



Cost is also up in the air, aside from a known starting price of $349 for the lower-end device. Pricing on the middle tier version is unclear, as is pricing for the high-end gold Apple Watch, which rumors suggest could sell for thousands of dollars.

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Posted in 2015 at 10:16PM, January 27

Tim Cook: Apple Has Sold More Than 1 Billion iOS Devices [iOS Blog]

Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed on Tuesday during the company's quarterly earnings call that it has sold more than 1 billion iOS devices to date since launching the original iPhone over seven years ago. According to Cook, the impressive milestone, which accounts for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, was reached in December and was helped along by a record-breaking 74.5 million iPhones sold in Q1 2015.





Cook emphasized that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus demand was stronger than any other iPhone it has ever released, selling at a pace of roughly 34,000 devices per hour. The success of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was aided by the widest international rollout of an iOS device to date, with the smartphone launching in more places than ever before and in a total of 130 countries.

1 Billion iOS devices shipped!!

— Philip Schiller (@pschiller) January 27, 2015

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Posted in 2015 at 10:15PM, January 27

Apple Pay Responsible for Two of Every Three Contactless Payments on Visa, MasterCard, and American Express [iOS Blog]

Since its introduction in October, Apple Pay has accounted for two of every three dollars spent through contactless payments on Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, according to information Apple shared with MarketWatch after posting its earnings for the first fiscal quarter of 2015.



Though Apple did not breakout Apple Pay earnings in its results, earlier reports and prior details shared by the company suggest the payments service is seeing some early success.





Apple Pay had more than 1 million card activations during the first 72 hours Apple Pay was available, and in November, Apple Pay captured a total of 1 percent of all digital payment dollars.



Thus far, Apple Pay has proven to be most popular at Whole Foods, with the speciality grocery store responsible for 20 percent of all Apple Pay transactions and 28 percent of all Apple Pay spending. Walgreens and McDonald's were also popular with Apple Pay users.



Apple Pay is still in its infancy, limited to the United States. In the coming months, Apple plans to expand to several other locations across Europe, Canada, and Asia. In the United States, Apple Pay now supports cards representing 90 percent of U.S. credit card purchase volume.

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Posted in 2015 at 10:04PM, January 27