Apple news bites for Tuesday, August 5, 2014
It's been very, very quiet in the world of Apple the past few weeks, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing happening out there. Here are a few little snack-sized bits of news that we've picked up this morning:
Did you break the screen on your iPhone 5s? Just walk into your local Apple Store soon and you will be able to have it repaired on-site. AppleInsider reports that as of yesterday, Apple Stores are doing iPhone 5s screen replacements in as little as one hour. Previously, damaged screens meant that your iPhone 5s would need to be sent offsite for servicing, a process that could take up to five full days.
Dutch Apple fans who live in Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands can attend the grand opening of the new Apple Store in that city this upcoming Saturday (August 9) at 10 AM local time. Grab me a t-shirt if you go to the opening, OK? The Apple website lists the address of the new store as Passage 39, 2511 AB Den Haag.
Apple has been granted more patents ... totally unsurprising considering the number of patents that are applied for each year by the company. There's a patent for a "magnetic resonance power system" that could eliminate the need for batteries in keyboards and mice, another for a "microwave frequency communication system covering a wireless disposable wristband," and one for "backside iPad gaming controls." As usual, none of these patents may ever see the light of day in a future Apple product.
UK Virgin Media users who are also subscribers to Sky Movies or Sky Sports can now watch those channels on their iPhones and iPads via the Sky Movies and Sky Sports apps. The Sky Sports app provides "second screen" capabilities when you're watching football games, cricket matches, or Formula 1 races on the big screen, while the Sky Movies subscription lets you watch all 11 channels or over 800 on-demand films on the go.
The Mac Observer's Jeff Gamet reports that Apple has a social media secret weapon in the form of Musa Tariq. Mr. Tariq was hired as Apple's retail Digital Marketing Director, coming from Burberry (where he was a marketing director working with new Apple retail VP Angela Ahrendts) and Nike, where he was the social media director.
