Rumor Roundup: Lucy in the sky with sapphires
Apple seeks partners to enable NFC-based transit payments & building access for iPhone 6 & Watch (AppleInsider)
Source: "People familiar with the matter"
Chance it's true: 100 percent
Can you think of any reason why Apple wouldn't want to do this? Neither can I. It actually makes a lot of sense: leverage existing technology to do really cool stuff, that no one really thought of doing before, using existing Apple products. This totally fits in with Apple's modus operandi.
Leaked screenshots suggest Yosemite- and Retina-friendly Microsoft Office for Mac on the way (9to5 Mac)
Source: Chinese website
Chance it's true: 50/50
Chinese sources aren't the best sources, with an overall 40 percent accuracy record. I'm giving this rumor an extra ten percent worth of benefit of the doubt, simply because after four years it seems like it's about time for this to be happening.
More Details on Next Version of Office for Mac Include Planned Launch in First Half of 2015 (MacRumors)
Source: Same Chinese website
Chance it's true: 50/50
The same source, with the same caveats applicable. Extra caveats apply since it's Microsoft: "first half of 2015" as a launch date likely means more like "Um, actually, sometime in 2016. Oops."
The fate of iPhone's sapphire screen looks dubious, per DisplayMate report (Macworld)
Source: Reading way too much into things
Chance it's true: 100 percent
In the sober light of day, it's looking like all the hemming and hawing about sapphire display covers for the iPhone 6 was nothing more than analysts' pipe dreams. Sapphire had very real disadvantages as a potential material, and it's starting to sound like those disadvantages were so numerous that Apple never seriously considered sapphire displays for the iPhone 6.
Don't think that will prevent a firehose of "sapphire display glass" rumors for the iPhone 6s next year, though. Of course it won't. Sapphire will be a defining feature of the iPhone 6s according to analysts, "people familiar with the matter," and Digitimes. Of course it will.
Apple reportedly in 'preliminary contact' with distributors to bring iPhone to Iran (9to5 Mac)
Source: Wall Street Journal's "people familiar with the matter"
Chance it's true: Who knows
Whether this is true or not, it's certain to be "welcome" news once the blowhards on a certain US-based cable news network find out about it.
