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Apple's iWatch and iOS 8 are reportedly fitness-focused
We still don't know exactly what Apple's long-rumored smart watch is, or what it's called -- yes, iWatch is probably right -- but a report today from 9to5Mac posits a whole heap of new information. First, the wearable works in concert with "Healthbook," a new internal app intended to track various fitness (steps, distance, etc.) and health metrics (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.). Second, it looks like Healthbook -- at least currently -- is a crucial part of iOS 8, and when paired with iWatch (or whatever it's called) the two are "able to monitor several other pieces of health and fitness data." It's unclear exactly what that means. Like it's name, Healthbook is apparently pretty similar to Passbook, and you'll be able to swipe through various "cards" with health information. Of course, none of this should come as a tremendous shock (though it's all still firmly in the rumor bin) -- word of Apple working on a wearable has been floating for quite some time, and it's past the point of coincidence. Between Apple hiring wearable electronics engineers (notable ones!), meeting with FDA regulators about "mobile medical applications," and the competition already staking a firm claim in the nascent smart watch market, no one following the tech news beast should be shocked. That's to say nothing of the dedicated chip inside Apple's latest iPhone (seen above). Regardless, with nothing officially announced just yet, we've reached out to Apple for more.
Apple patent filing adds trackpad functions to home button and turns entire display into fingerprint sensor
Arguably the most notable characteristic of the iPhone 5s is the TouchID fingerprint sensor, which lets you unlock your phone and authorize app purchases simply by resting a pre-authenticated fingertip on the home button. It turns out, however, that Apple might've had plans for the technology that go far beyond just that. According to a patent application filed with the World International Property Organization, the Cupertino company may use TouchID's sensor technology to transform the Home button into a trackpad, similar to the ones on BlackBerry's older line of Curve handhelds. Indeed, the patent filing describes how users could navigate the phone by "revolving" or "twisting" their fingerprint on the button's sensor. Additionally, the sensor could measure the length of time and amount of pressure that is placed on it, which might lead to more interesting use-cases in apps or games. What's even more intriguing, however, is that the document goes on to describe how the entire display can be used to read your fingerprints. This sounds like a crazy idea at first, but if implemented, the phone would then know exactly which finger of which hand is on the screen. This could lead to certain actions mapped to specific digits -- perhaps a long-press of your index finger could launch Maps, while a pinch of your pinky and thumb could open up Messages, for example. A few diagrams from the patent application show how screen-wide fingerprint recognition could be used for playing a piano or touch-typing on the virtual keyboard. If you're concerned that this could lead to serious battery drain, the patent even addresses that, stating that the phone would be smart enough to recognize when it's in moments of fingerprint recognition (i.e. "enhanced sensitivity") or when it's normal everyday use, otherwise known as "reduced sensitivity." Further, it seems that enhanced sensitivity could just be restricted to small screen areas so that only certain apps -- like banking or email perhaps -- would be cloaked in that extra layer of protection. Of course, just because such functionality is filed away in a patent application doesn't mean we'll see this in real life. However, taken with the promise of Apple's recent acquisition, we'll admit we're very interested to see how the iPhone 6 will turn out. Those interested in patent minutiae can go ahead and peruse the rather lengthy 612-page document in the link below.
Apple confirms September 10th iPhone event, and we'll be there live!
The next iPhone will be (presumably) unveiled on September 10th, as hinted at on the Apple-delivered invite that you see above. When the curtains pull back, it'll be nearly a year to the day since the iPhone 5 was ushered into reality, and it'll no doubt be a monumentally important day for the company. Particularly compared to the barrage of products Apple introduced in 2012 -- iPad mini, iPhone 5, the MacBook Pro with Retina display, enhanced MacBook Air / iMac / Mac mini lines, a redesigned iPod nano, a revised iPad / iPod touch / Apple TV, ad OS X Mountain Lion -- 2013 has been eerily quiet. Outside of a tweaked iPhone 5 for T-Mobile's network, a Haswell-infused MacBook Air and a tease of the next-generation Mac Pro, we've been left with little more than hopes for newly-inspired versions of iOS and OS X. That changes on the 10th of September, as at the very least, we're expecting a next-gen iPhone to hit the stage. We'll also be holding out hope for an oh-so-colorful lower-end iPhone 5C for emerging markets -- markets where Android and even Windows Phone are the platforms of choice for communities making the move into the smartphone era. We wouldn't put it past Apple to also revise its iPad line while it's at it, and naturally, iOS 7 should be just about primed for release to the masses. As you'd expect, we'll be on hand in Cupertino in order to liveblog every second of the action, and we'd invite you to cast your best guesses on what's to come in comments below.
2012 iPhone rumored to feature new charging method
The Wall Street Journal has served up another batch of iPhone rumors after its (ahem) daring claim earlier that the next iPhone will be "thinner and lighter" than the iPhone 4. While the iPhone 5 (or iPhone 4S) is rumored to feature an eight-megapixel camera and will almost certainly have the same A5 processor as the iPad 2, it's otherwise likely to be broadly similar to the iPhone 4 in most respects. According to "a person briefed on Apple's product plans," Apple initially planned to launch the next iPhone during the summer as it has in the past, but the device wasn't ready and was pushed back to September. The same person claims Apple is working on a cheaper iPhone with an edge-to-edge screen. The most interesting rumor claims the 2012 iPhone will be a major redesign featuring "a new way of charging the phone." 9to5 Mac theorizes this may be similar to the Pre's Touchstone wireless charging, which uses inductive charging to top up the battery without needing to plug the phone in. Thus far rumors about the iPhone 5 have been fairly inconsistent, and as we're likely at least a year away from the sixth-generation iPhone's launch, any rumors about it shouldn't be taken too seriously at this point. Still, Apple made "cutting the cord" a hallmark feature of iOS 5 in terms of data syncing, and if the iPhone 6 does feature inductive charging, it may be the first iPhone you'll never have to plug in.
Apple reportedly selects Sharp for next-gen LCDs
The iPhone 5 hasn't even made it into the hands of the Apple faithful, and already we're hearing hints of what the display of the iPhone 6 could be like. Apple has chosen Sharp to supply low-temperature poly-silicon (p-Si) LCDs for the displays, and the Japanese manufacturer will reportedly begin production of the screens in the spring of 2012. The displays are to be built in the Sharp Kameyama Plant No. 1, which is currently used to build LCD TVs. The technology that will be used on the iPhone 6 provides thinner and lighter displays that consume less power -- a key component of good smartphone design. The poly-silicon LCD allows the display drivers to be mounted directly onto a glass substrate, creating a "system on glass" on which signal processing circuits, optical sensors, and additional components are located. Since those components can be removed from other circuitry, the next-next-generation iPhone can be much thinner and have improved battery life through better efficiency. The p-Si displays also create more vivid images and feature fewer connecting pins, which leads to better durability. The fact that Apple is selecting this technology for a phone that won't see the light of day for another year seems to indicate that it's not sold on organic LED (OLED) displays, which are used in competing devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy S. [via Apple Insider. Images from Toshiba Mobile Display]
