Rumors

Apple is looking to get into the business of unique device identification, Patently Apple reports, filing a patent that details plans for a "digital handshake" using next-generation cameras capable of reading specially coated, invisible ink.

The technology would be used for enterprise, social networking, and gaming applications.

While technology already exists that can transfer information between two devices quickly and securely (such as Bump and PayPal), Apple plans on revolutionizing the process and the media used to create a more robust, yet simpler transfer method.… Read more

In a note to investors, Rodman & Renshaw analyst Ashok Kumar claims that Apple's supply issues regarding the iPhone 4S are due not only to extremely high demand but also a key component not being readily available.

That component? Kumar isn't telling. Or, doesn't know. Either way, there's no telling what the "key component" in the iPhone 4S that is causing supply issues is. According to AppleInsider, Kumar claims the low availability of the iPhone 4S will continue through the holiday quarter, generally Apple's busiest and most lucrative time of the year.

A … Read more

Is the iPhone 4S the last iPhone to have a 3.5-inch display? That's what Japanese Apple tracking blog Macotakara is reporting.

Citing an unnamed source, the site says that Hitachi and Sony have already started shipping 4-inch LCD panels to Apple for use in "new iOS devices." The two companies are also said to be providing panels for Apple's next iPad, which is said to be "changed fundamentally."

If true, the move would suggest that Apple has not just decided on the design for the followup to the iPhone 4S, which was unveiled … Read more

According to reports from tech industry site DigiTimes, smartphone makers are convinced that Apple will be adding near field communications, or NFC, to the next-generation iPhone, widely expected to be released in 2012.

The current smartphone market only has about 10 percent adoption of NFC technology, but according to Taiwan-based phone manufacturers, that number could rise to 50 percent by 2013.

Samsung, HTC, Nokia, and RIM all have NFC-enabled phones currently on the market. Rumors last spring had Apple adding the e-wallet technology to iOS and what is now the iPhone 4S. That, of course, did not come to fruition.… Read more

Last week, German tech site macerkopf.de stated that sources close to the development of iOS 5.0.2 claimed the update was coming this week to address battery performance issues that have been plaguing several iPhone 4S users since its release. Today, the site claims that the update will be delayed because of memory leaks in the code.

The most scandalous reports about the iPhone 4S thus far have been the battery performance issues, a problem that even Apple admitted, which it is not one to do very often.

The current version of iOS (5.0.1) was supposed … Read more

According to German Web site Macerkopf.de, iOS 5.1, the first major update to Apple's mobile operating system, will give Apple's voice-controlled assistant Siri the capability to access certain hardware features of the iPhone 4S.

The Web site's source is listed as an Apple developer commenting on a forthcoming iOS 5.0.2 update that will address battery issues yet again, as well as the future iOS 5.1 update that will contain the Siri updates.

If you're a power user, this news should be fairly exciting. Giving Siri the capability to adjust hardware settings … Read more

Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom, speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt in Beijing, hinted at a future addition to the popular image-sharing service that would include video posts.

Systrom's talk at the Disrupt event also included thoughts on international expansion for Instagram and how social media should be approached in places like China. But, the real gem was his backstage comments about video.

"Our job and our vision is to allow you to tell the story of your life, and whatever tools that may be for video, we'll end up making them," he said. "I'm not sure … Read more

In a recent patent application uncovered by AppleInsider, Apple is investigating the use of power-efficient organic light-emitting diode displays for its mobile devices, a technology that could help improve the battery life of iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches.

Apple is banking on OLED's light emissive approach, which has lower power constraints than LED's light transmissive technology, currently used in iPhones and iPads.

In short, when OLED displays need to show white, it uses a ton of power to do so. As AppleInsider notes, the darks are darker, the contrast ratio is better, and the power efficiency is outstanding--save … Read more

The new and improved Apple Store app will reportedly let you order a product online and then pick it up and even pay for it yourself at your local Apple store.

The beans on the revamped app for iOS were spilled by the folks at Boy Genius Report, who cited a "trusted source" for their information.

Slated to debut tomorrow, this major update to the app will offer an in-store pickup option that's already surfaced at some Apple retail outlets. Last week, the option was up and running at three Apple stores in San Francisco, while BGR … Read more