Apple “It’s been way too long.” Special Event on October 16, 2014.

Apple It's been way too long

Apple has sent invites for October 16, 2014 special event subtitled: “It’s been way too long.” The event will be held in Apple HQ in Cupertino, California.

John Paczkowski first broke the news on Re/code (recode.net) five days before Apple officially sent out the invitations.

Apple is expected to unveil the next iteration of iPad along with the public release of OS X Yosemite on this special event.

Now, will Apple be live-streaming the event? The September 9, 2014 event live-stream practically impossible to watch.

Tim Cook, Apple and Privacy.

Apple Privacy Message from Tim Cook

Apple CEO, Tim Cook:

A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.

Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products. We don’t build a profile based on your email content or web browsing habits to sell to advertisers. We don’t “monetize” the information you store on your iPhone or in iCloud. And we don’t read your email or your messages to get information to market to you. Our software and services are designed to make our devices better. Plain and simple.

It is simple, Apple makes money by selling products instead of selling customer’s information. Apple is selling its products at a premium price, expectation of privacy is implied.

Finally, I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.

Apple Pay

Apple is serious about its commitment to privacy, especially with the impending launch of Apple Pay.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hero

Apple introduces 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus features

  • Apple A8 chip and M8 co-processor
  • 8MP iSight camera, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture.
  • VoLTE support
  • 802.11ac Wi-Fi
  • Barometer
  • Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Compass
  • Focus Pixel Sensor
  • Slo-mo video at 120fps and 240fps
  • FaceTime HD camera with ƒ/2.2 aperture

iPhone 6

iPhone 6

  • 4.7-inch IPS Display
  • 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch
  • 6.9 mm Thickness
  • Starts at $199 with a two-year contract

iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 Plus

  • 5.5-inch IPS Display
  • 1920 by 1080 with 401 pixels per inch
  • 7.1 mm Thickness
  • Starts at $299 with a two year contract

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus September 19

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available on September 19, 2014 on the following countries:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Germany
  • Australia
  • Hong Kong
  • Singapore
  • Japan

iPhone 6 and iPhne 6 Plus Pre-order September 12

Images are courtesy of Apple, Inc.

Apple to Acquire Beats Music & Beats Electronics

Apple-Beats

From Apple PR:

CUPERTINO, California—May 28, 2014—Apple® today announced it has agreed to acquire the critically acclaimed subscription streaming music service Beats Music, and Beats Electronics, which makes the popular Beats headphones, speakers and audio software. As part of the acquisition, Beats co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre will join Apple. Apple is acquiring the two companies for a total of $3 billion, consisting of a purchase price of approximately $2.6 billion and approximately $400 million that will vest over time.

Now that it is officially confirmed, we all can argue about the correct pronunciation of “Iovine”.

Apple begins sending out test units of the new iPhone

Commemorating the thirty eighth year of its founding, Apple begins sending out the next iPhone, dubbed by news media and Apple watchers as “iPhone 6”, to select individuals outside the company.

This would be the first time in the recent history that Apple sent out unreleased/in-development product to people outside Apple. According to firstname@apple.com, these individuals are trusted by Apple and will not leak details of the new iPhone. Instead the leak is likely coming from iPhone assembly facility.

iPhone-2014-part-1

iPhone-2014-part-2

iPhone-2014-part-3