The AppAdvice Week In Review: Hybrid iPads, Apple's 'iWatch,' CES 2014 And More
January 5, 2014
Welcome to 2014, or as Doc Brown would remind us, exactly one year before bionic implants, flying cars, and Mr. Fusion enter the mainstream. What will the next 12 months bring from Apple? We’re beginning to get some ideas. We'll also take one final look back at 2013.
A hybrid-style iPad
It’s increasingly likely Apple will unveil the so-called “iPad Pro” later this year. The 12-inch device may simply be a super-sized version of the iPad Air — or it could be something much different.
Unlike previous iPads, this model could be a hybrid-style device, a cross between iOS and OS X. This news comes from Evercore Partners’ Patrick Wang.
According to Wang, the 64-bit infrastructure introduced in Apple’s A7 processor a “game changer,” and one of the reasons Apple can now produce a hybrid iPad. The 64-bit A7 chip is currently installed on the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini with Retina display.
The iWatch
The most anticipated new product of the year is Apple’s long-rumored “iWatch.” Unfortunately, Apple appears to be is seeing poor yield rates for the wearable device stemming from “difficulties applying surface treatments on their metal injection molded (MIM) chassis.”
Could the “iWatch” be delayed? It could, although no one has gone on record saying this delay would push into 2015.
The next iPhone
Apple's next batch of iPhones could be thinner and bigger than previous versions. Using this as a starting point, the folks over at iPhoneSoft recently published concept designs for the “iPhone 6 Air,” and “iPhone 6c.”
Indeed, they are awesome.
The iPhone 6 Air features a 4.5-inch antiglare display with ultra thin edges. It also includes a 20 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and stabilizer. The handset also comes with an SD card slot on the side.
The mid-priced iPhone 6c also includes a 4.5-inch antiglare display, and ships with a 13 megapixel camera with dual LED flash and stabilizer.
For more thoughts on this year, see: AppAdvice's Bold Predictions For Apple In 2014.
As the final hours of 2013 ticked down, AppAdvice offered our lists of the best apps for the iPhone/iPod touch, and iPad of the past year.
The winners were as follows:
Our entire list of winners, according to category, follows:
- The Best Free iPhone app: VSCO Cam, released June 6, iPhone only
- The Best Paid iPhone app: Ridiculous Fishing, $2.99, released March 13, Universal
- The Best Free iPad app: Yahoo Weather, released April 2, Universal
- The Best Paid iPad app: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, $9.99, released June 4, Universal
Cutting The Cord? ABC is about to make it more difficult for cord cutters to access first-run programming on mobile devices. Beginning tomorrow, Jan. 6, only select cable and satellite subscribers will be able to access the most recent episodes of ABC’s most popular shows online and on mobile devices. The change is a step back for a network that has traditionally supported cord cutting efforts. As first noted on the WatchABC website:
To watch the most recently aired episodes, sign in with your participating TV provider username and password. All you have to do is select your participating TV provider from the list, verify your username and password, and start watching! You can also watch several episodes without signing in.While ABC begins the year acting as though it's 2009, CBS and Fox are taking a more consumer-friendly approach when it comes to watching NFL playoff games on mobile devices. For the first time, CBS is live streaming AFC playoff games. Fox, meanwhile, will live stream this year’s Super Bowl. U.S. viewers can stream the Feb. 2 game at foxsportsgo.com and on the Fox Sports Go app, which is free to download on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. As Aldrin Calimlim noted, however, Fox’s NFC postseason games will only be available behind a paywall for customers of certain cable companies, including AT&T U-verse, Cablevision, and Comcast. Recommended Reading
A note about CES AppAdvice will provide full coverage from CES 2014 beginning Tuesday, Jan. 7. Join us as we help unveil some of the newest products headed our way in 2014. Finally It has been almost 30 years since Apple's "1984" first aired. Here's a look at this iconic ad, which only aired twice on television: http://youtu.be/g_d5R6Il0II
- Operation DROPOUTJEEP: The NSA Can Intercept iPhone Communications Through Spyware by yours truly considers the most recently discovered NSA project ...
- Apple: We Don’t Help The NSA Collect iPhone User Data by yours truly ... which Apple denies participating in.
- CES 2014 To Conduct Special Scavenger Hunt Using Apple's iBeacon Technology by Aldrin Calimlim explains this exciting game happening this upcoming week in Las Vegas.
- Pebble To Announce 'Something Special' At CES On Monday, Jan. 6 by Joe White wonders what Pebble may have planned.
