SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Offers USB and Lightning Connectors for Easy File Transfers
Nov 13, 2014 7:24 am PST by Mitchel Broussard
sandisk_ixpandSimilar to the Kickstarter-funded iStick from earlier in the year, SanDisk today announced the iXpand Flash Drive. The drive allows users to easily transfer photos, videos, and other files between an iOS device with a Lightning connector and a desktop or notebook with a normal USB port.

When the flash drive is plugged into an iPhone or iPad, the iXpand sync app is launched and can be configured to automatically sync photos and videos from the device's camera roll to the flash drive. Entire movies (including most popular non-native and PC-friendly formats, like AVI and WMV) can also be stored on the iXpand and played from the flash drive directly onto the iPhone or iPad.
"According to IDC, nearly three-quarters of all images are now captured on smartphones and tablets," said Dinesh Bahal, vice president, product marketing, SanDisk. "With this significant increase in mobile-generated content, consumers are looking for easy ways to manage it all. In fact, our research shows that 82% of U.S. smartphone users find transferring photos, videos, music and other files to be very important to them. We created the iXpand Flash Drive to offer consumers a quick and safe way to move their favorite content between devices so it's available when and where they want it."
The flash drive also offers users an added layer of security in cross-platform encryption. While in the iXpand sync app [Direct Link], files can be password protected while the drive is connected to an iPhone or iPad, then decrypted on a Mac or PC and vice versa.


Available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB sizes, the iXpand Flash Drive is compatible with the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2, and iPad mini running iOS 8 or iOS 7.

The 16GB and 64GB versions of the drive can be purchased directly off of SanDisk's official website today and sell for $59.99 and $119.99 respectively. Beginning November 16, Best Buy will exclusively sell the 32GB version in retail and on their website for $79.99.

How to Enable Family Sharing in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite
Nov 12, 2014 1:44 pm PST by Richard Padilla
With the release of iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, Apple has included a new Family Sharing feature that allows multiple users to easily share content and interact with each other. Most notably, Family Sharing allows up to six family users to share purchases made from the iTunes, iBooks, or App Store. The feature also allows families to contribute to a unified photo album or calendar, share locations, use Find My iPhone to find a lost device, and set parental controls for children.

Prior to the debut of Family Sharing, a user looking to share a downloaded app with someone else would have to give out their Apple ID account information. That information would also have to be entered when updating an app, requiring users of shared apps to log out of their own Apple ID and log into the original Apple ID used to download the app. With Family Sharing, users have immediate access to each other's music, movies, TV shows, books, and apps, as content can be downloaded with a single tap.


Before You Start


A user needs to be running iOS 8 or higher and have a valid iCloud account in order to use Family Sharing, with OS X Yosemite required for Mac access. Prior to turning on Family Sharing, ensure that you are ready to designate yourself or another user to be the Family Organizer in the Family Sharing group. The Family Organizer will be responsible for all iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases made by the Family users in the group.

Also, ensure that the Family Organizer has a valid payment method linked to their iTunes account. In the desktop iTunes application on the Mac, this can be done by going to Menu Bar -> Store -> View Account. On an iOS device, this can be done by going to App Store -> Scroll to Apple ID on bottom of "Featured" tab -> Tap on Apple ID -> View Apple ID -> Payment Information. Only the Family Organizer needs to have a valid payment method attached to their iTunes account.

Steps to Enable Family Sharing


1. Go to Settings -> iCloud -> Set Up Family Sharing to begin setup as the Family Organizer.

2. Tap on Get Started. Ensure that the email listed on the Share Purchases screen is correct.

3. Ensure that the information listed on the "Payment Method" is correct. If it is not, change the payment method by going to App Store -> Featured tab -> Apple ID -> View Apple ID -> Payment Information.

4. Choose to share your location with your family users by tapping "Share Your Location" or decline the option by tapping "Not Now".

You have now enabled Family Sharing for the Family Organizer. To begin adding users to the Family Sharing group, follow the steps below.

Steps to Add Family Members


1. To add a Family Member, tap on "Add Family Member" in the main menu.

2. From the Add Family Member screen, you can send an invitation to another user's iCloud account to join a group. Alternatively, you can ask another user to enter the Family Organizer's iCloud password to join a group.

3. If you have chosen to send an invitation, the invited user will see a push notification on their iOS device asking them to join a Family Sharing group. Once a user accepts the invite, they will be prompted to share their purchases and location. The user will also appear in the Family Sharing main menu.

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4. By default, users invited to Family Sharing will be recognized as adults and will not need permission to purchase content. However, the Family Organizer can also create an Apple ID for a child by tapping the highlighted option at the bottom of the Family Sharing menu.

5. Creating an Apple ID for a child will ask the Family Organizer to input a birthday and accept a Parent Privacy Disclosure. The Family Organizer will also be required to input the security code for the primary card being used.

6. Next, the Family Organizer will be able to enter a name and create an email address, password and security questions as seen in a typical iCloud setup process.

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7. Afterward, the Family Organizer will be able to turn on Ask to Buy. Ask to Buy allows a child user to send a purchase request for an app, song or book to the Family Organizer, who can then approve or deny the request. The Family Organizer can also choose whether to share the location of the child's device. Once setup is completed, the child user will appear in the Family Sharing menu.

Sharing Purchased Content


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Family members can access each other's apps, books, songs, movies, and TV shows and download content to their own devices. To download a family member's shared content, users can head to the Purchased tab in the iTunes Store app, the iBooks app, or the App Store app. From there, users can select a family member and view a list of purchased content that is available for download. To hide a purchase, go into the Purchased tab, swipe the content you want to hide to the left, and select "Hide".

Apple notes that there are certain types of content that cannot be downloaded by other users in a Family Sharing group. Non-shareable content includes songs added to iTunes Match from outside of the iTunes Store, in-app purchases, items that are no longer available on the iTunes Store, and apps that are marked as non-shareable in their App Store descriptions.

Family Calendars and Photo Albums


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In addition to allowing purchased content to be shared, Family Sharing allows multiple users to contribute to a single calendar or photo album. To add to the calendar, family members can go to the Calendar app and select "Family Calendar" in the list of options before creating an event. The Family Organizer can also view and edit the calendar permissions of each family member by selecting "Calendars" and tapping the "I" symbol next to the Family Calendar.

To enable shared photo album functionality, all family members must have iCloud Photo Sharing turned on in Settings -> iCloud -> Photos -> iCloud Photo Sharing. Once that setting is enabled, the Family photo album can be viewed in Photos -> Shared -> Sharing -> Family. A user can add photos to the shared album by tapping the + sign in the upper right corner, and all family members receive a push notification when a new image is added.

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Sharing Locations and Find My iPhone


Users in a Family Sharing group can also keep track of each other's locations through the Find My Friends or Messages app. The Find My Friends app will display the location of all family members on a map and give details on their current city and distance.

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Similarly, if a family member's Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is lost and needs to be tracked down, other users in the group can see the whereabouts of each device in the Find My iPhone app. Once a device is selected, users can choose to play a loud sound on the device, enable Lost Mode to lock the device, or choose to erase the entire device.

Things to Be Aware of


While the ability for a Family Sharing group to track down a lost device with the Find My iPhone app is useful, there are a few issues to be aware of. For example, any user in the Family Sharing group, including child users, can choose to lock a device with their own passcode or erase a device entirely without needing permission from other users. Any user can also choose to play a loud sound on a selected device which cannot be automatically silenced even with the "Do Not Disturb" feature turned on.

Though all three options are useful in the event of a device becoming lost, each could also be turned on accidentally, resulting in lost data or unexpected disturbances. Because of these potential oversights, it is recommended that you ensure that each member of your Family Sharing group uses the Find My iPhone app responsibly.

Another factor worth considering is that all Family Sharing members must use a single credit card or debit card for all App Store purchases, which is controlled by the Family Organizer. If App Store credit is applied to the account of a Family Sharing member, the credit will be used before the Family Organizer is billed for a purchase.

It's also worth noting that in order to secure an Apple ID for a child, the parent or Family Organizer must have a credit card on file in order to verify that the person creating the child's Apple ID is an adult. Apple will not accept a debit card.

Troubleshooting


Since its debut with iOS 8, a number of users have had issues with Family Sharing and shared app purchases. Most problems have centered around a message stating "Redownload Unavailable with This Apple ID" when trying to download apps or other content. Members on Apple's Support Communities and CNET's Jason Cipriani have reported that logging out and back into iCloud has fixed the problem.

Other users have also found out that the designated Family Organizer needs to have the same Apple ID logged into iCloud and the App Store for purchases to be shared. Also, keep in mind that not all apps support Family Sharing, and specify whether they do in their App Store description. If users are unable to download shared purchases, it is also important to ensure that the payment method on the Family Organizer's account is up to date by going to App Store -> Featured tab -> Apple ID -> View Apple ID -> Payment Information.

Related roundups: OS X Yosemite, iOS 8, iOS 8 Features
AT&T Offering $50 Bill Credit for iPhone Upgrades Made Through Apple Online and Retail Stores
Nov 12, 2014 12:55 pm PST by Jordan Golson
AT&T is now offering a $50 bill credit to customers who purchase a new iPhone from the Apple Online or Apple Retail Stores. Neither company has marketed the deal but an AT&T spokesperson confirmed the existence of the promotion to MacRumors. The purchase and financing of any iPhone model that Apple sells, including the 5c, 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, qualifies the buyer for the credit.

The $50 credit promotion, which runs through the end of the year, does have a number of requirements which should be easily met for most existing AT&T customers:

- The iPhone must be purchased on an existing line as an upgrade.
- The iPhone must be financed on an AT&T Next installment plan.
- The iPhone must remain active and in good standing on Next for 45 days.
$50 Bill Credit Offer: Ends 12/31/14. Must remain in active and in good standing on Next for 45 days to receive bill credit on your AT&T mobility bill within 3 bill cycles. Upgrades only. Requires iPhone to be purchased via AT&T NextSM and activated on a qualifying AT&T voice and data wireless service plan. Offer may not be combinable with other credits, discounts and offers. Offer and terms subject to change and may be discontinued at any time without notice.
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Customers looking for an unlocked phone should wait for the bill credit to be applied to their account before paying off the AT&T Next financing and unlocking their phone through AT&T's unlocking process.

The promotion launched earlier this week and is scheduled to run through December 31st, but the fine print notes that AT&T can discontinue it at any time.
Regions Bank Adds Support for Apple Pay
Nov 12, 2014 10:46 am PST by Eric Slivka
apple_pay_thumbFollowing a second round of banks adding support for the Apple Pay mobile payments service last week, Regions Bank today began allowing its cards to be added to the service. The bank has reportedly emailed customers about the new support and MacRumors readers have been successfully adding their cards to Apple Pay.

Apple has also updated its list of participating issuers to include Regions, noting that personal credit and debit cards as well as small business credit cards and prepaid cards from the bank are supported at this time.

Regions Banks is based in Birmingham, Alabama and primarily serves the Southeast, Midwest, and Texas with over 1700 branches and 2400 ATMs.

While the number of supporting banks currently numbers a little over a dozen, Apple announced at its media event last month that it has over 500 banks signed on for Apple Pay. Many of the largest banks in the United States are already supporting the service, and the remainder of those signed on will continue rolling out support over time.

Related roundup: Apple Pay
Box for iOS Updated with Touch ID and iPhone 6 Support, Notification Center Widget
Nov 12, 2014 3:01 am PST by Richard Padilla
File-sharing service Box today updated its app for iOS to version 3.5.0, bringing with a number of new features and usability enhancements. The app now features support for unlocking with Touch ID and a new widget in the Notification Center that allows users to quickly create Box Notes and recent files. Box for iOS is now fully optimized for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and also now contains in-folder search, a Favorites functionality, and more.

boxoct2014
What's New in Version 3.5.0
- Now use Box from your Today view in Notification Center to quickly and easily create Box Notes, view recent documents and more (requires iOS 8)
- Use your fingerprint to unlock the Box app at the touch of the home button with Touch ID (compatible devices only, requires iOS 8)
- Add files and folders to a Favorites list for easy access without having to download any data ahead of time with our new Favorites feature
- In-folder search capabilities
- Box Bookmarks are now accessible
- Support for previewing password protected Office and iWork files
- Automatic photo upload for Personal Pro subscribers and Enterprise users
- Additional stability improvements and bug fixes
Earlier this year, Box secretly filed for an IPO after seeing its valuation rise to $2 billion last year. However, the company was reported last month to be waiting until later in the year to start trading publicly, with "market volatillity" cited as a potential reason.

Box currently offers 10GB of personal storage to new users, and its iOS app can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Wal-Mart Offering Gift Cards with Purchase of Discounted iPads and More on Black Friday
Nov 12, 2014 2:23 am PST by Richard Padilla
Retailer Wal-Mart today posted its Black Friday ad, revealing a number of deals on various Apple and Beats products for the upcoming holiday shopping season. The announcement follows the reveal of Black Friday ads from Best Buy and Target, which contained a number of deals on iPads, iPhones, and more.

Starting at 6 PM on November 27, Wal-Mart is offering the original 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini for $199 which also comes with a $30 gift card. Starting at 8 PM on November 27, the retailer will offer the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad Air for $397 which also comes with a $100 gift card. Customers can also purchase the 16GB iPhone 6 at $179 and receive a $75 gift card, while the 16GB iPod touch is being offered for $195 with a $30 gift card. Additionally, a three-pack of iTunes gift cards will be on sale for $25, $5 off from the normal $30 price.

A number of Beats products are also being discounted by Wal-Mart, with the Beats by Dre Studio wireless headphones on sale for $149. Wal-Mart is also offering the Beats by Dre Drenched Solo headphones and the popular Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker for $99. All sales on Beats products start at 8 PM on November 27.

walmartblackfriday2014
For more Black Friday discounts, make sure to check our Black Friday roundup often which will be updated as more deals on Apple-related products are announced.

Related roundup: Black Friday
Netflix for iOS Updated With iPhone 6 Support, 1080p Video for iPhone 6 Plus
Nov 11, 2014 2:59 pm PST by Juli Clover
The Netflix for iOS app was today updated to version 7.0, adding support for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. With the new fully optimized app, more content is visible on the screen and menu bars are shrunken down to a more appropriate size for the bigger display.

The app has also gained support for iOS 8 and it introduces full 1080p HD streaming video on the larger-screened iPhone 6 Plus, made possible because of the native 1920 x 1080 resolution of the device. 1080p streaming is not available on the iPhone 6, which has a resolution of 1334 x 750.

netflixupdate
Netflix interface before update on left, after update on right

According to Netflix, users will just need "a good WiFi connection" to take advantage of 1080p streaming on the iPhone 6 Plus, with 1080p resolution extending to movies and Netflix original TV shows like Orange is the New Black and House of Cards.
What's New in Version 7.0
- Optimized for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus so you can see more content
- 1080p video on iPhone 6 Plus
- iOS 8 support
- Chromecast improvements
Netflix can be downloaded from the App Store for free. Monthly plans start at $7.99. [Direct Link]
Imagination Announces PowerVR Series7 Graphics, Likely Headed for Apple's 2015 iOS Devices
Nov 10, 2014 11:11 am PST by Eric Slivka
Imagination Technologies today announced the launch of its next-generation PowerVR Series7 graphics architecture, setting the stage for further improvements to the graphics used in Apple's iOS device lineup.
Series7XT and Series7XE GPUs achieve up to a 60% architectural performance increase on the latest industry standard benchmarks compared to equivalent configurations of previous generation PowerVR Series6XT/6XE GPUs, maintaining and extending PowerVR’s reputation as the most efficient, highest performance, lowest power GPU.
Of most interest to Apple users is the Series7XT family, which will be the successor to the Series6XT graphics used in Apple's latest A8-series chips. The new Series7XT family ranges from two to 16 shading clusters offering up to 512 cores of graphics processing power, giving developers the ability to include "console-quality effects" such as HDR and 4K rendering in their mobile apps.imagination_7xt_graphics_chart
- PowerVR GT7200: 2 shading clusters, 64 ALU cores
- PowerVR GT7400: 4 shading clusters, 128 ALU cores
- PowerVR GT7600: 6 shading clusters, 192 ALU cores
- PowerVR GT7800: 8 shading clusters, 256 ALU cores
- PowerVR GT7900: 16 shading clusters, 512 ALU cores
Apple currently uses quad-core GX6450 graphics in its A8 chip for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and more powerful six-core GX6650 graphics in the A8X chip found in the iPad Air 2.

imagination_7xt_6xt_table
Table adapted from AnandTech

PowerVR graphics architectures have typically taken on the order of 18 months from announcement of licensing to their appearance in products, but things moved much faster with the current Series6XT offerings. Those were announced in January at CES 2014 but made their way into Apple's A8 chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus just eight months later, suggesting the new Series7XT graphics could appear in next year's A9 chips from Apple.

Imagination and Apple have worked closely together over the years, with Apple being a key investor in the graphics firm as it raised its stake to roughly 10 percent in mid-2009.
Target Offering Gift Cards up to $140 With iPad, iPhone Purchase on Black Friday
Nov 10, 2014 10:06 am PST by Juli Clover
Black Friday, a major shopping holiday in the United States, is quickly approaching and deals have begun to leak out. Last week, Sam's Club's Black Friday deals were revealed, and this morning, Target's Black Friday Ad was leaked.

Target is offering quite a few deals on iPads, providing hefty gift cards with purchase. The company will give $100 gift cards to customers who purchase a 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, or iPad Air, which are priced at $299, $399, and $399, respectively. Other colors and capacities are also included in the deal.

With the purchase of a $249 original iPad mini, Target is offering a $80 gift card, and with the purchase of a $499 iPad Air 2, Target is offering a $140 gift card. Though the iPad Air 2 is regularly priced, a $140 gift card is the best deal we've seen on the tablet yet.

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Target will also be offering a $30 gift card with the purchase of any iPhone 6 (priced at $179.99) or iPhone 5s (priced at $79) with a qualifying two-year contract, and customers who buy a 32GB iPod touch can get a $50 gift card.

Other deals include $11 off the Apple TV, dropping the price to $89, and iTunes gift cards for buy one get one 30 percent off. Target will also offer the Beats by Dre Solo HD headphones for $97, down from $170, and the Beats by Dre Studio headphones for $250, $50 off their regular price.

Target will open its doors at 6 PM on Thanksgiving Day, and it's likely popular deals will go quickly. Customers with a Target REDcard can save an extra 5 percent on their purchases.

For more Black Friday discounts, make sure to keep an eye on our Black Friday roundup, where we are aggregating all of the Black Friday deals on Apple products and related Apple accessories.

Related roundup: Black Friday
Android Slips as Apple Gains Enterprise Market Share in Q3 2014
Nov 10, 2014 9:55 am PST by Kelly Hodgkins
Reversing a trend of quarterly declines, Apple's iOS mobile operating system gained market share this past quarter as it continued to dominate in the enterprise market. Apple's expansion came at Android's expense, which lost ground, according to Good Technology's latest Mobility Index Report (via VentureBeat).

ios-enterprise-activations
In Q3 2014, iOS device activations in the enterprise sector grew two percentage points, expanding from 67 to 69 percent. Android, concomitantly, slipped 2 percent, accounting for 29 percent of net device activations. Windows Phone remained a very distant third with only 1 percent of activations, a figure that has remained flat for the past six quarters.

ios-tablets-enterprise
Much of Apple's quarterly gain can be attributed to the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which caused a surge in iOS device activations in September.
Good Technology says “The release of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus accounted for all of this gain.” More specifically, iOS was down to 66 percent of activations in July and August, but comprised 73 percent of September activations thanks to sales of the new devices.
In the tablet enterprise market, Apple also remained the dominant tablet manufacturer with its iPad models, but faced an increasing challenge from Android tablets. In the just-ended quarter, Android increased its market share, climbing slightly to grab 11 percent of tablet device activations as compared to the iPad's 89 percent share.

Apple increasingly has been focused on the mobile enterprise market, updating its enterprise-level mobile device management tools earlier this year and recently partnering with IBM to develop new business apps and services for Apple's iOS devices. As part of the Apple-IBM collaboration, IBM will provide iOS-optimized cloud services, develop industry-specific apps, and begin selling iOS devices to its corporate clients.


Related roundups: iPhone 6, iPad Air 2
United Airlines Spending $120 Million on Upgrading New Jersey Airport Terminal with iPads
Nov 7, 2014 9:10 am PST by Mitchel Broussard
New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport is set to receive a $120 million upgrade to United Airline's main terminal with some of the funds going towards iPads, Bloomberg reports. The airline is planning to offer Apple iPads to customers at certain locations around the terminal, namely restaurants and cafes. Similar upgrades have been utilized by other airlines in high-density airports like LaGuardia in New York.
"From our perspective what we're looking for, and what we look for in all of our hubs, is something that’s going to be a benefit for our customers -- something that’s going to make the time they spend in the airport more productive, more enjoyable, comfortable," Mary Clark, a spokeswoman for the airline, said in a telephone interview.
As more and more airlines strip away the privileges of air travel to save money, focus is shifting towards ground amenities. By 2015, United plans to have every restaurant and gate seat in Terminal C outfitted with an iPad. The tablets will allow customers to check flight times and updates, browse the internet, buy food, and make retail purchases with a fifteen minute delivery guarantee.

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Over the course of the next eighteen months, the Newark tunnel upgrade will add 55 dining venues, 10,000 power outlets, and 6,000 iPads to improve the customer experience in United terminals.
"It's really become an expectation in society today to have these amenities," said Alan Bender, professor of aeronautics, airline management and economics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. "U.S. carriers are catching up to where they should be for their passengers, especially for their business passengers, and most especially for their international business passengers."
In 2012, Newark's Airport was rated the fifth worst in the United States according to a Travel & Leisure survey that ranked the country's twenty-two biggest airports on problems such as delays, concessions, and amenities. Plans are already in motion to change that statistic, as The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey plan to spend $8 billion on upgrades to LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports over the next decade.
Lenovo Borrows Heavily From Apple in New S90 Smartphone Marketing Push
Nov 7, 2014 8:17 am PST by Kelly Hodgkins
Leading PC and competitive mobile phone maker Lenovo may have been overly influenced by Apple's iPhone 6 when it was looking for inspiration for its new S90 smartphone. As reported by Gizmobic (via The Independent), Lenovo's S90 'Sisley' smartphone closely resembles the iPhone 6 with a marketing push that is almost identical to Apple's own promotional materials.

Though there are small differences between the two devices, the overall styling of the S90 is remarkably similar to the iPhone 6. Both phones include a rounded metal casing and measure up with the same 6.9mm thickness and 129g weight.

lenovo-s90-main
The mimicry didn't stop with the hardware design, as Lenovo also borrows heavily from Apple's unique marketing style. The Chinese manufacturer uses an almost identical product layout and brightly-colored, people-focused images that Apple typically uses in its advertising materials.

Lenovo addressed accusations that it had copied the iPhone 6's design, stating that though there are clear "external similarities" between the two devices, there would have been no time for the company to emulate the iPhone's design so soon after its launch.
Lenovo has responded by admitting that while there are "external similarities [...] Considering the product design lifecycle of any smartphone – at least a year in planning and prototyping – it's not possible to copy a design so quickly."
lenovo-s90-mid
This isn't the first time competitors have copied Apple's iPhone. The Cupertino company waged a multi-year battle against rival Samsung over patent and trade dress infringement claims. Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has also been accused of copying the iPhone and the iPad in its line of inexpensive smartphones and tablets, with Apple's design chief Jony Ive going so far as to call the similarities in design "theft."

Related roundup: iPhone 6
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