MacRumors

Demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been growing even as Apple has significantly boosted available supply, according to a new survey conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. According to Munster, who surveyed 1,004 U.S. consumers about their upcoming smartphone purchase plans, demand for the iPhone has only increased since the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus launched in September.

Of consumers surveyed who plan to buy a smartphone in the next three months, 50 percent said they planned to buy an iPhone. In a similar survey conducted in September, only 47 percent were planning on purchasing an iPhone. In 2013, demand for the iPhone 5s fell following the device's launch, whereas demand for the iPhone 6 appears to be rising.

We conducted a survey of 1,004 US consumers. Of those looking to purchase a smartphone in the next three months, 50% said they plan on purchasing an iPhone vs. 47% in September, following the iPhone 6 announcement. By comparison, demand for the iPhone decreased from 50% in Sep-13 to 44% in Dec-13 following the iPhone 5S launch. Overall we believe this shows that consumers are extremely interested in the larger screen iPhone 6, a testament to the strength of the current upgrade cycle.

Munster also notes that supply checks have pointed towards increased numbers of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices in retail stores. As of last week, 77.6 percent of stores had iPhone 6 units in stock, compared to 56.1 percent two weeks ago.

Apple's online store shipping estimates also point towards a significant increase in supply, with Apple growing close to reaching supply/demand balance. Over the course of the last few weeks, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus shipping estimates have improved from 7 to 10 days to just a single business day. As of Thursday, December 18, 16 and 64GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models ship from Apple within a day, while the more constrained 128GB models ship within 3 to 5 days.

CNN has named Tim Cook as "CEO of the Year" for 2014, pointing towards a hefty rise in stock price and some record-breaking product launches as the main reasons behind the award. Cook sits in first place ahead of a number of other high-profile CEOs, including John Chen of BlackBerry, Mary Barra of GM, and Meg Whitman of HP.

Though CNN mainly points to Apple being the "apple of Wall Street's eye again," with its stock up 40 percent this year, individual factors contributing to the rising stock price are taken into account as well.

CNN argues Cook did "an amazing job" this year, ushering the company through major events such as the successful launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the growing ubiquity of Apple Pay. The crescendo of excitement surrounding the Apple Watch's launch in early 2015 is also cited as a big win for the Apple CEO.

Cook has arguably the toughest CEO job in America. He's had to convince skeptics that Apple can still innovate after the death of Steve Jobs. He's proven all the naysayers wrong.

CNN's CEO of the Year isn't the only award Cook will walk away with this year. Earlier in December, he received the Financial Time's "Person of the Year" award, which cited similar reasons for the award, namely proving Apple can succeed in the wake of Steve Jobs' passing and his infusion of new and fresh ideas into the company. Cook was also nominated for TIME's 2014 "Person of the Year" award, but ultimately lost out to the Ebola Fighters.

As work on Apple's Campus 2 in Cupertino has continued throughout the fall, the spaceship-shaped structure has rapidly grown from basic foundations to the beginnings of an actual structure. Now, thanks some aerial shots recently taken by AppleInsider's DJI Phantom 2 Vision Plus drone, the construction site appears to be moving along rapidly with concrete slab poured around the ring of the structure and a few dozen cranes working across the site.

As noted by AppleInsider, the earth-built ramps previously used to gain access to the site are now gone following the installation of the concrete floor. Instead, work on an underground channel access has begun, with plans to connect the main employee entrance off of Wolfe Road to the garage underneath the main structure and the two above-ground parking garages.

One of the biggest advancements to the campus worth noting is the separate 120,000 square foot "event center" that is costing the company around $161 million and will house an auditorium and product demo space for the company's media events. The outline of the primarily underground structure has received more definition alongside a surrounding bank that will eventually be tree-lined.

The parking facility, which includes an underground segment, is also rising rapidly, and is currently built up to the third level. It's the first of two similar structures being built that will together provide parking spaces for over 5,000 cars visiting the campus.

Though construction has continued steadily throughout the last half of 2014, the Apple's Campus 2 obviously still has a long way to go until completion. Besides the main "spaceship" structure, event theater, fitness center, and parking garages, Apple also submitted revised plans in October adding a few offices, testing facilities, and additional parking garages onto the second phase of construction. The complete campus is expected to be finished by the end of 2016.

Apple today released a new security update that’s designed to address a "critical security issue" with the Network Time Protocol service on OS X. Apple recommends that all Yosemite, Mavericks, and Mountain Lion users install the update "as soon as possible."

The update appears to address a problem that was highlighted by the U.S. Government on Friday, December 19 and originally discovered by the Google Security Team. The vulnerability has the potential to allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code using the privileges of the ntpd process.

Google Security Team researchers Neel Mehta and Stephen Roettger have coordinated multiple vulnerabilities with CERT/CC concerning the Network Time Protocol (NTP). As NTP is widely used within operational Industrial Control Systems deployments, NCCIC/ICS-CERT is providing this information for US Critical Infrastructure asset owners and operators for awareness and to identify mitigations for affected devices. ICS-CERT may release updates as additional information becomes available.

These vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely. Exploits that target these vulnerabilities are publicly available.

Products using NTP service prior to NTP–4.2.8 are affected. No specific vendor is specified because this is an open source protocol.

Apple has faced several vulnerabilities over the course of 2014, most recently releasing an OS X bash update in September to fix the “Shellshock” security flaw. Today’s security update can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

Update: As noted by Reuters, this update marks the first time Apple has deployed an automatic security update, which can be installed without user authorization.

Microsoft is hoping to lure MacBook users to its Surface Pro 3 with a new site that's aimed at users who are considering switching from an Apple laptop to one of Microsoft's surface tablets.

Launched over the weekend, Microsoft's "Making the Switch" site includes sections on Windows basics, questions and answers on transitioning from a MacBook to a Surface Pro 3, content migration, and using a Surface Pro 3 with an iPhone, iCloud, and iTunes.

In the section dedicated to current MacBook users, Microsoft includes several tips on how to perform basic functions on a Surface Pro 3, like right clicking, searching, accessing system settings, installing applications, and more. The site also covers viruses and replacements for FaceTime and iMessage, with Microsoft recommending Skype over the Apple options.

Microsoft often tries to attract iPad and MacBook users to its line of Surface tablets, and has a history of publishing ads that compare its products to Apple products. In 2013 and early 2014, Microsoft focused heavily on anti-iPad ads that compared the tablet to the Surface 2, but after the May launch of the more powerful 12-inch Surface Pro 3, the company moved on and began targeting Apple's MacBook.

Most recently, Microsoft launched a November "Winter Wonderland" holiday ad that highlighted the Surface Pro 3's versatility compared to the MacBook Air, pointing out the tablet's kickstand and touch screen. Microsoft has run quite a few anti-MacBook ads over the course of 2014, featuring the Surface Pro 3's abilities to function as a full-on notebook computer, with the tagline "The tablet that can replace your laptop."

Apple today launched a new Tumblr page highlighting the touchstones of pop culture across 2014. Mirroring the album art layout of iTunes itself, the company's Tumblr site lists the best music, movies, television, and books of the past year by showcasing various images and GIFs related to the content.

As with any Tumblr blog, users can like a post, share the content on Facebook and Twitter, and reblog it to their own tumblr page. A "See All" button allows users to delve even further into each category, highlighting a more extensive list for each of the four main mediums beyond the central hub.

The Best of 2014 blog shows off a variety of different pop culture milestones from the past year. Guardians of the Galaxy, The LEGO Movie, Fargo, Gone Girl, and artists like Nicki Minaj and Charli XCX all get their own mention on the page.

Apple has seen a bit of a resurgence on social media recently, with the company previously launching a Tumblr blog for the iPhone 5c back in March, and Tim Cook himself joining Twitter in September of 2013. As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple also started an Instagram account for iTunes just two weeks ago.

Apple's expanded social media presence comes four months after the company picked up Musa Tariq, Nike's former senior director of social media. Before working at Nike, Tariq worked closely with Apple's head of retail Angela Ahrendts at Burberry, helping with the brand's global expansion, and he may also be behind Apple's recent social media push.

Apple's 12-inch MacBook Air and the Apple Watch are expected to enter mass production in 2015 as the company's supply partners have accelerated component production for both products, reports Digitimes. Supply chain sources note that the 12-inch MacBook Air will feature Intel's Broadwell processors and a new ultra-thin design. The new notebook is also expected to be available in limited supply when it launches due to yield issues with components, and will be primarily manufactured by Quanta Computer.

This information about the 12-inch MacBook Air provided by Digitimes lines up with previous reports, as Apple was rumored to be developing a new form factor complete with a buttonless trackpad and a fan-less cooling system for the laptop. Intel launched its new ultra low power Broadwell Core M processors this past November, which will likely power the 12-inch MacBook Air.

Aside from an ultra-slim design and a new processor, Apple will also look to offer the 12-inch MacBook Air in Silver, Gold, and Space Gray options when it launches in mid-2015.

Apple Pay is seeing impressive early adoption numbers according to a new ITG Investment Research Report on Mobile Payments (via MarketWatch), which suggests Apple's new payment service was responsible for a total of 1 percent of digital payment dollars during the month of November.

Apple still trails industry leaders like Square and PayPal, which captured 18 and 78 percent of digital payment dollars in November, respectively, but ITG analysts suggest Apple Pay is showing strong momentum given that it's available only to customers with the newest hardware and supported by a limited number of merchants.

According to the report, which uses data from ITG's Investment Research consumer panel, 60 percent of new Apple Pay customers used the service on multiple days throughout November, averaging 1.4 use times per week. In comparison, only 20 percent of new PayPal customers used the service multiple times during the same time period.

Among customers who used Apple Pay, Whole Foods was the location where the service was used most, capturing 20 percent of all Apple Pay transactions. Walgreens came in second, with 19 percent of transactions, and McDonald's was third, with 11 percent of transactions. Whole Foods was also saw the highest spending, responsible for 28 percent of all Apple Pay dollars spent.

Available since October 20, Apple Pay is accepted at several of Apple's partner stores and at more than 200,000 retail locations where NFC payments are accepted. Apple has given little indication of Apple Pay's early success, but in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple Pay had seen more than one million credit and debit card activations during its first 72 hours of availability.

Actress Kate Winslet is currently in negotiations to play the lead female role in the upcoming Jobs biopic, reports Variety. Winslet, aged 39, is best known for dramatic movies like Titanic, Divergent, All the King's Men, and Finding Neverland.

It remains unclear what role Winslet will play, but female parts in the movie are rumored to include Steve Jobs' daughter Lisa Brennan and Katie Cotton, Apple's well-known former PR lead.

Natalie Portman was formerly in talks to play a major female role in the film, but she pulled out of negotiations in early December. Actress Jessica Chastain, of The Help, may also be in talks for a part.

After some difficulties in casting, it seems the Jobs biopic is finally taking shape. Both Leonario DiCaprio and Christian Bale passed on the role of Steve Jobs, leading it to be taken by Michael Fassbender, and the role of Steve Wozniak will be played by Seth Rogen.

According to Variety, Jeff Daniels is still being considered for the role of former Apple President John Sculley, and Boardwalk Empire's Michael Stuhlbarg recently signed on to play Andy Hertzfeld, one of the members of the original Macintosh development team.

The Jobs biopic, now owned by Universal Pictures, is based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biopic. Penned by Aaron Sorkin, the movie will consist of three continuous 30-minute scenes that cover three of Steve Jobs' product launches - the NeXT cube, the original Mac, and the iPod.

(Image via Mingle MediaTV)