MacRumors

Apple has begun rejecting games attempting to take advantage of the popularity of the now-defunct Flappy Bird, a hit game that developer Dong Nguyen removed from the App Store earlier in February.

Shortly after Flappy Bird was pulled from the App Store, several clones of the original game soared up through the App Store charts, including a game called Flappy Bee, which stole artwork from a different app.

22.2: Apps that contain false, fraudulent or misleading representations will be rejected.

We found that your app, and/or its metadata, contains content that could be misleading to users, which is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.

We found your app name attempts to leverage a popular app.

Several additional Twitter comments revealed that other developers were facing the same rejections on games attempting to use the Flappy moniker, though multiple "Flappy" apps remain in the App Store, including Flappy Fish, Flappy Plane, Flappy Pig, and Flappy Puppy, having presumably made it though the review process before Apple began cracking down on Flappy apps.

Flappy Bee, the aforementioned app that used stolen artwork and managed to make its way to the top of the App Store charts, has, however, had its name changed to Jumpy Bee, suggesting that Apple may also be asking some existing clone apps to change their names to put an end to the Flappy frenzy. At the height of its popularity, Flappy Bird was reportedly earning $50,000 per day from advertising, so it is unsurprising that developers have rushed to fill the Flappy Bird void.

Though Apple has begun cracking down on the Flappy phenomenon, two popular Flappy Bird clones, Splashy Fish and City Bird - Flappy Flyer remain the number one and number two free iPhone apps some eight days after the original Flappy Bird game was pulled from the App Store.

Apple may rely on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) for the entirety of its A8 processor production in 2014, claims a report from TechNews Taiwan [Google Translate] (via G 4 Games). Samsung allegedly was dropped as a manufacturer because of low yields in its 20 nm manufacturing process for the A-series processor, while TSMC was able to meet Apple's demands.

The Wall Street Journal reported back in June 2013 that TSMC may provide some A-series chips for the Apple's iOS devices in a manufacturing agreement starting in 2014. TSMC was expected to handle up to 70 percent of the manufacturing load, while Samsung would pick up the rest. Production problems may, however, have resulted in Samsung being removed completely from the A8 supply chain.

According to the report, this shift away from Samsung for the A8 processor is not expected to affect production of the A9 processor in 2015. An earlier report suggested Samsung and TSMC may share the production of the A9, with Samsung supplying approximately 40% of Apple's 14-nm A9 chip family in 2015. This latest report claims Apple may start A9 production with TSMC and its 16 nm process and then shift to Samsung and its 14 nm process when the Korean company can meet demand.

Apple's A8 chip is expected to make its public appearance later this year in new iPhone and iPad models.

Apple Senior Vice President of Design Jonathan Ive has been removed from Apple's Leadership webpage in the past few hours with no explanation. However, his profile still remains at its original URL and can also be viewed on Apple's last updated Leadership page through Google's cache.

Ive currently oversees Apple's Industrial Design Group and is the leader of the company's Human Interface division, a position he took in October 2012 after then-Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall was forced out of the company. Ive spearheaded the effort behind iOS 7, which was released last September and featured a completely new design in addition to various other tweaks.

Last year, Apple Senior Vice President Bob Mansfield was removed from Apple's website entirely, although it was revealed soon after that Mansfield would be stepping down from Apple's executive team to work on special products and report directly to CEO Tim Cook.

Ive has been very instrumental in Apple's success since assuming his role after the return of Steve Jobs in 1997, designing some of Apple's most successful products including the iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Update: Apple has reinserted Ive's profile back onto its Leadership webpage, with no apparent changes to his bio.

Update 2: An Apple spokesperson told Re/code that Ive's disappearance was a "technical glitch" and "no big deal."

Basis, the company behind the Basis Health fitness tracker, has put itself up for purchase and has discussed the possibility of a buyout with tech companies including Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft, reports TechCrunch.

The price we’ve heard for any possible activity is “sub-hundred million” which could mean a small return for investors like Norwest Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund and Intel Capital, who have poured over $30 million into the company.

While it is unknown as to how much interest Apple has in purchasing the San Francisco-based company, an acquisition would make sense. Recent reports have suggested that the iWatch will include optical sensors to measure physical functions, and Basis' experience in developing advanced fitness tracking products would make them a natural fit as Apple looks to integrate more health-centric technology into its smart watch product.

Furthermore, Basis' most recent tracker includes the ability to monitor health-related metrics such such as heart rate, sleep activity, movement, perspiration levels, and skin temperature, which is similar to what past reports have indicated as tracking features for the iWatch. Apple is also said to be developing a "Healthbook" app for iOS 8 which could also be bolstered by the technologies currently found in Basis' products.

Over the past few months, Apple has also hired a number of health experts in fields related to heart rate monitoring and fitness tracking. Two executives from pulse-oximetry company Masimo joined Apple, which includes its former Chief Medical Officer. Other health-related hires have also been from C8 MediSensors, a company that develops non-invasive blood monitoring sensors.

Overall, details on the iWatch have been mostly limited, but more information is likely to be revealed as the product's release grows closer. It is unknown when Apple plans to launch the iWatch, but a fall release date alongside iOS 8 and a next-generation iPhone is likely.

Apple's interest in vehicle and medical integration for its products is well-known, but a new report from the San Francisco Chronicle claims some new details on both fronts, including word that Apple may have explored a potential purchase of electric car manufacturer Tesla last year.

The specific claim that Apple was considering a purchase of Tesla seems to be primarily speculation, but the report notes that Apple's head of acquisitions Adrian Perica met with Tesla CEO Elon Musk early last year. According to the report's source, Apple CEO Tim Cook was probably also involved in the meeting.

In October 2013, German investment banking analyst Adnaan Ahmad created a media stir when he wrote an "open letter" to Apple CEO Tim Cook and board director Al Gore, urging the company to acquire Tesla. [...]

Six months before Ahmad's letter, Musk met with Perica and probably Cook at Apple headquarters, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect business relationships. While a megadeal has yet to emerge (for all of its cash, Apple still plays hardball on valuation), such a high-level meeting between the two Silicon Valley giants involving their top dealmakers suggests Apple was very much interested in buying the electric car pioneer.

One analyst suggests that discussion of a deal to integrate iOS devices with Tesla cars may have been a much more likely topic for the meeting, but it is unclear why such a discussion would directly involve Musk and Apple's acquisitions chief.

On a separate note, the report claims that Apple's interest in medical functions, rumored to be linked to its iWatch initiative, includes an innovative effort to predict heart attacks using audio sensors. That effort is reportedly led by Tomlinson Holman, the audio pioneer behind the THX sound standard who joined Apple in 2011.

Though Apple has never confirmed it, the company hired Holman in 2011 to "provide audio direction," according to his LinkedIn profile. At the time, observers assumed Holman would focus his efforts on boosting the audio quality of MacBooks and iPhones.

But under Holman, Apple is exploring ways to measure noise "turbulence" as it applies to blood flow. The company wants to develop software and sensors that can predict heart attacks by identifying the sound blood makes as it tries to move through an artery clogged with plaque, the source said.

The report also points to Apple patents covering heart-related biometrics such as the ability to authenticate a device based on a user's unique heart rhythm.

Apple's iWatch has been rumored to include an array of sensors for monitoring a wide variety of health-related statistics, and reports have indicated that the device could arrive later this year.

Apple may be preparing to introduce an upgraded iPad Air this year and will likely hold off the release of a 12.9-inch "iPad Pro" and a newer iPad mini until next year, KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo states in a new research note. The analyst believes that a new iPad Air with an A8 processor and Touch ID fingerprint sensor will be the only new tablet that Apple introduces this year, as the company focuses on shifting its resources from the Retina iPad Mini towards developing the 12.9-inch iPad. Kuo estimates that the larger iPad will debut early next year or late this year with limited supply.

Compared with lower-margin iPad mini with Retina display, which shipments has been tepid, higher-margin iPad Air was a hot selling item in 4Q13, which will slow Apple in developing new iPad mini models. We believe Apple plans to launch upgraded iPad Air early this year, and will accelerate development of 12.9” iPad. As such, more resources will be allocated to these two products, which will affect the progress of the development of new iPad mini. All told, we think chances of the debut of a new iPad mini in 2H14 are slim. In addition, the 12.9” iPad is unlikely to be offered in 2014. For these reasons, we predict the only new iPad product in 2H14 will be the upgraded iPad Air.

In his research note, Kuo also states that the 12.9-inch iPad will act as a driver in allowing developers to create more interactive apps for a bigger screen. However, the analyst notes that Apple has prioritized developing the operating system for the iWatch this year, with plans to release its smart watch in 2014. Kuo also predicts that Apple will restart mass production of the iPad 4 in Q1 2014 as Apple looks to wind down iPad 2 production after a three-year run, which was reported earlier this week. Overall, the analyst predicts the iPad shipments will fall from 34 million units in the 1st half of 2013 to below 30 million units in the first half of 2014.

Kuo shared similar thoughts on the possibility of a 12.9-inch iPad last October, stating that the sixth-generation iPad would contain a 30-40% higher pixel density instead of a bigger screen. Various reports throughout the past couple of months have stated that Apple is targeting a late Q3 2014 launch for the iPad Pro, with some indicating that the device could be aimed toward the enterprise market.

Apple's iWatch may include optical sensors designed to measure physical functions like heart rate and oxygen levels, according to electronics analyst Sun Chang Xu of Chinese site Electrical Engineering Times [Google Translation], who cites supply chain sources with knowledge of the matter. Xu also indicated that while Apple had planned on glucose monitoring, non-invasive methods have proven to be highly inaccurate and thus may not be included in the final product.

Measuring oxygen levels and heart rate are two features the iWatch has been previously rumored to include and optical sensors, which are used in many medical and health-related products, are a logical choice for the smart watch.

Pulse oximetry devices, which are often designed to fit over a finger, use optical sensors to measure oxygen levels in the blood. These sensors are light-based, sending two wavelengths of light through the skin. Differences in the way the light is absorbed allows the device to detect oxygen saturation in the blood. The majority of pulse oximeters clip to a fingertip or an earlobe, suggesting a wrist-based pulse oximeter is difficult, but not impossible, to develop.

Monitoring heart rate via optical sensor is a newer technology that is incorporated into several fitness products including the Mio Alpha heart rate watch. Typical heart rate monitoring in the past has required a chest strap, but with an optical sensor, a light shone on the skin can be used to measure blood flow through capillaries, thus determining heart rate.

Having said that, using electro optical sensing requires a very specific type of design in order to work accurately. The sensor needs to be in tight contact with the skin with little ability to move.

Perhaps Apple does not care about accuracy during motion but in any event, at the time readings were being taken even if the person is still, the watch, or band, would need to be flush to the skin.

Electro-optical sensing also requires careful calibration to overcome interference from motion and noise. The Mio Alpha incorporates a built-in accelerometer and noise filtration software to garner accurate readings, and it is possible Apple might adopt some of the same technology.

While it is unclear exactly which health-related functions the final iWatch product might measure, rumors have indicated it will include multiple sensors capable of not only measuring heart rate and oxygen level, but also movement, sleep, hydration levels, and more.

Microsoft has been rumored for a number of years to be bringing its Office productivity suite to the iPad, and according to a new report from ZDNet, it is coming "sooner than most think." Sources have indicated to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley that Office for iPad may even arrive before the "touch first" Windows version that had been reported to be leading the way.

But I hear Ballmer and the senior leaders of the company may have had a change of heart towards the end of last year. According to one of my contacts, Ballmer OK'd the suggestion by the Office team that they'd bring Office for iPad to market as soon as it was ready, even though that would likely mean before the Windows 8 version. I'm hearing that new date for Office for iPad is some time in the first half of calendar 2014. (My sources last summer were hearing Office for iPad wouldn't debut until Fall 2014.)

Foley notes that it is still unclear in exactly what form Office for iPad will arrive, but it will presumably involve Microsoft's Office 365 subscription service and potentially integrate with the company's OneDrive cloud storage. The company currently offers an iPhone app that offers viewing and limited editing capabilities, with the available free of charge but requiring an Office 365 subscription.

Just two weeks after MacRumors reported that Major League Baseball was working to install iBeacons in 20 ballparks in time for the start of the 2014 season, home fields for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are already outfitted with the Bluetooth transmitters, according to Re/code. MLB reportedly remains on track with the remainder of its rollout.

The installation of 65 iBeacons at Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego’s Petco Park, home of the Padres, will be followed by similar work at more than a dozen and a half other MLB stadiums, the league said. The plan is to have more than 20 ballparks in total equipped with the technology by Opening Day in late March.

Apple is looking to iBeacons as a way to enhance the visitor experience in stores, sporting arenas, and cultural venues, demonstrating the technology with a significant rollout at its own retail stores in the United States. While Apple has promoted the concept of iBeacons by building support for the technology into iOS 7, it is also a broader technology based on Bluetooth LE, with transmitters being developed by a number of different companies.

Following a two-game set between the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks in Sydney, Australia on March 22-23, the Major League Baseball regular season moves into high gear beginning on the evening of March 30 with a matchup in San Diego between the Dodgers and Padres, the two teams whose home stadiums already have their iBeacon systems up and running.

Following last week's introduction of a California State bill that would require all cellular phones sold in the state to include antitheft technology, four senators have today introduced (via Re/code) The Smartphone Theft Prevention Act, a similar federal bill that would mandate the inclusion of such a "kill switch" in all smartphones sold across the country.

The bill would require smartphones to be equipped with both a kill switch to make a lost or stolen device inoperable and a system allowing consumers to remotely wipe their personal data.

"This legislation will help put consumers in control of their cell phone data through a 'kill switch' to immediately disable a stolen phone. Victims of cell phone theft should be able to fight back so they aren't victimized again through data and identity theft. And thieves should know that whenever they steal a cell phone, they won't be able to use it or sell it."

Introduced by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, Barbara Mikulski, Richard Blumenthal, and Mazie Hirono, the act is also supported by New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón, who have both been highly vocal about decreasing smartphone theft through a kill switch system built into smartphones.

As with the California bill, it is likely that Apple's Activation Lock, introduced alongside iOS 7, satisfies the listed requirements. Activation Lock effectively disables a stolen smartphone by preventing it from being wiped and reactivated without an Apple ID and password. Apple's Find My iPhone also allows for devices to be remotely wiped and locked.

Cellular industry group CTIA has already spoken out against the newly introduced legislation, calling on lawmakers to criminalize tampering with mobile device identifiers rather than requiring cell phone manufacturers to build kill switches into their devices.

"Rather than impose technology mandates, a better approach would be to enact Senator Schumer's legislation to criminalize tampering with mobile device identifiers. This would build on the industry's efforts to create the stolen device databases, give law enforcement another tool to combat criminal behavior, and leave carriers, manufacturers, and software developers free to create new, innovative loss and theft prevention tools for consumers who want them."

The CTIA has long opposed kill switches and instead supports a nationwide database of stolen phones as an alternative solution. Though a database of stolen phones was created in cooperation with the four major U.S. carriers in 2012, it is said to be largely ineffectual.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread has been moved to our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.