MacRumors

Qualcomm chief marketing officer Anand Chandrasekher said Apple's 64-bit A7 processor, first introduced in the iPhone 5s, is a "marketing gimmick" and there is "zero benefit" to the consumer from the chip, according to an interview with Techworld.

64-bit ARMv8 processors were first introduced back in 2011, though Apple's A7 is the first 64-bit ARM chip to be released commercially.

Last week, Algoriddim claimed the A7 chip in the iPhone 5s allowed for 2-4 times faster processing for some tasks related to real-time audio and video production.

"I know there's a lot of noise because Apple did [64-bit] on their A7," said Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Qualcomm, in an interview. "I think they are doing a marketing gimmick. There's zero benefit a consumer gets from that."

A benefit of 64-bit is more memory addressability, but that is not relevant in today's smartphones or tablets, Chandrasekher said. The iPhone 5s has only 1GB of DRAM.

"Predominantly... you need it for memory addressability beyond 4GB. That's it. You don't really need it for performance, and the kinds of applications that 64-bit get used in mostly are large, server-class applications," said Chandrasekher, who previously ran Intel's mobile platforms group.

Chandrasekher goes on to say that Qualcomm is developing a 64-bit chip for use in mobile applications, but that the chip will be more beneficial from engineering efficiency and chip design standpoints, rather than as a consumer-driven feature.

Countering Chandrasekher's claims, other examinations have shown significant improvements for a variety of tasks on the A7 in 64-bit versus 32-bit mode. Mike Ash performed a fairly technical dive (via Daring Fireball) into the A7, concluding that the addition of 64-bit is a "welcome addition" and that it came sooner than expected.

The "64-bit" A7 is not just a marketing gimmick, but neither is it an amazing breakthrough that enables a new class of applications. The truth, as happens often, lies in between.

The simple fact of moving to 64-bit does little. It makes for slightly faster computations in some cases, somewhat higher memory usage for most programs, and makes certain programming techniques more viable. Overall, it's not hugely significant.

[…]

ARM64 is a welcome addition to Apple's hardware. We all knew it would happen eventually, but few expected it this soon. It's here now, and it's great.

Apple has seeded bug fix releases of iTunes 11.1.1 and an OS X 10.8.5 Supplementary Update to Apple employees ahead of a likely public release, reports 9to5Mac.

The Supplemental Update was previously seeded to employees in late September with a build number of 12F42; the new seed has a build number of 12F45.

The OS X 10.8.5 update fixes issues related to the FaceTime camera on some mid-2013 MacBook Air models, as well as problems with external drives, HDMI audio, and USB Bluetooth adapters. OS X 10.8.5 was originally released in mid-September.

The OS X v10.8.5 Supplemental Update is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.5. This update:

- Resolves an issue that may prevent certain applications from using the FaceTime HD camera on mid-2013 MacBook Air systems
- Fixes an issue that may cause external drives to be ejected after the computer goes to sleep
- Addresses an issue that may prevent HDMI audio from working after waking from sleep
- Fixes an issue that may prevent certain USB Bluetooth adapters from working

The FaceTime camera issue in particular has been the subject of a number of complaints, with Skype issuing a notice acknowledging the problem.

The 10.8.5 update updated a CoreMediaIO plugin that accesses the MBA camera, but didn't bundle the 32-bits version of it.

Other (older and newer) versions of the OS do include a universal version (32 and 64 bits), but not 10.8.5.

This means 32-bits apps such as Skype or iMovie cannot load the plugin, making the built-in facetime camera invisible to these them.

The update for iTunes, version 11.1.1, fixes issues with deleted podcasts and iTunes Extras. iTunes 11.1 was released last month alongside iOS 7

Internal releases of Apple software updates to employees typically signal an imminent public release.

Apple has begun the process of training its AppleCare staff on OS X Mavericks ahead of an expected late October launch for the updated Mac operating system, reports 9to5Mac.

These sources say that training has begun today, and support staff will be required to learn about the operating system’s new features, installation process, and troubleshooting options for at least six hours over the course of the next few weeks.

The training is said to be similar in secrecy and style to the iOS 7 and iTunes Radio training, and it has yet to begin for all AppleCare employees. AppleCare advisors will learn the OS X Mavericks materials in small groups in order to prevent information about the training process from becoming public knowledge.

Publicly, Apple has only stated that OS X Mavericks is "coming this fall", but the company is reportedly targeting a late October launch. The company is also expected to hold a media event as soon as this month where it could not only unveil new iPads but also officially launch the redesigned Mac Pro and perhaps other updated Mac models, offering an opportunity for a Mavericks release announcement there as well depending on timing.

OS X Mavericks has been in developer testing since its introduction at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Eight developer previews have been seeded so far, with the most recent one having been released over two weeks ago.

In line with its previous announcement, Virgin Mobile USA began sales of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c yesterday, with the prepaid Sprint brand offering a $100 discount from normal unsubsidized pricing.

The 16 GB iPhone 5s is priced at $549 through Virgin Mobile, while the 16 GB iPhone 5c is selling for $449. Those models will be available both online and in retail stores while the 32 GB and 64 GB iPhone 5s and 32GB iPhone 5c are only available at Virgin Mobile's website.

Supplies appear to be somewhat limited at launch, with the yellow 16 GB iPhone 5c and all 32 GB iPhone 5c models with the exception of blue listed as out of stock. As for the iPhone 5s, all three gold variants and the silver 16 GB model are also unavailable. Interestingly, the 16 GB iPhone 5 remains available for $549, $100 more than the iPhone 5c, suggesting that pricing on the new models could be temporary.

Virgin Mobile first started carrying the iPhone in June 2012 with both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4s. It did not start selling the iPhone 5 until this June, nine months after the former flagship phone debuted on major U.S. carriers.

Following a report earlier this week from market research firm IHS iSuppli, sources from inside Apple’s supply chain have stated that the Apple will be unable to roll out a next-generation version of the iPad mini with a high resolution Retina display this month, reports Reuters. Specifically, the sources are expecting Apple to wait until early next year for a full-fledged launch or make the iPad mini with Retina display available only in very limited quantities this year.

The reason behind the delays in manufacturing the retina display screens for the iPad Mini were unclear. One source at a supplier said there were delays in Apple's certification of panel producers, which were given strict power-saving requirements.

LG Display Co Ltd, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's display unit and Sharp Corp all vied to manufacture the panels, supply chain sources said.

The news of problems with strict power-saving requirements are consistent with the previously rumored challenges related to the integration of the Retina display and the compact size and exceptional battery life of the iPad mini. Additionally, two of the sources have also stated that Apple has told told suppliers to reduce cost, with one person saying that the company may roll out a separate new iPad mini with 8 GB of storage to compete in emerging markets.

Notably, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed last month that the Retina iPad mini would indeed make an appearance before the end of the year. Apple has been expected to launch its redesigned iPad and a Retina iPad mini in the near future, with Reuters claiming that the unveiling is indeed planned for this month.

Apple is aware of a glitch in iOS 7 that is disrupting iMessage delivery and is working on a fix, reports The Wall Street Journal.

“We are aware of an issue that affects a fraction of a percent of our iMessage users, and we will have a fix available in an upcoming software update,” Apple said in a statement. “In the meantime, we encourage any users having problems to reference our troubleshooting documents or contact AppleCare to help resolve their issue. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes impacted users.”

Since the release of iOS 7 last month, users have been complaining about issues relating to the sending and receiving of iMessages on their iOS devices. While some users have also complained about multi-day outages on their devices, Apple's System Status page hasn't documented all of them, suggesting that something more than a simple service problem is at fault.

As MacRumors reported yesterday, some users have reported that turning their iOS devices on and off has fixed their problem while others have claimed the method has not worked for them. In our own testing with a device experiencing difficulties, the following steps appear to have fixed the issue (Note: this will cause your device to forget previously entered Wi-fi passwords):

1. Turn off iMessage in Settings > Messages
2. Reset networking settings in Settings > General > Reset
3. Reenable iMessage in Settings > Messages

Last week Apple released iOS 7.0.2, which was an update that delivered several bug fixes, including a fix for a lock screen vulnerability. Earlier today it was reported that Apple had begun seeding iOS 7.0.3 internally ahead of a potential launch next week.

Apple has hired Jean-François Mulé, the former Senior VP of Technology Development and longtime employee of CableLabs -- an R&D joint venture run by many of the biggest cable operators in the U.S. -- as an engineering director.

The hire was revealed on Mulé's LinkedIn page and first noted by Multichannel News. He has been working at Apple since September and says in his Apple job description that he is "challenged, inspired and part of something big".

He claims extensive experience in software development for cable applications like Internet data, IP voice and video, TV apps and more. From Multichannel News:

Before joining Apple, Mulé spent the last two years as senior vice president of technology development at CableLabs, where he founded the organization’s San Francisco office (CableLabs is in the process of building out a new R&D outpost/innovation center in Sunnyvale).

During his earlier career at CableLabs, Mulé also served as VP of IP technologies and services, director of the PacketCable Architecture, and chief architect. During that span, he ran or helped spearhead several projects, including PeerConnect, the cable industry’s peering registry, a development program for cable industry-focused wireless services (Wi-Fi gateways, device management, inter-operator Wi-Fi roaming, and mobile offload services using femtocells and Wi-Fi), and was involved in several high-profile, IP-based CableLabs programs such as DOCSIS 3.0 and APIs for second screen video apps.

Apple is rumored to be developing both a television set and an expanded set-top box that would work with services provided by existing cable television providers, or, alternatively, a set-top box with television content provided directly by Apple over the Internet, bypassing current cable companies.

In his biography, Steve Jobs said he had "cracked" the redesign of television to make it seamless and easy to use, and some analysts have been claiming for years that Apple is working on a television set.

With Apple negotiating with both content providers like Sky News and ESPN, as well as cable companies like Time Warner, the company appears to be examining multiple possible strategies for reinventing television.

An image of what might be Logitech's upcoming MFi (Made for iPhone) controller for the iPhone has been leaked on Twitter by @evleaks, who has been known to provide reliable images in the past.

The enclosure controller wraps around the iPhone, adding buttons and controls on either side of the phone and is similar to an earlier prototype that was leaked back in June. It also fits with teaser images that Logitech released a few weeks ago.

While the controller in the image is an enclosure model, other available models are said to be standalone controllers that will not require an attachment to an iPhone or an iPad to function.

In addition to the Logitech gamepad, GameCase last week released a trailer for its GameCase iPhone controller, which connects via Bluetooth and is battery operated.

News of MFi controllers first surfaced in June, after Apple debuted the controller API at WWDC. Since the release of iOS 7, many games have incorporated Game Controller Support, including several major titles like Walking Dead and Bastion.

Though no game controllers have yet to hit the market, the appearance of controller support in games and continuing hardware leaks suggest that a release could come at any time, possibly during Apple's rumored iPad-centric fall event.

Like it did with its Galaxy S 4 smartphone, Samsung has once again been caught artificially increasing CPU speeds on its Galaxy Note 3 phone when benchmark apps are running, reports Ars Technica.

Samsung uses special code inside its operating system to identify benchmarking apps by name to boost CPU clock speeds and prevent CPU cores from entering low-power modes. As a result, Ars discovered, Galaxy Note 3 benchmarks report CPU performance roughly 20 percent faster than most apps will experience on the device.

The difference is remarkable. In Geekbench's multicore test, the Note 3's benchmark mode gives the device a 20 percent boost over its "natural" score. With the benchmark boosting logic stripped away, the Note 3 drops down to LG G2 levels, which is where we initially expected the score to be given the identical SoCs. This big of a boost means that the Note 3 is not just messing with the CPU idle levels; significantly more oomph is unlocked when the device runs a benchmark.

Apple executive Phil Schiller -- senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing and the most prolific tweeter amongst Apple's senior staff -- linked to the Ars article in a tweet, saying only "shenanigans".

Apple has reportedly begun seeding iOS 7.0.3 to some of its own employees and carrier partners, with a potential launch coming as soon as next week, according to BGR.

According to our sources, Apple has seeded iOS 7.0.3 to employees and partners for final testing. We’re not sure exactly when the new software will be released to the public, but we believe it will be sometime next week. The build number of iOS 7.0.3 is 11B491.

The claimed build number appears to be somewhat at odds with Apple's usual numbering patterns over the past several years, which should see all iOS 7.0.x releases carrying 11Axxx build numbers before moving on to 11Bxxx builds for iOS 7.1.x. The company did, however, vary from this pattern in earlier iOS versions, incrementing the letter designation even for x.x.1 releases at times.

MacRumors has indeed been seeing visits from devices on Apple's networks running iOS 7.0.3, with the first visits coming on Friday, September 20 and increasing significantly last week.

Apple just released iOS 7.0.2 to the public last Thursday, bringing several fixes for issues related to lock screen passcode bugs. iOS 7.0 was released to the public on September 18 with a special iOS 7.0.1 for Apple's new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models arriving that same day.