MacRumors

GT Advanced, the company that has partnered with Apple to open a sapphire plant in Mesa Arizona, has purchased and received a total of 518 sapphire furnace and chamber systems with another 420 machines on order, according to analyst Matt Margolis (via 9to5Mac). The company has also purchased multiple "Sapphire Display Inspection Tools" from Intego.

The sheer amount of equipment purchased indicates that a massive sapphire production operation is being installed at the Arizona factory, and as rumors have hinted, the large amounts of sapphire being produced, along with the tools ordered, could hint at a future ultra-durable iPhone display.

Matt Margolis believes that with the current equipment the factory has, it could produce between 103 and 116 million displays per year, with an additional 84 to 94 million possible when taking into account the 420 furnaces on order. Apple could, in total, produce 100 to 200 million ~5-inch sapphire displays, enough for its entire line of devices. In 2013, Apple sold approximately 150 million iPhones.

In documentation, GT Advanced itself suggests the aforementioned Sapphire Inspection Tools are aimed at device displays.

Lowering manufacturing and fabrication costs of sapphire is a key driver for accelerating the adoption of its use in new market segments such as cover screens for smartphones and mobile devices. GT Advanced Technologies is working with key downstream technology providers to optimize fabrication processes and technologies to lower the cost of sapphire cover screen material.

GT is partnering with Intego GmbH to develop a series of automated sapphire inspection tools that will increase the yield of high quality sapphire material from each boule and ensure that only high quality material enters the value stream. The SIRIUS Slab automated sapphire inspection tool begins a new level of repeatability and performance throughput to the production of sapphire material intended for high volume markets such as mobile and touch screen devices.

In November, shortly after the partnership between GT Advanced and Apple was announced, it became clear that GT Advanced, with Apple's help, was aiming to drastically increase its sapphire production.

A recent patent pointed to Apple's interest in using sapphire as a display cover on future iPhones and shortly after, a report suggested Apple partner Foxconn had already began a small trial production of 100 devices with a sapphire display.

Those rumors, along with today's report, indicate that Apple is almost certainly aiming to use sapphire as a major component in an upcoming product such as the next-generation iPhone or the company's much-rumored iWatch. Currently, the company uses limited quantities of sapphire to protect the camera on recent iPhones and to cover the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone 5s.

Sapphire, as the second hardest mineral after diamond, is incredibly durable and scratch resistant, as can be seen in the video below. An iPhone with a sapphire display would be almost impossible to scratch in day-to-day use.

A bug in the current version of iOS 7 appears to allow users to disable Find my iPhone on a device without typing in a password, which effectively hides it from being located on iCloud.com.

Deactivating Find My iPhone takes just a few simple steps and it can be easily repeated on devices running the current version of iOS (7.0.4). The exploit involves making a few simple changes to the iCloud account section of the Settings app.

This is a potentially serious bug as Find My iPhone is a useful method of locating a lost device. While this exploit does disable Find My iPhone and allow for an iOS device to be erased, it does not remove Apple's Activation Lock theft deterrent system. After being erased, the device will remain locked to the original account and continue to ask for that Apple ID and password during the setup process to resume functionality.

The bypass only works on a device that does not have Touch ID or a Passcode enabled, as the exploit requires access to the Settings menu. To avoid having Find My iPhone disabled, users should update their phones with a Passcode and install iOS 7.1 when Apple releases the software.

MacRumors has contacted Apple for comment on the exploit and we will update if we receive new information.

The International Olympic Committee confirmed today that Olympic athletes are free to use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremonies, including iPhones. They are also not required to cover any logos on their devices.

Yesterday, it was reported that Samsung had asked athletes to cover the logos on devices made by competitors during the opening ceremonies as a condition for receiving a free Galaxy Note 3 smartphone in the gift bags given to all athletes.

In an email exchange with MacRumors today, an IOC spokesperson was asked about athletes being asked to cover non-Samsung logos on mobile devices. She responded saying the report was "not true":

No it is not true. Athletes can use any device they wish during the Opening Ceremony. The normal rules apply just as per previous Games.

The Samsung Note 3 that were distributed are a gift to the athletes, so they can capture and share their experiences at the Games, and the phones also contain important competition and logistical information for competing athletes.

Olympic athletes are controversially banned from mentioning any non-sponsor products during their time at the Olympics, including on social media and clothing. Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter, the rule covering the mention of non-sponsors, does have a specific exemption for sponsor logos on clothing or equipment that cover less than 10% of the surface area of the product in question.

It is possible that Samsung requested that logos be covered, but it is not an official IOC request and athletes will not be penalized for using or displaying non-Samsung phones.

Last week, we noted that Apple has registered several new ".guru" domains, part of an initial batch of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) being launched over the coming weeks and months.

That rollout is continuing this week, and Apple has wasted no time securing a number of additional domains in the new .camera and .photography families. Among the new domains registered by Apple:

- aperture.camera and aperture.photography
- apple.camera and apple.photography
- facetime.camera and facetime.photography
- imovie.camera and imovie.photography
- iphoto.camera and iphoto.photography
- isight.camera and isight.photography
- photobooth.camera and photobooth.photography
- retina.camera and retina.photography

Other new gTLDs opening for registration this week include .equipment, .estate, .gallery, .graphics, and .lighting. While Apple has apparently placed blocks to prevent registration of its own trademarks under these new gTLDs, such as apple.estate and macbook.lighting, the company so far appears to have only pursued active registrations in the .camera and .photography families.

As with the new .guru domains registered by Apple last week, the company's new .camera and .photography domains are not yet active, and it is unclear whether Apple has plans to actively use them in the future.

Apple is looking to hire an Exercise Physiologist to oversee cardiovascular fitness and energy expenditure tests at its main headquarters campus. The new position was posted to the company's job board today (via 9to5Mac).

Design and run user studies related to cardiovascular fitness & energy expenditure, including calories burned, metabolic rate, aerobic fitness level measurement/tracking and other key physiological measurements.

Candidate will be knowledgeable about the physiological effects being measured and how to avoid potential inaccuracy and experimental error due DOE flaws and/or reference monitor (i.e. metabolic cart, etc.) usage issues.

The role will need to apply relevant knowledge to the design of products and their testing/validation through user studies.

This elite team of medical researchers is presumably designing Apple's iWatch along with fashion experts like Former Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve, who was hired last year to work under Tim Cook on a "special project". Apple's fitness band may connect to the iPhone via Healthbook, a fitness app expected to be released alongside iOS 8.

Update: Apple has removed the job listing from its site.

Imagination Technologies today announced that it has extended its licensing agreement with Apple. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed, but Imagination confirmed the deal signed was a multi-year, multi-use agreement that provides Apple with access to the company's PowerVR graphics and video hardware.

Imagination Technologies Group plc (LSE: IMG, "Imagination") announces that Apple has extended its multi-year, multi-use license agreement, which gives Apple access to Imagination's wide range of current and future PowerVR graphics and video IP cores.

Under the terms of the above licensing arrangement, Imagination will receive on-going license fees, and royalty revenues on shipment of SoCs (Systems on Chip) incorporating Imagination's IP.

Imagination also recently announced its Series6XT PowerVR GPUs, which will replace the current Series6 graphics used in Apple's A7 chipset. In detail, the company claims that its newer GPU chips will deliver a 50% benchmark performance increase when compared to similar configurations of previous generation cores. The technology is expected to debut in devices sometime in 2015.

Apple has used Imagination's PowerVR graphics architecture in all of its iPhone models to this point, and is a major investor in the company with a 10% ownership stake.

Apple has confirmed on its website that it will be opening its first retail store in Brazil on Saturday, February 15. The store will be located in Rio de Janeiro's famous Barra da Tijuca borough, located at the VillageMall luxury shopping center.

The news follows a report from last October stating that Apple was planning to open its first store in the South American country between February and March 2014, giving the location a few months to be up and running before the start of the FIFA World Cup being held in Rio during the months of June and July.

The prior report also stated that Apple would be seeking some of its U.S. Apple retail employees to temporarily relocate to Brazil to educate local employees about Apple retail procedures and act as in-store workers. However, it is unclear as to whether Apple actually followed through on the initiative or not. Apple's difficulty in recruiting employees for its Brazilian store was reportedly one of the reasons as to why the company could not open the store in July as originally intended.

Apple began hiring for its first Brazilian retail stores in November 2012, and has been working with Foxconn to move some iPhone and iPad production to the country to avoid hefty import taxes and allow Apple to expand its market share. Last October, a regulatory agency also granted Apple the authorization needed to sell the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Brazil, as both phones launched in the country shortly thereafter. It was also reported earlier this week that the company will restart iPhone 4 production in order to sell the device in Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

Thanks, Cássio!

Apple has added a new video to its iPhone 5s marketing page showcasing footage shot at Burberry's Spring/Summer 2014 runway show back in September.

The thirty-second spot shows how the then-unreleased iPhone 5s was used to shoot video at the fashion show, including the elaborate camera rigs that were used. The song in the background is Soothing Me So by Victory.

On the runway with iPhone 5s

Burberry Spring/Summer 2014. An incredible collection. Shot with stunning clarity. On iPhone 5s.

Olympic athletes are being asked by Samsung to cover any Apple logos on their devices during the Parade of Nations at the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony because Samsung is a lead worldwide sponsor of the Games.

The report, from a Swiss site (via SlashGear) [Translate], does not go into much detail on the request, but reports it as a condition of Samsung's sponsorship. From SlashGear:

Olympics sponsor Samsung is reportedly dropping Galaxy Note 3 smartphones in athletes' goodie-bags, though the gift comes with a catch: a supposed ban on any other device branding, iPhone or otherwise, during the opening ceremony.

Olympic athletes are controversially banned from mentioning any non-sponsor products during their time at the Olympics, including on social media and clothing.

All accredited competitors, coaches, trainers and officials are required to abide by Rule 40 of the Olympic Charter, preventing athletes from mentioning any non-Olympic sponsor companies. Athletes breaking Rule 40 can be punished with "removal of accreditation and financial penalties" or even total disqualification. The IOC has said on numerous occasions that protecting sponsors is of paramount importance because, without them, there could be no Games.

It's not entirely clear if this "Rule 40" was used as the reason for the ban on competitor logos. MacRumors has reached out to the United States Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, and Samsung for comment but has yet to receive any response.

Update: The International Olympic Committee has said that athletes are free to use iPhones without restriction during the Opening Ceremony.

Apple will use lithium-ion batteries supplied by Samsung SDI, Tianjin Lishen Battery, and LG Chem for its upcoming iWatch, reports The Korea Herald. LG Chem in particular produces stepped batteries that are said to offer both greater longevity and greater flexibility, as they can be made in a variety of shapes.

"Apple will utilize LG Chem's stepped battery since it offers better longevity than others and can be applied for different shapes," a source said, declining to be identified.

A stepped battery is similar to a traditional lithium-ion battery but it also includes an extra ridge or "step" on the back that increases the battery's capacity. According to LG Chem, the design boosts capacity by 16 percent, which results in three extra hours of battery life in the LG G2 smart phone. Apple would, of course, need to use a much smaller battery, but such a design could help it eke out extra longevity.

Battery life is said to be one of Apple's major iWatch developmental issues, with a report from last year suggesting the company was seeing just one to two days of battery life in prototype devices. Another January report indicated Apple is still having trouble reaching its target goal of four to five days of battery life.

Along with its efforts to increase battery life, Apple has also been experimenting with a number of effortless charging methods that could make it easier for consumers to charge their devices on a frequent basis. Inductive charging, for example, would allow the iWatch to be charged wirelessly, alleviating the need for a traditional cable charging method. The company has also investigated solar and movement-based charging, but it is unlikely these technologies will be included in the iWatch.

Apple's iWatch remains in the developmental stages, but the company reportedly has a multitude of employees working on the device. It has hired a number of health and fitness experts in recent months and it appears that the device could include an array of battery-intensive functions and health sensors. It is unknown when the iWatch might be released, but recent reports have suggested that late 2014 could be a target goal, possibly alongside iOS 8 and the next-generation iPhone.