MacRumors

Apple's iPhone 5s assembler Foxconn has shipped roughly 1.4 million iPhone 5s units to China Mobile in advance of Friday's launch for the carrier, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. After several years of negotiations, Apple finally announced last month that the iPhone would be coming to the world's largest carrier on January 17.

While the initial shipment volume doesn’t represent the total sales at China Mobile for January, the figure helps to gauge early demand for iPhones from China Mobile, the world’s biggest carrier by subscribers with more than 760 million customers. China Mobile began taking preorders for iPhones since Dec. 25.

“Shipping one million or more iPhones to a single carrier per month is substantial. But we have limited visibility beyond this month as Apple hasn’t informed Foxconn of the volume for the next shipment to China Mobile,” said the person.

China Mobile will also launch the iPhone 5c on Friday, but early shipment numbers for that device have not been revealed. Pegatron serves as Apple's primary assembly partner for the iPhone 5c.

Estimates of Apple's potential iPhone sales on China Mobile have varied widely from 10-30 million units this year, with some suggesting that sales may be lower than expected due to demand having been partially satisfied through the country's other two carriers, China Unicom and China Telecom, and waning enthusiasm for the iPhone amid increased smartphone choices in the country.

On the other hand, China Mobile already has tens of millions of iPhones operating unofficially on its network but unable to take advantage of the fastest speeds due to technological incompatibilities between older devices and the carrier's network. As a result, there is already a substantial base of iPhone users on China Mobile who may be looking to upgrade in the near future.

Google is acquiring Nest, the smart-home appliance maker that is behind the Nest Thermostat and the Nest Protect smoke detector, for a reported $3.2 billion in cash.

iPod co-creator Tony Fadell is the co-founder of the company alongside another former Apple employee, Matt Rogers. Nest tweeted that it will operate independent of Google.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said: "Nest's founders, Tony Fadell and Matt Rogers, have built a tremendous team that we are excited to welcome into the Google family. They’re already delivering amazing products you can buy right now--thermostats that save energy and smoke/CO alarms that can help keep your family safe. We are excited to bring great experiences to more homes in more countries and fulfill their dreams!"

According to Re/code, Nest has raised more than $80 million in venture funding and was scheduled to close another $150 million round soon.

Update: Nest has posted an article about what will happen to the company going forward, and perhaps most importantly, addressing what customer data will be shared with Google:

Will Nest customer data be shared with Google?

Our privacy policy clearly limits the use of customer information to providing and improving Nest’s products and services. We’ve always taken privacy seriously and this will not change.

Re/code reports that Google was the only serious bidder for Nest and Apple was not interested in the company.

The third beta of iOS 7.1 includes a feature that allows users to delete the over-the-air installation files that are automatically installed whenever an iPhone is connected to AC power, according to German site Macerkopf.de [Google Translation]. Deletable installation files will allow users who do not wish to upgrade their devices to new versions of iOS to free up valuable space on their devices.

Previously, updates downloaded over-the-air could not be removed, an issue that received attention in September after iOS 6 users were forced to install iOS 7 or lose 3.1 GB of storage space to the installation file.

Users with iOS 7.1 beta 3 who have not installed the update will see it listed in the Settings menu, under General --> Usage, where it can be removed like any other app or file. The file can be deleted if it was downloaded over-the-air in the background or manually.

While over-the-air files can be deleted as of iOS 7.1 beta 3, there is a possibility that this is a beta-only feature that will not make it into the final release of the software. Apple often adds and removes features during the course of beta testing, such as the dark keyboard that was available in iOS 7.1 beta 1 and removed in beta 2.

First released to developers last week, iOS 7.1 beta 3 also includes a number of visual changes that give iOS 7 a revamped look and feel, including a redesigned Phone dialer, an improved keyboard, and darker colors for the Phone, Messages, and FaceTime apps. It is unclear when Apple plans to release iOS 7.1 to the general public, but a December report suggested the update could launch in March after a lengthy beta testing period.

Update: As several commenters have pointed out, the new feature is actually part of the second beta, as it is the download for third beta that can be deleted without ever being installed.

Back in 2010, Apple signed an exclusive agreement with Caltech spinoff Liquidmetal Technologies, providing Apple with the rights to use Liquidmetal's advanced metal alloys for consumer electronics purposes. Liquidmetal's amorphous metal alloys or bulk metallic glasses posses a number of characteristic properties such as high strength and corrosion resistance while remaining relatively light and able to be cast into a variety of forms.

Apple quietly tested Liquidmetal's alloys in the SIM card eject tool for the iPhone 3G, but the materials have otherwise not been confirmed to have appeared in any other Apple products, as one of alloys' inventors noted in 2012 that their use as major design materials was still several years in the future.

Evidence of Apple's continued interest with Liquidmetal alloys has surfaced a number of times over the past several years, including in a granted patent from July covering a process for mass producing thin sheets of the Liquidmetal alloys and a series of technical patent applications published in November describing methods of working with the alloys to create products.

A number of patent applications addressing additional innovations with Liquidmetal alloys have been published since that time, including a batch of 17 applications published just this past Thursday. Many of these applications are not yet listed as being assigned to Apple, but the inventors listed on the patents are Apple employees who have routinely been associated with the company's work on Liquidmetal alloys in the past.

One of these patent applications proposes using Liquidmetal alloys in pressure sensors such as those found in buttons and switches on mobile devices, offering greater durability under repeated use. Figures accompanying the patent application closely resemble the iconic home button found on Apple's iOS devices.

Because switches on consumer electronic devices are operated frequently, the materials used to fabricate the switch must be capable of repeated deformation and return to their original configuration. The ability of a material to deform reversibly under stress is known as the material's elasticity. Above a certain stress, known as the elastic limit of a material or the yield strength, the metal material may deform irreversibly, becoming inelastic, exhibiting plasticity and adversely affecting the function and utility of the switch. [...]

A proposed solution according to embodiments herein for pressure sensors is to use bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys as the deformable material, and to measure the pressure based on the physical changes of the bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy as it is deformed.

Another application published in mid-December describes how Liquidmetal alloys could be used as material for tamper-resistant screws to help secure devices against unauthorized access.

A proposed solution according to embodiments herein for tamper resistance is a fastener having a head portion and a tamper resistant bulk-solidifying amorphous alloy interlock portion, wherein the fastener and the substrate into which the fastener is fitted into are permanently fastened via an interlock formed from the interlock portion during the fastening process.

A third patent application addresses the use of Liquidmetal alloys as a substrate for touch sensors found in displays such as in Apple's iOS devices. Apple describes how discrete areas of crystallinity can be created on the amorphous metal substrate, allowing for greater control and higher density of touch sensing arrays, thus giving greater positional precision for touch sensing.

Most of the remaining patents are more technical in nature, addressing methods for working with Liquidmetal alloys or assessing their characteristics. One such patent application does, however, address methods for applying or transforming coatings to an amorphous material, allowing for increased durability and strength by protecting the underlying metal.

All of these patent applications were filed in June or July of 2012, suggesting that Apple may have made significant progress on these disclosed inventions since that time. It is unclear, however, whether any of the techniques or proposed components have made their way into shipping products or if they remain in the research or prototyping phase.

(Thanks, David!)

Deliveries of Apple's redesigned Mac Pro have begun in Europe, marking the first time in nearly a year that customers there have been able to obtain the company's professional workstation, notes MacGeneration [Google Translate] (via 9to5Mac).

Sales of the previous-generation Mac Pro in Europe were halted as of March 1, 2013 due to new regulatory requirements regarding I/O port power and fan guard placement. Rather than update the aging machine to comply with the new regulation, Apple elected to withdraw the Mac Pro from sale at that time.

Orders for the new Mac Pro began in mid-December, and while the first deliveries of stock models occurred in the United States in time for Christmas, it took several more weeks before deliveries began in Europe.

Currently, Apple's stores in Europe and elsewhere list a ship date of February for new orders of the computer.

Update: This article has been revised to clarify that the halt to Mac Pro sales in Europe was a decision by Apple not to update the previous Mac Pro to comply with the new regulatory requirements. It was also edited to emphasize that deliveries of the new Mac Pro are just now beginning in Europe. The machine has been available to order since mid-December when it went on sale worldwide, but short supplies have led to lengthy lead time on orders.

According to new data from the New York Police Department (via The Wall Street Journal), the rising theft of devices such as the iPhone and iPad remained one of the driving forces behind the high amount of grand larcenies last year in New York City. In detail, the data showed that Apple products were involved in 8,465 thefts and made up for 18% of all grand larcenies in the city, which rose 13% overall in 2013 from the year prior.

Apple products are so popular among criminals that the NYPD specifically tracks thefts of that brand, officials said. In 2013, Apple products made up more than 18% of all grand larcenies—that is more than 8,000 devices, according to police. In 2002, there were 25 grand larcenies of Apple products, police said.

A spokeswoman for the company said Apple has "led the industry in helping customers protect their lost or stolen devices" since it launched its "Find My iPhone" app in 2009, which allows users to track a stolen phone and erase personal data remotely.

In 2012, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg released data showing that the theft of iPhones and iPads contributed to growth of the overall crime index for the city, as the police department recorded 3,890 more Apple product thefts than for the same period in 2011.

iPhone and iPad thefts continue to be a major issue for law enforcement, despite efforts to implement various theft deterrent programs. However, Apple's Activation Lock feature, which prevents stolen phones from being reactivated without an iCloud password, has received praise from various groups since its inclusion in iOS 7.

San Francisco district attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who have spearheaded anti-theft efforts, called Activation Lock the "world's first attempt to implement a technological solution to the global smartphone theft epidemic," while the police department distributed flyers near Apple Retail Stores encouraging users to download iOS 7.

The New York City Council also announced in November that it was considering a pawn shop bill that would require second hand dealers and pawn brokers to maintain easily accessible electronic records of purchased items, however the status of the bill is currently unknown. Notably, a national phone database established last year was found to be largely ineffective against smartphone thefts in the U.S., with law enforcement authorities even pressing smartphone manufacturers to build a kill switch into phones.

Apple debuted a new television ad for the iPad during the NFL playoffs this weekend. The 90-second spot features a Robin Williams speech from the film Dead Poets Society overlaying the iPad being used in a variety of industries including filmmaking, mountaineering, SCUBA diving, music and more.

Apple has also introduced a new website called "Your Verse" to share the stories of the iPad users behind the ad.

We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering — these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love — these are what we stay alive for.

To quote from Whitman,

"O me, O life of the questions of these recurring.
Of the endless trains of the faithless. Of cities filled with the foolish. What good amid these, O me, O life?
Answer: that you are here. That life exists and identity. That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

"That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse."

What will your verse be?

Apple is using the spot, along with its previously existing 'Life on iPad' website, to show the wide variety of ways the iPad can be used in work and life. Back in October, alongside the iPad Air launch, Apple ran a 'Pencil' television spot that touted the iPad's usefulness in "classrooms, boardrooms, expeditions" and in space.

App developer Yose Widjaja has created a new Swype-style keyboard designed to allow users to type with two hands using swipe gestures, and he's demoing the keyboard in his Hipjot note taking app.

Poised as a cross between both gesture-based Android keyboard Swype and the standard iOS keyboard, the Hipjot keyboard can be typed on like a regular keyboard, but it also supports two handed sliding between letters. That means users can type the letters of a word, such as "deviant" with two hands simultaneously in a single double loop gesture.

Because the keyboard allows users to both type normally and swipe through letters with one or two hands, it can result in some impressive typing speeds. Widjaja is able to reach peak speeds of 120 words per minute, which is higher than the predicted Swype typing speed of 50 words per minute.

While Swype, which is limited to Android, also allows for gesture-based typing, it does not let users type with two hands simultaneously nor does it allow users to switch between swipes and standard key entry.

Because the Hipjot keyboard incorporates dual entry methods, users have more control over the typing experience. It's also designed to be highly forgiving of inaccurate touches and it includes both selectable corrections based on input and a customizable dictionary. The developer wrote to MacRumors:

With two finger inputs, you can be a lot more explicit in your touches, so it allows you to type without choosing what you want to type, most of the time, while retaining a comfortable swipe where you want to. One finger swipes are inferior in that words like "paraphernalia" forces your finger to go left/right so much.

Currently, Widjaja's Hipjot note-taking app is designed to serve as a way to show off his innovative keyboard.

While Widjaja is willing to work with other developers and would like to see his keyboard gain traction in iOS, custom keyboard implementation on the platform must be done on a per-app basis because Apple does not allow third-party keyboards to replace the default keyboard. While many iOS users would like to have the option to install keyboards like Swype, or Hipjot's own dual-swipe invention, Apple has yet to budge on the matter.

Some developers, such as those behind predictive keyboard Fleksy, have skirted Apple's rules by releasing an SDK for other developers to use, but custom keyboards like the one found in Hipjot are unlikely to catch on until Apple relaxes its rules.

The dual-swipe typing experience is currently limited to Widjaja's Hipjot note-taking app, which can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. The keyboard works as advertised, but the app itself, while functional, has a steep learning curve and a custom user interface that is difficult to decipher. The app is optimized for the iPhone 5 and later and is not recommended for older phones. [Direct Link]

Apple's iBeacons have a lot of potential for inclusion in location-based games, according to The Tap Lab CEO Dave Bisceglia, who spoke to Re/code in an interview. Currently, iOS game developers who want to incorporate location into gameplay are limited to determining location via Apple's internal GPS system, which is not designed to deliver precise information, especially indoors.

iBeacons, on the other hand, are physical Bluetooth low-energy transmitters that are able to provide micro-location information to nearby apps, with an accuracy range of a few feet. For this reason, iBeacons could be incorporated into a whole new category of games that offer multiplayer interactions and other features at specific real-world locations.

Bisceglia's company, for example, is behind a location-based game called Tiny Tycoons. In the game, the idea is to travel around the world and claim real-world locations, kind of like a cross between a city building game and Foursquare.

Rule the REAL WORLD! Tiny Tycoons is the first location-based tycoon game on the App Store. Build your fortune, travel the globe and claim your favorite real-world places before someone else does!

RISE TO THE TOP: In Tiny Tycoons, you can be a Celebrity Chef at a 5-Star Restaurant, the Lead Barista at your favorite Café, or a Millionaire CEO with offices around the world. The choice is up to you!

The company is currently testing an internal version of Tiny Tycoons that takes advantage of Apple's iBeacons, which are used within the game to alert people when they enter a building "owned" by another player. For example, in the video below, Bisceglia enters a Starbucks and gets an iBeacon-based alert from Tiny Tycoons providing the name of the player who owns the location and a prompt to purchase it.

Bluetooth LE, which iBeacon is based on, is also a promising technology for upcoming games. Pkpkt, a game released in mid-December, utilizes Bluetooth LE to let users steal virtual currency from one another in real life, in a futuristic game of tag. Knock, an app released in November, also uses Bluetooth LE in a unique way, allowing the iPhone to unlock a Mac. While iBeacon technology is promising for location-based gaming, Bluetooth LE itself could result in a whole new crop of interactive, multiplayer games and apps.

Nintendo's handheld 3DS gaming device uses a wireless-based system that is somewhat similar to iBeacons to allow two devices to communicate with one another. It also utilizes hotspots around the world to deliver game information, and iBeacons could work similarly, albeit more simply as they would not require a user to connect to Wi-Fi.

First introduced during the 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference, iBeacons allow iPhones and iPads to wirelessly communicate with physical beacons via Bluetooth LE, with the beacons able to deliver specific information to apps when a user is nearby.

iBeacon technology gained some popularity towards the end of 2013 and has been utilized in multiple unique ways. For example, Shopkick and Macy's teamed up to deliver location-based notices when customers passed by products, and Apple has implemented iBeacons in its retail stores to provide product information to browsing customers. A cafe has used iBeacons to deliver free publications, MLB plans to integrate them into stadiums, and most recently, an iBeacon scavenger hunt was held at CES.

Apple has posted three new job listings for the data center the company is constructing in Prineville, Oregon. Apple is seeking two Data Center Maintenance Technicians, along with a Data Center Chief Engineer, a position the company has been trying to fill since early 2013.

While the chief engineer would be responsible for overseeing, testing, and monitoring the data center, as well as implementing new projects, the maintenance technicians would identify and repair potential issues quickly.

Apple has been hiring for the 338,000 square-foot Prineville data center since shortly after construction began in October of 2012, and has maintained a temporary modular data center on the site to house employees. With the new hirings, as well as rumors of a solar farm coming to the site, it appears the Prineville data center may be growing closer to completion.

According to a recent statement by Prineville mayor Betty Rope, Apple is planning to add a solar farm to the Oregon data center, just as it has done in North Carolina.

Mayor Betty Roppe says those agreements were with Apple. She says the company's enterprise zone agreement defers taxes on improvements to the land for a period of 15 years.

"My understanding is that they will create the solar farm and then they will sell that back to the companies that they actually get their electricity from," said Roppe.

Apple has committed to running all of its data centers with 100% renewable green energy, an initiative that it embraced for its massive Maiden, North Carolina data center. In Maiden, Apple has two operational solar farms, providing 42 million kWh of clean, renewable energy.

According to Apple's environmental site, the Oregon data center is designed to be as environmentally responsible as the site in North Carolina, though at the current time, the Oregon data center is much smaller in scale. While Apple has not specifically outlined plans to install a solar farm in Oregon, it has pledged to purchase renewable energy directly from two local utilities and other local renewable energy generation providers.

Back in September, Apple did look into purchasing an additional 96 acres of land near the Prineville, Oregon site, which could be the home of a future solar farm.

In North Carolina, Apple's massive solar farms generate approximately 40MW along with another 10MW from fuel cells, and at times of peak energy, Apple produces power for Duke Energy, the local utility company. The NC solar farm consists of more than 50,000 panels on 100 acres of land and will likely serve as a blueprint for solar farms in other areas.

Along with the solar farms at its Maiden, North Carolina data center, and the possible solar farm in Oregon, Apple is also planning to build a solar farm at its Reno, Nevada data center.