MacRumors

Earlier this week, new photos of the iPhone 6's alleged front panel surfaced, which followed an earlier leak of the component in April. Now, a new video from Chinese blog iFanr (Google Translate, via Nowhereelse.fr) appears to show a closer look of the black front panel, featuring a comparison to the current iPhone 5s.

Like the previous leak, the video shows the front panel having a thinner bezel and rounded edges, in line with rumors that the iPhone 6 will feature a thinner profile and a curved design. The hole for the front-facing camera is once again depicted to be on the left side of the earpiece, which differs from the location of the front camera of the iPhone 5s. When shown over the iPhone 5s, the alleged panel of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 appears expectedly bigger, but still useable with one hand.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to launch later this fall, with reports suggesting a release date of either September 19 or September 25. It is also likely that Apple will launch a larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6, although it is unclear if the device will be released alongside the 4.7-inch version. Some reports have suggested that production issues will force Apple to launch the 5.5-inch version later this year or early next year, while others say that both versions of the iPhone 6 will launch at the same time.

In addition to a larger display and thinner profile, both models of the iPhone 6 are expected to come with a faster A8 processor and an enhanced camera. The 5.5-inch version is rumored to come with a number of exclusive features, including an optical image stabilization system and a bigger storage capacity.

Apple will look to announce the iPhone 6 on Monday, September 15th ahead of a launch on Thursday, September 25, according to various Chinese media reports citing "inside sources" (Google Translate, via GForGames). The sources also claim that the larger 5.5-inch iPhone will be called the "iPhone Air", with the 16GB version selling in China for 5,998 yuan ($965). Meanwhile, the 4.7-inch version will reportedly start at 5,288 ($850) for 32GB, which is the current price of the 16GB iPhone 5s in China.

The report contrasts with a story from Chinese web portal Tencent last month claiming that Apple would launch the 4.7-inch iPhone on Friday, September 19, which would be in line with the past two iPhone launches. Apple typically launches new products on a Friday, while a Thursday launch would be unlikely.

Furthermore, Apple abandoning the 16 GB model on the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 would make it likely that the company does not include such an option on the bigger 5.5-inch version. A report from Wei Feng last month noted that Apple would offer a 128GB variant only for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6, stating that the storage size difference would act as a major differentiator between both models. It is possible that Apple may call the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 the iPhone Air, as suppliers were once rumored to be using that name when referring to the device.

It is unknown whether Apple will launch both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 simultaneously. Bloomberg claimed last month that company would be doing so, as previous reports noted issues with display technology and battery life would delay the device's launch.

Aside from a larger display, the iPhone 6 is expected to come with a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and other new features. The camera of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 is also said to feature an optical image stabilization system, while the smaller 4.7-inch iPhone will use a new lens module.

Microsoft, like Google, Apple, and Samsung, has been working on its own wrist-worn device for more than a year. While early rumors suggested the device would be a smart watch with a 1.5-inch display, a new report from Windows blogger Paul Thurrott suggests that Microsoft's project is actually more of a fitness band than a smart watch.

More akin to the band-style Samsung Gear Fit than the watch-style Galaxy Gear, Microsoft's band is said to have a wristband form factor that's able to display smart phone-based notifications. Like the offerings from Samsung and Apple's rumored iWatch, the band is expected to include several different sensors, tracking fitness metrics like calories burned, heart rate, and more.

Unlike other products from Apple, Google, and Samsung, however, Microsoft is said to be designing its smart wristband to be cross platform, working not only with Windows devices, but also iOS and Android. Given Microsoft's small share of the smartphone and tablet market in comparison to Android and iOS, it's a smart move for the company.

From a differentiation standpoint, Microsoft's wearable will do something that no other wearable platform does. It will work with everything and not just the device maker's smart phone platform. Where Samsung wearables only work with Samsung phones, Android Wear devices only work with modern Android devices, and Apple's rumored iWatch will obviously only work with iPhone, Microsoft will take a different approach. It will work with Android, iPhone and Windows Phone.

According to Thurrott, Microsoft's smart wristband will be priced similarly to Samsung's smart watch offerings, which start at $199. It is expected to be released during the fourth quarter of 2014, suggesting it might launch in the same timeframe as Apple's iWatch. Currently, rumors indicate the iWatch will launch in October of 2014, with 10 different health-related sensors and wireless charging.

Pricing on Apple's iWatch remains a mystery, but rumors have pointed towards multiple sizes and designs at several different price points.

UBS analyst Steve Milunovich recently had a chance to meet up with Tim Cook, as detailed in a new note Milunovich sent to investors on Tuesday (via Fortune). During the meeting, Cook reportedly touched on the subject of voice messaging and based on Cook's comments, Milunovich is predicting a voice messaging app as a key feature of Apple's upcoming iWatch.

"When we visited with Tim Cook, he said that walking down streets in China one sees people speaking into their phones sending voice rather than text messages. Porting this capability to the watch makes sense as it is easier to send a voice message from a device already on the wrist than pulling out a phone. It also could aid penetration of China, which Cook said has a ways to go."

Cook's comments on voice messaging were likely in relation to a new feature built into Messages in iOS 8, which allows users to record and send audio messages. In iOS 8, the Messages app has a new Microphone icon located to the right of the text box, which can be held down to record a quick voice message.

It is not known if Apple has plans to build a similar feature into the iWatch, but it is not out of the realm of possibility. Rumors have previously suggested Siri's voice-recognition capabilities might play an important role on the device given its limited screen size, and voice messages may be another natural fit.

Apple's iWatch is said to be entering production in the near future, in preparation for a possible October launch. The device, which is expected to run a version of iOS 8, is believed to be reliant on existing iOS devices for some of its core Phone and Messages functionality. Current rumors suggest it may have multiple screen sizes up to 2.5-inches in size, a range of health-related sensors, and a multitude of designs to suit different fashion tastes.

Earlier this year, Apple announced in a support document that it would be discontinuing support as of June 30 for AIM iChat logins using a mac.com or a me.com ID for customers who were running an older version of OS X. Customers who wanted to continue to use that login combination were advised to upgrade their Mac to OS X 10.7.2 or later.

Following this change on Monday, a growing number of customers, even those on more recent versions of OS X and those using third-party services, are experiencing issues using AIM, reports AppAdvice.

I was using an old .mac address for AIM. Messages on my Mac were sent and received through the third-party Adium application. On July 1, the service was no longer operational on either of my two Macs. Currently, my iMac has OS X Yosemite installed, while my MacBook Air has OS X Mavericks.

The issues with AIM began this week and have been discussed in Apple's support forums as well as on Twitter. According to the reports, some users attempting to log in via the AIM web interface or third-party Mac and iOS such as Adium are no longer able to login to their AIM account using their mac.com or me.com IDs, regardless of their version of OS X. Users have reported varying levels of success with working around the login problems, but many users may be unaware of how to troubleshoot the problems.

Apple has not responded nor provided any details on the issue, but it likely involves the security update that terminated support for older versions of OS X. Apple didn't announce any changes to this update that would expand it to include all mac.com and me.com users, leaving those users without service or any explanation as to why it won't work. There's also no information on when or if the service will be restored to supported users.

Users who wish to avoid the issue may find it easiest to simply create a new AIM login, although they will have to recreate their buddy lists on the new accounts.

Analysts were sour on Apple last year, believing the company's stock would not climb over the $700 mark it crossed briefly in September 2012. Now with a 7-for-1 stock split and a continuing stock repurchase plan, this negative sentiment is changing with analysts revising their price targets for the again-hot stock, reports Fortune.

In recent weeks, analysts have adjusted their price targets by as much as 30 percent, with prices now ranging from a low of $87 from Morningstar's Brian Collelo up to a high of $124 from Stephen Turner of Hilliard Lyons. With the recent upgrades, the analysts' average price targets are now above Apple's all-time high once the stock split is accounted for.

As noted by BTIG's Walter Piecyk, some of this optimism stems from new U.S. carrier plans that will expand the number of customers eligible to upgrade to Apple's next generation iPhone and new leasing options that offer upgrades with a minimal upfront cost.

“Historically we estimate that ~20% of AT&T’s subscriber base was eligible for an upgrade during an iPhone launch quarter. That eligibility dropped to a low of the mid-teens in the second half of 2013 due to the stricter upgrade policies. We expect AT&T's new Mobile Share Value plan to increase the percentage of AT&T post-paid subscriber base eligible to upgrade to over 65% by the time the next iPhone launches. In absolute terms that is the difference between 10 or 11 million eligible for upgrades and 45-50 million.”

Wireless carriers in the U.S. have been modifying their consumer cellular and data plans, introducing no-contract options and new incentives that make it easier for customers to upgrade to new phones. Much of this change has been initiated by T-Mobile, which started its Uncarrier promotion in early 2013 with a no-contract Simple Choice plan that lets you pay for a phone in installments with a low upfront cost and early upgrades. Other carriers, such as AT&T, have followed suits with similar plans.

Just over a month after Apple announced plans to purchase Beats Electronics and the Beats Music service, Google has made its own music purchase, acquiring streaming music service Songza.

First launched in 2007 and revamped in 2011, Songza is a curation-based music service much like Beats Music. Songza offers a multitude of customized playlists created by music experts, which revolve around different moods and activities. For example, in its iPhone app, Songza provides playlists for "Working Out," "Waking Up Happy," "Feeling Confident," and more.

Beats Music, meanwhile, boasts "in-house curators" that provide handpicked albums and playlists based on a user's personal tastes. There's also a feature called "The Sentence," which offers playlists based on location, feeling, and genre. The two services are both similar in regards to their emphasis on human curation, which is becoming a must-have feature in the streaming music arena. Beats Music's focus on curation was one of the driving factors behind Apple's purchase of the service.

Apple has plans to keep Beats Music separate from its own iTunes and iTunes Radio offerings, and Google too has said that Songza will remain independent, though it has plans to integrate Songza features into Google Play Music and other Google services in the future. Both Songza and Beats Music are set to remain available on multiple platforms.

We aren't planning any immediate changes to Songza, so it will continue to work like usual for existing users. Over the coming months, we'll explore ways to bring what you love about Songza to Google Play Music. We'll also look for opportunities to bring their great work to the music experience on YouTube and other Google products.

Like Beats Music, which had 250,000 subscribers in May three months after launching, Songza is relatively small at five million users compared to competitors like iTunes Radio, Pandora, and Spotify. The major differentiating factor between the two services is cost -- Songza is free and ad-supported while Beats Music requires a monthly subscription.

The terms of the deal between Google and Songza were not disclosed, but some reports have suggested Google paid around $15 million for the service. Apple's Beats deal is still awaiting regulatory approval and is expected to close next quarter.

Last week, Apple announced that the company would be discontinuing their Aperture photo management software to focus development on the new Photos app that was introduced at WWDC. Details on Apple's new Photos app, however, remains scarce, leaving Aperture users with a lot of uncertainty.

Ars Technica was able to get additional information from an Apple representative, who indicated that certain professional-grade features would be coming to the new Photos app:

When asked about what Aperture-like features users can expect from the new Photos app, an Apple representative mentioned plans for professional-grade features such as image search, editing, effects, and most notably, third-party extensibility.

Some of these editing features are already depicted in the screenshot that Apple released of Photos at the time of the announcement:

The screenshot shows an adjustments panel with settings for Light (Exposure, Highlights, Shadows, Brightness, Contrast, Blacks), Color (Saturation, Contrast, Cast), Black & White (Hue Strength, Neutral Boost, Photo Tone, Grain), Definition, Vignette, White Balance, and Levels.

Apple has promised that existing Aperture users will be able to import their libraries into the new OS X Photos app. Photos is expected to be released early next year.

The United States Federal Trade Commission today filed a complaint against T-Mobile, accusing the carrier of charging customers for unauthorized SMS subscriptions that delivered information like horoscopes and celebrity gossip at prices up to $9.99 per month.

T-Mobile reportedly collected 35 to 40 percent of the amount charged to consumers, at times continuing to bill customers even after it was clear the charges were fraudulent. According to the FTC, T-Mobile made "hundreds of millions of dollars" using these tactics.

The FTC suggests that the charges were unauthorized because of the high volume of T-Mobile customers seeking refunds. The company has allegedly received a high number of consumer complaints since 2012. T-Mobile is also said to have made it difficult to detect the charges, as a summary bill did not show a third-party charge or a recurring subscription. T-Mobile bills also made it "nearly impossible for consumers to find and understand third-party subscription charges."

After looking past a "Summary" section as well as an "Account Service Detail" section, both of which described "Usage Charges" but did not itemize those charges, a consumer might then reach the section labeled "Premium Services," where the crammed items would be listed.

According to the complaint, the information would be listed there in an abbreviated form, such as "8888906150BrnStorm23918," that did not explain that the charge was for a recurring third-party subscription supposedly authorized by the consumer.

T-Mobile also failed to provide full refunds to customers after the charges were discovered. The FTC is asking for a court order to prevent T-Mobile from continuing to charge customers for fraudulent services and to provide full refunds for its "ill-gotten gains."

T-Mobile has not yet commented on the FTC's complaint, but the company's outspoken CEO, John Legere, will undoubtedly have a response.

In recent months, T-Mobile has worked hard to distinguish itself from other mobile phone carriers with its "UnCarrier" initiatives designed to disrupt traditional mobile service. The company has uncoupled device costs from service costs, introduced a Jump upgrade plan, provided unlimited texting and 2G data in 100 countries, offered customers up to $350 to switch carriers, and announced plans to allow customers to "test drive" the service.

Update 1:30 PM PT: T-Mobile has released a statement calling the FTC's complaint "unfounded and without merit." T-Mobile goes on to state that it stopped billing for Premium SMS services last year and has launched a "proactive program" to provide full refunds for customers.

Apple today expanded its list of automobile manufacturer partners that plan to support CarPlay in future models, adding a number of brands from the Fiat Chrysler group: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, and Ram. Also officially joining the list of CarPlay partners today is Mazda (via Wired). These additions follow a recent announcement by Audi, which plans to integrate Apple's CarPlay system into its vehicles beginning in 2015.

These new partners join existing CarPlay partners Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, GM, and Honda, which are introducing CarPlay compatible vehicles before the end of the year, and a number of other brands promising future support. Besides new cars, Alpine and Pioneer also are adding CarPlay support to their aftermarket consoles, allowing owners of existing automobiles to adopt Apple's in-dash car technology.

CarPlay uses an automobile's built-in dashboard display to provide hands-free operation of your iPhone. Drivers will be able to take advantage of the Siri-powered technology to make calls, receive messages, get directions and listen to music while keeping their eyes on the road.

While we've seen plenty of mockups and more recently a few claimed legitimate exterior parts such as rear shells and front panels from the iPhone 6, little in the way of internal parts as surfaced so far. But three new photos surfacing today (via Apple.club.tw) show what are claimed to be a pair of flex cable parts from the iPhone 6.

The photos are of fairly poor quality and it is not specified whether the parts are from the 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch model, but the parts do closely resemble legitimate parts from other devices and an Apple logo and Apple-style part number are present on one of them.

Unlike on the iPhone 5s, where a single part houses both the left side volume buttons/mute switch and the top power button, these iPhone 6 parts show the two areas on separate flex cables. This change would seem to be consistent with the larger size of the iPhone 6 and the reported shift in the location of the power button from the top edge to the right edge.

One cable, which is shown from the front and back in two of the photos, appears to simply contain the volume buttons and mute switch. There appears to be greater separation between the volume buttons and mute switch than on corresponding parts from previous iPhones, but it is unclear just how much extra distance there might be in the finished product given the flexibility of these cables. Mockups and drawings have shown elongated volume buttons and perhaps a little extra distance separating the mute switch, but the difference does not appear as significant as suggested by the flex cable part.

The second flex cable shown in the photos is less clear in terms of function, but appears to include the power button, although Kyle Wiens of iFixit points out that it looks somewhat larger than on previous models.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 around September of this year, with a larger display being the key feature for the device. Other likely improvements include a new A8 chip, camera enhancements, and perhaps a more durable Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

Apple today revised its AppleCare+ support service, lengthening the time new iPhone and iPad owners have to purchase the protection plan from the previous 30-day window to an extended 60-days. The new 60-day AppleCare+ option is available both in store and online in all AppleCare+ regions, with the exception of Japan which still offers the original 30-day window, reports 9to5Mac.

AppleCare+ is a premium warranty service for iPhone and iPad owners, providing warranty support and accidental damage coverage for two years from the date of device purchase. The plan costs $99 and includes two accidental damage replacements that cost $49 per incident for the iPad and $79 for the iPhone.

Apple also is discontinuing the previous AppleCare option that extends warranty service for the iPad and iPhone, but does not provide accidental damage coverage. Going forward, Apple will only offer the standard 90-days of free support that is included with every iPhone or iPad purchase as well as the option to upgrade to two-years of AppleCare+ for $99. This change goes into effect today in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

Apple hopes these changes as well other other future improvements will boost the adoption rate of AppleCare+. To compete with carrier and insurance options, Apple may improve its insurance plans for the iPhone as well as expand AppleCare+ internationally beyond its current coverage regions. The international service now has approximately 30 million subscribers and has brought in more than $2b in revenue since its introduction three years ago.

Apple last week refreshed its iPod touch lineup with a new 16GB model that offers a camera and color options to replace the stripped-down model it introduced last year. After debuting in the US, the new iPod touch today became available internationally, landing in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries worldwide.

As revealed by iFixit, the new 16GB iPod touch is a lower capacity model of Apple's existing fifth generation iPod touch lineup that was introduced in 2012. The model features a 4-inch display, Apple's A5 processor, a 5-megapixel iSight camera and color choices that include yellow, blue, pink and more. The new 16GB version lowers the entry-level price point to $199, down from $229 for the now-discontinued silver-only model.

Apple traditionally refreshed its iPod lineup during its annual September press event, which often focused on iTunes and music. Apple de-emphasized music in 2013, opting to unveil the iPhone 5s. The Cupertino company is expected to continue this trend in 2014 with the possible unveiling of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone 6. The future of the iPod line remains unclear as sales of the units continue to slide quarterly.