MacRumors

Back in 2010, Apple signed an agreement with Caltech spinoff Liquidmetal Technologies, giving Apple exclusive access to the firm's unique metal alloys for consumer electronics applications. Liquidmetal's "amorphous metal alloys", sometimes referred to as "metallic glass" due to their non-crystalline molecular structures, offer several advantages over many other metals, including superior strength and durability. Apple had quietly tested Liquidmetal by using it in the SIM card eject tool for the iPhone 3G, but the material has yet to make any additional appearances in Apple's products.

The agreement between Apple and Liquidmetal funneled the covered intellectual property through a subsidiary known as Crucible Intellectual Property, LLC, and Liquidmetal is required to submit all of its newly developed intellectual property to that subsidiary through at least February 2014.

As pointed out by MacDailyNews, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office yesterday issued a patent assigned to Crucible covering processes for mass producing thin sheets of amorphous metal alloys, suggesting that Apple and Liquidmetal are indeed making progress with the material. Of the five inventors listed on the patent, which was filed in May 2012, two are Apple product design engineers and three are engineers at Liquidmetal Technologies.

A conventional method for making a BMG [bulk metallic glass] sheet requires casting a amorphous metal alloy at or above the melting temperature of the amorphous metal alloy, freezing the molten amorphous metal alloy in a sheet mold to form a sheet, and then using a cutting tool to remove the gate portion of the cast sheet and shape the cast sheet into the desired final geometry. However, casting requires melting and cooling of the amorphous metal alloy in a sheet mold, and this can cause uncontrolled amount of amorphicity in the BMG sheet. Furthermore, the post-processing cost for removing the gate and runner overflow and shaping the cast sheet into the desired final sheet geometry can be quite high. Therefore, new methods for making BMG sheets that overcome the above mentioned limitations of the casting process are desirable. [...]

A proposed solution according to embodiments herein for the manufacture of bulk-solidifying amorphous sheets is to use a float glass process and/or a conveyor belt-type process.

The patent describes how molten BMG could be continuously poured onto a shallow bath of molten tin, where it would flow to form a sheet. The thickness of the sheets would be controlled by the speed at which cooling BMG is removed from the tin bath. The patent specifically claims that such a float plant could operate continuously for 10-15 years, producing approximately 6,000 kilometers of BMG per year in thicknesses ranging from 0.1 mm to 25 mm and widths up to 3 meters.

Rumors of Liquidmetal's alloys being used for Apple's iPhone have surfaced a number of times, but last year Liquidmetal's Atakan Peker noted that Apple was unlikely to use the alloys as major design materials for at least 2-4 years due to the production scale needed for such parts as MacBook casings. With yesterday's patent, however, it does appear that Apple and Liquidmetal may have developed processes to overcome that hurdle.

Bloomberg highlights a new report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Apple may be pushing back the launch of the iPhone 5S to the end of this year in order to increase the size of the device's display from the current 4 inches to 4.3 inches.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) may delay the introduction of the iPhone 5S until the end of the year after the design was changed to feature a bigger 4.3-inch retina display screen, the Commercial Times reported.

The company previously scheduled the release for September or October, the Taiwanese newspaper reported, citing unidentified people in the semiconductor industry. Takashi Takebayashi, a spokesman for Apple in Tokyo, wasn’t immediately available to comment to Bloomberg News.

The claim is highly unlikely to be true, as Apple undoubtedly finalized the designed of the iPhone 5S months ago and the company will reportedly begin mass production later this month. Regardless, the fact that the report was picked up by Bloomberg is giving it wide visibility.

A number of reports have also indicated that the iPhone 5S will look largely identical to the iPhone 5, as seen in a prototype device manufactured last December. Photos of display assemblies claimed to be for the iPhone 5S have also surfaced, with those parts appearing nearly identical to the corresponding iPhone 5 parts with the exception of a change in orientation of the flex cable connectors that is compatible with the logic board layout from the prototype iPhone 5S.

As announced last week, Google has begun rolling out a revamped version of its Maps app for iOS, adding support for the larger screen of the iPad, enhanced navigation features, and a new Explore feature.

Google Maps 2.0 for iOS includes both live traffic updates and incident reports that offer details on current traffic conditions. Unlike the Android version of the app, it does not include on-the-fly rerouting, but Google has said that it plans to add the feature in the future. The new version of Maps also offers indoor directions and maps for malls, airports, transit stations, and more.

Explore, which was first introduced at Google I/O earlier this year, offers users a way to discover nearby businesses and restaurants. It incorporates Zagat ratings and deals through integration with Google Offers.

The old version of Google Maps has been removed from the App Store, and while the revamped version is available in several countries in Asia at the current point in time, it is not expected to be available in the U.S. until later. As noted by 9to5Mac, however, the app can be acquired immediately by deleting the old app and re-downloading it from iCloud.

Update: Google Maps can now be downloaded from the U.S. App Store.

According to AllThingsD, a production ramp up of the next generation iPhone should begin around the end of this month, confirming a recent report from Jefferies' Peter Misek.

Misek believes that Apple started small batch production of the iPhone 5S last month, but with the company now gearing up for mass production, it appears to be making final preparations for a launch later this year.

A report from earlier today suggested that iPhone 5S supplies will be constrained at launch, as it is with many new Apple product releases, perhaps because of low yields on a new fingerprint sensor that is expected in the device.

Some iPhone 5S prototypes have previously leaked, showcasing features such as a dual-LED flash and a slightly larger battery, as well as an A7 chip. Misek, for his part, believes that the 5S production ramp is in addition to one that's in progress for the rumored lower-cost iPhone. From AllThingsD:

Interestingly, Misek says that iPhone production ramp up will follow one that’s already under way for Apple’s long-rumored lower-cost iPhone, a device he figures the company will price somewhere between $300 and $400 — without a subsidy. He estimates production plans at 25 million to 30 million units, split pretty much evenly across the 5s and its new lower-cost sibling. And he says the new entry probably won’t be competitive with the truly low-end handsets popular in emerging markets.

Last year, at roughly this same point in the July, we saw similar reports of increased production ahead of the release of the iPhone 5.

Malwarebytes takes a look at a method cyber-criminals have begun using to target Mac users with "ransomware", hijacking the user's browser with a notice demanding payment of $300 in order to release control of the application. While similar malware has affected Windows systems for a number of years, Mac users have only rarely seen such efforts targeted at themselves.

The ransomware page is being pushed onto unsuspecting users browsing regular sites but in particular when searching for popular keywords.

Warnings appearing to be from the FBI tell the victim: “you have been viewing or distributing prohibited Pornographic content.. To unlock your computer and to avoid other legal consequences, you are obligated to pay a release fee of $300.”

Rather than a sophisticated hijack of the actual browser software or an installation of a trojan, the ransomware is merely a simple webpage using JavaScript to load 150 iframes that require confirmation to be dismissed, with the authors hoping that users will give up long before they dismiss all of the dialog boxes and simply pay the ransom. As the report notes, a feature on OS X that reopens previously open windows after relaunching an app means that users generally can not simply close and reopen Safari in order to escape the ransomware.

The report details one method to escape the ransomware involving resetting Safari, but misses a far simpler tactic: Simply holding down the Shift key while relaunching Safari will prevent it from reopening windows and tabs from the previous session. Users can also completely disable the reopening feature across OS X from the General pane of System Preferences. Many OS X users may, however, be unfamiliar with such options and find themselves trapped by the ransomware webpage.

The report notes that the ransomware authors are targeting users based on popular search terms, with one example stumbled upon through an image search result for Taylor Swift on Bing.

Apple today announced the launch of Logic Pro X, the next-generation version of its professional audio software. The release brings a completely revamped Logic Pro application including a new virtual drummer and integrated pitch editing, as well as an iPad companion app.

Apple today unveiled Logic Pro X, the most advanced version of Logic Pro to date, featuring a new interface designed for pros, powerful new creative tools for musicians, and an expanded collection of instruments and effects. Logic Pro X includes Drummer, a revolutionary new feature that provides a virtual session player that automatically plays along with your song in a wide variety of drumming styles and techniques, and Flex Pitch, which provides integrated pitch editing for audio recordings. Apple also introduced Logic Remote, an innovative new way to play and control Logic Pro X from your iPad, giving musicians the flexibility to create and mix their music from anywhere in the room.

The Loop has a full review of the new software.

Logic Pro X is the best music software release I’ve seen from Apple in a while. They added a lot of pro features, but at the same time managed to make the app more approachable—that’s a difficult thing to do.

Being a guitar player, I would liked to have seen some more attention on Amp Designer—I don’t use it much at all because I don’t like the amps much—but I can wait for the next release for that.

Overall, Logic Pro X is a great release and for $199, you can’t go wrong.

Macworld also has a review of Logic Pro X and Logic Remote.

Logic Pro X [Direct Link] launches in the Mac App Store today for $199.99, with live performance companion app MainStage 3 [Direct Link] priced at $29.99. The Logic Remote companion app for iPad [Direct Link] is available free through the iOS App Store. Apple has also removed the previous versions of Logic Pro and MainStage from the Mac App Store.

Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reports [Google translation, via 9to5Mac] that Apple is in early-stage negotiations to acquire 3D body sensing firm PrimeSense, with any deal likely to command a price in the range of $280 million. PrimeSense is the firm that developed the original technology behind Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing and control system.

The report indicates that a delegation of senior Apple executives visited PrimeSense earlier this month, after Calcalist had reported [Google translation] that the company was looking to negotiate its sale with Apple, Sony, and Samsung as prospective suitors. Apple is presumably interested in the technology as it makes a more significant push into the living room, with the company rumored to be trying to launch its own television hardware and content delivery services.

Interestingly, Apple's interest in PrimeSense appears to extend back many years, with Cult of Mac's Leander Kahney having related in November 2010 how he sat next to PrimeSense CEO Inon Beracha on a June 2008 flight, where Beracha talked about how his company had viewed Apple as the most natural fit when PrimeSense was shopping its technology around Silicon Valley.

In fact, he’d already had several meetings at Apple. It was the first place he and his engineers thought of. “It was the most natural place for the technology,” he said. [...]

Yet the initial meetings hadn’t gone so well. Obsessed with secrecy, Apple had already asked Beracha to sign a stack of crippling legal agreements and NDAs.

He shook his head. Why didn’t he want to do a deal with Apple? No need. The technology was hot. He could sell it to anyone.

Apple has expressed interest in motion sensing and control in the past, having acquired several patents and patent applications from inventor Timothy Pryor, including filings addressing Kinect-like control of home appliances and vehicles. Apple has also been rumored to be including some motion control functionality in its long-rumored television set project.

Update 6:30 AM: A source at PrimeSense tells TechCrunch that rumors of an Apple acquisition are premature, if not incorrect altogether.

The Calcalist’s report notes that this is based around some meetings between the two companies, and that the price for the deal would be around $280 million. But a source at the company described the report as “BS.”

“Journalist delusion based on unverified and twisted hints,” the source added, also questioning the valuation: “280M? Come on! We’re worth 10 times that. :)”

Update 9:35 AM: Mashable reports that a PrimeSense representative has now officially denied the claim.

A rep for PrimeSense denied the report to Mashable and said the company would release a statement later on Tuesday. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment.

In what has become something of a tradition ahead of Apple's product launches, Digitimes is reporting that the iPhone 5S may see constrained supplies at launch due to poor yields of certain components. In this case, the issues are said to be related to chips supporting fingerprint recognition and the device's LCD, according to industry sources.

The fingerprint recognition chip is designed by AuthenTec, of which Apple acquired for US$356 million in July 2012. Issues related to the original design of the chip reportedly caused the lower yield rates, claimed the sources, adding that Apple outsources the production of the fingerprint recognition chips to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and the packaging of the chips to Xintec.

The report also claims that production for the new device was supposed to start in late June or early July, but because of yield problems the ramp-up will be delayed until late July. According to Digitimes' sources, this will result in Apple delaying shipments of three million iPhone 5S into the fourth quarter. Just yesterday, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek had indicated that "small batch production" of the iPhone 5S had begun last month, with mass production ramping up later this month.

In early April, reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that production issues would likely "delay" iPhone 5S into September and that Apple's third quarter would see smaller shipment growth than previously expected.

Reuters followed up with its own report in late April, mirroring Kuo's report claiming that production issues would likely result in delay's for Apple's newest flagship device.

However, at Apple's Q1 2013 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook warned that predicting future Apple business based on certain supply chain data was "impossible" because the company has multiple sources for components to account for varying yields and inconsistent supplier performance.

Apple's iPhone 5S is expected to launch sometime in the fall.

AT&T is following T-Mobile's lead and introducing a new upgrade eligibility program for its customers called 'AT&T Next'. With Next, AT&T customers can purchase a new smartphone or tablet every twelve months with no activation, upgrade or financing fees.

Customers purchase a smartphone or tablet with no money down, making monthly payments equal to 1/20th of the retail cost of the device. After 12 payments, they can trade the device in and upgrade to a new one with no other fees. Or, after 20 payments, they own the device outright.

“With AT&T Next, customers can get the newest smartphone or tablet every year with no down payment. That’s hard to beat, and it’s an incredible value for customers who want the latest and greatest every year,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and chief executive officer of AT&T Mobility.

For customers purchasing a 16GB iPhone 5, they would pay $32.50 per month for 12 months, and could then upgrade to the latest iPhone -- trading in the previous device. They would pay $390 over that time, with the phone being bought back for the equivalent of $260. If the customer makes the 20 monthly payments, they can upgrade to a new phone and keep the old one.

Because there is no activation or upgrade fee, customers save $36 on activating a new line. Depending on the customer's needs, this may be a better option than the old AT&T upgrade system, which requires customers wait 24 months between fully subsidized upgrades.

AT&T customers who still have grandfathered unlimited data plans are fully eligible to participate in this program.

T-Mobile recently announced a similar upgrade plan, and a leak from Verizon today suggested they also had something like it in development.

Technology journalist Jessica Lessin, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, reports that Apple has been negotiating with cable companies and TV networks to allow customers to skip commercials and Apple would compensate programmers for the lost revenue.

Viewers could potentially pay Apple to skip commercials on a per show or per channel basis, get live commercial-free viewing of new episodes with the purchase of a Season Pass on the iTunes Store, or Apple could even offer an entire commercial-free TV subscription service.

Lessin writes:

In recent discussions, Apple told media executives it wants to offer a "premium" version of the service that would allow users to skip ads and would compensate television networks for the lost revenue, according to people briefed on the conversations.

Consumers, of course, are already accustomed to fast-forwarding through commercials on their DVRs, and how Apple’s technology differs is unclear.

It is a risky idea. Ad-skipping would disrupt the entrenched system of television ratings—the basis for buying TV ads. In fact, television broadcasters sued Dish Network when it introduced similar technology last year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the D11 conference earlier this year that the company has a "grand vision" for the television, and that the current TV viewing experience "could be better". It's been previously reported that Apple wants to erase the distinction between live and on-demand video content.

Apple is rumored to have both a full-on television set as well as a more conventional set-top box in the works, in addition to its existing "hobby", as Tim Cook calls the current Apple TV box.

Jobs, the first studio film based on the life of Steve Jobs will be released nationwide on August 16th following an introduction at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

Ahead of its debut, actor Ashton Kutcher has taken to the Q&A site Quora to explain why he chose to take on the role of Steve Jobs.

In addition to the Quora post, the production company behind Jobs has been using other social media sites to promote the film. Over the weekend, the company posted a 15-second version of the trailer on the video version of Instagram.

"Jobs", which stars Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs and Josh Gad as Steve Wozniak, is one of several Jobs-related films in the works or already released. Back in April, rumor site Funny or Die released a rather poorly received "iSteve" comedy film starring Justin Long, who had played the "Mac" character in Apple's long-running "Mac vs. PC" ad campaign.

A third film is being written by Aaron Sorkin and is the official adaptation of Jobs' authorized biography by Walter Isaacson. The film, which is still in the early stages of development, is planned to encompass three 30-minute scenes showing Jobs backstage just prior to the launches of the original Mac, NeXT, and the iPod.