MacRumors

Organizational issues have been plaguing Apple's development of iOS in the Car, according to The Information's Jessica E. Lessin (via AppleInsider). Because iOS in the Car did not fit neatly into an existing hardware or software team at Apple, executives reportedly "didn't quite know what to do" with the program.

The disconnect is attributed primarily to overarching organizational issues that are said to place pressure on non-hardware products that do not fit within existing teams.

Even in the lead-up to iOS in the Car's high-profile unveiling at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference last June, executives were reportedly still unsure about the product's future.

According to Lessin, the team working on iOS in the Car was forced to "lobby hard" for stage time during the Worldwide Developers Conference where the product was first demonstrated.

Since that time, iOS in the Car has been listed as an iOS 7 feature "Coming Soon" on Apple's website with no update on its availability. The feature is intended to provide enhanced iOS integration in automobiles, offering an iOS-style interface on the car’s touchscreen dash that allows users to make phone calls, access Maps, control music, and more.

Recently, developer Steven Troughton-Smith released both screenshots and a video of iOS in the Car in action, as the software is partially built into iOS 7.0.3 but unaccessible by default.

The iOS in the Car content shared by Troughton-Smith appears to confirm some of Apple's struggles with the software. While one design is depicted in the video, Troughton-Smith's screenshots and commentary on Twitter indicate that iOS in the Car has undergone a redesign from its early depiction on Apple's website and at least one other redesign in iOS 7.1, which is currently available for developers.

While many car makers have expressed interest in including iOS in the Car in their 2014 models, cars with the feature have yet to materialize. Thus far, in-car integration with Apple devices remains largely limited to Siri Eyes Free and Honda's HondaLink, which falls well short of full iOS in the Car functionality.

Apple's storefront went offline last night and returned with a new Valentine's Day theme featuring accents of red and a handpicked shopping guide for gift buyers. Holiday graphics replace the standard stock product photos and updated captions like "Love is in the Air" promote Apple's top products for the Valentine's Day shoppers.

Perhaps the most important update is the new promotion of the Apple TV at the top of the Online Store, giving it similar prominence to Apple's Mac, iPad, iPhone and iPod lines. The new placement for the Apple TV suggests that it's moving out of the "hobby" status that Apple executives have long assigned it.

Previously, the Apple TV was relegated to the iPod section. Last week, it was rumored that Apple was considering adding game support with Bluetooth controllers and a new App Store to the Apple TV, possibly as soon as March.

This advertising campaign extends to the company's Apple Store app (iTunes link), which was updated with similar holiday graphics and a curated list of the "Top Valentine's Gifts." The Apple TV gets prominent placement in the app as well, appearing on the home screen just below the iPhone 5s and 5c.

Update: Apple is testing a much improved version of the Apple TV that would utilize existing iOS devices as game controllers, according to a report from 9to5Mac, and the company is also considering combining the Apple TV and AirPort Express products, testing a combined Apple TV and 802.11ac wireless router in order to ensure higher-quality streaming.

The site also says Apple is testing an Apple TV device that can control users' existing cable boxes with an Apple user interface overlaying their existing content. It was reported last year that Apple was in negotiations with cable companies and TV networks to allow customers to skip commercials on recorded shows and Apple would compensate programmers for the lost revenue. The company has also been looking to "erase the distinction" between live and on-demand video content.

Apple has long been rumored to have an improved Apple TV in the works, though there have been a number of conflicting reports over what the device will include. Apple has repeatedly said that it has has a number of new products in the works for 2014, most recently during its quarterly earnings call with analysts yesterday.

Thanks Alan!

A Monday report from Japanese business newspaper Nikkei claimed Nintendo is planning unveil an iOS app to market content for its Wii U and 3DS, with the app allegedly featuring information about new games from Nintendo and the mobile initiative potentially also including playable demos of console and handheld games. In a statement provided to Engadget today, however, Nintendo has denied it is planning to offer such minigames on smartphone platforms.

"Nikkei's article contains information previously stated by Mr Iwata during past press conferences, including statements which relate to Nintendo's willingness to make use of smart devices to promote our products.

However during such past announcements Mr Iwata has also stated that Nintendo's intention is not to make Nintendo software available on smart devices and as such, we can confirm that there are no plans to offer minigames on smartphone devices."

Nintendo is at a crossroads as mobile gaming makes gains on both the console and handheld market. The Japanese game maker reported its third consecutive annual loss and adjusted its forecast to reflect a 35 billion yen ($335.76 million) operating loss, instead of the previously projected profit of 100 billion yen. The company also slashed it sales forecasts for the Wii U from 9 million to 2.8 million units and cut its estimates for the 3DS from 18 million to 13.5 million units.

Many investors and Nintendo fans have called for the legendary game company to embrace mobile platforms, but the company's executives have so far remained steadfast in focusing their valuable game franchises only on Nintendo-branded hardware.

Apple today expanded the lineup for its Apple TV set-top box, adding a new Red Bull TV channel with free action sports content carrying branding from the energy drink company. As noted by Variety, the channel includes coverage of live events, as well as curated playlists and on-demand content.

Red Bull TV live programming, films, shows and clips are now available to Apple TV users worldwide for free. Launched in 2010, Red Bull TV features “inspirational entertainment programming” designed to promote the beverage and its high-action brand image. Content includes live global events and sports, music and lifestyle entertainment.

Red Bull TV has also been available as an iOS app for several years.

Red Bull TV is just the latest in a long line of channel additions for the Apple TV over the last six months, with the most recent major expansion coming last month with the addition of Watch ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle, and KORTV.

Last week, app developer Steven Troughton-Smith shared a series of screenshots of what seemed to be Apple's "iOS in the Car" feature announced by Apple as "coming soon" to iOS 7 devices. The feature is intended to allow an iOS device to take over the in-dash display of a car, providing access to navigation, phone functions, messages, and music.

Troughton-Smith has now posted a video showing iOS in the Car in action, via a barebones implementation that is actually present in the already released iOS 7.0.3 but not accessible by default. The video shows the feature being run in the iOS Simulator software for developers, with the in-dash display represented by a separate 800x480 window.

- Supports Multiple Resolutions
- Supports touchscreens (presumably single-touch?), hardware buttons, wheels and touchpads
- Does not support multitasking - car display will always show same current on-screen app as iPhone (which can be locked/asleep)
- Whitelisted to specific Apple apps - no public API for developers [yet?]
- Has no keyboard UI - voice recognition as input
- UI clearly subject to change
- Missing functionality in video is due to iOS Simulator not containing all the stock iOS apps

Apple has been awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) detailing an "electronic device display module" for a laptop that would include the ability to act as a secondary rear display featuring touch controls. The patent also details a photovoltaic system located in the display unit which could power the device with solar energy.

The patent, which was originally filed in 2012, details a portable computer that would encompass both upper and lower housings, consisting of materials such as metal, ceramic, carbon fiber, and glass. The rear housing of the computer would feature a logo similar to Apple's current line of MacBooks, but would be made of a patterned ink layer instead of a plastic material.

The electrochromic glass that could be integrated into the rear display is also detailed, as the glass would receive signals from light sources with the ability make itself opaque or translucent depending on user input. In theory, this would allow the rear display to remain hidden from view when not in use, which would assist in preserving battery life and privacy.

The display may be controlled using timing and control circuitry on a display driver board. The driver board may be mounted within a clutch barrel that contains the hinges. The driver board may be mounted within the clutch barrel so that it lies perpendicular to the plane of the display or may be oriented at other orientations such as orientations that are within plus or minus 10.degree. or 20.degree. from perpendicular, orientations that are parallel to the plane of the display, or other orientations.

Furthermore, Apple also proposes that the computer include photovoltaic cells located under the rear panel, with the cells producing power when activated by an external light source. The cells could also have the option to store the power or use it immediately, and would receive energy from light when the display and electrochromic glass are in the translucent mode.
Lastly, the touch controls found on the rear display would allow the user to do a number of things, including the ability to input passcodes, control media playback, and unlock the magnetic latch of the computer by touching a certain region. The patent also states that the touch sensors may include capacitive, acoustic, optical, or pressure-sensitive properties to allow different methods of input, and could be located on a centralized rear structure.

It is unknown whether Apple plans to create such a product or not, but the company has researched similar technology before. A patent in August 2012 detailed significantly enhanced iPad Smart Covers with secondary displays and solar cells, and a patent in 2008 showed the company's interest in producing solar LCD powered iPods, iPhones, and laptops.

Other reports on Apple's interest in solar-powered devices have also popped up on numerous occasion throughout the years, though it is unclear as to whether Apple is ready to make a serious attempt at integrating the technology into its products or is still focused solely on researching methods.

Apple plans to launch new products in categories where it doesn't currently operate, according to comments from CEO Tim Cook. During today's earnings call, Cook said that innovation is "deeply embedded" in everyone at Apple and that the company has "no issue" coming up with new projects to work on.

There's so much of the world that is full of very complex products. We have zero issue coming up with things we want to do. We must focus on the very few that deserve all our energy. We’ve always done that and we continue to do that.

Since the introduction of the iPod, Apple has concentrated on launching new products in markets where it sees significant room for improvement. With its touch-focused design, the iPhone was a significant departure from its competitors when it was introduced in 2007, and the iPad, introduced in 2010, dominated the tablet market from launch.

Currently, Apple is rumored to be working in the wearables category, which Tim Cook previously suggested was "ripe for exploration" as there are no significantly popular products in that market. Apple is researching a host of possible features for its much-rumored smart watch that would set it apart from existing products on the market, including a range of biometric sensors.

Apple has also expressed interest in the television, with Steve Jobs claiming to have "finally cracked" the design for a simple integrated television set that's simple to use.

While reports have suggested that the iWatch could make an initial appearance in 2014, Apple's television plans are somewhat more nebulous and may have been put on hold in order for the company to work on wearables, which would be in line with today's comments on focus.

During the call, Apple Corporate Controller Luca Maestri also confirmed the company is heavily investing in areas that will generate new products and services and Peter Oppenheimer said that Apple "remains confident in the new product pipeline."

Today’s earnings call revealed that Apple saw lower than expected iPhone 5c sales in the United States, primarily because iPhone 5s sales exceeded Apple’s projections.

While Apple did not break down sales between individual iPhone models, the company did indicate that the iPhone 5c ended up representing a smaller mix of iPhone sales than anticipated.

According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the company's iPhone sales growth in North America was not as high as that seen in other countries partially because Apple underestimated demand for the iPhone 5s, with the iPhone mix being "different than we thought." He also mentioned changes to domestic carrier upgrade plans as a partial reason for weaker-than-expected iPhone sales in the U.S.

The company expected a more balanced demand between the flagship iPhone 5s and the mid-tier plastic iPhone 5c, but actually saw a stronger preference than projected for the 5s, possibly due to a high interest in Touch ID.

It took us some time in order to build the mix that customers were demanding. As a result, we lost some units for part of the quarter in North America.

Cook said that it took Apple the better part of the quarter to get the iPhone into supply/demand balance as a result of the unexpected demand for the iPhone 5s, which was in short supply for several months following its release.

While Apple has not revealed how many iPhone 5c devices it has sold, multiple reports suggested that the phone was seeing poor sales compared to the iPhone 5s, with the 5s outselling the 5c by a two-to-one margin. Shortly after the phones were introduced, Apple cut iPhone 5c production while ramping up iPhone 5s production to meet customer demand.

Apple today reported record sales of 51 million iPhones in the quarter, up from 47.8 million in the same time period last year.