Weekend news roundup: All the best Apple news from last week

It’s been a busy week filled with discounts on iPhones, new patents, and even more iBeacons everywhere. Check out our round up below of all the best Apple news you may have missed this past week. iOS 7.1 beta 2 adds Button Shapes, improves usability at the cost of aesthetics; Do you like it? Apple seeded iOS 7.1 beta 2 to developers of its iOS developer program yesterday, with a number of changes, one of which was an option to enable “Button Shapes” that adds a border around text-only buttons. New ‘Car Display’ toggle suggests ‘iOS in the Car’ feature may be launched with iOS 7.1 At WWDC 2013, Apple unveiled the iOS in the Car feature in iOS 7, which will allow you to mirror your iOS device to your car’s built-in display. iOS in the Car feature takes integration to a whole other level by letting you access your Maps, messages, and other services without having to take your eyes off the wheel. Apple may launch iWatch with wireless charging capabilities in October 2014 According to Chinese website C Technology, Apple may launch its rumored smartwatch, dubbed iWatch alongside the next generation iPhone in October 2014. The report claims that Apple is currently testing two iWatch prototypes, but hasn’t decided on the screen size of the device yet. IFTTT for iOS now allows you to use location as a trigger IFTTT rolled out an update to its iOS app today that adds a handful of new features, including the ability to use location as a trigger in your recipes. This update brings IFTTT to version 1.3. Apple plans to use Geofencing to unlock and control vehicle functions A new Apple patent filing reveals Apple’s future ambitions for its iBeacon microlocation technology. The patent, titled “Accessory control with geo-fencing”, details a system that pairs a vehicle accessory with an iOS device, and sets up a geofence around it to unlock or control vehicle functions. Apple says it hasn’t found any evidence to link Pegatron underage worker’s death to working conditions As we reported yesterday, Chinese manufacturer Pegatron has been under fire after five unexplained worker deaths, including one involving an underage employee. Apple has now issued a statement stating that it sent independent medical experts to investigate the issue, and they haven’t found any evidence to link the fatalities to working conditions. Walmart to sell the iPhone 5s for $127 and the 5c for $27 starting December 13 Walmart is preparing to slash the price on the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s for a special holiday sale that’ll kick off this Friday and last until Christmas Eve (December 24). Apple TV updated with Watch ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle and KORTV channels Apple has added four more channels to its Apple TV set-top box today. Apple has added Watch ABC, which allows subscribers to certain cable services to watch content from their local ABC affiliate through Apple TV. Apple granted patent for 3D goggles The USPTO today granted Apple a patent that describes a head-mounted display that lets users watch videos and other forms of personal media while on the go. Amazon brings its Cloud Drive Photos app to the iPad in version 2.0 Amazon brought its Cloud Drive Photos app to the iPhone earlier this year. A major update to the app landed on Monday, adding iPad support to the photo viewing app. Apple brings its 12 Days of Gifts promotion to the US for the first time Every year for the past few years, Apple has launched a holiday promotion for customers in the UK and other select European countries. The 2013 campaign kicked off today with the release of the 12 Days of Gifts app from Apple. For the first time ever, Apple is bringing the giveaway program to the US. Apple could have nearly 250 million “potential” iBeacon units by 2014 Apple recently rolled out iBeacon technology in its retail stores in several US cities, which, in conjunction with the Apple Store app, lets customers get location-based alerts about workshops, genius appointments, product deals etc. Continue reading →

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