Knock Off iPhone Charger Sends User To The Hospital ** Warning Graphic Images**

Minnesota - A Minnesota man's phone charger lands him a weeklong stay at the hospital. 
Tim Tyrell needed a new charger for his iPhone so he turned to eBay.
The popular retail site sells knockoff chargers for a fraction of the cost of an apple original.
Tyrell was reaching for his charging phone when a jolt tripped the circuit breaker, destroying the charger and exploding in his hands.
Tyrell recalls, "basically the charger turned black and it's where the USB cord connects to the outlet had a little mini explosion.  It kind of bruised the fingers inside where I plugged it in."
So far Tyrell has undergone three surgeries and has been in the hospital for more than a week.
To complicate things even further, he's a diabetic which slowed his recovery. 
Tyrell advice is to "just be careful.  I mean obviously I've been in here for a week and probably have to gone in for my fourth operation tomorrow. Just be careful."
Apple warns customers of the potential dangers that can arise from using counterfeit chargers and accessories.

Read more: http://www.myfoxtampabay.com
 

Leaked iPhone 6 Air Photos Appear To Show New Design In All Its Thin, Rounded Glory

You might not want to sleep through September this year. Rumor has it that's when the new iPhone 6 is set for release.
And, if the leaked images featured on French site Nowwhereelse.fr are to be believed, the gadget rumored to be called the iPhone Air is gonna be a real beaut. Take a look:

The photos show a thinner, rounder design that's almost reminiscent of the HTC One. Perhaps most notably, the phone's screen finally reaches the edges of its body. The pictures match up pretty well with a leaked image found on Mac Rumors, but considering the phone hasn't even been announced yet, our advice is to take all of this with a grain of salt.
It's hard to say what other changes will come with this latest model, or if these images are accurate, but another recent concept design from Sam Beckett, a British designer with an eerily good track record of predicting what the next iPhone will look like, also forecasts a thinner iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch screen. (That's slightly larger than the 4-inch screen of previous models.)
However, this is seemingly contradictory to recent rumors from Business Insider and Barron's, which both reported talk of not one, but two new iPhones, one with a 4.7-inch screen and one with a 5.5-inch screen.
The only thing that's certain, Apple fans, is that rumors abound in the Land of the iPhones. Keep your eyes peeled for more information as the release date looms closer.

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New mystery and controversy surrounds the iPhone 6

New mystery and controversy surround the iPhone 6

Evidence continues to mount that Apple’s next-generation iPhone 6 will include at least a few big “firsts.” It will supposedly be the first new iPhone to include a larger display that actually benefits users (as we noted when reviewing the iPhone 5, the handset’s taller 4-inch screen didn’t really offer much of an advantage to users over the iPhone 4′s 3.5-inch panel). It will also likely be the first device to feature Apple’s new A8 processor as well as several other new key components. Beyond that, it seems more and more likely that the iPhone 6 will be the first mass-market cell phone to feature a sapphire crystal display cover — but where is all that sapphire going to come from?

Apple’s move to a sapphire front panel isn’t confirmed by any means, but it certainly looks like that will be the case. Beyond Apple’s investment in sapphire maker GT Advanced, an executive from Gorilla Glass maker Corning basically had a fit trying to convince the world that sapphire is a horrible material to cover a smartphone screen. He definitely sounded like an exec who just lost a good amount of business.

We also recently saw a report suggesting that Apple has everything it needs to make more than 100 million sapphire iPhone screen covers. That seems like more than enough to take care of the iPhone 6 during its launch quarter — the company’s current quarterly iPhone sales record sits at 51 million — but a new report suggests Apple’s big GT Advanced bet doesn’t quite have the legs some industry watchers thought it would.

“US-based GT Advanced Technologies (GTAT) is setting up a factory in Arizona for exclusive supply of sapphire to Apple, with the factory to be able to meet only 9.0-16.6% of demand for sapphire used in screen covers of a new-generation iPhone in 2014,” Digitimes Research analyst Jessie Lin wrote in a report on Friday. “The estimation is based on GTAT’s forecast sales of US$188-348 million from sapphire material (not including sapphire crystal growing equipment and technology).”

The research notes that average production cost of a 4-inch sapphire wafer is $30, and the group used a 5-inch wafer size when calculating its estimates. The iPhone 6 is rumored to have a 4.7-inch display and will therefore need a sapphire panel larger than 4.7 inches to cover its face.

The group estimates that Apple will ship 70 million next-generation iPhone 6 handsets this year, so it says GT Advanced’s sapphire yield will cover 16.6% of them at most.

Of note, 9to5Mac thinks that Digitimes Research’s estimates are way off, and the cost of producing each sapphire wafer for the iPhone 6 actually sits at about $6.40.

More from BGR: 5 fantastic new iOS 7.1 features you have to try out right now

This article was originally published on BGR.com

iPhone's iOS 7.1 Has a Gesture Control Feature

By Zach Epstein, BGR

Apple released iOS 7.1 to the public on Monday afternoon, and it came right on time, as per BGR’s exclusive report from back in December of last year. The new software update brings with it a wide range of visual changes, bug fixes and feature additions, such as support for Apple’s CarPlay and new Siri capabilities. There is plenty of great new functionality to look through, and we posted a video walk-through that highlights almost all of it. There is one iOS 7.1 feature in particular, though, that isn’t exactly new but you still really have to check out.

As noted by The Loop, iOS now includes a feature that allows you to control the iPhone with head-based motion gestures. In other words, the front-facing camera will monitor your face, and simply shaking your head in a certain direction will trigger an action.

This feature has been present in iOS since the release of iOS 7, but it hasn’t been widely publicized. Like The Loop’s Dave Mark, we weren’t aware of it until now.

Here’s how to enable it:

Open Settings and go to General → Accessibility → Switch Control.

Tap Switches to add a new switch. Use a source of Camera, then Left Head Movement and a System setting of Siri. In other words, you want the camera to watch you, and when you shake your head to the left, you want the system to bring up Siri.

Now tap back and tap Switch Control to On.

You should see some blue rectangles scanning each item on the screen. Shake your head to the left. Siri should come up.

The feature takes a bit of getting used to, but beyond the obvious benefits such a feature provides for people with certain disabilities, head gesture controls can add a range of new possibilities for everyone.

More from BGR: Awesome video walkthrough shows you everything new in iOS 7.1

This article was originally published on BGR.com

‘iPhone Air’ Concept Imagines What Apple’s Next Phone Might Look Like

(Image: YouTube/Sam Beckett)

There is nothing new to report on the much anticipated follow-up to Apple’s iPhone 5s. That doesn’t mean, however, that fans can’t dream of what to expect. And they often do.

The newest imagined design of what Apple may have in store for us, unlike some other concepts, seems fairly smart and grounded. It’s called the iPhone Air, and the mock-up was produced by Sam Beckett.

Beckett’s design is not a huge departure from the iPhone 5 and 5s, with a similar look from the sides, front and back. But, according to the accompanying specs, his iPhone Air concept is both thinner (by 0.6 mm), and sports a larger 4.7-inch screen, while increasing the phone’s overall size by only 8 percent. (The iPhone 5s has a 4.0-inch screen.)

Beckett also conjectures, based on months of rumors, that it’s reasonable to expect a strong sapphire display in lieu of the Gorilla Glass that the company usually builds with. Sapphire is also the material that Apple uses in its Touch ID home buttons for the iPhone 5s.

(Image: YouTube/Sam Beckett)

The iPhone Air name, the designer thinks, could be a way for Apple to further distinguish its rollout of both a premium and economy line of iPhones — with the iPhone Air being the new moniker for the high-end line.

Analysts expect the next iPhone to launch this fall.

Beckett’s video showcasing the iPhone Air design (below) sure makes the whole concept look slick. But, remember, no matter how much we like it, ’tis only but a dream. For now.

iPhone 6 Will Resemble iPod Nano, iTunes Radio Beats Spotify, Secret Loyalty Program Expands

iTunes Radio Has 8% of US Streaming-Music Market, Ahead of Spotify After Only Six Months

According to Edison Research, Pandora (NYSE:P) still leads the streaming-music market with a commanding 31% market share, but Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iTunes Radio has made great gains since its debut last September, taking 8% market share. That is right behind the second-place streaming-music provider iHeart Radio, which holds 9% of the market. This leaves Spotify, with 6%, in fourth place, and rounding out the top-five is Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) Play All Access, with 3%.

Analyst Upgrades Apple, Claiming iPhone 6 Will Be a Huge Boon to the Company

This morning, Andy Hargreaves, an analyst at Pacific Crest, upgraded Apple from "outperform" to "sector perform," giving the stock a $635 price target (as of this writing, the stock traded at $537.50 per share). Why did he upgrade Apple, when so few analysts are doing the same? Hargreaves believes that the company is going to release a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in the fall, and that it's going to be a big hit for the company.

Hargreaves says that Apple will charge $299 for the phone (with a contract), which is $100 above the price of the current flagship iPhone, the 5S. He thinks the big screen will attract a lot of customers ready to upgrade, and that Apple will see a subsequent boost in both sales and earnings.
Additionally, the Pacific Crest analyst does not think that Apple will introduce two phones again like it did last year. This means that Apple wouldn't debut a bigger, 5.5-inch phablet like some rumors have suggested.

The iPhone 6 May Resemble an iPod Nano Mixed With a 5C

This morning, the Japanese blog Macotakara published a report detailing Apple's plans for the new iPhones to come out later this year. That's right, plural. Unlike Andy Hargreaves, Macotakara writer Danbo predicts that Apple will launch a 4.7-inch iPhone as well as a 5.7-inch model., citing "sources that can be trusted."

Danbo expects these new iPhones to be high-end models of the current 5C, though they will likely be made with anodized aluminum like the iPod Nano, not plastic like the 5C. Sources said that the new models are, at least in design, a cross between the the iPhone 5c and the seventh-generation iPod Nano, which is pictured below.



Sources told Macotakara that the new phones will not be replacements for the 5C, but rather high-end models. So, iPhone 5 is to iPhone 5S as iPhone 5C is to iPhone 6, at least according to "sources that can be trusted."

Apple's Secret Loyalty Program Is Expanding

If you've ever spent over $5,000 on Apple products in one year, you know that the company has a secret loyalty program that gives discounts to big-time Apple buyers. The program works with a tier structure: Red Tier is for customers who spend over $5,000; Green Tier is for those who spend over $35,000; Blue Tier is for those who spend over $200,000. According to TechCrunch, loyal customers in every one of those tiers will now see even greater discounts thanks to an expansion of the program.

For example, on Mac computers, the Red Tier discount has reportedly increased from 5% to 6%, and is now 8% for Blue Tier customers. Additionally, unlocked iPhones and Apple TV have been reportedly added to the list of discounted items.

Consumers are, of course, unlikely to see these discounts: They are mostly targeted at institutional buyers, such as companies and schools.

Read more: http://www.minyanville.com/sectors/technology/articles/iPhone-6-Will-Resemble-iPod-Nano/3/11/2014/id/54117#ixzz2vmczZkkD

Early iOS 8 details emerge – big improvements coming

iOS 7.1 almost fixed one of the most infuriating things about the iPhone

Apple just released iOS 7.1 to the public on Monday but now it’s time to move on. We first saw details surrounding Apple’s upcoming iOS 8 update begin to trickle out last month, including the uncovering of a new Healthbook app that will see Apple’s mobile platform join the recent rush of fitness-related apps and features that are pouring into smartphones. Now, 9to5Mac is back with a report covering more new features set to arrive in Apple’s iOS 8 update later this year.

9to5Mac has a nearly flawless track record when it comes to reporting on Apple’s unannounced plans, and the blog on Tuesday revealed a number of new features and updates set to debut in iOS 8. According to the report, Apple’s new mobile software will focus heavily on improving the iOS Maps experience.

While Apple’s Maps app hasn’t been covered as widely recently, it still lags Google Maps in terms of accuracy and reliability. Readers might recall that Apple was widely criticized following the release of its mapping solution, which was riddled with bugs and nearly killed some people at one point.

9to5Mac reports that Apple’s updated mapping app in iOS 8 will feature better data and enhanced transit guidance courtesy of recent Apple acquisitions such as BroadMap, Embark and HopStop. Then, moving forward to iOS 9 and beyond, the report claims Apple is also working on adding some augmented reality features and indoor mapping.

Unless Apple decides to really change things up this year, we can expect the company to debut iOS 8 during its annual WWDC conference this summer. The first iOS 8 beta will likely be released to developers at that time, and then iOS 8 will probably be released to the public sometime in the fall alongside the launch of the new iPhone 6 and its iPhone phablet counterpart.

More from BGR: Awesome video walkthrough shows you everything new in iOS 7.1

This article was originally published on BGR.com