According to a new report, published by Korea IT News, Apple has requested for silver nanowire material from its display suppliers like Samsung Display and LG Display among others. The new material being investigated for use in the larger iPad is expected to enable Apple to make a thinner display for its upcoming iPad and increase touch sensitivity.

As the name suggests, the material is created from a mesh of silver wires which dramatically increases conductivity and eliminates the need for additional sensors to make multi-touch technology work.

iPad Pro isn’t expected to be announced this year. The report suggests that the company is aiming for 2016 release date. The device is also expected to include NFC chip to bring Apple Pay support to the tablet.

Apple’s next gen products always tend to be thinner than previous. If we compare the original iPad with the iPad Air 2 it will be clear that for the tablet category weight and thickness are very important aspects. We can certainly expect Apple to adopt new display technology even if it saves the slightest bit of weight or thickness.

It is will be interesting to see if the iPad Pro actually ships with a stylus as the company has never officially appreciated the development surrounding the stylus accessory. The most recent exception to this public acknowledgement of the stylus adding value to the iPad is the latest ad campaign which shows an app from the App Store being used with a stylus.

Are you excited about iPad Pro? Do you think it will ship with a stylus? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

When rumours about Apple’s upcoming watch started hitting the web, it was revealed that the company had hired many notable people involved in improving or miniaturising medical sensors for wearable products. Apple Watch had long been rumoured to feature advanced sensors to measure blood pressure, activity level, heart beat and more.

During the product demo Apple showcased the capabilities of its watch and highlighted its use in health and fitness. The company talked about the devices’ ability to track activity, heart rate, remind you to stand up and even share your heart beat with your loved ones. Now, a new report published by WSJ reveals that Apple had initially  planned more health related features however, due to technical reasons the plans were dropped.

Apple began developing the watch about four years ago, with a focus on health and fitness. It’s not unusual for Apple to experiment with many technologies or shift focus during product development, but the watch was especially challenging, people familiar with the matter said. Internally, the project became known as a “black hole” sucking in resources, one of these people said.

The report suggests that Apple Watch was to feature sensors to measure conductivity of skin to detect stress levels and track blood pressure. However, the plans were dropped due to inconsistency in results and it varied depending on how hairy the persons’ arms were, how dry the skin was or how tight the watch was worn.

Apple Watch has been in development since over four years and its possible that company saw 2015 as the perfect opportunity to launch the product with limited set of health features and then follow-up with more elaborate set of features in the second-gen model.

Earlier today Apple sent out media invites for a special event scheduled for September 9th. The invite has Apple logo with the date 9.9.2014 and text that reads “Wish we could say more”. The event is most likely to announce the new iPhone 6.

Various news outlets had published the news about the rumoured event date and today Apple has finally confirmed the date. Unlike previous years this time Apple is hosting the event at Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino. Previously the company has hosted the September event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco or Apple’s Cupertino campus. It’s easy to speculate that this year Apple maybe looking at seating more people for the event as it prepares to announce new hardware models and new product categories.

According to the rumours and reports published by various sources Apple is widely expected to announce two new iPhones. The new iPhone will feature bigger screen size and have two variants. iPhone 6 could be available in 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screen size. If this turns out to be true then this would be the first time that the company introduces two new iPhones with different screen size.

iPhone 6 is also rumoured to feature new sensors, improved camera system and possibly also feature NFC.

Apple could also announce new product category by entering the wearables industry with an ‘iWatch’. Recent reports suggest that Apple could finally introduce a smart watch which will connect with the iPhone 6 and provide new ways to interact with our devices. The new wearable product could feature biometric sensors to monitor the user’s body and save vital stats on the iPhone.

Since, iPhone 6 and iWatch are expected to work together harmoniously it does make sense to introduce the new product category along with the smartphone.

With just 13 days left until the iPhone 6 keynote event kicks off, we can expect some new details emerge in the coming days. Apple will put all rumours at rest by unveiling new products on September 9th.

Are you excited about iPhone 6 keynote event? Let us know what are your expectations from the event in the comments below.

After a number of lawsuits in San Francisco regarding the iPhone’s liquid sensor in the charging and headphone port. Apple has reportedly agreed to pay out $53 million in the settlement, after the company has been accused of not honoring the device’s one year standard warranty on the grounds that the liquid sensor had been activated.

However, in these cases, the customers claimed that the liquid sensor was and can be activated by humidity in the air. A number of iPhone users use their devices in places high in humidity such as in the bathroom during showers or in the kitchen as timers. This can cause the iPhone’s liquid sensor in the charging port to turn pink or red, which indicates to Apple’s Genius staff that the device had contact with some type of liquid.

The liquid sensor consists of a white indicator tape, which according to the manufacturer, 3M, can be triggered by humidity in the air. A report from Wired noted 3M’s statement and wrote details on this issue. The iPhone has up to 4 sensors on the device, 2 that are visible externally and 2 internal. However, Apple has the right to turn away customers if any one of the sensors are pink or red. Many customers claim that this is an unfair rule and requires lots of out of pocket costs, even if it isn’t the consumer’s fault.

{Via iMore}

The iPad draws many of its features from the iPhone and iPod touch, and with its introduction in January of 2010, took on the iOS software, the capacitative touchscreen, and the famous 30 pin dock connector in portrait mode. Since then, the dock connector has been the focal point of numerous complaints, suggesting that the iPad is hard to use in landscape mode when the iPad is charging in portrait orientation. Rumors and even photos of iPad shells with dual dock connectors began to appear several months after the original iPad was introduced, and now there is tangible evidence to support that claim.

On Monday, a prototype of what appears to be a first generation iPad with dual dock connectors surfaced in an eBay listing. The iPad is a 16GB model with dock connectors in both landscape and portrait orientation, proving that Apple was indeed testing a number of iPad models with two dock connectors to make charging simpler when a user switches orientation.

The iPad being sold is close to being functional, aside from a number of minor issues such as the touch screen not being fully operational. Upon further inspection of all documentation for the iPad, it was confirmed that this could in fact, be a genuine Apple prototype. A number of pieces are labeled with Apple part numbers and as mentioned in the listing, comes with Apple’s Switchboard software.

Apple uses Switchboard to test all parts of the iPad, from checking the WiFi to ambient light sensors. As with many of Apple’s prototypes, the “iPad” name is not branded on the rear shell and is instead marked with an ID number and a series of X’s where the battery and FCC ratings would go. The eBay listing for the iPad started at $4,850 and was sold for $10,200. It is unclear exactly how the eBay seller acquired the prototype, or if Apple will attempt to confiscate the device, but it is up for sale and one person will own a prototype of a device that was assumed didn’t exist.

{via MacRumors}

Apple’s been at the patent pot again, this time showing plans for hardware devices including sensors throughout the device – presumably with the aim of removing the need for physical hardware buttons. Could we be saying goodbye to our beloved home buttons?

The theory is pretty simple. Place multiple sensors under a device’s touch screen, around its bezel or on the back of the device and the area can be used as a button. This opens all sorts of possibilities. Want to increase the volume on an iPhone? Swipe across the speaker. Want to go Home? Swipe backwards on the bottom of the device. Remember the Palm Pre? Yup, just like that.

The sensors could even be used to identify different users, depending on their hand image, common movements and whether they’re left or right handed. They could even remove the need for an orientation lock-switch, linking screen rotation to the way that the tablet or handset is being held.

If this all sounds familiar it’s because it is. Apple has been rumored to be working on this kind of tech for a good while now, and more recently even Sony has been said to want to do something very similar with the next version of its popular(ish) PSP gaming machine.

I can’t help but think this is one of those patents companies put out there just so nobody else can use it, but if I’m wrong, we’re in for some very interesting hardware from the guys in California.