Is Apple planning to add a camera to the next-gen iPod nano? According to the images shared by Apple.pro, they might be. According to the post, the photographed nano prototype features the same compact square case, but with a noticeable hole at the back that’s filled with a mobile camera’s bits and pieces.
Do you geek-out by engaging in small-talk with Siri? Do you enjoy watching geeks try to flirt with Siri? If you’re any one of the two, then you probably enjoyed last week’s episode of The Big Bang Theory, where half of the episode’s plot revolved around the new iPhone’s digital assistant feature (basically, Raj gets a new iPhone 4S and proceeds to get weird with Siri). We won’t spoil the plot for you in case you haven’t gotten around to watching it yet, but the highlight – at least for us – was when their colleague Barry Kripke called the voice recognition software “tewwible.” Apparently, it couldn’t understand him when he asked Siri to “wecommend a westauwant.” Two clips from the episode after the break.
A source from Apple assembler Foxconn in China has said that the next iPhone (likely the “iPhone 5”) is being prepped to go into production, which could mean that it’s due out by summer (if we follow the typical five-month lead time). But that’s not the most interesting part of it. The source also mentioned that they already have several non-final samples to work on, all of which feature slightly different designs, but with some common features that’s likely to make the final product.
Well, it’s not a student-friendly iPad that people were hoping for (even it did sound like an unlikely idea), but Apple did come out with a number of new applications during their education-themed event. Apple has just unveiled iBooks 2, an update of their reader app for iOS that adds emphasis to textbooks, with a new section on the iBookstore dedicated to them. The new textbooks can be enhanced with multimedia elements for intuitive learning, allowing for ebooks with embedded animations, photos, video clips and 3D elements that can be moved around with multi-touch support.
Apple has sent out invites for an “education announcement in the Big Apple” on January 19th at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Past the one liner, the invite didn’t reveal exactly what they were planning to announce, but there’s talk about it focusing on iBooks. Steve Jobs has always wanted to revolutionize textbooks, and this looks like it has something to do with his vision. It’s either that or they’re going to be announcing some kind of low-cost iPad for students to use. We’ll know for sure in a week.
