To improve the iPad further, Apple is considering adding various new features to future versions of the Smart Cover, a protective accessory specifically developed for the iPad.

According to a new patent discovered by AppleInsider, the application is titled “Device Input Modes With Corresponding User Interfaces.” The patent application describes various new features that would be available to iPad Smart Cover users, which could let users further customize their tablet experiences without needing special physical buttons on the tablet to do so.

The patent describes ways for the tablet to recognize various gestures, and provide contextual menus depending on how many sections of the Smart Cover actually cover the screen.

In one instance, users could partially open the Smart Cover to quickly access toggles or menus for various settings that could then be changed without unlocking the device.

Gestures such as swiping laterally or vertically on a partially uncovered part of the display could also be recognized by the iPad as a way to adjust brightness or change the volume.

In addition to quick access to certain settings and notifications, opening more than one section of the iPad could let users access specific apps, such as email clients, and expand email notifications to fill the available uncovered screen real estate. Again, unlocking the iPad would not be required.

Playing a video on the iPad, and then covering part of the display with a Smart Cover, might automatically adjust the size of the app to fit the uncovered portion of the display.

To implement smarter Smart Cover features like these, Apple might make use of additional magnetic sensors, ambient light sensors and even the built-in iSight camera on its tablets.

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Number about Apple Watch batteries just got leaked to the public and they may disappoint many Apple product users.

According to 9To5Mac, Apple Watch will be able to support between 2.5 hours of heavy use, 3.5 hours of standard app use, and between two and three days of standby or low-power use.

The first hard numbers surrounding Apple Watch’s battery life leaked was consistent with the only information available before from a statement by Apple chief Tim Cook that Watch users would need to charge the device every day.

Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac cited “people with knowledge of the Apple Watch’s development” for information on the specific performance targets Apple wants to hit for the Apple Watch battery. The actual numbers may fall short of those targets, he added.

For now, it means that those playing games requiring "heavy" processing power are expected to have 2.5 hours while other apps will limit battery life to around 3.5 hours. Fitness tracking mode could last up to four hours.

Apple Watch will be able to display its digitally animated ticking clock face for approximately three hours.

The website’s sources report Apple Watch will be powered by an S1 chip similar to that found in existing iPod Touches, and supports a 60 frames-per-second Retina display — one of the chief reasons for the power drain.

Sources told 9To5Mac that along with perfecting Apple Watch’s MagSafe inductive charging system, battery life has been a chief concern at the company, and part of the reason its launch date was pushed into 2015.

According to the report, Apple Watch is currently on track to begin shipping by late March.

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If you feel that you really have it in you to change the world by creating cutting-edge and highly-scalable production that will earn you millions of dollars, then you better not keep your hopes up yet.

Starting up a business is not easy matter. It is not a walk in the park. The media might have glamorously reported the beginnings of successful start-up companies too obsessively, but they left one thing out: some of those ventures fizzled after a few months.

From Silicon Valley, China and parts of Southeast Asia, many of the start-ups five or six years ago are not around anymore today. There may be a few who are still attracting investors, but a closer look at the financial details will show that the returns are slightly skewed towards a tiny, select group who would go on to become multi-millionaires or billionaires, while majority are left to fight for the crumbs. A consolation prize isn’t much consolation at all.

Suddenly, becoming a lifestyle entrepreneur or – gasp – an employee in a large corporation doesn’t sound like a cop-out. Even the smartest people can fail. These are sane routes for most of us, more so if you have mouths to feed and aging parents to care for.

Meanwhile, some Asian countries have done their homework and revived their Early Stage Venture Fund (ESVF) policies which co-funds growth stage start-ups alongside venture capital firms. That’s as good an endorsement as any.

For aspiring founders, here are the implications of that endorsement:

• Starting a high-growth internet company has become easier, but not by much. Some of the shady investors fleecing your predecessors have been rooted out, and if new ones come in, you can easily get feedback on who’s legit. The start-up talent pool has also grown. Yet you are still more likely to fail than succeed. More than half that will exit the US market – with mature start-up ecosystem –will more likely end up losing money for angel investors.
• Failure has become more palatable. Gone are the tales of entrepreneurs going into financial ruin after their start-up crumbles. If you raise seed money, you’ll still make sacrifices, but at least you’ll get a wage. And if it’s time to quit, your investors will work with you to sell your start-up to someone else for a soft landing, which means you might end up in a cushy job in a large corporation anyway.
• You can be part of the tech ecosystem without being a start-up founder. Why rush to play the fundraising game? You could work as an engineer, bizdev person, or marketer in a start-up and learn the ropes before doing your own thing. Heck, why be in a start-up at all? Join a law firm, software development agency, or become a venture capitalist, tech reporter, or a person with a faux-cool job title. If you crave independence but some semblance of stability, start a service company catering to the start-up ecosystem.

Just remember: if you want to make boatloads of money, trying to create a true game-changer won’t be the most likely way to succeed. While the scenery has become less gloomy, it’s still true that if you want to do a startup, your reason for doing it should be to create new value and navigate uncharted markets.

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When Apple Inc. launched the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in September last year, everyone expects both devices to sell like hot cakes all over the world. Despite this, enthusiasts are already looking forward to Apple’s next big smartphone.

After the iPhone 6, the U.S. tech giant is likely to launch iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. But the S variants have traditionally been small upgrades rather than major overhauls.

Other sources say that Apple is planning to halve its smartphone upgrade cycle. If this is true, it means the iPhone 6S could be launched alongside Apple Watch in the first half of 2015, while the iPhone 7 could arrive sometime in September or October.

Amid growing expectations for the iPhone 7, Apple users are asking for the following upgrades:

1. Wireless Charging
   Apple already owns patents for wireless charging technology, but it is yet to be introduced in the iPhones. An iPhone 7 with wireless charging would be great, especially when the same charger works for the forthcoming Apple Watch.
2. Built-in IR
   Samsung ’s flagship Galaxy series smartphones come with built-in infrared technology that turns the device into a universal remote. Maybe, Apple too will incorporate IR into iOS devices when it launches the Apple TV.
3. Waterproofing
   A lot of people accidentally drop their iPhones int toilet (or other water bodies). The phones get damaged. Flagship smartphones from both Sony and Samsung are water-resistant. The Galaxy S5 can withstand up to 30 minutes in one meter deep water. Adding the waterproof technology to the iPhone 7 should not be a big challenge for Apple as the iPhones have no removable back panel.
4. No 16GB Version
   Apple strategically ditched the 32GB version with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to drive sales of 64GB and 128GB models, which have a relatively higher profit margin. 16GB is too little for most users. That’s why the iOS 8 adoption was stalled as the operating system required 5.7GB of free space.
5. More RAM
   A new report from Taiwanese website TechNews suggests that the next iPhone will have 2GB LPDD4 RAM. Notably, the LPDD4 has two times as much bandwidth as the LPDDR3. That means, with 2GB LPDDR4 RAM, the next iPhone will be four times faster than its predecessor, which features 1GB LPDDR3 RAM.
6. iPhone 7 with Shatterproof Sapphire Display
   Apple was expected to introduce scratch-proof sapphire display with the iPhone 6, but its partner GT Advanced Technologies failed to produce enough high-quality sapphire. Foxconn, Apple’s biggest supplier, is reportedly building a US$ 2.6 billion sapphire manufacturing plant in Taiwan exclusively for Apple.
7. Better Battery Life
   Of course, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus offer pretty good battery life, and there are some cases that can charge your iPhone on the go. The iPhone 6 Plus packs more battery than its smaller sibling because it has more room. More RAM, higher pixel densities in the iPhone 7 could negatively affect its battery life. So, the company needs to pack it with an astonishing battery life.

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Aside from the hints provided by their employees, one of the biggest sources of reliable information regarding what tech giant Apple is up to could be the national patent office. Although there are some patents that are considered ridiculous to merit an approval, Apple has proven before that they are serious in pursuing unorthodox ideas.

No wonder not a few raised their eyebrows and scratched their heads when Apple was granted a patent on 20 January 2015 for an eye-tracking technology that could end up being used in future iOS devices, Mac computers, or even the Apple TV.

The patent, first discovered by Apple Insider, details a graphical user interface that actively tracks where the user is looking which allows them to control an onscreen input or mouse cursor with just their gaze.

The patent's main focus, however, is on preventing a common eye-tracking issue called the Troxler Effect, a phenomenon which can cause onscreen objects that are stationary to look like they're disappearing.

To combat this potential issue, Apple's newest patent details multiple ways to detect eye movements, blinking, and physical distance from a display. All of these methods can work together to help the graphical user interface respond in a way that prevent important details onscreen from fading away.

In the patent, Apple mentions the possibility of the eye-tracking technology being used in both iOS devices and Mac computers, but it's also not hard to imagine this cropping up in future Apple TVs. Then again, Apple and other tech companies own plenty of patents describing technologies that never end up in consumer devices, so don't expect an eye-tracking iPhone just yet.

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"It’s a bird ... it’s a plane ... it’s a spaceship?"

Apple Inc. may be famous for its aesthetically-attractive gadgets, but it may also be known for its latest project, a spaceship-style campus.

The company may be too pre-occupied with the preparations for the launching of iPhone 6, which was scheduled on 9 September, to entertain any questions about it eye-catching infrastructure, but this hasn’t stopped some curious folks from peeking around over at the construction site.

YouTuber jmcminn has captured video on a GoPro Hero 3+ using a Phantom 2 drone, and the end result shows us the foundation of this building for the first time. Earlier shots of the construction site were pretty much just pictures of crop circles in the dirt.

This video not only takes a look at the circular building structure, but shows just how big the campus is in relation to the neighboring buildings. And based on comparison, the Apple campus is one huge and impressive undertaking.

Apple has been planning this new campus for a long time, with the city of Cupertino giving the company permission to get started back in 2012. However, not much was heard after that because public attention was focused more on its product.

Of course, compared to the mockups leaked last November 2013, the video can be a bit of a let down for those who expect a Star Wars-like structure from the producer of light saber phones.

You may wonder when it will fly, but here's an artist's rendition of how it will look like when it is finished:

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