Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what's coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. As always, we've parsed the week's rumors, ranking them in order from "utterly ridiculous" to "duh, of course." First up…
ASK AGAIN LATER: Touch ID Could Pair iDevices in the Future
Instead of pairing two devices over Bluetooth, you could just use identical biometric information, according to a recently published Apple patent application. Right now, pairing a device over Bluetooth often involves entering a randomly generated passcode. With Apple's system, you could use biometric information -- like a fingerprint from Touch ID -- to do the same thing. Using a fingerprint could also grant a device a higher level of security access than a passcode would. I hope this means Apple is busy thinking of all the ways Touch ID could be opened up to developers.
ASK AGAIN LATER: 'Attack Detection Mode' Patent Would Help iPhone Users During Emergencies
An Apple patent application published this week called "Mobile emergency attack and failsafe detection" describes an emergency service request system that uses your iPhone's sensors to detect if you're in distress (for instance, if you are being mugged or you get in a car crash). The onboard system, once enabled, would automatically hail assistance from a user-entered database of emergency address book contacts as well as local emergency phone numbers. Knowing your GPS, the system would be able to first notify the people located closest to you. To counteract false positives, before contacting anyone, the device would go into a warning mode giving you a count down. If you interact with the device in that time, by touching the screen for example, it would know you're fine and don't need its automatic help. The idea sounds great to us, but right now, it's just an idea.
SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple to End 13-Inch Non-Retina MacBook Pro Production
According to Digitimes, Apple will quit making the non-Retina 13-inch MacBook Pro in the second half of this year and instead go with an all Retina lineup. The non-Retina Pro is currently Apple's only remaining laptop that has an optical drive. This move seemed like only a matter of time, with Apple introducing the new, thinner 15-inch Pro back in 2012, followed shortly thereafter by a 13-inch version. Apple updated both models in late 2013, but kept the 13-inch older Pro in the lineup as a cheaper option. Now that production has scaled up, Apple has been able to drop the pricing down on the Retina Pros, making it less necessary for that older model to stay in the lineup.
SIGNS POINT TO YES: Apple Pushing Music Labels for Exclusive iTunes Content
Apple’s iTunes director Robert Kondrk is reportedly aggressively pressing record labels to release exclusive content on iTunes. Beyonce did this with her recent self-titled album, launching it exclusively on iTunes its first week, and we think it's highly likely that Apple is talking to other music industry executives about deals like this. The company is apparently not so concerned about YouTube, mostly wanting artists and labels to delay launching their albums on other streaming services. In the deals, it's also reportedly wanting artists to wait a period before offering single tracks for sale, which is interesting because that's counter to the original iTunes a la carte model.
WITHOUT A DOUBT: Apple Building Support for 4K Displays
Code in the first beta of OS X Mavericks 10.9.3 includes better support for those using 4K monitors, allowing users to run OS X at twice the normal Retina resolution. This makes a 4K display look just as good as a Retina display, but of course, on a larger scale. Given that this is included in a developer build of the OS, the capabilities of the Mac Pro, and that Apple has touted the features of its software, like Final Cut Pro X on 4K displays, it seems like a very logical next step for the OS. I would expect it in the final build of OS X 10.9.3 whenever it releases.
