Rumors

Facebook's motto seems to be if you can't beat them, buy them, and that's exactly what Mark Zuckerberg tried to do with when his copycat app Poke could not recreate the success of Snapchat. According to reports, Facebook is trying once again to compete with the popular messaging app after failing to acquire the company for a rumored $3 billion.

Zuckerberg has been secretly overseeing the development of an app known as "Slingshot", which "allows users to send short video messages with just a couple of taps," according to The Financial Times. The new video messaging app features a "simple and speedy user interface" and could be launched this month if Facebook plans to proceed with the project.

Starting with the iPhone 4s, Apple's last few iPhone launches have occurred in the fall. The 4s had an October 2011 release date, the 5 was released on September 21, 2012, and the 5s and 5c were released on September 20, 2013. Judging by a report from iFun.de (via MacRumors), it appears that Apple will continue the tradition this year and launch the iPhone 6 in the latter half of September.

According to the report (the authors of which have "little reason to doubt the reliability of the source"), Apple will be restricting leave time for German Apple Store retail employees in September, which is what the company did last year, from September 15th to the 28th. The iPhone 5c, 5s and iOS 7 all launched during that window. The move will likely be expanded to include retail employees world-wide. Many analysts have already pointed to September as the likely launch time, but this

Several sources, including the Finacial Times and Bloomberg, have reported that Apple Inc. (AAPL) is in talks to purchase Beats Electronics LLC for $3.2 billion. If true, this would be the most money Apple has ever paid to acquire another company. But why is Apple considering paying so much for Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine’s music accessory company? While Apple hasn't officially announced its decision to buy Beats Electronics there are a few theories floating around as to why the iPhone-maker is making such a big move.

iTunes

Apple changed the music industry with the release of the iPod and iTunes, but services like Pandora and Spotify are causing an industry-wide drop in music downloads. According to various sources, Apple is reportedly looking to bolster its music-offerings by incorporating Shazam's song ID feature in iOS 8. The company's iTunes Radio has also also gotten off to a slow start, but adding Beats Music could help change all that.

Citing "reliable information" the Japanese blog Macotakara claims that the iPhone 6 will feature a curved display, rounder edges and a metal housing. This is not the first time we have heard whispers of a curved iPhone being developed by Apple. In November of last year, Bloomberg reported that the company is working on two next-generation models with larger curved displays.

Recent leaks to Chinese websites such as Weibo also seem to confirm the next-generation rumors. A purported image of a white iPhone 6 bezel revealed that a possible 4.7-inch diagonal handset is in the works, and leaked next-generation prototype cases show third-party accessory makers are also buying into the larger iPhone rumors.

A member of the Chinese forum WeiPhone has posted two purported images of an iPhone 6 digitizer. The pictures reveal that the next-generation Apple handset will feature a larger screen due to its lack of side bezels, however, it is unknown how the pictures were obtained and if the images are real.

As you can see above and below, the images seem to show how the iPhone 4s, iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 differ, but the cutout for the Home button on the purported iPhone 6 digitizer seems a little bit off. This could mean the images are fakes, or they were just taken of an early prototype for the next-generation iPhone.