News

According to a report released by the NPD Group earlier today, Apple has sold more accessories during the two weeks following the iPhone 6 launch than in the same period after any other iPhone launch.

The Group's Weekly Tracking Service showed record breaking sales of $249 million, which amounts to a 43% increase over the two weeks prior to the launch. By comparison, the iPhone 5s and 5c launch generated $195 million in mobile phone accessory sales, about 17% greater than the two weeks leading up to their launch date.

In a note to Apple CEO Tim Cook today, billionaire investor Carl Icahn revealed that Icahn Enterprises believes Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock is currently trading at about half of what it is worth. In order to remedy this, the note basically urges Cook to convince the Board of Directors to buy back more stock at a faster pace.

According to the note (which is titled "Sale: Apple Shares at Half Price," and posted on Icahn's site, Shareholder's Square Table), Icahn Enterprises' projected growth for Apple in FY 2016 and FY 2017 "more than adequately justifies using a P/E multiple of 19x our FY 2015 forecast, which along with net cash values Apple at $203 per share

Ironhide Game Studio has released the first teaser trailer for Kingdom Rush Origins -- the prequel to Kingdom Rush and Kingdom Rush Frontiers. The video doesn't reveal anything about the gameplay of Origins, but it does promise it is "coming soon"!

Kingdom Rush is a popular franchise of tower defense games set in medieval times. The first title was released as a free flash game on July 28, 2011 before being ported to iOS and Android devices. The sequel, Kingdom Rush Frontiers, was released to iOS devices on June 6, 2013. Ironhide has released several free updates for both games, including a Halloween-themed level, before capping them off with an Endless Mode on July 31, 2014.

Apple today sent out invitations to select members of the press for an event being held at the company's Town Hall Auditorium in Cupertino, California on Thursday, October 16th at 10:00am Pacific / 1pm Eastern. The invitations read: “It’s been way too long".

Apple is expected to give OS X Yosemite one last preview before releasing it to the public and unveil its new iPad lineup at the October keynote. The new iPad lineup will most likely include a second-generation iPad Air and rumored 12.9-inch tablet dubbed the "iPad Pro" by the press. It is still unknown if Apple will announce a third-generation iPad mini, or discontinue the 7-inch tablet and replace it with its larger phablet-sized iPhone 6 Plus.

Square has added yet another way for users of their Cash app to make simple mobile payments. Version 2.1 of the app allows users to locate other users nearby and send them cash over Bluetooth. Here's how it works according to the press release: "With Cash for iOS 8, customers can now choose to make themselves visible to anyone in the same space as them, or just to friends. The app can detect other Cash customers within 250 feet of the sender or recipient - making payments quick and convenient. The app update for iOS 8 also includes the ability to swipe a push notification to approve and reject a payment request."

Cash is a free app for Apple devices which allows users to send or request money from anyone using an email, phone number or Bluetooth. The app can be used to split dinner bills, to remind your friend that he lost that $10 bet and so on. Money received through Cash is deposited directly to your bank account within 1-2 business days, depending on your bank.