News

Apple has added nine new automobile manufacturers to its CarPlay partners list. The new additions include Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Mazda and Ram. This brings Apple's total committed partners to 29. CarPlay will be available with Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo models sometime in 2014, before the rest of the manufacturers on the list catch up in 2015.

The service was introduced last year as "iOS in the Car" before being renamed and unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2014. Volvo demoed its CarPlay integration in the new XC90 SUV at the event.

Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) shares closed today at $92.93, up $0.95 from Friday's closing price of $91.98, but up just 24¢ from the post 7-to-1 stock split opening of $92.69. To be fair, it has only been three weeks since the split, and the hovering behavior hasn't deterred JP Morgan, who last week raised its target price from a rather low $89 to $108. Analyst Rod Hall believes the stock will reach this target by the end of 2015.

Bloomberg reported last week that production of Apple's largest iPhones to date will begin next month. The 4.7" and 5.5" iPhone 6 handsets are slated to begin production in China in July. The 4.7" model will be available sometime in the second half of September, while the launch date of the "phablet" size model is unclear,

Apple today has released iOS 7.1.2 as an over-the-air update for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. According to iOS developer iH8sn0w, the update does not patch the Pangu jailbreak, so it is safe to upgrade.

The update fixes a mail attachment security flaw, a bug causing issues with third-party accessories, and it improves iBeacon connectivity and stability. Users can download iOS 7.1.2 by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update, or by going to iTunes.

The team of developers behind the Pangu jailbreak have delivered on their promise to add Mac OS X support. Pangu v.1.1 was released on Sunday. The update brings an English UI for U.S. users, a fix for the boot loop bug that was plaguing some devices, and the removal of the “PP25″ installer for users who select the English option.

Chinese users will still have the option to install the third-party software which includes a pirate app store. U.S. users should avoid this option because it may contain apps and tweaks with malicious intent. Besides the dodgy app store, Pangu is safe to install on your device. Two well known U.S. jailbreakers, MuscleNerd and iH8sn0w, have confirmed that Pangu does not contain any additional threats. However, you should always back up your device before installing any jailbreak.

There were quite a few App Store and app-related stories this week, so let's jump right in! Apple added a Best New Game Updates section to the App Store. As the title suggests, the new category highlights some of the best apps that have recently been updated with new levels and so on. You can find it underneath the Best New Games section on the App Store.

Versus Evil announced this week that Stoic Studio's The Banner Saga is getting a mobile release this summer, and Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution 2 is hitting iOS devices on July 2nd.