Color us shocked: AT&T has announced they'll start unlocking out of contract iPhones beginning Easter Sunday, which has long been a thorn in the side of international travelers everywhere. Coupled with the fact that Apple now sells contract-free, unlocked handsets on its own, the move may mark the end of an era for many jailbreakers whose interest was mostly using their handset overseas. And there's plenty more where that came from for this fabulous Friday, April 6, 2012. Happy Easter, everyone!
Wired Flies High Over Apple's North Carolina Data Center
Curious about where you iCloud data goes when it leaves your device or computer? Apparently the folks at Wired were as well, so they took to the air in search of some photos of "Area i51," better known as Apple's newest data center in Maiden, North Carolina. This isn't the first time we've seen aerial shots of the complex, but the photos taken in March reveal not only the entire 500,000 square foot facility as well as the 100 acre plot where Apple is building a solar power farm for generating 20 megawatts of power back to the data center. There's also a curious section cleared out next to the data center, which Wired notes is likely "a 4.8 megawatt biogas-powered power generator." It's all quite fascinating, although one day we hope to see a tour of the actual data center facility itself...
Rockstar Announces Max Payne Mobile for iOS, Android
Mobile gamers are about to get excited! The Verge is reporting that Rockstar will be releasing Max Payne Mobile for iOS on April 12, and will follow on Android on April 26. "The title, which includes all the shootdodging action of the 2001 release, also features renovated graphics and Social Club functionality," the report notes. "Players will be able to customize the touch controls as they see fit." The developer isn't saying how much the smartphone port of the original Max Payne will cost just yet, but their similar port of Grand Theft Auto 3 might give gamers a small clue.
Sad But True: Chinese Teen Sells Kidney to Buy iPhone, iPad
We all know the iPhone and iPad is lust worthy, and many of us joke that we'd give an arm and a leg to have one. But would you really? According to The New York Times, a Chinese teenager did something along the same lines, selling one of his kidneys so he could buy both an iPhone and an iPad. "Five people in southern China have been charged with intentional injury," reveals the Xinhua News Agency, which includes the surgeon who actually performed the procedure on the 17-year-old teen a year ago. The story gets more depressing from there: The teen from Anhui -- one of the country's poorest areas -- now suffers from renal deficiency, which hardly makes it worth the 22,000 yuan (just under $3,500 USD) he received. Before you start judging his parents, it turns out they had no knowledge of the procedure until the teen known only as Wang showed up with his shiny new toys and had to confess where he got the money to buy them.
Starting Sunday, Off-Contract AT&T iPhones Can Now Be Unlocked
AT&T is offering an early Easter treat for iPhone users on their network, with news that Apple's handsets can now be unlocked for use on GSM networks worldwide. According to Engadget, the policy change begins on Easter Sunday, April 8, but don't pick up that phone to call right away -- you'll have to qualify first. "Beginning Sunday, April 8, we will offer qualifying customers the ability to unlock their AT&T iPhones," the company's official statement explains. "The only requirements are that a customer's account must be in good standing, their device cannot be associated with a current and active term commitment on an AT&T customer account, and they need to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee." That means everyone who bought an iPhone 4S on contract is out of luck for now -- but those of you rocking iPhone 4 or earlier handsets should be good to go. Sounds like all of those emails to Apple CEO Tim Cook pleading for an unlock have finally paid off, eh…?
Rumor: Apple Launching New iMacs in June
Right on the heels of a recent report detailing Apple's plans for anti-glare displays with the next iMac comes word that Cupertino will release these new models in June. DigiTimes is reporting that Quanta Computer and Foxconn Technology will start assembling this year's iMacs, "which are set to launch in June with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge processors," according to Chinese-language Economic Daily News. "The new iMac is rumored to feature an anti-glare display with Intel's latest Ivy Bridge-based i5 and i7 processors, noted the paper adding that Apple is also set to launch MacBook Pro notebooks featuring Ivy Bridge processors at the end of the second quarter," the report reads. Wait -- did our iMac just give us the stink eye? We still love you, old friend… it's not like we want to buy a new model...
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(Image courtesy of Wired)
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