The $15 Million iPhone | IamJuanC

As if the iPhone wasn't already costly enough, an anonymous Hong Kong business commissioned exclusive and elite gadget company Stuart Hughes of Liverpool to create an iPhone valued at approximately $15 million USD. How did they manage to make it worth that much? First of all they embedded 600 flawless white diamonds inside a solid gold dressing (the Apple logo itself is made up from 53 diamonds), and then they topped it off with a home button made from a rare 26 carat black diamond which, by itself, is worth $14.5 million USD.

Is This How The iPad Mini 2 Will Look? | IamJuanC

Dutch website MobiLeaks have unveiled a render create to show what the Apple iPad Mini 2 will look like based on some leaked specifications. According to the anonymous source, the new version of the popular tablet device will have a similar screen size to the first version - 7.9 inches - but it will be a hi-res Retina display at 2048 x 1536 pixels (324ppi). It's also claimed the iPad Mini 2 will have an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 2-megapixel on the front and will be 0.3mm thicker than the current option. It's unlikely Apple will reveal the new tablet at WWDC in June, so we will have to wait until later in the year to find out if the rumours are true.

Yahoo Acquire Tumblr for $1.1 Billion | IamJuanC

Well, it's official (almost). Yahoo are about to acquire social blogging site Tumblr for an approved $1.1 billion USD cash deal. The news is expected to be officially announced tomorrow during the NYC media event and will be CEO Marissa Mayer's largest deal since taking the helm of Yahoo in July 2012. The founder of Tumblr - 26-year-old New Yorker David Karp - is expected to stay in his current role as chief executive.
Since they were founded in 2007 Tumblr have grown significantly and now boast over 700 million visitors each month. However, despite this huge audience they have struggled to make money, resisting traditional advertising methods in favour of other techniques which made just $13 million USD in 2012. In fact, staff at Tumblr were apparently told the company only had enough cash to last a few more months in business, but not to worry as they were soon going to be bought out.

Will Sky City in China Become the World’s Tallest Building? | IamJuanC

Though originally reported as being possibly completed over a course of just 90 days, it seems as if Sky City will finally break ground next month. Plans for the world’s tallest building have been circulating for a while now, with developers at Broad Sustainable Building Co. previously quoting a seemingly impossible work schedule. Despite all this, when completed, the 220-story, 838-meter building will be the tallest feat of architecture standing, beating out the similarly dizzying Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Set for construction in Hunan’s capital city – Changsha – Sky City will also boast enough space for 31,000 people, a 1,000-person luxury hotel, and a school able to accommodate 4,600 children. While it’s hard to avoid the implications of such ‘super-buildings,’ the prospect of building such an edifice is impressive, to say the least. Enjoy a preview of Sky City above, and be sure to comment with thoughts below.

fragment design x Bamford Watch Department Rolex Daytona & Submariner

Known for its incredibly stylish takes on classic timepieces, Bamford Watch Department has aligned with the godfather of streetwear himself for collaborative editions of Rolex‘s Daytona and Submariner watches. Marking Hiroshi Fujiwara‘s second collaboration with BWD under his fragment design label, both watches feature a predominately black look thanks to Bamford’s signature Military Grade Titanium coating – thus lending the designs a sleek, timeless sheen. Whereas the Submariner sees the make-up combined with a blacked-out dial and subtle red accents throughout, the Daytona features a black main dial alongside white sub-dials as striking blue accents further highlight the piece. Both the Daytona and Submariner are limited to just 15 pieces with availability beginning this Friday, May 24 exclusively through inquiry via Bamford Watch Department’s website.

The Adastra Superyacht by John Shuttleworth

Five years since shipping industry billionaire Anto Marden commissioned the construction of the Adastra Superyacht, the modern marvel has recently taken the crown for “Most Innovative Design” at the 2013 World Superyacht Awards. Designer John Shuttleworth chose a trimaran shape in which the boat features multiple hulls with a main hull in the middle and two smaller outrigger hulls at its side. This one just so happens to be the second largest of its kind, but the only that can be controlled by an iPad miles away from the actual vessel. Measurements taken during sea trials show that its fuel consumption at 10.5 knots can respectfully reach as low as 17 liters per hour when carrying 10% fuel and water. Its slender hulls and streamlined exterior allow the Adastra to travel faster in the open ocean. At 17 knots the Adastra has a 4,000-mile range to comfortably cross both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at high speeds. Furthermore, the deck and superstructure is constructed from carbon fiber with Nomex honeycomb core, while the hull is a glass/Kevlar foam sandwich as the interior offers lightweight oak cabinetry and honeycomb panels. To further reduce weight Shuttleworth specifically incorporated carbon fiber hatches, toilets, port lights and ladders. If you happen to be traveling by sea in or around Indonesia anytime soon, you may spot the Adastra Superyacht as Marden will likely be traveling between the pair of islands he owns in the region.

BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe | IamJuanC

Long-known for gracefully combining luxury with performance, BMWs rarely disappoint, and the BMW Pinifarina Gran Lusso Coupe ($TBA) certainly doesn't. The Germans have joined forces with luxury Italian designers Pininfarina to make a one-off creation boasting exclusivity and roadworthiness. The exterior is distinctly BMW, with a set-back cockpit and stretched hood covering a massive V-12 (and of course the signature kidney-shaped grill). But the interior screams Italian opulence — fine Italian leather upholstery, plaid Italian wool headliner, and accents made of kauri wood aged 48,000 years. Carmakers could learn a thing or two from this impressive partnership.

Balmain Riders Jacket | IamJuanC

Constructing another luxurious iteration to a classic silhouette, Paris fashion house Balmain has released a Riders Jacket with tones of self-assertion. Made with meticulous detail, wrinkled lamb leather panels the sturdy black body, while frontal horizontal zips dramatize the jacket with added elegance, acting as both functional and modish designs on the grainy backdrop. The leather wrist fasteners are fetching additions to the jacket, allowing wind and weather resistance. Stylish and practical, Balmain reiterates timeless staples with innate charisma. The Balmain Riders Jacket is now available at RESIR for ￥462,000 JPY (approximately $4,500 USD).