Ed Sutherland

Apple gains approval to sell iPhone 5s/5c in Brazil

Apple has gained approval to sell its iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in Brazil. That country's National Telecommunications Agency granted the tech giant the right to use the 4G-ready 2600 Mhz band, an upgrade from the previous 700 Mhz.

The new handsets are being produced at Foxconn's Brazil factories. The government's approval follows Apple winning the right to use the iPhone trademark. The only question remaining: when will the new smartphones appear on shelves in Brazil...

Apple seeks expert in China Mobile’s TD-LTE ahead of iPhone deal

Apple is a bit like a black hole: only by detecting its effect on nearby objects can observers discern its real intention. The latest clue to Apple's China card is a job posting seeking a networking expert in a technology only used by China Mobile. The engineer would be based in Beijing, supporting China Mobile's 3G technology TD-SCDMA, as well as TD-LTE, which the world's largest carrier is testing.

This latest report comes as the iPhone maker supposedly nears a deal with the carrier, which counts 63 percent of China's 1.2 billion wireless consumers among its subscribers. Still, Apple refuses to comment...

iPhones and iPads remain the top pick among US teenagers

Despite Samsung's attempt to label the iPhone as past its prime, Apple remains the top pick among US teenagers. More than half of American teens own an iPhone with nearly three quarter of young people choosing an iPad when it comes to tablets.

When it comes to purchasing decisions, popularity of cheaper Android devices have barely moved the needle, if at all. The figures from Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster bode well for Apple and its continued growth among the key consumer demographic now driving technology purchases...

NTT DoCoMo hurt by iPhone wait, iPhone 5c too pricey for India’s prepaid market

Did Japan's largest carrier wait too long to offer the iPhone? That's the impression after NTT DoCoMo lost a record 66,800 net users in September, dropping its market share to 46 percent. By comparison, KDDI and SoftBank, which sold iPhones soon after its 2007 introduction, gained ground adding 270,700 and 237,700 users respectively.

DoCoMo blamed customer loss on inventory shortages and consumers who waited until Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c September 20 sale date. Hoping to regain some momentum, the nation's largest carrier announced opening online sales of the iPhone 5s to all customers. Meanwhile, in India things have gotten a little tricky for Apple's $100 cheaper colorful iPhone 5c...

Apple off the hook as SEC ends tax probe

After spending the summer in the hot seat over its tax strategy, Apple has received the all-clear sign from federal regulators. In a September letter, Securities and Exchange Commission investigators who'd been looking into Apple's finances gave the iPhone maker some good news, saying the agency plans to take no action at this time.

In May, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, telling members his company pays all taxes it owes. Like the subcommittee, the SEC apparently found no wrongdoing on Apple's part...

Apple could pocket $1 billion in iWatch profits during first year of availability

Despite there being no product nor confirmation from Apple that it will offer one, a high-profile Apple analyst is estimating the iPhone maker could sell between five and ten million iWatch units in the first year. According to Piper Jaffray Gene Munster's survey of 799 U.S. consumers, some twelve percent of U.S. iPhone owners said they might pay $350 on Apple's watch, if it materializes.

The survey follows Samsung's attempt to beat Apple to the smartphone punch, introducing its $299 Galaxy Gear in advertisements. For Apple, the iWatch lives only in patents filed and registered trademarks. Munster, of the 'Apple TV is just around the corner' fame, follows another analyst who believes the iWatch could be an even bigger hit...

Apple plans 100 stand-alone stores in India, including store-in-store locations in small cities

Apple has told India's top retailers it plans to open 100 locations in India during this fiscal year. The meeting Monday was held by Apple's top India executives who have tripled the iPhone maker's team targeting the burgeoning smartphone market.

The plans outlined include entering the top 50 markets in India, selling phones, tablets and other branded gear. The report, from the Economic Times, follows a news earlier this year that Apple wants to increase three-fold its number of India franchise stores to 200, up from 65...

iPhone 5s is top-seller in the US with iPhone 5c close behind

Apple's new iPhone 5s became the top-selling smartphone in the US during September. New numbers show the 5s and 5c were among the top three smartphones sold by all four major domestic carriers.

Helped along by record sales, the iPhone 5s also replaced Samsung's Galaxy S4 as the best-selling smartphone among AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile, according to Canaccord Genuity Friday...

Meet voice actress Susan Bennett, the original voice of Siri

The mystique of Siri, Apple's "personal assistant" for iOS, has been the mysterious female voice. Able to speak directions to your favorite pizza parlor as well as carry on witty banter with celebrities, finding the voice behind your iPhone has become the holy grail for love-struck geeks everywhere. Now comes a middle-aged Atlanta mom who claims she's the original voice behind Siri, providing a peak behind the world of talking machines.

Susan Bennett, a mom from Sandy Springs, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta, never wanted the spotlight. Her voice has been used to give life to machines ranging from the an ATM to a voice announcing directions inside the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International airport. Now she is speaking out about her role as the most famous unknown voice heard by millions of people...

Apple’s iSpaceship campus clears another Cupertino hurdle toward 2016 landing

Apple's over-budget and behind-schedule proposed 'spaceship' campus took another step closer to reality Wednesday night. The plan first outlined in 2011 by Steve Jobs cleared the planning commission of Cupertino, Calif., Apple's homebase.

If no more hitches appear, the new Apple headquarters will go to city council later this month with final thumbs-up or thumbs-down in November...

Apple’s ever-growing cash horde pegged at one-tenth of all US corporate dollars

Some people collects rocks, other people collect stamps. Apple, however, likes cash. Turns out the iPhone maker, all by itself, controls ten percent of all corporate cash in the United States.

Just how much is that? New data shows Apple's bank account of $147 billion represents ten percent of the $1.48 trillion held by non-banking U.S. companies.

Here's another factoid to make you even more uneasy about that measly savings account of yours: all together, Microsoft, Google, Cisco and Pfizer - not exactly nickel and dime operations - account for another fifteen percent of all U.S. corporate cash...