We've seen a number of significant app updates over the past few days. There's Flickr, which received new photo filters, 1Password, which got a total makeover. And this morning, Google+ received a nice little touch up.
This afternoon, we're adding Dropbox to the list. The popular cloud-based storage service updated its iOS client today with 'a shiny new design,' and a new Photos tab, which puts all of your photos at your finger tips...
China's influence over Apple's financial health is growing. In fiscal 2011, the country accounted for sixteen percent of Apple's revenues. But is Apple's growth in China sustainable?
Friday, two analyst reduce forecasts amid what one described as a 'muted' response to today's iPhone 5 release in the world's largest market. As a result, Apple shares fell 3.9 percent to a ten-month low.
The decline also hurt a number of Apple's suppliers as the firm is thought to be cutting orders in order "to balance excess inventory". For example, Broadcom is down 3.13 percent and Qualcomm dropped 4.7 percent.
As a result, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek cut his iPhone shipment estimate for the first three months of 2013 to 48 million, down from 52 million. He also trimmed Apple's expected gross profit margin to 40 percent, down two percentage points...
Microsoft recently overhauled its Bing search engine around a new social bar to let desktop users "find people who are relevant to your search based on what they’ve shared, publically blogged or tweeted about".
Friday, the Bing team announced that the feature is now available on the iPad and iPad mini via browser support for iOS Safari. The new UI adapts to landscape or portrait orientation automatically, with the social bar on the right.
If you're a big Bing fan, this addition makes it easy to learn what your friends shared on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Klout related to what you’re searching for...
Just in time for my birthday, retailer Walmart is shaving $72 off the entry-level iPhone 5 with sixteen gigabytes of storage. Beginning December 17, you'll be able to purchase the device for just $127, that's $22 less than the lowest price we could find at RadioShack, Target and Best Buy, which all offer Apple's phone with a cool $50 discount (and some gift cards). Walmart is also offering the previous-generation iPhone 4S for just $47 and a fourth-generation iPad for $399, a $100 saving...
When I come to think of it, technology buyers often times are an unpredictable bunch. Seven out of each ten told iDB they would never buy a non-Retina iPad mini, lots of folks appeared disappointed post-announcement and more than half told us they would never buy and iPad mini. Heck, even kids haven’t fallen for Apple’s advertising blitz as they want full-size iPads for Christmas.
Fast forward to today, when NPD DisplaySearch estimates the iPad mini is now outselling its bigger brother as Apple doubles display panel orders with LG Display and AU Optronics to more than twelve million units, up from the previous estimate of six million holiday units...
With over a hundred million active users, Google+ is, as Eric Schmidt put it, "a viable competitor to Facebook" and its nearly one billion users. This morning, the search firm is issuing new iOS and Android builds that enable a bunch of holiday treats. On the iOS side, you can now swipe through photo albums inline or tap once to see the photos full screen. New conversation cards are also available for highlighting specific content, from longer snippets to bigger photos to comments that slide in beneath each post...
As we head into 2013, patents - along with the legal fight to enforce and protect them - is becoming a larger part of tech companies. Just ask Apple and Samsung. Where should we look for the next patent to appear? A good bet is China, which in 2011 filed for more than 500,000 technology related patents in 2011, topping the United States. According to the United Nations, China applied for 526,412 patents last year, more than the US with 500,000 and Japan's more than 300,000 applications...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEz1sSKCpIc
While most people consider the return of Google Maps to Apple's App Store an all-around positive, one observer sees the move as a 'mixed blessing' for club Cupertino. Not only is the familiar mapping application once again available, but the Android maker Google may now overshadow Apple's own efforts to make a difference in the increasingly competitive mobile mapping arena. As we reported yesterday, the new Google Maps for iOS is the top free app for the iPhone.
Indeed, Google admits the iOS app - which adds turn-by-turn directions - is superior to the Android version from a design standpoint. But for Google, returning to iOS means it also reconnects with iPhone users and a wealth of data...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6FiR76k7Yw
Following an important debut in China yesterday, Apple on Friday rolled out the iPhone 5 to an additional 33 countries. In addition to the 1.33 billion people market of China, the device is now available in Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Grenada, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Macedonia Malaysia, Moldova, Montenegro, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. Go past the fold for nice launch clips from around the world...
The BookBook case line is perhaps one of the most popular on the market. Twelve South makes them for a number of Apple products including MacBooks, iPads and iPhones. And, as the name suggests, they all sport a similar leather-bound book design.
Last month, Twelve South updated its iPhone BookBook case to support the new iPhone 5. And this week, it's released a version of it for the iPad mini...
To me, it seems like a no-brainer that Apple will address the low-resolution display in the iPad mini by its next-generation. After all, the tablet's lack of a Retina display has seemingly been the only complaint amidst otherwise extremely positive reviews.
But no-brainer or not, it's always nice to hear reports that help back up gut feelings. And the latest one comes out of Taiwan, where a familiar publication has it on good authority that Apple is talking to its suppliers about high-res iPad mini panels...
Buffer has lived on the App Store for twelve months now, after being a web-only affair until then. A year after its iOS debut, the folks at Buffer have given the service an overhaul, giving the iOS app a fresh lick of paint in the process.
Originally born as a way of scheduling Tweets for publishing at a later date or time, Buffer has now expanded its scope to take in more of the social media landscape. Both Facebook and LinkedIn are now present in Buffer's list of supported networks, and the newly redesigned iOS and web apps are gorgeous (and they weren't too bad before).
If you've ever needed to schedule a tweet, Facebook update or LinkedIn post, then you'll want to check out Buffer now even more than before...