Year: 2012

MacPhone and more early Apple designs detailed in new book, ‘Design Forward’

The Apple v. Samsung trial in August was a real treasure trove of information that gave us a peek behind the curtain and into Apple's design process. But what about some of Apple's early product designs that never came to fruition? Industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger and his upcoming new book titled 'Design Forward' offers an interesting glimpse into Apple products that never were.

In it, you'll find ten original photographs depicting designs for various computers Apple was researching at the time, including one for a tablet and another for a phone hybrid called the Macphone. We've got images right after the break...

Apple withdraws patent claim against Galaxy S III Mini in the U.S.

Faced with a potential $15 billion fine by The European Commission over its misuse of standards-essential patents in litigation with Apple, Samsung earlier this month dropped its bid to ban Apple devices in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands. Seemingly mirroring Samsung's move, Apple has now agreed to withdraw its patent infringement claims against a new Samsung phone it added to its U.S. suit on Black Friday, Reuters reports...

Google invites iOS devs to ‘do cool things that matter’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG2Wn2dm5-4

Google is determined to become the top iOS developer in terms of quality and presence. Already the company's Gmail, YouTube, Google+, Maps, Search and other products are found on many people's home screens. In fact, YouTube and Maps topped the list of most downloaded apps on Christmas Day. And now, the Mountain View, California-headquartered Internet giant has launched a web ad campaign to promote its presence on the Apple platform and invite developers to 'do cool things that matter' on iOS. It's a nice vote of confidence and a sign that Google in no way intends to leave iOS users behind and lose a a treasure trove of data it collects on use through its iOS apps...

NYC Mayor: iPhones thefts responsible for crime increase

That iPhone you're carrying on the New York City subway, well someone else likes it: thieves. Indeed, the Apple device is so popular with Big Apple thieves the mayor is blaming the gadget for a rise in the city's crime rate. Mayor Michael Bloomberg told his radio audience some tactics for preventing your iPhone becoming the 3,891st Apple device stolen in 2012. Among the suggestions: tight clothes...

Check out iSkelter’s gorgeously minimalistic bamboo-handcrafted iPhone 5 dock

You love your iPhone 5 and pride yourself with being an environmentally conscious person? How about putting your money where your mouth is by considering this awesome-looking iPhone 5 dock from iSkelter? Handmade entirely from bamboo, one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth, it "perfectly compliments your iPhone's minimalistic design features" with a touch of eco-friendliness. As the images attest, the dock will keep your iPhone 5 firmly in place either in portrait or landscape.

As a nice touch, there's even a carving elegantly leading the Lightning cable out, thus reducing incidences of tangled cords. I'm a big fan of Feng Shui and the minimalistic interior design so I'm already thinking how this could enrich my home office setup. I've got more shots and a video for you right past the break...

Samsung facing $15B fine for asserting standard-essential patents against Apple

Reuters reported last week that the European Union would “very soon” formally charge Samsung for asserting standard essential patents against Apple.

Smelling danger, just days prior to the development the Galaxy maker had withdrawn all its injunction requests in European courts.

Friday morning, UK's The Guardian newspaper reported that the European Commission could now slap the South Korean conglomerate - the world's top cell phone maker by volume - with a substantial fine of up to ten percent of its global revenue, amounting to as much as fifteen billion dollars based on Samsung's 2011 revenue of $148.9 billion... 

Microsoft woos iOS devs to write Windows apps

Android and iOS may have been all the rage in 2012 - and especially on Christmas Day when App Store downloads surged 87 percent versus the December 2012 average - but what about Microsoft?

While sales of Windows 8 tablets and Windows Phones have yet to reach a critical mass, the Redmond firm understands it needs more quality apps to lure users.

Quite an interesting get-together recently happened at Microsoft's headquarters as the firm met with a cherry-picked group of iOS developers in an attempt to encourage them to produce versions of their apps for the Windows Phone platform. Is Microsoft throwing money at iOS devs' feet? This reminds us of how the firm spent millions in the gaming space to steal PlayStation exclusives, much to its advantage...

Student converts Raspberry Pi into a wireless AirPlay speaker

If you're not familiar with the Raspberry Pi, it's a mini computer which packs in a 700 MHz ARM 11 processor with 128MB of RAM that runs Debian Linux. In addition, a proof-of-concept hack turns the gizmo into an HDMI-enabled AirPlay video receiving machine. It's so small you’ll almost forget it’s there and costs only $25.

That's $75 cheaper than an Apple TV set-top box, the only official solution that provides wireless media streaming functionality from Mountain Lion Macs and iOS devices to a TV set.

Oliver told you in January that one of the Raspberry Pi developers had successfully created a hack that let him stream video from his iPad to a TV via the credit card-sized computer. And now, Cambridge engineering student Jordan Burgess has successfully converted the device into a wireless AirPlay-enabled audio receiver...

Analyst: Apple needs ITV to stay alive – but the iPad is a ‘rocket’

Some days, you almost wish the Mayan Calendar believers were right and today was the end of the world. Executives at Apple headquarters have likely been popping antacids like Christmas candy as wave after wave of pessimism washes through Wall Street.

Now comes word Apple is destined to be a has-been unless it cranks out an iTV - or cheapo smartphone. The depression-laded missive of the day arrived last Thursday from Toni Sacconaghi, analyst with Bernstein Research. In a note to bewildered investors, he alternated between calling the iPad "an absolute juggernaut" worth $32 billion in annual revenue and forecasting Apple will languish in single-digit growth by 2015...

YouTube, Google Maps top list of most downloaded apps on Christmas Day

Given the fact that millions of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches were given as gifts this year, and that a number of apps and games were on sale, it's no surprise that there was a huge spike in app downloads on Tuesday.

In fact, app analytics firm Distimo found that daily downloads in the App Store increased by 87% on Christmas Day compared to the December 2012 average. So what was everyone downloading? Read on to find out...

New app uses iPhone’s vibrate motor to take hands-free 360-degree video

Up until now, if you wanted to shoot 360-degree video with your iPhone, you'd either need a snap-on accessory, like the GoPano, or a pair of steady hands and some patience. But a clever new app is looking to change that.

Introducing Cycloramic, an iPhone app that uses the handset's built-in vibrate motor to spin it around in a circle, allowing you to capture 360-degree video, completely hands free. Hard to believe? Check out the video demo...

Chinese court orders Apple to pay $165K in copyright dispute

For the second time in the last 6 months, a Chinese court has found Apple to be liable for the sale of unlicensed works distributed through the App Store. Back in September, it was ordered to pay $82K for the violation, and this time it's double that.

A judge from Beijing's Second Intermediate People's Court on Thursday ordered Apple to pay 1.03 million yuan, or roughly $165,000, to a group of writers who claimed their work was pirated, repurposed as an app and sold through the App Store...