Year: 2012

iPad mini enters China to mostly yawns

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 7, 2012

Apple's iPad mini lived up to its name today in China, drawing a smaller crowd than last year's riotous introduction of the iPhone 4S. Indeed, one observer described the Friday reception by mainland China tech fans as "nearly nonexistent". Those consumers who did go to Apple locations, such as the the company's Beijing store, came away not with the 7.9-inch mini, but with the larger iPad 4, instead. As opposed to January's mobs that rioted, forcing Apple to temporarily halt sales of the 4S, no mobs appeared for the mini...

Older iPhones popular with first-time smartphone buyers

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 7, 2012

Despite Samsung maintaining its smartphone lead, partly thanks to its massive advertising push, and consumers picking up Apple's latest thing in droves, owners of feature phones - the types who'd never owned a smartphone and are looking to upgrade - are increasingly eyeing the iPhone 4 and 4S, a new study has revealed.

Specifically, 75 percent of people buying their first iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S never owned an iPhone before. And once they're in, they tend to stay in the ecosystem, as indicated by another data point: seven out of each ten iPhone 5 buyers are upgrading from another iPhone...

Apple shares fall 4 percent amid heavy trading and post-Jobs era concerns

Ed Sutherland ∙ December 7, 2012

Questions about Apple's future lead to heavy trading in the technology giant Wednesday afternoon, prompting a 4.2 percent drop to $551.50 per share and an almost 22 percent decline since it's all-time high of $705 in September. More than 17 million shares were traded during midday action on Wall Street. Among questions facing investors: can Apple management perform without Steve Jobs, can the company produce another hit product, and can the iPad maker fend off Android...

FCC asks FAA to allow greater use of electronic devices in-flight

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Back in August, the Federal Aviation Administration started calling for public input on whether or not airline passengers should be able to use portable electronic devices during any phase of flight.

The general consensus is that there's no reason why passengers should have to power down their tablets and other devices during takeoffs and landings. And yesterday, the FCC offered its 2 cents...

The Boombot Rex is a durable speaker with Siri support

Cody Lee ∙ December 7, 2012

When it comes to iPhone-friendly speakers, there's no shortage of choices. There's the Jawbone Jambox, the Beats Pill, and countless other options. But when it comes to durable speakers that you can take with you anywhere, the choices are a lot more limited.

In fact, you might even say there's a gap in the market for such a product. And the Boombot REX ultraportable speaker is hoping to fill that gap...

Tim Cook discusses Apple TV, the Maps debacle and more in TV interview

Cody Lee ∙ December 7, 2012

Earlier this evening, Tim Cook sat down with Brian Williams on NBC's Rock Center and gave his first TV interview since he became Apple's CEO. The two talked about a number of things including Steve Jobs, Apple's plans for the television, and the Maps debacle.

If you missed the show, don't worry, iDB has you covered. We've got part 1 and part 2 of Cook's interview for you after the fold. Unfortunately, NBC still insists on using Flash to post its videos, so you'll need to be on compatible hardware in order to view them...

Tim Cook says he’s ‘ditched physical keyboards,’ uses iPad 80% of the time

Cody Lee ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Between his recent sit down with Bloomberg Businessweek, and his upcoming interview with NBC's Brian Williams, Tim Cook has captured a lot of headlines today. And that will continue tonight, as Cook appears on TV for the first time.

The CEO will be featured on Rock Center, a weekly newsmagazine broadcast akin to Dateline, this evening. And just ahead of the broadcast, NBC has published a teaser clip with Cook talking about virtual keyboards, his iPad and more...

Discover updates Mobile app with Passbook support

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Great news Discover cardholders, the credit card company pushed out an update to its iOS app today that includes support for Apple's Passbook. Discover Mobile 4.10 allows Discover users to turn their Cashback Bonus rewards into eCertificates, which can then be transferred to the digital wallet...

Best quotes from Tim Cook’s Bloomberg interview

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Today is all about Tim Cook. Apple's chief executive first sat down with Bloomberg Businesweek to talk Apple, the recent management shakeup, his business philosophy and a number of other topics.

And later this evening, Cook's interview on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams is scheduled to air at 10pm Eastern, 7pm Pacific.

We already brought you a preview of the NBC thing with Cook's brief comments on the rumored Apple television set and "Made in USA" iMacs.

And now, here are the best quotes from the massive 11-page interview with Bloomberg. As a bonus, I've thrown in a priceless photo of a young Tim Cook...

3 reasons why jailbreaking is waning in popularity

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2013

It's no secret — jailbreaking just isn't as popular as it once was. In fact, in the past 10 days or so, only a couple of jailbreak tweaks have been released that were worth noting.

For such a strong community, we're beginning to enter unprecedented territory. If you take an in-depth look at the current situation, a few obvious reasons stand out as to why jailbreaking is on a downturn.

Take a look inside, as I've compiled 3 reasons as to why jailbreaking is declining in popularity...

The next Galaxy smartphone may come with a bendable display

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 6, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZkU-GEZ72s

Samsung is on track to launch its next flagship handset, the Galaxy S IV, in April 2013 and reportedly the device will come with a "breakthrough unbreakable screen", as Reuters put it in today's report. You'd be forgiven for dismissing this news nugget as a pipedream of sorts, but bear with me for a moment.

We've been hearing that Samsung's been looking to incorporate flexible display into next-generation smartphones and tablets for over a year now. Plus, the South Korean conglomerate certainly has demonstrated its willingness to explore uncharted territories. At CES 2011, Samsung's mobile displays arm showed off a cool 4.5-inch flexible AMOLED display prototype based on electro activity polymer, seen above...

Google updates Shopper app: GoodGuide ratings, nicer UI, promotions, nearby sales

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 17, 2018

As I whined recently, the Android version of Google's free of charge Shopper app was updated with new holiday shopping features on November 8. Today, at last, the iOS build has received some way overdue love. Just like Tuesday's Gmail and YouTube updates, the refreshed Shopper app represents a major overhaul. It boasts a faster and cleaner interface focused on bigger product photos and has a few enhancements that will help you survive the holiday shopping frenzy.

There's an all-new screen listing sales promotions, GoodGuide ratings, an improved search with image-centric results, the new sales screen that lists special offers and sales promotions in your area and support for push notifications for new content and features...