Year: 2012

Angry Birds Space downloaded ten million times in less than three days

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Rovio Mobile, the brains behind the crazy addictive Angry Birds series, surely knows how to milk a franchise. In less than three days of its launch last Thursday morning, Angry Birds Space has been downloaded ten million times, the company tweeted. You'd expect Apple to put these kind of numbers rather than a game developer.

However, note that Angry Birds Space simultaneously launched on the iOS, Android, Mac and PC app stores and we're talking about a gaming series that has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning plush toys, costumes (even bra), animated TV series and allegedly coming to Hollywood as well.

Woman sues Apple after walking into one of its retail store’s glass doors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 3, 2018

Just when we thought we had heard it all, this story surfaced. CBS New York is reporting that an 83-year old woman has filed a lawsuit against Apple after she sustained injuries walking into a glass door at its Manhassett Store in Long Island, NY.

The woman's name is Evelyn Paswall, and she's going after Apple for a staggering $1 million dollars in medical expenses and punitive damages. Apparently Evenlyn broke her nose during the incident, and is now suing the company for negligence...

Apple’s Cook touring China to talk iPhone 5 with carriers (UPDATE: greater investment mulled)

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

Though Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs never visited China (so says the official biography), the new CEO Tim Cook has been spotted at the company’s Apple Store in Joy City, a shopping mall located in Xidan, Beijing. A local news article included pictures of Cook posing with fans, snapped at the store. However, the real purpose of the executives's visit to China is shrouded in secrecy.

Remember, Cook also visited China last year and was photographed at China Mobile's headquarters in Beijing. China Mobile, the nation's largest wireless operator and the world's largest carrier with more than 600 million subscribers, does not yet carry Apple's handset. Nonetheless, they are already hosting some 15 million iPhones on their network, up from 10 million back in October.

Is Cook in China to cut that long-expected iPhone deal with China Mobile?

Apple to add Baidu as default iOS search engine option in China

Cody Lee ∙ March 26, 2012

If Apple's multiple mapping firm acquisitions and recent iPhoto makeover haven't convinced you that the company is trying to distance itself from Google as much as possible, maybe this will.

Sina Tech is reporting that it has learned that Apple is looking to add Baidu, China's market-leading internet search company, as a default search engine option in iOS. So long Google...

If approved, Apple will license its Nano SIM to others royalty-free

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 26, 2012

Last week, we told you about two opposing proposals concerning the emerging Nano SIM standard. An Apple-backed solution requires a tray so phones would need to be re-engineered with this in mind. It is largely believed to benefit the ultra-thin design of a sixth-generation iPhone.

The other proposal is led by Nokia and backed by Motorola and RIM. It calls for a Nano SIM variant that doesn't require a tray and is even smaller than Apple’s. The two camps had tabled their proposals to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and now a report has emerged claiming that Apple's solution, if approved, will be offered on a royalty-free basis to any industry player...

Would you trust Apple with your money?

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2012

Ok sure, a lot of us readily hand over hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars of our money to Apple each year in exchange for their latest gadgets. But how many of you would ever trust the Cupertino company with all of your money?

Times Moneyland spotlighted a recent survey, conducted in the US and UK, that aimed to answer that very question. How many people would trust their finances with an Apple-owned bank? Keep reading for the results...

Apple begins rejecting apps that access UDIDs

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated April 15, 2024

Apple is beginning to reject app submissions which access a device's UDID, according to a report by Mashable.

You just can't beat a good privacy scare, and the one surrounding the use of UDIDs, or Unique Device Identifiers is the current biggie. Used by developers and advertising companies, UDIDs allow tracking of individual devices which has the privacy conscious up in arms.

With Apple now reportedly rejecting apps that use UDIDs, developers, ad. agencies and anyone else who may legitimately use UDIDs will need to re-write their apps to remove the feature...

Some Apple Stores seeing high volume iPad returns due to lower resale value

Cody Lee ∙ March 25, 2012

MacRumors published an interesting story yesterday regarding Apple's 5th Avenue retail location seeing a large number of third-generation iPad returns by Chinese resellers.

It appears that Apple's ability to keep up with consumer demand this year has diminished the tablet's resale value, prompting a high volume of returns by would-be vendors...

Foxconn reportedly facing strikes as it prepares for next iPhone production

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

The China Morning News is reporting that Foxconn, Apple's goto manufacturing partner, is currently in the middle of a significant hiring binge. The company hopes to increase numbers by 20,000 at its Taiyuan plant in Northern China.

According to the report, the push is in preparation for the production of the next-generation iPhone. The handset isn't expected to hit the market until later this year, but Foxconn is said to have already received orders from Apple...

Loophole discovered that could allow A5 devices to downgrade from iOS 5.1

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Folks with newer devices on iOS 5.1 will be happy to hear that iH8sn0w has uncovered a new loophole that could potentially allow users to downgrade their A5 gadgets to the more jailbreak-friendly iOS 5.0.1 in the near future.

As noted by Gadgetsteria, the Sn0wBreeze creator announced yesterday via his Twitter account that he has uncovered a "loophole" in Apple's APticket system that allowed him to downgrade his iPad 2 from 5.1 to 5.0.1...

The top 10 iOS news of the week

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

A new week is coming, but that doesn't mean you have to miss out on what happened last week. If you think you may have missed a few of the top stories from last week, don't sweat it, we've got you covered.

We've gathered the top 10 most popular stories from iDB last week for you to check out. As always, make sure that you're friends with us on Facebook, Google+, and that you are following us on Twitter...

Steve Jobs said no to the new Apple TV UI design five years ago

Jake Smith ∙ March 24, 2012

A former Apple TV engineer took to Twitter last night discussing the latest UI that has been implemented on the Apple TV. For those unfamiliar, the new Apple TV UI was announced at the March 7th media event, along with the new 1080p Apple TV. The new UI isn't much of a change, but brings larger buttons to the home page. Some love it, many hate it.

Michael Margolis, who formerly served as an Apple TV UI designer, said on his Twitter last night that Steve Jobs said no to the latest UI changes five years ago, however Apple's senior executives recently approved the new UI...