Year: 2012

China iPad sales up 80 percent on ProView deal

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

Following the successful trademark dispute resolution with ProView over the iPad moniker, Apple's tablet sales in the 1.33 billion people market surged 80 percent, a new survey has it. Apple, as you know, back in July ended its legal spat with China's bankrupt monitor maker by paying $60 million in exchange for ownership of the iPad name in China.

That deal has paved the way for the July 20 iPad launch in the country. According to an IDC research note issued Friday, iPad shipments in China nearly doubled following that deal.

An estimated 2.07 million units of the iPad were sold in China during the third quarter of this year versus the 1.15 million shipments in the previous quarter. Lenovo is a distant second with 278,000 tablet shipments. Samsung? It's ranked as third with only 143,000 units moved...

Woz worries Microsoft is now more innovative than Apple

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2012

When he's not co-starring in video games, Steve Wozniak is known for being an outspoken gadget-lover. Of course, one of his favorite subjects is Apple. And despite his affiliation with the company, he never seems to hold back his criticisms.

This proved true once again during a recent interview with the Woz at a TED event in Belgium. The Apple co-founder told TechCrunch that he's worried that Microsoft has surpassed the fruit company in innovation over the past few years...

Apple acquires over 1,000 patents from Nortel auction

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

Last summer, Apple teamed up with Microsoft, RIM, Sony and others to participate in an auction involving a large amount of wireless and LTE patents. The 'Rockstar consortium' outbid Google, and scored more than 6,000 patents for a cool $4.5 billion.

Of course, since Apple put up a huge chunk of the bid (something like $2.6B), it's always had access to the Nortel IP. But according to a new report, the tech giant has been outright purchasing select patents from the consortium over the past 6 months...

Google reportedly looking to launch wireless service

Cody Lee ∙ November 16, 2012

According to a new report, Google has been talking with Colorado-based satellite TV provider Dish Network to launch a new wireless service. So essentially, it sounds like it's trying to become its own carrier.

This actually isn't the first time we've heard that the tech giant was looking to get into the wireless business. But this particular story stems from a fairly credible news outlet, so it certainly holds more water...

Sprint starts selling LTE 4th gen iPad and iPad mini today

Cody Lee ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Sprint announced this morning that it will begin selling LTE models of the 4th gen iPad and iPad mini in its retail stores today. The news comes shortly after reports surfaced that Apple has started stocking its own stores with the + Cellular tablets, suggesting that today's launch might not be limited to the Kansas-based carrier...

Twitter app updated with improved search and account management

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2012

Hot on the heels of Facebook issuing an update to its mobile apps, Twitter has done the same for its official iOS clients. The update brings the Twitter app to version 5.1, and includes some nice enhancements like an improved search and Discovery tab, and new account management features...

WSJ: Google putting finishing touches on iOS Maps app

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Since Apple replaced Google Maps in iOS 6 with its own mapping solution, there's been a lot of talk regarding Google making its own Maps app for the platform. Rumors have persisted that such an app is in development.

But according to a new report this afternoon, it's not only in development, it's almost finished. The Wall Street Journal says that it has learned that Google is currently putting the finishing touches on a native iOS Maps app...

Facebook app updated with new sharing features and emoji

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2012

Facebook has released an update for its mobile app this afternoon, bringing the iOS app to version 5.2. The update comes less than two weeks after its big 5.1 update, which included new messaging and photo-sharing features.

Today's release includes a few new features as well. Most importantly, Facebook users will now be able to repost and share stories right from their news feeds, kind of like how you can retweet something in Twitter...

Analyst says Apple TV product is ‘imminent’

Cody Lee ∙ November 15, 2012

Apple TV talk has really died down over the past few months, but the rumors of the device have been pretty persistent over the past few years. Analysts and tech pundits continue to believe that we'll see something in the not-so-distant future.

The latest testimony comes from Jefferies & Co. analyst James Kisner. In a note to investors this morning, Kisner said that after speaking with his industry contacts, he believes the launch of an Apple television product is "imminent..."

Steve Jobs biopic to focus on products and friction between execs

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Lights! Action! Steve! Well, sort of. A biopic focusing on late Apple CEO Steve Jobs won't be a cradle-to-grave review of the man who pulled Apple out of the ditch. Instead, the film will feature three behind-the-scenes glimpses into Jobs' most famous products. According to screenwriter Aaron Sorkin who was hired to develop Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs for Sony Pictures, the upcoming flick will be comprised of just three 30-minutes scenes backstage before the introduction of the original Mac, NeXT and the iPod. Sorkin is known for his screenplays featuring character studies, such as his acclaimed look at Facebook, The Social Network...

Someone do this iPhone Smart Cover and take my money

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 15, 2012

Wish someone made this. Apple makes the Smart Cover for the full-size iPad and the iPad mini so why not for the iPhone 5? Designer Adrien Olczak, the brains behind this intriguing concept, rightfully points out that someone should "do this and take my money". His idea is unlikely to become a reality in this form, even if it cries for Kickstarter.

Oh wait, an iPhone Smart Cover already exists!

Now, I don't know about you but I really dislike screen protectors because they're bad for multitouch performance more often than not. And as head-turning as designs of regular covers are, they're tough to remove and hide the handset's beautiful design, which is actually my main gripe with the sleeve industry in general...

Algoriddim launches Vjay for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2019

Algoriddim launched Vjay for the iPad back in June. The videoscratching program impressed us with Retina graphics, support for external hardware such as Griffin’s DJ cable or Numark’s iDJ Live controller, wireless AirPlay streaming and on-the-fly mixes that really take advantage of the iPad's GPU.

If you liked the iPad version, you'll be delighted to know that Vjay is now available on your iPhone and iPod touch as well. The software is remarkably snappy and powerful. By the way, Algoriddim's even more stunning app for DJs is temporarily free on the iPhone (it normally costs ten bucks) so make sure to download it if you haven't already.

I'd bet my shirt that just a few years back you'd never thought a cell phone in your pocket would double as your video mixing machine, letting you mix and scratch your iTunes music videos or compose your own mash ups by combining songs and video from your library in glorious 1080p, at thirty frames per second...