Month: January 2013

It was a very appy holiday season for iOS, Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 23, 2018

Good news for developers: iOS and Android together accounted for a massive 1.76 billion app downloads around the world between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, per research by ad firm Flurry. That's more than a marked improvement compared to the 1.2 billion apps that were downloaded last year across both Android and iOS. Think about it, 1.76 billion downloads in just seven days.

In fact, a number of weeks since late November delivered more than a billion downloads. It wasn't that long ago that a billion downloads was considered a remarkable achievement throughout the span of the entire year, let alone weeks or months.

And if that data point didn't give you a pause, consider this: based on historical data, Flurry expects app downloads to regularly hit the one billion milestone each week going forward. Doing a quick math in your head, at that rate both iOS and Android should account for at least 52 billion downloads in 2013...

Court won’t seal Samsung sales data

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 2, 2013

Samsung of South Korea has lost its bid to keep court records sealed indicating how many products were sold. The ruling by a San Jose, California federal judge denied the request, writing the information required by the court does not reveal product pricing or profit information. However, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh, still deliberating whether Apple should receive additional damages to the $1.05 billion awarded in August, did seal a document showing Samsung operating profit for two phones, according to a report from yesterday...

Apple: DND bug scheduled to auto-fix itself Monday, January 7

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2013

Apple has just acknowledged that a time-related bug which on New Year's Day caused the Do Not Disturb feature to fail to disable itself despite being outside its scheduled time. The iPhone maker writes in a support document it just published that the bug will automatically fix itself by next Monday, January 7, 2013. The company did not say whether it planned on fixing the glitch once and for all - we don't want to miss our notifications on the next New Year's Day...

Apple should buy social nav app Waze to improve Maps data

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 8, 2017

When it comes to apps, nothing strikes a nerve more than mapping. We saw this when Apple Maps literally and figuratively drove off a cliff, only later to be saved by Google Maps. Needless to say, having Apple's fat pulled out of the fire by its chief rival didn't make execs in Cupertino too happy.

That's the backstory behind the latest mapping rumor afloat: the potential acquisition by Apple of social navigation app Waze. According to reports, Apple is in fact considering purchasing Waze.

Their iPhone app crowdsources the positions of moving cars to turn the mundane task of finding locations into a social game. Waze, already a partner with Apple Maps, has likely gained the iPhone maker's attention when iOS 6 Maps was going down in flames...

Apple bringing Broadcom’s Gigabit Wi-Fi to 2013 Macs, AirDrop file sharing in iOS 7 next?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2013

The inability to wirelessly share documents directly between Macs and iOS devices using Wi-Fi Direct, a feature Samsung's Galaxy S III and some other devices supports, is one of the top complaints on the minds of folks of all stripes. Yes, it is possible to share files through the iTunes jukebox program.

You can also share files via iTunes wirelessly, provided Wi-Fi iTunes Sync is enabled. On the downside, the feature requires a running copy of the iTunes app on your Mac and the experience leaves a lot to be desired due to a pretty slow and unreliable connection.

Meanwhile, the popular Dropbox service Steve Jobs once dismissed as "a feature" is gaining more traction with each passing day, winning crucial support from the ever growing number of third-party apps. Apple may be stuck in the old ways, but under the surface the company's been quietly putting the pieces of the file sharing puzzle in place...

Japan is happy to finally get iBookstore in 2013

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple will open an iBookstore in Japan during 2013 with a handful of local publishers supplying their electronic books. Unlike Apple, rival tech giants began selling e-books in the Asian nation last year. However, multiple reports disagree on the timing. One local report suggests as early as January, while another tech news site calls that "far too optimistic". Although the iBookstore has been in Japan since 2010, it has offered only public-domain titles due to reluctance by Japanese publishers, who feared e-books would cut into sales of traditionally printed books...

If you trust analysts, the iPhone 5S will come in multiple colors and two display sizes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

We're just two days into 2013, but there's no hiding from the next wave of Apple rumors. Yesterday brought as a non-news of an unknown developer spotting traces of iOS 7 and the next iPhone in logs - as if Apple hasn't been working on the iPhone 5S/6 and iOS 7 since before iOS 6 was released.

Wednesday morning, an analyst boldly predicted that the iPhone 5S, a specs bump, will launch by June with multiple color options and - wait 'till you hear this - two different display sizes. I should have been an analyst!

Gamepad and keyboard combo launches for iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=G_NB97dRoWg

iPhone5mod, the makers of unofficial Lightning docks, cables and adapters, today announced an interesting new accessory that will appeal to gaming and messaging fans who desire a tactile feedback ad physical gameplay controls. The EX Hybrid Game Controller is billed as "the lightest and thinnest keyboard for iPhone ever-made" and consists of two parts.

There's a back case that attaches to the back of your iPhone 5 and a second plate which provides physical gamepad buttons. The accessory connects to your phone via Bluetooth 3.0 wireless technology and each plate adds only 2mm to the overall thickness of your iPhone 5...

Surprise, Intel faces roadblocks in securing content for its Apple TV contender

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 2, 2013

Yesterday, news broke that chip giant Intel, frustrated with “everyone doing a half-assed Google TV", is prepping its own set-top box and cable service for an introduction at the CES show, which runs January 8-11 (iDB will be there!). The report noted Intel “has a plan to overcome licensing hurdles” by rolling out the TV service gradually, on a city-by-city basis.

Today, The Wall Street Journal throws its proverbial credibility behind the rumor, but also explains that Intel, just like Apple, has found that Hollywood is proving to be a much tougher nut to crack...

Apple reportedly moves A6X chip production from Samsung to TSMC

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

According to a new report, Apple has tapped Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (or TSMC) to start manufacturing its A6X chip, which it introduced in its 4th gen iPad, with trials expected to begin as early as this quarter.

The move has been a hot topic in the media for several months now, as it will help Apple further reduce its reliance on Samsung. Tensions continue to grow between the two companies, who are involved in patent suits around the globe...

Over $1 million in goods stolen from Paris Apple Store in New Year’s Eve raid

Cody Lee ∙ January 2, 2013

While much of the world spent yesterday recovering from dehydration and hangovers, Apple was dealing with a different kind of headache. You know, the type of headache you get when someone steals over a million dollars in merchandise from you.

That's right, in what sounds like a rejected Ocean's 11 plot, the Apple Store in Paris's Opera district was robbed at gunpoint on New Year's Eve. And the masked thieves are believed to have made off with more than a million dollars in stolen products...

NPD: consumers find current ‘smart’ TVs a little too smart

Cody Lee ∙ January 1, 2013

The year is now 2013, and according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, Apple is going to release a new television product in the next 6 months. Of course, you can't always believe what analysts say. But you can't always ignore them either.

The 20+ year senior researcher believes that Apple's TV device will feature a completely rebuilt remote control and a UI that makes finding content a lot easier than current solutions. And judging by data from a new NPD survey, it would be a hit...