Ed Sutherland

Analyst claims iPhone 5S has fingerprint sensor

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

What voice-recognition did for the iPhone 4S, fingerprints will do for Apple's upcoming iPhone 5S, one technology analyst is telling investors. For the second time, an Apple observer forecasts a fingerprint sensor as a key feature of a new iPhone expected this summer. Such a sensor would let iPhone 5S owners use their fingerprints instead of passwords, as well as open the possibility of mobile credit card payments, according to a Wednesday report...

Apple exploring custom iPhone hold messages with contextual ads

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 2, 2013

Everyone has been on hold. The irritatingly insincere messages about 'your call is important to us' followed by 1970s Muzak and advertising come-ons.

A new patent granted to Apple may make your wait a bit more entertaining - if not productive - for iPhone owners. The patent outlines a way to display information that is contextually relevant to your phone call.

But buried in the ties to your calendar, local weather and other data is a hook that could display personalized ads on your phone, akin to Google's contextual ads...

Flurry finds phablets are ‘insignificant’ and a ‘fad’

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 24, 2018

There has been debate whether Apple should offer an iPhone with a larger screen, competing with Android selling what some have dubbed 'phablets' for spanning both phones and tablets. Now comes a well-known mobile research firm calling phablets just 'a fad.'

In a note to mobile developers entitled "Size Matters for Connected Devices, Phablets Don't," analytics firm Flurry Monday said phablets comprise only a single-digit portion of devices compared to mid-size phones and large tablets, such as the iPhone and iPad...

Apple’s EarPods trademark challenged by HearPod maker Randolph Divisions

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 2, 2013

When you have a few hundred million in walking around money and are worth more than any company on the planet, you become a magnet for lawsuits. That's the lesson Apple is learning as the iPhone maker fields increasing numbers of trademark infringement legal cases.

The latest: a hearing aid maker claims Apple's EarPods sounds just too much like its HearPod. Randolph Divisions filed the lawsuit against Apple in Hawaii District Court. According to the company, it registered the 'HearPod' trademark in 2007, years before the smartphone maker unveiled in 2012 its EarPods for the iPhone 5. Win or lose, at least Apple's legal team gets a trip to Honolulu to argue the case...

Handset cost: a common reason why people go Android

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Evidence supporting a call for Apple to produce a budget-minded smartphone keeps mounting. The latest evidence: Android's market share lead over iOS in the US is widening, according to research concluded in February. What once was a 2-point domestic lead for Google's mobile software in 2012 has stretched to 8 points.

Android now has just over half of the US smartphone market with 51.2 percent of sales, according to a survey by Kantar Worldpanel. That is a gain from 47 percent during the same period a year ago. Apple's iOS is in second place in the U.S. with 43.5 percent of smartphone sales, a 3.5 percent slip from 2012, according to Kantar...

Ceramic device body patent hints at budget iPhone

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 29, 2013

We are getting more hints at how Apple could create a cheaper iPhone, a device also dubbed by the press the iPhone mini and apparently meant to improve Apple's standing in emerging markets such as India. In a new patent filing, the iPhone maker describes a production method similar to laminated fiberglass, but using ceramics. Zirconia and alumina could be combined to create a new kind of Unibody shell.

The use of zirconia would mesh both with a report earlier this month that a low-cost iPhone could include a fiberglass housing, while also potentially drawing on a 2006 Apple patent regarding zirconia as being radio transparent...

Google tops Apple as leading App Store publisher

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 28, 2013

Obviously, home field advantage doesn't hold sway when it comes to app stores. That's the message from a new report showing Google the leading publisher on Apple's App Store while Facebook downloads outnumbered Google on the Mountain View, California company's own marketplace.

Although Apple led apps downloaded from its App Store in December, iOS video and mapping apps from Android's Google topped its smartphone rival during January and February. Meanwhile, a Facebook app grabbed the top spot on Google Play, reinforcing the importance of social networking downloads in generating app store revenue...

Apple exploring iPhones with wrap-around display

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 28, 2013

Cue the 'Jetsons' theme song as we talk about Apple's latest patent: a wraparound display for your iPhone. The smartphone maker has filed a patent for an all-glass design taking the iPhone's already sleek contours to the ultimate degree. Although outlining breath-taking technology, such as heads-up displays and the ability to connect devices like some technologically whacked-out tinker toy, the futuristic patent would likely come with some very current limitations...

Samsung owns most mobile patents worldwide

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 27, 2013

For some time, patents have been viewed as the latest competitive weapon. A company can still lose in terms of product sales, but reap a tidy sum through patent litigation and licensing. Samsung, the South Korean firm which makes everything from silicon chips to cell phones, now has the world's largest collection of patents, topping rival iPhone maker Apple.

Thanks to its rise as a mobile powerhouse, Samsung topped the list both in overall mobile patents held and patents granted in 2012. By comparison, Apple ranked No. 7 in mobile patents involving infrastructure and platforms, according to a new analysis of the fast-changing mobile patent landscape...

Apple defends Siri in Shanghai courtroom

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ku0H10_G1X4

China may soon become a top source of legal headaches, as well as market opportunities. Wednesday, the iPhone maker begins a defense of its Siri software against a Chinese company's claim the voice-activated personal assistant violates its 2004 patent. Zhizhen Network Technology Co. filed its lawsuit against Apple last summer and today the two firms meet for a pre-trial hearing in a Shanghai court.

According to Zhizhen, its "Xiao i Robot" software was patented before Apple developed Siri in 2007 and unveiled as part of the iPhone 4S in 2011. The Shanghai-based firm is asking the court to halt Apple making and selling products using Siri, a voice-activated personal assistant feature available on newer iPhones and iPads...

Apple to triple retail presence in India by 2015, own stores still improbable

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 26, 2013

After realizing India's potential, Apple is now acting to catch up with rival Samsung. The latest sign of Apple's new-found interest: a Tuesday report claiming the iPhone maker plans to open 200 exclusive stores in the country, tripling the number of locations now available to India's mobile consumers.

The push into retailing for Apple reportedly includes importing suppliers to help local franchisers adopt the iconic sleek glass design of other locations selling iPhones, iPads and other devices from the Cupertino firm. Apple's retail efforts follow a turn-around in iPhone sales marked by direct-to-consumer sales and other marketing adjustments...

Munster pops Apple hype balloon: no new gizmos until June’s iPhone 5S launch

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated May 20, 2016

We've chided Piper Jaffray's well-known resident Apple analyst Gene Munster for his repeated predictions of a standalone Apple television set being just around the corner. However, this time we're giving Munster credit for trying to deflate the hype balloon which has taken Apple stock and consumers for a ride fueled by unreal expectations. The analyst is just the latest Wall Street figure hoping to inject reality into a belief that the Cupertino, Calif. iPhone maker was immune to the vagaries of mortal businesses - such as down periods.

In a note to his clients, Munster walked a fine line, laying out some uncomfortable numbers for a company that hasn't reported negative figures in a decade. Along the way, he also tested the waters of delayed gratification during a time investors appear more like strung-out addicts accustom to quarter after quarter of mind-blowing revenue from Apple...