Ed Sutherland

Report: Apple’s in-cell displays causing iPhone 5 delays

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

The answer to the question 'where's my iPhone 5?' may have an answer. The smartphone's advanced display technology is so complex that one supplier was slowed by defective screens, one Wall Street analyst said Tuesday.

To produce the iPhone 5's display using in-cell technology, Apple relied on two suppliers: LG Display and Sharp, Barclays told Bloomberg. The in-cell display allowed Apple to combine the touchscreen layer with the display layer, giving consumers a slimmer handset profile and improve color quality. However, due to problems controlling defects, Sharp only began shipping screens for the iPhone 5 after the device went on sale.

Foxconn: iPhone production to resume Tuesday

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

A little riot shouldn't delay iPhone production in China. Long-troubled Foxconn, which makes iPhones, among other electronic devices, said Monday it will resume operations Tuesday following a riot involving 2,000 people that sent 40 to the hospital. In a statement, the manufacturer denied anyone died or that the uprising was work-related.

"The cause of this dispute is under investigation by local authorities and we are working closely with them in this process, but it appears not to have been work-related," the company said in a statement provided CNet...

iPhone 5 initial sales held back by limited supplies

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Wall Street analysts were busy Monday attempting to explain why Apple's record-setting sales of 5 million iPhone 5 handsets during the weekend was fewer than investors expected. Among the chief reasons offered: there just weren't enough of the new smartphones to meet demand. Despite the disappointment, Apple watchers remained confident the Cupertino, Calif. company still has the Midas Touch.

High-profile analyst Gene Munster told investors Apple's sales figures released earlier today did not include online preorders, which he estimated at around 1 million units. Another potential reason "only" 5 million iPhone 5 were reported sold during the initial launch weekend: Apple was reserving some of its inventory for the smartphone's international launch on Friday...

Lightning Connector chip policies against third-party alternatives

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple apparently has gone to great length and expense to ensure consumers purchase only its version of the Lightning connector. The connector, which debuted with the iPhone 5, includes a chip which serves to prevent third-party alternatives, according to a report.

The authentication chip is located between the cable's V+ contact and power pin, according to Double Helix Cables, which took the new cable apart, sharing its results with AppleInsider. Because the chip appears only in Apple's Lightening cable, third-party alternatives offered by places like Alibaba.com won't work, the company claims...

Best Buy can’t keep up with iPhone 5 preorders, report says

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

So, you pre-ordered your iPhone 5 the minute it was announced. Turns out, you may have better luck landing an iPhone by standing in line. The latest victim of the iPhone's own success: electronics giant Best Buy. The company now says it may not have enough of the highly-sought handsets to meet demand, emailing some unlucky souls that they'll need to wait up to mid-October.

"Based on current inventory allocation, we understand we will not have enough iPhone 5 devices to fulfill all pre-orders this weekend," according to a Best Buy internal memo obtained by 9to5Mac.

Walmart stops Kindle sales, following Target’s lead

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Amazon's $199 Kindle and low-price retailer Walmart would appear to be a match made in discount heaven, right? Then how do you explain today's news that Walmart is kicking Amazon to the curb? In a statement, Walmart only says the decision is part of its "overall merchandising strategy."

"Recently, Walmart Stores, Inc. made a business decision to not carry current Amazon products beyond our purchase commitments and existing inventory," the Bentonville, Ark. firm told store managers Wednesday. In the memo reported by Reuters, Walmart officials said the stores will continue to offer "a broad assortment of tablets, eReaders and accessories at a variety of great price points."

Apple, publishers subpoena Amazon in ebook price case

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple is asking the Department of Justice to turn over interviews it held with Amazon employees as part of the recently-approved ebook pricing settlement. According to the Cupertino, Calif. iBooks firm, Amazon "was the driving force behind the Government's investigation, and it told a story to the Government that has yet been scrutinized." The Justice Department is scheduled to haul Apple, along with Macmillan and Penguin into court next June.

Samsung may add iPhone 5 to US patent infringement lawsuit

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

If you thought the legal wrangling between Apple and Samsung was settled with August's patent-infringement jury decision, you were wrong. In a patent infringement lawsuit filed in February in the same San. Jose, Calif. courthouse that awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages, the two rivals are preparing for a grudge match. Now the Wall Street Journal reports the South Korean smartphone maker "anticipates" it will add the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 4S in its list of allegedly infringing devices.

Time Warner would give control of the TV UI to Apple but wants to keep ‘customer relationship’

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 19, 2012

Will Apple fans buy a device that doesn't have the Apple logo plastered everywhere? That's the question being considered in Cupertino and elsewhere amid a report media giant Time Warner Cable may give Apple control of a TV user interface -- with a catch. Time Warner wants to retain the "customer relationship," not Apple.

Time Warner Cable is "hard at work at a cloud-based guide experience," according to the Hollywood Reporter. The cable giant wants the new interface on the iPad and iPhone. However, speaking to investors Wednesday, president and COO Rob Marcus said Time Warner is not willing to give up the customer experience...

Apple to seek $3B in damages from Samsung

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Apple will seek $3 billion in damages from Samsung when the two companies meet in court on Friday, a Korean newspaper reports Wednesday. The amount is triple that awarded in August, when a California jury ruled the South Korean firm violated Apple's patents.

According to the Korea Times, citing a "reliable source," Apple will ask for the $3 billion because the iPhone maker "wants to quickly address the harm that Samsung's infringing products are said to be causing." If granted, the $3 billion would mark a record reward for technology patent lawsuits...

Apple Maps to integrate Russian Yandex’s data in iOS 6, report says

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 17, 2012

Google's relationship with Apple may be on borrowed time. Apple Maps, set to appear soon in iOS 6, will reportedly use a local company's data Yandex to provide location-search details in Russia. A developer version of iOS 6 will send users to Yandex.Maps for further information regarding locations.

A search of Vladimir Lenin's Mausoleum, for instance, gets "more details on Yandex.Maps application or offers to download Yandex.Maps from App Store if the user doesn't have it installed," a Russian developer now using iOS 6 tells Bloomberg.

Could the new iPod touch be the latest threat to point-and-shoot cameras?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

First the iPhone turned the concept of mobile phones on its head, offering consumers apps as well as a dialtone. Soon, handsets became the go-to devices for taking snapshots. Now the iPod touch -- a master at upending the market for music -- is set to become your favorite point-and-shoot camera.

The new iPod Touch gains a 5-megapixel camera that also includes high-def images and Panoramic views. Now experts say the Touch has all the makings of a rival of the grab-and-go digital point-and-shoot camera. "I think this new Touch will appeal to many people both young and old, who are looking for a point and shoot camera that does more than just take photos," writes Glyn Evans at the iPhoneography blog.