Even though the feature is still in beta, Apple has been showcasing Siri in its TV ads since the iPhone 4S came out. The reason behind this is that Siri is probably the main selling point for Apple's latest iPhone.
In a new TV ad that has started airing today, we see Santa Claus himself using Siri to help him go through his busy day and night. It's cute. It's funny. It's yet another Apple commercial that hits right on target...
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This documentary was recently aired on BBC. It features several insiders, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who tell extraordinary stories of the rise, fall, and rise again of Apple with Steve Jobs at its helm.
After giving away free copies of the popular game Where's My Water, Apple is feeling generous again as it is offering promo codes for the puzzle game Bejeweled to its loyal Facebook fans.
In order to redeem your free copy of Bejeweled, head over to Apple's Facebook page, "Like" it if you haven't yet, and click on "Get Your App Free."
I don't know if you've noticed, but we're big fans of Kickstarter here at iDB. And it seems that Kickstarter project creators like us, too. Apparently, thanks to iDB, a few thousand dollars have been raised for various Kickstarter projects, and we're pretty proud of that.
Today, we sit down with Keith White and talk to him about Trak, a mobile credit card reader for iPhone and iPad he intends to launch with a little help from Kickstarter.
Apple has posted its annual iTunes selection of the top apps of 2011. This year's big winner is Instagram, the social networking app that lets you easily add filters to your photos and share them with your friends.
We've listed the 12 winners for you to check. These are must-have apps, so get your downloading on!
Citi analyst Richard Gardner claims in a note to clients today that the iPad 3 (or whatever its name may be) will launch in February of 2012 and will feature a Retina display:
According to "several sources" the next iPad will launch in February, and it will sport a screen with double the resolution of the current model.
As usual, these analysts' predictions should be taken with a grain of salt, as they rarely rely on any evidence. But looking at the past two years, it seems clear that the next iPad will probably launch between February and April.
In a new episode of the ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung, the Korean electronics giant saw its request for a ban of the iPhone 4S in France denied, as reported by AllThingsD:
Describing Samsung’s plea for an injunction as a “disproportionate” measure, the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris ruled Samsung must reimburse Apple $134,100 for its legal fees. But it also denied Apple’s request for damages and said Samsung’s infringement lawsuit against its rival can move forward.
Next episode will be in Milan next week, where the Milan court will be holding a hearing of Samsung's request to ban the iPhone 4S in Italy.
Wedge Partners analyst Brian Blair chimes in on the Apple TV rumors by sharing his own predictions. According to Blair, the next-generation iMac for 2012 will integrate the Apple TV and iCloud, turning it into a personal computer with TV capabilities. Blair says:
“We think this makes sense because while we typically think about the newest TV’s hanging on the wall in large form factors, Apple could effectively start with what they already have on the manufacturing line and slowly push their offering from 27 inches and scale up from there to 32 inches and then move on to the 42, 50 and 55 inch market,” he writes. “In short, we believe the initial Apple TV is their iMac computer that can function as a TV, over the iCloud platform.”
I fail to see the practicality of a Mac/TV, but who knows? What do you think?
Gizmodo's Mat Honan writes about Siri, which he calls Apple's broken promise. The whole article is worth a read, but here is the conclusion:
And for me, once the novelty wore off, what I found was that Siri is not so intelligent after all—it's simply another voice program that will obey very specific commands. If it knows those commands. If it can understand you. And if it has a network connection. Were this Google, or Microsoft, I'd shrug. But it's not, it's Apple. And Apple is the company that sells perfection. It's a company that usually keeps its promises, and in its Siri ads, it promises far more than what it actually delivers. That's not what any of us signed up for.
No, Siri is not perfect. Yes, it's unusual for Apple to release a public beta of a product. But at the end of the day, it's still pretty darn good, and we know it's only going to get better.
This is a big victory for Samsung in the US, which could change the course of legal battles between the two companies in other countries. Reuters reports:
Apple failed to convince a U.S. judge to block Samsung Electronics from selling Galaxy smartphones and tablets in the U.S. market, depriving the iPhone and iPad maker of crucial leverage in a global patent battle between the two companies.
I wish Apple and Samsung would reach an agreement so we can put this behind us once and for all.
What better way to start the day than doing an app giveaway?
This week, we have 4 apps to give away, which equals a total of 32 promo codes. We're not asking you to do anything special to win one of these codes. All you have to do is be fast, because they won't be here for long...