iPhone News

Apple seen testing new App Store ranking scheme based on user ratings

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Ever since Apple in February 2012 bought Chomp, an app discovery engine, and subsequently killed both its Android and iOS apps, the rumor-mill has been abuzz with the supposed improvements to the App Store discovery stemming from the acqui-hire.

Disregarding the occasional tweaks to the App Store search algorithm here and there, the experience of discovering popular software beyond the apps Apple exposes on the main App Store pages remains a very tedious affair.

To put it perfectly bluntly, it often feels like finding a needle in the haystack. But according to a new report out Friday, things could soon improve as the company's apparently been experimenting with new algorithms for iTunes and App Store rankings...

Android a frequent favorite in discount stores – until iPhone 5C arrives

Ed Sutherland ∙ August 23, 2013

Discount shoppers are more apt to buy an Android smartphone than an Apple iPhone. Indeed, Android handsets are three times as likely to be sold through discounters such as Walmart and Costco than Apple's smartphone, new research indicates. The numbers are just the latest from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP), providing insight into where and by whom Apple and Android devices are purchased...

Apple’s next-gen Mac Pro ad hits YouTube ahead of Fall release

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2013

As Apple engineers scramble to finalize the next-generation Mac Pro for US-based assembly, the company's marketing department has been increasingly teasing and hyping the dream machine ahead of its Fall launch. Moviegoers who'd gone out to see the new Jobs biopic last weekend, or any other movie for that matter, spotted a Mac Pro video.

The clip, which later started airing in theaters nationwide, shows the radically new machine from various angles without revealing too much. Now that Apple has uploaded the commercial to YouTube, expect to see it rolling on television nationwide. I've queued up the video right after the fold...

Bloomberg: Apple’s slowing growth now worries case makers

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2013

People love to accessorize their mobile devices. Indeed, the multi-billion dollar industry for gadget accessories has been thriving for years now on the seemingly unstoppable popularity of Apple's mobile devices. The accessory industry had really started to take off a decade ago, after the iPod came out.

It boomed following the iPhone and iPod touch introduction in 2007, with tablets such as the iPad having become the latest lucrative market for case vendors out there. So, what do you do if you're an established case maker in Asia at a time when Apple's growth has been slowing?

As you fortunes are most certainly closely tied to Apple's, priorities change as you start giving more attention to non-Apple gadget makers, namely to Samsung but also to a bunch of local vendors who produce inexpensive smartphones and tablets...

Apple revamps Education mini-site

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2013

Slowly but surely, Apple has been revamping sub-section by sub-section of its website to bring the visual language, navigation and overall design in line with the flattened and cleaned up iOS 7 look and feel.

We've just received a word that Apple has redesigned the Apple and Education mini-site with a much simpler navigation and layout that revolves around larger teaser images and less text.

The mini-site strives to provide resources for teachers and parents about how Apple products can help them educate their kids...

CEO Steve Ballmer will retire within 12 months, Microsoft confirms

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

I bet you haven't seen this coming. Microsoft's controversial and enthusiastic chief executive officer Steve Ballmer will retire within the next twelve months, the company said in a media release.

The company cunningly chose Friday to break the unexpected news so investors have the time to chew on the development over the weekend.

The Windows giant said Ballmer will retire as CEO upon the completion of a process to choose his successor. In the meantime, Ballmer will continue as CEO and will lead Microsoft "through the next steps of its transformation to a devices and services company that empowers people for the activities they value most"...

Apple opens iWork for iCloud Beta to everyone

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 23, 2013

Previously available only to Apple's registered developers and and later on to some select users, Apple has today decided to open iWork for iCloud web apps to everyone ahead of its September 10 keynote. That's right, you can now log in to the web interface at iCloud.com using your existing Apple ID, regardless of whether you are a developer or a regular user.

The service provides Apple's suite of iWork apps - Pages, Keynote and Numbers - that run in any standard web browser such as Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome and Microsoft's Internet Explorer and support editing functionality...

New report claims iPhone 5S, 5C will launch in China on November 28

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 27, 2016

Apple's iPhone 5S and 5C won't be released in China until November 28, according to a new report. That would put it roughly two months behind the handsets' initial launch, which is expected to happen on Friday, September 20.

The reason for the delay is that the iPhones have apparently not completed the verification process required by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. And it's not unusual—it happened last year with the iPhone 5...

New Microsoft ad touts Lumia 1020 camera, mocks iPhone users

Cody Lee ∙ August 22, 2013

My how the tables have turned. Five years ago Apple was running its 'I'm a Mac' ads, attacking the perceived weaknesses of PCs running Microsoft's Windows software. And now we have Microsoft making ads that attack Apple products.

The Redmond company's latest in a series of Cupertino-bashing commercials pits the 41MP camera of Nokia's Lumia 1020 against that on the iPhone 5. And as you can imagine, the spot paints iPhone users in a not-so-favorable light...

The iTunes Radio effect: Pandora will no longer cap free mobile listening

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 27, 2016

Pandora's 40-hour limit on mobile listening went into effect in February, quickly becoming the most hated "feature" of the otherwise stellar streaming music service. The firm argued it felt compelled to introduce the capping due to rising royalty costs, even if the 40-hour limit affected only four percent of its avid listeners. Backflipping now, Pandora said Thursday it will be removing the 40-hour free listening on mobile devices real soon.

The good news conveniently coincides with Apple's impending launch of its ad-free iTunes Radio, a streaming music service set to arrive next month as part of the iOS 7 release...

Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders is Apple’s new Free App of the Week

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 22, 2013

Boy, I've spent countless hours and had tons of fun playing the Sky Gamblers games by Atypical Games. It's one of those system sellers that every avid gamer should have on their device to show off to friends, it's that good.

In terms of graphics, these games literally have it all: lots of detail, interactive cockpits, special effects galore, specular masks, bump mapping, atmospheric scattering, volumetric clouds with realistic lighting and sun glare.

There are also beautiful day and night transitions, God rays, high definition textures, 4x anisotropic filtering, high dynamic range rendering, radial blur, heat haze, refractive raindrops and lots more. The care and thought that had gone into designing Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders, the most recent installment, has clearly caught Apple's attention.

Previously, the iPhone maker featured Sky Gamblers: Storm Raiders as one of its 2013 Design Award winners and now the company has decided to feature the game as its Free App of the Week. Trust me, Storm Raiders is the ultimate World War II air combat game and you'd be foolish to pass on it..

Facebook changes third-party app login rules to stop unwanted posts

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Facebook has rolled out some nice little changes to the way third-party apps request permissions from users when. The move, it says, is part of an effort to get users to post more to its social network from other apps.

The changes will require third-party applications that connect with Facebook to request separate permissions to 'read' information from your FB account, and to write, or publish any app activity on your Timeline...