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The iPhone effect: Samsung laying off 10 percent of workforce at its headquarters

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 8, 2015

According to a report by Korean newspaper which was relayed Tuesday by Bloomberg, Samsung Electronics is about to lay off ten percent of workers at its headquarters in South Korea “as the world’s biggest smartphone maker loses sales to Apple and Chinese vendors.”

It is no secret that things have been tough for Samsung ever since Apple released its larger-screened iPhones. In addition, strong competition from China's vendors like Huawei and Xiaomi, which build comparable phones that cost half as much as Samsung's high-end devices, has contributed to Samsung's diminishing sales in China.

Verizon to start field-testing 5G wireless within 12 months, commercial deployment in 2017

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 8, 2015

Verizon Wireless, the leading U.S. wireless operator, will be kicking off field trials of a fifth-generation network which promises to bring some rather insane download speeds.

With these trials, the big red carrier should become the world's first carrier to seriously move into 5G.

As reported by CNET, field trials on 5G wireless technology are set to kick off within the next 12 months, with Verizon's chief information and technology architect Roger Gurnani confirming that “some level of commercial deployment” should begin in 2017.

Let’s Talk iOS 098: Rose gold is the new black

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

Episode 98: A final roundup of all of the stuff we can expect to be seen at Apple's upcoming iPhone and Apple TV event on Wednesday.

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Snag a $100 iTunes gift card for only $75 (US only)

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 1, 2018

The folks over at eBay are selling US-only instant $100 iTunes gift cards for 25% off, which makes for a killer deal.

True, $100 is a lot of money, but if you're planning on buying an expensive app in the near future, this deal could save you some major coin.

Say you were in the market for Final Cut Pro X, an app that's $299.99 on the Mac App Store. You could buy three $100 gift cards for only $225. That means you're essentially getting FCP X for $75 below its retail price, a significant savings.

Or perhaps you're in the market for Logic Pro X, Apple's professional DAW. That app runs at $199.99, but with this deal, it could be yours for $50 off.

Apple adds more “Hey Siri, give us a hint” jokes leading up to its big iPhone event

Jeff Benjamin ∙ September 7, 2015

When Apple sent out invitations for its upcoming iPhone and Apple TV event, it included the tagline: "Hey Siri, give us a hint." Asking Siri to lend a hint encourages the personal assistant to troll users with comedic "answers" about the big event.

Well, apparently Apple isn't done having fun, as it's updated Siri's responses with some new answers just ahead of its event on Wednesday. Some of the answers are quite clever, and in one of them, Siri even responds with message in binary.

DaisyDisk: the best app for cleaning up your Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

As an owner of a Late 2013 MacBook Pro with a measly 256GB of flash storage, space is at a premium for me. Yes, I keep an external drive for all of my video content, but with a drive this small I still find it necessary to keep tabs on my storage space and delete unneeded files on a regular basis.

You can always use the Finder to manage storage space, but that can get tedious. Although it's technically capable of doing so, the Finder isn't the best tool for analyzing your available storage space and deleting files.

Instead, I find that a Mac App Store app called DaisyDisk does a superb job of helping me managing my Mac's storage space. DaisyDisk is a $9.99 Mac App Store app with an awesome looking interface that makes managing storage space a walk in the park.

New report outlines additional iPad Pro details on storage size, screen size, and more

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

A new report, by well-sourced blogger Mark Gurman, has outlined additional information regarding the upcoming iPad Pro. Just two days from what will likely be the super-sized tablet's first public appearance, details on its storage size, apps, and accessories are revealed in a new writeup on 9to5Mac. What storage size will the iPad Pro start at? How much might it cost? Will it include the long-rumored stylus accessory?

Review: WALTR for Mac converts & transfers any video to iPhone and iPad, no iTunes required

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2015

Getting DivX and MKV movies, FLAC audio files or audiobooks onto your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad is an incredibly cumbersome multi-step procedure, one that involves third-party apps like Handbrake to transcode “foreign” media files into iOS-friendly formats before importing them into iTunes for syncing with your iOS gadgets.

I've tried many, many apps which promise to get the job done before deciding to settle on WALTR by young European startup Softorino.

Now, I'm not exaggerating when I say that WALTR is an absolutely incredible piece of software. This nifty program literally takes the pain away from transferring media to iOS devices without worrying about file types.

Its lightning fast algorithm is hands down the best I've ever seen, on any platform, ever. I've been happily using WALTR for months now and couldn't be happier with it. And trust me when I say that you should be using WALTR, too, especially if you aren't jailbroken and want the simplest solution possible for transferring media to your device without going through iTunes.

How to set new Mac Finder windows to open in the size you want

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2025

Finder in macOS won’t always remember window sizes and positions. Thankfully, it’s possible to override a window’s default opening behavior on macOS and set it to open to the same size as the last one you created. We’ll show you the right steps for that.

Apple finds it tough to recruit top minds in artificial intelligence and machine learning

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2015

Apple's massive hiring effort in artificial intelligence and machine learning has hit roadblocks as the company is increasingly finding it tough to recruit top data scientists and AI experts due to its own strict privacy policies that prevent those engineers from retrieving valuable user data.

In other words, according to a Reuters report Monday, some of the brightest minds in artificial intelligence are increasingly not interested in working for a company that values and respects privacy of its users.

Why Netflix won’t offer offline viewing

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2015

Amazon recently delighted its iOS-toting users by allowing offline viewing of Prime Instant Video movies and television shows, but don't count on Netflix offering the same feature anytime soon.

Gizmodo reached out to Netflix and asked the company why it won't change its firm stance that it's not going to offer offline downloads through its mobile applications and the official company line is eyebrow-raising.

Take a peek at Apple’s new Texas offices, its second largest operation in the world

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2018

Austin American-Statesman on Monday published a nice photo gallery providing our first sneak peek at Apple's new offices in Austin, Texas.

The premises include a complete wellness center, a doctor's office, restaurants, smoothie bars, exam rooms named after Texas parks and more.

The upcoming campus is located in Northwest Austin off Parmer Lane. When completed, it will consist of 1.1 million square feet of office space covering 38 acres.

In addition to the Austin facilities, Apple's been building a new ring-shaped corporate home in Cupertino called Campus 2, also known as Spaceship.