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Flat iPad sales are the new normal, cautions analyst

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

In announcing financial results for the March 2014 quarter, Apple surprised analysts by reporting basically flat iPad growth.

Compared to the same quarter in 2013, sales of the Apple tablet hit the 16.35 million unit mark versus analyst consensus of 19.7 million units. More worryingly, it's a 16 percent annual drop from the 19.5 million iPads moved in the year-ago quarter.

Slowing growth is the new normal rather than an anomaly because the tablet market as a whole has seen little innovation lately, cautions Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty...

Twitter updates iPad app with new features, starts rolling out ‘mute’ function

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 28, 2018

Twitter today posted an update for its iOS app, bringing it to version 6.5. The update brings about a handful of improvements for the iPad client, including a new design, photo and video previews for timeline, and easier access to DMs.

It also appears that Twitter has begun rolling out its new 'mute' feature to its web and mobile apps. Earlier this month the website was discovered testing the function with select users, but today it's becoming available on a wider scale...

Apple to accelerate Safari’s JavaScript engine

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

Nitro, WebKit's JavaScript interpreter used in Apple's Safari, is about to get a lot speedier as Apple is seemingly looking to close a speed gap between its browser and both Google Chrome's V8 and Mozilla Firefox's SpiderMonkey engines.

The vast majority of today's web applications use JavaScript for interactivity and other purposes so any improvements in a browser's JavaScript performance would normally trickle down to the end-user level, resulting in snappier web browsing...

AT&T introduces in-store pickup for online orders

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

If you plan on buying a smartphone or a tablet from AT&T anytime soon, you'll love the carrier's new in-store pickup option. Introduced Monday, the service allows you to order your mobile gear online - be it a smartphone/tablet, a piece of network equipment such as routers and 4G MiFi hotspots or various wireless accessories - and have it delivered to a nearby brick-and-mortar store.

Verizon for quite some time has been offering in-store pickups for online orders - as has been Apple - so this new service will improve AT&T's ability to compete and potentially help increase foot traffic at its own stores...

Bloomberg: Apple to keep Beats as a separate brand, improve headphones design

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

A report last Thursday by The Financial Times on Apple's alleged $3.2 billion purchase of Beats Electronics, LCC. - potentially Apple's most pricey acquisition to date - has taken the technology industry by surprise.

And as pundits continue to assess the rationale behind Apple's purported move, Bloomberg on Monday ran a revealing story explaining that the two firms share more commonalities than meets the eye, despite a world of difference in terms of corporate culture.

Moreover, Apple apparently intends to keep Beats hardware around while improving upon the design of the startup's pricey headphones...

Cheaper 8GB iPhone 5c heading for India in June

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

Now we know why Apple recently pulled its four years old iPhone 4 from store shelves in India, just a few months after re-introducing the handset to the 1.24 billion people market in January: according to a new report by an Indian newspaper, the Cupertino company is gearing up to launch its 8GB iPhone 5c in the country by early next month.

Apple's mid-tier handset with eight gigabytes of storage will cost Rs 35,000/37,000 with a buyback offer, which works out to about $585/$618 in U.S. dollars...

Native iPad interface found in Google Play Music for iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

Google's official Play Music app for iOS, in case you didn't know, is an iPhone and iPod touch only affair as the software does not support iPads natively. That could change soon because hidden inside the code of the iPhone app, a free download in the App Store, is a native iPad interface. This indicates Google may be putting finishing touches on the universal binary which will take advantage of the iPad's bigger canvas...

Apple cuts refund times for returns in half

Christian Zibreg ∙ May 12, 2014

One of Tim Cook's latest tricks meant to improve shopping experience and boost sales at Apple's online store is decreased refund turnaround times for product returns, according to a Reuters report Monday. Previously, it took about ten working days to get a refund, according to estimates by retail-intelligence firm StellaService. These refund times have now been cut in half so customers can get a refund in a less than a week...

LG teases upcoming Android Wear-based ‘G Watch’

Cody Lee ∙ May 12, 2014

LG has posted a teaser clip this weekend for its upcoming G Watch, which is an Android Wear-based smartwatch. The video doesn't offer up much in the way of specs or feature details, but it gives you a good look at its design and function.

The G Watch will apparently be the first watch powered by Android's new wearables platform it introduced back in March. It has a metal body, which is both dust and water resistant, and is compatible with a stout number of Android devices...

Samsung was Apple’s top iPad display supplier in Q1 this year

Cody Lee ∙ May 12, 2014

Despite their frequent disputes in the court room, Apple and Samsung remain close supply chain partners. The Cupertino company has been trying to distance itself, but Samsung still makes a number of components used in the firm's line of mobile products.

In fact, according to a new report by ZDNet Korea, the South Korean tech giant was Apple's number one iPad display supplier in the first quarter this year. The outlet says Samsung claimed the top spot by shipping 5.4 million panels for the iPad Air during Q1...

dEXTRIS is a fast-paced game you don’t want to put down

Lory Gil ∙ May 11, 2014

In recent months, “snack sized” casual games have become a big hit in the App Store, especially the ones that are incredibly difficult. The harder, the better. That is one reason why the Flappy Bird phenomenon took off. Games that are too hard will often play on your psyche, making you want to play it “one more time” to try to beat your previous, paltry high score.

dEXTRIS does just that. The game is very simple in mechanic, but nearly impossible in execution. Dodge spikes, split cubes and maneuver through narrow pathways to get to the highest score possible…

Some theories on why Apple would want to buy Beats

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Since word got out last Thursday that Apple is in the final stages of purchasing Beats Electronics, it seems like everyone and their dog has written an op-ed on why Tim Cook and company would want to spend $3 billion on the headphone-maker.

While I normally love playing armchair analyst on topics like this, I've decided this time not to add to the noise. Instead, I've rounded up a handful of some of the better theories I've seen around the web on why an Apple-Beats deal makes any sense...