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Why Retina display is more than twice as responsive as the competition

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2013

Say what you will, but Apple owns the most responsive mobile OS and has the smoothest multitouch implementation by leaps and bounds.

Unsurprisingly, the Retina display hardware is a major part of that accomplishment - and I'm not talking about pixel density or image quality.

No, the key contributing factor to the iPhone's multitouch immediacy is the short response time of the device’s touch panel on the hardware level. In fact, Apple's capacitive touchscreen implementation runs circles around competition, a recent barrage of tests have proven.

The iPhone 5's four-inch Retina screen is significantly faster than any of its rivals - up to twice as fast as its nearest competitor. Jump past the fold for detailed findings...

Foxconn could help ship Apple products directly to China to reduce import taxes

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2013

Foxconn, Apple's longtime partner, has been assembling Apple gadgets for years. The world's largest manufacturer and product assembler may have been at odds with its prime client lately over slowing sales, but that doesn't mean the two giants won't be extending their partnership - quite the contrary. If there's any substance to a new story published Tuesday, Apple may have found a way to reduce import taxes in mainland China by having Foxconn International provide new logistic and after-sale maintenance services to the technology giant...

Phil Schiller calls out Samsung for benchmark ‘shenanigans’

Cody Lee ∙ October 1, 2013

Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller is at it again, stirring the pot via his Twitter again. Earlier this year he called out Android for its staggering malware problem, and today he put Samsung in his sights.

This morning, Schiller tweeted out a link to an ArsTechnica article called 'Galaxy Note 3’s benchmarking “adjustments” inflate scores by up to 20%.' And the SVP calls 'shenanigans' on Samsung's attempt to pad its benchmark scores...

Steve Jobs had hand in newly-patented glass entryway for Shanghai store

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated December 6, 2013

Typically, Apple patents technology sold within its retail locations. However, today the company received a patent for the design and construction of the glass cylindrical entrance to its Apple Store in Shanghai. Unlike most entrances, the one in Shanghai shapes huge slabs of glass, connected by a complex arrangement of fittings to form a building unto itself. To top it all off, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is among the patent inventors...

Carl Icahn pushes Cook for $150B stock buyback over NYC dinner

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Dinner with billionaire investor Carl Icahn often gives corporate CEOs heartburn. Icahn is known for buying company shares, then pushing for changes - and it is no different with Apple. Monday night Icahn asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to increase to $150 billion the amount of stock the iPhone maker plans to buy back, more than doubling Apple's previously pledge of $60 billion. Last night's New York City dinnertime discussion comes after Icahn invested somewhere near $2 billion in Apple in August. Reports say the activist investor sees Apple shares still undervalued...

Vevo and NHL channels hit Germany in international Apple TV push

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2013

Although Apple has updated its Apple TV box a few times this year, making it much more useful by enabling a bunch of additional channels, most of the premium content sources are limited to users in the United States due to licensing restrictions. A good example is Netflix, which just rolled out crisp Super HD video streaming that's unfortunately of little use to the folks living outside the 41 Netflix-supported markets around the globe.

It's not just paid streaming services: some of the most popular free channels come region-restricted as well. Take Vevo, for example, which got added to the $99 streamer late-August but did not work in all regions. In a sign that Eddy Cue and his team have been able to negotiate a better deal, Apple TV users in Germany are now reporting sightings of both Vevo and NHL channels on their device...

Former MobileMe members lose 20GB free storage, here’s what to know

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 22, 2023

Apple gave former MobileMe members a complimentary twenty gigabytes of free cloud storage upgrade after moving to iCloud between October 12, 2011 and August 1, 2012. The company's been sending email notices ahead of the cut-off deadline a few times now.

Unfortunately, today marks the day when your complimentary storage expires. Yours truly used to be a paid MobileMe member and today my iCloud storage got automatically adjusted to the free entry-level 5GB iCloud tier. Here's what you need to know about the change and how to avoid service interruption...

iPhone boosts T-Mobile sales, overtakes Android in Japan

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 1, 2013

The iPhone has fueled smartphone sales by Apple's latest U.S. carrier partner, Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile USA. In the three-month period ended in August, the service provider saw its share of domestic smartphone sales jump to 13.2 percent, up 1 percent.

According to a report released Monday, the carrier began in April attracting owners of feature phones upgrading to smartphones. Now, however, 56 percent of consumers buying an iPhone from T-Mobile are coming from another smartphone. Indeed, more than 38 percent of T-Mobile's smartphone purchasers previously owned Android handsets...

The best apps for artists

Lory Gil ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

For a number of years now, app developers have been working hard to create amazing apps for artists. With current technology, it is possible to simulate wet and dry brushes, color blending, and smudging on an iPhone or iPad.

We have a list of some of the best painting, drawing, and sketching apps for iOS. Whether you are learning to draw or a professional graphic designer, these apps are a great addition to your iPhone or iPad…

Wibbitz: stay updated on the latest news with beautiful video summaries

Lory Gil ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Lately, there have been quite a few apps launched in the App Store that do more than just show you typical news stories that you read. With today’s technologies, there is no reason to actually read anything.

Wibbitz reads you the news, but also presents you with a visual companion to make listening to the news more interesting. It is like a mini movie for your favorite articles…

Verizon will honor weekend upgrade orders with unlimited data

Cody Lee ∙ October 1, 2013

Over the weekend, a number of Verizon customers reported that they were able to upgrade to the iPhone 5s (and other handsets) without losing their grandfathered unlimited data plan—something the carrier put a stop to last summer.

As we expected, this was the result of a software glitch, and Verizon fixed it first thing Monday morning. But here's something we didn't see coming: the company says it will honor the orders and let customers keep their unlimited plans...

Apple taps Blue Jays assistant GM to head up App Store sports section

Cody Lee ∙ October 1, 2013

In a somewhat odd move, Apple has hired away the Toronto Blue Jays' assistant manager Jay Sartori for a position on its App Store team. I mean, the company frequently snags top talent from silicon valley, but the MLB?

Apparently, Sartori will be taking over as the manager of the 'sports and entertainment' category in the App Store for the Cupertino company—a major departure from his contract and bargaining duties with the Blue Jays...