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Foxconn reportedly looking to build factories in the US

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2012

One of the hot button economic and political issues in the US right now is how do we bring back manufacturing jobs? The unemployment rate is extremely high right now, and a lot of folks are suggesting we try to get back the thousands of manufacturing positions that have been sent overseas.

Apple is frequently brought up in this conversation due to its size and visibility. The company now sells some 50 million iDevices each quarter, and they're all made outside of the country. But that may not be the case much longer. According to a new report, Foxconn is looking to build plants in the US...

AT&T announces new FaceTime over Cellular policy

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2012

AT&T has announced today that it is reversing its decision to limit iOS 6's FaceTime over Cellular ability to customers on its new shared data plans. The carrier says that subscribers with LTE devices will now be able to use the feature regardless of what data plan they're on, as long as it's not unlimited...

Suppliers profit up 29% on new Apple product launches

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 8, 2012

A high tide lifts all ships, especially if it is Apple. That's the word today from one observer who says Apple suppliers are enjoying a 29 percent profit boost due to "blockbuster new products" recently released. Apple's key suppliers saw their profits increase dramatically compared to the usual (and paltry) two percent growth and much higher than September's tepid one percent increase, Wall Street analyst Brian White told investors Thursday. The reason: Apple's line of new products, including the iPad mini, iPhone 5, a thinner iMac lineup and refreshed MacBooks...

Apple researching iDevice packaging that doubles as a dock

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2012

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has published a number of interesting patents and applications belonging to Apple today. Earlier we saw a patent application for iDevice cooling fans. And now this.

This is actually pretty cool: it's a patent app detailing a new kind of retail packaging for Apple's iOS products that not only protects the device during shipping, but also doubles as a dock for iPhones and iPads...

Apple warns of App Store freeze, December 21-28

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 8, 2012

Apple in an email communication sent to its registered developers confirmed that it will be shutting down the iTunes Connect service for the holidays, between December 21-28. During that period, developers will not be able to use the iTunes Connect portal to upload new app submissions, make price changes or update apps. As a result, the state of the App Store will remain frozen for the holidays so customers should not expect new apps or app updates...

T-Mobile confirms nearly half a million customers lost in Q3 over iPhone 5 launch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The nation's fourth-largest carrier continues to experience the side-effects of remaining the sole major U.S. telco without Apple's popular iPhone. The company this morning reported third-quarter earnings and the results are depressing. It lost 492,000 contract customers, down from the 557,000 loss in the June quarter but also up over the year-ago quarter when it reported loss of 389,000 contracts.

As a result, revenue for the quarter shrank to $4.9 billion, a 6.4 percent decline, while service revenue experienced an 8.7 percent drop...

The Fair Labor Association accused of being too easy on Apple and Foxconn

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2012

The working conditions inside Foxconn's plants are constantly under scrutiny. But different reports seem to paint different pictures about what it's really like beyond the gates. One month we'll hear that Apple isn't doing enough to prevent child labor and long hours inside the factories. And the next we'll hear the opposite, with the factories passing inspections and praised for their improvements.

So what gives? Well according to a new study, the Fair Labor Association — the group responsible for holding Apple and its supply chain accountable for this stuff — has been going way too easy on them and has even been fabricating its reports...

Student creates invisible virtual keyboard for iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 8, 2012

http://vimeo.com/49780741

A lot of ordinary people upon seeing Aatma Studios’s concept of an iPhone with a holographic keyboard thought Apple was working on one (Fox News certainly fell for it). Florian Kräutli, a computing student at Goldsmiths, University of London, had a better idea.

Instead of a laser-projected virtual keyboard, he uses the iPhone's sensitive accelerometer sensor to measure the strength and frequency of microscopic vibrations that occur when "typing" on a surrounding surface area. Enter Vibrative Virtual Keyboard...

The iPhone drops out of China’s top 5 list

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

More than ever before, Apple's iPhone faces relentless competition, namely in markets where Android cheapos are all the rage. China, home to 1.33 billion people, is Apple's fastest-growing market, amounting to an ever-growing portion of its fortunes. But Apple's China problem is two-fold. First, the company's retail presence in such hugely important market leaves a lot to be desired, even with new flagship stores such as the recently introduced massive Beijing outlet. And second, China's buyers have always been price-sensitive. Outside the elite, folks are picking up inexpensive phones in droves, with local Chinese vendors happily providing low-cost handsets...

Analyst: iPhone 5 availability improving, 46.5M iPhones sales in December

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 8, 2012

The future is looking up for consumers hoping to lay their hands on an iPhone 5. After doubts arose over whether suppliers could meet high demand for Apple's new handset, a Wall Street observer told investors Thursday the situation has "much improved" since September. Stern Agee analyst Shaw Wu believes the Cupertino, California company will sell 46.5 million smartphones in the December quarter, a huge increase from September's 26.9 million iPhones shipped...

Ryan Petrich releases his own Siri inspired Google voice search tweak

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Hot on the heels of another jailbreak tweak that allows you to search the new Google Search app using only your voice, comes Activoice — a similar tweak from Ryan Petrich.

Like the NowNow tweak that we covered yesterday, Activoice allows you to easily invoke the new voice portion of the Google Search app similar to the way that you using Activator. Take a look inside for our hands on video coverage of the tweak in action.

Apple patents cooling fans for iPhones, iPads

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Is there a fan in the future for the iPad or iPhone? That question is front-and-center following word Apple has filed to patent a fan to cool its popular mobile devices. The measure is seen as a response to criticisms that the iPad grows hot due to powerful processors and CPU-intensive tasks.

The patent application, entitled "Cooling system for mobile devices", indicates a mechanical system comprised of fan, motor and an alert which potentially would vibrate the device. Because of the tight quarters, the motor would do double duty, driving both the fan and the alert, when required. Air intake and exhaust would likely employ an existing outlet in the devices, such as a headphone jack or the new Lightning connector port...