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iOS 6 adoption rate: nearly 2 out of every 3 devices upgraded

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 8, 2016

According to a new Chitika survey, a month following its public release iOS 6 is found on approximately 61 percent of devices. When Chitika conducted a similar survey just 24 hours after iOS 6 availability, it found the software on some fifteen percent of devices (25 percent after 48 hours of availability).

People who want to be on the bleeding edge of technology usually install the latest and greatest version of iOS within the first week or two, with some opting to hold out until early kinks have been worked out. The numbers do suggest that the rate of iOS 6 adoption is stabilizing.

Apple itself on September 24 said iOS 6 ran on one-quarter of all iOS devices it sold to that date, amounting to a total of a hundred million iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running iOS 6...

Apple leaks: increasingly they are made in China

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 22, 2012

If there is one word that is often used to describe Apple it is "secretive." The Cupertino, California firm is legendary for its corporate tight lips. Increasingly, however, there are few secrets left when it comes to Apple products. A number of insiders are blaming Apple's extensive supply chain and companies outside the US.

"Apple's security practices are targeted at making sure U.S. employees don't leak stuff, but everything comes out of China now," an unnamed employee of the iPhone maker told Ars Technica Monday. This inability to ensure suppliers outside the U.S. share the same regard for product secrecy has led Apple to tighten the screws on employees at home - sometimes with questionable results.

Another blunder for RIM as government agencies dump BlackBerries for iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2012

Research In Motion's BlackBerry not that long ago was the dominant smartphone platform. Due to its incompetent management all too easily waving off the iPhone threat, which along with Android went on to slaughter the BlackBerry in the consumer space, RIM has now sought a retreat in big corporations and government agencies - its only remaining strongholds.

The problem is, the enterprise market is now dropping BlackBerries in droves and governments around the world are following suit. The latest example: both the U.S. Immigration and Customer Enforcement agency and government consultant Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. are dropping a total of nearly 50,000 BlackBerry handsets in favor of iPhones and devices powered by Google's Android software...

NPD: Low-cost smartphone market to double through 2016

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It's ironic, but the Asian-Pacific region, where many iPhone parts are produced, is a hotbed for an explosion of smartphones priced at less than $150. In a new report, shipments of low-cost smartphones are expected to climb to 311 million units by 2016, up from just 4.5 million now. What's more, by 2016, low-cost smartphones will account for 29 percent of all smartphone sales, according to NPD DisplaySearch. Android - not Apple - is leading the charge with its open-source operating system...

Apple’s Forstall says iPhone 5 keyboard flickering is a software glitch, promises fix

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2012

If a growing thread on Apple's discussion forum is anything to go by, a bunch of iPhone 5 owners continue to complain about an annoying flickering thing which apparently manifests itself when the software keyboard pops up on the App Store password entry dialog box.

A report out this morning first suggested that an incremental iOS 6.0.1 update, said to have entered testing, will fix this and other issues plaguing the iOS 6 software. iDB has now received another confirmation that a fix is in the works, via an alleged email exchange between a reader and Apple's SVP Scott Forstall who's in charge of the iOS platform...

More headache for Apple and MFi partners as multiple clones of Lightning design emerge

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple has replaced its decade-old 30-pin connector with a brand new 9-pin Lightning plug in its latest round of iPhone and iPod refreshes last month. Per teardown, the new Lightning I/O has also brought with it an authentication chip that along with tightened ‘MFi’ terms is meant to prevent third parties from making unapproved accessories.

Adding insult to injury, it's also been suggested that cracked chips which bypass its authentication functions are now available. Today, BGR posted images of several claimed third party authentication chips for Lightning USB cables.

Of course, the chips are not officially approved by Apple and present an ample opportunity for shady Chinese firms to manufacture Lightning cables, adapters and other accessories that should easily work with Lightning-equipped iOS devices while costing far less than Apple's overpriced alternatives....

Mosaic lets you create beautiful photo books from your iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ October 22, 2012

It's funny how things happen in life. A couple weeks ago, I was telling my wife that I would like to start putting together photo books of our daughter on a monthly basis, right from my iPhone, but without spending hours putting them up together. At the time, I told my wife that to my knowledge, there was no such app that would allow me to publish photo books in just a few minutes.

Then, as if they had heard me, the fine folks at Mosaic emailed me to let me know about their upcoming app and printing service, which lets you create beautiful printable photo books in a matter of minutes. I was definitely sold on the idea, but I still had to try it for myself.

I was sent an early release of the app, as well as a coupon code worth $26.50, which equals to $20 for the photo album, and $6.50 for shipping charges. With this loaded on my iPhone, I was really excited about the opportunity to try on this new service...

Paid iBooks go live in a slew of new countries

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2012

With less than 24 hours away until Apple's media event that will serve as a launchpad for the mini iPad and rumored new educational initiatives, Apple has rolled out paid iBookstore content in a slew of new countries. Paid electronic books first surfaced this morning over in the New Zealand iBookstore, but subsequent reports confirmed that paid content is now live - or in the process of going live - in as much as seventeen Latin American markets...

Galaxy Note II TV ad sold me on the stylus thing

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 22, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NNNHLjMc9I

Pundits are holding their breath as Apple is prepping to unleash the iPad mini upon the world, but over at Samsung it's business as usual. The company's mobile arm this morning posted to its official YouTube channel an interesting television commercial for the massive 5.55-inch Galaxy Note II phablet.

Now, it's true the media slammed Samsung over its stylus thing called S-Pen, but I'll be the first to admit this 30-second ad effectively makes the case for a stylus-based tablet computing. A team of people is seen collaborating on ideas while on the go, using the stylus and apps optimized for it.

It's not likely Apple will release a stylus-based device in the near future. Remember, Steve Jobs once said, "if you see a stylus, they blew it". Samsung hardly blew it with the Note: by August, it sold ten million units worldwide. Somebody out there must be loving a stylus on their tablet...

Can a smaller iPad up the cool quotient in education?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

As Apple dresses up San Jose's California Theatre for Tuesday's big event, rumors multiply suggesting a strong K-12 push for the iPad mini. The Next Web was first to report of this, providing a screenshot depicting an e-book listing on the iTunes Store which inadvertently mentioned Apple's iBooks 3.0, which hasn't been released yet.

Today, Bloomberg confirms the iPad mini's focus on education and expands on existing reports by writing that Apple expects the forthcoming device to widen its lead in education over Amazon and Google, whose respective seven-inch tablets start at just $199. Eve with the smaller iPad expected to command a premium, possibly starting as high as $329 (or $249 if Barclays Plc is right and this leak is legit), Apple certainly will offer discounts to educational institutions which buy devices in bulk.

We're also expecting interesting back-to-school promos centered around the iPad mini, much in the same way the company's been doing for years with MacBooks, iPods, iTunes Gift Cards and other gear...

Samsung said to end LCD sales to Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

More fallout from Apple's patent lawsuit win against Samsung: the South Korean company's LCD arm will stop selling displays to the Cupertino, California iPhone maker. The reason? Samsung Display no longer sees Apple as "a cash-generator due to the iPhone maker's stiffer supply-chain management structure," a South Korean newspaper reports.

"We are unable to supply our flat-screens to Apple with huge price discounts," a senior Samsung source was quoted Monday. To make up for the lost business, both Samsung's own handset unit and Amazon are upping their orders from Samsung Display, the source said...