Apple

Good news, tinkerers: Mac Pro’s CPU is removable

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 27, 2013

Quick, what's more painful than dropping anywhere between $3,000 to $20,000 on Apple's juicy new Mac Pro? Being unable to perform a DIY upgrade of the computer's main processor to a faster Intel chip down the road, of course! But worry not as a quick teardown has confirmed an upgradeable CPU so tinkerers and creative pros around the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Other World Computing, a U.S. company which has been in the business of selling various after-market upgrades for Apple products since 1998, has tore apart the new Mac Pro to reveal a socketed Intel Xeon E5 chip, potentially allowing for future upgrades...

Apple renews bid to permanently ban infringing Samsung products that no longer exist

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 27, 2013

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in November greenlighted Apple's appeal to a U.S. district court ruling which had originally rejected the company's request to ban accused Samsung products from the U.S. market.

Last month's Appeals court ruling has prompted Judge Lucy Koh to reconsider her original decision and has opened door to a permanent sales ban on more than twenty different Samsung smartphones and tablets.

Sure enough, Apple yesterday renewed its motion to permanently halt the sales of these devices in the United States, even though Samsung no longer offers none of the devices in question...

HTC infographic sheds light on ridiculously complex Android OS update process

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

HTC, the struggling Taiwanese handset maker and one of the early Android backers, on Thursday released an interesting infographic which details the incredibly slow, painful and complex process of developing, testing, certifying and deploying Android OS firmware updates to devices in the wild.

According to Apple, 74 percent of devices had iOS 7 installed two and a half months following its release versus 1.1 percent of devices running Android 4.4 KitKat, as per Google's developer dashboard. Compared to the ease of applying iOS updates, the Internet giant is unable to just launch a new Android OS software update by making it live on its servers.

Instead, the anatomy of an Android firmware update resembles a no-man's land where carriers, handset vendors and chipset makers, each with its own vested interests, often stall or even block these updates as a way of nudging customers to upgrade their hardware instead.

Often times, Android OS updates for specific devices never arrive at all and would get lost in the complex approval and certification limbo involving at least four stakeholders agreeing in order for an Android update to make it to customer devices...

Nokia pulls Here Maps because iOS 7 changes ‘harm user experience’

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Nokia's long-standing mapping service rebranded as Here got announced in November 2012, with the native iPhone and iPad application arriving soon after with maps for around 200 countries, voice-guided walking navigation, public transportation directions and offline capability.

It was a nice little app that Nokia hoped would effectively fill the void in the App Store at the height of the iOS Mapsgate controversy.

Then, Google released its revamped standalone Maps for iPhone and spoiled the party for Nokia as its offering quickly tanked in App Store rankings. On Thursday, the embattled Finnish company has removed the Here application from the App Store, with a company spokesperson firing a potshot at Apple's iOS 7 in a written statement...

CTIA launches Know My App web tool detailing mobile app data usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

The App Store hosts a myriad of utilities to measure your favorite app’s cellular data usage after downloading, ranging from DataMan Next to Apple's own per-app measurements in Settings > Cellular. However, no tool existed to estimate an app’s data usage before downloading it.

That's where a new solution called Know My App comes handy.

A website launched by CTIA on Thursday, an industry trade group that represents the international wireless telecommunications industry, Know My App features a growing list of popular mobile applications with their respective data usage broken down in several useful categories.

This lets folks on metered cellular plans educate themselves on how much data their favorite app is using when it's downloaded, at initialization, during active run time and during background time. The website also includes information about how smartphone and tablet owners can conserve data...

iOS five times as popular as Android for Christmas shopping on mobile

Christian Zibreg ∙ December 27, 2013

In something of a repeat of 2012 when the iPad crushed Android tablets in Black Friday mobile revenue, this time around U.S. shoppers used their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad gadgets to racket up a whopping five times the amount of mobile Christmas Day sales as Android devices did, accounting for more than an 83 percent take of mobile-oriented sales compared to Google's mobile platform.

That's the gist of yesterday's survey by IBM providing insights into the nation's mobile holiday shopping patterns. Read on for the full breakdown...

Day 2 of Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts: free episode of ‘Once Upon a Time’ [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

We are now on day 2 of Apple's 12 Days of Gifts event, meaning Apple has removed the Justin Timberlake EP and has posted a new free item for download. Today's gift is an episode—the pilot episode—of ABC's hit television series: 'Once Upon a Time.'

For those who haven't seen it, it's an American fairy tale drama that takes place in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine, where the residents are actually fairy tale characters. It sounds odd, but it's currently the #1 non-sports show on Sunday nights.

Update: interestingly enough, it looks like Apple changed the free download item mid-day. It now shows the game Tiny Thief here in the US. Get it while you can!

Siri may soon sort through your photos, new Apple invention reveals

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

With the ever-improving capabilities of smartphone cameras and so many great moments to capture on the go and share with your Instagram followers, browsing the hundreds - often times even thousands - of photographs in your iOS Camera Roll just to find that great shot of your significant other you've taken some time last year is starting to increasingly feel like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Sure, you can import iPhoto or Aperture albums or create your own ones right on your device. And yes, Apple's improved the photo management capabilities of iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices by introducing new features in iOS 7, such as the ability to automatically group your photographs based on time taken and location.

A new patent now reveals that Apple could tap Siri to let you sort through your photos - and even tag them - just by using your voice...

Apple to kick off annual ‘Lucky Bag’ one-day sale in Japan on January 2

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple has confirmed that its retail stores in Japan will be kicking off the holiday 'Lucky Bag' promotion next Thursday, January 2, 2014. The country's annual sales event is something of a local tradition and Apple has made sure to delight its loyal fans with mystery bags filled with randomly picked products.

These bags are discounted so the customer typically ends up paying less than the total combined value of the included goods. The trick is that shoppers can't really tell what's inside a bag until they have bought it...

Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission fines Apple $700k over iPhone pricing

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has been fined 20 million New Taiwan dollars, or roughly $670,000 USD, by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission for interfering with mobile service providers and handset distributors' pricing.

The Commission found Apple guilty of violating article 18 of the country's Fair Trade Act after discovering emails from the Cupertino company to Taiwan's three main service providers, telling them how much their iPhones should sell for...

Apple kicks off its ’12 Days of Gifts’ event with Justin Timberlake EP

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 19, 2018

Christmas may be over now, but that doesn't mean you have to be done getting presents. Apple has kicked off its '12 Days of Gifts' event this morning with a free gift for its faithful users, and will continue to give one each day for the next week and a half.

Today's gift is the iTunes Festival EP from music superstar Justin Timberlake. The album contains 4 live performances from Apple's annual music festival this year, and is free for all users in qualifying areas who have downloaded the 12 Days of Gifts app...

A look back at some of Apple’s old Christmas commercials

Cody Lee ∙ December 24, 2013

Apple's been causing a lot of commotion lately with its latest iPhone 5s commercial 'Misunderstood.' The ad, for those who haven't seen it, depicts a teenager with his head buried in his smartphone while the family participates in holiday activities, and has a delightful twist.

But Apple hasn't always been so sentimental around the holidays. In fact, it's been making Christmas-themed spots for over two decades now, and many of them tended to err on the side of humor. Don't believe me? Check out some of these Apple ads from the last 20 years...