Apple

Two iWatch sizes: 1.7 inches for men and 1.3 inches for women

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 13, 2013

If you believe research firm DisplaySearch, the Apple smartwatch project, the iWatch, has taken the front seat as the company sharpens its focus on wearable technology, allegedly at the expense of a full-on television set which one reliable analysts now thinks is more of a 2015-2016 thing.

According to a new report by The Korea Herald, DisplaySearch thinks the iWatch will come in two sizes accommodating for men and women's wrist. In the case of men, the iWatch should have a 1.7-inch display, the research firm said. On the other hand, women should get a tinier device outfitted with a smaller 1.3-inch display...

Verizon says data-hungry users hamper LTE network quality in big cities

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 23, 2017

When was the last time you heard a major United States wireless carrier admit that its network is facing pressure to meet the needs of its users? That's exactly what Fran Shammo, Verizon's chief financial officer, said in response to reports that its LTE network is folding under pressure in major cities such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago.

The network strain results in some users in metropolitan areas seeing their data throughput dropping to slower 3G speeds. Verizon blames its deteriorating network quality on "capacity constraints."

The company has promised to allocate more resources toward fixing the network in high-congestion areas so that these slowdowns dissipate by the end of the year...

Kuo: A7-driven Apple TV in 2014, iTV in 2015-2016

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Citing supply chain sources, DisplaySearch yesterday shattered analyst Gene Munster's 'Apple-televison-set-due-this-Christmas' pipe dream to pieces by claiming Apple has put the iTV project on the back burner as it focuses on wearable projects, a new priority for Tim Cook & Co. And guess what reliable analyst restrains himself from making wild Munster-like iTV predictions?

That's right, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities.

Thus, it goes without saying that Kuo's note to clients in which he analyzes Apple's television plans hasn't gone unnoticed with us. In short, he's suggesting that with the technological pieces all in place now Apple is about to introduce significant improvements to the existing $99 Apple TV set-top box.

Bonus: I also get to deconstruct some of the outrageously inaccurate predictions by crazypants Apple analysts Gene Munster!

Poll: are you buying Retina iPad mini?

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Apple's iPad mini with Retina display is finally here and available via online orders, with shipping or pickup at the company's brick-and-mortar outlets. In fact, the new iPads are already being featured prominently on the online Apple Store.

Wasting no time whatsoever, Apple's web store is now pitching both new iPads as perfect holiday gifts, even with the initially severely constrained supplies of Retina iPad minis.

With that in mind, today I want to focus on a Retina successor to Apple's best-selling tablet, the iPad mini. Do you think you'll be getting an iPad mini with Retina display this coming holidays? The poll is right past the fold so cast your vote and meet us in comments. Should be fun!

Christmas comes early as Apple refreshes web store with holiday gift ideas

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 26, 2017

A seeming barrage of Apple product refreshes over the past few months has helped a great deal overhaul virtually the company's whole lineup. For starters, with September's dual-launch Apple's replaced the iPhone 5 with the fingerprint-reading iPhone 5s and the colorful iPhone 5c and released iOS 7 for public consumption.

Moreover, Tim Cook & Co. have finally managed to give the iPad mini and 13-inch MacBook Pro some much-needed Retina/Haswell love while at the same time introducing the iPad Air and rebooting Mac Pro around a radical new industrial design.

Doomed, indeed!

This has become Apple's modus operandi as of lately: they time product updates so that everything gets revamped ahead of the all-important holiday season. With less than three weeks until Black Friday, Apple's now updated its online store with some nice gift ideas for holiday shoppers...

California inventor gears up for legal showdown with Apple over iPhone features

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

"Boy, have we patented it!", quipped Steve Jobs in wrapping up the segment of his January 2007 MacWorld Expo presentation dealing with the iPhone's multi-touch user interface.

Months later, Jobs through the combination of sheer willpower, yelling and F-bombs would impose restrictions on early Android releases.

The goal was to prevent Google's smartphone software from employing multitouch gestures on mobile devices that Apple had been researching for years. The strategy eventually failed, prompting Apple to launch proxy battles against Android backers such as HTC, Samsung and Motorola over prized iPhone inventions.

One guy was unimpressed, though: a California inventor has been claiming for years now that he holds a patent related to an essential iPhone feature. He's not afraid to take the consumer electronics powerhouse to court in order to prove the infringement and seek a five percent cut of Apple's US sales, Bloomberg reported Tuesday...

Retina iPad mini’s A7 chip slightly underclocked versus iPad Air

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

In a surprise non-announcement, Apple's iPad mini with Retina display has unexpectedly gone on sale this morning. For the time being, the device is available online for shipping or with in-store pick-up.

What you can't do (yet) is just walk in and purchase one due to supply constraints and ongoing manufacturing woes as Apple is "working hard" to meet demand. Availability issues aside, what's there to get excited about the device?

For The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, the answer is simple: the iPad mini with Retina display is a no-compromise play - thou shall no longer sacrifice clarity for portability as the tablet packs in the same Retina display like its bigger brother, the iPad Air.

In fact, the only difference between the two is the screen size as the new iPad mini runs the same A7 processor that debuted on the iPhone 5s and made its way into the iPad Air. And just how speedy is the Retina iPad mini vs. the iPhone 5s and iPad Air?

Here are the first benchmark scores...

How Steve Jobs imposed limitations on Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

I clearly remember September 2008 when the HTC G1 debuted in partnership with Google and T-Mobile. Google's first usable Android-driven handset arrived some fifteen months after the iPhone had gone on sale in June 2007 and tech die-hards were startled that it didn't incorporate the pinch-zoom gesture.

Android would be deployed across lots more handsets before eventually implementing not only pinch-zooming, but other familiar iPhone features as well. There was an unconfirmed rumor at the time that Google removed multitouch gestures from initial Android builds at Apple's request.

In all honesty, the notion seemed a bit crazy. Why would Google take the iPhone head on and yet cave in to Apple's demands? According to a new 272-page book titled Dogfight: How Apple And Google Went To War And Started a Revolution by Fred Vogelstein, Apple's then CEO Steve Jobs imposed that choice on Google's Android head Andy Rubin by sheer willpower...

Actually, it was Samsung who sub-contracted GlobalFoundries to build Apple chips

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Yesterday, the unconfirmed news broke out about a surprise tie-in between Apple and GlobalFoundries, the world's top semiconductor foundry second only to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) which counts Nvidia, Broadcom, Qualcomm and AMD as its clients.

The Albany Times Union newspaper asserted that GlobalFoundries will build Apple's A-series chips for iOS devices at a new $6 billion facility in upstate New York. The development has led some folks to conjure up that Apple could be finally ditching Samsung for semiconductor manufacture, but that's not really the case at all. Read on...

Walk-in Retina iPad mini purchases unavailable, Apple ‘working hard’ to meet demand

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Those of you who just woke up needn't worry, there's nothing wrong with the Internet today - Apple's iPad mini with Retina display has indeed made a surprise debut. As Cody told you, the highly anticipated tablet has unexpectedly been available as of midnight Pacific Time on November 12, arriving without too much noise on Apple's part aside from a quiet website update and a press release.

It would appear that the combination of pent-up demand and production issues prompted Apple to limit launch availability to online orders or Personal Pickup in the case of retail stores, implying you can't just waltz inside your nearest Apple Store and buy a Retina iPad mini...

Apple establishes Philippine Typhoon Relief donations via iTunes

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Thousands of lives were lost after Typhoon Haiyan made landfall and ripped through the Philippines last Friday. As you could imagine, companies and organizations around the world are banding together and contributing to the relief efforts with donations. This includes Apple, which on Tuesday activated Red Cross donations through iTunes to help with relief efforts.

Apple normally takes its customary 30 percent cut on iTunes proceeds, but the company surrendered the commission for the relief effort. You can donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200 and Apple will transfer 100 percent of your donation to the American Red Cross in the region, to help distribute food and relief supplies to survivors and help with search and rescue efforts...

Viber 4.0 arrives with push-to-talk, Viber Out, Sticker Market, tweaks and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 12, 2013

Viber today released a brand new version of its iOS and Android application which now includes the Viber Sticker Market, the new background gallery, the ability to send push-to-talk voice messages, forward messages, add more participants to group conversations than ever before and additional tweaks.

What's really interesting is that Sticker Market allows Viber users to put their own creations on sale and make a profit when others buy their work from the palm of their hand.

The full breakdown follows after the break...