Apple

iPad Air has IGZO screen, display expert claims

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2013

Apple has long been rumored to be adopting Sharp's sophisticated IGZO display technology for iPhones and iPads, but the reported ongoing yields issues have prevented it from making the switch over concerns on maintaining a minimum level of capacity.

At the same time, it hasn't gone unnoticed that the iPad Air achieves the same 10-hour battery life (and 24-hour LTE hotspot performance) in spite of packing in a powerful 64-bit A7 processor and, more importantly, a much smaller battery than its predecessor, 32.9 Whr versus 43 Whr for the iPad 4.

Now, one of the benefits of using IGZO display technologies is vastly reduced power consumption. So, has Apple switched to IGZO panels for the iPad Air or not?

Apple releases iTunes 11.1.3 with performance improvements

Cody Lee ∙ November 5, 2013

Apple has released an update for iTunes this afternoon, bringing the software to version 11.1.3. Don't get too excited though, it appears to just be a maintenance release with a handful of improvements.

Those improvements include a fix for a known issue where the equalizer may not work as expected, as well as enhanced performance when switching views in large iTunes libraries and other bug fixes...

Apple publishes report on government information requests

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 13, 2018

Apple has issued a public report this afternoon entitled 'Report on Government Information Requests.' The piece details the number and types of requests it receives from governments around the world for user and device information.

The company said it considers it a responsibility to provide its users with "the best privacy protections available," and that it has published the report "in the interest of transparency for our customers around the world." More after the fold...

How Apple supplier GT Advanced makes sapphire glass covers for smartphones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Yesterday, New Hampshire-based materials manufacturing company GT Advanced announced a multi-year agreement with Apple to provide steady supply of the sapphire glass, a crystalline form of aluminum oxide known for its superior durability and scratch resistance. Apple relies on this pricey gemstone to protect the iPhone 5s's Touch ID sensor and has been using it for camera lens cover on all iOS devices since the iPhone 5.

The strategic supply agreement is valued at more than half a billion dollars in cutting-edge equipment and some folks have combed through Apple's patent filings for a clue to building next-generation iDevices with sapphire glass covers instead of Gorilla Glass.

Here's a video tour of GT's manufacturing process behind making the scratch-resistant, tougher-than-Gorilla-Glass sapphire displays for smartphones...

T-Mobile moved more tablets on iPad Air launch day than entire last quarter

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 4, 2017

Earlier this morning, T-Mobile filed its September quarter earnings and announced selling 540,000 iPhones amid iPhone 5s shortages, representing fifteen percent of T-Mobile’s prepaid and MetroPCS-branded devices sold. During an earnings call with Wall Street investors, company executives dropped another interesting factoid: just on the iPad Air launch day this past Friday, the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier has managed to move more tablets than it'd done throughout the entirety of the prior quarter.

It's an ambiguous data point which doesn't reveal much in terms of numbers, nor does it tell us which specific tablet brands moved the needle on the iPad Air launch day. However, it jibes with claims made by other carriers such as AT&T, which yesterday said its Apple tablet activations over the iPad Air launch weekend tripled compared to last Fall’s launch...

TwelveSouth’s new BookBook Journal carrying case holds your iPad and accessories

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2013

I'm a big fan of TwelveSouth's work. Andrew and Leigh Ann and the team are good people who make stylish, Apple-exclusive accessories. The company's won me over with its BookBook series of cases for iPhones, iPads and Mac notebooks. I'm currently using their BookBook for MacBook Air which looks a lot like a Harry Potter spell book, along with the BookBook for iPhone that doubles as my wallet for cash, credit cards, IDs and stuff like that.

But now, there's one carrying case to rule them all, the BookBook Journal. It may look like another vintage book, but this dapper, hardback leather case has compartments, pockets and adjustable bands to hold your iPad along with a bunch of accessories, such as power adapters, cables, USB drives, styluses, mice, earbuds or and more...

Spotify iOS refreshed with instant search, artist tour details, new languages and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2013

Spotify, the popular Swedish streaming music startup, today gave its iPhone and iPad app a little love. In addition to support for new languages like Japanese, the new Spotify 0.9 for iOS now includes artist tour information, including such details as concert dates.

Several search-related improvements and the usual bug fixes are also part of this Spotify release.

The free update is available immediately on the App Store and I've included additional details below the fold...

Google Search app gets ‘OK Google’ handsfree voice control, reminders, alerts, and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Google has just updated its native Search app for the iPhone and iPad with a slew of new features, starting with a number of new types of Google Now cards and the ability to activate the voice search handsfree, simply by saying “OK Google” like on Android. This feature works on the iPhone 4s or later devices. You can now enjoy one-touch sign-on and elect to receive alerts for delayed flights and upcoming appointments and events, as well as for public transit reminders.

The app now supports new types of reminders for movies, actors, TV shows, musicians and web content updates, including location-based and time-relative entries like “Remind me to buy coffee beans at Starbucks,” or “Remind me to check out the fair this weekend”. Jump past the fold for the full reveal...

T-Mobile sold 540,000 iPhones in Q3, representing 15% of branded devices

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 4, 2017

T-Mobile USA, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, has sold 540,000 iPhones during the September quarter, comprising between ten and fifteen percent of the telco's total 5.6 million smartphones sold, which includes T-Mobile's prepaid and MetroPCS-branded devices.

By comparison, the #3 Sprint typically reports iPhone sales comprising as much as 25 percent of all smartphone sold.

For example, Sprint said it sold 1.4 million iPhones during the third quarter of 2013, 40 percent of which went to new customers, versus the five million total smartphones sold...

iPad Air costs $274 to build, $42 less than iPad 3

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 5, 2013

Thanks to Apple's economies of scale, advanced manufacturing, smart engineering and the latest technological solutions, Apple's fifth-generation full-size iPad, the iPad Air, is actually cheaper to produce than the third-generation model - despite packing in the latest technology, research firm IHS Suppli has discovered in a new teardown analysis.

Total cost of components that go into the latest iPad is between $274 and $361, depending on the model, which is still $42 cheaper than the entry-level iPad with Retina display. The priciest iPad Air component by and large is its Retina display and the touchscreen assembly.

Both components incorporate a number of improvements such as fewer, more advanced LED lights providing the backlighting to the display and a new type of sensor known as a cycle-olefin polymer (COP) sensor located right underneath the outer layer of Gorilla Glass. More tidbits right bellow...

iPhone 5s sells out in first 24 hours of India launch

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

The Times of India is reporting this morning that Apple has completely sold out of iPhone 5s stock in India within the first 24 hours of its launch. Both the 5s and the iPhone 5c went on sale in the country on November 1.

It sounds like India is seeing similar supply constraints as folks did here in the US and other areas, but the situation is a bit more extreme. Several retailers in India have already asked Apple for emergency replenishments...

Pandora says listening has increased 9% since iTunes Radio debut

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 14, 2017

Since Apple launched iTunes Radio back in September, industry watchers have kept a close eye on competing streaming music services. After all, the Cupertino company has the resources and user base to put a huge dent in the business.

But apparently the opposite has happened for Pandora. The company's CFO Michael Herring spoke yesterday at a Morgan Stanley conference in San Francisco, and he says listening has increased 9% since iTunes Radio made its debut...