Apple

This beautiful coffee table book showcases Apple’s industrial design prowess

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

Much ink has been spilt about Apple's industrial design skills and the polarizing look and feel of its unapologetically sexy gadgets. Jonathan Zufi's photographic shrine of Apple's design work is taking it all to the next level. The 42-year-old Australian native has managed to put together a massive 326-page coffee table sized book containing detailed photographs he's meticulously taken over the years.

It showcases Apple products and their packaging from the designer's point of view, unlike any Apple book you've ever held in your hands. This has got to be the most original and detailed tribute to Apple's design prowess I have seen to date, check it out right past the fold...

Netflix promises fix for HDMI AV adapter issue

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

Netflix last week refreshed its iOS app with much-needed AirPlay support allowing subscribers to beam TV shows and movies to their living room television set through the Apple TV set-top box.

Unfortunately, the updated application has also introduced a nasty bug preventing the app to connect to the big screen via Apple's HDMI AV adapter.

Disgruntled users took to Twitter and some even accused Apple and Netflix of joining forces to intentionally cripple the feature, presumably in order to push folks into buying an Apple TV to take advantage of AirPlay. This is unfounded talk as Netflix on Monday promised a fix for the issue it claims is affecting a "small percentage" of customers...

Classic Amiga games officially headed to iOS 7 with full controller support

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

This is the announcement I've been waiting for like forever, or at least ever since the original iPhone came out more than six years ago. See, Commodore's Amiga with its then amazing graphics has brought home computing to the masses.

The golden age of video games predates digital interactive entertainment we take for granted nowadays and goes way back thirty years to the mid-1980s. Me and my friends, just a bunch of kids back then, had the privilege to witness the revolution unfolding itself before our very eyes. You could easily imagine us spending countless hours playing "console-grade" Amiga games distributed on 3.5-inch floppy disks.

The App Store has certainly seen a few re-releases of classic Amiga games such as Another World, Transport Tycoon and Worms. Today, Writers' Group Film Corp. and its wholly-owned subsidiary Amiga Games announced that classic Amiga titles will be hitting the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices soon, with full iOS 7 physical controller support...

Beats Music launching on iOS in a few months

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

You can put Beats Music on your ever-expanding list of streaming music service as its CEO Luke Wood confirms to The Next Web that the company will enter the highly-competitive space in the United States "within the next few months".

Based on its July 2012 $14 million acquisition of another music streaming service, MOG, Beats Music will focus on human-curated playlists compiled around a particular artist, activity or the general mood of the listener.

You may have heard this tune before so we have more tidbits right after the break...

NTT DoCoMo hurt by iPhone wait, iPhone 5c too pricey for India’s prepaid market

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Did Japan's largest carrier wait too long to offer the iPhone? That's the impression after NTT DoCoMo lost a record 66,800 net users in September, dropping its market share to 46 percent. By comparison, KDDI and SoftBank, which sold iPhones soon after its 2007 introduction, gained ground adding 270,700 and 237,700 users respectively.

DoCoMo blamed customer loss on inventory shortages and consumers who waited until Apple's iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c September 20 sale date. Hoping to regain some momentum, the nation's largest carrier announced opening online sales of the iPhone 5s to all customers. Meanwhile, in India things have gotten a little tricky for Apple's $100 cheaper colorful iPhone 5c...

The never-ending worry about Apple’s future is a good thing for the company

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Jean-Louis Gassée reflects on Apple and the negative press the company has been receiving, despite having products that constantly top customer ratings and sell like hot cakes:

I recently experienced a small epiphany: I think the never-ending worry about Apple’s future is a good thing for the company. Look at what happened to those who were on top and became comfortable with their place under the sun: Palm, Blackberry, Nokia…

In ancient Rome, victorious generals marched in triumph to the Capitol. Lest the occasion go to the army commander’s head, a slave would march behind the victor, murmuring in his ear, memento mori, “remember you’re mortal”.

Apple off the hook as SEC ends tax probe

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 7, 2013

After spending the summer in the hot seat over its tax strategy, Apple has received the all-clear sign from federal regulators. In a September letter, Securities and Exchange Commission investigators who'd been looking into Apple's finances gave the iPhone maker some good news, saying the agency plans to take no action at this time.

In May, Apple CEO Tim Cook testified before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, telling members his company pays all taxes it owes. Like the subcommittee, the SEC apparently found no wrongdoing on Apple's part...

New Galaxy Gear ads attempt to make the case for smartwatches

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

Samsung may have beaten Apple to the smartwatch punch, but poor reviews across the board have quickly dampened consumer enthusiasm for the $299 product. ArsTechnica, for example, noted the device "has sacrificed substance for the sake of timing". That's not stopping Samsung from advertising the Galaxy Gear as its next big thing, however.

Three Gear television commercials attempt to educate consumers on the benefits of using the product, with one particular ad seemingly drawing inspiration from Apple's iPhone teaser spot aired during the Oscars in 2007, have a look below...

Apple could pocket $1 billion in iWatch profits during first year of availability

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Despite there being no product nor confirmation from Apple that it will offer one, a high-profile Apple analyst is estimating the iPhone maker could sell between five and ten million iWatch units in the first year. According to Piper Jaffray Gene Munster's survey of 799 U.S. consumers, some twelve percent of U.S. iPhone owners said they might pay $350 on Apple's watch, if it materializes.

The survey follows Samsung's attempt to beat Apple to the smartphone punch, introducing its $299 Galaxy Gear in advertisements. For Apple, the iWatch lives only in patents filed and registered trademarks. Munster, of the 'Apple TV is just around the corner' fame, follows another analyst who believes the iWatch could be an even bigger hit...

Skype receives its iOS 7 makeover

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

You can blame Microsoft-owned Skype for missing the train on stickers, games and other popular messaging features (sans video messages), but the application still stands out as the most popular VoIP software in use to this date. Skype wasn't among the list of third-party apps that were immediately updated with the new design following the September 18 iOS 7 release, so today both the iPhone and iPad clients have finally received a nice little refresh bringing the iOS 7 look and feel along with a few minor enhancements...

iPhone gaining over Android in US, two-thirds of iOS users on Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2013

Breaking all of the preconceived notions about the cyclicality of the iPhone, a new survey shows Apple's iOS gaining on Google's Android and the embattled BlackBerry during a three-month period ended August 2013. The iPhone gained 1.3 percentage points ranking as the top smartphone vendor in the United States with a cool 40.7 percent share of the nation's smartphone subscribers.

Although Google's Android led with a dominating 51.6 percent share, its slice of the smartphone platform market actually shrank by 0.8 percentage points. What's really interesting about Apple's growth is that iOS outsold Android without the new iPhones. The full breakdown is after the break...

Job listing suggests iTunes Radio is headed to Canada soon

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Folks in Canada will be happy to hear that iTunes Radio may soon be landing in the country. A new job listing on Apple's website calls for a 'iTunes Canada Music Programmer,' who will be responsible for rolling out the music service.

Apple launched iTunes Radio last month alongside the redesigned iOS 7, and thus far it's only been available in the US. But if this job listing is any indication, the company could soon be rolling out the music service to more countries...