Apple

WSJ: Apple signs iOS device chip deal with TSMC, decreasing dependence on Samsung

Cody Lee ∙ June 28, 2013

Following up a scoop from DigiTimes earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal is reporting this afternoon that Apple has finally inked a deal with TSMC, or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., to produce chips used in the company's iPhone and iPad products.

The two sides reportedly signed the deal, which has been in the making for a few years now, earlier this month after TSMC met Apple's requirements for speed and power usage. And it signifies yet another move by the Cupertino firm to distance itself from Samsung...

The iPhone, America’s most profitable product

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 28, 2013

Apple's iPhone isn't just the nation's top smartphone brand, it's also the most profitable product in America, according to a Friday report. Despite having around just one-fifth of the overall smartphone market globally, or nearly 40 percent in the U.S. alone, the handset enjoys the industry-leading 40 percent operating margin, producing more than half of Apple's $156.5 billion in 2012 sales. That profit margin is almost double that of the iPad, which grossed "only" $32.4 billion, according to MarketWatch...

Apple remains #1 smartphone maker in U.S.

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

If anyone needed confirmation, the U.S. smartphone market can be summed up in two words: Apple and Samsung. Those are the findings by measurement firm comScore, with Apple increasing its lead as the nation's top smartphone brand. The iPhone maker had 39.2 percent of the domestic market at the end of May, growing its share 0.3 points.

Samsung also improved on its February second-place showing, growing 1.7 percentage points to capture 23 percent of the American market. Meanwhile, Google's Android remains the No. 1 smartphone platform in the U.S., although Apple's iOS inched up during the three-month period which ended in May...

Apple introduces new app pricing tiers

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2013

As you know, Apple gives its iOS developers the freedom to choose pricing of their wares on the App Store, keeping 30 percent of the proceeds to itself. But rather than let a developer price an app at fifteen cents, for example, Apple offers a bunch of tiers. This also means localized versions of apps carried on international App Stores are priced differently to reflect a rough conversion of the U.S. prices.

Seeking to better align with the pricing structure in the U.S. App Store, Apple has now introduced alternate tiers for international App Stores so developers can price their software in .99 increments in the country’s native currency...

Netflix launches virtual recommendation assistant Max, coming soon to iPad

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Netflix today announced that PlayStation 3 users can take advantage of its new feature, a goofy recommendation engine dubbed Max.

Kinda a crossover between iTunes Genius and Siri, Max is designed to help you find something great to watch in a fun, conversational way (Netflix rather confusingly calls it "the child of Siri and HAL 9000").

Tapping Netflix's extensive database of tags and your viewing history, the engine recommends movies and television shows it thinks you might be interested in watching. And when it doesn't feel confident enough about its predictions, Max may ask you a question or challenge you to play a "ratings game"...

A closer look at iOS 7 parallax effect

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Apple's iOS 7 aims to delight through subtle use of lively user interface animations and effects, employing physics, translucency, smoked panels and other visual tricks to achieve its multi-layered appearance. Among them is the so-called parallax effect that creates a sense of dimension by putting your Home screen icons onto a layer separate from your background image.

It comes to life when moving your device around, which tilts the wallpaper behind the icons slightly. The effect is also observable in a few other places throughout the system and is coming to your favorite apps via new APIs in iOS 7. If you've ever wondered about the science behind the magic, here's your answer...

Samsung’s new Galaxy S4 beats nine-month-old iPhone 5 in speed and battery life tests

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 28, 2013

Samsung's latest smartphone, the Galaxy S4, won top honors in a series of tests conducted by a UK-based consumer research organization called Which?. The organization found that Samsung's Galaxy S4 topped Apple's iPhone 5 and other competitors when it comes to speed, call time and Internet use.

Apple's nine-month-old handset led in just one test: time required to recharge...

Microsoft releases SkyDrive Pro iOS app for Office 365 subscribers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

Windows maker Microsoft today released a new iOS app focused on its SkyDrive storage, which is deeply integrated throughout its Windows 8 and Windows Phone offerings. Although the company already has a nice SkyDrive app on the App Store which gives you quick access to 25GB of free cloud storage in the Microsoft cloud for your personal files, this one's different in that it requires SharePoint or Office365 credentials and is meant for businesses subscribed to Office 365 ...

iOS 7 Beta 3 could drop on July 8

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 2, 2023

On Monday, Apple seeded iOS 7 Beta 2 to its registered iOS developers. The second beta arrived precisely two weeks after the launch of iOS 7 Beta 1, which was made available right following the June 10 WWDC 2013 keynote.

Now, you might recall that an hour before Beta 2 hit Apple's servers we ran an article saying the software could drop that day. The same source that called for it is at it again, now claiming the third beta of iOS 7 will see release on Monday, July 8.

It's kinda bad news for developers who must be looking to some time off for Independence Day. If true, July 8 would make iOS 7 Beta 3 available exactly two weeks following the launch of the current iteration of the software. Starting to notice a pattern here?

Google Now and rich notifications spotted in Chrome browser

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2013

After being caught on the wrong foot following Apple's introduction of the Siri personal digital assistant in October 2011, the Internet giant Google responded by launching Google Now. Mostly owing to a series of missteps, controversial advertising and ongoing reliability issues with Siri, Google has managed to rapidly leapfrog Siri.

But the search monster isn't stopping there, it wants people to use Google Now no matter the device or platform. After adding Google Now features to its native Search iOS app, Google Now cards are coming to a desktop near you via the Chrome browser...

Tray full of purported iPhone 5S batteries shown on pictures

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 28, 2013

A pair of images published by a French blog depict a tray of batteries on an assembly line, allegedly for the upcoming iPhone 5S and suggesting Apple's manufacturing partners are now prepping to assemble the device in time for its rumored Fall introduction.

Numerous leaks over the past two weeks have suggested that Apple's next S-upgrade most likely sports a twelve-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash for improved low-light photos, a new A7 chip and slightly revised internals, all encased in the familiar iPhone 5 form factor...

WSJ: Google working on Android game console, smartwatch and more

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 23, 2018

This is kind of interesting. Hot on the heels of reports that iOS 7 contains proper third-party support for physical game controllers comes word that Google is hard at work building a full-fledged gaming console and smartwatch based on its Android operating system.

The story comes from The Wall Street Journal, who reported last night that the Mountain View-based company is looking to expand its mobile platform beyond smartphones and tablets, and is hoping to combat similar devices that Apple may release in the future...