Apple

Chart: Android owns two-thirds of smartphone sales – or does it?

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 18, 2016

Some intriguing numbers were released Monday on how one research firm views the smartphone race between iOS and Android. According to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, Google's Android averages a 64 percent unit share of the smartphone market across ten countries.

Apple leads in Japan while Android's doing its best in Spain, where the mobile software owns an astounding 93 percent of the smartphone market.

In the U.S., the race is much tighter, with Android holding 49.3 percent and Apple owning 43.7 percent of the domestic market. But the rivals might be even closer as observers question how accurate Kantar is, given recent iPhone sales reports by U.S. carriers...

Tim Cook to give opening night interview at D11 conference

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2013

Tim Cook spent a good 60 minutes addressing the public last week during Apple's quarterly earnings call. But those hoping to catch him in a more candid setting will be happy to hear that he has a less formal public appearance coming up next month.

Tech blog AllThingsD announced this afternoon that Cook will be a guest speaker at its annual All Things Digital conference in late May. This will be Cook's second appearance at the conference, and he's expected to talk about a wide range of topics...

Analyst sees larger iPhone 6 coming in June 2014

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Despite the fact that Apple added a 4-inch option to its iPhone lineup last year, many folks are still calling for the Cupertino company to produce a larger handset. Even outspoken billionaire Donald Trump says he's in favor of a so-called 'iPhablet.'

During a conference call last week, Tim Cook all but shot down the idea of a larger iPhone, saying that Apple is not willing to make the tradeoffs currently necessary for bigger screens. But according to a new report, that could change next year...

Apple to obsolete original iPhone on June 11

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's iPhone, which celebrated its fifth birthday last June, will soon reach 'obsolete' status at Apple's retail stores. This comes via an internal Apple communication which reveals that Apple Stores will downgrade the original 2007 iPhone model to 'obsolete' status come June 11, 2013.

Between its January 2007 introduction and the June 29, 2007 debut, the iPhone had enjoyed an unprecedented amount of media attention that fueled the media frenzy to unheard-of levels. But even the phone that changed the cell phones forever deserves retirement. By obsoleting the device, Apple will no longer be providing service parts...

iOS 7 said to feature optimized in-car Maps and Siri integration

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2013

Hot on the heels of a pair of yesterday's reports which asserted that Apple's upcoming iOS 7 will have a "very flat" user interface akin to Windows Phone's 'Metro' visual style - along with Mac OS X 10.9 borrowing core multitasking features from iOS 7 - 9to5Mac writer Mark Gurman is back at it again with another exclusive. Today's story details an alleged integration of Apple's Siri digital personal assistant and in-house built Maps service in iOS 7 with your car's dashboard...

AT&T flips the switch on LTE in 15 new markets

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 30, 2013

After adding five more cities to the list of LTE-covered places and announcing a major expansion of its fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier AT&T Mobility on Tuesday announced fifteen new LTE markets across ten U.S. states.

If you live in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania or Texas, you could be seeing increased download speeds provided AT&T's LTE expanded to your area. Go past the fold for the full breakdown...

Apple acquires several new imaging patents from Kodak deal

Cody Lee ∙ April 30, 2013

Earlier this year, Kodak completed the sale of more than 1,000 digital imaging patents in an effort to help restructure the company after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. It wanted $2 billion for the portfolio, but only garnered $500 million from a group of companies.

That consortium consisted of several tech giants, including Google and Apple. And according to a new report, their names are starting to turn up on transfer filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, meaning Kodak's patents are changing hands...

Infuse, a versatile iOS media player by FireCore [review]

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Over the past few days I've been testing Infuse, an iOS media player by FireCore, the team that brought you the aTV Flash Black for your jailbroken Apple TV.

Given their expertise in bringing support for streaming dozens of file formats to Apple's set-top box, it goes without saying I was very much looking forward to testing Infuse for iPhone and iPad.

The App Store is home to some nice media players, Plex being my personal favorite, but none fully taking the pain out of properly rendering iOS-unfriendly video file types on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

In my personal opinion, Infuse addresses the media conundrum in one fell swoop while incorporating possibly the best subtitles support on iDevices to date and taking full advantage of Retina screens and Apple's newest and most powerful mobile chips...

Apple patent suggests whether best to call or text

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

While in the middle of being told Apple is washed-up, a has-been being overtaken by Android, comes a patent which reminds us the company actually has some good ideas left.

Take, for instance, those annoying calls which seem to arrive in the middle of dinner. The gear heads at Apple also find them annoying and created a way to put you in control of who calls you when and whether a text might suffice. Particularly when you have a mouth of spaghetti.

The granted patent describes a "system for facilitating contacting people using electronic devices."

Instead of taking the usual path most technology firms selling smartphones would follow - creating multiple ways to blast messages to you - Apple goes for a more zen-like approach, realizing that understanding when not to make a call could make for the ultimate smartphone...

MirrorCase shoots video while iPad rests laid flat

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

RHP Multimedia launched its MirrorCase for iPhone in May 2012. The iPhone 4/4S (a $49.95 value) and iPhone 5 case ($59.95 value) works with a free companion iOS app to let you take pictures and record video while continuing to use your device. It also doubles as an ergonomic shoulder rest for extended phone conversations. Today, the company on Kickstarter announced an iPad version of MirrorCase. What's in it for you? Read on...

Handle, new iOS email and task management app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

The market for iOS email client has been bursting with activity lately. As Apple relaxed its iOS development rules to allow third-party email clients for its iPhone and iPad, the App Store saw an influx of applications that seek to redefine the web's most popular service.

In addition to Apple's stock iOS email and Google-owned Sparrow, users can now choose between Dropbox-owned Mailbox, Southgate Labs Limited's excellent Triage and many other applications that more or less successfully take the pain out of day-to-day email management. The latest arrival: Handle, a handy iOS email and task management app from Siri investor Shawn Carolan...