Apple

Appolicious creates education software discovery tool for kids

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 15, 2013

In light of Apple's recent ban on discovery apps, a new portal hopes to do an end-run around the whole controversy. Appolicious launched Monday appoLearning, a web site where educational experts recommend iOS apps for K-12. Although it touts use of educational experts to make recommendations on dozens of educational app categories, appoLearning offers a spot for paid endorsements. Still, the founder of Appolicious claims his app recommendation service will be a boon for Apple...

Four Apple execs dominate best-paid corporate jobs in America

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 24, 2016

Although Apple compensated its CEO Tim Cook for the calendar year 2012 with a $1.36 million base salary and $2.8 million in compensation related to incentive plans, he didn't made the top five highest-rewarded corporate executives list in Standard & Poor’s top 500 companies. Instead, per Bloomberg's report filed Monday, four members of the Apple leadership dominate that list.

To be clear, these numbers count both base salaries and stock options companies usually give to their top dogs as sort of a retainer. Specifically, Bob Mansfield, Peter Oppenheimer, Bruce Sewell and Jeffrey Williams all made the top five highest-paid execs list, according to fiscal 2012 compensation figures for top earners filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission...

Chinese iPhone dealers scam Apple with fake parts

Ed Sutherland ∙ April 15, 2013

Five iPhone distributors in China are under arrest after Apple told local police it was the victim of an unusual scam. The plot involved sending fake iPhone 4S parts to Apple for replacement and receiving real components worth more than $64,000, according to Monday reports.

The alleged fraudsters went so far as to accompany the fake components with the serial numbers of more than a hundred real iPhone handsets, police said.

Foxconn hiring assembly-line workers for next-gen iPhone production, WSJ and Bloomberg claim

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 15, 2013

Hon Hai Precision Industry aka Foxconn, which assembles iPhones and iPads for Apple, but also consumer electronics on behalf of other vendors, has started hiring assembly-line workers in the tens of thousands in preparation for Apple's next iPhone, both Bloomberg and the credulous Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

People familiar with the matter tell the publications that the world's largest contract manufacturer has been recruiting workers for the past month at its plant in Zhengzhou, eastern China.

The reports come following February indications pointing to Foxconn imposing a recruitment freeze across almost all of its factories in China after more workers returned from the Chinese New Year break than did last year, a move some attributed to the supposedly weakening iPhone demand...

Dish puts $25B on table towards snagging Sprint from Japan’s Softbank

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Dish Network has launched a $25.5 billion cash and stock bid to snag carrier Sprint from Japan's communications giant Softbank, according to reports Monday morning. Should Sprint accept the offer and regulators approve the deal, consumers will get a new service that could combine mobile, broadband and television.

Dish is the nation's second-largest direct-broadcast satellite service provider which serves just over fourteen million Americans. Sprint Nextel with its 47.5 million subscribers files as the third-largest wireless carrier in the United States. The proposed merger comes at an interesting time, just as Softbank's proposed acquisition of 70 percent of Sprint for $20.1 billion is nearing its completion in the second quarter of 2013...

Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame coming to iOS this summer

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 21, 2017

French games makers are responsible for some of the juiciest titles on Apple's platform. Gameloft, for example, is a household name on the App Store and Ubisoft is no exception.

Headquartered in Montreuil, France, Ubisoft is behind some of the world's top entertainment franchises, among them one of my favorites, Prince of Persia.

Created by Jordan Mechner and originally developed for and released on the Apple II in 1989, the Prince of Persia series has undergone several reboots, but they all share similar story elements, settings and characters. Their latest addition to the series, Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame, is scheduled to hit iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices this summer.

Developed by Ubisoft Pune, the studio focused on mobile and console gaming, Prince of Persia: The Shadow and The Flame is being billed as a pick up and play adaptation of the classic Prince of Persia franchise, "easy to handle but challenging to master." You, of course, play as the Prince who must save his Princess and kingdom "on a journey that will pave the path to his origins."

To me, that's good enough an excuse to run, climb, swing, vault and jump from rooftop to rooftop, all over again. I've included more highlights, screenshots and a trailer right past the fold...

Verizon responds to T-Mobile with Device Payment Plan for smartphones, due April 21

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 13, 2013

Boy, did T-Mobile's 'Uncarrier' initiative hit a nerve. As you know, the nation's fourth-largest carrier landed the iPhone yesterday and just recently "canceled our membership in the out-of-touch wireless carrier club" by unleashing monthly installments separate of wireless service, reducing upfront cost of unsubsidized gear a great deal.

And just as T-Mobile yesterday announced "gangbusters" iPhone opening (even if that's not really a number), Verizon swiftly responded by delaying phone upgrades from 20 to 24 months. The backlash ensued and Verizon quickly realized the change may not be “consistent with how the majority of customers purchase new phones today,” as it argued.

Therefore, the big red carrier followed up by announcing a one-year monthly installment plan for high-end smartphones costing over $349.99. It's called Device Payment Plan and we have all the details right after the break...

UK probing iOS in-app game purchases

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated December 16, 2022

Are iOS games pressuring children into buying items, sometimes wracking up bills for unsuspecting parents? That's the focus of a probe underway by the UK government, concerned that in-app purchases may unfairly target children. According to a BBC report, Office of Fair Trading (OFT) wants to hear from parents with the hope games developers will follow laws already on the books to protect children...

Corporate coach alludes to Apple’s next breakthrough: wearable

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Bill Campbell, Chairman of the Intuit board, has been a member of Apple's board of directors since Steve Jobs's return in 1997. Simply known as the "coach," Campbell sat down with the Intuit CEO and dropped a few notable hints regarding Apple's direction in the post-Jobs Tim Cook era. Although he wouldn't discuss specifics of Apple's pipeline, reading between the lines subtly suggests that something incorporating wearable technology might soon become Apple’s latest and greatest creation. We have a vide right past the fold...

T-Mobile reports ‘gangbusters’ iPhone opening

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 31, 2017

T-Mobile kicked off sales of Apple's popular smartphone by airing its first iPhone ad yesterday evening. The ice-breaker commercial is part of the reportedly massive nationwide campaign, with print and digital ads to follow soon after. While the carrier did not release the official first-dale sales data at press time - and probably won't until its next earnings report - its marketing honcho did bother taking to blogs to say T-Mobile saw "gangbusters" opening, whatever that means in terms of hard data.

Be that as it may, the addition of T-Mobile, the nation's fourth-largest wireless carrier, to the list of US carriers selling Apple's handset is bound to improve Apple's bottom line. Any iPhones T-Mobile sold won't be reflected in Apple's second fiscal 2013 quarter, which ended last month. The Cupertino company announced it will be releasing earnings on April 23...

New Twitter Music app launching this weekend

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Twitter Thursday announced on, well, Twitter that it snapped up We Are Hunted, a music startup which tracks what songs people share the most across social networks.

But that's so yesterday. Just 24 hours later, Twitter on Friday announced its music service is crawling out of obscurity, having changed from "invite only" to "coming soon." Not much is known about the service as of yet except for a tidbit here and there.

According to some well-informed people, the micro-blogging service will be launching an app for iOS devices as well, timed to the start of the Coachella music festival this weekend. Matter of fact, if you're Ryan Seacrest, a filmstar, an influencer or some such celebrity, you could start using Twitter Music today...

Apple asks devs to localize apps, launches Chinese Support forum

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Apple appears to want its apps to lose the 'outsider' label. In an email communication to its registered developers sent earlier this week, the App Store owner encouraged programmers to localize their applications because it's "never been more important." Also, in the latest round of moves aimed at Chinese consumers, the iPhone maker updated its online support forums to handle the native language...