Apple

On budget iPhone…

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2013

Just a quick thought here on this less-pricey iPhone meme. Per reports, Apple's marketing boss Phil Schiller uncharacteristically responded with a statement to Shanghai Evening News in order to poke holes in the rumor that was beginning to pick up considerable steam. He claims that "despite the popularity of cheap smartphones", such a device "will never be the future of Apple’s products".

But it's an ambiguous dismissal (it's translated from Japanese) and it does't outright deny whispers of Apple internally exploring the idea. His words just don't tell the whole truth. Plus, Apple has a history of lying to the media. The company often makes bold denials, only to refute its own rebuttal by doing exactly what it's said won't do. If Android is anything to go by, an affordable iPhone could easily make a huge difference...

Rumor: Apple evaluating Retina screens for the next iPad mini

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2013

According to a new rumor out of Taiwan, Apple is already testing display panels for the second-generation iPad mini. With LG Display and AU Optronics already suppling panels for the current-generation tablet, Apple is thought to add a third company to the mix, Foxconn's subsidiary Shenzhen Century Science & Technology (SCST). For the iPad mini 2, Apple is considering SCST's panels with Retina-class resolution, which are based on One Glass Solution (OGS) technology. These panels have reportedly been sent to Apple for testing, indicating the Cupertino firm is in the exploration stage where it evaluates competing solutions before locking suppliers for the second-gen iPad mini...

Cook on new products, China Mobile, retail and why he loves China

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Apple's Tim Cook is on his second China tour since becoming the CEO. Cook has attended meetings in Beijing with government officials, he visited Apple stores and met with China Mobile, the world's top carrier with 700 million subscribers, to talk "matters of cooperation" amid intensifying rumors of a possible iPhone deal with that carrier.

Apple's chief also confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will arrive on the mainland in late January and talked business and discussed wide-ranging topics with the Chinese media on Thursday, here are some choice quotes...

Google releases a brand new iPhone application, Coordinate

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

Google has just release a brand new application for the iPhone on the App Store. Dubbed Coordinate, it's a workforce management tool aimed at business users that the company says will improve the efficiency of your mobile teams. The Mountain View, California-headquartered search Goliath explains that by getting real-time visibility into where teams are and what jobs they are doing, "work can be allocated in a smarter, more efficient way" using the mobile Coordinate app. The software is targeted at businesses so it doesn't work with consumer Google accounts...

Confirmed: Apple’s marketing honcho shoots down budget iPhone talk

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Samsung is planning to refresh its flagship consumer electronics products at a media event on February 21, rumors are swirling that Apple is about to branch out the iPhone into two hardware versions: one flagship model aimed at high-end consumers and the other budget model costing up to $149, reportedly made from cheaper materials and possibly crammed with less features.

The inexpensive device, according to the latest chatter, should be targeted at price-conscious shoppers in China and other emerging markets. Though both WSJ and Bloomberg over the past year reported a few times that Apple executives have explored a less expensive iPhone sold without a contractual obligation, the company's SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller has reportedly debunked the rumor in an interview with a Japanese newspaper...

Samsung launching new gizmos on February 21

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2013

Samsung, the South Korea-based conglomerate and the world's top cell phone and smartphone maker by volume, has new consumer electronics products in the wings that it will show off to the masses at a launch event on February 21, 2013. President of Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics division Yoon Bu-geun made the announcement during Samsung's presser yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

A variety of new products will be discussed at the presser. According to Zoon, Samsung is focused on strengthening its premium product line, which probably means one thing: new Galaxy smartphones and tablets to take on its chief rival Apple...

Cook confirms cellular iPad mini coming to China late January

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 10, 2013

Tim Cook visited China for the second time since taking over as CEO of Apple in August of last year. In an interview with Chinese reporters, Cook officially confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will arrive on the mainland in late January after the device gained a regulatory approval in mid-December 2012.

Both the iPad 4 and the Wi-Fi-only model of the iPad mini made a landfall in the country on December 7, following the iPhone 5's debut a week earlier which sold two million units during its opening weekend...

Tim Cook meets with China Mobile head to talk ‘matters of cooperation’

Cody Lee ∙ January 10, 2013

Earlier this week, we passed along a report that Tim Cook was on a business trip in China. No one really knows the exact nature of the visit, but he has been meeting with high-level government officials, and dropping in on Apple retailers.

And according to a new report, he's also been talking with China Mobile's Xi Guohua. The CEO is said to have met with the chairman, who sits atop the world's largest carrier, in Beijing today to discuss "matters of cooperation."

Apple settles Retina image lawsuit with Swiss photographer

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 20, 2017

With all of the reports we hear every week regarding Apple's new and ongoing lawsuits, it's nice to hear about one coming to an end. After a year of battling, the Cupertino company has settled a lawsuit regarding the alleged misuse of an eyeball image during one of its keynotes.

Apple used the photo, which was taken by Swiss photographer Sabine Liewald, to promote its new MacBook Pro with Retina display during its WWDC keynote last summer, as well as on its website, without the proper licensing. And thus, Liewald filed an infringement suit...

Six years ago today, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ January 9, 2013

As I look around and I see all of the touchscreen smartphones and tablets on the market, I think, it's hard to believe that Apple started all of this 6 years ago. That's right, 6 years ago today, Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld '07 and unveiled the long-awaited iPhone.

Now, you can argue that there were smartphones before the iPhone, even touchscreen phones. But you can't say that Apple didn't change the mobile landscape forever that day in the Moscone Center. And as tribute, we've got videos of the keynote and more after the fold...

Apple now locking App Store screenshots to cut down on scamming

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Have you ever downloaded an app on your iPhone or iPad, and it didn't look anything like the screenshots in the App Store? If so, you wouldn't be alone. Switching screenshots after Apple has approved an app has become a popular tactic for scammers.

But we have some good news this afternoon. Apple announced to developers today that, starting this week, all App Store screenshots will be locked after they are approved. And they'll stay that way until a developer submits a binary for an app update...