Apple

Intel lets go of its CEO amid mobile struggles

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 27, 2017

Intel, the world's #1 chip maker, has been trying and failing for years to replicate its PC leadership status in mobile. Today, the company issued an unexpected update, saying its long-time CEO Paul Otellini will be retiring in May 2013. Though the semiconductor giant insists this is just "an orderly leadership transition", Otellini's successor has not been named and Intel said it will consider internal and external candidates for the job. Intel currently supplies processors for Apple's Macs, but that could change if the rumor-mill is to be trusted...

More than 1 million apps have now passed through the App Store

Cody Lee ∙ November 19, 2012

During Apple's iPhone 5 keynote in September, Tim Cook announced that the App Store contained more than 700 thousand apps. And out of that staggering number, more than 30% of them were iPad-specific apps.

Well apparently, Apple hit another major milestone today regarding its application ecosystem. According to a new report, the Cupertino company has now approved more than 1 million apps in the last four years...

Sony is still dreaming about dethroning the iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

SonyEricsson, the Japanese giant's partnership with the Swedish telecommunications equipment company Ericsson, for most part has failed to make a splash in the highly competitive smartphone market. Deciding enough was enough, Sony at last acquired Ericsson's share in the venture in February. Sony Mobile Communications, a wholly-owned subsidiary, was born. And as the battle for smartphone supremacy intensifies, Sony's new mobile arm is adamant to produce a much-needed iPhone killer. But why stop there? According to its mobile chief, an upcoming flagship handset will as well take direct aim at Samsung's Galaxy S III.

A badass Sony phone that can compete with both the iPhone and Galaxy S III, each super-popular in its own right? That's a tall order. Sony's killer phone is officially due early next year and looks like it's gonna pack some serious oomph. The question is, will folks care?

FBI nabs ‘Dumbfella’ in $1.9 million iPad mini heist

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2012

It took investigators working on Thursday's snatch-and-grab - one that saw crooks drive away with two pallets of iPad minis worth $1.9 million - less than 24 hours to nab a suspect, a JFK Airport worker.

As Ed told you, two unidentified individuals used the airport’s own forklift to load the iPads onto their truck just before midnight Monday. The thieves operated in the same cargo area where director Martin Scorsese filmed a Lufthansa flight heist in the 1978 mob flick “GoodFellas”.

The Bureau was able to apprehend airport worker Renel Rene Richardson on the grounds that he made suspicious inquiries to co-workers about the gadget shipment and where forklifts might be found. What a "Dumbfella"...

App economy: a reality check

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 18, 2012

The App Store launched in the summer of 2008 with 500 apps. Though late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs initially resisted opening the iPhone to developers, the store went on to change the device from a simple cell phone into a powerful mobile computer. Thirty-five billion downloads later, Apple has progressed to pay a total of $6.5 billion to developers in app revenue after taking a customary 30 percent cut of the action.

But of the more than 700,000 apps now available on the App Store - or a 'candy store' as tech columnist David Pogue nicknamed it - including more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, only a small selection turned their makers into instant millionaires.

The vast majority of developers barely break even. And of those who turn notable profits, not many quit their day jobs. Yet, the dream of becoming a millionaire overnight with a hit app lives on. So what's wrong with this picture?

Digital page turn? Patented!

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2012

If asked to single out a feature of iBooks that provokes most oohs and aahs, I'm sure you'd more or less unanimously opt for the page-turning effect. It didn't take long before other e-book apps and devices began mimicking Apple's animated skeuomorphism in iBooks.

The page-turning trick in various implementations has become a standard feature of Amazon's Kindle apps, Google Play Books software, Sony's recently released iOS app, plus a host of other social news readers and e-reading programs. And just like that, Apple's now been granted a patent for the feature, meaning the company basically owns the page turn...

Why did Apple’s recently-minted hardware boss cash in $11M in stock?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated July 12, 2017

Dan Riccio, Apple's recently promoted Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, sold 20,726 shares of stock in the last two days. The transaction netted him a cool $10.7 million, with a thousand shares worth approximately half a million going to an unnamed charity. That another SVP of Apple is unloading shares (though he didn't touch his stock options) doesn't mean he's potentially being fired, as some critics have jokingly speculated...

Twelve South launches the BookBook for iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 17, 2012

Twelve South’s BookBook case for the iPhone with its built-in wallet, leather-wrapped frame and Harry Potter-like design stands out among an endless sea of sleeves and cases polluting the market on a daily basis, with just a handful focused on practicality.

Jeff reviewed the original BookBook for iPhone last year and came away impressed by the overall functionality and build quality. This summer, Twelve South re-released the popular iPhone case in Classic Black and refreshed the Vintage Brown version. And finally, now the company has updated the accessory for the iPhone 5 form factor...

Xiaomi Box, an Apple TV knockoff, does AirPlay at a very tempting price

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=jKLeqv_GQw8

Tempting ability to wirelessly beam whatever is displayed on your iPhone or iPad to a big-screen TV set has a major downer: it requires Apple's $99 set-top box to decipher encrypted AirPlay streams and then feed video to your telly via HDMI. And for many, Apple TV is just not a very useful set-top box so parting with their hard-earned $99 just to get AirPlay is not an option.

But what if you could get AirPlay functionality at a very tempting price plus choice of other popular video formats and apps, none of which Apple's device supports? That's what Xiaomi Box does for you. Basically an Android set-top box, it'll run you somewhere in the $60-ish. The thing's compatible with DLNA, Miracast and Apple’s AirPlay, letting you wirelessly stream content from Apple’s iPhone and iPad, personal computer and Android phones with MIUI installed...

Samsung wants to take a peek inside Apple’s patent settlement with HTC

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

Always on the lookout to possibly improve its legal position in the ongoing stand-off with Apple, Samsung on Friday filed a court order seeking to force Apple to turn over a copy of the HTC agreement. As Cody told you, Apple and HTC settled litigation with a ten-year licensing agreement worth nearly $3 billion.

Neither company has released the specifics of the deal, leaving Samsung to wonder whether the agreement includes the famous iPhone software features that Apple successfully asserted against Samsung. You know, the stuff like rubber-band scrolling, pinch zoom and other iPhone perks...

Samsung now more assertive in price negotiations over Apple’s hostile tactics

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

Apple appears to be resolving its legal woes with other Android backers such as HTC, reportedly seeking arbitration and even mulling a global settlement with Google's subsidiary Motorola Mobility. On the other hand, the company is to this date entangled in a complicated web of patent disputes with Samsung, from whom it sources components for iOS devices.

And as the frenemies seek to add new gadgets to their respective list of infringing products, one analyst believes Apple's hostile tactics has forced the Galaxy maker to divert from its original business strategy. As a result, the component arm of the South Korean conglomerate has become "more assertive" in price negotiations with Apple, refusing to invest billions of dollars in plants and manufacturing technology without long-term commitment from Apple...

Apple, Motorola seeking arbitration in patent wars as a prelude to global settlement

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 16, 2012

Shocker: Apple and Google's handset arm Motorola Mobility are looking to resolve parts of their global patent dispute pertaining to standards-essential patents deemed critical to smartphone technology. Bloomberg points us to a court filing saying Apple wants to end the patent spat "completely". Both parties are now seeking ways to resolve their differences through binding arbitration, hoping to perhaps reach a broad licensing agreement...