Apple

Apple and Samsung bosses meeting on May 21-22 to talk patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

As previously hinted, top dogs at Apple and Samsung will meet next month to discuss a possible settlement to the ongoing patent war which has seen minor casualties on both sides, but has otherwise failed to produce an outright winner. A new report claims the upcoming mediation will take place on May 21 and May 22, starting on each day at 9:30am.

The court-moderated settlement talk is to seek an alternative dispute resolution to the more than fifty lawsuits the two technology giants have filed against each other in little more than a year in courts the world over...

Apple seriously considered giving the iPhone a physical keyboard

Cody Lee ∙ April 28, 2012

We've heard rumors in the past that Apple had an iPhone prototype with a physical keyboard floating around its Cupertino labs. But the speculation has never been confirmed or denied. Until now.

Tony Fadell, a long-time Apple employee turned Nest founder, was on The Verge's tech talk show On The Verge last night. And the ex-Senior Vice President dropped some insider information about Apple's popular handset...

Apple cracking down on App Store manipulation services

Cody Lee ∙ April 27, 2012

Earlier this year, we pointed out an interesting discovery regarding the App Store's list of top 25 free apps. Apparently, some developers were employing seedy marketing services to move their apps up the ranks, using tens of thousands of download bots.

Well it looks like Apple is cracking down on such services, as downloads for the top 200 free apps in the U.S. have dropped more than 30% over the past two months. And Fiksu, a legitimate app marketing firm, attributes part of the decline to Apple's actions...

Rumor: Apple and EPIX in movie streaming deal that includes the mythical iTV

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2012

Apple is (again) rumored to be negotiating content deals with Hollywood studios that would give the company necessary rights to stream premium Hollywood entertainment via the iCloud to your living room.

Two people with knowledge of the negotiations apparently told Reuters that the EPIX movie streaming deal could include “a long-anticipated” television set from Apple.

However, industry sources indicated that any Apple-EPIX streaming deal cannot be realized before end of September 2012, when EPIX's prior streaming arrangement with Netflix is set to expire...

Samsung Australia: We didn’t stage anti-Apple protest. So, who the heck did?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2018

Apple's frenemy Samsung went on the record to deny speculation that it was behind a flashmob-style anti-Apple protest that occurred 'spontaneously' outside Apple's retail outlet in Sydney, Australia. More precisely, a spokesperson for Samsung said their Australian branch had nothing to do with the stunt.

But the curiously ambiguous response leaves open the possibility of Samsung of South Korea or any of their regional offices hiring a creative shop to stage the protest. Before you jump straight to the comments, know this...

Apple’s new celebrity iPhone 4S ads are testing well with viewers

Cody Lee ∙ April 27, 2012

Last week, two new iPhone 4S commercials surfaced starring Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel. And given the fact that Apple hasn't used celebrities in its TV spots in quite some time, there was some questions on who was behind the ads.

Well as it turns out, Apple was. And apparently it was a smart move. According to Ace Metrix, an advertising tracking firm, the celebrity iPhone 4S ads are generating higher scores with consumers than any other 4S ads aired this year...

How about this gorgeous speaker dock for your iPad by Jean Michel Jarre?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Jean Michel Jarre, a composer, performer and music producer, may be best-known for his trademark new-age sound and a penchant for lavish concerts that dazzle fans with fireworks and spectacular light equipment rocking the out-of-this-world laser shows (and that was back in 1986).

What you might not have known is that this 63-year-old French also runs Jarre Technologies, a cutting-edge brand for high-end home entertainment products and technological lifestyle.

The AeroPod Two is the latest in prosumer speaker dock technology to come out from Jarre Technologies. There's a lot to like about this product, especially if you're fond of elegant designs akin to Apple's. The beast of a speaker dock is a whopping 34 inches wide, but wait 'till you hear the price...

Analyst: iTV to be “a big seismic shift” in TV biz, gonna sell like hotcakes

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2012

The first quarter of 2012 saw Apple sell more than 50 million iOS devices, 11.8 million of which were iPads. But even at a high-price of an estimated $2,000, a rumored full-blown television set from Apple is projected to sell faster than the popular iPad, which begins at $499 for the third-gen model, or $399 in the case of the discounted WiFi-only iPad 2.

But what if Apple flexes its muscles with iTV, tapping the $110 billion cash hoard, its frightening buying power and efficient supply chain management to deliver a $1,000 TV set for the masses? If it comes to be, expect nothing if not "a big seismic shift", one analyst opines...

Guy says iPad Smart Cover violates his patent, sues Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A guy from Colorado apparently owns rights to a seven-year-old patent he claims resembles technologies and ideas Apple employed to create the Smart Cover case for the iPad.

Feeling confident enough, this dude filed a suit against the iPad maker in the United States District Court of Colorado, aiming to squeeze ongoing royalties out of Apple or a one-time payment of a cool hundred thousand bucks...

Did Apple just kill Chomp for Android?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 22, 2018

As we told you, Apple in February acquired Chomp for an undisclosed sum. Chomp is a popular recommendation engine that makes iOS and Android app discovery a more efficient and pleasing experience.

Coincidentally or not, the California-based powerhouse has now pulled Chomp for Android from the rival Google Play marketplace, also removing the Android app search option from the Chomp website.

The iPhone maker also submitted a Form S-8 regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), detailing stock options to Chomp's twenty employees...

Apple snagged nearly 10% of mobile phone market last quarter

Cody Lee ∙ Updated July 11, 2017

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone back in 2007, he said that Apple was looking to sell 10 million iPhones in 2008. This would've given it a measly 1% of the mobile phone market. Well Jobs would be happy to hear that Apple's marketshare is now roughly 10x that.

According to a new report from Strategy Analytics, the Cupertino company accounted for 9.5% of all global handset shipments in the first quarter of 2012. Apple also kept its spot as the third largest mobile phone manufacturer during the three month period...

Apple reportedly canceling WWDC tickets for some, citing no-transfer policy

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 27, 2012

Following a fiasco with WWDC 2012 tickets which saw West Coast-based developers gasping after seeing that WWDC tickets had already sold out by the time they woke up, Apple is now apparently emailing some developers to inform them that their ticket purchase was “not eligible”. Ouch!

Apple is apparently canceling the $1,599 ticket purchases over a no-transfer policy. WWDC 2012 tickets are in high demand this year so some people readily turn to eBay to make a quick profit, such as this guy...