Following a favorable ChangeWave Research study which put to rest so-called Heatgate, the influential United States consumer advocacy group Consumer Reports published this morning their definite findings concerning Apple's third-generation iPad tablet.
Just as they did with iPad 2, Consumer Reports says the new iPad tops their tablet ratings, stressing its high-resolution screen "establishes a new benchmark in excellence"...
In spite of way overblown 'problems' with the new iPad overheating, charging slower and having minor performance issues with native Retina gaming, owners are simply loving their new gadget, with a whopping 98 percent being satisfied or very satisfied with their purchase in a new ChangeWave poll.
The study, released this morning, polled two hundred owners of the new iPad, with three-quarter singling out the high-resolution 2,048-by-1,536 pixel Retina display as its defining feature...
AT&T is saying its high-profile launch of the Nokia Lumia 900 in the United States will dwarf the iPhone. We'll see about that, but if a new Smartphone Betatest website is anything to go by, the Finnish cell phone giant isn't afraid at all to take pot shots at the carrier's 'hero' device.
Specifically, Nokia-posted videos on the site allude to the iPhone 4's perceived weaknesses, including the infamous cellular reception issue that culminated under the controversial Antennagate headline in 2010.
The new iPad has been out for nearly three weeks now, and most of the folks who are going to weigh in on the tablet, have. The Retina display looks great, and LTE is lightning-fast. But otherwise the consensus seems to be that it's not much different than its predecessor.
This has spawned quite the debate throughout the internet on whether or not iPad 2 owners should consider upgrading to the newer slate. And the, once again, consensus seems to be that it isn't. Does this mean that Apple is losing its touch? Read on for my thoughts...
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple has announced that developers will now start receiving 70% of the revenue generated by iAds in their applications. That's a 10% increase over the 60% cut they received in the previous arrangement.
The move isn't surprising considering how much trouble the mobile advertising service has had gaining traction. Apple has even had to adjust the numbers for advertisers, dropping the entry-level price from $1 million to $100,000...
It appears that Apple may avoid going head to head with the Department of Justice over possible eBook price fixing, with the news from Reuters that the company behind iBooks and publishers may be close to coming to an agreement with the DOJ.
Earlier this month it was suggested that Apple and book publishers had been colluding in order to fix the price of electronic books, and with Apple already in so many court rooms it is clear that the firm could do without having to fight on yet another front.
Even Apple can't take on everyone...
Apple's doing lots of clarifying lately, that much is clear. Just this day, the company finally tweaked the problematic "4G" wording for the new iPad in Australia and clarified warranty coverage options in the European Union.
In both these instances, Apple moved only following regulatory pressure or when threatened with class-action lawsuits.
So, if you live in Australia and felt misled with Apple's "4G" iPad marketing in the country, you're in for a treat. Hop over to the iPad specs page on the Australia online Apple store and see an added line stating the device "is not compatible with current Australian 4G LTE networks and WiMAX networks".
Following yesterday's findings of the Fair Labor Association’s investigation into Apple’s supply chain, a report out this morning claims Foxconn workers are now concerned about their work hours being cut because they think the move will lead to lower wages.
Per FLA’s recommendations, Foxconn and Apple have reduced excessive work times to 49 hours a week, including overtime. The two partners have also tweaked salaries, a move they claim ensures workers don't earn less amid reduced working hours.
But despite these long-overdue policy changes being put in place, Foxconn workers are not entirely convinced...
As Apple's influence across industries continues to grow, so does its reputation among consumers the world over. The latest example is Japan, the country infamous for its fickle consumer and, at times, odd expectations with everyday gadgets (at least by Western standards).
A new study puts Apple as the top consumer brand in Japan - and for the first time, too. The achievement echoes a sentiment shared in a survey earlier this week, saying that half of all households in the United States now own at least one Apple product.
An anonymous poll last August found out that a staggering 97 percent of Apple employees approved of Steve Jobs when he stepped down as CEO, only three percent saying the co-founder could have done better.
A new study by careers community site Glassdoor, which also conducted the previous survey, now pegs Tim Cook's approval rating at the same 97 percent high.
While it's too early to judge the new CEO, the numbers are indicative and important, telling us that the post-Jobs Apple and the U.S. industries at large have high confidence in the new leadership.
AnandTech on Wednesday posted their review of the new iPad. Per usual, the 21-page article goes into every aspect of the device in excruciating detail. The most interesting takeaway includes an in-depth analysis concerning the gizmo's graphical prowess and how the enhanced A5X chip stacks up in high-resolution games against the iPad 2 and latest crop of Android tablets powered by Nvidia's Tegra 3 silicon.
For starters, the publication portrays the A5X as "an absolute beast" of an system-on-a-chip. But, its power comes at a price because - as it is implemented in the new iPad - the A5X "under load consumes more power than an entire iPhone 4S".
We kinda knew that, so just how fast is its quad-core GPU and can we expect jaw-dropping Retina games running natively in all their 2,048-by-1,536 pixel glory and - most importantly - at satisfactory frame rates?
Two weeks ago, a guy from New York filed a class-action lawsuit in a California court, accusing Apple for “misleading” customers with Siri features set. Expect more of the same as another dude files a complaint, specifically mentioning "false and deceptive representations" of Siri's capabilities in nationwide advertising.
The plaintiff claims television commercials that depict what Siri is capable of "diverge greatly" from real world experience. To be perfectly clear, Siri does tend to behave somewhat erratically from time to time, though Apple warns it's a beta product.
The question is, should Apple heavily promote a beta product as the key feature of the iPhone 4S and - more importantly - is Siri advertising accurate and honest?