Apple

Apple’s Employee Donation Program Fetches $2.6 Million for Charity

Cody Lee ∙ November 10, 2011

While he contributed seemingly incalculable amounts to technology, Steve Jobs was never known for his philanthropic efforts. There are rumors that the ex-CEO donated money anonymously, but he never used Apple or his celebrity status as a platform for giving.

This is yet another example of the differences between Jobs and his hand-picked successor, Tim Cook. In less than three months as Apple's CEO, Cook has already implemented an employee donation matching program. And it seems to be yielding impressive results...

Patent Suggests More Touch Gestures Coming to iOS

Cody Lee ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Patent applications are published every day by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, but perhaps none of them are more interesting than those from Apple. The filings give us a glimpse inside the company's notoriously-private research and development labs.

PatentlyApple reports today that another batch of applications has just surfaced on the USTPO site bearing Apple's name. While most of the inventions look intriguing, there's one in particular that stands out above the others. And it involves powerful, new touch gestures...

Apple Releases iOS 5.0.1 to the Public

Cody Lee ∙ November 10, 2011

After multiple developer betas, and a series of customer tests, Apple has finally released iOS 5.0.1 to the masses. The update comes just under a month after Apple released iOS 5.0, which included over 200 new features.

Unfortunately, iOS 5 brought with it serious battery problems. And after weeks of complaints, Apple gave an official statement last week that confirmed both the presence of the bugs and the existence of a fix...

China Mobile Asks Apple for a Share of App Store Revenue to Solidify Partnership

Cody Lee ∙ November 9, 2011

Rumors of a partnership between Apple and China Mobile have been swirling about for the past two years. The speculation has increased over the last few months as the gossip mill hinted that the operator had finally inked a deal with the Cupertino company.

And why wouldn't Apple want to team up with China Mobile? With over 620 million subscribers, they are by far the world's largest carrier. But according to AllThingsD, a final agreement between the two companies may rely on Apple agreeing on some fairly wild terms...

Steve Jobs to Adobe: “I Told You So”

Cody Lee ∙ November 9, 2011

With Adobe's recent announcement on the discontinuation of its mobile Flash plug-in, we are reminded of an open letter Steve Jobs wrote last year regarding the topic. The letter was in response to Adobe's public criticism of Apple for omitting the technology from its products.

In the public letter, Jobs lists several sensible reasons why Apple has decided not to include Flash support in its mobile products. The post explains these reasons clearly and thoroughly, and is a tribute to Jobs' remarkable writing abilities...

Component Shortages in Asia Causing Decreased iPhone 4S Shipments?

Alex Heath ∙ November 9, 2011

A new report from Taiwan-based publication DigiTimes poses a troubling claim that Apple is facing supply shortages overseas. This means that iPhone 4S shipments will be allegedly slowed for the fourth holiday quarter of 2011.

The iPhone 4S has been called the most successful product launch ever for many carriers, with lines continuing to form around the world for the new handset. Will Apple be able to meet demand?

Adobe to Stop Work on Mobile Flash, Concentrate on HTML5

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

Apple has taken a lot of heat over the last four years due to the fact that its mobile products lack support for Adobe's Flash platform. Since the iPhone's introduction in 2007, not one of Apple's mobile devices has included the plug-in.

Flash compatibility is a feature that Android device makers have often touted as an advantage over the iPhone and iPad. Well, they might want to come up with something else to brag about, as ZDNet is reporting that Adobe is canning development of mobile Flash...

Apple on Siri: “We Currently Have No Plans to Support Older Devices”

Alex Heath ∙ November 8, 2011

With rumors circulating that the flagship feature of the iPhone 4S, Siri, is being ported to older iDevices by jailbreak hackers, many are wondering if Apple will ever bring Siri to its other mobile devices.

One Apple customer emailed Apple about bringing Siri to other devices via a special iOS build, and Apple responded by saying that, "we currently have no plans to support older devices."

Google: Android Doesn’t Copy the iPhone Because We Were First

Alex Heath ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

And the plot thickens.

The battle between Android and the iPhone has raged for years, with it being unveiled in his recent biography that Steve Jobs was planning to wage "thermonuclear war" on Google and Android. The heat felt between the two companies stems from the fact that Apple confided in Google in the early years of the iPhone's development before Android was released. Steve Jobs felt that Google stole Apple's ideas, calling Android "grand theft."

According to Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Android doesn't copy the iPhone at all. Why? Because Android was started before the iPhone...

Apple Now Seeding iOS 5.0.1 to Select Users

Cody Lee ∙ November 8, 2011

Apple is anything but predictable these days with its iOS refresh cycle. Last week Apple released not one, but two beta versions of iOS 5.0.1 to developers. Needless to say, that's fairly unusual for the company on such an incremental update.

Apparently, the iPhone-makers are still baffled by the battery bug. Because now 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple is seeding iOS 5.0.1 to customers. The software is still considered to be in beta though, and is only available to select end users...

Apple Giving iPhone 4S Supply Priority to Its Own Stores

Alex Heath ∙ November 8, 2011

If you're still in need of an iPhone 4S, you're best shot is probably your local Apple Store. With Apple's latest smartphone selling out around the world, many are still unable to get their hands on the iPhone 4S.

According to recent industry checks, retails stores are still running out of iPhone 4S supply on a "daily basis." Apple seems to be giving supply priority to its own stores, meaning that the Apple Store should have the most available stock for customers. And even then, your chances are slim...

China Unicom Getting Ready for the iPhone 4S

Sébastien Page ∙ November 8, 2011

An article on 9to5Mac this morning reports that China Unicom is dropping the 16/32GB iPhone 4 in preparation for the 8GB iPhone 4, prior to offering the iPhone 4S to its customers.

State-owned China Unicom, the world’s third-largest carrier and Apple’s sole iPhone partner in the country, has dropped both the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4 model and will be introducing the 8GB iPhone 4 later this month. The move comes in anticipation of the iPhone 4S launch on the China Unicom network, due by the year’s end. iPhone 4S is currently pending regulatory approval in the country. The move would indicate that China Unicom will focus on the new iPhone 4S and carry the 8GB iPhone 4 as an inexpensive entry-level handset.

China is a huge market for Apple and there is no doubt this deal will increase the company's bottomline. China Unicom is the country's number 2 carrier. China Mobile, the country's leader, has yet to reach an agreement with Apple.