Dang! I know a lot of companies that'd be happy with half the results Apple was able to pull in the first quarter of its financial calendar. As usual, Apple raked in some ginormous revenues, and some even bigger profits.
Historically, Apple has been a profitable company for a long time. Their secret is pretty simple: market shares don't matter; they want to sell less products, but at a higher price. And this has paid off quite well so far...
Gigwalk is a fairly new project with an interesting approach to user involvement. Instead of paying the folks at Gigwalk, they pay you. Sounds like a good deal, right?
Gigwalk gives you the opportunity to make some extra cash by taking pictures and video with your iPhone. There's no catch, and that's about as simple as it gets. Companies pay Gigwalk to receive photos of various establishments and locations in major cities. And you do the photography.
In a shocking report, The Wall Street Journal has confirmed that Microsoft has purchased Skype in a 8.5 billion dollar buyout. This deal gives Microsoft complete ownership of Skype Technologies SA, and this buyout is one of Microsoft's biggest purchases to date.
Skype has been a key player in the desktop and mobile space as one of the most popular VoIP services in existence. On iOS, Skype has always been a wonderful service for those wishing to make calls (both audio and video) over 3G and Wi-Fi.
In case you didn't know, AT&T has started cracking down on unauthorized tethering, specifically for jailbroken iPhones on a grandfathered unlimited data plan.
If you've gotten AT&T's "text of death" relating to your tethering usage, you're probably utilizing free tethering through jailbreak apps like MyWi. Understandably, AT&T doesn't want its users to have a free broadband connection through tethering hacks, and the carrier has started moving users over to its DataPro plan for $45 a month.
So, how is AT&T targeting unauthorized tethering on its network?
We've told you about the world's first jailbreak and iOS convention, MyGreatFest. The event will take place this September in London, U.K. and will be a convention for the jailbreak and iDevice community.
Speakers like the creator of Cydia, saurik, and other prominent members of the jailbreak community are already scheduled to speak at MyGrestFest, and now famed jailbreak dev P0sixninja has expressed interest in attending September's event...
The iPhone is selling very well in China. In fact, China is Apple's fastest growing market for the iPhone.
According to a recent survey by UMeng, a Chinese statistic firm, 34.6% (roughly one third) of the iPhones in China are jailbroken. The iPhone accounts for 8.3% of China’s 850 million mobile customers.
Closer look after the break...
This is one of the saddest stories in Apple's epic saga. They continue to do business with large manufacturing companies that just can't figure out how to treat their employees. It seems like we are always hearing about employees of Apple's suppliers being poisoned or working in insufferable conditions.
To be fair, Apple is one of largest electronic manufacturers in the world. That kind of notoriety would put a target on anyone's back. But it is concerning that Apple still pays Foxconn money, even with the ongoing reports of their lack of compassion for their employee's well-being...
The iPhone is selling very well. That's the message that was depicted loud and clear in Apple's first quarter sales results for 2011. Among other very impressive numbers, the iPhone saw 115% growth in mobile market share, making Apple the largest growing manufacturer in the mobile industry.
The iPhone and iPad also accounted for 60% of Apple's revenue in Q1 of this year.
Apple has allegedly bought iCloud.com for the sum of $4.5 million. The domain was previously owned by Xcerion's cloud service that has now been rebranded to be called CloudMe.
A major revamp of Apple's current cloud service, MobileMe, is expected to launch at WWDC this summer. Apple has also been talking with major record labels for the purpose of introducing a cloud-based media locker for customers.
Would you complete a "special offer" to legally download a paid app for free? The folks at OfferedApp think so, and they've created an advertiser-supported service for delivering paid apps for free.
OfferedApp is almost like Woot.com, except only for apps. The service gives you an app originally priced anywhere from $1-$10 and offers to for a free download. The only catch is that you must first complete anything from an online survey to sitting through a video advertisement.
Sound interesting? Let's take a closer look...
Have you ever tried looking at a recipe application on your iPad while trying to cook? Or tried to learn how to play the guitar via an iPad app? These things would be so much easier if you had someone or something to hold your tablet for you.
Enter the Kickstarter project by designer Seth Quest. It looks like him and his partner just recently raised enough money to fund production of their prototype, the Hanfree.
The iPad accessory is designed to hold your iPad for you, leaving your hands free to do other things. The Hanfree is essentially a case attached to a wide base, with a steel neck and a ball and socket joint.
This setup allows for 360 degree rotation of the iPad, so it can easily be switched from landscape to portrait mode. The see-through case securely grips your iPad as you're using it, and the stainless steel neck pivots so you can swing the device out of the way when you're not.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9VkOTONWaM
I think the design is fairly brilliant given the options of iPad stands currently available. Apparently others think so too. The Kickstarter project has exceeded its $15,000 goal and is set to be funded early next month.
Even though they've already collected enough to start production, they are still taking donations. If you pledge $50 or more, you get a Hanfree once they start shipping. Not a bad deal considering the product will retail for $79.99.
What do you think?
In Apple's Q1 earnings call, the company released very impressive numbers for its sales in the first three months of 2011. The iPhone's fastest growing market is China, with an over 250% increase in iPhone sales since this time last year.
China is a major hub for technology and smartphone innovation, and most iPhone knockoffs are Chinese-made. 10% of Apple's revenue comes from China (to the tune of about $5 billion). The iPhone is doing extremely well; now accounting for 8.3% of China's 850 million mobile customers.