To say that China is an important territory for Apple and its smartphone is an understatement. The country is home to more than a billion cell phone users, and the market is currently dominated by Android and other platforms.
That's because the iPhone has only been available in mainland China for a few months now, and the handset has yet to land on its largest carrier: China Mobile. But according to Reuters, that may not be the case for long...
Pacific Crest's Andy Hargreaves wins the coveted title for this week's Most Idiotic Analysis concerning a rumored HD TV television set from Apple, aptly dubbed by the press the iTV.
In a note issued to clients on Tuesday, Hargreaves provided two arguments against an Apple-branded telly.
First, such a device would be of little value to couch potatoes unless it came with a bucket load of premium Hollywood entertainment. Up to a point, he argued Apple thus far has failed to get content owners in line to stream movies and television shows to the TV.
Bear with me for a sec.
Secondly, he wrote a 46-inch HD TV set "would be a terrible use of retail space relative to iPhone, iPad or the Apple TV set-top box".
Has this guy heard of warehouses? What about jumbo-sized walls of Apple's retail stores? And whoever said Apple would need to stock hundreds of big-screen iTVs in retail outlets, especially if they'll fetch a cool $2,000 a pop, as rumored...
Bloomberg is out with a new report this afternoon, claiming that Apple is in talks with Disney to bring its WatchESPN app to the Apple TV. The app, which is currently available on the iPhone and iPad, allows existing ESPN subscribers to watch sporting events on the go.
Apple TV already contains apps from the NBA, MLB, and NHL — all of which provide live broadcasts of league games to subscribers. But ESPN's offering would feature much more rounded coverage, including basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, tennis and more...
Color me skeptical, but I'm still scratching my head over over a surprising report by Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter which has it that Google's Chrome browser is coming to iOS some time during the June quarter of this year or, if not, then "definitely this year".
If true, this would be a big news as Chrome ended 2011 within spitting distance of market-leading Internet Explorer. Heck, it even overtook Microsoft’s product to become the world’s most popular browser for a day and is certainly expected to become the top browser this year.
The big question is, will Apple allow Chrome into the App Store and let Google own all the searches? Bear in mind that the search giant currently pays Apple an estimated 60 percent revenue share for the searches done through Safari's search box...
It seems like rumors involving Apple's secret TV project are getting debunked almost as fast as they are surfacing these days.
Just yesterday we found out that the Cupertino company is not involved in talks to purchase Loewe, a German TV manufacturer. And now Foxconn has deflated a rumor that its CEO confirmed the existence of an Apple TV set...
A report out this morning from Far East suggested Apple could be interested in adopting Samsung’s new flexible OLED screens, presumably for use in iPads, iPhones and iPods. The South Korean conglomerate last year supplied Apple with nearly $8 billion worth of processors, NAND flash chips and screens for iOS devices.
Now, Samsung has reportedly received a “huge” number of orders for flexible OLED displays and supposedly Apple is among the phone makers interested in this technology. An iPhone with a flexible display, anyone? Just a pipe dream, you say? Bear with me for a second, there's more to this than meets the eye...
According to the usually well-informed Wall Street Journal, Apple is readying an upgrade to its iCloud service that will expand on the basic features which sync content between iPhones, iPads, iPods and Mac or PC computers. iCloud also provides device backups in the cloud and supports other capabilities specific to Apple's iOS devices.
Two new features will reportedly enable basic photo sharing features with other iCloud users and will include the ability to sync videos...
Remember when Apple announced sales of 17.07 million iPhones during the September quarter of last year? The company was dealing with a rare loss at the time for it had failed to meet analysts' audacious expectations.
In fact, Tim Cook had gone on the record in a conference call with investor to blame the slowdown on those crazy summertime rumors that had been repeatedly calling for a completely redesigned iPhone for the summer of 2011.
"iPhone sales slowed toward the end of the quarter amid speculation over the debut of a new model", the CEO said. Well, looks like history could repeat itself.
Some analysts are now concerned that Apple is due for a big come down because swirling iPhone 5 rumors could negatively impact sales of the current-generation iPhone 4S/4 as would-be buyers withhold their planned purchases in anticipation of a new model.
As rumors concerning an alleged $200 iPad mini have lately begun picking up considerable steam, industry sources from Apple's supply chain in Asia have chimed in with claims that Taiwanese suppliers are building specialized plants to meet Apple's ever-growing demand for parts and components that go into its iPhone and iPad.
The sources also mention these new production facilities are being constructed in preparation of the iPad mini, said to feature a 7.85-inch display and a low price close to $200.
Apple, which shipped nearly 50 million smartphones and tablets in the first quarter of this year, is responsible for a big chunk of its suppliers' profits.
The Cupertino company controls an estimated two-thirds of the tablet market, though Apple's lead is believed to diminish as Windows 8-based tablets and those running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich arrive later this year...
We told you not long ago that German TV maker Loewe was potentially the subject of an audacious takeover bid by iPhone and iPad maker, Apple. The rumor made a modicum of sense considering talk of an Apple Television being in the works just won't go away.
Now though, such a takeover appears to be out of the question, with the Germans themselves saying that no such takeover talks are in process after contacting German site, Heise.
Rumors of a $113 million buyout have been quashed after Loewe's official stance was recorded as there being 'absolutely nothing to it.'
Despite recent reports that Apple hasn't finalized the design for its next-generation handset yet, purported 'iPhone 5' part leaks seem to be picking up. We've seen home buttons, a SIM tray, and now another one has surfaced.
MacRumors points to a new headphone jack/earpiece/Wi-Fi cable component that recently popped up on SW-BOX.com. Although the piece shows out of stock, the parts vendor claims that it indeed belongs to the iPhone 5...
There's been no shortage of talk regarding an Apple-branded TV set this year, as the entire television industry awaits the company's entry into the market. Everyone wants to see if it can do for TVs, what it's done for phones and tablets.
Well AppleInsider is adding more fuel to the fire today, as it's reporting that Apple is in talks to purchase Loewe AG, a German TV manufacturer. Apparently, the iPad-maker has put an offer up of $100+ million for the company...