Analysis

Here’s why an OLED touch bar would make a stellar addition to the MacBook Pro

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has caused quite a stir among the faithful with yesterday’s research note in which he predicted a major redesign for the MacBook Pro. He claims the refresh includes, among other features, an OLED display touch bar replacing the physical function keys, which are located above the keyboard on current machines.

As some have observed insightfully, the rumored OLED bar could actually turn into a way more powerful feature addition than meets the eye.

Social media roundup shows what people were talking about during WWDC

I follow quite a few developers, tech sites, tech writers and other worthwhile pundits on Twitter. So as you can imagine, my Twitter stream has been filled with talk of iOS 7, Jony Ive, and pretty much all things Apple over the past week.

And as it turns out, I’m not alone. According to a report from social media analytics firm Viral Heat, Apple was the talk of most major social networks last week. For example, over 400,000 tweets mentioned iOS 7. Infographic time!

YouTube, Google Maps top list of most downloaded apps on Christmas Day

Given the fact that millions of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches were given as gifts this year, and that a number of apps and games were on sale, it’s no surprise that there was a huge spike in app downloads on Tuesday.

In fact, app analytics firm Distimo found that daily downloads in the App Store increased by 87% on Christmas Day compared to the December 2012 average. So what was everyone downloading? Read on to find out…

Analysis: why the iPhone won’t be No. 1 in China

When Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China’s mobile company Xiaomi Technology, took the stage in Beijing yesterday to announce the Xiaomi Phone 2, his company’s successor to the MiOne phone, it was a familiar sight to anyone who has ever watched one of Apple’s famous theatrical product unveilings.

Clad in a black turtleneck, blue jeans and runners and standing in front of a giant screen as the audience of more than a thousand devotees cheered and clapped, the unveiling bore more than a passing resemblance to an Apple event starring Steve Jobs.

But that’s beyond the point. What matters is that Xiaomi Technology. Ever heard of the company? Founded only two years ago, it’s already worth more than BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Its latest smartphone has better hardware than the iPhone 4S, yet sells for less than half the price.

Xiaomi’s Q1 2012 revenue was nearly $1 billion on sales on three million phones. Not bad for a two-year old handset maker doing business in the 1.33 billion people market, which recently overtook the United States in terms of iOS and Android activations. Xiaomi is one of many iPhone contenders in China whose names you’ve never heard before.

Can Apple respond to this latest local challenge to the iPhone?