Apple

Video: limited bending stress test of iPhone 6’s claimed sapphire cover

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Our favorite parts leaker, Australia-born Sonny Dickson, is back at it again with a new video that seems to offer a look at an alleged sapphire-strengthened cover glass, presumably for Apple's next iPhone.

As you know, all iPhones models incorporate Gorilla Glass designed and produced by U.S.-based company Corning.

That being said, pundits have been calling for a sapphire iPhone ever since Apple earlier in the year confirmed prepaying over half a billion dollars to GT Advanced to secure multi-year supply of sapphire glass on an exclusive basis.

For those unfamiliar with sapphire, Wikipedia is your friend. In a nutshell, the precious gemstone's hardness is second only to diamond, making it a no-brainer for the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6...

Google’s Page and Brin think Apple is doing too few products

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs used to offer a nice word of advice to Google co-founder and boss Larry Page. "You guys are doing too much stuff," he'd tell Page.

Today, Page thinks Google's multi-pronged approach to product development is paying off big time as the search monster now has its tentacles in a number of lucrative businesses. Contrast Google's approach to Apple, which only does a few things at the time.

This is part of Apple's DNA, but Page is unimpressed.

He didn't heed his mentor's advice and think Apple's laser-sharp focus on things that matter the most is limiting its ability to compete. “It sounds stupid if you have this big company and you can only do, like, five things,” Page said during a fireside chat with venture capitalist Vinod Khosla...

Apple’s obsession with iPhone 6 thinness could yield marginal battery improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 29, 2016

As a rule of thumb: the bigger the phone, the stronger the battery. At least, this has been the case with the vast majority of jumbo-sized Android handsets.

And it's easy to see why: phones with larger displays need bigger enclosures that offer more space inside for internal components such as the battery.

Many pundits expect Apple's iPhone 6 to exhibit a notable battery capacity boost, but a new report is now alleging that both a 4.7 and 5.5-inch handset offer a slight boost in capacity from the battery used in the iPhone 5s, presumably because Apple is adamant to retain the World's Thinnest Smartphone crown...

Skype refresh brings back voice messaging and contact profiles

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Having unceremoniously removed voice messaging from the recently remastered Skype 5.0 for iPhone, the Microsoft-owned VoIP provider on Monday pushed a minor update that has brought the useful feature back while adding two others.

The new Skype 5.2 for iPhone is rolling out this morning. In addition to voice messaging, the refreshed Skype app has also brought back the ability to access contact profiles while allowing you to add participants to the existing conversation at any time...

Annual Sun Valley conference starts tomorrow, Apple’s Cook and Cue said to be in attendance

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

The annual Sun Valley conference hosted by Allen & Company, a premier investment bank for the media and entertainment sector, is about to kick off Tuesday.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is said to again attend the confab that many insiders liken to a mogul-fest because it gathers under one roof media moguls, Silicon Valley luminaries, finance titans, influential investors and powerful figures in tech...

Korean watchdog orders Apple to change App Store refund policy

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

It used to be that in the past you could get updates for an iOS or Mac app after asking for a refund. However, Apple's relaxed policy concerning refunds and app updates has recently been tightened after the company updated the App Store's Terms of Service to prevent this.

Turns out this may not be the only change in store as South Korea's Fair Trade Commission has now ordered both Apple and Google to take action and revert their unfair no-refund app store policies...

Foxconn confirms it’s starting to deploy robots to help assemble iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 7, 2014

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., also known in the Western world as Foxconn, the world's largest contract manufacturer, will soon start deploying sophisticated robots to help assemble iPhones, CEO and Chairman Terry Gou announced during a shareholder meeting Monday.

Foxconn assembles a range of consumer electronics products for other companies, including iPhones and iPads. The plan to replace factory workers with robots was first announced two years ago, but hit roadblocks due to high cost of robot deployment...

Apple warns developers of incoming CloudKit data wipe, suggesting iOS 8 beta 3 might be around the corner

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

Apple just sent an email to its registered developers warning them that the company will be performing a server-side CloudKit data wipe for iOS 8 beta and OS X Yosemite Developer Preview, on Monday July 7.

If this data wipe is not unusual, it definitely comes at an interesting time, suggesting that not surprisingly, iOS 8 beta 3 and and the third OS X Yosemite Developer Preview might be right around the corner...

Apple poaches TAG Heuer exec for iWatch marketing role

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 2, 2017

Apple has made another high-profile hire related to iWatch as CNBC reports that the company has successfully poached sales director of luxury Swiss watch maker TAG Heuer Patrick Pruniaux, who has now joined the iPhone maker's teams in California to help sell the iWatch and position the device as a must-have gadget in the minds of the consumers.

Several sources already suspected that the iWatch could actually be a high-end luxury watch augmented by smart functions. Also keep in mind that earlier reports said Apple had approached the world’s top watchsmiths in an attempt to poach their talent for its iWatch team.

That being said, this hire certainly makes sense because Apple is going to need experienced marketeers from the watch industry if it's to position the rumored device as a luxury good...

Samsung’s latest ‘Wall Huggers’ Galaxy ad attacks iPhone’s battery performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 3, 2014

Samsung's marketing department is no stranger to Apple-bashing and its most recent advertisement for the Galaxy S5 flagship proves the point.

Titled 'Wall Huggers', it depicts iPhone users in a series of everyday situations with a recurring theme being them chained to a wall socket. "There they are," the voiceover opens the 60-second commercial.

"Clustered around power outlets, recycling bins and bathrooms, tethered to the wall." The ad is embedded for your viewing pleasure right after the break...

iPhone captures 42% market share in the United States for May

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated April 17, 2018

The latest numbers reveal that the iPhone remains the most popular smartphone in the United States, with 41.9% market share for a three-month period ending May 2014. Samsung was the second most popular smartphone maker with a 27.8% share, attributed to its Galaxy-branded devices. LG (6.5%), Motorola (6.3%) and HTC (5.1%) round off the top five.

While the iPhone was the most popular smartphone, Android held a commanding 52.1% share among mobile platforms. iOS followed not too far behind at 41.9%, while Windows Phone (3.4%), BlackBerry (2.3%) and Symbian (0.1%) all trailed by quite a distance. Android also had 52.1% market share for the three-month period ending February, while iOS gained 0.6 percentage points…

Apple patent filing reveals that iPhones could have location-based security and settings in future

Joe Rossignol ∙ July 3, 2014

Apple has filed a new patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for an invention that dynamically changes the security, settings and behavior of a device based on its location. For instance, most users may only require a four-digit passcode on their iPhone while at home, but would prefer to use the more secure Touch ID while in the workplace or traveling.

The hardware and software of a device would work in tandem to identify the location of the user and adjust the security levels accordingly, based on its proximity or connection to cellular data towers, local Wi-Fi networks, other cell phones and more. There would be certain thresholds depending on how confident the device is in the security of the surrounding location…