Apple

$199 Anki Drive now available in Apple Stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

At the September double iPhone keynote, Apple's boss Tim Cook invited guys from Anki up on stage to show off their new innovative game-slash-accessory, Anki Drive, basically an iPhone-controlled system comprised of miniature self-driving cars that race around a vinyl race track.

The successful presentation wowed the audience and the robotics company said shortly after that Anki would launch later in October. And as of yesterday, the Anki Drive is available from the Apple Store for a cool $199...

Microsoft on the defensive: Apple’s free iWork productivity suite is ‘no big deal’

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 24, 2013

There's nothing like a good dogfight between two tech titans to get your blood flowing. After a hiatus from its sniping at Apple, Microsoft is back, calling the decision to offer iWork and iLife software free "no big deal". Sure Microsoft, whatever you say.

But Redmond didn't stop there. In a Wednesday blog post, the software giant's communication vice president paints Apple's move as desperate, before launching into a rally-round-the-flag sort of promo for the new Surface tablet.

All of which reminds me of the Hamlet quote about protesting too much...

Apple patents new iBooks gifting choice

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 24, 2013

Unlike other media Apple sells, such as music and video, you've not been able to gift e-books - until now (perhaps). As we head into the holiday season, the iPhone maker has filed for a patent on sending to friends the e-books you've already purchased through the iBookstore. The patent filing would enable you to select a passage in an e-book that reminds you of someone, then gift the book, complete with a personalize message...

Icahn pushes Apple to buy back stock ASAP

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 1, 2017

If you run a multi-billion dollar corporation and your secretary tells you activist investor Carl Icahn is on line 2, the very thought of that should send chills up your spine. Icahn is known for his ominous "increase shareholder value" mantra and stops at nothing to put forward massive corporate stock buyback programs, even pushing for board and CEO changes if need be.

Yesterday, Icahn tweeted he "just sent a letter to Tim Cook" concerning Apple's buyback program. And now, the contents of the letter has been published on his newly launched website called the Shareholders' Square Table.

Should Tim Cook be worried? Read on...

Old iPads are hot: 81 percent of North American tablet traffic

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 24, 2013

On Tuesday, just a few hours ahead of Apple's iPad keynote, new evidence surfaced about how entrenched Apple's device is in the minds of tablet users. Although Apple's tablet has undergone a number of updates, the old iPad 2 remarkably still accounts for the vast majority of U.S. and Canadian web traffic.

That's the word from ad network Chitika, showing iPads are 81 percent of North American tablet-based online traffic. The next closest competitor is the Kindle Fire from Amazon, nipping at Apple's heels with 6.1 percent. This is the second report in as many days showing even the oldest iPads dominate all contenders...

T-Mobile to sell 16GB iPads with no downpayment

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 4, 2016

Piggy-backing on Tuesday's unveiling of the iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display, the agile T-Mobile USA immediately tweeted out they'll be carrying cellular models with a free 200MB plan. Today, the Deutsche Telekom-owned carrier, the nation's fourth-largest, has shed more light on its iPad strategy.

Your key takeaway: there will be no downpayment for those in the market for a cellular iPad Air or Retina iPad mini variant. However, the no-downpayment bait applies only to the entry-level models with sixteen gigabytes of storage. The full breakdown of T-Mobile's UnCarrier offering is right below...

Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston is the voice behind new iPad Air ad

Cody Lee ∙ October 23, 2013

Apple introduced a new iPad mini and full-sized iPad yesterday to a packed audience at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center. The former is now sporting a crisp Retina display, and the latter has been redesigned as the 'iPad Air.'

The company has already posted an ad for the Air on its YouTube channel, showing various settings the tablet is used in with a voiceover talking about its versatility. And if you thought the voice sounded familiar, you were right...

Samsung buys stake in iPhone cover glass maker Corning

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 23, 2013

Gorilla Glass maker Corning has a new partner: Samsung. The South Korean firm is taking ownership in the company which produces tough glass displays for the iPhone and just about everyone else. At the same time, the $2 billion agreement gives Samsung a 10-year a supply contract while Corning gets the cash to explore future technology.

Along with making highly-resistant glass for smartphones, Corning could also be tapped to produce flexible material aimed at the growing number of wearable devices, such as Samsung's Galaxy Gear and Apple's long-rumored iWatch...

Remarkable sophistication of Mac Pro manufacture

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 23, 2013

Not that long ago, these three words - 'Made in USA' - stood out for American quality, craftsmanship and reliability. What a difference a few decades make! As everyone's been building virtually everything in China, small wonder even Apple's boss Tim Cook, like his predecessor Steve Jobs, suspects those manufacturing jobs won't be coming back anytime soon. What might is (some) assembly work.

It was only recently that the nation's tech brands began experimenting with doing final assembly domestically. Motorola, for example, is putting the final pieces of the Moto X in place at a Texas plant, previously a Nokia facility.

Apple, in the meantime, has always designed its products in California and tapped its vast network of suppliers and contract manufacturers in Taiwan and China to build its gizmos. That's starting to change now as Apple's next-generation Mac Pro marks the company's return to the US in a limited manufacturing capacity.

The upcoming dream desktop is being assembled in a $100 million U.S. plant. And like Motorola's, Apple's facility is located in Texas. So, how does Apple build such a sophisticated and radically rethought desktop computer? Industrial designer Greg Koenig took a closer look at an eye-candy Mac Pro assembly video Apple played at yesterday's keynote, here's what he gleaned from it...

Apple’s new ‘Life on iPad’ video highlights creative iPad uses the world over

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 23, 2013

In addition to the inaugural iPad Air television commercial dubbed 'Pencil' and the promotional video featuring Jony Ive and other executives who talk about solving the design challenges of making the iPad Air 28 percent lighter and 20 percent thinner, another video has just gone live on Apple's YouTube channel.

Appropriately titled 'Life on iPad,' this one celebrates Apple customers' creativity and genius in using their iPads and covers a wide range of uses in business, education, entertainment, health and in many other fields.

It's included right after the jump so give it a quick watch right now...

Apple’s inaugural iPad Air ad – ‘Pencil’ – hits YouTube

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 23, 2013

You've read all there is to know about Apple's iPad Air, watched Jony Ive talk enthusiastically about the crazy attention to detail that had gone into designing the product - perhaps streamed or even downloaded the entire keynote to your computer - and now you can appreciate Apple's inaugural, feel-good, mission-statement iPad Air ad.

This is the same 60-second commercial that was played to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts audience yesterday, and now it's just gone live over at Apple's YouTube channel. It's included for your viewing pleasure right after the fold and I urge you to give it a watch and join the discussion down in the comments...

iPad keynote now available on YouTube and iTunes

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Apple rather uncharacteristically not only live-streamed yesterday's keynote through its website and on Apple TV, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices, but has also made a replay available shortly thereafter. The October 2013 Apple Special Event video is now available on-demand through the Apple Events section of the company's website.

I typically prefer to keep Apple's keynote clips handy for later reference and offline viewing. As a bonus, I get to keep the videos forever and make as much copies as my heart desires. Right on cue, the iPhone maker has now made the entire iPad keynote available as a downloadable video podcast on iTunes...