Apple

Microsoft to trade-in your iPhone if you switch

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 25, 2013

Microsoft has been running its #timetoswitch campaign for some time, to mixed results. The multi-pronged effort spans television, print, online and social media channels as Microsoft positions Windows Phone as the next big thing.

Part of that effort is a recent iPad trade-in campaign seeking to steal sales from Apple by inviting iPad users to trade-in their tablet for up to $200 in Microsoft Store credits. That's just the tip of the iceberg: Forbes writes today that Redmond is prepping to add the iPhone to the promotion...

Apple Maps and Siri woes again make headlines

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 19, 2018

Just when you thought the dust has settled over Apple's digital personal assistant, Siri, and the company's Google Maps replacement software in iOS, latest reports once again pan the two services over gross inaccuracies.

Worse, these stories paint Apple Maps and Siri in a not-so-favorable light - and very publicly, too.

The first report comes from Alaska and warns about people looking for directions to the Fairbanks International Airport, only to be instructed to drive onto an airport taxiway, which is located directly across the runway where airplanes take off and land....

Apple reportedly moving forward with larger iPad

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 26, 2016

The first time we heard that Apple was working on a 12+ inch iPad, we dismissed it as a crazy rumor. Why on earth would the company want to go larger than its current 9.7-inch tablet, which already seems to be getting eclipsed by the 7.9-inch mini?

But the more you hear a rumor, the harder it gets to ignore. And tonight, for the third time, a report has surfaced claiming that Apple is indeed moving forward with plans for this larger iPad, and it has already tapped Quanta Computer to produce it...

Nissan becomes exclusive iTunes Radio ad partner

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

With Apple's Pandora killer now out of the gate, Tim Cook & Co. are looking for monetization opportunities and have reportedly signed up high-profile advertisers. Several big name brands are said to have agreed to paying big bucks in exchange for rich media ad slots on iTunes Radio.

According to a report yesterday by The Wall Street Journal, Nissan has become an exclusive automotive partner on iTunes Radio through 2013. Also, Nissan's Versa Note and Leaf vehicles will gain custom iTunes Radio content, with unique content available across Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and PC devices.

But wait, there's more...

Over 200 workers involved in brawl at Foxconn plant

Cody Lee ∙ September 24, 2013

Foxconn has confirmed that a large fight broke out last week at one of its Chinese campuses, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The brawl attracted between 300 and 400 workers, and injured at least 11.

The outlet says that the fight between two different groups initially broke out last Thursday after workers gathered to celebrate China's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, and saw workers wielding steel bars, batons and machetes...

How to hide unwanted Apple TV app icons

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2013

I'm loving my Apple TV a lot, even more so after the past few updates have made the set-top box way more useful by bringing out a host of cool features and new content sources such as Disney, Vevo, iTunes Music Festival, HBO Go and more.

On the downside, each new channel brings with it a brand new icon. And just like that - before you know it, your Apple TV becomes littered with a bunch of icons. Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow declutter the interface? While Apple makes it easy to re-arrange the icons by holding down the Select button on the remote until they start wiggling, there's no straightforward option to remove unwanted ones from the Home screen.

Assuming you're willing to dive into the Apple TV's Settings menu and flip a few switches, you can do just that. Jump past the fold and I'll tell you all about it...

80 percent of iPhone purchasers in China are picking the iPhone 5s

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

It seems Apple's release of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c is chock full of surprises aside from the humungous 9 million units sold during the first weekend. Remember the iPhone 5c, first expected to be Apple's cheap iPhone, then forecast to win over emerging markets, such as China? Neither is true.

New analytics show more than 90 percent of the new iPhones sold in China this past weekend were the iPhone 5s. That's even higher than the 78 percent of global sales average the iPhone 5s enjoys on average...

Boeing rolls out iPad app suite for airplane maintenance crews

Ed Sutherland ∙ September 24, 2013

Up until now, airlines mostly tapped iPads to either shrink the size of flight bags carried by pilots and other flight crews or relax restriction on how passengers can use tablets. Tuesday, aircraft maker Boeing announced a suite of iPad apps designed to help maintenance crews find, fix and get airplanes back in service with the least delays. Yes, there are now iPad apps to service those huge jumbo jets.

How cool is that?

Want: Marshall’s Stanmore wireless speaker

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 22, 2017

British music gear company Marshall Amplification needs no introduction: the brand is practically synonymous with pro-grade music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, drums (via their Natal Drums acquisition) and more. Fittingly, Marshall's personal headphones and earphones arm today launched a new personal wireless speaker.

I immediately fast-tracked it to the top of my shopping list. The stylish Stanmore speaker not only looks business dressed up in Marshall's trademark design, it comes packed to the gills with useful connection options, including Bluetooth wireless, RCA input and the standard 3.5mm auxiliary input...

iPhone 5s/5c estimated to cost $199/$173 to build

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2013

Following iFixIt's ritual teardown of Apple's new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and a detailed chip analysis of the former by Chipworks, research firm IHS Suppli ran their spreadsheets to guesstimate just how much Apple may be paying for the parts.

According to a research note, the pricier top-of-the-line iPhone 5s commands a bill of material of $199.

Its polycarbonate plastic brother costs less to build, with part costs pegged at $173. The full breakdown is right after the break...

Apple pulls Personal Pickup for new iPhones

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 6, 2013

Yesterday, iDB told you that Apple extended its Personal Pickup service to include the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c and explained that shoppers can avoid crowds by ordering their handset online with same day in-store delivery. It would now appear that the company may have prematurely enhanced the service.

On Tuesday, the in-store pickup option disappeared from the online Apple Store for both new iPhone models. We've received more than a dozen tips and have since confirmed that Apple in fact did inexplicably pull Personal Pickup for both new handsets...

Apple refreshes iMacs with Haswell chips, faster GPU, Gigabit Wi-Fi, PCIe flash storage and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 24, 2013

Apple during June's WWDC updated its MacBook Air lineup with the latest-generation Intel chips and related hardware bumps, leaving the rest of the Mac lineup intact. Today, the company has refreshed its iMac all-in-one lineup via a simple press release, clearing the stage for October iPads.

The upgraded internals include faster fourth-generation Intel Haswell platform sporting power-efficient quad-core CPU. Also new: better graphics, next generation Wi-Fi and faster PCIe flash storage options.

Jump past the fold for the full reveal...