Bad news for smartphone and tablet makers. It seems that the coating used to make devices like the iPhone touch sensitive is beginning to run scarce, and could completely disappear from the planet within the next decade or so.
The transparent material is called indium tin oxide, and it's used to sense when a finger makes contact with a smartphone's display. And apparently the situation is so bad that industry experts are rushing to find an alternative...
Judging from last week's online chatter over whether people hate the iPhone 5 or love Samsung's Galaxy S4, you'd have thought the tech press had returned to high school, where the halls are filled with BFFs and everyone dots their 'i' with hearts.
However, there is some actual news coming from that torrent of tweets and Facebook posts.
Apple, long admired for its tight control of information, is great at talking up its brand, but does little to guide the conversation once a product is launched. Hence, the iPhone 5 'most hated' drivel...
In another sign of a major consolidation taking place in the U.S. wireless industry, carrier telco on Friday made known its intention to buy regional prepaid carrier Leap Wireless.
AT&T has agreed to pay $15 per share in cash to acquire all of Leap Wireless’s assets. As you know, Leap provides wireless services through its prepaid Cricket Wireless brand.
The transaction, pending customary regulatory approval, is meant to bolster AT&T’s coverage, enhance its spectrum, increase AT&T's retail store presence and make AT&T more competitive to customers interested in low-cost prepaid service...
Looks like Apple's just been dealt a major blow over in Russia as another carrier reportedly quit selling iPhones. Vimplecom-owned Beeline, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, has allegedly cut its ties with Apple. The firm will not renew its iPhone distribution agreement over too "harsh conditions", the story goes.
While the move doesn't mean the iPhone isn't popular in the country (just ask the local elite and celebrities), it does leave Apple without a major carrier presence there. Russia's two biggest carriers MTS and Megafon stopped selling the handset earlier.
Both telcos criticized Apple's demanding requirements: committing to large-volume purchases, generous subsidies and advance payment...
When is a tablet a PC? When it's running Windows 8. Conversely, when is a tablet not a PC? When it bears the Apple logo. In a second quarter littered with negative sales figures, it took some fancy footwork to lump Apple Mac shipments in with an industry decline that's lasted five quarters.
In its estimates of PCs shipped during the last quarter, Gartner earlier this week announced PC shipments on average fell 10.9 percent. Even Apple - which has consistently beaten PC numbers - fell 4.3 percent. However, in a curious note, the firm explained the figures included desktops, mobile PCs and mini-notebooks - but not iPads. What gives?...
The SemiAccurate blog is known for a mixed track report in terms of hardware news (hence the name).
For instance, it correctly predicted Apple would switch back to Nvidia's graphics processors for 2012 MacBooks, but got it all wrong calling for an Intel-to-ARM transition for the Mac lineup by early 2013.
Today's exclusive story, hidden behind a $1,000 paywall, claims Apple has made the unthinkable by buying into a third-party chip plant.
The semiconductor facility is believed to be operated by United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), a Taiwan-based chipmaker established more than thirty years ago...
If you've been on the lookout for a deep discount on BioWare's excellent role-playing iPad game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, now is the perfect time to grab your copy.
Publisher Aspyr Media has just slashed the game to five bucks, down from $10, as part of KOTOR's 10th anniversary. The massive download is discounted for a limited time so you'd be wise to pick it up like right now before this rare promotion expires...
While supply chain sources appear to agree that a fifth-generation iPad is launching this Fall, pointing to Apple's procurement of components ahead of trial production, there is no definite consensus on a successor to the 7.9-inch iPad mini.
A new report out from Taiwan on Friday asserted that Retina panel shortages may have forced Apple's leadership to push back the device into early-2014.
Tim Cook & Co. have reportedly scrapped the original plan which called for launching the iPad mini 2 during the fourth quarter of 2013, in time for the holiday shopping season...
The online auctioning giant eBay on Friday launched a brand new iPhone application called eBay Exact, designed to let customers buy customizable 3D-printed merchandise on the go.
3D printing with eBay (a first for the firm) is as easy as selecting a product, choosing from a variety of materials (including plastics, wood and metals) and designs and using customized engraving to add your own personal flare to create a unique item.
eBay partnered with 3D printing leaders such as France-based Sculpteo, Brooklyn-based Makerbot and Canada-based Hot Pop Factory on a cherry-picked selection of products that include iPhone cases, figurines and jewelry...
Angry Birds maker Rovio earlier this morning announced that something will be announced next Monday, July 15. In a series of tweets, the company published a teaser image suggesting a successor to the Angry Birds Star Wars game. "We’re talking the biggest character line-up ever, awesome new powers, and maybe even a few surprises," the Finnish developer wrote in blog post...
According to the latest chatter, Apple of California is looking to introduce new Taiwanese suppliers to its supply chain in a bid to diversify manufacture of iOS devices beyond the current production partners Foxconn and Pegatron.
The development comes just as Foxconn reported better-than-expected June quarter earnings on increased sales of its TV set making business.
Meanwhile, a city in China's Henan Province is helping Foxconn increase its production capacity and inviting Apple to set up a domestic sales center...
Last year, the war between Apple and Google reached epic proportions. Not only were the two squaring off in the mobile platform space, and in the courtroom, but Apple actually booted Google's YouTube and Maps apps off the pre-installed list in iOS.
But things are calming down between the two tech titans, according to Google's Eric Schmidt. The executive chairman had nothing but nice things to say about the iPad-maker, telling reporters at the Sun Valley retreat that he "has a lot of respect for Apple..."