Apple

Amazon rumored stepping up tablet war with $99 Kindle Fire (update: debunked)

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtJBQHLdcM4

As Apple released its $329 iPad mini last year to compete with the growing crop of inexpensive seven-inchers, sales overtook that of the full-size model faster than Apple had envisioned. And because of it, the existing Android tablet vendors competing on the low to mid-end have been undoubtedly feeling lots of heat.

Amazon, which first legitimized the category with launch of the $199 Kindle Fire in September 2011, is reportedly about to up the ante with a $99 Kindle Fire version, a potentially disruptive move which will boost sales and popularize smaller, inexpensive tablets, but also put pressure on Apple and other tablet vendors to slash prices of their warez.

UPDATE: Amazon shoots down the rumor, says a $99 Kindle Fire is "not happening"...

iOS 6.1.3 is out with fixes for Lock screen vulnerability, Japan Maps improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2013

Apple has just issued iOS 6.1.3 (build 10B329), an incremental update to its mobile operating system powering iPhones, iPads and iPods. This particular update brings fixes to the widely reported Lock screen vulnerability, first discovered a month ago, which lets people with access to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to easily bypass your passcode and get to your personal information on the device.

Today's firmware also contains Maps improvements for Japan. If you're jailbroken, you'll want to stay away from this update until we collect more information...

Apple TV software updated to kill evasi0n jailbreak

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2013

In addition to this morning's release of iOS 6.1.3, Apple has also seeded a new version of its Apple TV software. The update brings the firmware to version 5.2.1, and it includes a number of bug fixes as well as support for the new Hulu Plus app.

Unfortunately, as with iOS 6.1.3, the bug fixes are actually patches for the exploits used in the latest evasi0n jailbreak. So if your Apple TV is jailbroken, or you would like it to be in the future, you'll want to be sure to stay away from this update...

Bloomberg: Samsung in race with Apple to get wristwatch to market

Cody Lee ∙ Updated June 4, 2018

We've heard a lot of talk in recent months that Apple is working on a wristwatch-like device. And it could be ready to launch as soon as this year. We've also seen some alleged leaked screenshot images that suggest Samsung is working on a similar product.

Tonight, Bloomberg is out with a new report that adds significant weight to both rumors, claiming that not only are both companies preparing wearable devices that perform similar functions as smartphones, but they're both racing to get them to market...

Apple patents augmented-reality mapping tech

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 19, 2013

Apple Tuesday was granted a patent for technology enabling integrating augmented reality, the power of the Internet and smart device communications. A key component to the company's take on augmented reality is a system that recognizes live real-world objects, then builds 3D representations useful for mapping and annotating shared data. The patent, filed in 2010, is entitled "Synchronized, interactive augmented reality displays for multifunction devices."

In one potential use, an iDevice camera photographs a circuit board. A layer placed over the image then identifies the components and permits a team to exchange annotations, including text, web links and even images. But this only scratches the surface of how Apple envisions the future of mobile augmented reality...

Evernote gives its Food app OpenTable reservations, Foursquare ratings, recipe sharing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 13, 2018

Evernote's Food app debuted in December 2011 as a must-have for both the epicures and everyday folk alike.

Though the initial download was painfully short on features, today's 2.1 update addresses some of the initial omissions by adding three new capabilities which make Evernote Food a whole lot more useful, starting with a reservation system built on OpenTable.

That's right: like Siri, Evernote Food now lets you book a table at an OpenTable-friendly restaurant right within the app. Coupling that feature are user ratings supplied by Foursquare. And, you can now share clipped recipes on Twitter, Facebook or via email. Go past the fold for more details, screenies and a video demonstration...

EU scolds Apple over AppleCare warranty rights

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

Apple's woes over its shady warranty practices in Europe just took a turn for the worse as the European Union through the mouth of its Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding made it clear it has no intention of letting Apple off the hook. In her speech today, she criticized the tech giant for not complying with consumer laws in many EU states.

The Cupertino firm stubbornly insists on its AppleCare terms of service which aren't in sync with EU laws. The company had been previously reprimanded of failing to communicate in no unambiguous terms to its EU buyers that they are entitled to an additional year of coverage...

Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch to join Apple as VP of technology

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Remember the name Kevin Lynch, because you're probably going to be hearing a lot more of it from now on. The former Adobe CTO, or Chief Technology Officer, will soon be taking an executive role at Apple.

Reports of the high-profile hiring started circling this afternoon, and the news has since been confirmed by both Apple and Adobe. Lynch will be joining Apple as VP of technology, reporting to Bob Mansfield...

Analyst: higher dividend can help AAPL rebound

Ed Sutherland ∙ March 19, 2013

With Apple's cash pile projected to balloon from a whopping $137 billion at the end of the previous quarter to an astounding $170 billion by year's end, there is a growing call for the iPhone maker to increase its stock dividend as a way to build a safety net under its beleaguered shares. The report of a bulging corporate vault comes as one Wall Street analyst proposes a four-step solution to pull Apple out of the weeds.

According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White, Tim Cook & Co. should start with raising the quarterly dividend to at least $3.75 per share. A five-year program should begin with Apple increasing the $2.65 per share quarterly dividend paid to investors while also repurchasing up to $100 billion in company stock...

Potentially disruptive live-streaming app from ABC in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2013

After CBS last week unveiled its free iOS app that gives you access to the network’s popular shows 24 hours or more after they air, we learn now that ABC is working on its own app for tablets and smartphones, one potentially making ABC the first of the American broadcasters to provide a live Internet stream of national and local programming, potentially very disruptive given the incumbent's existing business models. Of course, you won't get to stream premium ABC programming free of charge as a paid cable or satellite subscription will be required to use the app.

Nevertheless, the ability to watch such ABC shows as 'Good Morning America' and 'Nashville' on your iPhone or iPad as they broadcast could finally blur the artificial line between mobile devices and the traditional venues through which content providers distribute their linear programming...

Foxconn boss cancels talks with Sharp over Samsung investment

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2013

Earlier this month we told you that Apple's frenemy Samsung confirmed a plan to pour a cool $112 million into buying a three percent stake in Sharp. Making matters complicated, Sharp, an Apple supplier, has been trying to negotiate another investment from Apple's favorite manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry, known in the Western world as Foxconn. Last year, as you know, Foxconn was trying to acquire an eleven percent stake in Sharp.

There have been indications that Foxconn wanted to re-negotiate after Sharp’s share price tumbled, but most recent reports assert the deal has all but fallen apart. We're now hearing that Foxconn CEO Terry Gou has cancelled talks with Sharp after learning that his potential partner has gone to bed with Samsung, even more so now that Sharp is expected to supply more LCD panels to Samsung than to Apple...

ARM won’t sell off to Apple, CEO says

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 19, 2013

You'd be forgiven for being oblivious to ARM Holdings. After all, the UK-based company "only" supplies Apple - along with three hundred other device makers - with blueprints for dull computational engines that crunch numbers and run your sexy iPhone apps.

In all seriousness, ARM's new CEO today acknowledged the company isn't for sale, not to Apple, not to Microsoft, not to anyone. The right course of action, he argues, is to stay independent rather than side with one of its biggest clients and risk loosing others who "rely on the neutrality of our position." This includes Apple, arguably the most well-known ARM licensee...