Apple

Intel VP confirms it’s working on new set-top box and TV service

Cody Lee ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

If Apple is really planning on revolutionizing the TV business, it may want to hurry up and do so before Intel beats it to the punch. Confirming rumors from earlier this year, the company's Media VP Erik Huggers said today that it's working on a set-top box.

But that's not all. In addition to the new hardware, Huggers says that Intel is also working with 'the entire industry' to bring a new Internet TV service—an all-in-one solution that will incorporate live TV, catch-up TV and on-demand TV—to the market...

Microsoft details band-aid fixes for iOS 6.1 Exchange bug

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple yesterday fixed 3G and reliability issues with the iOS 6.1.1 firmware update for iPhone 4S users, but a bug with Microsoft's Exchange email service persists. First noticed in the iOS 6.1 software update, it kills your battery and AOL thought it was sever enough to temporarily disable the ability to manage meetings on company-issued devices. Theories abound that an Exchange server glitch is causing poor device performance and battery life and Microsoft just issued a support document providing workarounds for the bug...

HBO Go gains AirPlay streaming, Apple TV app due later this year

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2013

Good news, Apple TV users: later today, HBO will enable AirPlay streaming in its HBO Go iOS app. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: Dive Into Media conference on Tuesday, HBO’s Eric Kessler said that “effective today, we will be enabling AirPlay” for HBO Go. Bloomberg last month reported that Apple and HBO are working on a content deal.

He also re-iterated that HBO Go will eventually land on the Apple TV later this yeare. Until the Apple TV app materializes, Time Warner Inc.'s HBO Go subscribers can use the existing iOS app to stream HBO shows from their iPhone or iPad to their Apple TV over AirPlay...

Apple makes more on iTunes and accessory sales than most companies do on phones

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 31, 2016

Well known and respected Asymco analyst Horace Dediu is out with a new report this week entitled 'Counting stool legs.' The piece takes a look at Apple's newly-introduced revenue categories—mainly iTunes, which now includes sales from OS X, iWork, and Apple's other pro tools.

The big takeaway here is that, under this new structure, iTunes can no longer be considered a 'break even' business. Because, as Dediu points out, the combined sales from iTunes and accessories is now bigger in terms of revenues than any other phone vendor, except for Samsung...

Facebook now sends 180 million clicks to Apple and Google app stores

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2013

The social network Facebook has become such a behemoth in that space that it's now sending an astounding 180 million clicks to Apple's App Store marketplace and Google's Play Store for Android software. That's one of the nuggets from a speech Dan Rose, Facebook VP of partnerships gave at The Wall Street Journal-sponsored D: Dive Into Media.

He also touched on Facebook's mobile strategy and the social network's future prospects as it competes for our time with other popular mobile services...

Apple’s invisible antenna patent sets stage for all-aluminum iPhone case

Ed Sutherland ∙ February 12, 2013

A new patent granted to Apple today could signal a huge advance in a trimmer, slimmer iPhone perhaps made from a single block of aluminum. The U.S. patent describes "microslot antennas" cut into the smartphone body, eliminating the need for exposing hardware required for communications.

While it could make fans of minimalism - such as Apple's chief designer Jonathan Ive - jump for joy, could the patented technology cause another production slowdown?

Amazon beats Apple for best U.S. consumer reputation

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

More indications that Apple may be slipping in the eyes of some consumers. Internet retail giant Amazon.com now has the best reputation among U.S. corporations, Harris Interactive announced Tuesday. Despite Apple winning the poll in 2012, Kindle-maker Amazon grabbed the top spot this year - ironically cited for its emotional impact on consumers despite operating a completely virtual business.

The online retailer also topped Apple, Google, Disney and others in the products and services category. This result only highlights Amazon's increased brand image in tablets, music, movies and cloud computing, areas bringing it into conflict with Apple and other tech players...

Samsung talks life after Apple

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 12, 2013

Samsung Executive Vice President David Eun during a panel at the D: Dive Into Media conference on Monday said its ongoing legal fight with Apple is "a loss" for innovation. And taking another page from Apple's book, the South Korean giant is plunking money into researching new technologies and better integration of its devices.

In fact, the company is turning the home turf of Apple and Google into a center of its own innovation by announcing the new Samsung Open Innovation Center in Silicon Valley...

Winston for iPhone wants to be the Siri for news

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPH2PK5WZys

I know your news reader choices on iOS are rich. There's Flipboard, Instapaper, Readability, News360, News.me and a whole lot of other lesser known apps. Winston, a new software by a Colorado-based startup, is unlike your regular news client. Instead of overwhelming you with an endless stream of updates, Winston presents you with a personable British butler which compiles a daily brief from your selected news sources and social network feeds.

It detects what's important and then reads the summaries out aloud, so you can catch up on the latest while doing something else. It's a novel approach that saves time and as such is likely to strike a chord with busy mobile users. I'm already liking Winston a lot. More tidbits right past the fold...

Joy of Tech weighs in on iWatch rumors

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 11, 2018

Talk of Apple working on a smartwatch has really heated up over the past week. Following a speculative piece from a former Apple engineer, both the NYT and the WSJ have reported that the company is indeed building such a product.

So what will this so-called iWatch do? Things like Siri, NFC and support for third-party apps have all been thrown about. But according to the folks over at Joy of Tech, the watch's built-in Dyson hand drier will be its killer feature...

Steve Jobs wanted to take on Detroit with iCar

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 11, 2013

Before he died, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was dreaming about building an Apple-branded car, an iCar if you will, a Sunday newspaper report has briefly reasserted. Conveniently, Apple's head of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, is on the board of Ferrari. This isn't the first time we've heard that Apple was considering building a car.

Apple board member Mickey Drexler said at a conference last year that Steve at one point was keen on having Apple build a car, having even reportedly met with German car-maker Volkswagen back in 2007 to discuss the project.

And then there is SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller's testimony during the monster August 2012 Apple v. Samsung trial where he said that Apple, after it had gotten its wind back from conquering the music biz with the iPod, considered all kinds of things it could do, among them "make a car"...

Real Racing 3 will be free, coming February 28

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 6, 2016

Electronic Arts has a release date for Real Racing 3, the latest installment in its popular racing franchise. The game is scheduled for release on February 28 and will be offered for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android smartphones and tablets for free, a major shift in strategy for the super publisher which in 2011 alone raked in $1 billion in digital revenue.

In fact, developers say that Real Racing 3 was designed from the ground up to be a free to play experience. That right there is your undeniable proof that the freemium model is slowly but surely taking over from paid downloads...