Apple

ChangeWave destroys all blabbering of supposedly weak iPhone 5 demand

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 15, 2013

If you've been watching Apple's stock price rise and fall as analysts debate whether it's the end of the world or simply a bad day for the iPhone 5, you're forgiven for feeling like a a yo-yo. However, to add to your confusion comes another set of charts illustrating everything's fine with iPhone 5 demand.

Indeed, according to a new ChangeWave survey based on a poll of 4,061 consumers in North America, demand for Apple's handset is as strong as ever. Specifically, 50 percent of respondents said they are planning to buy the iPhone 5 in the next 90 days, which jives well with Apple's previous iPhone launches. In fact, the iPhone 5 interest was higher than the iPhone 4S peak.

A series of charts also prove that iPhone interest, though flattening six months following the launch, remains high and even above rival Samsung. It all comes down to whether your cup is half-empty or half full...

Supply cuts a result of Apple’s adoption of IGZO screens for upcoming iDevices?

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

The reduction in orders of iPhone 5 displays and other components isn't a sign of weak demand as sober analysts paint demand as robust. Nevertheless, the rumor has opened door for more speculation that the Cupertino, California company is winding down production of the iPhone 5 ahead of the iPhone 5S release in June or July.

Be that as it may, it would be very atypical of Apple to pull the current-generation model from shelves after just six months. Even as the company switches to a bi-annual refresh cycle, it will still want to continue offering the iPhone 5 at a reduced price after the next-gen model becomes available. According to a new report, these supply cuts are actually the result of Apple considering IGZO displays for upcoming iOS devices...

Is Samsung copying Apple’s paranoid secrecy?

Ed Sutherland ∙ January 15, 2013

First, South Korean smartphone maker Samsung tries to steal Apple's coolness, now the company is trying to mimic the California firm's penchant for secrecy. Samsung reportedly is now asking suppliers to sign non-disclosure agreements with penalties of up to $1 billion (you read that right).

The push for an NDA comes as Samsung Electronics is reportedly developing a next-generation Galaxy smartphone. At the heart of the secrecy agreements is preventing disclosure of product information, which has become an industry all of its own as Apple and its rivals alternately build hype while suppliers leak product details...

Former Apple CEO says Apple must rethink its supply chain to build less-pricey iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

Former Pepsico and Apple CEO John Sculley has issued some advice to Apple's current boss Tim Cook on the matter of a so-called budget iPhone, Phil Schiller be damned. He told Bloomberg television today that Apple should take into account the realities of today's cut-throat smartphone business.

He's all for a more affordable Apple handset, but opines it won't happen unless Apple's boss Tim Cook, who under the Steve Jobs regime ran Apple's manufacturing and supply chain, is willing to "dramatically rethink the supply chain" and give up on some of Apple's industry-leading margins...

Apple looking to establish research and development center in Beijing

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently visited China, his second trip to the 1.33 billion people country in past twelve months. He met with China Mobile, the world's largest carrier with 700 million subscribers, to discuss that long-sought iPhone deal, visited Apple stores and attended meetings in Beijing with officials.

But there was one more thing on Cook's agenda as a new report out Tuesday has it that Cook told government officials that his company plans to establish a research and development center in Beijing, home to Asia's largest Apple Store...

Apple said to begin iPhone 5S production in March ahead of summer launch

Cody Lee ∙ January 15, 2013

With so much talk about the current-gen iPhone seeing weaker-than-expected demand swirling about, analysts and industry watchers have already begun to look forward to Apple's next-generation handset, believed to be the 'iPhone 5S.'

The company is widely expected to break its handset's traditional, annual release cycle this year, releasing the new iPhone well before fall. And a new report today supports that theory, saying Apple's next smartphone will land in June...

Survey: the iPad mini becomes ‘kid’s tablet’ for holiday gifts

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

We're still gaining insights from holiday sales of Apple products. The latest finding: the iPad mini is now dubbed the "kid's tablet" after one survey found post-Christmas usage of Apple's smaller tablet rose 270 percent among families with young children. The new data comes from the makers of Kindertown.

Kindertown makes an app which helps parents find child-suitable apps. Among other findings culled from the software's more than 200,000 users: while the iPad 4 was popular as a family gift, children also adopted the original iPad as a technological hand-me-down. Elsewhere, iPhone's were not a big gift item for this demographic, after-Christmas usage of Apple's handset not rising following the holidays...

Instagram reminds us that new terms of service go into effect on Saturday

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

Photo sharing service Instagram in an email notice issued to its users today warned that the new terms of service pertaining to images are about to go into effect later this week. The official email communication acknowledges that the updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, that now "take into account the feedback we received from the Instagram Community", will be in effect this coming Saturday, January 19, 2013.

When it first announced new terms of service that mentioned “advertising” and “your photos”, many users feared the service would be able to sell their Instagrams to advertisers and use them elsewhere. After the fallout ensued, Instagram returned to the original terms of service and clarified in a blog post that "Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos"...

Apple launches Back to School promotion in Australia and New Zealand

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

Apple has launched its Back to School promotion in Australia and New Zealand ahead of the new school year. The promotion is open to students, parents and staff members of K-12 or higher education schools and requires an eligible purchase be made between January 15 and April 1. Akin to the company's Back to School promotion in the US and Europe last June, students in Australia and New Zealand who purchase a 9.7-inch iPad with Retina display will get a free AU$50 (NZ$65) Student Gift Card. Some notable Macs are also eligible...

Russian Railways sues Apple over trademark infringement

Cody Lee ∙ January 15, 2013

I don't know what it is with Apple and European railways, but another one has taken up a beef with the Cupertino company. Today, Russian Railways announced that it has issued a trademark infringement suit against Apple.

The reason behind the lawsuit is still not entirely clear, but it looks like it has something to do with third-party apps in the App Store that use RZD's (that's the abbreviation for Russian Railways) logo without permission...

Samsung to preempt the iPhone 5S with the Galaxy S IV rocking a full HD display

Christian Zibreg ∙ January 15, 2013

South Korea-based Samsung through its subsidiary Samsung Electronics is expected to update the flagship Galaxy S III smartphone in the first quarter of this year. The Galaxy S IV successor is expected to make much noise ahead of Apple's next iPhone release, especially with its full HD 1080p five-inch display and powerful innards thought to run Samsung's new quad-core system-on-a-chip.

And if you consult Samsung's latest AMOLED release schedule, the first device incorporating the firm's full HD mobile display is coming in the first quarter of 2013...

Smartphones top tablets as hungriest data gadgets

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

For carriers, the name of the game is data consumption. The more data consumed, the more revenue. For observers, data consumption also provides a clue to how new devices are used.

For the first time, smartphones are outpacing tablets as the "hungriest" mobile devices.

In 2011, tablets comprised two out of three of the devices consuming the most data. By 2012, all of the top three mobile devices were smartphones, led by the iPhone 5.

According to Arieso, a European company helping optimize networks to meet changing demand, iPhone 5 users consume four times as much data as the iPhone 3G users, and 50 percent more than the iPhone 4S owners. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S III and the HTC Sensation XL rounded out the most voracious devices in Europe...