Apple

The iPad mini means ‘very tough’ holiday for Windows 8 sales

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 2, 2012

Yes, the iPad mini is indeed going to be competitors' worst nightmare. But Apple's new 7.9-inch tablet won't be terrorizing Android tablets as much as the last vestiges of PCs - many now with Microsoft's new Windows 8. On the eve of sales of Apple smaller tablet, the Sterne Agee analyst said Apple has its bulls-eye on PCs and Windows. Clarifying his earlier "nightmare" comment, Wu said observers who believe the new device is chiefly aimed at Android tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire HD or Google's Nexus 7 "miss the point"...

Teardown of 4th gen iPad reveals LG Retina display and more

Cody Lee ∙ November 2, 2012

With the newly-unveiled fourth generation iPad now on sale in some parts of the globe, the inevitable teardowns have begun. As usual, iFixit was first on scene, and has posted a detailed breakdown of the tablet's innards.

As you might expect, there aren't many internal differences between the new iPad and the one Apple launched 6 months ago. But it does have a new processor, and a few other changes, so it's certainly worth taking a look at...

Apple expected to sell 1.5 million iPad minis this weekend

Cody Lee ∙ November 1, 2012

All eyes will be on Apple tomorrow, as the iPad mini officially launches. It's a new product for the company, and a new market, so pundits and analysts alike are anxious to see how the 7.9-inch tablet fairs.

Starting at $329, a lot of people think it's overpriced. And with its A5 processor and no Retina display, it's been described as outdated. But that doesn't mean that Apple won't sell a ton of them this weekend...

Scott Forstall was one of Apple’s most prolific inventors

Cody Lee ∙ November 1, 2012

Since Apple announced on Monday that Scott Forstall would be leaving the company next year, we've heard a number of reports regarding the way other employees viewed the long-time SVP of iOS Software.

Needless to say, most of the stuff we've heard hasn't been positive. He's been described as polarizing, and abrasive, and was accused of abusing his relationship with Steve Jobs. But that doesn't mean he wasn't an asset...

iOS devices account for 65% of US mobile web traffic

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Chitika summoned the data from its 200,000 mobile websites and some 4 billion ads to bring you its latest report on mobile web traffic. The advertisement firm does this every couple of months to give some insight on which mobile devices folks are using to browse the web.

Surprise. According to the latest numbers, which come from data pulled between September and October, Apple's iOS devices are still very much ahead of Samsung and other competitors. In fact, they account for more than 65% of the mobile web traffic in North America...

Jony Ive expected to ditch reality for greater minimalism

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

Do you love that linen-like background when logging into your iOS or Mac device? Well, it could be the most visible fatality as minimalism overtakes realism and design chief Jonathan Ive takes the reigns once held by iOS honcho Scott Forstall. That noise you hear is the splintering of the Jobs era and Cook era at Apple.

Forstall, who headed iOS development, was also the chief cheerleader of the late Steve Jobs. Jobs loved what design geeks term skeuomorphism, a Greek word meaning a tool's shape. In computer design, placing realistic objects - such as linen on a screen or ebooks stored in a wooden bookshelf - are used to lend a sense of assurance, like seeing a familiar face among a crowd of strangers.

But with Jobs gone, voices within the Cupertino, California firm which simply hated this sort of design gained volume. A particularly vehement enemy of Forstall's design philosophy: Industrial design guru Jony Ive...

Apple seeds iOS 6.1 Beta to developers with Maps Kit improvements

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 1, 2012

Hot on the heels of fixing numerous bugs with an incremental iOS 6.0.1 update that was released to end-users an hour ago, Apple has now seeded iOS 6.1 Beta to its registered developers. The software is provided for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad alongside the new Xcode 4.6 Beta integrated development environment.

At first glance, it seems iOS 6.1 will allow apps to ask the operating system to programmatically search for map-based addresses and points of interest. A new Reset Advertising Identifier button has been added to Advertising Settings and the date must match for Passbook passes to be relevant ...

The iPad mini ships with the smaller 5-watt adapter after all

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 1, 2012

Compared to the phased-out 10W adapter, Apple's new 12W power brick enables faster charging times for iPhones, iPads and iPods. Specifically, the two extra watts of power shave up to 45 minutes off the iPad charge time. What's really interesting is that in an article 9to5Mac ran a week ago it claimed "Apple also told us that the iPad mini would come with a 12W adapter as well".

This doesn't seem to be true, if a report by MacRumors is anything to go by. The publication relays a note from its reader who was able to purchase an iPad mini from his local Walmart yesterday and confirmed that it came with the smaller 5-watt adapter.

It doesn't appear to be an isolated incident. Additionally, iPhoneinCanada shortly following the iPad mini keynote observed that Apple's own shopping app depicted the 5-watt adapter as part of the iPad mini package contents...

Apple’s new 12W power brick charges iPads up to 45 minutes faster

Christian Zibreg ∙ November 1, 2012

Apple's new 12W power brick enables faster charging of your iPads, iPods and iPhones. Apple stopped short of divulging specifics when asked to quantify the “fast, efficient charging” claim on its online store. "We don’t have an exact percentage of how much faster it would charge but you should see an increase in speed", the company told 9to5Mac.

Enter Mike Flaminio of Insanely Great Mac, who took it upon himself to figure out non-scientifically the exact difference. An interesting video he posted claims the new power brick is able to charge an iPad between 30 and 45 minutes faster compared to the old (now phased out) 10W adapter. Yes, two extra watts of power make a difference. Check out his clip right below...

Path releases native iPad app

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

Path, a social network where people engage in limited sharing of their daily habits and photos with only a select few closest friends, later today will launch its iPad app. Focused on full-screen experience in landscape, Path puts more of your network at your fingertips with fewer taps. Images of the iPad interface are promising and new features sound interesting enough to give it a a try. My favorite: the improved home screen displaying more activities from your network than is possible on the iPhone version.

UPDATE: a new version of the original iPhone app just went live with support for native iPad experience. Simply update your existing installation to get iPad goodies...

Mansfield return as SVP influenced by Forstall’s ousting

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 1, 2012

The many layers of why Scott Forstall was ousted as Apple's iOS chief just keep peeling away. The latest wrinkle: Bob Mansfield, the company's former hardware engineering senior vice president, agreed to come out of retirement to become senior vice president of Technologies, a new group encompassing wireless and hardware tech, only after Apple CEO Tim Cook offered a boatload of cash and the promise he didn't have to talk to Forstall...

UK Judge: Apple must remove “incorrect” Samsung apology

Ed Sutherland ∙ November 1, 2012

Note to Apple: UK judges don't get American snarkiness. The UK Court of Appeals Thursday told the iPhone maker its recent apology to Samsung was "incorrect" and required a new notice on the website "acknowledging the inaccurate comments." At issue: comments from the trial's first ruling in which the judge declared Samsung's tablet "not as cool."

Judge Robin Jacob ordered the changes to Apple's website be made within 24 hours, rejecting the Cupertino, Calif. firm's request for 14 days to make the edit. "This is Apple. They cannot put something on their website?" Jacob reportedly said...