Apple

The iPhone 5 WiFi bug reportedly carrier-agnostic, double-check your cellular data usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2012

We thought a bug with carrier settings that led to some iPhone 5 owners reporting burning through excessive cell data on Verizon was fixed when Apple pushed a carrier settings update and Verizon promised not to slap the iPhone 5 owners for unwarranted cellular data usage. According to the latest by big media, the problem could be worse than originally thought.

As an added "bonus", it doesn't appear to be contained to Verizon customers only as apparently customers of AT&T, Sprint and other carriers are experiencing the same cellular data overages stemming from this bug. It would seem that something about the iPhone 5 or perhaps iOS 6 is causing the same cellular data drain even when the device is connected to WiFi...

Cook calls 2012 an ‘incredibly successful’ year for Apple

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated April 10, 2018

In his email to employees, Apple CEO Tim Cook describes 2012 as an "incredibly successful year" which continues "to show Apple's unrivaled leadership in this post-PC era".

And in order to mark the company's accomplishment, Cook announced Thanksgiving vacations will be extended for employees...

Apple to issue invitations for iPad mini presser on October 10

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Echoing a report from August alleging an October launch for the mini iPad, the usually credible Fortune cites a “major Apple investor” who has it that the Cupertino, California-headquartered consumer electronics maker is set to issue invitations for an iPad mini-related media event on October 10. When the actual presser is exactly going to take place is anyone's guess at this point, but with invitations reportedly going out on October 10 we're probably looking at the official unveiling on Wednesday the following week, October 17...

The iOS Maps song

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2012

The song-a-day man Jonathan Mann can be funny as hell, even more so considering he's been able to write a song a day for more than two years straight without ever running out of inspiration. He's back at it again with a new song about Apple's mapping woes. If you like it, check out his birthday song to Siri from last week (part one from last year is here). Joy of Tech also has a nice take on what happens when Apple Maps meet Siri...

Devs can use the iPhone 5’s low-light boost mode in their own apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2012

The iPhone 5's iSight camera on the back features the same eight-megapixel sensor as its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, only thinner and with sapphire lens cover. In addition, the module has been improved for better low-light performance, yielding major quality improvements when snapping up your photos under artificial light or in low-light situations. And now, developer can optionally tap the iPhone 5's low-light camera mode in their own apps, which bodes well for dozens upon dozens of photography apps in the App Store...

Verizon won’t charge iPhone 5 owners for unwarranted cellular data usage

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2012

The nation's #1 carrier Verizon Wireless today officially confirmed it won't charge iPhone 5 customers for any unwarranted cellular data usage stemming from flawed carrier settings on the device. In case you didn't know, Apple has quickly identified the issue and delivered a patch to iPhone 5 customers on the Verizon network.

The affected customers feared Verizon would charge data traffic incurred as a result of the bug on their monthly statement. This is certainly good news, especially coming from a carrier who overcharged the government for voice and data communication services and earned its notoriety for incurring mystery fees on people without data plans who visited web pages that were supposed to be free...

Analysts: Mapgate not affecting insatiable demand for the iPhone 5

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 1, 2012

With last Friday's addition of 22 new countries, the iPhone 5 is now available in 31 major markets but many would still be hard pressed to buy one due to dwindling stock both in the United States and in other countries around the world. By all accounts, the iPhone 5 demand is off the charts, Mapgate be damned.

Matter of fact, quite the opposite is happening: demand for the iPhone 5 is surging as mapping woes don't appear to slow sales (though customer satisfaction ratings did take a hit). Looks like that CEO apology was a pre-emptive maneuver to smartly protect the brand in the long haul...

Google is now worth more than Microsoft

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 16, 2017

Shares of Google have been rising lately due to a number of factors boosting its revenue, from the growing Google Apps hosted productivity suite stealing biz from Microsoft to the successful launch of the Nexus 7 tablet and a new range of Motorola phones to nice ad sales, relentless Android march and steady dominance in search and maps, only highlighted by Apple's iOS 6 Maps woes. And now, the search giant has passed another milestone as its market capitalization surpassed that of Microsoft in early trading...

Apple kills cross-promotions to protect the legitimacy of App Store charts?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 30, 2017

It was reported that some users earlier this morning were faced with an endless loop preventing downloads because Apple updated the App Store terms and conditions. The company has quickly resolved the hiccup, but now another interesting change in terms indicates Apple could be clamping on apps which promote titles from a different developer...

EU to probe Apple over ambiguous warranty advertising

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Bloomberg reports today that EU Justice Minister Viviane Reding is calling for local authorities in the European Union’s member states to see whether Apple complies with local laws pertaining to product warranties. If they determine that Apple did not advertise its warranty policies appropriately, the company could face an EU-wide probe into its practices by all 27 of the European Union’s member states.

Apple already clashed with Italy, where authorities found it guilty of selling its $99 a year AppleCare coverage even though a two-year warranty is mandated by the European Union, for which Apple was fined $1.16 million and even faced temporary closure of Italy operations...

3% of Apple’s supply chain workers still putting 60+ hour weeks into someone else’s dream

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2012

Determined to prove the world it's doing the right thing to prevent labor abuses in its supply chain, Apple has quietly updated the Labor and Human Rights web page with some interesting data points. The company's suppliers in August employed 60 percent more workers than in January of this year.

Three percent of supply chain workforce was putting more than 60 hours a week into assembling Apple products, data suggests. Ending the industry practice of excessive overtime "is a top priority", Apple writes.

It's easier said than done considering the unemployment rate of China’s youth of 7.6 percent in 2012 and Foxconn's reputation for shoddy working conditions and army style discipline in its sweatshops...