Apple

FedEx expecting Surge Volume event coinciding with the iPhone 5 launch weekend

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 7, 2012

Apple yesterday started dressing up the Yerba Buena Center building with banners for the next week’s iPhone 5 presser. If you believe Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, the event will mark the biggest consumer electronics launch of the year as the analyst on multiple occasions likened the launch of Apple's next iPhone to "the mother of all upgrades".

Adding up to the excitement, the global logistics services company FedEx issued a note to employees to brace themselves for a "surge volume" event during the period of September 21-24. The three-day period coincides with the expected launch weekend for the iPhone 5...

Smart App Banners spotted at the online Apple Store

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

iOS 6 comes with a handful of nice little Safari tweaks that one discovers and learns to appreciate over time. Among them, so-called Smart App Banners that let web sites display an interactive banner at the top of Safari to promote their associated App Store apps.

The new feature does require some work on part of web developers who will need to add code to tap the app launching UI and functionality portion of Smart App Banners.

Conveniently enough, with just five days until the iPhone 5 unveiling next Wednesday, Apple has turned on Smart App Banners on its online store...

Apple starts readying Yerba Buena Center for next week’s event

Cody Lee ∙ September 7, 2012

Earlier this week, Apple sent out media invitations to an event to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on September 12. It's widely expected to unveil a new iPhone.

We're now just 5 days away from the gig, and, like clockwork, Apple has started to prep the venue. You can see several cherrypicker machines out front, and Apple's unmistakable logo in the window...

WSJ: Apple working on Pandora-like music streaming service [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ September 6, 2012

As next week's iPhone event draws nearer, and rumors of an October gig continue to swirl, the tech world is scrambling to figure out what Apple will announce. We know new hardware is on the menu, but what about software?

Obviously iOS 6 is about to launch, and we continue to hear talk of an iTunes refresh. But according to a new report, Apple has something else up its sleeve: a custom-radio service, similar to Pandora, that will stream music...

Judge approves publisher settlement offers in Apple e-book suit

Cody Lee ∙ September 6, 2012

Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Apple and 5 major publishers for allegedly conspiring to fix e-book prices. The trial is set for June of next year.

Apple maintains that the lawsuit is ridiculous, and vows to fight the allegations. But not everyone is so sure. A federal judge just approved settlements from three of the publishers...

Gmail for iOS now opens links in Chrome, what’s next?

Cody Lee ∙ September 6, 2012

Gmail for iOS received a minor update today, bringing the app to version 1.3.1. The email client now runs a bit more smoothly, and more importantly, it can now open links in the Chrome browser.

This is now the third app that Google has updated with this feature, behind Google+ and Sparrow, and it could be a preview of Google's future plans for the iOS platform and its iOS applications...

Ad attack: Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Paperwhite

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 11, 2018

Amazon just wrapped up its news-packed event that saw the company update its Kindle lineup and add two new notable products to the mix: the Kindle Paperwhite with a stunning new display combining the best of LCD and e-ink technology and the Kindle Fire HD, a tablet meant to take Apple's iPad on the high-end.

You should care because Amazon has the ecosystem, the game plan and the devices to take on Apple from every angle. If you don't have time to read through our extensive coverage of Amazon's presser, have a look at two new ads that highlight headline features of the two new tablets...

Amazon refreshes the Kindle lineup, targets the iPad with all-new Kindle Fire HD

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 11, 2018

Following recent product launches by technology giants Samsung, Googlerola and Microkia, the online retail giant Amazon summoned select members of the press to a media event in Los Angeles, California. As previously hinted, the company is expected to unveil half a dozen new Kindle devices, including a ten-inch tablet to take Apple's iPad head on.

Some people even hope the company will launch a smartphone of its own, just to make fall phone options a tad more interesting. As always, iDB is watching the announcement so you don't have to, bringing you everything worth knowing. Here are the goodies Amazon has in store for us (just don't call them gadgets, will ya'?)...

Korea launches probe into Samsung over wireless patents abuse

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2012

Samsung is under fire in its home turf of South Korea over an alleged abuse of its wireless patents, Reuters reported today. The Korea Fair Trade Commission confirmed that the country's watchdog has launched an investigation based on Apple's antitrust complaints against Samsung which alleges that the Galaxy maker is abusing its patents to gain an unfair advantage in the marketplace.

Of course, Apple won a landmark victory in a high-stake U.S. trial last month that found Samsung guilty of breaching Apple's design and utility patents. The jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages and ruled that the iPhone maker had not violated any of Samsung's patents.

Samsung later promised to sue Apple immediately if the next iPhone is released with support for fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) radio technology...

Shit Apple fanboys say

Sébastien Page ∙ September 6, 2012

You know you're a fanboy when you're caught saying any of these things.

The next iPhone could hit Sprint on October 15, training manual indicates

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 6, 2012

Sprint Nextel, the nation's third-largest wireless operator, could start offering Apple's next iPhone beginning October 15, a leaked training document indicates. According to an alleged Sprint Training Manual, that's when the carrier will begin offering in-store iPhone support.

October 15 contradicts the assumed September 21 availability, as reported by iMore's Rene Richie who accurately predicted the next Wednesday's iPhone presser, so perhaps not all major U.S. carriers will get the device simultaneously?

Poll: what’s this square thing inside the iPhone 5 for?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

A set of four new high-quality photographs have emerged, seemingly depicting the complete front assembly of Apple's next iPhone, due for unveiling at a San Francisco media event next Wednesday. These new images provide a detailed look at a square chip which leaked earlier and prompted pundits to speculate that it houses a Near-Field Communications (NFC) sensor, later debunked by the eagle-eyed experts over at AnandTech.

One of the theories has it that this thing is a fingerprint sensor, based on Apple's hasty $356 million acquisition of smart sensor maker AuthenTec. There are other possible answers to this mystery and I couldn't help myself collecting all the plausible possibilities in an amusing poll, included right below...