Apple

Apple, Google and Samsung partner (you read that right) to buy Kodak patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated November 20, 2017

I bet you never though that sworn enemies such as Apple, Samsung and Google would ever go to bed together, especially given an erupting fight between Apple and Google over Kodak's patents. But anything is possible in this crazy word, chiefly when the benefits of such an unusual partnership include cost savings plus joint, harmless ownership of more than 1,000 Kodak patents related to digital imaging.

The odd bedfellows are joined by a few other firms (LG, HTC and more) and the usual suspects that specialize in IP transactions. The consortium is organized so no company could exclusively own the patents and assert them against other members in litigation...

Foxconn now wants one-fifth of Sharp as iTV meme picks up steam

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Funny thing how, after a period of inconsistent rumor mongering, all the pieces of an Apple branded television set rumor appear to be falling in place. First, the Wall Street Journal threw its credibility behind the iTV meme yesterday with a pair of stories describing a set-top box, likely a next-gen Apple TV, that could tap iCloud to store shows the instant they air and work with premium cable TV content.

Then earlier today we've learned via an analyst note that the iTV could be in production as we speak and that Apple is planning to offer both a standalone $1,250 HD TV set with AT&T‘s UVerse and Verizon’s FiOS contract and content deals, as well as a much cheaper and more advanced set-top box for Comcast customers.

And just as I explained the intricacies of a cool gesture recognition technology that iTV is thought to incorporate, a new report from Japan says Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn is now asking to double its planned stake in Sharp to as much as twenty percent, up from the originally agreed 9.9 percent...

Here’s gesture recognition tech Apple probably licensed for iTV

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 7, 2016

Jefferies & Co's Peter Misek wrote in today's note to clients that production of the rumored Apple-branded HD TV is in full swing. While we suspect there would have been plenty of leaks ahead of manufacturing ramp up, a pair of The Wall Street Journal reports yesterday (here and here) did claim that Apple’s been working on a set-top box with cloud DVR features and the ability to retrieve premium cable TV content.

Whatever living room gizmo Apple may have in the works (or in manufacturing), it could rely heavily on hand gestures seen in sci-fi movies like Minority Report. In order to nail gesture recognition in 3D space, Apple allegedly licensed a technology from JDS Uniphase Corporation (JDSU).

Here's what so special about it...

iPad mini and iTV in full production, analyst claims

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Hot on the heels of a pair of reports by usually credible The Wall Street Journal asserting Apple's been working on a set-top box with cloud DVR and premium cable TV content, an analyst wrote in a note to clients today that a rumored iPad mini and an Apple-branded television set are both in full production now.

Based on supply checks, the note calls for 25 million iPad mini units for the September quarter and an additional 30 million units for the December quarter, which would peg iPad mini shipments for the calendar 2012 at a cool 55 million units....

China Unicom reportedly threatening to drop iPhone subsidy next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 17, 2012

China's second-largest telco, China Unicom, could abandon iPhone subsidy once its contract bundles expire in September, an Asian trade publication wrote on Friday, citing industry sources. The anti-subsidy sentiment is nothing new, but apparently China Mobile is unable to justify billions in prepayments to Apple and high investments in infrastructure in order to cope with fast-growing traffic because sales of contract iPhones reportedly have not met its internal expectations...

Analysis: why the iPhone won’t be No. 1 in China

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

When Lei Jun, founder and CEO of China's mobile company Xiaomi Technology, took the stage in Beijing yesterday to announce the Xiaomi Phone 2, his company's successor to the MiOne phone, it was a familiar sight to anyone who has ever watched one of Apple's famous theatrical product unveilings.

Clad in a black turtleneck, blue jeans and runners and standing in front of a giant screen as the audience of more than a thousand devotees cheered and clapped, the unveiling bore more than a passing resemblance to an Apple event starring Steve Jobs.

But that's beyond the point. What matters is that Xiaomi Technology. Ever heard of the company? Founded only two years ago, it's already worth more than BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. Its latest smartphone has better hardware than the iPhone 4S, yet sells for less than half the price.

Xiaomi's Q1 2012 revenue was nearly $1 billion on sales on three million phones. Not bad for a two-year old handset maker doing business in the 1.33 billion people market, which recently overtook the United States in terms of iOS and Android activations. Xiaomi is one of many iPhone contenders in China whose names you've never heard before.

Can Apple respond to this latest local challenge to the iPhone?

Rumor: Apple to use special ITO film coating on iPad mini

Cody Lee ∙ August 17, 2012

As you've probably gathered already by the months of chatter, Apple is widely expected to unveil a new tablet next month. It's said to have a 7.85-inch display, and a profile as thin as the iPod touch.

Of course, since there's been no official word from Apple regarding the product, all of this is still essentially speculation — rumors if you will. And this morning, we've got another one to add to the pile...

Apple’s new set-top box rumored to feature cloud DVR, social integration and more

Cody Lee ∙ August 16, 2012

Yesterday, a scoop from The Wall Street Journal sent shockwaves through the Apple community, claiming that the fruit company is now focused on building a cable receiver of sorts, rather than the long-rumored TV set.

Today, the publication added some new information to its initial report, offering up more details about the set-top box. It's said to feature an iPad-like interface, and is designed to simplify the we access and view content...

Judge Koh to Apple’s attorneys: are you smoking crack?

Cody Lee ∙ August 16, 2012

You have to feel for US District Court Judge Lucy Koh. For the past three weeks, she's had to listen to attorneys from both Apple and Samsung argue over boring technology patents.

On top of that, she's had to put up with the non-stop shenanigans from both side's legal teams, such as bickering, stalling, and tedious requests. And today, Koh finally had enough...

Apple submits its master plan for a large-scale data center in Oregon

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Apple is moving the ball forward to build a new data center in Prineville, Oregon. Having purchased an 160-acre parcel in Prineville from Crook County for $5.6 million back in February, the company has now filed paperwork with the city officials revealing plans to build a monster 500,000 square feet data center facility akin to that in Maiden, North Carolina which powers iCloud...

Apple stock closes at all-time high ahead of new product rollouts

Cody Lee ∙ August 16, 2012

Apple's stock price has been on a bit of a roller coaster over the past 6 months. After nearly touching $650 during a mid-day spike back in April, it plummeted below $600, and has hovered around that mark ever since.

But good news for investors, it looks like AAPL is back on the rise again. Over the past few weeks the stock has climbed back above the $600 mark, and today, it closed at an all-time high of $636.34 per share...

Apple messed up: retail layoffs were a glitch, changes are being reversed

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

MacRumors caused quite a commotion earlier in the week with a worrying story about significant layoffs of Apple's retail staff in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, just a few weeks before the next iPhone's arrival.

Responding to news, Apple's new retail boss John Browett has gone on the record, likening those changes to a glitch in the system, an unusual case of management miscommunication at Apple, if you will.

Changes are now being reversed and Browett reportedly instructed leadership teams to tell employees that "we messed up".

Wait, what?