Apple

Apple Has Spent More Than 100 Million Dollars on Android War

Cody Lee ∙ January 23, 2012

By now, most of you have heard Steve Jobs' infamous "war on Android" quote from his recently-released biography. It goes something like, "I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I'm going to destroy Android, because it's a stolen product. I'm willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

He wasn't kidding. The latest estimates suggest that Apple's litigation fees its incurred in its ongoing legal battles with Android manufacturers add up to more than $100 million dollars. And the war is far from over...

36% of iPhone 4S Buyers Came From Another Platform

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 23, 2012

Apple's iPhone 4S launch was a resounding success by all accounts, and it even proved popular amongst those who already had a competing smartphone according to a new report.

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today released information on a study it conducted of those who bought Apple's flagship smartphone. Two of the most interesting statistics show just how many new iPhone 4S owners moved away from competing platforms as well as how many plumped for the most expensive model in the range.

36% of new iPhone 4S owners apparently moved away from another smartphone platform, while 21% stumped up the cash for Apple's 64GB model...

19% of Americans Now Own a Tablet

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

The Christmas period is always one where technology sees a huge increase in sales, and the 2011 holidays were no exception. According to one report, in fact, the Christmas period has seen tablet ownership in the United Stated jump dramatically.

The report, compiled by Pew, shows that tablet ownership amongst US adults rose from 10% to 19% over the holidays, with e-readers also seeing a growth in ownership figures.

Pew's figures also suggest that there is little overlap between the two...

Apple Goes After Galaxy Nexus With Slide to Unlock Patent

Cody Lee ∙ January 22, 2012

A few months ago, Samsung's mobile president Shin Jong-kyun told reporters that Apple would have a hard time finding any of their intellectual property in his company's new Galaxy Nexus handset.

He obviously underestimated Apple's legal team. Reports are coming in that Apple has just filed another lawsuit in Germany against Samsung for the use of — get this — its patented 'Slide to Unlock' feature...

Apple Looking to Expand its Retail Stores to India

Joe Rossignol ∙ Updated June 20, 2014

Last year, Apple significantly increased its international retail presence by opening over thirty new stores in the fourth quarter alone. As of January 2012, the Cupertino-based company operates over 360 retail stores in twelve different countries.

And it doesn't look like Apple intends on slowing down anytime soon, as the iPhone maker looks to round off a baker's dozen by expanding its retail chain to a thirteenth country: India...

Apple Patent Suggests New Thinner Batteries on the Way

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

A new Apple patent application to be released by the United States Patent and Trademark Office suggest that our future MacBooks, iPhones, iPods and iPads could get even thinner thanks to improved batteries.

When building a portable device one of the most important parts is the battery. Too small and your device will not have enough power to last a reasonable length of time. Too big and you risk making the device too large as well as making it unnecessarily heavy.

This new patent application shows that Apple is well aware of the need for improved battery technology, and it seems it might be on to something...

German Court Scuppers Samsung’s 3G Patent Lawsuit Against Apple

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 20, 2012

With Samsung and Apple locked in the middle of so many lawsuits these days, it can be difficult to keep up, but the latest movement in the saga sees the Korean smartphone maker receive a black-eye after a German court rejected one of its patent claims.

Samsung had claimed that Apple infringed upon one of its patents which pertained to 3G/UMTS technology and took the matter to the German courts. One of seven such claimed infringements, this one in particular has met an early death, with Germany's Mannheim Regional Court rejecting Samsung's claim of patent infringement.

Judge Andreas Voss made the decision although the reasons for it are currently a little opaque, with FOSS Patents left to venture a guess...

The Economics Behind Apple’s Digital Textbook Initiative

Cody Lee ∙ January 19, 2012

During its New York-based media event this morning, Apple announced its plans to get into the digital textbook publishing business. We have a good recap of the event in case you missed it, but the gist of it all is fairly straight-forward.

Using new applications like iBooks 2 and iBooks Author, Apple plans to disrupt the textbook industry by making it easier for folks to publish and consume educational content. And what's more impressive, they're giving the tools away for free...

Siri Patent Hints at More to Come from Apple’s Digital Assistant

Oliver Haslam ∙ January 19, 2012

If you've been reading the various editorials that we have been publishing of late then you'll probably already know that not all of us here at iDB are big fans of Siri. While some see it as a real paradigm shift, others think it has fallen short of its potential.

A new patent application may give an insight into where Siri could go from its current beta state however, and things look set to improve.

One possibility to come out of the patent is one which could see Siri, or software like it, react to external events and take appropriate action upon them...

iBooks Educational Event Wrap Up

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 19, 2012

There's been quite a bit to digest today regarding Apple's excellent educational event. I think the rumors that we'd see a "Garageband" for iBooks pretty much panned out like we expected.

To sort out all of the details, we've compiled a post explaining the highlights from Apple's event, along with details on the software involved and videos plus download links.

If you're at all behind on Apple's Media event this morning, don't worry, we've got you covered.

Watch Apple’s iBooks Author Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ January 19, 2012

Apple already posted their official iBooks 2 video, now they've posted their official video for iBooks Author.

We've covered iBooks Author already in our media event coverage, and via our own hands-on time with the app, and we came away pretty impressed with its easy of use.

Be sure to check those out, along with Apple's own video if you're at all interested about the changing landscape of desktop publishing.

Apple Posts Educational Media Event Video

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 11, 2016

Were you one of the one's that didn't enjoy standing in the freezing cold in NYC waiting to be let into Apple's Media event? If so, then you were likely relegated to taking in one of many "live blogging" sessions posted by various online tech blogs.

For those of you wishing to consume the full media event as it was meant to be seen, then Apple has posted the entire one hour video online for your convenience. Be warned, it's not the best quality, but it will do until a higher quality version is made available.