News

NPD pegs AirPods unit share in December to 2 percent of headphone market

Market research firm Slice Intelligence recently estimated that the $159 AirPods earphones, which launched on December 13, have managed to capture one out of each four dollars spent online on wireless headphones during December 2016, beating Apple's own premium audio brand Beats which took a Slice-estimated 15.4 percent share of the wireless headphone market.

But according to NPD Group's December 2016 Weekly Retail Tracking Service data cited by CNET, Slice's data paints an incomplete picture of the wireless headphone market. According to NPD's own findings, AirPods have captured a modest two percent of the market in units and three percent in dollars.

Apple may extend iPhone 6s battery replacement program to iPhone 6 (updated)

According to a rumor by Japanese blog Mac Otakara, Apple may extend its iPhone 6s battery replacement program to iPhone 6 following reports from iPhone 6 owners who claim to have been plagued with the same issues as their iPhone 6s counterparts.

UPDATE: an unnamed source inside Apple corporate told AppleInsider that there are no immediate plans to offer a battery exchange program for iPhone 6 devices. “We constantly evaluate service statistics,” said the source. “There are no plans or grounds for a wide iPhone 6 battery exchange program at this time.”

KGI: Kaby lake processors and more RAM coming to Mac laptops this year

Apple is planning updates for its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines later this year, according to a research note from KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo. The noted analyst says the new notebooks will feature Intel's next-generation Kaby Lake processors and updated RAM options.

Kuo says the refreshed 12-inch MacBook models will enter mass production as early as March, and may offer a new 16GB RAM option (currently capped off at 8GB). As for the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro models, he doesn't see production starting until early third quarter.

Video: Adobe shows off voice-based image editing on iPad

How about editing photographs by voice commands alone? In a recent concept video, Adobe showed off performing basic image-editing functions on an iPad by conversing with a Siri-like digital assistant. The proof-of-concept clip gives us an interesting glimpse into a not-so-distant future when we'll use our voice for complex tasks beyond simple things like scheduling reminders or creating alarms.

Jimmy Iovine: original TV series and movies part of Apple Music pop cultural experience

The Wall Street Journal thinks Apple wants to buy rights to original television shows and movies as another way of enticing users into choosing Apple Music over competitors like Spotify and Pandora. Monday, The Hollywood Reported published an interview with Apple executive Jimmy Iovine, who said that adding original video content to the music-streaming service is part of the plan to turn Apple Music into a pop cultural phenomenon.

Samsung reportedly discovers that faulty battery caused Note 7 fires

Official investigation conducted by Samsung Electronics has determined that a faulty battery was the main reason for Note 7 fires, a fiasco which led to a worldwide recall of the handset before the device was fully discontinued, Reuters reported Monday. A person familiar with the matter told the news gathering organization that Samsung should officially announce the results of the investigation next Monday, January 23, a day before the company is scheduled to reveal its fourth-quarter earnings.

Store and watch the latest news stories offline with Hyper News

If you have ever travelled on a metro line you know what it’s like to whiz from one station to the next, always holding out for the next patch of reception somewhere between the constant outages afflicting your iPhone. Most times, the internet will cut out in the least opportune moments, like on your commute home when you slump in your seat and want to mindlessly gaze at moving images on your phone.

To weather the crisis of poor connection, Hyper News functions as a pocket of pre-downloaded news clips to fall back on whenever your data leaves you hanging.

In a spell of news apps being tested at iDB, Hyper News stands out for its utter simplicity and the concerted effort to occupy a unique space in the news realm. Here are the ins and outs to know about Hyper News.

The top stories of the week on iDB

Like every Sunday, we get to take a look at some of the most popular posts that were published on iDB during the week that just ended. Whether it is a news item, a new jailbreak tweak, a tutorial, or an app review, we sum it all up in one convenient place for you.

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New fitness-focused Apple Watch ad challenges you to close your Activity rings

Apple's official YouTube channel was refreshed Saturday with a new advertisement for Apple Watch Series 2, challenging viewers to close their Activity rings by moving more, having some exercise and standing up every 50 minutes for a bit. The firm also shared three new ads for AirPods today, highlighting such features as Siri integration, seamless Bluetooth pairing on Apple gadgets via the W1 chip and more.

Apple shares new AirPods ads showcasing Siri, seamless Bluetooth pairing & more

Male headshot showing a profile of a young person wearing an AirPod in their left ear

Apple on Saturday shared four brief television commercials for AirPods on its official YouTube channel, running fifteen seconds long each. The videos showcase some of the key user features of the wireless earphones, like accessing Siri with a double-tap and seamless Bluetooth pairing on Apple gear made possible by the firm's in-house designed wireless chip, dubbed the W1. Watch the new ads and let us know how you like them in comments.

In addition to the company's first-ever AirPods ads, they also released a new fitness-focused Apple Watch advertisement which challenges you to close those Activity rings.

LG teases big 5.7″ screen, smaller body, waterproof design & more for upcoming G6 flagship

LG Electronics is teasing an upcoming G6 flagship smartphone in a new 45-second teaser video posted to its YouTube channel yesterday.

Listing some of the things people apparently want in an ideal smartphone, the clip seems to tease a minimum-bezel 5.7-inch waterproof phone (you'll recall that Apple's iPhone 8 is rumored to feature increased IP68-rated water resistance).

Although it does not specifically mention G6, the clip asks you to “imagine how your wishes will come to life” before hinting it’ll all happen in February, when G6 is expected to be formally announced at Mobile World Congress.