In June quarter, Samsung had nearly ten percent more U.S. market share than Apple, as per Gartner. To keep the momentum going, Samsung could start selling used versions of its premium smartphones in U.S. as early as next year, “a person with direct knowledge of the matter” told Reuters.
Apple has acquired another small startup, called Gliimpse, that has built a secure software platform for users to manage and share their own medical records, Fast Company learned Monday.
The acquisition reportedly happened earlier this year, but Apple's been quiet about it and has now issued its usual non-denial, saying: “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
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.
As always, if you like what you're reading, please feel free to spread the love by sharing our posts on your favorite social network.
We're usually hanging out a lot on Twitter and Facebook, more rarely on Google+.
Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of our new podcast, Let's Talk iOS:
Subscribe on iTunes
Want to support iDB? Visit our Deals Store and buy something from us.
Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster had been infamously predicting an Apple-branded HDTV set for years before eventually giving up on that dream. Last we heard from him was when he called for an S-upgrade to the Apple Watch in February 2016 (he may have gotten that one right; the timing, not so much).
He's back now with some interesting thoughts (via AppleWorldToday) on Apple's rumored electric vehicle and assumed virtual reality headset hardware.
Trying to stave off threat from Apple's music subscription service and at the same time overcome a “listenership plateau”, Pandora is set to launch a pair of paid subscription tiers next month, The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday citing people familiar with the matter.
Provided it's able to negotiate necessary deals with record labels, Pandora could unveil two new paid subscription tiers in the United States and elsewhere.
One of them would reportedly provide unlimited on-demand access to tens of millions of songs on the Internet radio streaming service in exchange for $9.99 per month.
Despite not being in danger of closing down thanks to its cash cushion of $1.4 billion, the popular ride-sharing service Lyft has in recent months attempted to sell itself to Apple and a few other Silicon Valley giants like Google, Amazon and Uber, The New York Times reported yesterday. None of the mentioned companies commented on the story.
The nation's second-largest ride-hailing firm also attempted a sale to China's leading ride-sharing service, Didi Chuxing, into which Apple invested $1 billion, and to General Motors, one of its largest investors that refused to make a written offer to buy it.
If you're a high-schooler aged under 22 and eager to connect with your classmates within an environment that harkens back to the Facebook from 2004, when it was exclusively a college student network, then today's Facebook where everyone creeps on others may not be the safest place to engage in such interactions.
That's why Michael Sayman, Facebook’s 19-year-old product manager, created Lifestage, a teens-only iPhone app that encourages high-schoolers to create video profiles and share them with their school network.
Apple is tapping into its vast base of hundreds of millions of iTunes accounts with credit cards on file to help collect donations to the American Red Cross in an effort to help victims of the flooding in southern Louisiana, which has forced thousands of people out of their homes. Banners on the iTunes and App Store and Apple's U.S. website went live Friday, with donations to the American Red Cross available in $5/$10/$25/$50/$100/$200 tiers billed directly to your credit card.
Apple on Friday seeded the seventh beta of iOS 10 to developers. Registered developers running the latest betas can access the update via the OTA mechanism in iOS, or as a standalone download via Apple’s developer center.
Today's release obviously comes as a surprise, given that Apple just issued beta 6 on Monday. The timing suggests that Apple has entered the fine-tuning stage, as it prepares to release iOS 10 to the public in the next few weeks.
Robocalls, phone calls that uses a computerized autodialer to deliver a pre-recorded message, may become a thing of the past as Apple, Google and other Silicon Valley giants join forces with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to crack down on spammy automated phone calls, according to Reuters this morning.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson is expected to make the announcement at the first “Robocall Strike Force” meeting at the FCC later today.
SolidEnergy Systems, MIT's commercial spin-off, has managed to create a technology which promises to double the capacity of standard lithium-ion batteries used in today's gadgets without increasing the size of the battery module.
The trick involves a simple tweak of existing technology that can be incorporated into existing production lines, theoretically bringing twice the battery power to our pockets from 2017.
I know what you're thinking, but don't hold your breath for an iPhone with 2x stronger battery. Given Apple's focus on thinness, thinner iPhones with the same or marginally better run time as existing models are much more likely.
As announced on the Apple Retail webpage, the company's three brick-and-mortar outlets located in Annapolis, Kansas City and Glasgow will reopen next week with next-generation design positioning them as gathering places for their communities with features like sequoia wood tables and shelves, a 6K video wall with seating called “The Forum” and more.