It’s the same dynamic we’ve seen play out in hardware between Android device makers and the iPhone maker: Apple takes in a vast majority of the profits in the smartphone industry while Android device makers sell far more actual handsets. Read more »
Former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson’s job as CEO of J.C. Penney didn’t work out. Meanwhile, Apple hasn’t found anyone to fill his old position. Read more »
App Store guidelines prohibit apps that use push notifications for marketing purposes and those that simply promote other apps. AppGratis is just the latest to be pulled for these kind of violations. Read more »
The Linkase for iPhone 5 boasts up to a 50 percent boost in Wi-Fi signal strength thanks to a small electromagnetic waveguide extension. Does it work? See for yourself in these mobile speedtests where Wi-Fi is usually terrible. Read more »
Podcast directories are a dime a dozen, but Podcast Gallery is a new one that’s well worth a look. The web service integrates with Dropbox and Google Drive to save podcasts, plus you can use any browser to view or listen to episodes. Read more »
A second generation of wearable computing is emerging that focuses on design and a so-called glanceable UI. Valley startup Misfit Wearables is leading the charge, and trying to create a new type of user experience. Read more »
No matter how brilliant or beautiful your new gadget may be, it’s doomed if you can’t figure out how to make it efficiently, consistently and economically. An ex-Apple supply guy offers insights on how to make that happen. Read more »
The building will be green and energy efficient, but, Businessweek reports, it’s the “fit and finish” — the extra visual and structural flair — that Steve Jobs’ design calls for that are ballooning the price. Read more »
There’s both good and bad in Google’s news that it would be forking WebKit to create the Blink rendering browser engine. It really comes down to motive: Is it just for speed of development or for more control over web standards? Read more »
Braintree is ramping up its mobile presence thanks to its recent purchase of Venmo. Using the peer-to-peer payment technology, Braintree is creating an in-app customer identity network that can be used to buy goods across iOS apps. Read more »
Rather than the local media and government coming around to the way Apple does business, Apple is learning that its usual playbook for success doesn’t necessarily work in China. Read more »
The algorithmically generated travel guides have received a major update on the iPhone and iPad, with the Android versions set to receive similar upgrades at some point down the line. Read more »
Web discovery engine Trapit is launching a set of tools for publishers. Publishing clients can use the tools to create their own white-label iPad and web apps that surface content around given topics. Here Media is the first client. Read more at paidContent »
A new software update for Jawbone’s Big Jambox brings several performance improvements. Only iOS 6.1 devices will get one of the biggest though: two extra hours of battery life on the wireless speaker. Read more »
According to TMoNews, at the end of the week Apple will ship the over-the-air update necessary to make the current generation iPhone 5 work on T-Mobile’s new 4G network. Read more »
MLB’s At Bat app was accessed 6 million times on Monday, the first day of baseball’s 2013 season. That’s more than double the app’s audience on Opening Day last year. Read more »
it will be interesting to see what kind of precedent this sets for how Apple gets along in its No. 2 market with the Chinese media, and more importantly, the Chinese government. Read more »
iOS RSS app Reeder is going free on Mac and iPad while it gets some updates. The app will live on after Google Reader dies, creator Silvio Rizzi says. Read more at paidContent »
photo: China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Open letters from the Apple CEO are few and far between, as are apologies. But from Tim Cook they come when he senses that public opinion is turning dangerously against the company — see also “Apple Maps.” Read more »
China’s top consumer watchdog group is the latest to attack Apple over issues of consumer protection. It’s the latest bout of criticism Apple has received in the Chinese media. Read more »
A “Facebook phone” is one of the longest-running rumors in the technology world, but a number of observers think such a beast is actually going to make an appearance next week. But do users actually want one? Read more »
What makes this 3D puzzle game truly amazing is the fact that you can create your own levels from photos in your library or ones you take in the game with the camera. Read more »
Recently Apple made a somewhat unexpected move in adding Audiobus support to its GarageBand software. After testing it out, we walk you through how to integrate GarageBand, Audiobus and Audiobus-supported apps. Read more »
There’s a lot of confusing noise out there about whether you can bring an unlocked iPhone 5 over to T-Mo’s network and get it to work properly. Here’s the low-down on what the GSM iPhone 5 can and can’t do. Read more »
Sorry, you can’t buy a $580 iPhone 5 from T-Mobile and then sign up with another carrier — you have to give T-Mo at least once month of service. Read more »
The iOS app is 99 cents and uses geo-location to help people keep grocery lists and be reminded of what items they need to buy when they’re in range of their most frequented markets. Read more »
Energy management startup People Power is back with a new remote monitoring app designed to reuse old iOS devices as security cameras. It’s a nice app and People Power’s gateway drug to the internet of things. Read more »
Set up by WebEx founder Subrah Iyar and launched in January, Moxtra offers an intriguing collaborative service for students and small businesses. Now it’s also available in 18 more languages. Read more »
Shanghai Zhi Zhen makes a product called Xiaoi, which the company calls a “chat robot system.” It says Siri violates a patent it holds on man-machine interaction. Read more »
Flipboard has become a leading player in the digital news-consumption field, and now it wants to hand the same filtering and curation tools employed by its editors over to users of the app, to create their own magazines. Read more »
T-Mobile’s $99 unlocked iPhone 5 may be one way of putting an iPhone in the purses and pockets of more price-sensitive customers in the U.S. Read more »