Apple’s MacBook Air continues to be a hot seller according to the latest sales estimates coming out of Apple’s supply chain. Shipments of the ultra-slim notebook were up to 1.2 million units in the fourth calendar quarter of 2011, up from 1 million the quarter before. Read more »
Apple is set to reap the benefits of increased consumer interest in smartphones, according to a new study. A survey of 15,000 U.S. shoppers found that Apple and Google will dominate, with Apple’s winning back share over the next six months. Read more »
The iPhone 4S, along with cheaper older models, has helped Apple close the distance on Google’s Android, drawing within a few percentage points in recent U.S. smartphone sales market share, according to the NPD Group. Android and iOS are very much in a two-horse race. Read more »
Apple got an early start on outfitting its Mac computers with Intel’s Thunderbolt technology. Now, almost a year later, a rush of accessories at CES indicate this might be the year average users start to get some real benefit from having Thunderbolt on board. Read more »
A new survey of 4,000 North American consumers finds that even though the iPhone 4S has been out for a couple of months, consumers still have a strong appetite for the Apple smartphone. It’s the strongest demand seen yet for an iPhone following its initial launch. Read more »
Sony remains one of the most important brands in the world, synonymous with quality rich media and the devices that present it. The problem is that, despite a tagline that states “make.believe,” the company is, in a sense, simply playing make-believe with its business. However, the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Losing weight is on a lot of people’s minds post-New Year, so this is a perfect time to revisit tips and tricks about how to use Apple technologies to help you get healthier in 2012. Attitude, food and activity monitoring can contribute to a healthier you. Read more »
BYOD policies aren’t the only reasons Apple products’ presence are growing at your office. Corporate IT departments are more and more buying Macs and iPads for employees to use. That’s according to a new report from analyst firm Forrester published Friday. Read more »
Apple’s mobile devices tend to have much higher profit margins than the competition, as well as having a strong reputation in terms of build and component quality. A big part of that is due to its unique approach to using NAND flash memory. Read more »
Apple might have quad-core iPhone and iPad devices coming in 2012, according to some code discovered deep in Apple’s iOS 5.1 pre-release software on Friday. This discovery adds fuel to the fire surrounding rumors the iPad 3 will boast a quad-core A6 processor. Read more »
Apple could add considerably to its retail reach, if a new report out Friday is accurate. According to the report, Apple will bring store-within-a-store retail outlets to Target locations sometime soon, helping it reach markets in the U.S. that Apple’s own stores don’t cover. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4S is data-hungry, according to a new study released Friday by mobile network monitoring firm Arieso. In fact, it found Apple’s newest iPhone consumes twice as much data as the iPhone 4, and three times as much as the iPhone 3G. Read more »
At an analyst conference, Sprint CEO let slip a change in Sprint’s data policies that could have a big impact on iPhone and other smartphone customers lured in by Sprint’s unlimited plans: the carrier has been throttling back speeds to the heaviest consumers of smartphone data. Read more »
According to a new report Thursday, Apple’s iPad 3 is in for improved optics all around, including both cameras and its screen, as well as a minor increase in thickness. According to the report, the iPad 2 will also remain on sale alongside the iPad 3. Read more »
Apple makes beautiful things, but sometimes Apple fans can make them even more beautiful. This new iPhone SJ concept from ADR Studios in Italy (the same folks who created that iCam mock-up) is a perfect example. Take a look and feel sad it isn’t real. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4S won’t be blocked for sale in Italy, at least not in the near-term. A Milan court rejected Samsung’s request for a preliminary injunction against the device on Thursday. It’s the third time Samsung’s attempts to hobble Apple in Europe have been blocked. Read more »
A new patent application published Thursday describes a system through which a user’s MacBook or iOS device password recovery information could be stored inside its charging adapter. It’s a unique approach that could make complicated, more secure passwords easier to use and frustrating to potential thieves. Read more »
Apple’s iMac occupies a prized place in a fast-growing segment of the overall desktop PC market, the all-in-ones, that few others can approach. It got there by spotting a growth opportunity that’s paying off big now, and the MacBook Air is primed to do the same. Read more »
At least one of Apple’s patent disputes has come to and end on Thursday, according to the other party in the case. Elan Microelectronics Corp has settled with the Mac maker, the Taiwanese company said, in a deal that involves a $5 million payout from Apple. Read more »
I’m saying goodbye to Android, and it appears I’m not alone. Here is why the platform’s fragmentation and lack of interoperability have driven me away — and why Google should do everything it can to address those ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Verizon sold 4.2 million iPhone during the fourth quarter of 2011, CFO Fran Shammo said at a conference on Wednesday. That’s more than twice as many iPhone devices as it sold during the previous quarter, an increase do doubt spurred by the iPhone 4S. Read more »
Several months after losing the head of its iAd program, Apple has filled the gap. The company has plucked Todd Teresi from Adobe, where he’s been VP and general manager of media solutions, to lead its mobile ad team. He started at Apple on Tuesday. Read more »
Apple’s iPad is far and away the high water mark when it comes to tablet applications, and a new report Wednesday says it just passed an impressive milestone. Users of Apple’s 9.7-inch touchscreen device are said to have downloaded approximately 3 billion apps in total. Read more »
Android Market has topped the 400,000 app mark, doubling the software available for the smartphone platform in just eight months, according to app analytics firm Distimo. Android Market is still shy of the 500,000-app milestone the App Store hit recently, but it’s catching up. Read more »
Apple might be looking to expand its live sports offerings through a deal with the English Premier League, a new report says. It’s an interesting proposition but not a cheap one: Sky paid £1.6 billion (around $2.5 billion) for its current broadcast rights. Read more »
Amazon is hiring techies for a new digital media services push. The company seeks senior development managers and developers for a “brand new team,” although their work will grow out of an existing AWS digital media offering, according to a job post. Read more »
Apple is facing a lawsuit in France over its retail practices, and that case will be monitored closely by other resellers on the continent, a new report says. Still, others say this is just business as usual for Apple and the French case won’t change that. Read more »
Expectations are sky-high for the iPhone and iPad maker. The reason? CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer put them there. At the last earnings call the pair went on record that the fiscal first quarter of 2012 would be the company’s biggest yet. Read more »
Apple will begin selling the iPhone 4S in China on Friday, Jan. 13, according to a press release from the company issued on Wednesday morning. In addition to finally arriving in Apple’s “fastest-growing region by far,” the iPhone 4S will also hit 21 other new countries. Read more »
Everyone likes to share their predictions for what the future will bring in technology as a new year dawns. But some things seem to manage to stay the same, despite anticipation to the contrary. Here’s where I think the boat won’t rock in 2012. Read more »
Apple’s iPhone 4S wasn’t without its share of launch troubles, including complaints of poor battery life. But while Apple was quick to attempt to address said issues in an update, there’s a very annoying bug that’s become a source of considerable frustration for users. Read more »
According to reports circulating Monday, Apple could be hosting a special media event in January. The event won’t be about Apple’s next iPad if reports are correct, however. Instead, Apple will be talking directly to the publishing industry, and the time for that talk is ripe. Read more »
Some believe Apple’s next iPad launch could lead to a three-tiered pricing strategy aimed at making the iPad appealing to a much broader cross-section of consumers. So is Apple’s next tablet move really designed to lock up the market from top to bottom? Read more »
2011 wasn’t really a year in which we saw a lot of big changes on the hardware front from Apple, even though iOS 5 and iCloud made big splashes in software. But I think we can expect a lot of device changes in 2012. Read more »
Don’t expect the pace of change in web technologies to slow down in 2012. The web is far from dead. Social media may have anointed one huge player in Facebook, but even if there is little room for a start-from-scratch general-purpose social network, there are several companies creating useful alternative social graphs. Companies can leverage key technologies and trends in 2012 to earn revenue and gain share, whether that’s by leveraging HTML5 for rich cross-platform experiences, doing heavy data analysis or integrating collaboration tools across businesses.Companies mentioned in this report include Dropbox, Groupon, Twitter and Zynga. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Lots of people may be on vacation right now, but Kickstarter isn’t. The crowdfunding site has some great new Apple-related accessories that could be just what the doctor ordered if you’re flush with post-Christmas cash or a guilty indulgence if shopping cleaned you out. Read more »
Best Buy has a good deal on iPhones this weekend: It is offering buy-one-get-one-free pricing on the 32 GB iPhone 4, on either Sprint or AT&T with new 2-year contracts. Basically, it means you get a 32 GB iPhone 4 for the price of the 8 GB version. Read more »
Apple has an immensely successful self-run retail arm, but it wasn’t always that way. Once, it depended heavily on the kindess of strangers, and some of those same strangers (namely third-party resellers) are now bristling at what they see as unfair business practices. Read more »
Mobile users love their apps and that love affair has outstripped our interest in browsers. That’s according to comScore’s latest mobile subscriber data, which found that the percentage of users who use apps has finally surpassed the percent of subscribers who turn to a mobile browser. Read more »
Supply chain reports released on Friday indicate that Apple will opt for indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) instead of in-plane switching (IPS) display panels for its upcoming iPad 3. The change would provide benefits in terms of energy consumption, cost reduction and improved resolution. Read more »
