More than half of all U.S. adults own a smartphone. But using them as a replacement for paper tickets still hasn’t found a home in the mainstream. Some big brands are counting on Apple’s newly rolled out Passbook feature to push mobile ticketing forward. Read more »
You can finally get your hands on Apple’s latest iOS upgrade: iOS 6. It’s starting to become available for download as of Wednesday morning. You’ll find new Mail features, a better Siri, Facebook integration throughout the OS, improved Notifications, Passbook, Shared PhotoStreams and improved App Store. Read more »
Up until iOS 6, I’d considered Apple’s mobile Mail app merely adequate for my needs. Now, it’s moved into not-half-bad territory. Here’s a rundown of my experiences using the new features of the Mail app, which will be available to everyone when iOS 6 rolls out Wednesday. Read more »
Last December, the European Commission began investigating Apple and five book publishers for allegedly conspiring to set ebook prices. Now the EC, Apple and four of the publishers have reached a preliminary agreement that largely mirrors the terms of the ebook settlement in the U.S. Read more at paidContent »
iOS 6 isn’t just for the iPhone. Apple included some fun new features in its new mobile operating system, available today, for iPad users. Here’s a look at the new stuff you’ll get: Siri, a clock app, FaceTime everywhere, Facebook integration and more. Read more »
The first wave of reviews from the gadget press on the iPhone 5 are in. Hint: they really, really like it. The phone’s faster speeds, better battery life, bigger screen and high-quality camera mean the new Apple smartphone has some pretty big fans. Read more »
What happens when an industrial designer gets fed up with the many mobile device charging cords and cables in his house? He designs a solution, of course! Thanks to the xWallDock Kickstarter project, you can get in on this simple, but elegant, docking face plate. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: How to become Apple’s landlord, rumors of a new data center in Hong Kong, super awkward Apple Store opening in Sweden, details on the A6 chip, and more. Read more »
Open Internet groups plans to complain to the FCC about AT&T’s decision to limit Apple’s FaceTime video calling application to its cellular network for certain customers. The groups view the limits as a violation of the network neutrality rules the FCC implemented in 2010. Read more »
Did you have problems sending or receiving iMessages today? You weren’t alone, apparently. About half of iMessage users reported being unable to send messages through Apple’s app. Apple, unfortunately, isn’t a stranger to iCloud outages. Read more »
Small slates are expected to account for 32 percent of all tablet sales this year says iHS iSuppli. After nearly two years of saying there’s a market for the 7-inch tablet, it’s good to see the analysts reaffirm my own experiences. Now: Where’s that 7.85-inch iPad? Read more »
There was a 16-month gap between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S releases, and the 2011 September quarter saw an earnings miss as a result. By releasing iPhone 5 right before the end of the September quarter this year, Apple’s ensuring that won’t happen again. Read more »
Google’s purchase of Nik Software, the German company behind Snapseed, shows Google is looking to improve photo editing within its overall ecosystem and is interested in boosting the fast-growing photography community currently flowering within Google+. Read more »
Will the new iPod touch turbocharge iPhoneography to new levels and put the point-and-shoot on the death row? My view: iPhoneography works because it is convenient, thanks to built in connectivity and has access to apps, both for editing or sharing. Read more »
New updates to Alfresco’s content management system and Box’s cloud sync service renew questions about whether these file-share-and-sync services are best offered as part of a larger, legacy product or by an independent provider that specializes in this technology. Read more »
The wave of orders for Apple’s latest smartphone have far outstripped the supply Apple will have ready to deliver on Sept. 21. The 2 million preorders in one day doubled the record for fastest-selling iPhone set by the iPhone 4S last year. Read more »
On this week’s audio podcast with Matt and Kevin, find out which host upgraded to iPhone 5 while the other sold iPhone 4S and ordered a new iPod touch. Also: What happened to NFC in the iPhone and why so many LTE handset models? Read more »
The launch of the seventh generation iPod Nano means curtains for the square-shaped nano that sparked a Nano-watch revolution, thanks to the work of designers like Scott Wilson who created the straps to accommodate the Nanos. On the upside, maybe rarity will make them collectibles. Read more »
Open Handset Alliance partners have to follow the rules, else face the wrath of Google: The company effectively shut down a press event for a new Acer phone for China. Meanwhile, it looks like Intel is about to redouble its Android smartphone efforts. Read more »
The size issue is indeed a primary consideration for why Apple went with Lightning over the old 30-pin connector. But it’s more than that: there’s the future of Apple’s full mobile lineup the company has to think about. Read more »
With iPhone 5, Apple might just have launched a mad dash towards high-definition voice and what that means is when some calls, we can actually enjoy the conversation. Skype, Google and others have similar ideas. Does that mean return of voice. God, I hope so! Read more »
In the five years since the iPhone hit the market, Apple and Google have delivered more than 40 billion cumulative downloads of apps. Other sources predict the app marketplace will swell to surpass 66 billion downloads in 2016, a growth fueled by tablet, entertainment, and enterprise apps. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: new iPhone preorder stock sells out faster than ever, upgrade orders overwhelm carrier servers, Apple’s “boring” iPhone update, how FedEx benefits from the iPhone 5, and more. Read more »
U.S. carriers have a love-hate relationship with the iPhone and an analyst downgrade for AT&T and Verizon after the iPhone 5 went on sale illustrates why. Carriers may get customers, but they also have to shell out hundreds on a subsidy that cuts into their margins. Read more »
Apple is forcing a migration to a new, smaller dock connector called Lightning with the latest model iPhone and iPods introduced this week. It’s selling converters for older 30-pin cables and docks, however, the first round of inventory is already backordered. Read more »
A lawyer in the high profile case over ebook price fixing is hoping a line of poetry will persuade a judge to stop the proceedings. Meanwhile, the judge said she will not collect a price-fixing refund as new prices go into effect today. Read more at paidContent »
A TV station in North Carolina snapped these still video clips of the solar farm being built next to Apple’s data center. It looks like it’s getting close to being completed. Read more »
Barclaycard US is the latest card issuer to back Google Wallet. The company also backs Isis, the mobile payment joint venture between Verizon Wireless, AT&T and T-Mobile, illustrating that not even the traditional banking companies know yet which mobile payment standard will be successful. Read more »
Here’s our daily pick of stories about Apple from around the web that you shouldn’t miss. Today’s installment: the best use case for major U.S. 4G operators selling the iPhone 5, Sprint won’t have “wideband audio,” crunching the iPhone 5 rollout numbers, and more. Read more »
Any subscription music service from Apple could fundamentally alter the entertainment business. But it may come only when iTunes’ current gas runs out, and we’re not quite there yet. Read more at paidContent »
iTunes Ping, Apple’s music-based social network, is shutting down at the end of the month. The service was hurt by its lack of Facebook integration from the get-go and never gained much traction. Read more »
The new connector in all the new iPods and the iPhone 5 is called Lightning (like Thunderbolt, get it?). It’s an 8-pin connector, which means it’s much smaller than the 30-pin connector Apple’s been using since it ditched FireWire almost 10 years ago. Read more »
As expected, Apple passed on NFC for the iPhone 5. Apple could have provided a big boost to the technology and helped educate users on the merits of the technology. Now, it will continue to struggle to gain mainstream acceptance. Read more »
Apple’s new iPod touch is even more like an iPhone than its predecessors thanks to the new 4-inch Retina Display, improved camera sensor, and support for Bluetooth 4.0 LE. The processor gets a boost too, making this iPod touch model faster for gaming and images. Read more »
Apple is updating its iTunes desktop software with a new UI that makes it look more like an iOS app. iTunes comes with wall-to-wall browsing, a new mini player, cloud integration and the ability for artists to share photos with fans. Read more »
It used to be iPhones at every turn, but now there are plenty of Android sightings. That makes sense since there are now 500 million Android devices activated since 2008. That’s more than total iOS devices, however, Google hasn’t yet monetized its broad Android base. Read more »
The smartphone boom that began with iPhone and captured fire with the release of Android-based devices is going to hit a fever pitch soon and by 2016, DisplaySearch expects a billion smartphones to ship, making me wonder if there will be a need for feature phones. Read more »
Here’s how our live coverage of Apple’s iPhone 5 event unfolded, with the oldest updates at the bottom of the page. Announced were a new iPhone 5 (natch) with LTE, iTunes 11, and new iPods. Read more »
Tablets (or any gadget) are supposed to be our companions for a long time. And in order to review them, you really have to live with them. So, after using the new Kindle Fire for about three days, all I can offer are my early impressions. Read more »
