Samsung zooms past Apple in semiconductor buying in 2012
Spending on chips actually shrank 3 percent in 2012, but was helped out by Samsung and Apple’s seemingly insatiable appetite for semiconductors. Read more »
iPads replace newspapers in Boston Globe’s school donation program
For years, newspaper subscribers who go on vacation have donated their papers to classrooms where students would do things like cut out pictures. Now, Boston readers will be donating iPads instead. Read more at paidContent »
Emails show Steve Jobs took hard ball approach to prevent employees from leaving
A recent ruling made emails between the heads of Silicon Valley tech firms public, and the content shows these CEOs were pretty brazen in their approach to keeping their employees from going to competitors. Read more »
Apple pulled 500px photography app over child porn complaints [Updated]
After early reports that Apple removed the popular photography app without much notice, Apple says it had to after receiving complaints of possible child pornography. 500px disputes the claim. Read more »
Despite evidence of strong Q4 iPhone sales, Apple investors nervous for earnings
All signs point to Apple reporting a great holiday quarter. But sinking investor confidence about Apple’s future will hang over the earnings call. Read more »
Apple said to target another developing market with new store, online sales in Indonesia
Apple’s vision for selling its devices in emerging markets in Asia is bigger than Greater China. Indonesia’s capital city is reportedly set to get the country’s first Apple retail store. Read more »
Online gaming power Steam disses Windows 8, pushes Linux
The company behind the popular Steam online gaming platform is definitely not impressed by the latest Windows version and is instead pushing Windows developers to Ubuntu Linux. Read more »
How to deliver the next-generation web experience
Delivering and managing the web experience isn’t just about mobile. Companies are also faced with new challenges in the desktop environment, including browser fragmentation, network evolution, and client-side technologies. They must invest in both the desktop environment as well as to create an optimized experience for mobile. Read more »
Why Apple needs to retake the core of the iPhone in 2013
Apple’s biggest competitors — Facebook, Google and Amazon — are getting really good at finding ways to systematically insert themselves between Apple and its customers. Read more »
Need an iPad mini dock? Here’s one for about $10.
Need a dock to charge and sync your iPad mini? Apple doesn’t make one so this inexpensive pass-through dock may be the solution. It’s only $10.60 with shipping included. Read more »
Sharp cuts iPad display production. Will iPad mini be the bigger hit?
photo: Om Malik
Is the iPad mini eating into iPad sales? It’s difficult to tell since Apple doesn’t break out sales of different models. But Sharp is cutting 9.7-inch display production, possibly due to lower demand for the iPad. Read more »
iOS Newsstand offers early peek at new magazine issues
So far, the only publisher participating is Hearst. There’s no set standard for how early a look each Newsstand issue will offer, Hearst told AllThingsD. Read more »
Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 may have a secret weapon against iPad mini
Is the power of the digital pen mightier than the sword? We may find out next month, when Samsung is reportedly launching the Galaxy Note 8.0, an Android 4.2 tablet similar in size to Apple’s iPad mini. Read more »
Amazon opens music store for Apple devices, songs start at 69 cents
Amazon is getting more aggressive in its attempt to muscle into the online music space. On Thursday, it announced a HTML5-based MP3 store that allows consumers to buy and play songs on their Apple devices. Read more at paidContent »
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Connected consumer fourth-quarter 2012 analysis
In the fourth quarter, the traditional pay-TV industry began to show signs of severe internal stresses after having held off the immediate challenge of over-the-top video. Meanwhile the music industry fell into an internal battle over performance royalties. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
To make iPhones more affordable in China, Apple now offering payment plans
Apple is now offering payment plans, including some that are interest-free. It’s a part of a series of moves starting more than a year ago at Apple to make its products more palatable to customers in China. Read more »
Apple loses retail exec: is it close to hiring a new SVP?
Former VP of Retail Jerry McDougal was said to be a candidate for SVP. His departure may indicate he was passed over and that Tim Cook is getting closer to appointing a new head of retail operations. Read more »
The fourth quarter of 2012 in mobile
The mobile platform wars heated up in a big way as 2012 came to a close. Among other trends, Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8, Android’s dominant market share grew, and mobile commerce reached record highs during the holidays. Read more »
Why I’m thinking of ditching my precious iPhone for an Android
After several years as a devoted Apple iPhone user, I have been tempted by the dark side — I am considering giving up my beloved iPhone for an Android device, and the main attraction is the openness of the ecosystem that Android takes advantage of. Read more »
Reports say Apple iPhone parts orders cut in half
While a 50 percent cut in demand does sound big, at least one Apple analyst is urging perspective with regard to Apple’s typical fiscal second quarter sales. Read more »
The fourth quarter of 2012 in cleantech
The fourth quarter in cleantech saw attention paid to two prominent, publicly traded companies: EV maker Tesla and newly minted public listing SolarCity. It remains a transitional period for the sector as investment declines, with a shift toward those companies able to scale with little additional capital. Read more »
Apple disables Java 7 OS X plug-in after security threat found
photo: Flickr/spcbrass
Apple stopped developing Java for OS X in late 2010 and no longer includes it as pre-installed software on new Macs. But for those who manually installed the plug-in, Apple has blocked Java 7 for now. Read more »
iPhone 5 with $45 Straight Talk Unlimited plan now at Walmart
Straight Talk, the $45 a month no-contract provider that resells wireless service from major U.S. carriers, has finally embraced the iPhone 5. Walmart is selling the phone with Straight Talk service and $25 a month no-interest financing. But there’s one major caveat to the deal. Read more »
Apple CEO says China will be its biggest market
photo: China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology
Tim Cook told China’s state-run news agency that he sees the country becoming its largest market. He’s not just flattering his hosts: the greater China region represents about 15 percent of Apple’s total revenue, bringing in $23.8 billion during Apple’s fiscal 2012. Read more »
Don’t hold your breath waiting for Amazon to give you Kindle copies of your books
Amazon is offering consumers a free digital copy when they buy a CD. It makes perfect sense to do the same for books — alas, it’s not going to happen. Here’s why. Read more at paidContent »
Resolved: “cheap” iPhones aren’t “the future” of Apple’s business
If Apple decides to make and sell an iPhone whose full, unsubsidized cost is less expensive than previous models, it’s going to sell it as a different iPhone that’s “more affordable for users,” not “the cheaper iPhone.” Read more »
Amazon gives free digital album to anyone who buys the CD
Good news for anyone who owns CDs — Amazon is now selling music on a two-for-one basis that gives every customer a digital and a physical version of an album. The company just raised the stakes in its fight with Google and Apple over “music lockers.” Read more at paidContent »
Top Apple, China Mobile execs meet to talk “cooperation”
China Mobile is the world’s largest carrier with 650 million subscribers. China is one of the fastest-growing markets for Apple devices. As Apple looks to expand its customer base, this one carrier alone could help it make faster inroads into China. Read more »
After iPhone 5, iOS makes gains at AT&T and Verizon
Some of Apple’s gain appears to be RIM’s loss as Blackberry sales dropped off at both carriers. The remaining pickup by Apple may have come from new customers, or from upgrades from Android devices, which lost share year over year between mid-October and late November. Read more »
Patent troll sues Apple, Google and everyone else, but BT denies involvement
A U.S. non-practising entity is using an old BT patent to attack Apple, Google, Motorola, HTC, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and others. However, BT denies any connection with the suit, saying it sold away all rights around the broad patent. Read more »
Amazon stock hits an all time high
Amazon stock is up, up and away yet again — here’s the latest news and a chart that shows the company’s gravity-defying growth. Read more »
Apple App Store’s biggest December ever: 2B iOS apps downloaded
Apple releases iOS app sales stats from a pretty impressive holiday sales month. Plus, the company gives a broader status update about the health of its App Store: there are now 775,000 apps for sale for iOS devices. Read more »
How better tech makes for a lighter CES 2013 gear bag
After eight consecutive years of covering the International Consumer Electronics Show, it’s interesting to see how technology has evolved; this year I’m taking less gear than ever before and yet, I’ll likely be more productive. Here’s a glimpse of my CES gear bag over time. Read more »
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How to compete with Facebook in 2013
Specialist networks cater to diverse consumer segments, but Facebook’s sheer ubiquity means 94 percent of all social networkers use it. The bottom line: If any generalist network is going to gain mass-market traction, it will be at the expense of Facebook, not in addition to it. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A decade after launch, the tale of how Apple kept Safari a surprise
There were no Fight Club posters, no cutesy codes names for the team building Apple’s web browser, just a dedicated group who valued extreme secrecy, according to Don Melton, the guy who led the Safari and WebKit projects at Apple. Read more »
Mobile designers no longer see Apple on the forefront of iOS design
As the iOS App Store nears the half-decade mark, one of the biggest changes we’re witnessing is how app developers are beginning to go their own way in terms of design. Some of the most forward-thinking designers are bucking Apple’s traditional look for cleaner, simpler interfaces. Read more »
Update: Apple reportedly looking at Waze for mobile maps fix
photo: Waze
CEO Tim Cook recently said the company is fixing its Maps app through software updates, but also vaguely mentioned a “huge plan to make it even better.” What is that plan? Maybe a smart acquisition of a small social navigation company. Read more »
Ahead of CES: 4 questions to ask about the internet of things
The internet of things is set to be a hot topic this year at CES, but before going gaga over the latest connected device, there are some hard questions industry watchers should ask — or at least think about– when evaluating the latest announcements and gadgets. Read more »
Here’s the secret success sauce in Ubuntu’s phone platform
One of the most popular Linux distributions will arrive on smartphones this year: Canonical is bringing Ubuntu to the small screen. But this isn’t a special version of Ubuntu; it’s the actual desktop software platform with touch-friendly mobile interface that could be a disruptor. Read more »
Court says Amazon use of “Appstore” isn’t false advertising
The claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition are still pending. But Amazon’s small win could prove to be very important as the company continues to turn its mobile content and hardware business into a more direct competitor of Apple’s. Read more »
