News footage outside of Apple Stores in China on Friday showed very small or non-existant lines and some investors assumed the worst. But it turned out that those early reports didn’t indicate lack of demand at all. Instead, Apple had its biggest China launch weekend yet. Read more »
News coverage showed Apple Store lines in China on Friday were small to non-existant on the first day of the device’s launch in the country. But let’s not forget the steps Apple has taken in improving crowd control after January’s iPhone 4S launch. Read more »
There’s no lack of iPad mini covers for sale. BookBook just added their own, which makes your small Apple tablet look like a classic, old book. It still protects the iPad mini though and you can prop up the tablet for typing or video enjoyment. Read more »
It may seem small, but this tool is a good step. Apple realizes and is taking seriously how its web services and their status are crucial to their users’ experience — iCloud, Siri, Mail, iMessage have all had major service disruptions in the last few months. Read more »
The selection of these apps as best of the year demonstrate the growing sophistication of what developers are making for iPhone and iPad. A glance at the top paid apps also shows that games are somewhat loosening their grip on their “most popular” status. Read more »
In a surprise ruling, a Delaware jury has found that Apple’s iPhone infringed on three patents issued in the early 2000′s. The verdict is the latest incident of a global patent battle that appears to have gotten out of hand. Read more »
Amazon raised the curtain on its Instant Video App for iPhone and iPod touch devices, which join the iPad and iPad mini for video purchase or rental playback. You’ll still have to buy or rent videos through the web, however; it can’t be done in app. Read more »
Exactly how many iPhone users downloaded the app isn’t clear — neither Google nor Apple has released any such statistics just yet. But zooming to the top of the free charts, bypassing mega-hits like YouTube, Angry Birds Star Wars and Snapchat, indicate a large volume of downloads. Read more »
Google Maps’ return to the iPhone has been much anticipated since Apple removed it as a default app with the launch of iOS 6 in September. For the first time on iOS, it has voice-guided directions. Read more »
After looking at the OCDock’s design, it’s precisely the type of iPhone dock I’d expect Apple to engineer. A patent-pending custom USB cable that’s paper thin aids in the minimalistic look without sacrificing any features. This Kickstarter is funded, but you can still buy in. Read more »
Apple is testing TV designs, but before you get out your wallet, remember that these are just prototypes. We’ve heard these rumors before, and we’ll likely continue to hear them as Apple figures out how to move its strategy for the living room beyond “hobby.” Read more »
Microsoft is planning to bring Office to the iOS App Store next year, and is trying to negotiate a revenue share plan that’s lower than the standard 30 percent cut Apple takes. Apple is reportedly not budging on its rules, according to an AllThingsD report. Read more »
First smartphones overtook traditional computer sales and now tablets are on track to outsell laptops, according to IDC, which predicts more tablets will be sold than laptops by 2015. Computer makers should be looking to where the growth is as tablets replace laptops for many. Read more »
You want to star on your Xbox 360? A new app makes it easy to view your personal photos and videos on the big screen and to manipulate them with Kinect or voice controls. Read more »
I tested both of Zagg’s iPad mini keyboard cases and either is a nice accessory. There’s a difference in typing, however, due to the two sizes. That means you’ll have to figure out if you value portability or a better typing experience when choosing. Read more »
By stacking all major product releases at year’s end, it leaves the whole rest of the calendar as a giant question mark. What new products will Apple introduce in the spring? Some evidence points to a six-month product cycle for its biggest sellers. Read more »
Apple’s ‘hobby’ of improving the TV-viewing experience has graduated to ‘intense interest’. But what chance does Cupertino have of working with broadcasters? More in Europe than at home, analysts say. Read more at paidContent »
Bad directions and misdentified locations are usually just inconvenient or annoying; they don’t usually lead to life-threatening scenarios. But police patrolling a remote national park in Australia are finding otherwise. The department recommends not using Apple Maps in the area. Read more »
The transition from advertisers, publishers and ad networks using UDIDs to target their ads to Apple’s expressly designed-for-them Identifier for Advertisers, is going slowly. The reason? A combination of a bug, bad timing, and a slow-moving industry. Read more »
That the two would partner on a deal is somewhat surprising, given they are direct competitors in the mobile world. But, as Google’s chairman said this week, businesses who have disputes also need to “trade with each other” and not just “send bombs at each other.” Read more »
A Thursday courtroom hearing went on for three and a half hours, bogging down with continual disagreements from both sides. Here’s a brief roundup of what happened in the first day of Apple and Samsung’s long appeals process Read more »
In his very first television interview aired Thursday night, Apple CEO Tim Cook was typically cryptic about how his company is looking at the television market. He would only reveal that they have “intense interest” in it. Read more »
Can a wireless keyboard with hinges turn your iPad into a laptop running iOS? That’s the premise behind Brydge, a Kickstarter project that I backed months ago. I opted to add Bluetooth speakers to my Brydge; take a look at how this setup works. Read more »
Apple’s CEO gave a long, wide-ranging interview on his first 15 months at the helm of the company. Here’s a quick round up of some of his more interesting comments, including more hints as to why Scott Forstall had to go. Read more »
Apple’s CEO reveals in an interview that he will invest $100 million of Apple’s money to build Macs in the U.S., starting next year. The reason: corporate responsibility. Read more »
The president of China Mobile told a conference of developers on Wednesday that network compatibility is not what’s keeping him from offering the iPhone. Rather, he says his concerns are related to the potential profits it would get out an arrangement with Apple. Read more »
There are a variety of factors that have caused the stock to dip and rise since September, but Wednesday was particularly odd because there wasn’t any obvious thing that should be spooking Wall Street. Here are some financial analysts’ best guesses as to what’s afoot. Read more »
Once relegated to early adopters, smart watches are slowly filtering their way into the view of mainstream shoppers. Case in point: Casio’s new GShock connects to an iPhone for call or email notifications and can be found at Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Nordstrom for $180. Read more »
Apple has decided to more than double the size of its fuel cell project at its data center in North Carolina, making it — once again — the largest out there that isn’t owned by a utility. For awhile eBay was holding that title. Read more »
Keynote, Numbers and Pages, Apple’s house-made apps for presentations, spreadsheet work and word processing, should share documents better with the update thanks to increased compatibility included in a new update released Tuesday. Read more »
Many factors have driven the recent high demand for IT products and services. However, relentless global economic weakness and uncertainty have resulted in a deterioration of worldwide IT spending through the third quarter and will continue to be an anchor in the fourth quarter. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Vizibility turns its mobile business cards into Passbook cards for iPhone owners running iOS 6, a new take on Apple’s digital wallet service that we haven’t seen before. The first company to be using them will be Re/Max realtors. Read more »
Apple, for its part, isn’t likely to sweat this news too much: CEO Tim Cook has been open about the fact that cannibalization among his products is a real thing, and that some customers are in fact buying an iPad instead of a MacBook. Read more »
News Corp. has said it is finally shutting down The Daily, the iPad-only newspaper it launched in 2011. Although the media giant should be given some credit for experimenting with a new medium, there were obvious signs that The Daily was doomed from the start. Read more »
The company announced several other updates to the Google Maps for Android API on Monday, including vector-based maps, better 2D and 3D maps, as well as indoor mapping. Read more »
If your doctor asks you to touch his or her iPhone at your next phyiscal, don’t be alarmed. It’s likely they have an AliveCor iPhone case; the device measures pulse through two fingers and can provide a detailed electro-cardiogram when held to your chest. Read more »
Apple is loading up inventory of the iPhone 5 to meet the expected outsize demand of the holiday cycle and hitting big, important markets like China, South Korea and Brazil before the end of the year. Read more »
iTunes 11 is the best version of Apple’s software yet. It is a major redesign, but one that aims to keep its legacy going and dispell the opinion that iTunes is bloated and outdated. Read more »
Many publishers seem to assume that the best way to publish their content online is to try and recreate the look and feel of the printed product they are trying to replace, but a better approach is to strip away everything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Read more »
