Products

Fingerprint-Recognition Flubs May Be Foiling iPhone Production
April 26, 2013

Fingerprints may do more than smudge the screen of the next iPhone. They may be holding up its production. There reportedly has been some grumbling in Apple's supply chain due to delays in getting the next iPhone on the assembly line. Production originally scheduled for June may have to be pushed back.

AirPlay to the HDTV Is More Hot Air Than Play
April 18, 2013

While screen mirroring solutions -- like Apple's AirPlay -- have reached a relatively high level of awareness, not a lot of people are actually using them, according to a new study by the NPD Group's Connected Intelligence team. What is screen mirroring? It's wirelessly projecting what you see on your smartphone or tablet to show it on a TV screen.

Apple's iRadio Could Blast Competitors Off the Air
April 08, 2013

Apple may be moving closer to launching a streaming music offering, or "iRadio," as it's known in the rumor mill. The company is reportedly on the verge of striking a deal with two major music labels and has introduced a new sweetener to the negotiations to address a sticking point: the per-stream rate Apple would pay the labels. It's been bandied about that Apple wants to pay just half of what rival service Pandora is paying.

What the iWatch Could Be if Apple Still Had Guts
April 01, 2013

Steve Jobs was a guy who took big risks. The iPod was a big risk. The iPhone was even bigger, given that the market was dominated by companies like Nokia and BlackBerry, which had locked up the carriers in many regions. The iPad was riskier still, given what a failure the Windows tablet had been. Now that Steve isn't at Apple anymore, the company's investors and folks like Steve Wozniak are losing hope for the firm.

Apple Takes the Maps Fight Inside
March 27, 2013

Apple has slammed the door on WiFiSLAM after acquiring the Android indoor location positioning developer. However, even though it has closed the startup's shop, Apple will likely use its technology to get mapping again. After last fall's humiliation over its bungled outdoor maps app, Apple's acquisition of WiFiSLAM could be an important step in the right direction.

iOS Update Locks the Gate on Evasi0n Jailbreak
March 21, 2013

Apple on Wednesday rolled out another update to its iOS operating system: 6.1.3, which clamps down on Evasi0n, one of the most popular iOS jailbreaks. "The widespread use of this latest jailbreak hack seems to have energized Apple to deliver a fix in relatively short order," said Charles King, principal at Pund-IT.

Apple's Painful Cry in the Wilderness
March 21, 2013

When I first heard about Apple's new "Why iPhone" marketing page that went live shortly after Samsung's big Galaxy S4 smartphone launch, I thought, "Uh oh, Apple's really playing defense." The page makes it clear that Apple is either worried about the rising power of Samsung, or misguided in how it can best do battle with the Korean superstar.

China's State-Run Anti-Apple Campaign Backfires
March 18, 2013

March 15 marks Consumer Rights Day in China. To honor the day, state-run CCTV runs a special program to out scams, malpractice and defective products. This year, CCTV set its crosshairs on Apple, declaring that the company downgraded post-sale customer service to Chinese consumers.

iPad May Run Away From Home a Lot Longer
March 15, 2013

Wireless charging may be in the works for iPad owners if Apple follows through on a patent awarded to it by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Thursday. The tablet cover described in the patent would include "an inductive power transmitter arranged to wirelessly pass power to a corresponding inductive power receiver unit disposed within the tablet device by inductively coupling."

Why Haven't the Android Hordes Routed the iPad?
March 14, 2013

The fact that IDC revised its 2013 tablet market forecast to give Android-based tablets the edge in shipping over the market-leading Apple iPad wasn't surprising. What was surprising? That it has taken Android so long to get anywhere near this point, a projected 48.8 percent of the market to Apple's 46 percent by year's end.

Apple Widens US Lead but Rivals' New Phones Are Coming
March 07, 2013

Apple's iPhone grabbed the first place spot in U.S. smartphone sales during the holiday quarter, increasing its lead over rival handsets before Samsung, BlackBerry and other competitors launch new devices this spring. The company took a 37.8 percent share of the domestic smartphone market during the three months ending in January,

Does Apple Need a Bigger Stick - or Charm School?
March 07, 2013

Apple, in so many ways, is now king of the hill. As such, behind every rock on the Web there seems to be a new charge to knock Apple down. If a competitor isn't charging the hill, Apple seems to be the target for stone-throwing. It's not that this is unexpected; the rise and fall of companies -- and Hollywood starlets -- is commonplace.

Apple May Put The Squeeze on iPhone
March 06, 2013

Apple wants to make a future iPhone your main squeeze. The company received approval Tuesday from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a patent that would allow you to control a device by squeezing its housing. According to Patent No. 8,390,481, Apple has invented a way to measure a user's interaction with the housing of a device independent of the user's electrical characteristics.

What Makes Apple's iWatch Tick?
March 05, 2013

The long-held belief that Apple is working on an iWatch gained more steam Monday, thanks to new rumors focusing on a launch later this year, along with what the watch might actually do for users. Apple may have filed scores of patent applications that include the word "wrist," but the number and detailed nature of the leaks about its plans raise the question of whether the company has loosened its famously tight grip on security.

A Few Quirks Keep Mellel Lite From Being a Heavyweight
March 05, 2013

Word processors can be a matter of taste. Some writers feel that the more the word processor departs from the original word processor -- the typewriter -- the more it interferes with the actual act of writing. For those writers, there are bare bones word processors like Byword and iA Writer.

Apple's Obsession With Simplicity Can Really Complicate Things
February 28, 2013

Apple makes powerful products that do complicated things very simply and easily, and are mostly intuitive. You don't need an owner's manual to figure out how to use most Apple products. Apple aggressively whittles down its products so they become the essence of the most important things they do.

Foxconn Hiring Freeze Ignites Rumors of Chilled iPhone Demand
February 22, 2013

Foxconn, the Chinese technology manufacturer for many popular devices including the iPhone 5, said this week it was cutting back on hiring. However, the company met attempts to tie that action to reports of cutbacks in demand for Apple products with a resounding "no." Due to an unprecedented rate of return for employees following the Chinese New Year holiday, Foxconn said it was also slowing down its recruitment process.

iWatch-y Patent Greases the Gears of Concept Designers
February 22, 2013

After revolutionizing the world of portable music with its iPod and creating the need for apps for just about everything with its iPhone, Apple could be looking to make time with an iWatch. While the device won't likely change the way people interact with the Earth's rotation, it could put numerous functions on the wearer's wrist. Or it might just be some old vaporware.

China Defense Ministry Blasts Mandiant Hacking Report
February 21, 2013

China's defense ministry staged a news conference Wednesday to deny and decry a report that the People's Liberation Army was engaged in cyberwarfare against U.S. corporations, organizations and government agencies. The denial specifically addressed the bombshell Mandiant hacking study, which declared that the PLA's Unit 61398, located near Shanghai, was one of the world's "most aggressive computer hacking operations."

Telling the Time May Be Apple's Next Big Thing
February 12, 2013

Apple is reportedly developing a smart watch made of flexible curved glass that will do more than just tell time. The device would run on iOS, but beyond that it's unknown what an Apple smart watch would be able to do -- for example, which apps would be accessible, whether it would receive notifications, or if it could support Siri or GPS functionality.