Sometimes, you can’t get a break. That could be the thinking at Android handset maker HTC, which now faces another trade complaint by Apple. Tuesday, the U.S. International Trade Commission announced it launched an investigation into whether five Apple patents were violated.
Apple already has around 20 stores in Canada, the latest will open Aug. 13 in Waterloo, Ontario hometown of beleaguered BlackBerry maker Research in Motion. As RIM’s fortunes decline and Apple’s ascends, the store becomes a metaphor for the long-running battle between the smartphone foes.
First, Apple kicked Nokia out of New York, then European operations were curtailed, now comes word Apple will likely attack the cell phone pioneer in China, the hottest market for smartphone makers. A “drastic realignment” in that Asian giant’s mobile marketplace is expected later this year.
It’s all how you look at things. If Apple were measured only by its notebook computers, the tech giant would be in last place, behind HP and others. However, throw the iPad into the mix and the Cupertino, Calif. company jumps to the head of the class with 20 percent of the market and ahead of PC goliath HP. But no matter how you cut it, Apple is thriving while the PC languishes in a ‘stagnant’ ecosystem, a report claims.
Like the basketball hopeful unable to play in the NBA, rival tablet makers may find it easier to compete against U.S.-based Apple in Europe. The tech giant’s massive supply chain makes Europe’s 52 Apple stores a slightly easier target than America, where the iPad maker has 238 stores, analysts said Tuesday.
We all love lists, so here’s an interesting one to ponder. Men’s Health magazine has just ranked 100 U.S. cities by iPad usage, combining data from online ad impressions, the number of Apple and Best Buy stores per capita, and the percentage of households that own tablets or notebooks. And the winner’s are:
1 Plano, TX A+
2 San Jose, CA A
3 San Francisco, CA A
4 Boise, ID A-
5 Austin, TX A-
6 Oakland, CA B+
7 San Diego, CA B+
8 Durham, NC B+
9 Chesapeake, VA B+
10 Colorado Springs, CO B+
Many thought the first trading day after Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. creditworthiness to AA+ would elicit some reaction from Wall Street. However, Monday has been crazy on the big board, with Apple leading other shares for wild swings.
Time is money. If so, the iPad is capable of saving enterprises big cash due to its ability to free employees from the desk. One company integrating the iPad into its work environment is Business Intelligence software maker MicroStrategy. The company now uses 2,300 iPads at its $454 million software firm.
Remember the report that Apple was preparing its own Netflix-killer called iTunes Replay for launch in the next few weeks? Well, don’t hold your breath… it’s not coming anytime soon and, as usual, you can blame a reclacitrant Hollywood for having to be dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
Here’s one time Microsoft’s molasses-like startup routine could pay off. A Florida company is suing Apple, charging the tech giant infringed a patent for quickly booting Mac OS X. The lawsuit names the MacBook Pro as one of the Apple devices that is claimed to use the disputed patent.
Apple rivals are more likely to fight amongst themselves then score a knock-out blow against the iPad, one Wall Street expert said Monday. The iconic iPad will still have 60 percent of the market by 2020, he contends.
Many of us first encountered Apple Computers in schools, but Apple’s once dominant position in the educational market has seemed to fade over the last decade. Now Apple’s setting out to do something about it, as they’ve just released a brand new sub-$1000 iMac aimed for schools and institutions.
Two weeks after releasing iOS 5 Beta 4, Apple has now pushed a fifth beta out to developers. You can grab iOS 5 Beta 5 with your registered developer account in the Dev Center, and the update can also be received as an over-the-air update on a device running iOS 5 Beta 4.
Apple may have started shutting down the developer accounts of those who sell their device slots to non-developers. Specifically, developers who have sold access to their developer account for unauthorized users to run iOS 5 beta software.
Email warnings are allegedly being sent to developers from Apple, and those that are selling device slots for profit are reportedly having their Apple developer account privileges revoked.
If you’re in Indiana, you’re likely using an iPhone. However, in California — home of Silicon Valley — Android probably rules. Most Apple iPhone and iPad users are in the North U.S., while the majority of Android users are in the southern U.S. states, according to the findings of a survey tracking which tracked mobile ad clicking by device maker, all mapped by location.
The downside of the iPhone’s gargantuan success as a money maker for Apple is that it can also have an “outsized impact” on Apple profits. The iPhone contributes 49.2 percent of Apple stock value, one analyst warns. Wall Street also said the iPad has replaced the iPod as the tech giant’s halo product, buoying sales of other Apple products. Even so, at least one analyst thinks that Apple could go as high as $540 a share.
The drawback to success is you’re only as good as your last killer product. Perhaps that’s what Apple executives were thinking when they recently told a Wall Street analyst any rumored low-cost iPhone would have to be more than out-cheap Android, but be a ‘category-killer’ like the iPad and iP
hone.
Following the release of OS X Lion last month, some early adopters ran into issues when attempting to install Xcode 4.1 that meant installing the software was rather difficult. Apple has now addressed this in the Xcode 4.1.1 update.
Earlier today, we told you that Apple was looking to discontinue the Magic Mouse in favor for the Magic Trackpad. This report was based off an inside source confirming that Apple was phasing out the Magic Mouse’s part number from its inventory.
Our source in Apple inventory has followed up with us, and it appears that Apple has instead discontinued the Magic Mouse’s old part number in favor for a new one. This move may indicate an update to the Magic Mouse, with the most logical prediction being better integration with advanced gestures in OS X Lion.
Thanks to the massive stock selloff today, Apple is within $16 billion of displacing Exxon Mobil as the the world’s most valuable company.
At market close, Exxon Mobil’s stock fell $3.88 (4.9 percent) giving it a market cap of $366 billion. Apple’s stock fell too, but only $15.20 (3.87 percent) for a market cap of $350 billion. That puts Apple within $16 billion of Exxon. Two weeks ago, the gap was $50 billion. Any day now…
Via NYT.
We’ve gotten word from a previously reliable source that Apple is discontinuing the Magic Mouse in favor of the Magic Trackpad. Our retail source has informed us that Magic Mouse inventory is not being replenished for Apple stores, and that Apple is finally phasing out the Magic Mouse.
Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air might look just like last years model, but don’t let that fool you the insides have been almost completely replaced. Powerful new processors and upgraded internal components make Apple’s powerful and ultra-portable notebook computer even better than last years model. I called it blazing fast last year, but this year I have to say it’s smoking fast. Its performance leaves some MacBook Pros in the dust.
I’ve spent two weeks with my new 13-inch MacBook Air putting it through all kinds of real world tests, using it daily for a variety of tasks like word processing, web surfing, image manipulation, and running various applications including Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit and Mac OS X Lion virtualization.
I’d like to share with you what I experienced during the first 14 days I used this new 13-inch mid-2011 MacBook Air.
As BlackBerry-maker RIM clings to life-support, more than half of the smartphone’s owners have Apple’s iPhone on speed-dial. More than half of BlackBerry users intend to switch to the iconic iPhone as Wall Street experts pull the plug on RIM’s recovery plans.
Apple’s intentions to introduce a wireless system to its iOS devices has been well documented over the past few months, but just exactly how it plans to do it remains to be seen. However, a new patent application published by the U.S. Patent & Trademarks Office today could reveal all.
Beware Android users, malware authors are picking Google’s platform as their first foray into mobile mayhem, security researchers say. Interestingly, there’s no mention of malware using Apple’s iOS.