Apple has reportedly acquired all shares of the Swedish face-recognition firm Polar Rose. The company develops three software applications able to recognize faces in images.
The Cupertino, Calif. based company appears to be interested in two Polar Rose applications, Face Cloud and FaceLib, according to a Norwegian Mac site Mac 1. Speculation is that the software could be rolled into web apps, such as MobileMe. Apple already offers face recogntion in iPhoto.
An agreement allowing newspapers and magazines to parlay the iPad into new print subscriptions may be one or two months away, according to a Monday report. The pact with publishers could be timed to coincide with Apple unveiling a new iPad in early 2011.
Apple has “accelerated its efforts to persuade publishers to join the company’s first foray into selling newspaper and magazine subscriptions for the iPad,” the Wall Street Journal reports. The Cupertino, Calif. company has already discussed its plans with Time Inc., Condé Nast, News Corp. and Hearst’s publishing divisions, the paper reports, citing insiders. Hearst may have already agreed with the proposal. Apple reportedly said “at least one” company is willing to sell subscriptions through its iTunes service, the report adds.
Recall the old joke about being slightly pregnant? Shift the premise to Apple’s tablet and you have the latest opinion on whether the iPad will hurt Mac sales. After previously thought to hurt PC notebook sales most, an analyst tells investors Monday morning the iPad is “slightly cannibalizing” demand for low-end MacBooks.
Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu slightly reduced his expectations for September Mac sales to 3.8 million, down from 3.9 million. He points to suppliers indicating the tablet is “slightly cannibalizing” the most inexpensive MacBooks. At the same time, the analyst increased his forecast for iPad quarterly sales to 5.7 million, up from 3.6 million. The rosier picture is due to the kinks being worked out of iPad screen supplies.
We close out another week with three top deals. First up is a new batch of free iPad apps, including “Sproutster,” a spelling game for the Apple tablet. Next is a deal on refurbished iPhone 4 handsets, starting at $149 for a 16GB version from AT&T. Finally, is iStart Spanish, a free app for your iPhone or iPod touch. Use this app to learn “acuerdo,” which translates into English as “deal.”
Along the way, we’ll also check out other iPhone apps, hardware deals for your iPod and other items. As always, details on these and many other bargains can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Samsung is attempting to break into the growing tablet market with a full-court press against the Apple iPad. The Android-based Galaxy Tab device will be available on all four U.S. carriers: Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T, which already offers 3G service for the iPad. Although pricing and availability are still not settled, two carriers said the Samsung device could be available either in weeks or months.
AT&T announced it would sell the Galaxy at its retail stores and from its website “in the coming months.” Along with offering 3G service for the iPad, AT&T is currently the exclusive provider for the iPhone.
A second-generation iPad with video-chat could appear in early 2011, according to a report. Suppliers are preparing to ship “ultra-thin glass-based touch panels” to Apple at the start of the year’s first fiscal quarter.
The updated iPad will remain with a 9.7-inch screen, but include Apple’s FaceTime video-chat feature which uses Wi-Fi connections, according to Taiwan-based industry publication DigiTimes. In addition, Apple is in “advanced testing stages” of an iPad with an front-facing camera used by FaceTime, according to anonymous sources sited by AppleInsider. FaceTime is already available on the iPhone 4 and latest iPod touch.
Talk of the iPad cannibalizing the netbook, notebook, or entire PC industry, has long been around. However, now comes two more voices – this time from both the analyst world and the CEO suites. The iPad has “cannibalized sales from laptop PCs by as much as 50 percent,” Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told interviewers earlier this week.
The statement, while dramatic on its own, appears bolstered by a Wall Street analyst who reported Thursday U.S. notebook growth fell 4 percent in August, the first time that product has seen negative growth. Noting the steep decline matches the iPad’s introduction, Morgan Stanley’s Katy Huberty blames “tablet cannibalization” partially for the drop in notebook growth.
Could an App Store-like arrangement rescue newspapers seeking to use the iPad to prop up dwindling print revenue? That’s the question as a new rumor floats across the radar, suggesting Apple will provide newspapers access to demographic data in exchange for a cut of digital subscription sales.
Apple has agreed to allow subscribers share their personal data with newspapers, demographic information that can be a treasure for publications looking to lure advertisers. Previously, Apple had balked at sharing such data, wanting to provide only sales volume.
Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has a warning for Apple: That iAds doo-hickey? Well, that dog just isn’t going to hunt. Bartz told Reuters the ad platform launched in July will ‘fall apart’ due to Apple’s obsession with control.
“Advertisers are not going to have that type of control over them. Apple wants total control over those ads,” she said. However, iAds is “ok for experimentation,” Bartz opined.
We start the day with a powerhouse: a 6-core 333GHz Mac Pro. The offer from Expercomm includes a bundle with 6GB of memory and a 3-year AppleCare plan – all for $3,899. At the other end is a bevy of iMacs, starting at $929 for a 22-inch 3.06GHz all-in-ine desktop machine. Finally, what better ally to have when hunting down zombies than a cute, cuddly and armed-to-the-teeth teddy bear? Our third featured deal is the latest batch of iPhone app freebies from the App Store, including “Battle Bears.”
Along the way, we’ll check out many other items, including a deal on iPods, sound systems, refurbished iPhones and software for your Mac. As usual, detail on those and much more can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Along with the Sun in the morning, you can count on a Verizon Wireless iPhone story appearing almost daily on the pages of Apple watchers. Not to disappoint, two Wall Street analysts have released a report suggesting Apple needs to join forces with the wireless carrier to fend off the growth of Android.
In five quarters (or roughly just over one year), Android’s growth could outnumber the installed base of iPhones, according to Bernstein Research analysts Toni Sacconaghi and Pierre Ferragu. Indeed, the analysts say the Android platform has gone from 60,000 phones sold each day seven months ago to 200,000 phones per day. That sort of growth makes the analysts believe Android could singly push smartphone sales. By 2011, Apple and Android will control 52 percent of smartphone sales, the two analyst contend.
Amid its expanding retail presence ahead of the all-important holiday shopping period, Apple has signed another deal to build nearly 1 million additional iPad touchscreens. The Taiwan-based Cando plant should start shipping the 9.7-inch touch sensors in early September or October.
In August, analysts announced previous shipping delays had shrunk to 24 hours as Apple increased the number of suppliers building parts for the tablet device. After its main touchscreen supplier LG in July admitted problems keeping up with demand, Apple signed a $240 million deal with Samsung, gaining 3 million additional iPad sensors.
Now that supply problems which bediviled Apple’s iPad launch are history, the touch-screen tablet will appear on the shelves of all 1,093 U.S. Best Buy stores on September 26. The announcement is just the latest push by Apple to get its new product in front of U.S. consumers. Tuesday, an unconfirmed report suggested the iPad would appear in Target stores October 3.
Best Buy shoppers received just a taste of the iPad when the device appeared at 673 Best Buy locations with Apple Shops. This latest announcement includes all stores owned by the electronics retail giant, which will sell the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G iPad versions. In a Tuesday announcement, a Best Buy executive noted today’s shoppers aren’t satisfied with looking at a picture or reading a review of personal electronics.
Today, we spotlight a variety of Mac-related bargains. First up is a deal on a 22-inch iMac powered by a 3.06GHz Core i3 processor for $1,049. Next is a new batch of free iPhone Apps from the App Store, including “Mr. Giggle,” a Tetris-like puzzle game. We wrap up today’s trio of deals with a USB turntable from Numark. The TTi connects directly to your Mac’s USB port, includes a dock for your iPod and comes with EZ Audio Converter software.
Along the way, we’ll check out more apps for your iPhone. Details on these and many more items can be found on CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Apple could sell 3.8 million Macs for the September quarter, a 23 percent increase over the same period in 2009. That would put the Cupertino, Calif. based company slightly ahead of Wall Street expectation of 3.7 million Macs for the three-month span, one analyst said.
If correct, the number from the NPD Group also suggest Apple could break its previous record set in the June quarter, when the company sold 3.47 million Macs.
When Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced in September the iPod touch was “the number one portable game player in the world,” many took the comment as the executive’s usual bluster. Then Apple created its Game Center for iOS users. Now comes a survey seeming to support Apple’s words and actions: More than half of all U.S. mobile gamers battle it out on iOS devices, one survey reports.
Additionally, U.S.-based iOS gamers nearly outnumber domestic Nintendo DS and DSi players, according to a recent International Gamers survey. Apple’s platform claims 40.1 million U.S. gamers, compared to 41 million American Nintendo DS and DSi players. In fact 14 million U.S. gamers own both an iPod touch and a Nintendo DS. One good bit of news for Nintendo: the DS is still far ahead of the iOS platform in Europe.
We are not hearing a death rattle from cell giant Nokia, but the company certainly is making noise as Apple increasingly invades once-safe territory. A prime example of the iPhone making a more competitive landscape is Europe, where the Apple handset is helping chip-away at Nokia’s market.
According to a July survey by measurement firm comScore, Nokia’s Symbian share of smartphones in the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy stands at 51.2 percent, down 14.4 percent since a year ago. However, Apple’s iOS platform grew 5.3 percent and Google’s Android smartphone platform rose 5.6 percent over the same period.
We start out the week with a hardware deal, some classic reading for your iPhone and some just-plain fun for your Apple handset. First u is a MacConnection deal on a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo Mac mini Server for $750. The desktop machine includes two 500GB drives. Next is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, an audiobook of the Mark Twain classic for your iPhone, iPad or iPod. We wrap up our highlighted deals with “Gravity Runner,” a scrolling, gravity-altering game for your iPhone from the iTunes App Store.
Along the way, we’ll also check out other iPhone software and Mac-related hardware. As usual, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Apple Monday announced it will begin selling the Wi-Fi iPad in China on September 17, just a little over a month after that country’s government granted the Cupertino, Calif. company permission to sell its tablet device. The quick turn-around suggests Apple wants to prevent a tide of gray marketeers which hurt earlier sales of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 in the Asian country.
The iPad will be available in China through Apple Retail Stores and authorized resellers, starting at 10 a.m., Friday September 17, the company announced. The 16GB version will sell for 3988 Chinese Yuan or $590.78. The 32GB iPad will sell for 4788 CNY or $709, while the 64GB tablet will sell for 5588 CNY or $827, Apple said.
Okay, this one should be filed under “S” for speculation, but there is talk that Apple’s iPad may be appearing on the shelves of retailer Target in October. First the conjecture and then some context on why there many be a reason why there may be fire behind this puff of smoke.
According to a screenshot of a Target PDA obtained by tech buzz site Engadget, the Apple tablet device could appear October 3. Why? The price of the unspecified device is set at $599.99, the same as the iPad, and the device would be sold by the retailer in the “Digital Audio” section, where Apple’s iPods and iPad competitor, Amazon’s Kindle, are already available. Here is the PDA’s screen:
We wrap up the week with plenty of iPhone and iPad deals. The day’s highlighted bargains start off with a new list of marked-down iPad apps, including a great deal on a talking book of Beatrice Potter stories for the kids. We also have a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook for just $850. Naturally, we can’t omit the iPhone game, so there’s a deal on “Shoot the Magic,” a shoot ’em up for the Apple handset.
If you’d like something beefier than a MacBook, there are two Mac Pro workstations. The first is a 4-core 2.66GHz Xeon workstation for $2,099. The other Mac Pro sports an 8-core 2.26GHz system along with 12GB of memory and three years of AppleCare from ExperComm for $3,149. A desktop which fits somewhere between a MacBook and a Mac Pro workstation is the iMac. There is a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo iMac with 27-inch display and AppleCare for $1,599.
Along the way, we’ll also check out cases for your iPhone, as well as a solar charger. As always, details on these and many other items are available at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page after the jump.
Finnish cell phone giant Nokia Friday picked a former Microsoft software head to lead what it termed a ‘renewal and transformation’ in the face of increasing pressure from Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android platform. Stephen Elop, former leader of Microsoft’s Business Division, will assume the CEO chair from outgoing Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo September 21.
“The time is right to accelerate the company’s renewal; to bring in new executive leadership with different skills and strengths in order to drive company success,” Jorma Ollila, Chairman of Nokia’s Board of Directors, announced. Elop’s “strong software background and proven record in change management will be valuable assets as we press harder to complete the transformation of the company,” he added.
The upward climb for Android-based phones seems to just continue. Google’s mobile operating system is expected to be the No. 2 mobile operating system in 2010 and could reach No. 1 by 2014, researchers announced Friday. Meanwhile, the open-source cell phone OS will pass Apple’s iOS and Research in Motion.
According to Gartner, Android-based handsets will garner 17.5 percent of the market in 2010, up sharply from 3.9 percent in 2009. Apple’s iOS will own 15.4 percent of the market this year, up from 14.4 percent of the market in 2009. By 2012, the research firm expects Android will closely challenge Nokia’s Symbian OS as market-leader with 29.6 percent of the market versus 30.2 percent for Symbian.
Apple may not be as happy with Intel’s decision to buy iPhone chipmaker Infineon as we were early told. The rumor mills are churning out this intriguing speculation: Apple may turn to Qualcomm to build its iPhone 5, a “world phone” able to support more network technology.
Choice of baseband chips, the component used to “talk” to mobile networks, is often a hint to what carriers a handset-maker plans to support. By picking Qualcomm over Infineon, Apple may signal its intention to open its popular cell phone to players besides AT&T.
First up is a deal on a 2GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook – just $869. Next we have a Neoprene sleeve for the iPad in orange/blue. We wrap up our highlighted deals with Warfire, a tank-fighting game for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Along the way, we’ll also check out several hardware deals, including the Mac mini, iPod touch and iPod shuffle. As always, details on these and many other items can be found at CoM’s “Daily Deals” page right after the jump.
