Some iPhone 5s are being delivered with chips like these.
The iPhone 5 has quickly become Apple’s fastest-selling iPhone of all-time, meaning it’s incredibly difficult to get hold of — even more than three weeks after its launch. And the situation is about to get a lot worse, according to Bloomberg.Apple has had to increase quality-control at Foxconn to prevent damaged devices with nicks and scratches from leaving the factory. As a result, iPhone 5 production rates have dropped.
"We didn't believe rounded corners were patentable."
Google was blindsided when Apple won its lawsuit against Samsung, which was really a proxy war between Apple and Google, because if Apple can defeat Google’s Android OEMs, they’ll win the battle against Google.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV, David Lawee, VP for corporate development, says that Google hopes that they are over the hump in the thermonuclear war, and he also admits that Apple winning the lawsuit was a big wakeup call. Watch the clip below for the full details.
Apple’s been working to make the Apple TV “more than a hobby” for a long, long time now, but it looks like it won’t happen this year, with a new report saying that a new Apple TV — whether a full HDTV or a new set-top box with content deals from the cable system — definitely won’t happen this year.
Will a 7-inch iPad be Apple's "one more thing" this fall?
Adding more fuel to the ‘iPad Mini’ fire, a new report from Bloomberg says that Apple is planning to launch a cheaper 7-inch iPad in October. The device will feature a non-Retina 1024×768 display. In theory, the third-gen iPad would still serve as Apple’s premium tablet with a Retina display and faster internals, and the 7-inch iPad would be priced around $200 to compete with tablets like the Kindle Fire and Google Nexus 7.
Rumors surrounding Apple’s new lineup of MacBook Pros have been picking up steam over the last couple weeks, with several reports over the last several days revealing more and more details surrounding the next-gen notebooks.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple will announce its new MacBook Pros at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) on June 11th. The new MacBook Pros will feature super hi-res ‘Retina’ displays, Intel’s Ivy Bridge processors, and solid-state drives. We can also expect more announcements at WWDC regarding OS X Mountain Lion, iCloud, and iOS 6.
One of Foxconn's many assembly line workers who will hopefully benefit from the Lifestyle Services Manager hire
Everybody has heard of how crappy Apple supplier Foxconn treats their workers. Long hours. Low pay. Shoddy conditions. Working at a Foxconn factory is in no way glamorous and wonderful, and it looks like even Foxconn is ready to admit as much. In an effort to reshape their image, Foxconn’s Shenzhen factory is looking to hire a Saftey and Security Officer and a Lifestyle Services Manager to make life a little bit more fabulous for their workforce.
If you’re a carrier scrambling for ways to make up dwindling voice and texting profits, Apple’s iPhone 4S is not just a product, but a dreamy pin-up, a new report on smartphone data usage finds. What’s more, Siri — the iPhone 4S’s hallmark feature — is a down-right wet dream.
For the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, the saying about death and taxes being life’s only certainty probably rings true — particularly taxes. Laurene Powell Jobs learned she must pay $867 million in capital gains taxes and is being advised to unload millions of Disney and Apple shares worth nearly $7 billion.
This week, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch all published rumors that Apple plans to compete in the mid-ranged smartphone sector, with the launch of a smaller, more affordable iPhone, to be sold alongside the iPhone 4. At Cult of Mac, we predicted as much six weeks ago.
Of course, rumors of a smaller, cheaper iPhone are nothing new. They’ve been around for almost as long as the iPhone itself. And with good reason. Any seasoned Apple watcher will recognize this as Steve Jobs’ standard MO. Launch an iconic, up-market product, allow the market for it to grow and mature, and when the underlying technology becomes cheap enough, introduce a smaller, more affordable mass market version.
According to Verizon Wireless CFO Francis Shammo, it’s not just the iPhone 4 that’s going CDMA and joining Verizon. In an interview with Bloomberg, Shammo declared that a CDMA iPad, which connects directly to the Verizon network without the need for the carrier’s MiFi device, will be available in the future.
Shammo did not give any details on when the device might be available, how much it might cost, or whether it would use the network’s 4G service over LTE, however.
Although the iPad has been sold through the Verizon website for some time, it’s the Wi-Fi only model bundled with the carrier’s MiFi hotspot device, which is required to connect to the Verizon network. Some may argue that the benefit of having the MiFi device is that you can connect multiple devices and share the data connection, however, it’s possible the CDMA iPhone’s new ‘Personal Hotspot’ feature in iOS 4.2.5 could also be introduced to the CDMA iPad.
The announcement delivers another blow to AT&T, who currently have iPhone exclusivity until the device is also made available through Verizon in February.
Alright, couch potatoes… set your TiVos to start recording on Thursday, October 14th at 9:00PM ET. That’s the time you can expect the second episode of Bloomberg Game Changers to air, focusing on Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
