News - page 2018

For months, we’ve been talking about the possibility of two iPhones: a speed bump upgrade called the iPhone 4S that may end up also being Apple’s low-cost, prepaid option, and the iPhone 5, the radically redesigned next gen device.

Over the last month or so, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the iPhone 5 is going to show up next month. There’s no evidence for the device in the supply chain, while there’s tons of evidence that the iPhone 4S is coming.

The image above of a new Otterbox case for the iPhone 4S might be the nail in the iPhone 5’s coffin, though.

In my home state of Massachusetts, a fight is brewing between Apple and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, after the latter had her stolen credit card fraudulently drained using iTunes, and Cupertino barely lifted a finger to help her.

Apple’s custom built A4 and A5 processors are the latest target in yet another patent violation lawsuit filed against Cupertino, this time by Taiwanese company VIA technologies.

It seems that Apple’s iOS devices have become so popular that one department store has installed vending machines to sell them. Macy’s now has machines — just like those that sell you snacks — full of iPod nanos, iPod touches, and iPads.

AT&T is downplaying the impact of both Verizon and Sprint getting the iPhone 5. CEO Randall Stephenson told analysts the effect on the original U.S. iPhone carrier is “always overblown.” Instead, Stephenson said he was “very confident that we’ll do well” against the two CDMA carriers.

Long hair game designer and ruminant enthusiast Jeff Minter has designed some deliciously weird games over the years, including Attack of the Mutant Camels, Metagalaci Llamas Battle At The Edge of Time, Mama Llama, Space Giraffe and Llamatron.

Now he’s back, with another game of hoof and horn: the surreal, Doodle Jump like GoatUp.

The main problem with Android tablets taking on Apple is the software, research giant Gartner announced Thursday. Android tablet sales were cut by 28 percent over the previous quarter to 17.3 percent of the market versus 73.4 percent for the iPad.

Facebook’s f8 conference got under way today, and speculation has begun that suggests the social networking behemoth is going to announce its very own music service, which Jonny Evans at Computerworld believes “may give iTunes hegemony its biggest shake yet.” But I’m inclined to disagree.

The next time you visit the corner coffee shop, you may see iPads rather than cash registers. The trend is happening across the country. One Michigan retailer, Mighty Good Coffee Roasting Co., has become an enthusiastic supporter of iPads in business. In fact, customers call the company a “coffee shop meets the Apple Store.”

When I go on vacation and I want to take my notebook and iOS devices with me, I have to pack a bunch of white cables into my case — all of which seem to be tangled up with each other by the time I take them out again. However, Apple is developing a universal all-in-one data & power cable that will charge both your Mac and your iOS devices, and allow you to transfer data between them.

Visualize Apple has one of those huge monster trucks crushing its competition and you get the picture one analyst is sharing with investors. Fueling the Cupertino, Calif. firm’s onslaught is an incessant introduction of products hungrily awaited by consumers. “With the introductions ahead of the holidays, we expect a monster [December quarter] from Apple,” the Wall Street expert writes Thursday. What’s even worse for rivals mangled by Apple, the products just keep coming.

Apple is set to launch a new pilot program for retail employees that will allow them to borrow an iPad for up to a week. (Yes, a whole week!) The initiative is intended to give staff a better understanding of the product so that they can be more helpful to customers who want to know about the device.

I’m a massive fan of the Back to the Future series from Telltale Games, and if you haven’t already tried them for yourself, there’s no better time to start. All five iPad games are now on sale for just $2.99 each.

I was seriously shocked when I saw this: Snapseed, probably the most elegant iOS photo editing app at the App Store, has been knocked down from $5 — to zero. It’s free.

There are some great iPhone apps to help you prepare for U.S. National Preparedness Month.

As an avid follower of pseudo-observances, I would remind you that is also Apple Month – the other kind – International People Skills Month and Attention Deficit Disorder Month.

Where were we? Oh yeah, back to disasters. Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, fire, snowmageddon and the like.

September is a fine time to prepare for impending doom!

Suzanne Michel, a high-level employee in Google’s legal department (and former FTC Official), testified in court today at the Senate Judiciary hearings that Google, Microsoft and Yahoo all bid to become Apple’s default search engine in Safari on iOS.

You’d think that Android would hold a considerable chunk of Google’s mobile search, due to the integration that Google has with the OS and Android’s substantial market share. That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Before being cut off at the end of her testimony, Michel said that 2/3rds of Google’s mobile search comes from iOS devices.

That says something.

(via 9to5Mac)

Ever since the original iPad went on sale, I’ve wondered how it would hold up to a day’s blogging. The answer, according to Ars Technica? Pretty damn well.

This morning we told you about the report that Apple was set to unveil the iPhone 5 at its next media event on October 4th. What the report didn’t address was the iPhone 4S rumor and how the rumors of two new iPhone models fit into the puzzle.

Reportedly, Apple will only unveil one iPhone this year, and it won’t be the mysterious, ‘teardrop’ iPhone 5 that we’ve all been hoping for.

Adobe has announced the addition of 3D-accelerated graphics for the Flash and AIR platform. Flash Player 11 and Adobe AIR 3 will help to bring “the next generation of immersive application experiences across devices and platforms.”

The aim is to bring immersive 3D experiences to both mobile and desktop devices. Adobe promises a “new class” of gaming and video experiences with Flash and AIR. Developers are encouraged to download the release candidates and check out what Adobe has cooking.

With their typical casual carelessness, Sprint has yet again hinted they are getting the iPhone next quarter.

Okay, we know: even though October 4th now looks solid as the announcement date for the new iPhone, we’ve been burned on these reports before. Heck, we expected the iPhone 5 announcement this month, so how do we know this October 4th is any good?

Well, short of Apple sending out invitations, we don’t, but maybe, just maybe, we can trust former vice president and influential Apple board member Al Gore on the subject, because guess what? He says the new iPhone will be out next month.

With All Things D and Jim Dalrymple both weighing in saying October 4th is the day that Apple will announce the next iPhone, the obvious question that follows is “how long after that until the iPhone 5 is released?”

There’s no way of telling, but here’s the good news: every generation, Apple trims down the number of days before an iOS Device’s announcement and the day it ships.

Facebook friends, ready your caterwauling. The world’s largest social network has just made some drastic changes to the way the front page works in a move that will doubtlessly lead to widespread social hysteria… or at least a series of “Repost this” chain status updates.

Apple seems inoculated against the economic virus besetting PC sales. Indeed, sales of iPhones and iPads make shares of the Cupertino, Calif. tech giant worth $520, a Goldman Sachs analyst told investors Wednesday.

On your next flight, along with an extra pair of socks and a hefty dose of patience, you are likely to take your iPhone or iPad to the airport, leaving you laptop at home. More than eight out of ten mobile devices used in airports carry the Apple logo, according to a study released Wednesday.