Apple

6,152 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - February 2014

Apple News and Brief History

Before you can properly understand Apple News, it’s important to know its history. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1977, Apple’s sales were growing with the success of its early computers. Within a few years, Jobs and Wozniak hired designers and a production line crew. Apple went public in 1980 and was an instant success. Over the next few years, Apple shipped new computers featuring new graphical user interfaces, such as the original Macintosh in 1984. As the market for personal computers expanded through the 1990s, Apple lost market share to the cheaper Microsoft Windows on PC clones. Eventually, Wozniak and Jobs both left Apple. Jobs would go on to found NeXT and would return to Apple when NeXT was acquired in the late 90s. Apple then began a journey to the great second act in the history of the business world.

Since the release of the iPod in 2001, Apple has become a major player once again in the technology industry. After releasing the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, and the Apple Watch in 2015, Apple is now one of the largest companies in the world. Apple’s worldwide annual revenue totaled $274.5 billion for its 2020 fiscal year.

Today, Apple operates retail stores all across the world, has a growing services division, and an ever-expanding hardware lineup. The technology industry follows Apple news to see where the company is headed in the future.

Keep reading for the latest Apple news

German patent troll demands $2B from Apple for using a mandatory emergency phone standard

Ben Lovejoy Feb 5 2014 - 7:39 am PT

3 Comments

Demands from patent trolls – companies that invent nothing, but simply buy up patents in order to demand cash – are just a fact of life for any large company, and Apple doubtless receives hundreds of them each year. Some are, however, audacious than others.

The WSJ reports that German patent troll IPCom is demanding €1.57B ($2.12B) for use technology that is not only used in every mobile phone on the market, its use is required by law.

The chip is used to identify mobile phones used by the emergency services in order to give them priority access to networks when they are heavily congested, such as during a major disaster. Carriers can set their networks to block access to all phones in the vicinity of a major emergency other than those identifying themselves as belonging to police and rescue workers. The chip can be included in the circuitry of either a phone or a SIM.

Apple, Google, HTC, Ericsson and Vodafone had all asked the European Patent Office to declare the patent invalid, as it was part of a required standard. The EPO turned down this request after IPCom said that it had successfully sued other companies, including Nokia.

The case is now going to court, and will be heard on 11th February.

The backstory: Sony’s 2001 offer from Steve Jobs to run Mac OS on Vaio laptops [Updated]

Ben Lovejoy Feb 5 2014 - 6:19 am PT

7 Comments

Update: the rumor was true, Sony confirmed that it is selling its PC business and the VAIO brand to Japan Industrial Partners, with the deal set to complete by the end of March.

Former Sony President Kunitake Ando says that Sony turned down an offer from Steve Jobs back in 2001 to allow it to run Mac OS on Vaio laptops, several years after the original Mac clone program ended in 1998.

Speaking to freelance writer Nobuyuki Hayashi, Ando described the moment Steve Jobs met senior Sony execs to make the offer.

Most of Sony’s executives spent their winter vacation in Hawaii and play golf after celebrating the new year. In one of those new year golf competitions back in 2001, ” Steve Jobs and another Apple executive were waiting for us at the end of golf course holding VAIO running Mac OS”

But there is an interesting Backstory told through Quora by the wife of an ex-Apple Engineer working on the Marklar project…
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President Obama uses iPad to take class videos during school visit [Videos]

Ben Lovejoy Feb 5 2014 - 4:52 am PT

3 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHWcl12eQrs]

President Obama, who has been seen on several occasions carrying an iPad, used one to take class videos during a visit to an Adelphi school to promote the ConnectED program.

The program, designed to bring high-speed Internet to 99 percent of schools within five years, is being supported by Apple, which is donating $100M worth of iPads and other equipment.

Obama has also been seen using a Mac (with a Presidential seal covering the logo), but says he is not allowed to use an iPhone for security reasons.

Apple hires sleep research expert Roy J.E.M Raymann from Philips for iWatch team

Jordan Kahn Feb 4 2014 - 1:43 pm PT

25 Comments

Joining a long list of Apple executives and new hires thought to be working on Apple’s highly anticipated iWatch project, the company has recently picked up Roy J.E.M Raymann from Philips Research, an expert on sleep research with extensive experience in wearables, sensors, and non-pharmacological methods of improving sleep quality. The possibilities here are absolutely fascinating…

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Apple pledges $100 million in iPads, computers and other tools toward Obama’s ConnectED education program

Jordan Kahn Feb 4 2014 - 8:02 am PT

7 Comments

While it was announced briefly during the President’s State of the Union address last week, Associated Press reports today that Apple along with other tech companies are pledging around $750 million in an initiative to bring high-speed internet to schools. Called ConnectED, the program was officially announced by the White House today with the goal of connecting “99 percent of America’s students to the internet through high-speed broadband and high-speed wireless within 5 years.” For its part, Apple is reportedly providing around $100 million in iPads and other equipment:
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First Apple Store in Turkey to open in Istanbul in April, government requests R&D and Siri improvements

Ben Lovejoy Feb 4 2014 - 7:41 am PT

3 Comments

A Turkish government website reporting on Tim Cook’s meeting with President Abdullah Gül says that the country’s first Apple Store will open in Istanbul in April. Istanbul, which uniquely straddles Europe and Asia, is one of the largest cities in the world by population with over 14 million residents.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2Qnx60Ghrk]

In addition to a rumored $4 billion plan to put iPads into Turkish schools, it was said that the two discussed the amount of sales taxes levied on iPhones and iPads and when Apple might include Turkish in the languages supported by Siri with at least some suggesting that the two issues might be linked …
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iWatch could be worth as much as iPhone & iPad first-year sales combined, says Morgan Stanley

Ben Lovejoy Feb 4 2014 - 7:11 am PT

14 Comments

iWatch concept: Espen Oxholm

Estimating the revenue value of a product whose price is unknown and whose existence hasn’t even been confirmed is probably about as tenuous as it gets, but Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty reckons that the iWatch could generate $17.5 billion in the first twelve months.

To put that into perspective, the iPhone generated $2.5B and the iPad $12B in their respective first 12 months of sales …
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Apple buying Internet infrastructure to boost performance, possibly prepare for television

Ben Lovejoy Feb 4 2014 - 4:47 am PT

12 Comments

One of Apple’s existing data centers

The WSJ reports that Apple has been quietly making major new investments in Internet infrastructure in a move which may simply be designed to boost the performance of its existing online services, but which could also be in readiness for its upcoming television product.

Bill Norton, chief strategy officer for International Internet Exchange, which helps companies line up Internet traffic agreements, estimates that Apple has in a short time bought enough bandwidth from Web carriers to move hundreds of gigabits of data each second.

“That’s the starting point for a very, very big network,” Mr. Norton said …
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Analyst says iPad tops other tablets in Q4, accounting for a third of all tablets sold in 2013

Benjamin Mayo Feb 4 2014 - 4:01 am PT

4 Comments

Strategy Analytics reported its tablet figures for 2013 and unsurprisingly, iPad remains in first place with 33.9% marketshare. Marketshare growth has dipped slightly, however, year-on-year as iPad accounted for 35.7% of tablet sales in Q4 2012.

In terms of unit growth, Apple rose 14% compared with the year-ago quarter. The second-place position goes to Samsung, with 17.7% marketshare (although this means annual growth was more than 80%). Apple sold just under double Samsung’s shipments for the period, so even though Apple’s growth has slowed, there is still a significant gap between first and second place.

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14yo schoolgirl receives 2nd-degree burns when iPhone 5c reportedly catches fire in her pocket

Ben Lovejoy Feb 3 2014 - 5:56 am PT

29 Comments

The remains of what was once the child’s green iPhone 5c

A 14-year-old schoolgirl from Kennebunk, Maine, has been treated in hospital for second-degree burns after her iPhone 5c caught fire in her pocket whilst at school, reports the Morning Sentinel.

The 14-year-old girl had sat down just before her first-period French class Friday morning when she and her friends sitting nearby heard a pop from the Apple iPhone 5C she had been given by her mother two months earlier.

“Immediately, smoke starts billowing from around the student,” said Jeff Rodman, principal of the Middle School of the Kennebunks. “She knew right away something was wrong and, in a panic, knew her pants were on fire caused by the cellphone.”

The girl – who has not been named – was said to have had the presence of mind to “stop, drop and roll,” at which point the phone fell from her pocket but her pants were still on fire. Classmates and a teacher at the Middle School of the Kennebunks helped the girl remove the pants, wrapping her in a blanket until rescue workers arrived.

The girl was treated for her injuries at the Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford, and released around 45 minutes later.

She asked to return to class, her mother said, but school officials and health care workers encouraged her to go home.

iPhones contain lithium-ion batteries, faults in which can, in very extreme cases, lead to a fire. A local repair shop owner, Andrew Rosenstein, stressed the rarity of these events.

These batteries installed in Apple products in particular are extremely safe. It’s an extremely rare incident.

Update: One unconfirmed report says that the phone made a ‘popping’ sound when she sat down, suggesting the student may have crushed the phone by sitting on it.

Apple continues Mac anniversary celebrations with movie shot on iPhones, edited on Macs [Now live]

Ben Lovejoy Feb 3 2014 - 5:28 am PT

9 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJahlKPCL9g]

Apple’s celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the Mac are continuing with a 90-second video added to the Apple.com homepage today. The video was filmed on the anniversary itself.

On January 24, 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh. And with it a promise that the power of technology, put in the hands of everyone, could change the world. On January 24, 2014, we sent 15 camera crews all over the world to show how that promise has become a reality.

From sunrise in Melbourne to nightfall in Los Angeles, they documented people doing amazing things with Apple products. They shot over 70 hours of footage — all with the iPhone 5s. Then it was edited and scored with an original soundtrack. Thanks to the power of the Mac and the innovations it has inspired, an effort that normally takes months was accomplished in a matter of days.

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Apple takes fourth place in EPA’s list of green-powered tech companies

Mike Beasley Feb 2 2014 - 11:11 am PT

0 Comments

The Environmental Protection Agency has published its list of the top 30 tech and telecom companies in the U.S. that take advantage of the most renewable energy sources, placing Apple near the top of the bunch at fourth place. Apple’s green power consumption reached 537,393,667 kWh, according to the EPA’s report.

According to the EPA, only Intel, Microsoft, and Google use more green energy than the Cupertino company—though Apple definitely takes the prize for sourcing its power from the longest list of providers (eleven, compared to the next-highest count of only five).

The study also notes that around 85% of Apple’s total power usage comes from “green” sources, such as wind and solar, while the other 15% comes from non-green sources.

Comic Tyler Fischer poses as Apple employee for pranks in four retail stores [Video]

Ben Lovejoy Feb 2 2014 - 3:58 am PT

3 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPVHc0T3h7U]

The content is mildly amusing – what impressed me more was the apparent ease with which he was able to just wander into Apple Stores with a staff t-shirt and start interacting with customers.

Of course, the clips are short and it’s entirely possible he lasted about 90 seconds in each store before being escorted from the premises …

iWatch + iOS 8: Apple sets out to redefine mobile health, fitness tracking

Mark Gurman Jan 31 2014 - 2:17 pm PT

88 Comments

Apple has its sights set on another industry ripe for reinvention: the mobile healthcare and fitness world. Apple currently plans to release a new version of the iPhone operating system this year with health and fitness tracking integration as its headline feature, according to sources briefed on the plans. Apple’s work on such an operating system likely indicates that Apple is nearing the introduction of its long-awaited, sensor-laden “iWatch,” which sources say is well into development…

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M7-powered Pedometer++ gets major update with new design and export options

Benjamin Mayo Jan 31 2014 - 2:00 pm PT

0 Comments

Pedometer++ rose to fame after developer David Smith moved quickly to have an M7-enabled fitness app available for the iPhone 5s. The newest update builds on the original in several key ways. Importantly, it changes the design of the app from a list to a chart-centric format showing one week of activity at a time. You can flip through a week at a time, a big improvement of the previous layout.

The tint color of the app indicates the current day’s progress towards the daily step goal. If you have hit your daily limit, it changes the feel of the entire look. The navigation bar, buttons and titles turn green to reflect your achievement. It’s a really clever detail that just adds that extra level of polish to the app.

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Tired of waiting for Apple to upgrade the Mac mini to Haswell? Make your own …

Ben Lovejoy Jan 31 2014 - 7:07 am PT

20 Comments

If you’ve decided you’ve waited long enough for Apple to update the Mac mini with a Haswell processor, you can always create a Hac mini.

A user posting on the Hacintosh site tonymacx86.com has documented his successful squeezing of an Intel DH61AG motherboard with i3-3225 CPU (55w TDP), 4GB Ram, 128GB mSATA SSD, half mini PCIe Wifi and an external Dell laptop power supply into a 2010 Mac mini case …
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Adobe VideoBite, a bite-sized video editor for iPhone, now allows titles, photos & music

Ben Lovejoy Jan 31 2014 - 6:06 am PT

10 Comments

Adobe VideoBite, an iOS app designed to make video editing as quick and easy as possible, has been updated to allow titles, photos and music to be added, turning it into a fully-fledged editor while retaining its simple user-interface.

Heartwarming Apple ads aside, I’ve always been rather skeptical of the real-world practicality of video editing on a phone, but I have to confess that VideoBite does make it a very slick process. Trimming clips, for example, involves nothing more than pressing a heart icon at the beginning and end of the bit you want to keep. Adding transitions and music is just as easy, and your finished masterpiece is saved to your camera roll, with exports to Facebook, YouTube and email also supported …
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Jobs biographer Isaacson back-pedals on innovation comments, says ‘execution is what really matters’, Apple is best

Ben Lovejoy Jan 31 2014 - 5:15 am PT

8 Comments

A couple of weeks after describing Google as more innovative than Apple, and suggesting that Tim Cook was vulnerable to a shareholder revolt if he didn’t quickly release disruptive new products, Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson has downplayed his remarks in a round-table discussion on Bloomberg TV.

I think [Google is] very innovative. I was not trying to contrast it to Apple or something. I know, all the Apple fans got mad […]

The one thing I will say is innovation is great, but it ain’t everything. It’s not the holy grail. Execution is what really matters, and Apple is the best at execution …
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Don’t worry, Apple’s not killing off the iPod yet

Jordan Kahn Jan 30 2014 - 1:02 pm PT

29 Comments

When Apple reported its Q1 2014 earnings results this week, it couldn’t deny the fact that, as Tim Cook put it, “iPod is a declining business.” That’s because Apple’s results showed it only sold a little over 6 million iPods in the holiday quarter— about half of what it sold the same time the year before. That sparked endless headlines (pictured above) that the iPod is dead, but Apple appears to at least have one more new iPod product launch in the works.

We’ve discovered a few job listings posted on the company’s website looking for managers to facilitate a new product launch for iPod.

Several listings for New Product Introduction Operations Program Managers are seeking individuals to oversee and manage an iPod product launch by working with OEMs, the product teams, and suppliers:
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Apple regains lead over Samsung in US smartphone market thanks to new iPhones

Jordan Kahn Jan 30 2014 - 7:52 am PT

4 Comments

If you jump back to calendar Q3 2013, Apple was falling behind Samsung in US smartphone marketshare with just 34% of the market compared to Samsung’s 38%. The theory at the time was that US buyers were holding out for the new iPhones that launched in September. Fast forward to last quarter, the three month period ended December 31, and that theory appears to be holding up. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) just sent over its latest reports showing Apple has once again taken the lead thanks to a strong holiday quarter of iPhone sales.
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PayPal feels the threat from Apple’s mobile payment plans, says it ‘wants to help’

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2014 - 7:29 am PT

15 Comments

PayPal is clearly feeling the threat posed by Apple’s plans to use Touch ID to facilitate payment for physical goods from other retailers: re/code is reporting that the company has offered to help.

PayPal is essentially willing to white label parts of its payment service to be used in an Apple mobile payments system — anything from fraud detection to back-end infrastructure, even possibly down to the processing of payments.

“They’re telling them, ‘We’ll do it in the background,” one of these people said. “Basically, it’s just, ‘We want to be a part of this.’”

The plea is likely as desperate as it sounds, with two of the three payment industry execs re/code spoke to saying it’s unlikely Apple has any need of PayPal’s assistance. Apple has over 575 million iTunes accounts, most linked to credit cards, and already allows purchases from its own retail stores using the Apple Store app on iPhones. Apple also has patents in place for payment via both NFC and Bluetooth electronic wallet systems, so there doesn’t appear to be any part of the process the company couldn’t handle unaided.

PayPal’s relationship with Apple seems set to remain limited to that of a payment option for iTunes and online store purchases, and a reseller of iTunes gift cards.

Tony Fadell and his largely ex-Apple team to become Google’s core hardware designers

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2014 - 6:48 am PT

20 Comments

Google CEO Larry Page (centre) with Nest co-founders Matt Rogers amd Tony Fadell (photo: technologyreview.com)

‘Father of the iPod’ Tony Fadell (right) and the rest of the Nest team will become Google’s “core hardware group,” working on a variety of hardware projects and given access to “as many resources as it needs,” according to an unnamed source cited by TechCrunch.

The new division will still work on hardware devices, but not necessarily thermostats or smoke detectors. In fact, Google would like Fadell to work on gadgets that make more sense for the company. Will it be a phone or a tablet? It’s unclear for now […]

When it comes to budget, Google is willing to let the Nest team use as many resources as it needs. In other words, the company is getting serious about consumer hardware, and Motorola was just a false start …
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SwiftKey keyboard arrives on iOS as Evernote-infused app, third-party integration possible

Mark Gurman Jan 30 2014 - 5:59 am PT

3 Comments

SwiftKey, a popular Android keyboard option, has arrived on iOS. No, not as a keyboard that you can install to replace Apple’s iOS touchscreen keyboard, but in the form of a free App Store application. The name of the application is SwiftKey Note and it is available on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. More details below:

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The changing world map of Apple’s customers in two charts

Ben Lovejoy Jan 30 2014 - 4:22 am PT

11 Comments

Apple’s efforts to secure the China Mobile deal were long, drawn out and likely involved rather more negotiation than the company is used to. But if you ever had any doubts as to the importance of those efforts in China, Japan and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, the above two charts, compiled by Fortune, make the reason very clear.

The bad news for Apple is that revenue from its two biggest segments — Europe and the Americas — have begun to contract, not just as a percentage of total revenue, but in dollar terms as well. The good news is that Japan, Asia Pacific and Greater China have so far more than taken up the slack. In Q1 2014, Apple’s combined Asian sales were $17.4 billion, more than Europe ($13 billion) and closing in on the Americas ($20 billion).