Apple

6,155 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - January 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

Bluetooth portable conference speakerphone smackdown: Philips WeCall vs. Logitech P710e

Seth Weintraub Jan 11 2014 - 10:28 am PT

5 Comments

Update: Check out the Harman Kardon Esquire which we reviewed in December 2014

As we begin to rely on our mobile devices for more and more of our business needs, I found myself needing a “portable Polycom” which would allow me to make quality speakerphone calls from my Mac or iPhone. Sure, the built-in speaker and mic are top notch on Apple products for their size, but I’d often have a hard time hearing what was on the other end of the line. Even more importantly, people couldn’t understand what I was saying, especially as I moved around.

I’ve decided to take a look at two similar solutions: Philips WeCall ($150) vs. Logitech P710e ($140) pictured above…
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CES 2014: iPhone/iPad Bluetooth accessories for the home & body dominate the show

Jordan Kahn Jan 10 2014 - 2:55 pm PT

3 Comments

While it’s been years since Apple made an appearance at CES in any official capacity, accessories that pair with its iOS devices have for several years dominated the show floor. This year was no different with most of the big trends– fitness and health tracking wearables, Bluetooth controllers, and home automation products– all designed and developed with the iPhone, iPad, and Mac in mind. Below we’ve put together a roundup of the most interesting wearables, cases, controllers and more that we found for iOS devices.
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New flagship Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia set for Jan. 17th opening

Mark Gurman Jan 10 2014 - 1:08 pm PT

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Apple has announced on its retail website that the forthcoming flagship Apple Store in Brisbane, Australia will have its grand opening on Friday, January 17th. The store will open at 10 AM on that date, with regular business hours beginning at 9 AM Monday through Saturday. The store will always open up at 10 AM on Sundays. The closing hours are shown in the image above from the store’s official website. Late last year, Apple teased the opening of this store with a Twitter hashtag and colorful barricades.

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Apple did not violate Motorola patent, appeals court rules

Zac Hall Jan 10 2014 - 9:13 am PT

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Apple did not violate a push notifications patent held by the Google-owned Motorola Mobility according to a ruling posted today by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The International Trade Commission previously determined that Apple’s iPhone design did not violate a patent held by Motorola prompting the Google-owned company to appeal the decision, but today Apple was once again ruled clear of any patent violations.

The ruling can be read in full here.

CES 2014: CableCore Hub puts your iMac’s USB ports within arm’s reach

Jordan Kahn Jan 10 2014 - 7:38 am PT

7 Comments

During the ShowStoppers press event this week at CES, iCoreGear, a small team of designers and engineers currently raising funds on Indiegogo, showed off a new product called the CableCore Hub for iMac. The idea is simple enough: rather than having to climb on top of your desk and awkwardly fumble with plugging cables into the back of your iMac, the CableCore hub attaches to the base of iMac and brings 3 USB 3.0 ports and an SDXC card slot within arm’s reach. A slightly more expensive version will also include a Bluetooth connected 3.5mm audio jack. It’s powered from one of the USB ports on the back of your iMac, but can also provide high speed charging to all its ports by using a separate power adapter. While a regular standalone USB would get the job done, the CableCore Hub’s bead blasted aluminium base and black polymer top match the iMac perfectly and the design does away with extra desk clutter you get with your average USB hub.

Preorders for the base model are currently at $99 on Indiegogo, while the model with the Bluetooth audio jack will cost you can extra $30. The company expects to ship by May if it can raise the $20,000 it needs through the crowd funding campaign.

iOS/Android market share vs. installed base visualized

Ben Lovejoy Jan 10 2014 - 5:52 am PT

25 Comments

As the Guardian‘s Charles Arthur points out, market share is a very different thing to installed user-base. The highly-detailed piece is worth reading in full, but the take-out is the bottom graph. That’s what the real world of U.S. smartphone users looks like. Or, to put it in two sentences …

Here’s the reality: at the time this was written, more than 40% of the smartphones in use in the US […] were iPhones. Only about 51% of the smartphones in peoples’ hands in the US are Android phones.

Smartphone adoption as a whole has grown at a rapid rate, and within that iOS and Android have, in the U.S. (and many other developed markets, I’m sure) grown at pretty much the same rate, with a rather modest gap between them.

Pegatron will make half of iPhone 6 supplies, says sketchy rumor

Ben Lovejoy Jan 10 2014 - 4:26 am PT

1 Comment

iPhone 6 concept by Nikola Cirkovic

Pegatron, which currently makes the iPhone 5c and iPad mini, is said to be gearing up to make around half of the production run of the iPhone 6 expected to be launched in the fall. It’s a pretty sketchy rumor, based on an anonymous source cited by Taiwanese site Liberty Times, but it is a plausible one at least.

While Apple has so far relied on Foxconn for the bulk of its manufacturing, it’s no secret that supply-chain maestro Tim Cook has been keen to diversify manufacturing in order to reduce risks, a desire reportedly intensified by quality-control issues at Foxconn. As of last August, work for Apple made up 27 percent of Pegatron’s turnover.

The iPhone 6 is, of course, simply the subject of speculation at present. Rumors so far suggest that the iPhone 6 will have a larger screen (possibly in two sizes, though I remain skeptical about that personally), something our own poll suggested would be popular. A completely unverified pair of photos claims the new phone will be slimmer.

It’s also been said that Apple will stick with an 8MP camera, focusing its attentions on low-light and dynamic range rather than the pixel count. Plus, of course, we have the traditional annual rumor that Apple will shift its chip production from Samsung to TSMC.

While nothing is actually known, there are plenty of concept images around to keep us entertained.

Apple Asia online stores offer deals on iPhones, iPads, & Macs for Lunar New Year sale

Jordan Kahn Jan 9 2014 - 10:58 am PT

1 Comment

Earlier this week we told you that Apple had announced an upcoming sale in many of its Asian online stores to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year taking place at the end of January. The sales see Apple offering discounts in China, Thailand, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Malaysia online stores similar to deals on offer for Black Friday in the US and other countries.

This year Apple is offering cash discounts on the usual products— up to $40 off iPads, $100 off Macs, and smaller discounts on iPods and Smart Covers— it’s also offering a rare discount on iPhones at around $50 off both the iPhone 5s and 5c. In addition, a much larger selection of accessories are on sale compared to the company’s Black Friday sale including popular products from Parrot, Apogee, Belkin, LaCie, and Apple.

Apple Store app starts the new year by giving away fitness app

Sarah Guarino Jan 9 2014 - 10:49 am PT

7 Comments

As we have previously noted, Apple began giving away selected paid apps, music and books in the Apple Store app as an incentive for users to download and check out the app. For the new year, Apple’s first free app through the Apple Store App is the 7 Minute Workout Challenge.

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Report suggests iPhone 6 could once again retain 8 MP camera, focus on improved optics

Zac Hall Jan 9 2014 - 7:53 am PT

55 Comments

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone 4 in 2010, Apple began focusing heavily on the device’s camera as an area for continuous improvement and promotion. That device featured a 5 MP backside camera, and the next three models (iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s) featured an 8 MP iSight camera with various improvements along the way.

That pixel count may not change according to a report from The China Post (via MacRumors) which cites financial group Nomura Securities and falling shares of Largen Precision Company.

According to Nomura Securities (野村證券), Largan’s recently lagging performance in the market is caused by rumors that Apple may adopt an 8 mega-pixel (MP) camera with improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16 MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers.

While the report leaves room to speculate a minor bump in pixel count could see the light of day, it’s not too farfetched to believe Apple’s successor to the iPhone 5s could resist increasing pixel count in favor of further improving optical performance with low light and high dynamic range capturing…
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Opinion: Five years from now, will we have given up all control of our technology?

Ben Lovejoy Jan 9 2014 - 7:20 am PT

61 Comments

I know, it seems an odd question. But a few different things over the last couple of days got me thinking …

Years ago, before either Google or Apple ecosystems were really deserving of the term, I managed all my device synchronisation manually: I decided what content got synced on what devices. My music too: iTunes was allowed to play it, but not to manage it – I took care of the folder structures and meta-data myself. And the miscellaneous notes I kept were in a folder full of text files, the format deliberately chosen to be compatible with anything, not sitting inside Apple’s Notes app.

My view was that it should be me, not some piece of software or online service, that made the decisions about how things got done. Fast-forward to today, however, and things are quite different around here …
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Incredibly sketchy, thin, and unverified next-generation larger iPhone frame photos surface

Mark Gurman Jan 8 2014 - 10:57 am PT

26 Comments

The latest iPhone model came out just a few months ago, so that means that rumors and speculation about the next model are already emerging. Sometimes reliable CTech posted the above snaps on Weibo. They and others believe that the above kit represents frames for the rumored larger-screened iPhone. While such a device is due out later this year, the above photos appear to be incredible sketchy in nature. They are also completely unverified by us. The frames also look particularly thin, but in the age of the iPad Air, maybe there is some truth behind the blur.

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How badly Microsoft missed the mobile ship: 70 percent of Windows users own an Apple product

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2014 - 7:04 am PT

14 Comments

If ever there was a simple visual to illustrate just how slow Microsoft was to wake up to the shift into mobile, it’s this one: a full 70 percent of Windows users also own at least one Apple product.

While there will be some joint Windows/OS X users in there, the majority of them will be people with Windows PCs and either an iPhone, iPad or iPod.

Via Business Insider

The iRing is real! Though it’s nothing to do with Apple TV …

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2014 - 6:49 am PT

7 Comments

We admit we’ve enjoyed making fun of Brian White’s claim that the long-rumored Apple television would be controlled by an iRing, not least because he just won’t stop predicting the imminent arrival of the television itself (last we heard he was expecting it at the end of last year).

But now he can take heart from the fact that the iRing actually exists, even if it has nothing to do with Apple television, and looks nothing like the various mockups that did the rounds in the wake of his claims. It can be yours for just $25.

Don’t expect much tech for your twenty-five bucks, however: it’s just a piece of plastic with some printed dots on it.

iRing is a simple double sided ring that fits comfortably between your fingers. On one side is an engraved linear pattern of three dots, on the other is an engraved triangular pattern of dots. iRing uses the front-facing camera on your device and advanced volumetric positioning algorithms to recognize and determine the exact physical location of the ring in relation to the device camera. This precise reading of the physical location of the ring is converted into MIDI control messages that are easily read by your music apps

IK Multimedia plans to launch the ring sometime this quarter, initially aimed at DJs for controlling the company’s own music apps. The company does, however, hope that other developers will want to support the device, and is inviting interested parties to contact them.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya0VkjuShJI&feature=youtu.be]

Apps, rather than streaming music, may be responsible for ‘peak iTunes’ – analyst

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2014 - 5:51 am PT

11 Comments

We noted at the end of last year that iTunes music downloads appeared to be on the decline for the first time, a shift that was confirmed this month. The operating assumption has so far been that music streaming services are taking over, and that a growing number of consumers are now content to simply have on-demand access to music, rather than to own it.

Asymco’s Horace Dediu, an analyst who often has interesting things to say, has suggested an alternative explanation: that we’re actually listening to less music …
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Apple asks court to remove ebooks compliance monitor from his post

Ben Lovejoy Jan 8 2014 - 4:27 am PT

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After earlier complaining that the company was being overcharged by the court-appointed lawyer overseeing its compliance with the terms of the ebooks anti-trust ruling, Apple has now brought matters to a head by asking for Michael Bromwich to be removed from the role, reports Reuters.

An attorney for the consumer technology giant on Tuesday asked U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan to disqualify Michael Bromwich from serving as an external compliance monitor, arguing he had shown a personal bias against the company.

In a letter to Cote, Apple’s lawyer cited a “wholly inappropriate declaration” filed by Bromwich last month …
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Toshiba: “Leading Innovation”

Jordan Kahn Jan 7 2014 - 6:40 pm PT

8 Comments

Toshiba’s new Chromebook at CES looks a lot like LG, Samsung, and HP notebooks from IFA. “Leading Innovation”
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2014: The year of the iPhone-controlled everything

Ben Lovejoy Jan 7 2014 - 6:48 am PT

10 Comments

There are some technologies that happened way earlier than they had any right to. Frankly, putting a man on the moon in the days when the Apollo Guidance Computer really did have less power than a pocket calculator was an insane achievement.

And then there are those technologies that have taken way, way longer than they should have done – with home automation heading the list. The main reason it was such a slow-burn was the lack of a standard interface (X.10 never really established itself in the home).

2014, however, looks set to be the year in which all that changes, with the iPhone the new standard interface. Steve Jobs once said that the Mac was the hub at the center of our digital lives; this year, it looks like the iPhone is taking over the crown …

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Apple announces App Store sales top $10 billion in 2013, $1 billion in December alone

Benjamin Mayo Jan 7 2014 - 5:42 am PT

5 Comments

Today, Apple has announced that App Store sales topped $10 billion in 2013. In December alone, customers spent over $1 billion in the store, a record-breaking figure — the most successful month in App Store history. In total, developers for iOS and OS X have now earned $15 billion on the App Store.

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CES 2014: New era of inexpensive 4K monitors from Asus, Dell, Lenovo and Seiki ushered in

Chance Miller Jan 6 2014 - 2:08 pm PT

13 Comments

With the new Mac Pro capable of powering three 4k displays, new MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt 2 and 4K HDMI 1.4 in many hands and Apple taking its sweet time to release its own monitor, an affordable 4k display is something many people are searching out right now. ASUS, at the Consumer Electronics Show, has just unveiled a new 28-inch 4k monitor that will retail for just $799. Currently, ASUS’ 31.5-inch 4k offering comes in at over $3,000, and while the price difference between the two is major, there doesn’t appear to be a gap in features (via Engadget).

ASUS’s 28-inch 4k monitor will pack a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, just like its larger sibling. As far as ports go, we’re looking at one DisplayPort and one MHL-capable HDMI port. The monitor has a fully rotatable design, as well as a quick 1ms response time.

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Corning shows off germ fighting antimicrobial Gorilla Glass at CES

Zac Hall Jan 6 2014 - 8:46 am PT

8 Comments

In an effort to combat spreading germs and bacteria through sharing smart phones and touch screen devices, Corning announced today plans to produce a Gorilla Glass variant with an antimicrobial surface for inhibiting bacterial growth. This version of Corning Gorilla Glass is made up of an antibacterial agent and contains levels of ionic silver that sustains the germ fighting capabilities through the life of the surface, according to the company.
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Editors Keys turns Apple’s wireless keyboard into the first Logic Pro X shortcut keyboard

Jordan Kahn Jan 6 2014 - 8:39 am PT

9 Comments

Editors Keys today announced the first ever wireless shortcut keyboard for Apple’s recently released Logic Pro X audio suite. The keyboard sports 150 shortcuts and the company notes it was also able to fit in some extra shortcuts as icons sitting behind the text on each key. Perhaps the best part of the new Logic Pro X keyboard is the fact that Editors Keys used an actual Apple wireless keyboard for the product, which means you’ll be able to swap out your current Apple keyboard without sacrificing the look and feel. The company says it worked with the Logic Pro X community to develop the best experience possible for users:
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Wall Street vs AAPL in nine bar-charts

Ben Lovejoy Jan 6 2014 - 7:22 am PT

20 Comments

The disconnect between Apple’s corporate performance and its stock value is something we’ve often commented on in the past. But rarely has the gap between the two been made more visually obvious than in a set of nine bar-charts published by Fortune, comparing Apple with Amazon and Google.

Judging from Merckel’s bar charts, what the market seems to be saying is that it believes Google and Amazon will keep growing indefinitely.

For Apple, it will believe it when it sees the next hit product.

The three ones above give the starkest illustration, while the complete set below give a fuller picture …
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iPhone-controlled Holi mood lamp coming to the U.S. in March

Ben Lovejoy Jan 6 2014 - 6:40 am PT

0 Comments

It’s like the 1970s all over again (I’m told). The modern equivalent of the lava lamp, the iPhone-controlled LED-powered Holi lamp, is expected to make its way across the Atlantic to the USA sometime in March, reports The Verge. It’s currently available only in Europe.

You can choose a theme, and let Holi choose the colors and flash-rate; create your own theme; or let the lights synchronize with the music playing on your iOS device. You can also allow the 8-inch-square Holi lamp to wake you in the morning by gently increasing the brightness …
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