Apple

6,140 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - July 2012

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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

Apple’s rumored curved-glass wrist computer mocked up

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 10:22 am PT

Federico Ciccarese has done many iPhone and Apple product design mockups in the past, and today he gave us his take on Apple’s rumored wearable, curved-glass iOS device. In August 2011, we made the case for a wearable, Bluetooth 4.0-powered iPod nano. In December, The New York Times reported a small group of people at Apple had been “conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices.” One concept described in the report was a “curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist.” Below is a video rendering of the mockup from Ciccarese Design:

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Report: Assault rifle wielding assailants botch Apple truck robbery in France

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 6:16 am PT

According to a report from AFP picked up by a number of local French websites, including Nowhereelse.fr and Leparisien.fr, a truckload of Apple products traveling through Aulnay-sous-Bois in Paris this morning was taken over at gunpoint by several masked assailants carrying assault rifles. Fortunately, no one appeared to be badly hurt. Police later recovered the products, but the suspects are still on the loose:

Two drivers of a truck carrying hardware Apple were attacked Friday morning around 5 am 45 by several men armed in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). The perpetrators – who are three or four according to preliminary results of the survey – are mounted on the truck and drove off with the drivers they have released in a wood Luzarches, in the Val d’Oise.

According to AFP, they were in possession of assault rifles, Kalashnikov or M16. This is in Les Mureaux, near Paris, the police located the truck. It was at that time that two people trying to unload the goods have fled. Shortly before 11 o’clock, the police investigators were conducting scientific surveys on the vehicle of gray.

Apple has fixed the corrupted DRM App issue according to a statement

Seth Weintraub Jul 5 2012 - 6:42 pm PT

Apple just released the following statement on the App corruption issue we reported earlier today:

“We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded. It affected only a small number of users.

“The issue has been rectified and we don’t expect it to occur again,” Apple said. Those who have an affected app can re-download it from the App Store.

The “small number of users” seems to run counter to what Instapaper developer Marco Arment found as he publicized his issues with Apple (along with Good Reader) today.

Apple: This is a serious problem. It’s not isolated. Please fix this.

Sources told Macworld that Apple will be removing one-star app reviews developers earned unfairly because of the company’s server issue.

Report: Judge who dismissed Apple’s case against Motorola disputes legal protection for tech industry

Élyse Betters Jul 5 2012 - 6:50 am PT

Reuters interviewed the U.S. judge today who dismissed Apple’s patent court case against Motorola, and the details behind the jurist’s reasoning for tossing the lawsuit are as interesting as they are controversial.

Richard Posner sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago and disputes whether software and related tech industries should even have patents for their products.

“It’s not clear that we really need patents in most industries,” said Posner, referring to the slew of features in smartphones that are legally protected. “You just have this proliferation of patents. It’s a problem.”

Posner, 73, argued the pharmaceutical industry better deserved protection for its intellectual property because of the, as Reuters coined it, “enormous investment it takes to create a successful drug.” He tossed Apple’s lawsuit against Google’s Motorola Mobility last month and denied an injunction against the sale of Motorola devices using Apple’s patented technology.

The judge attributed Apple’s scramble to attack competitors allegedly using its technology to a “constant struggle for survival.”

“As in any jungle, the animals will use all the means at their disposal, all their teeth and claws that are permitted by the ecosystem,” Posner contended.

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iTunes Store launch in Hong Kong plagued with translation issues

Jordan Kahn Jul 5 2012 - 6:43 am PT

Apple officially opened up the iTunes Store and iTunes Match in 12 new Asian countries late last month, bringing the total to 155 countries worldwide. Perhaps the most notable addition was Hong Kong. Apple said at the time that the local stores would include “an incredible selection of local and international music from all the major labels and thousands of independent labels,” but many Chinese users are disgruntled with the method Apple is using to translate the titles and descriptions of some content in the store. The Wall Street Journal published a story today highlighting the problem with translations in the Hong Kong store:

On accessing the iTunes store for the first time, some Hong Kong users were irritated to find that the store was listing a number of song titles by the city’s popstars in Mandarin pinyin, a system that transcribes Chinese characters into phonetic Latin script, instead of displaying titles transliterated for the Cantonese language, which is spoken by the majority of the population.

For example, the popular Cantonese pop song titled “Autumn Wind, Autumn Rain” would be written and pronounced as qiu feng qiu yu using Mandarin pinyin. Though there is no broadly accepted official system for rendering Cantonese using the Roman alphabet, a transliteration for Cantonese speakers would be closer to cou feng cou yu.

“Those are CANTO pop [songs],” wrote one Hong Kong-based user on Twitter. “Use cantonese [sic] phonetics.”

In other Chinese Apple news, Bloomberg reported today that Apple is using China-based AutoNavi to power its new iOS 6 Maps app in China. Apple is already confirmed to be using TomTom and various other sources for map data in the United States and elsewhere, and Bloomberg noted today that AutoNavi signed a joint venture with TomTom in China in 2010.

Report: Apple to host June 27 event in Hong Kong for iTunes Store launch in Asian region (9to5mac.com)

Former Apple employee discusses the App Store review process

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 8:23 am PT

There are many examples of flaws in Apple’s App Store review process. We know Apple is quick to reject apps that mimic the core functionality of iOS, such as Voice Answer, Find My Facebook Friends, or Airfoil, but those developers all made tweaks to their apps and were later accepted into the App Store. Perhaps a bigger problem is apps sneaking their way into the store as offensive or stolen content. We came across an example of each with two apps recently accepted into the App Store: Bulimia Duck (pictured above), which is a Yelp-like restaurant finder with an obviously offensive name, and Dragon Ball Z Jump, which is a hybrid of stolen IPs including Dragon Ball Z and popular iOS title Doodle Jump. These are just two examples of the type of apps making their way into the App Store every week.

Today, we get a bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes during Apple’s review process. A former senior engineer at Apple, Mike Lee, talked to Business Insider about the app review team:

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WSJ: Apple suppliers preparing to begin mass production of 7-inch iPad in September

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 7:30 am PT

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported Apple has a smaller iPad in the works approximately 7-inches to 8-inches in size that may be scheduled for an October unveiling. Today, a report from The Wall Street Journal backs the rumor by claiming Apple’s suppliers are now preparing for mass production of the device in September, which would make an October unveiling alongside the next-generation iPhone all the more likely if true:

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UK Judge rules HTC phones don’t infringe on Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 6:40 am PT

Following a report on Monday that the ITC blocked Apple’s request for an emergency ban on United States imports of HTC devices, Bloomberg reported this morning that a court in London has ruled against Apple over four touchscreen-related patents—including one covering the iOS slide-to-unlock feature. The four patents in question will also be used in similar Apple and HTC lawsuit in Germany in the coming months.

HTC’s devices don’t infringe four Apple patents for touchscreen technology and three of those patents are invalid, Judge Christopher Floyd said today… While HTC was pleased with the ruling, “we remain disappointed that Apple continues to favor competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace,” spokeswoman Andrea Sommer said… In addition to the slide-to-unlock feature, today’s ruling covered Apple’s patents on tools used to scroll through photographs and change alphabets, and software allowing users to touch the screen in two spots simultaneously.

Chinese rumor roundup: Retina iMac coming in October, 7.85-inch iPad to use Sharp IGZO panel

Jordan Kahn Jul 3 2012 - 9:38 am PT

A few reports have floated around today that we are filing under rumor. The first comes from a Digitimes report that claimed Apple suppliers are prepping for mass production of a new Retina iMac scheduled for July with a possible October unveiling. We told you in May that Retina iMacs were likely on the way when higher-resolution iMac display panels were spotted in Apple’s supply chain before the unveiling of the new Retina MacBook Pro at WWDC in June. Apple quietly updated the Mac Pro lineup after the event, and then it confirmed a redesigned Mac Pro was in the works for 2013, but we have heard nothing official from Apple on future iMacs.

We heard a lot about a possible 7-inch or 7.85-inch iPad, and today there are more roughly translated reports, coming from Chinese publication MyDrivers.com (via UnwiredView), that claim Apple has a 7.85-inch iPad using a Sharp IGZO panel. There have been several reports in recent months claiming Apple is working on the device, and the The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Apple was testing displays roughly 8-inches in size. Apple looks to be at least testing these screen sizes, but we have no solid proof that anything is planned as of yet. Previous reports indicated a possible October launch for a 7-inch iPad under $250.
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Finnish 90-day old iPhone combusts into smoke cloud on CCTV

Seth Weintraub Jul 2 2012 - 10:34 pm PT

According to a report this evening from Finnish pub SK24, a 17-year-old Finn named Henri Helminen was carrying his iPhone in his back pocket (stick with us here) when it spontaneously started smoking in a big way. We all know Lithium batteries can— if something is wrong— explode or behave like in the video. But, usually there has to be some major malfunction. An Australian man’s iPhone blew up recently, but it was traced to a poorly done third-party repair.

This is a little too close to Nokia’s headquarters for us to believe off the bat. We will continue to follow the story to see what has happened.

Video of the exploding iPhone below:

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Apps and updates: Cabinet PDF Reader, Scoople, iAnnotate PDF, Kindle, dJay and Gemini for Mac, and more

Élyse Betters Jul 2 2012 - 2:34 pm PT

[slideshow]

A slew of popular iOS and Mac apps updated, launched, or went on-sale recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our usual round up below. Today’s crop includes the iOS Kindle app expanding its offering for children, iAnnotate PDF for iPad beefing sync options, dJay and Gemini for Mac slashing their price tags by half, Sparrow for Mac going Retina, and more.

Check them out:

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Apple threatened with closure of Italian operations over AppleCare antitrust investigation

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2012 - 10:47 am PT

We have kept you updated on Apple’s warranty situation in Italy with the company forced to pay a $1.2 million fine imposed by Italian antitrust authorities after losing an appeal to the fine in March. Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato claimed Apple mislead consumers by selling its one-year AppleCare warranties without properly informing its customers of a two-year warranty mandatory by European Union law. Today, Reuters reported Apple is facing further fines and “temporary closure of its operations in Italy” if it doe not make changes to its warranty policies:

Apple Inc was threatened with the temporary closure of its operations in Italy and with further fines of up to 300,000 euros ($377,500) if it does not offer customers a free two-year warranty as demanded by Italian law… The AGCM said in its monthly bulletin that Apple was continuing to adopt unfair commercial practices in Italy and noted this could eventually lead to the closure of its Italian operations for up to 30 days.

In March, reports claimed that authorities from up to 10 other countries in the EU were considering requesting Apple make similar changes to AppleCare.

Update: Apple commented on the matter:

“We have introduced a number of measures to address the Italian competition authority concerns and we disagree with their latest complaint.”

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Avid sells off its consumer M-Audio brand and video editing apps

Jordan Kahn Jul 2 2012 - 6:40 am PT

Avid is best known for its Pro Tools software, the music industry’s leading DAW used by pros worldwide, and it is the biggest competitor to Apple’s Logic Pro, but perhaps just as popular among Mac musicians is Avid’s consumer M-Audio brand. It offers midi controllers, keyboards, audio interfaces, speakers, and DJ gear.

Today, Avid announced that it will sell off its consumer audio and video product lines to focus on “Media Enterprise and Post & Professional customers and to drive improved operating performance.”

Avid will sell M-Audio to inMusic, the parent company of well-known gear makers Akai, Alesis, and Numark. Its video editing apps, such as the recently launched Avid Studio for iPad, will be sold to Corel Corporation:
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Review: Logitech Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Cover will kickstart your transition from consumption to creation

Seth Weintraub Jun 29 2012 - 4:18 pm PT

The one standout feature of the Microsoft Surface Tablet in our eyes was the keyboard cover. But is it that great? No one outside Redmond knows because Microsoft did not let anyone touch it at the press event.

But, if you can handle a paltry extra 4mm of thickness with the addition of real keys, an iPad aluminum-matched protective cover, and a built in stand, Logitech already has Microsoft beat in my eyes.

Enter the $99 Logitech Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Cover for iPad 2 and the new iPad. It uses the same magnets as Apple’s “smart” accessories to clip on and activate the iPad, but it is a rigid enclosure that matches the back of the iPad and turns it into the proverbial Apple netbook. It offers screen protection, but the back and sides are not protected. So, you will not want to drop test this setup.

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

This is not just a repurposed PC/Mac keyboard either. It has dedicated iPad keys across the top including the very useful home button, volume keys, editing keys, and play/pause.

I have been using it since it unveiled two months ago. Here is my take:

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Former Mac OS X chief Bertrand Serlet working on cloud startup with ex-Apple colleagues

Jordan Kahn Jun 29 2012 - 10:08 am PT

In March 2011, Apple officially announced that Mac OS X chief Bertrand Serlet would leave Apple after 22 years with Steve Jobs at NeXT and Apple. At the time of the announcement, Serlet said he wanted “to focus less on products and more on science,” but we did not have any other information on what was in the cards for the man Apple credited with the “definition, development and creation of Mac OS X.”

Today, BusinessInsider reported on what Serlet has in the works:

Business Insider has learned that Serlet has spent much of the time since his departure from Apple working with at least two other former Apple employees to launch a cloud computing startup in downtown Palo Alto called Upthere

Some of these job postings also allude to the fact that the startup was founded by high-profile ex-Apple employees.

We have since learned that this is a reference to Serlet (the brains behind Mac OS X) and Roger Bodamer, a former VP of product operations and development at Apple who previously worked at Oracle.

Based on the job postings we’ve seen, it’s clear the startup is looking to rethink the way people store files in the cloud, though just how this service will compare to options like Dropbox or Apple’s own iCloud feature remains unclear.

Google Chrome lands No. 1 spot for free iOS apps

Élyse Betters Jun 29 2012 - 7:37 am PT

Google’s Chrome browser for iOS is now No. 1 in the App Store for free apps.

The mobile browser went live for iPhone and iPad owners yesterday, and now it holds the top spot for both device categories. The app notably allows users to view open tabs, bookmarks, and other browser particulars running on other computers and devices. Users can even send pages from Chrome on a computer to their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with “one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline.”

Chrome for iOS already touts 4.5-stars based on over 3,500 reviews as of press time. Despite the glowing accolades, some folks are noticing its lack of Apple-given attention:

[tweet https://twitter.com/piecykw/status/218530635013300224]

This article is cross-posted on 9to5Google.

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Siri vs Google search in 1600-question street test, speed test

Jordan Kahn Jun 29 2012 - 6:05 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDsOtdRtG0Q&start=23]

As noted by Phillip Elmer-DeWitt at Fortune, Apple analyst Gene Munster published a note to clients today that contained the results of a Siri vs. Google search 1600-question showdown.

While it is not exactly a test of how well the companies’ various voice services stack up against one another (since Google Search queries were typed-in and not spoken), but it is a good indication of just how viable Siri is as an everyday mobile search product and alternative to Google. In the test, both Google and Siri were asked 800 questions in a quiet location. Another 800 questions were asked among the loud street traffic in Minneapolis. The results, according to Fortune:
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BlueStacks now lets Android apps run on Macs

Élyse Betters Jun 28 2012 - 8:53 am PT

BlueStacks, the tool that allows Android apps to run on Windows, is now available for Macs.

The software, which is often touted as the “Parallels for Android”, now supports 17 Android apps on OS X. Pulse and Words With Friends are two of the more notable apps packaged in the launch, while high-resolution support for Retina Macs and additional apps are on the horizon.

The company attempted to court more developers—and celebrate the launch of its Mac Alpha —with a mock wedding for Android and Apple at Google I/O yesterday. The free download is available on the BlueStack’s website.

This aside is cross-posted on 9to5Google.

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Modbook Pro: Pen-based OS X tablet returns as a converted 13-inch MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2012 - 8:01 am PT

Almost three years before Apple launched the original iPad in 2010, a company by the name of Axiotron unveiled the first “Mac tablet” with the launch of the Modbook—a stylus-based tablet running OS X that is made from a converted MacBook Pro. Today, the Modbook is officially returning thanks to one of its original developers and designers. Former co-founder of the now-defunct Axiotron, Andreas Haas, and his new company LA-based Modbook Inc., today announced the new Modbook Pro- “the world’s most powerful and largest-screen tablet computer.”

Like past generations of the Modbook, the Modbook Pro uses the guts of one of Apple’s new MacBook Pros. The company will offer two configurations, both with a 13.3-inch, 1,280-by-800 flush-mounted display, based off the specs for the recently refreshed non-Retina MBPs running Mountain Lion:

The Modbook Pro’s configurable base system includes a 2.5GHz dual core Intel® Core™ i5 processor or 2.9GHz dual core Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, a 2.5–inch SATA drive (up to 1TB HDD or up to 960GB SSD), an 8X SuperDrive® DVD burner, an Intel HD Graphics 4000 chipset, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 wireless connectivity capability

The company is promising seven hours on a full charge from a built-in 63.5-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery (Modbook will also utilize a 60W MagSafe adapter). As for the digitizer and included stylus, Modbook will once again use Wacom tech:

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Apple posts $2.6M bond to begin preliminary injunction on Galaxy Tab 10.1

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2012 - 7:25 am PT

There were reports earlier this week that District Judge Lucy Koh issued a preliminary injunction on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States related to the ongoing cases between Apple and Samsung. At the time, reports claimed the ruling would kick in once Apple posted a $2.6 million bond. Today, FossPatents reported that Apple has since done so, allowing the preliminary injunction to formally take effect:

Apple didn’t hesitate to post its $2.6 million bond to protect Samsung against the possibility of a successful appeal, in which case the preliminary injunction would be found to have been improperly granted… the injunction has taken effect and Samsung must abide by it. Otherwise Apple could ask the court to sanction Samsung for contempt.

With Apple pulling $39.2 billion in revenue last quarter, we know it takes only a matter of minutes to make that $2.6 million, which is meant to protect Samsung from damages in case the injunction is found to be wrongly issued. On Tuesday, Judge Koh made a statement following her ruling that Samsung “does not have a right to compete unfairly, by flooding the market with infringing products.” FossPatents continued by giving its outlook for the trial set to take place this summer:

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Apps and updates: Splashtop 2, Square Card Reader, iBank, JamUp Pro, iHeart Radio, and more

Élyse Betters Jun 27 2012 - 2:28 pm PT

[slideshow]

A slew of popular apps either updated or launched on the App Store recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our usual round-up below. Today’s crop includes Splashtop 2 going Retina, iBank launching on iPad, Square Card Reader adding more payment collection options, and much more.

Check them out:

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iPad version of Google+ unveiled at Google I/O, coming ‘very soon’

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 10:59 am PT

Google I/O is happening right now, and execs just showed off a new version of Google+ for tablets that will come to the iPad “very soon.”

Of course, our tablet app isn’t just bigger, like our mobile app isn’t just smaller. It’s designed with the device in mind, and it includes:

-A beautiful stream that styles content based on popularity, type and orientation

-A “lean back” Hangouts experience that’s great for the couch or common room

-Crisper text, fuller photos and easily-tappable actions like +1 and comment

You can get full coverage of the event on 9to5Google.

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Facebook launching “blazing fast”, rebuilt iPhone app next month

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 9:18 am PT

The New York Times’ Nick Bilton reported today that Facebook is planning on doing something about its “painfully slow” iPhone app. Citing unnamed FB engineers, the report claimed Facebook is going to release a new, “blazing fast” iOS app that is rebuilt “primarily using Objective-C”. However, according to Bilton who tested the unreleased app, it will be largely the same design as the current iOS app:

According to two Facebook engineers who asked not be named because they are not authorized to speak about unreleased products, Facebook has completely rebuilt its iOS application to optimize for one thing: speed… Many of the components of the current version of the Facebook app are built using HTML5, a Web-based programming language… The current version of the app is essentially an Objective-C shell with a Web browser inside. When it comes to speed, this is like putting the engine of a Smart Car in the body of a Ferrari…. Objective-C takes the opposite approach, taking full advantage of the hardware in the iPhone and then building most of the functionality directly into the application so it has to collect less information from the Web.

iOS 6 Apple TV beta 2 lets you reorganize icons with wiggle mode

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 7:46 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4XlSrc4Xuk&feature=player_embedded]

We told you the other day that Apple began seeding the iOS 6.0 Beta 2 OTA update to developers with an update to Apple TV beta 2. One new feature of the Apple TV update spotted by MacMagazine.com.br (via MacRumors) is the ability to reorganize icons on the main UI. Much like the wiggling animation when reordering icons on iOS devices, holding the Select button will allow you to move icons while others reorder automatically the same as on iPhone and iPad. The feature, unlike on other iOS devices, only activates the mode for the currently selected icons, opposed to sending all icons into “wiggle mode”, and does not yet allow icons to be deleted.

Apple pushes iOS 6.0 Beta 2 OTA update to developers (Update: Video of spinning gears and changelog) (9to5mac.com)
iOS 6 Beta 2 roundup: Here’s what’s new (9to5mac.com)