April 2013
1 post
3 tags
The Latest Apple Scuttlebutt →
And regarding that system-wide UI overhaul, I hear the same thing as Rene Ritchie: “Ive’s work is apparently making many people really happy, but will also apparently make rich-texture-loving designers sad.”
Now, this is exciting.
March 2013
4 posts
1 tag
Apple's iOS lineup accounts for 84% of in-flight... →
According to Gogo, an in-flight Wi-Fi provider operating on 1,800 aircraft across ten carriers, including United, Delta and American Airlines, some 84 percent of all mobile devices connecting to its service have been identified as running Apple’s iOS. Products using rival operating system Android account for the remaining 16 percent.
To paraphrase Tim Cook, what are all these Android...
4 tags
iPhone 5S In August, New iPads In April →
parislemon:
So says Rene Ritchie of iMore, who tends to be very accurate when it comes to such information.
Sounds about right. The third generation iPad was released last March, and the fourth generation was a very minor revision, so we are due for a new iPad.
It will be interesting to see if Apple releases a new iPad Mini at the same time.
“If pseudoscience gobbledygook were toxic, we’d all be dead having gazed upon...”
– Daring Fireball: Open and Shut
3 tags
iTunes U Content Tops One Billion Downloads →
Apple announced that iTunes U has reached a new milestone — over one billion content downloads. iTunes U features the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools and prominent libraries, museums, and organizations.
This is the future of education.
February 2013
4 posts
2 tags
Don't worry about Apple's business, worry about... →
Apple’s business was our business—not because we had some stake in the company, but because we’d grown to love Apple products, and if Apple went away, so would our Macs. Nobody liked the idea and everybody worried about it. That experience left an imprint on us as a community.
Smart piece.
3 tags
Google Reportedly Planning Retail Stores →
An extremely reliable source has confirmed to us that Google is in the process of building stand-alone retail stores in the U.S. and hopes to have the first flagship Google Stores open for the holidays in major metropolitan areas.
I want to get on the record early. If Google opens stores, they will fail.
Google’s obsession with Apple is getting ridiculous and it will be their undoing, if...
4 tags
Mailbox: Back in the Saddle: Week 1 in Review →
Finally, this week has been mind-bending in terms of numbers, so we thought we’d share some of those too. While we’ve been fixing bugs, optimizing our back-end to handle massive amounts of data, and sharing high-fiving kittens on Twitter, you all have been swiping and emailing at an eye-popping pace.
I’m really impressed with Mailbox. We’ll be talking a lot about email when the...
3 tags
Apple Takes 3 Of Top 5 Spots In U.S. Mobile Phone... →
Apple has managed to nab three of the top 5 spots for the top-selling mobile phones in the U.S. during Q4 2012 according to the NPD Group, with the iPhone 5, iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 ranking first, third and fourth, respectively. Apple also retained the crown for best-selling overall smartphone maker, accounting for 39 percent of smartphone sales in Q4 2012, compared to Samsung’s 30...
January 2013
7 posts
3 tags
Netbot Is Free For Now →
Netbot is an App.net client by Tapbots (one of my favorite developers) and they have just made it free for an “unspecified” amount of time.
Even if you don’t currently use App.net, it’s probably a good idea to download the app. There are some big things happening and I suspect there will be free accounts in the near future.
Download for iPhone | iPad
3 tags
Is this the back of Apple’s redesigned...
While we cannot confirm that the above image is legitimate, it does provide a solid representation of what Apple’s next iPad will likely look like. We were told this is a prototype back piece for the fifth-generation iPad with a 9.7-inch display. We were also told that the casing is almost as thin as the iPad mini’s back (pictured to the right).
I can’t imagine the next iPad not...
3 tags
Apple announces 128GB iPad with Retina display... →
Just as the rumors foretold, Apple has just anounced a 128GB version of its fourth-generation iPad with Retina display — the Wi-Fi model costs $799, while the Wi-Fi plus LTE model costs a whopping $929.
I was hoping Apple would discontinue the 16 gig model and just double all the current storage and charge the same prices. I bet that happens when they release the new iPad next fall.
1 tag
Apple Slashes iPhone 5 Part Orders Due to Weak... →
The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has slashed component orders for the iPhone 5 this quarter, responding to weaker-than-expected demand.
Bullshit.
1 tag
iPhone 5 coming to Walmart's Straight Talk prepaid... →
Starting on January 11, 2013 in more than 2,000 Walmart stores and online at Walmart.com, customers now have access to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4 on Straight Talk’s $45 no contract unlimited talk, text and data plan. To make this offer even more affordable, Walmart will be offering customers who purchase the phone in the store, a no interest fixed-monthly payments special financing offer for...
1 tag
Open Road Films to Distribute jOBS, Starring... →
As previously announced, jOBS will premiere as the closing night film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film will be released in April 2013. The announcement was made today by Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Open Road Films and Mark Hulme of Five Star Feature Films.
I can’t believe they are sticking with this terrible title, but I’ll still be there opening night.
1 tag
Google Chairman Says Android Winning Mobile War... →
“This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago — Microsoft versus Apple,” he said. “We’re winning that war pretty clearly now.”
Eric Schmidt is crazy. Android has a debatable lead in market share, and is losing in every other important metric.
December 2012
13 posts
1 tag
Google Maps for iOS: '10 million downloads in less... →
More than 10 million downloads in less than 48 hours after release!
We’re excited for the positive reception of Google Maps for iPhone around the world. Congratulations to the Maps Team on the recognition for the passion and hard work they poured into it, for this release and over the last 7+ years.
This is exactly why Google has to stop screwing around and fully support iOS.
1 tag
iPhone 5 First Weekend Sales in China Top Two... →
Apple® today announced it has sold over two million of its new iPhone® 5 in China, just three days after its launch on December 14. iPhone 5 will be available in more than 100 countries by the end of December, making it the fastest iPhone rollout ever.
“Customer response to iPhone 5 in China has been incredible, setting a new record with the best first weekend sales ever in China,” said Tim Cook,...
1 tag
Apple Tests Designs for TV →
Two people said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. which assembles the iPhone and iPad, has been collaborating with Japan’s Sharp Corp on the design of the new television.
“It isn’t a formal project yet. It is still in the early stage of testing,” said one of the people.
This will not go away.
1 tag
The iPhone 5S Is Coming Next June In 6-8 Colors,... →
Misek is predicting the iPhone 5S has a new “super HD camera/screen, a better battery, and NFC,” and “possible updates include an IGZO screen for Retina+, 128GB storage.” He’s also predicting it comes in 6-8 colors, presumably similar to the iPod Touch which comes in a bunch of colors.
How is this news? Any one could predict this stuff, this is the same guy who said...
1 tag
Gmail 2.0 is a promising but ultimately flawed... →
At the end of the day Gmail 2.0 for iOS is a frustratingly mixed bag. Compared to previous versions of Gmail, there are some major improvements on board — possibly enough to make the Gmail app the full-time option for a lot of users. For power users, however, or people who’ve grown accustomed to a lot of the features Sparrow brought to the table, it’s still a disappointing,...
4 tags
Over 5.0 million Nexus 7s to be shipped in 2012,... →
At the end of the second quarter, Google expected shipments of 2.5 million Nexus 7s in 2012 but since then it has continually placed additional orders in view of booming sales, with the cumulative shipment volume in 2012 will reach 5.0 million units based on orders released, according to Taiwan-based players in the supply chain.
Not a bad number, but again, this is “shipped” not...
1 tag
News Corp. Stops Publication of The Daily iPad App... →
From its launch, The Daily was a bold experiment in digital publishing and an amazing vehicle for innovation. Unfortunately, our experience was that we could not find a large enough audience quickly enough to convince us the business model was sustainable in the long-term.
I’m not surprised.
1 tag
Apple officially opens iTunes Music Store in 56... →
Apple on Tuesday announced it has opened the digital doors to its iTunes Store in 56 countries, including Russia, India and Indonesia, taking the total number of markets in which the service is offered up to 119.
iTunes growth has been incredible under Tim Cook.
2 tags
Apple Stores top Tiffany's in sales per square... →
It is likely that there is no retail outlet in the world that generates as much cash per square foot than an Apple Store.
That’s certainly true of the U.S., according to the latest top 10 list from Retail Sails, which ranks U.S. chain stores by their productivity (see chart at right).
Apple (AAPL) was No. 1 last year, generating sales twice as efficiently as Tiffany’s at No....
3 tags
The 5 Ugliest Apple Products Of All Time →
In my quest to find the five ugliest Apple products of all time, I chose to avoid spotlighting Apple products that were merely boxy, prototypes or computers that were ugly simply because they sported the ugly putty color we all came to hate from the 80s — because that would just be too easy.
Great idea for a blog post, but numbers 4 and 5 are flat out wrong.
1 tag
Watch this: Apple's TV commercials from 1977 to... →
Every new product launch from Apple seems to bring along a new TV commercial, and one YouTube user claims to have organized every commercial the company has made into a single playlist. Stretching right back to 1977 with the Apple II, the 485 commercials span the history of Apple products.
This is awesome.
1 tag
Tim Cook to give first TV interview on Rock Center... →
NBC will air the first televised interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook next week on Rock Center with Brian Williams. The interview was filmed today at the Grand Central Apple Store in New York City.
1 tag
Apple vetting operators on LTE network performance →
Telecoms.com was told of Apple’s policy in October but, at the time, no operator had conceded publicly that it was true.
This week, however, a Swisscom spokesperson told Telecoms.com that: “Apple only enables 4G access after testing their device on an operator’s live network.”
Apple is the only company that can dictate terms to wireless carriers.
November 2012
5 posts
3 tags
iPhone 5 doubles Apple's share of US smartphone... →
The latest data from Kantar Worldpanel revealed that the iPhone 5 launched helped Apple move past Android, which had 46.7 percent of sales over the last 12 weeks. Apple’s share is expected to grow even more as availability of the iPhone 5 improves.
2 tags
Apple fires iOS 6 Maps chief →
Richard Williamson, who oversaw Maps in iOS 6, was let go by Apple, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing “people familiar with the move.” Williamson was reportedly fired by Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president and the new man responsible for both iOS Maps and Siri following an executive shakeup last month.
1 tag
The iPhone 5 is Bing’s Most Searched News Story of... →
Speculation and excitement around the launch of iPhone 5 built up throughout the year, making this the most searched news story on Bing in 2012.
2 tags
1 tag
October 2012
11 posts
1 tag
Can government make wireless better? →
Open up to foreign competition. Most of the Canadian market is controlled by 3 firms (Telus, Bell and Rogers.) They’ve been trying to limit market penetration by non-Canadian firms, including Wind and Virgin, who are hindered by rules limiting foreign ownership and control of telecom providers. These rules stifle competition; we should get rid of them.
This is a must.
3 tags
The iPhone is Here to Work →
The iPhone, however, prefers not to play by these rules. Though exquisite in design, it was not born as art to be put on display. It belongs in our pockets. It is a tool. A utility. A gadget of gadgets.
I had a lot of trouble choosing a quote to share, the whole post is excellent. Go read it.
3 tags
Huge Shake-up at Apple →
9to5 Mac reports:
Huge news: Apple just announced in a press release this afternoon that Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall is leaving Apple next year. Additionally, John Browett, head of retail, is out. Apple CEO Tim Cook will take over retail as an interim until a replacement is found.
This is huge news. Firing John Browett is a no-brainer, he took over one of the most...
4 tags
Steve Jobs's yacht makes its first appearance... →
Steve Jobs’s yacht is making what looks to be its first public appearance in the Dutch city of Aalsmeer, a bit more than one year after his death. The photographs first appeared on the Apple news site One More Thing and closely resemble the description given by Walter Isaacson in his Steve Jobs biography.
It’s really sad that Steve never got to take that trip with with his...
8 tags
2 tags
Apple has 'a little more to show' at Oct. 23 media...
The calendar may be running out, but Apple’s going to get in some more product announcements before the end of the year. On Tuesday, the company announced that it would be holding a media event in San Jose’s California Theatre next Tuesday, October 23 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific.
(Via Macworld)
The rumors suggest new iPads, MacBooks, Mac Minis, and iMacs, could be a very exciting (and...
1 tag
Apple’s rumored Oct. 23 iPad mini event →
Yep.
It’s official. “iPad mini” will be announced October 23.
3 tags
Why We'll Never Stop Talking About Steve Jobs →
And with his corporations, Steve Jobs didn’t simply shake up industries; he fundamentally traumatized them. He started with computing, then movies, then music and finally telecom. Even if you find him morally repugnant or prefer his competitors’ products, you would have to be a fool to argue against his influence and stature.
A must-read.
3 tags
September 2012
13 posts
1 tag
“iCloud Backup” →
marco:
We can all do a lot better than this.
Great post from Marco Arment. Made me think about the current state of personal computing and miss my grandparents.
2 tags
iPhone 5 First Weekend Sales Top Five Million →
“Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s...
2 tags
Apple had over a year left on Google Maps... →
Apple’s decision to ship its own mapping system in the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 was made over a year before the company’s agreement to use Google Maps expired, according to two independent sources familiar with the matter.
Schmidt also said that Google had “not done anything yet” with an iOS Google Maps app, and that Apple would ultimately have to decide whether to...
2 tags
iPhone 5 Benchmarked: The Fastest Smartphone in... →
A phone’s hardware performance can’t be taken in isolation, but it’s definitely a piece of the puzzle. Based on these benchmarks, the iPhone 5 lives up to the promise of being twice as fast as the iPhone 4S. It’s also, for now, the fastest handheld computer sold in the US.
I don’t normally link to benchmarks, but there are some interesting findings here.
3 tags
Hey Samsung, don’t be a dick →
Peter Cohen on Samsung’s Galaxy S III TV spot.
I’m sure it’s a message that strikes a home run with the same wild-eyed Android zealots who troll Apple Web site discussion forums to pick fights, but does this message really resound with anyone else?
This is the only thing that matters, and I doubt that it does.
