Products

Nearly a Million iOS Apps and Discovery Still Sucks
February 07, 2013

There are well over 800,000 iOS apps in the App Store, 300,000 of which are native to the iPad, and I'm constantly surprised and irritated at Apple's inability to help its customers discover great apps. Of course, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the only one who actively goes into Apple's various App Store points of entry -- iTunes, iPad and iPhone -- only to walk away without downloading anything.

Apple Opens Its Arms to Self-Publishing E-Book Authors
February 06, 2013

Apple has staked out some precious ground in the e-book battle with Tuesday's debut of Breakout Books, a new section in the iBookstore. This move is a no-brainer for Apple as it seeks to match what Amazon is doing with its Kindle platform, said Ben Bogardus, an assistant professor of journalism at Quinnipiac University.

After Nearly 30 Years, Apple Fans Still Flock to Macworld
February 01, 2013

In the days before Apple split with Macworld, fans of the company's products used to pack the event in feverish anticipation of watching Steve Jobs tell them what new goodies his company had in store for them. How things have changed: The show has a new name, Macworld/iWorld, and an actor who will be playing the late Jobs in an forthcoming biopic took center stage.

There's More Behind Apple's Blithe iPad Release Than Meets the Eye
January 31, 2013

Apple's corporate communications department is an oxymoron -- it barely communicates at all, at least through traditional methods like press releases. If you consider the high-profile nature of Apple, the number of products, the competition, as well as the sheer size of the company, it's odd that it puts out just a handful of press releases a year.

If a Photo Is Worth 1,000 Words, Vine Gives Tweeters at Least 6,000
January 28, 2013

While Twitter allows users to communicate in 140 characters or less, its new app Vine extends and enhances that brevity while retaining the social networking roots of Twitter. So what is Vine, exactly? It's a service that lets you take super short video clips and share them with the world of Vine users. Plus, it lets you connect Vine to your Twitter feed.

Apple May Soon Let You Talk to the Hand
December 28, 2012

Apple's supply chain has clearly sprung a leak since Steve Jobs' passing: Every few months, it seems, a rumor or report from unnamed sources at this or that supplier makes the rounds. The current rumor is that Apple is hard at work at its next innovation -- and it's not a television set or a smart remote control. Instead, it is a watch.

Is Wall Street Disenchanted With Apple?
December 18, 2012

These days, it seems Apple can do no right on Wall Street. The latest snub came from Citigroup, which downgraded the company to "neutral" from "buy" on Sunday. More significantly, the price target was dropped by $100 to a modest $575 per share. Citi analyst Glen Yueng questioned the strength of the iPhone 5, pointing to cuts Apple made with its suppliers.

How About an iTV Built by Sir Richard Branson?
December 13, 2012

When I first saw the news about the survey that revealed 47 percent of American heads of households were interested in buying an Apple-branded TV set, I thought, "Well, heck yeah, who wouldn't be interested in a real big-screen Apple HDTV?" And then the survey also claimed that respondents would be willing to pay a premium for an Apple-branded TV. Again, I thought, "Well sure."

Apple to Reel In Some Manufacturing Jobs
December 07, 2012

The push to create jobs and return manufacturing to the U.S. has had an effect on Apple. The company's CEO Tim Cook said publicly in interviews this week that Apple will invest $100 million in 2013 to move production of a line of its Mac products from China to the U.S. Cook was not specific as to which models Apple intends to produce in the U.S., but it is reported to be the iMac line.

Apple's Biggest Threat: Killer Advertising
October 25, 2012

While Apple crafts consumer gadgets of incredible beauty, built to look good on the outside and the inside -- even when Apple tries to fuse the case so the components can never be seen by mere mortals -- the hardware is not Apple's biggest weapon. The MacBook Air, the MacBook Pro with Retina display, the iMac, the iPad and new iPad mini -- not even the wildly popular iPhone is the most devastating weapon in Apple's arsenal.

The Glare of the Spotlight Keeps Apple From Dazzling Us
September 06, 2012

Apple's invitation to media professionals made the date official, but September 12 has been the likely date for the company's iPhone 5 rollout event for more than a month. Did that date come from supposition or an outright leak? Doesn't matter. Industry consensus knows that Apple traditionally has an iPod and iTunes sort of announcement in September.

Apple vs. Samsung: There Will Be More Blood
August 29, 2012

Apple admirers cheered when a jury in San Jose, Calif., last week found Samsung guilty of infringing on many of Cupertino's design and utility patents, a transgression for which the Galaxy smartphone maker will have to pay over $1 billion in damages. Apple's stock was given a big boost on the news. However, the battle between the two is just beginning.

September Is Put-Up or Shut-Up Time for Apple
August 22, 2012

Apple was recently crowned the most valuable public company in history. But in order to keep that title, its next iPhone, expected to go on sale next month, will have to be a huge hit. That could very come to pass. A report from FBR Market's Craig Berger predicted the upcoming phone could sell as many as 250 million units over its lifecycle.

Apple's Television Vision
August 18, 2012

Apple has been sizing up the world of television for a long time now with very hungry eyes. The company almost never reveals its plans out loud, of course, but if you test the PH level of the rumor pool, it's starting to look a lot like it did about six years ago, just before the first iPhone came along.

Make Room for Mini: Will a 7-Inch iPad Make App Devs Sweat?
July 16, 2012

Some iOS app developers may need to take a long, hard look at their apps, as rumors about a forthcoming iPad mini continue to gain strength. "Apps custom-coded with Objective C and the Apple SDKs will need to be recompiled and rewritten," said George Adams, cofounder and CEO of ViziApps.

Why It Should Be an iPod HD, Not an iPad Mini
July 12, 2012

Ever since the Amazon Kindle Fire came out late last year, I've been wondering when Apple would release a big iPod -- not a small iPad "mini," but a larger iPod sibling. On the surface, it's all just a game of semantics. What does an iPod "HD" have that an iPad "mini" does not? Or vice versa? Not much, of course, just marketing and perception, which happen to be two areas where Apple excels.

Apple Products See the Unpolished Side of Chrome
June 29, 2012

Mac owners have been having more than a few headaches with Google's Chrome browser. Owners of new Macbook Airs have been complaining for several days that their devices have been freezing or crashing when they use the Chrome browser. Google confirmed that the problem is a leak of graphics resources in the Chrome browser related to the drawing of plugins on Mac OS X.

The New MacBook Pro Aims for the Heart, Not the Head
June 14, 2012

With a heavy heart, I have decided not to the buy the gorgeous new MacBook Pro with Retina Display. I lust after the idea of 2,880 by 1,800 pixels gloriously showing off my awesome photos of the Grand Tetons, Half Dome and small children running from the cold droplets of a sprinkler system under a hot summer sun.

MacBook Pro Turns Over a Sharper, Thinner New Leaf
June 11, 2012

Apple executives took the stage at its annual Worldwide Developer Conference Monday to unveil a slew of new hardware and software, including a new MacBook Pro with a Retina Display, as well new information about the upcoming iOS 6 and Mac OS X Mountain Lion operating system.

Leaked Photos Suggest Full-Body Makeover for iPhone 5
May 30, 2012

Several photos emerged Tuesday that appear to tip off features in the upcoming version of Apple's iPhone. They show the back plate of what appears to be a new model of the iPhone and some internal parts. A major change revealed in the photos is an apparent modification in the device's docking connector. It's smaller -- a move that could enable Apple to increase the size and quality of the phone's speakers.