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Saturday, January 12, 2013

PC marketshare to drop to 65% in 2013 as tablets take over

The days when PCs ruled the computer market are quickly coming to a close. The familiar battle between PCs and Macs is quickly morphing into an iOS versus Android landscape. As consumers opt for tablets over PCs, shipments of Wintel devices will drop to 65 percent in 2013 amid double-digit tablet growth.

After PC shipments fell 10 percent during the holiday fourth quarter of 2010, the 2013 PC marketshare will drop to 65 percent, down from 72 percent last year, according to researchers at Canalys. The reason: PCs – be they desktops, notebooks, or netbooks – are no longer needed for common computing tasks, such as reading e-mail and browsing the web

As talk continues of an upcoming T-Mobile iPhone deal, and rumors continue to swirl of a China Mobile partnership, a new report today says that the Cupertino company could potentially add another major carrier to its stable: Japan’s NTT DoCoMo.

Like China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo is its country’s largest wireless provider, and its 60 million subscribers account for nearly half of all Japan mobile users. But last November, it suffered its biggest ever net loss of customers. And it blames the iPhone

Well, it’s Friday afternoon and the folks at FireCore have just given jailbroken second generation Apple TV owners something else to be excited about as the weekend approaches: an update for the popular software suite: aTV Flash (black).

The update, which brings the app to version 2.1, features several improvements including a new TV show playlist option, which makes it easier to pick up where you left off with your favorite show, customizable favorites, and more

Last year, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and came up with a plan to sell off its collection of imaging patents to pay off its debts. It wanted more than $2 billion for the IP, but ended up settling on a $525 million offer from a consortium of companies led by Apple and Google. And today, Bankruptcy Court Judge Allan Gropper has green-lighted the deal

And the plot continues to thicken. After two major news outlets ran stories earlier this week claiming that Apple was working on a less-expensive iPhone, Reuters reported that the company had no such plans, citing comments made to a Chinese newspaper by Apple’s marketing chief Phil Schiller.

But as most of you know, Reuters retracted the report earlier today. It was unclear at the time why it had chosen to remove the story, but it’s attempting to clear things up this afternoon with a new report called “Apple won’t blindly pursue market share” that helps shed some light on what happened

Cut the Rope gains a new Steam Box of 25 levels

Red hot UK developer Chillingo has refreshed its popular physics-based puzzler, Cut the Rope, with a brand new Steam Box containing 25 levels. The charming game invites you to feed candy to your little monster.

Cue Karl Malden. Stuck abroad without your emergency contact information. What will you do? Instead of turning to the local American Express office, you could consult your iPhone, according to a newly-discovered emergency application by Apple. In a patent application filed when the first-generation iPhone hit shelves, an app could hold local emergency phone numbers and addresses. The proposed app suggests Apple already envisioned its smartphone becoming a storehouse for vital information

Apple was presented with a Technology and Engineering Emmy Award last night during a special reception in Las Vegas. The annual event honors innovation in broadcast technology and recognizes companies and individuals whose breakthroughs have a significant effect on TV engineering…

Here’s the criteria the National Academy for Television Arts and Sciences looks for when giving Technology and Engineering Emmys:

Apple is more focused on China now than it’s ever been before. Tim Cook is actually in the country this week, meeting with high-level government officials and the chairman of the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile.

The company also just published its new Chinese New Year Gift Guide. It features Apple’s top picks for products and accessories, and can be seen in its China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia web stores

This is pretty interesting. Former chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M and Beats Audio CEO Jimmy Iovine recently sat down for an interview to discuss the popular headphone-maker’s upcoming streaming music service, Project Daisy.

During the conversation, Iovine talked about his relationship with Apple, and more specifically Steve Jobs. And he said that he spent at least three years trying to convince the then-CEO to do a subscription-based streaming music service

The iPhone quick-draw system

What’s your take on belt clip cell phone holsters? I used to sell cell phones, and I would cringe every time a customer would buy one. They’d say, “it’s just so accessible.” I even had one guy show me how much faster it was taking it out of the holster than it was his pocket. Ok.

But what if you want that kind of accessibility, without the fashion faux pas? Then you might be a candidate for this new iPhone quick-draw system. The contraption fits around your arm, and catapults your iPhone from under your sleeve to your hand in milliseconds

Earlier this week, we passed along a report that Tim Cook was on a business trip in China. No one really knows the exact nature of the visit, but he has been meeting with high-level government officials, and dropping in on Apple retailers.

And according to a new report, he’s also been talking with China Mobile’s Xi Guohua. The CEO is said to have met with the chairman, who sits atop the world’s largest carrier, in Beijing today to discuss ”matters of cooperation.”

With all of the reports we hear every week regarding Apple’s new and ongoing lawsuits, it’s nice to hear about one coming to an end. After a year of battling, the Cupertino company has settled a lawsuit regarding the alleged misuse of an eyeball image during one of its keynotes.

Apple used the photo, which was taken by Swiss photographer Sabine Liewald, to promote its new MacBook Pro with Retina display during its WWDC keynote last summer, as well as on its website, without the proper licensing. And thus, Liewald filed an infringement suit

Clueful, a privacy app by Bitdefender, garnered a lot of attention last summer when Apple pulled it from the App Store without giving much of an explanation. It was odd, because the app claimed that it just identified privacy threats.

Well here we are, 6 months later, and we have still yet to hear a reason behind the removal. But obviously Bitdefender still sees a market for the app, as the software company has just re-launched Clueful as a web-based application

As I look around and I see all of the touchscreen smartphones and tablets on the market, I think, it’s hard to believe that Apple started all of this 6 years ago. That’s right, 6 years ago today, Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld ’07 and unveiled the long-awaited iPhone.

Now, you can argue that there were smartphones before the iPhone, even touchscreen phones. But you can’t say that Apple didn’t change the mobile landscape forever that day in the Moscone Center. And as tribute, we’ve got videos of the keynote and more after the fold

T-Mobile to start selling the iPhone in “three to four” months

Good news for T-Mobile subscribers looking to get their hands on the iPhone. In a new interview, the carrier’s CEO John Legere says it will begin offering Apple’s popular handset sooner rather than later.

Legere first confirmed that his company would be becoming an official iPhone partner, as well as eliminating device subsidies, this year, back in December. And now he sees both happening in the next 3-4 months

Like Griffin, Belkin and other iOS accessory powerhouses, Incipio turned up at CES this week to unveil a wide range of new products. Among them are a dual iPhone 5 car charger, and an iPhone case with a built-in tape measure.

Perhaps most interesting, though, is its new Cashwrap iPhone case. The thin case not only protects the handset from drops and other accidents, but it also gives it the ability to make NFC transactions using the Isis platform

Last month, T-Mobile confirmed that it was ending device subsidies ahead of its official iPhone launch. The carrier hopes that customers will buy into the idea, which has them paying full retail prices for mobile devices in exchange for lower monthly fees.

Well apparently, the idea has attracted the attention of the big wigs at Verizon and AT&T. According to a new report, CEO’s from both companies are intrigued by the theory, and will be watching T-Mobile’s experiment closely over the next several months

Walmart and Straight Talk Wireless have issued a press release announcing that starting this Friday, the retail giant will begin offering the iPhone 5 through the popular prepaid service. The phone will come with a $45 unlimited talk, text and data plan, and no contract. And Walmart will be offering special financing for those who can’t pay for the device up front

As hard as we try, we just can’t escape the ongoing ‘iPhone nano’ rumors. It seems that everyone in the tech industry is waiting on Apple to diversify its handset lineup and introduce a less expensive iPhone for prepaid and emerging markets.

In fact, we’ve already heard a report on the topic today from DigiTimes, who says that their sources have actually seen the low-cost smartphone. And this afternoon, The Wall Street Journal throws its hat into the ring with its own scoop

CES 2013: Hyundai to integrate Apple’s Siri into its vehicles

After General Motors announced in November it was going to be one of the first car companies to market its new Chevy Sonic and Spark vehicles with the new Siri Eyes Free feature, today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas car maker Hyundai Motor Company also confirmed it will integrate the feature into its vehicles, although the company did not specify which models will be part of the initiative. More information right past the fold

This is kind of cool. David Kelley, the founder of IDEO, an international design firm and innovation consultancy, spoke with CBS’ 60 Minutes last night about a wide range of things, including his close relationship with Steve Jobs.

IDEO played a big role in early Apple, designing its first Mouse, the Lisa, and more. And naturally, this bore a friendship between the two founders, giving Kelley some great Jobs stories—particularly one about his first iPhone

A few months ago, we passed along a report that Facebook was urging its employees to swap out their iPhones for Android devices. It knows Google’s mobile OS has continued to be an afterthought to iOS, and it’s looking to change that.

Well according to some newly-released data, that’s probably a smart move. Enders analyst Benedict Evans has just published Facebook’s mobile app user stats, and, as of November last year, Android users vastly outnumber those on iOS

CES starts today, meaning you can expect to see several new product and accessory announcements over the next 5 days. Earlier today we told you about the Cookoo smart watch, and now it’s Belkin’s time to shine.

Known for Apple accessories like USB cables and keyboard cases, Belkin doesn’t have much of a track record in the audio space. That changes, though, with the Thunderstorm, a new iPad case with built-in speakers

Apple’s underappreciated Find My iPhone app (BTW, shouldn’t it be called ‘Find My iOS Device’ instead?) has seen some clever uses that went a long way toward retrieving stolen iPhones and iPads. But punk trombonist Nadav Nirenberg took it to the next level when he posed as a women in order to lure an unsuspecting thief who stole his iPhone into a trap. According to media reports, holding a hammer in his hand, Nadav was patiently awaiting for the thief to arrive at his apartment to arrange an exchange

Weird bug adds ‘praises the iPad’ at the end of Google queries

The rivalry between Apple and Google is arguably one of the biggest in the tech world, maybe even the world in general. The two companies are constantly fighting each other for smartphone and tablet marketshare, and they both have legions of loyal fans.

As most of you know, iDB will be at The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. And though Apple itself won’t be there, there will be tons of iOS-flavored products and peripherals worth reading about. Take these new Lightning-compatible audio docks from iHome, for example

Here’s a funny little story for your Saturday morning. A report popped up yesterday that Microsoft communicated to police earlier this week that there had been a burglary in one of the buildings on its campus in Mountain View, California.

The thief, or thieves, broke into 3 offices in Building 5 on the campus between December 19 and 26, when most folks were gone for the holidays. And — here’s the funny part — despite all of the gadgets laying around, only iPads were taken

Earlier this year, The New York Times wrote a piece on the different methods Apple uses to sidestep “billions in corporate taxes.” Like other articles in the publication’s iEconomy series, it painted the Cupertino company in a not-so-favorable light.

But despite the workarounds, Apple says it still pays a significant amount in income taxes. According to a recent statement, it paid over $6 billion in US taxes during its fiscal 2012, accounting for $1 out of every $40 collected from corporations

iOS hacker Planetbeing posted on Reddit earlier today about the status of the iPhone 5/iOS 6 untethered jailbreak. While there have been many messages regarding the viability of a jailbreak, the famous iOS hacker insists that it’s only a matter of time before a jailbreak is a reality.

In other words, we need to be patient while the guys who have proven themselves time and time again put in work

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013

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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

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