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Feb

‘iWatch’ Rumors Gain Traction

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 5:16 pm

Apple’s previous generation iPod Nano as a watch

Rumors of an impending Apple TV have long reached a boiling point. From analysts claiming that Apple has no choice but to release such a product, to supposed product leaks from manufacturers and potential OEMs.

In the last week, however, those rumors have taken a backseat to the idea that Apple is developing a wearable computer. Wearable computing may well be the Next Big Thing, with various companies already jumping in. Notably, Pebble – the popular Kickstarter-funded smartwatch – recently began shipping out to backers, and received favorable reviews. In addition, Google has already announced an ambitious new project, currently going by the “Google Glasses” moniker. There have been previous rumors that Microsoft is also interested in the space.

With that background, it seems almost impossible that Apple wouldn’t at least be looking at a wearable computing device. According to some fairly prestigious news outlets, it seems that Apple’s interest in such devices revolves around the wrist (how’s that for a pun?). (more…)

Feb

25 Billion Songs Sold in iTunes

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 7:29 pm

While the momentum of the tech industry has decidedly swung in favor of the iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and App Store, it should be noted that Apple’s entertainment juggernaut – iTunes, as it’s been called for a decade – has today surpassed a ridiculous number: 25 billion songs sold.

First opened in 2003 to serve the exploding iPod market, the iTunes Store quickly became the de facto place for legally obtaining music. Apple was able to secure the necessary legal deals due to the rampant rate of piracy and success of sites that made sharing illegal music files easy and accessible. (more…)

Apple is No Longer the World’s Most Valuable Company

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 10:25 am

apple_logo_grey1 Update #1 (10:46 AM Pacific): The value of AAPL stock has been greatly fluctuating throughout the entire day, as Apple has just reclaimed its position as the world’s most valuable company at the time of this update.

Apple became the world’s most valuable company back in August 2011, when its market cap surpassed the oil giant Exxon Mobil. It held that position for almost one-and-a-half years, but Exxon Mobil has just reclaimed the number one spot as Apple stock continues to tumble downwards.

Apple currently has a market value of roughly $412 billion, which is less than Exxon Mobil’s worth of around $417 billion. Apple stock has dropped from a 52 week high of $705.07 in late September to just $439.03 per share as of writing. Incredibly, that is almost a 40 percent drop for AAPL in just four months. (more…)

This White House Petition Aims to Make Unlocking Devices Legal Again

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 5:09 pm

White House Petition

Unofficially unlocking an iPhone, Galaxy S III, or literally any other cell phone that runs on the United States’ airwaves is going to be illegal starting Saturday. An action that once was just a breach of a contract with a carrier could now be prosecuted as a criminal issue. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or any other carrier can prosecute someone who unlocks their device and use it on another carrier (perhaps for a completely legitimate reason, like traveling overseas).

Doesn’t really seem fair. But how could one protest? There’s already a petition, currently at only 509 signatures, on WhiteHouse.gov. This petition has a relatively simple goal: (more…)

Starting Saturday, Unlocking a Cellphone is Illegal in the US

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 4:23 pm

TMobile-iPhone-Unlocked-Unlimited

Back in 2010, an exception was added to the United States’ Digital Millennium Copyright Act by the Librarian of Congress that made it perfectly legal to jailbreak, unlock, or install unapproved third-party apps on any hardware (at the time, the exception was added with a focus on the iPhone, though it currently applies to any device). However, a change noted by Tech News Daily in the DMCA means that starting this Saturday, unlocking a phone through unofficial means will become illegal in the United States. (more…)

Stock Market Down on AAPL’s Record Breaking Results, But Does It Matter?

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 6:43 pm

AAPL 1:23:13

The stock market likes to be pleasantly surprised. Meeting expectations, or even exceeding those set by the company in question and more conservative (realistic?) analysts is often regarded as severely as a major miss would be. This has been seen in Apple’s stock before, and it has also been witnessed in the stock price of both Microsoft and Google. As of now, AAPL is down 9.83% in after-hours trading. Keep in mind that the results Apple announced today are the largest corporate earnings in the history of the Planet Earth, and the stock is still down. (more…)

Tim Cook: It’s ‘Prudent to Question the Accuracy of Any Rumor’

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 2:50 pm

iPhone-5-3

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, took a moment to address the rumors that Apple is cutting its order of iPhone 5 displays during today’s financial conference call:

I know there’s been lots of rumors about order cuts and so forth — let me take a moment and comment on these. I don’t comment on any particular rumor, but I would suggest it’s prudent to question the accuracy of any rumor about build plans. And even if any data point is accurate, you can’t extrapolate — the supply chain is very complex. Any single data point is not a great proxy for what’s going on.

(more…)

Apple Posts Best Quarterly Financial Results Ever

Posted by Joe Rossignol at 1:59 pm

apple_logo_grey1

Apple has just announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of the 2012 calendar year and first quarter of the 2013 fiscal year, posting record-breaking profits and revenues across the board. The company reported groundbreaking net profit of $13.1 billion on $54.5 billion revenue.

While its gross margins fell to 38.6 percent, down from 44.7 percent in the year-ago quarter, Apple sold a record 47.8 million iPhones and 22.9 million iPads during the quarter. Mac sales fell from 5.2 million to 4.1 million year-over-year, while iPod sales dropped to 12.7 million over 15.4 million one year ago. (more…)

Orchestra Accepting Reservations for Upcoming Mailbox App

Posted by Jonathan Kizer at 7:57 pm

Mailbox

Back in mid-December, I wrote about an app that looked as if it had the potential to replace both Apple’s stock mail client and Sparrow, a third-party Gmail app that was bought by Google last summer. Orchestra, the developers behind that app, are now accepting reservations for when the application launches. It appears that, in order to successfully use Mailbox, the user will have to input a string of numbers from Orchestra, thus claiming a reserved spot. (more…)