iPad

Rare-earth mining company replaces CEO amid SEC probe

Mark Smith, the chief executive of rare-earth mineral mining company Molycorp, was replaced today, a month after the company disclosed it was under a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation regarding the accuracy of its public disclosures.

Rare-earth minerals are key ingredients for mobile phones, as well as wind turbines, hybrid cars, and night-vision goggles. The vast majority of rare-earth minerals are mined in China. But Molycorp is one of a handful of Western companies hoping to elbow into that business. This summer, Smith gave CNET a tour of Molycorp's Mountain Pass, Calif., mine as part of a series on … Read more

Apple's Find My iPhone app gets driving directions

Apple today made a slight new addition to its Find My iPhone software (iTunes), with a tweak that gives owners driving directions right to a lost device.

Under the previous system, users saw only the precise location on a map with the option to refresh. The new update shows your device's location just like a point of interest within Apple's maps software, with the option to fire up driving directions by tapping a car icon.

In practice this means you can now hunt down a device's location without having to guesstimate a location and switch over to … Read more

How to create a playlist with YouTube's iPad app

Google finally got around to releasing a YouTube app for the iPad, and after using it for a few days, I applaud the search giant's efforts. The app feels quick and responsive, and all of the basic features -- accessing your account, commenting on videos, subscribing to channels, AirPlay support -- are present. (The ability to play audio of a video in the background after closing the app, however, is not.) The app also lets you create playlists, but this feature is somewhat buried. In this post, I'll show you where to go to create a playlist and … Read more

Jefferies cuts Apple stock target, cites iPhone 5S and more

It has been a rough few weeks for Apple investors, and so far, this week isn't looking much better.

Shares, which dropped nearly 10 percent last week alone, slid 1 percent to $527.74 in recent trading after Jefferies analyst Peter Misek cut his target price for Apple's stock to $800 from $900.

Misek said that Apple's financial results this quarter and next quarter should be well above analysts' expectations, but decelerating unit sales, price declines, and gross margin pressure should limit the stock's climb.

Meanwhile, Misek expects an iPhone 5S to launch in June or … Read more

Tablets at CES 2013: Packing in those pixels

This year was most assuredly the most successful and interesting year for tablets yet. But, as exciting as it was, 2013 has the potential to be even better.

In the consumer technology space, CES is still the very best harbinger of what's to come, and January's show will be no different. Though there are plenty of juicy rumors flying around, I don't yet know which tablets will debut at 2013's CES, and even if I did, I'd probably feel obligated to kill you if I told you. However, looking closely at recent trends and reports, it's not too difficult to piece together a solid picture of the possibilities.… Read more

Best Buy sends five iPads in error, says 'keep them'

Our lecture today is entitled "Ethics and the Holiday Spirit."

The question at hand is this: if you order an iPad from Best Buy and the company sends you five, what do you do?

Do you phone Best Buy and say, "Hullo, you've sent me four too many"?

Do you phone Best Buy and say, "Gosh, just wanted to thank you for the holiday gifts" -- and not mention which gifts you're talking about?

Or do you say nothing, do nothing, and hope Best Buy doesn't notice? … Read more

Hot new games for iOS

The stars lined up just right this week (read: gift-giving season is here!) to have a number of awesome game sequels and new releases launch all at once. Frankly, there are so many new games that there is no better time than the present to check out what the App Store has to offer.

Rick Broida already wrote about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City earlier today, but there are plenty more that would make nice additions to your iOS gaming collection.

This week's collection of apps is a group of excellent games released over the course of this week. … Read more

Get a free iOS app every day from AppGratis

There are countless ways to find free apps for your iPhone, iPod, or iPad. You can peruse the App Store. You can subscribe to a Twitter feed like 148Apps Now Free. Heck, you can even use an app; I continue to be a fan of Appsfire Deals, which serves up a huge helping of freebies every day, right on your iDevice.

But here's the thing. Sometimes you don't want a seemingly endless list of unknown apps to wade through. You want a personal recommendation, like from a friend who says, "Hey, I found a great freebie today, … Read more

Made in America? Foxconn mulls U.S. expansion

"Made in the U.S." is becoming more appealing to at least one Asian manufacturer.

Foxconn, a major supplier to Apple and other tech companies, today told Bloomberg that it's seeking to expand its operations in North America as customers request more of their products be made in the region.

"We are looking at doing more manufacturing in the U.S. because, in general, customers want more to be done there," Louis Woo, a Foxconn spokesman, told Bloomberg.

He didn't provide many other details beyond saying the supply chain is a big challenge for … Read more

iPad Mini ship times improves to one week

Consumers looking for an iPad Mini now stand a better chance of grabbing one for the holidays.

The wait time for the 7-inch tablet through the Apple online store just dropped to one week from two weeks. The new estimate applies to all variations of the Mini, from the 16GB Wi-Fi-only edition to the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version.

The shorter ship time comes amidst reports that production of the new tablet had been hampered by manufacturing challenges at panel supplier AU Optronics. Apple uses both AU and LG Display to make the Mini's display panels. A recent DigiTimes story … Read more