iPhone

Google, Microsoft 'challenged' vs. Apple, says Goldman Sachs

Google and Microsoft will struggle to vend off Apple's smartphone-tablet juggernaut, according to a recent study by Goldman Sachs.

Titled "Clash of the titans," the 75-page study depicts Google and Microsoft as "challenged" in their bids to compete with Apple.

Some salient points made by Goldman Sachs, which based many of their findings on internal survey results:

Well positioned v. challenged: In the "context of platform adoption," companies that are defined as "well positioned" include Apple, Facebook, Samsung. Amazon is "straddling the line." Google and Microsoft are "challenged&… Read more

Woman Tasered after trying to buy too many iPhones

Normally, when you hear screams outside an Apple store, it's because, oh, the doors have opened and there's a new gizmo for the insatiable.

However, at the Apple store in the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua, N.H. on Tuesday, the screams were those of a 44-year-old Chinese woman being Tasered by police.

As WMUR-TV reports, Xiaojie Li, of Newton, N.H. says -- through her 12-year-old daughter's translation -- that she isn't proficient in English.

"She's certainly capable of coming up here and purchasing these things from the Apple store here. Whether her … Read more

Report: Google Maps for iOS coming out 'tonight'

An official Google Maps app is coming back to iOS as soon as tonight, according to a new report.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, All Things Digital says Google plans to release the software on the App Store tonight.

Apple declined to comment. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The report, which does not specify what features the software will bring, comes about a month after Google was reportedly in the "near final" testing stages of prepping the software for Apple's platform.

Google provided maps to iOS devices until the release of … Read more

Supposed untethered jailbreak for iOS 6 ends up being fake

An unidentified hacker behind a hack called Dream Jailbreak pulled a fast one on countless iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch owners today with the announcement and heavy teasing of an untethered iOS 6 jailbreak, or software that lets users gain deep access to their device without fear of losing it all after rebooting.

In a proof-of-concept video posted earlier, the unidentified hacker connects his iPhone 5 to a computer via USB; accesses a Web site through Safari (the identity of the site is blurred in the vid); and then runs an application called Dream (coming to Windows and Mac) on his computer. After a few flashes of code, the iPhone 5 reboots with popular third-party app and code installer Cydia in place and a world of third-party software just a tap away.… Read more

Former top Apple fanboy now rocks all Android devices

We already know Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak uses both iOS and Android devices, but this week we learned that the former evangelist who helped create the original "cult of Mac" has left iOS behind and gone all Android.

It's been decades since Guy Kawasaki preached the gospel of Apple in the '80s, but only about a year since he jumped ship as an iPhone owner for an Android phone with 4G LTE -- the Droid Razr Maxx. Kawasaki was quoted in ReadWrite saying he no longer uses any Apple mobile products:

"I fell in love with Android on the smartphone, and then I got a Nexus 7 and started using Android on the tablet as well... To me the great irony is that Apple's slogan was 'Think Different,' but today if you think different you're looking at Android."… Read more

The 404 1,182: Where we take 12 steps to financial freedom (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Jill gives us 2012 year-end tax tips: four benefit changes.

- "Fiscal cliff" primer: Breaking down the plans.

- Alan Simpson goes "Gangnam Style."

- The Fiscal Cliff Huxtable.… Read more

iPad Mini sales likely hurt by supply problems -- analyst

It's good to be in high demand, but not when there's not enough supply to go around. That's the case for Apple's iPad right now, Sterne Agee says.

The firm has joined the growing chorus of analysts worried about sales of Apple's popular gadgets. In Sterne Agee's case, the firm feels pretty bullish about iPhone sales but is more concerned about the iPad.

While the iPhone could surprise to the upside amid improving iPhone 5 supply, Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu said, iPad sales may prove to be a bit disappointing. That's because … Read more

iPad Mini to head to Russia this Friday

The iPad Mini will find itself in Russia starting this Friday, according to a Russian retail site.

Trumpeting the arrival of the 7-inch tablet, retail site Re:Store said it would kick off iPad Mini sales at its Moscow stores on December 14 at 18:00 local time, with other stores to follow suit.

The Wi-Fi only version will debut in Russia this Friday, while the Wi-Fi + Cellular edition won't be available until a later date. Russian buyers will have to ante up 13,490 rubles ($440) for the 16GB version, $571 for the 32GB edition, and $702 for … Read more

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

Watch Siri open a garage door

Despite owning an iPhone 5 for several months, I find myself using Siri only when someone else wants to see how it works.

A video created by a Raspberry Pi enthusiast motivates me to learn about Siri's unadvertised side -- as a place where hackers can use special software to teach Apple's voice assistant new commands. One such person found a compelling use for the $35 Linux-based Pi and Siri: the ability to open a garage door with a push of a button and a simple spoken sentence. … Read more