apple

The iTunes Store turns 10: It's Apple's empire to lose

THE SPRING OF 2003. Apple was still in the early stages of what became one of the biggest comebacks in the history of business. Steve Jobs, who had returned to the company six years earlier, had already taken bold steps: He had killed off product lines, won Apple great attention with its colorful iMacs, and begun to open retail stores that -- given the lousy, post-tech bubble economy -- seemed like a crazy idea.

Yet sales of personal computers -- and the Mac was Apple's mainstay product -- weren't budging. It was a Windows world, and it sure … Read more

Apple boosts R&D spending

Apple is increasing its research and development spending and is now at 3 percent of revenue compared with 2 percent in recent years.

The R&D spending was detailed in Apple's quarterly 10-Q filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. As Apple's sales have ramped, the company hasn't been able to increase its R&D spending. As a result, Apple's R&D spending as a percentage of revenue was in line with what Dell and Hewlett-Packard spend.

Apple CEO Tim Cook obviously sees the discrepancy. He should, since Cook was a former IBMer. … Read more

iPad tops in satisfaction among tablet owners

Owners of Apple's iPad are the most satisfied among all tablet owners, says J.D. Power.

In a poll of 1,857 tablet users for Volume One of J.D. Power's "2013 U.S. Tablet Satisfaction Study," the iPad rated the highest with a score of 836 out of 1,000, outpacing Amazon's Kindle Fire with a ranking of 829.

Conducted in February and released Thursday, the study was aimed at tablet users who have owned their device for a year or less. Customer satisfaction was measured based on the five following factors in order … Read more

Apple faces $118K fine in China for copyright breach

Apple will have to compensate three Chinese writers for infringing their copyright rights when it sold their books online without first seeking permission.

A China Daily report stated the Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court ruled in favor of the authors, and Apple will have to pay them in excess of 730,000 yuan (US$118,000) for the infringement. Apple had not gotten permission before selling their books on the Apple App Store, it noted.

The presiding judge, Feng Gang, said Apple has the duty of checking whether the books uploaded by third-party providers are in line with … Read more

Apple envisions ways to find and start your car with your iPhone

Those of us who can never find our cars in a crowded parking garage may one day get a helping hand from Apple.

Published Thursday by the U.S. Trade and Patent Office, an Apple patent application called "Method for locating a vehicle" describes a technology in which your mobile device can talk to your car through a Bluetooth connection to confirm that it's parked somewhere nearby. The parking garage itself would also have its own wireless system to pinpoint the exact location of your car.

A map would then display on your phone to lead you … Read more

Apple to open first Berlin store on May 3

Apple's plans to increase the number of retail stores it operates around the world are in full swing in Germany.

The company posted to its German site today that its first store in Berlin will officially open its doors on May 3. Oddly, Apple will open the store at 5 p.m. local time, rather than in the morning, as it has in previous store openings.

The Berlin Apple Store will be open from 10 a.m. local time to 8 p.m. local time Monday through Saturday. It'll be closed on Sunday.

(Via 9to5 Mac)

Apple to award 150 free WWDC tickets to student programmers

Students who impress Apple by creating their own app have a chance at attending this year's Worldwide Developers Conference for free.

Apple's WWDC 2013 scholarship will reward 150 winners with one free ticket apiece to join the conference, which runs from June 10 to June 14 in San Francisco. To qualify, you must be a full-time or part-time student, 13 years or older, and a current member of Apple's iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer University Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or Mac Developer Program.

Assuming you meet those qualifications, what's your homework assignment to score a … Read more

Windows 8 tablets hit 3 million shipped in first quarter

Microsoft and its partners have cracked the tablet market, according to a report from Strategy Analytics.

Windows 8 tablets (which include Windows RT) took 7.5 percent of the global tablet market based on operating system (OS) market share in the first quarter, Strategy Analytics said.

PC makers (including Microsoft) shipped 3.4 million units worldwide in Q1 2013, "for a niche 7.5 percent share," Neil Shah, a Strategy Analytics analyst, said in a response to an e-mail query.

But the market research firm said things could have been better.

"Very limited distribution, a shortage of … Read more

Apple releases revised plans for its 'spaceship' headquarters

As Apple waits for the city of Cupertino, Calif., to give the final thumbs-up for the design of its new spaceshiplike headquarters, the company has been tinkering with the details.

Cupertino published the software giant's project update for the headquarters on the city Web site on Wednesday. Included in the documents are the project description, site and landscaping plans, floor plans, renderings, and a bicycle plan.

While a ton of information was submitted, it appears that the basic essentials haven't changed too much. The building still looks like a circular spaceship; in fact, many of the renderings in … Read more

Seven questions about Amazon's mystery streaming box

Is there a Kindle TV box on the horizon?

According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the answer is yes. Amazon is said to be readying its own streaming-TV box to take on the likes of the Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation -- and every TV manufacturer that now builds smart-TV apps like Netflix and Vudu directly into televisions.

The Seattle-based e-tailer already has an ambitious home video strategy. Amazon Prime customers get thousands of free movies and TV shows (in addition to free shipping of real-world goods) with the $79-per-year membership, and the company is ramping up production of original series as … Read more