mini

2-in-1 iPhone Lightning cable inspired by Transformers

Cable clutter is the bane of gadget hounds everywhere. If you can find a way to ditch a cable, it's a beautiful thing. I guess that makes the Orobis Transform cable a beautiful thing. It combines an Apple Lightning connector with a Micro-USB connector leading to a standard USB connector on the other end.

The idea of a 2-in-1 cable isn't new. What's cool is how the Transform handles it. Inspired by the Transformers, the Lightning part of the cable fits over the Micro-USB part. To expose the Micro-USB, you slide a small latch, fold it over, and plug it in. It's cute and functional.… Read more

iPhone Mini launch this summer makes sense, analyst says

A low-priced iPhone makes a lot of sense, Morgan Stanley says, and it even could hit the market this summer.

Katy Huberty, an analyst with the banking firm, noted that after her meetings with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, she's convinced that innovation remains a top priority for the Cupertino, Calif., electronics giant. She also believes that Apple will increase cash return to shareholders and expand carriers, distribution, and possibly price points to drive iPhone growth.

She noted that a lower priced iPhone makes sense for several reasons:

"iPad Mini is expanding Apple's customer base with … Read more

Images of alleged Retina iPad Mini appear on Chinese forum

Photos posted to a Chinese Internet forum of what appears to be the back casing of a future iPad Mini are leading some to speculate that the next version of Apple's smaller tablet may have a Retina display.

On the forum, the images show what seems to be an iPad Mini rear casing with a blue Apple logo and the word "iPad" in blue. Current iPad Minis, Apple Insider points out, have either black or silver detailing.

But the photos also seem to show that the casing is thicker than the one used for the current-generation iPad … Read more

Apple's iPad Mini 'in stock' in several countries' online stores

Supply has finally caught up with demand for Apple's iPad Mini.

Rather than days long lag time for the device, the company's online stores in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other countries are now showing that all models of the iPad Mini are "in stock" and ready to ship.

Apple's 7-inch tablet went on sale last fall. Its thin and light design is more book-like than the larger iPad, while its cameras, storage capacities, optional LTE antenna, and general functionality are said to offer a full iPad experience.

Since the tablet's launch, the … Read more

Apple could unveil iPhone Mini this summer, says analyst

An iPhone Mini priced at $330 in China would provide a healthy shot in the arm to Apple's Chinese smartphone sales, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty.

A low-priced iPhone would add another 20 percent to the 10 percent Chinese market share currently addressed by the iPhone 5, the analyst said today. Smartphone prices are starting to stabilize in China, which will open up the market for such a phone. But a deal with China Mobile is also key.

Apple currently sells the iPhone to Chinese consumers through China Unicom and China Telecom. The company has been trying … Read more

Asia chatter predicts increase in cost of Retina iPad Mini

Chatter in Asia has it that the total cost of the iPad Mini could increase by almost a third -- though no word on whether that would impact price.

Commentary in Digitimes, which is close to the chain of component suppliers in Asia, said the jump to a Retina screen means adding costly display components.

If iPad mini adopts the Retina display, the dots per inch (DPI) will be higher and the brightness of the backlight modules will have to improve. This also means the number of LEDs used will...[increase the total cost] by more than 30% if it … Read more

Future PCs threat to Apple? Yes, says Citibank analyst

Apple's "limited innovation" in tablets this year will make it vulnerable to newfangled PCs -- so says a Citibank analyst.

Yes, you heard that right, PCs. While financial analysts write lots of research notes about Apple every week, this one from Citibank analyst Glen Yeung -- sent out early in the week -- got my attention.

We believe Apple will launch an iPad Mini Retina and a thinner/lighter iPad5 (both likely sporting newer processors) in 3Q13...iPad innovation of this nature is insufficient to reverse share loss.

Whereas we see limited innovation in tablets in 2H13, … Read more

Free iPad apps (February 2013)

There are a ton of great iPad apps out there, priced 99 cents and up, that are worth every penny.

But you know how it is. Sometime you catch yourself browsing the App Store for some free app that can offer some momentary entertainment.

Apple keeps a running tally of its most popular free iPad apps over on iTunes, which is updated constantly to reflect current trends. At our request, we asked Apple to provide us with a list of the Top 5 most popular apps based on their most recent weekly totals.

The following CNET Top 5 video recounts … Read more

JavaScript expert: WebKit, get your bug-ridden house in order

It was a good day for the WebKit browser engine yesterday when Opera Software adopted it in place of its in-house Presto. But yesterday's developments also became an opportunity for a high-profile JavaScript programmer to lodge criticisms about WebKit.

"Each release of Chrome or Safari generates excitement about new bleeding-edge features; nobody seems to worry about the stuff that's already (still!) broken," complained Dave Methvin, president of the jQuery foundation and a member of the core programming team that builds the widely used Web programming tool, in a blog post.

"jQuery Core has more lines … Read more