Apple

New iPhone, iPad, and 'iTV' slated for first half of 2013?

Apple's product line could be getting a major makeover early next year, a new report claims.

The company plans to launch a new iPhone, iPad, and "iTV" device by the middle of next year, China Times is reporting today, citing unidentified industry sources. The new smartphone will be called the "iPhone 5S," according to the outlet's sources.

Apple has used the "S" at the end of a number of recent iPhone updates. The iPhone 3GS, like the iPhone 4S, came with the same design as their predecessors, but delivered internal components that … Read more

iPad Mini ads play up tablet as e-book reader and photo viewer

The iPad Mini is the star of two new TV ads that also promote Apple's iBooks and iPhoto apps.

Both ads speak nary a word and rely just on visuals and music to convey their message.

With a piano jauntily playing in the background, the first spot displays a Mini and a full-sized iPad side-by-side as someone taps and swipes through iBooks to scour the bookshelves, open various books, and page through one of the books.

Accompanied by a jazzy rendition of "Two of a Kind" by Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer, the second ad features a person browsing a library of photos … Read more

China Telecom snags iPhone 5 for late 2012 launch

China Telecom, that country's third-largest carrier, will start offering the iPhone 5 soon.

Apple's iPhone 5 is currently not available in China, but has been rumored to be coming to China Telecom for some time. According to the Wall Street Journal, which interviewed China Telecom chairman Wang Xiaochu today, the carrier will start selling Apple's handset in late November or early December.

China Telecom's competitor, China Unicom, announced in September that it too would be selling the iPhone 5. That company said that it would make the handset available around the end of the year. According … Read more

In your FaceTime: Apple gets sued by VirnetX -- again

VirnetX, which has already won $368.2 million in damages, isn't quite done with Apple.

The patent holding and security software company, which earlier this week won an earlier suit against Apple in a Texas court, has now slapped the electronics giant with a new lawsuit. As in the prior complaint, VirnetX is accusing Apple of infringing four of its networking patents through the use of FaceTime.

Those patents, Nos. 6,502,135, 7,418,504, 7,921,211 and 7,490,151, cover advancements for secure communication over the Internet. That includes technology for creating a virtual private … Read more

AT&T shaves $100 off iPad with two-year contract

Those of you interested in a 3G or 4G iPad can score $100 off the full price, but you'll have to pony up the monthly costs for a two-year contract with AT&T.

The carrier is selling both new and refurbished versions of the iPad 2 and the third-gen iPad. For example, a new third-gen Wi-Fi + 4G LTE model with 16GB of storage sells for $479, down from the regular price of $579. A refurbished edition of the same model goes for $429. Meanwhile, a new iPad 2 with Wi-Fi + 3G and 64GB of storage will cost you $… Read more

Evernote cleans house with its latest iOS app

iPhone and iPad owners who use Evernote will find tasks easier and quicker to perform in the latest version.

Out today, Evernote 5 for iOS kicks off with a revamped home screen. Acting as a virtual file folder, the new screen provides one-tap access to key areas, such as Places, Tags, Notebooks, and All Notes. Using the Quick Note buttons at the top of the screen, you can create a new note, snap a photo, or scan a physical document with your device's camera.

Tapping on the All Notes view displays your notes as virtual index cards, so you … Read more

Apple falls out of China's top 5 smartphone makers

Apple dropped off the top five smartphone vendors in China in the third quarter, edged out by local low-cost smartphone player Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific, which made its debut at third place.

Citing research from Canalys, a Computerworld article yesterday reported that Apple had dropped out of its fifth placing to sixth during the third quarter. Apple's shipment share in the Chinese smartphone market dropped to 8 percent, from 9 percent in the previous quarter.

Samsung remained the top smartphone vendor in China with 14 percent share in terms of shipment, while Lenovo held on to second with 13 … Read more

Apple patent could transform headphones into loudspeakers

Apple has cooked up a design for headphones that can also serve as external loudspeakers.

A patent filed today with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office describes a "dual-mode headphone" that could deliver sound whether you wear them around your ears or place them on a surface, according to Patently Apple.

The headphones would include circuitry to detect their position. They'd sense when they're around or near your ears so that you're not blown away by the sound.

A built-in amplifier would pipe up the audio to deliver higher output when the headphones are … Read more

Galaxy S3 claims top spot in smartphones worldwide

The latest statistics from research firm Strategy Analytics peg Samsung's Galaxy S3 as the world's most popular smartphone model, holding 10.7 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter.

According to the research firm, Apple's iPhone 4S was relegated to a close second place with 9.7 percent of the market after two years at the top of the list, while the iPhone 5 held just 3.6 percent of the global share.

According to the figures, Samsung shipped 18 million Galaxy S3 units in the third quarter, up from 5.4 million in … Read more