Apple

Pentagon said to give Apple, Samsung devices security okay

Both Apple and Samsung have been in ongoing talks with the Department of Defense to bring their devices to the agency's employees, and now it looks like approval for device security is finally around the corner.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Defense Department reportedly plans to give security approval for Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and Apple's iPhones and iPads within the next few weeks.

The Defense Information Systems Agency, which rules what commercial technology the Pentagon can use, will decide within the next two weeks whether to accept Samsung's Galaxy smartphones loaded with Knox security … Read more

Apple remains tablet king, but Samsung climbs

The tablet market has grown by more than 140 percent over the course of a year, with Apple continuing to reign as the No. 1 provider of tablets, according to a report published Wednesday by IDC.

That means Apple shipped 19.5 million of the 49.2 million tablets shipped worldwide during this past three-month quarter. Samsung, in comparison, shipped 8.8 million tablets, but it's a figure that's grown more than 280 percent since last year. Asus shipped 2.7 million tablets, thanks to the Nexus 7, and Kindle maker Amazon shipped 1.8 million tablets. Microsoft … Read more

Larger-screen iPhone to launch in 2014 -- analyst

Apple launched the larger-screen iPhone 5 last year, but the company isn't done upping smartphone display sizes, according to one analyst.

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek wrote in a note to investors recently that he believes Apple's iPhone 6 will launch next year with a larger screen. According to the Canada-based Financial Post, which obtained a copy of the note, Misek didn't say exactly how big the screen size will be but said this year's launch -- the iPhone 5S -- will come with the same 4-inch display as its predecessor.

It would make sense that Apple … Read more

Original iPhone reportedly to be obsolete on June 11

The original iPhone will soon leave its current "vintage" status and become an obsolete product in Apple's eyes, according to an internal document seen by blog site 9to5 Mac.

This change is slated to happen on June 11, 2013, which means that on this date people with the original iPhone will no longer be able to get it repaired or otherwise serviced.

The change will take place for consumers in the Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America regions, and in Apple's retail stores, according to the document, but the original iPhone will remain in vintage status for … Read more

Flipboard, now with 56M users, looks for ways to make money

Flipboard is posting pretty rapid growth, and it's looking for new ways to generate revenue for itself, partners, and users, the company's CEO said.

Mike McCue, speaking Monday at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York, said the company has added 6 million new users since launching an update to its popular news-reading app a month ago.

Flipboard in late March launched version 2.0 of its iOS app that allows readers to become magazine publishers. Instead of just reading content, users can now create personalized periodicals curated from a variety of Web content from around the world. … Read more

OS X 10.9 to add more 'power user' features -- report

Apple's next desktop operating system launch, which is slated for later this year, will come with few visual enhancements, but a host of improvements for so-called power users, according to a new report.

The folks over at 9to5Mac on Monday said that they have sources with knowledge of Apple's plans who claim that the core design and functions of the new operating system, OS X 10.9 and code-named Cabernet, will remain the same. One of the biggest improvements, however, will be how the Finder application works. That application, which allows users to access files across the operating … Read more

Apple, Samsung's next critical play: Affordable smartphones

If Apple and Samsung want to see their stock prices rise higher, their smartphone prices will have to fall lower.

Both companies have established a dominant position in the wireless industry thanks to their buzzworthy, feature-packed, and polished flagship smartphones. The iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3 (soon to be displaced by the Galaxy S4) reign atop the sales charts, allowing the two to control more than half the smartphone market and virtually all of the profits.

But a look at both of their most recent financial results show that dominating the high-end smartphone market is no longer enough to … 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 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 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