Apple

Apple and Samsung -- the odd couple of the tech world

Apple and Samsung are arch-rivals in the mobile market and in the courtroom but they still need each other to do business.

A story from Monday's Wall Street Journal highlights the co-dependency between the two competitors, pointing out that neither company can truly afford to upset that tenuous fruit cart.

Apple reportedly reached an agreement last month to shift more of its chip production away from Samsung in favor of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). The deal was described by DigiTimes as one "whereby TSMC replaces or supplements Samsung, the incumbent supplier of Apple processors." In recent, … Read more

Don't buy a new PC or Mac before you read this

While summer break has just started for students across the country, that means that the all-important back-to-school shopping season is not far behind. And with it comes a flood of new or updated systems -- everything from traditional laptops and desktops to tablets and hybrids.

But before swiping your credit card on a new ultrabook, all-in-one, or convertible, you're going to want to dive a little deeper into the spec sheets. That's because the latest Intel CPU upgrade -- code named Haswell, but officially known as "fourth-generation Core i series" -- is offering significant battery life … Read more

Rumor Has It: How much better will the iPhone 5S' better camera be?

Last week, Facebook announced video capabilities for Instagram, which nobody was surprised about. But I was a little surprised that the presentation ended with that. I was sure that the company would also announce its answer to Google Reader. Lo and behold, recent rumors suggest that Facebook still has a Reader of its own up its sleeve.

Google could be working its own version of Pinterest, called Google Mine. It would be integrated with Google+, and it could have its own Android app. Of course!

And finally, there's that little gleaming unicorn that everyone is speculating about, the iPhone 5S. Recent rumors suggest that it'll have a boosted camera, jumping 12 megapixels from the iPhone 5's 8. What do you think of those specs? Does it sound likely? Leave a comment below, and don't forget to vote in the poll!

iPhone 5 sees mixed demand, says analyst

The iPhone 5 may not be quite as hot as its precedessors, at least according to a new report from Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron.

In an investors note out Tuesday, Kidron cited retail checks that indicate "steady demand for the iPhone 4/4S and mixed demand for the iPhone 5." And the analyst predicts the trend will continue. As a result, he now expects iPhone sales of 26 million for the current quarter, down from his prior forecast of 27 million.

The September quarter may also be a bit dicey. Though Kidron still believes a new iPhone will … Read more

Samsung scores another win versus Apple, this time in Japan

Score one for Samsung in the company's long-running patent battles with Apple.

A Japanese high court upheld a lower court ruling that Samsung did not infringe on an Apple patent related to synchronizing music and video on Galaxy smartphones and tablets with servers, according to a report from Bloomberg.

The Intellectual Property High Court in Tokyo backed an August decision by Tokyo District Court that Samsung's mobile devices don't infringe on Apple technology. Following that ruling, Apple filed paperwork in October to appeal the decision.

Samsung gave us the following statement:

We welcome the court's decision, … Read more

Apple's patent win over Mirror Worlds stays intact

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Mirror Worlds' appeal of an Apple victory in a patent case, putting to rest the long-running dispute.

The nation's highest court said on its site that it has denied Mirror World's request that it consider the case related to software patents for features such as Apple's Cover Flow.

Mirror Worlds was founded by Yale University computer-science Professor David Gelernter. In a 2008 lawsuit, the company accused Apple of infringing on its patents with its Mac OS X operating systems going back to 10.4 "Tiger," … Read more

Apple to cut iPhone orders for rest of year, claims analyst

Apple may trim its iPhone build orders for the rest of 2013, at least according to a new report from analyst Peter Misek.

In an investors note released Sunday, Misek said Apple has already revised its build plans. iPhone orders for the calendar third quarter will be cut to 25 million to 30 million from 40 million to 45 million previously. And orders for the fourth quarter will drop to 50 million to 55 million from 60 million to 65 million.

Why the downturn? The analyst cited a few reasons, mostly notably iPhone inventory checks at the stores of three … Read more

Apple wins patent case against Samsung in Japan

A Tokyo court has ruled that Samsung infringed on Apple's patent covering a "bounce-back" feature used on the latter's smartphones and tablets.

Reuters reported Friday that Apple had alleged Samsung copied its "bounce-back" function, in which icons on smartphones and tablets quiver back when users scroll to the end of an electronic document. Samsung has already changed its interface on recent models to show a blue line at the end of documents, the report noted.

The court's decision comes after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in April said Apple's patent … Read more

At long last, Apple's iPhone 5 comes to Virgin Mobile

Apple's iPhone 5 is on its way to Virgin Mobile, the carrier announced Friday.

Starting on June 28, customers will be able to buy the white or black iPhone 5 on Virgin Mobile's Web site, at the company's dealers, and at RadioShack. The 16GB model will set customers back $549.99, while the 32GB and 64GB options will be available for $649.99 and $749.99, respectively.

Rumors have been circulating for months that Apple was planning to bring its iPhone 5 to Virgin Mobile. In October, in fact, rumors had suggested that the iPhone 5 would come to the prepaid Virgin Mobile unit … Read more

Apple: E-book pricing verdict could have 'chilling effect'

NEW YORK -- Apple warned that a guilty verdict in its e-book price-fixing case could have a negative impact on how digital media deals are negotiated in the U.S, the company said Thursday in its closing arguments.

But the U.S. Department of Justice, which initially sued Apple and a handful of the nation's largest publishers early last year, said Apple and the publishers had two objectives when making their deals: raise e-book prices and restrain retail price competition to hurt Amazon.

Declaring that Apple violated antitrust laws and served as the ringleader in a conspiracy to change … Read more