Apple That

Despite recent rumors, Apple will not launch its much talked about Apple TV in 2012, at least that’s what analyst are saying. However, these same analysts are saying that an actual Apple TV is on its way and that the physical set could land in homes as early as 2014. Until then, though, we will have to rely on the great things set to come out of Apple’s set top box.

Mark Moskowitz, an analyst for J.P. Morgan, has noted that all of his research on the subject “does not indicate any looming TV-related product launch” from Apple. In addition to that, Moskowitz suggested that the “strained” economic conditions show that it would be unwise for Apple to release a television in 2012.

Moskowitz also says that there are plenty of other options currently available. According to Moskowitz, “We are not sure that the Apple premium could prevail in the TV market, unless there is a radical change of the user interface, integration of the TV programming and data content, and use of gesture or voice control.”

Apple is still viewed as the company that will “radically alter the TV landscape” according to J.P. Morgan, who also believes that Apple’s approach will be slower than most. Moskowitz also believes that Apple may very well expand Apple TV into “more of a set top box module”.

According to J.P. Morgan, “We believe Apple can design a smarter set top box to manage all components behind the end user’s TV experience, as well as eliminate the oft-cumbersome user interface provided by the cable and satellite operators.”

There is also talk of what new features could come to the Apple TV. Things like a universal remote control through Siri or gestures, advanced set top box capabilities, DVR capabilities and gaming console options are all distinct possibilities with any new type of Apple TV or set top box.

Source: PC World – Expect Apple TV in 2014, Analyst Says

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It’s finally happened. Apple has finally been knocked off the number one spot, at least as far as smartphones are concerned. According to recent reports, Samsung saw shipments of smartphones skyrocket over this same time last year, allowing the company to surpass Apple in worldwide mobile phone shipments. At the same time, Nokia saw its share drop significantly.

Samsung’s share in the global mobile phone market increased from 12.2% in the first quarter of 2011 to an astounding 30.6% in the first quarter of 2012. But just because it lost the number one spot doesn’t mean that Apple didn’t increase as well. The Cupertino company saw its share increase from an 18.1%  share (2011) to a 24.1% share (2012).

The entire market saw an increase too as overall global smartphone shipments increased 41% annually to total 145 million units in the first quarter of 2012. Apple and Samsung combined to account for over half of that number. According to Executive Director at Strategy Analytics Neil Mawston, “Samsung and Apple are outcompeting most of their major rivals and the smartphone market is at risk of becoming a two-horse race.”

Samsung’s growth is stemming from the company’s very successful Galaxy devices, as well as some other products. “Samsung’s global smartphone shipments rose 253% annually…as demand surged for its popular Galaxy models such as the Note, S2 and Y,” Strategy Analytics noted. Unfortunately, all this good news for Samsung and Apple means bad news for Nokia, who saw its shares drop heavily from 23.5% in the first quarter of 2011 to 8.2% in the first quarter of 2012.

Tom Kang, Director of Strategy Analytics, stated, “This is Nokia’s lowest market share level in the smartphone category since 2002. Nokia’s new Microsoft Lumia portfolio has recently gotten off to an encouraging start in the critical United States market, but shipments there are not yet large enough to offset the firm’s tumbling Symbian volumes in the rest of the world.”

The good news here for Apple is that they manage to remain near the top despite only having two smartphones, the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, on the market. Samsung, on the other hand, has a lot of different options for customers to choose from, which means that there is a greater chance for people to find a phone that fits them the best. I feel like as soon as the iPhone 5 drops, Apple will be right back on top.

Source: CNET – Samsung tops Apple in global mobile phone shipments

 

ChangeWave recently released some new data that revealed that 56% of the people that were polled that plan on buying a smartphone in the next 3 months have decided that they will choose to go with Apple’s newest handheld, the iPhone 4S. This is a 2% increase from the 54% who planned to buy an iPhone 4S in the poll that ChangeWave conducted back in December.

Apple has gained some substantial ground in the last three months while the company’s main rival, Samsung, remained at a constant 13% of consumers who said that they would pick a smartphone from Samsung. Motorola, on the other hand, saw a 1% decrease which drops them to 6%. Third place goes to HTC, which also stayed stagnant at 3% while BlackBerry managed to to increase 3% in the March survey.

The iPhone 4S saw an increase in demand in March when the device was the second-highest share ever tracked by ChangeWave. Consumer demand for the iPhone only saw higher numbers in a poll conducted back in September, just before the device was actually officially announced.

ChangeWave also released a survey back in December that found that the early purchasers of the iPhone 4S were generally happy with their purchase of the device. A total of 96% indicated that they were satsified. The iPhone 4 saw higher numbers with 93% indicating that they were satisfied after they received their device.

Apple’s most successful smartphone to ever launch was the iPhone 4S, which allowed Apple to have a record quarter in the holiday season of 2011. During that three month season, Apple sold an astounding 37 million iPhones with the high-end iPhone 4S  being the absolute most popular device.

What say you? Do you have an iPhone 4S? If you do, are you happy with it? Do you plan on buying an iPhone 4S in the next three months or are you holding out for the eventual release of the iPhone 5? I know one thing, if I decide to upgrade to an Apple smartphone, I will be waiting for the iPhone 5. There’s nothing worse than getting a brand new phone only to have the next installment coming out two months later.

Source: Apple Insider – Demand for Apple’s iPhone 4S continues to grow 6 months after launch

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Financial Chief for Sprint Joe Euteneuer recently squirmed around the idea of a 4G LTE iPhone coming to the wireless provider, marking the latest indication that the next generation of the iPhone will be shipped with the ultra-fast wireless connection provided by Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.

Euteneuer spoke to investors at a conference this week, though he didn’t say officially that such a device was headed for Sprint. What he did say was that the company has an agreement with Apple, similar to the one Apple has with AT&T and Verizon, which hinted that technology designed for those networks would also make its way to Sprint.

According to a statement by Euteneuer, “If you make the assumption that they launch a device at a similar time that they did last year, you’re basically done with the major markets. So I don’t think we are really disadvantaged at all.”

Sprint is currently smack dab in the middle of getting its very own 4G LTE service out to customers and plans on having the much faster wireless technology in as many as 10 cities by the end of June. Verizon currently has its 4G LTE service in 196 cities and 22 major airports with AT&T having the service in 28 cities. In addition to that AT&T counts its HSPA+ networks as “4G”.

Sprint last year became the most recent recipient of Apple’s coveted iPhone after the device initially launched on AT&T and then slowly moved to Verizon. Sprint committed to investing $20 billion for over 30 million handsets over the next few years, however, as part of that deal.

Apple is expected to include 4G LTE technology in its next iPhone, which is rumored to debut this fall. In addition to that, the company managed to debut its very first 4G LTE device, the iPad 3 (or The New iPad), earlier this month. The iPad 3 supported the 4G LTE networks of both AT&T and Verizon but not Sprint’s as it isn’t completely active yet.

Source: CNET – Sprint CFO hints at LTE iPhones in the future

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It’s official, the iPad 3 has been officially announced. Well, technically it’s called “The New iPad” but everybody is referring to it as the iPad 3 so, whatever. Regardless of whether you call it the iPad 3 or the new iPad, Apple’s latest tablet is breaking tremendous ground with its new innovations, technologies and popularity.

The iPad 3 boasts a lot of improvements and advancements over the iPad 2, one of which is an improved retina display. The iPad 3 claims to have four times as many pixels than the iPad 2 along with razor-sharp text and richer colors.

In addition to that, the new display is said to make everything look and feel more lifelike and detailed.While the actual screen isn’t any bigger, it has an increased resolution. The iPad 3 boasts a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution screen with 44% greater color saturation and an incredible 3.1 million pixels, all in the same 9.7″ screen.

The increase in graphics performance can be attributed to the iPad 3′s new dual-core A5X chip with quad-core graphics. Flash storage allows you to have instant on as well. No matter how long you need to use it, whether it’s a few minutes or a few hours, as soon as you hit the Home button or open the Smart Cover, your iPad 3 is ready to go.

With the increased graphics output, the quad-core graphics processors and the new A5X chipset, many people feared that the battery life of the iPad 3 would suffer. Quite the contrary, actually. Apple boasts that the iPad 3 still maintains a 10-hour battery life, just like the iPad 2.

The iPad 3 also comes equipped with a 5MP iSight camera, which features a backside illumination sensor capable of capturing high quality pictures no matter what your lighting situation is. The iSight camera also features autofocus, tap to focus and tap to set exposure functionality. Built-in face detection also automatically balances focus and exposure for as many as 10 individual faces.

Aside from taking crisp pictures, the iPad 3′s cameras are also capable of recording in full 1080p HD. You also get high video quality thanks to the iPad 3′s automatic video stabilization, meaning you never have to worry about remaining perfectly still for your entire video shoot.

What is probably one of the most impressive features is the iPad 3′s wireless capabilities. The new iPad incorporates cellular antennas that are capable of connecting to a larger frequency spectrum. This means that the iPad 3 is capable of connecting to WiFi as well as the 3G and 4G LTE connections provided by AT&T and Verizon.

However, lots of people are talking about the iPad 3′s Bluetooth 4.0 capabilities. This makes the iPad 3 the very first tablet in existence to incorporate Bluetooth 4.0 straight out of box, something that a lot of tech professionals are raving about.

Popularity for the device isn’t lacking either as the iPad 3 has already sold out of its first shipment with pre-orders racking up so fast that they are on a two to three week back order delay. The biggest thing I’m curious about is the name. Is it the iPad 3 or the new iPad? Apple’s website classifies it as the latter and it’s unclear what that could mean in the future.

There are currently six different versions of the iPad 3/The New iPad. You can get a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB WiFi only version for $499, $599 or $699, respectively, or a 16GB, 32GB or 64GB WiFi + 4G LTE version for $629, $729 or $829, respectively. The WiFi + 4G LTE versions, however, require a data plan from either Verizon or AT&T with prices for those plans starting at $30 per month. Both versions also come in either white or black colors.

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Want some more iPad 3 rumors? Of course you do, you’re on the internet! The onslaught of iPad 3 rumors hasn’t slowed one bit but this newest one may be the best one yet. According to anonymous sources, the iPad 3 will make its official debut at an event set to take place next week, which concurs with earlier rumors of a March 7 debut.CNBC was first with the story when they noted that the sources were very brief with their information and only stated that the iPad 3 will indeed have 4G LTE and be revealed next week. There are still quite a few things being kept under wraps, however. In addition to that, the sources mentioned that the device would have a quad-core processor, not a dual-core, and that Apple is reportedly giving hands-on time with the device at a New York event.

It was originally thought that the iPad 3 would ship with Apple’s quad-core A6 processor, though more recent information suggests that Apple may still go with a dual-core processor. Other details made their way to the internet about an Apple A5X chipset, which indicates a faster dual CPU core and upgraded GPU. However, evidence of both chips have been found in iOS 5.1 beta code.

Regardless, an upgraded GPU seems perfect for powering the new Retina Display screen and for the increased resolution. Even though the iPad 3 (for some reason) is still going to be the same 9.7″ size as its predecessor, it is believed to have a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution that should allow for smoother on-screen graphics and Full HD video.

Apple, naturally, has yet to confirm any of these speculations and rumors about the iPad 3 and its debut. However, almost everything “leaked” about the device is pointing to a debut date around March 7, which is next week, so keep your fingers crossed. Whether it’s in New York or San Francisco, the iPad 3 debut is sure to blow up the tech industry.

Source: Slash Gear – Quadcore iPad 3 LTE at NYC event next week tip sources

DVD Video Projectors are exactly what they sound like, a combination unit that combines a DVD media player with a video projector, cutting out the need for multiple pieces of electronics and wiring.

Apple just announced that the Fair Labor Association will be allowed to conduct special, voluntary audits of Apple’s final assembly suppliers. This includes companies like Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, at the bequest of Apple itself. A certified team of labor rights experts, led by FLA President Auret van Heerden, began the first inspections Monday morning at Foxconn City in Shenzhen.

According to CEO of Apple Tim Cook, “We believe that workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment, which is why we’ve asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers. The inspections now underway are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their report.”

The FLA, as a part of its assessment, will interview thousands of employees about working and living conditions, including health and safety, compensation, working hours and communication with management. The FLA’s team will go through manufacturing areas, dormitories and other facilities while also conducting an extensive review of documents related to procedures at all stages of employment.

Apple’s suppliers have agreed to give full cooperation to the FLA as well as unrestricted access to every aspect of their operations. Whatever the FLA finds and recommends from the first assessment will be made public in the beginning of March. Similar inspections will then be conducted at Quanta and Pegatron facilities in the spring. Once completed, the FLA’s assessments will have covered more than 90% of Apple’s suppliers.

Apple became the very first technology company admitted to the Fair Labor Association when it was approved back in January. The FLA conducts independent monitoring as well as verification to ensure that the FLA’s Workplace Standards are upheld wherever FLA company products are created.

Source: Engadget – Apple opens up inspection of its Foxconn plants to Fair Labor Association

Apple – Fair Labor Association Begins Inspections of Foxconn

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There are always rumors circulating about Apple products. The lastest one comes in the form of an iPod Nano rumor. The rumor claims that the 7th generation Nano will be coming with a camera. That rumor isn’t new, though it has picked up a lot of steam recently thanks to some new pictures that leaked on a Taiwanese Apple site.

The first hint of a camera on the new Nano broke last April and this rumor was promptly followed up in May when some more pics surfaced. In both cases the images came from Apple.pro, an Apple site based in Taiwan, and the site appears to have revealed even more pictures of the rumored device.

The pictures make it seem like the Nano will keep the smaller (crappier) size and shape which it has had for the past two generations with the inclusion of the camera that will protrude from the back of the Nano instead of being flush, like you would see on a smartphone.

The one thing that is unclear is if these pictures are of a scrapped prototype or an actual new generation of the iPod Nano. The other thing that is up in the air is whether or not people would want a camera on a device this small. I can’t see there being much desire for one, especially considering that the screen you would be viewing the pictures on would be extremely small.

Maybe if Apple had stuck with the older version of the Nano, the one that was still very slim but was equivalent to about 2.5 to 3 of the current Nanos stacked end-to-end then there would be reason for the camera. But considering the Nano is now basically a Shuffle with a screen, it doesn’t make much sense, at least that’s how I see it.

Source: Techno Buffalo – Camera-Equipped iPod Nano Photos Surface

MacRumors – New Photos of Camera-Equipped iPod Nano Casing Surface

Engadget – Supposed next-gen iPod Nano with camera leaks again, clip back in tow

Apple.pro (pic)

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Apple has just launched an all-new recycling plan that is designed to help you actually make money from your old iPhone, iPad, Mac or, surprisingly, your old Windows PC. Known as the Reuse and Recycling Programme, (no, that’s not a spelling error, that’s actually how Apple spells it), this scheme will be operated by Dataserv GmbH and will allow you to recycle your old or unwanted technology, if you live in the UK that is.

According to a message poster on Apple’s website, “Apple’s commitment to the environment includes finding the most efficient ways to reuse or recycle electronic equipment at the end of its useful life, including iPHone, iPad, Mac or PC computers, and displays from any manufacturer. You may even get some money for your old equipment.”

Getting started with the program is easy. All you have to do is go to the Reuse and Recycling Programme website and answer a small series of questions about the device you want to recycle. Once that is done, you will be given an estimate of the overall value of the device as well as a prepaid shipping label, compliments of Dataserv.

The message on the site also reads, “Whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC computer, working or not, we’ll take it and determine if it qualifies for reuse and has a monetary value. If it does, the amount will be credited directly into your bank account. If it doesn’t, you can recycle it responsibly through one of our free recycling programmes.”

After your device has been valued, you can send Dataserv the device, where it will be verified upon receipt. Once that happens, the value you were given for the recycled device will be directly deposited into your bank account. In addition to the aforementioned devices, you can also recycle old iPods and mobile phones via Apple.

Source: PC World – Apple Launches Recycling Program for iPhones, iPads, Macs and PCs in the UK

DVD Video Projectors are exactly what they sound like, a combination unit that combines a DVD media player with a video projector, cutting out the need for multiple pieces of electronics and wiring.

If you are really into collecting things like action figures, you may want to listen up. It has recently been discovered that a completely unauthorized replica of the late Steve Jobs is planned by Chinese manufacturer InIcon. The figure is extremely lifelike and will be a highly collectible product that includes the former Apple co-founder and CEO’s signature black turtleneck, rimless glasses and jeans.

The figure, which stands 1 foot tall, will also come with a stool and a backdrop that reads “One More Thing…”, a reference to the trademark phrase Jobs would use to unveil Apple’s latest product at the carefully orchestrated press releases that Apple is famous for.

If you don’t think that this is going to be a popular product then think again. The sheer amount of traffic that hit the company’s website today was enough to slow the site to a crawl which just goes to show you that anything related to Apple or Steve Jobs is destined to sell. The interesting part is that it is still uncertain as to whether or not this product will actually ever make it to store shelves.

Apple’s lawyers, famous for their fierceness, are reportedly completely aware of the product with most of them taking issue with InIcon’s appropriation of Jobs’ likeness. According to a statement released by Apple’s lawyers, “Mr. Jobs has not consented to the use of his name and/or image in the product.”

Well, good luck getting that. InIcon has not responded to any requests for information on the product from multiple media outlets. In addition to the figure, the company has planned an entire cornucopia of accessories for the figure, including two apples (one with a bite taken out) and three pairs of hands.

A note on the company website states that the pictures seen are only of prototypes with the final appearance and colors subject to variation. In addition, the mini Mac, iPhone and iPad seen in the pictures will not be available. If released, the figure will cost $99.99, although InIcon has already stopped pre-orders for the product which is set to debut in February.

Source: Fox News – Incredibly Lifelike Steve Jobs Action Figure Due in Feb.

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