Apple

What’s the Most Helpful App You’ve Ever Used?

After my anti-texting screed last weekend, I came learn of and appreciate the wonders of MightyText, which is proving to wonderful. In this smartphone age, apps really do have the power to drastically affect (certain parts of) our lives. https://gizmodo.com/why-i-never-want-to-get-a-text-message-ever-again-5953565 So what app has improved the quality of your digital life the most, be it…

This Is How Thieves Will Snatch Your Phone On the Train

You already know that smartphone theft is becoming super common. This is exactly how it happens. https://gizmodo.com/hold-on-tight-smartphone-mugging-is-more-popular-than-5953494 This robbery happened on a subway in Hungary a few days ago. Apparently the thief there was being filmed because he was acting a little weird, and the camera-person thought there might be some funny business ahead. Unfortunately,…

Don’t Buy an iPhone 5 Dock Because It’s a Chinese Scam

Apple doesn’t make a standup dock for the iPhone 5, which sucks. Normally we’d turn to our friends in China to do what Apple can’t (or won’t), but in this case, no: purported Lightning docks are complete broken fakery. Our connector maven pal Peter from Double Helix Cables just got a copy of a purported…

Samsung now ships two smartphones for every iPhone Apple sells. [Register]

Apple Already Sold Out of the White iPad Mini

Apple started pre-orders for the iPad Mini at 3AM ET. It’s already outta initial stock of White iPad Minis, with shipping times having now slipped by 2 weeks from the original “Delivers 11/2” promise. The black Wi-Fi iPad mini remains available for delivery by November 2nd. For now. https://gizmodo.com/you-can-pre-order-the-ipad-mini-right-now-5955114 It’s tough to say whether the…

Apple Posts Its Apology to Samsung Online, in Arial

Last week Apple lost an appeal against a UK High Court of Justice ruling, and was told to post a public apology to Samsung. In Arial. Now it’s popped up online. https://gizmodo.com/apple-forced-to-run-public-apology-in-14pt-arial-5952790 The apology isn’t a friendly “sorry I screwed up”, but a rather long, dull passage of legalese. No surprise, really, but it is…

You Can Pre-Order the iPad Mini Right Now

iPad Mini pre-orders just went live on the Apple Store so if you want to skip the chaos of lines and launch day zealots, it’s probably a good idea to head over to Apple.com to place your order. Whip out that credit card and you’ll be shipped a new iPad Mini by November 2nd. If…

Tim Cook: “We Would Never Make a 7-Inch Tablet”

Moments ago in Apple’s earnings call, Tim Cook uttered something that is, frankly, stunning in its obliviousness: Let me be clear. We would not make one of the seven-inch tablets. We don’t think they’re good products, and we would never make one. Not just because it’s seven inches but for many reasons. One of the…

Who Wouldn’t Want a Flying Car That Floats?

So, Tim Cook just dropped what he thought was an “Oh, snap!” worthy diss on Microsoft Surface, saying, “I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats, but I don’t think it would do all of those things very well.” But wait. https://gizmodo.com/tim-cook-says-surface-is-a-dumb-idea-5955035 One might just as easily say, “You could build a…

Tim Cook Says Surface Is a Dumb Idea*

*Not verbatim, but pretty much. During Apple’s quarterly earnings call, Cook just dissed Microsoft’s new kinda-tablet-kinda-computer thing. “I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats,” Mr. Cook quipped. That’s sarcasm. Mean, corporate sarcasm! https://gizmodo.com/apple-earns-8-2-billion-by-selling-nearly-30-million-i-5955007 Cook also referred to the device as “compromised” and “confusing” when asked by an investor what he thought…

Is Your iMessage Busted?

It appears that there is a large iMessage outage across iOS devices right now. iMessages will not send. Red alert! We’re noticing problems on our iPhones in the office. It’s pretty annoying that this seems to be happening all frequently for one reason or another. Is your iMessage working? And if not, how are you…

Apple Earns $8.2 Billion by Selling Nearly 30 Million iPhones, 14 Million iPads, and a Couple of iPods

At least someone made money today. Apple reported earnings of $8.2 billion on $36 billion in sales today, buoyed by strong acceptance of the iPhone 5 and the total lack of public interest in any tablet that’s not an iPad. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-somehow-lost-274-million-selling-13-8-billion-5954990 While Apple didn’t break out how many of each kind of iPhone it sold,…

Bloomberg: Apple’s Pandora-Killing Internet Radio Service Is Coming Early Next Year

Bloomberg reports that Apple is currently negotiating licensing deals with record labels in hopes that it can launch an Internet radio service “within the first three months of 2013.” The service would be a formidable competitor to Pandora. The report cites unnamed music industry sources that would seem confirm Apple’s long-rumored internet radio plans. As…

Is It Immoral to Own an iPhone 5?

So many things are made in China: DVD players, handbags, adorable shoes, kitchen gadgets, watches, t-shirts, laptops, and more. Some of them are made in happy, shiny factories. Some are born out of deplorable labor conditions that ruin and cost lives. We usually don’t know which. But it’s different with Apple and its widely publicized…

How Cramped Must This iPad Mini Bluetooth Keyboard Be?

If you’re using a touchscreen device for any kind of serious work, a physical keyboard is a must-have accessory. It’s no different for the new iPad mini, although at just 7.78-inches wide when used in landscape mode, this new Bluetooth keyboard case from Zagg is probably going to feel a little cramped. In comparison, the…

The iPad Mini Screen Sucks Compared to the Competition

Look at this size and pixel comparison between the iPad Mini and its competitors. It clearly shows that its screen real estate is inferior to the Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD and Nook HD. The screen may have a bigger physical size, but the lower pixel counts means you will see less stuff on the…

13-Inch Retina MacBook Pro Teardown: At Least the Battery Comes Out!

iFixit just finished a teardown of Apple’s new 13-inch retina MacBook Pro, and the findings are a mixed bag of good and bad news for folks who like to fix their own gear. Compared to the 15-inch retina MBP, the smaller model should be marginally easier to tinker with. But it’s still pretty much impossible…

Conan Uncovers the Real Reason You Want an iPad Mini

Once again Conan O’Brien successfully circumvents Apple’s reality distortion field with an updated version of the new iPad mini commercial that reveals the real reason you’re probably going to pre-order it tomorrow. Hint: it has nothing to do with the smaller form factor, but everything to do with the empty void in your sad life.…

Latest 12W iPad Charger Will Charge Older iPads Quicker

Alongside the iPad Mini launch the other day, Apple quietly rolled out a meatier, 12-watt power adapter. Turns out it will charge all the old iPads iterations quicker. Apple has confirmed to 9to5mac that the new 12W iPad power adapter will charge old iPads quicker than the older 10W adapters. Apple explained: “We don’t have…

What the Hell Is a Crystal Dust Plug for Your Phone?

I know a lot of people like to throw on a lot of trinkets and flair and pizazz on your phone but would people really use this crystal dust plug? It’s a little cubic zirconia diamond that plugs into your phone’s headphone jack to add some bling and presumably protect the interior of your headphone…