Apple

Apple and Google Spent More Money on Legal Fees Than R&D Last Year (And Google Apparently Thinks Apple Wants It That Way)

We’ve said it on multiple occasions: The American patent system is fucked. And a sprawling feature appearing in today’s NY Times—collecting years worth of tech-related patent tragedies and follies—only makes that fact more apparent. But it wasn’t just recapping old news; the Times put forth a couple of tidbits, which, if true, are a bit…

This Is What It Looks Like When You Print iPhone Photos the Old Fashioned Way

This photograph by Adam Rhoades looks like a haphazardly developed still pulled from a 1950’s snuff film. But it’s not that at all. It was taken from an iPhone and printed using an old-fashioned photo enlarger. Rhoades developed a “Digital Darkroom” technique for funneling the light from iPhone’s display to through an enlarger and using…

The More I Look at It, the More I Want a Color iPad Mini

I like both the black iPad Mini and the 2001 Space Odyssey prop white model. But the more I look at the color ones, like the neat red one above, the more I think they make sense. And the more I want them. https://gizmodo.com/the-ipad-mini-could-look-absolutely-stunning-5948913 It’s purely speculative at this point, but there are several reasons…

That overpriced, locked down, long-delayed 30-pin-to-lighting adapter is finally shipping. Sorry, still $30. [MacRumors]

WSJ: Apple Has Ordered 10 Million iPad Minis From Chinese Suppliers

As excitement surrounding the launch of an iPad Mini grows, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple isn’t taking any chances when it comes to supplies: component manufacturers have told the newspaper that it’s ordered a staggering 10 million units for delivery in the fourth quarter. To put that in perspective, the suppliers have pointed…

We Didn’t Learn a Thing From Microsoft’s Monopolization

People shouted and screamed and stomped their feet over the fact that Microsoft bundled a browser with an OS. Clearly, we haven’t learnt a thing. XKCD hits the nail on the head today, and the mouse-over text is too good to not reproduce: “Facebook, Apple, and Google all got away with their monopolist power grabs…

Apple’s Official iPhone 5 Camera Fix: Take a Different Picture

We’d seen previously how Apple customer support handled complaints about a weird purple lens flare that shows up on certain iPhone 5 camera shots. But the problem’s apparently become so widespread that the company has issued a general proclamation in its support pages. https://gizmodo.com/apple-acknowledges-iphone-5-camera-problem-says-youre-5947972 Yep. You’re holding it wrong. Apple’s explanation of the problem, and…

Foxconn Denies Strikes, Says Everything Is Going Just Fine

Yesterday, reports came in that around 4,000 over-worked and under-paid Foxconn employees began to strike, potentially hitching up iPhone 5 production, the stresses of which had pushed them to the breaking point. According Foxconn, however, everything at the plant in question is just peachy. https://gizmodo.com/foxconn-workers-on-strike-after-iphone-5-starts-brawls-5949406 The Foxconn Technology Group put it this way in a…

Turn Your Passbook Into a Time Machine with These Historical Tickets

If you’ve got an iPhone, and your Passbook app has been sitting lonely and unused, there’s a short-term solution to the problem; fill it out with some gag tickets. Flon Solutions has a whole bunch of fake tickets, spanning all kinds of different events. You can pick one up from famous flights, posing as pilots…

Is There an Updated, Faster Version of the iPad 3 Coming?

This is interesting. MacRumors reports that an iOS developer found a new, unknown iPad device showing up in his app analytics. Though that usually means the next version of the iPad, the unknown iPad actually had the same footprint as the current iPad 3—but with the faster processor of the iPhone 5. Hmm… Here’s what…

Apple is giving another year of free iCloud storage to people who used/suffered through MobileMe.

Bad Piggies, FixYa, and More

It’s the end of the week, which means it’s time for another grab bag of the best apps of the week. Reach inside and you’ll find a photo taking tool, a couple of games, and much more. Vapp: Sometimes you don’t want to press any buttons to take a picture. At those special, shaky hands…

NBA 2K13, Camera Awesome, and More

Welcome to the finish line where your reward is not a medal, but another edition of the best iPad apps of the week. This Friday, we’re giving you prizes in the form of a jazz music app, a gifting app, and so much more. Blue Note: Take a stroll through the catalog of legendary jazz…

Apple Is Starting to Fix Its Own Apocalyptic 3D Maps Mess

Among the first things people noticed about Apple’s new lackluster maps was that the 3D mode was not quite, um, true to life. Now Apple’s started to roll out fixes for some of the locations it flattened like a water-damaged waffle iron. https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-3d-maps-are-an-apocalyptic-horror-show-5944672 The Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge are two early changes…

The iPhone 5’s Impossible Design Comes at a Very Real Price

When you hold the iPhone 5 it feels, frankly, unreal. It’s lighter than it has any business being, it’s thinner, it’s smoother. Regardless of how you feel about Apple, its latest phone seems too good to be true. https://gizmodo.com/the-weirdest-thing-people-hate-about-the-iphone-5-5945662 Turns out, that’s because it is. And the thousands of workers charged with fulfilling that impossible…

Foxconn Workers on Strike After iPhone 5 Starts Brawls (Updated)

The underpaid, overworked Chinese workers of Foxconn have had enough, according to a new report by China Labor Watch: thousands have gone on strike over immense iPhone manufacturing pressure and fistfights with their bosses. UPDATE: Foxconn is claiming that there are no strikes going on, everything is normal, and that production at all plants is…

Classic iPod in Your Browser: The Best Way to Waste Your Friday

The iPod Classic might have one foot in the grave, but it still lives. On your computer. A clever designer made this fully playable iPod for your browser. And it really works, just like your old mp3 player. How awesome is that? Go ahead and drag the clickwheel round and round to pick a song…

One year ago Steve Jobs passed away. Here’s to a crazy one, a misfit, a troublemaker.

Siri’s deranged synopses of science fiction films prove that she’ll be no help when the Singularity hits

It has been said that Apple’s Siri is an important precursor to more advanced intelligent personal assistants. Eventually, it’s thought, we’ll be able to have actual conversations with these sorts of AI, and possibly even relationships. But as Laura June of The Verge has recently pointed out, Siri is not to be trusted — and…

The Single Biggest Question About the iPad Mini

Like the iPhone 5 before it, the unannounced iPad Mini has—through leaks and logic—made itself essentially a known quantity. Let’s assume for a second that we know what it looks like, how big it is, and what guts will power it. It’s a safe assumption. https://gizmodo.com/iphone-5-the-complete-rumor-roundup-5930100 With just a few weeks until a rumored launch,…