Apple

Apple still No. 1 smartphone maker

Apple has inched up a few points in the smartphone market, keeping its title as the No.1 smartphone maker in the U.S. and edging in slightly on Google's territory as the top smartphone platform, according to a report released by ComScore today.

The smartphone market overall continues to grow. According to the report, 129.4 million people in the U.S. owned smartphones in January, up 7 percent from October. As usual, it's an Apple vs. Google fight. The two companies continue to lead in their respective markets, with everyone else trailing behind.

Apple averaged 37.… Read more

iPhone 5, iPad demand may be softening, says analyst

Are the iPhone and iPad losing some of their steam? At least one analyst thinks so.

Citi analyst Glen Yeung believes that end-user demand for the iPhone 5 and the iPad are declining. In an investors note out today, the analyst pointed to a reduction in component orders from Apple suppliers as the cause for his bearish assessment.

"In conducting our regular field work with the hardware supply chain, we again find evidence of reduced demand to Apple's suppliers for iPhone 5 related components," Yeung said in his note. "While production does not directly translate to … Read more

App developers challenged by number of different devices

Consumers may be thrown by all the different mobile devices on the market. But app developers face an even thornier problem.

Creating software for the mobile landscape has become harder as the sheer number of different devices has grown.

The number of major operating systems might be limited -- Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone, BlackBerry. But each OS can be home to dozens or hundreds of different phones and tablets, especially in the Android arena.

Developers who want to write for 90 percent of all active devices would need to support 331 different models, according … Read more

Apple's iPhone might have been a 'Mobi'

Apple had several names on the table years back when it was ready to launch its smartphone, and only eventually did the name "iPhone" win out.

Speaking yesterday to the University of Arizona's Department of Marketing, former Apple advertising executive Ken Segall said that before the iPhone launched, some other names for the device were considered, including Mobi, TelePod, TriPod, and even iPad.

According to 9to5Mac, which was in attendance at the event, Apple liked TelePod because it conveyed a future-focused angle on a traditionally "old" product, the telephone. Mobi was considered because Apple thought … Read more

iPhone 5S rumored to launch in August, new iPads in April

The iPhone and iPad rumor mill continues to heat up.

Apple is reportedly prepping the iPhone 5S for a summer release, mostly likely in August, "sources familiar with the plans" told blog site iMore. The next iPhone would sport the same design as its predecessor but with a beefier processor and better camera.

People awaiting a new iPad could get some satisfaction as early as next month, according to the sources.

An "April-ish" launch for the next-generation iPads, most likely the iPad 5 and the iPad Mini 2, is seriously being considered by Apple. From that … Read more

5-year-old sorry for racking up $2,500 iPad bill in 10 minutes

Weapons cost money.

This is something we hear all the time in discussions about budgets cuts.

It's also something the Kitchen family discovered when they gave their little 5-year-old Danny the passcode for their iPad.

Danny, you see, wanted to play Zombies vs. Ninja, a game that somehow has passed me by. Still, the future brigadier-general of the British army explained to his parents that the game was free.

Greg and Sharon Kitchen of Warmley, England, were busy entertaining, so what better way to keep their little 5-year-old quiet than to bury his fascination in an iPad?

As the Telegraph reports, … Read more

Einhorn's hedge fund drops suit against Apple

Here's one less lawsuit for Apple to worry about.

David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital said it has dropped its suit against Apple that sought to block the electronics giant from bundling several proposals together for shareholder vote. The particular issue revolved around preferred shares -- Apple's proposal would eliminate its ability to issue "blank check" preferred stock without investor approval, but Greenlight wants Apple to consider issuing such shares.

A judge sided with Greenlight last week, which caused Apple to drop the proposal from its shareholder vote. Apple ultimately hosted its annual shareholder meeting earlier this … Read more

Samsung hires judge who ruled against Apple as legal expert

A judge who favored Samsung in a recent court case is now working for the company. But apparently that's perfectly OK in the U.K.

U.K. Judge Robin Jacob served on the bench last year in a case that forced Apple to publish an apology notice asserting that Samsung did not infringe on the design of the iPad for its own tablet.

Though Jacob had retired a year earlier, U.K. law allows for ex-judges to still sit on the bench.

The case itself was notable for going several rounds.

First, Samsung objected to the notice that Apple … Read more

Apple scores patent win against Samsung in Japan

Samsung is on the losing end of yet another legal decision in its ongoing patent war with Apple.

The Tokyo District Court today rejected Samsung's request for a ban on Apple devices in a dispute over data transmission patents.

The court found that Samsung hadn't "sincerely" negotiated with Apple over the patents in question and therefore had no right to seek damages, according to BusinessWeek.

A Samsung spokesman told CNET that the company is "disappointed by today's court decision, and following a thorough review of the ruling, it will take the measures necessary to … Read more