apple

Is Grokr Apple's foray into predictive search?

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced last week that Apple had acquired nine startups since October. And, Cult of Mac's Mike Elgan believes one of these companies could be the predictive search app Grokr.

While neither Apple nor Grokr has given any signals that this is the case, such an acquisition would indeed make sense for the tech giant.

Grokr is an app that can be used with iOS. Like Google search, it uses a type of knowledge graph that takes bits of information from across the Web and synthesizes it for users. In a sense, Grokr works a bit … Read more

Apple and DOJ's e-books court battle kicks off

NEW YORK -- Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice finally headed to court on Monday for a high-profile trial over e-book price fixing, and one side already has expressed worries about an unfair disadvantage.

The Justice Department is trying to prove to the court that Apple was the ringleader in a scheme to push book publishers toward raising their prices, and change the pricing model to better compete with Amazon. Apple's fought back, arguing that the U.S. government took the various e-mails between Apple executives and publishers out of context, and that its entry into the … Read more

Android invasion on the PC

CNET Update has a split-personality PC:

In this episode of Update:

- Prepare to find Android on more computers. The Asus Transformer Book Trio runs both Windows 8 and Android, and Acer's new all-in-one desktop comes loaded only with Android.

- Play rough with the scratch-resistant Asus Zenbook Infinity with Gorilla Glass 3.

- Pick your size for the new Galaxy Tab 3. The new Samsung tablets will come with screen sizes of 7, 8, or 10.1 inches.

- Crank up the iRadio rumors before WWDC, as Apple reaches a deal with Warner Music.

- Watch the Vine … Read more

Here's the Justice Department's case against Apple

The Department of Justice has just released the 81-slide deck of its opening statements against Apple, as the two sides begin their first day in court.

The trial, which is expected to run about three weeks, kicked off Monday with opening statements from both sides. The DOJ says Apple colluded with publishers ahead of the 2010 launch of the iPad and iBookstore to raise prices on e-books. Apple is the staunch holdout among the others that the DOJ originally named in its complaint, but that have since settled.

Included in the slide deck are numerous e-mails between executives, pullouts from … Read more

Apple's new Mac Pro said to ditch expansions, arrive this fall

As Apple's developers conference approaches, the rumors are coming hot and heavy. The latest? More scuttlebutt on the Mac Pro, Apple's one and only desktop tower, which the company has promised to overhaul and rerelease this year.

New tidbits come from longtime video producer Lou Borella, the creator of the Facebook group "We Want a New Macpro," who on Monday posted details on the changes from "a source or two that has some credibility."

The gist:

• It will be heavily reliant on Thunderbolt • There will be no internal expandability • It will have support for … Read more

Apple launches WWDC app in time for big show

Apple has launched its official Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) application for iPhone and iPad.

The free application popped up on Apple's App Store on Monday. The app lets conference attendees keep track of when and where sessions are taking place. It also offers up maps to help them find their way around the Moscone Center in San Francisco, where WWDC is being held.

For those who won't be in attendance, the app provides a way to watch daily session videos and get other information coming out of the conference.

Apple's WWDC event kicks off next Monday with a keynote by the iPhone maker. … Read more

Apple owes France $6.5 million in unpaid taxes

Apple appears to be delinquent on a hefty tax payment in France.

SACEM, a French society that controls royalties paid to authors, composers, and publishers, said on Friday that Apple owes 5 million euros ($6.5 million) in royalty taxes from iPads sold in France in 2011. The tax, known in France as a copie privee, is levied against all vendors of digital devices that use copyrighted content, according to French blog site The Rude Baguette.

That tax then goes to SACEM, which divvies out the money among the various authors, producers, and other creative folks.

Apple passed on the … Read more

Apple plans to bring AirDrop file-sharing to iOS -- report

Apple's AirDrop tool, which allows OS X users to share files between computers quickly and efficiently, is on its way to the company's mobile platform, a new report claims.

Apple is currently in the process of testing AirDrop on iOS 7, 9to5Mac is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. According to the site's sources, AirDrop is currently embedded in the iOS share menu. It's possible that it could allow for sharing to Macs, though right now, it's focused on sharing between iOS devices.

Apple is expected to show off iOS … Read more

Apple and the DOJ face off over e-book prices (FAQ)

Apple and the U.S. Department of Justice head to a Manhattan court Monday to begin a trial over whether the Cupertino, Calif., electronics giant colluded with several major publishers to fix pricing on e-books.

Things already have gotten complicated: the DOJ's lawsuit originally targeting Apple and five major e-book publishers. The publishers have since settled, leaving Apple the sole, staunch holdout.

The trial, which is expected to last three weeks, has brought out a trove of evidence consisting of e-mails between executives, including late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. They include details of negotiations and strategizing, and general insights … Read more

Dear Apple, is wearing a watch really natural?

Most of us spend our lives sliding on a scale between impossible and gullible.

We're sometimes persuaded so easily, yet, at others, even the most accepted pieces of information can't penetrate our obstinacy.

No, I'm not thinking about global warming, Sharon Stone, or the New York Yankees. I'm musing on this supposed iWatch that Apple may or may not ever create, produce, market or give away as a free gift at Christmas with the purchase of two pink iPhones.

In his epically stoic performance at D11, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered that while Google Glass was &… Read more