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Tag Archives: shopping
Microsoft to End Participation in CES Keynotes After 2012
Following Apple’s lead in pulling out of Macworld Expo several years ago, Microsoft today announced that next month’s keynote presentation at CES in Las Vegas will be the company’s last at the major consumer electronics show. In its announcement, Microsoft cites many of the same factors addressed by Apple as reasons for its ending of trade show participation. Most notably, trade shows have become less relevant for new product announcements given the increasing connectedness and interactivity offered by the Internet and social media, and in many cases the scheduled nature of trade shows imposes undesired rigidity on timeframes for new product announcements. Our industry moves fast and changes faster. And so the way we communicate with our customers must change in equally speedy ways. To ensure it does, we constantly challenge our assumptions. For example: – What’s the right time and place to make announcements? – Are we adjusting to the changing dynamics of our customers? – Are we doing something because it’s the right thing to do, or because “it’s the way we’ve always done it”? Microsoft points to its own media and developer events, social media tools, and even its retail stores as venues for connecting with customers that provide better opportunities than trade show keynotes. Microsoft will maintain a presence at CES going forward with its employees attending the event, but the company will no longer participate in the opening keynote as it has routinely done, and will not sponsor a booth on the exhibition floor after 2012. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple News, Apple Rumors, Front Page, Inside Apple, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac News, Mac Rumors, Technology
Tagged amazon, article, copyright, facebook, imac, mac rumors, netflix, news, shopping, social-media
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OS X 10.7.3 Beta Reveals Active Work on ‘Retina’ Display Support for Mac
Several times earlier this year, we covered Apple’s work on “HiDPI” modes in OS X Lion for supporting ultra high-resolution displays offering greater pixel density with a similar increase in image quality to that seen with the iPhone’s transition to a “Retina” display. With new claims that Apple is set to release a new 15″ MacBook Pro offering a resolution of 2880×1800 early next year, Apple’s work on its HiDPI software support has also been gaining renewed attention. By doubling the resolution in each dimension over the existing 1440×900 MacBook Pro, Apple would achieve four times the number of pixels and provide developers with an easy way to scale existing artwork. Evidence of Apple’s continued work on HiDPI has shown up in developer builds of OS X 10.7.3, with the “Get Info” window for applications seeing the addition of an “Open in HIDPI mode” checkbox. But while that checkbox would presumably automatically use higher-resolution fonts and graphics that would display at the same absolute size as existing elements, it has not been functional in developer builds where it is present. With yesterday’s release of Build 11D36 to developers, Apple has now removed that checkbox from the “Get Info” window entirely. While its removal may suggest a step backward in Apple’s implementation of HiDPI support, it is routine for Apple to activate and deactivate portions of features as it works on them. Consequently, the mere change in the checkbox’s visibility in the new build indicates that Apple is indeed likely actively working on the feature. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple News, Apple Rumors, Features, Front Page, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac News, Mac Rumors
Tagged amazon, bbc, berlin, copyright, facebook, features, ipad, iphone, ipod, mac, shopping
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Apple Now Offering Free Next-Day Shipping for Last-Minute Holiday Shoppers
Apple today upgraded its free holiday shipping offer ( via 9to5Mac ) for online orders in the United States to include next-day shipping on all of the company’s major in-stock products. The move will help last-minute shoppers make sure they receive their gifts in time for the Christmas weekend. The deadline for free next-day shipping is tomorrow and the offer is good on all major products with the exception of the iPhone 4S, which is in short supply and for which the holiday shipping deadline has already passed, and engraved iPods and iPads. Build-to-order Macs are also no longer available in time for delivery before Christmas. Apple announced late last month that it would extend its usual free shipping offer to include orders under $50 leading up to the holidays. The company last week bumped the offer up to free 2-3 business day shipping for its major products, making an increased effort to capture shoppers’ business as time began to run short. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple News, Front Page, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac Rumors
Tagged apple, charity, christmas, copyright, front page, holiday, imac, iphone, mac rumors, shopping, united-states
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Apple Now Suing Samsung over Tablet and Phone Case Designs [Updated]
While Apple and Samsung remain locked in a war involving numerous lawsuits related to alleged patent and design infringement in their tablet and smartphone products, Apple has now brought cases for the devices into the mix. As reported by Bloomberg , Apple disclosed during an Australian court hearing that it has sent a notice of infringement to Samsung over the company’s tablet and smartphone cases, and will be pursuing legal action. Apple Inc., which on Dec. 9 lost a bid to keep Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet out of Australia, claims the case for the device and cases for Samsung phones infringe its patents and registered design. Apple issued the notice of infringement to Samsung in Australia over the cases, and will file a statement of claim, Apple’s lawyer Stephen Burley said at a hearing in Sydney today. Samsung’s lawyer Katrina Howard said at the same hearing the company was served with the notice that the cases infringe at least 10 patents. It is unclear exactly what Samsung cases Apple is targeting with its new infringement claims. Samsung did, however, find itself amid controversy earlier this year after accessory company Anymode offered a “Smart Case” for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 that closely resembled the iPad 2 Smart Cover. While the product initially appeared to carry Samsung’s stamp of approval and came from a company with familial connections to Samsung, a blog post issued by Samsung quickly clarified that the product was not in fact approved by Samsung and was immediately pulled before it had begun selling. But given that the Smart Case was not directly produced by Samsung, it does not seem that Apple’s claims of infringement would relate to that product. Samsung currently offers several styles of cases for the Galaxy Tab 10.1, and it is not immediately clear which designs Apple might consider to be infringing upon its own case designs. Update : Samsung has released an official statement on the issue, noting that the term “case” was misinterpreted in early media reports as referring to protective case accessories. In fact, the term was referring to the external design of the devices themselves. We would like to clarify that the additional claims filed by Apple in Australia do not relate to protective case accessories, as has been indicated in some media reports. In fact, the intellectual property asserted are patents related to the utility of mobile devices and design rights related to the external appearance of devices. We are confident we can demonstrate that the GALAXY range of devices is innovative and distinctive, and will take all available measures to ensure our products remain available to consumers in Australia. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple Rumors, Features, Front Page, Inside Apple, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac Rumors
Tagged copyright, facebook, features, front page, imac, iphone, mac, netflix, shopping
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Apple Rolls Out ‘Complete My Season Pass’ for TV Shows
While Apple has long offered a “Complete My Album” feature in the iTunes Store to allow users who have previously purchased individual tracks to upgrade to the full album at a discounted price reflecting their single-track purchases, users have not had the flexibility of a similar option for TV shows. That appears to have changed this week with the addition of a “Complete My Season Pass” feature now available in the iTunes Store. When logged in and viewing an iTunes Store page listing for a single season of a TV show, the Season Pass purchase price will be reduced by the amount of previous single-episode purchases, allowing users to upgrade to the full season without having to essentially repurchase the episodes they had previously acquired individually. Season passes for TV shows typically come at a significant discount compared to buying each episode of the season individually. Consequently, the new Complete My Season Pass feature should offer users who find themselves having already purchased several episodes of a season and wishing to upgrade to the full season a way to save some money. (Thanks, Charles!) Continue reading
Apple Now Replacing Recalled First-Gen iPod Nanos with Current-Gen Models?
Last month, Apple announced a worldwide replacement program for the first-generation iPod nano due to continuing issues with overheating related to defective batteries from one of Apple’s suppliers. While some users began receiving their replacement units, which apparently came through as like-new refurbished first-generation units, almost immediately , many other users have been complaining of slow turnaround time for either receiving shipping boxes for returning their defective iPods or receiving the replacement units from Apple. According to reports from users who have corresponded with Apple support staff about the delays, the company has been experiencing shortages of boxes and other items necessary to complete the replacement process. It now appears, however, that Apple may have run out of refurbished first-generation iPod nano units and may now be shipping out current-generation units as replacements. Several users have reported over the past few days that they have received emails acknowledging shipment of their replacement device’s and checking the serial numbers of the replacement devices on Apple’s support site has shown them to be sixth-generation models. The sixth-generation iPod nano was originally released in September 2010, and while the line received a price drop and software update a few months ago, Apple still considers the current iPod nano to be a sixth-generation model. We have not yet received word from any users who have received the sixth-generation iPod nano units as replacements, and thus it remains possible that the serial numbers are simply registering incorrectly in Apple’s support database. While we are waiting for confirmation on the possible upgrade, several users have indicated that their shipments are due to be delivered this Wednesday. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple TV, Front Page, Inside Apple, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac News, Mac Rumors, Technology
Tagged apple, apple-tv, beautiful, front page, games, interview, mac rumors, replacement, serial-numbers, shopping
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ITC Rules For Apple in Patent Case, Bans Some HTC Imports [Update: HTC Responds]
The U.S. International Trade Commission has ruled in favor ( PDF ) of Apple in a patent dispute with Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC. The commission found that a number of HTC devices violate two claims related to an Apple patent. As a result of the decision, an actual ban on the importation of some HTC devices goes into effect in April of 2012. Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents on the decision : What Apple has won is a formal import ban scheduled to commence on April 19, 2012, but relating only to HTC Android phones implementing one of two claims of a “data tapping patent”: a patent on an invention that marks up phone numbers and other types of formatted data in an unstructured document, such as an email, in order to enable users to bring up other programs (such as a dialer app) that process such data. The import ban won’t relate to HTC Android products that don’t implement that feature, or that implement it in ways not covered by those patent claims. Mueller goes on to note that it is possible for Google to implement the feature in a way that doesn’t violate Apple’s patents, which would render the ban meaningless. However, it does give Apple a bigger bargaining chip in its many lawsuits against Android manufacturers. According to the decision ( PDF ), the patent being infringed is: – U.S. Patent No. 5,946,647 on a “system and method causes a computer to detect and perform actions on structures identified in computer data.” This ruling echoes an earlier one by an ITC judge from July in the same case. The United States International Trade Commission is an independent federal agency that, among other things, adjudicates cases involving imports that allegedly infringe intellectual property rights.” It has the power, in rare cases, to ban infringing products from the country entirely. Update : In a statement given to BGR , HTC says it is “well prepared for this decision, and our designers have created alternate solutions for the ‘647 patent.” Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple News, Apple TV, Front Page, Inside Apple, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac Rumors
Tagged apple, facebook, ipad, iphone, ipod, microsoft, pdf, search-engine, shopping, united-states
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AT&T Gives Up on T-Mobile Acquisition
AT&T announced today that the company would end its bid to acquire T-Mobile USA. The actions by the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Justice to block this transaction do not change the realities of the U.S. wireless industry. It is one of the most fiercely competitive industries in the world, with a mounting need for more spectrum that has not diminished and must be addressed immediately. The AT&T and T-Mobile USA combination would have offered an interim solution to this spectrum shortage. In the absence of such steps, customers will be harmed and needed investment will be stifled. The acquisition intention was announced back in March, 2011. Under the original terms of the deal, AT&T would have paid $39 billion in cash and stock. The deal, however, was heavily criticized in an analysis by Federal regulators who believed that the merger would limit competition in virtually every U.S. city and lead to higher prices for customers. AT&T now owes T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom $3 billion in cash plus $1 billion in spectrum (at market rates) as a breakup fee for the failure of the merger. However, the Wall Street Journal reports that AT&T’s bottom line will not feel the full brunt of the cost because it should be fully tax deductible , meaning the cash hit of the breakup fee would be closer to $1.5-$1.8 billion. Continue reading
Posted in Apple, Apple Rumors, Apple TV, Front Page, iOS Blog, iPad, iPhone, Mac Blog, Mac Rumors
Tagged apple, facebook, imac, ipad, iphone, ipod, mac, netflix, shopping
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