Star 6 beat-box app for iPhone improved
Once you've picked a family of beats, you can switch among six individual beats, control the speed, and add wacked-out effects like delay and reverse by touching various icons on the screen. It also lets you manipulate tonal qualities such as pitch and gate by tilting the device backward and forward--it uses the iPhone's built-in accelerometer. (The "speed" setting controls the playback speed of the individual sample, not the beats per minute, or BPM, of the entire track.) You can create and name sessions to recall later, and all sessions are automatically saved in the state you left them. It's a lot of fun to play with, and could be useful in certain professional situations: you could plug your device into an amp or a PA and use it as a simple drum machine, or to fill the gaps between songs in a live or DJ gig, or simply as an audio backdrop for a party.Version 1.1. of the app, which became available last Friday in the iTunes App Store, adds a number of important usability improvements. First and foremost is something called "quantizing," which helps you switch between rhythms directly on the beat. Before, you had to hit the button at the exact right time, which could be pretty hard when playing a rave track at 170 BPM, otherwise you'd get an awkward transition. The BPM controller is now on the main screen, and has a new feature that lets you slide the rate quickly up and down. You can also have the BPM affect the pitch, in case you want your samples to sound like they've been inhaling helium as you increase the speed of the track. It's currently available for an introductory price of $6.99, but will go up to $9.99 on January 18, 2010. So if you're interested, jump on it now. For what it's worth, I get a lot of iPhone apps to test out, and this is one of the few that I'll be keeping.
iPhone game tracks face movement for in-game navigation
iPhone game tracks face movement for in-game navigation
Eye tracking in mobile devices is still in its infancy â€" but one Jerusalem-based company has been working on a software solution for some time. Called Umoove, it aims to integrate face and eye tracking into mobile apps for a variety of applications, including scrolling down a page â€" and, of course, games.The company's first game, Umoove Experience: The 3D Face & Eye Tracking Flying Game, has now launched and is available for free on the iTunes app store. As far as games go, it's very basic: you move around an environment (in this case, flying through a desert village), collecting potions to keep yourself aloft. There is, however, one key difference: rather than touching the screen to move, you move your head left, right, up and down to move in the corresponding direction in the game.Once the technology is working as it should, we imagine it'll be pretty amazing, and in the company's demos it certainly looks impressive. Playing Umoove Experience on an iPod Touch 5, though, leaves a lot to be desired. Upon starting the game, you are asked to calibrate with a simple series of head movements. Then you're launched into the game, where whether or not the controls will actually work is very hit-and-miss. We found that the controls would overshoot or â€" far more likely â€" simply fail to respond to head movements at all.Umoove describes what it has built:Umoove has created a software-only face and eye tracking technology, built especially to facilitate the challenges in mobile environments such as shakiness, lighting and limited hardware resources. The technology runs at a CPU as low as 5% in real-time and needs nothing but the raw frames of the front-facing camera for input. On top of the core technology, Umoove has developed an interpretation layer which turns the face and eye movements into a language of interaction and valuable data. Umoove's technology is built on top of unique algorithms and has over fifteen patent files pending. We actually have no doubt that the potential for the Umoove software is there, but Umoove Experience: The 3D Face & Eye Tracking Flying Game is, at this point in time, a pretty poor expression of that potential.If you want to try it out for yourself, you can find it for free on the iTunes app store. It will be arriving soon for Android.
Eye tracking in mobile devices is still in its infancy â€" but one Jerusalem-based company has been working on a software solution for some time. Called Umoove, it aims to integrate face and eye tracking into mobile apps for a variety of applications, including scrolling down a page â€" and, of course, games.The company's first game, Umoove Experience: The 3D Face & Eye Tracking Flying Game, has now launched and is available for free on the iTunes app store. As far as games go, it's very basic: you move around an environment (in this case, flying through a desert village), collecting potions to keep yourself aloft. There is, however, one key difference: rather than touching the screen to move, you move your head left, right, up and down to move in the corresponding direction in the game.Once the technology is working as it should, we imagine it'll be pretty amazing, and in the company's demos it certainly looks impressive. Playing Umoove Experience on an iPod Touch 5, though, leaves a lot to be desired. Upon starting the game, you are asked to calibrate with a simple series of head movements. Then you're launched into the game, where whether or not the controls will actually work is very hit-and-miss. We found that the controls would overshoot or â€" far more likely â€" simply fail to respond to head movements at all.Umoove describes what it has built:Umoove has created a software-only face and eye tracking technology, built especially to facilitate the challenges in mobile environments such as shakiness, lighting and limited hardware resources. The technology runs at a CPU as low as 5% in real-time and needs nothing but the raw frames of the front-facing camera for input. On top of the core technology, Umoove has developed an interpretation layer which turns the face and eye movements into a language of interaction and valuable data. Umoove's technology is built on top of unique algorithms and has over fifteen patent files pending. We actually have no doubt that the potential for the Umoove software is there, but Umoove Experience: The 3D Face & Eye Tracking Flying Game is, at this point in time, a pretty poor expression of that potential.If you want to try it out for yourself, you can find it for free on the iTunes app store. It will be arriving soon for Android.
Wolfram Alpha iPhone app is cool but overpriced
Wolfram Alpha iPhone app is cool but overpriced
Now, to be fair, the iPhone app is a much better way to use Wolfram than the Web site, for a few reasons.The Wolfram Web site renders all answers, even text, as GIF graphics, which means that text doesn't automatically wrap, or even scale well, on the iPhone's small screen. The app fixes that, and results render nicely on the iPhone. Also, entering complex queries using numbers and symbols on the iPhone's standard keyboard is a real drag, but the Wolfram app has a special keyboard that gives fast access to the symbols you'll need if you're a heavy Wolfram user.There are several other nice features. You can bookmark queries, e-mail them, and Twitter them. They really do make the Wolfram app very handy for frequent users, and it's those power Wolframers that the app is targeted at. If you need it, then the "price of 12 lattes from Starbucks," which I'm told is another way the team is thinking of the price, is as they might say in the halls of some physics departments, trivial.But as they would tell you in the economics department, you're being taken for a ride.Also, Wolfram Alpha doesn't know the price of 12 Starbucks lattes either, but it did tell me the stock price of SBUX and, to its credit, if you enter "12 lattes" as a query, you'll get all sorts of nutritional information, such as calorie content for the 12 lattes (1,654), carbohydrates (61 percent of daily recommended intake), and cholesterol (162 mg).Just like the dozen lattes, this app is hard to swallow.Previously: Wolfram Alpha opens API to developers.
Now, to be fair, the iPhone app is a much better way to use Wolfram than the Web site, for a few reasons.The Wolfram Web site renders all answers, even text, as GIF graphics, which means that text doesn't automatically wrap, or even scale well, on the iPhone's small screen. The app fixes that, and results render nicely on the iPhone. Also, entering complex queries using numbers and symbols on the iPhone's standard keyboard is a real drag, but the Wolfram app has a special keyboard that gives fast access to the symbols you'll need if you're a heavy Wolfram user.There are several other nice features. You can bookmark queries, e-mail them, and Twitter them. They really do make the Wolfram app very handy for frequent users, and it's those power Wolframers that the app is targeted at. If you need it, then the "price of 12 lattes from Starbucks," which I'm told is another way the team is thinking of the price, is as they might say in the halls of some physics departments, trivial.But as they would tell you in the economics department, you're being taken for a ride.Also, Wolfram Alpha doesn't know the price of 12 Starbucks lattes either, but it did tell me the stock price of SBUX and, to its credit, if you enter "12 lattes" as a query, you'll get all sorts of nutritional information, such as calorie content for the 12 lattes (1,654), carbohydrates (61 percent of daily recommended intake), and cholesterol (162 mg).Just like the dozen lattes, this app is hard to swallow.Previously: Wolfram Alpha opens API to developers.
With TakeTV and Fanfare, SanDisk aims to bridge gap between PC video and TV
With TakeTV and Fanfare, SanDisk aims to bridge gap between PC video and TV
It was first shown at January's Consumer Electronics Show--and then leaked on Buy.com just days ago--but the Sansa TakeTV is now official. It's not the first device designed to put PC-based digital videos on the TV, but what sets SanDisk's TakeTV apart is its simplicity: just drag and drop videos to the flash drive from your PC, and then plug it into the included video dock to watch them on your TV. The straightforward operation is a notable counterpoint to most other PC-to-TV digital video alternatives, which involve either cumbersome direct hook-ups (video and audio runs from a PC to a TV); installing digital media adapters (such as the Apple TV or Xbox 360), which require some knowledge of home networking; or burning video files to disc for playback on compatible DVD players. Concurrent with the TakeTV launch, SanDisk is also debuting Fanfare, a premium video download service. TakeTV is the first device that can play back Fanfare content, but SanDisk is aiming to expand compatibility to other products in its Sansa line. Currently in beta, Fanfare is little more than a proof of concept, but the addition of content partners beyond CBS and Showtime could certainly position it as a worthwhile alternative to Apple's iTunes Store. For a more in-depth look at the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV--including a first look at the Fanfare service--check out CNET's complete hands-on review and the accompanying photo gallery.
It was first shown at January's Consumer Electronics Show--and then leaked on Buy.com just days ago--but the Sansa TakeTV is now official. It's not the first device designed to put PC-based digital videos on the TV, but what sets SanDisk's TakeTV apart is its simplicity: just drag and drop videos to the flash drive from your PC, and then plug it into the included video dock to watch them on your TV. The straightforward operation is a notable counterpoint to most other PC-to-TV digital video alternatives, which involve either cumbersome direct hook-ups (video and audio runs from a PC to a TV); installing digital media adapters (such as the Apple TV or Xbox 360), which require some knowledge of home networking; or burning video files to disc for playback on compatible DVD players. Concurrent with the TakeTV launch, SanDisk is also debuting Fanfare, a premium video download service. TakeTV is the first device that can play back Fanfare content, but SanDisk is aiming to expand compatibility to other products in its Sansa line. Currently in beta, Fanfare is little more than a proof of concept, but the addition of content partners beyond CBS and Showtime could certainly position it as a worthwhile alternative to Apple's iTunes Store. For a more in-depth look at the SanDisk Sansa TakeTV--including a first look at the Fanfare service--check out CNET's complete hands-on review and the accompanying photo gallery.
Dictionary apps post false piracy confessions on Twitter
Dictionary apps post false piracy confessions on Twitter
Publishers, as you might have guessed, want piracy to end. So far, though, nothing has proved to be effective. Laws? Nope. DRM? Pirates laugh at DRM. So dictionary app developer Enfour has come up with its own novel solution, but it's one that targets legitimate customers.On 1 November, the developer rolled out updates to its apps that included an "anti-piracy" module. Once installed, the update requests access to users' Twitter accounts â€" an odd permission for a dictionary app. As it turns out, that access is then used to impersonate the user posting to Twitter with a false piracy confession under the hashtag #softwarepirateconfessions:(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)This tweet appears in exactly the same form hundreds of times over.When it afflicted Pocketables associate editor Andreas ØdegÃ¥rd, who had purchased the Oxford Deluxe dictionary app for US$50 in 2010, he posited that the app is targeting phones with Installous installed â€" an app that allows users to share cracked and jailbroken apps. (ØdegÃ¥rd was careful to mention that he has only used this app once â€" when another app he bought stopped working.)It is plausible that this feature would target jailbroken iPhones, but it seems that even uncracked devices are falling prey, as user reviews on iTunes suggest.According to Tracey Northcott, Enfour's vice president of International Communications, the tweets are a "bug". However, it has been two weeks since the update, and the Enfour confessions are still happening.We're inclined to agree with ØdegÃ¥rd:You don't accidentally include a feature that asks for Twitter access and then uses that access to accuse the owner of software piracy.Via www.pocketables.com
Publishers, as you might have guessed, want piracy to end. So far, though, nothing has proved to be effective. Laws? Nope. DRM? Pirates laugh at DRM. So dictionary app developer Enfour has come up with its own novel solution, but it's one that targets legitimate customers.On 1 November, the developer rolled out updates to its apps that included an "anti-piracy" module. Once installed, the update requests access to users' Twitter accounts â€" an odd permission for a dictionary app. As it turns out, that access is then used to impersonate the user posting to Twitter with a false piracy confession under the hashtag #softwarepirateconfessions:(Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)This tweet appears in exactly the same form hundreds of times over.When it afflicted Pocketables associate editor Andreas ØdegÃ¥rd, who had purchased the Oxford Deluxe dictionary app for US$50 in 2010, he posited that the app is targeting phones with Installous installed â€" an app that allows users to share cracked and jailbroken apps. (ØdegÃ¥rd was careful to mention that he has only used this app once â€" when another app he bought stopped working.)It is plausible that this feature would target jailbroken iPhones, but it seems that even uncracked devices are falling prey, as user reviews on iTunes suggest.According to Tracey Northcott, Enfour's vice president of International Communications, the tweets are a "bug". However, it has been two weeks since the update, and the Enfour confessions are still happening.We're inclined to agree with ØdegÃ¥rd:You don't accidentally include a feature that asks for Twitter access and then uses that access to accuse the owner of software piracy.Via www.pocketables.com
Device monitors teen driving (podcast)
Device monitors teen driving (podcast)
There are plenty of things for parents of teens to worry about, but almost nothing is as scary as when your kid ventures out behind the wheel of a car or rides in a car with another teen driver. Each year more than 6,000 teens are involved in fatal accidents. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.Still, most parents allow their teens to drive. You can't sit in the backseat every time your kid takes the wheel, but thanks to the Tiwi, a $299 device that mounts to the windshield of your kid's car, you can now virtually watch and nag your kids as they drive.As Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer explains (scroll down to listen to interview), the device can track the car's speed and location and the speed limit.The Tiwi, which has a GPS and cellular modem, will use voice to tell the driver when to slow down.The device is also integrated into the vehicle's diagnostic port so it knows if the driver has his or her seat belt on.There is also an accelerometer that can sense a hard acceleration, hard stop or hard turn.If your son or daughter responds to the device's coaching by slowing down or putting on a seat belt, nothing else happens but if they ignore the coaching, the device sends a notification to the company's portal which in turn notifies the parent via e-mail, text message or phone.When asked if the device could actually slow down or stop the car, Follmer said that it's possible, "but not knowing exactly what the situation is, the liability of doing something that absolutely affects the operation of that car wouldn't be something we would want to take on."For more information, visit Tiwi.com.PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
There are plenty of things for parents of teens to worry about, but almost nothing is as scary as when your kid ventures out behind the wheel of a car or rides in a car with another teen driver. Each year more than 6,000 teens are involved in fatal accidents. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teens.Still, most parents allow their teens to drive. You can't sit in the backseat every time your kid takes the wheel, but thanks to the Tiwi, a $299 device that mounts to the windshield of your kid's car, you can now virtually watch and nag your kids as they drive.As Inthinc CEO Todd Follmer explains (scroll down to listen to interview), the device can track the car's speed and location and the speed limit.The Tiwi, which has a GPS and cellular modem, will use voice to tell the driver when to slow down.The device is also integrated into the vehicle's diagnostic port so it knows if the driver has his or her seat belt on.There is also an accelerometer that can sense a hard acceleration, hard stop or hard turn.If your son or daughter responds to the device's coaching by slowing down or putting on a seat belt, nothing else happens but if they ignore the coaching, the device sends a notification to the company's portal which in turn notifies the parent via e-mail, text message or phone.When asked if the device could actually slow down or stop the car, Follmer said that it's possible, "but not knowing exactly what the situation is, the liability of doing something that absolutely affects the operation of that car wouldn't be something we would want to take on."For more information, visit Tiwi.com.PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Apple to meet Swiss railway over clock-design flap -- report
Apple to meet Swiss railway over clock-design flap -- report
It may be time for a meeting between Apple and the Swiss rail provider that's accusing the electronics giant of ripping off its clock design for iOS 6. The Swiss Federal Railway service, or SBB, told global news service Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it would meet in the coming days or weeks with Apple representatives to reach an agreement over the clock design.Apple, which recently introduced the latest version of its mobile operating system, redesigned the clock in iOS 6. But SBB says it owns the trademark to the design. The SBB clock was created in 1944 by then-SBB employee Hans Hilfiker. It's used throughout the railway system and is also licensed to Mondaine, a Swiss watch maker. Related stories:Apple accused of ripping off clock designiOS 6 reviewApple delivers iOS 6In the AFP article, an SBB spokeswoman dismissed claims the company was seeking financial compensation from Apple, saying SBB did not intend to "upset them by asking for money." She added that SBB was "proud" its clock had been chosen for iOS 6. Apple is no stranger to design-related litigation. The company in 2009 asked popular app develper Tapbots to change the design of the clock icon it used in its pocket converter application, saying it looked too much like the image in Apple's own phone app. And Apple has been pursuing litigation against other handset makers, saying they copied the design features of Apple's products. Apple and SBB weren't immediately available to comment.
It may be time for a meeting between Apple and the Swiss rail provider that's accusing the electronics giant of ripping off its clock design for iOS 6. The Swiss Federal Railway service, or SBB, told global news service Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it would meet in the coming days or weeks with Apple representatives to reach an agreement over the clock design.Apple, which recently introduced the latest version of its mobile operating system, redesigned the clock in iOS 6. But SBB says it owns the trademark to the design. The SBB clock was created in 1944 by then-SBB employee Hans Hilfiker. It's used throughout the railway system and is also licensed to Mondaine, a Swiss watch maker. Related stories:Apple accused of ripping off clock designiOS 6 reviewApple delivers iOS 6In the AFP article, an SBB spokeswoman dismissed claims the company was seeking financial compensation from Apple, saying SBB did not intend to "upset them by asking for money." She added that SBB was "proud" its clock had been chosen for iOS 6. Apple is no stranger to design-related litigation. The company in 2009 asked popular app develper Tapbots to change the design of the clock icon it used in its pocket converter application, saying it looked too much like the image in Apple's own phone app. And Apple has been pursuing litigation against other handset makers, saying they copied the design features of Apple's products. Apple and SBB weren't immediately available to comment.
Apple to make critical new component at sapphire plant
Apple to make critical new component at sapphire plant
Apple has plans in mind for its new sapphire crystal plant that promise to "enhance and improve" its consumer devices.E-mails from Apple to U.S. Foreign Trade Zone officials point to a manufacturing process called "Project Cascade." Uncovered by 9to5Mac with help from analyst/investor Matt Margolis, the e-mails give some clues as to the work that will be done at the Arizona-based plant.This high-tech manufacturing process will create a critical new sub-component of Apple Products to be used in the manufacture of the consumer electronics that will be imported and then sold globally. By pulling this process into the U.S., Apple will be using cutting edge, new technology to enhance and improve the consumer products, making them best in class per product type.The e-mails also list an aggressive go-live date for the plant's grand opening, namely sometime next month.Announced last November, the plant has been gearing up to manufacture sapphire-based materials, an item confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a recent interview with ABC News. Apple has already used sapphire for the surface of the rear camera lens for the iPhone 5 and the ID fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S. But recent reports suggest the company has more aggressive plans for the hard substance.A newly published patent application envisions the expansion of sapphire to other parts of the iPhone. Apple may, for instance, be gearing up to use sapphire to cover the entire screen of the iPhone and iPad. Such a technology could be considered a "critical new sub-component." It would also make Apple's mobile devices less vulnerable to scratches and therefore considerably more durable.
Apple has plans in mind for its new sapphire crystal plant that promise to "enhance and improve" its consumer devices.E-mails from Apple to U.S. Foreign Trade Zone officials point to a manufacturing process called "Project Cascade." Uncovered by 9to5Mac with help from analyst/investor Matt Margolis, the e-mails give some clues as to the work that will be done at the Arizona-based plant.This high-tech manufacturing process will create a critical new sub-component of Apple Products to be used in the manufacture of the consumer electronics that will be imported and then sold globally. By pulling this process into the U.S., Apple will be using cutting edge, new technology to enhance and improve the consumer products, making them best in class per product type.The e-mails also list an aggressive go-live date for the plant's grand opening, namely sometime next month.Announced last November, the plant has been gearing up to manufacture sapphire-based materials, an item confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a recent interview with ABC News. Apple has already used sapphire for the surface of the rear camera lens for the iPhone 5 and the ID fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S. But recent reports suggest the company has more aggressive plans for the hard substance.A newly published patent application envisions the expansion of sapphire to other parts of the iPhone. Apple may, for instance, be gearing up to use sapphire to cover the entire screen of the iPhone and iPad. Such a technology could be considered a "critical new sub-component." It would also make Apple's mobile devices less vulnerable to scratches and therefore considerably more durable.
Apple to let multiple Apple IDs merge, report says
Apple to let multiple Apple IDs merge, report says
As the chorus of complaints grows over Apple's unwillingness to merge Apple IDs, it appears the company might soon change its stance on the matter.According to MacRumors, two of its readers have contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if Apple will eventually allow users to merge their Apple IDs. Those readers, MacRumors says, received word from an Apple executive relations employee, who said that the company is planning to allow for that functionality.Apple has long denied customer calls for merging IDs. However, with the launch earlier this year of automatic downloads, complaints about that policy started to grow. The feature allows people to automatically download, to their devices, music, apps, and iBooks that had already been downloaded on other platforms, like their computer. The issue, though, is that in some cases, users had been downloading content to a device from one Apple ID, and have another Apple ID assigned to, say, their iPhones. In those cases, content cannot be synced between the devices.According to Apple blog TUAW in a report in June, people who tried to switch their Apple IDs to download the content received an error message saying that they could not "auto-download or download past purchases with a different Apple ID for 90 days."As MacRumors points out, the inability to merge Apple IDs has also become a problem for iCloud developer testers who want to be able to sync content between products, but are not getting everything properly synced because of their use of multiple IDs.That said, it's tough to estimate how many people are affected by the lack of ID merging. In many cases, consumers have a single Apple ID, and thus, the quirk doesn't affect them. But the problem has apparently become enough of an issue for Apple to move forward on a fix.Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.
As the chorus of complaints grows over Apple's unwillingness to merge Apple IDs, it appears the company might soon change its stance on the matter.According to MacRumors, two of its readers have contacted Apple CEO Tim Cook to see if Apple will eventually allow users to merge their Apple IDs. Those readers, MacRumors says, received word from an Apple executive relations employee, who said that the company is planning to allow for that functionality.Apple has long denied customer calls for merging IDs. However, with the launch earlier this year of automatic downloads, complaints about that policy started to grow. The feature allows people to automatically download, to their devices, music, apps, and iBooks that had already been downloaded on other platforms, like their computer. The issue, though, is that in some cases, users had been downloading content to a device from one Apple ID, and have another Apple ID assigned to, say, their iPhones. In those cases, content cannot be synced between the devices.According to Apple blog TUAW in a report in June, people who tried to switch their Apple IDs to download the content received an error message saying that they could not "auto-download or download past purchases with a different Apple ID for 90 days."As MacRumors points out, the inability to merge Apple IDs has also become a problem for iCloud developer testers who want to be able to sync content between products, but are not getting everything properly synced because of their use of multiple IDs.That said, it's tough to estimate how many people are affected by the lack of ID merging. In many cases, consumers have a single Apple ID, and thus, the quirk doesn't affect them. But the problem has apparently become enough of an issue for Apple to move forward on a fix.Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment.
Apple to lavish $10.5B on production line tech
Apple to lavish $10.5B on production line tech
Apple plans to spend billions next year to automate certain tasks in its production line.The company recently revealed in its 10-K filing that it has earmarked $11 billion for capital expenditures for 2014. Out of that amount, around $10.5 billion will go toward product tooling, manufacturing process equipment, and corporate facilities and infrastructure, including information systems hardware, software, and enhancements.Specifically, much of the spending will be on equipment that can tackle the mass production of iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, among other devices, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Citing "people with knowledge of the company's manufacturing methods," Bloomberg said that the automated gear includes machines that can polish the plastic finish on the iPhone 5C, carve the MacBook's aluminum body, and test the camera lens on the iPhone and iPad.Cutting more exclusive deals with makers of automated machines, Apple intends to place the gear in the factories of its manufacturing partners, many of them in Asia, the sources said.Apple certainly has more than enough cash to spend on these automated processes. Excluding spending on its retail business, the company's fiscal 2014 capital expenditures will be 61 percent higher than the amount seen in 2013.Part of the goal is to outspend Samsung and other rivals on such gear."Apple deploys capital as a competitive advantage," Asymco analyst Horace Dediu told Bloomberg.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple plans to spend billions next year to automate certain tasks in its production line.The company recently revealed in its 10-K filing that it has earmarked $11 billion for capital expenditures for 2014. Out of that amount, around $10.5 billion will go toward product tooling, manufacturing process equipment, and corporate facilities and infrastructure, including information systems hardware, software, and enhancements.Specifically, much of the spending will be on equipment that can tackle the mass production of iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks, among other devices, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday. Citing "people with knowledge of the company's manufacturing methods," Bloomberg said that the automated gear includes machines that can polish the plastic finish on the iPhone 5C, carve the MacBook's aluminum body, and test the camera lens on the iPhone and iPad.Cutting more exclusive deals with makers of automated machines, Apple intends to place the gear in the factories of its manufacturing partners, many of them in Asia, the sources said.Apple certainly has more than enough cash to spend on these automated processes. Excluding spending on its retail business, the company's fiscal 2014 capital expenditures will be 61 percent higher than the amount seen in 2013.Part of the goal is to outspend Samsung and other rivals on such gear."Apple deploys capital as a competitive advantage," Asymco analyst Horace Dediu told Bloomberg.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Apple to launch 'low-end iPhone' without Retina in 2013 -- report
Apple to launch 'low-end iPhone' without Retina in 2013 -- report
Apple is planning a "low-end iPhone" that will lack some of the extras found in the company's iPhone 5, one analyst claims.In a note to investors today, Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets said that Apple plans to launch "multiple new phones" between June and July this year. According to AppleInsider, which obtained a copy of his investors note, Daryanani said in addition to a flagship handset that Apple will call the iPhone 5S, the company will deliver a lower-end device featuring "plastic casing and no Retina display.""With a lower price point, Apple will be able to target a growing and important part of the smartphone market (sub-$400 price band)," he wrote.This isn't the first time we've heard from an analyst that a low-end iPhone is coming to the marketplace. Earlier this month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple would offer a low-cost iPhone 5 that would come with "hybrid casing of fiberglass and plastic will make it lighter and slimmer than general plastic casing and easier to make in various colors." That device, however, would be heavier than the iPhone 5S.The upshot for Apple of delivering a low-end iPhone could be major, Daryanani says. The addition of that handset to the iPhone lineup could bring another $22 billion in revenue in 2014.Apple seems to be inching its way toward a lower-end iPhone. The company last year unveiled an iPad Mini that's designed to capture customers who don't want to spend more cash on a full-priced, bigger slate. Apple also still offers previous-year versions of the iPhone to customers on a budget. A lower-end iPhone could split the difference.
Apple is planning a "low-end iPhone" that will lack some of the extras found in the company's iPhone 5, one analyst claims.In a note to investors today, Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets said that Apple plans to launch "multiple new phones" between June and July this year. According to AppleInsider, which obtained a copy of his investors note, Daryanani said in addition to a flagship handset that Apple will call the iPhone 5S, the company will deliver a lower-end device featuring "plastic casing and no Retina display.""With a lower price point, Apple will be able to target a growing and important part of the smartphone market (sub-$400 price band)," he wrote.This isn't the first time we've heard from an analyst that a low-end iPhone is coming to the marketplace. Earlier this month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that Apple would offer a low-cost iPhone 5 that would come with "hybrid casing of fiberglass and plastic will make it lighter and slimmer than general plastic casing and easier to make in various colors." That device, however, would be heavier than the iPhone 5S.The upshot for Apple of delivering a low-end iPhone could be major, Daryanani says. The addition of that handset to the iPhone lineup could bring another $22 billion in revenue in 2014.Apple seems to be inching its way toward a lower-end iPhone. The company last year unveiled an iPad Mini that's designed to capture customers who don't want to spend more cash on a full-priced, bigger slate. Apple also still offers previous-year versions of the iPhone to customers on a budget. A lower-end iPhone could split the difference.
Ahead of iPad Mini, Apple granted patent on original iPad
Ahead of iPad Mini, Apple granted patent on original iPad
Apple has been granted a U.S. patent on the design of its first iPad, nearly three years after the device's public debut. Among more than 30 patents granted to Apple today, there's one standout: D669,069. Called simply a "portable display device," the pictured gadget matches up identically with Apple's first-generation iPad, a design the company kept around until the iPad 2 in early 2011. Apple filed for the patent on January 26, 2010 -- the day before the product was first shown off at an event in San Francisco. The side view of Apple's patented iPad design.USPTO/AppleIf you're doing a double take saying "hey, doesn't Apple already have a design patent for the iPad?" you're right. But the patent Apple's had since mid-2005 is more generic, missing features like the home button, volume buttons, and a dock connector -- all things the first iPad came with. Nonetheless, Apple has used it as legal ammunition against Samsung in its efforts to get versions of the Galaxy Tab barred from sale in the U.S. and other countries.In its counterarguments, Samsung has railed against that 2005 patent, calling it "obvious," and pointing to prior art. That includes a newspaper tablet design mockup from Roger Fidler from 1994, and the TC1000, a Microsoft Windows-based tablet PC from Compaq made just ahead of Compaq being acquired by Hewlett-Packard.Along with the iPad's design, Apple was granted two other design patents. One for the interface of its iBooks software (PDF) and another for the iPhone with a bumper case on it (PDF). The granted patents come just days ahead of when Apple is expected to unveil a smaller version of the iPad at a press event next week. (Via Engadget)
Apple has been granted a U.S. patent on the design of its first iPad, nearly three years after the device's public debut. Among more than 30 patents granted to Apple today, there's one standout: D669,069. Called simply a "portable display device," the pictured gadget matches up identically with Apple's first-generation iPad, a design the company kept around until the iPad 2 in early 2011. Apple filed for the patent on January 26, 2010 -- the day before the product was first shown off at an event in San Francisco. The side view of Apple's patented iPad design.USPTO/AppleIf you're doing a double take saying "hey, doesn't Apple already have a design patent for the iPad?" you're right. But the patent Apple's had since mid-2005 is more generic, missing features like the home button, volume buttons, and a dock connector -- all things the first iPad came with. Nonetheless, Apple has used it as legal ammunition against Samsung in its efforts to get versions of the Galaxy Tab barred from sale in the U.S. and other countries.In its counterarguments, Samsung has railed against that 2005 patent, calling it "obvious," and pointing to prior art. That includes a newspaper tablet design mockup from Roger Fidler from 1994, and the TC1000, a Microsoft Windows-based tablet PC from Compaq made just ahead of Compaq being acquired by Hewlett-Packard.Along with the iPad's design, Apple was granted two other design patents. One for the interface of its iBooks software (PDF) and another for the iPhone with a bumper case on it (PDF). The granted patents come just days ahead of when Apple is expected to unveil a smaller version of the iPad at a press event next week. (Via Engadget)
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