Apple

Apple patent application eyes eye-tracking technology

Apple may be aiming to challenge Samsung over eye-tracking technology.,

An Apple patent application, dubbed "Electronic Devices With Gaze Detection Capabilities," was published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The application describes a feature in which your mobile device reacts to the movement of your head or eyes.

Turn your head or eyes away from the device, and the screen dims. Look back at the device, and the screen returns to life. Looking away could also put the entire device in standby mode, meaning certain functions are powered down to preserve battery power. In yet … Read more

New cases hint at iPad 5 with thinner bezel

Apple's next iPad has been rumored for months, and leaks about possible cases suggest some design changes are coming.

Vietnamese site Tinhte today posted a video showing what it claims is a case designed for the next iPad. The case's height is slightly shorter and its width is notably thinner when compared to the current, big-screen iPad.

The case design lends credence to reports that the company's next big-screen slate will have a much thinner bezel. Apple's iPad Mini, which reports suggest the next large iPad's design will be based on, comes with a thin … Read more

New $229 iPod Touch loses rear camera, color options

Apple quietly began selling a new version of the iPod Touch on Thursday.

The new, fifth-generation 16GB iPod Touch costs $229 -- making it a bit less expensive than the fifth-generation 32GB iPod Touch at $299 and 64GB iPod Touch at $399, both of which were released last fall.

Meanwhile, Apple has stopped selling the fourth-generation 16GB iPod Touch with a 3.5-inch screen, which had cost $199.

The new 16GB iPod Touch features a 4-inch Retina Display and is powered by a dual-core A5 processor.

If you purchase the 16GB version of the iPod Touch, however, you will lose … Read more

Apple reportedly taps Pegatron to make new low-cost iPhone

Apple is reportedly reducing its dependence on electronics manufacturer Foxconn by throwing more business to Foxconn competitor and Apple partner Pegatron.

Pegatron, which already makes some iPhones and iPad Minis, has been chosen to be the primary assembler of a low-cost iPhone expected to be unveiled later this year, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Despite Apple's longtime business relationship with Foxconn, CEO Tim Cook wants to achieve greater balance in the company's supply chain by shifting more work to Pegatron, the Journal reported.

The shift is also reportedly due in part to Foxconn's production troubles … Read more

The good, the great, and the gah of iPhone cases

Almost six years ago, Apple's iPhone hit the scene, introducing a whole new category of device and unlocking an almost endless stream of applications that put a multifunction computer right into our pockets.

Today, there are apps for just about everything -- banking, dating, gaming, monitoring health vitals, putting mustaches on pics of people and pets. Who knows what's next for smartphones? Today, there are literally tens of thousands of digital tools we can put inside our phones. Sometimes though, we need something a little more, well, tactile.

Enter the iPhone case, a place for many of the … Read more

A cheaper iPad Mini 'expected,' says Citi

The iPad Mini is already cheap at $329. But Apple is expected to go even lower, according to a report out Tuesday from Citi Research.

Ciit's Glen Yeung said in a note to investors that Apple is shifting toward more inexpensive products.

"Supply chain checks by Citi's Asia-Pac Technology Team suggest a mix shift surprisingly toward Apple's older iPhone4/4S," he wrote.

Then added. "And with our expectation of a low-end iPhone slated for September launch, followed by a sub-$250 iPad Mini, we expect this trend to persist."

While there has been … Read more

Tim Cook plays coy on Apple TV, wearables at conference

While defending Apple's profile and reputation, Tim Cook was predictably more tight-lipped Tuesday night on other topics, mostly notably much-rumored products that may be in the pipeline.

During an onstage interview at the All Things D conference in Palos Verdes, Calif., Cook insisted that Apple has "absolutely not" lost its cool factor and brushed off suggestions that Apple was losing the mobile OS war because Android accounted for more unit sales.

"For us, winning has never been about making the most," he said. "We make the best phone, we don't make the most … Read more

Apple settles iPhone water damage lawsuit for $53M

Apple has agreed to pay $53 million to settle a class-action lawsuit related to warranties covering early versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The lawsuit, originally filed in 2010, claimed Apple had unfairly denied warranty coverage to some customers under an Apple policy associated with devices affected by water damage. The settlement, which still requires the court's approval, will be held in a fund to be distributed among the 153,000 members of the class-action suit, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. … Read more

Apple CEO: We rejected DOJ settlement in e-book suit

As the chief of the last company standing in the upcoming lawsuit over e-book price fixing, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday that the company never had any plans to settle with the government.

"We're not going to sign something that says we did something that we didn't do, so we're going to fight," Cook said during an interview at the D11 conference on Tuesday.

He noted that Apple rejected a settlement because it was asked to sign a document that said it did something wrong. Cook said he didn't think Apple did anything … Read more