Apple

Apple CEO Tim Cook to speak at D11 conference

Apple's top executive plans to make another rare public speaking appearance at a technology conference next month.

All Things Digital today said that Tim Cook will be a speaker at the outlet's D11 conference taking place at the end of May. Cook's predecessor, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, attended the conference in several previous years, and Cook headlined last year's show as well.

During last year's appearance, Cook noted that the company was "doubling down" on secrecy. He hinted at additional Siri features that would be unveiled a few weeks later. He also … Read more

Apple preps bond sale effort

Apple is readying a bond offering, its first since 1996.

The program, which The Wall Street Journal says could be finalized later today, is designed to help Apple pay for the more than $100 billion it plans to pay shareholders over the next few years.

Apple detailed initial plans for the program in a regulatory filing on Monday, and once again on Tuesday. It's a mix of notes and securities that mature beginning in 2016, and go through 2043, though Apple did not provide prices. Bloomberg suggests the total could go as high as $17 billion.

The bond sale … Read more

Apple, Samsung damages do-over trial set for November

Judge Lucy Koh, who has presided over the Apple v. Samsung patent spat, has given a management order that a new trial will focus on recalculation of the $450.5 million award given to Apple in August.

Due to begin November 12, the new trial will decide whether the damage award was incorrectly given by the jury in the original patent dispute, according to a court filing. Koh has previously stated that the jury's damage award was incorrectly calculated in part, and only a new trial will determine the final amount to be awarded to the iPad and iPhone … Read more

Apple plans 'aggressive' move into car integration -- report

Apple is already making some inroads into the vehicle market, but the company has much broader plans, according to a new report.

Apple is currently working with car makers to integrate iPhones and perhaps iPods into car consoles, 9to5Mac is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. Apple envisions a way for iPhone owners to plug their devices into cars and then use specially optimized versions of Siri and Maps for in-vehicle use.

Last year at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple announced "Eyes-Free Siri," which was designed for car makers to integrate the … Read more

Original iPhone reportedly to be obsolete on June 11

The original iPhone will soon leave its current "vintage" status and become an obsolete product in Apple's eyes, according to an internal document seen by blog site 9to5 Mac.

This change is slated to happen on June 11, 2013, which means that on this date people with the original iPhone will no longer be able to get it repaired or otherwise serviced.

The change will take place for consumers in the Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America regions, and in Apple's retail stores, according to the document, but the original iPhone will remain in vintage status for … Read more

Apple's iOS 7 said to be visually different, flat

It's no secret Apple plans to show off the next major version of iOS at its annual developers conference in June, though what exactly will be different about the new software has been fuzzy.

Citing multiple people who have actually seen Apple's next iOS endeavor, 9to5Mac says Apple's making big changes in the look and feel of the software. Specifically making everything -- from app icons to interface features -- "very flat," as opposed to the bubbly and oftentimes realistic interfaces that have stayed mostly unchanged since 2007.

On top of this, the report adds … Read more

iPhone delay could spell gloom for Apple, analyst says

Apple's tried and true habit of releasing one iPhone a year is not lost on consumers, who typically buy the least number of the devices in the quarter just before the new model goes on sale.

But if Apple were to extend its usual turnaround time this year, it could seriously ding Apple's share in what's become a multi-horse smartphone race, says Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi.

In a note to investors on Monday, Sacconaghi said he expects the iPhone's market share among smartphones to go from about 17 percent down to 12 percent in the … Read more

OS X 10.9 to add more 'power user' features -- report

Apple's next desktop operating system launch, which is slated for later this year, will come with few visual enhancements, but a host of improvements for so-called power users, according to a new report.

The folks over at 9to5Mac on Monday said that they have sources with knowledge of Apple's plans who claim that the core design and functions of the new operating system, OS X 10.9 and code-named Cabernet, will remain the same. One of the biggest improvements, however, will be how the Finder application works. That application, which allows users to access files across the operating … Read more

Apple, Samsung's next critical play: Affordable smartphones

If Apple and Samsung want to see their stock prices rise higher, their smartphone prices will have to fall lower.

Both companies have established a dominant position in the wireless industry thanks to their buzzworthy, feature-packed, and polished flagship smartphones. The iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S3 (soon to be displaced by the Galaxy S4) reign atop the sales charts, allowing the two to control more than half the smartphone market and virtually all of the profits.

But a look at both of their most recent financial results show that dominating the high-end smartphone market is no longer enough to … Read more