iPad

iPad to face greater challenges for market share, says analyst

The market share for Apple's 10-inch tablet will continue to shrink this year despite the debut of a fifth-generation model, predicts Citi analyst Glen Yeung.

The larger iPad has already been hurt by demand for its own smaller sibling. Following the launch of the iPad Mini in October, fourth-quarter sales of the 10-inch version dropped by 9 percent in the U.S. and by 26 percent in Japan year over year, Yeung said in an investors note released yesterday.

But the Mini wasn't the only thorn in the side of the 10-inch iPad.

Consumers gravitated toward other 7-inch … Read more

iPad game 'Infinity Blade: Dungeons' delayed again

It's turning out to be a bumpier road than expected for high-profile iPad game Infinity Blade: Dungeons.

The game, which was previewed onstage by Epic Games as part of Apple's debut of the third-generation iPad last year, now faces further delay following the closure of Impossible Studios, the team put in charge of the project.

Epic today said that it's closing the 6-month-old studio and laying off its team, a move that means another delay for the unreleased game.

"When former members of Big Huge Games approached Epic last year, we saw the opportunity to help … Read more

Latest iOS jailbreak dubbed the most popular ever

Just days after its release, one of the most high-profile iOS jailbreaks turns out to be the fastest to be adopted too.

Evasi0n, which gives iPhone, iPod, and iPad owners deeper access to the software on their devices than Apple allows, has been downloaded and used by nearly 7 million people since its release on Monday, Forbes reports.

To put that figure in perspective, Apple last month said that it had sold more than 500 million iOS devices cumulatively, and that 300 million of those were running iOS 6 -- its latest major release.

The 7 million tally comes from … Read more

Is there an iPad Pro in Apple's future?

Microsoft's Surface Pro is apparently just what businesses want in what was formerly known as the desktop computer. If that's the case, Apple's brain trust may want to revisit the space where the Mac and the iPad intersect.

According to Forrester Research's annual survey of nearly 10,000 people around the world who use a computer to do their jobs an hour or more a day, 32 percent said they would prefer Windows over Apple or Android for their next work tablet. Currently, about 2 percent are using a Windows tablet for their work.

Forrester predicts … Read more

Tablets rising: Apple No.1, Samsung No. 4 'PC makers'

Market researcher Canalys has again put Apple in top spot among PC makers with an overwhelming 20 percent market share.

Apple shipped 27 million units in the fourth quarter, while HP and Lenovo both shipped around 15 million (HP slightly more than Lenovo), putting them in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.

Samsung is also on the rise: it made an appearance in the top five for the first time, pushing Dell out of fourth place.

All of this is possible because Canalys counts "pads," i.e., tablets, as PCs -- not a ludicrous concept considering … Read more

Apple eyes another patent for solar-powered iPhone

The U.S. Patent and Trademark office published a patent application from Apple today for solar-paneled technology designed for devices with small screens, such as iPhones or iPods.

This "integrated touch sensor and solar assembly" would involve integrating social cells into a touch screen by using electrodes that can pull double duty as a solar cell and a touch sensor. Apple envisions this technology for handheld devices, like "a media player or phone," according to the patent application. In addition to images of different size iPods, the patent application also comes with an image of a screen that's sized for an iPad. … Read more

Never fear, Europe: Mac Pro likely will get update soon

A Mac Pro update may be in the works for this spring, according to a couple of France-based online publications.

Mac4Ever and MacGeneration say France Systemes, an Apple authorized reseller, sent a newsletter to customers that mentioned the launch of the new Mac Pro to replace older systems that will be banned in the European Union as of March 1. The letter said Apple informed the company that a new Mac Pro line will be released this spring.

Apple last week told retailers and distributors in most European countries that it will stop selling the Mac Pro on March 1 … Read more

Apple warns against jailbreaking following evasi0n hack

Apple has tweaked an online article about the dangers of jailbreaking in the wake of a recent hack of iOS code.

The article shows a last-modified date of Sunday, the same day the evasi0n jailbreak tool for iOS 6.0 through 6.1 was due to reach the public. The tool didn't actually pop up until Monday, but the timing of the modified article certainly points to concern on Apple's part.

Exactly what was updated in Apple's article is difficult to know. But the company cites a range of hazards that it associates with jailbreaking, including instability, … Read more

Dueling disks: Apple's 128GB response to Surface Pro

With the 128GB iPad, Apple is obviously trying to steal thunder from Microsoft's Saturday roll out of the Surface Pro. But that doesn't mean you can equate the iPad's disk performance with the Surface Pro's.

Apple's carefully-timed release of the 128GB iPad ostensibly puts the iPad's storage on par with Microsoft's 128GB Surface Pro, which will go on sale Saturday.

Well, not quite.

Apple is using a flash drive optimized for power efficiency, while Microsoft's solid-state drive favors speed -- the same kind of drive used in ultrabooks. (And Apple's MacBooks, … Read more