iPad

Apple delays iTV to next year, Jefferies says

Remember the Apple TV that supposedly was launching this year? Well, that's not happening, investment banking firm Jefferies said today.

Apple has been rumored to be developing a television set (or drastically updated set-top box), but it's unclear what the product will look like or when it will launch.

The iTV launch has been postponed again, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek said today in a note to investors. He had expected an Apple TV event in March, followed by a launch in September or October. However, he now believes the launch will happen sometime next year as the company'… Read more

Tablet shipments now expected to hit 190 million this year

A predicted surge in sales of smaller, lower-cost tablets will bump up the number of shipments this year, according to a new report from IDC.

The research firm now expects global tablet shipments to rise to 190.9 million in 2012, up from its prior forecast of 172.4 million. IDC also sees an average rise in shipments of 11 percent from now through 2016, leading to more than 350 million tablets shipped by the end of 2017.

"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size," IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani said … Read more

Kate Spade to use iPads as retail signage

Taking a page from Apple's retail empire, fashion retailer Kate Spade will use iPads in some of its retail locations as in-store signage.

The retailer today said it would debut the tech in its Kate Spade Saturday stores beginning in Tokyo, before bringing it to other locations later this year.

Apple has used iPads as in-store signs since early 2011, putting the tablets in front of each and every product -- even its $49 iPod shuffle. The encased iPads display information about nearby products like prices and configurations to let customers compare and customize models. There's also the … Read more

Apple devices more likely to be used for in-flight Internet access

New numbers by in-flight Wi-Fi service Gogo show that "Apple devices are still reigning above the clouds."

Maybe it's because Apple devices are more popular to use while traveling, or maybe it's because Android users are smart enough to download their in-flight entertainment before getting on an airplane?

Despite the reason why, Gogo's numbers are significant (see the infographic below). Eighty-four percent of in-flight Internet users are connecting with iOS vs. 16 percent with Android's operating system. Specifically for smartphones, the number is 73 percent using iPhones compared with 26 percent on Android devices. … Read more

Think PCs are dead? Check out these crazy mods

AUSTIN, Texas--The PC is so not dead.

That's what AMD, one of the world's largest makers of processors, wants the world to know. And at SXSW, the chipmaker is putting its money where its mouth is and showing off a collection of modded PCs masquerading as art.

During its Technograffiti event here tonight, AMD will let the world get a glimpse of a series of PC mods that it hopes will convince people who think mobile devices have fully supplanted PCs that there's still some life remaining in the full-size computer.

"We want people to reimagine … Read more

Apple and Google take divergent paths on Wall Street

Apple and Google are on a collision course. The two tech giants are battling to win the hearts and minds of users on the go and in the cloud with their various products, services, and platforms. But as far as Wall Street is concerned, Google is ascendant and Apple is waning.

According to a Citigroup report, Google has replaced Apple as the top holding by the largest U.S. mutual funds. At one point it was Apple that was heading for a $1,000 stock price -- now it's Google. Wall Street is valuing the future potential of Google'… Read more

iPad Mini to drive lower-cost tablets, says analyst

The second-generation iPad Mini will force tablet vendors to continue to drop their prices, says J.P. Morgan analyst Mark Moskowitz.

In an investors note out today, Moskowitz raised his 2013 tablet sales forecasts based on a boost from the Mini and other low-cost tablets.

The analyst now expects tablet unit sales to grow by 65 percent this year, up from a prior estimate of 53.5 percent. Overall tablets revenues are likely to rise by 33.2 percent, compared with the previous projection of 32.5 percent.

Apple will be the major beneficiary of those higher tablet sales. In … Read more

Samsung's investment in Sharp could prick Apple

Apple just can't get away from Samsung.

With Apple reportedly trying to reduce its reliance on Samsung, things just got a bit harder with the Korean company investing $111 million for a 3 percent stake in another big Apple supplier: Sharp.

While Samsung says it won't get involved with Sharp's business management in "any way or form," it will be getting a "steady" supply of LCD (liquid crystal display) panels used for smartphone and tablet displays. And it probably will get a line of sight into Sharp's future products and customers, as … Read more

iPhone 5, iPad demand may be softening, says analyst

Are the iPhone and iPad losing some of their steam? At least one analyst thinks so.

Citi analyst Glen Yeung believes that end-user demand for the iPhone 5 and the iPad are declining. In an investors note out today, the analyst pointed to a reduction in component orders from Apple suppliers as the cause for his bearish assessment.

"In conducting our regular field work with the hardware supply chain, we again find evidence of reduced demand to Apple's suppliers for iPhone 5 related components," Yeung said in his note. "While production does not directly translate to … Read more