Apple Corporate

Communist Chinese media mouthpiece bashes Apple again

Three's usually a charm -- but not when you're talking about the government of China and Apple. For the third day running, the country's state-controlled media has taken a swipe at Apple, ostensibly over its warranty policy.

The Wall Street Journal refers to an article in the People's Daily, which describes Apple's defense of its policy as "arrogant." While that description might not shock people who follow the company closely, it's unclear why the official state organs have decided to cuff Apple around.

Under the heading "Apple unmoved by repairs complaints&… Read more

Apple closes gap on Samsung in smart connected devices

Apple is starting to catch up to Samsung Electronics when it comes to smart connected devices, or total sales of desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

That's according to IDC, which pegged leader Samsung at 21.2 percent of the market for smart connected devices as of the end of 2012, with No. 2 Apple just behind it at 20.3 percent.

Given the premium price on its products, Apple already dominates Samsung from a revenue perspective. Apple captured 30.7 percent of the industry's total revenue, to Samsung's 20.4 percent share.

The smart connected devices … Read more

Apple to triple its presence in India by 2015 -- report

Apple plans to dramatically expand the number of stores it'll allow to be opened in India over the next couple of years.

According to the India Times, Apple is planning to triple the number of "exclusive stores" in the country by 2015. The India Times' sources, who currently run some of Apple's exclusive stores, say that the iPad maker will have around 200 of those locations around India by 2015.

Apple operates its stores a bit differently in India than in, say, the U.S. In India, Apple has found 17 franchisees that operate stores that … Read more

Apple supplier Foxconn has record profit

Apple iPhone supplier Foxconn posted a record profit for last quarter after it ramped up operations for iPhone 5 manufacturing, Bloomberg reported today.

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known by its trade name Foxconn, reported a fourth-quarter net income of $1.2 billion (NT$37 billion), exceeding analysts' expectations.

Faced with a high demand for the iPhone 5, the factory group had to smooth out production problems that lead to stalled shipping times for the smartphone. The result was raised revenues and margins, according to Bloomberg.

Apple's response to Chinese warranty complaint draws ire

Apple's warranty practices, and dealings with journalists, have brought the ire of one of China's largest media outlets.

Earlier today, The People's Daily -- which is owned by the Communist Party of China -- ran a story criticizing the iPhone and Mac maker for its response to issues raised about its warranty practices in the country.

Those issues came about during a TV segment on state-run network China Central Television Station earlier this month which claimed Apple repaired only broken or otherwise faulty parts within its products for customers in China, versus providing replacements in other countries. … Read more

Will the iPhone pop up at tomorrow's T-Mobile event?

A T-Mobile iPhone would make the perfect "one more thing" to the carrier's "Uncarrier" event tomorrow.

T-Mobile plans to detail how it will shake up the industry. The invitation reads: "We're still a wireless company. We're just not going to act like one anymore," suggesting an event that is heavily focused on its recent move to kill off the contract and subsidy, and focus primarily on the no-contract option. Tomorrow will also likely mark the official launch of its 4G LTE network, finally bringing it into the LTE game with three … Read more

Apple buys WiFiSlam, maker of tech for locating phones indoors

Apple has acquired WiFiSlam, a company that makes an app that lets smartphones locate themselves indoors using ambient Wi-Fi signals that already exist in buildings.

The deal was reported by The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog, which said Apple confirmed the acquisition but had no further comment other than to say that Apple "buys smaller technology companies from time to time." Digits said Apple paid $20 million for WiFiSlam.

The WiFiSlam page on AngelList describes the company's product like so:

Allow your smartphone to pinpoint its location (and the location of your friends) in real-time to … Read more

Vintage video of Apple's Woz discovered in a basement

Some 1984 videos of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak talking about Apple's early days have surfaced on YouTube, showcasing the tech icon's deftness at tech humor.

The footage, filmed at a meeting of the Denver Apple Pi computer club, is filled with Wozniak's anecdotes about building the Apple I and Apple II and playing pranks, and includes a look at him leading a spoof of "The Pledge of Allegiance" that features the line "One notion under Jobs," a reference, of course, to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. There's also footage of Apple employee No. 6, Randy Wigginton, talking about the nerve-racking days before the launch of the Mac. … Read more

Apple ID password reset exploit reportedly in the wild

A new exploit lets anyone who knows your birthday and e-mail address reset your Apple ID password, according to a new report.

The exploit, described by The Verge though not posted publicly, makes use of a special URL that gets around the need for a security question, a security measure Apple put in place on all Apple ID accounts last April.

The reported exploit does not work on accounts with two-step verification enabled, which Apple introduced yesterday, and does away with the security question in favor of sending a four-digit PIN code to a cell phone that needs to be … Read more