Apple is apparently deep in negotiations to buy the online map service Waze. Sources say the Mac, iPhone and iPad maker is willing to pay upwards of US$500 million for the company, although Waze is said to be holding out for $750 million. Apple may be working on Waze purchase News of the potential deal…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
Intel to Launch Cable TV Service at CES 2013
Intel is apparently planning on introducing its own virtual cable television service and set top box during CES in early January. Sources said company is jumping into the television market because Google failed to gain traction with its own Google TV based on Intel chips. Intel ready to get into the TV service game Intel's…
ITC Judge Warns Samsung Big Injunction is Coming
ITC Judge Thomas Pender has warned Samsung that he is calling for a complete sales ban on the company's products that infringe on four of Apple's design patents. He also told the electronics maker it will have to post a bond worth 88 percent of the value of the products it could sell during a…
Apple Drops in ForeSee Customer Satisfaction Poll
Apple dropped out of the top five in ForeSee's annual holiday customer satisfaction survey for 2012, and the company's drop from 83 to 80 satisfaction points was one of the biggest the research firm saw this year. The annual ForeSee study surveyed 24,000 online shoppers between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and this year Apple lost its…
Jobs Yacht Crisis Averted: Venus Free to Sail the Seas
The yacht Apple co-founder Steve Jobs commissioned, Venus, is free to leave dock and take to the seas now that a tentative agreement for payment has been reached with the craft's designer Phillpe Starck. Mr. Starck's attorneys had the yacht impounded after he claimed the Jobs' family paid him €3 million less than he was…
Steve Jobs Yacht Seized over Payment Dispute
The yacht Apple co-founder Steve Jobs commissioned won't be leaving the dock any time soon thanks to a dispute over payment to the designer, Philippe Starck. Mr. Starck's lawyers had the yacht seized and it is now tied to a dock in Amsterdam until an agreement with Mr. Jobs's family can be reached. Jobs family…
Judge Shoots Down Samsung's Jury Misconduct Claims
U.S. Federal Judge Lucy Koh ruled Monday evening that there wasn't any jury misconduct in Apple and Samsung's patent infringement lawsuit. Samsung had accused jury foreman Velvin Hogan of intentionally withholding information about his relationship with partner company Seagate to get a spot on the jury. Judge to Samsung: No do-over for you The ruling…
Analyst: iPhone 5 Cutbacks? Don't Worry
Investors and analysts concerned about Apple's future based on reports of iPhone 5 parts order reductions are needlessly worrying, according to Topeka Capital's Brian White. Instead, he said Apple is just fine and the reduction in parts orders was expected, if not a little late. Topeka Capital's Brian White says consumers still want iPhones “We…
Canaccord Lowers iPhone Expectations on Weaker Projections
Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley lowered his 2013 and 2014 iPhone and iPad sales expectations on Monday citing expected lower demand for Apple's mobile devices and reductions in parts orders. He also thinks Apple may be ramping up for a new iPhone launch sometime around June 2013. “While our November channel checks indicated very strong…
Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu Says Apple iPhone Sales to Beat Estimates
With iPhone 5 availability improving, Stern Agee analyst Shaw Wu expects Apple will report quarterly sales figures than come in above current estimates. Full-size iPad sales, however, may take a small hit thanks to iPad mini cannibalization. Improved iPhone 5 availability means even more sales “We continue to pick up improving yields and availability of…
Analyst: iPhone 5S Next June with New Colors & NFC
Jeffries analyst Peter Misek thinks Apple will ship its next iPhone model in June 2013 instead of in the fall. That new iPhone model will be called the iPhone 5S, will inclue NFC support, and will be available in several colors much like the iPod touch. Mr. Misek is claiming the new iPhone model will…
USPTO Rules Steve Jobs Touch Patent Invalid
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued a preliminary ruling declaring a key Apple patent covering touch screen devices invalid. Patent number 7,479,949, or the Steve Jobs Patent, is still in effect, but if the USPTO ruling is upheld, it could spell trouble for Apple's ongoing patent fights with Samsung and Motorola. The…
Apple: Duplicate Checking Returning to iTunes
Apple dropped the ability to check for duplicate tracks with the release of iTunes 11, but that change is only temporary. The company said duplicate track searching is coming back in an app update, but didn't say how long users will have to wait before seeing the handy feature return. iTunes 11: You can have…
Trader Arrested in $1B Apple Stock Fraud Plot
Former Rochdale Securities stock broker David Miller has been arrested on Federal wire fraud charges for allegedly using company money to buy US$1 billion in Apple stock for his own gain which ultimately left his employer with a $5 million loss. “As alleged, this defendant orchestrated the unauthorized purchase of approximately $1 billion of Apple…
Analyst: Faster iPhone 5 Shipping Isn't Weaker Demand
Apple has been improving ship times for iPhone 5 orders with the company's website showing delivery in 2-4 days instead of weeks. That's due to improved parts availability instead of declining interest in the company's latest smartphone model, and could lead to more than 46 million phones sold during the December quarter, according to Sterne…
Fantastical for iPhone: Event Entry Done Right
Fantastical from Flexibits is already a popular app for the Mac because it makes easy work of adding events to several popular calendar applications through its built-in natural language engine. Now it's available for the iPhone and iPod touch, but does Fantastical for the iPhone live up to the expectations the Mac version sets? Read…
Samsung Cuts Off Apple's MacBook, iPad Battery Supply
Apple has apparently turned to Amperex Technology Limited and Tianjin Lishen Battery for its laptop and iPad battery needs after Samsung reportedly stopped supplying the components. If true, it underscores the ongoing tension between the two companies over patent infringement claims. Samsung to Apple: No More Batteries for You News of the parts supply change…
USB 3.0 Hard Drives Can Cause Wi-Fi Interference
Annoyed with bad Wi-Fi and Bluetooth performance on your Retina MacBook Pro? That fancy new USB 3.0 hard drive you connected may be the problem. The issue is that USB 3.0 hard drives can emit radio frequencies that interfere with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transmissions on the 2.4 GHz band, especially when placed near the antennas…
U.S. Immigrations Drops RIM for iPhone
ICE hangs up on RIM RIM and its BlackBerry smartphone lost yet another U.S. government agency to Apple's iPhone. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency to spend US$4.1 million on iPhones for 17,600 employees after using RIM's phones for eight years. ICE officials said “[RIM] can no longer meet the mobile needs of the agency,”…
Samsung Increases Apple Chip Prices by 20 Percent
Apple is now paying more for the A6 and A6X processors in the iPhone and iPad thanks to a 20 percent price increase from Samsung. Apple designs the chips, but has been relying on Samsung for manufacturing. Samsung hits Apple with 20 percent price increase for processors “Samsung Electronics recently asked Apple for a significant…
Analyst: HTC Settlement Could Net Apple $280M a Year
Apple and HTC reached a settlement in their ongoing patent infringement fight, and that deal includes a 10 year cross licensing deal. The two companies didn't reveal the settlement details, but Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu's sources have him estimating HTC could be paying Apple between US$6 and $8 per Android phone, which could get…
Analyst: December iPhone 5 Sales to Hit 46.5 Million
Hon Hai Precision Chairman Terry Gou said his factories can't keep up with iPhone 5 production demands because of Apple's strict quality control. That situation is improving, according to Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu, and he thinks Apple is still on track to sell 46.5 million iPhones during the December quarter. Shaw Wu: iPhone sales…
iPad, iPad mini Camera Comparison: You can See the Difference
With the iPad mini and fourth generation iPad available, Boinx Software took the time to compare the rear-facing cameras in both. What they found is that the two devices offer noticeably different image quality. The Boinx team used their iStopmotion app for the iPad to capture time lapse video from both tablets, which showed the…
iPad Sales Hit 3M over Launch Weekend
Apple sold 3 million iPad minis and fourth generation iPads during their first weekend of availability. That figure is inline with first weekend sales of the third generation iPad from March, although Apple is calling it a new record by breaking out WiFi-only sales from the earlier launch at 1.5 million units. According to Apple,…