News

Starting in December of 2013, Apple began pulling Bitcoin-related apps with wallet features, even if they were merely accessing Web-wallets such as Blockchain.info's service. At the time, I argued that Apple was making a big mistake, and that it was in the company's best interest to make iPhone into a premier Bitcoin platform. A change…

If you learned to use a computer at school as my children and grandchildren did, then you were able to process the whole thing slowly and had the extra benefit of a teacher to guide you. But if you're someone who who has had a more abrupt transition, learning can be more difficult. When I…

The circle that looks like a coaster is a Powermat Spot Duracell is partnering with Starbucks to provide the charging spots, which comply with the open wireless charging standard used by HTC, Samsung, Microsoft, and others. Charging an iPhone is also possible, but requires either Duracell's Powermat case or a small device for charging iOS…

American corporations have more than a trillion dollars U.S. held offshore, in part because of the 35 percent tax rate that money would be subject to only when it is repatriated. Apple alone has more than $100 billion outside the U.S., and the company has borrowed money from bond markets in the U.S. and Europe…

Want The Lego Movie? Look elsewhere. As we told you previously, Amazon currently in a standoff with Hachette Publishing, not only posting interminable wait times to get Hachette titles, but then publicly suggesting in customer forums that someone who wants the titles sooner should get them someplace else. If this is the same situation as…

Think your smartphone is safe when it's off? The NSA may still be able to activate it's mic. The idea that the NSA, or National Security Agency, can remotely activate your iPhone's microphone and listen in on your conversations surfaced when Edward Snowden leaked secret government documents a year ago documenting widespread surveillance on U.S.…

Suspects in Oleg Pliss-like attack arrested in Moscow The two men were 17 and 23 years old, according to Infosecurity. The suspects used phishing websites to trick victims into giving up their Apple ID user name and password, and also used a scheme where victims were promised large amounts of media content in exchange for…

Spotsetter was cofounded by ex-Google Maps engineer Stephen Tse and Johnny Lee, who had the title of CEO at Spotsetter. The LinkedIn profiles of both engineers now name Apple as their employer, with Mr. Tse's profile naming both Apple and Spotsetter. Spotsetter's service drew on multiple sources, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Foursquare, to provide…

Apple ponies up $2 million for Super Bowl fund Along with helping keep down tax payer costs for the event, and the new stadium that comes along with it, the companies will get Super Bowl publicity and their own private Super Bowl suite, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Intel, Yahoo! and several other…

According to a BusinessInsider profile on Mr. Kane, his previous prosthesis would only remember four grips, and if he needed others it required a trip back to his computer to update it. Now he can use his phone with the new one, which gives him access to a wider variety of grips and operates everything…

Tim Cook at WWDC keynote. Credit: Apple First, when we look at Apple's traditional line of products, the dates of the last updates are as follows, from oldest to newest. Mac mini – October 2012 Apple TV – March 2013 iMac – September 2013 MacBook Pro – October 2013 iPad Air – October 2013 iPad…

ooooOOOOOOoooooh. RenderMan is the software package Pixar built for rendering its own computer animation, and has been in use for computer effects going back to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan through today, noted as being used on The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter films as well. This new RenderMan release, version 19,…

GoSmart is introducing a new member of its line of styluses, the Crossover 400. It's shorter than previous models, looks beautiful, and includes a replaceable ballpoint pen. It retains GoSmart's unique filament tip that glides over Gorilla Glass better than any other tip we've tested. Plus, it's not all that expensive while its inherent beauty…

The iPhone and iPad maker requested the stay because a separate appeal is underway to determine whether or not the case should have been granted class action status. The Appeals Court ruled there wasn't any reason to halt proceeding while awaiting the outcome of the appeals process, according to CNET. The class action case from…

Beats purchase has analysts wondering about Apple's game plan Mr. Um told investors, Apple is future focused and it's not what the two companies are doing today, but what they'll be doing in the future. While we believe Apple should get some benefit of the doubt because of its historical success, a music-related acquisition still…

Jimmy Iovine, Tim Cook, Dr. Dre, and Eddy Cue (from left). It goes on to state that Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young (sorry, I mean Dr. Dre) as well as their employees will be joining Apple. Then the memo actually gives some news the announcement didn't have, stating that the Beats Music team will report…

Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre Source: Shutterstock The $3 billion price tag of the acquisition—$2.6 billion immediately and another $400 million that will vest over an unspecified amount of time—makes the Beats acquisition the most expensive purchase Apple has made. In comparison, the company spent just $400 million acquiring NeXT in 1997, a company that…

Amazon, the Big Five Publishers (and Apple) The move of issuing a statement such as this is unusual for the retailing giant. Similar to Apple, Amazon has long employed a strategy of seldom commenting on much of anything. To go so far as to both explain itself and defend its actions is even more rare,…

__________________________ Previously on TMO , Bryan Chaffin made a compelling case for Apple's acquisition of Beats. “Apple + Beats Reportedly about Preserving Music Industry and Hiring Iovine/Dre.” The argument was not so much about the headphones business or the number of Beats customers as it is about building an appealing, expert music system that complements…

Currently and Artificially Unavailable Both books are highly anticipated titles that are available now from Apple's iBooks and from Barnes and Noble. A variety of independent book stores will also happily take your money. For instance, The Silkworm is available as a $12.99 preorder from iBooks, or as a $21 hardcover and $14.99 Nook ebook…

Other notable numbers from the report include Android rising to 59% of smartphones shipped, and that three of four phones shipped in the quarter were LTE smartphones. Samsung was the top handset supplier in the quarter and Apple was the top smartphone supplier, with Apple accounting for more than half of shipments to Verizon and AT&T. Handsets by…

Those who have observed Apple for a long time will likely remember a time when Boeing was the industrial giant, while Apple was either a cocky upstart or a failing has-been, but today's Apple is apparently influencing companies far outside of the computer biz. According to Bloomberg, Mr. McNerney said that his company would no…

day 2 on iPhone and iPad For those new to djay, it’s the digital equivalent of a couple of turntables, allowing users to mix tracks making for a seamless stream of music. Previously that mix was limited to choosing from what was synced to your iPad, or available via iTunes Match. With Spotify Premium, you…

I'm guessing this isn't actually what Ken Case's calendar really looks like. OmniFocus is virtually an institution of productivity software, an app that helps people juggle multiple projects for both home and work. This new version was a long time coming, having started as a demo at Macworld last year, then beta testing generated a…