It's a mixed bag for Apple's iPad in a new report from IDC for 2013 March quarter tablet shipments. Apple gained share compared to the December quarter, but lost significant share compared to the March quarter of 2012. Samsung and "Others" took most of that share, though Microsoft is at last on the board with 1.8 percent of the market.
Ergotech’s Versastand For iPad Is Rock Solid And Useful
The Versastand from Ergotech provides a sturdy desktop stand for your iPad that provides 360 degree rotation when needed, and then folds to 1.5-in thick for portability. This one is a winner on many levels.
iOS & OS X: Locking Down Location Services
It's no secret that apps on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch can track your location, but you may not realize Mac apps can do the same, too. You can, however, control which apps know where you are on both platforms, and it's easy to do.
Apple’s Jonathan Ive Giving iOS 7 a Major Revamp
Apple's Jonathan Ive is reworking so much in iOS for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that he has apparently been pulling resources from the OS X team to keep development on track. Sources claim he's been stripping the skeuomorphic design elements from iOS in favor of a flatter interface look, and is looking at some app changes big enough that they may not be ready in time to ship with the release of iOS 7 later this year.
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Mr. Ive doesn't like the skeuomorphic look that Scott Forstall loved. Even if the look isn't completely stripped from iOS 7, we're still expecting to see major changes.
TruGlide Pro Stylus: Smaller Microfiber, Magafabulous
There are times when the iPad or iPhone user needs a stylus. And because stylus technology has come a long way in terms of the design, craftsmanship and the nib material, they're even more fun to use. The LYNKtec TruGlide Pro, with a 5 mm microfiber tip, is the best pure stylus John Martellaro has ever used. Here's his review.
BlackBerry CEO Thinks Tablets Are Dead Within 5 Years
BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins wants the world to know that he's a visionary. By 2018, he sees a future that's so advanced it's gone all the way back to 2009 because by then this whole tablet thing will have gone the way of the dodo.
Windows Phone Ad Mocks Apple & Samsung Fans
Microsoft has released a new ad for the Nokia Lumia 920 Windows Phone smartphone, an ad that mocks fans of both Apple and Samsung devices. The commercial poses each party as guests at a wedding and draws upon memes that will be familiar to the echo chamber, causing Bryan Chaffin to wonder who the target is.
Google Brings Now to the iPhone, iPad
Google released Google Search 3.0 for the iPhone and iPad on Monday, bringing with it Google Now. The new feature, which first appeared on Android 4.1-based smartphones, gives users information based on their current activities, such as traffic reports before leaving for work and flight updates when they're traveling.
The Mac Observer Spin The Mac Observer Spin is how we show you what our authors think about a news story at quick glance. Read More →
Regardless of whether or not you like the idea of Google tracking even more of your daily life, brining Now to the iPhone and iPad is great news because it heats up the competition between Apple and Google. The ball is in your court now, Apple.
iPhone Alert Flashes without Jailbreaking
I was asked over the weekend to jailbreak a friend's iPhone so they could use the camera flash for alerts. There was a time when hacking your iPhone was the only way to use the camera flash for visual alerts, but times have changed. Now that's just another system setting.
Want a Cheap iPhone? Don’t Hold Your Breath
Apple needs to make a cheaper iPhone. That's what analysts are saying, which tells me they still don't understand Apple's market. The company has proven quarter after quarter through sales that consumers are fine with its price structure, and that it has no interest in following the overall market's make-it-cheap mentality.
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Jeff Gamet
Bryan Chaffin
John Martellaro
Vern Seward