Notes of interest from Apple's Q209 quarterly conference call Apple on Wednesday announced a mixed second quarter, providing its best-ever earnings and iPhone sales for a March quarter but relatively weak Mac numbers. It just concluded a financial conference call with analysts and members of the media. Several notes of interest from the call follow: Katie Marsal 17 years ago 97
Bluetooth 3.0 arrives with promise of eightfold speed increase The next version of the Bluetooth short-range wireless protocol officially launched this week, promising an eightfold speed increase to boost the low power protocol into the same performance range as WiFi wireless networking, while allowing Bluetooth 3.0 devices to fall back to lower power mode when not actively transferring data. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 47
End users, developers seen flocking to iPhone apps on wide scale A mobile analytics firm has published new findings which show the iPhone taking the majority of the app market — especially when it comes to the sheer number of users. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 48
AT&T confirms ongoing upgrades to double 3G network speeds An AT&T executive has confirmed in a new interview that the US iPhone service provider is currently performing a variety of upgrades on its 3G network that should combine to double capacity in the coming months. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 51
New iMac owners see Radeon HD 4850-related lock-up issue In a near-repeat of an issue that plagued the aluminum iMac early on, owners of new iMacs equipped with the ATI Radeon HD 4850 graphics chipset are encountering frequent system freeze issues. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 182
Apple trumps Windows PC makers in customer experience study Apple's reputation has been polished with a new customer experience study from Forrester Research that shows happiness and overall satisfaction with Macs being much higher than for several major Windows PC builders. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 111
Best Buy rumored to take on iTunes with movie download store Apple authorized reseller Best Buy will soon add its name to a growing list of firms bidding for a slice of the online movie download business, according to a new report. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 43
Verizon says iPhone deal more likely with advent of 4G network Although his company snubbed Apple on the first go-round, Verizon's chief executive Ivan Seidenberg now says the chances of an iPhone on his network will be greater once a 4G cellular network is in place. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 78
iTunes price changes deliver mixed results Price increases that took effect on Apple's iTunes Store last week reportedly hurt unit sales of some of the most popular songs but ultimately managed to drive marginal increases in overall revenues for the digital download service. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 41
Apple's share of U.S. PC market slips to 7.4% as sales decline Apple's share of the U.S. computer market fell to 7.4 percent during the first calendar quarter of 2009 from 8.0 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008, market research firm Gartner said Wendesday. Katie Marsal and Aidan Malley 17 years ago 168
AT&T pushing to keep iPhone exclusive through 2011 Having locked down the iPhone for at least three years, AT&T is now expected to take one more shot at an exclusive deal for the Apple handset and may keep it away from competitors until 2011. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 147
3G iPod shuffle teardown reveals same costs as in 2007 In spite of concerns touted around the web this week that Apple has arbitrarily padded its margins with the release of its latest iPod, a new teardown from iSuppli obtained in full by AppleInsider reveals that the third-generation iPod shuffle costs the same amount of money to manufacture as its predecessor did two years ago. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 21
First non-Apple Mini DisplayPort-compatible displays unveiled A little-known consumer solutions designer is laying claim to the first non-Apple external LCD displays for Mini DisplayPort-equipped Macs that are designed to look like the Mac maker's new LED-based Cinema Display offerings but retail for a fraction of the cost. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 84
iPhone found ready for enterprise, better than BlackBerry A close study has shown that opening the doors to iPhones at large-scale business has not only made workers happier but has often saved money over competing smartphones in the process. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 272
Apple shares inch higher as pair of analysts up price targets Shares of Apple continue to make forward progress this week with as a pair of Wall Street analysts issuing new research reports that raise their price target on the stock in light of upcoming product catalyst. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 41
Jobs active at Apple, still working on tablet-sized device Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs is still very much involved in his company's direction even as he recuperates at home — and is said to be on track with a new portable device larger than the company's handhelds. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 174
Microsoft pays for inaccurate "Apple Tax" study, issues 3rd TV ad Hoping to persuade possible Mac buyers that Apple charges an arbitrary "tax" for its computers, Microsoft has paid one analyst to create a report that portrays Windows PCs as less expensive — even if it has to artificially pad the Mac's price and hide Windows' costs to get there. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 343
Apple fellow to lead RIM's new user experience team With increased competition from future iPhone technologies looming, Research in Motion has hired a veteran Apple interface director to lead a new team of designers tasked with improving the user experience of the company's BlackBerry handsets. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 30
Apple to disable .Mac website tools in July MobileMe subscribers using legacy .Mac website tools have been warned by Apple that the .Mac Groups and HomePage features will be discontinued in July, leaving existing pages live but taking away the ability to edit or update them. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 19
iPhone assembly rumored begun; Apple faces touchscreen lawsuit Two separate rumors have Apple ramping up production of its 2009 iPhones, including possible new hardware details. However, the company may have hit a snag as a Taiwanese firm has sued it for allegedly violating a patent for touchscreen input. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 30
Apple delaying web standard with patent royalty claim Often touting web standards itself, Apple is being accused of holding back an important web specification by demanding royalty payments on a patent for updates. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 123
Price hike hits Apple's iTunes Store Tuesday marks the end of Apple's one-price-fits-all model at the iTunes Store, where songs will now fall into one of three pricing tiers, with many of the most popular tracks commanding a 30% increase from 99 cents to $1.29. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 202
Last protected music simply disappearing from iTunes? While Apple's move to remove copy protection from iTunes songs has been welcomed, shoppers have found that some protected songs have been pulled outright with no immediate signs of iTunes Plus replacements. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 35
Restrictions drove U2 to switch sides from Apple to RIM - report Apple's penchant for keeping its partners out of the loop reportedly cost the company its relationship with alternative rock band U2, which recently drew sponsorship from rival smartphone market Research in Motion. Katie Marsal 17 years ago 110
