Any person who appreciates beautiful and understated design will understand the craftsmanship and dedication that goes into producing a unique, one of a kind timepiece and will understand the price tag associated with classic watches. If new reports are to be believed then it looks like Tim Cook and Apple know all too well just how much it can cost to get their hands on the rights to use probably one of the most famous clock-faces in the world. As part of their development of iOS 6, Apple paid approximately $21 million to license the use of the Swiss clock-face design.
The patent wars that Apple have found themselves in over the last eighteen months are extremely well documented and have been covered all over the world as the Cupertino based company carries on the fight to protect what they believe is their registered property. The ongoing issues with Samsung and Motorola Mobility may not show any signs of coming to an immediate end but it looks like Apple may have one less thing to worry about after coming to a legal agreement with Taiwan based HTC regarding patents.
The tide of the tablet market is turning. Android vendors have had a couple of years at trying to copy the iPad, and having failed, Apple’s rivals have sought new ways to compete with the Cupertino company’s market-leading device. As well as a glut of smaller tablets (to which Apple has also covered with the iPad mini), we’re also seeing a deluge of so-called “hybrid” devices – those that function both as a tablet and a notebook. The majority seem to be running on a variant of Windows 8, and due to the fledgling nature of Microsoft’s new OS, none of these tablet-notebooks have really gotten going as yet, but with so many of them set to hit the retail market this Fall, will Apple need an answer of its own?
The iPhone 5 has been out in the wild for approximately seven weeks now, and considering Apple is still having difficulty replenishing stock levels, we can safely assume that it can be classed as yet another commercial success for the company. The fact that units are flying off the shelves doesn't mean that the device is without its problems, a few of which have already come under intense scrutiny. One of them was a software glitch that affected the keyboard and folders in certain circumstances, but it looks like Apple could have some further display issues on their hands that fall under a hardware remit.
When Tim Cook and his executive team introduced the new iMac as part of their most recent media event, it was the redesigned form factor and the extremely thin profile that grabbed most of the attention. Granted, the new aesthetics of the soon-to-be released iMac is quite a staggering aesthetic transformation from the currently available model, but the more technical minded consumer chose to focus on the under-the-hood announcements that came out of the event, one of which was the new Fusion Drive.
Good news appears to be filtering down to the email inboxes of those who have been waiting patiently for the Wi-Fi + Cellular version of the fantastic new 7.9-inch iPad mini. When Apple announced the device at the California Theatre last month, it would have been painful to a lot of customers to learn that the release was being staggered with the initial launch of the Wi-Fi model only. Those US based technology fans that bit the bullet and pre-ordered the Wi-Fi + Cellular variant should hopefully be seeing their mini tablet landing within the next five business days according to official Apple email correspondence.
The "iWatch" concept is one that has never properly left our thoughts. In fact, ever since Apple began making iPods, iPhones, and iProducts in general, a denomination of consumers (mainly of the "geek" variety) have dreamed that the Cupertino may one day create a product offering innovative features, which could double up - or function entirely - as a watch. The iPod nano of yesteryear showed promise in this particular field, but Apple went the other way with its revamped, much larger nano this year, so it's back to square one.
The holiday shopping season is definitely fast approaching, and that can mean only one thing for keen-eyed technology fans out there who are partial to the odd bargain or two - price reductions galore. Like a number of other large retailers in the United States, Walmart will be starting their Black Friday price reductions at 8 PM on Thanksgiving Day; which is Thursday November 22nd for those who didn't already know when to look out for the bargains.
The 5th-gen iPod touch complete with the iPhone5-esque 4-inch display may finally have been released, but if you're looking for an iOS experience for a dirt-cheap price, you may want to consider the slightly older - but no less exciting - iPod touch 4G. Right now at Apple, you can grab yourself an iPod touch 8GB refurbished for a mere $129, and with an A4 processor and Retina display, it's one of the best deals on the interwebs right now.
Tweetbot for OS X has been one of the more notable releases to hit the Mac App Store in recent times with the 1.0 release eventually landing on the store last month for public purchase after a lengthy public alpha and beta testing period. The iPhone and iPad apps of the same name have benefitted from multiple updates over their lives to bring additional functionality to the user and now it's the turn of Tweetbot for Mac to get the 1.0.1 update from Tapbots.
