This Black Friday, Apple's iPad and iPhone dominated when it came to buyers' choice of which device to sit down with in order to place their orders, according to a new report.
Prior to the release of the iPhone 5, Samsung promised the smartphone would be added to the ongoing patent dispute, and since that point, both companies have taken it in turns to name as many of the other's devices as possible. With this weekend being Thanksgiving and all, you might think both companies would take a break, have a little turkey, and enjoy watching the customers flock to stores to grab the limited deals. Apple is not known for taking anything lying down when it comes to intellectual property, though, and in viewing Friday as just another day, took the opportunity to add more of Samsung's devices to the ever-increasing list of claims.
Considering Apple is such a huge company and one of the largest players in the mobile and consumer technology industry, it shouldn't come as any huge surprise that there is always a lot of speculation flying around about the company and their potential product launches at any given time. Whenever a new iPhone or iPad is released, it is inevitable that the rumor mill will kick into gear for the next major announcement, but there are a few points of speculation coming from Apple analyst Gene Munster that could prove to have some merit and could potentially be worth paying attention to.
The dismissal of iOS SVP Scott Forstall at Apple, which has led to Jony Ive taking the helm in the future direction of the company's mobile software, has brought a whole new impetus on the prospect of iOS 7. With Ive said not to be a fan of the skeuomorphic designs throughout iOS, they'll likely go the way of the dodo, but it's not just the faux leather and paper expected to be updated when the next generation of iOS software eventually arrives next year.
It features an all new design, has a 4-inch gorgeous Retina display, the new powerful Apple A6 processor, is billed as being the best thing to happen to the iPhone since the iPhone, and now thanks to AT&T in the United States, the eight week old iPhone 5 is available for consumers to obtain through as a refurbished device with a severely reduced price-tag. Because the sixth-generation iPhone is relatively new into the world we haven't yet seen Apple offering any refurbished models of the device through their usual channels so it's great news for consumers that AT&T are stepping up with this offer.
With Thanksgiving day, followed by Black Friday, and inevitably, Christmas, the consumer electronics market will be abuzz with savings, as each vendor and retailer looks to attract additional custom at this most lucrative time of year.
It was approximately ten days ago when Apple and HTC announced that they had come to a global settlement that would eventually see their ongoing legal dispute come to an extremely welcome end. Both Peter Chou and Tim Cook expressed their delight in reaching the agreement that they hoped would see their respective companies focusing in innovation and customer satisfaction rather than pumping endless resources into fighting one another in a courtroom. Although both HTC and Apple refused to publicly reveal the intricate details of the agreement, a US based Magistrate judge has ruled that Apple will be required to let Samsung in on the bigger picture and inform them exactly what deal has been reached between Apple and their Taiwanese rivals.
It may have been relatively quiet on the patent front in comparison to the no-holds barred playground that we have been used to over the last twelve months, but Samsung is ensuring that the litigation surrounding alleged patent infringements will continue well into next year. We all remember the major Apple victory earlier this year in a San Jose courtroom, but it appears that Samsung is now going on the offensive side by ensuring that a number of Apple's recently released products are added through a court filing that should see the two technology powerhouses duking it out once again in another bitter legal battle.
We're just two days away from Black Friday, and as retailers prepare for a frenzy of shoppers this weekend, some of the deals on offer are just starting to be revealed. Many of those looking to grab one of the specials this weekend are in search of an Apple product. Aside from the general popularity of the iPads, iPods and Macs, it's one of the very few occasions where Apple's prices budge, and with the holiday season looming, it's the perfect opportunity for everybody to stock up on gifts for friends and loved ones.
iTunes 11, which, among other new features and implementations, is set for a major design overhaul of the store, was supposed to have arrived at some point last month, but thanks to numerous delays, has not yet seen the light of day. It's scheduled to finally be shipping at the end of this month, and a post over at the MacRumors forums suggest Apple may have finally gotten iTunes sorted out. The post screenshots an email that was sent to artists by German music distribution service Feiyr, which says iTunes 11 is "about to be released within the next days."
