Off the back of Apple's deal with IBM to further the presence of products like the iPhone and iPad in enterprise environments, Apple CEO Tim Cook has suggested that he completes around four-fifths, or 80 percent of his work using only the company's famed iPad tablet. In addition, he's also of the opinion that everybody should be able to do likewise, and with laptops still comfortably outnumbering tablets in the business world, hopes that Apple and IBM's new-found allegiance can help to tip the balance.
Apple has today struck a deal with IBM that will see devices like the iPhone and iPad build a stronger presence in the enterprise market, with IBM's obvious clout among business helping to seal what will no doubt be a mutually beneficial deal. Announced today by means of a press release, IBM will take the opportunity to integrate its own pool of services and solutions into these Apple-made devices before selling the tailored experience on to specific, pin-pointed businesses and industries.
Beats Electronics, which was recently acquired by Apple, has enjoyed an immensely successful first few years in business, and while its hardware arguably offers premium audio quality, there's no doubt that the company's ties with music and popular culture have helped it to reach the dizzy heights of being Apple's largest ever acquisition. As well as music, an industry in which founders Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine are heavily invested, football / soccer players have certainly helped to broaden the appeal of the brand, and now, Beats has returned the favor by presenting Germany's World Cup-winning squad with some 24-carat gold Beats Pro headphones.
Even though Apple makes every new iOS device considerably better than the last and, by some miracle, thinner and lighter than the preceding model, one common quibble that consumers have is in the waning battery life. Even though the likes of the iPhone and iPad excel in most departments, battery retention is not one of them, and as such, users are often left with a well-built, stylish, and feature-rich device that won't power up. Apparently, though, Tim Cook's company is joining forces with Intelligent Energy in a collaborative effort that may see iDevices, as well as other products like the MacBook, keep going for up to a week by embedding fuel cells into them.
FCC filings were once a great way of getting a sneak peak at what Apple is working on, but those little leaks have become more and more rare of late. One has been picked up in the last day or so though, and it's all about iBeacons.
Dr. Dre's Beats Electronics, soon to be part of the Apple empire following a massive acquisition announcement of $3 billion, has filed a lawsuit that it hopes will not only put a collection of Chinese counterfeiters out of business, but also rake in a pretty penny when it comes to fines and seizure of assets.
The Internet is abuzz with rumors and reports surrounding the upcoming iPhone 6 these days (both of them, apparently), and rightly so, since there’s hardly been a device in recent history that has been so extensively leaked. However, that doesn’t mean that Apple’s current reigning smartphones, namely the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s, are to be discarded just yet. In an effort to boost sales and keep the interest piqued in their offerings, Apple has partnered (once again) with eBay for a “low-profile Factory Outlet store” that is selling Apple Certified refurbished iPhones at a much discounted price, all complete with Apple’s one-year warranty.
Apple has once again launched its Back To School promotional program, offering great deals to students looking to invest in a new Mac, iPhone or iPad. Those qualifying can expect a $100 Apple Store gift card with any Mac purchase, although this excludes the Mac mini, while students can also score themselves a $50 gift card when buying an iPhone or iPad. Whereas, in previous times, Apple has offered iTunes Store cards of similar value, this deal means that a user can spend the credit on peripherals, software, cases, and other such effects.
Whenever Apple launches new software - invariably around this time of year what with the Worldwide Developers Conference - we usually have to say goodbye to several devices and applications in the process. A natural part of the evolutionary process, the likes of the popular iPhone 4, for example, won't be seeing the forthcoming iOS 8, and in apparently, Apple also plans to cull Aperture and iPhoto from OS X in favor of OS X 10.10 Yosemite's new Photos app.
Apple's product range is famous for a number of reasons. The sleek design is one, and that iconic bitten-apple logo is another, but the seamless manner in which devices and software interacts, notably through services like AirPlay, continues to promote the company's "it just works" philosophy. In the company's continued quest to expand and diversify its products and services, the Cupertino company is apparently considering the idea of pushing its own Smart Home hardware, which would once again integrate harmoniously with associated Apple devices, and although it's still a project very much on the drawing board, it's something that Apple is reportedly dedicating a fair amount of resources into advancing.
