There are many vendors battling for supremacy in the mobile market. Nokia and BlackBerry are both trying to reinvent themselves on new and overhauled ecosystems, while the likes of LG and HTC continue to plug away on Google's Android. All these companies have enjoyed varying levels of success over the years, but they all have one thing in common in today's market - they're all playing in the shadows of Apple and Samsung. Two of tech's biggest names, they sell devices in the tens of millions every quarter, and the Q2 mobile device revenue figures once again illustrate how far ahead the bickering titans are when compared to the chasing pack.
If you're looking to expand your current supply of Apple gadgets, you'll be more than aware that the costs involved can be something of a stumbling block. iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and such are among the priciest in their respective fields and as such, heading over to Apple.com and picking up a brand-new device or machine isn't always an option. For those looking to save a little on used products, Apple runs a refurb program designed to sell off products that aren't gleaming new but still fully operational and covered by warranty, and if you want to keep track of these deals, well, there's now an app for that!
After a lengthy eight day stretch of downtime, the Apple Dev Center is now finally back online, and so registered developers should be able to carry on about their business as usual. Late last week, it became apparent that systems were completely down, and after Apple stepped out and confirmed that it had been indeed subjected to a security breach, and that while all passwords and sensitive data were secure and out of reach of any hacker activity, it would be working on overhauling the system completely to prevent any such mishap from occurring in future. That initial memo was then followed by a server status update tool earlier this week, and now, just over a week after the Dev Center first went down, the main sections of the system are now back online.
In a poll of 38,500 Americans, Apple has fought off competition from some of tech's biggest names to hold the crown as favorite brand in the categories of smartphone, tablet and computer, which will certainly serve as a kick in the teeth to rivals. Tim Cook's company has long since been the favorite when it comes to computers, but with the iPad and iPhone seeing off the likes of Google and Samsung, it appears America just cannot get enough of the company's famed gadgets.
Much fuss has been made of Apple's supposed move from Samsung to TSMC chips for its future iOS devices, with a deal having recently been struck just recently seemingly confirming this to be the case from 2014. With this in mind, you would expect the Apple A9 chips, which wouldn't theoretically make their way to market until 2015, to be produced by TSMC, right? Wrong. Reports are now suggesting that Apple's attempt to move away from Samsung as a primary manufacturing partner is failing miserably, with the South Korean company's expert knowledge of the field once again giving it the green light on the A9.
It's that time of year again when Apple takes it upon themselves to remove some of the pain that is commonly associated with full and part-time education. The Cupertino based company has once again kept up with what is becoming an annual tradition by announcing this year's "Back to School" promotion, which includes some great discounts for those embarking on their studies. In addition to the education based discounts, Apple is also extending the campaign by rewarding those who purchase an iPhone with a $50 gift card that can be redeemed through iTunes. More details on the offer can be found right after the jump.
In this guide, we detail the legal way to download iOS 7 beta and install it on your iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 and iPod touch 5
For quite a while now, rumor and speculation have suggested that Apple could be planning to release its very own gaming controller for iOS. Third parties, if you'll excuse the pun, seem way ahead of the game in this respect, with many vendors and developers already supporting the traditional physical peripheral, but if Apple were to go ahead and bring its own official offering, it could be a real game-changer. According to mutterings at WWDC, the Cupertino is plotting exactly that, but not on its own, and with some documentation for iOS 7 pertaining to a Game Controller having just popped up on the dev site, official physical gaming controller support is about to become a reality starting from iOS 7.
Today, as if a reminder was ever required, is the opening morning of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, otherwise known as WWDC. If you're reading this, chances are you're eagerly awaiting the revelations and announcements from Moscone West, and with the wait almost now over, here are the details of how, where and when you can watch and follow the coverage.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference commences from next month on June 10th, and the well-informed Jim Dalrymple has waded into the ongoing debate by casting his expectations on the forthcoming event. He suggests that, in terms of new hardware, we shouldn't hold out any hope of a significant new iOS device, but we could see some alterations to the Mac line. As well as that, he goes into detail with regards to OS X and iOS, both of which will certainly be seeing new versions. Details can be found right after the break.

