Often, when hitting certain milestones, Apple likes to make a bit of fanfare about its achievements. But while the 50 billionth iTunes download prompted a countdown that resulted in some great prizes for one lucky individual, Apple recently sold its 500 million iPhone without so much as a press release.
Yesterday, it became apparent that actor Christian Bale may well be in the running to play Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic, written by Aaron Sorkin. Rumor has it that Sorkin will team up once again with director David Fincher, with whom he made The Social Network, and with the script ready, the process of arranging the cast and crew looks well under way. To give us an idea of how Bale might look as Jobs, one image editing wiz has superimposed his face into the famous pose of the late Apple co-founder from the front cover of his official biography, and in all honesty, he pulls off the look plausibly.
Apple has, without too much fanfare, decided to cut down its iPhone returns policy from 30 days to just 14, meaning that new purchasers now have only a two-week grace period after which they can no longer change their mind. The move is part of a wider play aimed at offering a more coherent, uniform returns policy across the company's range of products, while also tying in with similar systems offered by mobile carriers.
In the ongoing patent dispute between Apple and Samsung, it has now emerged that the Cupertino-based company has demanded, in front of a jury, that its Korean competitor stumps up the almighty sum of $40 per infringing device. The total, which Apple has arrived at by highlighting five separate patents per device (around $8 a pop), would equate to an eye-watering total sum, and even FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller - a guy that tends to see these matters from Apple's side - seems to think this is a step too far.
Apple may not have fallen apart following the death of Steve Jobs, but that doesn't mean that the company isn't missing its talismanic leader. Today, February 24th would have been Jobs' 59th birthday had he survived his battle with cancer, and there are plenty of people remembering him.
By now I am sure most of you will be aware of iOS 7.0.6 which was released by Apple only a few days ago to patch critical SSL connection verification vulnerability that can expose your device to man-in-the-middle attacks. All versions below 7.0.6 are affected by this bug.
Apple and Samsung is a little more than your average company rivalry. There's genuine animosity between the two tech titans, and you only have to look at the ongoing litigation for further evidence of the contempt each feels for the other. Unsurprisingly, both Apple and Samsung regularly take shots at each other with ad campaigns, and in its latest, Sammy has taken a swipe at its old adversary in a new fleet of commercials for the Galaxy Tab Pro and Note 3. Check them out after the fold!
A little light-hearted mocking of rivaling companies and their products never hurt anybody in the tech industry, and as we've seen through numerous ad campaigns over the years, they're all at it. With MWC not too far away, Huawei has caricatured Apple's Siri voice assistant to rib both the Cupertino company and rival Samsung, while also promoting its new, to-be-announced smartphone and tablet. Check out the humorous clip right after the break!
It's no secret that Apple has managed to create itself a loyal following over the last ten years, and that's been built on existing loyalty that spans all the way back to the company's startup roots. The introduction of the iPhone and iPad have only strengthened what was already a strong brand for the company, and a new poll suggests that Apple has garnered a 'blind loyalty' amongst iPhone users in particular.
The Apple vs. Samsung patent debacle has been a recurring theme of the mobile industry during the past few years, with each company putting forth their cases pertaining to the supposed patent infringement of the other. Prior to each hearing, the executives high up in both Samsung and Apple meet up for clear-the-air talks in an attempt to find some kind of resolution. But this mandatory meeting seldom works where these two titans are concerned, and with another high profile court case looming, a meeting between Apple chief Tim Cook and JK Shin - just one of the Korean company's three CEOs, has proved a fruitless exercise.
