The smartphone and tablet sales and shipment figures churned out by our resident numbers firms make for particularly intriguing reading, since different companies tend to draw differing, oft conflicting conclusions regarding which vendor enjoys a stronghold on the market. One such company unafraid to wade into the Apple-Samsung debate is Strategy Analytics, and according to its latest research, Apple has overtaken Samsung to stake its claim number one phone vendor in the United States. While the Korean consumer electronics giant managed to shift an almighty 16.8 million units in the last quarter, Apple appears to have piped its bitter rival, managing an impressive 17.7 million iPhone sales. Meanwhile, LG took third spot with a comparatively meager 4.7 million.
In the middle of all the current rumors, conjecture and speculation surrounding Apple hardware, it is perhaps the future of the company's so-called hobby project that is managing to capture most of the immediate attention. The little black box has never been one of Apple's highest revenue generating creations, but has been consistently improving on its sales figures, numbers that are only set to continue to rise amid speculation of a new smaller model being introduced and the potential of additional apps being introduced during the year.
The iPad mini may have proven somewhat divisive thanks to its lack of Retina display and high price, but once thing most seem to agree upon, is that its design is a cut above. So pleased is Apple with the shape and materials used with its smaller tablet, that it would appear the next major iPad release - dubbed the iPad 5 - will adopt some of the design traits of its smaller counterpart. A purported leak of the back cover of the next-gen iPad borrows most of its design from the iPad mini, and, having been unearthed by the guys over at 9to5Mac, looks to include a thinner side bezel.
Apple has, by means of a press release, announced that its fourth-gen iPad will now offer up to 128GB of internal storage - double the previous maximum configuration of 64GB. Apple has sold in excess of 120 million iPads to date, and with Phil Schiller noting of the consumer's preference to "work, learn and play on their iPads rather than their old PCs,” it would certainly make sense for the fruit company to offer the kind of capacity reflecting the change in habits.
The news is perhaps about as predictable as when Call of Duty: Black Ops II swept past Halo 4 to take its usual position is market leader, but Windows 8 has - just three months after its initial release - surpassed Apple's OS X Mountain Lion in terms of market share. The Redmond company has seen a positive, if not overwhelming public response to its new operating system, and with many opting to upgrade online as opposed to purchasing a more expensive physical copy, the entire Windows process looks to be headed towards Apple's download-only direction.
We've heard a lot about a so-called low-cost iPhone tailored to the smaller budget, and although Phil Schiller has spoken out to quash the rumors, the arrival of the iPad mini late last year has taught us that Apple is not afraid to go back on the word of some of its leading execs. Said budget device looks as though it might be Apple's key to unlocking the lucrative Chinese (and other developing) markets, and while we've heard enough reports to entertain the possibility of it arriving, the speculation regarding its design and form factor has begun.
Another day and yet another iOS device related report, this time focused on speculation surrounding Apple's intention to introduce another iPad model to their existing product line. There's been plenty of discussion over the last few weeks about when Apple will refresh their existing iPad models, that discussion is still ongoing, but in the meantime it appears that the Cupertino based company is planning on introducing a single new iPad model to the existing device range.
As a company, Apple has been firmly stealing the world-wide headlines over the last few days. The company's stock has fallen amid rumors of lack of demand for the iPhone 5, Exxon Mobile has reclaimed their position ahead of Apple as the world's most valuable publicly-traded company and of course the late iconic co-founder of the company has been top of the discussions list thanks to the debuting of the jOBS biopic at the Sundance Festival in Utah. If you had any trepidation about Ashton Kutcher pulling off the Steve Jobs role, then the comparison picture tweeted from Kutcher's official Twitter account should definitely lay those fears to rest.
For almost a year, Apple held the position of ‘World’s Most Valuable Company’, impressing economists, business analysts and technology enthusiasts alike. After recent stock fluctuations, the Cupertino company has moved back to second place, being surpassed once again by the energy company Exxon Mobil.
We've been bamboozled by the number of rumors pertaining to the next-generation iPhone, unofficially dubbed the 'iPhone 5S', and iLounge has added even more to the mixer with an update on Friday. The iPhone 5S is almost certain to feature a faster processor, something the Cupertino company has done ever since the first model, but even more interesting, is the possibility of a 13-megapixel camera sensor supplied by Sony.
