The release of iOS may have been shrouded in controversy, but in terms of adoption rates, it has continually proven itself to be prolific. Early statistics showed that, despite the bad press, consumers were buying and upgrading their devices to iOS 6 at a rate of knots, and in its iOS 6.1 press release earlier today, Apple has revealed that nigh on 300 million iPhones, iPads and iPod touches are now running the latest firmware.
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.
It is no secret that iOS and Android devices are the leaders on the smartphone market, with outputs that greatly outweigh the other players. The latest data published on Monday shows that their lead has edged, having taken over 92.1% of smartphone shipments in the last three months of last year.
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.
Before a new version of iOS is released by Apple to the public, it goes through several betas, in which developers get the chance to download, assess, and note of any significant bugs or issues. This system attempts to ensure the end-user release is as smooth as possible, and while many of you will have been using iOS 6.x, work has been going on behind the scenes to prepare iOS 6.1. Today, a new Beta 5 build is now ready for download for developers only.
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.
If you are thinking of buying a laptop for a bargain price, you are likely not going to have much luck with Apple. Discounts on Apple products are scarce and often not too compelling, yet Best Buy is making an exception by selling MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros for up to $700 off, at least for the next 2 days.
Over the last few years, there have been rumors of a cheaper, lower-end iPhone to complement the standard model, in order to appeal to lower-budget consumers. These rumors have intensified over the last few months, leading the analysts at the firm Detwiler Fenton to predict that Apple may ditch the A6 processor, used in the iPhone 5, for a third-party chip such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon, used on other lower-end phones.
As most of you will know by now, Hollywood star Ashton Kutcher will be playing the late, great Steve Jobs in a movie about the Apple co-founder, and although we've seen stills of Kutcher clad in his Jobs get-up, we finally have the opportunity to see him in action. In a clip courtesy of EntertainmentWeekly, he's seen having a heated debate with Josh Gad, who plays Steve Wozniak in the jOBS movie, and although it's only a short snippet, it gives a general idea as to how both actors represent their respective characters.
It's hard to ignore the increasing wave of iWatch concept ideas. It's almost as if the community is not-so-subtly hinting at something, and one designer operating under the Twitter handle @ipavel has come through with one of the best we've seen yet. It combines cutting-edge finesse with a logical, innovative set of features to back it up, and we've got all the details after the break!

