iOS device failures overtake Android for the first time
In the ongoing smartphone performance and reliability battle, Apple has lost its leading position to Android for the first time in the second quarter of 2016.
Plagued by crashing apps, WiFi connectivity and other performance issues, the iOS failure rate more than doubled to 58 percent, compared to a 25 percent failure rate in the previous quarter, according to the research by mobile device diagnostics company Blancco Technology Group.
'Touch Disease' breaking Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screens -- millions of devices at risk
The iPhone is a great device, but a growing number of users are reporting a problem that affects the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Nicknamed "Touch Disease" by repair specialists iFixit, the problem starts with a flickering gray bar at the top of the screen and reduced touch functionality. Over time the bar spreads and eventually the whole screen stops responding to touch.
Privacy-flouting, Apple-only social app Lifestage is Facebook's desperate attempt to stay relevant to teens
Facebook has become so ubiquitous that even your mum is using it. This is just one of the many reasons the social networking giant has lost any vestiges of coolness, but the company is keen to try to claw some back.
The latest attempt to get down with the kids is a new social app called Lifestage. Aimed at 'high schoolers' the app is available for iPhone and iPad and for those with a profile it "makes it easy and fun to share a visual profile of who you are with your school network". It looks and sounds godawful, and comes across as a privacy nightmare.
Samsung is planning an Apple-style refurbished phone program
If you want to get your hands on cheaper Apple products, you can opt for the secondhand market on eBay, or you could go for an official refurbished device from the company itself. Not wanting to miss out on a trick, Samsung looks set to launch its own refurbished smartphone program.
Citing "a person with direct knowledge of the matter", Reuters says the program could launch as early as next year. With Samsung hardware selling for something of a premium -- particularly flagships like the Galaxy Note7 -- consumers are as keen to seek out a saving as Samsung is to ensure ongoing profit in an ever-competitive market.
Slightly confusingly, Apple stores are now just called Apple
Apple's latest branding move messes with syntax and established convention as it changes the way it refers to its physical stores. While Apple Store, Fifth Avenue made perfect sense to just about anyone with common sense, Apple has now decided that Apple Fifth Avenue is better.
The change to retail labelling is a little, well, odd frankly, but it's sure to gain Apple some more of the attention it so craves. After all, Apple World Trade Center sounds rather more grand than Apple Store, World Trade Center doesn't it?
Microsoft helps Apple macOS users switch from Evernote to OneNote with import tool
Evernote is a very popular organization and note-taking solution. Not only is it easy to use, but it is cross-platform. In other words, users can sync their content between multiple devices running different operating systems. Unfortunately, earlier this year, Evernote did something shocking. It limited its free "Basic" option to two devices. This was not popular.
This abrupt change was a deal-breaker for users that leveraged more than just a pair of devices. While some folks were willing to pay for a tier that met their needs, other people decided to switch to other solutions, such as Microsoft's free (and wonderful) OneNote. In fact, Microsoft created an import tool to help Windows users make the switch. Today, that tool comes to Apple's macOS (OS X 10.11 or higher).
Windows falls to 0.6 percent share in the smartphone market
Windows continues to lose ground to Android and iOS in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Gartner. Driven by the poor performance of the Lumia line, its share dropped to just 0.6 percent in Q2 2016, down from 2.5 percent a year ago.
Microsoft is the largest platform vendor, selling over 90 percent of the smartphones that run Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, so its performance has a direct impact on Windows' share in this market. And, since in Q2 2016 it only sold 1.2 million Lumia devices, it dealt the platform yet another blow.
Save hundreds on Apple products and more in Best Buy's 50-hour, 50th anniversary sale
Best Buy is turning 50 and what better way to celebrate than by encouraging people to throw some of their hard-earned cash in its direction? That is precisely what's happening in a 50-hour 50th anniversary sale which is including 50 Black Friday-like deals.
The company points out that the sale comes just in time for those essential 'back to school' purchases, but with a bundle of money to be saved off the likes of MacBook Pros, and iPhone 6s Plusses, there's something for everyone.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 ad implies iPad Pro is not a 'computer'
Apple and Microsoft target the same crowd with the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4, but they go about it from totally different directions. The former has repurposed a consumer-oriented platform to handle the heavier loads required by prosumers while the latter has tweaked its full-fledged PC operating system to work on a tablet touted to be a laptop replacement.
It is this difference in approach which has proven controversial and, to stir the pot once more, Microsoft has released a new Surface Pro 4 ad to suggest that it is a real "computer" while the iPad Pro is basically nothing more than a glorified iPad with keyboard support. Surprised?
Apple gets green light to build Irish data center
After months of back and forth, Apple has finally gotten the approval to build its first data centre in Ireland. The approval was given by the Irish planning body -- An Bord Pleanala -- last week, despite being opposed by a couple of individuals and local businesses.
The planning body said the 197-hectares data center, to be built in a forest on the west coast of Ireland, will significantly boost local economy. The opposition says the building will have a negative effect on the local wildlife, and could have a negative effect in terms of flooding.
Apple's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are the best selling smartphones in US
Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge's reign as the most popular smartphones in US in the three months ending May was short lived, as the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus climbed to the top of the sales chart in the second quarter of 2016. Perhaps it's not all doom and gloom for Apple's flagships.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus accounted for 15.1 percent of the smartphones sold in Q2, while Samsung's flagships only made up 14.1 percent of sales, according to a new report from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Previous figures were 14.6 percent and 16 percent, respectively.
Apple finally announces a bug bounty program of its own -- but it's not open to everyone
Bug bounty programs have become commonplace in recent years. Tech companies offer up rewards to coders, engineers and hackers who manage to unearth security vulnerabilities in software, and this means that problems are detected and patched faster than normal.
It is something that the likes of Google and Microsoft have offered for some time, and now Apple has decided it wants a piece of the action as well. Starting in September, the company will pay out up to $200,000 to anyone identifying vulnerabilities in its software and services.
Incipio buys Griffin
In the technology market, there are many types of manufacturers. Two such examples are those that make devices and those that make accessories for those devices. This works quite well, you see, as not only do consumers love gadgets, but they love customizing them with cases and other things too.
Speaking of accessory makers, Griffin is well known for its quality offerings. Apple users in particular have long been buying that company's products, but it makes accessories for non-Apple devices too. Today, popular case-maker, Incipio (which also owns Incase and Braven), announces that it has acquired Griffin for an undisclosed amount of money. Is this good or bad?
Apple's water gun vs. Microsoft's realistic pistol -- which emoji is right? Vote now!
Regardless of your stance on guns, I think everyone can agree that firearms deserve to be treated with respect. Even staunch 2nd amendment proponents will tell you that the weapons are not toys. Proper training and understanding of their potential danger are key for safety.
Understandably, however, some parents don't want their children -- or themselves -- to have guns in their lives at all. Thanks to emoji, guns are sort of unavoidable nowadays. While parents can refuse to buy toy guns for their children, pistol symbols in communications are now a thing. Well, except on iOS 10 beta, that is. Apple has chosen to go against the tech world and Unicode consortium by using a water gun to represent the pistol emoji. Are Tim Cook and company right or wrong in this decision?
Apple sees disappointing iPhone sales in India
India is the third-largest smartphone market worldwide, after China and the United States. In the second quarter of the year, vendors shipped just over 30 million devices, the vast majority of which run Android. That is no different than what is happening in the other leading markets, China and United States, except for one thing: iPhone sales.
Apple is a major player in both China and United States, where its market share is well into double digits. However, in India, the iPhone is not as appealing to local shoppers, as only 2.4 percent of the smartphones shipped in Q2 2016 feature Apple's logo on the back.
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