Hello Apple TV 4th Gen, goodbye Xbox One! [Review]
People have different needs. This is why saying one piece of technology is better than another is subjective. The Xbox One, for instance is a more powerful device than the new Apple TV. It has, by far, superior hardware and can do more things. And yet, if you do not need that raw processing power, and prefer casual games to expensive console-grade games, Microsoft's console may be too much. In other words, it doesn't make sense to spend the money on Xbox One if you only need it for streaming media. Sure, it can run Halo 5 and play Blu-ray movies, but I really don't want those things and I am sure there are others like me too.
Enter the Apple TV. I bought this little 4th generation box for $200 despite owning plenty of devices that can already handle streaming media. Why? because of its potential. You see, with access to Apple's App Store, the future will be really bright for it as a media machine, but more importantly, a gaming console. Yes, the Apple TV is a Trojan horse in a sense -- it comes into your home disguised as a run-of-the-mill media streamer, but becomes the future of gaming too.
Apple's giant iPad Pro goes on sale this week
After years of rumors regarding a super-sized tablet, Apple finally took the wraps of its iPad Pro two months ago. The new device has a 12.9 inch screen, with a 2,732 x 2,048 resolution and 5.6 million pixels.
If you’ve been thinking of buying one, the good news is the device will be available to order online from Wednesday and will be in stores later this week.
Apple IDs targeted in global phishing scam
A new phishing threat is targeting businesses and consumers with Apple IDs in an effort to steal IDs, passwords and credit card information.
The attack has been identified by Comodo Antispam Labs and looks like an official Apple email. It has the Apple logo and includes Apple's physical address, as well as an email address that, at a quick glance, appears to to be from Apple -- giving the recipient the illusion of the message being authentic.
HTC One A9 is the iPhone 6s for Android
Without even turning on the HTC One A9 (which I haven't yet), the physical similarities with iPhone 6/6s are unmistakable. The smartphones share striking design ethic, separated by the shape of the home-button fingerprint sensor, placement of the rear-facing camera, and left-side SIM and microSD card slots. But these differences aren't immediately obvious.
My question: Is this the Android for people wanting the iPhone 6s look but something more flexible than the iOS platform? If there is truth in marketing, HTC's tag lines reveal much: "Design worth imitating", which while referring the company's One legacy also could be interpreted as backhanded praise or even fist-to-snub about Apple's device, which some could argue imitates earlier One models. "Power to choose"—customization and personalization options not offered on fruit-logo handsets.
Pebble doesn't see Apple Watch as a threat -- sales double year-over-year
Pebble, one of the first tech firms that jumped into the smartwatch foray via a Kickstarter campaign, has been unaffected by the competition brought by the Apple Watch, says the company CEO Eric Migicovsky.
Migicovsky revealed that the company’s sales has improved, which experienced a double year-over-year growth. Apple Watch had "no material impact" on the company, Migicovsky claimed, adding that this is due to the difference in the market the companies tap.
A new 4-inch iPhone is in the cards for 2016
People who are already awaiting the 2016 Apple iPhones may see a new all-metal, four-inch device, along with the iPhone 7, according to an analyst from KGI Securities.
Ming-Chi Kuo said he believes that the tech giant is currently working on a four-inch iPhone that "resembles an upgraded iPhone 5s" with an A9 processor.
Banks don't want you to share Apple Pay-enabled iPhones, iPads
Banks are warning iPhone users that if they store more than one set fingerprints on the device, they will treat them as if they had failed to keep their personal data safe. They are equalizing multiple fingerprint storing to sharing a PIN code.
Apple’s iPhone device allows up to ten fingerprints to be stored. The company designed it so to make it easier for multiple family members to use the Apple Pay service for contactless payments.
Apply here to test Cortana on iOS
Cortana was originally only available on Windows Phone, but Microsoft’s personal assistant has since become an integral part of Windows 10, and is currently available in public beta form on Android too.
Cortana is set to arrive on iOS at some point in the future, but don’t expect to be able to download the app any time soon -- there’s still quite a lot of development to go. However, that said, Microsoft is currently looking for testers to try out an early version of the iOS app and you can express your interest by filling in a short survey.
Google's Nexus 6P bends too easily, and there's no excuse for that
Bend tests have become a talking point after Apple's iPhone 6 Plus was found to have issues in this department. So, whenever a new flagship smartphone comes out, you can expect someone to make a YouTube video showing how easily -- or not -- it can be bent. They have become so popular that reviewers can expect millions of views.
And because such tests are a given, manufacturers are also expected to learn from others' mistakes and come up with smartphone designs that fare well in these kind of conditions. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw Google's new Nexus 6P bending -- and, as a result, breaking -- with very little effort. Has its manufacturer, Huawei, learnt nothing from Apple's mistake?
Finding iOS 9 vulnerabilities can be extremely profitable
Premium exploit acquisition platform Zerodium has announced that the bounty hunt for an iOS 9 zero-day vulnerability has expired, and that it has one winning team who managed to hack into Apple’s mobile operating system.
The winning team has thus won the main prize of $1 million.
Amazon implements Apple TV veto
True to its word, Amazon has made good on an earlier promise (or threat, depending on your point of view) not to sell Apple TV. In what will be widely regarded as an aggressive marketing move, the online retailer has cut out Apple TV like a cancer. The block on sales comes just as Apple launches its latest streaming device, and the sanctions also affect Google's Chromecast.
Previous links to such product now 404, but there are still a few accessories scattered through the store. But the ban does feel like a case of Amazon cutting off its nose to spite its face. While it does means that Amazon is able to take steps to fight the competition, it does so at the cost of hurting its customers.
Just because Apple CEO Tim Cook claims something doesn't make it true
The haughty headline from yesterday's Apple fiscal fourth quarter 2015 earnings report isn't big revenue or profit performance ($51.5 billion and $11.1 billion, respectively), but a figure given by CEO Tim Cook during the analyst call: "We recorded the highest rate on record for Android switches last quarter at 30 percent".
Blogs, and some news sites, set the statement off like an atomic blast of free marketing for Apple. The fallout spreads across the InterWebs this fine Wednesday, largely undisputed or corroborated. Just because Cook claims something doesn't make it true. To get some perspective, and to either correct or confirm the public record, today I asked a half-dozen analysts: "Does your analysis of the smartphone market support that assertion?"
30 percent of iPhone buyers are Android switchers
As expected, Apple has broken its Q4 iPhone sales record, moving 48.04 million smartphones last quarter. That is an improvement of 22.33 percent year-over-year, from the 39.27 million units sold in Q4 FY2014. The boost in revenue is even higher at 36.03 percent, rising to $32.2 billion from $23.67 billion a year prior.
Android users seem to have contributed a great deal to Apple's record quarter, as 30 percent of iPhone buyers last quarter were Android switchers, according to the company's CEO, Tim Cook.
By raising the price, HTC is making sure One A9 will flop
When HTC announced One A9, the Taiwanese maker said that its new smartphone would only cost $399 when it goes on sale in US. But, as it turns out, that is in fact, a "very limited-time promotional offer", as the price will be bumped up by $100 shortly after it starts shipping.
How limited is that offer? Well, the $399 asking price only applies to orders placed before 12:01 am on November 7. Afterwards, buyers will have to shell out $499 to get their hands on the smartphone. It is a very strange decision, as the lower cost is one of the few things that One A9 has got going for it.
Apple might break its Q4 iPhone sales record
Apple may have broken its Q4 iPhone sales record, according to analyst estimates.
Forbes has aggregated all the predicted sales figures for the last quarter (Q4 FY2015) and found that the average estimate was 48.72 million, a 24 percent increase when compared to twelve months ago.
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