In Depth: Apple's highs and lows in 2010

<P align=center><img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Mobile%20phones/iPhone/Hands%20on/iPhone_4_06-200-200.jpg"></P> <br /><P>Apple isn't the sort of company to skulk in the background.</P><br /><P>Whether it's wowing everyone with the MacBook Air, confounding industry expectations with the iPad, or trying to convince people that Ping isn't a total waste of time, the Cupertino company never seems far from promoting the next big thing.</P><br /><P>2010 was no exception, and so here are TechRadar's highs and lows for Apple from the past twelve months; if we've not included your favourites, let us know in the comments.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Apple's highs of 2010</STRONG></P><br /><P><STRONG>1.iPad</STRONG></P><br /><P>Analysts cleverly predicted failure for Apple's giant iPod touch and competitors scoffed; millions of happy iPad customers later and the entire industry's trying to pretend they always knew the iPad would be huge, and competitors are trying to catch up. A combination of usability, quality components and a surprisingly low price has turned the iPad from a potential breakout hit to a possible future of computing, also giving Apple new inroads into business.</P><br /><P><STRONG>2. The App Store</STRONG></P><br /><P>It wasn't a 2010 invention, but the App Store continues to be a huge win for Apple. The store passed five billion downloads in June (and a billion dollars paid to developers), Apple finally provided insight into the app-review process, and there's a Mac equivalent due in 2011. Crucially, The App Store also sets iOS apart from competing platforms, which lack the quality apps found on Apple's store.</P><br /><P><STRONG>3.Steam for Mac</STRONG></P><br /><P>It's not been revealed how much work Apple and Valve have done together, but there's no doubting Steam's arrival on Mac OS X is a big deal for Mac gamers. Although the selection of games is dwarfed by that for Windows, new products are increasingly coming to Mac (Portal 2 will get a simultaneous release).</P><br /><P><STRONG>4.Record company growth</STRONG></P><br /><P>Apple's numbers went crazy in 2010, with records falling by the wayside. In October, the company reported $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings, both records for the company. Its market cap exceeded Microsoft's in May, and it's threatening to overtake Exxon, which would make Apple the most valuable company in the world. Part of Apple's huge wealth will enable it to double its Cupertino HQ in 2011.</P><br /><P><STRONG>5.New Apple Stores</STRONG></P><br /><P>Industry rumblings had suggested Apple was to spend more time concentrating on major stores rather than typical mall outlets. Sure enough, 2010 saw Apple's flagships go from merely impressive to jaw-dropping, most notably with the Shanghai store's glass tower and the massive Covent Garden store incorporating a beautiful Grade II listed building. </P><br /><P><STRONG>6. iPhone 4</STRONG></P><br /><P>Despite problems we'll cover in Apple's 2010 lows, the iPhone 4 is an astonishing device. It's powerful, with a screen resolution that makes digital text look like print, and a stills camera that can match point-and-shoots. This is a convergence device with few compromises, backed by a quarter of a million apps.</P><br /><P>The iPhone 4's Retina display is so crisp it looks like one of those stickers you peel off a device before seeing the real screen.</P><br /><P><STRONG>7. iOS 4 arrives</STRONG></P><br /><P>With multitasking, Game Center, iBooks, AirPrint and AirPlay, and improvements to the springboard, Mail, Safari and iPod app, iOS 4 dealt with the bulk of perceived shortcomings in Apple's mobile devices. Major accessibility improvements also enabled disabled users top-quality access to content via Apple devices.</P><br /><P><STRONG>8.Macs crack ten percent</STRONG></P><br /><P>Although not a big global player, Apple finally grabbed a ten percent market-share in the USA during 2010, biting at Acer's heels. Given Apple's massive profits compared to its contemporaries, market-share is more a psychological boost than anything; and had iPads been added to the 'PC' mix, Apple would have been the US leader in terms of shipped units.</P><br /><P><STRONG>9.Redefining laptops</STRONG></P><br /><P>Many Apple products are evolutionary, but now and again something revolutionary occurs, shaking up the industry. The late-2010 MacBook Air is one such device, effectively merging the MacBook Pro and iPad, creating a super-light next-generation laptop with solid-state storage, long-lasting battery, great display and full-size keyboard and trackpad.</P><br /><P><STRONG>10.Steve Jobs alive and well</STRONG></P><br /><P>It might seem odd to highlight Steve Jobs's health as an Apple 'high', but there's no denying a fit (if rather more streamlined than of old) Steve Jobs is great to see. Jobs taking the lead on keynotes and announcements is part of what makes Apple Apple, and he offered great quotes in 2010 ("Notebooks aren't better at anything," for example, during the iPad keynote); long may he continue to do so.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Apple's lows of 2010</STRONG></P><br /><P>Not everything went well for Apple in 2010. Here's our pick of the year's biggest Apple blunders and failures.</P><br /><P><STRONG>1.Gizmodo and the 'lost' iPhone</STRONG></P><br /><P>If you're an Apple employee, leaving your pre-release iPhone 4 in a bar isn't a great idea when there are slightly shifty people lurking. Cue: Gizmodo 'acquiring' the device and amazingly not noticing half the new tech, Apple lawyers getting astonishingly angry, police doing 'policey' things, and a general feeling that Apple had turned into the Big Brother it derided back in 1984.</P><br /><P><STRONG>2. Antennagate</STRONG></P><br /><P>Apple thought it had made an iPhone with a much-improved antenna. But there was a problem.Other smartphones have similar issues, but they're not so high-profile. Antennagate didn't stop iPhone 4 being huge, but it arguably took the shine off the device and gave Apple's rivals a huge PR victory.</P><br /><P><STRONG>3.The white iPhone</STRONG></P><br /><P>The iPhone 4: in any colour as long as you're a fan of black or white—and don't want a white one. Comically delayed several times, the white iPhone 4 abruptly disappeared from Apple's marketing material towards the end of 2010, with Apple having previously cited manufacturing challenges (although rumours still cling to the belief it'll appear 'soon'). Apple should just officially shoot it in the head and tell fans of white to wait for iPhone 5.</P><br /><P>Don't hold your breath waiting for a white iPhone 4, or you'll expire.</P><br /><P><STRONG>4.Ping</STRONG></P><br /><P>The social network that isn't social and is trapped inside the lumbering beast that is iTunes, Ping never stood a chance. No-one cared, no-one really knew what it was for, and even its recent hook-up with Twitter has merely turned Ping into a Twitter spamming service, not an essential for social networking nuts.</P><br /><P><STRONG>5.iPadlockgate</STRONG></P><br /><P>We made up a name for this one, but, yes, we really are saying that Apple changing the iPad screen orientation lock to a pointless 'mute some noises but not others' switch is a 2010 low for the company. The reason: Apple took something usable and great, then removed it on a whim, and even though the change was made in software there's no setting to revert it. This shows the arrogant side of Apple is always bubbling under the surface, ready to strike.</P><br /><P><STRONG>6.Apple TV</STRONG></P><br /><P>The revamped Apple TV is tiny, affordable and filled with iOS unicorns. Sadly, said unicorns are nailed to a fence, so you can't install apps on the headless iPod touch; additionally, the new Apple TV pushes a rental-only model (bar streaming from a computer), and offers few TV shows to rent. (If you're outside of the US, 'few' means 'none at all', along with 'and by the way, no Netflix or equivalent either'). Expect Apple TV to be a 'high' of 2011, but for now it's a damp squib.</P><br /><P><STRONG>7.Lower Apple margins</STRONG></P><br /><P>Due to the nature of the products Apple's selling and it making the likes of the iPad more affordable than everyone expected, the company announced its margins had again dropped in 2010. This is a low only in the sense that it was widely misreported as 'Apple is doomed' by lots of clueless analysts, ignoring Apple's insanely high profits. Margins will drop again in 2011—expect analysts to claim Steve Jobs will be working in a fast-food outlet by 2012.</P><br /><P><STRONG>8.AirPrint</STRONG></P><br /><P>Best filed under 'maybe they'll fix it later', iOS 4.2's AirPrint devolved from a must-have feature to a near-disaster. In late betas, you could print from any shared printer; in the final release, only a tiny handful of HP printers were compatible.</P><br /><P><STRONG>9.Foxconn suicides</STRONG></P><br /><P>Without doubt the saddest Apple-related story in 2010 was a spate of suicides at Foxconn, the Chinese company that manufactures many Apple products. Arguments raged about working conditions and cheap labour, and many were quick to note that Foxconn customers include other high-profile names, such as HP and Sony. However, the press mostly associates Foxconn with Apple, and despite Foxconn raising wages its and Apple's reputations were tarnished from the more than dozen suicides.</P><br /><P><STRONG>10.Steve Jobs is not a ninja</STRONG></P><br /><P>With his penchant for black (turtlenecks), we did wonder if Steve Jobs was a ninja, and stories about him sneaking shuriken out of Japan seemed to support this idea. Sadly, Apple later stated that the incident was "pure fiction".</P>

In Depth: Apple's highs and lows in 2010

Apple isn't the sort of company to skulk in the background. Whether it's wowing everyone with the MacBook Air, confounding industry...

Continue Reading>>

In Depth: Apple's highs and lows in 2010

<P align=center><img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//Review%20images/TechRadar/Mobile%20phones/iPhone/Hands%20on/iPhone_4_06-200-200.jpg"></P> <br /><P>Apple isn't the sort of company to skulk in the background.</P><br /><P>Whether it's wowing everyone with the MacBook Air, confounding industry expectations with the iPad, or trying to convince people that Ping isn't a total waste of time, the Cupertino company never seems far from promoting the next big thing.</P><br /><P>2010 was no exception, and so here are TechRadar's highs and lows for Apple from the past twelve months; if we've not included your favourites, let us know in the comments.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Apple's highs of 2010</STRONG></P><br /><P><STRONG>1.iPad</STRONG></P><br /><P>Analysts cleverly predicted failure for Apple's giant iPod touch and competitors scoffed; millions of happy iPad customers later and the entire industry's trying to pretend they always knew the iPad would be huge, and competitors are trying to catch up. A combination of usability, quality components and a surprisingly low price has turned the iPad from a potential breakout hit to a possible future of computing, also giving Apple new inroads into business.</P><br /><P><STRONG>2. The App Store</STRONG></P><br /><P>It wasn't a 2010 invention, but the App Store continues to be a huge win for Apple. The store passed five billion downloads in June (and a billion dollars paid to developers), Apple finally provided insight into the app-review process, and there's a Mac equivalent due in 2011. Crucially, The App Store also sets iOS apart from competing platforms, which lack the quality apps found on Apple's store.</P><br /><P><STRONG>3.Steam for Mac</STRONG></P><br /><P>It's not been revealed how much work Apple and Valve have done together, but there's no doubting Steam's arrival on Mac OS X is a big deal for Mac gamers. Although the selection of games is dwarfed by that for Windows, new products are increasingly coming to Mac (Portal 2 will get a simultaneous release).</P><br /><P><STRONG>4.Record company growth</STRONG></P><br /><P>Apple's numbers went crazy in 2010, with records falling by the wayside. In October, the company reported $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings, both records for the company. Its market cap exceeded Microsoft's in May, and it's threatening to overtake Exxon, which would make Apple the most valuable company in the world. Part of Apple's huge wealth will enable it to double its Cupertino HQ in 2011.</P><br /><P><STRONG>5.New Apple Stores</STRONG></P><br /><P>Industry rumblings had suggested Apple was to spend more time concentrating on major stores rather than typical mall outlets. Sure enough, 2010 saw Apple's flagships go from merely impressive to jaw-dropping, most notably with the Shanghai store's glass tower and the massive Covent Garden store incorporating a beautiful Grade II listed building. </P><br /><P><STRONG>6. iPhone 4</STRONG></P><br /><P>Despite problems we'll cover in Apple's 2010 lows, the iPhone 4 is an astonishing device. It's powerful, with a screen resolution that makes digital text look like print, and a stills camera that can match point-and-shoots. This is a convergence device with few compromises, backed by a quarter of a million apps.</P><br /><P>The iPhone 4's Retina display is so crisp it looks like one of those stickers you peel off a device before seeing the real screen.</P><br /><P><STRONG>7. iOS 4 arrives</STRONG></P><br /><P>With multitasking, Game Center, iBooks, AirPrint and AirPlay, and improvements to the springboard, Mail, Safari and iPod app, iOS 4 dealt with the bulk of perceived shortcomings in Apple's mobile devices. Major accessibility improvements also enabled disabled users top-quality access to content via Apple devices.</P><br /><P><STRONG>8.Macs crack ten percent</STRONG></P><br /><P>Although not a big global player, Apple finally grabbed a ten percent market-share in the USA during 2010, biting at Acer's heels. Given Apple's massive profits compared to its contemporaries, market-share is more a psychological boost than anything; and had iPads been added to the 'PC' mix, Apple would have been the US leader in terms of shipped units.</P><br /><P><STRONG>9.Redefining laptops</STRONG></P><br /><P>Many Apple products are evolutionary, but now and again something revolutionary occurs, shaking up the industry. The late-2010 MacBook Air is one such device, effectively merging the MacBook Pro and iPad, creating a super-light next-generation laptop with solid-state storage, long-lasting battery, great display and full-size keyboard and trackpad.</P><br /><P><STRONG>10.Steve Jobs alive and well</STRONG></P><br /><P>It might seem odd to highlight Steve Jobs's health as an Apple 'high', but there's no denying a fit (if rather more streamlined than of old) Steve Jobs is great to see. Jobs taking the lead on keynotes and announcements is part of what makes Apple Apple, and he offered great quotes in 2010 ("Notebooks aren't better at anything," for example, during the iPad keynote); long may he continue to do so.</P><br /><P><STRONG>Apple's lows of 2010</STRONG></P><br /><P>Not everything went well for Apple in 2010. Here's our pick of the year's biggest Apple blunders and failures.</P><br /><P><STRONG>1.Gizmodo and the 'lost' iPhone</STRONG></P><br /><P>If you're an Apple employee, leaving your pre-release iPhone 4 in a bar isn't a great idea when there are slightly shifty people lurking. Cue: Gizmodo 'acquiring' the device and amazingly not noticing half the new tech, Apple lawyers getting astonishingly angry, police doing 'policey' things, and a general feeling that Apple had turned into the Big Brother it derided back in 1984.</P><br /><P><STRONG>2. Antennagate</STRONG></P><br /><P>Apple thought it had made an iPhone with a much-improved antenna. But there was a problem.Other smartphones have similar issues, but they're not so high-profile. Antennagate didn't stop iPhone 4 being huge, but it arguably took the shine off the device and gave Apple's rivals a huge PR victory.</P><br /><P><STRONG>3.The white iPhone</STRONG></P><br /><P>The iPhone 4: in any colour as long as you're a fan of black or white—and don't want a white one. Comically delayed several times, the white iPhone 4 abruptly disappeared from Apple's marketing material towards the end of 2010, with Apple having previously cited manufacturing challenges (although rumours still cling to the belief it'll appear 'soon'). Apple should just officially shoot it in the head and tell fans of white to wait for iPhone 5.</P><br /><P>Don't hold your breath waiting for a white iPhone 4, or you'll expire.</P><br /><P><STRONG>4.Ping</STRONG></P><br /><P>The social network that isn't social and is trapped inside the lumbering beast that is iTunes, Ping never stood a chance. No-one cared, no-one really knew what it was for, and even its recent hook-up with Twitter has merely turned Ping into a Twitter spamming service, not an essential for social networking nuts.</P><br /><P><STRONG>5.iPadlockgate</STRONG></P><br /><P>We made up a name for this one, but, yes, we really are saying that Apple changing the iPad screen orientation lock to a pointless 'mute some noises but not others' switch is a 2010 low for the company. The reason: Apple took something usable and great, then removed it on a whim, and even though the change was made in software there's no setting to revert it. This shows the arrogant side of Apple is always bubbling under the surface, ready to strike.</P><br /><P><STRONG>6.Apple TV</STRONG></P><br /><P>The revamped Apple TV is tiny, affordable and filled with iOS unicorns. Sadly, said unicorns are nailed to a fence, so you can't install apps on the headless iPod touch; additionally, the new Apple TV pushes a rental-only model (bar streaming from a computer), and offers few TV shows to rent. (If you're outside of the US, 'few' means 'none at all', along with 'and by the way, no Netflix or equivalent either'). Expect Apple TV to be a 'high' of 2011, but for now it's a damp squib.</P><br /><P><STRONG>7.Lower Apple margins</STRONG></P><br /><P>Due to the nature of the products Apple's selling and it making the likes of the iPad more affordable than everyone expected, the company announced its margins had again dropped in 2010. This is a low only in the sense that it was widely misreported as 'Apple is doomed' by lots of clueless analysts, ignoring Apple's insanely high profits. Margins will drop again in 2011—expect analysts to claim Steve Jobs will be working in a fast-food outlet by 2012.</P><br /><P><STRONG>8.AirPrint</STRONG></P><br /><P>Best filed under 'maybe they'll fix it later', iOS 4.2's AirPrint devolved from a must-have feature to a near-disaster. In late betas, you could print from any shared printer; in the final release, only a tiny handful of HP printers were compatible.</P><br /><P><STRONG>9.Foxconn suicides</STRONG></P><br /><P>Without doubt the saddest Apple-related story in 2010 was a spate of suicides at Foxconn, the Chinese company that manufactures many Apple products. Arguments raged about working conditions and cheap labour, and many were quick to note that Foxconn customers include other high-profile names, such as HP and Sony. However, the press mostly associates Foxconn with Apple, and despite Foxconn raising wages its and Apple's reputations were tarnished from the more than dozen suicides.</P><br /><P><STRONG>10.Steve Jobs is not a ninja</STRONG></P><br /><P>With his penchant for black (turtlenecks), we did wonder if Steve Jobs was a ninja, and stories about him sneaking shuriken out of Japan seemed to support this idea. Sadly, Apple later stated that the incident was "pure fiction".</P>

In Depth: Apple's highs and lows in 2010

Apple isn't the sort of company to skulk in the background. Whether it's wowing everyone with the MacBook Air, confounding industry...

Continue Reading>>

Apple's iMac spurs demand for all-in-one PCs

<DIV class=separator style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKMWVOQDlo32EHszaB7Mo17rjYzwTgPyqhg2e9bHFbtqC-R2cJr7kinfBQzghnLWMdnTWOqYeKSjNFP8gc-HAgoVWohAv40zA3hn2bT26Pr2yAeCYl4TtGen3ioRWBW1cMo4zDCXAX5g/s1600/littledeuceimac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKMWVOQDlo32EHszaB7Mo17rjYzwTgPyqhg2e9bHFbtqC-R2cJr7kinfBQzghnLWMdnTWOqYeKSjNFP8gc-HAgoVWohAv40zA3hn2bT26Pr2yAeCYl4TtGen3ioRWBW1cMo4zDCXAX5g/s1600/littledeuceimac.jpg"></A></DIV>When demand for an electronic product goes through the roof, you can be sure that suppliers will start talking. Taiwan-based Digitimes is reporting that demand for all-in-one computers like the iMac has been climbing lately. That's a little odd in this current economy, since all-in-one devices tend to be more expensive than traditional "box and monitor" PCs. <br /><P></P><br /><P>Of all of the suppliers of all-in-one personal computers, Apple's iMac is leading the pack with about 40% of sales for 2010. Updated iMacs, which currently feature Intel's powerful Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs, were responsible for a huge year-over-year increase in sales of desktop Macs in 2009, and the addition of faster RAM and processors in 2010 has kept demand for the product quite high.</P><br /><P>It's expected that industry-wide, about 10 million all-in-one PCs will be sold in 2010, climbing to between 12 and 14 million in 2011. Purchases of all-in-ones are particularly popular in the enterprise market, a space where Apple has traditionally lagged but is now seeing increased attention.</P><br /><P>Don't expect Apple to follow the lead of competitor HP, which outfits its all-in-one PCs with touch screens. Apple CEO Steve Jobs expressed his distaste for touch screens on desktop computers during the "Back to the Mac" event on October 20, 2010, noting that multi-touch gestures are much easier through existing user interface devices such as the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad.</P>

Apple's iMac spurs demand for all-in-one PCs

When demand for an electronic product goes through the roof, you can be sure that suppliers will start talking. Taiwan-based Digitimes is re...

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Answered questions about Apple's North Carolina data center

<DIV class=separator style="CLEAR: both; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLittMTuVvlqaavKPrvN-2TfaQ29cuNIstWGHm4VzUG5fNPCrsyiTeXx_4JXPFTbwR3QbSNlX9q_OEPXKJlxNZOA2UYuH8__UimmXa6PmrPxJBuCGxcgwvR_sH7q5DQ92G96Kjb0qYaA/s1600/ncdatacenter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; MARGIN-RIGHT: 1em"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLittMTuVvlqaavKPrvN-2TfaQ29cuNIstWGHm4VzUG5fNPCrsyiTeXx_4JXPFTbwR3QbSNlX9q_OEPXKJlxNZOA2UYuH8__UimmXa6PmrPxJBuCGxcgwvR_sH7q5DQ92G96Kjb0qYaA/s1600/ncdatacenter.jpg"></A></DIV>Much conjecture has come of the Death Star that Apple is building in North Carolina. Some suspect it will power a future streaming version of iTunes or a major update to MobileMe. The folks at Data Center Knowledge have combined the rumors with their own knowledge about these things into a single, unofficial Apple Data Center FAQ. <BR><BR>Among their findings is the center's size. In a word, it's huge. At 505,000 square feet, it's one of the world's largest data centers. A property assessment from Catawba County revealed that the central server area is enclosed by 262,328 square feet of space. Apple has also reportedly purchased 75 acres of land across the street from the main building, according to "local officials," though what Apple will do with that plot of land is unknown. <BR><BR>What's inside? The FAQ has a few educated guesses, based on recent Apple job postings. For instance, they note that Apple says that its "...data center environment consists of MacOS X, IBM/AIX, Linux and SUN/Solaris systems." Also, recent listings call for candidates who are familiar with storage systems using IBM, NetApp and Data Domain, and data warehousing systems from Teradata.<BR><BR>There's much more, so go over and check it out. In the meantime, we'll have to wait before we realize the power of a fully armed and operational data center.

Answered questions about Apple's North Carolina data center

Much conjecture has come of the Death Star that Apple is building in North Carolina. Some suspect it will power a future streaming version o...

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Knockoff 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit improves Apple's own design

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQi5qPYnKKcOd-eFIft88dEYs0m_QLxGfdJqFG9zfLGciqdsl1od2VvtxhHykTg12HIJiIUYGsIJEdBUe6Dyx6QdzpEpYot-fYjJShw9dtWGXTuw_W8G5r79-SZVViwOBFDnEcI1woe8o/s1600/ipad-3-in-1-camera-kit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQi5qPYnKKcOd-eFIft88dEYs0m_QLxGfdJqFG9zfLGciqdsl1od2VvtxhHykTg12HIJiIUYGsIJEdBUe6Dyx6QdzpEpYot-fYjJShw9dtWGXTuw_W8G5r79-SZVViwOBFDnEcI1woe8o/s320/ipad-3-in-1-camera-kit.jpg" width="320"></a></div><br> Frankly speaking, the vast majority of knockoff gear is a giant leap backwards from the real-deal. This, friends, is one of those fringe cases where the opposite is true. The 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit (available in black or white) is a single dock connecting apparatus with a trifecta of ports: USB, SD and microSD. In order of mention, you can offload photos from your camera onto your iPad via a direct USB connection, offload photos from your SD card and offload photos from your microSD card.<br> <br>

Knockoff 3-in-1 iPad camera connection kit improves Apple's own design

Frankly speaking, the vast majority of knockoff gear is a giant leap backwards from the real-deal. This, friends, is one of those fringe ca...

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Apple's head of gaming leaves company

<img src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/images/iphone-gaming-interview_w300-200-200.jpg"><br /><P>Apple has lost its internal games man, with Graeme Devine, the man responsible for the massive growth of iOS gaming over the last few years, heading to pastures new.</P><br /><P>Devine was also Apple's only internal games development rep, so it may seem strange that he has decided to quit the company, following the immense success of iPhone and iPod touch gaming in his tenure at Apple.</P><br /><P>There's nothing like leaving a company on a high, on the other hand.</P><br /><P>Devine told gaming site Kotaku: "My job there was basically to make gaming on the iOS devices fantastic.</P><br /><P>"Basically that meant looking at the technologies involved and making sure the software played well with the hardware, to look at upcoming hardware/API and say 'Yup, that is a good thing'. </P><br /><P><STRONG>Kick Ass iOS gaming</STRONG></P><br /><P>"Apple didn't have an in-house game designer before me so I think it was pretty unique, game technologies touch everything from the graphics stack to touch latency to push notifications," Devine explained.</P><br /><P>"No other app type covers so many technologies and having someone there to validate and help shape that was basically my day job. It was pretty kick ass."</P><br /><P>Which still begs the question: "If your job was so 'kick ass', then why leave?"</P><br /><P>"I wanted to get back to the actual business of making games and while I loved my time, the people, and the platform I worked on at Apple I am ultimately a game designer that wants to make games.</P><br /><P>"When I first got an iPad I was sold on it being the ultimate piece of science fiction technology for gaming. I think it is the most interesting new technology product I've worked on in years and I really wanted to make games for it." </P><br /><P>Fair enough. Let's just hope that the former-iOS gaming boss can come up with the next <EM>Cut The Rope</EM> or <EM>Angry Birds </EM>in 2011.</P>

Apple's head of gaming leaves company

Apple has lost its internal games man, with Graeme Devine, the man responsible for the massive growth of iOS gaming over the last few years,...

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ITC to Investigate Apple's Suit Against Motorola

<P><img alt="ITC to Investigate Apple's Suit Against Motorola " border="0" height="150" src="/113560matter.jpg" width="200"></P><br /><P></P><B class=rbottom2><B class=r4></B><B class=r3></B><B class=r2></B><B class=r1></B></B><B class=rtop2><B class=r1></B><B class=r2></B><B class=r3></B><B class=r4></B></B><br /><P>At the start of this month, Apple had filed a counter-lawsuit against Motorola for infringing a number of patents related to multi-touch. Now, United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has put up a notice stating that the patents case filed by Apple on Motorola would be investigated. And if Motorola phones and software are found infringing any Apple patents then ITC might issue an import ban order for Motorola handsets. Only after the investigation is over, we'll get to see which company has infringed patents - technically or legally.<BR><BR>On October 6, Motorola had filed a suit against Apple for infringing about 18 Motorola patents with iPhone, iPod touch, select Mac computers, MobileMe and App Store services. Following that, Apple counter sued Motorola for infringing six specific patents. The ITC is a quasi-judicial entity that was formed to protect the domestic U.S. market against unfair trade practices and it possesses power to ban imports if the products are found infringing U.S. patents. <BR><BR>Earlier this month, the year old Nokia-Apple patent infringement lawsuit investigation had commenced and Nokia won the higher ground since Apple didn't provide enough evidence to prove patent violations. Now let's see if Motorola comes up with enough evidence to be on the safer side.</P>

ITC to Investigate Apple's Suit Against Motorola

At the start of this month, Apple had filed a counter-lawsuit against Motorola for infringing a number of patents related to multi-touch. No...

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