Apple posts record results
Apple's Q4 2011 financials may well go down in history. Apple's stock is at US$450 (as of January 25, 2012), Apple's market value is US$420 billion, highest in the world. Q4 2011 revenue was at US$46.3 billion, with a record profit of US$13.06 billion. Apple sold 37 million iPhones, up 128% from a year ago. Apple also sold 15.4 million iPads, up 111%, and Mac sales also rose 26% to 5.2 million units. On top, Apple has no debts and almost US$98 billion in cash. -- Posted Wednesday, January 25, 2012 by chb

3M introduces 3M SmartPen
Capacitive touch screens have taken the world by storm, but unless they are combined with some sort of active pen technology, they rely on finger input, and that may not always be enough. You can buy pens, but none that we have tried work very well. Well, 3M Touch Systems has now introduced the 3M Smart Pen that's supposed to provide the accuracy other capacitive pens are lacking. [See 3M Smart Pen] -- Posted Friday, January 13, 2012 by chb

iPad continues to dominate in Q3 of 2011
It's almost two years after the iPad's introduction, and Apple's blockbuster tablet continues to rule. According to IDC, Apple sold 11.1 million iPads in Q3 of 2011 for a 61% market share. That's compared to a combined total of just six million for all Android tablets combined, for a 32.4% share, down from 33.2% in Q3 of 2010. Android, though, seems poised to benefit from the new generation of hybrid tablet/book readers such as the Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook that may boost Android market share over 40%. -- Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2011 by chb

Tablet survey says connection speed is everything
European network solutions provider Brocade research suggests that while 85% of consumers in their survey use their smartphones or tablets to do their holiday shopping, almost 70% were only prepared to wait a maximum of 20 seconds for a web page to load before going to another retailer. And 13% said they'd only wait a maximum of five seconds for a retailer's web page to load before giving up and trying another site. [See Brocade press release] -- Posted Sunday, December 18, 2011 by chb

DisplaySearch predicts curved cover glass on high-end touch screens
DisplaySearch predicts that curved cover glass on projected capacitive touch screens will become a differentiating feature in high-end models. Curved or shaped cover glass--referred to as 2.5D if along one axis and 3D if along both axes--is a new design trend. Due to its more complicated processes and costs, the ability to handle cover glass finishing will be an increasingly strategic issue for the industry. This and other findings are described in the DisplaySearch 2011 Touch Panel Market Analysis. -- Posted Thursday, October 27, 2011 by chb

A peculiar Apple patent award
On October 25, 2011, Apple was awarded US patent #8,046,721 (see here for "A device with a touch-sensitive display may be unlocked via gestures performed on the touch-sensitive display. The device is unlocked if contact with the display corresponds to a predefined gesture for unlocking the device. The device displays one or more unlock images with respect to which the predefined gesture is to be performed in order to unlock the device." It's peculiar because Neonode used swiping and that unlock feature in its Neonode N1 that came out in 2002. We did a full review of the N1 in early 2006 (see here) and described the unlock feature like this: "To give you an idea of how this works, once you turn the phone on, you'll be greeted by the "locked" symbol. After all, you wouldn't want random touch to generate commands or calls. A set of small triangle arrows show where and in what direction to swipe to unlock the phone." So on the surface it looks like Neonode used the swiping before Apple even applied for the patent in December of 2005. -- Posted Wednesday, October 26, 2011 by chb

Global tablet shipments 18.7 million in Q3 of 2011
According to Digitimes Research, gobal tablet PC shipments reached 18.7 million units in the third quarter, with Apple iPad shipments accounting for 13 million units of that. Non-iPad tablet PCs suffered from high inventory issues in the third quarter and many new tablet PC product launches have been delayed. In terms of components, for tablet PC CPUs, Nvidia has become the second-largest supplier in terms of shipments with Texas Instruments dropping to fourth. As for ODMs, Inventec is currently the second-largest with Quanta Computer dropping to fifth. -- Posted Wednesday, October 19, 2011 by chb

Should I get the new iPhone 4S?
My wife and I write about technology for a living, and so it behooves us to stay up-to-date and always carry around the latest and greatest. Yet, I still have my old iPhone 3GS, and my wife hasn't yet complained about her lowly 3G. Truth be told, what both of us anticipated more than the new iPhone was getting off the AT&T contract. We're both off contract now, so that's good. However, why is it that we're told new phones are subsidized and are essentially paid off during that 2-year contract commitment when the charges stay the same when the contract ends? That's as if you're paying the bank a monthly sum for your mortgage, taxes and maintenance, and then the bank continues to charge you the same when the mortgage is paid off! [Read more...] -- Posted Friday, October 7, 2011 by chb

Goodbye, Steve. Thanks for everything!
Steve Jobs has died at the far-too-young age of 56. There will never be another like him. The impact Steve had not only on technology, but on our lives in general, was monumental. Thanks for everything, Steve. We'll miss you more than you'll ever know. -- Posted Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by chb

Apple announces iPhone 4S
Apple ended months of speculation by introducing the iPhone 4S. It looks virtually identical to the iPhone 4, but has a faster Apple A5 dual core chip, up to 8 hours talk time (6 hours browsing), an 8mp camera with a wide angle F2.4 lens with five elements and digital image stabilization that can also do 1080p video. A new "Siri" voice assistant acts as sort of an intelligent agent, conjuring up memories of Newton Intelligence. The iPhone 4S can handle GSM or CDMA networks and auto-switches between two antennas for better voice quality. Pre-orders begin October 7 for a October 14 release on AT&T, Verizon and, new, Sprint. With the usual 2-year contracts, the iPhone 4S will be available with 16GB (US$199), 32GB (US$299), and 64GB (US$399). [See iPhone 4S tech specs] -- Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2011 by chb

EMEA tablet shipments robust
According to IDC, media tablets did well in the EMEA market during the second quarter of 2011. The Apple iPad maintained and enforced its leading position with a 67% market share, followed by Samsung with 7% and Acer with 6.1%. Q2 tablet shipments were up 82% on the previous quarter and grew to over 4.4 million units. -- Posted Tuesday, September 20, 2011 by chb

United Airlines launches paperless flight deck with 11,000 iPads
United Continental Holding announced that it is converting to paperless flight decks and deploying 11,000 iPads to all United and Continental pilots. The electronic flight bags (EFB) replace paper flight manuals, and as a first for major network carriers, provide pilots with paperless aeronautical navigational charts through an iPad app. Distribution of iPads began earlier this month, and all pilots will have them by year end. -- Posted Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by chb

Apple global smartphone leader Q2, 2011
According to IHS iSuppli, global smartphone shipments for Q2 2011 had Apple leading with 20.3 million and 18.4% marketshare, ahead of Samsung (19.6 million, 17.8%), Nokia (16.7 million, 15.1%), RIM (13.2 million, 12.0%), HTC (12 million, 10.8%), and Motorola (4.4 million, 4.0%). -- Posted Thursday, August 18, 2011 by chb

Apple now most valuable company in the world
On Tuesday, August 9, 2011, Apple became the most valuable company in the world in terms of market capitalization, replacing Exxon. Who'd have thought this would happen just 14 years after the company seemed doomed and headed for extinction. -- Posted Wednesday, August 10, 2011 by chb

Rugged ToughShell for iPhone 4: protection on the job
The folks at Speck Products, who already make the ToughSkin cases for iPhones, introduced the impressive ToughShell for iPhone 4. It's a three-layer silicone & TPE & Polycarbonate affair that provides maximum protection. For US$49.95 it's easy insurance against breaking your iPhone 4 on the job! [See ToughShell for iPhone 4 product page] -- Posted Sunday, August 7, 2011 by chb

Android grabs almost 50% worldwide smartphone share, Apple leading vendor
Canalys published its worldwide country-level Q2 2011 smart phone market estimates, showing substantial market growth in all regions. The market grew 73% year-on-year, with over 107.7 million units shipping in Q2 2011. Of 56 countries Canalys tracks, Android led in 35, with a global market share of 48%. Asia Pacific remained the largest regional market, with 39.8 million units, compared with 35.0 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and 32.9 million in the Americas. Android-based smart phone shipments were up 379% over a year ago to 51.9 million. Apple shipped 20.3 million iPhones for a 19% market share, passing Nokia’s Symbian for second place worldwide. Apple also became the world’s leading individual smart phone vendor, stripping Nokia of its long-held leadership position. -- Posted Tuesday, August 2, 2011 by chb

Android tops US smartphones, but Apple #1 manufacturer
According to Nielsen, as of June 2011, Android made up for 39% of all US smartphone subscribers, topping Apple's 28%. Apple, however, is by far the #1 manufacturer with 28%, leading RIM and HTC with 20%, Motorola with 11% and Samsung with 10%. Windows Mobile/Windows Phone 7 only has 9% of the market, and HP and Nokia 2% each. [See Nielsen blog] -- Posted Friday, July 29, 2011 by chb

Apple iOS stats
In a July 7, 2011 press release, Apple announced that there now are more than 200 million iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users worldwide, more than 425,000 apps available, more than 100,000 native iPad apps, Apple has paid more than US$2.5 billion to developers, and more than 15 billion apps have been downloaded. Apple sure has come a long way since cartoonist Garry Trudeau relentlessly ridiculed the Newton. -- Posted Friday, July 8, 2011 by chb

iPad increasingly used by military
In an article entitled "The iPad goes to war," InfoWorld executive editor Galen Gruman discusses how military manufacturer Harris Corporation has been pitching the use of Apple iPads in all sorts of battlefield applications, doing the job done up to now by more expensive dedicated rugged gear. That's because the iPad is inexpensive, troops are familiar with the technology, and Apple designed the tablet to work in many environments (plus, presumably, the elegance and ease of use of the tablet). This is absolutely a trend to be watched by makers of ruggedized equipment. [See iPad goes to war] -- Posted Friday, July 8, 2011 by chb

comScore: Android widens lead, RIM drops to third
comScore has reported key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending May 2011. The 3-month moving average of the 77 million US smartphone subscribers showed Anrdoid in the lead with 38.1% (up 5.1 from three months ago), Apple second with 26.6% (up 1.4), RIM dropping to third with 24.7% (down 4.2), Microsoft 5th with 5.8% (down 1.9), and Palm 2.4% (down 0.4). -- Posted Wednesday, July 6, 2011 by chb

Apple scores very broad patent
Apple was awarded US Patent 7,966,578 on June 21, 2011 for "A computer-implemented method, for use in conjunction with a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprises displaying a portion of page content, including a frame displaying a portion of frame content and also including other content of the page, on the touch screen display. An N-finger translation gesture is detected on or near the touch screen display. In response, the page content, including the displayed portion of the frame content and the other content of the page, is translated to display a new portion of page content on the touch screen display. An M-finger translation gesture is detected on or near the touch screen display, where M is a different number than N. In response, the frame content is translated to display a new portion of frame content on the touch screen display, without translating the other content of the page." That's just the abstract. The full patent reads like a massive, dense legal document. What it says, in essence, is that Apple now owns multi-touch on mobile devices, and then some. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Verizon drops unlimited, jacks up prices
Verizon will have no one to blame than itself for its less than spectacular showing with the iPhone. The company is terminating its unlimited US$30 data plan, replacing it with just 2GB for the same amount, adding much more expensive plans ($50 for 5GB, $80 for 10GB), with $10 overage fees for every GB, and an extra $20 for 2GB of tethering data. As much as we take issue with AT&T's own data strategy, Verizon's unfortunate greed will work in AT&T's favor. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Android drops, iOS rises in Q1 2011
IDC data suggests that Android's U.S. smartphone market share dropped from 52.4% in Q4 2010 to 49.5% in Q1 2011, making it the first-ever sequential Android drop in any region. Apple's iOS increased its U.S. share to 29.5%. -- Posted Wednesday, June 22, 2011 by chb

Reynolds launches CRM solution for the iPad
The Reynolds and Reynolds Company announced the launch of dealerPAD, a mobile version of the Reynolds Contact Management solution developed for use on the Apple iPad. dealerPAD will be offered as an additional benefit at no charge to Reynolds Contact Management customers, which is one of the most comprehensive and widely used customer relationship management (CRM) tools for car dealerships. Based on our own experiences with buying cars, do dealerships ever need this! -- Posted Friday, June 3, 2011 by chb

PhatWare releases WritePad 5 for iPhone
Following the launch of the major new version of WritePad for iPad last month, PhatWare has released an update of WritePad for iPhone to bring the same powerful features, including synchronization of WritePad documents with Evernote. WritePad is PhatWare’s popular note taking and handwriting recognition software for iPad and iPhone devices. -- Posted Tuesday, May 17, 2011 by chb

IDC: Smartphone market grows 80% Q1 2011 vs Q1 2010
IDC reports that the worldwide smartphone market Q1 2011 grew 80% compared to Q1 2010, to about 100 million units. Nokia held on to the largest market share with 24.3%, Apple (18.7%) passed RIM (14.0%) for second place, Samsung was fourth with 10.8% and vaulted to 5th with 8.9%. -- Posted Thursday, May 5, 2011 by chb

White iPhone 4
Apple announced that the long-awaited white iPhone 4 is now available. We're not quite sure why that is such a big deal, but apparently it is. -- Posted Sunday, May 1, 2011 by chb

Should I upgrade my iPhone and iPad?
I really can't live without my iPhone and iPad. And as a professional publisher, writer and editor, I pride myself in always having, and knowing about, the latest gear. So it's pretty strange that I still have a lowly iPhone 3Gs and a first generation iPad. I mean, the iPhone 4 has been out forever, and there's already plenty of buzz about the iPhone 5. And the second gen iPad has also been out of a while. So what's going here? [read more] -- Posted Friday, April 29, 2011 by chb

Nokia outsources Symbian, cuts more staff
As Finnish phone maker Nokia begins its transition to Windows Phone 7, the company is transferring 3,000 Symbian employees to consulting firm Accenture which will take over support of the Symbian platform. Nokia will cut another 4,000 staff by the end of 2012, with most of the reductions affecting staff in Finland, Denmark and the UK. -- Posted Wednesday, April 27, 2011 by chb

Is the race for media tablet supremacy already over? Many developers think so
Who could forget Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer stomping around the stage and yelling "developers, developers, developers!" at conferences in the mid-2000s (see Balmer developers spoof video on YouTube)? Well, according to the Appcelerator/IDC Mobile Developer Report, April 2011, the developers have spoken and the news isn't at all good for Microsoft, and not even that good for Android. [read more] -- Posted Tuesday, April 26, 2011 by chb

Verizon sells 2.2 million iPhones first two weeks
Verizon announced it has sold 2.2 million iPhones in its first two weeks of availability. Of those about 3/4 were upgrades from existing customers and about 1/4 were new Verizon customers. Verizon also said that about 60% of the phones it sold during the last quarter were smartphones. -- Posted Thursday, April 21, 2011 by chb

Gartner forecast on smartphone OS market share
Since phones have become little computers and are in many ways replacing more conventional computers, what happens on phones is important to the computer industry, and especially mobile computing. While the definition of "smartphone" compared to a regular cellphone remains fluid, research and analyst firm Gartner says worldwide smartphone sales will be 468 million in 2011, up 58% from 2010. By 2015, Gartner sees 1.1 billion. Of major OS platforms, Gartner predicts leader Symbian vanishing (2010: 37.6%, 2015: 0.1%). Android's share rises from 38.5% this year to half of all smartphones, but then stays there. That's primarily because Microsoft will make a comeback, from about 5% now to almost 20% in 2015, largely due to Nokia switching to WIndows Phone 7. Apple's iOS has almost 20% in 2011, and will remain more or less steady through 2015 (17.2%). RIM, despite a migration to QNX, will decline from 16% in 2010 to just 11% in 2015. Our take: If these numbers are on the mark, then vertical market handhelds, which are now all Microsoft-based, may still have a migration path rather than a forced switch to Android. [See Gartner release on smartphone OS market] -- Posted Friday, April 8, 2011 by chb

iPad 2 causing competition to postpone launches
According to DigiTimes, Apple's announcement of the iPad 2 is causing several notebook brand vendors to postpone their own tablet models as the iPad 2's low US$499 price is hard to meet or beat, and higher cost models could not compete. Digitimes' sources pointed out that tablet PCs will need to be priced below US$399 to have chance to enter the tablet PC battlefield, and none of the current Wintel or ARM/Android platform are capable of achieving such a price level. -- Posted Tuesday, March 8, 2011 by chb

Apple's iPad 2 -- Upping the ante
Here's a more detailed explanation of theApple iPad 2 and our assessment of it: iPad 2 -- Upping the ante -- Posted Thursday, March 3, 2011 by chb

iPad 2 available March 11, 2011
Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 on March 2. The new model looks almost exactly the same, but is considerably thinner (0.35 vs 0.5 inches) and weighs less (1.3 lbs. vs 1.5 lbs.). It will be powered by a 1GHz dual core Apple A5 processor that, according to Jobs, is twice as fast and offers 9x graphics performance. There are now two cameras (VGA in the front, 720p in the rear), a gyroscope for additional functionality, the 25 watt-hour (unchanged) battery will last the same ten hours, there's HDMI-out via a cable, and the iPad 2 comes in black or white, and in AT&T and Verizon versions. No word on cost of data plans, no obvious changes in the display, and no dual speakers. Pricing remains exactly the same as for the original iPad: US$499 (16GB), US$599 (32GB), US$699 (64GB) for the WiFi-ony versions, and US$130 more for 3G versions. Apple also announced iMovie, and GarageBand for iPad (US$4.95 each). [See iPad 2 specs and see how the iPad 2 compares to the competition.

-- Posted Wednesday, March 2, 2011 by chb

Nokia and Microsoft announce partnership
Nokia and Microsoft announced plans to form what they call "a broad strategic partnership that would use their complementary strengths and expertise to create a new global mobile ecosystem." Under the proposed partnership, Nokia would adopt Windows Phone as its principal smartphone strategy, help drive the future of Windows Phone, do joint marketing with Microsoft, use Bing (but Nokia Maps), integrate Nokia's app store with Microsoft Marketplace, and use Microsoft development tools. Our take: A big announcement and a big risk for Nokia, which for now still is the world's largest cellphone vendor, but has no traction in smartphones. So the question becomes whether a struggling OS and a struggling hardware maker add up to a winning formula. [See Nokia press release] -- Posted Friday, February 11, 2011 by chb

Verizon iPhone now on sale
AT&T's iPhone monopoly is officially over. As of February 10, 2011, the iPhone is available for the Verizon network. The phone looks the same, though there are some small details outside that are different. Inside, the radio is all different as Verizon uses CDMA technology instead of AT&T's GSM. Pricing isn't very different, and Verizon also requires a costly 2-year contract. -- Posted Thursday, February 10, 2011 by chb

iPhone on Verizon!
AT&T's US iPhone monopoly is over. On January 11, 2011, Verizon announced it will carry the iPhone starting February 10, 2011. No 4G, though, and being on the CDMA network will no doubt have its issues as well (most notably far less coverage outside the US). Jon Stewart hilariously lampooned the situation on his show (see Daily Show on Verizon iPhone on YouTube] -- Posted Wednesday, January 12, 2011 by chb

Nielsen: iOS now #1 in US
According to a report released by Nielsen, the Apple iOS has passed BlackBerry to be the #1 ranked smartphone OS in the US in November 2010. Apple;s iOS had 28.6% market share, BlackBerry 26.1%, and the hard charging Android 25.8%. Back in June of 2010, BlackBerry was still on top with 33.9%, Apple had 27.9%, and Android 15%. These numbers suggest that Android's growth primarily comes at BlackBerry's expense. [See report] -- Posted Tuesday, January 4, 2011 by chb

eMarketer predicts massive growth in tablet market
According to eMarketer, the worldwide market for tablets will more than quadruple in the next two years. According to their data, 13.3 million iPads will be sold in 2010 (of a total of 15.7 million total tablets). For 2011, eMarketer predicts 43.6 million tablets (34 million of them iPads), and for 2012 81.3 million (56.1 million iPads). Those are massive numbers indeed, and it'll be interesting to see if it all comes to pass. [See eMarketer article] -- Posted Friday, December 17, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part V
Another road trip for the iPad. Carol and I flew to Tennessee for an extended Thanksgiving weekend, which meant I had to take along my electronic gear. We both packed our iPads, cameras, iPhones, and I also took along my big MacBook Pro. ... [read more...] -- Posted Wednesday, December 15, 2010 by chb

New study on mobile data usage: Android uses more than iPhone
Network management solutions provider Arieso conducted a series of studies, comparing subscriber demand for mobile data, that shows that different users and different devices exhibit markedly different demands on mobile networks. For example, iPhone 4 users are more hungry for data than their iPhone3G counterparts, typically making 44% more data calls, downloading 41% more data to their devices, and spending 67% more time connected to the network for data. However, Arieso's analysis also showed that Android devices have higher data call volumes, time connected to the network, and data volume uploaded and downloaded than both the iPhone3G and iPhone 4. [See Arieso summary]. -- Posted Thursday, December 9, 2010 by chb

Wyse to showcase PocketCloud
Wyse Technology announced today it will showcase Wyse PocketCloud for Android and Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch at VMware vForum 2010 Tokyo. PocketCloud allows IT administrators and end users to securely access their PC and virtual desktops remotely through their iOS or Android device. -- Posted Friday, November 5, 2010 by chb

Android grabs larger share of US smartphone market
The NPD Group reports that thanks to continued high-profile handset introductions, the Android smartphone OS significantly grew its lead in the U.S. consumer smartphone market in Q3 2010. The Android OS was installed in 44% of all smartphones purchased in Q3, an increase of 11% since Q2; Apple iOS held relatively steady versus last quarter, rising one percentage point to 23%; RIM OS, fell to third, declining from 28% to 22%. Apple's iPhone4 remains the best-selling smartphone, followed by the BlackBerry Curve 8500 and the LG Cosmos. [Read NPD Group release] -- Posted Monday, November 1, 2010 by chb

AmpliTube 2 for iPhone

This impressive looking setup shows the screens and functionality available through the AmpliTube 2 for iPhone app by IK Multimedia. It's a major update to perhaps the leading guitar and music creation app on the iOS platform. Combined with the iRig interface adapter, AmpliTube 2 for iPhone allows users to play, practice and record anytime and anywhere with world-class sound for guitar and bass -- but also for any other type of instrument. [See features] -- Posted Thursday, October 28, 2010 by chb

Verizon starts selling iPad
Beginning October 28, 2010, Verizon Wireless will offer the Apple iPad at any of the more than 2,000 Verizon Wireless Communications Stores nationwide. Verizon Wireless will offer three bundles, all featuring an iPad Wi-Fi model and a Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, for a suggested retail price of $629 for iPad Wi-Fi 16 GB + MiFi, $729 for iPad Wi-Fi 32 GB + MiFi, and $829 for iPad Wi-Fi 64 GB + MiFi. Verizon Wireless is offering a monthly access plan to customers who purchase an iPad with a MiFi beginning at 1 GB of data for $20 monthly access. In addition, Verizon Wireless will also offer all three iPad Wi-Fi models on a stand-alone basis. -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

Kodak releases iPad app
KODAK Gallery announced the release of a new application for the Apple iPad. The Gallery HD iPad App for KODAK Gallery is an easy-to-use application designed to help users upload, browse and share photos stored on the KODAK Gallery Photo Service directly on the iPad. -- Posted Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by chb

275,000 iOS activations per day now
During Apple's 10/18/2010 quarterly earnings call, Steve Jobs said Apple has been activating 275,000 iOS devices per day as of late, and there are now over 300,000 apps in the App Store. Apple also announced it sold 14.1 million iPhones in the quarter, way more than the old record of 8.87 million. -- Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by chb

iPad component supply improves
According to iSuppli, iPad component availability is improving so that iSuppli's iPad shipping forecast for 2010 is now 13.8 million units, up from their 12.9 million estimate in July of 2010. Apple announced it sold 4.2 million iPads during the quarter ending September 25, 2010. iSuppli estimates that Apple will sell almost 44 million iPads in 2011 and 63 million in 2012. [See iSuppli press release] -- Posted Tuesday, October 19, 2010 by chb

Huge demand for tablets expected
According to cens.com, Topology Research Institute (TRI) projects iPads to account for 70% of global tablet PC shipment of 37 million units in 2011 and help fuel demand for tablet PCs overall. Demand for such devices is expected to hit 130 million units by 2015, or 34%, of total notebook PC shipments expected that year. [See iPad-Killers Take Aim at the Tablet PC Market] -- Posted Tuesday, October 5, 2010 by chb

Mercedes Benz equips all dealerships with iPads
Mercedes-Benz Financial announced that it is distributing the 3G version of the Apple iPad to the entire Mercedes-Benz U.S. dealer network, giving all 355 dealers instant mobile access to its proprietary dealer point-of-sale system called MB Advantage. -- Posted Tuesday, October 5, 2010 by chb

How Apple clobbers the competition
MarketWatch published an excellent description and analysis of Apple's phenomenal success with a modest lineup of just four product lines (iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad). [Read article] -- Posted Monday, September 27, 2010 by chb

Legacy pub calls iPad "long in the tooth"
Legacy computing publication PCWorld, who knows a thing or two about having been around the block a time or three, called the Apple iPad "already long in the tooth" and "creaky." What incensed the venerable tech pub so? The usual old complaints about the iPad: no camera, weighs more than some Android tablet with a 7-inch screen (duuh!), no Flash, and less RAM memory than the Galaxy Tabd tablet. [See "Apple iPad Already Long in the Tooth"] -- Posted Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by chb

Hotel group to provide in-room iPads
Morgans Hotel Group, a boutique hotel company, announced its plans to provide guests at its Royalton hotel with custom Apple iPads as an unprecedented supplement to its concierge program. This new initiative launches during New York Fashion Week and will continue indefinitely, with plans to embellish the unique features and content in the months to come. -- Posted Wednesday, September 15, 2010 by chb

iSuppli: Apple will dominate tablet market through 2012
According to a report by iSuppli Market Research, Apple is expected to dominate the tablet market at least through 2012. In 2010, the iPad accounts for 74% of all tablet shipments, with the remainder older-style Tablet PCs and competing ablets. In 2011, even with the advent of competition, the iPad is expected to maintain 70% of the market. In 2012, the iPad's share is still expected to be over 60%. iSuppli also says that it took iPhone competitors about three years to come up with truly competitive products. [See iSuppli release] -- Posted Thursday, August 26, 2010 by chb

Electric vehicle designer incorporates iPad
Why design an expensive custom onboard information system when an iPad can do? That's the approach avant-garde electric vehicle manufacturer T3 Motion takes by incorporating the iPad into its sleek GT3 as " the central information hub in the vehicle for everything from travel planning and GPS to audio, video and games." -- Posted Tuesday, August 3, 2010 by chb

How Antennagate will Impact Apple
Amidst all the hysterics on Apple's issues with the antenna in the iPhone 4 comes an authoritative opinion, that of Creative Strategies' Tim Bajarin. Tim, like myself, has actually been in several anechoic testing chambers and knows how to differentiate technology from media frenzy. [Read How Antennagate will Impact Apple"] -- Posted Monday, August 2, 2010 by chb

Infoworld: iOS 4 decisively beats Android 2.2
In a comprehensive feature entitled "Mobile deathmatch: Apple iOS 4 vs. Android 2.2", Infoworld concluded that "iOS 4 beats Android OS 2.2 in almost every category." iOS earned an overall 8.0 "very good" score whereas Android 2.2 received only a 6.1 rating and "fair" score. -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part IV
And yet another trip with the iPad. This time a 10-day product review trip to the Honduran island of Roatan. I took along all my dive gear, as well as a boatload of underwater cameras, both of the still and video variety, so luggage space was at a premium... [read more] -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

PC World removes iPhone 4 from Top-10 chart
Legacy tech pub PC World has removed the iPhone 4 from its Top 10 Cell Phones chart, accusing the best-selling Apple product of "faulty hardware." [See PC World's announcement] -- Posted Wednesday, July 21, 2010 by chb

Socket introduces low-cost barcode scanners for iPad, iPhone, Ipod touch
Socket Mobile announced its new line of wireless barcode scanners designed specifically to work with the Apple iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. The Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) Series 7, starting at US$395, is a lightweight, pocket-sized barcode scanner with a range of up to 330 feet designed for healthcare, hospitality, retail and field service. -- Posted Tuesday, July 20, 2010 by chb

Monthly iPad orders over 2 million units
According to Digitimes Research, monthly iPad orders to Taiwan makers surpassed two million units for July, and volumes are expected to be as high or higher in the future. -- Posted Friday, July 9, 2010 by chb

Rapid growth predicted for tablets
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal and several other news sources, Barclay Capital predicted tablet unit sales of 15 million this year and almost 30 million in 2011, and that those sales will impact the netbook market. Barclay also suggested that strong tablet sales will benefit Google with its Android OS, companies that offer ARM-based processors, potentially HP with its newly acquired WebOS software technology, and, of course, Apple. Microsoft, on the other hand, may suffer a weakening of its long-held dominance in OS software, and Dell also may find the tablet market difficult. [See WSJ article] -- Posted Thursday, July 8, 2010 by chb

Apple sells 1.7 million iPhones in 3 days
Apple said it has sold 1.7 million iPhone 4 smartphones during the new phone’s first three days of availability, even with some consumers being unable to get a phone due to a lack of supply. This makes the iPhone 4 launch Apple's most successful product launch ever. [Read Apple press release] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

Summary for you: Apple iOS 4
Apple's latest version of the iPhone OS, iOS 4, adds a number of handy new features that should appeal to almost everyone. David MacNeill describes all new features and recommends the upgrade to anyone with an iPhone 3/3GS or second gen iPod touch. [Read Apple iOS 4 on iPhone 3GS] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

Can the iPhone 4 take pictures like a "real" camera?
Can a top-of-the-line smartphone like the Apple iPhone 4 take pictures as a "real" camera? To see if people can detect the difference, Washington Post blogger Rob Pegoraro took a series of shots with the iPhone 4 and also with a three year old digital camera. Much commentary ensued, and Pegoraro will publish the results later. [See "Can you tell an iPhone 4 photo from a 'real' camera's?"] -- Posted Tuesday, June 29, 2010 by chb

3 million iPads sold in 80 days
Apple says it has sold three million iPads, which means three million in the 80 days that the iPad has been available. Not bad considering that analysts predicted that perhaps two million iPads would be sold the whole first year. Then again, those guys hardly ever get things right. -- Posted Tuesday, June 22, 2010 by chb

600,000 iPhone 4 orders on first day
Apple apologized for a balky order process, and stated that 600,000 orders had been filed for the iPhone 4 on the first day. -- Posted Thursday, June 17, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road -- Part III
Right on the heels of my last European trip, the iPad accompanied me on a very different kind of journey, a five-day dive trip to the California Channel Islands. That meant eight hours on the road each way to and from Santa Barbara, and the three days on the good ship Conception, an 80-foot dive vessel. [read more...] -- Posted Thursday, June 17, 2010 by chb

Altek releases 3.5G phone with 14mp CCD camera
Taiwanese Altek Corporation announced the launch of the Leo, a combination of 14-megapixel camera with a true 1/2.3-inch CCD imager (virtually all cameras in phones use CMOS imagers) with a 3.5G (HSDPA) smartphone based on the Android OS. The Leo has WiFi, a 480 x 800 pixel optically treated 3.2-inch multi-touch LCD, Xenon flash, LED illuminator, a 3X optical zoom that starts at 36mm equivalent, and can do 720p HD video with H.264 compression. According to Altek, the camera uses their own "Sunny 9" processor. Available later this year, products like the Altek Leo will face one big question: do consumers want a full-function camera in their phone, or will they continue to uses separate devices. [Read Altek press release and description] -- Posted Wednesday, June 16, 2010 by chb

Apple unveils the iPhone 4
As expected, at WWDC10 in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4. It's a very handsome stainless steel/glass affair barely more than a third of an inch thick. Its display has four times the resolution of the iPhone 3GS (640 x 960 vs 320 x 480), the main camera is now 5-megapixel, there's a front-facing VGA second camera for video conferencing (via WiFi only for now), there's HD video recording, the same speedy Apple A4 processor as in the iPad, and a LED flash. The addition of a 3-axis gyro adds to the iPhone 4's awareness of motion and direction, and the battery is good for 7 hours of 3G talk, 6 hours of 3G browsing, 10 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video. The 16GB model will cost US$199, the 32GB version US$299. Pre-ordering will start June 15. Oh, and Apple now calls the iPhone OS iOS, and no word on relief from the AT&T monopoly or on the latest AT&T rate plan atrocities. [See iPhone 3 vs 4 comparison] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

Wall Street Journal interviews Steve Jobs on the iPad
The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting article in the form of a Q&A session between the Journal's Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, and Steve Jobs. In it, Jobs talks about his approach to tablets, how it relates to Microsoft's, and how the tablet actually began before the iPhone. [Read article at the WSJ] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

iPad on the Road - Part II
Back from a 3-1/2-day intercontinental trip that included a 17-hour trip to and a 22-hour trip back from Stockholm, Sweden. I checked what I'd usually consider a carry-on (the airlines don't charge for a checked bag on international routes, yet) and simply took along a shoulder bag just large enough for my MacBook Pro, a camera, the usual assortment of cables and chargers, and my iPad. How did that go? [...more] -- Posted Monday, June 7, 2010 by chb

iPad on the road - Part I
The editor takes his iPad 3G on the road, all the way to Sweden. So can the iPad replace the MacBook that came along as a backup? Can it handle full-blown presentations? Be ready for email and browsing whenever and wherever? Find out. [...more] -- Posted Tuesday, June 1, 2010 by chb

RAM Mount for the Apple iPad
The Apple iPad transcends conventional computing boundaries and classifications. While it is not a rugged or vertical market device, many will use an iPad in addition to their current mobile computing gear, and in quite a few cases, iPads will replace older technology. That's probably why RAM-Mounts has introduced RAM Mounts for the Apple iPad, a series of mounting products designed to mount and take the iPad anywhere. We took a look at RAM's new iPad cradle and mounting solutions for you. [See RAM Mount for iPad] -- Posted Monday, May 24, 2010 by chb

Greenway's Mobile Clinic available on iPhone/iPad/iPod touch
Greenway Medical Technologies, Inc., provider of the integrated, single-database electronic health record (EHR), practice management and interoperability solution PrimeSuite, announced the availability of its remote clinical and financial solution PrimeMobile onto Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. [See PrimeMobile webpage] -- Posted Monday, May 17, 2010 by chb

iPad available in nine more countries on May 28
Apple announced that iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple's online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10. In the US, Apple has already sold over one million iPads and customers have downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store, as well as over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore. -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2010 by chb

IDC: Smartphone sales, marketshare way up in Q1 2010
According to IDC, the worldwide converged mobile device (smartphone) market grew 56.7% year-over-year in first quarter of 2010, shipping a total of 54.7 million units. That's 18.8% of all mobile phones shipped. As far as Q1 shipping market share goes, Nokia is first with 39.3%, then RIM with 19.4%, apple closing in fast with 16.1%, then HTC with 4.8%, Moto with 4.2%, and the rest (presumably all the Japanese, Taiwanese, Korean and other Asian companies?) with 16.3%. These days, few phones are totally "dumb," so the exact definition of "smartphone" probably has a big impact on the numbers. -- Posted Monday, May 10, 2010 by chb

Windows XP on an iPad? I declare!
What you're seeing in the picture to the right is lots of folks' worst nightmare: Windows XP on an iPad. The real thing and fully functional. How is this possible? With a VNC client (I use VNC Viewer). The iPad is not really running Windows XP, of course; it's just running a piece of software that lets you view, control and use Macs, Linux boxes and, yes, PCs. [more ... -- Posted Saturday, May 8, 2010 by chb

Publishing and the iPad
As a former print publisher, I spent some time comparing different approaches to magazine publishing on the iPad. Given the amount of hype about the iPad being the savior of publishing, I am surprised there is not an iMagazine app or some such. I mean, Apple could take the lead here yet again, creating the iTunes of the magazine world. [more ...] -- Posted Tuesday, May 4, 2010 by chb

iPad after 1 month: 1 million sold, 5,000 apps
The iPad is off to a good start. After just a month, a million have been sold, and there have been over 12 million iPad app downloads. After a month there are almost 5,000 iPad apps, with the number growing rapidly. -- Posted Monday, May 3, 2010 by chb

Jon Stewart's monolog on Apple
The April 28, 2010 Daily Show had anchor Jon Stewart dedicate an entire eight minute monolog on Apple's rather strong reaction to the next gen iPhone episode. Very funny. See it here. -- Posted Monday, May 3, 2010 by chb

End of an era: HP buys Palm
Three weeks after Pen Computing conjectured, "Here's an idea, though: what about using Palm's WebOS as the basis for HP's upcoming iPad competitor? It'll never fly with Windows 7 on it, but with Palm's WebOS....?", HP announced it will acquire Palm for US$1.2 billion. Now this sounds like good news for Palm, but then again, HP is also the company that squandered away the iPAQ brand when it bought Compaq. It seems unlikely that even HP will be able to make much of a dent in the smartphone market with Palm phones, but, again, possibly using webOS for small iPad competitor tablets, that's a different story altogether. -- Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by chb

PayPal launches mobile payments library for developers
PayPal launched the Mobile Payments Library, a new element of the PayPal X payments platform that enables app developers to accept in-app purchases directly via PayPal. This means apps don't need to store customers' personal financial information and customers can purchase goods and services without leaving the app. Very cool. -- Posted Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by chb

Original Newton Notes author Dave MacNeill reviews the iPad
Dave MacNeill, author of the original Newton Notes, is back among the writing after a three-year stint pursuing his interests in music. Dave got himself a 64GB iPad and wrote what may well be the ultimate initial iPad review. "There is one good thing about being a little late to the party: you will always be more sober than everyone else," says Dave as he contemplates Apple's latest contribution to changing the world as we know it. [Read Dave McNeill's full review of the Apple iPad WiFi 64GB] -- Posted Monday, April 26, 2010 by chb

Stating the obvious
"...if Microsoft and its partners hinder these new tablets with a full-blown OS and the standard world of ad-hoc Windows applications and utilities bought from non-homogenous sources, Apple and the iPad will win." (PC Mag columnist Lance Ulanoff in What Microsoft Can Learn from the Apple iPad) -- Posted Thursday, April 22, 2010 by chb

Socket 2D BT scanner to work with Apple iPad
Socket Mobile announced Apple iPad compatibility for the Socket Bluetooth Cordless Hand Scanner (CHS) 7X and its antimicrobial equivalent, the CHS 7XRx. Both can combine with the iPad into lightweight, portable, state-of-the-art 2D barcode scanning solutions that fit a diverse set of application requirements in a range of industries including healthcare, hospitality and retail. See the Socket scanners and a demonstration video with the iPad. -- Posted Thursday, April 22, 2010 by chb

Or is the 3G available April 30 after all?
On April 20, 2010, Apple announced that the Wi-Fi + 3G models of the iPad will be delivered to US customers who've pre-ordered on Friday, April 30, and will be available in Apple retail stores the same day starting at 5:00 p.m. -- Posted Wednesday, April 21, 2010 by chb

Hypercom introduces secure payment solution for iPhone
Hypercom unveiled a SmartPayments Mobile payment solutions for merchants with Apple iPhones who need simple, flexible and secure card-present processing capabilities. SThe system features a durable slider case with an encrypted, PCI, PA-DSS certified high security card reader that fully protects the iPhone from scratches and other damage and lets merchants avoid the high cost of "card not present" transaction fees in application-only solutions. [See Smartpayments Mobile for iPhone] -- Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by chb

What if....
What if we came into the possession of a piece of technology that we were quite obviously not supposed to have? Would we take advantage of the situation and report on it? No, we would not. This is not what journalists are supposed to do. It breaks an unwritten code of ethics and a covenant of trust we have with the industry. -- Posted Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by chb

iPad 3G to ship by May 7th
Those who passed on the WiFi-only iPad have to wait a little longer. Originally slated to be available by the end of April, the shipping date listed in the Apple online store is now May 7th. -- Posted Monday, April 19, 2010 by chb

RipCode enables clientless Flash video on the iPad
RipCode, Inc. announced the TransAct Transcoder V6 that can transparently intercept Adobe Flash-based file or live video requests and convert them to a container, video codec, and audio codec accepted by the iPad without the need for any pre-transcoding or device-based client. Since HTML5 is not yet widely adopted. RipCode's Transactional Transcoding platform enables an alternate and immediate solution to this issue, opening up video content to users without requiring the content hoster to move to HTML5 or pre-transcode entire video libraries from Flash to an iPad-accepted container format. [See full release] -- Posted Tuesday, April 13, 2010 by chb

Apple and the media: interesting contemplations
As the iPad begins its journey as perhaps the type of device that can save journalism as we know it, discussion is becoming louder about the potential conflict between unbiased, uncensored journalism and Apple's penchant to control what it does, and does not, allow on its platforms. [Read mediactive.com's Complicating Relationships in Media: Apple, NY Times Dealings Raise Questions] -- Posted Friday, April 9, 2010 by chb

iPhone OS 4.0 announced
At an Apple iPhone event, Steve Jobs said Apple has sold 450,000 iPads, a million iPad apps were downloaded in the first 24 hours, over 600k iBooks in the first few days. iPhone has 64% mobile browser share, over 50 million sold. Jobs presented a preview of iPhone OS 4 that includes multi-tasking (only 3GS and up), folders, unified mailbox and encrypted mail, iBooks for iPhone, game center, and a mixed blessing in iAd mobile advertising. iPhone OS 4 will be available this summer for the iPhone, in the Fall for the iPad. -- Posted Thursday, April 8, 2010 by chb

Initial iPad feedback positive
Most initial feedback on the iPad has been very positive. Many stated it was indeed a new class of device, that battery life was excellent, the device quick and responsive, and the software very cool and innovative. There were also a few complaints. Some felt the display was a fingerprint magnet, some complained about weak WiFi and others about an iffy USB connection that resulted in lengthy charging and syncing. One particularly negative fellow at a former glory pub from the PC era has already demanded a recall. -- Posted Monday, April 5, 2010 by chb

Early iPad sales exceed expectations
Before the iPad was launched, most estimates were for about 300,000 sales the first day. Apparently those estimates were low and now have been revised to 600-700,000 for the initial weekend. -- Posted Monday, April 5, 2010 by chb

WiFi iPad available as of April 3, 2010
Well, the WiFi-only version of the Apple iPad is now available in stores. Those who are holding out for the 3G version will have to wait a few more weeks. The media hype about the iPad is absolutely tremendous, with major newspapers proclaiming the start of the iPad era, articles like "Why the iPad changes everything" and so on. It'll simmer down or there will be a backlash, or not. No one knows. Pen Computing will provide a detailed discussion of the platform as soon as we get our 3G iPad. -- Posted Saturday, April 3, 2010 by chb

iPad developers challenges
cNet ran an interesting article on the challenges the iPad will present to developers. iPhone apps run on the iPad, but they'll look tiny on the much bigger iPad display. Pixel-doubling will make them look clumsy. And creating the same app in two different formats and complexities is costly and may not make commercial sense. [See article] -- Posted Monday, March 15, 2010 by chb

You can now order the iPad
On March 12, 2010, Apple opened iPad ordering. Non-3G iPads will be available April 3rd, 3G models later April. We ordered ours (a 3G 32GB model). -- Posted Friday, March 12, 2010 by chb

iPad impact on healthcare?
Healthcare Technology Online contemplates whether or not the Apple iPad will have an impact in the healthcare sector. There are some compelling pros and cons. [See The Apple iPad's Impact On Healthcare] -- Posted Tuesday, February 23, 2010 by chb

Sybase Mobile University event March 4, 2010
If your company is considering iPhone as an enterprise device, Sybase offers free "Sybase Mobile University" virtual online classes where iPhone experts bring you up to speed on how to overcome challenges when adopting iPhone in the enterprise. By participating in this event, you will also be eligible to win 1 of 5 prizes, consisting of 2 Mini Flip Video Cameras and 3 iPhone Speakers. [Sign up] -- Posted Friday, February 19, 2010 by chb

174 million smartphones shipped in 2009
According to IDC, global 2009 smartphone shipments amounted to 174 million, which is 15% of the total of 1.16 billion mobile phones shipped. In 2008, smartphones accounted for 12.7% of all phones. Of smartphones shipped in 2009, 68 million came from Nokia, 35 million from RIM, and 25 million from Apple. HTC and Samsung each shipped under 8 million. -- Posted Wednesday, February 10, 2010 by chb

After Apple tablet hype, now the backlash
After a year of frenetic hype, it's humorous to now see the Apple iPad iPad dissed and dismissed before anyone has even had a chance to buy one. Sometimes it's hard to see this sort of thing as anything but webpage-filling self promotion. -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

Apple: no use of GPS for targeted advertising
Apple announced that third-party iPhone developers will not be able to use the iPhone's GPS feature for targeted ads. The company said that apps that use the Core Location feature for advertising purposes will be rejected. -- Posted Tuesday, February 9, 2010 by chb

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