Not the best looking pie chart—especially for Samsung.
Apple’s iPhone 5, at just three weeks old, is apparently experiencing more Web traffic than its three-month-old arch nemesis Samsung Galaxy S III.
The latest report from research firm Chitika depicts the iPhone 5 as gobbling up 56 percent of Web traffic volume, compared to the S III’s 44 percent, in just 18 days since it officially released. Chitika attributed the sudden growth to record-breaking sales numbers and 4G speeds:
Record-breaking sales numbers, along with new 4G browsing speeds which encourage data usage, are the most likely explanation for this tremendous growth. This latest shift in the mobile ecosystem is not welcome news for Samsung, which has positioned its device as a direct competitor to the iPhone 5.
Chitika has notably come under fire recently for publishing incorrect information on Google’s local search queries. The firm realized its errors after reading an article by SearchEngineLand. While today’s Web traffic report is significant—yet sudden— for Apple, lets hope Chitika has straightened out its metrics for analyzing Web data.
Apple just landed the No. 2 spot on LinkedIn’s fresh list of most “inDemand” employers from around the world.
The occupation-aimed social network pinpointed the most attractive companies for job seekers, and it subsequently broadcasted the list, along with its new Most InDemand Employers website, at the Talent Connect event in Las Vegas this afternoon. LinkedIn further detailed a few insights regarding the results, including: tech/software as the most represented on the list, consumer brands ranked highly, and 50-percent of the top 100 companies had under 7,000 employees.
Apple also earned third-place in the United States, just behind Walt Disney, and students and recent graduates perceive it as the second-best possible employer after Google.
Check out more details in the infographic below, or read LinkedIn’s blog post to learn more about the list’s ranking metrics.
A Microsoft executive just revealed native iOS and Android versions of Office 2013 would launch next year.
Microsoft Product Manager Peter Bobek spoke at a media event in the Czech Republic this morning and subsequently confirmed with local website IHNED that a consumer version of the native apps will release around March 2013.
The Verge later read a press release from Microsoft’s Czech Republic office, although it did not provide a copy for publishing, and verified the news. The release allegedly further noted a business variation would go public in December 2013, as well.
Microsoft’s widely-speculated plans to launch an iPad app for its Office suite have been rumored for quite some time, especially after The Dailypublished a supposed image of the app running on an iPad earlier this year. Microsoft denied it was a real image at the time, without actually denying reports that the company planned to release a native app, but The Daily stood its ground and specifically claimed a Microsoft employee demoed the iOS iteration.
Office for iPad will presumably allow iOS users to read and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on Apple’s mobile devices.
UPDATE 1: IHNED contacted 9to5Mac to provide a correction of its original report: “The timeline for Office for iOS and Android is not [a] March release, but release sometime after March.”
UPDATE 2: According to Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Corporate Communications Frank X. Shaw:
The iPhone 5 is barely a month old, and almost everyone, present company included, thinks it is the most amazing smartphone on the market. But, it’s not perfect (that’s what updates are for), and Apple’s Support Community has been lighting up with not-isolated issues affecting all matter of functionality on the iPhone 5.
The top 6 iPhone 5 gripes from Apple’s support forums:
1. Date and time
The above issue, regarding iPhone 5 dates and times randomly changing, largely seems to primarily affect Verizon users. One support forum member (Rockyrikoko) even reported the same problem having occurred for Verizon’s Droid devices. The same member later claimed Apple engineers told him/her: “Issues with time provided over the air from Verizon will ultimately be for the carrier to address.” A quick skim through over a dozen pages revealed that —to this date— there has been no quick fix from Apple or Verizon and many users are still manually setting their clocks.
A few apps updated, went on sale, or made announcements recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our regular round up below. Today’s selection includes app accessory news from Tim Cook’s second favorite company, Nike, a few tweaks to an official Walking Dead game in celebration of the show’s upcoming season three premiere, a fresh app for creating Passbook passes, two alternative Maps app updates, and a price drop. Per usual, we will continue to update this list throughout the day.
A widespread network outage on Sprint’s network started at 7:30 a.m. PST today and hit Portland, Ore., Seattle and Tacoma Wash., Minneapolis, Minn., and San Francisco and Sacramento, Calif. Sprint just confirmed it is working diligently to fix the issue.
Sprint’s statement to 9to5Mac:
“Earlier this morning, an accidental dual fibercut occurred on Sprint’s network causing a disruption in data and voice services for some Sprint customers in parts of Portland, Oregon; Seattle and Tacoma Washington; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and San Francisco and Sacramento, California. Sprint network technicians are working aggressively to resolve this issue and we hope to have service restored soon.”
AllThingsD is out with a fresh report this morning about the iPad mini supposedly “outshining” the new iPad.
AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski summarized Tokepa analyst Brian White’s thoughts, citing “chatter from Apple’s overseas supply chain,” and he said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is not “cutting corners” despite trying to keep the iPad mini’s price on-par with Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. White mentioned the iPad mini possibly being even “slicker than the new iPad.”
Not much to go on, I realize. But White’s supply chain sources have been solid in the past, and here at AllThingsD we too have been hearing promising things about the iPad mini’s design, which sources say demands a lot of the companies manufacturing it. This is something White has been hearing, as well, and he thinks it could make the device hard to come by initially. “The new ‘iPad Mini’ is more challenging to produce than prior iPad iterations,” he says. “We believe supply will initially be constrained.”
It is interesting that White has travelled around talking to Asian suppliers and can claim the iPad mini will upstage the original iPad, but he cannot offer one specific detail on how this will happen. Perhaps he is held to secrecy on these topics.
Anyone who has ever misplaced an iPad and felt a sudden urge of panic —or better yet, anyone who has ever watched an iPad’s battery drain without access to power while on a long trip— can now rejoice, as there is a solution to both problems in one, nifty case.
Wireless NRG developed a renewable charging resource for the iPad by simply converting the sun’s rays, indoor lights, and practically any other luminescent substance into a perpetual stream of free energy. The high-end, portable charging case, dubbed “KudoCase,” launched earlier this summer for $199.95 with a slew of innovative accessories. But that’s not all…it responds to whistling. If your iPad is ever lost at a friend’s house, just whistle. The KudoCase will set off an alarm. Yeah, I know—awesome.
Anyway, enough jibber-jabber—check out the hands-on review below.
Tim Cook just posted the above letter on Apple’s website to reminisce and pay homage to the company’s late cofounder, Steve Jobs.
Today is the one-year anniversary of Jobs’ passing, so Apple updated its homepage early this morning with a video montage to remember his life and death. The nearly two-minute video presents a slideshow of Jobs throughout his career and it softly ends with “Remembering Steve”.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 4S on Oct. 4, 2011, but one seat left open for Jobs at the packed event notably sat empty. The next day, Jobs died. After he passed, at just 56 years old, news of his death flooded the Internet, TV, newspapers, and homes. Millions of people immediately emailed Apple, and the company subsequently created a “Remembering Steve” page to display a massive compilation of condolences that poured in from around the world.
The tribute letter from Apple’s current CEO appears upon completion of the “Remembering Steve” video. In the message, Cook describes Jobs’ death as a “sad and difficult time”. The executive hopes, however, that everyone will “reflect on [Jobs’] extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.” A screenshot of Cook’s entire letter is above, while a text version is available after the break.
Apple has become the most valuable company in the world during the last year, and it is hard not to give respect to the man whose imagination and innovation helped push the company to record-breaking heights.
A slight variation of the above went to employees in a company email:
Team,
Steve’s passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place. As you and I know firsthand, one of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future. I’m incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. Thank you for dedicating your talents and so much of your lives to Apple. It’s a wonderful tribute to Steve’s memory and everything he stood for.
Tim
The video and screenshot gallery of the homepage is below: Expand Expanding Close
A slew of apps updated or made announcements recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our regular round up below. Today’s selection includes many app sales, including the Resident Evil app franchise, the Game of LIFE for iPad, and Snapheal for Mac, notable updates for popular iOS games, and more apps going iPhone 5, etc. Per usual, we will continue to update this list throughout the day.
A new survey by research organization Pew Internet & American Life Project depicts how Apple’s iPad slid from 81 percent in 2011 to 52 percent in 2012, in terms of U.S. adult tablet ownership, due to lower-priced Android slates steadily gaining traction.
Over the last year, tablet ownership has steadily increased from 11% of U.S. adults in July of 2011 to 18% in January of 2012, according to PEJ data. Currently, 22% own a tablet and another 3% regularly use a tablet owned by someone else in the home. This number is very close to new data, released here for the first time, conducted in a separate survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project on July 16 through August 7 2012 that found 25% of all U.S. adults have a tablet computer.
The growth in tablet adoption is likely related to the advent of the lower-priced tablets in late 2011. Overall, about two-thirds of tablet-owning adults, 68%, got their tablet in the last year, including 32% in 2012 alone. That has lessened Apple’s dominance in the market. Now, just over half, 52%, of tablet owners report owning an iPad, compared with 81% in the survey a year ago.
Android-based devices are now at 48 percent overall: approximately 21 percent own the Android-forked Kindle Fire, 8 percent own the Samsung Galaxy, and the remaining is a mix. It is worth noting Android would only hold 27 percent without the $199 Kindle Fire.
The survey did not include Google’s Nexus 7 or Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, however, as they were not yet introduced. The final numbers also mirror world sales data, according to Pew, which place the iPad at 61 percent and Android at 31 percent.
Check out Pew for more related information on smartphone ownership and operating system loyalty.
Forbes just published a piece on the “Untold Stories About Steve Jobs,” as the late Apple cofounder’s one-year anniversary since his death looms around the corner; and while many of the anecdotes are never-heard-before memories from acquaintances, most provide only shallow insights into the innovator’s working mind.
A few of the notable memories:
Hide The Porsches | Software engineer Randy Adams detailed a few occasions about his NeXT days, specifically referring to when Jobs told him to hide their Porches as to not scare off investors and even commanding unsatisfactory employees to fire themselves at times.
Scuff Marks in the Mini-Store | According to a source named “C.G.,” Jobs met with reporters —in his first public appearance since having surgery in 2004—at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif. to unveil a new “mini” store design. Jobs reportedly had a “meltdown” before the unveiling, because the store walls had dirty handprints and the floors were littered with scuffmarks.
They’ll Get Used To It | Venture Capitalist Marc Andreessen recalled how he asked Jobs in 2006, after playing with an iPhone prototype, if typing on a screen is practical. The Apple cofounder sternly said consumers would “get used to it.”
Blunt, But With Taste | Apple’s chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki explained a time when Jobs, who showed up with a friend, asked for his opinion on Knoware software. Kawasaki gave his negative first impressions, and then Jobs introduced his friend as the CEO of Knoware.
A Little Hand In the Screen | Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, while only pinpointing one moment with Jobs at a lavish party, for which the late CEO still only donned his Levi’s, fondly summarized Jobs’ intensity and their shared “philosophical relationship” about big ideas.
A Christmas Story | Apple original marketing chief Regis McKenna explained how Jobs once saved Christmas—after one of his five newly-bought iMacs failed to work—by convincing a dealer to go against Apple policy and replace a defective desktop for his granddaughter.
Adobe recently announced the latest Mac versions of Photoshop Elements 11 and Premiere Elements 11, and I had a brief opportunity to glance at some of their shiny, new add-ons. Version 11 of both programs notably boast new looks, new experiences, new features, and new functions; but more importantly, they effectively tout prosumer video- and photo-editing solutions for the average consumer.
For those unaware, Adobe Photoshop Elements essentially provides iPhoto users with a Photoshop or Aperture-ish editing experience without the hefty price tag; and similarly, Premiere Elements gives iMovie users the more pocket-friendly bells and whistles of Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X.
A new report by Bloomberg, citing unnamed inside sources, revealed Intel’s software for a new processor, codenamed “Clover Trail,” which would give the iPad’s ARM processors a run for their money while preserving battery life in Windows 8-based tablets, is reportedly running into delays.
Intel Corp. (INTC)’s delayed delivery of software that conserves computer battery life is holding up development of some tablets running the latest version of Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)’s Windows operating system, a person with knowledge of the matter said.
Microsoft hasn’t yet approved any tablets featuring an Intel processor code-named Clover Trail because the chipmaker hasn’t produced necessary power-management software, said the person, who asked not to be named since the process is private.
The delay, following remarks by Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini, who told employees in Taiwan that Windows 8 needs improvement, underscores how the Wintel alliance that has dominated the personal computer industry for three decades is struggling to respond to the threat of Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad. At stake is the chance to make up for lackluster PC buying by capturing users who are flocking to mobile devices, snappy applications and elegant design.
Software development delays obviously limit manufacturers, as they have less time to prep their tablets for the Holiday season; and thus, they have less of a chance to curb Apple’s 70 percent tablet market share.
“It’s bad news for Microsoft and Intel because it’s not going to present the best light on either one and it will hurt the perception of Windows 8,” said Directions analyst Wes Miller to Bloomberg.
Miller further noted Window’s Clover Trail-based tablets will directly compete with Apple’s ARM-based iPads.
Former Apple CEO John Sculley recently attended a South Florida Technology Alliance event to discuss Apple and the genesis of tablet computing, specifically: the Newton MessagePad and ARM Processor.
The MessagePad is the first series of ARM 610 RISC processor-based mobile devices developed by Apple for the Newton OS platform in 1993. Since then, it has become the dominant platform for mobile computing.
“Handwriting was never intended to be a very important aspect of it. […] It was really much more about the fact that you could hold this thing in your hand and it would do a lot of the graphics that you would see on the Macintosh,” explained Sculley at SFTA.
The tablet-like digital assistant spurred a flurry of models with various ARM processor. The series is generally remembered as a market flop now, of course, but Apple’s ARM initiative essentially paved the way for greatness. As The Next Web first noted, the iPhone today uses a by-product of the Newton MessagePad’s specifically designed ARM core.
“No microprocessor existed that would allow you to do mobile graphics-based software,” Sculley revealed, while discussing the birth of ARM.
Apple is prominently spotlighting alternative solutions to the new Maps app on the App Store.
The promotion of third-party apps is in conjunction with CEO Tim Cook’s open letter from this morning that apologized to iOS customers for the company’s less-than-perfect Maps offering. Apple further detailed on its website today how to add Google and Nokia maps website icons to an iOS 6 device’s Home screen.
In related news, Reuters created an infographic recently that illustrates a side-by-side comparison of the key features available on mobile map apps from Google and Apple’s iOS in 27 countries (as seen below):
Many apps updated, went on sale, or made announcements recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our regular round up below. Today’s crop includes a few giveaways by developer Shape.ag, an alternative to Apple Maps featuring Google data, notable iPhone 5 updates, price drops for popular iOS apps, and etc. Per usual, we will continue to update this list throughout the day.
Many apps updated, went on sale, or made announcements recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our regular round up below. Today’s crop includes new games by AOL and Rovio, updates for popular video services and social networks, more notable apps adding support for iOS 6, and huge price drops and daily deals. Per usual, we will continue to update this list throughout the day.
iFixit conducted its anticipated iPhone 5 teardown just last week, and now the gadget-ripper is offering internal wallpapers for Apple’s latest smartphone. Both wallpapers are “true to scale” 1,136-by-640-pixel resolution images of the iPhone 5’s inside components. One is a slightly wider internal shot, however, to give a perimeter glimpse.
AT&T revealed to 9to5Mac earlier this month that it planned to block FaceTime over cellular for customers not on its pricy Mobile Share plans, and now Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski has indicated the agency would evaluate objections.
Genachowski spoke with The Verge this morning, and he suggested the FCC is not being idle on the FaceTime blocking matter. According to the report:
Genachowski said that he couldn’t comment specifically on AT&T at this time, but that if a good-faith effort to resolve the issue “doesn’t lead to a resolution and a complaint is filed, we will exercise our responsibilities and we will act.” But the FCC shouldn’t be waiting long to receive a formal complaint: internet and net neutrality advocates responded swiftly to AT&T’s actions, claiming that the FCC’s Open Internet rules clearly prohibit arbitrarily limiting a service like FaceTime over specific networks.
An attorney at advocacy group Public Knowledge recently asserted the carrier’s decision violated the FCC’s Open Internet rules and warranted an investigation. Many groups, such as Public Knowledge, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, and the Free Press, have claimed they will file a formal complaint with the FCC.
Twelve South just announced a new adjustable stand geared for the iMac and Apple Display, dubbed the “HiRise for iMac,” and we recently had a brief hands-on with the desktop accessory that also doubles as a storage compartment. Expand Expanding Close
Swiss Federal Railways SBB said it would soon meet with Apple representatives to discuss an agreement over its classic clock face design found in the new Clocks app for iOS devices.
“There’s been no agreement so far, we’re going to talk about it,” announced SBB spokesperson Patricia Claivaz to global news agency AFP, noting SBB’s lawyers first requested the sit-down.
SBB was unable to provide an exact date for the gathering, but its spokesperson added, “We’re rather proud that a brand as important as Apple is using our design, it’s already on show in exhibitions in places like New York.”
The clock face design, created in 1944, was originally a copyright and trademark of engineer Hans Hilfiker, but watchmaker Mondaine licenses the design these days, and is considering legal action. It is obvious the Clocks app resembles the railway’s design, so Apple will likely bring a check to the upcoming meeting.
Daring Fireball’s John Gruber and The New York Times’ David Pogue went on the “Charlie Rose” TV show last night to discuss and share their thoughts on the iPhone 5. While both technology bloggers adore Apple’s latest smartphone, Gruber longed for two-day battery life and Pogue seemed annoyed by the new Lightning connector.
Not the best looking pie chart—especially for Samsung.
