Apple Applies for Trademark in Japan, Paves Way for iWatch

Apple has applied for an iWatch trademark in Japan, fueling the rumor of an upcoming smartwatch-like device. Other manufacturers are also pursuing the wearable technology market. Google, Microsoft and Samsung are all developing smartwatch-like devices. Sony recently released a newer version of its Android compatible SmartWatch. Sporting good companies, such as Nike, offer watch-like devices that monitor physical activity. Continue reading Apple Applies for Trademark in Japan, Paves Way for iWatch

Will Apple Team with Beats for Streaming Music Service?

Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Beats Electronics CEO Jimmy Iovine during a recent visit to Los Angeles, according to three people familiar with the matter. The execs met to discuss the business model and rollout plans of Beats’ Project Daisy, a subscription music service announced in January with little detail. The sources suggest Apple may be interested in a potential partnership. Continue reading Will Apple Team with Beats for Streaming Music Service?

Tim Cook on Expansion of Retail and the Apple Ecosystem

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the keynote address at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference on Tuesday and indicated that the Apple ecosystem is still growing. He explained that Apple has now paid out $8 billion to developers, up $1 billion from earlier this year. Cook also discussed the company’s continued focus on retail, competition in the smartphone sector, the need for tablets of varied sizes and the importance of software and services. Continue reading Tim Cook on Expansion of Retail and the Apple Ecosystem

Insiders Suggest HBO GO Could Be on Apple TV by Mid-Year

Apple is in negotiations to carry Time Warner’s HBO GO app on its Apple TV by mid-2013, say two people familiar with the matter. Apple’s $99 set-top device already streams content from Netflix and Hulu Plus. With the addition of HBO GO, the STB could better compete with video-delivery devices such as Roku and Microsoft Xbox (which already have the HBO service). Continue reading Insiders Suggest HBO GO Could Be on Apple TV by Mid-Year

Tim Cook Goes To China Again, Seems To Be Making Progress

Apple CEO Tim Cook said he believes China will become Apple’s most important market. He was optimistic about his latest talk with China Mobile, although he wouldn’t go into detail about it — and he recently met with Miao Wei, minister of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is responsible for approving Apple products before they’re launched in China. Continue reading Tim Cook Goes To China Again, Seems To Be Making Progress

Bob Iger Named to Apple Board, Arthur Levinson to Serve as Chairman

  • Apple has named Disney chief exec Robert Iger to its board, while Arthur Levinson will take over the chairman post previously held by Steve Jobs.
  • Bob Iger was a friend and business partner of Jobs. The two worked together when Disney acquired Pixar Animation Studios in 2006.
  • Levinson, chairman of biotech company Genentech, has been co-director of the Apple board for six years.
  • “They’re trying to shore up the Disney relationship or strengthen that relationship because it’s an important part of where Apple is going,” said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray Cos, referring to the possibility of a future Apple television and its need for licensing deals. “The content piece is the critical key to the living room,” Munster added.
  • “He is going to make an extraordinary addition to our already very strong board,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said of Iger, commenting that Iger’s role at Disney in harnessing new technology makes him “a great fit for Apple.”

Celebrating Steve: Special Event with Jonathan Ive, Tim Cook, Al Gore

  • Apple held a company-wide “Celebrating Steve” event on October 19 that featured tributes by Tim Cook and Al Gore and performances by Norah Jones and Cold Play. An 80-minute video of the event is available online.
  • Fortune suggests that the most touching part of the tribute was Apple’s chief designer Jony Ive speaking about Jobs and the fragility of ideas.
  • Ive said: “Steve used to say to me, ‘Hey Jonny, here’s a dopey idea.’ And sometimes they were. Really dopey. Sometimes they were truly dreadful. But sometimes they took the air from the room and they left us both completely silent. Bold, crazy, magnificent ideas. Or quiet simple ones, which in their subtlety, their detail, they were utterly profound.”
  • “And just as Steve loved ideas, and loved making stuff, he treated the process of creativity with a rare and a wonderful reverence. You see, I think he better than anyone understood that while ideas ultimately can be so powerful, they begin as fragile, barely formed thoughts, so easily missed, so easily compromised, so easily just squished.”

New Apple CEO: Inside the Mind and Philosophy of Tim Cook

  • Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook hosted his first iPhone event since taking over the company reigns in August. The Hollywood Reporter provides some interesting insight into Cook’s personality and work ethic.
  • Cook has been with Apple since 1998. Until taking over for Steve Jobs as CEO, he expertly handled company logistics and operations, serving as Mr. Inside to Jobs’ Mr. Outside, suggest the article.
  • His 18-hour workdays are legendary, even amongst Apple employees. “Cook probably gets his stamina from being a fitness buff and is said to be a fan of cyclist Lance Armstrong,” comments THR.
  • Cook is said to be more personable than Jobs was in the position of CEO, taking more time to respond cordially and even with a tone of friendliness to customer emails.
  • Under Jobs, Apple didn’t have a corporate policy matching employees’ charitable donations, but Cook changed that and now Apple will match employee donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000.

Apple Announces its iPhone 4S: Available October 14 Starting at $199

  • Apple CEO Tim Cook officially unveiled the company’s new iPhone 4S yesterday from Cupertino. The smartphone is expected to ship by October 14.
  • The new version features a dual core processor with up to 7x faster graphics performance, an 8 megapixel digital camera that can capture 1080P video, a GSM/CDMA radio with enhancements to speed data downloading and more.
  • The biggest news is possibly Siri, Apple’s voice-command assistant that can handle surprisingly complex commands and dictation (the name comes from a “virtual personal assistant” company that Apple purchased last year).
  • While some have expressed disappointment that Apple didn’t release the iPhone 5 this week, early reaction to the iPhone 4S features seem positive. The device’s new A5 processor, for example, is the chip used in the iPad 2, and packs an Apple-designed digital signal processor that helps with things like face detection. The phone also now supports the faster HSPA+ network.
  • The 8MP camera features backside illumination, allowing it to gather 73 percent more light and have 1/3 faster photo-snapping speed. It can also record higher-resolution 1080p high-definition video.
  • The iPhone 4S supports mirroring to a TV over AirPlay, Apple TV or a wired connection, while also packing iOS 5.
  • “The 4S will come in both black and white, starting at $199 for 16GB and $299 for the 32GB, but the big news is a new 64GB model coming in at a whopping $399,” reports Engadget.
  • Additionally, Sprint will now be offering the 8GB iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Sprint customers can place pre-orders for the device starting this Friday, October 7th.