NYT

NYT: iPhone 6 has one-handed mode, iWatch has NFC, wireless charging and flexible sapphire screen

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 10, 2017

Joining today's conversation about a flurry of announcements due September 9, journalist Brian Chen filed a report today with The New York Times claiming that Apple's iPhone 6 will feature a so-called “one-handed mode” in an effort to address usability issues anticipated for a phablet-class device.

The lengthy story also takes a closer look at the rumored Apple wearable device which, according to Chen's sources, will have NFC technology and feature a flexible display protected by a sapphire-made cover.

The article corroborates the consensus out there that the iPhone 6 will come in 4.7 and 5.5-inch flavors, both featuring an on-board Near-Field Communications (NFC) chip to facilitate mobile payments.

Jony Ive says “Switzerland’s in trouble” ahead of expected iWatch unveiling

Cody Lee ∙ September 3, 2014

After years of speculation, it's believed that Apple is finally ready to show off its new wearable device, dubbed the 'iWatch' by much of the media. And according to the company's senior vice president of design Jony Ive, the folks over in Switzerland are in trouble.

In a recent article on tech and fashion, The New York Times' Nick Bilton mentions that he spoke with Mr. Ive about the so-called iWatch. Obviously, the designer doesn't offer up an official comment on the secret project, but it's clear that he's very confident in it.

NYT sheds light on internal training program for teaching the Apple way

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 11, 2014

In what seems to be a change of heart for The New York Times which notoriously dissed Apple in a nine-part iEconomy series of articles, the newspaper on Monday ran a rather positive frontage piece about the iPhone maker.

The write-up provides interesting details about Apple University, an internal training program at the firm's 1 Infinite Loop headquarters in Cupertino, California that teaches future company leaders the Apple way of doing things.

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who passed away nearly three years ago, in 2008 hired former Yale business school dean Joel Podolny to run Apple University. After naming Denise Young Smith its new head of human resources earlier this year, Podolny, who is a vice president at Apple, is now focused full time to teaching the Apple culture to employees...

Activation Lock helps curb iPhone theft in New York, London and San Francisco

Joe Rossignol ∙ June 19, 2014

You may remember stories from a few years ago that described how iPhone theft was becoming a serious problem. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg even claimed that iPhone thefts had contributed to an overall rise in crime in New York City in 2012. The problem prompted Apple to team up with Google, HTC and others to help put anti-theft measures in place on smartphones.

Apple's own anti-theft measures appear to be working, as The New York Times reports that police in New York, San Francisco and London are finally seeing a decline in theft of the iPhone. The introduction of Activation Lock on iOS 7 has seen iPhone robberies drop 38 percent in San Francisco, 24 percent in London and 19 percent in New York, based on the six months before and after Apple released the feature…

Jony Ive and Tim Cook on Apple’s design process, new materials, revamping software and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 14, 2018

Apple's design guru Jonathan Ive rarely gave any interviews under the Steve Jobs regime. But this are different now, this is Tim Cook's Apple. In another sign of much-welcomed openness signaling that the Cupertino firm has changed its ways when it comes to public relations, it's increasingly making its key executives available to media.

The New York Times just published a must-read interview with Ive, following its extensive profile of Tim Cook yesterday.

The fascinating read touches upon a number of interesting topics dealing with Apple's design process, giving us valuable insight into what it was like to brainstorm products with Steve Jobs watching over your back, especially contrasted to Tim Cook's more relaxed approach which delegates much of Jobs's multi-faceted work to Ive and several new executives...

The New York Times launching NYT Now app next week with cheaper subscriptions

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 26, 2014

The New York Times newspaper is scheduled to launch new digital offerings on the iPhone come next Wednesday, April 2. I cancelled my digital subscription to both the Times and The Wall Street Journal a year ago due to their overpriced subscriptions and sluggish apps.

Realizing as much - and taking note of sleek looking apps such as Flipboard and Facebook's Paper - the paper sent its digital team back to the drawing board with the goal of rethinking the company's digital offerings and how its content should be reformatted for mobile devices.

The result of their work is a brand new iPhone application that offers staff-curated content wrapped inside a nicely done interface, called NYT Now...

Apple reportedly working on solar, motion charging for iWatch

Cody Lee ∙ February 2, 2014

The New York Times is out with a new report this evening, claiming that Apple is exploring a variety of different charging methods for its mobile devices in an effort to improve battery life. These methods include induction, solar and kinetic.

While patents and other evidence suggest that the company has been experimenting with these technologies for years now, the report cites sources within Apple saying that interest has been reinvigorated by the oft-rumored iWatch project...

Beats Music coming January 21, here’s nitty-gritty on their ‘trusted curator’ concept

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

Beats Music CEO Luke Wood told us last October to soon expect a brand new subscription music service, one not only making a difference to how we consume songs but also changing our perception of what streaming music services should be all about. Yesterday, Beats Music announced it will be definitely opening for business on January 21.

In an effort to drum up excitement ahead of the impending launch, the headphone manufacturer likened existing music service to "servers" that provide little more than access to a catalog.

But how the heck does Beats Music expect to stand out in the crowded space of streaming service? By curating music from trusted human sources like established industry magazines, that's how. They even hired professional DJs! "In our experience it’s always been a living, breathing human who has brought us that song we fell in love with," the company said.

What's in it for you? More than meets the eye. Read on...

FTC to launch inquiry into patent trolls, including issuing subpoenas

Ed Sutherland ∙ June 21, 2013

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is expected today to approve an investigation into so-called patent trolls, according to the New York Times. Results of the investigation could be used as part of a possible antitrust lawsuit.

FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez has said the technology involved in one smartphone could spur thousands of patents. In 2012, patent trolls - politely referred to as patent-assertion entities - comprised 60 percent of some 4,000 patent lawsuits. In 2011, the number of patent lawsuits were half that amount, the Times reported...

NYT: Apple rushing to close deals for iRadio launch at WWDC

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 2, 2013

Last we heard, Apple and record labels couldn't agree on song skipping terms, with sources in the know telling CNET that tough licensing negotiations between Apple and Sony Music have been stalling iRadio talks. Today, The New York Times weighs in on the situation with its own tidbits.

The iPhone maker is apparently rushing to close the necessary licensing deals with music companies so it can formally reveal the service "as early as next week." And with just eight days until Apple's WWDC keynote, it's not that far of a stretch to believe the company is pushing hard to announce iRadio at its summer developers conference...

Apple bashing earns New York Times a Pulitzer

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

Remember how Apple's use of Chinese factories to produce its iPad was the focus of attention during 2012? Well, so did members of the Pulitzer committee, which Monday awarded a 2013 Pulitzer Prize to the New York Times.

The paper won critical awards for its iEconomy series, a nine-part look at the working conditions in Chinese factories producing the popular tablet. But was the series a "penetrating look into business practices by Apple," as the Pulitzer announcement claims, or simply a way to rehash a common practice by using the Apple brand as the foil?

EU scrutinizing Apple’s ‘unusually strict’ iPhone contracts with carrier

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 22, 2013

The cost of selling the iPhone is anything but cheap - just ask Sprint. Because Apple makes the iconic smartphone which helps sell pricey wireless contracts, carriers typically agree to Apple's way of doing biz that entail committing to large-volume iPhone purchases costing billions of dollars in upfront payments.

Sprint, America's third-largest carrier, for example, bought an astounding $15.5 billion worth of iPhones to be sold over the course of four years. The New York Times reported Thursday that European Union regulators are taking a closer look at Apple's iPhone distribution agreements with European carriers, who remark that these contracts are "unusually strict" and assert that Apple's behavior could be viewed as anticompetitive...