Research

Apple working with researchers to build ResearchKit apps for gathering DNA data

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

Apple is collaborating with US researchers to launch apps that would allow iPhone owners to get their DNA tested, according to a new report from MIT's Technology Review. The apps are based on ResearchKit, a software platform Apple introduced in March that helps researchers gather data.

If true, Apple would join a growing battle for genetic information. Everyone from Google, to the government, to top universities are spending millions of dollars to amass large databases of DNA info in an effort to uncover clues that would help identify causes and possible cures for diseases.

Nearly 1-in-5 iPhone 6 owners plans to buy Apple Watch, survey finds

Cody Lee ∙ January 14, 2015

A new survey finds that nearly 1-in-5 iPhone 6 owners are planning to buy the Apple Watch when it launches later this year. ZDNet points to the data, published by marketing research firm Credit Suisse, which shows 18% of iPhone 6 or 6 Plus owners polled said they would "definitely" be buying Apple's new wearable.

Additionally, 11% of those queried said that they would "probably" be purchasing the Apple Watch when it's released, and another 27% described the likelihood that they would be getting one as "maybe." Out of those in the "no" category, 27% said they would "probably not" be getting it, and 18% answered "definitely not."

Apple building massive R&D center in Japan

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

In addition to its existing research and development centers in Israel, Taiwan and Shanghai, Apple is now looking to build another facility in Japan, Reuters reported Tuesday. The “cutting-edge” R&D center was confirmed by Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.

The facility “will be formally announced soon,” he told local media, as confirmed by the Jiji and Kyodo News.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus launch drives record accessory sales

Sébastien Page ∙ October 10, 2014

Records keep piling for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which according to research firm NPD, were responsible for driving accessory sales in the US to new highs, reaching a quarter of a billion dollars in the two weeks that followed the launch of the devices:

U.S. mobile phone accessory sales reached record levels following the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Accessory sales for the two weeks after the launch were 43 percent higher than the two weeks prior, reaching $249 million, according to The NPD Group Weekly Tracking Service.

For more details, read the full press release here.

Apple now number two online retailer behind Amazon

Cody Lee ∙ May 6, 2014

According to data from e-commerce research firm Internet Retailer, Apple is now the number two online retailer in the world. Amazon, of course, still has a large lead in the number one spot, but the Cupertino firm recently surpassed Staples to take over second place.

The jump in position is due to a couple of factors. For one, Staples saw flat online sales of $10.4 billion over the past year, representing just a 1% increase over 2012. And two, Internet Retailer is accounting for both hardware and digital content sales for the first time...

Samsung one step closer to commercializing ultrathin graphene screens for wearables

Christian Zibreg ∙ April 4, 2014

Samsung has been the world's largest maker of LCD panels since 2002. By 2004, the conglomerate was the world's top manufacturer of OLED panels accounting for a 40 percent market share worldwide and as of 2010 has a commanding 98 percent share of the global AMOLED market.

Small wonder that Apple used to source most of its screens for iOS devices from Samsung up until 2012, when Tim Cook & Co. began slowly shifting display orders away from the Galaxy maker amid the ongoing patent spat.

But Samsung is not standing still. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal Friday, the Galaxy maker has claimed significant progress on graphene, described as the next wonder material...

Apple named most valuable ‘billion dollar brand’ in the US

Cody Lee ∙ March 19, 2014

A new report was released yesterday by brand consulting agency Brand Finance, naming the top "billion dollar brands" in the United States. The list was compiled estimating the royalty rate that would be charged to use a company's brand and combing that with expected future revenue.

Unsurprisingly, Apple was ranked number one by a long shot, with a value of $104.7 billion. The iPad-maker is the most valuable company in the world in terms of market cap, and has taken the top spot several times in other brand value lists. Google came in second place at $68.6 billion...

iTunes Radio now the third most popular streaming music service in US

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 16, 2018

A new report from Edison Research says that iTunes Radio has become the third most popular streaming music service in the US. The marketing research firm says that Apple's Radio service, which is less than 6 months old, just surpassed Spotify to take the #3 spot.

According to the data iTunes Radio now sits behind Pandora, who has 31% of the US streaming music market, and iHeartRadio, which has 9%. Then it comes in at 8%, Spotify at 6% and both Google Play All Access and Rhapsody come in at 3% and 2% respectively...

Password-management firm names Apple most secure out of top 100 sites

Cody Lee ∙ January 24, 2014

With high profile hacking incidents making headlines now on what seems like a weekly basis, people are starting to think more about their online security. And one of the first questions they tend to ask is: how safe is my password at [insert name] website?

Password-management company Dashlane just released a report that may help answer this question for many users. The firm has conducted a comprehensive study of the top 100 e-commerce websites, based on 24 criteria, and here's what they found out...

iPhones found to be 300% more reliable than Samsung handsets

Cody Lee ∙ February 22, 2013

Earlier this week, research firm Strategy Analytics issued a report showing that the iPhone 5 and 4S are the two most popular smartphones in the world. The 5 alone accounts for 13% of all smartphones shipped globally.

Today, crowd-sourced trouble-shooting website FixYa shared its own findings on the smartphone space. And according to its data, Apple's handset isn't just the best-selling in the world. It's also [by far] the most reliable...

Confirmed: Apple’s new R&D center going live this summer in Shanghai

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

Earlier in the month, the major Chinese web portal Tencent claimed Apple was looking to establish a research and development center in Beijing and last week Cnet China corroborated the story, but noted that the rumored six-story facility with over 100,000 square feet of space is actually going up in Shanghai. Today, a new report from another Chinese news site give us more in way of details...

Apple to open R&D facility in Shanghai this summer

Cody Lee ∙ January 18, 2013

Earlier this week, we passed along a report claiming that Apple was looking to open up a new research and development center in Beijing. The news made sense, considering that on Tim Cook's recent visit to China, he was seen talking with high level government officials.

But according to a new report, which cites people familiar with the project, the R&D facility is actually going up in Shanghai. The campus, which Apple is expected to announce later this year, will feature three 6-story buildings, with over 100,000 square feet of space...