Following a number of rumors and reports over the past few weeks, The Wall Street Journal is reporting this evening that Apple and China Mobile have finally inked an iPhone deal. The outlet says it's scheduled to launch later this month.
The deal, which has also been confirmed by state-run news outlet Xinhua and a China Mobile subsidiary, comes after nearly 6 years of on-and-off negotiations, and will give Apple access to China Mobile's 700 million+ subscriber base...
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has now acquired another company, the social-media analytics startup Topsy Labs Inc. for more than $200 million, according to people familiar with the matter.
Billed as the world’s only index of the public social web, Topsy builds software that ties into Twitter to enable social search and crazy detailed analytics.
Apple has confirmed the deal, but its spokesperson refused to detail what the company's plans with Topsy might be. Since we doubt Apple is building its own search engine, Topsy intelligence could be plugged into Siri as yet another data provider for greater social context and improved search.
As you know, Apple with iOS 7 added the ability to check out a contact's Twitter feed via Siri. Another possibilities: Apple's iTunes Radio service and the struggling iAd platform...
Apple may be winning in the United States, the world's top market for smartphones, but in the 1.33 billion people market of China - which is Apple's second most-important territory revenue-wise - Samsung is beating local vendors of cheap handsets to the punch.
According to data from research firm Canalys, Samsung has overpowered rivals in China.
The company has grown its September quarter share to 21 percent, a notable jump from just fourteen percent a year earlier. The Galaxy maker was estimated to have shipped nineteen million smartphones during the third quarter ended September 30. It's worth underscoring Samsung does not disclose unit sales like Apple does, citing competitive reasons.
For the most part, Samsung's growth came at the expense of local vendors who build dirt-cheap handsets. But what about Apple?
Apple has long relied on Foxconn, the world's top manufacturer, to assemble its gadgets. In small part, Apple also taps Foxconn's rival, Taiwan-based Pegatron, on a regular basis for some orders. According to a new Wall Street Journal report Wednesday, Tim Cook & Co. have now contracted an additional two companies to help assemble iPhones and iPads amid growing demand for the products.
Mind you, it's not like Apple suddenly stopped loving Foxconn - the company will continue to build the iPhone 5s - but the report makes a passing mention of Apple apparently being dissatisfied with the high repair costs over defective iPhone 5 units and ongoing labor controversies surrounding Foxconn...
Joining the guessing game ahead of Apple's iPad event tomorrow, The Wall Street Journal in a story yesterday evening has corroborated the rumor-mill reporting by throwing its credibility behind the reports calling for a fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad with a thinner and lighter appearance, as well as a second-generation iPad mini with the Retina display.
The iPad 5, the report states, will adopt a new kind of display technology which allows for a much thinner display assembly. Go past the fold for the full reveal...
According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the rumors are true, Apple is going to introduce a new iPhone tomorrow morning with a fingerprint sensor built into the Home button.
In a last minute scoop, the news outlet says it has confirmed with "people familiar with the matter" that the much talked about feature will indeed be present in at least one of Apple's new handsets...
China Mobile will be offering at least one of Apple's new iPhones this fall, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal's Ian Sherr. The news comes after several years of off-and-on negotiations between the companies.
Sherr claims that sources have confirmed with the news outlet that Apple is preparing to ship iPhones to the carrier, indicating that the Mac-maker has finally reached a long-awaited deal with the world's largest wireless provider...
Apple is currently testing iPhone screens as large as six inches, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal. The news comes as many of the company's competitors are releasing handsets with 5 and 6 inch displays—the new Note 3 measures in at 5.7.
This isn't the first time we've heard that Apple is toying with the idea of making a larger iPhone. In fact, The Journal told a similar story in mid-July. So it seems that while the bigger displays are not expected to debut on this year's model, they are on the way...
The New York Times in May said Apple's favorite contract manufacturer Foxconn was looking beyond the iPhone due to slowing sales of the Apple smartphone caused by the broader tech biz slump. As you know, Foxconn also builds consumer electronics for Sony, Amazon, Dell and many other Western brands.
Conventional wisdom says the manufacturer's been growing concerned about its reliance on Apple orders accounting for well over half of its total revenues. Today, The Wall Street Journal is out with a report saying Foxconn has teamed up with the convenience store chain 7-Eleven to push its own television sets in Taiwan.
Interestingly enough, it was reported last year that Apple had been working with Asian suppliers on several designs for its rumored TV sets that Foxconn was supposed to build...
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has apparently asked Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. - better known in the Western world under its Foxconn moniker - to start shipping new iPhones early next month. It's going to be a crowded September: next month is IFA 2013 so expect gadget makers to flock to Berlin, Germany to talk new products.
And earlier in the morning, Bloomberg reminded us that Sony will be releasing a new Erisccon handset in September. Plus, we know from before that Samsung is gearing up to unveil a third-generation Note phablet and a rumored Galaxy Gear smarwatch at its own media event on September 4...
Various sources have been mulling for months that Apple's fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad will adopt the overall appearance of the iPad mini, including its skinnier side bezels and thinner, lighter enclosure. And as if you ever needed more proof, now the credulous Wall Street Journal is finally out with its own report.
Corroborating the rumor-mill chatter, the story reaffirms the notion that the iPad 5 partially owns its slimmer and lighter form factor to a new touchscreen technology borrowed from its little brother. Read on for the full reveal...
I know, I know, Google runs the world's greatest video streaming machine, YouTube, so why wouldn't networks broadcast live TV there, no? Not so fast.
For starters, Google might be interested in marketing a rumored live TV Internet service separate of its other offerings.
Let's also not forget Apple hasn't had much luck persuading networks to license TV channels directly instead of going through operators.
Be that as it may, the search giant is said to has been months into negotiating an over-the-top video service that would let customers stream live TV programming over the Internet, in turn totally bypassing cable operators like Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
There's no question cable-cutters should have a field day when, and if, Google's live TV becomes a reality...