Continuing coverage of Apple's iPhone 

Google steals march on Apple in music subscription
Google beat Apple to the music subscription service punch this week, perhaps the doing of record labels who wanted to put Apple in its place, an analyst said

Google issues YouTube ultimatum to Microsoft as Hatfield-McCoy feud heats up
Google yesterday sent a cease-and-desist letter to Microsoft, demanding that its rival remove the YouTube app built for the Windows Phone platform.

Mobile management morphs
Customers are pushing the limits of the software -- asking it to manage and do many more things than it was originally created to do -- and vendors are happy to oblige.

Windows 8 app store fails Top 10 test
Microsoft's Windows 8 app store failed a test touted by a former Microsoft manager and distinguished engineer as a way to determine an ecosystem's relevance.

Microsoft sends gamblin' Pete Rose to the plate in swing at Google Docs
Microsoft today took another shot at rival Google, calling its rival's online application suite, Google Docs, "too big a gamble."

AT&T offers iPhone 5 through pre-paid Aio Wireless
AT&T launched a new wireless subsidiary called Aio Wireless on Thursday that offers phones like the iPhone 5 with no annual contract.

Security pros cheer hint of hands-off updates in Windows Blue
Microsoft's apparent plan to automatically update its own Windows Store apps in the next version of Windows 8 is drawing praise from security experts.

Yes Siri, no Siri, for the Mac
Apple's next version of OS X will probably not include Siri, the digital, voice-activated assistant embedded in the iPhone and iPad, an analyst predicted.

Apple to challenge $368M patent infringement verdict
Apple will challenge a November 2012 jury verdict that awarded $368 million in damages to Nevada patent-holding company VirnetX, a filing with U.S. regulators showed.

Apple CEO defends Mac line; analysts foresee iPad hybrids
Apple CEO Tim Cook on Tuesday defended the company's iconic Mac line, which saw a second consecutive decline in sales last quarter, and promised that Apple would continue to crank out personal computers.

Apple's WWDC set for June 10-14, hints at fall launch of next iPhone
Apple today said that its annual developers conference will take place June 10-14, when it will provide developers with preview builds of the next versions of both iOS and OS X.

Mac sales growth stalls -- here's why Apple doesn't care
Apple's Mac has been punished by shifting consumer tastes just as has the overall PC industry, data from the company's earnings statements show.

Apple's lead over Samsung in future-purchase plan survey cut in half
From December to March, Apple's iPhone lost ground to smartphones from rival Samsung in a survey to assess consumers' future purchase plans, a market research firm said last week.

Apple sold 35-38M iPhones last quarter, analysts say
Apple sold approximately 38 million iPhones in the first quarter, an 8% increase over what it sold in the same quarter a year ago, an ISI Group analyst said today. Other analysts pegged the sales number at 35 million.

Facebook Home on iPhone? Not a chance, say experts
There is absolutely no way that Apple will surrender its iPhone interface to Facebook Home, analysts said today.

Netflix to dump Silverlight, Microsoft's stalled technology
Netflix plans to abandon Microsoft's Silverlight media player plug-in for Windows and OS X in-browser video streaming, and replace it with a trio of HTML5 extensions.

Apple's silence cedes market narrative to rivals, says expert
Apple's noted silence has hurt its mystique and caused it to cede the "cool" factor to competitors, a communications expert said.

Samsung sees value in bigger Galaxy Mega smartphones
Samsung struck again Thursday, announcing two even bigger Galaxy Mega smartphones with 5.8-in. and 6.3-in. LCD HD screens.

SkyDrive decision reveals Microsoft's Office on iOS strategy
Microsoft's update Wednesday to its SkyDrive iOS app shows that the software giant has no intention of sharing revenue with rival Apple, and is further evidence it will tie Office on the iPad to its subscription plans, an analyst said today.

Miami hospital turns to Wi-Fi triangulation for smartphone mapping app
Miami Children's Hospital recently launched a free iPhone app that uses Wi-Fi triangulation to help patients and their families navigate through the center.

Google puts pressure on Microsoft, launches Quickoffice for iPhone and Android
Google launched its Microsoft Office substitute, Quickoffice, for Apple's iPhone, Android smartphones and Android tablets, fulfilling a promise made in December.

Microsoft could rake in $1.25B first year from Office on iOS, Android, asserts analyst
Microsoft could rake in more than $1 billion in revenue in the first year after launching Office for Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms, an analyst said today.

Enterprise apps get social
Combining the ad-hoc nature of social media with the more structured world of enterprise apps such as CRM is often the best of both worlds, implementers say.

Google+ updates mobile apps for iPhone, Android
Google has released updates for its Google+ apps for iPhone and Android.

T-Mobile to sell iPhone 5 amid new no-contract plans
Amid an array of industry innovations announced today, T-Mobile USA said it will sell the iPhone 5 starting April 12 for $579, with the option of paying $99 down and $20 a month for 24 months.

Security experts applaud Apple's new two-factor authentication
Apple this week followed the lead of rivals like Facebook, Google and Microsoft, offering two-step authentication to help customers secure their Apple IDs against hacking.

8 myths about the smartwatch revolution
By the time Apple ships its rumored 'iWatch' smartwatch, it will be entering an already crowded market. That's a good thing, says columnist Mike Elgan.

iPhone snares eighth straight top satisfaction ranking
Apple's iPhone has again taken the top ranking in J.D. Power and Associates' smartphone customer satisfaction survey, the company said.

Apple's hire of Adobe CTO foretells move toward iOS-OS X hybrids
Apple's hiring of Adobe's former CTO Kevin Lynch opens some intriguing possibilities for the company's future moves, analysts said today.

Defense spokesman says DoD not dumping BlackBerry
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesman on Thursday said a report suggesting the defense agency is dumping BlackBerry devices was inaccurate, and that BlackBerry is still part of ongoing DoD mobile device deployment plans.

iPhone U.S. dominance due to carriers' pricing strategies
Apple's iPhone dominance in the U.S. is largely due to carriers suppressing market economics, an analyst said today.

The iWatch conundrum
For the past month or so, the hot topic among Apple users has been the iWatch. Columnist Michael deAgonia weighs on whether there's really a market for the device.

Z10 sales start Friday in U.S., but Blackberry's future still far from certain
BlackBerry Z10 sales kick off this Friday in the U.S., but it is still unclear how popular the smartphone and its Q10 cousin running BlackBerry 10 will be, amid a number of contradictory predictions and indicators.

Galaxy S4 would be the ultimate iPhone, says analyst
Samsung's new Galaxy S4 would be the "ultimate smartphone" if it ran Apple's iOS and accessed the Cupertino, Calif. company's app ecosystem, a clearly-impressed analyst said today. Others, however, dismissed the idea.

Physicians may be marginalized as mobile tech engages us in healthcare
Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist and professor of genomics, took aim at the medical community, calling for the end to paternal medicine and annual checks and the beginning a consumer-centered healthcare, where patients own their own data, including their genomes for drug treatment.

Hot technologies to watch: Augmented reality and 3D printing
Augmented reality and 3D printing are the hottest emerging technologies to watch, according to Tom Soderstrom, chief technology officer for NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Google squashes 10 Chrome bugs as $100K Pwn2Own hacking prize looms
Google today patched 10 vulnerabilities in Chrome, just two days before the start of Pwn2Own, a hacking contest that has $100,000 in prize money waiting for the first researcher to crack the browser

Apple, Samsung and Google under fire at Mobile World Congress
Mobile World Congress showed that Apple, Samsung and Google are still the smartphone industry leaders, but upstart and would-be has-been companies are fighting back.

Microsoft exec refuses to be drawn out on Office for iPad
Microsoft's top Office executive, Kurt DelBene, yesterday dodged questions about plans to bring its lucrative suite to Apple's iPad.

Industrial sapphire might be your next smartphone display
Sapphire could someday be used in some smartphone displays instead of the toughened Gorilla Glass popular today

Google ports Office-substitute app to Chrome OS, Chrome browser
Google confirmed today that it has ported part of QuickOffice, a popular iOS and Android app substitute for Microsoft Office, to a technology baked into Chrome OS and the company's Chrome browser.

In Google+ hangout, astronauts talk tech, Isaac Newton and Twitter
In the their first Google+ hangout, astronauts onboard the International Space Station said they didn't panic when their communication link to the ground was cut off for three hours this week.

Which way Apple ticks on the iWatch will show how gutsy the firm remains
If Apple ever makes some kind of "iWatch" wearable device, how the company positions the device will tell a lot about where it's going.

Translating enterprise apps to mobile: Three companies' journeys
Some companies are going whole-hog with mobile apps, including for some core line-of-business functions.

Google may be considering retail stores
Google may be taking a page from Apple as it considers opening brick-and-mortar retail stores, according to reports.

Will Apple envy wreck Samsung?
Samsung is tired of watching Apple run away with most of the money in mobile and is making a big play to become like Apple -- a company that makes not only the hardware, but also the software and the store where you buy stuff.

Opera's WebKit move gives it shot at iOS market
Opera's announcement yesterday that it would ditch its own browser and JavaScript engines in favor of the open-source WebKit and V8 engines will let it compete in the lucrative iOS market.

Apple takes blame for iOS 6.1-Exchange battery-draining bug, promises patch
Apple yesterday confirmed that a bug in iOS 6.1 causes devices to aggressively ping Microsoft Exchange email servers, shortening iPhone and iPad battery life.

Can a 'nifty' iWatch from Apple catch on?
A watch that doubles as a computer and two-way radio has been a technology vision since at least the 1950s. But if recent reports that Apple's interested in an 'iWatch' are true, would such a device sell?

State of the Union expected to heat up social nets
Social networks are expected to light up tonight as users react to the president's State of the Union address.

You can get a Z10 in the U.S. now -- but it'll cost you $999
BlackBerry's Z10 went on sale today at the unsubsidized price of $999 through wireless service provider Solavei and its retail partner GSM Nation

Apple sticks with jailbreaking-is-evil warning
iOS jailbreaks may come and go, but Apple continues to warn that hacking an iPhone to install unapproved software, while not illegal, may void the device's service warranty.

Apple makes good on CEO's promise to expand iPhone 5's 4G carriers
Apple today released iOS 6.1, the first major update for the mobile operating system since its September 2012 launch, patching 27 security vulnerabilities and adding 36 LTE carriers to the iPhone 5's support list.

Will Apple, Google and Samsung lose the smartphone market?
Mobile phone competition intensifies. Linux-based platforms are gunning for iOS and Android, and Chinese companies want to price the iPhone and the Galaxy S line out of the market.

Can new smartphones rekindle the BlackBerry fire?
'Not dead yet' could well be the new BlackBerry marketing theme, as the world prepares to hear about two new BlackBerry 10 smartphones to be announced Wednesday.

Twitter's Vine serves users' inner movie maker
Twitter announced the launch of Vine, a service that lets mobile users capture and share short, looping videos of six seconds or less.

Mac sales tank in Q4 from iMac shortages, cannibalization
Mac sales plummeted in the fourth quarter of 2012, falling 22% from the same period the year before, with computer sales accounting for a record low percentage of Apple's total revenue of $54.5 billion.

Review: Apple's new 21.5-in. iMac
Apple's new iMac features a redesigned case that tapers at the edges, an optional Fusion Drive for storage and an updated system architecture, making it a stylish all-in-one desktop computer. But there are some caveats, says Michael DeAgonia.

Analyst pegs 'iPhone Mini' price at between $299 and $349
Apple may be able to build a cut-rate iPhone for $144, which would let it price the device between $299 and $349, hundreds less than the unsubsidized price tag of its flagship smartphone, an analyst said today.

Reports: Apple slashes iPhone component orders
Apple has slashed orders for iPhone screens in the first quarter by half, according to Monday reports out of both Japan and the U.S.

Gesture computing is here! (And it's out of control!)
As the dust settles over Las Vegas, it's becoming clear that this year's International CES ushered in a new era of in-the-air gesture control, says Mike Elgan.

City living: There's an app for that
Inspired by the release of ever larger and more detailed sets of municipal data, citizen-developers are writing apps to ease every aspect of city living, from preschools to parking meters.

Cook, not Nixon, goes to China to strike deal
Apple CEO Tim Cook met today with Xi Guohua, head of China Mobile, the world's largest wireless carrier, triggering speculation that the two firms will strike a deal this year.

Apple faces tough choice on cheaper iPhone
Renewed talk of a cheaper iPhone shuffled into view this week, with sources as varied as the spotty DigiTimes to the more mainstream Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg claiming Apple will enter the low-price fray this year.

Ford drives apps for navigation, social, fun
Ford Motor Co. is looking to integrate drivers' favorite apps into their cars, giving them someone to read them the morning newspaper, along with an app to find them the site of their next great date.

iOS App Store went on record-setting tear in 2012
Apple today boasted that its iOS App Store has passed the 40-billion-download mark, and posted a record two billion downloads last month alone.

IE shocker: Microsoft's browser gains share in 2012
Microsoft's Internet Explorer posted an annual usage share gain in 2012 for the first time in eight years, according to data by a Web analytics firm Net Applications.

Apple crafting bigger iPhone in multiple colors for June, says analyst
Apple will launch the next iPhone in May or June 2013, offering multiple colors and screen sizes in a move that would depart from a six-year practice, a Wall Street analyst said today.

NORAD's Santa Cam tracking St. Nick's trip
St. Nick and his reindeer have begun their Christmas Eve work delivering presents to children around the world and NORAD is tracking their progress today.

NORAD switches from Google to Bing to track Santa
Google isn't getting coal in its stocking this year, but Santa's helpers have decided to ditch the popular Google Maps for Microsoft's Bing service.

iPhone 5 owners report mixed results from iOS Wi-Fi bug fix
Apple today released an update for iOS that fixes an unspecified Wi-Fi bug in the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini.

Apple trumpets 2M iPhone 5 sales in China
Apple today said it has sold 2 million iPhone 5 smartphones in China since Friday, setting an opening weekend sales record for the country.

Finally: Real virtual assistants
A new generation of free virtual assistant apps that are more powerful than Siri and Google Voice Search represent the future of human-machine interaction, and they are here now, writes columnist Mike Elgan.

Google Maps' return to iOS may not be permanent, says analyst
Google Maps' return to the iPhone and iPad this week may not be permanent, an analyst said today.

Report: Apple, Microsoft lock horns over iOS Office revenue split
Apple and Microsoft are arguing over the iOS App Store's submission and payment requirements, and Microsoft has already made concessions as it tries to get its SkyDrive app approved, support discussions show.

Carbonite app enables remote activation of Android cell phone cameras
Cloud storage provider Carbonite released a mobile app for Android with a new Capture feature that lets a user remotely activate the phones camera to take a picture of the person using the device or its location.

Apple's iMac on the road to irrelevance
Sales of Apple's iMac, the computer often credited with saving the company, have peaked and by the end of 2014 will account for approximately 2% of the firm's revenues, analysts now say.

A U.S. Apple factory may be robot city
Apple has the money, talent and resources to build a highly automated factory in the U.S. that turns out products that are potentially cost competitive with those it now makes in China.

iPhone 5's launch leads to 33% spike in AppStore downloads
Every time a new iPhone launches, AppStore downloads soar -- and app developers cheer.

Apple boosts iOS iWork suite's Office doc compatibility
Apple yesterday updated its iWork suite -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- for the iPad and iPhone, beefing up compatibility with Microsoft's Office.

AT&T on track for record smartphone sales in 4th quarter
AT&T is on pace to sell a record number of smartphones in the fourth quarter, with strong sales of the iPhone 5 and Android phones such as the LG Optimus G and HTC One X, AT&T Mobile CEO Ralph de la Vega said today

Mobile pushes Qualcomm to third place in shaky chip market
Qualcomm saw a double-digit increase in sales this year and is now the world's third-largest chip maker, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.

Good Vault launches two-factor authentication for iPhones
Good Technology announced Good Vault, a system for adding two-factor authentication to the iPhone 4 and 4S for access to Good for Enterprise email.

Apple on track to meet 100-market target for iPhone 5 roll-out
Apple today said that the iPhone 5 will reach retail in South Korea on Dec. 7 and another 54 countries later this month.

AT&T to sell rugged flip phone with push-to-talk Dec. 14 for $100
In a sign that the flip phone and walkie-talkie functionality are still popular with some workers, AT&T said it will sell the rugged Samsung Rugby III exclusively for $99.99 with a two-year agreement starting Dec. 14.

Tablet trade-in drop hints at low iPad Mini cannibalization rate
Tablet trade-in queries plummeted by 45% when Apple introduced its new iPad Mini, hinting that the smaller Apple device is not significantly cannibalizing sales of the larger tablet, an electronics recycling firm said.

Dual-identity smartphones could bridge BYOD private, corporate divide
Smartphone and mobile processor manufacturers plan to roll out virtualization technology in 2013 that will allow an employee's personal phone to be used securely in work environments by enabling two separate user interfaces.

iPhone 5 edges toward supply-demand balance
iPhone 5 supplies continued to improve this week as Apple reduced the wait time for delivery to "2 weeks" on its online store.

Apple to kick off holiday deals at midnight Friday
Apple will again offer discounts this week on 'Black Friday,' the mega shopping day after the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S.

Apple to kill Messages beta for OS X Lion next month
Apple has told Mac owners running OS X Lion that the beta of Messages, its replacement for both the older iChat instant messaging service and SMS (short message service) texting, will expire Dec. 14.

Nokia drops to seventh in smartphone sales in Q3, eyes rebound with Lumia, Gartner says
Nokia dropped to seventh place in the global smartphone market in the third quarter, as Samsung and Apple controlled 46.5% of the market, Gartner said today.

Mobile device management vendors unveil a slate of new tools
IBM, Good Technology and several other mobile device and app management software vendors today separately announced a variety of new or enhanced products.

Apple reduces iPhone 5 wait time
Apple today revised the backorder status of the iPhone 5, saying that new orders would ship in '2-3 weeks,' a week less than the earlier '3-4 weeks' that had plagued the smartphone for almost two months.

VirnetX targets iPad Mini, iPhone 5 in new lawsuit after winning $368M judgment against Apple
The same day it won a $368 million verdict in a patent infringement case against Apple, VirnetX filed a new lawsuit, alleging that the iPad Mini and iPhone 5 violate the same patents, according to court documents.

Why the world isn't ready for the travel app revolution
Translation apps don't translate into actual usefulness, and the artificial intelligence travel guides don't compute. Mike Elgan explains why.

Doctors prescribe iPad Mini: a perfect lab coat fit
In a survey, physicians revealed they're excited about the iPad Mini because the smaller device fits into their lab coats, yet retains a familiar interface.

Design, supply issues may be hurting iPhone 5 production
Stringent iPhone 5 production specifications established by Apple and supply issues with new components like the Lightning port and larger screen could be responsible for Foxconn's delays of the handset, analysts said on Wednesday.

Ballmer sees quick growth for Windows Phone
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Windows Phone will grow quickly in the global smartphone market.

Apple's iPad Mini margins run between 40% and 55%
The new iPad Mini costs Apple just under $200 in materials and manufacturing, an analyst said today, putting an exclamation point on the company's devotion to high profit margins.

Consumers dismiss Apple Maps uproar, plan to buy iPhone 5 in record numbers
The brouhaha over Apple replacing Google Maps in iOS 6 with its own mapping technology has not changed customers' minds about the iPhone 5, according to a ChangeWave Research survey.

Richi Jennings: Pros and cons for business use

Computerworld Blogs 

Smartphone biz hits component barrier as Apple loses its throne

Apple has a problem: the iPhone has been beaten out of first place by Samsung's devices. Yet the company also has one big advantage -- it makes software.

Apple: 205 days since a big reveal and the wait continues

Does anyone still remember the olden days when doomed Apple shipped products? Those days appear gone, giving Foxconn a headache and turning all our predictions upside down: 205 days have passed since Apple gave us a significant product release.

DoJ summons spirit of Steve Jobs in Apple iBooks case

Apple seems set to take the stand to argue DoJ charges it conspired to introduce an agency price model for eBooks, raising online book prices by up to $3 for a period subsequent to launch of the iBookstore.

Can Nokia's good-not-great Lumia 925 stand up to Apple's new range when it hits US this summer?

It may be light, robust and made to a high specification, but the new Lumia 925 smartphone from Nokia has failed to impress industry-watchers, despite its relatively low price; will Stephen Elop's latest shiny shiny toy help turn the tide against Apple and Google's Android empire, or has Nokia missed its call?

Why did Steve Jobs cancel dinner with Bill Gates? A) 'I'm sick', B) 'I'm an asshole'

The death of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, still visibly moves close rival and later friend, Microsoft's Bill Gates, who talked about the two men's final meeting at the home of the ailing tech Svengali on CBS last night, revealing the depth of respect that grew between the two.

Google should think before it unloads its Wallet

Google has a bad habit -- a terrible one: it leaps before it thinks. That's precisely what's happened in the company's adventures in NFC-based payment systems within Google Wallet. While this gave the company a short-lived PR advantage against Apple and the iPhone, that advantage failed to translate into anything of any significance whatsoever for most human beings on the planet.

Go on Microsoft: Give Office for iOS, take iTunes for Windows 8

Microsoft is doomed in its attempt to slow Apple'siPad sales by denying iOS users a mobile version of Office as the iPad maker controls the most searched for app on the Windows 8 store -- iTunes. Surely there's a deal in that?

Pegatron, Foxconn recruit thousands as Apple's major product release cycle spells iPhone

Climb aboard the Apple rumor train as manufacturers Pegatron and Foxconn begin major recruitment in preparation to produce millions of new and low cost iPhones as part of Cupertino's major new product introduction cycle.

Opinion: Apple plots Maps counter-attack as the Android war intensifies

It's fair to say Maps got off to a difficult start, but Apple is prioritizing improvements, working to ensure it does eventually compete with Google Maps -- why else will a future upgrade to the latter feature map tiles that seem similar to those used in the iOS app?

EU, Motorola, Apple: How long will Google's 'Don't be evil' fiction last?

Apple has won yet another argument against its Android nemesis as EU officials declare Google's Motorola Mobility abused its market position when it filed an injunction against Apple. It's a decision that strongly suggests Android is not truly about open competition and choice, so how long can the "don't be evil" fiction be believed?

Will Apple's flat iOS society please shut up?

Apple is working hard to redesign iOS 7. This important project is demanding resources from elsewhere in the company as it abandons some skeumorphic elements to create a cleaner, more user-focused interface. That's all we think we know. But it's time to shut up about it.

Adobe's Lightroom app for iOS is yet another step to Post-PC

We're at the dawn of a Post-PC age, at least according to Adobe which is developing a powerful iOS app for Photoshop Lightroom, putting the Mac and PC another few steps further into the background as it does.

Apple's $17b debt product launch: Is it ethical?

It's legal of course, don't get me wrong, but is it really ethical? That's the question I just cannot resolve as I consider Apple and its record $17 billion bond sale. But is it a sale or an attempt to limit tax liability? I'll allow someone cleverer at this sort of financial stuff than I to explain.

Google Now for iPhone, a symphony of Android fragmentation

So many people don't seem to understand the fragmentation divide between Apple and Android, but the introduction of Google Now for the iPhone is one of the better examples I've come across of the big difference between the two platforms.

WWDC: iPhone 5S launch rumoured, OS improvements star the show

WWDC will provide the first few glimpses at what Apple [AAPL] chief designer, Jony Ive, has been working on with iOS and OS X. Meanwhile a leaked KDDI document claims iPhone 5S pre-orders will be made available on June 20 with the device set to launch in Japan in July, a report claims.