Latest on Apple: News, Features, Opinions and More  Samsung's Galaxy S4 infringes on 5 patents, Apple says
Samsung's Galaxy S4 infringes on 5 Apple patents, according to a court filing by Apple. Apple to build Macs in low-tax Texas
Apple will build Macs in Texas using some parts made in the U.S., CEO Tim Cook said Tuesday, putting a little flesh on a pledge from last December. Google trumpets small speed boost to Chrome 27
Google today upgraded Chrome to version 27, touting it as 5% faster as it patched 13 vulnerabilities. Apple defends offshore decisions that result in low taxes
Apple pays a fair share of the taxes it owes the U.S. and other nations, its CEO said Tuesday, despite criticism from U.S. senators that the company is ducking taxes by shifting profits to subsidiaries that the company does not consider tax residents of any nation. The whole enchilada: Integrated compute platforms steamroll across IT
Vendors are rebuilding the mainframe with converged infrastructure, collapsed kit or integrated compute platforms -- whatever you want to call it. And customers are loving it. The iPhone's big lead in customer satisfaction is gone
Apple's dominance in smartphone customer satisfaction faded last year, with rivals like Samsung and Motorola dramatically closing the gap, a national survey said today. Senate report: Apple claims subsidiaries with no taxing jurisdiction
Apple has set up three foreign subsidiaries that the company claims are not resident in any nation for taxing purposes, in an effort to avoid paying tens of billions of dollars in taxes to the U.S. and other countries, according to a new report from a U.S. Senate subcommittee. How to Prepare for Windows 8 Even Though It's Not Coming to Enterprises
Windows 8 won't be adopted as a standard at your business anytime soon, according to a new Forrester report. But that doesn't mean IT shouldn't prepare for it to sneak through the BYOD side door. Here are five ways to be ready for Windows 8. U.S. approves Apple iOS devices for use on Defense Department networks
Devices built around the Apple iOS operating system have been approved by the U.S. Department of Defense for use on its networks, as the department moves to support multivendor mobile devices and operating systems. At Google I/O, developer services hogged the spotlight
Forget Glass, self-driving cars or a smartwatch. Developers, not physical consumer products, were Google's darlings at the company's annual I/O conference this week. Wall Street Beat: Market stokes tech IPOs, as Tableau and Marketo debut
A strong stock market could open the floodgates for more tech IPOs in the wake of Friday's solid debut of Marketo and Tableau, but not all segments of IT may be able to ride the wave. Windows 8 is an enterprise 'non-starter' because IT sees no value in changes
Windows 8 faces a number of hurdles in the enterprise, but the biggest reason it won't replace the current corporate champion, Windows 7, is simple: IT shops don't think it's worth the upgrade hassle. Why a Blackberry Is Better Than an iPhone
The BlackBerry has always been a business phone. The iPhone wowed us all--and it nearly put BlackBerry out of business--but it emphasizes entertainment and not productivity. If you're an IT executive, it's finally time to put function before form, CIO.com columnist Rob Enderle writes. New Mac spyware found on Angolan activist's computer
Previously unknown Mac OS X spyware, signed with a valid Apple Developer ID, has turned up on the laptop of an activist from Angola at a human rights conference in Norway. Progress at Foxconn factories, but working hours still exceed Chinese laws
Employees at the Chinese factories of Apple supplier Foxconn continue to work beyond the country's legal limit of 49 hours a month, according to a report from the Fair Labor Association (FLA). But the Taiwanese manufacturer is making overall steady progress in improving the working conditions at a select group of factories in China, it said. 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 has 'lapped Siri' with sci-fi-like search
Google laid out its plan for the future of search at Google I/O, talking about a search engine for mobile and desktop that not only answers your questions but has a conversation with you and offers information before you even ask for it. Windows 8 isn't New Coke, says top Microsoft exec; it's Diet Coke
Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's head of corporate communications, defended his company's Windows information disclosure strategy, denying that Microsoft has adopted Apple's "cone of silence" approach to imparting news. Lenovo and Apple grew as bottom fell out of PC market in Western Europe
PC shipments in Western Europe declined by 20.5% during the first quarter: The only vendors to see shipments grow were Lenovo and Apple, which returned to the top five. 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. In e-book case, Apple says publishers had already taken measures to counter Amazon
Concerned about Amazon.com's low pricing of e-books, publishers had taken measures as early as 2009 such as "windowing," a practice of delaying e-book releases to benefit sales of hardcover editions, Apple said in a filing in an e-book price-fixing lawsuit. Foxconn's Hon Hai reports Q1 revenue drop, likely on weak iPhone 5 demand
Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry posted a 19.2 percent year-over-year decline in revenue for the first quarter, with sales likely affected by weak demand for Apple's iPhone 5, according to an analyst. 7 steps to securing Java
Java, the popular OS-independent platform and programming language, runs on just about every kind of electronic device imaginable, including computers, cell phones, printers, TVs, DVDs, home security systems, automated teller machines, navigation systems, games and medical devices. Does your cloud vendor protect your rights?
When an organization's data is in the cloud, requests to provide access to it for legal reasons are more complicated. Google triples free storage to 15GB
Google said it is increasing the amount of free storage for users of its Google Drive cloud storage service to 15 GB. Microsoft's counter-attack against Windows 8 coverage makes it 'look weak'
Microsoft on Friday called some media coverage of its plans to update Windows 8 sensationalist and an effort to drive website page views. No Chrome-Android merger, at least in the next year or two
Android's new boss hinted of an eventual merger of Chrome and Android but said the two will remain separate "for the short term," in an interview posted prior to Google I/O's opening keynote on Wednesday. Why Microsoft won't charge for Windows 'Blue' ... this time
Sometime soon, Microsoft will tell Windows 8 users whether they will have to pay for the upgrade code-named "Blue," and if so, how much. Analysts don't expect it to charge anything for the update. 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." Analysts challenge Microsoft's commitment to Windows RT
One of Microsoft's top Windows executives this week said the company remains bullish about Windows RT, but analysts remain suspicious of RT's chances unless Microsoft makes changes. What CSC Is Doing Right (and Wrong) In Its Turnaround Efforts
In the last 15 months, Computer Science Corp. CEO Mike Lawrie has handpicked his executive team and streamlined the CSC product line. This is a good start, but if CSC wants to emulate the turnaround efforts of IBM and Apple, the company should look for a formidable CFO and step up its marketing efforts. Apple regains fifth spot in Chinese smartphone market, shipments soar
Apple retook its spot as China's fifth largest smartphone vendor in the first quarter, as the country's market grew to triple the size of the U.S.'s. Microsoft's drip-drip-drip Windows communications strategy dubbed a washout
Microsoft's Tami Reller, the CFO and head of marketing for the Windows division, went on a mini publicity spree today. But she didn't say very much. $300M investment in Nook delivers next to nothing for Microsoft
Microsoft has gotten little from a 2012 investment of $300 million with Barnes & Noble, analysts said, but it's poised to reap some rewards as it and its partners start to ship smaller tablets. Apple's privacy policy violates German data protection law, Berlin court rules
Apple violates German data protection law by asking for users' broad, overall consent in its privacy policy, the Regional Court of Berlin ruled. 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. Gates sticks to company line on tablets, knocks iPad
Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates today stuck to the company line on tablets, and disparaged rival Apple's iPad for its lack of a keyboard and its inability to run Office. Researchers create zoomable display for smartwatches
As developers create tiny computer devices like smartwatches, one question they face is how to make tiny keyboards usable. Apple breaks into Fortune 500's top 10
Apple climbed the Fortune 500 this year to the No. 6 spot, its highest-ever ranking, its first time in the top 10, and the top technology company on the influential list, replacing sagging HP. Preston Gralla: Microsoft's smartwatch: Been there, didn't do that
Vendors are falling all over themselves to develop smartwatches. Will this be yet one more example of Microsoft getting to a market first and then failing to cash in? Amazon leaks evidence of first smaller, cheaper Windows 8 tablet
Details of what could be the first smaller Windows 8 tablet leaked Friday when Amazon briefly published a listing for an 8.1-in. Acer Iconia tablet. Why Apple Won't Be Around as Long as IBM
IBM is 102 years old. At its height, it was almost a cult, with employees dressing alike, speaking a unique language and earning benefits that took care of them for life. Today's tech companies aren't built to last, as Apple's recent earnings report shows all too well. Retailers didn't do Windows 8 any favors
Retailers share part of the blame for poor Windows 8 sales and the ensuing decline of PC shipments, analysts contended today. Mobile Players Offer a Mix of Messages in TV Ads
Apple, Samsung and Microsoft take divergent paths to selling their smartphones via TV commercials. The winning approach: Focus on your own unique features, and resist potshots at the competition. Rare working Apple-1 computer to hit auction block this month
A German auctioneer will put a working Apple-1 computer on the block later this month, and expects the handmade computer to fetch between $261,000 and $392,000 at Thursday's exchange rate. Apple hijacks OS X devs to keep iOS on track
Apple may delay the release of OS X 10.9 because it's pulled engineers from the team to help in a final push on the next version of iOS, according to online reports. Time to say goodbye to Windows RT tablets?
Windows RT tablets grabbed just 0.4% of the tablet market in the first quarter, a dismal result that led some tech experts to urge Microsoft to scrap the platform that's in its six-month infancy. Think different: Apple's $17B debt offers stark contrast to 1996's junk bonds
Apple's record-setting $17 billion bond offer this week stood in stark contrast to the company's darkest days, when in 1996 its millions in notes were rated as junk because investors wondered if the company would survive a thrashing by Microsoft To give back to investors, Apple goes for massive bond deal
In an effort to return cash to investors, Apple is reaching out to the debt market and offering $17 billion in bonds, the biggest non-bank bond offering in history, reports The Wall Street Journal. 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. Sandy begets tree-hugging companies
Severe weather shifts are forcing companies to rethink their energy strategies; they're using both technology and geography to become more energy independent. Moves, mistakes prove Steve Jobs era at Apple over, say analysts
Apple is clearly not Steve Jobs' company any longer, analysts said this week, citing examples from Tuesday's earning calls with Wall Street. 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. LG stages comeback as smartphones outsell feature phones
LG Electronics more that doubled its sales of smartphones in the first quarter, which was the first time smartphones outsold feature phones, according to IDC. Apple's WWDC sells out in under 3 minutes
Apple set a record today by selling out its annual developer conference in under three minutes. VirnetX targets Skype, Lync in new patent attack on Microsoft
Patent holding company VirnetX this week filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing Microsoft's Skype of infringing six of its patents. Amazon plans own set-top box for fall, report claims
After conquering the low end of the tablet market with the Kindle Fire, Amazon may be getting ready to invade the living room with a television set-top box.. 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. Ban on iOS push mail stays but its patent likely invalid, German court says
A patent that Motorola Mobility used to force Apple to turn off its iCloud push mail service in Germany is likely to be invalid, the Higher Regional Court in Karlsruhe said on Wednesday -- but the ban will not be lifted, a court spokeswoman said. AP Twitter hack looks like a security tipping point
Getting hacked on Twitter is fast becoming a rite of passage for big corporations, but Tuesday's attack on the Associated Press could be a tipping point and shows that social networks must do more to keep their users safe, security experts said. Apple teases 'new product categories'
Invoking the success of Apple's game-changing iPhone and iPad, CEO Tim Cook has hinted that Apple will introduce "exciting new product categories" starting this fall and through the end of 2014. Apple profit drops on slow iPhone growth
Apple's net profit dropped during the second quarter of 2013 as the company's iPhone shipment growth slowed down, based on year-over-year comparisons. 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. Mobile data and messaging exceeds voice revenues for the first time on mobiles: Telsyte
The value of mobile data and messaging revenues has exceeded voice call revenues for the first time in Australia, according to new research from technology analyst firm, Telsyte. ITC rejects Motorola touchscreen patent complaint against Apple
The U.S. International Trade Commission has found no evidence that Apple infringed on a Motorola Mobility patent covering a touchscreen function. Facebook Home hits 500K downloads
In the 10 days that Facebook Home has been available, it has had more than 500,000 downloads. 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. Office 365 subscriptions furnish 4% of Microsoft's Office division revenue
Microsoft's Business division, which manages the company's Office cash cow, recorded a 5% revenue bump in the first quarter over the same period in 2012, an increase driven by a surge in enterprises signing long-term licensing agreements. Next-gen USB SuperSpeed to eliminate power cords
USB SuperSpeed will move from 5Gbps bandwidth to 10Gbps in the coming year, but it's also leaping from 10 watts to 100 watts for charging, which could power monitors and even HDTVs. Yahoo slims down, again, trashing Deals, SMS Alerts
Yahoo is giving itself a bit of a makeover. Earlier this week it launched two new mobile apps for email and weather; now it's ditching numerous longstanding products, including Deals and SMS Alerts, in an attempt to sharpen its focus, the company announced Friday. Microsoft to pay departing CFO Klein $2M for non-compete, secrecy promises
Microsoft's chief financial officer, Peter Klein, will receive $2 million in the year after he retires from the company, according to documents filed Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Microsoft to drive Windows tablet strategy with smaller devices, OS rebates
Microsoft's chief financial officer yesterday confirmed that the company and its hardware partners would ship smaller, lower-priced Windows tablets in the next months. How to track a lost computer with Find My Mac
If your computer is stolen or otherwise liberated from your possession, don't despair: If you've remembered to enable Find My Mac, you can track it, remotely lock it, and even send messages to your Mac's screen. Motorola patent that got Apple's push mail banned in Germany could be invalid, court says
A Motorola Mobility patent that was successfully used to force Apple to turn off its iCloud push email services for users in Germany last year could be invalid, the District Court in Mannheim, said on Friday. 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. Get social with OS X's Twitter integration
Beginning in Mountain Lion, OS X features social media integration options with both Twitter and Facebook, letting you post to the services from the OS itself, as well as sync contacts. Yahoo launches new weather, email apps in its 'second sprint' of rebuilding
Yahoo has released two new mobile apps, for weather and email, suggesting the company may be on track toward delivering on its promise of offering users a range of new mobile products over the next several months. Microsoft files patent for new open windows viewer
Microsoft last week filed a patent application for a new method of browsing through open windows on the desktop that builds on an older, now-abandoned feature in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Twitter unveils new #music app and service
Twitter today is releasing a service that the social network hopes will change how people find music and artists. Software licensing in the cloud
When a customer controls cloud-deployed applications, the software-licensing issues can get complicated. Intel invokes Apple's Knowledge Navigator to envision future smartphones
More than 25 years after Apple introduced "Knowledge Navigator" as a concept that envisioned the future of computers, Intel has reintroduced the concept as the future of smartphones. 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. Apple keeps patching Java on OS X Snow Leopard after proposed drop-dead date
Apple on Tuesday patched Java for the aged OS X Snow Leopard and tweaked Safari to give users more control over what websites they let run the vulnerability plagued Oracle software. Microsoft may backtrack on Start button in Windows 8
Microsoft may recant its Windows 8 design theology, bloggers reported Tuesday, by offering Windows 8 users an option to bypass the "Modern" UI and by restoring the Start button and menu to the beleaguered operating system. Review: Four killer cloud IDEs
Surprisingly beefy, browser-based JSFiddle, Icenium, Cloud9 and Codenvy stretch from client-side JavaScript to server-side Java and Web stacks Yahoo profit jumps by 36% amid a decline in revenue
Yahoo's profits rose more than 30% in the first quarter, due to a variety of factors including lowered operating costs, though sales at the company declined. Microsoft exec talks mobile smack, trashes iOS as 'boring,' Android as 'a mess'
Microsoft's top executive for mobile phones took shots at both iOS and Android today, calling Apple's operating system "boring" and claiming Google's is "a mess." Don't blame Windows 8 for PC slowdown; Apple hit, too
Don't blame Windows 8 for plummeting PC sales, a retail analyst at NPD Group said today. Microsoft smart watch would be 'snipe hunt' distraction from Windows 8
Microsoft is reportedly working on designs for a touch-enabled smart watch, a move one analyst called a "snipe hunt" that would distract it from the critical chore of getting Windows 8 off the ground 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. Rackspace challenges lawsuit-happy patent holder
Cloud hosting provider Rackspace Hosting is striking back against patent holder Rotatable Technologies, a Texas company that has filed patent infringement cases against more than a dozen companies in the past year. Seven Ways to Get Your CEO Fired
It's hard to train good CEOs. It's much easier to set them up for failure. Follow these seven steps and your chief executive officer is bound to be out of a job sooner or later. Objective-C's dip in popularity tied to decline in iPad and iPhone
The language used for Apple iOS app development drops a notch in Tiobe index Samsung's 3G patent ruled invalid in Germany
A patent that Samsung considers essential to the 3G standardA was invalidated by the German Federal Patent Court that ruled in favor of Apple. Apple, Motorola have no interest in quickly resolving dispute, judge says
A court in Florida said that Apple and Motorola Mobility have no interest in quickly and efficiently resolving a patent infringement lawsuit, but are instead using their litigations around the world 'a business strategy that appears to have no end.' Report: Microsoft plans 7-in. tablet to compete with Apple, Google
Microsoft is said to be planning a 7-in. version of its Surface tablet to help it compete with similar size devices from Apple and Google. iOS VPNs and portable storage for Apple devices
First up, serious networking stuff concerning Apple and how iOS supports VPNs and how it won't in future. T-Mobile offers iPhone 5 at no upfront payment in trade-in deal
T-Mobile USA is trying to boost the number of iPhone users on its network by offering the iPhone 5 without down payment to people who bring in their iPhone 4 and 4S smartphones for a trade-in which could also earn them up to $120 in credits. Glitch hits Apple's iMessage, Facetime
Apple's iMessage and Facetime messaging systems have been hit with a glitch that has taken the services offline for several hours.
| Our bloggers on Apple Apple iWatch hits pre-production as product tests begin
Apple's iWatch is perhaps the world's worst kept secret, so it's becoming increasingly clear the new device will be one of the most advanced gadgets around, bringing new materials and production processes to the mass market.
Another way Apple beats Microsoft -- in sketchy tax dodges
When it comes to paying taxes, Apple certainly thinks different, using sketchy tax dodges and phantom offshore companies to avoid paying billions of dollars in U.S. taxes. Competitors like Microsoft have used similar tactics, but not nearly to the extent that does Apple. This is one more example of the way that Apple polishes a shiny public image, but acts in private in a less-than-stellar manner.
Google threatens Apple's brand leadership as Samsung's Galaxy shines
Apple remains the world's most valuable brand, but Tim Cook's people will likely be infuriated at the rise of arch-nemesis, Samsung, which has gained 51 percent in brand value across the last year while Google continues to threaten Cupertino's leadership.
Now even iPads seem delayed as Apple targets fall
Apple appears likely to maintain its slow product release schedule as it seems set not to introduce its thinner and lighter fifth-generation iPad and iPad mini 2 until late summer as partners prepare to begin trial production of the new devices. Volume production begins in July.
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.
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