Apple working with Foxconn to investigate iPad factory explosion
Apple on Friday said it is working with Foxconn to investigate an explosion at the factory where the company makes the iPad 2.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Foxconn’s plant in Chengdu, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families,” Apple said in a statement provided to All Things D. “We are working closely with Foxconn to understand what caused this terrible event.”
The news just keeps getting worse for RIM’s PlayBook tablet. Not only is the company missing targets, but return rates for the device are quite high.
Citing a source from a big box retailer, BGR on Friday said the PlayBook missed the retailer’s internal projected sales targets. RIM didn’t just miss the targets by a little — according to the source, the PlayBook fell short of the targets by over 90 percent.
Tweed is a new app for the iPad that takes an innovative approach to helping you read news and articles – it uses Twitter as a source, instead of relying on site RSS feeds. It’s available now on the App … Continued
The latest report from market research company Nielsen looks at how consumers are using their tablets, smartphones and eReaders.
According to the study that surveyed about 12,000 people, the television and bedroom are popular places for all of the devices. According to the responses compiled by Nielsen, here are the main points in the study:
There are some interesting gaming tidbits to report on today from the world of iOS:
Apple has a lot of good portable computers, but the choice of which one to get is a very personal decision. I like the 17-inch MacBook Pro because of its power that I use for creating music. If that kind … Continued
A new lawsuit alleges AT&T is regularly overcharging iPhone and iPad customers for data usage, in some cases up to 300% more.
Lawyers for the lawsuit said they spent $80,000 testing devices in preparation for their day in court. In one instance, lawyers purchased a brand new iPhone and turned off everything that could affect data usage. When the bill came in from AT&T, there were 35 transactions for data usage, according to MSNBC.
Apple has posted updates to its ProKit software and its Digital Raw Camera Compatibility software. Both updates are available through the software update system preference or from Apple’s Web site.
It’s almost a month to the day that RIM’s PlayBook tablet went on sale and according to one analyst’s prediction, the company sold 250,000 so far.
RBC Capital Markets General Manager Mike Abramsky said in a note to clients on Wednesday that according to his channel checks, sales have been steady since the launch of the device. He also predicted that RIM would sell 500,000 PlayBooks during its first quarter on store shelves, according to BGR.com.
Line 6 on Tuesday released a new version of its amp and effects modeling software, Pod Farm.
Pod Farm 2.5 features compatibility with any USB audio interface and 64-bit support. There is also a trial version that can be downloaded from the company’s Web site.
Included in POD Farm 2.5 are POD Farm Elements, plug-ins that streamline workflow and conserve CPU horsepower by grouping POD Farm models together by effect type. Users can load single amps, preamps or effects instead of loading multiple instances of POD Farm 2.5.
Two of Apple’s devices were presented with awards last night for their advancements in display technology.
Presented by the The Society for Information Display, Apple’s iPhone won the Display of the Year Gold Award for its Retina display. The iPad won the Display Application of the Year Gold Award.
In awarding the iPhone, SID said:
It’s been quite a week of rumor and speculation in the Apple world. There’s been so much that I thought I’d give my thoughts on what’s being said.
There are three things that have been talked about over the past few days: Apple’s retail anniversary celebration, a new product launch to celebrate that anniversary, and the introduction of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology at the Apple retail stores.
None of these make any sense to me.
Rock Band 3 users will soon have the opportunity to celebrate something big with Ozzy Osbourne.
On May 31, Rock Band 3 users will be able to download an 8-pack of songs celebrating the release of Diary of a Madman/Blizzard of Ozz 30th Anniversary Collector’s Edition. The songs will be available in the Rock Band 3 music store for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles.
iPhone 5 rumors are running rampant these days. The latest speculation is focusing on whether or not the iPhone will include Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.
I don’t think there’s any doubt that NFC will make it into the iPhone at point, but whether or not it will be with the upcoming iPhone 5 depends on who you listen to.
Quoting Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi last night, AllThingsD’s John Paczkowski wrote that the technology probably wouldn’t come in the iPhone 5. He correctly points out that the technology has to be adopted by merchants before it becomes popular among consumers.
Verizon Wireless announced Tuesday that it will offer the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, the first North American cell phone carrier to do so. The “PlayStation phone,” as it has become known, makes its debut on May 26 for $199 (with … Continued
Toontrack on Tuesday released Songwriters Drumpack 3, a new collection of MIDI drum grooves for musicians.
These MIDI grooves aren’t like the old hand programmed grooves of years ago. These are played by a real drummer in the studio and captured for use with ToonTrack’s Superior Drummer and other drum samplers.
Conde Nast on Monday added several of its magazine to the growing list of subscription-enabled iPad magazines on Apple’s App Store.
As of today you can now purchase subscriptions to Vanity Fair, Glamour, Golf Digest and Allure. Details for each magazine can be found on their App Store pages.
Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang gave his analysis of the Android tablet market in a recent interview with CNet. As far as he’s concerned, it’s everyone’s fault except Nvidia’s.
RIM issued a recall over the weekend for about 1,000 PlayBook tablets. Until now, we weren’t sure of the reason for the recall.
RIM’s PR firm contacted The Loop and said the recall was issued because of an operating system issue. It also wasn’t known whether the PlayBooks in question had made it into customer’s hands or whether they were still in distribution.
RIM executives argued that its PlayBook tablet would change the way people viewed the devices. Apparently they meant it would be the first to be recalled.
RIM has reportedly issued a recall for over 900 faulty PlayBooks. At least some of the PlayBooks were shipped to Staples stores, but it’s not clear that they were the only location to receive the faulty devices, according to Engadget.
Virtual Programming has announced the release of Home Sheep Home, a new puzzle adventure game for iOS that feature Shaun the Sheep, the adorable ruminant featured in Aardman’s “Wallace and Gromit” animated movies. It’s priced at 99 cents.
The PlayStation Network has been out for more than three weeks after hackers broke in to the system and made off with personal information about tens of millions of user accounts. Now gamers are taking out their frustration by selling … Continued
James Thomson, the owner of TLA Systems, makers of DragThing and PCalc for Mac, and PCalc for iOS, was served with a letter this morning threatening to sue for his use of Apple’s in-app purchasing system.
Thomson didn’t say who the company was that sent the letter, but on Twitter this morning he said, “They seem to be effectively claiming the rights to in-app purchase, but going after me, not Apple.”
There is a lot of talk recently about how Android is winning the hearts and minds of users, but according to a new study released on Thursday, those users aren’t professional business people.
The study done by Intermedia, a company that manages 320,000 hosted Microsoft Exchange accounts, says that 61 percent of customers activating ActiveSync-based smartphones are choosing the iPhone. Only 17 percent chose Android device.
The Omni Group announced Thursday the release of OmniOutliner for iPad, a new version of the note-taking and outlining software. It costs $19.99.
Apple on Wednesday said it had launched the 100th iAd campaign with real estate company Coldwell Banker.
The iAd allows iPhone and iPod touch users to search for their dream home, scrolling through visually driven search features to find specific homes matching their criteria. You can search by price, zip code, and include images of the homes.
Apple is being sued again over the controversial data location file on its iPhone and iPad devices.
Filed in the United States District Court for the District Of Puerto Rico, Lymaris M. Rivera Diaz is suing Apple, The Weather Channel and Pandora Media for intentionally intercepting personally identifying information.
The lawsuit also names Does 1-10, leaving room to name other defendants at a later date.
Mac and iOS developer Ambrosia Software on Tuesday said it was bringing Soundboard to Apple’s iPad.
Soundboard is an app that features sounds that you can trigger by clicking — or tapping — on the appropriate onscreen pad. Soundboard is used by broadcasters, podcasters, and live event artists.
Google is unifying its smartphone and tablet operating systems into the ridiculously-named “Ice Cream Sandwich” release, due out late this year. The company is also offering veiled promises of future compatibility for new devices, but that doesn’t erase two years … Continued
It’s a big news day for Google, but it’s not all good news for the search and mobile operating system company.
In a new global mobile threat report released on Tuesday, Juniper Networks said cyber criminals are turning to smartphones instead of PCs. Along with that shift is a widening gap between hacker capabilities and an organization’s defenses.