5 reasons my phablet is fabulous
Not long ago,I wrote about some trepidation I was having about giving up my iPhone and switching to an Android device for the first time. That hesitation largely disintegrated once I held my new phone in my hand. It was the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and it felt big, but good.After having gotten to know theNote 3 for a few months, I'm back to say: iPhone? What iPhone?This big new slab of tech has been much more satisfying to use than my iPhone ever was. Sure I miss some of the ease with which my old phone integrated with iTunes, but beyond that, I can't really think of a reasonI'd rather go back to Mac than forward with the Note.Now before you accuse CNET or me of being a shill for Samsung, please know this is a personal piece about a personal decision to buy the Note 3. It just happens to be the phone I own, not some kind of publicity stunt from Samsung (although I wish they had given me this monster for free!).Now that that's out of the way, here are five reasons I'm loving my phablet, and why you might consider upsizing as well.Bigger really IS better(You knew that was coming, didn't you? )Far and away the best thing about this phone is its downright huge screen size. Sure I've had to put up with jokes from friends who ask to borrow my "mini TV" when they need to look something up or make a call, but I chalk that up to jealousy.Clocking in at 5.7 inches, the Note 3's screen is big enough that I can actually enjoy a night of binge-watching "Supernatural" without feeling like I'm viewing the episodes through a keyhole. It also makes surfing the Net a super-pleasurable experience. I can actually read the text and view the photos -- no squinting needed. Lastly, I pretty much do all my e-reading on this thing now, from books to magazines. In fact, I haven't had to boot up my old iPad for use as a reader since I got the phone. Heck, it's almost the size of a small paperback anyway, so it seems natural for this purpose.So I've come to the conclusion that big is good. Sure, it can be a bit tricky to pull the phone out of the pocket of my jeans when I'm driving, but otherwise, the size has been a non-issue in terms of carrying the thing around. The fact that it's super thin means you get used to having it on your person in about two days.I will say, though, that I find Samsung's split screen feature a little silly. The screen's not THAT big, so I'm not sure you'd ever see value in having two different windows open at once on the thing, but maybe there are people out there who take advantage of the feature. I'm not one of them.The 'write' stuffI'm a writer, right? So since I got this phone, I no longer need to carry around a separate pad to write down story ideas orbits of bad poetry the world will never see. Instead, I just whip out the pen and actually write down whatever's on my mind. It's a super fast process and I find that there's a real difference between what I produce when I actually write words instead of thumbing them out. Somehow thumbing seems too utilitarian for creativity. It's perfectly suited for texts and quick emails but not so much for writing down more detailed reflections or story ideas. For that I like going old school on my new-school tech by using a pen.One of the cooler features of Samsung's S-Note app is that you can actually send your handwritten notes to someone as PDFs in an email attachment, something I discovered when a friend asked to see the reading list a bunch of us had compiled on vacation a few weeks ago. Related storiesEmotional crisis! Ditching my iPhone for a new gadget loveBye XP, hello Windows 7: Yeah, the change made me nervousPowerful new Note wields mightier pen skills Plus, I'll admit it. I just feels super cool to slide that pen out and wield it like a sword over the battlefield of my phone (can you tell I watch too much "Game of Thrones")? So few people have the Note that the pen is still a novelty that gets you noticed. The Leo in me likes getting noticed.That being said, I don't really use the pen's handwriting-to-text feature. I find it a bit awkward, sort of like the shorthand freakshow some of us tried to master in the early days of PDAs. But for jotting down actual thoughts, shopping lists, movie recommendations and stuff like that, the pen is mightier than the thumbs.Swiftly swoopingI know you can get the SwiftKey predictive keyboard on other phones, but when the keyboard is as big as it is on the Note 3, you can really fly along when you're typing text or emails. My manly pointer finger seems downright dainty swooping over those jumbo keys.Gargantuan gamingI'm a big tower defense guy, so getting to play Tower Madness and Field Runners on this thing after using the diminutive screen of my iPhone for so long was like going from an early Game Boy system straight to the arcade of the future. Puzzle games like The Room are super gorgeous, and when I play Border Siege, I can easily taken in the whole world map -- a vital component of planning world domination.Pretty as a pictureThe Note 3 takes really nice photos thanks to its 13-megapixel camera. But what good are great photos if you're looking at them on the screen that's roughly the size of a post-it note. With this generous screen size, you can really satisfyingly ogle the photos you take, enjoying many more details than you'd see with a smaller screen. I even recently downloaded the 500px app just so that I could enjoy the work of photographers who are leaps better than me on my nice big screen.You can also actually seriously edit your shots on the Note's screen without the need to get back to your computer. Samsung's sharper Note 3 (pictures)See full gallery1 - 4 / 17NextPrevBottom lineLike you, I know that Apple is promising a bigger screen for theiPhone 6, but I'm sure it's not going to be the size of the screen that graces the Note, so I'm not all that worried that I didn't wait for yet another i-iteration.Yes, at first I would have liked to have had my phone back in the i-fold with my Apple TV and MacBook Pro, but after lots of Googling, sorting through some workarounds, and finally switching over to Spotify, there's really no reason why my phone and my computer need to chat. And I can use the Streambells app to send content from the note to the Apple TV, so device harmony exists once more.After four months of phableting around, I've come to one important conclusion regarding my relationship with my phone: size really does matter. When I borrow other people's phones, I feel like I'm being a bit hobbled in my efforts to surf, text, or otherwise interact with the world in the big beautiful way the Note lets me. I have seen the future, and the future is phab. Frankly, as the world goes increasingly mobile, I don't understand why people wouldn't want to have the biggest screen possible on which to do e-everything. Why squint?Any other phablet lovers out there? Let's hear from you in the comments below. This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
How to access a hidden autocorrect keyboard bar in IOS 5
How to access a hidden autocorrect keyboard bar in IOS 5
Apple iOS 5 users can now hack into a hidden autocorrect keyboard bar, courtesy of a few steps revealed by the folks at 9to5Mac.When the feature is enabled, you type the first few characters of a word, and then the keyboard displays a bar with a list of suggested complete words. Such an option has long been available on Android devices, but has yet to see the light of day in iOS--at least officially.Thanks to research done by self-proclaimed hacker and 9to5Mac researcher Sonny Dickson, anyone running iOS 5 on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch can now access this hidden feature by following the steps below:You'll first need to download a program called iBackupBot, which lets you modify certain settings on your mobile device through a backup and then restore that backup to the device. The software normally costs $34.95, but you can download a free trial version to test it out. Separate editions are available for both Windows and the Mac.You'll next want to connect your mobile device to your computer and run a full backup in iTunes (right-click on your device and select the Back Up command).After you've backed up your device, launch iBackupBot. The software should automatically detect and display all of the backups you've run in iTunes. Click on the backup you just ran. Among all the files listed on the right, look for one that says: Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboard.plist. Double-click on that file to open it. If you're running the unregistered trial version, you'll need to click on the Cancel button to open it.The com.apple.keyboard.plist will open as a simple text file that you can edit. Add the string <key>KeyboardAutocorrectionLists</key><string>YES</string> to the file. Dickson didn't explain exactly where to add it, but I added it before the two closing tags: </dict > and </plist >, which seemed to be the logical spot. Close and save the file.Next restore the backup from within iBackupBot (right-click on the backup and select the Restore command). Turn on your mobile device and open any app where you can access the keyboard. Type the first couple of characters of a word, and you should see the autocorrect keyboard bar appear with a list of suggestions.I tested this entire process on an iPod Touch, and it ran smoothly for the most part.I had trouble initially restoring the backup from iBackupBot as the software kept hanging. But it eventually completed the restore. So far, I haven't found any missing content or other glitches from editing the keyboard file or using iBackupBot to restore my device. But as with all hacks, you'll want to proceed with some caution.The feature itself does work, though some of the suggestions were a bit odd. Typing the letters "hell" conjured up words like "helpless," "Jekyll," "Helpline," and even "hepplewhite," but not "hello," the word I was actually trying to type. But the suggestions seem to change each time you type the same characters, a possible sign that the feature tries to learn as you use it.The autocorrect keyboard bar also appears if you choose certain international keyboards. I added and switched to a Japanese keyboard, and the autocorrect bar appeared. But of course it displayed Japanese characters as suggestions.Unless Apple has officially added such an option for English keyboards in iOS 5.0.1, which was just released today, this hack seems to be the only way to tap into it for now.
Apple iOS 5 users can now hack into a hidden autocorrect keyboard bar, courtesy of a few steps revealed by the folks at 9to5Mac.When the feature is enabled, you type the first few characters of a word, and then the keyboard displays a bar with a list of suggested complete words. Such an option has long been available on Android devices, but has yet to see the light of day in iOS--at least officially.Thanks to research done by self-proclaimed hacker and 9to5Mac researcher Sonny Dickson, anyone running iOS 5 on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch can now access this hidden feature by following the steps below:You'll first need to download a program called iBackupBot, which lets you modify certain settings on your mobile device through a backup and then restore that backup to the device. The software normally costs $34.95, but you can download a free trial version to test it out. Separate editions are available for both Windows and the Mac.You'll next want to connect your mobile device to your computer and run a full backup in iTunes (right-click on your device and select the Back Up command).After you've backed up your device, launch iBackupBot. The software should automatically detect and display all of the backups you've run in iTunes. Click on the backup you just ran. Among all the files listed on the right, look for one that says: Library/Preferences/com.apple.keyboard.plist. Double-click on that file to open it. If you're running the unregistered trial version, you'll need to click on the Cancel button to open it.The com.apple.keyboard.plist will open as a simple text file that you can edit. Add the string <key>KeyboardAutocorrectionLists</key><string>YES</string> to the file. Dickson didn't explain exactly where to add it, but I added it before the two closing tags: </dict > and </plist >, which seemed to be the logical spot. Close and save the file.Next restore the backup from within iBackupBot (right-click on the backup and select the Restore command). Turn on your mobile device and open any app where you can access the keyboard. Type the first couple of characters of a word, and you should see the autocorrect keyboard bar appear with a list of suggestions.I tested this entire process on an iPod Touch, and it ran smoothly for the most part.I had trouble initially restoring the backup from iBackupBot as the software kept hanging. But it eventually completed the restore. So far, I haven't found any missing content or other glitches from editing the keyboard file or using iBackupBot to restore my device. But as with all hacks, you'll want to proceed with some caution.The feature itself does work, though some of the suggestions were a bit odd. Typing the letters "hell" conjured up words like "helpless," "Jekyll," "Helpline," and even "hepplewhite," but not "hello," the word I was actually trying to type. But the suggestions seem to change each time you type the same characters, a possible sign that the feature tries to learn as you use it.The autocorrect keyboard bar also appears if you choose certain international keyboards. I added and switched to a Japanese keyboard, and the autocorrect bar appeared. But of course it displayed Japanese characters as suggestions.Unless Apple has officially added such an option for English keyboards in iOS 5.0.1, which was just released today, this hack seems to be the only way to tap into it for now.
4 smaller useful tweaks in iOS 6
4 smaller useful tweaks in iOS 6
The Share buttonWhat used to be a simple list of buttons stacked on top of each other was functional, but it wasn't pretty. The number of buttons was also limited by screen real estate, and with new additions like Facebook integration, Apple needed to come up with a way to show more. Now with iOS 6 you get a bunch of icons that spring into view when you hit the Share button. The look is a lot like the home screen and offers your standard share locations like Messages, Facebook, and Twitter, but you also have the new Shared Photo Stream button handy. Yes, it's a small change, but I like how it fits in with the overall iOS aesthetic.CNETGame Center challengesAnyone who follows my weekly iOS collection on Fridays knows that I love to play games. Game Center has never really impressed me (I don't spend a lot of time using it), but a new feature is kind of cool when you want to both brag to a friend and try to get him to beat your high score in a game. With the new iOS you can now issue a challenge to a friend who shares the same game with you. Simply go to your friend's page, touch the game in question, then touch his high score. A new window will open up where you can issue a challenge for your friend to beat your high score, and you can even send a taunting message if you'd like. Your friend will receive a notification of the challenge, and a special song will play on his device.Now if Apple could just let me know what another friend is playing currently so that I could challenge or join him in a game, I'll like Game Center a bit more. Maybe in iOS 7?CNETiTunes preview historyWhenever I'm browsing the iTunes Store for music, I like to check what's new, see what's hitting the most popular lists, then maybe I'll do some searches of favorite artists. As I browse, I'll often use the Preview button to see if I like a new song. Sometimes I even listen to a clip of music I already have (you know you do it, too). But after a browsing session, I don't really keep track of what I was looking at.In the update, you'll now have a new button in the upper-right corner of the interface that shows your preview history. It's nothing fancy, but it lists all the songs I have previewed, so now I'll be able to go back later and buy a song if I want.CNETYelp-powered restaurant listingsOne of the biggest updates in iOS 6 is the new Maps app that replaces the Google-powered offering you used in previous versions of the OS. I think a lot of people will appreciate the new Yelp-powered options when you search for restaurants. Now, when you search for, say, "Mexican food," the Maps app will drop pins on restaurant locations just like before. But now when you touch the blue arrow to get more info, you'll find a little more to browse than just the address and phone number. New tabs across the top of the interface let you look at Yelp reviews for the restaurant as well as user-taken pictures of the food. It's not a big deal, and you could probably open Yelp to see these features, but it's great when you're doing a search on the road and are having trouble making a decision on what to eat.Read ourcomplete guide to iOS 6.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
The Share buttonWhat used to be a simple list of buttons stacked on top of each other was functional, but it wasn't pretty. The number of buttons was also limited by screen real estate, and with new additions like Facebook integration, Apple needed to come up with a way to show more. Now with iOS 6 you get a bunch of icons that spring into view when you hit the Share button. The look is a lot like the home screen and offers your standard share locations like Messages, Facebook, and Twitter, but you also have the new Shared Photo Stream button handy. Yes, it's a small change, but I like how it fits in with the overall iOS aesthetic.CNETGame Center challengesAnyone who follows my weekly iOS collection on Fridays knows that I love to play games. Game Center has never really impressed me (I don't spend a lot of time using it), but a new feature is kind of cool when you want to both brag to a friend and try to get him to beat your high score in a game. With the new iOS you can now issue a challenge to a friend who shares the same game with you. Simply go to your friend's page, touch the game in question, then touch his high score. A new window will open up where you can issue a challenge for your friend to beat your high score, and you can even send a taunting message if you'd like. Your friend will receive a notification of the challenge, and a special song will play on his device.Now if Apple could just let me know what another friend is playing currently so that I could challenge or join him in a game, I'll like Game Center a bit more. Maybe in iOS 7?CNETiTunes preview historyWhenever I'm browsing the iTunes Store for music, I like to check what's new, see what's hitting the most popular lists, then maybe I'll do some searches of favorite artists. As I browse, I'll often use the Preview button to see if I like a new song. Sometimes I even listen to a clip of music I already have (you know you do it, too). But after a browsing session, I don't really keep track of what I was looking at.In the update, you'll now have a new button in the upper-right corner of the interface that shows your preview history. It's nothing fancy, but it lists all the songs I have previewed, so now I'll be able to go back later and buy a song if I want.CNETYelp-powered restaurant listingsOne of the biggest updates in iOS 6 is the new Maps app that replaces the Google-powered offering you used in previous versions of the OS. I think a lot of people will appreciate the new Yelp-powered options when you search for restaurants. Now, when you search for, say, "Mexican food," the Maps app will drop pins on restaurant locations just like before. But now when you touch the blue arrow to get more info, you'll find a little more to browse than just the address and phone number. New tabs across the top of the interface let you look at Yelp reviews for the restaurant as well as user-taken pictures of the food. It's not a big deal, and you could probably open Yelp to see these features, but it's great when you're doing a search on the road and are having trouble making a decision on what to eat.Read ourcomplete guide to iOS 6.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Quitting smoking, one text at a time (podcast)
Quitting smoking, one text at a time (podcast)
University of Oregon Assistant Professor of Psychology Elliot Berkman recently completed a study for his University of California at Los Angeles doctoral dissertation on smoking cessation. Like a lot of researchers before him, Berkman asked respondents whether they had smoked--and what mood they were in, when they lit up--in an attempt to better understand compliance with smoking-cessation programs.But the difference between Berkman's study and previous ones is that he was able to repeat the question every two hours by interacting with subjects via text messaging, rather than talking with them on the phone or in person, or having them fill out a questionnaire.In an interview (scroll down to listen to podcast), Berkman explained that his goal was to "get better, more fine-grained assessments of smoking and relapse among a sample of heavy cigarette smokers who were trying to quit." The problem with previous research was, "they just didn't do it often enough...researchers were finding that the reports they were getting were not accurate. They weren't mapping to smaller-scale studies, where they actually tracked people more carefully." In other words, people have a way of forgetting details about a habit, if you ask them once a month, or even once a day, but by asking every two hours via text message, you're likely to get a far more accurate report not only on whether they smoked during the past two hours but how they felt just before they may have lit up.Berkman worked with Red Oxygen, a bulk SMS text-messaging company to deliver the messages.His sample included only 33 subjects--which made it more of a pilot test than a real study, but based on his results, he feels that it can scale to much larger samples.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
University of Oregon Assistant Professor of Psychology Elliot Berkman recently completed a study for his University of California at Los Angeles doctoral dissertation on smoking cessation. Like a lot of researchers before him, Berkman asked respondents whether they had smoked--and what mood they were in, when they lit up--in an attempt to better understand compliance with smoking-cessation programs.But the difference between Berkman's study and previous ones is that he was able to repeat the question every two hours by interacting with subjects via text messaging, rather than talking with them on the phone or in person, or having them fill out a questionnaire.In an interview (scroll down to listen to podcast), Berkman explained that his goal was to "get better, more fine-grained assessments of smoking and relapse among a sample of heavy cigarette smokers who were trying to quit." The problem with previous research was, "they just didn't do it often enough...researchers were finding that the reports they were getting were not accurate. They weren't mapping to smaller-scale studies, where they actually tracked people more carefully." In other words, people have a way of forgetting details about a habit, if you ask them once a month, or even once a day, but by asking every two hours via text message, you're likely to get a far more accurate report not only on whether they smoked during the past two hours but how they felt just before they may have lit up.Berkman worked with Red Oxygen, a bulk SMS text-messaging company to deliver the messages.His sample included only 33 subjects--which made it more of a pilot test than a real study, but based on his results, he feels that it can scale to much larger samples.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Google overhauls its iOS app in search of iPad users
Google overhauls its iOS app in search of iPad users
Google's doubling down on its efforts to pull iOS users into frequent searchers with a new iPad-centric version of its search app.The new version, released today as a free update to the company's universal iOS app (iTunes), gives iPad users on iOS 4 or higher a handful of new features, and put Google's app in tighter competition with Apple's built-in Safari browser.The app now includes Google Instant, so that search results stream in as you type. Google's coupled this with its Instant Preview technology, giving users a quick look at a destination site without having to load it. These results show up in a string of previews, similar to what can be found with Google's overhauled image search carousel, the one that lets you swipe through images like you would music albums in Apple's Cover Flow view. Here's what that looks like:Google's new image carousel lets you flick through images on your iPad.Stephen Shankland/CNETOne other big change is in how Google now bundles pages you're on with the results, putting the two side by side. Microsoft attempted something similar with its Bing app for iPad earlier this year, and the result is effectively the same here. You can hop back and scan both pages without having to reload either one, which can be extremely handy.Other noteworthy tweaks include the addition of a +1 button for sharing on social networks like Google's own Google+, as well as an on-page search tool, which lets you look up a word or phrase on any page you're viewing. This is something you can do on the built-in Safari browser using the search box, but it's not as apparent as Google's made it here. Much like I wrote when having a go with Microsoft's Bing app for iPad earlier this year, it's clear that Google's up to some of the same tricks. It's taken aim at the stock Safari browser by offering an experience that's tuned in to users who want a desktop-like searching experience, but on their mobile device. Where Microsoft differs is in pitching its app as a content aggregator, whereas Google continues to position its app as a launch pad for its various properties. That's certainly not a bad thing in this case, where search and reading go hand in hand.Below is a demo video from Google on the new features:
Google's doubling down on its efforts to pull iOS users into frequent searchers with a new iPad-centric version of its search app.The new version, released today as a free update to the company's universal iOS app (iTunes), gives iPad users on iOS 4 or higher a handful of new features, and put Google's app in tighter competition with Apple's built-in Safari browser.The app now includes Google Instant, so that search results stream in as you type. Google's coupled this with its Instant Preview technology, giving users a quick look at a destination site without having to load it. These results show up in a string of previews, similar to what can be found with Google's overhauled image search carousel, the one that lets you swipe through images like you would music albums in Apple's Cover Flow view. Here's what that looks like:Google's new image carousel lets you flick through images on your iPad.Stephen Shankland/CNETOne other big change is in how Google now bundles pages you're on with the results, putting the two side by side. Microsoft attempted something similar with its Bing app for iPad earlier this year, and the result is effectively the same here. You can hop back and scan both pages without having to reload either one, which can be extremely handy.Other noteworthy tweaks include the addition of a +1 button for sharing on social networks like Google's own Google+, as well as an on-page search tool, which lets you look up a word or phrase on any page you're viewing. This is something you can do on the built-in Safari browser using the search box, but it's not as apparent as Google's made it here. Much like I wrote when having a go with Microsoft's Bing app for iPad earlier this year, it's clear that Google's up to some of the same tricks. It's taken aim at the stock Safari browser by offering an experience that's tuned in to users who want a desktop-like searching experience, but on their mobile device. Where Microsoft differs is in pitching its app as a content aggregator, whereas Google continues to position its app as a launch pad for its various properties. That's certainly not a bad thing in this case, where search and reading go hand in hand.Below is a demo video from Google on the new features:
Ready or not, the iPhone 6 clones are here
Ready or not, the iPhone 6 clones are here
The Internet has a talent for leaks, but the tech world also has an impressive capacity for imitation, so it should be no surprise that all those iPhone leaks have already been transformed into a functional iPhone 6 clone.French site NoWhereElse got hold of some photos of what looks to be a mocked-up iPhone 6 based on the build seen in all those leaked dummy units running iOS or an operating system skinned up to look like iOS. There's no video, so it's tough to determine how functional the thing really is, or if it's got one of those nifty, rugged sapphire screen panels we've seen in action recently.Related StoriesiPhone 6 leaks show a device begging for extreme torture-testingBuy a dummy iPhone 6 and spread your own rumorsWhile there's no way to tell what materials were used, it seems to be a faithful replica of what we might expect in an iPhone design, along with the rumored larger size that will bring the iPhone 6 close to the handful of phones offered in the Samsung Galaxy S series.But with the release of the actual iPhone still several weeks away, there's likely to be more leaks, meaning these early clones will quickly grow outdated and forgotten, creating a gang of the only thing more unsettling than sad clowns -- sad clones. The iPhone 6 clone shown with a Samsung Galaxy S5.NoWhereElse.fr
The Internet has a talent for leaks, but the tech world also has an impressive capacity for imitation, so it should be no surprise that all those iPhone leaks have already been transformed into a functional iPhone 6 clone.French site NoWhereElse got hold of some photos of what looks to be a mocked-up iPhone 6 based on the build seen in all those leaked dummy units running iOS or an operating system skinned up to look like iOS. There's no video, so it's tough to determine how functional the thing really is, or if it's got one of those nifty, rugged sapphire screen panels we've seen in action recently.Related StoriesiPhone 6 leaks show a device begging for extreme torture-testingBuy a dummy iPhone 6 and spread your own rumorsWhile there's no way to tell what materials were used, it seems to be a faithful replica of what we might expect in an iPhone design, along with the rumored larger size that will bring the iPhone 6 close to the handful of phones offered in the Samsung Galaxy S series.But with the release of the actual iPhone still several weeks away, there's likely to be more leaks, meaning these early clones will quickly grow outdated and forgotten, creating a gang of the only thing more unsettling than sad clowns -- sad clones. The iPhone 6 clone shown with a Samsung Galaxy S5.NoWhereElse.fr
Rarefied Retina MacBook Pros get priced closer to earth
Rarefied Retina MacBook Pros get priced closer to earth
MacBook Pros equipped with a Retina display are not exactly priced to move. Best Buy and Amazon are trying to change that.Best Buy, for example, is now selling the 128GB version (model MC975LL/A) of the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro Retina for $1,549.99, $150 off the regular $1,699.99 price.Need 256GB of solid-state storage with that gorgeous Retina screen?That model (MD213LL/A) is now $1,799.99, $200 off the regular price of $1,999.99. The pricier 15.4-inch models with 256GB and 512GB solid-state drives (MC975LL/A and MC976LL/A, respectively), also got $200 lopped off their regular prices.Amazon is going even lower, pricing the 128GB 13.3-inch model at $1,515.59, for example. The online retailer is offering identical discounts to Best Buy on the 15.4-inch models.These sales may be short-lived (the Best Buy sale is for two days only) but expect more of this kind of discounting from retailers in the future.Apple's Mac sales sank last quarter to 4.1 million compared to 5.2 million in the same quarter last year. Some of that is because consumers are opting for the cheaper iPad, but the Retina MacBook Pros may be a factor too.When Apple sells configurations that push the least expensive Retina model to $1,700 ($1,699) at the regular price, that's not going to win over a lot of buyers.Best Buy sale: For two days, the 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro now starts at $1,549.99.Best Buy[Via 9to5Toys ]
MacBook Pros equipped with a Retina display are not exactly priced to move. Best Buy and Amazon are trying to change that.Best Buy, for example, is now selling the 128GB version (model MC975LL/A) of the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro Retina for $1,549.99, $150 off the regular $1,699.99 price.Need 256GB of solid-state storage with that gorgeous Retina screen?That model (MD213LL/A) is now $1,799.99, $200 off the regular price of $1,999.99. The pricier 15.4-inch models with 256GB and 512GB solid-state drives (MC975LL/A and MC976LL/A, respectively), also got $200 lopped off their regular prices.Amazon is going even lower, pricing the 128GB 13.3-inch model at $1,515.59, for example. The online retailer is offering identical discounts to Best Buy on the 15.4-inch models.These sales may be short-lived (the Best Buy sale is for two days only) but expect more of this kind of discounting from retailers in the future.Apple's Mac sales sank last quarter to 4.1 million compared to 5.2 million in the same quarter last year. Some of that is because consumers are opting for the cheaper iPad, but the Retina MacBook Pros may be a factor too.When Apple sells configurations that push the least expensive Retina model to $1,700 ($1,699) at the regular price, that's not going to win over a lot of buyers.Best Buy sale: For two days, the 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro now starts at $1,549.99.Best Buy[Via 9to5Toys ]
2011 Ford Edge gets multiple LCDs and a turbo
2011 Ford Edge gets multiple LCDs and a turbo
2011 Ford Edge (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 6NextPrevIt became clear at this year's CES and Detroit shows that the new Ford Edge would be a big deal. At CES, Ford showed off its new MyFord interface separate from any car, and at Detroit, the new Lincoln MKX featured the MyLincoln Touch cabin tech interface. Ford told us we would have to wait for the launch of the new Edge to see the MyFord version of the interface.Ford used the Chicago Auto Show as its venue for the 2011 Edge, putting on stage a car with revised exterior styling and a host of new technologies, not to mention a couple of new engines.The new Edge features MyFord Touch, an interface composed of one 8-inch touch screen on the center stack and two 4.3-inch LCDs in the instrument cluster. A five-way steering wheel button controls the content of each instrument cluster LCD, letting the driver view trip information, navigation, audio, climate, and phone.A new song-tagging function works through Sync and the HD radio. When you hear a song you like on the radio, you can push a tag button on the touch screen, saving the song's information on an iPod plugged into Sync. Take that iPod home and hook it up to a computer, and it finds that song in the iTunes Store, giving you the option of buying it.Ford makes adaptive cruise control an available option in the Edge, a very high-tech option not seen in cars at this price level. Adaptive cruise control also enables a precollision system, which uses the forward-facing radar to determine if a crash is imminent, braking and tightening seatbelts. Another useful driver aid technology available on the Edge is blind-spot detection.The Edge's current 3.5-liter V-6 gets tuned up with Ford's Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing), to produce 280 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque, while getting an estimated 27 mpg highway. A 3.7-liter V-6 comes with the higher trim Edge Sport, putting out 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.After the initial launch, Ford will make its new turbocharged direct injection 2-liter four-cylinder engine, part of the Ecoboost family, available for the Edge. Ford released no specifications for the Ecoboost four cylinder, merely saying that it should get 15 percent better fuel economy than the 3.5-liter V-6 while producing similar power.
2011 Ford Edge (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 6NextPrevIt became clear at this year's CES and Detroit shows that the new Ford Edge would be a big deal. At CES, Ford showed off its new MyFord interface separate from any car, and at Detroit, the new Lincoln MKX featured the MyLincoln Touch cabin tech interface. Ford told us we would have to wait for the launch of the new Edge to see the MyFord version of the interface.Ford used the Chicago Auto Show as its venue for the 2011 Edge, putting on stage a car with revised exterior styling and a host of new technologies, not to mention a couple of new engines.The new Edge features MyFord Touch, an interface composed of one 8-inch touch screen on the center stack and two 4.3-inch LCDs in the instrument cluster. A five-way steering wheel button controls the content of each instrument cluster LCD, letting the driver view trip information, navigation, audio, climate, and phone.A new song-tagging function works through Sync and the HD radio. When you hear a song you like on the radio, you can push a tag button on the touch screen, saving the song's information on an iPod plugged into Sync. Take that iPod home and hook it up to a computer, and it finds that song in the iTunes Store, giving you the option of buying it.Ford makes adaptive cruise control an available option in the Edge, a very high-tech option not seen in cars at this price level. Adaptive cruise control also enables a precollision system, which uses the forward-facing radar to determine if a crash is imminent, braking and tightening seatbelts. Another useful driver aid technology available on the Edge is blind-spot detection.The Edge's current 3.5-liter V-6 gets tuned up with Ford's Ti-VCT (Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing), to produce 280 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque, while getting an estimated 27 mpg highway. A 3.7-liter V-6 comes with the higher trim Edge Sport, putting out 305 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.After the initial launch, Ford will make its new turbocharged direct injection 2-liter four-cylinder engine, part of the Ecoboost family, available for the Edge. Ford released no specifications for the Ecoboost four cylinder, merely saying that it should get 15 percent better fuel economy than the 3.5-liter V-6 while producing similar power.
A $200 computer sound card an audiophile could love
A $200 computer sound card an audiophile could love
I have to admit up front that I'm pretty clueless about computers and computer audio. I use a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers hooked up to my Mac Mini, and the combination sounds fine to me. For "serious" listening I have a pair of Magnepan 3.6 speakers hooked up to my hi-fi system on the other side of my loft apartment. Computer audio is a low priority. But computer audio is coming on strong, even among serious audiophiles. Need proof? Stereophile magazine's editor, John Atkinson, has been using and occasionally reviewing the best-sounding computer audio gear for at least 10 years. Granted, most high-end audio is expensive, so I was pleased to see Atkinson was smitten by a $200 sound card. The Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX PCI and PCI Express review appeared in the January 2010 issue of the print version of Stereophile and is now on the magazine's Web site.Sure, you could get computer audio over S/PDIF, USB, FireWire, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet connections, but that's not what the Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX sound cards are for; they plug into your PC's motherboard. Old school, but audiophile quality to be sure. I'm leaving out most of the nuts and bolts computer stuff; read the actual review to get the detailed rundown. When Atkinson listened to his iTunes library of FLAC and uncompressed AIF or WAV files he found that "low frequencies had suitable impact and weight, the midrange was uncolored, with excellent clarity, and the high frequencies sounded very clean, with good air around sound sources." Even with Atkinson's own high-resolution 24 bit/96 kHz piano recordings, the sound card shined. He noted that "the Xonar Essence did a great job of conveying the full weight of the Steinway D as pianist Genadi Zagor pounded its left-hand keys at the climax of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition.'"Bottom line: the Xonar Essence is a truly affordable way to get bona-fide high-end sound from a computer.
I have to admit up front that I'm pretty clueless about computers and computer audio. I use a pair of Audioengine A2 speakers hooked up to my Mac Mini, and the combination sounds fine to me. For "serious" listening I have a pair of Magnepan 3.6 speakers hooked up to my hi-fi system on the other side of my loft apartment. Computer audio is a low priority. But computer audio is coming on strong, even among serious audiophiles. Need proof? Stereophile magazine's editor, John Atkinson, has been using and occasionally reviewing the best-sounding computer audio gear for at least 10 years. Granted, most high-end audio is expensive, so I was pleased to see Atkinson was smitten by a $200 sound card. The Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX PCI and PCI Express review appeared in the January 2010 issue of the print version of Stereophile and is now on the magazine's Web site.Sure, you could get computer audio over S/PDIF, USB, FireWire, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet connections, but that's not what the Asus Xonar Essence ST/STX sound cards are for; they plug into your PC's motherboard. Old school, but audiophile quality to be sure. I'm leaving out most of the nuts and bolts computer stuff; read the actual review to get the detailed rundown. When Atkinson listened to his iTunes library of FLAC and uncompressed AIF or WAV files he found that "low frequencies had suitable impact and weight, the midrange was uncolored, with excellent clarity, and the high frequencies sounded very clean, with good air around sound sources." Even with Atkinson's own high-resolution 24 bit/96 kHz piano recordings, the sound card shined. He noted that "the Xonar Essence did a great job of conveying the full weight of the Steinway D as pianist Genadi Zagor pounded its left-hand keys at the climax of Mussorgsky's 'Pictures at an Exhibition.'"Bottom line: the Xonar Essence is a truly affordable way to get bona-fide high-end sound from a computer.
Actor Josh Gad took programming courses to be Woz
Actor Josh Gad took programming courses to be Woz
SAN FRANCISCO--Last week it was revealed that actor Ashton Kutcher ended up in the hospital after going on an all-fruit diet to be like Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. It turns out, Kutcher's co-star Josh Gad went through some of his own method acting to channel Apple's other co-founder, Steve Wozniak."I had to take programming classes," Gad told attendees today at Macworld iWorld, during an onstage interview with Kutcher. "Acting by its very nature is faking. You don't become that person unless you're psychotic."Gad added that he "was as computer illiterate as Steve Wozniak was computer literate."Kutcher, for his part, said he spent more than 100 hours listening to recordings of Jobs, including the creation of a file on audio-sharing service SoundCloud that was a greatest hits of presentations, interviews, and other public speeches. "I started walking around repeating what he said to other people," Kutcher said, garnering laughter from a crowded room of conference attendees. Gad also used the time to respond to criticism raised by the real Wozniak over the authenticity of his portrayal on film, saying it's hard to judge the movie from a short clip."I adore Steve Wozniak," Gad said. "I hope that when he sees the movie in its entirety, we went to great lengths to capture the essence of his journey," adding that "there will always be debates over what we got right and what we got wrong."The interview comes less than a week after the premiere of "jOBS", which was the closing night film at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie has received mixed reviews, with many critics finding fault in the story, but not necessarily Kutcher's performance as the iconic CEO. You can read CNET's review here. "jOBS" hits theaters in the U.S. on April 19, with an international release to follow.
SAN FRANCISCO--Last week it was revealed that actor Ashton Kutcher ended up in the hospital after going on an all-fruit diet to be like Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. It turns out, Kutcher's co-star Josh Gad went through some of his own method acting to channel Apple's other co-founder, Steve Wozniak."I had to take programming classes," Gad told attendees today at Macworld iWorld, during an onstage interview with Kutcher. "Acting by its very nature is faking. You don't become that person unless you're psychotic."Gad added that he "was as computer illiterate as Steve Wozniak was computer literate."Kutcher, for his part, said he spent more than 100 hours listening to recordings of Jobs, including the creation of a file on audio-sharing service SoundCloud that was a greatest hits of presentations, interviews, and other public speeches. "I started walking around repeating what he said to other people," Kutcher said, garnering laughter from a crowded room of conference attendees. Gad also used the time to respond to criticism raised by the real Wozniak over the authenticity of his portrayal on film, saying it's hard to judge the movie from a short clip."I adore Steve Wozniak," Gad said. "I hope that when he sees the movie in its entirety, we went to great lengths to capture the essence of his journey," adding that "there will always be debates over what we got right and what we got wrong."The interview comes less than a week after the premiere of "jOBS", which was the closing night film at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie has received mixed reviews, with many critics finding fault in the story, but not necessarily Kutcher's performance as the iconic CEO. You can read CNET's review here. "jOBS" hits theaters in the U.S. on April 19, with an international release to follow.
About that 7-inch iPad
About that 7-inch iPad
Apple CEO Steve Jobs' ramblings during the October 18 earnings conference call are well documented.But to recap excerpts of the homily he delivered on the sins of a 7-inch design: "Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There are clear limits on how close you can place things on a touchscreen, which is why we think 10 inch is the minimum screen size to create great tablet apps," he said. Jobs continued. "One naturally thinks that a 7-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a 10-inch screen...this is far from the truth. Seven-inch screens are 45 percent as large as an iPad," Jobs said. "This size isn't sufficient for making great tablet apps."Aside from the remarks leaving a distinct one-doth-protest-too-much impression, I have heard from enough industry people and analysts over the last few weeks that I believe that the 7-inch iPad was close to an actual product.Sources that I have talked to--both analysts and industry people--across the board believe that there was a lot of ODM (original design manufacturer) activity around a 7-inch iPad--or let's just say "a 7-inch tabletlike device" to be safe.And more than one source believes it was (is?) at some stage of preproduction. Now, it's not like this is wild speculation anyway.The rash of published reports that a 7-inch iPad was on the way, coupled with Steve Jobs' impassioned defense of his decision not to bring out a 7-inch iPad, doesn't make for an aha! moment exactly.It's fairly obvious stuff was (is) going on behind the scenes. Here's where the theory mongering comes in.Has the expected crush of 7-inch Android tablets got Apple worried?And has this anticipation (trepidation?) made Apple do a sudden about-face? The iPad Mini would be a lower-margin product in what is expected to be a crowded market--the Samsung Galaxy Tab being the most recent example.Maybe we'll never know. But, then, Apple could change its mind.Remember, Apple said it would never bring out a Netbook.And it didn't.But the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is pretty darn close.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs' ramblings during the October 18 earnings conference call are well documented.But to recap excerpts of the homily he delivered on the sins of a 7-inch design: "Apple has done extensive user testing and we really understand this stuff...There are clear limits on how close you can place things on a touchscreen, which is why we think 10 inch is the minimum screen size to create great tablet apps," he said. Jobs continued. "One naturally thinks that a 7-inch screen would offer 70 percent of the benefits of a 10-inch screen...this is far from the truth. Seven-inch screens are 45 percent as large as an iPad," Jobs said. "This size isn't sufficient for making great tablet apps."Aside from the remarks leaving a distinct one-doth-protest-too-much impression, I have heard from enough industry people and analysts over the last few weeks that I believe that the 7-inch iPad was close to an actual product.Sources that I have talked to--both analysts and industry people--across the board believe that there was a lot of ODM (original design manufacturer) activity around a 7-inch iPad--or let's just say "a 7-inch tabletlike device" to be safe.And more than one source believes it was (is?) at some stage of preproduction. Now, it's not like this is wild speculation anyway.The rash of published reports that a 7-inch iPad was on the way, coupled with Steve Jobs' impassioned defense of his decision not to bring out a 7-inch iPad, doesn't make for an aha! moment exactly.It's fairly obvious stuff was (is) going on behind the scenes. Here's where the theory mongering comes in.Has the expected crush of 7-inch Android tablets got Apple worried?And has this anticipation (trepidation?) made Apple do a sudden about-face? The iPad Mini would be a lower-margin product in what is expected to be a crowded market--the Samsung Galaxy Tab being the most recent example.Maybe we'll never know. But, then, Apple could change its mind.Remember, Apple said it would never bring out a Netbook.And it didn't.But the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is pretty darn close.
A quarter of iPad owners say it's their first Apple device
A quarter of iPad owners say it's their first Apple device
The iPad has not just taken over as a big seller and profit driver for Apple over withering iPod sales, it's also become a major point of entry for customers into the Apple ecosystem, a new study says. The NPD Group today released the results of its Apple Ecosystem Study, which polled more than 3,000 people in the U.S. during February. One of its main findings was that one in four iPad owners said it was their first Apple device."Historically, the iPod has been the introductory Apple device for consumers, with 82 percent of owners saying it was their first Apple product," NPD said in a release. "This, however, is changing as first-time Apple buyers gravitate toward other product lines."That "introductory Apple device" reference was once dubbed "the halo effect," a term used to refer to a bump in sales of Apple's other products -- though mainly Macs -- when buyers would pick up one of Apple's iPods. Since the iPhone and iPad, however, iPod sales have been on a decline, with buyers picking more phones or tablets. The iPad has even done the reverse of a halo effect, and led to cannibalization of the Mac, which Apple has countered by saying that those iPad sales could have gone to PCs instead. "While over 70 percent of long-standing Apple owners began their relationship with the brand by way of the iPod, this number declines to just 57 percent among those entering the Apple franchise in the past two years," NPD said. "Newcomers to the brand increasingly turn to the iPhone or iPad as their first Apple device, which combined account for one-third of first-time Apple purchases since 2010."Other findings from the study echo those by a CNBC study posted last month on the number of Apple products found in U.S. households. For instance, NPD said that a household with Apple products tends to own 2.4 Apple devices on average. But that 58 percent of households that have a Mac also have a PC.
The iPad has not just taken over as a big seller and profit driver for Apple over withering iPod sales, it's also become a major point of entry for customers into the Apple ecosystem, a new study says. The NPD Group today released the results of its Apple Ecosystem Study, which polled more than 3,000 people in the U.S. during February. One of its main findings was that one in four iPad owners said it was their first Apple device."Historically, the iPod has been the introductory Apple device for consumers, with 82 percent of owners saying it was their first Apple product," NPD said in a release. "This, however, is changing as first-time Apple buyers gravitate toward other product lines."That "introductory Apple device" reference was once dubbed "the halo effect," a term used to refer to a bump in sales of Apple's other products -- though mainly Macs -- when buyers would pick up one of Apple's iPods. Since the iPhone and iPad, however, iPod sales have been on a decline, with buyers picking more phones or tablets. The iPad has even done the reverse of a halo effect, and led to cannibalization of the Mac, which Apple has countered by saying that those iPad sales could have gone to PCs instead. "While over 70 percent of long-standing Apple owners began their relationship with the brand by way of the iPod, this number declines to just 57 percent among those entering the Apple franchise in the past two years," NPD said. "Newcomers to the brand increasingly turn to the iPhone or iPad as their first Apple device, which combined account for one-third of first-time Apple purchases since 2010."Other findings from the study echo those by a CNBC study posted last month on the number of Apple products found in U.S. households. For instance, NPD said that a household with Apple products tends to own 2.4 Apple devices on average. But that 58 percent of households that have a Mac also have a PC.
A peek at Intel chip headed to Ultrabooks
A peek at Intel chip headed to Ultrabooks
More details have emerged on Intel's first system-on-a-chip for mainstream PCs.The Haswell chip for Ultrabooks will put everything in one chip package.All of that functionality now requires at least two separate chip packages.ChiphellThat chip, codenamed Haswell, is due by 2013 and will be the first high-performance Intel processor to approach the same level of integration used in smartphones and tablets. Today, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Nvidia are the major suppliers of smartphone and tablet SoCs (system-on-a-chip) derived from theARM design. What does Haswell mean for future Macs and PCs?Even more powerful ultraslim MacBooks and laptop PCs will emerge--as well as hybrid laptop-tablet designs. Imagine, for example, a future 15-inch MacBook Pro as skinny as a MacBook Air but faster than a high-end MBP today. And Windows 8 Haswell-based Ultrabooks from Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Acer, and others. Slides leaked at Chiphell via VR-Zone spell out the nuts and bolts of the Haswell design.We'll focus on the design for laptops here. Technically, an SoC puts everything on one piece of silicon. Haswell puts two chips into one chip package (see slide above).So Intel's chip would technically be a System in Package.But inside a Mac or PC it would appear as one chip.And what constitutes a true SoC is murky anyway, as the SoCs in smartphones sometimes rely on separate chips to implement various functions like 3G or touch-screen controllers.Key Haswell features: The core of a PC and Mac in one chip package.Next Intel "tock" or chip architecture. Follows 2012's "Ivy Bridge" in 2013.Faster graphics: codenamed GT3. Graphics is now a major focus at Intel. 3D transistors based on Intel's 22-nanometer process.Better total power efficiency than the most power efficient Intel Core chips today. Lower power memory: DDR3L. Support for USB 3.0 and DirectX 11? We know Ivy Bridge will.
More details have emerged on Intel's first system-on-a-chip for mainstream PCs.The Haswell chip for Ultrabooks will put everything in one chip package.All of that functionality now requires at least two separate chip packages.ChiphellThat chip, codenamed Haswell, is due by 2013 and will be the first high-performance Intel processor to approach the same level of integration used in smartphones and tablets. Today, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Nvidia are the major suppliers of smartphone and tablet SoCs (system-on-a-chip) derived from theARM design. What does Haswell mean for future Macs and PCs?Even more powerful ultraslim MacBooks and laptop PCs will emerge--as well as hybrid laptop-tablet designs. Imagine, for example, a future 15-inch MacBook Pro as skinny as a MacBook Air but faster than a high-end MBP today. And Windows 8 Haswell-based Ultrabooks from Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Acer, and others. Slides leaked at Chiphell via VR-Zone spell out the nuts and bolts of the Haswell design.We'll focus on the design for laptops here. Technically, an SoC puts everything on one piece of silicon. Haswell puts two chips into one chip package (see slide above).So Intel's chip would technically be a System in Package.But inside a Mac or PC it would appear as one chip.And what constitutes a true SoC is murky anyway, as the SoCs in smartphones sometimes rely on separate chips to implement various functions like 3G or touch-screen controllers.Key Haswell features: The core of a PC and Mac in one chip package.Next Intel "tock" or chip architecture. Follows 2012's "Ivy Bridge" in 2013.Faster graphics: codenamed GT3. Graphics is now a major focus at Intel. 3D transistors based on Intel's 22-nanometer process.Better total power efficiency than the most power efficient Intel Core chips today. Lower power memory: DDR3L. Support for USB 3.0 and DirectX 11? We know Ivy Bridge will.
A measure of Apple's success- Oppenheimer cites Japan
A measure of Apple's success: Oppenheimer cites Japan
Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer took a minute during Tuesday's earnings conference call to cite Apple's success in Japan -- an important metric in a country where national brands were once invincible. "In Japan, IDC Japan announced that iPhone gained the number one position for all of calendar year 2012, as well as for calendar Q4 2012 in both handsets and smartphones," Oppenheimer said. He continued. "This is also the first time a non-Japanese company has achieved the No. 1 spot for an entire year...In addition, Apple was ranked No. 1 in Nikkei's 2013 Japan Brand [Consumer] Survey, achieving the top spot for the second year in a row, which is unprecedented for a non-Japanese company." He's right about it being unprecedented. For decades, Japanese consumer electronics brands were virtually untouchable. Sony and Panasonic (branded formerly as National and Matsushita in Japan) dominated consumer electronics, NEC ruled the PC roost, and the cell phone market was almost exclusively a Japanese-brand affair.Related storiesApple profit slips 18%, but iPhone, iPad sales stay strongApple has played a large role in changing all of that. "The reasons for Apple's strength lie in a high evaluation of the 'innovative' and 'outstanding' qualities of the corporate brand and the existence of a series of products that do not betray expectations,"wrote Nikkei in March. And, in consumer electronics, Nikkei doesn't paint a pretty picture of Japan's national brands. "Japan's leading household electric appliance and electric equipment makers, on the other hand, are under the weather," the report said.Panasonic, Sharp, and Canon were ranked a distant 14th, 54th, and 62nd place, respectively. Apple isn't the only foreign brand gaining ground. The same Nikkei consumer survey had Google in second place.And IDC shows Samsung gaining ground in smartphones.Fourth-quarter 2012 Japan smartphone market share by shipments: Apple dominates Japan's smartphone market.IDC Japan
Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer took a minute during Tuesday's earnings conference call to cite Apple's success in Japan -- an important metric in a country where national brands were once invincible. "In Japan, IDC Japan announced that iPhone gained the number one position for all of calendar year 2012, as well as for calendar Q4 2012 in both handsets and smartphones," Oppenheimer said. He continued. "This is also the first time a non-Japanese company has achieved the No. 1 spot for an entire year...In addition, Apple was ranked No. 1 in Nikkei's 2013 Japan Brand [Consumer] Survey, achieving the top spot for the second year in a row, which is unprecedented for a non-Japanese company." He's right about it being unprecedented. For decades, Japanese consumer electronics brands were virtually untouchable. Sony and Panasonic (branded formerly as National and Matsushita in Japan) dominated consumer electronics, NEC ruled the PC roost, and the cell phone market was almost exclusively a Japanese-brand affair.Related storiesApple profit slips 18%, but iPhone, iPad sales stay strongApple has played a large role in changing all of that. "The reasons for Apple's strength lie in a high evaluation of the 'innovative' and 'outstanding' qualities of the corporate brand and the existence of a series of products that do not betray expectations,"wrote Nikkei in March. And, in consumer electronics, Nikkei doesn't paint a pretty picture of Japan's national brands. "Japan's leading household electric appliance and electric equipment makers, on the other hand, are under the weather," the report said.Panasonic, Sharp, and Canon were ranked a distant 14th, 54th, and 62nd place, respectively. Apple isn't the only foreign brand gaining ground. The same Nikkei consumer survey had Google in second place.And IDC shows Samsung gaining ground in smartphones.Fourth-quarter 2012 Japan smartphone market share by shipments: Apple dominates Japan's smartphone market.IDC Japan
13-inch Retina MacBook settles in at $1,499 for 256GB
13-inch Retina MacBook settles in at $1,499 for 256GB
At retailers, Apple's 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has found a happy medium between a fire sale and Apple's official pricing. Online retailers like MacMall and MacConnection are selling Apple's smallest Retina MacBook for $1,499 -- with a bonus. That price gets you a 256GB solid-state drive -- a step up from the $1,499 model that Apple offers with a 128GB drive. And that 128GB model is even cheaper at MacConnection, which now appears to have settled on a less drastic discount of $1,399 after practically fire-selling it earlier this month for $1,299. Why all the discounting? Despite boasting an LED-backlit IPS display with stunning 2,560x1,600 resolution, the 13.3-inch MBP hasn't been selling very well. Related storiesCNET's review of the 13.3-inch Retina MacBook ProThat was affirmed by Apple when it cut the price $200 to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers. And there have been reports from Asia that component suppliers for the Retina MBP have not seen a significant increase in orders, forcing Apple to sit on unsold inventory. But that's not stopping Windows 8 PC vendors from pricing high-resolution laptops in the stratosphere.On Wednesday, Toshiba announced the Retina-like Kirabook that it apparently intends to sell for between $1,599 and $1,999. "The high-res screen looked amazing when playing native resolution video content -- as it would on a Retina MacBook Pro or Google Pixel Chromebook," CNET Reviews said. Is it amazing enough to wow buyers at those prices? Apple's experience might give Toshiba some clues. Toshiba will try to sell a Retina-like 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution touch-screen Windows 8 laptop for between $1,599 and $1,999. Any takers?Dan Ackerman/CNET
At retailers, Apple's 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro has found a happy medium between a fire sale and Apple's official pricing. Online retailers like MacMall and MacConnection are selling Apple's smallest Retina MacBook for $1,499 -- with a bonus. That price gets you a 256GB solid-state drive -- a step up from the $1,499 model that Apple offers with a 128GB drive. And that 128GB model is even cheaper at MacConnection, which now appears to have settled on a less drastic discount of $1,399 after practically fire-selling it earlier this month for $1,299. Why all the discounting? Despite boasting an LED-backlit IPS display with stunning 2,560x1,600 resolution, the 13.3-inch MBP hasn't been selling very well. Related storiesCNET's review of the 13.3-inch Retina MacBook ProThat was affirmed by Apple when it cut the price $200 to $1,499 in February after widespread discounting from retailers. And there have been reports from Asia that component suppliers for the Retina MBP have not seen a significant increase in orders, forcing Apple to sit on unsold inventory. But that's not stopping Windows 8 PC vendors from pricing high-resolution laptops in the stratosphere.On Wednesday, Toshiba announced the Retina-like Kirabook that it apparently intends to sell for between $1,599 and $1,999. "The high-res screen looked amazing when playing native resolution video content -- as it would on a Retina MacBook Pro or Google Pixel Chromebook," CNET Reviews said. Is it amazing enough to wow buyers at those prices? Apple's experience might give Toshiba some clues. Toshiba will try to sell a Retina-like 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution touch-screen Windows 8 laptop for between $1,599 and $1,999. Any takers?Dan Ackerman/CNET
Retina MacBook Pro on track, says analyst
A 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display is on track for production, according to an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch.DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim has been telling CNET for a while now that a 13.3-inch Retina version of the MacBook Pro (MBP) is slated for production in the fourth quarter. And today Shim reiterated that he sees no change in those production plans. Related storiesCNET review of the 15.4-inch Retina MacBook ProWhat's not clear is when Apple would release the new MacBook.Shim speculates that it would happen after the iPad Mini announcement -- which is expected to be released in the coming weeks -- though he said he has no first-hand knowledge of this.Reports have been streaming out of Asia for some time, also.Shim confirmed today that the MBP 13.3-incher will have a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display. That compares with the 2880-by-1800 15.4-inch Retina MacBook Pro announced in June. Ironically, the expected 2,560-by-1,600 resolution is the same pixel density that's expected on a future Google Nexus 10-inch tablet. The 13-inch MBP Retina is also expected to be more consumer friendly, with a price tag well below the $2,199 entry point for the 15.4-inch model. This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
Retina MacBook Pro due with iPad Mini, report claims
The iPad Mini isn't the only thing reportedly slated for an event later this month.Pencil in a new Retina MacBook Pro, too -- so a report is claiming.Apple will unveil a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with a Retina display alongside the iPad Mini,a report at 9to5Mac says, citinga"consistently reliable source" at a "high-profile U.S. retailer."That would support a CNET report last week that said production of the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro is on track. Related stories13-inch Retina MacBook Pro on track, says analystThis wouldn't be Apple's first MacBook with a Retina display, of course.In June, Apple rolled out the 15.4-inch MacBook Pro with a 2,880-by-1,800 pixel density display.NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim has been telling CNET that Apple's 13.3-incher will get a 2,560-by-1,600 pixel density display. The 13-inch MBP Retina is also expected to be more consumer-friendly, with a price tag below the $2,199 entry point for the 15.4-inch model. This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play
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