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Apple

  • Apple’s now valued $270bn more than Microsoft, $145bn more than Alphabet

    By on 10 May, 2017

    While its latest quarterly figures were less than impressive, Apple's persistent market growth remains undoubted. The Cupertino-based technology company is the first in the United States to smash though the US$800-billion market cap barrier, sitting at US$802.8-billion at the time of writing. That fatter market cap is primarily thanks to its strong performance during Tuesday's trading, with shares gaining 0.6% in value to end the day at US$153. That number might not sound large, but multiply that by its 5.21-billion shares... More impressively though is when the company hit this figure. Apple's US$800-billion market cap cements its place as the world's valuable publicly-traded...

  • Apple’s latest acquisition monitors the things you do in bed

    By on 10 May, 2017

    Smart tracking technology has taken off in recent years, with wearables and internet of things gadgets featuring more prominently in homes across the world. One of the companies better placed in this space than most is Apple. Recently hitting its fattest market cap figures ever, the Cupertino-based tech giant has reportedly acquired sleep tracking company Beddit for an undisclosed fee. First reported by CNBC, the acquisition was innocuously announced by Beddit itself in a subtle change to its on-site privacy page. "Beddit has been acquired by Apple. Your personal data will be collected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Apple Privacy...

  • Apple’s struggled to make money from iPhone sales in Q2 2017

    By on 3 May, 2017

    While Facebook and Google make most of their money from advertising, Apple's in an altogether different boat. The company published its Q2 2017 financial results Tuesday, revealing its rises and falls in bank balance over the previous three months. "We are proud to report a strong March quarter, with revenue growth accelerating from the December quarter and continued robust demand for iPhone 7 Plus," Apple CEO Tim Cook states. "We’ve seen great customer response to both models of the new iPhone 7 (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition and we’re thrilled with the strong momentum of our Services business, with our highest revenue ever for...

  • Apple bars apps from promoting their prices

    By on 30 March, 2017

    If you're looking to put your free product in the iOS App Store, you're going to have to settle for the simple "Get" button Apple uses to denote a free app. For the past month the company has been rejecting all apps that advertise their price -- or lack thereof -- in their titles, VentureBeat reports. Apps with names like "Extreme Sail Simulator FREE" or "FREE Daily Meditation" are often called that so when users search for "free" apps, they appear higher up in the results. But now the apps will have to rely on the pull of the products' names rather than their prices. While Apple...

  • Apple sells 78m iPhones in quarter, record revenue in tow

    By on 1 February, 2017

    Apple didn't have the greatest fourth quarter results last year, but the new iPhone has done massive business for the brand. "The company posted all-time record quarterly revenue of $78.4-billion and all-time record quarterly earnings per diluted share of $3.36. These results compare to revenue of $75.9-billion and earnings per diluted share of $3.28 in the year-ago quarter," read an excerpt of the Q1 fiscal year earnings report. The firm added that 64% of their revenue came from international markets. "We're thrilled to report that our holiday quarter results generated Apple's highest quarterly revenue ever, and broke multiple records along the way....

  • Is Vitality’s Apple Watch deal worth it? Cape Town blogger finds out

    By on 19 January, 2017

    Discovery Vitality's Apple Watch deal is undeniably tempting. You buy Cupertino's latest wearable packed with swanky tech, and exercise to drop the eventual price. It sounds like a complete steal in many ways, but is it really? That's what Capetonian and SwimGeek author Joe Botha set out to discover. While he does note that the offering itself is a mixed bag -- the deal will be beneficial and cheaper to different people -- it's definitely not as clear-cut as it seems on paper. "It seems you just have to assume you will get to a 900 points per week goal very soon...

  • Ookla debuts Speedtest desktop app for Windows, Mac OS

    By on 12 January, 2017

    Great news for those of you too lazy to open a web page. Ookla, the company behind popular internet benchmarking tool Speedtest, has this week announced a new Desktop app for Windows and Mac OS users. The company explains that the app's existence is thanks to today's modern world of "text expanders, ordering buttons and digital assistants". The app simply aims to make checking your internet connection speed as quick and easy as this. "By embedding Speedtest on your desktop (and skipping all that typing), we can save you almost all the effort of figuring out your download and upload speeds,"...

  • Apple Music student discounts now available in South Africa

    By on 1 December, 2016

    Apple Music's student additions are now available in 30 more countries, including South Africa, the Cupertino company announced. The student membership, which gives those attending tertiary institutions a discount for up to four years. Users will be required to log-in through the "school's Wi-Fi network when you join Apple Music to validate your student eligibility". Apple will also enroll the aid of UNiDays -- a student discount company used by the likes of Spotify. Apple Music users enrolled at university will receive sizeable discounts The countries added to this list now include Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Chile, Colombia, Finland, France, Hong Kong,...

  • Trump offers Apple ‘large’ tax cuts for US manufacturing return

    By on 24 November, 2016

    US president-elect Donald Trump held a phone call with Apple CEO Tim Cook, offering the tech firm "very large" tax cuts to return manufacturing to the USA. In an interview with the New York Times, Trump said that he received calls from Bill Gates and Tim Cook. "I was honoured yesterday, I got a call from Bill Gates, great call, we had a great conversation, I got a call from Tim Cook at Apple, and I said, 'Tim, you know one of the things that will be a real achievement for me is when I get Apple to build a big...

  • ‘Harambe’ lives on as emoji in Apple’s iOS 10.2 update

    By on 2 November, 2016

    Good news, internet. Harambe might be making a triumphant return to your Apple mobile device in the form of an emoji. Although many Apple mobile users currently run iOS 10.1, version 10.2 is just around the corner. And with it, comes a slew of new emoji. 72 emoji are included in Apple's latest developer preview build of iOS, with male and female counterparts providing the bulk of the new items. But one particular emoji is causing a bit of a stir on the internet. If iOS 10 doesn't have a Harambe emoji I'm going to be so disappointed. — Harambe (@_The_Harambe) September 12,...

  • Apple’s new TV app is called ‘TV’ because some things never change

    By on 27 October, 2016

    Apple's October event wasn't all MacBooks and iPhone updates. Today, Tim Cook and crew announced a few things for the Apple TV. Chief of which is the company's new TV app simply dubbed TV. No, seriously. It's actually called TV. Even with that uninspiring name, the app is heading to both tvOS (Apple TV) and iOS (iPhone and iPad) for users in the US "by the end of the year", and aims to provide users with a unified viewing experience. It's essentially a digital TV guide, displaying the collated content from all of your video-on-demand accounts -- from HBO to CBS --...

  • Apple Q4 2016 financials: revenue slides as services boom

    By on 26 October, 2016

    Apple has revealed its Q4 2016 earnings report, revealing US$46.9-billion in revenue and US$9-billion in profit for the quarter. How did they fare compared to Q4 2015 though? Well, the company reported revenue of US$51.5-billion and US$11.1-billion in profit back then, marking a notable slide. The company has also seen a significant year-on-year decline in the crucial Greater China market, going from US$12.5-billion in Q4 2015 to US$8.7-billion in Q4 2016 (representing a 30% drop). As for the all-important hardware sales this quarter? Well, the firm recorded a 17% revenue drop for Macs compared to a year ago, as well as a 13% revenue drop...

  • Apple App Store prices drop in South Africa

    By on 18 October, 2016

    Great news, Apple users. The Cupertino company has announced that App Store pricing will be adjusted for those in South Africa and New Zealand. Okay, not so great news for New Zealand (prices are actually climbing there), but in South Africa at least, we can look forward to a forthcoming price drop. Apple explains that the change will happen "within the next 72 hours" and will include apps and in-app purchases. It will not, however, affect subscription prices. The company claims that the change is thanks to the current favorable foreign exchange rates. App Store prices will drop for South Africans, but increase...

  • Apple’s new products star in stunning advertisements

    By on 19 September, 2016

    In Apple's bid to show off the features of the iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2, the Cupertino-based tech giant has released three adverts highlighting the features of the devices. There's something that the company's getting right with these adverts: not only do they showcase the devices' features, but they also show pure human resilience and beautiful cinematography. The three adverts focus on the iPhone 7's  low aperture camera qualities, and the IP67 water resistance on both the iPhone 7 and Watch Series 2. Apple's iPhone 7 and Watch Series 2 now boast water resistance ratings, unlike previous generations The first ad,...

  • Is iOS 9 better than iOS 10? Twitter answers using GIFs

    By on 15 September, 2016

    Have you upgraded to iOS 10 yet? If you've taken the plunge and still have a functional smartphone, then you're one of the lucky few. This, at least, according to Twitter users' reaction this week. From mild problems like dodgy mobile radio signal reception, to more severe bricking issues, there are a slew of kinks Apple's facing after iOS 10 went public on 13 September. Even some tech elite, like prominent tech vlogger Marques Brownlee, found that the update bricked his iPhone 6S. Like Brownlee, nany other Apple device users took to social media to air their woes. Apple recently published...