PARIS—If the Apple Watch is going to be the company’s next big hit, it can’t just be sold as a tech gadget—it has to stand on its own as a luxury fashion product, too.
It’s finally happening: eBay is officially spinning PayPal off as a separate company. And it comes at a crucial time, just as the budding mobile-payments industry—which many see as the future of payments and commerce—is getting interesting.
Apple seems to have successfully moved past its latest faux fiasco, “Bendgate”—in which online commenters suggested the new iPhone was susceptible to bending. The truth is that it is not easily bent, though the YouTube video that set things off—where a guy manages to bend an iPhone 6 Plus under extreme strain—has now passed 45 million views.
Google is in a fascinating position with its Android operating system. It dominates the world’s smartphone market—arguably the most important technology market in history—with only one serious competitor, Apple, behind it. It is also the world’s dominant online search and advertising company, where its leadership is extending to mobile.
Facebook’s controversial plan to split its messaging feature into a separate mobile app is working.
Apple’s new iPhone 6 Plus is likely to be its most polarizing product for a while. It’s a monster compared to Apple’s previous iPhone models—so much taller and wider that it barely fits in many hands, never mind pockets. But my sense is that it is going to find a devoted audience. After using it for a large portion of this past weekend, I’m sold. This is the pocket computer I’ve wanted for a while now.
The line for an iPhone 6 at Apple’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan did not disappoint this year. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, estimates it was a third longer this year than last.
Apple’s new iPhone 6 and its much-larger iPhone 6 Plus go on sale tomorrow in 10 countries. Apple already has sold 4 million units in its pre-order period, and will likely sell millions more this weekend.
Apple’s new iOS 8—which launched today—now supports third-party custom keyboard apps. The early ones include Swype, which lets you type—faster, some say—by swiping around a keyboard.
Apple is releasing iOS 8—its new operating system for iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches—today. It’s a free upgrade for gadgets that can run it, which includes iPhones back to the 4S and iPads back to the 2. It will be available in the General > Software Update section of a supported device’s settings app.
The first iPhone 6 and 6 Plus reviews from sites that received phones early from Apple went up today. As is typical, they’re generally very positive, if unimaginative—Apple makes good phones! They also try to answer this week’s big question: Should you buy the iPhone 6 or the larger 6 Plus?
Apple sold 4 million of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus phones in 24 hours—a record, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall). How does that compare to other iPhone launches—and its normal sales rate?
It’s official: Microsoft is buying Mojang, the studio behind the massive cloud gaming hit Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. Microsoft expects the deal to close later this year and to break even in fiscal 2015.
Apple CEO Tim Cook just taped a long interview with Charlie Rose, part one of which will air tonight.
One potentially interesting application for the forthcoming Apple Watch is Twitter, which is among the few forms of media that is both immediate and concise enough to read on your wrist.
Even from a distance, the event Apple put on this week to introduce its new Apple Watch felt unlike anything it has done before. While Apple’s famous keynote events always draw a lot of attention, this was off the charts. But was it great?
Almost 13 years after its introduction, Apple quietly retired the iPod classic yesterday by removing it from its iPod website and online store.
Apple unveiled two new iPhones today, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
There’s a new billion-dollar opportunity: Create the app that makes the new Apple Watch—or any smartwatch—a must-have tool instead of an expensive accessory.
Apple is still unveiling its new Apple Watch device, but perhaps the most surprising part so far is how it looks: Exactly like a watch. Because it is. A watch.
Apple is holding an event in California today to show off its latest products, which will almost certainly include one or more new iPhone models.
Apple is holding one of its signature keynote events today in its hometown of Cupertino, Calif. Its latest iPhone, some sort of wearable device, and a payments system are expected. Here’s how to tune in:
One question about Apple’s new, bigger iPhones—expected to be unveiled tomorrow—is how the 1+ million existing iPhone apps will look and work on them. Especially on the supposed 5.5-inch iPhone, which could have a display that’s nearly twice the surface area of today’s iPhone 5 series. (For more details than you ever thought you’d read about iPhone screen sizes, see John Gruber’s lengthy analysis at Daring Fireball.)
One of Apple’s most successful products—which rarely gets recognized as such—is made not of aluminum and glass, but of words and pictures. The Apple keynote is the tool the company uses a few times a year to unveil its other products to millions of people.
