When Apple announced last year that its two new iPhones would have significantly larger screens, it was—to some extent—a concession. The company had long turned up its nose at supersized smartphones, but then there was CEO Tim Cook, announcing that the only new iPhones you could buy would come in two sizes: extra-large and extra-extra-large.
The numbers: Apple’s first quarter was its biggest ever by far, and marked accelerating growth. Its $74.6 billion in revenue was a new record, representing 30% growth over last year. Its $18 billion in profit was also a new record. And its 74.5 million iPhone shipments beat last year’s record by almost 50%.
Apple’s amazing growth spurt earlier this decade set it up to become the most valuable technology company on the planet. A slower growth period followed. But when Apple announces its fiscal first quarter results today, it is poised to step on the accelerator once again.
Microsoft has reported its fiscal second-quarter results.
There are many ways to brew instant coffee, but this is one of the most creative. Origami is Starbucks Japan’s take on the single-use pourover filter, a product that coffee brands have long sold at Japan’s ubiquitous convenience stores.
Google is preparing to offer its own US wireless service, in partnership with Sprint and T-Mobile, the Wall Street Journal (paywall) and The Information (paywall) are reporting.
Microsoft showed off its latest Windows operating system—Windows 10—today at a media event. (It also revealed 3D “hologram” goggles and a new web browser.)
Apple wants to sell you a watch, available with an elegant Milanese loop band or cast in luxurious 18-karat gold. Microsoft wants to sell you… a dorky looking pair of 3D “hologram” goggles?
Has Microsoft adjusted to its new role as an underdog? We’ll find out more today when CEO Satya Nadella reveals the company’s new Windows 10 operating system at a media event. (Live streaming begins at noon US Eastern time and 5pm London time.)
The numbers: Netflix finished last year with 57.4 million subscribers, up 4.3 million from the third quarter—its strongest subscriber growth all year. Fourth quarter revenue reached $1.48 billion, in line with what analysts were expecting and up 26% year-over-year. Netflix added more streaming subscribers outside the US (2.4 million) than in its home country (1.9 million) for the third quarter in a row.
Flat-screen TV sales soared over the past decade as prices decreased from thousands of dollars per set to hundreds. Now, the next wave of flat-panel televisions—even-higher-definition, beautiful “4K” sets—could finally be set to take off.
BlackBerry shares jumped 30% this week after Reuters reported that Samsung, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, had offered to buy it. (Both companies issued denials that left plenty of wiggle room.) Canada’s Globe and Mail also reported that BlackBerry “has shunned a handful of potential buyers in recent months” as it tries to turn itself around.
One of the few companies competing with Google in the web search industry is DuckDuckGo, which tries to stand out by pledging not to track its users. Specifically, DuckDuckGo doesn’t share its users’ search queries with other sites, doesn’t store their search histories, and doesn’t store any of their computer or location information—things many other search engines do to boost their advertising efforts.
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas was a feast for the senses: More than 170,000 people from all over the world, wandering endless aisles of giant TVs, wearable gadgets, and everything that goes inside them.
Verizon, the US telecom giant, has approached AOL about a “potential acquisition or joint venture,” Bloomberg reports today, citing anonymous sources. While the companies overlap in several places, the most logical explanation for any possible deal is that Verizon sees mobile as the future of video, and AOL represents a useful—and affordable—bet on mobile and digital-video advertising.
Leading up to this coming week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas—the annual gadget trade show with some 160,000 attendees—we’ve been getting emails. Lots of emails. And if those emails are any sign, we’re in for a lot of new wearable devices at CES.
From Apple’s financial followers to the culture pages, expect few technology topics to garner as much attention in 2015 as the Apple Watch, which is set to launch “early” in the year.
Flurry, a mobile-app analytics company owned by Yahoo, noticed two interesting trends in its data this week:
The Apple Watch—set to launch in early 2015—is already having a dramatic impact on the watch industry, where executives are now rushing to figure out their smart watch strategy.
One of my goals this year has been to tweet less. Here’s my thinking: With all the noise out there, I’d be better off tweeting fewer (ideally, higher quality) ideas, jokes, and links.
As Xiaomi has grown rapidly, and Lenovo’s deal to buy Motorola from Google has closed, three of the world’s top five smartphone vendors are now from China, according to third-quarter statistics released today by Gartner.
This year was Apple’s most exciting in a while, especially after a relatively dull 2013. The company showed off a range of new products, including its first major new “category” in a while, the Apple Watch. It made a big deal in buying Beats. And it provided a mostly promising view of the future for users, employees, and investors. Here are some of the most important things we learned about Apple this year:
Apple is the largest technology company in the world for many reasons. But one of the most important is that it knows how to use its power. Here’s a good example we found recently while gadget shopping in Tokyo.
Shopping for electronics, like many things in Tokyo, is an extreme sensory adventure. Every visit, I make a point to spend at least a couple hours wandering the city’s gadget department stores. This time, I braved the nine-story BIC Camera in Tokyo’s Yurakucho neighborhood, along the train tracks and right next to Ginza, the posh shopping and business district. This place sells everything from camera lenses to contact lenses, aisles densely packed with an incredible variety of products.
