Is Apple slitting Samsung’s throat with orders stoppage?

Samsung Mobile’s chief technology office Omar Khan is leaving the company for greener pastures, it was revealed yesterday. Khan is leaving for Citi where he will be responsible for their mobile initiatives. The unexpected departure arrives at a time when Samsung is chasing Nokia to become the world’s leading phone vendor and fighting Apple’s copycat accusations of stealing the design of iPhone’s hardware, software, packaging and even marketing communications.
As it turns out, Samsung may have already lost orders from Apple, its biggest buyer, as a result of the growing rift. The Globe and Mail reports that Apple might end its relationship with Samsung by taking their five billion dollar a year in electronics parts orders elsewhere. For example, Apple could order NAND flash from Toshiba, Micron and Hynix Semiconductor and mobile processors from Intel and TSMC. Samsung also supplies Apple with LCDs for computers and iPads. Samsung’s financial filings provide clues to its relationship with Apple.

Apple App Store Downloads to Grow 61 Percent, Analyst Says

Purchases from Apple's App Store are expected to grow 61 percent this year as more and more consumers look for a rewarding app store experience when buying a new device, according to a Monday report.

The average iOS device user will download 83 apps in 2011, up 61 percent from 51 in 2010, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster wrote in a note to investors.

"We believe this trend points to the increasing importance of an app store with a broad selection of tested apps to drive device sales," Munster wrote. "Smartphone users are showing an increasing appetite to use apps to add features to their phones, and iOS has the leading app ecosystem."

Those downloads will also include paid apps; app purchases are expected to jump 14 percent this year after an 18 percent drop in 2010. "After the initial race to the bottom in App Store pricing, we are seeing users pay up to add features and games to their iOS devices," Munster wrote.

According to Piper Jaffray analysis, about 82 percent of App Store apps are free and 18 percent are paid, with an average selling price of $1.44.

"The App Store ... brings new features to Apple's iOS devices and creates a virtuous cycle driving sales of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches," Munster concluded.

Last week, Apple announced that its App Store had topped the 15 billion download mark. At this point, there are 425,000 apps in the App Store, and 100,000 native iPad apps, available in 90 countries.

Also last week, research firm In-Stat offered some long-term outlook on tablet applications with a forecast for five-year growth of total worldwide tablet app downloads from under 1 billion in 2011 to more than 11 billion in 2015.

The content of Apple's App Store might be helping it attract buyers, but what about the name? Apple is currently battling Amazon and Microsoft for the exclusive right to use "app store." Amazon and Microsoft argue that the term is generic, but Apple said it holds the rights and efforts like Amazon's AppStore hurt its brand. So far, Apple is not having too much luck; a judge recently denied Apple's request for an injunction against Amazon. But that hasn't stopped Apple from taking that battle to smaller companies.

Alone, Apple is Worth As Much as Microsoft, HP, and Dell Combined

Right now Apple's market value is about $302.4 Billion, and HP's market value is $72.8 Billion, Microsoft is $200.3 Billion, and Dell $29.3, so if you did the math you'll find out that Apple's market value is actually more than all these companies values all together.
The different between Microsoft's market value and Apple's market value is about $100 Billion, and i think one of the reasons Apple is one step over Microsoft is because of iPhone 4 and iPad 2, because Microsoft's Windows phone is actually no match for iPhone 4. Microsoft's Windows phone came too late after iPhone 4, and also Microsoft doesn't have a hug app store like Apple's app store ( and they'll never have one ). 

Three People Sent to Prison in China Over iPad 2 Leaks

The Wall Street Journal Report that three people have been sent to prison in China over their roles in facilitating leaks of information on the iPad 2 prior to its release.

"The court announced the decision Tuesday in statements on its official account at Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service in China. It said that Xiao Chengsong, general manager of Shenzhen MacTop Electronics Co., had offered 20,000 yuan, or about $3,000, plus discounts on MacTop products to a former Hon Hai employee named Hou Pengna, for information about the iPad 2. The court said Ms. Hou then paid Lin Kecheng, a Hon Hai research-and-development employee, to get digital images of the device's back cover from last September, six months before the iPad 2 was publicly announced.

The three people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 months and are subject to fines ranging from approximately $4,500 to $23,000. 
Cases for the iPad 2 began appearing on Chinese supply sites four months ahead of Apple's official unveiling, and it was revealed in late April that three workers had been arrested in connection with the leak soon after those initial cases appeared. The employees cited in that report had been claimed to be Foxconn employees and are presumed to be the same ones sentenced to prison in the new report, although only two of them were actually Foxconn employees while the the third was manager of the case manufacturing company that solicited the information. 

Apple doesn't own iCloud name

When Apple choose iPhone name for their devices they had an agreement with Cisco that owns the name iPhone, "Although Apple aggressively protects its trademark rights, Apple has a long and well known history of knowingly and willfully treading on the trademark rights of others - a history which began as early as the 1970s when Apple was first sued for trademark infringement by the Beatles record label, Apple Corp."

After Apple announced iCloud another company showed up with same name ( iCloud ), and now they are suing Apple and demanding that Apple removes iCloud name from all of their products. I asked my self " why didn't this company say something when Apple first started using iCloud name ? ".
What do you think in this problem ?

Apple rumored to add system-wide Twitter integration to iOS 5

Various sources have confirmed that Twitter plans to announce a photo-sharing service, reportedly called Twitter Pictures, at the D9 conference later this week. TechCrunch now reports that Twitter has lined up Apple as a key partner for the upcoming service.
Though a number of popular third-party image services already cater to Twitter users, the company is reportedly moving to take more control of its product in hopes of creating a more consistent user experience. Of course, money could also be an issue, as sites like Yfrog make millions by selling advertising next to images uploaded by Twitter users.
According to the report, multiple sources have said that Apple's iOS 5 will have Twitter's image service "baked into the OS" with a "Send to Twitter" option similar to the current integration of YouTube in iOS. "A tipster informs us that one trigger happy Apple iOS designer has already released a test link into the wild," Alexia Tsotsis said in a separate report forTechCrunch, though she declined to provide the link. 
John Gruber of Daring Fireball took things one step further, hinting at possible deeper integration. "So close to the bigger story, but yet so far," Gruber said of the report. "Imagine what else the system could provide if your Twitter account was a system-level service."
Apple confirmed Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will unveil iOS 5 next Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. iOS 5 is also rumored to include "deep" voice command integration. Last week, reports emerged that Apple will revamp notifications and widgets in iOS 5.

iWork Now Available For iPhone and iPod touch Users

Apple today announced that its groundbreaking iWork productivity apps — Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — are now available for iPhone and iPod touch, as well as iPad. Created for the Mac and then completely redesigned for iOS and the Multi-Touch interface, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers allow you to create and share stunning presentations, beautifully formatted documents, and powerful spreadsheets on the go. iWork apps are available on the App Store for $9.99 each to new users and as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers.

Apple to Unveil Next Generation Software at Keynote Address on Monday, June 6

CUPERTINO, California—May 31, 2011—Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software - Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.
WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mac developers will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities. Mobile developers will be able to explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance and design of their apps. All developers can bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers.
For more details, visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 website at developer.apple.com/wwdc.

Intel Backs Kno with $30M, Sticks It to Apple

The consumer market can be pretty lucrative. The enterprise market can be particularly lucrative too, but the educational market is one that is still largely untapped by the rising popularity of tablets. Well,Kno wants to change that and they’re doing it with some big bucks from Intel.

It sounds like Intel Capital, the investment arm of the chip company, is set to point $30 million towards the development of the Kno digital textbook. Yes, it’s very educationally based, so it’s not completely fair to call it “just” a tablet. This money will really help the relatively young startup, but just like Dragon’s Den (or Shark Tank), the investment also means that Kno taps into Intel’s network and expertise.

Use those hardware partners, speed up the development, and get the Kno into classrooms. I wouldn’t be surprised if more than a few Intel doodahs end up in the final product too, just so one hand can pay the other.

It’s not like Intel and Kno are the only ones tapping into education either. Some school in Auburn, Maine has just decided to buy 285 iPad 2s for every kindergarten student and teacher. The idea is that the kids can learn better from them than they can from a traditional PC. The Kno might not be targeting quite that young, but it’s clear that the competition for school-focused tablets is heating up.

Apple's Online Music Locker: A Great Idea (That's 10+ Years Old)

In case you hadn't noticed, this whole online music thing is heating up. First Amazon rolled out its Cloud Player, then Google Music came along, and now Apple is expected to announce its own online music service—the big money's on something called "iCloud" that'll be unveiled on June 6th.

The difference between Apple's offering and offerings from both Amazon and Google is that Apple has apparently gotten the blessing of three of the four major record labels, with the fourth said to be right around the corner. But why should Apple care about playing nice with the record labels when Google and Amazon have already thumbed their noses at the music industry?

If what Businessweek is reporting turns out to be accurate, Apple's service will behave differently than Google's and Amazon's in that you won't have to actually upload your entire music collection to Apple's servers.

A MacBook with Apple inside? Intel begs to differ

Rumors about Apple developing a MacBook with one of its own chips--not Intel's--were advanced on Friday, based on a post at a Japanese-language Web site. An Intel executive had some thoughts on the subject
.Let's get right to the post on the Japanese Web site Macotakara Kanteidan about the rumored MacBook Air test vehicle packing a Thunderbolt port. In a Japanese-language post entitled "Is an A5-equipped MacBook Air being tested?" the site claims that "according to someone who has seen a model running with [Apple's] A5 processor, the performance is better than had been thought."

Assuming the report is credible, that's a pretty big leap from a frantic rumor about Apple "dumping Intel" to a real system running on the A5, the Apple-branded chip--based on an ARM design--that's used in the iPad 2.

To date, Apple's ultrathin MacBook Air has run exclusively on Intel processors. And that's expected to continue when Apple announces new Airs based on Intel's "Sandy Bridge" processors this summer, based on my own sources who are familiar with Apple's plans.