Following Apple’s blowout December quarter during which it shipped a record 37 million iPhone handsets and 15.4 million iPad tablets, a significant shift has taken place. iOS’s share of U.S. Web traffic as observed during a six-month study conducted by leading ad network Chitika has surpassed Apple’s Mac OS Web traffic share for the first time. Read on for more. (more…)

Apple is once again rumored to be going against the wishes of late co-founder Steve Jobs as it prepares to launch a 7-inch version of its popular iPad tablet. While speaking with Computerworld, Technology Business Research analyst Ezra Gottheil said that Apple may be preparing to launch two new products following the imminent release of the iPad 3. One is a case accessory that includes an integrated wireless keyboard, and the second is the oft-rumored iPad mini, which the analyst says will launch later this ...

Global tablet sales reached 67 million units in 2011 and are expected to grow 38.8% annually to 248.6 million by the end of 2015, according to a new market report from Transparency Market Research. Led by Apple’s iPad, tablet sales increased 275.5% in 2011 from 17.8 million units sold in 2010. Smartphone sales in 2011 hit 468.9 million units, a 66.7% increase over 2010 sales of 282 million units, and sales are expected to reach 1.05 billion in 2015 with Asia accounting for 39.5% of the market. Smartpho...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency within the United States Department of Commerce, will stop using BlackBerry phones later this year and instead supply workers with Apple’s mobile devices. In a memo relayed by Loop Insight, NOAA’s Chief Information Officer and Director for High Performance Computing and Communications said that support for BlackBerry phones will cease in May of this year. Apple’s iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S will replace the agency’s BlackBerry ...

With great power comes great responsibility — and a flurry of advertising campaigns that target your wares. Samsung tried to make its name a verb in a recent round of anti-Apple ads where senseless iPhone owners got “Samsunged,” and the South Korea-based vendor’s campaign culminated with a $10 million extravaganza that aired during the Super Bowl. Amazon is next up to the plate, and the company’s recent commercial takes aim at Apple’s iPad. A woman sunbathing and reading a boo...

All Things D is reporting that Apple is going to hold its annual iPad introduction event during the first week of March. Going one step further, the blog reiterates what the rumor mill (and BGR) has been reporting — faster processor, Retina Display, same basic size and shape, with possibly a dash and sprinkle of 4G LTE. The iPad 3 is expected to be available by the second or third week in March, and iOS 5.1 may be released even sooner.

Apple recently published eleven new profiles for various iPhone-operators that point to a potential iOS 5.1 release date, according to YourDailyMac. The files include references to iOS 5.1, and they mention an update launch date of March 9th, indicating an iOS update could be released around the same time for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The profiles are intended for operators in Japan, France, Greece, Finland and Sweden, and will ensure network connectivity after an update is downloaded. There is als...

On Monday, a Touchstone Arcade thread from a disgruntled developer claimed numerous apps in Apple’s App Store were promoted into the top 25 using illegal services. The poster accused a number of big-name developers such as Crowdstar of using such services. Crowdstar’s co-founder Suren Markosian immediately denied the accusation, assuring customers it promotes its apps “using legitimate advertising channels such as flurry, chartboost, iAds, etc.” The thread gained a good deal of buzz, ...

In 2009, Tristan Schaap received the chance of a lifetime when he was offered an internship by Apple’s Platform Technologies Group. During his time interning with the company, Schaap was part of a team that was secretly attempting to port Mac OS X to the ARM architect, according to his Bachelor thesis published by Delft University of Technology. ARM-based chipsets are currently used in in Apple’s mobile devices while its computers use Intel processors. The thesis was originally embargoed due to t...

Apple’s iMovie mobile application has new competition when it comes to mobile video editing. Long-time digital video editing software vendor Avid has released its Avid Studio mobile video editing app for the iPad. The app is currently available in the App Store for an introductory price of $4.99 and will increase to $8 after 30 days. Avid Studio for the iPad is the company’s first video editing program for Apple’s mobile platforms. Avid Studio looks to provide most of the features offered thr...

Apple has no plans to hold a media event in February according to a new report. Loop Insight’s well-connected Jim Dalrymple on Thursday debunked part of a rumor that began circulating early Thursday morning. The original report claimed Apple had plans to hold an “unusual” media event some time this month that would not be product related, and then its highly anticipated iPad 3 would be unveiled at a separate event in early March. While Apple’s plans for the iPad 3 may or may not align ...

Apple has hired a former marketing executive from Microsoft to help promote the App Store and iTunes in Europe, MCV reports. Robin Burrowes, former head of Xbox LIVE marketing in the EMEA region for Microsoft, joined Apple in January according to his LinkedIn profile. His formal duties at Apple remain unclear — Burrowes’s profile only states that his role involves “App Store Marketing” — but the executive’s background suggests gaming will be a strong focus. Apple has hired a numb...

Apple is planning to unveil its next-generation iPad 3 at a media event in early March and it will launch the new tablet later that month, Japanese blog Macotakara reported on Thursday. Prior to that press conference, however, Apple is said to be planning a separate “unusual” media event in early February. The subject of Apple’s supposed February event is unknown, however Macotakara states that it will not be product-focused. The iPad 3 is widely expected to feature a slightly thicker case ...

Google’s Android platform and Apple’s iOS regained mobile operating system market share last month after both mobile platforms curiously showed declines in December. Analytics firm Net Applications on Wednesday released mobile phone and tablet operating system share data for January 2012, and the new numbers suggest that Android showed the biggest gains last month. Google’s mobile OS remained in the No.3 spot while rising to an 18.12% share from 16.15% in December, while Apple’s iOS ro...