Apple’s iPad media event has just gone live. The company will be providing a live video coverage of the new iPad keynote event. The event is being held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, will take the stage to announce new product launches and updates for this year before we enter the holiday season. The email invite sent out to the media suggests that the company will “cover” many product announcements.

Rumors and reports published in the past provide enough evidence to expect new iPad 5 (fifth gen) and second gen iPad mini. We could also get new Haswell MacBook Pro models, final release of Mac OS X Mavericks, new iLife and iWork software updates and more.

iPad 5 is widely expected to feature a thinner and lighter design inspired by the advancements made with iPad mini. Hardware specifications are expected to include new 64-bit A7 chip, improved camera and possibly new Touch ID sensor.

There have been many conflicts reports about a second gen iPad mini with retina display. It is unclear if Apple will introduce the new smaller iPad with a high resolution display.

During WWDC Apple showcased a sneak peek at the new Mac Pro. Apple could use today’s event to announce shipping date for the high end Mac for the professionals.

This year Apple is offering a live video feed of the iPad launch event. Live video stream of the event is available on Apple’s website. In order to view live video streaming of the October iPad event you’d require Safari 4 or later on OS X v10.6 or later, Safari on iOS 4.2 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 5.0.2 or later.

Apple has announced that Burberry CEO, Angela Ahrendts, will join the company as senior vice president of retail and online stores. The new position has been created for Ahrendts who will report directly to CEO Tim Cook.

Burberry and Apple had recently partnered together to capture Spring / Summer 2014 runway show using the new iPhone 5s. Burberry showcased beautiful photos and slo-mo videos that were captured using only the new iPhone 5s. Both companies share the same passion for design and conveying a sense of emotion attached to its products.

After the departure of Ron Johnson, Apple struggled to fill the position of the next retail head. Cook later hired John Browett who was then the CEO of Dixons. However, in less than a year he was fired as he didn’t seem to fit in the Apple culture.

Burberry is an iconic British brand known for its luxurious fashion products. A quick look at their online stores suggest that the high end luxury brand believes in simplicity, innovation in product design and engaging customers in digital marketing.

Disciplined execution, constant evolution and balance across channels, regions and products underpin the management of the business.

Innovative product design, digital marketing initiatives and dynamic retail strategies drive consistent performance.

Ahrendts will join Apple next year, in spring. Prior to Burberry, she worked for Liz Claiborne Inc. as executive vice president and earlier in her career she served as president of Donna Karan International.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook, commented, “She shares our values and our focus on innovation, and she places the same strong emphasis as we do on the customer experience. She has shown herself to be an extraordinary leader throughout her career and has a proven track record.”

Christopher Bailey, chief creative officer at Burberry will replace Ahrendts. It will be interesting to see how Ahrendts takes over Apple’s online and physical retail stores as the new head in 2014.

Apple’s iPhone 5S media event was kicked off by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a familiar style by sharing updates. One of the most notable figures shared by Cook was that iOS devices are on track to cross 700 million mark by the end of September.

Apple CEO also shared updates about the company’s retail strategy to bring its focus back to the US after expanding worldwide. During the keynote Cook highlighted the new retail store in Stanford, California.

Additionally, Tim Cook also shared updates about the iTunes Music Festival in London. 20 million customers have entered for tickets which will be free of cost. The festival is also be streamed online to over 100 countries.

Apple’s stock has been witnessing a rocky path as last year around this time the stock price peaked at over $700 when the iPhone 5 was announced. The stock price has shown some upward trend in the recent past.

The company is working hard to increase the market share of its iOS devices. This year the company will announce two models of the iPhone. All-new iPhone 5C for the mid-priced market and new flagship iPhone 5S that will replace the iPhone 5.

Apple is already half way through its keynote event. Stay tuned for more live coverage as the event unfolds.

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) under intense criticism over the past several months, it is not surprising that the company’s CEO, Tim Cook would come out and regret some of the steps they took in the past. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been seeing its stock in a tailspin, analysts worrying about gross margins, and many claiming that the company is lacking in innovation.

On Tuesday, during Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s Q2 2013 earnings call, Cook admitted that Apple should have waited until 2013 to release the new redesigned iMac. The new iMac uses a new screen lamination process that caused many problems when it was introduced in late 2012, and the radically thin design appeared to be slightly bold for something was to be released within weeks of its announcement.

The new iMac was released into a mass of customers that hadn’t seen any new products in months, and as a result, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) delayed the iMac, which resulted in a decline in sales for the holiday quarter. Mac sales slipped to 4.1 million, mainly because of the failure of iMac’s launch. Cook admitted during the earnings call that this was a mistake and commented on the situation:

We felt our customers had to wait too long. In retrospect, yes, I sort of wish we had done it after the turn of the year. Customers wouldn’t have had to have waited as long as they did.

Tim Cook’s apology is a sign of the type of leadership that the company is now under, with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s former CEO, Steve Jobs rarely offering up an apology for any mistakes made. Jobs simply found a way to prove the company right or make amends through actions. Cook has already apologized for the failed Maps app in iOS, as well as for its subpar handling of warranty issues in China.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple’s SVP of Industrial Design, Jony Ive has achieved yet another accomplishment, having been awarded knighthood last year at Buckingham Palace. Now, the forty-six year old designer has made Time’s 100 most influential list with the likes of many other notables in Time’s lists which includes President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Miami Heat forward LeBron James, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Beyoncé and even Pope Francis.

Ive is listed under Time’s Artist category and is including in the same category with others such as writer George Saunders as well as actress and actor, Jennifer Lawrence and Bryan Cranston. The small anecdote written below Ive’s image was written by musician and activist Bono of the band U2. Bono was also a close friend of former Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Bono noted that Ive pursued “greatness over profit” and also went on to say:

What the competitors don’t seem to understand is you cannot get people this smart to work this hard just for money. Jony is Obi-Wan. His team are Jedi…

Jony Ive has been with Apple for over 16 years, having started in 1996 as leader of the company’s design team. Under his leadership and design sense, the company released several successes, which include numerous generations of the iMac, iPad, iPhone, and iPod. Late last year, Apple also appointed Ive with the role of leading and providing guidance for the Human Interface (HI) team at the company, which will allow for a tight integration between hardware and software, something that Apple is quite popular for.

Jony Ive has received many awards over his long career at Apple and worked under two of the company’s greatest CEO’s, Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. With his latest Time recognition, there is no doubt that the designer has many more years and many for awards to get through.

{Via AppleInsider}

According to a report from AppleInsider, Apple is contacting developers through the iTunes Connect program, requesting that they localize their applications. This means that developers will update their apps with multiple languages and will also market applications and books as localized. By localizing apps, developers will be able to reach a number of different regions, because all text, titles and descriptions will be molded to each area.

In the letter to iTunes Connect members, Apple noted that the App Store and Mac App Store are available in 155 countries with support for 40 languages, saying that “it has never been more important to localize your app and marketing material.

Alongside the request to developers to localize their applications, Apple also released a Chinese Support Communities forum, which allows users to provide support to other Apple users through their native tongues. This would allow for customers to feel comfortable using the product, especially if they are receiving assistance that is tailored to their needs. Until the release of this forum, most Chinese users and users from other countries around the world would have to refer to the English forums for help.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has noted in the past that China is a major growth opportunity for Apple and the company has posted an increase of over 67 percent in revenue in the country. Recently, Apple has been dealing with customer complaints about the company’s warranty policies, prompting their Senior VP of Operations Jeff Williams to go to deal with the public relations issues. Apple is consistently trying to increase support for its Chinese users as the company realizes that the region is a key part of their revenue models.

{Via MacRumors}

Late last week, Apple Inc. (AAPL) reported its financial results third calendar quarter and fourth fiscal quarter of 2012. AAPL reported a net quarterly profit of $8.2 billion on $36.0 billion in revenue, which comes out to roughly $8.67 per diluted share. During the fourth fiscal quarter of 2011, Apple reported $28.27 billion in revenue with a net quarterly profit of $6.62 billion, coming out to about $7.05 per diluted share.

With each passing year, Apple has posted a higher quarterly revenue and profit, increasing its per share price by almost $1.67 per share since this time last year. With improvements in each quarter, Apple has set a record revenue for for fiscal 2012, reporting a total revenue of $156.5 billion with a net profit of $41.7 billion. Revenue and profit for fiscal 2012 comes in much higher than 2011, which brought in $108.2 billion in sales and $25.9 billion in profit.

Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned last year that Asia, specifically China is a major growth opportunity for the company, which proved to be true in 2012. International sales accounted for over 60 percent of Apple’s revenue, which shows major growth from several years ago. During fiscal 2012, Apple sold 4.9 million Mac, an increase of 1 percent from over a year ago, 5.3 million iPods which declined 19 percent from a year ago. Although Apple is posting revenue increases each quarter, the company’s iPod sales have been declining for several quarters, with most sales coming from iPad and iPhone sales.

We’re very proud to end a fantastic fiscal year with record September quarter results,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We’re entering this holiday season with the best iPhone, iPad, Mac and iPod products ever, and we remain very confident in our new product pipeline.

Apple expects revenue for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 to be yet another record with expected revenue of $52 billion and earnings per diluted share of $11.75. Apple has yet to include holiday sales for this year, which will likely be much higher than fiscal 2011, as Apple introduced an entirely new lineup of iPods, the new iPhone 5, as well as the iPad mini which is expected to be a major success this holiday.

{Via MacRumors}

Early last week, reports of Apple Inc. (AAPL) opening a third store in Beijing were published, with photos from chinese site MicGadget showing the entrance of the new store under construction. On Sunday, Apple confirmed that they are going to open the third store in Beijing, located on the iconic Wangfujing Street. The Cupertino, Calif., company confirmed that the store is scheduled to open at 10am this Saturday, as with all other Apple grand openings.

China is a major market for AAPL, as the company has experienced massive growth in numerous Asian nations including China. Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated numerous times in past earnings calls that China is very important to Apple’s growth worldwide. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is also planning to open a massive data center in Hong Kong during the first quarter of 2013, allowing the company to expand and integrate more into the country and support its international users.

By opening the new store, Apple is looking at growth in sales, as the company receives a large part of its revenue from China, Japan and other Asian nations. During the grand opening, Apple typically gives out free commemorative t-shirts to the first 10,000 visitors and has even given out goody bags in its retail stores in China, consisting of gift cards, iPod Shuffles, and even iPads.

{Via 9to5Mac — Image Credit: MicGadget}

iOS 6 was released to the public a little more than a week ago already complaints have flooded the internet over the fact that Apple’s new iOS Maps app does not offer walking and transit directions like Google’s Maps. Other complaints included Maps getting directions and places wrong, with one user claiming that there was a city that Maps located in the middle of the ocean.

Apple CEO Tim Cook finally addressed the complaints by issuing an open letter, noting that as users begin to use Maps more, the better it’ll get. The full letter can be seen below.

To our customers,

At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.

We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.

There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.

While we’re improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.

Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.

Tim Cook
Apple’s CEO

Several hours after Cook published the letter, Apple updated the App Store with a new feature sections called “Map Apps”. In his letter, Cook mentioned to users that they can download free apps such as Waze and MapQuest until iOS Maps improved.

The new sections includes a range of different map applications from companies such as Waze, Mapquest, Garmin, Bing, and MotionX, offering transit directions, walking directions, as well as separate turn by turn navigation apps. With Cook’s letter and the addition of the new App Store section, it show’s that Apple is taking criticism of its iOS Maps very seriously and is looking to correct the issue momentarily until their own mistake is corrected in the long term.

{Via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) has had yet another successful iPhone launch, topping previous years launch weekend sale by one million. As a matter of fact, the iPhone 5 sold 5 million units during the first weekend it was on sale surpassing the iPhone 4S sales which sold 4 million units in the first 3 days of release.

Although the sales for the iPhone 5 are higher and pre orders reached 2 million in 24 hours, it did not meet the expectations of Wall Street analysts who predicted that AAPL would sell over 8 million units.

Alongside the news of the 5 million iPhone 5s sold, Apple also announced that over 100 million iOS devices have been updated to iOS 6, bringing the company’s new Maps application to older devices, as well as a number of other features such as Do Not Disturb and Passbook. Apple CEO Tim Cook commented on the sale of 5 million iPhone 5 units:

Demand for iPhone 5 has been incredible and we are working hard to get an iPhone 5 into the hands of every customer who wants one as quickly as possible. While we have sold out of our initial supply, stores continue to receive iPhone 5 shipments regularly and customers can continue to order online and receive an estimated delivery date. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough iPhone 5s for everyone.

Many users who preordered still have not received their iPhone 5 as demand for the product exceeded initial supply, leaving users with shipments slated to arrive in October. It normally takes Apple several weeks to meet up with the initial demand for its products, regulating shipping dates as sales come in. With the iPhone, shipping dates generally drop to 1 week or less after the first 4 weeks of initial sales.

The 5 million figure for the iPhone 5 accounts only for the units Apple was able to ship to its customers. Its possible that the pre-order numbers could be much higher however, due to supply constraints the company was unable to account for those units that have not been delivered yet. The quarterly financial report that the company is expected to announce would give a better picture of the devices sold. As the holiday season approaches Apple could set yet another record sales as nearly all of its products have been completely redesigned for this year.

{Via AppleInsider}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Tuesday reported their Q2 2012 earnings results. As always, AAPL is showing record numbers from revenue to profit and is seeing great increase in the sales of their mobile devices. The company reported quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion. That’s roughly $6.40 per diluted share, which is up almost 94% from the previous year.

Apple sold a whopping 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads, 4 million Macs, and 7.7 million iPods in the quarter. This represents an 88 percent growth for iPhone sales a massive 151 percent increase for the iPad, a 7 percent increase for Macs, and unsurprisingly, a 15 percent decline in iPod sales. iPod sales have been steadily declining for the last two years, and decreased by about 21% just last quarter.

Even with this decline, Apple is surpassing its expectations from last quarter, where revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was projected to be $32.5 billion, with an earnings per diluted share of $8.50. Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about the earnings, noting that he is pleased with the profit margins and sales:

We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter. The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.

Apple has not been resting on their laurels with meeting their expectations and has continued to go above and beyond their financial projections. Following Apple’s earnings calling, CFO, Peter Oppenheimer even went as far as to say that he expects revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.

{via Apple}

During today’s iPad 3 live keynote event Apple will finally unveil the third-generation tablet and release date is expected within two weeks from today. iPad 3 is widely expected to feature retina display with a resolution of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels, faster processor with improved graphics, better cameras and more.

iPad 3 is rumored to use Dual-Core A5X SoC that will not only be faster but also deliver enhanced graphics and include 1GB RAM. The design is not expected to see major changes however, it is believed that the new iPad will be 0.8 mm thicker when compared with the second gen tablet.

Apple could share an update related to iOS 5.1 software update and could announce its immediate availability. While we haven’t heard about any conclusive evidence which points to inclusion of Siri in iPad 3 Apple could be looking at bringing the “personal voice assistant” to the tablet.

What are your expectations from this years event? Let us know in the comments section.

Check back soon for the iPad 3 live coverage.

08:00AM – Hawaii
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You don’t need to refresh this page! Live updates will appear below:

Sources: Engadget, Ars Technica, The Verge, gdgt

Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs adored The Beatles and considered them to be an important part of music history, revolutionizing music as we know it. Apple and The Beatles have had a long history, with The Beatles using the Apple name for many aspects of their business.

Eventually, the two sides came into settlement, which led up to a 2007 agreement that Apple obtain the trademark and license it back to The Beatles for their own uses.

Beginning today, fans around the world can, for the first time, purchase ringtones for the Beatles’ 27 UK and US #1 hits, exclusively on iTunes.

Now, The Beatles are following up on their iTunes debut with Exclusive ringtones, available through the iTunes Store. The ringtones are 30 seconds long, like all others, and are priced at $1.29 apiece. The full list of The Beatles ringtones include:

“Love Me Do”, “From Me to You”, “She Loves You”, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”, “Can’t Buy Me Love”, “A Hard Day’s Night”, “I Feel Fine”, “Eight Days a Week”, “Ticket to Ride”, “Help!”, “Yesterday”, “Day Tripper”, “We Can Work It Out”, “Paperback Writer”, “Yellow Submarine”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Penny Lane”, “All You Need Is Love”, “Hello, Goodbye”, “Lady Madonna”, “Hey Jude”, “Get Back”, “The Ballad of John and Yoko”, “Something”, “Come Together”, “Let It Be”, and “The Long and Winding Road”.

With the addition of The Beatle’s music in November 2010, Apple has featured The Beatles numerous times in their stores, including an exclusive free animated e-book of Yellow Submarine on the iBookstore, and numerous television ads for The Beatle’s music on iTunes.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook mentioned earlier this week that John Browett was hired not to “bring Dixons to Apple”, but instead “to bring Apple to an even higher level of customer service and satisfaction.” Cook even went as far as to say that, “John shares that commitment [to customer service] like no one else we’ve met.”

With John Browett accepted as one of Apple’s more talented executives, the online community has begun to wonder what style of retail strategy that Browett will bring to the Cupertino company. On Thursday, Paul Harmer who wrote an email to Tim Cook further revealed that he had an unusual encounter with John Browett at one of Dixons’ retail stores, PC World. He described it as following.

Just a quick note about John Browett –

About a year ago I was with a friend in our local branch of PC World (part of the Dixons group) looking at plasma TVs. We were assisted by a really charming and knowledgable assistant, who I must admit appeared slightly better-dressed and older than most in the store. He must have spent at least 30 minutes with us, explaining the pros and cons of LCD vs plasma, and the best deals available. An excellent impression.

Turns out it was John Browett making one of his regular store visits, but we had to prise this out of him.

Hope he does well, genuinely impressive bloke, and this ties in with your comment about his passion for customer service. He means it!

Paul

In a another interesting twist, Paul Harmer also mentioned that after emailing Dixons Group, he recieved a personal response from Browett, then Dixons CEO:

Dear Paul,

Thank you for your kind comments.

Hope the TV works out well.

Happy new year

John

This new report allows many to see the retail experience that Browett will be bringing to Apple, an experience that is very familiar to customers. Late Apple CEO and Chairman, Steve Jobs was known to send emails to customers and address them directly, something that CEO Tim Cook has continued as well. Apple is making lots of changes to its executive positions, hoping to preserve its reputation for excellent customer service.

{via Mac Rumors}

John Browett, Apple Inc. (AAPL) new SVP of Retail replaced Ron Johnson after the executive left for a position as CEO of JC Penney. Browett is already making ripples at AAPL, noted as the “hired outsider” and as “the best by far” by CEO Tim Cook,.

Tony Hart noted on his blog that after emailing Apple CEO Tim Cook on the Cupertino company’s decision to hire Dixons CEO John Browett, he received a personal response from Cook who noted Browett as “the best by far”.

Tony,

I talked to many people and John was the best by far. I think you will be as pleased as I am. His role isn’t to bring Dixons to Apple, [it’s] to bring Apple to an even higher level of customer service and satisfaction.

Tim

Browett, who ran Dixons Retail, has raised some concerns with many who are familiar with the company’s store names, which run under Curry’s and PC World. However, Browett is considered to be a “rising star” in retail with his experience in leading operations at supermarket chain Tesco and running Dixons since 2007.

With Browett in place as SVP of Retail in the United States, Apple has broadened its search internationally for its next retail chief, hoping to bring new perspectives and different levels of skills on-board.

Tim Cook’s email response is something that has also caught the attention of many, who suggest that the new CEO is continuing the tradition of late CEO Steve Jobs, who occasionally responded to customer emails.

Apple continues to set examples in the retail sector in terms of customer service and carrying on a great tradition set by Steve Jobs. The company is now bringing in new leadership style, that can only get better as Apple adds more executives and bright minds from numerous countries, companies, and backgrounds.

{via Mac Rumors}

Late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs once led Apple Inc. (AAPL) with unparalleled commitment and strategy that many had never experienced before, and under his leadership, AAPL continued to improve each year. However, Apple’s latest stock quote shows signs of exceptional growth in the month of January, led by new Apple CEO Tim Cook, who filled the position in August 2011 after Steve Jobs stepped down.

Stock trading came to a close on Tuesday for the month of January and Apple experienced strong earnings with a gain of over 50 points, an increase in price of over 13%. This is partly associated with Apple’s exceptional Q1 of 2012, posting a revenue of $46.33 billion and a net quarterly profit of $13.06 billion a week ago.

The markets closed at $456.48 today after touching $458.24 early in the day’s trading, a new record for Apple. Apple’s market capitalization is now above $425 billion passing Exxon Mobil’s stock price with a $25 billion lead.

This leads Apple to claim the spot as world’s most valuable publicly-traded company, consistently growing as one of the bigger corporations in the United States and one of the biggest with over $97.6 billion in cash.

{via Mac Rumors}

Former Senior Vice President of Retail, Ron Johnson left Apple Inc. (AAPL) to join J.C Penney as CEO last November, and left no one to take his spot. Johnson spearheaded many ideas for the retail stores and kept Apple’s over 300 retail stores operating and increasing presence all around the world.

On Tuesday, AAPL announced that they have named John Brownett as the new Senior Vice President of Retail who will be leaving his current position as CEO of Dixons Retail. Dixons Retail is one of the largest consumer electronics retailer in Europe with over 40,000 employees. Dixons has already announced that Browett’s position as CEO will be filled by Sebastian James.

Apple® today announced that John Browett will join the company as senior vice president of Retail, reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Browett comes to Apple from European technology retailer Dixons Retail, where he has been CEO since 2007. Beginning in April, he will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and the continued expansion of Apple retail stores around the world.

“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.

Prior to his role as CEO at Dixons Retail, Browett held executive postions at Tesco plc including CEO of Tesco.com, and also advised retail and consumer goods clients at Boston Consulting Group. Brownett holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Wharton Business School.

With Browett’s exceptional background in retail and his experience advising large groups, there is no doubt that Apple has chosen him as SVP of Retail. Browett officially makes the transition to Apple in April, where he will take on all of Ron Johnon’s previous duties running Apple’s Retail sector.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has experienced major growth in revenue and profit in international markets over the last few months, and continues to grow in promising markets such as Asia, and the United Kingdom. However, Apple’s (AAPL) increasing influence in South America, more specifically, Brazil has led to a very promising outlook for Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted that Brazil appears to be a future growth area, also mentioning that, “I think there’s a huge opportunity for us there, and we’ve more than begun to go deeper into Brazil”. Cook, although talking positively about growth in Brazil, was quick to mention that retail was not one of Apple’s goals at this point, saying, “But I don’t want to signal that that means that Apple retail will be there, because I don’t envision that occurring in the near term”.

Brazil is home to almost 200 million people and has one of the best economies in South America. Brazil’s Per capita income, while not as strong as the United States competes directly with China for the number two spot, and shows that the country is economically strong enough to support retail presence from big companies such as Apple.

Customers in Brazil currently pay the most for Apple products in the world, with an unsubsidized 16 GB iPhone 4S coming in around US$1,400 in Brazil. While these high prices can be a result of Brazil’s high import duties, Apple is going to have to market and match prices for their products accordingly with the rest of the world in order to make a reasonable profit from the South American country.

{via TUAW}

In a report from Israeli business newspaper Calcalist, it was revealed that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is ramping up its operations in Israel post acquisition of Anobit. The report also mentioned that AAPL has begun looking over resumes to hire for its new research and development center in Haifa, Israel and has looked over “several hundred resumes” from engineers looking to work in the new center.

The new research center is expected to be run by Apple’s new hire, an Israeli high-tech executive Aharon Aharon. The report also notes that Apple is opening up its new research center in a location where companies such as Intel, Microsoft, and Phillips currently call home.

Apple is seeking expertise in chip development, more specifically in the electrical circuits and hardware testing and verification departments, many of which the companies mentioned above can provide. Apple’s research center is separate from its acquisition of Israeli flash memory firm Anobit, which, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, is currently being integrated into Apple’s ecosystem and will be headed by hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield.

Reports from 9to5Mac also suggest that Apple has sent vice president Johny Srouji, who has had experience at other companies such as IBM and Intel, to oversee Anobit’s operations in Israel. Srouji joined Apple in 2008 and is now overseeing VLSI operations at Anobit, which focuses on chip design and implementation.

{via MacRumors}

Many tablets have been introduced in the market from companies looking to create the “iPad killer”. Top contenders include the Motorola Xoom and Kindle Fire, which failed to follow through with the original hype that it created upon release.

On Tuesday, following Apple’s announcement of their 4th quarter earnings for 2011, an analyst during the earnings call, asked Apple CEO Tim Cook if the iPad was impacted by lower priced tablets. Cook, as a reply, noted that Apple sold a record 15.4 million iPads and that Apple doesn’t consider “limited function tablets and e-readers to be in the same category as the iPad”.

Cook also noted that ecosystem for the iPad is “in a class by itself”. Tim Cook may have a point as it proves true during sales, where customers seem to gravitate towards product that offer a more solidified user experience, simplifying email, web, and desktop computer integration seamlessly, all of which iOS does very well.

We strongly believe in optimizing applications from day one to take advantage of the larger canvas. There are only a few hundred apps designed for the competition, versus more than 170,000 apps designed specifically for iPad. People who want an iPad won’t settle for a limited function tablet.

However, Cook wasn’t the only person praising the iPad. A number of executives from the Cupertino company have said that tablets are going to overtake the PC market in units and according to IDC, tablets outsold desktop PC’s last quarter on a unit basis in the United States. Following his statements about the iPad, Cook also mentioned that Apple will “continue to innovate like crazy” and will compete with any tablet out in the market.

Apple is consistently leading the smart phone and tablet market, guided by Steve Jobs’ quote from famous hockey player Wayne Gretzky, “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been”. Apple’s advanced intuition of the trends helps them to adjust their new product lines to the ever shifting technology market.

Apple is expected to announce the iPad 3 sometime between February and March, with a new A6 chip, higher resolution screen, and better cameras.

On Monday, Apple’s iPhone officially turned 5 years old, marking a historic moment, when Steve Jobs took introduced Apple’s revolutionary mobile phone.

On January, 9, 2007, Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs came on stage with a huge presence, ready to introduce the product that would change the smartphone market forever. About 20 minutes into the presentation, Mr. Jobs introduced the iPhone, with a 3.5” multitouch display, extraordinary metal design, and a combination of Mac OS X and Apple’s own brew of a mobile operating system, later renamed iOS.

In 2007, the tech industry had never seen such a device, with customers lining up at every Apple Store in the United States to get their hands on one. In 2008, Apple followed up with its success of the iPhone with the iPhone 3G, followed by the 3GS in 2009, and the iPhone 4 in 2010. The most recent, the iPhone 4S outsold every model introduced in Apple’s history.

Apple has experienced a drastic increase in sales each year, leading to a record one million iPhone 4S sales on the first day of release. The iPhone was introduced at the MacWorld 2007 conference, with an excellent salesman strategy by Steve Jobs, announcing that Apple would be introducing three products a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a revolutionary mobile phone, and a breakthrough internet communicator. Jobs later revealed that all three were included on one device.

Apple changed the the technology market as we know it, and it all started with the iPhone, which led to the iPad and iPod touch and even innovation in Apple’s desktop software. On January, 9, 2007, Apple made history, and made us all realize how a combination of design, technology, and a little customer appreciation could have such a powerful effect.

Update: It turns out that iPhone Download Blog has posted an update to this story and admitted that their reader sent them a fake email.

Once again it appears that Apple CEO isn’t happy running a successful tech company. He also wants to be a customer services rep, this time commenting on the mythical white iPhone 4.

Here’s how it went down.

An iPhone Download Blog reader saw fit to email Steve-o to quiz him on the availability of the much anticipated white handset, and received a prompt, and characteristically terse reply.

The initial email reads…

Hello Steve, My name is Nathan, I’m a high school student from San Bernardino. I also happen to be one of your biggest fan and a total Apple fanboy and proud to be

I’ve been saving up money to buy the new iphone 4. I want the white one but Apple said it won’t be available until later this year. I know you must be asked this question hundreds of times a day but do you think we can expect to get the white iphone for xmas?

I hope you can answer. Thank you Steve.

A mere 3 minutes later (does Jobs not have anything to do of an evening?) this uninspiring reply appeared in Nathan’s inbox.

Christmas is later this year.

So there we have it – Jobs points out the glaringly obvious yet again. Cheers for that!

Does this mean we can expect the white iPhone to land in-stores around Christmas time? I doubt it. This sounds like Apple giving themselves as long a launch window as possible.

Still, this IS Apple, and nothing would surprise any of us.

We recently reported that Nokia, RIM & HTC were quick to respond to the “Antennagate” conference and today Samsung in its defense said that:

The antenna is located at the bottom of the Omnia 2 phone, while iPhone’s antenna is on the lower left side of the device. Our design keeps the distance between a hand and an antenna. We have fully conducted field tests before the rollout of smartphones. Reception problems have not happened so far, and there is no room for such problems to happen in the future.

Hwan Kim, vice-president of mobile communications recently issued a new statement to Reuters saying:

we have not received significant customer feedback on any signal reduction issue for the Omnia II. Based on years of experience of designing high quality phones, Samsung mobile phones employ an internal antenna design technology that optimizes reception quality for any type of hand-grip use.

The aim of Apple’s conference was to explain to its customers that the “weak spot” issue in not unique to iPhone 4 and continues to be a challenge for the entire industry and by showing the existence of similar issues in its competitors products Apple has been successful in conveying this message.

Ruben Caballero, whose a senior engineer and an antenna expert, Informed Apple’s management that iPhone 4 design may cause reception issues. The same report also claims that a carrier partner also raised the same concerns about the device prior to the launch. All of these allegations are being made by people who claim that they were familiar with the situation but asked to remain anonymous.

The “death grip” issue, as it has become known, has become a PR nightmare for Apple. With many people calling for iPhone 4 recall and many others calling for Apple to provide bumper cases for free, Apple finally caved in and scheduled a press conference for Friday morning. This report will most certainly throw more fuel on the fire that is already burning. I must tell you that when this issue first surfaced, my first reaction was how could this happen considering the number of smart people working there?

Do you believe this report? What do you think Apple will say tomorrow at the press conference. Let us know your thoughts.

Apple has just updated their website with the download / streaming link for the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 WWDC keynote event. Today Steve Jobs introduced the new iPhone 4 with a completely new design and over 100 new features.

Apple’s iPhone 4 features 5MP camera, HD video recording, video calls, front and back facing camera with LED flashlight, new retina display with 960×640 resolution, gyroscope and much more.

Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduce the new iPhone 4. See the video-on-demand event right here, exclusively in QuickTime and and MPEG-4

Direct link to the iPhone 4 WWDC keynote event: Video-on-demand, Download Podcast

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