Trial details hardball tactics by Apple, Amazon and publishers in battle for control of e-books

ibooks_hero

Major publishers threatened to withhold new e-books from Amazon’s Kindle store if the Seattle company didn’t give them control over pricing, according to testimony from an Amazon executive, Russell Grandinetti, in the DOJ’s price-fixing trial against Apple. How did Amazon respond? ”They yelled, screamed, and threatened,” said Penguin Group’s CEO David Shanks on the stand, counter to assertions… Read More…

iPhone sales stay hot as shipments of smartphones set to pass feature phones in 2013

iphone5-smalllfrontandback-small

Smartphones are taking over the world. Well, not really. But the latest estimates from the International Data Corporation indicate that 2013 will be the first time worldwide smartphone shipments exceed those of feature phones. The IDC said today that it expects 2013 smartphone shipments to grow by an astounding 32.7 percent from last year to 958.8… Read More…

Study: Android still rules, but Windows Phone makes gains thanks to the kids

lumiasmall

The latest numbers from Kantar show Windows continuing steady sales and, somewhat surprisingly, growing at a faster rate than those of Android. Windows Phone has seen its market share grow from 3.8 percent in February, March and April of 2012 to 5.6 percent during the same three month-period in 2013. That’s a 47 percent year-over-year growth… Read More…

E-books: Apple’s federal court showdown starts today

ibooks_hero

The dispute over Apple’s alleged price-fixing of e-books comes to a head today as a case brought against the company by the U.S. Justice Department in 2012 goes to trial in federal court in Manhattan. Apple is accused of conspiring with book publishers to raise prices on e-books via the iBookstore. The Justice Department claims… Read More…

Tim Cook explains what makes people successful at Apple

Tim Cook (Credit: Apple)

Apple CEO Tim Cook traveled to Duke’s Fuqua Business School for his 25th reunion in late April. While he was there, he sat down for an hour-long Q&A with Bill Boulding, the school’s dean. This week, Duke released seven clips of his talk — providing a candid look at Cook’s influences (MLK and Bobby Kennedy),… Read More…

Microsoft pokes fun at Apple and Google; Amazon.com’s amazing biodomes; and other top posts of the month

biosphere555

May was a busy, busy month for us here at GeekWire. We hosted more than 800 of you at our big awards event at the EMP in Seattle and instituted some core changes on the backend of the site to help speed up delivery of pages. And things aren’t slowing down now that we’re entering… Read More…

Wearable computing: Apple’s Tim Cook wary of glasses but says ‘the wrist is interesting’

Tim Cook at the D11 Conference. Photo by Asa Mathat | D: All Things Digital"

Speaking at the D11 conference down in California this evening, Apple CEO Tim Cook was careful not to reveal any specific plans by the company to get into the market for wearable computing. But his comments made it clear that he sees more opportunity in smartwatches than in glasses. His comments add new fuel to… Read More…

Amazon, Apple, Facebook or Google: Who is building the coolest tech campus?

apple-campus11111

One looks like a futuristic spaceship, another includes three steel and glass biodomes. A third is being developed by world-class architect Frank Gehry, and the fourth spans 42-acres on a former airfield. Welcome to the wonderful world of “geek-tecture” where Apple, Amazon.com, Facebook and Google are all trying to outdo one another with new corporate… Read More…

Microsoft stacks up Surface vs. iPad with mixed results

compare

Let’s see, the Surface RT is slightly heavier than the iPad, the same thickness and gets two hours less battery life. Sign me up! OK, so Microsoft’s new iPad vs. Windows tablet comparison site is more nuanced than that, pointing out the areas where Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets shine — including multitasking, printing,… Read More…

Geek Humor: Jon Stewart rips Apple and U.S. Senators

stewart99888

This is absolutely hilarious. Comedian Jon Stewart rips into iPhone-loving U.S. Senators who were fawning over Apple CEO Tim Cook during his recent testimony on Capitol Hill. “Apparently there is nothing Apple can do to get us mad at them,” Stewart notes. “We could find out they’re using kitten hearts to power iPhones and we’d… Read More…

New look: Rhapsody iOS app gets complete makeover

rhapsodynewiosapp.jpg

It’s makeover time for the Rhapsody iOS app, as the Seattle online music streaming company just debuted a completely redesigned version of the app. There are several differences from the old look, including a new visual homepage, updated artist and album pages, personalized organization and a new full screen player. Earlier this month, Rhapsody became the… Read More…

WildTangent brings Penguins Escape to mobile, launches games on Asus tablets

penguinswildtanget.jpg

For the second time this year, Wild Tangent is making the move to mobile. Four months after releasing its first iOS game, Polar Bowler 1st Frame, the Redmond-based company is out with its second mobile title, Penguins! Escape. It’s the mobile version of the classic WildTangent game Penguins! but with updated graphics and animations for both iPhone and iPad touch… Read More…

Microsoft uses Siri to ridicule iPad in latest commercial

msftipadcommercial.jpg

Microsoft is taking another swing at a competitor and this time it’s Apple’s iPad getting the backhand slap. In its latest Windows commercial titled “Less talking, more doing,” Microsoft uses Siri’s voice to show how Windows tablets can perform tasks that the iPad cannot, all at a cheaper price. Important to point out that the featured… Read More…

How Tesla is just like Apple: ‘Everything we do is impossible’

blankenship111444

Former Apple retail executive George Blankenship used to be a self-described “Porsche guy.” Then, a couple years ago, Tesla founder Elon Musk put him behind the wheel of a Roadster. “I was in the car 45 seconds, and I knew I had to be with this company,” recalled Blankenship, who now serves as vice president… Read More…

New Photowerks app for iPhone and iPad makes it easier to find your own pics

photowerks

Like many people nowadays, Seattle-based indie software developer Stephen Orth uses his smartphone as his primary camera. He has more than 4,000 images on his iPhone, and prefers to keep them on the device to reminisce while waiting in line or riding the bus. But with that many images, finding a specific picture can be a… Read More…

T-Mobile bumps iPhone initial payment to $150, up from $100

iphone5-smalllfrontandback-small

All good things must come to an end, apparently — even if we didn’t know they were only temporary. Bellevue-based T-Mobile USA is increasing the cost of the initial down payment for the iPhone 5, and boosting the total price of the smartphone in the process. As first reported by TmoNews, T-Mobile is increasing the down payment for the… Read More…

Nokia touts Lumia 928 camera against competition with roller coaster video

lumia928video.jpg

Nokia has yet to officially announce its newest flagship Lumia 928 smartphone, but that isn’t stopping the manufacturer from touting the device’s features against industry competition. In a new promo video on the landing page for the phone, Nokia shows video footage from the Lumia 928, iPhone 5 and Galaxy S3 — interestingly not the Galaxy… Read More…

Verizon CEO: Windows Phone will play a crucial role in the mobile industry

lumiasmall

At least one high-level mobile exec is optimistic about the long-term success of the Windows Phone. Verizon CEO Dan Mead said today that the Windows Phone has received good traction with OEM’s and thinks both Windows and Blackberry will play a crucial role in the mobile industry. Mead added that there needs to be more… Read More…

Amazon Cloud Player enables iOS update, allows music streaming in Ford vehicles

amazoncloudplayersmall.jpg

Good news for Ford and iPhone owners wanting to blast their tunes with Amazon’s Cloud Player: Amazon’s streaming music service updated its iOS app today to allow iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad devices to play music in Ford Sync AppLink-enabled vehicles. Last February, Amazon is brought its Cloud Player music service to vehicles equipped with Ford Sync AppLink, including new Mustangs,… Read More…

Apple surges to No. 6 on Fortune 500 list, the only tech company in the top 10

appleneon

Apple is already considered the biggest company on the planet in terms of market value — clocking in at $433 billion despite a 13 percent stock slide so far this year. But the maker of iPads and iPhones also is surging up the charts when it comes to the Fortune 500, which ranks corporations by… Read More…