Apple

If you run over your computer with a monster truck, stick dynamite in the USB slot or attach it to a Slinky and roll it down the stairway, you can reasonably expect to lose any warranty or cover care you have on it. But now there's another rash ... activity that can leave you out of pocket if a fault develops: smoking. The Consumerist website, run by the same group behind Consumer Reports magazine, says two readers have found Apple refused to fix computers because they were smokers. Both had purchased the extended warranty Applecare package. In one case, the problems with the machine were blamed ... (view more)

With Microsoft grabbing all the headlines of late with its brand-spanking new Windows 7 operating system (OS), Apple has made its bid to turn consumer attention away from their Redmond-based competitor by employing the help of search titan Google. ... According to reports, search terms for "Windows 7 download" and even "Windows 7 upgrade" have triggered Google-sponsored links for Apple products. While some may think that an advertising campaign such as this is 'just business', others say that such a tactic is dirty. (Source: thenextweb.com ) Apple: Make the Switch to Mac Apple ... (view more)

Apple has been criticized over its refusal to refund users who buy iPhone applications ("app") that don't work properly. In most cases, the firm only gives refunds if the app fails to download correctly, but not if the app itself is faulty. The ... issue gained attention when it was raised by New York Times blog writer Eric Taub. He complained that the refund policy means users don't have any opportunity to try an app and get their money back if it is of poor quality. (Source: nytimes.com ) Apple Refusing Refunds for Broken Apps However, David Coursey of PC World notes that in some ... (view more)

Apple's iPod Nano has two new exciting capabilities, and they're the ones many have been waiting a long time for the Cupertino-based company to introduce. Video- and audio-recording can now be added to the long list of features touted by the ... impressive little device. The Nano's new features were hardly a surprise for most insiders who speculated an upgrade of this kind was due by the end of 2009. However, the Nano's pricing was a bit of a shock, with prices floating around the $179.99 mark for the 16 GB version and $149.99 for the smaller 8 GB edition. New iPod Nano Reviews Mixed Thus Far ... (view more)

Think Apple's iPod is the quintessential tech product for the modern age? Arguably, the iPod is the tech world's most in-demand product -- and has been virtually uncontested in North America for the last ten years -- but not in Japan, where the Sony ... Walkman currently holds top spot as the highest-selling MP3 player. The Apple iPod is a ubiquitous device. It's recognized in places where many Western products, like a laptop or PlayStation, are not. It's also very popular in the land of the rising sun, where for the last four years it has been the most powerful force in MP3 playback technology. ... (view more)

A major newspaper has recently questioned how much AT ... (view more)

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has quit the Apple board. His resignation came after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began investigating why Apple refused to carry a Google program in its app store. Schmidt's departure comes four months after ... another government agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), began probing his role on the board . A 1914 antitrust law bans people from sitting on the boards of rival companies if they compete with one another. That was becoming more and more problematic as Google moved into its own browser and being heavily involved in the open source operating ... (view more)

A British newspaper claims Apple ordered a customer whose iPod exploded to keep quiet about it. The Times says the company refused to refund the customer unless they signed a confidentiality agreement. Ken Stanborough one day found his daughter's ... iPod overheating to the point when he could no longer hold it. He threw it from his back door and within 30 seconds it exploded and flew "10 feet in the air." He contacted both the retailer where he bought the device, Argos, and Apple itself. Eventually he received a letter from Apple offering him a full refund but denying any liability. The letter ... (view more)

Apple is trying to make it more attractive for iTunes shoppers to buy full albums rather than just single tracks. The plan involves giving customers additional electronic material to simulate the experience of owning a physical product, like a CD. ... Codenamed 'Cocktail,' Apple's scheme reportedly has the support of all four major record labels. It would mean album buyers not only received electronic copies of album covers, liner notes, lyrics lists and other printed material, but that there'd be some degree of interactivity -- for example, by having the track listing act as a menu. (Source: ... (view more)

Apple has formally applied to launch the iPhone in China. The move, earlier than expected, appears to have been made possible once the firm agreed to drop WiFi capability. There are both political and technical reasons for WiFi issues in China. ... Until April this year, the government refused to allow any WiFi handsets. Officially that was because of fears users would add Internet phone services such as Skype and use those to make calls, to the detriment of China's phone companies. Unofficially it was thought the government believed WiFi would make it harder to monitor communications. Censorship ... (view more)