The power button on a woman’s iPhone 4 failed, and she’s not able to turn the phone on or off. That pretty much renders it useless, so she ditched AT&T and got a new phone. But she never forgot that shiny, shiny iPhone that broke down shortly after its initial one-year warranty was up. She filed a class action on behalf of herself and other powerless iPhone users. What raised eyebrows is that she sued under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, accusing Apple and AT&T of conspiring together to sell expensive two-year contracts on phones that break after one year. [More]
DOJ: Steve Jobs E-Mails Show That Apple Engaged In E-Book Price-Fixing
By May 15, 2013
While all of the publishers involved in Justice Dept.’s e-book price-fixing lawsuit have settled, Apple has continued to maintain its innocence. With the trial set to begin in early June, the DOJ has some evidence it believes paints Apple in a rather damning light. [More]
AppleCare Changes Will Save Money, Maybe Make Customers Happier
By May 13, 2013
When you visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store with a complaint about your portable iDevice, if it’s in warranty, they’ll generally hand you a new-to-you refurbished device and send you on your way. AppleInsider reported this weekend that for some basic repairs, that’s about to change. [More]
High Bid Of $605K For Coffee With Tim Cook Rejected Because Bidder Used Stolen Credit Card
By April 29, 2013
The Internet was all abuzz last week when Apple announced it was auctioning off a coffee date with CEO Tim Cook for charity. But whoever submitted last week’s high bid of $605,000 is likely going to get a date with law enforcement instead — the charity says the bidding is back at $600,000 today after discovering the high bidder used a stolen credit card. [More]
virtual showdownGoogle Now, the company’s answer to Apple’s Siri voice-activated “assistant,” has been available for around nine months on (some, but not most) Android-based phones and tablets. But today, iPhone and iPad users will have the option of chatting with Siri or Google Now, as it rolls out as part of a software update to the Google Search app on iOS. [More]
What Are America’s Most Damaged Brands Right Now?
By April 26, 2013
How mighty brands fall. Bad leadership, bad planning, a run of bad products: any of these can damage a brand in a short amount of time, and it can take years to recover: if, indeed, the brand recovers at all. What brands are the most battered in the United States right now? 24/7 Wall Street rounded them up, based on which publicly-traded major companies are currently dealing with aggressive competition, reputation disasters, and a lack of direction. [More]
Report: Apple Sent 5-8 Million Shoddy iPhones Back To Foxconn
By April 23, 2013
The Apple rumor mill is a-churning yet again, and this time it’s not another breathless bit of speculation about the newest version of the iPhone: A report out of China claims that the smartphone giant sent anywhere between five and eight million shoddy iPhones back to its manufacturer, Foxconn, out of concerns that the phones weren’t up to snuff. [More]
Watch What You Whisper: Your Secrets Might Not Be So Safe With Siri
By April 19, 2013
When you ask Siri late on a Friday night how to craft the perfect booty text, it’s not like the iPhone’s digital assistant is going to run off and tell your friends. But oh, she remembers what you tell her. As for how long she holds onto that info, well, it’s unclear. And that uncertainty over Apple’s data retention police is giving privacy advocates a severe case of the frownfaces. [More]
Penguin Offers To Break Up With Apple To End European E-Book Anti-Trust Case
By April 19, 2013
After more than a year of squabbling with the European Commission in an anti-trust case involving Apple’s deals with five publishers that regulators called a conspiracy to fix the price of e-books, the last holdout might be close to settling up. Penguin has offered to ditch its e-book deal with Apple to end the antitrust probe. [More]
$53M Apple iPhone Warranty Settlement Centers On Those Pesky Water Damage Strips
By April 12, 2013
Anyone who’s ever had to pay for a replacement cell phone, smart or otherwise, has tried the “But I swear, I didn’t get it wet!” argument when that little strip is pink, instead of white. But a new settlement has Apple paying out $53 million to customers who claimed the company didn’t honor warranties on iPhones and iPod Touches, all becuse of those pesky damage indicators. [More]
Court Ruling Highlights Huge Roadblock To Reselling Digital Content
By April 2, 2013
Even though huge online players like Amazon and Apple are working on ways to provide users a marketplace to resell “used” digital downloads like mp3s and e-books, neither plan really deals with the most salient problem with reselling digital products — getting rid of the original copy. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 2: Apple Vs. AT&T
March 29, 2013
Let’s get ready for the weekend by pitting a wildly popular electronics company against the wireless provider that had once been its partner-in-crime. [More]
Meet Your Worst Company In America Not-So-Sweet 16!
March 27, 2013
Last week, 32 terrible titans of industry stepped on to the blood-stained mat of WCIA Death-and-Dismemberment Arena, but only 16 remain in this bestial battle royale to take home the treasured Golden Poo. [More]
Worst Company In America Round 1: Apple Vs. Microsoft
March 22, 2013
Let’s end the first week of WCIA play by throwing these two longtime rivals into a locked shipping container until only one of them comes out alive. [More]
European Union Looking Into iPhone Contracts After Carriers Complain They Stifle Competition
By March 22, 2013
Regulators over in Europe are checking into Apple’s deals with cellphone carriers after complaints that the iPhone contracts the company uses stifle competition. There are no formal complaints yet, but a group of wireless carriers banded together to submit info about their various contracts to the European Commission, in a move reportedly started by French carriers. [More]
My Lemon Of An iMac Broke Down After Only Six Days
By March 20, 2013
Trevor just acquired a beautiful new 27″ iMac. We’d be totally jealous if the computer were still working, but it’s not. It suddenly died after he had been using it for only six days, and he can’t revive it. iMac, nooo! Come back! He’s never getting his iMac back, and has to wait a few weeks for a replacement. [More]
How To Avoid Handing Your Tot A Blank Check Made Out To Apple
By March 19, 2013
Maybe you sneer at posts such at this one about a five-year-old who bought $2,500 worth of digital cars in mere minutes, or this one about a child who spent $1,400 on Smurfberries on her parents’ iPad. You’d never be so stupid as to hand a child a device with the password already entered and ready to go. Jamie might have said the same thing…until she did. [More]
Hacker Gets 41 Months In Prison For iPad Data Breach
By March 18, 2013
Remember back in 2010, when some hackers discovered an exploit with AT&T’s system that allowed them to access and publish account information for around 114,000 iPad users? One of the fellas behind that breach was sentenced earlier today to 41 months behind bars. [More]
