Hasta La Gadget!

According to earlier rumors, it has been suggested that Apple could be looking to design their own baseband chips. These chips are expected to make their way into future iPhone devices and it could be another way for Apple to control the hardware and software from start to finish. At the moment, these baseband chips are supplied by Qualcomm but made by TSMC.

To corroborate those rumors, it seems that AppleInsider has noticed that Apple has recently hired several semiconductor engineers from chipmaker, Broadcom. Both engineers have worked at Broadcom for a very long time and have experience in building RF hardware which resulted in baseband transceivers used by Nokia and Samsung.

One of the engineers, a certain Paul Chang, had worked at Broadcom for the past 11 years and it was only this February that he joined Apple as a senior program manager, and his Linkedin profile confirms it.

Another engineer, Xiping Wang, had joined Apple as an engineer back in January as per his LinkedIn profile as well. Wang had previously spent a decade as a design engineer and hardware development manager at Broadcom. These two engineers aren’t the only ones hired from Broadcom, although they are some of the more recent hires.

AppleInsider notes that over the years, Apple has added more Broadcom and Qualcomm software and hardware engineers to their list of employees. Of course it is entirely possible that these engineers could be working on something else, but given their experience and expertise, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that their work could be related to Apple’s rumored in-house baseband chips.

Apple’s Recent Broadcom Hires Corroborates In-House Baseband Rumors , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Cellphones, Rumors, iPhone,

Given Apple’s secretive nature, we can only speculate and assume what Apple has planned for release this year, and the next, and so on. However according to KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo, he has recently put together a slide showing what he expects Apple’s roadmap to be for 2014.

According to Kuo, he expects that towards the end of Q2 2014, Apple will introduce an upgrade to the iMac, possibly at low cost. During Q3, he expects that both the iPad Air and the iPad mini will be getting an upgrade which dispels rumors that Apple could be killing off the iPad mini.

During Q3 Kuo also expects that Apple will launch the rumored iWatch and that it could come in two sizes. One will be of the 1.3-inch display variety and the other of a 1.5-inch variety, and both will come with a flexible AMOLED display. Q3 is also when the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is expected to make its debut.

Come Q4, Kuo thinks that Apple will be announcing an upgrade to its Apple TV, which we guess is due for an upgrade. The rumored 12-inch MacBook is also expected to make its debut early Q4 along with MacBook Pro upgrades as well which is interesting as Apple typically makes computer-related announcements at WWDC. Last but not least is the 5.5-inch iPhone which he thinks could debut towards the end of the  year.

We should note that this isn’t the official roadmap and it is one put together by an analyst who thinks that this is what Apple has planned for the rest of the year. However Kuo has been pretty reliable in the past when it comes to providing insider knowledge regarding Apple’s products, so perhaps there might be some truth to his claims, but to be on the safe side, you might want to take it with a grain of salt for now.

Apple’s Roadmap For 2014, According To An Analyst , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Cellphones, Computers, Tablets, iMac, iPad, iPhone, macbook,

Apple is reportedly poaching Broadcom engineers as it develops its own baseband processors, the complex chips responsible for the wireless connectivity in iPhones and iPads, as the iOS company tries … Continue reading

I have always wondered why car manufacturers didn’t go the extra mile and make it so keyless entry systems are actually keyless and fobless. Sure, it’s more convenient to press a button on the door or grope yourself looking for a remote than to have to put a key in the door. That said, it would be much more convenient if the car would just unlock itself when you walk up and lock itself when you leave.

It can’t cost much more for automakers to implement that sort of tech. Until that tech becomes common on cars sold around the world. Viper has a system that will bring that functionality to the aftermarket. The system is called the Viper Smartkey and it uses your iPhone to lock and unlock your doors.

The cool part is that you don’t have to take the smartphone out of your pocket or purse to make it work. All you need to do is get out of the car and walk away, the doors will lock, and the Viper alarm will arm. When you walk back up to the car, the doors unlock and the alarm turns off. Smartkey does require a Viper alarm or remote start system to function. If you have one of those systems, you can get Smartkey for $149.99(USD) right now.

If you have a teenage son or daughter, or maybe if you’re a teen reading this article, what phone do you use? Is it an iPhone? Will your next phone also be an iPhone? Perhaps your answer could be yes, perhaps it could be in the negative, but according to a recent study conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst, Gene Munster, it has been revealed that the iPhone is the phone of choice for teens.

In the study, 7,500 teens were asked what devices they owned and what their next phone could be. It was found that 61% of the teens surveyed now own an iPhone which is actually an increase from October 2013 where only 55% had an iPhone, and it is also up from 40% in the fall of 2012. 67% of the teens surveyed also revealed that they expect their next phone to also be an iPhone.

Tablet use has also gone up amongst teens to 60% which is up from 56% last fall. Interestingly enough it seems that while tablet use is up, demand for the iPad might have dropped. 66% of the teens surveyed owned an iPad which is down from 68%, hinting that maybe teens are starting to move on to other brands and platforms instead.

The study also covered Apple’s rumored iWatch device and 17% of teens indicated that they would be interested in purchasing the device if Apple sold it for $350 or less. According to Munster, “The bigger takeaway from our survey is that 17% of teens suggested they would be interested in an iWatch, which we believe is an indication of consumer thirst for not only the iWatch specifically, but the new product categories that have been promised by Apple.”

iPhones Popular Amongst Teens, iPads Not So Much [Study] , original content from Ubergizmo, Filed in Apple, Cellphones, iPhone, study,