Hasta La Gadget!

Apple just released its earnings report for Q1 2013, ending in December of last year, with a solid hardware quarter overall. The iPhone dominated with 47.8 million units sold in the quarter, up quarterly and yearly, with Apple also breaking records with 22.9 million iPads sold.

The iPhone 5 saw its first full quarter of availability this period, as well as a nice holiday sales boost. Analysts had suggested earlier this month that iPhone 5 production orders had been cut on signs of weak demand.

22.9 million iPads sold is a solid increase from last quarter’s 14 million. It’s also a 33 percent YOY increase, up from 15.4 million last year. The iPad missed predictions last quarter.

Though Apple doesn’t break out specific numbers on various models, it’s fair to assume the iPad mini, which was available for the majority of the period, played a part in the increased sales along with the holiday spike. And let’s not forget, Apple also introduced an upgraded 4th-generation iPad with Lightning port alongside the little guy.

However, the iPad mini has more to make up for, as its gross margin is significantly lower than other products.

Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones over the three-month period, vs. 26.9 million last quarter and 37 million last year. That represents YOY growth of 23 percent.

Analysts believe that the iPhone may have already saturated developed markets like the U.S. and the UK, which are Apple’s strongest regions, which explains the production cuts.

However, Apple is rumored to be developing two versions of the next-gen iPhone, and one is said to be a budget model aimed at developing markets.

In terms of iPods, the new family of colorful iPod products has managed to breathe a little life into a flagging business for Apple. The introduction of the iPhone has most certainly chomped into this segment of the business, but Apple still managed to sell 12.7 million, up from 5.3 million last quarter, representing a YOY loss of 18 percent.

IK Multimedia spent a lot of time at CES 2013 courting Android musicians, but we neglected to mention equal attention spent on iOS at the show through the iRig HD. The company’s new adapter pipes audio from a guitar or other instrument with a quarter-inch plug into Lightning-equipped Apple devices, keeping them in IK’s musical world (and inviting terrible Metallica puns). It’s not exclusively built to jam with an iPad mini or iPhone 5, either, as a modular approach brings the analog-to-digital conversion both to earlier iOS gear and to Macs’ USB ports through relevant adapters. About the only disappointment is the absence of firm launch details, although those should be coming “soon.”

Continue reading IK Multimedia’s iRig HD adapter for iOS, Mac lets guitars ride the Lightning port

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

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Via: Cult of Mac

Source: IK Multimedia

So, you’ve been monitoring virtually every aspect of your athletic performance and tweeting it to the world, but not your heartrate or other basic performance factors? Apparently that just won’t do, sport-o, so 4iiii has announced the chest-worn Viiiiva monitor. That’ll let you add those indicators to sportwatches like those from Garmin or Timex through the ANT+ interface, or iPhones and iPods using Bluetooth. To lighten your training load, you can record the data with the Viiiiva alone, then sync it up later and record, plot and analyze your stats with a clutch of iOS fitness apps like Strava or Training Peaks. You’ll be able to pick one up soon for $79 on at 4iiii’s site (see coverage) and select retailers, so head to the PR after the break and feel the burn.

Continue reading 4iiii unveils Viiiiva heart rate monitor that wirelessly links to your iPhone or smartwatch

Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables

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It would appear that Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White has some rather colorful ideas about what the next-generation iPhone will be appearing inside 2013. A published analysis of the future of Apple’s offerings with a device likely called iPhone 5S has produced the idea that the multiple color cases of the iPod touch from 2012 have paved the way for similar offerings in the smartphone segment. This analysis also suggests that Apple will be busting out with another new screen size, this allowing the iPhone 5S to be offered at a higher price than the iPhone 5.

When it comes to analysis like the one we’re about to quote, we’ve always got to warn you, the reader, to get the salt shaker out. Analysis in this vein can be spot-on in some cases, but when it comes to relatively large sweeping changes like the following for a company like Apple, one that essentially always makes incremental changes to their products, we must lower our brows. The first suggestion comes in the way of a number of different casing colors for the iPhone 5S – this is the more believable of the two tips:

“Our checks indicate that the next iPhone will have more choices for customers. This entails an expansion in both the color patterns and screen sizes with the next iPhone (i.e., likely called the iPhone 5S) that we currently believe will be launched in May/June with certain supply production starting in March/April.” – White

This certainly would make sense given the relatively well-received set of color combinations that the iPhone 5 has been released in. Though they may seem standard to some, a combination of White/Silver and Black/Gray was likely seen as a leap from the Black and White of the iPhone 4S to Apple designers. Because of that fact though, it may just be that Apple pushes more “Official” cases for their smartphones with the next-generation iPhone.

“Although Apple offers a 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5 and a 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4, the Company has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model. We believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach. This eventually opens up the possibility for a lower-priced iPhone (i.e., iPhone mini) with a smaller screen size that could allow Apple to further penetrate markets such as China and open up opportunities in India. At the same time, Apple could unveil a larger screen size compared to the recently updated 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5.” – White

As far as screen sizes go, you should be rather skeptical about Apple releasing another new display resolution so soon after the 4-inches of the iPhone 5. It was a leap for many designers to think about another display size with the iPhone 5 – such is the general atmosphere in the iTunes App Store universe. If Apple released another new display size and resolution in less than a full year after the iPhone 5, there’s be some certain unrest.

[via MacRumors]

iPhone 5S tipped with iPod colors and larger display is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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You know, it’s funny that with all of the R2-D2 merch I’ve seen over the years, I’ve never envisioned the little maintenance droid in wood. But now that I’ve seen him made out of the stuff, I rather like the way he looks.

This rustic wooden iPhone dock was handmade by Mario of Valliswood, and bears more than a passing resemblance to R2-D2. He was made using sustainable hardwoods found in the woods of Croatia, and measures about 9 inches-tall, and his head swivels open to dock your iPhone or iPod Touch. I always thought that R2 should have an iPhone dock built into his body somewhere.

You’ll need to provide your own charger cable, but R2 is compatible with the iPhone 3G/3GS, iPhone 4/4S, iPhone 5 and iPod devices except the shuffle and new nano. R2 was always such a versatile droid, wasn’t he?

The R2-D2 dock is selling for $210(USD) over on Etsy. If you want him sitting under the Christmas tree this year, you’d better move quick before some sneaky Jawa snatches him up from under your nose.