Apple vs. Samsung – Battle Lines Have Been Drawn

Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 5s locked horns with the Samsung’s (SSNLF) Android powerhouse, the Galaxy S4 when it launched on September 20. The former has a smooth user interface, slick looks and Touch ID, while the latter boasts a five-inch full HD touchscreen and more features than a tech geek could shake a NFC-enabled tablet at. The traditional Apple versus Samsung battle has begun again.

The Galaxy S4 sold just under 40 million units in the six months following its release, which is slightly higher than the 33.8 million units sold for the iPhone 5s and 5c combined. To Apple’s credit, though, its two new smartphones launched less than three months ago, on September 20. Moreover, iPhone 5s and 5c made up 76% of Japanese smart phone sales last month, and emerging markets such as China and India have started to show a gradual shift towards the iPhone 5c. With the Chinese smartphone market doubling from 42.3 million to 84.1 million year-over-year in the third quarter of 2013, Apple with its slicker interface is more likely to benefit from the upsurge.

Read More : AAPL - SSNLF 

Apple vs. Microsoft – A Rivalry Fought On Digital Grounds

Read : AAPL - MSFT

Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPad Trade-ins Double Over 2012

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) new generation iPad is showing strong signs according to a new report from Goldman Sachs’ equity research.  This week marked the sixth anniversary of a technology that was critical for the smartphone market as we know it today.

Computerworld reports that a pair of buyback companies is seeing more than double the number of consumers asking for price quotes on their older Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) tablets than last year.

Anthony Scarsella, chief gadget officer at Gazelle, said that trade-in price quote volume is up 130% from October 2012 levels. Jeff Trachsel, chief marketing officer at NextWorth, said their quote volume is up 127%. Both Messrs. Scarsella and Trachsel credited the redesign of the iPad Air with consumers’ increased interest in trading in their old devices. Read more.

 

BlackBerry Board Refused to Break Up Company Despite Interest From Apple, Others

Apple and Microsoft both expressed interest in acquiring portions of BlackBerry, according to a new report from Reuters. BlackBerry's board ultimately elected not to break up the company, despite Apple's interest in its intellectual property and patents. According to the report, the company also had discussions with Microsoft, Cisco, Google, and Lenovo.

  

BlackBerry Ltd's board does not believe a break-up of the Canadian smartphone maker is currently in its best interests, even though Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Lenovo Group Ltd, among others, have expressed interest in acquiring parts of the company, according to people familiar with the discussions. Read more.

Google, Pier 1, Time Warner, Apple: Intellectual Property

Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility unit is seeking a patent on a technology covering the use of an electronic neck tattoo as microphone for a mobile electronic device.

  

The operator of a website that tracked the availability the newest iPhones and iPads nearest to a searcher’s zip code has disabled it following the receipt of an infringement notice from Apple Inc. (AAPL) Mordy Tikotzky halted his Apple-Tracker.com web application after he was sent a takedown request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. He said in a statement on his website that he was “really not interested in picking a fight with Apple.” Read more.