The iCloud has gone from rumor, to speculation, to confirmed service. Now we just need the details. What will it do? How much will it cost? Just how magical will it be? Well, I don't have any privileged insight, but here are my predictions (a.k.a. "wish list") for what to expect from the iCloud.
Sure, WWDC is just around the corner, but that doesn't mean that the Apple rumor mill stops churning.
Apple is set to unveil a sleeve of cloud services called iCloud. Apple boss Steve Jobs will make the long-awaited announcement June 6 at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.
Apple iOS app developers are being threatened with patent infringement lawsuits. But, the app developers are simply following the rules that Apple mandated, so ultimately the ball is in Apple's court to find a resolution.
Another day, another report saying Android rules the smartphone world, this time from Gartner.
Apple's policy on in-app purchasing is having some serious negative consequences -- just not for Apple. While the policy opened the door for app subscriptions, and gives Apple an edge over competitors like Amazon, smaller app developers and parents are the ones paying the price.
A company called Lodsys claims to own four patents covering the in-app purchase mechanism found on iOS devices, and is seeking licensing fees from at least five individual developers. Some developers have received hand-delivered documents threatening patent infringement lawsuits if they don't pay up.
Rumor has it that Apple is engaged in serious negotiations with Nuance. A potential deal between Apple and Nuance suggests that Apple is aggressively pursuing new voice recognition capabilities for iOS 5.
Amazon's Cloud Player music streaming service launched only with Android compatibility, but an update rolled out this weekend quietly introduced basic support for Apple's iOS. If you have an Amazon Cloud Drive account (5GB free, plus a free 20GB upgrade if you purchase an album via Amazon MP3), you can now stream music on iOS devices too.
Fragmentation of the Android platform is being blamed for a decline in developer enthusiasm for the platform, but the real fragmentation challenge for app developers is a much broader issue that just Android.
Apple appears to be headed for a Google-size privacy snafu over its iOS location-tracking database after lawmakers in Europe and Washington recently started asking questions.
Samsung has vowed revenge over Apple's recent lawsuit against the electronics maker that claims Samsung "slavishly" copied Apple's iOS devices for its line of Android-based Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Apple is reportedly miffed at Samsung for taking technologies and design ideas such as organizing application icons into grids and making smartphones with rounded corners. "Rather than innovate ... Samsung chose to copy Apple's technology, user interface, and innovative style in these infringing products," Apple argued in its filing. Samsung isn't taking the charge lightly and says it will "respond actively to this legal action," according to Agence France-Presse.
Have you heard the news? Despite every analysis we've seen over the past two years about Android dominating the mobile market, Apple's iOS is the biggest mobile operating system by a landslide.
Apple released yet another update to iOS this week. iOS 4.3.2 is the second incremental update for iOS in a matter of weeks following the launch of iOS 4.3. Like any incremental update, iOS 4.3.2. contains its share of minor tweaks and fixes, but iOS 4.3.2 is also important for the security of your iPhone or iPad.
Research firm Gartner yesterday gave Microsoft a hard diss on the tablet front by not including Redmond in its recent tablet-OS four-year forecast.