Foxconn Hiring Freeze May Be Because Of Robots, Not Slack iPhone 5 Demand

Foxconn Hiring Freeze May Be Because Of Robots, Not Slack iPhone 5 Demand $AAPL

Foxconn’s hiring freeze may also be related to Apple’s move toward using more assemblers. For example, Foxconn rival Pegatron assembles about 40 percent of iPad minis, which have taken market share away from the original iPad, manufactured by Foxconn.

Analysts, investors and Apple fanboys (and fangirls) have kept a close eye on demand for the iPhone 5 as the company weathers increasing competition from Samsung. In January, concerns that the smartphone is underperforming were fueled by reports that iPhone 5 component orders had been cut. Exane BNP Paribas analyst Alexander Peterc estimates that Apple will sell 38 million iPhone 5s this quarter, 20 percent less than the prior period.

On the other hand, Strategy Analytics recent published a report that said the iPhone 5 became the best-selling smartphone globally in Q4, overtaking Samsung’s flagship Galaxy SIII. The research firm estimates that 27.4 million iPhone smartphones shipped worldwide during Q4, compared to 15.4 million Galaxy SIII units. But, as Natasha Lomas noted, neither company discloses quarterly handset sales and comparing the performance of the two devices is somewhat unfair, because the iPhone 5 launched last September and the Galaxy SIII came out back in May, meaning that the newer Galaxy SIV may have eaten into some of its sales.

Apple may be sued in Brazil for updating the iPad too fast

Apple may be sued in Brazil for updating the iPad too fast

"Apple could be facing a lawsuit in Brazil for updating the third-generation iPad so fast last year.

According to a report from Brazilian newspaper Jornal do Comércio, the Brazilian Institute of Politics and Law Software (IBDI) has targeted the iPad maker for what it says were unfair business practices with the release of the fourth-generation iPad model five months after launching the third-generation model in the country.

In a follow-up, Brazilian news site O Hoje adds that the suit wants Apple to give those who bought third-generation models with the latest versions and/or give buyers half of what they paid. The complaint also seeks to fine Apple a fixed amount for each unit sold.

The Jornal do Comércio report has since come under fire by tech blog Techlinhas, which notes that the IBDI has no knowledge of the complaint in the region.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Up until the fourth-generation iPad, Apple was on an annual release cycle, debuting a new model near the beginning of the year. That changed last October, when Apple released a new version alongside the debut of the iPad Mini. The fourth-generation is nearly indistinguishable from the second- and third-generation iPads (short of the same Retina Display found in the third-gen), though packs a faster processor, improved cameras, newer wireless networking hardware, and Apple's smaller Lightning port.

Apple last week lost the rights to the iPhone name in Brazil, a move that it's currently fighting. Local technology company Gradiente filed for the iPhone naming rights in the country years before Apple's device came to be. However the company didn't put out its own iPhone-branded product until last December when it began selling a line of touch-screen smartphones running Google's Android."

Apple patent application hints at iWatch

Apple patent application hints at iWatch

"An Apple smartwatch seems to be on the drawing board after all, according to a patent application published today.

The application -- filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2011 but just published -- is titled "Bi-Stable Spring With Flexible Display." It describes a flexible touch-screen device that can display information. The device can be worn in any location, according to the patent, though one of the drawings shows it being worn around the wrist.

The patent doesn't specifically refer to the device as a smartwatch and instead envisions it as an electronic type of slap bracelet. Such bracelets are equipped with bi-stable springs that allow them to conform to the user's wrist. But several of the features described in the patent match those that would be found in a smartwatch.

"With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls," the patent said. "A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display."

The device itself would use Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to communicate with another portable device, presumably a smartphone, to display real-time information on the screen. An on-board gyroscope or accelerometer would arrange the information so that it directly faces the user no matter how the device is worn."

$AAPL Surpassing Siri? Veveo aims to top Apple with voice search for video

$AAPL Surpassing Siri? Veveo aims to top Apple with voice search for video

With Veveo, a user could ask a device "show me action movies" — bringing up action results — and then modify the results with statements like, "what about Matt Damon" to filter the results by the actor and "show me the latest ones" to bring up the most recent Matt Damon movies, Vasisht said.

The user could then ask, "Who are we playing tonight?" — and the app will know you're no longer talking about action movies, Vasisht said. The app will figure out that you're asking about football, and that you're in Boston, and will speak to you with details about who the Patriots will be playing, he said.

"Voice is going to become one of the commonly expected interfaces" in the future, Vasisht said. "And this is one of the most advanced solutions relating to how people can interact with devices and apps."

The technology is a combination of natural language processing and voice recognition, he said. It is targeted for mobile devices, TVs and set-top boxes. (Check out a demo here.)

Stockholm is the latest tech epicenter

Stockholm is the latest tech epicenter

" If music service Spotify landed Stockholm on the high-tech map, companies like Klarna underscore its growing influence.

Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski swung through town this week to meet investors at Sequoia Capital and spread the word about his online retail payments startup. Though it has earned a solid reputation in Europe — not to mention $200 million in revenue last year — Klarna ("clear" in Swedish) has yet to debut in the USA.

That might change soon, as millions of consumers turn to smartphones and tablets to make purchases. Klarna, an 800-person company operation based in Stockholm, is eyeing the U.S. market."

Tweets, not résumés, are trending #icymi $fb

Tweets, not résumés, are trending #icymi $fb

There are many ways to land a job, but who knew that a tweet could be more important than a resume?

10 Million People Are Playing This Horrible Game

10 Million People Are Playing This Horrible Game

"Free-to-play card game Rage of Bahamut lives among the top-grossing games on the iPhone and Android charts, right up there with Temple Run 2 and Minecraft. Tokyo-based developer Cygamesrecently revealed that half of its 20 million overall players are playing Bahamut. That would make it one of the most popular games in the world.

That’s surprising because it’s also a real piece of crap.

“Bahamut’s success seems to tell today’s game designers that a game with minimal interactivity, massively disorganized UI and incredibly confusing game design is the way to hook millions of players and make a fortune,” said Arash Keshmirian, CEO of Limbic Software, in an e-mail.

For one of the most profitable English-language apps of the last year, Rage of Bahamut’s interface is shockingly ugly. The fantasy-themed trading card game looks like two Yahoo! Geocities went to war with each other, with text scattered everywhere and dial-up speed load times between every page.

You can even scroll past the top and bottom of the screen, almost as if the entire game is being rendered in some sort of makeshift mobile web browser. Since the game only works if you have a network connection, this may actually be the case.

Once you’re actually playing Bahamut, the goal is to level up and get lots of digital cards, each of which features anime artwork of goblins or scantily clad witch ladies. Level up more and get more witch ladies by completing quests and “battling” other players."