Apple's Macs rack up more than 1/4 of back-to-school PC sales in 2014

Apple's Macs rack up more than 1/4 of back-to-school PC sales in 2014: "The Mac's share of the lucrative back-to-school shopping season continued its upward trajectory this year, as data released on Wednesday indicates that some 26.8 percent of the personal computers sold in the U.S. between Independence Day and Labor Day bore Apple's logo."

Yay for us! Goods news!

As iPhone 6 units are smuggled in 'Twinkie boxes,' Chinese government says regulatory approval coming soon

As iPhone 6 units are smuggled in 'Twinkie boxes,' Chinese government says regulatory approval coming soon: "Currently, the iPhone 6 is selling for about $1,900, while the iPhone 6 Plus is said to be going for around $3,250 U.S. The most popular colors are gold and space grey, which according to Yoon are commanding up to a $500 premium in unauthorized sales."

A fun little story.

First iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus teardowns reveal high-capacity batteries, reworked innards

First iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus teardowns reveal high-capacity batteries, reworked innards: "Apple's new A8 SoC is easily spotted just above the phone's nano-SIM reader, while a Hynix NAND flash module resides on the flip side. Other notables include Qualcomm's MDM9625M LTE-Advanced modem with support for carrier aggregation, two baseband chips from Avago, Triquint amps and silicon from usual players Skyworks and Broadcom."

Who can repair these things? iFixit?

Tim Cook visits Palo Alto Apple Store for iPhone 6 launch as Angela Ahrendts welcomes Sydney | 9to5Mac

Tim Cook visits Palo Alto Apple Store for iPhone 6 launch as Angela Ahrendts welcomes Sydney | 9to5Mac: "Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted at the company’s local Apple Store in Palo Alto, California, to be a part of the crowd and watch the new iPhone debut. Cook reportedly joked with the crowd saying he got the new iPhone several months ago. As evident by Twitter, the Apple CEO has shared in the excitement by taking selfies with the crowd."

He walks among the common man.

9to5Mac: Apple iPhone, Mac and iPad News Breaking All Day

9to5Mac: Apple iPhone, Mac and iPad News Breaking All Day: "Ars Technica has done some field tests using an iPhone 4s running iOS 8. Although the operating system runs decently, there are definitely some drawbacks that might stop iPhone 4s users from hitting update right away."

The real question is how much the working set for the OS has increased which will impact all 3rd party applications in unexpected ways.

Panasonic’s Lumix CM1 stuffs a 1-inch sensor into an Android-powered smartphone | 9to5Google

Panasonic’s Lumix CM1 stuffs a 1-inch sensor into an Android-powered smartphone | 9to5Google: "Perhaps taking a play out of Samsung’s playbook, Panasonic has announced its new Lumix CM1, a device that comes off as a point-and-shoot camera that also happens be a smartphone. Referred to as a ‘connected camera,’ this hybrid gizmo features a 1-inch MOS sensor capable of capturing 4K video and 20-megapixel still shots."

Wowsers!

Analyst who cried sapphire takes another swing, despite whiffing on iPhone 6 predictions

Analyst who cried sapphire takes another swing, despite whiffing on iPhone 6 predictions: "Margolis's explanations come after months of claims that GT Advanced Technologies would be producing massive amounts of sapphire for Apple — enough to create display covers of the hardened material for iPhone 6 units to be sold this year. The analyst's confident predictions didn't pan out, though. In fact, none of Apple's iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus models feature sapphire screen covers. Apple has said this year's models feature 'ion-strengthened' glass."

Sapphire en route, delayed by storm.

Microsoft is buying Minecraft, according to rumor | GamesBeat | Games | by Jeff Grubb

Microsoft is buying Minecraft, according to rumor | GamesBeat | Games | by Jeff Grubb: "The publisher is in discussions to snatch up Minecraft developer Mojang for $2 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. We are working to verify the story, but we cannot confirm the rumor at this time — although WSJ has a history of getting these things correct. The report claims that the deal could go through as early as this week. If Microsoft does seal the deal, it will own an indie-gaming phenomenon. Minecraft has players building Lego-like structures with simple-looking 3D blocks, and it has caught on with players of all ages."

Microsoft knows a good thing. Unlike the worthless acquisitions that the valley seems to favor, I am still amazed that Google/Apple let them get Skype.

Apple's massive fall lineup reportedly causing shipping delays for other manufacturers

Apple's massive fall lineup reportedly causing shipping delays for other manufacturers: "Apple is reportedly securing dates for its upcoming fall shipments, expected to include new iPhone and iPad models, and the number of devices coming out of China is so large that major shipping companies are delaying orders from other device makers."

That's a lot of ship.