MacRumors

As it has for several quarters now, Apple continues to trail the overall smartphone market's booming growth, with the company's 16.8 percent year-over-year growth in the first quarter registering as the lowest among top five vendors in a market that grew by 28.6 percent as a whole, according to a new report from research firm IDC. Market leader Samsung also trailed the broader market's growth as Huawei, Lenovo, and LG all jockeyed for position in the closely contested third through fifth spots in the rankings.

Apple reached a new first quarter record, breaching the 40 million unit mark. The company saw double-digit growth in Japan as well as across multiple developing markets, including Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia. Still, this made for the lowest year-over-year improvement among the leading vendors. What remains to be seen is when – not if – Apple's rumored large-screen models will arrive on the market, filling a gap in the company's portfolio that has been exploited by the competition.

In the overall mobile phone market, Apple again outperformed most of the competition as feature phone sales continue to dwindle. With Apple's all-smartphone lineup taking nearly 10 percent of the overall market in the quarter, the company is within striking distance of Nokia, which garnered 11.3 percent of the market as it continues to be hit hard by the decline in feature phone sales and instability as it has shifted from Symbian to Windows Phone. Just days ago, Microsoft completed its acquisition of Nokia's phone unit, officially uniting software and hardware in what has been a close partnership over the last several years.

Apple last week announced record March quarter earnings on the strength of its 43.7 million iPhones shipped. The iPhone continues to drive Apple's overall financial performance, representing 57 percent of the company's revenue for the quarter.

Microsoft Research has demoed a new augmented mechanical keyboard that allows users to use motion controls either on or slightly above the keyboard to interact with their computers. The prototype was curiously made using keycaps from an Apple keyboard.

A low-resolution matrix of infrared (IR) proximity sensors is interspersed with the keys of a regular mechanical keyboard. This results in coarse but high frame-rate motion data. We extend a machine learning algorithm, traditionally used for static classification only, to robustly support dynamic, temporal gestures.

The gestures that the keyboard can recognize include traditional gestures like "pinch-to-zoom" and swiping to static gestures like holding a single finger above the keyboard to advanced gestures like turning an imaginary steering wheel.

It's unclear whether the augmented keyboard, referred to as the Type-Hover-Swipe, could eventually turn into a real product, but it's another step in Microsoft exploring motion control after its Kinect device. Apple, too, has been exploring motion sensing with its purchase of PrimeSense, the 3D body sensing firm that developed the technology for Kinect. The Type-Hover-Swipe keyboard is also similar to the technology of Leap Motion, who former Apple iAd chief Andy Miller worked for for close to two years.

Apple's suppliers have already begun producing the iWatch in small quantities, according to supply chain sources cited by China Times via G for Games, ahead of a prospective launch during the second half of 2014.

Echoing an earlier report from notable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the site's sources also suggest the iWatch will take advantage of a system-in-package (SiP) design that allows a multitude of chips to be placed on a single module. This could allow Apple to the fit multiple sensors rumored for the smart watch into a tiny area while keeping the device small enough to be worn comfortably on the wrist.

Rumors have indicated Apple's iWatch will contain several different biometric sensors allowing it to track health-related statistics like heart rate, sleep quality, movement, and more. The sensors will aggregate data that will be stored in a rumored "Healthbook" application, slated for inclusion in iOS 8.

Along with including health sensors, the iWatch will likely function similarly to other smart watches on the market, integrating with the iPhone and iPad to provide notifications and quick access to frequently used apps and services.

Apple's iWatch is expected to ship in two different sizes to accommodate different sized wrists and it may also come in multiple price points and materials. According to recent reports, Apple's iWatch could make an appearance as soon as September, but a solid launch date remains unclear.

Microsoft's Office for iPad apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint received their first major update today, gaining the printing capabilities that were notably absent when the apps launched back in March. The lack of an ability to print documents directly from the apps was a major complaint in initial reviews of the mobile productivity suite.

According to an official blog post, all three apps will gain the ability to print over-the-air to an AirPrint-compatible printer.

Your top request is here! You can now print Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations to an AirPrintTM printer. In Word for iPad, you can choose to print a document with or without markup. In Excel, print a selected range, a single worksheet or an entire spreadsheet. Of course, you can select the pages or slides you want to print.

Along with printing capabilities, the apps have gained a few other highly-requested features, including SmartGuides for PowerPoint and AutoFit for Excel. While SmartGuides help PowerPoint users align pictures, shapes, and textboxes on a slide page, AutoFit will let Excel users adjust the width and height of multiple rows and columns at once.

Each update also includes a number of bug fixes, along with a note from Microsoft outlining its commitment to continually improving its Office for iPad apps. "We're already working on the next update," reads the post.

All of the updates are currently available and can be downloaded from the App Store for free, but editing and creating documents requires an Office 365 subscription. Microsoft OneNote has also been updated with bug fixes.

- Microsoft Word for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft Excel for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft PowerPoint for iPad [Direct Link]
- Microsoft OneNote for iPad [Direct Link]

To commemorate its launch in 1989, CNBC today ranked the most influential business and financial leaders from the past 25 years. Topping the list in the number one spot is Apple's own "iVisionary" Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs was recognized by CNBC not only for his work at Apple, but also for his influence on the wider culture both in business and in people's personal lives.

His creative genius revolutionized not just his industry and its products, but also everything from music and movies to smartphones. He provided a platform for others to create and distribute apps, bringing innovation and change to an even wider sphere. Apple's co-founder tops our anniversary list of the 25 most transformative leaders, icons and rebels of the past-quarter century. More than any other member of our group of extraordinary entrepreneurs and executives—all outstanding leaders—his vision spurred changes far beyond his industry and put an indelible stamp on the wider culture.

When assembling the list, the editorial board at CNBC focused on business, eliminating politicians and government leaders from its top 25. They considered only those business men and women who were transformative both in their own field and beyond. Though most are well-known billionaires, the list was not based on personal financial success or popularity.

We made the decision early on to eliminate heads of government and state from our deliberations. This is a list, after all, about business people, not politicians. It's about the men and women who, for better or worse, have had the most transformative effect on commerce, finance, markets, human behavior and global culture over the past 25 years. So out went Bill Clinton, Angela Merkel, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, Lee Kuan Yew and Vladimir Putin. In came Oprah.

Also included on the list are other notable technology leaders including Microsoft's Bill Gates at number two, Amazon's Jeff Bezos at number five, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg at number eight and Google's trio of Sergey Brin, Larry Page and Eric Schmidt, who collectively share the number four spot.

Apple may be planning to use electronic image stabilization instead of optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6, according to new details shared on Weibo [Google Translate] by ESM China analyst Sun Chang Xu (via GforGames). Xu suggests that the iPhone 6's camera will also boast a larger pixel size of 1.75 um compared to the 1.5 um pixel size of the iPhone 5s' camera, which would result in a higher picture quality as more light can be taken in.

While previous reports have indicated that Apple is looking to integrate optical image stabilization into the iPhone 6, adding an electronic image stabilization system would allow for the device to have a slimmer camera that does not protrude out of its body. To this point, a number of alleged iPhone 6 images, including renders posted by Japanese magazine MacFan last month, have depicted the iPhone 6 with a protruding camera.

Xu also previously reported on her Weibo account that the iPhone 6 will add pressure, temperature, and humidity sensors, and that the iWatch will utilize optical sensors to measure heart rate and oxygen levels.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6 this fall in two different sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches. The smaller 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 will likely ship first, while the larger 5.5-inch version is estimated to ship later due to challenges with the device's display technology and battery life.

In addition to a larger display and an improved camera, both models of the iPhone 6 are expected to include a thinner, bezel-free design, faster A8 processor, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The device will also likely debut with Apple's iOS 8 mobile operating system, which will feature improvements to Maps, Siri, and iCloud in addition to a new "Healthbook" app. Apple is also said to be negotiating with carriers to increase the price of the iPhone 6 by $100.

As indicated last week and yesterday, Apple today launched updated MacBook Airs, which feature faster versions of Intel's Haswell processors at $100 less for each model.

All standard models of the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air now come with a faster 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor along with the same 4GB of RAM. Both entry-level configurations of the 11-inch and 13-inch models now sell for $899 and $999 with 128GB of flash storage, while the higher-end 11-inch and 13-inch models now come in at $1099 and $1199 with 256GB of flash storage, respectively.

Build-to-order options include a 1.7 GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor with up to 8GB of RAM on both the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs.

Apple is also rumored to be working on a 12-inch MacBook with a new ultra-slim design and a high resolution Retina display for later this year.

The updated 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Airs are available today through Apple's various retail locations and online store, with all standard configurations showing availability of "within 24 hours."

Update 1:28 AM: Apple's updated MacBook Airs are now available in its U.S. Online Store with each model now costing $100 less compared to the previous model.

Update 1:36 AM: Notably, the battery specs for both new models list slightly longer iTunes Movie playback times, with the 11-inch model jumping from 8 to 9 hours of playback and the 13-inch model jumping from 10 to 12 hours.

Update 6:08 AM: Apple has issued a press release announcing the minor update.

“With MacBook Air starting at $899, there’s no reason to settle for anything less than a Mac,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “Macs have never been more popular, and today we’ve boosted the performance and lowered the price of MacBook Air so even more people can experience the perfect everyday notebook.”

The press release also highlights the significant increase in battery life for movie playback through iTunes.

Update 9:00 AM: Refurbished MacBook Air computers have dropped to all time low prices, with an 11-inch 2012 model available starting at $599. 2013 models are available starting at $719.

Last week, a case designed for the iPhone 6 was compared to an iPhone 5s, a Nexus 5, and a Galaxy Note 3 in order to explore how the upcoming device might look compared to other large-screened devices.

Today that same case has been compared to a current generation iPod touch by Unbox Therapy, suggesting the future iPhone 6 could be as thin as the existing iPod touch. In the video, a fifth-generation iPod touch is placed inside of the alleged 4.7-inch iPhone 6 case, demonstrating a perfect fit when it comes to depth.

Released in 2012, Apple's current generation iPod touch measures in at just 6.1mm thick, while the iPhone 5s 7.6mm thick. iPhone 6 rumors have already suggested the device could be much thinner than the iPhone 5s, and reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted a thickness of 6.5mm to 7.0mm.

The way the iPod touch fits in the case also suggests that the iPhone 6 could have the elongated, rectangular buttons of the iPod touch rather than the circular buttons of the iPhone 5s. This is in line with previous rumors and with a possible volume button part leak posted in our forums earlier today.

While it's impossible to tell whether the iPhone 6 case in the video is a legitimate representation of what Apple's next-generation device might look like, the case design does resemble previously leaked schematics, case maker's renderings, and manufacturing molds.

Along with a thinner design and a larger, the iPhone 6 is also expected to incorporate slimmer bezels, an upgraded A8 processor, and an improved camera via optical image stabilization. While a 4.7-inch version of the iPhone 6 is expected to ship in the fall, a 5.5-inch version may also come somewhat later in the year due to production issues that have delayed its release.

Earlier this morning, news of an imminent MacBook Air refresh surfaced, and now there are additional details on what we can expect from the update. As initially reported, the new MacBook Airs will include updated Haswell processors with no other specification changes.

As can be seen in an image of the new entry-level 13-inch MacBook Air specs provided to 9to5Mac, the notebook will offer a 1.4GHz Intel Core i5 processor, a very minor boost from the current entry level 1.3Ghz processor in the 13-inch version. Build to order models in both 11 and 13-inch varieties are expected to see the same minor processor improvements.

The MacBook Airs continue to offer the same amount of storage space, RAM, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and there has been no upgrade to Thunderbolt 2, which was included in the latest Retina MacBook Pro. The Airs continue to use Intel's HD Graphics 5000 and it is unclear whether updated Haswell processors will bring any boosts to battery life.

It is unknown when Apple plans to introduce the new MacBook Air computers, but it is possible Apple will take its online store down tonight in order to update inventory ahead of an in-store release tomorrow.

Apple executives Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will speak at the first annual Code Conference hosted by Re/code, the site reported today. The duo will headline the second night of the event in late May.

We are very excited to have both Cue and Federighi at the event to talk about a range of things about the company that remains at the center of the action, especially in the important mobile sector. From the shifting entertainment and communications landscape to the fast-moving wearables space to, well, everything digital, these two play a very important role.

Eddy Cue serves as Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services handling the iTunes Store, App Store, iCloud, and more, while Federighi serves as the senior vice president of Software Engineering, overseeing both iOS and OS X.

Both Cue and Federighi report directly to Tim Cook and are responsible for overseeing many essential elements of Apple's ecosystem.

Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher of Re/code have done multiple yearly conferences, formerly under All Things D. Past events have included interviews with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs and last year’s event featured current Apple CEO Tim Cook, who spoke about wearables and television.

The 2014 Code Conference will also feature speakers like General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. While the event is sold out, the site does have plans to post news and videos on Re/code throughout the conference.

During last week's earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook confirmed that Angela Ahrendts will be transitioning from Burberry and officially joining Apple this week as its head of retail. Her achievements and personality as the CEO of Burberry have been well-publicized, but her Midwestern roots, early career influences, and resulting business and life philosophies are less well-known. These characteristics were recently detailed in a lengthy profile by CNET.

Ahrendts was born in 1960 in the small town of New Palestine, Indiana, where she was one of six children. As a young girl, she "lived vicariously through fashion magazines" and moved to New York after graduating from Ball State University to pursue her dream job in the fashion industry. She got her start at bra maker Warnaco and then landed a position at Donna Karan in 1989. She rose through the ranks at DK to eventually become President of the New York-based fashion house.

When Donna Karan changed its focus, Ahrendts transitioned to Liz Clairborne as the executive vice president and finally landed at Burberry, where she rejuvenated Burberry's image and sales as CEO of the London fashion house. When she started in 2006, Burberry was a well-known rainwear company and upon her leaving a short eight years later, the company is now an internationally acclaimed fashion label.

Ahrendts has a personal management style that keeps her in touch with her employees, traveling to stores to meet them and "communicating constantly" with them via email to thank them for their work. She credits her Midwestern values that taught her compassion towards others, humility, and hard work were the keys to success. It is this human touch that Ahrendts will be bringing to Apple's all-male executive team and will be a balance to the company's technology and engineering focus.

"Technology has given us access to the world and its sea of content, allowing us to never speak to another person if we don't want to," she said. "Computers and smart devices are among the greatest intellectual gifts ever created for man, but if not balanced with human contact, may offer little to develop ones heart. Don't get me wrong, I am mesmerized by this Digital Tsunami, but Google doesn't have all the answers, and are all those people on Facebook truly your friends?"

Ahrendts will be joining Apple at a time when its retail sales are flat, despite an increase in the number of retail stores opening worldwide. As noted by Bloomberg's European correspondent Caroline Hyde, analysts are watching Ahrendts closely with the expectation that she will bring her luxury flair to Apple's retail operations and repeat with Apple what she did with Burberry.

Ahrendts will head up Apple's retail push in 2014 and beyond after several years of instability in the division. The company confirmed during its recent Q2 2014 earnings conference call that it will continue to invest in retail stores in 2014. It recently opened its first retail stores in Brazil and Turkey, expanding Apple's retail presence to a total of 15 countries. Apple also will continue its focus on China with a plan to triple the number of Apple retail stores in the Asian country over the next two years.

As was initially reported last week, Apple's updated MacBook Air may launch this week, possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Shipments of new 11 and 13-inch MacBook Airs are currently arriving in Apple Stores across the country, according to 9to5Mac, with plans to put the computers on display beginning tomorrow morning.

The MacBook Air refresh is expected to be minor and could arrive with little fanfare. Updated MacBook Air computers may include a slightly improved Haswell processor with a small speed boost and few other changes.

Tomorrow’s 11-inch and 13-inch Airs are codenamed J41A and J43A, respectively, and their SKUs are simply a variation to the current MacBook Air SKU labels. For example, the entry 13-inch MacBook Air of today is known as "MD760LL/A", while this week’s refreshed version is known as "MD760LL/B." It's unclear if Apple will even promote the updated Airs.

Though Apple is planning just a minor MacBook Air refresh for this week, the company is also said to have a second 12-inch MacBook Air in the works that will be released later in the year.

The 12-inch MacBook Air is expected to feature some major design changes in the form of a slimmer chassis without fans, a Retina display, and a buttonless trackpad.

It is unclear when tomorrow's updated MacBook Airs might make their first appearance, but it is possible Apple will take its online store down tonight in order to update inventory ahead of an in-store release tomorrow.