Crittercism — a mobile app monitoring startup – painstakingly compiled data of mobile app crashes between November and December 2011, covering over 23 different permutations of the iOS operating system and over 33 Android versions, and over 214 million app launches between all those OS versions.

The data shows that iOS apps crashed more frequently than comparable apps on Android. As you can see in the data presented, iOS apps on iPhone, iPad and iPods Touch make up nearly 75% of total crashes in the period that the data was gathered.

The researchers suggests that the reason why Android apps see far less crashes than iOS apps is because the Android platform allows developers to send out updates faster and users are able to set their Android devices to auto-update apps which allow bugs to be fixed much faster than can be done on iOS. On iOS developers pushing updates have to go through an approval process which can take weeks and there is no auto-update for users using iOS.

From our own experience, we agree with the data. On a day-to-day basis we do see more app crashes on iOS than on Android. The apps that we use that crash on a daily basis include Safari, Twitter for iOS and Facebook for iOS, just to name a few.

So iOS and Android users, offer your thoughts, is the data indicative of your own user experience? Let us know.

A more detailed break down of the data sets is available after the break.

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	Android, iPad, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS
	Android, Android apps, apps, iOS, iOS apps, mobile apps

Funny or tasteless? Your thoughts? Another example for discussion after the jump.

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	iPad, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, TVC, Video
	apple, Conan O'Brien, Foxconn, steve jobs, Team Coco

Apple concluded its Q4 financial report earlier this morning and as usual, the numbers are phenomenal. What makes the figures even more amazing is that they surpass even the most optimistic of estimates affirming Apple’s position as the largest technology company by market value in the world.

Apple sold 15.4 million iPads and a staggering 37 million iPhones, making the last quarter its best ever. These are certainly impressive numbers but what does it all mean? Let’s put these figures into perspective.

Market value of almost $400 billion
Apple is hovering just a whisker off its record high. Many on Wall Street target $550 to $600 per share as an achievable milestone: assuming no change in existing shares, that would accord the Silicon Valley titan a value of as much as $560 billion, equivalent to the annual Gross Domestic Product of Switzerland.

Exxon has a market value of $420 billion, annual revenue about four times Apple’s and twice the tech company’s roughly 46,000 employees.

Revenue grew 65% from US$43 billion to US$108.25 billion in fiscal year 2011
That is akin to creating a Fortune 500 company from scratch. For instance, a revenue of precisely $43 billion would place the company below Intel Corp and Sears Holdings Corp – 56th and 57th, respectively, on the 2011 U.S. Fortune 500.

Near $100 billion cash reserve
One of the reasons Apple’s shares trade at a relatively low multiple is because it has huge amounts of cash that investors say can be put to better use. Its cash balance stood at $97.6 billion at the end of December, roughly equivalent to California’s 2012/13 state budget

Apple’s $13 billion profits surpassed Google’s entire revenue of $10.6 billion. Apple’s profits for 2011 exceed Google’s revenue in the same period.

iPad
Apple sold more iPads than HP sold personal computers – 15.4 million iPads versus by Gartner’s estimates of 14.7 million HP computers sold

iPhone
iPhone sales double with every new model:
In 2009, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007 and 2008 combined
In 2010, Apple sold more iPhones than it did in 2007, 2008, and 2009 combined
In 2011, Apple sold 93.1 million iPhones, slightly more than it did in in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 combined

It is estimated that Apple has surpassed Samsung’s smartphone sales figures, with 37 million iPhones sold versus an estimated 35 million Samsung smartphones sold in the same period. This puts Apple back in top spot as the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.

Apple sold 92.94 million iPhones and 40.43 million tablets in the 2011 calendar year. If you laid these devices end-to-end, they would just about stretch halfway around the Earth’s circumference that’s over 20 million thousand kilometres.

Just think about that for a moment.

[source: Reuters, PhoneArena]

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple financial figures, financial figures, iPad, iPhone, Mac

Bloomberg says the next iPad (iPad 3) will sport a HD display, a faster processor, run on LTE and go on sale this March citing “three people familiar with the product”. The sources also claim that Apple’s manufacturing partners in China have started ramping up production of the new iPad this month to meet what Apple expects is a huge demand the new tablet and also to make up for the massive Lunar New Year exodus where factories in the country will halt production. Mass production for the new iPad started this month with factories running 24 hours a day, one of the Bloomberg sources said.

Bloomberg requested for comment from Apple on the matter but a spokeswoman said the company doesn’t comment on rumor and speculation.

The new iPad is expected to feature a high resolution display with pixels so small and packed in so tightly that it makes images appear like printed material. According to information found in the iOS 5 SDK, the new display could have a resolution of up to 2048×1536 pixels.

Assuming Apple will stick with the 9.7-inch screen form factor, that gives the display on the iPad 3 a pixel density of around 264ppi – well below the 300ppi threshold where Apple claims the naked eye is not able to discern individual pixels. In comparison, the Retina Display on the iPhone 4 and 4S pushes 326ppi.

The iPad 3 is expected to feature a slightly thicker case to accommodate the HD display and a larger battery. The larger battery is said meet the higher power requirements of LTE allowing Apple to make the iPad 3 its first LTE device. For countries outside of the US where LTE is not prevalent, users can expect the iPad 3 to deliver considerably better battery performance, possibly double that of the iPad 2.

In addition to the bigger battery and higher resolution display, the iPad 3 is said to feature a quad-core processor and possibly a new GPU as well. One of the Bloomberg sources said that the new processor will bring faster multitasking capabilities and allow video playback to happen instantaneously.

Apple rumours are a whole different animal altogether, there are so many flying around it get difficult to separate the truth from the fluff but when a credible news source comes in with information that is in line with some of the many rumours that has been going around, then you know something is up. This is going to be interesting.

[source]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, Rumour Mill
	apple, iPad, iPad 3, iPad 3 display, iPad 3 specs

…use your iPad like this in the LRT? We got to admit, it’s pretty smart but the case leaves the iPad prone to snatch theft if you’re not careful.

[via]

	Cool stuff, iPad, Mobile Accessories, Mobile Devices
	apple, cool iPad 2 accessory, cool iPad 2 case, cool iPad 2 cover, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 Accessories, iPad 2 case, iPad 2 cover

“Picasso had a saying. He said, good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”

Steve Jobs.

The excerpt was taken from the 1996 three-part documentary Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires. All full versions of series is available for viewing right after the jump. We’ve also included a bonus documentary — Pirates of Silicon Valley.

Whether you’re a geek or a nerd, consider these documentaries absolute essential viewing. Please also take some time to read this: Rich Neighbor with Open Doors – Apple and Xerox PARC.

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	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices, Video
	apple, Rise of the Nerds, Samsung, steve jobs, Video

The Apple Store 1 day Chinese New Year Sale is finally on with special discounts on selected Apple products & accessories.

Some of the items on offer include:

iPad 2 16GB WiFi – RM1378 (Save RM121)
iPad 2 32GB WiFi – RM1648 (Save RM151)
iPad 2 64GB WiFi – RM1918 (Save RM181)
iPad 2 16GB 3G – RM1778 (Save RM121)
iPad 2 32GB 3G – RM2048 (Save RM151)
iPad 2 64GB 3G – RM2318 (Save RM181)
iPod Touch 8GB – RM628 (Save RM71)
iPod Touch 32GB – RM948 (Save RM101)
iPod Touch 64GB – RM1258 (Save RM141)
iPod Nano – from RM414 (Save RM35)
MacBook Air – from RM2788 (Save RM311)
MacBook Pro – from RM3388 (Save RM311)
iMac – from RM3488 (Save RM311)

Accessories & Add-ons are also on offer as well:
Magic Trackpad – RM184 (Save RM35)
Apple Magic Mouse – RM194 (Save RM35)
Time Capsule 2TB – RM928 (Save RM71)
Apple Wireless Keyboard – RM194 (Save RM35)
AirPort Express Base Station (802.11n) – RM294 (Save RM35)
iPad 2 Smart Cover Leather (RED) – RM254 (Save RM45)
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2011 – RM590 (Save RM64)
AirPort Extreme base station – RM528 (Save RM71)

Remember it is for 1 day only (6th January 2012), so head over to the Apple Store.

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple Malaysia, Chinese New year, CNY 2012, iMac, iPad, ipod, Red Friday

The United States Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application by Apple titled Low Threshold Face Recognition. While face recognition is nothing new, the application of the technology on mobile devices is still pretty much a hit and miss affair. Google introduced Face Unlock in Ice Cream Sandwich, but as we have demonstrated, the feature is easily fooled with just a picture.

In its patent application Apple argues:

Most face recognition systems fall into one of two categories. A first category system tends to be robust and can tackle various lighting conditions, orientations, scale and the like, and tends to be computationally expensive. A second category system is specialized for security-type applications and can work under controlled lighting conditions. Adopting the first category systems for face recognition on consumer operated portable appliances that are equipped with a camera would unnecessarily use an appliance’s computing resources and drain its power. Moreover, as the consumer portable appliances tend to be used both indoor and outdoor, the second category systems for face recognition may be ineffective. Such ineffectiveness may be further exacerbated by the proximity of the user to the camera, i.e., small changes in distance to and tilt of the appliance’s camera dramatically distort features, making traditional biometrics used in security-type face recognition ineffective.

Apple attempts to address this problem with a different approach to facial recognition. Instead of the software tracking the entire face, Apple’s Low Threshold Face Recognition analyses certain features of the face. In this case Apple relies on the distance between the eyes and between the eyes and the mouth.

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	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, face recognition, Face Unlock, low threshold facial recognition

But damn, that looks painful!

[via]

	iPad, Mobile Devices, Video
	apple, iPad, iPad slap, Video

If you have been eyeing for Apple products, mark your calendars this Friday 6th January 2012. Apple Online store is throwing a one day Apple shopping event in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New year festival.

In last year‘s CNY promo, Apple slashed up to RM131 from its iPad price and additional RM331 discounts on its MacBooks and iMacs. If the trend continues, we should be expecting similar discounts as well.

Since the iPhone 4S was launched just recently, we don’t expect any reductions but who knows Apple might throw in something special.

[ SOURCE ]

	iPad, iPhone, Mobile Devices
	apple, Apple Malaysia, Chinese New year, CNY 2012, iPad, iPhone, ipod