Apple‘s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is coming again to San Francisco’s Moscone West. The much-anticipated five-day conference will run from June 11 through June 15 where developers will be learning about the future of iOS and OS X, featuring technical sessions and a showcase of outstanding iOS/OS X apps at the Apple Design Awards. Saying WWDC 2012 is a hot event is probably an understatement. Tickets sold out in 2 hours.

For Apple, WWDC isn’t just a massive get together with developers, but also a platform where it also announces/launches new products. Last year, Apple launched iOS 5, iCloud and a stream of other innovations. For its 5,000 attendees, the opening keynote by the late Steve Jobs, Apple CEO was always something to look forward to.

WWDC 2012 will showcase iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion, the future iterations of Apple’s operating systems. More than 100 technical sessions and hands-on labs will be presented by over 1,000 Apple engineers will provide developers with insight, code-level assistance and guidance on how to make most of iOS and OS X technologies in their apps.

Every year, Apple recognises the best of the best iPhone, iPad and Mac apps at the Apple Design Awards.

The rumour-mongering has already begun online about a liquid-metal iPhone 5, rumoured to be announced in June. While there is no indication of a June release (Apple launched the iPhone 4S in October last year), the world simply loves a good rumour! Well, what do you think?

The pace at how tickets for the developer conference had sold out has angered and disappointed some developers. Ticketless devs may have another option if Indie Developer Lab can help it. According to Slashgear, these boys are organising a WWDC-type event just around the corner from Moscone West.

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Source – smh.com.au

Apple announced today its earnings for its second fiscal quarter of 2012. The impressive numbers beat industry estimates but were down from the Cupertino company’s previous record-breaking quarters. Revenues amounted to $39.2 billion with a net profit of $11.6 billion in Q1 2012. This translates to earnings of $12.30 per diluted share. Gross margin was 47.4 percent compared to 41.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 64 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones, a 88 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter and 11.8 million iPads in the quarter representing a 151 percent jump over the year-ago quarter. This while quietly shifting 4 million Macs. Sales were up 7% compared to the quarter a year ago. Apple also sold 7.7 million iPods.

The bump in the first-quarter forecast will ripple forward to the rest of the year. For calendar 2012, J.P. Morgan is looking at iPhone sales of 138.2 million, up from the prior estimate of 128.7 million. And iPad sales could hit 69.6 million, compared with an earlier forecast of 58.6 million.

The record March quarter generated $14 billion in cash flow from operations, growing Apple’s cash pile which is now topping a cool $100 billion. Apple expects revenue in the coming third quarter to be about $34 billion with diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.

Apple’s share price blipped to over $600 as it beat analysts predictions. Its market capitalization tops over $560 billion, making it the most valuable company and technology company in the world. In March this year, Apple announced plans for quarterly dividend payouts of $2.65 per share sometime in the Q4 2012, which begins on July 1, 2012. Apple’s Board of Directors also authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program which will commence in 2013 (begins on September 30, 2012). The share repurchase program will be executed over three years.

Apple will provide a replay of its Q2 2012 financial results conference call in two weeks time.

So years after the perennial social photography app Instagram literally conquered the iOS space, it has finally (insert exasperation here…) come to the realms of the green robot. IMHO, i consider Instagram the one principal reason why I’d buy an iPhone.

The absence of Instagram in the Android space has opened doors to Instagram-type copies like picplz and MOLOME (whom I had the pleasure to meet during BlackBerry DevCon 2011 in Singapore). None of course has enjoyed the phenomenal success of Instagram over on the fruity side. Pre-Android, Instagram has a staggering 27 million users worldwide. Instagram is rumored to be raising $40 million on a valuation of $500 million.

Instagram founder Kevin Systrom lamented recently at SXSW Interactive that the Android Instagram app is better than its iOS counterpart. As if to reassure himself that the Android version would at least be a good. I consider that, however, almost akin to shooting oneself in the foot. We’ll have to see about that. App review coming right up.

Twitterverse, especially amongst techie peers have been quick to install and test the app. In fact, over 430,000 users signed up for the waiting list a week and a half ago. Reactions have varied from sheer delight to being underwhelmed.

In terms of feature-set, they are the same across iOS and Android. Visually, design adjustments and tweaks have been made to fit the Android UI.

Instagram is downloadable for free from Google’s Play Store and is compatible with all camera phones running Android 2.2 and above.

As we speak, I am getting notifications on my iPad from Android friends who have joined Instagram. Even more artistic Facebook pic updates from now on, I guess?

Have you installed and tried it out? Tell me what you think!

According to fresh data from Strategy Analytics, Apple is back on top as the number one smartphone vendor in Q4 2011, topping Samsung after the successful launch of the iPhone 4S. Samsung had been market leader for a full year, capturing 20 percent of the market. Samsung had then displaced long term leader Nokia.

Apple shipped 37 million units of its new iPhone 4S in Q4 2011. Apple also sold 15.43 million iPads. Nokia has seen its smartphone market hare halve from 33 percent to 16 percent attributed to lacklustre touchscreen portfolio and limited presence in the US market.

A total of 155 million smartphones were shipped in Q4 2011, up from 100.7 million in the year-ago quarter. For the full year, 488.5 million devices shipped, compared with 299.5 million.

Nokia retained its number one spot in the handset market though, with a market share of 25.5 percent, (down from 30.9 percent year-on-year). Nokia is still market leader in the feature phone market, dominating in emerging markets where it has been traditionally strong. Samsung was in number two position, with a market share of 21.3 percent, up from 20.2 percent. In the fourth quarter, 445 million handsets shipped, up from 400.1 million in the comparable period in 2010. Full year shipments were 1.55 billion, compared with 1.36 billion.

Market analysts expect smartphones sales to reach 800 million units in 2015, with a two-horse race between Apple iOSand Google Android.

Apple CEO, Tim Cook. Image source: WorldTVPC

Apple continues its impressive financial streak with another record-breaking fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2011. The Cupertino company posted a record quarterly revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion ($13.87 per diluted share). This is almost double the results in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin increased from 38.5 percent in the year-ago quarter to 44.7 percent. International sales accounted for 58 percent of the quarter’s revenue. Apple generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations.

iPhones continue to be a huge cash cow for Apple, selling over 37 million iPhones in the quarter, a 128 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 15.43 million iPads, a 111 percent increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple isn’t only about smartphones and mobile devices, though. Macs, much contributed by sustained interest in the iMac, enjoyed a 26 percent unit increase. Sales of iPods may have dwindled 21 percent compared to the year-ago quarter, but this still meant Apple pushing 15.4 million of the portable media player to consumers.

With another impressive quarter at hand, Peter Openheimer, Apple’s CFO lamented, “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50.”

Apple’s momentum has also kicked Exxon as the world’s most valuable company, with a market capitalisation of $416.76B, beating the energy brand by $6 billion. The new King of Wallstreet (again) ploughs on!

Source: MacRumors

Foxconn‘s iPad production have yet to begin in Brazil, but the entry-level 8GB iPhone 4 seems to already be in production and set to be launched on December 2nd. High import taxes in Brazil on goods like the iPhone and iPad have resulted in slow adoption of Apple products in Brazil, the world’s fifth most populous country. The US$12B manufacturing facility in Brazil hopes to address the issues while expanding worldwide distribution for Apple and Foxconn.

Cues from the Brazilian-made model includes “Industria Brasileira” and the logo of a regulatory body – Anatel, Brazilian Agency of Telecommunications. The model spots a product number MD198BR, with the “BR” presumably a Brazil-specific model.

Source: MacRumors.com

Apple is set to launch its breakthrough set of free cloud services tomorrow called iCloud together with iOS 5, as announced during the “Let’s Talk iPhone” event in Cupertino on October 4, where the tech giant also revealed the new iPhone 4S. The much-awaited iCloud includes iTunes in the Cloud, Photo Stream and Documents in the Cloud, that allows you to automatically and wirelessly sync your content to iCloud and pushed to different devices including your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. iCloud will be available globally at launch.

iTunes in the Cloud automatically downloads new song purchases into your devices without having to manually sync. It also lets you download previous purchases including music and TV shows with no additional cost. iTunes Match scans and matches songs in your music library to more than 20 million songs available on the iTunes Store, offering high-quality, DRM-free 256 kbps AAC encoded alternatives. Unmatched songs are uploaded to iCloud so you can play songs, albums or playlists from your music library on your devices. Very cool.

Photo Stream lets you take a photo on one device and have it automatically appear on your other devices. Documents in the Cloud keeps your documents up to date across all your devices. It works very much like Dropbox. Apple’s iWork productivity apps for iOS, Pages, Numbers and Keynote will take advantage of iCloud storage. iCloud also lets you see your App Store and iBookstore purchase history and download those apps and books to any of your devices at any time. Purchased apps and books can be automatically downloaded to your devices, not limited to just the device they were purchased on.

iCloud Backup is a much-anticipated service, especially for me. It automatically and securely backs up your most important information to iCloud daily over Wi-Fi. iCloud Backup backs up your photos and video in the Camera Roll, device settings, app data, home screen and app organization, messages and ringtones. Comes in especially handy when you need to set up a new iOS device or restore information on one you already own.

Most importantly, iCloud works seamlessly with the center of your universe – your Contacts, Calendar and Mail. Your me.com email are up to date across your iOS devices and computers, and with icloud.com you have easy web access to your Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find My iPhone and iWork documents.

The Find My iPhone and Find My Friends apps are handy location-based additions and are available as a free download from the App Store.

Pricing & Availability
iCloud requires iPhone, iPad or iPod touch users running iOS 5 or a Mac running OS X Lion with a valid Apple ID. iCloud includes 5GB of free cloud storage for Mail, Document Storage and Backup. Purchased music, TV shows, apps, books and Photo Stream do not count against the storage limit. iTunes Match will be available starting in the US later this month for $24.99 a year.

For more information about iCloud, visit http://apple.com/icloud

How well do you know your Facebook friends?

Have you ever bumped into someone and in that moment, wished you weren’t there because you just couldn’t remember their name? Pretty embarrassing. But of course, human instincts would kick into self-preservation mode, and you end up greeting them with a “Yo bro, how are you man?” or “Hey babe, long time no see, how you been?” And just as you’re saying your goodbyes, you exchange numbers. Now what? What do you key in at the ‘name’ slot? The ultimate escapism would be to pass that person your phone to get them to key in their details. Smart, so smart.

Well, there is hope yet.

There’s a way to train your brain matter and save you those embarrassing, blank moments. This is in a form of a game, and an addictive one at that called WHOlah. Developed by the brilliant duo at Apptivity Lab in collaboration with the lucid minds at Tandemic for Carrefour Malaysia, WHOlah plugs into your Facebook account in which your friends’ profile pictures are streamed into the game. The objective of the game is to recognise correctly as many friend profiles as you can in 60 seconds. Points are scored, including a special points multiplier, depending on how many friends you get correct in succession.

To be honest, it isn’t as easy as it looks. Check your Facebook friends profiles. You’ll see cartoon characters, pictures of food, obnoxious imagery, scenery, blobs of colour. How would one recognise everyone? You practise, practise, practise. Good luck to those who have 2,000 friends (like me, gulp). Since the launch of the app, I have been playing, trying (hard), skipped meals, deprived myself of sleep to score better, higher. My best to date? 70,000.

Oh, did I tell you? With each level of points, starting from 20,000 pts, you win items, FREE, redeemable from Carrefour outlets. From Pringles to Ferrero Roche chocolates, there’s no limit on what you can win as long as you can make the points! You also earn Badges ala Foursquare. Sweet.

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Initially planned in conjunction with Hari Raya & Merdeka celebrations (there are badges for that too!), WHOlah has been extended till October 3, 2011 due to popular demand. So download the app now for your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, fire it up, play and win!

Psst, the winner of the WHOlah challenge during the first ever WHOlah twtup was 600,000. Beat that. Good luck!

Source: Engadget

No it isn’t a new Nokia. Jokes aside, the rumour mills are still going wild about the new Apple iPhone. Is it 4S? 5? Who knows? This leaked front fascia of the iPhone codenamed “N94” is allegedly for the entry level 8GB iPhone. From the looks of the leaked photos, they don’t look awfully different from the current iPhone 4. With good reason. This will be sold side-by-side with an all new iPhone 5. Nobody knows for sure, but a September-October 2011 release is likely.

Traditionally, Apple would sell the older generation of the iPhone for a fraction of the price of the newer generation model. Much like how the 3GS was sold alongside the iPhone 4. Just hypothetically speaking, Apple doesn’t need to develop a lower end 8GB iPhone 4. The Cupertino tech giant could just sell the current 16GB iPhone 4 for $99, couldn’t it?

What do you think?

More from Engadget.

According to the Financial Times, Apple has overtaken Lenovo, the world’s third-biggest personal computer maker by shipment volume, for the first time in terms of sales.

Strong demand for iPhones, iPads and Macs pushed Apple’s second quarter sales in Greater China which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan. An increase of six fold year-on-year, to $3.8bn.

China is an important market for Apple, and recently became the second largest market for downloads in the Apple’s App Store. Apple’s hit tablet, iPad 2 has been selling like hot cakes since its introduction in May this year.

China’s Lenovo, which impressively was the PC industry’s fastest-growing company for the seventh consecutive quarter, is still the PC market leader in China. China sales rose 23.4 percent year-on-year to $2.8bn. The Chinese company’s share of the Chinese PC market grew 2.3 percent to 31.7 percent.

Lenovo gained market share across all regions and overtook Acer to take the world number three spot last quarter, based on reports by the IDC.

In North America, Lenovo’s shipments rose 30.8 percent from a year ago against a 4 percent decline in the overall market. The US market has become an important pillar of Lenovo’s profits.