Type of Article: MacTech Blog

Is the iPad cannibalizing Mac sales? Perhaps a little, though the Mac grew its revenues 26% year-over-year in the last quarter and 22% for the last fiscal year. In fact, according to one line of thought, the Apple tablet could actually be helping Mac sales.


According to Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital and a hedge fund manager, many consumers who are purchasing iPhones and iPads are also becoming increasingly interested in buying laptops, as well. He says that he expects iPad ANd Mac sales to continue booming over the next few years.

Future Apple products may arrive fully charged. A patent (number 20120081213) for active electronic media device packaging shows that the company is working on packaging for supplying power, data, or both power and data to an electronic media device while the device is housed within the active packaging.

Apple is competing with Motorola Mobility, Research in Motion and Nokia on a smaller SIM card standard. To that end, the company has applied for a patent for a Mini-SIM connector.

Apple wants a “nano-SIM” that would let it design even smaller products, the article adds.The MicroSIM card, with a design smaller than traditional SIM cards, was pushed by Apple in 2010 with the launch of the iPhone 4.

Based on a new Apple patent (20120081207), Apple is working on ways in which attaching a peripheral to an iOS device would launch a specific application.

In some embodiments, the mobile computing device can determine whether it is in a state that allows launching of an application and/or can determine whether the application or application type requested in the launch command is available for launching. In response to the request, and if the mobile computing device is capable, the mobile computing device can launch the application.

As Macs get more iOS features, you have to wonder if Apple has considered entering the “hybrid” market? What’s a hybrid? Glad you asked.

The term refers to either tablets that can be docked into a keyboard, turning them into a laptop or a laptop with a detachable keyboard. Of course, we already have the former thanks to dozens of keyboards — usually built into cases — that pair with the iPad.