Apple the company may be one of the largest on the planet, with more cash on hand than the U.S. government. But have you ever wondered about how it compares to the fruit of the same name? Of course you have.
This MBA Online infographic raises the all-important question: how does the lunch box-staple fruit stack up against the Cupertino tech giant? Which industry makes more stuff, and which makes more money?
While annual sales of the fruit beat out annual production of Mac and iOS technology in sheer weight (71 million vs. 138,000 tons), Apple's sales just edge ahead of the fruit ($32 billion vs. $30 billion).
Some interesting similarities: China produces 100% of electronic Apples and 44% of the fruit, a significant bite of the global crop. People on the U.S.'s West Coast are the biggest consumers of both; they eat 30% of the country's apples. In the Bay Area, one in three people own an Apple device.
Peruse through more comparisons below. Can you draw any more points that connect the technology and the fruit? We'd love to read your goofy additions in the comments.
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Apple is hard at work redefining the future of the TV, and that future includes a TV set that supports wireless streaming, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. Unfortunately, this latest in the long line of Apple iTV rumors doesn't bring many specifics on what exactly Apple's next-gen TV will look like. According to "people familiar with the matter," Apple is in talks with media executives at several large companies and is developing a TV with wireless streaming capabilities. One thing that will play an important part in Apple's upcoming TV product is voice recognition software, similar to Siri. The software "might allow users to use their voices to search for a show or change channels," the WSJ says. Another important aspect of Apple's strategy is the synergy between all the other devices in Apple's ecosystem. For example, a user might start watching a...
Apple was just handed potentially its biggest victory yet in its ongoing patent lawsuits with Google Android. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled today that Android devices that display phone numbers in a specific way should be banned for violating Apple's patents. The ruling potentially bans phones like the HTC EVO 4G, Droid Incredible and T-Mobile G2, starting in the spring of 2012. The parts of the patents the ITC refers to deal with how the phone interprets a phone number in unstructured documents (like the text of an email) and then automatically making that text clickable with a link that launches the phone's dialer app. The ITC ruled that any HTC phones that use the feature were violating Apple's "data tapping" patent. The ruling effectively bans HTC from selling those devices beginning April 19, 2012, although units sold...
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Screens are in front of our eyes every day. Apple and Google are looking to change that by having you "wear" your tech and keep your eyes off-screen.
According to a report in the New York Times, the two tech companies have secretly been working on wearable computers for the past year.
Check out the video above to learn more.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, franckreporter
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Apple has applied for a patent for a self-serve kiosk that would read your mobile device and give you recommendations on accessories and apps.
The idea, illustrated in the video above, follows similar, not-yet-executed concepts like an iTunes Kiosk and an iCard Kiosk and could reside in Apple Stores or perhaps Best Buy stores, some speculate.
Check out the video above to learn more.
Would you like to see this piece of tech come to fruition?
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Steve Jobs will go down in history as one of the greatest tech innovators that ever lived, but according to a letter written by a Silicon Valley advertising executive back in 1976, he was a "joker."
The letter -- now archived at Stanford University -- was written by Mike Rose, who headed up a small advertising agency in California. A friend of Jobs suggested he reach out to Rose to print the first-ever manual for the Apple 1 computer.
Rose wrote to his own business partner informing him that Jobs would be reaching out to him.
"This joker is going to be calling you," Rose wrote. "They are 2 guys -- they build kits -- operate out of a garage." The note also alluded to Job's notorious secrecy...
"This joker is going to be calling you," Rose wrote. "They are 2 guys -- they build kits -- operate out of a garage." The note also alluded to Job's notorious secrecy...
Based on the comments of one German judge, Apple's legal fight over the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N in that country is about to come to an end. Apple had previously succeeded in getting a court in Dusseldorf to ban sales of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the tablet in Samsung's Galaxy lineup that most resembles the iPad. Samsung responded by modifying the tablet slightly, and relabeling it the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1N. As Businessweek reports, the court now appears to be satisfied that the changes are enough to differentiate the two tablets. “Consumers are well aware that there is an original and that competitors try to use similar designs, so buyers are vigilant when looking at products,” Presiding Judge...
We live in a world of absolutes: Here’s what happened. Even when we look to the future, our predictions are couched in the world’s sometimes difficult realities. It can, to be honest, take all the fun out of guess work. So, once a year I allow myself to go beyond the likely, beyond the possible and deep into the world of the implausible. What follows are my most ridiculous and unlikely predictions. Most are just nuts, but one is, to be honest, all too scarily possible. See if you can guess which prediction I’m talking about. 1. Facebook Buys Digg Facebook’s 2012 will look a lot like its 2011: More growth, more change. Still, it hasn’t quite broken through on the content curation and voting side of things. With all the frictionless sharing people will be doing, they may no longer think about accumulating “likes.” Digg started using Facebook’s OpenGraph in 2011,...
Nathan Safran heads the research department at Conductor, a leading SEO technology firm. Formerly, Nathan was an analyst for Forrester Research's consumer product strategy group, where he researched trend studies, consumer attitudes and behaviors toward technology adoption. Nathan blogs at exceljockey.com. The status quo for visual content has always been that its creation, delivery and consumption have clearly delineated borders. Content creators make it, cable providers deliver it, and viewers consume it on the big screen in their living room. In the last few years, however, we’ve seen a fundamental shift in the visual content landscape. For the first time since the advent of cable television in 1948, the lines are blurring as the quality of content...
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Admit it, you've always wanted to be an action star. I mean, who wouldn't want to effortlessly dodge flying cars, helicopters and missiles? Now, thanks to action auteur J.J. Abrams' new free app, Action Movie FX, and a little help from your iPhone, you can.
The app launched in Apple's App Store just a day after Abrams big-screen actioner Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol hit theaters. Abram's Bad Robot produced and Brad Bird directed (and Mashable hit the red carpet premiere). Included effects are "inspired by" the film. It's obviously designed to appeal those who would not only love to see Tom Cruise's latest film, but wouldn't mind starring in it too.
Action Movie FX [iTunes link] is an incredibly simple app that accomplishes an impressive feat: It puts you in the middle of the action. Here's how it works: You open the app and select one of two free action effects: Missile Attack and Car Smash. You can purchase additional effects for 99 cents apiece. After you've selected the scene, you shoot a short video. The apps offers some guidance and how and where to shoot (shoot over flat surface if you want the missile to land properly). It also offers a handy screen overlay that shows you approximately where the effect will occur in your clip.
It's also helpful if you have someone else hold the camera. All they have to do is hit the big red record button, hold the camera steady and record. I'd suggest recording a minute or less since most of the effects are pretty brief. Once the video is recorded, Action Movie FX offers an effects slider that lets you adjust where in your recording to start the effect. Next, you process the film and preview. You can still go back and adjust the timing until the effect hits at just the right moment.
The final product is a hoot -- the effects overlay is near perfect. You can save locally to your own camera roll...