Apple : iMessage, FaceTime go down again in second Apple outage

iMessage, FaceTime go down again in second Apple outage
'The tide is turning' between Apple and Android tablets, research shows
Apple iRadio signals a deal
Home is where the Facebook is in this week's tech. magazine

iMessage, FaceTime go down again in second Apple outage

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It appears that Apple's iMessages and FaceTime outage earlier this week was not an isolated incident, as Apple users had no doubt hoped.

The messaging and video chat networks went down again for some users this morning.

Tuesday's iMessage and FaceTime outage lasted more than five hours and affected users on both iOS and Mac OS X seemingly on a global scale.

Today's service interruption was really more of a hiccup, lasting little over one hour according to Apple, though CNET reported that it was actually closer to two.

Does it really matter?

One of the things that attracts everyday consumers to Apple is the company's reliability. If there's an issue with a product or service, Apple is normally quick to help, and the "geniuses" in Apple stores can solve most problems with a quick visit.

Anything that tarnishes that image can't do Apple any good.

Granted, the lack of iMessages this morning and on Tuesday likely went unnoticed by many iOS users, as all it meant was the little bubbles changed from blue to green as normal SMS messages were sent instead.

Some who found Apple's FaceTime video chat service down may have felt the outages more keenly, though.

In any case, Apple has yet to release a statement or provide a reason for the outage, despite our and others' queries. We'll update this story if and when they do.

'The tide is turning' between Apple and Android tablets, research shows

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A research group said today that Android tablets will finally beat the iPad in 2013 as tablet sales rise 38 percent over sales in 2012.

ABI Research predicted that 150 million tablets will ship in 2013, a figure that's up significantly from last year.

But it's not surprising that tablet sales are rising while PC sales continue to get more and more pathetic.

What's more interesting is what ABI predicted for Apple and Android.

Taking a bite of the Apple

The ever-waging war between iOS and Android is about to shift toward Google's OS, at least in the tablet space, ABI Research said.

"The tide is definitely turning toward Android-based tablets," mobile devices senior practice director Jeff Orr said in a press release. He added that "Apple will not slouch as it feels the competition approaching."

Nevertheless, the firm forecasted that Android tablets are about to finally overtake the iPad, despite the introduction of the iPad mini in 2012.

It also predicted that Samsung will be the breakaway challenger that will differentiate itself the most from the Android pack. "A well-executed Samsung tablet strategy could double the company's market share this year," said Orr.

No surprises here

Apple shouldn't exactly feel blindsided by ABI's findings, as analysts have been predicting Android's eventual victory for years in spite of iOS's continued dominance.

In 2010, the year of its debut, the iPad had 87 percent of the tablet market, but during 2012 Android's growth more often than not outstripped Apple's, and the future that's being predicted now wasn't hard to see.

RBC Capital Markets researcher Mike Abramsky said in early 2011 that Android would dominate the tablet market by 2014, a prediction that looks like it will come true.

And the International Data Corporation (IDC) made the same claim in March this year, saying that Android tablets will overtake iPads in 2013 thanks to price-conscious consumers choosing more affordable options.

IDC said Android will take up to 48.8 percent of the market, while Apple could drop to 46 percent of tablets sold. Its overall sales forecast of 190.9 million tablets shipped was much higher than ABI Research's more recent figure of 150 million, though.

In any case, the same thing has already happened in smartphones, with Android devices pulling ahead of the iPhone last year.

ABI said that 60 percent of tablets shipped in 2012 were iPads and iPad minis, while 37 percent used Android (including OS branches like the one used on the Kindle Fire HD).

Unless Apple has an ace up its sleeve, it could finally lose the top tablet spot to Android this year.

Apple iRadio signals a deal

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Apple is about to sign the dotted line on a huge music streaming sevice agreement with Universal Music Group, if sources are to be believed.

Two sources with inside information have said that Apple is planning to launch a web radio similar to Pandora later this year - iRadio, as we're currently calling it - and is currently in the final stages of negotiations.

It's also said to be nearing a deal with Warner Music too - all of which corroborates with the previous murmurings we'd heard. Apparently a deal with Universal could be done as early as next week.

If you build it, they will come

With the weight of iTunes under its belt, Apple would definitely have the upper hand in the music streaming industry. Especially if it's offering competitive royalty prices to record labels, which sources have claimed it is.

This won't just be Pandora in an Apple-shaped box though. Sources state that the service will offer more on-demand features, though exactly what form these will take is currently unknown.

But the idea of being able to download a song from iRadio to iTunes with a single click will no doubt make Apple's streaming service an appealing prospect to both consumers and artists alike.

Home is where the Facebook is in this week's tech. magazine

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This week's tech. reveals everything you need to know about Facebook Home, the app that's all set to take over millions of phones.

Inside the latest issue of tech. - TechRadar's glorious iPad-only magazine – is an in-depth preview of the first phone with Home, the HTC First, an explainer on Mark Zuckerberg's latest service and all the reaction from the launch.

Also, we have the latest news on Sony's budget-friendly 4K televisions and an investigation into Google's massive app store clean-up.

What's app got to do with it?

tech. also sees how WhatsApp – the instant messaging service that Google flirted with buying – contends against Apple iMessage. The digimag also charts the amazing things IBM has brought to the computing world, plus all the latest app, movies and books you need to buy now.

Oh, and there's also a tribute to the brilliance of Lucasarts, the games studio Disney has decided to shutter.

And if that wasn't enough, there's in-depth interactive reviews of Samsung's Surface rival and LG's best phone ever – the LG Optimus G.

Download tech. magazine today from Apple Newsstand and get the first five issues absolutely free.

Yahuui Blog

Friday, April 12, 2013