Samsung is still number one

Beancounters at IDC have added up the numbers and divided by their shoe size and reached the conclusion that smartphone shipments hit a record 1.43 billion units in 2015.

Near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) charging

Apple is said to be developing a wireless charging technology for its next-next generation iPhone and iPad lineups in 2017 that should be able to charge the devices from over 1 meter away, sources close to Bloomberg have claimed.

Jim Keller finds a new role

The bloke who helped create the chip which will either finish AMD or give it a renaissance has a new role working for Tesla. Ironically it really will involve him working on Nvidia gear.

Partners suffer

Apple’s “shock” announcement that its business is not growing anymore is having a major effect on all the companies it propped up and their rivals.

All coming at mid-March event

Apple is preparing for a busy and packed hardware launch event coming in the middle of March, where it is expected to launch its third-generation iPad Air, a new 4-inch iPhone, a series of new first-generation Apple Watch bands, and new iOS and WatchOS updates, according to sources close to 9to5Mac.

New job postings suggest keen interest

It was made clear earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that 2016 would be the year that virtual reality (VR) finally becomes available in consumer formats to initial enthusiast public audiences. Some of the major competitors we’ve seen in this space so far include Facebook-owned Oculus with its Rift headset, Sony’s PlayStation VR headset and HTC’s Vive Pre headset, which we explored here.

Copies Apple again 

It seems that Apple is not the only one which is being hard hit by a fall in interest in smartphones. its rival Samsung is reporting the same sort of problems, only it has the advantage of other products it can fall back on and a big R&D budget for future products.

Second-generation forecast lower than expected

A new report by DigiTimes claims that Apple’s second-generation Watch is expected to enter production in the second quarter of 2016, citing sources from within the company’s upstream supply chain.

Telephoto and wide-angle lenses side by side

Apple’s upcoming tenth-generation 2016 flagship smartphone device, let’s just call it the “iPhone 7 Plus,” is expected to come in a dual-camera configuration on the back side, according to well-connected KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

While others suffer

While other smartphone makers, including the fruity cargo cult Apple see their sales dry up, Huawei is predicted to do rather well.