Apple ad man Ken Segall takes issue with Apple’s iPhone naming scheme (TUAW)
While serving as the creative lead of TBWA/Chiat Day, Ken Segall oversaw the creative direction of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s marketing efforts. Credited as the man who put the ‘i’ in iMac, Segall worked very closely with Steve Jobs and helped oversee a number of memorable Apple ad campaigns, including the award-winning Think Different campaign. Suffice it to say, when Segall has something to say about Apple’s advertising efforts, it’s typically worth paying attention to.
Chinese authorities vow to watch Apple despite apology (Macworld)
The company’s apology showed “initial achievement” in reforming its policies, China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) said on its website on Sunday. But despite the apology, SAIC is adopting a “watch and see” policy toward Apple, and will not let up on its oversight of the company.
On April 2, a catchy headline splashed across the pages of major Chinese newspapers, ending a breathless three-week assault that the Chinese media launched at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), which it accused of discriminating against Chinese customers in its warranty policies. Meanwhile, the discussion unfolding on Weibo, China’s popular social media platform, behind the top trending hashtag “Apple Apologized” took on a very different focus. Under Tim Cook’s apology letter, reposted from the Chinese version of the Apple website, several commentators rejoiced over the victory Chinese media scored in forcing Apple to “bow its arrogant head,” as one user put it. The majority of the commentators, however, were in no mood to celebrate.
You Voted! BlackBerry Crushed Apple (CNBC)
A “David and Goliath” story played out in the finals of our “Squawk Box Money Madness” stock tournament. Little, beaten up Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY)—market cap $7 billion—topped the $400 billion behemoth Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Struggling to stay relevant, BlackBerry won in a landslide, with 63 percent of the nearly 16,000 votes cast on CNBC’s Facebook page and our Squawk.CNBC.com show page. Apple’s recent slump made it a No. 4 seed on its side of our bracket, while BlackBerry’s gains so far this year earned it a top seed on its side. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) beat Nokia, International Business Machines, and Facebook to reach the final. Apple beat Netflix, General Electric, and Bank of America.
Apple’s US-based chip development expanding in Florida, could be related to fingerprint tech (AppleInsider)
Analyst Ming-chi Kuo of KGI securities, who has a strong track record in predicting Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s future product plans, first reported in January that Apple plans to launch a so-called “iPhone 5S” this year with a fingerprint sensor featuring AuthenTec’s technology. According to Kuo, the sensor will be located under the home button on the handset, and it will allow users to bypass password entry and potentially authenticate e-wallet transactions. Apple’s new Software Engineer vacancy in Melbourne seeks a candidate that will write low-level control firmware for “sensor ICs” built at the Melbourne Design Center.
Confirmed: Apple Kicks AppGratis Out of the Store for Being Too Pushy (AllThingsD)
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has ousted a popular app-discovery application from its iTunes App Store, claiming the app circumvented App Store rules preventing applications promoting other apps and direct marketing. On Sunday, AppGratis, which promotes paid apps by offering one for free everyday, abruptly vanished from the App Store without explanation or comment from Apple.
When strange ads appear on Apple.com, without Apple knowing (CNET)
Would you, for example, want to see a banner ad from H&R Block, Inc. (NYSE:HRB) besmirching the pristine pages of Apple.com? This is allegedly what happened to computer science Ph.D. student Zack Henkel. As Ars Technica reports, Zenkel was bathing in the specs of a Mac Mini on Apple.com when strange things began to occur. Henkel describes on his own blog that he was suddenly faced with “a bright neon green banner advertisement proclaiming: ‘File For Free Online, H&R Block.’ I quickly deduced that either Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had entered in to the worst cross-promotional deal ever, or my computer was infected with some type of malware. Unfortunately, I would soon discover there was…
