So. How loyal are you to your mobile phone carrier? CNET For some, it’s the cost, and for others, it’s the quality. Either way, there are clear patterns on why consumers jump ship from one mobile carrier to another. Chances are, though, that as much as people may complain about customer service, that probably wasn’t …

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Apple’s iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users spent almost half a billion dollars on apps and in-app purchases during the first week of January — a new record for the App Store, the company announced Thursday. That comes on top of the single biggest day ever for sales in its App Store — New Year’s Day …

Sprint is trying to hang on to third place in the carrier wars, above T-Mobile but below Verizon and AT&T. Lynn La/CNET Sprint’s latest promotions appear to be paying off, as the company added close to a million customers during its fiscal third quarter. On Thursday, the carrier announced preliminary results for the quarter that ended December 31. Sprint said …

China will be home to the largest number of tablet users this year, with the US in second place. Xiomara Blanco/CNET More than 1 billion people throughout the world will use a tablet this year, predicts a report from eMarketer. In a study released Thursday, the research firm projected that almost 15 percent of people worldwide will use a tablet …

Apple Apple’s iOS is now at home on nearly 70 percent of all iOS devices. Releasing the latest figures on its App Store Distribution page on Tuesday, Apple estimated iOS 8’s share at 68 percent, followed by iOS 7 at 29 percent and older versions collectively at 4 percent. The new stats show the percentage of iOS devices recorded at …

Apple Apple saw a notable gain in smartphone sales around the world courtesy of its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, according to a report out Wednesday from market researcher Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. In the three months from September through November, iOS increased its share of smartphone sales year over year in eight of nine countries covered by Kantar. …

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Microsoft on Tuesday started offering a preview of its Office apps for Android tablet users, no invite required. The apps include preview versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint designed specifically for Android tablets. In a blog posted Tuesday, Microsoft’s Office 365 team spelled out the requirements to install and run the apps, notably an ARM-based Android …

Apple iPhone 6 and 6 Plus buyers in the US can now buy an unlocked and SIM-free model to use on any carrier here or abroad. As listed on Apple’s iPhone 6 page, the SIM-free version sells for the full retail price, which means the 4.7-inch, 16GB iPhone 6 costs $649, while the larger 5.5-inch, 16GB iPhone 6 Plus runs …

People who tried to drum up money to develop products and projects last year collectively raised $529 million via Kickstarter. This cooler — with a Bluetooth speaker, USB charger and built-in ice crusher — was one of the most-backed projects on Kickstarter last year. Coolest The site, where people can request pledges from the public to get an idea off …

The iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 3 James Martin/CNET Apple’s iOS is the dominant platform in the corporate world, based on a survey conducted by investment firm Piper Jaffray. Of the 112 corporate information officers polled by Piper Jaffray, 98 percent said they favor iOS for business operations and 89 percent said they equip staff with iOS devices, …