By Evan Niu, CFA

Over the decades, there has been a long history of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT ) copying Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL ) . This trend most notably started with the graphical user interface, or GUI, that the Mac first brought to consumer PCs and was subsequently followed by Windows.

Another prominent example would be the Zune, which had hoped to muscle in on the iPod’s success, but largely failed. Most recently, Microsoft’s entire business strategy may be transitioning toward Apple’s ways, as Steve Ballmer has made it abundantly clear that Microsoft’s future lies in becoming a “devices-and-services” company, a departure from its predominantly software approach.

Well, Apple may be about to copy its rival from Redmond for once.

Flatland
Apple is just weeks away from kicking off its Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC. The headliner at the event will be iOS 7, which is expected to see its first aesthetic overhaul in years. Numerous rumors over the past couple months have pointed to design chief Jony Ive pursuing a more “flat design.”

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By Zach Epstein

Apple’s fifth-generation iPad hasn’t yet been unveiled, but at this point we likely have a fairly good idea of what to expect. The new “iPad 5″ will be thinner and lighter than Apple’s current model — which seems like an obvious assumption unless you consider the fact that the third-generation iPad was both thicker and heavier than its predecessor — and it will seemingly have a smaller overall footprint as well. In line with a series of earlier leaks, a newly published photo from case maker Tactus allegedly shows the next-generation iPad’s rear shell. It also reinforces numerous earlier reports suggesting the iPad 5 will feature a big redesign that adopts the iPad mini’s design aesthetic. According to a recent report from KGI Securities, which has a solid track record when it comes to information about unannounced Apple devices, the next-generation iPad will launch this coming August or September.

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Haydn Shaughnessy

For those of us who thought the Galaxy S4 was a step up in smartphone specifications, there is the slow realization that Samsung have done more than that – so much more, if it delivers the range of features and services promised.

In fact you could argue that the worst aspect of the S4′s launch in New York last week was the way Samsung under-sold the phone.

I’m talking about Samsung’s phone as an exercise in innovation.

If your taste only runs to hardware specs then good luck to you. If you like to look at how companies set a new cadence for innovation and begin building a new paradigm, at pace, look no further than the S4.

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By Gareth Beavis, John McCann, Dan Grabham and Kelly Johnson

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is here. One of the most anticipated handsets in while, Samsung has taken the wraps off the device at a glittering event at New York’s famous Radio City Music Hall.

For those that weren’t lucky enough to get into Radio City Music Hall, Samsung gave fans a chance to join the live stream from Times Square.

Check out our full Hands on: Galaxy S4 review for our first impressions of the device.

Needless to say the likes of the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and the now aging iPhone 5 have some pretty meaty competition, so here’s our complete lowdown on the new handset.

But if you’re more interested in checking out how the S4 runs against the competition, here’s our fist fight between the devices: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xperia Z vs HTC One vs iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920

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By Chris Gayomali

A leaked video suggests Siri may soon face some stiff competition

Google’s quiet invasion of iOS is kind of brilliant if you think about it.

Google’s dedicated apps for Maps, Chrome, and Gmail are superior to any of the iPhone’s native counterparts, and have become hugely (and for Tim Cook and Co., embarrassingly) popular in Apple’s App Store. Plus, not only do these Google apps beam valuable consumer data back to the Mountain View mothership, but they simultaneously throttle Apple’s connection to its customers. It’s two birds with one stone; a software-powered one-two punch.

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By PETER SVENSSON

BARCELONA, Spain —

Huawei, a Chinese company that recently became the world’s third-largest maker of smartphones, calls its new flagship product “the fastest smartphone in the world” and wants to use it to expand global awareness of its brand.

Parts of the presentation of the phone at a press conference Sunday in Barcelona, Spain, suggest that the company has some way to go in polishing its pitch for a global audience.

Richard Yu, head of Huawei’s consumer business group said the new phone can be programmed to display more than 100 different “themes,” or looks. This is important because “ladies like flowers, colorful things,” Yu said.

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