Jennifer Jolly, Special for USA TODAY 12:21 a.m. EDT October 20, 2013 Jennifer Jolly(Photo: Roddy Blelloch for USA TODAY)Who cares about core processors? We do, and so should you if you plan to buy a new computer this year. Here's why:If you've been in the market for a new gadget lately, you've likely been bombarded with tech jargon that sounds like a cross between a football audible[1] — i3, i5, i7 (hike!) — and a choice of Ivy League schools (Snapdragon, Haswell, Ivy Bridge). I'm talking about various types of core processors, which are like the heart and brains of our favorite gadgets. Why should you care? For one, which one you choose makes a big difference in cost — sometimes by thousands of dollars. Also, core processors can play a big difference in how fast your gadget goes and how long the battery lasts.THE QUICK LOWDOWNYou hear a line or two of core-related tech-speak every time you come across a new desktop, laptop, tablet and 2-in-1.Speed and power are two of the biggest tasks a processor manages, and that means a great deal when it comes to performing everyday tasks, from loading a webpage to playing a video game. What you plan to do with your computer should influence the processor you go for. If you browse the Web, check e-mail, all tasks that are fairly easy, you won't need much power. But if you're going to play games or edit movies, you'll want a little more under the hood or else you'll feel like you're in the slow lane on the highway. WHAT'S IN A NAME?When it comes to laptops, desktops and 2-and-1 computers, the name you hear most is Intel. While there are other many other chip makers, such as Samsung[2], which makes the Exynos that power…

Mark Veverka, Special for USA TODAY 11:13 p.m. EDT October 15, 2013 A sales person pulls out an iPhone 5s for a customer.(Photo: Alan Diaz, AP)Story HighlightsiPhone sales come from 3 sources: repeat buyers, switchers from other brands, first-time smartphone buyersMajority of new iPhone sales in recent years have been to new usersLower-priced phones are fastest growing part of overall smartphone marketNEW YORK — Can Apple sustain its growth and meet shareholder expectations by only catering to the top end of the market?It might be a matter of when, not if, Apple could introduce lower-priced iPhones to address the fastest-growing segment of the smartphone market: phones that sell for less than $300 contract-free. It's not a new issue. For years, pundits have been wrongly predicting that Apple would have done this by now.The upside is selling more devices. The downside is Apple's industry-leading margins get eroded, which is why the company has been reticent to do that so far.Bernstein Research software analyst Toni Sacconaghi argues Apple inevitably could introduce a lower-priced device largely because the high-end of the smartphone market is becoming increasingly saturated, and there simply is little room to grow.Sacconaghi wonders whether Apple is too late, and the high-end of the smartphone market is already tapped. If that's the case, then Wall Street profit and revenue estimates for the next two fiscal years are probably too high, and the company could disappoint investors come earnings time in 2014.iPhone sales come from three primary sources: repeat iPhone devotees; switchers from another brand of smartphone; and first-time smartphone buyers. Adding new carriers that carry Apple spurs new users, some of whom are first-time buyers and some of whom switch their phone preferences. Sacconaghi assumes about 85% of iPhones are replaced within three years, with the majority switched out in the…

Roger Yu, USA TODAY 12:54 a.m. EDT October 11, 2013 Chet Kanojia, founder and CEO of Aereo, Inc., shows a tablet displaying his company's technology(Photo: Bebeto Matthews, AP)Story HighlightsAndroid app available Oct. 22 but Aereo already works on iPad and laptops'Variety' reports broadcasters will appeal to Supreme Court to shut it downAereo available in 7 marketsAereo said Thursday its TV streaming technology will be available later this month for mobile devices with the Android operating system, a move that will significantly broaden the controversial service's reach even as broadcasters fight to shut it down.The Android app, available for download in the Google Play store on Oct. 22, will work only in the seven markets where Aereo has launched its $8-a-month service."This year, our focus has been on growing our footprint across the country," said Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia in a statement.Launched last year and backed by billionaire media mogul Barry Diller, Aereo uses its mini-antennas, assigned to each subscriber, to transmit over-the-air TV station content. Each antenna receives the TV signal, and allows a subscriber to view or record the content through Aereo's streaming technology.TV station owners have fought to ban Aereo, arguing in courts that the technology violates copyrights. Broadcasters also worry they will lose retransmission revenues -- the money cable and satellite companies pay broadcasters to carry their signals -- if viewers can watch TV directly online.Aereo has faced numerous lawsuits from broadcasters but so far has been allowed to continue its service. A judge at the U.S. District Court in the District Massachusetts denied Thursday a motion by Hearst and its station, WCVB, for a preliminary injunction to stop Aereo's service in the area. But the judge also denied Aereo's request to move the case to New York, where the company has won legal challenges.In…