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Steve Jobs Nominated for Time Magazine "Person of the Year"
Nov 09, 11:53PM
NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams has nominated Apple cofounder Steve Jobs for Time Magazine's "Person of the Year" award. Williams said in his speech nominating Jobs:
One guy, who changed our world, and I said to Seth Meyers as we walked across Sixth Avenue, "Just look with me on this one block walk at how he changed the world around us. Look at how he changed the world." Not only did he change the world, but he gave us that spirit again that something was possible that you could look at a piece of plastic or glass and move your finger-- that's outlandish. You could make things bigger or smaller like that. "Oh the places you'll go" and oh the way you will change forever the music and television industries. So may he rest in peace, Steve Jobs, and the spirit he represents, are my nominee for Person of the Year.If selected, Jobs would be the first person to receive the award posthumously. Steve Jobs was a mentor to Mark Zuckerberg, 2010's Person of the Year.
Time's Person of the Year is awarded to "a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year.'" Past technology-related awards have gone to American Scientists in 1960, the Apollo 8 Astronauts in 1968, "You" in 2006, representing the individual content creator on the Internet, and "The Computer" in 1982.
The award will be presented in December.
Motion Tracking iPhone Dock Keeps Video On-Point [iOS Blog]
Nov 09, 9:45PM
The Swivl is an iPhone dock that uses motion tracking to swivel the phone -- and thus the front-facing camera -- to follow your every move, both horizontally and vertically. It also comes with a wireless remote to control the camera and start-and-stop recording, useful for video-bloggers. The Swivl can be used for a number of different tasks. Need a video of you skateboarding but have no cameraman? Or sick of holding the phone up to make FaceTime calls? The Swivl is for you:
Even better, the Swivl doesn't just work with the iPhone -- it works with any tripod mountable video camera.
The Swivl is available for pre-order for $159.99, and is set to launch early next year.
iOS and Android Grab 58% of U.S. Portable Gaming Revenue
Nov 09, 8:37PM
Mobile analytics firm Flurry today reports on the continuing shift in portable gaming from dedicated devices to smartphones and other multipurpose devices. According to results compiled by Flurry from NPD market research and Flurry's own mobile app data, Apple's iOS and Google's Android mobile operating systems will account for 58% of portable gaming revenue in the United States for 2011, an almost exact flip-flop from 2010 when dedicated device leaders Nintendo and Sony held 57% of the market.
The most striking trend is that iOS and Android games have tripled their market share from roughly 20% in 2009 to nearly 60% in just two years. Simultaneously, Nintendo, the once dominant player, has been crushed down to owning about one-third of market in 2011, from having controlled more than two-thirds in 2009. Combined, iOS and Android game revenue delivered $500 million, $800 million and $1.9 billion over 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively.Flurry's data for 2011 is based on estimates for the final two months of the year, but suggests that the rapid growth in gaming on smartphone platforms is showing no signs of slowing. The market dynamics of free or low-cost games sometimes supplemented by in-app purchases and played on multi-function devices versus dedicated gaming devices with relatively high-cost game titles are clearly playing out in favor of iOS and Android. The result has been a surging gaming market increasingly attracting casual gamers willing to spend a few dollars to play on their phones, while established players have seen not only their shares but also their revenue declining each year.
Nintendo has been resisting increasing pressure to bring its games to the iPhone and other platforms, sticking by its long-standing tradition of making its games exclusive to its own hardware. Flurry suggests that the rapidly-shifting landscape of portable gaming may soon bring Nintendo face-to-face with a "Nokia-like" decision whether to jump over to smartphone platforms or watch its business erode away.
New Walmart iPhone App Includes Shopping List, Coupons [iOS Blog]
Nov 09, 8:31PM
Walmart is updating its iPhone app with a number of new tools to make shopping easier at the world's largest retailer, reports GigaOm. Walmart released its first iPad app at the beginning of this month.
From GigaOm:
The new iPhone app, which should be available in the next few days, packs in a number of features, including a new smart shopping list tool that allows people to speak their shopping list into their phone to create a list. Users can also create a list by scanning a barcode or typing in products. The shopping list, which can be shared by email, can be paired with a new budgeting tool that pulls up real-time prices for products, so consumers can calculate their bill ahead of time. And they can grab manufacturer coupons for the items on their list or find other coupons for products at Walmart. Users will need to print out the coupons from an email.The Walmart apps for iPhone [Direct Link] and iPad [Direct Link] are available free from the App Store. The updated iPhone app should be available soon.
Walmart will enable users to pull product information — including reviews, ratings, price and availability — from the app. They'll also be able to scan QR codes for information. In a test in a limited number of stores, Walmart will provide a store item finder tool that tells people the exact location of products. It can work with a smart shopping list, which can organize the products by their location.
iPhone 4S Incorporates Revamped IR Sensor for Siri's 'Raise to Speak' Feature
Nov 09, 7:16PM
Apple's new Siri personal assistant feature on the iPhone 4S includes a "raise to speak" feature that allows Siri to be activated whenever an active iPhone is raised to the user's ear. The device is able to sense the raising action using a proximity sensor capable of detecting how close the user's face is to the screen. The iPhone has always incorporated proximity sensors in order to turn off the device's display during phone calls to prevent accidental input, but Siri's raise to speak feature requires that the device be ready to sense proximity to the user's face at all times.
Teardown firm iFixit has gone back to its original teardown of the iPhone 4S to highlight the sensor involved and show how it emits infrared light at all times to support Siri's raise to speak function.
During our iPhone 4S teardown, iFixit buddy Markus noted that the new iPhone had a rather unusual-looking black component next to the ambient light sensor. We didn't make much of a fuss about it since we were knee-deep in disassembly pictures, but the little black box certainly piqued our curiosity.In a video, iFixit demonstrates how the iPhone 4's proximity sensor is only activated while on a phone call, while the sensor on the iPhone 4S is active whenever the device's display is on.
Now that the teardown is wrapped up, we've re-opened the mystery and made a neat discovery about the 4S: that black component is an infrared LED, and the little bugger almost always wants to know if you're nearby.
Apple Required to Reveal Australian iPhone Carrier Contracts to Samsung [iOS Blog]
Nov 09, 6:29PM
Last week, we noted that as part of its case seeking to have sales of the iPhone 4S banned in Australia, Samsung had requested access to both the iPhone 4S source code and Apple's agreements with the country's wireless carriers. Samsung's interest in the carrier contracts related to device subsidies, with the company curious about whether the amount of subsidies paid to Apple by the carriers might be resulting in anti-competitive behavior.
Bloomberg now reports that the judge in the case has sided with Samsung on the carrier contract issue, ordering Apple to turn over copies of its agreements to Samsung. Apple had objected to Samsung's request, calling it a "fishing expedition" by Samsung without a specific target relevant to the case.
[Australia Federal Court Justice Annabelle] Bennett ruled the contracts with the phone operators are relevant to Samsung's case. Apple said it would oppose the disclosure and suggested it was a speculative effort to find damaging information.Bennett declined to rule on Samsung's source code request at this time, noting that she will address the issue on November 11th unless Apple and Samsung reach an agreement on their own before then.
"We will resist any attempts by our friends to push us into a corner" on the subsidies, Apple's lawyer Andrew Fox told the judge. "This is quite clearly a fishing expedition."
Apple Releases iAd Producer 2.0 for Developers [iOS Blog]
Nov 09, 5:40PM
Apple yesterday announced the release of version 2.0 of its iAd Producer software that help developers create ads for use in the company's iAd program for mobile devices. The new release brings a number of enhancements to the software first deployed last December.
New tools and animation effects in iAd Producer 2.0 make it even easier to build great iAds. Create sophisticated animations with precise control over object properties like position, opacity, size, color and shadow. Get instant, one-click access to any object or element on a page with the new object list. Make your iAds better and faster with new validation tools that identify optimization opportunities and common errors.Additional details on the improvements in iAd Producer 2.0 can be found in the release notes. iAd Producer is a free download for registered iOS developers.
Amazon Preparing to Take on Apple's Siri with Acquisition of Speech Recognition Firm?
Nov 09, 5:19PM
The Atlantic reports that a Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals Amazon has quietly acquired voice recognition firm Yap, perhaps signaling intentions to take on Apple and Google in the market.Though the acquisition was apparently completed in September, no public announcement has been made by either company. The filing does not mention Amazon by name, but Yap merged with a company called "Dion Acquisition Sub" that just so happens to be headquartered at 410 Terry Avenue in Seattle, Washington, an Amazon.com building.Yap had been working on a beta service for converting voicemail messages to text, but reportedly possesses a significant amount of intellectual property underlying speech recognition technology. The consumer voicemail transcription service was discontinued on October 20th.
Google has of course integrated voice recognition in some of aspects of its business, including a Google Search app for iOS, for some time. And Apple has made a high-profile entrance into the market with Siri on the iPhone 4S, a new virtual personal assistant that accepts voice input for conducting various tasks or retrieving information.
Amazon, which has long competed with Apple in a number of digital download markets, is now pushing into the mobile hardware market as well, building upon its successful Kindle offerings with the introduction of its new Android-based Kindle Fire tablet. While considerably smaller and cheaper than Apple's iPad and focused on tying into Amazon's existing services, the Kindle Fire is being seen as one of the strongest potential competitors for the iPad to yet emerge.
Apple Jumps to Fourth in Greenpeace's Environmental Rankings of Electronics Companies
Nov 09, 4:59PM
Fortune notes that Apple has risen to fourth place in Greenpeace's annual ranking of electronics manufacturers by environmental criteria, as published in the organization's annual Guide to Greener Electronics. Apple moved up to fourth place this year from ninth place in last year's survey, making gains in the greenness of its products and sustainability efforts in its operations, but remaining below average in its energy scores.
As noted in the report on Apple (PDF), the company does score some points on the energy front for its use of renewable energy sources, with select facilities in Texas, California, and Ireland powered by 100% renewable sources, representing 13% of the company's facility-related energy usage. Apple is also beginning work on a solar farm at its new North Carolina data center, an item unmentioned in Greenpeace's report. The most significant ding in Apple's energy scores according to Greenpeace is a lack of a stated advocacy policy for clean energy.
Gallery of Storefront Photos from Apple's 357 Retail Stores [Mac Blog]
Nov 09, 3:48PM
Thomas Park has put together an interesting gallery of storefront photos from all 357 of Apple's retail stores around the world. While the photos are simply pulled from the individual retail store pages on Apple's site, the gallery format ordered by date of opening makes for easy browsing and examination of the evolution of Apple's store designs. Some of the stores have of course been renovated over the years, but many of the early stores still retain their original exterior appearance.
As Park notes in a blog post about the project, Apple's store designs have in fact come a long way in the ten years since the Tysons Corner and Glendale Galleria stores launched Apple's retail initiative.
At the time, most analysts considered Apple's fledgling retail initiative to be doomed. But though Tysons Corner seemed like a modest start, it was a blueprint for big things to come. 357 stores and counting later, Apple is tops in sales per square foot, and they did it by applying many of the same principles as they do to their products: natural materials, understated aesthetics, and daringly innovative processes.All 357 images are displayed on a single page, although users can filter by country to show only those stores located in each of the eleven countries where Apple operates retail stores.
Anyway, one thing I wanted to do was go back and see how Apple storefronts have evolved over the past decade. I couldn't find anywhere to do this easily, so I decided to create a gallery myself.
Of the 357 total retail stores, six are currently without storefront images. Five of those stores (Soho, Somerset, Pasadena, Knox Street, and Ala Moana) are currently being renovated and/or expanded, with Apple operating temporary stores nearby during construction. The sixth store, Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, California, recently moved to a new location within the shopping center and the store page has yet to be updated with an image of the new store.
Kindle Fire Seen Slowing Some Previously-Planned iPad Purchases
Nov 09, 3:11PM
With Amazon's forthcoming Kindle Fire tablet staking out a new position at the bargain end of the tablet market with its $199 price tag, some have wondered how significantly the device will eat into Apple's potential iPad sales.
A new survey from RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave Research now puts some numbers to that impact, revealing that 26% of those surveyed customers who have either already pre-ordered a Kindle Fire or are "very likely" to purchase one have either delayed or put on indefinite hold previously-planned iPad purchases.
The survey also reveals relatively strong overall interest in the Kindle Fire, with 5% of survey respondents registering as either having already pre-ordered or being very likely to purchase the device. That compares with 4% of respondents who had indicated similar intent for the original iPad back in February 2010. The tablet market is of course at very different level of maturity now, however, given that Apple's iPad has sparked consumer interest in the form factor.
For its part, Apple has reportedly indicated that it welcomes the arrival of the Kindle Fire, suggesting that yet another Android-based tablet entrant heavily customized to integrate with Amazon's services will further fragment that platform and drive more customers toward the stability of Apple's iOS.
Apple Cutting Fourth Quarter iPhone Component Orders?
Nov 09, 2:47PM
Digitimes shares a report from Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Apple has cut orders for iPhone components during the fourth quarter by 10-15%. The report claims that sales of the device have slowed significantly since the pre-order and launch phase and that shortages of a few components have also been impacting overall production. iPad production may also be seeing some cutbacks.
According to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report, Apple is likely to adjust downward its shipments of iPhones and iPads from related suppliers by 10-15% in the fourth quarter.Sales of the iPhone 4S hit four million units on its opening weekend last month, significantly higher than the iPhone 4's debut of 1.7 million units last year.
Related iPhone 4S suppliers including cases and camera lens makers as well as ODM assemblers have received notice from Apple to reduce their shipments for the fourth quarter, but none of them has confirmed the report, the paper said.
Some international IC players have also indicated that their revenues are likely to slide by 10-15% in the fourth quarter due to the shipment adjustments for iPhone 4S.
Apple has moved quickly to expand iPhone 4S availability internationally, and the company has continued to experience tight supplies of the device at its own retail stores. But if the reports out of Taiwan are to be believed, at least a portion of that crunch may be due to lighter-than-anticipated production in the face of component shortages and a targeted cutback by Apple.
Update: RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky notes in a new research report that the suggestion of weaker-than-expected sales does not mesh with evidence of sell-through from carriers and other points-of-sale. He suggests that Apple may simply be pulling back slightly from an initial over-ordering of components, something the company has reportedly engaged in at times in order to gain the most favorable pricing possible.
Adobe Discontinues Development of Flash Player on Mobile Devices
Nov 09, 6:20AM
ZDNet is reporting that Adobe has announced to its partners that the company has discontinued development on Flash Player for mobile browsers. The news comes roughly a year and a half after the publication of Steve Jobs' "Thoughts on Flash" open letter, laying out his thoughts on the use of Flash in mobile devices and explaining why Apple would not support Flash on their mobile devices. Instead of working on mobile Flash, Adobe plans to continue developing its tools to produce applications that work on mobile app stores, including Apple's App Store.
>From Adobe's announcement:
Our future work with Flash on mobile devices will be focused on enabling Flash developers to package native apps with Adobe AIR for all the major app stores. We will no longer adapt Flash Player for mobile devices to new browser, OS version or device configurations. Some of our source code licensees may opt to continue working on and releasing their own implementations. We will continue to support the current Android and PlayBook configurations with critical bug fixes and security updates.ZDNet notes that the announcement should go public on Adobe's website in the next day.
Update: The complete announcement has now been posted to Adobe's site.
Apple Releases Java 6 Updates for Lion and Snow Leopard [Mac Blog]
Nov 09, 4:56AM
Apple today released a pair of Java 6 updates for users of OS X Lion and Mac OS X Snow Leopard, patching vulnerabilities and increasing reliability and compatibility. - Java for OS X Lion Update 1 (62.53 MB)
Java for Mac OS X 10.7 Update 1 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_29.- Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 6 (75.45 MB)
Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 6 delivers improved compatibility, security, and reliability by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_29.Full details on the security vulnerabilities addressed in the updates are included in an associated support document.
New Case Adds Unlocked SIM Slot to Jailbroken iPhones
Nov 09, 3:52AM
Vooma has announced an iPhone case with a backup battery and, more interestingly, an unlocked SIM slot. The case works with a jailbreak-only app that emulates the iPhone's native phone app to allow calls via the external SIM. At its core, the case unlocks any jailbroken iPhone.
TechCrunch's John Biggs tried a pre-release version of the case and came away impressed:
Once it's set up the Peel PG92 works seamlessly and even uses a similar interface to Apple's own dialer – although it's clear that the programmers had to cut a few corners to get the look and feel correct. For example, the dialing screen is actually a bitmapped copy of the original dialer and the letters and numbers are slightly warped. However, all of the major functionality is recreated in the Vooma app.Details are scarce, but it appears that the case fits mini-SIM cards, not the micro-SIM that fits in the iPhone 4 and 4S. Also, the external SIM could be used for voice calls only -- data most likely goes through the SIM card that's installed in the iPhone. Because the external SIM is used via its own app the internal SIM can still be used for voice calls even with the case installed.
However, this is clearly a very cool and clever hack and it works without problems on any jailbroken iPhone.
The case would be most useful for international travelers who wish to install a prepaid SIM card from a local carrier, without having to unlock their subsidized iPhone from a domestic carrier. Unlocking an iPhone is typically more difficult than a simple jailbreak.
Vooma has a sign-up form on its homepage to get more information on the Peel PG920, but the company has disclosed no details about pricing or availability.
Apple Has No Plans to Support Siri on Older Devices
Nov 09, 3:00AM
When Apple introduced the Siri voice assistant, the company made it clear that the feature was exclusive to the iPhone 4S alone.
There was some speculation that Siri required the iPhone 4S's faster processor, but recent hack have shown Siri to run quite well on the iPhone 4. Meanwhile, one rumor even claimed that Apple been internally testing Siri on the iPhone 4, raising some hopes for an eventual release.
Unfortunately, Michael Steeber posts an Apple reply to a bug report which states quite clearly that Apple isn't planning on supporting Siri on older devices:
Engineering has provided the following feedback regarding this issue: Siri only works on iPhone 4S and we currently have no plans to support older devices.Apple generally keeps quiet about their plans, so this is probably as much as we'll hear for an official position on the possibility of official Siri support on the iPhone 4 or iPad 2.
Work on iOS 5 Battery Issues Continues with Customer Testing, Internal Support Notices
Nov 08, 9:44PM
Last week, Apple confirmed that some iOS 5 users are experiencing battery life issues on their devices due to some bugs in the operating system, issues that Apple is working to address with iOS 5.0.1 currently in developer testing. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has now expanded its testing to include some of those users who have reported problems with their devices, reaching out to them through Apple's invitation-only customer seeding program.
Apple invites you to participate in a software seeding project. We have selected you, based on a referral from AppleCare for participation in our program, to assist us in testing an upcoming iOS 5 Software Update. Please follow the directions below to complete the invitation process.Apple is also apparently notifying its retail store support staff of the battery issues, instructing them to encourage customers to hang on for "a few weeks" until the software update is ready for release. Under the notice, support staff should not offer replacement handsets for battery life issues at this time unless potential hardware defects are found.
A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices. If you are helping one of those customers, follow standard procedure to rule out any hardware issues with the device. If no hardware issues are found, let the customer know that Apple has found a few bugs in iOS 5 affecting battery life and Apple will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.In addition to the battery life issues, iOS 5.0.1 is also including several other fixes and enhancements, including multitasking gestures for the original iPad, bug fixes for Documents in the Cloud, improved voice recognition for Australian users, and security enhancements.
Criterion Collection Arrives on iTunes [Mac Blog]
Nov 08, 9:14PM
The Criterion Collection, film distribution company specializing in "gathering the greatest films from around the world" and releasing them in the highest quality, has debuted 46 of its 680 films on iTunes.
Criterion is offering a very small selection of films from their collection... but it is a start. They seem to be beginning with 46 films, including such hallmarks of cinema as Ingmar Bergman's THE SEVENTH SEAL, Jean-Luc Godard's BREATHLESS, Akira Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI, and Francois Truffaut's THE 400 BLOWS.Oddly, the movies are only available in HD on the iPad and Apple TV. Also disappointing is the lack of extras -- Criterion is famous for offering extremely high quality interviews and other extras in its releases. Regardless, the films [iTunes Store] are $14.99 to buy and $2.99 to rent.
Apple Store Managers Being Trained On "Union Awareness" [Mac Blog]
Nov 08, 7:42PM
Apple Retail Store managers are participating in "union awareness" training after a part-time San Francisco retail store employee attempted to start a union of Apple Store employees, according to CNET.
This course is intended to provide managers with a practical understanding of how unions affect the workplace, how and why employees organize, and the legal do's and don'ts of dealing with unions. This is a mandatory class for all new managers, and is required biannually for all managers."Apple's retail employees partake a wide variety of training, on products, services, and best practices, via an exclusive iPad app called RetailMe.
This training is presumably in an effort to avoid entanglements surrounding what corporations can and cannot legally do to discourage the formation of unions.
AT&T Introduces Worldwide VoIP Calling App [iOS Blog]
Nov 08, 7:02PM
AT&T; has launched a new app to allow its customers to make inexpensive international calls over Wi-Fi. With the AT&T; Call International app, customers can get the "lowest international calling rates" that AT&T; offers. Calls to the UK, for example, cost $0.04/minute for calls to wireline numbers and $0.27/minute for calls to mobile phones. Calls to China are $0.04/minute. The price list for all countries is available here.
Pricing is competitive with other VoIP calling apps like Vonage -- though having a major name like AT&T; stand behind the app may make some users more comfortable than making calls with a lesser known name.
Within the United States, calls are placed like a normal cellular call -- no Wi-Fi required, and a nice feature compared to making calls on other VoIP apps -- but outside the U.S. all calls are placed only via Wi-Fi.
The AT&T; Call International app is free to download -- call charges are applied to a credit card, not the user's AT&T; phone bill, with no monthly fee or minimum charges.
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