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iWorld 2012: Bottle Opener Cases, Wave Cradle, Nomad Brush, Wallet Case
Jan 26, 10:51PM
Macworld | iWorld carries the usual collection of iPhone cases and accessories, not all of which are insanely great. But here are a few interesting ones that were on the show floor as I made my way through the masses.
Opena Case and Intoxicase were both showing off iPhone cases with built in bottle openers. Intoxicase's even integrates with an app that counts the number of openings. Not sure the demand for such a thing, but here they are.
WaveCradle is simple aluminum stand that amplifies the audio coming from your iPhone. The stand simple curves the audio towards the listener and they claim an 8 decibel increase. Cradles cost from $19.85 to $28.50.
Nomad Brush sells capacitive tipped paint brushes for use on your iPad. The iPad can't sense pressure, so the use of these special brushes is primarily for feel. Artists may be more accustomed to using a brush than their finger. Brushes cost from $18 to $39.
iLidiPhoneCase claims to be the thinnest iPhone wallet case. It's priced at $39.95 and is shipping in a few weeks. The floor model felt a bit plastic-y, however.
Macworld 2012: WDC Shows Off MyBook Thunderbolt Duo
Jan 26, 9:24PM
We briefly mentioned WDC's press release that they would be showing their new MyBook Thunderbolt Duo at Macworld. Here are photos from the show floor of the unit. As expected, the new drive shares the same appearance as their previous two drive MyBook hardware.
This new model, however, incorporates two Thunderbolt ports that allows the units to be daisy chained with each other to create a single logical drive.
At the show, WDC was showing 4 devices daisy chained with Thunderbolt in a striped configuration. Each MyBook Thunderbolt Duo had two 3TB drives, giving a total capacity of 24TB that appeared on the desktop as one contiguous 24TB device.
The individual drives within each unit are user serviceable/replaceable and can be configured in either RAID 0 or RAID 1 configurations. The product will be available this quarter with pricing to be announced then.
Valve Releases Steam Companion App for iPhone [iOS Blog]
Jan 26, 8:41PM
Valve, the company behind the popular gaming platform Steam, has released a new companion app for iPhone called Steam Mobile as a closed beta. The app allows Steam users to view their Steam friends list, see what games their friends are playing, and chat with players in-game. Gamers can also browse -- and apparently purchase, though the app descriptions are a little fuzzy on that point -- the Steam library of titles from the iPhone. However, there is no purchasing of iOS games through the app, something that, aside from the fact that Steam doesn't support any iOS games, Apple would surely frown upon.
"The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers," said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. "Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale - these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone."While it has been released as a "closed beta", users sign up to be included via the app itself.
Steam Mobile for iPhone is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]
iPhone Average Selling Price Remains Steady Even With Free 3GS Offer
Jan 26, 7:19PM
Earlier this week, Apple reported its best quarterly earnings ever, taking in more than $46 billion over three months. 53% of that revenue was from the sale of 37 million iPhones, at an average selling price of nearly $660. This ASP is particularly impressive, considering this is the first quarter that Apple has sold a "free" iPhone in the U.S. -- the iPhone 3GS is available for free to new two-year contract signers on AT&T.;
Apple's iPhone ASP has remained fairly consistent, hovering between $622 and $660 for most of the phone's lifespan. With Apple offering their cheapest iPhones yet this quarter, some analysts wondered if that would have a negative effect on the iPhone's ASP. It seems that demand for the 64GB iPhone 4S -- the most expensive iPhone yet at $849 -- has easily offset the cheaper iPhone 3GS and 4 models.
All Things D reports estimates from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners that claim 89% of iPhone purchases in the U.S. were for the iPhone 4S, with only 4% of buyers choosing the iPhone 3GS. More relevant for the discussion above, CIRP estimates that higher-end 4S models sold particularly well, with 21% of 4S purchasers opting for the 64GB model and 34% picking up the 32GB.
Part-Time Apple Employees Now Eligible to Participate in Charitable Matching Program
Jan 26, 6:54PM
One of Tim Cook's first acts when he became CEO of Apple was to institute a charitable matching program for employees. Under the program, Apple would match employees' personal contributions to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations up to $10,000 per year. However, the program initially only applied to US-based full-time employees.
Now, it seems Apple has expanded the program to include part-time US employees as well, and covering international workers soon, according to a tweet from the Apple Retail Workers Union twitter account.
As of November 2011, some two months after the program went into effect, Apple had matched $1.3 million in employee contributions, with the $2.6 million dollars donated in total.
Macworld 2012: 'Clear' To Do App for iOS, WDC MyBook Thunderbolt Duo
Jan 26, 6:36PM
Macworld | iWorld 2012 kicked off this morning in San Francisco with the opening of the expo show floor. For years, Macworld was the major trade show for Apple to announce their new products. The venue was the launching ground for the first iPhone launch back in 2007.
Since Apple's departure, the show has continued with a focus on 3rd party companies. This year, the show has been rebranded as Macworld | iWorld reflecting the increased importance of iOS in the Apple ecosystem.
Clear
Realmac Software and Impending used Macworld | iWorld to announce their new to do app for the iPhone. Impending is a new studio formed by Phill Ryu and David Lanham. Ryu is best known for his work on MacHeist, which MacRumors has partnered with in the past. The app is called Clear and is a minimalist take on the to do / list manager app, focusing on simple gestures to manage all elements of the list:
The app has not yet launched but will be coming in the next couple of weeks. It will be a free download for the basic app with in-app purchases for color themes and the ability to have multiple lists.
WDC MyBook Thunderbolt Duo
At least one new Thunderbolt product has been announced. Western Digital announced that they would be showing off their MyBook Thunderbolt Duo drive system at Macworld. The new drives will presumably be similar to their existing MyBook product line. Pricing and availability has not yet been announced.
We'll have more from Macworld | iWorld over the next few days.
Former Apple Executives Address Working Conditions in Suppliers' Factories
Jan 26, 5:37PM
The New York Times today published a lengthy report discussing working conditions at the facilities of Apple's suppliers in China, part of a growing focus on how Apple's popular products are made. While the company is making strides in holding its suppliers accountable to company standards, the report cites former Apple executives who note that the company continues to struggle balancing its desire for better working conditions and workers' rights with its business priorities.
Some former Apple executives say there is an unresolved tension within the company: executives want to improve conditions within factories, but that dedication falters when it conflicts with crucial supplier relationships or the fast delivery of new products. [...]Apple is far from the only company experiencing such tensions, but has been receiving the most publicity due to the popularity of its products and its booming financial results.
"We've known about labor abuses in some factories for four years, and they're still going on," said one former Apple executive who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of confidentiality agreements. "Why? Because the system works for us. Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn't have another choice."
Apple details its efforts on monitoring supplier responsibility in an annual report, outlining hundreds of audits it conducts to check for compliance and the steps it has taken to remedy issues discovered as part of the process. But sources note that while Apple routinely threatens companies with a loss of business if issues are not addressed, the company in practice has tolerate continued issues because it frequently has few alternatives in its supply chain.
"If you see the same pattern of problems, year after year, that means the company's ignoring the issue rather than solving it," said one former Apple executive with firsthand knowledge of the supplier responsibility group. "Noncompliance is tolerated, as long as the suppliers promise to try harder next time. If we meant business, core violations would disappear."The highest-profile issues at Apple suppliers have involved a number of suicides at Foxconn's facilities and separate explosions at Foxconn and Pegatron facilities last year that together resulted in four deaths and 77 injuries.
Apple has over 150 suppliers contributing to its products, many of them located in China and other Asian countries where workers are plentiful and wages low in comparison to other regions of the world. Last week, The New York Times detailed how the U.S. has been unable to compete with China for production of the iPhone and other devices as factories in Asia have proven to be considerably more flexible in their ability to scale production up and down and have become the location for nearly the entire supply chain.
But while the economics and logistics of manufacturing in China bring Apple speed, scale, and costs that are unmatchable in the United States, the company finds itself struggling to deal with the human factor that has become increasingly visible alongside Apple's rise to prominence.
When iPhone Apps Are Reduced In Price, Sales Go Up 22% [iOS Blog]
Jan 26, 5:36PM
In what seems like a logical result of economic pricing strategies, iPhone app developers who put their apps on sale see an average increase in revenue of 41% on the first day, and total increases of 22% after 15 days. App store analytics provider Distimo shared the findings in a new research report. TechCrunch writes:
When a developer decides to put an application on sale, there's a delicate balance that has to be achieved. The sale price has to be low enough to encourage more downloads, obviously, but it also needs to be low enough that it encourages enough download volume to make up for the lost revenue.
To examine what happens during when apps go on sale, Distimo examined the 100 top grossing apps in the iPhone App Atore, iPad App Store and Android Market. On the first day of the sale, the average revenue increase by +41% in the iPhone App Store, and by 15 days in, was up by +22%. On the iPad App Store, the day one effect was even greater: up +52% on day one and up +19% by day 15.
All this is well and good, but not all developers see such impressive results. 44% of iPhone apps lose revenue during the sale, with 23% of devs seeing a drop in revenue of more than 20%. In general, offering a small discount from $7.99 to $6.99 doesn't increase revenue as much as a larger drop from $7.99 to $4.99.
The full report from Distimo goes into much greater detail, with additional details about average app pricing and more information about the impact of different price cuts on revenue.
iPad Grabs 58% of Tablet Shipments in 4Q 2011
Jan 26, 3:53PM
Research firm Strategy Analytics today announced the results of its calculations of worldwide tablet shipments during the fourth quarter of 2011, revealing that Apple continues to hold a majority of the market as Android improves its standing on the strength of Amazon's Kindle Fire.
Peter King, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 percent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 percent share during the fourth quarter of 2011. Apple shrugged off the much-hyped threat from entry-level Android models this quarter."Despite strong growth in shipment share for Android, Apple's share is down less than four percentage points since the firm's estimates for the second quarter of last year. Android's other gains appear to have come at the expense of Microsoft and Research in Motion, which registered at 4.6% and 3.3% respectively during the second quarter.
The relevance of Strategy Analytics' numbers have been questioned in the past due to its counting of shipments rather than end sales to customers. With many early Android tablets seeing little interest from consumers, the firm's reports were seen as overstating Android's impact by counting Android tablets still sitting on store shelves while Apple was selling nearly every iPad it could make. It is unclear whether that dynamic has changed with the introduction of the Kindle Fire, which has reportedly seen fairly strong adoption and which may have lower channel inventory needs due to Amazon's heavy emphasis on distribution through its own website.
iPhone Drives AT&T's Record-Smashing Quarter for Smartphone Sales with 7.6 Million Activations
Jan 26, 2:15PM
AT&T; today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2011, revealing that the carrier saw record-smashing sales of 9.4 million smartphones, nearly double the previous quarter's sales and 50% higher than the company's previous record. The iPhone was clearly the primary driver of smartphone sales for AT&T;, as the carrier reported 7.6 million iPhone activations during that quarter, with the "majority" of those activations being iPhone 4S devices.
In the fourth quarter, the company set a new record with 9.4 million smartphones sold, nearly double the number sold in the third quarter and 50 percent more than the previous quarterly record. Fourth-quarter smartphone sales represented more than 80 percent of postpaid device sales. Both iPhone and Android device sales set records. During the quarter, more than 7.6 million iPhones were activated, the majority of which were iPhone 4S, which went on sale Oct. 14, and more than twice as many Android smartphones were sold versus the fourth quarter a year ago. iPhone sales were helped by a superior customer experience, with AT&T; delivering download speeds up to three-times faster than on other U.S. carriers' networks.The iPhone and total smartphone numbers can not be directly compared, however, as the "activations" number AT&T; reports for iPhones includes used devices activated on new contracts such as when a user's old device is sold or given away upon upgrading.
AT&T; also touts its lead over Verizon in iPhone activations, noting that it has continued to easily outpace Verizon every quarter since AT&T; lost exclusivity on the iPhone in early 2011.
Finally, AT&T; notes that it has continued to improve its voice and data network, with more than 80% of data traffic now coming over the carrier's enhanced backhaul that allows for "4G" speeds on devices supporting at least HSPA+, such as the iPhone 4S. The carrier also reports that "call retainability", an inverse measure of dropped call rates, has continued to increase and was over 99% throughout the quarter for 3G connections on a nationwide basis.
Apple to Give Employees $500 Off Macs and $250 Off iPads
Jan 26, 8:20AM
According to 9to5Mac, during today's town hall meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced to employees that they would get $500 off Macs and $250 iPads. The new discount program starts in June 2012, and can only be used once every 3 years. Employees also need to have been working at Apple for at least 90 days. The discount is reportedly for both corporate and retail employees. The discount is said to exclude the Mac mini.
Apple employees presently are allowed a one-a-year 25% discount on Apple systems. One report even claims that this discount will remain in place alongside the new discounts.
In 2007, shortly after the original iPhone's launch, Apple had announced a similar perk for employees. At that time, Steve Jobs announced that all full time and part time Apple employees would receive an 8GB iPhone.
Brazil Approves Tax Incentives to Begin iPad Production as Apple Targets its Next Major Market
Jan 25, 9:28PM
Brazilian newspaper Folha reports [Google translation] that the Brazilian government has officially approved tax incentives that will allow Foxconn to begin producing iPads in the country. Interministerial Ordinance #34, signed on Monday and published in Brazil's official register today, specifically provides for a reduction in or exemption from certain taxes associated with the production of touchscreen tablet devices lacking a keyboard and weighing less than 750 grams.
According to ministerial decree 34 published Wednesday in the "Official Gazette", the company will be entitled to the benefits provided for in Decree 5906 of September 2006.The iPad 2 of course fits within those specifications, weighing in at just over 600 grams with only slight variation among the various models. The ordinance also permits the production of accessories, cables, power supplies and manuals associated with the allowed tablet devices. While the ordinance applies generically to tablet devices, it has clearly been written to support Foxconn's plans for the iPad.
The determination provides for exemption or reduction of the IPI (Excise Tax), PIS and Cofins for companies investing in research and development of technology products.
Last April, Foxconn announced a major push to bring iPad production to Brazil, but the company's efforts were slowed as it negotiated with government officials over tax breaks and other issues. As recently as October the company had signaled its intention to begin production by December, and while the company has missed that target it now appears ready to move forward.
Foxconn's Brazilian iPhone and iPad factory (Source: Cult of Mac)
The launch of iPad production in Brazil comes at a key time for Apple, as CEO Tim Cook noted just yesterday during the company's earnings conference call that Brazil is its next area of emphasis after China among the "BRIC" countries with newly advanced economies. Russia and India are the other two countries in that grouping and Cook acknowledged that Apple has begun to "go deeper into Brazil" as its next target, although he cautioned against any expectations of Apple retail stores arriving in the country over the near term.
High import taxes on foreign-made goods have prevented Apple from making significant inroads in Brazil, with iPad pricing currently starting at the equivalent of US$925 for the 16 GB Wi-Fi iPad 2. With Foxconn moving iPad production to Brazil under the new tax incentives, Apple should be able to offer more competitive pricing on the device as production ramps up. Photos of a Brazilian-made 8 GB iPhone 4 showed up in late November, suggesting that Foxconn is also ramping up domestic production of new iPhone devices for Brazilian customers.
Google Signs Off on Motorola Lawsuit Seeking Injunction Against iPhone 4S and iCloud [iOS Blog]
Jan 25, 8:47PM
Motorola Mobility has filed a new lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida against Apple, asserting six patents against the iPhone 4S and iCloud. As noted by FOSS Patents, the merger agreement between Google and Motorola Mobility requires the company to get Google's permission before asserting "any Intellectual Property Right in any new Action". As a result, this lawsuit is the closest Apple and Google have come to direct litigation.
All six patents are asserted against the iPhone 4S, with four ('119, '006, '531, and '161) asserted against iCloud. The patents Apple is charged with violating, as assembled by FOSS Patents, are:
U.S. Patent No. 5,710,987 on a "receiver having concealed external antenna"On its face, the lawsuit is fairly unexceptional -- one of many lawsuits flying around the mobile sector -- but as Google needed to sign off before it could be filed, it could be a signal of the direction Google intends to head if its proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility is successful.
U.S. Patent No. 5,754,119 on a "multiple pager status synchronization system and method"; Motorola is asserting the European equivalent of this patent against Apple in Mannheim, with a decision (that will likely be favorable for Motorola) scheduled for Friday of next week (February 3, 2012)
U.S. Patent No. 5,958,006 on a "method and apparatus for communicating summarized data"
U.S. Patent No. 6,101,531 on a "system for communicating user-selected criteria filter prepared at wireless client to communication server for filtering data transferred from host to said wireless client"
U.S. Patent No. 6,008,737 on an "apparatus for controlling utilization of software added to a portable communication device"
U.S. Patent No. 6,377,161 on a "method and apparatus in a wireless messaging system for facilitating an exchange of address information"
Stephen Fry Narrates The World of Dinosaurs [iOS Blog]
Jan 25, 7:43PM
British actor and Apple enthusiast Stephen Fry has narrated this in-depth and iPad-only virtual encyclopedia called Inside the World of Dinosaurs. In the works for more than a year, 30 dinosaur specialists collaborated on the $13.99 app, with 60 dinosaurs detailed, 200 pages of original text, 84 videos, and, perhaps most enjoyably for many, 5 hours of narration by Stephen Fry. The art team painstakingly recreated everything in all 360 degrees. With a simple flick or drag of the finger, every dinosaur and object can be freely examined from any angle. With a simple double-tap or pinch, each dinosaur and object can fill the screen so that every scale, teeth, leaf or prehistoric encounter can be closely examined in detail. For the first time ever, see the pivotal moment when a Deinonychus leaps, in mid-flight, to make the final blow on a Tenontosaurus, from all 360 degrees!
Inside the World of Dinosaurs is available for iPad on the App Store for $13.99. [App Store]
iPhone 4S Coming to Indonesia, Costa Rica, and France's Free Mobile on January 27 [iOS Blog]
Jan 25, 7:23PM
Following a major expansion of iPhone 4S availability to China and 21 other countries two weeks ago, Apple appears to be preparing to make a few more additions to the device's market reach this Friday, January 27.
Apple's current iPhone partners in Indonesia, Telkomsel and XL have both announced that they will begin carrying the iPhone 4S on Friday. Telkomsel is the country's number one carrier with over 100 million customers, while XL ranks number three with approximately 46 million customers. Meanwhile, the iPhone 4S will be arriving in Costa Rica on the same day, with newcomers Claro and Movistar joining existing iPhone partner Kolbi in offering the device.
iPhone 4S teaser notice from Telkomsel
While France already has several carriers supporting the iPhone and the country is typically among the first to offer new iPhone models, the country's iPhone offerings may be ripe for a shakeup as new carrier Free Mobile will also begin offering the iPhone 4S on January 27.
The carrier is currently offering unlimited talk/text/data packages without phones priced at €19.99 per month with no contract. Current customers of Free's home Internet service pay only €15.99. The carrier has yet to announce pricing for any iPhone plans that could come on contract with subsidized devices, but The Connexion reports that Free's iPhone plans would be "half the price" of competitors offerings.
Apple Gearing Up for iPhone 5 Production Ahead of Summer Launch? [Updated]
Jan 25, 5:47PM
9to5Mac reports that it has received word from a "reliable" source at Foxconn that Apple is gearing up to begin production of the iPhone 5, suggesting that the company could be pushing for a mid-year launch more in line with pre-iPhone 4S debuts.
The source said various sample devices are also floating around (which vary slightly from one another) so it is impossible to tell which one will be the final. Some things in common with all of them, however, are:The report notes that the start of production seems to be coming several months ahead of last year's schedule, indicating that Apple could be targeting a launch well ahead of last year's October debut of the iPhone 4S. Consequently, Apple could be returning to its traditional iPhone launch pattern of an introduction at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (typically held in June) with availability in the first batch of countries coming just a few weeks later.
- 4+ inch display (made by LG on at least one of them)
- No teardrop-shaped devices as were rumored in the lead up to the iPhone 4S. Samples so far have been symmetrical in thickness. Also longer/wider.
- None of the sample devices have the iPhone 4/4S form factor
- None of the devices are final versions
Some of the details of today's report are very similar to those shared in an iLounge report from last November that also claimed a 4-inch next-generation iPhone 5 without a teardrop shape was being targeted for a summer launch.
Speculation on Apple's next-generation iPhone launch timing has been split, with some observers suggesting that the iPhone 4S was an anomaly for Apple and that it will return to the usual mid-year timeframe, while others have suggested that moving back to the mid-year launch would make for an extremely short lifecycle for the iPhone 4S.
Update: Daring Fireball's John Gruber specifically refutes the claim that iPhone 5 production is starting up. He also doubts the claim that the device is likely to be longer and wider that the current form factor, although he does not appear to suggest that he has specific knowledge on that aspect.
Apple Sneaks by Android in Fourth Quarter U.S. Smartphone Sales
Jan 25, 4:27PM
Reuters reports on new data from research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech showing that Apple slipped past Android by the narrowest of margins in fourth quarter U.S. smartphone sales, with Apple's iPhone taking 44.9% of the market and Android taking 44.8%.
"Apple has continued its strong sales run in the U.S., UK and Australia over the Christmas period," Dominic Sunnebo, global consumer insight director at the research firm said.The results, driven by Apple's blockbuster quarter in the wake of the iPhone 4S launch, saw Apple double its U.S. sales share year-over-year while Android slipped from its 50% share a year ago. Apple yesterday reported sales of 37 million iPhones during the quarter, far exceeding expectations.
"Overall, Apple sales are now growing at a faster rate than Android across the nine countries we cover," Sunnebo added.
Kantar's report also focuses on Windows Phone, which continues to struggle despite the high-profile launch of Nokia's Lumia smartphones. Windows Phone's market share remains at less than 2% in all nine markets followed by Kantar.
Apple Ramping Up Operations in Israel with Anobit Acquisition and New Research Center
Jan 25, 4:09PM
According to a new report from Israeli business newspaper Calcalist (via 9to5Mac), Apple has begun hiring for its research and development center in Haifa, Israel with a goal of opening the center by the end of February. The report claims that Apple has already received "several hundred resumes" from engineers looking to work in the new center, which is being headed up by Apple's newly-hired Israeli high-tech executive Aharon Aharon.
The report notes that is likely to set up its research center near existing facilities run by Intel, Microsoft, and Phillips, with Apple seeking expertise in chip development, specifically with electrical circuits and hardware testing and verification.
Apple's new research center effort is a separate initiative from its recent acquisition of Israeli flash memory firm Anobit. Apple CEO Tim Cook noted on yesterday's earnings conference call that Anobit is currently being integrated into Apple's structure and that it will operate under hardware engineering chief Bob Mansfield. 9to5Mac reports that Apple has sent vice president Johny Srouji to oversee Anobit's operations in Israel. A native of Israel, Srouji worked for IBM and Intel (including several stints at those companies' operations in Israel) before joining Apple in 2008. Srouji is overseeing aspects of Apple's VLSI operations, which focus on chip design and implementation.
O2 Privacy Flaw Sends Users' Mobile Numbers to Visited Websites
Jan 25, 2:44PM
As noted by think broadband, a privacy flaw in the way UK carrier O2 handles web traffic on mobile devices has resulted in users' mobile numbers being sent to any website visited from the device as part of the headers in the HTTP requests. While O2 is apparently still investigating the situation, it appears to have the potential for significant privacy-related issues.If you're reading this news article using your O2 mobile phone, you'll be pleased to know that O2 have already sent us your mobile phone number within the HTTP headers which normally contain information about how content can be displayed on your device. These headers are not normally seen by users, and usually not logged by most websites, but the flaw allows malicious sites to get more personal information about you than you may be willing to share.The issue was discovered by Twitter user @lewispeckover, who then set up a website to allow users to see what headers are being sent as part of their HTTP requests to websites.
For example, if you open an e-mail which includes references to external images, the mere action of opening the e-mail would divulge your phone number. This could be used by anyone undertaking a phishing attack or other scam to get more information from you. The opportunity to abuse this is potentially endless.
He now notes that the headers coming from his device appear to have stopped showing his mobile phone number, although O2 has yet to issue an official statement on the matter. The company's Twitter account is continuing to blast out responses to concerned users, noting only that the company is looking into the situation and will issue an update when it knows more.
The issue is not exclusive to the iPhone and has the potential to affect all mobile data on the second-largest carrier in the UK, although some users have reported that they are not seeing their mobile numbers appearing in their HTTP request headers. The issue has the potential to for a significant impact on UK iPhone users, as O2 has proven to be a popular choice for iPhone users dating back to its status as the exclusive iPhone carrier in the UK when the device originally launched back in 2007.
Those familiar with the UK's privacy laws have indicated that mobile phone numbers are not considered protected information, but the disclosure of such numbers as part of standard HTTP requests does have the potential to carry implications for users.
Apple Seeds OS X 10.7.3 Build 11D50 to Developers [Mac Blog]
Jan 25, 3:46AM
Apple has pushed out Build 11D50 of OS X 10.7.3 to registered developers. Apple continues to report no known issues in the seed notes, and asks developers to focus their testing on Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight and Safari.
The previous builds had appeared to be close to a final release, but Apple is clearly still making some final tweaks to the update. The release description has indicated that the main improvements in OS X 10.7.3 will be support for several new languages and fixes for issues related to smart cards, directory services authentication, and Windows file sharing.
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