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Apple Releases Redesigned iOS-Like Airport Utility 6.0 and an Airport Base Station Bug-Fix
Jan 30, 10:47PM
Apple has released updates to its Wi-Fi base stations and to the Airport Utility program that controls them. AirPort Utility 6.0 for Mac OS X Lion weighs in at 14.13MB and requires Mac OS X 10.7.2. The user interface has been redesigned to look more like the iOS Airport Utility application available through the App Store for the iPhone and iPad. It is also streamlined, with fewer windows required to access the full range of Airport Base Station settings.
AirPort Base Station and Time Capsule Firmware Update 7.6.1 was also released, and can be installed via Airport Utility on the Mac or iOS.
This update is for all 802.11n AirPort Express, 802.11n AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models. It fixes an issue with wireless performance and provides support for remote access to an AirPort disk or a Time Capsule hard drive with an iCloud account.
More Hints that Apple is Working on an NFC Payment System on the Next iPhone
Jan 30, 10:23PM
Apple's interest in incorporating Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities into the iPhone has been long rumored. Near Field Communications is short range wireless communication technology (~4 inches) that is used in mobile phones for a variety of applications including mobile payments.
One of the more credible reports about that possibility came from the New York Times in March 2011. The newspaper reported that Apple was interested in incorporating NFC into a future iPhone, but was unable to specify when:
According to two people with knowledge of the inner workings of a coming iteration of the Apple iPhone - although not necessarily the next one - a chip made by Qualcomm for the phone's processor will also include near-field communication technology, known as N.F.C. This technology enables short-range wireless communications between the phone and an N.F.C reader, and can be used to make mobile payments. It is unclear which version of an iPhone this technology would be built into.The New York Times believed that Apple would offer a solution that would somehow integrate with users' iTunes accounts to offer payments.
Rumors went back and forth about it happening in 2011, but ultimately settled on expectations that we wouldn't see an integrated solution until the 2012 iPhone revision.
A Fast Company interview from last week tried to pin down if Apple was one of Mastercard's future NFC partners, to which the executive seemed to falter, giving an excuse about confidentiality.
"The timeline is always as rapid as it makes sense for consumers," he says. "That's a combination of having a critical mass of the merchants, which is what you're seeing right now, and getting devices into the hands of consumers. I don't know of a handset manufacturer that isn't in process of making sure their stuff is PayPass ready."And now, at Macworld, it seems at least one developer told 9to5Mac that they were hearing the same hints from Apple iOS engineers that the company is "heavy into NFC". That developer seemed confident enough to be building an NFC-capable iOS app, even though that functionality is currently requires 3rd party NFC accessories on the iPhone.
So that would include Apple then?
"Um, there are...like I say, [I don't know of] any handset maker out there," McLaughlin says. "Now, when we have discussions with our partners, and they ask us not to disclose them, we don't."
Apple has already made a small stride towards convincing users to use their iOS devices and iTunes account for payments. Apple recently introduced a self-checkout system to their Apple Store app that allows customers to purchase items at Apple retail stores using their iTunes account. NFC would further streamline the process and potentially expand it to many other retailers.
Apple Seeks to Thwart iPhone Scalpers in Hong Kong with New Reservation System
Jan 30, 9:32PM
Seeking to thwart would-be iPhone scalpers in Hong Kong, Apple has instituted a new reservation system (via 9to5Mac) to handle in-store purchases. With the new system, customers wishing to purchase an iPhone at the company's retail store in the IFC Mall must request a reservation between 9:00 AM and noon one day prior to their desired purchase. By 9:00 PM that same day, Apple will determine stock levels for the following day and notify customers who are granted reservations for the following morning.
Apple's previous reservation system had opened at irregular times during the day, with bots run by scalpers snapping up all available slots within seconds. Under the new system, customers wishing to make reservations will need to list contact information and their government ID numbers, with Apple presumably cross-checking that information before granting the reservations. Customers will then have to show their government ID once they arrive to purchase an iPhone 4Sunder their reservation.
Due to high demand, we are accepting a limited number of iPhone reservations per day. To request an iPhone reservation, please choose your store and the iPhone you want. If we have an iPhone reservation for you, you'll receive a confirmation email by 9:00 p.m. tonight that includes the time when you can pick up your iPhone tomorrow. A government-issued photo ID matching the name and ID number on your reservation is required for iPhone purchases. If you don't receive an email, we were unable to reserve an iPhone for you, and you can try again another time. Only those who receive an email confirming their reservation will be able to purchase an iPhone; we will not be selling iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to walk-in customers.Hong Kong is only one area where Apple has experienced problems with scalpers snapping up all available stocks of popular iPhone models. Violence associated with the iPhone 4S launch in mainland China resulted Apple halting all in-store sales at the company's five retail stores in mainland China earlier this month, and the company has yet to reinstate in-store sales in that country.
Spigen Protects the iPhone's Screen With More Glass [iOS Blog]
Jan 30, 9:07PM
The iPhone's glass screen may be made of Corning's advanced Gorilla Glass, but, contrary to Steve Jobs' assertion, that doesn't mean it is scratch proof. Many products exist to solve this problem, including ZAGG's InvisiShield or rugged cases like Otterbox's Defender. Both solutions work well, but the feel of screen protector films bother some users, and though the Otterbox solidly protects the iPhone, it hardly maintains the svelte qualities that Jony Ive and his team worked so hard to create.
As an alternative, Spigen has released a tempered glass screen protector to give an added layer of protection to the iPhone 4S. The 0.4mm thick glass protector completely covers the front glass of the iPhone, protecting it from damage and scratches. Spigen claims the glass is specially reinforced to increase shock absorbency and is three times stronger than standard protective PET film. As it's tempered glass, if broken, it breaks into smaller pieces that aren't sharp.
The SGP GLAS.t iPhone 4 Screen Protector is available for $27.99 plus shipping on Spigen's website.
Verizon Moving Closer to Shared Data Plans?
Jan 30, 8:42PM
Verizon and other carriers have been talking for some time about the idea of shared data plans that would allow users to draw from a single monthly allotment of cellular data for multiple mobile devices, much the same way family plans can share minutes among their phones. While European carriers have led the way in allowing users with both an iPhone and iPad to share a single bucket of data, Verizon and AT&T; have indicated they are working on similar workings with Verizon indicating early last month that such plans were likely to launch in 2012.
Engadget now reports that Verizon appears to be continuing to make progress on shared data plans, with the offerings now showing up in employee training materials.
We've been told that training material for an update to the outfit's internal account management application includes screenshots (one of which you can see above) that show a new section labeled "account level data plans." The new section apparently shows an account level charge for data allowance and a 9.99 charge per line.U.S. carriers have so far opted to offer the iPhone under traditional postpaid service arrangements with multi-year contracts locking in customers and enabling the carriers to offer subsidized pricing on the hardware. Conversely, the iPad has been sold at unsubsidized prices (with 3G models carrying a $130 premium over their Wi-Fi-only counterparts) with data service offered on an as-needed basis through contract-free data plans that carry no activation fees.
Spin Doctor Brings Retro Mac Gaming to the iPhone [iOS Blog]
Jan 30, 8:29PM
In the early 90's, a small software company called Callisto Corporation released a number of games for the Macintosh, along with a few other productivity applications. One of those games was Spin Doctor, which some long-ago Mac Performa owners may remember because Apple licensed a 10-level Spin Doctor Challenger edition for bundling with "about a million" Performas, according to developer Seth Lipkin. Lipkin has since ported Spin Doctor, which was sold "in a big box" for $40 when it was first released in 1994, to the iPhone. The game is a bit like chess in the sense that it is easy to learn and difficult to master. It consists of a glowing wand making its way from dot-to-dot through a literal minefield of doors, switches, acid, fuses, bombs, and more. The user controls the direction of the wand -- which never stops moving -- as it moves its way across the map over more than 100 levels with several difficulty modes.
Spin Doctor for iPhone is $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]
Taiwanese Site Sued by Supplier After Leaking Claimed iPad 3 Dock Connector
Jan 30, 7:57PM
Last July, Taiwanese site Apple.pro posted photos of what was claimed to be the dock connector and ribbon cable for the iPad 3. While the connector doesn't reveal much of anything about the full iPad 3 device other than some speculation about the connector itself being white as opposed to black on the iPad 2, it was one of the first reported leaks of iPad 3 parts.
Claimed iPad 3 dock connector leaked in July 2011
Apple's suppliers seem to have taken the leak seriously, however, as Apple.pro now seems to report [Google translation] that it has been sued by the supplier responsible for the part leaked in last year's report.
Apple's security demands are of course well-known, but parts for the company's devices have regularly leaked well before their public release. Most of the leaked parts have been basic ribbon cables and other internal components that have revealed little about the complete devices despite significant amounts of analysis and speculation.
Clearly Apple and its suppliers prefer that even these components not make their way into public view, although given the massive size of Apple's supply chain it may continue to have difficulty plugging leaks. Parts continue to leak on a regular basis, with some online vendors already offering some of the iPad 3 parts for sale.
Mujjo's Conductive Gloves Swipe to Unlock on a Cold Day [iOS Blog]
Jan 30, 7:47PM
One of the biggest issues with the iPhone, especially amongst those who live in colder climes, is the tricky question of how best to answer the phone while wearing gloves. Hip-Hop producer Will.I.Am noted on the car show Top Gear that he wears fingerless gloves in order to use all his touchscreen devices, and claimed that capacitive touch gloves weren't fashionable.
Fashionable or not, a Dutch company has created a set of gloves knitted with silver-coated nylon fibers in the fabric. The silver in the Mujjo gloves makes them conductive and touchscreen compatible, and, according to TechCrunch, they work as designed.
I tried these during a few colder Brooklyn afternoons and, like most gloves, they kept my hands warm. Unlike most gloves, I could use them to tap my iPhone screen. Could they be used to tap your iPhone screen with your knuckle? Sure. They're full of conductive thread so smack away.
Mujjo's touchscreen gloves come in only two sizes, but stretch to accommodate the largest of hands. They are available from Mujjo's website for €24.95 (about US$33) plus shipping. These aren't the only touchscreen gloves on the market, but Mujjo's pair work as advertised.
Sprint Joins AT&T and Verizon Offering Account Management iPhone Apps [iOS Blog]
Jan 30, 6:38PM
Three months after the iPhone arrived on Sprint, the carrier has launched an app allowing customers easy access to their account and to iPhone and Sprint customer support information.
In the US, AT&T; and Verizon, the other two iPhone carriers, both have existing account management apps. They all work similarly, allowing customers to pay their bill, track usage, and get contact information for stores and customer support.
Sprint Mobile Zone is available free for the iPhone on the App Store. [Direct Link]
MyAT&T; [Direct Link] and My Verizon Mobile [Direct Link] are also available free from the App Store.
Thanks Mike!
iPhone 4S Now 'In Stock' in Most Apple Online Stores
Jan 30, 5:22PM
Customers looking to order the iPhone 4S through Apple's online stores have long been faced with minor shipping delays as the company sought to keep up with demand, with Apple's online stores for most countries initially citing 1-2 week shipping estimates for the all models of the device. Those windows tightened up a bit earlier this month when Apple shifted to 3-5 business day estimates, but it now appears that the Apple has achieved a relative balance of supply and demand as the iPhone 4S is now listed as "in stock" in most online Apple stores.
"In stock" is Apple's term introduced last September to replace the previous "within 24 hours" status that is indicative of near-immediate availability.
Apple experienced booming sales of the iPhone 4S during its launch quarter at the tail end of 2011, blowing away estimates by recording sales of 37 million units across all iPhone models, with the vast majority of customers said to be purchasing the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 4 or 3GS.
Apple's Secrecy Extends to Putting New Employees on Fake Projects
Jan 30, 2:47PM
In his new book, Inside Apple, Adam Lashinsky details the process undergone by new hires at Apple, noting that many of them are hired without knowing the exact project they are working on that they are frequently put through a testing period working on a different project in order to provide time to evaluate their trustworthiness.For new recruits, the secret keeping begins even before they learn which of these building they'll be working in. Despite surviving multiple rounds of rigorous interviews, many employees are hired into so-called dummy positions, roles that aren't explained in detail until after they join the company. The new hires have been welcomed but not yet indoctrinated and aren't necessarily to be trusted with information as sensitive as their own mission. "They wouldn't tell me what it was," remembered a former engineer who had been a graduate student before joining Apple. "I knew it was related to the iPod, but not what the job was." Others do know but won't say, a realization that hits the newbies on their first day of work at new-employee orientation.As noted by Business Insider, a former Apple engineer confirmed that piece of information during the Q&A; portion of Lashinsky's recent talk at LinkedIn (video clip via Fortune), going even farther to note that new hires are even sometimes placed on fake products during this probationary period.
A friend of mine who's a senior engineer at Apple, he works on -- or did work on -- fake products I'm sure for the first part of his career, and interviewed for 9 months. It's intense.
Lashinsky's tidbit on new hires is just one facet of his lengthier coverage of Apple's strict secrecy, part of which has been republished for Fortune as a look into how Apple's organizational structure maintains the company's security. His full 50-minute LinkedIn talk is also available on YouTube.
Intuit Releases Quicken Essentials on Mac App Store [Mac Blog]
Jan 27, 10:46PM
Intuit has begun offering its entry-level financial management software Quicken Essentials for Mac on the Mac App Store. This is the standard edition of Essentials that has been on sale for quite a while, not a new version -- something Intuit is quick to point out in the description for the software. It's merely a new distribution point.
Quicken Essentials for Mac, a basic starter edition, helps you manage all of your personal finance in one place, so you can see where you're spending and where you can save. Quicken automatically categorizes your financial transactions, stay on top of bills and helps you set goals so you can save more.Quicken Essentials does work under OS X Lion, but it is a far cry from Quicken for Mac 2007, which was the last fully-featured version of Quicken released for the Mac platform. Intuit promised last month that a Lion-compatible version of Quicken 2007 would be available for customers by "early spring."
**For Quicken Essentials for Mac users: Please note, this is not a new release of Quicken Essentials for Mac. **
Quicken Essentials for Mac is available for $49.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]
Thanks Ahan!
Macworld 2012: Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac Coming
Jan 27, 8:46PM
Autodesk was at Macworld showing off a new product for the Mac called Autodesk Inventor Fusion. Autodesk Inventor Fusion is an existing 3D mechanical design software on Windows, but will soon become available for the Mac for the first time.
Autodesk made headlines back in 2010 when they returned to the Mac platform after a two decade hiatus. Due to the success they've seen with their existing Mac products, the company will be bringing Inventor Fusion to the Mac.
In the next few weeks, Autodesk will be releasing a free Technology Preview for the program which will allow Mac users to download an early version and provide feedback. The final release will come at some point later. Inventor Fusion is meant to be an easier to use tool focused on mechanical design which incorporates physical properties of objects.
Autodesk® Inventor® Fusion is 3D modeling software that showcases intuitive direct manipulation capabilities for unrivaled ease of use. By uniting direct modeling and parametric workflows, Inventor Fusion offers the best of both worlds. Designers can freely explore complex shapes and forms while maintaining the underlying parametric history. Inventor Fusion makes it easy to open and edit 3D models from almost any source and incorporate them into your design, enabling rapid design changes without limitations.
The software will include seamless cloud access for storage, collaboration and web viewing. Autodesk has a Facebook page set up for Inventor Fusion and will be announcing the Mac download in the near future.
T-Mobile to Offer Additional Support for iPhone Users on Its Network [iOS Blog]
Jan 27, 7:39PM
U.S. carrier T-Mobile has decided to offer "additional support" to customers using the iPhone on its network, reports TmoNews. While T-Mobile doesn't sell the iPhone, it reports that more than 1 million unlocked iPhones are used on its network and the additional support will be useful to T-Mobile's less tech-savvy iPhone users.
T-Mobile will support users who have questions about "common procedures, information about feature and specifications and other basic device questions." Most T-Mobile iPhone users are limited to T-Mobile's slower EDGE network due to the iPhone's incompatibility with the 1700/2100 MHz bands used by the carrier for its faster data networks. Late last year, though, some of T-Mobile's towers were adjusted for its faster HSPA+ network, moving them to the iPhone-accessible 1900MHz band in some "pockets" of the country.
Earlier this month, T-Mobile claimed the next iPhone chipset could be capable of supporting the carrier's Advanced Wireless Spectrum, but noted that it didn't have any specific knowledge of Apple's future products.
Civil Suit Against Google, Apple and Others Over Employee-Poaching Ban Can Continue
Jan 27, 6:30PM
A U.S. District Judge has ruled that an anti-trust case filed against a number of tech companies can continue, saying "they still have an antitrust claim" according to Bloomberg.
[Judge] Koh didn't take issue with the allegations about the agreements between individual companies, Joseph Saveri, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview after the hearing. Instead, Koh has questions about "how it ties together," or claims of an over-arching conspiracy between all the companies, he said.The case goes back more than 5 years, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that "no solicitation" agreements appeared in 2005 between Apple, Adobe, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. The agreements prevented companies from contacting employees at other companies who were party to the agreement, though employees were free to apply for jobs at other institutions.
The agreements were investigated in 2010 by the Justice Department. The claims were eventually settled, with the companies agreeing not to form no-solicitation agreements for five years.
The current lawsuit is a class-action civil suit brought by employees who said they were harmed by the anti-competitive actions of the defendant companies.
Apple Offers Statement on Warranty Disclosures to Italian Customers [Mac Blog]
Jan 27, 3:09PM
Back in late December, Apple was fined $1.2 million by Italian regulators over allegations that the company promoted its AppleCare extended warranty program to customers without adequately disclosing that many of the program's benefits were already included in the standard two-year warranty required by Italian law.
As noted by @setteBIT, Apple has now added to its Italian online store a prominent link sharing the court decision (PDF). The document outlines the requirement that Apple modify the marketing terms for its AppleCare services in Italy within 90 days from the December 21 decision to properly reflect what is covered under standard two-year warranties and to widely publicize that information to consumers.
It is unclear whether Apple will continue to appeal the fine, with today's posting of the decision perhaps designed to meet the court's requirements while the case remains ongoing.
Tim Cook Responds to Report on Working Conditions at Suppliers' Factories
Jan 27, 2:25PM
In the wake of yesterday's report regarding treatment of workers at the facilities of Apple's suppliers, Apple CEO Tim Cook has sent an email to company employees addressing the situation. As published by 9to5Mac, the email highlights Apple's efforts to oversee compliance with company standards for workers' rights and the transparency with which it has shared that information. From Cook's opening statement:As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values. Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple's values today, and I'd like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don't care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It's not who we are.Cook thanks those Apple employees who are focused on these issues and notes that the company will continue to increase its efforts.
We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word.The New York Times has also highlighted responses from a number of Chinese readers, many of whom note that the issue is certainly not exclusive to Apple and should also be being addressed by government regulations designed to protect workers. Many readers note that China's cheap labor force has enabled the country's rapid economic expansion over the last several decades and the culture is so ingrained across all industries that it will be difficult to change.
Apple Estimated to Retake Title of World's Largest Smartphone Vendor
Jan 27, 4:13AM
Research firm Strategy Analytics today announced its estimates of the global smartphone market for the fourth quarter of 2011, finding that Apple narrowly squeezed by Samsung to retake the title of world's largest smartphone vendor as measured by unit shipments. According to Strategy Analytics' numbers, Apple's 37 million iPhones narrowly eclipsed Samsung's quarterly smartphone shipments of 36.5 million units.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, added, "While Apple took the top spot in smartphones on a quarterly basis, Samsung became the market leader in annual terms for the first time with 20 percent global share during 2011. With global smartphone shipments nearing half a billion units in 2011, Samsung is now well positioned alongside Apple in a two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world's largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets."Strategy Analytics showed Apple first taking the title in the second quarter of 2011 as it passed Nokia and held off a surging Samsung to become the world's largest smartphone vendor. But Apple's reign at the top was short-lived as Samsung easily topped the list in the third quarter on continued growth paired with a pause in iPhone sales ahead of the iPhone 4S launch. With the iPhone 4S launch now fueling Apple's numbers, it was able to retake the lead from Samsung in the fourth quarter, although it was not able to top the charts for full-year 2011.
One caveat for numbers released by Strategy Analytics and other research firms comes from the fact that Samsung no longer reports mobile phone sales numbers, ending the practice in mid-2010 for competitive reasons. Consequently, observers can only estimate Samsung's sales numbers based on the company's financial performance and other evidence.
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.
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