2012 - Page 107 of 145 - 9to5Mac

Latest

Apple throws MobileMe users a free version of Snow Leopard to update to iCloud

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 9:07 pm PT

MacGasm reported that Apple is giving away free copies of Snow Leopard to MobileMe users to ease their move to iCloud. iCloud only works on Lion. Apple is offering MobileMe users without Snow Leopard a free copy, so they will pay $30 to upgrade to Lion. Once on Lion, they can ditch MobileMe to start using iCloud.

Apple posted a page where MobileMe users can register for their free copy of Snow Leopard. They had better act fast, because Apple is set to close the service in June to focus on iCloud in the future. iCloud plays a major role in Mountain Lion, which is currently seeded to developers for beta testing. Throughout the OS, there are several instances where iCloud becomes a very practical feature. Furthermore, I am sure you are all familiar with the iCloud integration throughout iOS. Expect iCloud to be a technology Apple is invested in for a long time to come.

Apple is essentially cutting behind users a $30 break. If you have not done so, it is about time to upgrade to Lion and join the roughly other 100 million iCloud users currently out there. What are you waiting for?

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Apple seeds Safari 5.2 update 3 to developers

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 3:51 pm PT

On top of Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 earlier this afternoon, Apple has seeded Safari 5.2 update 3 to developers this evening. The update is available on the Developer Center for those registered and can be downloaded in a 40MB update. Cheers, Ralf!

You can check out the release note after the break:

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Huffington Post plans to release new ‘Huffington’ iPad magazine later this month

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 3:05 pm PT

Huffington Post cofounder and leader Arianna Huffington announced today the publication’s plan to release a new iPad magazine called the “Huffington.” The Huffington will take the content from the publication’s 500 editors and reporters and allow readers to interact with it on the iPad in a more natural magazine-like experience. Readers will also be able to comment on the content, much like on the Huffington Post website.

Huffington’s content will emphasize the rich — and richly rewarding — interactions that come from uninterrupted time spent in the company of creative minds. We now have nearly 500 editors and reporters and produce between 70 and 80 original reported stories each day. We have plenty of jewels on the site, and Huffington is our way of selecting among those jewels and putting them in the perfect setting. That means sophisticated design, stunning photographs and video, and typography that’s sharper than any print publication could provide. And it includes rich, colorful full-screen ads that are far away from the maddening crowds of banner ads, pop-ups, and drop-downs.

There’s already an official “Huffington Post” app on the iTunes App Store; although, this version sounds more like a magazine with higher quality pictures and typography. Nonetheless, the Huffington sounds a lot like The Daily.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple wants to go to trial in eBook price-fixing, no settlement planned

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 2:59 pm PT

An Apple lawyer told Reuters today that the Cupertino, Calif.-based Company wants to go to trial over allegedly working with five other publishers to raise the prices of eBooks. A few analysts already said that Apple has a good chance of winning in court, which is most likely why Apple will not choose to settle and will instead fight it out. An Apple lawyer told Reuters: “Our basic view is that we would like the case to be decided on the merits. We believe that this is not an appropriate case against us and we would like to validate that.”

Three of the five accused eBook publishers already settled with the U.S. Department of Justice, but Macmillan and Penguin chose to also fight the Department of Justice. All five publishers are accused of meeting in a London hotel to discuss raising the price of eBooks.

Apple may have a strong case, because it did not participate in the meeting and it does not set the price of publishers’ eBooks. The civil antitrust suit alleged, however, that Apple’s move to let publishers set their own prices—and it is a requirement that publishers do not sell their digital books for cheaper elsewhere—forced consumers to pay millions more for eBooks than they should have.

Apple was also accused of setting a monopoly over the eBook market, but the company would like to think otherwise.

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Apple Stores have 17 times better sales than average retail stores

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 2:34 pm PT

Research firm Asymco released some interesting numbers today about Apple’s retail stores—with the help of RetailSails, which gathered the data. According to the report, Apple has a 17 times better sales performance in its physical retail stores per square foot than the average retail store. The Cupertino-based Apple also doubles the sales of Tiffany & Co., which is in second place. You can see the company leads by a very large margin in the graph below.

Furthermore, Apple also leads sales growth in the retail space. Best Buy and GameStop were the only two other technology companies that made the list, but both companies have witnessed slow growth as of lately. Best Buy announced earlier this week that it plans to close 50 of its retail stores this year, while Apple continues to open a range of new stores.

Apple has always been famous for its retail space, which has been perfectly crafted over the years by the senior execs at Apple. The stores have been a main selling force for Apple’s products, allowing prospective customers to come in and actually play with the technology. The staff at the stores are also extremely smart and helpful.

Asymco’s study excludes online sales, which Apple is among the most successful at too. At any rate, Apple’s retail experience shows no rate of slowing down.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple plots wireless server hubs at Genius Bars for users to temporarily store, sync content for iOS device replacements

Mark Gurman Apr 18 2012 - 1:36 pm PT

According to sources, Apple is planning a major new addition to their Apple Store Genius Bars; an addition that will change the way the company handles Genius Bar support. When an iOS device user comes to the Genius Bar with advanced hardware issues that are deemed unrepairable via software, these users commonly find Apple willing to replace their device with a working unit.

With users typically keeping so much important content on their devices like contacts, calendars, text message conversations, media data, apps, application content, and more; the need for device backups is critical. So critical that Apple warns users that they should backup their iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch prior to the aforementioned iOS device Genius Bar exchange process. However, many users find themselves in situations where they are unable to backup their device prior to their Genius Bar appointment. Whether the reason be time, location, or something else, Apple is planning a solution for this issue.

Currently being prototyped inside of Apple’s top-secret “future” Apple Store labs near the company’s headquarters, a place where peaks into Apple’s retail future have leaked from in the past, is a wireless server system for Genius Bars that will automatically, securely, and temporarily store user content.

The concept is best explained through an example…

Expand
Expanding
Close

First Mac Bootable PCI SSD now available from OWC

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 1:35 pm PT

OWC released the first Mac bootable PCI SSD card, and it is called the “Mercury Accelsior.” The Accelsior features dual SandForce SF-228X controllers and a choice between a 120GB, 240GB, 480GB, or 960GB capacity.

AnandTech explained the technical aspects best:

The actual design is pretty interesting. OWC has opted to build the SSD out of two blades, each with their own controller and NAND running. The blades run in RAID 0 by default but they can also be configured in RAID 1 mode. Oftentimes everything is intergrated on one PCB but OWC’s approach is different, and there is actually a big advantage todoing things this way. Using blades allows the capacity to be upgraded without buying a totally new card. OWC does not sell the blades separately yet, but manufacturing new blades should be somwhat cheaper than manufacturing the whole PCB, so down the road this could result in a lower total upgrade price.

You can purchase the Mercury Accelsior over on OWC’s website. You can also check out the full press release below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Apple seeds OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 to developers (release note included)

Jake Smith Apr 18 2012 - 12:51 pm PT

Just a month after the release of Developer Preview 2, Apple seeded OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 3 (build 12A178q) today to developers. There is no word on new features, but like always, we are working to find those quickly. Apple listed a number of known issues with this build—as seen after the break. Registered members can grab the update at the Developer Center.

Apple even seeded Xcode 4.4 Developer Preview 3 to developers, which is also available at the Developer Center. Let us know if you find anything: tips@9to5mac.com.

Check out the release note below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple releases version 1.0.1 of Configurator Mac app

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 11:00 am PT

Apple released an updated version of its “Apple Configurator” Mac app for deploying multiple iOS devices in a school or business environment. Version 1.0.1 of the tool includes a number of stability and performance enhancements. It also includes fixes for .ipa files, redemption codes, and bookmarks for iTunes U and iBooks, and more.

You can grab the free updated Configurator app from the Mac App Store now. The full list of changes is below:

What’s New in Version 1.0.1

This update improves overall stability and performance and addresses a number of issues, including the following:

Enterprise apps packaged as .ipa files are imported and installed correctly.
Redemption codes for apps that contain a comma in their title can now be imported.
A redemption code may be reused to install an app on another device if the original device is unsupervised and erased by Apple Configurator, or if the app’s installation did not complete on the original device.
The redemption code used to purchase an app in iTunes may also be used to install the app on one device with Apple Configurator.
The number of redemption codes remaining for an app is now displayed correctly.
Notes and bookmarks entered into iBooks and iTunes U are deleted when a backup is restored to a supervised device.
The WPA2 password is saved when editing a Wi-Fi profile payload.
The name of a stored backup is saved when edited.
The storage capacity of an 8 GB iPod touch is now displayed correctly.
The “Erase all contents and settings” checkbox on the Prepare pane has been relabeled “Erase before installing”.

Apple working on iTunes 11 with iOS 6 support, improved iCloud integration (9to5mac.com)

Poll: Are you waiting for the new Ivy Bridge models to get a Mac?

Seth Weintraub Apr 18 2012 - 10:58 am PT

Like some of you, I am limping by on my 2010 MacBook Air, but I have been anxiously waiting for this Ivy Bridge lineup of MacBooks to get released before buying a new Mac. As Walt Mossberg said, it is a good idea to wait until the new Apple products come out to upgrade, but it is starting to feel like forever (I know—it has only been a few months).

Are you waiting for Ivy Bridge before buying a new Mac?

(Image via Reddit)

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

A better Samuel L. Jackson Siri ad (NSFW)

9to5 Staff Apr 18 2012 - 9:54 am PT

Apple’s decision to go with Samuel L. Jackson, as a Siri user, is just too awesome not to let all of these parody videos fly:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4LJhjnXH214&start=2]

Apple’s is about the third best— after the one above and the bottom one here.

Did Apple snub China iPad launch over trademark mess?

Seth Weintraub Apr 18 2012 - 9:42 am PT

Tim Cook, Apple COO, in january 2009, after Ma...

Tim Cook, Apple COO, in january 2009, after Macworld Expo keynote. Picture by Valery Marchive (LeMagIT) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Forbes brings up the point that Apple may have snubbed China in its new iPad launch plans over the iPad trademark lawsuit it is fighting with Proview. While there are many other factors likely in play —like logistics—it certainly would not be out of character for Apple. Plus, Apple gets to sell them cheaper in Hong Kong anyway.

Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook recently toured China and met Chinese officials about issues concerning trademark and copyright infringement, which seems to overwhelmingly favor China.

Apple finally talks, says that Proview refuses to honor their agreement to transfer iPad trademark (9to5mac.com)
The price of the iPad name in China has gone up to $2B (9to5mac.com)
Proview tries to block iPads from coming in or going out of China (9to5mac.com)
Lower Chinese court rules distributors should stop selling iPads in China (9to5mac.com)

Good advice: Mossberg says wait on your next Mac purchase

Élyse Betters Apr 18 2012 - 9:31 am PT

[vodpod id=Video.16391290&w=650&h=420&fv=videoGUID%3D%7BA142A006-058D-4E92-AD3A-18501AF001D3%7D%26amp%3Bplayerid%3D1000%26amp%3BplyMediaEnabled%3D1%26amp%3BconfigURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwsj.vo.llnwd.net%2Fo28%2Fplayers%2F%26amp%3BautoStart%3Dfalse]

Good ‘ole Walt Mossberg from The Wall Street Journal warned readers today about not buying a new laptop this spring:

Apple is overdue for redesigned laptops, especially in its MacBook Pro line, and it is a good bet that new, possibly heavily redesigned, models will begin appearing later this year. Current Macs will likely be upgradable to Mountain Lion, but if you buy now, you’ll miss out on the likely new hardware.

Check out what else he predicted in the video above, or go read his full-length WSJ post.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Sergey Brin clarifies: “I have always admired Apple’s products”

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 9:08 am PT

A recent interview with Google’s cofounder Sergey Brin received a lot of attention due to his view that Apple and Facebook are the biggest threats to the open Internet. Today, Brin took some time to clarify his thoughts about the coverage of his interview, which he feels has been “particularly distorted.” In a Google+ post, Brin noted he has “always admired Apple’s products,” and he currently uses an iMac (Imac?):

Moreover, I have much admiration for two of the companies we discussed — Apple and Facebook. I have always admired Apple’s products. In fact, I am writing this post on an Imac and using an Apple keyboard I have cherished for the past seven years.

9to5Google has the full story.

Besides governments and the entertainment industry, Google cofounder sees Facebook and Apple as the biggest threat to the open Internet (9to5mac.com)

Fotopedia presents 9 Retina-optimized free apps

Élyse Betters Apr 18 2012 - 8:52 am PT

Fotopedia is now offering free self-branded, Retina-optimized apps, and its website header says it all: “A Retina Display Festival – 9 Free Apps, Total Visual Satisfaction.”

Fotopedia is a photo encyclopedia that has generated more than 50,000 pages and linked to over nearly 800,000 photos. Go to Fotopedia now to download the apps, which range from “Heritage” to “National Parks.”

Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Apple building thinner and lighter Liquidmetal next-gen iPhone

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 7:54 am PT

A new report from Korean publication ETNews.com claimed industry sources confirmed Apple will use “liquid metal” technology to make a thinner and lighter next-generation iPhone. Apple acquired rights to the patented amorphous metal alloys from Liquidmetal Technologies’ in August 2010.

According to industry sources, the next flagship phones of the companies are expected to adopt unprecedented materials for their main bodies, that is, ceramic for the Galaxy S3 and liquid metal for iPhone5, both being thin, light and highly resistant to external impacts. The new phase of the rivalry is because neither one of them can get a decisive edge over the other solely with its OS and AP specifications, features or design.

Apple has been rumored in the past to be using Liquidmetal in batteries and SIM card tools, but no solid evidence has backed these claims. Today’s report continued to assert that the iPhone 5, as ETNews.com referred to the device, is expected to launch at WWDC in San Francisco this June. However, the publication does not cite a source for the location and timeframe, so it is possible it is just basing this expectation on a rumor. As MacRumors pointed out, the website has a less than perfect track record. Many industry analysts expect Apple to move its iPhone release window to September or October due to the launch date of the iPhone 4S in 2011.

Expand
Expanding
Close

T-Mobile Test Drives 4G vs 3G in unfair network comparison

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 7:35 am PT

Following the launch of its new Alter Ego ad campaign yesterday, T-Mobile just made its new “Test Drive” tool available for comparing the speed of “American’s Largest 4G Network” to other guys— Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. Unfortunately, as pointed out by TMONews, the carrier is comparing 4G LTE Android handsets, such as the Galaxy S II, to the 3G speeds of the iPhone 4S. This is obviously not a fair comparison of LTE network speeds…

T-Mobile’s TestDrive website is now live and I will say at first glance, I’m disappointed. I’ll just get right to it — T-Mobile, I’m really puzzled by this. The idea that you claim “America’s largest 4G network” and design a new commercial campaign around speed and then compare your “4G” network against “3G” smartphones is a questionable act. Speed should no longer be the focus of T-Mobile’s marketing campaign, Value and Technology should. Speed should be a secondary thought. If you can’t win on speed, highlight where you can, Value, Value, Value.

Report: Four carriers fight for fastest 3G and 4G speeds, only two debut on top (9to5mac.com)

AAPL Company

Fast Company unearths some Steve Jobs ‘Lost Years’ wisdom

9to5 Staff Apr 18 2012 - 7:32 am PT

We are always surprised when writers suddenly realize they have hours and hours of unreleased Steve Jobs interviews that they forgot about so long after his passing. Fast Company’s Brent Schlender has such a trove from Jobs’ NeXT (and Pixar) years.

With that, check out the whole article here, which is summarized below (Illustrations by George Columbo).

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple CEO Tim Cook gets report card from Al Gore in TIME’s 100 Most Influential People list

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 6:52 am PT

Time Magazine just released its list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2012, and Apple’s Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook—following in the footsteps of Steve Jobs— made the list alongside Hilary Clinton, Tim Tebow, Rihanna, and Salman Khan. Also featured on the list this year, after stemming from the incredible success of his “Steve Jobs“ biography, is author Walter Isaacson.

Each entry on the list includes a description written by someone close to the influential person. In the case of Cook, former U.S. Vice President and Apple board member Al Gore did the honors. Gore said Cook has already “led the world’s most valuable and innovative company to new heights while implementing major policy changes smoothly and brilliantly.” Gore’s full entry on Cook is below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Logitech unveils Ultrathin Keyboard Cover iPad case

Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2012 - 6:28 am PT

Available for $100 in the United States and Europe, Logitech just announced its new Ultrathin Keyboard Cover that acts as super slim Bluetooth keyboard and screen cover when not in use. Like Apple’s Smart Cover, the cover has a magnetic clip and automatically wakes the iPad when removed. You can get it here now for second and third-generation iPads.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zsIJUiTlrGI]

This product replaces Logitech’s Zagg-infused iPad case that was reviewed positively.

Refurb Logitech Bluetooth Keyboard & Case for iPad 2 for $33 + $4 s&h (9to5toys.com)
Logitech Bluetooth Wireless Boombox for iPad for $100 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)
Refurb Zagg ZAGGfolio with Bluetooth Keyboard for iPad 2 for $50 + $2 s&h (9to5toys.com)
Flashpoint iKey Bluetooth Keyboard Case for iPad for $20 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)

Enhanced by Zemanta

Spring 2012 Mac SuperBundle: Roxio Toast 11 Titanium + 8 other apps – $49

9to5 Staff Apr 18 2012 - 5:31 am PT

From 9to5Toys.com:

The Spring 2012 Mac SuperBundle is one of the better Mac Software bundles we’ve seen. If you want to burn DVDs or even Blu-rays on your Mac, you are getting Toast Titanium 11 for half its $99 list price and get 9 other solid apps to boot.

.

The Spring 2012 Mac SuperBundle includes:
Expand
Expanding
Close

AAPL Company

Flashback malware still on 140,000 Macs, despite Apple’s fix

Jake Smith Apr 17 2012 - 6:20 pm PT

Despite Apple releasing two software patches and a removal tool, the Flashback malware is currently still sitting on a large number of Macs. Security company Symantec, which has monitored the situation closely, said today that 140,000 Macs are still infected out of the original 600,000 infected Macs.

You would think that with the large amount of publicity this malware has been getting, fewer Macs would be infected. If you have not downloaded the update to remove the virus, or at least checked to see if your Mac is infected, we encourage you to do so. Check out Symantec’s graph after the break:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Padcaster iPad case turns your iPad into the ultimate camera

Jake Smith Apr 17 2012 - 5:49 pm PT

The Padcaster case was just announced this week at the National Association of Broadcasters conference as an awesome way to turn an iPad into the ultimate on-the-go filming and editing machine. Available soon for $199, the case allows you to attach an iPad to a tri-pod, and then attach multiple lenses and an external mic to get even higher quality video. To attach a lens, you will also need to purchase the $79.99 mount. From there, you can use iMovie, YouTube, Camera.app and more from the App Store to edit videos right as they are shot.

As you can see in The Verge’s hands-on with the case shown above, it looks very useful. Of course, it is not something that you would want to keep on all the time, but rather for situations when you need to record, edit, and upload video quickly. Nonetheless, the iPad looks to make an awesome 10.1-inch view-finder. Check out this sample video from the rig below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

G-Technology releases its G-RAID Thunderbolt drive, starting at $700

Jake Smith Apr 17 2012 - 2:15 pm PT

We already took a look at Hitachi’s G-Technology’s Thunderbolt solutions at CES in January but today they are finally available to the public. The Thunderbolt version features two Thunderbolt ports, rather than the eSATA, FireWire, and USB ports found on the regular version of the G-RAID. As for the hard drives inside, there are two SATA 3Gb/s Hitachi Deskstar hard drives, which can be configured in a 4TB, 6TB, or 8TB setup, each running at 7200RPM. All three versions of the drive are priced at $700, $850, and $1,000 respectively. You can see more technical specs below, as laid out by AnandTech.

With two Thunderbolt ports, these drives can be daisy-chained together to build-out the ultimate storage solution. Currently, the G-Technology competes against four other companies in the space: LaCie, Promise, Western Digital, and Seagate. The G-Raid is the only drive that features 8TB of storage, however.

We compared the drive during this year’s CES with a few others:

Expand
Expanding
Close