Game Center’s shining light, known as Letterpress, which is a free word game created by Tweetie founder Loren Britcher, has been updated to version 1.1 this evening. The popular Words With Friends competitor now features a prominent ‘Rematch!’ button that allows you to quickly fire up another game with the opponent you just lost to. Additionally, Britcher and his company have added new words to the game’s dictionary, a slew of bug fixes, and a lot more in tonight’s update, as seen below. Haven’t tried Letterpress yet? It’s available free on the App Store.
The WSJ wasn’t able to give specific time frame for the app’s launch, but the report added that the app has been distributed to a few members outside the bounds of Mountain View for testing before it is submitted to the iTunes App Store review team. The launch sounds like sooner than later, as several publications in the recent months have pegged the launch before the end of the year. The question is: will Apple accept it?
Google won’t be alone in the iOS Maps-alternative battleground, however. Nokia announced yesterday it plans to release its own iOS map solution under the “Here” brand. Nokia said it plans to make the app available on the iTunes App Store in the coming weeks, offering offline maps, voice-guided navigation, and information on public transport.
Even with the influx of cloud storage options like Apple’s iCloud and Google’s Drive, Dropbox is having continued success adding users, according to the company’s co-founder Drew Houston. Houston took to the company’s blog to boast that Dropbox now has 100 million users, quadrupling in the last year. Speaking to the New York Times, Houston further expressed that he is not worried about the competition that his company has seen. “Those companies are busy trying to build something we had four years ago. We’re out front,” Houston said, “We’re already out there and building smaller features and things. All those other companies have turf to protect, and they’re fighting a battle on a totally different front.”
Apple announced iCloud now boasts 190 million users on its last earnings call, as its integration with iOS helps bring new users. However in comparison, the Galaxy S III (not inside the US) comes with a free Dropbox account loaded with 50GB of storage, along with many HTC devices that come with 25GB — surely driving sales. Expand Expanding Close
Adopting a move out of Google’s 20-percent time playbook, Apple has begun a program titled “Blue Sky” that gives select employees two weeks to work on a project not in their normal realm of responsibilities. Jessica Lessin of the Wall Street Journal shared the news on video (via Business Insider), where she said Apple’s two-week program is not as vast as the program Google offers. Instead, Apple’s program is a select amount of employees that get the free time.
Why would a company adopt such program? It gives employees a chance to work on something that interests them, in the hopes of spawning innovation. The program was created earlier this year under CEO Tim Cook, and it may signal an overall culture shift in the company. It will be interesting to see if any projects out of Blue Sky see the light of day, as many Google projects have.
The New York Times reported that Microsoft Windows head Steven Sinofsky has left the Redmond-based company after a “mutual decision by Mr. Sinofsky and Steven A. Ballmer.” Julie Larson-Green will take over Sinofsky’s position.
Microsoft described the departure of Mr. Sinfosky, a 23-year veteran of the company, as a mutual decision by Mr. Sinofsky and Steven A. Ballmer, the chief executive of the company. Julie Larson-Green, another Microsoft veteran in its Windows division, will take over the leadership of all engineering responsibilities related to Windows. Tami Reller, the chief financial officer of the Windows division, will run business and marketing for the group.
This is a similar situation to Scott Forstall leaving Apple earlier this month. Sinofsky joined Microsoft in 1989, where he rose to become head of the Windows division in July 2009. Much like Forstall, he was an integral part in the development of Microsoft’s core products. The Microsoft veteran gave the following statement:
“It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft. I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company.”
Ballmer added:
“I am grateful for the many years of work that Steven has contributed to the company. The products and services we have delivered to the market in the past few months mark the launch of a new era at Microsoft. We’ve built an incredible foundation with new releases of Microsoft Office, Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Microsoft Surface, Windows Server 2012 and ‘Halo 4,’ and great integration of services such as Bing, Skype and Xbox across all our products. To continue this success it is imperative that we continue to drive alignment across all Microsoft teams, and have more integrated and rapid development cycles for our offerings.”
According to research from Chetan Sharma Consulting, the amount of text messages sent during Q3 2012 showed the first decline ever. The fall can be attributed to Apple’s iMessages (when it is up), along with other Internet services like Facebook Messaging, Skype, AIM, Google Voice and more that use Wi-Fi. With less text messages being sent monthly, this has lead to less revenue in the text message area for carriers, however, they are still making plenty of money off data. The research released today says data makes up for 43 percent of carrier revenue generated, with Verizon and AT&T accounting for 69 percent data revenue during the quarter. Mobile data is expected to slow down after growing rapidly over the last five years, perhaps thanks to Wi-Fi.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said he is losing sleep over services like iMessage cutting into revenue, while speaking earlier this year.“You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model,” Stephenson said. “Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.”
Apple updated the iPhone 5 section of its online store to show shipping estimates for the handset have improved from “3 -4 weeks” to “2 -3 weeks”. The iPhone 5 has seen shipping delays since it first went on sale in late September due to high demand and problems in production. Today’s improvements follow official word from Foxconn in October that production for the iPhone 5 has improved. Foxconn said the iPhone 5 is “the most difficult device that Foxconn has ever assembled,” and it added production is getting better day-by-day. During Apple’s Q4 earnings call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer said, “We’re working very hard to get more into customer hands as quickly as possible.” CEO Tim Cook added, “The demand for iPhone 5 is extremely robust. We are in a significant state of backlog.”
What a nice Monday morning surprise: the folks in Cupertino have seeded iOS 6.1 beta 2 (build 10B5105c) to developers on the Apple Developer Center and over-the-air less than two weeks after beta one. Additionally, Apple released new Apple TV software and Xcode 4.6 Developer Preview 2. We’re compiling a full list of new features below:
There have been several reports that have noted ex-iOS chief Scott Forstall’s fiery relationship with several Apple executives like Jonathan Ive. Despite this, according to a former Apple senior engineer, Michael Lopp, firing Forstall was a mistake. Lopp posted his thoughts on his blog, and the theme of the post was that Apple will eventually be replaced by another company’s innovations (as most usually are). He wondered if the firing of Forstall is where the downslide will begin.
Lopp said Forstall “was the best approximation of Steve Jobs that Apple had left.” He added that several people chatting in Apple’s Caffe Macs cafeteria viewed Forstall as the only real successor to Jobs. Even though it appeared Forstall did not work well with several of his co-workers, being called an “asshole,” he was successful in what he did. Lopp said this is why he could have been the next Jobs.
With the executive shakeup, Apple said this would lead to more collaboration within the walls of Apple. Lopp said this is not necessarily a good thing:
Aspyr Media and 2k Games announced this afternoon that Borderlands 2 would launch on Mac Nov. 20. Borderlands 2, a Gearbox Software-made sequel to the original Borderlands, is being delivered to Mac gamers by publisher Aspyr later this month. The game was originally released to much fanfare Sept. 18 on Steam for Windows and for Xbox 360, and it has been called “a winner” by reviewers. Assumedly, the Mac version will be priced at $59.99 like its PC brethren.
Apple released Update 2.0 for the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro late this afternoon. The 127.07 MB update “recommended for all Mac notebooks introduced in June 2012” is available via software update or directly on Apple’s website, as always. Today’s update offers graphics performance, reliability enhancements, and improves compatibility with some USB devices, according to the folks in Cupertino. [Apple] Expand Expanding Close
The nation’s largest carrier is out with a new way for customers to save money this holiday season. AT&T announced a new promotional discount, offering $100 off an LTE iPad (or any tablet) with a two-year contract agreement. A customer will be required to sign up for one of the data plans offered: 250MB for $15, 3GB for $30, or 5GB for $50 a month. Customers also have the choice to include the new iPad in their Mobile Share data plan for an extra $10 a month.
The promotion puts the base LTE 16GB model priced at $529, 32GB for $629, and 64GB for $729. To compare, Apple offers refurbished third-generation Wi-Fi + Cellular models at 16GB for $379, 32GB for $469, and 64GB for $579 on its website.
This is the first time we’ve seen a subsidized iPad, similar to how a phone contract works, from a carrier. Sprint and Verizon also offer the cellular iPad, but they make it available on a month-to-month basis. Of course, you do not have to sign the contract with AT&T by paying full price. A contract for a tablet is an interesting tactic that we hope doesn’t become the norm…
Adobe announced this afternoon that Adobe Photoshop Lightroom has been updated with Retina graphics to support the Retina MacBook Pro. The update comes in the way of the Lightroom 4.3 Release Candidate — RV label indicating it’s being tested before going to the — available through Adobe Labs this afternoon. Additionally, Adobe added 13 new cameras and a slew of bug fixes in the update. We’ve listed them below:
Speaking at a conference with investors this morning, Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo revealed that Verizon would roll out its LTE network completely by mid-2013. FierceWireless reported today’s timeline is six months earlier than previous estimates released by Verizon. Verizon’s LTE network will match its 3G CDMA coverage area once the rollout is complete. Additionally, Shammo commented on the early problems the LTE network suffered. However, he said with over 80 percent of the country’s population now covered, it is now stable. According to Big Red’s latest numbers, 14.9 million LTE devices are currently on the network.
In retrospect, the nation’s largest carrier AT&T plans to have 250 million people covered by the end of 2013, with a completed roll out of 300 million people planned by the end of 2014.
Shammo also revealed today that the company’s new Share Everything data plans introduced in late June now makes up 13 percent of current Verizon customers. The shared data plan allows customers to share data with up to 10 devices through a single account. [FierceWireless]
Update: While AT&T claims that the move was to safeguard its delicate infrastructure, two public advocacy groups (Freepress, Public Knowledge) are claiming the FCC is looming large. Seth submits a third postulate: The iPad Mini LTE launch later this month will present a chance for AT&T to grab new tablet customers and AT&T doesn’t want to lose out to competitors with friendlier offers.
AT&T just announced you could now use FaceTime over cellular at no extra charge on the iPhone 5 and LTE iPad if it is on one of the network’s tiered data plans. Today’s announcement opens up FaceTime over cellular to a slew of new customers.
AT&T today announced it will enable FaceTime over Cellular at no extra charge for iOS 6 customers with an LTE device on any tiered data plan. AT&T will also continue to offer FaceTime over Cellular to customers with any AT&T Mobile Share plan, as well as FaceTime over Wi-Fi, which has always been available.
Previously, FaceTime on AT&T’s network was only available for free if a customer was on its new Mobile Share Plans that became available Aug. 23. AT&T said the new set of users would be able to access FaceTime for free over cellular in “8-10 weeks”:
We expect to roll out this functionality over the next 8-10 weeks. In addition, we are informing our deaf and hard of hearing customers that, as of October 26, we began rolling out several new billing plans designed to allow them to make use of FaceTime. This is part of our ongoing commitment to our customers with disabilities, and it’s a commitment which is very important to us.
As for the competition, Sprint already announced that it will not hinder FaceTime over cellular, and Verizon is being forced not to mess with it because of a Net Neutrality promise.
According to Bloomberg, Apple lost a lawsuit against VirnetX in a Texas courtroom late this evening and ordered to pay $368.2 million in damages. VirnetX sued Apple for infringing on its collection of network patents that Apple has been accused of incorporating into products like FaceTime. VirnetX was originally asking for upward of $900 million, but the jury decided on lesser damages this evening. Additionally, the patent holding company has similar cases pending against Cisco and Avaya. VirnetX successfully won $105.75 million from Microsoft in 2010.
[tweet https://twitter.com/bloombergwest/status/265994797318295553] Expand Expanding Close
The showdown between Apple and Samsung seems far from over. Bloomberg reported Apple made a motion today in a San Jose, Calif. courtroom to include the Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (we’re not sure how TouchWiz factors in) into the lawsuit already existing between the two companies. Apple’s move today comes after a similar motion from Samsung in early October, where it filed claims against Apple’s hot-selling iPhone 5.
In August, a jury under Judge Lucy Koh ruled that Samsung infringed on several of Apple’s patents in a showdown that drew eyes from all around the world. Samsung was ordered to pay damages of $1.05 billion, and nonetheless, Apple has requested that additional damages be tacked on. The Galaxy Note 10.1 and Android 4.1 motion put forth by Apple today is scheduled for trial sometime in 2014. Additionally, there is a trial set for December to consider a U.S. ban on several Galaxy smartphones and the Galaxy Tab 10.1. [Bloomberg]
As iPad mini owners settled in with their new tablets yesterday, research firm IHS (via AllThingsD) was working hard to tear it down. The firm, previously known as iSuppli, found that the Wi-Fi 16GB base model costs roughly $188 for Apple to build, which it sells for $329. Furthermore, the 32GB and 64GB models cost an additional $31 and $62 to build, respectively.
During its Q4 earnings call, CFO Peter Oppenheimer announced that the iPad mini gross margin is “significantly below” the rest of the products Apple is cranking out. “We’re unwilling to cut corners in delivering the best experiences in the world,” added Apple CEO Tim Cook. Presumably, Apple had to keep the price down to $329 to stay competitive with other products in the market, like Google’s Nexus 7 and Amazon’s Kindle lineup, but wasn’t able to go down to $199 like many hoped. On the call, Apple further stated that it would work to make iPad mini production more cost-effective.
In its report, IHS further looked at the components being used to build the iPad mini. It was found that LG Display and AU Optronics are supplying roughly $80 in display components for the 7.9-inch tablet. iFixit’s teardown released on Friday found that Samsung is making display components, too. Samsung was also found to supply the A5 chip in the iPad mini in IHS’ report. [AllThingsD]
As it did for the iPhone 5, Apple has begun its Personal Pickup program for the iPad mini. Personal Pickup allows customers to buy a device on Apple’s website or mobile app between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and pick it up in store the next day (or whenever inventory is available). There are a number of stores across the country sold out of the iPad mini, so Personal Pickup may be your best bet at getting the 7.9-inch tablet ASAP. Expand Expanding Close
Apple has updated its online store this morning to show the fourth-generation iPad is now shipping in 3 – 5 business days. Earlier this week, the 10-inch device was at a week shipping time.
The iPad mini is still sitting at two weeks for all models and has sold out at many stores around the world.
Apple’s stock has been on quite the dip this past month, losing 125 points in 41 days, and falling from a high of over 700 on iPhone 5 launch day. For those who took some analysts’ advice bought at October highs,that’s got to sting. Today, the stock sits at 576, unfathomably low for those left to deal with their stock having lost over $100B in market cap.
But is now the time to buy?
With holiday sales about to kick into full gear with Apple’s new product line, stock may shoot to 1000 sometime in 2013…or it may not.
BullishCross said yes on October 10th, when the share price was just a bit higher than today:
Apple has reached one of those very rare buy points. However, unlike our previous five recommendations, we do not necessarily believe that Apple has bottomed right here at $630 a share. We just believe that Apple won’t see much lower prices from here thereby making this a unique buying opportunity. It’s better to buy at $630 and accept a small potential drawdown than to miss the entire move. We do not believe Apple will see levels below $615 a share. Thus, anything between $615 and $630 is an extraordinary buying opportunity. Between $630 and $650, you have a great entry level.
Apple has made the Lightning to Micro USB adapter available on its online store this afternoon for $19 in the United States. The adapter allows you to charge or connect your iPhone with any Micro USB cable, and considering how cheap the cables are, buying this adapter may not be such a bad idea. You can buy a 6-foot Micro USB cable for less than $2 giving you three more feet than Apple’s standard connector. Apple said the adapter ships in “1-3 days”. Seems perfect for the car, no?
Earlier this week, we learned iOS chief Scott Forstall will leave Apple at the end of this year and has been moved to an advisory role to CEO Tim Cook until then. Giving us a look into the closed doors of Apple, Bloomberg noted this morning that Forstall and famed-Apple designer Jony Ive had a fiery relationship and couldn’t work together in the same room—nor be together during meetings. During the beginning design phases, Forstall was present in Ive’s iPhone meetings:
Even as Forstall oversaw the group responsible for the software that would run the iPhone, he didn’t participate in the meetings, according to people with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity because the meetings were private. Ive and Forstall were rarely in the same room, the people said.
