Author

Jordan Kahn

Dir. Partnerships

9to5Mac / 9to5Google / 9to5Toys / Electrek.co / DroneDJ / SpaceExplored

Jordan manages the internal Partner Program for sponsorships and partnerships across the 9to5 network’s media brands including 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, Electrek.co, SpaceExplored and DroneDJ.com.

Jordan also writes about all things Apple as a Senior Editor of 9to5Mac. He covers Google for 9to5Google.com, the best gadgets and deals on 9to5Toys.com, and EV and solar news on Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s Logic Pros series and makes music sometimes.

Contact Jordan with partnership inquiries and long-winded complaints:

Connect with Jordan Kahn

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AAPL Company

Report shares new details on Apple’s rumored low-cost iPhone with tapered plastic edges

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 9:07 am PT

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Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge, who just recently claimed to have details on the upcoming iPad 5 and iPhone lineup, today shared additional details on Apple’s rumored low-cost iPhone. According to the report, reliable sources have confirmed that the device will be made “substantially from plastic.” Horwitz said the new budget iPhone will look almost identical to the iPhone 5 from the front, with a 4-inch, 1,136-by-640 display, but it will also include a curved design that blends elements of the iPod touch and iPod classic:

No, it won’t just be a Retina- and Lightning-equipped refresh of the iPhone 3G or 3GS, Apple’s last plastic iPhones, nor will it look just like an all-plastic version of the iPhone 5. This new model is actually a cross between the iPhone 5, fifth-generation iPod touch, and… wait for it… the iPod classic. Yes, really. It will have a 4” screen, like the iPhone 5, a bottom like the latest iPod touch, and a shape that’s most similar to the iPod classic.

While the report claimed the device would look almost identical to the iPhone 5 from the front, it will also slightly increase in size. Horwitz said the low-cost iPhone will be “a half-millimeter taller and a half-millimeter wider—nearly imperceptible differences—as well as almost a millimeter thicker” than the current iPhone 5.

On the back of the device, rather than the fully curved design of the plastic iPhone 3G and 3GS, the report described a device with curves similar to the iPod classic (as highlighted in the image above). Horwitz continued with details on the positioning of the budget iPhone’s Lightning connector, headphone port, camera, and speakers:

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Report: Apple’s rumored R&D center confirmed to open in Shanghai this summer

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 8:15 am PT

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Following reports earlier this month that CEO Tim Cook’s most recent visit to China included talks about a new R&D center in China, new reports have claimed the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce confirmed the facility will open this summer. Today’s report came from Chinese news website yicai.com and was translated by BrightWire:

Apple has registered three firms in three buildings in Pudong, Shanghai, and one of them will be dedicated to procurement management and R&D, according to documents on the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce’s website.

(via MacRumors)

EA & DICE looking to bring Frostbite engine to Mac OS X

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 7:50 am PT

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According to a job listing from game developer DICE, EA might be looking to bring its popular Battlefield 3 franchise to OS X. The Battlefield3Blog pointed us to the job listing seeking a Mac OS X engineer to be”part of a team focusing on bringing Frostbite to Mac.”

Frostbite is looking for developers who want to join us in taking our engine to the next level. You will be part of a team focusing on bringing Frostbite to Mac and work closely with game team customers and the Frostbite team to deliver an engine as great on OS X as it is on Windows and traditional console platforms.

With plans to bring the Frostbite game engine to Mac, it could also mean EA plans to bring Frostbite-powered titles previously only available on Windows, Xbox, and PS3 to the Mac. There is no mention of specific games, but on top of the Battlefield series, Frostbite has been used for Need for Speed and Medal of Honor titles. We’re assuming this is for Frostbite 2, but there’s also a possibility it could be a next generation of the engine.

Following FTC fines, UK iPhone users sue Google for bypassing Safari privacy settings

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 7:39 am PT

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Google agreed to pay a record $22.5 million Federal Trade Commission fine in August following an investigation into whether it bypassed mobile Safari security settings to install tracking cookies without user consent. Now, 12 iPhone users in the United Kingdom have launched a lawsuit against Google that seeks compensation related to the tracking. They also want a “proper explanation” about how their personal information was used. The Telegraph via Business Insider has the full story:

It is thought the case, being brought against Google by law firm Olswang on behalf of the internet users, is the first of its kind in the UK. They say that cookies, small tracking files, were installed by Google on the Apple computers and mobile devices of those using the Safari internet browser without their knowledge .

Claimants thought that cookies would be blocked because of assurances given by Google in the time their devices were allegedly affected, from summer 2011 to spring 2012, and also because of Safari’s default settings.

“We hope that they will take this opportunity to give Safari users a proper explanation about what happened, to apologize and, where appropriate, compensate the victims of their intrusion.”

Users of Twitter’s new Vine app greeted with porn as top Editor’s Pick

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 6:48 am PT

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Vine-Porn-iOS Update: Twitter said in a comment to BusinessInsider that the content was displayed as an Editor’s Pick due to human error:

A human error resulted in a video with adult content becoming one of the videos in Editor’s Picks, and upon realizing this mistake we removed the video immediately. We apologize to our users for the error.

Just a week after the popular photo-sharing app 500px was pulled from the App Store over concerns of nude photos and possible child pornography, the launch of Twitter’s new video-sharing app Vine is running into similar issues. Users began noticing pornographic videos were making their way to the service this weekend, but they were only viewable to users searching for pornography-related tags. That is arguably not as big of an issue as 500px (many apps—Instagram included—have similar problems), but Darrell Etherington at TechCrunch pointed out today that porn has somehow made its way to the top of Vine’s “Editor’s Pick”.

We confirmed, as highlighted in the screenshot to the right, that the pornographic content in question is displayed as the first thing in a new user’s stream upon launching the app. The post has since been removed, but this is clearly an issue for Twitter’s new video service, and it is something that highlights the larger conversation brewing around Apple’s App Store guidelines and adult, user-created content.

Report: iOS and Android capture record 92 percent of global smartphone market in Q4 2012

Jordan Kahn Jan 28 2013 - 5:36 am PT

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According to the latest numbers from Strategy Analytics that measure global smartphone operating system shipments and marketshare for the fourth quarter of 2012, iOS and Android together accounted for 92 percent of all shipments. Both iOS and Android were able to significantly increase market share over Q3, while global smartphone shipments over the entire year reached a record 700.1 million units.

As for iOS, Apple grew 29 percent annually by selling 135.8 million iPhones throughout the year. The company captured 22 percent of the market in Q4, down from the 24 percent it held in the year-ago quarter, and its share of the smartphone market for the year comes in at 19.4-percent. According to Strategy Analytics, that is up slightly from the 19 percent it took during 2011.

With the “others” category shrinking from 32.3-percent of the market in 2011 to just 12.2-percent in 2012, Android was able to post the largest gains jumping to 70.1-percent of the global market during the fourth quarter from 51.3-percent a year ago. The other category of course includes other platforms, such as BlackBerry, Symbian, Bada, and Windows, all of which together only grabbed 7.9-percent of the market in Q4 2012. That’s down from 25.1-percent in Q4 2011. Android’s gains are clearly at the expense of the “others,” as Apple continues to slowly gain marketshare as well.

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Exxon surpasses Apple’s market cap to become world’s most valuable company

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2013 - 9:21 am PT

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After posting record holiday earnings for the final quarter of 2012 this week but continuing to see its stock price fall, Exxon Mobil has now surpassed Apple’s market cap value to become the world’s most valuable company. Apple’s market cap at the time of this writing sits at 414.04B verus 417.36B for Exxon. Apple has for the most part held its position since AAPL passed Exxon for the first time to take the top spot back in August 2011. It’s possible Apple could retake its position before trading closes, so we’ll update this post if anything changes.

[ooyala code=”NmNDdxODrmjiNgMk1pYuU9zev7xpK4V_”]

BREAKING: Apples cedes place as most valuable company in the world to Exxon Mobil

— Bloomberg (@business) January 25, 2013

Report claims iPad 5 with iPad mini-like design set for October release, offers new details on upcoming iPhones

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2013 - 9:02 am PT

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iPad5-mockup-render-03 A new report from Jeremy Horwitz of iLounge provided us with what he claimed is a few details on the upcoming fifth-generation iPad based on hands-on time with a “supposedly accurate” physical model. He also claimed to have details on upcoming iPhone releases.

Horwitz noted he has inspected what he believed are casings for the iPad 5, and he described a completely redesigned device with “virtually no left or right bezels, and only enough space above and below the screen to accommodate the mandatory camera and Home Button elements.” As previously rumored, Horwitz claimed the fifth-gen iPad as iPad mini-like in its physical design with similar “chamfered edges and curves” along with the slimmed down bezel.

He also speculated that Apple could go with an IGZO display to achieve what he said is a much thinner design compared to previous generations:

Beyond that, it’s noticeably thinner, as well, which is to say the the fifth-generation iPad will be smaller in every dimension than its predecessors. As it will have the same chamfered edges and curves, calling it a “stretched iPad mini” is very close to entirely accurate… The changes are so considerable that a new screen technology, such as IGZO, seems like a given. Going Retina for the third-generation iPad forced Apple to make that tablet a little thicker than the iPad 2, in part to seriously beef up the battery.

The report also said that Apple is now targeting an October release for the iPad 5, “give or take a couple of weeks,” after originally planning for a March launch.

Horwitz, who has been accurate with details of unreleased Apple products in the past, also claimed to have new details on the upcoming iPhone releases:

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YouTube Capture gets 1080p uploads, Vine, Google Currents 2.0, price drops, and more

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2013 - 7:28 am PT

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YouTube Capture version 1.1: Google has updated its newly released YouTube Capture app with some welcomed features including 1080p video uploads:

· 1080p uploads!
· Improved audio sync
· More detailed upload feedback
· Share to networks after uploading
· Bug fixes & stability improvements

Vine — Make a scene version 1.0.2: Just released yesterday, the app for sharing short video clips (and recently acquired by Twitter) today updated with improvements to profiles and more reliable Twitter integration:

* Logging in through Twitter is more reliable
* You can now update your profile photo from your Camera Roll
* Character limit for usernames and bio field
* International keyboards have better support
* Various bugs that caused crashes have been fixed

Google Currents version 2.0: Google is updating another one of its apps today, its magazine style news reader for tablets and smartphones now sports a new catalog design. The update also includes an Edition sidebar for quick access to categories, a new fast scan feature (Vertical swipe to scan an edition, horizontal swipe advances to next edition), and a new breaking stories section ranked by Google News. You can also now star to save stories for future reading:
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AAPL Company

Apple stands by its word, severs ties with suppliers that repeatedly and purposely hired underage workers

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2013 - 6:54 am PT

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Apple-supplierresponsibility- report-2013 Apple last night released its annual Supplier Responsibility Report that outlines the progress being made for everything from empowering workers to labor and human rights issues within its supply chain. It also highlighted audit results for 393 audits performed during the year—a 72-percent increase over the number of audits it performed in 2011. Apple said its worker empowerment program providing education on local laws and the company’s supplier code of conduct was extended to 1.3 million employees during 2012. That’s double the amount of workers trained in the program since 2008.

As noted by Bloomberg, Apple’s report has information about a Chinese labor agency that had forged documents for underage employees to work in Apple-connected suppliers. Underage workers have been a big focus for Apple since news reports and Fair Labor Association audits last year exposed some of the issues with the conditions of Apple’s supply chain. Since discovering 74 cases of workers under the age of 16 during an audit of a circuit board supplier last January, Apple has terminated its contract with the company and is now going after the agency that did the hiring.

In January 2012, for example, we audited a supplier, Guangdong Real Faith Pingzhou Electronics Co., Ltd. (PZ) that produces a standard circuit board component used by many other companies in many industries. Our auditors were dismayed to discover 74 cases of workers under age 16—a core violation of our Code of Conduct. As a result, we terminated our business relationship with PZ.

As for the Quanshun agency, one of the region’s largest labor agencies, Apple reported it discovered the company was forging papers for underage workers. Apple said in the report that it has reported the agency to officials, who in turn suspended the agency’s business license:

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Report: Apple and Samsung dominate Q4 with 51 percent of global smartphone market

Jordan Kahn Jan 25 2013 - 6:14 am PT

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Q4 2012 estimates from Strategy Analytics

While Samsung has conveniently left specific smartphone sales numbers out of its Q4 earnings release yesterday (as usual), today we get a look at the latest estimates for the quarter coming from research firms Strategy Analytics and IDC.

We know that Apple sold 47.8 million iPhones during the quarter, and today both research firms put Samsung just over 63 million units for Q4 2012. That means Samsung was able to capture 29 percent of the market last quarter (up from 36.2 million units and 22.5-percent of the market in the year ago quarter). Apple is of course a close second among the top five smartphone vendors with 21.8-percent—down slightly from the 23 percent it held in the same quarter last year. In Q4 2011, Apple and Samsung were neck and neck at about 23 percent of the market each.

The increasing market share for Apple, and especially Samsung, over the past year comes at the expense of Nokia. It experienced a drop from 16 percent to 5 percent of the market during the past year.
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Jailbreak, 6.1 release rumors swirl as unlocks become ‘illegal’ tomorrow

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 4:02 pm PT

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Although the decision was made by the Librarian of Congress in October to make unlocking cellphones illegal, tomorrow marks the end of a 90-day grace period when the new rule will officially go into effect. As noted by TechNewsDaily, the policy will not apply to devices purchased before tomorrow or change unlocking policies for carriers. However, the policy will make it illegal for end users to unlock new devices they purchase. It will still be possible to buy an unlocked iPhone direct from Apple, while Verizon iPhones come unlocked out of the box, and AT&T will continue unlocking devices off contract. Several users have taken to Twitter to voice their concerns about the new law.

UNLOCK YOUR iPHONE HERE NOW.

While iPhone hackers might have some issues with unlocking going forward, tomorrow could mark the release of iOS 6.1GM to developers. That could also mean a release of an iOS 6 jailbreak…

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5mac/status/294537936479866882]
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Aspyr releases ‘Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy’ for Mac, available now for $9.99

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 2:08 pm PT

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Aspyr, the company behind the majority of your favorite Mac games, today announced that the classic Star Wars title Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy is now available for Mac. Available as a Steam Play title on Steam, or for $9.99 through the Mac App Store and Aspyr’s GameAgent store, Aspyr told us the critically acclaimed title has been completely overhauled for the Mac:

We’ve completely overhauled the game, fixing tons of old bugs and ensuring the titles works on the latest hardware and OS. We think the game holds up great even to today’s standards…I mean, who doesn’t like a good old fashioned lightsaber battle?

We recently sat down with executives from Aspyr to find out how they port games to Mac and get their take on the future of Mac gaming. Check the full interview here.

AAPL Company

Apple releases OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 build 12D58 to developers

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 1:47 pm PT

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Apple just released OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 build 12D58 to developers and once again noted significant changes made to Wi-Fi. The release comes just over one week after releasing build 12D54 to developers, which also listed significant changes to Wi-Fi. Focus areas listed in today’s release include: AirPlay • AirPort • Game Center • Graphics Drivers • Safari.

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AAPL Company

AT&T announces record 8.6M iPhone activations in fourth quarter results, around 85% of total smartphone sales

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 1:10 pm PT

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Following Apple’s earnings results yesterday, AT&T just announced its fourth-quarter results and highlighted record smartphones sales and a record 8.6-million iPhone activations. In its results, the company said that 16 percent of iPhone activations were to new customers, while it also noted that it saw the best quarter ever for Android sales. It all added up to record sales, the most ever among any U.S. carrier, with 10.2 million units sold during the quarter. In comparison, earlier this week, Verizon reported its Q4 numbers and highlighted a record 6.2 million iPhones for the quarter, representing almost two-thirds of its 9.8-million smartphone activations.

In the quarter, the company activated a record 8.6 million iPhones, with 16 percent new to AT&T. The company also had its best-ever sales quarter for Android smartphones.

AT&T also reported its largest increase in three years for subscribers with 780,000 wireless postpaid net adds and a total increase in total net wireless subscribers of 1.1 million. As for LTE, the company said 55 percent of postpaid smartphone customers were 4G-capable devices while LTE should roll out to 250 million or more people by the end of 2013:

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NAMM: Apogee updates USB interfaces with iPad support, Mackie launches 8-channel iPad mixer

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 11:02 am PT

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Apogee-iPad-NAMM-2013 Today is the first official day of NAMM in Anaheim, and we are already started to see a few Apple-related products pop up. The most interesting is the new lineup of interfaces from Apogee, including updated One, Duet, and Quartet models that all include new features, specs, and iPad compatibility with support for any Core Audio app. iPad compatibility comes thanks to Apogee’s new Maestro app:

Apogee’s new free Maestro app for iOS brings total hardware control to iPad. Designed to create a seamless transition between Mac and iOS, Maestro’s design was customized for each device; iPhone, iPad and Mac, ensuring an intuitive user interface across every platform. The app includes all the same essential functions available on the Mac including low latency monitoring. Maestro can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store on your iPod Touch, iPhone, or iPad.

Starting with the One, the refreshed USB interface now features two inputs, the ability charge your iOS device, Apogee’s Maestro control iOS app, optional battery power, and updated mic preamps and AD/DA converters. It also includes a built-in mic and breakout cable to connect a 1/4-inch cable or XLR. One will be available in March for $349.

The new Duet, a four output, two-input USB interface has been given a refresh, and, like the One, it now includes a USB port for device charging and iOS connectivity. It also works with Apogee’s new Maestro iOS app, and it includes a full-color OLED display like previous versions. It will be available in February for $595. It also includes a breakout cable for XLR and 1/4-inch connections.

Lastly, Apogee is updating its 4 IN x 8 Out USB Quartet interface to take advantage of Maestro control software for iOS and Mac and offer full iPad compatibility. The refreshed Quartet will be available in February for $1,295, and a firmware update will bring iOS support to existing users at the same time.

The One, like the other updated Apogee interfaces, comes with a 30-pin cable, so you’ll need an adapter for Lightning devices.

Another iOS-related highlight from NAMM: Mackie’s new DL806 8-channel digital mixer for iPad (pictured below). It is available now for $799:

Mackie_DL806_8_Channel_Digital_Mixer

(Apogee via mi-pro.co.uk)

Twitter launches ‘Vine’ video sharing app, 50% off Things for Mac, Textilus Word Processor, Cycloramic, more

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 8:49 am PT

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Vine — Make a scene: Today Twitter announced on its blog the launch of Vine, a mobile app it acquired a few months back that allows users to capture and share abbreviated, looping video clips. The free iPhone app is available now in the App Store and offers unlimited, free video uploads, Twitter and Facebook integration, and the developers noted a Twitter account would not be required to sign up.

Today, we’re introducing Vine: a mobile service that lets you capture and share short looping videos. Like Tweets, the brevity of videos on Vine (6 seconds or less) inspires creativity. Now that you can easily capture motion and sound, we look forward to seeing what you create.

Hotels.com version 3.7:

-You can now leave hotel reviews once you have completed your stay
-The app now supports iPhone 5
-Many bugs fixes

Cycloramic version 2.0: The app that uses your iPhones vibrating motor to shoot 360 degree video hands-free was updated today with new hands-free panoramic shooting modes and more:

Just place your iPhone in an upright position on a smooth and level surface and press GO. The Phone will automatically rotate 360 degrees while taking multiple pictures, instantaneously stitch them, generate the panoramic picture and finally open it and immerse you in our 3D viewer.

PANORAMIC PHOTO MODE
1) Guided Mode (iPhone 4/4S/5)
2) Hands-free Mode (iPhone 5 only)
With this update, Cycloramic brings you a whole new way to take panoramic pictures.

Textilus Word Processor version 1.5.9:

– New feature: Improved the file browser for local documents and Dropbox documents. Create, delete edit new documents and folders in Dropbox directly from the file browser
– New feature: Scrivener sync support (via Dropbox) for unlimited number of nested folders and sub-folders, preserving locally the document original path
– New feature: Green highlight color in Style menu
– New feature: Greek alphabet in the Math symbols
– New feature: Latest Dropbox SDK 1.3.3. Support for international characters in Dropbox file and folder names (Chinese, Japanese, etc.)

Call-It-Out: Officially launching today, Call-it-Out is a new app that aims to blend elements of YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest allowing users to “easily rate, capture, and share life through comments, images and videos.

Deals:

Things for Mac | 50% until Jan. 31 (usually $49.99)

GOG adds 10 classic titles to Mac catalog including Fallout 2, Alpha Centauri, and Postal 2

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 7:06 am PT

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Fallout 2 In October 2012, online game retailer GOG.com announced it would bring a large portion of its classic game catalog to Macs starting with more than 50 titles. It has since added many more titles for Mac gamers, and it today announced the addition of 10 new Mac games including popular titles like Fallout 2, Sid Meier’s Colonization, and Postal 2.

This grouping of games has award-winning titles in practically every genre. For strategy games we see the works of industry legend Sid Meier’s in Alpha Centauri, and the hard to find expansion pack “Alien Crossfire”, as well as Sid Meier’s Colonization. Conquest of the New World, a historical strategy sim, is also added in today’s release. For fans of pulse-pounding action,Freespace, Terminal Velocity, and the controversial Postal 2 are sure to delight, while RPG lovers are well taken care of, with Fallout 2and Ultima 7 now fully supported for Mac operating systems.

A full list of new games is below:

GOG.com, the digital distributor of the best games in history for both PC and MAC, has added Alpha Centauri and the Alien Crossfire expansion,Fallout 2, Legend of Grimrock, Sid Meier’s Colonization, Postal 2, Ultima 7, Freespace 1,Terminal Velocity, Conquest of the New World, and the Blackwell Bundle are now officially supported by GOG.com, bringing the total of Mac games to just shy of 100.

Tim Cook congratulates employees on another record quarter, to hold Town Hall Q&A

Jordan Kahn Jan 24 2013 - 5:25 am PT

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Tim-Cook-07 Following reporting what CEO Tim Cook referred to as another record-setting quarter, today the Apple executive sent out an email to employees congratulating the team. Within the email, Cook thanked employees for their “incredible hard work and focus” and highlighted that the company sold over 75 million iOS devices during the quarter.

Like last year, when Apple held a Town Hall meeting following its Q1 results near a windshield repair Sugar Land TX company, Cook is asking employees to attend an employee communications meeting scheduled for today at 10 a.m. Pacific time. The email sent out last night following Apple’s earnings results conference call, and it noted that employees would be able to submit questions via AppleWeb in advance.

Apple will also broadcast the meeting live throughout Cupertino and other Apple locations. Cook’s full email is below:

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Liveblog: Apple’s Q1 2013 earnings results conference call

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2013 - 1:11 pm PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2i7Wr5xwDk]

As previously announced, today Apple is reporting its Q1 2013 earnings results. There is much uncertainty going into today’s call with Apple shares down significantly in recent months to roughly $500 since hitting a high of over $700 per share in September. With the iPhone 5 landing in a total of 100 countries last month, as well as iPad mini making its way to new markets, Wall Street estimates Apple will report between 47.5 million and 53 million iPhones sold and iPad sales between 23 million and 25 million. Compare that with Apple’s Q1 numbers last year: 37 million iPhones and 15.43 million iPads sold. Earlier this week Verizon reported 6.2M iPhone activations for the quarter, around half of which were iPhone 5 sales.

We’ll be providing blow-by-blow coverage of the earnings call in our live blog below at 2 PM Pacific/5 PM Eastern time. Stay tuned to 9to5Mac.com’s homepage for additional coverage:

Head below for updates…
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The heated email exchange between Steve Jobs and then-Palm CEO Ed Colligan over poaching employees

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2013 - 7:26 am PT

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Reports surfaced in August 2009 that Steve Jobs approached former Palm CEO Ed Colligan about entering an agreement to not poach employees from each other’s company. Today, Reuters pointed us to recently revealed court documents that show Jobs threatened patent litigation if Palm would not agree to stop hiring his company’s employees. The documents include email communications between Jobs and Colligan regarding poaching of employees and come from a civil lawsuit brought by five employees against Apple, Google, and others.

“Mr. Jobs also suggested that if Palm did not agree to such an arrangement, Palm could face lawsuits alleging infringement of Apple’s many patents,” Colligan said in the statement.

Below are some of the court documents becoming part of public record after a request to keep them secret was denied by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in California. The documents include statements from Palm CEO Ed Colligan to a District Court in California, as well as emails exchanged between Colligan and Jobs.

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IK Multimedia announces ‘iRig BlueBoard’ Bluetooth MIDI pedalboard for iOS & Mac

Jordan Kahn Jan 23 2013 - 5:49 am PT

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blueboard_top
blueboard_guitar_ipad_335b With NAMM press day kicking off in Anaheim today, iOS app and accessory maker IK Multimedia officially announced some of the products it briefly had on show during CES 2013. One of the more interesting products is the iRig BlueBoard. IK already has the iRig STOMP pedal, iRig accessories for connecting mixers, guitars, and mics to your iOS devices, but BlueBoard marks its first Bluetooth-enabled MIDI pedalboard designed specifically for iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

The pedal works with a dedicated BlueBoard app that will take the Bluetooth signal, convert it to MIDI messages, and then route them to any Core-MIDI compatible app on your iOS device or Mac. The result is the ability to control functions of an app, such as AmpliTube or JamUp Pro XT Amp Effects Processor, in the middle of a performance without having to fumble around your iOS device’s touchscreen. It will work with apps on your Mac, too.

It’s also possible to fully customize the MIDI messages that are sent out by the four switches and two optional expression pedals. It’s easy to setup iRig BlueBoard to control patch changes, effects parameters, reverb, delay on/off – or any parameter that can be controlled via MIDI. For a guitarist or vocalist using a mobile multiFX app like AmpliTube or VocaLive as a sound processor, iRig BlueBoard provides the foot-controlled functionality and convenience of a pedalboard, but with a form factor so compact and portable that it can easily slide into a backpack, a laptop bag or an instrument case.

Among the features: foot switches are backlit, Bluetooth 4.0 provides over 32 feet range, and the unit measures 10.6-inch-by-3.5-inch. It also requires four standard AAA batteries.

iRig BlueBoard will be available for $99.99 in the second quarter of this year. IK announced two new “iLoud” portable studio monitors for musicians, as well.

Apple analyst Gene Munster says Apple HDTV with new remote coming in 2013, again

Jordan Kahn Jan 22 2013 - 11:50 am PT

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apple-tv-tree Speaking with Bloomberg today about Apple’s upcoming earnings call, Piper Jaffray’s Apple analyst Gene Munster said his most recent checks with suppliers in Asia and industry sources indicate Apple is moving to release a full-fledged television this year with a new remote. This is of course not the first time the analyst has predicted Apple will release an HDTV—rather than an updated set-top box—in 2013…

Munster is expecting the Apple TV set to be one of three catalysts to help investors get behind Apple stock again in 2013. The other two are a Retina iPad mini in March and a low-cost iPhone later in the year. With the Apple TV information supposedly coming from supply chain sources in Asia, we’d expect Munster to have some more concrete specs instead of the same non-specific hearsay we’ve heard before. Note: Munster has predicted an Apple HDTV since 2011. Here’s what he had to say on Bloomberg (around the 9:40 mark):

The core of the debate is an improved set-top box… a hockey puck that attaches to your TV, or an actual television. Based on our work, in part, with talking to suppliers in asia, to talking with people in the industry, we think its an actual television. Specifically, the basic thing it fixes is the remote control problem… We think fixing that is going to be an important part of it. And the second piece down the road is content, content on demand. That’s essentially what apple television is.

Tech Industry

Samsung ‘fast follower’ mantra extends to marketing as well

Jordan Kahn Jan 22 2013 - 10:49 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nf5-Prx19ZM]

A story today from Fortune writer Michal Lev-Ram, titled “Samsung’s road to global domination”, told an interesting anecdote about the Samsung’s ad team on iPhone 5 launch day. The team, led by Chief Marketing Officer Todd Pendleton with help from ad agency 72andSunny, sat in a Los Angeles restaurant following real-time updates from Apple CEO Tim Cook’s iPhone 5 unveiling.

Two hours later, the team had crafted the now well-known ad campaign mocking iPhone line sitters:

They huddled around tables mounted with laptops and TV screens, carefully tracking each new feature and monitoring the gush of online comments on the new device via blogs and social media sites. As the data flowed in, writers from the company’s advertising agency, who were also camped out in the restaurant turned war room, scrambled to craft a response…

Two hours later, when Cook stepped off the stage, the Samsung group was already drafting a series of print, digital, and TV ads. The following week — as the iPhone 5 went on sale — the company aired a TV ad mocking Apple “fanboys” queuing up for the new phone. (“The headphone jack is going to be on the bottom!”) The 90-second commercial went on to become the most popular tech ad of 2012, garnering more than 70 million views online. More important, in the weeks following the launch of Apple’s iPhone 5, Samsung sold a record-breaking number of its own signature smartphone, the Galaxy S III.