Mark is an award-winning journalist who worked at 9to5Mac for over six years. He covers Apple and other topics related to the consumer technology industry.
Apple has finally released its revamped iTunes application, iTunes 11, for the Mac. The new iTunes app features a completely redesigned user-interface that is cleaner and simpler to use and manage your music and video collection with.
The simplified interface allows users to have a full-view experience for the different types of media and functionality within iTunes. For example, to access your Music library, users can choose “Music” from a stationary drop down menu on the left side of the player. Within music are the typical tabs for songs, albums, artists, genres, playlists, and radio.
In a profile of Apple SVP Eddy Cue, the Wall Street Journal reports that Apple’s new iTunes 11 app will debut tomorrow (Thursday). The report further claims that the new media player was delayed due to engineering issues that required some re-building.
This week, Mr. Cue faces a test of how well Apple can keep up in online services with the launch of a new desktop version of iTunes, which is expected as soon as Thursday. The new iTunes has been delayed a month by engineering issues that required parts to be rebuilt, according to people who have seen it.
iTunes 11 was originally scheduled for an October debut, but Apple announced in late October that the software would arrive by the end of November. The new app includes a new interface, a new MiniPlayer, improved iCloud media content synchronization, and other new features to improve the music listening experience.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUY37sewM0Q]Video of Apple’s iTunes 11 demo (via AppleSpotlight)
The WSJ’s profile of Eddy Cue extends to discussing the executive’s rise in the company since the death of Apple co-founder CEO. The report sheds light on the executives collaborative nature and tendency to ensure products are built with the customer in mind, not technical possibilities. The report also notes that Cue appointed iTunes director Robert Kondrk to VP-status.
Bloomberg has issued a tweet that reports that Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services has terminated Richard Williamson, the executive in charge of Apple’s iOS 6 Maps application. Bloomberg has also posted a headline to its terminal that indicates this. Williamson, according to his Linkedin profile, was Senior Director, iOS Platform Services at Apple, Inc.
Update: Bloomberg has published its full report, saying that Apple does not yet have a replacement for Williamson. Cue reportedly plans to instate a new leadership group for the Maps team. Additionally, Apple is said to be working quickly to fix satellite imagery and labeling issues with Maps:
In removing Williamson, Cue wants to install a new leadership team for the group, one person said. A replacement for Williamson wasn’t immediately known. Attempts to reach Williamson weren’t successful. A team at Apple has been working to fix the mapping mistakes, focusing first on some of the most glaring problems, one person said. The satellite imagery over the U.K. has been improved and labels for popular U.S. landmarks such as the Washington Monument have been corrected.
Cue is reportedly also “seeking advice” from maps experts from outside Apple.
Update, Nov 21: AllthingsD reached out to Apple for comment saying “Apple suggested the delay is the result of the company bringing its product design ethos to bear on the project.” Apple’s full statement below:
“Apple Campus 2 will be a new home for our company and an important part of the lives of more than 12,000 Apple employees,” Apple spokeswoman Amy Bessette told AllThingsD. “With that in mind, we have approached this project with the same care and attention to detail we pay when designing any Apple product. We look forward to moving the project forward with the city and beginning construction.”
Bloomberg reports that Apple has announced in a filing to the city of Cupertino that its upcoming Campus 2‘s completion will be delayed until mid-2016. Apple previously said that it had planned to open the new, “spaceship”-like campus at some point in 2015.
While Apple planned on breaking ground on the site, which is HP’s old campus, this year, it will likely be 2014 before that actually happens, according to the report.
While the project is slightly delayed, Steve Jobs’s vision of Apple’s new campus is mostly retained; Apple’s tweaked proposal includes even more parking spaces for employees and tweaks to an auditorium that can seat 1000 people.
The new filing will become public after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Apple has begun airing two new TV ads for the iPhone 5. The first ad is a Thanksgiving special that demonstrates the iOS 6 Shared Photo Streams feature (above).
Early builds in testing of the next-generation Mac operating system, OS X 10.9, point to Siri and Maps integration coming to Mac computers next year, according to our reliable sources.
These sources say that early builds of OS X 10.9 integrate Apple’s Siri voice command software much like Apple’s newest iPad models running iOS 6.
It is currently uncertain if Siri will be available, if it goes past the early testing stages, in OS X 10.9 for all users. Siri on iOS devices is tied specifically to certain, newer iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, so it is possible that Apple will make a similar decision for Siri on the Mac. However, Dictation, which uses a similar infrastructure and hardware resources as Siri, is available on all Macs capable of running Mountain Lion, the current Mac operating system that introduced Dictation.
In addition to that, Apple plans to integrate its so-far criticized and controversial mapping service into OS X as a framework for developers, according to people familiar with early testing. Like on iOS devices, if the feature moves past early testing, developers will be able to embed a map into their applications for the Mac App Store. More details after the break:
According to our sources, Apple’s already announced plans for November and December launches of the redesigned 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac lines are still on track. This refutes a report from French site MacBidouille which claimed that both the new 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs would see their respective launches delayed until 2013.
Our sources say that Apple is already shipping new 21.5-inch iMacs to its distribution hubs across the United States and several other countries across the world. These sources also expect the 21.5-inch computers to be available to order from Apple’s online store by the end of this month. It is also likely that the new models will reach Apple’s physical retail stores by the end of November. More details after the break:
This week, Apple will rollout an interesting new perk called “App Discovery” to its retail store employees. According to several sources who participated in quarterly meetings, in which the details were announced, Apple retail employees will have free access to a catalogue of popular paid App Store applications. It is possible that this is a holiday perk for employees that will not remain in place forever.
For instance, if an Apple retail employee, starting this week, wants to download Fruit Ninja for their own iPhone, they will be able to use an Apple provided redemption code to get the application at no cost. Because Apple has agreements in place with developers who have apps featured on Apple Store iOS device demo units, we assume that same catalogue of apps is the catalogue that will be available to retail employees. With that, we speculate that Apple will use this program to allow Apple Store employees to become more familiar with the apps that they demo to customers in stores.
The program is currently iOS-exclusive, so there is no complementing catalogue for Mac App Store programs. Apple has had a version of this retail perk in place for a couple of years, but it has been exclusive to Apple’s own paid iOS App Store apps like the iLife and iWork software suites.
In years past, a handful of Apple retail stores in the United States opened up at 12am midnight for the Black Friday sales event, which takes place the day after Thanksgiving. The Apple locations that typically opened at those extra-early times were stores within malls, and many of these malls required all of its stores holding Black Friday sales events to open simultaneously. This year, however, Apple will not follow the rules of several mall complexes and will open at 5, 6, 7, or 8 am at the earliest, according to our sources. Only a couple of stores will open at 4 am. Many stores that are not situated in malls will open between 8 am and 10 am. IFOAppleStore also highlights the changes from last year.
A few weeks ago, Incipio sent us their new line of cases for Apple’s new iPhone 5. We’ve ben testing Incipio’s offerings over the past few weeks, and we’ve decided to share our detailed thoughts on the top three Incipio iPhone 5 cases that we recommend.
Incipio Kicksnap:
The Incipio Kicksnap is a very convenient iPhone 5 case as it offers a built-in kickstand. On the back of the case, there is a little area to open the flap for the kickstand.
The kickstand works very well for watching video on the large iPhone 5 display, and the stand is very reliable for that. Some kickstands that we’ve seen for other devices do not work so well, they either fall quickly or break easily. However, we’ve had neither of these problems. If you try pulling back on the flap, you’ll have a hard time breaking it, so it should provide some solid use for a while.
Besides having a stand, the case is very protective with its relatively-hard plastic back and sides. Cutouts are present for the camera system, audio controls, Lightning connector, and speakers. However, the front is not very protected, though the bezel of the case is raised so if you drop your iPhone on its front, it would not be directly impacted.
We recommend this Incipio Kicksnap case for those who want basic protection for the iPhone 5, but who also want a great and convenient kickstand feature. We tested the black version, but it comes in white as well.
Soon after Facebook issued a fairly major update to its iOS application, social network Twitter has released an update to its iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch application with new features for the Discovery tab, searching, and account management.
Discovery: A personalized stream of tweets that are tailored to users’ interests are now in the Discover tab. Additionally, for easier engagement, article, photo, and video previews are now present in the tab.
Improved search: Now at the top of your search results will be a stream of photos that are relevant to your query. Additionally, like with the updated Discover tab, media previews will be present.
Account management: Password reseting and follower management (for those with private Twitter accounts) are present for the first time in the iOS app.
Twitter also says general improvements and bug fixes are present in this 5.1 release.
While Apple apparently wanted its product shipping partners to hold off on delivering the new LTE iPads until tomorrow, November 16th, multiple readers have written in to tell us that their LTE iPads have arrived. Readers Lawrence and R. Shields sent in photos of their delivered LTE iPad minis.
We’ve also heard that some Apple Stores have enough LTE iPad supply to begin sales as soon as tomorrow, but it is up to corporate to give the green light on sales. Some stores have already been preparing “queue cards” to give to customers interested in purchasing the LTE iPad models.
We’ve also recieved a few tips indicating that AT&T employees are being prepared to handle LTE iPad troubleshooting for Apple Stores beginning tomorrow.
The New York Post reports that $1.5 million worth of iPad minis were stolen from New York’s JFK airport earlier this week. The iPad mini cargo, which was made up of 3600 units, was mean to be distributed to retailers across the U.S. who are selling Apple’s latest tablet. It appears that the heist was an inside job, according to the report. The report details what happened and that the investigation is on-going:
The crooks struck shortly before midnight on Monday and used one of the airport’s own forklifts to load two pallets of the tablet computers into a truck, according to law-enforcement sources.
They might have gotten more, but the thieves drove off leaving three more pallets of the Apple tablets behind after they were challenged by an airport worker returning from dinner.
“So, as a caper goes, it was probably unsuccessful,” a source said.
The thieves were still at large last night. Investigators, suspecting an inside job, have been questioning airport workers and given three of them polygraph tests, the sources said.
The crooks arrived at Building 261 around 11 p.m. in a white tractor trailer marked with the name CEVA on the side, according to the sources. They pulled up to the side of the airport building that faces onto a street and has less security than the other side, which is accessible from the airport tarmac.
Sources believe someone let them into the area and then let them out after they grabbed the iPads.
Interestingly, the cargo building in which the iPads were taken from is the same building featured in the 1978 Lufthansa heist in the movie GoodFellas.
Flipboard, the popular news reading application for the iPad, iPhone and other devices, now includes a Books category that integrates with Apple’s iBookstore. Flipboard announced the new category on its blog today, noting that the new Books category includes 25 sections of the most popular books from the iBookstore. “It’s like browsing in a bookstore, right from your Flipboard,” the company blog says.
Whether you’re into cookbooks or computer books, fiction or non, all of the iBooks pages have been specially designed and optimized for Flipboard. The books sections’ clean, white pages offer a well-lighted space in which to decide what to read next. In addition to a write-up of the book from the publisher and an image of the book, each “article” also contains a quick way to download the book from the iTunes store. Once you get it, you can naturally enjoy all the features of iBooks on your iPhone or iPad, including fully illustrated books like children’s picture books, art books, photo books and cookbooks.
The iBookstore integration allows users to read a summary of individual iBookstore books from within Flipboard. The app also provides an easily accessible button to download the complete book to the iBooks app via the iBookstore. The book reading feature is available in multiple countries including U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, The Netherlands and Brazil.
After first being promised in October, then being delayed into November, Apple has finally rolled out iOS 6 Map’s turn-by-turn voice navigation functionality to its users in Australia. Responding to a customer email in September regarding the feature’s availability in Australia, former Apple Senior Vice President of iOS Scott Forstall said that the data needed to be exceptional and qualified before the on switch was flicked.
While shipments have begun of the LTE variants of the new fourth-generation iPad and iPad mini, Apple has begun stocking its U.S.-based retail stores with LTE versions of the fourth-generation iPad. The product is not on sale yet, but they could go on sale at anytime. Stores have been instructed to wait until word from corporate comes through to begin sales. A launch date is yet to be communicated, but with many LTE iPad deliveries set for this Friday, we would say that a Friday launch at Apple stores for LTE iPads is a strong possibility.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Bertrand Serlet was working with other former Apple employees and other Silicon Valley veterans on a new cloud startup called UpThere. Today, it appears, that UpThere has put up a new website that shares a little more detail on the company. The company’s new website is still cryptic, but it is more than just a logo with a white backdrop on the old website.
With this new website, the company is now pushing for new hires to join the firm. The company issued a Tweet from its Twitter account @upthere announcing the move:
Apple has begun shipping the LTE version of the iPad mini to customers who have pre-ordered. Yesterday, we noted that Apple began shipping the LTE model of the fourth-generation iPad. Like the fourth-generation models, Apple is now telling some customers that their shipped iPad minis will arrive on Friday, November 16th.
However, a check at the tracking data for one of our reader’s iPad mini LTE orders shows a delivery date of Thursday, November 15th. This is nearly a week earlier than the November 21st date that Apple had been promising many who pre-ordered the LTE iPad mini.
Update: Some readers are reporting that their 11/15 deliveries have been moved back to the 16th.
Apple has begun running two new television commercials for the iPad mini. The new ads build out a series that started with Apple’s iPad mini Garageband ad; a commercial that demonstrates the iPad mini’s equal software capabilities to the full-sized iPad. The new ads focus on iBooks and iPhoto. The first ad shows the iBooks application and reading on the iPad mini, and the second ad shows the iPad mini’s photo viewing capabilities and advanced editing functions via the iPhoto App Store app. The two ads are viewable after the break:
Apple and HTC have announced that the two companies have reached a global settlement regarding the two firm’s multiple patent infringement lawsuits. The agreement is on a global-scale and includes a ten-year licensing agreement. All current lawsuits have been dismissed.
TAIPEI, Taiwan and CUPERTINO, California—November 10, 2012—HTC and Apple® have reached a global settlement that includes the dismissal of all current lawsuits and a ten-year license agreement. The license extends to current and future patents held by both parties. The terms of the settlement are confidential.
“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.” Peter Chou, HTC’s CEO, said “HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation.”
Apple’s March 2010 suit against HTC was its first against an Android manufacturer (Samsung and others would follow) and was in direct response to the HTC-built Nexus One gaining multi-touch support exactly one month to the day earlier. Apple’s suit alleged 20 separate patent infringements relating to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.
At the time Steve Jobs said:
“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook is seen as a more moderate, less temperamental leader who remarked recently that he was willing to put Android lawsuits behind Apple. HTC had counter-sued Apple with patents it had licensed from Google as well as other patents it had picked up from S3. In a recent ruling att he ITC, all but one of Apple’s patent claims against HTC were dismissed.
TLDToday put together a neat hands-on demo video of Apple’s new Mac Fusion Drive in a new Mac mini. The video walks through how the Fusion Drive is seen as a single volume in OS X. The drive’s speed is also compared to a 5400 RPM hard drive, and the speed tests do seem to live up to the benchmarks that Apple reports for the drive.
The Fusion Drive is currently available for the Mac mini announced in October and will also be available for the new iMacs coming in November and December. We recently noted that a developer enabled the functionality on an older Mac. The drive is a combination of both Flash and a traditional hard drive, providing the main OS and your most used files with the fast, efficient Flash experience, while also providing users with either 1 or 3 terabytes of hard drive storage for other data.
After the LTE iPad mini went on sale alongside the WiFi version, we noted that customers were seeing various delivery dates for the product. However, most readers reported delivery dates of either November 21st or November 23. A few days later, Apple removed the dates leading some to believe that the LTE iPad mini may be facing some sort of delay. Today, though, the LTE iPad mini delivery date seems to be back for a number of readers. These readers are seeing November 21st delivery dates, even ones who were originally quoted a November 23rd delivery. Apple says that the devices will ship in 5 business days. New orders through the online store are still being quoted shipping in Mid-November. Thanks, Matt and Bark!
Update: Apple is also emailing customers to let them know that their LTE iPads are shipping in 5 business days (Thanks Erik and Bark!)
This week, Apple is holding a conference about its MFI accessory program in Shenzhen, China. With Apple recently adopting a new, smaller Lightning connector for much of its mobile product line, this year’s conference is an important one for accessory companies looking to develop products for new iPhones, iPads, and iPods. As with any Apple conference of the sort, information is starting to come out from attendees. Most notably, TUAW claims that Apple will require MFI licensees to follow the same supply and manufacturing code that Apple uses for its own products:
Most are trivial (did not know: the Lightning connector is waterproof!) but one big one is not. According to our source at the event, Apple intends to make compliance with its supplier code of conduct a condition of MFi licensing.
With Apple’s publicly stringent supply chain, one of the strictest in the consumer-technology industry, Apple potentially pushing down their own internal requirements to the companies making Apple product accessories is notable. As TUAW notes, this will require extra effort by the accessory makers. Additionally, details are currently slim on the reach of the guidelines and when they will be initiated:
Of course, there may well be MFi participants who see this move as heavy-handed and unnecessary. It’s not yet clear what the schedule, audit requirements or penalties for non-compliance might be — but there may be some vendors at the margins who feel that the additional effort and expense to comply decreases the overall value of participating in the iOS accessory market.
Today, Apple has updated its Apple Store application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch with gift card support and Siri integration. The gift card support allows users to purchase Apple Store gift cards for friends and family. As we first reported, these gift cards will work in physical retail stores by way of the iOS 6 Passbook application. Additionally, the new app update features Siri integration. Users will be able to use Siri (on compatible devices) to find pricing and details about Apple’s products.
What’s New in Version 2.4
– Buy new gift cards and email them to friends and family right from the app. These gift cards are easily integrated with the new Passbook app (U.S. only, iOS 6 required). – Ask Siri to help you find prices and shop for Apple products. (Siri-enabled device required.)
EasyPay is also now available in Canada, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Update: We’re currently not seeing the Passbook functionality listed in Apple’s release notes in the update itself. Additionally, the apparently new Siri-integration is functional on the old version of the app. That may be because it is only new server-side.
Update 2: Tipsters have provided a number of new details about the app’s new Passbook functionality.
