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 aired two new television commercials about the iPhone 4S headline feature, Siri. The first new ad, displayed above, focuses on Siri’s integration with the Yelp, Maps, location, and direction services, while the second ad, embedded after the break, focuses on on how Siri can help you with many aspects of your life. Specifically, the second ad shows how Siri helps a musician learn new notes with Siri’s Wolfram-Alpha integration, dictate a text message to his fellow band members, and find a store to buy a new instrument. The second ad closes with a reference to Siri’s well-known (and sometimes humorous) ability to call the user whatever the user wants; in this case “rock god.”
Immediately after those purported iPad 3 back-shell photos broke loose, The Verge claimed Apple’s next-generation tablet would not include a rumored quad-core processor. The Verge‘s report contradicts findings inside beta builds of iOS 5.1 and a report from the typically accurate Bloomberg. While The Verge said the next iPad would be dual core, it also said the iPad 3 would sport an improved GPU. This new graphics processor would likely make the rumored huge Retina Display run smoothly. We deduced from earlier reports that the processor is codenamed “S5L8945X,” and it comes out of Samsung, who is busy working on both dual and quad-core processors for its own devices.
Apple and Walmart subsidiary Sam’s Club are in early discussions to widen their already existing partnership. Sam’s Club currently sells Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and iPod lines within its large retail chain, but the two corporate giants are looking to take their business relationship to the next level. According to sources, Apple is considering an expansion of its Apple Store-in-store program to the 47 United States retail warehouse chain.
Sources said Apple is looking to expand its program beyond Best Buy and Target in the United States, and Sam’s Club is one of the retail chains that Apple is in early discussions with. An Apple-store-in-store typically consists of a mini-Apple Store type setup within a larger store. For example, the store-in-stores in Best Buy consist of Apple-like displays and a large table with all of Apple’s products as typically seen in standalone Apple Stores.
Sam’s Club and Apple are not only in early discussions for the Apple store-in-store program, but a backup plan is also being discussed. This plan consists of Sam’s Club simply selling Apple’s Macs, but without the Apple Store features. Since the discussions are still early, sources could not comment on a timeframe for such partnerships, but we know the store-in-stores will likely not be coming soon—or at all if the discussions fall flat. While Sam’s Club is said to be considered, it is unknown if its parent company Walmart is, too.
Last year Apple saw the loss of many executives ranging from its OS X chief, iAd chief, and Global Security chief, and 2012 has started off with another leave: the departure Vice President David Tupman. Tupman has been Apple’s Vice President of iPhone and iPod engineering for over a decade, making him a vital component of Apple’s leadership team.
Tupman grew up in the United Kingdom and attended Salford University. While there, Tupman earned a degree in the engineering electronics. Tupman put the degree to good use as a lead engineer at Schlumberger, an oilfield services provider, for seven years. Tupman then spent around six years at Psion, working through the ranks until becoming a top manager in the hardware division. By this time, Apple’s engineering prodigy Tony Fadell was working full steam on the iPod, a product that would lead Apple into creating the wildly popular iPhone, iPod touch, and most recently, the iPad. Weeks before the introduction of the first iPod, Apple hired Tupman, and he soon became Apple’s vice president of iPod engineering.
He had a big hand in the development and success of every iPod released to date, and when it was time to build the iPhone, Tupman joined the team behind that product, too. As Apple shifted its engineering resources to its mobile line of products, Tupman was named Vice President of iPod and iPhone Engineering— a major role at Apple. Besides playing a major part in growing Apple’s mobile device business into one of the most successful businesses ever, Tupman has his name on at around 70 Apple technology patents, such as power and battery life management, noise-canceling ear buds, Apple’s tiny iPhone power adapters, and mobile device interaction with accessories.
According to our sources, Tupman left Apple at the end of last year. This would seem to be a significant blow to the company whose mobile devices helped lead Apple to a $46 billion holiday quarter. Sources also said that a successor is yet to be named, but Apple is actively pursuing a replacement from inside the company….
Apple’s latest Mac OS X 10.7.3 release is a pain for some users due to its bugs surrounding CUI issues and the crashing of applications. Apple has already been investigating the issues with test groups, and it has apparently decided that the best thing to do at this point is remove the standard 10.7.3 update from its servers and provide users with the ability to only download the combined installation. This combo installer is not riddled with the CUI and app crashing errors as explained in our report from yesterday. Read on for all of the details:
Readdle released a new application for the iPad called “Remarks” that offers incredibly accurate handwriting recognition, PDF annotating, and more. At the heart of Remarks is PDF annotating, and PDFs can be imported by way of the iPad’s iTunes File Sharing feature or through opening the PDF with an email to the iPad. All of your PDFs are stored in an iWork for iOS-like file system, and a folder system is available.
The interface, though, is powerful and feature-packed, and it is simple for PDF annotating. A user simply taps to open a PDF and then they can do actions such as handwriting, highlighting, panning, and creating shapes like circles and squares similar to what one does in OS X’s built-in PDF annotating application Preview. Remarks also allows you to import photos directly from within the application to place in a PDF, and it also allows users to email, print, and open the created or annotated PDFs in other iOS applications.
While Remarks have been a fantastic PDF annotator in our testing, the marquee feature—perhaps— is its handwriting integration. In our tests, Remarks’ handwriting software is well crafted, very accurate, fast, and features no lag. A great bonus is being able to rest your hand on the display of your iPad without writing anything accidentally. Writing with Remarks with a stylus offers perfect iPad handwriting, but writing with your finger works great as well. Readdle said it is looking to bring more features soon to Remarks, including Dropbox and other cloud storage system support.
Cult of Mac today publicized a bug in iTunes Match that matches explicit tracks to clean versions. The issue resides in Apple’s iTunes Match software that is sometimes unable to distinguish clean versions of a track from explicit versions due to slight differences. The issue is causing trouble for some, but Apple is already working on a fix.
A 9to5 reader emailed Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services about the issue a couple of weeks ago and received a response from one of Eddy Cue’s engineers. According to the engineer, Apple is currently investigating the issue and working on a fix. Apple has no interim workaround for users of the iTunes Match service, the email elaborated. iTunes Match is Apple’s $25 a year iTunes service that matches ripped tracks to iTunes quality and keeps everything in the cloud.
This morning, news broke out that Apple’s latest Mac OS X update – 10.7.3 – includes an odd bug surrounding CUI and app crashes. A number of 10.7.3 users are reporting that applications are often crashing and are given error messages with “CUI” stamped on it (as shown in the screenshot above). While 10.7.3 was just released yesterday, Apple is already investigating the issue and is looking to create a fix for affected users. According to a source familiar with the matter, Apple has just sent out the following email to a Mac OS X 10.7.3 test group:
We would like to know if you have experienced an issue after updating to 10.7.3 characterized by the following: Applications crash or quit on launch, The term “CUI” and other graphic anomalies appear in dialogs and windows. If you have encountered this issue please submit a bug report. Be sure to include the following with your report: Install logs, system logs, a full System Report.
There is no indication regarding how or when Apple plans to release this fix, but users can workaround the issue themselves with the steps we provided in our earlier post:
Prominent iOS application developer, and friend of the website, Steven Troughton-Smith released a neat new iPhone and iPod touch application called “The Lotto Machine“ that is a random number generator. Besides the great design, the application is unique because of its physics engine. The physics engine is best demonstrated when a user holds down the “Hold to spin!” button that cranks the wheel. The new application also shows off its accelerometer usage when a user tilts their device. As you can see in the video below, as a user moves their phone around in space, the lottery balls also move:
Filling a void left last year by former Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson, Apple just announced that John Browett is its new Senior Vice President of Retail.
CUPERTINO, California—January 30, 2012—Apple® today announced that John Browett will join the company as senior vice president of Retail, reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Browett comes to Apple from European technology retailer Dixons Retail, where he has been CEO since 2007. Beginning in April, he will be responsible for Apple’s retail strategy and the continued expansion of Apple retail stores around the world.
“Our retail stores are all about customer service, and John shares that commitment like no one else we’ve met,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We are thrilled to have him join our team and bring his incredible retail experience to Apple.”
Prior to joining Dixons Retail, Browett held a series of executive positions at Tesco plc including CEO of Tesco.com. Earlier in his career he advised retail and consumer goods clients at Boston Consulting Group. He holds a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and an MBA from Wharton Business School.
Browett is leaving his job as CEO of Dixons, a major consumer electronics retail chain in Europe, to join the Apple executive team. Browett will lead all of Apple’s worldwide retail operations beginning in April. Peter Oppenheimer has been the Apple executive currently guiding the retail division since Ron Johnson’s departure, and he will likely continue to do so until Browett officially takes over in about two months.
Apple is continuing to infuse the legacy of its cofounder and former CEO Steve Jobs with photo posters and quotes around the Cupertino, Calif.-headquarters. The photos of Jobs range from the early days of the Mac to more recent product introductions, and they are simply motivational and powerful. Quotes from the technological mastermind are also featured around campus, such as the one re-quoted by Tim Cook at Apple’s company-wide celebration of Jobs’ life:
I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.
These quotes and posters will serve as guidance and motivation for several years to come for both the Apple employees of the current era and the future. Photos of the posters are available after the break:
This morning, The New York Timespublished a lengthy report with details about the harsh conditions of working in the factories of an Apple parts supplier or Apple product manufacturer. The report includes this chilling opening:
The explosion ripped through Building A5 on a Friday evening last May, an eruption of fire and noise that twisted metal pipes as if they were discarded straws.When workers in the cafeteria ran outside, they saw black smoke pouring from shattered windows. It came from the area where employees polished thousands of iPad cases a day.
The report also recalls a scenario in which a factory had to call the parents of a young worker to inform them of their son’s admission to the hospital. Horrid points of excessive overtime are included, in addition to a gruesome quote from a former Foxconn executive: “Apple never cared about anything other than increasing product quality and decreasing production cost.” On top of all of that, the report shares word from former Apple executives, such as this quote: “We’ve known about labor abuses in some factories for four years, and they’re still going on.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has not been shy on the emailing as of late, sent out a lengthy letter to all of his employees that is a direct response to these recent reports of factory worker mistreatment. Cook’s opening:
As a company and as individuals, we are defined by our values. Unfortunately some people are questioning Apple’s values today, and I’d like to address this with you directly. We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It’s not who we are. For the many hundreds of you who are based at our suppliers’ manufacturing sites around the world, or spend long stretches working there away from your families, I know you are as outraged by this as I am. For the people who aren’t as close to the supply chain, you have a right to know the facts.
Some key points from the email:
“Every year we inspect more factories, raising the bar for our partners and going deeper into the supply chain. As we reported earlier this month, we’ve made a great deal of progress and improved conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers. We know of no one in our industry doing as much as we are, in as many places, touching as many people.”
“We are focused on educating workers about their rights, so they are empowered to speak up when they see unsafe conditions or unfair treatment. As you know, more than a million people have been trained by our program.”
“We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues. What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word. You can follow our progress at apple.com/supplierresponsibility.”
Steam, the popular game distribution network for the Mac and PC, released a companion application for iOS. The application does not bring an actual Steam gaming experience to the iOS platform, but functions similarly to Microsoft’s Xbox Live companion application. The application features a section with Steam game sales, and allows you to chat with Steam friends, browse community groups of the platform, and view user profiles.
“With the free Steam app for iOS, you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.“
As pointed out by @stroughtonsmith, the app is currently in beta:
“Thank you for your interest in the Steam mobile beta. We’ve made a note of your account and will be sending out more invites shortly“
Among the many topics discussed by Tim Cook at today’s Town Hall session with employees, the Apple CEO revealed some new Apple employee benefits. Giving a little more back to the people who worked so hard to make Apple one of the wealthiest corporations in the world, Cook announced that Apple employees will soon be given $500 discounts on purchases of new Macs and $250 discounts on purchases of a new iPad.
The new discount program will officially kickoff at some point during June 2012. A major caveat is that Apple employees may only utilize the opportunity every three years and employees must have been working for Apple for at least 90 days. The Mac discount side of the program excludes the Mac mini, which is already close to that $500 of credit. Apple employees currently have a 25 percent discount on Macs, so in many cases the $500 is a big deal. (Thanks iDannyOcean)
Update: This is on top of the already existing 25% discount.
Former Apple iPhone marketing executive Bob Borchers
One of the most critical aspects of Apple is its public relations team— the team that puts out press releases, deals with the press, runs keynote presentations, Apple events, and more. Adam Lashinsky’s upcoming book “Inside Apple” provides detail on Apple’s public relations team by noting its secrecy, thoroughness, and tactics with the upper echelon of the technology-reporting world. According to the book, Apple’s public relations department is divided up into product categories, with certain staff assigned to specific Apple products and services.
The PR team obviously sets questions about unreleased products, personal information about Apple’s leadership team, and details about Apple’s future events, as noted by Inside Apple. Perhaps the best demonstration of Apple PR’s control is how communication about the iPhone following its 2007 unveiling was handled. According to the book, the PR department allowed only five Apple employees to discuss the breakthrough product following the announcement.
Apple seeded another build of Mac OS X 10.7.3 to developers— this time with a build number of 11D50. Apple, again, said that no known issues are present in the build, but it did tell developers to focus on iCloud Document Storage, Address Book, iCal, Mail, Spotlight, and Safari. With no known issues present in the last few builds, it looks like Apple is taking its time to test OS X 10.7.3 and ensure it is a stable release for customers.
As 50 Cent put it: “this is me with scott forstall he invented the I phone and I pad big dogs only. Lol”
Another interesting tidbit out of Adam Lashinsky’s upcoming book titled “Inside Apple”is former Apple CEO and cofounder Steve Jobs’ take on Apple executives sitting on the board of directors for outside firms. The story goes that the former Apple Vice President of iAd and cofounder of Quattro Wireless approached Steve Jobs after receiving an invitation to sit on the board of directors of a non-competing corporation. This was the conversation, according to Inside Apple:
During the question-and-answer section of Apple’s blowout Q1 2012 earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook let out a widely known fact from within the company: Apple Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering Bob Mansfield is now in charge of the team that comes from Anobit, an Israel-based SSD company that Apple acquired earlier this month. Cook also said Apple is integrating Anobit’s talent into Apple’s current workflow. Cook did, however, leave out some crucial details about Anobit’s integration into Apple.
Following today’s blowout numbers, we just received word that Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a short email to Apple employees congratulating them both on a record setting holiday quarter and starting 2012 with the launch of a groundbreaking initiative for education with iBooks 2 and iPad textbooks.
Perhaps most enticing, Cook told everyone to report to Town Hall tomorrow either in person or through their AppleWeb online portal at 10 a.m. PT to discuss “some exciting new things going on at Apple.” Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs typically held such meetings following major product launches like the iPad and iPhone.
Cook’s last all hands email was sent just one week ago and discussed Apple’s supplier responsibility report.
“He had three things that he wanted to reinvent: the television, textbooks and photography,” said biographer Walter Isaacson in an interview following the release of his biography on Steve Jobs. Part one, television, is already underway with reports claiming that Apple is set to unveil an advanced television set with Siri voice-recognition software by 2013. More recent reports even suggested that Apple is already planning its assault on the television market by meeting with television show networks.
Part two of the Apple cofounder’s three-part plan of reinvention was completed just last week with the release of the iBooks 2 platform and iBooks Author, which are two Apple products designed to replace the old, paper textbooks in students’ backpacks with just one iPad. However, part three, photography, is certainly still amidst reinvention. Some claim that Apple’s iPhone 4S —which allows for facial recognition, almost-instant photo captures, HDR-photo taking, 1080P video recording, and on device photo editing, all through a high-quality Sony 8-megapixel sensor— is mobile photography at its finest, but Steve Jobs thought way beyond that. Read below for more details:
Apple has opened retail stores prime locations like Grand Central Station and Fifth Avenue in New York, Covent Garden in London, the Louvre in Paris, and its Beijing store with a 40-foot curved glass exterior. While those stores may be large, beautifully architected, and significant, Apple is preparing a new store that will be even more extraordinary for the decade-old retail chain…
While most case makers missed the mark last year by producing “iPhone 5” cases for a thinner, taller, wider, and “teardrop” form-factor, these manufactures have historically provided accurate insight into Apple’s future hardware product plans. We have seen purported Apple case leaks almost yearly and 2012 is no exception. Case makers have begun to produce and ship cases for the upcoming third-generation Apple iPad. Read below for additional details and more images:
Apple Store inside of a Best Buy
