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.
With all of the items and sale prices that we revealed on Tuesday, Apple has kicked off their annual Black Friday sale in the United States, Mexico, and Canada (North America). The sale is very similar to Apple’s offerings in past years, but does give better discounts to higher capacities of the iPads and iPods. The deals on the Mac end cover the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, while the iPod nano and iPod touch are the discounted iPod offerings. The Macs are $101 less, the iPads go from $41-$61 discounts depending on capacity (16GB, 32GB, 64GB), the iPod nano shaves off $11 for both 8GB and 16GB storage sizes, and the iPod touch follows the iPad’s lead of bigger discounts for bigger capacities, ranging from $21-$41 discounts.
We already knew that Apple has been trying to get iPhone 4s made in Foxconn’s new Brazil plant, but we have to see any iPhones with “Designed by Apple in California, Made in Brazil” engravings on the back in the hands of customers. Now, thanks to Brazilian website MacMagazine, we may have our first look at such a device. While obviously unconfirmed, the publication says that a reader has gotten their hands on an 8GB white iPhone 4 with “Brazilian Industry” written on the back instead of “Made in China.” The labeling, of course, is written in Portuguese. Additionally, the model number labeling includes a “BR” for Brazil at the end of the scheme (image after the break). On a final note, the site says Brazilians should expect to be able to pick up their own 8GB iPhone 4 on December 2nd. Have you spotted your own Brazilian-made iPhone? Let us know.
Apple has rolled out a new commercial for the iPod touch (which is on sale for Black Friday) , showing off the white model that was just introduced alongside the iPhone 4S. The advertisement is called “Share the fun” and also demonstrates some of the new iOS 5 features like native tweeting and iMessage. In addition, great iPod touch additions from last year’s iOS 4 release like Game Center (improved with iOS 5) and FaceTime are demonstrated. Our favorite comment so far : “I’m pretty sure that was an Urban Outfitters commercial.” Leaves yours:
A trusted tipster has provided us with the details on Apple’s Black Friday (November 25th) 2011 sale. The sale is very similar to Apple’s offerings in past years, but does give better discounts to higher capacities of the iPads and iPods. The deals on the Mac end cover the iMac, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro, while the iPod nano and iPod touch are the discounted iPod offerings. The Macs will be $101 less, the iPads will go from $41-$61 discounts depending on capacity (16GB, 32GB, 64GB), the iPod nano will shave off $11 for both 8GB and 16GB storage sizes, the iPod touch will follow the iPad’s lead of bigger discounts for bigger capacities, ranging from $21-$41 discounts.
Digitimes recently reported that their supplier-based contacts say that Apple is currently prototyping two versions of the third-generation iPad. The site says the iPad 3’s are codenamed J1 and J2 and Apple has not yet decided which model to launch. Based on code strings I have seen (shown in screenshot above), the J2 iPad mentioned in the Digitimes report is definitely an Apple device. Based on Digitimes accurately predicting the iPad 3’s codename, it seems at least somewhat plausible that the site’s attached rumors of a Retina Display and a dual LED-bar system to power this ultra-high-resolution display are accurate (or at least planned possibilities).
Had Apple’s “next-generation of notebooks” announcement in October 2010 played out as planned, the MacBook family of today would look very different. In October 2010, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs took the stage at the Apple Cupertino campus to unveil a preview of OS X Lion, FaceTime for Mac, iLife ’11 and the latest MacBook Air design as the closing “one more thing” announcement. That MacBook Air brought with it an all-new and thinner form-factor, a higher-resolution display, an incredibly light body, a large Multi-Touch single-button trackpad, flash SSD storage, and battery life improvements.
Those aforementioned features, according to Apple, are what constitute the future of notebooks. This notebook announcement not only brought the successor to the previously available 13-inch MacBook Air, but brought along with it an 11-inch MacBook Air for the first time.
But these new notebooks weren’t the only planned pieces of the late 2010 MacBook Air story, though. Reliable sources have told us that not only were 13 and 11-inch models planned, but a groudbreaking new 15 inch MacBook Air was scheduled for a late 2010 release. Read on to learn about what could have been:
iLounge reports that their most reliable source has spilled some details on what’s to come – in terms of redesigns – in 2012 from Apple. First on the roadmap is the iPad 3. The report says the tablet will be slightly thicker in order to make room for a “higher-res” display (Retina Display?) and for that rumored dual-light bar display system. Although it’s possible that this new iPad will be introduced in January, it’s reportedly on track for a March launch (which makes sense).
Apple has released a third beta of iTunes 10.5.1 to developers with performance and stability improvements. The beta, which is now available on the iOS Developer Center allows for continued testing of iTunes Match. Apple’s email to registered developers:
iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3 is now available. This update includes a number of important stability and performance improvements for iTunes Match. iTunes Match stores your music library in iCloud and allows you to enjoy your collection from anywhere, any time, on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, computer or Apple TV. In order to subscribe to iTunes Match, or continue using your existing subscription, please upgrade to iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3. Once upgraded, turn on iTunes Match on each of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn on iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn on iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please turn off iTunes Match under Settings > General > iTunes Store. The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.
iTunes Match missed its planned end of October launch date, and now that beta releases are coming out more quickly, we think an official launch is not too far off. Check out iTunes 10.5.1 beta 3 release notes after the break:
Typically when you walk up to the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store, you will be met with multiple Apple Geniuses with MacBook Pros in front of them. These MacBook Pros have been utilized to facilitate repairs, look up customer information, and order new parts. Starting early next week, in at least some Apple retail markets, the MacBook Pros will disappear in favor of… iPads. These iPads will vastly improve the customer experience and the overall flow of the Apple Retail Store. Read all about it after the break:
Apple has opened up a replacement program for the first-generation iPod nano due to overheating issues. These affected units were sold between September 2005 and December 2006 and include a manufacturing defect sourced at a single Apple battery supplier for the first edition of ultra-small and thin screened iPods from Apple. Apple says the possibility of overheating is small, but since this iPod nano is over five years old, the likelihood of heating is higher than if the battery was younger.
Apple is telling users of the original iPod nano to stop using the product and get it replaced free of charge. The worldwide replacement program can be accessed through a special website that asks users to proceed by entering their iPod nano’s serial number (shown above). Replacement units for the original iPod nano are said to ship about six weeks after the replacement page is filled out by the customer and engraved units will be replacement with non-personalized models. As you can see after the break, this program will not cover all users. All of the information and instructions from Apple is after the break:
Apple has informed beta users of the iTunes Match cloud library service that current libraries will be wiped once again ahead of the service’s launch. The wiping will occur tomorrow, November 12th at 10 AM Pacific time.
As we prepare for the launch of iTunes Match, we will be deleting all current iCloud libraries on Saturday, November 12th at 10 AM PST.
Please turn off iTunes Match on all of your computers and iOS devices. On your computer, choose Store > Turn off iTunes Match. On your iOS device, tap Settings > Music, then turn off iTunes Match. On your Apple TV, please choose Music > Turn off iTunes Match.
The songs on your computer should not be affected. As always, please backup regularly and do not delete the music you add to iCloud from your computer.
Apple missed the planned launch of iTunes Match by the end of October, and is yet to announce a new launch date. With wiping occurring tomorrow, and Apple’s wording in their note to developers, the launch does not seem that far off.
AppAdvice has released a new iPhone application called AppsGoneFree that presents 5-10 great free iPhone applications per day. These 5-10 featured applications are hand curated. The interface for the application is nicely done, and works great in my tests. The best part of all is that it is free. It’s available here on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch; iOS 4 or later is required.
Following the release of iOS 5.0.1 to developers to test the new software against applications in addition to test for battery life and Siri improvements, Apple is now seeding iOS 5.0.1 to certain end users for testing. A small number of customers who have complained about battery life issues in iOS 5 have been seeded the bug fix release through Apple’s AppleSeed program.
Apple warns program participants that their devices will not be able to be downgraded to iOS 5.0, but they will be allowed to upgrade to the final release of iOS 5 when it comes out in the next few weeks. The iOS 5.0.1 update also brings Siri improvements for Australian users, multitasking gestures to the first generation iPad, and other bug fixes.
In addition, Apple Stores have received memos of how to deal with battery life issues. Basically, stores are not to replace phones with battery life issues and are supposed to tell customers to wait a few weeks unit Apple releases a software fix. Basically, if your battery is not working properly: deal with it.
Panorama photograph taken with an iPhone running iOS 5
We previously reported that Apple was working on bringing a panorama camera mode to the iPhone, and now some jailbreakers have figured out how to enable it. The interface for the feature is not too fancy, but is certainly usable. The user simply turns on panorama mode by clicking the panorama button on the camera options popover, then moves their phone in their air as shown in the on-screen diagram. The final product will be what you see above, a sample taken with the iOS 5 panorama feature. Screenshots of the panorama interface are after the break! (Thanks Conrad, Chpwn)
Following our exclusive looks at the Siri port to the iPhone 4, developer Ryan Petrich (with help from Steven Troughton-Smith and chpwn) has ported the Siri artificial-intelligence system to the iPhone 3GS. The port seems to work well based on the video, but we’ve been told that the microphone performance is significantly worse than the iPhone 4 microphone’s performance. If there is any significant ambient noise, the home button needs to be clicked to stop voice input.
The storyfloatingaround this morning is that Apple is testing Siri on the iPhone 4 and is looking to bring it to the iPhone 4 eventually. The first part is true, and the second part is not. Apple has long been testing Siri on the iPhone 4. In fact, Apple employees are currently running around with Siri on their iPhone 4. In addition, Apple has even left Siri references in the latest iOS 5.0.1 beta for the iPhone 4 – and even the iPad and iPod touch.
Siri runs just fine on the iPhone 4 in both our earlier and more recent testing. Using Siri on the iPhone 4 was incredibly smooth, just like the Siri experience on an iPhone 4S.
But just because Apple has tested Siri on the iPhone 4, and just because Siri files are in the iPhone 4 file system, and just because Siri runs great on the iPhone 4 does not mean Siri is coming to the iPhone 4.
Remember when Apple released the iPhone 3GS with the ability to capture video and people wondered why the original iPhone or 3G weren’t given rights to capture video, even though Jailbreak Apps showed it working fine? Same thing here. Apple is in the business of selling hardware. Don’t forget that.
Apple chose to make Siri an iPhone 4S exclusive for multiple reasons. One being for marketing purposes, take Apple’s newest phone and you get their new and fancy artificial intelligence system. Apple spent hundreds of millions of dollars on Siri’s development, and issuing the software as a free upgrade would not be beneficial to Apple.
The next reason is the iPhone 4S is a more closed control group for the Siri “beta” than if Apple were to open Siri to the tens of millions of iPhone 4 customers. Third is the future. We’ve been hearing a lot of whispers about the future of Siri from multiple sources, and the A4 single-core processor will simply not do. When Apple releases something in a certain way, they have good reason.
Moral of the story: your iPhone 4 will not be getting Siri (legally).
A sizable number of Apple senior executives have left the company this year, with the latest being Apple’s Vice President of Global Security. We’ve heard that John Theriault, the company’s head of security operations, has left the company following the controversial lost iPhone 4S investigation earlier this year.
In July, an Apple employee was reported to have lost a prototype version of the later to be announced iPhone 4S with Siri, an improved camera, and the dual-core A5 processor. Following the loss of the prototype device, Apple apparently also visited the home of the device’s purported finder and offered him cash for the return of the phone. Apple security officials reportedly posed as police officers in their search of this prototype iPhone, and the San Francisco Police Department have been said to be investigating the situation.
Theriault joined Apple in 2007 following over a decade of work at Pfizer Inc. where he served as the Chief Security Officer and as a Vice President. Prior to his professional career in the corporate environment, Theriault was a special agent in the FBI. Theriault was responsible for all of the Apple’s security operations and led an anti-counterfeit team in 2008 in a fight against China’s growing counterfeit product market. According to Fortune‘s Apple top executive organization chart, Theriault reported to Apple Senior Vice President and General Counsel Bruce Sewell. More after the break:
Apple has seeded a beta version of Safari 5.1.2 to developers. The new software includes bug fixes for a PDF viewing bug in earlier versions of Safari.
Safari 5.1.2 fixes issues where PDFs in frames were not displayed in the browser. Please test this build with websites that display PDF documents inline such as banks and document management systems.
The beta is available for registered developers on OS X Lion, OS X Snow Leopard, and Windows. Apple asks developers to test the new Safari release against printing and mouse and keyboard interaction. The release notes are pasted after the break (thanks Mike!):
According to sources for Digitimes within upstream supply chains, Apple is planning complete overhauls for much of their product lineup for 2012. This seems likely seeing that Apple did not re-design any of their hardware products for a 2011 launch. The publication is calling for an all new iPhone, iMac, MacBook Air and iPad. This all new iPad is likely the one Digitimes spotted for a Q3 launch in the supply chain. This completely new iPhone could be the teardrop-shaped device we’ve heard so much about and rumors of an iMac redesign have yet to become specific.
Apple last overhauled the iMac in 2009 with larger, brighter LED displays, thinner unibody casings, and faster processors. The most recent update came in May with an HD FaceTime camera, improved graphics performance, and faster, quad-core processors across the lineup. In addition, the publication is calling for a MacBook Air overhaul, which seems unlikely given that brand new MacBook Air designs were launched in late 2010. If Digitimes is correct about a MacBook Air overhaul, we think 15 inch addition is what they are discussing. The report says that the new iPhone and iMac are scheduled for launch during the second half of 2012, but offers no launch details for the new MacBook Air line. (Image: The Verge)
Digitimes claims that the next-generation iPad will launch in March with a thinner overall design and improved battery life. The catch is that Digitimes essentially calls this iPad update an upgraded iPad 2 rather than a full “iPad 3.” Interestingly, the publication says a real iPad 3 is coming Q3 2012. We find it highly unlikely that Apple would launch a thinner iPad then a full “iPad 3” upgrade only months later. We do think that the thinner, battery better life, and March launch components are strong possibilities, though. Faster processors (A6) and Retina Displays have also been rumored additions for the next-generation iPad.
As you can see in our video above, a Smart Cover can essentially unlock an iPad 2. The person who unlocks your iPad 2 will not have complete access to your iPad, but will be able to gain entrance to whatever you locked your iPad 2 on. If your iPad 2 went to sleep in Mail, Safari, Messages, Contacts, or Maps, you can imagine the sorts of personal information that can be viewed on your iPad. If you left your iPad 2 on its Home screen, the person can view which applications you have on your device, control media from the multitasking bar, but not much else.
Now, with the release of iOS 5.0.1 beta, we’ve discovered that one of the new security fixes is a fix for this Smart Cover bug. It appears that Apple has fixed the issue by not allowing the iPad 2 to go to sleep by way of the Smart Cover closing while on the power off menu. iOS 5.0.1 should make its way onto everyone’s iOS 5 devices in a few weeks.
