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.
In early May, we reported that Apple is bringing a long-awaited over-the-air iOS software update feature to iOS 5. Sure enough, Apple announced the feature as a part of their iOS devices become PC-free initiative, but the keynote did not specifically mention that updates over 3G are coming (even though the phone showed a 3G symbol). Now, in line with our earlier report, we have discovered – through the iOS 5 SDK – that iOS 5 will, in fact, support over-the-air firmware upgrades over 3G networks. (Thanks, Sonny Dickson)
There is a catch, though. Based on these SDK findings, it looks like only certain iOS updates will support downloads over 3G. Perhaps small point upgrades like 5.1.1 will come over 3G but 5.1 will have to come over WiFi. Or perhaps 5.1 can come over 3G but 6.0 has to be downloaded over a WiFi network.
This update requires a Wi-Fi network connection to download.
Another catch will likely be carrier support, but that is unconfirmed. iOS 5 will also only begin the software update process if your phone has enough battery life and storage (looks like Apple will expect 500 MB of necessary storage per delta update) to make it the whole way through.
This update requires at least %i%% battery, and 500 MB of available storage.
We’re not exactly sure what’s going on here, but Skype apparently posted a promotional video for an official iPad application this morning. The video has been deleted (if it ever existed) but it looks like the real thing, based on a purported re-upload by RazorianFly. If legit, Skype for iPad looks amazing, has video calling, 3G and WiFi support, and an easy to navigate interface with animations and clean graphics. Real or fake?
Apple has posted a new web page that is dedicated to answering frequently asked questions about the transition from MobileMe to Apple’s new iCloud service, which launches this fall (via TechCrunch). The webpage explains which services are staying with iCloud and which are going (shown in image above). Those are in addition to these new services:
iTunes in the Cloud
Photo Stream
Documents in the Cloud
Automatic downloads and purchase history for apps and books
Backup and restore
The site also says that users will be able to migrate their current .Mac or MobileMe username to the iCloud service. A big question as of late has been over whether or not iCloud will include functionality in the browser; Apple answers:
Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall.
Current MobileMe services such as iDisk, Web Gallery, Mac-based sync services, and iWeb published websites will still be supported, for current MobileMe and .Mac (where applicable) users, until June 30, 2012. New iCloud users, which can sign up for a free Me.com account as a part of iCloud, will not be able to access those features.
Following a report from earlier this week that claims that Apple is gearing up to launch a new Mac Pro in late July or early August, a reliable source tells 9to5Mac that Apple has referenced a mid-2011 Mac Pro in multiple internal documents. This, of course, is reference to an unreleased Mac Pro. Apple has not upgraded their professional desktop Mac since July 2010. Additionally, these internal documents are said to tout four new core Mac Pro models: 6 cores, 8 cores, 12 cores, and for the first time, 16 cores. This is likely in addition to some custom configurations.
If these internal documents jibe with what Apple will be soon releasing, Mac customers will be able to get their hands on a super-fast 16-core Mac. In addition to these specifications, we hear that Apple has already begun the process of assembling product manuals for the new Mac Pro, corroborating previous claims of a late July or early August launch. Our sources could not confirm if the new rack mountable design, which we detailed, will make its way into the 2011 model.
On a final note, a certain Apple executive has reportedly said the following in an email we’ve seen:
AN EXTENSIVE ACTION-PACKED SINGLE-PLAYER CAMPAIGN:
– 13 chapters taking you through hostile, yet amazing environments of various Orbitals
– Varied gameplay: Run, shoot, fall, drive a motorbike, pilot a giant mech, and blast a laser
– Over a dozen weapons including the Dual Hand Guns, Assault Rifle, Shotgun, Automatic Shotgun, Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Alien Plasma Gun, Alien Lightning Gun, Alien Laser Gun, Turrets, Frag Grenades and Mines
– 3 special powers: Freeze, Slow Time and Disc for melee combat
– Experience intense combats against a wide range of enemies with improved AI
INTENSE MULTIPLAYER MODES:
– 1~10 players online or locally
– 5 modes: Free for All, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Freeze Tag, and InstaGib
– Ranking & perk systems
– 10 maps on which to battle it out
– Play against your friends or the entire world through Gameloft LIVE!
– Worldwide leaderboards in the game & on the official website, www.near-orbit-vanguard-alliance.com
Apple has finally unleashed the video recordings of this year’s WWDC lab sessions. Registered Mac developers can view them on the Apple Mac Developer website or through iTunes.
Apple has just released version 10.6.8 of Mac OS X Snow Leopard ahead of the July launch of OS X Lion. Mac OS 10.6.8 prepares Macs for the Lion upgrade through the Mac App Store and squashes some bugs. The update also improves IPv6 and VPN support, and also removes more known versions of Malware.
The 10.6.8 update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:
Enhance the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion
Resolve an issue that may cause Preview to unexpectedly quit
Improve support for IPv6
Improve VPN reliability
Identify and remove known variants of Mac Defender
It is no secret that Apple has been taking the heat, since their new Final Cut Pro X launched, over the lack of some critical features. John Gruber has compiled some written reviews – not particularly App Store reviews – and they all mention the lack of some critical features for professionals, making the transition difficult from earlier versions of the Final Cut Pro suite.
In addition to those reviews, the Mac App Store reviews panel for Final Cut Pro X has been the scene of some nasty and extremely critical reviews from users. Amid these reviews, we have discovered that all written reviews have disappeared from the Mac App Store for Final Cut Pro X. We have checked and new reviews are possible for some people, but now all. Perhaps this is a bug, or maybe Apple wanted their software to start on a clean slate tonight. Even if it’s a bug, it’s an interesting coincidence.
Update: Looks like reviews are coming back for some people. Weird that this only happened to Final Cut Pro X, though. Conspiracy theories incoming..
Amazon, in March, responded to Apple’s claims of confusion, saying:
Based on their common meaning, the words ‘app store’ together denote a store for apps, such as the app stores operated by Amazon and Apple.
The judge on the case, Phyllis Hamilton, seems to agree, reporting that Apple is yet to provide sufficient evidence for their claim that users are (or will be confused) over Amazon’s usage of the App Store name; a name that Apple has used since 2008 to market their iOS application store and most recently their Mac App Store.
Apple’s difficulty demonstrating real evidence of actual confusion among consumers is a stumbling block for Apple, Hamilton said in court. I’m troubled by the showing that you’ve made so far, but that’s where you’re likely not to prevail at this early juncture.
The case’s judge says she will “probably” deny Apple’s request, but Apple still has the opportunity to throw more evidence into the case.
FOSS Patents reports that the judge overseeing the Samsung vs. Apple case has ruled in Apple’s favor regarding Samsung’s request to examine Apple’s next-generation, high-profile mobile devices: the iPhone 5 and iPad 3. Although this is good news for Apple (and expected news), Apple might still have to wait on obtaining preliminary injunction against Samsung’s ability to sell their devices in question in the United States.
This possibility comes from this key line from the judge on the case:
Samsung is free to argue, for instance, that there is little likelihood of confusion because consumers will not encounter its products side-by-side with the iPhone 4 or iPad 2, but rather with Apple’s next generation iPhone and iPad. Similarly, as to proximity, Samsung is free to argue that because the iPhone 4 and iPhone 2 will soon be outmoded and reduced in price, they are not being sold (or very soon will not be sold) to the same class of purchasers who are likely to buy new Samsung products. By choosing to allege infringement only of its current products, Apple opens itself up to these arguments.
Essentially, Samsung can argue that they should not be banned from selling the devices in question in the United States (like the Nexus and Galaxy devices) as these devices – both tablets and smartphones – are currently up against the iPhone 4 and iPad 2. Samsung could argue that Apple’s next-generation devices will be different in appearance, resolving Apple’s argument that the appearance of their devices has been copied by Samsung. Apple, of course, will not reveal the design and features for unreleased products.
If Apple can present the iPhone 5 to the court and show that the alleged problem of “consumer confusion” is essentially the same as currently (in terms of similarities between the Galaxy handset and the iPhone 4), Apple’s motion for an injunction is no less likely to succeed (though it’s clear that Samsung would try to overstate any possible differences in design).
FOSS Patent’s Florian Mueller closes his report by noting that Apple would have the best chance in accomplishing injunction against Samsung if they only motion for injunction when the iPhone 5 arrives in September– or when Apple wants to show their next-generation smartphone to the court (which will likely never happen prior to the public reveal):
If Apple would rather avoid this kind of impression, it might want to proceed cautiously and wait with a preliminary injunction motion until the iPhone 5 can be shown, or present only a tablet-related motion in the very near term and a smartphone-related one a little later.
The iPad 3 has long been rumored to feature a higher resolution display. Bloomberg says the display will be 1/3 higher in resolution, which sounds odd given application and graphical interface formatting. If Apple does go higher-res for iPad 3, it will likely be the full Retina treatment. – like on the iPhone 4 and fourth generation iPod touch. In the iPad’s case, this display will become 2048 x 1536 from the iPad 1 and iPad 2’s 1024 x 768 screen resolution. Graphics were recently found in an iOS 5-exclusive frameworks API that referenced an iPad with a Retina Display.
Although this was not reported by Bloomberg, the next generation iPhone is expected to pack a new cellular chip that can support both GSM and CDMA networks. In the case of the United States, this new phone can either connect to AT&T or Verizon networks. This functionality comes from the Qualcomm Gobi chip, which we exclusively revealed was packed into the Verizon iPhone 4. The new iPhone will also come preloaded with iOS 5, which features Notification Center, new camera features, Twitter integration, iCloud support, an updated mail application, a location-based reminders application, iMessages, and much more.
According to DailyTech, Apple is gearing up to launch a television set business this fall. The site claims that a former Apple executive spilled the beans on the project, saying “you’ll go into an Apple retail store and be able to walk out with a TV. It’s perfect.” This TV display is said to be powered by Apple’s popular iOS (currently runs on the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Apple TV). The report also says that Apple will not be developing the large screens in-house, but will work with an OEM, like Samsung, to get production rolling.
An actual Apple television set has been rumored for years now with reports from analysts like Gene Munster, and cryptic official job listings from Apple. Apple currently sells a $99 Apple TV, iOS-powered set-top-box. Essentially, this Apple TV display is said to be a large screen with a built-in Apple TV. In addition, Apple has been researching OLED technologies – perhaps that research ties into this rumored TV set. DailyTech has been a reliable source for information within Intel, but has no track record regarding rumors on the subject of TVs.
Apple is set to release upgraded models of their AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule products. The brand name wireless routers have been constrained for many weeks now in retail locations across the globe: from Apple Stores to Best Buy to resellers world wide. The new AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule, first confirmed by 9to5Mac, will hit the streets any day now as part numbers for the devices have have been sent to us.
The AirPort Extreme will come in a single configuration and the Time Capsules will keep the 2TB configuration and add a 3TB model for the first time. According to the part number information, all three wireless router configurations will feature price drops. The Time Capsules are rumored to include a new software update caching feature that will store Mac OS and iOS updates on the device’s hard drive for installation on any networked Mac/iOS device.
Here are the new part numbers courtesy of Mr. X:
MD031LL/A – AIRPORT EXTREME 802.11N (5TH GEN)- USA
MD032LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 2TB (4TH GENERATION) – USA
MD033LL/A – TIME CAPSULE 3TB (4TH GENERATION) – USA
[Update 1: July 21, 2011]: An updated AirPort Extreme wireless base station with marketing model number A1408has surfaced in the FCC database, confirming our findings. Engadget explains that the filing drops hints of the three-stream standard for 450Mbps over both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
CNET’s Brian Tong claims that Apple is gearing up to launch a revamped Mac Pro and an upgraded Mac mini in either late July or early August – more likely in August. Details are scarce on what this “next-gen” Mac Pro holds, but if what 9to5Mac has previously been told is showing up in these 2011 models, we’ll be seeing a smaller, rackmountable design that can hold multiple solid-state-drives. Lending credence to the report are shortages of the Mac Pro server model.
EXCLUSIVE: My sources tell me ALL NEW Next-Gen Mac Pros and Mac Minis will launch either end of July first week of August.
The Mac minis are said to be receiving the Thunderbolt I/O and Sandy Bridge Processor treatment, which the MacBook Pro and iMac families received earlier this year. Summer 2010 was the scene of a major Mac mini redesign, so those hoping for an all new Mac mini should wait a couple of refreshes. Mac minis (and Mac mini servers – on Amazon as well) are currently short on supply (thanks, Mr. X!). Separately, we’ve been hearing independently that Apple is gearing up to release upgraded MacBook Airs – we should have our own details on that soon.
August more likely, Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt on both. NO details for specs or configurations given. DO NOT BUY! WAIT for the new Macs!
Tong’s tweets also say that these upgraded Macs will be packed with Lion at first boot. Tong says that the source of the new Mac Pro and Mac mini information is the same source that correctly predicted an early May launch for the new iMacs. The iMac ended up being updated on May 3rd with Thunderbolt ports and faster Sandy Bridge processors from Intel.
We’ve been told that Apple will be holding one of their overnights – which seem to be a weekly thing lately – at their chain of retail stores next Tuesday night. The overnight is being held in order to setup new displays in each store’s glass front or within the actual store setup. Apple Stores currently have large book displays in the back of their stores. These books are a part of an Apple partnership with the Teach for America Foundation.
Our sources are unsure if these books are next Wednesday’s new displays, but it is likely. We are posting this as it is also possible that Apple is launching new products on Wednesday. Separately, we have confirmed that new MacBook Airs are imminent but have yet to pinpoint an exact release date. Also in the pipeline are new AirPort Extremes (which, by the way, are no longer found on the sales floor at many locations), Time Capsules, Mac minis, and Mac Pros. We should be getting some new intelligence soon, so stay tuned!
Update: We are now hearing that some stores got some new boxes – in addition to the books. These could be related to the new Teach for America foundation visuals, though.
Today, Apple supplied educators and businesses with instructions on how to upgrade to the upcoming OS X Lion release. The document is pasted after the break:
Apple has seeded yet another build of Snow Leopard 10.6.8 to developers, this time with a build number of 10K540. The update has no known issues and Apple is asking developers to focus on AirPort, graphics drivers, Mac App Store, networking, Quicktime, and VPN. Apple will shortly release 10.6.8 as OS X 10.7 Lion is coming next month.
The New York Times reports that Facebook has been working on an iPad application for approximately the past year and is closing up their testing ahead of a launch in the “coming weeks.” The Facebook for iPad project, which is said to be “carefully designed and optimized for the tablet,” has been overseen by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Yep, the same person who said Apple’s tablet is not a mobile device.
People who have seen the application said it has a slick design that has been tailored for the iPad and its touchscreen interface. Facebook developers and designers have also overhauled the Facebook Chat and Facebook Groups features for the application. And the app will go beyond the features available on the Facebook Web site by allowing users to shoot and upload photos and videos directly from the iPad’s built-in cameras.
The feature set of Facebook for iPad is said to include everything from the Facebook website but will add mobile-optimized features like taking and uploading pics and flicks. The report also says that Facebook for iPad will be free, which seems pretty obvious, and does not offer a release date more specific than “in the coming weeks.” Facebook currently serves their iOS users with their wildly popular iPhone and iPod touch application.
As a part of Apple’s MobileMe-to-iCloud transition, Apple will be bringing expired MobileMe accounts back to life. We have gotten our hands on login information for a long-expired MobileMe account and have discovered that Apple has already migrated these accounts over to the free iCloud service (shown above). In order to setup these newly resurrected accounts you need to be running Apple’s upcoming iOS 5 and OS X Lion (with iCloud beta installed). Your old MobileMe username and password will now function as your iCloud Apple ID.
The reason being is that these new iCloud e-mail, calendar, and other accounts no longer work at me.com. That’s right, for the time being, users who have their old MobileMe accounts migrated over to the iCloud service can no longer access their email on the web. We got our expired test MobileMe account up and running as an iCloud account on a Mac running OS X Lion (with iCloud installed) and an iPhone running iOS 5. Mail, contacts, calendar, and the rest of the suite work perfectly with native apps, but not in Apple’s me.com web apps. Find my iPhone is the exception.
There has been a lot of talk lately over whether or not iCloud will support the MobileMe web apps, usher in their own redesigned web apps, or leave the web in the dark. Our discovery points to no web app compatibility, but that is likely because the iCloud web apps do not exist yet. The Loop and others say that iCloud web apps are, in fact, in development. We’ll likely see those when iCloud is ready to launch this fall. Thanks, Kristian!
Apple has pushed out an update for developers running OS X Lion Developer Preview 4. The update comes in smaller than a full Mac App Store Developer Preview release (656.6 MB) and is available via the Mac’s software update application. Let us know what you find… tips@9to5mac.com
Following our reports that Apple is gearing up to release updated AirPort Extremes and Time Capsules with software update caching, we have discovered references to unreleased AirPort Extremes and Time Capsules inside the code of Apple’s latest AirPort Utility update. Specifically, this code references a 5th Generation AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n capability and a 4th Generation Time Capsule with 802.11n capability (shown above).
Additionally, code from previous versions of AirPort Utility (and this new version) confirms Apple’s plan for including software update caching in future AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule models. As you can see in the screenshot of the leaked code above, software update caching will be available to any device connected to your respective AirPort Extreme or Time Capsule network. This is our explanation of the feature from a couple of weeks ago:
What we do know is that Apple has been internally testing Time Capsules to cache Software Updates for both Mac and iOS devices. The way we’ve heard it works is that the new Time Capsule learns which devices connect to it via Wifi. It then goes out to Apple’s servers and downloads Software Updates for those products.
When the user wants to install the software update, the Time Capsule, which is also the router, routes you to the locally stored update, rather than downloading the whole thing over the Internet. This works for iOS updates as well, though the updating still happened via the Mac.
Since this code has appeared in previous versions, and this new version, it is not clear when Apple will unleash the feature into the wild. At least we now know that it is actually being worked on.
Yesterday, we reported that Apple’s annual Back to School promotion will start this week with free $100 iTunes gift cards instead of iPods. Now, we have independently pinpointed that the Back to School promotion will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) – based on new signage spotted by sources – and have reconfirmed that $100 iTunes cards will be this year’s free item. Additionally, various sources say that store layouts will be changing tonight, with a couple of sources pinpointing up to an 80% change in the store’s software product layout.
In addition to the layout change, Apple will be updating their iPad Smart Signs, which were exclusively revealed by 9to5Mac, to include new options and information regarding the new Back to School initiative. This Smart Sign update is being referred to as “Smart Sign 1.01.” Also, we have confirmed that Apple has, in fact, partially removed software walls from a number of their retail stores. This is in a move to promote the Mac App Store and move completely to a download-only enviroment. This change comes ahead of Apple’s download only next-generation Mac software: OS X Lion and Final Cut Pro X.
On a final note, tipsters in the U.K. say that Apple’s Back to School promotion will begin there, too, tomorrow and custom gift cards for iTunes worth £65 will be the grand prize – instead of iPods. The U.K. part is not yet confirmed, though. Also, for anyone expecting new products tomorrow: prepare for disappointment.
Update: Although Apple retail stores across the nation have received the visual materials for the 2011 Back to School promotion, Apple has pushed the day back for unknown reasons. The rest of the story still stands.
Found deep inside the iOS 5.0 SDK are graphics for an iPad capable of displaying a 2048 x 1536 resolution on its display. That amount of pixels also happens to be exactly double the resolution (four times the pixels) of the current iPad (1024 x 768), making said graphics compatible with a future iPad that features an Apple “Retina Display.” These graphics include a “2X” marker within the file name and have been found in Apple iPad file systems before.
Earlier this year, iPad 2X graphics were found in the iBooks application and were immediately assumed to be for the iPad 2, which does not include a Retina display – as exclusively confirmed by 9to5Mac months before the device’s announcement. Those very iPad 2X graphics found in the iBooks application were in fact created months before their public discovery and the graphics were soon dismissed as an Apple graphic designer thinking into the future.
Today, we have iPad 2X graphics found in the Twitter frameworks portion of the iOS 5 SDK. These graphics were quickly dismissed by some as another Apple graphic designer thinking ahead due to rumors, but we think the opposite. See, iOS 5.0 is the first SDK to even support the 3rd generation iPad, as previously revealed, so it would make sense that some iPad 3 strings would be present.
Second, iOS 5 will be the base operating system that the next-generation iPad will support, so it makes sense that we would find iPad 3 graphics in the iOS 5 SDK, not the iOS 4 SDK – in which iPad 2X graphics were previously found. Additionally, the Twitter framework is something only present in 5.0, so next-gen graphics for a planned iPad 3 being found in this portion of the SDK would be no surprise.
As previously mentioned, some are making the case that Apple designers are making iPad Retina graphics with no direction from Apple’s elite managers. Nearly two months prior to the white iPhone 4’s release, iTunes 10.2 housed graphics representing this phone. Some may say that is because the white iPhone 4 was supposed to launch months earlier alongside the black version, but these graphics happened to also display the yet to be revealed – at the time – redesigned proximity sensor.
Due the circumstances in which these new iPad 2X graphics were found, we feel that these icons are not just a coincidence or a designer thinking ahead, but rather a strong indication that the next iPad will feature a 2048 x 1536 Retina Display.
Update: The iOS 5 iPad Newsstand application shows 2X images as well. This same image was uncovered in January, but in iBooks:
