Seth Weintraub

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8WbBaMo6GY?rel=0&hd=1&w=640&h=390]

Today Fring released its four-way video conferencing call app update. The update works with all of your iPhone/iPod touch 4 friends as well as Android users who can all join in a four way chat.

After trying this out with three people over 3G, we’d warn you to temper your expectations. While it does work, if feels a little “CUSeeMe” in quality. Still though, if you are looking for four person cross platform video chatting, your options begin and end with Fring.

More screenies below:
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The $39B dollar deal isn’t over yet and T-Mobile isn’t ready to drop its guns and surrender.  Today they issued a challenge to iPhone owners (Read: Verizon and AT&T) in the Seattle area to prove that their network was faster than T-Mobile’s.  They’ll give any iPhone owner $1000 if their download speed is faster.

Now obviously this has little to nothing to do with the iPhone vs. Galaxy and more to do with T-Mobile’s “4G” vs. AT&T and Verizon’s 3G which it appears is marginally better as John Patchakosfihskgweo points out in data from Rootspeed Metrics, below:

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http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/microPlayer.swf

(Jobs and Andy Rubin at AllthingsD earlier this year)

Steve Jobs spoke with AllThingsD’s Ina Fried about the location controversy today.  Jobs said:

“The files they found on these phones, as we explained, it turned out were basically files we have built through anonymous, crowdsourced information that we collect from the tens of millions of iPhones out there.”

Unfortunately, that data followed around a user for a year.  It seems the iPhone cached the crowdsourced location data files for specific coordinates based on where the user was.  While helpful to the user in getting coordinates quickly, it also left a year long trail of location data for applications to make those pretty awesome/scary maps of your movements.

Whether that data was crowdsoursed or not, it gives a trail of locations which is what needed to be addressed.

Apple of course admitted it wasn’t diligent in auditing the software to make sure that information wasn’t stored longer than necessary.  It will fix these “bugs” in an upcoming update.  Jobs continued: 
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http://socialcam.com/videos/fkSOJFD9/embed?utm_campaign=web&utm_source=embed

Sure it is just a different color (with perhaps an improved proximity sensor) but that isn’t stopping some apple aficionados from waiting in long lines.  Here’s the lineup in Hong Kong where the white iPhone goes on sale in just under an hour.

Thanks @dpdesilva and @chrisdata and @hypercasey
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We’re not sure if this is an isolated incident or if it is coming down from the top, but a Target store is telling customers that it is out of iPad 2s because of the crisis in Japan.  We weren’t able to get a reading from that bar code and have pinged Target PR.

Anyone else out in Target-land able to verify this particular strategy?

thanks Wesley!
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Heheh…the full video, which is a sales piece for mobile ads, below (with lots of iPhones thrown in):
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http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/microPlayer.swf

AllThingsD posts quotes from both Steve Jobs and Android head Andy Rubin on how their devices deal with private data.

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From the Toys Section:

MacMall via eBay Daily deal is offering the current silver iPod Nano 8GB for $109 with free shipping.  That’s $40 off and the lowest price we’ve ever seen.  This nano is 47% lighter and 46% smaller than the previous generation and features a 1.7″ Multi-Touch LCD (no more click wheel), 24-hour battery life, clip, volume buttons, VoiceOver, etc.
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Here’s an interesting bit from Wired Threat Level on a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild who got knocked for sharing his movies with The PirateBay audience.

The authorities pinpointed DeSoto as the alleged culprit, because the screeners he viewed contained unique watermarks. What’s more, the guild had snail-mailed traceable iTunes codes to its members, who could use the code to access the screener movies…

But mf34inc commented back that “SAG now sends out iTunes download codes for screens,” and “I’m a SAG member and thought I’d share these,” according to the affidavit.

It is interesting that Apple watermarked each individual download from iTunes which is traceable back to a redeem code.  Though it may already be obvious, that means that anything downloaded from iTunes could be traceable.
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Random booting issues no more, Apple has issued a hard drive firmware fix for late model iMacs.

This firmware update fixes a hard drive issue that may prevent some iMac (21.5-inch and 27-inch, Mid 2010) systems from booting properly.

New iMacs, of course are expected next week.
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MacRumors posts a purported Steve Jobs email from a reader who questions Apple’s location data stance.

Q: Steve,
Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It’s kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don’t track me.

A: Oh yes they do. We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false. Sent from my iPhone

If this is a Jobs email, the details are vague (per usual).  He seems to imply that the data that is stored in the phone isn’t used to “Track” iOS users.   Apple’s public stance on the data is that it is used to build its IP location DB.

Jobs’ email isn’t likely to stem the controversy. There are already government inquiries in the US and abroad.

Android, it has been discovered, doesn’t keep as long of a record of users’ locations but perhaps, as Jobs implies, Google does more tracking with that data.  Data mining for Advertising purposes comes to mind.

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http://www.foxcharlotte.com/v/?i=119900869

Charlotte local news channel WCCB-TV did some snooping around the new Apple  Maiden, NC data center and details the facility including the possibility that Apple may open a campus in the area on another 70 acres they’ve purchased.
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G-Form, a protective-wear company that is transitioning to iPad enclosures loves doing these stunts. In the video below, someone drops an iPad in their extreme sleeve out of an ultralight at 500 feet. The camera falls off but it looks like the iPad survives.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKNdknJI53Q?rel=0&hd=1&w=640&h=390]

Unfortunately they are only on pre-order.  The company promises to deliver on May 10th.
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Reuters today reports that Apple’s Cloud-based music system is a go – at least on the technology side.

Apple Inc has completed work on an online music storage service and is set to launch it ahead of Google Inc, whose own music efforts have stalled, according to several people familiar with both companies’ plans.Apple’s plans will allow iTunes customers to store their songs on a remote server, and then access them from wherever they have an Internet connection, said two of these people who asked not to be named as the talks are still confidential.The maker of the wildly popular iPhone and iPod, Apple has yet to sign any new licenses for the service and major music labels are hoping to secure deals before the service is launched, three of the sources said. Apple has not told its music partners of when it intends to introduce its music locker, they said.

Amazon recently launched their Cloud-based music system without label support, perhaps bolstering Apple’s position. The report seems to emanate from the music industry side as the sources also say that talks with Google have stalled.  Interestingly, Reuters cites Google’s rotating executive leadership and changing priorities as reasons for Google’s stalling.

Apple generally makes its music-based announcements at its September music and iPod event, though things seem a bit askew this year with the iPhone set for a Fall release.  Apple has patented a music locker called Safety Deposit Box.  Rumors point to September for iOS 5 which is rumored to have major Cloud features – in addition to Media Stream and Find my Friends.

Related articles

• After Amazon, HP too to bypass labels and beat Apple with cloud media locker? (9to5mac.com)
• Apple building super datacenters all over the world to support a new video gadget, says analyst (9to5mac.com)
• Apple ends MobileMe and iWork $30 rebate programs ahead of rumored refreshes (9to5mac.com)
• Amazon to beat Google and Apple, announce cloud locker for music, movies and books this week? (9to5mac.com)

Typically, when Apple sets out to develop new products, they build a few prototypes to choose from for the shipping product. This is evident most recently through a report that claims Apple is currently toying with three different iPhone 5 prototypes. Apple also does this with its Mac hardware.

Looking at the Pro Mac design evolution, it is interesting to note that the Mac Pro’s current design first hit the market in the form of the Power Mac G5 in mid-2003. Nearly eight years after the Mac Pro’s current design debuted, Apple is toying with a re-designed version of the product. The new design is said to be narrower at just over 5-inches and a few inches shorter at around 19-inches.  One of the reasons that Apple might be making this particular Mac Pro prototype smaller is because it is able to fit on to a standard server rack.

This possible new design could alleviate some of the system administrator distress caused by Apple’s discontinuation of the Xserve. The new machine is said to carry “stacked” drives with two drives per sled which will allow a higher drive density than what’s already out there.  These stacks are not only built for conventional hard drives, but faster, more reliable SSDs in different configurations. The width of this system configuration is said to be 3U (U = 1.75 inches).

Beyond what we’ve heard, it would seem appropriate that these new Mac Pros would also have a Thunderbolt port and perhaps even BluRay options for the Final Cut Professionals.

With the new version of Final Cut Pro coming in June, we can’t think of a better time for Apple to update the 8-year old design of the Mac Pro (and the iMac!).

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Tim Cook on the earnings conference call today told listeners that the earthquake in Japan isn’t going to affect the supply chain for Apple’s products over the next quarter.

He did mention that the economic impact of the earthquake with consumers would drive revenue expectations down $200M and that has been factored into the guidance.

Caution the the situation remains unstable with the nuclear plant and other factors.
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Let’s just get this out of the way first: This is public info, please don’t use this to find out where your girlfriend really was last weekend.

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/22608787 w=671&h=503]

That location data that is stored both on your iPhone and backed up to your computer through iTunes is available for your perusal using a little program here.

Another road trip from DC to NYC below the fold:
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Crackle’s “It’s On!” moniker could refer to Location Services which the application asks to turn on the first start up.  The problem is that Crackle, even when closed, leaves Location Services on, which could drain the battery.  Users have to go into Setting/Location Services to deny it access manually (below).

We’re waiting for that bug to be squashed and also an Airplay option in an upcoming update (but otherwise it is a pretty solid way to get Sony content).
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Here’s one we missed last week: Georgia Tech Research Scientist Grant Schindler has turned an iPhone (or iPad 2 or new iPod touch) into a 3D scanner.

The concept is relatively simple.  The subject or object is photographed in a dark room with light from different part of the iOS device’s screen.  Those images are sewn together to form the image in 3D.  From there, you can either email a movie of the subject or print it out on a 3D printer.

“There are professional, $40,000 3-D scanners out there; this won’t perform like those do, but for anything under $100, this is your best bet,” added Schindler.

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Reuters reports that the iPhone 5 will begin production in July and ramp up for a September release.  This fits in with a lot of the chatter out there over the last few months. It isn’t certain why Apple chose to deviate from its previous June/July schedule, but perhaps iPhones are the new back to school items…or are going to be grouped with iPods from now on. Apple typically holds a fall media event at the beginning of September. This would be the perfect place to showcase their new iPhone.

The new smartphone will have a faster processor but will look largely similar to the current iPhone 4, one of the people said. They declined to be identified because the plans were not yet public.

The companies would begin production either in July or August before shipping components to Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, flagship of Foxconn Technology Group, for assembly, they said.

The next-generation iPhone is rumored to include the dual-core A5 processor and graphics enhancements found in the iPad 2, possibly 64 GB of storage, a larger screen, a metal back, and new cloud-based functionality through Apple’s upcoming iOS 5. We will most likely learn Apple’s thinking behind their fifth-generation handset at the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) in early June. This is the event where Apple is promising the introduction of iOS 5.

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Asymco and ThisIsMyNext note that in its complaint about Samsung, Apple produced some never before seen sales numbers which supersede the numbers from the last earnings call and the running total as of the last quarter.  Additionally, Apple hasn’t usually broken out iPod touch as a standalone product, instead focused on the whole iPod product line.  Now we have solid iPod touch sales numbers.

So now we know, as of the writing of this document, Apple has sold 108M iPhone, 60M iPod touch, 19M iPads.  If you include AppleTVs, Apple has sold close to 200 million iOS devices.

Asymco took it  astep further and was able to deduce some of the numbers for the upcoming quarter (not yet closed):

• Total iPhones sold before Q1: 89,971,000 implying a minimum of 18.1 million sold during the quarter (my estimate is 18.4)
• Total iPod touch sold before Q1 (estimated): 55.5 million implying a minimum of 4.5 million iPod touch sold during the quarter (my estimate 5 million)
• Total iPads sold before Q1: 14,789,000 implying a minimum of 4.2 million iPads sold during the quarter (my estimate is 7.3 million).

Interestingly, for the quarter (again not yet closed), Apple would have sold 18.1 million iPhones, 4.5 million iPods touch and 4.3 million iPads.  
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