Founder, Publisher and Editorial Director of the 9to5/Electrek/DroneDJ sites.
Seth Weintraub is an award-winning journalist and blogger who won back to back Neal Awards during his three plus years covering Apple and Google at IDG’s Computerworld from 2007–2010. Weintraub next covered all things Google for Fortune Magazine from 2010-2011 amassing a thick rolodex of Google contacts and love for Silicon Valley tech culture.
It turns out that his hobby 9to5Mac blog was always his favorite and in 2011 he went full time adding his Fortune Google followers to 9to5Google and adding the style and commerce component 9to5Toys gear and deals site. In 2013, Weintraub bought one of the Tesla’s first Model S EVs off the assembly line and so began his love affair with the Electric Vehicle and green energy which in 2014 turned into electrek.
In 2018, DroneDJ was born to cover the burgeoning world of drones and UAV’s led by China’s DJI.
From 1997-2007, Weintraub was a Global IT director and Web Developer for a number of companies with stints at multimedia and branding agencies in Paris, Los Angeles, New York, Sydney, Hong Kong, Madrid and London before becoming a publisher/blogger.
Seth received a bachelors degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Southern California with a minor in Multimedia and Creative Technology in 1997. In 2004, he received a Masters from NYU’s Tisch School of the Art’s ITP program.
Hobbies: Weintraub is a licensed single engine private pilot, certified open water scuba diver and spent over a year traveling to 60 cities in 23 countries. Whatever free time exists is now guaranteed to his lovely wife and two amazing sons.
More at About.me. BI 2014 profile.
Tips: seth@9to5mac.com, or llsethj on Wickr/Skype or link at top of page.
A few minutes ago, Cydia lead developer Jay Freeman tweeted that Cydia 1.1 had hit the repos. For more of what is in Cydia 1.1, Saurik gave the following details to iPhoneDownloadBlog:
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First things first: This is experimental and we take no responsibility for what you do to your computer with these instructions.
With the release of the Lion Beta, the Mac OS now has support for TRIM use on SSDs. TRIM allows SSDs to perform better by erasing unused data sectors ahead of time. More on TRIM here.
However, some enterprising users have been able to get TRIM support on Mac OS 10.6.7
Update: Oskar Groth, also known as Cindori, built a script to enable any SSD on 10.6.7.
Download TRIM Enabler, follow along in Mac Forums, Xlr8yourmac, and Hardmac was first to document the process.
Another little addition to the New MacBook Pros is that they’ll charge an iPad as quickly as the wall charger. The previous MacBook Pros, as evidenced by this page on Ars, shows 500mA as available with another 500mA “Extra Operating Current”
The new MacBookPros show this:
That combined 2100 mA of power is about the same as the wall power adapter for the iPad.
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iOS Firmware shows that iOS 4.3.1 has hit Apple’s download servers. If you haven’t already, get downloading. 4.3.1 is a bugfix release with claimed battery improvements as well.
– Fixes an occasional graphics glitch on iPod touch (4th generation)
– Resolves bugs related to activating and connecting to some cellular networks
– Fixes image flicker when using Apple Digital AV Adapter with some TVs
– Resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services
Sorry Verizon users, you are still at 4.2.6 :(
| device | current version | date found |
|---|---|---|
| AppleTV(2G) (AppleTV2,1) | 4.2.1 (8F202) | 03/22/2011 16:12:01 |
| iPad (iPad1,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPad2,1 (iPad2,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPad2,2 (iPad2,2) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPad2,3 (iPad2,3) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPhone (iPhone1,1) | 3.1.3 (7E18) | 04/08/2010 21:05:48 |
| iPhone3G (iPhone1,2) | 4.2 (8C148) | 11/22/2010 13:08:57 |
| iPhone3GS (iPhone2,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPhone4 (iPhone3,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPhone4(vz) (iPhone3,3) | 4.2.6 (8E200) | 01/31/2011 20:30:02 |
| iPodTouch(2G) (iPod2,1) | 4.2 (8C148) | 11/22/2010 13:08:57 |
| iPodTouch(3G) (iPod3,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| iPodTouch(4G) (iPod4,1) | 4.3.1 (8G4) | 03/25/2011 13:12:01 |
| last updated: 03/25/2011 13:33:02 EDT | ||
Apple has already relaxed its water damage policies on iOS devices, but we’ve been told by an Apple Genius that the iPad 2 has no Liquid Contact Indicators (LCIs), meaning that Apple has no way to know* if your iPad has been dropped in the water – if you bring it in for repairs.
One reason is that the LCIs may not have been all that reliable in telling of water damage. Some customers had reported false positives, especially in humid climates…or winter. One woman is even suing over the matter.
Another is that Apple has changed its headphone plug design – where the indicators traditionally lived – with a new pin design. Perhaps the LCI’s were a design tradeoff?
via iFixit
Perhaps not, because the LCIs were also removed from the 30-pin plugs as well.
Whatever the reason, Apple’s message is clear. Go ahead and bring the iPad with you into the Bathtub!*
Details from Apple Genius DB below:
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Remember when we discovered that the iPad 2 glass was about 27% thinner than iPad 1? The natural assumption was that the iPad 2 would be weaker than iPad 1 when it came to its glass front end. The iPhone repair experts at iFixyouri wanted to test that theory…
It turns out that the iPad 2 glass is just as strong as the original iPad’s glass and because it is is a bit more flexible has more bending tolerances. To quote the guy not wearing gloves:
“That glass was redonkulously strong!”
There you have it.
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Woops! A Belgian retailler at Hall Shopping Center in Nivelles accidentally started distributing iPads a day early. Don’t drop your Frites and head over there now however, they are aware of the situation and issued this poorly translated apology:
The sales manager of Photo Hall group, Simon Wasseige, contacted our editorial in the late afternoon. The latter regrets this situation he calls a mistake, “For now, most of our brands have been delivered to the marketing of the iPad 2 which will begin this Friday. Our instructions not to sell the product, however, were very clear and our entire staff had yet been informed not to release the product until tomorrow.Photo Hall group regrets this situation and take necessary measures so that it can not happen again in the future “ , explains de Wasseige.
Somehow, I don’t think there will be an opportunity for it to “happen again in the future.”
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The new MacBook Pros, along with all of their other speedy goodness, have SATA3 interface for storage access (but not to the optical drive). Apple’s build to order solid state drives are SATA II and are very speedy.
However, Macotakara popped in a Micron RealSSD SATA III drive and got some pretty incredible speeds. In fact, it benchmarked at about double Apple’s BTO option(!!) on read speed (450MB/sec) and 50% faster writes (260MB/sec). That means it takes just over 2 seconds to read a Gigabyte and under 4 seconds to write one. That is fast.
For you speed freaks, the 256GB version is available here($440). 512GB is here ($1000 retail).
The OCZ Vertex 3 – which is even faster (with new Sandforce controllers) can be found for slightly more, 120GB- $300.
See SATA3 vs. SATA2 BTO vs. HDD below:
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Netflix today offered a refund to all of its users affected by the outtage yesterday which was unfortunately timed well with Apple’s AppleTV 4.2.1 update.
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Tony at TonyMacx86 wrote in to tell us that Apple has included native graphics acceleration for some AMD/ATI Radeon HD 5xxx and 6xxx cards in the Mac OS X 10.6.7 Update for early 2011 MacBook Pro (Sandy Bridge).
The following graphics cards appear to be natively supported:
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Interesting graphic from WashPo/Bloomberg today showing the carrier mergers and the US population covered:
What I found most interesting is that we passed 300 million total carrier subscriptions last year according to the graphic above…without considering the smaller carriers. That’s one for every man, woman and child in the US (clearly some have none and some have more than one).
Also interesting is that Democrats and Republicans (who together have a duopoly on American politics) have to consider whether three major carriers in the US is healthy. Ugh, we’re screwed.
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Bloomberg reports that Disney shareholders re-elected Steve Jobs to their board.
The advisory group Glass Lewis & Co. recommended investors withhold support for Jobs, citing his absence from meetings. Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc., stopping short of urging rejection, said Jobs’s attendance and “recent leave of absence from his primary employer, raises questions about his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as a director.”
Probably a better idea to get a new advisory group.
Disney said, “The Walt Disney Company considers itself fortunate to have Steve Jobs as a member of its board of directors.”
That’s more like it. Jobs with Disney CEO Bob Iger up top, video below.
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Apple noted today that its long time Mac OSX chief Bertrand Serlet would be leaving Apple. Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will assume Serlet’s responsibilities and report to Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.
Serlet has spent the past 22 years working with Steve Jobs both at Apple and at NEXT and comes from Xerox PARC previously.
Above, see Serlet, gutting Windows. We’re wondering if Apple’s focus on iOS lately may have been a motivator/demotivater.
Press release follows:
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Apple just issued a 4.2.1 update to AppleTV that is meant to fix a few nagging bugs:
| Feature | Summary |
| TV compatibility | Addresses issues that may cause the screen to flicker or display incorrect color on some older TVs. |
| Wake from sleep | Addresses an issue where Apple TV may not wake up from sleep. |
| Audio | Addresses an issue where audio may not be heard on some TV models after switching from another input. |
| Stability and performance | Apple TV Software Update 4.2.1 includes stability and performance fixes for Apple TV. |
On Twitter, C|Net’s Brian Tong has said that Apple’s refreshed iMacs should be hitting stores in late April or early May. According to Tong, the updated iMacs will have Sandy Bridge CPUs and Thunderbolt ports, which is no surprise. There won’t be any cosmetic changes however.
Though, you know what they say: If you are so sure of yourself, put it on CNET, not your Twitter feed.
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Bloomberg reports that Steve Jobs will have to testify in an anti-trust suite which alleges that Apple operated a music-downloading monopoly.
Lawyers for consumers who filed the 2005 complaint won permission to conduct limited questioning of Jobs, under an order issued yesterday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Howard R. Lloyd in San Jose, California. The deposition can’t exceed two hours and the only topic allowed is changes Apple made to its software in October 2004 that rendered digital music files engineered by RealNetworks Inc. inoperable with Apple’s iPod music player. “The court finds that Jobs has unique, non-repetitive, firsthand knowledge about the issues at the center of the dispute over RealNetworks software,” Lloyd wrote.
At issue was Apple’s blockage of RealNetwork’s Harmony software which briefly allowed users to use RealNetworks’ music in iTunes and on iPods. A few days after Harmony was released, Apple updated its own software to block Harmony from working in Apple’s Music ecosystem.
Apple has tried to fight any testimony from Jobs. In a memo filed on January 18, 2011, Apple’s legal team wrote:
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The new game from Rovio is now available for download.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzSNaUvmaOc&fs=1&hl=en_US]
Screenshots below:
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With the AT&T merger with T-Mobile now in the works, Sprint’s stock is down 15% and seems ripe for a pick up in the rapidly-consolidating wireless/mobile space. But who should pick up Sprint?
Is Apple, with its monster war chest, finally ready to rid itself of the carriers in the US?
BGR says we’re due for an iOS update in the next week or two which should address some, if not all of the issues that have been giving 4.3 users some hassles. Perhaps we’ll also see some battery optimizations for 4.3 which seems to have lowered battery time for some.
That means developers should be seeing a seed any…minute…now (tomorrow?). Will Verizon users get an update too?
Jailbreakers will obviously want to hold back.
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In an interesting profile of Apple’s VP of Industrial Design, Jony Ive, the UK Daily Mail pops this little tidbit toward the end:
Speculation that Ive would leave Apple to return to the UK is also false, says a former colleague: ‘I’m not sure there is any truth he wants to come back. My last conversations with him were that he was planning to sell his house in the UK.’
Here’s an interesting little tidbit we didn’t notice until just now: Apple boots those new MacBook Pros into 64-bit Snow Leopard rather than 32-bit, like every other Mac out there save the Mac Pro (which the MacBook Pro certainly competes with and juice up to 16GB of RAM). We’re sure some people noticed it before but we hadn’t seen it elsewhere.
Also of interest, the new MacBook Pros have 6Gb SATA III which was benchmarked pretty spectacularly by BareFeats. Unfortunately, the optical drive only has 4Gb SATA II for you SSD-in-optical-bay modders.
To switch between 64 and 32-bit modes on your 64-bit supported Mac, you can use either of these methods:
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Wow.
And then there were 3 big US mobile players. The move would make AT&T-Mobile, the joint venture, a monopoly for GSM/EDGE/HSPA+ phones in the US. It would also create the largest US carrier with 130 million subscribers blowing away Verizon’s 90+ Million.
The move isn’t necessarily good for US consumers who now have one less choice for mobile service and exactly 1 GSM carrier to choose from in the US.
We have a feeling there was a bidding war and Sprint lost out. Speaking of Sprint, we’re hearing there is going to be a big Google announcement tomorrow.
Full press release follows:
AT&T TO ACQUIRE T-MOBILE USA FROM DEUTSCHE TELEKOM
Provides fast, efficient and certain solution to impending spectrum exhaust challenges facing AT&T and T-Mobile USA in key markets due to explosive demand for mobile broadband
Enhances network capacity, output and quality in near term for both companies’ customers
AT&T commits to expand 4G LTE deployment to an additional 46.5 million Americans, including in rural, smaller communities, for a total of 294 million or 95% of the U.S. population
Provides 4G LTE service for T-Mobile USA’s 34 million subscribers
More than $8 billion in incremental infrastructure spend by a U.S. company over seven years, enabling nation’s high-tech industry, innovation and economic growth
Creates substantial value for AT&T shareholders through large, straightforward synergies
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People awaiting iPads in the Czech Republic were told they’d be in the first group of countries (outside the US) to get an iPad on March 25th.
We’re not sure why but the Czech Republic iPad website now shows they just got pushed back a month. (for those not in the know, Dubna=April).
Update: Apple has removed (not corrected) the launch date.
Update 2: Apple has finally got its Czech translator on the ball – says Brezna (March) now
Could be some issues with equipment and government specific to Czech Republic, a translation error or could be supply constraints like last year.
(Thanks Pavel!)
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AT&T Wireless offers the 1st-generation Apple iPad 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G Tablet for $529. (Search for “iPad” to find it.) With free shipping, that’s $130 below what Apple charges for a refurbishedunit and the lowest total price we’ve ever seen by $100. This 0.5″-thick tablet weighs 1.5 lbs. and features an Apple A4 1GHz processor, 9.7″ 1024×768 LCD touchscreen display, 802.11a/n wireless, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, accelerometer, compass, up to 10 hours of battery life, and more.The Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G Tablet is also available for $429with free shipping. (Search for “iPad” to find it.) That’s $50 below what Apple charges for a refurbished unit (this one’s new) and another price low.
Of note, iPad orders require the purchase of an AT&T DataConnect Personal Data Plan. Plans are active for 30 days and automatically renew every 30 days. (You can cancel this data plan at any time.) A 2 GB DataConnect Personal Plan is free for the first 30 days.
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