When it comes to staff recruitment, loyalty and retention, it seems pretty clear Apple has the advantage — others may approve of their CEOs more or less as much, but Jobs is also the least disapproved of CEO, according to Glassdoor.com and BusinessInsider.
COMPUTERWORLD: Apple, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Nokia — these big name firms are locked into eternal struggle in the ever-changing world of technology, but Apple may hold the central skill in this new world order, as building tomorrow’s dreams demands that old engineering adage, “less is more”, and “better is not necessarily better than best”. Why? Because they can’t get the staff.
(Image c/o, Wired)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ybn-OvSLKg&fs=1&hl=en_GB]
Apple may or may not seize the chance to raid the console gaming markets next year if and when it introduces application support to the Apple TV, but it is one of the world’s few firms with a chance to take a bit at that market, at least that’s according to Electronic Arts.
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Recall the heady days of last week sometime when we told you about AirPrint Hacktivator, software which let you print to OS X shared printers from iDevices? Well, early versions of the software has been removed by the developer at Apple’s request.
“While working on my next project, VPN Hacktivator, I received an email from omm.com on behalf of Apple instructing me to take down the AirPrint Hacktivator pages,” the developer explains.
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COMPUTERWORLD: Mac OS X contains many shortcuts, special keyboard combinations you can exercise to make things happen, but unless you make the effort to learn them there’s no guarantee you’ll recall the one you need at the time you most need it. Fear no more: there’s ways to make finding shortcuts easier. Bring out your inner power user!
Apple is attempting to put some life into Ping, seizing the chance to offer an exclusive premiere of a new Michael Jackson (deceased) song on the service.
SproutCore is something else, a technology which drives the superior Web experience that MobileMe is rapidly becoming. Now SproutCore creator, Charles Jolley, has quit Apple to launch a startup called Strobe, tasked to deliver Apple-like JavaScript and HTML5 technologies to create apps which run smoothly on any device.
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Angry Birds fans (and there’s millions out there) take note: Angry Birds Seasons, the latest free update to the game is availble now.
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Apple’s iPad is driving success for touchscreen makers, with a wave of new fab plants coming into effect across China as multiple vendors make their play for the booming touchscreen market. Meanwhile, Apple supplier Wintek is building up capacity to meet demand for 10-inch screens.
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Late last year there were rumors that Apple would release their EasyPay point-of-sale system as a commercial product to third parties. Last month Apple’s first customer, Gap Inc’s Old Navy subsidiary began piloting them. We’re told there is one per store and they are kept in a safe when not in use.
The two Bay Area companies have had strong ties at the top with Gap’s former CEO Millard Drexler sitting on Apple’s Board since 1999 and Steve Jobs sitting on Gap’s from 1999 to 2002.
The image above is a customer checking out at her local Old Navy store via the Apple-developed point of sale system. Specifically she is signing for her purchase with her finger.
To be clear, we’ve been told this is an Apple PoS (not one of many third party systems that use an iPod to make transactions) software system but rebranded ‘ZipCheck’ for third parties. The Linea-pro sleds are built by a third party.
The Apple PoS system prints customer’s receipts wirelessly to stationed printers throughout the retail stores (like at Apple stores) and apparently some employees are wearing mini-printers on their belts. According to some Old Navy employees the Apple POS system is perfect for the holiday sales rush as the device’s portability cuts down lines and is simply more efficient for everyone.
A Gap. Inc. spokeswomen confirmed Apple’s new business for us with the following statement:
Since they pioneered the EasyPay system in late 2009, Apple has had a tremendous success with it at their retail stores and is now finally extending this technology into new markets, starting with Gap Inc.
The shortlists for this year’s iTunes Best Album 2010 and iTunes Best Song 2010 have been announced today. The winning album and song will be published in early December.
Fans can vote for their favourites among the year’s best selling records on iTunes in the “People’s Choice” categories by downloading the app for iPad, iPhone or iPod touch or visiting www.bestalbumandsong.co.uk. (BTW, this is a legit Apple Site)
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tutIDEbgZZ8&fs=1&hl=en_GB]
Renault will launch Europe’s first iAd on December 2, with a campaign for Renault Twizy, its new 100% electric tandem-style city car.
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Yet more iPad movement in the financial industry, JP Morgan Chase & Co will give its investment bankers iPads, as Apple grabs yet more of RIM’s lunch.
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ChangeWave’s latest survey of more than 2,800 consumers shows the Amazon Kindle (47%; down 15-pts) is hanging on to a rapidly diminishing lead over the Apple iPad (32%; up 16-pts) among current e-Reader owners. However, the iPad’s share of the overall market has doubled since the last time ChangeWave surveyed e-Reader owners in August.
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While it has made the promise, Apple has not yet contributed its proprietary Java runtime to Oracle’s Open Source Jva, Open JDK project — though one French developer has already put together the first binary test builds of OpenJDK for Mac OS X.
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COMPUTERWORLD: Richard Branson and Rupert Murdoch have begun battling it out to create a superior subscription-based magazine in the iPod iPublishing 3.0 race, but Apple’s [AAPL] recent move to ban an iOS magazine dedicated to the competing Android smartphone OS shows that Apple’s app store approvals team could begin an age of censorship.
Lets put this simply. Macs are better than PCs. What? You want actual proof, rather than a simple expression of opinion? PC World has it, with its latest survey showing the company ‘smoked’ the competition in PC World’s 20101 reliability survey. (Via Apple 2).
Android may be heading toward becoming the dominant mobile OS on strength of simply being ‘good enough’, but Apple’s iPhone remains the best, building user loyalty no other platform currently possesses.
New research from GfK says nearly 60 percent of iPhone owners plan to stay loyal to Apple — compare this with competitors, the percentage of how many owners plan to say loyal follow:
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[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDvPIhCd8N4&fs=1&hl=en_GB]
Be happy, iGamers, as the Unreal engine-driven much-anticipated Infinity Blade game is rumored to be set to ship on December 9.
If you’ve been watching you’ll know this is the game Apple showed us during a keynote presentation with Epic Games folks invited to share stage time with Jobs. And the audience oohed and ahhed at those hot, hot graphics.
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You know you’ve got hot news when even non-news looks like news, and today’s non-news news is that a component manufacturer has been selected to provide the lens for the next-gen iPad 2.0 — but won’t confirm or deny the industry chatter.
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COMPUTERWORLD: Apple’s already preparing to shock and awe the industry in 2011, with the Mac App Store, iTunes streaming services, iPad and iPhone innovation and a new OS. And it also looks possible Apple has an interconnect plan which may ultimately see the end of the optical drive.
Apple is gearing up for smartphone battle with Nokia at the International Trade Commission, hiring a crack team of patent expert lawyers to argue its case in one of a series of landmark patent cases afflicting the smartphone industry.
Apple and Nokia are both alleging intellectual property violations on the part of the other, with both firms using these as big sticks in an attempt to prevent US imports of competing handsets. The battle is a precursor to similar campaigns between Apple and HTC and Apple and Motorola.
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Apple’s Cyber-Monday deals are go, with the company offering a wide range of iPad, iPhone, iPod and Mac accessories at discounts via its US website. Like Amazon UK, there’s no dedicated Cyber-Monday selection in the UK Apple store.
Sample prices include:
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The iPhone Dev-Team has announced that it has succeeded in unlocking the iPhone 3G and 3GS on iOS 4.2.1. This latest unlock has been released and is available now on Cydia.
Be warned: the jailbreak voids your Apple warranty alongside a number of other risks as detailed on the iPhone Dev-Team website and also below.
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