Steve Jobs wanted Comcast to be the best “dumb pipe” [Video]
“Dumb” means Net neutral to IP traffic which is exactly what Comcast is trying to avoid.
“Dumb” means Net neutral to IP traffic which is exactly what Comcast is trying to avoid.
[ooyala code=”tyZ3RkZDptTdk4MiQaHJVCnxUdZyD8pf” player_id=”null”]
Today Autodesk launched FBX Review for Apple Mac OS X and iOS 7. The free standalone app gives professional artists and animators a powerful, lightweight tool to conduct detailed reviews of a wide range of 3D assets, including detailed 3D models, environments and character animations.
Now artists on the Windows or Apple platforms can use FBX Review to view 3D assets with a full feature set, without using commercial 3D animation software. An artist working in Autodesk 3ds Max can send an animation file to anyone who has installed FBX Review, and the recipient will have a full menu of features with which to view the assets.
New features coming to the Apple platforms are:
To download FBX Review for iOS, visit: http://autode.sk/1qzHAFX and for Mac OS X: http://autode.sk/1spZtmp
For a complete list of FBX Review features, visit: http://area.autodesk.com/products/features/fbx

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_eC-cwC4Kk]
Flickr — Yahoo’s photo-sharing service — has been completely redesigned for iOS to focus on the social aspect of the service, making for a direct competitor to Instagram. The new design is similar on both iOS and Android, though the specific look and feel has been tailored to each platform. The iOS update makes use of blurs and other iOS 7-motifs, while the Android app keeps a darker feel. Both apps are fast to load photos and browse the feed.
The update is expected to debut on the App Store sometime today. Flickr isn’t the most popular photo-sharing service around on mobile, but version 3.0 makes it one of the nicest for iOS — plus that free terabyte of storage helps sweeten the deal.
There wasn’t a whole lot new in this chunk of the Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs, which Yukari Kane mostly focuses on Apple CEO Tim Cook and his characteristics that are often the opposite of Steve Jobs. Cook is a character but not the same character that brought Apple to its current success.
From the WSJ excerpt:
As tough as Cook was reputed to be, he was also generous. He gave away the frequent-flier miles that he racked up as Christmas gifts, and he volunteered at a soup kitchen during the Thanksgiving holidays. He had also participated in an annual two-day cycling event across Georgia to raise money for multiple sclerosis; Cook had been a supporter since being misdiagnosed with the disease years before. “The doctor said, ‘Mr. Cook, you’ve either had a stroke, or you have MS,’ ” Cook told the Auburn alumni magazine. He didn’t have either. His symptoms had been produced from “lugging a lot of incredibly heavy luggage around.”
An earlier piece in the New Yorker online edition painted a dreary picture of Apple post Steve Jobs and the video above does delve into that viewpoint a bit.
Apple’s latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 7, looks pretty but is full of bugs and flaws. As for innovation, the last time Apple created something that was truly great was the original iPad, when Jobs was still alive. Although the company’s C.E.O., Tim Cook, insists otherwise, Apple seems more eager to talk about the past than about the future.
From the video:
[Has Apple lost its touch? Are they still King of the Hill?]
KANE: I think the answer is obvious to me. The answer has got to be yes. This is a company who had revolved around Steve Jobs for so long, I mean that was something that Jobs himself went out of his way to make sure of. And the people there are conditioned to operate, to play off of his strengths and weaknesses. And so now you’ve got this completely opposite guy in Tim Cook, who is I think brilliant in many ways, but in different ways. But so they’re going through some growing pains in that.
Meanwhile, Publishers Weekly has the following review of the book:
Jan 27, 2014 – The globe-bestriding computer-maker loses its soul in this lively business history. Former Wall Street Journal technology reporter Kane follows Apple after the 2011 death of founder Steve Jobs as the company’s knack for conjuring breakthrough i-gadgets lapsed into a series of ho-hum upgrades, misfires like the befuddled artificial intelligence app Siri, and interminable patent lawsuits, while market share, profits, and stock price eroded. Kane makes the story a study in CEO leadership styles, contrasting Jobs’s visionary bluster with his successor Tim Cook’s icy bean-counting and the histrionics of Samsung’s “wise emperor” Lee Kun-hee, whose quality crusade involved burning an entire factory’s inventory in front of its weeping employees. Kane unearths plenty of colorful material here, including lawyerly jousting, hilariously lame new-product unveilings, and conference-room psychodramas between bullying execs and groveling underlings. The author’s great-man theory of Jobs’s “unfiltered” leadership as the indispensable motor of Apple’s innovation doesn’t explain much; her unusually rich dissection of Apple’s ugly dealings with its FoxConn manufacturing partner suggests that Cook’s merciless wringing of profits out of exploited Chinese labor is as much the soul of Apple as Jobs’s oft-hyped intuition for design. Still, this well-paced, vividly detailed narrative reveals the machine surrounding the Jobsian ghost at Apple and brings the company’s high-flying mythology down to earth.© Publishers Weekly
We’re getting an advanced copy this week which we don’t expect to be as pessimistic and the publicity-generating excerpts above. Interesting bits will be posted here.
Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs is available March 18th from Harper Collins ($12.74 Amazon/$14.99 iBookstore)

From 9to5Toys.com:
This weekend Verizon is offering $100 bill credit (available after 2 months) when you buy an iPhone 4s or iPhone 5c The effectively makes the iPhone 5c free with 2 year plan and gives you $100 to take an iPhone 4s. Obviously you’ll be in a 2 year plan and I’m not sure how useful an iPhone 4s will be in 2 years but hey.
If you agree that the iPhone 5s (Gold) is best, then Best Buy has a pretty solid offer this weekend. Trade in your iPhone 4s or better for at least $150 which also happens to be their sale price of the iPhone 5s 16GB on all 3 carriers. It is convenient but if you are trading in an iPhone 5, you’ll probably get more money at Gazelle ($10 bonus using this link) or Amazon.
From 9to5toys.com:
Stack Social’s ‘Name your own price bundle’ with some solid offerings starting at $10.31 and an email address ends today.
The bundle includes:
If you are feeling generous, 10% of all sales go to a charity of your choice, and get on the leaderboard (which qualifies you to enter a drawing for a MacBook Air).


From 9to5Toys.com:
Parallels again offers its $79.99 bundle of impressive apps at the retail price of Parallels alone. Each one of the below apps is a keeper and they are all free with the purchase of the Parallels 9. You even get 6 free months of use of the Parallels iPad App.
Parallels Desktop 9 for Mac
The #1 choice of Mac users for more than 7 years to run Windows on Mac. Ready for Mavericks OS X(10.9) and 40% faster disc speed. MSRP $79.99
Fantastical
Plan your day in style with the most attractive calendar you’ve ever seen. The Mac calendar you’ll actually enjoy using. MSRP $19.99

CleanMyMac 2
Simple yet surprisingly powerful application for keeping your Mac clean, organized, and free of files that slow it down. MSRP $39.95
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Parallels Access for iPad
6-month subscription – use PC and Mac applications like they were made for your iPad. MSRP $29.95
We reviewed Parallels 9 in September and said:
PD9 is definitely the most noticeable Parallels Desktop upgrade ever. The performance boosts are the best part of the upgrade, but the sticky multi-monitor setup has been extremely helpful for me and saved quite a bit of time. As a Mavericks user, the software hasn’t been giving me any issues even though the operating system is still in beta.
Already have an older version of Parallels? Save $30 and get the ‘v9 Update bundle’ for $49.99.
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From 9to5Toys.com:
Parallels again offers its $50 bundle of impressive apps at a $20 discount off the retail price of Parallels alone. Each one of the below apps is a keeper and they are all free with the discounted purchase of the Parallels update. You even get 6 free months of use of the iPad App.
Note this is a Parallels update so you’ll need an older copy laying around, The full Parallels 9 bundle is $79.99
Save $319.99 – Buy Parallels Desktop for Mac and Parallels Access bundle


As expected, developer Dong Nguyen has removed his popular Flappy bird app from the App Store as of around Noon ET. While the app still shows up in iTunes, it isn’t available for download. Those who’ve downloaded it already will be able to continue playing.
It isn’t exactly clear why Nguyen removed the popular app but it seems like the Developer didn’t find the negatives of being in the limelight to his liking. In a series of Tweets yesterday, Nguyen said that “I cannot take this anymore.” and “I can call ‘Flappy Bird’ is a success of mine. But it also ruins my simple life. So now I hate it.”
It is estimated that the app was earning him hundreds of thousands of dollars per day. He said he wasn’t interested in selling the app and it will likely spawn many ripoffs.
In the meantime, if you are after some more of Dong Nguyen’s work, Super Ball Juggling and Shuriken Block are at the moment still in the App Store.
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From 9to5Toys.com:

Virgin Mobile is knocking another 20% off their marked down iPhones yielding the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on the unsubsidized phones (that’s another 10% less than this weekend’s mention).
Note Apple charges $650 for an unlocked iPhone 5s and $550 for an iPhone 5c so savings is around $200/iPhone. While the iPhones are unsubsidized, Virgin does offer extremely competitive plans on the Sprint 4G LTE network starting at $30/month for unlimited text/data.
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From 9to5Toys.com:

Virgin Mobile is knocking another 10% off their marked down iPhones yielding the lowest prices we’ve ever seen on the unsubsidized phones.
Note Apple charges $650 for an unlocked iPhone 5s and $550 for an iPhone 5c so savings is around $150/iPhone. While the iPhones are unsubsidized, Virgin does offer extremely competitive plans on the Sprint 4G LTE network starting at $30/month for unlimited text/data.
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From 9to5toys.com:
(also don’t forget the Parallels Bundle!)
Stack Social is running another ‘Name your own price bundle’ with some solid offerings starting at $1 and an email address (Update: Now over $3 and rising!). The price goes up as people buy it so it is best to get in early.
The bundle includes:
If you are feeling generous, 10% of all sales go to a charity of you choice – so get in early, and get on the leaderboard (which qualifies you to enter a drawing for a MacBook Air).
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The video screenshot above is a re-enactment from Romanian TV
Some “James Bond” thievery was reported in Germany yesterday. According to the story, thieves pulled up behind a moving truck carrying Apple products on its way to the Czech Republic. They then got out and climbed onto the hood of the SUV, broke open the truck’s door and removed about 160 iPads and iPhones, all while the truck driver was unaware and unable to see anything happening.
The Google translation is almost as entertaining as the video re-enactment:
How hurrying officials of the police station Kassel-east and the staff of the forensic noted the perpetrator had the security lock of the tarp apparently cracked with a bolt cutter and stole a total of seven loaded pallets of electronics products high quality Apple products worth a total of around 70,000 euros.
The loot includes according to the police 125 iPads, four iPad mini, “probably” 30 iPhones and two keyboards of the Californian cult group. In the further investigation, the suspicion compacted that the cargo thieves had apparently slammed unnoticed while driving on the highway.
Makes those German smash and grabs seem boring

Almost the exact 2x Apple promised and great for people doing big videos. Also notable from Macsfuture:
The iPhone 5s’ Geekbench score of 2552 is close to the score of the “Early 2010” version of the Mac Mini.
So it seems that Apple’s processors are about 3-4 years behind Intel’s currently. If Apple’s Ax processors keeps doubling speed every year and Intel struggles to keep up with Moore’s law, it doesn’t take a Computer Science major to see what’s going to happen in a few years.
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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRwcIumf-mI]
This morning, Bloomberg Businessweek has published the entirety of its interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. Earlier this week, the magazine gave us a look at its conversation with Cook, Jony Ive, and Craig Federighi, though today’s article is a much more extensive look at the thoughts from Cook.
Notably, Cook discusses the new fingerprint scanner Touch ID system in the iPhone 5s. Cook seems to enjoy that users can unlock their iPhone with the touch of a fingerprint, but he seems to imply that purchases with Touch ID are the bigger picture. He notes that Touch ID can now be used to download items from Apple’s online media stores, but it seems that purchases will become even more important as the technology continues to develop:
BlackBerry just announced another disaster quarter and is currently valued at under the value of its assets, yet despite public pleading, no one wants to buy them. They also just laid off 4,500 of their remaining employees and left the consumer market.
But we’re not here to talk about the horrific financials of an imploding company. We’re here to bring the news that Blackberry released BBM (a very capable IM client) for iOS and Android today. It is currently available in Eastern hemisphere countries and is making its way around the globe.
In 2008, this would have been bigger news. Now, you can use it to ask your remaining BlackBerry friends which color iPhone they will be getting.
Update: It looks like the app has disappeared from the stores it has already hit.
https://twitter.com/bbm/status/381577435122126848
Update 2: Here’s why:
Prior to launching BBM for Android, an unreleased version of the BBM for Android app was posted online. The interest and enthusiasm we have seen already – more than 1.1 million active users in the first 8 hours without even launching the official Android app – is incredible. Consequently, this unreleased version caused issues, which we have attempted to address throughout the day.
Our teams continue to work around the clock to bring BBM to Android and iPhone, but only when it’s ready and we know it will live up to your expectations of BBM. We are pausing the global roll-out of BBM for Android and iPhone. Customers who have already downloaded BBM for iPhone will be able to continue to use BBM. The unreleased Android app will be disabled, and customers who downloaded it should visitwww.BBM.com to register for updates on official BBM for Android availability.
As soon as we are able, we will begin a staggered country roll-out of BBM for Android and continue the roll-out of BBM for iPhone. Please follow @BBM on Twitter for the latest updates and go to www.BBM.com to sign-up for updates about BBM for Android and iPhone. These issues have not impacted BBM service for BlackBerry.
Yep, these guys pressured Apple into this.
Gascón & Schneiderman: After Months Of Pressure, Apple Responds With The World’s First Attempt To Implement A Technological Solution To The Global Smartphone Theft Epidemic
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released this joint statement following today’s deployment of Apple’s newest operating system, iOS 7:
“After months of pressure from a global coalition of elected officials and law enforcement agencies, we are pleased that Apple is set to release a new mobile operating system that includes a theft deterrent feature called Activation Lock. This is an important first step towards ending the global epidemic of smartphone theft.
“In the months ahead, it is our hope that Activation Lock will prove to be an effective deterrent to theft, and that the widespread use of this new system will end the victimization of iPhone users, as thieves learn that the devices have no value on the secondary market. We are particularly pleased that – because Activation Lock is a feature associated with Apple’s new operating system as opposed to a new device – it will be available to consumers with older phone models who download the free upgrade.
“While it is too early to tell if Activation Lock will be a comprehensive solution to the epidemic of ‘Apple Picking’ crimes that have victimized iPhone and iPad owners around the world, we believe it is a step forward and strongly urge iPhone users to download iOS 7, and most importantly, ensure they utilize both an Apple ID and Find My iPhone. We also encourage Apple to make Activation Lock a fully opt-out solution in order to guarantee widespread adoption, and strongly urge the other leading manufacturers of smartphones to quickly implement effective theft deterrents that protect their customers from violent crime.”
Gascón and Schneiderman also urge consumers to enable basic security features such as a password or the newly available fingerprint scanning technology on the iPhone 5S. While password and fingerprint scanning security features can help protect data on a device, they do not deter thieves from stealing smartphones. Theft deterrence for iPhone users will occur only if adoption of iOS 7, and the utilization of an Apple ID and Find My iPhone is widespread. Additionally, the success of Activation Lock is largely dependent on the failure of hackers’ rumored exploits.
Finally, they noted that simply downloading iOS 7 and enabling Activation Lock through the use of an Apple ID and Find My iPhone does not mean consumers are safe from potential theft. Even if Activation Lock proves effective, thieves will not react overnight. Accordingly, it is vital that consumers beare aware of their surroundings at all times, especially when using their smartphones in public places.
The Secure Our Smartphones (SOS) Initiative coalition is a groundbreaking coalition of state Attorneys General, major city Mayors, District Attorneys, major city Police Chiefs, state and city Comptrollers, public safety activists and consumer advocates from around the world. This initiative is working to encourage the industry to implement meaningful solutions that will end the national epidemic of violent thefts of mobile communications devices such as smartphones and tablets.
For more information on efforts by District Attorney Gascón and Attorney General Schneiderman to combat “Apple Picking,” visit the San Francisco District Attorney’s website and the New York State Attorney General’s website.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFW6Va1m5k]
Amusing little tidbit from TechCrunch:
I tested a colleague’s hypothesis that you could register the identifying skin segments of your favorite furry friends for Touch ID, too.
The cat’s paw worked, and while it encountered more frequent failures than did a fingerprint, it was able to unlock the phone again repeatedly when positioned correctly on the sensor. Note that no other paw pads would unlock the device, and that cats essentially have unique “fingerprints” just like people, so this doesn’t make the Touch ID sensor any less secure.
I wonder if a rabbit’s foot would work?
Specials.9to5Toys.com this month has a “Name Yor own Price Bundle” which is a bit of a misnomer since you’ll need to pay above the average which is currently below $10. You’ll get Camtasia which allows you to “Easily Create Stunning Screen Captures & Video Recordings” and well as CrossOver which allows you to run Windows programs on your Mac for the sub $10 price. Then there are 8 more great Mac Apps. At below $10, you can’t miss.
Then there is the 11 app AfterShot Pro bundle from MacLegion, below:
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From 9to5Toys.com
Today, iTunes is offering a variety of Hits for only $0.69 each. It’s rare that iTunes offers these kinds of discounts (usually the realm of Amazon) and there are some great songs in here. You can also pick up whole sets for around $26.
It wouldn’t be hard to put a little red plastic around the edges of an iPhone 5 and do the same thing here, but it is getting some play so we’re posting it for discussion. A little more proof would simply be flipping the iPhone over to see the backside which suspiciously isn’t done.
This could also be an iPhone 5 with the now common iPhone 5C plastic shell slapped on the back.
@9to5mac I'd guess they would put Red on a white front, not a black one. This is probably just an iPod touch dx
— marciano (@marciplan) September 2, 2013
A re-uploaded YouTube of the video is below:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8s8CmmCzb4]
A news report out of Baltimore demonstrates the level of counterfeit Apple products that are being sold right under our noses in malls, some of which undoubtedly share space with an Apple Store.
Officers said they raided the Cyberion store and the ST Tech Pros kiosk last Friday and recovered hundreds of fake Apple products that were being sold as authentic factory replacements.”These organizations that make these products are using substandard materials. They are doing everything they can to make them look like the real thing,” said Greg Shipley with the Maryland State Police.
While this particular bust may have been an isolated incident, if you’ve been to a US mall in the past few years, you’ve likely seen kiosks with fake Apple products. They are everywhere.
The items recovered from the Baltimore Mall included:
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJX8dWX4ym4]
As we noted last month when it launched in Australia/New Zealand, the popular Plants vs. Zombies 2 launched today. [Free iTunes]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbcBYs0ljI0#at=14]
Unlike the original title, which is currently available for 99 cents on the App Store, PopCap is making the new game entirely free to play with some in-app purchases available, but not necessary to enjoy the full game:
Free to download, Plants vs. Zombies 2 will expand and extend the classic gameplay of the original and provide players with dozens of all-new levels, plants and zombies across multiple worlds at no cost. While the vast majority of the game will be entirely free to play (players can face every zombie and access every level in every world at no cost), Plants vs. Zombies 2 players will also be able to purchase upgrades and other in-game items.
PopCap adds that “New worlds with new levels, plants, zombies and new ways to play will be released on an ongoing basis.”
Designed from the ground up as a live service, the ever-expanding universe of Plants vs. Zombies 2continues the epic struggle of plants defending your brainz against zombies from your backyard through the vast reaches of time, both past and future. New worlds with new levels, plants, zombies and new ways to play will be released on an ongoing basis. Leveraging the touch interface of Apple’s popular mobile devices, Plants vs. Zombies 2 includes all-new touch-screen power-ups that enable players to “break the fourth wall” and interact with zombies directly, as well as via plant defenses.