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Apple News and Brief History

Before you can properly understand Apple News, it’s important to know its history. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. In 1977, Apple’s sales were growing with the success of its early computers. Within a few years, Jobs and Wozniak hired designers and a production line crew. Apple went public in 1980 and was an instant success. Over the next few years, Apple shipped new computers featuring new graphical user interfaces, such as the original Macintosh in 1984. As the market for personal computers expanded through the 1990s, Apple lost market share to the cheaper Microsoft Windows on PC clones. Eventually, Wozniak and Jobs both left Apple. Jobs would go on to found NeXT and would return to Apple when NeXT was acquired in the late 90s. Apple then began a journey to the great second act in the history of the business world.

Since the release of the iPod in 2001, Apple has become a major player once again in the technology industry. After releasing the iPhone in 2007, the iPad in 2010, and the Apple Watch in 2015, Apple is now one of the largest companies in the world. Apple’s worldwide annual revenue totaled $274.5 billion for its 2020 fiscal year.

Today, Apple operates retail stores all across the world, has a growing services division, and an ever-expanding hardware lineup. The technology industry follows Apple news to see where the company is headed in the future.

Keep reading for the latest Apple news

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Nielsen needs to work on its graphics (Update)

Nielsen released smartphone purchasing data yesterday that depicted Apple grabbing more than a third of the total smartphone market in the most recently surveyed month. Android was over 50 percent. That is almost 85 percent of the market together, which is a striking number (and over 90 percent in the last three months). But, you would not know it when looking at Nielsen’s graph:

RIM at 9 percent seems to have almost the same share as Apple. Windows Mobile, Windows 7, Symbian, and Palm only come up with 5.8-percent of the market, but together they have a much larger piece of the pie than Apple. Well, we did a little Photoshopping and put their portions into proportion (Again, the disparity is growing with iOS and Android now over 90 percent):

^That is an entirely different story.
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Retina MacBook Pro shipping times improve to ‘2-3 weeks’

Since the launch of Apple’s new Retina MacBook Pro, shipping times worldwide for the company’s online store—for the most part—have sat at “3-4 weeks.” Today, shipping times have begun to drop with the U.S., Canadian, and some Asia-Pacific markets now listing the device with an estimated shipping time of “2-3 weeks.” The updated shipping times appear to be landing in many European stores as well.

Nielsen: Android and iOS are over 90 percent of US smartphone market, and growing

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…For the first time ever, two-thirds of new phone acquirers are buying smartphones.

Smartphone use is exploding in the United States, while PC sales are dropping. If 66 percent of mobile phone buyers purchase smartphones, and 36.3-percent of them get the iPhone, then that means almost a quarter of all phones bought in the U.S. are iPhones. That also means 36 percent of the purchased phones run Android OS.

More from Nielsen, including the incredibly skewed graphic, is below—which gives Symbian, Palm and Windows 7 devices almost the same amount of “fill” at 2.8-percent as Apple’s 34 percent.


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NBC Olympics to live stream games on mobile devices with two Adobe-powered apps [Video]

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NBC just unveiled two Adobe-powered mobile apps for its 2012 London Olympics coverage.

The NBC Olympics Live Companion app will act as a second display for stats and other details so users have a full bevy of data to compliment their television-watching experience. Meanwhile, the NBC Olympics Live Extra app will pipe live-streaming video to on-the-go users. It can handle multiple camera angles, social features, and the ability to seamlessly switch between both Olympics apps.

The free apps will launch on both Apple’s App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android smartphone and tablets. They will also support “TV Everywhere” authentication with cable providers for unlimited access to all the premium content. Users simply need to login to their pay-TV subscription to tap into 3,500 hours of Olympic events.

“To make it as easy as possible, you only need to go through the sign-in once and won’t have to “re-authenticate” every time you want to watch a live event,” explained Adobe on its Digital Media Blog. “For the first time in Olympics history, mobile apps will give you the opportunity to view live broadcasts of all Olympic events in the palm of your hand.”

NBC Olympics is also using Adobe technologies to serve ads, measure and monetize content, and provide digital analytics in both apps.

This article is cross-posted on 9to5Google.

The press release is below.


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Report: Feds second-guess buying Apple comps

The city of San Francisco stopped purchases of some Apple products after the company announced it planned to forgo an environmental rating system, but a new report indicates federal officials might refrain from buying Cupertino-built computers as well.

According to Politico, which cited a “governmental source,” federal officials familiar with sustainability issues are thinking twice before procuring Apple’s computers. The feds met yesterday to discuss the matter, and the website’s source further claimed the officials will “seek a meeting with Apple soon.”

Politico explained:

  • Last week, Apple decided to stop using an environmental certification program, the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool run by the Green Electronics Council, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit. EPEAT was developed through a stakeholder process supported by the EPA.
  • The EPEAT rating system is used to monitor a computer’s environmental impact throughout its lifecycle, including the end of its use. The program is used by governments, enterprise, universities, health care and other large institutions to make purchasing decisions.
  • Federal procurement decisions for fiscal 2013 are being made now, the government source said. Federal officials are worried that the government’s efforts to buy environmentally friendly products will be set back, the source said, adding, “Apple’s competitors are looking at this and saying if they can get away with this maybe we can too.”

The Green Electronics Council said in a statement on the EPEAT website that it “regret[s] that Apple will no longer be registering its products in EPEAT. We hope that they will decide to do so again at some point in future,” while Apple told The Loop recently that it “takes a comprehensive approach to measuring our environmental impact and all of our products meet the strictest energy efficiency standards backed by the US government, Energy Star 5.2.”


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Greenpeace gives Apple two thumbs up, well—one thumb up

In a post titled “Apple’s clean energy plans still cloudy despite coal-free pledge,” Greenpeace praised Apple on its blog for significantly improving clean energy policies, but the environmental organization still gave the company low scores for its energy choices.

A new Greenpeace International analysis released today, and it claims—despite Apple’s commitment to make its data centres coal-free and 100-percent renewable energy operated—the folks in Cupertino still lack “a plan that outlines a realistic path to eliminate its reliance on coal to power its iCloud.”

Check it out (PDF): Greenpeace Report — A Clean Energy Road Map for Apple


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IMDb iOS app eyes 20M+ downloads, celebrates with massive update

IMDb, the unofficial resume for everyone and everything Hollywood, just announced its iOS and Android apps have experienced more than 40 million total downloads. The iOS counterpart claimed half of those downloads, and IMDb is celebrating with today’s launch of “highly anticipated discovery, personalization and social features.”

Version 2.7 now includes:

  • – Movies & TV shows: check in and share what you are watching to Facebook and Twitter
  • – Message Boards: access general boards, or dive into discussions about your favorite people, movies, and shows
  • – Filming Locations & Soundtracks: find even more IMDb data to satisfy your curiosity
  • – More Like This: discover new movies and shows while you browse
  • – Watchlist: tap the plus sign on posters to build your Watchlist
  • – TV shows: easily dive into each season, and tap ‘previous’ and ‘next’ to browse through episodes
  • – Your History: long-press on the Back button from any page to access pages you’ve recently viewed
  • – Various bug fixes and performance improvements

The IMDb Movies & TV app is a free app at the App Store. It rates 4 stars, based on more than 112,000 reviews, as of press time.

The press release is below.


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More next-gen iPhone casings float across our desktop [Photos]

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9to5Mac first posted the back and front plates for what is now thought to be the next-generation iPhone in May, and then we immediately published several more high-resolution images comparing the black and white versions of the next-generation iPhone’s back. Since then, many more casings and schematics have shown up with the same design.  It is not clear if these are all coming out of the Foxconn plant or if these are all copycats of the original leaks.

Today, KitGuru offers a few more “early iPhone” images that it recently spotted. A slew of full length, side view, comparison, and connector shots are available below—check ’em out:


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Judge rejects bids to block live-streaming TV service Aereo

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR8lLt3gFZ8&feature=player_embedded]

Aereo—the service that streams over-the-air local TV to any Mac, iOS device, or PC running Safari for $12 per month—just got a second chance at survival. According to The New York Times, a U.S. federal judge on Wednesday rejected a temporary injunction spurred by television broadcasters, saying a ruling for the broadcasters would have shut down Aereo.

Reuters reported that Walt Disney Co., Comcast Corp., News Corp., Univision Communications Inc., and the Public Broadcasting Service tried to stop Aereo with the injunction, claiming they would “lose their right to retransmission fees from cable and other companies that rebroadcast their programming, and also lose critical advertising revenue”:

  • U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan said on Wednesday that while the broadcasters demonstrated they faced irreparable financial damage if were the venture were allowed to continue, Aereo also showed it would face severe harm if the requested preliminary injunction were granted.
  • ‘First and foremost, the evidence establishes that an injunction may quickly mean the end of Aereo as a business,’ the Manhattan judge wrote in a 52-page opinion.

The New York Times quoted Aereo’s Barry Diller, who noted a trial still lies ahead for his company, but he is now “far happier to begin this process with the judge’s ruling.” One of the plaintiffs, CBS, told the publication it would continue to seek damages and a permanent injunction: “This is only a ruling on a preliminary injunction. This case is not over by a long shot.”

9to5Mac reviewed Aereo in March and found its broadcast TV-like experience encouraging and well worth a test-drive:

  • Overall, Aereo’s HTML5 user-interface is the most impressive on the Mac platform. Its ease of browsing, watching, and recording local TV through Safari is a unique take during an age that offers countless ways of viewing cable without an actual television. The main takeaway with Aereo is that it works best on the Mac and the iPad, video quality is identical to what one would see on a HDTV, and the DVR function is extremely handy.
  • […] For many people, its DVR functionality alone is worth the $12 monthly fee. For others, the admission price might be too hefty when compared to cheaper services that also offer cable programming and better streaming.


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Report: NIAC director slams US Gov’t, Apple for racially profiling over export sanction to Iran

Do you remember last month’s report about select Apple retail stores in Georgia allegedly discriminating against Farsi-speaking customers due to a United States sanction export to Iran? Well, the story is still abuzz. The policy director at the National Iranian American Council, Jamal Abdi, even got some space in The New York Times today to speak his mind on the matter:

  • IMAGINE if your ethnicity determined which products you were able to buy. Or if sales clerks required you to divulge your ancestry before swiping your credit card.
  • Some of us don’t have to imagine.

Abdi reviewed the cases from last month, and he even cited similar situations in California:

  • An isolated episode could be dismissed as the work of one bigoted, or misguided, employee. But there have been other recent reports of Apple employees refusing to sell to customers of Iranian descent.
  • In Santa Monica, Calif., two friends looking to buy an iPhone were asked whether they were speaking Persian and promptly informed, “I am sorry, we don’t sell to Persians.” In Sacramento, an Iranian-American man looking to buy Apple products for personal use mentioned that he was also thinking about buying an iPod for his nephew in Iran and was told he could not buy anything, even for himself. An Iranian student in Atlanta, and his Iranian-American friend, were not permitted to buy an iPhone after the friend, under questioning, mentioned that the student planned to return to Iran for the summer.

The NIAC director attributed these occurrences to Apple retail employees being forced to “interpret and implement federal policy,” which results in racial profiling, he said:

  • At the moment, nearly all exports to Iran are prohibited. Traveling to Iran with items like computers and smartphones is illegal. Apple’s own policy, stated on its Web site, makes it very clear that its products can’t be sent there.
  • But it is also illegal in the United States for a private company to discriminate against individuals based on race, color, religion or national origin under the Civil Rights Act. This protection extends of course to retail stores.

Abdi concluded his editorial by calling for Congress and President Obama to confront the consequences of their “ratcheted up sanctions,” or else they will continue to threaten the “values and basic civil liberties of some American citizens.”

The issue comes down to the US Government vaguely forcing retailers to enforce sanctions when those should be enforced at borders.

Visit The New York Times for the entire piece, called “Sanctions at the Genius Bar”.

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‘iPhone 5’ is already for sale in China

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Those in China looking to get a head start on their Fall iPhone shopping are given the opportunity by sites like TaoBao, which, according to Reuters, (and the link we dug up) are already for sale.

Apple Inc’s next-generation iPhone has not even been released yet, but opportunistic sellers on China’s largest e-commerce platform, Taobao, are already accepting pre-orders, complete with mock-up pictures and purported technical specifications.

The hotly anticipated iPhone 5 is widely expected to be released sometime between August and October this year, although Apple itself has been tight-lipped about it. Sources have said the iPhone 5 would have a bigger screen than previous models, while Taiwanese media reported the phone’s voice recognition software, Siri, would have more powerful functions.

Buying Apple devices unseen shows what kind of confidence consumers have in the products that Apple makes. Would you put money down on Apple’s next iPhone without knowing anything about it?
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Gartner report shows PCs have peaked and may begin the long road to obscurity

We are starting to see the “Cars and Trucks” model unfold as PC sales are starting to slip dramatically.

Among the top 5 vendors in the U.S. PC market, all but Apple experienced a decline in shipments according to a Gartner report late this evening. This is not your average “Apple beat the PC industry every quarter for the past 5 years.” It is a dramatic fall. Apple pulled to within 500,000 units of Dell from double that a year ago.

A few notables: 
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Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac and Parallels Mobile now support Retina Display [Video]

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Parallels announced that its Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac and Parallels Mobile now support Apple’s Retina display.

“We are proud to announce that both Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac and Parallels Mobile have been updated to support Apple’s Retina display and its over 5 million megapixels on the newly released MacBooks and latest iPad,” explained the software firm, which delivers an integrated Windows-on-a-Mac experience, so users can reap the full advantages of Apple’s offering across all their devices.

Parallels Desktop 7 for Mac is able to run multiple operating systems, including Windows 8 Release Preview, Windows 7, Chrome, and Ubuntu, and it will soon provide support for the final versions of Mountain Lion and Windows 8 after their release, while Parallels Mobile allows users to remotely control a computer from an iOS device.


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Facebook releases SDK 3.0 Beta with iOS 6 integration & new iOS Dev Center

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Facebook announced today that it is releasing its biggest iOS SDK update yet with the release of SDK 3.0 Beta for iOS, which also includes iOS 6 integration for native Facebook login. It is also rolling out a completely refreshed iOS Dev Center with tutorials, concepts, and reference docs to help iOS app developers build great Facebook-integrated apps for iOS devices.
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Tim Cook makes surprise appearance at Allen & Co retreat this morning (Update: Spotted with Dorsey)

Tim Cook with Twitter creator Jack Dorsey

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/223099203377836032]

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook made a low-profile, surprise appearance at the Allen & Company annual retreat in Sun Valley earlier today.

According to The New York Post, the CEO attended the event for the first time to observe The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos’ session on China:

  • While his name was on the list of possible attendees, no one knew if the low-key CEO would put in an appearance.
  • Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs hadn’t traveled to the annual gathering in recent years.
  • Cook slipped out of the session at the Sun Valley Inn largely unnoticed. While other business titans gathered at the Duck Pond for lunch, he headed in the direction of the lodge.
  • The session was hosted by The New Yorker’s China correspondent, Evan Osnos. Apple is getting ready to unleash the latest version of the iPad in China, the world’s largest consumer market.

The Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is a 29-year-old annual conference hosted by private investment firm Allen & Company. It takes place in Sun Valley, Idaho for one week in July, where moguls, executives and philanthropists flock to rub shoulders. Previous conference guests have included Steve Jobs, Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren and Susan Buffett, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Mark Zuckerberg, and more.

(Cook and Sagan pictures via BusinessInsider; Cook and Dorsey picture via mcatwellons—Thanks, @wiserjoe727!)

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Amazon combats Apple’s Game Center with its own GameCircle [Video]

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Amazon just announced a new gaming experience for developers and the Kindle Fire: GameCircle.

According to the Amazon Mobile App Distribution blog, GameCircle is a “new set of services designed to make it easier for you to create more engaging gaming experiences and grow your business on Kindle Fire,” by making “achievements, leaderboards and sync APIs accessible, simple and quick for you to integrate, and will give gamers a more seamless and entertaining in-game experience.”

Amazon offers a growing suite of developer services. Its new GameCircle is geared specifically for game developers too, which is great news for the Kindle Fire since it is facing a firestorm of Android-based content competition from the new Nexus 7. Game Circle also helps players to better experience their games through three key features —achievements, leaderboards, and sync—that will surely continue to entice folks to the dominating Android-based eReader.

Amazon’s new gaming experience clearly draws cues from Apple’s Game Center, which is an online multiplayer social gaming network. It launched in 2010 to allow iOS app users the ability to invite friends, start multiplayer games, track achievements, and compare scores on a leaderboard.

Google was looking to develop a similar system for Android, according to reports in May, but it looks like Amazon beat the gurus in Mountain View to the punch. The launch of GameCircle is timely due to rumors of a Kindle Fire 2 launch allegedly set for this summer.

Visit 9to5Google for the full story.


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Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.3 update fixes vulnerability and stomps a few bugs

Update details

A security vulnerability exits in the way that folder permissions are set in certain Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac 14.2 installations. This update resolves that vulnerability.

Improvements that are included in the update

The Office for Mac 2011 14.2.3 Update also includes the following improvements:

  • This update fixes an issue where some SkyDrive folders in Micorosft Document Connection are displayed as zero-byte files instead of folders.
  • This update provides critical updates for connection reliability with SkyDrive.

Improvements for Excel for Mac 2011

  • This update improves stability in Excel when you drag to move a PivotTable row or column.
  • This update fixes an issue in Excel where #REF is returned even when links are ignored.

Improvements for Outlook for Mac 2011

  • This update fixes an issue where some IMAP users may receive an “Unknown namespace” error when they try to create special folders (such as Drafts and Sent Items) on the server.
  • This update fixes an issue with some IMAP configurations where Outlook repeatedly displays “Cannot create mailbox” errors.
  • This update fixes an issue that causes Outlook not to display details for certain contacts when Lync or Communicator is running.
  • This update fixes a problem that occurs when users reply to or forward Exchange email messages that were downloaded from Exchange 2007 servers. When this problem occurs, the Date field is missing from the body of the message.

    To correct email messages that have already been cached, right-click the folder that contains the email messages, select Folder Properties, and then then select Empty under Empty Cache. Or, you can delete the Exchange account and then add it again to resynchronize the account.

  • This update fixes an issue where users may have duplication of mail when they use Gmail and connect with Outlook by using IMAP.
  • This update fixes an issue where some users who have IMAP accounts intermittently receive a “Too many simultaneous connections” error. A setting is now available to control the polling interval that Outlook uses with IMAP servers.

    To adjust this setting, select Tools, select Accounts, and then select Advanced for the IMAP account. The setting defaults to synchronize all lMAP folders every two minutes.

  • This update fixes a connectivity issue that occurs when Outlook connects through a proxy server that uses NTLM based authentication.

Improvements to Word for Mac 2011

  • This update improves Full Screen View integration with Word.

Previously released improvements included in this update

This update includes all the improvements that were released in all previous Office 2011 updates since the release of theMicrosoft Office for Mac 2011 14.1.0 Update. For more information about the improvements in a previous update, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

2555784 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.1.2 Update

2598783 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.1.3 Update

2644347 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.1.4 Update

2685940 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.0 Update

2705358 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.1 Update

2665351 Description of the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.2.2 Update

Prerequisites

Before you install the Office 2011 14.2.3 Update, make sure that the computer is running Mac OS X v10.5.8 or a later version of the Mac OS X operating system.

To verify that the computer meets this prerequisite, click About This Mac on the Apple menu.

Additionally, you must install the Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 14.1 Update before you install the Office for Mac 2011 14.2.3 Update.

To verify that the update that is installed on your computer, follow these steps:

  1. On the Go menu, click Applications.
  2. Open the Microsoft Office 2011 folder, and then open any Office application (for example, open Word).
  3. On the Word menu, click About Word.
  4. In the About Word dialog box, compare the version number next to Latest Installed Update.

How to obtain the update

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Download

Download the Microsoft Office for Mac 14.2.3 Update package now.

Release Date: July 10, 2012

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services

Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

Updated files

For a complete list of the files that this update adds or changes, double-click the update installer. Then, on the File menu, click Show Files.

Notes
  • The Office 2011 14.2.3 Update is also available from Microsoft AutoUpdate. AutoUpdate is a program that automatically keeps Microsoft software up-to-date.

    To use AutoUpdate, start a Microsoft Office program. Then, on the Help menu, click Check for Updates.

    For more information about resources for Office for Mac 2011, visit the following Microsoft website:

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Congress considers forbidding sales bans related to essential patents

Reuters reported today that Congress is set to discuss whether companies that hold patents considered essential to an industry standard, “such as a digital movie format,” should be allowed to request bans on infringing devices. A hearing will take place this Wednesday with the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Federal Trade Commission officials are expected to testify:

“If they (smartphone makers) had taken the conservatively $15 to $20 billion dollars they’ve spent on this fight, imagine how much better a place the world would be,” said Lemley.

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Casting for Jony Ive role, others announced for indie Steve Jobs biopic

We previously told you about the “jOBS” biopic staring Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs that is currently in production, and we brought you some early images of Kutcher on set. The film was previously confirmed to star Josh Gad as Steve Wozniak and Matthew Modine as John Sculley, but a new report from HollywoodReporter announced more additions to the cast including Giles Matthey (pictured right) as Jony Ive:

Kevin Dunn and J.K. Simmons have joined the cast of Jobs, the biopic about the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, starring Ashton Kutcher. Also rounding out the cast are Elden Henson, Lenny Jacobson, Giles Matthey, Ahna O’Reilly and Victor Rasuk… Dunn, who recently co-starred in HBO’s Luck, will play Apple chairman Gil Amelio. Simmons, known from his nine seasons on Law & Order, will appear as venture capitalist and Apple investor Arthur Rock. Among the other additions to the cast, Henson plays computer scientist and Macintosh developer Andy Hertzfeld; Jacobson portrays Apple engineer Burrell Smith; Matthey is iPod designer Jonathan Ive; O’Reilly plays Jobs’ girlfriend Chris-Ann; and Rasuk is Apple’s first employee and user interface architect Bill Fernandez.

The biopic is now shooting in Los Altos and Los Angeles, and it is expected to release later this year. Other cast members previously confirmed include James Woods, Ron Eldard, John Getz, Lukas Haas, Dermot Mulroney, and Lesley Ann Warren.

USPTO publishes Apple iTravel patent with Passbook-like features and NFC tech

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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a series of Apple-granted patents today related to iTravel that reek of Passbook and Near Field Communications.

According to Patently Apple, the “boarding pass and express check-in” feature spotlighted in iOS 6’s Passbook app, which Senior Vice President of iPhone Software Scott Forstall previously announced, is covered in today’s iTravel patent. Apple also received coverage for NFC tech, that we think has a pretty good shot of going into the next iPhone, within iTravel that concerns the check-in process and, more specifically, factors for transportation providers to perform identification and ticketing checks.

Patently Apple explained:

  • Apple’s iTravel check-in system will work with Macs, but more importantly, with iOS devices such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. Ticketing and identification information will be stored on the iOS device and transmitted, such as via near field communication, to another electronic device. The handheld device may be used to check into flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, trains, buses, and so forth.
  • Additionally, traveler identification information may be transmitted electronically to enable faster security verification during check-in. The traveler identification information may enable automatic lookup of the traveler in a security database, thereby reducing the inconveniences of incorrect identification. Travelers may also provide specialized identification, such as fingerprints or retinal scans, in order to provide heightened security on high-risk modes of transportation.


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Google to pay $22.5M settlement in FTC’s iOS Safari privacy investigation

The last time we updated you on the Federal Trade Commission’s investigation into Google’s method of bypassing the default Safari browser settings on iOS devices, reports claimed the company was facing possible fines that could reach tens of millions. Today, The Wall Street Journal said Google is close to reaching a $22.5 million settlement with the FTC, according to people close to the negotiations:

The fine is expected to be the largest penalty ever levied on a single company by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. It offers the latest sign of the FTC’s stepped-up approach to policing online privacy violations, coming just six months after The Wall Street Journal reported on Google’s practices.

While the fine likely will represent only a tiny portion of Google’s revenues—last year, the Internet giant raked in that much cash roughly every five hours or so—it counts among a series of negative reports about Google’s privacy practices that could undermine users’ trust in its services.

Swedish ‘iWatch’ concept features FaceTime, Retina display [Photos]

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The New York Times reported in December that a small group of people at Apple were “conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices,” so we posted Federico Ciccarese’s creepy take on a wearable, curved-glass iOS device last week. Now, Swedish designer Anders Kjellberg introduces his iteration of the tech with an “iWatch” concept featuring FaceTime.

The mockup touts a Retina display, an 8-megapixel camera with HD and FaceTime capabilities, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Airplay support, a built-in, rechargeable Lithium-ion battery, 16 GB of storage, accelerometer, proximity and ambient light sensors, and eight customizable wristbands. Oh, and iTunes and apps—of course.


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iOS 6 code points to integration of Apple Maps on Intel-based Macs

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Since Apple unveiled its new in-house Maps app for iOS 6, we have discovered bits and pieces of what it has planned for the final release this fall. Apple already showed off Yelp integration, turn-by-turn navigation, and the 3D flyover mode, and it appears to be utilizing a new Avenir typeface. Today, Techpp posted a code dump from the iOS 6 maps app courtesy of developer Cody Cooper who found some interesting evidence of potential Maps integration with OS X:

Our developer friend, Cody Cooper has now stumbled upon an interesting code dump in iOS 6 maps application which hints at the possibility of Apple Maps coming to Macs in the near future.

During his routine investigation of Maps app, Cody found some interesting bits in the file altitude_manifest.xml

In this XML file, there is a reference to a set of Intel based graphics chipsets for which certain features like Shading are disabled.

While this is not solid proof that Apple is working on a full-blown Maps app for Mac, it could hint at possible integration between core apps and features in Mountain Lion and Maps on iOS. For example, location features in iPhoto could integrate with iOS Maps. As noted in the report, the code refers to shading being disabled for older Intel chipsets, which Cooper guessed could likely not support the app’s shading features. We will do some digging, and then update you if we discover anything new. The public release of Mountain Lion is scheduled for this month.
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Former Apple Hardware guru leads the charge at Square

CNN Money published a report today detailing how companies and startups want folks to ditch cash and use their smartphone to pay for everything, but a little nugget about Square’s upcoming hardware plans seemed the most noteworthy:

  • Now Square is planning to expand aggressively into yet another area: hardware. Earlier this year it hired Jesse Dorogusker, an Apple refugee who led the team that built headphones, docking stations, and other peripherals for iOS devices, as its vice president of hardware. “We are going to be doing a lot of hardware,” says Keith Rabois, chief operating officer of Square and a former executive at PayPal and LinkedIn (LNKD). Rabois cagily declines to elaborate, but consider this: In a pilot program the company recently began installing a software and hardware bundle that includes Square-powered iPads and iPhones in New York City taxicabs. It serves as a payment mechanism and replacement for those annoying TV screens that are common in the backseats of cabs. People with knowledge of Square’s plans say that in the future the company hopes to develop similar bundles for other vertical markets. It also plans to build different versions of its reader as it expands overseas. (Did we mention that Dorsey is ambitious?)
  • Taken together, Square’s products begin to offer a glimpse of what a utopia for buyers and sellers could look like: You’re in a new city and feel like sushi, so you fire up your phone and Square’s software offers you a series of suggestions that reflect your tastes; a nearby eatery offering you 20% off your bill catches your eye. Once you’re at the sushi bar, your phone talks wirelessly to the restaurant’s register and settles your bill, including the discount. And the restaurant collects a slew of information about you, which it can use to market to you in the future.

Dorogusker served as Apple’s former director of engineering for iOS accessories for over eight years, and he holds a few patents under his belt. One of his notable hardware inventions includes an iPod/iPhone-integrated personal fitness system capable of monitoring personal fitness data and sharing exercisers’ through the Web.


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