Apple

6,154 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - July 2012

See All Stories

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

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

Élyse Betters Jul 11 2012 - 7:15 am PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdoxX0XGros&feature=player_embedded]

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.

Expand
Expanding
Close

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

9to5 Staff Jul 10 2012 - 9:24 pm PT

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:

On the Go menu, click Applications.
Open the Microsoft Office 2011 folder, and then open any Office application (for example, open Word).
On the Word menu, click About Word.
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:

http://www.microsoft.com/mac

Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Home / Business for $130 + $7 s&h (9to5toys.com)
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Home / Student Family Pack for $70 + $5 s&h (9to5toys.com)
Learn Everything You Need to Know About Microsoft Office 2011 for only $79 through StackSocial (9to5toys.com)

Enhanced by Zemanta

Congress considers forbidding sales bans related to essential patents

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2012 - 3:40 pm PT

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.

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2012 - 1:29 pm PT

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.

Here’s Ashton Kutcher playing Steve Jobs on Acid [Photos] (9to5mac.com)
‘jOBS’ biopic starring Ashton Kutcher will shoot in Apple Garage and childhood home (9to5mac.com)

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

Élyse Betters Jul 10 2012 - 6:46 am PT

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.

Expand
Expanding
Close

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 10 2012 - 5:41 am PT

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.

Google facing tens of millions in fines in FTC’s iOS Safari privacy investigation (9to5google.com)

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

Élyse Betters Jul 9 2012 - 10:22 am PT

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.

Expand
Expanding
Close

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

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2012 - 7:47 am PT

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.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Former Apple Hardware guru leads the charge at Square

Élyse Betters Jul 9 2012 - 7:17 am PT

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.

Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Apple gets tough on websites selling access to iOS betas

Élyse Betters Jul 9 2012 - 6:19 am PT

A report from MacStories yesterday claimed that many third-party websites selling developer access to Apple’s iOS betas are no longer live.

The blog apparently contacted the websites’ owners. It soon confirmed with at least one that Apple recently submitted a copyright infringement claim, so the website’s hosting service immediately took the page offline. A Wired report from last month by Andy Baio first spotlighted the trend of websites that sell developer access to iOS betas by doling UDID activations to any paying user. Apple restricts UDID activation to registered developers.

The Wired report allegedly sparked a flurry of website takedown requests. The CEO of Fused, a hosting service, even admitted to the MacStories, “Apple has been fairly heavy-handed with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) requests to the ones we host”:

After noticing several of the sites mentioned in Baio’s article had become unavailable in recent weeks (activatemyios.com, iosudidregistrations.com, activatemyudid.com, udidregistration.com, instantudidactivation.com), we reached out to some of them asking whether Apple was behind the takedown of their “services”, which infringed on Apple’s developer agreement. While most of our emails bounced, we heard back from one of the site owners (who asked to remain anonymous), who confirmed his hosting provider took down the site after a complaint for copyright infringement by Apple. Similarly, the CEO of Fused tweeted in a reply to Andy Baio that Apple had been “fairly heavy-handed” with DMCA requests to UDID-selling sites hosted on their network.

In the email, the site owner said that their website made $75,000 since last June, when Apple released the first beta of iOS 6 to developers. “We do not believe our service was infringing and our services did not violate their guidelines for iOS 6″, the site owner commented, adding that they will soon launch another similar site, “with better and more secure data lines to handle Apple”.

The owner of another site replied to our emails with a “no comment”. According to him, “the Wired article has caused all these sites to go down”.

Indeed, it appears Apple has started taking action against these sites recently, and more precisely after Wired ran the story on UDID activation.

To install an iOS beta, developers must register their account with Apple and receive UDID activation for $99 a year. Third-party websites, on the other hand, sell UDID activation for a cheaper price—usually around $10.

Expand
Expanding
Close

UK Judge rules against Apple in Samsung patent case, claims Galaxy Tabs ‘are not as cool’

Jordan Kahn Jul 9 2012 - 5:56 am PT

Reports from last week noted that Samsung’s attempt to lift Apple’s preliminary injunction placed on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the United States was rejected by District Judge Lucy Koh. Today, in Apple’s ongoing patent cases with Samsung in the United Kingdom, Bloomberg reported Judge Colin Birss ruled against Apple, claiming Sammy’s Galaxy Tabs “are not as cool.” It is hard to imagine Apple losing in any more of a complimentary way, as Judge Birss claimed his decision was based partly on the fact Galaxy tablets “do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity” as iPad.

The Galaxy tablet doesn’t infringe Apple’s registered design, Judge Colin Birss said in a ruling today in London. He said that consumers weren’t likely to get the two tablet computers mixed up.

The Galaxy tablets “do not have the same understated and extreme simplicity which is possessed by the Apple design,” Birss said. “They are not as cool.”

The company provided a full email statement regarding today’s decision (via Pocket-lint). Samsung explained the court referred to roughly 50 pieces of prior art when dismissing Apple’s case:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s new designs force it to abandon EPEAT Green standard, potentially cutting off big customers

Seth Weintraub Jul 7 2012 - 8:25 am PT

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a program that ranks computers and displays based on environmental attributes in accordance with IEEE 1680.1-2009.

A clear and consistent set of environmental performance criteria for the design of personal computer products including notebook computers, desktop computers, and computer displays is provided, thereby providing an opportunity to secure market recognition for efforts to reduce the environmental impact of electronic products. This standard is intended to provide a tool for government, institutional, and corporate purchasers. Product manufacturers may also use this tool to earn recognition in the consumer market, recognizing that certain criteria may not be applicable to all types of purchasers.

According to Robert Frisbee, CEO of EPEAT, Apple asked the organization last month to pull its 39 certified desktop computers, monitors and laptops, which included past versions of the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air. The likely reason is the new Retina MacBook Pro. Its glass display is fused with the top of the case, while the batteries are glued to the bottom, making it extremely difficult to repair or recycle.

According to iFixit’s EPEAT contacts:

Apple’s mobile design direction is in conflict with the intended direction of the standard. Specifically, the standard lays out particular requirements for product “disassemble-ability,” a very important consideration for recycling: “External enclosures, chassis, and electronic subassemblies shall be removable with commonly available tools or by hand.” Electronics recyclers need to take out hazardous components such as batteries before sending computers through their shredders, because batteries can catch fire when punctured.

Beyond its environmental impact and its inability to be repaired, the decision to pull out EPEAT may have some economic ramifications as well…
Expand
Expanding
Close

iPad mini to be produced in Brazil?

Seth Weintraub Jul 6 2012 - 10:07 pm PT

The 7.85-inch iPad mini that is making the rumor rounds might be manufactured in Brazil if the latest report from Macotakara has any merit. The Japanese publication says the machining is done in China, but actual production will be in Brazil where Apple already makes the iPhone.

Some more details:
Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple’s rumored curved-glass wrist computer mocked up

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 10:22 am PT

Federico Ciccarese has done many iPhone and Apple product design mockups in the past, and today he gave us his take on Apple’s rumored wearable, curved-glass iOS device. In August 2011, we made the case for a wearable, Bluetooth 4.0-powered iPod nano. In December, The New York Times reported a small group of people at Apple had been “conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices.” One concept described in the report was a “curved-glass iPod that would wrap around the wrist.” Below is a video rendering of the mockup from Ciccarese Design:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: Assault rifle wielding assailants botch Apple truck robbery in France

Jordan Kahn Jul 6 2012 - 6:16 am PT

According to a report from AFP picked up by a number of local French websites, including Nowhereelse.fr and Leparisien.fr, a truckload of Apple products traveling through Aulnay-sous-Bois in Paris this morning was taken over at gunpoint by several masked assailants carrying assault rifles. Fortunately, no one appeared to be badly hurt. Police later recovered the products, but the suspects are still on the loose:

Two drivers of a truck carrying hardware Apple were attacked Friday morning around 5 am 45 by several men armed in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis). The perpetrators – who are three or four according to preliminary results of the survey – are mounted on the truck and drove off with the drivers they have released in a wood Luzarches, in the Val d’Oise.

According to AFP, they were in possession of assault rifles, Kalashnikov or M16. This is in Les Mureaux, near Paris, the police located the truck. It was at that time that two people trying to unload the goods have fled. Shortly before 11 o’clock, the police investigators were conducting scientific surveys on the vehicle of gray.

Apple has fixed the corrupted DRM App issue according to a statement

Seth Weintraub Jul 5 2012 - 6:42 pm PT

Apple just released the following statement on the App corruption issue we reported earlier today:

“We had a temporary issue that began yesterday with a server that generated DRM code for some apps being downloaded. It affected only a small number of users.

“The issue has been rectified and we don’t expect it to occur again,” Apple said. Those who have an affected app can re-download it from the App Store.

The “small number of users” seems to run counter to what Instapaper developer Marco Arment found as he publicized his issues with Apple (along with Good Reader) today.

Apple: This is a serious problem. It’s not isolated. Please fix this.

Sources told Macworld that Apple will be removing one-star app reviews developers earned unfairly because of the company’s server issue.

Report: Judge who dismissed Apple’s case against Motorola disputes legal protection for tech industry

Élyse Betters Jul 5 2012 - 6:50 am PT

Reuters interviewed the U.S. judge today who dismissed Apple’s patent court case against Motorola, and the details behind the jurist’s reasoning for tossing the lawsuit are as interesting as they are controversial.

Richard Posner sits on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago and disputes whether software and related tech industries should even have patents for their products.

“It’s not clear that we really need patents in most industries,” said Posner, referring to the slew of features in smartphones that are legally protected. “You just have this proliferation of patents. It’s a problem.”

Posner, 73, argued the pharmaceutical industry better deserved protection for its intellectual property because of the, as Reuters coined it, “enormous investment it takes to create a successful drug.” He tossed Apple’s lawsuit against Google’s Motorola Mobility last month and denied an injunction against the sale of Motorola devices using Apple’s patented technology.

The judge attributed Apple’s scramble to attack competitors allegedly using its technology to a “constant struggle for survival.”

“As in any jungle, the animals will use all the means at their disposal, all their teeth and claws that are permitted by the ecosystem,” Posner contended.

Expand
Expanding
Close

iTunes Store launch in Hong Kong plagued with translation issues

Jordan Kahn Jul 5 2012 - 6:43 am PT

Apple officially opened up the iTunes Store and iTunes Match in 12 new Asian countries late last month, bringing the total to 155 countries worldwide. Perhaps the most notable addition was Hong Kong. Apple said at the time that the local stores would include “an incredible selection of local and international music from all the major labels and thousands of independent labels,” but many Chinese users are disgruntled with the method Apple is using to translate the titles and descriptions of some content in the store. The Wall Street Journal published a story today highlighting the problem with translations in the Hong Kong store:

On accessing the iTunes store for the first time, some Hong Kong users were irritated to find that the store was listing a number of song titles by the city’s popstars in Mandarin pinyin, a system that transcribes Chinese characters into phonetic Latin script, instead of displaying titles transliterated for the Cantonese language, which is spoken by the majority of the population.

For example, the popular Cantonese pop song titled “Autumn Wind, Autumn Rain” would be written and pronounced as qiu feng qiu yu using Mandarin pinyin. Though there is no broadly accepted official system for rendering Cantonese using the Roman alphabet, a transliteration for Cantonese speakers would be closer to cou feng cou yu.

“Those are CANTO pop [songs],” wrote one Hong Kong-based user on Twitter. “Use cantonese [sic] phonetics.”

In other Chinese Apple news, Bloomberg reported today that Apple is using China-based AutoNavi to power its new iOS 6 Maps app in China. Apple is already confirmed to be using TomTom and various other sources for map data in the United States and elsewhere, and Bloomberg noted today that AutoNavi signed a joint venture with TomTom in China in 2010.

Report: Apple to host June 27 event in Hong Kong for iTunes Store launch in Asian region (9to5mac.com)

Former Apple employee discusses the App Store review process

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 8:23 am PT

There are many examples of flaws in Apple’s App Store review process. We know Apple is quick to reject apps that mimic the core functionality of iOS, such as Voice Answer, Find My Facebook Friends, or Airfoil, but those developers all made tweaks to their apps and were later accepted into the App Store. Perhaps a bigger problem is apps sneaking their way into the store as offensive or stolen content. We came across an example of each with two apps recently accepted into the App Store: Bulimia Duck (pictured above), which is a Yelp-like restaurant finder with an obviously offensive name, and Dragon Ball Z Jump, which is a hybrid of stolen IPs including Dragon Ball Z and popular iOS title Doodle Jump. These are just two examples of the type of apps making their way into the App Store every week.

Today, we get a bit of insight into what goes on behind the scenes during Apple’s review process. A former senior engineer at Apple, Mike Lee, talked to Business Insider about the app review team:

Expand
Expanding
Close

WSJ: Apple suppliers preparing to begin mass production of 7-inch iPad in September

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 7:30 am PT

Yesterday, Bloomberg reported Apple has a smaller iPad in the works approximately 7-inches to 8-inches in size that may be scheduled for an October unveiling. Today, a report from The Wall Street Journal backs the rumor by claiming Apple’s suppliers are now preparing for mass production of the device in September, which would make an October unveiling alongside the next-generation iPhone all the more likely if true:

Expand
Expanding
Close

UK Judge rules HTC phones don’t infringe on Apple’s slide-to-unlock patents

Jordan Kahn Jul 4 2012 - 6:40 am PT

Following a report on Monday that the ITC blocked Apple’s request for an emergency ban on United States imports of HTC devices, Bloomberg reported this morning that a court in London has ruled against Apple over four touchscreen-related patents—including one covering the iOS slide-to-unlock feature. The four patents in question will also be used in similar Apple and HTC lawsuit in Germany in the coming months.

HTC’s devices don’t infringe four Apple patents for touchscreen technology and three of those patents are invalid, Judge Christopher Floyd said today… While HTC was pleased with the ruling, “we remain disappointed that Apple continues to favor competition in the courtroom over competition in the marketplace,” spokeswoman Andrea Sommer said… In addition to the slide-to-unlock feature, today’s ruling covered Apple’s patents on tools used to scroll through photographs and change alphabets, and software allowing users to touch the screen in two spots simultaneously.

Chinese rumor roundup: Retina iMac coming in October, 7.85-inch iPad to use Sharp IGZO panel

Jordan Kahn Jul 3 2012 - 9:38 am PT

A few reports have floated around today that we are filing under rumor. The first comes from a Digitimes report that claimed Apple suppliers are prepping for mass production of a new Retina iMac scheduled for July with a possible October unveiling. We told you in May that Retina iMacs were likely on the way when higher-resolution iMac display panels were spotted in Apple’s supply chain before the unveiling of the new Retina MacBook Pro at WWDC in June. Apple quietly updated the Mac Pro lineup after the event, and then it confirmed a redesigned Mac Pro was in the works for 2013, but we have heard nothing official from Apple on future iMacs.

We heard a lot about a possible 7-inch or 7.85-inch iPad, and today there are more roughly translated reports, coming from Chinese publication MyDrivers.com (via UnwiredView), that claim Apple has a 7.85-inch iPad using a Sharp IGZO panel. There have been several reports in recent months claiming Apple is working on the device, and the The Wall Street Journal reported in February that Apple was testing displays roughly 8-inches in size. Apple looks to be at least testing these screen sizes, but we have no solid proof that anything is planned as of yet. Previous reports indicated a possible October launch for a 7-inch iPad under $250.
Expand
Expanding
Close

Finnish 90-day old iPhone combusts into smoke cloud on CCTV

Seth Weintraub Jul 2 2012 - 10:34 pm PT

According to a report this evening from Finnish pub SK24, a 17-year-old Finn named Henri Helminen was carrying his iPhone in his back pocket (stick with us here) when it spontaneously started smoking in a big way. We all know Lithium batteries can— if something is wrong— explode or behave like in the video. But, usually there has to be some major malfunction. An Australian man’s iPhone blew up recently, but it was traced to a poorly done third-party repair.

This is a little too close to Nokia’s headquarters for us to believe off the bat. We will continue to follow the story to see what has happened.

Video of the exploding iPhone below:

Expand
Expanding
Close

Apps and updates: Cabinet PDF Reader, Scoople, iAnnotate PDF, Kindle, dJay and Gemini for Mac, and more

Élyse Betters Jul 2 2012 - 2:34 pm PT

[slideshow]

A slew of popular iOS and Mac apps updated, launched, or went on-sale recently, and 9to5Mac gathered the most noteworthy ones in our usual round up below. Today’s crop includes the iOS Kindle app expanding its offering for children, iAnnotate PDF for iPad beefing sync options, dJay and Gemini for Mac slashing their price tags by half, Sparrow for Mac going Retina, and more.

Check them out:

Expand
Expanding
Close