Apple

6,140 'Apple News' stories November 2008 - June 2012

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

Former iAd exec Lars Albright on why his new company beats Apple’s ad platform

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 6:44 am PT

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There were reports last year that Apple’s former Director of Publisher Partnerships at iAd—and co-founder of Quattro Wireless (which Apple acquired in 2009 for $275 million)—was leaving to start a new reward-based ad company called “SessionM.” Lars Albright is one of many iAd execs that recently left the company. Former Vice President of Mobile Advertising Andy Miller departed last year, while Senior Manager Mike Owe left just this month for a new role at AdColony. In case you were wondering about Albright’s motivation for leaving Apple to work with other ad companies, he talked to BusinessInsider today about why SessionM will have the upper hand on iAd:

But Albright demurs. “We’re incremental to iAd or Millennial Media. We’re not replacing banners.” Rather, he argues, SessionM’s reward ads reach a consumer when they’re already engaged in an app, and the action is taking a natural break (such as a reload between levels).

That, he says, solves the main problem with mobile display banners of the type served in the iAd environment: While the branded content that iAds trigger may be incredibly rich, they’re limited by the small, unappealing size of the initial iAd banner that users must click to generate them.

“The limitation is the entry-point,” Albright says of the medium he pioneered. “It’s not going to provide engagement, it’s not going to provide rewards.”

Five years after launch: Apple sold 250M iPhones, accounting for $150B in revenue

Jordan Kahn Jun 27 2012 - 6:00 am PT

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According to a report from research firm Strategy Analytics, covering its Global Handset Shipments Forecast for Q2 2012, the company provided insight about the number of iPhones Apple has sold since the device’s launch five years ago on June 29, 2007. The report estimated that Apple sold 250 million iPhones, which accounts for $150 billion in revenue:

“The iPhone portfolio has become a huge generator of cash and profit for Apple. A quarter of a billion iPhones have been shipped cumulatively worldwide in the first five years since launch and Apple reaches its fifth birthday at the top of its game. However, there are emerging signs that the iPhone’s next five years could get tougher. Some mobile operators are becoming concerned about the high level of subsidies they spend on the iPhone, while Samsung is expanding its popular Galaxy portfolio and providing Apple with more credible competition.”

At its Q2 earnings report, Apple announced it sold 35.1 million iPhones during the last quarter, with 365 million iOS device sales to date.

(via The Globe and Mail)

Apple adds Avenir typeface to iOS 6 in Maps

Élyse Betters Jun 26 2012 - 12:55 pm PT

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[tweet https://twitter.com/NathanBowers/status/212803875114201088]

Apple seems to now feature the Avenir typeface in iOS 6.

An interesting Reddit discussion popped up about the discovery of the font in both Maps and Siri, check it out:

I’m a big fan of the new typeface in iOS 6 maps

Avenir is completely new to iOS, because it does not appear in Apple’s font list for earlier versions of the mobile operating system. According to Fonts.com, designer Adrian Frutiger first released the sans-serif typeface nearly 25 years ago.

What do you think of the typography choice?

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Apple’s rumored iOS device inductive charging solution gets pictured in patents

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2012 - 12:46 pm PT

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Another batch of newly granted Apple patents were published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and then detailed by Patently Apple. Perhaps the most notable is one for an inductive charging solution that we have heard about in the past. Apple patents surfaced last year showing new methods of inductive charging that could be used in various Apple devices. There were even rumors last year that a next-gen iPhone could sport a similar cable-free charging solution. Patently Apple described the docking station invention covered in today’s patent that would include an “eradiating antenna and an inductive charging circuit for inductively charging a handheld device”:

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Apple to launch iTunes Store in 7 Asian regions (Update: Apple confirms 12 new countries)

Élyse Betters Jun 26 2012 - 12:15 pm PT

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Update: Apple confirmed with an official press release (below) the store is launching in not only seven, but twelve new countries including: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

A new rumor claims Apple will host an event tomorrow for the launch of iTunes Store content in seven Asian regions.

e27 just published a report, which cited a “trusted source in the industry,” about Apple planning to host a launch event in Hong Kong for iTunes Store video content going live in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. While the current location is not confirmed, it is “close to the airport,” and the publication previously noted Apple invited Asian music label reps to Hong Kong for an unspecified June 27 launch event. Another report from Philippine-based blog Mister JonJon claimed access to movies, music, books, and movie rentals has already gone live for some.

According to MacRumors:

A review of the localized iTunes Stores for the various countries reveals that movie listings have already gone live, and the navigation bars also contain listings for music, although the are not yet functional. TV shows are not listed as an option in the navigation bar, so it appears that they may not be included in the launch.

Movies and music in Apple’s iTunes Store are available in over 50 countries, with the most recent addition including Latin American countries in December, while App Store apps expanded just last week to 32 new territories.

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Apple planning $1B investment for new data center in Reno, Nevada

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2012 - 11:52 am PT

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It looks like Apple may actually use Reno Nevada for something more than a Tax haven.

According to several local reports, Apple is currently considering building a new data center in Nevada. KRNV & MyNews4.com reported today that Apple representatives attended a Washoe County Commission meeting to discuss plans to invest $1 billion over 10 years and build a new data center at the Reno Technology Park:

News 4’s Ben Briscoe is at the Washoe County Commission meeting, where Officials from Apple are speaking to commissioners… Mary-Sarah Kinner, the Press Secretary for the Governor’s Office confirms to News 4 the Governor’s Office of Economic Development is involved in the deal to bring Apple to Northern Nevada.

The report claimed Apple said it plans to begin construction in August and hopes to finish by the end of 2012. Although the Governor’s Office apparently estimated the project would result in over 300 jobs and 500 construction jobs, the Washoe County School Board and the Reno City Council still have to sign off on the deal. Mynews4.com reported the City of Reno is expected to make a decision at tomorrow’s council meeting. Apple already operates its own data centers in Maiden, N.C., and it recently announced plans to expand at the location and on 160 acres of land it purchased in Prineville, Ore.

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San Diego Unified School District purchases $10M worth of iPads for students

Jordan Kahn Jun 26 2012 - 8:37 am PT

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTZ_G7PpLI&feature=youtu.be]

According to several local media reports, including the one above from ABC 10News, the San Diego Unified School District recently purchased almost 26,000 iPads at a cost of over $10 million. The order, which will put iPads in approximately 340 classrooms for around $370 each ($30 off retail per unit), is the largest iPad rollout for a K-12 school district, and it will benefit children from fifth-grade to high school. SD Unified will also buy support and app packages, which likely explains the $15 million purchase reported by news outlets. 10News said some have questioned the district’s decision:

Some have questioned SD Unified’s purchase of $15 million worth of iPads for 340 classrooms. One 10News Facebook fan wrote: “I’m so confused. I thought we couldn’t afford to even pay the teachers, how can they afford 26,000 iPads???… 10News learned the district is paying for the iPads through Proposition S funding. The measure, passed in 2008 by 69 percent of the vote, specifically sets aside money for “up-to-date classroom technology.”

Here’s Ashton Kutcher playing Steve Jobs on Acid [Photos]

Élyse Betters Jun 26 2012 - 8:13 am PT

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French website Premiere (via DailyMail) just posted a few pictures of Ashton Kutcher acting like Steve Jobs under the influence of LSD during a scene shoot for the upcoming biopic on the late Apple co-founder.

The actor appears delirious and euphoric with his arms outstretched while in the grassy California field. Jobs confessed on many occasions that the effects of LSD inspired him and served as one of the “most important experiences” of his life.

Here is a clip from “Pirates of Silicon Valley,” where Noah Wyle also portrays Jobs high on Acid:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EIu21QPQMc&feature=player_embedded#]

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Brightcove’s App Cloud eyes dual-screen apps for Apple TV [Video]

Élyse Betters Jun 26 2012 - 7:25 am PT

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[brightcove vid=1702770931001&exp3=1167390947001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=1160438696001&pk=AQ~~,AAABDi-JSEE~,gimkI1WDEZt9UUqw6AtrLdMF6jk1qhL5&w=580&h=370]

Brightcove announced today that it is moving at full steam to help developers create dual-screen television apps for Apple TV using its HTML app platform.

Chief Executive Jeremy Allaire is quite outspoken about Apple’s elusive television set (which jibes with our take), but aside from sounding off about the rumored product not being an actual HDTV, he showcased how streaming high-definition content from an iOS device through Apple TV is an ideal range of interactivity for app developers to tackle.

Brightcove launched its cloud-based App Cloud platform for painlessly building mobile apps just over a year ago, but now the company is making available a free version equipped with an open source SDK and a toolkit for the dual-screen applications market.

According to TechCrunch:

It’s more or less a freemium model for app building. With App Cloud Core you can build and release as many apps as you want. But if you want features like real-time analytics, push notifications, and native ads, you can upgrade to App Cloud Pro for $99 a month. And for those who need an even more robust feature set, there’s an enterprise version for high-volume apps with custom pricing plans based upon usage.

In addition to open sourcing App Cloud, it’s also pushing one particular feature set, which could change the way we watch TV. Its App Cloud Dual-Screen Solution for Apple TV uses a set of APIs that will allow tablet and mobile users to have a truly integrated second screen experience. By leveraging Apple’s AirPlay technology, App Cloud users can create applications that use the mobile device as the search and navigation, while the Apple TV plays back video.

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Smug Alert: Orbitz shows Mac users higher priced hotels by default

Jake Smith Jun 25 2012 - 10:05 pm PT

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The Wall Street Journal reported that travel-recommendation website Orbitz discovered that those of us who own a Mac are spending as much as $20 to $30 more a night on hotel rooms than PC users on average. That is a whopping 30 percent difference, and the smart folks over at Orbitz are looking to take advantage by changing what listings they show Mac users.

According to the WSJ, Orbitz has a new platform that tracks its visitors habits to recommend a room to match their spending habits, which can be oh-so expensive for those who own a Mac. The company is currently experimenting with a platform that shows hotel rooms matching a Mac user’s spending taste a little better, but Orbitz executives stressed that it is not showing the same room to different people for a different price. For example, the WSJ found listings for a Baton Rouge hotel room were 13 percent more expensive on a search from a Mac compared to a PC. In essence, Mac users are shown the nicer rooms.

(Update: UK retailler Tescos is taking it one step further)

In a Forrester research note released last October, the firm noted that Mac users are falling into the “power laptop user” range, or people who work 45 hours a week on average and have a solid 44 percent more income. They put it: “Most of the Macs today are being freewheeled into the office by executives, top sales reps, and other workaholics.” I certainly think that stands true, because owning an Apple product is an expensive investment. The lowest priced Mac laptop costs $999, which certainly is not cheap and not something everyone can buy. Despite the high price, you are buying a quality product.

To be clear, Orbitz is not putting an “Apple Tax” on the price of hotels. It is just defaulting the higher-end stuff to Mac users, because Orbitz believes Mac users are more likely to choose higher-end hotels.

It is a risky strategy and may put some people off, however. Moreover, as Mac users, it is very easy to get smug about something like this. But does it make good business sense?

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Iran’s Apple product vendors say iOS devices flourish in capital despite US sanction

Élyse Betters Jun 25 2012 - 7:02 pm PT

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Apple product vendors in Iran are laughing at reports from last week about U.S. Apple Store employees refusing sales to Farsi-speaking customers.

According to a weekend story from the Agence France-Presse (via MSN News), iPhones and iPads are widespread throughout Iran’s capital:

One salesman who gave only his first name, Hossein, told AFP that he had sold 40 iPhones the day before, and explained that prices for Apple items in Iran were only around $50-$60 more than in the United States.

Hossein explained it is easy for traders to workaround the export restriction. He said Apple’s highly coveted products are smuggled into Iran through Iraq. He also noted practically everyone in Tehran owns an iOS device, while other salesclerks claimed several shops are “dressed up to look like official Apple Stores.”

Despite the vendors’ jibes, and their claims about Iran’s unwavering access to the Cupertino goods, many questioned Apple’s treatment of Farsi-speaking U.S. customers, which bordered on racial profiling. An Apple Store in Georgia apparently refused to sell iOS devices to an Alpharetta woman and her uncle, because they spoke Farsi, a Persian-Iranian language, to each other. Another customer, Zack Jafarzadeh, apparently received the same treatment at a different Apple Store in Atlanta when he accompanied a fluent friend to buy an iPhone.

Sabet and Jafarzadeh asserted that the Apple Stores racially profiled Iranians and discriminated against them. They further said Apple’s policy is both confusing and inconsistent.

A representative for the U.S. State Department clarified there was no policy or law that prohibits Apple from selling products in the U.S. to anybody intending to use them stateside, including customers of Iranian descent or citizenship, but customers do need a license to take the “high-technology goods” to Iran.

Apparently, though, at least to a few vendors in Iran, that license is a joke.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBDFILJ8tkM&feature=player_embedded]

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Google attempts to block US iPhone & iPad shipments over 3G patents

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 2:22 pm PT

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[tweet https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/217362407469748224]

Update: A report from Bloomberg Businessweek confirmed with some clarification. As we reported in April, the ITC will have to review Judge Pender’s previous ruling that Apple infringed on one Motorola patent related to industry standard 3G and wireless technologies. The date for that hearing is now scheduled for August 24 and could result on a block of iOS devices from Asia to the United States:

The U.S. International Trade Commission said it will review ITC Judge Thomas Pender’s findings that Apple was violating one of four Motorola Mobility patents. The commission is scheduled to issue a final decision on Aug. 24, and has the power to block devices made in Asia from entering the U.S.

According to several tweets from financial analyst @zerohedge, Google is apparently attempting to block shipments of the iPhone and iPad in the U.S. related to 3G patents. We do not have any more information at the moment, but we will keep you updated as the story unfolds…

[tweet https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/217362478374457345]

CNBC reported a Reuters story of the same nature.

[tweet https://twitter.com/CNBC/status/217364425290686464]

(Developing)
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Apps & updates: Instagram 2.5, Facebook Messenger & Pages Manager, free McGraw-Hill apps, more

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 12:34 pm PT

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Today’s apps and updates news kicks off with four free apps from publisher McGraw-Hill, which was one of Apple’s partners for the iBooks textbooks launch in January, as well as big updates to popular apps such as Instagram, Facebook Messager, Facebook Pages Manager, and Words With Friends HD. McGraw-Hill Education is attending the International Society for Technology in Education conference this week, and it is offering some of its best-selling apps free. Starting today until June 27, you can grab the following textbooks free:

American History Time Line

Words to Learn By

Fusion Reading The Vocabulary Process

Sail Through Math

Instagram version 2.5.0: One of the most notable apps to receive an update today is Facebook’s Instagram with version 2.5 bringing a number of noteworthy features listed below:

– Revamped profile tab
– Search for users and tags in the Explore tab
– Improvements to commenting
– User search autocompletes based on people you follow
– Visual improvements
– Speed optimizations
– Optionally share likes to Facebook (enable in your Profile > Sharing Settings > Facebook)

Facebook Messenger version 1.8: The Facebook Messenger iOS app received a decent update today that includes the following features in addition to “More-reliable push notifications” and “Faster app loading, navigating and sending”:

– Quickly switch between multiple conversations with in-app notifications
– Include friends of friends in conversations
– Swipe to delete individual messages from conversations
– See who’s available when you start a new conversation
– Share bigger photos, tap for full screen and pinch to zoom

Facebook Pages Manager version 1.1: Facebook also updated its Pages manager app with the features listed below as well as the usual bug fixes and performance updates:

• View and reply to messages
• Adjust how often you receive notifications about Pages activity
• See answers to questions and guest lists for events created on your Pages
• Insights added for checkins

CNN App for iPad version 1.6: The CNN iPad app, like many others after the launch of the third-gen iPad, has been updated with enhanced imagery to support the device’s Retina display.

Groupon version 1.6.6: Groupon was updated today with a number of welcomed features, including: the ability to make appointments with Groupon Scheduler for iPhone users, support for users in Chile, and various tweaks and “beautification efforts” to the app’s UX.

Words With Friends HD version 5.0: One of Zynga’s most popular titles was updated today to version 5.0, which mostly brings a number of enhancements for iPad users:

-Interface enhancements will make all those “wanted” posters look out of date!

*Words is “strapped” with a new side menu!

*Surveillance is key! Turn the iPad and enjoy our new landscape mode!

*Words iPad now supports Retina display, so you can analyze every last detail of the scene.

-All this crime has made us more concerned about security!

-Enhanced app security!

-Bug fixes and optimizations!

Gmail version 1.2.7812: We already told you all about today’s update to the Gmail iOS app that brought Notification Center support, alternate sender addresses, and persistent logins. You get can all the information here.

Apps & updates: Hulu Plus, Time Warner Cable, Men In Black 3, Fox Business, more (9to5mac.com)

iOS 6 Beta 2 roundup: Here’s what’s new

Mike Beasley Jun 25 2012 - 12:00 pm PT

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Earlier today, Apple released a new iOS 6 beta to developers, introducing the usual “bug fixes and improvements”. Below is a list of all the new buttons and changes we’ve found so far. If you happen to spot any more, send them our way at tips@9to5mac.com.

The first thing you’ll see when installing beta 2 is actually a change that was technically made in beta 1: when installing an OTA update, the cogs in the Settings icon on the Software Update page spin (not the ones on the actual home screen, though).

Check out even more changes after the break.
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Gmail iOS app updated with support for Notification Center, ‘Send-as’ option, and persistent logins

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 10:27 am PT

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Google just updated the Gmail iOS app with a number of new features. Perhaps the most notable is that Notification Center support provides users with banners, alerts, and lock screen notification options that are manageable from settings. Google also noted on the Official Gmail Blog that notifications in the updated app are “up to 5x faster than in the previous version.”

Another new feature is a “From:” option when composing a new message. It allows you to switch between sender addresses under Settings->Accounts->Send mail as from Gmail on the desktop. Finally, Google explained the improved “persistent logins” would allow you to stay logged in as long as you want:

“we’ve improved the login process to allow you to stay logged into the app for as long as you’d like. You can still choose to sign out of your account, but you won’t be automatically logged out after a certain period of time has elapsed.”

What’s New in Version 1.2.7812

– Notification Center support. Banners, alerts and lock screen notification options.
– “Send-as”. Alternate sender support, if configured within Gmail.
– Persistent login. Sessions no longer expire.

Google doesn’t plan to leave iOS Maps users without a fight (9to5google.com)
After getting booted from Maps.app, Google is plotting their own amazing iOS Maps experience (9to5mac.com)
Facebook working on ‘major update’ to its SDK for iOS, acquires Face.com (9to5mac.com)

Apple pushes iOS 6.0 Beta 2 OTA update to developers (Update: Video of spinning gears and changelog)

9to5 Staff Jun 25 2012 - 10:10 am PT

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Not available yet on Apple’s Dev site, developers are pinging us that a 299MB -iPhone4S/322MB iPhone 4 update is available for iOS 6 via OTA update.

“WOW, when you Download and Install 6.0 Beta 2 OTA, the Settings Icon Animates!”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuaDOtjil30]

Apple also updated Xcode 4.5 developer preview 2, Apple TV beta 2 as well.

We will look for interesting changes, but do not be shy at tipping us (tips@9to5mac.com) if y’all find anything interesting.

Update: the OTA got a much more official looking screengrab, and the changelog has been posted to Dev center (below):

[tweet https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/217312366608646146]

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Apple softens its language on Virus susceptibility in wake of Flashback trojan

Jordan Kahn Jun 25 2012 - 9:13 am PT

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After Apple released a patch to a Java vulnerability that lead to the infection of roughly 600,000 Macs with the Flashback Trojan earlier this year, there were claims weeks later from security researchers that hundreds of thousands of Macs were still infected. Kaspersky’s CEO claimed Apple is “now entering the same world as Microsoft has been in for more than 10 years.” Now, as noted by PCWorld, Apple appears to be publicly changing its longstanding stance that “it doesn’t get PC viruses.” The statement on Apple’s “Why you’ll love a Mac” website now reads: “It’s built to be safe” (as you can see in the comparison screenshots above).

Another statement on the website switched from “Safeguard your data. By doing nothing” to “It’s built to be safe.” Following the Flashback incident, Kaspersky claimed in April that Apple is “ten years behind Microsoft in terms of security,” and he “expects to see more and more” malware on Macs.

Cyber criminals have now recognised that Mac is an interesting area. Now we have more, it’s not just Flashback or Flashfake. Welcome to Microsoft’s world, Mac. It’s full of malware….Apple is now entering the same world as Microsoft has been in for more than 10 years: updates, security patches and so on,” he added. “We now expect to see more and more because cyber criminals learn from success and this was the first successful one…. They will understand very soon that they have the same problems Microsoft had ten or 12 years ago”

Kaspersky: Apple is ten years behind Microsoft on security (9to5mac.com)
Kaspersky analyzing Mac OS X security at Apple’s request (9to5mac.com)
Kaspersky: 30,000 Mac users left infected with Flashback, more Mac malware on the way (9to5mac.com)

New iPhone prototypes have NFC chips and antenna

Seth Weintraub Jun 25 2012 - 3:00 am PT

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We have previously been able to pull data from PreEVT iPhone 5,1 and iPhone 5,2 prototypes codenamed “N41AP (5,1)” and “N42AP (5,2)”, which lead us to believe that the new iPhone will have a bigger 1,136-by-640 display. We also detailed a lot of the hardware (here), but we forgot one very important bit of information. Further investigation into this hardware code dump leads us to believe that these iPhones also have Near Field Communication controllers directly connected to the Power Management Unit.

The implications are obviously monstrous. With the recently announced PassBook application (which we detailed prior to its announcement while speculating about an NFC tie-in), Apple will be set to compete with Google Wallet and Microsoft’s similar service that unveiled last week. Apple could tie in with a payment processor like Citibank’s PayPass system for credit card transactions—or it could become a payment processor of sorts with its hundreds of millions of credit cards already on file at iTunes.

NFC would also allow iPhone users a quick and easy way to share files from one iOS device to another.

Jim Peters, CTO of SITA, agrees that NFC is coming to iPhone and retailers should prepare…

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Report: Apple developer kit shows iPhone Maps app with Yelp check-ins

Élyse Betters Jun 25 2012 - 1:42 am PT

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Scott Forstall showed Yelp on Apple’s new Maps app during the opening keynote at the Worldwide Developers Conference last week, but he neglected to mention Yelp check-ins

Those using iOS 6 probably noticed this feature in the Maps app when clicking a location.

According to Bloomberg, the Apple developer kit, which the Cupertino, Calif.-based Company distributed to software developers earlier this month, visually depicts how the upcoming Apple Maps essentially lets users alert friends of their location through Yelp without leaving maps or launching a new app.

Bloomberg added:

Mobile check-ins use the GPS capability in smartphones to let users share what local businesses or events they’re visiting. The feature can show how many other people have checked in at a location, whether those individuals are friends, and can publish users’ whereabouts through social-networking services such as those operated by Facebook and Twitter Inc.

Yelp is ramping efforts to attract local advertising, which made up 70 percent of revenue in 2011. Check-ins are used by 18 percent of adult smartphone owners, the Pew Research Center found earlier this year.

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RIM to be split into handset and services, sold off piecemeal?

Seth Weintraub Jun 24 2012 - 10:53 am PT

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TheVerge reads behind the Sunday Times’ firewall:

The Sunday Times reports today that RIM is considering a plan to split its handset division and messaging network into two separate companies, and will sell off the struggling BlackBerry hardware business. The British paper doesn’t cite any sources in the report, but it says that Facebook and Amazon are both “potential buyers.” As part of this plan, RIM could keep its enterprise-friendly messaging and data network (including BBM and BIS) in-house and license them out.

BBM and BES only run on Blackberry now, and that platform will have a market share heading toward zero by the time RIM gets all of this organizational structure sorted. So keeping that a separate business makes little sense.

The other option is selling out piecemeal to Microsoft for parts and people. I imagine that by then, the price of RIM will get so low, even Apple and Google would be interested in picking up the parts (patents, people, and tech). Microsoft is probably already lining up some cash to buy the remnants of Nokia as well, so it is less likely to pick up RIM (although it made several attempts to pick up RIM in the past).

Moreover, RIM’s QNX/Blackberry 10 might have some value for companies like Dell, HP (which recently fumbled WebOS), Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, or ASUS due to Microsoft now building its own tablets and scaring OEMs.

That split could also see Cisco or Oracle taking the backend stuff.

Any way you look at it, on the fifth anniversary of iPhone, Blackberry —as we knew it— is almost over.

iTuneUp Bundle for iTunes: $30, Toast 11: $50, Voila Screencapture tool: $15

9to5 Staff Jun 23 2012 - 12:01 am PT

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From 9to5Toys.com:

StackSocial offers the $30 TuneUp Bundle which offers to “Cleanup your iTunes Music Collection. Automagically.” The TuneUp Bundle (Lifetime License) includes:

• Clean — Accurately fixes mislabeled or missing song information (like “Track 01” or “Unknown Artist”) using cutting-edge waveform recognition

• Cover Art — Scans your entire music collection in seconds and automagically™ fills in missing album artwork

• DeDuper— Intelligently finds and removes duplicate music files from your music library using waveform recognition

• Tuniverse — Delivers music videos, artist bios, concert alerts, social network integration and more

(Stacksocial also offers Toast 11 for $50 and Voila screencapture tool for $15)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0IHUnmDfmQ]

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Facebook recruits Apple’s UI Design Manager

Jordan Kahn Jun 22 2012 - 9:10 am PT

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As noted by InsideFacebook, Facebook recently picked up former Apple employee Chris Weeldreyer as its new product design manager. Weeldreyer previously worked as the UI Design Manager at Apple for over eight years since joining the company in November 2003. According to his Facebook page, he officially started his new role at Facebook on June 18, 2012.

In May, the New York Times reported Facebook “has already hired more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone” and tied it the old Facebook phone rumor.

As for Weeldryer’s work at Apple, he certainly worked on at least iWeb. He is listed as an inventor on several Apple Inc.-filed patents including iWeb for iPad, multi-touch and gesture-related inventions, as well as a number of security related patents. Weeldryer’s LinkedIn lists his specialties as: industrial design, interaction design, user interface design.

TIME cover story asks ‘How long will China allow Apple to profit so handsomely on its shores?’

Jordan Kahn Jun 21 2012 - 10:08 am PT

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As you can see from the image above, TIME magazine’s cover story that hits newsstands tomorrow for both the U.S. and international editions is titled, “Made in China: Why Apple’s future depends on the world’s biggest market”. While noting increasing iPhone sales in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong greatly contributed to Apple’s record earnings of $39.2 billion and ($7.9 billion for Greater China) reported in April, TIME’s Hannah Beech questions, “How much longer will an increasingly nationalistic government allow foreign companies like Apple to profit so handsomely on its shores?” The full story titled “The Cult of Apple in China” is available to TIME subscribers here. An excerpt is below:

The vast majority of Chinese aren’t up in arms about labor conditions at Apple’s supplier factories. A cluster of suicides by Foxconn workers a couple of years ago elicited much more coverage in the West than in China…. Yet Foxconn keeps signing on new workers, even though many other companies complain of labor shortages as Chinese youth increasingly eschew factory work. (Apple runs educational programs for workers in supplier factories.)… Even after all the criticism of Foxconn—the suicides, the industrial accidents, the punishing hours—young Chinese still want a job making Apple devices…

…Apple’s relationship with the People’s Republic embodies some of the global economy’s brightest opportunities but also its thorniest dilemmas. An American tech giant must decide how much to adapt its practices in a faraway land. Should Apple represent the best of the West in the Middle Kingdom, or must it conform to the less salubrious way China Inc. operates? From China’s side, how much longer will an increasingly nationalistic government allow foreign companies like Apple to profit so handsomely on its shores? Caught in the middle are 1.3 billion Chinese whose toil in factories and taste for luxury products will dictate the future of the world’s marketplace.

Arizona’s iStores close up shop as another Apple reseller bites the dust

9to5 Staff Jun 20 2012 - 4:07 pm PT

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Liquidation sale

Apple Stores are an unmitigated success. Unfortunately, that is bad news for those who sold Apple products before the stores came along. Yet another Apple retailer is closing this month, as Arizona’s iStore Owner Steve Walker told patrons on its website.

Walker cites an unfair playing field provided by Apple:

“We had a lot of fun over the years working so closely with the Apple product and loyal Apple product users. Unfortunately, since the introduction of the Apple Corporate Stores in 2001, dealers have continually struggled with fair inventory allocation by Apple along with a horribly uneven playing field in relation to the independent’s ability to service our customers in the same way the Apple Stores are able to provide service. As an example, Apple will swap iPhones, iPads, iPods and oftentimes Macs that are not functioning properly, but do not provide the ability for Independent’s to offer the same level of service. These problems existed even though iStore has consistently met all metrics as measured by Apple to be a distinguished and high-performing Apple Specialist and AppleCare Premium Service Provider. For these reasons and others, I have made the tough choice to close our stores.

The note on the website is pasted below:

To Our Many Valued Customers and Friends,

We have enjoyed assisting you with all your Apple needs over the past 17 years here in Arizona. I feel blessed to have been able to provide for my family while being entangled in all the cool Apple products. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented Apple people around – those who have helped you with everything from your complex issues to your simple problems or helped you figure out exactly which Mac, iPod or iPad was right for you.

With the gradual opening of what is now 5 corporate Apple Stores here in the Phoenix area and corresponding changes at Apple with their reseller relations, Apple has made it nearly impossible to sustain profitability while providing great customer service. As many of you have experienced (most recently with the 3rd Gen iPad), Apple consistently withholds product from their independent dealers while providing abundantly to their own corporate Apple Stores. For this reason and many others that would take too long to enumerate and, quite frankly, you probably don’t care about, we have chosen to permanently close our stores.

As is the case with all businesses, we have made our fair share of mistakes. We could have done better at many things. If you were ever caught in the crossfire of those situations, I hope you were made whole by us (except the crazy ones like that guy that expected us to give him a refund for a product he purchased at our competitor’s store).

I thank you for your kindness, tolerance, patience, humanity, business and friendship over the years.

Sincerely,

Steve Walker

President

iStore

The question is: Should Apple have some compassion for retailers that have been with Apple for decades? Or is this just part of business?

Apple

Apple News and Brief History

(Update: UK retailler Tescos is taking it one step further)

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