iOS Devices

The Apple TV has gotten its first unofficial app: NitoTV. It’s a media player that does RSS feeds and weather too:

We’re hearing odd reports of sign-in and downloading issues which are probably due to first-time excitement.  Give the download a try
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Developer Joe Hewitt scored acres of anti-Apple coverage when he slammed the company for its closed iOS development environment — I wonder, then, just how much coverage his latest rant will achieve now Hewitt is slamming Google for claiming Android is “open”, when it isn’t really.

At the center of Hewitt’s argument is that Google’s Android code — which claims to be open in the same sense as Firefox or other open projects — isn’t really developed in the same way. That’s because Google keeps code development of the OS in house until it is ready to release it.

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No word on when you will be able to do this yourself, with one click that is, but at least we know it’s possible to jailbreak an Apple TV.

Via P0sixninja:

Credits go to @nitoTV, @dhowett, and @westbaer for the awesome AppleTV loader
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What’s interesting about the MacBook Air that is likely to be introduced tomorrow is that it is painfully overdue.  Not just milked by Apple longer than normal, but kept back artificially for some reason.  To put it into perspective, Apple’s “least bang for buck” high-end, low-power laptop will be exactly 500 days since its last update tomorrow.  Apple hasn’t ever let any other MacBook/Pro go even a year without an update of some kind.

So what’s up?

I think Apple had to hold the MacBook Air back for OS 10.7, Lion.  Some Lion features must be integral to the new MacBook Air (and maybe other new MacBooks?).  We know Lion was originally slated to be released earlier and has been in testing for over a year.

So what could these new features be?
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COMPUTERWORLD: Facebook and Android users should be warned that an open model to security places them at risk. In an age of identity theft, billing checks are no protection at all, so perhaps there’s something good to say about Apple’s so-called ‘walled garden’ after all…

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Move over Android and iPhone, here comes the new smartphone ‘choice’ — HP today is introducing webOS 2.0, which it is declaring to be the “next generation of mobile innovation”.

webOS 2.0 will take its first public bow on the Palm Pre 2 in France, the United States and Canada, which will be available Friday in France from SFR and is scheduled to be available in the coming months in the United States from Verizon Wireless and in Canada.

“With webOS 2.0, we’re advancing the innovations we introduced 16 months ago, expanding the features that make webOS great for consumers, enterprises and developers,” said ex Apple veep now senior VP and general manager, Palm Global Business Unit, HP, Jon Rubinstein.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiFc11OdSrg&w=670&h=401]

7digital has developed its own iPhone app and is engaged in “positive discussions” with Apple, and expects its app — which enables music purchase and playback — will be made available via the App Store.

The UK-based digital music firm introduced its app for Android devices last month. The app lets users:
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Apple boss Steve Jobs spent five minutes pointing out the fragmented nature of Android OS devices during last nights financial call, this morning Google’s Andy Rubin has fired back with his first Tweet.

Naturally, Rubin uses the Tweet to cast some deeply-coded hocus on Steve Jobs’ claims, using Lingo to make a claim that Android actually is “open”. In the sense that device makers can do what they like, that is.
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I’ve spent some time wondering about this — how Apple will integrate iOS within the Mac OS X experience — take a look here and here — now it looks like we’re going to find this out at tomorrow’s Apple event, with iOS scrolling, quick look and popovers all set to reach the Mac.

The integration isn’t finished yet. Mac OS X 10.7 simply borrows elements from iOS which can be translated into a Mac using paradigm. The interface gets an overhaul but remains Aqua-based.
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iPad shipments jumped to 4.19 million in Apple’s just-gone quarter, somewhat under some expectations of 5 million or more sales, but well in line with what you’d expect from a hit product that’s already being more widely purchased than any previous new consumwer electronics category. The good news is Apple could sell more, if only manufacturing could keep up…

iSuppli this morning raised its outlook for iPad sales this year to 13.8 million, up from July expectations of 12.9 million, citing indications of improved component supply.

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Yet more signs on the glorious march of the iPad as US emergency room doctors begin using the devices to order lab tests and medications; and other medical pros find other ways to deploy the Apple tablet.

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On one hand, Apple’s announcement that it had sold a quarter of a million AppleTVs in just 18 days seems like a solid number.  At that rate, a million in a little over two months (and 100M in revenue!).  Steve Jobs said he was very pleased with the sales.  But is it really that many?

A few stats to consider:

• There are three times as many TVs used on earth as mobile phones, close to 5 billion.
• Apple sells 275-300,000 iOS devices a day.  Those now include AppleTVs.  Over the three week launch period, less than 5% of iOS devices sold were AppleTVs (btw, that’s up 45,000 devices a day since new iPod/AppleTV announcement)
• AppleTV, even though it has the biggest screen, is by far the cheapest iOS device at only $99.  It costs 1/5th the iPad and significantly less than half of the iPod touch.

All we’re saying is there is a lot more room for growth.  When people see what they can do with Airplay, things should pick up.
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During Apple’s 4th quarter conference call, Steve Jobs stepped in to field some questions and make a few points. His biggest? 7-inch tablets are “useless” and “dead on arrival” no doubt referring to the hundreds of Android tablets in the pipeline and specifically the Samsung Galaxy Tab which is slated to be released on all four US carriers next month.

Jobs said that the 7- inch size actually has half the surface area as an iPad and users won’t enjoy the experience in the same way.  It will also run Android.

Whatever the case, Apple clearly isn’t building a seven inch iPad, at least not in the near future.
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Wow, the commentary didn’t do it justice.  Jobs really took aim at Android during today’s conference call but the most impressive bits were the numbers: Apple has been activating 275,000 iOS devices/day and up to 300,000/on some days.  Google still hasn’t announced anything beyond 200,000.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUQVIqjkzD4&w=640&h=390]
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Woz’s wrist says it all. Thanks, Thomas.

Boy Genius Report claims that Apple’s CDMA/Verizon iPhone has just hit “AP” status which means the device is currently being field tested and is rocking final hardware. This is the final step before the final software gets loaded on the device and this is the step right before retail.

For comparison, this is the stage after the stage of Gizmodo’s iPhone 4 prototype. So, we’re clearly pretty close to that Verizon iPhone if BGR’s sources know what they’re talking about – they usually do. One important feature of this CDMA iPhone is a SIM card slot. BGR speculates that this Verizon iPhone will be the CDMA/GSM model. Or, the SIM card could be for international users.

BGR also states, that this iPhone 3,2 may not even be the CDMA iPhone, but just an improved iPhone 4 without the antenna issues. – This would be a major party buster though.

Boy Genius Report also claims that Apple’s 5th-generation iPhone is in EVT-mode and this is the development stage directly prior to the stage Gizmodo’s leak was in. This means Apple is currently testing the engineering aspects of the device and is almost ready to being testing final hardware. BGR does not discuss any features of Apple’s next-gen device.

The image above is not the Verizon or 5th-gen iPhone.

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As previously reported, Qantas Airways has been testing iPads as entertainment consoles on some flights since June — now the airline plans to deploy Apple’s tablets across its Jetstar flights.
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Apple is developing iAds for video, developing a new product that will deliver in-stream ads to videos shown on the iPhone, iPad and (presumably) the Apple TV.

These ads will appear both within apps, and on mobile websites. A report tells us Apple’s new ads network is expected to launch in the first half of next year, and it does seem to dovetail nicely with development of ways publishers of popular video on Apple’s networks could make some money for their work.
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We’re seeing another piece of documentation with a landscape dock connector, at least according to the latest patent filings, this time emerging from Europe.

These latest patents, submitted to the European Trademarks and Designs Registration Office, show another landscape 30 pin dock connecter, with both Jony Ive and Steve Jobs named on said patent.  And of course there is that questionable hole at the top which could indicate a camera or just an ambient light detector that exists on the current design.
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Greenposi0n for Windows and Linux came out a few days ago, and now the Mac version is available for download too. Get going! At your own risk, of course.

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