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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More details are coming in this morning regarding Apple’s next MacBook Air that is set to officially debut at Apple’s October 20th ‘Back to Mac’ event. First Engadget posted an image of a next-generation prototype MacBook Air. The most interesting thing about this prototype is that it’s a 13 incher. For a while now reports have claimed the next MacBook Air would feature an 11.6-inch display. The measurments below seem to indicate that it might even be smaller than that. DO NOT SAY NETBOOK!
Yesterday, CNET, claimed they are certain the device would be 11.6 inches which makes us all wonder why Engadget’s prototype is 13 inches. Well, some measurements taken of the Engadget device seem to indicate that the screen might not be 13.3 inches diagonally. It might not even be 11.6 inches.
You can also see that the SSD controller up there is made by Toshiba and that port next to the MagSafe is as yet unidentifiable. Perhaps we are looking at Apple’s first USB3 port? OR a SIM Card Slot for 3G? Which would you be more excited about?
On that Toshiba Drive controller: The Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD controller is a 43nm part, with a maximum rated read speed of 230MBps and write-to performance peaking at 180MBps.
Update: Here’s another rendering with a different set of maths:
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mark Zuckerberg visited Jobs’ house two weeks ago to discuss Ping over dinner. Apple and Facebook have been at it since Facebook dropped their integration into Apple’s Ping at the early-September launch. Since then, Apple has apparently been trying to reach a deal with Facebook to bring back the slick Facebook integration originally built into Apple’s music-based social network.
They are two of Silicon Valley’s most famous founders: Jobs created the world’s must-have gadgets, Zuckerberg the world’s most popular social networking service. These days they are often mentioned in the same breath. Now apparently the two also recently broke bread.
Apparently Jobs invited Zuckerberg for dinner at his house to talk about Ping two weeks ago. That’s when a tipster spotted them on a stroll in Palo Alto.
Yeah, you read that right; Jobs and Zuckerberg went on a little nice stroll together. Oh, and Marky-Mark is still richer.
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CNET has what it says are confirmed details on the new MacBook Air to be released next week:
The exact final price isn’t known right now, but it will be “significantly lower” than the current $1,499 starting price, said a source familiar with the event’s agenda.
They are also saying the processor/chipset will be the same as the current MacBook Pro’s Core 2 Duo/Nvidia MCP89. The new Air will undoubtedly use Solid State storage.
Update: AppleInsider is touting “new model could weigh as little as 2.7lbs, sport a unibody enclosure that makes some use of carbon fiber, and possibly include the first CPU microprocessors from AMD to find their way inside a Mac”
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Got 50 minutes? You’ll enjoy this.
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COMPUTERWORLD: Apple’s design philosophy sets the standard for product design across all industries. The integrity of its approach emanates from company co-founder, Steve Jobs. That focus on the user experience is critical at every level of the company’s offering, and constitutes the Apple advantage in a sea of Android.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAllFWSl998&fs=1&hl=en_GB]
We know, we know, it’s Friday and other than huge excitement at what’s coming from Apple on October 20 (glimpse at new OS, iLife, iWork and new MacBook Air, we reckon), but where’s your Friday afternoon video fun?
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Autodesk today returned to the Mac with the release of industry-standard AutoCAD. There’s even a 30-day free trial of this most important of 3D CAD software for designers, and its return to the Mac really is a big deal — it has been absent from the platform for 18 years. That’s a generation of Architects that haven’t used the software.
One of the most widely used applications for professional design and engineering, the Mac version brings all AutoCADs features and functionality to Mac-using designers. For PC users, the Mac version works in a similar enough way to the PC that it is easy to move between platforms.
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Apple’s plans to offer the iPad for sale in Taiwan have hit a hurdle — the device doesn’t currently support the complex Chinese writing system used in the country.
Taiwanese government official, Chin-hsien Lo admits the problem exists, and the lack of language support means the iPad won’t go on sale until the device is capable of handling native Taiwanese text input.
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Virtual good sales are spiking within Apple’s iOS ecosystem, with revenues from such sales dwarfing ads revenue, reports analytics firm, Flurry.
The analytics company looked at revenues accrued by a sample group of social networking and social gaming apps to reach its conclusion.
The sample group offered a “combined reach of 2.2 million daily active users”, Flurry says. It found that in-app purchases were accounting for over 80 percent of their revenues.
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Apple’s iBookstore may need beefing-up if it is to fulfil its promise, or so it appears. A quick check of the available in-store titles reveals 60,000 books in there for sale — contrast this with the 700,000 books available via Amazon’s Kindle and its pretty clear there’s backstage conflicts between the two book stores.
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We’ve been told by some Retail folks that Apple Stores are low on their supplies of the iLife software suite. Apple is rumored to be updating the media-focused software suite and this is a yet another indicator that an iLife refresh will be announced at or around Apple’s October 20th Mac event.
I had a chance to speak with someone at Google at length about their vision of the TV and I think I’ve finally figured out the fundamental difference in philosophy between AppleTV and GoogleTV, at least at the moment.
Google wants to put the computer experience on the television. That includes multiple streams of audio and video, windows, web browsing, etc. The classic demonstration I’ve seen is watching a video on GoogleTV, seeing something you wanted to share and then doing a picture-in-picture with a Web browser and logging into Facebook or Twitter while the video fits in the bottom corner. Then the user starts using the GoogleTV like a computer while the video keeps playing in a PIP window.
Apple’s ideal experience is isolating video on the big screen. The menu use on AppleTV is minimal and everything else just gets videos playing as fast as possible. That may transform into game play as well in the future, but it is still one ‘channel’ on the big screen at a time. All of the Facebook, Twittering, Web browsing and eventually, I believe, finding content is meant to be done on an iOS device in your hand or lap.
While a video is playing on the device, would you rather be doing other stuff on the TV as well (Google), or would you rather do the other stuff on a dedicated screen on your lap or in your hand (Apple)? If you think about the other people in the room who have to watch you update your Twitter feed rather than doing it on your lap, the point becomes even more significant.
That’s the difference.
I think the success of the iPad relative to PCs shows that Apple’s model is a good one here. I also think we aren’t trained to use a screen 8-15 feet away as a computer (I’ve tried this many times) no matter how big it is.
You see where I am going here?
Jealous that your PC friends just got a new version of Skype, 5.0 today with Facebook integration? (Us neither but stick with us) Fear not Mac faithful, Skype has a new version en route for Mac as well.
What a tease!
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COMPUTERWORLD: Apple is now the biggest US PC maker if you read between the lines of the latest Gartner and IDC PC sales data. This is why Apple’s announcement of new Mac OS X features next week will also be the point when AAPL defines the future of computing.
Wow. Verizon is carrying the iPad with a Mifi month to month plan without obligation for $20 for 1 GB $50/month for 5GB). Those prices below ($629/$729/$829) match the 3G iPad version that works with AT&T but instead you get the Mifi unit for $129 with a Wifi iPad. Verizon will also sell them standalone.
The upside? You can use four other devices at the same time. The big bummer on this? No GPS in Wifi iPads and Mifi units only hold a charge for 4 hours of data.
Apple also announced AT&T would be carrying iPads in their stores.
One excuse that won’t work for parents this Christmas: “Honey we couldn’t find an iPad in any stores”.
FAQs below:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAVQPa9L3jg&fs=1&hl=en_GB]
This morning we’re enjoying this video clip straight out of Hong Kong, where the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway has launched its new app, inviting along a Chinese Fake Steve Jobs to introduce the new product.
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Foxconn has confirmed reports it has raised manufacturing costs for clients, but is denying claims competing manufacturers are using the move as an opportunity to poach clients from the giant firm.
A Foxconn spokesperson pointed out that “most clients have already agreed to the new quotes,” reports Digitimes. Some negotiations continue.
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http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/microPlayer.swf
The man starts out slow but eventually gets around to calling it the best version of Microsoft Office ever for the Mac. (kinda goes without saying, no?)
Interesting that he doesn’t call it the best Office suite for the Mac. (iWork ’11? Maybe it is already in his hands)
BTW, Amazon already took $20 off of MS Office 2011 pre-orders (starting at $109 or $129 for 3 pack).
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While it still isn’t a big global player (less than 5%), Apple is closing in on the Acer/Gateway merged company to become the number three PC vendor in these here United States, according to a Gartner release today. The report says Apple sold 1.83 million PCs for the quarter (Acer is at 1.84 million) which brings Apple to 10.4% of the market. Yes, it has been a long time coming.
They had 9.3% of the market with 1.6 million PCs in the year ago quarter.
“The weak back-to-school sales were not because students held off on PC purchases, but because nonstudent buyers, who normally are lured by massive back-to-school promotions, stayed away from PC purchases,” Ms. Kitagawa said. “These buyers were influenced by media tablet introductions, as well as the still-gloomy economy, since these buyers do not have an immediate need to purchase a PC.”
Imagine if Gartner counted the 5 million iPads as computers?
Apple of course reports actual numbers next week.
Full release below:
For the first time, Apple has broken the $300 mark, putting its market cap at $275B.
Watch out Exxon ($329B)!
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COMPUTERWORLD: This morning’s anti-iPhone info-blip sees claims that the “iPhone 4 breaks 82 percent more than iPhone 3Gs”. Which sounds like quite a headline, except it isn’t strictly true. These claims are based on data from a firm called SquareTrade and is based on claimed analysis of 20,000 iPhone warranty customers. But this is a storm in a teacup.
