Tech Industry

It is really eerie how Microsoft’s "copy, copy, copy" philosophy pervades all of their endeavors. Instead of creating a new experience for potential customers, they’ve put different color shirts on employees and changed the tables slightly from every Apple store you’ve ever seen.  Videos of Scottsdale Store opening below:

As Daring Fireball points out: Creepy.

Windows 7 is now officially shipping and Microsoft’s got some new ads out.  

Separately, Apple has released a Knowledge Base article detailing support for Windows 7 on Bootcamp before the end of the year.  While Apple’s full support makes installation easier, many have had luck installing Windows 7 RTM on BootCamp partitions already (see Giz Post).  Interestingly, Apple lists a slew of Macs which "won’t be supported" on Windows 7, all released in 2006.

A far more popular method of running Windows on Mac hardware is on virtualization either through the free (but limited) VirtualBox software or by $40 Parallels or the new $67 VMWare Fusion.

vids via Crunchgear

This is what we like to see.  Comcast is entering the 3G/4G wireless network market, likely becoming an MVNO on Sprint’s wireless 3G/WiMAX network (anyone else have 4G?). 

They are offering a combination package for $50/month in select metro areas.  What’s REALLY interesting here is that Comcast also has its Digital Voice service which works over VoIP.  It isn’t a stretch to think that they’ll soon be offering their voice services as a wireless product, unless Sprint has something to say about that.

Seeing as the US has got a semi-consumer friendly administration in office, the FCC will likely make sure that Comcast doesn’t throw the kill switch on other VoIP providers like Skype and Vonage.  As this kind of service becomes more popular, Computer companies like Apple will start throwing 4G radios into their iPods and iPhones.

Apple developers are currently testing the latest pre-release beta, Mac OS X 10.6.2, and the good news is the software appears relatively bug-free, suggesting it may ship imminently.

There’s two big reasons Mac users are waiting for the new update to ship: Number one, it is required in order to use a Magic Mouse; Number two: it reportedly patches the dreaded Guest account data-munching bug that has caused such distress.

Apple conceded the existence of that bug earlier last week, after multiple reports complained of its existence.

As reported by OS X Brazil, (and reported earlier by MacRumors) developer build, Mac OS X 10.6.2 Build 10C531 fixes the one outstanding issue related to Image Capture mentioned in the previous build (10C527f), as well as half a dozen other problems related to ColorSync, Dock crashes, GraphicsDrivers, and QuartzCore. Build 10C531 lists no known issues, although this may not be a clue that the development is wrapping up.

The site also published the seed notes for the release, elements of which we have republished here:

“Mac OS X 10.6.2 build 10C531 Seed Note

Known Issues

– None

Focus Areas (Changes in 10C531):

QuartzCore
– Resolve a Ken Burns effects issues on iMovie
– Resolves an issue with Image Capture scanning.

An extensive list of updated components in the release then follows.

Adobe has introduced a free public beta of Lightroom 3, it software for digital photographers.

Adobe’s Julieanne Kost has created three videos which detail 25 new minor refinements in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 that could impact your workflow, these clips are available here.

Writing on the Lightroom blog, developer Tom Hogarty said, “We’ve come a long way since our very first public beta on January 9th 2006 at Macworld.(We didn’t even have a crop tool in the first release!) For this latest release we went back to the drawing board and revisited what we believe are the fundamental priorities of our customers: Performance and Image Quality.

“Lightroom has been stripped down to the "engine block" in order to rebuild a performance architecture that meets the needs of photographers with growing image collections and increasing megapixels. The raw processing engine has also received an overhaul right down to the fundamental demosaic algorithms that now allows unprecedented sharpening and noise reduction results.”

Lightroom users can organize, enhance, and showcase their images all from within a fast application that’s available for Mac and Windows.

Some of the new features include:

• Brand new performance architecture, building for the future of growing image libraries
• State-of-the-art noise reduction to help you perfect your high ISO shots
• Watermarking tool that helps you customize and protect your images with ease
• Portable sharable slideshows with audio—designed to give you more flexibility and impact on how you choose to share your images, you can now save and export your slideshows as videos and include audio
• Flexible customizable print package creation so your print package layouts are all your own
• Film grain simulation tool for enhancing your images to look as gritty as you want
• New import handling designed to make importing streamlined and easy
• More flexible online publishing options so you can post your images online to certain online photo sharing sites directly from inside Lightroom 3 beta (may require third-party plug-ins)

Full release notes are located here.

Download the software here.
 

Hmm – looks like Microsoft’s management may get to breathe easy for a little longer on news from the UK that the company’s Windows 7 OS has just become the biggest grossing pre-order ever on Amazon UK.

The software has grabbed the top spot from the last Harry Potter novel and is already significantly more successful than Windows Vista. The OS launches tomorrow.

Amazon.co.uk says the only item to shift more than Windows 7 in the past three months is Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code follow-up The Lost Symbol. Indeed, pre-orders for Windows 7 in the first eight hours of going on sale outnumbered those of Windows Vista’s entire pre-order period.

Managing director of Amazon, Brian McBride said, ‘The launch of Windows 7 has superseded everyone’s expectations, storming ahead of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ as the biggest-grossing pre-order product of all-time at Amazon.co.uk, and demand is still going strong.”

For all its UK success, Microsoft’s not faring quite as well in the more populous US market – sure, it’s currently in the top three slots, but Ballmer’s boys are bound to be aware that Snow Leopard is the fourth biggest selling slice of software in the US.

PS: Knowing the fate of Microsoft’s new OS will offer an interesting insight into Apple’s future success tempting Windows users across to the Mac.
 

Apple’s European chief says the company is an agent of disruptive industry change, confirms the company is seeing colossal growth in Europe – and seems a little anxious about iPod nano sales.

Speaking to the Guardian, Pascal Cagni, Apple’s general manager and vice-president, EMEA, came on strong: “We have right now the best ever product line, we keep saying this, and it’s fuelled by the fact you have got the portable line where we display growth of 35% year-on-year.”

Cagni confirmed that Europe’s education markets are falling for Apple products, with “immense success all over Europe” in back to school sales.

Not just that, but also in market share the Apple star is shining, he confirmed, “We have typically above 20-25% market share in each of the [European] countries.

Cagni talks a little about Apple’s retail strategy – its online store, own-brand retail stores, premium resellers and high street retailers.

“Our position in the US is at a higher base, penetration of computers is even higher there,” he said, adding, “Last year, in 09, we had more openings outside the US than in the US. Europe is full of potential. And our online stores are seen and recognised as one of the best ecommerce sites for consumer experience.”

On iPod nano sales, he notes, “We believe it [the market] is not doing justice to the [iPod] nano, where for £115 you’ve got 8GB plus the camera… We renewed the category.”

“Our job is to better carry the message. We need to express it better so that people get convinced of what we do.”

Additional factoids from the report:

–  EU has faster growth than in the US because “penetration of computers is even higher there”.

– The company is about open its 23rd store in the UK.

– iPhone price war?: Orange and Vodafone will start selling the iPhone by early next year along with O2, but Cagni won’t confirm whether that could change the handset’s price, only saying “we don’t dictate the price”.

—No Beatles for sale: “I would love to say yes, but nothing to announce.”

Interesting notes from Taiwan this morning as we sift through the many miles of rapturous reporting that Apple’s business plan (make good products, don’t brag, respect customers enough to give them things they enjoy using and so make money) continues to work, we come across yet another hint at the company’s future plans.

Apple’s results have generated stellar stock movements, not just as regards AAPL stock, but also that of key partners. Early morning news from the East reveal that shares of Apple’s contract manufacturer, Foxconn, have also shot up 6.33 percent at time of writing.

That’s nice, but that’s not the news…seems the company’s parent firm, Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry has plans to build an all-new $1 billion factory in China that “could be gearing up for the next generation of Apple products,” and that speculation doesn’t come from us, but from MarketWatch.

That Apple is already working up to five years ahead in terms of its product plans should surprise absolutely no one. No company could deliver such a substantial growth story since 1999 without having sat down and mapped out some kind of a vision, Apple’s boss, Steve Jobs, is known to adopt five and longer-term plans when it comes to business.

There’s no way yet we lesser mortals can predict what this new billion dollar factory is going to be churning out, but relatively recent moves such as the acquisition of PA Semi and the decision to create a huge data centre in North Carolina can only lend a little extra spice to any near-term speculation we can create.

In the medium-term, we hope for more notions of what’s to come at WWDC next year, when we consider it likely the company will begin to explain just some of the ideas it hopes to explore in a future iteration of Mac OS X, now it has been able to strip the majority of legacy PowerPC code from within Snow Leopard, which should be seen as a framework for future innovation.

With the accent of industry innovation – at least on the software side – now focused on cloud-based services and pervasive internet devices, we’re curious just how important the product we all now call the tablet in certain knowledge the MultiTouch device we see will be something other than we expected, we’re wondering just what kind of product family Apple believes is worth convincing a key partner into building a billion dollar factory to create. Though certainly part of that fabricator’s output will be future model iPhones.

Back to watching the betting on new product upgrades today. Don’t be surprised if Apple keeps us waiting though – the company can be like that from time-to-time. After all, they already have plans to fly something in by Christmas.

We’re deciphering Apple executives and their fourth quarter statements right now – but the initial take away at this stage is the company’s mysterious admission that “air freight costs” are set to rise "abnormally" in the company’s first quarter.

Now, we know we’re all incredibly curious as to just what Apple’s hatching up for its future product road map, but company executives have so far declined to disclose just what it is they’re planning to send into flight. And they don’t seem to want anyone else to be too excited about it – so ditch those tablet rumour-writing pens, folks.

All execs have said at this point is that these increased air freight costs are “nothing to do with iPhone”, and “are about getting units into the channel for the holiday.”

Units of what? This is bound to inflame the Apple rumour machine.

Specifically, the exchange ran as follows:

Toni Sacconaghim an analyst at Sanford Bernstein asked about Apple’s stated availability issues as per the iPhone 3GS, questioned if component acquisition problems were to blame and asked, "Related to that you had also mentioned that air freight you expected to go up next quarter as a reason for gross margins, I’m not sure if that was in relation to phones or anything else but perhaps you can address that as well?"

Tim Cook confirmed demand for iPhone 3GS simply exceeded supply, "I think you would probably put that in your first category of a good old fashioned demand issue which is a nice problem to have in the scheme of things. Now, because it was outstripping supply it creates component shortages as we go out to the market to secure more components," he said, confirming the problem is pretty much resolved (Ed note: hopefully, unless everyone in China buys an iPhone this month).

Then he hit us with the rumour-raiser: "The air freight is not related to the iPhone so these are unrelated topics. But, generally speaking the air freight is planned to get enough units in to the channel in time for the holidays and is necessary for that reason."

Sacconaghi speculated that Q1 air freight costs most likely are often higher than in other quarters, as company management move assets around the planet to deal with Christmas demand. Then CFO Oppenheimer hit us with a fact to leave us baffled: "It’s more than normal so you’re correct that in general we spend more in freight in Q1. However, this increase is larger than usual. I’m sorry I can’t be specific on the product but it’s an abnormal sequential increase."

So, just to clarify, Apple is spending more on air freight in the future quarter as it struggles to cope with an "abnormal sequential increase". We’re wondering what this could be, dismissing an iPhone nano, tablet, new Mac and so on, we find ourselves speculating on an iPod touch with a camera. Though we’re not sure the new name – abnormal sequential increase – will catch on…

We love Seeking Alpha, by the way.

PS: To cite Shakespeare, this could of course turn out to be much ado about nothing, but if it’s not connected to keeping iPhone inventories strong, then what is the cause? Curious, isn’t it?

http://plus.cnbc.com/rssvideosearch/action/player/id/1300014922/code/cnbcplayershare

"You’re going to see a great set of results from Apple," Richard Windsor from Nomura said Monday ahead of the Apple’s earnings.

"In terms of their products, what they are really doing is gaining market share. It’s not so much the fact that the PC market is suddenly returning to some kind of growth."

Good deals have now become available on Apple desktops through Amazon, propelling the Mac Pro to become the third most popular computer sold through the US retailer in the category.

Amazon has slashed an impressive $200 off the price of the professional workhorse Mac, $2,299 will get you an Apple Mac Pro MB871LL/A Desktop. An additional $849 (itself a $50 discount on book price) will fetch an Apple LED Cinema Display 24-Inch (though this latter product’s not sold by Amazon, but a third-party vendor).

Industry speculation currently claims new iMac and Mac mini models are imminent for release at this time. However, Amazon disocunts on these models are slight in comparison to the Mac Pro blessing on offer today. This could give rise to speculation Apple may plan an upgrade to its top-tier Mac, which last saw a significant upgrade in March 2009.

A German Mac retailer is offering deals on its existing iMac stocks, suggesting an attempt to clear inventory as Apple’s supply chain sets the stage for new models, potentially this coming week.

As reported by German Mac news website, Mac Essentials, m-Store is offering deals on iMacs, including 0% finance and a free HP printer.

The German site is convinced these deals suggest new models are looming, saying (Google Translate): “At next week, stay tuned: On Monday, the quarterly results on Tuesday … an Apple Tuesday?”

Speculation also takes on an added dimension when we reflect on the 2-4-week shipping date currently promised on the (discounted) existing models of iMac through Amazon. Apple’s online shops now promise these items will ship within 24-hours.

Supplies of iMacs have been dwindling in recent weeks. Speculation had existed claiming Apple intended some kind of announcement on October 13, but with the company’s results due on October 19 the company usually keeps quiet in the preceding week or two.

A recent Wedge Partners report claimed a new iMac and redesigned MacBook coming in October.

“Wedge sees a redesigned iMac witjh a “thinner, organic design, likely with smoothed or rounded edges. The MacBook redesign “is likely to be limited,” Wedge asserts. Meanwhile, the firm also expects “new, lower price points to drive demand and create a meaningful competitive threat” to coming PCs based on Windows 7 as well as to the booming netbook segment. “We believe these new designs and price points will help Apple achieve a 3 million unit quarter for Macs in [calendar] Q4,” the report said.

French site MacForever says the new iMacs will have SD card slot(s) and Quad core processors. Other reports have speculated upon inclusion of Blu-ray drives in the latest models, only to repel such speculation later, saying Apple had changed its mind in an 11th hour shift. They are also saying that Tuesday is likely the day of release.  Translated:

But according to various sources, Apple Store would indeed close its doors next Tuesday. On the menu: MacBook, IMac and Mac mini. It is not impossible that Apple took the opportunity to review other models. It could also be a big surprise on the side of the iMac.

Stay tuned.

Well, we say surprise, but let’s face it, it’s not terribly exciting – seems Microsoft, sponsors of Family Guy, givers of Win Mob 6.5 and desperate to convince XP users to switch to its latest operating system plans to open its first retail locations on Windows 7 launch day, October 22.

We already know these locations emulate Apple’s cool shops in almost every way – video screens, layout, location, tech help bars, the lot. Engadget sources now claim Microsoft’s take on an Apple shop will begin opening up (to take business from nearby PC retailers) on that day.

“Specifically, the Scottsdale store will swing the doors wide on the 22nd, we’re not sure about the Mission Viejo location,” the report states.

In a separate report the Wall Street Journal notes the risks Microsoft runs, quite apart from the cost of its retail locations, “Microsoft depends on existing partners in the retail business that could be threatened by the company’s expansion into their turf," Wingfield reports. "Microsoft’s hardware partners could also be angered by its decisions about which devices to stock and which to exclude from its store shelves."

"The most eye-catching element of Microsoft’s store designs is likely to be the wall-sized high-definition screens, according to someone who has seen them. Laptops, mobile phones, Zunes and other devices will be arranged on spacious tables inside the stores."

Perhaps one of the more interesting things about the stores will be the chance they give to re-connect with those former Apple retail staff Microsoft has been recruiting to man its shops.

Investors may also be asking, with Apple scooping up the most profitable sales in computing with its machines, what exactly will be the viable margin for Microsoft’s shops? Presumably it won’t make a great deal from sales of hardware, other than its Xbox; though it may see some benefit from OS ad software sales. When the numbers for Microsoft’s retail segment begin to drop, we guarantee there’ll be some data-crunching as financial analysts and stockholders ask, “does this pay”?

Thanks to Engadget for the image, because we just lurve what they’ve done – we particularly like the small child to the mid-left of the picture, who is presumably desperate to be taken next door to that cool iPod shop. That’s what we call “pester power”. And the Windows user in the right of the pic seems, erm, somewhat “unusually” dressed….

Good morning all, welcome to our Friday collection of under the radar stories, your one-stop shop primer for all the rest of the Apple news today.. So what have we got?

Apple’s iPhone sales are bigger than ever and will exceed Wall Street estimates, an analyst has expressed – and we’ll be able to check these estimates on Monday when Apple has at last confirmed it will offer its Q4 financial call.

With Windows 7 looming, if you use virtualisation software, good news, VMware Fusion 3 (which is fast and recommended) is available now for pre-order on Amazon; If you’ve been investing enough in Apple stock you may already be a millionaire, and there’s an App for you if you are; also on an iPhone tip, the first paid for app has gone free with a changed business model following Apple’s introduction of in-app purchasing for free Apps yesterday; there’s some move in Apple retail; Michael Jackson will be making it to iTunes (well, he won’t be, but his label and his estate have figured a way to make a little money in his memory); oh, and Google announces stellar Q3 results and reveals a platform-agnostic eBook plan (tablet tablet).  Brief news: iPhone partner for Guam while Apple dominates Twitter buzz. And the usual pair of rather attractive bargains for our US and UK readers. — All after the blip…

iPhone sales up, up and away
Analyst Ashok Kumar says shipments of the iPhone in September exceeded Wall Street estimates of 7 million units by 25-30 percent. According to Kumar, the iPhone now accounts for 15 percent of the smartphone segment.

Read it here

Apple to webcast Q4 results, company confirms
“FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call
WHAT: Apple® FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call
WHEN: Monday, October 19, 2009, 10:00 p.m. BST
WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 10:00 p.m. BST on October 19, 2009 and be available for two weeks.
(We mentioned this was coming weeks ago, folks – Read it here)

VMWare Fusion 3.0
Set to ship October 27, we enjoyed a demonstration of this yesterday at London’s Digital Winter event. While we are diehard Mac users we were impressed by the speed and parity with which both platforms performed. The Unity engine is extremely stable (as far as we can tell), the integration between the OS’s impresses, and it opens your Mac up for Open GL and Directx support. VMware Fusion 3 is available for pre-order.

iVIP
Something deeply decadent about this, we think it may be a fail, but for pure cheek alone, here we go: “iVIP Black is the iPhone’s first premium lifestyle application, an exclusive network of privileges and benefits across a range of luxury partners…users who download the app are required to complete a High Net Worth Individual certification, restricting use of the app to ‘Millionaires’.” Hmmm – your thoughts, people??

Read it here

Paid goes free for in-app upgrade deals
Push notification app, Boxcar, has gone free following Apple’s move to enable in-app purchases for free Apps yesterday. The free version offers you access to one service – so Facebook notifications or Twitter Stream, for example, and you bolt on other services at $1.99 each.

We expect much more of this as some developers experiment with the possibilities here, we also predict subscription-based App purchases are next in Apple’s sights, at which point Hulu may finally introduce its very own iPhone app…

Read it here

Apple retail draws more top-tier talent
Cushman & Wakefield retail team partner Will Vogt is leaving in mid-November to work with former colleague Chris Braithwaite at retailer Apple.

Vogt has experience in buying, selling, financing, leasing, managing and valuing of assets, and providing strategic planning and research, portfolio analysis, site selection and space location for property. We suspect he’s to be of some importance in developing Apple’s European retail expansion plans.

Read it here

iTunes makes a compromise, Jacko will be on iTunes
“An exclusive report by Digital Music News on Tuesday quickly reignited negotiations between the companies, thanks partly to a quick pickup by the Wall Street Journal and a pile-on by other news outlets.  On Thursday afternoon, Apple reached out to confirm that a deal was signed with Sony, after bundling specifics were ironed out.”

Apple actually conceded on one critical point, offering to bundle the lead single, "This Is It," into a larger album purchase.  The rest of the tracks, largely older Jackson classics, appear to be purchasable a-la-carte, though Apple will also position an EP alongside the full album download.  According to iTunes executive Jason Roth, the EP will contain six previously unreleased tracks, and "This Is It" must be purchased as either a full-album or EP bundle.  The availability starts October 26th.

Read it here

Google makes $1.64b, announces giant book shop plan
Google last night reported revenues of $5.94 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, an increase of 7% compared to the third quarter of 2008. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2009, TAC totaled $1.56 billion, or 27% of advertising revenues. GAAP net income in the third quarter of 2009 was $1.64 billion, compared to $1.29 billion in the third quarter of 2008.

The company also confirmed its intent to launch Google Editions in the first half of next year, initially offering about half a million e-books in partnership with publishers. These titles will be made available to any platform, conceivably including Android netbooks, Apple iPhones and any future eBook-friendly, erm, Apple tablet.

Read it here

iPhone comes to Guam
GTA TeleGuam and Apple have reached an agreement to bring the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to Guam later this year.

Read it here

Apple, Google are the buzz online
Apple, Microsoft and Google are the major brands generating the largest amounts of online "buzz" among users of social media services like Facebook and Twitter, said social media analytics firm. Sysmos.

Google took the top spot. Apple took second, and Microsoft fell into third place, just ahead of BMW.

Read it here

Deals from the Toy Section
Do look at these deals, we try to find you something good each day…see more great deals in 9to5 Toys.

US Deal
There’s some steep – up to 65 percent – discounts on a huge collection of SwissGear laptop bags. These bags are tough and hard-wearing, look cool and, better yet, don’t look like laptop bags so you won’t stand out as a mugger’s target if you – or your child – ends up in a dodgy zone. Go take a look, with discount prices start at just $35.

UK Deal
We’ve stumbled across a great deal on one of the most essential books on Apple history that any convinced Mac, iPod or iPhone user should take a look at, Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World’s Most Colorful Company: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc. by Owen W Linzmayer. Normally retailing at £18.49, it’s currently available for just £12.45, and is without doubt one of the six books we’d most recommend you read if you want a strong understanding of the computer company. Go see…

Check back later on for more of our fast and actual, independent Apple news coverage….

Warning: Very strong language:

If you thought Microsoft could make Seinfeld unfunny, wait until you see the first bit of the Family Guy that’s been created for Redmond:

(Yes, that’s just repurposed footage/jokes from a previous episode)

Speaking of repurposing, the Wall St. Journal has a piece on the Microsoft Stores and how they are really just trying to copy Apple in every sense of the word – including Microsoft’s version of the Genius Bars.

The store will also have a counter, akin to the Genius Bars in Apple stores, where people will be able to bring products powered by Microsoft software for technical help, said a person familiar with the matter.

So they are opening up their Genius Bar during the public release of Windows 7? The Windows 7 that will require starting completely over for most upgraders (XP)?  This won’t blow up as big as the Sidekick fiasco, but it won’t be smooth sailing either.

Someone’s got to say it, so I will: “I can’t imagine a world without WiFi any more.” Interestingly, it looks like the analysts and the industry agree – and the standard’s going through changes which mean gadgets with a WIFi radio built-in may soon be able to communicate together with, or without, a base station.

What’s happening? Well, according to the WIFi Alliance, the consortium that loves, nurtures, cares for and develops WiFi, the group – which includes Intel, Cisco, and Apple among its members – is preparing to introduce a new technology called Wi-Fi Direct that will transforms gadgets into hotspots. This exciting new tech was announced this morning…

We’re not gonna see these new snazzy devices appear until mid-2010, when the upgrade happens. The tech turns WiFi-equipped gadgets into mini access points, able to create local wireless connections with other WiFi-enabled devices or broadband modems within a radius of 300-feet.

The WiFi Alliance expects to begin certification for this new specification in mid-2010, and products which achieve the certification will be designated Wi-Fi CERTIFIED Wi-Fi Direct.

The specification, previously code-named "Wi-Fi peer-to-peer," can be implemented in any WiFi device, from mobile phones, cameras, printers, and notebook computers, to human interface devices such as keyboards and headphones.

Significantly, devices that have been certified to the new specification will also be able to create connections with hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi CERTIFIED legacy devices already in use. Devices will be able to make a one-to-one connection, or a group of several devices can connect simultaneously.

"WiFi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry.  WiFi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a WiFi access point isn’t available," said WiFi Alliance executive director Edgar Figueroa. "The impact is that WiFi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise."

"With WiFi technology already shipping in millions of consumer electronics devices and handsets every year, this is a terrific innovation for the industry," said Victoria Fodale, senior analyst and market intelligence manager at In-Stat. "Empowering devices to move content and share applications without having to join a network brings even more convenience and utility to Wi-Fi-enabled devices."

The WiFi Alliance plans to publish its peer-to-peer specification upon completion, and will begin certifying devices for the Wi-Fi Direct designation in 2010.  Only Wi-Fi Alliance member companies will be able to certify devices to the new specification.

Now, a little history lesson for those who’ve missed it, or new Mac news writers who just may not know this but need to use this story on their website anyway (don’t forget the back-link, it’s good manners, which is why we do it)…

Way back in 1999, Apple introduced an interesting new technology it called AirPort, ushering this in alongside the iMac successor that was the iBook. And the iBook had an optional extra – AirPort, or WiFI..

Apple was the first mainstream computer manufacturer ever design and sell a mainstream product equipped with integrated wireless networking (WiFI, AirPort). The first, alright? Hence the video we’ve provided…

From WikiPedia: “On the iBook’s introduction, Phil Schiller, Apple’s VP of Marketing, held an iBook while jumping off a height as data from the computer was transferred to another in order to demonstrate the wireless networking capability. The display bezel contained the wireless antenna, which attached to an optional internal wireless card. Lucent helped create this wireless capability which established the industry standard. Apple released the AirPort Wireless Base Station at the same time.”

Fast forward to now and ABI Research predicts WiFi connections in consumer electronics devices will rise from 113 million in 2008 to more than 285 million by 2012.

“While many consumer electronics devices initially adopted Ethernet connections due to cost and potential wireless connectivity issues, WiFi has become the dominant LAN connection type in several device categories,” says digital home practice director Jason Blackwell. “Now we’re seeing WiFi making its way more aggressively into components including digital televisions.”

Are you following this story so far? It’s time for the take home:

– In 2010, new WIFi products capable of creating local networks with other WiFi products will reach market.

– These products will also be able to network with legacy devices, as the new standard will be backward compatible.

– Apple will likely lead the standard once again, likely introducing products capable of networking with other WiFi-enabled products earlier than most other partners involved in development of the standard.

If anyone perhaps wants to use this information to start a new tablet rumour, do feel free. It has been a few days since the last one, it’s mid-week, so why not.

Via: BusinessWeek

Well, we had a deluge of new data pouring in overnight – Apple’s new iFrame format, unjailbreakable iPhones and we found out Apple may plan to implement the radios inside the iPhone and iPod touch (both of which have chips capable of radio which just aren’t switched on – why?)…

With all that, this morning’s reports are tame in comparison, and it’s iPhone, iPhone, iPhone (we found a little Mac, read on): the iPhone sales are sending Australian smartphone sales into orbit; there’s to be an Apple store in Brisbane Australia; new jailbreak tools for iPhone; revised marketshare predictions see iPhone down in fourth place in future smartphone biz; Google Wave already works on iPhone; watch the video of an iPhone starting a car; Shazam wins iFund backing; Real’s Rhapsody plans offline streaming for iPhone; EMI opens up to Grooveshark… And a couple of good Apple gadget deals. All after the blip.

iPhone soars down under
Apple’s iPhone has sent Australian smartphone shipments up 29 percent year on year in the first half of 2009, according to IDC. Analyst, Mark Novosel, said, "What the iPhone has done is ensure that all other manufactures have had to include similar features. The whole industry has benefited as a result of the iPhone in terms of the rapid pace of innovation, which has intensified of the past couple of years."
Data-centric smartphones exceeded voice-centric devices for the first time, accounting for 51 per cent of all smartphone shipments in Q1 2009, rising further to 65 per cent by the end of Q2.

Read it here

Apple store to open in Brisbane
Australia’s clearly a new target market for Apple, as the company plans to open its sixth retail store there, this time in Brisbane.
No word yet on when the new shop’s set to open, but the first signs went up outside the retail block it’s to be situated in today.

Read it here

New jailbreak tools
Just to let you know:
“The Dev Team has struck again, negating the security work of the iPhone 3.1.2 update. Looks like it’ll work even if you’ve never jailbroken your phone before”.

– The iPhone 3GS is now supported out of the box in PwnageTool 3.1.4 (or if you have upgraded to 3.1.x in iTunes)
– The iPod 2G is still supported in PwnageTool 3.1.4 but you must already be jailbroken (we’ll update this if there’s a big demand from non-jailbroken ipt2G owners)
– The iPod touch 3G is NOT supported

Read it here

Does Gartner know the smartphone biz
So there was this recent report which pegged the iPhone as becoming the number three smartphone maker, which came out of Gartner the other day, right?
Well, now it seems the analysts have had new figures which means they have revised their original figures (which were based on figures) to see the iPhone slotted down into fourth place.

The figures then:
Symbian – 37.4 percent
Android – 18 percent
BlackBerry – 13.9 percent
iPhone – 13.6 percent
Windows Mobile – 9 percent

Read it here

Google Wave – already for iPhone
Erick Shonfeld at TechCrunch: “But here is where it gets interesting. In addition to the Web app via the mobile Safari browser, you can get rid of the Safari wrapper altogether. Just like with any Web page on the iPhone, you can save a bookmark on your Home screen, and it creates a little icon which launches mobile Safari to that page. When you save the Wave bookmark to your Home screen, however, something different happens. You go to Wave, but without the Safari wrapper which allows you to navigate to another page or search the Web. Instead, it looks more like a regular app and there is no way to navigate away from it. Everything else works the same as in the mobile browser version.”

Read it here

ViperSmart – you know you want this…
“Are you tired of carrying around another clunky remote control on your keyring, or finding yourself out of range when you really need to warm up or cool down your car before getting in? Now you can remote start or lock and unlock your car just by pushing a button on your iPhone or iPod Touch; using the exciting new Viper SmartStart app from Directed Electronics, the leader in vehicle security and remote start.
“The simple graphical interface gives you control over the following features of your installed Viper remote start or security/remote start system: Lock/arm/ Unlock/disarm/ Remote car starter/ Trunk release/ Panic or car finder
“You can also control multiple vehicles – great for families! – and assign more than one user to control a vehicle. It’s easy with SmartStart!”

Watch the clip below – more news below

Shazam takes iFund cash
Mobile music discovery service Shazam has announced that it now has over 50 million users, with 10 million of those having downloaded its iPhone app. Meanwhile, the company has taken new investment from VC firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which runs the $100 million iFund to invest in iPhone development.
Shazam will add more recommendation and sharing features, as well as video content, and ticket and merchandise sales.

Read it here

Rhapsody plots offline playback for iPhone app
Sometimes you almost feel sorry for Real. They seem to be losing fans fast, even the Rhapsody iPhone app gets a bum rap in comparison with Spotify.
Now in a desperate fightback to regain what relevance the company can ever possible have in the future online, Real’s gonna give Rhapsody the power to play songs stored on the device offline under its media streaming service (like Spotify). I’m not positive on Real’s long-term outlook, people.

Read it here

EMI kisses Grooveshark
EMI has reached a licensing deal with US streaming music service, Grooveshark, scant months after suing it for copyright infringement. The deal is US-only, and terms are undisclosed. The basic version of Grooveshark is free and ad-supported, so clearly EMI is still licensing these kinds of services.
It makes Grooveshark a major contender in the emerging US music-streaming space because A) it is one of the first to have a deal with a major US publisher and B) Grooveshark does not require any downloads or registration to ‘search and play’ (unlike its competitors). Grooveshark has a specific focus in helping signed and unsigned artists build and monetize their careers, while making on-demand streaming music easy and legal for the public to access.

Read it here

Deals of the day

US deal: We still can’t help talking about the strangely compelling HDMI (2 meter) 6 foot cable for one cent (one cent!!) deal through Amazon US, but the postage raises the cost – why not combine that one useful cable with another product, perhaps the Kensington 64343 MicroSaver DS Notebook Computer Lock with Keys (PC/Mac), which has seen $30 lopped off its price and sets you back just $29.99 – with a $15 rebate on that for a total cost of just $14.99. That’s a good deal for a Kensington lock…

UK deal: So winter’s coming, there’s nothing much on TV, it’s cold and going out feels such a chore – you need some music, and the Klipsch iGroove iPod Speaker System Black compatible with 3rd Gen Touch and 5th Gen Nano is one of the best iPod speaker systems around – and has been discounted by 40 percent, so it’s going to cost you £89.99, rather than the £149.99 book price. Take a look…

Do check by later for more of 9to5Mac’s regularly updated, always at the leading edge, always independent refined blend of Apple news.

Interesting marketing strategy here.  They do a full episode of the Family Guy-type comedy based on a Windows 7 story line (Family Guy also has an iPhone App).  The show won’t have any commercials because it is bought and paid for by Microsoft.  Kind of blurring the lines between entertainment and advertising. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft does with this strategy.

Video from previous sponsored programing via Engadget.

"You’ll see us deeply integrated into the content … you’ll hear a lot about how Windows 7 can help you simplify your PC — it’s simple, fast and easy to use," said Gayle Troberman, general manager of consumer engagement and advertising at Microsoft. She went on: "Think about metaphors and examples we might use, talking about how simple things are. We’ll be evoking the cast of ‘Family Guy’ in some interesting ways that integrate the product messages."

ARM Holdings makes it into the news a lot more than it used to, as the company’s processor designs emerge as a de rigeur standard for mobile devices, including the iPhone.

Indeed, when it comes to the netbook and smartphone markets, the company is poised to overtake Intel in marketshare within three years, reckons semiconductor analyst, Didier Scemama, at ABN AMRO.

That’s interesting, particularly since 100 percent of ARM stock is available to investors on the London Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. And it’s sparked us off on a train of speculative thought here at the European desk.

This also means it could become a strategic battleground for those companies with an interest in using processors designed by the company, firms which include both Apple and Google.

Look to the current battle between those two latter names, once firm friends now increasingly headed on a trajectory to become close competitors in the smartphone market, where iPhone may soon battle Android. And don’t ignore Nokia, which also makes use of ARM chips in some of its designs.

For Apple it’s like taking a step step step back in time… Apple, if you recall, worked with the company that was the forerunner of ARM in the ‘80’s. They were working together to develop new versions of the ARM chip under the name of a new company called Advanced RISC Machines Ltd.

ARM Ltd (as it was then called) had a clear mission to continue the development of the ARM processor and to facilitate its use by system developers, “whether as a standalone processor or as a macrocell with custom logic or other ARM components added to it to make a custom chip.”

As it does now, ARM licenses its designs to chip foundries who would sell the chips. It gets/gained royalties and avoids/avoided shelling out for its own production facilities.

Newton fans may remember that this 90’s cooperation spawned progeny in the form of the ARM 6 chip, which Apple used in the Newton PDA. Way back in 1990, Apple invested $2.5 million in ARM in exchange for a 43 percent holding of the company – a move designed to protect the Newton itself. The company divested itself of the remainder of these shares at the end of the decade, making $792 million with the move (at a point when it really, really needed the money).

Today, we know Apple’s got those world-class processor engineers it acquired on its purchase of PA Semi working away at a variety of different chips, presumably to drive future generations of iPhone, iPod, and, let’s face it, potentially its future tablet Mac.

With this in mind, and knowledge Apple holds billions in its war chest, it is interesting to note Scemama’s statement that an ARM takeover is quite likely, “but not by Intel”.

"I think it will be a consortium of the chip company and electronics OEMs that have a strategic interest in ARM,” he said, "Companies like Apple, Nokia, Google, IBM, TSMC; they are needing ARM to independent. They could make a pre-emptive move."

Given Apple has already paid $278 million in order to acquire PA Semi, a company with world class expertise in getting the very best out of processors loosely based on ARM chips, is the company going to lose its strategic advantage to a competitor?

Indeed, whichever company or consortium of firms may manage a takeover of ARM will be able to find some small consolation in that whatever the end run outcome of today’s smartphone wars, they’ll be getting a royalty on the majority of processors sold in a mobile device.

We’re not saying Apple’s going to invest in ARM in order to protect its new family of flagship products designed to stake Cupertino a far bigger slice of 21st century technology history. We are saying the company’s not going to let anything stand in its way as it maintains its market growth and momentum.

ARM stocks are currently trading at $7.33 on the Nasdaq, £1.53 in London. Current market cap’s allegedly $3.11 billion.

What happens when your company’s largest single individual shareholder has a seat on the board and has already succeeded in building one of America’s most successful retail chains? You get them to help you improve your struggling network of shops, that’s what – and this is precisely what’s going on in Disney retail, where Apple CEO Steve Jobs has been drafted in to advise on how to improve that cartoon capers shopping chain.

Now, other than noting that even when resting this proves Jobs just isn’t the type to ever let himself get bored, but Disney engaged in heavy consultation with the Apple boss as the company worked to completely redesign the image of its stores, reports the New York Times (via: Gizmodo).

We all know Steve and we all know that on his watch little details count just as much as the general picture…so here’s a few nuggets to improve Disney retail that emerged from the chats.

– mobile checkouts – employees carry receipt printers on them.
– community focus one – oh look, a theatre (why not show-off those gazillions of Disney visual assets…
– community focus two – interactivity – karaoke, touchscreen kiosks, live chats with Disney stars…

Oh – and the clincher here? Disney employees will all carry iPods and iPhones to communicate with each other.

Disney is revitalising 340 of its stores, with a flagship outlet in Times Square….