Published: 09:00 AM EST
A new beta of Apple's iPhone Software v2.0 Update released privately to a select group of enterprise partners this week adds a few new preferences and the beginnings of geo-tagging support for the handset's Camera app.
People familiar with the release, reportedly labeled build 5A292g, say location-aware services such as "Maps" and "Camera" now ask the user's permission before transmitting data used to identify their current geographical location.
The addition as it applies to the Camera application is interesting in that it suggests Apple is actively working on adding support for geo-tagging photographs, those people say.
Essentially, geo-tagging is the process of adding geographical identification metadata to media files such as latitude and longitude coordinates -- or even names of places -- so that those files can later be referenced, searched, and grouped based on their origin.
In addition, Apple is also reported to have added a toggle under the iPhone's general preference pane that will allow users to enable/disable Location Services on a system-wide basis.
Although the new beta prompts users for permission to use Location Services in the Camera application, those people familiar with the software say it appears that location metadata is not yet embedded in new photographs.
iPhone Software 2.0 is due next month alongside the company's much-anticipated
next-generation iPhone that will boast support for so-called 3G networks. However, it will also be made available for existing iPhone owners.
One of the most highly anticipated features of the software is
the App Store, which will allow users to purchase a wide variety of native third-party applications that are currently under development for both generations of the touch-screen handset.
Published: 06:55 PM EST In what is becoming an identifiable pattern, AT&T is once again on the prowl for temp workers to bolster its ranks for a 'mystery' campaign during the early summer. A call has been put out through the Kelly Services temp agency that will see workers join AT&T's wireless division as greeters for a project known only as "Summer Project Pro." While scarce on details of what the position entails, the request is a near-mirror of the cellular provider's efforts for the iPhone launch last year and hints that the company expects a repeat sales rush for a next-generation product this year. In June of 2007, AT&T hired short-term workers for what ultimately amounted to crowd control. The new hires steered customers quickly through retail stores to ensure that all buyers, iPhone or otherwise, were well-treated regardless of the added store traffic. Like the earlier plan, the latest recruiting drive also provides a familiar two-month work span for successful candidates. Work would begin on June 16th and end almost exactly three months later, on August 16th.  However, veterans of the 2007 campaign note that this doesn't necessarily point to the release of a new iPhone at the very start of that period. Temporary workers hired last year needed about a week of training before they began work in earnest, those experienced with past efforts say. If so, the hiring campaign will swell the numbers of AT&T store staff and put enforcers on the ground during the last week of June -- or during the same approximate timeframe as the iPhone's first birthday.  |
Published: 11:00 AM EST An application that will allow you to control your household appliances and another for finding out what's going on around your current location are the first two pieces of iPhone software to receive funding under the iFund. BusinessWeek reports that fund managers at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers have received submissions from 1,700 startups hoping to vie for a slice of the $100 million iFund, announced this past March at Apple's iPhone Software Roadmap event. The venture capital firm has thus far funded just two of those companies, made an offer to a third, and is presently considering funding for another ten. Pelago, a developer of on-the-go lifestyle applications, was reportedly the first to see funding for an iPhone version of its Whrrl application. By leveraging the mapping capabilities of the iPhone and other smartphones, the software tries to make it easy to find information about places and businesses within close proximity to a user's current geographical location. "Say you're lost in Las Vegas and need a restaurant recommendation. With iPhone in hand, you can scan the locations of nearby restaurants, just Italian restaurants, or just those recommended by foodie friends," BusinessWeek explains. "Or you could search for the highest-rated bars or kid-friendly activities recommended by friends from your social network." Joining Pleago as the only other company to receive an iFund grant at this time is iControl, makers of home automation software that would give iPhone users remote control over air conditioners, lighting, window shades, and so forth.  iControl for iPhone should let you kill the lights from the dent in your couch. Not all third-party developers authoring iPhone applications for distribution over Apple's upcoming App Store are necessarily in need of funding. The same report notes that Loopt, which offers software that lets mobile users see the proximity of their friends, will announce deals with more mobile providers at "an upcoming event." BusinessWeek echos the popular notion that June 9th, the first day of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, will see the unveiling of the company's much anticipated 3G iPhone. It may also offer a preview of one or more of the aforementioned applications. |
Published: 10:00 AM EST Microsoft on Tuesday released Service Pack 1 for Office 2008 and also provided a glimpse at its roadmap for the Mac productivity suite by announcing the return of Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in the next version. Since its release at Macworld Expo 2008, sales of Office 2008 for Mac have "soared," the Redmond-based software giant said, "selling faster than any previous version of Office for Mac in the past 19 years." "The response has been amazing -- since we launched in January, the velocity of sales for Office 2008 is nearly three times what we saw after the launch of Office 2004," said Craig Eisler, general manager of the Mac BU at Microsoft. Eisler's team on Tuesday made its biggest move yet towards fortifying the office suite with the release of Service Pack 1 (SP1), which aims to increase overall stability, and provide security and performance enhancements to the suite. In particular, the update will deliver improvements to printing accuracy and reliability in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. It should also deliver improved compatibility with files exchanged between Excel 2008 for Mac and Excel 2003 and Excel 2007 for Windows, Microsoft said. Meanwhile, Word will gain updates to Notebook layout view and improved document map responsiveness, while PowerPoint's AppleScript compatibility will see enhancements that will offer users the ability to use the PowerPoint selection object in AppleScript to implement custom scripts that operate on the current selection in PowerPoint. Some other changes target Entourage, such as improved calendar views and Exchange support. The personal information manager and email client will also gain the ability to send and view image from third-party tools. As part of its announcements Tuesday, the Mac BU also said it intends to bring VBA-language support back to the next version of Office for Mac, but offered no timeframe for the update. "Sharing information with customers as early as possible continues to be a priority for the Mac BU to allow customers to plan for their software needs," the group said. "Although the Mac BU increased support in Office 2008 with alternate scripting tools such as Automator and AppleScript -- and also worked with MacTech Magazine to create a reference guide -- the team recognizes that VBA-language support is important to a select group of customers who rely on sharing macros across platforms." Office 2008 users can download the SP1 update for free at Microsoft's Mactopia Website (not yet available at press time), or can receive the file automatically via the Microsoft Auto Update installed as part of initial version of the productivity suite.
Published: 05:55 PM EST Photos have surfaced of an accessory maker's purported reference model for the 3G iPhone. Also, Intel may have stalled the launch of its Centrino 2 mobile platform, potentially affecting the release of future MacBooks. 3G iPhone case mockup reappears in Netherlands While there has been no shortage of images purported to reflect the final look of a 3G-capable iPhone, a new leak by Dutch site iPhoneclub supports evidence of subtle but significant alterations to the iPhone's outer appearance. Seemingly matching a southeast Asian leak from just two weeks earlier, a mockup allegedly being used by a European accessory designer has a curved back needed to handle the extra demands of 3G as well as subtler visible changes, including a thinner chrome bezel that gives the appearance of a larger front face. The back similarly abandons the silver-tinted aluminum of the current iPhone in favor of what appears to be white plastic, matching month-old descriptions by iLounge that suggested Apple may return to offering multiple colors. The possibility exists, however, that the backing is simply left white-colored for testing purposes. Those same allegations also pointed to additional, hidden sensors at the top of the phone that may be used for video calling. None of these are immediately visible in the accompanying shots, while the reportedly altered microphone and speaker grilles are also hidden from view.  Intel's Centrino 2 may face multi-week delay Predictions that Apple will introduce new MacBooks at WWDC may have been dashed by a last-minute delay. Citing contacts it claims are close to Intel, TG Daily alleges that delays in approving the Wi-Fi chipset for the Centrino 2 platform's mainboard will now push the debut of the architecture until July 14th, or between two to three weeks after a projected but still unofficial late June launch window. This initial launch would only include Intel's standard 802.11a/b/g wireless chipset, the purported sources claim; systems that need 802.11n would need to ship two weeks later. As Apple uses 802.11n across all its notebooks, a delay of the sort would stall the shipment of Apple's planned major MacBook redesigns until late July or afterwards. Separately, an issue with integrated graphics chipsets associated with Centrino 2 has also allegedly created problems and would specifically stall the launch of new aluminum MacBooks, which are likely to depend on Intel's built-in video hardware. |
Published: 01:00 PM EST Telefonica's O2 subsidiary, the exclusive provider of Apple's iPhone to the UK and Ireland, has stoked anticipation of a 3G model with fresh comments Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has signed a deal that will make it the second iPhone provider in India. Speaking to analysts and members of the media during a quarterly conference call, O2 Europe chief executive Matthew Key said Telefonica and Apple would make a joint statement in "the coming weeks" but declined to specifically say whether it would regard the much hyped 3G iPhone. "It is broadly known we are now out of stock of the 8 gigabyte and we have got some 16 gigabytes left," he would later tell Reuters in an interview. Apple has also let its inventory of iPhones run uncharacteristically lean in recent weeks. Both its online stores in the US and UK have stopped taking orders for the device, and recent polls of the company's brick and mortar locations have turned up spotty availability at best. At present, the Cupertino-based company and its wireless partners appear to be avoiding talk of a next-generation, 3G model strictly as a matter of policy. Always a showman, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is likely to have planned a gala introduction for the handset at or before the company's annual developers conference set to kick off on June 9th. Nevertheless, countless media reports and findings within resources of Apple's developmental iPhone software have revealed that the new phone should at they very least include 3G wireless and GPS capabilities. For Apple, the stakes appear particularly high in India, where it along with Vodafone and just-announced partner Bharti Airtel will reportedly market the new handset through a staggering 250,000 Vodafone and Airtel retail outlets, including franchisee-owned shops. It's reported that the rollout will be the largest in the world, handily dwarfing Apple's stateside plans that will see the device available in only about 7,000 AT&T and Apple retail locations pending any further developments. |
Published: 11:00 AM EST A senior executive for Australia's Telstra wireless carrier has allegedly told the region's ChannelNews that Apple's upcoming iPhone revision will be capable of supporting an advanced 3G connection at speeds of 42 megabits per second. "We know what is coming, we have seen the new device and it will be available on our network as soon as it is launched in the USA," the unidentified executive is reported to have said. "By Xmas this phone will be capable of 42mbs which will make it faster than a lot of broadband offerings and the fastest iPhone on any network in the world." The report goes on to say that Telstra already has 3G iPhones on hand for testing and that the device will be made available to the carrier's customers "very soon after its June 9 unveiling" by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference. If true, the claim by the unnamed Telstra exec would suggest that Apple is building a wireless broadband chip into its next-gen iPhone that supports an advanced High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) protocol known as Evolved HSPA. In addition to downloads of up to 42 Mbps, Evolved HSPA networks also supports uploads at up to 22 Mbps. Stateside, AT&T is putting the finishing touches on its own standard HSPA network that currently offers download speeds of 1.4 Mbps and upload rates around 800 Kbps. However, the US carrier promises to follow through on a plan that will boost download speeds to 7.2Mbps in the next year, eventually hitting 20Mbps sometime in 2009. |
Published: 09:55 AM EST Apple has signed on with TeliaSonera to sell its next-generation iPhone in the Nordic and Baltic markets. Meanwhile, a new pre-release build of Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard was pushed out ahead of the holiday weekend. TeliaSonera to sell iPhone In a one-line press release early Tuesday, Stockholm-based TeliaSonera said it has signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia later this year. TeliaSonera, the result of a 2002 merger between Sweden's Telia and Finland's Sonera, is now the dominate phone company in those regions. As of last year, the carrier had over 106 million mobile subscribers, including those from its other markets in Central Asia and Spain. Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D34 Apple over the long holiday weekend provided developers with yet another build of the upcoming Mac OS X 10.5.3 Leopard update for testing. The pre-release software, labeled Mac OS X 10.5.3 build 9D34, joins earlier builds in containing no known issues, according to people familiar with the matter. However, the new build arrived with just a single addition to software's bug fix list of over 220 items -- an improvement to kernel performance. Apple is also reported to have made some modifications to the areas in which developers should focus their testing efforts. Specifically, it asked that they thoroughly evaluate all audio- and video- intensive applications, but said special attention is no longer required in the areas of AFP, Audio, Dock, Finder, Spotlight, and Sync Services. According to a recent report, Mac OS X 10.5.3 is likely on a similar developmental course as iPhone Software v2.0, both of which are now expected to surface on or around Apple's annual developers conference during the second week of June. |
Published: 08:15 PM EST Mexicans will get an iTunes Store to match the iPhone for a launch next month, according to one report. Also, the same may be true for Brazil; Apple may be close to securing its Wall Street store; and Apple has taken the wraps from its Boston store. iPhone, iTunes said to launch in tandem for Mexico Mexico will receive more from Apple than just the iPhone this year, says a new report from Mundo Mac. Officials in Apple Mexico's office as well as its Spanish-language Miami call center allegedly claim that the iTunes Store for Mexico will launch alongside the iPhone in June and will be accompanied by support for purchasing prints and books through iPhoto. The iTunes service is said to be all but necessary for the iPhone's launch in the North American country, as the phone's activation is normally tied to its owner's iTunes account. An Apple retail store in Monterrey is also rumored to launch at the same time. While no confirmations of Apple's plans are expected until June 9th at the earliest, the electronics giant has been particularly active in Mexico, opening its online store for the nation late last year. Wall Street Apple store deal near completion? Lending support to early reports of Apple scouting locations near the New York Stock Exchange, the New York Post now claims that Apple is in "serious" talks for one of the identified locations. The Mac maker is reportedly close to securing rights to 23 Wall Street, a large 12,500 square-foot building currently owned by Africa-Israel but left vacant aside from a roof terrace for neighboring 15 Broad Street. Aside from its prime location at New York City's financial core, the building has more history than nearly any Apple retail outlet has had to date. The building was built to be JP Morgan's main office in 1914 but was infamous as the backdrop for the 1920 Wall Street Bombing, which killed 38 people and damaged its walls -- scars of which were deliberately left in place and are still visible today. Neither Africa-Israel nor Apple's representing real estate firm, RFK, have commented on the rumored move. Boston Apple store unveiled Just a day before its official opening, Apple's Boston retail store has been revealed to the public. The 815 Boylston Street store is unusual among Apple stores for having a glass facade but a clearly visible metal frame immediately behind it. As with a number of flagship locations, the three-floor interior also centers around a glass spiral staircase. Each floor is dedicated to a different market, according to a report by Gizmodo: the base floor serves the "important" Mac customers, the second floor serves iPhone and iPod customers, and the third floor is used for both service as well as workshops. Plant life on the roof and rainwater collection will help sustain the building through natural means when it opens on Thursday at 6PM. Images are courtesy of Gizmodo.   |
Published: 06:05 PM EST AT the New York Times has developed a new version of its Times Reader for the Mac; and a plunge in Apple stock value on Thursday was triggered by fears of an iPhone delay. AT&T touts 2.5 million iPhone subscribers AT&T can now lay claim to more than 2.5 million active iPhone subscribers, the carrier's chief financial officer Rick Lindner revealed Thursday. Historically shy on details, the company also notes that the typical iPhone user on its network spends about $100 per month for service. This compares closely to fees spent for the BlackBerry Curve, he says, but nets AT the final version is expected to require a paid Times subscription. Brief Apple stock dive triggered by 3G delay rumor If Apple's shareholders were wondering why their stock value plunged on Thursday, they may be surprised at the nature of the drop, according to a claim by Barron's. Trader sources allege that the frantic sell-off was due to "rumors of a rumor" of a delay in the release of a 3G iPhone; shareholders were reacting to delays for a device that isn't confirmed yet, the report indicates. Apple stocks promptly bounced back on Friday. |
Published: 12:00 AM EST Samsung has introduced a 256GB solid-state drive that promises to kickstart the industry with twice the storage and twice the speed of earlier disks while also costing less to manufacture than past models -- and having a chance of landing in future Apple notebooks. Simply called the 256GB FlashSSD, the Serial ATA drive reads in-order data at 200MB per second, or double the rate of Samsung's past 128GB drive. It also boosts write speeds, often a bottleneck on solid-state drives, from 70MB per second to 160MB. But the real advancement, Samsung says, is in the manufacturing process. Past drives, including the 128GB model, have depended on flash memory using a technique known as single-level cell storage. While quick and reliable, the inability to store more than one bit of data in each cell results in a high cost per drive. The prices of single-level cell drives have often been a hurdle to notebooks, with options for the MacBook Air and other systems frequently costing $1,000 or more to switch to the faster technology. The 256GB drive changes this by switching to a new approach to multi-level cell storage that allegedly solves the problems of the format. The technology allows data to be much more densely packed, but has traditionally been slow and short-lived. However, a new drive controller not only gives it the same speed as single-level storage but gives it the same kind of longevity, at roughly one million hours before a failure occurs. As it's more efficient in storing data, the multi-level cell technology is also "considerably" less expensive to make, though Samsung has stopped short of revealing the exact difference. Until now, Apple has left multi-level cell flash memory to its iPhone and iPod devices, which are less dependent on speed and heavy disk access, but whether the MacBook Air or other Apple portables will use the the storage is unknown. Samsung plans a 1.8-inch version of the 256GB drive that will ship before the end of the year, and has been Apple's sole choice for the MacBook Air's solid-state drive to date: a 64GB drive is used inside Air models configured with the SSD storage option. Other potential candidates have surfaced since the introduction of the ultraportable, however. Intel is reportedly preparing its own line of high-speed drives for release in the next quarter, while smaller rival STEC is claimed to have wrested the contract for the MacBook Air away from Samsung. The Korean memory chip producer itself doesn't provide any direct clues, but mentions that it's "actively involved" in helping integrate solid-state drives into the systems of every top computer manufacturer in the US.  |
Published: 01:05 PM EST Apple has filed for a patent that would charge devices through solar panels behind their LCDs. Also, the company has put up a dramatic banner advertising its upcoming Sydney, Australia store, and Mississippi's first retail store is also confirmed as in the cards. Sydney retail store given teasing banner In what's quickly becoming a trend, Apple has once again posted a banner atop the glass front of an upcoming flagship retail store, ifo Apple Store reports. Similar to the mock Green Monster used for the just-opened Boston store, the blue graphic above Apple's upcoming Sydney, Australia store conceals the final preparations for the design while also teasing with the prospect of an imminent opening: next to a swirl of blue iPod nanos, the only clue as to a doors-open date is a call to "drop in soon." With the posting comes word of the cost to Apple for these publicity efforts. Every square foot of the plastic sheeting costs an estimated $10 to $12, resulting in $25,000 or more to advertise the store during the likely short-lived teaser campaign. Located at the corner of George and King, the store promises to be both Australia's first official Apple store and its first flagship at the same time, spanning 14,370 square feet. A second store is planned for Melbourne. Notably, both sources for ifo and other sites point to the first two Australian stores launching in June, potentially arriving in sync with an iPhone launch in the territory. Apple files for solar screen technology patent Part of Apple's wider greening efforts may one day include devices that often power themselves, according to a US patent filing found by Mac Rumors. Rather than attempt to graft solar panels to the back of a given device or else make it larger, the technique would sandwich solar panels between the LCD and the circuit board. In this way, future Apple products could simply collect energy from the screen area itself and avoid impacting the aesthetics or the size of the product. It would also shelter the panel from most forms of damage, the company says. As is the case with patent applications, Apple hasn't yet been granted a patent and isn't under pressure to use the technology for a shipping product; the invention also faces technical hurdles such as ensuring that enough light reaches past the LCD to power the solar array. Apple building, recruiting for first Mississippi store Apple is quickly taking steps to expand its presence in the southern US with its first retail outlet in Mississippi. The Clarion Ledger notes that aldermen in Ridgeland, near Jackson, have greenlit a proposed store for Renaissance at Colony Park, a new outdoors mall launched in March. Simultaneously, both Apple's retail jobs page and a Renaissance page are already recruiting staffers for the location. |
Published: 06:55 PM EST The first test of Apple's licensing system for iPod accessories has come with the launch of a complaint by the company against Atico International, whose iPod speakers allegedly infringe on patents behind the "Made for iPod" label. In the ten-page suit submitted this week, Apple claims that a trio of Atico's products under the Living Solutions brand -- including the AM/FM Portable Boom Box, AM/FM Alarm Clock Radio, and Portable Speakers -- all tread on several key patents obtained by the Cupertino, Calif.-based electronics giant between 2007 and 2008. These include a patent for the Dock Connector used by most iPods to transfer data, as well as patents for the Universal Dock's design, remote controls, and three dock adapters meant to fit different-sized iPods to a standard dock model. In a copy of the complaint obtained by AppleInsider, Apple contends that Atico has failed to license its use of the docking design for the speakers, depriving Apple of royalties it believes are owed to its "Made for iPod" program. Uses of the iPod trademark, as well as some superficially similar logos designed to indicate compatibility with different iPod models, are also "exploiting Apple's name and reputation" and violating the federal Lanham Act by falsely suggesting an endorsement by Apple, according to the plaintiff. The Delaware-based court filing adds that Atico's continued sales are depriving Apple of rightful income and asks for a permanent injunction against the sale of the offending Living Solutions speakers in addition to damages. The iPod maker sees this as an "exceptional case" that would allow it to collect not only triple damages but profits and court costs, including those for a requested jury trial.  The case marks the first known instance of Apple actively defending its controversial "Made for iPod" licensing program, which was launched in January 2005. Both in its lawsuit and in public presentations, Apple has argued that requiring licenses for iPod-specific peripherals helps the accessory designers by giving them the support to ensure their devices work with iPods. It also reassures buyers that a device meets a minimum quality standard, the company says. Virtually all companies selling compatible accessories in the US have signed on to the program, with some arguing that the "Made for iPod" logo is effectively a sales booster: customers are more likely to buy add-ons when they know the items will work with their iPods. Critics, however, have claimed that the need to license and pay royalties for the logo is chiefly a profit vehicle for Apple, which implemented the licensing system just as the iPod became mainstream and a raft of docking accessories were already in stores. No matter how Atico interprets the move, the company is remaining quiet on the matter: neither it nor Apple has commented on the lawsuit. |
Published: 05:00 PM EST Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, scheduled for June 9-11, has sold out for the first time ever. Attendance at the event has rapidly grown as interest in the Mac platform has snowballed in proportion to rapid new sales of Macs. Build It and They Will Come This year however, WWDC is expanding to address the new iPhone mobile WiFi platform, an new expansion Apple illustrated in WWDC marketing with a photoshopped doubling of San Francisco's landmark Golden Gate Bridge. At last year's event, which focused on the then yet unreleased Mac OS X Leopard, Apple unveiled a preliminary web-based development program for the iPhone, which resulted in some howls of protest from developers who wanted to tap into the full features of the device rather than just offer server side custom web applications. Since then, Apple released the iPod touch and then promised a full Software Development Kit for both devices based on the same Cocoa development tools as Mac OS X. Interest in developing applications for the iPhone and iPod touch kicked into overdrive in February as Apple outlined plans to securely host developer's signed applications in the iTunes Store and offer direct wireless downloads from the devices via a new App Store icon. The prospect of a piracy and malware resistant development program has seen enthusiastic interest from everyone from games developers including EA and Sega to custom corporate Intranet development and major software vendors from Microsoft to IBM to Salesforce.com. Adobe and Sun have also been feverishly working out how to port their Flash and Java ME platforms to the iPhone, apparently without much help from Apple.  Bulging at the Seams WWDC has grown dramatically in recent years, prompting Apple to move the event from the original underground Moscone Center into the modern new Moscone West building. Last year, Apple set a new record for WWDC attendance with 5,000 developers from around the world. Apple hasn't said how many have registered for this event this year, but had to cap further ticket sales due to space limitations. On its developer web site, under the notice that WWDC 2008 has sold out, Apple says, "You can still get all the great content from WWDC 2008. Session videos will be available to purchase on iTunes shortly after the conference. More details will be available soon." |
Published: 09:00 AM EST Apple Inc.'s iPhone can already playback video, browse the Internet, and place phone calls, but a new filing by the handset maker suggests it may one day take your lunch order and serve as a tour guide at the local zoo. The concept calls for a short-range wireless network comprised of a central server and one or more wireless routers, such as AirPort Extreme WiFi base stations, that merchants or attraction organizers could install within their venues. Included on the central server would be a proprietary software-based application (or "iPhone server") capable of interfacing and serving up customized information and applications to Apple media devices devices that come within range of the network. "For example, assuming the establishment is a restaurant, local server may provide a menu to media device," the company said. "A user may choose contents in the menu for an order by interfacing with device 1020 and submit the order to local server when complete. Local server may then process that order upon receipt." In some cases, software on the server could interact with software on a user's media device, such as an iPhone or iPod touch, to allow the menu to be customized for a that user. For example, the personal media device may have stored user preference profiles for desired foods. If it is known that user of device has a dietary restriction (such as diabetes) or prefers to eat vegan food (Steve Jobs), the menu could be customized such that only the food the user is permitted to eat or prefers to eat is provided on the menu. "The user preference profile may be uploaded to the merchant server, which may generate a custom menu to be provided to the personal media device," Apple said. "In another approach, the entire menu may be provided to the media device, but the media device may filter out content based on the user preference profiles to provide a custom menu." Such a customize menu system could be extended even further, according to the filing, in that a food rewards systems may be implemented to reward a user with the option to eat normally restricted food (such as dessert) if it is determined that the user has earned the reward. Similar, the software on the user's media devices may be able to monitor a person's health (by measuring the number of steps the person has taken or by monitoring a person's pulse). "This health information may be collected over the course of a day, week, or other predetermined period of time," Apple said. "Depending on the level of physical activity and monitored health, the personal media device may provide the user with a reward. This reward may be 'cashed in' when a menu is customized to include food that would not otherwise be included." In another example provided as part of the patent filing, the short-range wireless system may be referred to as a distributed network such as citywide public network or a merchant-wide network. In this example, a system could include many wireless routers that may be connected the central server. Each wireless router would have its own local area network, thus any device located within a particular wireless router's local network may be able to communicate with server. One advantage of this kind of system is that the geographic location of each wireless router may be known and the local area networks of two or more routers may intentionally be laid out to overlap one another. This overlay, Apple explains, could be advantageous because it may provide more precise detection of a media device's geographic location (e.g., three wireless routers may be used to triangulate the position of a media device in communication with three routers). Such geographic knowledge could then be used to execute various location-specific features. "For example, in one embodiment, as a media device moves from one router's local network to another, media device may automatically download content specific to a particular router For example, if server detects the geographic location of media device to be in the geographic region of router, server may instruct media device to play content local to router. In another approach, assuming that media device has already downloaded all or a portion of the content included on server, when media device establishes communication with router (e.g., by moving into its local area network), server may issue a command to media device to play localized content specific to router. Thus, specific content may be played based on a detected geographic location of a media device. That is, even though the aggregate of routers may form a larger distributed network, specific content may be provided or cause to be played based on a detected geographic location of media device within that larger distributed network." In some cases, Apple says a docking station and wired network may be substituted for a wireless one, which would provide its own set of advantages. Referring back to its restaurant example, the electronics maker said each dinner table could include a docking station, and as such the location of that docking station is known. "Thus, when a user places an order on a particular docking station with his or her media device, the merchant may know which table placed the order. In other embodiments, depending on the location of a particular docking station, server may provide different information," the company said. "For example, if a user is at a tourist attraction such as a zoo, server may provide primate information to a docking station located in the primate section of the zoo and may provide lizard information to docking station located in the lizard section. In yet another embodiment, a user may connect to docking station to download all localized-content onto media device, thereby giving a user the option to access the content when desired. For example, a user may download all localized-content for a tourist attraction (e.g., a museum). When the user moves from one area of the tourist attraction to another, the user may select content appropriate for the area her or she is in. For example, if the user is in the impressionist section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the user may select an audio file on impressionist art." In the 8-page patent filing, authored back in November of 2006 -- just prior to the iPhone's unveiling -- Apple rattled off at least six other potential implementations of its short-ranged wireless system: * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a merchant that sells goods and articles of manufacture. For example, a user may access music (e.g., being freely broadcast by the establishment or for sale on content source), advertisements (e.g., coupon specials, video advertisements, and audio advertisements), event calendar (e.g., to learn of exciting new events that may be occurring at the merchant), virtual card information may be exchanged, podcast, general information on merchant (e.g., return policies), product information (e.g., graphics of products, reviews of products, etc.), or any other suitable information pertinent to the merchant." * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a merchant that sells food (e.g., a restaurant). For example, such a merchant may provide music (e.g., for purchase or for free listening), a menu (e.g., from which a user may place orders for foodstuffs), event schedule, general information on the merchant, reviews (e.g., Zagat survey), and any other suitable information pertinent to the merchant." * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a concert or other music venue. A concert or music venue may provide content including, for example, music, setlists, virtual cards, website information, schedule information (e.g., for upcoming shows at the venue), graphics (e.g., album art, pictures of the band members, etc.), ticket sales (e.g., provide user option to purchase tickets in advance), general information relating to the concert, or any other information." * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a theater or movie. For example, local content may include music, soundtracks (e.g., for purchase from a content source), movies (e.g., for purchase from content source), podcast (e.g., audio commentary relating to the movie such as director's commentary), showtime schedule, advertisements, ticket purchasing, real-time translation (e.g., if a foreign file or an opera in a foreign language), graphics, or any other suitable information." * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a tourist attraction (e.g., a museum or zoo). Local content may include, for example, audio podcasts, maps, event schedule, advertisements, general information, graphics (e.g., animal pictures), and any other suitable information. Because tourist attractions can be relatively large (e.g., Disney World) and children often frequent such places, parents may be concerned of a child's whereabouts if not directly within their sight. Assuming the parent and child both have a media device, and the tourist attraction or other large area (e.g., city) has a distributed network, a location program may be executed to determine the location of the child's media device." * "Various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a transportation hub (e.g., an airport, bus station, or train station). Localized content may include, for example, schedules, maps, weather, city information, or any other suitable content. FIG. 15G indicates various location-based content that may be provided in connection with a merchant that sells groceries. Localized content may include, for example, advertisements (e.g., weekly flyer), shopping lists, suggested foods (e.g., to adhere to a preferred eating lifestyle such as vegetarian), recipes, music, and any other suitable content." The filing, which was botched during publication by the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is therefore missing its associated illustrations, is credited to Apple employee Michael Rosenblatt. |
Published: 12:00 PM EST Intel Corp. today is scurrying to clean up a mess made by Germany's ZDNet on Wednesday when it reported that an Intel exec had confirmed the ongoing development of a iPhone-like tablet at Apple, a report which the chipmaker now claims is patently false. Specifically, ZDNet reported that Intel Germany chief Hannes Schwaderer at a small gathering in Munich "confirmed" the existence of a larger iPhone at Apple that would employ one of Intel's ultra-mobile Atom processors. The report gained widespread traction given earlier predictions by AppleInsider and other media outlets that such a device does in fact exist, and has long been under development at Apple's Cupertino-based headquarters. The problem, however, was that Schwaderer appears to have never made the comments suggested by the ZDNet report. "No Intel exec has said anything about any future Apple product, Atom processor or otherwise," an Intel spokesperson told AppleInsider. "I think that�s important to note as everyone speculates on future products from Apple." Since ZDNet's original report hit the net, a couple of other publications on hand for Schwaderer's presentation have offered their interpretation of the events, which also appear to suggest that ZDNet's report was misleading. An editor for Golem.de claims that he does not recall any mention of an iPhone tablet during the executives speech, while PCGamesHardware.de attests that a reference to an iPhone device was made, but only as an example of a product that could benefit from Atom. Unfortunately, only 40 or so reporters were on hand for Schwaderer's presentation, AppleInsider has been told, and thus further first-hand accounts are likely to be limited. Nevertheless, and regardless of misinterpretations this week, AppleInsider maintains that Apple is working on a iPhone-like mini tablet reminiscent of the Newton MessagePad that should surface in due time. |
Published: 09:00 AM EST Orange, the exclusive provider of iPhones in France, announced Friday a new deal with Apple that will see it expand distribution and service of the device to additional European countries, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. Specifically, the French carrier said that later this year it will provide details on availability for Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland, and its existing African markets. A spokesperson for Orange parent company France Telecom told Reuters that the carrier will be the exclusive iPhone provider in Belgium and Romania, with co-exclusive or non-exclusive deals in other countries. Orange joins Swisscom and SingTel, which also announced iPhone deals this week. Swisscom earned the rights to sell the device later this year in Switzerland, while SingTel through its subsidiaries said it would market the phone in Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia. Earlier this month, America Movil said it would offer the Apple handset throughout Latin America, while Vodafone announced deals for Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Telecom Italia Mobile will also be selling the iPhone in Italy, and Rogers will market the device in Canada. |
Published: 03:00 PM EST An announcement by France Telecom's Orange subsidiary on Friday to deliver the iPhone to 10 more countries later this year effectively quadruples Apple's total addressable market when combined with other carrier announcements over the past two weeks, according to investment firm Piper Jaffray. "Currently Apple's total addressable market includes 153 million subscribers in 6 countries with AT&T, T-Mobile Germany and Austria, O2, and Orange," analyst Gene Munster wrote in a report. "These announcements increase those numbers to 575 million subscribers in 42 countries including recent agreements with Vodafone, SingTel, American Movil, Swisscom, and Orange." The rapid international rollout is about 8 months ahead of the analyst's expectations, giving him much higher confidence in his earlier predictions that the company will sell 12.9 million iPhones this year and 45 million next year. "To give some context to these numbers, Apple sold 3.7 million iPhones in 2007 into a total addressable market of 148 million subscribers (or 3 percent penetration)," he explained. "Taking the recent carrier announcements into consideration, we are modeling for Apple's penetration rate to remain at 3 percent in 2008 and double to 6 percent in 2009." Munster's model for 2009 factors in the assumption that the handset maker will have by that time rolled out the iPhone into the blistering Chinese and Japanese markets, which would nearly double the iPhone's addressable market again from 575 million to 1.1 billion. In general, the analyst believes the majority of Apple's new carrier agreements are non-exclusive deals that will have a positive impact on iPhone units and a negative impact on iPhone revenue share. For investors, however, the overall net impact should be positive, he said, as he believes Apple shares will trade on unit numbers alone for the next year or so.  "We expect the next generation iPhone to launch in mid-June, shortly after Apple's Worldwide Developer's conference on June 9 and the international rollout will continue throughout the second half of 2008," Munster wrote. "While there is little question that the next version of the iPhone will include 3G mobile data, we can now all but confirm 3G in the second-generation iPhone." The analyst maintained his Buy rating and $250 price target on shares of Apple. |
Published: 08:35 AM EST Apple announced Tuesday that a team of Apple executives, led by CEO Steve Jobs, will kick off the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 9, 2008 at San Francisco's Moscone West. This year's WWDC will showcase two revolutionary development platforms, the ground-breaking innovations of OS X Leopard and OS X iPhone, the company said in a statement. The five-day event, which runs from June 9 to June 13, will feature the first ever iPhone track for mobile developers with in-depth sessions and hands-on labs to fully explore the capabilities of the OS X iPhone 2.0 software, including the iPhone SDK and the App Store, a new way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to iPhone and iPod touch users. The iPhone track will also enable mobile developers to work side by side with Apple engineers to create fresh applications that leverage iPhone's groundbreaking Multi-Touch user interface, animation technology, rich set of APIs, including programming interfaces for Core OS, Core Services, Media and Cocoa Touch technologies, built-in three axis accelerometer and geographical location technology to deliver truly innovative mobile applications. Meanwhile, this year's Mac track is being organized to give newcomers and seasoned veterans alike the technical foundation and techniques needed to develop world-class OS X Leopard applications with sessions that discuss every level of the system, including interface design and implementation, application frameworks, security, localization and networking. In total, WWDC 2008 will offer over 150 information-rich sessions and labs where Apple engineers will go in-depth on the innovative technologies that power OS X iPhone and OS X Leopard, the company said. Developers are encouraged to bring their own code to the labs and work one-to-one with Apple engineers, applying development methods and best-practices gained from sessions to enhance their applications. Other activities at Apple's WWDC 2008 include: * presentation sessions led by engineers that provide an in-depth look at OS X iPhone, OS X Leopard and innovative tools and technologies such as the iPhone SDK, Cocoa Touch, Interface Builder, Xcode and more; * practical hands-on sessions where attendees can learn Apple's own coding strategies and techniques; * technology labs where attendees can work one-to-one with Apple engineers; and * special events, including the Welcome Reception, Apple Design Awards, Lunchtime Speakers and Stump the Experts. |
Published: 07:20 PM EST Switzerland will be yet another carrier offering the 3G iPhone, claims a local newspaper. Meanwhile, rumors have surfaced of a "true" iPhone-slaying touchscreen BlackBerry; Google has launched a new iPhone reader beta; a study finds the iPhone still a small player on the web; and Apple has been deemed of the friendliest brands for gays and lesbians. Paper: 3G iPhone to launch with Swisscom Apple will roll out its upcoming iPhone update to Switzerland as part of its ever-widening international strategy, says a report in a recent issue of Swiss paper Le Matin. A purported source at Swisscom tells the publication that the national carrier has just completed a deal with Apple to supply a 3G-capable iPhone sometime during the summer. Le Matin also claims to be aware of the phone's new features, including two-way video chats, mobile TV, and GPS navigation, though declines to corroborate its rumors with further details. Additionally, the paper has since followed up the report with assertions that Swisscom will use "attractive" incentives to lure new iPhone subscribers to its service, and that a high-end plan will make mobile video and other live services possible. BlackBerry Thunder RIM's true answer to iPhone? While most attention is centered on the BlackBerry Bold as Apple's likely opponent in the smartphone arena this year, its creator Research in Motion is quietly developing its real touchscreen alternative behind the scenes, according to a new rumor from the Boy Genius Report. Referred to alternately as the BlackBerry Thunder or BlackBerry 9500, the device would drop the hardware keyboard that has been a staple of RIM's phones and use a large touchscreen for both typing and navigation; only buttons for calls, the BlackBerry menu, and backtracking through the interface would carry over. The Thunder is also described a high-end, two-mode phone that would support CDMA and GSM phone services in equal measure, including very advanced data access; it would support not just HSPA on 3G networks but a future 4G service, which is speculated to be the Long Term Evolution (LTE) format being chosen by most cellular providers. The reported details would also have RIM launch the phone in the summer that makes the Thunder a "lifetime" exclusive for both Verizon and its key partner Vodafone, delivering a marketing coup for the carriers roughly at the same time as the 3G iPhone enters its stride. The Report has often been an accurate source of data regarding the BlackBerry, obtaining information about the Bold and other devices. However, readers should be aware that LTE isn't set to be used by any commercial network until 2009, casting doubt on the accuracy of the rumor. Google updates Reader for iPhone Google on Tuesday introduced a beta update to its Google Reader web news app for the iPhone. The upgrade brings the handheld-formatted version closer in features to the full-size version and expands chosen RSS articles in place, letting users read full article without disrupting their ability to resume browsing the list of news afterwards. This also applies to marking stories for later, the company says. While eager to unveil the update, Google adds that it won't yet automatically redirect viewers to the new page. Report finds iPhone still small player on the web Apple's willingness to crow about the power of the iPhone's web browser hasn't yet translated to a command of the mobile web, says a study by the young marketing firm AdMob. Following users by the ad requests their browser makes, AdMob sees the iPhone at just 1.1 percent of all US mobile web traffic; by comparison, Motorola's aging and more limited RAZR V3 flip phone still leads with 9.1 percent. While percentages change, both phones hold the same ranks on the international level. iPhones don't fare much better when limited to competition against similarly advanced phones, according to the researchers. The BlackBerry line makes about 47 percent of US smartphone requests and 26 percent worldwide, while Apple must make do with 5 and 6 percent shares for mobile operating systems -- a share small enough to be overshadowed by the BlackBerry OS, Palm, Windows Mobile, and Symbian. The study's authors insist, though, that Apple's very appearance in its charts is a telling sign of greater adoption and that many AdMob clients have created iPhone-specific websites. Apple most gay-friendly tech firm in new study Included in the same ranks as TV network Bravo, vodka maker Absolut, and jeans maker Levi's, Apple is one of the brands friendliest to a gay and lesbian audience, a new survey from PlanetOut claims. The homosexual respondents chose the Mac maker above all other technology companies as being the most sympathetic based largely on the company's public perception, including marketing, discussions with friends, and the brand's representation by the media. A key supplier of Apple's, Korea-based Samsung, is rated as one of the least friendly along with such company as Dunkin Donuts and Wal-Mart. PlanetOut doesn't explain why Apple in particular has been singled out, but claims that many gay and lesbian people are "early adopters" of many products. These users also tend to dramatically increase their support of a brand when they feel gay imagery is present, PlanetOut notes. |
Published: 06:00 PM EST A report by the Wall Street Journal further kindles rumors of a touchscreen BlackBerry going toe-to-toe with the iPhone this year. Meanwhile, T-Mobile Germany reports selling more than 100,000 iPhones since launch, Singapore Airlines offers passengers iPhone- and iPod-friendly in-seat entertainment, and Intel's first quad-core notebook chip may fit systems like the MacBook Pro. WSJ backs claims of BlackBerry Thunder Adding to speculation, the Wall Street Journal now says that it, too, has information supporting rumors of a rapidly-nearing launch for the BlackBerry Thunder. Less non-committal than the original Boy Genius report, the newspaper's report cites anonymous people familiar with the smartphone who agree that the Thunder, also known as the BlackBerry 9500, will natively support both the Verizon and Vodafone wireless networks in addition to shedding a physical keyboard. Little else is revealed in the Journal's account, though the earlier story would have the phone support both third- and fourth-generation data, despite neither Verizon nor Vodafone planning to debut 4G services for at least a year. Nonetheless, the report bolsters the initial claims and says to expect a launch in summer that would pit both the Thunder and the Bold against an all but confirmed 3G iPhone. T-Mobile Germany sells 100,000 iPhones since launch Deutsche Telekom chief Rene Obermann on Thursday revealed that T-Mobile Germany has sold more than 100,000 iPhones since the Apple handsets first went on sale in November. The report is the first since the end of January from T-Mobile, when the cellular provider said it had sold 70,000 units -- indicating a significant slowdown after the iPhone's first few months in local stores. Separately, T-Mobile board member Hamid Akhavan says the sales are still "in line" with predictions but admits that a promotional price cut has spiked sales since it was introduced in early April. Singapore Airlines offers iPhone, iPod ports on flights US travelers to the city-state of Singapore now have the option of plugging in their iPhone or iPod for most of the trip, Singapore Airlines announced on Thursday. Effective immediately, certain long-distance flights will include special connectors to plug in dockable Apple devices and feed both audio and video to an in-seat entertainment system dubbed KrisWorld that will also keep the handhelds charged. The system is intelligent enough to momentarily override audio in the event of a cabin announcement, the airline says, but must be used in Airplane Mode by iPhones to prevent interference. Service starts with all Airbus A345 flights from Newark, New Jersey but should ultimately include all A340 airliners leaving Los Angeles starting from August and will spread to New York at a later date. Intel quad-core notebook processor fit for thin systems? A new report from the Inquirer alleges that Intel has refined the efficiency of its first quad-core mobile processor ahead of its summer release. Although numerous sources have claimed the 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9300 will chew as much as 45 watts of peak power at its design limits -- ruling it out for all but the heftiest notebooks -- the British site now says Intel has reduced the processor's power draw to 35 watts without sacrificing its 12MB of Level 2 cache or other features. The chip is believed to be part of the second wave of processors built for Intel's Centrino 2 platform, which enables a faster 1,066MHz bus speed and better power management, among other new features. The drop would give it the same power consumption as most Core 2 Duo processors today, expanding the usefulness of the chip to thin-and-light notebooks. The processors in Apple's MacBook and MacBook Pro both consume 35 watts. The cost of the chip, however, still calls into question its suitability for the MacBook Pro. A single QX9300 costs $1,038, or nearly twice as much as the 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo that Apple reserves as a build-to-order option for its premium MacBook Pro models. |
Published: 07:00 AM EST While Apple's share of the entire US PC market hovers between 6% and 8% depending on the source, its share of the 802.11n WiFi base station market is even higher. Stephen Baker, an analyst for market research firm NPD Group, told AppleInsider that Apple took 10.6% of the market in unit volume last month. He added that the company's revenue and profit share on sales of the routers are even higher. Last year, Apple noted on its website that the AirPort Extreme was ranked by NPD as the top selling 802.11n router. While Apple no longer advertises that, Baker said that the AirPort Extreme has been the top selling 802.11n router for five of the last nine months. Last week, the analyst told Macworld that the AirPort Extreme lead US retail sales as the top selling router in April, while the new Time Capsule topped sales as the most popular Network Attached Storage device. Despite their overlapping functionality, it was reported that strong sales of Time Capsule were augmenting sales of the AirPort Extreme base station rather than cannibalizing them. Combined with sales of the compact AirPort Express, which was upgraded to support the faster 802.11n standard in March, Apple took fourth place in overall 802.11n base station sales, behind Cisco's Linksys brand, D-Link, and Netgear. Apple markets its AirPort base station line to users of both Macs and Windows, which allows it to sell the product beyond its own user base, following the same cross platform strategy of the iPod, iTunes, QuickTime, and the iPhone. Linksys, D-Link, and Netgear also advertise Mac compatibility, but their products do not always deliver flawless support for Safari on the Mac. That helps give Apple a home field advantage in selling to Mac users. Additionally, Apple's retail and online stores are selling AirPort base stations to new Mac users without any competition. "This stuff is just flying off the shelf in the Apple stores," Baker told Macworld. "They don�t get nearly enough credit for the value proposition that the stores bring." On the Windows PC side, Apple still faces formidable competition. Baker told AppleInsider that Linksys "has recently delivered a number of new SKUs in the 802.11n segment that have done very well driving their volume." Several years ago, Linksys began using Linux-based software in its wireless routers, a move that compelled it to publicly release its source code under the GPL. That availability enabled Linux users to add previously restricted, high end router software features to low cost Linksys base stations, as well allowing Linksys' competitors to use its router software to compete against it with their own hardware. Linksys has since moved to using the proprietary VxWorks kernel in its flagship router products. Apple's AirPort line also uses proprietary software, in addition to custom Mac and Windows client software for configuration rather than using a webpage interface as most base stations do. That may limit the appeal of its AirPort line among some Windows users, but it also allows Apple to install support for unique features that differentiate the AirPort line, including Bonjour automatic printer sharing and AirPort shared disk discovery as well as AirTunes audio streaming support from iTunes to an AirPort Express or Apple TV. Brisk base station sales suggest that Apple's "fourth leg" behind its Mac, iPod and iTunes business, and the iPhone is not the emerging Apple TV but rather AirPort, a business segment that has performed well, albeit almost invisibly, since its introduction back in 1999, two years before the iPod. |
Published: 10:00 AM EST Citing high expectations for the next-generation iPhone leading up to and through its expected launch next month, investment bank Goldman Sach this week added Apple to its coveted Conviction Buy List and also upgraded its price target on the company to $220 per share. In a research note, analyst David Bailey told clients he expects the combination of a 3G iPhone, third-party applications via Apple's upcoming App Store, and a wealth of new international carriers to push iPhone units of approximately 11 million this year, compared to just 3.7 million in 2007. "Our analysis shows that Apple will almost double its available subscriber base in calendar 2008 vs. 2007, with 100 percent of that growth coming from outside of the US as Apple signs up carriers in more than 40 new countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa," he wrote. More specifically, the analyst sees carriers in those new international markets boosting the iPhone's available subscriber base from roughly 97 million in 2007 to 174 million by the end of this year. "We have only assumed contract subscribers in our analysis, as we think pre-paid customers are not prime candidates for the iPhone," he explained. "While this reduces the available market for iPhone -- it would triple in 2008 if all subscribers were included -- we think it is more realistic to use the smaller subset given iPhone�s higher-end characteristics." Bailey reiterated his Buy rating on Apple shares, advising investors that now is the time to build on their positions if they want to "capture the catalyst around the 3G iPhone launch next month and the upside potential from sharply higher projected iPhone sales in the back half of the year." |
Published: 10:00 AM EST The next update to Apple Inc.'s line of 13-inch MacBook consumer portables will arrive sometime during the third quarter of the year, Far Eastern component suppliers are reported to have revealed. Without citing sources, the Chinese-language Commercial Times said Friday that Taiwan's AU Optronics and Chi Mei Optoelectronics will evenly split the LCD panel orders for the new notebooks, which will see a launch somewhere in the July to September timeframe. These new MacBook, as AppleInsider exclusively reported last month, will see their first structural and aesthetic changes since being introduced as an Intel-based replacement for Apple's iBook line over two years ago. More specifically, people familiar with the matter have said the notebooks will shed their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel. When they arrive later this year, alongside similarly overhauled MacBook Pros, the notebooks should more closely resemble the overall appearance of Apple's aluminum iMacs and the MacBook Air, those same people have said. The report by the Commercial Times offers the same timeframe for the new notebooks originally reported by AppleInsider, which is slightly later than the June timeframe reported by another technology publication. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro are expected to receive "Montevina"-based processors from the Intel's upcoming Centrino 2 platform, which require a new "Socket B" logic-board. The second-gen mobile Penryn chips boast a 1066MHz front-side bus and clock between 2.26GHz and 2.8GHz.  |
Published: 06:40 PM EST After meeting with top Apple brass at an event, RBC Capital Markets' Mike Abramsky claims that the electronics maker may shake up its existing business model for the iPhone and should easily pass its sales target for 2008, especially once 3G devices become available. The analyst notes that optimism for the iPhone's future was buoyed by a gathering late last week which saw Apple's iPhone marketer Greg Joswiak, chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer, and Mac desktop manager Tom Boger all meet the financial institution. While mum on details of what was discussed at the event, Abramsky says RBC now has "further conviction" about Apple's plans and anticipates the Cupertino, Calif.-based firm selling as many as 14 million iPhones during 2008, easily surpassing the official estimate of 10 million units. The revision comes from a newfound belief that Apple might alter its existing sales strategy to accommodate both carriers and users: where the company has insisted on a fixed price and revenue sharing, it may loosen its restrictions after encountering resistance to its present approach in some areas. The company "may be planning to allow subsidized pricing, diminishing carrier exclusivity... and supporting global unlocked iphone sales," Abramsky claims, explaining that Apple could also reduce the revenue it shares from monthly plans or even drop the split entirely to secure some carriers' support. Such a move could lift iPhone sales momentum by as much as 50 or 100 percent, he adds. An official backing of unlocked devices through sales in Apple retail stores and certain carriers could improve international sales by two to three times, according to the prediction. Apple has increasingly shown a willingness to veer from its familiar approach in public statements and apparent leaks. Chief operating officer Tim Cook explained in February that the company is not locked to one strategy for pairing the iPhone with carriers and on Monday saw his statements echoed by T-Mobile Austria, which now says it may institute flexible pricing for the device itself. Rethinking its strategy is also all but necessary to bring the iPhone to China, as the country's leading carrier China Mobile is currently refusing talks on the grounds that revenue sharing with a foreign business violates Chinese customs. Abramsky nonetheless stresses that the device itself is likely to be a significant factor: the widely anticipated 3G-capable iPhone is still predicted to arrive in June and should serve as a catalyst for adoption, particularly with added enterprise and third-party software support built into the version 2.0 iPhone software. Key features that could accompany the update, such as video calling or GPS, could improve some sales -- though carrier bandwidth costs could reportedly push Apple away from offering downloadable movies, the analyst says. The report also observes that any factor in Apple growth, whether carrier adoption or device acceptance, isn't likely to be impeded by an existing monopoly. Most countries have multiple compatible carriers, while the fractured nature of the device market itself means that no one company can claim absolute control. This is seen as giving Apple an opening it doesn't have with its Mac computer line. "Unlike the PC market, in the fast-expanding Smartphone market Apple faces no incumbent (like Microsoft), creating an opportunity for Apple to take share from existing voice handset vendors like Motorola," Abramsky says. |
Published: 08:00 AM EST Pitted against Microsoft's efforts to crush Flash using its own copycat Silverlight platform, open source projects seeking to duplicate Flash for free, and Apple's efforts to create a mobile platform wholly free of any trace of Flash, Adobe has scrambled to announce efforts to make Flash a public specification in the Open Screen Project. Will it help get Flash on the iPhone? Here's the first segment of a three part series with a historical overview of the wars between Flash and Adobe, Microsoft, Sun, Apple, Google, and the open source community, the problems Flash faces today, and what future Flash can hope for as an open specification. A Brief History of Flash Flash originated at FutureWave Software as SmartSketch, an innovative drawing tool. In 1995, the software was repositioned as FutureSplash Animator, with support for cell based animation. It was pitched as a way to quickly draw and animate vector-based graphics for efficient delivery over the web, as a direct challenge to Macromedia's heavier and more complex Authorware and its Director-created Shockwave content. FutureWave pitched the product to Adobe, but it was Macromedia that bought it in 1996, hoping to integrate it as an approachable, entry level member of its content production tools as the company's business was rapidly pushed from CD-ROM oriented products to the web. Macromedia abbreviated the name from FutureSplash to Flash. It turned out that the easy to use Flash rapidly sidelined Macromedia's existing Authorware and Shockwave. Flash made it easy for designers to create interactive content with only minimal development knowledge. The real break for Flash came when Macromedia lined up a bundling agreement with Microsoft's Internet Explorer 5, which resulted in the Flash player software being widely distributed. While Microsoft embraced Flash, it actively worked in parallel to stop Sun's Java and Netscape's web browser as threats to Windows. Microsoft's efforts to sideline Java into a Windows programming language and its strategy to embrace and extend standards-based, platform agnostic HTML into web pages that only worked in Internet Explorer gave Macromedia's Flash fertile ground to grow as a quick and simple alternative to the more complex and resource intensive Java as a way to create simple, interactive applets on the web. Adobe Hates, Then Buys Flash Adobe purchased Macromedia in 2005 largely to obtain Flash, the crown jewel of Macromedia's web development tool assets. Prior to owning it, Adobe unsuccessfully worked hard to kill it as a competing product. In 1998, when Macromedia and Microsoft submitted VML to the W3C as a potential web standard for vector graphics (based on Microsoft's RTF), Adobe teamed up with Sun to push the rival PGML specification (based on Adobe's PostScript). The W3C developed a new standard that drew from both, called SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). Adobe pushed SVG as a competitor to Flash right up until it bought Flash, distributing the Adobe SVG Player as a free web plugin. Microsoft continued to push its own VML, which it built into Internet Explorer. This prevented either VML or SVG from making much progress, as other browsers didn't support VML, while the SVG open standard saw little adoption given Adobe's weak presence in web development tools. That let Flash easily win out over both as the way to develop and present animated vector graphics on the web. Flash continued to develop at Macromedia, gaining a scripting language based on JavaScript and other features that turned it into a full presentation development tool rather than just a way to distribute small interactive graphics. Macromedia even took swipes back at Adobe, introducing FlashPaper as an alternative to Adobe's PDF as a way to distribute electronic documents in the Flash format. After buying Flash, Adobe gave up support for its own weak SVG Player rival and has apparently discarded FlashPaper as a PDF competitor. However, the rest of the industry has plenty of reasons to still hate Flash, as will be presented in part two: The Many Enemies and Obstacles of Flash. |
Published: 10:40 PM EST A takeover that would have created one of the largest single rivals to Internet giant Google has been abruptly canceled, as Microsoft has formally withdrawn its bid to acquire Yahoo.
Published: 12:55 PM EST The latest private beta of Apple's upcoming iPhone Software v2.0 includes a handwriting recognition interface for the Chinese language, according to a new report. AppleInsider reader Kenneth notes that build 5A258f of the impending software update adds several new Chinese input methods under the international keyboard settings, including handwriting recognition. "Unfortunately, handwriting recognition is only avaliable in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and doesn't support English," he told AppleInsider. In his own write up on the subject -- translated -- Kenneth posts several screenshots from the software, which show the handwriting interface functioning in both portrait and landscape modes. As the user draws symbols on the screen, the iPhone's handwriting recognition interface begins to suggest possible character matches in a column to the right of the input area. Apple had previously posted a job listing for a handwriting recognition engineer, and AppleInsider reported last year that the company's upcoming Newton/Web tablet would arrive with support for the input technology.  A recent patent filing has also suggested that Apple is working on a next-generation multi-touch 'surface' that would combine typing, pointing, scrolling, and handwriting capabilities into a single ergonomic design aimed at replacing traditional input devices such as the keyboard, mouse, and drawing tablet. | | | |
