With the exception of Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and newly appointed General Counsel Daniel Cooperman, each member of Apple's executive team was forced this week to address restricted stock units that had recently vested and were set to expire, regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show.
Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering �Bertrand Serlet, and Senior Vice President of Applications Sina Tamaddon each converted 250,000 restricted stock units to shares.
In order to meet their tax obligations on those shares, each exec decided to net-share settle, or surrender, 113,659 shares at $139.53 a piece to cover those costs. They each retained the remaining 136,341 shares.
Apple's Senior Vice President iPod Division Tony Fadell made a similar move on 100,000 restricted share units, converting them to stock, then disposing of 45,750 at $139.53 to pay his taxes. He retained the remaining 54,250 shares.
Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer and Senior Vice President Industrial Design Jonathan Ive saw 250,000 and 200,000 restricted stock units vest, respectively, which they then converted to shares. Both execs used a portion of those shares to pay the tax man, but then sold the remaining shares in keeping with prearranged stock-trading plans.
Oppenheimer disposed of 136,341 shares on the open market at prices between $138.74 and $139.79 for a net gain of approximately $19 million, while Ive sold 109,216 shares at prices between $138 and $140 for a profit of $15.2 million.
Finally, Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook converted 300,000 vested stock units to shares and then sold all of them on the open market in following a prearranged stock-trading plan, at prices between $133.79 and $140.76 per share.
Cook's net profit totaled nearly $41 million before taxes.
The Mac maker on Thursday informed its vast developer community of the availability of Mac OS X 10.5.3 Build 9D10, a pre-release copy of the software update featuring a focus list spanning some two dozen core components.
Among those components in need of evaluation, people familiar with the matter tell AppleInsider, are AddressBook, AppleScript, Audio, Back To My Mac, Dashboard, the Dock, DVD Player, Finder, Graphics, iCal, Mail, Portable Home Directories, Printing, Rosetta, Spaces, Spotlight, Time Machine, and VoiceOver.
In a set of developer notes reported to have accommodated the update, Apple is also said to have listed 75 code corrections that have already been baked into this first external build, including two aimed at critical memory leaks within CoreAnimation and iCal.
Other fixes target Dashboard, iCal alarms and syncing, Installer App, Spotlight indexing, PDFs within the Preview App, Mail alarms, Spaces, Stacks and the Dock.
Mac OS X 10.5.3 is presumed for a release sometime in April or May.
Available today as a free update, Aperture 2.1 includes the Apple-developed plug-in, Dodge & Burn, which adds brush-based tools for dodge (lighten), burn (darken), contrast, saturation, sharpen and blur.
Over the coming months, third party software developers will deliver image editing plug-ins for localized editing, filters and effects, noise analysis and reduction, fisheye lens correction and more, according to Apple.
�The image quality in Aperture 2 has won over the most demanding photographers,� said Rob Schoeben, Apple�s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. �Now, thanks to our open plug-in architecture, users can access an entire industry�s worth of imaging expertise without ever leaving Aperture.�
By clicking on one or more images within Aperture 2.1, users can choose from a menu of installed plug-ins and apply specialized imaging operations to either TIFF or RAW images. Apple is also working closely with key developers to bring the most requested plug-ins to Aperture such as:
* Nik Software�s Viveza plug-in, powered by U Point technology, which provides a powerful, precise and easy way for photographers to selectively control and adjust color and light in their digital images
* PictureCode�s Noise Ninja plug-in that delivers advanced high ISO noise analysis and reduction
* Digital Film Tools� Power Stroke plug-in that features a simple, stroke-based interface to quickly mask and intuitively perform targeted adjustments
* The Tiffen Company's Dfx plug-in that provides an expansive suite of creative filters and effects
* dvGarage�s dpMatte plug-in, which is a high performance chroma key tool for creating seamless composites, and the HDRtoner plug-in that enables the selection of multiple photos to create a single high dynamic range (HDR) image and
* Image Trends� plug-ins that include Fisheye-Hemi to quickly and effortlessly correct fisheye lens distortion, ShineOff which automatically removes shine from faces and PearlyWhites that automatically whitens and brightens teeth.
Aperture 2.1 is available immediately as a free software update to current Aperture 2.0 users. Full system requirements and more information on Aperture can be found at here. Information and availability for third party imaging plug-ins can be found here, here and at the Aperture community site AperturePluggedIn.
"Modern three-dimensional (3D) display technologies are increasingly popular and practical not only in computer graphics, but in other diverse environments and technologies as well," Apple said in the 25-page filing. "Growing examples include medical diagnostics, flight simulation, air traffic control, battlefield simulation, weather diagnostics, entertainment, advertising, education, animation, virtual reality, robotics, biomechanical studies, scientific visualization, and so forth."
While common forms of such displays require shuttered or passively polarized eyewear, those approaches have not met with widespread acceptance because observers generally do not like to wear equipment over their eyes, the company said. Such approaches are also said to be impractical, and essentially unworkable, for projecting a 3D image to one or more casual passersby, to a group of collaborators, or to an entire audience such as when individuated projections are desired.
As a result, Apple proposes a three-dimensional display system having a projection screen with a predetermined angularly-responsive reflective surface function. Three-dimensional images would be respectively modulated in coordination with the predetermined angularly-responsive reflective surface function to define a programmable mirror with a programmable deflection angle.
This form of technology would cater to the continuing need for such practical autostereoscopic 3D displays that can also accommodate multiple viewers independently and simultaneously, the company said. Unlike 3D glasses or googles, it would provide simultaneous viewing in which each viewer could be presented with a uniquely customized autostereoscopic 3D image that could be entirely different from that being viewed simultaneously by any of the other viewers present, all within the same viewing environment, and all with complete freedom of movement.
According to the filing, this form of display could include a 3D/stereoscopic rendering engine that renders 3D images and may be implemented in firmware, software, or hardware. The 3D/stereoscopic rendering engine could also be part of a graphics card, code running on a graphics chip's graphics processor unit, a dedicated application specific integrated circuit, specific code running on the host CPU, and so forth.
"The 3D images that are rendered by the 3D/stereoscopic rendering engine are sent to a 3D/stereoscopic display through a suitable interconnect, such as an interconnect based upon the digital video interface (DVI) standard," Apple said. "The interconnect may be either wireless (e.g., using an 802.11x Wi-Fi standard, ultra wideband (UWB), or other suitable protocol), or wired (e.g., transmitted either in analog form, or digitally such as by transition minimized differential signaling (TMDS) or low voltage differential signaling (LVDS))."
A display interface and image splitter inside the 3D/stereoscopic display would divide the 3D images from the 3D/stereoscopic rendering engine into two 3D sub-images, namely a left sub-image and a right sub-image. The left and right sub-images would be modulated (including being turned on and off) in respective image modulators to enable and control optical projection by a projector of the left and right sub-images respectively into the observer's left and right eyes
"The observer's brain then combines the two projected optical sub-images into a 3D image to provide a 3D viewing experience for the observer," the filing explains. "The deflection into the observer's respective left and right eyes is accomplished using a projection screen. The projection screen, in combination with image data properly modulated [...] forms a mirror device that is a programmable mirror with a programmable deflection angle."
Broadly speaking, Apple said, this combination constitutes the projection screen as a programmable mirror that is a spatial filter, because the combination operates to cause light to reflect from the projection screen to the observer's particular left and right eyes as a function of the spatial locations of those respective eyes, and otherwise does not reflect light -- as if the light were filtered out.
A digital signal processor (DSP) in combination with a 3D imager would also determine the correct location of an observer with respect to the projection screen. Characteristics about the observer, such as the observer's head position, head tilt, and eye separation distance with respect to the projection screen would also be determined by the DSP and the imager.
"The 3D imager may be any suitable scanner or other known device for locating and determining the positions and characteristics of each observer," the company went on to say. "Such characteristics may include, for example, the heights of the observers, head orientations (rotation and tilt), arm and hand positions, and so forth."
In some embodiments, the 3D imager may be configured as an integral part of the projector, which could be configured to directly illuminate the observer as well as the projection screen. An appropriately located light sensor would then be positioned to pick up the illumination light that is reflected from the observer, determining his or her position relative to the display.
Apple added that the 3D imager and the light sensor could also provide a means for observer input: "For example, the volume in front of the projection screen in which the observer is positioned may be constituted by the 3D display system as a virtual display volume that is echoed as a 3D display on the projection screen. The virtual display volume can then be used for observer input. In one embodiment, the observer can then actuate, for example, a 3D representation of a button to activate certain features on a virtual active desktop. Such an active desktop would be represented virtually in the virtual display volume and, by virtue of the 3D projection on the projection screen, would appear to the observer as a 3D image in the virtual display volume in the immediate presence and proximity of the observer. Other human interface behaviors are similarly possible, as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure."
In concluding its filing, originally submitted back in September of 2006, the Cupertino-based company asserts that such display technology is "straight-forward, cost-effective, uncomplicated, highly versatile and effective, can be surprisingly and unobviously implemented by adapting known technologies, and are thus fully compatible with conventional manufacturing processes and technologies."
During a 90 second segment of his weekly Podcast show "Diggnation" this past Friday, Rose told viewers that Apple may be restricting third parties from authoring applications that run in both the foreground and background partly because it doesn't want a competitor to its own mobile iChat application that will do just that.
More specifically, he claims that a 3G version of the iPhone hardware due in a few months will employ two digital cameras situated back-to-back -- one on the front side of the unit behind the transparent touch-screen, and a second one on the back of the handset as it exists today.
Combined with the mobile iChat application, the front-mounted cam will pave the way for live video conferencing over AT&T's high-speed 3G wireless network with computer-based iChat users, as well as other second-generation iPhone owners, according to Rose.
In the week's leading up to last year's iPhone introduction, the Digg founder cited sources in saying Apple would introduce the handset with a slide-out keyboard, two separate battery compartments, and make it available for both CDMA and GSM networks -- all of which turned out to be false.
Despite those misses, Rose has made some accurate predictions in the past, most notably his last minute reports of an iPod nano ahead of the player's inaugural release in 2005.
Add to that the firm's expertise in its proprietary Exchange email protocols and business email systems, and it's almost a certainty that Microsoft will be among those bearing fresh wares for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch a bit later this year, Tom Gibbons, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Specialized Devices and Applications Group, told the business publication.
"We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something,� he said. �The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring?"
Gibbons' team of Mac developers, which actually resides in Mountain View, Calif., just a few miles from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, is reportedly weighing its most viable options for an initial native iPhone application, which appears as if it will fall within the Office family of productivity applications.
"It's really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone," he said. "To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we're actually in the process of trying to understand that now."
In addition, Mike McCue of Microsoft's recently acquired TellMe voice recognition unit told Fortune that his team is also excited about iPhone development assuming the SDK will allow third party software to tap into voice recording and location-based features.
"If the SDK supports these things," he said, "we�re absolutely going to get a version out there as soon as we can, get TellMe out there on the iPhone."
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Earlier this week, the unofficial iPhoneDevTeam managed to get their hands on a copy of the beta software, which Apple seeded to select enterprise partners in order to afford them a head start on integrating the iPhone into their corporate networks and developing proprietary applications for employees.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Apple updates AirPort Express with 802.11n

Published: 08:00 AM EST
Priced at just $99, AirPort Express remains the world's smallest 802.11n-based mobile base station. It can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connectivity and USB printing at home or easily brought on the road for wireless freedom wherever there is an Internet connection. AirPort Express also features AirTunes, which works with iTunes to give users a simple and inexpensive way to wirelessly stream iTunes music from a PC or Mac to any room in the house.
"Apple is leading the way with a broad range of innovative 802.11n base stations for almost any wireless networking need," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "From the small and portable AirPort Express, to AirPort Extreme for workgroups of up to 50 users and the new Time Capsule for automated backups, Apple customers now have more great ways to extend their wireless networks with 802.11n."
AirPort Express features a single-piece, compact design weighing just 6.7 ounces, providing maximum portability. The device offers both PC and Mac users the ability to share a single DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users. Users can also share a printer wirelessly that is connected to the USB port. Apple's AirPort Utility software provides easy step-by-step instructions for setting up and configuring AirPort Express; and with its advanced security features, AirPort Express safeguards data on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall.
With the release of the updated AirPort Express on Monday, Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac notebooks as well as iMac, Apple TV and Time Capsule.
AirPort Express includes a built-in combination digital and analog audio connector allowing users to connect to a home stereo or powered speakers. iTunes automatically detects remote speakers and displays them in a simple pop-up list for the user to select. Once the remote speakers are selected, AirTunes wirelessly streams iTunes music from the computer to the AirPort Express base station.
Multiple AirPort Express base stations can be set up around a home, each connected to a set of powered speakers for a whole-home music experience. AirPort Express can also extend the range of an existing AirPort Extreme wireless network.
AirPort Express is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $99 (US).
Priced at just $99, AirPort Express remains the world's smallest 802.11n-based mobile base station. It can be plugged directly into the wall for wireless Internet connectivity and USB printing at home or easily brought on the road for wireless freedom wherever there is an Internet connection. AirPort Express also features AirTunes, which works with iTunes to give users a simple and inexpensive way to wirelessly stream iTunes music from a PC or Mac to any room in the house.
"Apple is leading the way with a broad range of innovative 802.11n base stations for almost any wireless networking need," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "From the small and portable AirPort Express, to AirPort Extreme for workgroups of up to 50 users and the new Time Capsule for automated backups, Apple customers now have more great ways to extend their wireless networks with 802.11n."
AirPort Express features a single-piece, compact design weighing just 6.7 ounces, providing maximum portability. The device offers both PC and Mac users the ability to share a single DSL or cable broadband connection with up to 10 simultaneous users. Users can also share a printer wirelessly that is connected to the USB port. Apple's AirPort Utility software provides easy step-by-step instructions for setting up and configuring AirPort Express; and with its advanced security features, AirPort Express safeguards data on networked computers with support for Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA/WPA2), 128-bit WEP encryption and a built-in firewall.
With the release of the updated AirPort Express on Monday, Apple now includes 802.11n as standard in its entire line of AirPort base stations and Mac notebooks as well as iMac, Apple TV and Time Capsule.
AirPort Express includes a built-in combination digital and analog audio connector allowing users to connect to a home stereo or powered speakers. iTunes automatically detects remote speakers and displays them in a simple pop-up list for the user to select. Once the remote speakers are selected, AirTunes wirelessly streams iTunes music from the computer to the AirPort Express base station.
Multiple AirPort Express base stations can be set up around a home, each connected to a set of powered speakers for a whole-home music experience. AirPort Express can also extend the range of an existing AirPort Extreme wireless network.
AirPort Express is available immediately through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $99 (US).
Dating back as early as 1999, the patents (1, 2, 3, 4) describe a highly visual system that displays a line of documents and other items dating back (or forward) in time along with the option of searching these items to retrieve and edit them.
Users of the system could also set up personalized versions of these feeds, or "lifestreams," as well as separate "substreams" that cover more focused topics. The approach is similarly billed as useful for searching an enterprise database.
In images accompanying the patents, Mirror Worlds portrays a system with more than a passing resemblance to Time Machine, Apple's automated backup utility in Mac OS X.
The plaintiff stops short of drawing a direct connection between the operating system feature and its patent claims but argues that both Macs and Mac OS X infringe on all four patents. However, for all but one of the patents, the company alleges that iPods and iPhones are also guilty of the infringement.
The Mac maker doesn't use a visually identical system on any of its handheld devices but often sorts podcasts and similar material by the date it was received.
Apple has been aware of the patents' existence starting from late 2001 and so is responsible for "willful and deliberate" violations, according to the plaintiff, which argues that Apple is damaging Mirror Worlds' business. The lawsuit would have an injunction issued against any Apple products found infringing on the patents and asks for triple damages.
As is the company's usual practice, Apple has not commented on the lawsuit.
"The problem that Apple has right now is, there's too much interest in the iPhone SDK," said the Iconfactory's Craig Hockenberry, one of several developers contacted by the business publication who say their questions to the company have gone unanswered for weeks at a time.
Developers wishing to author native applications for the iPhone and iPod touch must ink their named to 2,700-word non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which stipulates that they not "disclose, publish, or disseminate any confidential information to anyone other than to other registered iPhone developers" who work for the same firm.
"Many programmers feel inhibited from turning to one another for help because of the confidentiality agreement," said BusinessWeek. "The restriction hasn't stopped some developers from using public forums to answer each other's questions�though it has given some pause."
Meanwhile, venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which announced a $100 million dollar fund aimed at jump-starting third-party iPhone development, has been so inundated with proposals that it now admits it may have to increase its bounty.
According to Matt Murphy, a partner at the firm, his colleagues had a running bet over how many business plans they'd receive from prospective iPhone developers in the first 30-days following the announcement of their fund. While Murphy declined to reveal that number, he said it was easily surpassed within 36 hours.
This immediate charge on the part of developers presents further questions regarding the virtual shelf space Apple's prepared to offer third parties, adds the San Francisco Chronical, whose piece on iPhone gaming notes that id Software and Pangea Software are among the gaming houses that intend to release titles for the iPhone.
"My only concern is that everyone and their brother is jumping on the iPhone app bandwagon, so it may make it difficult to market a product when there are a zillion others coming out at the same time," said Pangea's Brian Greenstone.
Although Apple has often maintained that the iTunes Store is a vehicle for sales of the iPod rather than a source of profit, the company may have earned $570 million for 2007 alone, according to calculations by the music chart keeper Billboard.
Using as a yardstick Apple's recent revelation that it had sold four billion songs since the store opened in April 2003, the publication estimates that Apple sold about 1.7 billion tracks last year. This amounts to more than just $1.7 billion, however: as stores in Europe and elsewhere often charge more than 99 US cents per track, Apple is more likely to collect $1.9 billion.
After factoring in Apple's roughly 30 percent direct earnings from every song sold, this leaves the Cupertino, Calif.-based company with about $570 million of its own versus the 70 percent left to the labels.
The income doesn't translate to a similar amount in pure profit for iTunes, however. Apple has explained in the past that its portion of the song price is largely used by bandwidth and maintenance costs, though the company has never broken down its revenues in public statements.
Analyst: Disney earns $123 million in iTunes sales since debut
As unclear as Apple's revenue stream may be, its close partner Disney has been making a small but tangible profit on videos from iTunes, estimates by Pali Research show.
Studio chief Bob Iger's claims to have sold between four million movies and 40 to 50 million total videos since movies became available from iTunes in fall 2006. If taken literally, Disney has earned about $122.8 million after casting aside Apple's portion of each purchase, Pali analyst Rich Greenfield says.
The number is just a small fraction of Disney's total $35 billion in sales for 2007 alone, but is easily sustainable. Without the normal marketing and manufacturing costs associated with feature films and DVDs, virtually all of the income is considered a supplement to Disney's core movie-making business rather than an essential focus.
Newspaper claims iPhone Austria announcement by Friday
Austrians will hear of plans for the iPhone's launch at the same time as the Irish launch, according to a report in the national newspaper Der Standard.
The publication refers to anonymous industry sources who claim that T-Mobile Austria will sell 8GB and 16GB iPhones at the same prices of 399 and 499 Euros as for French, German, and Irish offerings. Like most iPhone subscriptions, owners will be tied to a two-year contract and will pay between 50 and 60 Euros a month.
T-Mobile has not confirmed the dates, though chief Hamid Akhavan pledged a release in the first half of 2008.
Japanese officials to investigate iPod nano sparks
An incident with a first-generation iPod nano has triggered an inquiry into the safety of the player by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The player reportedly shot sparks while it was being recharged, prompting concerns that other users may have encountered the same problem. No one has been injured, though Apple reported the issue to Japanese officials late last week.
Roughly 420,000 of the iPods were sold in Japan between 2005 and 2006. Later second- and third-generation iPod nanos aren't part of the current investigation.
Citing sources at Taiwan memory makers, DigiTimes notes that despite procuring about $1.2 to 1.3 billion worth of NAND flash memory for its products in calendar year 2007, Apple has yet to place any substantial orders this year.
Although the Cupertino-based company recently introduced a solid-state disk (SSD) version of its MacBook Air, suppliers believe the steep retail price of that model will do little to encourage widespread consumption amongst consumers, "which can hardly spur meaningful SSD penetration and NAND flash procurement."
Instead, the memory makers are reportedly anticipating the launch of the company's first ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) as a possible catalyst to improve demand and boost NAND pricing later in the year.
Like the MacBook Air's 64GB SSD, the device is said to employ multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash, as opposed to single-level cell (SLC), which represents the latest and most dense form of flash memory.
For its processor, the tablet-like device is widely presumed to use Intel's Atom processor, which will eventually include a dual-core 1.87GHz model, according to a leaked Intel roadmap that made its way around the Web on Monday.
The 11.4MB update began showing up via the Mac OS X Software Update application as "AirPort Base Station Update 2008-001" earlier this afternoon for those users who own one of the company's 802.11 routers.
According to Apple's "release notes," the update includes general fixes and compatibility updates for AirPort Utility, AirPort Disk Utility, and AirPort Base Station Agent.
Shortly thereafter, a similar set of updates were released via the company's website under the heading "AirPort Utility 5.3.1." Those distributions was made available as a 8.8MB download for Leopard, a 9.33MB download for Tiger, and a 10.28MB download for Windows XP and Vista.
"AirPort Utility v5.3.1 is the simple to use, setup and management utility for the AirPort Express Base Station, the AirPort Extreme Base Station and Time Capsule," Apple said in the release notes for those downloads.
"Even with the recent strength in all of Apple�s product lines, there continues to be significant opportunities in all three [of its business] segments," analyst David Bailey wrote in the first of two research notes released to clients.
Specifically, he noted that even though the company's personal computer business has outpaced the industry for 5-6 quarters in a row, Macs still account just 3 percent of the global PC market and thus are far from achieving their ultimate potential in the market.
"Our estimate is for 25 percent unit growth in 2008," he said.
Meanwhile, the analyst noted that while iPod unit growth is clearly declining, improving average selling prices (ASPs) from a positive mix of iPod touch models should enable the company to drive ongoing revenue growth for the foreseeable future.
Of interest, Bailey said the iPod touch is enabling the iPod to reach new customer segments, with more than 40 percent of iPod purchases during the December quarter coming from consumers who've never owned an iPod before, reinforcing his belief that the digital players have a ways to go before reaching their true saturation point.
In a second report, the Goldman Sachs analyst weighed in with his thoughts on the iPhone, noting that Apple remains confident that it's on track to meet its 10 million iPhone unit sales target for calendar 2008 and.
"While we expect those shipments to be more backed-loaded, we continue to look for 11 million units for the year," he wrote. "We remain a buyer of Apple shares as Apple has the fundamental and valuation underpinnings which should allow the stock to outperform on an absolute and relative basis longer-term."
"Thank you for expressing interest in the iPhone Developer Program. We have received your enrollment request," Apple wrote in an email sent to the vast majority of those who applied. "As this time, the iPhone Developer Program is available to a limited number of developers and we plan to expand during the beta period. We will contact you again regarding your enrollment status at the appropriate time."
Applicants outside the United States received a different response but to the same result: "Thank you for expressing interest in the iPhone Developer Program. We have received your enrollment request. �At this time, the iPhone Developer Program is only available in the US and will expand to other countries during the beta period. �We will contact you again regarding your enrollment status at the appropriate time. Thank you for applying."
In what may be some condolence to those applying, it's reported that Apple does not appear to be discriminating between corporations and developers of various stature. Instead, the policy appears to be that of gradual expansion during the ongoing beta stage, as noted by MacRumors, the only publication thus far to have claimed knowledge of some developers receiving Apple's official endorsement into the program.
Still, that's left those not so fortunate to wonder what affect their temporary rejection will have on their ability to garner a portion of the $100 million iFund launched by venture capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to help support aspiring iPhone application creators.
"Got my rejection email, today. Know someone else who did, also," said Chad, a prospective developer commenting on the matter over at iLounge . "Suppose iFund will wanna float any money my way now that apple has ditched me? I doubt it. Ah� thanks Apple."
But are there real grounds for paranoia at this point? Likely no, the publication suggests. It notes that that temporary rejection letters arriving in droves on Friday simply reiterate what was stated by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs last week while announcing the program: that it would be available only to a "limited number of developers" in the early stage, with substantially more gaining their digital certificate and access to the beta version of iPhone software v2.0 as its final June release approaches.
| Related AppleInsider articles:* Jobs on "marathon" meetings, successors, and... * Apple among those considering rival bid for... * Steve Jobs to Apple investors: 'hang in there' * Palm signs on former Apple heads in private... * PC World editor quits during dispute over... Monday, March 17, 2008Apple's iPhone SDK sees 100,000 downloads in four days
Published: 08:00 AM EST Apple said Wednesday that more than 100,000 iPhone developers have downloaded the beta iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK) in the first four days since its launch on March 6. "Developer reaction to the iPhone SDK has been incredible with more than 100,000 downloads in the first four days," said Philip Schiller, Apple�s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "Also, over one million people have watched the launch video on Apple.com, further demonstrating the incredible interest developers have in creating applications for the iPhone.� Last Thursday, Apple also previewed the new App Store, a way for developers to wirelessly deliver their applications to every iPhone and iPod touch user. Developers set the price for their applications�including free�and retain 70 percent of all sales revenues. Leading developers such as AOL, Electronic Arts, Epocrates, salesforce.com and Sega have already demonstrated applications using the SDK, and developer response continues to be strong with more developers embracing the platform, according to Apple. "Apple�s become an important mobile game platform with the iPhone SDK," said Jason Kapalka, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer, PopCap. "The new SDK gives us the tools to innovate and reinvent games like Bejeweled, Zuma and Peggle. With the new App Store we can reach every iPhone and iPod touch user on the planet." The free beta iPhone SDK is available immediately worldwide and can be downloaded at Apple's developer website. The iPhone Developer Program will initially be available in the US and will expand to other countries in the coming months, Apple said. A QuickTime video of the iPhone roadmap event remains available here, in both standard and high-definition formats. |
Report: DVR could turn Apple TV into multi-billion dollar business
Published: 11:00 AM EST
By integrating digital video recording (DVR) features into Apple TV, Apple stands to transform it's niche media hub business into a serious growth driver worth over a billion dollars annually, according to one Wall Street analyst.
Reacting to a patent filing uncovered by AppleInsider on Thursday, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said he sees DVR features like those portrayed in the filing cropping up in a third or fourth revision to Apple TV, turning the device into a real business rather than just a "hobby."
"We estimate AppleTV to be a very minor contributor today at ~0.3-0.4 percent of revenue or $100-125 million annually," he wrote in a note to clients.�"We believe adding the ability to watch and record live TV could turn this into a billion dollar, if not multi-billion dollar business."
Wu said the cost of hardware components needed to equip the media box with DVR features is almost negligible, or about $12-15 in incremental cost per unit.
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"We (as well as many others) have been clamoring for DVR and/or TV tuner capabilities since the introduction of Apple TV 1.0 in January 2007 and even Apple TV 2.0 with movie rentals in January 2008," he added. "We are pleased to see Apple listening to customers similar to what it has done with iPhone, with adding native access to Exchange server."
The analyst, however, took pause in his report to note that there have been patent filings from Apple in the past that have not come to fruition "yet."�One example, he said, is Bluetooth stereo headsets which have yet to ship but "will at some point as cost of components decline."
Separately, he cited his own sources as saying that Apple and Sony appear to be in the final negotiation stages of bringing Blu-ray to Macs.
"Thus while near-term trends look difficult with a looming recession and a slow-down in consumer spending, we continue to believe Apple is well-positioned to weather the storm better than most with its strong fundamentals," he wrote. "[We] reiterate [our] BUY rating and price target of $175."
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Reacting to a patent filing uncovered by AppleInsider on Thursday, American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said he sees DVR features like those portrayed in the filing cropping up in a third or fourth revision to Apple TV, turning the device into a real business rather than just a "hobby."
"We estimate AppleTV to be a very minor contributor today at ~0.3-0.4 percent of revenue or $100-125 million annually," he wrote in a note to clients.�"We believe adding the ability to watch and record live TV could turn this into a billion dollar, if not multi-billion dollar business."
Wu said the cost of hardware components needed to equip the media box with DVR features is almost negligible, or about $12-15 in incremental cost per unit.
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"We (as well as many others) have been clamoring for DVR and/or TV tuner capabilities since the introduction of Apple TV 1.0 in January 2007 and even Apple TV 2.0 with movie rentals in January 2008," he added. "We are pleased to see Apple listening to customers similar to what it has done with iPhone, with adding native access to Exchange server."
The analyst, however, took pause in his report to note that there have been patent filings from Apple in the past that have not come to fruition "yet."�One example, he said, is Bluetooth stereo headsets which have yet to ship but "will at some point as cost of components decline."
Separately, he cited his own sources as saying that Apple and Sony appear to be in the final negotiation stages of bringing Blu-ray to Macs.
"Thus while near-term trends look difficult with a looming recession and a slow-down in consumer spending, we continue to believe Apple is well-positioned to weather the storm better than most with its strong fundamentals," he wrote. "[We] reiterate [our] BUY rating and price target of $175."
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"Connect to the Internet, print, and share music from iTunes with any room in the house. Everything without wires. Now with 802.11n as standard," the description reads, translated from its original French.
As with the Airport Extreme, Apple promises as much as five times the speed as the earlier 802.11g standard, which is used by the current Airport Express model. The price and core USB printing and disk sharing features also appear to be unchanged from the original.
The slip is not known to have appeared on any of Apple's other pages but would signal the first clear change to the Airport Express hardware, which has been virtually unchanged since its introduction in June 2004.
That portfolio had long consisted of just a single patent (No. 7,020,704) titled "System and method for distributing media assets to user devices via a portal synchronized by said user devices." However, on Tuesday the United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded ZapMedia with the rights to a second, similarly titled patent (No. 7,343,414) having an increased focus on digital rights management (DRM).
Both patents describe a content distribution and media asset management system, which when taken at face value appears similar to online distributions systems like Apple's iTunes Store and rival offerings such as Vongo and MovieLink. In addition, the filings include what may be perceived as the foundations to a DRM platform.
In its suit Wednesday, ZapMedia claims that after filing for its first patent in October of 2000, it met with several major technology and media companies around the world, including Apple, describing its vision in great detail.
"Without asking ZapMedia for permission, Apple subsequently unveiled its own system," the company said. "Apple announced its iPod MP3 player with an integrated iTunes software application in October of 2001 and its iTunes store in April 2003."
After having been granted its first patent in March of 2006, ZapMedia between June 2006 the fall of 2007 again entertained dialog with Apple, offering to license that patent to the company to no avail.
Illustrations included in ZapMedia's filings.
"When someone takes our vision and our intellectual property without a license after several attempts, we have no option but to protect it through every means available to us," Robert J. Frohwein, general counsel of ZapMedia Services, said in a statement.
ZapMedia is now seeking unspecified damages.
The fan, according to several users posting to Apple's support forums (1, 2) over the past two weeks, has failed to perform adequately thus far, resulting in random lockups that render the Air unresponsive for periods of about 10 to 15 seconds at a time, if not longer.
In most cases, the intermittent freezing would occur under CPU intensive operations such as digital video playback, downloading content from iTunes, and the use of resource-intensive applications such as Safari or FireFox.
In these instances, the MacBook Air's internal temperature would rise to abnormal levels, causing one of the system's primary processor cores to power down completely. The weight of the operations would then be shifted to the single remaining core, which would be unable to handle the load, eventually causing the systems to stutter and lock up repeatedly.
"I called Apple Customer Service in Italy, they said they knew about the problem, asked me to run some 'resetting' sequences, but the problem is still there," one Air owner wrote last week. "I really think it is a 'overheating' problem, it only happens when running heavy applications, like video playback or video chatting (skype)."
The issue has been particularly troublesome for Air owners who reside in warmer climates, as the surrounding environmental temperatures serve only to compound the overheating problem.
"Same behaviour here with my MacBook Air running 10.5.2," said another Air owner. "Things seens a bit worst to me because I'm in Brazil, S�o Paulo. This means 86� F is a ordinary day."
Unfortunately, a couple of owners report that they are unable to apply this week's MacBook Air SMC Update 1.0 because their MacBook Airs shipped out of Apple's manufacturing facilities with the update already applied. These users continue to report freezing issues.
"I download the the update but it told me I was already up to date," one said. "Fingers crossed for a fix soon."
Separately on Tuesday, Apple also released via iTunes iPod shuffle firmware version 1.0.4, which addresses a few bugs and enhances support for the just-release 2G version of the player.
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"When you hire really good people you have to give them a piece of the business and let them run with it," he says. "I want [them] making as good or better decisions than I would. So the way to do that is to have them know everything, not just in their part of the business, but in every part of the business."
The technique explains Jobs' confidence in finding a replacement should he ever leave. Echoing his remarks made on Tuesday at the annual shareholders' meeting, Jobs observes that there are multiple prime candidates for the top spot, particularly chief operating officer Tim Cook. Senior officials at Apple are reportedly skilled enough that there would be little risk. "Some people say, 'Oh, God, if [he] got run over by a bus, Apple would be in trouble," Jobs adds jokingly. "But there are really capable people at Apple."
He also uses this approach as justification for his at times legendary reputation for harsh criticism. Pushing employees to their limits improves them beyond what they thought possible of themselves, he says.
The executive takes further pride in the company's ability to say "no" to common business tactics. Consulants have never been brought in to verify the company's own behavior, just those of competitors. Apple has likewise repeatedly turned down some ideas, even seemingly viable ones, for the sake of maintaining its concentration on just a few key product lines.
Of those lines, the iPod may well have proved the most critical. While the Mac has always been the company's backbone, Jobs admits that the iPod proved virtually essential to rescuing the company from its reputation as a niche-only computer manufacturer. The runaway success of the music player helped validate the company's approach, both to itself and to others. Inside the company, the iPod was a "great shot in the arm" to a company used to never picking up more than 5 percent marketshare.
More importantly, he states, it broke the complacence of the market towards options beyond Windows. As people became aware of Apple once again, it gave the company an opportunity to expand and set itself up as a viable competitor to Microsoft and Windows-based PC builders.
"People have finally started to realize that they don't have to put up with Windows - that there is an alternative," he explains. "I think nobody really thought about it that way before."
Apple reportedly became aware of the truncating problem following a flurry of reports from disgruntled users who've been congregating on the company's support forums for the past three weeks.
One, going by the name of dlalla, reported that since upgrading to iTunes 7.6.1, all his CD imports have resulted in the last 6 seconds of the final track getting cut short.
"I'm having the same issue, and didn't notice it until today," said another. "Considering the volume of CDs I import on a regular basis, this is going to be a real pain - I have to go back now and figure out when I upgraded, and what I have imported since then that will need to be fixed."
Other users confirm the glitch to have turned up as part of the iTunes 7.6.1 update released February 21st. They note that the issue is particularly prevalent while importing to compressed formats such as AAC or MP3 using a speedy optical drive. Users of slower optical drives say they haven't noticed the issue.
While they await the forthcoming iTunes update, some users have resorted to a workaround. They've found that by importing the final track of each CD to AIFF format, then converting it to a compressed format afterwards, they can avoid the problem.
Although yet to be discussed outside of the site by either Apple or T-Mobile, a special iPhone page has appeared that lists 8GB and 16GB handsets as selling for 399 Euros and 499 Euros respectively, matching similar pricing in France, Germany, and Ireland.
The company also reveals that its iPhone plans will offer more than its fellow T-Mobile division in Germany: a "Classic" plan at 39 Euros will include 1000 minutes of airtime for calls to any network versus the 100 minutes available with Germany's starter 49 Euro plan. A "Supreme" plan at 55 Euros adds 1000 SMS messages and also supplies 1,000 extra minutes each to other T-Mobile customers, the voicemail inbox, and other providers.
However, while the plan includes access to Visual Voicemail, the company reveals that Austrian users will encounter a data cap similar to that in Ireland: both the Classic and Supreme plans are limited to 3GB of data per month.
T-Mobile has not revealed its launch date but is reportedly set to launch the iPhone as early as tomorrow. In a statement on the Austrian site, the carrier says it expects to sell the phone through its 39 retail shops as well as its online store.
Apple manager discusses company software design
If Apple's software looks unusually well-designed and provides unique solutions to problems, that's because the company doesn't obey typical rules, Apple senior engineering manager Michael Lopp has revealed in a South by Southwest technology panel attended by BusinessWeek's Helen Walters.
Design mockups, which replicate the interface look and its mechanics, are one of the most important differentiators, Lopp says. Rather than sketch several crude mockups that will need to be changed later, Apple designers often create ten mockups that almost exactly mimic the final appearance. This adds extra time up front but pays off by preventing mistakes.
This is more than the seven or less renderings that come from other companies, the engineer adds, and is carried through to the completion stage: designers are given enough time to create their concepts and pick the top three, which themselves are refined for three months until the final interface is chosen.
The company also follows the unusual practice of holding two seemingly contradictory meetings each week. In one, the developers are encouraged to think of any design that might work, no matter impractical it initially seems; in the next, the same team is asked to determine how it could make a given plan a reality and focuses on concrete development. In doing so, Apple opens up the possibility of a creative solution even very late into production.
Importantly, Lopp adds, this also safeguards against conflicts in so-called "pony" meetings: gatherings where management outlines its desires for a product, no matter how unrealistic they might be for the actual designers. By learning what the team considers workable at any given stage, executives not avert long-term disasters but also may get the features (or "ponies") they want through different means.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant also outlined about a half dozen improvements to each of the suite's component applications. For instance, it said Word will no longer quit unexpectedly during launch or during spell check, and that blank pages are no longer printed when using a high resolution printer. Improvements to citation deletion and font substitution were also implemented.
Meanwhile, Excel will also see improvements that will also prevent unexpected quits. In addition, the new version will feature more reliable ledger sheets, present better support for secondary displays, fix formatting issues for rotated text, and respond more reliably when receiving copy and pastes of linked data and charts.
For Entourage users, the update should improve IMAP connections to servers running IBM's Lotus Domino and synchronization with Exchange Server. It should also correct problems with notification sounds under Leopard, import rules, and the stability of Database Utility when used to rebuild large identity databases.
Rounding out the fixes in the Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update are those targeting the suite's presentation software, PowerPoint. After applying the update, users should experience faster launches of PowerPoint, better character spacing and layout, and improvements to saving files to an SMB network volume, as well as saving files in PowerPoint 97-2004 formats.
Tuesday update is the first for Office 2008 for Mac since the software launched in January at Macworld Expo.
Apple's iPhone 2.0 firmware to bring contact search?
Published: 06:15 PM EST
Tucked away in Apple's presentation of its iPhone and iPod touch version 2.0 upgrade was evidence of a search feature coming to the handset's contact list.
As noted in a post by blarg Kaboom, an inconspicuous magnifying glass icon -- visible for just a few moments -- appears just above the alphabet search strip in the Contacts application in one of Apple's slides during the presentation from last week.
Without a live demonstration of the feature, the exact behavior of the icon is uncertain. Nonetheless, the image resembles the Spotlight icon in Mac OS X Leopard, alluding to a likely search function for iPhone owners with large contact lists or specific search criteria.
Apple hasn't discussed the presence of the image. No users with access to the iPhone software development kit have reported the feature appearing in the contact list for the version 2.0 beta, however, which hints at a feature either pulled from the software or else shelved until its planned final release in June.
In November, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster fueled speculation by claiming that a phone-wide search feature would appear along with the iPhone SDK for Apple's official announcement, which was planned for February at the time. While the accuracy of the researcher's sources has yet to be settled, they suggested that users could search not just contacts, but also data within calendars and email messages.
The lack of search has been a frequently cited omission from the iPhone's feature set since its launch last June.
Click here for larger view.
Tucked away in Apple's presentation of its iPhone and iPod touch version 2.0 upgrade was evidence of a search feature coming to the handset's contact list.
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Without a live demonstration of the feature, the exact behavior of the icon is uncertain. Nonetheless, the image resembles the Spotlight icon in Mac OS X Leopard, alluding to a likely search function for iPhone owners with large contact lists or specific search criteria.
Apple hasn't discussed the presence of the image. No users with access to the iPhone software development kit have reported the feature appearing in the contact list for the version 2.0 beta, however, which hints at a feature either pulled from the software or else shelved until its planned final release in June.
In November, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster fueled speculation by claiming that a phone-wide search feature would appear along with the iPhone SDK for Apple's official announcement, which was planned for February at the time. While the accuracy of the researcher's sources has yet to be settled, they suggested that users could search not just contacts, but also data within calendars and email messages.
The lack of search has been a frequently cited omission from the iPhone's feature set since its launch last June.
Click here for larger view.
Speaking at the company's MIX08 online technology conference, Microsoft browser chief Dean Hachamovitch said Internet Explorer 8 delivers better predictability when designing sites, and will feature full support for cascading style sheet (CSS) 2.1 when it's finally issued to manufacturing.
A beta, due for release later in the day, will also include a handful of new end-user features in addition to several developer-oriented debugging tools, both of which the Redmond, Wash.-based firm hopes will provide an edge in its ongoing battle with rival partners Google and Mozilla (Firefox) for maintained supremacy on the web.
Among the top enhancements for end users is a service-related mapping feature reminiscent of embedded Google Maps called "Activities," and another akin to the Web Clips feature of Apple's Safari browser, dubbed "WebSlices."
Microsoft describes Activities as "contextual services to quickly access a service from any webpage," allowing users to bypass the process of, for instance, copying a street address from one website and then pasting it into the website of a mapping service to bring up its location.
"For example, a user is interested in a restaurant and wants to see the location of it," the company said. "This is the form of a "look up" Activity where the user selects the address and views an in-place view of the map using his favorite map service."
In addition to Microsoft's "LiveMaps" service, the default Activities contextual menu lists about a half-dozen of the software giant's other services, in addition to links for "Share on Facebook" and "Add to Digg."
Meanwhile, WebSlices appear to be a near facsimile of Web Clips without a separate runtime environment like Dashboard: "Internet Explorer 8 Users can discover WebSlices within a webpage and add them to the Favorites bar, a dedicated row below the Address bar for easy access to links. Internet Explorer 8 subscribes to the webpage, detects changes in the WebSlice, and notifies the user of updates."
Other features of Internet Explorer 8 include a links bar (similar to Safari's Bookmarks Bar) that has been renamed the "Favorites Bar," an "Automatic Crash Recovery" tool, and an improved anti-phishing filter.
Also on Wednesday, Microsoft released a beta version of Silverlight 2, its competitor to Adobe's Flash for rich, cross-platform media content on the web, and dropped hints that the software could eventually make its way to Apple's iPhone.
"We're releasing Silverlight on more and more mobile platforms, said Scott Guthrie, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President, Developer Division. "We'll release it on anything with an SDK."
The shoe and iPod makers said they're actively working with major gym equipment manufacturers such as Life Fitness, Precor, Star Trac and Technogym to make their cardio equipment Nike + iPod compatible so health club members can easily track workouts on�cardio equipment�like treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes and stair climbers.
Come this summer, Nike + iPod Sport Kit users will be able to simply�plug their iPod nano into compatible equipment at the start of their workout to automatically record their progress. Users can then connect their iPod with their computer to upload the workout to NikePlus.com.
"The iPod is an essential part of millions of people's workouts and now users�can easily set goals and track their progress with Nike + iPod,� said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing for iPod.�"We're excited to be working with Nike and leading equipment manufacturers to bring the Nike + iPod experience to the gym."
Among the participating gyms are 24 Hour Fitness nationwide and Virgin Active Health Clubs internationally, where members will see workout data from their Nike + iPod sport kits converted to �CardioMiles� following each work out, so that they can easily set goals and participate in challenges with runners and with users of other cardio equipment.
Since its inception back in May of 2006, runners have used the $29 Nike + iPod Sport Kit to log close to 50 million miles, according to Nike. The kit includes an in-shoe sensor and a receiver that attaches to iPod, allowing runners to track data on time, distance, calories burned and pace.
Apple may be making a return to the use of carbon composites in its products, according to a new job listing for an experienced carbon composites engineer.
Poised to work at Apple's Cupertino, California main campus, the engineer would help develop new parts out of carbon and function as the Mac maker's primary carbon materials expert -- including the chief advisor on when and how to use composites in new products.
While Apple is not specific as to the nature of any products it might make using carbon, the posting is unusual for the company and recalls the company's past experience in notebook design. Long-term Mac veterans will remember that the original, titanium PowerBook G4 used carbon composites for its supporting framework to maintain a stiff design without significantly affecting weight.
Current MacBooks are not known to use carbon framing or outer shells.
iPhone Photo and Camera Apps Developer
Not content with the relatively basic camera and photo management software on today's iPhone, Apple is searching for a developer at its main campus to bring both capturing and browsing imagery "to the next level," a recent posting says.
In addition to experience with the needed operating system skills, the role would also need experience with manipulating images and camera metadata, such as the EXIF tags that reveal information about the hardware and settings used to take photos.
As of the present day, the camera on the iPhone is limited to capturing still photos without zoom or flash, and allows users to browse photos as well as e-mail them or set them as wallpaper.
MacBook Hardware Design Engineer
The most far-reaching of Apple's more recent job postings, listed at the start of this month, seeks a design engineer to help produce the "next generation" of the company's MacBook line.
The designer would primarily be responsible for nurturing the creation of the portables from their very conceptual beginnings to the final production stage, and would address virtually every aspect of the systems from board layouts to heat concerns and power use.
Apple has listed multiple jobs for MacBook design engineers since October, suggesting a renewed concentration on the design of the company's computers. However, most previous postings before now have been more specialized and focused on specific stages of development rather than the entire platform.
Apple's Thursday event addressed the version 2.0 software and SDK for the iPhone and iPod touch. Both upgrades allow third-party developers to make native software available for the iPhone and also add enterprise support, including full Microsoft Exchange e-mail.
The presentation also addressed the first clear third-party software announcements from some of Apple's partners, including games from Electronic Arts and SEGA, as well as instant messaging from AOL.
Also unveiled was Apple's App Store, which will serve as the sole download source for publicly available third-party software.
More news from today's Apple event
Apple's iPhone takes on the Enterprise
Coming to iPhone: Instant Messenger, EA's Spore, SEGA games
Apple announces iPhone 2.0 software and SDK beta
Notes from Apple's iPhone Software Roadmap event
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"By putting so much computing power into such an elegant mobile device, Apple has opened up tremendous opportunities for application developers," said Kirk Loevner, Epocrates Chairman and CEO. "The technology and software in the iPhone OS will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide healthcare professionals with an unsurpassed user experience."
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Epocrates' Native iPhone Clinical Software
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Epocrates is one of a select few companies working directly with Apple to create an application that can be installed directly on the iPhone. It will enable healthcare professionals to have immediate, ubiquitous access to vital clinical information even in locations without Internet connectivity. When a network connection is reestablished, the device will be automatically populated with updated drug and safety information and important medical news.
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A customized Safari version of Epocrates' free web-based drug reference is currently available at http://m.epocrates.com , which users can access via an Internet or Wi-Fi connection.
Epocrates provides drug dosing and drug interaction information to physicians, as well as presenting a database of reference guides for drug, formulary, disease, codes, and medical terms. The system also delivers clinical alerts to its users from the FDA, ISMP and CDC, updates content weekly, and offers mobile Continuing Medical Education courses.
Physicians Petition for the iPhone
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Physicians have been extremely vocal in asking for a version of Epocrates software installed directly on the iPhone, with one doctor even starting an online petition months ago to drive awareness. Based on this demand, as well as the benefit of the product in helping to improve quality of care, Apple invited Epocrates to begin native development for the iPhone in advance of the availability of the public SDK.
Glenn Keighley, who has been working in mobile development for the last eight years at Epocrates, noted that "developing software for the iPhone is like developing for no other mobile platform. The sensation is for developing for a much more powerful, stronger, almost desktop-like environment. The main reason for this differentiation is the availability of the Cocoa Touch frameworks."
Keighley added, "We were able to take advantage of some of the unique features of the iPhone, like the SQL lite database to store our drug formulation information, and the enhanced screen resolution to show pill images on the device for the first time on any mobile platform." He also cited Core Animation as a powerful tool for making it easy to build an attractive, intuitive animated interface to enhance features as MultiCheck, used by Epocrates to monitor possible drug interactions for patients taking multiple medications.
A new Identify Drug feature is entirely new to the iPhone; it allows physicians to enter drug descriptions from patients by color, shape, and scoring to present a list of possible medications, each of which can be used to bring up a monograph detailing the drug.
A final version of the software is targeted to be available with the release of iPhone 2.0 software and the new iPhone App Store in June. Epocrates will also run on the iPod Touch.
Initially, the software will be a variant of Java Micro Edition, a mobile version of the software most often used for cellphone games as well as some specialized business apps, such as CRM (customer relations management) or ERP (enterprise resource planning) tools. However, the Sun official also said that the software would hopefully be optimized for the iPhone and allow access to features specific to Apple's mobile platform.
"We're going to work to make sure that the [virtual machine] offers the Java applications as much access to the native functionality of the iPhone as possible," Klein said.
The executive also said his company wouldn't rule out more advanced developments. JavaFX, a second mobile version of Java built partly to substitute for Flash and other web animations, was possible. Over time, the company could also write a version of Java Standard Edition if its initial experience proves worthwhile.
While a release of Java for the iPhone and iPod touch would not appear until sometime after Apple's June launch of its version 2.0 firmware and the App Store needed to download the program, the announcement represents an end-run around Apple's own resistance to implementing Java on its own. Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said no Java was coming from his own company as late as this week and last year described a full Java engine as a burden to the phone that was unlikely to be used by developers.
The chip, which includes support for multiple threads, measures less than 25 mm�, making it Intel's smallest and lowest power processor yet. "Up to 11 Intel Atom processor die -- the tiny slivers of silicon packed with 47 million transistors each -- would fit in an area the size of an American penny," the chipmaker said in a statement.
Silverthorne chips sport a thermal design power (TDP) specification in 0.6-2.5 watt range and scale to 1.8GHz speeds depending on customer need. By comparison, today's mainstream mobile Core 2 Duo processors have a TDP in the 35-watt range.
"This is our smallest processor built with the world's smallest transistors," said Intel Executive Vice President Sean Maloney. "This small wonder is a fundamental new shift in design, small yet powerful enough to enable a big Internet experience on these new devices. We believe it will unleash new innovation across the industry."
In addition to MIDs, Intel believes Atom will serve to meet demand for a new category of low-cost, Internet-centric mobile computing devices dubbed "netbooks" and basic Internet-centric desktop PCs dubbed "nettops," which are expected to grow in popularity substantially over the next several years.
In conjunction with the official naming of Silverthrone, Intel also announced that it has changed the name of the chip's supporting platform -- formally "Menlow" -- to "Intel Centrino Atom." It bundles the Intel Atom processor, a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, and thinner and lighter designs.
As was reported by AppleInsider this past September, Apple is expected to emerge as one of the largest proponents of Atom/Silverthorne, with current plans calling for the Cupertino-based Mac maker to incorporate the chips in a number of its products, most likely beginning with the redesigned Newton handheld.
Most of the investment will go to teams developing location-based services, mobile commerce, social networks, and other communication or entertainment add-ons for the mobile version of Mac OS X.
KPCB doesn't say whether it has established a particular system for distributing the money, but says it will invest venture capital to help the companies become completely independent. It also plans to lend its experience in both building startups as well as networking the young companies with partners they may need to expand.
The finances will be distributed chiefly by KPCB venture capitalist Matt Murphy as well as several other notable investors, including former Intel marketer and current Google board member John Doerr. To him, the SDK is an unusual chance to invest in a new and potentially successful category.
"A revolutionary new platform is a rare and prized opportunity for entrepreneurs, and that's exactly what Apple has created," Doerr says. "We think several significant new companies will emerge as this new platform evolves."
More news from today's Apple event
Apple's iPhone takes on the Enterprise
Apple posts iPhone Software Roadmap event stream
Coming to iPhone: Instant Messenger, EA's Spore, SEGA games
Apple announces iPhone 2.0 software and SDK beta
Notes from Apple's iPhone Software Roadmap event
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Apple is pursuing its first store in South Carolina at the heart of one of its most important cities.
According to investigations by Charleston's Post and Courier, the Mac maker has spoken to the owner of 301 King Street asking about a potential lease for the downtown property but has not committed to any deals.
The location was previously split between a nightclub and a thrift store and will likely undergo Apple's usual storefront alteration, replacing the normal facing with glass and metal.
Despite having yet to formalize any deal, Apple has pledged itself to developing the store through its jobs page: several listings for Mac Specialists, Geniuses, and other employees for a "Charleston - King St" store have surfaced on the company site.
ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT Firmware Update
Apple on Monday night issued its ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT Firmware Update (792KB).
The fix is said to improve the reliability of Mac Pro towers using one or more of the video cards. and requires both Mac OS X 10.5.2 as well as the accompanying Leopard Graphics Update before it can be installed.
Owners of Apple's high-end aluminum iMacs, which also use Radeon HD 2600 XT chipsets, are not affected by the upgrade.
Intel Atom roadmap leads to dual-core systems
If a new leaked roadmap is to be believed, the second wave of Intel's Atom technology will include the first ultra-low power, dual-core processor from the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company.
An entry for an Atom 300-series processor suggests it will run at 1.87GHz with dual cores versus the 1.6GHz, single-core Atom 230, which remains the only officially announced chip from the Atom family. A single-core Atom 200-series model is also listed at the higher clock speed.
The roadmap doesn't mention a release period or power use for either of the new Atoms, which may consume more energy alongside the added performance.
Apple is expected to use Atom in multiple products this year and was previously codenamed Silverthorne.
A public beta for versions of the Windows operating system carried build number 31A15 and weighed in at 18.5MB, while versions for Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard arrived as builds 8S3021 and 9B4021, weighing in at 48.6MB and 38.9MB, respectively.
In a set of release notes reported to have accompanied the latest distributions, Apple advocated "significant performance, stability, and compatibility improvements" over the builds released just three weeks earlier.
Specifically, the company said Safari 3.1 accepts large amounts of text pastes into forms much faster than its predecessor and that the browser now logs all nasty and unsafe Javascripts to a system log file for later review. In addition, a pesky bug that prevented earlier builds for uploading photos via web forms to online auction sites has also been fixed.
The Mac maker offered no update on the browser's more compelling enhancements, which include support for downloadable web fonts, HTML5 video and audio tags, CSS transitions and animations, and a new SQL storage API.
Improvements to Javascript performance are also a significant focus of the upcoming release, which uses an unreleased version of Apple's Webkit frame work that has proven to be up to 2.5 times as fast in Javascript operations than that of the current version included with the existing Safari 3.0.4 software.
One of the most warmly received announcements came from AOL, which managed to develop a working version of its Instant Messenger software for the iPhone after having been provided with a beta of the iPhone SDK just two weeks ago.
The application includes a full featured Buddy List that integrates with Address Book and the iPhone's contact list, displaying the name, status and icon of each buddy. It also supports multiple simultaneous conversations. Switching between them requires just a 'swipe' across the iPhone's touch-screen.
"No question the powerful tools and APIs in the iPhone SDK made it easy to develop a feature-rich mobile application for the iPhone," said Kevin Conroy, executive vice president, AOL. "The rapid development cycle for this application was very intuitive, and when you add the App Store, it�s an unbeatable combination for development and distribution of mobile applications."
Via a new application programming interface (API) offered as part of the iPhone SDK, applications like the AIM client are able to interface with the iPhone's Photo Library. As such, users can select custom buddy list icons from their iPhone's Photo Library or create one on the spot via the handset's built-in camera.
EA's Spore and SEGA's Super Monkey Ball
On another front, it became clear that the iPhone's built-in three-axis accelerometer is going to unleash a new chapter in handheld gaming unparalleled by anything in the industry thus far. Apple began by demonstrating a Photo editing application that lets users "undo" changes simply by shaking the iPhone like an "etch a sketch." EA Games' Travis Boatman was then introduced to perform a demo of "Spore" on the iPhone, also ported to iPhone in just two weeks. Like the photo editing app, game-play is based purely on tilting and maneuvering the orientation of the handset.
"The animation technology in the iPhone OS enables us to build awesome games,� said EA chief executive John Riccitiello. "I think iPhone consumers are going to be blown away by the games we create for this platform."
Similarly, SEGA's Ethan Einhorn showed off a version of his firm's Super Monkey Ball title that leveraged the iPhone's Accelerometer, and like Spore was also ported to the handset within two weeks. To move the monkey around the screen, all players have to do is tilt the iPhone.
"It's gonna be really hard to go back to a traditional game controller," he said.
Salesforce.com and Epocrates
Also demonstrating applications at the SDK event were representatives from Salesforce.com and PDA medical software developer Epocrates.
Salesforce demonstrated an application -- written by a single developer in less than two weeks -- that will allow sales representatives to view graphical representations of their monthly sales goals on the iPhone. Chuck Dietrich, who spoke on behalf of the company, said the iPhone SDK will allow his firm to repurpose data for the iPhone, which could then be distributed wirelessly to those sales reps.
Shortly after, Glenn Keighley of Epocrates demonstrated a new medical reference application for the iPhone that will allow physicians to reference and identify various different kinds of medicines (pills).
"By putting so much computing power into such an elegant mobile device, Apple has opened up tremendous opportunities for application developers,� said Kirk Loevner, Epocrates's chairman and CEO. �The technology and software in the iPhone OS will allow us to create new and innovative applications that help improve patient safety and provide healthcare professionals with an unsurpassed user experience."
Available only on the Apple App Store
All these applications and hundreds more will be distributed exclusively via Apple's new App Store beginning in June. The App Store application will ship as part of iPhone Software 2.0 and allow users to download and install applications and games wirelessly over EDGE or WiFI, Apple said, or via iTunes on a Mac or PC.
The store's landing page will feature the Top 50 most popular applications and include a search function for the remainder of the offerings. Developers must register with Apple ($99 fee) to obtain a digital certificate and the right to publish their games on the store. Developers will set the price of there applications and see 70 percent of the proceeds from sales while Apple will garner the remaining 30 percent to cover server, marketing and other costs.
There will be a slight vesting period between the time developers submit their applications to Apple for inclusion on the App Store and when they are actually made available for download, said Apple Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, who declined to elaborate further.
More news from today's Apple event
Apple's iPhone takes on the Enterprise
Apple posts iPhone Software Roadmap event stream
Apple announces iPhone 2.0 software and SDK beta
Notes from Apple's iPhone Software Roadmap event
Specifically, analyst Rob Sanderson and Shaw Wu said they see products from the two smartphone vendors addressing an increasingly larger percentage of the nearly 1.3 billion unit global cell phone market over the next 10 years, and that they expect the two firms to combine for 35 million smartphone sales this year alone.
To its advantage, Apple has a stronger service story and the best in-class user interface design, while RIM has leverage given its well-established enterprise story and expertise in efficient design.
In RIM's favor
For its approach to enterprise level wireless "push" email, RIM employs a network operations center (NOC) as a sub-network that connects to more than 300 wireless carriers around the world. This agnostic approach served for use with nearly any carrier, stands as the only true "push" email solution available today, according to the analysts, forgoing IP-addressing in favor of indexing BlackBerry devices on the network using PIN codes.
"This allows a server (like BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES)) to call the device at any time to push information (like an email message)," they wrote. "The NOC offers security advantages because it does not require an inbound firewall port to remain open, it eliminates the opportunity for denial of service attacks, and the NOC can prevent 'bad packets' from reaching devices."
Sanderson and Wu say the use of a NOC approach helps carriers manage traffic flow -- throttling back at times of capacity overloads -- and allowing for continual improvements to compression and routing. An example of this is RIM's Dynamic Packet Allocation (DPA) technology, which determines how many packets a Blackberry can accept and how quickly based on connection quality in a specific cell-site and other factors.
Meanwhile, the BES component connects to mail servers like Exchange, Lotus Notes and Novell Groupwise, passing emails, calendar, and contact information through the NOC to wireless devices.
"The BES server and the BlackBerry handheld share a unique randomly generated security key based on triple-DES encryption which is considered unbreakable," they explained. "The BES server encrypts all information with this key while behind the corporate firewall, before passing through the NOC. The only decryption key in existence resides on the handheld device, which gives BlackBerry the highest level of security in the industry."
As such, the analysts noted that RIM is the only vendor to have thus far received top-level security accreditations in North America and Europe. This has helped make BlackBerries the exclusive smartphone of secure conscious agencies like the US Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security. For this reason, the analysts say "claims of security issues raised by ActiveSync advocates seem completely meritless."
Another advantage of RIM's BES component is bandwidth consumption management, as email data packets see significant reductions in size due to advanced compression technologies that see attachments sent not as native attachments, but in a format better suited for wireless transfer.
In addition, Sanderson and Wu note that the BES architecture provides IT managers with a single point of management for an entire fleet of handheld devices belonging to an organization, including remote activation, security �wiping�, and the ability to perform over-the-air software installation.
"BES is not costly. BES has a wide-range of pricing models, the larger components of which are a customer access license (CAL) and T-support," they wrote. "On average, the annual software and support revenue RIM collects is about $30 per year per enterprise subscriber."
Batting for Apple
On the flip side, the analysts point to Apple's ActiveSync approach to push email as one of the ways IT manages could help cut costs through the architecture's reduced reliance on storage, server and network resources. While it may not yet offer the robustness of RIM's three-tier approach -- Exchange Server, BES and the NOC -- ActiveSync is much cheaper and simpler from a management standpoint.
"The key issue with an external NOC is why does every enterprise e-mail sent and received have to pass through a third-party (in this case in Canada)?," noted Sanderson and Wu. "This raises security risks as the e-mail is sent outside a company's firewall to an additional party besides the public network." With Apple's ActiveSync approach, emails will be authenticated within a company's firewall, then transfered directly over a public network to iPhones, bypassing the need for an NOC.
But despite being available since the advent of the BlackBerry, ActiveSync has not been nearly as successful. Even with the support of device makers like Motorola, Palm, Samsung and Nokia, IT corporations are still dominated by BlackBerry technology.
"We see several technical limitations including: 1) security, 2) scalability, 3) network efficiency and 4) power efficiency," Sanderson and Wu wrote. "We also see non-technical related issues. For instance, service and support can be a problem for IT managers as there are several vendors involved (Microsoft, device maker, carrier) whereas for BlackBerry there is only one number to call in the event of a failure."
More specifically, the analysts say Security may be a major drawback due to ActiveSync's reliance on an inbound port remaining open on the iPhone, which users are more likely to misplace or lose than similarly configured notebook computer running Outlook. Complicating these issues are scalability concerns brought about by the lack of a fixed IP address on cell phones.
"From our understanding, current Microsoft-based solutions continually ping the network to not time-out and maintain the device�s IP address," they explained. "Keeping the IP-session open is how Microsoft replicates a push-like experience without a NOC. We believe this will present scalability issues if these devices proliferate as a growing number of devices are squatting on a finite allocation of IP-addresses."
This approach, the analysts added, is also likely to have a adverse affect on network and power efficiency due to the constant pinging, which is believed to consume in excess of 2-10 times the bandwidth of RIM's approach, weighing on battery life at the same time.
Nevertheless, Sanderson and Wu remain open minded towards Apple's prospects of bettering the ActiveSync experience, noting that the company maintains several assets that should make its implementation superior to those that came before it. Such examples are a robust and efficient iPhone OS, an e-mail client that has been built from the ground up to handle Exchange, and the closest experience yet of a personal computer on a mobile device platform.
They also point to the company's easy programming tools for enterprise developers and tighter integration with PC and server hardware already familiar to the IT sector.
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"At Macworld, when I asked Mr. Jobs about the idea of an iPod Touch in a larger 'Safari Pad' format, he snapped at me, 'I can�t talk about unannounced products,'" writes the New York Times' John Markoff. "Intriguing."
In fact, Markoff claims that Apple's multi-touch technology was conceived as part of a "note-pad" sized project run by the company's then head of Macintosh hardware Tim Bucher, and that it was internally referred to as "Safari Pad." Implementing multi-touch as part of revolutionary cell phone came later, he suggests.
The report by Markoff and reaction by Jobs serve only to bolster claims laid out by AppleInsider last September in its report regarding a modern day reincarnation of the Newton MessagePad, reminiscent of a larger iPod touch, yet far more capable.
In his column in the Times this week, Markoff speculates that the long rumored device may be Apple's answer to Amazon's Kindle eBook reader given Jobs' blatant criticism of the product and its ability to succeed.
"A familiar Jobsian strategy is to denigrate an entire category -- he did this with cellphones, for example -- before reinventing it with Apple panache," he wrote.
For its part, AppleInsider believes that Apple's ambitions for the project go far and beyond a digital book reader.
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