Selected by levitus

• Most Topular Stories

• Analysis: Rumor Roundup: Apple’s New Products

  The Mac Observer

  John Martellaro

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  Rumors are flying fast and furious about almost every major Apple product. Here’s a roundup of all the rumors and how good we think the rumors are.

• Hands-on with Google Docs's new research tool

  Macworld

  16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm

  Google Docs has unveiled a new 'research tool' meant to help writers streamline their browser-based research, making it easier for them to find and cite the information they need while composing text.

• Apple QuickTime update for Windows only; Macs already secure

  MacFixIt

  Topher Kessler

  15 May 2012 | 4:50 pm

  Apple's security and OS updates included the latest version of QuickTime, which Apple has just made available for Windows PCs.

• Apple ITC win leads to HTC One X, Evo 4G LTE import holdup

  Ars Technica » Infinite Loop

  Chris Foresman

  16 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  HTC, AT&T, and Sprint are all feeling the effects of Apple's import ban win against HTC last December. The One X and Evo 4G LTE, both Android handsets, may be delayed from their May 18 launch date as the devices are currently being held by US Customs officials. Officials are examining both devices for compliance with an International Trade Commission ban on the import of HTC devices violating an Apple patent. Apple's "thermonuclear" assault on Android began in earnest in 2010 when Apple sued HTC for patent infringement. Along with a federal lawsuit, Apple also filed a parallel complaint…

• Radio: Apple Q2 earnings, Windows 8 & mobile devices

  RoughlyDrafted Magazine

  danieleran

  28 Apr 2012 | 10:46 am

  Gene Steinberg of the Tech Night Owl invited me to talk about Apple’s most recent earnings release, Windows 8 and of course, Android. Also on the show are CNET’s Geoffrey Morrison and Ross Rubin of NPD Group. You can tune into the live broadcast stream Saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00 PM Pacific, 10:00 PM to [...]

• 

  The Mac Observer

• Analysis: Rumor Roundup: Apple’s New Products

  John Martellaro

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  Rumors are flying fast and furious about almost every major Apple product. Here’s a roundup of all the rumors and how good we think the rumors are.

• Video Review: Spyder PowerShadow i4 Battery Case for iPhone 4/4S

  Dave Hamilton

  16 May 2012 | 11:22 am

  Dave Hamilton takes a moment to review the Spyder PowerShadow i4 Battery Case and charging stand for iPhone 4/4S. 

• Deal Brothers: Mac Pro 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon:  $2119

  Bryan Chaffin

  16 May 2012 | 10:29 am

  The Deal Brothers noted that Apple is offering a deal on the refurbished Mac Pro 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon for $2,119—we don’t often see Mac Pro towers at this price point. This system was originally released in August of 2010, and it ships for free.

• News: Apple Asks Court to Drop Siri Lawsuits

  Jeff Gamet

  16 May 2012 | 8:14 am

  Apple has filed a lawsuit asking a California court to dismiss a group of lawsuits seeking class action status over claims that the Siri voice recognition in the iPhone 4S doesn’t perform as advertised. According to the lawsuits, Apple intentionally misstated Siri’s capabilities in its advertising — an accusation that Apple denies.

• News: Judge: Apple at Heart of Ebook Price Fixing Conspiracy

  Jeff Gamet

  16 May 2012 | 7:31 am

  U.S. District Court Judge Denise Cote denied a request from Apple and ebook publishers to dismiss a class action lawsuit accusing them of price fixing, and at the same time said that Apple and Steve Jobs were in the middle of the conspiracy.

• 

  Macworld

• Hands-on with Google Docs's new research tool

  16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm

  Google Docs has unveiled a new 'research tool' meant to help writers streamline their browser-based research, making it easier for them to find and cite the information they need while composing text.

• HTC One X, Evo 4G LTE imports blocked by patent dispute

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  U.S. Customs is holding up imports of HTC's One X and Evo 4G LTE Android phones because of HTC's ongoing legal battle with Apple.

• Google to incorporate 'knowledge graph' into search results

  16 May 2012 | 10:45 am

  Google will begin in the next few days to incorporate the "knowledge graph" it has been building for two years into its search results.

• Mozilla readies app marketplace for public beta

  16 May 2012 | 8:30 am

  Mozilla Marketplace will be online in a few weeks to take on Apple App Store and Google Play Store

• Google releases Chrome 19 with tab sync and bug fixes

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Google released Chrome 19, patched 20 vulnerabilities in the browser, and doled out $16,500 in bug bounties and rewards to independent researchers.

• 

  MacFixIt

• Apple QuickTime update for Windows only; Macs already secure

  Topher Kessler

  15 May 2012 | 4:50 pm

  Apple's security and OS updates included the latest version of QuickTime, which Apple has just made available for Windows PCs.

• Messages Beta for OS X may impact iMessage for iOS

  Topher Kessler

  15 May 2012 | 2:03 pm

  Delayed correspondence may be caused by problems with Apple's Messages Beta program.

• Perian plug-in for QuickTime to be discontinued

  Topher Kessler

  14 May 2012 | 4:11 pm

  The popular Perian plug-in for extended media support will be discontinued, though several alternatives will remain available.

• Apple releases Flashback removal tools for OS X 10.5

  Topher Kessler

  14 May 2012 | 3:51 pm

  Apple's updates help protect Leopard users from Java and Flash-based attacks.

• PGP Desktop disks not mounting after OS X 10.7.4 update

  Topher Kessler

  14 May 2012 | 2:20 pm

  While some PGP Desktop installations may stop working, you can clone PGP disks to unencrypted images to access your files.

• 

  Ars Technica » Infinite Loop

• Apple ITC win leads to HTC One X, Evo 4G LTE import holdup

  Chris Foresman

  16 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  HTC, AT&T, and Sprint are all feeling the effects of Apple's import ban win against HTC last December. The One X and Evo 4G LTE, both Android handsets, may be delayed from their May 18 launch date as the devices are currently being held by US Customs officials. Officials are examining both devices for compliance with an International Trade Commission ban on the import of HTC devices violating an Apple patent. Apple's "thermonuclear" assault on Android began in earnest in 2010 when Apple sued HTC for patent infringement. Along with a federal lawsuit, Apple also filed a parallel complaint…

• WSJ: production of 4-inch iPhone beginning in June

  Jacqui Cheng

  16 May 2012 | 8:09 am

  Apple is indeed planning to introduce an iPhone with a larger screen, according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal. The company has reportedly ordered 4-inch screens from its suppliers, a bump from the currently standard 3.5-inch screen size that Apple has been using since the original iPhone appeared in 2007. Rumors of a larger-screened iPhone have been floating around for some time now—especially since comparable Android phones gotten bigger and bigger, like the Galaxy Note and it's monster 5.3-inch screen. But many observers—including those of us at Ars' Infinite…

• Judge: Ample evidence that Apple "knowingly joined" e-book conspiracy

  Jacqui Cheng

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 pm

  Aurich Lawson Apple is not officially on the hook yet for allegedly colluding with publishers to fix e-book prices, but US District Judge Denise Cote had some harsh words about the company's actions. Cote denied Apple and five publishers their request to have a class-action suit over the alleged price fixing thrown out on Tuesday, writing (PDF) that it certainly appears as if Apple and the publishers did not act as innocently as they claim when it came time to sell e-books on the iBookstore. The class-action suit in question is the one brought by a number of US states, filed on the same day…

• Apple TV could make ESPN another trick in its bag

  Megan Geuss

  15 May 2012 | 4:05 pm

  ESPN's network executive Sean Bratches said on Tuesday that the sports network would be interested in working with Apple to bring a version of the WatchESPN app to ESPN subscribers with the Apple TV. ESPN is the most-watched sports network in America, and a deal with the company could bring more users to one of Apple's more timid products. ESPN already allows users of Microsoft's Xbox to stream WatchESPN content if they subscribe to a participating television package that includes the sports network. Today, Bratches declared that ESPN (which is owned by the Walt Disney company), is "platform…

• MacBook Pro rumor rollup: thinner, better, faster, stronger

  Chris Foresman

  15 May 2012 | 11:15 am

  Multiple sources are now aligning on a vision of the next MacBook Pro, expected to be unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June. The new machine is expected to retain the "Pro" moniker, and supposedly won't be a copy of Apple's current MacBook Air. However, it is expected to drop the optical drive and "legacy" FireWire and Ethernet ports, slim down in thickness, and vastly increase screen resolution. The overall picture of the reported MacBook Pro revision, as detailed by sources for 9to5 Mac, aligns with previous rumors that suggested the MacBook Pro would go on a diet.

• 

  RoughlyDrafted Magazine

• Radio: Apple Q2 earnings, Windows 8 & mobile devices

  danieleran

  28 Apr 2012 | 10:46 am

  Gene Steinberg of the Tech Night Owl invited me to talk about Apple’s most recent earnings release, Windows 8 and of course, Android. Also on the show are CNET’s Geoffrey Morrison and Ross Rubin of NPD Group. You can tune into the live broadcast stream Saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00 PM Pacific, 10:00 PM to [...]

• Video: Weekend Tech Review: Macworld Week 4 2012

  danieleran

  29 Jan 2012 | 12:49 am

  Here’s a video recap of the top tech stories involving Apple for the fourth week of 2012, including a look at Apple’s earnings, Macworld, product news, the week’s business stories, and upcoming events. You can also follow us on Twitter: @appleinsider and @DanielEran.

• Video: Weekend Tech Review: iBooks Event Week 3 2012

  danieleran

  22 Jan 2012 | 12:29 pm

  Daniel Eran Dilger Here’s a video recap of the top tech stories involving Apple for the third week of 2012, including a look at Apple’s iBooks Event, product news, the week’s business stories, and upcoming events. You can also follow us on Twitter: @appleinsider and @DanielEran. Weekend Tech Review: iBooks Author Week 3 Jan 2012 – YouTube

• Radio: CES 2012 and the tech industry

  danieleran

  20 Jan 2012 | 3:46 pm

  Gene Steinberg of the Tech Night Owl invited me to talk about CES 2012 and efforts by Intel, AMD, ARM, Apple, and Google. Also on the show are Kirk McElhearn of Macworld and Rob Pegoraro of USAToday. You can tune into the live broadcast stream Saturday night from 7:00 to 10:00 PM Pacific, 10:00 PM to [...]

• Shit Tech Guys Say

  danieleran

  17 Jan 2012 | 11:38 pm

  Daniel Eran Dilger Shit tech guys say

• 

  TidBITS: Apple News for the Rest of Us

• OpenDNS Blocks Flashback and Other Threats

  16 May 2012 | 5:26 am

  How can changing your DNS server make your Mac — or a Mac owned by a family member — less prone to being attacked, phished, or subverted? OpenDNS blocks malicious sites, which helps both before and after malware is discovered. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control…

• FileMaker Pro 12 Updates Themes and Layout Capabilities

  15 May 2012 | 3:11 am

  A new file format and few new features make this a visually attractive but less-than-essential update to the long-standing database program from Apple subsidiary FileMaker. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

• Apple Releases Security Updates for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard

  15 May 2012 | 3:04 am

  Two security releases from Apple bring a Flashback malware removal tool and protection from exposure to vulnerabilities in older versions of Adobe Flash. Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

• External Link: Bad Backup Nearly Obliterated “Toy Story 2”

  14 May 2012 | 11:11 am

  We frequently harp on not only keeping data backups, but on ensuring that your backups are good. (That’s why Adam Engst has designated every Friday the 13th as International Verify Your Backups Day.) It’s inconvenient to lose some recent files or email messages, but a good backup policy is even more essential for larger projects — like an entire movie, for example. Two people involved explain how Pixar nearly lost a year’s worth of work on the movie “Toy Story 2” after someone accidentally entered rm * (the Unix command to remove everything) and the company discovered their backup…

• Security Update 2012-002 (Snow Leopard)

  14 May 2012 | 8:04 am

  Security update addresses vulnerabilities in various components of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. (Free, 238.73/258.11 MB) Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

• 

  Daring Fireball

• Walt Mossberg on Microsoft’s ‘Signature’ PCs

  John Gruber

  16 May 2012 | 10:24 am

  Mossberg: Microsoft also offers a program that, for $99, will turn users’ Windows 7 PCs into Signature versions, if the owner brings the computer into one of its 16 stores, due to grow to 21 outlets in coming months. In other words, you pay $100 to get the crap removed from your new computer. Nice.  ★ 

• WSJ Says Apple Is Switching to 4-Inch iPhone Displays

  John Gruber

  16 May 2012 | 9:47 am

  Lorraine Luk and Juro Osawa, reporting for the WSJ from Hong Kong: The new iPhone that Apple Inc. is expected to unveil this year is likely to have a larger display than its current models have, with the company ordering bigger screens from its Asian suppliers, people familiar with the matter said. The new screens measure at least 4 inches diagonally, the people said, compared with 3.5 inches on Apple’s latest model, the iPhone 4S. Production is set to begin next month, the people said. Analysts have predicted that the next iPhone will come out in the fall. Not much to add, other than…

• Ashton Kutcher Dressed Like Steve Jobs

  John Gruber

  16 May 2012 | 9:38 am

  Now it’s come to this: I’m linking to TMZ.  ★ 

• Google Green

  John Gruber

  16 May 2012 | 9:29 am

  Nicely done package from Google explaining and illustrating their environmental strategies. Impressive and never-before-seen look inside some of their data centers. And their “Story of Send” is Google at its whimsical best.  ★ 

• Glassboard 2.0

  John Gruber

  15 May 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Brent Simmons: We at Sepia Labs just released Glassboard 2.0 for iPhone and Android. There’s even a new web app — in beta (still suffers from cats). (All three apps are free.) Two things. First, Brent is a friend and someone whose work I’ve long admired. When Brent does something new, it’s a sure thing I’m going to check it out. I did that with Glassboard, and, I must admit, I didn’t get it at first. Just didn’t see how I’d use it. But then I went to a weekend-long conference where a dozen or so of my friends set up a board on Glassboard. We shared…

• 

  Cult of Mac

• Safely Browse The Web With Multi-User Private Browser [iOS Tips]

  Rob LeFebvre

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  So I don’t know if you have kids or not. Or a wife, or husband. Or a boyfriend or girlfriend. If you do, you might share your iPhone, or at least your iPad. I know I pass my iPad to my kids often. They’re usually more interested in the games I have downloaded on it, but my son has been known to occasionally drop into Safari to look for Minecraft videos. Anyone using your iOS device has the same access to the browsing you’ve done on the web via mobile Safari as you do. You may not want to share all your browsing history with your children or significant other, am I right?

• Retina MacBooks Mean More Manufacturing Costs For Apple

  Alex Heath

  16 May 2012 | 11:55 am

  Retina displays will be more expensive for Apple to put into new MacBook Pros. Apple’s upcoming lineup of MacBook Pros are expected to feature a slimmer design, Intel Ivy Bridge architecture and jaw-dropping ‘Retina’ displays. Like the last two iPhones and newest iPad, Apple’s new MacBook Pro and iMac models are supposed to flaunt a screen like you’ve never seen on a computer before. And if iOS device marketing is any indication, such a display will likely be the flagship feature in new Macs. Apple is expected to unveil the new MacBook Pros at WWDC next month,…

• Cisco’s BYOD Strategy – Charge Users $600 To Use Their Personal iPhone Or iPad

  Ryan Faas

  16 May 2012 | 11:32 am

  Cisco offers a BYOD program but charges employees to participate in it Cisco released a new report on BYOD programs at U.S. companies. The survey provides insights into the prevalence of BYOD, how companies manage BYOD programs, and some of the costs associated with BYOD approaches. While those stats are useful and important, the biggest and most surprising revelation in the report came from Cisco itself. In planning and implementing its BYOD program, Cisco opted to charge users a fee (on average of $600) for the privilege of using their own devices at work. Perhaps even more shocking than…

• The Loop Is My Favorite iPod Nano Wristband To Date [Review]

  Killian Bell

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  The Loop is a sleek, stylish, and lightweight iPod nano wristband. The Loop is a silicone wristband for the sixth-generation iPod nano that promises to turn your device in a “high end timepiece.” Its sleek, stylish design does away with the unnecessary bulk and aims to showcase your iPod nano rather than drawing attention away from it. Once fitted, the Loop provides full access to your iPod’s headphone jack, dock connector, volume buttons, and sleep/wake switch. It features a stainless steel buckle that won’t perish up against your sweaty wrist, and it comes in a…

• Photoshop Elements 10 Course $19 [Deals]

  Tris Hussey

  16 May 2012 | 11:27 am

  Photoshop Elements 10 is the Photoshop for “regular people”, sure Photoshop is awesomely powerful, but Photoshop also awesomely complex. So we have Photoshop Elements for “the rest of us”, but working with photos is still a pretty complicated and (potentially) daunting task. Hey, I’ve been there. Lots of “good” photos that you want to make “great” but don’t really know how to tap into all the power and features of Elements to get that done. That’s where a video course on Photoshop Elements 10 from Udemy comes in. Regularly a course like this (8 hours of content over 90…

• 

  TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

• How to distribute Kickstarter apps: Ask Apple

  Mike Schramm

  16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Republique is an upcoming iOS title that's made a lot of noise by getting funded on Kickstarter recently, to the tune of half a million dollars, but I've had one nagging question about it: How exactly are they going to distribute the app to all of their backers? The most obvious solution would be to put a password gate inside of an app, but Apple doesn't allow that. If you have to lock content in your app, then you're clearly selling it outside of the App Store, which means you're dodging Apple's 30% cut. So what's their plan? Republique hasn't yet said, only that it's still being decided.

• China Mobile reportedly in talks to carry iPhone officially

  Dave Caolo

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Reuters reports that China Mobile is talking with Apple about selling the iPhone. China Mobile is the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers. It claimed over 600 million users at the end of September, 2011 and, interestingly, 10 million iPhone users. Those customers either converted from China Telecom (which does sell iPhones), or bought an iPhone from an Apple Store or the black market. China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua recently told shareholders, "We've been actively talking to Apple on how we can cooperate," further saying that "both sides" hope for increased cooperation. Recent…

• iPhone could have a four-inch screen, says Wall Street Journal

  Mel Martin

  16 May 2012 | 10:30 am

  The Wall Street Journal claims that Apple is ordering screens from Asian suppliers that are bigger than the 3.5 inch screen that has become the one and only standard for the iPhone. The Journal says iPhone production will begin next month, with new screens that measure at least 4 inches diagonally -- something we've heard before. This could be a response to rival Samsung, who has been featuring larger screens in comparison ads to the iPhone. Samsung offers a 4.3 inch and a 4.8 inch screen on some model phones. Will an enlarged iPhone screen meet the rumored shrunken iPad? No one knows for…

• iPhone "buzz" gets a boost following celebrity ads

  Kelly Hodgkins

  16 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Love them or hate them, those new Siri ads starring Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson are apparently effective, says a YouGov BrandIndex report. As noted by Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog, the celebrity Siri ads are creating buzz among 18-34 year old questioned in the survey. In just a few weeks, the buzz score for the iPhone went from 16 on April 19 to 51 on May 4, surpassing Android on its way up. The buzz score is based on a survey of consumers who were asked whether they've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, either through advertising, news or word of mouth, and whether…

• HTC handsets delayed at US customs due to ITC injunction over Apple patent

  Kelly Hodgkins

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  HTC confirmed to The Verge that its One X phone for AT&T and EVO 4G LTE handset for Sprint are being held at the border by customs officials. The shipments are being delayed while the government agency reviews the packages in accordance with an ITC ruling that banned the import of HTC's Android smartphones. In December 2011, the ITC ruled that HTC violated Apple patents, one of which describe a UI feature that lets you tap on an address or phone number as a link and pull down a menu of appropriate actions. HTC said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal that its products are no longer…

• 

  MacNews Latest News

• Sprint won't make money on the iPhone until 2015

  dsellers

  16 May 2012 | 11:14 am

  Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse -- who took an US$3.25 million pay cut earlier this month for orchestrating the company’s pricey iPhone deal with Apple -- says the company won't profit from the deal until 2015, reports "AllThingsD." The deal will purportedly cost Sprint an estimated $15.5 billion over the next four years. However, Hesse said during the company's annual shareholders meeting today that "we're happy with it" because the initial heavy upfront investment in the iPhone is worthwhile because it will slow subscriber turnover and create a new segment of higher-value subscribers. read…

• Apple responds to class-action lawsuit involving Siri

  dsellers

  16 May 2012 | 7:56 am

  Apple has responded to those participating in a class-action suit accusing the company of deceptive advertising around Siri‘s capabilities, arguing the complainers are simply out to make money, reports "SlashGear" (http://macte.ch/6zTrF). read more

• Apple sued over rotating windows on computer display patent

  dsellers

  16 May 2012 | 7:52 am

  Another day, another lawsuit. Texas-based Rotatable Technologies is suing Apple for infringing on a 1999 patent that they acquired titled "Display Method for Selectively Rotating Windows on a Computer Display," reports "Patently Apple" (http://macte.ch/ow843). The lawsuit claims that the iPhone and iPad infringe one or more claims of their patent, the article adds. Rotatable Technologies also launched a similar lawsuit against Nokia earlier this month.   read more

• Gartner: Apple third largest, global handset maker

  dsellers

  16 May 2012 | 7:46 am

  Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached 419.1 million units in the first quarter of 2012, a 2% decline from the first quarter of 2011, according to the latest data from the Gartner research group (http://www.gartner.com). The data also shows that, although Apple only sells smartphones, it represents almost 8% of all worldwide mobile phone sales, making it the third-largest handset maker. read more

• Two HTC phones face import delay in legal battle with Apple

  dsellers

  16 May 2012 | 7:38 am

  The HTC One X and Evo 4G LTE are facing an import delay at US Customs for potentially infringing an Apple patent, reports "The Verge" (http://macte.ch/zIla9). In fact, they're "indefinitely delayed," the article adds. Last December Apple won an exclusion order banning the importation of HTC Android devices at the International Trade Commission. The ITC found that Android's messaging app and browser infringed upon Apple patent #5,946,647, read more

• 

  MacOSXHints.com

• Permanently Unhide Library

  16 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  When Apple shipped Mac OS X Lion 10.7, the “Library” folder located within every user’s home folder, which had previously been visible to users in the Finder, was made invisible. This hint shows how to make the folder visible and keep it that way forever. As you may know, and as mentioned in this hint, the Library folder can be made visible again by running the following command in Terminal: /usr/bin/chflags nohidden ~/Library Apple keeps making the folder invisible again with every System update, so it gets tedious re-running the above script. You can automate this by adding a Login…

• New poll: Does your main Mac have an SSD?

  15 May 2012 | 7:31 am

  As SSDs become more common, and prices drop, more and more people are either buying Macs with SSDs, or installing them in their Macs. Personally, I started using an SSD with the first MacBook Air in 2008, and bought my current Mac - a Mac mini, purchased in 2011 - with an SSD. The gains in performance are huge, though the price still makes them a choice that is not for everyone. So, what about you? Does your main Mac - the one you use most - have an SSD? Feel free to post in the comments to the poll which model, whether you bought it with the Mac or installed it yourself, or any other…

• Two AppleScripts for unmounting, mounting local disk volumes

  15 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  These AppleScripts are related to this hint. Both can already be found in the replies to the hint topic post, but I'm resubmitting them so that they will appear together. The first is an improved version of the original AppleScript which presents a dialog box from which a selection of local volumes to be ejected can be made. An example of its usefulness might be that it provides a reliable method for quickly ejecting a MacBook's mounted local volumes for users on the go. I've configured it as a "Run AppleScript" step for an Automator-based Mac OS X Service called "Unmounter" and assigned it…

• Copy partially played Audiobooks to a playlist

  15 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  iTunes Smart Playlists don't offer a criteria to find tracks which have been partially played. While "Last Skipped" is an option, this track property may not be set if the track wasn't actually skipped and was merely stopped. However, if a track's "Remember playback position" option is set (and most audiobooks have this set by default) the track's AppleScript bookmark property will contain the number of seconds that a track has advanced before being stopped. Thus, any track with a bookmark value greater than zero would have been partially played. Here is an AppleScript that will copy all the…

• Drag files from Safari 5 Downloads popup

  14 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  I recently tried to drag from Safari's Downloads popup and found that if you drag from the icon of the downloaded file, you can move it where you want. Click on an icon in the Downloads popup and drag it to any folder, or even onto a Dock icon to launch a file you've just downloaded with a specific application. [kirkmc adds: This seems obvious, but there's no hint here for it. There have been hints about double-clicking an icon in the Downloads window to open it, copying and pasting URLs from the Downloads window, and the keyboard shortcut to show the Downloads popup (Command-Option-L).]

• 

  MacUpdate: Recent Mac OS X

• Anonymous Browser Pro 1.3 - Browse the web through an integrated proxy.. (Commercial)

  16 May 2012 | 12:42 pm

  Anonymous Browser Pro is an application designed to allow users to browse the web securely and anonymously, easily, through an integrated proxy, bypassing any filters placed on your internet.The app features:Integrated proxy service for bypassing router based firewalls and filtering.An SSL connection through the proxy to the site you are visiting, allowing you to visit secure sites with piece of mind.Sleek, stylish interface, designed to give you the maximum space on screen for browsing.Automatic cache clearing when closing and opening the app.No link to Safari or any other web browser on…

• AlphaBaby 3.0.1 - Allows your infant/child to safely play with your Mac.. (Commercial)

  16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm

  AlphaBaby ... Do you ever want to let your young children use your computer, without running the risk that they will rename your hard drive, or send email to your boss? If so, then AlphaBaby is for you! AlphaBaby takes over the entire screen of your Mac and gives your child a safe environment to explore the computer. Any keys that are pressed cause a letter, shape, or number to appear on the screen. AlphaBaby has lots of options, including ones to let you add your own pictures and sounds. Try AlphaBaby today!Version 3.0.1:Fix bug where the names of some shapes weren't being spoken…

• RetroMiniGolf 1.9 - Casual 3D golf game.. (Commercial)

  16 May 2012 | 12:28 pm

  RetroMiniGolf is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. Features:18 challenging courses with touch of retro 8-bit computing textures with very realistic graphics and great gameplay.Runs in fullscreen and windowed modes. (full widescreen support)1-8 players turn basedTop 8 score listControls (mouse or trackpad):y - toggle control for view up/downr - Reset hole during play, you might break it or shoot outside track and no way completing it.Version 1.9:City Island with 18 holesAdventure modeeasy, normal, hard modesSave game 1-8 players (one slot)Added settings menu in game (press esc)Some GFX…

• Houdini 1.2 - Hide inactive applications.. (Free)

  16 May 2012 | 12:17 pm

  Houdini is a free Mac menu bar utility that hides inactive applications. Stay focused and clutter-free with Houdini. Houdini remembers your settings and even lets you configure timeouts on a per-application basis.Version 1.2:Fixes issues around Houdini not re-activating after restartsSmall tweaksMac OS X 10.6 or laterDownload Now

• Automatic 2.3.2 - Download content and files from RSS feeds.. (Shareware)

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  Automatic allows you to set up subscriptions for virtually any content linked in RSS feeds: podcasts, videocasts, torrentcasts... Rule of thumb: if it ends in '-cast', you can get it with Automatic.Once set up, there's nothing else to do but sit back and wait. Automatic will fetch and deliver the latest content for your subscriptions right to your download folder, so all that's left for you is to find some time to enjoy it!Version 2.3.2: Added an 'Advanced' option sheet in the General pane to control magnet and post-processing behavior. Added support for feeds that link to sites w/o direct…

• 

  Apple Hot News

• Amtrak Enlists iPhone as a Service Tool

  7 May 2012 | 3:08 pm

  New York Times writer Brian X. Chen reports that Amtrak is replacing its old manual ticketing system with iPhone, noting that the company is among the “growing number of businesses” to use iOS devices to improve operations. Chen reports that the system will allow conductors to keep track of passengers in real time and also provide updates to railway staff, such as if a disabled person is getting on at a particular stop or if equipment fails. Amtrak’s Matt Hardison says, “We’ve made a number of important improvements for both our customers and Amtrak, all in one fell swoop.”

• Apple Reports Record March Quarter Sales of iPhone, iPad, and Mac

  24 Apr 2012 | 3:12 pm

  Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2012 second quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $24.7 billion and net profit of $6.0 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. “We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the…

• Final Cut Pro X In Action

  11 Apr 2012 | 2:32 pm

  Professional video editors around the world have moved to Final Cut Pro X to create faster and more flexible workflows. New York-based production house @radical.media is flipping its entire facility to Final Cut Pro X to tackle high-profile client projects. Hollywood’s Electric Entertainment is using Final Cut Pro X to cut episodes for the new season of its hit TV show “Leverage.” And accomplished editor Knut Hake used the software to edit new episodes of “Danni Lowinski,” one of Germany’s most popular and critically acclaimed TV shows.

• New FileMaker 12 Software Line Released Today

  4 Apr 2012 | 12:15 pm

  FileMaker, Inc. today announced the release of the FileMaker 12 database software line — including FileMaker Pro 12, FileMaker Go 12, and FileMaker Server 12 — which offers powerful new ways to create custom database apps for iPad, iPhone, Mac, Windows, and the web. New professionally designed themes and the ability to customize every detail make it easy to create databases for managing contacts, projects, digital content, and more. All FileMaker 12 products are available starting today.

• Lowe’s Uses iPhone to Put Power In Hands of Employees and Customers

  29 Mar 2012 | 2:29 pm

  At Lowe’s stores around the country, iPhone is changing customer service for the better. Using custom iPhone apps, store employees have key product information on hand, so they can check pricing, inventory, and location of items within the store, anytime, from their iPhones. And the free consumer app features how-to videos, prices and reviews, store locations, and gift card balances. “iPhone, iPad, and the iOS platform are enterprise solutions that we can build on for the future,” says Lowe’s Executive Vice President and CIO Mike Brown.

• 

  TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

• How to distribute Kickstarter apps: Ask Apple

  Mike Schramm

  16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm

  Republique is an upcoming iOS title that's made a lot of noise by getting funded on Kickstarter recently, to the tune of half a million dollars, but I've had one nagging question about it: How exactly are they going to distribute the app to all of their backers? The most obvious solution would be to put a password gate inside of an app, but Apple doesn't allow that. If you have to lock content in your app, then you're clearly selling it outside of the App Store, which means you're dodging Apple's 30% cut. So what's their plan? Republique hasn't yet said, only that it's still being decided.

• TUAW TV Live at 5 PM EDT

  Steven Sande

  16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm

  Just a reminder that our live streaming video show, TUAW TV Live, will be polluting the Interwebz at 5 PM EDT today. Although we have some rumors to talk about, most of today's show is up to those of you who are in the chat room so bring your best ideas. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp, and we'll take a few minutes to chat before the demos start. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show,…

• China Mobile reportedly in talks to carry iPhone officially

  Dave Caolo

  16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Reuters reports that China Mobile is talking with Apple about selling the iPhone. China Mobile is the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers. It claimed over 600 million users at the end of September, 2011 and, interestingly, 10 million iPhone users. Those customers either converted from China Telecom (which does sell iPhones), or bought an iPhone from an Apple Store or the black market. China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua recently told shareholders, "We've been actively talking to Apple on how we can cooperate," further saying that "both sides" hope for increased cooperation. Recent…

• Dear Aunt TUAW: Help me sort iTunes Music by Apple ID

  Erica Sadun

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  Dear Aunt TUAW, Ah, the problems of modern romance. Since I broke up with "her" (and yes, I know you were saying she wasn't right for me) getting rid of all the remants of the relationship has not been easy, especially "her" digital footprint. She loved her music. So she would bring her iPod to my house and sync it leaving a whole bunch of songs I'll NEVER play again that were purchased under her Apple ID. How can I find them, delete them and finally be ready to move on with my life? Your favorite but knucklehead nephew, Mark Dear Mark, When in doubt, there's usually an AppleScript solution…

• iBook Lessons: Using Book Proofer to preview EPUB files

  Erica Sadun

  16 May 2012 | 11:00 am

  iBooks Author is an amazing tool for laying out and publishing ebooks to iTunes. Unfortunately, the application creates books that are only readable on iPads. You trade off fantastic page design (via Apple's proprietary .iBooks format) for a much smaller potential reading audience. When you want readers to be able to peruse your book on iPhone, you'll need to go with EPUB format instead. For all its faults, Pages still offers the best tool for creating compliant iTunes EPUB submissions that pass submission validation. Steve and I have been hard at work on a couple of books, preparing them for…

• 

  O'Grady's PowerPage

• Rumor: Apple to switch from AMD to Nvidia for next-gen MacBook Pro graphics cards

  Chris Barylick

  16 May 2012 | 7:21 am

  Maybe it’s the nature of the industry: you have to be fickle about which graphic cards you go with and change your affections from time to time. Per 9to5Mac, the web site claims to have discovered evidence that Apple may be planning to switch from AMD GPUs to Nvidia graphics in the new MacBook Pro, expected to launch in June. A number of reports have emerged confirming the move, quoting ‘trusted sources’ and noting references in the to the Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics card in OS X beta code. The sources have gone on to claim having located references to the GeForce GT 650M,…

• Rumor: Apple ordering parts for at least a 4″ screen on next-gen iPhone

  Chris Barylick

  16 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  There’s got to be a nugget of truth in the midst of all of this. Per the Wall Street Journal, Apple has begun placing orders for a new, larger screen that will measure at least four inches diagonally, according to a new report. The report indicated that the next iPhone is “expected” to feature a screen larger than the 3.5-inch display that has been found on the iPhone since it first launched in 2007. Production of the screens is reportedly set to begin in the next few months, and it will measure “at least 4 inches diagonally.” Apple is said to be working with a…

• Perian development to end, final version to fix remaining bugs

  Chris Barylick

  15 May 2012 | 2:29 pm

  Perian, the iconic, free, incredibly useful open source video utility project that’s allowed QuickTime to handle nearly every video format possible, will soon be coming to an end. Per The Unofficial Apple Weblog, the project’s developers have stated that Perian is reaching the end of the road. Today, the Perian dev team announced that the software will no longer be updated. They will release all the source code to Google Code or Github, but the team is moving on. For now, Perian continues to work with OS X Lion. From here, however, it’s unsure whether it will make the leap…

• Google Chrome updated to 19.0.1084.46

  Chris Barylick

  15 May 2012 | 1:39 pm

  High version numbers be damned, a new version of Google Chrome just hit and you might want to grab it. Google Chrome, Google’s new web browser, just reached version 19.0.1084.46 for the Mac. The new version, a 38.6 megabyte download, offers the following changes: - Adds the ability for tabs to be synced across multiple devices (feature will be rolling out over the coming weeks). Google Chrome 19.0.1084.46 requires an Intel-based Mac running Mac OS X 10.5 or later to install and run. If you’ve tried the new version and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

• Google developing Chrome version for iOS

  Chris Barylick

  15 May 2012 | 1:13 pm

  It never hurts to have a choice. Per macq.wir.jp, Google is said to be planning to compete with Apple’s own Safari by releasing a version of its Chrome Web browser for iOS devices. The launch of Chrome for iOS on the App Store could be as soon as this quarter, according to Macquarie Equities Research. Its debut is seen as igniting a modern browser war on mobile devices, similar to the “Browser Wars” of the late 1990s between Internet Explorer and Netscape. All third-party browsers for iOS must be based on WebKit, Apple’s open source browser engine. The existing…

• 

  ScreenCastsOnline Free Version

• SCOI0056 - Tweetbot - Twitter Client [Trailer]

  ScreenCastsOnline

  4 May 2012 | 6:54 am

  Twitter is maturing into an indispensable messaging platform for many millions of people. The importance of Twitter has been recognised by Apple by its deep integration with iOS5. Unfortunately, the official Twitter client leaves a lot to be desired, and the quest for the ultimate Twitter client continues unabated. This week, I take a look at what may take the title of the ultimate Twitter client, and that's Tweetbot. Tweetbot by Tapbots had a huge update just a month or so ago and introduced an iPad version of the app. This has met with great critical acclaim and has become widely adopted as…

• SCOM0345 - MobileMe Migration - iWeb Hosting [Trailer]

  ScreenCastsOnline

  4 May 2012 | 6:51 am

  The imminent closure of MobileMe is rapidly drawing nearer. Apple are due to turn off all MobileMe related services on June 30th 2012. This week, I take you through what is needed to migrate your iWeb websites, currently hosted on MobileMe, to an external web hosting service. It's easier than you think, especially as I show you the process step by step. There's even some discount codes to make it less painless. Although Apple have stopped distributing iWeb, it's still supported and should be for some time to come. This means the urgency isn't to move your website off iWeb, but to move the…

• SCOI0055 - GoodReader - Part 2 [Full Free Show]

  ScreenCastsOnline

  28 Apr 2012 | 4:38 am

  Continuing on from last week, I continue looking at using GoodReader. Initially designed as a File Viewer and PDF annotation tool, GoodReader has matured into the "Swiss Army Knife" of file transfer applications. In this second part, I take you through some of the more advanced file transfer capabilities of this amazing application. oodReader has built in support for many different file transfer protocols and as a result, can interface to many, many external services. In this episode, I take a look at searching for and connecting to local Macs using Bonjour and AFP as well as downloading web…

• SCOM0344 - SkyDrive Update & ScreenFlow - Part 4 [Sample Show]

  ScreenCastsOnline

  27 Apr 2012 | 4:42 am

  Two parts to this week's tutorial - an update to Microsoft's SkyDrive service and the final instalment of ScreenFlow. **Microsoft SkyDrive** - You need to act quickly to claim your 25GB of free storage if you have an existing account plus I show you the new Mac client. **ScreenFlow (Final Part)** - Part 4 of one of the most requested subjects this week - ScreenFlow by Telestream. ScreenFlow is the premier video screencasting tool, the main application I use to record, edit and encode the weekly ScreenCastOnline shows. This is the forth and final episode in a series of Screenflow tutorials…

• SCOI0054 - GoodReader - Part 1 [Trailer]

  ScreenCastsOnline

  21 Apr 2012 | 1:00 am

  [Trailer for Members Show] Do you wish file transfer on the iPad and iPhone was just a little bit easier? This week I take a look at an application that may ease some of your frustrations - GoodReader. Initially designed as a File Viewer and PDF annotation tool, GoodReader has matured into the "Swiss Army Knife" of file transfer applications. In the first of a two part series, I take you the capabilities of GoodReader and look at some basic file transfer methods - there are many to choose from!

• 

  MacNN | The Macintosh News Network

• Sprint CEO sees iPhone as 'quite profitable' by end of 2015

  16 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  Sprint's deal with Apple for the iPhone will ultimately prove "quite profitable" for the carrier, said CEO Dan Hesse during a company shareholder meeting on Tuesday. The pact will end up costing $15.5 billion by the end of 2015, which has prompted some worried shareholders to challenge it. Hesse in fact recently returned $3.25 million in personal compensation back to Sprint when it was pointed out that the company hadn't factored in the impact of the iPhone before tallying worker bonuses....

• Briefly: OWC 32GB RAM Kit for iMacs, ARWU turns one

  16 May 2012 | 11:30 am

  Other World Computer has announced a new 32GB Memory Kit for 2011 iMac and 2010 27-inch iMac models. The OWC PC3-10600 DDR3 1333MHz chip has been fully tested to meet all Apple memory design and compatibility specifications and comes with a lifetime replacement warranty and step-by-step installation video. The upgrade kit can be purchased for $360, $240 less than Apple's own 16GB RAM kit....

• Sorkin to pen Sony's Jobs biopic

  16 May 2012 | 11:26 am

  Aaron Sorkin -- a writer for The West Wing, Sports Night, and HBO's upcoming The Newsroom -- has officially signed on to script Sony Pictures' forthcoming biopic about the late Steve Jobs. The film will be based on Walter Isaacson's bestselling biography on the Apple co-founder....

• Reuters sources support claims of 4-inch iPhone displays

  16 May 2012 | 10:11 am

  Sources for Reuters are supporting Wall Street Journal claims that Apple is using 4-inch displays for the next iPhone, and has already begun to place orders for the new parts. As with the earlier report, Reuters says that LG Display, Sharp, and Japan Display are handling production, which is allegedly in early stages; full production orders could begin in June. iPhone assembly could start as soon as August, if Apple follows normal patterns. One source comments that it's still uncertain what share of display production each supplier will have....

• Flipboard 1.9 brings Audio category, SoundCloud support

  16 May 2012 | 9:02 am

  The latest version of Flipboard, 1.9, now includes an Audio category, its developer has announced. The content is available through the Content Guide, and includes clips from NPR and PRI shows, as well as recommendations from SoundCloud. This includes access to lists and followed users, as well as highlighted content. Once audio is playing a person can continue reading other sections of Flipboard without it being interrupted; a menu option lets users control playback....

• 

  MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - Front Page

• Retina-Resolution Displays to Add Up to $100 to Apple's MacBook Pro Costs

  Eric Slivka

  16 May 2012 | 11:05 am

  With Apple's MacBook Pro line now widely rumored to be gaining ultra high-resolution "Retina" or "HiDPI" displays at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, CNET reports that such panels are already available in the supply chain and that they carry price premiums of up to $100 over their non-Retina counterparts. But what remains to be seen is whether that price difference will be passed along to consumers or if Apple will find ways to cut costs in other areas in order to maintain its existing price points.DisplaySearch Senior Analyst Richard Shim says that super high-resolution…

• Verizon Planning to End Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans With LTE Switch

  Jordan Golson

  16 May 2012 | 10:45 am

  U.S. cellular carrier Verizon is planning to move its customers who still have unlimited data plans for their smartphones to its new family data-share plans as customers switch to LTE data plans. The iPhone was initially offered with unlimited data plans when it launched on Verizon early last year, but the carrier soon dropped the unlimited option in favor of data plans with allocations of data. Fierce Wireless has the details, quoting Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo at a JP Morgan conference: As these 3G unlimited data plan customers migrate to 4G LTE, they will have to purchase the…

• Samsung's Market Cap Takes $10 Billion Hit Amid Rumors of Apple DRAM Deal with Elpida

  Eric Slivka

  16 May 2012 | 9:16 am

  Digitimes' poor track record has been thrust into the spotlight in recent days, but that hasn't stopped one of the Taiwanese news site's reports from having a major effect on stock prices for Samsung and Hynix. The report from earlier this week claims that Apple has placed "huge" orders for DRAM chips with Elpida, soaking up half of the capacity at the firm's main plant in Hiroshima, Japan. 1 GB of Elpida DRAM in third-generation iPad (Source: iFixit) As noted by Reuters, the rumor has had a significant effect on fellow DRAM manufacturers Samsung and Hynix, with Samsung losing $10 billion…

• HTC Delays Evo 4G LTE Launch as U.S. Customs Investigates Shipments for Breach of Apple Patent

  Eric Slivka

  16 May 2012 | 6:46 am

  Last December, Apple won a U.S. International Trade Commission case against HTC, with the agency ruling that several of HTC's handsets infringed upon a pair of Apple-held patents. The agency's ruling included a ban on the import of infringing devices beginning in April, although HTC quickly responded to say that it had already designed a workaround for the issue in question. But as reported by The Verge late yesterday, U.S. Customs officials have delayed shipments of HTC's new One X and Evo 4G LTE handsets into the United States as it investigates whether those handsets also infringe upon…

• Apple Ordering Screens of 'At Least 4 Inches' for Next-Generation iPhone

  Eric Slivka

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple has placed orders for screens measuring "at least 4 inches diagonally" for the next-generation iPhone, marking a significant increase in size over the displays used in every iPhone model released to date.Apple Inc., which is expected to launch its next-generation iPhone later this year, has ordered screens from its Asian suppliers that are bigger than the ones used in iPhones since they debuted in 2007, people familiar with the situation said. Production is set to begin next month for the screens, which measure at least 4 inches diagonally compared…

• 

  iLounge | All Things iPod, iPhone, iPad and Beyond

• Review: Beyzacases Zero Series Case for iPad (3rd-Gen)

  Jeremy Horwitz

  16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm

  This sleeve does bring one rather unique feature to the table. An magnet embedded in the leather—visible through the material—automatically puts the iPad to sleep when it’s inserted, and wakes it when removed. This does require that you put the iPad in properly so that the display is facing towards the case’s front; that is, the side with the stitching and the Beyzacases logo in the bottom right corner. As long as you push…

• Review: blueLounge Bonobo Series iPad Sling

  Nick Guy

  16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm

  Just like Sleeve, Sling is made out of 100% PET fabric—that is to say, recycled plastic bottles. Measuring in at about 11” tall and 9” wide, its front flap is held shut with the same kind of embedded magnets as the sleeve. Gone, however, is the metal buckle that didn’t offer much more than a nice accent. We did find the magnets to be somewhat problematic, however: they have a tendency to automatically unlock the iPad’s…

• News: Fotopedia takes users on a discovery of Morocco

  Jesse Hollington

  16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm

  Fotopedia has released Fotopedia Morocco, the latest in its series of photographic travelogue apps for iOS. Featuring the photography of acclaimed photographer Jacques Bravo, Fotopedia Morocco allows users to explore the beauty and heritage of Morrocco from the maze-like streets of historic towns and villages to the Atlantic Ocean, Atlas Mountains and Sahara desert. Thousands of stunning photographs cover cities such as Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier,…

• Review: Epson MegaPlex MG-850HD Digital Projector + Speaker Combo

  Jeremy Horwitz

  16 May 2012 | 11:48 am

  It’s easy enough to understand MG-850HD’s appeal relative to a traditional flat-screen TV. Unlike a TV set, this glossy black plastic-bodied unit weighs only 8.6 pounds and measures 13.4” by 11.5” by 4.6”, with a pop-out handle on the side that lets you carry the projector anywhere. You’ll need to have a clear path between the lens on the front and a wall or other projection surface; if so, MG-850HD can create an…

• News: Verizon to end grandfathered unlimited plans with LTE switch

  Charles Starrett

  16 May 2012 | 11:22 am

  Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said that the company plans to phase customers out of grandfathered-in unlimited data plans as they migrate to LTE. “Everyone will be on data share,” Shammo said, clarifying that, “a lot of our 3G base is on unlimited… [and] when they migrate off 3G they will have to go to data share.” Verizon plans to introduce new shared family…

• 

  AppleInsider | iPhone

• Sprint won't profit from carrying Apple's iPhone until 2015, has no regrets

  16 May 2012 | 8:55 am

  Sprint's CEO views his company's up front payment to offer the iPhone as a long-term investment that won't see any returns until 2015. Sprint is estimated to spend $15.5 billion on the iPhone over ...

• 4" screens for Apple's next iPhone will be built as soon as June

  16 May 2012 | 7:31 am

  A trio of screen suppliers are reportedly gearing up to begin production of 4-inch displays for Apple's next iPhone as soon as next month, putting the device on track for a fall launch. LG Display,...

• Apple grows to 7.9% of all mobile phones sold worldwide

  16 May 2012 | 5:58 am

  Though it only sells smartphones, Apple represents nearly 8 percent of all worldwide mobile phone sales, making it the third-largest handset maker. Research firm Gartner on Wednesday announced its ...

• Apple ordering screens sized at least 4" for next iPhone - WSJ

  16 May 2012 | 4:28 am

  Apple has begun placing orders for a new, larger screen that will measure at least four inches diagonally, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that the next iPh...

• Apple argues plaintiffs are too vague in class action lawsuit over Siri

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  Apple has filed a motion to dismiss a set of class-action lawsuits, which accuse the company of falsely advertising its Siri voice assistant feature for the iPhone 4S, under the grounds that the plain...

• 

  Gizmodo: Iphone

• Apple's Defense of Siri in Class-Action Lawsuit Never Actually Says Siri Doesn't Suck

  Kyle Wagner

  16 May 2012 | 7:10 am

• WSJ: The Next iPhone Will Have at Least a 4-Inch Screen

  Jamie Condliffe

  16 May 2012 | 3:49 am

• Your Favorite Magazines Are Coming to the iPhone

  Adrian Covert

  15 May 2012 | 6:30 am

• There's Not an App for That: When Will Our Smartphones Be Recognized as Valid Forms of ID?

  Molly Oswaks

  14 May 2012 | 7:00 pm

• Use This iPhone Case and Your iPhone Will Be Replaced if It Breaks

  Casey Chan

  14 May 2012 | 5:20 pm

• 

  Slashdot: Apple

• Apple Tells Siri To Stop Recommending Nokia

  samzenpus

  16 May 2012 | 11:33 am

  judgecorp writes "Apple has changed the answer Siri gives to the question 'what is the best smartphone ever?' to prevent the voice-driven assistant from promoting the Nokia Lumia 900. Originally Siri trawled online reviews on the web using the wolfram Alpha search engine, to come up with the Lumia, much to Apple's embarrassment. Now, apple has intervened, replacing that answer with a joke: 'Wait there are other phones?'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.

• HTC One X Phone Held by Customs Due to ITC Ruling

  Unknown Lamer

  16 May 2012 | 8:25 am

  zacharye writes, quoting BGR: "The launch of Sprint's flagship EVO 4G LTE has been delayed indefinitely and supply of AT&T's flagship HTC One X will be constrained as a result of ongoing patent disputes between HTC and Apple. HTC confirmed in a statement emailed to BGR on Tuesday evening that shipments of its new EVO 4G LTE and One X smartphones have been held up by United States Customs as part of an International Trade Commission investigation. Before the phones can clear Customs, the ITC will need to determine that HTC's new handsets are in compliance with an earlier ruling..."Read…

• Mac Clone Maker Saga Ends As SCOTUS Denies Appeal

  timothy

  15 May 2012 | 10:36 am

  CWmike writes "The four-year-old saga of Psystar, a Florida Mac clone maker that was crushed by Apple, ended Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear its appeal of a lower court ruling. The decision to not consider the case (download PDF) upheld a ruling last September by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. That ruling confirmed a permanent injunction against Psystar that prevented the company from copying, using or selling OS X, and blocked it from selling machines with Apple's operating system preinstalled. 'We are sad,' said K.A.D. Camera of the Houston firm Camera…

• Geekbench Confirms Ivy Bridge MacBook Pro and iMac

  samzenpus

  14 May 2012 | 9:54 am

  An anonymous reader writes "It was inevitable that Intel launching the 22nm Ivy Bridge processors would lead to Apple using them in its laptops and desktop machines. While Apple never leaks details early, someone using pre-release hardware has managed to upload details of the new machine to Geekbench's database. We can definitely expect a Core i7 Ivy Bridge MacBook Pro and iMac later this year."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

• Wozniak Calls For Open Apple

  samzenpus

  14 May 2012 | 8:05 am

  aesoteric writes "Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has voiced a renewed desire to see the company open its architecture to the masses, allowing savvy users to expand and add to their products at will. However, Wozniak qualified his desire for a more open Apple by arguing that openness should not impinge on the quality of the products themselves. He also sees any change of heart on openness as a challenge when Apple continues to rake in huge cash with its current model."Read more of this story at Slashdot.

• 

  MacUser

• Next iPhone to have 4in screen says Wall Street Journal

  Kenny Hemphill

  16 May 2012 | 9:28 am

  Apple has ordered 4in screens, believed to be for its next iPhone, from suppliers in Asia according to the Wall Street Journal. ‘The new screens measure at least 4 inches diagonally, the people said, compared with 3.5 inches on Apple’s latest model, the iPhone 4S. Production is set to begin next month, the people said. Analysts have predicted that the next iPhone will come out in the fall,’ reported the Journal. That story was corroborated by another from Reuters which said that early production of the new screens had begin at LG, Sharp, and Japan Display Inc. The report…

• Apple prepares iCloud upgrade with photo sharing features

  Kenny Hemphill

  14 May 2012 | 3:07 pm

  When Apple unveiled iCloud last summer and announced that it would replace MobileMe, much of the debate revolved around the MobileMe services which didn’t have a replacement in iCloud. One of those was the ability to post photographs online from iPhoto and Aperture. That may be about to change. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reports that Apple ‘is preparing a big upgrade to its online service iCloud that includes new photo-sharing features.’ Some of those features, says Wired, will ‘resemble the photo-sharing app and service Instagram.’ Among…

• 10% off Macs at new Wales store

  Adam Banks

  11 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  Online shopping is all very well, but plenty of buyers still want to see and touch the kit before they make a decision. As if to prove high-street retailing is alive and well, Apple dealer Stormfront will open its 17th store (yep, seventeenth) in St Catherine’s Walk, Carmarthen at 11am on Saturday 12 May. The latest store is the retailer’s first in Wales, and to celebrate there’s a 10% discount on any Mac bought or ordered on the day. Stormfront will also be offering its popular ‘Personal Trainer’ service free of charge with any Mac purchase to help customers get…

• Latest Issue: Volume 28 No 10

  Adam Banks

  11 May 2012 | 4:17 am

  Adobe Creative Suite is the most comprehensive bundle of pro apps available for the Mac, so a new release is always big news. This time it’s even bigger. Not only does Creative Suite 6 bring substantial updates to almost all the major components, but it comes with a new way to buy your essential software: Creative Cloud. To get all the apps in Adobe’s Master Collection – covering print, web, interactive and video – would normally set you back over £2500. But you can now subscribe to Creative Cloud instead for just under £47 a month. Does it work out cheaper? That…

• Proview rejects Apple £10m offer to settle iPad name dispute

  Kenny Hemphill

  10 May 2012 | 8:11 am

  Apple offered 100 million yuan (£9.8 million) earlier this week to settle its trademark dispute with Chinese firm, Proview International Holdings over the iPad name. The Beijing Times reports that the offer was made to secure the right to use the name in China, but Proview declined. It is believed to want 400 million yuan (£39.2 million) in order to pay off creditors. On Tuesday, a federal judge approved an Apple motion to dismiss a suit brought by Proview in the US, ruling that the argument should be resolved in Hong Kong. The US lawsuit asserted that by using a proxy company based in the…

• 

  Holy Kaw!

• Mammals may not get to cool climates in time

  16 May 2012 | 12:09 pm

  Nine percent of the Western Hemisphere’s mammals—and up to 40 percent in some regions—may not be able to outpace climate change. “I think it’s important to point out that in the past when climates have changed—between glacial and interglacial periods when species ranges contracted and expanded—the landscape wasn’t covered with agricultural fields, four-lane highways and parking lots, so species could move much more freely across the landscape,” says Joshua Lawler, associate professor of environmental and forest sciences at University of…

• Time of year matters for vitamin D risk

  16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm

  When considering a patient’s blood vitamin D levels, it may be best to consider a lower threshold for concern, as well as the time of year. "In evaluating health risk," the University of Washington researchers conclude, "season-specific targets for Vitamin D blood concentration may be more appropriate than a static target when evaluating patients health risk." Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• The (not so correct) anatomy of sea life

  16 May 2012 | 11:52 am

  Marine biology, scharine schiology. Pleated Jeans skips scientific facts for its series of sea life diagrams. Via Pleated Jeans. (H/T @laughingsquid) Laughing is good for you. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• The mechanics of eclipses [infographic]

  16 May 2012 | 9:11 am

  When the moon passes in front of sun, as viewed from Earth, the eclipse that occurs is visible from a narrow path on Earth that corresponds to the location of the moon's shadow. During a total solar eclipse, this path is known as the path of totality. WARNING: Never look directly at the sun during an eclipse with a telescope or your unaided eye. Severe eye damage can result and scientists use special filters to safely view the sun. Via Space. The view from space. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Clean air improves heart health, Olympics show

  16 May 2012 | 8:39 am

  Using the 2008 Beijing Olympics as a lab, researchers found evidence that even short-term reduction in air pollution exposure improves a person’s cardiovascular health. “Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the Chinese government had proposed to reduce pollution levels to be comparable to other Olympic host cities,” says USC Professor Junfeng (Jim) Zhang. “We wanted to take advantage of such a huge intervention and look at what happens to people biologically.” Full story at Futurity. More research news from top universities. Permalink |…

• 

  TechCrunch

• Viacom Gives Up Fight Against Time Warner Cable, Adds Channels to TWC iPad App

  Ryan Lawler

  16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm

  Customers of Time Warner Cable have some reason to rejoice today, as the cable company has gotten the go-ahead to add channels like MTV, VH1, and Comedy Central to its live streaming iPad app. The addition comes after the channels’ owner Viacom has settled its differences and resolved litigation with Time Warner Cable. The legal fight erupted last year, after Time Warner Cable released its iPad app, which lets subscribers stream live shows to tablets inside their homes. While many networks grumbled about the app, Viacom was most vocal in rejecting the app, taking its distribution…

• How Many Daily Downloads Does It Take To Reach The Top Of The App Store?

  Frederic Lardinois

  16 May 2012 | 12:01 pm

  It’s hard to underestimate how important ranking in Apple’s top 25 in the iTunes store is for mobile app developers. After all, the top 25 is probably the single most important app discovery mechanism for most iOS users. But how many downloads does it take to rank in the top 25? Mobile app store analytics firm Distimo today published some interesting data that answers just this question. Turns out, in the U.S. store, the answer currently is about 38,400 daily downloads for free iPhone apps and 3,530 for paid iPhone apps. To rank in the top 25 per category, of course, takes…

• Third Pivot’s The Charm? Events Site Ravn Becomes Flash Sales Site Touch Of Modern

  Ingrid Lunden

  16 May 2012 | 11:34 am

  No one ever called a limit on the number pivots a company can do, right? So here’s the latest at a company we’ve been watching for a while now. RAVN, an event planning and sharing app that itself was the product of a pivot from the developers behind “experiences marketplace” Skyara, has sent a letter out to its users telling them that the app is getting shut down at the end of this month. In RAVN’s place, the founders are starting up yet another business — their third — also loosely based around events but with a decidedly more commercial bent: a…

• This Won’t End Well: Toyota Connects With Nintendo DS For In-Car Navigation Interface

  John Biggs

  16 May 2012 | 11:31 am

  For some inexplicable reason, Nintendo and Toyota have teamed up to turn the Nintendo DS into a navigational remote control, thereby allowing drivers (although I hope passengers do most of the fiddling) to set their routes using their game consoles. The service, called Kuruma de DS lets you see map and destination info as well as tour information as you drive through town. The service slightly gamifies the experience by adding a POI saving option. The compatible Toyota Smart Navi system costs about $3,000 while the game itself costs $92 – quite a bit of cash to simulate the map screens…

• Forrester: 32.1 Million U.S. Households Now Access Online Video On Their TVs

  Frederic Lardinois

  16 May 2012 | 11:04 am

  Almost 115 million households in the U.S. currently own at least one TV set and 36 million own four or more. That’s a huge market and as Apple, Google and Microsoft try to wrestle more of this business away from the traditional content and hardware players, the old-school cable and satellite providers now suddenly have to content with this new group of challengers that, until now, barely registered on their radars. According to Forrester analyst James McQuivey, it’s Microsoft that’s winning this platform war so far. Why? Microsoft, MCquivey argues, currently has a massive…

• 

  Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider

• It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Alex Koloskov!

  Brad Moore

  15 May 2012 | 9:01 pm

  Hello there, my name is Alex Koloskov, I am a studio product and advertisement photographer.When started to work as a commercial photographer many years ago, I was trying everything: from portraiture to architecture, but very soon I realized that I can be successful and “the best” only where is my passion, doing things where I can use my full potential.It appears that such place is a quiet studio, a place where I feel extremely comfortable working with still life and motion subjects.I love to perform technically challenging shots, where I have to engineer the lighting and light…

• A Few of My Favorite Shots of Cathedrals in Paris

  Scott Kelby

  14 May 2012 | 9:03 pm

  The shot above was taken inside the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. I had never been, and was really taken with the fact that it’s all stained glass (and tells a story, reading from left to right, bottom to top in each pane of the stained glass). While it’s looks really large here, I’ll bet it’s not 100 feet deep from end to end (but the ceilings are really high). NOTE: make sure you click on these to see a much larger version.Above: Here’s the view if you turned 180° around from where I took the other shot. Again, the same amazing stained glass, and shot hand-held…

• Oh, Hallelujah “Light It Magazine’s” Subscription and Download Thingy is Finally Fixed!

  Scott Kelby

  14 May 2012 | 9:01 pm

  Gees oh Pete that was a bear to get fixed, but finally the folks who have had a tough time getting Light It magazine’s subscription thingy to work now have a new free update that fixes the problem (I’ve been hearing from happy people all day who can now download their previously purchased issues, and the current issue as well). In a word: “Yay!!!!”Just hit the App store and get the just-released free update, and you’re home free. Thanks to everyone who was so patient as our developer played the detective game to find out exactly what was causing the problem (it…

• Back From a Week in Paris (and a new photo series emerges)

  Scott Kelby

  13 May 2012 | 9:02 pm

  Wow, what a week! We shot three online classes (including “A Week in Paris with Jay Maisel” plus my on-location class on shooting travel photography, and a class on Lightroom/Photoshop for Travel Photography). We taped starting at 9:00 am each day and went non-stop until after midnight every day. We literally fell into bed each night, but we still had loads of fun (it’s hard not to have fun in Paris, even when you’re working).Easier HDR My new Nikon D4 actually makes shooting HDRs a lot easier, because not only can I finally just take three bracketed shots (one two…

• Adobe’s Creative Cloud is Now Available

  Scott Kelby

  11 May 2012 | 12:03 am

  Mesdames et messieurs bonjour!Even though I’m still in Paris wrapping up our shoots here, I did see where starting today the Adobe Creative Cloud is now available, which ushers in a new era for Adobe, and a new opportunity for creative people all over the world (can’t you just hear that ELO song in your head right now? “All over the world-er-er-erld.”)If you’re not up-to-date on the Creative Cloud, I did a post here a few weeks back with a quick Q&A about it and you can read it right here. Also, Adobe is offering a pretty incredible deal for existing Creative…

• 

  Twitter / Moltz

• Moltz: @apelad He seems out of place in that scene to me, even though the Jeep is like a desk.

  15 May 2012 | 9:25 pm

  Moltz: @apelad He seems out of place in that scene to me, even though the Jeep is like a desk.

• Moltz: Kids are cynical these days. In my day we simply said "Richard Gere swallowed *how* many gallons?" Now they're all "Snopes blah blah blah."

  14 May 2012 | 11:07 am

  Moltz: Kids are cynical these days. In my day we simply said "Richard Gere swallowed *how* many gallons?" Now they're all "Snopes blah blah blah."

• Moltz: @seancorcoran Nope. 13-inch would be too long and deep. 11-inch would be a tight squeeze but I think would make it.

  14 May 2012 | 9:04 am

  Moltz: @seancorcoran Nope. 13-inch would be too long and deep. 11-inch would be a tight squeeze but I think would make it.

• Moltz: @ashponders NO REFUNDS.

  14 May 2012 | 8:04 am

  Moltz: @ashponders NO REFUNDS.

• Moltz: For Karen for Mother's Day I bought Hank Minecraft. Guaranteed a whole day undisturbed.

  13 May 2012 | 10:10 am

  Moltz: For Karen for Mother's Day I bought Hank Minecraft. Guaranteed a whole day undisturbed.