Author: Blancer

The numbers are out on NPD’s March report for computer sales, and our favorite Apple analyst, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, said MacBook Pro sales continued to drive Mac sales overall, boosting them up to a 47% year-over-year-growth. Munster says that despite an overall drop in the amount of PC sales worldwide, Apple will likely announce Mac sales of 3.6 to 3.7 million units, slightly more than Wall Street expects.

iPod sales, however, are reportedly down according to Munster and NPD’s accounting. The analyst still expects sales to come in above expectations, but they’re charting a 10% year-over-year drop for Apple’s music players.

Apple is set to announce earnings during a conference call this Wednesday — we’ll be listening in, of course, and let you know what we hear.

NPD: Mac sales up 47% in March originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes 10.2.2 has just appeared in Software Update for both Mac and Windows. The update seems to include some important bug fixes, but possibly no new features.

Here’s what’s under the hood.

o. Addresses an issue where iTunes may become unresponsive when syncing an iPad.
o. Resolves an issue which may cause syncing photos with iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to take longer than necessary.
o. Fixes a problem where video previews on the iTunes Store may skip while playing.
o. Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance.

iTunes 10.2.2 is available either through the ever-popular Software Update, or can be grabbed directly here.

The software update also references a KB document on security issues, but there’s nothing to be found specific to this update.

Get it while it’s hot.

iTunes 10.2.2 now available originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has filed suit against Samsung, claiming that the Samsung Galaxy line too closely imitates the look and feel of the iPhone and iOS. The lawsuit specifically calls out Samsung’s products like the Galaxy S 4G, Epic 4G, Nexus S and Galaxy Tab and goes on to state that, “Rather than innovate and develop its own technology and a unique Samsung style for its smart phone products and computer tablets, Samsung chose to copy Apple’s technology, user interface and innovative style in these infringing products.”

This specific lawsuit is a bit more awkward than usual as Apple is not only Samsung’s competitor, but also one of its largest clients. Samsung currently supplies Apple with large quantities of flash memory, LCD displays and the A4 and A5 chips found in iPhone 4s and iPads. There’s no word yet on what kind of damages Apple is seeking in the lawsuit, but given that they are saying Samsung copied the look and feel of both iOS and iPhone and iPad hardware, it’s not a stretch to assume that Apple would demand all devices be removed from the market should they win the suit.

UPDATE: Apple has issued the following statement to Mobilized: “It’s no coincidence that Samsung’s latest products look a lot like the iPhone and iPad, from the shape of the hardware to the user interface and even the packaging. This kind of blatant copying is wrong, and we need to protect Apple’s intellectual property when companies steal our ideas.”

Apple suing Samsung: Galaxy too similar to iPhone look and feel originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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M.I.C Gadget, the same website that brought the world the Steve Jobs action figure that was quickly given a cease and desist notice, is back for more potential legal fun.

This time, they’ve come up with a very cool 4-port USB 2.0 hub. It doesn’t matter how many USB ports you have on your Mac — it always seems like you can use a few more. So the M.I.C Gadget guys decided that a small black or white 4-port hub that features a glowing white Apple logo would be a popular product. They’re calling it the iHub 2 (US$9.90), which of course sounds suspiciously close to any number of Apple products.

Yep, they’re probably right about the iHub being a potentially popular product. Heck, if I could get one before the next cease and desist notice is delivered to M.I.C Gadget, I’d probably buy one. However, Apple’s lawyers have probably already downloaded the legal boilerplate for their C&D notice and are feverishly filling it out at this point. Considering that the Apple logo is one of the most recognizable trademarks in the world and the company protects its trademarks with the same enthusiasm as a mother grizzly bear protecting her cubs, the iHub will be shut down faster than the Steve Jobs action figure was.

This product supersedes the previous iHub, which apparently didn’t catch Apple’s attention. That was most likely before they made the Steve Jobs mini-me. M.I.C Gadget has even made a nice promo video, which you can watch on the next page. Enjoy it while it lasts.

[via 9to5Mac]

Continue reading M.I.C Gadget’s iHub 2 looks like Apple lawsuit bait

M.I.C Gadget’s iHub 2 looks like Apple lawsuit bait originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has reportedly modified its app ranking system to include criteria besides the number of application downloads. This change was noticed by ad network executives and other companies that monitor the ranking of applications in Apple’s iOS App Store.

Facebook, Skype, and Pandora are three applications whose spike in ranking caught the eye of many people. Facebook moved from #13 to #1, Skype from #33 to #11 and Pandora from #22 to the top ten. Before last week, these apps were steady in their rankings, leading many to believe Apple modified something in its ranking system to produce these jumps. Read on to find out what criteria Apple may have changed.

Continue reading Apple tweaks app ranking system

Apple tweaks app ranking system originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no surprise that the iPhone 4 is not only a popular smartphone, but also a well-liked digital camera. The 5-megapixel back camera doesn’t have the highest pixel count of all smartphone cameras, and the specifications of that camera don’t hold a candle to many of the digital SLRs and point-and-shoot cameras that are on the market. What the iPhone 4 does have going for it is an array of apps that make sharing those photos with the world insanely easy.

The ability to share photos with social networks is why the iPhone 4 is well on the way to being Flickr’s most popular camera according to TechCrunch’s MG Siegler. Siegler reports that although iPhones as a group had taken the Flickr crown in the past, the iPhone 4 alone is about to pass the Nikon D90 as the most popular camera used by Flickr users.

The inability of point-and-shoot cameras such as the Canon PowerShot line and DSLRs like the various Canon EOS and Nikon models to immediately upload photos to services like Flickr, Twitter, and Facebook is causing the iPhone 4 to become a popular way to share photos. What’s also fascinating is that although Android phones have more market share than the iPhone, no individual model is anywhere close to knocking the iPhone 4 from its lofty popularity perch.

Siegler also notes that the iPad 2 is not being used much as a digital camera, and a look at the Flickr data shows a measly 9 users a day uploading photos to the photo service. We won’t know what the next iPhone model will have in terms of camera specs, but any improvement is sure to keep the iPhone family atop Flickr’s “Most Popular Camera” list for a long time.

iPhone 4 rocketing to the top of Flickr’s camera list originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Let’s take a moment to appreciate the mouse, the marvel of engineering that made computing accessible to the general public. But, if you’ve ever watched an expert systems administrator rocket through tasks using nothing but the command line and a keyboard, you know the mouse isn’t the world’s most efficient way to unleash the power of your Mac.

Many of us here at TUAW are devoted fans of the keyboard shortcut super utility Quicksilver. After wandering the wilds of the open source kingdom with mixed results, Quicksilver appears to have been adopted by a small team of developers who released a proper update to the app over the weekend.

Originally developed by a shadowy software wizard with the handle “Alcor,” Quicksilver lost its only parent to a serious case of got-hired-by-Google-itis in 2007. Before becoming completely inundated with “real work,” Nicholas “Alcor” Jitkoff released Quicksilver to the open source community where its development splintered and stagnated. Some of us at TUAW, discouraged by performance issues and compatibility problems with newer versions of Mac OS X, lost hope in Quicksilver and began experimenting with alternatives. Others continued to recommend the free utility, which lets users quickly launch apps, move files, compose email messages, and with a little practice, quickly accomplish a broad range of tasks with nothing but a few key strokes.

Now, a team of developers at qsapp.com, who say “Quicksilver is like carrying a light-saber and throwing robots across the room with your mind,” aims to unify all of the utility’s fragmented open source builds, plugins, and support groups. The team’s latest build, Quicksilver version ß59, addresses a handful of known issues while running the tool on Snow Leopard. Above all, it offers hope for the Quicksilver faithful that someone out there wishes to take ownership of this powerful utility. Mac users can download Quicksilver for free at qsapp.com.

[via Minimal Mac]

Quicksilver appears to be coming back from the dead originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK mobile provider Three has jumped the gun a bit and listed the white iPhone 4 for sale already on its website. You can’t actually order the much-delayed device from them at this time, as the page appears to be a placeholder for now. Three UK lists an “earliest delivery” date as April 20th, which is this Wednesday and almost a full week ahead of the rumored April 26th launch of the white iPhone 4 in Italy.

There’s been no official release date from Apple yet, but the company has confirmed that the white iPhone 4 will ship this Spring. While no one can seem to agree on an exact release date, the Three leak, combined with the Italy reports and the Verizon inventory shots all point to a “very soon” shipping date. Perhaps we’ll find out exactly when during Apple’s financial conference call tomorrow.

Three UK lists white iPhone 4 early, delivery on April 20 originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW favorite GoodReader for iPad was upgraded to version 3.6, which boasts a number of improvements. These features include:

• Data encryption
• The ability to flatten PDFs to embed annotations
• Video file can be played using AirPlay
• Symbolic PDF page labels are supported
• Improved compatibility with Google Docs and Apple Preview

Note that this update will take a bit longer than previous ones because GoodReader will need to process all the files that exist in it for data protection.

GoodReader for the iPad is $4.99. An update to the iPhone version, taking that to version 3.6.1, is in the approval process.

[via Mac Observer]

GoodReader for iPad gains AirPlay, encryption, and improved PDF annotation originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dropbox has quickly become the must-have app and service for many people. Launched in 2007, about the same time as the original iPhone, Dropbox is a wonderful way to synchronize files between computers of all types.

According to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, the company is announcing that Dropbox now has 25 million users, up from just 4 million a year ago. The numbers are astounding — over 200 million files are saved to Dropbox daily, about a million every five minutes.

Concurrent with the announcement of this user milestone, Dropbox has updated their self-named app to version 1.4. Part of the update brings the action buttons (Dropbox, Favorites, Uploads, Settings) back to the bottom of the user interface in a tabbed fashion, but the new version of the app improves on the way that uploads from the iOS app are handled.

It’s now possible to upload many photos and videos from the camera roll to a specific folder in Dropbox. That functionality is useful and seems like a logical extension of the way that the Dropbox app works, but the other new capability really adds usefulness to the app. Dropbox can now accept direct uploads from external apps.

For example, I received a Word document in Mail.app this morning from a travel operator in Dubrovnik, Croatia. I wanted to save it into my Dropbox “Travel” folder, so I downloaded the document in Mail, tapped on it to “Open In,” and there was a new item on the list of usable apps for Dropbox. By saying that I wanted to open the Word document in Dropbox, the upload interface appeared and I was able to point the document to my specific folder. This method of adding documents from a number of iPhone and iPad apps is quite speedy, and it works in any app that uses the “Open In” dialog.

Dropbox Version 1.4 is available now as a free download from the App Store.

[via MacStories]

Dropbox app updated as the service hits 25 million users originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple will announce its quarterly earnings after the bell closes on Wednesday, April 20. The Cupertino company will unveil sales figures for the newly launched iPad 2 and possibly the Verizon iPhone. Long lines and delayed ship times indicate the iPad 2 is selling well, but early estimates suggest the Verizon iPhone is not selling as strongly as expected.

Before Apple makes these figures official, analysts are weighing in with their preview of Apple’s completed quarter. In previous quarters, blogger analysts and professional analysts differed greatly in their prediction of Apple’s sales figures. This quarter, though, the two groups are in relatively close agreement.

According to the predicted figures compiled by Fortune, Apple’s revenue will beat its guidance of US$22 billion and land between $23 and $24 billion. iPhone sales are expected to hit the 16 to 18 million units sold mark, iPods 9.82 to 9.96 million, iPads 6.2 to 6.7 million, and Macs 3.6 to 3.7 million. For additional details, point your browser to Fortune’s website where you can find a detailed chart listing the previews from approximately 50 analysts.

Be sure to mark your calendar for 5 p.m. on Wednesday April 20 as we will be covering Apple’s earning conference call. Join us as we discover how these estimates compare to Apple’s reported numbers.

Analysts release their Q2 2011 earnings estimates originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The latest iPhone 5 rumors could also be filed under “logical evolution of the species.” As we saw with the iPhone 3G to 3GS, the form factor on the iPhone 5 is not expected to change. As logic would dictate, Apple should update the processor to the A5 (currently in the iPad 2). New rumors also indicate an 8 MP camera (probably not from Sony, however) on the back and a switch to Qualcomm baseband chips for CDMA and GSM. Oh, and as AppleInsider reports, “an improved antenna design.”

These latest details are courtesy analyst Ming-Chi Kuo with Concord Securities. He’s been right before, correctly predicting the resolution of the iPad 2’s screen and its cameras. Kuo echoes the September availability we’ve been hearing, but claims it will be announced at WWDC (which we have heard will not happen). All of the hardware points line up with rumors we’ve heard before.

Still, Kuo says iOS 5 will be the big news this year on the iPhone front and I agree. Some of you may recall Mac OS X Tiger (10.4) introduced so many new features, applications and frameworks that Apple said it would turn your Mac into a “new” computer. I think iOS 5 will not only address some of the glaring issues in iOS (notifications, for example) but add many features designed to leapfrog the competition. The question is whether iOS 5 will debut with the iPhone 5 or after it.

Latest iPhone 5 rumors point to iterative update, production beginning in September originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple may never introduce an iPhone nano, but that’s not keeping the knockoff manufacturers in China from creating them.

The phone was discovered by a writer for Giz-China.com, who was checking out a Lenovo tablet when he spied the mini-iPhone 4 clone. While unable to get exact dimensions of the device, the writer said that it “easily fits in to the palm of my hand,” and the photos show this iPhone nano fake to be about 2/3 the size of a true iPhone 4.

Called the iPhone 4 Nano, this Shenzen-made product doesn’t run iOS — instead, it sports a Java-based OS that looks and acts remarkably like Apple’s mobile operating system. It comes complete with a 1.3 Megapixel back camera and a front-facing camera, has a resistive touch screen, and won’t (of course) work with the App Store.

While this phone retails for about US$58 without a contract, chances are slim that it will make it out of the Chinese market. Still, it would be fun to have a mini-me iPhone 4 to accompany your full-sized Apple smartphone.

[via Ubergizmo]

iPhone nano fake available in China originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple fans still looking for an iPad 2 can now check the supply at their local Toys R Us store. As expected, Toys R Us is now selling the popular tablet in select stores across the US. Not every store is carrying the tablet so you should consult this list on Toys R Us’ website before you trek out to your local shop.

This expansion to yet another retail chain suggests supply constraints on the iPad 2 are easing. When the table first debuted, Apple stores quickly sold their initial stock and online delivery times extended out to 4-5 weeks. One month later, the iPad 2 is available from Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Toys R Us, Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Apple stores nationwide. Online shipping times have also dropped to 2-3 weeks with customers reporting delivery times earlier than the projected 14-21 days. There are also rumors Apple is working to expand component suppliers to ease supply issues.

Though the retail footprint of the iPad 2 is increasing, finding the tablet in stock is still hit or miss. Call regularly and check early are two simple strategies to increase your odds of snagging the model you want. With Mother’s Day right around the corner, it may also be a good idea to start your hunt now if you want to surprise Mom on her special day.

[Via Apple Insider]

As predicted, Toys R Us now carrying iPad 2 originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Recently, Amazon introduced a new cloud-based file storage and media playback system aptly named Cloud Drive and Cloud Player. The debut of this system, which is compatible with Android handsets, kicked off a debate on cloud storage and Apple’s lack of a similar mechanisms for its iOS devices. In a lengthy post, John Gruber of Daring Fireball discusses this deficiency and points to four areas that Apple should move to the cloud. These cloud features include the transfer of media to an iOS device, the ability to backup and restore an iOS device to the cloud, a mechanism to deliver iOS updates wirelessly and a way to activate your device without connecting it to iTunes on your computer.

Gruber points to the Apple TV 2 as a preview of this cable-free future as the device streams its content. There is no need to transfer and backup up content as its media is stored in the cloud. Unlike other iOS devices, the ATV 2 also updates itself independently of iTunes. If Apple can develop such a system for the Apple TV, it could do the same for other iOS devices.

This system, though, is difficult to put into place with the large number of devices Apple has in the wild. Apple will also have to accommodate a wide range of user scenarios including those who have never synced their device to those who synced but ran out of space on their device. In these two example cases, Apple must have a method to resolve these customer’s issues before a sync can be performed. You only need to look at Microsoft’s botched Windows Phone update to see how difficult this can be.

Gruber asserts Apple is interested in the cloud, but the company is taking an incremental approach. Rather than sever the tie in one major update to iOS, Apple will slowly cut the cord one piece at a time starting with the Apple TV 2. Eventually, the Cupertino company may move to an over-the-air update system and iTunes-free activation system for iOS. Later, Apple may introduce streaming but still require users with large media libraries to sync via a Mac or a PC. Apple may never completely cut the cord as it is not feasible for someone with a 10 GB library to backup and restore their media over a cellular or even a Wi-Fi connection.

Google, Gruber points out, has a cloud syncing system that performs better than Apple’s MobileMe service but it lacks the slick UI and ease of use associated with Apple’s products. Apple is admittedly behind, but it still has a chance to catch up if all these rumors of free MobileMe and a cloud-based media storage and streaming service come to fruition.

Gruber ruminates on Apple’s cloud originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 18 Apr 2011 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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