Category: I-phone

According to ProVideoCoalition, Apple is planning on debuting the next version of Final Cut Pro at the Final Cut Pro User Group SuperMeet on April 12. According to PVC, “Apple will be using the Vegas Supermeet to announce the next version of Final Cut Pro. Supposedly, Apple will be taking over the entire event for their announcement, canceling all other sponsors, including AJA, Avid, Canon, BlackMagic, Autodesk and others, who were set to give presentations.”

While the FCP SuperMeet does seem to be an odd event for Apple to launch the next version of their professional editing software (because NAB 2011 starts on April 9), the rumors do seem to have credibility because Canon, Avid, and Autodesk have all confirmed that their sponsorships have been canceled because Apple has demanded no one else has the main stage. A Canon spokesperson supposedly confirmed to PVC, “Canon was told last night that Apple has demanded ALL ‘lectern’ or stage time exclusively.” Likewise, Avid told them, “Apple doesn’t want anyone to have stage time but them.”

There’s no word yet on what the next Final Cut Pro will feature, but in February a group of high-profile video editors were supposedly given time with the software. Their reactions to the new FCP were overwhelmingly positive, with one of them saying the next Final Cut Pro is “the biggest overhaul to Final Cut Pro since the original version was created over 10 years ago.”

Rumor: New Final Cut Pro to debut on April 12 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has been granted a patent for a new type of dock connector, discovered by PatentlyApple. The new dock connector is a “hybrid DisplayPort/USB 3.0 high speed connector. This new and extremely slim connector will work on all iOS devices like the iPod and eventually work its way through Apple’s entire hardware lineup,” according to the patent-tracking site. While Apple typically files patents for technologies that never see the light of day, PatentlyApple speculates that this new dock connector could be unveiled later this year or in 2012 when Apple adds USB 3.0 ports to their Mac computers.

The patent also suggests that future iOS devices may have Thunderbolt connections since a DisplayPort and Thunderbolt connection are physically similar. Apple added Thunderbolt to the latest MacBook Pros and it’s widely expected that all Macs introduced from now on will sport the new port. A combined Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 connector would cover the Mac and PC spectrum — while all newer Macs are likely to have Thunderbolt ports, most mid-level to low-end PCs will probably only sport USB 3.0 ports.

[via MacRumors]

Apple granted patent for DisplayPort/Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 dock connector originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Capcom has added two more titles to its free Capcom Arcade app that hit the App Store a while ago. First up is the classic beat-em-up Final Fight, and it’s a big retro release for Capcom — they’ve even changed the app’s name and icon just to celebrate. Final Fight’s a great game, as you may remember from the days of arcades gone by. As with all of the other titles in Capcom Arcade, you can play three times a day for free, pay a buck to play any of the games ten times a day, or pay a certain amount (currently just a dollar, as all of the titles are on sale) to “buy the arcade machine” and get unlimited play. It’s an interesting deal designed to give you something to try out even if you don’t want to shell out for the whole collection.

Also, 1943 has also been added to the mix as the sequel to the old WWII style plane top-down shooter. Capcom promises there will be two games added into the app every single month, so stay tuned — hopefully we’ll see even more retro titles in the future.

Capcom’s free Arcade adds Final Fight, 1943 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stephen Colbert can finally eat and sleep apparently — he was able to pick up his own iPad 2. And as you can see in the video below, he’s thrilled with it. Sure, it’s mostly just because it’s new (it doesn’t really do much his old tablet doesn’t do), but his excitement is essentially boundless.

Boundless — until it hits a boundary. We agree with Stephen: the new iPad 2 sure is great. But, um, won’t the iPad 3 be greater?

Continue reading Colbert has an iPad 2, already wants the iPad 3

Colbert has an iPad 2, already wants the iPad 3 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US District Judge Leonard Davis threw out a US$625.5 million patent infringement verdict against Apple involving its Cover Flow, Time Machine and Spotlight technology for the Mac.

In 2008, Mirror Worlds filed a patent infringement lawsuit accusing Apple of infringing on four of the company’s patent for a “document stream operating system” and its associated information management system. The lawsuit cited Apple’s Cover Flow interface, its backup application Time Machine, and its search application Spotlight. Mirror Worlds received its four patents before it disbanded in 2003.

In October 2010, a judge in East Texas Federal Court sided with Mirror Worlds and awarded the now defunct company $625.5 million in damages ($208.5 million per patent). Apple appealed this ruling and argued that Mirror Worlds’ patents were invalid because the company failed to cite prior art and filed the patents incorrectly.

The Texas judge disagreed with Apple’s patent claims and upheld Mirror Worlds’ patents as valid. In a decision favorable to Apple, however, he ruled that Apple was not liable for damages. Mirror Worlds apparently failed to prove Apple used the same underlying technology for its implementation of Cover Flow, Time Machine and Spotlight. Without this “requisite foundational support,” the original lawsuit award was rejected and Apple no longer has to pony up the cash.

[Via Ars Techinca]

Apple wins appeal in Time Machine, Cover Flow patent ruling originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When next someone asks you, “Hey, what is the top app I should put on my new iPhone? Can you recommend something that will be insanely useful, offer lots of long-term functionality, and really show off my device?”

Consider how much you dislike this person. Then, if they really deserve it, recommend Apple’s new iAd Gallery app.

This free application offers “Great ads. On-demand. In your pocket.” The application allows users to view and interact with Apple’s stable of paid advertisements, as if nothing less would be sufficient to demonstrate our complete lack of a life.

This app is really only appropriate for the most, uh, loyal Apple fan. Of course, it’s also a way for Apple to potentially nudge/guilt hesitant iAd buyers into joining the club.

That’s because iAd Gallery may help sell Apple’s fledgling (and some say struggling) service to a broader market. What purpose does this app serve (other than to make people laugh out loud) if it’s not to let advertisers review existing ads before dipping their own toes into the water? Sure, existing advertisers can see their ads playing on a real live iDevice, but that’s not enough motivation to release a whole appful of them.

The advertisements in iAd Gallery do appear to be broader and more comprehensive than those you may encounter randomly in ad-supported free applications. This wider coverage may allow those potential advertisers to help plan their own campaigns.

Caution: iAd Gallery is rated 12+ for infrequent/mild alcohol, tobacco or drug use, or references.

[via Business Insider]

Apple introduces iAd Gallery app four days late originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, that was quick. No sooner than word got out about Toyota’s advertising on the unofficial ModMyi jailbreak store for iOS, Apple has reportedly stepped in and asked Toyota to back down. Apparently the advertising company responsible for the theme and buy called up to remove it, and said that Apple had contacted Toyota directly, resulting in Toyota deciding against the promotion to “maintain their good relationship with Apple.”

Kyle Matthews, the founder of ModMyi, notes that the deal has been in progress for a while, and actually went up about a month ago, so it appears that only now, as the deal has gotten some press, did Apple show any concern about it. This adds an interesting wrinkle to the already strange relationship between Apple and its unofficial software stores. Apple has generally been forgiving of most jailbreakers, though in the past has come up with some harsher rhetoric. It appears, though this may come as no surprise, that money is the issue. As soon as a larger corporation like Toyota becomes ready to support jailbreakers, that’s when Apple starts throwing its weight around.

It’s hard to think anyone else as big as Toyota will touch an ad buy like this now — there’s always a chance that another company will go for the sale in spite of Apple’s concerns, but the jailbreak audience doesn’t seem big enough to really attract another significant client. We’ll have to see what happens — Apple may have killed this trend just as quickly as it started.

[via MacStories]

Apple asks Toyota to remove jailbreak store advertising originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Wall Street Journal reports that Nasdaq will drop Apple’s profile in its Nasdaq-100 stock index, lowering Apple’s share from 20.5% to around 12.3%, more in line with the number of actual Apple shares out there. Apple is one of 81 companies who are seeing their shares lowered by the rebalance, while 19 other companies, including Google and Microsoft, will have their shares increased. The index was last adjusted in this way back in 1998, but back then Apple obviously wasn’t nearly as big a company financially as it is now, so Nasdaq is simply adjusting things to bring shares more in line with the actual market.

The changes should take effect on May 2, and Nasdaq does say that it expects some trades to happen as a result of the changes, which may lead to some “instability” in the markets for a short period. But in general, the changes are just to make sure that a huge amount of growth (or failure) on Apple’s part doesn’t upset the index too much.

As always, we are not financial professionals, and any news about AAPL stock should not be taken as financial advice.

[via AppleInsider]

Nasdaq to diminish Apple’s portion of the Nasdaq-100 originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Books for iOS was introduced late last year and opened the world of Google’s two million digital books to iOS owners. The application competed with Apple’s iBooks and Amazon’s Kindle application but lacked the polish and finesse of these two applications.

This latest version released today kicks it up a notch by adding a landscape mode for eBook reading on your iPad and a find feature that shows specific keyword and phrase matches as you scroll through a book. Several bug fixes and enhancements include a nifty 3D page turning feature on the iPad and an new login feature that lets you easily download eBooks using your Google account. The speed and performance of the overall application has been improved as well. The updated version of the application is available for free and can be downloaded now from the App Store.

[Via MacStories]

Google Books for iOS adds landscape reading, speed boost originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple’s iPad 2 is king of the tablets according to a comparative review released by Consumer Reports (CR) today. The publication’s lab evaluated ten of the “most-promising” tablet devices from Apple, Archos, Dell, Motorola, Samsung, and ViewSonic. The 32 GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi plus 3G (US$729) scored Excellent in most of the 17 testing criteria, beating the second-ranked Motorola Xoom.

“So far Apple is leading the tablet market in both quality and price, which is unusual for a company whose products are usually premium priced,” Paul Reynolds, Electronics Editor at Consumer Reports said in the publication’s press release. “However, it’s likely we’ll see more competitive pricing in tablets as other models begin to hit the market.”

Notably, the iPad 2’s strongest rival, the Motorola Xoom, tied with Apple’s original iPad for second place. Critics admired the Xoom’s 10-inch screen and extra conveniences like a built-in memory card reader, support for Adobe Flash content, and 4G wireless upgradability. Meanwhile, the iPad 2 trounced the competition in battery life, surviving 12.2 hours while looping a video clip. The inexpensive Archos 70 Internet Tablet landed at the bottom of the ratings.

The caveat-free, top-ranking results for the iPad 2 are a welcome departure from the publication’s recent (and befuddling) stance towards Apple’s mobile products. The iPhone 4 from AT&T and Verizon each received CR’s best ratings. Even so, the publication recommended avoiding Apple’s latest iPhones, citing signal attenuation issues caused by placing a finger over the gap between the device’s outer antennas. Rather than revise its testing criteria to account for the “death grip,” the independent buying guide simultaneously praised and pummeled the iPhone 4 with an it’s-the-best-but-don’t-buy-it ranking.

Fortunately, the iPad 2, which doesn’t rely on antennas in the same way as its smartphone cousins, won its crown without any tarnishes. It’s yet another reason to go out and buy one.

[via Boy Genius Report]

Consumer Reports ranks iPad top among tablets originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ChangeWave conducted a survey of 4,068 wireless customers to determine the difference between Verizon iPhone owners and AT&T iPhone owners. The survey was completed on March 28th and takes into account Verizon owners’ initial response to the iPhone’s performance on the CDMA network.

The results show that overall, Verizon iPhone owners are as equally as satisfied as their AT&T counterparts with 82% of Verizon owners and 80% of AT&T owners reporting they are very satisfied with their current service. Dropped calls on the two carriers differed greatly with AT&T iPhone customers reporting up to 4.8 percent of dropped calls and Verizon customers coming in with a much lower 1.8 percent.

Over the two-year survey, Verizon’s overall dropped call rate has fell from 2.7 percent in 2008 to 1.4 percent in March 2011. AT&T, on the other hand, has shown an increase from 3.6 percent in 2008 to the current 4.6 percent in March 2011. This 4.6 percent is encouraging and shows that AT&T is trying to address this problem. Though its dropped call rate is higher than 2008, this rate is slowly falling down from a high of 6% reported by AT&T iPhone owners in September 2010.

[Via AppleInsider]

Verizon iPhone 4 owners report fewer dropped calls than AT&T customers originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It appears that Apple isn’t the only company having trouble keeping up with the huge demand for the iPad 2.

Throughout Asia, many ethnic Chinese individuals are celebrating the Qingming festival. During this festival, living relatives honor their dead ancestors by cleaning their grave sites and burning paper replicas of useful and high-ticket items. The idea is that by burning the faux items, they’re made available for the dearly departed to use in the afterlife.

Usually, the paper replicas include items like shoes, fancy clothing, designer purses, and cars. But a Malaysian shopkeeper reports in a Reuters news post that paper iPads — both first and second generation — have been flying off of the shelves of his prayer item store. Jeffrey Te had received 300 iPad 2 replicas from China which sold out quickly. The paper iPads are sold with a capacity of 888 GB, that number being considered a favorable one in Chinese culture. The price tag on the iPads? About a dollar.

The store also sells some amazingly realistic looking iPhone 4s, as well as replicas of devices made by other manufacturers. As among the living, however, not everyone in the afterlife may need or want a high-tech gadget, so the more traditional items like paper sofas and chests full of fake paper money are still big items in Te’s store. There’s video on the next page.

Continue reading Paper iPad 2 sells out in Malaysia for use in afterlife rituals

Paper iPad 2 sells out in Malaysia for use in afterlife rituals originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: The Loop remains convinced this will not happen.

TUAW has seen an uptick in the number of rumors making their way around the blogosphere lately, purporting to know when the iPhone 5 will finally arrive. The latest is from Korea, where ETNews is reporting that the fifth-generation device is going to appear in June at an event to be held after WWDC.

The rumor doesn’t hold water when held up to Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer’s recent comment that 8 MP Sony digital camera sensors would be delayed getting to Apple due to earthquake damage at a plant in Japan. Then again, Sony supplying camera sensors to Apple may be a misunderstanding anyway.

ETNews also states that two South Korean telecom companies, KT and SK Telecom, will be getting the iPhone 5 soon after launch. That’s contrary to common shipping patterns for Apple products, in which South Korea gets products well after launch. For example, the iPhone 4 just made it to South Korea on March 16.

It’s also rare for Apple to hold a press event for a new product so close to the Worldwide Developer’s Conference. Most of us here at TUAW are treating this as a hopeful rumor, and we’re holding out for a September release of the latest iPhone.

[via Electronista]

Korean rumor puts iPhone 5 release in June (updated) originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhoto ’11 is an easy Mac app to begin using and play with, but a difficult one to master.

In his newest book for Apress, TUAW blogger Michael Grothaus takes his knowledge of iPhoto ’11 and presents it in such a way that anyone can learn to use the app not only for organizing and editing their photo library, but also for creating albums and keepsakes or sharing those photos.

Part of the Apress Technology In Action series, Taking Your iPhoto ’11 to the Max is a 241-page illustrated guide to the app. Available in both paper (US$29.99 SRP) and ebook ($20.99) formats, Michael’s expertise as a photographer and writer shines in the book.

Michael begins the book at the point where most new Mac users stop — they figure out how to import their photos into iPhoto and then use the app as the electronic equivalent of a shoe box to store their pictures. Michael begins educating readers at this point in a very understandable way, taking them through the steps of marking and searching their photos using keywords, and describing the detailed information that can be found in EXIF data imported from the digital camera.

Continue reading Taking Your iPhoto ’11 to the Max: A power guide to Apple’s photo app

Taking Your iPhoto ’11 to the Max: A power guide to Apple’s photo app originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While many of those involved in the traditional dead-tree publishing business insist on using 15th century technology, at least one is leading the way into the 21st century.

Nicholas Calloway, a successful publisher of glossy, expensive coffee-table books (including Madonna’s Sex) is “betting the ranch” that apps are the future.

He founded his company in 1980, but it was while watching Pixar’s Toy Story in 1995 that he recognized a whole new form of storytelling that was “…going to change the world,” he told Reuters. “We stopped thinking of books as the sole vehicle for our products and we thought more of core intellectual property that could be executed across many different media.”

Now his authors are partners in projects, not simply recipients of royalties. He’s renamed his company Callaway Digital Arts, and all projects start with iPhone/iPad apps, including (amongst others) Martha Stewart Makes Cookies and The Monster at the End of This Book (for iPad).

It would be great to see more publishers taking the same route but, as reader’s of Joe Konrath’s now famous Newbie’s Guide to Publishing blog will know, most are still in love with the dead-tree business.

[Via The Mac Observer]

From coffee table books to iPad apps: publisher ditching paper books originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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