Blogger asymco did a little calculating from last week’s announcement numbers, and has hammered out a rough estimate of just how many of each iDevice are floating around the world today. According to Steve at last week’s event, there are 120 million iDevices total in the world, and we already knew from SEC filings that 59.6 million of those were iPhones. The current number of iPads in the hands of customers around world is 3.2 million, which (with estimates for the past month on both of those devices added in), means that there are likely 45.2 million iPod touches around. That’s 37.7% of iOS devices at large — not as big as it used to be, as the iPad’s arrival shook things up a bit, but still a very significant total.

It’s somewhat surprising to me that the touch is so popular, given that the iPhone and the iPad have gotten most of the press for iOS. But then again, it makes sense — the iPod touch, as Jobs himself joked during the event, is like an iPhone “without the contract,” and it’s the cheapest of all the devices. While it’s lacking a bit of functionality, iOS, the main selling point, is still there and running, so all of the super popular apps like Angry Birds and Doodle Jump are able to be bought and played. It makes a lot of sense that the iPod touch would be so popular — maybe what’s surprising is that Apple has waited until now to update it with the iPhone 4’s big features as well.

TUAWiPod touch makes up 38% of iDevices shipped originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The good news is, the Safari 5.0.2 update fixes a passel of bugs and outstanding security issues. The bad news: like all Safari updates, which replace the underlying Webkit framework used by many Mac OS X apps to render HTML, this 39 MB update requires a restart. There’s also a 4.1.2 update for users still on Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger.

Apple’s notes on the update say that it “contains improvements to compatibility and security” including:

• Fixes an issue that could prevent users from submitting web forms
• Fixes an issue that could cause web content to display incorrectly when viewing a Google Image result with Flash 10.1 installed
• Establishes an encrypted, authenticated connection to the Safari Extensions Gallery

Thanks to Carlos, Joachim and David for sending this in.

TUAWSafari updated to 5.0.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone developers report that Apple’s Game Center has finally gone live. Formerly limited to a sandbox-only development environment, accounts and friends that were created for the sandbox will not apply to the live production system on Apple’s servers. Game Center is now prompting for new credentials — and developers are sharing usernames on Twitter. Older accounts and friends were wiped out yesterday to prepare for the live system.

The server is reportedly having some start-up issues including connectivity and crashing issues, but developers who were limited before are now able to create full accounts and full-on matchups. Currently Game Center is live in 4.1, which we expect to arrive soon. Developers can submit Game Center applications to iTunes Connect using the 4.1 GM seed.

Once the app and iOS 4.1 are available we’ll have a full review.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

TUAWGame Center is live… mostly originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stop us if you’ve heard this one. Apple releases the iPhone 4, and the tremendous demand from customers keeps store shelves bare. That’s the case in Australia, where suppliers Telstra, Optus and Vodafone Hutchison Australia are struggling to keep up.

As online stores generate increasing backlogs, shipping times increase. As of this writing, most customers are being asked to wait between two and three weeks for their orders to arrive. It’s beginning to wear on shoppers and store owners alike. “Even one to two weeks, or up to three weeks, waiting time is not ideal,” said an unidentified representative from Vodafone Hutchison Australia.

Meanwhile, Apple is sending out fresh supplies weekly. “Shipments of the iPhone 4 continue to be made,” an Apple rep told The Australian. Supplies were strained in the US for quite a while after launch, but Apple seems to have finally caught up, as customers can now find iPhone 4s in Apple Stores and AT&T stores.

The whole thing reminds us of Monty Python’s Cheese Shop sketch, in which a hungry patron is trying to buy cheese from a shop that doesn’t have any:

Shop owner: “[Our cheese shop is] the finest in the district.”
Customer: “Explain the logic behind that conclusion.”
Shop owner: “Well, it’s so clean.”
Customer: “It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.”

Here’s hoping our friends down under get their cheese iPhone 4s soon.

[Via MacDailyNews]

TUAWAustralian carriers feel heavy burden from iPhone 4 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re feeling nostalgic and have US$250 burning a hole in your pocket, perhaps we’ve found the iPhone dock for you.

The iRetrophone Skyliner, designed by artist Scott Freeland, is a retro-style iPhone dock (compatible with 3G, 3GS, and iPhone 4) within a custom-designed, old-style desktop telephone. The iPhone connects via a standard connector within the dock, providing charging power and a working handset — yes, the handset works.

Combine this dock with the aptly-named iRetroPhone iPhone app, and your iPhone retro-izing is complete. But for $250? They lost me there.

[via iPhone Savior]

TUAWRetro new iPhone dock has pricey, film noir feel originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAWiWeb updated to 3.0.2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’ve been having problems with the Apple MobileMe iDisk app, or even if you haven’t noticed anything weird, it’s a good idea to get the latest update. The newest version (1.21) fixes a problem opening Keynote files in some circumstances on the iPad. Rotated images now show in the correct orientation, and there are the usual unspecified ‘stability and performance improvements.’

Meanwhile, the Find My iPhone app has been bumped to version 1.01. The updated app supports the new iPod touch and fixes some translation issues in French, German and Japanese. There are also ‘various bug fixes.’

The apps work on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, so check the app store for the free updates pronto.

TUAWMobileMe iDisk app and Find My iPhone updated with bug fixes originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAWReview: Griffin Loop for the iPad originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Intuit is preparing to release QuickBooks 2011 for the Mac on September 27th with some great new features like multi-user support (finally!), mileage tracking, and more. We had a chance to explore this new version with William Lynes, QuickBooks product manager. It’s quite Mac-like, and I suspect it will be a welcome update for QuickBooks users.

The marquee feature of this update is multi-user support. “It was our number one request,” Lynes told us. Many customers have experienced the frustration of wanting to work in QuickBooks, only to be denied because another user has a certain file open. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Fortunately, QuickBooks 2011 fixes all of that.

TUAWQuickBooks 2011 to add multi-user support, more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I admit it. I’ve always thought that the Nike+ shoe sensor thing was kind of lame. Even though I actually do own the right shoes, I never thought it worth while to pick up the optional pedometer sensor just so I could take advantage of the built-in iPhone feature.

I know that there are people out there who really loved using the Nike+ features on their iPhone but I’ve much preferred using other tracking apps and skipping the shoe tie-in.

Now, several years after GPS debuted on the iPhone 3G, Nike has finally made the move to shoe-less positioning. For $1.99, you can pick up a copy of Nike+ GPS. The reviews on the iTunes site have been generally positive, but it’s clear that this is a slick yet limited application.

TUAWRun app updates: News on the Nike+, Runkeeper, and Runmeter fronts originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Shippity-do-dah, shippity-day, my oh my what a wonderful day! There’s plenty of iProducts shipping your way. Wonderful feeling, wonderful day!

Our TUAW tip line is getting inundated over here with your happy shipping missives (yay — we’re excited too!), so we decided to open up a thread so you can share your excitement with the rest of the TUAW community. Are you about to receive a new nano? A 4th gen iPod touch? Hop into the comments and share the fun with the rest of us.

Don’t forget to send us your unboxing pics!

TUAWShippity-do-dah: Apple starts shipping new iProducts originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here’s more proof that beauty can often lie hidden, even though it’s right before your eyes. Digital artist Johannes P Osterhoff found an artistic quality to Apple’s Aqua user interface and decided to base a series of digital “paintings” using several of its elements.

With a few simple and subtle alterations, Osterhoff was able to make what looks like actual water droplets or ice, only using elements of Aqua (hence the series’ name), at least at first glance.

So far Osterhoff is making use of very few elements of the Aqua UI, so I’d like to see what can be done with something else. There’s only so much that can be done with bubbles and bars.

[via today and tomorrow]

TUAWAqua: Digital paintings made up of OS X elements originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Mobile World Congress, a huge mobile-oriented conference convening in February in Barcelona, Spain, has been dominated by the iPhone over the last several years. However, there has never been a formal presence by Apple or many major players in the iPhone ecosphere at the event. That’s going to change in February of 2011 when the first Macworld Mobile will be held at MWC to showcase iOS developers.

As with the annual Macworld Expo event in San Francisco, Macworld Mobile is organized by IDG World Expo, which is partnering with the MWC parent organization (GSMA) to bring the event to Barcelona. As with Macworld, Apple does not plan on participating in Macworld Mobile. The event is scheduled for February 14-17, 2011 and offers a developer track with a number of technical sessions.

Macworld Mobile is an offshoot of this year’s highly successful “App Planet” at MWC, which provided 20,000 showgoers with a detailed look at more than 150 mobile app companies. More than 6,000 developers attended the premiere event in Barcelona this February, and with the new emphasis on iOS development provided by Macworld Mobile, the event should be even bigger in 2011.

TUAWMacworld Mobile to orbit App Planet at MWC 2011 in February originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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