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I didn’t get a chance to swing by the site of the upcoming Jungfernsteig Apple Store when I was in Hamburg this week, but the guys at case manufacturer Alkr did (no surprise, it’s their home town). The store is featuring giant red window panels and is said to be getting close to readiness for its first customers.

The center sign translates as “We (will be) pleased to greet you here soon.” Seems pretty straightforward, no? The larger side signs say ‘Moin,’ which is a slang form of ‘Hello’ that’s commonly used in parts of Northern Germany.

Keep an eye out for more details & schedule on the store opening.

Thanks Jürgen!

Apple Store Hamburg nears opening day originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A substantial wrinkle has just been introduced in Apple’s patent infringement case against HTC. According to recent briefs that Apple filed in that case, Android’s genesis was not in the mid-1990s when Andy Rubin worked for General Magic or Danger. Instead, Apple alleges that Rubin drew inspiration for Android’s frameworks from APIs he encountered while working for Apple itself in the early 90s.

Apple claims that Rubin was a “low-level engineer” who reported directly to the engineers who invented one of the patents it claims HTC infringes. Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents surmises this means Rubin may have “contributed to the implementation of the claimed invention.” If true, this allegation would go a long way toward proving Apple’s claim that Rubin derived some of Android’s frameworks from work he did at Apple.

Mueller notes that this has “serious ramifications” should Apple ever decide to sue Google itself rather than suing it by proxy via Android handset manufacturers. “Google (or a Google subsidiary like [Motorola]) would almost certainly be found to infringe the relevant patent intentionally, and willful infringement would greatly increase Apple’s chances of obtaining an injunction as well as triple damages.”

Mueller points out that the judge presiding in Oracle’s lawsuit against Google also suspects Rubin of willful patent infringement. If Google is found guilty of willful infringement in both the Oracle suit and an as yet theoretical suit from Apple, Google’s future (and Android’s) looks very rocky indeed.

Apple alleges Andy Rubin got inspiration for Android while working at Apple originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re a Nike+ user and you’ve been experiencing issues with the service lately, you’re not alone. According to TechCrunch, enough users have been having problems with Nike+ over the past few months that Nike has sent an email to users apologizing for the service’s troubles and promising a fix.

Jayme Martin, VP and GM of Nike Running, confessed to users that “Just like you, we hold ourselves to incredibly high standards, and right now Nike+ isn’t living up to them.” Immediate fixes outlined in Martin’s letter: “As of today we have increased login speed and eliminated a majority of login failures. We have improved your ability to sync devices, log runs and post information to Facebook. We are also working on a new version of the Nike+ GPS app that will be released shortly. It will introduce some great new features and address some of the recent bugs.”

Martin also says that Nike is “working on a brand new platform for Nike+ that includes better coaching, maps and challenges. It will be much faster, more social, and easier to use, providing more information and analysis of your runs.”

Meanwhile, if you’ve been experiencing problems with Nike+ yourself, multiple alternatives to the service exist which offer functionality that meets or exceeds that of Nike+. I’ve been an avid RunKeeper user for a couple years, and I can definitely recommend that platform to any iOS user looking to track their fitness regime. If your electronic workout partner is an iPod nano, however, Nike+ is still the only game in town.

Nike+ not working? Nike says sorry, and is working on the problem originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mobile Safari continues its reign as the dominant mobile browser according to new data from web analytics firm Net Applications. Mobile Safari grabs a respectable 53% of mobile browser usage share, while its closest competitor, Opera Mini, grabs only 20.77%. Coming in third is the Android browser with 15.73% usage share.

Much of the success of mobile Safari can be attributed to the popularity of the iPad. Recent studies show that most people with an iPad use it primarily as a web browser. It’s so popular as a browser that the iPad grabs 25% of US mobile browser market and 2% of the overall browser market.

Android, however, has yet to produce a competitive tablet and most measurable web browsing activity is coming from smartphones. Yes, smartphones are convenient for occasional searching on the go, but the smaller screen is not designed for extended browsing sessions.

[Via GigaOm]

Mobile Safari still dominates mobile browsing originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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U2’s Bono has expressed thanks for Steve Jobs’s “invaluable” support in fighting AIDS in a letter to the editor of The New York Times. Bono contacted the editor after The Time’s Andrew Ross Sorkin wrote a link-bait column titled “The Mystery of Steve Jobs’s Public Giving.” In the column Sorkin seemed somewhat obsessed over the “mystery” and lack of a public record about Steve Jobs’ charitable contributions.

Clearly Bono wanted to set the record straight, as his letter to the editor reads:

To the Editor:

Re “The Mystery of Jobs’s Public Giving,” by Andrew Ross Sorkin (DealBook, Aug. 30):

As a founder of (Product)RED, I’d like to point out that Apple’s contribution to our fight against AIDS in Africa has been invaluable. Through the sale of (RED) products, Apple has been (RED)’s largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – giving tens of millions of dollars that have transformed the lives of more than two million Africans through H.I.V. testing, treatment and counseling. This is serious and significant. And Apple’s involvement has encouraged other companies to step up.

Steve Jobs said when we first approached him about (RED), “There is nothing better than the chance to save lives.”

I’m proud to know him; he’s a poetic fellow, an artist and a businessman. Just because he’s been extremely busy, that doesn’t mean that he and his wife, Laurene, have not been thinking about these things. You don’t have to be a friend of his to know what a private person he is or that he doesn’t do things by halves.

BONO

Dublin, Sept. 1, 2011

In Sorkin’s defense, the columnist obviously (and rightfully) cares about the importance of philanthropy. I too am a big supporter of the “those that have more should give more” line of thought, but to jump on a man who’s notoriously private about his personal and business dealings when he’s just resigned over health issues was a bit much, but then again, link bait is a powerful motivator. As for Bono’s reply, at least he didn’t call for Sorkin to apologize to Steve Jobs like Forbes’s Eric Jackson did.

U2’s Bono has kind words for Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As first noted by MacRumors, Apple has pushed OS X 10.7.2 Build 11C48 and iCloud Beta 10 to developers today. The new builds come just one week after the previous builds.

While no details of changes to the builds are known at this time, Apple asked developers to pay attention to AirPort, AppKit, GraphicsDrivers, iCal, iChat, Mac App Store, Mail, Spotlight, and Time Machine in the previous build.

New OS X 10.7.2 and iCloud beta builds seeded to developers originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Want to tour the Solar System? Solar Walk is a just-updated universal iOS app that allows you to do just that. The new version has support for 3D, so you get some rather stunning renditions of planets and satellites that are more realistic than what’s available in a 2D presentation. I reviewed the app in 2010 and found it to be very educational.

Solar Walk would be very nice for teachers, who could plug it into external monitors in the classroom. As near as I can tell, the app doesn’t support the high end 3D method that uses shutter glasses or polarizing filters, but instead uses the tried and true red/blue anaglyphic glasses that became popular in the fifties. They are cheap, and easily available from suppliers like Amazon. I think the stated support for 3DTVs is a bit misleading.

You can also see the 3D images just fine on the iPad. Solar Walk includes very detailed graphics and information about our solar system, and this new version adds some movies (in 2D) on tides, circles of latitude, and the zodiacal constellations. My favorite 3D view was of Saturn and its moons.

With 3D glasses on, the planets and artificial satellites come alive. It was interesting to watch things like the Hubble Space Telescope in its proper real time position slowly gliding over the earth far below. You can navigate to any view that you like, using finger gestures, and you can zoom in and out as well. There is an option to listen to music while you use the app, but I found the music forgettable and distracting.

Screen captures are supported and background stars are rendered in their proper positions. Solar Walk is very educational, but as before, the textual information is still a bit thin. I always found myself wanting to read more. Perhaps some links to NASA or Wikipedia would be in order. Still, the new features are worthwhile and the app is a reasonable US$2.99.

This app was created by the team that made the much praised Star Walk app. This app is of equal quality and the graphics are sharp and very attractive. There are some (2D) screen shots in the gallery below.

Daily iPad App: Solar Walk originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that two people involved in last year’s “iPhone 4 prototype found in a bar” fiasco are being charged in San Mateo County Superior Court for their respective roles in the incident, which led to numerous photos of the upcoming iPhone model being posted online months ahead of its official release.

Brian Hogan, the individual who is credited with finding the iPhone, is being charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, a misdemeanor in the state of California. Sage Wallower, Hogan’s friend who assisted him by contacting a number of tech blogs and offering to sell the device to them, is also being charged with possession of stolen property.

Neither of the two individuals appeared at the hearing regarding the charges, and the attorneys for both men entered not guilty pleas on their behalf. A second hearing on the case is expected on October 11th, and a trial date has been set for November 28th, although Hogan’s attorney has indicated that his client has taken responsibility for his actions, and he plans to work with prosecutors to strike a plea bargain.

It was reported earlier this month that the blog responsible for purchasing the iPhone and releasing the pictures, Gizmodo, will not be charged in the incident. Jason Chen, the blogger who facilitated the exchange and wrote the post, will also not be charged. Chen’s house was searched early in the investigation, and several items were seized, but later returned.

[via KSL News]

iPhone 4 prototype sellers charged in California, plead not guilty originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the U.S. Department of Justice now fighting the proposed AT&T takeover of T-Mobile USA, many T-Mobile customers are beginning to wonder about the viability of the mobile carrier in the long run. In an InfoWorld post today, blogger Galen Gruman wrote a fascinating treatise on how the iPhone is largely responsible for the sad shape that T-Mobile finds itself in.

According to Gruman, the iPhone has created very loyal customers, many of whom have stayed with AT&T despite its reputation for poor service. Since Verizon started selling the iPhone in March, it has also seen a jump in the number of customers who have embraced Apple’s smartphone. It’s expected that Sprint is also going to join the ranks of American mobile carriers that offer the iPhone. Gruman notes that “without the iPhone, T-Mobile will look like a loser to both potential and existing customers.”

He goes on to say that the loyalty that iPhone owners have for their shiny metal and glass boxes is what is helping the other carriers — they commit to two-year service plans unfailingly, and they’re exactly the type of customers that T-Mobile USA is losing.

Gruman wonders how T-Mobile can succeed without AT&T. Despite T-Mobile’s advertising about its “4G network” (actually a “3G-plus” HSPA+ network), parent company Deutsche Telekom chose not to invest in spectrum licenses, so the company has very little spectrum that can be used for future LTE 4G networks. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and even PAYG vendor Metro PCS have LTE 4G networks and are planning on expanding those rapidly in the future.

One thing that could help out T-Mobile if the AT&T takeover doesn’t happen — a T-Mobile specific model of the iPhone, since it wouldn’t be difficult for Apple to build a version that supports T-Mobile’s network.

How the iPhone crushed T-Mobile originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has revamped their Student Jobs page, which allows students or recent graduates to find work opportunities with Apple. The newly revamped page offers a simplified layout with job opportunities sorted into two sections:

• “I’m currently in school” lists all Apple Campus Rep, internship, and Retail store positions.
• “I have my degree” lists all Apple Retail store, Apple Store Leadership Program, and Corporate openings.

Each category in those two sections are further broken down into subcategories. For example, “Internships” allows you to search for internships based on your degree level. If you’re working on an MA or PhD Apple has different internships available than if you’re working on your undergraduate.

One program which not too many people may be familiar with is the Apple Leadership Program. This has been internally referred to as the “Apple MBA.” From the Student Jobs site description:

The Apple Store Leader Program is a 24-month immersion into every aspect of managing and operating an Apple Retail Store. In this international program, you’ll spend time in key store positions – gaining sales skills working as a Specialist, teaching others as a Creative, and resolving problems at the Genius Bar.

As you progress, you’ll be mentored by a Market Leader, participate in training experiences, and help guide and direct store teams. When you finish the program, you’ll have distinctive skills and knowledge, as well as the opportunity to apply for a leadership position at one of our stores anywhere in the world.

The requirements for all Apple student jobs opportunities are listed the the Student Jobs page.

Apple revamps Student Jobs page originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You’ll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes, which is perfect for a quick review of what’s happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today’s Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for listening through iTunes, click here.

Daily Update for Sept. 2, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The idea behind this is so brilliant that it’s a wonder it wasn’t developed sooner: Jing Yang of eico Motion Lab in China has created the Smart Keyboard, what he bills as the world’s thinnest keyboard for the iPhone.

It’s based on the concept behind the iPad 2 Smart Covers. Roll the keyboard onto the screen when you want to use it, then roll it back off when you’re done. Like the Smart Cover, it attaches to the bottom of an iPhone with magnets and can be used as a stand.

This hasn’t been developed beyond a concept video yet, but check it out below to see the potential. This would be a fantastic Kickstarter project. You can follow any project updates via SmartKeyboard on Twitter.

[via Dvice]

This iPad Smart Cover-inspired iPhone keyboard looks like a winner originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Update: The original story had a misquote and was subsequently updated to correct this. We’ve updated our story as well.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt spoke with Salesforce Chairman CEO Mark Benioff in a Q&A session earlier this week. The former CEO had kind words to say about Steve Jobs and called Jobs’ reign over Apple as “the best performance of a CEO in 50 years.” Though he had glowing words about Jobs, Schmidt was less enthusiastic about his time on Apple’s Board of Directors.

Speaking about his time on the board, Schmidt says, “I was on the board until I couldn’t stay on the board anymore.” The quote came from a Bloomberg report which did not provide the context or additional details about this somewhat scathing comment. But looking back at Schmidt’s time on the board, this attitude is not that surprising.

When Schmidt was on the board, Apple had launched the iPhone and Schmidt, as the head of Google, had just launched Android, a competing platform to the iPhone. It must have been an awkward and tense time to be on the board of a company that is now your chief rival.

[Via AppleInsider]

Eric Schmidt “couldn’t stay on” Apple’s board (Updated) originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creative Applications has got an interesting post on the development of Björks new app album, Biophillia, as well as the in-app purchased track, “Virus.”

As mentioned on TUAW a few weeks back, Björk released what she refers to as the first “app album” on the iOS App Store. The Icelandic artist is renowned for being different, particularly when it comes to her music, and the app album, Biophillia, is certainly different from most other traditional album releases.

Creative Applications got in touch with Scott Snibbe — co-creator of the app — to get some insight into how Biophillia came about. The post includes details on the journey of the app’s development, including some concept sketches by Björk and Scott, the tools used to code the app and some of the inspirational imagery behind it.

While Biophillia is a free app download, users are required to purchase the songs of the album via in-app purchase as they are released, though the song “Cosmogony” comes free with the app. Each song brings with it an additional component to the world of Biophillia — lyrics, the score, animation, credits and a blurb about the song. It’s all very interactive and certainly a unique way to listen to an album.

If you’re a fan of Björk’s Biophillia app, the post is certainly worth a read. And from an app developers point of view, it’s an unique eye opener into the work that’s gone on behind the scenes.

Building Björk’s “Biophillia” iPad app originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A battle is brewing over a future development that could house London’s newest Apple Store. The City of London owns a plot of land at 100 Cheapside and is looking to sell the property to US developer Hines. Hines has plans to build a 10-story development with both office space (87,000 square feet) and retail space (13,000 square feet).

Apple has been singled out as a possible tenant, but the company’s plans to add another London store could be thwarted by a sunlight law. Under this law, neighbors have a right to block the construction of a building that blocks out sunlight.

The City of London is asking the transport and policy committees to override this sunlight law and let the building plans continue. If it does receive approval, this would put an Apple store in one of the wealthiest neighborhood of London.

Apple’s London store faces stumbling block over sunlight restriction originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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