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Maybe it’s because I am both a fan and a loyal customer, but I do tend to notice how often Apple products pop up everywhere as the de facto computers on TV and on the big screen. According to a report by AppleInsider, Apple doesn’t even pay for that product placement, yet 30 percent of the top movies in 2010 prominently featured Apple products.

This figure is down from 46 percent in 2009 and 50 percent in 2008, but that 30 percent is still higher than any other brand — even with other computer brands trying to mimic Apple’s placement strategy. Back in 2006 we discussed an article at The Washington Post about all the “free” product placement Apple received in TV shows and movies, so we know this has been going on for quite some time.

We’ve recently talked about the iPad being the star of Modern Family and iPod product placement on The Office, and now CrunchGear has found a video of Apple’s Greatest Cinematic Achievements over on Vimeo. At 7:24 long and including everything from 30 Rock, War Games and The Sopranos, it’s a fun look at how Apple’s products have been placed in film and TV over the years.

Click Read More to check out the video of Apple’s Greatest Cinematic Achievements.

[via CrunchGear and AppleInsider]

Continue reading Apple TV / film product placement down, but still ahead of competition

Apple TV / film product placement down, but still ahead of competition originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple held its latest shareholder meeting in Cupertino today, and while Jobs was apparently in attendance (and re-approved as a board member, along with William Campbell, Millard Drexler, Albert Gore, Andrea Jung, Arthur Levinson and Ronald Sugar), Tim Cook was the one overseeing the proceedings. The shareholders also voted to keep Ernst & Young LLC as the accountants of record, and a vote about executive compensation was also approved. One proposal brought up by the shareholders suggested that Apple should publish a detailed succession plan for the CEO position, but that vote didn’t pass.

In the just over an hour meeting, shareholders also wished Steve Jobs well in dealing with his health issues (to a round of applause), and they also brought up the recently announced subscription plan, suggesting that if Apple lowered its 30 percent cut on content purchased through the iTunes store, newspapers would have an easier go of it. The board reportedly didn’t have a response for that, but for those developers and content publishers who feel the deal is unfair, it’ll be good to know the shareholders are representing those concerns at least.

All in all, it sounds like business as usual in Cupertino. Apple holds one of these every year, and it’s rare that major decisions get made or announced during a meeting open to shareholders.

Apple holds shareholder meeting, Tim Cook presides originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well, whatever it was that knocked TUAW Talkcast Host Kelly Guimont for a loop on Sunday night has apparently crawled through the Interwebs and infected me. After a rough night with a fever, I can barely speak, never mind get through a one-hour show without coughing every few seconds. I’m blaming the Android flu for this — it’s your fault, Google!

As a result, there will be no TUAW TV Live today as I don’t want my good friends in the chat room to catch the Android flu. We’ll see you next week, when I’m pretty sure the show is going to be all about the new iPads.

In the meantime, be sure to go out to ustream.tv/tuaw and watch some of the golden oldie episodes.

Cool photo illustration by Halftone.

TUAW TV Live: The Android flu cancels today’s show originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s good to see that it’s not only the geeks here at TUAW who are in love with the MacBook Air. Photographer and blogger Derrick Story at Macworld also has a great fondness for the lightweight Mac, although he’s using it for more than just blogging.

Story today published the second of two posts about using the MacBook Air as a professional photographer’s tool. The first post answers the question “Is the MacBook Air powerful enough for a professional photographer to use everyday?,” while the second focuses on the workflow that Story uses with the MacBook Air.

In the initial post, Story notes that both the 11.6″ and 13″ models of the diminutive Mac not only fit in a camera backpack easily, but have the power to run iPhoto ’11, Aperture 3, Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Adobe Lightroom 3. He had earlier written a post about using the iPad as a professional photographer’s tool, but now feels after using the MacBook Air that the added power and storage make it the ultimate addition to the camera bag.

Today’s post features the workflow that Story is using. He basically uses the MacBook Air to offload photos to Aperture or Lightroom while in the field, and then “offloads cargo, namely photographs and video, to the mothership.”

If you’re a professional or skilled amateur photographer, check out the Macworld posts for more information.

The MacBook Air: A professional photographer’s best friend originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The cloud is the future, and the future appears to be arriving this spring, as Apple’s North Carolina data center is finally due to go live, according to reports from today’s Apple annual shareholder meeting. The phrase “in the cloud” refers to data hosted at off-site internet-accessible facilities rather than stored locally at a specific end-user machine, allowing you to do things like access photos, videos or music directly over the internet.

No one outside of Apple knows exactly how the North Carolina center will be used, but rumors abound. Apple Insider writes that the massive facility may support enhanced iTunes and MobileMe services, perhaps providing the long-awaited iTunes cloud-based streaming so many analysts have been hoping for.

Other speculated uses of the North Carolina data center include mobile iWork access and paid remote Time Machine hosting. Whatever it is, we’ll likely find out soon after they start flipping switches in a few months.

Apple’s North Carolina data center to go live this spring originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Reiner Knizia’s Labyrinth [US$1.99, universal, trial version available] is one of a number of iOS-only games the prolific game designer has created (the others being Monumental — here’s our review — Roto, Yoku-Gami and Teocalli). It’s always been difficult to keep up with the board and card games that the mathematician has come up with, but now that he is working with a number of small iOS developers, it’s almost sisyphean. While some Knizia titles are much more worthwhile than others, this is one “brand” that I’m usually interested enough in to take a look. This counts double considering that his new app comes from Tribeflame, developers of the excellent Keltis: Oracle and Through The Desert. Like those other apps, Labyrinth is a puzzle game, but what’s it all about?

The impression I get is that If Knizia had designed Carcassonne as a solitaire game, this app is probably what it would have been. Tabletop gamers already know how Knizia’s two-player version of Carcassone works (it’s the variant called The Castle), but Labyrinth is a calmer affair and specifically designed for digital play. Keep reading for the details.

Continue reading App Review: Reiner Knizia’s Labyrinth leads us to a solid puzzle game

App Review: Reiner Knizia’s Labyrinth leads us to a solid puzzle game originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MacRumors has what appear to be genuine images of the upcoming MacBook Pro refresh. A consensus in the TUAW newsroom says that this appears to be the real deal with the current box matching the previous MacBook Pro release other than the addition of Thunderbolt.

The specs as listed include:

• A 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with a 3MB shared level 3 cache
• 4 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM
• 320 GB 5400-rpm hard drive
• Intel HD Graphics 3000 processor with 384MB SDRAM shared memory
• 1280×800 resolution
• A 8x slot-loading SuperDrive
• A Thunderbolt port supporting High-Speed VO and Mini DisplayPort devices

These, added to rumors posted earlier from MacGeneration, have us eager to see what will arrive in the near future for the MacBook and MacBook Pro lines.

Leaked photos show 13-inch MacBook Pro, some specs originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Steve Jobs were to step down as the CEO of Apple, what effect — if any — would it have on the likelihood of buying Apple products in the future?

Research firms RBC Capital Markets and ChangeWave asked Apple customers this question in a survey conducted between January 31 and February 9. Of the 3,091 respondents, 84% said Steve Jobs departing Apple would have no impact on their buying decisions, and only 7% said they would be less likely to purchase Apple products.

The new results are a notable change from a similar survey completed in June 2008. In the 2008 survey, 18% of respondents expressed a lower interest in buying from Apple if Steve Jobs left the company.

On January 17, Apple announced Jobs would take his third leave of absence for medical reasons, igniting new concerns among investors and fans about the future of Apple without Jobs at the helm. This past week, Apple shares tumbled about 7% after new worries about the CEO’s health began to circulate.

Analyst Mike Abramsky suggests this survey shows that Apple may be bigger than its CEO; that Apple isn’t just about Jobs anymore.

“Consumers have had 3 years to evolve their perception of the Apple brand around its creative new products, cutting edge innovation, iTunes/App Store ecosystem and premium quality positioning — beyond the buying pull of Apple’s iconic CEO,” Abramsky said.

When Steve Jobs took a medical leave of absence in 2009, customers watched Apple perform successfully with Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook running the company. The company’s stock rose 144%, revenue grew by 20%, and Apple shipped 25 million iPhones. This success seems to have boosted customer confidence in Apple.

Does Apple lose its bite without Steve Jobs at the helm and become just another technology company? Will you continue to buy Apple products if he leaves? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Survey finds customers confident in Apple without Steve Jobs originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I’m not too rough on my iDevices, but if you are, consider the Griffin Survivor iPhone case. At US$49.99 it costs more that most other cases, but it will likely protect your phone in dire circumstances that would compromise others.

Griffin claims the Survivor meets or exceeds US and UK military specs. In fact, it’s really two cases. An inner plastic case surrounds your phone, hugging it closely. You can open the case with a handy slot that accepts the edge of a coin.

Then, you slip the inner case into a rubberized cocoon that adds thickness and protection. There is also a shield that protects the display. Every port is covered, so you should get good immunity to dust and moisture. The home button and volume controls operate with the phone in the case. All the other ports have a rubber flip-up cover. The front facing camera is exposed for using FaceTime, but is behind the glass shield. A removable belt clip allows you to carry the phone either horizontally or vertically.

Throwing caution to the wind, I dropped the phone a few times on a hard surface from 6 feet with no ill effects. I wasn’t willing to risk anything more aggressive, but I get the point that the case is solid. You can view some torture tests of the case on the Griffin website that are truly impressive.

Continue reading Griffin Survivor is one tough iPhone case

Griffin Survivor is one tough iPhone case originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The FTC is reviewing Apple’s in-app purchasing policy after reports of inadvertent purchases by children have continued to surface. FTC Chairperson Jon Leibowitz agreed to look closely at the matter after Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts brought the matter to his attention.

Leibowitz will most likely focus on Apple’s 15-minute window, a single instance sign-in that lets iOS users log in once and make additional purchases and downloads for the next 15 minutes. It is during this 15-minute window that children left unattended with a device are able to rack up huge charges.

The latest such incident involving exorbitant charges by children involves the Smurf’s Village app. In this incident, the child reportedly purchased berries and other items totaling a whopping US$1400. Earlier reports singled out Fishies by Playmesh, a virtual aquarium game for children. Fishies offers pearls for your tank which can cost as much as $149. Children hooked on the game and playing unattended have charged hundreds of dollars to their parents’ iTunes account.

Apple has combated this problem by pointing out that parents can block all in-app purchases using iOS 4’s parental controls. The ability to turn off in-app purchases places the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the parents who should lock their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch before handing it over to their children. Though these parental controls may be enough to thwart any action from the FTC, Apple may also decide to limit this 15-minute window and require a password for each in-app purchase.

To disable in-app purchasing on your iOS device, go to Settings > General > Restrictions and enter a passcode when asked. Then, tap on “Enable Restrictions” and scroll down to “In-App Purchases” and flick the toggle to “OFF.”

Federal Trade Commission is reviewing Apple’s in-app purchase system originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 23 Feb 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has sent invites to the press for a special media event on March 2nd. The company will likely unveil the iPad 2. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco at 10:00 am.

March 2nd event rumour was broke yesterday. Since Steve Jobs took a medical leave of absence, expect either Phil Schiller or Tim Cook to unveil the iPad 2.

The iPad 2 is rumourd to be thinner, lighter, dual cameras, improved speaker, an anti-glare display, and the new Thunderbolt port. [via]

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ih8sn0w has released the iREB RC3 for iOS 4.2.1, 4.1.x and 4.0.x to fix following iTunes errors: 1604, 1601, 1600, 16xx etc while restoring custom iOS 4.2.1 or 4.x.x firmware.

iREB RC3 puts you iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch into jailbreak mode, thus helps in bypassing iTunes error 1604, 1600, 1601 or 16xx. iREB RC3 also fixes the “Waiting for iBSS” issue with iPhone 3G.

iREB RC3 Supports

• iPhone 4, 3GS, 3G
• iPod Touch 4G, 3G, 2G
• iPad
• Apple TV 2G

Download iREB RC3

iREB RC3 is available for Windows OS only which can be downloaded from below and it requires iTunes 10 or later. Mac version is almost ready as per the official web.

• Download iREB RC3 for windows
• Download iOS 4.2.1
• Download iTunes 10.1.2

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Also checkout:

How to: Fix 16xx and 29 error During Custom Firmware Restore

How to: Fix iPhone Recovery Mode Loop

Apple will announce iPad 2 tablet at a special media event on March 2nd,  The Wall Street Journal reports.According to the report, Apple will hold the event in San Francisco to announce its next-generation of the iPad.

According to several sources close to the situation, the Wednesday date in a little more than a week is firm and will take place in San Francisco, the scene of many such Apple events.

iPad 2 is expected to be thinner, with improved display, front-facing camera, Facetime video chat support, Qualcomm’s multimode chips, and and could even support both GSM and CDMA.

It is unclear whether or not Apple CEO Steve Jobs will appear on stage to unveil the iPad 2. If the WSJ report is accurate, the press should be receiving invitations soon!

via Allthingsdigital

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• Camera, FaceTime, Photo Booth for iPad 2, Confirms iOS 4.3

We have seen many Angry Birds inspired weird and amazing creations including LEGO set, arcade booth and cake, but this interactive Angry Birds cake is definitely the most creative one we’ve seen so far.

The interactive cake has a real slingshot and uses several flavors of iced birds as ammunition. Mike Cooper created this cake for his son’s sixth birthday. It took 10 hours to make, and only 2 minutes to destroy.

Checkout the Playable Angry Birds Cake video below…

via [Electricpig,  Gizmodo]

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Also checkout:

• Angry Birds Rio Trailer
• Angry Birds Seasons Christmas Edition
• Angry Birds HD 1.5 for iPad
• Top iPhone Apps and Games
• Top iPad Apps and Games

Ben Harvell is a freelance writer and former editor of iCreate magazine. He writes for a wide range of international technology magazines and websites including Macworld and MacFormat. He has written several books on consumer technology and blogs at benharvell.com. Ben reviews apps and has also commissioned his own. He’s also rather obsessed with Twitter and suggests you follow him.

We’re a year on from the announcement of the first iPad and the rumour mill is in overdrive. Currently bouncing around are leaked specs, analyst predictions, mockups and tips for the next generation of iPad, expected this April. Trouble is, none of them are that interesting.

Let’s look at what the next iPad isn’t going to offer first:

1.There’s no way it’ll include a Light Peak connection. Maybe the upcoming MacBook Pros but definitely not the iPad. Apple doesn’t want the port messing up its design and it’s going to hold out on the dock connector as the only method of transfer for as long as possible.

2. There won’t be an equivalent to the iPhone 4′s Retina Display in the iPad 2. Not without a major price hike and a big drain on battery life, two essential selling points for the iPad.

The lack of anything interesting has caused the rumour sites to almost forget about the upcoming iPad and move on to the iPad 3 already. Allegedly coming in September alongside an iPod refresh, most are pinning their hopes on the extended period of time bringing about better deals and developments that could see major updates including a Retina Display.

It’s almost as if, should there be a Q1 2011 iPad at all, it’ll be more of an iPad 1.5 than a second generation device.

On the edge of dead-cert speculation for the iPad 1.5 we have word of a different screen, with current rumours pegging less reflective glass. We’ll also see front-facing a camera for sure. Apple wouldn’t give up the opportunity to put FaceTime on more units.

Then we’re left with staple Apple product upgrades. The iPad 1.5 will be thinner and faster. Yawn.

A faster graphics processor, maybe some more storage space and a thinner unit will be nice but it’s nothing groundbreaking, especially given the torrent of tablets that finally appeared at this year’s CES and Macworld shows. Apple likes to wow the crowd with its latest products and, if the above turns out to be accurate, most jaws will remain a long way from the floor.

The iPad is well ahead in the tablet market and, at this stage, Apple can afford to tweak rather than reinvent. I might be wrong, but this iPad 3 in September better be pretty special or 2011 could be the year Apple loses its lead.