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Looks like Steve’s (former?) BFF Eric Schmidt is stepping down as CEO of Google, leaving co-founder Larry Page in charge of the company as the new CEO. A rather astounding re-arranging of the deck chairs, but also the logical progression of affairs. Larry and Sergey Brin (who either drew the long or short straw here) are the brains behind Google’s mighty algorithm and there’s little doubt they are smart guys who know how to get things done. Brin will be “has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects,” including “new products.” Neat!

Where does this leave Apple and Google in terms of frenemies? With Google entering the mobile space with a vengeance, only time will tell. We think Apple is looking to extricate itself from their partnership, given moves towards possibly replacing the default Google Maps app (while also extending their deal a while longer), but there’s no denying Google’s influence in tech has impacted even our favorite fruit-flavored consumer electronics maker.

Eric Schmidt stepping down as Google CEO originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Based on revenue, Apple is now the largest mobile phone provider in the world, surpassing even global leader Nokia. In the winter quarter of 2010, the iPhone and its accessories generated revenue of $10.47 billion for Apple. Nokia’s Devices & Services group projects Q4 2010 sales of $11.7 billion, but this figure includes mobile computers, tablets and revenue from Ovi-branded services. Ovi offers email, music, navigation and an app store for Nokia handsets. When you add in just Apple’s iTunes revenue of $1.4 billion, Apple jumps ahead of its biggest mobile phone rival.

Apple’s mobile phone business is growing at a pace that even exceeds that of the overall smartphone market. Recent IDC estimates suggest the global smartphone market grew 70% in December, while Apple boasts of a 86% year-over-year increase. While its popularity among consumers remains strong, the iPhone’ s influence in the corporate world is also growing. Apple chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer confirmed that “88 of the Fortune 100 companies and almost 60% of the Financial Times Europe 100 companies now testing or deploying iPhones.” This expansion in Europe is most damaging to Nokia, which has dominated the European market for the past several years running. Apple’s growth is unprecedented already, and it shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

Apple is now the largest mobile phone manufacturer by revenue originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ouch. The Associated Press is reporting that three dozen environmental groups have jointly issued a report called “The Other Side of Apple” that accuses the company of ignoring their concerns about health and safety issues at Chinese manufacturing facilities. These plants that the company with components that are used to build iPads, iPhones and other apple products. The report cites the use of dangerous chemicals used in the manufacture of touch screens, and other hazardous materials that can make factory workers sick or endanger their lives.

The report comes just as Apple has opened stores in China and this week told investors that China was a vast and important market for the company.

The report noted that Apple was the least responsive of 26 tech companies doing business in China. An Apple spokeswoman in China, Carolyn Wu has said that the company is “committed to ensuring the highest standards of social responsibility,” but had no direct response to this latest report. The groups have commended Samsung, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer and others as the most responsive. Previously, Apple was embroiled in controversy after some employees at the South China Foxconn plant where Apple products are built committed suicide.

Chinese groups slams Apple for environmental policies originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The good folks at iFixit have noticed that iPhone 4s taken in for service often return without their original Phillips 00 screws. Instead, they’re being replaced with Apple’s own proprietary Pentalobular screws. These are the same screws that are in the current-generation MacBook Air. Here’s a close-up pic from an iPhone 4, courtesy Engadget editor Nilay Patel.

Don’t call them Torx screws because they most certainly are not. To get the rare, expensive tool that’s meant to extract them, you’ll have to be a certified Apple tech (or know one).

While you’re meant to use a special driver to extract those screws, you can get them out with something else. That something else is a part of iFixit’s “iPhone 4 Liberation Kit,” which contains replacement Phillips screws and a driver that will remove Apple’s Pentalobular screws, as well as two Phillips replacements. No, it’s not the official tool but a low-cost alternative. Note that there’s a good chance it will damage the proprietary screws, but you’re going to throw them out anyway, right?

Opening an iPhone 4 isn’t something that just anyone should do. Be careful and know your limitations. If you’re ready, the iPhone 4 liberation kit can be yours for US$9.95.

Check out the video explaining the issue and the kit after the break.

[Via Macgasm]

Continue reading iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws

iFixit releases iPhone 4 liberation kit for Pentalobe screws originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Firemint has shared some sales figures about Flight Control over on its blog. The now classic line-drawing game was recently listed in the top paid apps of all time on the App Store, and so Firemint decided to reveal a little bit about how many copies it’s sold and when. The grand total is exactly 3,881,634 copies as of their posting. The game currently sells for 99 cents, but that doesn’t mean Firemint pulled in $3.8 million as Apple takes their 30% share as well.

Firemint has also posted the chart above, showing when the most copies sold. Interesting to see that the Game Center patch gave them the biggest spike in sales, though don’t forget that Flight Control was one of the first games on the service as it went live, something that certainly encouraged extra downloads. The new maps and the Retina Display support patches also gave big bumps. iOS developers, take note: big feature updates sell apps.

Christmas boosts sales as well, as we’ve discussed here in the past. What’s most interesting about those bumps, I think, is that they’re basically the same size — Christmas is turning into a pretty predictable spike in iOS sales for developers. We saw a lot of “planned” releases and discounts last holiday, and I bet we’ll see even more as time goes on. Of course this is only one app on the store, but it’s one of the biggest apps of all time, and probably a good representation of a lot of bestselling apps. Thanks to Firemint for sharing!

Firemint sells three million copies of Flight Control originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A newly revealed Apple patent has an interesting take on the Magic Mouse: the patent shows a display embedded in its touch surface, creating sort of a mini iPod touch-style interface. It’s not clear just how much processing power the display-enabled mouse itself would have, but uses mentioned in the patent seem to involve the display working in conjunction with actual Mac apps, like showing a calculator when using the Numbers app on your Mac, or a magnification of text when using Pages.

There is an actual processor listed in the patent, so the Mouse would have some capability of its own to run integrated apps. You may be able to set up parts of the touch display surface to work as buttons, maybe to handle special functions in games or apps. And the patent also says that this display technology could be used in the Magic Trackpad or even in the MacBook trackpad itself, providing an extra space for displaying graphics wherever the user has a touch interface to play with.

It’s an interesting idea. As with most of these patents, it sounds like this is simply something Apple is researching rather than actual technology going into an approaching Magic Mouse refresh — there are a lot of elements that have to be worked out (like why would you put a display on a device usually covered by your hand?) before this kind of thing goes on sale. But it is an interesting idea, and we may one day see Apple use it in a real product.

Apple patent suggests Magic Mouse with display panel originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We love a good mod, and this one is stellar. An enterprising iPhone user got his hands on a clear case mod kit for the iPhone 4, (Google translation) put it together and posted the fantastic results online. It’s wicked geeky, and reminds us of the clear Newton MessagePad prototype, though not as cloudy.

We know what you’re thinking: where do I get that kit?! We want one, too, but can’t find that information for now. If and when we do, we’ll update this post. In the meantime, enjoy the photo gallery.

White iPhone? Pfft. Who needs it. This is way cooler.

Fantastic transparent iPhone 4 case mod originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, push notification is nothing new for iPhone users. But when was the last time that you received notification that real-live mail — the kind made of atoms, not bits — has shown up in your mailbox?

One of the new evil geniuses at Make Magazine online, Matt Richardson, decided he’d like to get notification when the flesh-and-blood mailman delivers something to his mailbox. Using a standard USPS-approved mailbox, he installed a snap-action switch that signals when the mailbox door has been opened. That switch is connected via wire (yeah, I was also surprised that it wasn’t wireless) to an Arduino. Some simple code watches for the mailbox door to be opened and closed, and then grabs a piece of PHP code from a web server that also has to be running.

The PHP and web server are necessary since Matt is using the Prowl: Growl Client app (US$2.99) to get the push notifications. Prowl requires an SSL connection, which that Arduino can’t make. As Matt notes, the end product is something that can send push notifications to your iPhone whenever some physical state changes — when the garage door is left open, when home power usage exceeds a certain level, etc… Any switch or sensor connected to the Arduino can send a push alert.

There’s video of the construction and use of the setup on page 2.

[Tip of the hat to Boing Boing and Gizmodo]

Continue reading iPhone receives push notifications from real-world mailbox

iPhone receives push notifications from real-world mailbox originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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9to5 Mac and others have suggested that the Calendar app icon in the iOS 4.3 beta hints at a release date for iPad 2. Unfortunately, it’s not likely.

A Springboard preview image in the latest iOS 4.3 beta shows the Calendar app with a big number 9 front-and-center. Remembering that the original iPad showed a 27, and that it was released on the 27th, some wondered if that 9 was a bit of foreshadowing.

If so, we missed the hint long ago, because the same 9 can be found on original iPads running the latest iOS. To see it, tap Settings, then Brightness & Wallpaper. Two wallpaper thumbnails appear, one of which shows the Calendar icon with a big ‘ol 9. In other words, it’s nothing new.

If an iPad is released announced* on February 9 (where did the February come from, by the way?), that icon will have had nothing to do with it.

*Reader James O’Leary notes that 9to5 and others claim the 9th suggests an announcement date, not a launch. Fine. Still, the “9″ has been there for a long time and quite likely isn’t meant as a hint.

[Via 9to5 Mac]

Don’t believe the icons: iPad 2 unlikely on February 9 originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s bad news for those anticipating multi-touch gestures in iOS 4.3. It seems that the feature won’t be a part of the public release. Engadget and others have confirmed that the feature is just a developer preview, so no ninja-level pinching and swiping for us normals.

That’s unfortunate, as it looks very cool. After the break there’s a video demonstrating some multi-touch features on an iPad running an iOS 4.3 beta. In a nutshell, gestures let you use pinches, swipes and so on to move between applications, history, etc. on your iPad. We saw a patent application for multi-touch gestures back in April of 2010.

While cool on the iPad, gestures are somewhat troublesome on the iPhone, as your hand easily covers the entire screen. Would you want to do that with your iPhone? The question is moot, as we won’t be getting the feature for a while.

Continue reading iPad multi-touch gestures will be withheld from iOS 4.3

iPad multi-touch gestures will be withheld from iOS 4.3 originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in October of 2010, we told you about iDOS, a 99¢ software emulation of good old DOS. The universal app was able to even run an ancient version of Microsoft Windows (3.0), and came with a handful of “freeware / abandonware” applications like Ms. PacMan PC and DigDug. Unfortunately, the app was yanked from the App Store very quickly.

It’s back in the App Store again, this time for free and with a vastly simplified setup. iDOS now comes with Wolfenstein 3D, the original Duke Nukem I and II, Major Striker, SuperNova, and Kingdom of Kroz II. You can apparently move other DOS applications (if you can grab the code from those old floppies) into the /Apps/iDos/documents folder to run them in iDOS.

The app features a PC compatible soft keyboard, a virtual mouse, gamepad, and joystick, and it’s possible to force a 4:3 screen aspect ratio (640 x 480).

We don’t know if Apple will yank iDOS from the App Store again; the fact that it was allowed back into the store is amazing in itself, so the developers must have changed something just enough to keep the powers-that-be at Apple happy. In the meantime, if you’ve got a hankering for some hot DOS action, download this app fast.

[Via Engadget]

iDOS 2: The return of the emulator originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Cassidy of The New Yorker took a deep dive into the balance sheets of both Apple and Goldman Sachs to see which company offers the best return on the capital it employs. Using the latest earnings reports from the two American companies, Cassidy calculates that the two firms share similar profit margins but vastly different economic returns. Cassidy looked at each company’s return on assets (ROA) and calculated that Apple is twenty times more profitable than Goldman Sachs.

According to Cassidy, Apple is more profitable than Goldman Sachs because it makes a line of extremely desirable products that people want to buy. The demand for its products allows Apple to charge an amount that is well over the cost of manufacturing. For each iPod touch, iPhone or iMac sold, Apple is making a lot of money.

Apple also reportedly pays its employees significantly less. Apple does not publish its labor costs but Simply Hired, a job search website, calculated that Apple pays its employees an average of $46,000 per year. This figure includes employees both in the Cupertino headquarters and in Apple’s retail stores.

Goldman Sachs, on the other hand, pays its 35,700 employees an average salary of $430,700. Though Apple has a similar profit margin and generates a much higher return than Goldman Sachs, the Cupertino company pays it employees significantly less than its fellow American company. Before you start finger-pointing at Apple, keep in mind that the high executive pay at Goldman contributes to that average salary. Apple also employs a lot of mid to low-wage employees like janitors, sales associates and others.

Average Apple salary is only $46k originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They’re not just rumors any more, or Apple’s setting us up for a big April Fools Day.

The developer release of iOS 4.3 Beta 2 has a home page icons image that’s used in the wallpaper settings, showing the standard icons on your choice of wallpaper to show you how your choice will look.

This new overlay file, aptly named Home Screen Overlay Facetime ~ iPad, has three more icons: FaceTime, Camera, and PhotoBooth.

FaceTime will let iPad 2 owners video chat with their iPod Touch, iPhone, or Mac toting friends. PhotoBooth will make a lot of social photo sharers happy, as the beta already includes photo filters such as Thermal Camera, Mirror, X-Ray, Kaleidoscope, Light Tunnel, Squeeze, Twirl, and Stretch.

Camera could mean a front or back facing camera, and will presumably work much like the iPhone or iPod Touch app, but the big rumor here is a “photo streaming” service called PhotoStream that will upload your last 30 days of photos to MobileMe and sync them across all your MobileMe devices, or shared with other people.

Taking pictures with your iPhone 4’s great camera but sharing them around the table on your iPad or MacBook is a common wish. This rumor gives all of us something to look forward to, not just the iPad 2 dreamers.

[Via MacRumors]

iOS 4.3 rumored to have PhotoStream service, iPad FaceTime, PhotoBooth apps originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been doing a week of experimental indie games in this space, and here comes Strange Rain today, from the creator of previous iOS indie title Ruben & Lullaby. Like the other games featured, Strange Rain is really more of an experimental art piece than an actual game. Rain falls on your iDevice’s screen as the app plays, and it’s really just an opportunity to sit, relax and experience things as they happen. There are some extras and secrets to go through — a mode called Whispers Mode adds some words to the mix, and a Story Mode actually tells a story as you interact with the screen.

What’s fascinating about the app is that while it starts out as a rain simulation, following through with the experience turns things a bit, well…strange, and it’s up to you, the player, to discover and find what meaning you want. Like the other experimental games, this means that the experience is a little more open-ended than just earning points (though there is Game Center integration in this one — that’s a fun bit). It’s up to you to figure out how you’ll react to a “game” like this, and for some players, that can end up being very fun as well. Strange Rain is US$1.99 for the universal version on the App Store.

TUAW’s Daily App: Strange Rain originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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