Apple’s iCloud goes into a beta test mode , with the official site iCloud.com now a host to the beta signup page for a developer only preview of the cloud madness. For those on iOS5 and Lion 10.7.2 in the test phases can login with their dev account ID and ease the cloud sweetness.
If you exhaust the free 5Gb of data and need more, then the following pricing applies
10Gb : US $ 20
20GB: US $ 40
50Gb: US $ 100
A screenshot below shows the iWork icon already included in the beta.
The most anticipated update for Skype has been finally released. Skype for iPad is now official and brings voice and video chatting with others on Macs, PCs or other Skype clients. The app is not an add-on in the Skype for iPhone app but a separate iPad app available to download now from the App-Store. The app will let you enjoy the Skype goodness over Wifi or your data connection.
[toggle title_open=”Collapse” title_closed=”Read the Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Skype for iPad
Bring your Skype contacts closer with full screen video at your fingertips.
Beautiful and simple, this is Skype built especially for the iPad. Call, video call, or instant message anyone on Skype. Plus, if you add a little Skype Credit, call landlines and mobiles at really low rates.
Simple to use:
• Join Skype on your iPad in a few moments or just sign straight in to your account.
• If you already have a Skype account, your Skype contacts will automatically be there on your iPad.
• We’ve made adding new Skype contacts really easy.
• Once they’re in your Contact list, call, video or instant message them in one touch.
• Flick through recent calls and instant messages in your Skype for iPad history.
• Skype for iPad works over Wi-Fi or 3G (operator data charges may apply). Call Skype contacts on their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PC, Mac and even Skype enabled TVs.
Access free Skype features:
• Talk face-to-face or show what you’re seeing with front and back-facing cameras.
• Use Skype for iPad to call anyone else on Skype – and enjoy near CD quality (SILK) sound.
• Instant message and add emoticons to personalize your messages.
Then unlock even more features when you pay a little:
• Make cheap calls to landlines or mobiles from your iPad.
• Get an Online Number from Skype so people can call you on your iPad.
If you want to unlock these extra features, you can pay in a way that suits you.
• Pay As You Go with Skype Credit – great for when you’re using Skype every now and again.
• Pay monthly with a subscription – best if you use Skype a lot.
System requirements:
• Skype video calling requires iOS 4.0 or above.
• Send and receive video using front or back camera on iPhone 4, iPad 2nd Generation, and iPod touch 4th Generation.
• Send and receive video using rear camera on iPhone 3GS.
• Receive video only on iPad 1st Generation and iPod touch 3rd Generation.
• Works with any H264 compatible devices, including TVs.[/toggle]
Looks like someone managed to snap the images of a test iPhone 5 in the US. Images from a man claiming to have spotted an Apple employee field testing the iPhone 5 have surfaced. Although the images are really blurry, one can easily make out the Apple logo at the back along with the curvaceous back rumored for the iPhone 5.
9 to 5 Mac reported this incident, and their tipster claimed to have seen the device upclose.
Almost EVO-like in screen size, this iPhone also appears thinner than the current iPhone 4 but also wider. The edges are rounded metal like the edges of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 but could still function as an antenna. The back is a curved/tapered glass or plastic, if I had to to guess I’d say glass.” Said the Tipster
If this is indeed the next gen iPhone 5 in testing, then you can bet your money on the fact that its going to be released end August this year. The above images also match the render images iGyaan found sometime back.
According to the latest financial reports, it appears that Apple has actually more cash reserves than the US govt. itself.
Here is what Business Insider said :
the world’s largest tech company has more cash than the world’s largest sovereign government”
At the end of June 2011, Apple had a total of US$ 76.2 Billion, while the US govt still fighting the crunch of last years financial downfall, stay at a figure of US$73.8 billion in reserves. Whats more Apple has no market debt or bank loans, and it does not hand out dividends. Apple’s reserve is now nearly 16 percent higher than three months ago, the amount added last quarter is higher than the amount on hand 4.5 years ago and the cash added is higher than Google’s overall revenues in the quarter”
Nokia has announced that its Ovi Store has served a record 7.62 million downloads, this figure is more than twice of the 3 Million seen in October last year.
In addition, Nokia said downloads more than tripled in India, which remains at the top in terms of downloaded volumes. Calculating on basis of totals, the Apple App Store serves about 16 million downloads a day.
Several cases for the next gen of iPhone have been leaked online, looking at the images the case looks definitely thinner than the existing iPhone 4s case. Although they are also identical to the shape an design of the iPod touch, suggesting an iPod touch with camera flash. Several manufacturers have also claimed to be shipping their cases for retail for the iPhone 5.
The device is expected to be announced in August and shipped in September, Either way its going to be an exciting quarter.
Did you know that the batteries in your Macbook can be hacked? You didn’t? Well now you do. Laptop batteries have evolved from being just batteries to a system that incorporates a microprocessor with a firmware to control it. This firmware performs various functions such as charging and discharging the battery, providing information on battery condition and charge rates, and telling the computer how much juice is left.
Apple has, in the past, released hotfixes for malfunctioning batteries, and by analyzing these hotfixes, security researcher Charlie Miller has gained direct access to the embedded firmware. He has found some flaws in Apple’s firmware which allow malicious code to be embedded. So what can this malicious coded do? Well for starters it can brick your battery, which means that it will neither charge nor discharge itself. It could provide false information about the battery to the computer. This code can also execute software on your MacBook and no amount of anti-virus software and system formats can get rid of it, because its not on the system.
The good news is that no amount of malicious code can make your battery overheat and explode. The bad news is that patching these vulnerabilities means that Apple will no longer be able to provide hotfixes for its batteries.
Apple is in the last stages of testing a 15 inch ultra thin Notebook pc that will be part of the MacBook family. According to various reports by TUAW and MacRumors the devices will be 15 inch and 17 inch in size will fall under the Macbook Pro Lineup and will be available in time for christmas.
The ultra-thin market is also about to get much more competitive this fall as Intel’s partners begin launching their notebooks.
The much awaited, dedicated iPad app for Facebook has be found in the latest update of the iPhone app. @AeroEchelon, a Canadian engineering student who first noticed the hidden code says “change the UIDeviceFamily to 2 for iPhone on the Facebook app” . A basic edit of the file structure of the App will allow you to get a preview of the App.
The Facebook iPad app uses a left-side menu system that can be accessed by the touch of a button or the flick of the iPad screen. The interface is unlike the other iPad apps for accessing Facebook and TechCrunch calls it “Spectacular”.
Hit the link for more screenshots and review by TechCrunch.
Apple is known for its iPhones, iPod and Macs along with its many Patents and Lawsuits. A recently filed patent from Apple suggests that the company is looking at the possibility of eliminating keyboards all together in the future from its desktop and laptop products. The new keyboards will be a flat surface and will be compromised of various materials and mechanisms with metal, plastic and glass form factors.
The technology is based of multiple ideas that involve piezoelectric components, haptic feedback and acoustic pulse recognition, the combination would allow the keyboard or flat key surface to receive an input via your finger. The flat surface design will have either a plastic or metal construction with perforations to help recognize the keys, a glass overlay to identify them with a display and finally all of this will be led backlit. Looks like Apple is finally taking a stab at the age old keyboard.
Looks like Apple is in talks to buy HULU, according to a report by Bloomberg. In June, Hulu announced that it had hired Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to assist with a the sale of the company earlier reports stated that Yahoo! was interested in making a bid at that time.
Currently Hulu is available only in select countries. Should Apple buy it, we can expect a massive video service offering from Apple , that would easily take on the likes of Netflix, even make it available in less fortunate countries, like ours. (redundant sarcasm)
On the day that Apple launched the new version of its operating system OSX Lion, it sold over a million copies. Apparently, people were not intimidated by a lack of a disc to install from. The ease with which Apple has distributed its update can be seen in the sales figures. The price of the update along with the ability to download is must have helped boost sales even further than Apple expected.
The update is available in the Mac App Store for only $29. It will be available on physical media in August.
Apple has dropped a new load of goodies on us today, as we suspected, Apple has updated the Mac Mini to include new hardware and Thunderbolt Ports.
The new Mac mini packs an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, Thunderbolt, AMD Radeon HD graphics, and Mac OS X Lion.
Starting at $599 with a 2.3GHz Intel Core i5 they offer a cheap alternative for owning a Mac.
The 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $599 (US), with options to add memory up to 8GB and a 750GB hard drive.
The 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $799 (US), with options to upgrade to a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive with an option to add or replace with a 256GB solid state drive.
The 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of memory and dual 500GB hard drives starts at a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Options include adding memory up to 8GB, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives.
[toggle title_open=”Collapse” title_closed=”Expand and Read Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Apple Updates Mac mini
CUPERTINO, California-July 20, 2011-Apple® today updated the Mac® mini with next generation Intel core processors, new discrete graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology and Lion, the world’s most advanced operating system. The new Mac mini delivers up to twice the processor and graphics performance of the previous generation in the same amazingly compact and efficient aluminum design.* Starting at just $599 (US), the new Mac mini is available for order today and in stores tomorrow.
“Mac mini delivers the speed and expandability that makes it perfect for the desktop, living room or office,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With faster processors, more powerful graphics and Thunderbolt in an incredibly compact, aluminum design, the new Mac mini is more versatile than ever.”
At just 7.7-inches square and 1.4-inches thin, the new Mac mini maintains its compact aluminum design while delivering amazing performance and graphics capabilities. Available in three different configurations, customers can choose a Mac mini with the latest dual-core Intel Core i5 or Intel Core i7 processors, AMD Radeon HD 6630M discrete graphics, or a quad-core Intel Core i7 powered server configuration. Designed without an optical disc drive, Mac mini can access the optical drives on other PCs and Macs, and works with the MacBook Air® SuperDrive®. Configure-to-order options include up to 8 GBs of memory, a faster 7200 RPM hard drive and a 256GB solid state drive.
Mac mini now comes with Thunderbolt I/O technology for expansion possibilities never before available to Mac mini users. With a Thunderbolt port, Mac mini can connect to peripherals such as high-performance storage devices, RAID arrays and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, a stunning 27-inch IPS widescreen display that’s great for making FaceTime® HD video calls, surfing the Web and viewing movies and photos.
With ultra-fast Wi-Fi, you can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store™, get music and movies from iTunes®, back up data to Time Capsule® and share files with AirDrop, which makes transferring files quick and easy. Mac mini includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and four USB ports for easy connectivity for the wired and wireless devices you use every day.
The new Mac mini remains the world’s most energy efficient desktop, meets Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.** Mac mini has a highly recyclable aluminum enclosure, PVC-free components and cables, no brominated flame retardants and features material-efficient system and packaging designs.
Every new Mac mini comes with Mac OS® X Lion, the latest major release of Mac OS X, the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife® apps for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch® gestures and system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.
Pricing & Availability
The new Mac mini is available through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) today and in Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21.
The 2.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 2GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $599 (US), with options to add memory up to 8GB and a 750GB hard drive.
The 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Mac mini with 4GB of memory and a 500GB hard drive starts at a suggested retail price of $799 (US), with options to upgrade to a 2.7GHz dual-core Core i7 processor, up to 8GB of memory, and a 750GB hard drive with an option to add or replace with a 256GB solid state drive.
The 2.0 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac mini with Lion Server, 4GB of memory and dual 500GB hard drives starts at a suggested retail price of $999 (US). Options include adding memory up to 8GB, two 750GB hard drives, or up to two 256GB solid state drives.
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Apple has dropped a new load of goodies on us today, as we suspected, Apple has updated the Macbook Air to include new hardware and backlit keyboards.
Still this as ever the Macbook Air now has a refreshed price as well,
“Portable, affordable and powerful, MacBook Air is the ultimate everyday notebook,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “MacBook Air features our most advanced technology and is an ideal match for Lion, especially with its new Multi-Touch gestures, full-screen apps, Mission Control and Mac App Store.”
MacBook Air is available in 11-inch and 13-inch models that easily slip into a briefcase, purse or bag. The MacBook Air’s durable aluminum unibody enclosure measures an incredibly thin 0.11-inches at its thinnest point and 0.68-inches at its thickest. Flash storage allows MacBook Air to turn on instantly and deliver fast data access, improved reliability and incredible energy efficiency. The 11-inch model weighs 2.38 pounds and provides up to 5 hours of battery life, while the 13-inch weighs 2.96 pounds and provides up to 7 hours of battery life.**
With the latest Intel Core i5 and Core i7 dual-core processors, the new MacBook Air is up to twice as fast as the previous generation and has all the power you need for editing photos and movies, making FaceTime® calls, playing games, and working with documents and presentations. MacBook Air also features Intel HD Graphics 3000 and offers up to 4GB of faster 1333 MHz memory.
Thunderbolt I/O technology provides expansion possibilities never before available to MacBook Air users. Through a single cable, users can connect to high performance peripherals and the new Apple Thunderbolt Display, the ultimate docking station for your Mac® notebook. Thunderbolt can easily be adapted to support legacy connections such as FireWire® and Gigabit Ethernet.
MacBook Air comes with a full size backlit keyboard and an innovative glass Multi-Touch™ trackpad. Designed for comfort and ease of typing, the backlit keyboard uses a sensor to automatically detect a change in ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard brightness for any environment. The Multi-Touch trackpad supports Lion’s new Multi-Touch gestures such as momentum scrolling, tapping or pinching your fingers to zoom in on a web page or image, and swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps.
MacBook Air also features a brilliant, high resolution LED backlit display that is amazingly thin yet has the resolution of a much larger, bulkier screen. With ultra-fast Wi-Fi, you can wirelessly download apps from the Mac App Store™, get music and movies from iTunes®, back up data to Time Capsule® and quickly and easily share files using AirDrop. MacBook Air includes Bluetooth for wireless peripherals and two USB ports for easy connectivity for the wired and wireless devices you use every day.
Apple makes the industry’s greenest notebook lineup and the new MacBook Air meets Energy Star 5.2 requirements and achieves EPEAT Gold status.*** Each unibody enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and comes standard with energy efficient LED-backlit displays that are mercury-free and made with arsenic-free glass. Mac notebooks contain no brominated flame retardants, are PVC-free and are constructed of recyclable materials.
Every new MacBook Air comes with Mac OS X Lion, the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system, and iLife apps for creating and sharing great photos, movies and music. Lion introduces more than 250 new features to the Mac, including Multi-Touch gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software, built right into the OS; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.
Pricing & Availability
The 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air are available for order on the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) today and in Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers starting July 21. The 1.6 GHz 11-inch MacBook Air is available in two models, one with 2GB of memory and 64GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of $999 (US), and one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for $1,199 (US). The 1.7 GHz 13-inch MacBook Air comes in two configurations, one with 4GB of memory and 128GB of flash storage for a suggested retail price of $1,299 (US), and one with 4GB of memory and 256GB of flash storage for $1,599 (US). Configure-to-order options and accessories include a 1.8 GHz Core i7 processor, additional flash storage, MacBook Air SuperDrive® and a USB Ethernet Adapter.
Additional technical specifications and configure-to-order options and accessories are available online at www.apple.com/macbookair.
*Testing conducted by Apple in July 2011 using preproduction MacBook Air configurations. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html.
**The new Wireless Web protocol testing was conducted by Apple in July 2011 using preproduction MacBook Air configurations. Battery life and charge cycles vary by use and settings. For more information visit www.apple.com/macbookair/features.html.
***EPEAT is an independent organization that helps customers compare the environmental performance of notebooks and desktops. For more information visit www.epeat.net.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
Just like that Mac OS X Lion / 10.7 is now available to download from the Mac App store. Remember it only works with Mac’s Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, i5 or i7 processor. The OS is available to download now for US $ 29.99 and can be purchased later in August on a USB pen Drive for US $ 69
Download it from the Links Below
| US STORE | INDIA STORE |
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[toggle title_open=”Collapse” title_closed=”Read The Press Release” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Mac OS X Lion Available Today From the Mac App Store
CUPERTINO, California-July 20, 2011-Apple® today announced that Mac OS® X Lion, the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced operating system with more than 250 new features, is available today as a download from the Mac® App Store™ for $29.99. Some of the amazing features in Lion include: new Multi-Touch® gestures; system-wide support for full screen apps; Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac; the Mac App Store, the best place to find and explore great software, built right into the OS; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.
“Lion is the best version of OS X yet, and we’re thrilled that users around the world can download it starting today,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Lion makes upgrading a Mac easier than ever before; just launch the Mac App Store, buy Lion with your iTunes account, and the download and install process will begin automatically.”
Additional new features in Lion include:
Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app; Auto Save, which automatically and continuously saves your documents as you work; Versions, which automatically records the history of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, revert and even copy and paste from previous versions; and AirDrop, which finds nearby Macs and automatically sets up a peer-to-peer wireless connection to make transferring files quick and easy.
Pricing & Availability
Mac OS X Lion is available as an upgrade to Mac OS X version 10.6.6 Snow Leopard® from the Mac App Store for $29.99 (US). Lion is the easiest OS X upgrade and at around 4GB, it is about the size of an HD movie from the iTunes Store®. Users who do not have broadband access at home, work or school can download Lion at Apple retail stores and later this August, Lion will be made available on a USB thumb drive through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com) for $69 (US). Mac OS X Lion Server requires Lion and is available from the Mac App Store for $49.99 (US).
Lion requires an Intel-based Mac with a Core 2 Duo, i3, i5, i7 or Xeon processor and 2GB of RAM. Lion is an upgrade and can be installed on all your authorized personal Macs. Details regarding Business and Education licensing can be found at apple.com/macosx.
The OS X Lion Up-to-Date upgrade will be available through the Mac App Store at no additional charge to all customers who purchased a qualifying new Mac system from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, 2011. Users must request their Up-to-Date upgrade within 30 days of purchase of their Mac computer. Customers who purchased a qualifying Mac between June 6, 2011 and July 20, 2011 will have until August 19, 2011 to make a request. Additional information can be found at apple.com/macosx/uptodate.
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