Category: Apple

Google Maps For iOS Download Hits 10 Million In First 2 Days

More than 10 million iOS users sprinted back into the arms of Google Maps the weekend after the new third-party app was released, according to a Google+ post from Jeff Huber, a senior vice president at the company. With its vector graphics and exclusive features like Street View, the app is obviously a hit.

There’s no doubt that millions of consumers were waiting for the Google Maps release, as Apple’s software, which replaced Google back in September, has been plagued withinaccurate location data and other bugs since its debut.

Considering the app has not been optimized yet for the iPad, that number will balloon once again when it is made into a universal app.

Now, for some context, here are some other app launch stats: OS X Mountain Lion, Apple’s latest Mac OS, was downloaded 3 million times during its first 4 days. And thejailbreak utility Absinthe saw about 1 million in its first day.

December 18, 2012
Retina Display Coming To Next Gen iPad Mini?

Apple is rumored to be focusing on upgrading the resolution of its recently released iPad mini to Retina display specifications, with the changes said to be arriving in the next generation of the small form factor tablet’s next generation.

Retina seems like a logical update for Apple’s second generation iPad mini, and a report from Digitimes today says that Apple is indeed planning to increase the resolution of its next iPad mini.

[quote]Apple’s next-generation iPad mini will focus mostly on enhancing the device’s display resolution, according to Taiwan-based backlighting industry sources. The sources have yet to specify whether the device will use Apple’s Retina Display technology to enhanced resolution, but market observers said it is highly likely based on the development of past Apple products such as the iPhone and 9.7-inch iPad series.[/quote]

Adding a Retina display to a device as thin as the iPad mini could be a tricky prospect, possibly requiring a large battery and a more robust processor, as it did when Apple introduced the Retina display to the full-sized iPad.

If Apple did a Retina version of the Mini it would be approximately 300 pixels per inch. That’s really hard to manufacture and hasn’t been done yet for the 7.9-inch class display that Apple uses. That said, Amazon has come close. The larger Amazon Kindle Fire HD has an 8.9-inch display boasting 254 pixels per inch. By Apple’s own definition of pixel density, that’s Retina resolution.

[CNET]

December 14, 2012
Android Winning Mobile War With Apple : Google Chairman Eric Schmidt

Google is winning the smartphone war against Apple, says Eric Schmidt, the company’s Executive Chairman. In an interview with Bloomberg over the weekend, the outspoken executive said that, based on market share, Google doesn’t have to worry about the mobile game. It is clearly winning. With 75% worldwide market share as of Q3 2012, Android has infiltrated most developing markets to become the de facto entry-level smartphone OS. It has taken millions of users away from Symbian, BlackBerry, and is certainly the most affordable path to entry for users upgrading from “dumbphones.”

[quote]“This is a huge platform change; this is of the scale of 20 years ago — Microsoft versus Apple,” he said. “We’re winning that war pretty clearly now.”[/quote]

Schmidt’s remarks reflect Google’s growing confidence in its ability to attract users and advertisers as more customers rely on handheld devices and shun traditional computers. By giving away Android, Google cedes revenue to hardware partners, such as Samsung Electronics Co. Schmidt is willing to make that sacrifice because it drives demand for ads and other Internet- based services that benefit Google over time.

[quote]“The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,” he said. “We will end up with a not perfectly controlled and not perfectly managed bigger pie by virtue of open systems.”[/quote]

With high-quality core apps on both Android and iOS, it’s possible to stay within the Google ecosystem on either platform these days. Even though Android is its baby, Schmidt seems satisfied with the company’s iOS strategy.

“The core strategy is to make a bigger pie,” he said. And what a tasty pie it is.

December 14, 2012
Untethered Jailbreak For New iOS 6 Devices To Be Released By Dream JB On Dec. 22

There is some happy news for those who keenly look forward for iOS 6 untethered jailbreaks for iPhone 5. A mysterious and unknown hacker calling himself “Dream JB” is promising to release an untethered iOS 6 jailbreak for the iPad mini, latest iPad and iPhone 5 on December 22. Dream JB is not associated with any known dev team, and the group has posted a message on its website claiming video proof of the one-click solution will arrive tomorrow via an unedited YouTube video.

If true, the new untethered jailbreak will support all current Apple devices running iOS 6.0.1. This includes the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2 and beyond, iPad Mini, iPod Touch 4th generation and beyond.

A jailbreak for iOS 6 has been available for a long time, but it’s a tethered solution that means once you’ve used it, your iOS device has to be plugged into your Mac or PC every time you need to boot it up. Restart your iPhone on the train home from work, then, and it’ll be pretty much useless until you get home.

What’s more, that jailbreak isn’t compatible with Apple’s latest iOS devices, which means if you have an iPhone 5 or a fourth-generation iPad, you’re stuck using the firmware the way Apple intended it to be used.

Most jailbreakers only use jailbreaking tools from proven sources such as the iPhone DevTeam, or Absinthe creator pod2g. And not surprisingly, a large portion of the jailbreaking community is calling Dream JB’s untethered jailbreak a scam.

Let’s see if they’ve really managed to pull off the seemingly impossible, it doesn’t matter to the iPhone 5 owners where the jabilbreak comes from, as long as there is one. Only time will tell if Dream JB has really done it.

Of course, everyone knows that the world ends on December 21st… so there’s speculation this is all a joke. We’ll find out soon enough.

December 12, 2012
Adobe Photoshop And Illustrator CS6 Updated With Retina Display Support

Adobe has released an update to its Premier Pro Creative Suite 6 (CS6) that will enable users to view and edit images and video at the resolution of the Retina Display found in the Apple iPad and the new Macbook Pro.

The Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 6.0.2 update is available now and should not only make images clearer but also any text should appear crisper and cleaner.

[quote]With this update, customers can see more detail in images, text, and in the Illustrator user interface when working on high-resolution displays, including the new Retina display available on MacBook Pro. The HiDPI feature in Illustrator is currently only available on Mac OS. It is expected to be available in the future on additional operating systems.[/quote]

Adobe had announced in late August that it would be bringing Retina display support to a number of its titles over the following months, with Photoshop and Illustrator being two of the highest-profile applications receiving the upgrade. At the time, Adobe noted that the upgrade process for Photoshop alone required the replacement of 2500 icons and cursors, as well as other engineering work to optimize the experience for Retina displays.

The update – which is also available for PCs and will support Windows 8 – promises to iron out any bugs customers have claimed to experience and will also be able to handle fully the GT 650M CPU found in the new MacBook Pro.

However, Adobe has said that Mac owners who use Premier Pro should update their computer to Mac OSX v10.8 Mountain Lion to ensure a better experience.

December 11, 2012
Apple Maps Can Be “Life Threatening” : Australian Police

Australian police Monday, December 10, warned motorists about using the map system on new Apple iPhones after rescuing several people left stranded in the wilderness, saying the errors could prove deadly.

The warning comes after after a number of people trying to find the town (Mildura) of 30,000 people have become hopelessly lost in scorching temperatures.

One man was stranded for 24 hours last week in temperatures of up to 46 degrees centigrade, and at least three more have had to be rescued after following the directions given on Apple’s new maps, which locate Mildura far from its actual position.

Authorities said tests on the mapping system had confirmed that it lists Mildura, around 500 kilometers (310 miles) northwest of Melbourne, as being in the heart of the Murray Sunset National Park.

[quote] “It’s quite a dangerous situation, so we would be calling for people not to use the new Apple iPhone mapping system if they’re traveling from South Australia to Mildura.[/quote]

Apple dropped Google as its map provider in September with the launch of its iOS 6 software for the iPhone and iPad. But problems quickly emerged with the map detail. Apple received criticism over inaccuracies in mapping data like the mislocation in Victoria, which led to the termination of several people involved with the Maps project, including Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall and Maps manager Richard Williamson.

December 10, 2012
Woman Orders One iPad From Best Buy, Gets Five! Told To Keep The Rest!

A Best Buy customer was pleasantly surprised after she opened a package from the store. The woman ordered one iPad from Best Buy but instead of getting one iPad tablet she got five of them. She wondered what to do and after a while she called the Best Buy hotline to report the mistake to the company.

A store rep from Best Buy’s 1-800 number acknowledged their mistake. Again, to the woman’s surprised she was told to keep the extra iPads.

[quote]”We, here at Best Buy, acknowledge that we obviously made a mistake, but in the spirit of the holidays, we encourage you to keep the additional iPads and give them to people in need – friends, family, a local school or charity,” Best Buy responded.[/quote]

Another customer reported a similar situation that happened to him. He ordered an iPad and received a package with five iPad tablets from Best Buy

[quote]”I called Best Buy’s 1-800 number and the rep told me there was nothing he could really do because the system only reported one as being sent to me,” the customer wrote to the Consumerist. “He told me I could try and drop them off at the Best Buy store, but I had reservations about how traceable this return would be.”[/quote]

That customer said he was keeping the iPads in his closet “until Best Buy comes knocking at my door or a reasonable amount of time goes by.”

Looks like Christmas came early for these customers. Next time I want to buy an iPad, I’ll keep Best Buy in mind!

December 9, 2012
Apple Files Patent For Wireless Charging Technology

When it comes to wireless charging, today’s options aren’t exactly as cord-free as the label would suggest. Things like charging mats or other wireless docking options are fine and all, but adding more accessories and bulky cases to the mix is often more trouble than it’s worth. As Wired reports, a patent filed this week by Apple side steps these pesky add-ons and could offer true wireless charging for the first time on Apple hardware.

An Apple patent application published Thursday, “Wireless Power Utilization in a Local Computing Environment,” uses a different approach. Apple’s implementation would utilize a near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply to deliver juice to nearby devices that have an NFMR resonator circuit within.

In the patent filed by Apple, the company claims they will “utilize a near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR) power supply to deliver juice to nearby devices that have an NFMR resonator circuit within.” This approach would create a “virtual charging area” within about a yard of this power supply, which would thereby charge your device.

A secondary benefit is that wireless devices like the mouse and keyboard could ditch their batteries, helping the environment. Eco responsibility is a cause that, despite challenges with product repairability, Apple is quite dedicated to.

Interesting!

December 3, 2012
21-inch iMac Teardown Shows Dual Mics, Replaceable RAM & Glued On LCD

iFixit has released a comprehensive teardown of Apple’s new 21.5″ iMac, scoring it as a 3 out of 10 (down from 7 last year).

The new iMac, with its ultra slim bezel proved to be a disappointment to the iFixit team, because both the glass and the LCD are glued to the iMac frame with strong adhesive, which negatively impacts repairability.

[quote]The late 2012 iMac 21.5? — code-named EMC 2544 — is an exercise in disappointment for us. We were quite worried when we saw that super-thin bezel during Apple’s keynote, and unfortunately we were correct: the glass and LCD are now glued to the iMac’s frame with incredibly strong adhesive. Gone are the lovely magnets that held the glass in place in iMacs of yesteryear.[/quote]

The logic board (Apple’s name for its motherboard) appears to contain both the Ivy Bridge i5 and the GPU, unlike previous iMacs, which used a separate MXM daughterboard for their GPU. The computer’s expansion ports are mounted directly onto the logic board—the SD card slot, headphone jack, four USB 3.0 ports, two Thunderbolt ports, and a gigabit Ethernet port. As Apple has said, there is no Firewire port.

In good news, RAM, hard drive and CPU are all possible to replace, should things go wrong or should users want to upgrade their memory or internal storage. The bad news, though, is that unlike on previous generation iMac, none of these pieces are easily accessible. iMacs used to at least have user-accessible RAM trays on the underside of their face, which actually made it really easy to swap out upgrades. Now, while it’s still not soldered to the motherboard like on the latest Retina MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs, getting at the RAM requires removing the screen, and also behind the logic board, meaning you’ll have to essentially take the iMac completely apart to change things up.

December 2, 2012
Apple iTunes gets upped to version 11, Not so Much-Awaited after all

If you just hit the software button like us, you have been in an encounter with the an update of iTunes that pushes the number to iTunes 11. The desktop variant download includes a new MiniPlayer for playing tracks in a widget-sized window. The whole app now is remenicient of the iPad music player app (iPod) , an “Up Next” feature for cueing up songs and viewing what’s next at a glance, and instant recommendations depending on your music tastes.

iTunes 11 also has active memory and will remember where you left off while playing a song, movie or TV shows if you get interrupted.

iCloud integration will allow you to play back your library on any device, while an offline option should allow in-flight or underground listening sessions to continue without a hitch.

iTunes 11 is available as a Software Update for existing users, and a fresh install from the Apple website.

November 30, 2012
Apple iPad Mini coming soon Starting Rs. 21,900, Online retailers list SKUs

Several online retailers have started listing the iPad Mini on their websites as “coming soon”, this indicates a pending soon launch. The iPad Mini was originally though to be introduced a week after the iPhone 5 launch in India. But, due to the high demand by the iPhone buyers, Apple possibly wants to be prepared when they launch the iPad Mini in India.

The 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi only version will be priced at Rs 21,900, while the 32GB will cost 27,900 and 64GB versions will be available for R Rs 33,900. The iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular version will supposedly come with a price of 28,900 for the 16GB variant, keeping in the trend of iPhone 5 pricing.

The Flagship iPad mini, the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version, will sell for Rs 41,900. However one has to consider the fact, that a flagship iPad 9.7 inch with retina display will be available for a mere 4 thousand more, then why would one buy the iPad Mini?

Funnily enough Apple is also planning to launch the new generation of iPod Touch at a price of Rs. 23,900 for the 32 GB and a price of Rs. 29,900 for the 64 GB, which just seems strange, because one would definitely choose the iPad mini vs the iPod Touch or even a full fledged iPad for the same price. even more so, a 16 GB iPhone 4 can be had for around the 26 thousand price.

Apple seems to be defeating its own market in India with the pricing of their products. Unless a better more competitive pricing is adhered to, the iPad Mini and the new iPod Touch may never say the beaming numbers of the iPhone 5 or what the iPad 3 had.

November 26, 2012
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City To Hit iOS And Android On December 6

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is approaching its tenth anniversary, and to honour that landmark Rockstar Games is unleashing the title on Android and iOS devices early next month.

The 80?s-themed death-fest has been carefully re-worked to support touchscreen-based devices, and will be available on many newer Android devices including the Galaxy Nexus, HTC One X,Galaxy S III and Nexus 4. The list of Android devices covered is quite extensive, and includes even aging phones like the Nexus S and Xperia Play.

Vice City has higher-resolution character models and improved lighting compared to the original, and there will be some mobile-only features available at launch. We’re really excited to see how the game looks and runs on the Nexus 10 tablet, too.

GTA: Vice City 10th Anniversary Edition will run $4.99 for both platforms and will be out on December 6th. See the list of compatible devices after the break.

November 22, 2012
Apple, Samsung Patent Clash Expands To iPad mini, iPad 4, New iPod touch

Samsung Electronics has alleged that three recent products from Apple, including the iPad mini, infringe on its patents.

The South Korean company said in a filing Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose division, that the products were released by Apple after Samsung submitted its original infringement contentions on June 15, and a motion to supplement on Oct. 1 that added the iPhone 5 to products that allegedly infringe its patents.

The products included in the latest motion to amend and supplement the infringement contentions are the iPad mini and the latest versions of the iPad and iPod touch.

Samsung has also asked for clarification from the court if its original contentions properly allege infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,672,470 by three prior generations of the iPod touch, and alternatively asks leave to add these products to its infringement contentions.

[quote]On Wednesday, Samsung’s chief executive Shin Jong-kyun told The Korean Times: “Without Samsung-owned wireless patents, it’s impossible for… Apple to produce its handsets.”[/quote]

Samsung and Apple are no strangers to court battles, having been engaged in vicious patent battle that extends across four continents since April 2011. Back in August, a court awarded Apple over $1 billion in damages after upholding claims that Samsung had infringing several iPhone and iPad patents with its Galaxy S-series smartphones. Samsung has since appealed against the ruling.

But it hasn’t all been going Apple’s way, with courts in the Netherlands, the U.K. and Japan dismissing Apple’s claims of infringement by Samsung.

November 22, 2012
Nokia HERE Maps For iPhone And iPad Released

HERE Maps by Nokia, the mapping alternative to Google Maps and Apple’s own Maps service, is now available for iOS. It’s compatible with iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices running iOS 4.3 or above and is optimised for the iPhone 5.

The app is based off HTML 5 and offers an array of mapping views – map view, live traffic view, public transport line view or satellite view – and has maps/directions from over 200 countries.

The UI follows Nokia’s own interface pattern, rather than the usual iOS conventions, which could lead to some confusion, but otherwise it’s pretty much what we’ve grown to expect from the Nokia Maps browser-based option.

HERE has a public transport view that handily shows nearby routes and stops overlaid on the map. It also provides driving and walking directions, and even lets you cycle through the days of the week when planning routes to see how traffic and other factors on different days might affect trip times and planning. Searching for locales brings up nearby interest points, too, in addition to routing options, as well as website and phone number info if they’re available.

We’ve had a quick look around the app and it features an extensive database of locations and points of interests. The navigation feature seems to work nicely as well.

You can download Nokia HERE from the iOS App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think about this Apple Maps alternative in the comments.

[toggle_box title=”Features” width=”Width of toggle box”]

Features:
• Map views: Pick the map you need from map view, live traffic, public transport line or satellite
• Save map areas & wander without data coverage
• In selected countries, access community maps created and updated by users
• Maps, search and place coverage for nearly 200 countries
• Search with history and suggestions
• Share places with just a tap, including location & how to get there, over SMS, email, social networks
• Organize places you love into Collections
• Sign in to HERE Maps with your Nokia Account or Facebook login
• Sync with Here.net – Access your Collections anywhere
• Step-by-Step voice-guided walk navigation
• Walk navigation through pedestrian routes, parks, alleyways, and more
• Public transportation and driving directions

[/toggle_box]

November 20, 2012
Messages Beta For OS X Lion to End December 14th

Messages beta for Mac OSX Lion will no longer be operational next month. In an email to users on Friday, Apple reminded Messages beta program participants that the preview period will end on Friday, Dec. 14, noting that the service will then only be available on OS X Mountain Lion.

AppleInsider was first to note the upcoming closure, which brings the OS X 10.7 Lion preview service to an end. Apple introduced a beta of Messages for Lion in February alongside the surprise release of a developer preview of OS X Mountain Lion. The latter went on sale in July for $19.99, a third less than its two predecessors.

Mountain Lion includes Messages, as well as several other features and services that debuted on iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system that powers the iPhone and iPad.

Apple pulled the download of the Messages beta for Lion in mid-June, when at its annual developers conference company executives revealed more information about Mountain Lion, including its price and a July ship date. Lion users, however, could still run Messages if they had already installed the beta.

If you’re still on Lion, you’ll have until December 14th to update to Mountain Lion, when Messages will expire. At only $19, it’s really a no-brainer if you haven’t updated yet.

November 18, 2012