Apple iOS blog

iCloud Can Be Accessed From The Web, Confirmed By Apple

2011-06-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Since even before the iCloud was unveiled at the Apple WWDC 2011, MobileMe users have been concerned about the fate of their current accounts. Now that Apple has made it clear that MobileMe would cease to exist, with its core functions rolled into the iCloud, the other question still lingering is whether users can continue to access these services from the web.

Rumors have pointed both directions, some claiming that the iCloud will completely forgo a web interface while others believed the apps will be available through iCloud.com. Well, Apple today released a new MobileMe to iCloud transition FAQ that puts to rest any doubts about web access.

Will I be able to access iCloud services on the web?
Yes. Web access to iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendar, and Find My iPhone will be available at icloud.com this fall.

Other things to note from the FAQ include the confirmation that current MobileMe users can retain their accounts up to June 30, 2012, at which point the service will completely cease to exist. The Gallery, iDisk, and iWeb services will also be discontinued along with MobileMe by that date. Users that need to transition their websites currently hosted on MobileMe should ready this document.

Skype coming to the iPad soon

2011-06-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

After plenty of success with the iPhone version of the Skype app, the company is finally releasing an official version for the iPad. Skype hasn't announced a date for release yet, but video of the app has leaked out online, and the app is expected to be approved soon. Skype VP of Consumer and Product Design Rick Osterloh had a talk with TUAW about the new app and what Skype expects to get out of it.
Osterloh says that the iPhone version of Skype burst out of the gate quickly, with a big launch and "a userbase that doubled in just a month's time." And he said the iPad version should "have a similar success," especially since it's basically the same in functionality: chatting, audio and video calling, and all of the other standard actions you can expect from Skype. The current app has been in testing for a few months now, and Osterloh is excited to unleash it on the public.
A few features in the full PC/Mac app didn't make it in, Osterloh says, perhaps most notably the ability to do file sharing. But that's obviously just because of the way the iPad deals with files. While the company was fine with simply having an iPhone app that was iPad compatible during the first release of the iPad, the camera in the iPad 2 was what made this app "super compelling."

Skype for iPad shouldn't be too surprising a release -- ever since the iPad got a camera on it, it was likely that we'd see some version built especially for the bigger tablet. But according to Osteroh, it's a solid release for the company, and yet another step out onto mobile devices for one of the premiere communication networks online. I'll let you know as soon as we see the app live in the App Store -- it shouldn't be too long.

How to: check if an Apple promo code has been used or not

2011-06-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

App developers often share promo codes with reviewers, forums, etc. Unfortunately, Apple doesn't provide a way to track which codes have been used, resulting in wasted promotions. Fortunately, Kam, the developer of Walkabout, explains how to determine if a code is still available via iTunes.
Kam's procedure is simple but effective. First, he writes, launch iTunes and log out. Next, log back in being careful not to click Save Password. Then, quit and re-open iTunes.
With iTunes running, try to redeem a promo code you'd like to test. If the code has been used, iTunes will display a message saying, "This code has been used -- codes may be used only once." If it's still available, iTunes will prompt you for your password. Just click Cancel and mark that code as still available.
If you try this with your password saved, iTunes will redeem the code. By logging out and opting not to save your password, iTunes will let you know if the code is available without redeeming it.

Well done, Kam! Thanks for sharing your tip.

TIP: Wiping down your iPhone for resale

2011-06-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

It's time to hand off your old iPhone to its new owner, but you definitely want to scrub it clean of all your data beforehand. Simple enough: in the Settings app, tap General, then scroll down to Reset and tap it. The option to 'Erase All Content and Settings' is the one you want; it will remove any trace of personalization and all your installed apps, returning your phone to factory-fresh condition.
Depending on which iOS device you're resetting, the process may take quite a while (older iPod touch and iPhones pre-3GS don't support hardware encryption, so they actually have to wipe all the onboard memory byte by byte). Be sure you're plugged into power or that the device is fully charged before you begin.

Clever Terminals

2011-06-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

At the 1997 WWDC, Steve Jobs described his vision for the future (video): a world of multiple devices all connected and sharing data seamlessly through the network. This year we’re seeing this vision come to life with iCloud.
The dumb terminal model of connecting devices that are essentially just interfaces to a server that will do all the work provides two big advantages: your data doesn’t need to be synchronizes between various devices since it lives in the cloud, and the devices themselves can be cheap since most processing is outsourced to the server. This is the model that Google is refining right now with itsChromeOS. Give people devices that run a Web browser, and let the Web act as the OS with Web apps as the software.
But the problem with this model is that you lose the advantages of native apps that rely on local hardware, advantages that Apple at first ignored when they tried to get developers to use Safari as the development platform for the iPhone. People wanted to create native experiences, and they wanted to take full advantage of the hardware their software ran on. Native apps proved to be much more successful as they simply provide a better experience to the end user. But while the apps themselves on individual devices were great, the problem of keeping everything synched remained.

But now, iCloud is the final piece of that puzzle. The thing about the above two models is that there is no reason to pick one or the other, instead, we can take the best of both and combine them into a hybrid model that is iCloud. Apps are native, but the data always gets synchronized with the cloud. In this way all your work, videos, music and purchased apps are always available, on whatever device you pick up, and you get the benefit of running things locally to make full use of native hardware and its features.
Of course this technology was already available to those who sought it, but it was never available to the layman. There were always plenty of ways of setting up a “dropbox” on your machine, but then Dropbox came along and made the whole thing so easy that everyone would use it. The technology was there, it just wasn’t accessible. The developers of Dropbox had to take out every form of setup and just put one magic folder on your disc that just worked—in effect they created an easier interface by taking out the interface. This is what Apple is doing with iCloud. They’re taking away all the setup and making the back-end completely invisible to the end user. If it works as advertised, this will be huge for Apple, and in some ways I think this was an even bigger announcement than the iPad as it solves a very real problem that many people have.
But what about ChromeOS? Google’s model still has it’s advantages, e.g. low device cost and the openness of the Web as a development platform, and so will be a very viable option for many devices and users. I don’t think there’s any reason why the two models cannot coexist in the future or even work with each other (for example, Dropbox has a Web app). There is overlap in a lot of the functionality here, e.g. Picasa vs iPhoto, which means the two models will definitely compete, but I don’t think one model has to lose in order for the other to succeed, just like Apple has grown successful without having to “defeat” Microsoft.

Facebook to Launch iPad App, Preparing Web-Based Mobile Platform

2011-06-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports that Facebook is finally set to release a free iPad app "in coming weeks", remedying a curious omission for the social networking service that touts over 600 million users worldwide.

"People briefed on Facebook's plans say that in coming weeks the company plans to introduce a free iPad application that has been carefully designed and optimized for the tablet.

The app has been in production at Facebook for almost a year, going through several design iterations, and is now in the final stages of testing, according to these people, who declined to be named because they were discussing confidential product plans.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who along with other company executives noted last November that the company was still been trying to decide how best to handle the iPad, is said to have been "heavily involved" in the app's development.

"People who have seen the application said it has a slick design that has been tailored for the iPad and its touchscreen interface. Facebook developers and designers have also overhauled the Facebook Chat and Facebook Groups features for the application. And the app will go beyond the features available on the Facebook Web site by allowing users to shoot and upload photos and videos directly from the iPads built-in cameras.

Facebook's iPad app comes just as TechCrunch reports that the company is preparing to launch a new HTML5-based mobile platform codenamed "Project Spartan" that would take on iOS on its home turf by running within the mobile Safari browser.

'As of right now, there are believed to be 80 or so outside developers working with Facebook on Project Spartan. These teams are working on apps for the platform that range from games to news-reading apps. Some of the names should be familiar: Zynga and Huffington Post (owned by our parent AOL), for example. The goal is to have these apps ready to roll in the next few weeks for a formal unveiling shortly thereafter.

Facebook's vision for Project Spartan reportedly includes integration of its Facebook Credits payment system that would allow developers to offer paid apps and in app purchases directly through the web-based platform.

Alone, Apple is Worth As Much as Microsoft, HP, and Dell Combined

2011-06-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

Right now Apple's market value is about $302.4 Billion, and HP's market value is $72.8 Billion, Microsoft is $200.3 Billion, and Dell $29.3, so if you did the math you'll find out that Apple's market value is actually more than all these companies values all together.
The different between Microsoft's market value and Apple's market value is about $100 Billion, and i think one of the reasons Apple is one step over Microsoft is because of iPhone 4 and iPad 2, because Microsoft's Windows phone is actually no match for iPhone 4. Microsoft's Windows phone came too late after iPhone 4, and also Microsoft doesn't have a hug app store like Apple's app store ( and they'll never have one ).

Three People Sent to Prison in China Over iPad 2 Leaks

2011-06-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal Report that three people have been sent to prison in China over their roles in facilitating leaks of information on the iPad 2 prior to its release.

"The court announced the decision Tuesday in statements on its official account at Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like microblogging service in China. It said that Xiao Chengsong, general manager of Shenzhen MacTop Electronics Co., had offered 20,000 yuan, or about $3,000, plus discounts on MacTop products to a former Hon Hai employee named Hou Pengna, for information about the iPad 2. The court said Ms. Hou then paid Lin Kecheng, a Hon Hai research-and-development employee, to get digital images of the device's back cover from last September, six months before the iPad 2 was publicly announced.

The three people were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 18 months and are subject to fines ranging from approximately $4,500 to $23,000.
Cases for the iPad 2 began appearing on Chinese supply sites four months ahead of Apple's official unveiling, and it was revealed in late April that three workers had been arrested in connection with the leak soon after those initial cases appeared. The employees cited in that report had been claimed to be Foxconn employees and are presumed to be the same ones sentenced to prison in the new report, although only two of them were actually Foxconn employees while the the third was manager of the case manufacturing company that solicited the information.

Instagram : more than 5 million users and 100 million image

2011-06-15T20:54:00.000-07:00

As we all know Instagram app is one of the top images sharing and adding effects. This app also have a lot of iPhone users, the have reached 100,000,000 user in the latest statistics of the service.
More than 890 thousand, and it just increased to reach 100,000,000 image. It's really a huge success for this service, because the low number of the people who works on it and develop it ( only 4 people are working on it ), but still it's the best uploading app I've ever used.
I think the number of this service will keep increasing in a huge amount if it was available for Android phone. What do you think ?

Apple doesn't own iCloud name

2011-06-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

When Apple choose iPhone name for their devices they had an agreement with Cisco that owns the name iPhone, "Although Apple aggressively protects its trademark rights, Apple has a long and well known history of knowingly and willfully treading on the trademark rights of others - a history which began as early as the 1970s when Apple was first sued for trademark infringement by the Beatles record label, Apple Corp."

After Apple announced iCloud another company showed up with same name ( iCloud ), and now they are suing Apple and demanding that Apple removes iCloud name from all of their products. I asked my self " why didn't this company say something when Apple first started using iCloud name ? ".
What do you think in this problem ?

Apple rumored to add system-wide Twitter integration to iOS 5

2011-06-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Various sources have confirmed that Twitter plans to announce a photo-sharing service, reportedly called Twitter Pictures, at the D9 conference later this week. TechCrunch now reports that Twitter has lined up Apple as a key partner for the upcoming service.
Though a number of popular third-party image services already cater to Twitter users, the company is reportedly moving to take more control of its product in hopes of creating a more consistent user experience. Of course, money could also be an issue, as sites like Yfrog make millions by selling advertising next to images uploaded by Twitter users.
According to the report, multiple sources have said that Apple's iOS 5 will have Twitter's image service "baked into the OS" with a "Send to Twitter" option similar to the current integration of YouTube in iOS. "A tipster informs us that one trigger happy Apple iOS designer has already released a test link into the wild," Alexia Tsotsis said in a separate report forTechCrunch, though she declined to provide the link.
John Gruber of Daring Fireball took things one step further, hinting at possible deeper integration. "So close to the bigger story, but yet so far," Gruber said of the report. "Imagine what else the system could provide if your Twitter account was a system-level service."
Apple confirmed Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will unveil iOS 5 next Monday at the Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. iOS 5 is also rumored to include "deep" voice command integration. Last week, reports emerged that Apple will revamp notifications and widgets in iOS 5.

Expedite Social Networking With MySocialMania

2011-05-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

MySocialMania ($0.99) by Steven J. Wilson is a social networking app that allows you to post on multiple sites simultaneously. Designed for an avid social networker, this app has the potential to dramatically decrease the amount of time it takes to post pictures and messages.

The app saves account information for thirteen of the top social networking sites; including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Blogger, Tumblr, and WordPress. Facebook and Twitter also have the option of saving multiple accounts’ information.

The app is very simple and straightforward. There are four tabs, home, settings, logs, and more info. From the home screen, users can post messages, blogs, photos, or videos. Just tap on the respective arrow, create the post, and select the sites to share the post on. It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Accounts are setup through the settings tab and developer information is in the more information tab. The logs tab keeps track of posts made from the app in chronological order, so users can see when and where they made their last posts.

If you network online often, MySocialMania may be the app for you. It makes it easy to post on multiple sites at one time, eliminating the need to individually log in through websites and apps to post the same message on different sites.

Overall, MySocialMania is a useful tool for social networkers. With simple and useful controls, it is a nifty productivity app. If you find yourself wasting time reposting messages on multiple sites, check out MySocialMania.

Here's some screenshots :

App of the week: The Los Angeles Times App For iPad

2011-05-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles Times app for iPad (Free) by Tribune Interactive is the official app of The Los Angeles Times. The Southern California based newspaper organization has developed an iPad-only news app that compiles news articles, photos and video from their website. You don’t have to be from Los Angeles to enjoy this app. There is plenty of Hollywood gossip, national news and world events packed into it.

This is not a subscription-based app that requires you to pay $1.99 per month or already have a subscription to the daily newspaper. However, you do have to register your name and email address in order to use it. Like some other news apps, like The Associated Press or USA Today, the articles are refreshed regularly and can be read offline once they have been downloaded.

The greater Los Angeles area is home to some of the most interesting news stories in the country. Not only does Hollywood, with all of its colorful residents, fall within the LA borders, but it is also home to the Lakers, the Dodgers, Venice Beach and Universal Studios. With so much going on in the county, you can imagine how riveting their news can be.

Having grown up in Southern California, reading articles from this news app brings back a lot of childhood memories. I remember spending the day at the Santa Monica Pier, or driving into LA for a burger from Original Tommy’s. Reading up on what is happening in those areas is like walking down memory lane.

Readers who have never been to LA still have plenty to read in the entertainment section. The Los Angeles Times has the most comprehensive entertainment news of any daily paper that I’ve ever seen. You can catch up on celebrity gossip, read reviews of upcoming movies, find out about television’s fall line up, and see what concerts or gallery openings are happening this weekend.

If your tastes are a little more serious than the light-hearted entertainment news, The Los Angeles Times also has plenty of business, national, and world news to satisfy the intellectual in you.

The user interface of this app is not overly impressive. It works just fine as a news app, but has nothing revolutionary to it. But, considering it is a free news source, there is nothing to complain about. In fact, at the time of writing this review, there seems to be only one advertising source. The same ad appears on every page, but you aren’t bombarded by advertisements.

Overall, this app is the perfect way to read articles from the Los Angeles area, including local, international, business and entertainment news. You aren’t obligated to buy a two-year plus Sunday subscription. The app is free, and in return, all you have to do is give your email address.

iWork Now Available For iPhone and iPod touch Users

2011-05-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

Apple today announced that its groundbreaking iWork productivity apps — Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — are now available for iPhone and iPod touch, as well as iPad. Created for the Mac and then completely redesigned for iOS and the Multi-Touch interface, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers allow you to create and share stunning presentations, beautifully formatted documents, and powerful spreadsheets on the go. iWork apps are available on the App Store for $9.99 each to new users and as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers.

Apple to Unveil Next Generation Software at Keynote Address on Monday, June 6

2011-05-31T16:08:00.000-07:00

CUPERTINO, California—May 31, 2011—Apple CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software - Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch; and iCloud, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.
WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mac developers will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities. Mobile developers will be able to explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance and design of their apps. All developers can bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers.
For more details, visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 website at developer.apple.com/wwdc.

How to : restore deleted photos from iOS devices

2011-05-29T15:28:00.000-07:00

A lot of people are looking for a way to restore their deleted photos from iPhone, iPad or even Mac computers. Now it's easy and possible to do it using a software called Picturescue, and really easy to restore deleted photos by mistake, just setup the software on your computer and then choose the device you want to restore photos from, if it's an iPad, iPod or an iPhone it doesn't really matter, because the software works on all these devices. After you choose your device, the software is going to show you the all ready saved backup files, and it's also going to show you the date on the files. When you see the files you will be able to restore any photos from it. The only problem is that you need to buy it and it cost $4.99, because if are using the free version you will only be able to browse the backup file and you won't be able to restore it, so you should buy the it.
The software is now available only for Mac users, and there isn't any available version for PC users yet. You can download it and see some videos on the official website from here .

Here's a screenshot :

Intel Backs Kno with $30M, Sticks It to Apple

2011-05-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

The consumer market can be pretty lucrative. The enterprise market can be particularly lucrative too, but the educational market is one that is still largely untapped by the rising popularity of tablets. Well,Kno wants to change that and they’re doing it with some big bucks from Intel.

It sounds like Intel Capital, the investment arm of the chip company, is set to point $30 million towards the development of the Kno digital textbook. Yes, it’s very educationally based, so it’s not completely fair to call it “just” a tablet. This money will really help the relatively young startup, but just like Dragon’s Den (or Shark Tank), the investment also means that Kno taps into Intel’s network and expertise.

Use those hardware partners, speed up the development, and get the Kno into classrooms. I wouldn’t be surprised if more than a few Intel doodahs end up in the final product too, just so one hand can pay the other.

It’s not like Intel and Kno are the only ones tapping into education either. Some school in Auburn, Maine has just decided to buy 285 iPad 2s for every kindergarten student and teacher. The idea is that the kids can learn better from them than they can from a traditional PC. The Kno might not be targeting quite that young, but it’s clear that the competition for school-focused tablets is heating up.

iPhone and Kinect Partner Up for Co-Op Shooting Game

2011-05-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sort of. It’s unlikely that we’re going to get Apple and Microsoft to co-operate on a joint project any time soon, but that’s not stopping a couple guys from Singapore from developing their own game that utilizes products from both companies.

Rockmoon of Singapore have come up with a 3D shooter where one player controls the ship via Kinect and the other player controls the Gatling gun with the iPhone. I suppose one player could theoretically do both, but the whole point is that two discerning parties can play cooperative together, right?

The graphics, by today’s standards, are pretty terrible and they look like a really old and crappy build of the Pod Racer section of Phantom Menace (plus Gatling guns), but the concept is pretty novel. You might even say it’s better than controlling a Roomba with your Wii Remote.

Chronic Dev Promises iPad 2 Jailbreak ‘in a Few Weeks’

2011-05-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

When it comes to jailbreak solutions for iOS devices, nearly everyone has been turning to the Chronic Dev team for their solutions. These are the guys that came up with the Greenpois0n tool, for example, and now they’re promising a jailbreak for the Apple iPad 2 in a few weeks.

This promise comes by way of team member p0sixninja, who is otherwise known as Josh. He says that the iPad 2 jailbreak will be ready in “weeks” and while the Chronic Dev team isn’t normally one to promise set deadlines, they are “all going to hold him to that” promise.

Do you have an iPad 2? Are you going to jailbreak it the moment Chronic Dev releases the tool? Or are you too concerned about some of the possible issues related to jailbreaking iDevices?

Apple's Online Music Locker: A Great Idea (That's 10+ Years Old)

2011-05-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed, this whole online music thing is heating up. First Amazon rolled out its Cloud Player, then Google Music came along, and now Apple is expected to announce its own online music service—the big money's on something called "iCloud" that'll be unveiled on June 6th.

The difference between Apple's offering and offerings from both Amazon and Google is that Apple has apparently gotten the blessing of three of the four major record labels, with the fourth said to be right around the corner. But why should Apple care about playing nice with the record labels when Google and Amazon have already thumbed their noses at the music industry?

If what Businessweek is reporting turns out to be accurate, Apple's service will behave differently than Google's and Amazon's in that you won't have to actually upload your entire music collection to Apple's servers.

Says Businessweek:

"Armed with licenses from the music labels and publishers, Apple will be able to scan customers' digital music libraries in iTunes and quickly mirror their collections on its own servers, say three people briefed on the talks. If the sound quality of a particular song on a user's hard drive isn't good enough, Apple will be able to replace it with a higher-quality version. Users of the service will then be able to stream, whenever they want, their songs and albums directly to PCs, iPhones, iPads, and perhaps one day even cars. And the music industry gets a chance at the next best thing after selling shrink-wrapped CDs: monthly subscription fees, à la Netflix (NFLX) and the cable companies."

Sounds awesome, right? Magical, even. It's also an idea that's been around for over 10 years.

Old-timers like me (people in their—GASP!—30's) may remember MP3.com and a very cool feature of the site called "My.MP3.com" that let you do pretty close to what Apple's reportedly getting set to offer, but with physical CDs.

MP3.com was started by Michael Robertson, who made the record labels' short-list of public enemies with the My.MP3.com feature when it was rolled out in 2000. You'd pop a CD you owned into your computer, it'd get referenced against MP3.com's servers, and you'd then get instant access to a streaming version of your album directly through the site.

Universal Media Group did NOT like this idea one bit and sued MP3.com, won, and MP3.com settled with UMG for over $53 million.

Robertson now runs MP3tunes.com, a cloud-based music storage service that allows you to upload your music files to its servers for streaming playback on computers and portable devices. This has drawn the ire of EMI, which claims that MP3tunes' music locker concept facilitates piracy.

And therein lies the rub for Apple—and people who use Apple's service.

Robertson's contention seems to be that once you buy your music, you own it no matter what format its in. The music companies clearly don't see things that way, as evidenced by their successful shutdown of My.MP3.com and claims that MP3tunes.com's digital locker features are too piracy-friendly.

So that's where the whole idea of the monthly subscription fee comes into play with whatever Apple's supposed to be rolling out.

From the sounds of it, you'll be able to cross-reference your music against Apple's servers, but you'll have to pay a monthly fee to use the service. In that respect, it becomes similar to unlimited music offerings from Rhapsody, Napster and Microsoft's Zune.

And that'll be how and why Apple can swap out higher-quality tracks than the ones you have on your computer and—more importantly—why you won't hear the music labels screaming about how Apple's locker is piracy-friendly. Your monthly subscription fee will essentially be paying for any of those tracks you pirated in the past.

But you probably shouldn't expect to be able to use iCloud if you stop paying for your subscription, nor should you expect to be able to play tracks back on any devices you own. If Apple somehow manages to offer access to the service for free—including access to songs you never paid for in the first place—it'll be a pretty significant development for the industry as a whole.

However, you should expect Apple to make the service attractive enough from an interface and usability standpoint that plenty of people won't mind shelling out for a subscription. Even the simple way that tracks get added to your locker—no uploads—ought to be enough to win people over; not to mention that a subscription service would likely (hopefully) entail unlimited music downloads for one flat rate on top of those digital locker features.

A MacBook with Apple inside? Intel begs to differ

2011-05-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

Rumors about Apple developing a MacBook with one of its own chips--not Intel's--were advanced on Friday, based on a post at a Japanese-language Web site. An Intel executive had some thoughts on the subject
.Let's get right to the post on the Japanese Web site Macotakara Kanteidan about the rumored MacBook Air test vehicle packing a Thunderbolt port. In a Japanese-language post entitled "Is an A5-equipped MacBook Air being tested?" the site claims that "according to someone who has seen a model running with [Apple's] A5 processor, the performance is better than had been thought."

Assuming the report is credible, that's a pretty big leap from a frantic rumor about Apple "dumping Intel" to a real system running on the A5, the Apple-branded chip--based on an ARM design--that's used in the iPad 2.

To date, Apple's ultrathin MacBook Air has run exclusively on Intel processors. And that's expected to continue when Apple announces new Airs based on Intel's "Sandy Bridge" processors this summer, based on my own sources who are familiar with Apple's plans.

I asked Intel's marketing chief Tom Kilroy about this latest report early today. "We're very closely aligned with Apple. We've got our best design teams working with their best design teams. And we're quite comfortable we've got good collaboration going forward," he said. And based on the foreseeable future for the MacBook, Kilroy is most likely correct.

And I also checked in with chip expert Anand Shimpi--who runs the highly respected site Anandtech--who believes it's not unusual for Apple to do some experimentation. But tinkering with a test vehicle is one thing, building a commercial system is quite different.

"It's not surprising to me that Apple would be experimenting with an ARM-based notebook," he said in response to an e-mail query. "However, it would have to be running iOS--the experience under OS X would be suboptimal by Apple's standards," he said, adding, "remember, this is what kept Apple from ever making a Netbook based on [Intel's] Atom [chip]."

And he had some more thoughts. "In my opinion, Apple won't think about moving to ARM-based notebooks until the 'A6,' which should be based on ARM's Cortex A15 core. At that point we can have a discussion, but remember that just as ARM is climbing up, Intel is scaling down. I would be very surprised to see Apple ship an ARM-based OS X machine where performance is a concern. That's not to say that they aren't experimenting with the idea."

The Japanese blog also speculates about some of the challenges facing the iOS running on a MacBook Air, among other challenges, and concludes that the A5-based MacBook Air is likely just an exercise in experimentation.

(Via Apple Insider)

Rumor: Widgets, better notifications headed to iOS 5

2011-05-28T04:39:00.000-07:00

In just a week and a half Apple will take the wraps off "the future of iOS" at its Worldwide Developers Conference. Two features that are said to be making a debut as part of that introduction are widgets and a new notifications system.

Buried at the tail end of a post on murmurs that Apple's been inviting press from around the world to come to the WWDC keynote, TechCrunch claims that Apple will be using that time to introduce "completely revamped notifications and widgets."

This is not the first time Apple's notification system has been rumored to be getting a re-work, which is what makes this interesting. Rich Dellinger, who invented the notification for Palm's WebOS, quit following HP's acquisition of the company in order to return to his former employer, Apple. This stirred up expectations that Apple was looking to overhaul its existing system. A report in February then claimed Apple was working to acquire an iOS app maker tool, with the intent to somehow roll its notification tools into iOS.

Apple introduced push notifications as part of iOS 3.0 back in 2009. Since then, the system has remained largely unchanged in terms of how the pop-up messages are delivered to the end user. The message design itself also resembles that of the pop-up notifications that shipped with the first iteration of iOS; most contain an option to either hit an "OK" button and jump to that app, or cancel out of the message. Meanwhile, whatever application you're in becomes inaccessible until the message is addressed, something that's been considered a major shortcoming.

With iOS 4, Apple introduced a slightly modified version of its push notification API that let apps send messages and alerts without going through any servers, though the user interface has remained the same.

As for widgets, this would be an intriguing feature for the company to add considering it's been offered as part of Mac OS X since early 2005. A patent filing granted to Apple earlier this month hinted that Apple was toying with the idea of grabbing chunks of Web pages to turn into widgets, effectively what it does with its Web Clip feature that's been a part of Mac OS X since 10.4 Tiger.

Whether Apple would put those widgets on the home screen is another matter entirely. Right now users have limited control where applications can go, and are required to rearrange icons to snap to a 4-by-5 grid, where any extra space can only be left after the last application on any given page. Maneuvering widgets there could take up more space--either horizontally, or vertically--and would change an organizational aesthetic that's been there since since the platform's early days. Based on that, any sort of widget system would likely require a complete re-think of how that works, or something similar to Dashboard on Mac OS X, where the widgets float down as a layer on top of whatever you're doing.

Over the years a number of third-party designers have come up with prototypes of how they'd re-do Apple's notification system, as well as work widgets into the equation. Here are some of the most recent ones:

App of the week : Weber’s On the Grill

2011-05-27T18:32:00.000-07:00

If you love to grill or barbecue, you are going to love this app! Weber’s On the Grill™ features 280 classic Weber recipes plus 40 recipes for rubs, marinades, and sauces that are sure to get you fired up to get out and grill. You can tag your favorites, and even create and share a master grocery list for your grilling recipes that you can take with you to the store. There’s a timer within the app, too, so you know exactly when to take your food off the grill.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

SEARCH AND BROWSE over 300 triple-tested, classic recipes from Weber’s best-selling cookbooks, from starters to desserts, including rubs, marinades, and sauces. Recipes are from Weber's Art of the Grill™, Weber's Big Book of Grilling™, Weber's Charcoal Grilling™, and Weber's Real Grilling™.

STORE ingredients from any recipe in an itemized grocery list. To make shopping easy, the ingredients are organized by category to facilitate shopping. You can add as many recipes to the grocery list as you want, and the app will combine all the ingredients you will need at the store. A simple check box lets you mark off items as you shop.

SHARE recipes and grocery lists with friends and family via email.

REFERENCE 100+ tips for expert grilling.

LEARN essential grilling techniques for taking your skills to the next level.

WATCH short instructional grilling videos by celebrity chef and cookbook author Jamie Purviance. TAG your favorite recipes and techniques for future reference.

Rumor : iOS 5 won't feature Apple's map service.

2011-05-27T12:50:00.000-07:00

Following today’s reports on iOS 5 coming with completely revamped notifications and widgets, 9to5google claims the next major version of iOS 5 won’t feature the map service Apple was rumored to be working on, but it will keep using Google Maps as in the current versions of iOS.

"Now, sources have told 9to5Google that although Apple is working to improve the iOS Maps application, iOS 5 will not bring an Apple developed maps service and Google Maps is still in. Besides Apple’s purchase of both Placebase and Poly9, some speculated that Apple is building their own maps service to either compete with Google or step away from their input into iOS."

The speculation on a map service developed by Apple to replace Google Maps integration on iOS devices indeed started after the company purchased Poly9 and Placebase — two companies focused on mapping softwares and location databases – also followed by various job postings Apple put up on its site, asking for map engineers and navigation experts to bring Maps for iOS “to the next level.” Putting this information together, many believed Apple skipped iOS 4 only to bring its new and improved maps to iOS 5, set to become publicly available later this year, perhaps in the Fall. Apple also briefly mentioned in the location tracking Q&A that they’re building an “improved traffic service” to launch in the next couple of years, giving more credence to the reports of Apple developing its own system, rather than an additional layer to Google Maps.

Others also suggested the disputes between Steve Jobs and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, as well as the competition with Android might be the reason behind Apple’s intention to drop Google Maps from iOS. While it might be true that Apple would rather use its own map solution rather than someone else’s, it’s worth noting that Google Maps is the de-facto solution for online maps (used by millions of users every day) and other Google services are embedded in iOS, such as Gmail integration and search.

iOS 5 will not be available for iPhone 3GS

2011-05-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

The iPhone 3GS has been released two years ago, so would it be able to work with the upcoming iOS from Apple?
Mobile phone blogger Eldar Murtazin stated on a tweet that that Apple won't update iPhone 3GS for the new iOS instead Apple will update iPhone 4 for it. The true question is, what would you do with your iPhone 3GS after iOS 5 comes to the market?. If you are addicted to Apple products like me, you probably won't stand not buying the newest version of iPhone.
I agree with Murtazin, i think iOS 5 won't be available for other versions than iPhone 4. It is likely that iOS 5 will include many advanced features that require heavy lifting from the graphics department, and the iPhone 3GS simply won't cut it. Rather than going through a performance-based customer service debacle like Apple did when it released iOS 3 for the original iPhone or iOS 4 for the iPhone 3G, I think Apple will just leave the 3GS off the list of compatible iPhones for iOS 5.