The iPhone Podcast

Tim Cook Pays Tribute To Steve Jobs At Apple Shareholders Meeting

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 04:44:08 -0500

Cook first mentions it is the first meeting since Jobs’s passed, says “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss him.” Cook thanks shareholders for their condolences, says his sadness has turned to determination.

Via Apple Shareholders Meeting: The Latest - U.S. Business News - CNBC

Another classy move by Tim Cook, and I believe he is more determined than ever to make Apple great.

Apple Acquires Chomp; App Store Search And Discovery To Be Completely Revamped

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:50:00 -0500

Apple Acquires Chomp; App Store Search And Discovery To Be Completely Revamped:

But the App Store is far from perfect. And with its immense scale, a few problems have been revealed. The biggest one is app discovery. There are now over 500,000 apps — how do you find anything?

Right now, it’s hard and getting harder by the day. The strong get stronger while new apps often have trouble breaking in. But with an acquisition that Apple has just made, they hope to change that. Apple has bought the app search and discovery platform Chomp, we’ve learned.

Via Apple Acquires Chomp; App Store Search And Discovery To Be Completely Revamped | TechCrunch

I really like Chomp and I look forward to some of their ideas being added to the iTunes App Store.

Reports suggest Office for iPad is still coming, despite Microsoft's denial

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:43:00 -0500

Reports suggest Office for iPad is still coming, despite Microsoft's denial:

Following Microsoft’s denial, Peter Ha, the news organization’s editor of its Apps & Tech section, took to his official Twitter account to claim that an image that accompanied the story in The Daily showing a purported screenshot of Office for iPad was not fake. He also shared a picture of the supposed iOS icon for Microsoft’s Office application.

He also hinted at more details to come, stating that if Microsoft was unhappy with the original report detailing Office for iPad, “they likely won’t be happy with our follow up.” Later on Tuesday, he tweeted, “Today was fun. Let’s do it again tomorrow!”

Via Reports suggest Office for iPad is still coming, despite Microsoft’s denial

On the most recent episode of the podcast I said that Microsoft better release Office for iPad soon. It looks like it might be happening, maybe even at the iPad 3 announcement. Apple likes to debut productivity apps at these events.

Apple's Chinese Factories: Exclusive Full Episode

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:30:43 -0500

Apple's Chinese Factories: Exclusive Full Episode :

ABC has posted the full episode on their web site.

Apple to open data center in Oregon | Macworld

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 02:05:00 -0500

Apple to open data center in Oregon | Macworld:

Apple has bought a vast sprawl of land in Prineville, Oregon, where it will open a data center, the company said on Wednesday.

The data center will be built on a 160-acre piece of land that Apple bought for $5.6 million. The purchase was first reported by news channel KTVZ earlier this week.

Via Apple to open data center in Oregon | Macworld

More proof that iCloud is the future.

Episode 48 of The iPhone Podcast is out now. Subscribe and...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0500

Episode 48 of The iPhone Podcast is out now.

Subscribe and download at theiphonepodcast.com

Daring Fireball: Mountain Lion

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:40:00 -0500

Daring Fireball: Mountain Lion:

My gut feeling though, is this. Apple didn’t want to hold an event to announce Mountain Lion because those press events are precious. They just used one for the iBooks/education thing, and they’re almost certainly on the cusp of holding a major one for the iPad. They don’t want to wait to release the Mountain Lion preview because they want to give Mac developers months of time to adopt new APIs and to help Apple shake out bugs. So: an announcement without an event. But they don’t want Mountain Lion to go unheralded. They are keenly aware that many observers suspect or at least worry that the Mac is on the wane, relegated to the sideline in favor of the new and sensationally popular iPad.

A total surprise, and further proof that almost all Apple rumors are at best speculation, and usually complete BS.

App Tally - Clear Is Now Available

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:00:06 -0500

App Tally - Clear Is Now Available:

Realmac Software has released their innovative list app ‘Clear’ for iPhone. The app has been creating a lot of buzz since its introduction at Macworld.

The app is all about using gestures (there are no buttons) to quickly create to-do lists. The UI is completely original and makes adding and checking off items easy and fun. This app is going to influence how we interact with mobile apps in the future.

Clear is a fast and beautiful checklist app ” it’s not a full featured productivity app. It doesn’t support notes, due dates, or notifications. It also doesn’t sync with other iOS or Mac devices.

Download Clear from iTunes

I love this app for making quick lists. I’ll keep using OmniFocus for iPhone for most of my task management stuff, but Clear is perfect for simple lists and to-dos.

I can’t explain how fun this app is to use: the gestures and sounds are incredibly endearing.

Apple: App Access to Contact Data Will Require Explicit User Permission

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:40:15 -0500

Apple: App Access to Contact Data Will Require Explicit User Permission:

“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines*,” Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.”

Like Locationgate before it, this story is completely overblown, but this is a smart move by Apple.

iPhone best at retaining resale value and offers lowest total cost of ownership

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:31:14 -0500

iPhone best at retaining resale value and offers lowest total cost of ownership:

The firm also states that “the cost of ownership of an iPhone is the lowest of all platforms,” noting that an iPhone only costs $13.20 per month if you resell it at the end of 18 months. An Android phone costs 40 percent more.

I sell my old iPhone every year for more than I paid for it. This profit helps subsidize the cost of voice and data plans.

Steve Jobs videos compiled into ultimate collection

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:26:49 -0500

Steve Jobs videos compiled into ultimate collection:

As pointed out by @nickbilton of The New York Times on Twitter, a pretty extensive collection of Steve Jobs’ interviews, keynotes, product demos, and rare company video was compiled by Scott Hurf on the video sharing website Chill. Head over to the site now to check out the full collection.

Great collection, and Chill looks like a cool site.

Daring Fireball: Walter Isaacson's 'Steve Jobs'

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:04:10 -0500

Daring Fireball: Walter Isaacson's 'Steve Jobs':

A must-read review of Walter Isaacson’s ‘Steve Jobs’. But read the whole book first.

Siri leaks her own upcoming ability to speak Japanese

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:40:31 -0500

Siri leaks her own upcoming ability to speak Japanese:

Siri is many things, but it seems she is not a good secret keeper. A few tipsters reached out and told us that Siri now speaks Japanese. Rumors earlier this month said Apple’s AI speech recognition interface would gain Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and possibly Russian. It now appears that Japanese is about to be announced, perhaps at the iPad 3 announcement next month.

Via Siri leaks her own upcoming ability to speak Japanese | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Prepare yourself for hundreds of similar stories. On the bright side, I’m sure Siri is a more reliable source than most of the these blogs have.

This is Tim: Apple CEO talks at investment conference

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:26:43 -0500

This is Tim: Apple CEO talks at investment conference:

On Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, where he was interviewed on stage by Bill Shope, Goldman Sachs’s IT hardware analyst. Here’s an edited transcript of what Cook had to say on a variety of topics, ranging from working conditions at Apple’s Chinese suppliers to Apple’s culture and ethos.

Via This is Tim: Apple CEO talks at investment conference | Macworld

Lots of interesting stuff here. It’s also worth pointing out that Steve Jobs didn’t speak at many of these conferences.

Video: Eddy Cue Accepts Special Grammy Award Honoring Steve Jobs

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:22:59 -0500

Via Eddy Cue Accepts Special Grammy Award Honoring Steve Jobs - YouTube

Steve is very deserving of this honor, and Eddy made a great speech.

AAPL hits $500 | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:13:40 -0500

AAPL hits $500 | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog:

Shares in Apple have reached a new all-time high today, pausing briefly at the stratospheric height of $503.83 this morning before dropping slightly below that level. It wasn’t all that long ago — three months — that Apple shares were quavering around $360.

Via AAPL hits $500 | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Amazing.

iOS passes Mac OS in Share of Web Traffic Propelled by Sales for Mobile and Tablet Devices | Chitika Insights

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:05:00 -0500

iOS passes Mac OS in Share of Web Traffic Propelled by Sales for Mobile and Tablet Devices | Chitika Insights:

The data shows that the web market shares of iOS and OS X have been converging steadily since August. iOS has been posting regular gains, and has experienced an overall growth of nearly 50%, whereas OS X has seen its market share decline by 25% since a high point in September. February marks the first point where a reversal in position can be seen in the respective operating systems. iOS passes Mac OS with 8.15% of all web traffic, whereas Mac OS only sees 7.96%.

Via iOS passes Mac OS in Share of Web Traffic Propelled by Sales for Mobile and Tablet Devices | Chitika Insights

This is only one study, and the method of measurement is questionable, but I think their conclusion is inevitable. Apple sold over 50 million iOS devices last quarter, and the mobile browsing experience is getting better all the time. I use Safari on the iPad more than any other browser.

Gary Ng and Justin Luey pay tribute to Steve Jobs on Episode...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:02:05 -0500

Gary Ng and Justin Luey pay tribute to Steve Jobs on Episode 47 of The iPhone Podcast.

Download or subscribe to the podcast at theiphonepodcast.com

Video: 'Rock God' iPhone 4S TV Spot

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:05 -0500

This is one reason that the iPhone 4S is the best selling phone on the planet.

Video: 'Road Trip' iPhone 4S TV Spot

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:40:00 -0500