Apple News and Views

Report: Apple Stores' EasyPay to be updated for Passbook

2012-10-15T23:54:00Z

Apple, which launched the "EasyPay" system of allowing users to buy accessories and self-checkout at Apple Stores by scanning a bar code with the Apple Store app on their iOS device late last year, plans to add Passbook functionality that could allow users to buy (and eventually even reload) Apple Store gift cards, possibly book Genius Bar appointments or provide reservations on top-selling items, or allow users to buy more expensive hardware and other items using Passbook's pay codes....

Review: iPod touch (2012)

2012-10-15T23:46:00Z

Apple's new fifth generation iPod touch takes the model upscale, with a higher entry price that supports better components and features while making room for the newly redesigned iPod nano (and last year's iPod touch) below it.

Study: Americans overpaying for LTE

2012-10-15T23:37:00Z

American wireless customers are paying significantly more for LTE service than are their counterparts in Europe. This according to a new study from the research arm of the GSM Association, which represents mobile operators. The study looked at LTE service rates in the United States and in several European countries, finding that data policies among the major American carriers, in combination with a lack of competition, are driving up the cost of service far beyond what European customers pay....

Apple Stores reportedly set to support Passbook-based purchases

2012-10-15T23:31:00Z

Apple will reportedly be rolling out changes to existing EasyPay point-of-sale system to include payments from Passbook by the end of October, finally bringing support for the iOS 6 feature to the company's brick-and-mortar retail outlets.

Apple appeals Japan court's pro-Samsung ruling in patent infringement suit

2012-10-15T22:30:00Z

In Apple's ongoing worldwide patent litigation with Samsung, the company on Monday filed for an appeal of a Tokyo District Court ruling that said the Korean electronics giant did not infringe on certain utility patents.

TD Bank backup tapes lost: 260,000 customers exposed

2012-10-15T22:05:00Z

Cherry Hill, NJ based TD Bank has reported to the Attorneys General of 11 states that 260,000 customers may be affected by a data breach. Unencrypted backup tapes including names, address, date of birth, driver's license number, account information, and Social Security numbers were "misplaced" by the bank during a transport in March....

Apple expands iMac HD replacement program

2012-10-15T20:48:00Z

Apple has expanded the range of iMacs eligible for a hard drive replacement in its iMac 1TB Seagate replacement program. The program, launched in July of 2011, formerly covered iMacs sold between May and July of 2011. Under the expansion, iMacs with 1TB Seagate hard drives sold between October 2009 and July 2011 will now be eligible for replacements....

Siri, why did Apple hire Amazon’s William Stasior to run you?

2012-10-15T20:56:37Z

Apple has lured William Stasior away from Amazon where he ran the online retailer’s A9 program and was formerly Amazon’s director of search and navigation. AllThingsD reported Stasior’s move on Monday, saying that Apple’s new hire will run the unit responsible for Siri, Apple’s personal assistant software. This indicates that Siri — and search functionality in general for Apple devices — is gaining importance for the company.

This move follows Apple’s choice to remove Google Maps from its iOS 6 software and replace the function with Apple’s own Maps application. One gap here is that Google’s search prowess shines in Maps, while Apple’s search features are lacking by comparison. Apple also relies on Google to power web searches on its iOS devices, although users can also choose Yahoo or Bing as the default search engine. Simply put, Apple is still heavily reliant on others for search functionality.

With Stasior’s background in search — A9 is the search engine Amazon uses for its website — it appears that Apple’s future in search is one of its own design. That fits with the company’s integrated approach as well: It prefers to optimize its hardware, software and services on its own, rather than rely on outsiders. Also of note: Amazon’s A9 isn’t just a search function; it uses algorithms for advertising. Stasior’s experience in this area could give Apple’s iAds a boost as well.

As a result of this hire, it’s likely iOS would see some noticeable improvements in how Siri can be used to contextually search for information. Apple’s voice-activated virtual assistant software is helpful today, but hasn’t matured much since launching a year ago. Better understanding of what device owners are — or might be, in a proactive way — searching for could help Siri become an information predictor; something that Google Now has become on new Android phones.

T-Mobile’s iPhone-friendly network overhaul: 2 cities down, 227 to go

2012-10-15T20:40:20Z

T-Mobile’s network overhaul may not be going as quickly as some unlocked iPhone owners may have hoped, but it is happening. On Monday, T-Mobile said in a blog post that it has successfully retuned its 3G network in Kansas City to the 1900 MHz PCS band, which just happens to make it compatible with all generations of the iPhone.

KC is only the second city T-Mobile has officially announced as upgraded – Las Vegas was the first – but there has been a lot of activity going on behind the scenes since T-Mo started this process in the summer. Website Airportal.de is keeping a tally of HSPA+ sightings in T-Mobile’s PCS frequencies. The submissions are all unverified, but the map shows activity in dozens of cities from Boston to Los Angeles.

T-Mobile isn’t selling the iPhone, of course, but the carrier has always aggressively recruited iPhone owners to its SIM-card plans. T-Mobile claims to have more than 1 million customers on such bring-your-own-iPhone plans. The problem was, until now, it wasn’t able to offer those customers anything beyond 2G data speeds due to the incompatibility of the iPhone’s 3G radios with the T-Mobile network. With the network overhaul, that all changes.

T-Mobile expects to complete the relocation of its HSPA+ network – which T-Mobile refers to as 4G – in its entire 229-market footprint by mid-2013. After that it will build an LTE network in the spectrum HSPA+ vacated. At that point, T-Mobile also hopes to have closed its merger with MetroPCS, which will give its sizable hunks of new 4G bandwidth in key cities like New York and San Francisco. By the time the overhaul is complete in 2014, T-Mobile’s networks will by in synch with those of the other major North American operators, and hopefully that spells the end of T-Mobile’s long incompatibility with Apple devices.

Apple grabs Amazon A9 exec to run Siri unit

2012-10-15T20:07:00Z

Apple has reportedly brought on William Stasior, an executive at Amazon who runs A9, Amazon's search and search advertising unit. Stasior will now take over the unit within Apple dedicated to its Siri digital assistant. The hire is thought to be aimed at improving Siri's search capabilities, and observers note that it could signal a stronger move into Internet search for Apple, a company that has typically relied on third-party services to power search in its devices....

Apple hires Amazon executive to head its Siri search team

2012-10-15T19:37:00Z

Apple has hired William Stasior, a former Amazon executive and "prominent search technologist," who will now run its Siri personal assistant division.

Briefly: AmliTube Credit promo, The Fall Trilogy launched

2012-10-15T19:39:00Z

Until the end of October IK Multimedia is offering a special promotion on AmpliTube Custom Shop Credit Packs, offering customers double the amount of credits they purchase. Furthermore, if 1000 people participate in the promotion all customers will receive another credit pack that is the same size as the original purchase. The price of Total Workstation XL and Total Studio 3 bundles have also been temporarily reduced to $200 and $250 respectively....

Apple Hires Amazon A9 Executive William Stasior to Run Siri

2012-10-15T19:51:53Z

Nice scoop from Kara Swisher:

Apple has hired major Amazon exec and prominent search technologist William Stasior to run its Siri unit, according to sources. At the online retail giant, Stasior has been in charge of A9, Amazon’s search and search advertising unit. The former AltaVista exec co-founded the independent company and has run it since Udi Manber left for Google.

Stasior has an impressive pedigree (you can read his resume and see a really geeky binary image he posted of himself here).

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Samsung Official Cites Serious Chip Rift With Apple

2012-10-15T19:39:13Z

Brooke Crothers, reporting for CNet:

Samsung’s multibillion dollar component supplier partnership with Apple is beginning to unravel, according to a South Korea-based report, which quotes a Samsung official. Though Samsung makes Apple’s newest A6 chip used in the iPhone 5, the relationship between the two companies has changed substantially, according to a report in Korea Times.

Shocker.

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2012-10-15T19:43:29Z

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Apple Hires Former AltaVista and Amazon Search Exec to Run Siri Unit

2012-10-15T19:37:50Z

Apple has hired William Stasior, a search veteran from Amazon and early search engine AltaVista, to run its Siri unit, according to a report from All Things D.

Stasior was previously in charge of Amazon's A9 unit, the company's worldwide search and search advertising division.

Stasior has an impressive pedigree (you can read his resume and see a really geeky binary image he posted of himself here). The MIT Ph.D. has taught here too and has done stints at Oracle, Netcentives and AltaVista. He came to Amazon in 2003 as its director of search and navigation.

He will now be in charge of Siri, which is Apple’s famous voice-activated personal-assistant program. The tech giant acquired Siri in April of 2010 to garner a big stake in voice-activated search.

Apple purchased Siri in April 2010 and launched Siri as a major component of iOS 5 and the iPhone 4S in October 2011. However, two major Siri executives -- Adam Cheyer and Dag Kittlaus have left the company in the past year.

The addition of Stasior, a search expert, to the Siri team could give a hint to where Apple plans to take the product in the future.

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Apps: AppDelete, MacFamilyTree, Monolingual

2012-10-15T18:10:00Z

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2012-10-15T18:06:00Z

FBI issues warning to smartphone users regarding Android malware

2012-10-15T18:44:00Z

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has issued a warning alerting users about malware that targets the Android mobile operating system.

Apple Retail Store to Embrace Passbook for In-Store Payments

2012-10-15T18:57:43Z

Apple Retail Store customers will soon be able to pay for product in-store using the new Passbook feature of iOS 6, according to a report from 9to5Mac. It appears to be an expansion of the self-checkout option that was added to the Apple Store app last year.

While Apple’s EasyPay software should be ready for Passbook this month, some sources noted that the current EasyPay hardware, at least at some retail stores, may not be capable of scanning iOS device displays. Presumably, Apple has a solution for this in the works.

Also, Apple’s plans for rolling out the consumer-facing Apple Store app update to support Passbook-based Apple Store cards is currently unclear. But with Apple preparing to seed software to its stores that interacts with Passbook on customer iPhones and iPod touches, we believe that the feature is close to being a rolled out.

It is likely, though not confirmed, that customers will now be able to pay for Macs and iPads in-store with their iTunes account payment information. This would be a change from the current system where users can only purchase select accessories using the EasyPay self-checkout system within the Apple Store app.

This past June, Apple reported having 400 million active accounts in iTunes with credit cards attached. It's easy to see how Passbook could be expanded from its current feature set to include payments to third party providers in competition with Square and other such services.

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