Leander Kahney's Blog, page 1439

December 27, 2011

Apple Prepping 32-inch And 37-inch TV Sets For Fall 2012 Release [Rumor]

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With rumors of a standalone Apple television set ramping up, Digitimes is reporting that Apple has told suppliers to begin prepping for the manufacturing of an Apple TV set in the first business quarter of 2012, with an expected release in the fall.

The TVs in question will only be available in 32-inch and 37-inch flavors initially, according to the report. Rumors have suggested that Apple will eventually abandon the current Apple TV set-top box and focus on an integrated solution with its own television hardware.

The supply chain of Apple will start preparing materials for iTV sets in the first quarter of 2012 in order to meet Apple's schedule to launch the new display products in the second or the third quarter of 2012, according to industry sources.

A previous report from The New York Times claimed that Apple is working on a Siri-powered television with a projected release of late-2012 or early-2013. This report from Digitimes lines up with a recent piece from The Wall Street Journal in which it is said that Apple will reduce the price of the current Apple TV boxes and continue to sell them alongside a new television. Apple executives have reportedly been planning an 'iTV' for years, with Steve Jobs admitting that he had "finally cracked it" to biographer Walter Isaacson.

Analysts have predicted that Apple is working to bring TV-like functionality to the iMac instead of creating a standalone television. Rumors from overseas have also indicated that Apple is focusing on smaller screen sizes for its future TVs.

The real question will be whether Apple decides to release one more iteration of the Apple TV set-top box before lowering its retail price. Since people don't buy new televisions often, it would make sense to continue offering a plug-in solution for customers that recently bought an expensive flatscreen.

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Published on December 27, 2011 18:19

Apple Attempts To Explain iTunes Match With A Dedicated Webpage And Video

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Apple has felt the need to create a dedicated webpage and how-to video for iTunes Match, the company's new music service. iTunes Match became available for US customers in November, while 17 other countries were added to the availability list last week.

The new webpage for iTunes Match is home to a handy video walkthrough and more details about the service, including a 10-question FAQ.There's been plenty of confusion surrounding iTunes Match since its release. Does the service actually stream music? Will iTunes Match override your previous music settings on your iOS devices? (Hint: It does.) What happens if you don't renew your $25/year subscription?

Apple's how-to video explains the basics of iTunes Match and how to get the service up and running in iTunes on your computer. The FAQ answers more specific questions, like device and file format support.

Perhaps Apple could have done itself the biggest favor by naming iTunes Match something else. While "Match" is clearly meant to indicate that Apple matches your tracks in the iTunes Store, the name "iTunes Match" represents an action, not the result.

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Published on December 27, 2011 17:52

Flurry Analytics Reports New Android And iOS Device Activations Up 353% On Christmas Day

Christmas day has historically been a record shattering day in terms of new device activations and app downloads. This Christmas was no different according to these recent stats published by Flurry Analytics. Using a baseline average taken from the first 20 days of December, Flurry showed that new Android and iOS device activations rose 353% on Christmas day. While averaging around 1.5 million activations during the month of December, activations jumped to more than 6.8 million on Christmas day. Ho, ho, ho — ly rising reindeer! That's a staggering increase and to get a better feel for just how impressive those numbers are, only 2.8 million devices were activated last Christmas day.

Flurry also estimates app downloads to have increased 125% on Christmas day compared to previous days in December. This Christmas also saw the single largest number of app downloaded in a single day with over a quarter of a billion downloads — more than doubling any previous day in the history of Android and iOS (excluding December 24th). They go on to chart app downloads throughout a 24 hour period, per hour, and show an astonishing 175 million apps being downloaded between 11AM and 11PM Christmas day. These numbers just reiterate the fact that the mobile market is growing at a stupefying rate and remains open to tremendous opportunities.

So how did you spend your Christmas? Did you download any apps or activate a new device? Did you help contribute to these record shattering numbers? I know we did! We hope you're enjoying your new device or app as much as we are. Here's to more mobile mayhem in the year 2012! Cheers!

Source: Flurry Blog via CNET

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Published on December 27, 2011 12:28

China Getting iPhone 4S By Jan. 23 [Report]

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Apple will introduce the iPhone 4S in China before the the populous nation celebrates the Year of the Dragon on January 23. That's the word from the country's People's Daily. According to the publication, the government Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Dec. 22 gave the tech giant the go-ahead to debut its latest device.

The news site said Apple's smartphone will be introduced "at the beginning of January 2012″ in time for the Chinese New Year. Although the specific model was not mentioned in the government's approval, the filing indicates model number A1431, the same identifier used when Apple obtained an earlier network entry permit for the iPhone 4S.

In contrast to the fast rollout elsewhere, the iPhone 4S introduction has involved a lengthy process. However, early signs are that China's consumers are equally anxious to get their hands on the smartphone. In Hong Kong, it took only minutes for the iPhone 4S to sell out when introduced in November. For weeks now, China Unicom has taken iPhone 4S pre-orders.

The voice-recognition system Siri, which gained immediate fans in the U.S. and other English-speaking regions, will also be hotly-desired in China. Apple is expected to introduce support for China's most popular language, Mandarin, by March of 2012, reports suggest.

Still to be resolved is whether Apple can land the big fish — China Mobile — expanding its customer base by many millions.

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Published on December 27, 2011 08:50

Learn How to Code iOS With This Two Course Combo [Deals.CultofMac]

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Mobile is the future of technology and apps are the driving force of the mobile economy. Those who can build and design apps will be the most sought after talent. Anyone can come up with an idea for an app…it's the getting it built that's the tough part. So, if you've ever had a killer idea for an iPhone app, then the iOS Foundations bundle could be your chance to learn the one-two punch of iOS app programing from one of the best, Mark Lassoff.

After getting feedback from our customers, we found that the most effective way for a beginner to learn how to build iOS apps is to offer a combo of 2 courses: C Programming: iOS Development Starts Here!and the Objective C for Beginners. And, we're including both courses for the price of 1 – just $79.

With a nearly combined 8 hours of material, dynamic video instruction, comprehensive lab exercisesand dozens of fully functional code examples, these courses will give you the foundation you need to get started.

If you've been frustrated by iOS courses in the past because you didn't have the prerequisite knowledge, don't worry about it because Mark Lassoff will teach you the 'A to Z' of C programming; and from there you'll have the foundation to take off with his Objective C course which will get your brain dancing.

These courses will give you the tools you need to get after it. It's just a matter of whether or not you're ready to shine; and if you are, we're here to help make it happen.

Because we believe in Mark Lassoff's abilities, we'll give you 30 days to test the courses out and if they don't live up to your expectations, we'd be happy to refund you with no questions asked.

C Programming Course – What you'll learn:

• How to use Apples XCode Development Environment
• The structure of a C program
• How to use variables to hold values
• Important programming structures like loops, conditionals and arrays
• How to manage pointers and understand computer memory
• How to dereference pointer values and pass information by reference
• How to create C-style character arrays
• How to create and manage C-functions

Objective C Course – What you'll learn:

• Extensive, informative, and interesting video lecture
• Complete code demonstrated in lecture
• Lab exercises
• Lab solutions
• Instructor support for questions and clarifications
• Coverage of all important HTML and CSS concepts

Meet the Instructor:

Mark Lassoff's clients include the Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin, Discover Card Services, and Kaiser Permanente. He has consulted for companies such as Dell, Target, Lockheed Martin, and government agencies including the US House of Representatives. In addition to traditional classroom training and consulting, Mark has founded his own website, www.LearnToProgram.tv. Here he continually pushes the envelope with sharing his expertise to allow for people to make a difference in this world.

How long can you access your online lectures?

Indefineatly! As long as you have online access, you'll be able to access them from anywhere. You can also download the videos to your computer to access them offline.

You can get this bundle right now over at Deals.CultofMac.com for $79.

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Published on December 27, 2011 08:32

Italy Slaps Apple With $1.2M Fine Due to 'Unfair' Warranties

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iPods in Rome (Photo/PitsLamp photography - http://flic.kr/p/EVR7x)

You probably throw most product warranties in the trash without reading them. Not so for an Italian antitrust group, which found Apple retailers' one-year guarantee lacking and fined the Cupertino, Calif. company 900,000 euros or $1.2 million.

Italy's Antitrust Authority ruled two Apple retailers failed to provide that country's consumers with the mandated two-year product warranty, creating "unfair commercial practices." Apple traditionally provides a one-year warranty on its products, then offers a second year through AppleCare for a price.

The $1.2 million fine was assessed to Apple Sales International, Apple Itali Srl and Apple Retail Italia, according to the Wall Street Journal (requires paid subscription.) The fine was for "not providing clear information to customers on product assistance," says the report.

Because the Apple units did not tell consumers the warranty was for one year rather than two, Italy fined the tech giant 400,000 euros. Another 500,000 euro penalty was given because Apple did not provide consumers enough information about the AppleCare extension option.

Apple has nine stores in Italy.

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Published on December 27, 2011 07:41

Porn, Lava and the Westboro Baptist Church: Most Bizarre Apple Moments of 2011 [Year in Review]

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Westboro Baptist Church vs. Cupertino

We could subtitle this the "Steve Jobs" edition, his death in October gave rise to any number of oddball

The fall, and rise again of FaceTime adult services. Apple's desire to keep their devices G-rated hasn't stopped adult chat services from trying. But iP4Play, the first company to launch a porn chat service over FaceTime went bust this year, citing low FaceTime adoption.

That didn't stop another come-hither chat service,UK-based Saucytime from tossing its G-string into the arena in November. Can a virtual lapdance service last longer on FaceTime than this slinky rendition of "How Mable Get Sable Cha Cha Cha?" We'll let you know.

Apple employees team up with police to track another lost prototype, get sued. This story is harder to follow than the latest Dr. Who series but here goes: another Apple employee reportedly lost an iPhone prototype, this time in San Francisco bar Cava. Two Apple security experts allegedly searched 22-year-old Sergio Calderon's house, along with police, hoping to find the lost phone. The San Francisco Police Department has said two Apple employees searched Calderon's home, car and computer while SFPD officers waited outside.

"My focus is primarily on Apple. I'm trying to figure out why Apple did this," said Calderon's lawyer David Monroe. The prototype hasn't been recovered and a legal case is still pending.

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Artist who hacked New York City Apple stores for a photo project under investigation by the Secret Service. 25-year-old Kyle McDonald, a digital artist who installed a program that secretly took photographs of people using the Macs at two New York City Apple Stores, had his own computers confiscated by the United States Secret Service. He may face criminal charges for installing a program that snapped pics on the sly at the West 14th Street and SoHo Apple Stores.

McDonald said his project was a statement on the way people become obliviated by machines.

"We have this expression on our face [when we use computers] that basically says that we're not interacting with anybody, we're interacting with the machine," he said. "Even if there are a lot of people in the room at the Apple store, you're not interacting with them. If something weird happens, you don't say, 'Hey, did you see that?'"

The iPad 2 vs. Lava. In a more extreme take on the microwaving, torching and shooting of Apple devices we've seen previously, this time from accessory maker ZooGue pits Apple's iPad against hot lava. While the outcome is pretty darn predictable, watching that river of molten lava engulfing a man-made device has a decidedly primal appeal. What's next – iPads cannonballed to their fiery demise in space?

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Apple sidelines controversial DUI checkpoint apps from iTunes, kinda. Bowing to pressure from lawmakers after a U.S. senate hearing, Apple updated the review guidelines to sideline new apps that might be seen as aiding drunk drivers avoid getting caught by police. Some of the grandfathered apps are still available, as are a bunch of drinking games. Salut!

The iPad pinky ripper gets 25 years. 2011 brought an end (we sincerely hope) to the story of Brandon Smith, who ripped off part of Bill Jordan's finger in a parking lot iPad robbery. Smith, 22, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The Denver Post reported that Brandon Smith apologized to the victim, Bill Jordan, who did not appear in court for the sentencing hearing "because he fears for his life." The scales looked weighted after Smith reportedly thought his theft case would go away if the victim was 'eliminated.'

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Published on December 27, 2011 07:30

Apple iPod Touch, iPad Lead List of Favorite Holiday iGifts [Survey]

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In the war between Apple and Android, there are no holiday breaks. That incessant back-and-forth could be seen in how many devices were activated during the Christmas weekend. According to a mobile analytics firm, Apple destroyed Android in places like the U.S., the U.K. and Germany, often spearheaded by the iPod touch and iPad.

Overall, Apple's lead was small — 12.5 times more device activated versus 12 times for Android — but regionally, there were stark differences. In the U.S. for instance, iOS device activations were 15 to 16 times the number of Android. Domestically, we saw 21 more iPod touch devices and 14 times as many iPhones, according to Localytics.

Still, Android was popular in 14 of the 20 countries surveyed, particularly in Asian nations like South Korea and some European countries, such as Sweden.

What's the takeaway from these numbers? Despite less growth in mature markets like the U.S. and the U.K., the Apple brand remains very strong. Android is still seen as the less-expensive alternative to the iOS, particularly in some Asian countries – particularly in home countries of Android makers such as Samsung's South Korea. In terms of the all-important China question, Apple may encounter a bumpy road should Android gain a foothold there in 2012.

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Published on December 27, 2011 06:42

iOS 5.0.1 Untethered Jailbreak Is Now Available To Crack Most Devices!

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Well, isn't this a nice little late Christmas gift. Following the last month of updates, pod2g has finally released his untethered iOS 5.01 jailbreak through the iPhone Dev Team and Chronic Dev Team. But sorry chaps, it won't work on the iPhone 4S or iPad 2. Not yet, anyway.

The iOS 5 and iOS 5.0.1 untethered jailbreak only works on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch 3G and 4G, and the iPad 1. The reason why the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 aren't supported is because the A5 chip used in both have had their security tightened, making it impossible to use geohot's limera1n exploit to inject the untethering mechanism into the device.

pod2g's working on extending the untether to iPhone 4S and iPad 2, but it could take time. I'm a little surprised he released the jailbreak without getting it working on the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, frankly: seems like it might give Apple enough time to close the exploit.

You can download the new untethered jailbreak from either Chronic Dev Team or The Dev Team. Watch for our jailbreaking guide later today.

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Published on December 27, 2011 06:26

December 26, 2011

Jailbreak Developers Release Free And Legal Siri Port In Cydia

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Known developers Grant Paul (a.k.a 'chpwn') and Ryan Petrich have released a working Siri port for older, jailbroken iOS devices in Cydia. "Spire" will install Siri on older-generation iOS devices, including the original iPad.

Spire downloads Siri directly from Apple's servers. The only catch is that you will need access to an iPhone 4S and your own proxy to get the port up and running.

Grant Paul broke the news on his personal blog moments ago:

Spire is my (along with Ryan Petrich) new tool for installing Siri on previously unsupported, but jailbroken, devices. Spire is a small download, but while installing it will download Siri itself (directly from Apple). Spire is available in Cydia right now — go get it! This will use about 100 MB of data, so please connect to Wi-Fi before installing.

Not only is Spire legal, but it's available for free. Older-generation iOS devices will still need an iPhone 4S authentication key to enter into Spire's proxy server address field. Using Pete Lamonica's SiriProxy (the same brain behind the Siri-powered car remote, TV remote, etc. demos), Spire will allow Siri to function in its full capacity on non-4S hardware.

Creating your own SiriProxy is relatively straightforward (and yet a little tedious) to setup. A step-by-step tutorial to installing your own SiriProxy can be found here. You will need a SiriProxy set up for Spire to work on jailbroken iOS devices.

Grant Paul says that Spire circumvents the copyright issues that have kept a Siri port withheld from the general public:

Spire uses a new method to obtain the files necessary for Siri, so it doesn't have the copyright issues encountered by previous attempts. Similarly, rather than directing all traffic through a specific proxy server (and the associated privacy issues), Spire allows you to specify your own proxy server.

Video of Siri running on older-generation hardware surfaced a couple of months ago, and Steven Troughton-Smith provided the backbone for Spire. Grant Paul and Ryan Petrich continued to work on the port and get it ready for release. Troughton-Smith tells 9to5Mac that, "Until the iPhone 4S is jailbroken, this is the best Siri port. When the iPhone 4S is jailbroken, then we can avoid the proxy server issues."

Users with jailbroken iOS devices can search for Spire in Cydia and install it now. Spire will run on the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, first-gen iPad, and 3rd and 4th-gen iPod touch. Let us know how it goes for you in the comments!