Apple on Tuesday reported a quarterly profit of $9.5 billion on revenue of $43.6 billion for its fiscal second quarter.
According to Apple, it sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 19.5 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 11.8 million in the year-ago quarter. The company sold just under 4 million Macs, compared to 4 million in the year-ago quarter.
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As planned, Apple has announced its Q2 2013 earnings results.
Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter ended March 30, 2013. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $43.6 billion and quarterly net profit of $9.5 billion, or $10.09 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $39.2 billion and net profit of $11.6 billion, or $12.30 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 37.5 percent compared to 47.4 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 66 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
The Company sold 37.4 million iPhones in the quarter, compared to 35.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 19.5 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 11.8 million in the year-ago...
Apple has released the results for its second fiscal quarter, posting $43.6 billion in revenue. More details soon.
| Read more »Just off the wires, Apple is more than doubling its capital returns citing its inability to stop making more money than it can spend to “operate the business, invest in our future, and maintain flexibility to take advantage of strategic opportunities.”
As part of this program, Apple’s board has increased its share repurchase authorization to $60 billion from the $10 billion level announced last year. This is the largest single share repurchase authorization in history and is expected to be executed by the end of calendar 2015. Apple also expects to utilize about $1 billion annually to net-share-settle vesting restricted stock units.
More details in the press release that follows:
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CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple® today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a significant increase...
| Read more »Help is on the way. DirecTV has been demoing a new app, due out in beta this summer, that will let you search using voice for your desired programs or movies. You can use an actor's name, a show title, or just about anything that would identify a program. DirecTV has partnered with Nuance, the company behind Siri from Apple, for the voice recognition so the app is likely to work as least as well as Siri at recognizing your input. It's welcome news if you are suffering "death by typing" using the DirecTV remote, or even the current DTV iOS app.
As we all know, Siri isn't perfect, but it is probably the best of breed in voice recognition. At any rate, saying things like "Show me Columbo episodes this weekend" or "Find some Bruce Willis movies" should work fine. The app works while you are away from home to set up items to record, and of course works from your...
| Read more »Apple announced record sales for its March quarter on Tuesday, thanks to strong demand for the iPhone and iPad. But the company’s quarterly profits fell from the year-ago quarter.
Apple’s revenue rose 11 percent to $43.6 billion for the quarter ended March 30. Income fell to $9.5 billion from $11.6 billion last year.
You can get a complete overview of Apple’s quarterly performance or follow the company’s quarterly briefing with analysts below.
Apple 2Q 2013 Financial Report
Click here to read: Apple 2Q 2013 Financial Report
| Read more »Apple’s iAd Producer tool for creating HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript ads for its iAd platform gets updated to version 4.0 today and adds a number of notable new features on top of some performance enhancements that Apple outlined in a knowledge base article. The updated app now allows users to create iBooks Author widgets, iTunes LPs, and iTunes Extras. Apple provides more information on the new features, such as creating an iBooks Author Widget for iBooks Author projects on the iAd Producer support page:
You can create an iBooks Author widget for use in your iBooks Author projects. For example, you can create a widget that allows users to stream video from the Internet, draw using their finger, or interact with a timeline.
A full list of what’s new in iAd Producer 4.0 including: folder-based...
A new Cut the Rope game has hit the App Store from ZeptoLab UK Limited. Cut the Rope: Time Travel ($1) features two monsters to feed in each level as the physics-based puzzler returns in different new settings, including the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, a pirate ship, ancient Egypt,…
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Apple’s official Apple Store application for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated with some neat notifications-related enhancements:
- Choose to receive notifications that let you know exactly when you’re eligible for upgrade pricing on a new iPhone. And since all you need to complete the order is your Apple ID and password, buying your new iPhone is fast and easy (US only).
- Stay on top of your delivery with notifications. We’ll let you know when your order ships, keep you informed of any updates, and notify you when it’s delivered.
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Google has purchased natural language processing engine Wavii for more than $30 million, according to TechCrunch.
Read the full story on 9to5Google.
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| Read more »Google has released a native iPad app for subscribers of its Fiber TV service. Users can browse and search for shows that are airing live, as well as on-demand content, and anything recorded to DVR. On-demand content can in fact be both bought and watched using the app.... ...
| Read more »Anybody who has been watching Apple's share prices since September 2012 would think that the company is in the midst of a huge crisis. Shares of AAPL have dropped from a high of over US$700 a share to around $400 now, and the financial press is sure that the company is doomed. Abdel Ibrahim, co-founder of The Tech Block and a technical analysis trader for about ten years, points out that based on a look at historical data, large upswings in AAPL share price followed by swift downturns are actually quite normal for the company.
Ibrahim based his analysis on what is called Fibonacci retracements, a method of technical analysis that uses "the idea that markets will retrace a predictable portion of a move, after which they will continue to move in the original direction." In other words, the share price will rise significantly, then fall back to a lower level before...
| Read more »According to information analysis firm NPD Group, the Apple iTunes Store holds a commanding lead in video digital downloads, both for movies and television shows. In 2012, the research firm claims that 67 percent of television show purchases and 65 percent of movie sales were made on Apple's marketplace, up slightly from 2011.... ...
| Read more »Yesterday in the MacNN forums, Professional Poster "Paco500" was looking for assistance with a trackpad that was not registering clicks on a MacBook Air. In the thread titled "21.5-inch iMac" Professional Poster "mattyb" was trying to decide between purchasing two different iMac models, but was looking for some advice from other forum-goers before taking the plunge.... ...
| Read more »Apple's online store currently has a wide selection of current-generation refurbished 27-inch iMac models starting at $1,529. The recertified 27-inch iMac with a 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive has been reduced by $270 to $1,529. Save $300 on the 27-inch iMac with a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, now $1,699.... ...
| Read more »This week eCost.com has reduced the price on the refurbished LaCie 1TB Little Big Disk external hard drive with Thunderbolt from $449.99 down to $169.99, a savings of $280. That's about $180 less than buying this hard drive brand new anywhere else. This hard drive features 1TB of storage space in a compact, lightweight form factor with Thunderbolt connectivity that can be used to play, edit and acquire multiple uncompressed A/V streams directly from the drive regardless of the resolution of the content. A limited warranty is included from LaCie.... ...
| Read more »This week, eCost.com has reduced the price on the refurbished LaCie 1TB Little Big Disk external hard drive with Thunderbolt from $450 down to $170, a savings of $280. That's about $180 less than buying this hard drive brand new anywhere else. This hard drive features 1TB of storage space in a compact, lightweight form factor with Thunderbolt connectivity that can be used to play, edit and acquire multiple uncompressed A/V streams directly from the drive regardless of the resolution of the content. A limited warranty is included from LaCie.... ...
| Read more »We'll find out how Apple's financial fortunes are faring a bit later this afternoon, but for now there's a report out of The NPD Group showing that Apple now dominates home digital video the way it does the digital music market.
The numbers are staggering: Apple's iTunes Store had a 67 percent share of electronic sell-through (EST) for television shows in 2012. How big is that? The nearest competitor was Xbox Video with a 14 percent share of EST.
The stats were also in favor of Apple for feature-length movie downloads, with the company pulling in a 65 percent share of EST. Xbox Video and Amazon Instant video weren't even...
| Read more »In the past couple of installments of TUAW's productivity tips, I've discussed a number of ways to keep you focused on your tasks. Managing those tasks will be the next big-picture topic, but this week I wanted to keep it short and simple, just like your breaks should be.
Yes, you should take breaks, especially if you are a knowledge worker and/or you have to focus on tasks which require a great deal of problem solving. There's a lot of evidence that shows...
| Read more »Hewlett-Packard has just posted a video of its new touch-screen, graphing calculator to be released in the fall of 2013. Early information for the HP Prime includes a BASIC programming language and ability to run various solver apps. It has 32 MB of RAM, 256 MB of Flash memory, a 3.5-inch color touch-screen with 320 x 240 resolution, and will be about 10 mm thick. It looks to be derived from the previous family of HP-39g and HP-50g graphing calculator technology, but the new model has a beautiful brushed metal look and what seems to be a cleaner keyboard design. No pricing or specific release date has been announced. It's really great to see HP continuing its tradition of quality RPN hand-held calculators for engineering and science.
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It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD).
Deals from Dealnews
Apple is now selling refurbished seventh-generation iPod nanos in its online store for $129. All colors are now available, except for red. Refurbished fifth-generation iPod touch models also recently went on sale in the online store. [via 9to5Mac]
| Read more »Philip Elmer-DeWitt posted a story about Samsung paying people to talk shit about Apple, then this happened.
∞ Read this on The Loop
A newly granted patent would allow owners of Apple devices to retrieve passwords by connecting to a specific peripheral, potentially eliminating the need for traditional recovery methods. ...
| Read more »Regardless of whether or not you think paying taxes for online purchases is right, it's time to get ready to pony up a little extra money when you buy from Internet stores. Cash strapped states are pushing for Internet sales tax, and it looks like the Federal government is ready to make that happen.
Apple has added the seventh-generation iPod nano to the refurbished section of its US online store. Picking a refurb unit drops the price by $20, down to $129. All seven basic colors are available, but not the (PRODUCT) RED option, which sends some proceeds to fight AIDS in Africa.... ...
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Google launched its Google Fiber TV for iPad app today allowing Google Fiber customers to transform their iPads into QWERTY keyboard, TV guide yielding TV remotes.
For the past month, our Fiber TV customers have been able to control their TVs with any recent Android device. Using the Fiber TV app from the Google Play Store, they can search for programming, browse listings, and select shows or recordings with just the...
Nike continues to improve the now one-year-old Nike+ Fuelband by adding new features to its iOS app. The latest version ups your motivation by letting you compare your level of fitness with your friends. The new Nike+ Friends feature has a custom leader board that pulls in information from your Fuelband-wearing friends. Another new feature in version 1.5 lets you add a photo to your fitness highlights so you can show people where you were and who you were with when reached those milestones.
The Nike Fuelband app for iOS is available for free and requires a Nike+ Fuelband. The Fuelband is available from Nike or the...
| Read more »A patent-holding company that already won a $200 million patent settlement from Microsoft in 2010 is going after the software giant again. Yesterday, VirnetX filed suit in the East Texas judicial district that it favors, seeking another patent win against Redmond.
This new lawsuit lawsuit (PDF) asserts six patents that are alleged to cover Skype (which Microsoft purchased in 2011) as well as Microsoft products that may integrate Skype, like Lync, Microsoft's instant-messaging platform. The suit says the infringement is willful because Microsoft should have known about these patents due to VirnetX's earlier lawsuit and the license agreement it ultimately struck.
A March 2010 jury trial against Microsoft resulted in a $105.7 million verdict, and VirnetX was asking for an injunction as well. Two months after the verdict, Microsoft settled the litigation for $200...
Just as is the case with digital music downloads, iTunes' early-mover advantage in video downloads has secured it a massive lead over its competitors in the sector, according to new findings. ...
| Read more »The iPhone lockscreen hasn’t changed much in the past six versions of iOS, with the exception of the addition of a camera slider. Atom is a new jailbreak tweak that seeks to completely redesign the lockscreen and add new functionality, and it does not disappoint.
Keep reading to find out how Atom can make your lockscreen even more useful.
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Atom replaces the “slide to unlock” bar with a round grabber at the bottom of the screen. Dragging the circle around the grabber reveals the “atom,” a group of up to six app icons around an unlock icon in the center. You can pick your favorite six apps to build the atom from the tweak’s settings.
Animation is one thing that really shines in Atom. When you put your finger on the grabber, the atom icons “pop” in. When you hover the grabber over an icon, it grows and the others around it shrink. When you release the grabber, the icons pop back into the lockscreen and the grabber jumps back to the bottom of the screen...
With all of the Samsung vs. Apple conflict in the courts, one could be forgiven for losing track of the fact that Apple has a lingering patent dispute with Google's Motorola Mobility subsidiary as well. Bloomberg is reporting that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) recently upheld a previous court's judgement which held that a Motorola patent asserted against Apple was invalid.
The patent in question is U.S. Patent No. 6,246,862 and encompasses functionality whereby a mobile device ignores unintended touches when in close proximity to a user's face. This is the capability that allows touchscreen phones to avoid "cheekdialing" during a call.
The pertinent patent claim reads:
1. A portable communication device comprising:
a processing section to control operation of the...
| Read more »These have to be some of the scariest pictures I’ve ever seen.
∞ Read this on The Loop
Similar to the Apple Store’s Genius Bar, AT&T now allows customers to schedule in-store appointments online for hands-on help in its retail locations.
Here’s how it works:
Visit www.att.com/storeappointment and choose the store nearest to you, or click “Make appointment” when you’re looking up store location information. One of our store or call center representatives can also help you schedule an appointment.
Choose from the available dates and times listed.
Enter your name, contact information and reason for your visit.
Once scheduled, simply head into the local AT&T store at the scheduled time.
The usual system is...
Elliot Hannon:
If we cared more about the journalism than news theater we’d all be watching PBS. But no one’s talking about NewsHour. There are no meltdowns. The circus, itself, becomes the point — the reason to watch. Youtube videos go viral precisely because they are unexpected, unvarnished — embarrassing. This is CNN.
And there you have it folks. He’s exactly right.
∞ Read this on The Loop
The Camera Clip from Trygger slips over the camera opening in an iPhone 5 and provides a polarizing filter to eliminate glare and unwanted reflections in your photos.
Apple dominates the home digital-video sector, in much the same way it dominates digital music. iTunes’ share of electronic sell-through (EST) for television shows reached 67 percent in 2012. EST television sales from Xbox Video, Apple’s nearest competitor, comprised 14 percent of the market. When it comes to feature-length movies, iTunes boasted a 65 percent share of EST, with Amazon and Xbox Video far behind at 10 percent each.
It’s not even close.
∞ Read this on The Loop
Joe’s a great guy. I just downloaded the album.
∞ Read this on The Loop
DirectTV has announced that it will be adding voice search and capabilities to its iOS application later this year, and a beta will be available this summer. Like Apple’s Siri application for iOS, the application will understand many different types of commands. For example, you can say “find movies with Tom Cruise” or “what’s playing on HBO?” Solid Signal posted a review for the DirectTV voice app, detailing some of the...
We live in a world positively soaked in data nowadays. Fortunately, the capacity to store that data has gotten bigger in volume, smaller in physical size, and cheaper per gigabyte as time progresses. Gone are the days where you'd have to lug a Zip disk around (remember those?) or stick your iPod into disk mode. At worst you're carrying a USB drive with you -- though really, you should be relying on the cloud for by now. The issue is figuring out just what you're going to be keeping up there.... ...
| Read more »Those of you looking to get your hands on a qualified refurbished iPad might want to check out the Apple store online. Apple has dropped prices on 2nd and 3rd generation models. The discounts apply to only the Wi-Fi+3G and Wi-Fi+Cellular models and not the Wi-Fi-only models.
Interested customers can now pick up a 2nd generation iPad Wi-Fi+3G 16 GB for only US$349 -- thats $180 (34%) off the regular $529 price. The 32 GB unit costs $429 (a $200 savings), and the 64 GB is $529 ($200 off).
As for the 3rd generation iPad Wi-Fi+Cellular, the 16 GB is only $409 -- thats $170 (29%) off the regular $579 price. The 32 GB unit costs $499 (a $180 savings), and the 64 GB is $579 ($200 off).
Prices on refurbed models are, as always, only good while supplies last....
| Read more »Following a removal from the App Store last September, AppShopper has returned with a new social-based app discovery tool. Dubbed AppShopper Social, the all new app contains the core Wish List functionality from the original software, but introduces new social discovery features. The app's main view consists of a Friend Stream that provides users with a stream of items that friends have added to their personal Wish List of My Apps lists. Other features such as Push Notifications for updates and price changes and app searching have also returned with AppShopper Social, while the What's New and... ...
| Read more »The U.S. International Trade Commission has thrown out the last patent-in-suit remaining in the original complaint against Apple from Google’s Motorola Mobility in Oct. 2010. A Motorola patent for a “sensor controlled user interface for portable communication device” was found invalid. In December, Apple also won a…
| Read more »A new single released today.
∞ Read this on The Loop
Investors will likely look back on Apple's fiscal year 2013 as "a year to forget," though it will set the stage for a strong 2014, one analyst believes. ...
| Read more »From 9to5Toys.com:
After it started offering a selection of refurbished 5th generation iPod touch through the Apple online store earlier this month, Apple today began selling the refurbished 16GB, 7th generation iPod nano in various colors for $129. That’s $20 or 13% off retail, but we’ve seen these refurbished units go for as low as $119 on 9to5Toys.
Apple today also began selling the refurbished iPad 2 and iPad 3 at even lower prices than before with the 16GB iPad 2 with WiFi + 3G now starting at $349 (roughly $180 off retail). Apple has also...
Apple has won rights to two more US patents, says AppleInsider. The first covers a "digital handshake" between mobile devices, using an image to generate an authentication key. One device takes a photo of the other, capturing either a dynamic key from an app or information permanently embedded within a device's housing or bezel. Filters, flash, or infrared might be needed to register key data, or even a specialized chip integrated into the camera.... ...
| Read more »This afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer will host Apple's Q2 2013 earnings call to discuss the company's financial fortunes for the quarter ending March 31, 2012. As always, TUAW is hosting a liveblog of the event, during which we'll be providing commentary on the actual results, questions from the financial community, and how the results are likely to affect Apple's share price.
The call is scheduled at 5 PM ET today and our liveblog will begin at 4:50 PM ET. If you're an IRC user, we'll have a chat room set up on server irc.freenode.net, chat room #tuaw so you can converse with the TUAW team and others. You can listen to a live audio stream of the event here.Join us for a TUAW...
| Read more »Live TV streaming service Aereo is going to expand its service to Boston, Massachusetts. Over 4.5 million people in the Boston metropolitan area will be able to use Aereo, which includes a cloud-based DVR as part of the service, and will be the second city that Aereo will operate in, after its initial launch in New York City.... ...
| Read more »Attention cash-only members of Apple’s iPhone 4 class action settlement: your check’s in the mail. Apple this week began distributing $15 payments to iPhone 4 buyers who claimed to have experienced antenna or reception issues with the device, but declined to accept the free case Apple offered as a remedy back in 2010. The issuance of the checks brings to a close a rare Apple PR debacle that culminated in a historic, anomalous “Antennagate” press conference presided over by company co-founder Steve Jobs.
| Read more »U.S. iPhone 4 owners who participated in Apple’s class action settlement for “antennagate” issues are now receiving their $15 checks in the mail. The class action settlement, announced in March 2012, offered iPhone 4 owners a $15 cash payment or free bumper case. At this point, the deadline for…
| Read more »Logitech has introduced the FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad ($150), a folio with a thin, fabric, Bluetooth keyboard that resembles the Microsoft Surface keyboard. The folio case also includes a view stand for the iPad, and a magnetic clasp to keep the case closed. Keys are full-sized and feature…
| Read more »Ladies and gentlemen, Apple’s Q2 2013 results will be released starting at 2PM EST today.
Stay tuned to the PowerPage for updated coverage of the press event.
In the meantime, prior to worrying about finances, your portfolio and what bills may happen to be due, relax and remember that the Martians from “Sesame Street” were awesome on every conceivable level.
This could be useful.
Per Macworld, Apple added a welcome tweak to large media purchases initiated either via the mobile iTunes Store or iTunes 11. Users attempting to download large media files such as movies or music box sets are presented a prompt enabling them to commence the download immediately or save it for a time when they presumably have better bandwidth.
When purchasing any of the above items using iTunes 11 on a Mac or Windows PC, or an iOS device running iOS 6 or later, you’re now presented with “Later” and “Download” (or “Download All”) buttons. Tap “Later” and the purchased...
A new app called FocusTwist by Arqball lets your iPhone do what a US$400 Lytro light field camera is used for. Like the Lytro, the FocusTwist app lets you adjust the focus a picture after you have taken it. However, the method of after-focusing is completely different in FocusTwist than it is in the Lytro. The Lytro uses specialized hardware and software (you can read about it here). FocusTwist, on the other hand, has a bit of trickery up its sleeve.
The app actually takes several photos at different focus points when you expose an image. Users can change the focus by tapping different parts of the image. Arqball's backend servers handle the image processing, so the images can even be refocused by any friends you've shared a photo with. Because the FocusTwist app takes a succession of rapid images at different focal lengths...
| Read more »At 4.30pm Eastern, Apple will report its Q2 results (and we’ll be covering it live). It’s the day when the last three months of analyst predictions and forecasts come home to roost.
Apple’s newly-realistic guidance revenue is $41b to $43b, with margins of 37.5 – 38.5 percent. These numbers would suggest earnings per share of just over $10 …
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Yahoo Finance has averages for over 40 analysts, and is predicting revenue of $42.59b, towards the upper end of Apple’s guidance, and earnings per share of $10.07:
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has put together a comparison table of what he thinks the ‘buy side’ (the mutual funds, pension funds and insurance companies who buy stock in large volume) expects compare to ‘the Street’ (the investment bankers and analysts).
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Apple's online services are again suffering outages, their official system status page indicates. Between 7:20 and 9:32AM Eastern, some people may have been unable to access the iTunes Store or make purchases there. Still ongoing however are problems preventing people from creating Apple IDs or signing into Game Center, as well as authentication errors when trying to use iCloud. The latter may also prevent people from setting up a new iCloud account.... ...
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It’s not a whopping amount of justice, but it’s still justice.
Or at least a settlement.
Per 9to5Mac, iPhone 4 owners who participated in a class action lawsuit against Apple over antenna attenuation complaints are finally starting to receive settlement checks.
More than a year ago, Apple reached a settlement with attorneys for the class action complaint, agreeing to pay US$53 million to make the problem go away after supposedly “misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4 — particularly as it relates to the...
Building on from its 7mm release last year, Western Digital has started shipping its first hard drives and solid state hybrid drives (SSHD) that measure 5mm (0.2-inches) thick. The new WD Blue and WD Black 2.5-inch drives are made to allow for even thinner notebook and ultrabook designs, while still providing a sizable amount of storage for the end user.... ...
| Read more »iPhone 4's "antennagate" was sparked by users holding the device like so.
Chris Foresman / Ars Technica
iPhone 4 owners who filed claims over the so-called "antennagate" have begun receiving their settlement checks. Posts about the checks began popping up on Twitter in addition to sites like 9to5Mac, where several readers confirmed they had received their $15 payouts.
The iPhone 4 was released in July of 2010 and was immediately met with controversy over its "work of genius" antenna design. Unlike previous in iPhones, Apple had designed the iPhone 4 so the stainless steel bezel on the outside of the phone would act as antennas for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular. But a weak spot was discovered by users who...
Late Monday, software giant Google released version 7.1.1.1580 of its popular Google Earth program. The new version, a 42.8 megabyte download, adds the following fixes and changes:
- Ability to create rich, annotated images from print and save.
- Redesigned print flow.
- Viewshed/Line of Sight analysis tool from a placemark.
- Support for LEAP Motion device.
- Enhanced starfield.
- Google Feedback tool integration.
- Redesigned balloons.
Bug fixes:
- Polygons and image overlays display over the international dateline.
- Performance improvements in Movie Maker and in viewing 3D imagery areas.
- Ocean surface displays across Mac clients with Intel GPUs.
- Full Map names display in Google Maps Engine maps.
- Earth client now supports NTLM...
The U.S. International Trade Commission gave Motorola Mobility a tough pill to swallow on Monday when it invalidated the company's proximity sensor patent. The ruling killed the last remaining patent in Motorola's 2010 infringement lawsuit against Apple, and shot down Google's hopes of eventually winning an iPhone import ban.
The Mac Observer Spin:
Google and Motorola have to overcome two major points to overturn the ITC's ruling, which won't be an easy task. So far, Google's decision to purchase Motorola Mobility for its patent portfolio isn't working out so well in court.
I really enjoyed this piece by Abdel Ibrahim looking at the history of Apple’s stock movement.
∞ Read this on The Loop
Logitech on Tuesday announced two new iPad accessories, one of which leverages a novel case design to give Apple's iPad a keyboard while still maintaining a slim profile for the tablet. ...
| Read more »FedEx has updated its iOS app today providing users with access to sign up and use a new FedEx Delivery Manager feature to customize delivery options and even sign for packages directly from within the app.
Once users have signed up for Delivery Manager, they will be able to schedule deliveries, provide instructions for pending deliveries, and even sign for packages using the universal app for iPhone and iPad. Other delivery options that users can customize include: Deliver to another address, Schedule a vacation hold, and Hold your package at a FedEx location.
Get convenience and flexibility for deliveries to your home. You can view upcoming deliveries to your home address, get status updates, or...
As first reported by AppleInsider, Apple has begun restricting the use of special characters in app descriptions in the App Store. For now, the special characters Apple is restricting are the checkmark, the explosion, the "no symbol," and the speech bubble. One can only hope that Apple will eventually add emoji faces to that list, some app descriptions have a decidedly unappealing "MySpace" feel.
The new iconography rules came into place on April 19th. While Apple did not specify a reason for the changes, it's easy to speculate the company wants a more uniform appearance in its App Store listings, instead of letting some developers using checkmarks as bullet points while others use, you know, real bullet points.Apple begins restricting use of...
| Read more »The $100 Flower/Tower Floor Stand lets you mount your iPad and then adjust it for prime viewing whether you’re sitting or standing. It’s available in 3-meter or 5-meter versions to get just the right viewing height.
| Read more »iPhone 4 owners are beginning to receive $15 checks as their part of the settlement in a class action lawsuit against Apple, notes 9to5Mac. The payouts mark the end of the dispute, which merged 18 different cases involving the iPhone 4's alleged "death grip" issue. Holding the phone in the wrong way without a case would effectively kill its cellular reception.... ...
| Read more »iPhone 4 owners who filed claims in a class-action lawsuit against Apple over the device's antenna have begun receiving $15 settlement checks in the mail. ...
| Read more »Don't look now, but it's already time for Apple's second quarter earnings. The earnings will be released just before 2pm PDT (5pm EDT) on Tuesday, April 23 and the company's conference call will take place soon thereafter.
It has been a quiet quarter for Apple. While the first quarter earnings call was filled with discussion about the hoppin' holiday season, this quarter has mostly been about Apple catching up on iMac demand and not much else—at least from an official, company perspective. There have been plenty of rumors about the next-gen iPhone (expected to launch this summer or fall) and the possibility of an April media event, though Apple has not made a peep on those fronts just yet.
There have also been some rumors circulating about whether the current iPhones and iPads are selling as well as Apple hoped. That's undoubtedly why this quarterly call will be closely...
Discovery Communications updated two of its iOS apps today with a brand new second screen experience dubbed “Plus”. Available for the Discovery Channel HD app and...
| Read more »via aereo.com
Aereo, which streams over-the-air television to Internet-connected devices, announced today that it will launch next in Boston on May 15. The company implements some clever techniques to enable remote television streaming, which has upset the industry and kept the company in and out of court. We’re pleased to see Aereo moving forward.
More Than 4.5 Million Boston-Area Consumers Will Have...
Apple will host its 2013 second fiscal quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, April 23. The call will start after the market closes at about 5PM eastern time, or 2PM pacific time, and The Mac Observer will be here with our usual event coverage and analysis.
Click to view slideshow.
Logitech makes some pretty amazing iPad keyboards and now they can pretty much say the cover the spectrum of what’s out there....
The US$15 'AntennaGate' settlement checks have started arriving for qualifying iPhone 4 users. The checks are a settlement for those who filed a claim in a class action lawsuit against Apple for "misrepresenting and concealing material information in the marketing, advertising, sale, and servicing of its iPhone 4-particularly as it relates to the quality of the mobile phone antenna and reception and related software."
One reader told us, "My $15 Apple iPhone4 AntennaGate settlement check came today. It has been so long I forgot what it was for and had to look it up." The reason for the delay, however, was because though AntennaGate happened with the release of the iPhone 4 in 2010, the lawsuit was not settled until February 2012. Claimants have until July 16 to cash their checks. If you did not file a claim previously, you can no longer do so....
| Read more »The iCloud suite of services experienced an outage Tuesday morning, marking yet another period of downtime for Apple's cloud-based operations. ...
| Read more »Update, 9:34 AM: Apple has now updated its System Status page to confirm the outages we reported earlier this morning. Apple reports some users experienced issues with account & sign in for iCloud as well as purchases for iTunes:
Over the last couple of months Apple’s iCloud servers have been experiencing major outages approximately every couple of weeks and today a growing number of users are once again complaining of issues accessing various iCloud services.
9to5Mac readers in several countries have reached out to Apple support who confirmed the outages, although Apple is yet to update its System Status page to reflect the downtime. Apple is typically at least a few hours behind in reporting outages.
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Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, joined the team at The Mac Show to talk about Facebook's new Home app for Android, Chat Heads on the iPhone, and Apple's data retention policy for Siri.
When Apple posts second-quarter earnings today, don’t expect a blowout. Wall Street certainly doesn’t.
The eager anticipation that once preceded Apple’s quarterly earnings reports has turned to apprehension, following a steep plunge in the company’s stock price over the past seven months. And the question troubling many minds today is not whether Apple will exceed analyst expectations, but if it will even manage to exceed its own.
Since reaching an all-time high of $702.10 last September, Apple’s stock has charted a precipitous decline, one that sheared about $280 billion off the company’s market capitalization. The last time Apple shares were trading this low, co-founder Steve Jobs had just passed away and investors were wondering if the company might lose its way without him.
In other words, no one is expecting champagne corks to pop when Apple posts its latest financials after market...
When Google announced it was killing its Reader app July 1, it not only annoyed hordes of users, it pulled the rug out from under app developers who built their livelihoods on the web software. One of those app makers is Silvio Rizzi, maker of Reeder. a free RSS program for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Like all the developers that plugged into Reader, Rizzi is facing extinction. However, he's not quite ready to go into that good night yet. "One thing that's clear: Development of Reeder will continue after July 1st," Rizzi wrote on his blog.
Apple has announced that it’s opening a new store in Melbourne on Saturday, based in the Highpoint Shopping Centre in the western suburbs. While the company already has five stores in the State of Victoria, this is the first in Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city …
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Highpoint is a major shopping centre, with 500 stores serving over 15 million shoppers a year. Deliberately or not, the store is said to be located directly above a Samsung Experience store, modelled heavily on Apple Store designs.
Macnn reports that Apple is also believed to be close to opening its Adelaide store:
The store was reportedly delayed...
Apple has won the last of six patent infringement claims filed by Motorola, after the US International Trade Commission agreed with Apple that the patent was invalid for ‘lack of novelty’, aka being too obvious.
When you lift your iPhone to your face to make or receive a call, the touchscreen is disabled to prevent accidental input. Motorola claimed to have patented this approach, Apple argued that it was an obvious thing to do and the USITC has agreed with them. The other claims by Motorola, dismissed previously, related to wifi, 3G and UMTS.
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| Read more »Logitech has introduced its new FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for the Apple iPad. The new device is compatible with the iPad 2 as well as third and fourth generation iPads. The device takes some design cues from the Microsoft Surface TouchCover, by integrating a super low profile keyboard into the cover of Folio.... ...
| Read more »Apple on Tuesday was granted patent rights to a novel data transfer invention that allows one device to use its built-in camera to take a picture of a second device, and extract a digital handshake key from the image to setup a secure connection. ...
| Read more »An Apple patent granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday describes a system in which a "virtual input," such as a trackpad, is recreated onscreen with various interactive objects, allowing users to quickly navigate programs and documents. ...
| Read more »Logitech's secret plans of dominating the world iPad accessories market continue. Today the company unveiled the new FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad (US$149.95), a new line of attractive Bluetooth keyboards that provide full-sized keys that it says are "seamlessly fused into an interior fabric". At the same time, the company is also introducing the new Folio for iPad and iPad mini at $69.99 and $59.99 respectively.
What's different about both of these products is that they're using high-end fabrics and contrasting colors to create a totally unique pair of folios. The FabricSkin Keyboard folio uses a "tray" to hold the iPad in place, in colors from Mars Orange (with a white contrasting keyboard) to deep Mystic Blue (with a red tray) or Sunflower Yellow with a tan keyboard. They're definitely eye-catching, and we'll be testing the keyboard soon to let readers know...
| Read more »We saw a cool new app from Francesco Pretelli called Tweet Time Machine that allows you to look at your past tweets on Twitter by date. Looking for that tweet you got on your birthday, or what you were saying the day the some important event took place? This app will do that. It's free, and it's a hybrid app for iPhone and iPad.
TMO cofounder Bryan Chaffin spent an hour with Gene Steinberg on the Tech Night Owl this weekend, and the show is available now. The two chatted about Apple, Eric Schmidt's comments on mini-drones, and Samsung getting caught red-handed paying for anonymous bashing of a competitor in Taiwan. Sounds like fun, right?!
Apple has added a “download later” option for large media purchases in the iTunes store. Users who purchase a TV season, Season Pass, movie bundle, music box set, or an individual movie or TV episode now have the ability to download the media at a later time from iTunes…
| Read more »There will be much ado about Apple earnings report on April 23. In order to better understand Apple's results, John Martellaro analyzes Apple's new approach to reporting its revenue guidance for the future quarter. The analysis involves computer models and, gotta love it, Ferraris.
Bryan Chaffin has had enough. Microsoft has been stumbling from one disaster to another since Bill Gates stepped aside as CEO, and it's time for the company's board of directors to make some changes. Being the handy-dandy-armchair-quarterback that he is, Bryan put together five free tips for the company.
You have a Mac and an Apple TV, but sometimes you want to watch your movies and TV shows on your iPad. How do you do that without syncing videos to your iPad? It's pretty easy once you enable Home Sharing.
The Mac Observer's Managing Editor Jeff Gamet joined The BIG Show from the British Tech Network to talk about one-way trips to Mars and Disney's plans to release new Star Wars movies on an annual cycle.
The idea of anonymously sharing photos pretty much always makes the jump to "creepy" really fast, but that's not the case with Rando. This cool little iPhone app lets you take a photo that gets shared with someone else -- you don't know who is getting your pic, and they don't know who it came from. For every photo you share, you get one in return. So far, it's turned out to be a great way to share random little snapshots of life in a friendly way. I've seen math homework from Austria, cats from San Francisco, and bars in Spain. It really is cool, so let's all try to keep this one from getting all creepy. Rando is free and available at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.
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Supplier sources who expected mass production of the next iPhone to begin in June now believe that date may be pushed back, according to Reuters. The possible delay in producing the iPhone 5S is due to Apple’s search for a coating material that doesn’t interfere with a fingerprint sensor,…
| Read more »Apple will host its second quarter earnings report on Tuesday, April 23, and analysts aren't optimistic about what the company will announce. Analysts are expecting the iPhone and iPad maker to report its first drop in profit since 2003 with an 18 percent decrease in net income, and an 8 percent revenue increase, yet no matter what Apple announces it's a safe bet someone will be disappointed.
Apple has returned at least 5 million iPhones to Foxconn due to substandard appearance or dysfunctional problems, according to a new report out of China. An anonymous source said the number of rejected iPhones could be as high as 8 million. It’s estimated the issues could cost Foxconn as much…
| Read more »TweetDeck, the go-to choice for power Twitter users managing multiple accounts, will officially shut down on May 7. Twitter said it is killing the iPhone, Android, and AIR versions of the app on the 7th, and "killing" includes dropping support and development, as well as stopping the apps from functioning at all.
The Mac Observer Spin:
The bottom line: Twitter wants subscribers to use its Web interface, and nothing else. The company has been systematically shutting out developers and even kills off its own platform-native client apps. It doesn't feel like a matter of if all third-party Twitter clients are gone, but a matter of when.
