Apple CEO Tim Cook published a new letter (translated link) on Apple’s Chinese website announcing changes to the company’s warranty policies, as well as apologies for misunderstandings or concerns. The letter follows high-profile criticisms of Apple by Chinese media and various Chinese citizens, which were suspected to have been…
| Read more »Soundfreaq has announced Boom Freaq ($350), a special edition of its Sound Stack speaker. Boom Freaq is a Bluetooth wireless speaker that can dock either Dock Connector or Lightning devices — a 30-pin dock is built-in, and a Lightning adapter is now also included. Like other iterations of…
| Read more »It's time to update your Macworld/iWorld 2014 calendar because the event is moving from the beginning of February to March 27 through March 29. The new dates also come with a venue change to San Francisco's Moscone North from Moscone West where the event has been held for the past few years.
The Mac Observer Spin:
Moving Macworld/iWorld to late March is great news. The new dates will be easier on vendors, media, instructors and attendees, and getting away from Super Bowl Sunday is a smart move, too.
With the new Doctor Who season back in full swing and the show's 50th anniversary coming up in November, it's a good time to bone up on your Who history, and The Guardian has a great timeline to help you do just that. The graphic timeline includes every episode covering all 11 incarnations of the Doctor from the classic series and the reboot, plus every companion and villan, along with some show trivia, too. It's cool, easy to read, and waiting for you to download.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has denied Apple’s request to trademark the term “iPad mini,” according to a report. In a letter to Apple, the USPTO describes the term as “merely descriptive of a feature or characteristic of the goods,” therefore, the trademark registration was refused. The examiner’s…
| Read more »Considering the date, you'd think news that Apple was denied a trademark for "iPad mini" was an April Fools Day joke, but it isn't. The US Patent and Trademark Office refused to grant Apple the trademark calling the name "merely descriptive," implying it doesn't identify a specific product.
Not sure what something smells like, or need to make sure something smells right? Google's new beta search feature, Google Nose, can handle that. The new Internet search system includes over 15 million scentibytes of aroma data that can be searched and sampled by your nose, and it supports SafeSearch in case you're worried about what smells you might encounter. This is just one of the several announcements Google unveiled for April 1st -- also known as April Fools Day. Google also used the day to jab us with Google Treasure Maps, Gmail Blue, and YouTube shutting down.
Bryan Chaffin spent some time with Gene Steinberg on The Tech Night Owl. They talked about T-Mobile, $AAPL, taxes, and the politics surrounding Apple's cash hoard. Joe Wilson from BetaNews was also a guest in the same episode, so check it out.
Join Dave and John on this world-famous podcast recorded on the world-famous Backup Day to hear not only about backups but about LOTS of things, including answering your questions and sharing tips with you to make your life with your Mac and iOS devices better and better. Have a question for the geeks? Send it in and they'll get you straightened out! Download the show today, it's free!
The Stickies app. Yet another gem that comes pre-installed on every Mac. Don't malign it if you haven't played with it for a while, because Sandro Cuccia shows you how Stickies can be used to enhance your workflow.
Apple is currently advertising for seven "Maps Ground Truth Manager" positions around the world. The company wants a "manager for the team responsible for regional map quality and ground truth" for Apple Maps, the company's mobile mapping service for iOS.
The Mac Observer Spin:
Other mapping companies have similar positions, and we're delighted to see Apple commit more resources to the quality.
Apple is “pushing hard” for a summertime launch of its anticipated streaming music service, according to a new report. The company has allegedly made “significant progress” in talks with two of the top record labels: Universal and Warner. A source is claimed to have said, “iRadio is coming. There’s no…
| Read more »If you are feeling restless and looking for something to shake out the cobwebs and get a fresh perspective on things, then check out these three free apps Vern Seward offers in this week's Free on iTunes. Localscope, Airbnb, Takes.
In this week's Particle Debris, John Martellaro looks at two very critical articles about Apple's data services. These are substantive articles that highlight what we've been suspecting all along. The good news is that this may be a giant opportunity for Tim Cook lay down the gauntlet and make his mark on Apple.
Apple is preparing to launch its own dedicated game controller, according to a new report. Apple allegedly discussed plans for the controller in private meetings at the Game Developers Conference this week, and the company is “ensuring plenty of games will support the joypad at launch.” Little else is known…
| Read more »The government of China continued its campaign against Apple Inc. on Friday, as a government-owned animation studio sued the company. According to South China Morning Post, Shanghai Animation Film Studio is accusing Apple of selling its movies on iTunes without the legal permission to do so. Bryan Chaffin looks at the issues.
Everything was great (at least conventional) with saving documents up through OS X Snow Leopard. In Lion, inspired by iOS, Apple introduced what's called the Modern Document Model into its iCloud enabled apps. Apple eliminated Save As... and that drove users crazy. OS X Mountain Lion fixes 99 percent of the problems, but one has to understand exactly how. John Martellaro steps in as your tour guide.
The compact Braven 570 speaker allows you to use Bluetooth to wirelessly stream music from your phone. It also allows you to use it as a speaker and noise canceling microphone for voice conversations. Finally, it can recharge your phone or MP3 player.
In-app purchases generated a record 76 percent of total App Store revenue in the U.S. in February, according to a report from Distimo, a company that tracks app performance and metrics. The new report tracks revenues generated through the App Store, so ad revenue is excluded. At least 90…
| Read more »OmniFocus is a great tool for keeping track of your tasks, and on the Mac it's easy to take an email and turn it into a to-do. On the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, however, there hasn't been an easy way to do that -- until the clever team at The Omni Group figured out how to use their own Omni Sync Server to make that happen.
Facebook has sent out invites for a media event to “Come See Our New Home on Android” next Thursday, which appears to be the announcement of a Facebook-based Android phone co-developed with HTC. Though it’s unclear if the event will focus on the phone, reports suggest that Facebook has created…
| Read more »Apple has apparently hired Paul Wright away from Omnicom Media Group to head up its iAd in-app advertising program in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Omnicom is known for its advertising and marketing programs and Mr. Wright has been the company's chief digital director.
The Mac Observer Spin:
So apparently Apple hasn't forgotten about iAd. Good luck, Mr. Wright.
