Facebook is rolling out its new Photo Sync feature to its iOS users that automatically uploads all photos taken on the iPhone to a private photo album on Facebook. The idea is to make it easier and faster for users to share photos with their friends.
When you turn on photo syncing, your mobile photos will be saved to a private section of your Facebook Photos. You can easily share your synced photos on your timeline from desktop, mobile, or another device.
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Only you can see the photos you’ve synced from your phone. Your photos are saved privately in a section of your Facebook Photos that only you can see. When you view your synced photos, you can choose shots to share or send in a private message.
Facebook's support site has much more about Photo Sync. Facebook is using background uploads within the Facebook iOS app to move the photos, not anything special with location APIs or Apple's iOS 6 Facebook integration.
The app is very clear that all photos uploaded automatically are marked as private and cannot be viewed by others until specifically shared by the user. Users get 2 GB of complimentary photo storage.
Just hours after Apple began taking orders for the new iMac, shipping estimates in the company's online store for the stock 27-inch models have slipped from the original 2-3 weeks to 3-4 weeks. Estimates for the stock 21.5-inch models remain at 1-3 days.
Supplies of the new iMac are expected to be constrained into 2013 as Apple's suppliers deal with the challenges of producing thinner displays laminated directly to the cover glass, with the larger 27-inch panels being particularly difficult to produce.
Apple will soon allow customers to custom load their iTunes Gift Cards for any amount between $15 and $500, according to a report by 9to5Mac.
Apple has long offered flexible loading onto its Apple Store gift cards, but has resisted offering that on its iTunes cards. It's possible the company didn't feel the need to set up the infrastructure necessary for stores to report custom load amounts on its iTunes Gift Cards. Apple also still requires set amounts to be applied to iTunes Gift Certificates purchased through the iTunes Store itself. Regardless, it should be a welcome change.
Rolling out to your favorite supermarket or retail store this holiday season are new Apple iTunes gift cards which can be bought in any denomination between $15 and $500. We’re hearing that at least one supermarket chain and one retailler are putting these on the shelves today.
You take these cards to the cashier and choose how much to put on them. When the cashier validates the card, the amount paid is tied to the number/code.
Previously, iTunes Gift Cards could only be purchased in increments of $15, $25, $50, or $100. Apple does sell multi-packs consisting of 4 $10 or $25 cards.
Purchasing iTunes Gift Cards at discount stores like Sam's Club can sometimes allow customers to save money on iTunes and App Store purchases.
Primate Labs today posted a summary of the new iMac benchmarks hitting the company's Geekbench Browser, showing fairly strong performance increases over the previous generation of machines. The analysis focuses on the 21.5-inch models, as the 27-inch models are not launching for several more weeks, and the latest high-end 21.5-inch model scores nearly 25% higher than its 2011 counterpart and even bests the high-end 27-inch model from last year by nearly 10%.
The report also pits the new 21.5-inch iMac against the current generations of Apple's other two desktop lines, the Mac mini and Mac Pro. The comparison to the Mac mini reveals that users can achieve nearly the same performance as the mid-range iMac by purchasing a high-end Mac mini, although customers would obviously have to supply their own displays and other peripherals.
What's interesting here, though, is how the quad-core Core i5 iMacs perform compared to the quad-core Core i7 Mac minis. Since Core i7 has hyper-threading technology (and the Core i5 does not), it can execute more instructions at once, leading to higher performance.
Here this means that the mid-range Mac mini is faster than the mid-range iMac that's almost twice the price. True, you do get a display and a discrete GPU with the iMac, but these Geekbench results show how powerful the new Mac mini is despite its size.
As for the Mac Pro, which is still stuck on older-generation processors rather than adopting Intel's Sandy Bridge E chips, the new iMac is now on par with all but the high-end 12-core Mac Pro models.
As for the new 27-inch iMac, a handful of Geekbench results have already appeared in the database running a special Build 12C2037 of OS X 10.8.2. The results indicate that an early benchmark that appeared in mid-May was indeed accurate and indicate that the new high-end 27-inch model will outperform its 2011 counterpart by nearly 15%.
Apple does not allow the iPhone 5 to join a carrier's LTE network until it passes the company's own internal tests, according to Swiss cell carrier Swisscom. The report from Telecoms.com (by way of The Next Web), says that Apple enables LTE support on existing iPhone 5 models only after first testing the carrier network itself.
This week, however, a Swisscom spokesperson told Telecoms.com that: "Apple only enables 4G access after testing their device on an operator’s live network."
Swisscom launched its LTE network this week although the iPhone 5 was not available as an LTE device at launch. "Apple will provide a software update in due course," the firm said in a press release.
Apple has been selling the iPhone 5 in countries where it doesn't officially support LTE on any carriers, though most carriers have at least initial plans to support LTE in coming years with many in the midst of full LTE rollouts.
Telecoms.comquotes Alcatel Lucent CTO Marcus Weldon saying that Apple was "a bit big for its boots" with the policy, hinting that it was unusual for a handset manufacturer to have such control over its handsets. However, this has been the case since the iPhone first launched nearly 5 years ago.
Apple has exerted extraordinary control over the iPhone in a number of ways, including providing most tech support and replacements via its 800-number and the Apple Retail Store rather than through the carriers, as well as Apple forbidding carriers from preinstalling any of its own software applications or services on the iPhone.
Following word earlier this week that the iPhone 5 had received final certification in China, Apple today announced that it will be bringing not only the iPhone 5 but also the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad to the country over the next several weeks.
Apple today announced the Wi-Fi versions of iPad mini and fourth generation iPad with Retina display will be available in China on Friday, December 7, and iPhone 5 will be available on Friday, December 14. iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad with Retina display are currently available in 42 countries, and iPhone 5 is available in 47 countries, including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the UK.
China now accounts for 15% of Apple's revenues, making the new product launches a significant development for the company. Apple's Chinese product launches have typically lagged well behind those in other countries, but the company has been working to shorten those gaps. The iPhone 4S launched in China three months after the device's debut, while the third-generation iPad took four months to arrive in the country.
With today's announcement, the iPhone 5 will be arriving in China roughly two and a half months after the initial round of launches, while the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad are coming to China just a month after their debut in the U.S. and other first-round markets.
Apple is now accepting orders for the new iMac on their online store. The new iMacs offer dramatically reduced thickness and add a brand new Fusion Drive that combines flash storage and a traditional disk-based hard drive to maximize both speed and capacity.
The 21.5" model starts at $1299 and $1499 while the 27" model starts at $1799 and $1999. The 21.5" model is shipping in "1-3 business days" while the 27" model ships in 2-3 weeks. Limited stock of 21.5" iMacs should also be available in Apple retail stores starting today. The previously reported iMac build-to-order options were accurate with a variety of RAM, Processor, Hard Drive and Graphics Card upgrades available for specific models.
The new iMac is going on sale around the world on Friday, November 30th. In Australia, Ben Pasternak was able to walk into his local Apple Store and buy one and has posted the first unboxing video of the new machine:
Meanwhile, Japanese site Kodawarisan has posted teardown photos showing the innards of the thin new machine.
The new iMac tapers to a 5mm thin edge along the sides, requiring the use of a special welding technique to achieve the design.
The 21.5" iMac will go on sale today in the U.S. both in retail stores and in the online Apple store with immediate availability. The 27-inch model will be available for pre-order but won't ship until December. Stock is expected to be tight throughout 2012.
Apple Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield has decided to sell off a set of stock for over $20 million, according to a regulatory filing. Mansfield sold off 35,000 shares of his Apple stock at a price of $582.21 per share.
The move comes nine months after Mansfield sold 30,000 shares of stock for a gain of $12.5 million in early February, with Apple shares netting an average of $452.28 at the time. Since then, Mansfield has retired, taken an advisory role, and then recently un-retired to take charge of a new "Technologies" group in an executive reshuffling that saw iOS chief Scott Forstall ousted.
Mansfield's stock sale does not mean that he is looking to exit his ownership in Apple, as he has regularly cashed in on stock options and is an active participant in Apple's stock option and grant award programs for senior executives. Mansfield still has 29,548 shares of Apple stock and stands to gain an additional 150,000 shares in two equal portions June 2013 and March 2016. He also holds a restricted stock grant that could earn him another 100,000 shares in 2014. All of those shares, which would net him $145.5 million at current stock prices, would only be awarded to him if he remained with Apple.
Mansfield and other executives may also be looking to unload stock as 2012 draws to a close due to a scheduled increase in capital gains taxes for 2013. By selling stock now rather than holding it into 2013, sellers can reduce their tax burden, although fluctuations in the company's stock price over time could more than compensate for the higher tax rate should Apple's stock continue to rise.
Apple has begun selling unlocked GSM iPhone 5 models in the United States, some two months after it originally went on sale. This is similar to the delay that preceded sales of the unlocked iPhone 4S last year.
The launch follows the drop of the iPhone 5's estimated shipping times to one week just a few days ago. The unlocked GSM models are available for $649/$749/$849 for the 16/32/64 GB models and also have an estimated ship time of one week. In the U.S., the unlocked models will work on both AT&T and T-Mobile.
The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a wireless contract commitment. You can activate and use iPhone on the supported GSM wireless network of your choice, such as AT&T in the United States. The unlocked iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 will not work with CDMA-based carriers such as Verizon Wireless or Sprint.
If you don’t want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice. It does not come with a micro-SIM card for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, or a nano-SIM card for iPhone 5, so you’ll need to get one from any supported GSM carrier worldwide. To start using it, simply insert the card into the slot on your iPhone and turn it on by pressing and holding the On/Off button for a few seconds. Then follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone.
Just in time for the holidays, Apple and Starbucks have partnered up for a (Product) Red gift card combo. When you buy the $15 iTunes + $15 Starbucks gift card both companies together will contribute 5% to the Global Fund to help fund AIDS research.
Give a gift that gives back this holiday season with Starbucks iTunes (RED)™ eGift basket. You can send loved ones a thoughtful gift of two digital eGifts—$15 eGift to Starbucks and $15 eGift to iTunes—for $30. Plus, for every gift sold, Starbucks and iTunes will together contribute 5% of the purchase price to the Global Fund to help deliver an AIDS free generation by 2015. With the convenience of a Starbucks Card, Starbucks Card eGifts can be used for purchases in-store at participating company-owned and licensed stores in the U.S. and online. This unique and meaningful eGift basket can be purchased at www.starbucks.com/REDeGift.
Apple has long been a supporter of the (Product) Red campaign, selling red iPod nano models, iPad Smart Cases and Smart Covers. Most recently, Apple released a (Product) Red bumper for the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4. At an Apple town hall meeting in February, Tim Cook mentioned that Apple (Product) Red products have generated over $50 million to help fund AIDS research. The gift card combo can be purchased at this website.
Though there have been several unofficial third party Lightning accessories, Griffin’s accessories will be the first official third-party standalone Lightning connector cables on the market when they launch next week.
Griffin’s new cables with Lightning Connector are affordable charging solutions that are built to resist kinks and tangles. The cables work perfectly with Griffin’s family of PowerBlocks and PowerJolts as well as Apple’s USB power adapters, or plug into a computer's USB to sync with iTunes.
The company is offering several different cable configurations:
Apple has been maintaining strict control over its Lightning connectors, which has made it difficult for third party manufacturers to introduce new accessories.
Vendors that launch Lightning-related accessories must produce them in Apple-approved facilities. The Lightning connector also requires controller chips to take advantage of adaptive technology, which has delayed the release of third party Lightning accessories.
Microsoft announced pricing information on its Surface Pro tablet this morning. The tablet will cost $899 for the 64GB version and $999 for the 128GB version. The Surface Pro comes equipped with an Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD Graphics 4000, 4GB of RAM, and a display with a resolution of 1920 by 1080.
Instead of running Windows RT like the standard version of the Surface released earlier this month, the Surface Pro tablet will run the full version of Windows 8. The tablet will ship with a Surface pen, but it does not include a Touch or Type Cover, each of which cost another $100. While the official announcement didn’t include information on the Surface Pro’s battery life, the spec list on Microsoft’s website lists a 42 watt-hour battery.
Engadget, however, discovered a tweet from a curious Twitter user revealing that the tablet will have a battery life half as long as the Surface RT. After asking for more information on the battery, the user received a reply directly from Microsoft’s official Twitter account:
@shahroom Hey Shahroom, #Surface pro will have approximately half the batter life of Surface RT. — Surface (@surface) November 29, 2012
The RT version of the Surface officially has an eight hour battery life with some testers finding slightly longer running times, implying that the Surface Pro will feature a battery life of roughly four-and-a-half hours, less than most laptops. This low battery life information comes at a time when Microsoft is seeing poor sales of the Surface RT. A report on Black Friday from Piper Jaffray revealed that the brick and mortar Microsoft stores experienced low Surface sales in comparison to iPad sales at the Apple Store.
There was 47% less foot traffic at the Microsoft (MSFT) outlet than the Apple (AAPL) store. Shoppers bought 17.2 items per hour at the Apple Store and only 3.5 items per hour at the Microsoft Store. All but two of the Microsoft purchases were X-Box games. Shoppers at the Apple Store bought an average of 11 iPads per hour. Despite heavy TV, print and billboard advertising for the new Microsoft Surface tablet, not one was sold sold during the two hours Piper Jaffray spent monitoring that store. Doesn’t bode well for Microsoft’s answer to the iPad.
A recent report from Digitimes also indicates that Microsoft has reduced its tablet orders and may consider lowering the price of the Surface RT.
The upstream supply chain of Microsoft’s Surface RT has recently seen the tablet’s orders reduced by half, and with other Windows RT-based tablet orders also seeing weak performance, sources from the upstream supply chain believe the new operating system may not perform as well as expected in the market. Microsoft originally expected to ship four million Surface RT devices by the end of 2012, but has recently reduced the orders by half to only two million units. The sources also noted that Microsoft may consider reducing its Surface Pro price to attract more consumers; however, such a decision may put the already awkward relationship between the software giant and notebook vendors in an even worse situation.
The Surface RT is currently available from Microsoft for $499 for the entry level 32GB tablet. There was no specific release date mentioned for the Surface Pro, but it is expected to be released in January 2013.
iTunes 11 has finally arrived, nearly a month after it was originally promised because of the need to "get it right" according to Apple. The app promises a redesigned store, simplified layout, and more.
Aside from the tentpole changes, there are a number of other things -- both promising and confusing -- that have changed in iTunes 11. Here's a selection:
- The default iTunes 11 view removes the sidebar that has been a staple of iTunes since it was first released. The Mac Observertells us how to get it back. Head to the View menu and select Show Sidebar.
- iPods have come in a wide variety of capacities in their time, but one notable capacity has never graced the device. There has never been a 128GB iPod, though as Sonny Dickson points out, iTunes appears to be ready for such an eventuality. A 128GB iOS device has been consistentlyrumored over the years, but has yet to make an appearance.
- Users can now redeem store-purchased iTunes Gift Cards by using the camera built into most recent Macs (or Windows machines) to scan the redemption code. This should make redeeming cards quicker and reduce user frustration.
- It has a new icon, as seen above.
- The red/yellow/green buttons at the top left of the window again perform in the standard OS X manner. Previously, the green button would send the iTunes into its special MiniPlayer window. Now, a special icon in the top right corner, next to the full screen button, toggles minimization.
- John Gruber at Daring Fireballnotes the new 'Expanded View' mode:
I think my favorite new design element is what Apple is calling “Expanded View”. In a graphical list of albums or movies or shows, you click one and it opens in a subview right there under the album/movie/show. Instead of going to a new view, you stay where you are. No way to get confused about where you are, more of a sense of direct manipulation. I think this is a brilliant design for everyone, particularly typical users. And there’s a neat trick: the colors for the song listing are chosen algorithmically based on the album or poster art. (Examples: here and here.) Very clever, very fun. It’s a digital approximation of going through real-world albums or DVD jewel boxes and opening them in place — with the custom color palettes, the listings feel like the “inside” of the albums.
- iTunes DJ, formerly called Party Shuffle, is gone. It's been replaced by the clever 'Up Next'.
- Cover Flow, a major feature when it was introduced, is gone. It's been replaced by the 'Expanded View' mentioned above.
- There seems to be a bug with the AirPlay button. The button, which has been moved from the bottom right to the top left of the main window is missing for some users. Some have reported restoring the button by going to the MiniWindow and activating AirPlay there and it will then appear in the main window. Not all users are affected by the issue, however.
- Many users are reporting label issues within the iTunes and App Stores. As the stores are basically glorified web pages, these issues will likely be fixed server side while Apple gets the bugs shaken out.
Propellerhead Software's Figure, released earlier this year for iPhone, has been updated with a new iPad version and iPhone 5 support. The app aims to let amateur musicians create their own beats through powerful but easy-to-use multitouch controls.
Truly designed for mobile user on the go, Figure gives you drums, bass and lead synth, controlled by an incredibly easy to use touch interface that gets you sounding great literally in seconds. Slide your finger across the play pad and hear your bass line play. Tweak the Rhythm, Range and Scale Step wheels to get the result you’re after. Programming drumbeats is just as easy. Set the rhythm and play the drums with your fingers. You won’t want to stop. You won’t believe how amazing you and your phone can sound.
If you are new to music making, getting started making great sounding tracks has never been this easy — and sounded so great!
If you are a seasoned musician – music creation has never been this fun!
Figure is a universal app for iPad and iPhone, available for $0.99 on the App Store. [Direct Link]
9to5Mac reports that Apple is set to begin sales of unlocked iPhone 5 units to U.S. customers as soon as later today. Sales are said to begin in the company's online store, with retail stores currently receiving units ahead of an unspecified in-store launch date.
Apple will begin selling an unlocked version of its iPhone 5 through its online store as soon as 9 PM tonight, according to our retail sources. The unlocked iPhone 5 price range will likely be $649, $749, and $849 depending on a choice of either 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of storage.
While unlocked devices are the norm in many of Apple's markets, Apple typically restricts sales in the U.S. during an initial time period after launch to devices locked to specific carriers. For the iPhone 4S, it took less than one month for Apple to begin selling unlocked models to U.S. customers, but it has already been over two months since Apple began U.S. sales of the iPhone 5.
Apple is also said to be expanding its Personal Pickup program for the iPhone 5, allowing users to reserve a device at any time for pickup the following day rather than having to wait until 10:00 PM when the stores have closed for the day to place their reservations.
iStat Menus by Bjango has been updated to version 4, adding a new look and new features. Among other things, the app now shows a historical chart of various system metrics looking at the past hour, 24 hours and week. It also adds a Little Snitch-esque look at which processes are using up network bandwidth.
Bjango has now come out with iStat Menus 4, and the new version has some interesting and, for me, welcome changes. Aside from the usual bug fixes, Retina support and better Mountain Lion compatibility, iStat Menus 4 introduces a refreshed look that brings consistency with Bjango’s other iStat app, iStat 2. iStat Menus now features the same style for graphs and charts as iStat 2, and, even better, it comes with the same History menu to view a component’s performance over time. For instance, you can mouse over the CPU’s main graph and check out a second menu with History for the past hour, 24 hours, and 7 days. There are more time-related view options available, and there’s more to customize in the app’s Preferences (which have also been redesigned, and it took me a while to get used to them at first). I appreciate the consistency with iStat 2, and I like History because it lets me easily check my network’s conditions over time.
iStat Menus 4 is available for $16 via Bjango's online store. It's $9 for current iStat Menus 3 owners.
In Apple's just-released iTunes 11, users visiting the iTunes Store to redeem gift cards have a new option allowing them to simply take a photo of the code on the back of the card with their computer's camera in order to redeem their cards.
The option, which requires a card containing a box around the code to assist with recognition, allows users to quickly and easily redeem gift cards without having to worry about accurately typing in the unique 16-character code. Users are also still allowed to enter their codes manually for redemption.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Biggest design overhaul since iOS 7 with Liquid Glass, plus new Apple Intelligence features and improvements to Messages, Phone, Safari, Shortcuts, and more. Developer beta available now ahead of public beta in July.
Apple Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield has decided to sell off a set of stock for over $20 million, according to a 
iTunes 11 has 
