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MacRumors

GOG.com Offering Classic FPS Duke Nukem 3D For Free

Wednesday December 12, 2012 2:19 pm PST by Jordan Golson

Dukenukem3d GOG.com, the classic PC game store, is giving away Duke Nukem 3D free for a limited time. Duke Nukem 3D was one of the most revolutionary games of its time, pushing boundaries of tastefulness, obscenity and nudity within a video game.

This particular version is the Atomic Edition of the game includes bonus episodes, new weapons and enemies. It also supports a number of fan made mods.

Duke Nukem, the politically incorrect celebrity and ultimate alien ass kicker, defends Earth and its babes from alien invasion.

He is a can-do hero who realizes that sometimes innocent people have to die in order to save Earth, so accuracy of gun fire is not a real concern to him. This is the award winning game that helped define the FPS genre and introduced unparalleled interactivity and a talking main character.

Duke Nukem 3D is a scant 35MB and requires Snow Leopard or above. The game is available free through Friday December 14th..

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Matrox Launches DS1 Thunderbolt Docking Station for $249

Wednesday December 12, 2012 1:52 pm PST by Eric Slivka

For over a year, third-party manufacturers have been showing off prototypes and making announcements regarding Thunderbolt docking stations, accessories that would allow users to connect a variety of peripherals to a hub that would then connect to their Mac with a single Thunderbolt cable. Apple offers such functionality as part of its $999 Apple Thunderbolt Display, but many users have been looking for similar hub functionality that does not require also purchasing a large display.

Matrox is one of the manufacturers that has been working on a Thunderbolt docking stations, having announced its $249 DS1 hub back in June. At the time, the product was scheduled to launch in September of this year, but the company later pushed back the launch to December as it decided to roll out separate models for DVI and HDMI monitor compatibility.

Matrox will be announcing tomorrow that the DS1 docking station is now available for sale in the Americas at a price of $249, with worldwide availability set for next month. The DS1 contains a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out jacks and either an HDMI or DVI port on the rear of the device, with a combination USB 3.0/2.0 port and the Thunderbolt port for connection to the user's machine on the front.

We chatted a bit with product manager Charles Amyot about the development of DS1, in particular asking why it has taken over a year and a half to bring a Thunderbolt docking station to market. The issue is not unique to Matrox, as Belkin and other manufacturers have also been working to launch their products but have yet to begin shipping.

Amyot noted that there were a number of hurdles that needed to be overcome throughout the development process, due in large part to Thunderbolt being a new standard with little in the way of support available yet. Matrox worked closely with both Apple and Intel on the development of the DS1, but ensuring a good user experience with proper drivers and other features of the device turned out to be a time-consuming process. Amyot also noted that Matrox is the first company to deliver USB 3.0 connectivity over Thunderbolt, a step that required a significant amount of work.

Thunderbolt remains in its infancy, and many users have been frustrated with what feels like a slow pace of adoption. Until recently, Thunderbolt accessories have primarily been limited to expensive professional devices such as RAID storage arrays and PCI Expansion expansion chassis. Only in recent months have consumer-level products begun integrating Thunderbolt on a widespread basis, but even then many of them such as hard drives can only make maximum use of Thunderbolt when equipped with expensive solid-state storage.

Regardless, as Apple continues to slim down its Macs and eliminate such features as Ethernet ports, docking stations like the DS1 that offer a single-cable connection for a variety of peripherals are likely to become increasingly popular with users seeking simple expansion solutions.

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Apple Awarded U.S. Trademark for Mac Startup Chime

Wednesday December 12, 2012 12:49 pm PST by Juli Clover

Patently Apple reports that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has officially granted Apple a registered trademark for the sound that its Mac computers make after booting up.

The original chiming sound was created by Apple programmer Jim Reekes, who designed many of the system sounds for the Mac OS, including that iconic startup chime roughly 20 years ago. Apple has used several different variations on the chime over the years, including a shift in pitch to the current tone Apple notes as having been in use since early 1999.

On the trademark application, which was filed in June of this year, Apple states that the chime is "a sound mark consisting of a slightly flat (by approximately 30 cents) G flat/F sharp major chord."

Apple uses the sound to signal that the diagnostic tests run at the startup of a Mac computer have found no hardware or software problems.

Other Apple trademarks include slogans like "There’s an app for that" and "Think Different," and product labels like "Retina," "Time Capsule," and "Smart Cover."

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Samsung Targets Apple Maps with New Promotional Display in Australia

Wednesday December 12, 2012 12:09 pm PST by Juli Clover

Samsung is taking advantage of Apple's Australian Maps snafu, where several motorists became lost after Maps gave them the wrong directions to the city of Mildura, directing them instead to the middle of the Murray-Sunset national park.

To capitalize on Apple's mistake, Samsung released a new marketing campaign in Sydney, which was discovered by CNET Australia.

The display depicts a filthy, mud-covered white SUV alongside some camping equipment. A sign next to the car reads, "Oops, should have got a Samsung Galaxy S III. Get navigation you can trust."

On Monday, Apple repaired the Mildura mapping error, and it was discovered that the source information that Apple used from the Australian Gazeteer was inaccurate, which is what led to the issue.

Google Maps came under scrutiny today as well, after a Yahoo news report stated that police in Colac were concerned that similar problems in Google's maps were putting people's lives in danger along the Great Ocean Road and in the southern Otways.

Samsung's latest stunt is one of many ads and displays that aim to paint the iPhone in a negative light, like the ad that portrayed the iPhone as uncool, depicting a Galaxy S3 owner saving a spot in one of Apple’s iconic lines for his parents.

Apple and Samsung have had an ongoing feud since Apple accused Samsung of imitating its products. Most recently, Samsung was ordered to pay just over billion dollars at the conclusion of the U.S. trial, further souring the relationship between the two companies.

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Intel's 'Haswell' Desktop Processors Detailed for Spring 2013 Launch

Wednesday December 12, 2012 11:56 am PST by Eric Slivka

VR-Zone shares (via Engadget) what is claimed to be a leaked list of Intel's first wave of "Haswell" desktop processors. The 14 new chips are expected to debut in the spring of 2013 and will build new architecture on top of the 22-nanometer process used in the current Ivy Bridge chips.

Haswell will bring a number of enhancements to Intel's chip lineup, including faster performance and significant integrated graphics improvements delivered by the new Intel HD 4600 graphics package.

The Haswell desktop chips are likely to only make their way into Apple's iMac family, as the Mac mini uses mobile chips while the Mac Pro takes advantage of Xeon-branded server chips. Still, progress on Haswell sets the stage for further improvements to Apple's just-redesigned flagship desktop Mac, and mobile chips that will power most of the rest of Apple's Mac lineup should follow relatively soon after.

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Apple Takes 27% of Global LTE Market

Wednesday December 12, 2012 10:34 am PST by Husain Sumra

The iPhone 5, Apple's first LTE smartphone, was only released in September but it hasn't taken long for Apple to nab 27% of the global LTE market, according to new data from Strategy Analytics (via Yonhap News).

Apple is second in marketshare to Samsung, which registered 40% marketshare, although Samsung's share actually dropped from 50.9% in the previous quarter as Apple in particular entered the market. LG and Motorola also saw their marketshare take a hit, dropping from 15% each to 9.1% and 6.7% respectively. The only gain other than Apple was Pantech, who moved from 5.7% to 5.8%.

Strategy Analytics' data shows that global LTE subscriptions has boomed to 50 million devices in 2012, which is a five-fold increase from the estimated 9 million global subscriptions at the end of 2011. Although it's not clear whether the data includes LTE-enabled tablets alongside LTE smartphones, Apple revealed during the announcement of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad that their devices would support LTE in more countries.

The LTE market will continue to grow as ABI Research predicts that worldwide shipments of LTE-enabled devices could reach 61 million this year, driven in large part by smartphone owners trading in their 3G phones for LTE-enabled ones.

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Bungie Co-Founder Announces New iOS First-Person Shooter, 'Morning Star'

Wednesday December 12, 2012 10:05 am PST by Husain Sumra

Bungie co-founder Alex Seropian earned his pedigree when he helped found the company that created Microsoft's hit game series Halo. He left Bungie to found a new studio called Industrial Toys, and earlier this week the firm revealed its latest project: a sci-fi first-person shooter called Morning Star for iOS.

In a blog post on is website, the company says the game is a "complete re-imagining of the sci-fi shooter for touch."

If you get the newsletter, you know we’ve been banging away on R&D with nailing down a satisfying control scheme, developing really cool and interesting gameplay systems and weaving an outrageous story with awesome characters. [...]

Our totally unreasonable goal is to completely change the expectations core gamers have for their mobile games, and with that comes a bunch of dialogue about what we’re doing and whether it’s gonna work or not.

The game is slated for release in Spring 2013.

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Flickr App Gets Redesign and New Filters

Wednesday December 12, 2012 9:48 am PST by Juli Clover

Yahoo yesterday released an update for its iOS mail app, and today the company is continuing with its product revamp, launching an updated version of its Flickr iPhone app.

That's why we're excited to introduce a redesigned Flickr app for iPhone and iPod touch, making it easier than ever to capture, share, and discover beautiful photos – all from the palm of your hand. This latest app also includes many of the best Flickr.com features, including editing and managing your photos, making them accessible wherever you are. Because we store your photos in full resolution, they’ll be crisp and clear even when you zoom in on the smallest details.

We built the app with sharing in mind – whether by email, with the Flickr community, or your favorite social network. We’ve worked hard with our partners to make sure your pictures are displayed beautifully on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr.

The new Flickr app features a long awaited redesign, with clean, simple lines and big photo thumbnails, which makes browsing through photos a pleasant experience.

There’s also an included camera, which allows for photo taking within the app, and a set of 16 filters that can be used to apply retro effects to photos, much like Instagram and the newly updated Twitter app. You can also crop and enhance with the built-in photo editor.

Sharing tools have been enhanced, adding the ability to share photos simultaneously with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or email. Full Groups capabilities, which were previously reserved for the web version of Flickr can now be found in the app.

Most impressively, viewing photos is a much improved experience, with a landscape mode full screen view and pinch-to-zoom tools.

Flickr for the iPhone is a free app and can be downloaded from the App Store.

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iTunes Store Movie Content Goes Live in 42 New Countries

Wednesday December 12, 2012 9:18 am PST by Eric Slivka

Earlier this month, we noted that the iTunes Music Store had gone live in 56 new countries, nearly doubling the number of countries with access to the store. At the time, Apple noted in its press release that movies were also being launched in Russia, Turkey, India and Indonesia with "select additional countries" also scheduled to offer the film content.

Beginning earlier today, a number of MacRumors readers began reporting that movies had gone live in their countries, and AppleInsider has compiled a list of 42 new countries where movies are now available.

- Europe: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine

- Africa, the Middle East and India: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Botswana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Zimbabwe

- Asia Pacific: Micronesia, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

- Latin America and the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago

The new additions mean that just ten of the 56 countries that added music content earlier this month have yet to begin offering movies. Those countries include: Barbados, Bermuda, Burkina Faso, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and Uzbekistan.

Related Forum: Mac Apps

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iPad Shipments Lowered Because of iPad Mini Cannibalization?

Wednesday December 12, 2012 8:58 am PST by Jordan Golson

Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu has issued a new report on Apple, raising his iPhone unit estimates while lowering iPad estimates reports Apple 2.0. Additionally, Wu has cut his revenue estimates slightly while increasing his gross margin estimates for Apple's holiday quarter.

Wu says iPad mini demand is strong but sales are limited by supply constraints and he sees the mini cannibalizing full-sized iPad sales. iPhone sales will grow because of improving manufacturing yields and increased availability.

We believe AAPL shares will likely continue to be volatile until year end due to non-fundamental factors including profit taking as AAPL as been an outstanding performer in 2012 where many are opting to lock in gains and fears of higher "fiscal cliff" tax rates next year. However, we believe as we enter 2013, investor sentiment will likely shift back to fundamentals. We are at the beginning of two big product cycles that will likely last 3-5 quarters and see margins poised to improve with greater scale and improving yields.

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First 27-Inch iMac Deliveries Now Arriving

Wednesday December 12, 2012 8:39 am PST by Eric Slivka

Following their shipment earlier this week, the first orders of Apple's redesigned 27-inch iMac have now begun arriving at their destinations, with several MacRumors readers reporting that they have receiving their shipments today ahead of their projected December 13 delivery dates.

Apple announced the redesigned iMac at its media event on October 23, but noted that the 21.5-inch model would not begin shipping until November with the 27-inch models following in December. Apple began taking orders for both sizes on November 30, with the 27-inch models seeing 2-3 week shipping estimates at that time.

Availability remains tight as Apple reportedly works to achieve acceptable yields of the new display assembly, which laminates the display directly to the cover glass. With the larger 27-inch displays proving more difficult to assemble than their smaller siblings, supplies of the 27-inch iMac models are particularly tight.

Related Roundup: iMac

Buyer's Guide: iMac (Don't Buy)

Related Forum: iMac

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Highly Rated iOS Role-Playing Game 'Aralon' is Free for Limited Time

Wednesday December 12, 2012 8:05 am PST by Arnold Kim

Sister site TouchArcade.com is offering a new promotion called "Free Play" in which they work with developers to offer highly rated games for free. The first offering is a role-playing game called Aralon.

Aralon features over 30 hours of gameplay, and an incredibly depth character creation system complete with multiple races and classes- Each with their own unique skill trees. Accompanying the main story quest is tons of optional side quests to complete, hundreds of items to acquire, faction systems, crafting systems, and mounts ranging from basic horses to epic dragons.

Aralon first came out in 2010 and received a 5 star review at the time. Aralon was originally priced at $6.99 and has seen price fluctuations since its release, but has never been free before. [Direct Link]

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Apple Testing Television Set Prototypes, 'Isn't a Formal Project Yet'

Wednesday December 12, 2012 5:43 am PST by Eric Slivka

Continuing the flurry of Apple television rumors in recent days following CEO Tim Cook's brief comments on the topic as part of an interview on Rock Center last week, The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is indeed testing designs for future television set products. The report adds little to existing rumors, but does indicate that work is continuing and keeps the topic fresh in the public's mind.

Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been working on testing a few designs for a large-screen high-resolution TV.

Two people said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which assembles the iPhone and iPad, has been collaborating with Japan's Sharp Corp. on the design of the new television.

"It isn't a formal project yet. It is still in the early stage of testing," said one of the people.

The report notes that Apple has been testing television set prototypes for a number of years and that the company tests many different prototype products that never come to market, making clear that a launch is not imminent and that Apple could ultimately scrap its plans.

Related Roundup: Apple TV

Tag: Wall Street Journal

Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Related Forum: Apple TV and Home Theater

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Original 'Angry Birds' Updated for iPhone 5, Big-Screen Movie Coming in 2016

Tuesday December 11, 2012 2:52 pm PST by Jordan Golson

Rovio is celebrating Angry Birds' third anniversary by upgrading the game with iPhone 5 support and also disclosing that an Angry Birds movie is tentatively scheduled for release in 2016.

On the third anniversary of the release of Angry Birds, Rovio Entertainment announced that Despicable Me producer John Cohen has signed on as producer of the upcoming Angry Birds movie. David Maisel, former Chairman of Marvel Studios and executive producer of Iron Man, will be executive producer of the feature film, coming to theaters in summer 2016. The film will be produced and financed by Rovio Entertainment.

Angry Birds is available for iPhone and iPad on the App Store. [Direct Link: iPhone, iPad]

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Microsoft and Apple Facing Off Over Office for iOS Subscription Revenues, Not SkyDrive

Tuesday December 11, 2012 1:03 pm PST by Jordan Golson

AllThingsD is reporting that contrary to earlier reports that Apple and Microsoft were arguing over a 30% cut of storage upgrade sales through Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage utility, instead the companies are negotiating over revenue Microsoft would bring in as part of its Office 365 subscription service.

Office has long been a cash cow for Microsoft and extending the platform to iOS will undoubtedly fatten it further. It will also bring significant benefits to Apple’s mobile platform, ones for which Microsoft feels it is owed a discount on that 30 percent cut that Apple would otherwise command on Office 365 subscriptions sold to iOS users through it. The apps are just part of a subscription that includes desktop access.

So the company has been pushing Apple to adjust the 70/30 revenue split in its developer license agreement. Predictably, Apple has refused to comply. It’s not yet clear what sort of concession Microsoft is seeking, but whatever it is, Apple’s evidently not willing to consider it. Indeed, I’m told it’s taken a “the rules are the rules” stance, which would suggest it’s not at all willing to negotiate a different split. Apple’s position: If a customer comes through its gateway, it feels it is deserved the commission outlined in 11.12 of its developer license.

Apple, for its part, says that App Store rules are fair and are applied equally to all developers, big and small.

Office for iOS has been rumored several times over the past year, but now seems closer to fruition than ever -- if Apple and Microsoft can come to some agreement. Yesterday, Microsoft leaked references to 'Office Mobile for iPhone', 'Excel for iPad', and 'PowerPoint for iPad'.

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Yahoo Launches New Streamlined Mail Client for iPhone

Tuesday December 11, 2012 11:40 am PST by Juli Clover

Yahoo today launched an all new mail client across several platforms, including iOS, Windows 8, Android, and the Web.

According to Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer, speed and ease of use were the focus during the redesign of Yahoo! Mail.

You've told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, communicate, and get on with your day. And we've listened. Starting today, the new Yahoo! Mail is fast, easy and available anywhere you go. These improvements will be available on all major platforms: Web, Windows 8, iPhone/iPod touch and Android.

We've redesigned the new version of Yahoo! Mail with speed in mind – getting through your emails is faster than ever before. We've also made your inbox more intuitive and easier to navigate, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your messages. And, because mobile is everything these days, Yahoo! Mail now has a consistent look and feel across devices.

The new Yahoo! Mail app features a simple, clean interface with Yahoo's signature purple accents. It is similar in design to Sparrow, with an uncluttered inbox and a collapsible folder pane on the left side of the screen. The app has push notifications, infinite scroll, and quick photo insertion.

An additional blog post from from Vivek Sharma, General Manager of Yahoo! Mail and Messenger, states that Yahoo! Mail's underlying performance has been enhanced, making it faster to read and compose messages.

Our new, native apps have been built for speed. You can easily scan your inbox and quickly triage – starring important messages that need follow-up, filing messages to folders and deleting unimportant ones – all from the inbox. With infinite scroll, you can quickly find emails from last month or even, last year.

We've also reduced steps to save you time. When you log into Yahoo! Mail on the Web, it'll take you directly to your inbox. We've tweaked the underlying performance so it's faster to compose and read messages. After you send a message, we now take you right back to the inbox. Collectively, that works out to 36 million minutes saved every day.

Yahoo! Mail for iOS, which launched today in the App Store, is available for iPhone users. Yahoo! Mail apps for Windows 8 and Android are also available today, and the web version will roll over the next few days.

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Twitter Announces Built-In Photo Editing for iOS App

Tuesday December 11, 2012 11:39 am PST by Juli Clover

Hot on the heels of Instagram's new update, Twitter officially announced the release of an update to its own iOS and Android apps, adding photo editing functionality and built-in filters.

Starting today, you’ll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter. The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet. We're grateful to our partner, Aviary, for powering our filters and effects.

Twitter's photo editing capabilities include auto enhance, cropping and pinch to zoom, and an array of eight different filters.

Filters include Vignette, Black and White, Warm, Cool, Vintage, Cinematic, Happy, and Gritty.

Twitter and Instagram have become increasingly competitive when it comes to photo real estate, especially following the Facebook purchase of Instagram. Recently, Instagram officially shut off Twitter cards in an effort to direct Twitter users to its own website for viewing photos.

The change disallows Instagram photos from expanding in Twitter feeds, and instead, pictures from Instagram now show up as links. Photos edited with the updated Twitter app, however, will show up directly in user feeds.

Aviary, which is the photo editing SDK behind Twitter's new photo filters, is also used by Flickr, Yahoo, Box, Squarespace, and Walgreens.

The updated Twitter for iOS is available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

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'Find My iPhone' App Updated With Driving Directions to Device Location

Tuesday December 11, 2012 11:08 am PST by Jordan Golson

Apple has updated its Find My iPhone iOS app with the ability to display driving directions to the lost device's location.

Find My iPhone is a free service built into iCloud. It allows users to lock, find, or erase a lost or stolen iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac.

If you misplace your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, the Find My iPhone app will let you use another iOS device to find it and protect your data. Simply install this free app on another iOS device, open it, and sign in with your Apple ID. Find My iPhone will help you locate your missing device on a map, play a sound, display a message, remotely lock your device, or erase all the data on it.

If the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch you want to locate is running iOS 6, Find My iPhone also includes Lost Mode. Lost Mode locks your missing device with a 4-digit passcode and can display a contact phone number right on the lock screen. And while in Lost Mode, your device will keep track of where it has been and display its recent location history when you check in with the Find My iPhone app.  Please note that Find My iPhone must be enabled in the iCloud settings on your device for you to locate it with this app.

Find My iPhone is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

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Upcoming

Fall 2026

Siri AI, Apple Intelligence features throughout, child safety improvements, and more. In developer beta now.

macOS Golden Gate

Fall 2026

Siri AI, design refinements, new Apple Intelligence features, and more. In developer beta now.

September 2026

Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.

September 2026

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