MacRumors

Apple today seeded a new version of OS X Snow Leopard, termed Build 10A421, to registered developers. The update reportedly weighs in at just over 740 MB, roughly the same size as the previous version, Build 10A411, pushed to developers ten days ago.

As usual, Apple provides few hints about changes in the new build, although users with access to the new version will certainly be examining the update to look for any modifications.

This Snow Leopard Developer Preview Update is recommended for all users running the Snow Leopard Developer Preview Build 10A411 or later. This update includes general operating system fixes for stability, compatibility, and security.

OS X Snow Leopard is slated for a September release and will cost $29 for current OS X Leopard owners. Users purchasing a new Mac on June 8th, 2009 or later can receive the updated operating system for $9.95 though Apple's "Up to Date" program.

In a statement made to Digital Daily yesterday, Palm acknowledges firing yet another salvo in the ongoing dispute between Apple and Palm over the Palm Pre's ability to sync iTunes media by emulating an iPod, claiming that it has reported Apple to the USB Implementers Forum for improper use of the Vendor ID used to identify devices using the USB interface.

"Palm has released webOS 1.1, which, along with offering more robust EAS support for business users, re-enables Palm media sync," said company spokesperson Lynn Fox. "Palm believes that openness and interoperability offer better experiences for users by allowing them the freedom to use the content they own without interference across devices and services, so on behalf of consumers, we have notified the USB Implementers Forum of what we believe is improper use of the Vendor ID number by another member."

Palm's webOS 1.1 update issued yesterday restores the syncing connectivity broken by Apple last week with the release of iTunes 8.2.1.

As PreCentral points out, the move is a bold statement by Palm given the company's apparent misuse of Apple's USB Vendor ID in order to permit iTunes media syncing.

I just plugged my 1.1 Pre into my Mac in Media Sync mode and sure enough, it's identifying itself with an Apple USB Vendor ID:

Product ID: 0x8002
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
Version: 0.16
Manufacturer: Palm Inc.

Such use of another manufacturer's Vendor ID is "strictly prohibited" by the USB Implementers Forum:

When you apply for a USB Vendor ID, you sign a form that explicitly states that:

"Unauthorized use of assigned or unassigned USB Vendor ID Numbers and associated Product ID Numbers are strictly prohibited."

Based on Palm's actions, it appears that the company believes that Apple's refusal to allow open access to iTunes via USB is a severe enough violation of the relatively open nature of the USB standards that it is willing to violate standards itself in order to work around Apple's restrictions.

We can make a guess: USB being a relatively open (albeit opt-in) 'standard,' either Palm thinks it's improper for iTunes to only allow connectivity with certain Vendor IDs. Since they feel they're in the right there, I guess they don't mind wading into the gray area of spoofing another company's USB Vendor ID.

AppleInsider reports that Apple is putting the finishing touches on its much-rumored tablet computer and is looking to launch the device, depicted in an artist's rendition, in early 2010. The report recaps a long history of developmental fits and starts as Apple has designed and redesigned the device in search of a solution meeting the company's high standards for product design and performance.

The 10-inch, 3G-enabled tablet, akin to a jumbo iPod touch, is the latest brainchild of chief executive Steve Jobs. That distinction, as insiders will tell you, carries its share of baggage. Under the critical eye of Jobs, contours must be precise, each pixel of the interface has to match a particular vision, and there can be no fault -- no matter how slight -- or it's back to the drawing board.

As such, AppleInsider has observed silently as the project was reset at least a half-dozen times over the past 24 months. Each time, development was frozen and key aspects of the device rethought, retooled and repositioned. At times, those close to the Apple co-founder had their doubts that it would ever see the light of day, just like a smaller PDA device he canned a few years after returning to the company.

Sources now indicate, however, that Jobs is satisfied with current design of the device and the company is moving quickly toward a release in the first quarter of 2010.

However, the past six months have reportedly seen the critical pieces fall into place. Jobs, who's been overseeing the project from his home, office and hospital beds, has finally achieved that much-sought aura of satisfaction. He's since cemented the device in the company's 2010 roadmap, where it's being positioned for a first quarter launch, according to people well-respected by AppleInsider for their striking accuracy in Apple's internal affairs.

The report notes that considerable delays in the tablet's development have been due to decisions regarding the device's processing technology. While Apple had initially envisioned the tablet to run using Intel's Atom platform, sources hint that dissatisfaction over battery life led Apple to reconsider its decision and ultimately purchase chipmaker P.A. Semi in order to move forward with its own ARM-based chip designs. P.A. Semi's role in delivering chips for the forthcoming tablet was rumored earlier this month based on VentureBeat sources who claimed that P.A. Semi's team had been divided into two parts, one for iPhone/iPod and one for a tablet, upon Apple's acquisition of the company in early 2008.

Advertising Age reports that Microsoft has quietly altered at least one of its "Laptop Hunters" television commercials to remove reference to the price of a MacBook Pro after recent price cuts to Apple's notebook line rendered the reference inaccurate. The move comes just a week after Microsoft's Chief Operating Officer seemingly gloated over Apple's lawyers having contacted Microsoft to request that the company address the inaccuracy.

In the 60-second spot, called "Lauren and Sue," we watch as law student Lauren shops around with the help of her Mom in the hopes of finding a computer under $1,700.

In the original version, Lauren at one point comes upon an Apple computer and declares: "This Mac is $2,000, and that's before adding anything."

"Why would you pay twice the price?" asks Lauren's mom. "I wouldn't," says Lauren, who ends up leaving with a $972 Dell laptop.

In the latest version of the ad, that portion has been edited out. The original ad has been removed from YouTube and other sites by Microsoft, and replaced with a version in which Lauren doesn't talk about how much the Mac costs, but she does say: "It seems like you're paying a lot for the brand."

Microsoft is quick to point out that the focus of the ad remains unchanged.

"We slightly adjusted the ads to reflect the updated pricing of the Mac laptop shown in the TV advertisement," a Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement. "This does not change the focus of the campaign, which is to showcase the value and choice of the PC."

The cat-and-mouse game between Apple and Palm continues today with Palm's announcement that it has released webOS 1.1, bringing a host of new features and improvements to the Palm Pre including restoration of iTunes media syncing.

Oh, and one more thing: Palm webOS 1.1 re-enables Palm media sync. That's right -- you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos from the current version of iTunes (8.2.1).

While the Palm Pre running webOS was initially able to sync directly with iTunes by presenting itself as an iPod, Apple disabled the functionality just last week with the release of iTunes 8.2.1. The iTunes syncing spat is the latest in a series of incidents between the two competitors, as Palm has hired several former Apple executives and engineers to lead the company's turnaround and Apple has issued veiled threats against Palm regarding intellectual property contained in iPhone that has appeared in similar forms in the Palm Pre.

The full list of new features available in webOS 1.1 can be found in Palm's release notes for the update.

Cult of Mac gathers an extensive gallery of cases from Chinese manufacturers claimed to be for the next-generation iPod touch and iPod nano. Cases for both devices feature holes in their backs that appear to provide openings for built-in cameras in the forthcoming models. The collection of cases follows discovery earlier this month of the first of these cases appearing on the market.

Third-party cases have been mixed indicators of future Apple product revisions in the past, with iPhone 3G cases accurately reflecting the design that was ultimately released, while cases for a rumored "iPhone nano" have obviously not yet been met with a corresponding product release from Apple.

Hardmac suggested in mid-May that both the iPod touch and iPod nano would see cameras added in their next revision in September of this year, and the iPod nano cases appearing in recent weeks are consistent with an artist's rendition developed by iLounge in late May based on their sources regarding the next-generation device. Wired also claimed in recent days that the next-generation iPod touch will have a video camera and microphone.

While case manufacturers have in the past reportedly received detailed specs of forthcoming devices from Apple's manufacturing partners in Asia, MacRumors has also been told previously that case manufacturers do occasionally develop case designs based on prevailing rumors and "best guesses" in hopes of being correct and therefore being able to offer cases for Apple's next-generation devices immediately upon their launch.

With Apple refusing to offer these manufacturers advance notice of its upcoming designs and the uncertain nature of other possible leaks, case manufacturers are sometimes left to choose between taking a calculated risk on investing in cases designed merely on rumored specs and the alternative of waiting until the products officially launch, at which point case design and production would likely lead to considerable lost time in the market. Consequently, whether the numerous consistent case designs available now are based on actual leaked specs or are simply the result of the many manufacturers all focusing in on an early "best guess" design remains unknown.

In a patent application filed in January 2008 and published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Apple describes its work on computer peripheral devices that are capable of initiating shut down of communications with the host computer to prepare for removal by sensing a touch or impending touch from the user. As an example, Apple points to the need for USB flash drives to be unmounted from the operating system prior to disconnection.

Before the user can remove the device, the user has to tell the host system that the device is about to be disconnected, so that an operating system of the host system can perform dismount operations (e.g., finish read/write transactions, close files) to prevent data loss when the device is disconnected from the host system. Some popular operating systems (e.g., Mac OS, Windows) require the user to "drag n drop" the icon onto a "trash" icon or perform some other sequence of steps to warn the operating system that the device is about to be disconnected. This conventional dismount procedure allows the operating system to perform dismount operations before the device is disconnected from the host system.

A common problem with conventional dismount procedures is that users often forget to follow the dismount procedures. For users who remember to use the proper dismount procedures, there is often a long wait while the operating system performs dismount operations. This wait can be several seconds long which can be frustrating to many users.

In the description of the invention, Apple covers a broad array of sensing techniques that could be used to allow a device such as a USB flash drive to sense the user's touch as he or she begins to remove the device. Further, Apple suggests the possibility of using a capacitive-sensing system to sense the approach of the user's hand in order to begin the unmounting process even earlier.

Summary: A portable device configured for engaging to a host system can be operable to generate a signal when the device is touched by a user or when the portable device detects an impending touch by the user. Responsive to the signal, the host system automatically initiates one or more operations related to disengaging the portable device from the host system. In some aspects, the portable device can be electrically, optically, electromechanically and/or mechanically engaged and/or disengaged to a host system.

These features allow a user to disconnect the portable device from the host system more quickly, and also prevents data corruption due to failure of the user to follow proper procedures.

The invention is credited to Brett Alten, currently Apple's Director of Patent Development.

Betanews reports (via The Loop) that according to market research firm NPD, Apple claimed 91% of the revenue market share for computers costing $1,000 or more in June. While NPD's sales numbers are limited to brick-and-mortar retail stores, the data shows a remarkable continuation of a trend that has been in place for several years now. While Apple's overall unit market share remains below 10%, the combination of Apple's growing market share over the past several years, refusal to compete in the low-end market, and declining Windows PC prices have led to Apple's domination of the "premium" price segment.

According to NPD, in June, average selling prices for all PCs sold at US retail was $701, or $690 for desktops and $703 for notebooks. But the ASPs get more interesting when comparing Macs to Windows PCs. For all Windows PCs, ASP was $515 in June. For Macs: $1,400. Desktop Windows PC ASP: $489. Mac desktops: $1,398. Windows notebook ASP was $520, or $569 when removing all those nasty, margin-sucking netbooks. Mac laptops: $1,400.

Mac ASPs have been higher for a long time, because Apple chooses not to compete at lower prices. The real entry price for Apple computers is $999 for the white MacBook and $1,199 for either the low-end iMac or MacBook Pro. By comparison, Windows netbooks sell for as little as $199, unsubsidized, and even some fuller-sized laptops don't cost much more. For example, HP laptops start at $349.99 after rebate.

With Apple's outstanding performance in the PC market in which it plays, the question becomes whether it can continue to find ways to expand its market and drive continued growth. Given Apple's reluctance to participate in the low-end market, the key to continued Mac growth appears to be Apple's ability to draw consumers into the higher-end market through the perceived value of its offerings. Recent price cuts across its notebook line are clearly one method Apple has chosen in order to entice would-be customers to consider Macs.

Based on data from NPD and other analysts, including Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, Apple's price cuts at the high end significantly boosted Mac sales, which at US retail were up 16 percent year over year in June. Rather than aim low, Apple chose to make the high lower, in a segment where Macs already commanded overwhelming market share.

Apple today released updates to its professional video and audio editing applications: Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio.

The revised Final Cut Studio brings over 100 new features to the application suite including new versions of nearly every component application and is priced at $999, a $300 discount over the previous version.

Apple today announced a significant update to Final Cut Studio with more than 100 new features and new versions of Final Cut Pro, Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Color and Compressor. Final Cut Studio features Final Cut Pro 7 which expands Apple's ProRes codec family to support virtually any workflow and includes Easy Export for one step output to a variety of formats and iChat Theater support for real-time collaboration. Motion 4 includes enhanced tools such as 3D shadows, reflections and depth of field for stunning motion graphics and visual effects, and Soundtrack Pro 3 features new multitrack audio tools to streamline audio post production. Color 1.5 includes better Final Cut Pro integration and support for full color resolution, and Compressor 3.5 adds new features that make it easy to set up and customize your export options. At $999, the new Final Cut Studio is $300 less than the previous release and is also available as an upgrade for just $299.

Apple also introduced Final Cut Server 1.5, offering a number of new features for Apple's media management companion to Final Cut Pro. The new version includes unlimited licenses for $999, and existing Final Cut Server users can upgrade for $299.

The updated Logic Studio package brings significant revisions to Apple's flagship audio application suite, bringing major changes to Logic Pro and MainStage and incorporating over 200 new features.

Apple today unveiled the next version of Logic Studio with major upgrades to Logic Pro and MainStage and more than 200 new features that simplify complex tasks. Logic Pro 9 features new Amp Designer and Pedalboard plug-ins that provide realistic virtual guitar amps and stompbox effects to create amazing custom guitar rigs. A new set of Flex Time tools allow Logic users to manipulate the timing and tempo of audio quickly and easily. MainStage 2, Apple's live performance application, includes the new Playback and Loopback plug-ins to provide backing tracks and creative, real-time loop recording for performing on stage. Logic Studio also includes the new Soundtrack Pro 3, with new multitrack audio tools for video production, and Compressor 3.5 for encoding in a variety of formats.

Logic Studio is priced at $499, and existing users can upgrade for $199. Apple will also be releasing an updated version of Logic Express, a slimmed-down version of Logic targeted at GarageBand users looking for additional tools, in August for $199.

Amy Clancy of KIRO 7 TV in Seattle reports on her investigation of complaints of iPods overheating, smoldering and catching fire. The complaints, made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, amount to over 800 pages of documentation covering 15 incidents that Apple's lawyers repeatedly tried to prevent Clancy from accessing under a Freedom of Information Act request.

It took more than 7-months for KIRO 7 Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy to get her hands on documents concerning Apple's iPods from the Consumer Product Safety Commission because Apple's lawyers filed exemption after exemption. In the end, the CPSC released more than 800 pages which reveal, for the very first time, a comprehensive look that shows, on a number of occasions, iPods have suddenly burst into flames, started to smoke, and even burned their owners.

The complaints cover a broad array of iPod models over the years and include incidents that occurred while the devices were charging and not.

Analysis of the incidents suggests that the lithium-ion batteries used in the iPods are responsible for the overheating. Apple last summer acknowledged that in some cases batteries in the first-generation iPod nano could overheat, leading the company to request that concerned users contact Apple to discuss possible replacement. Apple's replacement policy gained renewed attention earlier this month when South Korean media initially suggested that Apple had issued a full recall of the first-generation iPod nano, although Apple quickly denied that there had been any change in its procedures for the affected devices.

While the Consumer Product Safety Commission has not taken action against Apple regarding the overheating iPods, the agency is requesting that Apple continue to keep it abreast of the situation. The agency also notes that Apple has addressed these specific concerns in recent model releases by having changed its battery technology, although similar reports regarding Apple's newer iPod touch models have begun to surface.

One of the reasons the CPSC gives for not taking action now is because "the current generation of iPods uses a battery which has not been shown to have similar problems." When asked by Clancy, when this "current generation" of batteries started being used, and what type of battery it is, Apple would not comment. But earlier this year a lawsuit against Apple was filed in Cincinnati because, the lawyer claims, an iPod Touch, one of Apple's newest edition of iPods, also powered by a lithium ion battery, exploded and caught fire while in a teenagers pocket. The suit claims the boy suffered second-degree burns to his leg, and that the iPod was off at the time. This incident is not included in the CPSC's file.

The Street's Scott Moritz reports that Apple is planning to release its long-rumored tablet computer "in time for the holidays" later this year. While Apple is reportedly still deciding on a sales model for the new device, Moritz's source reports that initial plans include subsidies from Verizon in order to lock in users for multi-year wireless data contracts while bringing down the upfront cost to consumers for the device, which is expected to carry a premium price tag.

An initial version of the long-anticipated Apple tablet will be subsidized by Verizon, but Apple and Verizon "won't be as tightly integrated" as Apple's iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T, says one source familiar with the companies, who asked not to be named.

Moritz's report of a premium price tag echoes comments made as recently as yesterday by Apple executives claiming that Apple can not deliver a netbook or low-end notebook at the $399 or $499 price point currently offered by others that still maintains a satisfactory user experience. Apple's tablet has been seen by many as Apple's revolutionary answer to those usability issues, and the Verizon subsidy is seen as a mechanism to address the upfront cost issue. The subsidy would almost certainly have to be considerably smaller than those seen for smartphones, however, as data-only wireless plans do not command the same monthly fees as the combined voice-and-data plans used on the iPhone.

AT&T, for example, collects about $100 a month from an average iPhone customer. The voice portion of that is $68.40 a month, or about two-thirds of the bill, says Michael Cote a wireless strategy advisor with the Cote Collaborative. A subsidy on a data plan device, would by necessity be smaller than one that comes with a phone, says Cote.

Verizon, the largest wireless provider in the U.S., has been the subject of a great deal of rumors regarding partnerships with Apple. Aside from continued rumors of the iPhone making an appearance on its network, Verizon has been mentioned as a partner for two rumored devices from Apple: an "iPhone Lite" and a "Media Pad" that corresponds in many respects to Apple's rumored tablet device.

Moritz has had a spotty record in the past with a number of inaccurate claims, although he was the first to correctly report last year that AT&T would provide subsidies for the iPhone 3G to bring the entry-level price point down to $199.

German GPS firm Navigon has finally released MobileNavigator North America [App Store, $69.99 through August 15th and $99.99 thereafter], one of the first full-featured turn-by-turn GPS navigation applications for the iPhone. While several subscription-based GPS applications, including AT&T's own service have appeared since the release of iPhone OS 3.0, MobileNavigator represents the first full-featured GPS application bearing a single upfront cost to reach North America, beating out the much-anticipated hardware/software combination coming from TomTom. Navigon released a European version of MobileNavigator late last month.

The new North American package contains maps for the United States (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands) and Canada from NAVTEQ. Features include:

- Reality View Pro displays photo-realistic 3D views with actual road signs and lane guidance for virtually every highway interchange and exit drivers will encounter.
- Lane Assistant Pro helps drivers prepare to make an upcoming exit or turn by providing a lane map complete with arrows and actual road geometry.
- Speed Assistant with adjustable audio-visual warning.
- Day & Night Mode for map display.
- Direct Access allows navigation to contacts saved in the iPhone's address book.
- Branded POIs and POIs along the route
- 2D and 3D map view.
- Automatic switch between portrait and landscape format.
- Intelligent address entry.
- Real signpost display.

Navigon promises a free update coming soon to add such features as multiple-destination routing, additional view options, integration of points of interest entries with the iPhone's phone and address book features, and optimized volume control when using iPod functionality. Navigon has also released a video preview the new North American application.

The application requires an iPhone 3G or 3GS running iPhone OS 3.0 and weighs in at 1.29 GB.

Apple has concluded their financial results conference call which detailed Apple's financial results for this past quarter. The conference call included the usual mix of questions about Apple's future performance as well as hopeful questions about Apple's future plans.

Given Apple's recent decision to drop prices on their portable line, several analysts asked Apple if they had reconsidered entering the netbook/low-end market. Apple's response was the same as always, indicating that they felt the $399 and $499 netbook market held sub-standard products with poor user satisfaction. Apple insisted again that they would only enter the market if they felt they could offer a product they were proud of.

The most revealing tidbit coming out of Apple, however, was the fact they revealed they were "working on" different App categorizations in response to a question about the "race to the bottom" pricing found in the App Store. At the moment, Apple's Top 100 ranks offers the highest profile marketing channel for iPhone and iPod touch applications.

These Top 100 ranks are based on unit sales rather than revenue and are therefore skewed towards lower priced applications. As a result, apps have had to compete with lower prices in order to try to boost their exposure on these lists. Critics of this system have argued that this encourages a "$0.99 economy" which will prevent companies from investing in higher quality titles for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Apple revealed that they are "looking for ways to categorize apps differently" and that there was "opportunity for further improvement and [they] are working on that".

CrunchGear reports that developer Till Schadde has discovered a security flaw that allows AIM instant messages sent to certain unlocked and jailbroken iPhones to be misrouted to unintended recipients.

Till tested the service by sending an AIM from the OS X desktop using iChat to his iPhone. He then received a reply back from a random recipient. It is clear that this is a Push problem in the message addressing - each iPhone is assigned its own identifier and receives messages from a central server operated by Apple - although this may change.

Schadde reports that AOL is investigating the issue, although he suggests that AOL says that the issue is not the result of anything happening in their systems. Initial indications are that the bug appears to be related to a hack being developed to skirt Apple's blocking of Push Notifications to unlocked iPhones, with the hack possibly somehow causing device identifiers to be mis-assigned through Apple's servers. It is not yet clear how widespread the problem is and to how many devices misrouted messages are being sent.