MacRumors

Roku and TiVo today announced that they are bringing support for Hulu Plus subscriptions to their set-top boxes, leading to speculation that a similar deal could eventually be struck for the new Apple TV. The service, which requires an additional $9.99-per-month subscription, will launch on Roku and TiVo Premiere boxes within the next few months.

Hulu Plus offers one of the deepest offerings of current TV shows on a streaming platform to subscribers in the U.S., including every episode of more than 45 current hit programs from ABC, FOX and NBC like Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Glee, Family Guy, The Office and 30 Rock. In addition, TV lovers with TiVo Premiere DVRs will be able to enjoy full series runs and numerous back seasons of dozens of classic shows like The X-Files, Law and Order: SVU, Arrested Development, Saturday Night Live, Miami Vice, Ugly Betty, Quantum Leap, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Roswell and Ally McBeal.

Hulu Plus launched on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch earlier this year, and so it seems reasonable to speculate that a version for the iOS-based Apple TV could be in the works. While Apple's AirPlay technology set for public release with iOS 4.2 in November will allow users to stream video content from their portable iOS devices to the new Apple TV, it is unclear whether Hulu, which has been selective in the platforms on which it allows its content to be used, will be compatible with AirPlay. Regardless of Hulu's AirPlay compatibility, however, native support for Hulu Plus on Apple TV would be a significant feature addition for the new device.

A couple of AppleTV firmware findings has raised some interesting possibilities with regard to Apple's new Apple TV and AirPlay streaming service. With the news that AppleTV was iOS based, everyone quickly jumped to the natural prediction that we will be able to run iOS apps on the Apple TV. But the converse to that is also true. Since the Apple TV is just an iOS device, users should be able to eventually run the Apple TV experience (called Lowtide.app) on an iPad. It seems Apple is already putting these pieces in place.

TUAW notes the Apple TV interface application has settings that indicate compatibility with the iPad as a hidden service.

Because of this setting, Lowtide would probably be run as silent service, presenting its interface only when its features were requested. The iPad's camera connection kit software works very much in this way, opening only when a DCIM camera is attached. The iPad would likely respond to streaming Airplay requests by opening Lowtide, if a future version of its OS included the application.

This means that you may eventually be able to start watching videos on your Apple TV or iTunes, and then finish watching it on your iPad. The Apple TV interface also allows you do to something new on iOS devices -- stream content straight from the iTunes Store. This streaming-only requirement of the new Apple TV was one of the big changes over the previous model. And given all the talk of Apple moving into cloud computing, it seems that this could naturally extend into remote wireless (3G) streaming. TUAW notes that the full Lowtide.app can't run on existing iOS devices due to missing frameworks, but one user has managed to install the Apple TV's airtunesd (AirTunes Daemon) component onto his iPhone 4, allowing him to stream audio to his phone from Airfoil or iTunes.

According to a pair of reports from MacStories, several European countries have seen the debut of iPhone 4 commercials centered around the device's FaceTime video calling capabilities. The four new commercials are all set to Louis Armstrong's "When You're Smiling" and contain no voice-over text, making them appropriate for airing in multiple countries. The new commercials also close with carrier-specific branding in each of the countries where they have appeared, which include at least the UK, Italy, and Spain.

- Lion
- Football
- Wedding Dress
- Mum's Birthday

Meanwhile, users in the Middle East are finding issues with FaceTime in their countries. The controversy began there last week when it was discovered that Apple had removed some FaceTime-related promo materials on its localized sites for several countries in the region, suggesting that the feature may not be making a debut there.

At the present time, there appear to be mixed reports about the status of FaceTime functionality in many countries in the region, with some reports indicating that FaceTime is functional out of the box but that it becomes disabled upon updating to iOS 4.1. Other users have reported mixed results with a variety of methods for trying to get FaceTime working on their phones.

The reason for the apparent lack of FaceTime functionality is unclear at this time, with one rather confusing report claiming that Apple removed the feature based on a mistaken assumption that it wouldn't be permitted due to restrictions on VoIP services common in the region.

As predicted, Apple has updated their Remote app that allows iOS users to control iTunes and their Apple TV from their devices. The app hadn't been updated for nearly a year, but has finally received a 2.0 update that brings support for the iPad, Retina display and new Apple TV. New features listed include:

- Designed for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
- Optimized for Retina displays and large screen real estate on iPad
- Support for Shared Libraries on iTunes and new Apple TV
- Bug fixes and compatibility with iTunes 10 and the new Apple TV

The new Apple TV has begun shipping already and should arrive in customer's hands later this week.

Microsoft today announced that Office for Mac 2011 will launch on October 26th, with pre-orders available through Amazon beginning today. The company also posted one final behind-the-scenes video from the Office for Mac team, highlighting speed improvements, dynamic reordering of layers in documents and presentations, and full screen view improvements.

Macworld has already published reviews for the new versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, finding the suite to be a significant improvement over Office for Mac 2008, although not without a few issues.

Word for Mac 2011 brings more than 30 new features and improvements, with Macworld finding that it offers the same look and feel as its Windows counterpart, but "more refined and better organized". A solid implementation of the Ribbon toolbar, new enterprise tools, Spotlight integration, the return of Visual Basic for Applications, and speed enhancements all contribute to a vastly improved experience.

The bottom line is this: Microsoft Word for Mac no longer feels like a second-string word processing program in the Microsoft Office suite. It is in fact a powerful tool for creating all your personal and business documents and for collaborating with others. More importantly, Word 2011 now makes it possible to insert a Mac into nearly any business environment and offer Mac users the same set of features found in Word for Windows, without compromise.

Macworld calls Excel for Mac 2011 a bigger step forward than either the 2004 or 2008 version, with the shift to the Ribbon toolbar, macro support, sparklines, conditional formatting improvements, table improvements, and new sharing and protection features all making a significant difference for many users. Macworld did, however, find some uneven performance, particularly some slowness in scrolling, although Microsoft claims that the slowdown was intentional due to complaints from users about it being too fast in earlier versions. Excel 2011 also departs from the traditional Mac experience with its uses of custom dictionary and thesaurus, lack of support for Services, and other minor inconsistencies.

Should you upgrade to Excel 2011 if you're using an older version? I definitely think so. The new interface and improved functionality make short work of even large projects, while the protection and sharing features make it easier to work with others - both on the Mac and on that "other" platform. There are only a few negatives with Excel 2011. I feel scrolling has been overly slowed down, the live window resizing is jumpy, and the lack of support for Services is troubling, as that's an OS X feature that I rely on daily. However, these things are not big enough issues to really affect Excel's performance and features - the program just works, and has many new features and improvements that spreadsheet users have been asking for. Excel 2011 is a solid program for anyone whose work involves a heavy dose of spreadsheet duty.

Finally, PowerPoint for Mac 2011 is again seen as a significant improvement over its predecessor with the Ribbon toolbar, dynamic layer ordering, and enhanced media options making their debut. Animations now offer new features such as motion paths, but lack an advanced timeline for coordinating multiple animations and fail to offer several useful animation options found in Apple's Keynote.

PowerPoint for Mac 2011 boasts more than a handful of worthwhile improvements, including greatly enhanced support for QuickTime movies, path animations, features for sharing and collaboration, and an improved interface. Despite a handful of miscues, it's Microsoft's strongest upgrade of the program since 2004. If you're using an earlier version, updating to PowerPoint 2011 should be an easy decision.

Pre-orders for the various versions of Office for Mac 2011 are available now through Amazon:

- Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Student 2011 - Single License ($119.99)
- Office Mac Home and Student 2011 - Family Pack (3 Licenses) ($149.99)

- Microsoft Office for Mac Home and Business 2011 - 1 Pack ($199.99)
- Office Mac Home and Business 2011 - 2 License Pack ($279.99)

Note: Pre-order purchases through these links financially benefit this site.

Update: This ongoing MacRumors thread has reader reactions, screenshots and impressions to Office 2011.

Business Insider relays a rumor that Apple COO Tim Cook could be leaving Apple for the CEO spot at HP. Business Insider tracked the source of the rumor as investor gossip site Fly on the Wall.

The rumor seems to have emanated from Fly On The Wall, a site that serves up gossip to the investing community.

Therefore, we aren't buying this one just yet.

The rumor has affected Apple's stock price causing a $20 drop at the opening of the market today. Tim Cook has been considered one of the possible successors to Steve Jobs for the CEO position at Apple.

Cook took over duties CEO duties from Steve Jobs in early 2009 during Jobs' liver transplant and subsequent recovery.

Update: Barrons reports that Gleacher & Co.s Brian Marshall actually spoke to Tim Cook this morning and Cook denies the rumor:

Tim Cook will not be going to HP, he loves Apple, Marshall tells me Cook told him.

With the first wave of orders for the new Apple TV on their way to customers, initial reviews of the device are beginning to appear. The first one comes from FoxNews.com's Clayton Morris, who calls the revamped device "very promising" with the potential to be a "quiet hit", but only if Apple puts some of its marketing effort behind it.

I've been testing the new Apple TV, and I think Apple may have a quiet hit on its hand. By quiet I mean there won't be long lines of rabid, un-showered fans camped outside Apple stores to buy the new gizmo, but Apple may slowly win people over with the new version.

While most of the features of the Apple TV have already been discussed, Morris offers a bit of hands-on perspective with observations such as much faster connections to networked iTunes libraries than the original Apple TV, and a unique Netflix streaming interface that is fast and easy to set up.

Morris reports that he has been told by Apple that it has opened up its AirPlay functionality for streaming content from other iOS-based devices to the Apple TV to third-party developers, although it is unclear exactly what is meant by this statement. Users currently testing iOS 4.2 have already reported that a variety of third-party applications that utilize the built-in iOS video player already seem to be AirPlay-compatible, so it is not clear if Apple's comments are simply referring to this capability or if they are moving to open AirPlay up for other implementations from developers.

Morris uses the example of his mother, an iPhone user and occasional Apple Store visitor, as the prime potential customer Apple should be courting by pushing the new Apple TV for its Netflix streaming and AirPlay capabilities, as well as the greatly-reduced price point compared to the original version. But to reach that customer, Morris argues that Apple will have to make the new Apple TV much more visible than its predecessor.

The new Apple TV is very promising, but it won't amount to hill of beans if Apple markets it the same way they did the last one -- basically not at all. Apple can jokingly call it a 'hobby,' but if the company wants it to be a successful hobby they need to educate consumers the same way they did with the iPad.

With Apple also having posted the Apple TV's version of iOS 4.1 for download, users have been poking through the operating system for hints and clues about its functionality. In particular, a forum user at Australian site MacTalk discovered a new icon for Apple's languishing Remote application, suggesting that an update bringing features such as support for Retina displays and iPad, as well as Apple TV control, might be coming in the near future.

An assortment of other hints, such as references to FaceTime, external storage and DVD player support, have also been discovered in the Apple TV's iOS 4.1, although it is unclear exactly what some of the functionalities are meant to be and whether they may simply be part of the shared iOS codebase or are in fact Apple TV-specific.

TechCrunch reports that Apple has approved Google's official Google Voice application for the iPhone. The Google Voice app was originally submitted to Apple back in 2009 but was rejected for "duplicating features that come with the iPhone". The rejection became the subject of an FCC investigation regarding Apple's App approval process.

Apple has since published new review guidelines which streamline the approval process. The changes have allowed many developer's apps to finally see approval. Apple has already approved 3rd party Google Voice apps, but the official client from Google should be coming shortly. Despite already being approved, Google is holding back the release in order to revamp the app to support the latest SDK changes including iOS multitasking.

Google Voice is a free phone service that allows U.S. customers to manage incoming calls:

Users may select a single US phone number from various area codes. Incoming calls to the number may ring simultaneously any of the user's configured phones or the account's Google Talk feature. Based on the calling number, or contact group (e.g., Family, Friends, Work), or on time of day, e.g., disabling a home phone during business hours and routing calls to mobile or business number, individual numbers may be configured to ring. The service also features voicemail with indexable automated voicemail transcription, accessible via a web browser, e-mail, or by phone. Google Voice provides automatic blocking of known numbers, e.g., telemarketers, the ability to switch lines in mid-call, differentiated voice mail greetings based on caller, SMS forwarding, and call recording.

Apple posted the new AppleTV2,1 Firmware (Build 8M89) to their servers this evening. The AppleTV firmware appears to be a version of iOS version 4.1 and can be downloaded here:

AppleTV2,1_4.1_8M89_Restore.ipsw

The firmware is of no use to anyone just yet, except perhaps those looking to jailbreak the Apple TV. But with the new Apple TV already shipping to customers, those individuals should be able to restore their Apple TVs to a factory fresh state using this firmware. Existing Apple TV owners are unable to take advantage of the new firmware due to fundamental differences in the hardware between the devices.

Given the shared codebase as iOS, many are expecting that the AppleTV will be jailbroken in time, opening the door to 3rd party applications and other hacks. Steve Jobs has said that they could open the door to an Apple TV App Store when the time is right.

Apple recently posted a support document acknowledging an issue with ATI X1900 XT graphics cards that shipped with Mac Pro systems between August 2006 and January 2008. (via ZDnet and forums )

If your Mac Pro experiences distorted video and has an ATI X1900 XT card in it, you will need to bring your computer's serial number and the graphics card itself into an Apple Authorized Service Provider or an Apple Retail Store location for verification and to exchange the affected graphics card for a new one. Affected graphics cards have "V6Z" in the last part of the card's serial number.

This program covers affected ATI X1900 XT video cards three years from the original date of purchase or until January 31, 2011, whichever provides longer coverage. The ATI X1900 XT issues have been well documented and the subject of many support discussions on our forums and others. So, if you are affected and can dig up your old graphics card, Apple has an exchange or refund waiting for you.

Goldman Sachs analysts are claiming that Apple's 2nd generation iPad will come with a camera, mini USB port and a lighter/thinner design in the second quarter of 2011:

Apple Inc. may introduce its second-generation iPad in the second quarter of 2011, said Henry King and Kevin Lu, analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc, in a report dated 27 September. The new 9.7-inch iPad is targeted to be thinner and lighter, with an embedded camera and mini USB, according to the report.

It seems almost certain that the next iPad will include a front-facing camera as Apple appears to be standardizing FaceTime across their iOS devices. Supply chain reports have already described production ramp up for the first half of 2011. The Goldman Sachs analysts, however, don't believe the rumored 7" iPad has been finalized and does not expect that model to launch ahead of the new 9.7" model.

Incorporating a Mini-USB connector, however, would be a surprising move from Apple who has developed an entire eco-system around its proprietary 30-pin dock connector. In the meanwhile, Apple may already be forced to adopt Micro-USB connectors on future iPhones due to recent regulation standards implemented in Europe for 2011. This would make the adoption of Mini-USB on the next iPad even more puzzling. The Goldman Sachs analysts Henry King and Kevin Lu haven't had much of a record for Apple-related predictions in the past.

Research in Motion today announced a new 7-inch tablet device known as the BlackBerry PlayBook. The business-focused tablet, set for launch early next year, will offer a dual-core 1GHz, Cortex A9 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 1024 x 600 display with capacitive multi-touch capabilities, front (3-megapixel) and rear (5-megapixel) cameras, and support for 1080p video output over HDMI.

Perfect for either large organizations or an "army of one", the BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to give users what they want, including uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and high performance multimedia, while also providing advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a breakthrough development platform for IT departments and developers. The incredibly powerful and innovative BlackBerry PlayBook is truly a game-changing product in the growing tablet marketplace.

Pricing and other details are yet to be announced, although the PlayBook will apparently initially be available only as a Wi-Fi models, with the company planning to launch 3G and 4G models in the future. The Wi-Fi PlayBook will, however, be able to tether through BlackBerry phones for access on the go.

Research in Motion has been looking for ways to maintain its prominent position among business users as Apple's iPhone has begun to gain traction in corporate settings. Consequently, the company is placing a strong emphasis on PlayBook's ability to seamlessly integrate with users' existing BlackBerry devices to allow them to easily use whichever device is appropriate at any given time without needing to worry about syncing or duplication of data.

Seeking to capitalize on the booming mobile advertising industry, Research in Motion also announced a new mobile ad platform for BlackBerry. Rather than launching its own ad service as Apple has done with iAd, however, Research in Motion's tools will assist developers with integrating content from existing mobile ad firms into their applications.

At launch, the BlackBerry Advertising Service will offer developers and advertisers the opportunity to work with many advertising networks including Amobee, Jumptap, Lat49, Millennial Media and Mojiva. Advertising networks such as Buzzcity, NavTeq, Placecast, Sympatico, Transpera, Where and xAD, as well as rich media advertising platform Medialets, are expected to join the service in the coming months.

The new SDK tools are available to developers immediately.

Barefeats has benchmarked the first 3rd party USB 3.0 interface for the Mac from CalDigit:

"Wait a minute. Apple hardware and software does not support USB 3.0." Yes but CalDigit has developed OS X drivers for their PCIe and ExpressCard USB 3.0 host adapters.

The early benchmark shows significantly faster sustained write speeds over both FireWire and USB 2.0 on the given drive, though no eSATA interface was available for testing. CalDigit claims it is the first and only card that allows USB 3.0 connectivity for the Mac. Apple has been slow to adopt USB 3.0 technology which promises faster access speeds for external devices. We haven't tried the interface, so can't vouch for it, and some forum goers have had some bad experiences with first generation product from CalDigit.

Apple was originally rumored to include USB 3.0 as early as this year into their Mac Pro line. The last Mac Pro update, however, offered no new upgrades in either USB or FireWire interfaces.

Google's CEO Eric Schmidt was recently interviewed by Charlie Rose on a variety of topics. Schmidt revealed that the search deal between Google and Apple had been "recently extended", suggesting that Google will remain the default search option on Apple's Mac OS X operating system and iOS devices for the time being.

Apple (AAPL) is a company we both partner and compete with. We do a search deal with them, recently extended, and we're doing all sorts of things in maps and things like that.

Earlier this year, rumors had suggested that Apple was in talks with Microsoft to replace Google as the default search engine on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Apple did recently add Bing search as an option for iOS search, but users must specifically activate it from their settings.

It seems Google was able to stave off Microsoft's advances for the meanwhile, but Apple and Google's partnerships have reportedly been under increasing strain as they become more competitive in the same markets.

The New York Times points to a new research report from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism which finds that Apple was the most-discussed technology company in mainstream media between June 2009 and June 2010, serving as the focus of over 15% of the technology articles and stories appearing in the surveyed media outlets during that time.

In the battle among the tech titans, Apple Inc. won the title in the last year for press appeal. The 34- year-old company attracted more coverage from the mainstream press than any other technology company - and the bulk of it was positive. Its popular devices and orchestrated PR strategy helped it even outpace Google Inc.

From June 2009 through June 2010, 15% percent of the technology stories focused primarily on Apple, versus 11% about Google.

Only 3% of technology articles focused on longtime Apple rival Microsoft.

When looking at individual news topics, Apple also scored well, with the iPhone being the #2 most frequent topic for news stories (6.4%) and the iPad checking in at #4 (4.6%). News about Apple CEO Steve Jobs and the App Store also clocked in on the study's radar at approximately 1.5% each. Texting while driving topped the list of discussion topics during the study period with 8.5% of the stories focusing on the issue.

The survey monitored the most highly-visible portions of 52 news outlets during the study period, including the front pages of 11 newspapers ranging from national dailies to small-town newspapers, three cable news TV channels, morning and evening news shows on three TV networks, 12 major news websites, and 10 news and talk radio programs.

Over the weekend, the European Commission announced that it has dropped pair of antitrust investigations it had been conducting related to Apple's policies on international iPhone repairs and third-party development tools for iOS applications.

The first issue related to Apple's policies that made it difficult for consumers who purchased an iPhone in one European Union member country to have their device serviced under warranty in another member country.

One focused on the "country of purchase" rule, whereby repairs service is only available in the country where the iPhone was bought, which made the exercise of warranty rights difficult for consumers who had purchased an iPhone in another EU/EEA country than their home country. The Commission had concerns that this rule could amount to territorial restrictions aimed at dissuading European consumers from buying iPhones outside their country of residence and so leading to a partitioning of the market.

In response to the investigation, Apple has now rescinded its "country of purchase" rule and will allow independent service providers to offer warranty repairs to cross-border customers.

As for the second issue, it was reported last month that the European Commission had joined onto an investigation being conducted by U.S. regulators into Apple's exclusion of third-party development tools for the creation iOS applications for submission to the company's App Store. The Commission's concerns were evidently addressed by Apple's announcement earlier this month that it would begin allowing such tools to be used and would increase transparency in the application review process.

Reuters reports on data from research firm Nielsen showing that U.S. digital music sales plateaued in the first half of 2010, marking a dramatic decrease from the 28% growth enjoyed just two years ago.

According to research group Nielsen, digital sales were flat in the U.S. market after a 13 percent increase from 2008 to 2009 and 28 percent growth from 2007 to 2008.

Nielsen points to a variety of factors, including economic uncertainty, a lack of appeal for new releases, and confusion over digital sales options as possible reasons for the leveling off.

Apple has long dominated the digital download market in the U.S. and many other countries, consistently registering on the order of 70% of digital industry sales and now exceeding a quarter of all music sales. Consequently, a plateauing of digital music sales growth set against a backdrop of stagnating overall music sales suggests that Apple may have a difficult time growing its iTunes music business in the U.S. if the trend continues, given the company's already-high market share. Data from Apple's announced milestones for iTunes music sales already reveals a leveling off at around 250 million downloads per month.

Some hope may remain in international markets, however, as Nielsen notes growth in digital music sales in a number of other countries.

According to the Nielsen research, digital music sales were up 7 percent in Britain, up 13 percent in Germany and up 19 percent in France.

Apple has also become less reliant on iTunes Store music sales for driving hardware purchases as the company's media devices have become more capable, allowing the company to branch out into applications, movies, and TV.

Update: In an updated version of the article, Reuters clarifies that sales of single tracks were flat year-over-year in the first half of 2010. Including sales of digital albums results in a gain of 5% year-over-year for the overall digital music market in the U.S.