U.K. Apple customers may want to wait until Monday to buy a new Mac or iPod. According to one source, Apple is said to be launching the U.K. version of their Back to School promo which typically offers customers a free iPod with purchase of a new Mac. We haven't yet gotten additional confirmation on this, however.
Apple's U.S. version of the promotion is presently offering students and faculty a free iPod Touch with their Mac purchase. We would expect the U.K. promo to be comparable.
On Thursday, Apple provided iPhone developers with their first look at daily sales numbers. One developer generously shared her sales numbers with 9to5Mac.
Eliza Block is the author of a well reviewed crossword puzzle game called 2 Across [App Store]. To her surprise, the part time developer found that she had earned almost US $1800 on Wednesday alone for her crossword application. Daily stats are only available for the past few days, but the included screenshot reveals 428 sales of her game on July 30th. At an average sales price of $5.99 USD, she earned about $1797.60 that day. Sales figures for the other days available (3 total) were said to be comparable.
Three days of data, of course, is not enough to determine a long term trend, and the sales were likely partially skewed as 2 Across is currently listed amongst Apple's Staff Favorites in the iTunes Store. Also interesting is that Block's app was ranked 39th in the App Store, which means the developers for the 38th most popular app, TapeMeasure [App Store] must have been making over $300/day (428 x $.70) for their $0.99 application.
Now, the sales rate of these apps may not be sustainable depending on how much of their popularity is due to the newness of the App Store. Still, at least one major developer has acknowledged the potential of the App Store. Other Ocean, the developers behind the iPhone version of Sega's Super Monkey Ball, has announced that they have created a specialized iPhone division to dedicate resources for future iPhone development. Super Monkey Ball initially held the top spot amongst paid iPhone apps, but has since dropped to a respectable 7th.
Apple has released Security Update 2008-005 via Software Update. The update patches several vulnerabilities including a much-publicized DNS/BIND server vulnerability where an attacker could cause a Mac OS X DNS server to direct clients to forged websites.
The update is available in the following versions:
- Mac OS X Leopard (65 MB): Requires 10.5.4
- Mac OS X Tiger (Intel) (143 MB): Requires 10.4.11
- Mac OS X Tiger (PPC) (88MB): Requires 10.4.11
- Mac OS X Server (Intel) (180 MB): Requires 10.4.11
- Mac OS X Server (PPC) (135 MB): Requires 10.4.11
Nullriver, Inc. has released NetShare onto the iTunes App Store this evening (via iPhone Alley). The $9.99 application promises to allow you to share your iPhone's network connection with your computer.
Share your iPhone's EDGE or 3G Internet connection with your computer using NetShare. NetShare provides a SOCKS5 proxy for your computer to connect to.
NetShare's inclusion in the App Store is a curiosity, as Apple must have manually approved its inclusion. It's unclear if the Application would go against AT&T user agreements. AT&T typically charges Smart Phone users $30/month extra to use tethering applications. Screenshots of the application's instructions have been included here:
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Update: The application appears to have gone missing from the App Store. While the application listing still appears, if you try to purchase it now, iTunes says "The item you tried to buy is no longer available".
Update 2: For those who were fortunate enough to get the app, forum user Mac-Addict has posted a detailed tutorial.
Update 3: Developer reply:
We're not quite sure why Apple took down the application yet, we've received no communication from Apple thus far. NetShare did not violate any of the Developer or AppStore agreements. We're hoping we'll get some feedback from Apple tomorrow. Sorry to all the folks that couldn't get it in time. We'll do our best to try to get the application back onto the AppStore if at all possible. At the very least, I would hope Apple will allow it in countries where the provider does permit tethering.
Update 4: NetShare is back in the App Store.
Apple has seeded the first version of Mac OS X 10.5.5 (Build 9F5) to developers tonight. This is the first new seed of Mac OS X since the released of Mac OS X 10.5.4 on June 30th.
Apple instructs developers to focus on testing a number of areas including Time Machine, AirPort, Networking, Spotlight, and many others. Apple details over 83 other bug fixes and issues addressed including a few potential kernel panic scenarios.
At this early stage, there appear to be some major issues as Apple warns developers not to install this seed on the MacBook Air, MacBook, Mac Mini, iMac (with Intel integrated graphics).
Arstechnica is refuting recent claims that Apple may be considering dropping Intel chipsets for those made by competitors AMD or VIA or perhaps their own custom chipset.
In a mix of speculation and rumor, Ars believes that Apple will stick with Intel chipsets due to upcoming Intel-unique technologies such as Nehalem and its upcoming QuickPath interconnect and Larrabee, a forthcoming multi-core GPU from Intel.
And I've heard from a source that I trust that Apple will use Larrabee; this makes sense, because Larrabee, as a many-core x86 multiprocessor, can be exploited directly by GrandCentral's cooperative multitasking capabilities.
Not much has been officially revealed about Larrabee, however various leaks documented on Wikipedia have suggested that the GPU would be a competitor to NVidia and AMD/ATI's general purpose GPU (GPGPU) offerings. The chip could see a Summer 2009 release in 24 and 32 core varieties with performance perhaps reaching up to 2 teraflops.
Reminder: Chipsets are the chips that accompany a CPU. Apple could stop using Intel chipsets but still use Intel CPUs
Apple is now offering registered iPhone developers with daily download statistics on how well their applications are doing in the App Store.
Before today, most developers had been left in the dark about their applications performance, and had to wait until the first of the monthly reports. Apple had originally posted download numbers publicly but quickly removed this feature once it became clear that you could easily estimate a particular developer's revenue. Registered iPhone developers can find their daily stats at iTunes Connect.
Daily reports may help developers more quickly find proper price points. Larger developers must have already had access to their download stats, as Sega's president said that he expected that Sega would sell 1 million downloads for Super Monkey Ball, though no time-frame was given.
Other developers have already been making pricing adjustments due to the high level of competition in the App Store. Most recently, Pangea Software dropped the price of their Cro-Mag Rally racing game from $9.99 to $5.99.
IEEE has approved a new version of IEEE 1394, better known to Apple users as Firewire. The standard, known as 1394-2008, encompasses all prior Firewire technology and provides complete specifications for speeds of 1.6 Gigabits/second and 3.2 Gigabits/second, which TG Daily notes utilizes the existing 9 pin cables of Firewire 800.
Firewire 400 devices have become widespread in the computer industry, though the faster Firewire 800 specification has seen slower adoption. Currently MacBook Pros, Mac Pros, and iMacs each feature both Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 ports.
IEEE says the new standard is expected to be available in October.
AppleInsider claims that Apple resellers have received notice that MacBook, MacBook Pro and iPod supplies will become constrained in the coming weeks. Apple expects to decrease production of these models and, as a result, Apple is recommending that resellers stock up on supplies now to last them through August.
Based on past experiences and knowledge of their own inventory sell-through, those resellers who received the bulletin believe the notice is a strong indicator that Apple will begin introducing its holiday consumer electronics and Mac offerings sometime in early to mid-September.
Apple has refreshed their iPod lineup in September for the past 2 years and is widely expected to do the same again this year. Apple's free iPod Touch Back to School promotion coincidentally ends on September 15th.
Rumored possibilities include a new iPod touch, "tall" iPod nano, MacBook with glass trackpad, newly designed MacBook Pros, and, of course, a Mac tablet.
Apple has released an update to iTunes to version 7.7.1. The update includes "fixes to improve stability and performance." iTunes 7.7.1 is currently available through Apple's Software Update.
Use iTunes 7.7 to sync music, video, and more with iPhone 3G, and download applications from the iTunes Store exclusively designed for iPhone and iPod touch with software version 2.0 or later. Also use the new Remote application for iPhone or iPod touch to control iTunes playback from anywhere in your home a free download from the App Store.
iTunes 7.7.1 includes fixes to improve stability and performance.
Just a week after the first iPhone 2.1 beta seed, Apple has released another 2.1 firmware release to developers. The new version appears to include several bug fixes.
"This is the second beta of the iPhone SDK targeting iPhone OS 2.1, including bug fixes to iPhone OS as well as an early implementation of the Apple Push Notification Service API. This API is not yet integrated with a live push server."
Apple has not announced a timeframe for the 2.1 release, but the included "Push Notification Service" was promised by September.
Despite early hints of turn-by-turn GPS and Copy/Paste, further investigation indicates that these may not have been new findings in the 2.1 firmware (and had also existed in 2.0). References to a new iPod Touch model, however, suggests an iPod Touch hardware upgrade in the coming months.
Not all registered iPhone developers have access to the seeds. The first seed was only available to iPhone developers who had been accepted into the program prior to July 11th (~4000 individuals).
Growing threads in our forums and the Apple Discussion Forums are pointing to what may be an issue with the plastic casing of some iPhone 3Gs.
The majority of the reports revolve around the white 16 GB model; however, a few users of the black model have reported cracks in their casings as well. See the gallery below for a sample of images from our forum:
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Brand Channel has compiled a list of "product placement" awards for movies. Apple, of course, has seen a huge rise in placements over the past 7 years.
When looking back between 2001-2003, Apple appeared in about 20% of all number one films. This percentage increased to 45% in 2005-2006 and is up to 50% in 2008. They acknowledge that even this 50% figure is deceptively low, however, since some movies (such as Indiana Jones) might have no opportunity due to its setting or time period. If you eliminate these movies, Apple appears in an impressive 67% of number one 2008 movies.
9to5mac points to a recent ARM announcement that the company has secured a major architectural licensing deal with an "unnamed OEM" (original equipment manufacturer). This broad architectural license allows the manufacturers to develop their own implementations of the ARM processor and has been issued very few times over the years. The name of the licensee has not been officially announced.
During today's financial results conference, the CEO of ARM explains why a company might want this sort of license:
"Some handset manufacturers want to have more control over the design of their handset, including the components within it, than others. And it's as simple as that. And the ARM business model offers one that level of control, if that's what one wants to do and one has the technical resources available to do it," said East.
EETimes' Peter Clarke believes that Apple is the unnamed licensee. The iPhone reportedly contains as many as five ARM processor cores inside of it from multiple vendors. Apple's recent acquisition of P.A. Semi brought its founder and CEO Dan Dobberpuhl into Apple. Dobberpuhl led the team at Digital Equipment that developed the StrongARM processor using a similar architectural license from ARM. Steve Jobs has also revealed that they had specific plans for P.A. Semi's acquisition to develop system-on-chips for future iPods and iPhones.
To fit the screen and Click Wheel neatly together, the new nano will adopt a form factor that shifts away from the almost square dimensions of the 2007 third-generation nano back towards the general shape of the first- and second-generation models. As one of our sources noted, its a surprise that the new nano will be bigger than the prior model, but the goal appears to be preservation of all of the prior models usability while adding a bigger screen, and there arent many other ways to accomplish that goal.
A vertically-oriented screen suggests that videos would be viewed with the iPod nano turned sideways. iLounge draws comparisons between the new design to Microsoft's Zune MP3 player.
iLounge's sources also indicate that a recent rumor of multicolored iPod nanos is "most likely inaccurate" and that each version of the new iPod nano, presumably differing in storage capacity, will be offered in only a single color.
iLounge hasn't traditionally published many rumors but did publish accurate case drawings of the iPhone 3G prior to its release.
Continuing a recent trend of releasing third-party printer driver updates via Software Update, Apple today released Lexmark Printer Driver 1.1. The update requires OS X 10.5.3 or later and weighs in at 71 MB.
About Lexmark Printer Driver 1.1
The Lexmark Printer Driver Update includes the latest drivers for printers you have used on your system.
This update is available via Software Update and will only be visible if the printer is connected to your computer or a print queue has been created for an earlier version.
This is the latest in a series of printer updates released by Apple, which began with updates for Brother and Canon printers in early June and followed with an update for HP printers just two weeks ago.
1Password provides a free solution for iPhone and iPod Touch users that keeps security in mind. The application encrypts all your passwords and even provides two levels of defense with an Unlock Code and Master Password. While the free standalone application will manage your iPhone passwords by itself, the real strength lies in the use alongside the Mac desktop version ($34.95) of the application. The iPhone version will sync wirelessly with your Mac version to import all your passwords for use on your iPhone. A video of the Mac version demos its functionality.
In order to get automatic login and password functionality on the iPhone, the application does launch websites within its own built-in web browser. The browser provides comparable functionality to Apple's own Safari browser including zooming and panning.
Apple has reported on their MobileMe status blog that they have now restored Mail service, including historical messages, to all of those affected by the MobileMe mail outage.
Thank you all for your extreme patience during this trying time. If you have been affected by this issue and are still having problems we have established a dedicated chat line to reach a MobileMe Mail specialist to discuss your problem. Please use this line for Mail issues only. By completing this restoration of Mail services, we hope we have put the vast majority of MobileMe Mail problems behind us and can now focus on improving other aspects of this new ambitious service.
The blog author, now known as David, also acknowledges a sync bug that may have caused contact and calendar data to temporarily disappear from users' iPhones on Monday. This bug has since been resolved and more details posted.
This will hopefully mark the end of the rocky MobileMe rollout which resulted in an extended email outage for 1% of MobileMe customers. Ongoing discussion about MobileMe can be directed into our MobileMe forums.
Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.
Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy?
Upgrade to A17 or newer chip with Apple Intelligence support, plus Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip.
2 days ago by Tim Hardwick
2 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Juli Clover
Our comprehensive guide highlighting every major new addition in iOS 26, plus how-tos that walk you through using the new features.
Apple's four new iPhones feature more differences between the latest models than ever before, so which one should you buy?
Upgrade to A17 or newer chip with Apple Intelligence support, plus Apple's new N1 wireless networking chip.
2 days ago by Tim Hardwick
2 days ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Tim Hardwick
3 weeks ago by Juli Clover
