MacRumors

Apple has gotten a significant amount of critical press surrounding its rejection policies in the App Store. A few high profile rejections have been widely reported and inspired at least one amusing comic.

Apparently, Apple has now started labeling their rejection letters with Non-Disclosure (NDA) warnings:

THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE IS UNDER NON-DISCLOSURE

Readers should note that Apple's developer correspondence may have already been covered by the original NDA, but Apple is now making it clear.

In contrast to Apple's approval process for the App Store, the newly announced Android Market claims an entirely unrestricted free-for-all model. Early concerns about that model question how inappropriate, spam, or malicious material may be filtered. It seems that the efforts to prevent issues such as bandwidth abuse have been shifted to the carrier who has implemented caps for the 3G data plans at 1GB per month:

If your total data usage in any billing cycle is more than 1GB, your data throughput for the remainder of that cycle may be reduced to 50 kbps or less.

Apple has started offering users a way to sign up for AT&T service online prior to visiting an Apple Store. The online tool allows you to:

1. Enter your billing information.
2. Review eligibility and pricing.
3. Select your AT&T rate plan.

Once done, you simply need to visit an Apple Retail store to complete your iPhone purchase. This new "at home" option generated some speculation over the weekend. As it turns out, this still requires in-store activation of your iPhone upon purchase.

The most recent analyst numbers predict that Apple will sell 5 million iPhones in Q4 2008 which could bring the total close to Apple's stated goal of 10 million iPhones sold during calendar year 2008.

Google and T-Mobile have introduced the first Android-based mobile phone today called the T-Mobile G1. T-Mobile held a press conference which is available for online streaming. T-Mobile's press conference provided quick overviews of the device and seemed to position the device directly against the Apple iPhone with developers discussing the openness of the platform without any approval process. The phone will be commercially launched on October 22nd alongside a large marketing campaign. Features discussed:

- Amazon mobile music store (press release) preloaded on the G1.
- Built in keyboard. Google Maps. Android Market, YouTube
- Launch on October 22nd
- No tethering option
- SIM-locked to T-Mobile
- Read Word, PDF, Excel files. No exchange compatibility, but 3rd parties could bring it.
- GMail is push, IMAP is pull
- No desktop application to sync
- Interface video
- Specs: 480x320 screen, 3.1MP camera, 5hrs talk time, 1GB MicroSD card preinstalled, GPS, accelerometer. Wi-Fi. 3G. Bluetooth.
- $179 with 2 year contract

Walt Mossberg provides first impressions of the new device and describes it as a "versatile device which will offer users a real alternative in the new handheld computing category the iPhone has occupied alone." Other notes:

- Physical keyboard. Typing "OK"
- Tied to Google web email, contacts, calendar. Support for 3rd party email too.
- "Won't win any beauty contests" but feels good in hand when closed
- Software slick, responsive
- Copy, paste
- Instant Messaging
- Very basic music player, Amazon MP3 downloads
- No built in video player, but you can download one from the Market
- Only comes with 1GB memory. Upgradable to 8GB.
- Removable battery.

Update: Official site up.

Update 2: Comparison video between G1 and iPhone.

Update 3: No 3.5mm headphone jack

The embargo on Adobe's Creative Suite 4 lifted tonight at midnight and a number of news articles have revealed the details of the latest update to Adobe's flagship software package.

Most interestingly, CNet reports that rumors that Adobe's Photoshop CS4 would employ the use of GPU-accelerated graphics were accurate.

The new version of Adobe's flagship software product takes its first steps in using the graphics processing unit, or GPU, said John Nack, principal product manager for Adobe Photoshop. For example, the graphics chip helps Photoshop CS4 fluidly zoom in and out, rotate the canvas so artists can reorient an image for the best sketching angle, display and manipulate 3D objects, and handle color correction.

However, one GPU feature didn't quite make the cut for CS4 is called "Pixel Blender" which allows users to quickly apply special effects. According to Nack, the feature will likely be a free update from Adobe Labs.

A few of the other new Photoshop CS4 features are highlighted at Macworld including:

- Content-Aware scaling
- Nondestructive corrections in the Adjustment panel
- Improved Lightroom integration
- Advanced 3-D features in Photoshop Extended
- New Tabbed interface

Adobe Photoshop CS4 will cost $699 and ship in October. Existing Photoshop CS3, Photoshop CS2, or Photoshop CS owners can upgrade for $199. Adobe Photoshop Extended will cost $999 and existing Photoshop CS3 Extended, Photoshop CS2 or Photoshop CS owners can upgrade for $349.

Of course, Adobe also introduced CS4 versions of their other applications. Additional coverage:

Photoshop CS4: TGDaily First Look, "Sneak Peek" Videos
Indesign CS4: Macworld
Illustrator CS4: CNet, Macworld, DigitalArtsOnline
After Effects CS4: DigitalArtsOnline
Premiere Pro CS4: DigitalArtsOnline
SoundBooth CS4: CNet

Full details and pricing information can be obtained from Adobe.com.

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Adobe is selling CS4 packages through their online store or Amazon.com.

There's been some speculation amongst the mac web about a codename ("Brick") associated with the upcoming MacBook update.

The name originates from 9to5Mac, apparently based on the same Asian sources as the "rainbow" iPod Nanos. The "rainbow" iPod nano rumors were apparently misinterpreted as multi-colored individual iPods, but in retrospect, it seems the term instead related to the colors of the rainbow that the new iPod nano are now available in.

Since then, the site has been told that the new MacBook update will be 'all about the Brick'. The exact meaning of which is left up for debate.

Some are speculating that it is a completely separate device, but based on 9to5's reports it seems clear it has to do specifically with the MacBook which is also rumored to have a glass touchpad.

The big news this week will be the announcement for the first Android device from Google, HTC and T-Mobile. T-Mobile sent out invitations to the media to "experience the first Android-powered phone" on Tuesday, September 23rd.

A video demo from Google demonstrates the device's browser and interface of the upcoming device. The new device is said to be priced at $199 and "showcase the Google brand" and incorporate a swivel-out full keyboard along with an accelerometer and a large touch screen.

The new platform will obviously draw comparisons with Apple's iPhone. Google is promoting the openness of its platform at a time when Apple is seeing more criticism about its App approval process. Google will be introducing its own Android Market which provides developers a central repository for application sales and distribution. At launch, the Android Market will only offer free applications, but billing support should be coming at a later date. Unlike the App Store, the Android Market has no approval process and any developer can upload any application.

One of the particularly successful iPhone developers, however, is staying away from Android. Steve Demeter, who made headlines last week for having made $250,000 in sales of his iPhone game Trism, told AlleyInsider that the availability of multiple handset models could introduce more headaches than its worth:

Do I want to be spending 6 months to write the game, and another 6 months making it compatible? If I had Trism available for Android, and there are 50 Android devices and every time one of them crashes (the users) contact me, do I want that?

Instead, Demeter has been hiring and is working on 5 more iPhone games.

Apple Expo 2008 took place last week from September 17-20th in Paris, France. The European expo drew few headlines in the U.S. press due to the lack of participation by Apple. TechRadar UK provides a report from the expo floor and found that there were a good mix of vendors:

The mix, though, is good. Where past shows have been too easily swayed towards the iPod or iPhone at the expense of the core Mac business, this year we were delighted to note a good mix of the practical, the wacky, and the lifestyle.

Products of interest highlighted by TechRadar:

- Griffin AirCurve - acoustic amplifier that turns your iPhone into a no-power-drain alarm clock on your nightstand, or a mini sound system that never needs batteries or adapters.
- Griffin Clarifi - iPhone case with built-in macro lens
- Sweetcover - Mac laptop cases
- RealMac Software's LittleSnapper - Mac software to capture, organise, annotate and share screenshots from your desktop and the web.
- VMware's Fusion 2.0 - virtualization software for Intel Macs, allowing them to run Windows
- Iomega's eGo Helium Portable Hard Drive - MacBook Air styled external hard drives
- MacAlly's Mirage - iPod nano case with reflective mirrored finish allows iPod screen to show through when it's turned on.
- MacAlly PowerLink - 3-in-1 battery pack, data sync, flash drive for iPod and iPhone

Laminar Research, the developers of X-Plane 9, have posted about the intense experience of porting their popular flight simulator from within Apple's headquarters in the days leading up to the "Let's Rock" media event held on September 9th.

X-Plane 9 [App Store Link] was recently released for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and the $9.99 game has received a very positive review at TouchArcade.com. The simulator currently holds the number 6 spot amongst all paid applications on the iPhone.

The developer recounts that on September 1st, he called Apple to see if the company thought it was possible to port their flight simulator to the iPhone. The response was enthusiastic "yes" with hopes that the app could be ready for Apple's upcoming Let's Rock media event. The developers packed up and flew to Apple headquarters in Cupertino almost immediately to start work on the port.

Within 2 minutes, our contact at Apple came down the lobby to get us and bring us to the office that would be our home for the next 7 days as we cranked out the iPhone version of X-Plane on an absurdly tight schedule. Here is the deal: Apple had a Keynote coming up in about 10 days, and wanted to have X-Plane ready to present there, and neither Ben nor I had ever tried to program anything for an iPhone before. Could we get X-Plane into an iPhone in only 10 days? Steve Jobs himself, Leader of Apple, wanted to have a suite of programs ready in only 7 days to present at the keynote, and we had NO PROOF AT ALL that the job even COULD be done... in ANY time-frame! The next 7 days were, to say the least, 'interesting'. Ben and I had an office right in the middle the 'hive-mind', right alongside all the engineers at Apple.

The entire account is a very interesting read and gives readers a unique glimpse into Apple. In the end, while the app was completed in time, it was cut from the presentation since Steve Jobs felt it wasn't "fast-paced" enough for a Keynote demo.

Still, the developers are quite pleased with the results and the application is selling very well in the App Store. Future updates to the App have been detailed by the developer including plans for an automotive version.

Update: Story removed, cache still available.

Apple has issued a recall on the USB power adapter included with the iPhone 3G. Apple has received reports of the metal prongs breaking off of the adapter and remaining lodged in power outlets, creating the risk of electric shock.

According to Apple's support article on the recall, the adapter was included with every iPhone 3G sold in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru. The adapter was also available as a standalone accessory in those countries, as well as Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Users with ultracompact power adapters should immediately stop using them until they exchange them for a new, redesigned ultracompact adapter.

In the meantime, they should charge their iPhone 3G by connecting it to their computer with the USB cable that came with their iPhone or by using a standard-sized Apple USB Power Adapter (with fold up prongs) or with a third party adapter designed to work with the iPhone, such as a car charger.

Apple notes that replacement adapters, which will not be available until October 10th, will contain a green dot on them in order to make identification simple.

Affected users may order a replacement adapter via Apple's web-based form or in person at an Apple retail store beginning October 10th.

The Webkit blog has posted benchmarks on their "next generation" JavaScript interpreter called SquirrelFish Extreme (SFX). SquirrelFish Extreme uses "more advanced techniques" to deliver even faster JavaScript performance.

The new version of SquirrelFish is nearly twice as fast the first version of SquirrelFish which we previously reported on. It is also over three times faster then the current Safari 3.1 version that is available from Apple.

JavaScript is heavily used in many modern interactive websites, including Apple's own MobileMe web apps. Google is also investing heavily in improving JavaScript performance and is working on their own accelerated JavaScript interpreter called V8. According to one blog, SquirrelFish Extreme is 38% faster than the current version of V8.

SquirrelFish Extreme is available in the nightly betas of Webkit for personal testing, and should eventually make its way into future Safari releases.