MacRumors

Infoworld reports (via MacsimumNews) that Samsung has been working with developers to boost solid state drive (SSD) performance in operating systems. Samsung announced Wednesday that it has been in talks with Microsoft to boost performance in Windows:

The speed and way in which SSDs fetch and cache data are different than hard drives, said Michael Yang, flash marketing manager at Sun. Samsung hopes to work with Microsoft to boost SSD performance on Windows by discovering optimal packet sizes for data transfers and the best ways to read and write files, for example.

Of interest to Mac users is that Sun has already been working with Samsung to improve SSD support in their ZFS file system.

Sun is adding capabilities to boost the durability and performance of SSDs on ZFS-based operating systems. For example, Sun may add defragmentation capabilities for SSDs, which organizes data in a particular order to enable quicker data access.

Apple has announced that ZFS read/write support will be in Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) server, although there has been no official word on the consumer version. Apple lists the benefits of ZFS:

Snow Leopard Server adds read and write support for the high-performance, 128-bit ZFS file system, which includes advanced features such as storage pooling, data redundancy, automatic error correction, dynamic volume expansion, and snapshots.

Solid State Drives are a new technology that promise faster disk drive performance but are presently at premium prices. Prices, of course, are dropping quickly. Apple recently dropped the price of the MacBook Air 64GB SSD upgrade from $999 to $599. While there were some controversial claims from Tom's Hardware that SSDs actually reduced notebook battery life, a followup report indicates that this is not necessarily the case.

DaringFireball.net clarifies that the published blacklist url likely only blocks malicious apps from accessing the iPhone's Core Location functions. Core Location allows applications to detect the user's location through GPS and Wi-Fi triangulation.

An informed source at Apple confirmed to me that the clbl in the URL stands for Core Location Blacklist, and that it does just that. It is not a blacklist for disabling apps completely, but rather specifically for preventing any listed apps from accessing Core Location an API which, for obvious privacy reasons, is covered by very strict rules in the iPhone SDK guidelines.

This being said, this doesn't change the fact that Apple has suggested they can disable Applications remotely:

Since each iPhone program will be digitally signed by its creator, this gives Apple the ability to turn off the spigot, as Steve Jobs put it, and revoke programs that dont meet its standards.

Apple has seeded developers with a new version of Mac OS X 10.5.5 (Build 9F9) to test. The latest seed comes just one week after the prior seed.

The newest seed lists 24 new fixes addressed in this seed with a focus on Sync Services, Mail and Addressbook.

Apple has started aggressively seeding Mac OS X builds shortly after the last release. The last version of Mac OS X was released on June 30th, 2008 and provided support for MobileMe services.

A new patent application (as detailed by AppleInsider) by Apple reveals that Apple has been working on the ability for iPhone and iPod touch owners to wirelessly stream content from their at home iTunes library for use on the road.

At present, iPhone or iPod touch owners must selectively sync content from their Mac or PC's iTunes library. This transfers those items to the mobile device for later playback. Apple is proposing that mobile device owners could instead access their entire collection over Wi-Fi or cellular networks:

New versions iTunes and the iPhone Software could theoretically eliminate this problem by syncing only the metadata -- or tiny files containing the barebones attributes of each media item or playlist but not the content itself -- from a user's iTunes library to their portable devices.

Only a directory of the content would be copied to the device itself. When selected for playback, the device would remotely access the owner's Mac or PC to stream the content.

Apple presently offers similar functionality through their Apple TV and Airport Express, but these are limited to local Wi-Fi networks only. As with all patent applications there is no word on when or if Apple will implement these features.

When Apple launched the App Store, they suggested that the use of DRM'd and signed applications could allow them to protect the iPhone from malicious applications and suggested that they could deactivate such applications remotely. Jonathan Zdziarski, author of iPhone Forensics, reveals (via iPhone Atlas) the remote url that Apple is using to keep a list of the offending applications:

https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps

This url appears to keep a list of black listed apps which appears to contain a test application name. Zdziarski explains:

This suggests that the iPhone calls home once in a while to find out what applications it should turn off. At the moment, no apps have been blacklisted, but by all appearances, this has been added to disable applications that the user has already downloaded and paid for, if Apple so chooses to shut them down.

I discovered this doing a forensic examination of an iPhone 3G. It appears to be tucked away in a configuration file deep inside CoreLocation.

Note that this is very different from just removing an application from the App Store. In case of this black listing, Apple could presumably deauthorize applications already installed on every iPhone.

While Apple has been criticized lately for the removal of a number of App Store applications without explanation, those applications continue to work for those individuals who have already purchased the application. So far that list of prominent apps simply removed from the App Store include NetShare, BoxOffice and now I Am Rich (via Alley Insider).

We suspect Apple will reserve the use of this black list remote-deactivation for truly malicious apps, but even the unilateral removal of seemingly innocuous apps from the App Store has raised some criticism of Apple's editorial process.

Readers interested in new Apple Cinema Displays may have to wait just a bit longer.

Apple has not significantly updated their Cinema Displays in years. Apple currently offers 20", 23" and 30" monitors at $599, $899, and $1799, respectively. While Apple has introduced routine price drops and minor spec improvements, the displays have remained largely unchanged since June 2004.

MacRumors has heard that Apple is prepping for Cinema Display refreshes for the Macworld San Francisco 2009 conference which takes place between January 5th-9th, 2009 at the Moscone Center. The new Cinema Displays are expected to incorporate LED backlights to fulfill Steve Jobs' promise that Apple would completely eliminate flourescent-backlit displays. The transition timeframe depended on "how fast the industry [could] transition to LED backlighting for larger displays."

While LED displays as large as 30" are commercially available, they still appear to be cost prohibitive with Samsung's 30" LED display priced at $4735. We're uncertain how this price discrepancy with Apple's current displays will be reconciled.

During their Q3 2008 financial results conference call, Apple announced that they would be launching the iPhone 3G in 20 additional countries on August 22nd. Several carriers have started announcing their plans:

- Singtel of Singapore sent out an email (image) telling interested customers that they will be sending out more details next week. Those who sign up at singtel.com/iphone will receive priority.
- TeliaSonera announced that they would be bringing the iPhone 3G to Estonia on August 22nd. (via setteB.IT)
- Airtel announced the iPhone 3G will be "coming soon" to India. (via TechTickerBlog)
- Orange announced that they will be bringing the iPhone 3G to Romania on August 22nd.
- O2, Vodafone, and T-Mobile have announced the iPhone 3G for the Czech Republic.
- Orange and Era will be offering the iPhone 3G in Poland.
- Globe Telecom announced for Philippines.
- T-Mobile announced for Hungary.
- Orange and T-Mobile have both announced for Slovakia.
- Movistar has announced for Chile.
- Telefnica Latinoamrica (PDF) and Amrica Mvil (via CNN) have both announced for eight Latin American countries: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay. Amrica Mvil also adds Honduras and Paraguay.
- According to setteB.IT, Latvia and Lithuania will have coverage from TeliaSonera.

NPD Group released the top leading music retailers for the first half of 2008. The list was based on purchases of CDs or digital music downloads.

1. iTunes
2. Wal-Mart (Walmart, Walmart.com, Walmart Music Downloads)
3. Best Buy (Best Buy, Bestbuy.com, Best Buy Digital Music Store)
4. Amazon (Amazon.com, AmazonMP3.com)
5. Target (Target and Target.com)

Apple's iTunes remains number one amongst all retailers. Apple took the number one spot in April, overtaking Wal-Mart.

Amazon, however, saw a rise in ranking from #5 to #4, which NPD attributes to both strong CD sales as well as Amazon's introduction of their MP3 music store. The digital rights management (DRM) free solution provides iPod users a convenient and compatible alternative to Apple's iTunes.