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comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the January-March period, showing that Apple's smartphone market share rose 2.7 points from December to March, from 36.3% of total U.S. smartphone platform and hardware sales to 39%, marking a record high share for the company.
Samsung was the hardware manufacturer with the second largest share of the market at 21.7% in March, up from 21% in December. HTC, Motorola, and LG again experienced slight drops in market share, with HTC suffering the heaviest loss going from 10.2% to 9%.
Google's Android continues to be ranked as the top smartphone platform with 52% of smartphone platform share, though it experienced a drop from 53.4% in December, which was absorbed by Apple.
Apple's share increased 2.7 points to 39%, while Blackberry continued to drop, hitting 5.2% down from 6.4% in December. Microsoft remained steady at 3%, though saw a small drop from 3.2% in February's report. Collectively, Apple and Google control 91 percent of the smartphone market, with Apple making continual gains each month.
comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, which means it is more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.
The Vox Music Player was originally created as a universal media player in 2007. Its simple design and its support for a wide range of file types led to a surge in popularity, but development stalled and it largely fell out of the public eye. Coppertino, an independent development studio that focuses on Mac and iOS software, has since adopted and redesigned the media player.
Vox 1.0 retains the minimalistic design of the original software, but comes equipped with a number of upgrades. It supports a wide variety of audio formats like MP3, FLAC, AAC, Musepack, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, and more, plus it integrates easily with iTunes.
The app supports a number of music sources including network drives, external hard drives, and VPN-connected storages and its built-in equalizer comes equipped with presets and adjustments to improve the listening experience.
According to a new report from media research firm TDG (via GigaOM) 14% of households with broadband internet owned an Apple TV, Roku box, or similar streaming platform during a study in 2012.
While that sounds like an impressive number, Smart TVs have been slowly taking over the connected TV market. 25% of households owned a smart TV that comes equipped with apps, such as those offered by manufacturers like Samsung and LG.
Smart TV adoption grew from 12% in 2011 to 25% in 2012, while connected set top box adoption grew just two percentage points year over year. While not all Smart TV owners use the "smart" capabilities, 69% of users surveyed connected their Smart TVs to the Internet, indicating that roughly two thirds of Smart TV owners take advantage of the TV's functionality.
With Smart TVs positioned as a rapidly growing market, it is unsurprising that rumors of an Apple-branded smart TV have abounded since 2011, when Walter Isaacson's famous biography revealed that Steve Jobs had an interest in revolutionizing the television industry.
The iTV, as it has been dubbed, is rumored to come equipped with app integration and Siri functionality. The latest rumors, which surfaced in March, suggested that Apple is currently working on an "Ultra HD" or "4K" television set with a resolution of 3840 x 2160.
Such a set could launch in late 2013 or early 2014, although a potential launch timeframe has been a moving target for Apple observers over the past several years as the company has apparently yet to make its TV work into a formal project.
Google Glass will soon gain stronger interoperability with iPhones, allowing iPhone-owning Glass wearers to access text messages and navigation on the device. Currently, only Android phone users can access navigation and texts on Glass via a special companion app.
Google Glass pulls data from the iPhone's cellular connection via Bluetooth tethering, but until now a number of Glass functions were limited.
AllThingsD shares details on a new report from J.P. Morgan analysts Gokul Hariharan and Mark Moskowitz, who unsurprisingly argue that Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone will still be a "mid-end" device rather than competing against the true low end of the smartphone market. The analysts point to Apple's previous introductions of the iPod nano and iPad mini as cheaper versions of their parent products that were still significantly more expensive than low-end competitors due to Apple's refusal to sacrifice quality for the sake of price.
Echoing some previous rumors, Hariharan and Moskowitz suggest that Apple's lower-cost iPhone is likely to cost $350-$400 without subsidies, significantly cheaper than the iPhone 5 that starts at $650. The analysts point out that such a device would come in at a relatively sparsely-populated midrange of a pyramid that sees strong unit sales at the top and bottom but weakness in the middle.
On a separate note, Digitimes is reporting today that Apple's lower-cost iPhone will be specifically targeted at emerging markets and will initially launch in limited volumes in order to test interest in the device. The report claims that Apple is expected to deliver only 2.5-3 million units during the device's first quarter of availability.
While Apple almost certainly has interest in bringing such a device to emerging markets, it seems more likely that Apple will offer the device on a broader basis in order to appeal to consumers in the numerous markets where subsidies are not common. Even the United States is seeing pushback against subsidies to some degree, with prepaid carriers gaining customers while also beginning to offer the iPhone, and even major carriers like T-Mobile shifting their strategies to end packaged subsidies and instead break out phone costs on separate payment plans.
As part of its quarterly earnings release today, U.S. Cellular announced that it will begin carrying Apple products later this year, although the carrier offered no additional details on its plans.
Carriers offering the iPhone generally see short-term hits to their profitability due to upfront subsidies that are typical in the U.S. wireless industry, although many carriers have viewed that impact as acceptable in order to gain access to the popular device. Apple has also routinely demanded that carriers commit to purchasing certain numbers of iPhones over a period of years, something that some carriers have been reluctant to do for fear of being stuck with unsold devices.
U.S. Cellular, which has 5.7 million subscribers, may become the last of the top U.S. carriers to offer the iPhone. Major carriers Verizon, AT&T;, Sprint, and T-Mobile all now offer the device, while Leap Wireless/Cricket began selling the iPhone last year. MetroPCS is also likely to begin offering the iPhone following its merger with T-Mobile, although an offering is said to not be imminent. The last of the top carriers, TracFone, also offers the iPhone through its Straight Talk partnership with Walmart.
Update 9:37 AM: U.S. Cellular has issued an additional statement to AllThingsD:
German auction house Breker (via ComputerWorld) is set to put a working Apple 1 on auction later this month and it may fetch between $240,000 and $400,000. There are an estimated six working Apple 1 computers in existence.
The Apple 1 is signed by Steve Wozniak and was originally owned by Computer Data Systems' Fred Hatfield. The computer is also bundled with the original manual and a letter from Steve Jobs to Hatfield in which Jobs offers to exchange Hatfield's Apple 1 for an Apple II 4K motherboard if Hatfield is willing to pay an extra $400.
As noted by AppleInsider, the record price for an Apple 1 was $640,000 at an auction in December. Last August, a non-working Apple 1 headed to auction with a much lower $125,000 estimate. Before that, another Apple 1 fetched $375,000 at Sotheby's auction in New York.
The Apple 1 was originally priced at $666.66 when it was released in 1976, with only 200 units produced. It's believed that there are roughly 30 to 50 still intact.
Apple has posted a new contest on the App Store [Direct Link], offering a $10,000 gift card to whomever downloads the fifty billionth app from the App Store, similar to previous promotions. Apple said during its most recent earnings call that the company has surpassed 45 billion app downloads.
Apple's most recent contest was for 25 billion downloads back in February 2012. This time around, Apple is also giving $500 gift cards to the next fifty people to download apps after the fifty billionth.
After Google Now was added to the Google Search app last week, many users began complaining that the app was draining battery by constantly accessing the iPhone's Location Services.
According to a Google employee who posted on the Macworld forum (via The Next Web), Google Now does not excessively drain battery, despite the fact that the app often causes the Location Services icon to remain active.
Google Now, which is Google's version of a virtual assistant, continually accesses user data to provide information like local weather updates and traffic conditions, which is what may be causing issues for some users.
Not all Google Now users appear to be experiencing battery problems, with some MacRumors forum members reporting no excessive battery drainage while others report rapid battery loss.
The developers behind popular to-do list app Clear have created a new charades-type app for The Ellen Show called Heads Up!. It's a party game that is getting excellent reviews, including from our sister-site TouchArcade:
Heads Up! is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99. [Direct Link]
Instagram today updated its iOS app to version 3.5, adding a feature called "Photos of You." The new functionality allows Instagram users to tag people in photos and introduces an additional Photos of You profile section where tagged photos are aggregated.
The tagging works similarly to Facebook tagging, but it is limited to the original photo taker, disallowing for third party tag suggestions. The new profile section will not be publicly visible until May 16, allowing users time to approve tagged photos and to adjust privacy settings. In addition to tagging people, Instagram users can also tag specific brands.
Instagram is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
First announced last month, Rovio's social Facebook game Angry Birds Friends was released for the iPad and the iPhone this morning. The game merges classic Angry Birds gameplay with Facebook-integrated social features such as weekly tournaments and score sharing.
German Apple website ifun.de has posted a collection of images from the beautiful new Apple Store Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, Germany. The store is located in a century-old theater building in one of the city's major shopping districts. The building measures some 48,000 square feet, though it's unclear how much of that space Apple is occupying.
Apple first posted job listings for the Kurfürstendamm store back in December of 2011, though it's taken quite a while for Apple's architects to ready the building for shoppers.
The store opens to the public tomorrow, May 3rd, at 5 PM local time.
Apple today released a minor iOS 6.1.4 update, bringing an updated audio profile for speakerphone. The new version, which arrives as Build 10B350, appears to only be for the iPhone 5.
The update did not involve a beta testing period for developers and follows the release of iOS 6.1.3 in mid-March.
Despite a bankruptcy filing in 2010 and an acquisition by Dish Network in 2011, Blockbuster has maintained an online movie rental presence. Earlier this year, the company (now a subsidiary of Dish) relaunched its Blockbuster On Demand streaming movie service, available on computers, Android devices, and Samsung Smart TVs.
The relaunch did not include an iOS app, leaving mobile users without a way to access the service's movies on a portable device, but that was remedied today with the release of the Blockbuster On Demand app for the iPad and the iPhone. Using the app, subscribers can watch the full library of on demand Blockbuster titles from their iOS devices.
A new national stolen phone database is having little effect on smartphone thefts in the U.S., according to an article in The New York Times. The country's four major carriers all contribute to the database, which lists stolen phone ID numbers that should not be activated on domestic networks. However, the database appears to be ineffective for several reasons.
For one, the database has no effect on phones taken overseas, where many stolen phones end up. Second, the unique identifiers can be changed by organized theft rings. As a result, some law enforcement authorities have begun pressing smartphone manufacturers to build a kill switch into phones.
Cynical observers note that Apple and other carriers financially benefit from phone theft because most victims buy another phone, though Apple has gone to some expense to develop the 'Find My iPhone' service and to encourage iPhone owners to activate the service during the setup process.
Google does not include any such service in Android, though there are some third-party products that are similar to Apple's service.
As noted by The Verge, Intel late yesterday released details on its next-generation integrated graphics offerings arriving as part of the company's Haswell processor lineup. The new graphics options consist of three primary levels: an Intel HD Graphics 5000 to be packaged as part of 15-watt chips destined for ultrabooks, an Intel "Iris" Graphics 5100 to be paired with 28-watt mid-range chips targeted at larger ultrabooks, and an Intel "Iris Pro" Graphics 5200 for the highest-power chips.
AnandTech has more, highlighting how ultrabooks, which would include Apple's MacBook Air, will see a lesser but still significant boost in graphics performance with Intel HD Graphics 5000.
Apple is expected to embrace Intel's forthcoming Haswell chips in its next-generation notebook lineup, which may be introduced as soon as next month's Worldwide Developers Conference.
CNET reports on a sneak peek from Adobe product manager Tom Hogarty showing off the company's concept for Lightroom-style photo editing on the iPad. The app would rely on cloud-based connections to serve as a companion app to the full Lightroom software, but offer a number of higher-end features for on-the-go photo editing.
The app is clearly a work in progress, with the feature set still yet to be finalized and performance issues remaining, but Adobe has made clear that it wants to make some of the same powerful photo editing tools from Lightroom available to photographers on the go. For photographers who travel and spend significant amounts of time in the field, an iPad capable of performing some Lightroom-style editing on raw images could significantly improve their efficiency and workflows.
Developer Flying Meat has released an update to its popular Photoshop alternative Acorn, bringing it to version 4.0 and adding an improved user interface, speed upgrades, non-destructive filters, multiple layer selection and more.
The developer claims that the new version of Acorn is "a lot faster than its predecessors" in a variety of ways, including applying filters and selections and working with large images. New features like non-destructive filters also improve workflow speed, allowing users to try filter combinations without overwriting the original image data.
Acorn 4, which debuted in 2007 with the goal of "simplicity", is available on Flying Meat's website for $29.99 until the end of May.
Apple has added new storage options to its iMac lineup, allowing users to choose either a 256 GB or 512 GB flash storage drive as part of the order customization process. The new options are available as $300 and $600 surcharges respectively to replace the 1 TB traditional hard drive that is standard across all iMac models.
Previously, the 21.5-inch iMac had not been available with dedicated flash storage options, only offering the standard 1 TB traditional hard drive and a $250 Fusion Drive option. Apple's Fusion Drive marries a 128 GB flash drive with a 1 TB traditional hard drive to seamlessly provide fast access to most-used files while also offering relatively cheap mass storage for the remainder of the user's storage needs. Those options remain available, but for those looking for an all-flash storage solution, Apple is now offering that in 256 and 512 GB capacities.
For the 27-inch iMac, Apple did previously offer an all-flash storage solution, but only as a 768 GB drive carrying a $900 upgrade fee. The 27-inch iMac is also available with 1 TB and 3 TB traditional hard drive options, with each of those also available in a Fusion Drive configuration. But with the addition of 256 GB and 512 GB flash options, Apple is now offering users who do not need massive amounts of storage the ability to maximize speed on their machines.
(Thanks, Steve!)
Renowned Apple journalist Jim Dalrymple has confirmed earlier reports that Apple has pulled engineers off OS X 10.9 in order to finish iOS 7 on time with a one word post:
Jim Dalrymple (right) with rock guitarist Slash
A report from AllThingsD earlier today said that Apple was in a repeat of the scenario from 2007 wherein the company pulled engineers off the development of OS X Leopard to work on the first iPhone.
Apple sources told ATD that it's "not as much of a fire drill" and that iOS 7 "will ship on time". Apple hasn't actually announced a ship date for iOS 7, so "on time" is subjective at this point. However, Bloomberg said earlier today that the public launch of the software was on schedule for "as soon as September".
T-Mobile's acquisition of MetroPCS was finalized today, but the merger will not bring the iPhone to MetroPCS customers in the near future. T-Mobile CEO John Legere, who spoke to AllThingsD, said it is possible that MetroPCS might be able to offer the iPhone at some point, but no plans are currently in the works.
T-Mobile first began offering the iPhone earlier this month, alongside its new contract free "Uncarrier" policy.
According to Legere, T-Mobile's iPhone sales have exceeded expectations, though he did not offer up specific sales numbers. The merger with MetroPCS brings approximately nine million new customers to the network, which could result in even greater iPhone sales if and when T-Mobile decides to offer the iPhone on MetroPCS.
The U.S. Department of Defense is readying a new government approval for iOS devices to be used by military agencies for nonclassified communications. This is apparently a separate approval from the "commercial mobile device implementation plan" that the DoD announced a few months ago.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the certification would not only allow more widespread use of iPhones and iPads across the military, but would signal to other security conscious companies like banks and law firms that these devices are safe to use.
Under the direction of Jony Ive, who took charge of Apple's user interface teams last October, iOS 7's redesign is said to be "flatter" with fewer skeuomorphic design cues and an interface that focuses on simplicity.
Skeuomorphism, a real-world design concept that was favored by former Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall, is found in many of Apple's default iOS apps. For example, apps like Notes and Find My Friends both feature leather design accents and Game Center offers up a felt pool table texture. These are all elements that are expected to be removed in iOS 7, as AllThingsD points out in a new report covering the design changes.
Research firm IDC today announced its preliminary estimates of worldwide tablet shipments for the first quarter of 2013, finding that Apple's share of the market continues to slide as competitors begin to gain footholds in the market, although the firm notes that Apple did exceed expectations. Apple held a 39.6% share of the market for quarter, compared to 43.6% in the previous quarter and a 58.2% share in the year-ago quarter.
Worldwide Tablet Shipments in 1Q13 in Millions of Units (Source: IDC)
It is important to note that IDC's numbers track shipments instead of sales, and thus how many shipped devices are making their way into consumers' hands remains unclear. IDC's figures are also estimates, as a number of companies do not release their exact shipment data and thus research firms must rely on supply chain data and calculations from information that is made public by manufacturers to build their estimates.
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Apple's U.S. Smartphone Usage Share Approaches 40%
May 03, 7:22PM
comScore today released the results of its monthly rolling survey of U.S. mobile phone users for the January-March period, showing that Apple's smartphone market share rose 2.7 points from December to March, from 36.3% of total U.S. smartphone platform and hardware sales to 39%, marking a record high share for the company.
Samsung was the hardware manufacturer with the second largest share of the market at 21.7% in March, up from 21% in December. HTC, Motorola, and LG again experienced slight drops in market share, with HTC suffering the heaviest loss going from 10.2% to 9%.
Google's Android continues to be ranked as the top smartphone platform with 52% of smartphone platform share, though it experienced a drop from 53.4% in December, which was absorbed by Apple.
Apple's share increased 2.7 points to 39%, while Blackberry continued to drop, hitting 5.2% down from 6.4% in December. Microsoft remained steady at 3%, though saw a small drop from 3.2% in February's report. Collectively, Apple and Google control 91 percent of the smartphone market, with Apple making continual gains each month.
comScore's data tracks installed user base rather than new handset sales, which means it is more reflective of real-world usage but slower to respond to shifting market trends than some other studies.
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Redesigned Vox Music Player 1.0 Offers Minimalistic Interface and Support for Multiple File Types [Mac Blog]
May 03, 6:33PM
The Vox Music Player was originally created as a universal media player in 2007. Its simple design and its support for a wide range of file types led to a surge in popularity, but development stalled and it largely fell out of the public eye. Coppertino, an independent development studio that focuses on Mac and iOS software, has since adopted and redesigned the media player.
Vox 1.0 retains the minimalistic design of the original software, but comes equipped with a number of upgrades. It supports a wide variety of audio formats like MP3, FLAC, AAC, Musepack, Ogg Vorbis, WAV, and more, plus it integrates easily with iTunes.
The app supports a number of music sources including network drives, external hard drives, and VPN-connected storages and its built-in equalizer comes equipped with presets and adjustments to improve the listening experience.
- VOX 1.0 supports literally any source your Mac can access. Add music from external HDDs, network drives and VPN-connected storages.Vox 1.0 will enter open beta next week, but MacRumors readers can sign up to download the beta version of the app immediately from the Coppertino website.
- Supports multiple output devices using AirPort.
- Built-in equalizer with a variety of presets and adjustments.
- Transforms ordinary stereo source into 7.1 or 5.1 channel output.
- Bauer Stereo feature provides more realistic sound when listening to stereo music through headphones.
- Your music automatically pauses when your headphones are disconnected.
- Handy controls available from OS X main menu and VOX Dock icon.
- Full OS X gesture support including altering playlist height, switching music sources or adjusting volume.
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Smart TV Adoption Growing Rapidly, Market Ripe for Apple iTV
May 03, 5:31PM
According to a new report from media research firm TDG (via GigaOM) 14% of households with broadband internet owned an Apple TV, Roku box, or similar streaming platform during a study in 2012.
While that sounds like an impressive number, Smart TVs have been slowly taking over the connected TV market. 25% of households owned a smart TV that comes equipped with apps, such as those offered by manufacturers like Samsung and LG.
Smart TV adoption grew from 12% in 2011 to 25% in 2012, while connected set top box adoption grew just two percentage points year over year. While not all Smart TV owners use the "smart" capabilities, 69% of users surveyed connected their Smart TVs to the Internet, indicating that roughly two thirds of Smart TV owners take advantage of the TV's functionality.
With Smart TVs positioned as a rapidly growing market, it is unsurprising that rumors of an Apple-branded smart TV have abounded since 2011, when Walter Isaacson's famous biography revealed that Steve Jobs had an interest in revolutionizing the television industry.
The iTV, as it has been dubbed, is rumored to come equipped with app integration and Siri functionality. The latest rumors, which surfaced in March, suggested that Apple is currently working on an "Ultra HD" or "4K" television set with a resolution of 3840 x 2160.
Such a set could launch in late 2013 or early 2014, although a potential launch timeframe has been a moving target for Apple observers over the past several years as the company has apparently yet to make its TV work into a formal project.
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Google Glass Will Soon Add Text and Navigation Support for iPhone Users [iOS Blog]
May 03, 5:15PM
Google Glass will soon gain stronger interoperability with iPhones, allowing iPhone-owning Glass wearers to access text messages and navigation on the device. Currently, only Android phone users can access navigation and texts on Glass via a special companion app.Google Glass pulls data from the iPhone's cellular connection via Bluetooth tethering, but until now a number of Glass functions were limited.
While Glass will happily work with any iPhone over Bluetooth or use any Wi-Fi connection to get online, iPhone users are currently unable to get turn-by-turn directions through Glass – one of its killer features. Those direction are pretty useful while you are navigating a new city and they do show off the power of location-based apps on Glass, but the software will currently balk if you ask it to give you directions while it's connected to an iPhone.The $1,500 Google Glass is currently limited to a select few users but is expected to ship next year at a significantly reduced price.
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Apple's Lower-Cost iPhone As a 'Mid-End' Device
May 03, 2:42PM
AllThingsD shares details on a new report from J.P. Morgan analysts Gokul Hariharan and Mark Moskowitz, who unsurprisingly argue that Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone will still be a "mid-end" device rather than competing against the true low end of the smartphone market. The analysts point to Apple's previous introductions of the iPod nano and iPad mini as cheaper versions of their parent products that were still significantly more expensive than low-end competitors due to Apple's refusal to sacrifice quality for the sake of price.
Echoing some previous rumors, Hariharan and Moskowitz suggest that Apple's lower-cost iPhone is likely to cost $350-$400 without subsidies, significantly cheaper than the iPhone 5 that starts at $650. The analysts point out that such a device would come in at a relatively sparsely-populated midrange of a pyramid that sees strong unit sales at the top and bottom but weakness in the middle.
Currently Samsung dominates this segment ($200-500 price range) with 35+ percent market share. [...] We believe Apple could take 20-25 percent of this market in the next 12 months (from almost no market share currently), if it prices a lower-priced product at $350-400 levels.
On a separate note, Digitimes is reporting today that Apple's lower-cost iPhone will be specifically targeted at emerging markets and will initially launch in limited volumes in order to test interest in the device. The report claims that Apple is expected to deliver only 2.5-3 million units during the device's first quarter of availability.
While Apple almost certainly has interest in bringing such a device to emerging markets, it seems more likely that Apple will offer the device on a broader basis in order to appeal to consumers in the numerous markets where subsidies are not common. Even the United States is seeing pushback against subsidies to some degree, with prepaid carriers gaining customers while also beginning to offer the iPhone, and even major carriers like T-Mobile shifting their strategies to end packaged subsidies and instead break out phone costs on separate payment plans.
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U.S. Cellular to Begin Offering Apple Products Later This Year
May 03, 2:03PM
As part of its quarterly earnings release today, U.S. Cellular announced that it will begin carrying Apple products later this year, although the carrier offered no additional details on its plans.
"We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year. By further strengthening our device portfolio, we'll give consumers another great reason to switch to U.S. Cellular, and enable our existing customers to choose from an even wider variety of iconic smartphones, and enjoy the outstanding U.S. Cellular customer experiences they deserve. Our smartphone penetration is currently 43 percent of core market customers and growing quickly. We believe there will be strong, ongoing demand for smartphones and data products and services from our customers, and we have significant room for growth in this area.The move marks a reversal for U.S. Cellular, which said in late 2011 that it had declined to carry the iPhone due to "unacceptable" terms being offered by Apple.
Carriers offering the iPhone generally see short-term hits to their profitability due to upfront subsidies that are typical in the U.S. wireless industry, although many carriers have viewed that impact as acceptable in order to gain access to the popular device. Apple has also routinely demanded that carriers commit to purchasing certain numbers of iPhones over a period of years, something that some carriers have been reluctant to do for fear of being stuck with unsold devices.
U.S. Cellular, which has 5.7 million subscribers, may become the last of the top U.S. carriers to offer the iPhone. Major carriers Verizon, AT&T;, Sprint, and T-Mobile all now offer the device, while Leap Wireless/Cricket began selling the iPhone last year. MetroPCS is also likely to begin offering the iPhone following its merger with T-Mobile, although an offering is said to not be imminent. The last of the top carriers, TracFone, also offers the iPhone through its Straight Talk partnership with Walmart.
Update 9:37 AM: U.S. Cellular has issued an additional statement to AllThingsD:
We will be selling iPhone products later this year. We don't have any additional information at this time but will follow up closer to the launch. The deal we've made to sell iPhone products is right for our business today, because we now have an LTE solution that enables a successful partnership with Apple.Update 10:27 AM: Dow Jones Newswires reports that U.S. Cellular has committed to purchase $1.2 billion worth of iPhones over a three-year period.
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Rare Working Apple 1 Computer Headed to Auction [Mac Blog]
May 03, 5:07AM
German auction house Breker (via ComputerWorld) is set to put a working Apple 1 on auction later this month and it may fetch between $240,000 and $400,000. There are an estimated six working Apple 1 computers in existence.
The Apple 1 is signed by Steve Wozniak and was originally owned by Computer Data Systems' Fred Hatfield. The computer is also bundled with the original manual and a letter from Steve Jobs to Hatfield in which Jobs offers to exchange Hatfield's Apple 1 for an Apple II 4K motherboard if Hatfield is willing to pay an extra $400.
As noted by AppleInsider, the record price for an Apple 1 was $640,000 at an auction in December. Last August, a non-working Apple 1 headed to auction with a much lower $125,000 estimate. Before that, another Apple 1 fetched $375,000 at Sotheby's auction in New York.
The Apple 1 was originally priced at $666.66 when it was released in 1976, with only 200 units produced. It's believed that there are roughly 30 to 50 still intact.
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Apple Begins Countdown to 50 Billion App Store Downloads
May 02, 8:23PM
Apple has posted a new contest on the App Store [Direct Link], offering a $10,000 gift card to whomever downloads the fifty billionth app from the App Store, similar to previous promotions. Apple said during its most recent earnings call that the company has surpassed 45 billion app downloads.
Apple's most recent contest was for 25 billion downloads back in February 2012. This time around, Apple is also giving $500 gift cards to the next fifty people to download apps after the fifty billionth.
Apps have revolutionized the way we play video games, consume news, do business, educate, communicate, create art, and so much more. As we approach 50 billion app downloads, we'll be awarding a $10,000 App Store Gift Card to the lucky customer who downloads the 50 billionth app, and a $500 App Store Gift Card to each of the next 50 people to download an app.The download count currently stands at just over 49.2 billion.
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Google Employee Claims Google Now App Does Not Cause Significant Battery Impact
May 02, 8:17PM
After Google Now was added to the Google Search app last week, many users began complaining that the app was draining battery by constantly accessing the iPhone's Location Services. According to a Google employee who posted on the Macworld forum (via The Next Web), Google Now does not excessively drain battery, despite the fact that the app often causes the Location Services icon to remain active.
Hi there,The employee, who was confirmed to be working for Google by The Next Web, goes on to say that Google Now was tested for several months on iOS without reports of significant battery impact. In the Google Search app description, Google clarifies that the app does not access the iPhone's GPS, using cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots as the employee claims.
I'm with Google and wanted to address this issue:
Reports that Google Now on iOS drains battery life are incorrect. We understand people's concern about seeing the Location Services icon stay on when they use Google Now. Many apps that keep the icon on actually do drain the phone's battery because they require very accurate location. (For example, some apps have to run your GPS all the time during navigation to keep you from missing your turn.) This update to the Google Search app is built very differently: it uses cell towers and wifi hot spots for much lower battery impact.
Google Now, which is Google's version of a virtual assistant, continually accesses user data to provide information like local weather updates and traffic conditions, which is what may be causing issues for some users.
Not all Google Now users appear to be experiencing battery problems, with some MacRumors forum members reporting no excessive battery drainage while others report rapid battery loss.
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New Party Game 'Heads Up!' Featured on The Ellen Show [iOS Blog]
May 02, 6:38PM
The developers behind popular to-do list app Clear have created a new charades-type app for The Ellen Show called Heads Up!. It's a party game that is getting excellent reviews, including from our sister-site TouchArcade:In a nutshell, you get a group of people together, load up the app, select a category, and then hold your iPhone (or iPad) up to your forehead. From there, you've got 60 seconds where a word will appear on the screen, everyone else shouts clues, and you try to guess it. If you get it right, you tilt your device down, if you can't get it and want to skip you tilt up. It sounds basic, but even beta versions of the game that randomly would appear at bars and restaurants of GDC was a ton of fun.The game also utilizes the front camera of the iPhone to record friends trying to act out whatever the word is. Players can then share those videos on Twitter or Facebook, and also submit them to be featured on The Ellen Show.
Heads Up! is available on the iPhone and iPad for $0.99. [Direct Link]
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Instagram Launches 'Photos of You' Feature, Lets Users Tag People [iOS Blog]
May 02, 5:54PM
Instagram today updated its iOS app to version 3.5, adding a feature called "Photos of You." The new functionality allows Instagram users to tag people in photos and introduces an additional Photos of You profile section where tagged photos are aggregated. The tagging works similarly to Facebook tagging, but it is limited to the original photo taker, disallowing for third party tag suggestions. The new profile section will not be publicly visible until May 16, allowing users time to approve tagged photos and to adjust privacy settings. In addition to tagging people, Instagram users can also tag specific brands.
Instagram is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
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Social Rovio Title 'Angry Birds Friends' Hits the App Store [iOS Blog]
May 02, 5:20PM
First announced last month, Rovio's social Facebook game Angry Birds Friends was released for the iPad and the iPhone this morning. The game merges classic Angry Birds gameplay with Facebook-integrated social features such as weekly tournaments and score sharing.
- Tournaments with new levels every week!Angry Birds Friends is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
- Challenge your Facebook friends for bronze, silver, and gold trophies!
- Brag, send gifts, and invite your Facebook friends to play!
- Four classic power-ups, plus one exclusive to Angry Birds Friends on mobile!
- Daily rewards!
- Free bird-coins just for completing the tutorial!
- Syncs automatically with your game on Facebook!
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Photo Gallery of Stunning New Berlin Apple Store [Mac Blog]
May 02, 5:16PM
German Apple website ifun.de has posted a collection of images from the beautiful new Apple Store Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, Germany. The store is located in a century-old theater building in one of the city's major shopping districts. The building measures some 48,000 square feet, though it's unclear how much of that space Apple is occupying.
Apple first posted job listings for the Kurfürstendamm store back in December of 2011, though it's taken quite a while for Apple's architects to ready the building for shoppers.
The store opens to the public tomorrow, May 3rd, at 5 PM local time.
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Apple Releases iOS 6.1.4 for iPhone 5 With New Speakerphone Audio Profile
May 02, 5:06PM
Apple today released a minor iOS 6.1.4 update, bringing an updated audio profile for speakerphone. The new version, which arrives as Build 10B350, appears to only be for the iPhone 5.
The update did not involve a beta testing period for developers and follows the release of iOS 6.1.3 in mid-March.
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Blockbuster Launches On Demand App for iOS [iOS Blog]
May 02, 4:56PM
Despite a bankruptcy filing in 2010 and an acquisition by Dish Network in 2011, Blockbuster has maintained an online movie rental presence. Earlier this year, the company (now a subsidiary of Dish) relaunched its Blockbuster On Demand streaming movie service, available on computers, Android devices, and Samsung Smart TVs.
The relaunch did not include an iOS app, leaving mobile users without a way to access the service's movies on a portable device, but that was remedied today with the release of the Blockbuster On Demand app for the iPad and the iPhone. Using the app, subscribers can watch the full library of on demand Blockbuster titles from their iOS devices.
-Thousands of hit movies and new releases – rent and watch instantly or save to your Watchlist and view laterUnlike Netflix, Blockbuster On Demand offers up movies on a per-purchase basis, charging between $2.99 and $4.99 for a movie rental. The Blockbuster On Demand iOS app is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]
-Tons of movies you love – hand-selected titles with the highest ratings from Rotten Tomatoes®
-Stream Instantly — phone, tablet, laptop, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, and more
-Amazing sound and video – stunning HD movies in full Surround Sound
-Easy shopping and viewing – prime movie watching experience
-No subscription or late fees – pay only for what you watch
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New Stolen Phone Database Having Little Effect on Thefts
May 02, 4:17PM
A new national stolen phone database is having little effect on smartphone thefts in the U.S., according to an article in The New York Times. The country's four major carriers all contribute to the database, which lists stolen phone ID numbers that should not be activated on domestic networks. However, the database appears to be ineffective for several reasons.For one, the database has no effect on phones taken overseas, where many stolen phones end up. Second, the unique identifiers can be changed by organized theft rings. As a result, some law enforcement authorities have begun pressing smartphone manufacturers to build a kill switch into phones.
George Gascón, San Francisco's district attorney, says handset makers like Apple should be exploring new technologies that could help prevent theft. In March, he said, he met with an Apple executive, Michael Foulkes, who handles its government relations, to discuss how the company could improve its antitheft technology. But he left the meeting, he said, with no promise that Apple was working to do so.The Times also compares smartphone theft to car theft, which has plummeted in recent years because of technological changes in automobiles that make them more difficult to steal and part out.
He added, "Unlike other types of crimes, this is a crime that could be easily fixed with a technological solution."
Cynical observers note that Apple and other carriers financially benefit from phone theft because most victims buy another phone, though Apple has gone to some expense to develop the 'Find My iPhone' service and to encourage iPhone owners to activate the service during the setup process.
Google does not include any such service in Android, though there are some third-party products that are similar to Apple's service.
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Intel Shares Details on New 'Iris' Integrated Graphics for Haswell Chips
May 02, 3:19PM
As noted by The Verge, Intel late yesterday released details on its next-generation integrated graphics offerings arriving as part of the company's Haswell processor lineup. The new graphics options consist of three primary levels: an Intel HD Graphics 5000 to be packaged as part of 15-watt chips destined for ultrabooks, an Intel "Iris" Graphics 5100 to be paired with 28-watt mid-range chips targeted at larger ultrabooks, and an Intel "Iris Pro" Graphics 5200 for the highest-power chips.
The company claims its new Intel "Iris" Graphics, embedded in upcoming Haswell CPUs, can offer double or triple the performance of the Intel HD Graphics 4000 that comes with current Ivy Bridge processors. That's significant: typically each generation offers only a double-digit percentage boost.
That doesn't mean every new Haswell processor will come with quite that level of graphics performance, though.
AnandTech has more, highlighting how ultrabooks, which would include Apple's MacBook Air, will see a lesser but still significant boost in graphics performance with Intel HD Graphics 5000.
Although Ultrabooks (now 15W) won't get full blown Iris performance, they should still see a healthy increase in GPU performance compared to where they are today (50% improvement in 3DMark) at a lower TDP. The move to a full speed GT3 part (Iris) should more than double performance in 3DMark.
Apple is expected to embrace Intel's forthcoming Haswell chips in its next-generation notebook lineup, which may be introduced as soon as next month's Worldwide Developers Conference.
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Adobe Shows Off Lightroom-Style Photo Editing for iPad
May 02, 2:23PM
CNET reports on a sneak peek from Adobe product manager Tom Hogarty showing off the company's concept for Lightroom-style photo editing on the iPad. The app would rely on cloud-based connections to serve as a companion app to the full Lightroom software, but offer a number of higher-end features for on-the-go photo editing.
He wouldn't promise when the app would ship or what exactly it would do, but he did demonstrate some features of the prototype software running on an iPad 2. He also offered several details about its features:Hogarty also noted that he would like to bring features such photo sorting and flagging to the app, although other features such as brushes for tweaking photos have not been included.
- The ability to edit photos taken in raw photo formats, including Lightroom develop-module parameters like exposure, clarity, shadows, highlights, and white balance.
- Cloud-synchronized editing so that changes made on a tablet arrive on the same photo on the PC.
- The ability to zoom all the way to 100 percent for checking photo focus and details.
The app is clearly a work in progress, with the feature set still yet to be finalized and performance issues remaining, but Adobe has made clear that it wants to make some of the same powerful photo editing tools from Lightroom available to photographers on the go. For photographers who travel and spend significant amounts of time in the field, an iPad capable of performing some Lightroom-style editing on raw images could significantly improve their efficiency and workflows.
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Acorn 4 Image Editor Adds Improved Speed, Enhanced User Interface and More [Mac Blog]
May 02, 2:03PM
Developer Flying Meat has released an update to its popular Photoshop alternative Acorn, bringing it to version 4.0 and adding an improved user interface, speed upgrades, non-destructive filters, multiple layer selection and more.
The developer claims that the new version of Acorn is "a lot faster than its predecessors" in a variety of ways, including applying filters and selections and working with large images. New features like non-destructive filters also improve workflow speed, allowing users to try filter combinations without overwriting the original image data.
Non-Destructive FiltersNon-destructive filters aren't the only new part of Acorn, as the entire program has received a "new coat of paint" while the tools palette has been split off into its own window and a new filter HUD, called Merlin HUD, has been added, which will allow users to manipulate the radii and center points of their filters on the canvas.
Layer styles and filters are now merged together into a happy new UI. Chain filters together to create endless combinations of unique effects knowing you can always change your mind later on.
Acorn 4, which debuted in 2007 with the goal of "simplicity", is available on Flying Meat's website for $29.99 until the end of May.
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Apple Adds New 256 GB and 512 GB Flash Storage Options to iMac
May 02, 1:24PM
Apple has added new storage options to its iMac lineup, allowing users to choose either a 256 GB or 512 GB flash storage drive as part of the order customization process. The new options are available as $300 and $600 surcharges respectively to replace the 1 TB traditional hard drive that is standard across all iMac models.
Previously, the 21.5-inch iMac had not been available with dedicated flash storage options, only offering the standard 1 TB traditional hard drive and a $250 Fusion Drive option. Apple's Fusion Drive marries a 128 GB flash drive with a 1 TB traditional hard drive to seamlessly provide fast access to most-used files while also offering relatively cheap mass storage for the remainder of the user's storage needs. Those options remain available, but for those looking for an all-flash storage solution, Apple is now offering that in 256 and 512 GB capacities.
For the 27-inch iMac, Apple did previously offer an all-flash storage solution, but only as a 768 GB drive carrying a $900 upgrade fee. The 27-inch iMac is also available with 1 TB and 3 TB traditional hard drive options, with each of those also available in a Fusion Drive configuration. But with the addition of 256 GB and 512 GB flash options, Apple is now offering users who do not need massive amounts of storage the ability to maximize speed on their machines.
(Thanks, Steve!)
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iOS 7 to Ship 'On Time' as OS X Engineers Pitch In
May 01, 8:37PM
Renowned Apple journalist Jim Dalrymple has confirmed earlier reports that Apple has pulled engineers off OS X 10.9 in order to finish iOS 7 on time with a one word post:
Yep.
A report from AllThingsD earlier today said that Apple was in a repeat of the scenario from 2007 wherein the company pulled engineers off the development of OS X Leopard to work on the first iPhone.
Apple sources told ATD that it's "not as much of a fire drill" and that iOS 7 "will ship on time". Apple hasn't actually announced a ship date for iOS 7, so "on time" is subjective at this point. However, Bloomberg said earlier today that the public launch of the software was on schedule for "as soon as September".
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iPhone on MetroPCS Not Imminent After T-Mobile Merger
May 01, 8:32PM
T-Mobile's acquisition of MetroPCS was finalized today, but the merger will not bring the iPhone to MetroPCS customers in the near future. T-Mobile CEO John Legere, who spoke to AllThingsD, said it is possible that MetroPCS might be able to offer the iPhone at some point, but no plans are currently in the works.As for the iPhone coming to MetroPCS, Legere said it's a possibility, but not a foregone conclusion.Though T-Mobile does not have immediate plans to offer the iPhone via MetroPCS, the company will be moving quickly to offer new MetroPCS-branded devices and transition MetroPCS customers to T-Mobile's network. Legere says that MetroPCS and T-Mobile will be "one integrated company that uses two brands to go to market."
"The answer to that is not 'No'," Legere said, but added, "It's not imminent; I think that's safe to say."
T-Mobile first began offering the iPhone earlier this month, alongside its new contract free "Uncarrier" policy.
According to Legere, T-Mobile's iPhone sales have exceeded expectations, though he did not offer up specific sales numbers. The merger with MetroPCS brings approximately nine million new customers to the network, which could result in even greater iPhone sales if and when T-Mobile decides to offer the iPhone on MetroPCS.
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Department of Defense Ready to Approve iOS 6 for High-Security Uses
May 01, 7:10PM
The U.S. Department of Defense is readying a new government approval for iOS devices to be used by military agencies for nonclassified communications. This is apparently a separate approval from the "commercial mobile device implementation plan" that the DoD announced a few months ago.The Wall Street Journal reports that the certification would not only allow more widespread use of iPhones and iPads across the military, but would signal to other security conscious companies like banks and law firms that these devices are safe to use.
Separately, DISA is expected to rule that Apple's latest operating system, iOS 6, conforms to a different security-requirement guide, these people said. That would allow iPhones and iPads to be used by military agencies for nonclassified communications, like email and Web browsing.The DoD is also preparing to sign off on Samsung's Galaxy line of phones for similar uses.
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Apple Engineers Working Overtime on iOS 7's 'DeForstallization'
May 01, 6:53PM
Under the direction of Jony Ive, who took charge of Apple's user interface teams last October, iOS 7's redesign is said to be "flatter" with fewer skeuomorphic design cues and an interface that focuses on simplicity.
Skeuomorphism, a real-world design concept that was favored by former Apple senior vice president of iOS software Scott Forstall, is found in many of Apple's default iOS apps. For example, apps like Notes and Find My Friends both feature leather design accents and Game Center offers up a felt pool table texture. These are all elements that are expected to be removed in iOS 7, as AllThingsD points out in a new report covering the design changes.
With Scott Forstall — an advocate for flashy, skeuomorphic design and its stitched-leather and faux wood grain flourishes — now gone from Apple, and Ive in an expanded role, the current and former Apple employees I've spoken to say iOS 7 was destined for a new coat of paint. As one said, "Sounds like a much-needed 'deForstallization.'"As noted by AllThingsD, Apple's iOS has not had a serious design overhaul since the original iPhone was released in 2007, making it long overdue for an update.
If the company has good ideas for design tweaks, it's about time it implemented them. With new mobile operating systems like BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone proving that there's plenty of room left for innovation in the market, Apple can ill afford even the risk of the perception that iOS might be getting dusty.According to a report from Bloomberg earlier today, Apple has been forced to delay its internal timelines for iOS 7, but the company's engineers are said to be working overtime to get a preview ready for the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Multiple sources have indicated that Apple is pulling engineers from OS X 10.9 to help the company stay on schedule with iOS 7.
Apple's challenge, then, is to overhaul the look and feel of the OS while retaining the intuitiveness that's made it so popular.
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Apple's Share of Worldwide Tablet Shipments Falls Below 40% in 1Q 2013
May 01, 5:38PM
Research firm IDC today announced its preliminary estimates of worldwide tablet shipments for the first quarter of 2013, finding that Apple's share of the market continues to slide as competitors begin to gain footholds in the market, although the firm notes that Apple did exceed expectations. Apple held a 39.6% share of the market for quarter, compared to 43.6% in the previous quarter and a 58.2% share in the year-ago quarter.
Apple outperformed IDC's most recent projections for the quarter, shipping 19.5 million units compared to a forecast of 18.7 million units. The company, which historically has experienced a steep drop off in first quarter shipments (following strong holiday sales in the fourth quarter), saw some smoothing of that seasonality this year. [...]Samsung and Asus in particular saw strong performances during the quarter, with each seeing year-over-year shipment increases in excess of 250% compared to Apple's 65% growth. Still, Apple's share of the market is more than double that of second-place Samsung. In looking at operating systems, Android now outships iOS, with Android taking 56.5% of the market and iOS taking just under 40%.
"Sustained demand for the iPad mini and increasingly strong commercial shipments led to a better-than expected first quarter for Apple," said Tom Mainelli, Research Director, Tablets at IDC. "In addition, by moving the iPad launch to the fourth quarter of 2012, Apple seems to have avoided the typical first-quarter slowdown that traditionally occurred when consumers held off buying in January and February in anticipation of a new product launch in March."
It is important to note that IDC's numbers track shipments instead of sales, and thus how many shipped devices are making their way into consumers' hands remains unclear. IDC's figures are also estimates, as a number of companies do not release their exact shipment data and thus research firms must rely on supply chain data and calculations from information that is made public by manufacturers to build their estimates.
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