Presiding Apple v. Samsung Judge Lucy Koh on Tuesday denied three Samsung motions meant to delay an investigation regarding the disclosure of confidential Apple-Nokia patent licensing terms, which were unlawfully shown to the Korean company's executives.
  ...

Square, Inc. on Tuesday announced "Square Cash," a new no-fee service that lets users make up to $2,500 person-to-person transfers over email, meaning funds can be sent from Web browsers, mail clients and even mobile phones.
  ...

Apple has asked developers to begin submitting OS X Mavericks-optimized apps. On Apple's official News and Announcements page for developers, the company said:

Submit your OS X Mavericks apps today.

Make sure your app takes advantage of the great new features in OS X Mavericks when the world's most advanced desktop operating system becomes available to millions of customers later this fall. Download OS X Mavericks GM seed and Xcode 5.0.1 GM seed, now available on the Mac Dev Center. Build your apps with these latest seeds, then test and submit them to the Mac App Store.

The timing of the request correlates to Apple's announcement today that it is holding another product launch event on October 22. Though the latest Mac Pro and MacBook Pros are expected to be announced (along with new iPads), it's unlikely that OS X Mavericks will ship that day...

Samsung tried to beat Apple to market with a fingerprint scanner for their Note 3 in September and failed. Yet Samsung was so determined to beat Apple at something this year so as to validate their false innovative leadership title, that they rushed a smartwatch to market. They were jumping at Apple's shadow fearing that Apple had one for their September iPhone Event. We called Samsung's Gear smartwatch a disaster in our report and in October the Wall St. Journal's David Pogue agreed with us by calling Samsung's smartwatch a Human Interface train wreck. So what is one of Samsung's next big move's for 2014 to show that they're the undisputed leader in the mobile industry? Well, according to a new report out today, one of Samsung's next moves will revolve around wireless charging solutions. Will Samsung get a big leap on Apple on this front? Our report sheds a little light on this matter and shows you what Samsung is up to.

Square has just launched a new service called Square Cash, which allows quick money transfers between any two parties using through an email. Contrary to what you might be expecting, you don’t need to sign up or get all of your friends onto Square Cash to share funds. Instead, you just need to link a debit card to your account.

Once you’ve done that, sending an email to...

Q:

I’m a former BlackBerry user who has been struggling with the virtual keyboard on his Droid for years. I considered the new BlackBerry, whose virtual keyboard you praised, but want a phone supported by more app developers. I would appreciate your advice on which keyboard app is easiest to operate now.

A:

The keyboard app I personally find best on Android is called SwiftKey, which replaces the stock keyboard on Android wherever it appears. It does a particularly good job of learning your writing habits and predicting what word is likeliest to come next. It can even sync these personal predictions across your Android devices.

Q:

With iGoogle going away in a few weeks, what is your recommendation on a good replacement site?

A:

There are a number of sites...

Twitter has updated TweetDeck, its OS X app for power-users. The app makes it easy for users to manage multiple Twitter accounts, sift through and search tweets, and track real-time conversations. It's frequently used by social media administrators whose sole job it is to monitor and tweet under a company's Twitter profile.

The new features in TweetDeck 3.3.3 offer some significant improvements that power-users of the app have been asking for for some time. They revolve around the apps ability to Tweet, send DMs, and preview images. From the release notes:

• Write Tweets in docked panel on the left with an option to keep it open all the time
• Reply to Tweets easily and quickly using inline reply
• Preview images in the New Tweet panel before sharing them
• Typeahead suggestions for usernames and hashtags

...

A Kickstarter campaign to reunite the original members of the Homebrew Computer Club humbly began last week with a project goal of $16,000. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Kickstarter campaign had easily eclipsed its $16,000 target with approximately $36,539 pledged from 353 backers.

This is particularly cool because event organizers previously indicated that if they reach the $30,000 mark, they'd be able to hire a professional photographer to document the event and license the photos under Creative Commons. If the campaign is able to hit the $40,000 mark by October 29, a professional videographer will be commissioned to create a "micro documentary" of the event.

What's notable about this Kickstarter campaign, aside from the fact that nerds are willing to plunk down big money in...

Apple is progressively moving away from supporting its in-house developed Java runtime for OS X.

Earlier today Apple sent out invitations to its October 22 media event, which is expected to focus on the fifth-generation iPad and the iPad mini 2. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, but as it did with the iPhone launch, Apple plans to stream the proceedings to a separate London satellite event that international media members have been invited to attend (via 9to5Mac).

For the iPhone event, Apple sent out invitations to media in Berlin, Tokyo, and Beijing, hosting satellite launches in each country. Each event featured a video stream of the...

In a notice sent out on Tuesday, Apple requests developers prepare for the impending OS X 10.9 Mavericks rollout by testing apps with the latest Golden Master build before submitting their software to the Mac App Store for review.
  ...

Shares of chip giant Intel are falling after hours as the company’s third quarter results beat the expectations of analysts, but its outlook for the fourth quarter disappointed.

However, the company’s CFO Stacy Smith gave the first indication in quite some time that the market for personal computers, which have been declining at rates previously unheard of, may be close to “bottoming out.”

After reporting results for the third quarter that beat expectations, the company issued guidance for the fourth quarter that fell short.

On a conference call with analysts, Smith said that outlook for the fourth quarter “… reflects the caution from our customers due to weak consumer end markets for the PC segment of our business.”

Smith went on to say that Intel is seeing...

From a recent story in Want China Times, “Two Percent of China’s Public Consumes One-Third of World’s Luxury Goods”:

According to China’s official population clock, there are an
estimated 1,359,025,970 people in China as of Sept. 26, with just
2% of that number — some 27,180,519 people — consuming one third
of the world’s luxury items. The 2% are the backbone of the global
luxury goods sales and the target of hundreds of international
brand names, the Chinese-language Money Week magazine reports.

Although the huge majority of China’s population is unable to
purchase luxury items, as the country’s economy grows so will its
market, the magazine said.

When the iPhone 5C came out last month and was not “low cost”, ...

Earlier today, Apple announced that it will be holding its fall event on October 22nd. The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California. However, like in some past years, Apple will hold a simultaneous event to cater to media not located in the United States.

For its September 10 iPhone event, Apple held simultaneous satellite streams in Berlin, Tokyo, and Beijing. For the upcoming event, the stream will be held in London, according to members of international media invited to the stream. The London-based event will begin at 6PM local time and it will be held at the...

It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for October 15, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 15 Oct 2013 17:45:00 EST. Please see our...

Ahead of its October 22nd event where the company is expected to unveil new iPads alongside other product announcements, Apple today asked developers to begin submitting apps optimized for OS X Mavericks.

Apple seeded the final Golden Master release of OS X Mavericks to developers along with the Xcode 5.0.1 GM seed earlier this month and today urged developers to download the latest builds to test and submit OS X Mavericks apps to the Mac App Store. The move is likely in preparation of public release and pricing details expected to be announced during Apple’s event on the 22nd.

Submit your OS X Mavericks apps today.

Make sure your app takes advantage of the great new features in OS X Mavericks when the world...

Ireland's Finance Minister Michael Noonan said on Tuesday that he plans to push legislation to close a loophole in the country's corporate tax laws that allows companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes.
  ...

Since the announcement of iOS 7, there's been tons of discussion about aesthetic changes the update as brought to the iPhone and iPad interface. What hasn't been talked about widely is how the update changed the various APIs developers used for building apps. Alec Fraser of Reckoner, a site dedicated to covering Australia's tech scene, has interviewed a group of the county's top developers to get a look at how the recent update has changed how they work.

It's a long but informative look at the struggles and stumbling blocks updates can bring for developers. Fraser drives this point home with the simple example of a change to the status bar.

Even seemingly minor user interface changes-such as the status bar no longer being separate from the app in iOS 7 (as it was in iOS 6) can be a stumbling block, especially when trying to maintain backwards compatibility with iOS 6 while also updating an app for iOS...

VirtualBox is a family of powerful x86 virtualization products for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).

Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux and Mac hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), and OpenBSD.

VirtualBox is being actively developed with frequent releases and has an ever growing list of features, supported guest operating systems and platforms it runs on. VirtualBox is a community effort backed by a dedicated company: everyone is encouraged to contribute while innotek ensures the product always meets professional quality criteria.

Version...

Sure, next Tuesday we get new iPads and the like. But what about this Tuesday? Right now? Living in the moment? YOLO?

That would a bunch of minor Java and printer driver updates from Apple, available right now via Software Update and from Apple’s website.

Java for OS X 2013-005 1.0 delivers “improved security, reliability, and compatibility by updating Java SE 6 to 1.6.0_65” for those running OS X 10.7 Lion or 10.8 Mountain Lion. And if you’ve been remiss in your duties and haven’t previously installed the Java for OS X 2012-006 update, note that Tuesday’s version will disable your Java applet plug-in, forcing you to download it from Oracle if you hope to use it again.

Those stuck in Snow Leopard-ville have Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 17 to look forward to when firing up...

This week in the MacNN forums, members discuss what they dislike about Safari in iOS 7, while reminiscing about the way things use to be. Administrator "ghporter" spurred a discussion about some of the flaws in iOS 7 when he started a thread commenting on the questionable color scheme in Notes....
   ...

Make sure your app takes advantage of the great new features in OS X Mavericks when the world’s most advanced desktop operating system becomes available to millions of customers later this fall. Download OS X Mavericks GM seed and Xcode 5.0.1 GM seed, now available on the Mac Dev Center. Build your apps with these latest seeds, then test and submit them to the Mac App Store. Learn more.

This week, the Microsoft Store is offering a steep price break on the Acer Aspire touchscreen all-in-one computer, which has been cut from $1,149 down to $649. That $500 discount makes this the lowest price we've seen on this computer by about $200. Free US shipping is included, but sales tax applies for residents of most states. This computer features a 2.5GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 1TB hard drive, along with a 23-inch touchscreen with 1920x1080 resolution. Windows 8 is pre-installed, and will be automatically updated to Windows 8.1 for free after October 17....
 ...

Apple has released Java for OS X 2013-005, which “delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility for Java SE 6″. The update is available in the Mac App Store.

Of note, the updates “uninstalls the Apple-provided Java applet plug-in from all web browsers.” New Macs do not come with Java installed and newer versions of Java are released and maintained by Oracle.

Apple’s decision to cut off internal support and development stems from the decreased necessity for the platform and the fact that Mac malware usually comes from Java security holes. On Apple’s security page for the latest update, it is noted that some holes existed in the software:

Multiple vulnerabilities existed in Java 1.6.0_51, the most serious of which may allow an untrusted Java applet to execute arbitrary code outside the Java sandbox. Visiting a web page containing a maliciously crafted...

Otterbox has introduced its new Preserver series of waterproof cases for the iPhone 5, 5c, and 5s ($90). More protective than Defender but less so than Armor, the new two-piece case is fully submergible in water up to two meters deep for 30 minutes. Otterbox also claims Preserver is…

DavidGilbert99 writes "Ireland and its tax system came under some extreme scrutiny earlier this year when it was revealed that Apple funneled billions of dollars of revenue though three subsidiaries based in the country. Thanks to a loophole, none of these subsidiaries were tax-resident in Ireland, meaning they didn't even have to pay Ireland's relatively low 12.5% corporation tax rate. Worryingly for Apple, Ireland's finance minister may now shut this loophole. A measure within a new budget bill (PDF) would disallow Apple's status as a 'stateless' corporate entity for tax purposes. Apple will still be able to select a country like Bermuda as its tax residence, but it's a step in the right direction."

...

Now that Apple has made the rumored October 22nd date for its iPad event official, it’s now time to seriously start thinking about trading in your old iPad in order to get the most for your money. The chart above from NextWorth is a little taste of what you can expect from trade-in values for iPads in the coming weeks, so if you’re planning on pulling the trigger, now is definitely the time.

Resale prices for previous generation iPads will inevitably drop following the introduction of new iPads– as they have for iPhones since the introduction of the new 5s and 5c last month– so we’ve put together a list of the best places around to get maximum value for your aging iPads, as well as some exclusive promotion codes to get a bonus 10% on your trade-in through a couple popular services. ...

Apple and other companies who’ve used Ireland as “the Holy Grail of tax avoidance” may soon have to find another means of trimming their tax bills, because the Irish government plans to amend its corporate tax laws so they can no longer use Irish subsidiaries to sidestep behemoth tax payments.

In a Tuesday budget speech, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan pledged to pass legislation that will close a tax loophole that Apple famously used to pay almost no corporate taxes on some $74 billion over the past four years (Note: Google and Microsoft have made very good use of it as well).

“Let me be crystal clear: Ireland wants to be part of the solution to this global tax challenge, not...

I'm still on the search for the ultimate clipboard manager. Namely, one that tracks your clipboard content and serves as a temporary repository for longer-form text that you need to save for a short period of time. In my search, I stumbled upon CopyClip from Fiplab, a no-frills app that'll log the snippets you send to your clipboard.

By default, CopyClip logs the last 80 items you have copied and shows the last 20 in the menu bar. You can change this value, if you need access to more than 20 copied items. This isn't a free-for-all to show 1000 items, as the length of the list is limited by the size of your screen. You need ample room to display more than 20 clipboard contents in the app's menu. For example, I could only retrieve a maximum of 35 items on my 13-inch MacBook Air.

To use CopyClip, you click on the app in the menu bar,...

A working Apple I will go up for sale by Germany's Breker auction house on November 16th, according to an announcement. Making the item even rarer is that it includes the white box the system originally shipped with, and that it's listed as 46th out of the first 50 units hand-assembled by Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Ultimately a total of just 200 Apple Is would be built, most of which are non-functional due to wear and their use of obsolete parts....
  ...

Merlin is the only native network-based collaborative Project Management solution for Mac OS X.

This version offers many features propelling Merlin to the top of Mac OS X professional project management software.

Here are some of the main highlights in Merlin 2:

• Merlin has now a Web module which is included in this version of Merlin. The following browsers are supported: Safari 3, Firefox 2.0+ and Internet Explorer 7.0
• Merlin now supports special OS X 10.7 features like full screen and restoring last edited files.
• Network-based Collaborative Project Management
  Collaborate with others on the same project file over the LAN or WAN with a single mouse click.
• Access Control for Users and User Groups
  Resources can be either single Users or grouped into Resource Groups both of which can be assigned to activities and/or given specific access rights.
• Dynamic Planning Mode
  Activities which haven't...

Java for Mac OS X v10.6 Update 17 delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility for Java SE 6. This update enables per-website control of the Java plug-in within Safari 5.1.9 or later, and supersedes all previous versions of Java for Mac OS X v10.6.

After a search that took nearly a year, Apple announced today that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple this spring, where she will take on the role of Senior VP of Retail and Online Stores.

Earlier today, Tim Cook sent out a company-wide email announcing the hire and praising Ahrendts as being the "best person in the world for this role."

9to5Mac was able to get its hands on the email, which reads:

Team, I am thrilled to announce that Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting directly to me. Angela is currently the CEO of Burberry.

She will lead both our retail and online teams. I have wanted one person to lead...

Facebook made news on Sunday night, snapping up the Tel Aviv-based mobile app analytics company Onavo.

And the price paid is nothing to sneeze at; multiple sources said that Facebook ended up paying somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 million for the company.

Here’s the most interesting part: Yes, Facebook postured the move as a way to bolster Internet.org, Mark Zuckerberg’s initiative to bring the entire world online. But Onavo’s assets can bring more spoils than just supporting the altruistic movement — it could help boost Facebook’s bottom line.

Onavo sells a few products. “Count”...

Google has updated its Google Fiber policies, enabling users to operate personal servers on the search giant's high-speed Internet service. The language backs down from an explicit ban on all servers, leaving room for home security equipment or virtual private networks (VPNs), however it maintains a restriction on any servers used for commercial purposes by small businesses....
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Ireland may shut down a tax loophole that allowed Apple to avoid declaring itself a tax resident in any country, reports The Street.

Apple, which currently has multiple subsidiary companies in the Irish city of Cork (Apple Operations International (AOI) Apple Operations Europe, Apple Operations, Apple Sales International and Apple Distribution International), is able to move money around the world without tax penalties because companies managed and controlled abroad but located in Ireland are not subjected to taxes."The second measure to be included in the Finance Bill is a change to our company residence rules aimed at eliminating mismatches – that can exist between tax treaty partners in certain circumstances – being used to allow companies to be ‘stateless’ in terms of their place of tax residence," the country said in a press release on Tuesday....

Yet another working model of the first computer that Apple ever produced is going on auction, this time with its full packaging in a lot that could fetch north of half a million dollars.
   ...

Blame it on ‘unnecessary complexity’, but T-Mobile revealed today plans to move customers still using paying old rates to updated plans in an effort to reduce the number of plans it services (via TmoNews).

The Uncarrier is set make these changes starting next month and will give customers until February 2014 to choose new plans before imposing fees for users on grandfathered plans.

For T-Mobile’s part, the carrier offered the following statement:

Maintaining thousands of rate plans is the norm in the industry, but we think it creates unnecessary complexity. Simple is better, which is why we’re reducing the number of older plans in our systems. We’re giving customers on these plans the opportunity to...

In a new blog post, digital magazine app developer Marko Karppinen recommends that publishers avoid Newsstand, the periodical section of the App Store and iOS. Karppinen writes that there are many misconceptions about Newsstand apps, which are really just apps published in the Newsstand section. He argues that Newsstand…

There is a problem with Xsan when using AFP or SMB heads in front of volumes, where when a user uploads or adds a file to the volume, the file is not readily available/visible to all users. This issue doesn’t occur every time a file is uploaded and nor does it cause files to actually disappear, only to need the user to restart their Finder in order to be able to see the object.

We’ve been using this freeware app as a workaround until Apple comes up with a patch: https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/24714/refresh-finder

In Contacts, choose a contact, tap Edit, then tap Ringtone. Select the ringtone you'd like to hear when that person calls.

Accessory maker iHome has launched the Type Pro, a new Bluetooth keyboard case for the iPad. The distinguishing feature is the ability to rotate an iPad 360 degrees while still in its holder. The case is compatible with second-, third-, and fourth-generation iPads....
   ...

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring exclusive TUAW Deals, a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked iOS and OS X selections.

TUAW's Daily Deals

The Heisenberg T-Shirt [On sale for $16.99, down from $30]

[Br]eaking [Ba]d may be gone for good, but we found a way for [He]isenberg to live on forever...

The Heisenberg T!

The DEA & Hank may have been no match for the elusive drug lord, but somehow we managed to capture him on premium comfort t-shirt.

CAUTION: This t-shirt can and will lead to thumbs ups, high-fives, winks, hoots, hollers, and casual conversation.

Save on The Heisenberg T-Shirt at TUAW Deals.

Deals from Dealnews...

Apple sent out invitations to the press on Tuesday to a media event on October 22nd, confirming a leak to AllThingsD a week ago. The invitations are titled "We still have a lot to cover," and the smart money says Apple will unveil new iPads and release the new Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks. The company could unveil new MacBook Pro models, as well.

Apple has sent out email invitations asking the press to attend an October 22nd event in San Francisco. The presentation is being hosted at the Yerba Buena Center, and will start at 10AM Pacific time. The invite features the slogan "we still have a lot to cover," and an Apple logo on top of a bed of multi-colored leaves reminiscent of Apple's iOS 7 aesthetics....
  ...

Apple has officially sent out invites to media members for its previously-rumored October 22 event, under the tagline, “We still have a lot to cover.” It’s expected that Apple will introduce its redesigned fifth-generation iPad and second-generation iPad mini with Retina display at the event; additional rumors have suggested an…

As Q4 began we reported that Apple would soon be slugging it out in the trenches with Samsung and other smartphone rivals as Apple's lead in India, Maneesh Dhir, and telecom business chief, Sanjay Kaul, would be rapidly increasing the pace of growth in India via a new Shop-in-Shop retail strategy. Today we learn that Apple ...

Apple has sent out press invitations to a special event to be held on Oct. 22 at 1 p.m. (Eastern).

The invite says "We still have a lot to cover." That could include any and all of the following: new iPads, new MacBook Pros, the new Mac Pro, and OS X Mavericks.

Apple on Tuesday confirmed that it will hold a media event next week, where the company is preparing to unveil its second-generation iPad mini and fifth-generation iPad, along with other anticipated products. Here's a rundown of what the company is expected to announce, based on the latest leaks and rumors.
  ...

Nike has introduced its new Fuelband, the colorful Nike+ Fuelband SE. The black band now comes with the options of yellow, pink, or red neon accents, or in a jet black version. FuelBand SE is waterproof, whereas the first FuelBand was only splashproof, and the Bluetooth hardware has been…

Apple on Tuesday announced a special event for October 22. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco and will begin at 10:00 am PT.

It is widely expected that Apple will update its iPad and iPad mini products during the event, although we could see the introduction of OS X Mavericks and other Mac products as well.

Apple has announced that it will be holding its next media event on October 22nd, which is in line with expectations. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern Time at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.

The event will likely showcase new versions of the iPad, including a redesigned full-sized model that looks like a larger iPad mini and a new iPad mini that boasts a Retina display.

Also in Apple’s pipeline are...

Apple this morning distributed invitations to a special event at which it’s expected to unveil the next iterations of the iPad and iPad mini. And it’s to be held on October 22, just as AllThingsD said it would. Location: the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, one of Apple’s preferred location for big announcements like this.

“We still have a lot to cover,” reads the text of the invite. And indeed, Apple does. As I noted last week, the focal point of Apple’s gathering next week will be the latest updates to the company’s iPad line, but the new Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks will likely get some stage time as well.

The next version of the iPad, Apple’s fifth, is expected to feature a thinner, lighter design akin to the iPad mini’s, and an improved camera. It will run Apple’s new 64-bit A7 chip, source say...

SMK-Link Electronics Corp. has announced enhancements the wireless performance of its Gyration Air Mouse GO Plus, making it the natural choice for K12 classroom and collegiate amphitheater applications, according to John Blair, general manager of Branded Products for SMK0Link.

The GO Plus -- which costs approximately US$100 -- boasts a patented gesture-based cursor control and 100-foot wireless range. It's a laser-scrolling desktop mouse with user assignable buttons.


The GO Plus is compatible with Mac OS X and Windows. For more info go to www.smklink.com .

Angela Ahrendts oversaw a renaissance at British fashion house Burberry, tripling revenues with an aggressive digital and emerging market strategy and becoming the highest-paid executive in London, the first woman ever to accomplish the feat.
  ...

Chevrolet announced that six of its 2014 vehicles will use Siri Eyes Free integration. The hands-free feature that relies on Siri voice commands will be found in the Camaro, Cruze, Equinox, Malibu, SS, and Volt. It can be used through the company’s MyLink infotainment system. Chevrolet was an early…

Despite being bought out by Google, the replacement mail app Sparrow has now been updated for iOS 7. Whilst the developers behind Sparrow never said that work on the app had ceased, this was the implied meaning of Sparrow’s thank you letter still visible on the Sparrow website. Until today, the app had not been updated since December 2012, nearly a year ago.

This update brings compatibility bug fixes for iOS 7 as well as a new flatter icon, shown above.  Even so, work on Sparrow is obviously not a priority for the team. Apart from a new icon, the point-fix update brings no new visual appearance to the app’s interface or any new features for users.

...

In line with my report from earlier this month, Nike has taken the wraps off of its brand-new Fuel Band. The FuelBand is Nike’s fitness tracking device that is worn around the wrist, and it has been popular (including within Apple’s upper ranks). The new version, officially called Nike FuelBand SE, makes improvements to the design that focus on color, durability, and connectivity. As I reported, the new FuelBand is more durable, more water-resistant, and connects to devices via Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy (LE) technology:

...

Apple's latest version of its flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5s, is outselling the company's mid-tier iPhone 5c at a rate of two to one, according to statistics from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Apple's simultaneous launch of two iPhone models was a first for the company, so there was no basis for gauging consumer reactions. It now appears the 5s is far more popular. The higher-end smartphone has accounted for 64 percent of total iPhone sales since it launched, reported CIRP.

Following Apple's announcement that it is hiring Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to head up its retail and online store effort, CEO Tim Cook has sent an email to employees announcing the hire and giving some additional thoughts on Ahrendts and the hiring process. The full email has been posted by 9to5Mac.Team,

I am thrilled to announce that Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting directly to me. Angela is currently the CEO of Burberry.

She will lead both our retail and online teams. I have wanted one person to lead both of these teams for some time because I believe it will better serve our customers, but I had never...

(via ctechcn.com)

While we take this particular image with a very large grain of salt, CtechCN.com has posted what it claims to be an iPad 5 featuring Touch ID, the fingerprint recognition system Apple introduced last month with the iPhone 5s. The site previously posted leaked iPhone 5c internals ahead of its debut, but otherwise has little track record to judge, and this particular photo offers little evidence of authenticity.

The photo is also sketchy in that the metal ring on the Home button seems to be larger and more noticeable than on the iPhone. It’s unclear if Apple’s Home button design would need to differ on the iPad from the iPhone if Touch ID were to be integrated. Here’s the photo with some enhanced lighting:

...

After a search that lasted nearly a year, Apple has finally chosen a new executive to head up its signature Apple Stores: Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple in 2014 as the senior vice president of Retail and Online Stores (the part about the online Apple store is new to the position). Ahrendts is currently the CEO of Burberry, an upscale clothing and fashion brand based in England.

The first Apple Store opened its doors in May of 2001, and under the leadership of former Target executive Ron Johnson the franchise slowly grew into the lucrative chain it is today. After Johnson's departure from Apple in 2011, Apple hired former Dixons Retail CEO John Browett as SVP of retail, but he left the company just seven months later because he wasn't...

Last night, Apple announced that it had finally found a new Head of Retail: Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts. Ahrendts has been CEO of the fashion retailer for several years, leading the company through substantial growth in international markets. With that global growth experience and focus on high-end products, she seems like a natural fit to succeed in a role that has been so controversial over the past couple of years.

And Apple CEO Tim Cook seems to agree. The Apple chief executive took the time to keep his employees in the loop regarding the hiring process. Cook sent a company-wide memo this morning that discusses how he found Ahrendts and how she will fit into...

Siri's "Eyes Free" mode will be supported in several 2014 Chevrolet cars, GM has announced. These include the Camaro, Volt, Malibu, SS, Cruze, and Equinox. The technology will be integrated via Chevy's MyLink service. Earlier in 2013, the company's Spark and Sonic models were among the first vehicles to get Eyes Free support....
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This is the kind of thing that makes you slam your head against the desk a few times.

Per AppleInsider and Apple’s Support Communities forum, owners of early-2011 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pros are reporting issues with the discrete AMD graphics processors in their notebooks, which in some cases results in the failure of the component, leaving an expensive logic board replacement as the only remedy.

The...

Apple announced that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will be the company’s new head of retail, joining Apple in the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores. As the title suggests, Ahrendts will both oversee Apple retail and online stores, taking her position in the…

GM has announced that six more of its 2014 Chevrolet models will have Siri Eyes Free compatibility via its MyLink infotainment system. The company was the first company to offer Siri Eyes Free, initially on its Sonic and Spark models.

• Camaro
• Cruze
• Equinox
• Malibu
• SS
• Volt

With Siri Eyes Free, drivers can make calls, hear & dictate text messages, check & add calendar appointments and of course play music, all via voice.  A button on the steering wheel is used to activate the service.

“The response to Siri Eyes Free...

GM has announced that Siri's Eyes-Free will be coming to the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro, Volt, Malibu, SS, Cruze and Equinox. The Eyes-Free feature allows Siri to be activated with a button mounted in the steering wheel, making it easier and safer for drivers to interact with Apple's digital assistant while on the road. In a press released GM said:

"The response to Siri Eyes Free integration in Chevy Sonic and Spark from our customers has been remarkable. Easy, reliable and portable connectivity is a top priority for our customers, and Siri complements MyLink's existing capabilities to help deliver an incredible driving experience, so we're excited to expand this to even more customers."

GM is by no means the first or only car manufacturer to support Siri Eyes Free. Just check out all the cars expected to offer it next year...

Late yesterday Apple announced that Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, would be joining Apple in a newly created position, as a senior vice president and member of our executive team, reporting to CEO Tim Cook.

Release dates have been leaked for the products Apple is expected to announce on October 22nd, says French site MacG. An updated MacBook Pro is slated to launch on the 24th or 25th, followed by the fifth-generation iPad and second-gen iPad mini on the 30th or the 31st. The overhauled Mac Pro is only forecast for November 15th....
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Apple is set to release refreshed MacBook Pro models, new iPads, and the newly designed Mac Pro all by mid-November, according to French website MacGeneration [Google Translate]. The report shares target dates for each new product, with the new MacBook Pros with Intel's Haswell processors expected to be released on October 24 or 25, the iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 on October 30 or 31, and the release of the Mac Pro expected on November 15.

The website's projection for a new line of MacBook Pros is somewhat likely, with both the...

Professional photographer Austin Mann took an iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 to Patagonia and put both phones through their paces. A good number of side by side shots really tell the story.

The 5S dynamic range… that is, the ability to pull detail out of the shadows & highlights in editing, is remarkably better. I’m constantly sculpting images to bring out the details I want to see… that means bringing up shadows, recovering detail in skies, sharpening where needed and more.

If the camera part of your phone is important to you, read the review, look closely at the pictures. This is a realistic review.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Want to add a user to a specific group using the command line? dseditgroup is your friend! Add users, or groups, to a group you create or system groups which control access to services.

Make sure to insert your local admin's short name (localadmin) and the user (username) or group (groupname) you're trying to add.

Remote Login (SSH)
User: dseditgroup -o edit -n /Local/Default -u localadmin -p -a username -t user com.apple.access_ssh
Group: dseditgroup -o edit -n /Local/Default -u localadmin -p -a groupname -t group com.apple.access_ssh

Screen Sharing
User: dseditgroup -o edit -n /Local/Default -u localadmin -p -a username -t user com.apple.access_screensharing
Group: dseditgroup -o edit -n /Local/Default -u localadmin -p -a groupname -t group com.apple.access_screensharing

Print Administrators
User: dseditgroup -o edit -n /Local/Default -u localadmin -p -a username -t user _lpadmin
Group: dseditgroup -o edit -n /...

Apple finally has a new executive to run its retail division now that it has hired Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to fill the job. Her title will be senior vice president of retail and online stores, and she'll start her new job in spring of 2014 after Burberry finds a new CEO for its company.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Angela Ahrendts has an impressive track record as a strong leader in the fashion world and as an executive that knows how to work with the Asian retail world. That could turn into a powerhouse mix for Apple worldwide.

Alleged availability dates for some of Apple's anticipated upcoming products were reported on Tuesday, pegging new MacBook Pros to launch in just over a week, with the revamped Mac Pro desktop apparently set to debut in mid November.
  ...

For a company that prides itself on creating intuitive applications, Apple stumbled when it created iCloud. As a Dropbox user, I found little in iCloud that I needed. In fact, finding iCloud on a Mac can be adventurous, although it has a nasty habit of showing up as a default save location when I want to save a file from an app to my hard drive. Cloud Mate aims to take some of the mystery out of iCloud. It gathers up everything in your iCloud and displays it in a single Finder-like window.

This is breathtaking speed, crushing the previous record of 40 gigabits per second.

To achieve such a massive data rate, researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) used a massive swath of bandwidth at around 240 GHz — close to the terahertz frequency range. To create the signal, two laser beams (carrying the data) are mixed together (using a photon mixer made by NTT Electronics). An electrical signal results, where the frequency of the signal (237.5 GHz in this case) is the difference between the two optical signals. A normal antenna is then used to beam the signal to the receiver, where a fancy chip fabricated out of fast-switching III-V transistors is required to make sense of the super-high-frequency signal.

Imagine being able to copy a Blue-ray disc (that’s about 50 Gb) in just a few seconds. 50 gigabytes is 50×8 = 400 gigabits. That’s 4 seconds to copy a feature film Blue-ray. Impressive.

...

Connection to the phone will be via Bluetooth, initiated via the steering wheel voice activation button.

To help further minimize distraction, Siri takes hands-free functionality even further with an Eyes Free mode which enables drivers to interact with their iPhones using nothing more than their voice while keeping the device’s screen from lighting up.

Bypassing the screen entirely. Interesting.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Tim Cook announced that Angela Ahrendts, CEO of Burberry, will be joining Apple in a newly created position, as a senior vice president and member of the executive team.

Ahrendts will have oversight of the strategic direction, expansion and operation of both Apple retail and online stores, which have redefined the shopping experience for hundreds of millions of customers around the world. Apple retail stores set the standard for customer service with innovative features like the Genius Bar®, Personal Setup and One to One personal training to help customers get the most out of their Apple products.

Ahrendts will start in the Spring. Let’s hope she can bring some stability to the position. Ron Johnson really built the retail foundation at Apple, leaving in 2011 for an ill-fated run at JC Penney. John Browett replaced Johnson, but was at Apple less than...

Adyen (www.adyen.com), a global payments solutions company, has announced the most recent findings from its Adyen Global Mobile Payments Index, which showed that mobile payments transactions on its platform from May to August 2013 have increased by 27% worldwide, jumping from 13.8% of all transactions at the end of April 2013 to 17.5% in August 2013.

read more

Fantastic tip.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Apple is looking into a new desktop user interface that puts two- and three-dimensional application windows in a unique browsable "parade" view, much like the company's Cover Flow GUI used in iTunes and iOS apps.
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Apple’s iPhone 5c may not be selling quite as well as the flagship iPhone 5s, but make no mistake — it is selling.

To wit, the results of a recent Robert W. Baird channel check of U.S Apple Stores which seems to confirm emerging demand for the 5c. Baird analyst Will Power and his team investigated the availability of 600 different iPhone 5C SKUs last week, and found many in stock at nearly all the stores they checked. That said, there were some noteworthy variations.

“… Different stores have been running out of stock of a variety of SKUs, rather than just one or two stores always running out of stock of the same SKU,” Power explained. “This implies that while the iPhone 5c is easily found, its inventory is not sitting stagnant.”

So there is demand for the 5c, though its appearance has perhaps...

DiskAid is the ultimate Transfer Tool for accessing the iPod, iPhone or iPad directly from the desktop.

Access Data such as: Music, Video, Photos, Contacts, Notes, Call History, Text Messages (SMS), Voicemail and Voice Memos.

Connects directly to any installed iPhone App and enables the use of the iPhone as an USB Drive.

With DiskAid you can also transfer files and folders betwen your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and your Computer and view them on the go using FileApp free files browser.

• Transfer files to and from any iPhone or iPad App (Free)
• Use your iPhone or iPad as an external USB storage device (Free)
• Transfer Music & Video stored in the iPod Library and copy it back to iTunes or any folder on any Mac or PC (New!)
• Copy Photos from Camera Roll to computer (Free)
• Access Contacts
• Read Notes
• Export Call History
• Transfer Text Messages (SMS) from iPhone to Computer...

Apple said late Monday that it has hired Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts to serve as head of its retail efforts.

Ahrendts

Ahrendts, who will join in the spring, will server as Senior VP and report to CEO Tim Cook. She was among a list of people seen as top candidates for the position.

“I am profoundly honored to join Apple in this newly created position next year, and very much look forward to working with the global teams to further enrich the consumer experience on and offline,” Ahrendts said in a statement. “I have always admired the innovation and impact Apple products and services have on people’s lives and hope in some small way I can help contribute to the company’s continued success and leadership in...

BluFit, the smart water bottle that can track its user's water consumption, is available for pre-order pledging on Indiegogo. The glass bottle encased in a silicone sleeve notifies users to drink more water, based on a calibration of personal data such as weight, age, activity level, and more. The bottle transmits data by way of its Bluetooth LE chip to the BlueFit app, such as when and how much water was consumed....
  ...

Detective work and anecdotal evidence by users in an Apple Support Communities thread about problems with discrete graphics cards in some MacBook Pros has narrowed down a range of possible flawed cards (or flawed switching software controlling the cards' use) in machines from early 2011 that use Apple's automatic switching between an integrated graphics chipset and a built-in discrete AMD card. Owners with the AMD Radeon 6750M GPU seem to be the most affected, but other Radeon cards are involved as well....
 ...

Industry analysis firm Flurry has disclosed a fascinating little morsel of information: in South Korea, the home of Samsung, Apple's iOS devices account for one out of seven -- 14 percent -- of all mobile devices used in the country.

Why is that number so surprising? South Korean manufacturers have long had an advantage in their home country, and even now Samsung tops the market with 60 percent of all smartphones and tablets sold in the country. Two other Android device manufacturers based in South Korea -- LG and Pantech -- account for another 25 percent of the market. Apple comes in at 14 percent, while all other Android manufacturers account for just a tiny 1 percent sliver of the market.

Flurry's data show some other interesting facts. The company found that phablets -- larger than a smartphone, but smaller than most tablets -- were...

If you love technology but you’re tired of browsing through hundreds of RSS feeds each morning, check out Techi.com.

It’s a technology blog that features only the top tech stories from around the web each day and is updated 24/7. You get a short summary of each story if you don’t want to read the whole thing and you also get access to exclusive articles.

Check it out and subscribe to their daily newsletter.

∞ Read this on The Loop

If you're a developer who enjoys spending time coding more than working on design, you may want to check out a new iOS 7 icon glyph set called Essence. The icon set includes 300 icons covering all categories including productivity, lifestyle, weather and food. In addition to the 300 standard icons, Essence also includes a set of matching filled "selected" versions of the icons.

Essence is normally US$29.99, but can be purchased now for only $19.99. If you buy the set now, you'll also get additional icons as they are added in the upcoming months. Developers will be happy to hear that Essence is attribution-free for an unlimited number of projects.

Icons & Coffee's Essence: A set of 600 iOS 7-friendly icons originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 Oct...

Maintenance release adds 10.9 Mavericks compatibility and moves alerts to Notification Center. ($34.95 new, free update, 20.8 MB)

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Adds compatibility with 10.9 Mavericks, revamps the saving pipeline, and moves to 64-bit. ($32 new, free update, 14.2 MB)

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work and become a TidBITS member! Members also enjoy an ad-free version of our Web site, email delivery of individual articles, the ability to make long comments with live links, and discounts on Take Control orders and other Apple-related products.

Did you know that dictionaries are built into iOS? They are literally a tap away, and can define almost any word that you need to know the meaning of. In today's iOS 7 video tip, we'll not only talk about how to use dictionaries, but also how to add and manage dictionaries.

As with all of our other video tips, this one can be viewed in full screen for extra detail.

iOS 7 video tip: Using and managing dictionaries originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 14 Oct 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | ...

Valve has released a video demonstrating its Steam Controller, a handheld gaming controller that will eventually be compatible with many Steam games, including popular titles like Portal, Counterstrike and Team Fortress.

The Steam Controller is designed to work with all the games on Steam: past, present, and future. Even the older titles in the catalog and the ones which were not built with controller support. (We’ve fooled those older games into thinking they’re being played with a keyboard and mouse, but we’ve designed a gamepad that’s nothing like either one of those devices.) We think you’ll agree that we’re onto something with the Steam ControllerThe Steam Controller includes a touch screen in the center of the device with a pair of trackpads around the outside using "super-precise" haptic...

A quick adjustment of the timeout values for key processes can greatly speed up otherwise laggy shutdowns in OS X.

The latest episodic adventure from Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us, has been getting favorable reviews around the web, but Mac gamers haven't yet been able to sample the new title. According to a post on Telltale's community site, the Mac version has run into "an unforeseen issue," and will be delayed a "few days."

The Wolf Among Us features an alternative take on classic fairy tales and children's stories including Snow White, The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. The game has been split up into five episodes which will be released individually over the course of several weeks. When the first episode is ready to roll on Mac, it will be available via Steam and the Telltale website.

[via...