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Thursday April 25

11:06
WWDC 2013 now sold out

WWDC tickets went on sale today, and the event sold out within minutes. This year, Apple developers were prepared to buy their tickets as the company pre-announced the ticket sales one day in advance. In previous years, the conference was announced and tickets went on sale at the same time.

If you didn't get a ticket this year, Apple is streaming the video from the sessions during the event. You won't get the full experience of being at the conference, but you will get a lot of the important parts. WWDC 2013 will be held from June 10 to 14 in San Francisco.

WWDC 2013 now sold out originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 25 Apr 2013...

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11:03
WWDC 2013 tickets sell out in two minutes [u]

(Updated with corrected timing) Apple has already sold out of passes to attend WWDC 2013 in San Francisco, according to the company's website. AppleInsider notes that sales were ended just two minutes after they opened at 10AM Pacific time. The pace beats last year's record, when passes were gone in roughly two hours....   ...

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11:02
Penn State MacAdmins Conference Schedule Posted

The PSU MacAdmins Conference tweeted that the schedule is now available.  You can check out the schedule here.  This year is full of great sessions and has something for everyone.  Both Sam Keeley and I have sessions at the conference, which we look forward to seeing you at!

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

...

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11:00
Apple's "spaceship" campus design...

Like any good Apple project, it appears that the Apple "Campus 2" building project in Cupertino, California has undergone some revisions to make it perfect. The spaceship-like building is expected to be finished in 2016, about a year later than originally planned and US$2 billion over the original budget.

The revised plans were published today on Electronista and include a host of changes: 240 more parking spaces (bringing the total to 10,980 spaces), four new public art installations, and more bike and walking paths along the private roads around the main building.

But the biggest change is to what is known as the Tantau Development, a separate set of buildings that were going to be built along North Tantau Avenue that would house about...

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10:42
AltWWDC 2013

AltWWDC is an alternative conference for Apple developers and designers, held alongside Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco, California. This free 5-day event takes place June 10-14, 2013 and includes talks, lunch, and co-working space, available first-come, first-serve every day. Confirmed speakers are Mike Lee, Victor Agreda, Jr., Brett Terpstra, Brent Simmons, Saul Mora, and Steve “Scotty” Scott.

You have to love developers and the things they do for the community.

∞ Read this on The Loop

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10:35
New Apple Patent Applications Cover Maps, a Buckling...

On April 25, 2013, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a round of eleven original patent applications from Apple today excluding 15 continuation patent filings. In this report we cover two patent applications relating to Apple's "Maps" App, a new buckling shock mounting system to better resist mechanical shock and a list of five others covering matters such as data transfers using the Low Energy Bluetooth standard and battery technologies. ...

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10:30
6Wunderkinder brings new pro features to its...

6Wunderkinder today introduced a new Pro option in its popular to do app, Wunderlist. The new Wunderlist Pro moves the task manager towards small business use by adding features that focus on team collaboration.

Wunderlist Pro now lets users share their workloads by assigning tasks to colleagues and friends. Both parties will be able to update the task and track it as it moves towards completion. Users can also break down a task into subtasks and add as many subtasks as they need, now that subtasks are unlimited.

Wunderlist is available for free from the iOS App Store and the Mac App Store. Customers can upgrade to the Pro version via an in-app purchase. Wunderlist Pro...

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10:29
How to make quick work of text navigation in OS X

If you are tired of holding the arrow keys and waiting for your cursor to move, there are alternatives to greatly speed this up.

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10:28
Twitter for Mac goes Retina, gets design tweaks, 14...

After years without an update, Twitter has updated its official Mac app with Retina display support and much more:

Today we’re announcing a few improvements to Twitter for Mac:

  • Photos: It’s easier than ever to share photos. Simply click the camera icon in the lower-left corner of the Tweet compose box, and choose a photo to share. If you prefer, you can still drag and drop photos from the desktop.
  • Retina display support: Now Twitter is even more vibrant and detailed on the highest resolution Mac notebooks. With this update, Tweets will be clearer and sharper, creating a more vivid...
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10:26
Apple’s WWDC 2013 tickets sold out in a record two...

Lex Friedman

Apple's 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) appears to have sold out in… (wait for it…) about two minutes. What we originally thought was a joke appears to actually be true, according to numerous developers who went to buy a ticket Thursday. This marked a new record for Apple's increasingly popular conference.

Apple made an unusual move this year when announcing the dates for WWDC. Instead of surprising the world with this information and ticket sales at once, the company gave a day's warning for when tickets would go on sale: today, April 25, at 10am PDT. At the time, developers were relieved to have some notice of when to be at the computer. But when the clock ticked 10:02 on Thursday morning, people began receiving messages that tickets were already...

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10:10
News: WWDC 2013 Sells Out in Two Minutes

Tickets for Apple's 2013 Worldwide Developers Conference went on sale at 10AM pacific time, and within two minutes were completely sold out. That's the fastest the event has sold out, beating last year's two hour selling frenzy.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Wow, that was fast. At this rate, WWDC 2014 will sell out before Apple even has tickets available for sale. And if you need proof developers are still very interested in the OS X and iOS platforms, they managed to pack plenty of evidence into a two minute window.


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10:10
WWDC 2013 sells out in three minutes

In 2014, tickets to Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference will possibly sell out before they go on sale. Tickets for this year’s WWDC, which went on sale at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) sold out in fewer than three minutes.

Last year, tickets to the conference took nearly two hours to sell out; in 2011, the event took 12 hours to sell out.

WWDC is Apple’s conference for iOS and OS X developers to attend educational sessions, spend lab time engaging with hundreds of Apple engineers, and socialize with their peers. This year’s conference runs from June 10 through June 14.

This year, Apple promises for the first time to post session videos during the conference, instead of asking those who missed out on attending to wait days or weeks for...

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10:08
WWDC tickets sold out in minutes

I refreshed the page and they were already sold out. It couldn’t have any more than two or three minutes.

∞ Read this on The Loop

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10:08
Apple immediately sells out of WWDC 2013 tickets

Tickets for Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference sold out in a matter of seconds after they went on sale on Thursday, marking the fastest sell-out in WWDC history.   ...

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10:04
WWDC 2013 tickets go on sale, sell out in under 2...
10:03
Tickets for WWDC 2013 Sell Out in Two Minutes

After going on sale at 10:00 AM Pacific Time today, tickets for Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco have already sold out in two minutes.

WWDC has sold out increasingly quickly in recent years, and this year in particular saw a massive rush of developers ready to purchase at the launch time due to Apple having announced the on-sale time a day in advance. Previously, Apple had begun sales at the moment it announced details on the annual conference, but with last year's tickets selling out in under two hours, some developers found themselves out of luck before they had even woken up for the day.

WWDC 2011...

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10:00
Tickets for WWDC 2013 Now on Sale, Conference Begins...

In line with yesterday's announcement, Apple has just begun ticket sales for its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which will take place June 10-14 at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco. Tickets are priced at $1599.Get an in-depth look at what’s next in iOS and OS X, and learn how to take your apps to the next level. With over 100 sessions, extensive hands–on labs, and engaging events, you’ll connect with Apple engineers and fellow developers for an incredible week of inspiration.Tickets are expected to sell out quickly, as seen last year when they disappeared in under two hours even without advance warning of the on-sale time....

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10:00
Laura Bush iPad drawing app inspired GWBs painting...

Today, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum is being dedicated on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. David Greene of NPR talked to former first lady Laura Bush about the library as well as her husband, former president George W. Bush, and his new iPad-inspired hobby.

About three minutes into the conversation, Mrs. Bush talks about her husband's new past time, drawing. His hobby was kicked off when he downloaded an app and started sketching on his iPad. He communicated with Mrs. Bush and their daughter Jenna by sending them self-drawn images of things at home while they were traveling.

You can listen to the Morning Edition clip on...

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09:52
Apple files two patents for iOS-car communication

Apple recently filed two patents that feature portable devices communicating with vehicles through Bluetooth. The first patent, titled “Method for locating a vehicle,” would let iOS device users locating their vehicle using wireless connections. More specifically, this system would let a device like an iPhone communicate with a system…

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09:52
New MacBook production orders anticipated in mid-May

Apple's June-quarter MacBook shipments should increase about 10 percent over the previous quarter, say DigiTimes supply chain sources. The people claim that Apple has almost finished consuming excess inventory, and will probably start placing new orders in mid-May. Most of the ordered systems will likely be Haswell-based MacBooks, the sources comment....  ...

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09:05
Open Source OS X Tools released by Twocanoes Software

Twocanoes Software has released some really cool utilities today as open source software.  So far, they have released an app called Salute that lets you lock your screen using Control-Command-Delete, one called Audit that lets you configure and read OpenBSM logs and Debug which lets you enable and disabled debug logging from your system preferences.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage...

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09:00
Python Versioning in OS X

Apple has included one or more versions of python with OS X since Jaguar (10.2). Their latest version, Mountain Lion (10.8), includes python versions 2.5, 2.6, and 2.7. This presence of python on a clean install of OS X makes it a compelling language choice for automation and information gathering scripts – especially when combined with pyObjC and Scripting Bridge. In fact, various portions of OS X rely on the included python environments to function correctly. Attempts to remove python from OS X or re-link /usr/bin/python to an alternate python installation could result in unexpected effects.

If you plan on using python with OS X, you should also know that different versions of OS X include different selections of python version. Snow Leopard (10.6), for instance, only offers python 2.5 and 2.6. Knowing which version of python you’re running in can have a major effect on how you write your scripts. Certain language features and module functions are not available in earlier...

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08:11
WWDC: Reminder: WWDC 2013 Ticket Sales Start at 10AM...

Tickets for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference are set to go on sale at 10AM pacific time, or 1PM eastern time, on Thursday, and they'll likely go fast. Last year, the event sold out in just under two hours, and thanks to Apple's decision to announce ticket sales a day in advance, they'll probably go even quicker this year.


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08:07
Apple to pay Chinese writers for copyright...

Apple has been ordered to pay three Chinese writers a total exceeding $118,000 for infringing their copyrights. The writers, including a popular author Mai Jia, discovered that their books were being sold in the App Store without their permission. While Judge Feng Gang said Apple has a duty to determine…

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07:45
Cool Stuff Found: Snapzoom Turns Binoculars into an...

Want to use binoculars or a telescope as an iPhone lens? There's a Kickstarter for that. Hi Resolution Enterprises designed the Snapzoom, which is an adapter that connects your iPhone to lenses you wouldn't otherwise think of as camera attachments. Your photos benefit from the optics in your binoculars and other long distance viewing tools, and lets you use the gear you already have as a telephoto lens. Snapzoom is compatible with pretty much any smartphone in or out of a case, and fits most binoculars, telescopes, and spotting scopes. The team behind the project is hoping to raise US$55,000 to get Snapzoom off the ground, and there's still about a month left to hit that goal.

...

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07:12
News: AT&T Q1 iPhone Activations Hit 4.8M

AT&T's most popular smartphone is still Apple's iPhone. The cell service provider reported it activated 4.8 million iPhones during its first fiscal quarter for 2013, making up some 80 percent of the company's smartphone sales.

The Mac Observer Spin:
The fight for cell service, and specifically iPhone, subscribers in the U.S. is between AT&T and Verizon. Sprint is left to take what's left, and now it gets to share some of that with T-Mobile. Despite the growing number of Android phone users, Apple's iPhone still looks like the favorite for consumers, and AT&T's first quarter activations help back that up.

...

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05:43
Cool Stuff Found: Delicious Library 3 Catalog:...

It's been years coming, but Delicious Monster has finally released Delicious Library 3. The Mac app catalogs your DVDs, CDs, books and video games, and the new version expands that to include pretty much all of your stuff -- meaning you probably don't own enough to overfill the app. It still tracks who you lend to, plus it now offers up recommendations on what you might like to add to your collections, and includes charts showing the value of everything you've amassed. Along with using your Mac's camera to read barcodes, there's now a companion iPhone app that scans and stores items, then transfers the data to Delicious Library via Wi-Fi. Delicious Library 3 is priced at US$24.99 and is available at Apple's Mac App Store. Delicious Scanner for the iPhone and iPad is a free download through the App Store.

...

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05:00
Preparing the Office 2011 SP3 Installer for InstaDMG

Office 2011 is a common application to get baked into an InstaDMG image (or any other pre-compiled, modular style image).  There are a few quirks to installing Office 2011 in this way as it was made to be installed on a live system.  Noel Alonso put a script together that fixes some of these issues on the Office 2011 SP3 Installer.  These changes help it install correctly and also fix some bugs with the installer itself.  You can take a look at the script over on Noel’s Blog.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki...

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Wednesday April 24

16:10
Apple Context Machine Podcast: ACM 201: An In-Depth...

Apple announced its second fiscal quarter earnings this week, so Jeff and Bryan dive in to sort out what mattered, what hints at future plans were shared, and what impact waiting until fall to release new products may have. They did their best to stay on topic, but you should bring along your sci-fi hat, too.


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13:15
Hidden Dimensions: The Explanation for Apple’s New...

Most every publication has expressed dismay over Apple's new product drought. A lack of innovation is often cited. In fact, something very big may be coming, and that takes time to prepare.  John Martellaro explains.


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11:55
iOS 7 design poll ends, iPhone carrier poll begins

With almost 1300 votes from iLounge readers, our latest recent poll—“How should iOS 7 look?”—has now ended. Following rumours about the work being done by Jony Ive on polishing iOS 7, we asked readers to let us know what they should think the next major iOS release should look like.…

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11:32
Otterbox debuts Commuter Series 3D iPhone 5 case

Otterbox has added a new case to its Commuter line with its Commuter Series 3D Case ($45) for iPhone 5. The 3D case comes in three distinct raised patterns in green, teal, and pink. The cases feature an interior rubber…

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11:04
News: Amazon Reportedly Working on TV Settop Box for...

Amazon is reportedly working on its own TV settop box for streaming videos under its Instant Video -branded service. Citing three unnamed sources, Bloomberg said the product is being built in Amazon's Lab126 division in Cupertino, CA, under the direction of several settop and video engineering veterans.

The Mac Observer Spin:
The question in our mind is why the networks and studios that have met Apple's desires in this same space with such resistance have so freely licensed streaming rights to Amazon.


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10:04
News: Sprint iPhone Sales Flat Year-over-year

Sprint's first fiscal quarter earnings report is out, and the cell service provider said it activated 1.5 million iPhones during the quarter. That number is down compared to last quarter's 2.2 million activations during the holiday season, but is inline with year-over-year numbers.


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09:30
In-Depth Review: PowerTrekk Charges Your iPhone by...

Forget warp drive, Mr. Fission and flying cars. For a real glimpse of tomorrow's technology today, it's hard to imagine anything cooler than charging your iPhone with a tablespoon of water. Contributing Editor Chuck La Tournous looks at the PowerTrekk -- a hydrogen fuel cell that's barely indistiguishable from magic.


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08:17
Apple launches ‘A Decade of iTunes’

Apple’s iTunes store is now featuring “A Decade of iTunes,” an interactive timeline celebrating the past 10 years of iTunes. The 10th anniversary of the iTunes Store is this Sunday, April 28. The timeline lets users view the top selling songs…

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07:40
Apple Stock Watch: Analyst: Expect a Lull Ahead of...

Apple hinted during its second quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday that it may not have any big product announcements coming until this fall, and that has Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley expecting the company's June quarter to be fairly weak. While he sees a strong fall in store for the company, he's lowering his 12-month target price for Apple's stock from US$600 down to $560.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Just because Tim Cook was firm on his fall product announcement comment, that doesn't mean there won't be any big news this spring and summer. With WWDC scheduled for June, there's a chance that we'll get some kind of announcement in about six weeks.

...

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07:14
Apple’s WWDC to run June 10-14

Apple has announced it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference from June 10-14 at Moscone West in San Francisco. The company’s release notes that developers will “learn about the future of iOS and OS X.” More than 100 technical sessions will be presented by more than 1,000 Apple…

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06:33
WWDC 2013 Details Announced

The details about WWDC have been posted.  It will be from June 10-14, registration opens on April 25th (Tomorrow!) at 10am PDT, 1pm EST.  Check it out here.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

Mail |...

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06:27
News: iTunes Store Highlights 10 Years of iTunes

Apple launched a special iTunes Store area on Wednesday called "A Decade of iTunes" to celebrate the ten year anniversary of its online music store. The iTunes Store first launched as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, and the special tribute store points out highlights from every year it's been up and running.


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05:37
WWDC: Apple’s WWDC 2013 Set for June 10-14, Tickets...

Apple will be hosting its annual Worldwide Developers Conference June 10 through June 14, but you'll have to wait just a little bit longer to get your tickets. Developers planning on attending the annual event get order their tickets online starting at 10AM pacific time on Thursday, April 25, and they'll probably go fast.


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05:25
TMO Quick Tip: iPhoto ’11: Adding Location Data to...

If you'd like to assign a place to images in iPhoto, there are a few ways you can go about it. One method in particular—copying and pasting the location data—makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The other ways are OK too, we suppose. For all of the details, come on in and read this tip.


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05:00
Package Install Conditions in Munki

Jeremy Reichman has a post outlining how to add an installable_condition to a given piece of software in Munki.  This key allows you to specify requirements for a package based upon a NSPredicate and information that Munki knows about the machine.  Check out the details over on Jeremy’s Blog.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

Mail |...

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Tuesday April 23

17:27
The Back Page: Tim Cook: Apple Will Sell No 5”...

Tim Cook let us know on Tuesday that Apple will sell no 5-inch iPhone before its time. This is Cook Code for "it's coming, but not just yet." Bryan Chaffin offers his thoughts.


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16:30
Product News: Apple Store Apps Adds iPhone Upgrade...

Apple released Apple Store 2.6 for the iPhone and iPod touch on Tuesday, adding the ability to receive notifications when iPhone owners are eligible for upgrades. The APple Store app lets users purchase products, set up in-store appointments, and more.


| Read more »
16:24
Apple Configurator: Redemption Codes Not Imported -...

When importing a Volume Purchase Plan (VPP) spreadsheet into Apple Configurator 1.2.1, you may see a message like the following:
"The spreadsheet provided has redemption codes for "(null)." Please provide a spreadsheet with codes for 'Numbers.'"  (Where "Numbers" is the name of the application for which you are importing codes.)

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16:05
News: Tim Cook Argues That Macs Remain Important

During Apple's Q2 2013 earnings report, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that despite a slight decline in Mac sales, the company is still very committed to innovation and investment in the Macintosh. There is no change in the Mac strategy.


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15:52
News: Apple’s Quarterly App Store Developer Payments...

At least some developers selling their wares through Apple's App Store for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch are making out based on comments from CFO Peter Oppenheimer. He noted during Tuesday's second fiscal quarter earnings report that Apple is now paying out over US$1 billion a quarter to third-party developers.


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15:26
Notes from Apple’s Q2 2013 Conference Call

As Apple’s second-quarter 2013 financial results conference call began, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced first half revenue of more than $98 billion, and net income of more than $22 billion, including sales of 85 million iPhones and iPads. He acknowledged Apple’s growth rate has slowed from a high level. Cook…

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15:04
Apple increases stock buyback, dividend

Alongside its quarterly earnings results, Apple today increased both its stock repurchase authorization and quarterly dividend, by a total of $55 billion from the original amount announced last year. The repurchase authorization has been increased from $60 billion to $10 billion. It’s “the largest single share repurchase authorization in history,”…

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14:51
Apple Q2 2013: 37.4m iPhones, 19.5m iPads, 5.6m iPods

Apple has reported its financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter, ending March 30. The company announced it sold 37.4 million iPhones, compared to 35.1 million in the same quarter last year, but down from 47.8 million iPhones last quarter. Apple sold 19.5 million iPads, as opposed to…

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14:27
News: Apple’s Tim Cook: Lots of Surprises Coming [...

Apple hasn't released any new products in about six months, but investors have plenty to look forward to this year and in 2014. Company CEO Tim Cook said plenty is coming later this year and throughout 2014, and that includes more than just hardware.


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14:00
Apple Stock Watch: Apple Doubles Quarterly Stock...

Along with earnings that hit US$43.6 billion, Apple reported on Tuesday that it is more than doubling its investment in returning capital to investors. The company is adding $55 billion to its shareholder returns, bringing the total up to $100 billion, and includes a 15 percent increase in the quarterly dividend.


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13:48
Apple Stock Watch: Apple Posts $43.6 Billon in...

Apple reported sales US$43.6 billion and earnings per share of $10.09 for the March quarter on Tuesday. The results were ahead of Wall Street's consensus expectations of $42.49 billion in revenue and EPS of $10.07, that's ahead of last year's revenues of $39.2 billion, but as expected, the company's earnings of $9.5 billion were lower than 2012's $11.6 billion. The story was updated with additional details.


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13:34
Apple Stock Watch: All Eyes on Apple’s Earnings...

Shares of Apple Inc. rose on Tuesday as investors awaited the company's quarterly earnings report. Apple will release its March quarter results at 5:00 PM EDT (2:00 PM PDT), and Wall Street pushed $AAPL higher to end the day at US$406.13, up $7.46 (+1.87 percent), on strong volume of 17.8 million shares trading hands.


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13:25
Apps: Cut the Rope: TT, FedEx Mobile 4.2, Fish Out...

A new Cut the Rope game has hit the App Store from ZeptoLab UK Limited. Cut the Rope: Time Travel ($1) features two monsters to feed in each level as the physics-based puzzler returns in different new settings, including the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, a pirate ship, ancient Egypt,…

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12:47
iAd Producer 4: Settings for iTunes LP/Extras...

Learn more about iTunes settings for iAd Producer 4 when developing iTunes LP and iTunes Extras widget project types.  

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12:45
iAd Producer 4.0: Release notes

iAd Producer makes it easy for you to design and assemble rich interactive content without any programming.

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12:43
iAd Producer 4: About importing image assets

Learn more about changes to importing image assets in iAd Producer 4.0. 

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12:00
Cool Stuff Found: Hewlett-Packard’s New Touch Screen...

Hewlett-Packard has just posted a video of its new touch-screen, graphing calculator to be released in the fall of 2013.  Early information for the HP Prime includes a BASIC programming language and ability to run various solver apps. It has 32 MB of RAM, 256 MB of Flash memory, a 3.5-inch color touch-screen with 320 x 240 resolution, and will be about 10 mm thick.  It looks to be derived from the previous family of HP-39g and HP-50g graphing calculator technology, but the new model has a beautiful brushed metal look and what seems to be a cleaner keyboard design. No pricing or specific release date has been announced. It's really great to see HP continuing its tradition of quality RPN hand-held calculators for engineering and science.

...

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11:47
Apple selling refurb seventh-gen iPod nano

Apple is now selling refurbished seventh-generation iPod nanos in its online store for $129. All colors are now available, except for red. Refurbished fifth-generation iPod touch models also recently went on sale in the online store. [via 9to5Mac]

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11:40
Analysis: Get Ready for Internet Sales Tax

Regardless of whether or not you think paying taxes for online purchases is right, it's time to get ready to pony up a little extra money when you buy from Internet stores. Cash strapped states are pushing for Internet sales tax, and it looks like the Federal government is ready to make that happen.


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10:50
Quick Look Review: Trygger’s Camera Clip Offers A...

The Camera Clip from Trygger slips over the camera opening in an iPhone 5 and provides a polarizing filter to eliminate glare and unwanted reflections in your photos.


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09:49
Motorola patent suit against Apple thrown out

The U.S. International Trade Commission has thrown out the last patent-in-suit remaining in the original complaint against Apple from Google’s Motorola Mobility in Oct. 2010. A Motorola patent for a “sensor controlled user interface for portable communication device” was found invalid. In December, Apple also won a…

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08:41
iPhone 4 owners receiving $15 ‘Antennagate’ checks

U.S. iPhone 4 owners who participated in Apple’s class action settlement for “antennagate” issues are now receiving their $15 checks in the mail. The class action settlement, announced in March 2012, offered iPhone 4 owners a $15 cash payment or free bumper case. At this point, the deadline for…

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08:25
Logitech debuts FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad

Logitech has introduced the FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad ($150), a folio with a thin, fabric, Bluetooth keyboard that resembles the Microsoft Surface keyboard. The folio case also includes a view stand for the iPad, and a magnetic clasp to keep the case closed. Keys are full-sized and feature…

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07:18
News: ITC Drops Motorola Proximity Sensor Patent...

The U.S. International Trade Commission gave Motorola Mobility a tough pill to swallow on Monday when it invalidated the company's proximity sensor patent. The ruling killed the last remaining patent in Motorola's 2010 infringement lawsuit against Apple, and shot down Google's hopes of eventually winning an iPhone import ban.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Google and Motorola have to overcome two major points to overturn the ITC's ruling, which won't be an easy task. So far, Google's decision to purchase Motorola Mobility for its patent portfolio isn't working out so well in court.

...

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06:06
Apple Stock Watch: Apple to Host Q2 2013 Earnings...

Apple will host its 2013 second fiscal quarter earnings conference call on Tuesday, April 23. The call will start after the market closes at about 5PM eastern time, or 2PM pacific time, and The Mac Observer will be here with our usual event coverage and analysis.


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05:28
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Talks Facebook, Siri on...

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, joined the team at The Mac Show to talk about Facebook's new Home app for Android, Chat Heads on the iPhone, and Apple's data retention policy for Siri.


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Monday April 22

16:40
Cool Stuff Found: Look Up Your Past Tweets by Date...

We saw a cool new app from Francesco Pretelli called Tweet Time Machine that allows you to look at your past tweets on Twitter by date. Looking for that tweet you got on your birthday, or what you were saying the day the some important event took place? This app will do that. It's free, and it's a hybrid app for iPhone and iPad. 


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15:10
TMO Appearances: Bryan Chaffin Spouts Off on the...

TMO cofounder Bryan Chaffin spent an hour with Gene Steinberg on the Tech Night Owl this weekend, and the show is available now. The two chatted about Apple, Eric Schmidt's comments on mini-drones, and Samsung getting caught red-handed paying for anonymous bashing of a competitor in Taiwan. Sounds like fun, right?!


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14:08
Apple adds ‘download later’ option to iTunes

Apple has added a “download later” option for large media purchases in the iTunes store. Users who purchase a TV season, Season Pass, movie bundle, music box set, or an individual movie or TV episode now have the ability to download the media at a later time from iTunes…

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13:00
Analysis: How to Interpret Apple’s Revenue on Tuesday

There will be much ado about Apple earnings report on April 23. In order to better understand Apple's results, John Martellaro analyzes Apple's new approach to reporting its revenue guidance for the future quarter.  The analysis involves computer models and, gotta love it, Ferraris.


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12:35
The Back Page: Five Free Tips for Microsoft’s Board

Bryan Chaffin has had enough. Microsoft has been stumbling from one disaster to another since Bill Gates stepped aside as CEO, and it's time for the company's board of directors to make some changes. Being the handy-dandy-armchair-quarterback that he is, Bryan put together five free tips for the company.


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11:58
Mountain Lion: Printed Contacts list isn’t...

If you print your contacts in list view from the Contacts app, the list may print in a random order. Contacts may print without attached photos after checking the option to print with an attached photo.

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10:47
TMO Quick Tip: iTunes: Streaming Video to your iPad

You have a Mac and an Apple TV, but sometimes you want to watch your movies and TV shows on your iPad. How do you do that without syncing videos to your iPad? It's pretty easy once you enable Home Sharing.


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09:00
Real World Example: 500 iPads from Boxes to Students

One of the rising topics of discussion that continually returns to every single Mac Admin conference, gathering, and website is the deployment of iPads.  iPads have become ubiquitous, for users, schools, and businesses now, and suddenly lots of system admins, technology coordinators, directors, and supervisors are being tasked with adopting iPads into their businesses, and many of them are scrambling to figure out the best strategies for mass dissemination of Apple’s latest flagship product.  The nitty-gritty details and best practices of deploying iPads has been discussed often, and we won’t see many changes to it until the release of iOS 7, when we all scramble to determine what changes Apple made.  Rather than write yet another post on iPad deployment strategies, I thought I’d give another 500 foot overview of the actual process of getting large numbers of devices into the hands of users. Schools of the Sacred Heart San Francisco has about ~1,000 students, and roughly ~250...

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08:36
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Discusses Mars Travel,...

The Mac Observer's Managing Editor Jeff Gamet joined The BIG Show from the British Tech Network to talk about one-way trips to Mars and Disney's plans to release new Star Wars movies on an annual cycle.


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08:11
Cool Stuff Found: Share Random Photos in Non-creepy...

The idea of anonymously sharing photos pretty much always makes the jump to "creepy" really fast, but that's not the case with Rando. This cool little iPhone app lets you take a photo that gets shared with someone else -- you don't know who is getting your pic, and they don't know who it came from. For every photo you share, you get one in return. So far, it's turned out to be a great way to share random little snapshots of life in a friendly way. I've seen math homework from Austria, cats from San Francisco, and bars in Spain. It really is cool, so let's all try to keep this one from getting all creepy. Rando is free and available at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.

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07:50
Fingerprint sensor issues to delay iPhone 5S...

Supplier sources who expected mass production of the next iPhone to begin in June now believe that date may be pushed back, according to Reuters. The possible delay in producing the iPhone 5S is due to Apple’s search for a coating material that doesn’t interfere with a fingerprint sensor,…

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07:49
Analysis: Apple’s Earnings Report: It’s Hurt Time...

Apple will host its second quarter earnings report on Tuesday, April 23, and analysts aren't optimistic about what the company will announce. Analysts are expecting the iPhone and iPad maker to report its first drop in profit since 2003 with an 18 percent decrease in net income, and an 8 percent revenue increase, yet no matter what Apple announces it's a safe bet someone will be disappointed.


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07:18
Report: Apple rejects 5-8m iPhones from Foxconn

Apple has returned at least 5 million iPhones to Foxconn due to substandard appearance or dysfunctional problems, according to a new report out of China. An anonymous source said the number of rejected iPhones could be as high as 8 million. It’s estimated the issues could cost Foxconn as much…

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05:47
News: Twitter’s TweetDeck Dies on May 7

TweetDeck, the go-to choice for power Twitter users managing multiple accounts, will officially shut down on May 7. Twitter said it is killing the iPhone, Android, and AIR versions of the app on the 7th, and "killing" includes dropping support and development, as well as stopping the apps from functioning at all.

The Mac Observer Spin:
The bottom line: Twitter wants subscribers to use its Web interface, and nothing else. The company has been systematically shutting out developers and even kills off its own platform-native client apps. It doesn't feel like a matter of if all third-party Twitter clients are gone, but a matter of when.

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04:30
Running Java 7 in a VMware Fusion 10.8.x VM

For those of you who do application testing inside of an OS X VMware VM, you may have noticed that Java does not work properly.  Rich has a good summary of the status of running Java inside a VM and even a fix that VMWare has provided which patches Java so it will run properly.  Check it out over on Der Flounder.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

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04:00
Moving a physical OS X machine to a VMware VM

Virtualization is an extremely useful tool to have at your disposal.  If you have ever wanted to transfer a physical machine’s OS X install to a virtual machine, you know that VMWare does not make a tool for doing so.  They provide one for Linux and Windows, but not for OS X.  Alan Gordon has a post on Krypted.com that explains how to convert a physical OS X install into a Virtual Machine.  Check it out!

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

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03:30
Setting the default boot drive from Boot Selector

Apparently you can set the default boot volume right from the EFI Boot Disk Selector.  Rich has the details over on his blog.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

Mail | Twitter |...

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03:00
Managing Safari’s Java Whitelist

Safari has a new feature that lets you whitelist specific websites for use with Java.  This feature is extremely helpful to ensure that internal company websites that need Java can still run while possibly malicious external websites are not permitted to run by default.  Check out the details about this feature and a method for managing it over on Rich Trouton’s blog.

About Nate Walck

Nate is a Macintosh Systems Engineer at Tamman Technologies, Inc in Philadelphia, PA. He is the managing editor for afp548.com and one of the founding members of the ##osx-server IRC channel on freenode.net. He loves being involved in the Mac Admin community and using Open Source projects whenever possible, especially Munki and The Luggage.

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Saturday April 20

08:36
Mac Geek Gab Podcast: MGG 446: Don’t RAID My Storage...

John and Dave kick off this Saturday edition of Mac Geek Gab answering your questions and solving your problems. Topics this week include removing Mail attachments, converting your AACs to MP3 for your car, differences in maintenance utilities, migrating from POP to IMAP, and more. Download, listen, and enjoy. Why wouldn't you? It's free, after all!


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07:30
How-To: How to Stay in Control of Your iCloud Photo...

If you remember what it was like to wait for film and print processing back in the day, you can truly appreciate today's iCloud and Photo Stream technologies. Nevertheless, there are some confusing aspects that Sandro Cuccia hopes to clear up in this article about staying in control of your iCloud Photo Stream.


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Friday April 19

17:20
Free on iTunes: 3 Free Kid-Friendly Books for iOS

This week in Free on iTunes Vern Seward appeases his daugther and grandson by looking at three kid-friendly books for iOS. Jack and Beanstalk, Humpty Dumpty, and Iron Man.


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16:31
News: AMD Reclaims Graphics Executive from Apple

AMD has hired Raja Koduri away from Apple some four years after Apple hired the graphics engineering executive away from AMD. This is the second GPU wonk that AMD has reclaimed from Apple, with Jim Keller having returned to the processor firm in August of 2012.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Mr. Koduri's departure will likely be felt at Apple, which has placed a great emphasis on graphics performance in its mobile devices.


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15:25
Analysis: Apple Opens Up About Siri Data &...

Apple has openly explained the company's policy on how it collects and stores Siri-related, revealing for the first time the company's approach to privacy. In a statement to Wired, the company said that it collects and stores data anonymously and that it (will) deletes that data after two years.


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14:00
Particle Debris: Like a New Solar System, Apple is...

This week's news events remind us that there is a conflict between the need for organizations to attract people's attention and the work necessary to be authoritative. In the technology world, especially with Apple, that work means understanding and explaining how opposing forces interact.
 


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13:30
iLounge Weekly coming Monday, giveaway update

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes early next week. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies.…

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12:41
Volkswagen to unveil iBeetle

Volkswagen is set to unveil iBeetle — a special edition Beetle with iPhone integration — at next week’s 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The car itself will feature color schemes and options similar to the iPhone interface. Inside, a dashboard-mounted dock holds the iPhone, and a new app will connect the…

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11:45
Computing with Bifocals: 3 Reasons Why Your iPhone...

Remember back in grade school when we were always being told that such and such was "our friend"? Like "Mr Toothbrush is our friend!" Well, in this case, our iPhones really are our friends only we get to make the rules. Nancy Carroll Gravley shows you three ways to make your iPhone an even better friend.


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11:12
How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari

Learn how to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari.

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10:58
Cool Stuff Found: Yahoo! Introduces New Weather App...

With rumors that Apple and Yahoo! are talking about working more closely with one another, it seemed a good time to look at Yahoo!'s newest iOS app. Yahoo! Weather offers a photography-centric view of current weather conditions and forecast information. The app shows local images of the locations you are checking, and it displays weather information with a minimalist approach. We particularly like the font. It's free, and it's available now on the App Store.


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08:59
iTunes Store: Download options when purchasing TV...

Learn about the download options you have when you purchase a TV season, Season Pass, movie bundle, music box set, or an individual movie or TV episode using iTunes 11 or iOS 6 or later.

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07:49
Apple keeps Siri data for up to two years

Apple has revealed that Siri data is stored on the company’s servers for up to two years. Apple spokeswoman Tracy Muller noted the data is anonymized, and the voice clips are only collected to improve Siri. Siri users are assigned randomly generated numbers when using the software, and are represented…

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07:03
Apple Stock Watch: Verizon iPhone Sales Hint at...

Verizon announced during its first fiscal quarter earnings report on Thursday that it activated 4 million iPhones, which comes in above Wells Fargo analyst Maynard Um's 3.5 million unit target. The cell service provider's activations were down compared to last quarter, but are up year over year. Still, Apple's quarterly iPhone numbers may come in below expectations, leaving investors unhappy.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Verizon's iPhone sales were lower quater-over-quarter, but up year-over-year. With just the one data point to work with so far, it's hard to accurately estimate Apple's quarterly sales numbers, but that won't stop analysts and investors from trying. Be ready for doom-and-gloom reports if Apple doesn't beat analyst expectations next week.

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06:29
Cool Stuff Found: KitCam: The All-in-one Camera Kit...

The iPhone's built-in camera app is nice, but it doesn't offer the level of control some mobile photographers want, which is where KitCam comes in. This slick app includes exposure, white balance and focus controls, simulates several camera lenses and film types, includes a burst mode, offers several aspect ratios for your shots, has several built-in filters and frames, and can even shoot images in Raw format. If that's not enough for you, KitCam is half price right now, so you can download it from Apple's App Store for just US$0.99.


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05:26
Product News: Apple Camera Raw Update Adds New...

Apple released Digital Camera RAW Compatibility Update 4.05 late on Thursday with support for several new Fujifilm cameras. The update lets iPhoto '11 and Aperture 3 running on OS X Mountain Lion to import Raw format images from a longer list of digital cameras.


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Thursday April 18

16:39
News: Time Names Apple’s Jony Ive Among Most...

Time magazine has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Apple's designer-in-chief, Jony Ive, was named one of the most influential artists. U2's Bono, who counted the late Steve Jobs as a friend, did the write up on Sir Jony for the magazine.


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15:30
Apple Context Machine Podcast: ACM 200: The Long One...

It's the 200th episode of the Apple Context Machine, and while Jeff and Bryan really tried to put together just another episode, they kept getting interrupted by tech industry luminaries sharing their thoughts on what's in store for Apple. The list of anniversary episode guests included Dave Hamilton, Bob LeVitus, Ricky Spero, Gene Steinberg, and Peter Cohen. Warning: This is a long one.


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13:56
How-To: Building Your Own Status Board for iPad...

Panic's Status Board for the iPad lets you see all kinds of information at a glance, but its real power comes into play when you start building your own modules to see your own customized information. Sure, that opens up opportunities for coders to design custom modules, but the Panic team also made it fairly easy for mere mortals to roll their own, too.


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13:55
Goodreads-Apple partnership nixed by Amazon deal

Apple and book recommendation site Goodreads discussed integrating Goodreads’ service into the iBookstore, but a possible partnership was halted by Amazon’s recent purchase of Goodreads. A new report claims Apple and Goodreads were talking about integration “over the past year.” Goodreads proposed that its ratings appear within iTunes, in a…

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13:45
Quick Look Review: Time to Panic, Status Board for...

One would think that with more than 300,000 native iPad apps out there, everything that could be thought of has been thought of. Not quite. Status Board from Panic, Inc. creates a customizable display and platform in the form of a status board that's amazingly easy easy to use and will likely have all kinds of unanticipated uses. For now, out of the box, it's simple, fun, highly customizable and informative.


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13:07
Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic: Mic may...

The microphone on the Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic (Early 2012) may not work properly when you use it on a Mac.

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10:18
Cool Stuff Found: Triage: Fast Email Management on...

We're email junkies, so the hunt for mobile apps that make it easier to manage our messages on the go is an ongoing adventure, and this week it led us to Triage. This iPhone and iPod touch app shows you a quick overview of your new email messages and lets you process them with a quick swipe. Swipe up to archive messages, and swipe down to leave a message marked as unread so you can deal with it when you're back at your desk. You can also reply to messages, and set the swipe up gesture to Mark as Read or Delete. Triage costs US$1.99 and is available at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.


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09:33
Apps: Pocket 4.5, TWC TV 3.2, Twitter #music + Yahoo...

One year ago, Read It Later became Pocket (free), the popular app from Idea Shower which saves content for offline reading. Now updated to version 4.5, the app introduces new sharing features, including Send to Friend, which lets you quickly share content with friends and family. An inbox will…

| Read more »
09:19
Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4: About...

Learn more about sharing to DVD in Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5, and about options for modifying DVD encoding settings in Compressor 4.

| Read more »
08:46
News: Over Half of Verizon Q1 Smartphones Sales go...

Verizon released its first fiscal quarter earnings report for 2013 on Thursday, giving us our first hint into what to expect from iPhone sales figures during Apple's earnings report next week. 55 percent of the 7.2 million new smartphone activations for the quarter were iPhones, and about half of those belonged to the iPhone 5.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Verizon's iPhone activations may be down compared to the previous quarter, but they're still climbing overall. They also still make up more than half of all smartphone activations for the carrier, which has to be a figure that stings Android smartphone makers.

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08:41
Java updates available for OS X on April 16, 2013

Java updates are available that address a recently identified Java web plug-in vulnerability.

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08:20
Alleged budget iPhone rear shell leaked?

The alleged rear shell for Apple’s rumored budget iPhone may have been leaked in a photo posted on Tactus. The photo shows a uniform white case likely made from polycarbonate. From the photo, it appears the screen size could be 4”, like the iPhone 5.

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07:36
TMO Quick Tip: Batch Rename Multiple Files With This...

Ever have a bunch of files you want to rename? Maybe you received a group of documents from your Windows-using friend that have some wonky text in them, or maybe you want to serialize and date some pictures? Automator, built right into your Mac, makes this so easy you'll scratch your head twice; once for not having done this with Automator in the past, and a second time if you've never used Automator before because you'll see how easy and powerful it is.


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07:27
News: Twitter Lauches #music Service with iTunes,...

Twitter is launching its own music service on Thursday with ties to iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio, and includes a native iPhone app. #music is like a music discovery tool that lets users preview songs via iTunes, and Spotify and Rdio users can use their accounts to listen to full tracks.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Maybe Apple should've tried doing something like #music instead of Ping.


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06:20
News: Intel CEO: No Apple ARM Chip Deal

Intel CEO Paul Otellini shot down rumors of a chip fabrication deal with Apple on Wednesday. When asked about whether or not the two companies were working on a deal for Intel to make Apple's custom ARM processors, he replied with a straight forward "no."

The Mac Observer Spin:
Intel isn't interested in making Apple's custom ARM processors, and there are plenty of other companies that are interested in that business deal. With Apple scaling back on its reliance on Samsung for chip fabrication, TSMC looks like the big winner here.


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Wednesday April 17

17:05
News: Petition Asking Verizon to Drop Contracts...

A petition hosted at Change.org is asking Verizon to follow in T-Mobile's footsteps and drop contract requirements for customers. The petition has already gathered more than 79,000 signatures out of a goal of 150,000.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Most U.S. consumers don't understand the subsidy model. Informed users do, but it remains to be seen if enough people care about this issue.


| Read more »
15:56
Analysis: $AAPL Drops 5.5% on Cirrus Logic Guidance

Shares of Apple Inc. dropped more than 5.5 percent on Wednesday, with guidance from Cirrus Logic helping to weigh down the stock. The company, which supplies audio chips for Apple's iPhone, said that it had to take an inventory charge during the March quarter. Investors and analysts alike have taken to mean that Apple's iPhone sales will disappoint.


| Read more »
13:05
OS X Mountain Lion: Supported digital camera RAW...

Learn about supported digital camera RAW formats in OS X Mountain Lion.

| Read more »
13:03
OS X Lion: Supported digital camera RAW formats

Digital camera RAW formats retain more image information than JPEGs and can produce better results when used with imaging applications such as Aperture and iPhoto.

| Read more »
11:35
Editorial: Microsoft Thinks Apple’s iOS is Boring....

Recently, a Microsoft executive suggested that Apple's iOS is boring. Why would he say that?  John Martellaro knows exactly why. Thank goodness iOS is very boring indeed.
 


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09:30
Cool Stuff Found: HandBrakeBatch Easily Converts...

You like using Handbrake but loathe the UI when you have a folder of videos to convert? Now you're in luck. HandBrakeBatch, built to use Handbrake in the background and do exactly that, has been around since June of 2011 (near as we can tell), but was most recently updated just this past February (of 2013, that is), and worked very well in our tests. It requires that you have Handbrake installed, and will use any presets you have in Handbrake, including those you've custom-defined. Next time you need to batch convert a folder full of movies (and they don't really all need to be in the same folder, either), fire up HandBrakeBatch and let it get to work.

...

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09:27
News: Apple Targeted in China Porn Investigation

Apple is facing a new investigation in China, this time over allegations that the company provides pornography through its App Store. Apple isn't alone in the investigation since the Chinese government is also targeting several other companies and websites, although it is interesting to see Apple on the list because the company already has its own anti-porn policy.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Apple has a reputation for being fairly conservative in its interpretation of what constitutes pornography, so it's surprising to see China claiming the company is allowing porn on the App Store. Maybe what we're really seeing is the Chinese government's next Apple-focused attack.

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08:03
Cool Stuff Found: Funny or Die’s Steve Jobs Parody...

The satire of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, "iSteve," from Funny Or Die is online and ready for viewing - assuming you don't mind sitting in front of your computer for 79 minutes. No, this isn't the Ashton Kutcher biopic that's been delayed. This movie stars Justin Long and Jorge Garcia, and is clearly a parody of Mr. Jobs's life. The few minutes we watched were pretty good and we're looking forward to blocking out some time to watch the rest. The downside is that you have to watch the movie at the Funny Or Die website; no download option is available, so be sure you have your comfy chair in front of your computer.

...

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08:02
Apple named in Chinese porn investigation

Chinese state-run newspaper the People’s Daily has named Apple as one of a number of websites and app stores investigated for providing pornographic content in the country. Apple is listed next to names of other app stores — a report notes the company is not emphasized or prominently featured.…

| Read more »
07:33
Analysis: Microsoft’s New Posturing: iOS is Boring

Terry Myerson, the head of Microsoft's Windows Phone group, isn't overly impressed with Apple's iOS, and even suggested it's boring. Mr. Myerson shared his thoughts on Apple's popular operating system for the iPhone and iPad during D: Dive Into Mobile on Wednesday in New York, and he did a great job of setting himself up for attacks from the Apple and Android camps.


| Read more »
05:35
Product News: Aperture Update Improves Photo Stream...

Along with Safari and iPhoto updates, Apple released Aperture 3.4.4 on Tuesday. The update for the professional image management and editing application improved Photo Stream support, and addressed an import issue when using Nikon's P7700 camera.


| Read more »

Tuesday April 16

18:56
Analysis: Facebook Hires Fired Apple Maps Manager...

Facebook has hired Richard Williamson for its mobile-software group, according to Bloomberg. Mr. Williamson was part of the team that built the original iPhone, but is better known for being the manager in charge of developing the original Apple Maps service. He was fired from Apple after the launch of the service was panned.


| Read more »
17:29
Cool Stuff Found: Time Warner Bringing Live Mobile...

Time Warner announced on Tuesday that it was bringing live mobile TV to Apple iPhones and iPads. The company said that it would make up to 11 channels available on Apple's mobile devices available outside the home, including news, entertainment, and sports networks. Bloomberg reported that the new feature would be available through the TWC TV app (a free download on the App Store) for Time Warner Cable subscribers starting at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, April 17th.


| Read more »
15:55
Analysis: Samsung Caught Paying for Anonymous...

Samsung has been caught paying for anonymous posts bashing Taiwanese rival HTC. Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission has launched an investigation after receiving complaints about the practice, and Samsung itself posted an apology for the instance. Bryan Chaffin offers commentary.


| Read more »
14:43
Product News: iPhoto for the Mac gets Better Photo...

Apple released iPhoto 9.4.3 Tuesday afternoon with improved support for iCloud's Photo Stream feature. iPhoto is Apple's image management and editing app and is part of the company's iLife suite of creativity apps.


| Read more »
14:19
Product News: Apple Patches More Mac Security Flaws...

Apple released Safari 6.0.4 for the Mac on Tuesday with fixes for several security-related issues. The update targets Safari running on OS X Lion and OS X Mountain Lion and adds the ability to enable the Java plug-in on a site-by-site basis.


| Read more »
13:29
About the security content of Java for OS X 2013-003...

This document describes the security content of Java for OS X 2013-003 and Mac OS X v10.6 Update 15.

| Read more »
13:18
Apps: Facebook 6.0, SugarSync 4.0, YouTube 1.3 +...

Facebook, Inc. has updated its Facebook app (free) to version 6.0. The new update adds chat heads to both the iPhone and iPad versions of the app — a “floating” head now enables users to quickly continue a chat with a friend while browsing other feeds. iPhone Facebook app…

| Read more »
13:15
About Java for OS X 2013-003

Java for OS X 2013-003 delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility for Java SE 6. Java for OS X 2013-003 supersedes all previous versions of Java for OS X.

| Read more »
13:12
Aperture 3.4.4: Release notes

Aperture 3.4.4 is an update for Aperture 3. Aperture 3 is a paid upgrade for Aperture.

| Read more »
13:10
Printer and scanner software available for download

Learn about which printer and scanner models are supported, and what third-party vendor software is available for download using Software Update.

| Read more »
13:08
About Safari 6.0.4 and 5.1.9

Safari 6.0.4 and 5.1.9 allow you to enable the Java web plug-in on a website-by-website basis, with four settings to choose from.

| Read more »
13:08
About Java for Mac OS X 10.6 Update 15

Java for Mac OS X v10.6 Update 15 delivers improved security, reliability, and compatibility for Java SE 6. This update enables website-by-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.

| Read more »
13:07
About the security content of Safari 6.0.4

This document describes the security content of Safari 6.0.4, which can be downloaded and installed via Software Update preferences, or from Apple Downloads.

| Read more »
12:21
Weekly Sponsorship: Sponsor: CrashPlan

It is with great pleasure that I announce this week's returning sponsor, Crashplan. We all know we're supposed to back up, and we even have some easy ways to do that locally now thanks to Apple building Time Machine into the OS. And that's good, but what happens if your Time Machine disk gets corrupted or, worse, what happens if it's stolen or damaged at the same time as your main Mac? CrashPlan can help.


| Read more »
11:30
How-To: Set up a Geofence Reminder on Your iPhone

When iOS 5 was released, Apple introduced geofences, the ability to detect proximity to a location. Today, in iOS6 with the Reminders app, users can set up a reminder so that when they enter or leave a geographic location, they'll get a notification on their iPhone. John Martellaro explains how to set up this really cool feature.


| Read more »
09:53
Quick Look Review: Download TiVo Content To Your Mac...

For years the best option for Mac-using TiVo owners to get content off of our TiVos and to our iDevices was iTiVo. But iTiVo, built largely in AppleScript Studio, has always had a buggy user interface, and with Mountain Lion it originally required some Terminal fu to get it to work at all. Building on the work done for iTiVo (and even reading your preferences from iTiVo), cTiVo picks up and takes the whole project into Objective C, making it a faster, cleaner app than its predecessor. And as with iTiVo, cTiVo is 100% freely available and open source.


| Read more »
08:36
Logitech debuts Harmony Ultimate, Smart Control...

Logitech has announced two new home control remotes — the Harmony Ultimate ($350) and Harmony Smart Control ($130) — that can both use an iOS app for control. Harmony Ultimate is a full remote with 2.4” color touchscreen that can control up to 15 devices through swipes and…

| Read more »
08:02
Some Apple TVs have Wi-Fi issues; replacement...

A small number of third-generation Apple TVs have known Wi-Fi issues, and Apple has started a replacement program for these affected units. Apple has determined replacements can be offered free of charge for up to two years after the device’s purchase date. …

| Read more »
08:00
Cool Stuff Found: Interplanetary Cool Find: Russian...

Going to space is a tricky business, and landing a probe on another planet even more so. The Soviet Union learned that in 1971 when its Mars 3 lander stopped transmitting only seconds after landing on the red planet. It's been missing ever since, but now it's location may have been discovered thanks to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and amateur astronomers in Russia. The group sifted through images of the Ptolemaeus Crater where the craft landed and eventually found what looks like the lander itself, it's heat shield, parachute, and retrorocket. Mars 3 was the first craft to successfully land on Mars, so it's great to finally have images showing it's still there.

...

| Read more »
07:32
Report: Facebook talks iPhone Home with Apple

Facebook is talking to Apple about a new version of its mobile Home software for iPhone, according to a new report. Facebook’s Home software debuted for Android this month, and Facebook is now discussing expansion with the likes of Apple and Microsoft. Though the idea of Facebook Home appearing on…

| Read more »
07:16
News: Securities Trader Pleads Guilty in $1B Apple...

Former Rochedale Securities trader David Miller has entered a guilty plea in the U.S. Federal Court case charging him with wire fraud and conspiracy. Mr. Miller tried to game the system by using a client buy request to purchase about $1 billion in Apple stock for his own profit, but the scheme fell apart when it dropped instead of climbing as he expected.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Greed can be amazingly expensive. In this case, it cost Mr. Miller his freedom, and put his employer out of business, costing other people their jobs, too. That, and now his family has to deal with his actions. Ouch.

...

| Read more »
05:33
Product News: Xcode Update Improves Debugging Support

Apple rolled out a small update for Xcode Monday evening that improved performance when debugging Objective-C code. Xcode is Apple's app system for writing apps for the Mac and iOS.


| Read more »

Monday April 15

15:06
The Back Page: Mini-Drones Help Eric Schmidt Find...

Eric Schmidt has apparently found religion on privacy, and he's here with a message: mini-drones need to be regulated. Bryan Chaffin thinks that the Google Chairman is plumbing new depths of audacity.


| Read more »
14:40
Apple selling refurb fifth-gen iPod touch

Apple is now selling refurbished fifth-generation iPod touch models in its online store. The store is offering 32GB models for $250 each, and 64GB models for $350 — a $50 discount off the new models. All colors except for red are now available. [via 9to5Mac]

| Read more »
14:11
TMO Quick Tip: Corrupt iCloud Data Causes iOS...

In addition to 3rd party app data, iCloud also stores data for a few Apple apps and services, and if this data gets corrupted you can wind up with a very unstable iPhone (or iPod or iPad). Unfortunately Apple doesn't provide a way to let you tell iCloud to reset this data. Short of permanently disabling "Documents & Data" syncing with iCloud, the only way to fix this is to delete the offending data from the iCloud (Mobile Documents) folder on your Mac and reboot your iOS device.


| Read more »
12:42
Cool Stuff Found: Jean-Louis Gassée Encourages Us to...

While researching an editorial relating to privacy I found a great essay from former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée titled, "Online Privacy: Nothing to Fear." He talks about privacy both from the government and from corporate powers, and encourages us to support groups that look out for our privacy like the ACLU. And don't forget to vote for candidates who support privacy (when you can find them). It's a good read.


| Read more »
10:40
Quick Look Review: New Trent’s iTorch Is a Laser...

The iTorch IMP52D charger with LED light and laser pointer presents as a multi-function device that will charge all existing versions of the iPhone and iPad. There's also a laser pointer and flashlight thrown in for good measure. For the most part, it achieves those goals well.


| Read more »
08:23
Analysis: Apple’s iPad: Netbook Killer

The netbook never became the killer product the PC market hoped for, and thanks to the iPad, the only killing in that market now is happening to the netbook. In fact, a new study says the netbook market will be completely dead by 2015, and it's all Apple's fault.


| Read more »
07:29
Foxconn hiring for new iPhone production

Multiple outlets are reporting Foxconn has resumed hiring for the production of a new iPhone. More workers have been hired at Foxconn’s Zhengzhou plant, the company’s main production facility for iPhones. A hiring freeze imposed in February has ended, and new workers will help assemble both the new device —…

| Read more »
07:20
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Dives into Future Macs...

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, joined the team at The Mac Show to talk about what may be in store for future iMacs, as well as Intel's upcoming changes to the Thunderbolt standard.


| Read more »
06:40
TMO Quick Tip: OS X: Hiding Items with the Terminal

Got something to hide? Sure you do. Wanna know how to disguise that fact from anyone who may use your Mac? You can do so easily, so you'll never have to answer pesky questions about what you've hidden and why. And we here at TMO would never judge you for needing to hide files. They're Christmas present ideas, right?


| Read more »
05:40
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Talks Bitcoin &...

The Mac Observer's Managing Editor Jeff Gamet joined The BIG Show from the British Tech Network to talk about the sudden rise in Bitcoin, plus streaming video from big companies like HBO and YouTube.


| Read more »

Sunday April 14

19:25
Mac Geek Gab Podcast: MGG 445: Beware the Mobile...

Dave and John are back, as usual, for this Sunday evening show, helping you answer your pesky Mac and iOS questions as well as using their own experiences to teach valuable lessons. This week Dave spent far too much time troubleshooting a crashing iPod. He even got it replaced and it was still crashing, which got very interesting. Dave finally figured it out and will share the solution in the show. All that and more in this week's Mac Geek Gab!


| Read more »

Saturday April 13

07:30
How-To: How to Choose the Right Tools in Preview on...

Almost all modern OS X apps give you the ability to customize the toolbar to your liking and to accommodate your workflow habits. Sandro Cuccia shows you how to do this in the Preview app.


| Read more »
07:00
How-To: How-to Understand Bitcoins, a Bitcoin Primer

Bitcoins are a hot topic right now, and while there is a detailed Wikipedia entry, a FAQ at bitcoin.org, and all manner of articles looking at recent volatility, we thought a comprehensive primer would come in handy.


| Read more »

Friday April 12

17:08
News: T-Mobile: iPhone Off to a Great Start

T-Mobile officially started selling and supporting Apple's iPhone on Friday, and Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said sales were "gangbusters." The carrier is the last of the major cell phone service companies to land an iPhone deal and was hoping its "Uncarrier" package that does away with subsidized phone prices and complicated service contracts would draw in new subscribers.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Offering the iPhone through T-Mobile gives customers yet another carrier choice. Assuming the company's "Uncarrier" plan takes off, it could help push competitors into offering similar no-contract, no-subsidy deals, too.

...

| Read more »
16:58
Free on iTunes: Free App-Zines for iPad from MERI...

New e-periodicals blur the line between apps and magazines. In this week's Free on iTunes Vern Seward take a look at "app-zines" from one company, MERI Media .


| Read more »
15:40
Quick Look Review: Digital Treasures iPad Mini Props...

Digital Treasurers has introduced an iPad mini folio case that includes a built-in 8000 mAh battery for recharging on the go. The outside is composed of a heavy duty plastic that features red stitching and the inside has a soft suede type lining that offers protection for the iPad mini. LEDs show the charge remaining.


| Read more »
14:30
Particle Debris: The Paradox of Power at Apple: Why...

Some notable executives who have worked for Apple fail when they leave and go to work for another company.  Why does this happen?  It's the paradox of power for Apple VPs. John Martellaro explains what he learned for himself at Apple.


| Read more »
13:35
iLounge Weekly arrives on Monday, giveaway reminder

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes early next week. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies.…

| Read more »
12:16
News: Apple Sued for Infringing on AT&T Wi-Fi...

Apple has been hit with yet another lawsuit, this time from a company named Wyncomm, for allegedly infringing on a Wi-Fi patent that until recently belonged to AT&T. The patent describes a system where data is transmitted over a Wi-Fi network while voice communication is happening on the same device -- or carrying on a phone conversation while surfing the Web.

The Mac Observer Spin:
You have to wonder if products like the iPhone would cost less if Apple and other companies didn't have to spend so much money on infringement lawsuits from patent holding companies.


| Read more »
11:00
Cool Stuff Found: Staus Board for iPad Widget...

Panic's Status Board for iPad has been available for only a couple days, and already ingenious coders are coming up with cool custom widgets to make this great app even more useful. You can check out some of the Status Board add-ons that are already available all in one place thanks to the Status Board App Info website, and thier list is quickly growing. The site includes links to widgets that show the schedule status for Sa Francisco's BART system, link to your Nest Thermostat, and even an Apple stock monitor designed by The MacCast's Adam Christianson. Of course, you'll need Status Board on your iPad to take advantage of these add-ons, but you already knew that.

...

| Read more »
10:48
News: Easy Access to iCloud Documents in the Finder

When you use iCloud to store documents from apps like Keynote, Pages and Numbers, they get saved to your Mac's hard drive as well. Getting at those documents through the Finder, however, is something of a chore. Luckily a resourceful coder has come to the rescue with a handy little utility that makes it easy to get at the local versions of your iCloud files.


| Read more »
08:16
Apple to pay $53M to settle warranty lawsuit

Apple has agreed to pay $53 million to settle a class action lawsuit in San Francisco federal court involving iPhone and iPod touch warranties, according to a new report. The settlement, which has yet to be filed, will pay cash to iPhone and iPod touch customers denied repair or…

| Read more »
07:33
Twitter to launch music app

Twitter is planning on launching its new standalone music application this weekend, possibly as early as today, according to reports. A new site, music.twitter.com, asks users for permission to allow an app called Trending Music Web, though at this point authorization of the app only sends users back to…

| Read more »
07:14
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Looks at Messages...

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, discussed Apple's Messages service and why the government isn't able to eavesdrop on our conversations -- at least not yet -- on this week's We Have Communicators.


| Read more »
06:43
Cool Stuff Found: Turn Your Mac into a Planetarium...

Field trips to the planetarium were always one of our favorite school activities, so of course we have an affinity for apps that help us see what's in the night sky. Stellarium is one of those apps for the Mac that lets us do just that with amazing detail -- so much, in fact, that it's being used with actual planetarium projectors. The app includes over 600,000 stars, and additional catalogs are available with over 210 million stars. It also details our solar system's planets, moons and other satellites, constellations for several cultures, eclipse and supernova simulation, telescope control, supports fisheye and spheric mirror projection for planetarium domes, and more. Despite Stellarium's powerful feature set, it's a free app, which means you don't have any more excuses for putting off that home planetarium project.

...

| Read more »
05:45
News: iPhone Warranty Repair Lawsuit Settlement...

Apple has agreed to a US$53 million settlement in a class action lawsuit that alleged the company failed to properly honor warranty repairs on iPhones. The lawsuit was filed after several iPhone owners were denied warranty repairs when the moisture sensoris in their smartphones were triggered even though they hadn't suffered from any water damage.

The Mac Observer Spin:
It's unfortunate that this issue ended up in court as a class action lawsuit, but it is nice to see Apple finally making good on iPhone warranty service that was denied because of bad moisture sensor readings.

...

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Thursday April 11

19:24
Analysis: Apple Reportedly Close to Singing...

Apple could sign a deal for streaming music rights with Universal as soon as next week, according to unnamed sources cited by The Verge. The deal would put Apple one step closer to being able to launch a streaming radio service, something the company has reportedly been wanting to do for some time.


| Read more »
17:46
Cool Stuff Found: Tiltpod, a Key Fob-Sized Stand for...

BiteMyApple.co announced on Thursday the release of the Tiltpod, a Kickstarter funded project. Tiltpod is a stand for your iPhone that's small enough to keep on your keychain. Think insta-stand for taking photographs pretty much anywhere. It rotates, pivots, and tilts, all through a magnetic ball. It holds your iPhone through a quick-connect release, too.  Pretty cool, eh? It's $14.99 for the iPhone 4 and 4S. $29.99 gets one designed for the iPhone 5, including a case.


| Read more »
17:26
Cool Stuff Found: Readdle Brings Documents App to...

Readdle has made Documents a universal (hybrid) app, meaning that iPhone owners can use it, too. Documents lets you read Office documents, read and annotate PDF files, edit text files, move files to and from your Mac or PC, download documents from the Interwebs, and more.  It's a free download, and it's available now. For iPad owners who already had it, the new version is 4.1.


| Read more »
16:09
Cool Stuff Found: Thinking Differently About Android...

John Kirk took a look at Android numbers from IDC and a new approach to measuring Android activations by Google.  Neither data set was found to be satisfactory, and Mr. Kirk's opinion is that Google’s New Android Math Doesn’t Add Up. He also called for firms like IDC to stop counting all Android sales as "Android" sales, and instead to count only those sales that contribute to the platform as a whole, and to divide out Android variants in China, Kindle Fire sales, and perhaps even Android devices running Facebook Home. It's a very good read.


| Read more »
15:40
Quick Look Review: Rain Design’s iSlider Is a Cool,...

Rain Design has introduced a potable iPad stand that folds flat, is quite sturdy, and gives users everything they need to adjust the angle of their iPad or iPad mini.


| Read more »
14:06
Judge: Apple, Google using litigation as strategy

U.S. District Judge Robert Scola said in an order that neither Apple nor Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have any interest in resolving their ongoing patent litigation, instead using the lawsuits as business strategy. “The parties have no interest in efficiently and expeditiously resolving this dispute; they instead are using this…

| Read more »
12:30
John Martellaro's Blog: Oh, What We Could do...

Over the decades, personal computers have made enormous gains in speeds. But in the short term, not much has happened. On the other hand, the maintenance burdens on customers just kept increasing. That's why customers have moved briskly to the tablet.  In a sense, the PC industry failed its original vision, and customers moved on. Now what?


| Read more »
12:28
Analysis: Apple Triples Sales of iPhone 4 in India...

Apple has found a way to boost sales of the iPhone in India, a market where Apple's smartphone has languished with minimal success. The Times of India reported that Apple initiated a smartphone buyback promotion for the iPhone 4, and that sales of the entry level model have tripled. Bryan Chaffin pokes his nose in the development.


| Read more »
11:58
News: German Court Invalidates Samsung 3G Patent

Apple was handed a nice win in Germany on Wednesday when the country's Federal Patent Court ruled that Samsung's patent covering 3G wireless technology was invalid. The patent in question, EP1005726, covers "turbo encoding/decoding device and method for processing frame data according to QoS," and was considered an essential component of the UTMS 3G standard.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Samsung has been having a hard go of it in the courts in its patent fight with Apple, and losing an essential 3G patent in Germany isn't helping the company's case. For all of the losses in this fight, however, business continues on as usual with Samsung making new smartphones and tablets, and Apple suing for infringement. Don't expect this legal fight to end any time soon.

...

| Read more »
08:56
Apps: Chrome, Foursquare 6.0, Real Racing 3 1.1 +...

Google Inc.‘s Chrome (free) app has updated to version 26.0.1410.50. Google’s browser for iOS now allows users to access fullscreen browsing for iPhone and iPod touch — the toolbar can be scrolled off the screen to view a full page of content on the devices. Printing has also been…

| Read more »
06:58
News: Ambrosia: Still Alive & Kicking

Mac users turned their attention to long time Mac app developer Ambrosia Software Wednesday night when the company's coders posted messages on Twitter saying they lost their jobs and that the business was shutting down. Despite what the word is on Twitter, however, company president Andrew Welch says that's not what's really happening.


| Read more »
05:47
TMO Appearances: Jeff Gamet Dives into Online...

Jeff Gamet, The Mac Observer's Managing Editor, will be speaking at the Colorado Macintosh User Group meeting on Thursday, April 11, in Boulder, Colorado. Jeff will looking at online and networked file storage, sharing, and syncing services along with options for setting up your own system at home or work.


| Read more »

Wednesday April 10

16:50
Apple Context Machine Podcast: ACM 199: Facebook’s...

Facebook is hoping to take over Android phones with its new Home interface, but consumers still use their iPhones and iPads far more than their Android-toting friends. Apple's former retail boss, Ron Johnson, is on the job hunt again, too, which gives Jeff and Bryan plenty to talk about this week on the Apple Context Machine.


| Read more »
14:37
Apple job listing refers to flexible displays

A job listing on Apple’s website specifically mentions flexible displays, indicating the company has at least some interest in the technology. The listing, for a Sr. Optical Engineer, notes in its summary that “Apple Inc. is looking for a Display Specialist to lead the investigation on emerging display technologies…

| Read more »
13:10
Hidden Dimensions: Apple Will Call the Next iPhone...

Smartphone competition is keen. Should Apple panic, jump to the iPhone 6 name? But then Apple always has its own agenda. What are the real issues? John Martellaro, in typical style, explores the iPhone 5S vs iPhone 6 naming issue.
 


| Read more »
12:31
Workgroup Manager: Clients may not appear when...

When using the ellipsis button (...) in Workgroup Manager to browse and add computers to a computer group, all computers on the local network may not appear in the list.

| Read more »
12:27
iOS Office not due until fall 2014?

An alleged plan for Microsoft’s next wave of Office updates indicates we may not see an iOS version of Office until fall 2014. An apparent roadmap spotted for Microsoft’s “Gemini Wave” lists Office for iOS in October 2014. Though such roadmaps often change, a source indicated this plan was “likely…

| Read more »
11:58
Apple bans in-app comic for sexual content

Apple has refused to carry a comic, Saga #12, on app-based platforms due to gay sex scenes, according to a report. The comic’s writer, Brian K. Vaughan, said in a press release, “Unfortunately, because of two postage stamp-sized images of gay sex, Apple is banning tomorrow’s SAGA #12 from being…

| Read more »
11:49
Analysis: Apple Excludes Samsung from A7 Chip...

Apple has given Samsung the boot on the next generation of AX processors, according to a report from The Korea Times. Citing Samsung suppliers, the newspaper reported that Apple has begun sharing proprietary information for a new generation chip with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), excluding Samsung in the process


| Read more »
11:03
Cool Stuff Found: WoW Lens Interchangeable Lenses...

Adding lenses to your iPhone for for photo effects isn't a new idea, but building them into a case so they're always available just might be. AppBanc is hoping to raise the funds for just such a case on Kickstarter, and they say it "rivals the performance of a 200mm camera." It includes macro, wide angle, cameo, and polarized lenses you switch out with the flick of a finger, and the company's own eZoom app that offers what they call lossless digital zooming. They're working towards a US$50,000 goal, and pledges start at just $1.

 


| Read more »
10:33
Cool Stuff Found: Vaavud Wind Meter Measured Wind...

We found another cool Kickstarter project, the Vaavud Wind Meter for your iPhone. This device fits into the audio jack of your iPhone, iPad, or Galaxy S2 and S3, and it measures your real-time wind speed. Better yet, it does so without any active electronics. Instead, the developers are converting data from two magnets in the device's rotor into wind speed. Pretty cool! They've already hit their funding level of £20,000, but there are some Kickstarter edition units up for grabs if you want to boost funding even higher.

 


| Read more »
10:14
Apple licenses Palm-related patents

Apple has paid about $10 million to license patents from ACCESS, including patents related to Palm, Bell Communications Research and Geoworks. Japan’s ACCESS owns the company formerly known as PalmSource. The move was likely done to aid Apple in patent litigation moving forward. Interestingly, Steve Jobs once threatened to…

| Read more »
09:47
Report: Apple taps Foster + Partners to revamp...

Apple has hired Foster + Partners to work on new designs for its retail stores, according to a new report. Foster + Partners is the London-based firm behind Apple’s “spaceship” corporate campus, Campus 2, which is reportedly $2 billion over budget. Apple has previously worked with rival firm 8…

| Read more »
 
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Software Updates via MacUpdate

Evernote 5.1.1 - Create searchable notes...
Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at anytime, from... Read more
SketchUp 13.0.3688 - Create 3D design co...
SketchUp is an easy-to-learn 3D modeling program that enables you to explore the world in 3D. With just a few simple tools, you can create 3D models of houses, sheds, decks, home additions,... Read more
GarageSale 6.6b10 - Create outstanding e...
GarageSale is a slick, full-featured client application for the eBay online auction system. Create and manage your auctions with ease With GarageSale, you can create, edit, track, and manage... Read more
SteerMouse 4.1.6 - Powerful third-party...
SteerMouse is an advanced driver for USB and Bluetooth mice. It also supports Apple Mighty Mouse very well. SteerMouse can assign various functions to buttons that Apple's software does not allow,... Read more
Google Chrome 27.0.1453.93 - Modern and...
Google Chrome is a Web browser by Google, created to be a modern platform for Web pages and applications. It utilizes very fast loading of Web pages and has a V8 engine, which is a custom built... Read more
Labels & Addresses 1.6.5 - Powerful...
Labels & Addresses is a home and office tool for printing all sorts of labels, envelopes, inventory labels, and price tags. Merge-printing capability makes the program a great tool for holiday... Read more
Delicious Library 3.0.2 - Import, browse...
Delicious Library allows you to import, browse, and share all your books, movies, music, and video games with Delicious Library. Run your very own library from your home or office using our... Read more
KeyCue 6.5 - Displays all menu shortcut...
KeyCue helps you to use your OS X applications more effectively. Just hold down the Command key for a while - KeyCue comes to help and shows a table of all currently available keyboard shortcuts.... Read more
HoudahSpot 3.7.8 - Advanced front-end fo...
HoudahSpot is a flexible file-search tool based on Apple's powerful Spotlight engine. Keep frequently used files within reach Retrieve the files you didn't know you still had Don't waste time... Read more
Cobook Contacts 1.2.6 - Intelligent addr...
Cobook Contacts is a better address book that makes contact management enjoyable for millions of people every day. Find contacts faster and organize them with tags. Get integrated social profiles... Read more

Where’s My Perry? Calls New Animal Agent...
Where’s My Perry? | Read more »
Kingdom & Dragons Review
Kingdom & Dragons Review By Blake Grundman on May 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: A CURIOUS COMBINATIONUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad How well do the brawler and city building genres go together? About as well as one... | Read more »
Epic Review
Epic Review By Blake Grundman on May 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: PREDICTABLY PREDICTABLEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad While this may not be a truly epic kingdom, there is unquestionably more than enough depth to more... | Read more »
Karateka Classic Review
Karateka Classic Review By Carter Dotson on May 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: VINTAGEUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Karateka Classic is a port of a classic fighting game that holds up rather well today.   | Read more »
Poker Night 2 Review
Poker Night 2 Review By Carter Dotson on May 23rd, 2013 Our Rating: :: GO TEAM VENTUREUniversal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad Poker’s just better when Brock Samson is involved.   | Read more »
Logitech To Release Wired Keyboard With...
Logitech To Release Wired Keyboard With The Classroom In Mind Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 [ permalink ] Logitech has created a wired keyboard for the iPad which | Read more »
Pocket Informant Pro Completely Redesign...
Pocket Informant Pro Completely Redesigns Interface In Latest Update Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 [ permalink ] | Read more »
Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon Brings The...
Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon Brings The Second War of Armageddon To iOS, Next Year Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 [ permalink ] Strategy game creator, Slitherine, unleashes Armageddon, its firs | Read more »
World of Aircraft MMO Flies Into Action
World of Aircraft MMO Flies Into Action Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 [ permalink ] Universal App - Designed for iPhone and iPad | Read more »
iBillionaire Compares Your Stock Market...
iBillionaire Compares Your Stock Market Portfolio To Actual Billionaire Portfolios Posted by Andrew Stevens on May 22nd, 2013 [ | Read more »

Price Scanner via MacPrices.net

Mac mini on sale for $25 off, free shipping, NY ta...
B&H Photo has the 2.5GHz Mac mini available for $574.98 including free shipping and NY sales tax only. Their price is $25 off MSRP. B&H will include free copies of Parallels Desktop and Bento... Read more
Updated iPad Price Trackers
We’ve updated our iPad Price Tracker and our iPad mini Price Tracker with the latest information on prices and availability from Apple and other resellers. Read more
Take $20 off with Apple refurbished iPod nanos
The Apple Store has Apple Certified Refurbished 16GB iPod nanos available for $129 including free shipping and Apple’s standard one-year warranty. That’s $20, or 13%, off the cost of new nanos. All... Read more
Apple TV (refurbished) available for $85, 14% off
The Apple Store has Apple Certified Refurbished 2012 Apple TVs available for $85 including free shipping. That’s $14 off the cost of new models. Apple’s one-year warranty is standard. Read more
27″ iMacs on sale for $100 off MSRP
Amazon has 27-inch iMacs on sale for $100 off MSRP: - 27″ 3.2GHz iMac: $1899.99 - 27″ 2.9GHz iMac: $1699.98 Shipping is free Read more
Platform Wars: Tablets Triumphant, But Don’t Write...
The Register’s Paul Kunert says it’s finally official – the epic battle of legendary Apple CEO Steve Jobs is finally won, now that he has toppled the PC platform from beyond the grave, in the UK, at... Read more
Apple Tops 100 Most Valuable Global Brands 2013 Su...
MarketingWeek’s Lou Cooper reports that this years BrandZ ranking of the top 100 valuable global brands sees Apple maintain its reign as number one, ahead of Google and IBM in second and third and... Read more
How To Create A 4GB/S RAM Disk In Mac OS X
TekRevue notes that RAM Disks, as the name indicates, are logical storage volumes created using a computers memory (RAM) instead of a traditional hard drive or solid state drive. Back in the day, RAM... Read more
How To Factory Reset On An iPhone or iPad
PC Advisor’s Jim Martin notes that when you come to sell your iPhone or iPad – or even give it to a family member – you should erase all the data and restore it to factory settings to avoid handing... Read more
HGST Launches 1.5TB Capacity in Standard 2.5-inch...
HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies and now a Western Digital company) continues to push technology innovation by offering the highest storage density (MB/mm3) of any hard disk drive (... Read more

Jobs Board

*Apple* Account Executive - CompuCom (U...
Apple Account Executive Job Location US-IL-Des Plaines Posted Date 3/27/2013 Req # 2013-4905 Apply/Socialize: * Apply Now! * Email this opportunity to a friend or Read more
*Apple* - Solution Architect - CompuCom...
Apple - Solution Architect Job Location US-TX-Dallas Posted Date 4/18/2013 Req # 2013-4932 Apply/Socialize: * Apply Now! * Email this opportunity to a friend or Read more
Mac/ *Apple* Specialist Needed - Enterp...
Mac/ Apple Specialist Needed - Enterprise iPad Deployment A prominent Robert Half client is seeking out a Mac/ Apple Specialist to assist with an iPad deployment Read more
Mac/ *Apple* Specialist Needed | Enterp...
Mac/ Apple Specialist Needed | Enterprise iPad Deployment A prominent Robert Half client is seeking out a Mac/ Apple Specialist to assist with an iPad deployment Read more
Class 1 District *Apple* Technician -...
QUALIFICATIONS: High School diploma Associate Degree in Technology preferred. Apple Certified Support Professional Mac OS X 10.5, 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 Apple Certified Read more
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