Apple's exclusive licensing agreement of the Liquidmetal fabrication process and engineering staff in 2010 briefly sent ripples through the tech industry, until a lead executive revealed that it would take years and hundreds of millions of dollars before the material was ready for large-scale production. A patent awarded to Crucible Intellectual Property -- seemingly a joint venture between the two companies -- appears to be at least a portion of the method to generate large quantities of Liquidmetal, expected to be used in future iOS and other devices. Apple holds the exclusive license for th... ...

This isn't exactly unprecedented, but there's been some discussion about "upgrade pricing" regarding Logic Pro X today, so I thought this would be good info for Logic Pro customers. First, if you bought Logic Pro within 30 days, consider contacting Apple support -- you may be able to get a refund (within a week). With that money you can happily upgrade to Logic Pro X through the Mac App Store.

As for the upgrade pricing for customers beyond 30 days, I'm not sure why that was ever a mystery. When Final Cut Pro X debuted, there wasn't upgrade pricing, either. Logic Pro X continues the Mac App Store practice of no upgrades from purchases made off the store. In a short amount of time it won't matter, as pros...

As announced last week, Google has begun rolling out a revamped version of its Maps app for iOS, adding support for the larger screen of the iPad, enhanced navigation features, and a new Explore feature.

Google Maps 2.0 for iOS includes both live traffic updates and incident reports that offer details on current traffic conditions. Unlike the Android version of the app, it does not include on-the-fly rerouting, but Google has said that it plans to add the feature in the future. The new version of Maps also offers indoor directions and maps for malls, airports, transit stations, and more.

Explore, which was first introduced at Google I/O earlier this year, offers users a way to discover nearby businesses and restaurants. It incorporates Zagat ratings and...

Tumblr has just released an important security update for its universal iOS app. In a blog post, the company says that the update addresses an issues that allows passwords to be compromised in certain circumstances. Because of this, Tumblr is also urging anyone who used the vulnerable version of the app to change their password immediately.

We have just released a very important security update for our iPhone and iPad apps addressing an issue that allowed passwords to be compromised in certain circumstances¹. Please download the update now.

If you’ve been using these apps, you should also update your password on Tumblr and anywhere else you may have been using the same password. It’s also good practice to use different passwords across different services by using an app like ...

Apple executives seem to have a thing for referring to the Apple TV as nothing more than an interesting hobby. That little hobby, however, seems to be attracting more and more users with each passing quarter.

During Apple's 2012 holiday quarter, for example, the company sold more than 2 million Apple TV units, representing a nearly 43% sales increase compared to the 2011 holiday quarter. Cumulatively, Tim Cook revealed during this year's All Things D conference that Apple has, to-date, sold over 13 million Apple TV units. Even more impressive is that Cook noted that "about half of those" sales took place in 2013.

Suffice it to say, Apple TV may still only be a hobby in Apple's eyes, but sales of the device seem to accelerating with each passing year.

That said, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the Apple TV, in 2012, commanded...

In line with last week’s expectations of an updated Google Maps app, Google has begun rolling out version 2.0 of Google Maps for iOS today. Most notably, the new application includes support for the large touch screens found on the iPad and iPad mini.

Additionally, like with the recent update to the Android version, enhanced navigation with incident reports and live traffic updates are included.

Also new is an Explore function to browse popular places such as restaurants, shopping, playing, and sleeping. This feature is integrated with Zagat ratings and deals via Google Offers.

The 2.0 update also includes indoor mapping functionality for malls, transit...

Apple was granted a patent for a media centric Spiral UI for iTunes and beyond back in October 2012. Apple has several other patent pending designs on this future user interface that some have reported could be used for a future wearable's computer from Apple. Apple also just received a design patent for the Mac mini just two weeks ago as well as back in 2011 in addition to winning a patent for technical aspects of the Mac mini. But intellectual property means little to a psychopathic copycat designers like Samsung who ...

Google has opened up the beta for the new Google Maps service to everyone. The company announced the new version of its Maps service at Google I/O but limited access to it on an invitation-only basis—now anyone can check it out. The new Google Maps is currently limited to browsers, with some features being open to Chrome only. It includes a 3D view, a new interface, the ability to zoom out to space (you know, because you need that), photo tours of famous locations, and other features, some of which were found in Google Earth. The beta service is being hosted at google.com/maps/about/explore/, and it's open now.

Ransomware holding you and your computer hostage? Don't worry, its scheme can easily be overcome.

Accessory manufacturer Griffin Technology has launched the PowerDock 5. The new device is built to safely charge and store up to five iPads, iPhones, iPods, or other USB cable chargeable devices at the same time, from a single power source....  ...

Code Collector Pro (on sale for $9.99, normally $19.99) offers a snippet manager for your development needs. I bought myself a copy a few weeks ago, when it suddenly went on sale, and have spent the time since kicking its wheels.

I was surprised to find out how much I like it. It offers excellent language-specific contextual highlighting, flexible tag support, and easy-to-use searching. Whenever you have a snippet you want to store, just add a new item, paste, and edit its metadata.

I installed it into my Dock on day one, and it's been there ever since. I have not yet found a reason to close it, hide it, or put it away. That's a big deal for me given how zealously I guard my permanent Dock items.

Previously, I've tried using special-purpose Xcode projects, TextEdit files and even Notes to organize code bits. I was never really satisfied with any of those solutions. Code...

Ransomware targeting Apple's Safari browser on Macs has been found in the wild by MalwareBytes. The ransomware is exploiting Javascript to hijack a browser window with a fake FBI-branded accusation that the user is distributing child porn and an offer to let bygones be bygones for a mere US$300.

A new iOS companion app that allows users that control Airfoil on their Mac.

∞ Read this on The Loop

StackSocial's 2013 summer Mac bundle is available for a few more days. This is a great deal if you don't have Parallels, and not a bad deal at all if you don't have 2 or 3 of the applications included in the bundle from StackSocial. Here's what's included in the Mac bundle:

• Parallels 8 - An excellent virtual machine for running Windows, Linux or just about any other desktop OS on your Mac.
• Snagit - If you need to record video of your desktop, or take pictures of elements and annotate them, Snagit is hands-down one of the best tools out there.
• Typinator - Do you keep typing the same stuff over and over again? Typinator takes care of this for you and includes some handy autocorrect to boot.
• WinZip Mac - Compression utilities are still useful, and WinZip includes...

Apple on Tuesday unveiled Logic Pro X, an update to its Logic Pro line of music-mixing software complete with a new interface along with creative tools for musicians and an expanded collection of instruments and effects. Particularly notable about the new release is Logic Remote, a new feature that offers iPad integration, giving musicians the flexibility to create and mix their music from anywhere in the room.

A new piece of digitally signed spyware for Mac OS X uses a special Unicode character in its file name to hide its real file extension from users and trick them into installing it.

There’s no indication how widespread this is, or even if anyone besides the researcher has even downloaded it.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Yahoo is just starting the analyst call of its Q2 earnings, which were pretty lackluster. But CEO Marissa Mayer, who is awfully good at this kind of thing, has ginned up the excitement nonetheless, deciding to now broadcast the event live over the Internet via video, rather than over a more typical audio link.

2:01 pm: Woah! Although I have been watching television since Richard Nixon was president, this video earnings call idea is pretty cool. Why has it not been done before? (It will be done again next week, as Netflix CEO Reed Hasting grabs his 15 minutes.)

Thus, as soon as the legal disclaimer was over, it was Mayer and CFO Ken Goldman sitting at a news desk, in a sort of “Good Afternoon, Yahoo!” situation.

Because it is...

Briefly from Eternal Storms Software is a Macintosh app that turns your still shots into a video. The end result is called a still motion video. The Briefly demo on the site is impressive, but unlike most demos, I think anyone could create similar movies.

The iOS version of Briefly is under development and I think it will be a winner. As a Macintosh app, not so much, at least for my needs. Don't get me wrong, Briefly works wonders and does it well. It just has so few features that I couldn't do quite what I wanted. Your experience may be different.

Briefly is definitely one of the easiest and quickest...

Apple and other companies are widely rumored to be working on smart watch devices for debut later this year or in 2014, and that increased interest is set to grow the smart watch segment by a factor of ten.  ...

Diverging from Mundomono/Kid Bunch’s past fairy tale titles, Bean Bag Kids Apollo 11 ($3) tells the story of the three American astronauts who traveled to the moon, culminating in the first ever moon landing. Using button-memorizing and tapping sequences, kids aged six and up can control takeoff of the…

Ohanaware has introduced App Wrapper Mini 1.0 for Mac OS X. It's their newest post production tool for Xojo Developers.

App Wrapper Mini was designed to reduce the steps needed to prepare an Xojo application for the Mac App Store or for Gatekeeper, to improve the speed of processing the application to make them sandboxed and Retina ready. The app includes an Icon Editor that can be used to preview ICNS files before being added to an application.

read more

Airfoil allows you to send any audio to AirPort Express units, Apple TVs, and even other Macs and PCs, all in sync! It's your audio - everywhere.

With Airfoil you can take audio from any application and send to your AirPort Express units, as well as Apple TVs, and even other Macs and PCs running Airfoil Speakers! Transmit audio from RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, QuickTime Player, and other media players. Send audio from web-based applications like Pandora, Last.fm, and other to the AirPort Express. You can even stream audio from audio devices like RadioSHARK, XM and Sirius radios, around your house.

Version 4.8.0:

• Airfoil now has full support for Airfoil Remote - control Airfoil from any iOS device, with Airfoil Remote.
• Last.fm and Radium 3 are both now supported for enhanced metadata and remote control.
• The Instant On component has been updated to version 6.0.3, fixing several small issues including one...

Microsoft has asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to personally intervene in its effort to secure permission to release information about how it handles and has responded in the past to requests for customer data from government agencies.

In a letter released by the software giant moments ago, Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith argued that the company has a constitutional right to disclose the information, but its request is languishing before several different agencies. It asked Holder, the highest law enforcement official in the country, to cut through the red tape. “In my opinion, these issues are languishing amidst discussions among multiple parts of the Government, the Constitution itself is suffering, and it will take the personal involvement of you or the President to set things right,” Smith...

To help celebrate 5 years of the App Store, Apple recently launched an iTunes promotion wherein a number of popular iOS apps were made available as free downloads. One such app was Infinity Blade II, an extremely popular and critically acclaimed gaming title which normally sells for US$6.99.

If there's one thing we can all agree on, it's that people love 'free'. To that extent, AllThingsD reports that Infinity Blade II saw an absolutely huge influx of new users thanks to Apple's App Store promotion.

The action-RPG sword-fighting game added 5.7 million new players in seven days. Laura Mustard, publicist for the game's developer, Chair Entertainment, said 1.7 million downloads occurred on Monday, the first day of the promotion.

Those new downloads, three times what the iOS-exclusive IB2 gets in a normal week, amount to a short-term spike that could...

Noise Industries now offers Ripple Training Jumps in FxFactory. Designed exclusively for Final Cut Pro X, Jumps offers two transition effects that allow users to graphically move viewers through terrestrial space.

Editors can choose either a 2D or 3D transition with built-in world maps, or choose a custom map of their own. The l director view allows editors to adjust the position of video clips and titles, and additional markers can be activated to display pins and drop zones.

Jumps is available now for US$49 in FxFactory. For more information, go to www.noiseindustries.com/ .

Uber, a private taxi service available in 35 cities around the world, has launched an update for its iOS and Android app that includes new fare splitting functionality. Previously, payments could only be charged to a single customer, forcing groups to split the fare manually before or after the ride. In the latest release, a user can now add any friends they want to split the payment with from directly in the app and each will then receive a text linking them to the Uber app and requesting to split the fare....  ...

WhatsApp for iPhone receives a nice update today that introduces the ability to send multiple photos at once, URL schema support for third-party apps, and iCloud support for backing up and restoring chat history.

Users can access the iCloud chat history by navigating to WhatsApp > Settings > Chat Settings > Chat Backup in version 2.10.1 of WhatsApp.

The app also continues to be free today ahead of the company’s expected roll out of a subscription model later this year.

What’s New in Version 2.10.1

2.10.1:
- multi-send UI: can send multiple photos at the same time
- URL schema support for 3rd party apps (see our blog for more info)
-...

This week, OfficeDepot.com has the Acer Iconia 8.1-inch Windows 8 Tablet for the reduced price of $300, a savings of $80 off the original price. That makes this the lowest price we have seen on this tablet by about $60. Free delivery is available, but sales tax applies for residents of most states. The Acer Iconia Tablet features a 1.5GHz Intel Atom processor, 32GB of Solid State storage, an Intel Graphics Media Accelerator and a variety of connectivity options including micro-USB and microHDMI. A one-year limited warranty is included from Acer....  ...

Warn your family, say goodbye to your coworkers, and contact your support system. Candy Crush has been updated with two new episodes of sticky exploding candy goodness. Take a trip up Pudding Pagoda to see if you can clear all the rows. Once you're done, head to Licorice Tower and ask yourself why they haven't figured out a Red Vines power up yet. Enquiring minds want to know. The new episodes bring the total number of levels in the game to 395, so seriously, your boss should understand all your extra lunch breaks.

In addition, Crushers have been given a new weapon in the war against the high fructose horde, the Cake Bomb Blocker, which clears the entire game board. There is still no power up that offers counseling services for Candy Crush addicts. Keep your fingers crossed for the next update.

The update also makes Candy Crush's plans...

The multitouch feature in your Mac's laptop or your Magic Trackpad makes it easy to perform tasks that otherwise might include several taps, clicks or swipes. For example, you can look up the definition of words in documents and on webpages with a simple gesture, no need to use Spotlight or launch the Dictionary app.

According to AllThingsD, a production ramp up of the next generation iPhone should begin around the end of this month, confirming a recent report from Jefferies' Peter Misek.

Misek believes that Apple started small batch production of the iPhone 5S last month, but with the company now gearing up for mass production, it appears to be making final preparations for a launch later this year.

A report from earlier today suggested that iPhone 5S supplies will be constrained at launch, as it is with many new Apple product releases, perhaps because of low yields on a new...

Learn more about MainStage 3.

Summer time! Well, at least here in the northern hemisphere. Summer means travel for many and the iPhone is among the best travel gadgets you can own. It's a navigation device, communication tool, camera, concierge and so much more.

In this post, your favorite TUAW writers share what's in their travel folders. Some may be familiar, some hidden gems. Here are the apps that we always pack (all prices are USD).

Dave Caolo

I do love to travel. I even get excited to visit a new corner store. When I'm out and about, I use the following apps:

MotionX GPS Drive ($0.99 + optional in-app purchases for voice navigation)

MotionX has been my favorite turn-by-turn navigation app for a long time. It has never given me bum directions (though it occasionally takes me "the long way around"), is inexpensive and includes niceties like customizable voices, traffic alerts, speed alerts and...

As the Apple TV continues to receive new channels, Frost & Sullivan’s “Analysis of the Global Consumer Video Devices Market” has the “hobby” device taking the lion’s share of the IP Streaming Devices market in 2012.

Roku took about a fifth of the marketshare and TiVo was down to just 6.5%. Notably, Google TV must have been placed into the “Others” slice of the pie.

Apple’s executives are quick to reiterate their view of the Apple TV as a “hobby device”, even as the content library begins to grow. The $99 device now has Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go,...

This is definitely not safe for work or children, but I laughed all the way through.

In 2012, Apple accounted for 56 percent of sales in the consumer streaming video device market with Apple TV, despite "relatively narrow content access," with Roku coming in second with a 21 percent share.   ...

First off, apologies for the delay in getting the Rumor Roundup out this week. I had a death in the family; my iPhone 4S prematurely kicked the bucket. It's been living on borrowed time since a bad motorcycle accident last November; I'd hoped it would last until Apple launched the iPhone 5S or whatever it ends up being called, but it was not meant to be.

Therefore, the time I'd normally have spent chugging vodka martinis while writing the Roundup was instead frittered away on wrestling with iCloud while I tried to get it to properly restore a backup to my shiny new iPhone 5.

Having just spent way too much money on a new iPhone 5, I'm certain the iPhone 5S will be on store shelves within mere weeks. You can take that one to the bank.

Apple...

Xojo has released Xojo 2013 Release 2, an upgrade of the development tool for web and desktop apps. This new release contains over 150 changes, including
improved IDE functionality, enhanced web support and more sophisticated local documentation.

Xojo is a multi-platform, object-oriented development tool that enables developers of all backgrounds to create desktop (OS X, Windows and Linux), web and, soon, mobile/iOS apps. Version 2 sports over 75 enhancements to IDE, 13 OS X Cocoa improvements, and better language reference.

read more

macProVideo has released seven hours of Logic Pro X online courses. Delivered in full HD Video, these new courses cover new features of Apple's updated audio software.

According to company Founder and CEO, Martin Sitter, "As Apple's Original Courseware Author and Lead Trainer for Logic, this software is close to my heart. I founded macProVideo specifically to teach Logic, and we're proud to have worked closely with Apple to time the release of these new courses for the same morning as the release of Logic Pro X."

read more

I hear people calling Apple products some really weird things, and now I’m sharing the list with you.

This morning, Microsoft announced the launch of their new iOS application, “OWA” or Outlook Web App. Specifically for Office 365 subscribers, this native application brings notifications and other features that are not available through the web application:

Our goal is to help our customers remain productive anytime, anywhere.  This includes providing a great email experience on smartphones and tablets.  Windows Phone 8 comes with a top-notch native email client in Outlook Mobile, and we offer Exchange ActiveSync (EAS), which is the de-facto industry standard for accessing Exchange email on mobile devices.  In order to better support many of our customers who use their iPhones and iPads for work, we are introducing OWA for iPhone and OWA for iPad, which bring a native Outlook Web App experience to iOS devices!

...

Griffin Technology has launched the PowerDock 5, a countertop charging and storage solution optimized for iOS devices. It costs US$99.99 and is available at http://tinyurl.com/b37hsuj .

The PowerDock 5 is built to safely charge and store up to five iPads, iPhones or iPods at the same time, from a single power source. Each of the five charging bays five charging bays boasts 10 watts of power. It also has a clear backrest that's purportedly large enough to accommodate an iPad without the need to remove even the largest of cases.

Last week, Apple celebrated the App Store’s fifth birthday by giving away five apps and five games, which included Tiny Wings, Where’s My Water?, and Infinity Blade II.

While infinity Blade II has returned to its regular $6.99 price, Chari Entertainment, the game’s developers, have told All Things D that the app was downloaded over 5.7 million times as a result of the promotion.

The action-RPG sword-fighting game added 5.7 million new players in seven days. Laura Mustard, publicist for the game’s developer, Chair Entertainment, said 1.7 million downloads occurred on Monday, the first day of the promotion.

The report...

    ...

Apple's iPad will serve as the official scoring and record recording device used by officials during the 2013 Little League Baseball and Softball World Series, replacing the traditional pen-and-paper method currently in use..  ...

The four major carriers have either announced — or will reportedly announce — new plans that will allow customers to upgrade their iPhones or iPads, or receive unlimited data. Three of the new plans appear to be similar with one carrier’s new plan going in a different direction:

Apple has won the rights to a US patent for "virtual drafting tools," notes AppleInsider. The tools would be based on a multi-touch interface such as that on the iPad, and give people access to things like rulers, protractors, and stencils without returning to a menu away from the actual drawing. The number and position of simultaneous touch points might determine which tool appears; tools would either stay active temporarily or require a user to dismiss them....  ...

When it comes to location check-ins, there are a lot of different apps that are designed to tell everyone where you are and what you’re doing. With apps like Foursquare dominating the check-in space, it’s hard to imagine a different way of doing things.

Ohai is an app that does exactly that: it introduces a new way of handling location check-ins. Whereas Foursquare makes checking in at different locations something of a game, complete with a scoring system and leaderboard, Ohai focuses more on saving memories and less on visiting the most places of all your friends.

...

If you’re in the habit of snagging the new stuff as it comes out, this might come in handy.

Per Mac|Life, wireless carrier AT&T announced Tuesday a new initiative called AT&T Next, which allows consumers to buy a new smartphone or tablet each and every year with no downpayment, no activation fee, no upgrade fee and no financing fees.

The move is seen as a response to T-Mobile’s recent attacks against the traditional subsidy business model, AT&T Next allows customers to buy a new device and agree to pay monthly installments. After 12 payments, the device can be traded in for a new one, or the customer can own it outright after making 20 payments.

While rival T-Mobile US offers a plan that allows up to two upgrades per year, their Jump! offer requires a US$10 per...

The MacTech Conference is expertly run and has always been loaded with good sessions and an abundance of opportunities for the IT crowd and developers. This year MacTech is cranking up the volume, with a number of enhancements plus a newer, better venue. So what's new?

The new venue is the Manhattan Beach Marriott. There are now three full days of content. There will be a pre-conference workshop day offering two accreditation/certifications, plus four full-day workshops. They've added a free Microsoft Office for Mac Accreditation course and exam (given by a Microsoft trainer). There will be more sessions, although they aren't all listed yet. Vendor forums will allow attendees to "select the vendors they want to hear more from with a deeper dive." And Jacqui Cheng, of Ars Technica will be the keynote speaker.

Currently, MacTech is on "Super Early Bird" pricing at US$899 which...

It’s speculation, but it could lead to something interesting.

A series of reports from Israeli publication Calcalist.co.il and...

It's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD and subject to change).

Deals from Dealnews

• StackSocial: [Mac Software] Parallels Mac Bundle downloads for $50: Parallels Desktop, WinZip Mac, more
• Rue La La: [Office Furniture] Home Office Furniture at Rue La La: Up to 48% off, deals from $45 + $10 s&h
• MegaMacs: [Keyboards] Used Apple Aluminum Keyboard w...

Following in the footsteps of T-Mobile, AT&T announced today that it is adding an upgrade option for customers who want a new smartphone or tablet each year. The yearly upgrade plan is called AT&T Next and allows customers to buy a device with monthly installments. After 12 payments, customers can trade in the device and upgrade to a new one with a new installment plan. Customers can also cancel at any time and pay off the balance that is owed on a device.

AT&T Next is available for any smartphone or tablet in AT&T's lineup, including the iPhone and iPad. Monthly pricing for these iOS devices were not announced, but AT&T did say the installment payments...

Sandvox is for Mac users who want to create a professional looking website quickly and easily. With Sandvox, you don't need to be a Web genius to build a stylish, feature-rich, standards-compliant website that's functional and user friendly. Sandvox's drag and drop interface lets you watch your website take shape and come to life as you build it. And, once finished, you can upload your site to your favorite host.

Whether you're a new website creator or a seasoned professional, you can make use of Sandvox to build the website of your dreams. New users can build a professional looking website in minutes and professional users can build an advanced, multimedia-rich site in no time at all.

Version 2.8.4:

• Corrects a bug where Sandvox Badges weren’t behaving as links properly
• YouTube object: broadens range of recognized embed codes
• Pressing Shift-Return enters a line break in all text areas of the web editor again
...

Apple is negotiating to acquire PrimeSense, the company that created the technology behind Microsoft’s Kinect, according to a report from Israeli publication Calcalist. Though the negotiations are in the early stages, a deal could reportedly cost Apple around $280 million. PrimeSense holds important patents related to motion sensors reading…

Manufacturing problems are affecting the amount of iPhones Apple will have in time for September's iPhone 5S launch, sources tell DigiTimes. Suppliers are reportedly getting poor yields of fingerprint recognition chips and integrated circuits for LCD drivers. Mass production of both parts was supposed to have started at the end of June or in early July, but is now believed to have been pushed to the end of July, mirroring claims by Jefferies & Co. analyst Peter Misek. If accurate, the sources' claims could be the first confirmation that the 5S uses fingerprint recognition.... ...

If you create an application bundle to start a Java application as a regular Mac app, you will get a message that the application is damaged when you try to run it on Mac OS Mountain Lion with GateKeeper active.


The error is caused by the fact that the Java stub application is signed by Apple, and Apple's signature will not be valid for your application.The codesign tool will give the following message:

codesign -d MyJavaApplication.app
MyJavaApplication.app: invalid signature (code or signature have been modified)

The best solution is to sign your application with your Apple Developer key, but if you do not have one you can still sign your application with an ad-hoc key, and replace the Apple signature that will cause this message. To do so run codesign with the following options:



codesign -s - --force MyJavaApplication.app


The user will still have to allow running the application...

A court’s decision not to prevent multiple Samsung handsets from being sold in the U.S. despite their being found to infringe Apple patents will go before an appeal’s court in early August reports the IDG News Service (http://tinyurl.com/m23h6ak).

read more

Logic Pro X gives Apple's professional music software a Final Cut Pro-style makeover, but it shouldn't be as controversial an update. Apple

Some two years after giving its professional video editing software an overhaul with the contentious Final Cut Pro X, Apple has announced a similarly named overhaul for its professional music recording software. Logic Pro X is here, and it should be available in the Mac App Store later today for the same $199.99 as the outgoing Logic Pro 9. This pricing applies to both new and existing Logic Pro users—there's reportedly no free or reduced-price upgrade for current users.

In addition to a revamped interface, the most significant new feature of the software is called "Drummer," a collection of drum samples and playing styles designed to make your drum...

Apple unveiled a new version of Logic Pro today. Logic Pro X includes a new drummer feature that'll play drums along with your song. There's also a Flex Pitch feature to easily edit the pitch of an audio recording and remote control feature that lets you control Logic Pro via your iPad.

Apple also updated MainStage to version 3. MainStage 3 is a live performance companion app to Logic Pro and has been updated with a fresh, new UI and compatibility with Logic Pro X.

Logic Pro X and MainStage 3 will be available today from the Mac App Store for US $199.99 and $29.99, respectively. Logic Remote will be available as a free download from the iOS App Store.

Jim Dalrymple of The Loop has been using Logic Pro X in his studio and...

Logic Pro X is a new paid version of Logic Pro.

Logic Pro X can open projects you created in Logic Pro 5 or Logic Express 5 or later. This article discusses the process of opening an older project for the first time, and some of the choices you are offered when doing so.

The Audio Editor in Logic lets you see and work with audio regions along a track. This article explains how take folders and the Audio Editor work with each other.

When you load a movie into Logic Pro X and choose not to extract the audio, the movie's audio may not play through the audio interface that Logic is using.
 

Some Software Instrument patches respond monophonically when played from a MIDI controller that is set to any MIDI channel higher than channel 1.

When an Audio Unit plug-in window is open, some key commands may have no effect in Logic.

If you install multiple USB audio interfaces of the same model, Logic only offers one of them in the Audio > Devices panel of the preferences. This occurs even if the device driver supports multiple instances of the device.

After you install a new Jam Pack (from disc or Logic's Download Additional Content command), the Apple Loops from the Jam Pack do not show up in Logic's Loop Browser.

Moving a volume slider in the Track Header only affects one track. It is not possible to simultaneously adjust the volume for multiple selected tracks in the Track Header.

To celebrate the App Store’s fifth birthday last week, Apple gave away 10 paid games and apps, five of them games. And surprise, surprise (not really): At least one of those games, Infinity Blade 2, made out great on the deal.

The action-RPG sword-fighting game added 5.7 million new players in seven days. Laura Mustard, publicist for the game’s developer, Chair Entertainment, said 1.7 million downloads occurred on Monday, the first day of the promotion.

Those new downloads, three times what the iOS-exclusive IB2 gets in a normal week, amount to a short-term spike that could pay off big in the long term.

Like many other games (most of them free-to-play), the normally $6.99 Infinity Blade 2′s revenue is bolstered by in-app purchases of virtual gold currency. With a couple million players who got in the door for free, it doesn’t take an economist to wonder if they might be in a gold-buying mood.

However, Mustard downplayed the importance of in-app...

Apple has unveiled Logic Pro X, the most advanced version of Logic Pro to date, featuring a new interface designed for pros, new creative tools for musicians, and an expanded collection of instruments and effects.

read more

Apple announced the immediate availability of Logic Pro X on Tuesday. Logic Pro X is the company's professional audio editing and mixing application for the Mac. The new version includes Drummer for automatically adding drum tracks to your recordings, Flex Pitch, and Logic Remote for controlling Logic Pro from your iPad.

Update: Logic Pro X is now available in the Mac App Store for $199 and the new Logic Remote companion iPad app is...

Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reports [Google translation, via 9to5Mac] that Apple is in early-stage negotiations to acquire 3D body sensing firm PrimeSense, with any deal likely to command a price in the range of $280 million. PrimeSense is the firm that developed the original technology behind Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing and control system.

The report indicates that a delegation of senior Apple executives visited PrimeSense earlier...

Shortly after an Apple patent for a flexible battery design suitable for the rumored iWatch was published, German site MobileGeeks has shown off a real-life example of a fully-flexible, watchstrap-sized battery from Taiwanese company ProLogium.

Flexible Printed Circuits (FCP), where components are mounted on a bendable plastic substrate, have existed for several years, but until recently the batteries were the stumbling block. The patent...

The Joy of Tech

Last December, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh denied Apple’s request for a permanent sales ban on more than a dozen Samsung devices, tempering an otherwise sweeping jury trial win in its landmark patent case against the South Korean company. Despite a large number of infringement findings, Koh ruled that a ban simply wasn’t warranted.

“The phones at issue in this case contain a broad range of features, only a small fraction of which are covered by Apple’s patents,” Koh wrote. “It does not follow that entire products must be forever banned from the market because they incorporate, among their myriad features, a few narrow protected functions.”

Apple disagreed, and promptly filed an appeal. Now, seven months later, it has finally been given a date to argue its case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal...

Nearly one-third of US Telco TV households are expected to access multiscreen or TV Everywhere services by the end of 2013 -- the vast majority of which already use advanced interactive features like remote programming a DVR.

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The latest version of the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS Sprint 27) provides a l new feature that supports a metererd paywall model. Version 6.6 R3 of the cross-media publishing platform vjoon K4 already affords users access to this new feature.

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Addonics Technologies' Secure NAS series of storage appliances combines the benefits of RAID, Network Attached Storage (NAS), Direct Attached Storage (DAS) and hardware AES 256-bit encryption in one enclosure. It's a fine solution for storing large volumes of sensitive data, for securely transporting large volumes of data between different locations, or for any application that requires protection against data theft.

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The new T-Mobile Jump plan to allow for phone upgrades twice a year appears to have forced the hand of AT&T and Verizon into offering their own variants of the scheme, departing from the typical 24-month lifecycle. AT&T announced a new plan to provide new smartphones and tablets on a yearly basis, something it teased about last week, while Verizon is said to be working on its own plan....  ...

In April we reported that "Apple's new Fingerprint Sensor may be the Culprit Holding back the iPhone 5S." Today, DigiTimes is reporting that poor yields of fingerprint-recognition chips and LCD driver ICs will likely force Apple to reduce shipments of the rumored iPhone 5S, which is slated for launch in September 2013, according to industry sources.

Apple is rumored to be in acquisition talks with Israeli development company PrimeSense, which created the range camera technology Microsoft used as a base for the Xbox 360's 3D-motion tracking Kinect sensor.  ...

Hey, guess what? The effort to sell Hulu has been called off. Again. This is the second time the ad-supported and for-fee television and movie streaming service has been on the auction block only to be pulled off again. Instead, the three companies that own the service—21st Century Fox, NBC Universal and The Walt Disney Co.—will give Hulu a cash infusion of US$750 million. Home Media Magazine has more information, but for now the forces of inertia are maintaining their hold on the TV industry, even while Apple looks to shake things up.

The marketing team behind Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs biopic, Jobs, have made a first-of-its-kind, a 15 second trailer posted to Instagram. Short trailers are a rarity in the first place, but Twitter's Vine (six seconds) and Instagram's new 15 second video feature offer new opportunities for short format video advertising. Since it's Instagram, you'd have to be following a film's account to see it (or click through from external links like ours), so it has limited reach, but give Mr. Kutcher's team credit for thinking differently. They made a very compelling trailer within the restrictions of the format. Jobs is currently scheduled for an August 16th release.

Apple said it is investigating an incident where a woman in China was reportedly electrocuted when using her iPhone. The device was supposedly charging at the time, though details are scarce.

A recent Apple hiring spree focused on the company’s rumored smart watch suggests that the device won’t be ready for launch until late 2014, according to the Financial Times. Apple is reportedly “aggressively” hiring for the project at this time. Though Apple has recently filed for the “iWatch” trademark…

Apple will use Samsung to manufacture A9 chips for a future iPhone, according to a new report. Samsung reportedly signed an agreement to supply the processors to Apple in 2015. The report notes Samsung lost the contract for A8 chips to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, but regained the order by…

Apple is looking into the death of a Chinese woman who was apparently killed when answering a call on her charging iPhone 5. According to China’s Xinhua news agency, 23-year-old Ma Ailun was electrocuted when she took a call on the charging phone. Apple declined to comment on details, but…

Hidden within the Accessibility features of your iOS device are some great little tweaks that can be helpful for anyone. Here I take a dive into some of the features of Assistive Touch.

A lawsuit has been filed against Apple asking for damages because Apple didn't protect an idiot from porn. AboveTheLaw reported that a Nashville man named Chris Sevier is suing Apple for not installing filters on the company's Macs that would prevent him from accessing porn.

So get this: there's a ceramic developed from a rare mineral that makes our smartphones and tablets touch-sensitive. The mineral used to make that substance is rare, and known sources could run out in the next ten years. According to GigaOM, the search for a replacement involves new nanomaterials developments.

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.…

Apple’s new Retina-equipped iPad mini may not ship until next year, according to a Taiwanese report. A shortage of Retina displays may cause Apple to push back the device’s shipping date. The report also seems to indicate there may be a non-Retina version of the next-generation iPad mini, though any…

Apple has launched a “fact-finding visit” to Bangka Island, Indonesia, to see if it is using illegally mined tin in its products, according to an update on the company’s Supplier Responsibility webpage. The move may have been prompted by a Friends of the Earth campaign that calls for…

The latest victim in Google's ongoing app and service killing spree is Alfred, the local business recommendation service the Internet search giant acquired when it bought Clever Sense.

The Mac Observer Spin:
It's almost like watching a B-list horror movie where the victims are picked off one by one. Google's other services need to get out of the house right now -- and whatever you do, don't look in the closet.

Apple released AirPort Utility 6.3.1 for the Mac and AirPort Utility 1.3.1 for the iPhone and iPad on Thursday. The updates fixed an issue where Base Stations may not appear in the utility app.