Of all American mobile gamers, 19 million play on an iPhone, which is 28% of all smartphone gamers, according to new data from NewZoo (http://www.newzoo.com), an international market research firm focused purely on the games industry. An additional 18 million plays games on an iPod touch. In the tablet gaming space, the iPad is dominant with a share of 60%, or 12.7 million Americans. NewZoo says Apple’s position is strongest when it comes to revenues. In March, all iOS devices combined earned 84% of mobile revenues generated by the top 200 grossing games in the three stores combined: iPad, iPhone/iPod App Store and Google PlayStore. For both Android and iOS devices, the majority of money is not spent on downloading games but within the games:  an astonishing 91% for Android and 91% for iOS games. “When analyzing Apple’s successful monetization, there is one dominant factor outside of differences in audience demographics and preferences: Apple requires users to connect their credit...

In an ongoing lawsuit, Apple claims a deposition of Steve Jobs from a 2010 trial involving F.B.T. Productions, producers of Eminem tracks, could, if released, bring competitive harm to the company over “highly confidential and proprietary trade secrets," reports "TechCrunch" (http://macte.ch/a7C5C). The lawsuit was filed in a Los Angeles court over three years ago by the rapper's production company F.B.T. The issue: whether musicians should be entitled to a larger share of digital download revenues given that much of the overhead in promoting and distributing songs online falls on service providers like Apple, not the labels. F.B.T. claims that UMI owes Eminem more money for the music it sells via third-party distributors like iTunes or phone companies who offer musical ringtones. The production company argued that all UMG is providing to the online retailer is a digital file -- with no costs incurred from things like jewel cases, liner notes, sales teams or in-store displays....

The Flashback malware that's infected hundreds of thousands of Macs may be generating more than US$10,000 a day for the hackers who made the Trojan horse, according to the security specialist company, Symantec. The malware steals clicks from ads that Google's search engine displays alongside search results. In a blog post (http://macte.ch/o7vTh) Symantec said that botnet measuring in the region of 25,000 infections could generate the author up to $450 per day. Considering the Flashback Trojan measures in the hundreds of thousands, this figure could sharply rise to the order of $10,000 per day. The Flashback ad-clicking component is loaded into Chrome, Firefox, and Safari where it can intercept all GET and POST requests from the browser. Flashback specifically targets search queries made on Google and, depending on the search query, may redirect users to another page of the attacker's choosing, where they receive revenue from the click . (Google never receives the intended ad click.)

According to the latest market share survey from NetMarketShare (http://www.netmarketshare.com), the market share for Mac OS X, Safari and iOS all dipped slightly month. According to the report, among desktop operating systems, Mac OS X had 6.53% of the global market share in April compared to 6.54% in March (that's global market share; in the US it's over 10%). Windows remains dominant with 92.49% as of April. That's up from 91.48% in March. When it comes to browsers, Safari had 4.81% in April compared to 5.07% in March. Internet Explorer had 53.09%, Firefox had 20.20% and Chrome had 18.85%. That compares to, respectively, March percentages of 53.83%, 20.55%, and 18.57%, respectively, for the browsers. The iOS's still dominated in April, according to NetMarketShare. It had 61.19%, compared to 18.66% for Android, 11.83% for Java ME, 2.24% for Symbian and 2.04% for Blackberry. That compares to 59.87%, 18.66%, 15.10%, 2.77% and $2.21%, respectively, in March. NetMarketShares' monthly...

A new study by CareerBliss (http://www.careeerbliss.com) -- an online career community that provides company reviews by real employees, detailed salary information and local job opportunities -- says that Apple didn't make the list of its "happiest companies for young professionals." The top 10 companies on the list are GE Energy, Nordstrom, Fluor, United Space Alliance, AstraZeneca, Centex, GlaxSmithKline, Wipro, FedEx Express and Kaiser Permanente.. CareerBliss analyzed more than 223,500 employee-generated reviews between March 2011 and March 2012.  The company asked young professionals, defined as employees with less than 10 years of experience in a full-time position, to rate the company they work for on a scale from 1 to 5. “What we see for young professionals is a desire to find a company culture that fits with their personal work-style,” says CareerBliss co-founder and CTO Matt Miller. “They want a company that values their ideas and provides the growth opportunities and...

The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has widened its inquiry into Apple's advertising of the new iPad and taken issue with Apple's advertising of the new iPad as a "4G" device, even though it's not compatible with long-term evolution networks in the country, reports "BBC News" (http://macte.ch/jGg3D). The UK doesn't have widespread 4G coverage yet, and the iPad will be incompatible with it when it does, the article adds. The ASA says it's received "dozens" of complaints on the issue. The ASA told the BBC that when it approached Apple the company said it had removed references to 4G from the webpage subject to the complaint, and had edited a video that contained references to 4G. However, Apple's UK site still offers consumers the chance to buy a "wi-fi + 4G" version of the iPad. A footnote explains that "4G LTE" is supported only on certain networks in the United States and Canada.

New data from the Juniper Research mobile analyst firm (http://www.juniperresearch.com) shows Samsung and Apple trading places once again in the smartphone market, in what is increasingly becoming a two-horse race. In the first quarter of 2012, the company estimates that nearly 60% of the 139 million smartphones shipped worldwide carried either the Apple (35.1 million) or Samsung (46.9 million) brand -- up from 46% in the last three months of 2011. While Apple and Samsung have taken it in turns to lead the smartphone market over the last four quarters, it seems as if Samsung may now have established a firm lead in this space, shipping 11.8 million more units that the Cupertino, California company in quarter one, according to Juniper Research. Samsung tops sales, but Apple leads in revenue With the iPhone launch craze now past, the analyst firm believes Samsung may hold onto its lead next quarter. However, as Daniel Ashdown, research analyst with Juniper Research notes: "Apple’s...

Fast Reports (http://www.fast-report.com) has announced the imminent release of FastReport FMX for Mac OS X. It's a reporting tool is aimed at cross-platform development in the FireMonkey environment. FireMonkey is the part of Delphi XE2 of company Embarcadero Technologies and today supports Mac OS X and Windows.

 "When Embarcadero released the XE2 generation development tools with FireMonkey to support multi-platform projects based on a single source code IDE, users of Delphi and C++ Builder took it as an extension of the horizons in the field of their traditional and favorite tools," says Vsevolod Leonov, product manager for Embarcadero Technologies. "After becoming acquainted with FireMonkey, which includes built-in component based access to MS SQL Server, InterBase, Firebird, etc. databases, they raised the question, 'Does FastReport support multi-platform development?' Now we can proudly say that thanks to an unprecedented high rate of FastReports and the excellent quality of...

Steel River Games has given us The Court Jester (http://macte.ch/CGe6K), its first indie game title for Mac OS X and Windows. It costs US$2.99. Here's how the game is described: "Featuring an in-depth storyline, The Court Jester is an action-packed, story-driven 2.5D sidescroller where players control Domitian, a disgruntled jester on a quest to become emperor. Domitian must traverse a brutal world where allies stab you in the back, priests hurl fireballs from on high, and gods and emperors alike are savage killers. "Domitian uses his newfound magical abilities to incinerate legions of imperial soldiers and fire-conjuring priests. His arsenal includes the Spade Shot, a projectile attack, and the Diamond Flame, which surrounds him and damages nearby foes. Domitian can also use his club to turn wounded foes into ghouls who will fight by his side for a set amount of time. Virtually every enemy encounter can yield a new ally for the player or replace the ghoul currently following Domitian...

The Element Case Design Studio is a new site that lets you design your own custom iPhone case. Custom Online Case Designer for iPhone. You have access to a variety of color combinations for the frame, back plate and hardware options. The design process begins with selecting a case model between the Element Case Vapor Comp and Vapor Pro for the iPhone 4/4S. The case is then customized by selecting color combinations from 14 different anodized colors of both the frame and cap components. Anodized components now include Element Case’s new Flux finish. There are also 19 different back-plates available to choose in assorted materials and colors. Finally, the design can be complemented with silver, black, or gold screws and a CNC power button to enhance the overall design aesthetic. Multiple custom designs can be created and saved before making a final decision. For more info go to http://macte.ch/TDbMf .

As noted by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) Apple has sent out a mass email to Mac developers urging them to apply for a Developer ID in preparation for the new operating system's Gatekeeper security system. The email says that while the Mac App Store is the safest place for users to download software for their computers, the company is concerned about protection from possibly malicious applications obtained through unmonitored channels, the article adds. To block these unwanted programs from making their way onto users' Macs, Apple has created the Gatekeeper security system which will be running behind the scenes in the next-generation OS X Mountain Lion. Here's Apple's description of GateKeeper: "Gatekeeper is a revolutionary new security feature that gives you control over which apps can be downloaded and installed on your Mac. You can choose to install apps from any source, just as you do on a Mac today, or you can use the safer default setting to install apps from...

Apple and Microsoft will be among technology companies asked to explain to the Australian Parliament why Australians pay much more for music and game downloads from iTunes, for example, than overseas customers, reports the "Sydney Morning Herald" (http://macte.ch/Lk5L8). The Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy, has signed off on the parliamentary inquiry, which will also consider pricing of software and other IT-related material and could have big implications for businesses, the article adds. The terms of reference for the inquiry are being finalised by Mr Conroy but it will begin later this year and be conducted by the House of Representatives standing committee on infrastructure and communication 'There is evidence to suggest that the innovative use of technology is not always matched with innovative new business models in the case of products and services distributed online,'' Conroy said in a letter to Sydney MP Ed Husic (as noted by the "Herald.") "'I agree that...

Apple co-founder and chief scientist at Fusion-io, Steve "Woz" Wozniak, will speak at the 2012 EuraMedia Summit (http://euramediasummit2012.eventbrite.com/), which will be held in Boston, Massachusetts, June 13-16. EuraMedia was created "as a reaction to the enormous peak in recent interest in Russian media and tech markets by investors and entrepreneurs in both countries." It's described as "the first international conference on the Russian tech and media industry and the changes that cooperation in this industry is causing in the overall relationship between the US and Russia." "Early bird" tickets are available for US$999 before June 13.

In a note to clients -- as reported by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) -- Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says Apple has "enormous" potential to grow its sales in China. In fact, he predicts Apple will sell 25 million iPhones in the country this year, and sales will grow to at least 35 million in 2013. Whitmore thinks China Telecom and China Unicom -- Apple's two carrier partners in China -- to approach 300 million 3G subscribers by the end of 2013. If Apple adds China Mobile as a partner, the iPhone maker's addressable market in China would increase by about 125 million 3G subscribers in 2013, bringing the total number of potential customers to nearly 425 million, according to Whitmore.

ABI Research (http://www.abiresearch.com) has determined that the cellular handset market shipped 353.5 million handsets in the first quarter of 2012 (Q1 2012), which represents a -3.8% year-over-year and -16.5% sequential drop in shipments. The smartphone market delivered 142 million shipments in Q1 for a 38% year-over-year gain and a -8.1% sequential decline. Apple’s 35.1 million shipments were supported by APAC -- the part of the world in or near the Western Pacific Ocean, including at least much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania -- while Samsung’s 83.4 million displaced Nokia from the top position that it has held for over a decade. "Despite the rush of original equipment manufacturers [OEMs] to win in APAC’s low cost environment, many OEMs may find that their Apple problem still has not been resolved," says Michael Morgan, senior analyst, mobile devices, ABI Research. "Apple claims that it is still learning about emerging markets, yet it continues to sell $1000 handsets...

A new cross-industry study published by research firm Vocalabs (http://www.vocallabs.com) -- as noted by "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com) notes that while Apple received fewer customer complaints than tech rivals Dell and HP, the company's automated call answering service is the weakest link in the chain. Vocalabs released its Special Cross-Industry Report focusing on customer service complaints as part of the company's ongoing National Customer Service Survey and found that Apple led the pack in most categories with extraordinarily low numbers. The study extrapolated data collected from 2,379 customer comments and complaints taken at the end of 7,149 phone interviews conducted between January 2011 to March 2012.

Today's special deal is ContentBarrier for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$19.99; the regular price is $39.99. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1844/6603/contentbarrier . ContentBarrier sets up a protective wall around your computer. Its predefined categories let you choose what you don't want your children to see, and you can also create your own custom categories.

Elgato (http://www.elgato.com) has introduced the US$59.99 Thunderbolt Cable for anyone who frequently uses their Thunderbolt devices while on the move. The flexible 50cm cable in stylish black has been specifically designed for mobile use. Thanks to its compact dimensions, it takes up little space when being carried plus always keeps the work area uncluttered. The Elgato Thunderbolt Cable supports data transfer speeds of up to 10Gbit/s on each of the two separate channels. At the same time, it powers devices without their own separate power supply like the Elgato Thunderbolt SSD portable drive. In addition, Mini DisplayPort displays can be connected via Thunderbolt using the cable. The Elgato Thunderbolt Cable also allows users to boot a Mac in target disk mode from another Mac if both have Thunderbolt port.

Here are the latest incremental updates for Mac OS X apps. MaBaSoft (http://www.mabasoft.net/) has updated World Clock Deluxe to version 4.8. The app lets you display multiple clocks in a configurable horizontal or vertical palette, in the menu bar, and in the Dock, show Coordinated Universal Time and Internet Time, assign labels and colors to clocks, calculate date and time conversions across different time zones, and show the current weather all over the world. In version 4.8, 73 cities belonging to 36 different countries have been added to the World Clock Deluxe database, which now contains over 1,500 cities. Neatberry (http://neatberry.com) has announced Fumy 2.2 for Mac OS X. Fumy is a bitmap editor focused on special effects; version 2.2 adds a Lightning tool.

Apple has disabled the functionality of the Chomp app search engine for the Android platform after purchasing Chomp earlier this year, reports "AppleInsider" (http://www.appleinsider.com). "AppleInsider first began to receive word from readers on Thursday that Chomp was no longer working on Android phones," the article adds. "And as of Friday, the site no longer allows users to search for Android applications, only offering the iPhone and iPad as options." Chomp's proprietary algorithm learns the functions and topics of apps, so you can search based on what apps do, not just what they’re called. You can try searching for "puzzle games," "kids games," "expense trackers," "tip calculators" or "chat" to start finding the type of apps you're looking for. Chomp for iPhone was launched January 2010. It's a free download in the Apple App Store. Chomp for Android was launched in February 2011 and WAS a free download on the Android Market.

Ace Metrix (http://www.acemetrix.com), which specializes in analytics for television and video advertisers, says Apple’s new ads for iPhone starring Zooey Deschanel and Samuel L. Jackson were the most effective TV ads to break the week ending April 20, trumping two new Samsung Galaxy Note ads introduced the same week. The ads, which achieved Ace Scores of 653 and 645, respectively, are Apple’s most effective iPhone ads so far this year, but are still out-scored by Samsung’s “The Best of Phone and Tablet” Galaxy Note ad, which broke on Feb. 22 with an Ace Score of 686 and became the Ace Metrix "Q1 Ad of the Quarter." "Apple’s ads for iPhone had been falling rather flat earlier in the year, all scoring below the Apple iPhone norm of 620. This new creative tack that uses likeable celebrities struck a chord with American viewers," says Peter Daboll, CEO of Ace Metrix. “"hese ads performed very well, especially with younger women, who did not react as strongly to Apple's more feature-...

Apple's plan to expand its Austin, Texas, operation is endangered after an attorney calls a contract with Apple "rigged," reports "CNET." Last month the "Phoenix Business Journal" (http://macte.ch/nPz1m) reported that the Austin City Council was expected to approve an US$8.6 million incentive package for Apple as part of a larger $33.5 million incentive and tax break package to bring a $304 million company expansion to Texas, reports the "Phoenix Business Journal" (http://macte.ch/nPz1m). Now, speaking to the Austin-based "Statesman" newspaper, Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, said that the deal between the city and Apple is not done, and "remains in peril." Porter went on to tell the newspaper that Apple is now "frustrated" with the recent developments. Last week, Travis County commissioners approved in principle the incentives that would be offered to Apple to come to Austin, pending a full vote earlier this week...

Workers at Foxconn Technology in China -- which makes iPhones and iPads among other products -- threatened to jump off the roof of a building in a protest over wages just a month after Apple and Foxconn announced an agreement on improving working conditions, reports "Reuters" (http://macte.ch/SPdsq). The protest happened in the central city of Wuhan at one of Foxconn's plants. It involved some 200 workers, the Hong-Kong based activist group Information Centre for Human Rights told "Reuters." A spokesman for Hon Hai Precision Industry, the listed unit of the Foxconn group, said the protest concerned workplace adjustments and involved workers new to the plant. He said it was not a strike. "The dispute has already been settled after some negotiations involving the human resources and legal departments as well as the local government," the Taipei-based spokesman, Simon Tsing, told "Reuters."

Today's special deal is CleanGenius for Mac OS X. It's being offered for US$14.95; the regular price is $29.95. To take advantage of this special pricing go to http://www.mupromo.com/deal/1842/6603/cleangenius . CleanGenius offers a way to scan and clean your Mac. It can clear all caches, logs, system junk, Safari Internet caches and more, letting you regain disk space and protect your privacy. CleanGenius also includes an uninstaller that removes all files associated with an app you delete, as well as a duplicate finder and memory freer.