I never would have imagined that I would jump on the bandwagon for the CEO of a British luxury fashion company, but here I am preparing to gush over Angela Ahrendts, who will be leaving Burberry to take over Apple's retail store operations in early 2014. Apple CEO Tim Cook made the announcement Monday, and the first thing that came to mind -- frankly -- was that, whoa, the massively male executive team at Apple was finally choosing a woman.

Panasonic has added another retro-styled compact camera to its Lumix line, in the form of the Lumix GM1. The mirrorless Micro Four Thirds camera sports a 16-megapixel Digital Live MOS sensor with Venus Engine image processing, which offers a maximum ISO of 25,600, shutter speeds of between 60 seconds and 1/16,000th of a second, and claims of sharp images in low-light situations....
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iPhone 5s prices on the French Apple Online Store, yesterday and today.

First noted by iGen.FR, Apple has slightly raised the prices of the iPhone 5s and 5c in France. As shown above, the increase ranges between €10 for the 16 GB model, €12 for the 32 GB model and €18 for the 64 GB model. In terms of dollar value, when converted, these changes are equivalent to a rise of about $13 – $25.

The same price increase applies to the 5c, again dependent on capacity, going from €599 to €609 for the 16 GB model and from €699 to €711 for the 32 GB variant.

These changes have been...

Artificial intelligence and robotics firm Anki is poised to debut its iOS-powered remote control Anki Drive car set on Oct. 23, and will be selling the toys exclusively at Apple Stores for a starting price of $199.
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Owners of Apple's latest flagship iPhone 5s have been experiencing issues seemingly related to the handset's on-board sensors, and a new report claims the use of a new accelerometer supplier may be to blame.
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Investor Warren Buffett has dismissed fellow billionaire Carl Icahn's recent calls for Apple to expand its stock buyback. In an interview with CNBC, the Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO praised Apple's management and seemingly rejected Icahn's argument that the company should more than double its current buyback program to at least $150 billion....
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You may have already seen a Lyft driver without knowing it. If not, you will. One day you'll be on your way to the grocery store, and a car will pass you. That car will be wearing a funny pink mustache. And someone will be getting a ride.

Lyft is a ride-sharing program that draws from a community of drivers who have passed background checks and personality screenings. Once you make your account, simply set your pickup location in the app and request a ride. You will be picked up by a Lyft driver in their personal vehicle, they'll take you to the store or the movies, and you pay them via a donation. Current the company runs in a limited number of cities, though it is expanding every month.

Lyft is currently available in these cities:

• Atlanta, GA
• Boston, MA
• Charlotte, NC
• Chicago, IL
• ...

Adds Airplay support, plus makes improvements to video playback. ($9.99 new, free update, 6.1 MB)

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

Just days after Apple's plans for a massive new campus scored the approval of the Cupertino City Council, Samsung showed off its own design for a brand-new campus that will house its consumer electronics business. The design elements include curved corridors, glassy walls, large outdoor seating areas and the signature open garden in its interior. The structure has been named "Campus 8."

In a press release, Samsung was quick to point out that it had plans for such a structure "for years," and the reveal "is in no way a response to any recent announcements made by any other high-profile tech company named after a fruit." According to a reliable source, Samsung is waiting to see what type of trees Apple plants in its garden before making an official flora announcement of its own.

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It took a year, but Apple finally found someone to fill the roll of retail chief with the hiring of Angela Ahrendts from Burberry. We're the new marketing system for Google ads, and our faces will show up as product endorsements. That gets Bryan all fired up, and Jeff isn't too pleased, either. They also talk about HTC's entry into the smartphone fingerprint scanner game, and a memoir about Steve Jobs from his first girlfriend.

Advertisements on iOS devices produced returns more than an order of magnitude higher than those on their Android counterparts, according to a new study by major social marketing company Nanigans.
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After a search that took nearly a year, Apple yesterday announced that Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts will be joining Apple this spring as the company's Senior VP of Retail and Online Stores.

Make no mistake about it, heading up Apple's retail stores is an extremely challenging and important position. Indeed, the short tenure of former Senior VP of Retail John Browett underscores just how challenging it is to follow in the footsteps of Ron Johnson, Apple's original retail mastermind.

Apple stores are well-oiled machines that together comprise the most profitable retail business in the country. The person charged with heading up this portion of Apple's business carries a lot of responsibility, which is likely why Apple took its sweet time in finding a replacement for Browett, who was unceremoniously dismissed last October.

Here's an interesting fact to consider; the top retail position at Apple has been vacant for 15 of the last 22 months.

So just who is...

Ahead of Apple’s October 22nd iPad-focused event, major accessory maker ZAGG seems to be getting its offerings in order for the new Apple tablets. The company posted a listing for an iPad 5 keyboard case on its website this week, and the images for the case clearly show an iPad with a thinner-bezel. The case features backlit keys, white and black color options, and comes in at 7.6mm. While this case does not provide any breakthrough details about Apple’s new iPad, it does demonstrate that case makers expect that the iPad 5 will look just like the several leaks over the course of last many months. The above case...

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Anker Astro E4 13000mAh portable dual-port external battery pack $37 shipped

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Watch image copyright Georgejmclittle

With the launch of the iPhone 5s, we may have the heart of a new device: The much-rumored iWatch. Apple says the M7 coprocessor allows for incredibly sophisticated motion tracking — it understands whether you’re walking, running, or even driving. It certainly sounds promising for powering a biometric-centered smart watch for Apple. It would need to be. Tim Cook’s comment at the AllThingsD conference that the good wearable devices on the market right now only do one thing well, and that the devices that do more than one thing don’t do them particularly well, points to an overarching goal for Apple: One device that does all of these things well.

But what are all of these “things”? For the iWatch, I break them into three big categories:...

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

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

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Subscribe via RSS

Daily Update for October 16, 2013 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 16 Oct 2013 16:20:00 EST. Please see our...

Nanigans, one of the companies that advertises most on Facebook has revealed that mobile ads on iOS generate 17 times the  investment in profits. Mobile ads on Android actually cost more to create than the revenue generated.

Apple has devised a clever "carousel" mechanism on its revamped iPhone tutorial pages that lets users and those interested in buying an iPhone for the first time learn more about the operating system and basic functions (such as calling or turning on or off certain functions) in a style that's reminiscent of and friendly to touch access, even when viewed on a Mac. Each basic topic can branch off into more specific related tips, with images showing the procedures step-by-step....
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If the Irish government's plans come together, the tax loophole that Apple, Microsoft, Google and other companies have been using for years will be closed up. Reuters and other news services are reporting that the Irish Government intends to close the loophole, although another will remain.

Last May, a US Senate investigation revealed that Apple had sheltered billions in assets by declaring companies registered in the Irish City of Cork as not tax resident in any country.

Michael Noonan, the Irish Finance Minister declared Tuesday that he was going to make it against Irish law for an Irish-registered company to have no tax domicile anywhere.

Apple and the other companies could still avoid big tax bills by nominating Bermuda, for example, as its tax residence, or any other country that does not charge corporate income tax.

During the Senate hearings...

When looking for a consumer level printer there is quite an array of options to consider. Features like special printing features, all-in-one print setups, and even cloud printing enter the fray when in the past purchasers considered if it was worth paying the extra fistful of cash for a laser printer over an inkjet. Since then, options have only grown larger since the main consideration has become the cost of ink over the cost of the machine itself. However, is there a balance between getting everything you need at a good value without having to break the bank on ink cartridges? Does the Epso...
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Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett doesn’t own any Apple shares, but if he did, he wouldn’t cast his lot with activist investor Carl Icahn, who has recently been pushing the company toward a larger share buyback.

Asked during an interview with cable television network CNBC about Icahn’s efforts to convince Apple to raise its buyback well above the $60 billion to which it’s already committed, Buffet said he supported Apple’s handling of the situation.

“I think the Apple management and directors have done a pretty darned good job of running the company, and so my vote would be with them,” Buffet said. “… I do not think that companies should be run primarily to please Wall Street, and largely shareholders who are going to sell.”

Buffett, it should be noted, told Apple co-founder...

On Wednesday, Apple updated its set of drivers for various HP models for users of OS X from 10.6.x to the current 10.8.5. The updates, available through the Software Update mechanism or through a direct update from Apple's support pages, provides the latest drivers and bring in support for new and existing models for printers, scanners and all-in-one units. The combo updater, available from Apple's Support Downloads page, is nearly half a gigabyte in size, but most should get the smaller, customized update from Software Update....
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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has told two of its manufacturing partners to ramp down production on the iPhone 5c.

Apple told its two assemblers, Taiwan-based Pegatron Corp. and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., that it would cut this quarter's orders for the iPhone 5C, the people familiar with the situation said. Pegatron, which analysts said assembles two-thirds of iPhone 5Cs, was told the order would be cut by less than 20%, a person familiar with the matter said. Hon Hai, which assembles the remaining 5Cs, was told the order would be cut by a third, two people familiar with the matter said.

What's more, a component supplier was told that orders for iPhone 5c parts would be cut in half. At the same time, orders for the iPhone 5s have reportedly increased.

So what are we to make of all this?

Well, it's hard to say.

Now assuming that...

Apple on Wednesday notified developers that price increases will hit the Japanese iOS App Store tomorrow, with the changes meant to offset variations in the dollar-to-Yen exchange rate.
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Much noise has been made about Google’s Shared Endorsements, but as Josh Centers explains, it’s both limited and easily turned off.

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

Slice is a shopping app that effortlessly tracks your purchases by scanning and logging your shopping receipts as they hit your inbox. The app scans your incoming emails, finds your receipts and parses relevant information about the items that you bought. It identifies both the products you purchased and any shipping information for your order.

The version 3.0 update to Slice adds a new product recall feature that compares your purchase history with a list of product recalls provided by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. If a match is found, the app sends you an push notification and directs you to the CPSC website where you can read about the recall.

Slice also has been redesigned for iOS 7 and includes a new tracking section that provides easier...

In a Monday interview, Pandora finance chief Mike Herring talked about the impact Apple's recently-released iTunes Radio will have on rival internet radio services and iTunes's effect on the wider music industry.
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Agile Tortoise is back again with a fresh, new version of its Terminology dictionary and thesaurus app for iOS. The latest changes bring the app to version 3 and is a complete rewrite of the app for iOS 7.

The core functionality of Terminology remains the same, but the app has a few new features that expand it beyond its dictionary roots. The first thing you will notice is a revamped UI that adopts the look of iOS 7. Most of your favorite menu icons are still there; they just look a little different now.

Terminology 3 now supports custom actions that allow you to extend your word searches across the web using sites like Wordnik and Wiktionary. You can even search Amazon, IMDb, Stack Exchange and others. These actions also integrate with third-party apps like Drafts, Evernote and Day One.

Because version 3.0 is a...

Apple has informed App Store developers via email that it will be increasing the prices of App Store apps in the Japanese App Store on October 17th. It is already October 17th in Japan, so it’s likely that the new prices will propagate throughout the day. The increases are due to natural fluctuations in currency exchange rates across the world. Apple tells developers that the new Pricing Matrix will be available to view in iTunes Connect after the change occurs.

For more information about Apps continue reading at 9to5Mac...

With Apple's iTunes Radio being a latecomer to the world of streaming internet radio, it's not surprising that the executives of streaming leader Pandora would not be happy with the new competitor. CNET's Joan Solsman interviewed the CFO of Pandora, Mike Herring, and found that he feels that Pandora is "a great service that does this better than anybody else," and that the latecomers like Apple are "large, well-funded companies that have agendas outside a really awesome music experience."

Not surprisingly, Herring said that Pandora sees Apple's iTunes Radio as a "credible threat" to their business. In the first five days of iTunes Radio, Apple reported that more than 11 million unique listeners had tuned in to their favorite streaming channel. Pandora, with years of experience under its belt, had almost...

This week Apple has added revamped iPhone support pages detailing a long list of new features and UI tweaks in iOS 7 with a slick new UI that allows users to easily swipe through a carousel of related tips using a layout that’s much better suited for touch screens on iOS devices.

The new design is only available for iOS 7 related tips currently, but it could be a sign of things to come for the rest of Apple’s aging iPhone support pages that force users to navigate through lists of knowledge base articles.

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of AAPL Company, Apple, and...

Oyster has a fascinating proposition for avid readers -- unlimited e-books for one low subscription rate of US$9.95. In the past, you had to request an invitation to be added to the service, and the only device you could read your e-books on was an iPhone. Today, the company is announcing that it has not only launched a universal (iPad and iPhone) app to make devouring those e-books a bit easier, but also that the app and service are now open to anyone.

The app is free to download, and the company offers access to "more than 100,000 titles" -- that's enough to keep anyone busy during a handful of beach days on vacation.

Many of the titles provided by Oyster come from HarperCollins, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and a variety of smaller publishers. Oyster...

E-book subscription service Oyster has introduced a promised iPad interface for its iOS app. When the service launched last month, its mobile app was initially restricted to the iPhone and iPod touch. The iPad interface not only includes more space for images and text, but a landscape mode unavailable to iPhone/iPod owners. Libraries and activity sync between devices....
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In a tweet early on October 16, Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the Cupertino city council had given unanimous approval for Apple's new campus.

Subscription e-book service Oyster has released an an updated version of its popular reading and lending application with a new design and iPad support, less than a week before Apple's expected iPad hardware refresh.
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Google has been busy pushing out updates for its major iOS apps. First was the update to Google Maps yesterday, and the YouTube app gets a change. This is the app's first update since iOS 7 launched, so it includes the expected "iOS 7 compatibility improvements" as well as Accessibility improvements. However, the big new (and much-requested) feature is the ability to choose a clip's video quality over WiFi.

This works in much the same way as choosing playback quality in a desktop browser. Your options will depend on the available resolution(s), but for most clips you should see anywhere from 240p all the way up to 1080p.

YouTube is a free download.

YouTube for iOS updated with WiFi quality selection streaming originally...

Since the first day that I laid eyes on iOS 7 in June, one of my favorite features has been Control Center. Let's face it -- it's much easier and quicker to just swipe up from the bottom of my iPad or iPhone screen to get access to frequently used controls than to either go into settings or launch an app. Now It's About Time Products is introducing Controls+ (US0.99 intro price through October 18, $4.99 after that point) to the world in hopes that they can provide the same convenience as Control Center to Mac OS X users.

When installed and launched, the only indication that Controls+ is running is a small icon in the menu bar that looks like an iOS 7 settings toggle switch. Click on that icon, and you have access to all of the features of Controls+. At the current time, Controls+ includes the following features:

Adjust your display...

Apple has snagged Angela Ahrendts, the lauded CEO of luxury chain Burberry, to be its SVP of Retail and Online Stores — a new position created to replace the vacant SVP of Retail position, last occupied by John Browett in October 2012. At Burberry, Ahrendts became the highest-paid CEO in the U.K., increasing annual revenue by 250 percent and driving up the stock price by 300 percent. Ahrendts also spearheaded new technology at Burberry, lining stores with video screens — even in the fitting rooms, broadcasting live 3D runway shows, and installing RFID tags in clothing that customers could scan for additional information. Ahrendts is the first woman and the second fashion CEO to join Apple’s executive team, following Yves St Laurent CEO Paul Deneve’s hire in July.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work...

The Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g), a user interface firm, has appraised iOS 7, and the verdict isn’t great, with the group saying, “Early experience with applications redesigned for iOS 7 is fairly negative: several have worse usability than their iOS 6 versions.” In particular, NN/g cites action labels that are indistinguishable from content, the confusing date picker, confusing swipe actions (for example, activating Notification Center when you wanted Spotlight), and the redesign of many icons, of which NN/g said, “Apple has demolished millions of hours of user learning by changing the icons.” However, NN/g said that iOS 7’s design isn’t fatally flawed, and praised how controls are hidden in Safari, global font-size controls, and a more streamlined Settings app.

Read the full article at TidBITS, the oldest continuously published technology publication on the Internet. To get a full-text RSS feed, help support our work...

Canaccord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley sees the just released iPhone 5s and the still unannounced fifth generation iPad as big sellers for Apple and is raising his target price for the company's stock from US$560 up to $580. He also expects an iPhone deal with China Mobile will give Apple another boost.

The Mac Observer Spin:
Interest in the new iPad models is high even though they haven't been officially announced yet. That, coupled with strong demand for the iPhone 5s, sound like a good mix for Apple's bottom line during the holiday buying season.

F. Scott Moody, the cofounder of Apple-acquired company AuthenTec, gave a presentation this week on the origins of what is now the Touch ID technology found in the iPhone 5s, and AppleInsider was present for a hands-on with an early prototype fingerprint scanner.
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Boinx Software has released its latest updates to iStopMotion for iPad and Mac OS X, featuring GIF creation of up to 200 frames. With iStopMotion for iPad 2.2, users can export the first 200 frames of their animation as a GIF file and send it by email or iMessage, or upload it to DropBox. The Mac version, iStopMotion for Mac, allows users to save their 200-frame GIF animation directly to a hard drive. The software is intended for animators who wish to share portions of their work quickly. Sale pricing for both iPad and Mac OS versions of iStopMotion is available until October 20 at $5 for iPad...
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Square has released its new Square Cash iPhone app that allows you to send money to anyone with an email account. The iPhone app is a companion app to the new Square Cash service that lets you send money simply by typing an email.

Anyone may compose a new email to the person they want to send money to, putting a dollar amount in the subject line (for example, "$50") and CC the message to "cash@square.com." If it's your first time sending money, you'll then get an email with a link to where you can store your debit card info. You recipient will get the money within two business days.

The companion Square Cash iPhone app shortens the time you need to spend composing emails by allowing you to quickly tap in the dollar amount of what you want to send. It then fills an an email template for you. All you need to do is add your recipient's address. From the app's...

Several years ago I had a peculiar fascination with location technology. I tried out every single GPS gadget that came along, examined how the precision on one would differ from another. Eventually as navigation moved from dedicated devices to smart phones, the fascination wore off. A little help from the Google Maps app on my iPhone keeps me from getting lost pretty much anywhere I go, by car or on foot.

But it doesn’t work so well indoors. Signals from GPS satellites don’t easily penetrate inside of buildings — the signals are about as strong as a dim light bulb — and help from Wifi will only get you so far. Though there are numerous outfits that are aiming to fix that.

Earlier this year Apple acquired a...

Twitter has released an updated Mac version of TweetDeck, its more advanced client app. Version 3.3.3 incorporates a redesigned Tweet Panel on the left-hand side, including an option to keep the panel open all the time, making it easier to start writing a tweet. Along the same lines, replying to tweets should be faster thanks to a new inline reply feature....
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It’s about time for Mavericks.

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

“Submit your OS X Mavericks apps today.

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

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

The invitations went out yesterday.

Per AppleInsider, members of the press have been sent invitations to a special Apple product unveiling event scheduled for next Tuesday, Oct. 22, where the company is expected to show off its latest iPad models.

The invitation reveals that the event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Calif. It is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern.

The invitation features the top of the Apple logo, focusing on its “stem.” In the background, multiple stem shapes are scattered about in a variety of colors. The invitation teases: “We still have a lot to cover.”

Word of Apple’s Oct. 22 event first leaked to the media last week. Apple, as usual, waited until exactly one week before its event...

A hot-pink Snowball

The latest roundup of Mac accessories includes a colorful line of USB microphones, the latest carrying cases, and a nifty standing desk for Mac lovers.

Belkin

The $60 YourType Bluetooth Wireless Keypad adds 28 keys to your Mac, including several function keys, document-navigation controls, and a full numeric keypad ideal for data-entry and accounting functions. The aluminum accessory is a perfect match for your Apple Wireless keyboard.

Blue Flame

The Pack is a $100 backpack designed to hold 13-inch laptops, as well as tablets and other technical gear. Magnets keep the front flap open while you search your stuff, and the bag can be modified to a one-strap configuration.

Blue Microphones

The venerable $100...