Yesterday Netflix rolled out the next major release of its iOS app, introducing a new auto-play feature for TV shows. While currently restricted to the iPad users, the new feature brings the software in line with the functionality of the current web and TV app. At the end of a TV episode Netflix will minimize the credits and cue the next episode in the season. If users do nothing, then the episode will will automatically begin playing within 10 seconds. In addition, post play also works for movies by providing users with three recommendations of other movies they may enjoy.... ...

Apple is extending its two-step verification option for Apple IDs to a wider range of countries, users say. When the feature first launched in late March, it was restricted to the US, UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Now though people in Canada, Argentina, and Pakistan are reporting getting the feature, and other countries may be following suit....  ...

Despite a report last month that Apple was close to making the deals necessary to move forward with the company’s streaming music service, a new report notes Apple is still discussing royalties. Universal Music is reportedly on board, and Warner Music is close, but Apple is still negotiating with…

“It’s like giving a glass of ice water to somebody in hell”

That’s what Steve Jobs said of iTunes for Windows when asked why Apple made its software for competing Microsoft users in 2007.

But times have changed. Apple continues to make/support iTunes for Windows desktop computing environments, but it doesn’t need Microsoft’s outlier tablet users who now represent the third largest share of tablet OS behind iOS and Android (by the way, don’t expect iTunes for Android any time soon either).

In fact, the iTunes ecosystem is a competitive advantage as Apple sells its iOS tablets, smartphones and TVs against Android and now Windows 8 devices. Where Windows dominated the userbase in the early 2000s, Apple now is the leader in the current ecosystem race.

That’s why it comes as no surprise that Microsoft’s Windows division CFO Tami Reller ...

Apple has apparently signed up Universal Music for its rumored online music streaming service, and is close to wrapping up negotiations with Warner Music, but can't move forward because it hasn't been able to reach an agreement with Sony Music over royalty payments.

Never doubt a good firmware update.

Early Friday, Apple released its Thunderbolt Firmware Update 1.3 for all Macs with Thunderbolt ports. The update, a 1.3 megabyte download, offers the following fixes and changes:

- This update provides stability fixes for Thunderbolt and Target Disk Mode

Thunderbolt Firmware Update 1.3 requires and Intel-based Mac with a Thunderbolt port running OS X 10.8.3 or later.

If you’ve tried the update and have any feedback to offer, please let us know in the comments.

In 1953, Vancouver was aglow with nearly 19,000 neon lights. Today, only a few dozen of those historic signs remain. Those interested in the city's glowing, buzzing past should check out The Visible City, an iPhone app from the Museum of Vancouver.

This free app offers informative, colorful walking tours (available in English and French) through parts of the Canadian city, making clever use of narration and augmented reality to highlight what once was.

There are two tours on the app, and each one is approximately 30 minutes in length. The first explores Granville Street, the city's long-time entertainment district. It's 1.4 km in length and features eight signs. To gets tarted, stand at the designated starting point, which is The Yale...

Update:  Mexico, Germany Netherlands, Russia, Austria, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal, Italy & Poland too. Let us know in the comments if the feature is now available in your country.

Apple appears to have recently started rolling out its new two-step verification feature for Apple IDs to users in additional countries. When Apple first launched the service in late March, it was initially only available to users in  U.S., UK, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand. Today we’ve confirmed that Canadian users now have access to the feature, while we’ve also received tips from users in Argentina & Pakistan signalling that the feature is beginning to roll out in other countries as well. 

//

Apple has yet to update its FAQ for two-step verification but does note that additional countries...

When rumors circulated earlier this year that Apple was mulling a bid to acquire social navigation app outfit Waze, the company quickly and aggressively quashed them. Within 24 hours of the rumors hitting the news cycle, a handful of “sources close to the situation” stories popped up debunking them — including one from the outlet that published the original report.

Now with Facebook in advanced discussions to buy Waze for a reportedly heady price tag, Apple’s rumored interest in the company is...

For a long time, Wizards of the Coast would not release anything official on iOS, even though the biggest collectible card game -- Magic: The Gathering -- seemed perfect for Apple's touchscreen platforms. Then, last year, we finally got Magic 2013 on the iPad, and now Wizards of the Coast is preparing Magic 2014. When update is be released in about a month, it will offer lots of new features and content to the iPad and Android.

That second platform may not matter much to us here at TUAW, but it's a sign that Wizards is continuing to rethink its mobile strategy. The company kindly showed us the latest version of Magic: The Gathering running on the iPad this week, and it's very impressive. Itl runs faster than ever, and while the campaign is similar (you undertake a series of singleplayer challenges, or can take on other players in multiplayer), Magic 2014 has a definite emphasis on...

Waze, the social mapping and traffic service that Apple once recommended as a potential alternative to its own iOS Maps solution, is reportedly in talks with Facebook about a possible acquisition by the networking giant.   ...

Bloomberg just can’t help trashing Apple, no matter how hysterical or wrong-minded it is.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Olympus has officially announced its Pen E-P5 Micro Four Thirds camera, one leaked earlier this month. Designed to look like the Pen F to mark its 50th anniversary, the Pen E-P5 boasts a string of thoroughly-modern components within its retro styling, including a 16-megapixel TruePic VI Live MOS sensor and a 1.04 million dot tilting LCD touchscreen on the rear....  ...

One of Apple's primary assembly partners has announced that it will increase its Chinese workforce by 40 percent "low-cost" iPhone model, hiring 40,000 more workers during the second half of the year to help meet demand for the forthcoming (but unannounced) "low-cost" iPhone model. The alleged new model, which is thought to be debuting later in the year, would be aimed at lower-income buyers in developing markets such as China and India but could be sold elsewhere. Sources say small scale production of the phone has already started, with a ramp-up beginning in June.... ...

io9:

The human palate is arguably the weakest of the five traditional senses. This begs an important question regarding wine tasting: is it bullshit, or is it complete and utter bullshit?

There are no two ways about it: the bullshit is strong with wine. Wine tasting. Wine rating. Wine reviews. Wine descriptions. They’re all related. And they’re all egregious offenders, from a bullshit standpoint.

Just like many of us suspected.

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If there's one accessory manufacturer that seems to be doing everything correctly at this point in time, it's Logitech. The company apparently realizes that not only is the future pointing away from PCs and toward more portable devices like the iPad, but it's also creating many new accessories specifically for Apple products. The new FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad (US$149.99), Keyboard Folio for iPad mini ($89.99) and the full-sized Keyboard Folio for iPad ($99.99) are recent additions to the Logitech line that have just started to appear in stores in the US, and today I'm taking a look at all three of these attractive and useful Bluetooth keyboards.

FabricSkin Keyboard Folio for iPad: Design and...

According to recent reports, media companies with high-bandwidth apps are considering deals with wireless carriers to ensure users can consume the content without being slapped with data overage fines. Reportedly, sports network ESPN has had discussions with at least one carrier to subsidize users' wireless data usage, with the company paying to offset data used by subscribers....  ...

We've been blessed with not one but two great strategy games from 2K Games recently. The first, the freemium Haunted Hollow, was a Firaxis title that put some board game mechanics around a haunted town. And this latest title, Sid Meier's Ace Patrol, is now out today on the App Store, and it's a turn-based flight combat simulator put together by none other than the grandfather of strategy himself, Sid Meier.

This one is also free to play, and you can unlock extra nations to play with via in-app purchase. There are over 120 missions to play through, and as you go, you can upgrade your pilots and their maneuvers, giving you more options to take down the opposing team.

The whole game seems very fun, and this is an iOS exclusive, straight from Sid Meier and his team. Both this and Haunted Hollow are excellent...

Apple has won a trademark infringement suit from Black Tower Press over the use of "iBooks." GigaOM reported that Judge Denise Cote granted summary judgement in Apple's favor, ruling that there was no chance of consumer confusion over Apple's iBooks service for iOS and Black Towers' "iBooks imprint."

If you're having a hard time getting iTunes and App Store links to launch from Google Chrome right to the app from your browser, MacStories editor-in-chief Federico Viticci has found a nice workaround in the App Store support community.

The workaround requires editing program files, so be careful if you're new. The issue deals with Chrome's protocol handlers. If your issue is with iTunes rather than the Mac App Store look for the line that says "itms" instead of "macappstore." Here's the hack from support community member Dahveed.

1. Close Chrome

2. Open "/Users/[my user name]/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State" in a text editor. TextEdit will do fine.

3. Look for the line "...

A small update is available to address stability issues involving Target Disk Mode.

Google on Thursday was ordered to acquiesce to Apple's request for information regarding what methods the search giant is using to sift through internal documents related to Android, with the resulting data being part of a second U.S. patent infringement suit against Samsung.  ...

The developers of Hike, an instant message app, have launched a brilliant promotion, offering US$100,000 in additional prizes to the winner of Apple's 50 billionth app download contest if the winning app is Hike.

Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Google will unveil a next-generation Nexus 7 tablet in partnership with Asus at the search giant's upcoming Google I/O conference, looking to steal some of Apple's thunder as a next-generation iPad mini is rumored to be delayed.  ...

A U.S. magistrate judge has granted Apple’s request for an order forcing Google to reveal the search terms it’s using to compile the Android documentation Apple has requested as part of the discovery process in the company’s second patent infringement case against Samsung.

Google had argued that Apple was overstepping its bounds by demanding such information from a third party to the case, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal disagreed. He ordered Google to comply with Apple’s request, gave the company two days to do so, and tweaked the search behemoth for complaining that the request was burdensome in the first place.

Said Grewal, “The court cannot...

Apple won a lawsuit on Wednesday over the use of the term “iBooks” as Black Tower Press, which sued Apple in 2011, was ruled not to have exclusive rights to the term. Black Tower Press, a small publisher, owned the “ibooks” mark, but never obtained a registered trademark. U.S. District…

With spring in full force and summer right around the corner, it's hard not to think about getting outside for some biking, hiking and water sports -- and keeping an iPhone or iPod safe while on these adventures is essential. Bracketron has come up with a great water-resistant protective case with a strap that can be used to securely attach the device to a bike or anywhere else. MacNN has one of these handy cases to give away; read on to learn more about this case and find out how to enter to win....  ...

Have you ever heard of Black Tower Press? Back in 2011, the small New York publisher of sci-fi and fantasy books filed a trademark suit claiming that it had the rights to use the term "iBooks". Yesterday a New York court ruled in Apple's favor, stating that the publisher's mark -- ibooks -- and Apple's electronic bookstore trademark would not be confused by consumers.

Black Tower obtained the "ibooks" mark in 2006 when it purchased another publishing company that had used the term for an imprint selling sci-fi and horror novels. However, Black Tower never obtained a registered trademark for "ibooks", nor did the predecessor company.

Apple did obtain registered trademarks. In 1999, it obtained a license from a software company to use the term "iBook" to describe a line of colorful clamshell laptops. In 2010, Apple bought the other...

Blizzard Activision says it’s lost 1.3 million World of Warcraft subscribers in three months.

∞ Read this on The Loop

New Zealand's parliament is considering a bill that rethinks software patents. The bill, while not explicitly banning software patents per se, instead declares software alone as not eligible for patent protection because there is no "inventive step" involved. Bryan Chaffin looks at the implications.

Apple has posted a new support download for Macs, Thunderbolt Firmware Update 1.2. The patch appears to deal solely with stability problems related to Target Disk Mode. The file is 1.22MB, and requires OS X 10.8.3 or later....   ...

Apple today released Thunderbolt firmware update version 1.2 with small stability fixes for Target Disk Mode and Thunderbolt. The 1.22MB update is available for download from Apple’s website here.

//

Apple retook fifth place in the Chinese smartphone market during the first quarter of the year with an 8 percent share, according to Canalys data obtained by IDG News. Previously, during the third and fourth quarters of 2012, Apple had been relegated to sixth place. Samsung remained in control during Q1 2013, managing a 20 percent share. Local firms Yulong, Huawei, and Lenovo completed the top five....  ...

Netflix today updated its iOS app with some features that will undoubtedly please all you TV lovers out there.

First and foremost, the app update includes a post-play feature which immediately starts the beginning of a new TV episode once a user finishes watching the previous one. This feature could prove to be delightfully dangerous for folks already watching addictive shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men. Netflix notes that the app update now makes it easier for users to "binge" on their favorite shows.

On the movie front, Netflix has also taken steps to keep you immersed in the Netflix universe. Following the end of a movie, the updated Netflix app will now display three movie recommendations for a viewer to choose from.

Lastly, the Netflix update also includes enhanced second screen options.

...

Over the past few months, Apple has consistently, and yet silently, continued to increase the number of areas which receive the 3D Flyover treatment in its homegrown Maps app.

Now, the French-language site iGeneration is reporting that Apple has added 3D Flyover support for Paris, France. The report adds that the 3D coverage extends to Versailles, Aulnay-sous-Bois, to Disneyland Paris, and to L'Hay-les-Roses

Previously, the only city in Paris subject to 3D Flyover coverage was Lyon.

Apple's Maps team has certainly been keeping busy as of late. This past March, for example, Apple added new and expanded Flyover coverage to a number of cities, including Baltimore, Glasgow, Madrid, Rome, Barcelona, Vancouver, Portland, London,...

Newer Technology has announced the NuGuard GripStand and GripBase for iPad mini ($35-$60), a smaller version of the GripStand and GripBase we reviewed for full-sized iPads. Fitting seamlessly with Apple’s Smart Cover, NuGuard’s GripStand mini lets users swivel the integrated circular stand 360 degrees to position at any…

Online retailer Amazon is said to be working on a "wide-ranging lineup" of new devices, including a smartphone with a display capable of producing 3D images without the need for special glasses.  ...

After receiving a recent major update to the keyboard-driven launcher, version 2.0.3 squashes a heaping helping of bugs. (Free, £15 for Powerpack, 2.8 MB)

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AT&T has launched a new pre-paid wireless mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) named Aio Wireless. The carrier will operate on AT&T's network, but is only available in Houston, Orlando and Tampa at the present time.

Four plans will be available from Aio Wireless. For phones, the Aio Basic plan offers 250 MB of data for $35 - $40 per month, 2 GB of data for $55, and 7 GB of data for $70 a month. Each plan also offers unlimited text and calls. Aio also offers a tablet plan at $15/month for 250 MB. One caveat: although the phones operate on AT&T's nationwide network, 4G data is capped at 4 Mbps, so don't expect to get the same fast LTE service you expect from AT&T.

Aio Wireless carries a number of smartphones, but Apple fans will be happy to hear that they can purchase the iPhone 5 for $649 (without subsidy, of course) or the iPhone 4S for $...

Maintenance release with a few targeted fixes for Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word. (Free update, 113 MB)

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The App.net messaging infrastructure service has released Passport, an iOS app that allows signing up for a free-tier account without an invitation, but doesn’t allow posting or messaging. This is all part of App.net’s support for developers.

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.

AT&T is launching a prepaid subsidiary that is selling the iPhone and other handsets.

∞ Read this on The Loop

Pixel Press, an innovative iPhone app that, "lets you draw your own video game (no code required!) and share it with others" has launched on Kickstarter. The app starts with you drawing on a special graph paper you can print out yourself (no purchase necessary). You then photograph your drawing and the app turns it into a level! That's pretty darned cool. There are videos galore showing you how it works. The company is trying to raise $100,000, and it crossed the $16,000 mark on this, the first day.

Following its "Massive Mac Games Drop" at the end of April, GOG.com has further expanded its Mac game catalog with 10 new titles. The new batch of games offers titles from various genres, and includes Slipstream 5000, Guilty Gear X2: Reload, Syndicate Wars, Strike Commander, Evil Genius, Rise of the Triad: Dark War, Guilty Gear Isuka, Blake Stone: Planet Strike, Darklands, and Litil Divil. Prices range from $6 up to $15 depending on the title, and every game has been tested to work on Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later....  ...

Research firm Canalys is out today with its latest report tracking worldwide smart mobile device shipments for Q1 with Android accounting for almost 60% of smart mobile devices shipped by OS. That’s compared to a 19.3% share for Apple and approximately 18.1% for Microsoft. Keep in mind Canalys’s report also includes notebooks, in addition to tablets and smartphones, which account for the majority of Microsoft’s share. When looking at tablets alone, Apple continued its lead with 46.4% share in the quarter, although Canalys warned Apple “lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter.”

Though Apple continues to lead in the tablet space with a 46.4% share, it lost share to its Android-based rivals for the third consecutive quarter. ‘Spearheaded by Google and Amazon, the commoditization of the tablet market has happened far quicker than that of the...

Crowdsourced traffic and navigation app service Waze may be acquired by Facebook, according to a report. The discussions between Waze and Facebook come months after a possible acquisition offer from Apple and appears to be reaching the same financial levels as the billion-dollar Instagram deal in April last year....  ...

Cloud Mate’s developers have been so hard at work since our review a month ago that it deserves another visit. It now shows you all your iCloud-based documents even on your iPhone!

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In the world's largest smartphone market -- China -- Apple's share rose in the first quarter of 2013 to make the company the fifth largest vendor. Numbers from research firm Canalys show that the release of the iPhone 5 and price cuts on older iPhone models drove growth of Apple's sales.

Apple's share of the huge smartphone market pie is important to its bottom line -- while 27 million smartphones were shipped in the US during the first quarter, the number in China was a huge 82 million. That share is just 8 percent, well behind Samsung's 20 percent share, but is made up of much more expensive phones.

Phones shipped by number two through four vendors Yulong Computer Telecommunication Scientific, Huawei, and Lenovo are usually low cost models ranging in price from just 400 yuan to 700 yuan ($64 to $114). Canalys...