tagged w/ Apple Computers
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We know that something is going on with the reception on our iPhone 4 devices and some of us are jumping through hoops to avoid any troubles, but according to Steve Jobs' latest email: There are no reception issues.
Gizmodo reader Mark recently wrote an email to Apple CEO Steve Jobs regarding his new iPhone 4 and some of the troubles he's experienced:
Just wanted to drop you a line and let you know that this is the most amazing phone I've ever owned. FaceTime is incredible! Everything is fantastic except the reception issues I've been having.
My buddy has the same issue and he called AppleCare and was shipped a free bumper case. I called too, 2 hours and 3 dropped calls later, I was told that nobody is getting free bumpers. Which is strange because I saw my friends email confirmation showing he was getting a free one. I tried to get one on launch day but the store was sold out. Is there anything you or one of your executive escalations people can do? I love everything about the phone except my signal issues. I hope to hear back with good news.
Thanks for your time,
Mark
Steve replied:
There is no reception issue. Stay tuned.
This response contradicts both a statement by Apple and a prior email from Steve. Apple's statement confirmed that there are issues, but that it's due to how we hold our phones:
Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.
And Steve's prior email referenced this statement when he told a reader to "just avoid holding [his phone a particular] way".
Such confusing messages. I guess there's little left to do except listen to Steve and "stay tuned" for more news.
For reference, as with any other Jobs email, this one could be spoofed. Mark was kind enough to allow me to log into his webmail account to view the email personally, but even that does not guarantee validity.We know that something is going on with the reception on our iPhone 4 devices and some... more
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The most Twitter-vocal iPhone Dev Team member, Mr. MuscleNerd himself, has just posted a screenshot from a jailbroken iPhone 4. Before you get too excited, however, you should know that this is just a preliminary "userland" jailbreak, which means it uses Apple software to happen, and it's not of a low enough level to really be worth releasing, since it's easy for Apple to patch. Instead it's an important step toward a real, low-level jailbreak that can actually be released. We'd feign pins and needles if this community wasn't so gosh darned amazing at hacking these phones: we're sure that real jailbreak will be along shortly.The most Twitter-vocal iPhone Dev Team member, Mr. MuscleNerd himself, has just posted... more
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Sir James Dyson, the man behind the bagless vacuum and the bladeless fan, designs products that solve problems. We caught up with him and talked about one of the biggest engineering problems the world currently faces: the Gulf oil disaster.
Dyson's design ethos is all about solving problems by removing the extra. He famously got rid of the vacuum bag and the fan blade (though his newest fans are considerably bigger than their predecessors), and, as it turns out, he had once designed a machine that worked toward a different type of removal: getting oil out of water. We had a fleeting few minutes to talk with Sir James about what we can learn from the disaster in the Gulf.
Giz: What do you think about the iPhone 4?
Sir James: I don't know, I haven't tried it yet. I don't think I've even seen one.
Giz: OK, how do you feel about tablets?
Sir James: Like the iPad? I think the size is very good, because I've always thought a laptop was too big to put on your lap, and it's too hot to put on your lap, and as I'm now 63 I find an iPhone too small. So for me, that sort of size is exactly right.
But I'm more interested in solving problems—taking things that are a problem in everyday life and solving them. Developing technology to make it do something for us.
Giz: In that sense, one of the biggest engineering problems we're facing is the oil spill…
Sir James: The frustrating thing is that I used to make landing craft—high speed landing craft—a device called an oleovator that licked up the oil. It had a moving conveyor belt which you put into the oil on the surface, which drew it up on the conveyor belt and it in drums. The only trouble was, I only ever sold 3 of them, because the oil companies weren't interested in buying something, because they buy things when they have a spill, but they don't buy them when they don't have a spill.
But I wish that I was still making them. I could produce 5000 of them instantly, and go and help them clear it up.
Giz: Do you think that whole gamut of engineering solutions has been explored for that disaster?
Sir James: Oh no. The trouble is that nobody takes notice when there isn't a disaster, and when there is a disaster everybody expects the thing to be there to solve the problem. But you've got to be prepared. I think the oil companies, and the people who are interested in preserving the coastline and marine life and so on, they've got to be prepared to invest, in case there's a spill, in case there's an accident. Because it can occur anywhere at anytime. It doesn't need to occur by a well, where they're drilling. It can come out of a ship, as it frequently does. So you've got to be ready.Sir James Dyson, the man behind the bagless vacuum and the bladeless fan, designs... more
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So, we just spoke with Apple and got the straight dirt on the reception issues that have been plaguing users today... and it's a little surprising. In essence, Apple cops to the fact there are reception issues with the new iPhone -- namely, that if you cover the bottom-left corner of the phone and bridge the gap between the notch there with your naked flesh, you could see some signal degradation. Yes, you read that right: it's not a software or production issue, simply a matter of the physical location of your hand in regards to the phone's antenna. The company's suggested fix? Move your hand position, or get a case which covers that part of the phone, thus breaking contact. As you can see in the email above which just arrived in our tip box, this is a sentiment which runs pretty high at the company.
Here's the official statement:
Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas. This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.
We know what you're thinking, and we're thinking it too: this sounds crazy. Essentially, Apple is saying that the problem is how you hold your phone, and that the solution is to change that habit, or buy one of their cases. Admittedly, this isn't a problem that exists only for the iPhone 4 -- we've seen reports of the same behavior on previous generations (the 3G and 3GS), and there is a running thread about this problem with the Nexus One. While it is definitely true that interference is an unavoidable problem, we can't help feeling like this is really a bit of bad design.
If the only answer is to move your hand, why didn't Apple just move the antenna position? What we can say without question is that in our testing of the phone, we had improved reception and fewer dropped calls than we experienced with the last generation, and we never noticed this issue. Additionally, when using a bumper we can't recreate the signal loss. So, now we have an answer... all we're wondering is whether or not the company will start handing out bumpers pro-bono to those who are experiencing problems. It certainly seems like the right thing to do.So, we just spoke with Apple and got the straight dirt on the reception issues that... more
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'Watching Apple CEO Steve Jobs' new unveiling -- 'dude never ever does anything wrong...
So you know the most interesting part to me of that big PR parade wasn't how super-skinny Jobs is -- (although I'm sure a few bets can be thrown at that death pool watch) -- it was when his Wifi browser didn't work --
'I could almost hear the heads quietly rolling on the floor for that blunder...
http://www.henrycruz.com/?q=node/383'Watching Apple CEO Steve Jobs' new unveiling -- 'dude never ever does... more
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You have to hand it to Google, they are doing what no other huge company (besides Apple) has the cahones to do: They are moving off of Windows and mostly to Mac, though some users will invariably go with Linux.
“We’re not doing any more Windows. It is a security effort,” said one Google employee. “Many people have been moved away from [Windows] PCs, mostly towards Mac OS, following the China hacking attacks,” said another. New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said one employee. “Microsoft we don’t feel so good about.”
I recently visited the Google offices in New York and noticed that there were almost no PCs and I'm not sure the ones I did see were running Windows. Just about everyone used a Mac. They also had a great cafeteria.
In addition to being a semi-formal policy, employees themselves have grown more concerned about security since the China attacks. “Particularly since the China scare, a lot of people here are using Macs for security,” said one employee.
It is really hard to hate Google though I'm sure they'll be moving their folks to ChromeOS as soon as its ready.
http://9to5mac.com/Google-MAcintosh-shop-540955?utm_source=feedburnerYou have to hand it to Google, they are doing what no other huge company (besides... more
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Apple has announced just a short while back that it has sold only two million iPads till now despite of the international launch in nine countries. If they have sold 1 million iPads in 28 days in U.S alone then there is nothing surprising about selling 2 million iPads in 59 days with few hundred thousands sold outside US. This hasn’t come like a bolt from the blue.
http://techdusts.com/2010/06/01/surprise-surprise-only-2-million-ipads-sold-in-59-days/Apple has announced just a short while back that it has sold only two million iPads... more
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By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook, facing a backlash among a growing faction of its users, plans to soon simplify its privacy tools.
The disclosure, which came in an opinion piece by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is the company's first direct response to increased concerns about its privacy policy and the personal information of its nearly 500 million users.
Facebook has been on a relentless quest this year to convert the vast mountains of data of its users into advertising revenue. And each time it does, it faces criticism.
The latest flap came in April, when Facebook announced new features that send user profile information in bulk to companies such as Microsoft, Yelp and Pandora. That prompted four U.S. senators — led by Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. — to demand Facebook pass along data only if users agree to it.
"There needs to be a simpler way to control your information," Zuckerberg said in the opinion piece, which ran in Monday's Washington Post. "In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use. We will also give you an easy way to turnShare
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A beautifully done typographic displaying little known facts about Steve Jobs
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We've all glommed on to the idea of HTML5 saving streaming video and everything else in the world. But Hulu VP Eugene Wei recently went on record citing why HTML5 can't handle Hulu's current needs.
As part of a larger post on Hulu improvements, he posted this "aside" on HTML5:
"We continue to monitor developments on HTML5, but as of now it doesn't yet meet all of our customers' needs. Our player doesn't just simply stream video, it must also secure the content, handle reporting for our advertisers, render the video using a high performance codec to ensure premium visual quality, communicate back with the server to determine how long to buffer and what bitrate to stream, and dozens of other things that aren't necessarily visible to the end user. Not all video sites have these needs, but for our business these are all important and often contractual requirements.
That's not to say these features won't be added to HTML5 in the future (or be easier to implement). Technology is a fast-moving space and we're constantly evaluating which tools will best allow us to fulfill our mission for as many of our customers as possible."
Reading between the lines, you'll note that DRM is a big piece of the problem—HTML5 doesn't support it. And while it's in consumers' nature to hate DRM, you have to understand where Hulu is coming from. If you could right click to save any Hulu-distributed show, Hulu's whole business would come crumbling down. Aside from destroying their advertising model, no studios would agree to their distribution.We've all glommed on to the idea of HTML5 saving streaming video and everything... more
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This is a bit of a confusing one, but we just got tipped an additional shot of this 4th generation iPhone that leaked out in Vietnam, but this time with a big twist: it appears to be running iPhone OS 4. Or at least displaying a screenshot of the new OS, with that telltale wallpaper in the background. We have no idea how this crew might've circumvented Apple's lockdown of the device, and there's always the chance this is some sort of Photoshop or other trickery.
Still, a source has confirmed to us that the markings "N90 PRO2" indicate an older prototype N90 (the Apple codename for the new iPhone), which refers to "Working Prototype 2" and might possibly be easier to enable than the newer, lock tight model Gizmodo obtained. Also, despite the photo's out-of-focus nature, the display (or at least its contents) doesn't appear nearly as sharp as those previous shots we saw of the "fireball" screen. We're digging for more info as we speak, but unfortunately the original source site, Taoviet, is down right now. We'll keep you posted if we hear anything else about this image's origins.
Update: The source link is loading for us sporadically. The translated text above the shot reads: "Iphone 4G VN is distributed by the network not it? Maybe not then, we'll be the first use:" It's all so clear now!This is a bit of a confusing one, but we just got tipped an additional shot of this... more
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While we may be jumping the gun here, but we'll use what specs we've scrounged up on the Apple leaked next-gen iPhone and compare it with the current iPhone 3G S. The 4G represents a much larger hardware jump compared to the 3G to 3G S.
The iPhone 4G sports quite a number of differences from the 3GS, we'll start off with the screen quality, 320 x 480 pixels against iPhone 4G's 640 x 960 pixels, which means the 4G sports HD quality screen. The iPhone 4G sports a 5.0 megapixel camera, while the iPhone 3G S has a 3.2 megapixel camera. There’s also flash installed on the camera.
The iPhone 3G S dimensions stand at 115.5 x 62.1 x 12.3 mm is slightly bigger compared to 4G's 114.3 x 58.7 x 9.4 mm. However, the 4G is 5 grams heavier compared to the 3G S. The smaller size is attributed to smaller components, while the 4G's weight is due to the 16% larger battery. Aesthetically, the 4G is much more squarish and sports a flat back, compared to the 3G.
The phone memory also has an upgrade from the 16/32GB to 60/80GB variants. An educated guess should see the 4G iPhone automatically loaded with the OS 4.0.
http://www.mobile88.com/news/read.asp?file=/2010/5/6/20100505220211&phone=iPhone-4G-vs-3GS-compareWhile we may be jumping the gun here, but we'll use what specs we've... more
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You might have noticed that Adobe has launched a pretty full-force campaign to call out Apple on its anti-Flash mission. If you don't know what we're talking about, it's the advertisements that start with "We [heart] Apple." Along with the web ads, the company has also snagged a full page in today's Washington Post to address the battle in which the two companies have been engaged. All of this links back to a new statement from Adobe, as well as an open letter from founders Chuck Geschke and John Warnock ("Our thoughts on open markets"), addressing Apple's recent spate of clear and direct attacks against the company and its products. Most of the reading should sound familiar to those of us who've been following the saga, but here are a few choice quotes from the duo:
--"We believe that consumers should be able to freely access their favorite content and applications, regardless of what computer they have, what browser they like, or what device suits their needs. No company - no matter how big or how creative - should dictate what you can create, how you create it, or what you can experience on the web.
When markets are open, anyone with a great idea has a chance to drive innovation and find new customers. Adobe's business philosophy is based on a premise that, in an open market, the best products will win in the end - and the best way to compete is to create the best technology and innovate faster than your competitors.
We believe that Apple, by taking the opposite approach, has taken a step that could undermine this next chapter of the web - the chapter in which mobile devices outnumber computers, any individual can be a publisher, and content is accessed anywhere and at any time.
In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web? And we believe the answer is: nobody - and everybody, but certainly not a single company."
So, it's clear this issue isn't going to die out any time soon, and it's also clear that Adobe is going to go to great lengths to defend and protect its cash-cow. Of course, if they really want this message to hit home to the core iPad and iPhone users out there, they're going to need to run that ad in HTML5.You might have noticed that Adobe has launched a pretty full-force campaign to call... more
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The term of Apple and AT&T's iPhone exclusivity deal has long been a mystery -- although USA Today reported a five-year arrangement when the original iPhone came out in 2007, that number has never been independently confirmed, and it's been looking suspect in recent weeks as Verizon iPhone chatter has gotten louder. But we've been doing some digging and we can now confirm that Apple and AT&T entered into a five-year iPhone exclusive in 2007, based on court documents filed by Apple in California. Read on!
Here's the deal: an ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone's required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years -- thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone. Obviously Apple had to respond to these allegations, and in addition to arguing that no one was ever promised an unlocked iPhone after two years, the company's lawyers repeatedly confirm the existence of the five-year agreement while noting it was publicly reported in USA Today. It's extremely black and white -- check these choice quotes from Apple:
"The duration of the exclusive Apple-[AT&T] agreement was not 'secret' either. The [plaintiff] quotes a May 21, 2007 USA Today article – published over a month before the iPhone's release – stating, "AT&T has exclusive U.S. distribution rights for five years-an eternity in the go-go cellphone world."
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"[T]here was widespread disclosure of [AT&T's] five-year exclusivity and no suggestion by Apple or anyone else that iPhones would become unlocked after two years... Moreover, it is sheer speculation – and illogical – that failing to disclose the five-year exclusivity term would produce monopoly power..."
Now, this all went down in October of 2008, and while it's sort of amazing we hadn't seen it earlier, the real question is whether or not the exclusivity deal is still on the books. (The case is ongoing, but most of the relevant bits have been under seal since 2009.) Contracts can be canceled, amended, and breached in many ways, and AT&T's spotty recent service history plus the explosion of the iPhone and the mobile market in general have given Apple any number of reasons to revisit the deal. In addition, the two companies obviously hit the negotiating table again to hammer out the iPad's pricing plans, and there's no way of knowing whether that deal involves the iPhone as well. But it's nice to finally know for certain that AT&T's initial iPhone exclusivity period was booked until 2012 -- now we just have to see if all this recent chatter means something's changed.
P.S.- Oh, and this case also covers some other relevant and controversial ground: the plaintiffs argued that Apple exerted illegal monopoly power over the iPhone applications market by barring third-party apps from iPhone OS 1.0, and the court ruled the argument was valid enough to go forward. Pretty prescient for 2008 -- we're guessing Adobe and the Federal Trade Commission are very interested in what's going down in California's Northern District right around now.The term of Apple and AT&T's iPhone exclusivity deal has long been a mystery... more
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See the marking on that chip with the Apple logo. No, not the "N90" codename indicating that it's from Apple's next generation GSM iPhone, the other text. If we're not mistaken then we're seeing "339S0084" on that chip from today's fourth-generation iPhone teardown. Guess what? According to Chipworks, that's the Apple A4 microprocessor fabricated by Samsung and the presumed work of Apple's acquired PA Semi and Intrinsity engineers. The "APL0398" text is also the same as that found on the iPad's A4 system-on-chip. The other markings differ however. What that means isn't entirely clear yet but we're digging.See the marking on that chip with the Apple logo. No, not the "N90" codename... more
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The pun is so obvious it practically insults your intelligence, but we just can't help ourselves -- the iPad has just gotten a little more magical. Using the BTstack application that brought Bluetooth mouse support to iPhone, enterprising individuals discovered the same technique works on a jailbroken iPad as well, and hooked up Apple's own Magic Mouse to show it off to the world. Mind you, while this implementation does look quite useful, we do detect the barest hint of lag -- so it may not be your weapon of choice for pixel-doubled Doom sessions.The pun is so obvious it practically insults your intelligence, but we just can't... more
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NEW YORK (AP) -- Finnish cell phone maker Nokia Corp. said Friday that it has extended its patent-infringement claims against Apple Inc. to include the new iPad.
The latest complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Madison, Wis., follows other lawsuits by Nokia claiming that a broad swath of Apple products violate Nokia patents. Nokia says the disputed technologies help reduce the size and cost of electronic gadgets. Apple had already responded with its own infringement claims against Nokia.
Lawsuits over patent rights are common in the technology industry. They can take years to resolve and often end with some kind of licensing agreement. In the meantime, consumers should be able to buy the Apple or Nokia products in question.
Apple has also sued Taiwan's HTC Corp., one of the leading producers of cell phones that run on Google Inc.'s Android software, a potential challenger to Apple's popular iPhone. Apple says HTC's Android phones violate iPhone patents.
The legal disputes come amid increasing competition in the fast-growing market for smart phones. Tech companies are scrambling to win over the growing number of consumers buying cell phones that come with e-mail, Web surfing and scores of apps for checking the weather, updating Facebook and other tasks.
Nokia is the world's biggest cell phone maker, though it is more dominant in Asia and Europe. In the U.S., it faces intense competition from the iPhone and Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys.
Nokia's latest lawsuit targets the iPhone and the iPad 3G, the version of the device that can connect to the Web using cell phone networks. Nokia said the gadgets infringe on five patents related to technology that makes voice and data communications more efficient, which allows the devices to be more compact.
"We have taken this step to protect the results of our pioneering development and to put an end to continued unlawful use of Nokia's innovation," Nokia executive Paul Melin said in a statement.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment on the new case but said the company had already filed a countersuit in December to earlier claims by Nokia. Apple claims Nokia is infringing on 13 of its patents, saying the company chose to "copy the iPhone" in order to recapture its share of the high-end phone market.
Apple shares fell $10.39, or 4.2 percent, to $235.86 Friday on a day of market turbulence following some of the most volatile trading in history on Thursday afternoon. Nokia shares rose 9 cents to $10.75.NEW YORK (AP) -- Finnish cell phone maker Nokia Corp. said Friday that it has extended... more
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