MacNewsWorld
Apple Gives MobileMe Users 60 More Days, Pleads for Patience
Apple took another step to acknowledge the issues surrounding MobileMe reliability by extending current subscriber memberships an additional 60 days. The company previously extended memberships 30 days, which means qualifying subscriber renewal dates have been extended 90 days.2008-08-21 00:00:00
Best Buy Kiosks Aim to Snag Customers on the Fly
Consumer electronics retailing giant Best Buy is coming to an airport near you. With 965 stores in the U.S. alone, Best Buy is already one of the most ubiquitous retail chains in America. Now, the Richfield, Minn.-based company will soon have kiosks peddling electronics gear at major airports in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and San Francisco.2008-08-13 00:00:00
How Far Will Apple Go to Stop the Dell MP3 Effort?
Last week I thought it would be interesting -- given that both the Wall Street Journal and TechNewsWorld had covered my professional relationship with Dell regarding its new MP3 service -- to chat about what it would take to beat Apple. But in my analysis I left out one important thing: Apple is tricky. Already there are rumors of a redesigned iPod nano that would position well against this new Dell offering.2008-08-13 00:00:00
Best Buy Clears a Spot on Its Shelf for iPhone
Big-box retailer Best Buy will begin stocking the iPhone 3G this September, giving the device shelf space both in the Mac section of the store as well as in Best Buy Mobile. Best Buy will sell the phone at the suggested retail price of $199 for the 8 GB model and $299 for the 16 GB model with the start of a new two-year service contract -- the same prices found at AT&T and Apple retail locations.2008-08-13 00:00:00
CSI, Mac Style
When Macintosh laptops began showing up more often at crime scenes in Pittsburgh this year, police Sgt. Michael Delcimmuto knew he had to do something. Delcimmuto, who oversees the city police unit that investigates computer crimes, said 95 percent of the computers most police agencies forensically analyze contain Windows-based operating systems.2008-08-10 00:00:00
What Does Apple Have Up Its Sleeve?
When Apple announced last month that it anticipated higher development costs in coming months, analysts cringed and the stock dropped. But tech heads rejoiced. Such a message often means new products are coming from the company. Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer told analysts that a "future product transition" will lower gross margins from nearly 35 to about 30 percent in 2009.2008-08-10 00:00:00
iPhone Web Tethering Tool Gets Short Shelf Life at App Store
An iPhone application that would let the iPhone act as a computer modem was shot down by Apple shortly after its launch. It was only available for a few minutes on the Apple App Store before it disappeared, but it was there was long enough to be noticed. The application, NetShare by Nullriver Software, went on sale on iTunes Thursday night for $9.99.2008-08-07 00:00:00
Dell to Take Second Swing at iPod
Two years after discontinuing sales of its DJ line of digital music players, Dell plans to launch a new effort to snag a piece of the digital music market from Apple with its own device this September, according to a Wednesday report. Citing details provided by several Dell executives, the report describes a company stung by past failures and intent on not repeating past mistakes.2008-07-31 00:00:00
Adobe Flips Switch on Lightroom 2
The promise of digital photography is that it can help any amateur develop into a backyard Ansel Adams, given the right camera, software and dedication. Imaging software company Adobe Systems has known this since 1990, when it rolled out version 1.0 of its trailblazing Photoshop software; it has followed that with a host of related products aimed at different segments of the digital imaging market.2008-07-31 00:00:00
Mac Wares for the Jurisprudence Crowd
"The Jury Loved My iBook" is how Peter Zavaletta begins his testimonial on MacLaw Online. A personal injury and medical malpractice attorney in Brownsville, Texas, Zavaletta attributes his victory in an obstetrical negligence case in part to his array of Mac tools.2008-07-24 00:00:00
The Power of Balance
I like writing about conflict because it gives you more than one dimension to a story, and there were two interesting conflicts that I ran into last week. The first, more near-term, will likely define the direction of the notebook market, and it is important because it implies an ether/or decision when most of us want both.2008-07-23 00:00:00
Mac Enterprise Security: Flawed in Fact, or Flawed Facts?
On Tuesday, Computerworld published a story about so-called security flaws in Mac OS X that affect the enterprise. The six arguments actually amount to a collection of shibboleths. Security Flaw #1: Apple Updates. The argument is that security updates pop up unannounced and insufficient information is provided to make a decision as to whether to roll out the update.2008-07-23 00:00:00
Apple, Acer Battle for Third Spot in US PC Market
Two research firms, Gartner and IDC, have released reports indicating Apple has generated a stellar uptick in shipments of Macs to customers in the United States -- so much so that the Cupertino, Calif., company has eclipsed, or perhaps surpassed, Acer to become the third biggest personal computer manufacturer selling in the U.S. market.2008-07-23 00:00:00
iSCSI: The Perfect Storage Complement to OS X?
Mac OS X users who face growing storage requirements due to larger, more complex projects and ever-expanding file sizes often turn to SANs to help overcome their challenges. With benefits such as leveraging existing IT equipment and expertise, many Mac users are turning to Internet SCSI SANs as an easy, low-cost way to reap the benefits of a SAN in an OS X environment.2008-07-17 00:00:00
Playtime for the iPhone
Well, I guess Apple does care about games. The flood of titles on the new online App Store for the iPhone and iPhone 3G is a good sign for gamers eager to see someone other than Nintendo or Sony in the portable-gaming space. The first crop of iPhone games is mostly of the sort that cell phone owners have been playing for a decade.2008-07-17 00:00:00
The Good Old Analog Customer
On my blog, I have been writing about my experience with my new computer: an iMac. I have been spending a lot of time thinking about the whole cultural difference between the Windows world and the Apple world. As a longtime user of Windows, I felt I knew and understood that platform pretty well and the jolt of cutting over cold turkey was both surprising and refreshing.2008-07-17 00:00:00
Apple Sells a Cool Million iPhone 3Gs Despite Opening Weekend Hitches
The weekend of July 11 was a good one for Apple: With the worldwide launch of the iPhone 3G on Friday, Apple sold a cool 1 million 3G models around the world and served up 10 million iTunes App Store downloads, according to the company. "iPhone 3G had a stunning opening weekend," noted Apple CEO Steve Jobs.2008-07-15 00:00:00
Clouds Clear Over Apple Backdating Case
Suspicions over rigged stock options that have hovered over Apple for two years will not result in criminal charges against founder Steve Jobs and other current and former executives, attorneys involved in the case said Thursday. "The Justice Department took a long time and scrubbed this matter very thoroughly, and they concluded no charges should be brought against anyone," said attorney Miles Ehrlich.2008-07-15 00:00:00
An iPhone With a Sense of Place
A faster, cheaper, smarter iPhone goes on sale Friday morning, promising to bring the latest technology to more of the masses while changing the way people find information, their friends and fun. Satellite navigation is one of the biggest additions to the music-playing, picture-taking, Web-surfing, e-mail-reading smart phone from Apple, which has sold about 6 million of the original device so far.2008-07-10 00:00:00
UK Entrepreneurs Eye iPod Users With New miShake Player
Two Birmingham, UK, businessmen are taking on the might of the iPod with a new audio and video player they hope will take the world by storm. The "miShake" was launched by 24-year-old Birmingham entrepreneurs Steve Beckford and Alex Sylvester who, after running their own online gadget shop Electro Box, saw a market opportunity.2008-07-08 00:00:00
Software Firms Ally to Bridge Mac Enterprise Gap
A group of five enterprise software companies on Monday announced the creation of the Enterprise Desktop Alliance to facilitate the acceptance of Macintosh computers in organizational environments managed with Microsoft Windows. The alliance was created by Atempo, Centrify, Group Logic, LANrev and Parallels.2008-07-01 00:00:00
How Drunk Are You? Just Ask Your iPod
Since the release of the iPod, the market has flooded with accessories ranging from the mundane to the radical. All are meant to further incorporate the tiny device into another aspect of daily life. Many of these add-ons are innovative solutions for common problems. Others are just gimmicks targeting consumers with a taste for silly novelty items.2008-06-30 00:00:00
Moving to the Mobile Web
Wait. Scroll. Scroll. Tap-tap. Wait. Wait. For many years, that was the typical experience of someone surfing the Web using a mobile phone or PDA, at least in the U.S. Although some content providers offered stripped-down versions of their sites specially designed for mobile users, most did not.2008-06-30 00:00:00
The Quiet Little Pop of the Mac Security Bubble
A Trojan targeting Mac computers in the wild used to be a rarity, but this type of malware is now turning up with alarming frequency. The latest Trojan is rudimentary, at best, although when coupled with a Mac platform vulnerability that came to light earlier this week, it could deliver an extra wallop. The Trojan is masquerading as a program for Mac OS X called "PokerGame."2008-06-30 00:00:00
Greenpeace Prods Apple to Become Environmental Leader
In its latest survey of practices among makers of electronic gadgets, Greenpeace has raised the bar of what the environmental group believes is required for "green" corporate citizenship. The analysis of the products and procedures of 18 major electronics manufacturers, released today, ranked two Silicon Valley giants -- Hewlett-Packard and Apple -- in the middle of the pack.2008-06-30 00:00:00
Inside the Latest iPhone
Apple packed a lot of features into the latest version of the iPhone but managed to keep a tight lid on the cost of components that go into it. Manufacturing and components for the 8-gigabyte iPhone 3G set Apple back about $173 per unit, according to an estimate by Silicon Valley-based research firm iSuppli, due to be released June 24.2008-06-25 00:00:00
The Old iPhone and the Day After
Many of the millions of iPhone 2G users are looking forward to buying the iPhone 3G on July 11 and have been thinking about what to do with their old iPhone. AT&T has provided some answers. AT&T has announced that when the new iPhone 3G ships on July 11, current iPhone customers will be able to buy a new iPhone 3G for $199 and start a new two-year contract.2008-06-25 00:00:00
Smartphone Operating Systems, Part 2: Change Is in the Air
As smartphones change, so does the landscape for developers of applications for these devices. As phones, particularly the iPhone, become more application-friendly, the marketplace is at once more competitive and more inviting to third-party application developers.2008-06-25 00:00:00
Sprint Has Instinct to Beat iPhone Price
Sprint Nextel will be taking on the iPhone with a lower price for its own touchscreen smartphone, the Samsung Instinct. The carrier said Wednesday that the Instinct will cost $129.99 when released on Friday. That compares with $199 for the cheapest model of the new iPhone, which goes on sale July 11 with AT&T as the carrier.2008-06-18 00:00:00
Study: Average iPod Has 800-Plus Illegal Tunes
Young iPod owners are walking around with an average of 842 illegally copied songs, according to research by the University of Hertfordshire. The survey, which questioned 1,200 participants, also revealed that nearly two-thirds of young people download music tracks illegally. The average is 53 songs per month.2008-06-18 00:00:00
Microsoft and Yahoo Walk, Cyber-Terror Risk Sticks Around, China Plays Dumb
The battle between Yahoo and investor Carl Icahn heated up a few notches this week. After exchanging a few sharply worded letters with each other, they started writing to investors. The humanity! Though the two parties have been going back and forth for weeks, both have really been trying to make their cases to investors, obviously.2008-06-16 00:00:00
What iPhones May Come
This is a fun time of year. The summer sun is just starting to get its groove on, beaches swarm with scantily suited bathers, theme parks hum with throngs of thrill-seekers, even the forests and national parks around the country strain to capacity as vacationers seek places to unwind and commune with nature. It is also a time of anticipation for Apple watchers.2008-06-04 00:00:00
Sun Lets Loose xVM VirtualBox Desktop Virtualization System
Sun Microsystems announced on Friday the formal release of Sun xVM VirtualBox, a free and open source desktop virtualization system for Mac OS X Leopard, Windows, Linux and Solaris hosts. The software will compete with VMware Fusion and Parallels Desktop on the Macintosh platform.2008-06-04 00:00:00
Apple Gives Leopard a Good Brushing
Apple has completed a major security overhaul of its Leopard operating system. The fix addresses more than 40 crucial security flaws, including one in iCal that allows hackers to attack the computer remotely. Plugging the iCal hole was the most immediate need Apple had to address.2008-06-04 00:00:00
What Do EMC and Apple Have in Common? Quality
OK, this may seem like a huge stretch because I doubt there are any tech companies more different than EMC and Apple. However, I just spent several days at EMC World and I actually found one similarity: Both companies are focused like lasers on customer loyalty.2008-05-28 00:00:00
Is Apple About to Break Its Silence on Psystar?
When Psystar, a Miami company, started selling Mac closes preloaded with Mac OS X last month, everyone assumed that Apple would take immediate action. However, nothing has happened to date. Several things may be going on, and no one is sure. Several theories are floating around. Dow Jones reported recently that Apple is preparing to defend its IP rights and will take legal action soon.2008-05-28 00:00:00
iPod My Ride
Not to point out the obvious -- but the iPod has revolutionized the way we consume music. We buy music a la carte and play songs in the order we want -- not the order dictated by some record producer. We also listen to our music anywhere we please now thanks to a world of new products that range from ear buds that are customized to the shape of our ears to the most sophisticated home entertainment systems.2008-05-28 00:00:00
Open Source House Design: Just for Starters
Looking to remodel your own little castle in Spain? Perhaps just design a modest little country cottage or addition to your current abode? As in many areas, software tools and expertise up until relatively recently accessible only to professionals are now available to just about anyone that cares to invest a little time and money acquiring and learning how to use them.2008-05-22 00:00:00
That Insidious Cell Phone
A year ago, Philadelphia Mayor John Street took heat for skipping out of the office to wait in line for an iPhone on the day the gadget debuted. I was one of the people who piled on. Having just procured an iPhone myself, I owe the former mayor an apology: He could have waited in line for a week -- for a month -- and nothing he missed at City Hall would have been as valuable and worthwhile.2008-05-22 00:00:00
Beyond 3G, Part 1: What the iPhone Needs
In June 2007, Apple shipped what may well be the most coveted and successful phone in the world. As June 2008 inches closer, anticipation is turning into expectation, and the tech world is buzzing with the latest machinations of Apple and what it might or might not be doing with its next-generation iPhone.2008-05-21 00:00:00
Orange to Peddle iPhone in Eastern Europe, Africa
Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom, has signed a new deal with Apple to offer the iPhone to its customers in several parts of Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean. The company already has an exclusive deal with Apple to sell the phone in France. The Orange deal follows a series of hookups with several other carriers around the world who signed contracts to sell the iPhone.2008-05-21 00:00:00
Apple Settles iPod Class Action for $45 a Head
Apple has agreed to settle a pair of class action lawsuits in Canada alleging it misled customers about the staying power of their iPods, the latest courtroom truce over the dwindling battery life of early generations of the device. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is offering credits for its online store of about $44.75, according to a court document.2008-05-14 00:00:00
Environmental Group Puts More Heat on Apple
Apple has been given a failing grade by Climate Counts, and was placed at the bottom of a list of 12 electronics companies also ranked by the organization. Climate Counts ranks companies on their practices to reduce global warming on a scale of zero to 100, and Apple was given a score of 11, some 66 points behind sector leader IBM, which scored a 77.2008-05-14 00:00:00
Mac Bloggers Size Up Support, Elbow Into Enterprise, Muse on AT&T Memo
Three interesting topics were kicked around in Apple-minded blogs this week. Entirely unsurprisingly, survey results show that Apple tech support kicks butt in the PC industry at large. Also, AT&T is forbidding vacation time to hapless iPhone salespeople, and it appears Macs have gotten a foot in the door at work.2008-05-14 00:00:00
Apple Takes the Gold for Tech Support
Based on 10,099 notebook and desktop computer owners who contacted customer support between January 2006 and January 2006, Consumer Reports found Apple to be No. 1 in technical support. Lenovo came in second for notebook computers, and Dell was second for desktops.2008-05-07 00:00:00
Medical Advances - Through Your iPhone?
Bioengineering professor Boris Rubinsky has what he hopes is the perfect antidote to bulky, expensive, hard-to-use medical machines: the mobile phone. The University of California professor says that by reducing a complex electromagnetic imaging machine to a portable electromagnetic scanner, he has essentially replicated a $10,000 piece of equipment for just hundreds of dollars.2008-05-07 00:00:00
Psystar Launches First Sally in Mac Clone War
Despite myriad indications to the contrary, Psystar does appear to be an actual company offering a real -- but perhaps not entirely legal -- product. Psystar, of course, is the company that burst onto the national scene with news that it was offering a Mac clone, dubbed the "Open Computer," capable of running the Macintosh OS X Leopard operating system.2008-05-07 00:00:00
Apple Puts Pedal to the Metal With New iMacs
Apple has upgraded its all-in-one iMac line by adding faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the fastest of which will cruise along at up to 3.06 GHz. The processors come with 6 MB of L2 cache and a faster 1,066 MHz front-side bus, with 2 GB memory standard in most models.2008-04-30 00:00:00
Deciphering the Jobs Code
Probably no figure in Silicon Valley history has inspired more curiosity or attained a greater mythical status than Steve Jobs, the icon behind Apple. For decades, journalists have toiled in vain to offer a peek behind the curtain of the Wizard of Cupertino, Calif. Not for lack of trying. Jobs has famously remained tight-lipped and cloistered in secrecy, offering interviews to few reporters.2008-04-30 00:00:00
George: An iPod Sound System With an Ear for Detail
Chestnut Hill Sound makes the George, a high-end digital audio system for iPods with some unique features. Most significant is the unique remote control. TMO spoke with the CEO, Steve Krampf, to find out more about this award winning home audio system. As every audiophile knows, there are audio systems, and there are audio systems.2008-01-23 00:00:00
The Wii Failure, How Apple Beats CES, HD DVD Winner, Product of the Week
There are two mistakes a vendor can make that it may not be able to recover from. One is to build too many products, which stay in inventory and prevent future sales; and the other is to have too few products and lose out of sales as a result. Nintendo did the latter, and that will be a problem for the company in 2008.2008-01-08 00:00:00
The Perfect Gift for Your New iPod
Get an iPod or even an iPhone this holidays? Time to accessorize. The Macally BT Cup is an all-in-one unit to play an iPod in a car and make a cell phone hands-free. It acts as an iPod docking station to listen to the iPod through an FM stereo, hooks up with any Bluetooth-enabled cell phone to make it hands-free, charges the unit and sits comfortably in most car cup holders.2008-01-08 00:00:00
Dell XPS One: More Than an iClone
Something interesting is going on at Dell. The Texas personal-computer behemoth, long associated with boxy, boring machines, has started emphasizing industrial design. The company, which in recent years seemed to care only about corporate customers, techies and hard-core gamers, appears once again interested in average, mainstream consumers who value simplicity.2008-01-08 00:00:00
App Stores: Microsoft, Google Follow Apple
When Apple opened its iTunes App Store in July, the idea of a mass-market Web site that sells downloadable games, tools, and other applications for cell phones was a rarity. Handset owners could buy apps from their carriers or the occasional niche site. But these days, the app store concept is becoming commonplace.1970-01-01 01:00:00
On the Front Lines With an Independent Apple Dealer
Larry Taghon has built a reputation as "the Mac guy" -- and rightfully so. The 41-year-old began his career selling Apple products as a target market representative at a now-defunct Computerland in Columbus, Ga., in 1987. Four years later, he branched out to focus on independent Apple support services. In 1994, Taghon and wife Kimberly founded Graphicom, selling and servicing Apple products for businesses.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Calling All iPhones: 2.1 Bug Buster Is Ready
As Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised earlier this week in his iPod and iTunes-focused music announcements, the iPhone 2.1 software update is now ready for installation by all iPhone owners. The update became available this morning, and Apple even went so far as to post a notice on its home page to alert iPhone owners of the free update.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Is Apple ARMing the iPhone With Homemade Chips?
When Apple quietly bought a small semiconductor company earlier this year called "PA Semi," the move sparked a storm of speculation. Was Apple looking for new low-power processors for its iPhone? Was it aiming to develop new processors for unannounced but rumored Mac tablets? Or was Apple just buying PA Semi to snag some top-notch engineers?1970-01-01 01:00:00
Spammers Bait Hooks With Fake iPhone Game
Security firm Sophos issued a warning Thursday about e-mails purportedly offering free iPhone games. The missives profess to feature a free game for the smartphone, but the only thing those who download the attachment receive is malware designed to infect PCs running Windows.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Electric Shock Risk Sparks iPhone Charger Recall
Apple has recalled the new ultracompact universal serial bus adapter plug that shipped with millions of iPhone 3G handsets. The plugs, according to the device maker, can snap off so that the blades remain inside an electrical outlet, creating a risk of electric shock. No injuries have been reported, Apple noted, but the company has instituted a new adapter exchange program to get stronger plugs into the hands of its customers.1970-01-01 01:00:00
AT&T, iPhone and the Shape of Things to Come
Use an iPhone to hurl a virtual tomato at your TV, splattering your least favorite actor. Preview your commute from your couch with an on-screen peek through traffic cameras. Speak into a remote control to search for shows or watch 3-D TV without special glasses.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Apple Goes a Little Less Medieval on Devs
In a surprise move, Apple has relented in its insistence that third-party application developers for the wildly popular iPhone sign a nondisclosure agreement before their applications can be made available for download on the iPhone App Store. Apple dropped the NDA because it was too burdensome for developers and others, according to the company.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Who Wants a Cheap(ish) MacBook?
Apple has announced it will host an event next week, and the word of the day is "notebooks." Both its MacBook and MacBook Pro lines are about due for some body design tweaks and more powerful engines. Rumors have been running rampant all over the Web for weeks. The latest claims that Apple will introduce a new $800 MacBook.1970-01-01 01:00:00
iTunes Ropes In All Four TV Nets for High-Def Downloads
The iTunes store has had various fits and coughs over the last few years as content providers from the music, movie and television industry battled it out with Apple over delivery and pricing quibbles. However, the fall network TV season is now intact -- and in the full glory of high definition.1970-01-01 01:00:00
OpenOffice 3 Debuts to Server-Crashing Demand
The third full OpenOffice suite is out in the wild and attracting plenty of attention. OpenOffice.org 3.0 was released Monday -- and already, demand has been high enough to overwhelm the download servers and cause them to crash. The software suite, designed as an open source alternative to Microsoft Office, offers everything from word processing and spreadsheet creation to presentation and databasing tools.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Apple: MobileMe on the Mend
Although a storm of bugs rained down upon the heads and shoulders of MobileMe subscribers in July, Apple has been doing a lot more than apologizing, offering free service extensions and handing out umbrellas. It turns out that Apple has been working at the source -- the servers driving the so-called cloud -- to mop the little issues leaking from the MobileMe cloud.1970-01-01 01:00:00
There and Back Again: Globetrotting With Apple
Traveling can be an exciting adventure, especially if that adventure takes you to a different country. Sure, there will be surprises along the way, but you can help ensure they are all good with a little extra planning ahead, especially if you plan on taking any of your tech gear with you.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Why Dell Is Beating Everyone, Especially Apple, in China
I can remember the day, way back, when the U.S. was the most important market in the world and companies from all over fought to build a presence and establish themselves here. Our politicians have creatively fixed that advantage, and now China is the place to be.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Smooth Install, Decent Picture Make For Slick Netflix Streaming
Netflix has released their Silverlight plug-in for beta testing that allows its customers with Intel-based Macs to instantly view a movie from an available library of 12,000 titles. Testing on a MacBook Pro revealed that the plug-in works well, and no problems were encountered. Testing was conducted on a unibody, 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro with 4 GB RAM and Mac OS X 10.5.5 during the week of Nov. 3 through 7.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Study: Headphone Magnets Mess With Pacemakers
After some back-and-forth in the medical community, it has generally been decided that iPods and MP3 players do not seriously interfere with pacemaker functions. However, a study points to an entirely new concept of the risk involved with these devices. It is not the music player itself that can cause disruption.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Fans, Festivals, FileMaker: E-Commerce Gets a Little Help From Its Friends
When Mark Lapidos, president and originator of The Fest, decided 34 years ago to feed his passion for The Beatles with an annual Beatles Fans Celebration, the furthest things from his mind were computers and databases. Any thoughts about managing a repeat event and bringing The Fest to numerous cities around the country just did not hang around.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Apple, Dell to Grab Bigger Slices of Smaller Holiday Pie
While other consumer electronics makers are headed for a rough holiday season, two standouts in the industry are expected to rise above the rest -- Apple and Dell. A survey by ChangeWave concluded that the U.S. is on the brink of experiencing a "massive breakdown in consumer spending" just in time for the holiday season.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Zeroing In on Great GPS Apps for the iPhone
One of my favorite features in modern smartphones is the ability to talk to the Global Positioning Satellite system, which allows the phone to determine where it is on the planet. The combination of mobile communications, computing power and being location-aware is a powerful one. Some of the most interesting applications for the current generation of GPS-enabled phones make great use of this feature.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Apple on Black Friday: Blowout Bonanza or Business as Usual?
As the United States gets ready for its upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, retail organizations are gearing up for their annual Black Friday sales. This year, though, they face a difficult economic climate, and many consumers may be especially tight with their cash this time around. Some retailers -- especially those that sell consumer electronics -- are expected to cut prices even deeper than usual.1970-01-01 01:00:00
iPhone Update Soups Up Street Smarts, Stabilizes Safari
Apple has released a new software update for the iPhone, bringing users more than a dozen new features and fixes. Among them is the "I-want-that-too" Google Street View maps feature that was first available on BlackBerry and Java-enabled phones. "Apple has been releasing major updates to iPhone OS every few months," Raven Zachary, founder of iPhoneDevCamp and a contributing analyst for The 451 Group, told MacNewsWorld.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Parallels 4.0 Not Quite Fully Baked
After Apple began selling Macintosh systems based on Intel processors, a program called "Parallels Desktop" was released that let you run Windows in a window on a Mac. It instantly became the de facto standard for breaking down walls between operating systems on the Mac OS. Parallels uses a technique called "virtualization," which creates a virtual computer running within the physical, real computer.1970-01-01 01:00:00
What If Steve Jobs Ran GM and Mark Hurd Ran Ford?
One of the first jobs I ever held was as an auto mechanic and have had a passion for cars that predates my passion for technology. Watching the U.S. auto industry make mistake after mistake until it was nearly out of business has been particularly painful for any of us who love both cars and our country.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Litigants Lob More Lawsuits at Apple
Apple is facing two more legal challenges against the iPhone. Los Angeles-based EMG Technology filed a suit in the U.S. District Court in Texas claiming that the iPhone infringes on a patent approved last month by the Patent and Trademark Office. The patent is for an "apparatus and method of manipulating a region on a wireless device screen for viewing, zooming and scrolling Internet content."1970-01-01 01:00:00
Can Apple Beat Sony and Nintendo at Their Own Game?
Did Apple know what the future held when CEO Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone during his Macworld Expo keynote in January 2007? They probably had some sense of it, but they likely had no idea that games would become such a big part of the platform, especially considering the outsider status of gaming on the Mac.1970-01-01 01:00:00
An App Store Shopping Spree
The killer app for the iPhone is -- drum roll, please -- the iTunes App Store. Five months after Apple launched its online emporium, I believe it even more, having downloaded a gaggle of programs, including some that transform my iPhone 3G into a harmonica, metric system converter and level.1970-01-01 01:00:00
Zune or iPod? Picking the Right Player
With the holiday season suddenly upon us, consumers are searching for the right digital media devices to suit their loved ones. Apple has led and continues to lead the market with its iPod series, posting sales figures as high as 11 million units sold in Q3 of the current financial year.1970-01-01 01:00:00