AIM 2.0 for iPhone gets paid version, SMS, location
AOL has split AIM 2.0 for the iPhone into an ad-supported free download, known as AIM Free, and a paid version, AIM Paid. Both variants offer several new features including SMS notifications, location-aware services and support for multiple accounts.
Premium-priced MacBook Pros top sales at Apple retail stores
Despite repeated calls from industry watchers for Apple to cut prices on its computer line, a new study reveals that sales of the company's premium-priced MacBook Pros are topping all other Macs at the majority of U.S.-based Apple stores.
New dual internal hard drive option available for MacBooks
MacBook and PowerMac G4 users who don't need an internal optical drive can now replace it for a custom fit hard drive case, providing a secondary drive for as much as 1 TB of total disk storage and the option of striping performance or data redundancy using RAID.
Intel's battle with NVIDIA over Core i7 impacts Apple
A technology licensing suit between Intel and NVIDIA over controller chipsets and the next generation of Intel's Core i7 CPUs may complicate Apple's immediate plans for the next iMac and Mac Pro, and disrupt the company's long term strategy for standardized GPU acceleration using OpenCL.
Macs susceptible to inherent security vulnerability
Macs are exposed to a dangerous vulnerability inherent to the structure of the Mac OS, claims a presenter from this week's Black Hat DC security conference. Vincenzo Iozzo, a student from Italy's Politecnico di Milano, says he has pinpointed an attack based on the way Macs allocate memory. In dissecting the Mach-O file format, Iozzo notes that he has been able to learn where application processes will appear in a Mac's memory. A skilled hacker could use the knowledge to insert malicious code into the same space as an active process, like Safari, and force a Mac to run malware.
Though Apple has tried to defend against such an attack by randomizing the location of certain variables, Iozzo observes that the process is not truly random, and that some information in Mac OS X provides clues as to where variables will appear. A successful attack using this technique would be especially serious, it is said, because it would leave no trace once a computer is shut off.
Iozzo suggests that any remedy for the problem will require a major revision of Mac OS X, such as Snow Leopard, though it is not known if Apple is attempting a fix. The likelihood of the memory allocation attack is low according to security researchers such as Dino Dai Zovi, who observes that it requires special effort and would target a platform normally ignored by hackers. Iozzo adds that an attack would be dependent on other vulnerabilities, which could potentially be defeated by normal security updates.
Two France Apple Store locations announced
Apple has confirmed this year’s opening of two stores in France, a long-known store in Paris, and a surprise location in the southern provincial capital of Montpelier, along the Mediterranean coast. Both stores could be open by late summer and will be the first in the country.
Apple details compatibility issues between iWork '08 and '09
Apple has acknowledged a problem with its productivity suite, iWork, in which the previous version known as iWork '08 cannot open files created by iWork '09.
Apple makes online music lessons easy with GarageBand
GarageBand is a minirecording studio tool that often gets overlooked by Apple computer owners. As part of an overhaul for the iLife '09 program suite (free with new Macs, or $79), Apple added an instructional component to capitalize on renewed interest in playing music spawned by popular "rock band" video games.
Competing App Stores Elbowing In on Apple's Action?
Much of the news affecting Apple this week comes not from Cupertino, Calif., but from Barcelona, Spain, where the annual 3GSM Mobile World Congress is being held. A number of Apple competitors, including Microsoft and Finnish phone maker Nokia, announced their intentions to create mobile application marketplaces similar to Apple's hugely successful iPhone App Store.
Apple, EFF Square Off on Legality of iPhone Jailbreaking
For quite possibly the first time ever, Apple has publicly stated that it believes that jailbreaking an iPhone is against the law -- not against its end-user agreement for iPhone use with Apple's services like iTunes, its App Store, or MobileMe -- but against the law. More specifically, Apple contends that jailbreaking an iPhone infringes on its copyright. That's right, copyright. While it's no stretch of the imagination to believe Apple isn't particularly keen on customers who jailbreak their iPhones, the company has not often addressed the phenomenon in public statements.
Steve Jobs makes The New Yorker cover
Eighty-four years and a day ago, The New Yorker magazine debuted in the United States. Its first cover featured a semi-serious drawing of a stereotypical northeastern aristocrat, who was dubbed "Eustace Tilley." In 2005, a New Yorker contributor wrote that it still wasn't clear whether the portrait's subject is being represented as a "cultivated observer of life’s small beauties, or...being ridiculed as a foppish anachronism?"
Regardless, Tilly has become a sort of mascot for the publication. And since 1994, every year the magazine has invited artists worldwide to remix this drawing.
Earlier this year, Camilo Ramirez of Colombia, finally finished his entry—albeit too late for entry into the 2008 contest. About a month ago, he posted his drawing: Steve Jobs as Eustace Tilley, pondering the Apple logo while clutching an iPhone.
So the question remains: is the artist commenting on Jobs as a cultivated observer of gadgetry or mocking him for his peculiar personality? Although I'm no great art critic, I'd say neither. Or perhaps both.
Battery, RAM, and HD access on new 17-inch Macbook Pro
Apple's new unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro began shipping earlier this week and a new tear-down of the high-end notebook reveals the steps needed to access the system's internal memory, hard drive, and battery components.
ARM shows possibly iPhone-bound multicore mobile processor
ARM is demonstrating the first working example of a multicore processor that may dramatically speed up smartphones. Meanwhile, Apple is looking for iPhone engineers that can write multithreaded code that may take advantage of ARM's breakthrough
Apple, AT&T mulling tiered data plans for next iPhone - report
Apple and its US wireless partner AT&T are discussing plans to potentially offer next-gen iPhone customers more data plan choices amid fears of losing their business during a time of economic hardship, according to a new report.
Snow Leopard Server to ramp up scalability and performance
Building upon Mac OS X Snow Leopard's aim to improve overall performance for Mac desktop users, Snow Leopard Server will similarly seek to improve scalability and reliability for Mac server users. That is particularly evident in improvements to its email and directory services.
Logic, GarageBand users represent at the Grammys
Users of Apple’s music creation software were out in full force during the 51st annual Grammy Awards held last Sunday night in Los Angeles, Calif.
Among the winners that utilized Logic or GarageBand to make their albums were Coldplay (winner for Best Rock Album, Song of the Year and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals); Jennifer Hudson (Best R&B Album); Daft Punk (Best Dance Recording, Best Electronic/Dance Album); Estelle featuring Kanye West (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration); and Radiohead (Best Alternative Music Album).
Nominees that didn’t walk away with one of the coveted awards, but still used Apple gear included M.I.A., Sara Bareilles, Maroon 5, OneRepublic, Death Cab for Cutie, Rihanna, and Marcus Miller.
Two of the nominees, Sara Bareilles and OneRepublic, are also featured in GarageBand’s Artists Lessons.
Apple Preparing iTunes Replay Service?
Apple may be putting the finishing touches on a new feature in iTunes 8 that will allow users to stream their downloaded videos directly from the Apple’s servers for playback anywhere. The service, expected to be called iTunes Replay, would allow iTunes users to expand their video collection without fretting over hard disk space. At the moment, it’s unclear whether this service, which allegedly works with both iTunes Movie and TV show purchases, will be free.
One of the main complaints from users about video purchases from iTunes is that they are forced to find a place to store the files once they’re finished watching them, often taking up vital disk space. Apple would essentially be offering a media center alternative.
iTunes Replay service will no doubt improve the service and usability of Apple TV, which has limited hard drive space set at 160GB. However, a major disadvantage lies in the fact that high definition video will need higher bandwidth, lest be plagued with buffering video issues.
If Apple continues to offer downloads and adds streaming video on demand, it will have quite a bit of leverage against competitors like Netflix Watch Instantly, and even Boxee. It would also allow users to unplug their Apple TV box to bring downloaded content with them and watch videos without an internet connection.