Apple addressing cracks on white MacBook casings
Apple is privately acknowledging an issue with the enclosure on some of its white 13-inch MacBooks, which in some cases have seen the formation of hairline cracks during normal usage patterns.
The Cupertino-based Mac maker is said to have issued a bulletin to its authorized service providers in March that essentially reverses its stance on replacing the bottom casing of notebooks that may be experiencing these symptoms.
iPhone Video Recording Interface, Digital Compass, Voice Control and Auto-Focus Camera
Since the release of Apple's iPhone 3.0 beta firmware, users have been scouring the configuration files looking for evidence of future iPhone capabilities. The possibility of video recording has seemed increasingly certain with files for video uploading and editing having been discovered.
A new finding, however, should put to rest any doubts about whether or not Apple is planning to include video recording in future iPhones. This screenshot, which was discovered in the latest iPhone 3.0 beta, shows the interface Apple will provide for video recording:
The interface shows the normal iPhone camera interface but with a switch on the bottom right which toggles between still camera photography and video recording. The video recording is not presently functional in iPhone 3.0 beta, and the interface is not accessible by default. Only when configuration files were modified telling the firmware that a Video Camera was present will this interface appear.
Other interesting capabilities found in the configuration files include "auto-focus camera", "magnetometer" (digital compass), and "Voice Control".
Apple is expected to release the final version of iPhone 3.0 this summer, and many believe that Apple will also introduce an updated iPhone around that time as well.
Over 100 fixes in 10.5.7; Security Update 2009-002 in testing
Another week has passed and another beta of Mac OS X 10.5.7 has fallen into the hands of Apple developers. Separately, Apple is also beta testing its second security update of the year for certain Mac OS X distributions.
Macs in the Enterprise: ERP
Brian Keare stares at a complex dashboard on his Mac all day long, watching sales and inventory flow in and out of his small company in southern California. "Who would have thought that a finance guy like me would be on a Mac?" says Keare, CFO of Circle of Friends, which sells baby bath products.
Keare uses business software from SaaS provider NetSuite. The Mac, he says, is great for pulling financial data from the cloud. NetSuite’s user interface has a ton of JavaScript, and so Keare uses Safari 4 beta on a Mac, which renders JavaScript lightening quick. "It loads in under 10 seconds compared to 30 or 45 seconds on any other browser," Keare says, adding that Safari 4 beta didn’t work so well running on a PC.
Restrictions drove U2 to switch sides from Apple to RIM
Apple's penchant for keeping its partners out of the loop reportedly cost the company its relationship with alternative rock band U2, which recently drew sponsorship from rival smartphone market Research in Motion.
Next-gen iPod touch, iPhone to support low-power 802.11n
Wireless radio component specifications contained within beta distributions of iPhone 3.0 firmware reveal support for a new chip enabling low power 802.11n that's bound for Apple's third-generation iPod touch. It's therefore also likely to be included with new iPhone models.
Official Skype App is Now Available in the App Store
Skype, Inc. has just released their official Skype application for the iPhone and iPod touch.
Skype is a very popular voice-over-IP (VOIP) and instant messaging application that allows you to make phone calls over the internet. Calls can be made to other Skype users or to those with regular landline phones. CNet spent some time with the release version of the iPhone app:
Skype's screens are well organized and use the iPhone's ability to add filters, for instance, to sort your contacts alphabetically, or by who's online. There's chatting as well, though Skype's flagship feature is its VoIP calling that's free to other Skype users and an inexpensive per-minute fee to landlines. Calls on Skype for iPhone work only if you're in range of a Wi-Fi network, so your call quality will in part be at the mercy and strength of wireless networks nearby--calls will not work over the cell phone network on the iPhone (but chatting will.)
As restricted by Apple, the voice-over-IP phone calls will only work over Wi-Fi and not over the cellular connection. iPod Touch owners with a microphone can also take advantage of the VOIP calling.
AirPort Extreme Base Station
Think back to the first time you saw a computer accessing the Internet wirelessly. It totally blew your mind, didn’t it? Since then, Wi-Fi base stations have become something of a commodity. The new AirPort Extreme Base Station (2009 edition) might not bring that first thrill of wonder back to Wi-Fi, but it certainly crams an incredible amount of power into a tiny, low-price box.
'iProd' and 'iFPGA' References Found in iPhone 3.0 Beta
If you’re a mall developer trying to sell a new project, there is nothing more attractive than an Apple logo on your architectural renderings. Many times the appearance of the logo is entirely speculative, but other times the logo or other details indicate that an Apple store will eventually appear at the new mall.
Mall Speculators Love Apple’s Logo
If you’re a mall developer trying to sell a new project, there is nothing more attractive than an Apple logo on your architectural renderings. Many times the appearance of the logo is entirely speculative, but other times the logo or other details indicate that an Apple store will eventually appear at the new mall.
Watch the QuickTime stream of Apple's iPhone 3.0 Software
Apple has posted the stream for the unveiling of its iPhone 3.0 software overhaul and its matching iPhone SDK.
New Palm Pre apps underscore Apple's iPhone limitations
While third-party apps are being trumpeted as the iPhone's strength, key Palm Pre demos this week have put them to shame by taking advantage of those precise things that Apple won't allow.
At Sprint's press lounge during the CTIA Wireless Association's annual event, Palm stressed the advantages of the new webOS platform at the heart of the Pre by running presentations of carefully selected third-party software live on sample phones.
AT&T hurrying massive network update for new iPhone launch
AT&T is rushing to rollout a major upgrade to its 3G mobile data service in anticipation of a tenfold increase in network traffic from new iPhone hardware expected to go on sale in June, according to a vendor source.
Skype for iPhone Sparks Battle Between Consumers and Carriers
The release of an official Skype application for the iPhone appears to have been controversial for both mobile carriers and consumers. The Voice-Over-IP software allows iPhone users to make phone calls over Wi-Fi to other Skype users or even to regular landline phones. Obviously, such functionality could compete with mobile carrier's own voice services.
As a concession, Apple has prevented the use of such applications over cellular data networks (EDGE or 3G) and only officially allows it to run on Wi-Fi. (Strangely, several readers have noticed that the Skype application presently does work over 3G when running beta iPhone 3.0 firmware, but that may simply be an oversight on the part of Apple.)
T-Mobile in Germany, however, threatened that it may take action to prevent its customers from using Skype on the iPhone. On the flip side, an open-Internet advocacy group is asking the FCC to see if AT&T and Apple are violating federal rules by restricting Skype to just Wi-Fi.
Free Press and other consumer advocates want the FCC to affirm that so-called net neutrality protections also cover wireless networks. That would prevent AT&T or other operators from blocking services like Skype on their mobile networks.