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Apple's Share of U.S. PC Market Leaps to 12.9% in 3Q 2011

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:03:00 -0400

Apple’s U.S. Market Share Trend: 1Q06-3Q11 (Gartner)
Research firm Gartner today released its preliminary personal computer shipment data for the third quarter of 2011, offering up a picture of market performance during the quarter. Riding the strength of the MacBook Air, Apple experienced aggressive 21.5% year-over-year growth to take third place in a U.S. market that grew by only 1.1% overall.

Gartner’s early study shows that Apple experienced the strongest growth among the top five vendors in the U.S. PC market. Apple’s PC shipments increased 21.5 percent in the third quarter of 2011. The robust growth of the MacBook Air continued to lead Apple’s overall growth in the U.S. market.

With the boost, Apple’s market share in the U.S. grew to 12.9% during the third quarter, up from 10.8% in the year-ago quarter and 10.7% last quarter.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 3Q11 (Thousands of Units)
As usual, Gartner did not cover Apple’s worldwide market share for the quarter, as the company does not rank among the top five vendors on a worldwide basis.

Wrap-Up of Apple's iOS 5 and iCloud Launch Day

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:14:00 -0400

It’s been an extremely busy day of software releases for Apple as the company has rolled out updates across all of its platforms to support iOS 5 and iCloud. To help summarize the events of today, we’ve put together this wrap-up to highlight the myriad of releases.

Apple Releases iOS 5 with Notification Center, iMessage, Twitter, and More

The highlight of the day was the release of iOS 5, bringing over 200 new features to Apple’s recent iOS devices. While many of the features have been extensively profiled over the past few months as Apple has highlighted iOS 5 several times in presentations and developers have had their hands on the release for quite some time, the new operating system is finally in the hands of the public for use on a variety of devices.

For those interested in taking another look at the new features in iOS 5, TiPb has put together an extensive walkthrough full of details and screenshots.

Some users have been experiencing difficulties with upgrading to iOS 5, as Apple’s servers have been slammed by heavy demand for the new release. The situation appears to be improving, however, and users should begin to have more luck getting through.

Other iOS-related releases making an appearance today include:

- Send Real Greeting Cards With Apple’s New Cards App
- Apple Releases ‘iTunes Movie Trailers’ App for iOS
- Apple Launches Store for Text Message/Alert Tones

iCloud and Migration from MobileMe Services Now Live

The other major piece of today’s launches is iCloud, Apple’s new service for syncing and pushing content across devices. The extensive level of integration has driven the massive number of software releases today, as Apple has updated numerous software offerings to be compatible with the new service.

Headlining the iCloud compatibility releases is OS X 10.7.2, which brings iCloud support and a number of other fixes and enhancements, as well as bundling Safari 5.1.1, which itself brings a host of improvements.

Additional iCloud-focused releases for today include:

- Apple Releases Aperture 3.2 with Compatibility for iOS 5 and iCloud
- Apple Updates iMovie and iWork for iOS, Remote, Find My iPhone Apps
- Apple Releases iPhoto 9.2

Not to be left out, Apple also released a software update for the Apple TV, adding support for the Photo Stream feature of iCloud as well as a number of other improvements including live NHL games and video from The Wall Street Journal.

All of today’s software releases are of course leading up to Friday’s official launch of the iPhone 4S in the United States and several other countries around the world. With shipments underway and a few lucky customers having already received their orders, users with pre-orders are eagerly awaiting delivery of the iPhone 4S while others are making plans to camp out at their local Apple retail stores to try to obtain one first thing Friday morning.

Apple TV Software Update Adds Photo Stream, NHL Games, Wall Street Journal

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:40:00 -0400

Alongside today’s release of iOS 5, Apple also pushed out version 4.4 of the software for its iOS-based Apple TV set-top box. As noted by Macworld, the update brings a number of new features to Apple TV.

- AirPlay Mirroring: Now with video mirroring – wirelessly stream what’s on your iPad 2 screen to your HDTV.

- Photo Stream: View photos recently taken on your iOS device and pushed to your Photo Stream in iCloud.

- Trailers: A whole new way to browse and view hundreds of the latest theatrical trailers.

- National Hockey League: Watch live games. View highlights, scores, and more.

- Wall Street Journal Live: Watch up-to-date news, business commentary, and financial analysis from leading experts.

Macworld also notes that Apple has added support for subtitles in Netflix and three new slideshow themes: Photo Wall, Flip-up, and Shifting Tiles.

iCloud and Migration from MobileMe Services Now Live

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:44:00 -0400

With iOS 5 and OS X 10.7.2 rolling out to users, Apple has officially flipped the switch to turn on iCloud for all users. The iCloud site lost its beta label earlier today and MobileMe users are now able to migrate their accounts to iCloud once they have upgraded their devices OS X 10.7.2 and iOS 5.

The migration process for MobileMe users will move Mail and Calendars to iCloud, and MobileMe users will continue to be able to use Gallery, iDisk and iWeb publishing through June 30, 2012 even though those services are not making the transition to iCloud. A number of syncing services that had been available for MobileMe, including Dashboard Widgets, Dock Items, Keychain, Mail Accounts, Mail Rules, Signatures, and Smart Mailboxes, and Mac OS X Preferences, will become unavailable immediately upon moving to iCloud.

Apple Releases iOS 5 with Notification Center, iMessage, Twitter, and More

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:05:00 -0400

In line with Apple’s announced schedule calling for a release today, iOS 5 is now available to download for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users. Users can obtain the update by connecting their devices to iTunes and clicking the “Check for Update” button. It may take a few minutes for the update to propagate to all users, however.
iOS 5 brings more than 200 new features, including Notification Center, iMessage, Newsstand, Reminders, and systemwide Twitter integration.

iOS 5 is compatible with the iPad 2, original iPad, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. It will also ship on the iPhone 4S, which launches on Friday. An iOS 5-based version of the Apple TV software, labeled software version 4.4, is also available.

Apple Releases OS X 10.7.2 with iCloud Support and Safari 5.1.1

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:04:00 -0400

As part of Apple’s rollout of its iCloud service today, Apple has just released OS X 10.7.2. The new update includes support for iCloud and will ensure that users have full access to their iCloud-hosted data across all of their devices.OS X 10.7.2 brings number of new enhancements beyond iCloud compatibility, including Safari 5.1.1 and ten featured improvements.

The 10.7.2 update is recommended for all OS X Lion users and includes general operating system fixes that improve the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. It also includes support for iCloud, a breakthrough set of free cloud services that automatically and wirelessly store your content on iCloud and push it to all of your devices. iCloud on OS X Lion includes the following features:

- iCloud stores your email, calendars, contacts, Safari bookmarks, and Safari Reading List and automatically pushes them to all your devices.
- Back to My Mac provides remote access to your Mac from another Mac anywhere on the Internet.
- Find My Mac helps find a missing Mac by locating it on a map and allows you to remotely lock the Mac or wipe all its data.

Getting started with iCloud is easy. After installing the update, OS X will automatically present an iCloud setup panel. Simply enter an existing Apple ID or create a new one and then follow the on screen instructions. To learn more about iCloud visit http://www.apple.com/icloud.

The 10.7.2 update also includes Safari 5.1.1 as well as fixes that:

- Allow reordering of desktop spaces and full screen apps in Mission Control.
- Enable dragging files between desktop spaces and full screen apps.
- Address an issue that causes the menu bar to not appear in full screen apps.
- Improve the compatibility of Google contact syncing in Address Book.
- Address an issue that causes Keynote to become temporarily unresponsive.
- Improve VoiceOver compatibility with Launchpad.
- Address an issue that causes a delay in accessing the network after waking from sleep.
- Enable booting in to Lion Recovery from a locally attached Time Machine backup drive.
- Resolve an issue that causes screen zoom to stop working.
- Improve Active Directory integration.

For detailed information about Safari 5.1.1, please visit this website:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4922.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4767.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Available versions of OS X 10.7.2 include:

- OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 (Client) (768.84 MB)
- OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 Client Combo (818.59 MB)

- OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 (Server) (842.49 MB)
- OS X Lion Update 10.7.2 (Server) Combo (892.24 MB)
- Server Admin Tools 10.7.2 (202.61 MB)

Apple seeded the golden master version of OS X 10.7.2 to developers just after last week’s iPhone 4S media event, paving the way for the public release today.

Apple has also released Lion Recovery Update, addressing issues with the recovery and reinstall process and Find My Mac.

The Lion Recovery Update includes improvements to Lion Recovery and addresses an issue with Find My Mac when using a firmware password.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website:http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4986.

Lion Recovery Update weighs in at 431.91 MB and requires OS X Lion.

Sprint Denies Report of Unlocked Micro-SIM in iPhone 4S

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:15:00 -0400

Yesterday, Macworld reported that Sprint would be selling the iPhone 4S with an unlocked micro-SIM slot, potentially allowing users traveling abroad to simply slip in a local micro-SIM card and avoid high roaming costs. Ars Technica now reports that Sprint has reached out to deny this report, indicating that the iPhone 4S will not work with international micro-SIMs.

However, while Sprint will now support international roaming on GSM networks with the appropriate monthly plan, the company will not be selling the phone unlocked for use with international microSIMs. Ars asked Michelle Mermelstein, a Sprint wireless device public relations representative, to confirm that the Sprint iPhone 4S would not work with international microSIMs. “That is correct,” Mermelstein said. “I believe Verizon’s device works the same way.”

Sprint customer service agents have also been offering similar information in response to questions about international travel with the iPhone 4S.

iPhone 4S has World Mode Capabilities with the pre-inserted SIM card. However, you will not be able to use non-Sprint SIM card with it, due to technology differences. If you purchase iPhone 4S you will be able to use it internationally with Sprint Services.

Note: International capabilities will be locked and you will have to call Sprint to activate.

The iPhone 4S, officially set to launch on Friday, is a world-mode device capable of supporting both GSM and CDMA networks, but carrier locking and other requirements will substantially limit that flexibility for customers purchasing subsidized versions of the device.

Early iPhone 4S Deliveries from Verizon Reach the U.S.

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:51:00 -0400

While some German customers appear to have been the first to receive deliveries of the iPhone 4S several days ahead of the official launch date of this Friday, it now appears that the premature deliveries are making their way to the United States. AppleInsider reports that one U.S. customer who ordered his iPhone 4S from Verizon has already received his shipment two days early.

Customers who pre-ordered the iPhone in the U.S. and other launch countries have been tracking their deliveries since shipment notices began going out over the weekend, hoping that delivery companies might slip up and offer early arrival of the devices. Apple typically coordinates with shipping services for delivery on the scheduled launch day, but occasionally some shipments have slipped through for early delivery.

White iPod Touch Now Available in Apple Retail Stores

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 08:41:00 -0400

In line with the announced October 12th launch date for iOS 5, Apple has also transitioned its iPod touch line to begin shipping with the operating system pre-installed. The most visible change to the iPod touch lineup, however, is the addition of white models, and iLounge reports that the white iPod touch is now on display and available for sale in Apple’s retail stores.

Apple’s online store is also listing all six models of the iPod touch as “In Stock”, indicating that they will be available to ship within 24 hours of ordering.

'iTunes in the Cloud' Rolling Out Internationally

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 07:39:00 -0400

One of the iCloud features launched immediately in the United States upon the service’s announcement back in June was “iTunes in the Cloud”, offering users the ability to re-download music previously purchased from the iTunes Store to any registered device. The service allows users to forgo storing their entire iTunes-purchased music library on every device and only download tracks to a given device as needed.

With the full iCloud service set to launch today, we have begun receiving reports from international users that iTunes in the Cloud has already begun going live for them. Reports have come in from Canada and the United Kingdom so far, but it is unclear whether additional countries will be included in the initial round of launches.

UK iTunes Store with new “Purchased” tab
The changes add a “Purchased” tab to the iTunes Store app in iOS, offering users access to an iCloud-hosted list of all of their purchased tracks, allowing for easy download. iTunes in the Cloud also supports automatic downloads, allowing users to purchase content on one device and have it automatically appear on other devices associated with the user’s account.

Apple had reportedly been working hard to secure international iCloud music rights in time for last week’s iPhone 4S media event, with sources indicating that Apple had indeed secured such agreements by that date, with the UK set to see the first expansion of the service in Europe.

Update: We’ve now received reports of iTunes in the Cloud being live from the following additional countries: Australia, France, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, and Spain.

'AirPort Utility' for iOS 5 Hits the App Store

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:51:00 -0400

Apple continues to make preparations for today’s iOS 5 launch with the release of its newAirPort Utility [App Store] app to allow users to administer AirPort Extreme, AirPort Express, and Time Capsule base stations.

Use AirPort Utility to manage your Wi-Fi network and AirPort base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and TimeCapsule – right from your iPad, iPhone, ir iPod touch. See a graphical overview of your Wi-Fi network and devices. Change base station and network settings, or manage advanced features such as security modes, wireless channels, and more. AirPort Utility works with all Apple 802.11n Wi-Fi base stations, including AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and Time Capsule.

Apple appeared to originally be preparing to integrate AirPort Utility directly into iOS 5, but apparently decided to break the functionality out into a separate app. Users entering the Wi-Fi portion of the Settings app in iOS 5 will be offered the ability to download the app to manage their networks. AirPort Utility is a universal app compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, and requires iOS 5.

'Find My Friends' Debuts in App Store Ahead of iOS 5 Release

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 06:50:00 -0400

Apple’s Find My Friends app, which was announced last week when the iPhone 4S was unveiled, is now live in the App Store [link opens iTunes]. Find My Friends requires iOS 5, which is scheduled for release today.

Find My Friends allows you to easily locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Install this free app on your iOS 5 device and sign in with the Apple ID you use with iCloud. Adding a friend is easy – just send a request to see their location. Once your friend accepts using the Find My Friends app, you will then be able to see that friend’s location on a list or on a map.

Find My Friends is a universal app compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. As previously mentioned, it requires iOS 5 and is therefore limited to the models capable of running the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, which include the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, 3rd- and 4th-generation iPod touch, and the iPad and iPad 2.

Apple’s new Cards app, which was also announced last week, will be released today as well.

iCloud.com Website Updated, No Longer in "Beta"

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:57:00 -0400

Apple seems to be putting the finishing touches on their new iCloud service. iCloud.com has been updated this evening with a new login screen. The service now shows icons in the background and a new login that no longer is listed as “beta”. iCloud.com, itself, still seems restricted to developers for the most part. There have been sporadic reports of non-developers being able to upgrade, but it seems you must have created one in iOS 5.

iCloud is expected to launch today (Wed, October 12th) alongside iOS 5 and Mac OS X 10.7.2. Apple released iTunes 10.5 on Tuesday in preparation. We don’t expect iOS 5 to actually be released until later in the day. Apple has historically released their major iOS updates around 1pm eastern time.

Compressor 4 for Free

Sun, 17 Jul 2011 00:30:52 -0400

Compressor 4 for Free

GeekTool [animated clock]

Sat, 25 Jun 2011 10:41:33 -0400

GeekTool [animated clock]

GeekTool [animated clock] (by MobApple)

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:11:14 -0400

GeekTool [animated clock] (by MobApple)

Final Cut Pro X for Free (by MobApple)

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:38:16 -0400

Final Cut Pro X for Free (by MobApple)

Alaska Airlines ditches paper flight manuals for iPads

Sat, 28 May 2011 11:34:00 -0400

The iPad has already gotten the go-ahead from the FAA as a replacement for paper flight charts and maps, and now Alaska Airlines has become the first major US airline to hop on board the paperless bandwagon. While it’s not quite ready to ditch paper navigation charts just yet (though that is under consideration), the airline has announced that it will be replacing its traditional flight manuals with iPads, which will be loaded up with the GoodReader app and PDFs of 41 different manuals and other materials. According to the airline, that change will result in savings of about 2.4 million pieces of paper, and it says the cost of the project will be offset by fuel savings from the reduced weight, and additional savings that are expected from “fewer back and muscle injuries caused by pilots carrying flight bags,” which can weigh up to 50 pounds. Let’s just hope those newly lightened flight bags still have room for a charging cable.

New Signal Process introduces BreakOut Stereo and Stomp for the most serious of iOS musicians

Fri, 27 May 2011 07:25:00 -0400

If your iPad or iPhone is set to play a starring role at your next, sold-out concert, you may want to check out two new, iOS-friendly interfaces from New Signal Process. Pictured above is NSP’s BreakOut Stomp — a die cast aluminum-encased pedal that promises to transmit guitar signals to and from your iDevice, without any unwanted distortions or detection interference. All you have to do is slide the stompbox into your pedal board, hook it up to your iPhone’s headphone jack and fire up your favorite recording or mixing apps. Whereas the stomp was designed with guitarists in mind, the recently unveiled BreakOut Stereo is geared more toward the DJ demographic. The device offers essentially the same iOS-interfacing capabilities of its pedal-based counterpart, serving as a portable conduit between an iPad and an amp or tabletop unit. Boasting two mono output jacks, this little guy can also be used with guitars, mics or mixing boards and is durable enough to survive the rough and tumble of your next world tour. As far as prices go, the BreakOut Stomp is selling for $155, whereas the Stereo will set you back $135. Groove past the break to see an image of the latter, or hit the source link to find out how to order one.

Apple's iCloud music service will automatically mirror your iTunes library using 'high-quality' tracks?

Fri, 27 May 2011 03:08:00 -0400

There’s been so much chatter about Apple iCloud that you’d think the streaming music service had already been announced and the deals inked.

But it’s still just a rumor until an Apple executive takes the stage and unleashes the Amazon Cloud Player and Google Music competitor in a spate of superlatives. That hasn’t stopped Businessweek from stepping up with a good summary of all that is “known” thus far, while giving us some insight into the particulars of how the service will work and the motivations to make it happen. One revelation, sourced from three people in the know, claims that Apple will scan customers’ iTunes libraries (hello, LaLa) and quickly mirror the contents on Apple’s own servers — no massive DSL-choking upload required. And Apple will do you the solid of “replacing” any low bitrate tracks with the “high-quality” versions it stores in its fully licensed music locker for streaming to your connected devices.

Of course, this value-add won’t come free and will certainly require a subscription fee. The cost to the consumer, though, is still very much unclear as is the service’s integration with Apple’s $99 per year MobileMe sham. And you know those rumors about MobileMe being offered as a free service? We wouldn’t be surprised if it stays at $99 with iCloud being announced as a “free” feature update; aka, an $8.25 per month music subscription that also provides web access to your synced bookmarks, contacts, email, and calendar. Regardless, it’s this subscription model that has the major labels so enthusiastic as it will finally allow them to extort fees for all that pirated audio you may have stumbled upon since Napster was loosed on an unprepared music industry a decade ago. All signs point to WWDC for this to get official but we’re sure to hear more — much more — before the event kicks off on June 6th.