That surge of Twitter activity this evening was the internet going ape for Facebook’s new IPO filing today in an effort to raise billion. Hey, good luck with that, guys… we’re just hoping all that cash will bring some much-needed fixes to the website, but Zuck probably has some other cool stuff in mind. Oh, and don’t forget to download Mac OS X 10.7.3 which finally hit Software Update today — and while you’re downloading, maybe catch up on the rest of the news for Wednesday, February 1, 2012.
It’s the beginning of February, and that means the iPad 3 rumors are going to start coming in hotter and heavier than they have over the last few months. Like clockwork, the first one is already here, with BGR reporting that leaked photos from “a source claiming to be in possession of an iPad 3 prototype” reveal some key details of the much-anticipated third chapter in the iPad saga. Using a development tool called iBoot, the tipster reveals there could be only two iPad 3 models this time around: One with Wi-Fi only and another with combined GSM, CDMA and LTE that will work with all carriers, both here and abroad. The photos also allegedly reveal an A6 quad-core processor with the model number S5L8945X, which is right in line with numbering scheme for the original iPad’s A4 and iPad 2’s A5 processors. That said, the photos do nothing to stem the long wait for CEO Tim Cook and company to actually reveal the device, let alone a date as to when we can storm the castle — er, Apple Stores — to actually buy one.
After a lengthy period in beta with developers, Apple finally pulled the trigger on the Mac OS X 10.7.3 update, which is now available via Software Update or directly from its servers as a standalone 997.01MB download (a Client Combo is also available, which weighs in at 1.2GB). Among the improvements offered with the new update are language support for Catalan, Croatian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Slovak, Thai, and Ukrainian, fixing issues when using smart cards to log into OS X, resolving issues authenticating with directory services and compatibility issues with Windows file sharing. Apple has posted full release notes which detail every nook and cranny updated with the latest version, and a Security Update 2012-001 is available separately for both Snow Leopard and Snow Leopard server.
It’s been relatively quiet on the iPod front since the media player got bumped from its annual product refresh last year, but TechCrunch is reporting that there may be something worth waiting for. According to Chinese blog Apple.pro, a sixth-generation iPod nano has been spotted with a camera on its square little back, which falls in line with rumors we reported about last year. You’ll recall the fifth-generation iPod nano introduced a rear camera, which was summarily axed the following year when the nano got smaller and more square. Of course, the tiny camera will likely be of the 1.3 megapixel variety — more akin to the front-facing camera of the iPhone 4S than that slick dude capturing images around back, but we’ll take what we can get.
Social networking app Path really made a comeback in 2011, increasing the number of friends to 150 and allowing users to finally share directly to Facebook and Twitter. Today, the company announced a new version 2.0.5 release which adds Depth, billed as “the best way to tilt shift your photos and the only way to tilt shift your videos on the iPhone.” Depth creates a miniaturizing effect for photos and videos by creating a point or plane of clarity and blurring the surroundings, and works in both Spot and Landscape modes as well as before or after an image is taken. The update also introduces pinch, tap, rotate and zoom for photos, tap and rotate for videos, clickable links, friend requests sorted by time and the usual bug fixes. Path 2.0.5 is available for download now from the App Store.
Though it was widely expected, the tech world went a little bananas this evening as social networking giant Facebook officially filed its Initial Public Offering (IPO), revealing that it “earned .7 billion in revenues last year and made billion in profits,” according to AppleInsider. The House That Zuckerberg Built is aiming to raise billion with its public offering, making it the highest amount ever for a tech company. The filing also notes that game maker Zynga makes up 12 percent of Facebook’s revenue with its virtual currency and advertising, but cautions that “our financial results may be adversely affected” should that relationship sour. In December, Facebook revealed that it had 845 million monthly active users, with 483 million active users on a daily basis.
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It’s been something of a long week, especially for those trotting around in the Las Vegas desert for the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show, which wraps up today. As we sit back and reflect on the week’s events, let’s take in a few more tidbits of news from the last 24 hours, including the troubled launch of the iPhone 4S in mainland China, kudos for Tiffen at CES, Apple’s supplier responsibility report and more for this fine Friday, January 13, 2012. Watch out for those ladders and black cats, folks!
It was probably bound to happen sooner or later, but today’s launch of the iPhone 4S in mainland China was marred by incidents of violence, with the “frustrated crowd” taking aim at the outer glass walls of Apple’s retail store in Beijing (pictured above). According to The New York Times, Apple’s Beijing store didn’t open on schedule and some of the nearly 1,000 people waiting outside relieved their tension by throwing eggs at the storefront. As a result, Apple has “temporarily suspended sales of all iPhones at its five mainland China stores for the safety of customers and employees.” The handsets continue to be available online, both through Apple and carrier partner China Unicom’s website. And you thought buying an iPhone on launch day in the United States was crazy!
Right on schedule, cloud-based gaming service OnLive unleashed their new OnLive Desktop app for the iPad on Thursday night. Despite a few initial hiccups with some users (including us) unable to access the service after logging in, the free 4.8MB download works like a charm and lives up to the company’s promise of “a seamless, no-compromise, instant-response cloud-based PC desktop.” OnLive Desktop brings a touch-based Windows 7 experience to iPad users, complete with Microsoft Office and cloud-based storage for transferring documents back and forth. Existing OnLive users can use their current login credentials to access OnLive Desktop, and new users can sign up on the company’s website before downloading. Stay tuned, we’ll have a hands-on first look at OnLive Desktop coming on Monday!
The folks at Tiffen issued a press release on Thursday to announce that their popular Dfx v3 digital effects suite software received some accolades at this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which winds down today. Both Tiffen Dfx v3 and Domke RuggedWear bags were named Videomaker’s “Best of CES” for 2012 in their respective categories of CES Spotlight and CES Bag/Case. No one is more thrilled about the win than Tiffen President and CEO Steve Tiffen: “CES 2012 has been a tremendous success for The Tiffen Company. The ‘Best of Show’ awards given to us by Videomaker demonstrate the breadth and depth of design and development excellence we offer to the imaging community, whether they are looking for an accessory, like Domke bags, to keep their photography equipment protected, or comprehensive image editing software like Tiffen Dfx Software, which can be utilized for still and moving images by beginners or pros to do anything from a simple fix to enhance the emotion within their shoot.” A limited-time free trial version of Tiffen Dfx v3 is available from the company’s website.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has posted its “Supplier Responsibility Progress Report” for the 2012 calendar year, which outlines the steps Cupertino is taking with both its manufacturers and their working conditions. Among the disclosures is an 80 percent increase in audits last year over 2010, with 229 throughout the company’s supply chain. The report reveals “108 facilities didn’t pay proper overtime wages and 93 facilities has records that indicated more than 50 percent of their workers exceeded the 60-hour work week.” Five facilities were also found with incidents of underage labor. CEO Tim Cook, whose speciality lies in the supply chain process, certainly likes the progress the company has made in the last year. “”I have spent a lot of time in factories over my lifetime and we are clearly leading in this area,” Cook told WSJ. “It is like innovating in products. You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem.” The Apple report is also newsworthy for its first public disclosure of more than 150 companies who provide parts and manufacturing for Cupertino.
Why not close out CES 2012 week with another of those popular iPad 3 rumors, right? This time we’ve got one courtesy of Bloomberg, who is reporting that Apple’s next iPad will hit stores in March, complete with “a high-definition screen, run a faster processor and work with next-generation wireless networks.” Most of that falls in line with other rumors we’ve heard, but Bloomberg has twisted the arms of “three people familiar with the product” who say the iPad 3 will feature a quad-core chip and tap into both Verizon Wireless and AT&T 4G LTE networks for faster wireless data. “Mass production began at the start of this month, with factories running 24 hours a day in China,” the report claims. “Manufacturing will halt over China’s Lunar New Year holiday this month and then ramp back up to a peak in February,” explains another Bloomberg source. With half of January nearly done, we’ll probably find out soon enough whether it’s all true…
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(Image courtesy of The New York Times)
Students, teachers, and other professionals still expected to use a pen to take down notes: Targus is demoing the iNotebook at CES, a transcribing pen that automatically syncs your handwriting and translates it into text via an app on your iPad.
“iPads have become ubiquitous in the home, school and workplace and have transformed the way we perform even the most common task,” stated Melissa Chapman, vice president of tablet cases and accessories at Targus, in a press release. “By working with [iOS devices] on the iNotebook, we are developing a solution that simplifies the task of transferring written content into a digital format so it can easily be saved, accessed and shared.”
The iNotebook includes a rechargeable, Bluetooth-enabled writing recognition receiver, which will hook on to the iPad and work with the pen to allow transcription of handwritten notes. The pen will also include integrated stylus that lets users write directly onto the iPad.
We’ll hopefully get a chance to play with the pen for you on the CES show floor. It’ll be available in June for 9.99.
Ladies and gentlemen, we have liftoff! The International Consumer Electronics Show is officially in full gear for 2012 in Las Vegas, with new product announcements coming fast and furious. If you’ve had enough CES news for opening day already, keep reading — we’ve got a handful of other tech news that you might enjoy on this fine Tuesday, January 10, 2012.
Not all new products are coming out of the Las Vegas desert this week. Case in point: Today Adobe Labs released a public beta for Lightroom 4, a major new update for both Mac and Windows. “I kept hearing from customers that they love Lightroom but needed to leave the Lightroom to complete X, Y or Z,” the release notes explain. “Lightroom 4 tackles those issues with improvements to image organization, adjustment tools and comprehensive publishing options.” The beta is open to one and all and does not require a serial number or previous version to install. Also tucked away inside the release notes is word that the company plans to rebrand its Adobe Carousel product as Adobe Revel in the near future. Senior Product Marketing Manager Chris Quek explains, “We now plan to offer additional photography solutions on this platform, including but not limited to the ‘carousel’ feature. Our rapidly expanding charter for this new platform requires a name that is less narrowly descriptive of the current product features.” No word on when that change might take effect, but the Lightroom 4 beta includes support for an “Adobe Revel export workflow,” so we’re guessing it might be sooner than later.
We’re going to take this with a grain of salt for now, but iLounge editor Jeremy Horwitz filed a report this morning claiming that he saw “what’s supposedly the next-generation iPad.” The good news for iPad 2 owners is that the next iPad will presumably be a modest upgrade that’s primarily internal — Horwitz describes it as more akin to the leap from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4S, with “a roughly 1mm increase” in size that’s almost imperceptible unless you’re looking for it. The rear camera hole is now bigger with a silver ring around it, which lines up with recent rumors of better cameras in the next model. Instead of screaming “I touched the iPad 3!,” Horwitz wisely tempers his report by predicting that Apple will call the next device something like “iPad 2S” or “iPad 2 HD” — after all, there aren’t many radical changes that Apple could make and why fix something that’s not really broken?
One of the unfortunate parts of Apple’s clamp on in-app purchases with the App Store is the inconvenience of leaving an app like Amazon Kindle when you’re ready to make a new ebook purchase. While the e-tailer hasn’t found a way around that quite yet, they are making it just a little bit easier today by rolling out what Macworld is calling a “new, touch-friendly, web-based Kindle Store.” The iPad-friendly market “offers a large, horizontally scrolling list of ebooks recommended for you, quick links to sections like New York Times Bestsellers and Newsstand, and the top 100 paid and free Kindle books in the store.” The company’s web-based Kindle Cloud Reader is also more iPad friendly, should you prefer buying an ebook and reading it straight away without leaving Mobile Safari.
MacRumors is reporting that Apple posted its 2012 Proxy Statement on its investor relations page Monday afternoon. The PDF document is traditionally posted prior to the company’s annual stockholders meeting and “details voting procedures, background and compensation information on the company’s directors, and information about executive perks and compensation, among other items.” The actual shareholders meeting will take place on Thursday, January 23 at 10am PST in Building 4 of Apple’s Cupertino campus. Among the tidbits disclosed in the Proxy Statement: Current CEO Tim Cook “owns a total of 13,754 shares of Apple plus 1,362,500 RSU’s which will vest into shares if [he] stays with the company for the foreseeable future, worth 0.5 million at current prices.” It’s good to be the king…
How does a developer follow up a successful iOS app? According to Cult of Mac, by going back to the Mac. Nik Software, the developers of the popular Snapseed photo editor, have announced at CES 2012 that they’re poised to introduce a .99 Mac App Store version, currently in Apple’s hands awaiting approval. Fans of the iOS app will be stoked to learn that Snapseed’s user interface is “almost identical” to the mobile version while retaining its simplicity and ease of use. When can you buy it? Only Apple knows for sure, but keep an eye on the Mac App Store for its arrival.
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(Image courtesy of Macworld)
When it comes to wrangling the power of the cloud, few companies have done it as well as OnLive, the folks who have revolutionizing online gaming. Thankfully for us, they aren’t going to stop there. On Thursday, a new iPad app arrives called OnLive Desktop, which brings the full Windows 7 desktop experience to Cupertino’s beloved tablet — and it’s free.
OnLive, Inc. has announced the company’s leap from cloud-based gaming to cloud-based computing with the arrival of OnLive Desktop, a free app for the iPad which lands in the App Store this Thursday, January 12. Tapping into the company’s powerful instant-action cloud gaming technology, OnLive Desktop will deliver a “full-featured, media-rich Windows 7” desktop experience hosted on remote services, complete with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
“OnLive Desktop is the first app to deliver a no-compromise, media-rich Windows desktop experience to iPad, opening up powerful new possibilities for consumers and businesses,” said Steve Perlman, OnLive Founder and CEO. “iPad users will now be able to simply and securely view and edit cloud-hosted documents with full-featured Windows desktop applications like Microsoft Office, just as if they were using a local high-performance PC. Multi-touch gestures respond instantly and smoothly, while HD videos, animations and PC video games — never before usable on a remote desktop — play seamlessly.”
Perhaps the most exciting news about OnLive Desktop is that the app is absolutely free and comes with 2GB of secure cloud storage and access to a full Windows 7 install pre-populated with MS Office, popular utilities and touch-based games. But this isn’t simply a way to access Windows 7 from the iPad — it’s a full touch-based experience which taps into a Windows touchscreen keyboard as well as handwriting recognition and even a Bluetooth keyboard.
U.S. customers can download the free OnLive Desktop from the App Store beginning Thursday, with a release soon after for those across the pond in the U.K. A free OnLive account is required, which anxious users can sign up for today on the company’s website. The app will soon spread to Android, PC and Mac platforms with external monitor and TV support (by way of the OnLive MicroConsole hardware), and the company plans to soon unleash OnLive Desktop Pro which adds 50GB of cloud storage and priority access for only .99 per month.
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