Who knew “jailbreak” could be considered a dirty word? Apparently someone at Apple thought so, which is why the word was censored from the iTunes Store for the better part of Wednesday night and Thursday. Everything is back to normal now, but the hacker community sure got a kick out of it while the fun lasted. So what else is making news today? Glad you asked. Read on for everything else this Thursday, May 17, 2012 has to offer.
One can only imagine that the word “jailbreak” is spoken in hushed tones up in Cupertino, given that Apple has made it clear it doesn’t appreciate users hacking their iOS devices. But would they go so far as to censor the word from iTunes? According to MacRumors, that’s exactly what happened earlier today, at least in the U.S. iTunes Store. Everywhere the word “jailbreak” appeared — whether it was in songs or TV shows or apps — Apple replaced with “j*******k” instead. While the censoring appears to have kicked in late Wednesday and persisted throughout much of the day, Apple appears to have finally caught on and has since corrected the gaffe, much to the glee of Thin Lizzy fans everywhere, we’re sure.
There’s little doubt that the iPad is a formidable opponent, but most of its competitors on the Android have pockets deep enough to keep fighting the uphill battle. The same cannot be said for Plastic Logic, the U.K. company infamous for ditching its QUE proReader tablet before it even shipped to stores. According to Engadget, the whole dream has now died, with the company closing its U.S. office in Mountain View, California and axing around 40 jobs there, while also pruning staff at offices in merry old England, Germany and Russia. While Plastic Logic has killed its hopes of launching tablets and e-readers of its own, the company appears to be ready to continue supplying screens to other companies, including their new flexible color e-reader display that sounds awfully cool.
It’s kind of sad that in 2012, contract-free mobile broadband still seems so hard to come by. The big U.S. carriers would rather bait you with cheap hardware and a two-year commitment, but leave it to T-Mobile to mix things up a bit. The fourth-placed U.S. carrier announced today four new “No Annual Contract” mobile broadband passes which offer “a pay-in-advance, overage-free solution” with an allotment of data to fit most every user. For the occasional user, will buy you a one-week pass with up to 300MB, while one-month passes are available in , and amounts which nets you 1.5GB, 3.5GB and 5GB, respectively. The new plans roll out Sunday, May 20 at T-Mobile retail stores, select dealers, national retailers and online, but you’ll need to grab your own device to take advantage of it — which includes a variety of 4G Mobile Hotspots, laptop sticks and connected tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.
According to Business Insider, Hewlett-Packard appears ready to jettison up to 32,000 employees from its workforce next week in what one source calls a “massive” layoff. The news isn’t exactly a secret, with CEO Meg Whitman having already gone on record that such layoffs were under consideration. A source claims the HP cuts could trim between 10 to 15 percent of its workforce, which currently stands at 320,000 strong worldwide. At the lower end of that spectrum, 10 percent would amount to 32,000 jobs lost, although it’s unlikely that HP would make such a huge cut in one fell swoop, but rather make smaller cuts to bleed out over time. Employees in manufacturing appear to have less to worry about than their co-workers, but any way you slice, this could be quite ugly for the tech world.
Speaking of getting the axe, Verizon Wireless issued a statement to The New York Times on yesterday’s story about grandfathered unlimited data plans going away this sunny summer. Seems as if there’s a bit more to it than that: “Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans,” the carrier notes. “If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.” That said, when the new shared data plans arrive, “Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing” — although customers who purchase phones at full retail price and “are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.” Translation: Unlimited data is still going to die, but it’s going to take some time for Verizon to cleanse its junkies of that bad habit.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Still rocking grandfathered unlimited data through Verizon Wireless? Better enjoy it while it lasts, because the carrier plans to drive a stake through its heart when Big Red makes the switch to family data plans this sunny summer. Should make good fodder for Sprint’s future marketing, since they continue to be the only U.S. carrier offering truly unlimited data plans. Meanwhile, here’s the rest of what’s making news for this Wednesday, May 16, 2012.
Fierce Wireless is reporting that grandfathered unlimited data plans may soon go the way of the dinosaur, at least if Verizon Wireless CFO Fran Shammo has anything to say about it (and sadly, he does). Speaking at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference this week, Shammo explained that as its 3G data customers migrate to 4G LTE, Verizon will require data sharing plans that will not be compatible with the faster speeds, nor sharing between multiple devices. The move is part of the carrier’s plan to shift to a “revenue per account” metric, rather than the current model which measures individual users’ data usage. With shared data plans in the works for mid-summer, there’s likely to be a lot of unhappy veteran users longing for the unlimited data days…
Cnet is reporting that the Retina Display screens everyone assumes will soon find their way to the MacBook line could be a pricy endeavor for Apple — almost 0 more, judging from component costs of 15.4-inch display panels already in the supply chain. The real question becomes, will Apple eat those costs or pass them on to Mac users in the form of increased prices? “What’s clear is that Apple’s pushing it. They’re pushing panel makers to come out with higher resolution panels because they’ve created a market demand for it, starting with their phones, now going to their tablets,” explains NPD DisplaySearch senior analyst Richard Shim. “Now what we’re seeing in the supply chain is that they’re going to move that to their notebooks, and it’s becoming a premium feature.” Apple currently spends for the display panel of a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but that figure is estimated to balloon to 0 if and when the rumored Retina upgrade arrives. Would you be willing to fork over the extra dough, if push comes to shove…?
AllThingsD is reporting that Sprint will likely continue to bleed red ink where the iPhone is concerned for three more years. That’s because the carrier made a whopping .5 billion commitment to Apple’s iconic handset over a four-year period — meaning the company won’t make a profit from the iPhone until 2015. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse doesn’t seem too concerned, despite having to take a .25 million pay cut this month to appease investors unhappy with the deal. “We believe in the long term,” Hesse explains. “And over time we will make more money on iPhone customers than we will on other customers.” Assuming, of course, the third-place carrier can make it that long.
If you’ve ever wondered just how fragile the stock market can be, look no further than a new DigiTimes rumor claiming that Apple recently placed a huge order for DRAM chips with Japanese firm Elpida — and dealt a fatal blow to Samsung’s market value in the process. According to Reuters, the rumor — whether it’s true or not — sent shares of Samsung Electronics Co. down more than six percent on Wednesday, “wiping billion off the electronics giant’s market value” all at once. “It looks like Apple doesn’t want to see Samsung and hynix dominate the chip market,” remarks Choi Do-yeon, an analyst at LIG Investment & Securities. “Apple wants to maintain its bargaining power by keeping Elpida running.” Japan’s Elpida is currently running under bankruptcy protection as it attempts to restructure due to “tough market conditions and global competition.” Perhaps Apple just wants to level the playing field after watching Samsung continually ape its smartphone and tablet products?
Did you know May is Teacher Appreciation Month? Makes sense, since this is the last month most students are in school before the sunny summer vacation — and their minds are probably on anything but studying. To celebrate the occasion, the folks at iStoryTime are offering their Kung Fu Panda 2 storybook app absolutely free through Sunday, April 20. Kung Fu Panda 2 is perfect for engaging children’s creativity and encouraging them to read in a variety of languages including English, Spanish, Chinese, German, French, Portuguese, Russian and Korean, so teachers and students across the globe may enjoy the adventures of Po. “Teachers are our super heroes,” said Woody Sears, founder of iStoryTime. “They are the foundation of our children’s education and we are extremely humble in honoring teachers worldwide by offering our Kung Fu Panda 2 storybook for free.” Hey, we just like the sound of free apps, but kudos to iStoryTime for recognizing the heroes, too.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
Could Google’s Chrome browser ever come to iOS? At least one analyst seems to think so today, and they seem confident that the search giant may even have a final version of the app waiting for Apple’s approval in the App Store. There’s not much to dislike about Mobile Safari, but choice is always a good thing — even though Apple isn’t likely to ever voluntarily let us change the default browser on our iOS devices. Meanwhile, here’s a look at everything else making news for Tuesday, May 15, 2012.
The Wall Street Journal has published a followup report on the recent smattering of lawsuits attempting to get class action status against Apple over claims that Siri “doesn’t perform as advertised.” Today, Apple is fighting back with a motion to dismiss that claims the Siri technology may only be a beta, but she’s still cutting edge. “They offer only general descriptions of Apple’s advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple’s website materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged — and highly individualized — disappointment with Siri,” Apple’s motion argues. “Tellingly, although Plaintiffs claim they became dissatisfied with Siri’s performance ‘soon after’ purchasing their iPhones, they made no attempt to avail themselves of Apple’s 30-day return policy or one-year warranty — which remains in effect. Instead, they seek to take an alleged personal grievance about the purported performance of a popular product and turn it into a nationwide class action under California’s consumer protection statutes. The Complaint does not come close to meeting the heavy burden necessary to sustain such claims.” Your move, Siri users.
Adobe kicked off their annual Digital Publishing Summit on Tuesday by announcing a series of new features for the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS). “Among the new features are Content Viewer for iPhone, social sharing, expanded font licensing and enhanced integration with Adobe Creative Suite 6, a milestone release, creating an unbeatable combination for media and corporate organizations,” the company revealed in a press release. “As readers voraciously consume mobile content, they’re demanding dynamic, shareable reading experiences across tablet and mobile phones,” explains Jim Guerard, vice president and general manager of Creative and Media Solutions, Adobe. “Adobe’s digital publishing innovations propel the industry forward by allowing publishers to reach and monetize an unprecedented number of consumers hungry for dynamic, one-of-a-kind mobile reading experiences.” For more details on Adobe’s DPS improvements and how the company’s customers plan to implement them, check out a live blog of the Digital Publishing Summit on the Adobe website.
Business Insider is reporting that Google’s Chrome browser may soon make the leap to iOS, where Apple currently makes 50 to 60 percent in revenue sharing from Google on searches made with Mobile Safari. According to Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter, Google Chrome may arrive sooner than we expect. “Apple may already be reviewing Google’s submitted code for a Chrome browser for iOS,” the analyst says, and expects the app to be released in the second quarter if not “definitely this year.” Of course, for Google, a Chrome browser would help level the playing field where search revenue is concerned — although Apple doesn’t currently allow third-party apps to act as a default browser on its iPhones, iPod touches and iPads. Schacter notes the tide could turn, however, should the Federal government go after Apple in the same way they did with Microsoft, who made Internet Explorer the default browser on its Windows PCs. “All that said, the most important thing to consider is whether or not Google’s Chrome will be better than mobile Safari,” the report concludes. “Google has failed to deliver solid applications for iOS in the past.” No kidding…
Facebook may be on the verge of a historic stock offering, but that doesn’t mean diddly squat to automaker General Motors, who’s pulling the plug on million worth of paid advertisements with the social network. According to Forbes, GM “is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important.” The company will continue to “post relevant content about the company and its brands on GM’s Facebook pages” — and why not, since that kind of advertising is pretty much free? “In terms of Facebook specifically, while we currently do not plan to continue with advertising, we remain committed to an aggressive content strategy through all of our products and brands, as it continues to be a very effective tool for engaging with our customers,” GM explained in a statement. Of course, that doesn’t exactly look good for Facebook, whose 5 billion IPO is coming at the end of the week.
Let’s take a break from all these crazy MacBook Pro rumors and turn our attention back to the fabled seven-inch iPad, shall we? AppleInsider is reporting that the fabled 7.85-inch junior iPad will launch in Q4 2012, complete with “G/F2” thin-film touch technology. According to DigiTimes, “the G/F2 structure places the electrode on the top and bottom ends of the ITO film, which will then be laminated onto the cover glass. The iPad Mini will also be more transparent and will have good sensitivity despite current skepticism with thin-film touch panels in the industry.” Since we only yesterday reported that DigiTimes tends to have a spotty track record when it comes to Apple rumors, we’d say readers would do well to approach this one with a big ol’ grain of salt as usual…
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
It has been quite the manic Monday around MacLife.com, with widespread rumors of new Macs swirling fast and furious throughout the internet. As always, we try to take them with a grain of salt — and speaking of which, now is a good time to take a long, hard look at DigiTimes, a frequently cited source for said rumors. Read on and find out all about that and everything else making news for this Monday, May 14, 2012.
The end is nigh for MobileMe, which will close its doors for good on June 30. But what if you don’t want to move your email to iCloud? As discovered by TidBits.com, Apple is quietly allowing MobileMe users who have yet to make the switch to keep that old email address — and even use it on older systems where iCloud can’t be used, such as a Mac running 10.5 Leopard, for example. “As of May 1, you can choose to keep using your mail after MobileMe ends, even on devices that don’t meet the iCloud system requirements,” the revised MobileMe transition web page now reads. “Just go to me.com/move and select the option to keep using your email after MobileMe ends. Once you have completed this short process, your mail will continue to work on devices that don’t meet the iCloud requirements after MobileMe ends on June 30th, 2012.” Handy, but given that the rest of MobileMe is waving goodbye, it might be a good time to take Apple up on that free iCloud offer, just the same…
MacRumors is reporting that Apple has pushed out two updates aimed at Mac user still running 10.5 Leopard. No, there aren’t any cool features like iCloud support — instead the updates feature a pair of security updates which are far less exciting but certainly welcome to those still rocking an older Mac. Leopard Flashback Removal Security Update promises to eradicate any “common variants” of the Flashback malware which recently made headlines, a mere 1.23MB download. The second is Leopard Security Update 2012-003, a 1.11MB download that includes the same ability to disable older versions of Adobe Flash Player, instead providing the option to download the latest version from Adobe’s website. Both updates require Mac OS X 10.5.8 and mark “the first significant software updates for the operating system since the debut of OS X Lion in mid-2011.”
9to5Mac is on a roll today, jumping from 15-inch MacBook Pro rumors we reported on this morning to word that Apple may use WWDC 2012 next month to introduce an upgraded iCloud with new photo sharing abilities. The rumor was first reported earlier today by The Wall Street Journal (paid subscription required), who likens the service to Instagram. “The new features, expected to be announced at Apple’s world-wide developer conference beginning June 11, will allow iCloud users to share sets of photos with other iCloud users and to comment on them,” the paper’s sources have revealed. “Apple is trying to better compete in the red-hot market for photo sharing, dominated by fast-growing online services such as Facebook Inc. and mobile apps like Instagram — which Facebook has agreed to acquire for billion.” If true, it would make a whole lot more sense why Apple chose to kill the MobileMe Gallery feature, since it likely had larger ambitions than simply sprucing up that paid feature.
Computing.co.uk is reporting that Mac OS X isn’t quite as secure as Apple might let on, according to Kaspersky Labs CTO Nikolay Grebennikov, whose company has recently started analyzing the operating system in the wake of recent malware scares. “Mac OS is really vulnerable… we’ve begun an analysis of its vulnerabilities, and the malware targeting it,” explains Grebennikov. “Our first investigations show Apple doesn’t pay enough attention to security. For example, Oracle closed a vulnerability in Java, which was a target for a major botnet several months ago. Apple blocked Oracle from updating Java on Mac OS, and they perform all the updates themselves. They only released the patch a few weeks ago — two or three months after the Oracle patch. That’s far too long.” An earlier version of the report incorrectly claimed that Kaspersky was examining Mac OS X at Apple’s request, but has since been corrected to explain that the testing is being conducted independently of Cupertino.
We all love Apple rumors, and the months leading up to a new product launch can feature a dizzying amount of them. A big chunk of these often come from DigiTimes, a Taiwanese tech website who tends to throw most every Apple-related whisper they catch wind of against the wall to see which ones stick. As such, those of us writing up Apple news frequently include a disclaimer so readers don’t get their hopes up too much. Time Techland went one step further today, publishing a rumor scorecard on DigiTimes that collects a number of Apple rumors dating back to 2006 and views them under the microscope to see which ones actually came to fruition. Let’s just say DigiTimes’ track record is so-so: “It doesn’t seem to matter whether the prognostications it publishes come true or not, and no amount of being wrong is enough to ruin its reputation,” the report notes.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
The big news of the day has to be the discovery of a beta iCloud website, which has the rumor blogs grabbing up paper bags in an effort to stifle their hyperventilation. Seems as if we’ll be seeing new Reminders and Notes web apps as part of the iCloud website, but personally we’d prefer some of the old-school MobileMe settings and features to come back. Oh well, we can’t have everything — but one thing we can have is a break for the weekend, right after you have a look at the news for this Friday, May 11, 2012.
Apple’s Siri virtual assistant may sometimes seem like she’s a miracle worker, but after using the iPhone 4S for a while, all of the things she’s not capable of soon come to light. One of those is language translation, but fear not — developer Sonico GmbH, makers of the iTranslate app, have created their own App Store solution called iTranslate Voice, which emulates the Siri experience and translates whatever you speak into it into one of 31 different languages. The full list includes English (US), English (UK), English (Australia), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (United States), Spanish (Mexico), French (France), French (Canada), German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin (China), Mandarin (Taiwan), Cantonese, Korean, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Portuguese (Portugal), Portuguese (Brazil), Polish and Russian, a few others are also available for voice output as well. Since the 3.4MB app just launched on Thursday, the developer is having a sale and it can be yours for a mere 99 cents, but it will be worth its weight in gold if you’re about to head overseas. Just make sure you have an internet connection, which is required to use iTranslate Voice.
9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has accidentally leaked some forthcoming features of iCloud, following the discovery of a beta website with web apps for Notes and Reminders — both of which are making the leap from iOS to OS X Mountain Lion this sunny summer. Code strings for the beta website have also turned up references to iOS 6, which is expected to be previewed next month at WWDC 2012 in San Francisco. The beta.icloud.com website has been up and down sporadically all day, but we can indeed confirm its existence, which requires a developer account to access. But don’t worry, we’re sure that Apple plans even more surprises for us in a few short weeks…
Face.com has announced the release of its KLIK app on Thursday, a camera app that uses facial recognition to quickly tag Facebook friends in real-time. The free app requires a Facebook account and iOS 4.3 or later, but also adds some Instagram-style fun with “Face Filters,” the app’s own built-in technology focused on making faces appear better in photos. While you’re not using KLIK to snap photos, the app can be used to check out Facebook feeds nearby, for your friends and even other photos. Perhaps the star feature of KLIK is its ability to see your friends’ names instantly appear next to their faces, even before you’ve taken a photo of them — or the app can be trained to learn the names of people it doesn’t recognize. KLIK is available now from the App Store and it’s absolutely free.
As part of a profile on manufacturer Foxconn’s plans to shift into distribution, China Daily appears to have inadvertently let slip some news about another project more near and dear to Apple fans. Foxconn CEO Terry Gou reportedly told the newspaper the company “is making preparations for iTV, Apple Inc.’s rumored upcoming high-definition television.” Now before you trip over yourself in search of a credit card to buy the thing, the report notes that neither development nor manufacturing has actually started yet — so we don’t necessarily know anything more about the fabled Apple HDTV than we did yesterday. Take it for what it’s worth, folks…
MacRumors is reporting that Dropbox appears to have tweaked its SDK to Apple’s liking, with iOS developers noting that their Dropbox-enabled apps are again being approved by App Store reviewers. Always trying to get developers to stick to the letter of its frequently vague App Store laws, app rejections started piling up a week or so ago, all related to how the Dropbox SDK previously included a Mobile Safari link to sign up for those who don’t have an account — a definite no-no, since users could then choose to upgrade their account to one of the paid options without giving Apple their 30 percent from in-app purchases. The developers of Cambox quickly deployed the new Dropbox SDK, submitted it to Apple on Thursday and the update is already approved and available in the App Store. Crisis averted, folks — nothing to see here.
Follow this article’s author, J.R. Bookwalter on Twitter
