Apple - 18/27 - AppsRumors

Apple, Mac, News/Rumors February 17, 2012

Apple’s OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Rumors state that this summer a bunch of new features will be added to the Mac operating system, OS X Mountain Lion. Major features include Messages (which is said to replace iChat), Reminders, Notes, Game Center, Airplay Mirroring, Gatekeeper, Share sheets, Notification Center and iCloud.

Apple Store describes it as inspired by iPad and re-imagined for Mac. Also, with the new update, Apple’s desktop operating system is now simply called OS X, so from now on Apple will be used when refering to hardware products while OS X goes for the software.

OS X Mountain Lion comes with Reminders and Notes to simplify the user’s work. Reminders are meant to gather all important events from one’s life and make sure the user doesn’t miss a single one; deadlines and alerts will remind one if something that mustn’t be missed is soon to take place.

What is really outstanding is that the latest operating system for Mac provides Notification Center that keeps the user in touch with the rest of the world. It pops up messages, calendar and friend request on the desktop for a short period of time.

Apple, Mac, News/Rumors February 17, 2012

The New York Times gets from Apple the same treatment that Gizmodo got

Apple ceased to send Gizmodo invitations to its media events since the iPhone 4 scandal, when a stolen prototype of the device got into Gizmodo’s possession; instead of returning it to the company, the blog thoroughly described the device, unveiling Apple’s future product.

It happen the same to The New York Times; the editorial was not invited at the prerelease presentation of OS X Mountain Lion. Apple sent invitations to all media, starting with great editorials and ending with popular IT blogs, and even to independent bloggers.

The New York Times published an article in which an anonymous Apple executive claimed that the company is indifferent to the horrible working conditions in China factories:

“We’ve known about labor abuses in some factories for four years, and they’re still going on,” “Why? Because the system works for us. Suppliers would change everything tomorrow if Apple told them they didn’t have another choice.”

Tim Cook talked about the scathing allegations in a letter for the workers and said that

“some people are questioning Apple’s values today,” “any suggestion that we don’t care is patently false and offensive to us.”

If the Times will receive or not an invitation from Apple to a future media event is not that important because the editorial already gained a bad reputation and made a fool out of itself as its report about the prerelease “hit the web late.”

Source: AppleInsider

Accessories, iPhone, iPod February 17, 2012

Yosion Apple Peel 520 turns your iPod Touch into real iPhone

This device comes in handy when you already have an iPod Touch but would want to buy an iPhone. You might want to check also this possibility of getting iPhone additional capabilities directly on your iPod Touch. The device which makes this real is Apple Peel 520.

Citing the Peel 520 website, “the Yosion Apple Peel 520 is a new wireless device that adds mobile voice and text messaging capabilities to the iPod Touch.”

It is practically a case for the iPod Touch with attachments such as a SIM slot, external battery, and dock connector, which allow your iPod to act as an iPhone. To use the device, you have to install a software program on your iPod Touch in order to get the calling capabilities and recognize the new hardware.

You can watch this video to understand better how to install and use the device:

It is compatible with iPod Touch 4G and is guaranteed to work globally with all GSM cellular carriers. AT&T and T-mobile fully support the device and already have arranged monthly pay, or pay-as-you-go plans.

Beside the GSM functionality, you should watch other available features:

GPRS Access: Access the internet in any country via the GPRS standard. This is perfect for those who need to be connected anytime, anywhere, whether at home, in the café or even in the library!
Custom Ringtones: Customize SMS and Call ringtones with your favorite songs, sounds and melodies! If you’re like us, then you’d love to personalize your iPod /iPhone so that everyone will notice.
Powerful Phone App: Yosion has developed an amazing phone application. Everything is almost like an original iPhone: caller ID, call history, address book and vibration mode – you won’t notice the difference!
FM Radio and Integrated Bluetooth: You can listen to almost ANY local radio station in your area while you’re jogging, having a walk or literally doing anything. Also, Bluetooth is integrated into the device with the possibility of using your own hands-free headset!

SOURCE: peel520

Apple, Mac February 17, 2012

AirPlay Mirroring on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

With the new update for the OS X operating system, the AirPlay Mirroring feature on iOS devices will also be available for Mac. Just use the feature with an Apple TV to witness the computer’s screen on a television.

The idea is not new on the market; the iPad has been chuckling over success for quite a while with displaying everything that is happening on the gadget straight on the television. Again there is the proof that OS X Mountain Lion seeks to get closer to iOS features.

AirPlay Mirrorring practically transmits websites, videos and applications from the computer to an HDTV connected to an Apple TV. What is more appealing is that is requires no cables or adapters for making the transmissions possible.

Mac, News/Rumors February 17, 2012

Messages beta for Mac available to download

The new cross-platform Mac Messages application for iOS it will be a great feature for the upcoming OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion which is set to be released this summer. But for those curious and impatient users, the early beta version is now available to download for free, directly from Apple’s site.

“When you install Messages, it replaces iChat,” Apple said. “But iChat services will continue to work. And Messages brings iMessage to the Mac – just like on iPad, iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 5.”

This beta version requires the latest version of Lion, OS X 10.7.3. According to Apple, the Messages features list is:

Send unlimited iMessages to any Mac, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
Start an iMessage conversation on your Mac and continue it on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch.
Send photos, videos, attachments, contacts, locations, and more.
Launch a FaceTime video call and bring the conversation face-to-face.
Messages supports iMessage, AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk, and Jabber accounts.

With this application, Apple is making big steps in obtaining cross device compatibility, having Mac OS X and iOS fusing to form a unified OS.

Apple, Mac, News/Rumors February 17, 2012

Messages on OS X Mountain Lion

Messages is practically iChat 6.o renamed and allows users to connect to AIM, Yahoo!, Google Talk and Jabber. Everyone can download for free the new application in the beta version from Apple. They said users must experience “a taste of what’s coming in OS X Mountain Lion” for waiting eagerly for the new operating system to be launched.

Just like iOS devices, now Mac has come with the possibility of sending photos, videos, documents and contacts. Apple seeks to make everything more close to the iOS app so there exists a bond between Mac and iOS users. That’s one of the main reasons of Mac’s attempt to experience Notes, Calendar and Contacts.

iMessages permits connection with the iOS 5 gadgets so if you establish a conversation on your Mac and are in a hurry, you can very easily keep it up on your iPhone or iPad. FaceTime is not replaced by Messages, it allows switching to it right in Messages for making the conversation face-to-face.

Apple, iPhone, iPhone 4S, iPod February 17, 2012

How the iPhone tended to the success of Apple by repeating the iPod history

In 2006 hundreds of people gathered at Apple’s Cupertino HQ to see Steve Jobs announcing the new 5GB iPod model. In five years since the presentation of the spectacular music player the sales of the new Apple device exceeded 67 million, bringing success and popularity to the company.

For many of the consumers the iPod was their first Apple product who further developed into them the care and sympathy for another line of Apple devices; iPod users started to buy also their first Macintosh. This fact became known as the “iPod Halo Effect.”

Time goes by and times have changed and it seems that the iPod history repeats itself, but this time for the recently released Apple device, the iPhone 4S. Nowadays, Apple’s main source of revenue is the iPhone; what is interestingly though is how this smartphone improved Apple’s business and brought a new boom to the company and how it happen that it trod in the steps of the iPod.

Tim Cook explained at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference how the phenomenon happened to repeat once again:

“The iPhone began to introduce Apple to literally hundreds of millions of people,” “Some that bought it, some that didn’t, others that desired it. But it introduced our brand to people who had never met Apple before.”

Though the iPhone selling didn’t work out in Eastern Europe, Africa, China, other parts of Asia and Latin America as well as in the U.S., altogether it was more able than the iPod to improve the selling. And the result is obvious: Apple is opening more and more stores all over the world, even in Brazil and Russia, and mostly in China, which is now the company’s second-largest market. No wonder the next version of OS X, Mountain Lion, has support for popular Chinese internet services.

Source: Macworld

Apple February 16, 2012

Apple is the most popular star in U.S Box Office films

This year’s most appealing combination from Hollywood is once again the combination cunning actors and Apple devices.

According to expectations, Apple won the Brandcameo 2011 Award for Overall Product Placement after its last success in 2010. Last year Apple products appeared in 17 (42.5%) of the first 40 films of the U.S. box office and it seems that film producers enjoy Apple’s presence more and more and already cast Apple devices in 50% of 2012 #1 movies.

MacBook in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol scene

On the second place came Dell, Chevrolet and Ford each scoring a 22.5% of presence in top films, followed on the third place by Coca-Cola, Cadillac and Mercedes-Benz with 17.5%. Grandchannel revealed that

“Apple-branded products have now appeared in more than one-third of all number one films at the US box office between 2001 through 2011 (129 of the 374 #1 films during that period). That is second only to Ford (153 of 374) and well ahead of third place Coca-Cola (103 of 374). In fact, Apple products appeared in more top films in the last decade than McDonald’s and Pepsi and Sony Vaio combined (122).”

Bella using a Mac in Twillight scene

Apple devices appeared also in many movies that didn’t reach the top in U.S. box office, such as Friends with Benefits, The Dilemma, The Muppets, Bridesmaids and many others but the most fruity fact is that Apple insist that the company did not paid for placing its devices in any of this movies.

Maybe Apple did not pay for its devices distribution. Maybe is this distribution that brought to Apple it’s most successful quarter. What we know for sure is that great Hollywood producers prefer the presence of the latest technology in their screen play.

Source: grandchannel

Apple February 16, 2012

Apple widens the apps area leaving Android behind

The Android platform fragmentation determined many developers to change their perspectives, switching from the Google market to iOS.

Android got familiar with success when the collaboration with HTC started years ago, but once with Samsung’s Nexus smartphones, Google brought Android to its boom. However, Android is currently facing a hitch that might make it get familiar also with the crash: Apple’s ascendancy on the new applications area.

According to Flurry, the company that makes research on mobile software, this January was made three times more apps for iOS than for Android.

“Apple has more than 550,000 apps in its store, compared with over 400,000 for Google’s Android Market. Both companies count on the array of apps to make their phones more enticing and lock in consumers who are already using the devices.” – stated Bloomberg’s article.

The reason for which developers migrate to iOS is that they can make more money producing for this platform. In contrast with Android, the apps for Apple are easier to develop thus, the money come faster.

The iTunes system comes in handy for developers and also for users, because the owners’ credit card accounts are permanently stored, making the charging easier than on Android.

Time is also an important decision agent. There are 90 Android app stores while Apple has only one. Submitting software to multiple stores takes more time.

Still, analyzing the depth of this situation an interesting conclusion is brought to light: developers choose iOS in the short term to get hold of money in a hasty way, because Apple makes it easy for them, but in the long term developers stick to Android and appreciate it as a valuable source of revenue.

Source: Bloomberg