Archive for 2011

According to London-based research company Brand Finance, Apple takes the second position after Google in brand value rating. The 33% increase allowed Apple to overtake Microsoft, Wal-Mart, GE and IBM for the first time. The research firm attributes Apple’s high rating to loyal consumer base, successful marketing activities and innovative design.

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MacRumors has heard that the MacBook Pro line will receive minor processor updates before the holiday shopping season.

According to people with proven insight into Apple’s future product plans, the late-2011 MacBook Pro refresh will deliver marginal speed bumps to the notebooks’ Core i-Series of Sandy Bridge processors but will otherwise introduce no material changes over the existing models. While precise timing for the update may change, those same people say the Mac maker currently anticipates an introduction of the refreshed line before the end of the month.

Moreover, Intel recently announced that its next-generation processor code-named Ivy Bridge will offer lower-power quad-core chips than the current generation of Sandy Bridge chips. As AnandTech notes, this development means that Apple could offer quad-core processors in its smallest 13" MacBook Pros. Now the 15" and 17" MacBook Pros are the only models that presently offer quad-core processors.

Kensington has announced a couple of security products for iPhone and iPad including lock mechanism SecureBack and intergrated alarm case BungeAir for iPhone.

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One of the customers, who emailed Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO to express dismay over discontinuation of same MobileMe features, claims that the service is transitioned to iCloud and then Tim Cook called him noting that Apple is “open” to return some features as customers support their return.

"Specifically, I bemoaned the loss of sync services (syncing application preferences, keychain, etc.) and the loss of iDisk," the reader said of his initial email to Cook . "I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from his office just now.

According to Cook's people, while there are no plans to add those particular services to iCloud at this time, "Apple is open to it if there's enough feedback on the subject."

Popular games Asphalt 6: Adrenaline and Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD developed by Gameloft are now available for free for a limited time. Regular price is $4.99 for iPhone version and $6.99 for iPad version. The lowest price on sale was $0.99, it's never been fully free. Now it is, so go ahead and download.

Asphalt 6 is a arcade racing game with superb enviorments and fast-paced racing, there's over 55 events, across 11 leagues. Drive cars such as Astion Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini and even Ducati's. The single player campaign is quite long for being on the iOS, but that's not all, there's also multiplayer support via the Game Center.

Download Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
Download Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD

Apple has started promotion of its iBookstore on Twitter by launching a new account in this social network to keep followers informed on special offers, new releases and other changes in the store. Apple has actually created account in June, but the company has just today started sending out Tweets.

"Welcome to the Apple #iBookstore on Twitter. Follow us to discover new releases, exclusive book offers, and more".

The Apple’s second Tweet promotes "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, which is now actively promoted by the company. Currently Apple is featuring this book on the main page of iBookstore. Starbucks  has also joined the promotion by offering an "extended sample" of this book for free through its program “Pick of the Week” .

Apples created several Twitter accounts to keep users updated on featured and new content on the iTunes Store.

Also Apple is expanded its ties with this social network in other places, having allowed for Facebook and Twitter posting on its online store and added Twitter integration to the upcoming iOS 5.

According to Bloomberg, South Korea is the first country worldwide that has convinced Apple to change its customer service policy on faulty iPhones. The country’s fair trade commission has persuaded Apple to replace defective iPhone with new models instead of refurbished devices, providing users report faults within one month after purchase.

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The Brazilian Minister of Science and Technology, Aolizio Mercadante, has confirmed that the new Apple’s factory is “ready”, and even already making iPads that will begin shipping in Brazil from this December.

At first many doubted, but it will be the first time that the company will produce iPads outside Chinese territory. We are taking a big step for digital inclusion in the country,” he said. Mercadante also said that the federal government will announce in the coming days to invest in a big factory of games in the Manaus Free Zone.

The new Brazilian factory is a result of a joint effort by the Brazilian government and Foxconn, manufacturer of the iPhone and iPad that reportedly invested $12 billion in this new factory. As Apple planed production started in late August / early September. We also reported that in June Foxconn hired 175 engineers for the new factory.

At the Intel’s Developer Forum the Intel today announced a new processor that will be capable to supply power to a x86 computer in stand-by mode for 10 days off a single charge. New Haswell processor implements a 3D-transistor 22-nanometer architecture, which uses 20 times less energy than current Sandy Bridge chips included in the newest Macs. Also the new processor can power a computer by grabbing light from a source the size of light bulb. In addition, Haswell processors will run faster than current chips.

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Apple's customer service call centers - AppleCare has reported AppleInsider that the company expects that a large influx  of iOS-related support calls beginning Monday, October 10th, suggesting that Apple may release the iOS 5 on this date.

For instance, one person familiar with the matter said his local AppleCare call center has been told to expect an eightfold increase in customer calls on that day, and that staff are being advised ahead of time for the increased traffic.

The person could not say with any certainty what will be released on that Monday, but noted that the increase in call volume is related to iOS. This led them to speculate that Apple could release iOS 5 and iCloud on Oct. 10.

Apple always releases its major iOS updates a couple of days ahead of the new hardware release. For example, the iPhone OS 3.0 was released on June 17th, 2009 while the iPhone 3GS was released on June 19th, 2009; last year iOS 4.0 was released on June 21st following the iPhone 4 release on June 24th. So, we may expect release of new iPhone 5 after October 10th. Moreover, there are lots of rumors suggesting that Apple is planning to announce its next-gen iPhone in mid-October.

As Patently Apple reports, US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent granted to Apple, which covers 3D display and imaging technologies. This invention could lead to Kinect-like navigation by manipulating holographic images and performing gestures within a virtual 3D system.

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According to BGR, citing “trusted source”, Apple is goint to release iOS 5 8 Beta to developers this Friday. A golden master version should be expected " in a week around September 23rd.

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According to AppleInsider's report, Apple is going to launch an updated version of wireless base station AirPort Express. A source reports that Apple is now finishing development of its AirPort Utility 5.6 software which includes references to the AirPort Express 802.11n (2nd Generation).

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Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple plans to send the golden master version of iOS 5 to its iPhone and iPod touch assembling partners during the period of September 23rd through 30th. So the new hardware could be launched around mid-October. That means that the assemblers will have time to install software on already produced new iPhones. But the analyst claims that design of the iPhone 5 would not be changed and Apple planes to ship 30 million units through the end of the year alongside production of an additional 5 million units of the existing iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS models

While many have been holding out for a significantly redesigned iPhone 5 offering a thinner, tapered profile as shown in third-party cases supposedly based on leaked design documents, essentially no evidence for such a model has surfaced in the form of parts leaks or other details. While some have suggested that the N94 is a decoy/scrapped/backup model and that Apple is keeping the redesigned model under tighter wraps, Kuo is not seeing signs of such a model anywhere in Apple's supply chain.

According to data from market research firm NPD (via BusinessInsider), Apple’s Mac sales in U.S. are up 22% year-on-year for two month of the third quarter of this year, leading the company to a new record for quarterly sales of Macs. Gene Munster, analyst from research firm Piper Jaffray, attributed so high sales to launch of new Mac mini and MacBook Air line in July, which is expected to account for 10 to 20 percent of total sales of Macs over the third quarter.

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