News tagged ‘Apple’

According to Bloomberg, Apple has sued Amazon over the use of the name “App Store”.  Apple, in a complaint filed March 18, accused Amazon.com of trademark infringement and unfair competition and asks for a court order to prevent the company from using the “App Store” name. Amazon is planning to launch its own “Amazon Appstore” for Android devices, a marketplace to distribute and download apps. Apple claims to have contacted Amazon three times demanding that they change their name, but Amazon has yet to provide a "substantive response".

“Amazon has begun improperly using Apple's App Store mark in connection with Amazon's mobile software developer program," Apple said in the complaint. “We’ve asked Amazon not to copy the App Store name because it will confuse and mislead customers.”

iPad 2 was expected to hit Europe on March 25th. However Czech Republic iPad website now shows that iPad 2 will be available April 25, so they might just got pushed back a month. (for those not in the know, Dubna=April).

iPad 2 microphones: 3G (top) vs. Wi-Fi (bottom)

iLounge found out that the microphones on Wi-Fi and 3G models of iPad 2 have differences in quality of sound.  The best sound quality was demonstrated by the Wi-Fi model.  It might be caused by the fact that the mic on the Wi-Fi model is on an aluminum surface while on 3G is on the black plastic. The differences are most noticeable when the iPad is held facing the user, for example, when using FaceTime or other video applications.

Perhaps due to this change in materials, the Wi-Fi model offers markedly cleaner audio than that of the 3G, which sounds slightly muffled and echo-prone as a result. Curiously, we found the GSM 3G model's audio to be slightly preferable to that of the CDMA model, which seemed to suffer the issues more severely.

In the previous model of iPad the microphone located next to the headphone jack on the top edge but in iPad 2 Apple decided to place it in the center. Though, it seems that such change does Apple more harm than good.

Traditional video from Blendtec. Now they try to blend Apple iPad 2. So will it blend? Let's watch to find out.

Well, they took aluminum case away.

Apple has finally brought wireless tethering functionality with iOS 4.3. It is called Personal Hotspot and allows users to share iPhone’s cellular data connection with other devices over WiFi connection.

For instance, you can connect your iPad WiFi only model to the internet via iPhone. There's one less reason to pay additional $130 for a 3G iPad. There is another difference between iPad WiFi and iPad 3G - GPS. Well, it looks loke WiFi-only iPad inherits GPS positioning capabilities when you tether the tablet to an iPhone via the Personal Hotspot feature.

Kyle Carmitchel from TabletMonsters discovered this by accident and posted a video to prove it.

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Apple published three new iPhone commercials that introduce an interesting new formula. Old ads used "There’s an app for that" catchphrase, the new commercials take the opposite angle. They start with a simple line "If you don’t have an iPhone," then launch into a quick overview of key iPhone features, with the voiceover explaining the stuff you’re unable to do unless.

In the end we hear the tagline, "Yup, if you don’t have an iPhone, well, you don’t have an iPhone.".

Here's two more - iBooks and iPod+iTunes commercials:

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Now, after release of the iPad 2, Apple is asking its US customers to donate their out-of-date fist-generation iPads to Teach For America. The company posted on its webpage a teaser that you may notice on the right visiting Apple’s official site. Apple says:

Your old iPad can help teach kids a thing or two. Donate your old iPad at an Apple Retail Store, and Teach For America will give it to a teacher in a low-income community.

Moreover, Teach For America is a corporation listed among those that provide tax deductions for direct donations. So if you’re interested in donating your old iPad for a good cause, you might, probably, receive a tax deduction in addition.

This time the second iPad’s A5 processor has became an object of teardown, revealing that the chip is indeed being manufactured by Samsung.  Some recent rumors claimed that Apple is shifting production from Samsung to TSMC. Apple is said to be interested in switching from Samsung because the company competes with both the iPhone and the iPad with its own devices - the Galaxy S smartphone and the Galaxy Tab tablet, respectively.

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After earthquake happened in Japan lots of people gathered around Apple Stores to use the internet connections. Using Skype and FaceTime, victims were able to contact family members.

Staff brought out surge protectors and extension cords with 10s of iOS device adapters so people could charge their phones & pads and contact their loved ones," the manager wrote, noting that the Apple retail stores are some of the only locations to offer free Wi-Fi in Japan. "Even after we finally had to close 10pm, crowds of people huddled in front of our stores to use the wifi into the night, as it was still the only way to get access to the outside world.

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Apple has seeded a new 8th version of Mac OS X 10.6.7, termed Build 10J869, to developers for testing. According to those familiar with the new build, Apple doesn’t list known issues keeps asking developers to focus their testing on Safari, Mac App Store, AirPort, Bonjour, SMB, and Graphics Drivers. Very little change in file size leads us to think the final release of the OS update is nearing completion.

Well-know teardown firm iFixit has recently teardown the Apple’s Smart Cover case for the new iPad 2. The highly publicized case consists of plenty magnets that keep it aligned on the surface of the iPad and turn off and on the device.

There are a total of THIRTY ONE magnets within the iPad 2 and Smart Cover: 10 magnets in the iPad 2, and a whopping 21 magnets inside the Smart Cover. They're the reason why the cover works so well with the iPad 2.

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The Independent has reported that Apple informed its European partners that the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology wouldn’t be used in the future iPhones and iPads to allow customers to use those devices to make purchases at retail stores.

The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry.

Although the fact that Apple isn’t going to implement NFC technology into iPhone 5 does not mean Apple isn’t working on their own NFC service for a 2012 launch.

Apple is understood to be working on its own NFC proposition, which would link payments through iTunes. It hopes to introduce the technology in a handset likely to be released next year.

Apple is taking donations in order to help Japan earthquake and tsunami victims. The company created an option in the iTunes Store that allows everybody to make donation to the American Red Cross for the Japanese victims. To make donation, visit this page and choose to donate $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200. Everything happens through the iTunes account you already have.

Your gift to the American Red Cross will support our disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake in Japan and tsunami through the Pacific. Your support will enable the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters.

Apple opened its virtual doors around 1AM this morning and now the iPad 2 is available for order on the US Apple Online Store. There is a choice out of 18 models - WiFi, GSM or CDMA; Black or White; 16, 32 or 64GB. All 18 models are available for order and they all ship in 3-5 business days. UPDATE: most of the models are now ships within 2-3 weeks.

Apple’s iPad 2 Smart Cover is available as well, shipping in 1-2 business days. Smart Cover is available either leather ($69) or Polyurethane ($39) option with 5 colors per material. As we were told during iPad 2 presentation - Apple is also selling an HDMI cable ($39) for the iPad 2.

Those who do not want to order their iPad 2 online can purchase one at an Apple retail, AT&T, Target, Verizon, Best Buy, Walmart, or Sam’s Club store starting March 11th at 5 PM local time.

Multiply analysts expect that Apple could sell 600, 000 iPad 2 during this launch weekend. On launch day of the first-gen iPad, on April 3, 2010, the company sold 300,000 units of WiFi-only original iPad. iPad 2 is expected to outpace the original model. Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, believes that sales of the iPad 2 could reach 500,000 this weekend. Analysts from Romand & Renshaw and Piper Jaffray & Co. also expect the iPad 2 to outsell its predecessor. The two leading reasons for more iPad 2 sales have to do with more stores selling the device on opening day and the addition of the white model. Moreover, early reviews of the iPad 2 have praised Apple for improvements made to the device.