Apple - page 20

Look at this incredible picture from London’s Mail on Sunday showing the massive crowds that line up every morning to buy unlocked iPhone 4s.

The Mail claims the unlocked iPhones are being shipped to Asia and the Middle East, where the iPhone 4 has yet to go on sale. Unlocked handsets can be sold for double their purchase price. At first I thought the picture was from the grand opening of Apple’s new Covent Garden store, which opened recently, but the Mail says the lines are forming every morning:

At 6.50am in Covent Garden security guards stopped people from joining the queue. About 230 were cordoned off behind airport-style barriers waiting for the shop to open.
At 7.30am a manager came out and stood on a chair and said: ‘We have iPhones for you. We will open the store in half an hour. Just be nice. Be orderly.’A cheer broke out as the shop doors opened just before 8am.

The New York Times says the same thing is happening in NYC, but may slack off when the iPhone 4 goes on sale in China on Saturday: Buyers Send iPhones on a Long Relay to China.

Thanks Kato.

CNET has a great article up that details the secrets of Apple’s customer service. Erica Ogg highlights the recent findings of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index, a sort of Michelin guide for customer service and appreciation. Apple not only earned its highest score to date in this survey, it established a monster lead over other PC makers.

The real story is how much further ahead of its peers Apple is in this [survey]. The Mac maker’s nine-point lead is now the largest lead any company has over its competition in any of the 45 categories that the ACSI study surveys–including home appliances, gas stations, autos, e-commerce, airlines, and more.

The real secret to Apple’s success is that there are no secrets.

The blog AutoSpies.com captured pictures at the Paris Motor Show of BMW’s new replacement for the old-and-busted rear-seat DVD screens: Apple iPad cradles that rotate, and support both portrait and landscape orientations. No, this isn’t just some concept. It’s the new hotness.

The cradle debuted on the new BMW X3, but will be available for all other model series starting in the Spring.

Apple’s new social network for music fans, Ping, has had a rough start.  People didn’t expect it to be a Facebook for music right away but they did expect more from Apple.  After years of social media hype many people thought Apple would have learned from the mistakes others have made.  While Ping might not be the best idea Apple has ever had, I think when will look back years from now we will wonder what took them so long! For those of you who have turned on Ping, here are some things Ping should have and a few tips to make your Ping experience a little better. Read more after the break.

Ever since Apple CEO Steve Jobs casually mentioned the idea that Apple’s new iPod nano could be used as a wristwatch, well, I’ve wanted one. And so have a lot of people. A nano wristwatch aftermarket has quickly emerged to satisfy demand. But what about Apple?

Cnet’s Gordon Haff wrote a blog post this morning called “Why Apple will do a real iWatch” in which he predicts that Apple will get into the wristwatch business.

I say they won’t, and I’ll tell you why. But first let’s look at Haff’s reasoning.

Here’s a taster of what iOS 4 will be like on the iPad, courtesy of AppAdvice.com.

See also: iOS 4.2 Beta 1 For iPad, iPhone & iPod Touch Now Available To Developers

Thanks Chris.

Having problems with your Mac or iPod? Apple has just rolled out a new Express Lane for its existing online customer support system that aims to make getting to the root of your troubleshooting woes faster than before.

Express Lane basically streamlines online tech support from Apple. You can easily search through the database to find tech support solutions to existing Apple products, lookup cases that you’ve submitted previously, or register your Apple products by their serial numbers to track their warranty status and be directed to the proper support channels when things do go wrong.

Apple has moved quickly to debunk this morning’s story that Steve Jobs tried to smuggle ninja stars aboard a private plane.

“Steve did visit Japan this summer for a vacation in Kyoto, but the incidents described at the airport are pure fiction,” Apple told All Things Digital. “Steve had a great time and hopes to visit Japan again soon.”

Ever been singing along to a new song and wondered just what the heck the lyrics really are? Searching for the lyrics on the internet isn’t the fastest of solutions to avoid lyric confusion. Here we’re going to show you how to utilize scripts and a widget to search out the lyrics for all of the songs in your iTunes library and automatically save them to song’s meta data, so that next time you can correct your friend when they sing “where’s my Asian friend,” when the lyrics really are, “what’s my age again.”

Apple is once again friends with Google, at least as far as mobile ads go.

Google says its wholeheartedly approves of Apple’s relaxation of its mobile advertising policy. The old policy effectively locked out Google’s AdMob platform from in-app advertising on the iPhone and iPad.

Apple’s new terms will open up in-app advertising to competitors and enable advertising systems that work across a range of platforms (IE. iPhone and Android), Google says.

“This is great news for everyone in the mobile community, as we believe that a competitive environment is the best way to drive innovation and growth in mobile advertising. Mobile advertising has already helped to fund tens of thousands of mobile apps across many different platforms and devices, and it will help do the same for many more in the years ahead.”

Google: An Update on Apple’s Terms of Service

Most of the restrictions in Apple’s new App Store guidelines make perfect sense. Who wants apps that drain the battery? There are commonsense bans on hate speech, objectionable material and gambling.

But there are two restrictions that might cause problems: rejecting apps in categories that are already crowded (fart apps), and pornography.

What do you think? Should Apple approve fart apps and porn and let us make our own choices?

[polldaddy poll=3740789]

Did Steve Jobs personally write Apple’s new App Store Review Guidelines, the long-awaited rules of what is and isn’t allowed in the App Store?

It certainly sounds like it. The language of the document is remarkably casual. It reads as though Jobs dictated it himself off the top of his head. For example:

We will reject Apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, “I’ll know it when I see it”. And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.

It’s actually a pretty fun read, for a developer doc.

Most of the restrictions make sense. There are commonsense bans on hate speech, objectionable material and gambling. The most contentious area is pornography. Some adults think they should be allowed to make their own choices, and not have Apple act as a nanny.

The new guidelines are published on Apple’s Developer website (registered developers have to log in). Here’s the full text:

“This thing is thin!” says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, who just performed a teardown of the 4G iPod touch. “So thin that there is literally no room for the 5 MP camera in the iPhone 4.”

Here’s what he found:

Just as Apple has released the iOS 4.1 update, iPhone hackers have found a new way to jailbreak the latest iOS that will be hard for Apple to patch.

The Dev-Team’s Musclenerd says his fellow hacker pod2g has found a boot ROM exploit in the iOS 4.1 as it goes live. Musclenerd advises iPhone users to stay away from the 4.1 update until work on the latest jailbreak is completed.

”Crazy timing that @pod2g got latest exploit just as 4.1 went public (lots of work left…keep away from 4.1 for now!)” Musclenerd tweeted.

A low-level bootrom exploit will be hard for Apple to fight. Boot ROM exploits cannot be patched with a firmware update the way that Apple closed the PDF security hole that the iOS 4.0 JailbreakMe exploit relied on.

Apple would have to make changes to the hardware of its iOS devices to fix the exploit. Previously, pod2g discovered the 24kpwn exploit, which allows older iOS devices to be jailbroken via PwnageTool, but has been patched by Apple in its latests devices.

For complete instructions on jailbreaking and advice on the best software to install, see our Jailbreak Superguide.

Via Redmond Pie.

Go get it! Available through iTunes.

The update for iPhone and iPod touch includes lots of bug fixes, as well as new features like HDR photos, HD video upload, TV show rentals and Game Center.

The update is compatible with iPhone 4; iPhone 3G and GS; and iPod touch 2G. Not all features work on all devices however.

In November, Apple will release iOS 4.2, which will include iPad support.

Here are three of the best alternative iTunes 10 icons so far, and instructions how to install them:

Ever feel like Steve Jobs is messing with you just for fun? That’s what I thought when I opened up iTunes 10 and saw the minimize, maximize, & close buttons on the left hand side of the window, instead of aligned at the top.

Moving the buttons over there goes against everything OS X design is about. It’s an uncharacteristic move by Apple, unless they plan to move the buttons to the side for all of their applications, which doesn’t seem likely. Don’t worry though, there’s a super simple fix for this weird quirk if you want to bring uniformity back to OS X.

Why does Apple dominate all aspects of the digital music market — hardware, software and content deals? For example, more than two-thirds of every media player sold in the world is an Apple product.

That’s amazing when you consider the company’s reputation as one that doesn’t listen to customers. Come to think of it, Google Search, Facebook and Twitter are all dominant products created without customer input.

Is ignoring customers Apple’s secret to success in consumer technology?

Read more on Datamation.

All across Europe, iPhone exclusivity deals have already toppled, but here in Germany, T-Mobile still remains standing as the sole carrier of the iPhone 4. The foundations are wobbly, though, as numerous other carriers in the country have begun selling the iPhone 3GS, marking the first time more than one company has offered the iPhone… even if one of those iPhone’s is markedly superior.

It now looks like T-Mobile’s exclusivity deal is finally about to collapse entirely though. According to the Wall Street Journal, Deutsche Telekom is preparing for the loss of the iPhone 4 exclusive in time for the holiday shopping season… while Vodafone and O2 are similarly preparing to carry it.

It’s in Apple’s best interest to sell the iPhone 4 on as many networks as possible, and every country that has seen an exclusivity deal end has seen iPhone sales and profits meteorically rise.

Note the timing here as well: T-Mobile is losing the iPhone 4 exclusive by the end of the year. Meanwhile, here in the States, it is heavily rumored that Verizon will get a special CDMA version of the iPhone 4 in January.

It looks like Apple is just letting all of its existing contracts lapse. Now that T-Mobile looks set to lose its exclusivity contract for the German market, can AT&T be far behind?

Wow — that was quite a show from Steve Jobs. A brand new line up of iPods (except the Classic); a hot new AppleTV that costs just $99; and a potential Myspace killer in Ping, iTune’s social network for music.

But which announcement was the big one long term?

Will a FaceTime-enabled iPod allow Apple to route around AT&T and other wireless carriers? Or will the new, inexpensive AppleTV be the product that finally takes settop boxes mainstream, and Apple’s next big hit? Or is the new multitouch nano a glimpse at the future of multitouch personal electronics (think nifty iWatches)?

[polldaddy poll=3704292]

Apple is live streaming Wednesday’s iPod event as a test of its massive new data center, we’ve been informed by a source.

Apple’s first live video broadcast in years is a test of the server farm’s ability to stream a future version of iTunes for iOS devices, our tipster says.

“The goal is to monitor traffic load and quality,” says our tipster, who asked to remain anonymous to preserve their connections at Apple.

There’ll be a new $99 AppleTV tomorrow with Netflix movie streaming, Bloomberg reports.

Apple Inc., preparing to announce a new set-top box that delivers TV to consumers, will include movies from Netflix Inc., according to three people with knowledge of the plans.

The streaming service would be available on the revamped version of Apple TV, due to be introduced tomorrow in San Francisco, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. Users would pay a subscription fee to Netflix for the service, the people said.

The new AppleTV will cost $99 — $130 less than the current model, Bloomberg says. Apple will also update iTunes and offer a new iPod touch with a higher-resolution screen (likely a Retina display to match the iPhone 4’s).

The new Apple TV is rumored to be renamed iTV and run a version of iOS, possibly making is capable of running apps and games from the App Store. There’s no word on whether Netflix’s service will be an app or integrated into the device, as it is with some DVD players.

Netflix already offers a subscription movie streaming service through a wide variety of devices, from Blu-Ray players to  TiVo and game consoles. There are also Netflix apps for the iPhone and iPad that stream movies and TV shows to subscribers.

This parody of Apple’s saccharine new FaceTime ads is pretty funny.

The Oxford English Dictionary will not be printed again thanks in part to the iPad, Alastair Jamieson reports for The Telegraph:

Simon Winchester, author of ‘The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary’, said the switch towards online formats was “prescient”. He said: “Until six months ago I was clinging to the idea that printed books would likely last for ever. Since the arrival of the iPad I am now wholly convinced otherwise.”

Wow.