Apple recently seeded a second revision of its iOS 5.0.1 firmware, and besides decrypting key files that aid in the legality of a Siri port, the update seemed to bring nothing new to the table. Some speculated that the second update had something to do with Apple’s continued international rollout of the iPhone 4S.
It turns out that the new iOS 5.0.1 (Build 9A406) is meant to fix SIM-related errors that a limited number of iPhone 4S customers have been experiencing.
As we reminisced in our previous poll, 2011 has been a monumental year for the Mac App Store. There have been countless new releases and updates that we’ve covered on the site, and the Mac app ecosystem has reached a whole new level of excellence.
We told you to choose the 10 most innovative Mac apps of this year, and your votes garnered some interesting results. Here are the 10 most innovative Mac apps of 2011. And now we need you to choose your number one.
Siri is by far the iPhone 4S’s most-desired feature, and many non-4S users have been clamoring for hackers to make the voice assistant available on older iOS devices. While Siri ports have been demoed to the public before, it’s been made clear that public distribution is not possibile at this time due to legal issues.
Apple has made a Siri port legally possible with today’s iOS 5.0.1 revision by offering wide-open access to system files that were previously encrypted.
With Apple expected to release its successor to the iPad 2 in early-2012, alleged iPad 3 parts have leaked out into the wild. The parts suggest that Apple is ready to introduce a revolutionary new design for its upcoming tablet, as the device’s internals appear to be arranged way differently.
The iPad 3’s dock connector and ribbon cable leaked a couple months ago. These new microphone parts are currently available for purchase from a Chinese retailer.
Apple has released two minor software updates today. A tweaked version of iOS 5.0.1 (Build 9A406) for the iPhone 4S has been pushed for users who haven’t yet upgraded to the latest firmware (essentially replacing the current 5.0.1 build).
The second-generation Apple TV has been updated to version 4.4.4 (Build 9A406a) and features small bug fixes and stability improvements. Both updates can be downloaded now.
The internet sounded the bell a little prematurely last night, but it now appears that iTunes Match is indeed rolling out to international customers. While we all thought the service had been rolled out to most of Europe and Australia yesterday, it was later confirmed that the launch was an error, with Apple emailing apologizes to international customers and handing out refunds.
Now it appears that many countries, including Australia, U.K., Canada, Mexico, and others, are now able to access iTunes Match from the iTunes Store.
Some Columbia University students were recently robbed in upper Manhattan. While robberies happen on the streets of New York City every day, this particular instance was an interesting case of smartphone theft.
The pair of bandits ambushed three students and demanded that they hand over their iPhones. Not only did the robbers demand iPhones specifically, but they also refused to steal Droid or Blackberry phones. Ouch.
While most music apps focus on one or two instruments, Rockmate brings a while music studio to your iPad. Up to four people can play music at once, which may initially sound a little cramped on the iPad’s 9.7-inch screen.
If you’re interested in Rockmate, you’ll only need to part with $0.99 to get your hands on all of the musical goodness. As the app’s developers say, “Let’s rock together.”
Have you ever wondered what it was like behind the scenes of Apple’s famous ‘Think Different’ advertising campaign? The 1997 ad was mainly attributed to Steve Jobs in Walter Isaacson’s biography, but there’s more to how it all went down.
An advertising executive that helped create the campaign has taken to Forbes to set the record straight, and the truth is that Steve Jobs originally hated the very ad that brought Apple back from the brink of destruction.
If you’ve been itching to perform a DIY project on your favorite Apple gadget, then you want to check out iFixit’s new and improved toolkits. The company’s 54 Bit Driver and Pro Tech Base toolkits have been updated with new additions and improvements.
Whether you need to take apart your Mac or iPhone, iFixit has given you the tools you need to get the job done. Both kits are highly portable and available for less than $100.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has proposed a nationwide ban that prohibits the use of all non-emergency cell phone use in the car.
Currently, only select states have a law in place against cell phone use in automobiles, but the NTSB wants the U.S. government to make the use of personal electronic devices while driving illegal in all 50 states.
Remember when we told you about Apple’s founding contract that was going up for auction? Well, the three-page document just sold for $1.6 million to an unidentified buyer in New York.
The contract was originally owned by Apple’s third co-founder Ronald Wayne, but he sold it in 1994 for only a few thousand dollars. Wayne sold his original 10% share in Apple for $800 and a later payment of $1,500 when he left the company in the early years, which would now be worth $36 billion.
Estimates originally pegged the founding contract as being worth around $150,000.
Apple has issued a firmware update for its professional-grade Thunderbolt Display. Update 1.1 brings minor bug fixes and stability improvements.
Apple recently requested that Samsung start designing its tablets differently. Why? So as not to infringe on the iPad’s precious design.
What would Samsung’s next tablet look like if Apple had its way? The answer: really, really bad.
Microsoft has released an iPad version of its popular OneNote app. The note-taking app is available in the App Store for free with limited functionality. A $14.99 in-app purchase unlocks the ability to take an unlimited number of notes, while free users are limited to 500.
Apple has released iTunes 10.5.2 to the public alongside an update to its iTunes Match service. The new version of iTunes only deals with audio distortion issues when playing or importing certain CDs. Apple has remained vague about the specific improvements that have been made to iTunes Match.
Noting that the latest iTunes Match features “several improvements,” Apple has made its new download available in Software Update and on its website.
2011 has been a big year for the Mac app community. The Mac App Store was released to the public on January 6, 2011 and millions of free and paid apps have been downloaded since then.
After looking back at all of the great apps from this year, we decided to put together a list of the very best. But we need your help, so tells us what apps you think deserve to be included in our top 10 roundup.
Do you follow Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing on Instagram? You should, because he’s actually a great photographer.
Apple’s SVP of marketing has been tweeting quite a bit as of late — he recently gave the new Flipboard iPhone app a thumbs up to his 52,000+ followers. Now, Schiller has taken to Twitter again to congratulate Instagram on winning the best iPhone app award in iTunes Rewind 2011.
Following the release of Twitter 4.0 for iPhone, TweetDeck has released a new, HTML5-based version of its Mac app in the Mac App Store. Unlike TweetDeck’s previous Adobe AIR apps, this new version is simply a web-based client.
Apple has released its professional music applications for the Mac, Logic Pro and MainStage, in the Mac App Store. These two additions follow other high-end tools that Apple has brought to the Mac App Store, including Final Cut Pro X.
Logic Pro is available for $199 while MainStage costs $29.99. Both apps have also been updated with new features and improvements.
Jawbone has pulled its newly-released UP health band and offered a “no questions asked” guarantee that customers can get a full refund and keep the product.
In an official statement Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman says “We recognize that this product has not yet lived up to everyone’s expectations – including our own – so we’re taking action.”
Alfred 1.0 is now available in the Mac App Store for free. The popular launcher utility recently received its major 1.0 update with a whole host of new features and improvements.
Popular email client Sparrow has received a significant update today. Sparrow 1.5 brings several improvements to the beautiful Mac app, including integration with Dropbox. Users can mail attachments with either Dropbox or CloudApp.
Version 1.5 also introduces improved search tokens and several other bug fixes. The update is available in the Mac App Store as a free download for existing customers.
Microsoft has released its official iOS companion app for Xbox LIVE users. My Xbox LIVE is now available as a free download in the App Store for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
The new app allows users to interact with their Xbox LIVE accounts and talk to friends.
Flipboard released its official iPhone app last night. Many users were frustrated initially with error messages during installation and adding services.
The initial surge in traffic caused Flipboard’s servers to buckle under the strain, but the app came back online for most people this morning and it’s been working fine for me since. After playing with Flipboard on the iPhone, I love the way that it aggregates my news and social network feeds into a personalized magazine. The future of media consumption is here, and it’s all about curation.