John Brownlee - page 150

Two weeks ago Sunday, my iPhone 3GS slid from my pocket and nuzzled itself amongst the fossilized bubble gum, mottled receipts and other sticky detritus that lays thick between the seats of the 7:20pm MBTA train to Forest Hill on the Orange Line. Doubtless someone is playing with it even now. I didn’t even notice it go, but unlike the last time I lost my iPhone, my initial reaction was not panic or thundering rage, but a serene sense of acceptance: I just don’t need an iPhone anymore. I barely even tried to recover it. This is my new phone, and god help me, I love it.

Want to know what it’s like to work at the Apple Store? How to get hired, what training you’ll receive, how much you’ll be paid, even the choice of words you’ll be forced to use when you let a customer down? A new subscriber only report from the Wall Street Journal has all the juicy details. Here’s the most interesting bits.

Facebook might be looking to challenge Instagram’s crown as the reigning king of iOS photo sharing apps.

Last night, Apple released Airport Utility 5.5.3, a minor bug release update for both Apple’s AirPort Extreme base stations as well as Time Capsule. More interesting, though, is reference within the update to incoming updates to Apple’s two wireless routers. Are these the iOS-running, A5-equipped Time Capsules we’ve been waiting for?

Evidence within the iOS 5 Beta suggests that Apple’s planning a future iPad with a Retina Display, but before we all get excited and take this as confirmation that the iPad 3 will pack a 2048 x 1536 display, let’s remember that we’ve heard all of this before.

Earlier today, Apple’s former VP of Retail Ron Johnson shocked everyone by ending his eleven year career in Cupertino to become CEO of JC Penney, a middle-of-the-road department store chain which sells clothing like this.

At Apple, Johnson famously invented the Apple Store concept, defined by each location’s uniiform low-key community vibe, easily accessible solution stations, troubleshooting Genius Bars and uncluttered and austerely aesthetic layouts. At JC Penney, however, Johnson will largely have to reinvent the 1,100 retail stores he’s already got… and what he’s got sure isn’t pretty. Check out this small sample of JC Penney department stores currently blighting the American landscape.

The best camera, as they say, is the one you have with you. The BBC seems to be embracing this fact, and so it’ll be rolling out a special app to its reporters hat will allow them to report on breaking news in the field, right from their iPhone.

Is this 3D-capable tablet spotted at the annual Display Taiwan expo a prototype for the iPad 3?

It certainly looks like one: the 9.7-inch form factor and chassis design are a dead giveaway, even though the actual manufacturer of the tablet is hidden by tape.

Apple may be preparing to put the AirPort brand to rest with Lion: they’ve changed references on OS X 10.7 from “AirPort” to “Wi-Fi” universally across the system. But why?

Reports are mounting that Apple is planning on launching the new version of Final Cut Pro as soon as next week. Following the leaked screenshots of Final Cut Pro X that hit the web last week, one Japanese blog now says that Apple will release its professional video production software as soon as next week.

Here we go again. The rumor of a Retina Display iPad 3 to arrive later this year is being dusted off again.

15% of all iPhone owners use one of just ten passwords on their lock screen, making it trivial for thieves with physical access to hack into their device with just some remedial trial-and-error. Is your passcode on the list?

Looking to avoid an outright banning ahead of Apple’s move to jettison all such apps from the iOS App Store, Trapster has taken the preemptive step of removing the DUI Checkpoint functionality from their popular app.

Apple’s iCloud may be looking to revolutionize the way consumers interact with the cloud, but that doesn’t mean Cupertino’s not drawing on its competitors expertise when it comes to actually hosting their online services.

In fact, Apple’s pushing the iCloud online with more than a little bit of help from both Microsoft and Amazon.

Here’s another little neat trick from the latest developer beta: in iOS 5, you’ll be able to download and install more than one app at a time, even on 3G.

Apple has just confirmed that they are recalling a limited number of Verizon iPad 2s, and now we know the reason why.

If you’re still hosting on iWeb and worried about what yet another year without an update means especially after the announcement of iCloud, prepare to have your worst fears confirmed.

The iPhone 4S might not be out until September, but that doesn’t mean a new iPhone won’t be released in its traditional launch window that June. In fact, new iPhones could hit the Apple Store as early as Wednesday… but don’t expect new hardware. Instead, if the latest report pans out, expect carrier unlocked iPhones that could work on both Verizon and AT&T.

Remember when Samsung announced that their then-upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 Honeycomb tablet would be a smidge thinner than the iPad 2? And remember when someone actually looked at the Galaxy Tab 10.1 prototypeand found out it was actually thicker than the iPad 2?

Confusing, right? But it’s about to get even more confusing: while the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is just a hair thinner than the iPad 2 right now, Samsung will likely be forced to make it thicker than the iPad 2 in order to get around supply shortages. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will soon be both thicker and thinner than the iPad 2 at the same time!

Are you looking for an external battery for your MacBook Air cobbled together from the cutting edge of Kruschev-era Soviet electronics? Want less functionality in that battery than one of Sanho’s excellent HyperMac offerings while also doing your small part to slaughter Mother Earth? Most importantly, want a gadget that can accomplish all of these heady things at a price far, far greater than the more eco-friendly competition? We’ve got you covered.

Back before The Simpsons and Futurama were even glimmers in his eye, Matt Groening did some contract work for Apple Computers. The result was this 1989 Apple Student’s Guide called Who Needs A Computer Anyway?, which features many of Groening’s Life in Hell characters. Check it out!

There’s plenty of software programs on the Mac App Store that will allow you to add a signature to a PDF, but come Lion, you won’t need any of them: Preview.app will do it by creating a perfect digital pen signature via FaceTime.

Here’s how to sign a PDF in Preview under OS X Lion.

As the resident dead head of Cult of Mac, I’ve always been a little disappointed with Pop Cap’s Plants vs. Zombies for the iPhone and iPod Touch ($2.99). It’s a great game, but limited compared to the Mac and iPad versions.

Great news, though! Pop Cap has just updated Plants vs. Zombies and not only it it getting some of the features it was previously missing over its brother ports, but it even is getting a feature that Plants vs. Zombies HD doesn’t have… at least for now.

Look, this is total nonsense, so take it with a grain of salt, but Apple’s carrier partner in the United Arab Emirates has just seemingly confirmed that the next iPhone will come with LTE 4G. We say no way.

It’s been about a year since Apple updated its Server line-up with new Mac Pro and Mac Mini Servers. Now, constricting supplies of both indicate that a new refresh is coming… just in time for Lion.