This week’s Microsoft announcement of the details of Windows 8 on ARM-powered tablets raises a big question: Will Windows 8 tablets based on ARM or running on more tradition x86 hardware blunt the iPad’s surge in business and enterprise environments?

A few years ago, it would have been easy to say that Windows 8 devices would become the defacto standard in business, particularly for large companies with Microsoft-centric IT infrastructure. But conventional wisdom like that has broken down when it comes to workplace technology in the face of BYOD programs and the consumerization of IT trends. In today’s environment, there are many factors that could tilt the playing field in favor of either Microsoft or Apple.

If you haven’t taken advantage of our latest Cult of Mac deal — The Mac Superbundle — you’d better hurry. You’ve only got a few hours left to pick up 10 great apps at a fraction of their regular price.

Ever since the redesigned MacBook Air first debuted back in late 2010, the rumor mill has strongly indicated that Apple would redesign its MacBook Pro line of laptops to suit, ditching their bulkier chassises, optical drives and slow, spinning hard drives for Air-like slimness and ubiquitous SSDs. But when is it actually going to happen?

It looks like it might finally happen in 2012, with a report now claiming that Apple “plans to exit 2012 having completed a top-to bottom revamp of its notebooks lineup that will see new MacBook Pros adopt the same design traits [as the] MacBook Air.”

Apple has added another profile to its iPad in Business site. This one covers a company called Theatre Consultants Collaborative. Like all the iPad in Business videos and profiles, it illustrates the flexibility that the iPad offers and how it can be used as a professional tool across a wide range of industries.

Rumors of an iPad mini have been revived once again today after a Technology Business Research analyst said Apple will launch two new products at its upcoming iPad event. And when we say “new,” we don’t mean a next-generation refresh — we mean something brand new.

Those products are expected to be a new case accessory that features an integrated keyboard (about time!), and a smaller 7-inch iPad.

Microsoft released a number of important details about its plans for Windows 8 on Arm (WOA) tablets. WOA tablets will focus on having a long battery life as well as being light, thin, and inxpensive. They will feature some traditional Windows elements but have a focus on the Metro interface pioneered on Windows Phone and included as the default on all Windows 8 machines. They can be thought of as Microsoft’s response to the iPad, which will certainly be their biggest competition.

Not surprisingly, many of the first pieces discussing the announcements to hit the media have struck on the “Apple should be worried” theme and have used the fact that WOA tablets will include the major Microsoft Office apps to backup that assumption.

A new Apple patent published this week by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office confirms that the company has been working on introducing 3D to our iOS devices. However, it may not be the glasses-free 3D technology we’ve already seen from devices like the Nintendo 3DS and the HTC EVO 3D.

Instead, Apple’s invention uses your device’s front-facing camera to track the position of your eyes and the location of light.

The iOS version of Namco’s classic 3D swords-and-sorcery fighter Soul Calibur has been in the App Store for about a month now (and recently got an update guaranteeing 60FPS gameplay on all A5 devices), but if you want the true Apple Soul Calibur experience, you should check out the latest sequel for the consoles, Soul Calibur V. Only there can you create a character that looks exactly like Steve Jobs, then make him bludgeon sexy miniskirt babes, whip-tailed lizard men, and cyborg nights to death with a literal Apple. Awesome.

[via MacMagazine.br]

We’ve heard a lot about how the iPad 3 will finally get a 2048×1536 Retina Display, but it’s easy to forget exactly how many pixels that is. The scientific answer is “a gajillion.” Heck, when the Retina Display iPad 3 ships, it will actually pack more pixels than everything short of Apple’s 27-inch iMac!

AT&T has begun replacing its existing micro-SIMs with a new card capable of connecting to its LTE network. While you won’t need to replace the micro-SIM you’ve already got in your iPhone, you may need one for your iPad 3 next month.

Following yesterday’s leaked image of a high-resolution Sharp display purportedly making its way to the iPad 3, an Apple employee has reportedly confirmed the third-generation device will boast a “truly amazing” display and a faster processor.

Microsoft has launched another version of its MSN app for the iPad to cater for U.S. customers, following its debut in Canada, Germany, France, and the U.K. late last month.

Following the onslaught of leaked iPad 3 parts and rumors from the last 24 hours, a new report claims that Apple is in “crunch mode” as it works with third-party developers to put the finishing touches on app demos for the iPad 3 launch in early March.

As Apple is known to do, a handful of high-profile developers are being queued up to present their iPad 3-ready apps to the world at a media event in the next few weeks.

Apple has aired two new TV commercials for the iPhone 4S called “Road Trip” and “Rock God.” Both ads highlight Siri, the staple feature of the iPhone 4S. In classic Apple fashion, both spots are poignant and touching. The first ad features a couple on a trip, while the second tells the story of a teenager learning how to play guitar. Siri is used to find directions, send text messages, search Wolfram Alpha, and more.

A really nifty jailbreak widget for iOS 5’s Notification Center is now available in Cydia. WeeTrackData lets you quickly check your iPhone’s data usage from Notification Center, and you can set a monthly limit to make sure you don’t exceed your allowance.

While most Notification Center widgets seem to be rather trivial functionality-wise, WeeTrackData is one of the first jailbreak widgets with some real practicality.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that energy giant Haliburton is was going to begin a transition that will replace all corporate BlackBerry devices with iPhones.

RIM got more bad news today in the form of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announcing that the federal agency will also be dropping the BlackBerry platform in favor of the iPhone.

We’ve already shown you jailbreak tweaks like AssistantExtensions that let you tweet using your voice and Siri, and now there’s a way to easily read your Twitter timeline with Apple’s digital assistant. Using a simple keyword, you can have Siri show your recent tweets from within its linen window.

There’s no doubt that iCloud offers some great value to Mac and iOS users. It even has some potential as a business tool. Unfortunately, like many other personal cloud services, iCloud presents some major securtiy concerns when it comes into the workplace – either on a user’s iOS device or on a business Mac or PC. Those concerns stem from the ability to sync business data to outside devices and computers as well as its capacity to archive some of that data on Apple’s iCloud servers.

Unlike most personal cloud products, which can be difficult to effectively disable in corporate or business settings, iCloud use can be restricted or blocked. That leaves IT departments with the question of whether or not iCloud access should be managed or disabled. It’s a tricky question, particularly in BYOD settings where the device belongs to a user and not the company. It’s made even trickier because the choices involved in managing iCloud are rather blunt in approach and don’t offer much in the way of fine tuning to specific needs.

As if Foxconn didn’t have enough to worry about with the protests today and labor conditions controversies of the past few weeks, it looks like their network servers suffered a huge security breach last night by a mischievous hacker group called SwaggSec that exposed the usernames and passwords of Foxconn’s clients and employees. What motivated the group to expose Foxconn’s vulnerabilities? Were they looking to make a statement on labor conditions?

Nah, they just wanted to screw with Foxconn for laughs.

Isn’t it frustrating when you’re playing a game on your iPad and your hands keep spoiling the view? That’s the problem with virtual controls on touchscreen devices, but there is a way around this.

Joypad allows you to control a selection of iPad games using your iPhone, so you can enjoy your favorite titles without your hands blocking the view. It features a selection of control pad layouts that are individually tailored to certain games, and you can customize things like the touch radius for each button.

Here’s how to get started with Joypad.

Over at my old haunt Boing Boing, my favorite Elfquest-obsessed Pittsburghian Brit Rob Beschizza grabbed a great slice of 70s prime time music and used it as the background track for an exciting YouTube video smashing together every Apple product ever in just 30 seconds of Flash.

My favorite part, though, is that Rob didn’t stop there: he then also did it for NeXT (using The Neverending Story theme as the soundtrack). A considerably slower paced video, to be sure. You can see it after the jump.

Tourists wandering into Apple Stores in six cities around the globe found themselves in the middle of a media storm about the Cupertino company’s labor policies in China.

Members of two protests groups, who say they represent Apple customers, delivered petitions they claim are 245,000 signatures strong. Change.org and SumOfUs delivered petitions  to Apple Stores today in Washington, DC, New York, San Francisco, London, Sydney and Bangalore.

Though the San Francisco protest appears as tiny as the one in New York, it did have one participant of note: Apple retail worker Cory Moll, who works at the downtown store.

Once again, Apple has found itself the most valuable company on Earth, attaining a market capitalization of about $456 billion today, beating ExxonMobil’s market cap of just $402 Billion. Yawn.

More interesting, however, is that Apple’s combined value is more than Google and Microsoft put together, who are worth $198.9 billion and $256.7 billion, respectively.

As we watch Apple race to be the world’s first trillion dollar company, I wonder what we’ll all be measuring its value against next. Silicon Valley? The United States? The Moon? The secret to immortality?

Who is this muttonchopped Steve Jobs and crime-fighting cyborg partner, The Amazing Mac Man? More importantly, where can I get one of those Apple-branded codpieces?!?

[via MIC Gadget]

The jailbreak community is full of talented developers and innovative ideas that have kept Apple on its toes for the past several years. The time and effort that goes into creating a quality tweak is often unappreciated by the average jailbreaker.

A free tool called iOSOpenDev was recently released for developers. Those with basic programming knowledge can use Xcode templates for creating jailbreak-style apps and tweaks that can be easily published to Cydia, the jailbreak version of the App Store. While iOSOpenDev is attempting to make it easier for developers to code tweaks, apps and plugins, we sat down with a prominent jailbreak developer to ask if iOSOpenDev is really a good thing for the jailbreak community.