Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch its much-anticipated “iPad mini” during the third quarter of 2012 in an effort to “counter attack” the upcoming Windows 8 tablets. The 7.85-inch device is expected to cost between $249 and $299, which will also allow it to compete with cheaper Android devices from the likes of Amazon.
Apple Promises To Add Multichannel Audio Editing & More To Final Cut Pro X This Year
Apple has promised to issue a major update to Final Cut Pro X “sometime during 2012” that will deliver a number of new features, including multichannel audio editing, dual viewers, and more, to its professional video editing software. The Cupertino company provided all the details to producer, editor, and director Larry Jordan.
Apple Could Be Working On A New Authoring Tool That Will Allow Anyone To Build iOS Apps
With its iBooks Author software, Apple has made it incredibly easy for almost anyone to write and publish their own e-book. And it hopes to make it just as easy to create iOS apps. One patent application shows the Cupertino company has been working on a tool that would allow users without any programming knowledge at all to build their own iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software.
Apple Accused Of Avoiding Taxes In U.K.
Apple has been accused of avoiding paying a proper amount of taxes in the U.K. after making an incredible £6 billion in the last financial year, but paying only £10 million in tax. The Cupertino company runs what is described as a “significant operation” in Cork, Ireland, where tax rates are almost half those paid in the U.K.
Apple Poaches Symantec Executive Phillip Bullock To Lead Tax Department
An SEC filing from computer security specialists Symantec reveals its former Chief Accounting Officer Phillip Bullock has joined Apple to head up the Cupertino company’s tax department.
Want To See Where The Magic Happens? Here’s A Peek Inside Apple’s Headquarters [Gallery]
The Mothership; Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, is one of the more exclusive corporate buildings in the world. Apple employees can’t even walk some cooridoors without permission, so your chances of getting inside Apple’s compound and exploring the secrets of the building are pretty slim unless your name is Barack Obama. Even then, Apple will probably call security as soon as you try to get past the Atrium. I’ve never had the good fortune to go inside the Apple campus like a few lucky souls have, but thanks to magical powers of the internet, peons like you and I can now glimpse inside One Infinite Loop to see how the Apple Elite work.
Want to know what Apple HQ looks like from the inside? Take a look at this gallery to see where the magic happens.
Is Your Mac Infected By The Flashback Trojan Affecting 600,000 Macs?
A Mac infected by a virus used to be something of a rarity, and it was the best argument you could bring to a Mac versus PC debate. But with Mac adoption surging in recent years, it was inevitable that Apple’s operating system would become a target for hackers.
Variations of one Flashback trojan, which first surfaced back in 2007, are now affecting more than 600,000 Macs around the world. Here’s how to find out whether your machine’s affected and kill the malware.
Steve Jobs Posthumously Honored With President’s Award By Cupertino Chamber Of Commerce
The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce posthumously awarded Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with the President’s Award at a banquet held over the weekend. Apple spokesman Michael Foulkes, who was there to accept the award, was choked up after the council showed a short tribute clip that combined photos of Steve with a video of his last presentation to the council.
Consumer Group Dogs Apple At Shareholder’s Meeting
A small but determined group of protesters from consumer watchdog group SumOfUs gathered at Apple headquarters in Cupertino and headed inside the shareholder’s meeting to ask questions about working conditions at Foxconn.
Apple Confirms It Has Plans For Another New Data Center In Oregon
Just days after confirming its plans for its data center in North Carolina, Apple has confirmed that it is gearing up to build another one in Prineville, Oregon, neighboring rivals like Amazon, Google, and Facebook. The Cupertino company purchased the 160-acre lot for $5.6 million from Crook County.
WSJ: Apple Is Working With Suppliers To Test 8-Inch iPad Mini
With so many rumors surrounding a smaller iPad of late, even the most skeptical amongst us are beginning to believe. The latest reports comes from The Wall Street Journal, which claims Apple and its suppliers are currently testing a new tablet with a smaller screen said to be around eight inches, that will “broaden its product pipeline amid intensifying competition.”
China Stops Selling The iPad As Trademark Dispute Continues
Retailers in Shijiazhuang, China, have halted sales of Apple’s iPad after it was claimed that the Cupertino company does not have the rights to the iPad trademark in the country. Proview Technology, which believed it still owns the iPad name, is seeking $38 million in compensation from Apple and seems to have secured a ban in at least one city as Chinese authorities begin confiscating the device.
Former Dixons CEO John Browett Is Now Apple’s Senior Vice President Of Retail
Replacing retail genius Ron Johnson wasn’t an easy task for Apple. The company has been seeking a replacement since he announced he was leaving to become CEO of JC Penney back in June. But it seems it has now found its man, after announcing that John Browett, who has been CEO of Dixons Retail in the U.K. since 2007, is the new Senior Vice President of Retail.
Apple Has An Entire Room Dedicated To Testing Product Packaging
We know Apple puts a lot of effort into its product packaging to ensure it’s almost as beautiful as the product within, but you may be surprised to hear that an entire room within the Cupertino company’s headquarters is dedicated to testing different variants of product packaging.
Apple Gets Network License Needed To Launch iPhone On China Telecom
Apple’s iPhone looks set to make its debut on China Telecom after the Cupertino company was granted a vital network access license needed to launch the device. The license is believed to be one of the final hurdles to overcome before the iPhone arrives with China’s third-largest mobile carrier.
Apple Renting More Space For Thousands Of Employees Near Cupertino [Report]
Mercury News is reporting that Apple is renting thousands of square feet for its employees near Cupertino in Sunnyvale, California. According to Colliers International, Apple is ready to move into the 215,000-square-foot Sunnyvale Research Center.
Located 7 miles from the company’s current headquarters in Cupertino, the four-building complex in Sunnyvale isn’t the only nearby location that Apple is renovating. There are also two more buildings in Sunnyvale that will help temporarily house up to 1,300 corporate employees.
Greg Joswiak Isn’t The Only Apple Employee At CES — There Are 249 More Of Them
Apple’s vice president of worldwide iPod, iPhone, and iOS product marketing, Greg Joswiak, was spotted roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas yesterday, despite no official appearance from the Cupertino company. Joswiak admitted he was there “scouting the competition,” but it seems he’s not the only one. According to one report, more than 250 Apple employees altogether are in attendance this year.
Apple To Bid For English Premier League Rights For Apple TV [Rumor]
Apple is reportedly gearing up to bid for English Premier League streaming rights that would allow it to show live matches through its Apple TV and iOS devices. The Cupertino company hopes the content will boost sales of its set-top box and the iPad in the U.K.
Apple Hires iOS Concept Designer Jan-Michael Cart
Jan-Micheal Cart has made quite a name for himself designing impressive new concepts for the iOS operating system, such as the dynamic icons concept you see above, and an awesome system for implementing widgets which we covered back in May.
However, it seems it’s not just iOS users who have been impressed with Cart’s work. The Apple camp in Cupertino has also picked up on it, and they’ve hired him as an intern.
Apple Submits Revised Plans For Its New ‘Spaceship’ Campus, Including New Rendering
We first heard about Apple’s new “spaceship” campus when the company’s co-founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, presented its plans at the Cupertino City Council Meeting on June 7. The company has now submitted revised plans for the campus, in addition to a new rendering.
Apple Does License Its Patents To Competing Companies, But Samsung Isn’t Interested
Although it is widely believed that Apple refuses to license its patents to competing companies, it turns out that’s a huge misconception. In fact, the company licenses a patent covering iOS touch-based scrolling to the likes of IBM and Nokia, and it offered the same deal to rival Samsung, who wasn’t at all interested. If it had taken Apple up on the offer, however, it could have spared the Korean company a whole load of trouble in court.
Apple: Siri Is Neither Pro-Life Nor Pro-Choice, It’s A Beta
While Siri will happily find you the ideal location to bury a dead body or pick up an escort, ask her where you can get an abortion and she’s not so happy to comply. In fact, she’ll do the exact opposite and look for anti-abortion pregnancy “crisis” centers.
This makes her an “anti-choice extremist,” according to one petition, which is calling for Apple to make changes to its new intelligent assistant.
This Awesome Dock Is Designed To Make Your iPad 2 Look Like An Apple I
While Apple computers today are famous for their svelte aluminum enclosures, the company’s first machine — born way back in 1976 — was made out of wood. In a bid to bring back that look, the iStation dock attempts turns your iPad 2 into the original Apple Computer.
Samsung Tastes Victory In Australia As Court Lifts Galaxy Tab Ban, But Apple Isn’t Happy
An Australian court has lifted the ban placed on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 allowing the Korean company to sell its Android-powered iPad rival down under. However, it had better start shifting them quick, because Apple is preparing to appeal the decision to the High Court.
Apple Pulls First Subscription-Based iOS Game From The App Store [Updated]
Apple has been embracing subscription-based iOS applications for some time, such as those that offer magazines and newspapers, but the same model did not appear for iOS games until earlier this week, when the Cupertino company approved a title from Big Fish Games that offered gamers the opportunity to pay a monthly fee of $4.99 to access the companies entire catalog through one app.
When the title hit the App Store, it was reported that Apple had begun accepting subscription-based games for iOS, and that the new release from Big Fish could be the first of many games to offer a similar service. However, Apple has quickly put a stop to those dreams after it pulled Big Fish’s title from the App Store.