• apple,  eddie cue,  icloud,  ipad,  itunes

    Apple Hosting Education Media Event Thursday

    January 14, 2012 /

    Earlier this week, Apple sent out invitations to an invitation only special event relating to education from Apple in New York City, also known as “The Big Apple.”

    The event will be held at the Solomon R. Guggenheim museum at 10:00am.  It has been rumored that Eddy Cue, Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software, will be involved in the event, however, there has been no confirmation from Apple on this point.  You’ll recall that the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore, the iCloud and iAd services are all under Mr. Cue’s supervision.

    The speculation is that with an education focus, Apple is gearing up to make an announcement around electronic text books, iTunes U, and the iPad for all sorts of educational opportunities.

    As a parent, and an active member in my children’s school community, I personally, would love to see advancements in the area of text books and supplemental content.  Year after year, my children’s backpacks are loaded up with hard and soft cover books, library books, and binders of notebooks.  Lugging all of that back and forth to school every day can’t be good for their backs.  I think a little Apple ingenuity is just what the educational market needs.

    [Via Barron’s Tech Trader Daily…]

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  • apple,  eddie cue,  rumors

    Rumor: Apple to Hold Media Event Later This Month

    January 3, 2012 /

    Kara Swisher, of All Things D fame, is reporting that she has heard chatter than Apple has scheduled a ‘media event’ later this month in New York.

    “[S]everal sources underscored that the event is not related to an upcoming version of the iPad 3, the next iteration of the popular tablet device that many expect to be available in 2012.  Also unlikely, the rollout of Apple’s large-scale rethinking of the interactive television initiative that it has been working on.”

    Eddie Cue, Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services, is also allegedly involved with this event.

    [Via AllThingsD.com…]

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  • apple,  itunes,  mac os x,  windows

    iTunes 10.5.2 Update Released

    December 13, 2011 /

    Earlier today, Apple released the iTunes 10.5.2 update for Mac OS X and Windows PCs.  The 16MB or update addresses iTunes Music match and audio distortion on certain CDs.

    “iTunes 10.5.2 includes several improvements for iTunes Match and fixes an audio distortion problem when playing or importing certain CDs.”

    iTunes 10.5.2 is available now via the Software Update control panel or via direct download from the Apple website.

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  • apple,  games,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch,  itunes

    Infinity Blade 2 1.0.1 Update Released [UPDATED]

    December 3, 2011 /

    Chair, the Epic game studio that brought us Infinity Blade and now Infinity Blade 2 has released Infinity Blade 2 1.0.1.  The update is designed to fix a start up crashing issue that customers, including myself, have been experiencing on the iPad 1 and iPhone 4.

    The game was released back on Wednesday.  Infinity Blade 2 is a universal game, meaning that you will be able to run the game on both your iPhone/iPod touch and iPad/iPad 2 without having to pay for it again.

    Infinity Blade 2 sells for $6.99 via the iTunes Store.  The 1.0.1 Infinity Blade 2 update is free to people who have already purchased the game already.

    UPDATE
    After installing the 1.0.1 update on my iPad 1, I’m still having trouble running Infinity Blade 2.  Epic Games is working on on a fix.  After installing the update, make sure that you reboot your iPad before trying to play the game.  I’ve been able to get a little further into the game before it crashes, but I don’t get to see the introductory cut scene movie.
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  • apple

    Apple’s Grand Central Store Nearing Completion

    December 1, 2011 /

    Apple has started teasing the opening of their new Grand Central Terminal retail store.  I was in Manhattan for the iPhone 4S launch and the store front still had the black facade up.  I’m looking forward to taking a new trip down to New York City in then few weeks to check out the new 23,000 square foot Apple Store.

    Here’s another shot of the store with it’s teaser billboard.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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  • apple,  iphone

    New York City Apple Stores

    October 15, 2011 /

    Yesterday I was in New York City, in Manhattan, New York.  It just so happened to be the iPhone 4S launch day.

    Grand Central Terminal Apple Store

    I hate driving into The Big Apple, so I took a commuter train into Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal (GCT).  Up on the main concourse, we can see that the GCT Apple Store is under construction.  You will also note that not only the back balcony is consumed by the new store, you can see that the store will also wrap around to the left wall.  It is impossible to gauge how far along the new store is with the black blockers up.  Grand Central is a noisy place, but I didn’t hear any heavy construction underway when I was standing at the bottom of the stair case.  I hope to make another trip into New York City before the end of the year to check out the new store when it opens.

    Fifth Avenue Apple Store


    The Fifth Ave Apple Store is the first Apple Store in Manhattan that I visited.  I’ve since been to several of the others.  You’ll recall that the Fifth Ave store is the one that has the gigantic glass cube marking the entrance to the store.  Apple is currently renovating the cube and has decided to continue to keep the popular store open during the construction.

    The Fifth Ave store is always busy, but throw in the iPhone 4S launch and you’ve got a mob scene!  The following are two photos that I look of the line waiting to get into the store to buy a new iPhone 4S.

    Despite the busy nature of the store, I did go inside to purchase a dock ($29.00) for my new iPhone 4S and received the same superior customer service that is expected from a shopping experience at an Apple Store.

    Steve Jobs Fan Memorial

    With people still shocked from the sudden passing of Apple Chairmen of the Board, Steve Jobs, people are still leaving tokens on the steps of the Fifth Ave Apple Store.  Mr. Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011.

    To find an Apple Store near you, visit the Apple website.
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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod touch

    iOS 5, iCloud Becomes Available – Hurry Up and Wait (Updated)

    October 12, 2011 /

    In addition to releasing Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2, Apple also released iOS 5.0 for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices and opened the virtual doors to the iCloud service.

    At the present time, the iOS 5.0 upgrade for my 16GB iPhone 3GS is taking about 45 minutes to download the 668.8MB update.  I’ve been waiting a good 30 minutes now for the account verification email so I can start using the iCloud service.

    Updates

    10/13/11 12:20am – I just started the iOS 5 package download for the 4th Generation iPod touch.  iTunes is reporting that the software update is pulling down in about 6 – 10 minutes.  I think I’ll actually run the upgrade tomorrow night.

    10/13/11 12:05am – My iOS 5 upgrade on my iPad and data restoration is finally done and it’s ready for me to test; which is code for “play with all the cool new features.”

    10/12/11 11:40pm – The iOS 5 upgrade completed some time ago on my iPad, but the data restore is taking forever.  The bad news here is that iTunes is busy with the restore so I really can’t work until the restore process has completed.

    10/12/11 10:50pm – I figured I could short-circuit the upgrade process on my daughter’s iPod touch 4th Generation by connecting it to my MacBook Pro while the iOS upgrade was running on my iPad; no such luck.  Only one iOS device upgrade at a time – even if the only thing I wanted to do was get a jump on the iOS download package for the “iTouch”.

    10/12/11 10:25pm – Still another 25 minutes for the iOS 5 packaged for the iPad to be downloaded and installed.

    10/12/11 9:52pm – The iOS 5 upgrade on my iPhone 3GS is complete.  Next up, my iPad.

    10/12/11 9:08pm – The iOS 5 update package for my iPhone 3GS has finally completed downloading.  I’m about to start the software upgrade now.

    10/12/11 8:37pm – My iCloud account verification email has arrived.  It took about 30 minutes for the request to be processed.  The email contains the directions for activating your iCloud account from an iOS 5 device or Mac OS X Lion 10.7.2.

    10/12/11 8:30pm – The iOS 5 update package for my iPhone 3GS is still downloading.  About 50% of the update is down, and iTunes is showing that another 53 minutes remains for the download before the update can be applied.  It’s going to be a long night.  Again.

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  • apple,  att,  ios,  iphone,  version

    Apple Sells Out of Pre-Order iPhone 4S Handsets

    October 8, 2011 /

    If you didn’t get a chance to pre-order your iPhone 4S yesterday, you may find yourself having to wait a few extra weeks before you can get your hands on the new iPhone.

    Despite some early glitches that I saw yesterday morning while trying to pre-order my iPhone 4S, the online Apple Store is now showing ship times of 1-2 weeks on all models of iPhone 4S.  AT&T announced that they sold 200,000 units yesterday.

    The new iPhone 4S will be available on AT&T, Verizon, and for the first time, Sprint.  On the hardware side, the iPhone 4S will include the more powerful A5 processor that debuted in the iPad 2 earlier this year, a new redesigned antenna that will allow the phone to automatically switch between modes to improve receptions/transmission with wireless networks, a new 64GB storage option, and a new 5 lens, 8MP digital camera the can shoot up to 1080p HD video.

    The iPhone 4S will also ship with iOS 5, which includes the amazing Siri personal assistant software.  It is the single most exciting features that I’ve seen on a phone in a long time.

    The iPhone 4S will be available in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions that will sell for $199, $299 and $399 price points.  The iPhone 4 will drop down to a single, $99 8GB model.  Amazingly, the iPhone 3GS will continue to be sold on AT&T in an 8GB memory configuration and will be sold for free with a 2-year service agreement.  An unlocked iPhone 4S will go on sale in November.

    The iPhone 4S will go on sale at retail locations on Friday, October 14.

    [Via AppleInsider.com…]

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