• apple,  appletv,  itunes

    Briefly Noted: 1 Million Apple TVs Sold

    December 21, 2010 /

    By way of a brief Apple press release, we have learned that sales of Apple’s second generation Apple TV have crossed the 1 million mark.

    Long considered a “hobby” by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, the Apple TV has not been met by the same commercial success as iTunes and the iPod.

    “Apple® today announced that it expects sales of its new Apple TV® to top one million units later this week. The new Apple TV offers the simplest way to watch your favorite HD movies and TV shows, stream content from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr and MobileMe℠, all on your HD TV for the breakthrough price of just $99. iTunes® users are now renting and purchasing over 400,000 TV episodes and over 150,000 movies per day.

    Now with AirPlay®, recently available in iOS 4.2, users can wirelessly stream their music, video and photos from iPad™, iPhone® and iPod touch® to their new Apple TV, making it the perfect iOS accessory. Users can also control Apple TV with their iPad, iPhone or iPod touch using the Remote app, available as a free app on the App Store℠.”

    The second generation Apple TV is available now from Apple’s online store, Apple retail stores, and authorized resellers for $99.
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  • apple,  facebook,  ios,  iphone,  itunes,  lifestyle,  touch

    Facebook for iOS Updated to Version 3.3.3

    December 19, 2010 /

    Today, Facebook for iPhone and iPod touch has been updated to version 3.3.3.

    Included in this maintenance release of Facebook for iOS are the following enhancements:

    • Improved reliability in chat and messages
    • Improved notifications interface
    • Fixed a memory usage bug
    • Fixed some conditions which cause the application to crash
    • Removed the text field for walls you can not post to
    • Restored the ability to post on a Page where you are an admin
    • Fixed a group photos bug
    • Improvements to the Places feature

    You can download the update directly to your iPhone or iPod touch by using the App Store icon, or you can dowload the application to our Mac or Windows PC (link) and iTunes sync it to your iDevice.

    You can use the Facebook application on your iPad, however, this it is not a “Plus” application which means the app will not take advantage of the large display and the text and photos will look a little bit fuzzy when you use the 2x zoom feature of iOS on the iPad.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  touch

    iBooks 1.2 Released

    December 16, 2010 /

    Today, Apple released a new version of their iBooks application for iPad and iPhone.

    The iBooks 1.2 update brings the following features:

    • Experience fully illustrated books, from children’s picture books to beautifully designed art books, available for download in the iBookstore.
    • Organize your books and PDFs into personal Collections. Swipe left or right to jump between Collections.
    • Print PDF documents and notes you’ve written in iBooks using AirPrint.
    • iBooks now fits more words per page by automatically hyphenating text, available only on iOS 4.2 or later.

    iBooks is a free application and is available now from the iTunes Store (Link).  iBooks requires iOS 3.2 or later on the iPad or 4.0 or later on current model iPhone and iPod touch devices.

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  • apple,  iphone,  rumors

    Rumor: White iPhone 4 On Track for Spring 2011

    December 5, 2010 /

    Apple has missed the target date for the white iPhone 4 twice now, so you’ll forgive me it I’m a bit skeptical of the newest target date of “spring 2011.”  This information isn’t new.  An Apple spokesperson also reported that the white iPhone 4 launch was rescheduled to spring 2011.

    The unofficial reasons that I’ve seen around the Internet range from the white parts of the phone not staying white and yellowing to there being problems to the cameras to an antenna redesign.  Whatever the reason, the end result is the same – customers still can’t buy a legit white iPhone 4.

    [Via 9To5Mac.com…]

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  • apple,  ipad

    Oh No! I Have A “Dead” iPad!

    November 30, 2010 /

    I got home from work last night and grabbed my iPad to catch up on what has been happening while I was toiling way at work.

    I started checking email, Twitter, and a few websites.  Everything was fine.  Then disaster struck!  I pressed the Power button to turn off the screen and take care of a few things.  I came back about 5 minutes later to check the weather and I couldn’t wake up iPad!

    I was finally able to wake the iPad up from it’s deep sleep by pressing and holding the Power button and the Home button simultaneously for about 10-15 seconds.  I was greeted by the white Apple logo and then a few seconds later the password screen appeared and I was able to start using my iPad.

    Knock on wood, I’ve never had a problem with my Apple hardware, so I was a little surprised that my iPad decided it was on a break.  I knew the battery was at 76% so it wasn’t like the battery was so low that it wouldn’t turn on.  I tried pressing and holding the Power button, pressing the Power button in rapid succession, pressing the Home button, connecting the iPad to my MacBook Pro, and even letting the iPad charge up for 10 minutes.

    While I was troubleshooting I was having images of having to trek down to a “local” Apple Store a good 45-60 minutes away and then having to deal with the sea of people in the store to get to the Genius Bar to have someone look at my iPad.  Luckily for me, things weren’t that bad.

    The moral of this story, is that you should keep a level head, and try troubleshooting before having to call Apple.  If you need troubleshooting tips, manuals, or other support options for your iPad, you can visit the Apple iPad support website.  Need help with a different Apple product?  Visit the full Apple support website.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  rumors,  touch

    Rumor: iOS 4.3, Periodical Subscriptions Coming in December

    November 24, 2010 /
    It seems like just yesterday Apple rolled out iOS 4.2.1 to bring a number of new features to the iPad and refinements to the iPhone 4, both models of iPhone 3, and recent model iPod touch handsets.  Oh!  Wait!  It was just yesterday!
    But today is a new day, and with it came new rumors that Apple is already at work on iOS 4.3 which is rumored to have enhancements for AirPlay will feature a new set of application program interfaces, or APIs, that will support a new type of for pay subscription system for digital periodicals, like New Corp’s “The Daily” digital only “newspaper.”
    It is also rumored that Apple will make some noise with this update and will hold a media event.  This is where things can get a little bit sketchy.  According to an article that appeared on MacStories.net today, a source indicated that Apple had planned to have iOS 4.2 out within the first two weeks of November, with a public announcement and release of iOS 4.3 about a month later in the first half of December.  It is not clear what impact the discovery of a Wi-Fi bug in iOS 4.2 will have on the iPad maker’s plans for iOS 4.3 within the first fifteen dates of December.
    What will happen between now and when we close the book on 2010 is anyone’s guess right now.  Be on the look out for an Apple media event on or about December 9 and for iOS to start hitting iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches on or about December 13.
    Personally, I’m looking forward to a digital daily news paper, and will try out News Corp’s “The Daily” for about $4.25/month.  I’m also still looking for digital subscriptions to the paper magazines that I already subscribe to.
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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  ipod,  itunes,  touch

    How To: Upgrade to iOS 4.2.1

    November 22, 2010 /

    Apple’s iOS 4.2.1 software update that was rolled out today is a nice tweak for iPhone and iPod touch users already running iOS 4.0 and a huge leap forward for iPad owners.  This guide is intended to help you make the jump to the latest iOS release for current model iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

    Step 1: Install iTunes 10.1 on your Mac or Windows PC if you haven’t already done so.  (Use the Apple Software control panel to check for the iTunes software update.)
    Step 2: Connect your iDevice to your computer to sync your data and back it up.
    Step 3: Select your iDevice from the iTunes “Source” list.
    iTunes 10.1 Devices Source List
    Step 4: Click the Check for Update button.
    Click the Check for Update Button
    Step 5: Click the Next button to begin the upgrade process.  Follow the on screen directions.
    Click Next to Begin the Install Process
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