• apple,  ipad,  iphone

    Apple: 3 Million iPads Sold; Unexpected White iPhone 4 Delays

    Over the last two days, Apple has released statements about two of their mobile devices: the iPad and the iPhone 4.

    Apple Sells Three Million iPads
    In just 80 days of the iPad being available they have been able to sell 3 million of these “magical” devices.
    “People are loving iPad as it becomes a part of their daily lives,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more people around the world, including those in nine more countries next month.”
    “Developers have created over 11,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch™ user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 225,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®.”
    It seems like just yesterday that Apple told us that they had sold two million iPads. Turns out, it was all the way back on May 31. Apple announced the sale of their first million iPads back on May 3rd.
    Statement on White iPhone 4
    Today, Apple released a brief statement regarding the availability of their White iPhone 4. The entire statement reads:

    “White models of Apple’s new iPhone® 4 have proven more challenging to manufacture than expected, and as a result they will not be available until the second half of July. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected.”

    (The White iPhone 4 is so rare, that we couldn’t even find a half way decent photo for this article.)
    I’m not sure how popular white iPhones have been. I know that when black iPods where first introduced, I used to walk around saying that “iPods are suppose to be white.” Now with the iPhone, the opposite is true. Phones are black, not white. I’ve only seen one white iPhone used “in the wild” since they were first introduced. With that in mind, it’s hard to tell how much of a problem not having white iPhones available at the same time the black iPhone 4 goes on sale will really be. I mean, if you are have your heart, and credit card, set on getting a white iPhone 4 and can’t get it when the black model goes on sale, are you really going to head to the nearest Verizon Wireless store and buy a Motorola Droid? Ya, I didn’t think so either.
    You can read the full iPad and white iPhone 4 press releases on the Apple website.
  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  iphone os,  itunes,  touch

    Apple iOS 4 Update Released

    Today, Apple has released iOS 4, formerly known as iPhone OS 4.0, for iPhone and iPod touch owners.

    The update, free for iPhone and apparently, also free for iPod touch owners, is available now. To download the update, connect your iPhone or iPod touch to your computer running iTunes 9, and the software installer will be downloaded to your computer.

    No Legacy Support for You

    Unlike previous iOS updates, the iPhone G2 and the first generation iPod touch will not be supported for this upgrade. Additionally, iPhone 3G owners will not be able to use the new multitasking features of iOS 4. If you want to get iOS 4 and you have one of these devices, you’re going to have to upgrade your hardware.

    iPad Out in the Cold?

    No! Apple’s iPad customers will be getting an upgrade to iOS 4, however, they are going to have to wait until the fall for their upgrade.

    For more details, check out the iPhone or iPod touch pages on the Apple website.

  • apple,  facebook,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  iphone os,  touch

    Facebook for iPhone, iPod touch Updated to 3.1.3

    Yesterday, an update for iOS (formerly known as iPhone OS) was released to the Apple App Store.

    The main improvements for Facebook 3.1.3 is the ability to watch videos, writing on event walls, and a change in how wide uploaded photos can be (now 720 pixels wide).

    You can update to Facebook version 3.1.3 by hitting the App Store icon on your iPhone or iPod touch, or by using iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.

    iPad owners: the iPhone/iPod touch application will work on your device in low res mode. While you can scale it up to 2x mode, in my opinion, the text looks terrible. I still recommend that you use Safari to browse to the full Facebook website.

  • apple,  iphone,  touch

    Apple Earbud Replacement Program

    While reading the July 2010 issue of MacWorld, yes, I still read paper magazines, I stumbled across an side bar article on Apple’s earbud replacement program. According to the Apple notice, ear buds with in-line remote work intermittently or have stopped working altogether.

    The following notice, Apple Headphones with Remote Replacement Program, is from Apple’s website:
    Apple has determined that the Apple Headphones with Remote included with the iPod shuffle (3rd gen) may fail under certain conditions. A very small percentage of iPod shuffle owners have experienced this issue. These headphones were included with the iPod shuffle (3rd generation) made between approximately February 2009 and February 2010.
    If your headphones stop working or work intermittently as described below, Apple will replace them, free of charge, for two years from date of purchase.
    Symptoms
    • Controls are non-responsive or work intermittently
    • Unexpected volume increase or decrease
    • Unexpected playing of voice feedback
    Product Description
    • Apple Headphones with Remote – included with iPod shuffle (3rd generation).
    Note
    Apple In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic and Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic which exhibit the symptoms noted above are also covered under this program.
    For more details on this issue, including directions for determining if you have a set of earbuds that are eligible for replacement, visit the Apple website.
    If you are in the market for a new set of headphones for your favorite i-device, MacWorld has their complete headphone reviews online. MacWorld also has you covered with their headphone buying guide if you’re not sure what to replace your stock Apple earbuds with.
  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  iphone os,  itunes

    Apple WWDC 2010 Keynote Online

    Apple has posted this year’s WWDC 2010 keynote delivered by co-founder, Steve Jobs.

    Watch Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduce the new iPhone 4. See the video-on-demand event right here, exclusively in QuickTime and MPEG-4.
    You can stream the keynote address directly from the Apple website, or you can download the entire video in iTunes via Apple’s keynote podcast feed and watch it on your favorite Mac, PC, iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, or my personal favorite, Apple TV + 42-inch TV.
  • apple

    Steve Jobs at D8: The Full, Uncut Interview

    Steve Jobs at D8: The Full, Uncut Interview

    The full video interview with Steve Jobs has been posted on the All Things D website. I’ve been looking forward to this full video since last week. The only thing that I would have liked better would be to download the interview to iTunes so I could stream it up to my Apple TV so I can sit back and watch the video on my 42-inch TV.
  • apple,  iphone,  iphone os

    Apple Introduces the iPhone 4

    Earlier today, at WWDC ’10, Apple introduced the iPhone 4 for the AT&T Wireless network.

    Apple® today presented the new iPhone® 4 featuring FaceTime, which makes the dream of video calling a reality, and Apple’s stunning new Retina display, the highest resolution display ever built into a phone, resulting in super crisp text, images and video. In addition, iPhone 4 features a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash, HD video recording, Apple’s A4 processor, a 3-axis gyro and up to 40 percent longer talk time—in a beautiful all-new design of glass and stainless steel that is the thinnest smartphone in the world. iPhone 4 comes with iOS 4, the newest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, which includes over 100 new features and 1500 new APIs for developers. iOS 4 features Multitasking, Folders, enhanced Mail, deeper Enterprise support and Apple’s new iAd mobile advertising platform. iPhone 4 will be available in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan on June 24, starting in the US at just $199 for qualified buyers with a two year contract.
    “iPhone 4 is the biggest leap since the original iPhone,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “FaceTime video calling sets a new standard for mobile communication, and our new Retina display is the highest resolution display ever in a phone, with text looking like it does on a fine printed page. We have been dreaming about both of these breakthroughs for decades.”
    Apple’s stunning 3.5 inch Retina display has 960 x 640 pixels—four times as many pixels as the iPhone 3GS and 78 percent of the pixels on an iPad™. The resulting 326 pixels per inch is so dense that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels when the phone is held at a normal distance, making text, images and video look sharper, smoother and more realistic than ever before on an electronic display.
    iPhone 4 features a new 5 megapixel autofocus camera with a 5x digital zoom, a backside illuminated sensor and built-in LED flash that allows you to take amazing pictures even in low light and dark environments. iPhone 4 lets you record and edit incredible HD video and the popular tap to focus feature now works while recording video. You can use the iPhone 4‘s LED flash for both still photography and video recording. The new iMovie® app for iPhone lets you combine movie clips, add dynamic transitions and themes and include photos and music, and users can buy it for just $4.99 through the App Store right on their phone.
    The new iBooks® app will be available for iPhone 4 as a free download from the App Store and includes Apple’s new iBookstore, the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile product. The iBooks app will sync your current place in a book, along with any bookmarks, highlights and notes you have created, between copies of the same book on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch®. iBooks users can also now read and store PDFs right in iBooks. There are now over 60,000 books available in the iBookstore, and users have downloaded over five million books in the first two months.
    Pricing & Availability 
iPhone 4 comes in either black or white and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model in both Apple and AT&T’s retail and online stores, Best Buy and Wal-Mart stores. iPhone 4 will be available in the US, France, Germany, Japan and the UK on June 24 and customers can pre-order their iPhone 4 beginning Tuesday, June 15 from the Apple Online Store or reserve an iPhone 4 to pick up at an Apple Retail Store. iMovie for iPhone will be available on the App Store for just $4.99 (US).
    Also on June 24, a new iPhone 3GS 8GB model will be available for just $99 (US). iOS 4 software will be available on June 21 as a free software update via iTunes® 9.2 or later for iPhone and iPod touch customers.
    iPhone 4 will roll out worldwide to 88 countries by the end of September. iPhone 4 will be available by the end of July in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
    For more details about the new iPhone 4, check out Apple’s website. The full version of the iPhone 4 press release is also available online.
  • apple,  ipad,  iphone os

    Apple Sells 2 Million iPads In Less Than 2 Months

    Earlier today, Apple has announced that the company has sold over 2 million of the “magical” iPads in in less than 2 months.

    Apple® today announced that iPad™ sales have topped two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3. Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.

    “Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone.”

    Developers have created over 5,000 exciting new apps for iPad that take advantage of its Multi-Touch user interface, large screen and high-quality graphics. iPad will run almost all of the more than 200,000 apps on the App Store, including apps already purchased for your iPhone® or iPod touch®.

    According to AppleInsider.com, Apple is selling about 35,000 – 36,000 iPads a day.

    Pricing for the Apple iPad starts at $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and $629 for the 3G + Wi-Fi model.

    You can the full version of today’s press release on the Apple website.

  • app catalog,  apple,  mobile apps 360

    PDF Reader: iPad Edtion 1.0

    It’s time for another Mobile Apps 360 review. This time I cover Kdan’s PDF Reader iPad Edition.

    I found myself needing to read a PDF attachment today. I was away from my office, and I didn’t want to try to read the email attachment on my BlackBerry knowing full well that I had an 9.7-inch iPad in my bag.

    In steps Kdan Mobile Software’s $0.99 Apple iPad application, PDF Reader 1.0.

    I was drawn into purchasing PDF Reader because of some of the cool features it had. First is the ability to transfer Acrobat documents from my MacBook Pro to my iPad using iTunes. Next was the well designed UI. In landscape mode, you see a file/folder navigation bar on the left with a document pane on the right. Switch the iPad into portrait mode and the navigation bar melts away allowing you to see the document full screen without any distractions.

    Another cool feature is the ability to browse to your web mail account from inside the application, a feature that requires the application have a MA-17 rating, and download the PDF file to your iPad. That was the feature that I needed to read me PDF file.

    PDF Reader also has a nice built in manual system that allows you to quickly get started and then call up the manual if you have questions later on. Page scrolling and zooming work very well and I didn’t have any problem flicking through 13 – 24 page documents I need to read today.

    All in all, PDF Reader: iPad Edition should be an application that you purchase and install on your iPad if you need to read PDF files outside of Apple’s email application.

    For more information about PDF Reader, visit the Kdan website. To purchase a copy of PDF Reader: iPad Edition 1.0, visit the iTunes App Store [App Store link] or use the App Store icon on your iPad and search for “PDF”.

  • apple,  time

    Steve Jobs Makes the Time 100 List for 2010

    On this lazy Sunday afternoon I had a chance to catch up on some of the magazines and IT research reports. One of those magazines was Time, in which Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs was named one a member of this year’s Time 100. Mr. Jobs was listed in the “Thinkers” category; which is fitting because his computer has always dared to “Think Different.”

    You can read Jeff Koons’ write up of Mr. Jobs on the Time website.