• apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  mac,  mobileme,  touch

    Rumor: Free, Limited MobileMe Subscriptions On the Horizon?

    November 20, 2010 /

    Back in June I read a rumor on the gadget blog Electronista.com that stated that Apple was considering launching a free version of their $99 a year MobileMe service.  At the time, I was really excited by the prospect, because, I have a number of Apple devices (three Macs, and three iOS devices) and this would be a great way to keep the address book and calendars in sync across all six devices.

    On June 4, Electronista.com wrote;

    “Apple has lately faced growing criticism for continuing to charge for MobileMe at a time when Google can promise free e-mail, calendars and contacts synchronized online for Android phones where the iPhone is still at least partly reliant on a physical sync without paying $99 per year. The company has recently been working on a North Carolina data center that could help scale such plans in the future.”

    And so, I stated to wait patiently.  In the mean time, Google’s Android platform began to grow in popularity until today, Google’s Android is breathing down Apple’s neck.  Does Apple think that they could continue to sell a $99 a year service when Google’s free web apps could deliver a similar service and experience?

    Fast forward to this weekend when Mac-centric website MacRumors.com released more evidence that Apple is still considering providing at least some of the MobileMe services for free to iOS users.

    In the latest iOS 4.2 and 4.2.1 builds of iOS, MacRumors has discovered error messages in the operating system that read “MOBILEME_CREATE_UNAVAILABLE_IPAD” = “The maximum number of free accounts have been activated on this iPad.”

    Well, well, well…looks like the iPad maker is still very much considering a free MobileMe offering of some sort.

    Naturally, Apple has not confirmed their plans to launch an new MobileMe services.  Many believe that an new MobileMe service would go into effect once Apple’s new $1 billion North Carolina data center is fully ramped up and is online.

    [Via Electronista.com, MacRumors.com…]

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  • astraware,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  touch

    Astraware Mahjong Released for iOS

    November 17, 2010 /

    Today, Astraware has released Mahjong for Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.

    Mahjong is described by Wikipedia as a Chinese game based on 152 tiles; which is a game of skill, strategy and  calculation with a little bit of chance thrown in for good measure.

    Astraware Mahjong for iOS includes the following gaming features:

    • AutoZoom – optional feature which zooms in or out from the play area
    • Mahjong of the Day daily challenge
    • Truly solvable puzzles at Easy, Medium and Hard difficulty levels, as well as Classic
    • Full tutorial with photos to help you learn how to play
    • More than 30 different puzzle layouts
    • Supports Game Center achievements. Earn all the achievements to unlock the Golden Tile Set
    • Optional tile highlighting – removable tiles appear lighter in colour. This can be adjusted in Settings)
    • Helpful assistance features including the ability to shuffle the tiles or undo moves
    • A choice of decorative tile sets and traditional backgrounds
    • Ability to play in landscape or portrait modes
    • Universal binary is optimized for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Retina display devices
    • Automatically saves when you exit and allows you to play your own music in the background.

     Astraware Mahjong is available now exclusively from the Apple iTunes store for $0.99. (iTunes link)

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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  lifestyle,  mac,  touch,  windows

    Confirmed: The Beatles Are Coming to iTunes

    November 16, 2010 /

    MacDailyNews.com is reporting, and I have confirmed with my own tests, that The Beatles are finally coming to Apple’s iTunes Store.  (To test: Open the iTunes Store and search for the term “the beatles”.)

    While that is probably great news for many people, I’m not a big fan of The Beatles.  I’m still holding out for the iTunes.com steaming service.

    [Via MacDailyNews.com…]

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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  touch

    Apple Schedules an iTunes Media Event Tomorrow, 11/16/10, 10:00 EST

    November 15, 2010 /

    Well, well, well…what do we have here?  Anyone visiting the Apple website today was greeted by the above splash page.

    Apple’s legendary secrecy is clearly alive and well as we heard all sorts of rumors around the release of Mac OS X 10.6.5, iTunes 10.1 for Mac OS X and Windows PC, and we even had gotten word of not one, but two possible release dates for the iOS 4.2 update.

    But this, my dear readers, was completely off the radar.  If I had to guess what might be going on tomorrow morning at 10:00am, I will only speculate that whatever it is, will likely have to do with Apple’s new massive data center in North Carolina.

    Back on October 25, AppleInsider.com reported that “According to a Data Center Knowledge report published Sunday, the data center is “fully operational,” with Apple beginning to “ramp up production” at the server farm. The Cupertino, Calif., company could be planning to build a second facility on the site, the report notes.”

    Below is an aerial photo of Apple’s new data center.

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

    iOS 4.2 Still “Coming Soon”

    November 13, 2010 /

    Did a last minute Wi-Fi bug end up aborting yesterday’s rumored launch for Apple’s iOS 4.2 update for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad?

    There certainly seems to be enough evidence of that.  Apple had released the golden master, or “GM” developer release of iOS 4.2 a few days ago.  The GM release of software is usually identical to the shipping version.  Many speculated that this past Friday, 11/12/10, was suppose to be the launch date for iOS 4.2.  November 24, 2010 is the new rumored launch date for iOS 4.2.

    Rather than getting a final software release of iOS 4.2 yesterday, we saw Apple release a second GM release of the software.  The release of a second GM version of the software leads me to believe that the reports of a late discovered bug was to blame for the iOS no-show.

    Software usually goes through several iterations before getting int consumer’s hands.  Alpha, beta, release candidate, golden master, and then release/retail.  It’s normal to see several release candidates, or RCs, but you usually only get one GM.

    The way I see it, during the September iPod event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs promised that iOS 4.2 would be available in November, and there is still plenty of time to make good on that promise.  I’d rather have working software than almost working software.

    That said, I still want access to the cool features that iPhone 4 and late generation iPod touch users have had for the last few months already.

    In the mean time, if you haven’t already done so, you can upgrade to Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 (iTunes 10.1 is available now for both Mac OS X and Windows PC).  Both software updates lay the ground work to support iOS 4.2 devices.  Use the Apple Software Update control panel to upgrade your Mac OS X or Windows PC.

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  • apple,  ios,  ipad,  iphone,  itunes,  mac os x,  touch,  windows

    Apple Releases iTunes 10.1, Paves Way for iOS 4.2 Update

    November 12, 2010 /

    Earlier today, Apple released the iTunes 10.1 update that paves the way for a release of iOS 4.2.

    With the iTunes 10.1 release, Apple has included support for iOS 4.2 running on current generation iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices and the new AirPlay feature.

    The update is currently available for Mac OS X and Windows PC users.  To get the update, use the Apple Software Update control panel.

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  • apple,  ipad,  iphone,  sprint,  tmobile,  verizon

    T-Mobile To Sell Black iPhone/iPod/iPad Cable

    November 6, 2010 /

    Despite all the shenanigans caused by a recent post at TMoNews.com about T-Mobile selling Apple’s iPhone 4G, does anyone else think that a black Apple sync/charge cable is cool?  A white cable looks good with a white iPod or with the mythical white iPhone 4G.  But a white cable with a black iPod Classic, iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad just doesn’t seem right.

    The T-Mobile cable is intended for European T-Mobile customers who are traveling State side and is expected to sell for $14.99.  (In Germany, T-Mobile is a non-exclusive carrier of the iPhone.)  I can’t say that if I happened pass a T-Mobile store that has this cable that I won’t pick one up.

    The bottom line: So far, AT&T is still the only game in town for an iPhone.  Verizon has all but been confirmed to start selling the iPhone 4G in early 2011.  No word at this time if T-Mobile or Sprint will ever end up ironing out a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone.

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  • apple,  att,  ipad,  Uncategorized,  verizon

    AT&T Begins Selling Apple iPad

    October 29, 2010 /

    Not wanting to be out done by Verizon Wireless, AT&T, currently the only wireless carrier in the United States to sell Apple’s insanely popular iPhone, has also begun to sell the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G on Thursday.

    AT&T and Apple® today announced that all three iPad™ Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available at more than 2,200 AT&T stores starting Thursday, October 28. AT&T will offer customers3G Apple iPad Data Plans, complete with Apple’s easy, on-device activation and management. All iPad data plans are available without a term contract and include unlimited access to AT&T’s 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

    “We can’t wait to showcase the amazing features of iPad Wi-Fi + 3G in our stores across the country just in time for the holidays,” said Glenn Lurie, AT&T President of Emerging Devices, Resale and Partnerships, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “With our breakthrough iPad data plans starting at just $14.99 and access to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots around the country at no extra cost, our customers will have the best of both worlds.”

    “We look forward to expanding the reach of iPad allowing even more customers to experience the magic of iPad for themselves,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “As we approach the holiday season, we are very happy that customers will now be able to buy iPad Wi-Fi + 3G at AT&T stores.”

    Pricing and Availability

    All iPad Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available beginning Thursday, October 28 in AT&T Stores across the US for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB, and $829 for 64GB. Domestic data plans for iPad are priced at $14.99 per month for 250MB and $25 per month for 2GB with no term contract. Both plans include unlimited access to AT&T’s 23,000+ domestic Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

    For more information, visit the AT&T website.
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