Apple's iPod refresh: What you need to know
The new iPod Nano will come in two versions, one 8GB ($149), and one 16GB ($179). That represents a $20 price cut on the high end. The system software also makes use of some of the added features in iTunes 9, like Genius Mixes. And it's inherited the VoiceOver control from its siblings, the iPod Shuffle and Touch.The buttonless iPod Shuffle remains, though there are new colors, capacities and a lower entry price. The new 2GB flavor, which is available in five colors, runs $59, along with the same colors in a 4GB version that costs $79. There's also a $99, 4GB "special edition" that's made of polished stainless steel and currently available only at Apple's online and retail stores. The low end of the iPod Touch line got price cuts, and the device got capacity bumps on the higher end. The 8GB model is now $199, down from $229. Meanwhile, the 16GB model has been shelved in favor of a 32GB version, which costs $299. At the high end, users can now get a 64GB model, which runs $399. Both the 32GB and 64GB models are packing faster internals, similar if not the same to the recently released iPhone 3GS, and are now capable of OpenGL ES 2.0 which boosts 3D performance.The iPod Classic remains untouched in features and price, although the capacity has been bumped from 120GB to 160GB.New softwareiPhone/iPod OS 3.1Apple announced the release Wednesday of OS 3.1, which will be a free update to both iPhone and iPod Touch owners. With 3.1, users on both platforms can now get Genius recommendations for applications they've purchased. These show up in the App Store app, as well as in iTunes, and function in a similar fashion to Genius for music. It takes your purchase information and sends it to Apple, which will analyze it for similar purchases, and offer up recommendations. This may end up being a more precise system since there are fewer apps than music tracks. 3.1 also adds a new security feature for iPhone owners--the capability to lock down the device over the air using MobileMe. Previously, if your phone was lost or stolen, this feature would only be enabled if the user had set it that way.iTunes 9Apple introduced a new version of iTunes, which offers iPhone and iPod Touch users a way to better organize applications they have added to the device. Users can now drag and drop apps to multiple home screens at once, instead of doing so on the device itself. iPhone and iPod Touch users can now rearrange apps on their home screen right in iTunes, instead of on the device itself.AppleAnother new feature in iTunes 9 that users in households are sure to enjoy is something called Home Sharing. This lets you automatically sync purchases across multiple computers within a household. This means they don't have to be redownloaded, or transferred from portable devices, which can save time if you're in a hurry. The Genius feature and DJ feature have been mashed together to create something called Genius Mixes. The software can create multiple stations of music without the user having to pick a song for it to start from. The software also has a new purchase-centric feature called iTunes LP, that adds a handful of digital pack-ins to purchased albums such as liner notes, photos, videos, lyrics, and links to online resources. This confirmed rumors Apple had been cooking up such a feature going back earlier this year.In the same vein of iTunes LP, there's iTunes Extras--basically repackaged bonus features from movies and TV shows. This aims to add a little more value to rented and purchased video content, and steer customers toward Apple's store instead of some of the competition.Other tidbits• Apple is now offering 30,000 ready-made ringtones for $1.29 a pop. These come from all four major labels, and differ from the current system, which allows you to make your own ringtone from any song you've purchased from the store for a fee of 99 cents. The new system cuts out the need to even buy the song. This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play• Apple has sold 30 million iPhones since the launch of the device.• More than 20 million iPod Touches have been sold.• More than 100 million iPod Nanos have been sold.• Users have downloaded 1.8 billion apps from a catalog of more than 75,000.• Apple has 100 million registered iTunes users.• Users have submitted more than 27 million music libraries to contribute to the Genius feature, totaling 54 billion songs. • iPhone developer Tapulous demonstrated an upcoming title called Riddim Ribbon that lets players race on their own music tracks. Looks quite similar to PC title Audiosurf.• EA demonstrated Madden 10 which uses virtual, onscreen controls.• Gameloft has had 20 million game downloads. The company demonstrated a new first-person shooter game called Nova that's reminiscent of Halo. Correction: This post initially included some incorrect pricing information. The OS 3.1 update only costs money for those who had not yet upgraded to 3.0 or higher. Also, the iPod Shuffle price cut refers to the 2GB model.Related storiesVideo: Jobs, new iPods take the Apple stagePhotos: Apple event high notes
New app Chorus helps you find, share iPhone apps
New app Chorus helps you find, share iPhone apps
Once you've shared your application history with Chorus, it helps fuel what the service recommends to you--just like Apple does with its own Genius service. This is where the app goes one step further though; it lets you see which of those apps your friends have used, if they've rated it, and whether they ended up removing it from their device. It also weights its recommendations higher if your friends have it installed.To befriend other users you can cull your Facebook or Twitter contact list to find those who may already be using the service, or search by whatever username they've using on Chorus. The app also comes installed with a handful of subscriptions to the service's "AppMavens" who are bloggers that seed the network with their picks and reviews. Frankly, I found these the AppMaven's reviews less useful than the App Store's user review section, which--major faults aside, can shed light on things a single review can't, like how well it works on various devices, if there are any bugs, and what version the app was reviewed on. Chorus recommends apps your friends have used and downloaded, as well as showing you how they reviewed them.CNETThe saving grace with the Chorus reviews system is that like other third-party app directories, all purchases still go through in the App Store app itself, which means you can still scope out those user reviews before making a purchase. On the downside, when it comes time to buy, you get kicked out of the Chorus app and sent into the App Store. This can be jarring but is made slightly less irritating by the fact that the app is smart enough to remember what you were doing the last time you were using it and bringing you back upon a relaunch. All in all Chorus is a useful tool for discovering apps that should become increasingly useful if more people seed it with recommendations. Though there are a few things I'd like to see in future versions, the first of which is a way to manage purchases and do app discovery from the Web and not just on the device--something the company says will be coming at a later date. Another is a way to queue up apps you want to purchase, then e-mail yourself that list in the form of iTunes links. This would let you continue to use the tool without interruption, and facilitate batch purchasing. I'd also like to see recommendations of people to follow based on my download and/or usage history since that would help me whittle down who I'd actually spend time paying attention to. This, or some sort of visual relevancy indicator about how much of a match any given app is to my buying habits would go a long way towards making me, and likely others feel better about clicking through to see more about that app.See also: App Gems, App Connect and AppVee (all of which open up in iTunes), as well as site AppShopper.com.
Once you've shared your application history with Chorus, it helps fuel what the service recommends to you--just like Apple does with its own Genius service. This is where the app goes one step further though; it lets you see which of those apps your friends have used, if they've rated it, and whether they ended up removing it from their device. It also weights its recommendations higher if your friends have it installed.To befriend other users you can cull your Facebook or Twitter contact list to find those who may already be using the service, or search by whatever username they've using on Chorus. The app also comes installed with a handful of subscriptions to the service's "AppMavens" who are bloggers that seed the network with their picks and reviews. Frankly, I found these the AppMaven's reviews less useful than the App Store's user review section, which--major faults aside, can shed light on things a single review can't, like how well it works on various devices, if there are any bugs, and what version the app was reviewed on. Chorus recommends apps your friends have used and downloaded, as well as showing you how they reviewed them.CNETThe saving grace with the Chorus reviews system is that like other third-party app directories, all purchases still go through in the App Store app itself, which means you can still scope out those user reviews before making a purchase. On the downside, when it comes time to buy, you get kicked out of the Chorus app and sent into the App Store. This can be jarring but is made slightly less irritating by the fact that the app is smart enough to remember what you were doing the last time you were using it and bringing you back upon a relaunch. All in all Chorus is a useful tool for discovering apps that should become increasingly useful if more people seed it with recommendations. Though there are a few things I'd like to see in future versions, the first of which is a way to manage purchases and do app discovery from the Web and not just on the device--something the company says will be coming at a later date. Another is a way to queue up apps you want to purchase, then e-mail yourself that list in the form of iTunes links. This would let you continue to use the tool without interruption, and facilitate batch purchasing. I'd also like to see recommendations of people to follow based on my download and/or usage history since that would help me whittle down who I'd actually spend time paying attention to. This, or some sort of visual relevancy indicator about how much of a match any given app is to my buying habits would go a long way towards making me, and likely others feel better about clicking through to see more about that app.See also: App Gems, App Connect and AppVee (all of which open up in iTunes), as well as site AppShopper.com.
Bitcasa moves your hard drive to the cloud
Bitcasa moves your hard drive to the cloud
One of the most technically audacious companies I've seen announced itself at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference yesterday: Bitcasa. Technically, it's a virtualized primary storage company. With this product, your main storage is actually in the "cloud," and because of that, it's pretty much unlimited. Your local hard drive is used--heavily--for the cache. If the technology works, this architecture should give you storage that's just as fast as a local-only hard drive, but with more capacity and reliability. Bitcasa will cost $10 a month with no storage cap for users. (A free version will be "less than unlimited," the company says).Readers who follow me know how much I'm a fan of apps and services that synchronize local storage to the cloud, so they won't be surprised that I really like this idea. With Bitcasa, in concept anyway, users no longer have to worry about a single local hard-drive failure eating their data, since everything is mirrored on the Internet. Users also get all their data on all their devices, and every time you get a new computer, you just point it to your account and all your data appears on your local device. Whether it's actually there is another matter, but if Bitcasa is fast and smart enough, you'll never know nor care.CEO Tony Gauda confirmed for me that there are some large challenges to bringing a product like this to market. Security is one. Bitcasa encrypts everything end to end and in the cloud, so absent a password hack, the data can't leave the system. Even if the network is secure, though, there's the perception that it may not be; Dropbox's June security flop still weighs on this sector.Also, as Gauda says, "We can't make single-user products multiuser."So if you use a Bitcasa drive for an app like Outlook or iTunes, and try to access that file from multiple computers at once, you might have problems. Bitcasa lets you share your files among your computers, or with friends and co-workers.But more importantly, there's the fact that consumers are actually moving to more native Web apps, like Google Docs, Yahoo Mail, and Flickr, not to mention smartphones and tablets that often don't have user-accessible file systems. So while Bitcasa is cool and useful, I do wonder how long that will be the case.Gauda says that, actually, the company is working on technology to help Web app developers shunt data between services, again using the Bitcasa "drive" as a consumer's main storage space.There are also big competitors to worry about: The mythical GDrive, for example, and Apple's imminent iCloud storage product. But, Gauda says, nobody is going to offer what he's doing. Apple's iCloud will be, at best, an online mirror of your local storage, with limits. Bitcasa will be unlimited. "We want the hard drive you just bought to be the last one you need."Gauda says he can make this business work at $10 a month with unlimited storage. The company is aggressive about data de-duplication, and furthermore, most users have less than 25GB of data. With cheap bandwidth and cheap storage, it works. The 8-person company has raised $1.3 million and counts Andreessen Horowitz and the CrunchFund as its backers.The product should be out "in a couple of months" for OS X first, and then Windows. There will be a quick way to "cloudify" any directory, except your boot files, Gauda says.I'm excited about this product, but like many users I think, I'll be scared to use it at first.
One of the most technically audacious companies I've seen announced itself at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference yesterday: Bitcasa. Technically, it's a virtualized primary storage company. With this product, your main storage is actually in the "cloud," and because of that, it's pretty much unlimited. Your local hard drive is used--heavily--for the cache. If the technology works, this architecture should give you storage that's just as fast as a local-only hard drive, but with more capacity and reliability. Bitcasa will cost $10 a month with no storage cap for users. (A free version will be "less than unlimited," the company says).Readers who follow me know how much I'm a fan of apps and services that synchronize local storage to the cloud, so they won't be surprised that I really like this idea. With Bitcasa, in concept anyway, users no longer have to worry about a single local hard-drive failure eating their data, since everything is mirrored on the Internet. Users also get all their data on all their devices, and every time you get a new computer, you just point it to your account and all your data appears on your local device. Whether it's actually there is another matter, but if Bitcasa is fast and smart enough, you'll never know nor care.CEO Tony Gauda confirmed for me that there are some large challenges to bringing a product like this to market. Security is one. Bitcasa encrypts everything end to end and in the cloud, so absent a password hack, the data can't leave the system. Even if the network is secure, though, there's the perception that it may not be; Dropbox's June security flop still weighs on this sector.Also, as Gauda says, "We can't make single-user products multiuser."So if you use a Bitcasa drive for an app like Outlook or iTunes, and try to access that file from multiple computers at once, you might have problems. Bitcasa lets you share your files among your computers, or with friends and co-workers.But more importantly, there's the fact that consumers are actually moving to more native Web apps, like Google Docs, Yahoo Mail, and Flickr, not to mention smartphones and tablets that often don't have user-accessible file systems. So while Bitcasa is cool and useful, I do wonder how long that will be the case.Gauda says that, actually, the company is working on technology to help Web app developers shunt data between services, again using the Bitcasa "drive" as a consumer's main storage space.There are also big competitors to worry about: The mythical GDrive, for example, and Apple's imminent iCloud storage product. But, Gauda says, nobody is going to offer what he's doing. Apple's iCloud will be, at best, an online mirror of your local storage, with limits. Bitcasa will be unlimited. "We want the hard drive you just bought to be the last one you need."Gauda says he can make this business work at $10 a month with unlimited storage. The company is aggressive about data de-duplication, and furthermore, most users have less than 25GB of data. With cheap bandwidth and cheap storage, it works. The 8-person company has raised $1.3 million and counts Andreessen Horowitz and the CrunchFund as its backers.The product should be out "in a couple of months" for OS X first, and then Windows. There will be a quick way to "cloudify" any directory, except your boot files, Gauda says.I'm excited about this product, but like many users I think, I'll be scared to use it at first.
The 404 380- Where these wind screens won't stand, man
The 404 380: Where these wind screens won't stand, man
We scavenge the depths of the dirty Internet to bring you a couple interesting, albeit dirty, stories, like this one about a teen in New Zealand who stumbled upon some "artistic" photos of his mother, and instead of gouging his eyes out with the nearest sharp object, he auctioned them off on the Internet! Ugh, the story gets even more messed up though, and you'll never guess what his Mother does when she finds out what her son's been up to at her expense. Hint: he doesn't get in trouble.That story actually segues well into the next one, where we finally ask the question, "Is the Internet destroying porn as we know it?" The answer is a mix of yes and no, as CNET blogger Chris Matyszczyk (how do you pronounce that?!) helps us figure out why 90-minute adult movies are quickly getting fazed out in lieu of 335-second clips on sites like YouPorn and XTube. On the other hand (no pun intended), there are plenty of examples of money getting poured into big budget pornographic films, some with a budget of over 1 million dollars. Although we have no personal opinions on the matter, since none of us have actually seen said video genre, we reference very informative articles we've read on the Internet. Stay tuned to the second half of today's episode to see how you can instantly obtain 5,000 Twitter followers and listen to a hilarious Calls from the Public with a special appearance by none other than the much-missed Sally Henderson!EPISODE 380Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
We scavenge the depths of the dirty Internet to bring you a couple interesting, albeit dirty, stories, like this one about a teen in New Zealand who stumbled upon some "artistic" photos of his mother, and instead of gouging his eyes out with the nearest sharp object, he auctioned them off on the Internet! Ugh, the story gets even more messed up though, and you'll never guess what his Mother does when she finds out what her son's been up to at her expense. Hint: he doesn't get in trouble.That story actually segues well into the next one, where we finally ask the question, "Is the Internet destroying porn as we know it?" The answer is a mix of yes and no, as CNET blogger Chris Matyszczyk (how do you pronounce that?!) helps us figure out why 90-minute adult movies are quickly getting fazed out in lieu of 335-second clips on sites like YouPorn and XTube. On the other hand (no pun intended), there are plenty of examples of money getting poured into big budget pornographic films, some with a budget of over 1 million dollars. Although we have no personal opinions on the matter, since none of us have actually seen said video genre, we reference very informative articles we've read on the Internet. Stay tuned to the second half of today's episode to see how you can instantly obtain 5,000 Twitter followers and listen to a hilarious Calls from the Public with a special appearance by none other than the much-missed Sally Henderson!EPISODE 380Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
Maker Faire CEO- Rockets and robots instead of pigs and pies (podcast)
Maker Faire CEO: Rockets and robots instead of pigs and pies (podcast)
Since 2006, San Francisco Bay Area maker movement aficionados have been making an annual pilgrimage to the San Mateo Event Center (the county fair grounds), to attend the Maker Faire. Self-described as "part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new," the Faire attracts a broad swath of attendees, not just in the Bay Area, but in other Maker Faires that are popping up around the world.Last year 165,000 people attended the flagship events in the Bay Area and New York. There were also Maker Faires in Minneapolis, Detroit, and other cities around the world, according to the Faire's sponsor Maker Media (which also publishes Make magazine) .What strikes me about the event is the mixture of high-tech, low-tech, and products that are a combination of both. You'll find robots and 3D printers, but also doily making, arts and crafts, and decidedly 20th century tools with 21st century twist, like an engraving machine that's controlled by a smartphone. I've been to several Maker Faires and have always been impressed with the passion of the maker attendees, whether they're showing off an experimental new piece of tech hardware or beautiful things you can do with a needle and thread. Maker Media Founder andCEO Dale DoughertyMaker MediaTo find out more about the Maker Faire, I sat down with Maker Media Founder and CEO Dale Dougherty, who said that the Maker Faire is "kind of reinventing the fair." He said he "wanted to take many of the good sides of it, but instead of pigs and pies, we have rockets and robots." He added that the Faire is a chance for makers to "share with their friends and family and the whole community." "We are creators and producers and makers of things," said Dougherty. "We don't just buy stuff. We have this desire and ability to create things."For more, click below to listen to the 5 minute interview: Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Since 2006, San Francisco Bay Area maker movement aficionados have been making an annual pilgrimage to the San Mateo Event Center (the county fair grounds), to attend the Maker Faire. Self-described as "part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new," the Faire attracts a broad swath of attendees, not just in the Bay Area, but in other Maker Faires that are popping up around the world.Last year 165,000 people attended the flagship events in the Bay Area and New York. There were also Maker Faires in Minneapolis, Detroit, and other cities around the world, according to the Faire's sponsor Maker Media (which also publishes Make magazine) .What strikes me about the event is the mixture of high-tech, low-tech, and products that are a combination of both. You'll find robots and 3D printers, but also doily making, arts and crafts, and decidedly 20th century tools with 21st century twist, like an engraving machine that's controlled by a smartphone. I've been to several Maker Faires and have always been impressed with the passion of the maker attendees, whether they're showing off an experimental new piece of tech hardware or beautiful things you can do with a needle and thread. Maker Media Founder andCEO Dale DoughertyMaker MediaTo find out more about the Maker Faire, I sat down with Maker Media Founder and CEO Dale Dougherty, who said that the Maker Faire is "kind of reinventing the fair." He said he "wanted to take many of the good sides of it, but instead of pigs and pies, we have rockets and robots." He added that the Faire is a chance for makers to "share with their friends and family and the whole community." "We are creators and producers and makers of things," said Dougherty. "We don't just buy stuff. We have this desire and ability to create things."For more, click below to listen to the 5 minute interview: Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Cook on Ping- 'Will we kill it- I don't know'
Cook on Ping: 'Will we kill it? I don't know'
Apple CEO Tim Cook talked for about an hour and a half tonight about myriad topics from patent spats, to product names and the company's efforts in China.But don't ask the guy about Ping.Apple's music-centric social network that launched inside of iTunes 10, and is largely considered one of Apple's missteps in the past few years, was a topic Cook was hoping to avoid during the night. The executive confessed that detail during the Q&A session following the interview with D10 show hosts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.ABC News' Joanna Stern asked Cook whether Ping was the last time we'd see Apple in the social space. "I was carefully avoiding that," Cook replied. "We tried Ping and I think the customer voted and said this isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into."That doesn't necessarily mean the product is headed to the annals of defunct Apple products."Will we kill it? I don't know, I'll look at it," Cook offered. Cook noted that the company's stand is not to own a social network, as seen in the Twitter integration built into iOS and coming to the next major version of OS X later this summer. Cook also mentioned iMessage, the company's proprietary messaging system that's making a similar trip from iOS device to the Mac with OS X Mountain Lion. Earlier in the interview, Cook had been asked about Apple and Facebook, the social-networking giant it's got some storied history with. "Facebook is a great company. I have great appreciation for them," Cook said. "We have great respect for them. I think we can do more with them. Just stay tuned on this one."Update at 10:39 p.m. PT: Here's a clip from that section of the talk:CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.
Apple CEO Tim Cook talked for about an hour and a half tonight about myriad topics from patent spats, to product names and the company's efforts in China.But don't ask the guy about Ping.Apple's music-centric social network that launched inside of iTunes 10, and is largely considered one of Apple's missteps in the past few years, was a topic Cook was hoping to avoid during the night. The executive confessed that detail during the Q&A session following the interview with D10 show hosts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.ABC News' Joanna Stern asked Cook whether Ping was the last time we'd see Apple in the social space. "I was carefully avoiding that," Cook replied. "We tried Ping and I think the customer voted and said this isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into."That doesn't necessarily mean the product is headed to the annals of defunct Apple products."Will we kill it? I don't know, I'll look at it," Cook offered. Cook noted that the company's stand is not to own a social network, as seen in the Twitter integration built into iOS and coming to the next major version of OS X later this summer. Cook also mentioned iMessage, the company's proprietary messaging system that's making a similar trip from iOS device to the Mac with OS X Mountain Lion. Earlier in the interview, Cook had been asked about Apple and Facebook, the social-networking giant it's got some storied history with. "Facebook is a great company. I have great appreciation for them," Cook said. "We have great respect for them. I think we can do more with them. Just stay tuned on this one."Update at 10:39 p.m. PT: Here's a clip from that section of the talk:CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.
Cook- iCloud's got more than 100 million users now
Cook: iCloud's got more than 100 million users now
More than 100 million people are now signed up to Apple's iCloud service, the company's CEO said today.Speaking at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again described the service as part of the company's strategy for the next decade, adding that more than a 100 million people were using it. "If you take iCloud and dial back 10 to 12 years, Steve (Jobs) announced a strategy for Apple to position the Mac or PC as the hub of your life ... The idea was that the PC or Mac was the repository," Cook Said. "iCloud turns that on its head. It recognized that over the past two to three years, we live off multiple devices." Cook added that iCloud, like Apple's Siri voice assistant, is not a product with "a year or two" of life, but part of the company's strategy for the next decade. "Both of those go in the profound category," Cook said. "Not these things that will not mean anything a year from now. They're things you'll talk to your grandkids about as profound changes."During Apple's first fiscal quarter earnings call late last month, Cook said iCloud--which the company launched in October--had seen 84 million sign-ups, and described customer response as "incredible." Along with discussing iCloud and Siri, Cook spent the initial part of the on-stage interview discussing the company's auditing of its supply and manufacturing partners, competition in the tablet market, and the company's cash pile--about which Cook once again said he was "not religious about holding it or not holding it."
More than 100 million people are now signed up to Apple's iCloud service, the company's CEO said today.Speaking at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again described the service as part of the company's strategy for the next decade, adding that more than a 100 million people were using it. "If you take iCloud and dial back 10 to 12 years, Steve (Jobs) announced a strategy for Apple to position the Mac or PC as the hub of your life ... The idea was that the PC or Mac was the repository," Cook Said. "iCloud turns that on its head. It recognized that over the past two to three years, we live off multiple devices." Cook added that iCloud, like Apple's Siri voice assistant, is not a product with "a year or two" of life, but part of the company's strategy for the next decade. "Both of those go in the profound category," Cook said. "Not these things that will not mean anything a year from now. They're things you'll talk to your grandkids about as profound changes."During Apple's first fiscal quarter earnings call late last month, Cook said iCloud--which the company launched in October--had seen 84 million sign-ups, and described customer response as "incredible." Along with discussing iCloud and Siri, Cook spent the initial part of the on-stage interview discussing the company's auditing of its supply and manufacturing partners, competition in the tablet market, and the company's cash pile--about which Cook once again said he was "not religious about holding it or not holding it."
Controversial iPhone app security bug fixed in iOS 5.0.1
Controversial iPhone app security bug fixed in iOS 5.0.1
The security flaw that led to security researcher Charlie Miller getting kicked out of Apple's developer program has been patched in the company's latest iOS update.That flaw, which let apps phone home to download potentially malicious unsigned code, thus changing the behavior of an application, is listed as one of the security fixes in iOS 5.0.1, which went out to users today."A logic error existed in the mmap system call's checking of valid flag combinations. This issue may lead to a bypass of codesigning checks," Apple posted in a security document coinciding with the new software this morning. "This issue does not affect devices running iOS prior to version 4.3," it read, crediting Miller as the finder of the issue. Miller, who is a researcher with Accuvant Labs posted his initial findings of the flaw earlier this week in an interview with Forbes to promote a demonstration of his method at the SysCan conference, which takes place in Taiwan next week.Despite Miller having sent Apple his findings three weeks prior to publicizing the issue, the company responded by terminating Miller's developer license, saying that he violated two parts of the agreement that cover interfering with Apple's software and services, and hiding features from the company when submitting them. The boot came with a one-year ban from reapplying to Apple's iOS Developer Program. Miller declined to comment on what's happened since that decision, and what he plans to show off at Syscan now that the issue's been addressed. In a tweet this morning, Miller said "even if some thought what I did was unethical, I hope public reporting of that flaw sped up time to patch release to make things safe for us."
The security flaw that led to security researcher Charlie Miller getting kicked out of Apple's developer program has been patched in the company's latest iOS update.That flaw, which let apps phone home to download potentially malicious unsigned code, thus changing the behavior of an application, is listed as one of the security fixes in iOS 5.0.1, which went out to users today."A logic error existed in the mmap system call's checking of valid flag combinations. This issue may lead to a bypass of codesigning checks," Apple posted in a security document coinciding with the new software this morning. "This issue does not affect devices running iOS prior to version 4.3," it read, crediting Miller as the finder of the issue. Miller, who is a researcher with Accuvant Labs posted his initial findings of the flaw earlier this week in an interview with Forbes to promote a demonstration of his method at the SysCan conference, which takes place in Taiwan next week.Despite Miller having sent Apple his findings three weeks prior to publicizing the issue, the company responded by terminating Miller's developer license, saying that he violated two parts of the agreement that cover interfering with Apple's software and services, and hiding features from the company when submitting them. The boot came with a one-year ban from reapplying to Apple's iOS Developer Program. Miller declined to comment on what's happened since that decision, and what he plans to show off at Syscan now that the issue's been addressed. In a tweet this morning, Miller said "even if some thought what I did was unethical, I hope public reporting of that flaw sped up time to patch release to make things safe for us."
Cook hints at additional Siri features coming soon
Cook hints at additional Siri features coming soon
Siri as we know her (or him in some places) is due for an upgrade in the coming months, Apple's chief executive teased tonight.During a live interview at the D10 conference tonight in Palos Verdes, Calif., Cook was asked whether the company's voice assistant was up to the company's standards.Cook replied by saying that customers "love it," but that there was more to be done, and that the company had "a lot of people working on this." He added that people will be "really pleased with some of the things you see over the coming months on this." "We have some cool ideas about what Siri can do," he said.Siri, of course, remains a beta product for Apple. A rarity by its standards, but also one that's been the headlining feature for a handset that was otherwise an incremental bump over the already-popular iPhone 4. The product, which is a successor to the namesake company Apple acquired, launched alongside the iPhone 4S last October. The feature uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are piped through Apple's servers then fed back to the phone.Apple is expected to extend the functionality of the product, something software tweaking enthusiasts have long since done, using it to search from other Web sources, and even tie into things like home thermostats. The next big update is expected to be something official from Apple that lets third-party apps -- not just those chosen by Apple -- into the system to add additional tools and features. CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.Update at 10:45 p.m. PT: Here's the relevant section of the talk with Cook:
Siri as we know her (or him in some places) is due for an upgrade in the coming months, Apple's chief executive teased tonight.During a live interview at the D10 conference tonight in Palos Verdes, Calif., Cook was asked whether the company's voice assistant was up to the company's standards.Cook replied by saying that customers "love it," but that there was more to be done, and that the company had "a lot of people working on this." He added that people will be "really pleased with some of the things you see over the coming months on this." "We have some cool ideas about what Siri can do," he said.Siri, of course, remains a beta product for Apple. A rarity by its standards, but also one that's been the headlining feature for a handset that was otherwise an incremental bump over the already-popular iPhone 4. The product, which is a successor to the namesake company Apple acquired, launched alongside the iPhone 4S last October. The feature uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are piped through Apple's servers then fed back to the phone.Apple is expected to extend the functionality of the product, something software tweaking enthusiasts have long since done, using it to search from other Web sources, and even tie into things like home thermostats. The next big update is expected to be something official from Apple that lets third-party apps -- not just those chosen by Apple -- into the system to add additional tools and features. CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.Update at 10:45 p.m. PT: Here's the relevant section of the talk with Cook:
Consumers to spend big on mobile apps
Consumers to spend big on mobile apps
"As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads," said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner, in a statement. "Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities, and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money."But Gartner also expects a changing app market as smartphones come down in price and are consumed by more of the general public. Today, tech-savvy users flock to download the mobile apps they need and have no qualms about paying for them online. Down the road, non-tech types may be more wary of paying for apps, a trend that could pave the way for more ad-generated free apps."Growth in smartphone sales will not necessarily mean that consumers will spend more money, but it will widen the addressable market for an offering that will be advertising-funded," said Baghdassarian.The mobile app market has been dominated by Apple's App Store, which now offers more than 100,000 apps and recently watched the number of downloads top 3 billion. But other players have battled for a share of the mobile app market.Launched in 2008, Google's Android Market now has around 16,000 apps, according to Google. Last year alone, Palm set up its new App Catalog store, Research in Motion unveiled its Blackberry App World, and Microsoft kicked off its own mobile storefront.Updated 1:30 a.m. PST to fix typo in number of App Store apps.
"As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads," said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner, in a statement. "Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities, and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money."But Gartner also expects a changing app market as smartphones come down in price and are consumed by more of the general public. Today, tech-savvy users flock to download the mobile apps they need and have no qualms about paying for them online. Down the road, non-tech types may be more wary of paying for apps, a trend that could pave the way for more ad-generated free apps."Growth in smartphone sales will not necessarily mean that consumers will spend more money, but it will widen the addressable market for an offering that will be advertising-funded," said Baghdassarian.The mobile app market has been dominated by Apple's App Store, which now offers more than 100,000 apps and recently watched the number of downloads top 3 billion. But other players have battled for a share of the mobile app market.Launched in 2008, Google's Android Market now has around 16,000 apps, according to Google. Last year alone, Palm set up its new App Catalog store, Research in Motion unveiled its Blackberry App World, and Microsoft kicked off its own mobile storefront.Updated 1:30 a.m. PST to fix typo in number of App Store apps.
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