Tag Archives: Apple

Beatles music sells like hotcakes on iTunes

In mid-November, Apple Inc. and Apple Corps. put their differences aside and finally agreed to put the entire Beatles music collection onto iTunes, the #1 retailer of music.  Now that some time has passed, it’s time to take a look at the sales figures, and boy are they mighty impressive.  Let’s do some comparing.  During its very first week on iTunes, record company EMI reported that 2 million songs and 450,000 albums were sold.  And now about two months later, Apple says iTunes customers have purchased 5 million songs and 1 million albums in total.  For music that’s over 40 years old, these numbers are certainly staggering but expected; Beatles music rocks and now people have an easily accessible way to get their hands on it.  Can you guess what the most popular song and album is?  Well here’s your answer: “Here Comes the Sun” and Abbey Road, respectively.

[Via EW-MusicMix]

iPhone comes to Verizon at long last

The most frequently asked tech question since 2007: When will the iPhone come to Verizon? Four years and four device iterations later, Verizon and Apple have finally announced that the best smartphone has landed on the nation’s most reliable network.  The iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless.  The facts: On February 10 the iPhone 4 will be available for Verizon; $199.99 for the 16GB model, $299.99 for the 32GB variant, new two-year contract required.  It will be available to purchase VZW Stores, Apple Stores, online at their respective websites, and at Apple Authorized Resellers.  Qualified Verizon Wireless customers will have the exclusive opportunity to preorder the iPhone 4 online on February 3, ahead of general availability; if you’re currently a VZW customer check your pricing eligibility here.

The iPhone 4 and iOS 4 coming to Verizon is essentially the exact same hardware and software that’s been available on AT&T.  Here are the four differences: (1) The external antenna array has been slightly altered so that the device can properly run on Verizon’s CDMA network (as opposed to AT&T’s GSM network).  The only aesthetic change is one extra black notch located above the silent switch; note that this notch pushes down the silent switch and volume buttons just a bit, so new cases will have to be manufactured to properly fit that.  It’s too early to tell if the death grip issue has been totally resolved in the new device, but Apple’s Tim Cook is confident that “it’s going to work great.”  (2) The VZW iPhone 4 will act as a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to five devices.  Inside Settings users will have the option to switch on Personal Hotspot to share the phone’s Internet connection with other WiFi enabled devices including laptops and tablets.  This new functionality is built into iOS 4.2.5, so there is a possibility it might carry over to AT&T’s version of the phone at some point.  (3) Simultaneous voice and data is not supported on Verizon’s CDMA network, so new iPhone owners will not be able to access the Internet while making a call (or vice-versa); +1 for AT&T’s network which can simultaneously hold a voice/data connection.  (4) No global roaming support; again, advantage AT&T.  Full PR after the break.

And there you have it.  The Verizon iPhone has finally made it to fruition.  Now what should you do?  If your current contract is up and you’re due for a new phone, I advise not to purchase the VZW iPhone 4 this February. What am I crazy?  No, actually, not really.  Here’s the deal.  Every summer since 2007 Apple has shipped a new iPhone device, so you can expect iPhone 5 to be revealed in the coming months with a late June or July release. Since Apple decided to stay conservative with today’s announcement, it wouldn’t be crazy to think that the next iteration of iPhone will pack support for Verizon’s super fast 4G LTE network, among other hardware updates. You’ve waited this long for iPhone to hit Verizon; what’s another five months?  Think about it.

[Via Apple; Verizon] Continue reading iPhone comes to Verizon at long last

The Mac App Store is now open for business

This week Apple opened up the Mac App Store, so now you can peruse the various categories and download what you like.  The Mac App Store is essentially the App Store (for iPhone & iPad, as found within iTunes), the only difference being this new store is a separate application outside iTunes and the available apps within it are made specifically for the desktop.  It’s set up similarly to the App Store; the new store offers apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories and you can browse the top free, paid, and grossing apps.  User ratings and reviews are also there to help you make purchases.  Currently there are over 1,000 first and third party apps to choose from.  Apple is offering the iLife suite in individual chunks; iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand apps cost $14.99 each.  The same applies to iWork; Pages, Keynote, and Numbers apps can be downloaded locally for $19.99 each.  Also Aperture 3 is there if you need it for $79.99.  Third party app developers are jumping on the Mac App Store bandwagon too; Twitter for Mac is free and for $4.99 you can kiss your workload goodbye and play a full-screen, high-res version of the highly addicting #1 game Angry Birds.

To access the Mac App Store you must download it; it comes bundled in the 10.6.6 software update, so Snow Leopard is required.  When you download an app it goes straight to your Applications folder and you can manage its location from there.  App purchases get charged to the credit card attached to your iTunes account.  When an app is due for an update you will be alerted and you can apply updates to your entire app collection with one click.  Again, to reiterate the point made earlier, the Mac App Store bares little difference from the App Store found in iTunes; you’ll feel right at home.

For now the app selection isn’t wildly abundant.  In due time, developers will flock to it and before you know it apps for OS X will explode just like they did on Apple’s mobile iOS devices.  Why I am so confident about this? Well that’s because news recently came out of Cupertino boasting that over one million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store in the first day of its existence.  Mac users have flocked to it, so developers will too.  Get ready for the next app revolution.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Apple] Continue reading The Mac App Store is now open for business

AT&T now offers iPhone 3GS for only $49.99 [Update: Apple, too]

The post title pretty much says it all.  AT&T, including brick and mortar stores and online, is now selling the iPhone 3GS for $49.99.  This offer applies to both new and upgrade-eligible existing AT&T customers.  Don’t have the cash to plunk down $199.99 for a beefier iPhone 4?  Now you totally have a viable way into the cellular-enabled iOS universe.  Full PR after the break.

Update: Apple’s gone ahead and matched AT&T’s low, low price of $49.99 for the 8GB iPhone 3GS.  I smell a new product release…is that you, Verizon iPhone?

[Via Engadget] Continue reading AT&T now offers iPhone 3GS for only $49.99 [Update: Apple, too]

Skype brings video calling to the iPhone

Today Skype updated its official iPhone app and version 3.0 brings with it video calling over WiFi and 3G.  Two-way Skype-to-Skype video calling can take place between two phones and between phones and computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux) at no charge.  In addition to the iPhone 4, the app is also compatible with the iPhone 3GS, the newest iPod touch, the third gen iPod touch, and the iPad all running iOS 4.0 or higher.  Since the latter two devices do not feature back and front-facing cameras they are restricted to only receiving video.  And note that since the 3GS does not pack a front-facing camera it will only broadcast video from the back-facing camera.

I gave the app a test drive and it worked flawlessly…over WiFi, that is.  With that stable connection I was able to successfully connect to a desktop Skype client and video chatting worked as advertised.  With the iPhone 4 you have the option to broadcast video from the front-facing camera and switch it to the back one on the fly, as well as options to mute the conversation and switch between portrait and landscape modes.  When I disabled WiFi and attempted an iPhone 4-to-desktop video chat the video appeared noticeably more pixelated and laggy until it decided to cut out completely and drop the call.  But that’s 3G for you; heck, at least it works.

The free Skype update is available to download now at the App Store.  Apple might have had a leg up on the video conferencing competition with FaceTime since iPhone 4’s introduction, but with Mac and Windows support–plus 3G support–plus a giant user base in the millions–Skype is enabling the futuristic functionality for a significantly larger community of iOS users.  Press release and (creepy) introductory demonstration video after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading Skype brings video calling to the iPhone

Apple products destroyed in the name of art

Digital-imaging and CGI artist Michael Tompert is fascinated by the destruction of Apple products.  Ever wonder what an iPad would like after a sledgehammer beating and torch treatment?  Your inquisitiveness get resolved in the image above titled “Book Burning.”  Sick and tired of antenna issues and feel like pounding your iPhone 4 with an eight pound sledgehammer?  Don’t do that–just flip through the gallery below and visualize it.  There you’ll also find “Breathe”, a MacBook Air with 12 rounds in it (damaged by a Heckler & Koch handgun); “Liquid Crystals”, a sledgehammered and torched MacBook; “You’re So 2000&L8”, a disfigured iPhone 3G; and “Caltrain Fatalities: Left Track/Right Track”, a rainbow of iPod nanos ran over by a train.

All of these disturbing images are part of Tompert’s 12LVE photography exhibit located at the WhiteSpace Gallery in Palo Alto, California.  “The images are large-scale yet microscopic, providing a canvas for contemplating our relationship with fetish, fashion, freedom, and bondage,” says Tompert.  The inspiration behind the gallery is rather simplistic; when Tompert got tired of his two sons fighting over an iPod touch, he took it from them and smash it on the floor.  “They were kind of stunned — the screen was broken and this liquid poured out of it. I got my camera to shoot it,” he told the LA Times.  “My wife told me that I should do something with it.”  And the rest, as they say, was history.

It’s important to note that Tompert is not anti-Apple; in fact he calls himself “an Apple fan from Day 1”.  If that doesn’t do it for you, he’s a former Apple graphics designer.

Again, take a look in the gallery below to gaze at the beautiful destruction and head over to Cult of Mac to gain insight into the making of the gallery.

[Via CNET]

Apple TV is about to hit the one million mark in units sold

Apple let out a press release yesterday excitedly stating that “it expects sales of its new Apple TV to top one million units later this week.”  Apple TV, mind you, only starting shipping three months ago.  The cheap price point ($99) and the general consumer shift to streaming content on the big screen are certainly the two major factors contributing to this sales figure.  Is the Apple TV still your pet “hobby”, Steve Jobs?  Huh!  Full PR, that is noticeably missing a quote from Jobs, sits after the break.

[Via Gizmodo] Continue reading Apple TV is about to hit the one million mark in units sold

iTunes song previews extend to 90 seconds in length

After many years of mediocre 30 second song previews, Apple now allows artists to upload 90 second previews.  Two restrictions apply: for the preview length increase the song must be 2 minutes and 30 seconds or longer, and lengthier previews only exist in the U.S. iTunes Store (for now).  The preview extension is very handy; purchasing decisions become easier when you have more time to demo a track.  Open up iTunes, head to the Store, and see if your favorite artists are embracing the positive change.

[Via AppleInsider; Engadget]

iTunes looks back at this year’s music sales, Train & Eminem top the charts

At the end of the year, Apple likes to tally up all the singles and albums purchased by iTunes Store customers.; they call it iTunes Rewind.  The 2010 Rewind best-sellers are Train and Eminem for single of the year (“Hey, Soul Sister”) and album of the year (“Recovery”), respectively.  In addition to Train, the top ten best-selling singles include tracks from Katy Perry, Eminem (2), B.o.B, Taio Cruz (2), Usher, Ke$ha, and Lady Antebellum.  The top ten best-selling albums include records from artists Ke$ha, Ladies Gaga and Antebellum, Taylor Swift, Drake, Mumford & Sons, The Black Eyed Peas, Jack Johnson, and Sade.  Before you jump after the break to look at the top ten lists, make some predictions to test your wits; it shouldn’t be that hard to guess what two single Taio Cruz made uber-popular this year.

iTunes Rewind covers more than the music category.  Apple also tallies up the best-selling TV shows, movies, podcasts, audiobooks, and apps.  And yes, it is safe to assume that the app featuring unwieldy birds and idle, snorting green pigs took home the top prize of best-selling paid app.  Click here to browse all the Rewind charts.

[Via iTunes] Continue reading iTunes looks back at this year’s music sales, Train & Eminem top the charts

SlingPlayer comes to iPad

Just one week after previewing SlingPlayer for iPad the developers at Sling Media pushed out the app into Apple’s App Store.  So if you own a SlingBox go and get it!

But not so fast!  There are two stipulations that must be discussed.  First, SlingPlayer for iPad is only compatible with Sling SOLO and Sling PRO-HD boxes; all the rest are left in the dust, unfortunately.  According to Engadget Sling will soon offer a $50 voucher for those who are itching to upgrade to a newer box.  What’s interesting is that SlingPlayer for iPhone has a wider compatibility range; it works with the aforementioned boxes and the SlingBox PRO.  And that brings me to point number two and more bad news.  If you already purchased the $29.99 app for iPhone, you’ll have to shell out another thirty bucks to use the iPad version of the same app.  Well, it’s not exactly the same app since the iPad version is tailored for a larger screen, but still.  Sling assures that users can use the iPhone app to stream content on the iPad in a “Compatibility Mode”, but these users will not experience the “higher quality resolutions” provided in the iPad version.  If I may quote Jigsaw from Saw, the choice is yours.  Full PR after the break.

[Via Engadget] Continue reading SlingPlayer comes to iPad

Apple-1 computer auctions off for $211,000

Earlier this month it was reported that a rare Apple-1 computer was going to be auctioned off at Christie’s in London.  Italian private collector Marco Boglione offered the highest and took away the ancient Apple-1 for a whopping  £133,250, or about $$211,535.  Back when Steves Jobs and Wozniak manufactured and distributed the Apple-1 it cost exactly $666.66, mind you.  But Boglione is a collector and certainly realizes how awesome it is to own the original Apple computer boxed up by current Apple CEO Steve Jobs back in 1976.  And this is a collector’s item–only 200 of these were made.  Wozniak was on hand at the auction event and signed a letter for the top bidder.  Now he has signatures from both Apple collaborators.  In addition to the computer parts, a letter to the original owner concluded with warm regards from a “Steven Jobs” was included with the auction item.  I still think this item belongs in a museum; oh well.

[Via Engadget; BBC]

Today in Apple news: iOS 4.2, Apple TV 4.1 get unleashed; MobileMe Find My iPhone feature goes free

If you are a proud owner of an iOS device today is your lucky day.  Apple has finally unleashed iOS 4.2, and it brings oh-so-much to the aging iPad and a handful of sweet features to the iPhone and iPod touch.  Here’s the laundry list of new features coming to the iPad: multitasking, folders (you can store up to 20 apps inside a folder), Game Center, and updates to Mail (Unified Inbox, fast inbox switching, a threaded message view).  In other words, it’s playing catch up with the iPhone and touch.  Also bear in mind that the physical toggle switch on the iPad’s side no longer acts as an orientation lock; now it’s a mute switch, just like it is on the iPhone.  The lock has been moved to the dock tray that also houses the iPod controls.  With the new update, all iOS devices will gain the ability to find and highlight specific words and phrases on web pages in Safari, select new fonts in Notes, beam video and audio with AirPlay, and print wirelessly with AirPrint.  Let’s talk about the latter two new features because they are exciting additions.  With AirPlay you can stream music, video, and photos wirelessly from your iOS device to Apple TV and AirPlay-enabled speakers.  On the video front, you can only stream files you’ve purchased from iTunes (or managed to convert to make playable in iTunes) and from YouTube.  If you try to beam video content from Netflix or the ABC app, for example, only the audio will cross over.  Bummer, I know.  If you want to print wirelessly with AirPrint, you must own a compatible printer; Apple says HP Photosmart, HP LaserJet Pro, and HP Officejet will be the first to support it.  iOS 4.2 is compatible with iPad, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, second and third generation iPod touch, and the latest iPod touch.  You’ll be prompted to update the next time you open iTunes.

Right on cue Apple TV owners received the 4.1 firmware update today, granting them the ability to harness the power of AirPlay.  That is, of course, if they also own a compatible iOS device.

Last, the MobileMe Find My iPhone feature no longer requires a MobileMe subscription to access and use.  Apple has turned it into an app, and it’s available in the App Store today.  In case you forgot, Find My iPhone helps you locate your missing device on a detailed map.  You can also have it display a message or play a sound to make finding your missing device easier.  And if you are forced to give up the search, you can remotely lock or wipe data from the lost device.  The free Find My iPhone feature is available for iPhone 4, iPad or new iPod touch (4th generation).

Look after the break for Apple’s PR.

[Via Engadget, herehere] Continue reading Today in Apple news: iOS 4.2, Apple TV 4.1 get unleashed; MobileMe Find My iPhone feature goes free