Apple emails developers to get ready for Developer ID and Gatekeeper

 

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Today, Apple sent an email to Mac Developers, who do not put their apps on the Mac App Store, and encouraged them to get ready for Gatekeeper:

Gatekeeper is a new feature in OS X Mountain Lion that helps protect users from downloading and installing malicious software. Signing your applications, plug-ins, and installer packages with a Developer ID certificate lets Gatekeeper verify that they are not known malware and have not been tampered with. Mac Developer Program members can sign applications with their Developer ID now to get ready for Gatekeeper.

The theory is that when Mountain Lion is released with the default setting to only install apps signed by Apple, many novice users will keep that setting and thereby only install apps from developers that Apple signed-off on.

However, as we have seen in the iOS App Store, developers can be malicious, steal data, or worse in rare occasions. In these instances, Apple would be able to shut off access to those applications from that developer.

Apple sent a similar email two months ago.

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(Via 9 to 5 Mac.)

Tweetbot Updated With New Gestures, Improvements, Storify And Droplr Integration

 

Tweetbot just got updated with some nice new features.

Popular iOS Twitter client Tweetbot has been updated with several new features and improvements in the App Store. Version 2.3 for iPhone and iPad is available now with more gestures, added timeline thumbnail support, and more. Storify and Droplr integration has also been included for sharing Twitter conversations and media/links with followers.

What’s New in Version 2.3

- New tweet detail view with inline conversations and replies (swipe right to left on a tweet for quick access)
- New gesture in tweet detail to get back to the timeline quickly (swipe left to right)
- New conversation view now contains both the conversation and replies (swipe left to right on a tweet for quick access)
- Ability to email conversations or post a link to them via Storify when in the conversation view
- Droplr Support
- Video thumbnails now have a “play” icon to differentiate it from image thumbnails
- Timeline sync bookmark icon is now an optional setting
- Reorganized tweet drawer (last two buttons have gone through some options reorganization)
- Added thumbnail support for Vimeo links
- Higher res image uploads when on wifi
- Hold down compose tweet button to quickly open last draft
- Support for $stock links
- Improved email format when sending tweets, DMs, or conversations as email
- Arabic Localization

The Droplr integration works like all of the other media sharing services in Tweetbot’s account settings pane. Storify can be used to export a string of tweets for the world to see.

Tweetbot’s tweet detail window has been improved with more details, like the ability to quickly see how many replies a certain tweet has collected. The conversation view has also been tinkered to show replies in a separated section of the window. Tweets shared over email will now be formatted more attractively as well.

Vimeo links in the timeline can now be viewed with preview thumbnails, like YouTube. Also, $stock tags can now be effectively used to track your favorite companies on Twitter.

The makers of Tweetbot, Tapbots, have included several minor improvements in this update that make the app an even more customizable Twitter experience. Hi-res images can now be uploaded with Tweetbot over WiFi, and and retweets from specific accounts can be hidden at any time.

Tweetbot 2.3 is available on the iPhone for $2.99 and the iPad for $2.99 in the App Store.

 

 

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(Via Cult of Mac.)

Microsoft Invests $300M Into Nook To Give Windows 8 Its Own iBooks

 

Microsoft's $300 million investment will see NOOK brought to Windows 8.

Microsoft has teamed up with Barnes & Noble with a $300 million investment that will create a new subsidiary focused on accelerating “the transition to e-reading.” Microsoft will take a 17.6% equity stake in a subsidiary, which is yet to be named, while Barnes & Noble will own the remaining 82.4%.

The move will provide Microsoft with its own answer to iBooks, with plans for a NOOK application that will run on Windows 8, and it’ll give users an alternative to the Kindle Store.

The huge $300 million investment will include some patents, according to Gizmodo. But the biggest attraction for Microsoft will undoubtedly be that NOOK app for Windows 8.

The company’s announcement notes that e-books are “revolutionizing the way people consume, create, share and enjoy digital content,” and right now, Microsoft doesn’t have its own platform; the likes of Apple, Amazon, and Google are leading the way.

A NOOK application will provide Windows 8 users with an alternative to these stores, and it’ll provide Microsoft with its own iBooks rival. Andy Lees, President at Microsoft, said that its investment will accelerate e-reading innovation across Windows 8 devices:

The shift to digital is putting the world’s libraries and newsstands in the palm of every person’s hand, and is the beginning of a journey that will impact how people read, interact with, and enjoy new forms of content.

Our complementary assets will accelerate e-reading innovation across a broad range of Windows devices, enabling people to not just read stories, but to be part of them. We’re at the cusp of a revolution in reading.

It will be interesting to see what else comes out of the deal, especially if you’re a Windows user.

 

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(Via Cult of Mac.)

Peter Jackson unfazed by 'Hobbit' footage pushback, but will stick to 24 fps for trailers

 

Calm down, cinema-goers. It just takes time to "settle in" to the strange new ultra-realistic world of high frame-rates, according to Peter Jackson, who's been responding to audience's rather strong panning of 48fps rough cuts from his upcoming 3D epic, Hobbit. Viewers' main beefs were the surprising appearance of the higher cadence footage, which almost looked like it was shot on video, as well as blemishes on actors and sets which were all-too-visible without the crutch of motion blur. But Jackson insists that the footage lacked special effects and color correction, and that the showing was perhaps too short to judge the frame-rate -- which is why he also says there'll be no 48 fps trailer. He even adds that he's now "very aware of the strobing, the flicker and the artifacts" when he's watching regular 24fps cinema -- so the real struggle for audiences might not be adjusting to the new way, but going back to the old.

 

 

 

 

 

(Via Engadget.)

Blizzard posts Diablo III ‘Evil is Back’ TV spot

Blizzard recently wrapped up a Diablo III open beta weekend to stress test the game’s servers, and today they are once again building anticipation for the upcoming title with a new TV spot. Diablo III is headed to Macs next month on May 15, and preorders are already open here.

The Lord of Terror has begun his demonic crusade to shackle YouTube viewers into unholy slavery. Watch our new TV spot now, and prepare for your journey into the depths of Sanctuary on 05.15.12.

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(Via 9 to 5 Mac.)

Don’t hate the player, hate the game -NYTimes’ ‘How Apple Sidesteps Billions in Taxes’

 

The NYTimes delves into a divisive subject in American politics right now: Tax avoidance. Apple, like most international companies, sidesteps many California, US, European, etc taxes by using tax havens like Nevada, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Virgin Islands.

The problem for the protagonists is that this is all very legal and practiced by just about every multi-national company in the interest of remaining competitive and maximizing stockholder share. Like most matters of this sort, the problem lies with the laws and loopholes that allow this to happen.  Big companies spend a lot of money on lobbyists making sure that those loopholes don’t get closed.

What may not be terribly patriotic is Apple, Google, Cisco and other’s lobbying efforts against paying US taxes on repatriating their overseas earnings.  Apple currently has $74B overseas and a “tax holiday” on bringing that money and over $1 trillion from other companies back into the US could cost the U.S. federal government $79B, according to the report. (Great Graphic at Bloomberg on why the $1T holiday is likely going to happen)

Apple responded to the Times below:

 

Apple, in a statement, said it “has conducted all of its business with the highest of ethical standards, complying with applicable laws and accounting rules.” It added, “We are incredibly proud of all of Apple’s contributions.”

Apple “pays an enormous amount of taxes, which help our local, state and federal governments,” the statement also said. “In the first half of fiscal year 2012, our U.S. operations have generated almost $5 billion in federal and state income taxes, including income taxes withheld on employee stock gains, making us among the top payers of U.S. income tax.”

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(Via 9 to 5 Mac.)

How to Use Focus & Exposure Lock with the iPhone Camera

 

You probably know that tapping once on the screen within the Camera app will cause the iPhone to automatically focus and adjust exposure to that region, but if you’re trying to take a picture with challenging lighting or depth conditions the auto adjustments are not always ideal. Instead, use focus and exposure lock to get the exact lighting and focus you want out of a picture:

1. Open the Camera app and aim it at whatever you want to take a picture of
2. Tap and hold on the region of the screen where you want focus and exposure to be locked onto
3. When “AE/EF Lock” appears on the bottom of the screen, the focus and lighting lock is set

You can take a picture right away, but once the lock is set you are free to move the camera around and the lighting and depth settings will stay the same. Tap elsewhere on the screen again at any time to release the AE/EF lock.

The end result of how pictures turn out can be dramatic, especially in situations where lighting matters. In the example picture up top, the left side shot is how the iPhone wanted to automatically set the lighting, and the right side shows the result of locking onto the lightbulb.

Auto-focus and auto-exposure can be stacked with zoom, and it should work on the newest iPad and iPod touch camera too.

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(Via OS X Daily.)

Just Over A Year Later, The Mac App Store Hits 10,000 Apps

 

It’s clear that developers are a pretty skittish bunch when it comes to shifting gears to a new model of application distributions, especially when it’s replacing a trusted and true model like selling your apps in your own web store. Based on today’s findings, it doesn’t seem like many developers are worried about Apple‘s Mac App Store as a primary distribution model however, the Mac App Store now has more than 10,000 application available in the market place.

From Macgenereation, and translated from French to English using Google Translate:

The Mac App Store was launched January 6, 2011 with 1,000 applications. Apple release last December of the 100 million downloads by his shop. By comparison, the App Store for iOS it contains 600 000 applications – 200 000 for iPad . The iTunes Store, there are 28 million pieces that are available.

The Mac App Store is no iOS App Store, but given the fact that the Mac App Store is trying to change the app download paradigm for a technology that’s been around for generations, it’s doing a lot better than we would have assumed. What’s really interesting about the numbers is that the iOS App Store is blowing the Mac App Store out of the water comparatively. We’re standing at a technology cross roads, and it’s really starting to look obvious that Apple chose the right path when they decided to focus so heavily on the iPhone and iPad.

 

Macgasm - Apple Tips, Apple News, Apple Everything.

 

 

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(Via Macgasm.)

This Is Who Will Play The Woz In Upcoming Steve Jobs Biopic

 

Josh Gad is set to star alongside Ashton Kutcher and play Steve Jobs in the upcoming indie biopic.

Josh Gad, star of the Broadway musical Book of Mormon, is reportedly in talks to play Steve Wozniak alongside Ashton Kutcher in Jobs, the independent Steve Jobs biopic coming later this year.

The Hollywood Reporter reports that Gad is currently “circling” the role in the movie, which will be produced and financed by Five Star Institute’s Mark Hulme. Filming is set to begin in May, according to the report, and Joshua Michael Stern will be its director.

The movie is expected to focus on Jobs’s life between 1971 and 2000, detailing his early years at Apple and then his triumphant return to the company in 1996. Of course, Steve Wozniak played a big part in founding Apple alongside Jobs, designing the operating systems and circuitry for the company’s earliest computers, and so Gad’s role in the picture is likely to be a significant one.

Gad last film appearance was in Love and Other Drugs.

[via AppleInsider]

 

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(Via Cult of Mac.)

Apple sued over iPad cover

 

A Colorado man says Apple’s smart cover for for the new iPad and the iPad 2 violate his 2005 patent for a “Portable Computer Case.”

Aspen resident Jerald Bovino filed a lawsuit in federal court asking Apple and retailer Target to pay royalties for using his technology.

The claim is based on US patent 6,977,809 which describes an “integral case” that attaches to a computer. The patent says the invention is useful for situations like airport X-ray lines.

The iPad Smart Cover, which sells for $39.95, attaches to Apple tablets with a magnet and covers the screen.

The Bovino patent refers to a series of ribs on the case that protect the device:

The iPad smart cover also contains ribs (though this doesn’t mean it is infringing):

The patent was issued in 2005, six years before Apple unveiled the iPad 2 and its cover.

In a coincidence, the Patently Apple blog reported this week that the company  received a design patent for the iPad cover.

Bovino may have his hands full as Apple has many intellectual property veterans in its legal team. The company may claim Bovino’s patent is invalid because it is obvious or not new.

Here’s a copy of the complaint:

iPad Cover Lawsuit Copyhttp://www.scribd.com/embeds/91519900/content?start_page=1&view_mode=list&access_key=key-25q7o3hifo9auxs65h9

 

 

 

 

 

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(Via TheAppleBlog – Apple and iOS News, Tips and Reviews.)

Apple Cancels WWDC Orders For Developers Who Purchased More Than One Ticket

 

Apple has taken drastic measure to stop WWDC ticket touts this year. Has your order been cancelled?

Apple has emailed a number of developers who scrambled to purchase tickets for its Worldwide Developers Conference this June to tell them that their order has been cancelled. Anyone who purchased more than one $1,600 ticket on their credit card is likely to find that their order is “not eligible,” but a phone call to the Cupertino company could rectify the issue.

The problem stems from Apple’s no transfer policy for WWDC 2012 tickets, which prevents people from purchasing them at $1,600 and then selling them on for a huge profit. With tickets gone in less than two hours this year, ticket touting was likely to become big business.

To prevent it, Apple has been canceling all orders that apple for more than one ticket on the same credit card. The problem is, this prevents genuine customers from purchasing additional tickets for their friends or colleagues, and more importantly, it prevents businesses from purchasing tickets in bulk for their employees.

However, Apple realizes that there are customers who have a genuine need for more than one ticket. Some devlopers who had their orders cancelled were able to get them reinstated again by calling Apple and explaining the situation. One wrote on Twitter:

Apple are reinstating them if a company is booking multiple on the same card but for different people.

If you’re not a company, you may have a hard time convincing Apple that your extra ticket is for a friend and not for sale on eBay. But it’s still worth a shot.

[via The Next Web]

 

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(Via Cult of Mac.)

New iPad launches in 9 more countries today

 

Earlier this month Apple launched the new iPad in South Korea and 11 other countries, and today the company continues its international launch of the device with an additional nine countries. At Apple’s Q2 2012 earnings call this week, the company reported iPad sales of 11.8 million for the quarter and $6.6 billion in revenue from iPad and accessories. It also reported tremendous growth for iPhone in China, which is one country that is not included in today’s international rollout:

Beginning on Friday, April 27, the new iPad will be available in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

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(Via 9 to 5 Mac.)

Another Apple executive heads to J.C. Penney

Another Apple employee has left for J.C. Penney. Benjamin Fay, who was Apple's senior director of retail real estate, design and development, will head up that department with J.C. Penney. Fay had led the design team responsible for upholding Apple's brand image at its retail stores.

Fay's new boss will be former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson. Both men were noted on the recent issue of a patent for the Shanghai Apple Store design. Last fall, it was reported that Johnson was looking to bring over more Apple employees as he works to repair J.C. Penney's battered brand.

[Via AppleInsider]

 

(Via TUAW -- The Unofficial Apple Weblog.)

Analyst now says Apple will be a $1 trillion company…next year

 

On Tuesday, Apple announced another set of record earnings, which elevated the company’s stock price by huge numbers. Apple is continuing to boom as the company with the world’s highest market cap while it smashes analyst predictions. We have heard a few analysts claim that Apple could hit $1,000 per-share by the end of the year, but those estimates are being raised after Tuesday’s earning call. According to Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White (via AllThingsD), Apple will become a $1 trillion company in the next year.

To become a $1 trillion company, Apple would have to hit a stock price of $1,072. White is setting his target at $1,111 per share during 2013; although, White previously said $1,001 was his target. Apple is currently a $570 billion company, priced at $608 per-share.

With the announcement of the new iPhone, new Macs, and iOS 6 this year, I would not doubt that this is possible for Apple. It will be very interesting to see what this company can achieve over the next year.

 

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(Via 9 to 5 Mac.)

How to Beam Photos Between iOS Devices Using iPhoto

 

iPhoto for iOS has a great feature that lets you wirelessly beam pictures from one iOS device to another, this means that if you’re editing a photo on an iPad you can immediately send it over to an iPhone and vice versa, without ever leaving the app.

1. Launch iPhoto on both iOS devices
2. Tap the gear icon in the lower right corner and tap to turn on Wireless Beaming
3. Now tap the photo or picture album that you want to beam, tap the arrow icon at the top of the screen, and choose “Beam”
4. Confirm the pictures to wirelessly beam, then tap the recipient iOS device and tap “Beam Photos”
5. From the receiving iOS device, tap “Yes” to start receiving the beamed photos

You will need Location Services enabled to use beaming with iPhoto, this is usually on by default but can be turned on quickly through general iOS Settings > Location Services.

iPhoto isn’t the only way to move pictures between iOS devices though, with iCloud enabled and Photo Stream, pictures taken on one device will appear automatically on each device using the same iCloud account, and pictures can also be sent through iMessage or a group of photos can be sent with email. The latter two options also work to send pictures between iOS and OS X, though preferably a future version of iPhoto for Mac will include the same beam option.

If you don’t have it, iPhoto is $5 on the App Store and comes as a universal app, meaning the same version will run on all compatible iOS devices.

 

 

 

 

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(Via OS X Daily.)