MacRumors

Last week, The Omni Group released a program called OmniKeyMaster that would allow users who purchased older Mac App Store versions of the company's software to purchase discounted upgrades in the future, directly from the company.

Today, the company said it would be unable to offer upgrades to Mac App Store customers because of Apple's App Store policies.

My apologies: I’m afraid we will not be able to offer upgrade pricing to our Mac App Store customers after all. So long as we continue to sell our apps through the Mac App Store, we are not allowed to distribute updates through other channels to apps which were purchased from the App Store.

We still feel upgrade pricing is important for customers purchasing serious productivity software, since the initial value received from purchasing an app like OmniGraffle or OmniPlan is much different from the incremental value of upgrading that app from version 5.0 to version 6.0. We will continue to ask Apple to support upgrade pricing in the App Store, and I would encourage others to do the same—but until that happens, upgrade pricing will only be available to customers who buy our apps direct from our online store.

A number of developers have asked Apple for the ability to offer upgrade pricing to purchasers -- a very common software pricing strategy -- but the App Store requires that upgrades either be offered for free to existing owners, or sold as a completely separate offering on the App Store, at the same price for all customers, new and old.

Red Sweater Software's Daniel Jalkut called the move a "chilling message from Apple" and filed a bug report with Apple requesting upgrade pricing support for the App Store:

The impact of Apple's continued lack of support for upgrade pricing has been increased by an apparent effort on Apple's part to enforce 3rd party developers trying to accommodate upgrade pricing through their own means:

http://www.omnigroup.com/blog/entry/update-no-upgrade-pricing-for-mac-app-store-purchases

Most of us Mac developers are loyal Apple fans who would like to support the Mac App Store and keep our customers who purchased on the Mac App Store within that system. By not supporting an upgrade mechanism for these customers Apple leaves us in a position where we're forced to either treat Mac App Store customers as 2nd class customers or to forego across the board the expected compensation for major upgrades to our applications.

Apple has moved away from upgrade pricing in recent years, choosing instead to slash the prices of its major software titles instead of offering discounts for current owners. Final Cut Pro X, for example, costs $299 while its prior version was $999.

A new video comparing the purported shell of the second-generation iPad mini to the existing iPad mini and the upcoming fifth-generation iPad has surfaced on YouTube. Shared by Unbox Therapy, the shell, which has been previously seen in photos, has a form factor that is nearly identical to the existing iPad mini.

The only difference between the two shells is the mirrored silver Apple logo on the back of the second-generation mini, which is similar to the mirrored finish seen on prototype fifth-generation iPads shells. The current white and silver iPad mini has a black Apple logo.

While the next iPad mini will not feature any design changes, it is expected to be a major upgrade to the existing iPad mini due to the inclusion of a much-desired Retina screen.

The video also provides a comparison of the mini shell alongside a fifth-generation iPad shell, giving a clear look at the mini-style redesign of the next full-sized iPad. The fifth-generation iPad appears to be as thin as the iPad mini, and the size difference between the two tablets is smaller, with the iPad mini measuring in at 20cm in height and the fifth-generation iPad measuring 24cm tall.

Apple's fifth-generation iPad has been long rumored to share multiple visual cues with the iPad mini, featuring a rounded shell, narrower side bezels, and a more compact design. Apple is expected to unveil both the second-generation iPad mini and the fifth-generation iPad later this year.

Samsung today announced its Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, a wearable device that features a 1.63-inch 320 x 320 resolution AMOLED touchscreen, built-in speakers, and a 1.9-megapixel camera in the strap. It has an 800MHz processor, 4GB of storage, and 512MB of RAM.

Samsung’s watch will support voice control with S Voice and is able to make and receive calls and video memos. Designed as a companion for the newly introduced Galaxy Note 3 and new Note 10.1, the Galaxy Gear also notifies wearers of text messages and other updates. It does not function on its own, requiring a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to work.

The Galaxy Gear is not currently compatible with Samsung devices beyond the Note 3 and 10.1 as it runs Android 4.3, but it will support 70 third-party applications at launch, including popular offerings like Evernote and Path, along with many health oriented apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal.

It includes a pedometer to measure fitness levels, an accelerometer, and a 315 mAh battery that provides up to one day of regular use, according to Samsung reps that spoke to Engadget.

Poor battery life is said to be one of the main factors that Apple is working to overcome with its own iWatch, which is currently in development. In March, a report suggested that Apple had yet to reach its target goal of four to five days of battery life for the device.

The Verge went hands-on with the Galaxy Gear, criticizing the battery life and finding it to be "bulkier than the Pebble" with a "tangible lag."

There are a couple of significant downsides that temper my enthusiasm for the new Gear. First and foremost is the speed and intuitiveness of the user interface — or rather, the lack thereof. There’s a tangible lag to anything you do with the Gear, while the swipe gestures are hard to figure out and do different things depending on where you are in the menus.

Samsung promises "about a day" of endurance from the Gear, but by the end of our briefing with the company, the cameras on most of its demo units were refusing to turn on due to the watches running low on power.

Samsung is offering the Galaxy Gear in six different colors, including Jet Black, Mocha Gray, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green. It will also come with 10 different clock options with more choices available for download.

"I believe it will become a new fashion icon around the world," said Samsung CEO JK Shin.

The Galaxy Gear will be launched alongside the Galaxy Note 3 in 140 countries beginning on September 25 and will be available worldwide in October. It will be priced at $299.

Apple has been working to expand its iAd team over the past month, posting job listings for dozens of positions just as the company prepares to launch its iTunes Radio streaming music service, notes Ad Age. Apple's iAd team is handling advertising for the new service and has reportedly already signed up a number of high-profile brands to advertise on the service from its launch.

Apple had posted five iAd-related jobs to its own job board and another 35 to LinkedIn just in the month of August as of Friday. The openings are for a variety of jobs including account coordinators, ad design managers, project managers and engineers who will create new rich media ads for iAd.

In addition, Apple appears to be hiring ad execs with creative experience to help brands and agencies create better ads for its expanding iAd advertising network.

The report specifically highlights a creative design manager position intended to bridge account management and user experience functions, and while it says that the mid-August job posting was taken down last week, it appears to have been reposted by Apple last Friday.

As a head of the design and creative technology team, the Creative Manager supervises Designers and Creative Technologist and participates in the user experience and design execution of advertising campaigns on the iAd Network. [...]

Working with cross functional teams of engineers and producers, you will be working with our agency partners, defining the best experiences in advertising for the iAd Network while pushing the limits of creative and technical platform. Your ability to be creative and resourceful in problem solving while working effectively with a range of technical backgrounds is extremely important in this position.

According to previous reports, iTunes Radio listeners will be served an audio ad roughly every 15 minutes, with a video ad coming once per hour at times when the user is likely to be looking at his or her device. Subscribers to Apple's $25/year iTunes Match service will be able to listen to iTunes Radio without ads. iTunes Radio will be available only in the United States at its launch alongside iOS 7 later this month, with expansion to other countries coming over time.

Following last week's introduction of Parallels Desktop 9, VMware has announced the launch its new VMware Fusion 6 virtualization software, adding support for OS X Mavericks and Windows 8.1, as well as a number of other new features.

- Designed for Mac OS X Mavericks - Extend the unique features of Mavericks to a Windows environment, such as taking full advantage of every display connected to a Mac with multiple display support and enhanced dictation support in Windows applications.

- Ready for Windows 8.1 - Get the most out of Windows 8.1 by running Windows Store applications side-by-side with Mac applications. With VMware Fusion 6, users can access Windows Store applications in Launchpad or the Applications folder and put them in the Dock in Unity mode.

- Optimized for the Latest Macs - VMware Fusion 6 is optimized for the latest Macs taking advantage of Intel's latest Haswell processors for even better battery life and even faster performance when running Windows applications.

- Create the Most Powerful Virtual Machines - Create virtual machines with support for up to 16 vCPUs, 8 TB virtual disks, and up to 64 GB of memory to run the most demanding Windows applications on a Mac.

- Enhanced User Interface - From its streamlined user experience and improved PC migration assistant, to easier installation of Windows and more granular selection of computer resources, everything has been enhanced to give users an even better way to run Windows on a Mac.

A more advanced VMware Fusion 6 Professional version is also available, adding greater flexibility for restricting and expiring virtual machines, linked clones for easily creating multiple copies of virtual machines, and more.

Available through the VMware Store, VMware Fusion 6 is priced at $59.99 while VMware Fusion 6 Professional is priced at $129.99. Users upgrading from version 4 or 5 can receive discounted pricing of $49.99/$69.99, while any customers who purchased VMware Fusion 5 on or after August 1 can receive a free upgrade to version 6.

YouTube channel Unbox Therapy has posted a new video showing what appears to be the rear shell and front panel of the next-generation iPad, with size comparisons to the current full-size iPad. The enclosure in the video is consistent with previous leaks including a set of photos last week also claiming to be of the front panel and digitizer of the next generation iPad.

The new video, which offers a good overview of the parts, also highlights the separate up and down volume buttons on the side of the upcoming device, refined speakers, and an overall narrower design measuring two-thirds of an inch less than the current model.

Various leaks pertaining to Apple's full-sized iPad have surfaced in recent months, including photos of the tablet's silver rear shell as well as additional photos of the black iPad 5's front components. The new design takes strong design cues from the iPad mini, with Apple also reportedly using the same touch panel technology as in the iPad mini to reduce size and weight.

Apple will reportedly release the thinner full-size iPad and the next-generation iPad mini in the final three months of the year. The company is holding an iPhone media event on September 10, but it will not include the introduction of the refreshed iPad line.

Following its distribution of media invitations for its September 10 iPhone event yesterday, Apple sent out a second batch of invitations to members of the Chinese media for a separate event in Beijing, according to Sina [Google Translate]. The design of the invitation matches that of the one sent out for Apple's Cupertino event, although it is unclear whether the Beijing event will cover separate China-specific announcements such as a rumored China Mobile deal or if it will simply be a recap of Cupertino event. The Beijing event takes place at 10:00 AM local time, nine hours after Apple's Cupertino event begins.

Apple's Cupertino event is expected to see that launch of a new flagship iPhone 5S and a lower-cost iPhone 5C that will have internal components similar to the iPhone 5 encased in new colored plastic shells. In a report last month, the iPhone 5C was projected to give Apple a "huge boost" in China, with its lower cost making it an attractive choice for the market.

A potential deal between Apple and China Mobile has reportedly been in the works for some time, with Apple CEO Tim Cook and China Mobile CEO Xi Guohua reportedly meeting in July to discuss the matter. Last month, Mr. Xi told Reuters that "both sides sounded keen" during recent talks, adding that he was optimistic about a potential deal.

Additionally, a report from late last month claimed that the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will launch in China on November 28, more than two months later than the expected launch of the phones in the first wave of markets. The delay would be due to the verification process by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that all new devices must go through.

Update: AllThingsD reports that the Beijing event is simply one of three satellite gatherings related to the main event in Cupertino, with other gatherings taking place in Berlin and Tokyo. The Beijing event will presumably occur nine hours after the Cupertino event to offer a more reasonably timed alternative to the live event, which will take place at 1:00 AM Beijing time.

These satellite launches will be held in Berlin, Tokyo and Beijing, and will feature a video stream or replay of the Cupertino event along with some other content. They’re not an entirely new occurrence; Apple has done them before in London and Tokyo. That said, this is the first time the company has ever held a satellite launch event in China, one of its most important markets.

Apple might be planning to unveil an upgraded Apple TV or similar television-related product at its upcoming September 10 iPhone event, according to global trade intelligence platform Panjiva (via GigaOM).

The company has shared three bills of lading from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that show Apple accepted three shipments labeled as "Set Top Boxes" during the month of August from one of its suppliers, BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China.

On August 25th, Apple received a shipment described as "Set Top Box with Communication Function" from BYD Precision Manufacture in Shenzhen, China.

On August 18th, Apple received another shipment, again from BYD, described as "Set Top Boxes."

And on August 11th, Apple received its first shipment from BYD of "Set Top Box with Communication Function."

The shipments, received on August 11, 18, and 25, ranged in size from seven to 18 tons. Though the weight of the shipments were recorded, no information about the size or the dimension of the contents were noted, nor was a model number offered, so it is unclear what the boxes contain. An existing Apple TV weighs approximately one pound, which means the three shipments could contain approximately 90,000 Apple TVs.

According to Panjiva, Apple last received a "set top box" shipment in December of 2012 from Foxconn, which turned out to be a shipment of the third-generation Apple TVs with a model number of A1427. It seems, however, that there may be missing records as Apple reported selling more than two million Apple TVs during the holiday quarter of 2012, likely necessitating regular shipments of the product.

Based on the historical lack of shipment records and the total size of the received shipments, it is unclear whether the records shared by Panjiva hint at a new product or if they simply reference a standard shipment of the existing Apple TV. Apple often shifts its supplies and suppliers, and BYD Precision Manufacture is a relatively new partner for the company. Apple has received just four shipments in total from BYD, the three "set top box" shipments and one shipment labeled "PC Portable" on August 18.

While it could be a standard product shipment, the Apple TV is due for an update. It was last refreshed in March of 2012, though the current Apple TV did receive a smaller A5 chip earlier this year. It is also possible that Apple is planning to introduce an entirely new product, though it is unlikely to be the much rumored Apple-branded television set.

Over the past several months, Apple has been working to fortify its Apple TV content offerings by introducing a number of new channels. In June, WatchESPN, HBO GO, Sky News, Crunchyroll, and Quello were added, and in August, Apple debuted channels for Vevo, the Smithsonian, and Disney. Deals with TWC and The CW are also said to be in the works.

Apple has seeded the seventh Developer Preview of OS X Mavericks to developers, nearly three weeks after the release of the sixth Developer Preview. Registered developers can receive the update via the Software Update tool in the Mac App Store.

OS X Mavericks, which is expected to be released this fall, includes multiple new features like a tabbed Finder, full screen dual monitor capabilities, Safari improvements, and a new Maps app.