Dropbox today released an update for its Mac client, offering a redesigned drop down interface and improved file sharing capabilities.
With version 2.0 of Dropbox, users can share files with one another using a link from the Desktop menu. File sharing notifications are sent out in real time, to the desktop application and the iOS app.
Introducing a shiny new feature: a new tray popup that combines the old tray menu features with a timeline of the most important sharing events in your Dropbox. For instance, if someone shares a link with you, you can now see it immediately!
Moreover, if someone shares a folder with you, you can now accept or decline the invitation directly from your desktop. Not only are you notified of these events in real time, but you can easily get to them later. Also, files recently edited are made available so you can easily view or share them.
The interface has been updated to facilitate the simplified file sharing process, adding the ability to accept or decline invitations to files and folders via the desktop.
Dropbox 2.0.0 is available immediately and can be downloaded for free from the Dropbox website. Dropbox’s iOS app is expected to be updated later today.
Quartz reports that Apple is moving closer to announcing a plan to return additional value to shareholders, likely acting "this spring" to either increase its dividend or repurchase additional stock from investors. The move comes amid increased public scrutiny of Apple's plans for its cash as vocal hedge fund manager David Einhorn has been pressing the company to return more money to investors.
Apple’s zeroing in on a dividend or buyback was in the works before Einhorn made his complaints public in February, although some of the sources say Apple increased the size of its plan after Einhorn’s comments. And although Apple CEO Tim Cook publicly called Einhorn’s lawsuit a “silly sideshow,” the company found his idea of preferred shares “interesting,” sources said. If it decides against a share buyback, Apple could either raise its existing dividend, which the company started paying this year, or issue a special dividend.
Apple's existing plan announced a year ago involves a quarterly $2.65 per share dividend and a $10 billion stock buyback program intended to offset the issuance of new shares for employee compensation. That plan was projected to cost Apple $45 billion over three years, but the company's cash holdings continue to grow.
Just last week, Warren Buffett suggested that a stock buyback would offer the biggest impact for Apple given the fall in the company's stock price from a high of over $700 last September to $430 today. As long as Apple believes that its stock is undervalued at current prices, Buffett argues that if the company can "buy dollar bills for 80 cents, it's a very good thing to do."
Quartz's report suggests that an announcement regarding additional dividends or stock buybacks could come alongside a product launch, although Apple's plans for any potential product-focused events over the next few months remain murky. Apple would also likely prefer to separate any financial discussions from a product launch, giving full focus to the new products while scheduling a separate conference call focused on investors and analysts to discuss its cash plans as it did when it announced the current program last year.
According to a new report from research firm IDC, tablets running Google's Android operating system are poised to overtake the iPad during the course of 2013.
A surge of low cost Android-based tablets has prompted IDC to forecast worldwide tablet shipments of 190.9 million, an increase from its previous estimate of 172.4 million.
48.8% of those are expected to run Google's operating system, giving Android the plurality of the tablet marketshare by the end of the year. In comparison, Apple is expected to retain just 46% of the tablet market, while Windows and Windows RT will make up 4.7% of overall tablet shipments.
In 2012, Apple's share of the market was 51% while Android's was just 41.5%.
"One in every two tablets shipped this quarter was below 8 inches in screen size. And in terms of shipments, we expect smaller tablets to continue growing in 2013 and beyond," said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst for IDC's Tablet Tracker.
"Vendors are moving quickly to compete in this space as consumers realize that these small devices are often more ideal than larger tablets for their daily consumption habits."
By 2017, IDC forecasts that Android will have 46% of the market with Apple falling further behind with 43.5%. It is important to note that IDC's estimates are based on shipments rather than sales. Android's larger share of low cost tablet shipments may not translate into greater direct consumer sales.
IDC’s newest report corroborates its January findings, where Apple's share of the market slipped to 43.6% in the fourth quarter of 2012, a significant decrease from its 51.7% share in the fourth quarter of 2011 despite increased iPad shipments overall.
One week after the previous seed, Apple today released a new build of OS X 10.8.3 to developers. The latest version, which arrives as build 12D78, represents the 13th developer seed since Apple began developer testing last November.
As with previous builds, Apple is asking developers to focus their testing on AirPlay, AirPort, Game Center, Graphics Drivers, and Safari.
We had previously heard that Apple was seeding the prior 12D76 build to employees, suggesting that a public release might be imminent, but it seems that Apple is continuing to make final tweaks to the operating system update.
Earlier this week, we opened up the newly tweaked Apple TV to find a remarkably small A5 chip inside rather than an A5X as had been suspected from the device's software posted by Apple over a month ago.
Since that time, we've been talking with chip experts at Chipworks and Silicon-IP about the possibilities and have confirmed that, unlike in the previous Apple TV, this even smaller A5 does not use a stacked chip design involving the DRAM. We were unable to identify the chip to the left of the A5 in our unit due to illegible markings, but Chipworks has cracked open another unit and discovered Elpida DRAM in that location.
Size comparison of 2012 A5 die with 2013 die
Despite continued rumors that Apple has been working very hard to transition away from Samsung for production of A-series chips, it appears that Apple has not yet been able to make that step on a mass production basis, as this new smaller A5 is still being fabbed by Samsung.
Chipworks has confirmed the die size of this new A5 at 6.1 mm x 6.2 mm, making it just over half the size of the 8.19 mm by 8.68 mm die in the previous version and less than a third the size of the original A5 introduced in the iPad 2 two years ago.
Despite confirmation that this new A5 chip is being manufactured by Samsung, Chipworks is still working to confirm the process node for the chip.
Is this new A5 a pipe-cleaner for TSMC in a lower volume (and risk) device? Is this new A5 a lower cost variant that we will see in new lower end phones from Apple? Is it a shrink from Samsung’s 32-nm process to their 28-nm? All were speculated upon, and this time around we can deny the first rumor by confirming that the chip has die markings consistent with the continued use of Samsung as the foundry partner. With respect to the second rumor, we can provide our $.02 that we do expect to see this chip in future Apple devices (such as a possible phone or iPod) because that behavior would be consistent with what they have done in the past. As for the die shrink, the math tells us that the size reduction is more than a simple shrink – some functionality has changed too. We’ll have to wait for the cross-section to see if it is fabbed on the smaller process.
Chipworks' Jim Morrison notes that it is unclear exactly what Apple's larger plans are for this chip, given that the Apple TV is not a high-enough volume product to justify creation of the new chip, so it is possible that Apple intends to use this A5 as a smaller, cheaper, and more power efficient chip for its rumored lower-cost iPhone or perhaps the next-generation of iPod touch. Apple made a similar move last year with the 32-nanometer A5, launching it in the Apple TV and a tweaked iPad 2 before rolling it out on a larger scale in the iPad mini and iPod touch later in the year.
Morrison also notes that, despite this new A5 being manufactured by Samsung, it could still be part of a pipe cleaner run to prepare for a move to TSMC, serving as a reference and fallback option for Apple as TSMC builds its own versions of it.
Also unclear is why Apple is not using a stacked DRAM design for this latest A5, although Silicon-IP's Kurt Wolf suggests that the company may simply still be lining up the process for building it with a package-on-package design. With the Apple TV having ample board space for the separate packages, Apple had little need to wait for a more compact stacked design.
Update 11:22 AM: Chipworks has now confirmed that the new A5 chip still uses the same 32-nanometer process seen on the previous generation, meaning that this nearly 50% smaller chip is truly a new device and not simply a shrink of the earlier design. Chipworks will have more information once it is able to obtain polysilicon die photos to view the layout of the chip.
Australian airline Qantas is handing out iPads with access to its Wi-Fi-streamed in-flight entertainment service Q Streaming, reports AFP (via AppleInsider).
The iPad-based service was first tested on a single 767 in 2011, offering streaming access to over 200 hours of movies, TV shows and music, and is now being introduced on its 767 flights operating between Sydney and Honolulu. Later updates will introduce interactive games, digital newspapers, magazines as well as travel and business apps.
Our inflight entertainment programs are stored on a content server with over 18 times the storage capacity of a 64GB tablet.
These programs are streamed wirelessly to Wi-Fi enabled devices via six wireless access points installed along the aircraft’s ceiling.
No other aircraft in Australia is fitted with this technology. You can now choose from a library of TV and audio content never before available to the Australian domestic traveller.
The Q Streaming iPad available in your seat pocket will automatically connect to the wireless network when you turn it on.
While the move might sound expensive, the reality is that tablet-based entertainment may save money. A report last year in USA Today observed that traditional seat-back entertainment systems can cost $3 million or more per plane, with the figure rising dramatically for the recently-introduced A380 double-decker.
Emirates Airline, for example, spends an average of $15,000 per seat on embedded screens. For an Airbus A380 with 517 seats, the total cost to install seat-back monitors would be approximately $7.8 million. And that doesn't include the content.
"It is the most expensive thing after the engines," says Patrick Brannelly, vice president of product, publishing, digital and events for Emirates. "It is a ginormous investment by the airline. But it's one that's paid off, because the airline has done very well."
Seat-back entertainment systems are also heavy, increasing fuel usage. Rob Fyfe, CEO of Air New Zealand, says that every pound of weight on board an airliner costs the airline $200 a year in fuel. Tablets are significantly lighter.
Seatback entertainment costs have further increased as screen sizes have grown larger in premium cabins, with the typical 12-inch screens in Economy growing to 20-inch in Business and 27-inch in First. Airlines have increasingly been introducing tablets into the entertainment mix, with British Airways, El Al and American Airlines all using them. Most have so far limited their tablet offerings to premium cabins, however, while Qantas will be handing out iPads in Economy also.
Mary Kirby, editor-in-chief of the Airline Passenger Experience Association magazine, says she expects any move away from setback systems to be a gradual one. The idea of buying aircraft without them is, she says, "almost like buying a car without a radio."
iMore Editor-in-Chief Rene Ritchie has written a worthwhile opinion piece arguing that part of Apple's challenge in maintaining its performance in an increasingly competitive smartphone market is the predictability of its "tick-tock" strategy of a major iPhone release every other year and an 'S' refresh on the years in between.
Ritchie, whose close sources within Apple led him to report the Lightning connector several months before it was released and correctly predict both the iPad mini launch date and the announcement date of the iPhone 5, says this predictability hurts sales and helps competitors.
[Consumers] began to realize when new iPhones would be released. That led to a slowdown in sales for existing iPhone models just prior to the presumed next release. Apple taught people when to buy, and by extension, when not to buy.
Apple also taught competitors how to counter-program the iPhone. It's probably not a coincidence that HTC announced their next-generation Android phone, the HTC one, back in February, or that Samsung is holding their Galaxy S4 event this March.
Apple's approach of maintaining the same external casing and largely unchanged internal components in its 'S' models limits the innovation that can be offered, making consumers far more likely to look around at competitor products in 'S' years, giving competitors a great opportunity to launch major new models.
Ritchie points to the range of rumors circulating around potential new products from Apple, and says that while all are unlikely to be true, "breaking patterns and challenging expectations is just one way to solve that problem".
Web video company Ooyala has published a new report (via AllThingsD) revealing that two-thirds of smartphone video viewing is being done on iPhones, despite Apple having only a 19% share of the smartphone market.
While the stats sample only Ooyala's service, the base for the stats is a substantial one with the company having 200 million viewers worldwide and 25% of all Americans watching at least one Ooyala video per month. It follows figures recently released by GoGo showing that 84% of in-flight Wi-Fi access is on iOS devices.
The figures also show the increasing importance of mobile video viewing as a whole.
There are more videos being watched on more tablets and smart phones than ever before. The share of tablet video viewing increased 110% in 2012, while the share of mobile online video viewing grew by 87% last year.
Measured together, the share of all hours spent watching online video on tablets and mobile phones grew 100% in 2012. Tablet and mobile video share grew from 4% in January to 8% in December.
As more tablets and smart phones enter the market, expect tablet and mobile video consumption to continue to grow rapidly. New Cisco data reveals that video will make up 66% of the world’s mobile data traffic in four years.
A new combination of iPhone app and plug-in adapter from Automatic to read data from your car's onboard diagnostics (OBD) port turns virtually any car manufactured after 1996 into a connected car, providing detailed data on your driving habits and cost of driving (via The Verge).
The OBD-II data port is a standard feature on all modern cars, providing access to fuel, mileage and engine data. Plugging in a small $69.95 reader allows this data to be transmitted via Bluetooth to your iPhone as you drive. The app then analyzes this to log a range of data, including fuel efficiency, driving style and engine performance. The app then combines this data with GPS info and an online database to tell you the cost of every journey you make.
The hardware unit connects to a car's OBD-II Data Link Connector — an often-overlooked data port that's been standard on every car since 1996. Through the data link, Automatic has access to fuel, mileage, and engine information, which it sends to your phone through its Bluetooth antenna. From there, the app pulls in GPS, fuel pricing, and map data to build a comprehensive picture of every drive you take. When you stop to fill up, Automatic uses geolocation data to determine which gas station you're at, then uses its own database of stations and daily prices to calculate how much you paid.
Audio pings tell you when you are braking sharply or accelerating hard, driving behaviors that can increase gas mileage by a third. The app can also read and reset "engine check" codes, allowing you to determine whether that annoying light on your dash is something serious or trivial, and allow you to switch it off again without the need to visit a mechanic.
Automatic also includes a "crash alert" system, using the iPhone's accelerometer to detect certain types of crashes and automatically call 911 to report name, location, and vehicle description.
Automatic Link is not the first product to offer access to ODB data on iOS devices, but it does appear to offer a more complete feature set and polished user interface than has been seen on products released to date. Automatic Link launches in May, with pre-orders available now.
Apple tonight posted two new television spots for the iPhone on its YouTube page. The ads, entitled 'Brilliant' and 'Discover', highlight some of the more than 700,000 apps available on the App Store, using a variety of words to describe them.
Tumblr today updated its iOS app to version 3.3, adding a redesigned camera interface that simplifies in-app photo taking and integrated Photoset capabilities.
Previously released as part of a standalone app, the new Photoset feature allows users to create photo collages with customized layouts.
Tumblr has also been updated with the ability to double tap posts to like them, easy one-tap avatar changes, and new URL linking functionality.
Brand new camera! Create photosets straight from the app. Double-tap posts to like! Tap the avatar in your profile to change it. Link posts: Copy or enter a URL and we'll fetch the title!
An app that hides the standard apps on the iPhone like Stocks or Newsstand has evaded Apple's App Store approval process.
'HiddenApps', a free download on the App Store, lets users hide Apple's stock applications, disable iAds, and access the hidden Field Test mode, according to iDownloadBlog. It is likely that the app will be removed from the App Store very quickly, as other apps that have broken App Store rules have disappeared quite quickly in the past.
HiddenApps is available for all non-jailbroken iOS devices.
iTunes release notes cleverly bill it as “a simple and easy app that shows you tips and tricks about your iDevice,” but the developer, of course, mentions at his web site the iAd and app hiding features.
Hiding stock apps normally requires a jailbroken device, so this program should come in handy for all non-jailbroken people other there.
Better hurry up, though, and download HiddenApps while you can because I’d bet my shirt that it won’t be available on the App Store for much time.
Since launching the rebooted Gmail app for iPhone and iPad in December (http://goo.gl/2m7pd), we’ve heard from many of you that you like the redesigned UI, along with new features such as improved search and integration with Google Calendar. Today we’re rolling out a similar refreshed look to the Gmail mobile web app as well as Gmail Offline (http://goo.gl/0f1ae) that includes many of these same changes. Try it out at gmail.com in the browser of your Android, iOS, Blackberry or Kindle Fire device
Syntellia, the company behind popular alternative keyboard app Fleksy, is developing software that will allow the app to work with the upcoming Leap Motion Controller. Syntellia is demoing the Fleksy and Leap Motion combo at SXSW this week.
Fleksy is a text-input system that implements advanced predictive text algorithms to allow users to type without looking at the screen of the iPhone or the iPad. Though it offers a traditional tap typing interface, it also supports simple gestures for space and delete.
In combination with the touch-free Leap Motion, Fleksy offers gesture-based typing that can be done in the air. Air typing with Fleksy functions much like the iOS app, with error correction on the fly.
Syntellia is also debuting an iOS SDK, allowing third party apps to use the Fleksy keyboard, as explained by TechCrunch.
It offers developers to use Fleky's signature foolproof typing engine, as well as customization options around theme, layout and more. Devs can even use the "invisible" Fleksy keyboard if they want to get all the chrome out of the way while still allowing for text entry. Interested developers can email Fleksy direct for more info.
"This is the perfect way to show everyone how much we believe in our material by letting them try the first issues for free, because we're sure once they start, they won't stop," says Marvel SVP – Sales, Digital & Print David Gabriel. "Week in and week out we ask fans to come check out our new releases—both in print and digitally—with the promise that we'll bring them the best comics made by the best talent and managed by the best editorial team in the industry. Now, existing and news fans [alike] can discover the heroes they know and love and learn about new ones all at the same time."
The inaugural issue of each comic book line can be downloaded for free, a significant discount from the standard $1.99 to $3.99 price. Marvel is running the promotion in order to attract new readers, offering recent comics like Uncanny Avengers and All-New X-Men alongside classics like Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four.
Marvel's sale began on Sunday night and will last through Tuesday at 11 p.m. Eastern time. The comics can be downloaded via the web or through the Marvel Comics app.
Angry Birds Toons, Rovio's upcoming animated series, will be distributed through its existing line of iOS and Android apps to reach more than 1.7 billion users that have downloaded the games.
Angry Birds titles that are in the App Store will be updated with a new video channel that will allow access to the show. The cartoon will also be available on select TV networks, Samsung Smart TVs, Comcast’s Xfinity platform, and Roku boxes.
"We're delighted to introduce all this through our new channel, with easy and instant access to the stories in the palm of your hand. With over 1.7 billion downloads, we can reach a far wider and more engaged global audience than traditional distribution would allow. Launching the channel, and partnering up with some of the best video-on-demand providers and TV networks, is an important milestone for us on our journey towards becoming a fully fledged entertainment powerhouse."
Angry Birds Toons will feature a total of 52 episodes with a new episode airing each week. The show will hit televisions on March 16 and will be available within Rovio’s apps on March 17.
Apple has silently updated its Maps app in Japan after announcing similar changes in the first beta of iOS 6.1.1 back in the beginning of February. It appears that for many of the changes, Apple didn't need to expressly update the operating system and could instead implement changes server-side. The changes were first noted by Mac Otakara, via 9to5Mac.
iOS 6.1.1 beta 1 includes the following improvements to Maps for Japan:
- Improved pronunciation of roads during turn-by-turn navigation - Optimized directions to more strongly prefer highways over narrower roads - Now indicates upcoming toll roads during turn-by-turn navigation - Added labels for junctions, interchanges, on-ramps, off-ramps, and intersections - Added indicators for transit station buildings, subway lines, and traffic lights - Updated freeway color to green - Updated icons for some location categories including fire stations, hospitals, and post offices Added 3D buildings including Tokyo Station, Japan Imperial Palace, and Tokyo Tower
China Times reports [Google translation, via Mac Otakara] that Taiwanese chip firm Chipbond has been selected to provide a number of components for the iPhone 5S, including the touch display driver as well as chips to support fingerprint sensor and near field communications (NFC) capabilities. The report suggests that Apple will use the fingerprint sensor functionality to enhance the security of NFC features such as mobile payments.
Rumors of fingerprint sensor technology for the iPhone have ramped up since Apple's acquisition of mobile security firm AuthenTec last year. AuthenTec has been rumored to be cutting off its fingerprint sensor customers this year, presumably to focus on supporting Apple's own efforts in the area. Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also stated that a fingerprint sensor will be one of the differentiating features for the iPhone 5S.
NFC has been a long-standing rumor for the iPhone, and evidence supporting its inclusion for the iPhone 5 failed to pan out amid claims that the device's design wouldn't even accommodate an NFC antenna. Some have suggested, however, that Apple could have novel plans up its sleeve for deploying NFC within the mostly metal case of the iPhone 5 that will presumably carry over to the iPhone 5S. Still, specific claims of NFC for the iPhone 5S have been essentially non-existent until now.
Last July, it was reported that Apple was deliberately moving slowly into the mobile payments field that could tie in closely to NFC technology. For the time being, Apple is focusing on its Passbook app to offer a digital wallet of passes, coupons, and loyalty cards, although it is easy to see how its functionality could be expanded to include mobile payments and NFC.
Despite confirmation that this new A5 chip is being manufactured by Samsung, Chipworks is 
