Apple today rolled out a new advertising theme for the iPad on its website, highlighting a number of reasons why people love their iPads. The campaign follows on a similar one for the iPhone that launched a couple of weeks ago.
The 'Why iPad' pages mention positive J.D. Power rankings for the device, percentages of companies and school districts using the iPad, the 300,000 apps available for the iPad, the quality of the materials used in building it, the Retina display for the iPad as well as the smaller size of the mini, 10-hour battery life, and the two cameras built into the devices.
It's unclear why Apple waited to launch the 'Why iPad' page rather than launching it simultaneously with the companion iPhone page. The campaigns seem to be in response to an advertising blitz from Samsung that has shown some gains for the company in the past year.
Twitter has released a significant update to its TweetDeck Mac App, adding features like improved filters, new font sizes, and the advanced search tools that were originally added to the Chrome application in December.
Column filters, which have long been a part of the TweetDeck Web app, are a new addition to the Mac version, along with tools for filtering columns by content and users.
With content filters, TweetDeck users can filter Twitter streams with several different parameters, including media, RTs, and including and excluding terms. The update also offers additional font sizes and new keyboard commands.
-Introduced column filters and powerful advanced search -Added Content filters to columns and search including ability to filter by media, RTs, including and excluding terms -Added Users filters to columns and search including ability to filter by verified users, members of a list and more -Added wide column setting -Added new font sizes to settings -Spacebar now triggers page down event -Cmd+W closes windows -Social proof for favorites & RTs in detail view -Added verified badge to list searches -Enabled infinite scroll in temporary columns
In early March, Twitter announced that it was ending support for TweetDeck for iPhone, Android, and TweetDeck AIR, focusing instead on its TweetDeck Web app and Google Chrome apps, along with its native Mac and PC apps.
Alongside today's new marketing push to try to win back professional video editors, Apple has released updates for Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor. While Motion and Compressor have seen mostly minor tweaks and bug fixes, Final Cut Pro X has received a somewhat more substantial update including support for the new Sony XAVC codec up to 4K resolution.
- Support for Sony XAVC codec up to 4K resolution - Option to display ProRes Log C files from ARRI ALEXA cameras with standard Rec. 709 color and contrast levels - Resolves an issue where some third-party effects generated green frames during render - Resolves performance issues that could occur with certain titles and effects - Time reversed clips render in the background - Ability to use key commands to adjust Clip Appearance settings in the timeline - Ability to view reel number metadata located in the timecode track of video files - Mono audio files in a surround project export with correct volume levels - Drop zones no longer reset to the first frame of video after application restart - Fixes a performance issue which resulted from selecting multiple ranges on a single clip - Fixes an issue where the Play Around function did not work properly on certain clips when viewed through external video devices
- Resolves an issue where some third-party effects generated green frames during render - Resolves performance issues that could occur with certain titles and effects - Fixes a stability issue when splitting layers in the timeline - Fixes an issue where launching a plug-in with a check box could require multiple clicks - Fixes a stability issue with CoreMelt plug-ins
- Removes 1GB file size limit for uploads to Vimeo - Fixes a stability issue when playing back certain MPEG-2 files - Fixes a stability issue in Qmaster when processing multiple jobs
In addition to the updates for the core Final Cut apps, Apple has also released an updated set of ProApps QuickTime Codecs for Final Cut Pro X users.
Apple has updated its 'Find My Friends' location notification app. The small update makes it slightly more streamlined to search for and set location-based notifications.
The Next Web has more information about what has changed specifically:
The new interface for setting up those alerts has been tweaked to let you set the exact distance threshold from a location. This lets you fine-tune the sensitivity of an alert for, say, two different buildings on a campus. If you just wanted to know when someone is ‘home’, the older process with a ‘fixed’ zone was fine, but if you were looking to get notices when someone gets into a neighborhood, it was pretty much impossible.
Callet World is suing case-maker Hex over that company's Solo Wallet iPhone case and credit card holder. Callet alleges Hex's case is a direct copy of a case design that Callet holds a design patent for.
Callet has sued both Hex and Apple in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for violating a design patent of Callet's design of a iPhone case and credit card holder. The company accuses Hex of manufacturing the infringing design, and Apple for selling it. Apple does not carry the Callet in its stores.
Defendants’ Solo Wallet Case and Pretty Sweet Solo Wallet Case products are exemplary. The copying is so pervasive, that the defendants’ products appear to be Callet World products with the same rectangular shape with rounded corners, integral card holder on the outwardly facing side of the phone cover, and gently curving edges on the back and side. Hex had many options in developing its products. Indeed, earlier Hex products did not embody the same Callet World designs. On information and belief, Hex chose to infringe Callet World’s patent rights through the design of its Solo Wallet Case, Pretty Sweet Solo Wallet Case and similar products and it did so willfully.
Callet is asking the court for a judgement that the defendants have willfully infringed on the patent, an order enjoining them from continuing to infringe on it, and a judgment award to compensate Callet for financial damages.
It appears that Callet's claim is primarily with Hex and that Apple is being targeted here because it has deep corporate pockets. Like many major corporations, Apple is sued numerous times each year over a wide variety of matters.
Back in June 2011, Apple launched Final Cut Pro X, a complete reworking of the company's video editing software aimed at professional users, but the new software was met with significant criticism over missing features. Professional users in particular were upset over what seemed to be a "dumbing down" of Final Cut Pro in order to reach more mainstream users.
Apple responded to the controversy by offering refunds to dissatisfied customers and promising updates to improve Final Cut Pro X, and a number of those updates have been delivered over the past 21 months.
Now, after updating the software seven times since its release in 2011, Apple is launching a campaign Thursday aimed at winning back skeptical professional users.
That campaign, timed to coincide with the National Assn. of Broadcasters convention that starts April 6 in Las Vegas, will feature users like Julian Liurette, who followed the firestorm from his video editing desk in Toronto at the Globe and Mail newspaper.
After waiting a year as Apple gradually released updates, Liurette finally gave it a try and was surprised. So Liurette began moving the newspaper's video operations from the old version to Final Cut Pro X.
The campaign will also feature Hong Kong cinema icon Tsui Hark and Mexican television conglomerate TV Azteca.
The report notes that Apple has won points for its FAQ posted soon after launch outlining the company's improvement plans, as well as for a free trial offer for Final Pro X, but that many users remain skeptical of Apple's commitment to professional customers. But with professionals becoming increasingly uneasy about the future of Apple's main competitor Avid and concerned over how long Final Cut Pro 7 will remain supported, Apple is hoping that they will take a fresh look at Final Cut Pro X.
Update 11:42 AM: Apple's new features on Tsui Hark and The Globe and Mail have gone live on Apple's "In Action" page, but we haven't yet spotted a feature on TV Azteca.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office today published an Apple patent application (via AppleInsider) offering an interesting glimpse at the possibility of an iPhone or other mobile device using a flexible display contained within a transparent body body such as a glass tube or other shape. The display would be able to wraparound the sides and even rear of the device as needed in order to provide more viewable area.
This paper describes various embodiments that relate to an apparatus, method, and computer readable medium for creating a portable electronic device with a wraparound display.
In one embodiment, a consumer electronic product is described. The consumer electronic product includes at least a transparent housing and a flexible display assembly enclosed within the transparent housing. In the described embodiment, the flexible display assembly is configured to present visual content at any portion of the transparent housing.
Alternative device shapes
As part of the patent application, Apple explores a variety of options for such devices, including multiple form factors and the potential use of a second inner display underneath a transparent outer display to provide the illusion of 3D content. Apple also suggests the possibility of interchangeable end caps to fit specific situations, including joining multiple devices together to make a single larger screen.
The patent application, which was filed in September 2011, is credited solely to Apple product design engineer Scott Myers. The concept of a flexible wraparound display for the iPhone or other mobile device is reminiscent of another Apple patent application which surfaced last month showing a slap bracelet accessory with a wraparound display that could clearly serve as a smart watch. Myers was one of three Apple engineers credited on that patent application, which was filed in August 2011.
Digitimes is reporting that Apple is set to cut shipments of iPad mini in the second quarter of 2013, according to its industry sources.
The cut is said to be a 20% reduction for the month of April, with steeper cuts potentially following in the remainder of the quarter, although the report does not specify whether the cuts are relative to previous production plans or to current-quarter output.
Apple has reportedly cut its shipments of the iPad mini to between 10-12 million units for the second quarter of 2013, according to industry sources. The figure is based on shipment information given from multiple sources who provide various components for Apple's iPad mini.
The decrease may be as high as 20% on month during April, the sources noted, and may continue to slightly decrease throughout the quarter to bring total shipments of the iPad mini to as low as 10 million units during the quarter.
The move comes two weeks after Apple started offering refurbished iPad minis on sale for the first time and may be tied to Apple devoting resources to the production of the next-generation iPad mini. The report claims, however, that competition from 7-inch tablets may also be playing a role.
Rumors of production cuts for Apple products are always difficult to put much stock into, as Apple's internal build plans are fluid as the company manages its nimble supply chain to adjust for demand and product transitions.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has also cautioned against reading too much into supply chain reports, noting that the company has multiple sources for many components and that yield rates may vary over time, meaning that supply chain reports typically offer incomplete pictures of Apple's production situation.
DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza speculated that, based on supply chain data, the next-generation iPad mini would be released in the third or fourth quarter of 2013. Reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also predicted a third-quarter release for the next iPad mini.
The next iPad mini has been rumored to include a Retina display with a resolution of 2048 x 1536, which would give it the same number of pixels as the full-sized iPad but with a higher-density 324 pixels per inch. However, iMore's Rene Ritchie, who has also been relatively accurate, has predicted earlier this month that an interim spec-bumped iPad mini could launch in April and claimed that a Retina display iPad mini doesn't "sound imminent."
Arrowhead Game Studios, in partnership with Paradox Interactive and Ludosity, tonight released Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet for the iPad, which is based on its popular action adventure Magicka PC game.
As in the computer version of the game, players of Magicka: Wizards of the Square Tablet take on the role of a wizard, combining elemental powers to conjure and cast unique magical spells to destroy demons.
Though the game retains the same humorous undertone and the crazy spell combinations of the PC version, the art style has been altered for the iPad, featuring cartoonish 2D graphics instead of the 3D isometric perspective of the PC game.
The original game had a heavy multiplayer focus, and the iPad edition of Magicka functions in the same way, allowing up to four players to play together online.
In Nimble Quest, players control an ever-increasing line of adventurers, battling against enemies with both ranged and melee attacks. Our sister site, TouchArcade, describes the game as a cross between Snake and a traditional RPG.
In brief, NimbleQuest is Snake, except on steroids. In the game, you control a conga line of fantasy adventurers, and, with a combination of ranged and melee attacks, you battle it out across a variety of settings against archers, skeletons, bats, and a whole lot more. Imagine if your old-school, traditional Snake snake could somehow attack incoming enemy snakes and you've got the picture.
The game melds skill-based touch gameplay with roleplaying elements including skill increases, power ups, and party building, requiring players to navigate their growing line of party members through an endless number of stages.
Though Nimble Quest is designed to be a single player game, it incorporates a guild system that functions similarly to the "Flight Crew" in Pocket Planes, offering up time-limited quests and global leaderboards.
Nimble Quest is a free app for the iPad and the iPhone that is available for download in the App Store. [Direct Link]
Former Apple employee Tim Holmes recently discovered a set of photographs taken on an Apple QuickTake camera -- one of the first digital cameras made -- from the night Steve Jobs returned to Apple after it purchased NeXT.
Holmes notes in the description that the colors are incorrect in the photos because of the poor quality of digital cameras in 1996, and that Jobs' jacket was actually black, not purple.
Working late on a Friday on December 20th at Apple Computer as Mac OS Evangelist, my manager came rushing past my office door saying to come with him to Town Hall, Apple's theater for announcements, company meetings and the like. It was clearly not a company meeting…
Joining Jobs' in the image above was Satjiv Chahil, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing at the time.
"We regularly identify apps that our owners rely on as part of their everyday life, and adapt them for an in-vehicle experience they’ll find safe, useful and engaging," said Phil Johnston, Product Manager for the BMW Group Apps Platform from the BMW Group Technology Office. "Audible, Glympse, Rhapsody and TuneIn were natural additions to the family of BMW Apps Ready Apps."
Apps can be accessed and used with the iDrive controller after plugging in an iPhone to the center console with a USB cable or the SnapIn adapter available in any compatible BMW or Mini.
All of the apps that have been approved for use with BMW Apps Ready vehicles will be updated over the next few weeks to add support for the new functionality. BMW Apps is an option that is available on 2011 and later BMW and MINI vehicles.
Apple has expanded its postings for Maps Ground Truth jobs to the rest of the world, after initially hiring for similar positions only in Australia. 'Ground Truth' refers to information collected on location versus data collected remotely, such as satellite imagery.
The jobs, for 'Maps Ground Truth Manager' positions, have been posted for the U.S., The Americas, Western Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East & Africa.
The Maps team is searching for a manager for the team responsible for regional map quality and ground truth in the U.S.. Each of our regional teams is responsible for the quality of our maps in their region. This team's responsibilities include:
• Testing new releases of map code and data around the U.S. • Collecting ground truth data to allow for analysis of the impact of potential map code or data changes relative to known truth • Utilizing local expertise to provide feedback about U.S.-specific mapping details • Evaluating competing products in-region relative to our maps
As the manager of this team, you will be expected to drive all of this team's work, determine where and how to allocate resources, and clearly communicate test results and other feedback to teams in Cupertino. The U.S. regional team is also responsible for driving communication between engineering teams in Cupertino and our other regional teams, as well as evaluating new regional testing initiatives in close coordination with the rest of the Maps quality team before those initiatives are rolled out to the other regional teams.
Apple has been working to improve its maps after criticism led CEO Tim Cook to publicly apologize for issues customers had. Google's Maps app for iOS was downloaded more than 10 million times in two days after it became available several months after Apple's maps were released.
PopCap has confirmed that Plants Vs. Zombies 2 will be arriving this summer. The original is one of the biggest hits for the company, which was purchased by EA for $650 million in cash plus $650 million more in stock and potential earn-outs back in 2011.
PopCap didn't release any information about the sequel, but has launched another PvZ title for Facebook called Plants vs. Zombies Adventures:
Unlike the original, Adventures has players defending a motor home from waves of zombies, and the undead don’t just walk in a straight line this time. They can follow paths that turn and twist, like in other tower-defense titles. New plants like the Beet — which, uh, beats enemies — will help deal with these more complex attack patterns.
Plants vs. Zombies Adventures also has a town-building mechanic that has players upgrading various properties to earn new resources. This aspect of the game also reveals PopCap’s social and monetization strategy.
Google has updated its Gmail app to version 2.1, adding swipe controls that allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through emails without returning to the inbox.
Edit mode is now initiated when a message in the inbox is selected, allowing users to quickly organize emails into folders and add labels from the action bar at the top of the screen.
-Swipe left or right to move between messages without returning to the inbox.
-Take action on multiple messages more quickly: Selecting a message in the inbox now enables edit mode. Once in edit mode, tap on messages to select them and then choose to archive, delete, or more, from the new actions bar. You may select Cancel at any time to leave edit mode.
-And of course: performance improvements and bug fixes.
Gmail is a free app that can be downloaded from the App Store. [Direct Link]
In the middle of 2012, it was reported that Apple was looking at investing up to $1 billion over 10 years to build a new data center and other facilities near Reno, Nevada. Today, AppleInsider reports that Apple's first small data center project in Reno appears ready to go online.
The initial Reno facility is surround by black lamp posts outfitted with cameras, and is staffed with security personnel, although has only basic fencing in place. The simple initial structure is now apparently finished and, according to a person familiar with Apple's plans, is set to go online in the coming weeks.
It is possible that Apple started work on the initial building to serve as a testing center to help in planning the full deployment, including optimization of the site's connection with local power, water and data networks.
The company has 345 acres of land surrounding the building, nearly twice the area of its Prineville project, allowing for vast expansion of both data center buildings and supporting structures, including solar fields.
Apple has two other major data center projects in the works, with the 500,000 square foot Maiden, North Carolina center firmly established and powered by a massive field of solar panels. Construction at the 338,000 square foot Prineville, Oregon center is well underway.
Shanghai Daily reports that Apple is facing a lawsuit in China over Siri, with a company there claiming that Siri infringes upon its patent rights.
The Shanghai No.1 Intermediate People's Court will hold a pre-hearing at 2pm today to let Apple and Shanghai Zhi Zhen Internet Technology Co Ltd exchange evidence. [...]
"Siri is very similar to Xiaoi, a chat robot system we have been developing since 2003," said Mei Li, a spokeswoman of Shanghai Zhi Zhen which filed the lawsuit.
Mei said her company applied for patent rights for Xiaoi in 2004 in China and the patent right went into effect in 2006.
While the Xiaoi bot began life as a chat bot for MSN and similar networks, it has since migrated to a number of platforms including Android and iOS, and has evolved to look quite similar to Siri, although the iOS version of the app [App Store] uses a different style for the microphone icon and button.
Android version of Xiaoi (left) vs. iOS version (center and right)
AFP reports that Zhi Zhen, which has over 100 million users of Xiaoi, is seeking a halt to sales of infringing products, as well as reserving the right to seek compensation in the future.
"The company will ask Apple to stop manufacturing and selling products using its patent rights, once Apple's infringement is confirmed," Si Weijiang, a lawyer representing Zhizhen, told AFP.
"We don't exclude the possibility of demanding compensation in the future," he added.
Apple's rumored television set project has a long history of claims from various sources, and while the "iWatch" has taken on a more prominent place in the rumor mill in recent months, an Apple television continues to be on the radar of a number of industry watchers.
Digitimes now reports on word from unidentified supply chain sources that Apple is working on an "Ultra HD" or "4K" television set that would carry a resolution of 3840 x 2160. The report claims that Apple's Internet-connected television set will support voice and motion control and is targeted for launch late this year or, perhaps more likely, early next year.
The sources said that Apple and Foxconn Electronics have been in discussions for quite some time in terms of the TV's mass production schedule, but that Apple has been considering where panel supply for the TV will come from, as Ultra HD TV panel makers, most of whom are based in Taiwan, are expected to be producing at nearly full capacity in 2013 in order to meet demand from China-based TV vendors.
Additionally, other panel makers in Apple's supply chain that may have the ability to produce Ultra HD TV panels are expected to allocate most of their panel production to the company's iPhone, iPad and iPad mini products instead, as ultra-mobile devices are expected to be popular in the market during 2013, the sources noted.
Pricing is a major issue on the first Ultra HD televisions announced so far, with price tags generally starting around $20,000, although Westinghouse is planning to launch a line of "budget" Ultra UD televisions this year starting at $2500 for a 50-inch model. Additional equipment will, however, be needed to take full advantage of the 4K capabilities.
But unlike Sony and LG, Westinghouse’s models will be barebones displays with no on-board Smart TV features and no elaborate 4K up-conversion video processing technology.
Instead, [Westinghouse senior vice president of marketing Rey] Roque said, Westinghouse expects viewers to use the 4K video processing converters that come built into select Blu-ray Disc players, A/V receivers and other devices to handle that load. To present pictures from regular sources, the sets will have only simple 4K up-scaling circuitry and 120Hz refresh rates.
The most recent Apple television set rumor from a mainstream news source came last December when The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple and Foxconn have been testing prototypes, but a source noted that the effort was still in the early stages and wasn't yet a "formal project" for Apple.
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Arrowhead Game Studios, in partnership with Paradox Interactive and 
Google has updated its Gmail app to version 2.1, adding swipe controls that allow users to navigate backwards and forwards through emails without returning to the inbox.
