MacRumors

Thalmic Labs has announced a $149 armband called MYO that detects motion and muscle movements to allow control of a Mac, PC, or other device using gestures (via The Next Web).

myo
The demo video shows someone scrolling by waving two fingers in the air (mimicking the standard OS X trackpad gesture), snapping fingers to start iTunes playing, rotating a fist to increase the volume, holding up a hand in a 'stop' motion to pause a video, gesturing backwards to rewind a video and snapping fingers to play the video. The demo also illustrates a variety of other uses for the device, from delivering a presentation to controlling a remotely-operated vehicle.


Unlike Microsoft Kinect, no camera is required, but the armband approach means it will work only with gestures made with one hand rather than detecting whole-body movements.

Very cool and impressive. I hope this finds its way into our future soon - Steve Wozniak

MYO, which connects via Bluetooth, claims to work out of the box with Mac and Windows machines with APIs promised for iOS and Android developers.

The MYO is available to pre-order with limited quantities available for a late 2013 launch.

Mophie today announced the iPhone 5 version of the Juice Pack Air, which offers more battery life than the recently announced Juice Pack Helium for the iPhone 5.

mophiejuicepackair

The ideal case for the everyday 9–5er and for those whose day doesn't always end when they leave the office. Lighter and thinner than previous generations, but packed with more power to make sure your phone can keep up with your busy lifestyle.

While the Helium comes equipped with a 1500mAh battery, the Air offers a 1700mAh battery, which promises to double the iPhone 5's battery life, adding an additional eight hours of LTE use. The Helium, in contrast, is only capable of charging an iPhone battery to 80 percent, offering six hours of LTE use.

The Air and the Helium share a similar thin design, but the Air is slightly larger in all dimensions, including weight. The Air is 2.60 in x 5.54 in x 0.63 in and 2.68 oz, while the Helium is 2.49 in x 5.49 in x 0.59 in and 2.44 oz.


The black version of the Juice Pack Air will ship in 7–10 days, while the red and white versions will ship on March 22. All three cases can currently be purchased through Mophie's online store. for $99.95.

541444_larger"Searching for Sugar Man" won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature tonight at the 85th annual Academy Awards, making it the first time a film that was partially shot with an iPhone has won the prestigious award.

Director Malik Bendjelloul said that he had run out of money while making the movie and had to film his remaining shots with his iPhone and the 8mm Vintage Camera app. The iPhone and app's performance were so impressive to Bendjelloul that he re-shot footage playing on his laptop screen with the app.

This isn't the first time directors have used iPhones to shoot films, but it's an important milestone that shows that footage shot with phones and apps are good enough to be recognized at the highest level and not distract from the overall quality of the film.


The 8mm Vintage Camera app is available in the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]

Apple ran a new iPad television advertisement tonight during the Academy Awards telecast. The spot follows the same theme as Apple's two prior ads, 'Alive' and 'Together'.

They highlight some of the 300,000 apps made specifically for the iPad, using a variety of words to describe them. The 'Hollywood' ad for tonight uses 'Lights', 'Camera', and 'Action'.


Apps featured in the new ad include iMovie, the iTunes Store, Polaroid, Apple Maps, Action Movie FX, and more, as well as clips from Back to the Future, Apollo 13, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Home  My Music  Google PlayGoogle is in negotiations with music publishers to develop a Spotify-esque subscription streaming music service for its Android operating system, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Currently, Google has a scan-and-match music service like iTunes Match, as well as an Android-focused music download store.

Google Inc.'s Android unit has been negotiating with music companies to start a paid subscription music-streaming service akin to Spotify AB, according to people familiar with the matter.

Separately, Google's YouTube video website is trying to obtain licenses from music labels to start a paid subscription service for music videos and potentially also for audio-only songs, these people said.

There have been rumors for nearly five years about Apple developing a subscription music service, though more recently reports have surfaced that Apple is aiming to release its service sometime in 2013.

Bloomberg reported in October that Apple was aiming for a first quarter launch, but record labels have suggested that negotiations were hung up over licensing fees.

Apple accessory manufacturer MiniSuit has already created a case for the upcoming fifth-generation iPad, based on data and specifications received from what the site claims is a reliable source. The site sent MacRumors photos of the case this evening.

Case manufacturers often obtain case specs ahead of product releases to get a jump on manufacturing. Creating a case based on measurements can be a gamble, but an early case release can be financially beneficial.

ipad5case
The iPad 5 case is slimmer than the fourth-generation iPad case, which supports rumors that the next iPad will share design similarities with the iPad mini, most notably featuring smaller side bezels.

The back of the case depicts an extra hole, which is for the microphone. The current fourth-generation iPad's microphone is located at the top of the device, but Apple has relocated the microphone to the back of the iPad 5, as noted in leaked photos of the rear shell of the device.

In addition to slimmer bezels and a smaller size, the iPad 5 is said to be significantly thinner than the iPad 4, featuring the chamfered edges of the iPad mini, which is apparent in the less angled design of the iPad 5 case. We recently posted a mockup of what the fifth-generation iPad might look like, based on the current rumors and the leaked rear shell.

An iPad 5 with a reduced size would likely necessitate a redesign of the interior of the tablet as well, incorporating smaller chip components and a thinner display panel.

Several different release dates for the fifth-generation iPad have been suggested, ranging from March to mid-year to October, with most rumors settling on a fall release. According to MiniSuit, Apple's iPad 5 will be released in June.

Additional photos:

➜ Click here to read rest of article...

applemapsApple has posted a new job listing for a 'Maps Ground Truth Data Specialist' in Australia. The job listing, which was posted two days ago, comes several months after Apple came under fire for incorrect mapping data in central Australia.

The position will check "changes to map data, provide feedback on unique local map requirements, collect ground truth information, and evaluate competing products."

'Ground Truth' refers to information collected on location versus data collected remotely, such as satellite imagery. Wikipedia notes that the "collection of ground-truth data enables calibration of remote-sensing data, and aids in the interpretation and analysis of what is being sensed."

Job Summary

Imagine what you could do here. At Apple, great ideas have a way of becoming great products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish.

Key Qualifications

• Excellent attention to detail
• QA experience
• Familiarity with evaluating map quality
• Detailed knowledge of the unique features of your local area, including preferred driving routes, landmarks, and road names
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent
• Strong written and spoken English skills

Description

The Maps team is looking for people with knowledge of mapping, great testing skills, and local expertise to help us build better and better maps. In this position, you will be responsible for the quality of map data for your region. You will test changes to map data, provide feedback on unique local map requirements, collect ground truth information, and evaluate competing products.

Apple did eventually fix the issue in central Australia, but the company has been slow to fix many mapping issues even through the app's official "Report a Problem" button.

Thanks Marc!

The Apple fan behind the Every Apple TV ad YouTube channel has created a new channel and blog with the self-explanatory title Every Steve Jobs video, offering a total of around 150 clips of varying lengths.

everysteve
The site's creator told MacRumors that he wanted to get them online in time for Steve Jobs' birthday on February 24.

I'm a long time Apple enthusiast and throughout the years have gathered every single Steve Jobs video I could find … To commemorate Steve Jobs birthday (Feb. 24th) I decided to put all these videos online and make them easily available for all. I believe it's the most complete archive available.


Highlights include Steve's first TV appearance, where he told the crew he was about to throw up from nervousness; the launch of the Macintosh, including the famous 1984 video and Jobs making fun of IBM; and the launch of the Think Different campaign. It also includes some amusing compilations including Steve Jobs' Funniest Moments and Every 'One More Thing' Moment, all 31 of them.

iphone_5_black_whiteFollowing recent meetings with Apple Chief Financial Officer Peter Oppenheimer, Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty today issued a research note sharing some of her takeaways from those discussions and her views on Apple's future plans.

While she did not disclose any specific information shared by Oppenheimer, Huberty did come away feeling that Apple will be working hard to expand carrier partnerships and distribution for the iPhone to drive growth in Apple's largest segment. She also believes that Apple is working to develop new services to take advantage of the "stickiness" of the Apple ecosystem.

On the topic of the lower-cost iPhone which has been the subject of increasing rumors, Huberty makes the case Apple's experience with the iPad mini and continued strong sales of the iPhone 4 that saw the company experiencing shortages throughout the fourth quarter of 2012 are driving the company's efforts to focus more on cheaper offerings.

We also see several signs that a lower priced iPhone makes sense: 1) iPad Mini is expanding Apple's customer base with 50% of purchases in China/Brazil representing new customers to the ecosystem. 2) Chinese consumers show a desire to purchase the latest version of iPhone (instead of discounted older generations). 3) iPhone 4 demand surprised to the upside in the December quarter. Even at a low 40% gross margin and 1/3 cannibalization rate, we see an "iPhone Mini" as incremental to revenue and gross profit dollars.

Huberty goes on to note that she believes Apple has maintained its long-standing approach to product decisions under the leadership of Tim Cook and that the company remains committed to innovation with a strong product pipeline under development. Despite continued investments in that pipeline, Huberty believes that Apple is likely to return more cash to shareholders as its cash holdings continue to grow.

Related Forum: iPhone

facebook.jpgFacebook today updated its main iOS app, adding free VoIP calling in the United States and Canada. Facebook previously beta tested the feature in its Messenger iOS app, which received an update to allow voice calling in January.

As in the Messenger app, voice calling within Facebook for iOS can be accessed by tapping on a friend’s name in the chat menu and then tapping on the info button, which reveals the option to make a free call.

Both parties must install the newest version of Facebook to activate the feature. Facebook’s latest update also adds newly redesigned Like, Share, and Comment buttons.

-New button design makes it easy to like, comment and share posts in News Feed.
-Improved buttons to like, comment and share posts
-Share button to re-post stories from your News Feed now available in all languages
-Call friends for free right from Facebook (US and Canada)
-Free calling uses your existing data plan.

Facebook is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

152516 apple logoA judge has decided to block a vote on Question 2 at Apple's annual shareholder's meeting next week, according to a report from Reuters.

Hedge fund Greenlight Capital, a major shareholder of Apple stock, filed a lawsuit earlier this month asking that Apple be prevented from bundling a number of proposals into one ballot question at the shareholders meeting. The firm argued that the bundling of three separate corporate governance proposals into one question was in violation of SEC rules.

A judge handed hedge fund star David Einhorn a victory in his court battle with Apple Inc on Friday, blocking the iPhone maker from moving forward with a shareholder vote on a controversial proposal to limit the company's ability to issue preferred stock.

Proposal 2 contains language relating to the term of office of the board of directors, language about the board's ability to issue preferred shares of AAPL stock without shareholder approval, and the establishment of a par value for the company's common stock.

Apple CEO Tim Cook called the lawsuit a "silly sideshow" and "a waste of money for all involved", but the judge presiding over the case disagreed. Apple issued a statement in early January saying it was in "active discussions" about ways to return cash to shareholders as Greenlight head David Einhorn has requested.

Update: AllThingsD has the text of the judge's ruling.

Update 2: Apple has withdrawn Proposal No. 2 from its proxy statement, issuing this statement:

We are disappointed with the court’s ruling. Proposal #2 is part of our efforts to further enhance corporate governance and serve our shareholders’ best interests. Unfortunately, due to today’s decision, shareholders will not be able to vote on Proposal #2 at our annual meeting next week.

FixYa, a site that provides consumer generated troubleshooting tips, today released a "Smartphone Reliability Report" that compares user complaints on smartphones from Apple (iPhone), Samsung (Galaxy), Nokia (Lumia), and Motorola (Droid).

Based on the reported problems, which come from a database of 30 million users, FixYa assigned a dependability score to each manufacturer. According to FixYa's rankings, Apple products were the most reliable, with the fewest reported problems.
image2
Apple received a dependability score of 3.47, a good deal higher than the 1.21 that Samsung received. Nokia and Motorola received scores of 0.68 and 0.13, respectively. To get these scores, the site used 722,558 troubleshooting questions from smartphone owners, normalized the data for relative marketshare, and analyzed the data to determine reliability.

Fixya users lauded the reliability of the iPhone, stating that it is almost always working as intended in regards to core features and never hits a constant roadblock with one feature.

Of the complaints that were made about Apple's iPhones, battery life was the number one problem, making up 35 percent of user issues. A lack of new features was the second biggest complaint, while no customizability and WiFi problems were also brought up.

image3
In the past, battery life has been a significant issue for iPhone owners. Most notably, iOS 5 had bugs that affected battery performance, which Apple later fixed. The iPhone 5 has also had battery issues, particularly when using the phone in areas with a weak signal.

As for Apple's competitors, FixYa users had complaints about Samsung's microphone and speaker issues, Motorola's touchscreen, and Nokia's load response times.

Bond
To promote the release of the latest James Bond film Skyfall on DVD, Fox has released a free app that lets users film themselves in the sights of a gun barrel, like in the iconic Bond opening title sequence.

The app itself is very simple, asking users to use the iPhone's camera to record their target, then letting them share it with friends.


Skyfall Gun Barrel is a free download on the App Store. [Direct Link]

LEGO The Lord of the Rings, which was released for consoles and PCs late last year, has finally made its way to the Mac.

The game, which is based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, incorporates events from all three of the movies. It features actual film dialogue along with RPG elements that are not present in other LEGO games, such as an expanding inventory and open world exploration.

legolotr

From the peaceful fields of the Shire to the mysterious beauty of Rivendell and on to the fearsome depths of Mordor, forge your own path through a vast open world.
Set out on perilous side quests, discover secret areas and solve challenging puzzles alongside the epic main adventure.

Master the special powers of over 80 playable characters, including Frodo's ability to wear the One Ring and enter the shadowy world of the Ringwraiths…

Hunt for hidden treasure! Collect, craft and use magical items including Wizard staffs, Mithril armour and Elven blades that glow blue in the presence of Orcs.

LEGO The Lord of the Rings can be played in single player mode or with multiple two players. It requires Mac OS X 10.7.5 or later, a 1.4GHz processor, 4GB RAM and 128MB VRAM.


LEGO The Lord of the Rings can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $29.99. [Direct Link]

The Verge's Joshua Topolsky has written a lengthy piece about his experiences using Google Glass, the company's new on-face computer.

Google Glass is a tiny computer that mounts to an eyeglass frame and has a small display that is visible only to the user. The wearable device has a built-in camera that sees what the wearer sees, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connections. The glasses can handle many of the same tasks as smartphones, including giving driving directions, sending text messages, showing weather reports and more.

Googleglass
Some potential purchasers were concerned that Glass would only be compatible with Google's Android smartphone operating system, but it appears the device will be able to tether to any smartphone via Bluetooth. Topolsky writes:

The device gets data through Wi-Fi on its own, or it can tether via Bluetooth to an Android device or iPhone and use its 3G or 4G data while out and about. There’s no cellular radio in Glass, but it does have a GPS chip.


Google hopes to put Glass on sale sometime before the end of the year for less than $1,500.

Apple is working with the New York City Police Department to locate stolen iPhones and iPads, a radical change from the hands-off approach that the company employed previously. The NYPD estimated that the theft of Apple products accounted for a significant rise in crime in the Big Apple, with more than 3,890 reported thefts of Apple products in 2012.

Fifth Avenue Retail Store
Reports The New York Post:

Every time an Apple device is stolen, detectives attempt to get tracking numbers from the victim or online records.

That number, known as the International Mobile Station Equipment Identity, is then shared with the officers in Police Headquarters who pass it on to Apple.

The California-based company then informs the NYPD of the device’s current location — and it can track it even if it was reregistered with a different wireless provider.

Apple has been criticized in the past for not having a centralized database of stolen devices and for even repairing or replacing stolen units under warranty. It isn't yet known if this is a new program that any police department can use, or if it is only applicable to the NYPD.

Following last week's introduction of new processors for the Retina MacBook Pro lineup, Primate Labs has analyzed benchmarks coming in from the new machines through the company's popular Geekbench 2 software.

Unsurprisingly, the benchmarks reveal a roughly 3-5% increase in Geekbench scores for each of the processor bumps. For the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro lineup, Apple bumped each of the three available processors by 100 MHz, accounting for the minor benchmark improvements.

geekbench_retina_mbp_early_2013_15

One thing to note is that the new mid-range Retina MacBook Pro has the same speed processor as the old high-end Retina MacBook Pro. However, the new mid-range model is slightly slower than the old high-end model. While this seems surprising at first, the difference is easily explained by comparing the two processors: the old high-end processor has more cache than the new mid-range processor.

For the 13-inch lineup, the 100 MHz speed bumps were limited to machines based on the high-end stock configuration starting at 256 GB of storage, with those machines also seeing a 3-5% improvement in Geekbench scores.
geekbench_retina_mbp_early_2013_13
Aside from the processor improvements for the Retina MacBook Pro lineup, Apple also reduced pricing on the 13-inch models by $200-$300, increased RAM on the high-end 15-inch stock configuration, and reduced pricing on storage options.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Neutral)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

The reality of the "post-PC era" predicted by Steve Jobs at the launch of the iPad 2 in 2011 can clearly be seen in a single graphic created by market intelligence company IDC in a report on what the firm refers to as the Smart Connected Device Market.

idc connected devices 2010 2012
(Legend omits smartphones shown in yellow)

The chart shows the market share decline of both desktop PCs (from 23% in 2010 to just 12% in 2012) and laptops (from 29% to 17%), while tablets grew from 3% to 11% and smartphones from 45% to 60%. Overall, PCs have seen their share of the total smart connected device market fall from roughly 50% to just 30% in only two years.

The figures do not, of course, necessarily indicate device preference, as some may choose a cheaper device for financial reasons, especially in developing markets.

Across the four markets, Apple increased its market share from 16.3% in 2011 to 18.2% in 2012, but dropped from first to second place as it was outpaced by Samsung, whose market share grew from 12.3% to 20.8%.

apple-2nd