MacRumors

mac app store icon 150As pointed out by MacGeneration [Google translation], Apple's Mac App Store has reached a new milestone with 10,000 apps available for purchase or free download through the marketplace.

Our own sister site AppShopper confirms the milestone, currently indexing 10,339 applications in the store. Apple launched the Mac App Store in January 2011 and has quickly moved to offer its own major software titles through the marketplace, viewing it as the future of software distribution on the Mac platform. Even OS X Lion itself is distributed via the Mac App Store.

The 10,000 Mac App Store apps pale in comparison to the 600,000 apps available through the iOS App Store, but the Mac App Store remains a success by desktop software sales standards. Last December, the store passed 100 million downloads, making it the "largest and fastest growing PC software store in the world".

Last month, the State of Texas announced that Apple would be making a major expansion of its existing customer support and administrative campus in Austin, investing over $300 million to add 3,600 workers at the site. The move would more than double Apple's workforce in Austin.

apple campus austin
Over the past several weeks, a number of governmental agencies, including the State of Texas, Travis County, and the City of Austin have been working on tax break packages designed to secure Apple's commitment to bring the new jobs to Austin. While most of the incentive packages have been approved, the Austin American-Statesman reports that delays in work by Travis County are leaving Apple "frustrated" and the deal "in peril".

Dave Porter, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday that Apple's plans to bring its Americas operations center to Austin are up in the air because of the county's continuing deliberations and calls for new conditions on its incentives deal with the company.

"This deal is not done. It remains in peril. And Apple is frustrated," Porter said.

Travis County had been expected to offer tax breaks of $5.4-6.4 million as part of the overall incentive package of $35-36 million over 10-15 years, and while Travis County had given initial approval to its portion of the deal earlier this month, it has yet to be finalized.

The delays are related to objections raised by the opponents of the deal, who have claimed that the terms of the deal are too favorable for Apple and could see the company avoid penalties should it fail to meet some of the contract's terms.

Apple had been said to also be considering Phoenix, Arizona as a potential location for its new facilities, and while it seems likely that the company would much prefer to locate the new facility at its existing campus in Austin, it is likely continuing to weigh its options until a final deal for the Austin site is signed.

josh gadProgress continues on the independent film "Jobs", which will see Ashton Kutcher play the role of the Apple co-founder and CEO. According to Variety, actor Josh Gad is in talks to portray Steve Wozniak in the film, which will focus on the early days of Apple.

Written by Matt Whiteley, pic chronicles Steve Jobs from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time.

Gad is making a deal to play Wozniak, who created the Apple I computer and co-created the Apple II computer in the mid-1970s.

Gad is best known for his starring role in The Book of Mormon, a satirical Broadway musical from the creators of irreverent animated television show South Park. Gad has also held a number of other film, TV, and stage roles, and has occasionally served as a correspondent for The Daily Show.

Production on "Jobs" is reportedly set to begin next month. The film is a separate project from the upcoming Sony Pictures film based on Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs.

(Photo by Taylor Hill / Getty Images)

java iconBack in late 2010, Apple announced that it would cease supporting Java for OS X, with Steve Jobs noting that Apple was always a version behind that being distributed by Sun/Oracle, which handled Java for all other platforms.

Confusion about whether Oracle would step into the Java void created by Apple's removal of support was addressed several weeks later when Apple and Oracle announced plans to expand Oracle's OpenJDK project to include OS X as a means to deliver Java SE 7 to Mac users.

Oracle today announced that is taking the next step toward OS X compatibility with the release of Java SE 7 Update 4 and JavaFX 2.1. For Java developers, the update marks the first release of the Java Development Kit (JDK) and JavaFX Software Development Kit for OS X. The OpenJDK community is continuing its work on a consumer version of Java SE 7 for OS X, and Oracle says that a public release for consumers will be coming "later in 2012".

This release marks Oracle’s first delivery of both the Java Development Kit (JDK) and JavaFX Software Development Kit (SDK) for Mac OS X.

- Java developers can now download Oracle’s JDK, which includes the JavaFX SDK, for Mac OS X from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).

- Oracle plans to release a consumer version of Java SE 7, including the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) for Mac OS X later in 2012.

While the transition to Oracle/OpenJDK for Java support on OS X continues, Steve Jobs' comments about Apple's Java packages always being a version behind and how that arrangement "may not be the best way to do it" proved prescient in recent weeks with the appearance of the Flashback malware. The latest incarnations of Flashback managed to infect over 600,000 Macs by taking advantage of a vulnerability in Java that had been patched by Oracle in February but which had not yet been patched on OS X.

In response, Apple released several updates to Java for OS X, including one that disables the automatic execution of Java applets. As an additional layer of security, once a user manually turns on automatic execution, the system will once again disable it after a period of time if no applets have been executed.

newkidstable
Apple has replaced the iMacs that were previously on the kids' table at its retail stores with iPads, as first noticed by iMore. The switch is a clear sign of the direction the company is going, particularly with regards to its younger customer base.

The kids' table has been a staple of the Apple Retail Store since it the first locations opened more than 10 years ago. The original tables featured CRT iMacs surrounded by black balls from the Baleri Italia company for children to sit on. Apple, as is typical, spares no expense when it comes to its retail stores -- the chairs cost more than $500 each.

Over the years, as the iMacs themselves have been updated, Apple has replaced the machines with newer models, but this is the first time that a product other than a Mac has been featured.

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(Image of old kids table courtesy Flickr/Ralph and Jenny)

Since taking the helm of department store chain J.C. Penney last November, former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson has rebuilt much of his new company's executive team, in many cases bringing in associates he had worked with at Apple or in his earlier stint at Target. Until now, Johnson appears to have avoided tapping Apple's staff directly, bringing in Apple veterans who had already left the company for other jobs.

But as announced in a J.C. Penney press release today, Johnson has expanded his executive team again, this time hiring Ben Fay, a key member of Apple's retail store design team to help lead the next-generation of department store designs.

"Ben is an incredibly creative professional with extraordinary leadership skills. Having worked with him over the last 12 years, I am delighted to see Ben step into this new role at jcp," said Johnson. "His design influence has made the Apple stores highly regarded retail destinations around the world, and I am excited to have Ben place his own mark on jcp as we re-imagine the jcpenney store of the future."

According to his LinkedIn profile, Fay spent eight years as a senior director at Apple, overseeing retail store and corporate office design. Prior to arriving at Apple itself, he spent four years at architecture firm Gensler, where he focused on Apple's retail projects. With that résumé, Fay clearly played a key role in the development of the Apple retail store concept alongside Johnson and other members of the team.

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Interior of Apple's Amsterdam retail store

Fay's move to J.C. Penney comes just as former Dixons Retail CEO John Browett begins work at Apple as Johnson's replacement. Browett was named Apple's senior vice president of retail in January, but did not officially start with the company until last week.

Browett brings an international flavor to Apple's retail effort, with international stores having been an increasing focus for Apple in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue as Apple works to expand its global reach. The company has also been placing emphasis on larger, iconic stores to help promote the company's brand while providing more space to serve the growing number of Apple customers.

The critically acclaimed Deus Ex: Human Revolution has finally arrived on the Mac, after being promised in September of last year. Unlike some games released for the Mac recently, Human Revolution was just released for PC and consoles last summer. Some game titles new to the Mac were originally released as many as 6 years ago.

deusex

When former SWAT commander Adam Jensen is forced to undergo cybernetic augmentation, he discovers that the boundary between man and machine is a point of no return. Uncover the truth behind a global conspiracy in a first-person role-playing game where you must combine combat, stealth, hacking and social interaction to determine the course of human evolution.

In a world where amoral corporations market biomechanical modifications and those who protest against them are silenced, only those who adapt survive. Discover the true potential of your augmentations and manipulate Adam’s body into your perfect machine.

The Mac version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution already includes the 'Missing Link' downloadable content pack, the Explosive Mission and Tactical Enhancement expansion packs, a 44-minute "making-of" documentary, a 40-page book of design and concept art, motion comic, a soundtrack composed by Michael McCann, and three trailers.

The game weighs in at more than 15 gigabytes and does not support any of the following graphics cards: ATI X1xxx series, ATI HD2xxx series, NVIDIA 9400, NVIDIA 7xxx series, NVIDIA 320M, Intel HD3000 and Intel GMA series.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Ultimate Edition is available for $49.99 on the Mac App Store. [Direct Link]

The San Jose Mercury News reports (via The Next Web) that Apple has received approval from the City of Cupertino to build a new 21,500 square foot cafeteria several blocks away from its main headquarters. The facility is being planned to primarily support workers from Apple's satellite buildings in the immediate vicinity, giving them a private location to eat and conduct business without needing to worry about competitors overhearing their conversations.

"We like to provide a level of security so that people and employees can feel comfortable talking about their business, their research and whatever project they're engineering without fear of competition sort of overhearing their conversations," Dan Whisenhunt, Apple's director of real estate facilities, said at Tuesday's meeting. "That is a real issue today in Cupertino because we've got other companies here in our same business."

The facility will offer a full cafeteria, as well as private meeting rooms, lounge areas, courtyard space, and a 70-space parking garage underneath the cafe. Whisenhunt notes that Apple is also in the process of developing plans to add a private cafeteria at its Results Way campus leased last July to support further expansion while the company moves forward to build its major new headquarters on the former HP campus in Cupertino.

apple bandley cafeteria
Apple is genuinely concerned about its employees divulging secret information while socializing at outside restaurants, with Adam Lashinsky noting in his recent book Inside Apple that "company lore" suggests employees have been fired after undercover Apple security officers at BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse across a parking lot from Apple's main campus overheard them sharing sensitive information in the open.

The company has of course also experienced the loss of several iPhone prototypes in outside establishments, with an iPhone 4 having disappeared in a Mountain View bar in 2010 and eventually turning up in Gizmodo's hands while an iPhone 4S apparently went missing from a San Francisco bar last year and has not been found. While Apple certainly can't prevent its employees from patronizing outside establishments, the use of privately-controlled cafes can help minimize information leaks in situations where employees are most likely to be talking with each other about their work.

Back in late 2009, an Apple patent application surfaced showing that the company had explored ad-supported operating systems, with the user receiving free or discounted goods or services in exchange for viewing the advertisements. The patent application, which was filed in 2008 and shows ad integration in Mac OS X, was notable for listing Steve Jobs as the lead inventor.

operating system ad
As Ken Segall reveals in his new book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success, the idea did indeed belong to Jobs, although he initially considered implementing it for the 1999 release of Mac OS 9.

Rather than charge the normal upgrade price, which in those days was $99, he was thinking of shipping a second version of Mac OS 9 that would be given away for free – but would be supported instead by advertising. The theory was that this would pull in a ton of people who didn't normally upgrade because of the price, but Apple would still generate income through the advertising. And any time an owner of the free version wanted to get rid of the advertising, he or she could simply pay for the ad-free version. Steve's team had worked out the preliminary numbers the concept seemed financially sound.

Jobs envisioned the ad-supported version of Mac OS 9 displaying a 60-second commercial from a "premium" company at startup, with the ads occasionally being automatically swapped out for new ones over the Internet. He also visualized the use of contextually relevant ads, such as an Epson printer ink ad being displayed when the user's printer was reporting that it was low on ink.

Segall was not in favor of the idea, but left that meeting under the impression that Apple was going to proceed with it as the TBWA\Chiat\Day team begin thinking about the premium companies it could target for high-quality advertising. But for whatever reason, Jobs and Apple ultimately decided to scrap the idea.

But while the genesis of the idea indeed appears to lie with Jobs, it is still unclear why Apple decided nine years later to file for a patent on the idea, whether it was due to a serious reconsideration of the idea or merely a tying up of loose ends that saw the company attempting to protect one of Jobs' ideas that had already been discarded.

Professional-focused networking site LinkedIn has updated its iOS app today, adding native iPad support to the app for the first time. The universal app also offers support for Retina graphics on the new iPad.

linkedin ipad

- LinkedIn is now available on the iPad
- Optimized for Retina display on the new iPad
- New calendar feature lets you see LinkedIn profile information for people you're meeting with
- Redesigned updates view lets you easily stay up-to-date with connections, industry news, groups, and more.

The new calendar feature, available on both iPad and iPhone, integrates with the user's on-device calendar to help business users easily view information on their meeting contacts at a glance.

Netgear today announced its first 802.11ac-compatible Wi-Fi router, capable of delivering gigabit speeds up to three times faster than current 802.11n routers. Topping out at 1300 Mbps in 5 Ghz mode and 450 Mbps in 2.4 GHz, Netgear's R6300 router will launch next month at a price of $199.99.

netgear r6300
Netgear's announcement is notable for Apple observers, as it appears that it will represent the first shipping product based on the 802.11ac technology and Apple has been rumored to be introducing support for the faster technology in its AirPort products sometime this year.

Broadcom has already launched its first set of 802.11ac 5G Wi-Fi chips, even though the standard will likely not be finalized until later this year. It is, however, routine for Wi-Fi product manufacturers, including Apple, to embrace upcoming technologies even before they are finalized. Several other companies are set to closely follow Netgear's launch with their own products, with Buffalo having announced a June launch for its first 802.11ac router.

Apple last updated its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Wi-Fi base stations products in June 2011, while the smaller AirPort Express has not been updated since March 2008. Curiously, Apple was reported last September to be preparing to launch an updated AirPort Express, with a reference to the device appearing in developer seed notes for AirPort Utility at the time. Apple has not, however, launched such a device.

Support for 802.11ac would obviously also have to be incorporated into Mac and iOS hardware in order for them to take advantage of the new speeds.

Apple was one of the leaders in early adoption of 802.11 Wi-Fi technology, with the original iBook being the first mainstream computer to ship with the technology as an option in 1999, coming in the form of the original AirPort card running the 802.11b standard.

original imacAmong the many anecdotes about Steve Jobs included in Ken Segall's new book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success, one in particular stands out for its glimpse into Jobs' character, providing evidence of his willingness to engage in playful ideas when the mood suited him. The story takes place relatively soon after the launch of the original iMac, with Jobs wanting to find a high-profile way to celebrate the sale of the millionth one to mark Apple's comeback from the dead.

Steve's idea was to do a Willy Wonka with it. Just as Wonka did in the movie, Steve wanted to put a golden certificate representing the millionth iMac inside the box of one iMac, and publicize that fact. Whoever opened the lucky iMac box would be refunded the purchase price and be flown to Cupertino, where he or she (and, presumably, the accompanying family) would be taken on a tour of the Apple campus.

Steve had already instructed his internal creative group to design a prototype golden certificate, which he shared with us. But the killer was that Steve wanted to go all out on this. He wanted to meet the lucky winner in full Willy Wonka garb. Yes, complete with top hat and tails.

Those in the room with Jobs were amused by his excitement over the idea, but less than enthusiastic about seeing it come to fruition. Fortunately for those looking for a way out of it, California law required that all such sweepstake contests allow entry without requiring a purchase. Given that people would then be able to enter the contest without purchasing an iMac and there in fact being a very good chance that the winner wouldn't be an iMac owner or even an Apple fan, Jobs' pet idea for a Willy Wonka-themed prize was cast aside.

While Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Steve Jobs received significant attention for its glimpse into the life of the Apple co-founder and CEO, others with recollections of Jobs have over the years stepped forward with their own accounts and anecdotes serving to provide a picture of his life.

insanely simple
One of those people is Ken Segall, the longtime creative advertising director who spent several stints working with Jobs at various ad firms including the famous TBWA\Chiat\Day that has been responsible for many of Apple's landmark ad campaigns. Segall's new book, Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success, offers an interesting blend of business advice and anecdotes designed to help readers understand how Jobs and the culture of simplicity he fostered enabled Apple to reach the loftiest of heights.

Segall breaks his book down into ten chapters focused on different themes all centered around "the Simple Stick". Under the philosophy of Steve Jobs, the pursuit of simplicity is key in everything Apple does, and as complexity began to creep into projects he repeatedly hit them with the Simple Stick in order to bring them back to Apple's focus.

The Simple Stick symbolizes a core value within Apple. Sometimes it's held up as inspiration; other times it's wielded like a caveman's club. In all cases, it's a reminder of what sets Apple apart from other technology companies and what makes Apple stand out in a complicated world: a deep, almost religious belief in the power of Simplicity.

Having worked with Jobs at both NeXT and Apple, Segall was present for a number of Jobs' highs and lows over the years, events which led to a library of interesting and entertaining stories. Yielding a unique perspective, many of these stories come from the back room where Segall was present for discussions among Jobs, other Apple executives, engineers, and advertising professionals about the future of Apple's products and how to market them to the public.

Insanely Simple debuts tomorrow, April 26, and is available in hardcover from retailers such as Amazon, as well as in e-book format from Apple's iBookstore and other retailers.

officelogoEarlier this week, we noted that Microsoft had pulled its Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 2 from Microsoft AutoUpdate after users reported issues with Outlook database corruption. While the issues could be fixed and the update remained available for those looking to manually rebuild their databases and install the software, Microsoft opted to remove SP2 from AutoUpdate in order to protect those users who were unaware of the potential issues with the update.

Microsoft today announced that it has released an update to SP2, known as Microsoft Office 2011 14.2.1.

This update is primarily preventative and targets those who have not yet installed SP2; however, whether you have or have not installed SP2, please run this update to bring your installation of Microsoft Office:Mac 2011 to the latest version.

The downloads weighs in at 110 MB and requires a minimum of Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 1 (14.1.0).

sprint logoEarlier this month, Sprint revealed that it would continue to offer its unlimited data plans as it rolls out its first LTE devices. The news led to reasonable speculation that the policy would also apply to an LTE-enabled iPhone, which is expected to launch later this year.

CNET now reports that Sprint has confirmed plans to continue offering unlimited data for the next iPhone, regardless of whether or not the device supports LTE.

If the next iteration of the iPhone arrives with LTE, Sprint will continue to offer a no-strings unlimited plan, CEO Dan Hesse told CNET. The company is already sticking with unlimited for its first batch of LTE phones, but it was unclear whether the offer would apply to next iPhone.

"I'm not anticipating the unlimited plan would change by that point," he said. "That's our distinctive differentiator."

Hesse notes that the unlimited data plans for the iPhone have been successful for the company, attracting customers from other carriers. As announced in its earnings release earlier today, 44% of Sprint's iPhone sales during the first quarter of 2012 were to customers new to the carrier.

With LTE's faster data speeds, customers have the potential to significantly larger amounts of cellular data, and it had been unclear whether Sprint would be able to continue offering unlimited data to LTE customers for that reason. Sprint has been behind the other major U.S. carriers in its rollout of LTE support, as it initially supported WiMAX for its 4G technology, it is now moving rapidly to begin deployment of LTE to its network.

Related Forum: iPhone

browettA pair of filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission published early today reveal that former Dixons Retail CEO John Browett, who was announced in January as the next Senior Vice President of Retail at Apple, has officially started work with the company. The development is in line with previous announcements about an April start.

Browett's start date was revealed in an SEC Form 3 filing noting that Browett owned no stock in Apple at the time he began work. The document lists April 20 as the "date of event requiring statement", indicating that he began work at Apple last Friday.

As of that start date, Browett also received a total of 100,000 restricted stock units (RSUs) on Friday, with staggered vesting dates designed to reward Browett for staying on the job. At Apple's current stock price, those RSUs are worth roughly $61 million. The first batch of 5,000 units will vest on October 20, and an additional 15,000 units will vest at Browett's one-year anniversary with the company, which is April 20, 2013. The remainder of the units will vest in batches of 20,000 units on each anniversary of his start date through the fifth year.

Unlike options, restricted stock units do not require the recipient to purchase stock at an exercise price in order to receive the shares. The RSUs simply convert to actual shares on the vesting dates, although there are tax implications to the conversion that generally result in recipients immediately selling off at least some portion of their grants as they vest.

Browett has not yet been added to Apple's leadership page on its website, but his photo and a brief biography should be appearing there in the near future. Browett replaces Ron Johnson, who left Apple last November to become CEO of department store chain J.C. Penney.

Less than two hours after going on sale, passes for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) have already sold out. The quick sellout comes even as Apple imposed new restrictions this year limiting ticket sales to registered iOS and Mac developers and limiting the number of passes available per developer group.

wwdc 2012 sold out
WWDC has sold out increasingly quickly in recent years, selling out in eight days in 2010 and in under 12 hours last year.

The conference will be held June 11-15 at the Moscone West convention center in San Francisco.

Sprint today was the last of the three major iPhone carriers in the United States to release earnings for the first calendar quarter of 2012, announcing that it sold 1.5 million iPhones during the quarter. The number is down slightly from the 1.8 million units sold in the previous quarter, the debut quarter for the iPhone on Sprint.

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Sprint remains the smallest of the three major U.S. iPhone carriers in terms of units sold, as Verizon activated 3.2 million iPhones during the quarter while AT&T continued to lead the pack with 4.3 million units. Sprint did, however, experience the smallest percentage decline from the previous quarter among the three carriers. The carrier also noted that 44% of its quarterly iPhone sales went to customers new to Sprint, up from 40% in the previous quarter.

Related Forum: iPhone