With Apple having pushed iTunes 10.5 out to the public earlier today, the company has already seeded developers with a beta version of iTunes 10.5.1 to continue testing of its forthcoming iTunes Match service.
iTunes 10.5.1 beta 1 includes several performance enhancements and bug fixes, and is a required update for all subscribers to iTunes Match beta. iTunes Match is not included in the iTunes 10.5 GM release.
As with previous builds testing iTunes Match, Apple notes that iCloud libraries will be deleted at the end of the beta testing period.
iTunes Match was initially part of iTunes 10.5 and appeared set to debut alongside iOS 5 and iCloud, but at Apple's media event last week the company announced that iTunes Match would not launch until the end of October. The last beta version of iTunes 10.5 still had some remaining issues with iTunes Match functionality, and Apple has given itself a few more weeks to address those problems by pulling the feature out into a separate iTunes 10.5.1 release.
iTunes Match is a $24.99/year service that allows users to have their music libraries matched to Apple's database of over 20 million tracks, making those songs available for use on any iCloud-enabled device associated with the user's accounts. Songs not available in the iTunes Store can be uploaded to Apple's servers and also made available across devices. iTunes Match will be a U.S.-only feature at first, but Apple is apparently working to extend it to other countries soon after its initial launch.
Apple today released iTunes 10.5, bringing support for iOS 5 and iCloud as well as new Wi-Fi syncing capabilities. iOS 5 and iCloud are set to launch tomorrow, and today's launch of iTunes 10.5 sets the stage for those releases.
What's new in iTunes 10.5
- iTunes in the Cloud. iTunes now stores your music and TV purchases in iCloud and makes them available on your devices anywhere, any time, at no additional cost. * Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices. * Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music, TV, app, and book purchases again, at no additional cost. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.
- Sync with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 5.
- Wi-Fi Syncing. Automatically sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes any time they're both on the same Wi-Fi network.
iTunes 10.5 brings compatibility with iOS 5 and iCloud, as well as the paid iTunes Match portion of iCloud. iTunes Match is a $24.99/year service that allows users to have their music libraries matched to Apple's database of over 20 million tracks, making those songs available for use on any iCloud-enabled device associated with the user's accounts. Songs not available in the iTunes Store can be uploaded to Apple's servers and also made available across devices.
Apple announced at its media event last week that iTunes Match will launch in the United States by the end of October.
Update: iTunes Match appears to have been pulled completely from the public release of iTunes 10.5. Developer beta users had previously had the ability to turn iTunes Match on and off from the iTunes menu bar, but that option is missing in the public release. Consequently, Apple may need to release an updated version of iTunes to reenable the feature when the service launches later this month.
Update 2: Apple has posted a support document to assist users with troubleshooting the new Wi-Fi syncing feature in iTunes 10.5.
Last week, we noted that Apple had introduced a new "AppleCare+" offering for iPhone, replacing the previous $69 AppleCare with the new $99 warranty extending coverage to two years from the date of device purchase and including new coverage for up to two incidents of accidental damage. Incidents of accidental damage covered under the new AppleCare+ program will also incur $49 service fees.
One Apple retail store source has contacted us to explain in more detail how the new AppleCare+ program will also change the way the Genius Bar handles damaged devices. Previously, Genius Bar staff had some flexibility in waiving the $199 out-of-warranty replacement fee as a "one-time exception", giving customers a free replacement for a damaged phone. With the shift to AppleCare+, Genius Bar staff will no longer have the option of offering free replacements, so customers who have been aware of Apple's informal replacement policy should be mindful of the change.
Apple is also now requiring that AppleCare+ be purchased at the same time as the device, a change from other AppleCare offerings that have allowed customers to purchase AppleCare anytime before the standard warranty expires. That requirement has been causing some confusion with iPhone 4S pre-orders through carriers and other outlets, as many of them have not been offering AppleCare+ as an option.
Customers seem to be hearing different stories from Apple sales representatives regarding adding AppleCare+ to iPhone 4S purchases made elsewhere, adding to the confusion. Some representatives have suggested that a simple phone call to Apple can resolve the situation, while others have suggested that users should bring their unopened iPhone 4S boxes to Apple retail stores and have staff members set up the devices and add AppleCare+.
But while Apple's official policy requires AppleCare+ to be purchased at same time as the device, the source who reached out to us notes that Apple will allow users who did not purchase AppleCare+ to add it to a replacement phone if they damage their device and need to have it replaced. Under the program, customers needing to replace a damaged iPhone would be given a $50 discount on Apple's standard $199 replacement fee if they also purchase AppleCare+ for the replacement device, for a total cost of $249. That program would then cover the consumer for additional accidental damage incidents in the future.
Update: We're hearing that even Apple isn't clear on whether AppleCare+ needs to be purchased at the same time as the device. While Apple's iPhone and AppleCare pages are clear that AppleCare+ "must be purchased together with your new iPhone", the legal text of the AppleCare+ Terms and Conditions (PDF) indicates otherwise:
You must purchase the Plan while your original iPhone is within Apple’s One Year Limited warranty.
We've been told that Apple may be offering some clarification on the AppleCare+ situation by the time the iPhone 4S launches on Friday.
Update 2: Apple has been reaching out to customers who were unable to order AppleCare+ at the time of their iPhone 4S purchases, noting that customers will have 30 days to visit an Apple retail store to purchase AppleCare+ if they so desire. The company's online store will not support standalone ordering of AppleCare+.
While Apple has touted Wal-Mart, Target, and Best Buy as its featured third-party retailers in the United States to carry the iPhone 4S at launch, Wal-Mart's warehouse club chain Sam's Club has now joined the list, alerting customers today that it is now taking reservations for the device. The iPhone 4S will be available through Sam's Club on the official launch day of this Friday, October 14th.
iPhone 4S will be available for pre-order at most Sam's Club locations beginning at 10:00 a.m. on October 11th on a first-come, first-served basis. Available for purchase on October 14th while supplies last.
Not all Sam's Club locations offer the iPhone, so customers should check the Sam's Club iPhone database to determine which clubs will offer the device for their carrier of choice. Sam's Club is also not offering a discount on the iPhone, but it does provide one more option for customers looking to purchase an iPhone 4S on launch day.
Apple sold out of its initial stock of iPhone 4S pre-orders in less than 24 hours, announcing that it had taken over one million pre-orders over that time.
Best Buy confirmed yesterday that it will carry the full line of iPhone offerings, and RadioShack has also been taking in-store pre-orders ahead of Friday's launch.
The first iPhone 4S deliveries have already started arriving in customers' hands. Several German customers have received their new phones several days before the official launch. Macerkopf.de posts a several images of the new device from different readers.
We've already seen information leak out about the device as early units make its way into the hands of customers. General benchmarks have shown the new device to be about 68% faster than the iPhone 4 and with graphics benchmarks close to 7x as fast.
The iPhone 4S officially goes on sale on Friday, October 14th with pre-orders scheduled to be arriving on the same day. At this point, if you haven't pre-ordered a device, the only way to get the iPhone 4S on launch day will be to stand in line at a local retail store.
The first GeekBench benchmarks for the iPhone 4S seem to be rolling in. At present, two iPhone4,1 (4S) benchmarks have been posted and seem, at first glance, to be legitimate.
The listed specs show a dual core processor that resembles the results from from the iPad 2 which also shares an A5 processor. Free RAM appears to be in-line with what we believe (512MB) and the benchmarks line up with known devices.
The iPhone 4S receives a total Geekbench score of ~622. This falls slightly below the iPad 2 scores of 749, but well above the iPhone 4 benchmarks of 370. So, the new iPhone seems to benchmark about 68% faster than the iPhone 4, and about 17% slower than the iPad 2.
The iPhone 4S A5 processor is likely underclocked (800MHz) as compared to the iPad 2 processor (1 GHz), explaining the slightly lower performance.
The iPhone 4S is currently shipping to customers for delivery on October 14th, but it seems at least a few units are already in the wild.
Update: Anandtech compiles these results (and more) in nice graphs:
Meanwhile, graphics performance of the iPhone 4S is confirmed to be about 7x faster than the iPhone 4.
Entertainment Weekly reports that the Discovery Channel is working on a documentary of Steve Jobs to be shown on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. The documentary will be hosted by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman of Mythbusters.
“Someone once said that to follow the path that others have laid before you is a very reasonable course of action, therefore all progress is made by unreasonable men,” Savage said. “Steve Jobs was an unreasonable man. He didn’t simply give the public what they wanted, he defined entirely new ways of thinking about our lives in the digital space: productivity, creativity, music, communication, media and art. He has touched, directly and indirectly, all of our lives.”
The one hour special has reportedly lined up a number of interviews with early figures in Jobs' life.
Facebook today announced the release of its first native application for the iPad, coming as an update to the company's existing iPhone application. The new iPad compatibility is being featured on Facebook's site.
A New Way to Experience Facebook
- Enjoy bigger, better photos: Your photos take on new life on the iPad. They're big, high-res and easy to flip through—like a real photo album. - Focus on what matters: With less on the screen, it's easier to zoom in on your friends' photos, updates and stories. - Navigate anywhere, fast: Just tap, slide or pinch to get from one screen to another and back again in no time. - Never lose your place: Use simplified navigation to send a message, see your notifications or browse your bookmarks without switching screens. - Play games on the go: Play your favorite Facebook games wherever you are, and on a bigger screen. - Tap to send messages: A simple dropdown menu makes it easy to scan and send messages without visiting your inbox.
The updated app should be propagating through to the App Store at any moment [App Store].
Facebook's long-awaited iPad application had apparently been delayed several times, with lead developer Jeff Verkoeyen quitting in part due to the delays. The New York Timesreported back in June that a Facebook app for iPad would be released "in coming weeks". In late July, an iPad version of the existing app for iPhone was discovered inside the iPhone app, accessible through a tweak, but Facebook quickly disabled access to the iPad-specific interface through that mechanism.
Update: The universal Facebook application (version 4.0) is now available in the App Store.
Details on the improvements to the iPhone version of the app:
With improved search and browsing, the facebook.com features you use most are now just a touch away. It’s a faster, fuller Facebook for iPhone.
- Games & Apps: Play games and access your favorite apps on the go - Navigation: Send a message or see your notifications from any screen, and swipe to browse Facebook without losing your place in News Feed - Bookmarks: Your groups, pages and apps are all in your left-hand menu, and the ones you use most are right on top - Search: Search for anything on Facebook—people, apps, pages and more—without having to click around or switch views - Security: We’ve added a few updates to make the app more secure
Update 2: Some users who already had the Facebook app installed on their iPads are reporting that the app is now crashing immediately upon launch. Deleting the application from the device entirely and redownloading it appears to resolve the issue.
Bloomberg reports that Steve Jobs' death certificate has been released, citing respiratory arrest and a pancreatic tumor as the cause of death. Jobs died last Wednesday at approximately 3:00 PM Pacific time.
Steve Jobs died at home of respiratory arrest and a pancreatic tumor at about 3 p.m. on Oct. 5, according to his death certificate. His occupation was listed as “entrepreneur.”
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department in San Jose, California, released the document today.
While many had assumed that Jobs' death was ultimately related to the rare form of pancreatic cancer for which he was initially treated back in 2004, official word on Jobs' ailments over the past few years has been scant. Jobs underwent a liver transplant in April 2009, but even at that time the transplant was described as treating an "undisclosed medical condition" and his condition had initially been described as a "hormone imbalance" when he went on a medical leave of absence early that year.
Jobs took his final leave of absence in January of this year, with sources reporting at the time that he was dealing "immune system issues common with people who have received liver transplants" and not necessarily continued battles with pancreatic cancer.
A private funeral for Jobs was held last Friday, and Apple will be holding a celebration of his life for company employees on Wednesday, October 19th.
Research firm comScore today announced the results of its latest study of digital media consumption in the United States, perhaps unsurprisingly finding that the iPad has continued to dominate the tablet industry and has even quickly overcome the iPhone's headstart to lead it in total traffic. Among iOS devices, the iPad is now responsible for more U.S. Internet traffic than the iPhone, taking the title by a margin of 46.8% to 42.6%.
Perhaps most notably, the iPad continues to dominate the U.S. tablet industry even as numerous high-profile competitors have introduced (and in some cases already discontinued) their own tablet products to take on the iPad. According to comScore, the iPad accounted for 97.2% of U.S. Internet traffic, as measured by browser-basd page views, from tablet devices over the June-August period.
Looking at the broader tablet and smartphone market, iOS as a whole represented 43.1% of the installed user base for connected devices in the United States over the study period, with Android placing second at 34.1%. But in looking at traffic from those devices as a gauge for how much they are being used, iOS takes a commanding 58.5% of the market while Android dips to 31.9%.
Apple fans have frequently pointed to the company's strong performance with the iPad and iPod touch as data that should be included when comparing the relative adoption of iOS versus Android. And given that Android has yet to take off in the tablet and non-phone connected device markets, iOS continues to hold a sizable lead in overall platform comparisons despite Android's rapid ascent in the smartphone portion of the market.
Tributes to Steve Jobs outside Covent Garden store, London (Source: Sam Parry)
MacGeneration shares an internal email from Apple CEO Tim Cook to company employees informing them of a private celebration of Steve Jobs' life, scheduled for October 19th on the company's campus in Cupertino, California.
Team,
Like many of you, I have experienced the saddest days of my lifetime and shed many tears during the past week. But I've found some comfort in the extraordinary number of tributes and condolences from people all over the world who were touched by Steve and his genius. And I've found comfort in both telling and listening to stories about Steve.
Although many of our hearts are still heavy, we are planning a celebration of his life for Apple employees to take time to remember the incredible things Steve achieved in his life and the many ways he made our world a better place. The celebration will be held on Wednesday, October 19, at 10am in the outdoor amphitheater on the Infinite Loop campus. We'll have more details on AppleWeb closer to the date, including arrangements for employees outside of Cupertino.
I look forward to seeing you there.
Tim
Jobs passed away last Wednesday, with Cook noting in a company-wide email sent soon after that the company was planning such a celebration. A small, private funeral was held for Jobs on Friday. No public events are scheduled, although many of Apple's retail stores around the world have become shrines where those wishing to pay tribute to Jobs have left notes, flowers, and other items of remembrance.
These photos aren't surprising, but for those interested, AppVV has also posted photos of the new iPhone 4S alongside both CDMA and GSM iPhone 4 devices. It's also further proof that AppVV has gotten hold of an iPhone 4S before the official launch.
They've already posted a hands on video showing the Siri settings.
In these photos, the iPhone 4S is on the left, iPhone 4 GSM middle, and iPhone 4 CDMA right.
The photos simply show the new antenna design of the iPhone 4S which looks almost identical to the CDMA iPhone. The only noticeable difference is the addition of a GSM slot. Otherwise, the phones appear identical on the outside.
AppVV has further shots, but you need to be a registered user.
Police at Covent Garden store following the robbery (Source: Rob Shoesmith)
The Indepdent reports that Apple's Covent Garden store in London was the target of an organized smash-and-grab robbery conducted by a group of moped and motorcycle riders last night, and it appears that at least seven vehicles and as many as fourteen individuals were involved.
Police were called at around 1am after one of the store's windows was smashed and a haul of Apple devices, including valuable iPads, was stolen.
It is believed around seven masked raiders riding mopeds and motorcycles were involved in the incident.
All suspects were wearing full face crash helmets and most, if not all of the motorbikes were carrying a pillion passenger, the Met said.
Two individuals, a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old, were later apprehended carrying bags of property believed to have been stolen from the store.
Boarded-up window at Covent Garden retail store (Source: The Next Web)
The Metropolitan Police Service has requested that anyone with information on the robbery please contact law enforcement.
Following the posting of a hands-on video of the iPhone 4S, AppVV has also apparently posted the first consumer photo taken with an iPhone 4S. The photo above was taken with an iPhone 4S and measures in at 3264 x 2448 pixels.
EXIF data is quite easy to manipulate and the image has taken a pass through Photoshop in order to add the watermark, but given the existence of the hands-on video, the photo is likely authentic.
As part of its promotional materials for the iPhone 4S posted following last week's media event, Apple included full-resolution sample photos, but the new image from AppVV offers an example of the quality of photos users can expect simply from snapping a quick photo. And last month, a photo apparently taken by an Apple engineer using an iPhone 4S briefly appeared on Flickr, with the official specs for the iPhone 4S camera announced last week all but confirming that the photo was indeed taken by the device.
Last week, the Infinity Blade developer first suggested that the iPhone 4S still had 512MB of RAM, just like the iPhone 4:
"I'm still shocked that, with the iPhone 4S, I'm literally running around with a 1080p video camera in my pocket, with an eight megapixel camera, 64GB of hard drive space and an A5 chip with 512MB of memory. This is a really powerful computer, right?
The developer would be in a position to know as they had demoed their game on the new iPhone 4S during last week's keynote.
We had doubts about this claim, however, as we had previously heard that the new iPhone would carry 1GB of RAM. Note that we heard this alongside other information regarding Apple's Assistant feature that we accurately mocked up ahead of Siri's launch, so we were confident in the source.
But, now, AppVV also confirms that the iPhone 4S has 512MB of RAM. In a discussion thread an administrator reports that it has 512MB. This fact is repeated on their Weibo page as well in response to a question:
Re @ LogIn_Kim: RAM have said before, is still 512MB.
Though they don't detail how they came to the figure, we're inclined to believe AppVV as they are the ones who posted a hands-on video of the iPhone 4S this morning.
Apple has announced that they have received over one million iPhone 4S pre-orders on the first 24 hours.
“We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do.”
That number tops the previous record for Apple held by the iPhone 4 which sold 600,000 units in pre-order on the first day. AT&T previously announced that they alone were responsible for 200,000 iPhone 4S pre-orders.
The iPhone 4S launches officially on October 14th when it will become available in retail stores. Pre-orders should arrive to customers at about the same time.
It seems someone has gotten hold of an iPhone 4S ahead of launch. This video from AppVV.com shows off a new iPhone 4S with some early benchmarks (thanks BluC0la). It also shows the Siri settings interface which allows you to turn Siri On/Off, change Language Settings, Voice feedback, My Info and enable Raise to Speak.
To talk to Siri, press and hold the home button or raise the phone to your ear and speak.
Early Sunspider marks show a total score of 2222.1ms and a BrowserMark score of 89567. For comparison, it appears that the BrowserMark score for an iPhone 4 running iOS 5 is 44856, so the new iPhone 4S benches twice as fast in the browser.
The iPhone 4S doesn't officially launch until October 14th. Some readers have gotten early ship notices, but we hadn't heard of any deliveries thus far. It's not clear how this person obtained their iPhone 4S.
There have been severalreports of readers getting ship notices for their early iPhone 4S pre-orders. These orders are starting to show up in UPS tracking databases with expected delivery dates ahead of the iPhone 4S launch date of October 14th.
Apple has in the past, however, coordinated with carriers to hold delivery until official product launch days, and it is likely the company will do so again for iPhone 4S. So, even with early shipment notifications, it's likely that most customers won't receive them until the 14th -- though there are occasional exceptions.
Readers are organizing in our iPhone forums to discuss their upcoming deliveries. Those who want to compare their tracking status changes can do so in these carrier specific threads: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and International. Meanwhile, if you are desperate to find your tracking number as soon as possible, one poster provides a tip that may provide you that information if your shipment has already moved to "Preparing for shipment".
The iPhone 4S has already sold out of the initial pre-order stock, so if you haven't ordered yet, your only chance of picking one up on launch day is to stand in line. Apple Retail stores will open at 8:00 a.m. on October 14th to sell the iPhone 4S on a first come, first serve basis.
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