MacRumors

AllThingsD reports that Google's highly anticipated iOS Maps app is set to be released later tonight.

When Apple stopped using Google Maps in September with iOS 6, rumors immediately began that the search engine giant would release its own Maps app into the App Store. Since then, unhappy iOS users have been waiting patiently for the app, which didn't seem like it was going to materialize, until tonight.

Google Maps for iOS will likely be a huge hit with iPhone users that have been plagued with problems using Apple's built-in mapping solution. Apple has received significant criticism over its mapping app, most recently when motorists in Australia became lost because of a misplaced waypoint.

There's no word on when the app will hit the App Store, but if it is in line with other releases, expect to see it around 11pm Eastern.

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) has sent a letter to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration saying the flying public is "growing increasingly skeptical" of prohibitions on the use of electronic devices like tablets and computers during the beginning and end of flights.

The senator notes the "absurdity of the current situation" since the FAA has recently approved the use of iPads to replace paper flight manuals. She promises that she is "prepared to pursue legislative solutions" if the FAA is too slow to act.

As you surely know, the public is growing increasingly skeptical of prohibitions on the use of many electronic devices during the full duration of a flight, while at the same time using such devices in increasing numbers. For example, a traveler can read a paper copy of a newspaper throughout a flight, but is prohibited from reading the same newspaper for major portions of the flight when reading it on an e-reader. The fear of devices that operate on electricity is dated, at best. Importantly, such anachronistic policies undermine the public's confidence in the FAA, thereby increasing the likelihood that rules of real consequence will be given too little respect. The absurdity of the current situation was highlighted when the FAA acted earlier this year to allow tablet computers to replace paper flight manuals in the cockpit, further enhancing the public's skepticism about the current regulations.

While safety and security must be the top priority in air travel, the FAA and other federal agencies should also work to ensure air travel is as hassle free as possible by revising or removing regulations that have become unnecessary or outdated. It is my hope that the FAA will work, with the FCC and other federal agencies where appropriate, as expeditiously as possible to implement common sense changes to today's restrictive regulations on in-flight use of PEDs that better reflect new technologies and the changing role these devices play in Americans' daily lives. While the agency can and should use existing authorities to allow for the broader use of PEDs, I am prepared to pursue legislative solutions should progress be made too slowly.

Earlier this year, the FAA said it was taking a "fresh look" at the use of digital devices during takeoff and landing, though no changes in policy have been announced.

For over a year, third-party manufacturers have been showing off prototypes and making announcements regarding Thunderbolt docking stations, accessories that would allow users to connect a variety of peripherals to a hub that would then connect to their Mac with a single Thunderbolt cable. Apple offers such functionality as part of its $999 Apple Thunderbolt Display, but many users have been looking for similar hub functionality that does not require also purchasing a large display.

Matrox is one of the manufacturers that has been working on a Thunderbolt docking stations, having announced its $249 DS1 hub back in June. At the time, the product was scheduled to launch in September of this year, but the company later pushed back the launch to December as it decided to roll out separate models for DVI and HDMI monitor compatibility.

Matrox will be announcing tomorrow that the DS1 docking station is now available for sale in the Americas at a price of $249, with worldwide availability set for next month. The DS1 contains a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports, audio in/out jacks and either an HDMI or DVI port on the rear of the device, with a combination USB 3.0/2.0 port and the Thunderbolt port for connection to the user's machine on the front.

We chatted a bit with product manager Charles Amyot about the development of DS1, in particular asking why it has taken over a year and a half to bring a Thunderbolt docking station to market. The issue is not unique to Matrox, as Belkin and other manufacturers have also been working to launch their products but have yet to begin shipping.

Amyot noted that there were a number of hurdles that needed to be overcome throughout the development process, due in large part to Thunderbolt being a new standard with little in the way of support available yet. Matrox worked closely with both Apple and Intel on the development of the DS1, but ensuring a good user experience with proper drivers and other features of the device turned out to be a time-consuming process. Amyot also noted that Matrox is the first company to deliver USB 3.0 connectivity over Thunderbolt, a step that required a significant amount of work.

Thunderbolt remains in its infancy, and many users have been frustrated with what feels like a slow pace of adoption. Until recently, Thunderbolt accessories have primarily been limited to expensive professional devices such as RAID storage arrays and PCI Expansion expansion chassis. Only in recent months have consumer-level products begun integrating Thunderbolt on a widespread basis, but even then many of them such as hard drives can only make maximum use of Thunderbolt when equipped with expensive solid-state storage.

Regardless, as Apple continues to slim down its Macs and eliminate such features as Ethernet ports, docking stations like the DS1 that offer a single-cable connection for a variety of peripherals are likely to become increasingly popular with users seeking simple expansion solutions.

Samsung is taking advantage of Apple's Australian Maps snafu, where several motorists became lost after Maps gave them the wrong directions to the city of Mildura, directing them instead to the middle of the Murray-Sunset national park.

To capitalize on Apple's mistake, Samsung released a new marketing campaign in Sydney, which was discovered by CNET Australia.

The display depicts a filthy, mud-covered white SUV alongside some camping equipment. A sign next to the car reads, "Oops, should have got a Samsung Galaxy S III. Get navigation you can trust."

On Monday, Apple repaired the Mildura mapping error, and it was discovered that the source information that Apple used from the Australian Gazeteer was inaccurate, which is what led to the issue.

Google Maps came under scrutiny today as well, after a Yahoo news report stated that police in Colac were concerned that similar problems in Google's maps were putting people's lives in danger along the Great Ocean Road and in the southern Otways.

Samsung's latest stunt is one of many ads and displays that aim to paint the iPhone in a negative light, like the ad that portrayed the iPhone as uncool, depicting a Galaxy S3 owner saving a spot in one of Apple’s iconic lines for his parents.

Apple and Samsung have had an ongoing feud since Apple accused Samsung of imitating its products. Most recently, Samsung was ordered to pay just over billion dollars at the conclusion of the U.S. trial, further souring the relationship between the two companies.

VR-Zone shares (via Engadget) what is claimed to be a leaked list of Intel's first wave of "Haswell" desktop processors. The 14 new chips are expected to debut in the spring of 2013 and will build new architecture on top of the 22-nanometer process used in the current Ivy Bridge chips.

Haswell will bring a number of enhancements to Intel's chip lineup, including faster performance and significant integrated graphics improvements delivered by the new Intel HD 4600 graphics package.

The Haswell desktop chips are likely to only make their way into Apple's iMac family, as the Mac mini uses mobile chips while the Mac Pro takes advantage of Xeon-branded server chips. Still, progress on Haswell sets the stage for further improvements to Apple's just-redesigned flagship desktop Mac, and mobile chips that will power most of the rest of Apple's Mac lineup should follow relatively soon after.

Earlier this month, we noted that the iTunes Music Store had gone live in 56 new countries, nearly doubling the number of countries with access to the store. At the time, Apple noted in its press release that movies were also being launched in Russia, Turkey, India and Indonesia with "select additional countries" also scheduled to offer the film content.

Beginning earlier today, a number of MacRumors readers began reporting that movies had gone live in their countries, and AppleInsider has compiled a list of 42 new countries where movies are now available.

- Europe: Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine

- Africa, the Middle East and India: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Botswana, Cape Verde, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Swaziland, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Zimbabwe

- Asia Pacific: Micronesia, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan

- Latin America and the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago

The new additions mean that just ten of the 56 countries that added music content earlier this month have yet to begin offering movies. Those countries include: Barbados, Bermuda, Burkina Faso, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, and Uzbekistan.

Following their shipment earlier this week, the first orders of Apple's redesigned 27-inch iMac have now begun arriving at their destinations, with several MacRumors readers reporting that they have receiving their shipments today ahead of their projected December 13 delivery dates.

Apple announced the redesigned iMac at its media event on October 23, but noted that the 21.5-inch model would not begin shipping until November with the 27-inch models following in December. Apple began taking orders for both sizes on November 30, with the 27-inch models seeing 2-3 week shipping estimates at that time.

Availability remains tight as Apple reportedly works to achieve acceptable yields of the new display assembly, which laminates the display directly to the cover glass. With the larger 27-inch displays proving more difficult to assemble than their smaller siblings, supplies of the 27-inch iMac models are particularly tight.

Continuing the flurry of Apple television rumors in recent days following CEO Tim Cook's brief comments on the topic as part of an interview on Rock Center last week, The Wall Street Journal reports that Apple is indeed testing designs for future television set products. The report adds little to existing rumors, but does indicate that work is continuing and keeps the topic fresh in the public's mind.

Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been working on testing a few designs for a large-screen high-resolution TV.

Two people said Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which assembles the iPhone and iPad, has been collaborating with Japan's Sharp Corp. on the design of the new television.

"It isn't a formal project yet. It is still in the early stage of testing," said one of the people.

The report notes that Apple has been testing television set prototypes for a number of years and that the company tests many different prototype products that never come to market, making clear that a launch is not imminent and that Apple could ultimately scrap its plans.

AllThingsD is reporting that contrary to earlier reports that Apple and Microsoft were arguing over a 30% cut of storage upgrade sales through Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud storage utility, instead the companies are negotiating over revenue Microsoft would bring in as part of its Office 365 subscription service.

Office has long been a cash cow for Microsoft and extending the platform to iOS will undoubtedly fatten it further. It will also bring significant benefits to Apple’s mobile platform, ones for which Microsoft feels it is owed a discount on that 30 percent cut that Apple would otherwise command on Office 365 subscriptions sold to iOS users through it. The apps are just part of a subscription that includes desktop access.

So the company has been pushing Apple to adjust the 70/30 revenue split in its developer license agreement. Predictably, Apple has refused to comply. It’s not yet clear what sort of concession Microsoft is seeking, but whatever it is, Apple’s evidently not willing to consider it. Indeed, I’m told it’s taken a “the rules are the rules” stance, which would suggest it’s not at all willing to negotiate a different split. Apple’s position: If a customer comes through its gateway, it feels it is deserved the commission outlined in 11.12 of its developer license.

Apple, for its part, says that App Store rules are fair and are applied equally to all developers, big and small.

Office for iOS has been rumored several times over the past year, but now seems closer to fruition than ever -- if Apple and Microsoft can come to some agreement. Yesterday, Microsoft leaked references to 'Office Mobile for iPhone', 'Excel for iPad', and 'PowerPoint for iPad'.