MacRumors

The Washington Post reports that Apple's iOS 4.3 released yesterday includes change that will require users to reenter their iTunes Store password to initiate an in app purchase, even if the user had just entered the password to download the application. The change is designed to address concerns over incidents in which children have managed to initiate as much as hundreds of dollars worth of in app purchases.

The Cupertino company's move affects users of its most recent operating system and comes amid growing concern by federal and state enforcement agencies that consumers, including children, were not adequately informed or aware that they were incurring charges on iTunes accounts because of a 15-minute period that allowed for purchases without a password.

Apple said its new device software, iOS 4.3, made available Wednesday, will come with a feature that requires a password when purchases are made within an application after it is downloaded.

An Apple spokeswoman stated that in addition to existing parental controls that can disable in app purchases entirely, the change in iOS 4.3 should prevent children without knowledge of the device's iTunes Store password from accessing in app purchase content.

"We are proud to have industry-leading parental controls with iOS," said Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple. She said users have always been able to use parental control setting and restrictions of in-app purchases to protect their iTunes accounts from accidental charges. "With iOS 4.3, in addition to a password being required to purchase an app on the App Store, a reentry of your password is now required when making an in-app purchase."

iOS 4.3 was released yesterday for the first-generation iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touch. iOS 4.3 will also come preinstalled on second-generation iPads launching tomorrow.

ChangeWave Research today released the results of a February survey of U.S. professionals and early-adopter consumers showing that even before the unveiling of the iPad 2 customers were continuing to turn to the iPad when considering tablet purchases. According to the report, 82% of surveyed customers who were planning to purchase a tablet were looking to acquire an iPad, with competitors such as the Motorola Xoom, Research in Motion BlackBerry PlayBook, and Samsung Galaxy Tab all barely registering in the 3-4% range each.

Apple's iPad also continues to enjoy stellar consumer satisfaction ratings, with 70% of users registering as "very satisfied" and an additional 25% pegging their position as "somewhat satisfied".

In taking a broader look at tablet customers' buying preferences, the survey also found that tablets, dominated by the iPad, continue to eat into planned purchases of devices such as eReaders and portable PCs, with 17% of tablet-owning respondents reporting that they put on hold or canceled the purchase of a Kindle because of their tablet purchase. Netbooks and traditional notebooks also took a hit, with 10-11% of tablet purchasers reporting that they had delayed or canceled planned purchases in each of those categories of devices.

Finally, ChangeWave surveyed customers planning to purchase an iPad in the near future about wireless service, finding that 24% of customers planned to purchase AT&T service, compared to 17% planning to use Verizon service and 27% opting for Wi-Fi only. An additional 30% were undecided. Notably, Verizon's solid appeal was present even before Apple unveiled the new iPad with built-in support for Verizon's network. With the original iPad, customers looking to use Verizon service have been limited to Wi-Fi iPad models paired with MiFi hotspot devices.

Ahead of tomorrow's launch of the iPad 2, Apple has launched iMovie and GarageBand for the device, the two main apps featured during the iPad 2 launch event last week. Each app costs $4.99.

iMovie [App Store], comes as an update to the existing iPhone application, becoming a universal app compatible with the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch.

What's New in Version 1.2

- Universal app designed for iPad 2, iPhone 4, and iPod touch (4th generation).
- Multi-Touch Precision Editor (iPad only).
- Multitrack audio editing with 8 themed soundtracks and over 50 bundled sound effects.
- Audio recording directly into the timeline.
- Audio waveforms (iPad only).
- Three new themes - Neon, Simple, and CNN iReport.
- HD sharing directly to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and CNN iReport.
- AirPlay support for sharing to Apple TV (compatible only with second-generation Apple TV; requires iOS 4.3 or later).
- Project transfer to your computer and compatible iOS devices through iTunes.
- Ability to add titles on photos.
- Option to add fade-in from black and fade-out to black.
- Numerous enhancements, including trimming in Video Browser, in-use markers, video rotation, and more.

GarageBand [App Store] is an iPad-only application compatible with both the first- and second-generation models.

GarageBand turns your iPad into a collection of Touch Instruments and a full-featured recording studio - so you can make music anywhere you go. Use Multi-Touch gestures to play pianos, organs, guitars, drums, and basses on your iPad. They sound and play like their counterparts, but let you do things you could never do on a real instrument. Enjoy a full range of Smart Instruments that make you sound like a pro - even if you've never played a note before. Plug an electric guitar into your iPad and play through classic amps and stompbox effects. Use the built-in microphone or a guitar to record, or capture any performance. Then mix up to eight tracks to create a song you can share.

For U.S. customers, Apple will begin taking orders for the iPad 2 in its online store at 1:00 AM tomorrow, with in-store availability set for 5:00 PM local time.

Forbes today released its annual list of the world's billionaires, ranking Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a tie for 110th place with a net worth of $8.3 billion. Jobs' net worth is up from $5.5 billion and 136th place in last year's rankings. Jobs' net worth also ranks 34th among billionaires in the United States.

In March the Apple founder made a surprise appearance at the unveiling of his iPad 2, after taking medical leave in January. Insanely creative Apple chief transforms a multibillion-dollar industry every few years. First, personal computers with Apple II, Macintosh; then film with Pixar; music (iTunes), mobile (iPhone). Now iPad is treated as messiah tablet, savior for publishing industry. Apple still sells computers, but twice as much revenue now comes from music distribution and hand-held devices. Shot past long-time rival Microsoft as world's most valuable tech company in May. Shares of Apple surged more than 80% over the last year. Still, the majority of Job's fortune comes from Disney; as largest shareholder he owns about $4.4 billion of stock. Reed College dropout founded Apple 1976.

Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim Helu holds the top spot for the second consecutive year with a net worth of $74 billion, easily outdistancing Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his $56 billion fortune. Despite strong growth in the fortunes of other billionaires, Gates' net worth has remained relatively stable over the past few years as he and his wife Melinda have siphoned off over $28 billion to support their foundation's philanthropic endeavors.

ZDNet reports that a MacBook running Safari was the first machine to fall victim to a security exploit in the PWN2OWN hacker challenge at the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, Canada. French security researchers compromised the MacBook and launched code within five seconds of contacting the machine, winning a $15,000 cash prize and a new 13-inch MacBook Air for their efforts.

VUPEN co-founder Chaouki Bekrar lured a target MacBook to a specially rigged website and successfully launched a calculator on the compromised machine.

The hijacked machine was running a fully patched version of Mac OS X (64-bit).

In an interview with ZDNet, Bekrar said the vulnerability exists in WebKit, the open-source browser rendering engine. A three-man team of researchers spent about two weeks to find the vulnerability (using fuzzers) and writing a reliable exploit.

While Bekrar noted some difficulties in preparing the exploit due to a lack of documentation on how to exploit 64-bit Mac OS X code, his team was ultimately able to bypass several anti-exploit tactics included in Mac OS X to demonstrate how a machine could become comprised simply by visiting a malicious webpage and without crashing the browser.

Macs have become popular targets for researchers seeking to find security holes, with CanSecWest being a major forum for discussion and demonstration of their work. In 2007, the conference sponsored a "Hack a Mac" contest with a $10,000 cash prize, although organizers did have to loosen the contest rules before researchers succeeded in compromising a MacBook.

The following year, a MacBook Air was the first to be compromised at PWN2OWN, falling victim to a exploit initiated through Safari. Apple released a Safari update just a few weeks later to address that issue. And in 2010, noted researcher Charlie Miller used the conference to expose 20 zero-day holes in Mac OS X, claiming that Mac users' infrequent run-ins with hackers have primarily been due to "security by obscurity", with most malicious hackers preferring to attack Windows platforms with substantially larger user bases.

Notably, Apple is said to have reached out to security researchers for the first time with the initial developer build of Mac OS X Lion, inviting them to test out the forthcoming operating system in hopes of finding and patching as many holes as possible before Lion reaches customers' hands later this year. Miller and some other researchers have, however, scaled back their reporting of security flaws to Apple in the face of its refusal to match other companies' offerings of cash rewards for finding such holes.

Research firm IDC today announced the release of its data on worldwide tablet shipments for the fourth quarter of 2010, pegging Apple's share of the market at 73%, down from a 93% share in the third quarter in the face of competitors beginning shipments of their devices. Overall tablet sales more than doubled quarter-to-quarter, moving from 4.5 million in the third quarter to 10.1 million in the fourth quarter.

According to the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Media Tablet and eReader Tracker, 10.1 million media tablets were shipped in the fourth quarter of 2010 (4Q10) - more than double the 4.5 million shipped in the third quarter. Apple's share came down from 93% in 3Q10 to 73% in 4Q10, but still reflected Apple's strong leadership position. Samsung's Galaxy Tab was the primary competitor in the holiday season, beating other players to market and capturing more than 17% share, while a number of smaller regional players also participated.

IDC points to Apple's imminent launch of the iPad 2 as reason to believe that the company will be able to maintain 70-80% market share moving forward. In addition, the firm called demand for the Samsung Galaxy Tab "stifled" by uncompetitive pricing and Apple's momentum, suggesting that a high number of the shipped units moved into the distribution channels without making their way to customers.

Overall, IDC is predicting shipments of roughly 50 million units for 2011.

Apple today officially announced its iPad 2 U.S. launch plans for tomorrow, including revealing for the first time that online sales will begin at 1:00 AM Pacific Time / 4:00 AM Eastern Time. As previously announced, in-store sales at Apple retail stores and other retail partner stores will begin at 5:00 PM.

Apple today announced that iPad 2, the next generation of its magical device for browsing the web, reading and sending email, enjoying photos, watching videos, listening to music, playing games, reading ebooks and much more, will be available tomorrow at 5 p.m. local time at all 236 Apple retail stores in the US and through the Apple Store (www.apple.com) beginning at 1 a.m. PT. Every customer who buys an iPad 2 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPad 2 by setting up email, loading new apps from the App Store and more, so they'll be up and running with their new iPad 2 before they leave the store. iPad 2 will also be available beginning at 5 p.m. local time at AT&T, Best Buy, Target, Verizon Wireless, Walmart and select Apple Authorized Resellers.

The broad distribution and daytime launch should hopefully limit long lines, but the lack of online pre-orders may drive more customers who do not want to wait for shipping from the online store to line up at retail stores.

Initial stock levels for Apple retail locations are currently unknown, but we have received word from an employee of one Best Buy location that is looking to have 100-150 units on hand, spread relatively evenly across all nine models (three capacities each of Wi-Fi, AT&T 3G and Verizon 3G) with a slight emphasis on the entry-level 16 GB Wi-Fi model.

Update: AT&T and Verizon have also issued press releases announcing availability for tomorrow. In line with Apple's plans, AT&T will begin taking online orders at 1:00 AM Pacific Time, with in-store availability set for 5:00 PM local time. Verizon appears to only be offering in-store sales at "select" retail stores beginning at 5:00 PM local time.

AT&T's press release also notes that the personal hotspot functionality included in iOS 4.3 will be available to customers on the $45/month data + tethering plan. Interestingly, the wording makes no mention of the iPhone 4, in fact suggesting that tethering and hotspot functionality is available on iPad data plans. Apple has been clear, however, that the personal hotspot functionality is for the iPhone 4 only, but can obviously be used to provide on-the-go data access for Wi-Fi-only iPads linked through an iPhone.

Apple's iPad 2 launches this Friday, but the first reviews are starting to trickle in. Apple typically supplies pre-release hardware to certain organizations for early review. Here are the early reviews, with some key findings.

- MacWorld
- "Pick up an iPad 2 after handling an original iPad, and you'll notice the difference right away. This is a lighter, thinner device."
- "The iPad 2 also has 512MB of RAM--twice that of the original iPad--and a 200MHz bus speed, likewise twice that of the original."
- "Though the iPad 2 is an improvement on the original iPad in numerous ways, its still an evolutionary product, not a revolutionary one"
- "In short, the iPad 2 is the fastest iOS device ever made, by a long shot."

- AllThingsD
- Cameras take mediocre still photos, decent video
- Battery life not as strong as first iPad, but impressive.
- "It never crashed in my tests, unlike every Android tablet I've tested."
- "As of now, I can comfortably recommend it as the best tablet for average consumers."

- Engadget
- "iPad 2 managed an astonishing 10 hours and 26 minutes of non-stop playback" -- better than iPad 1 in their testing.
- Cameras are "pretty bad" for stills, reasonably useful for video
- GarageBand is a "groundbreaking piece of software for tablets"
- "The iPad 2 isn't just the best tablet on the market, it feels like the only tablet on the market"

- NYTimes
- "My friends, I'm telling you: just that much improvement in thinness, weight and speed transforms the experience. "
- 5-megapixel camera on back (no flash) (? Only review to claim this stat and is contradicted by other reviews)

- SlashGear
- "We were able to software decode a side loaded 1.4GB .avi file in OPlayer on the fly, while watching it, without and lag or stutter. The same clip in the same app on the original iPad loads slower and drops frames and audio during playback."

Apple has posted guided tour videos showcasing the iPad 2 and the new apps including Garageband and iMovie.

It should come as no surprise, but the latest iOS 4.3 SDK has uncovered evidence that the upcoming iPhone 5 will use Apple's new A5 Dual Core processor. The A5 processor was introduced as part of the iPad 2 which will launch this Friday. Apple presently uses a single-core A4 processor for the iPhone 4. Everyone has assumed that Apple will adopt the A5 processor for future iPhone and iPod Touch devices, it's still nice to have some proof.

The proof comes by way of a few tweets from @chronic (one, two) identifying the new A5 processor as being referenced by 'S5L8940'. Then, @naynee75 reveals that the N94 kernel files also contains a reference to the same A5 processor. (via iClarified). The N94 is believed to be the codename for the unreleased iPhone 5.

Historically, Apple has refreshed the iPhone in the summer (June/July) at WWDC.

Apple today updated its Xcode information page to note that Xcode 4 is now officially available free of charge for all registered members of the company's iOS and Mac Developer Programs. Interestingly, it appears that non-members will have the option to purchase Xcode through the Mac App Store, although the listing does not yet appear to be active. Pricing appears to be set at $4.99 for non-members.

Xcode 4 is the new version of Apple's powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, Instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

Xcode 4 has a streamlined new interface that integrates UI design, coding, testing, and debugging, all within a single window. The embedded Apple LLVM compiler underlines coding mistakes as you type, and is even smart enough to fix the problems for you automatically.

Apple gave developers the first glimpse at Xcode for at WWDC 2010 last June, and has released a number of updates to the software since that time. Apple seeded a golden master version of Xcode 4 in early February, and followed that up with a revised golden master alongside the iOS 4.3 golden master just last week.

Update: Xcode 4 has now gone live in the Mac App Store.

As noted by Business Insider, Major League Baseball has announced that live and archived streams of baseball games are now available through the Apple TV. The new services are available through a software update released today as part of the iOS 4.3 rollout.

Enjoy select Spring Training games and a full slate of regular season games on Apple TV.

Regular Season features include:
- HD Quality (where available)
- LIVE and archived games
- Home and away broadcasts*
- Quick navigation to run scoring plays or a particular at bat

The service requires a subscription to MLB.tv, which is available in packages costing $19.99 per month ($99.99 per year) or $24.99 per month ($119.99 per year).

The update also adds access to the National Basketball Association's League Pass feature, providing free access to scores and stats while also offering the option to upgrade to receive live and archived video feeds of games. Video pricing is set at $64.95 for access to watching games for up to seven teams througout the season, or $99.95 for access to all teams' games.

Other improvements include Dolby 5.1 sound for Netflix streaming, a redesigned onscreen keyboard, and new photo slideshow transition options.

Alongside today's release of iOS 4.3, Apple also pushed out Safari 5.0.4, bringing a number of enhancements to the company's Internet browser.

This update contains improvements to stability, compatibility, accessibility and security, including the following:

- Improved stability for webpages with multiple instances of plug-in content
- Improved compatibility with webpages with image reflections and transition effects
- A fix for an issue that could cause some webpages to print with incorrect layouts
- A fix for an issue that could cause content to display incorrectly on webpages with plug-ins
- A fix for an issue that could cause a Screen Saver to appear while video is playing in Safari
- Improved compatibility with VoiceOver on webpages with text input areas and lists with selectable items
- Improved stability when using VoiceOver

Safari 5.0.4 is available via Software Update and Apple's Safari download page.

As had been rumored yesterday after a false start, Apple has just released iOS 4.3 to the public, two days ahead of schedule. Updates are available for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, and users should be able update their devices by connecting them to iTunes and clicking the "Check for Update" button.

iOS 4.3 brings a number of enhancements including AirPlay video compatibility for third-party apps and websites, Safari speed improvements, Home Sharing to stream media from any iTunes library to an iOS device via Wi-Fi, and a new option for customizing the iPad's side switch to serve as a mute toggle or screen orientation lock. Finally, iOS 4.3 brings personal hotspot functionality to the GSM iPhone 4 following the feature's debut on the Verizon iPhone last month.

This update contains new features and improvements, including the following:

* Personal Hotspot
- Share iPhone 4 cellular data with up to 5 devices (combination of up to 3 Wi-Fi, 3 Bluetooth, and 1 USB)

* iTunes Home Sharing
- Play music, movies, and TV shows from a shared iTunes library on a Mac or PC (requires iTunes 10.2)

* New AirPlay features
- Play videos from the Photos app including the Camera Roll album, iTunes previews, enabled third-party apps and websites on Apple TV
- Play slideshows from Photos on Apple TV using transitions available on Apple TV

* Faster Safari performance with Apple Nitro JavaScript engine

* HD video out using the Apple Digital AV Adapter
- View 720p HD videos from Videos app, iPod app, Photos, YouTube, Safari, Keynote, and enabled third-party apps on an HDMI display

* Ping features
- Push notifications for comments and follow requests
- Post and Like songs directly from the Now Playing screen
- Parental controls

* New Settings
- Messages setting for number of times to repeat an alert
- iPad side switch setting to lock screen rotation or mute audio notifications and sound effects

* Single tap conference call dialing with a pause to send a passcode

* Bug fixes

Update: The iOS 4.3 update is the same 8F190 build that was seeded to developers last week as the golden master build. A separate 8F191 build has also been posted for the three new iPad models (Wi-Fi and two 3G models) being released on Friday.

Apple has also released an Apple TV software update known as iOS 4.3 Build 8F191m, although it it reportedly registering as software version 4.2 on Apple TVs themselves, similar to earlier versions where software version numbers have been one behind the corresponding iOS versions.

AppleInsider reports on comments from Concord Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claiming that Apple's manufacturing partners will finally begin ramping up production of the white iPhone sometime this month, with a launch expected to occur in early April. According to the report, sources have limited their information to the GSM version of the iPhone 4, with no information available on whether the CDMA iPhone now available on Verizon in the United States will also see a white version.

Apple is expected to begin production of its long-awaited iPhone 4 sometime this month, with shipments no later than early April, according to one analyst's checks.

Manufacturers will initiate production of the GSM-based iPhone 4 version in white enclosures and begin dispatching them to Apple ahead of general availability planned for next month, Concord Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told AppleInsider. Apple has made changes the "film material to solve the full-lamination problem that [was] the reason why white iPhones [were] delayed," he added.

Originally announced alongside the black iPhone 4 in June 2010, the white iPhone 4 was quickly pushed back to a late July release. As that date approached, Apple again announced a delay to later in the year before moving in October to push the launch back once more to "spring" 2011.

Despite claims immediately following the October delay that Apple planned to cancel the white iPhone 4 entirely, hints of the white iPhone 4 began appearing earlier this year at Best Buy and AT&T. Those appearances almost certainly occurred, however, as retailers made changes based on Apple's previously-announced timeline rather than on any actual availability.

Apple has remained quiet regarding the white iPhone 4 in recent months, although Steve Jobs did make it a point to note at the iPad 2 introduction last week that the white version of Apple's popular tablet will in fact ship at the same time as the black version later this week.

Word of an early April launch for the white iPhone 4 comes just as a rumor of an iOS-focused media event surfaces for around the same time. If that rumor proves accurate, the event could provide an opportunity for Apple to announce the white iPhone 4 launch if it chooses not to simply release the device quietly on its website at some point.