MacRumors

Apple CEO Steve Jobs' responses to customer emails are well-known and given great attention as official "from the horse's mouth" statements regarding Apple's products and plans, despite the fact that many of his statements are brief and vague enough to give away little information. According to The Seattle Times, however, Jobs has gone a step further and telephoned a developer who wrote him an email after having his iPad application rejected from the App Store for using a private application programming interface (API).

Frustrated by Apple's rejection of his iPad app, Seattle developer Ram Arumugam e-mailed Chief Executive Steve Jobs. Two hours later, he picked up a phone call and heard: "Ram, this is Steve." Jobs was on the other end.

The two talked about Arumugam's app, called "Economy for iPad," and why it was rejected by Apple.

Arumugam, a former Microsoft employee now heading up a company developing iOS applications, and Jobs discussed the developer's usage of a private API to deal with what Arumugam considered to be a bug in the behavior of the iPad's on-screen keyboard. At the conclusion of the discussion, Arumugam agreed to remove the private API, and Economy for iPad was quickly accepted into the App Store.

Jobs' phone call is not the first time an Apple executive has directly intervened in the App Store review process, as senior vice president Phil Schiller has been known to reply via email and telephone in rare cases related to App Store issues.

Twitter today announced new integration with Apple's "Ping" music-focused social networking service, allowing users to easily share music and convenient previewing and purchasing links.

Starting today Ping, iTunes' new social network for music, and Twitter are making it even easier for people to share music discoveries with their friends by putting Ping activity, song previews and links to purchase and download music from the iTunes Store right in their Tweets on Twitter.com.

The feature allows users to sign into Twitter from Ping, linking their accounts and allowing them to find people they already follow on Twitter who are also on Ping.

Once you've linked the accounts, whenever you Post, Like, Review, or tell your friends why you purchased a song or album on Ping, this activity will also be tweeted to your Twitter followers - complete with playable song previews and links to purchase and download music from iTunes.

Furthermore, those browsing Tweets sent via Ping on Twitter.com can click on the Tweet to see details on the song or album right on the page, complete with song previews in the 23 countries where Apple offers music via the iTunes Store.

Apple and Facebook have reportedly been in discussions about working together in some capacity, despite some early squabbles over Ping's apparently-unauthorized integration with Facebook Connect, a feature that was yanked within hours of Ping's debut in September. The two companies have apparently yet to strike a deal, however, to bring their services together in any form.

iLounge noted yesterday that Apple has begun selling gift cards specifically for its iBookstore, offering convenient $25 and $50 options for gift givers. While existing iTunes Store gift cards can reportedly be used in the iBookstore, the new iBooks-specific cards offer a new option for those looking to focus their gifts on books as opposed to other iTunes Store content.

Based on an Apple Support Discussions thread from earlier in the year, it appears as though users were able to purchase standard iTunes Gift Cards for use in the iBookstore; the new cards remove any ambiguity customers may have had about whether or not an iTunes GC would be usable in the iBookstore, and will likely be popular add-ons to those purchasing iPads as a gift.

The report notes that the new gift cards are available in Apple's retail stores, but we have also seen them in our local Target store.

Update: To clarify since there has been a bit of confusion in our forums, the new iBooks gift cards are the same as the existing iTunes Store gift cards, allowing users to purchase any iTunes Store, App Store, or iBookstore content they desire. But the new option allows gift givers to place an emphasis on giving the gift of books rather than just offering the recipient a iTunes Store gift card. Apple has similarly offered App Store gift cards, which also offer access to all content, for some time.

GigaOM takes a look at so-called "freemium" iPhone apps: applications that are free to download and offer basic functionality but generate revenue through the use of In App Purchase content. According to the report, freemium apps are becoming increasing popular with developers, who are finding it a viable business model, and the number of such apps generating sufficient revenue to rank among the top-grossing App Store titles is increasing.

A look at the top-grossing iPhone apps today finds 34 of the top 100 apps are free, but make their money through in-app purchases of mostly virtual currencies as well as other premium features. Remco van den Elzen, CEO of analytics firm Distimo, said he believes in-app purchases now represent about 30 percent of all iPhone App Store revenue. "We're seeing more developers implement more in app-purchases especially with games," he said. "Freemium Apps are also picking up significantly. A lot of developers realize it's a successful model."

Another analytics firm tracking such data revealed that in January only two freemium iPhone apps ranked in the top 50 grossing apps, a number which rose to 10 by the end of October and stands at over 20 today.

The striking success of freemium iPhone apps comes even as their prevalence in the App Store remains low, with only about 1.34% of iPhone apps using the model during the third quarter of this year.

Interestingly, the freemium business model has yet to catch on with iPad applications, as none of the top 200 grossing iPad apps utilize the strategy on a platform where higher purchase prices for applications are the norm.

As the report notes, iPhone developers are learning how to offer a solid app experience for their free versions while also pushing attractive upgrade options via In App Purchase, finding that the strategy can be more lucrative than offering ads in their applications and attract a more loyal base of customers.

Apple today announced the launch of iTunes Store movie rentals and sales in Japan, offering over 1,000 movies in the initial catalog.

Apple today announced that movies are now available on the iTunes Store in Japan giving customers an incredible way to enjoy movies on their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC, or with the new Apple TV on their HD TV. Starting today, there are over 1,000 movies to rent or buy in high definition and standard definition from major international film studios including 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures, Universal Pictures and top Japanese studios including Asmik Ace Entertainment Inc., Fuji TV, Kadakowa Pictures, Nikkatsu, Shochiku Company Limited and Toei Company Limited.

Customers renting movies through the iTunes Store have up to 30 days to begin watching their rented content and 48 hours to finish once they have begun viewing it.

The company also announced that the new Apple TV began shipping in Japan this week, offering customers there an additional means to access the iTunes Store video content and other offerings.

Apple today released Mac OS X 10.6.5, the fifth maintenance update for Snow Leopard, via Software Update. The update offers a number of fixes implemented since the release of Mac OS X 10.6.4 in mid-June.

The 10.6.5 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes that:

- improve reliability with Microsoft Exchange servers
- address performance of some image-processing operations in iPhoto and Aperture
- address stability and performance of graphics applications and games
- resolve a delay between print jobs
- address a printing issue for some HP printers connected to an AirPort Extreme
- resolve an issue when dragging contacts from Address Book to iCal
- address an issue where dragging an item from a stack causes the Dock to not automatically hide
- resolve an issue with Wikipedia information not displaying correctly in Dictionary
- improve performance of MainStage on certain Mac systems
- resolve spacing issues with OpenType fonts
- improve reliability with some Bluetooth braille displays
- resolve a VoiceOver issue when browsing some web sites with Safari 5

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4250.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

The public release is the same Build 10H574 that was seeded to developers on Monday, and multiple users are reporting that AirPrint to printers shared via their computers using the iOS 4.2 golden master is in fact NOT working, as had been rumored.

Mac OS X 10.6.5 is available as both delta and combo updates for systems running Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server:

- Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update (644.48 MB)
- Mac OS X v10.6.5 Update (Combo) (977.21 MB)
- Mac OS X Server v10.6.5 Update (858.02 MB)
- Mac OS X Server v10.6.5 Update Combo (1.12 GB)

Apple has also released Security Update 2010-007 for users on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard:

- Security Update 2010-007 (Leopard-Client) (240.74 MB)
- Security Update 2010-007 (Leopard-Server) (448.10 MB)

In a blog post yesterday, Big Bucket Software revealed that a forthcoming update to its retro iOS game The Incident will allow the iPad to output the game display to a television while also allowing an iPhone or iPod touch to serve as a game controller.

No seriously, this is totally real and totally awesome.

This is a beta of The Incident 1.3 running my TV. Here's how it works:

1. Plug your iPad into the TV
2. Pair your iPad with your iPhone or iPod Touch
3. Sit on your couch and play

And that's it. You never have to get up to touch the iPad. You do everything from the controller. It works great.

There are a couple of interesting aspects to this forthcoming release, with TV output capability being one of the key ones. While other applications have allowed users to connect their iPads to their televisions via 30-pin Dock to VGA or Component cables, The Incident's developers took the extra step of tweaking the artwork and user interface to properly display on the aspect ratio of a widescreen television, which differs from that of the iPad. The extra step offers users a more natural feeling console gaming experience on their televisions.

The second key feature is the iPhone controller mode, which is already available in Version 1.2 of The Incident. The developers have ensured that everything can be controlled by the iPhone, eliminating the need for any input on the iPad and allowing it to serve simply as a game console connected to the television while the user controls everything wirelessly from their couch using the paired iPhone.

When we decided that 1.3 was going to be all about TV output we knew it would have to feel exactly like a console. You should never need to diddle with the iPad for any reason. The controller would have to be able to control every aspect of the game; menus, gameplay, all of it. And in 1.3, it can.

There is no word yet on a release date for the TV-capable update to The Incident, but the developers have been moving very quickly with updates to the game and will likely be pressing forward to have it in the App Store as soon as possible.

The Loop reports that popular ratings and reviews magazine Consumer Reports has released its latest ratings of notebook computers, and Apple's new 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models have topped their respective categories.

The 11-inch MacBook Air scored 67 points out of a possible 100, easily outdistancing the second-place Toshiba Satellite and its 51-point score.

The 11-inch model received a "very good" rating for ergonomics and display, a "good" rating for performance and "fair" ratings for versatility and speakers. Consumer Reports also found the MacBook Air had battery life of 6.25 hours. The Toshiba's battery life came in at 5.5 hours of battery life.

The 13-inch model faced stiffer competition, but still managed to finish on top of its category with a score of 78, two points better than the Toshiba Portege.

The 13-inch MacBook Air scored "very good" for performance, ergonomics, and display. It also scored "good" for speakers, "fair" for versatility and had 7.5 hours of battery life.

Despite some reports of display issues with the new MacBook Air, the notebook does seem to be proving relatively popular, generating significant buzz and demand appearing to force Apple to bump shipping estimates for the entry-level 11-inch model slightly to 1-3 business days.

After yesterday's report that support for using Apple's AirPrint feature in iOS 4.2 to print to shared printers connected to Macs and Windows PCs appears to have been scrapped at the last minute, one MacRumors forum member emailed Steve Jobs to inquire about the fate of the feature. Jobs reportedly replied, noting that AirPrint has not been canceled.

Q: As a release-day purchaser of an iPad, I was elated when you revealed iOS 4.2 would support AirPrint. Now comes reports AirPrint support has been pulled from 4.2. Between announcements/assurances of the white iPhone, and now the pulling of AirPrint, is Apple going to lose credibility and become known for announcing "vaporware"?

A: AirPrint has not been pulled. Don't believe everything you read.

Unfortunately, the exchange sheds little light on the situation, as the initial report did not claim that AirPrint had been entirely pulled, only that printing to shared printers connected to Macs and PCs had been removed at the last minute. Consequently, both the rumor and Jobs' comments can be entirely correct.

Apple has touted that AirPrint will allow users to print directly from iOS devices to compatible printers, with HP leading the way in releasing AirPrint-friendly printers. That aspect of AirPrint has not been rumored for discontinuation, with only printing to other printers accessible via sharing from Macs and PCs being the subject of the claims.

Apple has been rumored to be releasing Mac OS X 10.6.5 and iTunes 10.1 today, with iOS 4.2 set to follow on Friday, although we have yet to see any indication from Apple of today's rumored releases.

Bloomberg reports that Research in Motion's 7-inch BlackBerry PlayBook tablet is set to debut in the first quarter of 2011 with an entry price of "under" $500, putting the device at or below the price point of Apple's iPad. Just how far under $500 the PlayBook will be priced remains to be seen.

Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, said it will begin selling a tablet computer in North America in the first quarter for "under" $500 as it takes on Apple Inc.'s iPad.

"The product will be very competitively priced," Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Balsillie said in an interview in Seoul today, declining to be more specific. Sales of the BlackBerry Playbook, unveiled in September, will expand globally from the second quarter, he said. The iPad starts at $499.

The initial PlayBook models will be Wi-Fi-only, suggesting that the sub-$500 price would not be achieved through carrier subsidies requiring the user to also commit to a data plan contract. The Wi-Fi PlayBook will, however, be able to tether to BlackBerry phones for data access on the go, and 3G and 4G models are planned for further down the road.

According to Balsillie, Research in Motion is looking to follow Apple's lead in embracing big box retailers with its tentative plans to bring the PlayBook to Target and Wal-Mart. Distribution would also be accomplished through carriers already familiar with selling the company's products.

During his appearance on Apple's earnings conference call last month, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that it has been difficult to estimate the number of new Android devices being sold, pointing to data from research firm Gartner saying that 10 million Android devices were sold during the second quarter of 2010 and saying that we would have to wait for the third quarter results to come in to see whether iPhone or Android came out on top.

Gartner today released its data to address that question, revealing a tremendous Android surge that saw the platform leap to second place behind Symbian with over 20 million units sold during the third quarter and grab a 25.5% share of the global smartphone market. Apple slipped slightly to 16.7% of the market from 17.1% in the year-ago quarter, but was able to maintain its third-place position from the year-ago quarter and move up from its fourth-place position last quarter as Research in Motion's BlackBerry platform slipped further, from 20.7% in the third quarter of 2009 to 14.8% in the most recent quarter.

Apple performed extremely well thanks to the iPhone 4. Relationships with multiple CSPs gave Apple wider channel reach internationally, and the strong ecosystem around iTunes and the App Store continued to help Apple dominate. Apple's share of the smartphone market surpassed RIM in North America to put it second behind Android. In Western Europe, iPhone sales doubled year-on-year, making Apple the third-largest vendor behind Nokia and Samsung in the overall devices market.

In overall mobile phone sales, Gartner pegged Apple as the fourth-largest manufacturer with 3.2% of the market, trailing Nokia, Samsung, and LG. That result echoes similar data released by IDG late last month and is an improvement from seventh place last quarter.

Apple delivered a stellar performance in the third quarter of 2010, selling 13.5 million units. It could have sold more but for its ongoing supply constraints and is now in fourth place worldwide. The iPhone is sold in 89 countries through 166 CSPs. Apple's sales in Europe, Asia and Japan, more than doubled from the third quarter of 2009 and sales in Western Europe delivered Apple the third spot in the regional ranking. While Apple remains focused on consumers, enterprise adoption of the iPhone and iPad has grown.

Gartner's results obviously only address iPhone sales, and some observers believe that a more valid comparison of platform market share should include the iPod touch, and possibly even the iPad. Still, Android's impressive gains that saw units leap more than 14-fold year-over-year demonstrate the momentum behind Google's platform and place it within striking distance of Nokia's Symbian for the top spot in worldwide smartphone platform market share.

Apple today announced a partnership with Japanese advertising agency Dentsu to bring Apple's iAd mobile advertising network to Japan early next year.

Apple and The Dentsu Group today announced a partnership to expand Apple's iAd mobile advertising network to Japan in early 2011. Dentsu will be responsible for the selling and creative execution of iAds in Japan, and Apple will host, target and deliver the iAds to its iPhone and iPod touch users. iAd was launched in the US in July and has emerged as a powerful new way for leading brands to reach the tens of millions of iPhone and iPod touch users, while providing a significant new revenue stream for developers.

Andy Miller, Apple's vice president of iAd and former Quattro Wireless CEO, notes that the partnership will enable Apple to leverage the prominence of Dentsu to further expand the iAd program that has already seen the number of advertising partners double in the U.S. since the service was announced earlier this year.

Dentsu subsidiary cyber communications, inc. will offer "one-stop services" for Japanese iAd customers, running the creative production and media planning aspects that Apple itself has handled in other markets so far.

Just last week, Apple's existing iAd offerings began to go worldwide, but the partnership with Dentsu will allow Apple to specifically tap into the large Japanese market with the experience of a major player in the ad industry there in hand.