A stack buffer overflow exists in QuickTime's error logging. Viewing a maliciously crafted movie file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This issue is addressed by disabling debug logging. This issue does not affect Mac OS X systems.
The update weighs in at 32.28 MB and requires Windows 7, Vista, or XP (SP2 or later).
Kotaku reports that during his keynote address at QuakeCon 2010 today, John Carmack of id Software showed off the company's forthcoming Rage game running at 60 frames per second on an iPhone 4, claiming performance beyond that of Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation 2. The report includes a video clip showing Rage in action on the iPhone.
Carmack's demonstration, using the id Tech 5 engine, could possibly be the most impressive tech we've seen on the iPhone. Running on the iPhone 4 but easily run on the 3GS, the visuals indeed rivaled anything from the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox, and might even be able to give a few current-gen titles a run for their money.
The report notes that id will be releasing a minor "show off" title from the Rage franchise later this year, with a full version set to launch next year along with versions for other platforms.
Unfortunately, Apple does not specify the exact issue targeted with the update, although users of the company's last two generations of iMacs have been complaining of buzzing associated with display brightness changes.
In accordance with one disclosed embodiment, data may be recorded from a videogame executed on an electronic device. The recorded data may include character information, dialogue from the videogame, and results and metrics reflecting the performance of the user in the videogame. The recorded data may be inserted into a narrative data structure having pregenerated text. In some embodiments, the recorded data may be used as the basis for selecting among a plurality of pregenerated text. A book, e-book, or comic book may be produced from the narrative data structure.
The book content could then be viewed on an electronic device or printed in hardcopy form.
Drawing of Mass Effect screenshot showing profile creation options
As an example of how this technology could be used, Apple offers a series of screenshots from the profile creation portion of the video game Mass Effect, showing how information selected or entered by the player could be used to create a narrative for a book based on the game play. Mass Effect in particular offers users differing game play experiences and endings depending on choices made in the game. Apple's suggested technology could allow users an easy way to share their experience in the game with others once the game has been completed.
The Los Angeles Timestakes a look at Apple's iAd mobile advertising platform that launched on July 1st, speaking to both advertisers and app developers who have been pleased with the program so far.
From the perspective of developers, the iAd program is offering premium ad space for their applications, allowing for increased revenue through the iAd pricing structure and the big-name advertisers involved in the early rotation.
Dictionary.com said on Wednesday that the amount it could charge for its ad space had increased 177% since it enabled iAds in its iPhone app, and CBS Mobile Senior Vice President Rob Gelick said the company's six apps -- including apps for CBS Sports, CNET, and GameSpot, were seeing up to $25 CPMs (the cost advertiser's pay for an add to appear a thousand times.)
Advertisers are similarly pleased with iAd's performance, noting the level of engagement for users and their willingness to revisit ads multiple times, aiding in brand awareness.
Rob Master, the North American media director for Unilever, which put out one of the first iAds for its Dove shower products -- said his company would soon launch a second iAd for its Klondike dessert bar. The company's Dove ad featured videos and trivia games about baseball players Albert Pujols and Andy Pettitte.
The Dove ad resulted in a "double-digit" percentage of users seeking further information about the product, with 20% of viewers returning to check the ad out again. (Repeat viewers are marketers' favorite kind -- it indicates a clear interest in their brand.) That's a good start, Master said.
Master also notes that the company's early entrance into the iAd platform and the experience its advertising team gained with the initial launch have reduced the time and expense required for future ads in the program.
The report notes that Campbell Soup, DirectTV, General Electric and Sears are all preparing to roll out their own iAds, just as Citibank has gone live with its new ad with video and geo-location content built in to tout the company's credit cards and iPhone apps.
Research firm Gartner today published a report covering worldwide mobile phone sales to end users for the second quarter of 2010. Gartner's data shows Apple again placing seventh among all mobile phone manufacturers with the same 2.7% market share it held last quarter and up from 1.9% in the year-ago quarter. Motorola's continuing decline in sales dropped it to 2.8% share for the quarter, managing to stay fewer than 400,000 units ahead of Apple in the race for sixth place.
Worldwide Mobile Phone Sales in 2Q10 in Thousands of Units (Source: Gartner)
Noting constraint supplies and of course reduced customer demand ahead of the iPhone 4 launch at the very end of the quarter, Gartner reports that Apple seems well-positioned to ride the iPhone 4 momentum through the remainder of the year.
Apple's sales would have been higher if it had not had to face tight inventory management in preparation for the arrival of the iPhone 4 at the end of the second quarter of 2010. Apple also suffered from some supply constraint on the new device. We expect that a wider global rollout of iPhone 4 will sustain Apple's sales momentum throughout the second half of 2010.
In looking specifically at smartphones, which now make up 19% of total mobile phone sales (a figure that is up 50% year-over-year), Apple captured 14.2% of the market, up slightly from 13.0% in the year-ago quarter but down from 15.3% sequentially.
Worldwide Smartphone Sales in 2Q10 in Thousands of Units (Source: Gartner)
The big winner, however, was Google's Android platform, which surged past iOS into third place among smartphone platforms with 17.2% of the market, up from just 1.8% in the year-ago quarter and 9.6% in the first quarter of this year. Long-time market leader Symbian is continuing its slide as it has been unable to keep up with overall industry growth, down to 41.2% but still more than double its closest competitor, Research in Motion. Research in Motion is, however, also slipping a bit, with its 18.2% of the market just barely holding off Android.
Observers will of course be interested in Apple's performance during the third quarter, as it offers the company an opportunity for a full quarter's worth of sales with the new iPhone 4, although continuing supply constraints could hold the company back somewhat from its potential top-end performance.
Several tipsters previously pointed us to the similarities in the published promotional specs of Apple's new rechargeable AA batteries and Sanyo's Eneloop batteries, suggesting that Apple have essentially rebranded Sanyo's offerings for sale it its own packaging. New testing by SuperApple.cz [Google translation] published today seems to confirm the suspicion, despite the lack of any definitive physical markings inside the batteries to give away the link.
In all likelihood, this indeed is the Sanyo Eneloop cells, specifically the model of HR-3UTG because they correspond to physical parameters of the articles (new articles Eneloop tests show essentially the same value) but also measured the capacity - if you view the document producer , you'll find it is these cells are indicated by the minimum capacity of 1900 mAh, then the regular 2000 mAh and Apple in this case decided to set the guaranteed capacity, although it is less beneficial according to the manufacturer, and according to our measurements.
The discovery that has rebranded another companies batteries is not necessarily a surprise, as it was unlikely that Apple took on the task of reinventing rechargeable battery technology on its own. The disclosure does reveal, however, that the Apple's batteries are not based on a brand-new battery technology, as Sanyo first developed its Eneloop batteries in 2005 and launched them for sale in 2006.
But the other component of Apple's battery package, the charger, does appear to be an Apple-designed product, with SuperApple.cz finding no tell-tale branding on its internal components while obviously offering Apple's traditional styling. The charger is designed to automatically reduce power usage to 30 milliwatts once it senses that batteries have been fully charged, the lowest "vampire draw" in the industry and 10 times lower than the industry average.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber has penned an interesting piece about Apple's CDMA-based iPhone 4 that has been rumored to be coming to Verizon as soon as this coming January. According to Gruber's sources, the device, which carries an internal code name of "N92", has reached the "engineering verification test" (EVT) stage of development, the point at which prototypes are moving through the final steps of the testing process to ensure that they function as intended.
I don't know anything about negotiations with Verizon, and I doubt anyone does other than the highest-level executives at both companies. But I do know that engineering-wise, the wheels are turning on N92, the CDMA variant of the iPhone 4. It's certainly not in production yet, and hasn't reached DVT status (device verification test - like Gray Powell's infamous stolen unit), but it is, a few little birdies claim, at EVT (engineering verification test). That's one step below DVT, which is one step below production. So it's right about where you'd think it would be if it were scheduled to go on sale in January. The CDMA iPhone is no longer a cold storage, keep-it-alive-just-in-case-we-need-it project.
Gruber qualifies his statement by acknowledging that a CDMA iPhone is not yet a "sure thing", and even if so, not guaranteed to be coming to Verizon, citing Sprint or other international CDMA carriers as potential partners for the device.
He also notes that now is about the time that Apple will have to begin committing to full-scale production for such a project if it is planning a January launch as rumored, and consequently leaks are likely to begin appearing from Apple's manufacturing partners who need to be brought on board. Increasing claims in recent days have been suggesting just that, providing the best evidence yet that a CDMA iPhone may finally be becoming a reality.
Engadget mockup of iPhone 4-style "iTV" device serving App Store content
Engadget provides a follow-up to its late May report revealing Apple's plans for a revamped Apple TV product. The previous report had suggested an iOS-based device at a price point of $99 with limited onboard storage that would be capable of 1080p playback, but today's report claims that some things have changed in Apple's plans.
Well we've gotten a little more info on the project, and it's not all good. Apparently the box won't be capable of handling (or enabled to handle) 1080i or 1080p video. Instead it will only push out 720p clips. The word -- and cause for much internal debate, we're told -- is that this has something to do with the A4's inability to crank on higher resolution content, but we don't see how that's possible considering the iPhone 3GS could play back full HD video. Furthermore, the device will be getting apps and presumably an App Store entry, though it's unclear if there will be cross-pollination between iPad and iPhone / iPod touch offerings and new Apple TV applications.
Also of significance, Apple is reportedly renaming the Apple TV to "iTV". Apple initially announced its set-top box product as "iTV" in September 2006, but changed the name to "Apple TV" for its launch in January 2007. Coming full circle, Engadget expects the new iTV to make its debut sometime later this year.
One week ago, we reported that Apple had seeded to developers a "Snow Leopard Graphics Update". While it was unclear exactly what the update is designed to address, a number of users have been complaining of graphics-related issues, particularly with high-performance games.
We have received word that Apple has seeded a new build of Snow Leopard Graphics Update to developers today, and while those familiar with the builds note that Apple has not documented any additional specific focus areas for testing, the one known issue in the previous build, which involved crashing of 3D applications on Mac Pros with the Nvidia Quadro FX 5600 graphics card, is no longer listed in the documentation as being present.
A public release date for the update remains unknown.
All Things D reports that Apple's traditional iPod-focused media event may be scheduled for a mid-September date this year, slightly later than in recent years. Apple's iPod media events are traditionally held on either Tuesday or Wednesday, suggesting September 14th or 15th as possible dates.
According to several sources and as has been widely expected, Apple will once again be holding its annual special event, possibly closer to mid-September this time.
Apple (AAPL), which has had a fall hello-there confab every year since 2005, waited until August 31 last year to announce its "Let's Rock" event on September 9 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco.
Just last week, a rumor surfaced that Apple might be holding its iPod event in mid-August this year, several weeks earlier than usual. With less than six days to go before the end of that rumored timeframe and no invitations yet issued by Apple, it is appearing unlikely that the rumor is correct.
As for Apple's product release plans for the media event, whenever it might take place, there is strong evidence for a refreshed iPod touch, with claims of a high-resolution Retina display and both front- and rear- facing cameras. A refreshed iPod nano is also expected, with some sources wondering if a tiny Apple-branded touch screen that surfaced last month might make its way into an iPod product of some sort.
Apple may also be offer some music-related announcements such as a cloud-based streaming iTunes, although recent rumors suggest that the company is scaling back on its plans in that area and may still not be ready to make any announcements.
Last week, we reported on a controversy sparked by Apple's inclusion of a screenshot of a third-party developer's app interface in a patent application published late last month. While we noted at the time that the screenshot was used by Apple as interface example for taking advantage of Apple's suggested travel information service and that the company was not trying to patent anything specific to the pre-existing application, questions still remained about Apple's behavior in the matter.
Where To? screenshot (left) and drawing from Apple patent application (right)
The third-party developer in question, FutureTap, has posted an update revealing that it has received an explanation from Apple regarding the screenshot usage. Following on discussions between Apple and FutureTap, Apple's patent attorney writes:
As discussed, Apple is contemplating steps to attribute the screenshot in the patent application to FutureTap. The patent application in question does not claim as inventive the pictured user interface nor the general concept of an integrated travel services application. We appreciate your taking time out to discuss the matter and will keep you updated.
FutureTap's Ortwin Gentz notes that the explanation is clearly satisfactory, and while acknowledging that ignorance of patent law was the source of much of the confusion on the part of himself and others, sees the positive aspect of Apple's inclusion of FutureTap's screenshot in its application.
We feel honored over this mention and appreciate that Apple is looking into a proper attribution of the screenshot. In retrospective, I can say we wouldn't ever have considered the story alarming had the screenshot included a short attribution notice.
In his defense, Gentz rhetorically asks with a sense of humor whether users would "prefer developers who love reading patents over the ones who love to design user interfaces". (In the interest of full disclosure, Where To? was initially designed by developers John Casasanta and Sophia Teutschler at tap tap tap.)
Apple today released updated versions of its iOS operating system, addressing a significant security vulnerability in the way Safari handles PDF files on Apple's mobile devices. The new versions, which arrive as iOS 4.0.2 for the iPhone and iPod touch and iOS 3.2.2 for the iPad, should also disable the Web-based JailbreakMe service that first exploited the vulnerability.
Apple noted one week ago that it had developed a fix for the security hole, but did not offer a timeline for its release.
TechnologMe.com reports that UK supermarket chain Morrisons has slashed prices on the current-generation iPod nano and iPod shuffle models, suggesting that the retailer is looking to clear stock ahead of the release of refreshed models as soon as next week or perhaps early next month.
Morrisons, the UK supermarket chain, is slashing the price of 3rd generation iPod shuffles down to 20 and 4th generation iPod Nanos to 60 ahead of restocking of new iPod models.
Apple's retail store pricing in the UK typically begins at approximately 39 for the iPod shuffle and 100 for the iPod nano before accounting for VAT.
Pricing and stock moves by retailers are frequently unreliable indicators of Apple's plans, however, as stores are not generally kept abreast of the company's release schedule. Retailers can, however, sometimes sense when Apple's supply chain for certain models begins to dry up, offering some early warning of product refreshes. It is of course unclear in this case whether Morrisons has concrete reason to believe that the current-generation iPod nano and iPod shuffle are set to be discontinued in the near future or if it is simply basing its moves on the widely rumored and assumed annual September refresh of Apple's iPod line.
TiPb reports that UK wireless carrier Orange has been emailing customers to notify them that availability of white iPhone 4 models is not expected "until the end of the year", encouraging them to consider a black model instead while continuing to offer notification when the white models do arrive.
We wanted to let you know that there won't be any white iPhone 4's in the UK until the end of the year.
If you're happy to wait another few months we'll let you know as soon as they're back in stock.
want an iPhone 4 now?
Alternatively, if you want it now, click here or visit your local Orange shop to get the iPhone 4 Black 16GB or 32GB today.
It is unclear whether Orange has received official word from Apple that supplies should not be expected until the end of year or if the carrier is simply basing its claim on Apple's public disclosure of a launch delay until "later this year". Regardless, many potential white iPhone 4 customers have been holding out hope that the device might make its appearance sooner rather than later.
It is also unclear whether Apple would stagger white iPhone 4 launches as it has with other iPhone models and the iPad. In such a case, the United States would presumably be the first country (or in the first group of countries) to see a launch, and so it is unknown whether Orange's "end of the year" claim would apply to all markets.
Apple has not officially acknowledged the reason for the white iPhone 4 delay other than citing manufacturing challenges. Some sources have claimed that Apple is experiencing problems with non-uniform application of the white paint leading to light leakage from the device's backlight through its back and at seams.
Bloomberg reports that Apple has agreed to entirely replace any first-generation iPod nanos for customers in Japan whose devices have exhibited symptoms of overheating.
Apple Inc. said it will offer replacements of iPad Nano music players in Japan that overheat, following calls by the government to take measures to prevent the devices from catching fire.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, had previously only offered to replace the device's battery and updated its Japan website yesterday by saying it will replace the entire unit.
The Japanese government first expressed concern over the devices nearly two years ago, issuing a warning to consumers regarding potential fire risk. Continued reports of problems led the government to step up its investigation several weeks ago, pressing Apple to explain the cause of the issue.
Late last week, after Apple disclosed problems with a single battery supplier for the device, the Japanese government ordered Apple to make support information on the overheating issue more publicly accessible.
Apple states that it offered the first-generation iPod nano for sale between September 2005 and December 2006. While Apple has not disclosed what it will be replacing affected consumers' devices with, it is unlikely that Apple has a significant number of the devices or batteries remaining in its inventory. Consequently, it seems likely that customers may receive newer-generation iPod nano models as replacements.
As noted by project manager Thibault Imbert, Adobe's Flash Player 10.1 for Mac has been updated to enable hardware-accelerated decoding of video content, offering smoother playback, lower system resource usage, and longer battery life for portable devices.
We just pushed a few minutes ago a new version of the Flash Player 10.1.82.76 containing a nice feature that was in beta until now called "Gala". Yes, H.264 GPU decoding in Mac OSX is now officially enabled in the Flash Player.
You should notice now a nice difference when playing H.264 content on your Mac in terms of CPU usage. We rarely enable new features in security releases but we really wanted to enable such a cool feature.
Adobe released Flash Player 10.1 in June, but did not include hardware acceleration for the Mac OS X platform in that release. Users willing to run a beta version of Flash Player have, however, been able to access the feature with a pair of "Gala" preview releases pushed out over the past several months.
According to Adobe, hardware acceleration is supported on the following models:
- MacBooks shipped after January 21st, 2009 - Mac Minis shipped after March 3rd, 2009 - MacBook Pros shipped after October 14th, 2008 - iMacs which shipped after the first quarter of 2009
Daring Fireball's John Gruber hints that Apple's next-generation iPod touch is set to be released in "a few weeks" and will carry a Retina display and two cameras. His note comes in response to Dell's announcement of its Streak mini-tablet with 5-inch screen set to launch on Friday priced at $300 with a two-year AT&T contract or $550 contract-free.
That's almost twice as much as a good iPod Touch, and if you wait a few weeks to buy the Touch, you'll get one with a Retina Display and dual cameras. If Dell can't make an iPod Touch competitor, who can?
Most observers have assumed that the next-generation iPod touch will gain the same high-resolution Retina display found in the iPhone 4, but its camera features have been the subject of some debate. Several leaks of claimed next-generation iPod touch parts seem to show a hole for front-facing camera to allow users to engage in FaceTime video calling, suggesting that the device will offer that functionality.
A rear-facing camera has been a bigger question mark for the next-generation iPod touch, with the depth of the rear-facing cameras found in the iPhone 4 (5-megapixel) and even the iPhone 3GS (3.2-megapixel) appearing too thick for the thinner and more tapered form factor of the existing iPod touch. The issue is not insurmountable, of course, as advances in camera sensor technology might allow Apple to squeeze in a thinner camera still offering the same resolution as the iPhone 3GS's camera, for example. Alternatively, design changes to the iPod touch, such as an elimination of the tapered edges as was done in the redesign for the iPhone 4 or even a general increase in thickness, would offer enough space for one of the thicker iPhone camera modules.
Leaked images of parts and prototypes are frequently a good indication of Apple's product plans, but as we saw last year with several prototypes of the now-current iPod touch carrying a rear-facing camera that was ultimately removed from the final design, we can never be 100% certain. Gruber's track record, however, is very strong and lends significant credence to the rumors that the next-generation iPod touch will gain both front-facing and rear-facing cameras in the next revision.
As for when that update may happen, Apple has traditionally held its iPod-focused media events in early September each year. One rumor has suggested that this year's event could occur as early as next week, although Apple has yet to issue invitations for any such event.
