MacRumors

Engadget reports that rolling out AirPlay support for some home stereo equipment vendors may be as simple as deploying a firmware update for compatible equipment already on the market. The music portion of AirPlay allows users to wirelessly stream music, including details such as song titles, artists, album names, elapsed and remaining time, and album artwork, to compatible devices around the home. The technology will also be utilized in iOS 4.2 to allow users to push video and photo content from their iOS devices to other compatible devices such as the Apple TV.

Denon's admittedly pricey AVR-4311CI -- which was introduced in late April -- may very well end up being the first major product to gain iTunes AirPlay compatibility retroactively. Yeah, retroactively. According to an updated product listing, the AVR will see a "planned upgrade" in the fall of 2010 that will "provide Apple iTunes AirPlay compatibility [that will let you] stream your favorite music to the AVR-4311CI."

The Denon AVR-4311CI receiver retails for $1999 and offers an array of features including existing networking support for Rhapsody, Napster, and Pandora streaming, as well as access to PC-based photo, video, and music content. From the updated information on Denon's site, it seems that the hardware is already in place to support Apple's AirPlay streaming, with only a firmware update of some sort required to flip the switch on it.

A few times a year, MacRumors partners with MacUpdate to promote their Mac application bundle deal. Their latest bundle delivers at least 12 Mac applications for $49.99 (a $443 value if all purchased separately) including:

Toast 10 Titanium ($99.99) - popular disc burning utility and media to iOS-friendly conversion
Live Interior 3D Standard ($49.95) - powerful interior design app
My Living Desktop ($34.95) - add a video desktop and screensaver to your Mac
Espionage 2 ($34.95) - encrypt and password protect individual folders, and interact with them straight from the Finder
ShareTool 2 ($25) - ShareTool enables Macs on different networks connect with each other as if they were on the same network, even if they're on different continents.
Get Backup Pro ($39.95) - backup and disk cloning utility with a file/folder synchronization capability
Cashculator ($29.95) - personal finance application that focuses on future by forecasting your financial situation.
MindNode Pro ($24.95) - a mind-mapping application that helps to visually collect, classify and structure ideas
Concentrate ($29.00) - eliminate distractions by launching the apps you need to accomplish a task, quit the ones you don't, block you from visiting distracting sites like YouTube or social networking
Voila 3 ($29.95) - a professional/creativity tool that lets you record or capture your screen, then annotate, organize and share those videos and images.

As an early adopter incentive, MacUpdate is offering two additional applications (Compartments, Vitamin-R) for the first 20,000 bundle purchases.

MacRumors is a promotional partner with MacUpdate. Bundle sales through these links benefit MacRumors financially, and provide a way for readers to directly support this site.

Parallels today announced that its next-generation Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac virtualization software will launch on September 14th, bringing speed enhancements and a host of new features. Retail boxes of the new software prematurely appeared on store shelves earlier this week.

In product benchmark testing, results show Parallels Desktop 6 remains atop the performance rankings that people consider most important. 3D graphics run nearly 40 percent better than before. Boot time for Windows is 41 percent faster than before. Parallels Desktop 6 also boosts speed for working with files on USB drives, networks and in shared folders.

Among the over 80 new and improved features of Parallels Desktop 6 are a full 64-bit engine, support for 5.1 surround sound, enhanced 3D graphics, parental controls, VM encryption, Mac OS X keyboard shortcuts for Windows applications, data migration, and anti-virus support.

Parallels Desktop 6 for Mac will carry a suggested retail price of $79.99, with a student edition available for $39.99. A "Switch to Mac" edition that offers additional tools to assist PC users making the move to the Mac platform will be available for $99.99. Existing Parallels Desktop for Mac users can take advantage of upgrade pricing of $49.99, and those who purchased Parallels Desktop 5 for Mac on or after August 15th can receive the new version free of charge.

After the flurry of news yesterday about the iPod touch, we're now turning our attention to the new sixth-generation iPod nano, which has seen a number of minor tidbits revealed since it began making its way into the hands of consumers.

- iFixit has completed the trifecta with a teardown of the new iPod nano, following up on its iPod touch and iPod shuffle teardowns. The iPod nano offers a similar layout to the iPod shuffle, but packs in a battery carrying over twice the capacity of the iPod shuffle's, a necessity for powering the iPod nano's screen.

The teardown also looks at the iPod nano's 1.54-inch, 240 x 240 pixel display, which offers a pixel density of a hefty 220 pixels per inch, not quite as high as the "Retina" display found in the iPhone 4 and fourth-generation iPod touch, but quite respectable. The report also notes that the "multi-touch" screen fails to deliver true multi-touch functionality in that it supports only two points of contact, with the only feature utilizing that class of touch event being the display rotation. Sources have indicated, however, that Apple also planned to offer pinch-to-zoom on the iPod nano, but the feature is not present in the shipping device.

- TUAW reports that while the iPod nano supports photo slideshows, an internal settings file also contains hints of potential video playback capabilities, with entries for TV captions, subtitles, and alternate audio.

- The aforementioned photo slideshows can be pushed to a TV using Apple's cable kits for component or composite connections.

- The new iPod nano can record voice memos when used with Apple's earphones containing remote and mic capabilities, sold separately.

Just a short time ago, Apple announced that it is making some changes to the App Store review process, and among the changes is publication of the company's App Store Review Guidelines, offering developers a more transparent look at how their app submissions are examined by Apple's team of reviewers.

Engadget has re-published the guidelines, in which Apple utilizes a remarkably direct and candid tone in the introduction in an attempt to connect with developers.

Okay, so while Apple's tone throughout the guidelines is extremely direct, the highlights definitely come from the introduction, where the company basically lays it down:

- "We have lots of kids downloading lots of apps, and parental controls don't work unless the parents set them up (many don't). So know that we're keeping an eye out for the kids."
- "We have over 250,000 apps in the App Store. We don't need any more Fart apps."
- "We have lots of serious developers who don't want their quality Apps to be surrounded by amateur hour."
- "If your app is rejected, we have a Review Board that you can appeal to. If you run to the press and trash us, it never helps."
- "This is a living document, and new apps presenting new questions may result in new rules at any time. Perhaps your app will trigger this."
- "If it sounds like we're control freaks, well, maybe it's because we're so committed to our users and making sure they have a quality experience with our products."

The meat of the document consists of a multi-page list of well over 100 brief, to-the-point guidelines broken down into sections that primarily provide developers with concrete reasons why their apps might be rejected, but also offer a few tips about specific situations to define what may be permitted.

Apple today announced that it is making several changes to its App Store developer policies and procedures, with one of the most significant changes being an easing of its earlier move to ban third-party compilers such as Adobe's Flash-to-iPhone compiler it had built into Flash Professional CS5. Under the new policies, such third-party tools will be permitted as long as the apps generated by them do not download any code.

We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year.

In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need.

Apple has been the target of scrutiny by several regulatory agencies for its exclusionary policies.

In addition, Apple is also publishing its App Store Review Guidelines in order to provide developers with more transparency about the review process. Apple has been criticized for its closed process that has been seemingly arbitrary and inconsistent at times. While there will almost certainly continue to be some inconsistencies as long as humans are involved in the review process, publication of the review guidelines should make it easier for all parties to be on the same page from the outset of the app creation and review processes.

Update: One of the other changes made today was the lifting of a restriction on analytics data collection that appeared to essentially shut out Google-owned AdMob from the iOS platform. While Apple apparently never enforced the clause in its developer terms, AdMob chief Omar Hamoui today thanked Apple for revising its official terms to be more inclusive of third-party advertising platforms.

As first reported by Mac4Ever, VLC has been ported to the iPad by Applidium with the blessing of the VideoLan team. The app is currently in submission with Apple and is awaiting approval.

After several month of porting, we are proud to announce the release of VLC for the iPad! This application stands out for two reasons. First, it will be available for free on the AppStore. But that's not all. VLC is an OpenSource project. We are currently preparing our patches for submission to the main VLC tree. And obviously, we will release our current working tree when the app will hit the AppStore. If everything goes well, VLC for the iPad should be available next week.

VLC (Video Lan Client) is a very popular open source media player for the Mac and other platforms. One of its strengths is the ability to play a wide variety of video formats (chart) and streaming support. We should expect the iPad release as early as next week.

As a followup to their iPad is Delicious and What is iPad commercials, Apple introduced a new iPad commercial last night.

The ad features the iPad in a variety of scenes, each captioned with text including "medical, live, musical, work, play, memories, social, magazines, and historic"

A forum thread on TouchArcade is maintaining a list of current and expected Game Center enabled games. Game Center offers a centralized achievement and leaderboard system for the iOS platform. In addition, Game Center provides matchmaking capabilities for multi-player games.

Here are some notable games that have been updated to support leaderboards and achievements: Ms. Pac Man, Real Racing, Flight Control. Pangea Software appears to be the first to include online multi-player support in Enigmo, Cro Mag Rally, and Nanosaur 2. For a full list, see TouchArcade.

Update: Apple now has a featured Game Center section on the App Store

Gizmodo reports that iOS 4.1 has reincluded the Field Test mode to iOS. Field Test mode allows you to get a numerical figure for your antenna strength rather than the traditional bar measure. To get to Field Mode:

- First, upgrade your iPhone 4 -- or any iPhone -- to iOS 4.1.
- Dial *3001#12345#* into your phone [and press Call].

Pressing Home will exit you from the Field Test mode. For reference, Anandtech provides a good discussion about bar strength and signal values. Since that article was published, Apple has remapped the signal strength to # of bar ratio. More negative numbers are worse, and Anandtech reports they were surprised they were able to hold calls with signals as low as -113db.

Most customers won't care about their numerical signal strengths, but the antenna strength changes generated a lot of publicity surrounding the iPhone 4 launch due to issues with new antenna system.

Another piece of news coming out of iFixit's iPod Touch teardown is that despite an earlier report, Apple's newest iPod Touch does not include a motor for vibration. TouchFans apparently mis-identified a microphone for a vibration motor on the FCC photographs.

Meanwhile, Apple has changed the text on the iPod Touch's Facetime page to remove the vibration reference. The original text:

If somebody wants to start a video call with you, youll receive an invitation -- along with a vibrating alert -- on your iPod touch asking you to join. Simply tap Accept, and the video call begins.

It now reads:

If somebody wants to start a video call with you, youll receive an invitation on your iPod touch asking you to join. Simply tap Accept, and the video call begins.

Vibrating alerts have been an iPhone-only feature and has also been used as force-feedback method in certain games.

One of the key pieces of information coming out of iFixit's fourth-generation iPod touch teardown is that that the device carries only 256 MB of RAM, the same as the iPhone 3GS and iPad but less than the 512 MB found in the iPhone 4. iFixit's Kyle Wiens has confirmed the new iPod touch's RAM to us.

The key marking of interest on the A4 processor package is K4X2G643GE. This is identical to the marking found on the iPad processor, but different from the iPhone 4 processor. The iPad has 256 MB RAM, while the iPhone 4 features 512 MB. Unfortunately, this means that like the iPad, the new iPod Touch includes only 256 MB of RAM.

As noted by John Gruber, the reduced RAM compared to the iPhone 4 is one of a number of ways Apple has been able to cut costs and to keep the iPod touch at reasonable price points. Without carrier subsidies, the iPhone 4 hardware would be priced at nearly double that of the "equivalent" iPod touch models and thus Apple has had to make some decisions about how to maintain its pricing for the iPod touch line. Among other differences for the iPod touch: a significantly lower-resolution rear camera than the iPhone 4, a lack of in-plane switching (IPS) technology for the display despite the "Retina" resolution, and a lack of GPS.

With the new fourth-generation iPod touch launching today, Apple has released an update to its iMovie application for iOS, adding compatibility for the new device to the existing support for iPhone 4. The updates also adds several new features, including the ability split video clips, automatic music looping, and more.

What's new

- Compatible with iPod touch (4th generation).
- Ability to split video clips.
- Automatic music looping when video extends beyond music track.
- Scrub to preview clips in Video Browser.
- In-app Tips page that illustrates how to use key features.
- Updated Photos Browser with newest images at top.
- Mute badge to indicate video clips with audio disabled.
- Additional performance and reliability improvements.

iMovie, priced at $4.99, debuted in late June for the iPhone 4, offering users the ability to edit footage shot on their devices without having to transfer it to a computer. A number of filmmakers quickly demonstrated how films could be easily shot and edited entirely on the iPhone 4.

The experts at iFixit are at it again, documenting their fourth-generation iPod touch teardown as they proceed carefully through the process. Updates will continue throughout the teardown process, but here are some items of interest so far:

- With no visible screws, all it takes is a heat gun and some prying to open up the new iPod touch.

- Like the iPhone 4, the display and front glass are fused together, complicating repairs but reducing dust infiltration and likely making for improved aesthetics with the screen appearing to be "on" the glass rather than underneath it.

- The battery is 3.44 watt-hours, and soldered to the logic board.

- Fourth-Generation iPod Touch Offers Only 256 MB of RAM

At Apple's media event last week, Steve Jobs briefly demoed a new feature called AirPlay rolling out in iTunes and coming to iOS devices in November with iOS 4.2. An extension of the existing AirTunes feature for streaming audio to remote devices from iTunes, AirPlay will allow users to stream audio, song titles, and album art between devices. In addition, users will be able to stream videos and photos between devices, as demonstrated by Jobs in streaming a movie from an iPad to an Apple TV.

As we noted yesterday, third-party companies such as iHome are also looking to deploy AirPlay-compatible products to accept streaming content from Apple's devices. CNBC profiles BridgeCo, the software company Apple has worked with to allow these third-party companies to create AirPlay-compatible products. According to the report, BridgeCo has been granted nearly unprecedented access to Apple's iTunes software and team as it seeks to build out the functionality.

BridgeCo worked with Apple on its new AirPlay, where anyone with an iPod, iPhone, or iPad will be able to walk around his or her home and wirelessly send music from iTunes to receivers made by Denon, iHome Audio, Marantz, JBL, and Bowers & Wilkens. Unlike past products which did something similar, this is not a third-party reverse engineering workaround which has to be reworked every time Apple has a software update.

This is a product created by a third party with Apple's blessing.

BridgeCo CEO Gene Sheridan notes that Apple had little choice in the matter if it wanted to reach its goals for streaming content around the home, as it simply isn't in the stereo equipment market.

"They're not gonna create the world's stereo equipment," he says. Instead, Apple decided BridgeCo had the software and the well-known stereo equipment customers in place, and so Apple agreed to let Sheridan and his team get a look at the iTunes code. What was that like? "There is a magic to Apple that sounds simple," he says, clearly in awe. "They know how to take a complex and feature-rich technology and narrow it." How narrow? Sheridan said after getting a peek inside, BridgeCo provided Apple with a long list of what it could offer the company. "They picked three."

According to Sheridan, AirPlay-enabled stereo equipment should be hitting the market before the holidays, offering a solid lineup of compatible products to help jumpstart AirPlay. BridgeCo has reportedly been working with manufacturers on AirPlay for a year to ensure that everything is lined up and ready to go, with more than half of the company's revenue reportedly now resting on its deal with Apple for the technology.

Microsoft has posted a new behind-the-scenes look at several new features in the company's forthcoming Office for Mac 2011. The new features include:

- Co-Authoring: Using SkyDrive or SharePoint cloud storage, Office for Mac 2011 allows multiple authors to edit documents at the same time. And with Office Web apps, even users without Office installed on the computer can participate in the editing process.

- Scheduling Assistant: In-line calendaring in the mail portion of Outlook simplifies scheduling of meetings and other events, integrating communication channels with calendars.

- Broadcast Slideshow: Allows users to share PowerPoint presentations over the Internet in real-time, even with users without PowerPoint installed on their computers. Remote users can watch live while the present runs through their presentation.

Office for Mac 2011 is slated for release late next month, and today's preview is the third in a series of behind-the-scenes videos. The first video featured template galleries, Outlook features such as Conversation View, and the ribbon toolbar, while the second video looked at compatibility, graphing, and photo editing.

Right on schedule, Apple has released iOS 4.1 for the iPhone and iPod touch. The update, known as Build 8B117 and available for the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and second- and third-generation iPod touch models, brings several new features and fixes.

As detailed on Apple's site, iOS 4.1 enables the company's Game Center social gaming network (for all iOS 4-compatible devices except iPhone 3G), support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) photos on iPhone 4, and HD video uploading to YouTube and MobileMe for iPhone 4.

The update has also been touted as addressing several high-profile bugs, including proximity sensor issues, performance issues on the iPhone 3G, and Bluetooth problems.

Apple's new fourth-generation iPod touch is shipping with iOS 4.1 already installed. That device has started appearing in stores and on customers' doorsteps today.