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The latest Apple Mac related news from various sources

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MacNewsWorld

Apple’s Cook Heads to Washington to Talk Taxes
Apple CEO Tim Cook is scheduled to appear before a U.S. Senate committee next week to answer questions about his company parking profits offshore. In a notice for the May 21 hearing, the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations said “representatives of a multinational corporation” would be appearing at the event, but a witness list wouldn’t be available until Friday.
by John P. Mello Jr.
17 May 2013 at 12:00pm

The Hot Mess That Is Apple’s E-Book Legal Fight
The U.S. Justice Department is painting Apple as the “ringmaster” of an e-book price-fixing conspiracy. The news came out in court filings made public earlier this week as the DoJ prepares to do battle with the only member of the so-called conspiracy unwilling to admit wrongdoing and take a public spanking.
by Chris Maxcer
16 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Apple Tries Patent Fight to Cool Off Samsung’s Hot New Phone
Apple is attempting to add Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone to its list of infringing products in its ongoing California patent lawsuit. The hope is to strike down its rival’s latest smartphone before it can penetrate the market. Apple’s claims against Samsung are nothing new. However, the patent process can be slow compared to an industry that’s moving fast.
by Rachelle Dragani
15 May 2013 at 12:00pm

WebStart’s a Snore-Worthy Substitute for iGoogle’s Snappy Style
With iGoogle scheduled to be axed in November, orphans of that offering will be looking at alternatives like uStart, Protopage, Netvibes and Myfav.es. While those alternatives will meet the needs of many iGoogle users set adrift by the search company, some souls may want to create their own homepage substitutes for the versatile portal.
by John P. Mello Jr.
14 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Silk’s Cool Art App Lets You Swipe the Light Fantastic
Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever started any review with a “wow,” much less an italicized wow, but here it is: That one word sums up my first impression of Silk — Interactive Generative Art, an app for the iPad and iPhone. The app lets you create flowing, mirrored strands of silk-like lines of colored light. You do that simply by swiping and dragging your finger.
by Chris Maxcer
13 May 2013 at 12:00pm

iPad Mini Sales Spat Puts Focus on Apple Suppliers
Don’t blame Jason Cheng for the latest news that iPad mini sales may be declining in the second quarter. Cheng is CEO of Pegatron, an Apple supplier based in Taiwan, who this week reportedly blamed declining iPad mini sales for contributing to the company’s flagging revenues. Cheng denies he made any comments about the iPad mini or any other specific product.
by John P. Mello Jr.
10 May 2013 at 12:00pm

The Dastardly Benefits of iOS Homogenization
Google’s Android offers up more cool homescreens and customizations than Apple’s iOS. In iOS, you get to jiggle your stack of icons around on the iPhone or iPad homescreen and swap out the background photo. Woohoo. I can hardly contain my excitement. There are no live tiles, like Windows Phone. There are no fancy weather images, no retro themes.
by Chris Maxcer
9 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Apple Basks in Bullish Reviews From Wall Street Media Giants
Apple’s fall from grace on the stock market over the past six months has been well documented, but investor confidence seems to have taken a turn for the better over the past week. The company worked its way onto two high-profile lists. It was the top company on Barron’s 500 list, up from its second-place finish in 2012 and fourth in 2011.
by Rachelle Dragani
8 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Easy, Elegant Scapple Brightens Mind Maps
Scapple isn’t a spelling mistake for that Pennsylvania Dutch concoction made with pork scraps, corn meal, flour and spices. In fact, scapple is actually a word meaning to work roughly, or shape without finishing. It’s also the name of a dynamite new mind mapping program from Literature and Latte, the folks who brought the Mac world Scrivner.
by John P. Mello Jr.
7 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Twitter #music Tops the Charts for Song Discovery
The new Twitter #music app for iOS is the coolest app I want to love forever. However, it still gives me the nagging feeling that its slick graphics and fast play might leave our relationship just an empty shell of glitz and hope. Like those hot-and-heavy relationships that defy explanation, #music is a hard app to truly love — or let go.
by Chris Maxcer
6 May 2013 at 12:00pm

Macworld UK

Should Apple buy BlackBerry? Er, no
The Macalope finds the latest media masterplan for Apple – that it should buy rival smartphone maker BlackBerry – substantially crazy.

Related Stories

Coffee with Tim Cook for just $610,000: I’ll have an AmericanoWeak iPhone 5 demand blamed for Foxconn’s Hon Hai revenue dropFire Tim Cook? You’re cuckoo bananasApple CEO to face Senate in tax grillingFoxconn factory workers ‘still working unlawfully long hours’    


by team@macworld.co.uk (The Macalope)
17 May 2013 at 11:58am

Mac malware uploads screenshots, certified by Apple
Uh oh. Looks like a bit more evidence that Mac’s are not safe from malware has emerged again.

Related Stories

Blurring objects you want to hide in iMovie ’11Apple seeks Liquidmetal expert, reignites iPhone, MacBook Liquidmetal speculationApple and Lenovo grow, but European PC market suffersApple and the file system: Skating to where the puck might goApple’s Cook defends tax practices and reveals of ‘made in USA’ Mac    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Karen Haslam)
17 May 2013 at 11:20am

‘Record labels helped Google beat Apple to the music subscription market’
Disgruntled record labels may have helped Google beat Apple to the punch on music subscription services, an analyst has said – but Apple will catch up soon.

Related Stories

Researchers develop an app to help the blind take better photosGoogle triples free storage to 15GBWhat to expect from Apple at WWDC 2013: iOS 7, OS X 10.9, new Macs, iPhone 6, iPad 5?Bill Gates recalls last conversation with Steve Jobs in emotional interviewGoogle beats Apple to the music subscription market    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Gregg Keizer)
17 May 2013 at 10:58am

Google beats Apple to the music subscription market
Disgruntled record labels may have helped Google beat Apple to the punch on music subscription services, an analyst has said – but Apple will catch up soon.

Related Stories

Researchers develop an app to help the blind take better photosGoogle triples free storage to 15GBWhat to expect from Apple at WWDC 2013: iOS 7, OS X 10.9, new Macs, iPhone 6, iPad 5?Bill Gates recalls last conversation with Steve Jobs in emotional interview’Record labels helped Google beat Apple to the music subscription market’    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Gregg Keizer)
17 May 2013 at 10:58am

Apple’s Cook defends tax practices and reveals of ‘made in USA’ Mac
Tim Cook is on the offensive prior to Senate meeting, defends Apple’s tax practices and reveals details about Apple’s plans to build a Mac on US soil

Related Stories

Blurring objects you want to hide in iMovie ’11Apple seeks Liquidmetal expert, reignites iPhone, MacBook Liquidmetal speculationApple and Lenovo grow, but European PC market suffersApple and the file system: Skating to where the puck might goMac malware uploads screenshots, certified by Apple    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Karen Haslam)
17 May 2013 at 10:48am

How the iPhone’s Retina display benefits disabled users
The sharp Retina displays available on the iPhone and iPad are a huge boon to accessibility for visually impaired users.

Related Stories

Woman sues Apple claiming that home button defect was plannedSamsung photoshops Galaxy S4 into iPhone stock shotiPhone 5S: more photographs appear, indicate colour optionsiPad mini 2 rumour rollup: leaked specs, A7 chip and something we call ‘iPadiGlasses’Woman sues Apple claiming that power button defect was planned    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Steven Aquino)
17 May 2013 at 10:45am


Samsung photoshops Galaxy S4 into iPhone stock shot
We love a good anti-Samsung story and news that Samsung has photoshopped a Samsung smartphone into a photo that originally featured an iPhone had us chuckling.

Related Stories

Woman sues Apple claiming that home button defect was plannedHow the iPhone’s Retina display benefits disabled usersiPhone 5S: more photographs appear, indicate colour optionsiPad mini 2 rumour rollup: leaked specs, A7 chip and something we call ‘iPadiGlasses’Woman sues Apple claiming that power button defect was planned    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Karen Haslam)
17 May 2013 at 10:25am

iPhone 5S: more photographs appear, indicate colour options
To make a change from the round of ‘concept images’ of the iPhone 6 (or iPhone 5S depending on which camp you are in) today we have a photograph of what is claimed to be iPhone 5S parts.

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Woman sues Apple claiming that home button defect was plannedHow the iPhone’s Retina display benefits disabled usersSamsung photoshops Galaxy S4 into iPhone stock shotiPad mini 2 rumour rollup: leaked specs, A7 chip and something we call ‘iPadiGlasses’Woman sues Apple claiming that power button defect was planned    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Karen Haslam)
17 May 2013 at 10:11am

iPad mini 2 rumour rollup: leaked specs, A7 chip and something we call ‘iPadi…
We sift through the latest rumours concerning the specifications, features, exterior appearance and launch dates of the iPad mini 2, iPad 5 and iPhone 6.

Related Stories

Woman sues Apple claiming that home button defect was plannedHow the iPhone’s Retina display benefits disabled usersSamsung photoshops Galaxy S4 into iPhone stock shotiPhone 5S: more photographs appear, indicate colour optionsWoman sues Apple claiming that power button defect was planned    
by team@macworld.co.uk (John Cox)
17 May 2013 at 10:10am

Foxconn factory workers ‘still working unlawfully long hours’
Apple supplier Foxconn is making progress in improving working conditions, but a report claims that staff are still working long hours that exceed local laws.

Related Stories

Coffee with Tim Cook for just $610,000: I’ll have an AmericanoWeak iPhone 5 demand blamed for Foxconn’s Hon Hai revenue dropFire Tim Cook? You’re cuckoo bananasApple CEO to face Senate in tax grillingShould Apple buy BlackBerry? Er, no    


by team@macworld.co.uk (Michael Kan)
17 May 2013 at 9:55am

Slashdot: Apple

After Paul Otellini: Intel Lost the IPhone Battle, But It Could Win the Mobil…
kenekaplan writes “In an interview with The Atlantic before stepping down as CEO of Intel, Paul Otellini reflects on his decision not to make a chip for the then yet released iPhone. ‘The lesson I took away from that was, while we like to speak with data around here, so many times in my career I’ve ended up making decisions with my gut, and I should have followed my gut,’ he said. ‘My gut told me to say yes.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by Unknown Lamer
16 May 2013 at 5:46pm

Justice Department Calls Apple the “Ringmaster” In e-book Price Fixing Case
An anonymous reader writes “Back in April 2012, the U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against Apple and a number of publishers for allegedly colluding to raise the price of e-books on the iBookstore. As part of its investigation into Apple’s actions, the Justice Department collected evidence which it claims demonstrates that Apple was the ‘ringmaster’ in a price fixing conspiracy. Specifically, the Justice Department claims that Apple wielded its power in the mobile app market to coerce publishers to agree to Apple’s terms for iBookstore pricing.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by samzenpus
15 May 2013 at 11:50pm

iTunes: Still Slowing Down Windows PCs After All These Years
colinneagle sends this quote from an article at NetworkWorld: “I run a very nifty desktop utility called Rainmeter on my PC that I heartily recommend to anyone who wants to keep an eye on their system. One of its main features is it has skins that can monitor your system activity. Thanks to my numerous meters, I see all CPU, disk, memory and network activity in real time. the C: drive meter. It is a circle split down the middle, with the right half lighting up to indicate a read and the left half lighting up for write activity. The C: drive was flashing a fair amount of activity considering I had nothing loaded save Outlook and Word, plus a few background apps. At the time, I didn’t have a Rainmeter skin that lists the top processes by CPU and memory. So instead, I went into the Task Manager, and under Performance selected the Resource Monitor. Under the Processes tab, the culprit showed its face immediately: AppleMobileDeviceService.exe. It was consuming a ridiculous amount of threads and CPU cycles. The only way to turn it off is to go into Windows Services and turn off the service. There’s just one problem. I use an iPhone. I can’t disable it. But doing so for a little while dropped the CPU meters to nothing. So I now have more motivation to migrate to a new phone beyond just having one with a larger screen. This problem has been known for years. AppleMobileDeviceService.exe has been in iTunes since version 7.3. People complained on the Apple boards more than two years ago that it was consuming up to 50% of CPU cycles, and thus far it’s as bad as it always has been. Mind you, Mac users aren’t complaining. Just Windows users.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by Soulskill
15 May 2013 at 2:13am

Bill Gates Opens Up About Steve Jobs
Nerval’s Lobster writes “Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates displayed a bit of emotion when talking to CBS’s 60 Minutes about Steve Jobs. The interview didn’t focus entirely on the relationship between the two men, with most of its running time devoted instead to Gates’s charitable efforts. But when the conversation shifted to their last meeting before Jobs’s death from cancer in 2011, Gates—normally so cerebral—seemed a bit sad. ‘When he was sick I got to go down and spend time with him,’ Gates said, describing their meeting as ‘forward looking.’ Jobs spent a portion of their time together showing off designs for his yacht, which he would never see completed—something that Gates defended when the interviewer seemed a little bit incredulous. ‘Thinking about your potential mortality isn’t very constructive,’ he said. Gates also praised Steve Jobs’s marketing and design skills: ‘He understood, he had an intuitive sense for marketing that was amazing.’ In contrast to his subtle—and not so subtle—digs at the iPad over the years, Gates conceded that Apple had ‘put the pieces together in a way that succeeded’ with regard to tablets. Gates’s magnanimity toward his former rival and Apple is a reflection, perhaps, of his current position in life: it’s been nearly five years since his last full-time day at Microsoft, and all of his efforts seem focused on his philanthropic endeavors. He simply has no reason to rip a rival limb from limb in the same way he did as Microsoft CEO.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by samzenpus
13 May 2013 at 5:15pm

Apple Deluged By Police Demands To Decrypt iPhones
New submitter ukemike points out an article at CNET reporting on a how there’s a “waiting list” for Apple to decypt iPhones seized by various law enforcement agencies. This suggests two important issues: first, that Apple is apparently both capable of and willing to help with these requests, and second, that there are too many of them for the company to process as they come in. From the article: “Court documents show that federal agents were so stymied by the encrypted iPhone 4S of a Kentucky man accused of distributing crack cocaine that they turned to Apple for decryption help last year. An agent at the ATF, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, ‘contacted Apple to obtain assistance in unlocking the device,’ U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell wrote in a recent opinion. But, she wrote, the ATF was ‘placed on a waiting list by the company.’ A search warrant affidavit prepared by ATF agent Rob Maynard says that, for nearly three months last summer, he “attempted to locate a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency with the forensic capabilities to unlock’ an iPhone 4S. But after each police agency responded by saying they ‘did not have the forensic capability,’ Maynard resorted to asking Cupertino. Because the waiting list had grown so long, there would be at least a 7-week delay, Maynard says he was told by Joann Chang, a legal specialist in Apple’s litigation group. It’s unclear how long the process took, but it appears to have been at least four months.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by Soulskill
12 May 2013 at 3:11am

Tool Reveals iPad and iPhone User Locations
mask.of.sanity writes “A researcher has found that Apple user locations can be potentially determined by tapping into Apple Maps and he has created a Python tool to make the process easier. iSniff GPS accesses Apple’s database of wireless access points, which is collected by iPhones and iPads that have GPS and Wi-Fi location services enabled. Apple uses this crowd-sourced data to run its location services; however, the location database is not meant to be public. You can download the tool via Giuthub.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by timothy
9 May 2013 at 1:35pm

German Court Rejects Apple’s Privacy Policy
redletterdave writes “A German court rejected eight out of 15 provisions in Apple’s general privacy policy and terms of data use on Tuesday, claiming that the practices of the Cupertino, Calif. company deviate too much from German laws (Google translation of German original). According to German law, recognized consumer groups can sue companies over illegal terms and conditions. Apple asks for ‘global consent’ to use customer data on its website, but German law insists that clients know specific details about what their data will be used for and why.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by Soulskill
8 May 2013 at 6:12am

Bill Gates: iPad Users Are Frustrated They Can’t Type Or Create Documents
An anonymous reader writes “While Apple views the tablet and PC markets as two separate entities, Microsoft takes the opposing view. During a CNBC interview this morning, Gates continued to toe the party line insofar as he praised the benefits of Microsoft’s tablets and Windows 8 while explaining that iPad users are frustrated because they have trouble typing and creating documents. ‘With Windows 8, Microsoft is trying to gain share in what has been dominated by the iPad-type device. But a lot of those users are frustrated, they can’t type, they can’t create documents. They don’t have Office there. So we’re providing them something with the benefits they’ve seen that have made that a big category, but without giving up what they expect in a PC.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by samzenpus
6 May 2013 at 9:36pm

Pentagon Approval of iOS and Samsung KNOX Is Bad News for BlackBerry
rjupstate writes “The Pentagon is quickly moving to approve the latest devices and platforms from BlackBerry, Samsung, and Apple. That’s good news for two of those companies. It’s not-so-good news for BlackBerry. ‘The Pentagon currently has about 600,000 smartphone users – almost all using BlackBerrys – but ultimately aims to have as many as 8m smartphones and tablets, under the terms of a scheme made public last November.’ ‘In its effort to expand into the high security government niche, one that BlackBerry has enjoyed near singular control of for years, Samsung recently created a government advisory board made up of Samsung executives and security experts from various U.S. and foreign government security agencies. … In the end, the program will likely elevate that status of both Apple and Samsung within military and civilian government agencies in the U.S. and other western countries.’”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by Soulskill
3 May 2013 at 7:17pm

Move Over Apple – Samsung Files For a Patent On Page Turn
Nate the greatest writes “Remember last year when Apple received a patent on the faux page curl in iBooks? Lots of people laughed at the idea that Apple could patent the page turn, but not Samsung. The gadget maker has just filed for their own page turn patent. The paperwork explains in great detail what the page turn looks like, how the software would work, and what on screen gestures could be used to turn the page.”

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




by samzenpus
2 May 2013 at 12:03am

Mac Rumors

Apple and Sony ‘iRadio’ Negotiations Stalling Over Skipped Songs
Earlier today a report suggested that the launch of Apple’s upcoming streaming music service deemed “iRadio” may be delayed due to difficult negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music Group.

CNET is offering some additional information on Apple’s trouble with Sony Music, explaining that the fees to be paid for skipped songs have become a point of contention between the companies.Apple and Sony Music, the world’s second largest music label, are still trying to hammer out details over how much Apple would pay for songs that people listen to a fraction of and then skip, according to people familiar with the negotiations.While Apple’s music service is said to be more similar to Pandora than Spotify, Apple does plan to deviate from Pandora’s rigid station-based listening rules by giving users extended control, like the ability to rewind or skip a song after listening to a small portion of it. Pandora limits its users to 12 skips per day and pays the full royalty rate for each skipped track.

Apple has faced continual struggles over pricing during negotiations, originally offering to pay just half of Pandora’s royalty rate while demanding more flexibility. The company later agreed to up its offered price, but it may not be willing to make further concessions as an Apple-branded music service offers additional perks that other music streaming sites can’t compete with, such as an established market for purchasing streamed tracks.

The stalled negotiations between Apple and Sony Music are annoying other labels, who are eager to see iRadio launch. Apple finalized an agreement with Universal Music earlier this month and is close to signing a deal with Warner Music Group, according to CNET’s sources.That skipping has become an issue is frustrating executives at the other labels because they see Apple’s free radio service as a potential boon for the music industry overall and are eager to help Apple get it launched.Apple was pushing for a summer launch of iRadio, with possible plans to unveil the service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but it is unclear if the company will be able to meet that deadline.


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by Juli Clover
17 May 2013 at 8:58pm

Tightening MacBook Air Supplies at Resellers Hint at Upcoming Refresh
As noted by AppleInsider, MacBook Air supplies are beginning to dry up as Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference approaches.

Currently, the 13.3-inch 256GB 1.8Ghz MacBook Air is out of stock at Amazon.com, with a listed one to two month waiting period. While the low end 13.3-inch MacBook Air is in stock, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is in short supply. Amazon lists an inventory of just ten 1.7Ghz 128GB 11.6-inch MacBook Airs and just one lower end 64GB 11.6-inch MacBook Air available through a third party.


Several other authorized Apple resellers, such as MacConnection, MacMall, and B&H, are also seeing dwindling MacBook Air inventory, with the higher end versions of 13.3-inch MacBook Air being the hardest to find.

Low inventory supplies at third-party Apple retailers are often one of the initial signs of an upcoming product refresh. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will be introducing new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines based on Intel’s Haswell processors at WWDC, which takes place next month from June 10 to June 14.


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by Juli Clover
17 May 2013 at 5:31pm

Difficult Negotiations May Prevent ‘iRadio’ Launch at WWDC
Last week, we noted that Apple was still struggling to convince the major music labels to sign on to its planned streaming service, informally dubbed “iRadio”, with Sony and Warner reportedly holding out even after market leader Universal had agreed to Apple’s revised terms.

In a new article highlighting how Google was able to announce its own music service ahead of Apple, The Verge notes that Apple’s desire to provide a hybrid listener experience has meant more work at the negotiating table.For starters, Google chose to offer a standard subscription music service very similar to those built by Spotify and Rdio, and that meant the terms had largely been established, according to multiple sources close to the talks. Apple, on the other hand, is pioneering a hybrid web and radio service ? one that resembles Pandora but melds it with some on-demand features, the sources said. The licensing agreement had to be created from scratch.According to the report’s sources, number four music publisher BMG is also holding out against Apple’s proposed terms, and while there still appears to be significant momentum behind iRadio and a desire by many parties to get a deal done as quickly as possible, it is now looking as though Apple may not be able to launch the service at next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Word of Apple’s plans for a Pandora-like service surfaced last September, with subsequent reports indicating that Apple was targeting the first quarter of this year for a launch. As negotiations continued to prove difficult, Apple shifted its focus to a summer launch, but it now appears unclear whether the company will be able to meet even that revised goal.


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by Eric Slivka
17 May 2013 at 4:05pm

U.S. Department of Defense Approves iOS 6 Devices for Military Networks
Following a report from earlier this month indicating that the U.S. Department of Defense was preparing to approve Apple devices running iOS 6 for use on military networks, Bloomberg now reports that the department has officially issued the authorization, opening the door for greater use of Apple’s products.The Defense Department said in a statement today that it has approved the use of Cupertino, California-based Apple?s products running a version of the iOS 6 mobile platform.

The decision eventually may spur a three-way fight for a market long dominated by Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry. The Pentagon on May 2 approved Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung?s devices, as well as BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.The report notes that out of more than 600,000 mobile devices used by the Defense Department, only about 41,000 of those are Apple products, with most of those not connected directly to the military’s networks. With the new approvals, Apple and Samsung are expected to eat into BlackBerry’s roughly 75% share of mobile devices within the agency.

As noted in the report earlier this month, the Department of Defense’s approval of iOS 6 devices for sensitive applications is expected to have impact beyond the military, with other businesses requiring strict security standards becoming more likely to embrace Apple’s products.

Pentagon approval for iOS 6 devices comes just as The Street reports that the U.S. Air Force is expecting to save more than $50 million over ten years following last year’s decision to replace thousands of pages of flight manuals with iPads.”By removing all that paper, [Air Mobility Command] will capture about $750,000 in fuel savings [annually] just based off the decreased weight,” said [electronic flight bag program manager Major Brian] Moritz.

Removing the need to print and distribute thousands of flight manuals, however, equates to an even greater cost saving. “It comes out to just over $5 million a year,” noted Moritz. “With fuel savings, it comes out to $5.7 million annually in pure cost. When you look at $5.7 million a year, over 10 years, that’s well over $50 million.”The Air Force is not the only group switching to iPads to replace traditional flight bags used by pilots, as a number of commercial airlines have also begun transitioning to the technology in order to reduce weight and therefore fuel costs, as well as lighten loads for the pilots themselves.

Update: Apple has provided a comment on the Pentagon approval to AllThingsD With iPhone and iPad being tested or deployed in almost every Fortune 500 company, Apple continues to scale across enterprise with nearly 30,000 companies globally developing and distributing iOS apps for corporate use by their employees,? Apple spokeswoman Trudy Muller told AllThingsD. ?The FIPS 140-2 certification and STIG approval demonstrate our ongoing commitment to deliver a secure platform to our enterprise and government customers around the world who deploy iOS devices on their networks.?(Photo: James Rogers/The Street)


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by Eric Slivka
17 May 2013 at 2:56pm

Corning Announces ‘Lotus XT’ Substrate Glass for Brighter, Cheaper Mobile Dis…
Corning yesterday announced (via Engadget) the launch of its latest glass substrate for LCD and OLED displays, Lotus XT Glass. While Corning is famous for its Gorilla Glass used by Apple and other device manufacturers to provide durable covers for their displays, substrate glass like Lotus Glass is used within the displays themselves to support the transistors and other components necessary for the displays to function.


The Corning Lotus Glass platform enables organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCD) that use either low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. The result is an energy-efficient, immersive display device that features high resolution, fast response times, and bright picture quality.Lotus XT Glass, an improved version of the original Lotus Glass announced in late 2011, offers improved thermal characteristics and stability to help increase efficiency and yield during display production. Lotus XT Glass is available in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 0.4 to 0.7 mm to support various applications.

In an introductory video, Corning vice president John Bayne outlines how Lotus XT Glass will enable better displays with improved yields:Our customers, the panel makers, are basically making thin-film transistors and aligning those transistors with liquid crystal material and a color filter piece of glass. Everything has to line up just right to work.

The distance features move during processing is called total pitch. And if you measure that from sheet to sheet, it’s called total pitch variation. If panel makers can minimize total pitch variation, they can realize higher manufacturing yields and lower costs. In addition, they can design devices that have higher aperture ratios which are brighter and use less power.
It will still take some time for display manufacturers to adopt Lotus Glass XT for use in their processes and for those panels to make their way into finished products, but with Lotus Glass XT offering up to 75% better performance in total pitch variation than the original version, it seems likely that manufacturers will move quickly to adopt the product.


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by Eric Slivka
17 May 2013 at 2:18pm

CW Strikes Deal with Apple to Bring Content to Apple TV
The CW has struck a deal that will bring the network’s content to the Apple TV, reports Deadline. At the company’s annual Upfront Presentation in New York today, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced that the CW’s TV Now applications, which are currently available on Xbox 360 and Windows 8, will be coming to the Apple TV as well.

“This year we’re reaching more viewers on more platforms,” said Pedowitz, speaking of the deal. “We are reaching our audience everywhere they are, and we want you to be with us everywhere we go,” he went on to say to advertisers at the event.


The CW told MacRumors that the app will function similarly to the company’s Xbox and mobile apps and confirmed that it will indeed be an app located on the Apple TV’s home screen.It’s a dedicated CW app that will work like our Xbox and mobile and tablet apps – no cable authentication required, full episodes of our shows available next day after air, ad-supported.The CW’s TV Now app for the Xbox offers free full streaming episodes of network shows like The Vampire Diaries with limited advertising. The app also includes additional content like previews and cast extras. Currently, Apple sells CW content through its iTunes store.

While the Apple TV offers apps and digital content from sites like Netflix and Hulu, it does not include apps from television networks. The partnership between the CW and Apple will mark the first network television app available via the Apple TV.

It is unclear if the CW’s app is part of a larger initiative by Apple to bring additional apps to the Apple TV. The CW is a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS, one of the biggest U.S. broadcast networks.

According to the CW, the app is set to launch in the coming weeks, though no exact release date was given.


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by Juli Clover
16 May 2013 at 10:16pm

Tim Cook Shares Details About New ‘Made in USA’ Mac Model
In his interview with Politico earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared some additional details about the new Mac model that will be manufactured in the United States when it is announced later this year.

Cook said that not only will the machine be assembled in the U.S., many of the components will be sourced from suppliers in the country as well.
And Cook is also promoting a $100 million investment in domestic manufacturing, where the company will begin producing a new version of a current Mac product later this year.

“We’re going very deep in this project,” Cook said, noting that not only will the final product be manufactured in the U.S., but so will many of its components. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Kentucky are among the states he mentioned as having parts and assembly located.
Cook announced in an interview with Brian Williams last year that an existing Mac line would be manufactured exclusively in the U.S. beginning in 2013.

Speculation had pointed to the Mac Pro, which is due for a significant update, though DigiTimes claimed it was Mac Mini production that would come back from overseas.


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by Jordan Golson
16 May 2013 at 9:57pm

Tim Cook Defends Apple’s Tax Record Ahead of Senate Committee Appearance [Upd…
Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a break from his predecessor, is giving a number of interviews to Washington press outlets ahead of his appearance in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation next week.


Washington newspaper Politico spoke to Cook about Apple’s offshore cash pile — which the company has thus far refused to repatriate to the United States because of the significant tax burden that would result — and Apple’s political activities.
“We don’t have a large presence in Washington, as you probably know, but we care deeply about public policy and believe creative policy can be a huge catalyst for a better society and a stronger economy,” Cook said in the interview.

He also defended his company’s conduct. ?I can tell you unequivocally Apple does not funnel its domestic profits overseas. We don’t do that. We pay taxes on all the products we sell in the U.S., and we pay every dollar that we owe. And so I’d like to be really clear on that,? Cook said.Cook has agreed to appear in front of the subcommittee on Tuesday morning personally, instead of sending a more junior executive to testify in front of the committee. His predecessor as CEO, Steve Jobs, agreed to very few interviews and tended to stay out of politics entirely.

Apple recently borrowed $17 billion in a bond offering, in part to return cash to shareholders without bringing some of its $100 billion overseas cash pile to the United States. If it were to repatriate that cash to the U.S., it would need to pay a more than $13 billion tax bill.

Update: In an interview with The Washington Post, Cook says he plans to present specific proposals at the Senate hearing to overhaul the U.S. corporate tax system.
“If you look at it today, to repatriate cash to the U.S., you need to pay 35 percent of that cash. And that is a very high number,” Cook said in an interview Thursday. “We are not proposing that it be zero. I know many of our peers believe that. But I don?t view that. But I think it has to be reasonable.”Cook also pointed out that if state and federal taxes are combined, Apple pays roughly $1 million per hour in taxes, possibly making Apple the largest corporate taxpayer in the country.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the comment thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All MacRumors forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.


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by Jordan Golson
16 May 2013 at 8:07pm

Newly Discovered Mac Malware Captures and Stores Screenshots
New Mac spyware was discovered earlier this week on a computer at the Oslo Freedom Forum, an annual human rights conference. Located by computer security researcher Jacob Appelbaum, the malware, which has been deemed OSX/KitM.A, is currently being investigated by anti-virus company F-Secure, reports CNET.

The malware is a backdoor application called “macs.app,” which launches automatically upon login and captures screenshots that it then sends to a MacApp folder in the user’s home directory. Two command-and-control servers, located at securitytable.org and docsforum.info, are associated with the malware, but one does not function and the other gives a “public access forbidden” message.


Interestingly, the malware is signed with an Apple Developer ID, which is designed to prevent the installation of malware. Apps that are unsigned are blocked by default by Apple’s Gatekeeper security option.This bit of malware is somewhat unique in that it is signed with what appears to be a valid Apple Developer ID associated with the name Rajender Kumar. Though not an uncommon name, this may be a reference to the late Bollywood actor of a similar name. Regardless, the use of the ID appears to be an attempt to bypass Apple’s Gatekeeper execution prevention technology.Currently, F-Secure is investigating where the malware originated, and though it does not appear to be widespread, it can be mitigated by removing the macs.app program from the log-in menu. Apple often addresses malware threats quickly, and has the ability to revoke the developer ID to further limit the spread of the software.


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by Juli Clover
16 May 2013 at 6:31pm

Apple Updates iTunes to Version 11.0.3 With New MiniPlayer and Improvements
Apple has released an update to its iTunes music and media application, bringing it to version 11.0.3.

The update updates the compact MiniPlayer, adding album artwork and a progress bar, as well as better support for multi-disc albums and large iTunes libraries.
This version of iTunes comes with several new features and improvements, including:

– New MiniPlayer. MiniPlayer now includes a beautiful new view that showcases your album artwork. In addition, a progress bar is now built right into MiniPlayer.

– Improved Songs View. You can now enjoy your album artwork while in Songs view.

– Multi-Disc Albums. Albums with multiple discs now appear as a single album.

This update also provides performance improvements when searching and sorting large iTunes libraries.The update weighs in at 187.50MB on the Mac, and is available through the Mac App Store, Software Update, and direct from Apple’s Software Download Page.

The last update to iTunes was released back in February.


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by Jordan Golson
16 May 2013 at 5:34pm