After setting a record high close yesterday, Apple's stock today has extended its strong run that has been in place since last month's disappointing earnings numbers, pushing through to set a new all-time intraday high. The stock hit a new high of $644.13 per share just minutes ago, besting the previous all-time high of $644.00 set on April 10.
The move has also pushed Apple's market capitalization above $600 billion for the first time since April 10, also marking a 23% increase in stock price since the bottom of this dip came at $522.18 during trading on May 18.
Apple's new all-time high comes a day after the company issued its first quarterly stock dividend since 1995, giving shareholders $2.65 per share as one piece of the company's strategy for handling its massive stockpile of cash. Investors had been calling for a dividend for quite some time as Apple's cash hoard approached and then exceeded $100 billion, with the company relenting in a March announcement in which the company outlined its belief that it will have enough cash on hand to meet its needs for the foreseeable future. The company also instituted a $10 billion stock buyback program intended to offset dilution coming from stock grants and employee stock purchases. read more..
Saturday, 18 August 2012
Stock Dividend-Stock Buyback-Stock Price-Apple
Thursday, 16 August 2012
Iphone 3G-Ios
Cocoanetics has noticed something that's become apparent to most iOS developers already: with the advent of iOS 6 in a few weeks, Apple is essentially phasing out support for iOS on the iPhone 3G. Apple is slowly deprecating frameworks that iPhone 3G-compatible apps require from Xcode and app libraries, and the upcoming version of Xcode (4.5, currently in development) specifically states that it does not support armv6 devices or anything below iOS 4.3. In other words, both the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G have become extremely difficult for iOS developers to support, and by the time iOS 6 rolls around this fall, there will be essentially no reason for devs to try and make sure their apps and games work on the older hardware. While it may be technically possible to maintain separate codebases for newer and older hardware (by running old versions of Xcode), even the largest developers won't have financial reasons to do so. And the audience likely won't care much anyway. The number of people this affects grows smaller and smaller every day -- most phone contracts last about two years, which means it's been a few generations since the iPhone 3G was released in 2008. And there are a whole lot of new technologies for developers to take advantage of, including iCloud, Automatic Reference Counting, and Storyboard development, that make apps easier and quicker to develop and would never work with the older iPhone models anyway. Apple's never been accused of sticking with a product for too long -- the company has a reputation for moving on to the newer and better as quickly as possible. For developers, the iPhone 3G is essentially being lowered into the ground for good. Of course, that doesn't mean consumers are obligated to dump them; the existing apps they run will still work.iOS developer toolchain will bid farewell to the iPhone 3G originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Advanced Encryption Standard Algorithm-National Security Agency-Security Architecture
Technology Review takes a look at the evolution of security on the iPhone, noting how Apple has been able to gain acceptance in government and enterprise by overcoming its initially lax stance on device security to roll out industry-leading encryption options that can defeat essentially all attempts at accessing properly protected devices.At the heart of Apple's security architecture is the Advanced Encryption Standard algorithm (AES), a data-scrambling system published in 1998 and adopted as a U.S. government standard in 2001. After more than a decade of exhaustive analysis, AES is widely regarded as unbreakable. The algorithm is so strong that no computer imaginable for the foreseeable future—even a quantum computer—would be able to crack a truly random 256-bit AES key. The National Security Agency has approved AES-256 for storing top-secret data.As Apple highlights in a recent white paper (PDF) on iOS security, this hardware security involves the incorporation of a unique AES-256 key fused into each iOS device and which can not be directly read.
Access to the device's software can be restricted with a PIN passcode, and while the default passcode option for iOS is a four-digit number, users can opt to use significantly longer and more complex passcodes. And with brute-force attacks required to break iOS passcodes needing to be run on the device itself at a speed of 80 milliseconds per attempt, a device with an eight-digit passcode could take up to 15 years to compromise."There are a lot of issues when it comes to extracting data from iOS devices," says Amber Schroader, CEO of Paraben, a supplier of forensic software, hardware, and services for cell phones. "We have had many civil cases we have not been able to process ... for discovery because of encryption blocking us."Most of the information included in this report is not particularly new, and Apple's white paper goes into more detail on the company's efforts to address security on iOS devices, but the report offers an overview of the layers of security Apple has built into its products. read more..
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Industrial Design-Sony Style-Influence-Samsung-Iphone
The battle royale begins in a California courtroom today, as jury selection begins in the case of Apple vs. Samsung. As part of the last-minute legal maneuvering before the trial started, Samsung attempted to show how certain iPhone prototypes were influenced by Sony designs. However, Judge Lucy Koh ruled yesterday that Samsung's lawyers could not bring up the topic in opening arguments. AllThingsD's Ina Fried reported on the decision on the eve of the beginning of the trial. Samsung wanted to have ex-Apple designer Shin Nishibori testify in the case, although Nishibori insistence that he will not appear as a witness. Nishibori made a mockup of a Sony-inspired iPhone (nicknamed "Jony" in honor of Apple's Industrial Design Senior VP Jony Ive) during his time at Apple, and Samsung wanted to use that design as proof that the iPhone design is not unique. The Sony-like design may be a moot point anyway, as Apple revealed a design code-named "purple" (seen in the image at the top of this post) that pre-dates it by several months. Purple looks surprisingly like the iPhone 4 design -- according to court documents (PDF document), Nishibori testified in regard to the "Jony" design "that the design exercise was to be an 'enjoyable' side project and that he merely applied details, 'buttons and switches,' to express the Sony style on a model phone Apple had already developed." In case you're confused about all of the courtroom craziness that has gone on so far, Fried has produced a "cheat sheet" that will hopefully make sense the insanity surrounding the case.#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }#next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }Continue reading Court rules Samsung can't show Sony's influence on iPhone; Apple reveals 2005 prototypeCourt rules Samsung can't show Sony's influence on iPhone; Apple reveals 2005 prototype originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Monday, 30 July 2012
Server Functionality-Server Component-Server Software-Mountain Lion-Mac App Store
Alongside Mountain Lion 10.8, Apple released the server component as a separate generic app called OS X Server. OS X Server is the next generation of Apple’s award winning server software. Designed for OS X and iOS devices, OS X Server makes it easy to share files, schedule meetings, synchronize contacts, host your own website, publish wikis, configure Macs, iPhones and iPads, remotely access your network, and more.
Server is now an application you can add to Mountain Lion right from the Mac App Store. Anyone can quickly and easily turn a Mac running Mountain Lion into a server that’s perfect for home offices, businesses, schools, and hobbyists alike.OS X Server requires Mountain Lion 10.8 and adds server functionality to OS X. [Mac App Store] read more..
Friday, 27 July 2012
Redemption Code-Mountain Lion-Replacement-Osx Server-Apple
Yesterday, we noted that Apple's Up-to-Date program allowing recent Mac purchasers to receive free upgrades to OS X Mountain Lion was experiencing some early hiccups, with users receiving Mac App Store redemption codes that were registering as invalid. Customer support representatives were advising users that Apple was aware of the issue and would be automatically issuing replacement codes but that the process could take up to three days.
While many of these replacement codes are already coming through, users today have begun reporting that Apple is mistakenly sending out codes for the OS X Server components of Mountain Lion rather than Mountain Lion itself.I just got my second code and was able to redeem it. The only problem is when it redeemed it came up with an error saying OSX Server cannot be downloaded because it requires OSX 10.8.0 to run. It seems they sent me a redemption code for server instead of mountain lion. The pdf with the code clearly says that the code is for mountain lion...
My purchased tab only shows OSX Server - no mountain lion...At least half a dozen users have reported the same problem, with the issue presumably affecting a much greater number of users receiving codes today. One user who called Apple about the issue was advised to file another request through Apple's uptodatesupport@apple.com support mechanism.
OS X Server is also available through the Up-to-Date program, but is limited to users who purchased server models of the company's Mac Pro and Mac mini lines. read more..
Monday, 23 July 2012
Unique Identifier-Purchase Receipts-Purchase Requests-Purchase Content-Russian Hacker
Following last week's launch of a hack that allowed users to obtain In App Purchase content free of charge by routing their purchase requests through a server run by a Russian hacker, Apple began taking steps to thwart the method. The hacker has, however, continued to develop his method to skirt around Apple's roadblocks.
One of the suggestions for a method by which Apple could improve the security of In App Purchasing was to include a unique identifier in validation receipts, and we've received word that developers are now seeing something along those lines coming from receipts issued by Apple since late yesterday. The receipts carry a new field called "unique_identifer" that appears to include the Unique Device Identifier (UDID) for the device making the In App Purchase.
As one developer noted to us, apps are no longer supposed to be collecting the UDID and thus it is unclear whether Apple's use of the identifier for this purpose is simply a first step toward a broader implementation of unique receipt identifiers for increased security or if Apple is attempting to identify those users and devices who are sharing their receipts with the Russian hacker to allow the method to function. read more..
Friday, 20 July 2012
Mac Software Engineering-Board Of Directors-Parallels Desktop-Bertrand Serlet-Apple
As noted by AllThingsD, former Apple senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering Bertrand Serlet has joined the board of directors at software virtualization company Parallels. Serlet left Apple in March 2011 and was revealed just weeks ago to be working on a new cloud-focused startup called Upthere.Serlet will serve as a non-executive director, bringing to Parallels his distinctive professional experience of having led the development of Mac OS X from its inception until his departure from Apple in 2011. Serlet’s distinguished background and unique insights will help Parallels accelerate growth and continue creating software that simplifies life for consumers and businesses. [...]
"With Parallels Desktop, Parallels became a critical developer for the Mac platform, and I got to know and appreciate the Parallels leadership team. I also discovered Parallels deep involvement with the cloud, represented by its rich portfolio of products. I look forward to drawing on my career at Apple to help guide Parallels as it continues on its impressive growth trajectory," said Serlet.Parallels has been one of the most popular software solutions for Mac users seeking to run Windows in a virtualized environment rather than relying on Apple's Boot Camp solution. read more..
Purchase Content-Apple
Late last week, we reported on the launch of a new method to allow App Store users to bypass Apple's In App Purchase mechanism and receive additional content free of charge. At the time, we noted that use of the method involved theft of content from developers and exposed iOS device users to dangers as their account and device information was being routed to servers under the control of the Russian hacker running the service, but we felt that reporting on the issue to bring it to light was the responsible thing to do in order to alert developers to the issue and perhaps spur Apple into action.
The Next Web now follows up with a report outlining some of the steps Apple has been taking to combat the issue, including issuing a copyright claim to have the original video showing the hack in action pulled from YouTube.Over the weekend, Apple began blocking the IP address of the server used by Russian hacker Alexey V. Borodin to authenticate purchases.
It followed this up with a takedown request on the original server, taking down third-party authentication with it, also issuing a copyright claim on the overview video Borodin used to document the circumvention method. PayPal also got involved, placing a block on the original donation account for violating its terms of service.The hacker, Alexey Borodin, remains committed to the service and has been working to skirt around the roadblocks being thrown up by Apple, in part by moving the service to a server in another country, but it is clear that Apple is working on the issue and addressing it through multiple routes in order to improve the security of In App Purchase content. For now, however, the service remains operational. read more..
Saturday, 14 July 2012
Digital Training-Fitness System-Nike
The Verge has a long look at the latest improvements to Nike's Nike+ fitness system, which uses sensors in your shoes (and on the company's very popular Fuelband peripheral) to calculate fitness and workout information, and attempt to help keep you motivated while working out. The whole system sounds very complex: There are multiple sensors in the shoes designed to track exactly what you're doing and how, and all of that movement is broken down into a single number that aims to push performance. Unfortunately, Nike is somewhat skittish when it comes to actually explaining what that number means -- while getting out and moving around will almost always be good for your health, Nike's reluctance to pin down its formula does reveal that this is still all marketing for shoes, despite what the PR department may say about just trying to encourage fitness. Hey, if the system gets you out and running, or playing basketball, or whatever you can do to exercise and move, then it's working, right?New Nike+ shoes further enhance digital training originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Friday, 13 July 2012
Ipod Shuffle-Form Factor-Ipod Nano-Apple
Japanese blog Macotakara reports that Apple will be redesigning the iPod nano later this year with a new form factor that more closely resembles an iPod touch. According to the report, the iPod nano will apparently sport a rectangular screen and a home button similar to that found on iOS devices.
Given that the screen size on this redesigned iPod nano would appear to be substantially smaller than the iPhone/iPod touch, it seems unlikely that the iPod nano would run iOS apps. Instead, Apple is likely to use a custom operating system and apps skinned to resemble iOS as found on the current incarnation of the iPod nano.
The report also indicates that Apple will be bringing a "dedicated new iTunes service" to the device, but there is no word on what that service would entail.
Apple's iPod lines have generally trended to smaller form factors with each redesign, but this rumored redesign would appear to mark a substantial increase in size from the current form factor, which was introduced in September 2010. Several leaked photos have suggested that Apple planned to add a camera to the smaller form factor, but it appears that the company may have ultimately scrapped those plans.
It would not be unprecedented, however, for Apple to decide that smaller is not necessarily better, particularly if the iPod nano can see increased functionality with the new design. Apple famously removed virtually all buttons from the iPod shuffle in March 2009 as it moved controls to the headphone cord, but a September 2010 redesign saw the return of the click wheel and other on-device buttons. read more..
Wednesday, 11 July 2012
Apple-Ipad
With rumors of an "iPad mini" launch in the coming months ramping up, there has been much discussion about just how usable such a device would be running at the 1024x768 resolution of pre-Retina iPad models. In particular, some commenters have pointed to Steve Jobs' October 2010 discussion of the 7-inch tablets from competitors that were just then hitting the market, where he outlined Apple's belief that such tablets were too small to be useful.
While we argued as long ago as last December that scaling the iPad display down to a rumored 7.85-inch screen would still maintain usability and we provided iPad- and print- friendly examples to allow users to test for themselves, many have remain unconvinced of the benefits of a smaller iPad.
Daring Fireball's John Gruber now takes another detailed look at what an iPad mini would entail, arguing that a 7.85-inch display on an iPad mini would be a very different experience from the 7-inch screen being used by competitors such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7.So, how can we square the idea of Apple making an iPad Mini with Jobs’s remarks from just a year and a half ago? We could point out (again) that 7.85 inches is closer to 8 inches than 7, and that the exact size of the purported iPad Mini display offers 66 percent of the surface area of a 9.7-inch iPad, not 45 percent [as is the case with a 7-inch display]. We could point out (again) that, assuming Apple-recommended 44-point user interface tap targets on a display with 163 points per inch, it should offer tap targets of the exact same physical size as every iPhone made to date, thus avoiding the need for Apple to include sandpaper with the device.
Comparison of "iPad mini" to 7-inch tablets and full-size iPad (Source: @trojankitten, via Daring Fireball)
Gruber goes on to note that Jobs was panning small, expensive tablets running a version of Android never intended to be used on devices larger than phones and that the tablets hitting the market today are very different products. He also points to Jobs' repeated efforts at misdirection in which he publicly spoke out against certain ideas even as Apple was pursuing them, as well as Jobs' ability to quickly and decisively change his mind at times.
Beyond the size of the iPad mini, Gruber also addresses the topic of a non-Retina display in the device, suggesting that with Apple seeking to keep pricing down the display will be one of the main ways it can achieve its desired pricing while retaining significant margins. The iPad mini would naturally gain a Retina display a year or two down the road as pricing continues to drop.
Finally, in addressing pricing on the rumored iPad mini Gruber suggests that Apple could approach the $199 pricing seen on the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 by leveraging its massive supply chain and economies of scale to bring its own costs down to the neighborhood of $150 and still maintain profitability. But even pricing of $249 could be competitive depending on hardware features and factoring in the benefits of Apple's extensive iOS/iTunes/App Store ecosystem for customers. read more..
Monday, 9 July 2012
Apple-Ios
Late last month, Wired covered the emergence of a cottage industry of businesses selling access to iOS developer betas prior to their official launch. Apple offers these developer betas to registered iOS developers. The fee for such a registration is $99/year. Some enterprising individuals have turned around and started selling their 100 possible device slots to users looking to install the iOS betas prior to their official launch.Behind the scenes, each service uses the same simple backdoor: Registered iOS developers can activate up to 100 unique device IDs (or UDIDs) for their account, an essential tool for testing apps on multiple devices. Once registered with Apple, the activated device is also able to run pre-release versions of iOS, though developers are forbidden from sharing pre-release software outside their own team.
Ignoring these warnings, activation services charge a small fee to add a customer’s device to their developer accounts. When they hit the 100-device limit, they just register a new account with Apple.This has been going on for a couple of years with no particular intervention from Apple. As Wired notes, it seems Apple just didn't seem to care, despite their wide availability.
That may have changed since the publication of the Wired article. MacStories has noted that many of the services listed in the original Wired article are no longer available. After reaching out to the sites, it seems that Apple has started taking action against these services. While most of our emails bounced, we heard back from one of the site owners (who asked to remain anonymous), who confirmed his hosting provider took down the site after a complaint for copyright infringement by Apple. Similarly, the CEO of Fused tweeted in a reply to Andy Baio that Apple had been “fairly heavy-handed” with DMCA requests to UDID-selling sites hosted on their network.MacStories exchanged emails with the owner of one of the services which made $75,000 since the release of the iOS 6 Beta in June. read more..
Saturday, 7 July 2012
The Lost Interview-Unedited Interview-Landmark Theaters-Steve Jobs-Itunes
Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview hit Landmark theaters last year and made a second run again in May of this year. Now, the documentary is available on iTunes. The 1:12 film captured a 1995 interview of Jobs conducted by tech journalist Robert X. Cringely. During this time, Jobs was in between his positions at Apple and serving as the CEO of NeXT. Apple fans can rent the original and unedited interview for US$3.99.Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview ready for rent from iTunes originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 03 Jul 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Thursday, 5 July 2012
Investor Relations-Calendar Quarter-Earnings Release-Fiscal Quarter-Stock Trading
Apple today updated its investor relations page to note that it will announce its earnings for the third fiscal quarter (second calendar quarter) of 2012 on Tuesday, July 24. The earnings release typically occurs just after 4:30 PM Eastern Time following the close of regular stock trading, and the conference call is scheduled to follow at 5:00 PM Eastern / 2:00 PM Pacific.
MacRumors will provide running coverage of the earnings release and conference call.
The release should provide a look into the status of iPhone 4S sales after more than 8 months of availability -- and, perhaps most importantly, the strength of Apple's sales in China. Apple reported strong results three months ago and provided guidance for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 expecting revenue of $34 billion and earnings per diluted share of $8.68. If it meets that guidance, it will be the third consecutive quarter with total sales of more than $30 billion. read more..
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Flash Player Support-Google Play Store-Blog Post-Adobe-Apple
Late Thursday, an extraordinary thing happened: Adobe announced in a blog post that it would not provide Flash Player support for devices running Android 4.1, and that it was pulling the plugin from the Google Play store on August 15. The retreat comes five years after the introduction of the iPhone, the device which led to Flash's mobile ambitions, almost even before they began.That Adobe would make such an announcement nearly five years to the day that the first iPhone was sold is kind of funny. I'd like to think that the Flash team has a sense of humor and was well aware of the timing when it posted the blog entry, but I could also see the entry as unintentionally ironic. Either way, it caps off a five-year battle to win the mobile landscape -- one which for Adobe ended in defeat. read more..
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Turn-By-Turn Navigation-Mapping Features-Iphone 3Gs-Iphone 4-Flyover
As we noted earlier this week as part of our roundup of device compatibility for various iOS 6 features, several of Apple's new mapping features including Flyover and turn-by-turn navigation are not officially supported on the iPhone 4, much less the iPhone 3GS.
But as reported by SlashGear, a member of Russian site iguides has posted videos [Google translation] showing the 3D maps and Flyover working on a jailbroken iPhone 4. The poster has also included instructions for adding the functionality, although the procedure is not yet a completely straightforward one.
Apple has historically placed hardware restrictions on certain features of its iOS release, based at least in part on how well older hardware handles the specific features. In other cases like Siri on the iPhone 4S, Apple's limitations may have more to do with differentiation and marketing. But it seems reasonable to think that 3D map performance on the pre-A5 devices like the iPhone 4 simply doesn't meet Apple's requirements, and thus the company has elected not to officially support the feature on that hardware.
Regardless of the reasons for Apple's limitations on mapping features, hackers and developers will undoubtedly continue working on ways to circumvent those restrictions, and we will likely see other features like turn-by-turn navigation also come to older devices for those willing to tweak their devices to enable them. read more..
Thursday, 21 June 2012
Vintage Computer-Apple History
A rare piece of Apple history is no longer on the market. Last Friday, Auction house Sotheby's sold a working Apple I computer for US$374,500. The vintage computer sold for more than twice its estimated value after a bidding war broke out between two bidders, according to a CNN Money report. The lucky winner was an anonymous telephone bidder who will walk away with one of only six known units. Apple originally produced 50 Apple I's and the other 44 are missing. Also on the auction block was a letter Steve Jobs sent to Atari. The letter sold for $27,500, which like the Apple I was significantly more than it was valued.Vintage Apple I sells for $375,000 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Mon, 18 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Macbook Pros-Apple Store
Forbes takes a look at how Apple entices potential customers by tilting MacBook Pros "just so" - at 70 degrees to be precise. Why is this the case? So people are encouraged to adjust the screen to suit their own viewing needs, Forbes' Carmine Gallo said. Once you adjust the screen, you might be tempted to check out those apps nestled in the dock. Or maybe you want to open a Safari browser and check your email or a sports score. Eventually, you might walk out carrying a coveted piece of Apple merchandise. It might not be that day, but it might be some day in the future. Gallo talks about how Apple fosters this culture of interactivity with its products, comparing them against Best Buy that tends to discourage that sort of thing. My personal experience at Best Buy tends to linger toward over-hovering salespeople. I want to try a product, not be harassed about it. I've always had good experiences at the Apple Store with employees not constantly barging in. Gallo has written other pieces about the Apple retail experience, and they're definitely worth checking out.Why Apple retail tilts MacBook Pro displays to 70 degrees originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 14 Jun 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments read more..
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Developer Preview-Software Update-Mountain Lion-Mac App Store-Apple
Apple has issued a software update via the Mac App Store to Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4, originally released last week.
This update is the second time Apple has updated the Mountain Lion Developer Preview via the Mac App Store rather than releasing an entirely new DP -- Apple issued a similar update in May.
Apple did not specify changes in the update, saying only that it "is recommended for all users running OS X Mountain Lion Developer Preview 4. With Mountain Lion's final release expected next month, Apple should be moving towards a final build soon.
Among other things, the update adds support for more Facebook notifications and PowerNap support for supported machines. It weighs in at 1.08GB and has a build number of 12A248, up from 12A239 previously. read more..