Apple

AT&T to allow VoIP iPhone apps on 3G network

AT&T on Tuesday said it has made the necessary changes to enable voice over IP iPhone apps to run on its wireless network.

Before Tuesday, VoIP apps would only work over a Wi-Fi network. In other words, if you wanted to use Skype to call a friend, you had to be connected to a regular Internet wireless network. Once you were out of range of that network, the call would end.

AT&T said it informed Apple and the Federal Communications Commission of its decision Tuesday afternoon. For its part, Apple was quick to react and make … Read more

Telus, Bell to get the iPhone in Canada

Many Canadians are cheering as Telus and Bell announced plans Tuesday to begin selling Apple's popular iPhone, ending Rogers reign as the exclusive iPhone carrier in Canada.

After completing a $1 billion upgrade so its network could support high-speed packet access (HSPA) used by the iPhone, Bell and Telus will both begin offering the iPhone in November, the companies said in separate statements.

Neither company provided any further details on pricing or an exact launch date for the device in Canada. Both companies will offer the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, according to the statements.

As the Financial Post … Read more

Report praises Apple's environmental efforts

Apple won praise for its latest efforts to rid its products of harmful chemicals in a new report released Tuesday from environmental organizations ChemSec and Clean Production Action.

While Greenpeace downplayed Apple's environmental advances in its latest report, ChemSec and Clean Production Action's report, "Greening Consumer Electronics: Moving Away from Bromine and Chlorine," highlights Apple's efforts as one of seven companies who have come up with solutions negating the use of harmful chemicals. Apple was the only computer maker to make the list.

"Apple established an innovative program that restricts the use of nearly … Read more

Adobe Flash apps come to iPhone--sort of

In a surprise announcement, Adobe Systems said Monday that Flash programmers now can bring their applications to Apple's iPhone, a domain of high interest that's been off limits for the programming technology.

Because of Apple restrictions, though, Flash isn't coming in the form in which most people experience it, a Web browser plug-in. Instead, programmers will be able to change Flash applications into native iPhone applications using Adobe's Flash Professional CS5 developer tool, currently in beta testing, then offer their programs as an Apple App Store download.

"This is a great first step in the … Read more

Macs and PCs found shacking up

While the number of Apple-owning households continues to grow, the vast majority of those Macs are sharing space with at least one Windows-based PC, according to a new study.

The NPD Group said Monday that its online survey found that 12 percent of households with a computer have at least one Mac, up from 9 percent a year ago. Nearly 85 percent of those with a Mac, though, also have at least one Windows-based PC.

Overall, Mac owners tend to have more computers and more electronic devices than non-Mac owners. Two-thirds of those with an Apple machine have three or … Read more

Why CIOs are saying no to Macs

Apple's desktop market share has been inching up for some time and, if analyst stats are right, now hovers around the 8 percent mark.

But the business world remains largely immune to the pull of Apple's hardware, with few--if any--workers in most companies using anything other than the classic Wintel combination, in spite of demand for alternative desktop options from staff.

It's a situation that looks unlikely to change, despite the launch of a new Mac OS: a recent poll of the Silicon.com CIO Jury found that none of the IT chiefs surveyed said the release … Read more

Resellers report shortages on several Mac models

New evidence from Apple resellers suggest that updated Macs are on the horizon, according to a report from AppleInsider.

Apple resellers are reporting shortages of both Mac mini models coming from Apple. The company also reportedly issued an advisory earlier this week to its own retail stores that the Mac mini models and all four iMac models would not be restocked.

Reports surfaced in late September suggesting a new iMac with a thinner enclosure and possibly a Blu-ray optical drive is ready to be rolled out by Apple before the end of the year.

The wait time for Apple authorized … Read more

Apple buys map service to compete with Google?

We may now have a better idea of why Apple objects to Google Latitude.

It appears that Apple has purchased PlaceBase, a company that produced a maps API called Pushpin and offered a mapping service much like Google Maps. The evidence, dug up by ComputerWorld's Seth Weintraub, first appeared in the form of a tweet in July by Fred Lalonde, the founder of Openspaces.org, a company that used PlaceBase's software, stating that Apple had purchased PlaceBase:

Apple bought PlaceBase - all hush hush. Pushpin site taken offline. Hyperlocal iPhone?

The next clue apparently came from Jaron Waldman, … Read more

How will an Apple tablet stack up?

More "details" have emerged about the supposed upcoming Apple tablet. iLounge says a trusted source has provided 10 bits of info about the device, including a notably specific announcement date: Tuesday, January 19, with the product shipping in May or June.

This potential product has been discussed ad nauseum. But Apple isn't the only one pondering this market. As more companies start offering their own versions of tablets in anticipation of Apple jumping in later, and as more tidbits leak out about what Apple might be cooking up, it's useful to look at how it would … Read more