Apple

Apple: iPhone jailbreaking violates our copyright

Apple recently told the U.S. Copyright Office that it believes iPhone jailbreaking is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and infringes on its copyright, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

The EFF is trying to get the Copyright Office to grant a DMCA exemption on behalf of iPhone owners who have chosen to jailbreak their iPhones, or bypass the restriction Apple places on standard iPhones that only allows the installation of applications from approved sources: the App Store. In its response to the Copyright Office (click here for PDF), Apple disagreed that such an exemption was proper … Read more

Matte finish on the iPhone 3G? Maybe

If you're tired of your iPhone showing every bit of grit and grime on its otherwise perfectly glossy finish, you're in luck. The next generation of the smartphone might help hide your predilection for greasy food.

MacRumors.com claims to have obtained leaked photos of the next-gen iPhone 3G that show a matte black finish on a metal casing. The photos show the back of a 16GB model with the model number A1303.

MacRumors won't confirm the photos' authenticity but says it was told they came from China.

Various rumors of late have indicated that Apple is … Read more

Apple turning to China Unicom?

The iPhone's slow boat to China might be moving into the fast lane.

Chinese news outlets, as spotted by Apple 2.0, are reporting that Apple and China Unicom, the country's second largest wireless carrier, are in talks to officially bring the iPhone to China and could do so as early as May 17, when China Unicom launches a 3G network.

The talks come after an apparent breakdown in negotiations between Apple and China Mobile, China's largest carrier, over control of the App Store: believe it or not, Apple would like to retain sole control over the … Read more

Apple fixes dozens of holes with OS X security update

Apple released a Mac OS X security update on Thursday that contains fixes for more than two dozen vulnerabilities, including one in Safari RSS that could lead to arbitrary code execution and one in Remote Apple Events that could disclose sensitive information.

Also fixed are a vulnerability in AFP Server that could trigger a denial of service and vulnerabilities in Apple Pixlet Video, ClamAV, CoreText, Python, SMB, and X11 that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Another fix closes a hole in Printing that could allow a local user to get system privileges and one in DS Tools that could … Read more

Apple retail redesign emphasizes software

Apple has started rolling out a major redesign of its retail stores in order to focus on software and switchers.

IfoAppleStore, which tracks the Apple retail operation almost as closely as Cupertino does, first noticed the switch. It's already underway at the downtown San Francisco Apple store, with signs placed near the front of the store designed to entice new converts to the Mac with slogans like "It's easy to love a Mac" that highlight the differences between Windows PCs and Macs.

Apple's retail operation is a very important part of its marketing strategy, beyond … Read more

Palm CEO holds court on patents, Pre

Palm CEO Ed Colligan does not appear worried about the recent flap over Apple's multitouch patents.

Apple COO Tim Cook touched off a storm of speculation a few weeks ago when he declared Apple's willingness to go after anybody who tries to rip off the iPhone's intellectual property, and based on the context of the question posed to him, it appeared he was sending a warning shot across the bow of Palm's Pre smartphone. But Colligan downplayed the significance of the dispute Wednesday morning at the Thomas Wiesel Technology and Telecom Conference in San Francisco.

Companies … Read more

Apple survey prelude to Apple TV revamp?

Apple appears to be preparing to get serious about Apple TV.

The company's link between the computer and the big-screen television has long been considered a "hobby" in the eyes of Apple CEO Steve Jobs, at least when viewed against major projects like the Mac, the iPod, and the iPhone. But signs have been growing that Apple is thinking about making a more significant investment behind Apple TV.

The most recent tip was a survey that Apple conducted online on Tuesday, which has since disappeared from the company's Web site although was captured by AppleInsider. In that survey, Apple asked Apple TV owners a number of questions about the sources of video they are watching on the device, as well as asking owners to describe the one thing they would change about the device.

Apple TV's shortcomings are well documented: it can't play DVDs, it can't connect to your cable or satellite service, and it doesn't have a browser for accessing the millions of Internet videos that can't be found on YouTube. But sales have nonetheless picked up in the year since Apple decided to open up the device to movie rentals through the iTunes Store, instead of requiring owners to purchase movies.… Read more

Apple gearing up for $99 iPhone?

Come this summer, Apple is expected to dip its toe in the entry level market for its popular iPhone, according to a report by RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky.

Apple is expected to debut a $99 iPhone, as well as an iPhone 3G with updated performance, sometime in June or July, according to Abramsky's research note on Tuesday.

Abramsky, in his report, states:

Checks reveal further entry-level iPhone details, including launches on existing carriers June/July with a data plan, entry-level pricing and a lower subsidy. Also expected is a 3G iPhone performance upgrade (performance, features, form factor).

An entry level iPhone could increase Apple's overall iPhone unit sales by 25 percent to 69 percent and bump up its slice of the smartphone market from an estimated 12 percent to 14 percent to 19 percent, the report notes.

But it could come at a price.

Apple could find itself cannibalizing its iPhones/iPod business. For example, Apple would need to sell three $99 iPhones to replace the gross profits of one 3G iPhone, Abramsky notes in his report. And it could also create a situation where Apple would need to lower its iPod pricing to sustain the momentum with its media player since the iPhone also offers such capability. … Read more

Report: Apple nixed Android's multitouch

One of the chief complaints about Google's Android is its lack of multitouch support.

Now, according to a VentureBeat report by M.G. Siegler, we may have an idea of why Google skipped the feature on its mobile operating system:

Apple, which of course makes the signature multi-touch mobile device, the iPhone, apparently asked Google not to implement it, and Google agreed, an Android team member tells us.

Further, the Android team member went on to say that they were relieved that Google didn't go against Apple's wishes, given the legal storm that appears to be brewing … Read more