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Report: IT provider Infosys overbilled Apple, CEO and CFO on the way out
It's not nice to fool around with Apple, especially when you're an outsourced tech support company that's making about US$2 billion a year from work with the Cupertino kids. 9to5Mac, citing a post in The Economic Times of India, reports that Apple contractor Infosys has fired the CFO of its business process outsourcing unit and that the CEO of the company has resigned on "moral grounds" linked to alleged overbilling of Apple. A tweet from Techmeme editor Mahendra Palsule noted that Apple does about $2 billion worth of business with Infosys annually, and that the "CFO was sacked for overbilling Apple." Wow. Apple contributes over $2B to Infosys annually. Infosys CFO was sacked for overbilling Apple. - Mahendra Palsule (@ScepticGeek) November 19, 2014 That info was apparently reported only as an "insider exclusive" on the TV channel run by The Economic Times of India, while the online post of the changes at Infosys provides no mention of Apple. We'll update this story as details become available.
Google Maps for iPhone losing share to Apple Maps app
Despite a launch that was misdirecting drivers, moving Australian towns and otherwise making people quite unhappy, the Apple Maps app appears to be not only getting over its initial issues, but also gaining a tremendous amount of market share -- at the expense of Google Maps. 9to5Mac's Ben Lovejoy is reporting that the user base for Google Maps dropped significantly after the introduction of iOS 6 in September of 2012, which is of course when Apple replaced Google's map and navigation app with their own app. But even with the reappearance of the Google Maps app in the App Store, Google Maps lost 23 million iPhone users in the US in the last year. Numbers from ComScore apparently show that 35 million iPhone owners used Apple Maps in September of 2013, while only 6 million users were using Google Maps. About 2 million of those using Google Maps are on older versions of the iPhone that cannot run Apple's Maps app. To quote Lovejoy, "when Apple pre-installs software, mass-market owners don't go looking for alternatives." That's even true when the alternative -- in this case Google Maps -- is technically a much more accurate application.
MacBook Pro, iMac with new Ivy Bridge processors show up on benchmarks
As Chris Rawson noted in today's rumor roundup, there are some fascinating indications that new Macs may be on the way to an Apple Store near you. Geekbench is a cross-platform processor benchmarking tool that is used to provide numbers on the relative capabilities of computers with various CPU / GPU combinations. The results end up being posted on the site and are available for browsing, so it was a bit of a surprise when figures showed up for what appear to be a new MacBook Pro and iMac powered by Intel's new Ivy Bridge processors. The MacBook Pro is listed on Geekbench as a previously unknown "MacBook9,1" with an Ivy Bridge Core i7-3820QM running at 2.7GHz. The benchmark number of 12252 is about 17 percent better than the number generated by an existing Core i7 MacBook Pro. The "iMac13,2" shows a Core i7-3770 desktop chip clocked at 3.4GHz pumping out a Geekbench score of 12183 -- probably lower than it should be due to only having 4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM installed. Engadget notes that the scores are roughly equivalent to what they've seen for benchmarks on other platforms running the Ivy Bridge processors -- a bump in the speed, but nothing earth-shatteringly big. While benchmark results can be faked, MacRumors says that the various motherboard identifiers and special Mountain Lion build number are consistent with past practices. MacRumors also points out that premature benchmark results have shown up in the Geekbench database before, just prior to the release of new equipment from Apple. While all rumors should be taken with a very large grain of salt, there's a possibility that the next-generation MacBooks and iMacs are just around the corner. Another Mac site, 9to5Mac, is also stating that they've pulled code from the latest Mountain Lion beta that appears to show that the Ivy Bridge MacBook Pros will come with USB 3.0 complementing the Thunderbolt high-speed external bus and a new NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M GPU. 9to5Mac also postulates that a new 15" MacBook Pro will arrive complete with a Retina display. Whatever the truth may be, it's refreshing to see that some glimmer of new Mac models is beginning to excite the Mac faithful.
Apple iPhone 4S now available for $99... in Puerto Rico
Sure, you can now purchase an unlocked iPhone 4S within the US officially, but folks in the outlying territory of Puerto Rico have some tempting options if they'll go the long-term contractual route. The region's division of carrier, Claro, is now selling the Siri-packed device starting at the low, low price of $99 for the 16GB model on-contract -- those scared of commitment can also snag it unlocked, albeit for a slightly pricey $670 (which as 9to5Mac points out, is up $20 from Apple). The carrier also lists the 32 and 64GB variants as "expected soon," marked to sell at $199 / $299 with a two-year commitment and $770 / $870 unlocked. Notably, you'll have a choice of four monthly plans featuring unlimited talk and text ranging from about 65 to 85 bucks, with data allotments starting at 250MB and peaking at "unlimited." Apparently, Claro isn't offering the 4S for purchase online, but it does list a number of retail locations you can grab one from if you're interested. You'll find more details at the source link below.
iMac supplies constrained, indicating possible refresh soon
If supplies of certain iMac models are any indication, a refresh of Apple's all-in-one iMac may be in the works. This would be the first update of the iMac line since July 27, 2010, when the Intel Core i3 / i5 / i7 machines first became available. 9to5 Mac is reporting that supplies of the desktop machine are constrained worldwide at this time. An anonymous tipster provided the blog with the screenshot seen at the top of this post, showing four standard versions of the iMac in constrained status with "no ETA" for new shipments. Not only are iMac shipments constrained, but even replacement parts are currently in short supply. Graphics processors and hard drives are particularly hard to get in the US. As we reported at the end of March, any upcoming iMac refresh would most likely migrate the platform to Intel's powerful Sandy Bridge processors, as well as the speedy Thunderbolt I/O standard that debuted in the recent MacBook Pro refresh. At that point, we speculated that the refresh would come in late April or early May, and that time frame looks more valid every day. If you're considering the purchase of a new iMac, you may want to put off that purchase for a month or so to benefit from any refresh of the line.
Flex testing iPad glass
The folks at iFixYouri had some glass panels from an iPad 1 and an iPad 2 laying around the shop and did some informal tests to see which panel would break under stress. An earlier analysis by iFixit revealed the glass in the iPad 2 was 27% thinner than the iPad 1. The California repair company questioned whether this would affect the durability of the iPad 2's display. Boston repair shop iFixYouri tries to answer this question in a video that features extreme bending, breaking glass and a catchy soundtrack. Read on to watch the iFixYouri video and let us know in the comments which display you think holds up better under pressure. Hint: bigger isn't always better. [Via 9to5mac]
Mac App Store shots reveal Parental Controls, store helper app
9to5Mac apparently snuck its way into the Mac App Store a little early (the marketplace is set to open up on January 6), and has brought back some screenshots of the app's OS X trappings. You can see the app's icon already, and the app will have a login screen very similar to what you already use in iTunes to install iOS apps. Parental controls are available in the store's preferences, and various installs will all be handled by another app called "store helper." Those controls are configurable for various ages, so you'll be able to define if you want apps to run for users over 4, 9, 12, or 17. Unfortunately, The Mac App Store won't support Game Center or in-app purchases at launch, but given the growing popularity of both of those elements, that may change in the future. We're inching ever closer to the Mac App Store's release, and developers are undoubtedly working even over the holidays to make sure their apps are ready to go at launch. It should be a nice way to kick off 2011 for Apple.
Release of Apple's 27" LED Cinema Display appears to be imminent
If you're holding out for Apple's new 27" LED Cinema Display, the wait might not be all that much longer. Back in July, the 27" model was announced with a September release date. Being that it's mid September, folks have been getting a little anxious with no sign of the new model, until now. 9to5Mac is reporting that a few days ago, on the customization page for Mac Pro orders placed on Apple's online store, the 27" display was being advertised for purchase on an updated description, although the 24" and 30" models were only available for selection. As it stands now, that description has been removed, but with reports of 24" and 30" Cinema Display stock beginning to dwindle, it's clear that some preparation for the release of the 27" display is underway. Apple's official display page still lists the 27" Cinema Display as "Coming September." For all you 27" Cinema Display loving people, you'll have to hold on and place some faith in Apple's word. [Via MacRumors]
Analysis: U.S. pre-orders for Wi-Fi iPad likely to begin this week
If you're ready to buy that Wi-Fi iPad, then get your credit card out of your wallet and start practicing your fastest clicking and typing techniques. According to a rumor on iPad / iPhone site AppAdvice, a "reliable source" has told them that Apple will begin pre-sales of the Wi-Fi iPad as soon as Thursday, February 25. As noted on 9 to 5 Mac, Apple traditionally begins selling new products like iPhones or iPods on Fridays. The closest Friday that is approximately 60 days after the iPad announcement on January 27th is March 26th, 2010. If Apple decides to take pre-sale orders of the device online for express delivery on March 26th, they would probably do this about a month in advance in order to better judge the demand for the product. The iPad must pass muster with the FCC before it can be offered for sale in the U.S., so if this rumor is true we'd expect to see the device approval sometime in the next week. The 3G model, which will be offered about a month after the Wi-Fi version, will require separate approval due to the inclusion of a cellular modem in the device. [via 9 to 5 Mac]
Rumors abound, Apple working on media server?
Just when we thought we were done with rumors for the day, another one pops up. 9to5 Mac is reporting that Apple could be working on a media server that might rival HP's MediaSmart Server. They suggest the server will be similar to a Time Capsule, only with more functionality. According to 9to5, the new product will include a Dynamic DNS system to tie in with MobileMe; this will provide username.me.com domains for easier access across the Internet. In addition, the device will include AFP filesharing and Time Machine backup stores. The device will not run off of Mac OS X Server, as you might suspect; rather, it would run the same system and processor that the Time Capsule does. You can read more about this rumor, and read more details about the rumor on the 9to5 Mac website. Do you think Apple is about to jump further into the NAS market with a supercharged Time Capsule?[via MacRumors]
