Chris Ward
Articles by Chris Ward
iPad 2 lines persist two weeks after launch
No, this doesn't mean that some people have been standing in line for two weeks non-stop; it means that lines continue to form at Apple stores around the USA as new shipments of iPad 2s arrive. In fact, the lines are so notable, says AppleInsider, that Wall Street analyst Charlie Wolf of Needham & Company is now predicting that Apple will sell 30 million iPads this year, 10 million more than his original estimate. And, he predicts, Apple will sell 40 million in 2012. With supplies running out around the world, the shipping delays of 3-4 weeks and eBay prices holding at around 150 percent of list price, it looks like those queues will continue for some time. Wolf admits that predicting sales is difficult and that his initial predictions (and those of others) were wrong and have had to be updated. Are there still queues at your local Apple Store? Are you still waiting for your iPad 2? Let us know in comments.
iPad 2 teardown: GSM and CDMA differences
The screwdriver- and heat gun-happy bunch over at iFixit have been disassembling iPad 2s again, all in the interest of keeping radio (and other) nerds "droolingly-happy," as Engadget puts it. Their original teardown was of a humble (relative to other iPad 2s only) 16 GB Wi-Fi only model. Now they've attacked (harsh term) CDMA and GSM models to bring us some very nice geeky internals pictures. In general, they say, Apple has made the same design change decisions as they did between the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4. There's no need for a microSIM slot, an extra antenna for the CDMA model or that Qualcomm Gobi radio chip, which supports both GSM and CDMA standards (does this point to the iPhone 5 supporting CDMA and GSM in the one handset?) and so on. iFixit's most interesting conclusion: "Of the three, having the Wi-Fi only version in your chest pocket is your best bet if someone decides to shoot at you." Tony Soprano, take note next time you visit Junior. Check out their full teardown when you have a moment; if you got out of bed on the wrong side this morning, this will pick you up better than a Dilbert cartoon making references to Apple. [Via Engadget]
Survey: Apple ready for big China growth
China is catching up with the Western world in many ways, and now "Wanting an iPhone really, really badly" has been added to the list of similarities. Until now, Nokia has been the most desired brand in China, largely because it's provided cheap handsets. Now such handsets come from Chinese manufacturers, and their low-budget image has led to their desirability being drastically reduced. These days it's the iPhone that tops the desirability charts amongst those Chinese who say they're thinking of getting a 3G handset. Up to 53 percent of those surveyed said they'd get an iPhone if price were no object, according to a new Alphawise/Morgan Stanley survey. This research was carried out with the iPhone 4 now nearly a year old compared to some of the competition. The eventual arrival of the iPhone 5 can only change this situation in Apple's favor, meaning that sales may be getting ready to take off in the land where the iPhone is actually made.
Nokia files second complaint against Apple
After yesterday's decision by the International Trade Commission that Apple isn't violating five key Nokia patents, Nokia today has hit back by claiming that they invented, well, just about everything Apple has ever made. AppleInsider is reporting that Nokia has today launched a second complaint with the ITC saying that Apple's iPhone, iPod, iPad and Mac computers violate seven of their patents covering multi-tasking, data synchronization, positioning, call quality and the use of Bluetooth accessories. Nokia has issued a press release in which they also say they disagree with the ITC's judgement yesterday, and "is waiting to see the full details of the ruling before deciding on the next steps in that case." "Our latest ITC filing means we now have 46 Nokia patents in suit against Apple, many filed more than 10 years before Apple made its first iPhone," said Paul Melin, Vice President, Intellectual Property at Nokia. Nokia is also suing Apple in patent courts in Delaware in the USA, Mannheim, Dusseldorf and the Federal Patent Court in Germany, the UK High Court in London and the District Court of the Hague in the Netherlands. It appears that about the only Apple product not first developed by Nokia is the Apple HiFi -- although, as it ran on electricity and has at least one speaker, even that could be theirs.
Tripit adds itinerary editing to iPhone app
We've been fans of the Tripit app & web travel manager since we first looked at it back in 2009, and the latest updates to it haven't cooled our ardor at all. Tripit makes simple something that could be very complicated. It takes all the various emailed itineraries you have for a trip -- flights, hotel bookings, car rentals and so on -- and turns them into one master itinerary with your car rental booking following your flight and preceding your arrival at your hotel. You can view your itinerary online; the iPhone app gives you offline access to it, and with one click you can add the whole thing to your iCal or Entourage calendar. Now Tripit has added the ability to edit your itinerary in that iPhone app; for example, you can change a flight time in case of cancellation or delay. You can also swipe-delete items that are no longer needed, and Tripit will notify you of conflicts if you make changes to flights. The price is still right too; the app is free with ads, or there's a $1.99 ad-free version and then the Pro anual supscription version at US$49 a year. (Edited to clarify ad-free pricing)
Survey suggests Verizon's iPhone customers more satisfied than AT&T's
A survey of the differences between AT&T and Verizon iPhone customers shows what we knew all along: many AT&T iPhone customers are quite fed up with the phone network. All the main points in the Mobclix survey of iPhone users (taken in February) reinforce the conclusion: The larger and more densely populated the city -- and hence the more overcrowded AT&T's network -- the more likely iPhone users are to have switched to Verizon. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York City and Boston have the highest Verizon iPhone usage. AT&T iPhone users resort to Wi-Fi 53% of the time, compared with just 38% for Verizon users. AT&T users do, however, get free automatic access to the company's 24,000 Wi-Fi hotspots included in their subscription. The top three reasons cited for switching to Verizon were reception issues, personal Wi-Fi hotspot availability on Verizon (only recently introduced by AT&T) and reputation. Most damning of all, a massive two-thirds of those switching from AT&T to Verizon were willing to pay the $325 early termination fee demanded by the iPhone's original network provider. A full 14% of iPhone 4 users are on the Verizon network now, but adding in users of earlier models brings this down to just 4% of iPhone users on Verizon. Of course, plenty of AT&T users are happy with the service they get on their iPhone, but it's clear that many couldn't wait for the day they could get an iPhone on Verizon. Perhaps this situation will change in a year or two if iPhone users on AT&T also get access to T-Mobile's network. Personally, I'm very happy to live in a country (France) where, by law, the iPhone is available on all mobile phone networks, and hence overcrowding simply isn't an issue. [Via TechCrunch]
Microsoft readies tool for managing iPads, iPhones and Android devices
Just when you thought you were out, Microsoft pulls you back in. The Seattle-based giant is planning on getting its hooks into your iPad and iPhone. Well, sort of. Microsoft has just announced a first beta of a new piece of management software, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2012, which will let users manage iPads and iPhones, as well as Symbian, Android and even Windows Phone 7 devices. Although few details have been announced, it seems likely that SCCM 2012 will allow corporate IT departments to enforce things like password complexity and security on target devices, wipe them remotely in case of loss or theft and so on. And, while your first impression might be that it's the Borg once again trying to assimilate you, in fact, it's a move that will allow you to use something other than Microsoft devices in a corporate environment. That in itself might seem like a bad move on Microsoft's part, cannibalizing sales of its own phone and tablet systems, but the company has a long history of reaching out to other platforms. And don't forget that Microsoft's many departments have a fair amount of autonomy when it comes to deciding where products are targeted. The Office division apparently produces a fairly decent bit of software for the Mac, for example, and the Bing team offers iPhone enhancements that won't be available on Windows 7 phones until the end of this year. Since each division is a separate profit center within the Microsoft Corporation, this is most likely just a case of the System Center team seeing an opportunity to make a buck by providing a feature that customers want.
Steve Jobs ordered to provide antitrust deposition
There are some days when it feels like Steve Jobs is the only person who works at Apple, judging by the number of times his name is cited when anyone has a complaint against the company. Now, a US judge has ordered him to answer questions relating to monopolistic behavior over the iPod and the iTunes Store back in 2004. Then, Apple made changes to the iPod software which disrupted RealNetwork's Harmony software, designed to allow songs purchased from the RealNetworks online store to be transferred to the iPod. Thomas Slattery, who filed the class action suit against Apple in 2005, said this violated antitrust and unfair competition laws. At worst, lawyers can force Steve Jobs to spend two hours answering questions for a deposition on the matter, although Apple lawyers are pushing to have the whole case dismissed next month -- parts of it have already been dismissed. Today, you can put music downloaded or ripped from just about anywhere on your iPod, iPhone or iPad via iTunes, and music tracks sold in the iTunes Store no longer come with DRM. "The court finds that Jobs has unique, non-repetitive, firsthand knowledge about the issues at the center of the dispute over RealNetworks software," said magistrate Judge Howard R. Lloyd in San Jose, California. Like I said, some days Steve Jobs is the only person who's ever worked at Apple. [Via Macstories]
Labor union opposed to Steve Jobs' reelection to Disney board
Steve Jobs' position as a director of Disney is being questioned as the company's annual shareholder's meeting takes place in Salt Lake City today. The AFL-CIO federation of labor unions has already voted against his reelection, citing his absences for health reasons and full-time responsibilities as Chief Executive of Apple. They own 3.8 million shares in Disney, compared to the 138 million Steve Jobs received when Disney took over Pixar. He's the company's largest shareholder, in fact. Advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services says he's attended "less than 75%" of meetings in three of the past four years and that this "raises questions about his ability to fulfill his responsibilities as a director of the company." Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004 and received a liver transplant in 2009, and he has been on medical leave from Apple since January this year. Disney admitted in a regulatory filing that month that his health problems had hampered his ability to attend board meetings. That said, Jobs' influence on Disney does seem to have been valuable to the company. His experience with the highly successful Apple retail stores has been welcomed by Disney, and many cite his influence as being one of the reasons behind Disney's early forays into the world of digital distribution. And, frankly, it's hard to imagine many companies that wouldn't welcome Steve Jobs as one of their directors. Don't expect to see other shareholders voting against him. [Via AppleInsider]
Warren Buffett hesitant on Apple, tech companies
Multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he still has no plans to invest in technology companies, including Apple, preferring to stick with companies like Coca-Cola because it is "very easy for me to come to a conclusion as to what it will look like economically in five or 10 years, and it's not easy for me to come to a conclusion about Apple." Buffett's latest comments came at the opening of a new cutting tools factory in Daegu, South Korea, in which his investment company Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has a share. Even though he's a long-time friend of Microsoft founder Bill Gates -- the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation receives around $1.5 billion a year from Buffett -- the 80-year-old investor has never been comfortable with technology companies. He says that, although recent events in Japan mean that technology stocks are depressed and therefore a good buy at the moment, he's sticking with what he knows. In fact, it's only within about the past five years that Apple stocks have out-performed those of Coca-Cola. Hindsight shows that a switch to Apple from Coke five years ago would have made Buffett a much richer man, but with around $50 billion to his name, his foresight seems to work pretty well. While Apple's stock has gone up like a rocket in the past five years, Coca-Cola's has remained fairly stable -- and in the previous five years, Apple's stock was in the doldrums in comparison, and Buffett's choice looked wise. And now, it turns out, even Bill Gates is investing in Coca-Cola via its Mexican bottler Femsa. [Via Electronista]
MacBook Pro crashes: Apple disables Turbo Boost under Windows?
Apple may have been aware for some time of the problem of new MacBook Pros crashing under heavy loads. According to the UK's PC Pro magazine, Apple appears to have deliberately turned off Turbo Boost for the top-end 13" model (with a dual-core 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7-2620M processor) when running Windows under Boot Camp. The magazine originally thought that Turbo Boost had been disabled under OS X as well, but then tests by AnandTech showed that it was only disabled under Windows. "We first noticed a problem when the benchmarks finished five full runs and the results popped up on screen: the times taken to complete several of the most intensive tests were rising with each run" says PC Pro. "This would suggest an overheating problem, so we ran a temperature monitor to find out how hot this Sandy Bridge CPU was getting." In fact, the CPU was reaching around 93°C -- almost 200°F. "93°C is not necessarily too high for a modern CPU, but it is the root cause of the bigger performance problem." PC Pro says they're sure the processor isn't turning off Turbo Boost dynamically, since it didn't work at all during their week of testing no matter what the CPU temperature was. Also, the cheaper model with the i5 processor did use Turbo Boost, as did the i7 model under OS X. And after measuring the underside temperature of the top-end model at 60°C -- 140°F -- they conclude that it might actually be a better deal to buy the cheaper 13-inch MacBook Pro. If Turbo Boost is disabled on the higher model, the lower-end version will actually run Windows faster than the more expensive MacBook Pro. (Edited to make clear that the problem as tested manifested in i7 13" MacBook Pros).
China grants Apple 11 patents covering iPhone 4
Apple has just been granted 11 patents in China on the iPhone 4, according to Patently Apple, and there are some interesting potential consequences for future iPhone design, the site says. The 11 patents are each for slightly varying designs, which could, say Patently Apple, help strengthen rumors that the next iPhone will have a metal back. One patent emphasizes the iPhone 4's stainless steel band, for example, while others cover the glass cover, button positions and more. This means that if the next iPhone does sport a metal back, any new patents would only have to be updated for the new materials, rather than be redone for the whole new piece of hardware. That saves time and money later on, and right now it means that Apple is ready to make changes to the iPhone's design if needed. The patents were filed in China late last year and finally granted this past week.
Mobile Safari's privacy settings give web marketers headaches
Those who make their money by working out who sent you to visit which websites via what adverts are scratching their heads and popping the Advil over what to do about Mobile Safari, which automatically blocks third-party cookies by default. This makes it difficult for ad servers, tracking systems and ad management tools to link visitors to ads that brought them to the website. This, in turn, makes it difficult to measure the performance of paid-search marketing campaigns. MediaPost reports that search firm Marin Software published a white paper about Mobile Safari and ad tracking last week. The paper says that Mobile Safari on iOS devices is a "major challenge" and that, on average, advertisers using third-party cookie-based tracking systems are undercounting conversions by 38 percent -- the actual conversion rates for iOS, minus for the third-party cookie based undercounting, were on average 23 percent higher than on Windows. With millions already using iOS devices and the iPad 2 and, later this year, a new iPhone bringing millions more into the Apple fold, this is becoming a big problem for ad companies.
Roundup of developers and apps to help Japan
The developer community is stepping up its offers of help to disaster-struck Japan with increasing ways to send money to those in need. This is a roundup of offers we've heard about -- let us know in comments of any others. Simplest of all is the offer from Japanese startup Lunascape: download the free iPhone or iPad version of its tabbed web browser app, and the company will donate ¥50 (about US$0.63) up to a total of ¥5 million (about US$65,000 -- in addition to the ¥1 million it's already given) for the Japanese Red Cross and other similar relief organisations. Marketcircle is going to give 100% of all proceeds made from its professional time billing programs Billings 3 and Billings Touch to the Red Cross starting on Monday, March 21, until the end of Wednesday, March 23. Capcom has reduced the price of Street fighter IV to US$0.99 and is giving 100% of iPhone sales to relief efforts until Monday, March 21. Real Software of Austin, Texas, is giving 5% of all sales of its web development tools next week to the American Red Cross's Japan fund. The Square Enix Group -- maker of Final Fantasy, Tomb Raider and Space Invaders -- is donating ¥100 million (about US$1.25 million) to recovery efforts. Ohanaware, maker of Mac photo software, such as HDRtist Pro and Funtastic Photos, is selling all of its software at half-price until Friday, March 25, with all profits going to the Red Cross for Japan relief. Users of SmartRoam's VoIP app for iPhone ChatTime can make free calls to Japan until the end of March, which usually costs $15 a month. Users who have already called Japan since the earthquake began will have charges for those calls waived. Devon Technologies, makers of data-management Mac software Devon Think and Devon Agent, will donate 20% of its March proceeds to Japanese relief efforts, such as Doctors Without Borders. Interval Studios, producers of the Thicket and Snowdrift apps for iOS, is donating 100% of its proceeds from March 11 to March 31 to the Japan Society's Earthquake Relief Fund. Tesla Software is also donating proceeds from the weekend to the Japan Relief fund and will post results on the company's site.
Cool custom-made iOS device stand
Design student Andrew Kim has produced the very cool Polyply to avoid having all his iOS devices strewn around his desktop like so many expensive paperweights. Made from acrylate polymer (acrylic plastic), birch plywood and birch, it has cutouts for his iPad, iPod touch Classic, iPhone and pen. It can be turned to give more vertical or horizontal orientations, and it looks a perfect match for his wireless Apple keyboard, with cutouts for the relevant cables. Andrew says it took him two weeks to put the stand together -- and if this is any indication, he looks to have a bright future ahead of him as a designer. Clarified that it's an iPad, not an iPad 2, in the stand. [Via Cult of Mac]
Use a Smart Cover to stick your iPad to the fridge
OK, so this one definitely comes under the heading "Don't try this at home," with the sub-heading "Unless you're completely crazy ... and even then maybe not." That's right, that's what the picture shows: someone's worked out that the bevy of magnets in an iPad 2 Smart Cover are strong enough to hold the iPad to a refrigerator door. This raises at least two questions: first, what kind of mind do you need to wonder if your five hundred dollar (or more) chunk of magic can be held to a refrigerator door by the magnets in its cover -- and then actually try it? Also, will AppleCare cover this when it all turns to tears? [Via Gizmodo]
VMware management iPad client awaiting approval
VMware users who've been waiting for the promised iPad server management client may soon be able to stop holding their breath. The company has revealed that it's currently in the queue for the App Store and awaiting approval from Apple after originally promising that it would be available by the end of last year. It was promised twice, in fact, including in this YouTube video in which a beta version of the app is demonstrated. Fredrik Sjöstedt, VMware's director of product and solutions marketing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, will only say that the vCenter client was handed to Apple "fairly recently," and because of the mysterious ways in which Apple's approval process works, he can't say when it will be made available to users. The app has been designed from the ground-up to include the features most likely to be useful to IT staff when out and about, but it won't have all the features of the desktop version. It will show the status of a virtual machine and any alerts, and it will have the ability to suspend, stop or restart a virtual machine and show its memory and CPU use. The new app will follow last week's launch of the View Client for iPad, through which iPad users can access virtual Windows desktops (and, frighteningly, make it look like your iPad is running Windows).
Tablet computing is about work as well as play
If you're using your iPad to watch live TV, do a little motor racing and tune your Chakra in this post-PC era, it turns out you may be in the minority. A report from the NPD group, "Evolving Technology Trends: PC Activities on Non-PC Devices," looked into exactly how people use their tablet computers. As explained by NPD's Ross Rubin (frequent TUAW Talkcast/man-on-the-street guest), the report shows that while more than half of all tablet computer owners used them for "personal productivity" tasks, like editing music and sending email, even more are using them to do office productivity tasks, like word processing and spreadsheets. Only a quarter of smartphone users are into office productivity and just 17 percent personal productivity tasks. The report also shows that 42 percent of tablet owners are capturing, editing or sharing video on their device and even more are doing the same with photos, figures which can only increase with the addition of the two cameras to the iPad 2. So if you've got your Chakra sorted, knuckle down and get back to work. [via CNET]
Enterprise virtual worlds vendor ProtonMedia promises Mac client
ProtonMedia says that increasing use of Macs in businesses means it's now developing a Mac version of its respected virtual worlds software ProtoSphere, a virtual collaboration environment. Although the Windows version of its software is built on Microsoft technology, the company says its architecture means it can fairly easily port it over to the Mac. "When we looked into it, we found ProtoSphere was architected in such a way that it was entirely possible to produce a Mac version. This is not unlike how Microsoft has a version of Office for Windows, but also has a version of Office for the Mac. If you build your apps right from the get-go, portability is possible." ProtonMedia has received many requests from users for a Mac version of ProtoSphere, and the company says it's been seeing more Macs in the enterprise sector.
Who's behind those spammy video converter apps
There's an interesting article from last year over on Macworld about how spammers try to use comment systems on discussion forums to promote their wares. Christopher Breen, one of their moderators, dug into the world of Chinese companies promoting dodgy (as in "don't work very well") video converters. "The software is advertised through forum spam -- usually in the form of tutorials that show you how to use it -- but there's sock puppeting going on as well," he says. "These companies will often first pose a question along the lines of 'How do I convert my videos for the iPad?' and then, under a different identity (but using the same IP address), answer their own question with a recommendation for one of these tools. Additionally, they create shareware sites that, coincidentally enough, rave about these products in fake reviews." Breen managed to confront some of these spammers when they contacted Macworld asking them to review their software. "I was contacted by a PR representative from one of these companies asking for a review. I replied that we don't review software from spammers but if they were willing to forego this sleazy practice, we might consider a review, just as we'd consider a review of any legitimate product." He goes on to detail how the spammers offered to pay for advertising and offer special deals and prizes to readers in return for a review, and he always replied, "We don't support spammers." Breen lists the names of many of the video converters to avoid and offers advice to those running discussion forums on how to recognize and remove their spam. Good stuff.