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The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for April 14, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Free 1Password tutorial video and more news for April 14, 2014
Another Monday is upon us. But don't despair, it brought enough Apple news to share with the entire class. Let's get started. In light of the Heartbleed threat, ScreenCastsOnline has made a tutorial video featuring 1Password available for free. We're big fans of 1Password here at TUAW, as it makes it easy to have various, complex passwords set up for all of your favorite sites. ScreenCastsOnline offers a very competent overview. Reports of an aftermarket CarPlay rig appeared this week, according to Asian review site Nikkei, we could see aftermarket units in the US and Europe selling something like US$500-700. Summer is coming (in the northern hemisphere at least), so consider the Wi-Fi ready, iPhone-controlled home air conditioner from Quirky and GE. The Aros learns your budget, schedule and location for super-efficient cooling. Neat, eh? It's available for pre-order on Amazon now.
World's first Apple reseller to close after 37 years, and other news for March 20, 2014
The first Apple reseller is closing its doors next week after 37 years in business. Minneapolis-based FirstTech's last day of business will be March 29th with a going-out-of-business sale beginning today. The company (originally known as Team Electronics) began selling Apple computers in the late 1970s, becoming Apple's first reseller in the process. FirstTech's owner says he's closing up shop because the independent reseller can no longer compete with national chains. As TwinCities.com reports: Evans attributes FirstTech's demise to market forces, including shrinking hardware margins amid competition from a growing number of aggressive national vendors. These vendors have "basically been willing to sell the computer equipment below cost to go after the national service business," he noted. It became increasingly difficult for "a brick-and-mortar to offer personalized service when we can't make any money off the product you're selling. "It has been a dramatic change in that regard, the last couple of years in particular," Evans said. FirstTech actually predates Apple by a good thirty years, opening in 1941 selling radios, televisions, and phonographs. The company has seen a lot, so it should be no surprise they have an interesting bit of Apple history to tell: The company's entry into the Apple business is legend. Apple was so new to computer selling, it did not have its own paperwork for consummating deals, Evans said. So FirstTech grabbed one of its older contracts, removed the customer name from it and added Apple's name. Pete Paulsen, who sold the company's first computer shortly afterward, went on to become FirstTech's general manager. "The person who bought that first Apple II also bought our first Lisa (computer) and our first Macintosh," Evans said. "To this day, he is still our customer." In other news: Imagination Technologies has announced a new version of its PowerVR graphics architecture that enables lifelike transparencies and reflections. Since the company's tech is used in iPhones, it's like the next iPhone could see a big graphics boost for games. Apple has filed a patent for a touch sensitive stylus. GE has teamed with Quirky to release the Aros -- the "Nest thermostat" of smart air conditioners.
Commodore USA to relaunch Amiga brand with series of AROS desktops
Barry's back, kids! The CEO of Commodore USA just informed us that, in addition to slapping Commodore stickers on various all-in-one PCs, he has acquired the rights to the Amiga name (we only hope that the process went a little smoother this time around). The plan is to sell machines that fully support AROS -- an open source variant of AmigaOS 3.1 that y'all seem to go crazy for. We can't wait to get a look at these bad boys, but for now we'll have to settle with the picture of an old Amiga 3000 he inexplicably included with the PR. The PR, that is, that can be seen in its entirety after the break.
Bossy assembly robot says you're doing it wrong
Industrial robots are big, stupid, and dangerous. Walk between an automated welder and the SUV it's assembling and you'll find yourself fused to the frame, destined to sit unwanted at the back corner of some dealer's lot. But, keeping bots and humans separated on an assembly line isn't always practical. Enter ARoS, a machine that's not only capable of working safely with people, but being totally condescending while doing it! In a demonstration video it repeatedly tells its hapless helper how incompetent he is, then, after putting on one lousy nut itself, says "I enjoyed your help!" We figure he says that to all the meat-bags, but you can see and decide for yourself after the break. [Via Digg]
