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YouTube playlist: Apple II games
Hey, it's Friday! Besides Tim Cook going on a media tour recently there's not much going on, so let's reminisce. I grew up with an Apple II and this video playlist of old games for the venerable platform had me watching in awe as someone with more skill than I deftly played through games like Aztec and Castle Wolfenstein. To this day those creepy, scratchy Nazi guard voices haunt me. To cleanse your palate, try some lemonade. And below is a video of the Computer Chronicles talking about the "upcoming" Apple IIc and IIgs. Good times, great oldies.
Tim Cook discusses manufacturing, Maps in Bloomberg interview
Apple CEO Tim Cook has given an interview to Bloomberg Businessweek, in which he discusses his first year at Apple, the company's manufacturing practices, Maps and much more. Regarding Apple's overseas manufacturing partners, Cook noted that many Apple employees spend time in China: "We have hundreds of people that reside in China in the plants on a full-time basis that are helping with manufacturing and working on manufacturing process and so forth. The truth is we couldn't innovate at the speed we do if we viewed manufacturing as this disconnected thing. It's integrated." Cook also discussed Apple's poorly received Maps application, its replacement for the recently scuttled Google Maps for iOS. He acklowdges the poor result in no uncertain terms: "We set out to give the customer something to provide a better experience. And the truth is it didn't live up to our expectations. We screwed up." There's so much more to this compelling interview. It ends with Cook speaking about his friendship with the late Steve Jobs: "I guess the external view of that is that [Steve was] a boss, but when you work with someone for that long, for me anyway, the relationship is really important. You know? I don't want to work with people I don't like. Life is too short. So you do become friends. Life has too few friends."
Tim Cook announces plans to manufacture Mac computers in USA
Tim Cook has told NBC News that Apple intends to manufacture Mac computers in the USA. In an exclusive interview that will air on the network's "Rock Center" with Brian Williams, Cook stated that one of the existing Mac lines will be manufactured in the States exclusively, starting next year. You'll remember that Tim Cook recently met with US President Barack Obama, as did Cook's predecessor, Steve Jobs. The topic of Apple's manufacturing practices was a topic during all of those conversations. While Jobs stated that Apple wouldn't bring hardware manufacturing jobs to the US, Cook obviously sees differently. "The consumer electronics world was really never here," Cook told NBC. "It's a matter of starting it here."
Tony Fadell claims Scott Forstall 'got what he deserved'
Former Apple employee Tony Fadell, known for his work on the iPod, talked to the BBC's Leo Kelion about his time at Apple and his current work at Nest. He also briefly discussed Scott Forstall and his clashes with the former iOS chief. Fadell didn't elaborate on his relationship with Forstall; he just repeated several times that "Scott got what he deserved." Apple didn't disclose the reasons why Forstall was removed from his position as vice president of iOS software, but reports from insiders suggest Forstall was polarizing within the company and often clashed with other employees.
Apple building third campus in Santa Clara
Apple is expanding by leaps and bounds and is outgrowing its current Cupertino campus. To handle the overflow, Apple is beginning construction on a new two-building campus in Santa Clara, California. According to a report in the Mercury News, the new six-story office buildings will be located right outside Cupertino city limits. Apple is allegedly leasing the space from developer Peery Arrillaga in a deal that requires the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of new ones built to Apple's specifications. Apple supposedly signed a 7- to 10-year lease agreement for the site, which suggests this is a long-term solution and not just a temporary measure to hold employees while Apple finishes its new Cupertino campus. The first Santa Clara building is now under construction and will be completed by mid-2014. The timeline for the other building is not known.
Watch every Apple TV ad in a single YouTube playlist
Over the years, Apple has produced a lot of TV ads. Rather than try to recall them by memory, you can hop over to YouTube and watch them. A YouTube channel called EveryAppleAds is compiling every Apple TV ad and has 485 videos. The compilation covers everything from a 1983 Apple Lisa ad featuring a young Kevin Costner to the current Thanksgiving iPhone 5 ad that aired last week. You can check out the EveryAppleAds playlist on YouTube or start watching the videos below.
Ars Technica chronicles the history of iTunes
Provided that Apple doesn't decide to delay the release of iTunes 11 until December, the newest iteration of the music/video player/sync tool/store application should be popping out of Cupertino by Friday. iTunes has been around since January 2001, and Jacqui Cheng at Ars Technica has done a wonderful job of chronicling the history of the iTunes app since that time. Cheng notes that when iTunes 1.0 first hit Macs, Apple hadn't even released the first iPod. At the time, the app was used to rip CDs, let you create your own playlists, and then burn mix CDs of your own. Ten months after the first release of iTunes, version 2.0 shipped along with the iPod. It wasn't until iTunes 4.0 that we had our first chance at purchasing music with the app, and music videos didn't arrive on the scene until iTunes 6.0 in October of 2005. Movies showed up with 7.0, the iTunes Genius with 8.0, and home sharing with 9.0. Do any of us remember what the big marquee feature of iTunes 10.0 was? Ping, the social network that nobody used. Cheng finishes off her history of iTunes with a peek at what to expect this week (or next month) when iTunes 11 finally appears. "So what makes the next version of iTunes so great? For one, it has a revamped UI meant to provide a more themed experience when listening to albums. It also has better integration with iCloud, which now automatically downloads your iOS device purchases directly to your iTunes library on the computer. And finally, iTunes can pick up on a movie where you left off on your iPhone or iPad. Oh, and did we mention the redesigned Mini Player?" We'll let you know when iTunes 11 gets here, so visit TUAW frequently this week until you get the word.
'Retail Significant Stores' video highlights Apple's thoughts on retail
Apple is known for its perfectly positioned and thoughtfully designed retail stores. In an unreleased video spotted by 9to5Mac, former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson and Apple VP of Retail Development, Bob Bridger, talk about Apple's retail store philosophy. The video clip was directed by Peter Sillen and produced by Washington Square films. According to the information at Production Hub, the clip was uploaded in July 2011, which is a few months before Johnson left Apple for J.C. Penney. The five-minute promo covers some of Apple's flagship retail stores in NYC, Paris, Shanghai and more. You can view the clip below. [Via ifoAppleStore]
Apple bought "Lightning" trademark from Harley-Davidson
Patently Apple reports that Apple acquired the trademark for "Lightning" from Harley-Davidson. Harley's original holding covered items you'd expect, like motorcycle parts, electrical parts, a protective helmet and turn signal parts. Interestingly, it also covered "computer game programs, eye glasses and eyeglass frames." As we all know, large companies like Apple and Harley-Davidson often acquire patents and trademarks for ideas of products that will never see production. Still, it can be interesting to dive into the history of different filings.
Apple.com 'start page' lives
For a long time, Apple customers launching the company's Safari web browser for the first time were directed to a "start page" at apple.com/startpage/. It disappeared for a while but oh, look! It's back! AppleInsider noticed that the page is again available after a months-long absence. It provides a general overview of what's available from Apple online, like links to hardware, recent news, promotional videos and more. It's not the most riveting web page on the planet (AppleInsider theorizes that it's among the least-visited page on Apple's website), but there it is. Now you can check it out for a few seconds and then never look at it again. Have fun.
Apple to pay $2.5 billion dividend to shareholders today
Later today, Apple will pay a dividend to its shareholders for the second time in 17 years. You'll remember Apple announced its intention to pay a dividend "sometime in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2012" last March. The company stated it will pay its shareholders a US$2.65 per share dividend. Apple is expected to distribute just about $2.5 billion from its 935 million outstanding shares. That's enough to swim through a room full of gold coins. Meanwhile, Apple continues to earn cash at an alarming rate. Congratulations to Apple and its shareholders.
Apple to pay majority of Samsung's legal fees after 'false and misleading' notice
Apple recently complied with a UK court order to publicly declare that Samsung didn't copy Apple, but its tongue-in-cheek response may have backfired. According to a report in Groklaw, the UK court has ordered Apple to pay Samsung's legal fees on an indemnity basis because the Cupertino company did not comply with the original order. The court claims Apple added statements that were not ordered and some that were false. It called Apple's statement "lackadaisical at best" and ordered the company to keep the now revised notice on its website until December 15. Apple's original statement contained references to other judgments that found Samsung infringed. It even repeated the UK judge's statement that Samsung's tablets were "not as cool" as Apple's iPad. Apple also buried the link to the statement by putting it in the footer of its website and modifying its homepage layout so you would have to scroll to see the link. [Via The Verge and Groklaw]
Apple awarded design patent for rounded rectangles
Folklore.org has the full story of how Steve Jobs convinced Bill Atkinson to give the Mac OS rounded rectangles as they were developing the first versions. I won't ruin the story, but if you played with early versions of Windows you may remember it had sharp corners, not rounded ones. Rounded rectangles have been a design concept at Apple for a very long time for a reason. So it was largely unsurprising to me that Apple just received a design patent for rounded rectangles -- although these are for hardware, not software. It is specifically for the iPad, in fact. Ars has the full breakdown of patents surrounding this one, but it should be noted that design patents are very narrow. Someone would have to quite blatantly rip off the iPad's design to infringe and they'd have to apply the design to a tablet device like the iPad. Plus, design patents do not touch functionality, and are specific to the object the design is for. As an Ars commenter notes, George Lucas has a design patent on Yoda. It's pretty standard procedure and is unlikely to affect any current legal wranglings in the courts.
Eddy Cue joins Ferrari board of directors
Apple's head of Internet software and services, Eddy Cue, is now a member of the board of directors at Ferrari. Ferrari announced on Wednesday that Apple's well-known dealmaker has joined the board and will bring his Internet commerce experience to the company. Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo said in a statement that "I am delighted that Eddy Cue, one of the main driving forces behind Apple's range of revolutionary products, has now joined our board. His huge experience in the dynamic, innovative world of the Internet will be of great assistance to us." Cue also chimed in about his appointment, extolling his fondness for the company, "I am pleased and proud to become a member of the board," Cue said. "I have personally dreamed of owning a Ferrari since I was 8 years old and have been lucky to be an owner for the past five years. I continue to be awed by the world-class design and engineering that only Ferrari can do." This isn't the only interaction between the Italian car maker and Apple. Earlier this year, di Montezemolo confirmed that he sat down for two hours with Apple CEO Tim Cook to discuss business strategy and management. He said the two companies "share the the same passion, the same love for the product" as well as the same "maniacal attention to technology, but also to design." [Via Engadget and AppleInsider]
Apple's re-written Samsung statement has been published
Apple has re-written a court-ordered apology to Samsung for accusing the company of copying certain aspects of the iPad. A UK court ordered the statement to be written back in July. Apple complied earlier this week, publishing a brief note on its website, but Robin Jacob, the judge in the case, did not like the tone or content of the statement and gave Apple 24 hours to re-write it. That revision hit UK newspapers today. It's considerably shorter and much less snarky, but still not the most gushing apology we've ever read: "On 9th July 2012 the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronics (UK) Limited's Galaxy Tablet Computers, namely the Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe on Apple's Community registered design No. 0000181607-0001...There is no injunction in respect of the Community registered design in force anywhere in Europe." I get the warm fuzzies just reading that. We'll see if Judge Jacob finds it satisfactory.
Apple's Bob Mansfield: influenced to stay by Scott Forstall's departure?
In the latest episode of the soap opera known as "Apple: As The Revolving Door Turns", we saw Senior Vice President of Technologies Bob Mansfield being persuaded somehow to stay on with the company for at least another two years while former iOS software VP Scott Forstall was quietly ushered out the door. Now AllThingsD is positing that apparently Mansfield stayed on because he knew that Forstall would be leaving. AllThingsD's John Paczkowski notes that a source close to Apple told the site that "the timing of Bob's return is not coincidental." Mansfield apparently disliked Forstall's confrontational style and avoided him at all costs. A Bloomberg post from last year quoted former Apple software engineer Mike Lee as referring to Forstall as "Apple's chief a-hole" as a compliment. That same post pointed out that other executives, including Mansfield and Industrial Design Senior VP Jony Ive, would not attend meetings with Forstall unless Tim Cook was present. Forstall was, according to the year-old Bloomberg post, "a striver who was better at managing up than down -- that is, making sure his accomplishments were noticed first, and blaming others for mistakes." The iOS 6 Maps debacle appears to have been one mistake too many for Apple CEO Tim Cook to ignore, and served as an easy way to show Forstall the door. In retrospect, the year-old Bloomberg post appears to have been a roadmap for the reorganization that occurred this week.
Court orders Apple to rewrite 'untrue' notice about Samsung Galaxy Tab design
UK magistrate Judge Robin Jacob is not amused with the court-ordered statement Apple published, following the Samsung Galaxy Tab design ruling. Calling the statement "a plain breach of the order" and "incorrect," Jacob has given Apple 24 hours to replace the statement, according to Bloomberg. Apple's statement acknowledged that the "High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled that Samsung Electronic (UK) Limited's Galaxy Tablet Computer, namely the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Tab 8.9 and Tab 7.7 do not infringe Apple's registered design," but went on to say, "So while the U.K. court did not find Samsung guilty of infringement, other courts have recognized that in the course of creating its Galaxy tablet, Samsung willfully copied Apple's far more popular iPad."
Apple's 'blasphemous' logo under fire in Russia
And now for your daily dose of overreaction. Extreme Orthodox Christians in Russia have upped their complaints about Apple's iconic logo, according to CNet. This specific group of Orthodox Christians say that Apple's logo represents a "blasphemous" attack on the church since it can be seen as a representation of the Christian mythology of Satan tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden. As CNet points out, the uproar correlates to other religious/political issues happening in Russia right now -- namely the jailing of punk band Pussy Riot for its protest against the Russian Orthodox Church and its (and other secularist's) assertions that the Church has the goal of creating a clerical police state. This isn't the first time Apple's logo has been associated with Satan, and there's plenty of other crazy examples out there (jump to the 2:40 mark in this video) but this is something that Apple should conceivably be worried about. Anti-blasphemy laws are currently being proposed in Russia which, should they pass, could theoretically bar Apple from selling products with its logo on them in the country.
Apple now owns the trademark to The Beatles' Apple Corps Logo
Apple and The Beatles have had a contentious relationship for years. The Beatles Apple Corps company felt Apple's logo -- and the company's eventual foray into digital music -- infringed on their trademark Apple Corps logo. Then in 2007, Apple, Inc. and Apple Corps Ltd. finally settled trademark dispute. That settlement gave Apple, Inc. ownership of "all of the trademarks related to 'Apple' and will license certain of those trademarks back to Apple Corps for their continued use." But in 2011, Apple went further to secure its right to the trademark, actually filing for it to secure ownership over it. Yesterday, that ownership was granted. As discovered by Patently Apple, the Cupertino company was granted the registered trademark of the famous logo on October 24, 2012. So what does this mean for Apple? Theoretically, it could use the Apple Corps logo for any purpose. But that probably won't happen. This is more just a housekeeping matter with the company tying up any loose ends to a decades-long trademark dispute.
Macworld lists six rare Macs
Benj Edwards of Macworld takes a walk down memory lane and lists six obscure Mac computers that saw limited production runs. All the unusual machines were produced in 1990s and include the JLPGA PowerBook 170, the Color Classic II, the Macintosh TV, Power Macintosh G3 All-in-One, Twentieth Anniversary Mac and PowerBook 550c. You can view an image of each model and read more about their history on Macworld's website. It's well worth the read!
