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Namco's 'Rise of Glory' is one of the first iOS 5 games, launching alongside new iPhone
When Apple holds its big iPhone presser later today, one of the titles it'll be featuring as a showcase for the next iteration of iOS will be Namco's WWI-based dogfighter, "Rise of Glory." Despite being previously given a late September launch date, the game will now arrive "whenever Apple's next iPhone launches," Namco reps told me. And not only will it arrive with some extra juice from the new tech, but it'll also have all the bells and whistles that iOS 5 adds to Apple's suite of iOS-powered devices, such as iCloud and AirPlay support -- as well as a few other new additions from iOS 5 that Namco couldn't speak about just yet. I played the game briefly this morning at a Namco preview event on an iPad 2. Reps explained that it had been developed for iPad 2, the idea being that speculation on the next iPhone has it packing the tablet's A5 chipset (or something even more powerful). As the video above can attest to, Rise of Glory is a dogfighting game with tilt controls and some pretty swanky graphics. When it does eventually arrive on the App Store, it'll be available for a variety of iOS devices, but it'll shine on the still unannounced iPhone ... something. Update: Apple's iPhone 4S has been unveiled, albeit accidentally, and is said to launch in Japan on October 14, with an expected launch in North America and Europe later that week.
Apple seeks international licensing for iTunes Match, iCloud
According to a report from CNET, Apple is actively negotiating with music labels to secure international licensing for both iTunes Match and iCloud. Currently, iTunes Match only functions for US-based developers; iTunes in the Cloud, which auto-syncs purchases across devices, is also a US-only affair. CNET believes the service may be able to roll out internationally and debut at Apple's October 4 press event if negotiations can be completed in time. CNET's sources have said the service may roll out to the UK, France, and Germany initially. Hopefully it won't take too much longer for licensing deals to enable service across all nations with access to the iTunes Store. iCloud and iTunes Match are both expected to debut this fall, possibly soon after Apple's media event next week. The services will likely launch alongside the public release of iOS 5 and OS X Lion 10.7.2.
'Welcome to iCloud' emails sent out prematurely
Between the upcoming media event on October 4 and recent downtime on MobileMe, it's looking likely that iCloud's public launch is coming soon. An email sent to an AppleInsider reader, reprinted below, adds yet more evidence for an imminent debut of iCloud. Welcome to iCloud. The Apple ID for your iCloud account is [redacted] and it's what you'll use to get your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, and PC set up. Just follow these instructions and you'll be up and running in no time. Once iCloud is set up, it stores your content and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices. For example, buy a song with iTunes on your computer, and it will appear on your iPod touch and iPad. When you snap a photo on your iPhone it will automatically be sent to your iPad. You can start creating a Pages document on your iPhone, and put the finishing touches on it from your iPad. There's no need to dock or sync to your computer. With iCloud, it just works. AppleInsider obviously feels the email is legitimate, though it was apparently leaked early since the setup instructions page is not yet live on Apple's site. iCloud replaces Apple's existing MobileMe services and is free to all users. Apple has given no firm release date for the service other than "fall," but according to feedback we've heard from developers the service appears ready for launch should Apple decide to publicly debut it at the October 4 event.
iCloud reset set for September 22
Yesterday afternoon, Apple announced to developers that it will be resetting all iCloud backup data on Thursday, September 22nd. The following message was posted on the Apple Developer boards: On Thursday, September 22, the iCloud Backup data will be reset. Backing up to iCloud or restoring from an iCloud backup will be unavailable from 9 AM PDT – 5 PM PDT. If you attempt a backup or restore during this time, you will receive an alert that the backup or restore was not successful. After this reset, you will be unable to restore from any backup created prior to September 22. A full backup will happen automatically the next time your device backs up to iCloud. Apple had originally warned developers that anything saved to iCloud servers might be wiped clean before the final release of iOS 5. Yesterday's announcement from Apple is another sign that development on iOS 5 and iCloud is quickly wrapping up. Indeed, some rumors have even suggested that developers will see a release of the gold master of iOS 5 this Friday, September 23, with Apple unveiling the iPhone and iOS 5 on September 30, and launching the next iPhone on October 7. [via 9to5Mac]
Apple allegedly 'open' to restoring discontinued MobileMe features
As part of the MobileMe transition to iCloud, several of MobileMe's features are being discontinued, including iWeb hosting, Gallery, iDisk, and a handful of syncing services. An AppleInsider reader emailed Apple CEO Tim Cook to complain about the deprecation of iDisk and syncing services for application preferences and keychains. Instead of receiving an email response, the reader allegedly received a phone call from Cook's office saying that while those services aren't currently planned to be making the transition to iCloud, "Apple is open to it if there's enough feedback on the subject." There's no way to verify the legitimacy of this phone call, but it does align nicely with a trend we've been noticing since Tim Cook took over as CEO -- Apple seems a bit more open to serious consideration of user suggestions and criticisms than it's been in the past.
New OS X 10.7.2 seed posted
The latest developer seed build of the next version of the Mac's OS is available for download. OS X 10.7.2 build 11C55 is on Apple's servers, and it reportedly includes iCloud beta features for testing. As always, we remind developers and testers to read the release notes carefully before installing.
You're the Pundit: iCloud's Future
Other sites have rumors and speculation. We have the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is iCloud. With so much to offer, what will its true killer feature be? iCloud stands ready to revolutionize the way we think of cloud storage. It brings so many options to the table, it's hard to pick just one. So, of course, that's what we're going to ask you to do. Of all these features, which is going to truly change the Apple user experience most profoundly? You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your iCloud predictions. %Poll-68871%
iCloud Communications to change name, drop suit against Apple
Back in June iCloud Communications, LLC of Arizona sued Apple for trademark infringement claiming Apple's use of the word "iCloud" is damaging to their business. iCloud Communications offers cloud computing products and services among their various other Internet and telephony services. However, though iCloud Communications has used "iCloud" in its name since 2005, the company never actually registered it as a trademark. Matter of fact, the owner of the iCloud trademark is Apple. That little fact put a pretty quick end to iCloud Communication's lawsuit, or should I say, PhoenixSoft/Clear Digital Communications' lawsuit. That's their new name, most likely changed at the request of Apple. Furthermore, iCloud Communication's old domain geticloud.com has been wiped clean, also most likely at the "request" of Apple. PhoenixSoft/Clear Digital Communications will continue to offer cloud-based services, they just won't be doing it with Apple's trademark anymore. [via Arstechnica]
iCloud Communications drops lawsuit against Apple, decides to change name instead
iCloud Communications seemed mighty confident back in June, when it filed a lawsuit against Apple over the name of Cupertino's online storage service. But the Arizona-based company has now dropped the suit altogether, opting to change its own name, instead. On Thursday, the VoIP provider filed a notice of voluntary dismissal with a US District Court, effectively bringing an end to litigation. CNET is also reporting that the company appears to have changed its name to Clear Digital Communications -- a firm that, according to its Facebook page, is located at iCloud's exact same Phoenix address. A wall post from last month, moreover, reads, "iCloud is now Clear Digital Communications," while iCloud's site, Geticloud.com, now displays a message confirming that "this website is coming soon." Neither Apple nor the ostensibly erstwhile iCloud have commented on the development, but it certainly looks like the clouds of controversy have cleared away.
Four websites that need iPad apps
The iPad is an amazing device for surfing the web. Its large screen and multitouch gestures make it feel like you're actually holding a web page in your hands. Web browsing on the iPad is going to get even better with the release of iOS 5. That's when Safari on iPad gains Reading List and Reader functionality and the all-important tabbed browsing. However, as good as the iPad is at handling web browsing, some websites would clearly benefit from a dedicated iPad app. When viewed on an iPad, these sites lack key features that they show off to full effect when used with desktop browsers. Other websites have a high amount of interactivity that may work on an iPad, but that interactivity doesn't translate well to a touch interface. I realize that any website could be made into an iPad app. Most websites, however, don't need them. Here at TUAW, for example, there's not much interactivity that goes on when you visit beyond clicking on articles and posting comments. Both of those things are handled easily on an iPad. The same goes for other mainly news-driven sites where the main feature is reading -- dedicated apps really aren't needed. For more complex interactions, an app is a big help. Here's my list of four websites that need an iPad app... and also one service (or group of iPad apps, really) that needs a website. 1. Facebook.com Facebook is the biggest offender among websites missing an iPad app. Why? Well, the site does have 750 million users. By the beginning of next year there will be 50 million iPads on the market -- and most of those iPad owners use Facebook. However, the site's traffic doesn't alone dictate the need for an iPad app. No, Facebook.com needs an iPad app because its web functionality is cumbersome when viewed through Safari on the iPad and some features are missing entirely. The biggest missing feature while viewing Facebook's website on the iPad is Chat. There's just no way to chat with all your Facebook friends through Facebook.com on the iPad. There's also no way to upload photos or video to your wall, as tapping on "Upload" won't access your Camera Roll or Photos libraries on your iPad. Furthermore, Facebook relies on a lot of pop-up windows that you need to scroll through. These windows normally appear when you click on "X number of people like this" links below a wall post. If the list of number of people who "like" that post is long, you have to scroll through it to see everyone on the list. This is doable on the iPad by using two-finger scrolling, but many iPad users don't know about multitouch scrolling of a window within a web page; this contributes to the overall poor user experience for Facebook.com on the iPad. Thankfully we know that Facebook is working on an iPad app, which looks to be both cool and very functional Now all we have to do is hope Facebook actually decides to release its iPad app to the public. Soon. 2. Mint.com I'm a Mint junkie. It's the perfect solution for keeping track of multiple financial accounts. What's more, after Intuit bought the company, fears of Mint getting fouled up turned out to be largely unfounded; the site has actually only gotten better. However, Mint.com needs an iPad app. Why? Primarily because Mint features a huge amount of user interactivity. Not only can you see a complete overview of your financial accounts on the website, you can edit transactions, set budgets, create goals, and view trends -- from a desktop browser, at least. None of those features work well (most, not at all) on Mint.com on the iPad. Mint fans have been waiting (mostly patiently) for an iPad app for some time. When I interviewed Mint's founder Aaron Patzer, he told me that the company was working on an iPad app. That was over 18 months ago. More recently Mint has asked its users to hold on a little longer as the developer teams are "busy developing an iPad app." The iPad app won't be a simple rework of the iPhone version, but it will be "a brand new experience." Let's hope so. 3. LinkedIn.com If you're looking for the Facebook equivalent for business relationships, it's LinkedIn. The site allows users to keep connected with their colleagues and business contacts; it's a great alternative to Facebook or other more casual 'friend' networks, especially when you don't want to risk your boss seeing those pictures of you in compromising situations. While LinkedIn.com is mostly functional through Safari on the iPad, the site offers a high amount of interactivity via searching for contacts or jobs, updating your profile, creating status updates, etc, that could benefit immensely from a dedicated iPad app. It's worth mentioning that LinkedIn deserves credit for being the company that took what was one of the most horrendously designed UI's of any iPhone app (they originally let users change the color scheme of the app, allowing them to choose from over a dozen colors -- including hot pink) and completely reimagined it, turning it into one of the slickest -- both in design and navigation -- iPhone apps on the market. That gives me a lot of confidence that LinkedIn will be able to pull off a killer iPad app. Thankfully on the day LinkedIn announced its overhauled iPhone app, I learned from a source familiar with their mobile plans that the company is indeed working on a dedicated iPad app. However, like Facebook and Mint, there's no set time frame for a release. 4. Google Docs Google Docs is great. The suite of web apps from the search, email and advertising giant allows you to create and share documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more all through your desktop web browser. While Google does offer limited functionality for Docs on the iPad through a mobile version of the site, the mobile version lacks the rich editing capabilities of the desktop web-based version. That's due in part to some limitations in the iPad's mobile Webkit implementation. You can switch to the desktop view in Docs on your iPad, but don't expect it to behave quite like the original. It's true that there are iPad office application suites that work well with Google Docs. QuickOffice Pro HD and Documents to Go both allow you to download and edit documents from your Google account (see our head-to-head review here). Less-expensive, and correspondingly less functional apps for editing include Office2 HD and GoDocs. None of these truly delivers the simplicity and functionality of Google's cloud offering. When looking at the iPad as a serious productivity device, Apple's leading the with its iWork suite -- but Pages, Numbers and Keynote don't interoperate with Google Docs in any meaningful way, forcing users to go through hoops to get at their files. It's a frustrating hiccup in what should be a really easy and graceful workflow. That's why Google could transform the tablet document-editing space by creating a best-in-class dedicated iPad app for its suite. Go all the way or don't go at all. Apple's showed it can be done and I'm sure there are many users who would prefer an alternative to shelling out $10 an app for the iWork suite for rich text, presentation, and spreadsheet editing. Then again, it's not necessarily clear that Google has a strong motivation to make the iPad even more of a world-beater, so we may be stuck with third-party solutions on this one... or Apple could add the Docs API to iWork and turn everything upside-down. And three apps (or one service) that needs an iPad-compatible website... iCloud.com Yes, like MobileMe's website (www.me.com) before it, navigating to www.icloud.com on an iPad brings you to an iPad-specific web page that informs you that if you want to check your iCloud emails, contacts, or calendars on an iPad you have to do so through the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars apps that ship on the device. That's well and good, and the iPad apps function better than any web apps ever could -- but if it's not your iPad you want to check your email on and you are using an iCloud email account, you're out of luck. There is simply no easy way to check your iCloud (or MobileMe) email on an iOS device unless you enable your account to be used with the built-in apps on the device. (You may be able to get around this by using a third-party browser like iCab that allows you to spoof the user agent, but it's clumsy.) As far as iPhones go, I get the limitation. How often do we use someone else's phone to check our email, right? But on an iPad, which is more of a multi-user device (think sharing with the family or traveling in a group with one iPad, as you might do on a long trip across Europe), there's no way for multiple people to check their iCloud emails without all adding their accounts in the Mail, Contacts, and Calendars settings on the iPad. Doing so will of course enable all email accounts to show up in Mail, potentially causing confusion, privacy concerns, or emails being sent from the wrong account. Apple, if you are listening, I implore you to allow access to iCloud email accounts through Safari on the iPad -- even as a 'pro' option enabled in the account settings. It's an unnecessary barrier. So that's my list of the biggest iPad app-less offenders. I'd love to hear from you which websites you think really need an iPad app. Let me know in the comments!
New OS X 10.7.2 and iCloud beta builds seeded to developers
As first noted by MacRumors, Apple has pushed OS X 10.7.2 Build 11C48 and iCloud Beta 10 to developers today. The new builds come just one week after the previous builds. While no details of changes to the builds are known at this time, Apple asked developers to pay attention to AirPort, AppKit, GraphicsDrivers, iCal, iChat, Mac App Store, Mail, Spotlight, and Time Machine in the previous build.
Apple confirms iCloud won't offer iTunes streaming to iOS
The iTunes Match beta opened up to developers yesterday, and in case you were somehow under the impression that it actually offered streaming of music to your iOS device, you're mistaken. Apple has confirmed, because apparently there was confusion, that iTunes Match doesn't stream music. Instead, the $24.99 a year that you will pay for the service means that any music you download from anywhere will get "activated" as purchased in iTunes, and then you can download that music to any iOS device or Mac that you happen to have. That's still an actual file that will need actual space on the hard drive. Apple says that purchased music can be listened to while it's being downloaded, but it's not like you can have your iPhone full of apps and then still listen to streaming music. In that sense, iTunes Match is more of a sync-ing service than an actual streaming setup. It's too bad -- I'd much rather have Pandora-like access to my music library from anywhere without having to haul all of those files around on my app-filled iPhone. And while you think that distinction might be the issue of some record company's legal text, it's actually an Apple decision, according to the record companies. Apple apparently wants this music to be tied to iTunes, and thus to actual files on your devices. A streaming service could too easily be brought out to other mediums like browsers (which is where Pandora started, incidentally), and thus separated from Apple devices in general. That seems sort of selfish on Apple's part -- I would hope the ideal is that I have access to my music on iTunes all the time, not just when I'm on Apple devices. But for now, this is the way it's done. If you pay up for iTunes Match, you still get all of the service's benefits, but you don't get streaming of your files to or from anywhere. Update: There's some confusion over the word "streaming" here. Streaming, as we're using it, means listening to music without actually downloading it on to your device. This is possible on a Mac with iTunes using the new iTunes Match service (just like it is while sharing a library on Wi-Fi). But it is not possible on an iOS device, even with iTunes Match -- you must download the song to listen to it. You can listen to it while it's downloading, but there will be a file that will take up space on your iOS device.
Snow Leopard to get iCloud support in 10.6.9 update?
Apparently those of you who aren't upgrading to Cupertino's latest and greatest desktop OS will be able to sling bits through iCloud with the upcoming 10.6.9 update. The screenshot above comes via an eagle-eyed developer, who's already upgraded his MobileMe account to the service and also happened to open its forebearer's preference pane on a machine running Tiger. No word on when it'll drop (we'd place our bets alongside iOS 5's launch this fall), but looks like those of you running Snow Leopard got some readin' to do.
Rumor: iCloud support coming in Snow Leopard 10.6.9
According to a image sent in to MacRumors, iCloud support may be coming to Snow Leopard users. As you can see in the screenshot above, the .Mac preference pane in a previous OS X's System Preferences reads: "You will no longer be able to sync with this machine because you've upgraded to iCloud. iCloud requires a computer running Mac OS X Snow Leopard v10.6.9 or later for Contacts, Calendars, and Bookmarks." This message appeared in OS X 10.4 Tiger after a developer updated his MobileMe account to an iCloud account. The notice appears to be the first indication that OS X 10.6.9 is in the works. Presumably it will only include minor bug fixes and provide limited iCloud support for Snow Leopard. Currently Apple states that iCloud will require OS X 10.7, but that is presumably for the more advanced Documents, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, and Backups features. It's reasonable to assume Apple isn't going to lock non-Lion users out of their @me.com email addresses.
Apple stops renting TV shows in iTunes, could be working on a new kind of video service
Apple has pulled the plug on TV episode rentals via iTunes, abruptly leaving customers with only the option of purchasing per episode -- good thing you can watch those on your Apple TV streamed from the cloud -- or a Season Pass where available. AllThingsD has a quote from spokesman Tom Neumayr indicating this was in response to customers that "overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows." Making the timing of the move particularly curious are once-again renewed rumors of an Apple HDTV and a WSJ profile of new CEO Tim Cook that indicates the company is "working on new technology to deliver video to televisions, and has been discussing whether to try to launch a subscription TV service." Like Google, any move depends on its success in negotiating a new delivery model from the networks, who so far have been averse to anything that threatens their existing relationship with pay-TV providers. It appears 99-cent rentals didn't move the needle, so we'll wait and see what the folks from Cupertino have up their sleeve next. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Apple pushes new OS X, iCloud, iPhoto builds to developers
Apple has dropped new builds in the mix to developers for OS X, including Lion 10.7.2, and new updates for iCloud and iPhoto. These are of course developer only builds that are designed for testing and usage before they had out to the public at large. The Lion build asks developers to look at the apps AirPort, AppKit, GraphicsDrivers, iCal, iChat, Mac App Store, Mail, Spotlight, and Time Machine, so that's where most of the updates will come from. All of those builds are available to developers right now through the developer hub site.
MobileMe, iCloud phishing scam making the rounds
There's a new phishing scam going around today involving MobileMe and iCloud. As noted by MacRumors, the scam involves an email that asks users to upgrade their MobileMe accounts to iCloud. The email reads: Dear MobileMe member, Please sign up for iCloud and click the submit botton [sic], you'll be able to keep your old email address and move your mail, contacts, calendars, and bookmarks to the new service. Your subscription will be automatically extended through July 31, 2012, at no additional charge. After that date, MobileMe will no longer be available. Click here to update iCLOUD Sincerely, The Apple store Team Clicking on the iCLOUD button takes the email recipient to a phishing page (an image of it is provided by MacRumors here). The page mimics elements of various Apple billing and shopping cart pages. As is the case with any email asking you to click on a link and enter your password or billing information its usually best to go directly to the company's login page by manually typing in the company's URL in your browser's address field. If the email is legit, you'll usually see the same message once you've logged into your account. Don't take the bait.
New OS X 10.7.2 build and iCloud beta 7 released to developers
Another seed of OS X Lion 10.7.2 has been released to developers, this time with a build number of 11C37. The first 10.7.2 build was released just a few days after OS X Lion's public launch, and Apple still has not provided any developer seeds of 10.7.1. Apple has also pushed out the seventh version of the iCloud developer beta. iCloud is due for public release in the fall, alongside iOS 5 and, likely, the 10.7.2 release of OS X Lion. Meanwhile, based on historical Mac OS X releases, a 10.7.1 bugfix update for Lion should be released any day now. Between Mac OS X Jaguar and Snow Leopard the average time between the 10.x release and a 10.x.1 update has been just over 18 days; as of this writing it's been 23 days since Lion's launch. The longest gap between a 10.x release and the 10.x.1 update was 25 days, back in 2002 (though 10.1's gap was much longer, 10.2 was really the first version of Mac OS X that was in widespread use, so I haven't included it in this analysis). Both 10.7.2 and the iCloud beta are available to download now from Apple's developer center.
Users transitioning from MobileMe to iCloud to get 25 GB of storage
Last week we told you what the storage prices will be for iCloud users. Everyone gets 5 GB for free, and users can choose to add an additional 10 GB for US$20/year (15 GB total), 20 GB for $40/year (25 GB total), or 50 GB for $100/year (55 GB total). What wasn't apparent, however, was what would happen with the storage space for paid MobileMe subscribers. If you remember, when you subscribed to MobileMe for US$99/year, you got 20 GB of storage. Well, according to MacRumors, existing MobileMe users who transition to iCloud will get a total of 25 GB of storage. That's 5 GB of free iCloud storage and 20 GB of your paid MobileMe storage space. It's nice that Apple is grandfathering in all of MobileMe's subscribers to the $40/year iCloud storage plan for free, however there is a slight catch for MobileMe users that are currently signed up for recurring billing. Those users will automatically be billed $40 on July 1, 2012, for another year's worth of additional 20 GB storage unless they cancel their re-billing prior to June 30, 2012. In other words, just because Apple is canceling MobileMe, doesn't mean it's canceling your re-billing. Even though I'm sure Apple is doing it for convenience, it's still kind of shady. After all, many MobileMe users might find that they only need the free 5 GB that comes with iCloud. What Apple should do is sever all re-billing after June 30, 2012, unless MobileMe to iCloud users specifically sign up for it. Apple has previously said that existing paid MobileMe users can continue to use MobileMe's services until June 30, 2012, after which MobileMe will cease to exist.
Apple offers Find My Mac for beta testing, wants to play Cops and Robbers
Ever misplaced your hard earned MacBook Air or had an entire project vanish at the hands of a dirty thief, only to be gone forever? Well friends, the time is coming soon for the Find My Mac feature to provide a highly sought after sigh of relief, Find My iPhone-style. Apple has released the software into the wild for registered iOS devs, with the only other requirements being OS X Lion and an iCloud subscription. Using WiFi networks to locate your missing appendage via a web browser or iOS device, the location tool offers you a number of anti-theft options -- send a threatening message, lock down the machine remotely, or even wipe the machine's drive clean. Perhaps we will see this security detail launch with iCloud in fall, which was also released in beta form earlier this week.
