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City of San Francisco stops buying Macs without EPEAT certification
Yesterday TUAW reported on Apple's withdrawal from the EPEAT green electronics registry, along with a note that federal, state, and local governments might balk at buying Macs as a result. The City of San Francisco, CA has announced that letters will be sent to all 50 city agencies over the next two weeks notifying them that Apple desktops and laptops will no longer qualify for procurement. Will this have an impact on Apple's bottom line? Well, in 2012 the City purchased a total of $3.8 million on desktops and laptops -- only $45,579 of that amount was for Apple products including iPads. iPads don't fall under the EPEAT certification and wouldn't be subject to the purchasing ban. Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg was quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying "Given the relatively small percentage [of organizations] that require 100% EPEAT-compliance, it's not going to make a whole lot of difference to Apple." Despite Apple's withdrawal from the EPEAT standards (which it helped create in 2006), the company's green record is better than that of many other electronics manufacturers. Apple publishes annual environmental reports online showing both successes and areas that need improvement, and the company sponsors recycling programs both online and through the retail outlets.
Apple WWDC 2012 liveblog!
Back in March, at the tail end of the new iPad's launch, Apple CEO Tim Cook did something atypical. He encouraged us to expect even more from his company in 2012. From an outfit that rarely sets lofty expectations, that's saying something. Here at WWDC 2012, we're on hand to find out what exactly Apple has in the hopper. A deep dive into iOS 6 is guaranteed, but beyond that, all we have are rumors, smoke signals and few underground whispers. New MacBook Air / Pro laptops with Retina graphics? New iMacs with more pixels that are calculable by mere mortals? A new iPhone? Join us here at 10AM PT (that's 1PM on the right coast; pre-breakfast over in Kauai) for the blow-by-blow coverage you've come to expect! June 11, 2012 1:00 PM EDT
Engadget's pre-WWDC live broadcast from San Francisco!
We wish you were here, we really do, but we understand -- you're busy. That trip out to San Francisco takes ages and besides, getting a ticket into Apple's developer conference can be a tricky proposition. So, then, please do us the honor of being our guest at what is shaping up to be a bombastic show. The WWDC liveblog happens here, but before then Darren Murph and Tim Stevens have a special live video broadcast just for you, where they'll break down what you can expect from this year's keynote presentation. Click on through to get streaming.
Apple and Samsung set to meet May 21st, hug it out over 48 hours
These two brawlers were given until July to come together and mediate over their numerous globe-spanning patent lawsuits, but it appears neither side needs to wait that long. According to Foss Patents, May 21st and 22nd have been circled on the calendar of a certain San Francisco courthouse, where Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero will attempt to arbitrate in a calm, soothing voice for two days straight. Presenting himself as a confidant who sits outside of the main litigation being conducted in San Jose, Spero has already asked both parties to open up and provide "candid" statements about the strengths and weaknesses of their own cases, as a first step towards identifying areas of compromise. Fortunately, he still has a few weeks in which to devise further cunning plans.
Clearwire's TDD-LTE rolling out in 'early 2013,' coming to NYC, SF, LA, Chicago, Seattle and more
Clearwire's hardly throwing in the towel after that whole "WiMAX" thing; instead, the outfit has its sights firmly set on bringing TDD-LTE to the masses here in America, starting with an initial rollout in early 2013. A release put out today confirms that New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle will be among the 31 cities where the company will launch the aforesaid network, though there's no breakdown on which of those metro markets will be forced to wait until "mid-2013" to get served. Speaking of, Clearwire's making no bones about the fact that "high demand hot zones" will be the ones targeted initially, and in a bid to outshine those LTE networks already live, President and CEO Erik Prusch is suggesting that his firm's 4G network "will show that not all LTE networks are created equal." Bold words, sir.
IndieDevLab offers community space near Moscone if you didn't get a WWDC ticket
WWDC sold out pretty quickly yesterday. So what do you do if you want to be part of the dev scene that week? IndieDevLab to the rescue. Monster Costume devs Kyle Kinkade and Nate True and JailbreakCon's Craig Fox quickly started organizing a way for iOS and OS X developers to gather together outside of Moscone. Offering a community-powered lab space, IndieDevLab will provide power, high-speed wi-fi, air conditioning, and peer support. Located just a few blocks from the Moscone center, Kinkade scored a perfect location to allow devs to meet up, Tweet up, and get their development on. A three-day hackathon re-mix event will add spice to the festivities. Kinkade tells TUAW tickets will go on sale at 12PM Pacific. "We want to make sure that West Coast developers have all the time they need to sleep in," Kinkade added pointedly. If you want to get in on this, make sure to register right away. WWDC is not the only event that's will be in big demand. Tickets are $129/day with a $8 fee. Early bird tickets are just $99.
Apple's WWDC hitting San Francisco on June 11th
It's time to shift around that summer vacation. Apple today announced that it will be kicking off this year's World Wide Developers Conference on June 11th at San Francisco's Moscone West. The event is set to run through the 15th, focusing on developing for OS X Mountain Lion and iOS, by way of 100-plus technical sessions and hands-on labs, letting the developer community work directly with Cupertino staff -- and you can bet we'll be there as well. More info on the event -- including ticket purchasing details -- can be found in the press release after the break. Update: Aaand, it's sold out. After two hours, Apple is saying that no more tickets are available. Looks like you're going to have to enjoy some post-show videos instead.
Nissan adopts 15 EV chargers, is first on nappy duty (video)
Nissan's concerned that Leaf owners aren't getting around enough. So, until IBM's super-batteries arrive or Exxon starts installing charging points in its gas stations, the car maker's got to do it itself. In partnership with charity Adopt-A-Charger, it's paying for 15 charging points in California, three at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and twelve at the Music Concourse in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Customers will have totally free access, with Nissan pledging to pay for the upkeep and electricity that the public uses. After the break we've got a video whose narrator probably makes Chris Hansen jealous of his voice.
Settlement may have been reached in missing iPhone 4S case
Remember that missing iPhone 4S that was allegedly lost at the Cava 22 lounge and tracked to a residence in San Francisco? The home was possibly searched illegally by Apple security and the home's owner, Sergio Calderon, threatened to sue. It appears the whole debacle may have been settled out of court, says a report in Network World. Information about the case hasn't surface in months which prompted Network World to follow up with Calderon's lawyer David Monroe. Monroe refused to comment on any question, which led Network World to speculate that Apple settled the case. Apple may have paid a settlement and required a nondisclosure agreement that prevented Calderon or Monroe from talking further about those events.
Apple announces March 7 iPad 3 event
Apple sent out invites today for an event that'll take place at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. The event flyer shows a buttonless (or landscape) iPad and promises there will be something we really have to see and touch. We expect Apple to unveil the iPad 3. We don't know the exact details on the upcoming iPad, but, if the invite picture is any indication, the iPad 3 will have a high-resolution display, a major bump in the processor, Siri and possibly LTE. I've already got the date marked off on the calendar and my iPad 2 on eBay, how about you?
Apple announcing iPad 3 first week of March? Anonymous sources think so
Is the long, treacherous wait for the iPad 3 nearly at an end? That's what anonymous sources tell All Things D. The site caught wind that an Apple event next month will host the announcement of the company's latest tablet. The event is said to be slated for the first week of March at that popular Apple haunt, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco -- and seeing as how last year's event was held on March 2nd, that timing doesn't seem all that crazy to us. As for an actual release date, said sources are a bit less chatty.
San Francisco gearing up for electric bike sharing program
Anyone who's ever attempted to ride a bike in San Francisco can attest to just how rough the city's numerous hills can be on the lower body. Thankfully, government dollars are set to go a ways toward making electric bicycles a tiny bit more prevalent amongst the local populace. The city by the bay's CarShare program will be getting funding to bring some 90 e-bikes to 25 locations in SF and nearby Berkeley, beginning with 45 bikes in the second half of this year. Forty-five more will be coming in 2013.
Macworld | iWorld attendance steady in 2012; many newbies in the crowd
Attendance at this year's Macworld | iWorld event was approximately the same as last year's Macworld Expo -- about 25,000 people -- according to IDG World Expo, the group that organizes the "ultimate fan event." A wrap-up news release from IDG World Expo noted that about 40 percent of the attendees at this year's event were first-time visitors, which may translate to growth in attendance for next year's event scheduled for January 31 - February 2, 2013. Conference attendance was up a whopping 145 percent over last year, thanks in part to the $75 iFan Pass that made its debut in 2012. In the past, expo tickets were relatively inexpensive, but the cost of going to the conference sessions was prohibitively high. The iFan pass gave show-goers unlimited access to the educational sessions, show floor, music performances, and film screenings that made up this year's event. IDG World Expo has posted a gallery of photos from Macworld | iWorld as well as a video (see below) of Friday's happenings at Moscone West. Both are worth checking out for a taste of this year's event.
Macworld transitions to Macworld|iWorld as conference begins next week
Paul Kent, general manager of Macworld Expo, says that next week's renamed Macworld|iWorld show will be "the most interesting and certainly the most unique show that we've ever produced." The event begins next Thursday at San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center, and according to what Kent describes, there will be plenty going on. First up is the exhibition hall itself -- just like last year, it will be in the first floor of Moscone West. There are 271 exhibitors total, and 130 of those are app developers. Like last year, there will be plenty of iOS developers around, but one of the big pushes this year is to represent the emerging Mac App Store, so Macworld has set up an "OS X Zone," which will feature OS X apps and their developers. There are also plenty of iOS accessory and lifestyle item makers as well, says Kent. "iWorld is not just a new name, it's really a direction for the show, where all aspects of the mobile lifestyle are going to be brought to life." Upstairs in Moscone West will be the tech talks and the show's mainstage, and in those panels, says Kent, Apple users will find all sorts of great tips and insights on how their hardware and software works together. Some of the talks will be for a general Mac audience, featuring luminaries from the Mac community talking about their area of interest, and some of them will be very specific talks based on some technical issues, like dealing with Photoshop or Quicktime. Elsewhere on the main stage, there will be plenty of celebrities and artists coming in throughout the week to talk about how they use Apple products in their work. Modest Mouse will open up the event, and during the week, visitors will see all kinds of artists and musicians showing off their work, including bands like moe, Atomic Tom, and legendary electronic musician BT. And the last big exhibit is the Macworld Midway, also on the show's second floor, which will feature all kinds of different fan-centered exhibits based on Apple's hardware and software. In addition to musical shows and demonstrations, there will be an iPad sketch booth, where visitors can get sketched on an iPad, and a photo booth run with Apple devices. "In general show managers don't design attractions," says Kent, but Macworld this year is different -- he and his team have created a little something different from the standard convention. "We've kind of gone down the road of really creating this experiential environment." Kent says that the past few years in the Apple community have shown that yes, there are two camps: Old school Mac users, and those jumping on board the iOS/mobile device train. But there's no reason why those two camps can't come together, and have "unified view of what it means to be an Apple platform user," Kent tells us, "I'd be surprised if there are many Mac users that don't have an iPhone or iPad." The show definitely sounds fun, and of course TUAW will be there covering it from door to door, even if you're not in San Francisco and can't come by. We'll have a meetup next Thursday as well, so if you are headed to Macworld, make sure to visit us and say hi. Whether you're coming for a few hours, a day, or the whole show, it definitely sounds like there's a lot to do and see at Macworld this year.
AT&T expands LTE coverage to eleven new markets, including NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles
In one announcement, AT&T has nearly doubled its LTE coverage by officially flipping the switch on eleven new markets. The list of cities includes New York City metro, San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Raleigh and Austin. We've seen the service flicker on and off in most of these cities as real-life tests were conducted, and the high-speed connection's also been available in certain parts of New York, but it's great to see these become official. AT&T also declared that LTE expansion should be complete by the end of 2013, though we expect most major cities to be hit far earlier. Check out the full press release for more details.
Pastmapper looks to take Google Maps back in time
There's not exactly a ton to see there just yet, but a new website called Pastmapper has some pretty ambitious plans, and it's off to a fairly decent start. With a little help from the Google Maps API, it's aiming to provide maps of cities as they were in the past, complete with local business information, accurate streets, and even changes to things like hills and coastline. To kick things off, site founder Brad Thompson has debuted version 0.1 of the site with map of San Francisco as it was in 1853, including information from the A.W. Morgan & Company's San Francisco City Directory. Take a gander for yourself at the source link below -- and, if you're interested, Thompson is currently looking for some help to expand it.
AT&T's 4G LTE network is live in San Francisco
New York City by the end of 2011? How's about San Francisco by the end of December 8th? We can't say for certain that it's lit up for good ("testing," you know), but at least for now it's absolutely screaming on our LTE-equipped AT&T handsets in downtown SF. Seeing similar? Let us know how it's going for you in comments below, and feel free to stick your tongue out in the general direction of the Big Apple. (They won't see you.) Video after the break. [Thanks, anonymous]
Google looks to compete with Amazon Prime, offer speedy delivery service in 2012
You ordered a nifty thing. Now the nifty thing has to make your day by arriving. Then you'll have your nifty thing and a warm and nifty feeling inside. Evidently, Google's following this very line of thinking, as it appears to be in talks with various retailers and shippers to create a service that lets customers receive their wares within 24 to 48 hours. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal, the company's effort is motivated by the success of Amazon's Prime service, which allows customers to receive many purchased items within a day or two for an annual fee of $79. Google, in turn, has apparently pitched the project to retailers such as Macy's, Gap and OfficeMax. Under the proposed system, when shoppers place an order on an affiliate's website, Google's system could kick in to offer them an option for same-day or possibly next-day delivery, said a person familiar with the matter. Sources indicated that Google plans to start a pilot test of the service in the San Francisco Bay Area sometime in 2012, which -- by then -- we'll have far more serious issues to deal with than tracking numbers.
Yahoo's San Francisco billboard closing up shop after more than a decade
Oh, 1999. Simpler times, those. IT departments were frantically prepping for Y2K, Jeff Bezos (or his head, at least) was named Time's "Person of the Year" and the tech bubble was getting ready to burst at the seams. That same year, the lights on Yahoo's "A nice place to stay on the internet" billboard turned on for the first time on the highway leading to the Bay Bridge. Those lights, which have seen their share of ups and downs for internet companies, will be turned off for the last time in the coming weeks. Clear Channel confirmed that there will, indeed, be vacancy in that space come next month.
Orange officially acknowledges San Francisco II's existence, set to debut late November (video)
A few days ago, Orange UK technically let the cat out of the bag with its upcoming sequel to last year's penny-pinching San Francisco, and it's finally ready to give us more than just the Help & Support page. Available on both Pay Monthly and PAYG plans near the end of the month (no specific date was given), the device -- also known as the ZTE Crescent -- offers a 3.5-inch WVGA TFT display, an 800MHz ARM11 processor, Android 2.3.5, a 5 megapixel camera and 512MB of RAM. Cost? £99 ($155) on PAYG and free on Pay Monthly with a 24-month term of at least £10.50. Incidentally, you probably won't find too many of these in the city it's named after. Press release below.
