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iPhone January update, coming soon to an iTunes near you
I don't know about you all, but considering I'm not in the market for a pricey, tiny notebook, and I don't need yet another thing hooked up to my TV, the best news I heard at the Keynote today was about this iPhone "January update" (does that mean there'll be one every month?) coming soon to your iTunes. Included in the free update to iPhone users: An updated Maps that will actually find your location automatically by triangulating cell towers (we saw this a while ago), and give you the option to add a pin to the map Web Clips, cutouts of web pages that you can attach to an icon sitting right there on the homescreen. A customizable homescreen and dock (just hold an icon to get them wiggling, and then move them around as you please), and up to nine homescreen pages total The update will also add chapter navigation for iPhone video, and subtitle/audio options as well. And though the readers in our IRC channel weren't very impressed with this one, the iPhone will now feature multiple SMS sending. Very awesome update for the iPhone, completely free and available on download in iTunes right now (!), and definitely an update that will set the stage for all the third party applications we're supposed to see next month. Bring on the SDK!
The Beatles don't go on
Well the one rumor that I thought was least likely (that the Beatles were a no go at this morning's event) turned out to be true. There is still no Beatles music available on the iTunes store, either in the WiFi store or otherwise.Not that Steve didn't taunt us. Over and over again, he threw down hints the whole time-- he played "Give Peace a Chance" as a ringtone (joking that it was for when NBC called), played Lennon to demo the new WiFi store, and played Paul McCartney to bring the chairman of Starbucks on stage. Heck, the name of the event was "The Beat Goes On." He knows we want the Beatles (even if Scott doesn't), and he played with our emotions all day.But when "One more thing..." came out, it was the Starbucks deal and KT Tunstall performing. And we're left with no idea when (or if ever) we'll be able to buy Apple recordings in Apple's online music store.
Apple's touch sensitive mouse design axes scroll ball
We're sure we've seen two intriguing Apple patents in the span of 24-hours before, but following up on Cupertino's modular media center gizmo from earlier today comes a slightly modified mouse design that, above all, still doesn't sport a tried and true right-click. All weeping aside, the newfangled design seems to center around a haptic approach, which curiously does away with the scroll ball currently used on Apple's critters and replaces it with a touch-sensitive casing. Apparently, the device would be "capable of switching between operational modes based on the way a user holds or grips the enclosure," which could simplify (or complicate, depending on dexterity levels) all that panning and resizing you currently do manually. Still, there's plenty of mice out there with oodles of macro-love just waiting to be utilized, and while the pseudo-click on the Mighty Mouse may appease some, we can't say we're blown away.
Apple takes $84 million charge, defends Steve Jobs in options scandal
While Apple's surely enjoying the perks of having a monumental amount of iPods unwrapped just days ago, everything's not exactly kosher in Cupertino. Aside from the mysterious mouse the firm just patented, the company is facing another bevy of off-the-wall lawsuits, all while trying to fish its CEO out of potentially hot water. After the Securities and Exchange Commission found that ole Steve was granted 7.5 million stock options without the proper authorization of Apple's board of directors in 2001, there was widespread speculation that Mr. One More Thing may suffer the same fate as Apple's former CFO Fred Anderson, who resigned after a similar debacle in 2004. It seems, however, that things just might work out okay after all, as Apple finally filed its required forms with SEC, recognizing a "total additional non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $84 million after tax, including $4 million and $7 million in fiscal years 2006 and 2005, respectively." Aside from taking the lofty charge, the company also stated that while Jobs was "aware of the favorable grant date recommendations, he did not financially benefit from these grants or appreciate the accounting implications." So all those out there holding your breath to see if Macworld would ever be the same if this went south, it looks like we'll be seeing jeans and a black shirt all over again in just a few weeks.
Financial Times: Forged Documents related to Jobs' options
Sources have informed The Financial Times of London that the forged documents at the center of the ongoing SEC investigation relate to illegal activities surrounding options given to Steven Jobs. According to the FT story, Jobs "was handed 7.5m stock options in 2001 without the required authorization from the company's board of directors." and that "Records that purported to show a full board meeting had taken place to approve Mr Jobs' remuneration, as required by Apple's procedures, were later falsified."If this is in fact the case, it certainly makes sense that Jobs would seek his own external legal counsel both to more closely protect his personal interests as well as put some distance between himself and the company as a whole. Update: The FT article makes no mention of wrong doing by Jobs himself, and as such this post has been updated.[via Cult of Mac]
Steve's Special Stool
It's no big secret that Our Glorious Leader has very particular tastes, and he likes getting his way. Fast cars (Mercedes Benz), fast jets (Gulfstream), and according to Valleywag, secret three-legged stools. Though no real details are known about said stool, the Valleywag tipster says that Unkie Steve requires his designer stool to be present at all important meetings (both Apple internal meetings and certain outside meetings), as well as available to sit on during long flights on his jet (though the safety of a three-legged stool in turbulence seems dubious to me). One would imagine that this stool will be present during the keynote, so everyone keep their eyes sharp to see if we can't identify it.
Universal Music looking to extract royalties on every iPod sold?
We aren't exactly sure who's getting the shorter end of the stick in Universal Music's "deal" with Microsoft to extract a set fee from every Zune sold, but now its oh-so-mettlesome CEO is thinking of putting the same pressure on ole Steve. While Jobs has certainly had a rather sour relationship with the labels over the years, and has flat our refused to boost music prices (twice) at the iTMS, this predicament could be a fair bit stickier. Doug Morris is reportedly considering asking demanding a royalty fee from every iPod sold now that he's already won the war over at Microsoft, touting Universal's massive music collection on iTMS as something fairly essential to the program's continued success. But things aren't as clear cut as the previous deal, as the Zune Marketplace was (and still is) in a position trying to grab any sliver of market share it possibly can, while Apple's rendition basically owns the digital download realm already. While it's easy to assume that both companies will agree on a ridiculously small fee just to save face, it begs the question of other labels trying to cash in at Jobs' expense if this deal goes down -- but hey, what goes around, comes around, right?
MacBook's iSight unknowingly photographs Apple repair center
Here's one that doesn't happen very often ever. As bad as we rumor mongers pry and pry to get inside of ole Steve's brain, sneaking a peek behind closed Cupertino doors is all but impossible (even for Mr. Dell). Nevertheless, a clever Mac user got numerous undercover photographs of the inside workings at an Apple authorized repair center (Flextronics International) in Tennessee. Rather than pulling out any MacGyver-based stunts, he simply wrote a script -- dubbed Walking Study -- that instructed his MacBook to snap a photo (and upload it to his Flickr account) with the built-in iSight each time it awoke from sleep. When his dear 'Book got sent out for repair, however, the fully-functional webcam continued to perform perfectly within the secretive confines, giving everyone a glimpse of an incredibly average looking warehouse. Although the stealthy camera didn't snap any shots of (potentially) forthcoming iPhone or widescreen iPod prototypes, we've got to give credit where it's due -- Toby Mckeys got closer to the Apple's core than we've seen in quite some time.[Via TUAW]
Apple reveals "touchscreen" iPod? Not so fast...
Ah Apple, what will we ever do with you? Leading us on to believe such incredulous things such as a next-to-definite Apple tablet, an almost-certain iPhone, sure-to-be-impending widescreen (and wireless) iPod, forthcoming iSight-ed Cinema Display, and an 802.11n-compatible iTV may actually see the light of day. So, here we are again, and this time it appears that some quick-fingered editor has some explaining to do, as we just so happened to have read the words "All other Notes feature capabilities described in this document are support for iPod models with display screens, beginning with the touch-screen models." while perusing through the October 10th edition of the iPod Notes Feature Guide. While fanboys will surely grasp on to this utterly amazing glimmer of hope, the skeptic in us has to wonder if this isn't just an unfortunate slight of hand, perhaps regarding the term "touch-wheel," referring to 3G+ model iPods. While we sure wouldn't complain if some "unplanned event" happened to unveil a snazzy new media device from the depths of Cupertino, we all know Apple doesn't like to leak anything from within before an official release -- but hey, we don't mind a bit of crow every now and then. [Warning: PDF link][Via MacDailyNews]
Jobs might deliver a keynote, updated MacBook Pros on September 12th?
Egads, the rumor engine has caught on fire and September 12th is to blame: HardMac cites anonymous sources (i.e. - take it with a grain of salt) that Steve Jobs still won't be present in Paris for the upcoming Apple Expo, but that doesn't mean he can't be on a stage somewhere: the rumor is that Jobs will still give a keynote, but it will be produced in Cupertino and relayed to London, Apple Europe's headquarters (where all the journalists have actually been invited to already). Let's hear it for the powers of iChat A/V.Next on the list of September 12th rumors is that, along with 23-inch Core 2 Duo iMacs, we could also see revised MacBook Pros, possibly even with Core 2 Duo shininess. For this one, HardMac cites a French student who tried to purchase a MacBook Pro online, but was given a 3-5 week shipping window - which typically happens to products in some regions when an update is imminent.Keep in mind none of this is confirmed, so if Sept. 12th turns out to be not much more than an Aperture update (after all, it is close to Photokina), keep your chin up. Apple's fall season is just getting started.
Jobs approached by student developer - doesn't fire him?
For those who don't quite get the headline: Jobs is notorious for being a demanding and quick-to-fire-you CEO; there are a few stories of His Steveness doing things like firing an employee who pulled a Porky Pig (an American cartoon character with a stuttering speech impediment) when he found himself on the same elevator as Mr Jobs.With that said, TUAW reader Florian sent us a link to this Flickr image of what looks like a WWDC attendee (student?) approaching Mr. Jobs with something on his PowerBook/MacBook. I'm sure this isn't the first time something like this has happened (with no one receiving a pink slip), but it's a great shot and Steve seems genuinely interested.Florian took the pic, but didn't have a chance to ask this guy about what was going on. If anyone knows anything, or if Mr. Guy Who Was Talking to Steve is a TUAW reader, feel free to drop us a tip (a link to our tips form, by the way, is located at the bottom of our categories list in the middle of this page) and share your wisdom.
Steve Jobs will not give Apple Expo Paris keynote
Our hearts go out to all the Apple Expo Paris attendees in the audience, for Steve Jobs will not be giving a keynote yet again this year. In fact, there won't be any keynote at all. A show representative confirmed this keynote-less announcement with Macworld UK, citing that, while Apple has seen "significant" market share gains in France lately, they also mention the whole 'open up your FairPlay, or else' issue the French government is trying to force on Apple.That doesn't seem like a very good reason for Jobs to stop delivering his theatrical keynotes, though he was having surgery during 2004's paris expo, and for some odd reason didn't give a keynote at '05's Expo either. I guess the closest you'll be able to get to Mr. Jobs this time around is some hi-res desktop wallpapers.
KAZooK is yet another mini-game compilation
Really? How many games do we need that feature quirky art styles and short mini-games. Sure, you can fight zombies, wrestle sumo-style and pilot a UFO, but with WTF and HOT PXL both coming out for the handheld, isn't this genre already a bit too crowded? The game features 30 mini-games, which seems to pale in comparison to HOT PXL's hundreds. It also features 16 characters and wi-fi multiplayer. It also featured Game Sharing, but don't get too excited: you can only play 5 of the games through this feature.Don't you agree that maybe KAZooK will be too little, too late? Especially when HOT PXL features downloadable levels to extend its life. Check out shindakun.net for more pics.[Thanks, steve!]
Woz and Buzz to take Hydrogen Hummer to South Pole
Before we dive into the actual story, lets just take a minute to sit back and appreciate just how fantastically bizarre that title is....Ok then! Mac daddy Steve Wozniak has announced that in December 2007, he and Moon man Buzz Aldrin (second person ever to set foot on the Moon) will participate in an expedition to the South Pole in which the intrepid explorers will be conveyed by Hydrogen fuel cell powered H1 Hummers. The Apple co-founder revealed his plans at Stanford University's AlwaysOn conference. The modern day eco-friendly adventure will be filmed using 3D cameras for use in an upcoming James Cameron film. According to Woz, the team has received significant input from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which runs three of its buses on fuel cells. [via Cult of Mac]
Fishing & Cooking guide
Are you looking to get your cooking and fishing skills up? Gaming Steve sent us a heads up to his latest post tilted "Clapperoth's Guide to Reaching Level 300 Cooking and Fishing in a Single Day"! It is horde based but overall it is a very good guide. The other nice benefit of this guide is that you could use the fish for the war effort. Keep an eye out for the Rainbow Fin, Yellow Spotted tail, and the Salmon (depending on which side you play). I would also highly suggest looking for a mod or two if you are going to pursue this endeavor.
Woz interviewed in Berkeley's Forefront magazine
David Pescowitz, columnist and Boing Boing coeditor, conducted a great interview of Steve Wozniak in the Fall 2005 issue of Berkeley School of Engineering's Forefront magazine. The interview includes some nifty nuggets of Wozness including why Woz's Berkeley Engineering diploma is made out to Rocky Raccoon Clark.I'm not sure I agree with Woz's prediction of 2020, however. He notes that if wireless and wired standards sift down to only a few formats, then we'll have less things to hack on and invent. I'm sure by that point we'll have a slew of new formats in non-wired or wireless ways that evenTesla couldn't imagine.[photo courtesy Forefront and Boing Boing]
No Jobs keynote at Mac Expo Paris
Apple has confirmed today that Steve Jobs will not be delivering a keynote speech at Mac Expo in Paris later this month. Instead, Apple executives (including Jobs) will host a Q&A with members of the media. "Yes, Steve will be at Apple Expo with other members of Apple's executive team," said Apple spokesperson Bill Evans in a comment to Macworld.No reason was given for the cancellation.Thanks, Fabienne!
