Posts in news

Steve Jobs To Take “Medical Leave of Absence”

According to a press release that just went out, Apple’s board has granted Steve Jobs a medical leave of absence. He will stay as CEO and Tim Cook will handle day to day operations. In the letter to the Apple team, Jobs says he wants to focus on his health and will still be “involved in major strategic decisions”. He is confident Tim Cook and the executive management team will manage to accomplish the goals set for 2011.

It is unclear at this point what the reason for this medical leave is; Jobs underwent a liver transplant in 2009 and, similarly to today’s news, Tim Cook took over day to day operations at Apple. In 2004, Jobs contracted Pancreatic Cancer, which he beat.

All we can say is – get well soon, Steve.

Press release below. Read more

First iPad 2 LCD Screen Picture?

Over the weekend, several blogs reported of “2x” graphic files (which we spotted last August) found in the iBooks application binary that suggested an increased resolution in the next generation iPad. Apple, in fact, uses the “2x” suffix to separate graphic elements belonging to non-Retina devices from those designed for the iPhone 4 Retina Display. The rumored increased resolution for the iPad 2 would be 2048x1536 pixels, double the current one.

As noted by MacRumors, website GlobalDirectParts (the same company that posted leaked photos of the CDMA iPhone parts weeks ago) is now selling an “iPad 2 LCD Screen” for $218.19. The website also sells screens replacement for the first-generation iPad and a variety of other Apple products. The $218.19 price point seems to suggest higher production costs for the new screen, which may or may not imply a higher resolution built-in the unit.

The same website has also update its catalogue with an “iPad Vibrating Motor” (the current iPad doesn’t have vibration like the iPhone) and a white iPad 2 that, however, it’s just a mockup from a few months ago. According to recent speculation, the iPad 2 will come out in the first two weeks of April with an SD card slot and a higher resolution screen.

Apple Asking Federal Government To Fight iPhone Jailbreak?

In spite of the Digital Copyright Millenium Act marking the iPhone “jailbreak” procedure as legal, it appears that Apple is still going after hackers and jailbreakers who modify its mobile OS to install unapproved apps and use the handset on unsupported carriers, the NBC reports. By definition, “jailbreak” refers to a set of tools and hacks used to run software and third-party apps Apple doesn’t want in the App Store, whilst “unlock” is a term to indicate the hacks that allow users to let the iPhone work on carriers that don’t support the device, like T-Mobile in the US or other carriers worldwide. Unlock tools and various jailbreak techniques have existed since the original iPhone came out. Most notably, unlock app Ultrasn0w and jailbreak software like PwnageTool, Spirit, Blackra1n and Limera1n. Read more

iPad 2 with SD Slot, Higher Res Screen? iPhone 5 To Feature Apple A5 CPU?

A report posted tonight by Engadget reveals several details of future Apple products scheduled for a 2011 launch, such as the iPad 2, the iPhone 5 and the successor to the second-generation Apple TV. Engadget’s track record with Apple scoops has been very solid, and the details are very interesting.

According to sources close to the website, the iPad 2 will feature a higher resolution screen similar to the iPhone 4’s Retina Display, but won’t be have the same DPI. In the past, we’ve heard rumors about the next-generation iPad featuring a display with higher pixel density, and we actually spotted higher resolution images in the iBooks app for iPad months ago. Those images suggested a 2x increase in resolution. Engadget also claims the device will have a SD card slot – that bigger hole we’ve seen in cases and mockups recently wasn’t a speaker, apparently. The iPad 2 is set to come out in April, won’t feature a USB port and will be “lighter”. Read more

The Beatles On iTunes: 5 Million Songs Sold In 2 Months

On November 16, 2010 The Beatles came to iTunes. The ever-popular Liverpool band was one of the big holes in Apple’s digital music offering, and an option long pursued by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who also happens to be a huge fan of the Fab Four. In two months, 5 million songs and 1 million albums of The Beatles have been sold through iTunes, Apple told The Loop.

Two weeks after the initial release, Apple announced 2 million songs had been sold. Clearly sales have slowed down a bit, but it’s an impressive figure nonetheless. And just like when 2 million songs were already out of iTunes, the most popular album is “Abbey Road”. Most popular song in the U.S. is “Here Comes The Sun”.

November 16 might not be a day we’ll never forget, but it sure marked the beginning of a lucrative relationship between Apple and The Beatles.

What Is This Psychedelic Macintosh Helmet?

Matt “Kid Chameleon” Loniero is an audio engineer / graphic designer / DJ who creates visual experiences for live performances of other DJs and bands. He also likes to experiment with stuff. A lot. And his latest experiment, a Macintosh Plus helmet with an embedded iPad connected to a Bluetooth keyboard, is one of the coolest things we’ve seen in a while.

The visualizer helmet is made of a Macintosh Plus bought on eBay, which had its inner parts removed. A bicycle helmet was then placed inside the case together with an iPad. In the live performance you can watch below, this was the setup:

For this specific performance, we used an iMac connected to several projectors and televisions around the room and above the bar. The iMac was running Resolume Avenue and the video was triggered using a MIDI keyboard and a Wiimote. The iPad was connected to a bluetooth keyboard which allowed me to press play on the iPad video and press the B button on the Wiimote at the same time Kid Chameleon started his set.

If you missed the first DJ set in Phoenix, you can get the chance to see Kid Chameleon perform live again tonight at the LA Art Mix at the Gallery Godo in Glendale, CA. Check out the video below, and more photos here.
Read more

App Store About to Hit 10 Billion Downloads, Apple Celebrates

Nearly 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store, which was launched in 2008. In January 2010, App Store downloads topped 3 billion; during Summer 2010, Apple reached the 5 billion milestone. Now, it’s time to get to the 10 billion figure, and Apple wants to celebrate and “say thanks” by giving away a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card (also valid for the Mac App Store) to a lucky user who will download the 10 billionth app.

Check out the contest’s official rules here, entrants have to be at least 13 years of age and resident in a country where the App Store is available.  You can also enter without a purchase or download by filling this form.[9to5mac via iSpazio]

Rumor: iPhone 5 with “Apple A8” Dual-Core Processor?

According to the latest rumors coming this morning from Digitimes and Apple Daily, the next generation iPhone, the “iPhone 5”, will adopt Qualcomm’s chipsets, which use substrates from Kinsus IC. Similar rumors surfaced months ago after Intel acquisition of chipset maker Infineon.

According to this report, the iPhone 5 is set to come out in the second quarter of 2011 (announced at the WWDC, we guess?) and will include a new “A8 processor”. Currently, the iPhone 4 is based on the “Apple A4” processor, which is a combination of a ARM Cortex-A8 CPU and a GPU. From the reports of this morning, as also noted by Slashgear, it is unclear whether these rumors of a new A8 processor are pointing to an upgrade of the current Cortex-A8 or a new, rebranded Apple version of the CPU that might suggest a move to a dual core processor, like two Apple A4s combined.

Today’s reports don’t tell much about the details of this new processor, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Apple taking existing technology and rebrand it to their own name like they did with the Apple A4. Furthermore, a dual-core processor in the iPhone 5 would help Apple stay relevant considering what manufacturers are doing on Android with the Tegra2.