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- CoPilot Live now offers almost complete nav app for free
Filed under: iPhone, App Review
ALK Technologies, the creators of CoPilot Live, have released a free version of their navigation app with some catches.
The free version, called CoPilot Directions [iTunes link] has turn-by-turn navigation, trip planning and 2D maps. You can download the whole map database over Wi-Fi (not via iTunes) or you can download individual states or cities to save space on your iPhone.
If you download the free version, you get a free, 30-day sample of the complete app, including voice navigation with street names, 3D views, and the ever important option to update to the full version. After 30 days users can opt to continue using premium voice-guided GPS navigation with a 12-month or 30-day subscription via in-app purchase ($19.99 and $2.99 respectively), or they can simply continue to enjoy free lifetime use of map-only, turn-by-turn directions.
CoPilot Directions sits alongside a feature-complete version called CoPilot Live North America [iTunes link], which costs U.S. $34.99 and allows in-app purchases of live services, like Traffic Reports, Gas Prices, and Live Local Search. We reviewed that version of the app and found it to be about average in terms of ease of use, accuracy of the database, and features. I don't see any way to update to CoPilot Live North America from CoPilot Directions, so if you go with Directions you are stuck and unable to recoup any of your investment. Potential buyers should carefully consider which way they go, because after a few years the subscription option gets expensive.
As a result, I think ALK has complicated, rather than simplified the choices for consumers. Even if you opt for two years of CoPilot Directions, it costs more than CoPilot Live North America.
The free version is fine, but without any voice prompts it's not the safest way to get from point A to point B.
CoPilot Directions also has run up a pretty significant negative score at the iTunes Store, with customers complaining mainly about the accuracy of the maps. Other were quite pleased with it, especially for the price.
ALK also offers versions for the UK and Ireland [iTunes link], as well as CoPilot Live Europe [iTunes link]. The app runs on the iPhone 3G and 3GS and requires at least version 3.0 of the iPhone OS.TUAWCoPilot Live now offers almost complete nav app for free originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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iPhone - iTunes - Ireland - iTunes link - Apple Inc.
Переслать - Beta beat: Backup your Blu-ray discs with MakeMKV
Filed under: Software, Video, Beta Beat
You know that it's possible to backup your CDs with iTunes and your DVDs with Handbrake, but what about that new Blu-ray disc (BD) you just received during the holidays? Macworld has a good write-up of a beta utility called MakeMKV that will rip both DVDs and BDs to perfect quality MKV format.
Bare in mind that this will require having a connected or internal Blu-ray drive that can read said discs. This is currently a bit of a novelty in most Macs being that Steve Jobs considers the whole thing a "bag of hurt." However, if your system meets the hardware requirements, you're ready to go off on your first Blu-ray ripping journey without the typical mess involved.
Macworld's test resulted in a file nearly 32 GB in size as compared to the original 35 GB on the physical BD. While this is useful for those of you with a farm of terabyte-sized drives at your disposal, for others, a lower quality backup is acceptable. If space is a concern, or you want to put a copy on your Apple TV, it's possible to use previously-mentioned Handbrake or Video Monkey to transcode into a lower quality (but still excellent) file.
MakeMKV is available now for free while in beta. The Blu-ray ripping functionality is only free while the software is in beta so grab it while you can. Once the beta period ends, only the DVD-ripping will be free.
[via Macworld]TUAWBeta beat: Backup your Blu-ray discs with MakeMKV originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Chuck vs. Sanctuary smackdown: Which product tie in wins?
Filed under: App Review
Two shows. Two iPhone tie ins. One TUAW fighting ring. Two will enter; one will leave. Whose cuisine will reign supreme? No wait, that's Iron Chef. Anyway, which show's tie in will take the crown and walk away with the "Worth Downloading" title? Let's have a quick look.
In the left corner, wearing the black and white NerdHerd-colored shorts is Chuck. The well-loved (yet criminally underwatched) NBC show Chuck is now entering its third season. Its ongoing story is about a friendly IT guy who has been sucked into the world of international intrigue.
Chuck a character-driven comedy/action show that should be on everyone's must-watch list. Its hero, Chuck Bartowski, works "undercover" (so to speak) at a BuyMore store, a large box chain modeled on Best Buy. Torn between his public and secret life, the show somehow manages to balance Chuck's emotional growth with the kind of spy-centered action you'd expect from a high concept series like this. If you're not watching this, start. Really. No, I mean it. Go set your TiVo now.
The "Chuck Me Out" iPhone app [iTunes link] is available for free on App Store. It provides a simple photo overlay game. You select an existing photo or snap a new one the built-in iPhone camera. You then select a show-themed overlay, and mail, tweet, or plant a facebook with the result. With "Chuck Me Out", you can create NerdHerd (think "Geek Squad") ID tags, backstage all-access passes for the fictional rock group Jeffster, or you can just substitute faces into cast-member poses. Overall fun factor? Kind of meh, except for the super fanatical Chuckaholic who might get more than a single chuckle. (See what I did there? Yes, that pun was totally intended.)
The interface gets a solid Randy-from-Idol "it's awright." For example, the icon choice for "insert a picture" is a camera, making you wonder how to use a picture from your current photo album. (Answer? A pop-up menu appears after tapping the camera. You then choose the source for your image.) Minor fail that could easily be improved in a future update. The sliding row of photo templates is, on the other hand, a nice touch.
The overall functionality is pretty limited and the product branding is, as you can see from the screen shot here, extreme. If you want to stick your face (or your loved ones' faces) into NBC advertisements, well, there's now an app for that. But realistically, I'm not sure why this app would remain on anyone's phone for more than a day or two. TUAW gives "Chuck Me Out" two NSA Agent John Casey grunts out of ten.
In the right corner, wearing the fur-covered monster-style shorts is Sanctuary. Sanctuary airs on SyFy. It just had its second season finale last weekend, where we got to see a guy strip naked in order to jump into a jacuzzi with an ancient giant undersea spider posing as the goddess Kali. Later, he performed a Bollywood dance number for said ancient giant undersea spider to prove his love and affection, while Dr. Beckett from Stargate turned into a fish. Seriously, folks, I cannot make this up.
More of a hit-or-miss proposition than Chuck, Sanctuary offers some great character actors (in the form of Bigfoot, Jack the Ripper, Nicola Tesla, and the local werewolf) and a production staff ripped from the greater Stargate franchise. It's about a group of people who instead of protecting the world from monsters, protect the monsters from the world.
Its best moments occur when the show steps away from its formulaic monster-of-the-week scenario (sometimes it's the humans that are the monsters, sometimes it's the monsters that are the monsters, and it's just a given that all persons, regardless of species, are monsters if they hold administrative positions) and focuses on the growth of the main characters. (Meh, who am I kidding? Sanctuary folk, would you please just give us more Tesla/Druitt/Henry/Bigfoot? Thankyouverymuch.) The show's uneven but it's made its way onto my DVR season pass. It's been renewed for a 20 episode season next year, along with the other SyFy Stargate franchise: Stargate Universe. (That's the one with Hamish McBegbie as the lead psychotic scientist.)
Sanctuary's App Store entrant is "Sanctuary and Beyond" [iTunes link]. Unlike the Chuck app, it will set you back $0.99. Rated 12+, S&B offers "exclusive video clips", which are basically exactly the same extras you'll find on the Sanctuary Season 1 DVD. I'm afraid I'm going to be a little harsh here, but this app is a serious contender for worst App Store app ever made. It's got a horrible interface, bad design values, and from the bottom up (looking at the app bundle on a jailbroken system), it's just been thrown together. Badly.
The name of the app that underlies "Sanctuary and Beyond"? It's "Metranome.app". Presumably it was put together by the Canadian-based Metranome company, who didn't bother naming the application to match the branding for its client. The application works like this. You press a download arrow. And then you wait. Without any status indicators at all. Until videos fully download.
You just sit there with the app sitting on your iPhone, and the iPhone sitting on a desk. You leave it open. And wait. And wait. And wait. Until the videos download.
While you do that, there are any number of utterly and completely useless buttons that make no sense and don't help you do anything. For example, there's a search button. That lets you search through, well, nothing. There's an options button that offers less than useful settings. There's a help button that...well, you get the idea.
If you do actually finish sitting around and waiting, eventually, a number of videos will download to your iPhone. And then you can watch them. On a teeny tiny screen. Without the ability to use Apple's video out capabilities. Because you cannot then save or move them to your built-in albums. Whatever.
So here's what I recommend. Go ahead and jailbreak your system and install ssh. (Dont' forget to change your password from "alpine"). SFTP into the mobile user folder and locate the application folder that holds the Metranome.app, and from there into Documents/media. Just ftp the mp4 videos to your PC or Mac and watch them there. It will be far more satisfying and may even justify the buck you spent to buy the app. Alternatively, just buy the DVDs (or get them from your local library) and watch them in high def on your big screen TV.
TUAW gives "Beyond Sanctuary" its first ever score of Negative Five Werewolf IT techs. We simply cannot recommend this app for purchase.
And, oh yeah, Chuck wins.TUAWChuck vs. Sanctuary smackdown: Which product tie in wins? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Earthquake survivor says iPhone helped save his life
Filed under: Odds and ends, iPhone
Here's a remarkable story coming out of the horrendous tragedy in Haiti. Colorado Springs resident Dan Woolley was at a Port-au-Prince hotel when that tremendous earthquake struck, trapping him with a compound fracture in his leg and a laceration on his head. Fortunately for Dan, he had his iPhone and a medical app with him (plus a lot of luck), which he used to successfully diagnose and treat his injuries.
Using the light from his iPhone's screen, Dan examined his wounds and identified the extent of the damage using the unnamed app. From there, he looked up the appropriate first aid techniques and applied them with pieces of his own clothing. Later, as he waited to be rescued, he diagnosed shock, again using that medical app.
First aid apps are well represented on the App Store, and might prove crucial in an emergency. The US Army First Aid Manual [$1.99, iTunes link] and Survival Guide [$1.99, iTunes link] may be suitable for you; if you want more clinical information and CPR help, the free WebMD Mobile [iTunes link] or CPR Hero [iTunes link] may deserve a spot on your phone. There's also a podcast to help you learn the techniques of CPR for child and adult rescue.
It's an amazing story of survival, and we wish Dan and everyone affected the best. If you're looking for a way to support the relief efforts, you can do your part -- and get some great software to boot -- today at Indie Relief or Mac Bundle Box.
[Via MacDailyNews]TUAWEarthquake survivor says iPhone helped save his life originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Chinese counterfeit iPhone workshop raided
It's well known that China has a significant black market problem, especially when it comes to electronics, including the iPhone. Earlier this week, Chinese officials reported raiding a factory in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen in Southern China, where they seized 1,000 counterfeit iPhones and arrested 28 workers, according to Shenzhen Daily.* The factory was allegedly operated under the name Chuanglida Communication Tech Co.
The cost of a counterfeit iPhone isn't clear, but estimates put them at 500 yuan (approximately US$74 as of this writing). Legit iPhones sell for 5,000 yuan. The report notes that Apple is sending staff to Shenzhen to learn more about the case.
Last month, Apple gained control of the "i-phone" trademark in China after a long dispute with manufacturer Hanwang Technology who held the trademark for a device they briefly sold in 2003. Official iPhone sales in China have been disappointing, with China Unicom (the country's 2nd largest provider) announcing 100,000 units sold between the October, 2009 launch and December, 2009. China Unicom represents some 144 million users.
[Via iPhone Savior]
*Note: The Shenzhen Daily site is down as of this writing. The link included above is the Google Cache version whereas the source link below links to the original site.TUAWChinese counterfeit iPhone workshop raided originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - It's Wednesday, time for another TUAW TV Live broadcast at 5 PM ET
Filed under: Video, Podcasting
Not only is it Wednesday, but it's just one week -- seven short days -- until Apple announces something. We don't know what the announcement is all about, but we know where and when it will happen.
So, while we bounce off the walls in fanboy anticipation, you can burn off some of that excess energy by joining your host Steve Sande for what is becoming a Wednesday tradition: TUAW TV Live.
It's free, it's fun, and it's live! All you need to do is come back here to TUAW at about 5 PM ET (2 PM PT) and there will be a special post with information about watching or participating in the show. We use Ustream to do our live broadcast, and you can watch existing episodes of the show at http://ustream.tv/TUAW/.
Some of today's scheduled topics:- When an app shouldn't be an app
- Original Mac marketing videos
- A quick app review or two
- Michael Grothaus' second article on what you want in iPhone OS 4.0
- Upcoming announcements on Monday (financial) and Wednesday
TUAWIt's Wednesday, time for another TUAW TV Live broadcast at 5 PM ET originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Ask TUAW: Automatic file sorting, Disk Utility, iPod battery replacement, and more
Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Ask TUAW
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about automatically sorting downloaded files, using Disk Utility to change partitions and format external drives, using a KVM in a multi-platform environment, replacing an iPod touch battery, and more.
As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.Creesh asks
My Downloads folder is always cluttered with different types of files. Is there any way to have the files I download automagically move to their associated folders? For example, have PDF files go to Documents, movie files go to Movies, pictures to Pictures....etc. Is there a solution for this? I would be cool with paying. But any solution would be welcome.
You want Hazel ($21.95) from Noodlesoft. We've covered it quite a bit, and I use it myself. It installs as a Preference Pane and allows you to set up custom rules for sorting files in selected folders (somewhat similar to email rules in Mail.app). Once you have Hazel installed it would be quite easy to set up the sorting system however you like.I should also mention that you could accomplish something like this for free using Folder Actions and AppleScript or Automator. However, I would still recommend Hazel for its power and ease of use.
Claire asksI'd like to know what the best settings for formatting a flash drive or external hard drive using Disk Utility are. What does the 'Journaled' in "Mac OS Extended (Journaled)" refer to, e.g.? Or the 'case-sensitive' in the other options? Do I need to do anything in the Partition tab? Or does that only matter if I want to be able to boot from the drive?
This really depends on what you want to use the drive for. If you ever want to use the drive on a Windows (or other non-Mac) machine you should probably format it as FAT32. If you're only ever going to be using it on Macs it would be best to format it as Mac OS Extended (HFS+) Journaled. Apple has a nice explanation of journaling; the upshot is that it helps protect from data corruption & speeds up integrity checks after unexpected disconnections or crashes; it should be turned on. The case-sensitive option refers to treating files with upper-case and lower-case names differently (e.g. "Test.txt" would be different than "test.txt"). Unless you have a specific technical requirement to do it, you don't want to turn that on for general Mac usage.
Partitioning allows you to create multiple logical volumes on a single physical drive (e.g. some people like to separate their data from the OS volume). You probably won't need to create more than one partition. In short, if you want the most cross-platform versatility go with FAT32 and if you want the best performance on Macs go with Mac OS Extended (Journaled).
There's one more important note, if you intend to use the drive as a boot volume (system startup) or a Time Machine backup volume on any Intel Mac: click the Options button in the Partition tab and make sure the drive is using the GUID volume format instead of APM or MBR. We've mentioned this requirement before in the context of building a USB recovery drive and dealing with Time Machine backup issues. Also note that MBR volumes cannot be resized non-destructively -- we'll be discussing that feature of Leopard & Snow Leopard's Disk Utility a bit further on.
Ni_Knight asksI work at home, and I have a 15" Macbook Pro (mid-2006) running Snow Leopard (10.6.2) for personal use and a Windows XP SP3 laptop on a docking station for work. I'd like to greatly simplify my home office setup, and wanted to ask you what's the best way to do it. I've thought of getting a simple KVM to connect both computers to it and control them from one single screen/keyboard/mouse, but I have a lot of questions about this setup that Google couldn't answer for me: Are all KVM's Mac-compatible? Is there the possibility to use two screens with the same KVM? Do these KVM's support wireless Keyboard/Mouse (also very important)?
Most USB KVMs should work fine on both the Mac and PC. There are multi-monitor KVMs available (e.g. this one), but I don't really see how it would be practical with your setup since they require two DVI inputs and your MacBook only has one output. The KVM should support a wireless keyboard and mouse as long as they use a USB dongle; they generally won't support Bluetooth devices.Given your situation I think I might actually suggest something else, namely a virtual KM manager. The cross-platform Synergy allows you to control two different computers with the same keyboard and mouse. Basically the computer connected to the keyboard and mouse acts as as server and the other computer acts as a client. It's true that you'll still have to have two monitors, but it will clean up desktop and allow you to keep your hands on the same peripheral hardware.
crazyandlazy1995 asksi hav a first gen ipod touch that is about 3 years old and every nite i charge it in my iHome and now, after 3 years, it's battery life has diminished so much that I can't watch more than 15 minutes of video (and like 30 seconds of any medium-sized app/game) and my friend says the battery is worn out. TUAW, what do i do???
Apple has some tips and battery info. It might be worth trying to restore the iPod, but I suspect your friend is right. So you're looking at a battery replacement. Apple will do it, but it'll cost you $79. If you're handy you can find a lot of third-party kits online, though it will require soldering. There are also third-party companies that will perform the replacement for less than Apple (e.g. iResQ and milliamp.com). Finally, you could also just get an external battery; there are many options available.
akfromrhill asksI am a photographer on the go, looking for a portable 2.5" HD to store images. I have two 1TB external drives at home where all my work is backed up, but I need something that can keep up with me, and store a few gigs on the fly at events. I would also like to partition this portable drive to keep a clone of my MBP HD at all times. Is it a bad idea to be using the hard drive day in and day out, if it contains a valuable clone of my actual hard drive on it?
I don't really foresee any problem with doing that as long as you're reasonably careful handling the drive. I don't really see why it would matter that it was partitioned and contained a clone of your main drive. After all, you use that main drive "day in and day out" as well. I would suggest, however, that you also think about off-site backup with a service like Carbonite, Mozy, CrashPlan, etc.
Greg asksI have an external hard drive that has been partitioned. One of those partitions is for iTunes and I'm coming close to filling it up (podcasts take up a lot of space and I'm not as quick with them as I should be). Is there a way to tweak the partition sizes to accommodate the growing collection? Alternatively, can I store them on the other partitions while keeping the bulk of it in the iTunes partition?
Disk Utility now supports non-destructive partition resizing. You should just be able to go to the Partition tab to make the changes without destroying the data on the disk -- if you have enough free, unpartitioned space on the drive. If the existing partitions are filling up the drive now, you cannot resize them without backing up one and deleting it.
That said, you really should not re-partition a disk without a full backup as there's always a risk of data loss.TUAWAsk TUAW: Automatic file sorting, Disk Utility, iPod battery replacement, and more originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: Bing to be default search engine in iPhone OS 4.0?
One of the most surprising things about the next iPhone OS could be the default search engine. BusinessWeek is reporting that Apple is in talks with Microsoft to have Bing replace Google as the default search engine.
It's becoming increasingly clear that Apple's main rival is not Microsoft, but Google. The Nexus One competes directly with the iPhone; Apple is allowing Google to use Lala, for now; and with Apple's purchase of Quattro Wireless and Google's acquisition of AdMob it seems each company is gearing to directly compete with the other in the mobile ad market. "Apple and Google know the other is their primary enemy. Microsoft is now a pawn in that battle," says one of BusinessWeek's sources who is familiar with the matter.
But this isn't just about Apple and Google. As the BusinessWeek article points out, clinching the coveted default spot on the iPhone would also help Bing gain market share in the quickly growing area of mobile search. 86% of mobile searches belonged to Google in November, according to the Nielsen Co. Only 11% belonged to Bing.
For myself, I really like Bing. It took me a while to get used to it, but I think it has many advantages over Google, particularly the was it displays image search results. Microsoft also has a great Bing iPhone app [iTunes] that I find myself using more and more.
While the Bing discussions have been going on for weeks, the source notes that the search switch may never materialize. Interestingly, the article also states that Microsoft may also be lobbying to make Bing an alternative on Apple's Safari browser for Mac users. Despite this, even if the Bing deal goes through, it may not last long. BusinessWeek's source says Apple has a "skunk works" looking at a search offering of its own, and believes that "if Apple does do a search deal with Microsoft, it's about buying itself time." In other words, Apple sees search in its future.
TUAWRumor: Bing to be default search engine in iPhone OS 4.0? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Boot Camp updated: now supports Windows 7
Filed under: Software Update, Apple
If you've been waiting with bated breath to dual-boot Windows 7 on your Mac, your time has come. File under "better late than never": Apple has now updated Boot Camp with support for Windows 7.
With separate downloads for 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows 7, the download also requires an authentic copy of Windows 7 or Windows 7 upgrade, and is only supported on more recent Intel-based Macs; no Macs produced before 2007 will support Windows 7, as outlined in this Apple support page.
If you're upgrading your Mac's other side from Windows Vista to Windows 7, you'll first want to download and install the Boot Camp Utility for Windows 7, which "safely unmounts the read-only Macintosh volume on Microsoft Vista."
Let us know in the comments if you have any issues with the update.
Note: If you are already running Windows 7 on your Mac in Boot Camp, you can simply run Apple Software Update while booted into Windows to get the updated Win7-friendly drivers.
[Hat tip to MacRumors and the Apple Support RSS Twitter feed]TUAWBoot Camp updated: now supports Windows 7 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Yelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy
Filed under: Software, Freeware, iPhone, App Store
Location-based social networking on the iPhone is a tough game to play, apparently -- the popular Yelp app [iTunes link] has recently updated to version 4.0, and along with a friend finder, hooks to Facebook and Twitter, and an updated version of their augmented reality Monocle feature, they've added the ability to "check-in" from locations around whatever city you live in. When you visit a great pizzeria, for example, you can send a ping out that says you've been there along with what you think of it. This replicates the functionality of another app, Foursquare [iTunes link], which is steadily building up its own social network prowess (you may have seen the "mayor of" tweets lately -- that's Foursquare doing its thing, either on iPhone or through a desktop interface).
In this case, the imitation isn't appreciated -- Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley tore apart Yelp's new feature in a recent tumblr post, both comparing the two extremely similar "check-in" systems to each other and claiming that Yelp "copied the wrong stuff," and that Foursquare is already working on improvements to their own system.
Which is the good news for us consumers, as competition tends to breed some great innovation. Personally, I haven't been too interested in an app that helps me broadcast my location everywhere just yet, but there's no question that these are popular apps and their popularity is growing. We'll have to see what new features Foursquare has planned and how Yelp eventually responds.TUAWYelp updates with check-ins, Foursquare not happy originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Rumor: Lala acquistion to create "online locker" for music
Filed under: Rumors, iTunes, Music
We've covered speculation about Apple's acquisition of music-streaming service Lala in the past. General consensus has been that Apple is looking to use the service in a future version of iTunes, allowing users to stream their own music libraries to their computers, iPhones, and iPod touches from a remote server, thus freeing up memory space on the devices themselves.
Citing "a wide variety of insider sources," Michael Robertson, former CEO of mp3.com, claims that this speculation is correct. He says that instead of moving to a subscription-based model, Apple will indeed leverage the technology and resources of Lala to allow users to stream their music libraries from a remote server.
It will be interesting to see if Robertson and other analysts' speculations are correct. There are certainly some technological hurdles to surmount in letting millions of iTunes users stream billions of songs - my own music library is nearly 40 GB, which is twice the default data allowance on MobileMe - but licensing issues seem to be even thornier. While Robertson says that "...because users are in possession of the materials no new licenses are required from the record labels or publishers," for streaming content, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that your friendly neighborhood RIAA will disagree. However, if Apple can indeed make this streaming service happen, it will be a huge win for them, and more importantly, for us users.
[Via electronista]TUAWRumor: Lala acquistion to create "online locker" for music originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Gene Munster: 2010 is the "Year of the Mac," sales up significantly
Filed under: Apple Financial, iMac, Macbook Pro, MacBook
When Gene Munster talks, people listen.
The Piper Jaffray analyst delivered one of his missives this morning stating that his analysis of Mac retail sales in the U.S., based on numbers tracked by NPD Group, are up about 26% year-over-year for the December quarter. This is higher than the average Wall Street estimate of 19% year-over-year growth.
What does that mean in terms of units sold? Munster, who is not pictured at right, believes that translates to about 3.1 million Macs sold in the U.S. last quarter. Munster's last estimate was for Apple to sell around 2.9 million Macs, so even his own estimates are turning out to be somewhat conservative.
Munster believes that Street estimates for 2010 will need to come up. The Street shows about 14% year-over-year growth in Mac sales this year, which is well below the 20% or so growth that Apple is demonstrating. In his note, Munster wrote that "2010 is shaping up to be the year of the Mac."
Munster concluded his note with a statement that he's confident in his estimate of 9.3 million iPhone shipments last quarter. We'll all find out for sure on Monday, when Apple reports the actual December quarter results. We'll liveblog the financial fun right here on TUAW, so stay tuned next week.
[via Business Insider]TUAWGene Munster: 2010 is the "Year of the Mac," sales up significantly originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - BarMax offers bar prep on the iPhone for $1000
Filed under: Software, iTunes, Developer
News is going around about yet another expensive app bucking the trend on the App Store, but here's the twist: this one actually has a good reason for such a high price. BarMax CA [iTunes link] is an app currently out that costs $999.99 -- that's right, while most developers are haggling with customers over 99 cents, this one's selling for a full $1000. But there's actually a good reason for that. It's a bar prep app, designed to help would-be lawyers pass their bar exams. Comparable services cost up to three or four times the price of this one, so if you have an iPhone and are planning to take the bar, this could actually be a "bar"gain (sorry, please don't sue us). The app is over a gig in size and brags about squeezing 50 lbs of books into the palm of your hand -- there are test questions, reference guides, audio lectures, and practice cards all included in the app's purchase.
Of course, if you really do want to buy something like this, just getting it for your iPhone probably isn't the best way to do it -- you should probably do the research and see what other bar prep programs are out there before you jump into this one. And the app description in iTunes even says they'll ship you an iPod touch just to use the program, so even if you go with BarMax, you might as well see how you can get an iPod touch with it, right? But an app like this may show that there is a market for super-expensive apps, even if they have to fit very strongly into a specialty niche.
Of course, to learn whether anyone actually buys it, we'll probably have to wait and see.TUAWBarMax offers bar prep on the iPhone for $1000 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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