Apple Temporarily Halts Over-the-Phone iCloud Password Resets

Wired reports that Apple has ordered its support staff to temporarily stop processing AppleID password changes over the phone.   The move is a response to the experience of Wired reporter Mat Honan who had his iCloud account hacked which resulted in the remote-wipe of his iPhone, iPad and MacBook Air. An Apple worker with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Wired that the over-the-phone password freeze would last at least 24 hours. The employee speculated that the freeze was put in place to give Apple more time to determine what security policies needed to be changed, if any. Wired was able to confirm the policy change by calling Apple Support and attempting to reset the password on an iCloud account.   Meanwhile, Amazon has also changed their policy in the wake of the hacking report. Amazon no longer allows people to call in and change their credit card or email address settings. Hackers had taken advantage of Amazon's policies in order to expose the last four digits of Honan's credit card which was then used to take over his iCloud account.

[Source: Mac Rumours]

Next Generation iPhone Enclosure Measured at 7.6 mm Thick

Apple.pro posts scans of a story that first appeared in Chinese-language newspaper Apple Daily. That publication obtained one of the many "iPhone 5" enclosures that have been available over the past few weeks and took measurements of them. 

The thickness of the next generation enclosure was measured at 7.6 mm. The rest of the dimensions appear to be equivalent to circulating specifications leaked by case manufacturers in June:

One manufacturer we spoke to said that he was sure that the leaked images were accurate – so sure that he was already preparing to construct iPhone 5 cases and he’d be willing to ship replacements for free if they turned out not to be perfect. He enumerated three big changes from the old iPhone 4S to the iPhone 5: 

1. The phone is much bigger, measuring 58.47 mm wide, 123.83 mm high and 7.6 mm thin. The screen is 4″. 
2. The earphone jack has been relocated to the bottom of the phone. 
3. The dock connector is much smaller, similar in size to micro USB. 

The iPhone 4S measures 9.3mm in depth, so a 7.6mm thin phone would represent an 18% reduction in thickness. The width of the new iPhone is expected to be about the same as the iPhone 4S, but the height will increase in order to fit a 4" diagonal screen. 

Apple is expected to introduce the new iPhone at a September 12th media event.

[Source: MacRumors]

YouTube app removed from iOS 6 but not iOS 5 and older; Google working on a standalone version

Apple just got in touch with us regarding the removal of the YouTube app in the latest beta of iOS 6, and while it wouldn't say much, it did confirm the obvious: it's not there for a reason. The licensing deal it had with Google "has ended, but users can still use YouTube via the Safari web app." The company did affirm, however, that Google "is working" on another version -- presumably a standalone app that'll have to survive the same App Store approval process as Google Drive, Gmail for iOS and the rest of the bunch.

Interestingly, we were told that the YouTube app "would remain on iOS 5 and older," and that includes iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Granted, the amount of iOS 5 users will dip dramatically in the months following iOS 6's release this fall, but it leaves open the question of compatibility -- will the forthcoming YouTube app for iOS 6 be installable on iOS 5 and older?

All things considered, it's probably a good thing for consumers. Yes, it's another play by Apple to distance itself from its biggest mobile OS rival (Maps, anyone?), but it also gives Google the chance to reimagine the YouTube app, and perhaps even design it to showcase a great mobile experience around the company's huge original content push. Apple wouldn't comment on the status of Google's new YouTube app, nor would it speak to whether or not it had even been submitted for approval, but we're guessing the clock watchers know that September 12th is drawing near.

Update: A YouTube spokesperson has provided us with the following quote: "We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users." Not much to go on, really, but reassuring that the company's actively forging ahead with a new effort. Something tells us it'll take every opportunity to trumpet the awesomeness of its standalone app after being quietly pushed / left out of the latest iOS 6 beta.

[Source: Engadget]

Kantar On Smartphones: Samsung 45% Of Euro Sales; Apple Gained Only In UK, US; RIM Holds On In France

We have seen reports from Strategy Analytics, IDC and Canalys detailing how many smartphones that handset makers shipped in the last quarter (the takeaway: Android is still on top, with Samsung the chief benefactor); today, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, WPP’s market analytics business, has released its rolling monthly update on how that translates into on-the-ground sales in some of the biggest markets in the world. The results give more weight to Samsung’s current domination; and underscore how important it is for Apple to “wow” the market next month with the launch of a new handset.

[Source: To read the full article visit Tech Crunch]

New construction at Apple's North Carolina data center

Photos courtesy of Wired reveal that Apple's new "tactical" data center at its Maiden, North Carolina facility is well on its way to completion. Captured with the help of a decidedly low-tech airplane -- a 1949 Piper PA-11 Cub Special, if you must know -- the shots feature what appear to be the facade of the $1.9 million, 21,000 square-foot structure that was outed last month. The images also show glimpses of a second 20-megawatt photovoltaic array and what may be the foundations of the complex's planned 4.8-megawatt biofuel cell plant, which will convert biogas into electricity. With Apple's upcoming Reno project getting the rubber stamp of approval, it doesn't seem like the company will run out of construction projects any time soon. Click on through to the source link for the full set of pictures and analysis.

[Source: Engadget]

Detailed Photo Comparison of iPhone 4S and 'iPhone 5'

iPhone parts company ETrade Supply posts a detailed comparison [via iPhoneinCanada.ca] of the front panels of the iPhone 4S and what has been claimed to be the next-generation "iPhone 5". As with numerous other leaks, the new front panel shows a taller display and the FaceTime camera being moved to above the earpiece.   The blog post contains a number of images and a nearly 7-minute video comparing the two parts, showing that not only is the new part taller than the corresponding iPhone 4S part but it is also 0.1 mm thinner and offers more light transmittance and more scratch resistance than its counterpart. 

[Source: To read the full aricle visit Mac Rumors]

IDC: Apple's still king of the tablet hill with 68 percent of the market

IDC's cabal of statisticians, nerds and people who just love spreadsheets have handed down their latest document about the state of the tablet market. Of the 25 million slates shipped in the second quarter, 17 million of them were iPads -- giving Apple 68.2 percent of the market. Samsung came second with 2.4 million devices and Amazon third, although since the Kindle Fire maker doesn't reveal numbers, there's probably some guesswork involved there. Rounding out the top five are ASUS and Acer, although the former should expect to move up a place (or two), depending on the success of the Nexus 7 when Q3's results are released in a few months time.

Top 5 Vendors, Worldwide Media Tablet Shipments, Second Quarter 2012

	2Q 2012 Shipments	Market Share	2Q 2011 Shipments	Market Share	Q212 / 2Q11Growth
Apple	17,042	68.2%	9,248	61.5%	84.3%
Samsung	2,391	9.6%	1,099	7.3%	117.6%
Amazon	1,252	5.0%	0	N/A	N/A
ASUS	855	3.4%	397	2.6%	115.5%
Acer	385	1.5%	629	4.2%	-38.7%
Others	3,067	12.3%	3,668	24.4%	-16.4%
Total	24,994	100%	15,042	100%	66.2&
Unit shipments are in thousands

[Source: Engadget]

PC makers falling further behind Apple, says Canalys

Things are not looking good for PC makers in the age of the iPad.

Market researcher Canalys makes this point with PC shipment stats, which are a function of the way it sees the PC market. In short, tablets are PCs too. (And note Canalys defines "PC" generically, not the traditional definition of a Windows PC.)

That gives Apple an overwhelming lead over No.2 Hewlett-Packard. In the second quarter, Apple shipped about 21 million PCs versus about 13.5 million for HP, according to a Canalys report released today. Lenovo was a close third with 13.1 million (see table below).

"There is now a large base of replacement buyers that simply must have the latest Apple product," Canalys said in a statement. "The decision to continue shipping the iPad 2 at lower price points has opened up new customers, for example in education."

[Source: cnet - Click to read the full story]

Hulu Plus Now Available on Apple TV

Apple has quietly launched a Hulu Plus channel on Apple TV this morning. We've first received a report from one Apple TV owner who first found the channel to appear this morning and have since been able to confirm it ourselves. We've found that users may have to reboot their Apple TV for the channel to appear.Hulu Plus is a U.S. online subscription streaming video service with support from many television networks and studios. The service has been notably absent from the Apple TV despite being available on the iPhone/iPad as well as other set top boxes such as Roku.Existing Hulu Plus users can login, while new users can be billed for Hulu Plus service via their iTunes account.

[Source: Mac Rumours]

Why apps in Mountain Lion might need to see your address data

In OS X Mountain Lion, Apple has added extra protection around the address book and restricted apps from gaining access to the contents without a user's permission. This added security is beneficial for users, but it poses a communication problem for developers who need to access the address book for feedback or crash reports, says Daniel Jalkut in a post on his Red Sweater blog.Developers who generate a bug report or feedback request within their app must deal with the foreboding dialog shown above when they try to populate the fields of a contact form using data contained in the "Me" card. Not only does the dialog confuse the user, it also makes it appear that the app is doing something nefarious when it's actually not.Working off a tip from Panic founder Cabel Sasser, Jalkut has devised a way to add a friendly tone to the dialog that'll explain to users why the app needs to pull information from the address book. According to Jalkut, you can modify the Info.plist file and add a string for the NSContactsUsageDescription key. This key will tell the user why the app needs the contact information and will appear the first time the app tries to gain access to the address book.

[Source: Tuaw]

Samsung 11.8 inch tablet revealed in court documents

Dozens of Apple and Samsung products are being leaked to the public in the blockbuster patent trial that got started in San Jose, Calif., today. The latest of these leaks comes from court documents that show Samsung might be working on an 11.8 inch tablet with Retina display, according to The Verge.Codenamed "P10," this tablet would reportedly have LTE connectivity, 2560 x 1600 resolution, and a pixel density of 256 ppi, according to The Verge. This is much bigger than the iPad tablet, which currently features a 9.5 inch screen, 2048 x 1536 resolution, and a pixel density of 264 ppi...

[Source: To read the full article visit CNET News]

Jony Ive: Apple's goal isn't to make money

Speaking at the British Business conference running in London during the 2012 Olympics, Sir Jonathan Ive -- Apple's Senior Vice President of Industrial Design -- told attendees that Apple's "goal isn't to make money." Instead, per the Daily Telegraph, he told attendees that the company's primary goal is to make great products.

Ive started with Apple in 1992 and attributes Apple's success to its "near-death" experiences in the mid-1990s. "Apple was very close to bankruptcy and to irrelevance [but] you learn a lot about life through death, and I learnt a lot about vital corporations by experiencing a non-vital corporation," said Ive.

Talking about late Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Ive noted that "His observation was that the products weren't good enough and his resolve was we need to make better products. That stood in stark contrast to the previous attempts to turn the company around".

Apparently the fixation on making great products nearly resulted in the iPhone never making it to market. According to Ive, "There were multiple times when we nearly shelved the phone because there were multiple problems. I hold the phone to my ear and my ear dials a number. The challenge is that you have to develop all sorts of ear shapes, chin shapes, skin colour, hairdo... it seemed insurmountable".

Fortunately for the world and for Apple, the iPhone went on to be an amazing success, with 26 million of the devices selling in the last quarter alone.

[Source: TUAW]