Apple pays Swiss Rail $21M to use iconic clock design

US tech giant Apple has dished out 20 million Swiss francs ($21 million, 17 million euros) to compensate Swiss national rail operator SBB for using its famous clock without permission, a Swiss daily reported Saturday.

The Mondaine clock is an OK design but I think Apple could have done a better job on its own and probably could have saved a few million bucks in the process. The $21M figure represents about 10 cents per device if you figure 210M devices going to iOS 6. The exact terms of the deal weren’t given.

A SBB rep said at the time that SBB was more interested in bringing clarity to where and how Apple could use the logo than in raking in cash. ”We’re rather proud that a brand as important as Apple is using our design,” she said in September.

The clock was designed in 1944 by Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker and remains the property of SBB. It is still used in SBB’s stations.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]

Want to replace Siri with Google Search? You can via jailbreak

Google's latest version of its voice-enabled Search app may not have the personality of Siri, but it is as good, if not better, than Siri at pulling up relevant search information. If you want to replace Apple's personal assistant with Google's version, you can do so thanks to a jailbreak tweak called NowNow.

As spotted by AppAdvice, NowNow is available in Cydia and allows you to launch Google Voice Search anywhere in iOS. It requires you to install Activator and Google Voice Search, but once you set it up, it's as easy to use as Siri. If you drop Siri for Google, remember that you will lose the "assistant" features of Siri, like adding reminders and setting alarms.

Your device has to be jailbroken to use this tweak, which means it is not available to iPhone 5 users or anyone with an iOS device with an A5/6 processor on iOS 6.

[Source: TUAW]

British Airways to support Apple Passbook

An AppleInsider reader reached out to British Airways to ask about Passbook support and a helpful representative said they're already looking into it. In particular: "Please be assured that we will get our Passbook-compatible functionality live on ba.com as soon as we can." Another airline hopping on board the Passbook wagon is music to my ears. So far I'm really enjoying the (admittedly limited so far) functionality of Passbook.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple donates $2.5M to aid Hurricane Sandy victims

Apple has been making more charitable gifts since Tim Cook became CEO, and the latest organization to benefit from the company's generosity is the American Red Cross. The company donated US$2.5 million to the organization earmarked for Hurricane Sandy relief. The image above is from an email received by an Apple employee who forwarded it to 9to5Mac.

The company had set up an iTunes page last week making it easy for iTunes users to donate money to relief efforts. We at TUAW want to thank all of our readers who have used the iTunes tool to make a donation to the American Red Cross, and urge those who haven't to think about those who are still suffering in the wake of Sandy.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple gives App Store categories their own highlights, lets niche apps have 15 minutes of fame

It's tough to find truly stellar mobile apps, no matter what platform you're running, and that's even truer when delving into categories. Apple has made a gesture towards giving more titles their moment in the sun through a low-key update to the App Store in iTunes and on iOS 6 devices. Jump to at least some categories, such as games or education, and you'll get the same carousels, banners and other promotions that would normally be reserved for the main portal. The shift is a simple one, but it theoretically helps App Store shoppers go beyond the surface -- and developers to reap the rewards.

[Source: Engadget]

Display Menu brings back Mountain Lion's screen resolution to your menu bar

Do you miss the menu-bar option that allows you to select a display resolution? Recently, TUAW got pitched -- rather enthusiastically -- about a utility that helps with this. I tested it and wasn't especially thrilled by either its design or functionality. So I decided to hunt down a better solution. I quickly found one in Display Menu.

A free utility on the Mac App Store, Display Menu offers what I was looking for. With full multi-monitor support, it easily adjusted my various displays with a simple drop-down menu. What's more, it did this with a clever presentation that offers aspect hints as well as resolution values.

If you've been looking for a replacement for lost system functionality now that you're on Mountain Lion, Display Menu might be that app. Developer Thorsten Karrer did a good job creating an app that's simple to use. According to the developer, while the app supports HiDPI modes, it does not support the "two small display modes" of the Retina MacBook Pro.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple proposing new Bonjour sharing standard

In order to remedy the woes many universities are experiencing using Apple's Bonjour zero-configuration Multicast DNS technology on large scale networks, NetworkWorld reports that the company is proposing a new standard that can be built to support huge numbers of users at once.

"We targeted Bonjour at home networks, but over the last 10 years Multicast DNS -- what Apple calls Bonjour -- has become very popular," explains Apple engineer Stuart Cheshire, speaking at an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) meeting this week. "Every network printer uses Bonjour. TiVo, home video recorders and cameras use it. iPads and iPhones use it, and we are starting to get a lot of demand from customers that they won't be able to print from iPads to a printer in the next building."

Universities have been quite outspoken about their desire to have Apple step in and offer new solutions, and the wishlist of new functionality is long. Things like smooth communication between separate IP subnets and added security and encryption features are at the top of the list.

But Apple won't be doing it alone, and the IETF will play a big role in building the new standard. The task force will be meeting again in March 2013, and by that point it is expected that work on the project will be well underway.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple Store update allows use of Siri with app

The latest update to the Apple Store app isn't huge, but it does contain a couple of neat perks. Version 2.4 allows you to buy gift cards and email them to family and friends from the app. Those with iOS 6 will be able to use those gift cards with Passbook.

But the neatest thing about the update is that it integrates Siri into the app. You can now ask Siri to find prices and shop for Apple products. The urge to find the cost of a Lightning cable by voice alone ever strikes, now you can do so through the Apple Store app.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple notifies MobileMe members of iCloud.com email options

As one of the many people who purchased a MobileMe subscription in years past, you've probably already made the transition to iCloud and haven't looked back. In July of 2012, Apple noted during iOS 6 beta testing that new icloud.com addresses would be created for anyone using Apple's cloud computing solution as well as former MobileMe members. The transition to icloud.com email is apparently complete, as Apple is sending out a note to those MobileMe members telling them about their new email address option.

While Apple created a new icloud.com email address for anyone who had a mac.com or me.com address in the past, any one of those three domain prefixes can be used. An email sent to tuawblogger@icloud.com, for example, appears in any tuawblogger@me.com or tuawblogger@mac.com inbox as well. Here's the text of the Apple email:

All new iCloud Mail accounts now come with an @icloud.com email address. As an existing user, we'd like to offer you this new address as well. We have reserved [MobileMe user name]@icloud.com for you, and you can now use this address with your iOS devices and computers by following these simple instructions.

If you prefer, you can continue to use your current email address just as you always have.

No matter which address you use, you'll continue to receive all your mail, whether it's sent to your @me.com, @mac.com, or @icloud.com address.

[Source: TUAW]

Latest Apple patents include "invisible" touch controls

Apple recently filed a patent that makes touch controls disappear -- literally. The patent (No. 8,303,151) is for something called "microperforation illumination," and while the name is catchy, the technology is actually rather complex. First you pick a non-display surface of a device like a laptop. For this example, let's just say the top of the laptop's lid. Then, using microperforations in the surface itself, you pass light through the material, making a shape appear. Combining this idea with touch controls means you could soon have "invisible" buttons that appear when in use, but disappear promptly afterwards.

But the patent goes beyond just the idea of invisible controls. There is also the mention of varying sizes and shapes of microperforation, and even tiny lenses that could control the flow of light from one side to the other. However, as with all patents that make us raise an inquisitive eyebrow, there's no clear indication of what product, if any, might incorporate this rather interesting feature.

[Source: TUAW]

Apple exec Eddy Cue joins Ferrari board of directors, raises hopes for truly high-tech exotic cars

Ferrari loves to extol the advances found in its drivetrains, but the unspoken rule is that its interior technology leaves something to be desired; unless you're thinking of a 458's manettino, even a less expensive car like the Tesla Model S is virtually in another league. The automaker may be narrowing that gap by putting Apple online lead Eddy Cue on the Ferrari board of directors. Without giving too much away, Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo points to Cue's experience with the "dynamic, innovative world of the internet" as the motivation -- as good a sign as any that the Maranello team wants to take connected cars seriously. Whenever the Apple Senior VP's experience comes into full effect, we may see one of the few supercar lineups whose cabins are as advanced as the engines. Just don't look for any tight integration with Ferrari-badged Acer gear in the near future.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple may ditch Intel chips in Macs, says Bloomberg

According to Bloomberg Apple is considering a move away from Intel chips for its cherished Mac line. The move would be the third major CPU shift for the brand which has previously relied on Motorola 68000 and Power PC chips. The move away from Intel could also mean a move away from x86 as Apple has been heavily invested in its own ARM-based chip designs in recent years. Bloomberg's sources suggest that Cupertino is actively working on a version of its tweaked ARM architecture that would run inside Mac PC, in particular its laptop products could stand to benefit from its battery sipping design.

The change will not happen immediately. In fact, the sources said such a move was years away, potentially not happening till 2017. But, as the gulf between "mobile" and "desktop" products begins to shrink and the boundaries blend, it would only seem to make sense that Apple would look to leverage its high-profile purchase of P.A. Semi to good use and inch ever closer to being a completely self-reliant corporate entity. We don't think it's any secret that Apple would, if it could, design and manufacture every component itself.

[Source: Engadget]