Steve Jobs Didn't Want an iBookstore, but the iPad and Eddy Cue Changed His Mind

Testifying in court yesterday as part of the ongoing e-books price fixing trial, Apple senior vice president for Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue offered some perspective on the history of iBooks and the iBookstore, noting that Steve Jobs was initially opposed to such a project. As shared by AllThingsD, Cue noted that it wasn't until just prior to the launch of the iPad that he was able to convince Jobs of the potential of e-books.

“… When I got my first chance to touch the iPad, I became completely convinced that this was a huge opportunity for us to build the best e-reader that the market had ever seen,” Cue said. “And so I went to Steve and told him why I thought [the iPad] was going to be a great device for ebooks. … and after some discussions he came back and said, you know, I think you’re right. I think this is great, and then he started coming up with ideas himself about what he wanted to do with it and how it would be even better as a reader and store.”

Cue had initially suggested an e-book effort earlier in the fall of 2009, but Jobs felt that the iPhone's screen was too small to allow for a good user experience and that the Mac didn't feel like a reading device. By the time Jobs was on board, it was November, and the iPad was scheduled for a January introduction, giving Cue just weeks to line up the deals needed to build the iBookstore. 

In relating the story, Cue noted that getting the iBookstore deals done took on special significance for him, as it was obvious that Jobs was in declining health at the time. Jobs had taken a strong interest in iBooks for iPad, and was committed to showing it off at the iPad media event, giving Cue extra incentive to make sure everything was in place.

Source: Mac Rumours

iTunes Now Home to 850,000 iOS Apps, 350,000 iPad Apps

Apple just announced its fiscal second quarter 2013 earnings and, on the earnings call, revealed some information on its iTunes App Store. Apple said it now offers more than 850,000 iOS applications and that 350,000 of those applications are specifically designed for the iPad. The company also recognized $2.4 billion in revenue from iTunes, up 28 percent from the same quarter last year.

The growth is not necessarily a surprise considering Apple’s iTunes range. Apple offers 35 million songs in 119 countries, 50,000 movies in 109 countries and 1.7 million iBooks. The app store is also available in 155 countries, which Apple says covers more than 90 percent of the world’s population.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

More 'iPad 5' Cases Surface Showing Smaller and Thinner Design

With both front and rear casing parts and several case designs for the fifth-generation iPad having surfaced over the past several months, we are starting to get a very good idea of how Apple is drawing on design cues from the iPad mini to design a thinner and narrower full-size iPad. 

Building on this concept of an iPad mini-inspired design, several more cases have appeared today offering a additional glimpses at what we might be able to expect from the next iPad.

iPad 5 case (left) and iPad 4 case (right)

The first set of images comes from case maker Tactus, which shows cases for both the current iPad and the fifth-generation model, with a clear plastic mockup of the fifth-generation model showing how its features would mimic those of the iPad mini. 

[Source: MacRumors - Click here to read more]

iOS 7 Concept Features Widgets, New Lock Screen, Mission Control and More

Earlier this week, a number of Apple-focused bloggers claimed iOS 7 was running behind schedule and that it would bring a significant user interface refresh.

Designer F. Bianco has posted a set of images to Flickr with some interesting thoughts on what useful changes Apple could make to iOS 7 to improve the user experience. Apple's user interfaces will likely face new scrutiny now that Facebook has laid out a new vision for how phone users interact with their devices with Facebook Home.

One of the more interesting concepts that Bianco shows is a 'widget' mode for apps that allows users to see quick information or change app settings straight from the home screen, as well as a quickly accessible settings screen that can slide out from the side to quickly adjust settings.

Turning Bluetooth on and off, for example, takes four distinct steps and the process could be much improved with a quickly accessible preferences screen.

[Source: MacRumors]

GAME UK expands tablet sales to include iPads, more entry-level Android tablets

UK retailer GAME has been hunting for ways to stay relevant during a shift to downloadable games -- and now, that includes cribbing some style (just a little!) from Americans. Much like GameStop across the pond, GAME will soon sell a full range of tablets at 150 of its stores. The existing Nexus 7 offering will be joined by the seemingly obligatory 16GB iPad and iPad mini, although the rest of the lineup will be decidedly more frugal: options like the £100 Acer Iconia B1-A71 and £130Archos GamePad will be bracketed by a raft of mostly DGM-built slates that dip as low as £60. It's difficult to know how the expanded sales will help GAME's bottom line, although the Nexus 7 reportedly fared well enough that it's likely tablets are here to stay.

[Source: Engadget]

Hacker sentenced to 41 months for exploiting AT&T iPad security flaw

Hacker Andrew "Weev" Auernheimer was found guilty last year of spoofing iPad user IDs to gain access to an AT&T email database, and he's now been sentenced to 41 months in prison. The time was chalked up to one count of identity fraud and one count of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization. In addition to the nearly three and a half years behind bars, Auernheimer also faces another three years of supervised release, and restitution payments of $73,000 to AT&T.

Prosecutors in the case were asking for a four-year sentence, and reports say that they used both a Reddit Ask Me Anything post that Auernheimer did as well as quotes from the Encyclopedia Dramatica wiki. Auernheimer did give a statement before the sentencing, where he both read out a John Keats poem, and said that he was "going to jail for doing arithmetic."

Auernheimer has promised that he will appeal the sentencing, so this may not be the last we've heard of "Weev" just yet.

[Source: TUAW]

THX sues Apple over speaker design on iMac, iPad, and iPhone

Audio specialist THX -- whose sound engineering is used in cinemas -- is suing Apple. It's accused the Cupertino company of infringing its patented speaker tech, claiming that the iMac, iPad and iPhone are all guilty, Apple Insider reports.

The patent in question was granted to THX back in 2008. THX also claims Apple's alleged violation has caused it "monetary damage and irreparable harm", and is looking to stop the infringement and receive compensation in royalties or damages.

So what about the tech? The patent concerns "narrow profile speaker configurations and systems" -- in other words, ways of getting decent sound out of speakers that fit in slim consumer electronics goods, like desktop all-in-ones and flatscreen TVs. Specifically, the output aperture (aka speaker duct) is more narrow than the speaker face. THX claims theiPhone 4, 4S and 5 infringe the patent, as well as various models of the iMac and iPad.

Apple owns a number of speaker patents, the most recent of which was granted just last month. Though whether they share any claims of those belonging to THX, we'll have to wait and see. The last day the two companies can confer is 14 May, with the initial case set to start on 14 June.

Patent lawsuits are ten a penny in the tech world, with the biggest one by far being Apple versus Samsung. Apple won that, taking Samsung to the bank to the tune of $1bn, though the judge has since decreed that payout be slashed by 40 per cent. Apple and Samsung are heading back to court, so it's another one to watch.

[Source: CNET]

iPhone prototype is the size of an iPad

Let's jump into the time tunnel and head back to 2005, where we find this beast: an iPhone prototype the size of an iPad.

This early iPhone prototype was 5 inches wide and 7 inches tall, measuring a chunky 2 inches thick. A mystery Apple employee reveals the device in photos shown to Ars Technica.

The prototype was never designed to bear any relation to a finished design, rather it was a platform to test the technology. So we shouldn't read too much into the fact that it had a whole mess of ports: including an Ethernet port, a serial port and several USB ports, all of which were there to help developers work on the device rather than because Apple thought the finished product should have lots of sockets.

That said, the processor does show that Apple had an idea of what the chip would be like in the finalised phone: the prototype's 233MHz Samsung ARM9 chip evolved into an ARM11 chip in the model that hit shops.

When the iPhone was still just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' and Jony Ive's eyes, potential names considered include 'Telepod', 'Tripad' or 'Mobi' -- or confusingly, the 'Tripod'.

Later prototypes have also emerged, looking more like a phone but still a long way from the iPhone we know, with squared corners and small touchscreens.

[Source: CNET]

iPhone 5S Due in Summer, New iPads in April

There are a bevy of fresh Apple rumors this morning. One of them suggests that Apple will add a fingerprint scanner to its next generation iPhone and that the new device will be introduced alongside a budget iPhone this June or July. A second rumor, also published on Tuesday, suggests that Apple will instead launch the device in August and will refresh its iPads in April.

“We expect Apple will introduce its new iPhones and iOS7 in June, and start shipping the new iPhones (5S and low-cost model) in the FDD version in July,” KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo said in an investor note. “Both dates are earlier than last year’s roadmap. We attribute this to: (1) an effort to avoid repeating the fatal mistake of last year of the delayed iPhone 5 launch, which gave competitors room to grab market share; and (2) the new iPhones this year are mainly designed on the basis of the current iPhone 5, which suggests development time could be reduced.”

Kuo said he believes the iPhone 5S will run on a faster A7 processor and will offer a new “smart flash” technology for better photos. There will also allegedly be a fingerprint scanner built into the home button to increase security. He also argues that Apple’s highly rumored low-cost iPhone, which other rumors have suggested was delayed until next year, will be crafted out of fiberglass and plastic and will be sold in several different colors at the same time as the iPhone 5S.

Rene Ritchie from iMore is in agreement that the iPhone 5S be thinner and will pack a more powerful processor and better optics than the iPhone 5, but said that it will launch in August instead of June/July. Ritchie also said Apple is gearing up to launch its iPad Mini 2 and an iPad 5 sometime in April.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Apple: More Than 8 Million iPads Sold to Educational Institutions

Apple announced last week that there have been more than 1 billion iTunes U downloads across 1,200 universities and 1,200 K-12 schools. The company also confirmed to TechCrunch in a separate statement that it has sold more than 8 million iPads to schools and other educational facilities around the globe. According to AllThingsD, more than half of those sales, 4.5 million units, were sold to schools in the United States.

We already knew schools were purchasing iPads, a district purchased 26,000 back in June, but we’re surprised by the sheer number of schools that are now employing iPads and iTunes U, likely in replacement of outdated textbooks, to students as a learning tool.

The U.S. government has helped fund some school districts by providing cash to make sure that schools are currently using the best technology available to help students learn.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Amazon Releases Cloud Music Player for iPad

Apple has released its Cloud Player app for the iPad, some six months after it came out for the iPhone and iPod touch.

Your music. Everywhere. Listen to your music collection from the cloud on your iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad anywhere you are. You can download or stream your library from the cloud – or play the music you already have on your device.

Amazon has made several moves to expand its cloud music platform in recent months. It has optimized its music store for mobile Safari, made free digital copies of all CDs ever purchased on Amazon.com, and introduced a new "scan and match" service similar to iTunes Match.

[Source: MacRumors]

Norfolk Apple Shop changes name: We sell cider, not iPads!

The Apple Shop in Hoveton, Norfolk, can't help you with queries about your iPhone oriPad. That's because it sells a different kind of produce altogether, namely local cider.

Unfortunately, since the Apple Store opened in Norwich in 2009, the cider-seller has been inundated with tech queries, so much so that the owner has decided to change the name to avoid any confusion. Starting in the Easter holidays, the Apple Shop in Wroxham Barns will be renamed The Norfolk Cider Shop,Norwich Evening News 24 reports.

The shop, which has been open 20 years, only started fielding queries in 2009, when the Apple Store opened in the Chapelfield Centre, in Norwich. What with the success of the iPhone and iPad, more and more people are getting their fruit-based stores mixed up, and have been calling to ask about tech products.

"Over the last 12 months, I have been inundated with calls and it has reached as many as 25 a week," Geoff Fisher, owner of the cider outlet, told the local paper.

"My brother Stephen, who used to work for Gaymer's at Attleborough, founded The Norfolk Cider Company in 1987 and opened the shop here in 1993," the 50-year-old said. "In those days there was no such thing as an iPod or iPhone and the problems only began after I took over the shop four years ago."

Fisher said he could see how people made the mistake, as the two outlets are listed right next to each other in the phone book, with the same Norwich 01603 prefix. "It can be very funny," he said, "but some people are very rude and they slam the phone down. All I can say to them is, 'I'm very sorry, I can't help you, but please do come along and get some proper Norfolk cider to get over your sorrows."

Image credit: Bill Smith

[Source: CNET]