Twitter for Mac update brings photo sharing improvements, Retina display support

Twitter's showing off an updated version of its Mac app today, featuring a number of key fixes, including improvements to photo sharing and a slew of new languages. On the image side of things, you can now share a photo by clicking on the camera icon in the tweet composing module, or just do it the old fashioned way by dragging pictures from your desktop. Also new in this version is support for Macs with retina displays and a total of 14 new languages, including Dutch, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese and Turkish. Interested parties can download the update via the source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

WWDC Sells Out in 2 Minutes

Well that was fast. Last year tickets for Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC)sold out in 1 hour and 43 minutes. This year the tickets are already sold out, and it happened in just about two minutes. Unless there’s some sort of bug going on here, which we’ll keep you updated on.

WWDC kicks off on June 10 and will largely focus on software, including iOS 7 and OS X, although it’s possible we’ll see some hardware announcements like we did last year. Check out our recent article on what to expect for more information.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Microsoft’s Next Xbox to be Revealed on May 21st, 2013

Just think, in less than a month’s time, Microsoft will give us a reason to call the next Xbox something other than the Xbox 720. That might just be better news than anything they could possibly reveal at their upcoming showcase.

Both Game Informer and Kotaku have now confirmed that Microsoft is sending out invitations to select members of the press for their next Xbox unveiling. The presentation is set for 10am on May 21st, 2013 at Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters.

We have reached out to our contact for more information. Until that happens, this is all we’ve got.

Update: Our contact directed us to Major Nelson’s blog. This is what he writes there:

On Tuesday May 21^st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada.

On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at theElectronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.

We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.

What do you want Microsoft to announce for their next console? For me, I just don’t want the thing to require an internet connection in order to play games.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Tweetbot update brings new media timeline and image viewer

The popular Twitter client Tweetbot has been updated to version 2.8, bringing the addition of a new "media timeline" and image viewer for the iPhone and iPad apps. Media view allows users to see photos and images that have been tweeted directly in their feeds, with the text of the Tweets neatly located above the media.

The app's image viewer has also been updated to be faster and features a redesign. In addition, tweet details such as the number of favorites and retweets have been changed to update in real time, Instagram previews have been fixed, along with the standard bug fixes that come with every update.

To locate the new media view, scroll to the top of your timeline and tap the square next to the search button. The update is live now.

[Source: TUAW]

Tim Cook: We should have waited until 2013 to release new iMacs

During Apple's earnings conference call on Tuesday, CEO Tim Cook fielded an analyst's question regarding Apple's product releases during the Fall 2012 quarter and delivered a surprisingly candid answer.

Addressing the shipping delays that plagued Apple's new iMacs, Cook articulated that Apple should had waited to release its new iMac models until this year.

"I don't spend a lot of time looking back except to learn from it," Cook explained. "If we could run it over, frankly, I would have announced the iMac after the turn of the year. We felt customers had to wait too long for that specific product."

Cook explained that despite supply constraints for the iPad mini, he would not have changed its release date, because they were still able to get the device out to millions of customers.

While supply problems for new Apple products are not uncommon -- the company tends to push its contract manufacturers and component suppliers to their limits in pursuit of "insanely great" devices -- the shipment delays associated with Apple's recent iMac refresh were atypically long. Since its release in November, Apple struggled to keep up with demand.

For quite some time, shipping delays for the all-in-one desktop computerstretched for as long as three to five weeks. It wasn't until early March that Apple seemed to get a grasp on production issues, resulting in a much more reasonable shipping time of just one to three business days.

Apple is always keen on pushing the envelope in terms of manufacturing processes, and it's suspected that Apple's iMac supply issues were rooted in a new lamination process used to keep the new iMac screen as thin as possible.

[Source: TUAW]

Twitter Already Testing Two-Step Authentication

Twitter is close to rolling out two-step verification in response to recent hackings, according to Wired. The social network has reportedly begun internal testing before the feature becomes available in increments to users; the staggered release is to ensure smooth sailing. The extra security measure should reduce the risk of accounts, high-profile or otherwise, being hijacked, which has become a more frequent occurrence over the past few months.

Many other big-name companies have rolled out two-step verification to combat hacking. Basically, by implementing the heightened security measure, hackers will have a much more difficult time gaining access to accounts because they won’t just need a password, but a randomly generated code sent to a device, usually through SMS. I know every time I log into Google, I’m sent a six-digit code I need to input before I can actually login.

Wired wasn’t told how or when Twitter will introduce two-step verification, but with so many recent hackings, the company will surely want to get it pushed out sooner rather than later. If a simple SMS solution is planned, fine—that’s better than nothing at all. Before two-step is rolled out, though, keep your passwords safe, and watch out for misinformation from trusted sources.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

iOS 7 looms as Apple confirms 10 June WWDC conference

Apple's annual software bash is taking place in mid June, the fruit-flavoured company has confirmed -- signalling that we're less than two months away from getting a glimpse at iOS 7.

Apple traditionally uses its WWDC conference, which is aimed at developers, to showcase new software. Last year we got a first look at iOS 6, and at 2011's show we saw iOS 5 unveiled.

The event page also promises an 'in-depth look' at what's next for OS X, the desktop software that powers the firm's Mac computers.

Apple needs to show off some impressive apps, having just revealed its first profit drop in years. It still managed to scrape together $9.5bn in the first three months of this year though, selling a massive 37.4 million iPhones in that same stretch of time.

Even more pressure is piled onto Tim Cook and company for this year's WWDC, because last year's update to iOS 6 was marred by a truly disastrous Maps app.

The cartographical car crash was so naff that Tim Cook even issued a public apology. All eyes will be on Apple to see whether it can bring some inventive new software to the table, and improve its Siri voice assistant.

The conference will follow Google's I/O shindig in mid-May, where the search giant is expected to take Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie out of the oven.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

iCloud Boasts 300M Users and 20 Percent Growth in Q2 2013

During today's Q2 2013 quarterly earnings call, Apple revealed that iCloud now has more than 300 million users, a 20% increase from the 250 million that it reported during its Q1 earnings call in January. A year ago, iCloud had just over 100M users. 

Apple's iCloud originally launched in late 2011, as a replacementfor the company's MobileMe service. 

iCloud, which is designed to allow users to store data from games and music, among other things, lets users sync content between multiple Apple devices. Recently, iCloud has experienced a number of service outages, with the latest occurring this morning.

[Source: MacRumors]

Microsoft Surface Pro coming to the UK in May

Microsoft's proper Windows 8 tablet, the Surface Pro, is coming to the UK "before the end of May", according to a company blog post. The software behemoth has yet to announce prices.

The last we heard about the delayed Pro was several weeks ago, when Microsoft said it was due "in the coming months". It'll arrive in other countries next month too, covering much of Europe -- Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland -- and further afield in Australia, Hong Kong and New Zealand.

The Surface Pro runs full Windows 8, rather than the cut-down Windows RT on the Surface. That means you can run any Windows-compatible software, whereas the Surface is stuck with whatever's available on the Marketplace app store. Manufacturers including Samsung have criticised RT for being hard to understand, but it's due to get Outlook at some point this year.

While a British price for the Pro is yet to materialise, it sells for $899 (£560) in the US. The £399 Surface is cheaper in the States than in the UK, thanks to our swingeing 20 per cent VAT. Plucking a number out of thin air, I reckon the Surface Pro will be £700 here.

But that's just for the basic 64GB model, which doesn't have much free storage, and no keyboard cover. Upgrading to the 128GB model, which our CNET.com colleague Scott Stein calls "essential", and adding the cool keyboard will set you back $1,200 -- nearly £800, plus VAT. Cripes.

If you can't wait for a Windows 8 tablet, we can recommend the £600 Acer Iconia W700 and £400 Asus VivoTab Smart, both four-star machines.

[Source: CNET]

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]

Tumblr for Windows Phone Now Available

Tumblr released an official Windows Phone application on Tuesday, which is great news for those of us who have been trying to find a decent alternative. The application allows you to “post anything from anywhere,” including quotes, links, photos, text, chats and videos. You can also use the app to browse other Tumblr sites that you follow.

The company said that you’ll be able to find new content, share your own, switch between dashboard mode and Explore mode with a swipe across the screen, view GIFs right in your news feed and more. New images from your dashboard will show up on a live tile and can be set to appear on your lockscreen as well.

Tumblr for Windows Phone is free and is available now.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Apple increases dividend by 15%, poised to embark on large stock-repurchasing plan

In conjunction with its earnings report for Q2 2013, Apple issued a press release announcing some major plans for its ever-growingstockpile of cash.

In March 2012, Apple announced that the company would be instituting a $2.65/share dividend on a quarterly basis with Apple's first dividend payment to investors going out in August of last year.

Now, about one year later, Apple announced its plan to increase its quarterly dividend to $3.05 per share. The next dividend payout to investors is scheduled for May 16, 2013.

What's more, Apple also announced a massive increase to its stock-repurchasing plan.

As part of this program, the Board has increased its share repurchase authorization to $60 billion from the $10 billion level announced last year. This is the largest single share repurchase authorization in history and is expected to be executed by the end of calendar 2015. Apple also expects to utilize about $1 billion annually to net-share-settle vesting restricted stock units.

When Apple first announced its dividend and stock repurchasing plan last year, it revealed that both initiatives would eat up about $45 billion from Apple's cash reserves. Under Apple's more aggressive dividend and stock repurchasing plan, Apple notes that the company will now be using $100 billion of its cash reserves to return money to shareholders and repurchase outstanding shares.

The company expects to utilize a total of $100 billion of cash under the expanded program by the end of calendar 2015. This represents a $55 billion increase to the program announced last year and translates to an average rate of $30 billion per year from the time of the first dividend payment in August 2012 through December 2015.

For a company that was long content to sit on its growing cash hoard under the helm of Steve Jobs, today's announcement represents a monumental shift in Apple's use of cash.

Regarding Apple's new use of cash, Apple CEO Tim Cook explained in a press release, "We are very fortunate to be in a position to more than double the size of the capital return program we announced last year. We believe so strongly that repurchasing our shares represents an attractive use of our capital that we have dedicated the vast majority of the increase in our capital return program to share repurchases."

Thus far, Wall Street seems to be pleased both with Apple's earnings report and news of its expanded cash program. In after hours trading, shares of Apple are up nearly 5 percent, trading up nearly 20 points.

[Source: TUAW]