Bob Mansfield to Focus on New Products, Other Execs Take Over Management Duties

Earlier this week, Apple executive Bob Mansfield stepped down from his management duties at Apple in order to focus on 'special projects' -- reportedly working on the development of entirely new products for the company.

Now, 9to5Mac has additional details about how the shake-up affects other executives.

Dan Riccio, who was promoted to lead Apple's hardware engineering teams when Bob Mansfield first retired last year, will gain oversight of the company's antenna design teams in addition to his current leadership of Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod engineering.

Jeff Williams, who, as Senior Vice President for Operations, has been Tim Cook's right hand man for years, will take over the job of managing Apple's special projects engineering teams, while Mansfield gets to continue working with Apple's newest and most cutting edge designs without the distraction of management.

 According to a source familiar with the former Technologies team, there has been a lack of formal internal communication regarding the reasoning behind the management shift. However, the company did make the new executive roles clear to these employees. Even with the lack of communication, sources say that the change is not unprecedented. Over the last couple of months, Mansfield is said to have been increasingly focused on chips (and some aspects of wireless) while delegating his other teams to other executives.

9to5 goes on to note that though Mansfield would like to retire at some point, he will likely never fully leave the company. Given the lengths that Tim Cook went in order to keep Mansfield at Apple, it's likely he will be given free reign to work whatever hours and on whatever projects he wishes.

Source: Mac Rumours

Google to release Apple-like 'Find My Phone' app at long last

One of the few OS perks iPhone owners have still held over the heads of their Android compatriots is Apple's official -- and free -- app for locating and remote wiping a lost device.

After years of user complaints and shoddy third-party variants, Google has finally answered iOS's "Find My iPhone" feature with a locator of its own: the Android Device Manager.

To be released later this month, the app will let Android users find and ring a misplaced or stolen device on a map in real time, as well as wipe its contents remotely. The feature will be available for users running Android 2.2 or later.

Google's solution to the increasing problem of device theft comes at a time when smartphone manufacturers have seen mounting pressure from authorities to add software-side features that could help curb what has been called a violent crime epidemic. Some initiatives, discussed at a meeting between lawmakers and tech giants like Apple and Samsung in June, have included the potential for a "kill switch," which would permanently brick a stolen device and make it worthless for resale.

But just how violent is smartphone theft -- which has picked up the unique law enforcement nickname of "Apple picking" -- becoming these days? Examples abound, including the killing of a 26-year-old Museum of Modern Art employee for his iPhone in the Bronx and the mugging of a Crown Heights, Brooklyn woman over her Android device at gunpoint.

Source: CNET

Apple proposes new terms in e-books battle

Hours after the Department of Justice and 33 U.S. states proposed a set of remedies for Apple to comply with following its July loss in the e-books price-fixing case, the company came back with its own set of terms and called the government's proposals vague, overreaching, and unwarranted.

In a brief filed Friday, the company called the government's proposed measures a "draconian and punitive intrusion into Apple's business, wildly out of proportion to any adjudicated wrongdoing or potential harm."

Apple maintained that it did not violate antitrust laws, and that an earlier settlement struck with publishers means the behavior that the court found to be anticompetitive has already ended and can't recur.

But if the court does issue an injunction, Apple said, it recommended that it place "reasonable limitations on Apple's ability to share information," prohibit agreements with publishers from having "most favored nation" pricing pacts that give Apple the best price, and "reasonable antitrust training obligations for Apple, lasting a reasonable term."

Earlier Friday, the Department of Justice proposed a remedy that would require Apple to terminate its existing agreements with five major book publishers, staff a court-appointed monitor to keep an eye on internal antitrust compliance policies, and allow competing companies like Amazon to link to purchasable content within their e-book apps.

A plan from either side still requires court approval. The court will hold a hearing on proposed remedies on August 9.

Last April, the Justice Department sued Apple, along with five of the six largest book publishers in the U.S., accusing all parties of conspiring to set e-book prices and break Amazon's hold on the market with its Kindle e-book reader. Apple became the sole defendant in the case after the publishers made deals with the Justice Department.

A federal judge last month ruled that Apple violated antitrust laws, following a trial in the Southern District of New York. Judge Denise Cote said the Justice Department proved that publishers conspired together to eliminate price competition for e-books, and that Apple played a central role in that conspiracy. Apple has said it plans to appeal the decision.

Source: CNET

Moto X software: it’s aware of you, so you should be aware of it

The Moto X is finally here. We knew quite a bit ahead of time, but now that it’s official, we can talk about it… officially.

The hardware is definitely not top of the line, but the workaround for that is software. If you have a phone in which the software takes great advantage of the hardware, it forgives the shortcomings quite a bit. So, how will the Moto X take asdvantage of the hardware? Waht software feature(s) will set it apart? The answer is one you probably already know.

Contextual awareness, or creepiness?

Android 4.2.2 backs everything up, and it’s a strong base layer for everything that’s going on here. Most importantly, the contextual awareness is there. Our initial reactions to that feature were wonderful. Now that we know the phone will learn your voice exclusively, the contextual application appeals to us much more. People won’t be able to accidentally activating your device, and kids in the car won’t have another way to bug you from the back seat.

The Moto X is always listening, too. That’s really good for a hands-free environment, like driving a car or riding a bike, but some find that a bit creepy. Fortunately, it seems to be activated by those key words of “Okay, Google Now”. So, you can curse drivers on your bike, and the Moto X won’t necessarily know you’re blaspheming all over the city.

The Camera

Many reports on the camera software note it’s terribly stripped down, and that settings are somewhat hidden. This is because the device is meant to capture all of your moments, and quickly. A simplified UI for a camera would allow for quick shots, and the “shake to take” feature is also helpful for that. We haven’t seen much from the camera yet, but we’ll be sure to give it a thorough overhaul in our review.

Soft on software

If you’re going to have limited hardware, you’re going to need good software to make it appealing. Motorola has done that much, with a very slight skin over Android and a really nice contextual twinge. There is enough about this one to question, and camera UIs are subjective, but the software seems to fall in line with the real aim of the device: simple, and simply useful.

Source: Android Authority

Apple Acquires Low-Power Wireless Chip Developer Passif Semiconductor

 

Apple has purchased Silicon Valley-based wireless chip developer Passif Semiconductor, reports technology writer Jessica Lessin. The company, which Apple has reportedly been after for several years, specializes in low-power communication chips that could be used to improve battery life in wearable devices such as Apple’s rumored iWatch. 

Passif develops communication chips that use very little power. Its technology, which includes a radio that works with a low-energy version of Bluetooth called Bluetooth LE, is promising for health-monitoring and fitness devices that need extra-long battery life. (Apple, of course, is working on one of those.)

Apple has confirmed the acquisition, with Apple spokeswoman Amy Besette givingAllThingsD the following statement: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans." 

According to rumors, battery life is one area where Apple has struggled in its iWatch development. A report in March suggested that the batteries in Apple’s iWatch prototypes were only lasting a couple of days, with the company targeting at least 4–5 days of battery life. 

After trademarking the iWatch name in a number of countries, Apple has been pouring its resources into the smart watch in recent months. The company hired a number of new employees to join the iWatch team, including health sensor experts, as the iWatch is said to focus on health related applications and biosensors. 

Passif's low-power chip technologies could also be used in other Apple products going forward, improving battery life across the board. In addition to Passif, Apple has acquired a number of other small companies in recent months, including Locationary and HopStop.

Source: Mac Rumours

Moto X: The first true anti-iPhone

The iPhone 5 may have found its polar opposite in Moto X.

For better or worse, Moto X -- which was unveiled Thursday -- is everything the iPhone is not. Rather than a tightly controlled look and feel for the device, Motorola will let customers tweak the colors and materials. Instead of the latest specifications, Moto X employs a solid -- but not cutting-edge -- set of hardware features. Instead of a proprietary operating system built for one device, it runs on an open platform available to hundreds of other phones.

"This is the blueprint for where Motorola and Google are going to go from here," said Ramon Llamas, an analyst at IDC.

While Moto X can be considered the anti-iPhone, it is not is an "iPhone killer." Despite the gratuitous use of that title over the last few years, the iPhone has not been felled by any device, and Motorola's latest won't be that lucky phone...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

Virus Protection on your Mac - Do you need it ?

For many many years I have used an Apple Mac, my platform of choice. This is not for any reason other than it seems to disappear into the background and allow me to get my work done. Having used Windows based computers for many years and having worked as an IBM Engineer, my feelings were somewhat tainted with ongoing support issues for many co-workers experiencing downtime due to viruses. This is not to say that things have not improved a great deal for Windows users, with many solutions out there.

Back on track now… I want to cover the subject of Mac OS X users and if we are now under threat like our Windows friends and users? Well, to a certain degree yes we are. As the Mac platform has grown in popularity there are definitely virus & malware threats out there. In addition to this, there are also concerns about people snooping on our data and phishing for personal information. For virus protection, we have limited choice on the Mac and I personally am still not convinced we need to load up our Macs with virus software. There is another solution out there though, that can certainly protect us from a lot of online threats and that is a VPN. In the video below I discuss my thoughts further on this subject and invite you to share in the comments any Mac virus experiences you have had.

You can check out HotspotShield here … a great VPN option.

Microsoft Office for Android officially available, but don’t get too excited just yet

After launching an official but limited iOS Office application a short while ago, Microsoft has finally released a similar app for Android.

The Office Mobile app can be downloaded now free of charge from the Google Play Store, but don’t get too excited about it, as there are several limitations in place.

For starters, you will need an active Office 365 subscription to use the application. Furthermore, the app is compatible with devices running Android 4.0 and higher, and does not have tablet support.

But most importantly, we’re not looking at a full-fledged Office mobile client here, as users won’t be able to do everything they’re used to doing with Office apps on their desktops.

Here’s what the application will let you do once you get it:

• Edit – You can make quick edits to Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents.
• Documents Remain Intact – Formatting and content remain intact when you edit Word, Excel, or PowerPoint documents on your phone.
• Edit While Offline – Your device doesn’t have to be continuously connected to the network to work on an Office document that is stored online. You can view and edit recently used documents even while you’re offline. Your changes will be saved online when your device reconnects to the network or to Wi-Fi.
• Create – You can create new Word and Excel documents on your phone.
• Comments – You can review comments that have been made in Word and Excel documents on your phone and add your own comments.
• Share – When you’re done with your edits or comments, simply send the document in email or save it to SkyDrive or SharePoint.

However, we can only hope Microsoft will further update the app to add more functionality to it. Also worth mentioning are cloud- and email-related features for the app. Office Mobile will let you open documents from the cloud (SkyDrive, SkyDrive Pro, SharePoint), access recent cloud documents and even email attachments.

While there are other app alternatives for Android users to Office Mobile, including Google’s own Drive, the app will surely be appreciated by those users that spend a lot of time in Microsoft’s Office environment.

Source: Android Authority

Newly leaked NSA program sees 'nearly everything' you do

The National Security Agency has a secret program that allows it to see just about everything a person does on the Internet, according to a new report.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who is still holed up in a Moscow airport, has reportedly leaked to The Guardian new details on a high-powered, secret program run by the U.S. government, called X-Keyscore. The Guardian, which obtained slides of a presentation the NSA reportedly gave to employees, claims that the program is the "widest-reaching" intelligence system.

According to Snowden's files on X-Keyscore, NSA employees can, with just a few clicks, obtain everything from phone numbers to e-mail addresses. The agency also can see e-mail content, full Internet activity, browser history, and an IP address. According to the files and Snowden, the NSA can essentially see everything a person is doing on the Internet without the need for a warrant...

Read the full story here. Source: CNET

iOS 7 Beta Suggests Non-Retina A6-Powered iPad Mini in Development

According to the iOS 7 beta, Apple is testing a new iPad mini model that includes an A6 chip -- the same as the current iPhone 5 -- and a non-retina display, reports 9to5Mac.

The information was sent to the site by developer Nick Frey, who found the details inside a file that lists all the iOS devices that support iOS 7. The A6 processor would be a logical upgrade for the iPad mini, advancing its main processing chip to the next generation.

 According to the provided information, Apple is considering three new iPad mini models: iPad “2,8,” iPad “2,9,” and iPad “2,10.” The respective code names for the devices are J75, J76, and J77. This points to one WiFi-only model and two cellular-compatible models (just like the current iPad minis).

As for what these new iPad minis will feature, the references state that the devices include the “s5l8950x” processor. This is the same A6 system-on-a-chip inside of Apple’s iPhone 5, and this would offer significant speed improvements for the iPad mini compared to the current A5-based model.

Current iPad mini models are nicknamed '2,5'; '2,6'; and '2,7'. 9to5Mac also notes that the models don't include references to '@2x' code that relates to Retina-display supported artwork -- that code is included in the iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad, leading the site to conclude that the new mini will not include a Retina display.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has vacillated in recent months over Apple's plans for the iPad mini, most recently saying that a Retina-equipped device would launch sometime in March or April of 2014, with Apple not planning to upgrade the device at all until that time.

It's possible that this non-retina iPad mini is merely a device in testing, but while Kuo has a strong track record, it's always possible that Apple could change product release plans at the last minute.

Source: Mac Rumours

Photo of Plastic Packaging with 'iPhone 5C' Name Surfaces

An image posted on Chinese site WeiPhone appears to show plastic retail packaging marked with the name "iPhone 5C". If the packaging is genuine, and it has not yet been confirmed to be, it could be for Apple's long-rumored plastic iPhone.

The "C" designation would presumably refer to the various color options available on the rumored lower-cost device. 

The packaging appears to be a white plastic box that would hold the device and associated accessories and documentation. A front cover, unseen in the photo but perhaps clear to show off the various color options for the device itself as seen on Apple's iPod lineups, would appear to rest on a small lip around the interior. 

A number of photos showing plastic rear shells alleged to be for Apple's rumored lower-cost iPhone have surfaced in recent weeks, and Apple is rumored to be launching the device alongside the iPhone 5S later this year. 

The WeiPhone forums are a fairly frequent source of Apple rumors, although the site itself does not frequently report on them, making it difficult to determine a steady track record as posting in the site's forums come from a variety of different posters. Still, the alleged plastic packaging and official look of the "iPhone 5C" moniker appear to have some legitimacy, and would increasingly make sense as Apple may be gearing up for a launch of the low-cost iPhone this Fall.

Source: Mac Rumours

Apple SVP Bob Mansfield Leaving Exec Team; Will Work on 'Special Projects' Reporting to Tim Cook

Apple Senior Vice President Bob Mansfield has been removed from Apple's Leadership website in the past 24 hours with no explanation.

“Bob is no longer going to be on Apple’s executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to Tim,” company spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD.

He declined any further explanation, refusing to comment on the reasons behind Mansfield’s abrupt demotion or whether Apple plans to appoint a new SVP of technologies.

Mansfield is currently Senior Vice President of Technologies reporting directly to Tim Cook, a position he took last October, overseeing a group focused on innovation in wireless technology and semiconductors. 

His page has been completely removed from Apple's website, though it is still visible on Google's cache.

Last year, Apple announced that Mansfield would be retiring, but several months later announced he would instead be staying at the company. Later, it leaked that Tim Cook had faced an "insurrection" after Mansfield announced his retirement, and Cook gave him an extremely generous benefits package.

At the time, it was reported that Mansfield had committed to stay at Apple through at least 2014, influenced in no small part by the departure of former iOS chief Scott Forstall.

Mansfield has been instrumental in Apple's success in recent years, overseeing the development of the very successful MacBook Air notebooks, as well as recent iPhone and iPad designs.

Source: Mac Rumours