Apple Reporter

It’s been out for only 6 days, and already the iPhone/iPod Touch firmware version 1.1.3 has been jailbroken by the iPhone Dev Team. According to Jonathan Zdziarski, the developer of the NES.app application for the iPhone and iPod touch and also a member of the iPhone Dev Team, the jailbreak is software-based and was created by himself and six other members. From Jonathan’s page:

“I wasn’t going to post anything, but since there is a lot of confusion surrounding the 1.1.3 jailbreak, I thought I’d clear a few misconceptions up. The iPhone-Elite team and the iPhone/iTouch Dev teams have recently merged and collaborated on a software jailbreak for v1.1.3. I’ve posted some screenshots here and here. Overall, it took the work of about seven members, including myself, to craft this jailbreak - it was a true team effort. It has been previously speculated that this followed up a previous hardware jailbreak, but this is not the case. The software method we used involves some fancy command-line work, however a few other team members have already begun writing scripts to perform most of the difficult stuff, dramatically reducing the amount of time and brain power you’ll need to invest. As to why it hasn’t been released yet, we’re actually a bit torn about the subject. Some of us would like to see it released, but at the end of the day it really does make sense to hang onto the method until next month when Apple’s SDK is released.

According to the post, the jailbreak will apparently not be released soon, apparently not until past the SDK is released (end of February). This could be disappointing for those who upgraded to the 1.1.3 firmware from jailbroken devices, but we can hope that when the SDK is released there will be no need for jailbreak applications.

The last jailbreak for the iPhone and iPod Touch was 1.1.2, which required a downgrade to 1.1.1 and back to 1.1.2. There was also a variety of methods to jailbreak the iPhone and iPod Touch after this, including the TIFF exploit in Safari. With the 1.1.3 update, Apple has made it more difficult to jailbreak the devices, not unlike the catch-up game that PSP users are playing with Sony right now.

[via iPhone Atlas]

So here we are. It’s time for Macworld 2008. Refresh your browsers and get ready for an exciting morning. The keynote starts at 9 AM PST.

8:15 AM: People are beginning to get press badges for the keynote. No one has been allowed in yet, as far as I know.

8:50 AM: Press is about to be let in to the Center.

9:00 AM: People are in the Center now, Coldplay playing while we wait for the Stevester.

9:05 AM: Starting the keynote in a minute or so..

9:13 AM: Lights beginning to dim.

9:14: Get a Mac Ad playing..

9:14: Steve is on stage, talking about Leopard selling 5 million copies, almost 20% of installed base has upgraded.

9:17: Microsoft Office 2008 is shipping as of today.

9:19: Time Machine is good, but not good enough for notebooks. New product announced: Time Capsule

9:19: Time Capsule is Airport Express with build in hard drive for backups.

9:20: Two versions announced: 500 gb - $299, 1 TB - $499.

9:20: Showing Mac/PC ad for Time Machine

9:21: Second thing: iPhone

9:21: iPhone been out on market for 200 days, 4 million sold. 20,000 sold per day average

9:23: iPhone holds around 20% of Smartphone market in US

9:25: Talking about SDK coming out in February, “we wanted to give everybody something today too”… New features announced: Web Clips, Maps with GPS location, home screen customization.. etc, (just like 1.1.3 firmware)

9:28: Still demoing all the different features, SMS texting, etc.

9:30: Showing “Add to home screen” feature

9:31: Up to 9 Webclips on your home screen at a time

9:33: Showing off Locate Me feature on Google Maps, uses Google and Skyhook wireless

9:34: Update 1.1.3 is available today.
9:35: Mail, Maps, Stocks, Notes, and Weather are now available for iPod Touch (finally). $20 upgrade for iPod Touch users (WTF?)

9:35: Third Thing: iTunes

9:36: 4 billion songs sold as of last week, 20 million sold on Christmas day. 125 million TV shows sold. 7 million movies.

>

9:37: iTunes Movie Rentals

9:38: Every major movie studio is on board, Touchstone, Miramax, MGM, Lionsgate, Newline, Fox, WB, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony.

9:40: Over 1000 movies available. Watch on Macs, PCs. all iPods and iPhones on the market.

9:40: Watch the movies instantly.

9:41: Library titles are $2.99, New Releases $3.99.

9:42: Launches today in U.S., International is later in the year. Updates will follow for iPods/iPhones and iTunes.

9:45: Apple TV take two, no computer requirement, rent movies, DVD and HD + 5.1 Surround sound. Audio and Video podcasts, and photos from Flickr (woo) and .Mac.

9:46: Syncs with iTunes, HD rentals are $4.99, 100 titles available today

9:47: Showing demo of Apple TV

9:49: Preview movies from interface, see what other renters of that movie have rented.

9:51: Showing a scene from Die Hard, third time we’ve seen Justin Long today.

9:52: Searching through iTunes Movies

9:53: Showing off new UI for Apple TV

9:56: Showing Photos feature, stream directly off of .Mac servers

9:58: Showing Flickr on Apple TV, really nice looking.

10:00: Flickr causing some technical difficulties.. demo is now over, reviewing the features

10:01: Apple TV update is a free software update. Price has been dropped $70 to $229. New software update will be out in two weeks.

10:02: Welcoming CEO of Fox to stage, Jim Gianopulos.

10:05: Apple is reinventing the movie rental model

10:07: Talking about DVDs, Family Guy DVD has a iTunes compatible copy.

10:07: Stevester is back on stage.

10:08: Fourth Thing: There’s something in the air..

10:09: Macbook Air. “The World’s Thinnest Notebook”

10:10: Comparing to Sony TZ notebooks, 3 lbs — too much compromise with other features.

10:12: Macbook Air is 0.16″ to 0.76″ thick. It fits inside an envelope.

10:12: Magnetic Latch, 13.3″ widescreen

10:13: LED backlit, iSight, Macbook-like keyboard but with light sensor, multi-touch trackpad

thanks to Gizmodo for the pic

10:15: Showing off trackpad, moving windows, rotating windows, etc.

10:16: 1.8″ hard drive, 80 GB hard drive standard, 64 GB SSD as an option.

10:17: 1.6 GHz standard, 1.8 GHz option — kinda slow, isn’t it?

10:18: Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel taking stage, talking about processor size.

10:19: Steve back on stage

10:20: 45 Watt MagSafe, 1 USB 2.0 Port, Micro-DVI, Audio Out

10:21: 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1

10:22: New feature called Remote Disc for installing things via CDs and DVDs, Macbook Air has no optical drive, Superdrive accessory for $99.

10:23: 5 hours of battery life

10:24: 2GB RAM standard

10:25: $1799, ships in two weeks, preorder today

10:25: Showing ad for Air

10:27: Environmentally friendly, recyclable case, mercury and lead free display, BFR free circuit boards, etc.

10:29: Steve–First two weeks of 2008, we have updated MAc Pro, introduced Time Capsule and Macbook Air, updated iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV, and added movie rentals for iTunes.

10:31: Randy Newman about to perform

Well, that seems like it is it. Thanks for all of you who stayed for the whole thing, and an overview of all the new products will be up this afternoon.

Happy New Year! It’s 2008, and that means Macworld is in about two weeks. Unfortunately, I will not be attending (Apple Reporter doesn’t meet the requirements for a media organization), but I will keep up with the big stories from Macworld, including Steve Job’s keynote on January 14th. Also, if readers wish to inform me of any news they’ve picked up on, you can email me at kristianfreemanATgmailDOTcom.

Products

2007 was a big year for Apple. All of us who have been waiting for the moment that Apple really broke into the mainstream were ecstatic when iTunes had reached 3 billion downloads on July 31st. We were amazed when the iPhone was released on June 29th to rave reviews. And like always, we were happy to see that the iPod was/is the best MP3 player out on the market, thanks to the release of the third generation iPod Nano, sixth generation iPod (classic), and iPod Touch.

Reputation

In 2006, Apple was pretty much known for the letter “i”. There was the iPod, iTunes, the iMac, if you saw something that started with that lower-case “i”, it had to do with Apple and one of their products. This year, Apple was more than just the creator of the iPod. Apple’s market share in the computer industry rose to 8.1%, and it is now the third most-selling computer vendor in the United States. With the release of the iPhone and new iPods, Apple’s stock (AAPL) rose to the highest they have been in 4 years this December. 2008 looks to be a great year for Apple’s reputation, if they continue on the streak they’ve been going on so far.

Macworld

Like I said earlier, Macworld is in less than two weeks. With the expected announcement of the Macbook Slim and a 3G iPhone, Macworld is sure to be a big hit. The Slim, one of the most anxiously awaited products in Apple’s lineup (behind any new iPhone, of course), will probably be one of Apple’s best-selling laptops, assuming it is announced. And since AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson has already been quoted as saying the 3G iPhone is in the works, it would be surprising if it wasn’t announced at Macworld, but more surprising if it wasn’t announced this year.

Apple has a lot going for them, and with another year of high sales, it seems they can do no wrong. 2007 was my first year of being an Apple fan and a Mac user, and I am eagerly waiting 2008 and the new products I can hopefully get. As a reporter, I’d like to say congratulations to Mr. Jobs and Apple in whole for another good year. Keep on keepin’ on.

The brilliant people over at the iPodHacking forums have released a UI hack for your old (or in my case, current) iPod Video that can make the interface look pretty close to an iPhone.

The hack requires that you run Windows, as the program iPod Wizard is required. You must also not be afraid to potentially mess up your iPod, updating/changing your firmware is required and there is a possibility of error. I’ve done the hack myself, and it is definitely worth the trouble. The menu screen is really crisp and the Now Playing screen is amazing.

While I can’t offer any technical support, I can give you the link (click on the image below). There doesn’t seem to be that many problems, just a few bugs that’ll be fixed in time.

Dear Apple,

We love your products. Some of us get our paychecks writing because of you and your products. The amount of care you put into your products is visible, sometimes, but other times it just feels like you build the products that we so graciously buy half-heartedly.

I myself have had numerous problems with my Apple purchases. I received my Macbook Pro January of this year, and from day one I had a problem. I realized that it would not play DVDs. I promptly sent it in to AppleCare, and within two weeks I had it back. Since then, I have not experienced much problems with it, until recently, when a slew of problems have all shown up instantly.

The Macbook Pro, since its creation and release in early-2006, has experienced numerous issues, and I myself have fell victim to a few of them. About 4 months after I purchased the Macbook Pro, the fan began to act up. After the installing of a third-party application to detect the fans’ speed and temperature, and it was then that I discovered that one of my fans was completely unresponsive, and that the entire computer was relying on only one fan.

The next issue I can’t blame on Apple entirely. In the Northwest during the Fall, we are victim to strong winds and along with that, power outages. As I left for school in the morning, I left my Pro plugged in to the Magsafe adapter, while it was asleep. Throughout a series of power outages, my Pro stayed charged, but asleep. When I used it on a Friday night, in my bed while it was unplugged, I shut it off. The next morning, I realized my Macbook Pro was completely inoperable unless plugged in. I, for the second time, called AppleCare and began the lengthy process of sending my Mac in for repair. I’m not blaming this issue on you, however, this event spawned a new set of problems.

My grandmother, who is quite tech-savvy, let me borrow her white Macbook while my Macbook Pro was in repair. I have had it for roughly 10 days, and already there has been a problem. I have treated it excellently, almost exclusively keeping it in a case when it was not sitting on my desk. But the plastic trim at the end of the Macbook, near the trackpad, is slowly coming off, leaving a disfigured area near the trackpad.

Around the same time, I also noticed that the Magsafe adapter that came with the Pro, which as you will remember I have had less than a year, is beginning to malfunction. I have discovered that I am not the first to experience problems with it. The wiring around the Magsafe end of the power brick is now exposed, and is only functional around 33% of the time.

Note, as I mentioned earlier, that people receive their paychecks from writing about you and your products. I am one of those people. I blog about exclusively Apple news at applereporter.com. But my experiences with Apple products have been less than satisfactory, to say the least. My next item on my Wish List, which I am vigorously saving up for, is an iPhone. But will I be subject to the same problems on the iPhone as I have been with my Macbook Pro? I hope not, because both are beautiful and quite functional products, but based on my previous and current experiences, I’m not sure I can safely trust that my iPhone would be durable enough to last even past a few months.

I urge you Apple, please take the time to actually work on your products. Do not be so eager to ship things out quickly, think back to the original Macintosh, which Apple spent years on creating before they released it. I am not saying that the products right now are horrible, on the contrary, I believe them to be some of the most useful and aesthetically pleasing products I have ever seen in my life, but instead, I ask that you think about the quality of your products and how, with a little bit of time, your consumer model could change from the generic fanboy who will buy your products, regardless of the quality of the products themselves, to the regular computer user, who should not have to be afraid of bad quality.

Sincerely,
Kristian Freeman
http://www.applereporter.com

Apple has posted their Black Friday deals for this year up on the Apple Store. While there are no extravagant deals on the expensive items, there are many small price cuts that are sure to appeal to a variety of shoppers.

Here’s a list of some of the most important cuts (note: these are not all of them):

• Macbook, save up to $101, now from $1048
• iMac, save up to $101, now from $1148
• Apple Bluetooth Headset, save up to $21, now from $108
• iPod Nano, save $11, now from $138
• iPod Shuffle, save $11, now from $68
• iPod Classic, save $31, now from $228
• $100 off Office 2004 with mail-in rebate, and with purchase, only a $6.95 upgrade fee to Office 2008

For all the great deals, either visit the Apple Store today, or download this simple image containing all the deals below.

The update, now available on iTunes, adds the ability to add and edit calendar events. The function, which was only available by replacing the iPod Touch iCal with the iPhone iCal app, was one major complaint from early Touch adopters. Also in the update is the ability to see the battery life remaining in iTunes when the iPod has been plugged in, a feature which has found its way into every current-gen iPod and iPhone. The TIFF exploit, used most famously by jailbreakme.com, has also been patched, but according to Erica Sadun at TUAW, the jailbreak for 1.1.2 is now available in a simple GUI format. Any iPod Touch users find any more new features?

If you haven’t jailbroken your iPhone/iPod Touch yet, it couldn’t get much easier then this. Go to jailbreakme.com and double-tap “Install AppSnapp”. This will install Installer.app for you on your iPhone/iPod Touch, and from there you can do what you want. This does use the TIFF exploit in Safari that has not been fixed yet, but now that this is out in the open, Apple is sure to patch it up quickly.

Apple announced several additions to the iPod, iPhone and iTunes today at a news conference in Cupertino.

iPods 

The iPod Shuffle retains its storage capacity but ads several new colors.  Price remains $79.

The completely redesigned iPod Nano loses its tall slender look in favor of a short version of the classic iPod, but adds a 2″ screen for watching videos and sharing photos.  Nano also adds cover flow, a popular feature on recent versions of iTunes and the iPhone, enabling users to flip through images of their iTunes cover artwork. Both 4Gig and 8Gig options are available at $149 and $199, respectively.

The 6th Generation iPod, now called iPod Classic offers a smoother design and dramatically increased storage.  The iPod Classic is now available in 80Gig and 160Gig versions, which hold up to 40,000 songs and up to 250 hours of video.  It seems that it will not be long before an iPod that holds the entire iTunes library is introduced. I’d love to hear from any reader who has actually filled a 20Gig iPod with music, let alone 160Gig.  Prices for the 80Gig and 160Gig versions are $249 and $349, respectively.

For everyone who wanted an iPhone for everything but the phone (myself included), the wait is over.  iPod Touch offers many of the same features of the iPhone: touchscreen iPod, brilliant 3.5 inch diagonal screen, video capabilities for movies and TV shows (although not any from NBC), and, most importantly, WiFi access.  The built in Safari browser allows users to access full web pages and web services.

iPhone

The wait is over - for an iPhone price reduction and storage increase.  There is something to be said about being the first to own an iPhone, and I have drooled in envy for every one I have had the opportunity to play around with.  But I knew why I was waiting.  The updated iPhone increases minimum storage capacity from 4Gig to 8Gig, and reduces the price a whopping $200 from $599 to $399.  Take this into consideration:  Apple’s buzz campaign for the iPhone, which began in January and culminated in June with the release of the device netted Apple an extra $200 million in margins.  Not bad. They were obviously able to sell the device for the lower price at launch, but chose to milk the “early adopter” craze of mobile phone contract-breakers, gadget freaks, and even people who didn’t know what the iPhone did - but had to have one anyway.  That strategy paid off, big.

iTunes

The iTunes WiFi Store was launched today, enabling iPhone or iPod Touch users to access over 6 million songs from any WiFi connection.  Users can browse the iTunes catalog, listen to 30 second previews, and purchase and download songs to their device.

Posted by Leigh Fatzinger On Message Blog 

apple, ieverything, itunes, leigh fatzinger, iphone, ipod nano, ipod touch, ipod classic, wifi, itunes wifi, iphone wifi, ipod nano

Apple today announced 3 billion songs have been sold on the popular music portal since it launched in 2003. Here’s a quick look back on the history of the numbers:

• 4/28/03 - iTunes Store launched.
• 2/23/06 - 1 billion songs downloaded (34 months to sell one billion songs)
• 1/9/07 - 2 billion songs downloaded (10 months to sell one billion songs)
• 7/31/07 - 3 billion songs downloaded (7 months to sell one billion songs)

This is pretty impressive. So let’s hear it…what was your first iTunes purchase? What was your first contribution to the 3 billion Apple has now sold.

Alright, here’s mine, taken from the “View My Account” area of iTunes:

May 2, 2003

• Eminem - Sing for the Moment
• Eminem - Without Me
• U2 - Stuck in a Moment (Acoustic)
• U2 - I Will Follow (Acoustic)
• U2 - Beautiful Day (Live from Boston)

Total Purchase: $4.95

Looking forward to seeing some of the playlists…

apple, itunes, 3 billion songs, first purchase, leigh fatzinger, eminem, u2, view my account, ipod, iphone, i will follow, beautiful day, stuck in a moment, sing for the moment, without me

Of course, Apple is silent, but Digitimes is reporting today that Taiwan-based Wintek is soon to ship touch-screen displays for the next generation iPod video. In addition, other Taiwanese suppliers are beginning to ship components for the new iPod that share some of the same functionality as the iPhone.

Some sites are claiming that this prediction might be inaccurate, and that Apple will wait to launch in January at MacWorld Expo. However, Apple Reporter believes the company will launch the next generation iPod in late summer or early fall, giving the company time to release an updated iPhone (likely with more storage) before the holiday shopping season.

UPDATE: THIS CONTEST HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

I am creating a new masthead for Apple Reporter. That little “talking bubble” is getting so passé now that Apple Reporter is gathering momentum (and readers) don’t you think? There are some guidelines to follow, of course, and a deadline, and of course, prizes! So what’s the scoop? (more…)

Amazon announced today that it was finally opening its long-rumored DRM free music store. You an look for it to open later this year. With a full catalog of DRM free music and 12000 choices so far, is this a threat to iTunes? Not really. Apple continues to be at the forefront of the DRM free fight with the remaining three record labels (EMI being the only major label who has already signed on with both Amazon and Apple). Steve Jobs continues to use his heavy hitting industry clout to bend the last hold outs to his will, er, make them sign a DRM free agreement for his customers. (more…)

One state’s government sees iPods for the potential learning tool that they are. Michigan is considering a $38 Million budget allocation for the purchase of iPods for every child in school in Michigan. This would mean a tax increase for Michigan citizens, causing it to face the major hurdle of convincing parents to pay to buy an iPod for their own kid as well as someone else’s - a tough mental leap for most people.

Why buy iPods for every kid in school in Michigan? Michigan is acknowledging what many already know - the iPod’s potential as a learning tool. It’s video capability, audio capability, recording capability (with additional software) and it’s interactive quality make it ideal for downloading lessons, tutorials, homework and more onto its compact and portable hard drive. Students could have every book for English on their iPod instead of carting them to class each day. While some subjects aren’t feasible for download on iPods due to the small screen, you can still use the iPod to hold tutorials for them, or to transfer them onto a student’s home computer. The possibilities are endless.

Read Apple’s take on using the iPod in education here.

Read the full story here.

Apple started a test program in recent months that made their systems available at Best Buy brick and mortar stores. It worked so well in the handful of Best Buys that carried their products that they have reached an agreement to expand. Now you can get your daily recommended dose of fruit at 200 more Best Buy stores.

The program has been tried a few other times with limited success, notably in 1998 and in 2004. Recent successes have been credited to an increase in store employees trained in Apple product usage and sales (it isn’t just their operating system and look that is different than the Microsoft world). The first stores to add Apple to their product lineup are the stores that have experienced a slow down in sales of Windows products.

In addition to adding Apple computers to the line up at hundreds of select Best Buy stores, other products will make an appearance as well. iPods and Apple TVs will be sold in every Best Buy store when the program starts. The iPhone is rumored to be making an appearance as well, if Best Buy offers Cingular/AT&T sign up along with it, as it is still under contract as a Cingular exclusive.

I think apple making their products more available to more consumers is a smart move. They have been in limited Circuit City stores and nearly all CompUSA stores for some time now, and show significant improvement in sales from it.