Android Payback: Apple to Cut Google Out of Stunning New 3D Maps App in iOS6

Android Payback: Apple to Cut Google Out of Stunning New 3D Maps App in iOS6

New Apple maps image based on C3 3D technology

One of the most immediate effects of Steve Jobs' legacy on Apple is an animosity towards Google fueled by what Jobs saw as the outright copying of iOS by Android. Big tech companies will always be battling titans, but this is more. This is personal.

Still, the two companies have been bound by the mutual dependence since Google's services are bundled into iOS. And iMore reports that Google may make four times the ad revenue off of their use in iOS than they do from their own Android platform. Apple wants to change that. Apple has already begun intermediating search queries though Siri, effectively cutting Google out of the valuable identity information associated with those searches. Next up is that other large data components on iOS, maps.

It was widely reported yesterday that Apple will likely announce at its WWDC in June that the new version of the built-in maps app in iOS6 will not be fed by Google maps. Instead, Apple has developed its own, in-house 3-D mapping database, based on the acquisition of three mapping software companies between 2009 and 2011, Placebase, C3 Technologies, and Poly9. The stunning 3D image above is from C3, which, according to the company, uses "previously classified image processing technology… automated software and advanced algorithms… to rapidly assemble extremely precise 3D models, and seamlessly integrate them with traditional 2D maps, satellite images, street level photography and user generated images." The video below shows a flyover of Oslo using C3′s technology.

So if this report is true, Apple will have a new maps app with much more highly-detailed imagery than Google, collected through military-style reconnaissance without the (ahem) gathering of any personal information. It is a good bet that Apple will finesse the transitions between the different map modes far better than Google's wonky shift from "map view" to "street view." What could go wrong? Although Apple now owns the source and can engineer accordingly, the new app likely runs more image data through the pipe, so performance on mobile devices—where it's most critical—is going to be an issue. Apple may have to build in detection of the processor speed of the requesting iOS device and send a thinner stream to older iPhones than to the new quad-core iPads.

There is obviously an interesting business story here about how Apple and other tech companies are trying to chip away at Google's dominance of web services. But even more interesting, to me, is the end-user's story. The bloody competition between Apple and Google is leading Apple to create more innovative user experiences for its customers, and that is a good thing. An operating system is just a container for content, and recreating content is much more difficult than just knocking off its container. By creating a new source for the content of maps on iOS, Apple is making their platform more distinct from Android, as if to say, "You can only copy so much." Although Apple is always improving user experience, this particular effort might have not happened had Steve Jobs not threatened to go "thermonuclear."

Get Apple’s multi-touch Magic Mouse functions to work on Windows

Get Apple’s multi-touch Magic Mouse functions to work on Windows

Do you have an Apple Magic Mouse and want the same functions on your Windows PC?

Thanks to a little hack from Apple’s Bluetooth Update, the Magic Mouse driver is now available with a 32bit version and a 64bit version that you can install on any ordinary Windows PC that will enable all the scrolling ‘magic’ of the Magic Mouse.

Download 32 Bit Magic Mouse Driver for Windows (most computers)

Download 64 Bit Magic Mouse Driver for Windows

Best week ever for Apple?

Who wouldn’t want to be the CEO of Apple right now? If there was ever a moment where it seemed like the Cupertino company could do no wrong, this is it. Its stock is in the stratosphere, its products continue to be treated as cultural touchstones, and one of its best-known critics just got thoroughly discredited.

On Thursday the company’s stock hit $600 for the first time. It dipped by about $15 on Friday, but still — it has seen a 50% rise since Tim Cook took over. This is nothing short of miraculous. It’s hard to remember, but there was a time when analysts talked fearfully about a “Jobs premium” that would decimate Apple shares if the founder were to pass on.

That time? Less than a year ago. Yep, score another point for conventional wisdom.

Friday morning saw the launch of the new iPad — yet another extremely well-coordinated sales and media event, the likes of which no other company can come close to managing. You can call it naked consumerism, but that entirely misses the point. Like it or not, these moments are global celebrations, and you don’t have to stand in line to catch the buzz.

This kind of unbridled optimism is rare in our world; we take it where we can get it. That’s why the attempts at mockery by Apple’s rivals seem mean-spirited and tone-deaf. (Did anyone really “get Samsunged” while waiting in line? We doubt it.)

Let’s step back and appreciate what happened here. Apple was able to bring out a tablet that is physically unchanged from its predecessor in almost every respect. It has a confusing name, and one major new feature (the retina display) which, awesome as it is, was hardly a surprise. It was anticipated in the iPad 2 as long ago as 2010.

Granted, half of the tablets had a more unexpected feature — 4G service that doesn’t hog the battery life. But even those of us who didn’t want a 4G iPad lined up in our droves. It’s too soon to talk sales figures, but there is anecdotal evidence to suggest early predictions of a million iPads sold on launch day won’t be far from the mark.

SEE ALSO: The New iPad Is a Pure Joy [REVIEW]
When I arrived at my local Apple Store Friday morning, I found myself back in line exactly as far back as I was for the iPhone 4S launch. The only difference? This time round, it was pouring with rain. Nobody cared. If voters were as committed as Apple consumers, our democracy wouldn’t be in such a shambles.

There’s one thing that could have scuppered Apple in the last six months: the marked increase in criticism over its use of Foxconn factories. Fairly or unfairly (and given the sheer number of consumer electronics companies who use Foxconn to make their products, I’m going to plump for “unfairly”), Apple’s prominence has made it the poster child for dubious labor practices in the heart of industrial China.

A giant chunk of that scrutiny was spawned by the airing of an episode of the NPR show This American Life. Performer Mike Daisey led us on a journey into Foxconn, telling us of guards with guns and children exposed to toxic chemicals. It was harrowing stuff, and led to several online petitions targeting Apple.

So there had to be sighs of relief throughout One Infinite Loop on Friday, when This American Life revealed that Daisey had fabricated those guards and those kids. Not only that, but ABC anchor Bill Weir told Mashable that he’d had his suspicions about Daisey’s claims all along.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that this could be the zenith of Apple’s fortunes. Under Cook, the company is already exhibiting signs of being overcautious. Its last three product launches (Apple TV, iPhone 4S, new iPad) have changed nothing about their outward appearance. We don’t know if the restless prototyping of the Jobs era is gone for good.

Apple wouldn’t be the first company in history to rest on its laurels, to do the bare minimum, or to focus too much on the performance of its stock. If so, Apple fans may look back with nostalgia at this moment, the Ides of March 2012.

But we hope not. We hope for many, many better things from this design-obsessed company. We’re rooting for insane greatness to win out over sane caution.

Forget the iPad 3 it’s the ‘iPad HD’

Report: Forget the ‘iPad 3’, it’s the ‘iPad HD’

By Hayley Tsukayama, Tuesday, March 6, 9:53 AM

In a little fit of deja vu, right before Apple’s next big media event the rumor mill is throwing out a report that could change how some people set their expectations for what Apple is announcing Wednesday.
The company is almost certainly revealing an iPad — it’s March and the media invitation has a picture of an iPad, after all — but there had been some debate over what it would be called. Conventional wisdom dictated that the third-generation iPad would, in fact, be called the iPad 3. Now, at least a couple of reports have tipped the scales in favor of the other widely discussed possibility: the iPad HD.
CNET and VentureBeat both sprang Tuesday morning stories proclaiming they had sources who said, unequivocally that the next tablet will carry the “HD” moniker, a nod to the retina-display that’s expected on the new device, which is supposed to have more pixels per square inch than the average human eye can distinguish at a distance of about 12 inches.
VentureBeat, citing a “reliable source,” pointed out that the HD name fits in well with a report last week from Gizmodo and previous reporting from This is my next, the site that has become The Verge. The report indicates that it might mean that users shouldn’t expect a quad-core chip in the new tablet, but plan for an updated dual-core processor instead.
So what’s in a name? The whole “iPhone 4S” vs. “iPhone 5” debate would indicate that the lack of a new number comes with the implication that this is an evolutionary — not revolutionary — change in the tablet. And Apple has previously used “HD” to indicate that its products have taken a small step forward. CNET pointed out that iMovie HD added support for 720p and 1080i video, which was a small but significant feature.
The name, then, could indicate that Apple’s planning to make this a high-end addition to its tablet line. Way back in July, Joshua Topolsky put forward that very idea, saying that the iPad HD would be an upgraded version of the iPad 2, saying “Think MacBook and MacBook Pro.”

How to Get the Best Features of Mac OS X Mountain Lion Right Now

How to Get the Best Features of Mac OS X Mountain Lion Right Now

This morning, Apple announced the next version of Mac OS X, dubbed Mountain Lion, is scheduled to be available at the end of summer. It's filled with cool new features, but who wants to wait until this summer to get them? Here's how you can get the best features of Mountain Lion right now.

Messages

Messages is a little like iChat, but it lets you send messages to iOS devices via iMessage, and if you have Mac OS X 10.7.3 on your computer, you can actually start using the Messages beta today. Just download it, install it, and start keeping your messages in sync across all your Apple devices.

Notification Center

You've probably seen Notification Center on iOS 5 as it was probably the most-desired feature lacking from Apple's mobile operating system. It provides a more subtle notification system on your mobile device and a pulldown list to see your current notification history. A similar feature will be available as part of Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Although Apple's Notification Center for the desktop is going to be a far more robust, most of us currently use Growl for notification banners. Growl will cost you a few dollars if you want the latest version, but you can download an older copy for free. The advantage of paying is that the latest version (only available for Mac OS X Lion 10.7 or later) includes a feature called Rollup, which is essentially the same as Notification Center. (See the screenshot to the right for an example.) It saves your notifications in a little window so you can see what you missed while you were away.
Growl is limited by what can send it messages, however, so you won't receive notifications for things like SMS and calls. If you're a Google Voice user you can get those notifications by installing an app like GrowlVoice ($5) or BigPhone ($5 / Free). These apps not only let you get call and text notifications on your computer, but let you respond to both as well.

AirPlay Mirroring

AirPlay Mirroring takes whatever is on your Mac's screen and wirelessly mirrors it on your television (via an Apple TV) or any other device that can receive an AirPlay transmission. You can do this right now with an app called AirParrot ($10). It provides the exact same functionality. If you want to take things a step further than Mountain Lion can offer, then you'll also want to check out AirServer. This app will let you receive AirPlay signals on your Mac so you can send video from other devices, like your iPhone or iPad, and watch them on the computer.

GateKeeper

GateKeeper is Apple's attempt at preventing malware on your Mac, and it does this by letting you decide which kinds of apps are allowed to run and which apps are not. You can run any app you download (the way things currently work in Lion), only allow Mac App Store apps or apps signed with an official Apple developer ID to run, or just allow apps downloaded directly from the Mac App Store to run. Obviously you can currently run all apps or just Mac App Store apps right now, without any fancy features, but the developer ID check is definitely something new. While we believe that you'll be just fine if you're diligent, there is malware protection and antivirus software for your Mac should you want to play it extra safe right now.

iCloud

iCloud—Apple's service that syncs all your information to the cloud and across devices—is already a part of Mac OS X, but the integration is deeper in Mountain Lion. One of the features Apple is touting in the iCloud upgrade is document sync, allowing you to access your documents across multiple computers and mobile devices. You can have that right now with InSync and a Google Docs account. InSync lets you access all your Google Docs files directly from your desktop and keeps them in sync with the online version as well as any other computers. Of course, there's also Dropbox. It's not exactly the same thing, but it will keep your documents in sync and we do love it a lot.

Share Sheets

Share Sheets is a feature that essentially places a drop-down menu in your browser (and a few other apps) so you can easily share media with others through various services. You can achieve this same effect in any web browser by creating a folder of bookmarklets—little pieces of JavaScript that perform simple functions. For example, bookmarklets exist to save an article to Instapaper or Read It Later, share on Facebook or Twitter, send an image to Flickr, send a web page as an email, and much more. There are so many bookmarklets nowadays that you really just have to search for what you want to accomplish with the word "bookmarklet" after it and you'll have it. As a result, you can build out your own Share Sheet-esque bookmarklet folder with more functionality than Mountain Lion will be able to provide.

Notes

Notes is Apple's addition of a syncing notes application to Mac OS X, but there's absolutely no reason to wait for Mountain Lion to get this functionality when Notational Velocity, using the Simplenote service, already provides this exact functionality. In fact, Simplenote is so well done that you'll probably continue to use it after you get your hands on Apple's official syncing notes application. Simplenote has apps for iOS, Android, and Windows so you have the additional advantage of using any platform you want. If you want to use rich text and images, try Evernote instead.

Reminders

Reminders is just a simple to-do app, and there are plenty of those to go around on Mac OS X already. Our favorite is Wunderlist, which is a slightly more robust task management app that works on multiple platforms so you're not syncing your to-dos with just your Mac. You can have them on your iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows computer as well. It also works in your web browser, providing access just about anywhere.

Apple Hit With Playlist Patent

Apple Hit With Playlist Patent, Suit Filed By Former Judge's Firm

A Texas shell company, Smart Audio Technologies, has filed a suit claiming Apple's iPod Nano and other devices violate its patent for random song playlists.
The suit comes just six months after a jury found Apple violated the playlist patent of another Texas entity, Personal Audio LLC, and ordered the tech giant to pay $8 million. Apple is appealing that decision.
The new case turns on US Patent 6185163 which appears to cover the 'random' function common to MP3 players:

A method is provided for altering a play list of a Random Access Player without interrupting the generation of output by the Player.

The patent was issued in 2001 and since obtained by Smart Technologies which, according to Texas state records, was formed last year.
While these type of "patent troll" lawsuits are filed everyday against Apple and other technology companies, this one is notable because Smart Technologies is represented by a new law firm founded by Joseph Farnan Jr., a former federal judge who worked in the same Delaware court where the lawsuit was filed.
Farnan is not the only one to quit the bench to represent patent plaintiffs. Last year, the judge who helped create East Texas' famous 'rocket docket' left to join the patent law firm run by his son.
Patent litigation has become huge business in recent years and has attracted major investments from private equity firms.
A Texas-based attorney for Smart Technologies, Steven Geiszler, declined to comment on which investors are behind Smart Technologies.
Playlist patents are becoming a major nuisance for tech companies. In November, Personal Audio LLC filed a suit claiming Amazon's Kindle products violated the same patent that it used to obtain the $8 million jury verdict against Apple.


Smart Audio playlist lawsuit

6 Ways to Give Your App a Leg Up on the Competition

Spend a few minutes browsing through the Apple app store and it’s easy to see the fierce competition for user attention. The number of apps has grown to more than 1 million, each vying for downloads and market share.

The app development world is still very top-heavy, with a very small percentage of developers controlling the majority of downloads and revenue. But that in no way means that a newcomer can’t build a successful app that captures the hearts and minds of consumers, and becomes the next big thing.

Since the app stores themselves control which apps are elevated and highlighted, how can you ensure your app gets time in the spotlight and the attention it deserves? Here are six tips drawn from experience.

First of all you need your own iPhone App.  Get an app developed here.

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1. Focus on Product

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The best way to get your app noticed is to build a unique and engaging product. Although that’s an article all on its own, let’s sum it up in a few key points.

Know your exact market and who you’re competing against. This will help you understand your target user — what he expects and likes and who else is offering apps to him.  

Great apps are also usually the first in their category, or apps that completely reinvent existing categories. A big sign that you have a great app is when you start seeing copycat apps. Embrace them and use them as motivation to continue.

Another element that great apps have in common is fun. You want to make your app something that users will come back to again and again, rather than a one-time, disposable thrill. Whether that means creating lovable characters or tapping into the human desire to compete, remember to deliver fun the first time and every time after.

Also, great apps are simple. No user guides should be necessary to participate, and there should be nothing to “figure out” from a user standpoint. They are intuitive and immediately easy to grasp.

Finally, the last big hallmark of a phenomenal app product is the ability for users to make the app personal through customization features. Today’s app audience is constantly wondering what’s in it for them. Allow them to make it theirs and they’ll more likely become instantly enamored.

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2. Allow Users to Engage Others with Your App

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These days, more developers are using social media as part of the app as a major key to its success. Your customers’ word-of-mouth multiplies your network a hundred times over without costing you a dime, so be sure to put mechanisms in place that allow users to talk about the app and share experiences with friends.

For example, if your app enables users to create fun videos, make sure they can share those videos with others. This type of direct experience sharing will go a long way in spreading the word about your app.  

Caveat: Don’t “over-viralize” your app with too many social features that don’t make sense.

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3. Get Media and Blogger Attention: Make It Simple

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Media attention and especially reviews of your app can really help to spread recognition. To get that kind of attention, though, you have to have a solid app to begin with, a great story around your app, and it absolutely must be easy to talk about.

The tendency is to come up with the most ingenious, compelling app, filled with loads of features but none that really stand out. This is called “feature creep” and usually spells disaster. Remember, the launch is just the beginning. Successful apps are always adding new content months after launch. If reporters and bloggers (and users for that matter) have a hard time explaining what your app is, what it does or why they like it, they’re less likely to talk about your app. Keep version one simple.

To make your app easier for media to cover, provide materials like press kits, beta codes (if necessary) and reviewer guides. It also helps to identify technology and pop culture trend stories that your app can fit into.

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4. Continue Your Marketing Efforts

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When your app launches, you’ll definitely want to have a marketing strategy in place to seize your launch window of opportunity, but it’s also important to continue marketing long after launch.

Many developers find pre-launch strategies helpful for grabbing attention. This includes creating a “coming soon” page that teases your app a bit, collecting emails for those interested in the first look, and even extending first invites to target publication audiences.

Make sure you exhaust every “co-marketing” opportunity out there with other app developers. Some major publishers will trade their app installs for your app installs. Everybody is in the same boat, in the same huge ocean of apps. You might be surprised to find that other developers are more than happy to participate in reciprocal marketing.

The important thing to remember is that app marketing windows are perpetual, meaning you should establish marketing vehicles that you can trigger at your discretion over long periods of time. That means plan, plan, plan.

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5. Use Analytics 

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When developing apps, you have all kinds of data at your fingertips to evaluate how your app is being received. Use analytics to monitor your ranking and as a marketing tool.

Become a student of the Android and iOS category rankings (e.g., entertainment vs. games). Each category has its own nuances for determining “top” rankings, so be sure to evaluate each one. Understand why the app moved up in the rankings in order to iterate and improve your own ranking over time. Additionally, if you have a good sense of what is moving the bar for your app, you can also learn from what the top developers are doing.

More importantly, in my opinion, is that you leverage the wealth of analytics available from your app to make your app better over time. Not only will the data help you iterate and improve your app from a technical standpoint, but it will also allow you to create the right content to which users connect. Once the app is live, analyze the data to update your release schedule and product roadmap.

You can also learn when your customers are willing to “rate your app” or be pitched another app in your portfolio. Analytics can shed light on how frequently you should attempt to cross-sale or suggest another item for purchase.

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6. Prepare for Success

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This tip may seem a little strange at first — who wouldn’t be thinking about success? But in reality, many apps start strong then fade and fizzle. Preparing for success is as much about your product as it is about the team behind it.

It’s crucial to structure your team in a way that supports hyper growth. It’s good to rely on a more fluid and dynamic network of expertise and project teams than a rigid structure.

Think of your app as a brand that will enable you to leverage brand extension opportunities. Build your apps to welcome future cross-promotion opportunities, rather than intrusions on the user experience.

The best way to prepare for app success is to constantly focus on keeping your users engaged. Give them more than just product updates once they’ve downloaded and become fans of your app. Give them instant fun, addictive experiences that they will want to share with friends.

Whatever your secret sauce is or has been, be sure to nurture it to keep your users wanting more — and deliver your app in a way that surpasses user expectations.

Will Apple’s TV Have a Super-Smart Touchscreen Remote?

It could be the most direct evidence so far that Apple is developing a television set: the company filed for a patent on a new kind of touchscreen remote control last September, according to a report.


The patent, made public Thursday and first reported by Apple Insider, would create a simpler remote in two ways. First, it would only show controls that are relevant or used frequently, hiding the others. Second, it would automatically detect and configure itself to control the devices in a user’s home.


The patent makes a lot of sense in the context of the recent discussion of a real Apple TV. After Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs revealed that Apple was developing a TV set, many suspected the user interface might use Siri, the voice assistant found in the iPhone 4S. Then came rumors of screen sizes and gesture controls.


The entire remote concept sounds very Apple, and the patent application’s accusation that many buttons on today’s remote controls are “clutter” and “can cause confusion to the user when trying to locate a seldom-used feature” certainly rings true.


However, one of the aspects of button-based remote controls that many users appreciate is their feel. On a remote with hard buttons, it’s very easy to locate the right button without even looking at the remote, just by touch. A remote control that’s all touchscreen would mean the user would have to look down to operate it, taking attention away from the screen.


Nonetheless, manufacturers have brought remote controls with touch screens to market before — for example, the Logitech Harmony 1000 — though those are usually supplemented with several hard buttons, and not many were successes.

Apple's iTunes Match expanding

Apple's iTunes Match offering was initially available only in the U.S. but back in mid-December Cupertino launched it internationally. There were a total number of 17 countries supported after the initial expansion and now the company is taking it one step further.

Add to those 17 countries — among which Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain — an additional number of 20, mainly markets in South and Central America.

European users in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the Netherlands will also be able to switch the songs in their collection with higher quality copies from Apple's vast library (for an annual fee).

To see whether your country is listed make sure to check the source link for the service availability.

Can Apple Become the Next Big Content Creator?

The status quo for visual content has always been that its creation, delivery and consumption have clearly delineated borders. Content creators make it, cable providers deliver it, and viewers consume it on the big screen in their living room.

In the last few years, however, we’ve seen a fundamental shift in the visual content landscape. For the first time since the advent of cable television in 1948, the lines are blurring as the quality of content created by non-prime networks — and even individuals — continues to improve. Plus, content increasingly reaches us over the Internet, consumed on whatever screen we happen to be in front of.

As rumors about an Apple television continue to gather steam, many believe that a content package of some kind will be part of any new iTV offering.

Yet for potential content creators like Apple, formidable challenges lay ahead, for instance, when it comes to attractive subscription packaging. And license holders are loathe to upset the traditional TV network model with its predictable payment model. What else lays ahead?

Who will Control User Experience?

According to recent reports, Apple could be developing a new TV (or line of TVs) that will likely carry a premium price tag and new content consumption options. This type of situation could leave a significant portion of consumer experience outside of Apple’s control. (Although, it’s not the first time Apple’s user experience has fallen outside of its control: iPhone service is controlled by cell phone companies.) So Apple may find itself at the mercy of the content creators who are licensing their content in new ways.

Apple as “Content Facilitator”

Perhaps it’s time for Apple to get into the content creation business and license its own content. Imagine if the company approached a number of successful producers and convinced them to create an Apple series, for instance, “TV Series X by Steven Spielberg, exclusively on iTunes,” or Quentin Tarantino, or Tom Hanks.

However, “content creator” doesn’t imply that Apple become the new Disney. “Content facilitator” is the more accurate descriptor, suggesting that Apple target other established, successful creators to generate compelling content that Apple would then exclusively distribute.

Exclusive Content will Drive Hardware Sales

To be sure, Apple will still need ongoing participation from traditional content holders. After all, any new content consumption package will have to include access to Glee, Grey’s Anatomy and other popular programming. But if Apple succeeds with compelling content, its exclusivity will help drive hardware sales, particularly if Apple actually releases a TV. And driving hardware sales is one of Apple’s primary goals, according to Steve Rubel, EVP at Edelman: “Seems like Amazon and Apple are really opposites. Amazon uses devices to sell more content. Apple uses content to sell more devices.”

Yes, it will be costly for Apple to develop its own content, but the company has plenty of cash in hand. Plus, non-traditional content holders have already begun acquiring content; see Netflix’s recent resuscitation of the popular Arrested Development series, and its acquisition of Fincher’s House of Cards, for which the company outbid HBO.

What I am suggesting, however, is that Apple take it further than Netflix by applying Apple development principles/excellence to content creation. That is, Apple pursues exclusive content development, then applies its high standards of excellence to the process of content creation.

For Apple, succeeding in any way with content facilitation will be a step toward loosening the grip content licensing has on the holistic user experience. The company will need to:

• Drive hardware sales. Apple will need to generate exclusive content, accessible across the full spectrum of Mac/iOS devices. Plus, a new Apple TV will drive new hardware sales and increase stickiness for existing customers.
• Create control with user experience. If the content is compelling enough, Apple will succeed in challenging the control license holders currently hold over the Apple user experience, at least as far as content consumption goes.

Those who insist Apple is outside of its wheelhouse and should leave the job of content creation to traditional creators need to realize the potential of future content practices. As Steve Jobs pointed out, things are the way they are only because people no smarter than you said they are.

Apple’s Only Dipping A Toe Into Mobile Payments, But It Could Make A Splash

Apple has yet to give a line on where it sees NFC in its future product and service roadmaps, but that doesn’t mean the company has ignored the issue of mobile payments, or decided to leave it entirely to third parties like Square to use its devices to enable the payments via other routes. Last week’s upgrade of the Apple Store app could be its boldest indication yet about where it sees a role for mobile payments in the future.

Companies already invested in NFC are further extending the ways that a consumer can use the wave-and-pay technology. Today it got a boost when Intel and MasterCard announcedthey would be offering an NFC authentication option for payments made on Ultrabooks.

But while other companies like Google and the Isis consortium develop commercial deployments of NFC-based mobile payment services, Apple is making its first forays into mobile payments on its own terms.

As part of its upgrade to the Apple Store app, Apple introduced a new service called EasyPay. The service itself is simple enough: it lets a user photograph a barcode and then look up information about the product based on that barcode. It then lets a user charge that product to his iTunes account.

EasyPay is still a very limited service: it is currently only working in the U.S. and only works for in-store purchases of “select accessories” sold in Apple’s own retail operation. That does not even include the purchase of big-ticket items like computers or phones. And according to this article in the New York Times, doesn’t look like it will add them in the future.

And Apple is not the first to offer mobile barcode scanning. Among them, companies like Neomedia have been offering mobile barcode scanning technology for years now; and the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba last July launched Alipay, a barcode-based mobile commerce service that is now available across China via an iPhone, Android or Symbian app.

But the idea of linking up such a service to a customer’s iTunes account is what gives this service real potential: in June Apple said that it had 225 million iTunes accounts, a number it has reached with steady growth rate during the past several years, notes the analyst Horace Dediu.

To be clear, Apple has not indicated that it would take this service beyond its own stores, just as it has never taken iTunes out of its own platform to make it a more universal payment system, so it remains to be seen whether it chooses to go this route.

But this is perhaps the first example of how Apple’s payments system and database can be used outside of its app store and the iTunes store, which could work with other technologies like NFC, or whatever becomes the standard for mobile payments.

And if Android handset makers, Nokia and the rest continue to push into ways of enabling mobile payments, Apple will likely do something to keep up with the Joneses, if not move past them.

Another product from Steve Jobs and Apple

It’s always said that Steve Jobs lived and breathed for Apple, up until the very day he died, but it’s easy to discount how literally true that seemingly trite adage actually was. A new anecdote from Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son puts Steve’s dedication to his company in stark relief, proving that Jobs was working on Apple’s next product up until the day before he died.

In an anecdote shared with PC Mag, Son says that he was having a meeting with Tim Cook on the same day as the iPhone 4S was announced when Cook has to excuse himself:

When I was having a meeting with Tim Cook, he said, ‘Oh Masa, sorry I have to quit our meeting.’ I said, ‘Where are you going?’ He said, ‘My boss is calling me.’ That was the day of the announcement of the iPhone 4S. He said that Steve is calling me because he wants to talk about their next product. And the next day, he died.

It’s easy to obsess about what this ‘mystery’ product is, the latest device that Steve was trying to breathe life and soul into, even as his waned. However, I’m more touched by the fact that Tim Cook still called Steve Jobs ‘his boss’. Some relationships are much deepere than titles.

iPhoto 9.2 Update Released

Apple released iPhoto 9.2 on Wednesday, an update to the company’s consumer photo management and manipulation software that adds support for iCloud and iOS 5, including iCloud’s Photo Stream feature. The update also includes support for new gestures, new navigation features, and a few bug fixes.


iPhoto ‘11


With Photo Stream, when you take a photo on an iCloud-enabled device, it will be pushed to all of your iOS devices, your Mac, and/or your PC. Photo Stream keeps the last 1,000 pictures you took, and users can grab any image from the Stream and save them or otherwise manipulate them.
Apple’s patch notes:
iPhoto 9.2 supports compatibility with iCloud and iOS 5. 


This update also addresses minor stability, performance and compatibility issues, including:

• Left and right swipe gestures can now be used to navigate between photos in Magnify (1-up) view
• Previously imported photos are now displayed in a separate section of the Import window
• Book/calendar themes and card categories can now be selected using a pop-up menu in the carousel view
• Resolves an issue that could cause some pages of books to print incorrectly
• Rebuilding a library now correctly preserves saved slideshows and books
• The update is recommended for all users of iPhoto ‘11.

The update is a 376.3MB download in Software Update, and you can see it if you have iLife ‘11 on your Mac and once you’ve updated to OS X 10.7.2 (Lion), which was also released on Wednesday.


You can also download a 357.17MB standalone installer from Apple’s download site.

iOS5 and six new apps from Apple Released

Apple has just unleashed six new applications along with iOS 5. Here’s a pictorial tour of each one. The push marks the company’s most aggressive software rollout to date.

Apple has released Newsstand, Reminders, Find My Friends, Cards, iTunes Movie Trailers and AirPort Utility. The applications are either included with an update to iOS 5 or now available on the App Store.

Some of the applications will even compete against existing third-party applications including Postcard On the Run, Postagram, Flixster, Can’t Wait!, Neer and Glympse.

Here we take you on a visual walkthrough and introduce you to Apple’s newest software creations.

With Apple delving deeper into its own application business, one has to wonder: What’s next?