Apple picker An 8 megapixel camera for the iPad, new adventures in the App Store, a dangerous virus for OS X, ongoing lawsuits with Proview or other open Apple Stories in the world. You can read about that in today's edition of Apple Week.
8 Mpx camera for iPad 3? (February 19)
The Hong Kong server Apple Daily brought images that compare the back of the iPad 3 with previous generations. What is very noticeable in the photo is the size of the camera lens. Apple Daily claims that the new iPad should get an 8 Mpx sensor, probably similar to the one in Sony's iPhone 4S. There has been speculation about a better camera before, wild guesses were even 5-8 Mpx, but considering the use of the iPad, eight megapixels seem rather unnecessary.
Source: 9to5Mac.com
Other classic adventure games in the App Store (February 20)
One of the best game genres for the iPad is definitely the classic point&click adventures that were very popular in the 90s. We can increasingly see remakes of original popular games such as Monkey Island or Broken Sword. One of the other classics in the App Store is Beneath a Steel Sky. The game takes place in a cyberpunk world ruled by a big brother whose corners our protagonist Robert Foster roams.
The second classic is purely Czech and is followed by the release of adventure games such as Mrázik or Polda. We are talking about Hot Summer 2 with the main character Honzo Majer, who finds himself in the wild west thanks to the powerful spell of an Indian shaman in order to save a local Indian village. Although the animations and graphics are not stunning considering the age of the game, Hot Summer will impress you with its excellent humor and, above all, the excellent dubbing of Zdenek Izer, who provided the voice of most of the characters.
Sources: TheVerge.com, App Store
The next Apple data center will be in Oregon (21/2)
Along with the massive growth of cloud usage, technology companies are building more and more data centers. At Apple, the launch of iCloud was linked to a billion-dollar investment in a data center in North Carolina, now the news of the creation of another one, this time in Prineville, Oregon, is officially confirmed. The giant data storage facility will be located on a 160-acre plot of land purchased by Apple for $5,6 million. Facebook's data center is already located nearby.
Source: macrumors.com
iPhone saved a Dutch man's life (February 21)
According to the diary The Telegraph a Dutch businessman was shot. This would not have been unusual if the bullet had not been stopped by the iPhone he was carrying in his inside pocket. The bullet went through the phone and hit the 49-year-old Dutchman's tissue, but was slowed enough to miss his heart, where it was heading due to its trajectory. The man was shot while sitting in his car and the glass played a role in reducing the kinetic energy. A similar story happened in 2007, when an American soldier's life was saved by an iPod.
Source: TUAW.com
Sandboxing in the Mac App Store from June 1 (21/2)
Apple has once again extended the deadline for developers to implement sandboxing in their applications. The original deadline was until March 1st, now there is time until June 1st. At the very beginning, Apple intended that the entire process would be completed by the end of last year. However, there are many questions about sandboxing, so everything is being postponed.
We have already reported on the function of so-called sandboxing previously. In short, we repeat that it is a method where each application has its own "sandbox" where it can save its data and from where it can also take it. However, it cannot extend beyond this "sandbox". Apple says sandboxing is important mainly for system security.
Source: MacRumors.com
The Netherlands will be the twelfth country with an Apple Store (February 22)
It will officially happen on March 3, when the country's first brick-and-mortar Apple store will open in Amsterdam. It will be located downtown, spanning two floors of the Hirsch Building. Until then, the event is classically highlighted by windows covered this time with orange, which is the national color of Holland.
Source: TUAW.com
Tim Cook would like Facebook integration (23/2)
On Thursday, February 23, a meeting of Apple shareholders took place, where they had the opportunity to ask the company's management about various topics. One of the shareholders asked Tim Cook if he sees Facebook as a friend or rather like juice. Cook chose the first option as his answer. Just as Apple integrated Twitter in iOS 5 and will do so in the upcoming OS X Mountain Lion, item Facebook under the button Share still missing.
"We cooperate quite a lot with Facebook, the users of our devices use Facebook in an enormous amount. I've always thought that two huge companies like this could do even more together."
The same shareholder slyly asked Cook about the Apple TV rumors. Unsurprisingly, Cook did not comment on the query. Other questions also related to the cash that Apple has at its disposal. Today it amounts to approximately 100 billion US dollars. Cook only added that they and management are intensively thinking about how to handle the money.
Source: TheVerge.com
Proview is suing Apple over the iPad even on American soil (February 23)
Proview is currently suing Apple in China over the use of the iPad name, whose trademark the Chinese claim they own, but Apple bought the rights to use that name back in 2009. But now Proview has filed a lawsuit in a California court for fraud. According to the bankrupt company, Apple acquired the rights dishonestly. The rights to use the iPad name were to be bought for £35 to be used as an acronym for IP Application Development, Ltd., which Proview said did not explain the real purpose of the acquisition. Apple, on the other hand, claims that it obtained the rights legitimately, and the Chinese company simply refuses to recognize the concluded agreement. It's hard to tell from our perspective what the truth is, but I wouldn't be surprised if Proview, which has declared bankruptcy, is trying to use any means possible to get its hands on the money.
Source: TheVerge.com
Apple bought Chomp, with the help of which it wants to improve the App Store (February 23)
Apple acquired startup Chomp, which was founded three years ago and which is supposed to help Apple improve search in the App Store, under its wing for about 50 million dollars (approx. 930 million crowns). Along with about 20 employees, the technology developed by Chomp is also heading to Cupertino. Such a deal is nothing new from Apple - the Californian company much prefers to buy smaller companies that have talent and technology, rather than large corporations that would cost much more money and may not bring such a benefit.
Source: MacRumors.com
Statistical differences between the Android Market and the Apple App Store (February 23)
Canalys compared the prices of the 82 most downloaded paid apps on Android and iOS and found that the prices of the latter are two and a half times lower. 100 out of 0,99 iOS apps sell for 22 cents, while only XNUMX out of XNUMX apps on Android are under a dollar. Meanwhile, iOS developers earn on average three times more than their competitors.
Another difference is that of the top hundred apps found in both stores, only 19 appeared in both top 100 best sellers at the same time. Considering that on the other hand, the Android Market has a much larger percentage of free apps than Apple, we can evaluate the situation by declaring a strong difference between the two systems in terms of app distribution.
Source: AppleInsider.com
Flashback.G Trojan Attacks Macs (24/2)
Intego's VirusBarrier security suite for OS X has started alerting to a new Trojan named Flashback.G. It mainly infects Apple computers with an older version of the Java Runtime and its insidiousness consists in obtaining user names and passwords on Google, PayPal, eBay and other websites. Although Macs with OS X Snow Leopard and older versions of the Java Runtime are most at risk, even machines with the latest version are not safe, but must first accept the certificate.
The problem is that the certificate looks like it was signed by Apple itself. Users thus have no reason to mistrust and will happily accept it. If you've noticed apps crashing frequently, your computer may be at risk. For peace of mind, you can try installing the aforementioned VirusBarrier X6 software, which promises to detect Flasback.G and remove it.
source: CultOfMac.com
Apple had to ban Push email in Germany because of Motorola (February 24)
Apple forced to turn off push for iCloud and MobileMe mailboxes, which is to blame for patent disputes with Motorola. Fortunately for us, the ban applies "only" to neighboring Germany. Official announcement was released on 23/2 and contains, for example:
“Due to recent patent disputes with Motorola Mobility, iCloud and MobileMe users will not be able to use push email delivery on iOS devices in Germany.
Apple believes that Motorola's patent is invalid and therefore appeals the verdict.
Push still works without restrictions with contacts, calendars and other items. To check incoming numbers, users have no choice but to turn on fetch or open the Mail application manually. Apple commented on this limitation as follows:
“Affected users will still be able to receive new emails, but new messages will only be downloaded to their iOS devices if the Mail app is open or if retrieval is configured in Settings at certain intervals. Push email delivery on desktop and laptop computers and the web interface is not affected in any way as a service from other providers such as Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync."
Source: 9to5Mac.com
New Apple Story in Europe, Australia and North America (February 24)
Apple Stories are opening all the time and all over the world. The latest speculation is that the apple store should make its way to Stockholm, Vancouver, South Perth and possibly Seattle again.
According to job postings on a Swedish website, it looks like Apple is about to open its first Apple Store in Scandinavia, namely Sweden. If the forecasts come true, the store will most likely be located in the capital, Stockholm. Another Apple Store should appear in Perth, Australia, where there is already one. However, the new one should be in the South Perth area, which is a 10 minute drive away. The Apple Store should open here in September. Job offers also indicate the opening of a new Apple Store in Vancouver, in the Coquitlam Centre. If an Apple Store were to actually grow here, it would be the fifth in the area. And it's possible that Apple is planning a second store for Seattle, it likes the University Village location.
Would it be possible to fix the "8 megapixel camera for the iPad"? That's extreme :-D