Apple just pushed out an improved version of its desktop media player / content hub, bringing the version number up to 11. It was originally presumed that iTunes 11 would drop alongside the iPhone 5, iPad mini or the 4th-gen iPad, but instead, it has been released after many delays which we’ve documented quite well here at Redmond Pie. As well as feeling a lot lighter than it has ever done, some work has gone into reshaping the look of the App Store, as well as iTunes itself.
Whenever we talk about the executive structure of Apple, or watch a live media event, we invariably see the same names and faces; Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Phil Schiller and Eddy Cue to name a few. While they are all extremely important in the company’s structure and vital to the history of what makes Apple the company that it is today, it's worth remembering the almost forgotten names of those who played their part in phoenix from the flames story that surrounds the Cupertino company. Tony Fadell is one of those previous Apple executives who has gone onto ventures new, but it seems that Apple's departing SVP of iOS, Scott Forstall, left a bitter taste in Fadell's mouth.
There have been plenty of companies in existence over the years that have managed to invent and produce extremely powerful and useful products which have now fallen wayside and into obscurity. It doesn't just happen in the technology industry, and it goes to prove that having a good idea or the knowledge to invent a product doesn't always guarantee commercial success out in the real world, which is one of the reasons why marketing and advertising is so vitally important to companies. Apple has consistently managed to get this aspect of their business right in recent years, and now, it's possible to view every one of their television adverts in a purposely created YouTube playlist.
It still seems very strange to be talking about the success of devices like the iPad and Nexus 7 and the different levels of market share that Google and Apple hold in the tablet industry considering that this particular market didn't really exist until Apple forged it with the release of the initial iPad back in 2010. We may have recently seen the fourth-generation iPad released but it has only really been thirty-two months that companies have been competing in this space. With that said, recent figures are showing that the dominant iPad is losing some market share to Android powered tablets in the run up to the holiday shopping season.
After months of rumor and speculation, the iPhone 5 finally hit the retail market at the end of September, but while the device itself launched without so much as a hiccup (save those well-documented yield and production issues), its accompanying firmware was not so fortunate. iOS 6 had also generated a fair amount of coverage during the course of the year, and although Apple's decision to press ahead with its own in-house Maps offering in place of the old faithful Google iteration was initially seen as brave, the move quickly emerged as a strong candidate for tech fail of the year.
Apple's iPhone always manages to sell in high numbers when the holiday season approaches, and history has repeated itself once again this year. Thanks to strong sales of the brand new iPhone 5, iOS has peaked at the top of the smartphone market share in the United States, according to data collated by research outfit Kantar Worldpanel Comtech.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office find themselves extremely busy most of the year receiving, reviewing and awarding patents to various applicants, but it seems that they have been sitting on a number of Apple related submissions that have officially been awarded to the Cupertino based company today.
Whilst the idea of controlling all elements within the home from one device is a concept with futuristic overtones, it's not as though the tech isn't already in place, and one can easily find an app for a smartphone or tablet to open curtains, unlock doors, or more recently, control colorful lighting. With this in mind, Savan Kotecha - music producer for the X Factor, has laden his home in gadgets and contraptions that play nicely with his favorite iOS device - the iPad. He's spent a sum total of $80,000 (and counting) to turn his Hollywood pad into what looks like a geek's dream, and a great deal of his electrical compliances are now controlled from the comfort of his iPad.
Apple has just seeded the first beta build of OS X 10.8.3 Mountain Lion to developers. As is always the case with beta software from Apple, the initial build is only available to those who are enrolled on the official OS X developer program and can be downloaded directly from the Mac Dev Center immediately.
As we know, patents are a significant part of the consumer electronics game - particularly in the mobile industry, and when it comes to intellectual property, few are more diligent in securing it over at the USPTO than Cupertino-based Apple. But while we're used to seeing the company file lawsuits against the likes of Apple and Google, it was Apple - the creator tor of all things innovative - that had to acquire a trademark from another company to bring the likes of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini to market.
