Taking into account time zones, the movements of Apple's online stores in New Zealand and Australia are usually a sure indicator that, given a few hours, those same movements will be made to those in other parts of the world. This week is, as most of you will be aware, Black Friday, and Apple's Australian site is getting consumers psyched up by introducing a special landing page outlining the November 23rd event. It doesn't offer any details on deals just yet, but considering the last couple of Black Fridays have presented Apple fans with more than a decent dose of treats, we're hoping for more of the same this time around.
Oprah Winfrey is one of the most celebrated television presenters of a generation, but today enters the blogosphere having made a quite comical tech faux pas in Tweeting about her love for the Microsoft Surface, but doing so using the official Twitter app for Apple's iPad.
Hard rockers rejoice - those of you whom are fans of Australian band AC/DC will be pleased to know that the music can finally be downloaded on the iTunes Store. As well as all of the individual albums, the entire catalog can be downloaded as a box set for $99, or for those real hardcore fans, a special package - featuring various live and special tracks - can be had for an additional $50.
Some Mac users may still be getting to grips with the intricacies of OS X Mountain Lion and all that it has to offer, but reports today are suggesting that Apple is well underway with testing of the next major release of OS X. Currently sitting at version OS X 10.8.2, the operating system that powers Apple's Mac machines, if the reports prove to be accurate then it looks like the Cupertino based company is planning on making some major changes in OS X 10.9 that could see the company's digital Siri assistant and Maps integration being offered to users.
With over seven hundred thousand apps in the iOS App Store that have managed to amass over thirty billion downloads, it's no wonder that the iOS devices like the iPhone and iPad are extremely popular with consumers who want to extend the functionality of their mobile devices. The power and versatility of the apps on the store do a great job of promoting Apple devices to prospective customers which could be one of the reasons that Apple are in the first stages of rolling out a new "App Discovery" reward to retail store employees.
The world of technology is in a state of shock with the impromptu release of several significant apps that claim to be from Apple on the Android Play Store. Without any prior warning, it would seem as though Apple had finally decided to drop the likes of GarageBand, iPhoto and Keynote for Android, but our better judgment leads us to suspect they are big, fat clones.
Turning digital pages? There's a patent for that! And guess what - Apple has it. While all tech companies must keep the patents rolling through in order to protect intellectual properties, it's fair to say the Cupertino company has a bit of a reputation for being a tad over-zealous when it comes to sending sketches over to the USPTO. The latest, a design patent, concerns the turning over of fake pages.
As is often the case with technology nowadays, those of you happily sitting on an older software version will soon be coerced into upgrading. The app updates cease supporting you, new software releases aren't compatible with you, or in the case of Apple's Messages beta, they stop working altogether. Prior to Mountain Lion, the Cupertino released a beta version of Messages for Lion, and since that has now evolved into Messages for the latest iteration for OS X, Apple has set a deadline on the demise of that preview.
US Judge Permits Both Apple And Samsung To Include Jelly Bean And iPhone 5 In Ongoing Patent Dispute
Scarcely a week goes by without significant developments in the continual Apple vs. Samsung legal battle, and with Samsung forewarning Apple it would immediately bring the iPhone 5 into the dispute upon release, the Korean company has stayed true to its word. Both Samsung and Apple have recently requested newer devices be added to the fold, and US Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal has today given the Galaxy maker the go-ahead to include the iPhone 5.
iOS users have been tripping over themselves to pour scorn on Apple's lackluster Maps offering, and even though Tim Cook released a public apology for the disastrous native app, consumers are still waiting to see most of the promised improvements bear fruit. Many have pined for Google to bring a app that at least gives the same functionality as the pre-iOS 6 version of iOS Maps to iOS 6, and although that may seem a simple enough concept, Google has been dragging its heels somewhat. Now though, it has emerged that a native Google Maps app could reach the App Store by the end of the year, and as the Wall Street Journal reports, the Mountain View-based search giant is applying the finishing touches before submitting.
