MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog

China Mobile Again Confirms iPhone Talks with Apple

Eric Slivka — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:26:34 PDT

Reuters reports that China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua has once again publicly stated that the world's largest mobile phone carrier is engaged in talks with Apple about offering the iPhone to its customers.

"We've been actively talking to Apple on how we can cooperate," China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua, who assumed the post in March, told a shareholders meeting. "I can't give you too many details, but I'd like to repeat that both sides do hope to boost our cooperation," Xi added after the meeting.

China Unicom was Apple's launch partner for the iPhone in China, and availability expanded to China Telecom earlier this year. Compatibility with China Mobile's network has, however, been hampered by the carrier's custom technology that would require specialized iPhone hardware to operate on the network. But with future wireless modem chips adding compatibility for China Mobile's network, it is possible that the next-generation iPhone could be directly compatible with China Mobile's network, eliminating the need for custom hardware to suit the carrier.

China Mobile already has 15 million iPhone customers on its network, even though those customers are limited to the carrier's 2G network due to the differences in standards for 3G networks. The carrier has even taken to officially supporting those customers with a SIM-cutting service and other resources.

Xi's predecessor, Wang Jianzhou, stated several times that China Mobile was in talks with Apple about the iPhone, so it is unclear whether Xi's statements indicate that progress is being made or if there is simply an ongoing dialog between the two companies that has yet to lead to a firm relationship.

In Lawsuit Over Siri, Apple Says the Technology is "Cutting Edge"

Jordan Golson — Tue, 15 May 2012 11:29:00 PDT

Apple has filed a motion to dismiss in a case filed by customers over alleged misleading advertising depicting the Siri technology in the iPhone 4S. The lawsuit, filed in March, alleges that Apple's advertising of Siri doesn't reflect real-world usage. When asked for directions or to locate a store, "Siri either did not understand what Plaintiff was asking, or, after a very long wait time, responded with the wrong answer."

In a motion to dismiss (via Scribd), Apple attempts to shoot down the Plaintiff's arguments, reports the Wall Street Journal:

They offer only general descriptions of Apple’s advertisements, incomplete summaries of Apple’s website materials, and vague descriptions of their alleged—and highly individualized—disappointment with Siri. Tellingly, although Plaintiffs claim they became dissatisfied with Siri’s performance “soon after” purchasing their iPhones, they made no attempt to avail themselves of Apple’s 30-day return policy or one-year warranty—which remains in effect. Instead, they seek to take an alleged personal grievance about the purported performance of a popular product and turn it into a nationwide class action under California’s consumer protection statutes. The Complaint does not come close to meeting the heavy burden necessary to sustain such claims.

Apple continues to heavily advertise Siri and the iPhone 4S. The two latest ads for the product feature celebrities Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel using Siri to plan date night and to get tomato soup delivered.

iPhone a 'Game Changer' for Customer Satisfaction

Eric Slivka — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:44:15 PDT

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ASCI) today released its latest rankings of customer satisfaction in the United States for mobile phones and a number of products and services, with the new mobile phone rankings being expanded to include Apple, Research in Motion, LG, and HTC for the first time.

In its first appearance in the rankings, Apple easily topped the list with a score of 83, outdistancing Nokia, LG, and HTC in a tie for second place at 75. Apple's performance marks the first time a mobile phone company scored above 77 in any of the group's surveys dating back to 2004.

For many users, the advent of smartphone technology has dramatically changed what they look for in a cell phone device. Two smartphones makers, Apple and Research in Motion (RIM), enter the ACSI with very different results. At 83, Apple (iPhone) leads the field by a long shot, while RIM (Blackberry) lags behind as the least satisfying at 69. [...]

At 83, Apple’s iPhone is a game changer when it comes to customer satisfaction. No other cell phone company has ever broken into the 80s. Apple’s nearest competitors this year are three companies tied at 75: Nokia (+3%) and ACSI newcomers LG and HTC.

Apple has routinely topped ACSI surveys for personal computers, and with its new inclusion in the mobile phone category it is now leading that market as well.

On the carrier front, AT&T experienced a significant jump in customer satisfaction this year as other carriers saw drops, significantly tightened the field. Among the four major carriers, Sprint led with a score of 71, followed by Verizon at 70 and T-Mobile and AT&T at 69. All of those major carriers were beat out by the "All Others" category, which garnered a score of 76.

Google Chrome Browser Coming to iOS?

Eric Slivka — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:57:46 PDT

Business Insider reports on a new research note from Macquarie analyst Ben Schacter, who claims that Google is working to bring a version of its Chrome browser to iOS devices. According to the report, Apple "may already be reviewing" the app, which could debut before the end of the quarter.

Google Chrome browser for Android
Google currently splits ad revenue share with Apple for Google searches performed through Safari, a deal that currently sees Google paying Apple roughly $1 billion per year. With a potential Chrome browser for iOS leading to Google keeping all revenue for searches through the browser for itself, Google could see a significant financial benefit if it can achieve a substantial user base on iOS.

The problem for Google is that Apple does not make it convenient for users to take advantage of third-party browsers, with Safari alternatives like Opera and Dolphin representing only tiny fractions of iOS browser share. Systemwide calls for browser actions throughout iOS apps are linked to Safari, meaning that users have to take extra steps to use a different browser, with the inconvenience leading the vast majority of users to simply use Safari for their iOS browsing needs.

Book Pricing Lawsuit Reveals More Details of Apple's Negotiations, Including Steve Jobs Email

Jordan Golson — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:04:45 PDT

Seventeen more states have joined the antitrust lawsuit against Apple and several book publishing houses over the pricing of ebooks. Perhaps more interesting are certain details released in the latest filing that were previously redacted, including one from Steve Jobs. Portions of this email have been seen before, but this is the first chance the public has had to see a major negotiation written by the former CEO.

As reported by PaidContent, Steve Jobs became directly involved in the pricing negotiations after Apple executive "Eddy Cue could not secure one of the Conspiring Publisher’s commitment directly from an executive." Jobs "wrote to an executive at the parent company, in part":

As I see it, [Conspiring Publisher] has the following choices:

1. Throw in with Apple and see if we can all make a go of this to create a real mainstream ebooks market at $12.99 and $14.99.

2. Keep going with Amazon at $9.99. You will make a bit more money in the short term, but in the medium term Amazon will tell you they will be paying you 70% of $9.99. They have shareholders too.

3. Hold back your books from Amazon. Without a way for customers to buy your ebooks, they will steal them. This will be the start of piracy and once started, there will be no stopping it. Trust me, I’ve seen this happen with my own eyes.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see any other alternatives. Do you?

The complaint goes on to claim that the publishers and Apple "worked together to force" Random House -- the one publishing company to turn down the agency pricing model favored by Apple -- to adopt it as well. The claim goes so far as to claim that publishing companies tried to convince Barnes & Noble to not feature Random House books in any of its advertising, something that B&N apparently did.

Regarding the case, Apple has publicly defended itself and also said it wants to defend itself in a jury trial, saying that allegations against the company were "simply not true."

Time Warner Cable CEO Hasn't Heard of Apple's AirPlay

Jordan Golson — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:13:49 PDT

AirPlay is a technology that seamlessly moves audio and video from device to device in the Apple ecosystem. It's built into the iPhone, iPad, and -- most importantly -- the Apple TV set-top box. Among other things, AirPlay can be used to send video from iPhone apps like YouTube, MLB.tv, or WatchESPN to the AppleTV.

Apple hasn't advertised AirPlay as strongly as some other features, like the iPhone 4S's Siri, though it did run a television ad after the iPhone 4 was introduced in 2011. That said, it's surprising that Glenn A. Britt, the chief executive of Time Warner Cable said he hadn't heard of the service, according to the New York Times.

"I’m not sure I know what AirPlay is," he said, though he noted that he was an enthusiastic Apple customer. "Today we want to be on every screen. Today it’s a little bit clunky to get programming from the Internet onto the TV — not so hard to get it on your iPad. What’s hard is the plumbing, what wires do you connect, what device do you use. So the current Apple TV, the little thing, the hockey puck, really doesn’t do anything to help enable you to get Internet material on your TV."

Ironically, Apple has solved Britt's problem -- though he wasn't aware of it -- but the company is not pushing AirPlay too strongly upon its users, nor the media companies. The Apple TV natively supports only a handful of third party services like streaming MLB, NHL, and NBA games, as well as Netflix.

However, AirPlay support has allowed many apps to send "programming from the Internet onto the TV", just as Britt wants, and could foreshadow the market segment a rumored Apple television set would fill.

Sparrow for iPhone Adds Swipe Navigation and Landscape Mode, Push to Require Subscription

Eric Slivka — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:22:04 PDT

Sparrow today announced that its iPhone mail app [App Store] has been updated to version 1.2, bringing several new features including swipe navigation between messages and new support for composing in landscape orientation.

New features:

- Navigate between messages by swiping up and down
- Landscape composing
- Edit and create label/folder
- Localization in 9 languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian, Chinese

Sparrow also provided an update on its efforts to add push notifications, revealing that Apple has declined to allow the feature directly and that Sparrow will have to implement its own solution. As a result, push notifications will arrive in a future update and will require a yearly subscription.

'Amazing Alex' is Rovio's 'Angry Birds' Followup

Jordan Golson — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:42:32 PDT

Finnish game studio Rovio has begun to drop hints about its next game -- and its first outside the Angry Birdiverse. Amazing Alex will be based on the game Casey's Contraptions, which Rovio recently acquired.

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed told a Finnish TV channel that the game will focus on Alex, "a curious young boy who loves to build things." The Next Web quotes Ville Jeijari, Rovio's VP of franchise development:

The "gameplay is a perfect fit in our arsenal with its approachable, fun and highly addictive take on the physics puzzler genre," adding "We are currently reworking the title to enhance it, and getting ready to re-introduce it in a true 'expect the unexpected' Rovio style launch to an even larger audience."

Casey's Contraptions, which has since been deleted from the App Store, was an educational physics-based title that launched a year ago. Amazing Alex should have somewhat similar gameplay, but polished to Rovio's exacting standards.

Help Casey get his toys back by building crazy contraptions. Create Rube Goldberg-like machines with toys and everyday items to solve puzzles and playtime scenarios. See the solutions your friends came up with, and share your own instantly with Game Center.

The fun doesn't stop there! Create your own contraptions with the toys you get back, and challenge your friends through email to solve them. You can use slingshots, RC trucks, darts, ropes, magnets, balloons, trapdoors, punching gloves, and more. Let's see who can come up with the craziest inventions!

Rovio expects to launch Amazing Alex at some point in the next two months.

FreedomPop Offers $99 4G Hotspot Built Into iPhone Case

Jordan Golson — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:57:57 PDT

With the launch of the new iPad, equipped with 4G LTE cellular data, it seems likely that the next iPhone will be similarly supplied. Until then, a new startup called FreedomPop is rolling out a new iPhone case/sled that includes a Wi-Fi hotspot powered by the Clearwire 4G network.

FreedomPop, being backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, is offering the $99 device with 500MB of free data use each month, and should ship by the end of the summer. All Things D reports that the company is hoping to act as an alternative to throttled data services provided by native carriers.

"The timing couldn’t be better for our product," said FreedomPop VP of Product Mauricio Sastre in a statement. "Carriers are throttling data and increasing prices and users are desperate for affordable alternatives. As the mobile industry flexes its joint oligopolistic power, we want to ensure that we are keeping them honest."

The FreedomPop 4G iPhone Sleeve can be preordered from the company's website.

Old Meets New With Etch A Sketch iPad Case

Jordan Golson — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:05:26 PDT

The Etch A Sketch has been a cultural icon for more than 50 years. These days, the iPad has replaced the red tablet as the cultural icon, but a new Kickstarter project aims to combine the two.

The Etcher combines a red iPad case complete with sketching knobs and an app that completes the Etch A Sketch experience. They have even obtained a license from Ohio Art, the company that makes the real Etch A Sketch. Of course, it erases if you shake it.

We are negotiating with a number of contract manufacturers. The most intriguing option is Ohio Art's invitation for us to use the same factory that manufactures the classic Etch A Sketch. Although it is more expensive than some the other options, we like the fact that they already know and understand Etch A Sketch. For instance, they know exactly what color red to use for the plastic--they simply use the same plastic they use in production!

The team behind the Etcher is aiming to fulfill the first orders by the end of October and they plan to publish an open source SDK for accessing the Etcher's controls from within other iOS apps.

The Etcher is available for preorder on Kickstarter for $60, with free shipping within the United States.

Apple Reportedly Offers Proview $16 Million for iPad Trademark

Eric Slivka — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:11:40 PDT

Following a claim earlier this week that Apple had made its first settlement offer to Proview in the ongoing dispute over the "iPad" trademark in China, The Next Web now points to a report from Sina.com [Google translation] claiming that Apple's offer amounted to 100 million yuan, equivalent to $16 million.

That marks a substantial increase over the $55,000 purchase price in the original deal between Proview's Taiwanese arm and a dummy corporation set by Apple to acquire the trademark in a number of countries. Proview later claimed that the Chinese rights to the trademark were owned by its Chinese subsidiary and that the Taiwanese arm consequently could not have sold them to Apple.

Proview has been seeking as much as $2 billion in its lawsuits against Apple over the trademark, but today's report notes that Proview has gone bankrupt with $400 million owed to its creditors, speculating that that amount would be the minimum it the company would accept from Apple. It seems extremely unlikely that Apple would increase its offer to that level, and so it remains to be seen how the talks and court case will play out.

Case-Mate Offers iPhone Cases Made From Recycled Plastic

Jordan Golson — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:23:46 PDT

Case-Mate has released a new iPhone case made from 100% recycled post-consumer PET bottles -- the plastic in soda and water bottles. Case-Mate says one recycled water bottle equals one iPhone case.

“As part of our greater effort to encourage more sustainable practices, we’ve introduced a line of fashionable, functional and environmentally responsible cases,” said Shashi Reddy, Case-Mate’s Chief Executive Officer. “By creating Case-Mate products using recycled materials, we’re helping millennials stay stylish and environmentally conscious.”

The $30 case comes in 6 colors, pink, orange, green, blue, black, and white. The case itself isn't anything special -- it's very similar to any number of other cases, including the Snap Case from Incase -- but it's perfect for the environmentally conscious iPhone owner.

Judge Tosses Proview's U.S. Suit Against Apple over iPad Trademark

Eric Slivka — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:20:38 PDT

Among several lawsuits filed by Chinese company Proview alleging that it legally owns the "iPad" trademark in China despite a deal December 2009 between Proview's Taiwanese arm and a dummy corporation set up by Apple for the purposes of acquiring the trademark, one lawsuit has been filed in the United States. In that suit, filed in California in late February, Proview alleged that Apple had engaged in deception in its efforts to acquire the trademark.

The Wall Street Journal now reports that the judge handling the case has thrown it out of court, citing an apparent agreement between Apple and Proview to adjudicate their differences in Hong Kong courts, where Apple won a decision last year.

After Proview took its legal case to the U.S., Apple argued for the case to be dismissed on the grounds that the parties had agreed to settle any legal disagreements in Hong Kong.

Judge Pierce upheld that view, writing that Proview failed to provide evidence that the selection of Hong Kong was "unreasonable or unfair," according to a copy of the order.

In response to the decision throwing out the U.S. case, Proview's lawyers claimed that the decision was not based on the merits of the case and that the company will appeal the decision.

The U.S. developments come as Apple and Proview continue their litigation in China, where the two companies are engaging in court-suggested settlement talks that have reportedly seen Apple for the first time making a settlement offer. But the two parties apparently remain far apart in their expectations for a settlement, and it is unclear whether the talks will yield any agreement.

Apple Wants Trial Started in Samsung Case to Stop "Continuing Infringement"

Jordan Golson — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:06:28 PDT

Apple and Samsung have been suing each other for years, and Apple wants things to move along a little faster in the main U.S. case in California -- Apple wants to start the jury trial on July 30th as scheduled. Samsung believes the case is too large to go to trial, and wants to delay proceedings while the companies hash things out further.

Both Samsung and Apple have agreed to narrow their claims and the scope of the case in order to move things along, but the companies are still very far apart on numerous issues. Going further, Apple believes Samsung has been intentionally dragging its feet to avoid a judgement that may impact its very successful mobile products business. From an Apple pleading, via FOSS Patents:

While the parties have been readying the case for trial Samsung has vaulted into first place in worldwide sales of smartphones, with massive sales of its copycat products. Samsung's infringement of Apple's intellectual property has already resulted in damages that reach billions of dollars. [...] It is critical to Apple to start trial on July 30, to put an end to Samsung's continuing infringement.

The more than 50 cases between Apple and Samsung cover a number of technical patents, design patents, trade dress and more -- across 10 countries. Whether or not a jury trial starts this summer, the crush of mobile lawsuits likely won't be ending any time soon, regardless of what Apple CEO Tim Cook would prefer.

The best chance for ending the legal fight in the short term is the court-ordered mediation that Apple and Samsung's CEO's have agreed to participate in.

TwitPic Releases iPhone App

Jordan Golson — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:27:47 PDT

Photo sharing service TwitPic has released its first iPhone app, saying in an interview that the company "wanted to provide a better experience for our users."

The app, which looks something like Instagram, includes a photo editor with effects, cropping and other photo editing features. It also allows users to see their friends' photos and the most popular pictures across the service. TwitPic has licensed its photo editing tech from Aviary.

VentureBeat:

TwitPic is a name known to many a Twitterer. Launched in 2008, the service quickly became one of the primary ways Twitterers shared photos on the information network. That all changed about a year ago when Twitter went full steam ahead with its own photo-sharing service.

Many thought the news spelled the end for TwitPic — and rightfully so, it’s only natural to assume that an official offering would eclipse one developed externally. By some accounts, TwitPic has fallen behind, but that doesn’t mean it’s game over for the seven-person, Charleston, South Carolina company just yet.

TwitPic is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Apple Cuts Pricing on Refurbished Original iPad and iPad 2 Models by $20-$50

Eric Slivka — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:45:46 PDT

Apple today reduced prices on all refurbished models of the original iPad and iPad 2 in its online store, knocking between $20 and $50 off of each model. The price drops include:

iPad 2

- 16 GB Wi-Fi: $319, down $30 from $349
- 32 GB Wi-Fi: $399, down $50 from $449
- 64 GB Wi-Fi: $499, down $50 from $449

- 16 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $449, down $30 from $479
- 32 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $529, down $50 from $579
- 64 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $629, down $50 from $679

Original iPad

- 16 GB Wi-Fi: $279, down $20 from $299
- 32 GB Wi-Fi: $349, down $50 from $399
- 64 GB Wi-Fi: $449, down $50 from $499

- 16 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $379, down $20 from $399
- 32 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $449, down $50 from $499
- 64 GB Wi-Fi+3G: $549, down $50 from $599

Apple has yet to begin offering refurbished models of the new third-generation iPad, but for comparison last year the company first offered refurbished iPad 2 models in late August at a $50 discount from brand-new pricing.

(Thanks, Brad!)

Evernote Buys Notebook App Penultimate

Jordan Golson — Mon, 07 May 2012 09:36:45 PDT

Evernote, the notetaking and archiving service, has acquired notebook app Penultimate for an undisclosed sum, reports The Next Web. Evernote has been on something of a buying spree -- in August of last year, Evernote bought image editing and sharing app Skitch.

More that simply bringing the app into the Evernote stable, the deal will see Penultimate (blessed with the accolade of 4th most downloaded iPad app of all time back in March this year) developed for a wider range of platforms and devices. Evernote also plans to use the acquisition of the app, developed by San Francisco-based Cocoa Box, to bring improved handwriting recognition to the Evernote service itself.

Evernote can already recognize handwritten text in scanned documents, while the company also licenses this technology to third parties via its Ritescript division. Today’s acquisition opens up the possibility of allowing you to write with your finger or a stylus directly into Evernote apps in the future. Penultimate already supports the saving of notes into your Evernote account.

Penultimate will continue on as a standalone app, with creator Ben Zotto continuing work on it at Evernote. Penultimate is the fourth most downloaded iPad app ever according to Apple. Evernote recently raised a $70 million funding round and is nearing 30 million users.

Penultimate for iPad is available on the App Store for $0.99. [Direct Link]

Facebook Messenger App Gains Read Receipts, Location Information

Jordan Golson — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:24:16 PDT

Facebook has updated its standalone mobile messaging app, as it tries to make messaging more modern. The Facebook Messenger app has gained read receipts, which tell senders when their messages have been read, as well as providing the senders location information. According to TechCrunch, Facebook is trying to make mobile conversations "feel more real."

Product Manager Peter Deng tells “SMS has been around for 20 years, built it was for these T9 phones. We’re focused on leveraging all the capabilities of today’s devices to create a new messaging experience.” He also says these are just the start of app updates designed to make mobile conversations feel more real, as if you had body language cues and more to go by.

Unlike iMessage, which requires that read receipts be explicitly turned on by the receiver, Facebook doesn't provide a way to disable read receipts -- but the company will let users hide their location.

The updates are going mobile first, showing up first in the standalone Facebook Messenger apps, and will eventually move out to the Facebook mobile app and the web interface on Facebook.com.

Facebook Messenger for iPhone is a free download from the App Store. [Direct Link]

SquareTrade Expands Warranty Coverage to Include Jailbroken iPhones

Jordan Golson — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:19:47 PDT

Third-party warranty provider SquareTrade has announced that it is expanding its warranty coverage to include jailbroken iPhones, a procedure that voids the standard Apple warranty.

The policy change affects new and existing coverage holders, according to a report from CNET.

No word yet on if this extends to iPads and iPods, which SquareTrade also covers as part of its warranty service. The three gadgets share the same operating system.

A 2-year SquareTrade warranty for the iPhone 4S is available for $99.99, including accidental damage protection with a $50 deductible.

Concept Video Suggests Means to Vastly Improve Text Editing in iOS

Eric Slivka — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:29:00 PDT

iDownloadBlog points to a new YouTube concept video showing one user's idea of how Apple could vastly improve the text editing functionality on the iPad and other iOS devices.

While the current method of text selection involves tapping and dragging around the screen to select cursor position and highlight text, Daniel Hooper suggests that Apple could make use of gestures in the keyboard area of the screen to easily move the cursor in text fields. Simply holding down the keyboard's shift key while gesturing would easily select sections of text for editing.

The suggestion is of course not an official product of Apple's software designers, and so Hooper has also provided instructions on how to use Apple's bug reporting system to suggest the feature to the company's engineers. Apple maintains a policy discouraging users from submitting unsolicited ideas, but notes that it retains the full rights associated with ideas that are submitted to the company.