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Apple Orders 12 Petabytes (That’s 12 Million Gigabytes) For iTunes Store Video

After all the theories surrounding Apple’s new data center in North Carolina, and the rumors surfaced in the past months pinpointing a complete revamp of iOS and MobileMe with extensive cloud features, here comes an interesting tidbit suggesting that Apple is looking to improve capacity of the iTunes Store by ordering 12 petabytes of storage from Isilon Systems. As reported by AppleInsider, the additional storage will be used for hosting video content on the iTunes Store — although it is not clear whether this storage will also be dedicated to video streaming, future iOS or MobileMe functionalities, or just downloads for the existing iTunes Store. Currently, the iTunes Store hosts thousands of movies, TV shows and video podcasts that are available both in standard and high definition, can be streamed to an Apple TV or downloaded locally on Windows PCs and Macs.

The original report claims that Apple ordered the additional 12 petabytes “notably to manage the video download of its customers using iTunes”, and the information comes from an “inside source” at EMC, which announced they wanted to acquire Isilon for $2.25 billion. For the sake of comparison, here’s what 12 petabytes look like when compared to gigabytes and terabytes:



Even though today’s report only mentions storage for iTunes Store video content, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear Apple is ordering other petabytes for a variety of other cloud services. If the rumors we’ve been hearing in the past months are to be believed, Apple is working on a major new version of MobileMe heavily based on social and cloud features such as a “digital locker” for music and movies, streaming to any iOS device, and access to iTunes Store music through a monthly subscription. Furthermore, Apple is also rumored to offer an option to backup your own music collection in the cloud. Code strings found in the early iOS 4.3 betas pointed to a new feature called “Media Stream” that could allow iOS users to literally stream photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad to the cloud, to your friends’ devices. All these new cloud functionalities are rumored to be announced at the WWDC in June.

Oscium's iMSO-104 turns iPad, iPhone into mixed signal oscilloscopes

We've seen oscilloscopes repurposed as clocks and MAME machines, but we hardly ever see the pendulum swing in the opposite direction. The iMSO-104, however, actually turns your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch into an oscilloscope display. Using a Cypress Semiconductor system on a chip, the iMSO-104 touts a 5MHz bandwidth and as much as 12 megasamples per second, and connects to your device by way of the dock connector -- according to its maker, it's also the world's smallest and most portable oscilloscope. That's all well and good, but what we really want to know is, does it support Tennis for Two? The iMSO-104 is now available for pre-order for $300, but if you're itching to see the thing in action, you can download the corresponding app today and give it a test drive.

How the iPhone “Literally Changed My Life”

Do you remember buying your first iPhone? Installing your first app from the App Store? Jailbreaking for the first time?

Although it can been called melodrama, there comes a point where you look back and see the profound impact technology has had on your life. Besides amazing technology, Apple products have always been a source of inspiration. The iPhone has literally changed the course of people’s lives, and that’s something special…

The folks at Macgasm have linked to an article that was written by one their writers on her personal blog. Lucy talks about how “Getting an iPhone Literally Changed My Life.”

An excerpt:

“Buying an iPhone saw me board a train I’d never been a passenger on. Actually, I should say an aeroplane, as the other passengers were from all over the world. I threw myself into a whole new community of people, all sharing one common interest — the iPhone and Apple in general. I felt like I was flying in first class, discussing this marvellous, high end device with like minded people, learning new things and sharing tips and tricks. I’m not going to lie, I felt, and still feel great about the circles I talk in.

I seriously cannot imagine what I would be doing with my evenings now if I had gotten any other phone.”

This article reminded us of why we do what we do here at iDB. When Sebastien started the site in 2008, he had no clue it would reach the level of influence it now does. And as the site continues to grow, we’re reminded of how the iPhone has (corny as it sounds) really changed everything.

Think about all of the conversations you’ve had about the iPhone; or perhaps you’ve made a few friends that you wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for the iPhone’s influence.

If it wasn’t for the iPhone, I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be reading it. iDB and all of the other great Apple sites on the internet wouldn’t exist, and there wouldn’t be such a an amazing community of geeks and iPhone-lovers.

Apple Revamps Apple Support Communities

Apple has given its online support forum a face lift of sorts. In the preparatory stages for close to a year, the revamped Apple Support Communities has been imbued with a new social networking aspect that effectively replaces the antiquated Apple Discussions board.

"Apple Support Communities brings together thousands of Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad users from around the world to discuss Apple products and topics," Apple says. "Apple Support communities provides a wealth of information about your favorite Apple hardware and software products to help you get the most out of your purchase. And, in the spirit of community, you can also help other Apple Support Communities' users by answering their questions."

Joining ASC is fairly straightforward. Once you sign in with your Apple ID, simply create a username for the Community and, when prompted, agree to the new ASC terms and conditions. Once you're in, you'll find a host of "communities" through which you can sift in hopes of finding one that's pertinent to your inquiry, product, or service. You can even use widgets to bring you the content you're interested in, from within or even outside the community. And making the experience a personalized one, users can spruce up their profiles with pics and avatars.

Given the greater social emphasis of the online forums, Apple has even gone so far as to present standards of "Community Etiquette" that ASC members must abide by. The policy mandates include:

• Post only technical support questions and answers, unless otherwise noted.
• Be polite, constructive and stay on topic.
• Search for questions similar to your own before submitting them to the community.
• Reward helpful community members by marking answers to your questions helpful and correct.
• Avoid speculation and rumors.

For more info or to see what the revamp looks like, check out Apple Support Communities for yourself.

Android Porting to iPhone 4 / iPod Touch 4G, 3G / iPad 1, 2 Very Soon

Great news, Android plateform on its way to land on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPod touch 4G, 3G. Look what we've found while perusing our Twitter timeline... This could means that we'll see Android coming to the iPhone 4 and iPad (may be iPad 2 too) very soon as the hackers who ported Android on iPhone 3G / 2G has already made a great progress on porting Android to newer devices.

First, cpich3g tweeted that they have very basic PMU on iPhone 4 OpeniBoot:

Thanks to @Oranav now we can have very basic pmu on i4 openiboot. We need more devs like him on @iDroidProject

Then he explains to one of his followers:

@DeceptiveJunk That means another baby step towards a useable openiboot which is essential for getting android on newer idevices

And the well-known BlueRise says that it works on iPhone 4, iPod touch 4G and Apple TV 2G:

Awesome! The iPhone 4 NAND code seems to be fully working with the iPod Touch 4G and aTV 2G. iPad untested because @iRekoil isn't online.

Adding that it also works on iPad 2 as well:

iPad is working well, too.

So yes, you read it right! We'll see Android coming on all new devices as iPod touch 4G, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2 and Apple TV 2G very soon. Oh, they won't miss iPhone 3GS too.

Geriau užsiimtu 4.3.1 jailbreak'u

EDIT: Oops.. jau yra 4.3.2

Geriau užsiimtu 4.3.1 jailbreak'u

 

EDIT: Oops.. jau yra 4.3.2

 

Ir taip, jau yra 4.3.2 jailbreak.

 

Ir taip, jau yra 4.3.2 jailbreak.

 

Ką? tik ne iPad2'ui

Bent jau čia nieko apie tai nėra: http://www.jailbreakmatrix.com/iPhone-iTouch-Jailbreak#iPad2

Apple in Talks with Nuance to Upgrade Voice Control in iOS 5?

It’s no secret that iOS is lacking some serious voice command options. Hopefully, Apple is looking at giving the pathetic Voice Control feature a serious overhaul in iOS 5. At least give iPhone users voice to text to compete with our Android counterparts.

We reported on an interesting job listing back in early March that suggested Apple had heard our cries for a revamped Voice Control system. Today we’ve got more fuel to add to the fire, as the word on the street is Apple is in talks with Nuance Communications…

TechCrunch is reporting that they’ve heard from multiple sources that Apple is negotiating a deal with the software company that is behind the popular Dragon voice recognition applications.

Apple has been negotiating a deal with Nuance in recent months, we’ve heard from multiple sources. What does that mean? Well, it could mean an acquisition, but that is looking fairly unlikely at this point, we hear. More likely, it means a partnership that will be vital to both companies and could shape the future of iOS.

According to the blog’s sources, anything from a licensing deal to a full blown acquisition is in the realm of possibility. The latter is tagged as unlikely, since Nuance is currently valued at a cool $6 billion dollars. Either way, TechCrunch seems to believe that Nuance’s voice recognition technology will be deeply integrated in the next major iOS update.

You may recall that Apple purchased Siri last year. Apparently the popular voice search software uses Nuance technology for its voice recognition service. So to assume that we’ll see Siri features show up in iOS 5 means we’d almost have to see Nuance by default.

Any kind of partnership bodes well for both parties. Ever since Nuance co-founder Mike Cohen joined Google’s voice-recognition team, both Apple and Nuance have been suffering the consequences. Apple’s current Voice Control feature pails in comparison to Android’s robust recognition system, and Nuance certainly isn’t profiting from Google’s success.

With WWDC closing in, expect to see a ramp up in speculation regarding iOS 5. Here’s to hoping that iPhone users finally get some decent voice recognition software in the highly anticipated iOS update.

Guinness World Records Awarded To The iPhone 4, App Store and iOS Games

The iPhone 4, the iOS App Store and a number of iOS games have been honoured with Guiness World Record awards. The iPhone 4 was named the fastest-selling portable gaming system following a first day sales figure of 1.5 million units when it was released on June 24 last year – far exceeding the previous holder of the title, the Nintendo DS which sold 500,000 units over a week in 2004.

“The release of the iPhone has not just changed the mobile industry, but the video game world too,”Gaz Deaves, Guinness World Records’ gaming editor, said in a statement. “With the never-ending App Store selection and an intuitive device, Apple has created a gigantic new space for itself in the casual games genre that literally brings entertainment to users wherever they may be.”

Apple’s App Store has also been awarded the Guinness World Record for being the most popular application marketplace following more than 6.5 billion downloads since its launch in July 2008. The App Store is also the largest downloadable video game store, which had as of September last year, roughly 37,000 games. This figure far exceeds other downloadable game services such as Steam, which offers around 1,110 games, the Xbox Live Indie Arcade, which has 1,300, and the Wii Virtual Console, which offers around 580 games. The final award gong given to the App Store was for having the largest launch line-up of any gaming system – with 145 games that were available on July 10th, 2008.

Several iOS games also received awards including the infamous Angry Birds which received an award for being at the top of the paid apps list in the most countries after selling more than 6.5 million copies since being released in December 2009. Plants vs. Zombies was awarded for being the fastest-selling iPhone/iPod strategy game with more than 300,000 paid downloads in just nine days. It also received an award for being the highest-grossing strategy game in the App Store – generating about $1 million for its developer, PopCap, in just over a week. Lastly, the Tap Tap Revenge game series was awarded the most popular game series in the App Store after more than 15 million downloads since launching July 2008.

Details About Smaller iPhone, iPhone 5, And iPad 3 Emerge

According to a report published today, the release of the next-generation iPhone has been pushed back to September, in order to release it simultaneously with iOS 5. According to people familiar to the matter, we might also see a cheaper scaled-down version of the iPhone, similar to the iPhone 4, targeted for developing countries.

 

 

Just yesterday, the whole iPhone community was on fire when news broke that the next-generation iPhone would be released in August. That even prompted Joshua Hill, developer of jailbreaking GreenPois0n, to promise a jailbreak for that next-generation iPhone in September, if we indeed saw an iPhone 5 the month before.

 

However, according to two people familiar with the matter, the next iPhone will indeed not be a significant upgrade, expected to include a dual-core A5 and an 8-megapixel camera, which is consistent with previous rumors. Indeed, we’re unlikely to see any major upgrade in features or the casing, which are both expected to be identical to the current iPhone. The next-generation iPhone will come out at the same time as iOS 5, according to this report.

 

 

Maybe more importantly, we’re now learning that Apple might be in the process of finalizing a cheaper iPhone, aimed to attract customers in developing countries. While details are still scarce, the source points out that such a cheaper model would be identical to the 1-year-old iPhone 4. While there’s no indication whether we’ll see this smaller model in September or sometime next year, this continues a long chain of rumors that started back in 2007 which suggested that Apple could be working on an "iPhone nano".

 

Lastly, it was also revealed that the future iPad, likely to come out next year, will feature a higher-resolution screen, about one-third higher than the one found on the iPad 2, as well as more responsive multitouch. The iPhone 4 included a much-increased resolution, marketed as "Retina Display", although it was left out of the iPad 2, likely due to its larger screen size.

 

In the world of never-ending rumors, sometimes "confirmed" reports aren’t necessarily true. Yesterday’s rumor that we’d see an iPhone redesign was quickly squashed, leaving us to what we suspected before: a smaller iPhone upgrade with improved hardware but no new features. What we’re sure about, however, is that Apple is starting to wind down manufacturing of the current iPhone, which is a pretty accurate indication that a new one is coming.

Steve Jobs Resigns As Apple CEO [Resignation Letter]

In a month many had predicted to be dominated by news about the iPhone 5 and OS X Lion, Apple’s board of directors has unexpectedly announced that Steve Jobs has stepped down from Apple as CEO and will be replaced by Tim Cook, Apple’s current COO. Meanwhile, Jobs will be the chairman of the board.

 

 

This announcement dropped like a bombshell today and rippled through both the markets and devoted Apple followers who are now left wondering what’s next for Apple. In a press release, the Cupertino company doesn’t state a reason for Jobs’ sudden decision to depart, although we all know the likeliest reason: his health. Over the last decade, Jobs suffered from pancreatic cancer once, from which he recovered from rather quickly, but towards the end of the decade, his state of health started deteriorating, forcing Steve to step aside as CEO twice, once in 2009 and once again earlier this year. Indeed, Steve Jobs has been on a medical leave since early January, which wasn’t justified, although there’s a good amount of speculation that his cancer has returned. In a letter to Apple’s Board of Directors, Jobs makes it clear that it was his decision to step down since he was done playing his part for Apple:

 

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple”s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

Steve Jobs, who founded Apple in 1976 along with Steve Wozniak, has been with Apple every step of away during good times and not-so-good ones. In the 1980s, Jobs was forced out from the company after the Board had decided to do so, just to return over a decade later and find the company in a dismal state and in need for quick repair. Jobs quickly moved to rebuild the company from the ground up, by completely discontinuing its antiquated product line and replacing it with a simple one that met the needs of both consumers and professionals, with products like the Mac, the PowerBook and the iBook. It was only several years later that Apple stepped into the music business with the introduction of iTunes and the iPod, which quickly became an icon in modern culture.

 

 

Although Steve Jobs might be leaving as CEO, Apple’s board of directors has quickly moved to elect him as Chairman. Under this role, Jobs will continue providing insight about the company’s direction without the obligations associated with being the CEO. Tim Cook, who has been heading Apple’s daily operations for quite some time, will step up to the plate to take Jobs’ old position, as recommended by Steve himself. With Apple’s brilliant team, and Jobs’ diminished, yet continued insight, Apple will surely keep putting out new products and announcing record revenues every quarter. We hope so! Here is the complete resignation letter written by Steve to the board:

 

To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:

 

I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.

 

I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.

 

As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.

 

I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.

 

I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

 

Steve

Tikiuosi jis sukūrė iPhone 5 ir ateinantį iPad 3 (?) o ne kiti...

Nieko tas Jobs nekure pats. Jis tik ziurejo, kaip kiti kure.

Pataisysiu. Prisidėjo.

Apple Working With Quad-Core Processors for Next-Generation iDevices?

Even with all of the confusion surrounding Apple’s iPhone announcement this year, there are two things we know for certain. The device is going to include a faster processor (presumably the A5 found in the iPad 2), and a better camera.

While we don’t know much about the camera just yet, we do have a pretty good idea of what the A5 is capable of. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Apple tout the next iPhone as the fastest in the industry. And they’re already working on making it faster….

Ars Technica spotlights some interesting code, found within Xcode, that suggests Apple is already experimenting with quad-core processors. The utility, which developers use to make apps for iOS and Mac OS, shows support for a quad-core processor.

Ars Technica explains:

“Last, and most probable in our opinion, is that Apple is using the Marvell chip in prototypes of future iOS device designs (or even an ARM-based MacBook Air that is rumored to exist somewhere inside One Infinite Loop) for testing purposes. An Armada XP-powered prototype logic board would allow iOS or Mac OS X software engineers to experiment with performance tuning and other optimizations, while Apple’s hardware design team — comprised largely of former PA Semi and Intrinsity engineers — could continue working on a possible quad-core ARM design to be manufactured somewhere down the road.”

Android manufacturers are already rumored to be working on quad-core processor devices, so it’s nice to know that Apple isn’t asleep at the wheel. The ARM-based MacBook Air, however, is intriguing, as it could be the next step in iOS-Mac OS convergence.

Chinese court rejects Apple's claim to the iPad name, faces potential sale ban

Before starting to sell the iPad in China last year Apple attempted to trademark the name in the country, but that request was rejected since it was already owned by Shenzhen-based Proview Technology. Apple reached an agreement with the Taiwanese arm of the company for global rights to the moniker, but the Chinese unit, which owns the trademark in that particular country, wasn't so willing to hand over the deed. Apple sued, but the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court rejected Cupertino's claim to ownership earlier this week and now the iPad manufacturer finds itself on the wrong side of a battle over intellectual property rights. Proview Technology has targeted resellers in Shenzhen and Huizhou, demanding an immediate halt to the selling of the iOS tablet. If successful the company plans to expand its quest for an iPad ban to the rest of China. Obviously, Apple can (and likely will) appeal the decision, but we're interested to see how this one shapes up.