Apple draws up battle strategy against Google at WWDC

Apple draws up battle strategy against Google at WWDC
SAN FRANCISCO -- They are classic "frienemies," collaborating when the interest is mutual and going for the other's jugular when the opportunity presents itself. So it was that on Monday Apple made clear that it's willing to cut ties with Google if that's what it takes to move its own agenda forward. Among the product and technology announcements made at its annual developer conference here, Apple said it is expanding its Siri voice assistant software, as well as offering a complete rewrite of its maps app. Apple also added deep integration to Facebook to its phones and tablets. If it all works out as Apple wants, the net effect will be to extend Apple's lead at Google's expense. Here's how:MapsPerhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in regard to the new version of Maps for iOS. Apple yanked Google maps from all its mobile devices, and took that function in house.Turn-by-turn directions will bring iOS users something Android owners have had for quite a while.AppleThe results were striking. A new 3D feature lets users swoop around cities and see buildings using photography Apple captured on its own. Google demoed what was essentially the same thing in detail during a press conference last week, with a pledge to bring it to iOS later this year. The move is just part of a larger effort by Apple to differentiate its mobile OS from Google's at a time when the two companies are at war with each other for the pockets, and pocketbooks, of consumers. That clash began on store shelves when the two companies started competing in the mobile-device arena. It has since spilled out into courtrooms, with Apple attacking Android device makers along with patents related to Android features. Where this can really hurt Google is in the flow of information. Information about areas people are searching for and what types of information they want is absolute gold when it comes to product development and advertising. Apple happens to have its hands in both of those pots, and now it doesn't have to share data with a rival.Apple is also doing something different by positioning its mapping app as a marketplace of sorts. During today's keynote, the company said it will feature location apps made by other companies right through the app -- though that simply could have been a concession to roadkill it made out of the other GPS apps for the platform.SiriThe we-can-do-better-than-Google theme began almost immediately, with a demo of Siri that opened up the conference. The sassy voice assistant made cracks about Google and its products before the company's executives even took to the stage."Hey, any of you guys been working with ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) or Jelly Bean?" the software asked in a prerecorded video that started the show. "Who's working up these code names? Ben & Jerry?"Siri more car-friendly in the next year, Apple says.AppleApple made it clear it wants to transform Siri into something far more than an iPhone app. That starts with Siri for Apple's third-generation iPad, and will extend to cars within the next 12 months. Several automakers, including BMW, General Motors, and Honda, have signed up and will integrate Siri into steering wheels. This competes more with the Microsoft Sync technology, which is built into some automobiles. But in the way Apple is currently demoing it, everything will run through your iPhone, something that competes more directly with Android's special car mode.Put simply, Siri is becoming Apple's search engine. It may send users to Google or Microsoft's Bing for some queries, but the idea is the same: It's taking user queries and directing them toward something. Today that functionality expanded to new types of information, like movie times, restaurants, and sports. Arguably, those are three things users might have turned to Google for, and no longer have to. Other features, like being able to launch apps, were catch-ups to features Google has had on Android.FragmentationName-calling goes only so far, which is why Apple made an effort to point out that its strategy of selling a more limited group of iOS-capable hardware (the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch) resulted in more users staying up to date, compared with people using rival mobile devices. "Almost all of our users are running iOS 5," Apple's senior vice president of iOS, Scott Forstall, told developers, while standing in front of a large pie chart. "Now if you compare that to the competition, they released dairy product 4.0 about the same time we released iOS 5." Related storiesComplete WWDC 2012 coverageApple: Retina display MacBook Pro starts at $2,199Apple talks up Facebook integration for iOS 6Apple unveils iOS 6 with 200 new features, Siri gets updateSiri coming to iPad, can launch appsThat played well to the audience of developers for a good reason: with more users on the same OS, it makes developing easier. There's no reason to produce multiple versions of the same app, with only certain features available to specific users -- something Apple has harped on Google for in the past, specifically with tablet apps.In March, for instance, Apple CEO Tim Cook slammed Android's tablet efforts, calling a number of third-party Android applications shoddy. "It kind of looks like a blown-up smartphone app," Cook said, while pointing to an on-screen example of Twitter's Android app. "Because that's exactly what it is."Today that message came back around in terms of the number of apps available to consumers, which now stands at 650,000 on the App Store, with 225,000 of those made for the iPad. And perhaps more importantly, the payout: Apple's paid out more than $5 billion to developers since launching the App Store, Cook said.FacebookApple's move to integrate Facebook into iOS isn't a direct hit at Google, but it unites two companies against a common enemy. The new features let iOS 6 users post right to Facebook from within apps, as well as sync up their Facebook lives to their phone. Things like contacts and calendars get automatically ferried between the two companies.Facebook integration in iOS 6.AppleApple also integrated Facebook into iTunes and the App Store. This is more promotional than anything, but it's also a strong sign that besides Twitter, Facebook will be the only social network Apple is giving users to promote its content. "We believe the biggest takeaway is that Apple is strengthening not only the interaction within its own ecosystem but also creating a consortium of powerful Web partners to offer an experience that largely falls outside of Google's walls," Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster said in a note to investors today. "We believe this focus on integrating important Web partners continues to meaningfully differentiate iOS from Android."In other words, the real move here is in just how many places Facebook is present in iOS 6, and in the upcoming version of Apple's desktop OS. The idea is that if you want to share anything, you can do it basically from anywhere. For a company that was once determined to keep app developers within the confines of its mobile Web browser, it's arguably just as big to let others into similarly hallowed ground.At this stage, Apple still prefers to talk around the hard edges. But make no mistake: Tweaking Google to get a few laughs out of the crowd hinted at the bigger stakes in this competition. For Apple, a roll of the dice is well worth the risk. In a race with Google to see who can get out the better technology first, Apple believes it has grabbed post position. Game on.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play


iPhone lock-screen password app pulled

iPhone lock-screen password app pulled
Apple has removed a third-party application that was gathering user-submitted lock-screen passwords for what its creator claims were research purposes. The software, dubbed "Big Brother Camera Security," was created by developer Daniel Amitay to serve as an alternative to Apple's lock-screen security. Users could run it when leaving their iPhone or iPod Touch unattended, and the application would require an iOS-style passcode to resume. If a user entered the incorrect password, the software would take a photo of that person, and if the app was exited, an alarm would sound.A side feature, added by Amitay in the most recent software update, began sending him user-entered passcodes, which were anonymized. Amitay on Monday posted the results of that data, which was made up of 204,508 recorded passcodes, to show what some of the most common passwords were. The move did not go over well in Cupertino."Got a call from Apple last night regarding the removal of Big Brother from the App Store," Amitay wrote in a blog post today. "Apparently, Apple believed that I was 'surreptitiously harvesting user passwords,'" Amitay wrote. Amitay says he's appealing the company's decision on the grounds that the application was only gathering data from his own app, and not the phone's lock screen, which Apple does not provide an API for, nor would it likely to be approve as part of its review process. Amitay added that that app was anonymizing that user data, and putting it toward "improving effectiveness of future updates." Apple did not respond to a request for comment.Apple, along with other device providers, have come under scrutiny by the U.S. government, along with advocacy groups, over what's done with user data and information. U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) in particular has made it a personal mission to get Apple and Google to require third-party applications to be more transparent about what data is being collected, as well as if it's being transmitted elsewhere. Amitay said he believes his data collection methods are covered under a section of the iTunes end user license agreement (EULA) that says data collection is fine as long as it's made anonymous, and aims to improve the quality of the application through future updates. "Perhaps this was a misunderstanding on Apple's part, or perhaps I missed a developer agreement where I'm not able to publish certain statistics (?), but I'm hoping to get this worked out and have Big Brother back on the App Store," Amitay wrote.(Via BGR)


Apple slashes older iPhone pricing, cuts iPhone 5S to $99

Apple slashes older iPhone pricing, cuts iPhone 5S to $99
Apple has slashed prices on its older iPhones to make way for the newly announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.The company announced on Tuesday that the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will live on for customers who don't want to get their hands on the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 5S will start at $99 with a two-year agreement. An 8GB version of the iPhone 5C will now be available for free with a two-year agreement. Prices and availability in the UK and Australia are yet to be announced, but we'll update this story as soon as we have them.Apple has made the same move in years past. Whenever the company unveils a new flagship handset, it cuts the price on its older models. The idea for Apple is to maximize the number of customers it can target at different price points and more effectively compete against the massive number of Android devices on store shelves.Tuesday's event, taking place at the Flint Performing Arts Center in Apple's hometown of Cupertino, Calif., is one of the most anticipated product launches of the year. Consumers, analysts, and investors have been waiting for Apple to introduce the "amazing" new products that CEO Tim Cook has promised for more than a year. Cook, who took over as CEO from Steve Jobs three years ago, hasn't yet taken the company into new markets beyond those established by his former boss. But he's now expected to do just that with wearables, mobile payments, and other possible arenas. It's vital for Apple to expand beyond its current product offerings. The company hasn't entered a new category since Jobs unveiled the "magical" iPad tablet in 2010, and every new version of the iPhone, iPad, and Macintosh computer since then has been deemed "evolutionary" rather than "revolutionary" by reviewers and customers, leading to slowing profit and revenue growth. Apple generates about two-thirds of its sales from the iPhone and iPad, but the markets for those gadgets are becoming saturated, with rivals from Amazon to Google to Microsoft to Samsung battling for customers and the billions they spend on mobile devices.Apple CEO Tim Cook has promised for over a year that Apple in 2014 would introduce "amazing" new products and enter "exciting new product categories" beyond its wildly successful smartphones, tablets, and computers. And in late May, Eddy Cue, head of iTunes and the man behind Apple's $3 billion acquisition of headphone and streaming music service provider Beats, upped the pressure by boasting that the consumer-electronics giant is working on its "best product pipeline in 25 years."Until today, the iPhone 5S started at $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB, all with a two-year contract. Off contract, the phone retailed for $649 for 16GB, $749 for 32GB, and $849 for 64GB.The iPhone 5C cost $99 for 16GB of storage or $199 for 32GB, both with a two-year contract. Off contract, the phone retailed for $549 for 16GB or $649 for 32GB. Before its launch last year, market watchers expected the 5C to be a low-cost device that would help Apple target emerging markets. But the pricing of the device remained too high for budget-conscious shoppers in places like China and India. Rather than help Apple attract the mainstream or low-end customer, the 5C instead helped it better build its position at the high end. But the 5C didn't sell well, at least not initially, Cook admitted during Apple's earnings report in January.Apple previously offered an 8GB iPhone 4S for free with a two-yearcontract, or $450 off contract. That device has been discontinued.


Social goes big on Opera Mini

Social goes big on Opera Mini
Also in Opera Mini Next is the ability to set more than nine sites to Speed Dial. However, the Android and iOS versions of Opera Mini won't include the Home screen. Instead, smartphone versions of Opera Mini Next will see smoother browsing powered by hardware acceleration.Opera Mini Next installs concurrently to the stable version of Opera Mini and can be distinguished by a white icon as opposed to the standard red one.Joining Opera Mini Next 7 on stage is the latest full update to the Mini's smartphonecounterpart. Opera Mobile 12 for Android, leap-frogging the version number of Opera for PCs, which are still on version 11, includes several notable changes. Opera Mobile 12 brings WebGL support for 3D rendering on your smartphone, native HTML5 support, the same unlimited number of Speed Dial sites as Opera Mini Next has, and in-browser support for your device's camera. Gronvold suggested an Opera-built demo Web site at shinydemos.comfor testing WebGL on the mobile browser.As for the future of Opera on mobile devices, Gronvold expressed high hopes but he said that it's going in a different direction from competitors such as Mozilla. "A Boot-to-Gecko system is something that we're not interested in. We dabbled in it with Opera Platform in 2004, but we don't see it as a solution for our product portfolio with our partners," he said.Instead, Opera will continue to develop Mini and Mobile concurrently. Mini will focus on feature phones, lower-powered smartphones, or those devices on rate-limited networks, while Mobile will be a more precise replica of the PC version of Opera.Updated at 5:09 p.m. PT: The final version of Opera Mini 7 for iOS is now available in the iTunes Store.


Indie film legend accuses Apple, Google of Web piracy

Indie film legend accuses Apple, Google of Web piracy
Yahoo?And calling out Apple is a head-scratcher too. All the major film studios and networks distribute downloads through iTunes. The same with the music-recording companies. Apple sells music and movies legally and always has.Content creators are sure to point out that Google has a much more spotty record on protecting content. Weinstein mentioned YouTube, a site where people divide complete movies into 10-minute long clips. While that still occurs, Google has a filtering technology that has helped keep some of that content off the Web's top video-sharing service.More importantly, Google has implemented numerous antipiracy measures recently and cut big distribution deals with film studios and record labels for Google Play.Had Weinstein lashed out against MegaUpload or Rapidshare, he would have at least been in step with the rest of the entertainment industry. Many in the film and music sectors accuse those cloud storage services of encouraging copyright infringement, though the sites say they operate legally.One reason why Weinstein may have rattled his saber is that at another recent function, he lamented the decline in film revenue, which he blamed on piracy and consolidation in the sector, The Register reported. As a result, he said he and brother Bob are planning to do more TV production.While he's at it, Weinstein should do some homework or else risk getting lumped in with Jon Bon Jovi and other stars who have made uninformed statements about copyright and the Internet. The impression they leave is that they're only aware that their royalty checks are getting smaller but haven't taken the time to find out what's really happening in their business.


Under-45 crowd- Most carry smartphones now

Under-45 crowd: Most carry smartphones now
Smartphones keep luring more mobile users, especially those under the age of 45, according to a new survey from Nielsen.Only 43 percent of all mobile users own a smartphone, Nielsen noted in its third-quarter survey. That figure covers the gamut of 13 to over 65. But ownership has hit more than 50 percent among some specific age groups under 45.Of those in the 25 to 34 range, a whopping 62 percent now own a smartphone. And 54 percent and 53 percent of those 18 to 24 and 35 to 44 do as well, respectively. Teenagers are known to be heavy mobile phone users, but only 38 percent of those 13 to 17 own a smartphone as opposed to a basic feature phone.Moving up in age, 39 percent of mobile users ages 45 to 54 have a smartphone.Smartphone usage is growing even among those 55 to 64. Though only 30 percent of people in this age range own a smartphone, that number is 5 points higher than Nielsen saw in the second quarter.In the never-ending Android vs. Apple smartphone contest, Android phones are on top, according to Nielsen, snagging 43 percent of the U.S. market. Meanwhile, the iPhone is in the pockets of 28 percent of smartphone users. Research In Motion's BlackBerry owns 18 percent share, leaving Microsoft's Windows Phone with 7 percent and other assorted vendors scooping up the remaining 4 percent.Nielsen


UL warns of counterfeit Apple USB power adapters

UL warns of counterfeit Apple USB power adapters
Safety science company UL today issued a warning to consumers and retailers about counterfeit Apple USB power adapters.These adapters are designed to look just like the ones Apple includes with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Mini, and even bear the same model designation as Apple's legitimate USB adapter (Model A1265).The easiest way to spot a fake is in the writing on the back of the device. Instead of saying "Designed by Apple in California," you will see either "Designed Abble in California" or "Designed by China in California." "These USB power adaptors have not been evaluated by UL to the appropriate Standards for Safety and it is unknown if these power adaptors comply with any safety requirements," UL said in its announcement this morning. Counterfeit USB adapters are commonplace, and Apple and other major electronics makers are no strangers to having the look, feel, and functionality of their accessories replicated by third-party companies. There is some danger when it comes to power adapters and batteries, however. For more on that, grab a large cup of coffee and read this exhaustive breakdown of more than a dozen real and counterfeit USB chargers by Ken Shirriff. It might freak you out. Here are some shots of the counterfeits:ULULAnd the real one:UL


Back up or transfer your iTunes library--free!

Back up or transfer your iTunes library--free!
Want to back up your iTunes library and/or transfer it to another PC? iTunes itself has a backup option, but it requires blank CDs or DVDs. Bleh.CopyTrans TuneSwift will back up your iTunes library to the media of your choice (including network folders, flash drives, and external hard drives), or let you transfer it to another machine--Windows or Macintosh.(Just to clarify, TuneSwift itself is for Windows only, but it includes an option for transferring iTunes libraries to Macs. Pretty neat!)The program will cost $20-30 when the next version is released, but right now you can get TuneSwift free of charge. Just download and run the CopyTrans installer, then choose TuneSwift from the list of available programs (it's the fourth one down). Once it's installed, click the Activate tab and paste in TUNESWIFT-FOR-CNET.The program couldn't be much simpler to use. Just choose what you want to do--transfer, backup, or restore--and it walks you through each step of the process. (See the video below for a walk-through of the transfer process.) It even supports incremental backups, a nice perk. The only time-consuming part is the backup itself, which in my case took nearly two hours. (My iTunes library turned out to be a whopping 132GB, a shocker to say the least.)For me this couldn't have come at a better time, as I'm just getting ready to do a system wipe/restore--and iTunes is always a tricky part of the restore process. Now I can easily put iTunes back the way it was.This freebie offer ends March 15. After that, TuneSwift will continue to function--but only until iTunes gets updated again. After that, you'll have to pay up if you want to keep using the software. Based on what I've seen so far, it might just be worth it.If you know of a better iTunes backup/transfer solution, talk it up in the comments!


Australian TV pirates refuse to play the waiting game

Australian TV pirates refuse to play the waiting game
Aussie pirates have often defended their actions by saying that they would purchase shows (or watch on free-to-air) if that was an option. Instead, they claim, the difficultly in being able to watch their shows in a timely fashion is what drives them to torrent sites.But how realistic is this? Tech culture blog Reckoner has done some rather detailed research that suggests Aussie TV fan are definitely being left in the cold when it comes to hit TV shows. Looking at the 31 highest rated TV shows on Metacritic, Reckoner found that a third of these shows were still not available in Australia by any current legitimate means. Less than 25 percent of the shows were available within 24 hours of the original airdate.ReckonerLooking at the digital stores (iTunes, Quickflix, Google Play and Xbox Video) Reckoner found that only three shows were available for purchase within a day of airing and a full 52 percent remained unavailable for purchase across all platforms. We'd highly recommend reading the original article on Reckoner which has report cards for each of the 31 shows in the study, grading them based on delay to Aussie airtime and whether they were available on free-to-air networks or pay TV. Only 2 shows from the 31 received an A grade, and 16 received an F. It's a fascinating piece of work.While this is only one bit of research, it speaks clearly to the fact that TV distribution is struggling to remain regional in the face of a tech-savvy global audience who aren't willing to wait any more. This isn't even counting the problem with social media spoilers. This may sound trite, but for shows like Game of Thrones that rely on cliffhangers and shocks, whole seasons can be ruined by Twitter or Facebook. And it's not just online fans that can be the issue -- more and more shows are taking advantage of "second screen" viewers to include official live-tweeting from cast and crew.Aussies say that they're willing to pay when it comes to TV -- and that certainly seems to be the case with Australian VPN Netflix use tripling in the past year -- so it seems now that the ball is in the distributors' court to find a way for this to happen.


Apple reportedly 'aggressively' hiring talent for iWatch project

Apple reportedly 'aggressively' hiring talent for iWatch project
Apple has gone on a hiring spree for its iWatch effort, suggesting it needs additional expertise to address design issues, The Financial Times reported Sunday.The gadget maker has been "aggressively" hiring new employees in recent weeks to work on developing the wearable computing device, suggesting the project involves "hard engineering problems that they've not been able to solve," sources familiar with the matter told the newspaper. The timing suggests the much-rumored smart wristwatch won't be available to consumers until late next year, the sources said.CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more.Interest in wearable computers has swelled in recent months as reports announced that Apple was creating a smartwatch that would run on its iOS mobile operating system. Employees from Apple's marketing, software, and hardware units who had worked on the iPhone and iPad are reportedly part of a team that numbered more than 100 as of earlier this year. During an interview at the D11 conference in May, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he finds wearable computing "profoundly interesting," but that "you have to convince people it's so incredible you want to wear it." Cook pointed out that most young people don't wear watches, so it would be the company's job to make them appealing.That may be the very goal for Paul Deneve -- the former CEO of luxury fashion company Yves Saint Laurent -- another recent Apple employee who was hired to focus on "special projects."


Apple reportedly acquires photo app developer SnappyLabs

Apple reportedly acquires photo app developer SnappyLabs
Apple has acquired photo technology startup SnappyLabs, the one-man developer behind the SnappyCam app, according to a TechCrunch report.The popular iPhone app, which recently vanished from Apple's iTunes App Store, allows the smartphone to capture full-resolution images at 20 to 30 frames per second. The app sold for $1 at iTunes and had reportedly been a top seller in several countries.The company, which was founded and run by John Papandriopoulos, attracted acquisition interest "from most of the usual players," sources told TechCrunch. The company's Web site was recently taken down and its Twitter accounts were locked down from public view.Terms of the deal were not revealed. CNET has contacted Apple and SnappyLabs for comment and will update this report when we learn more. Apple confirmed the acquisition in a statement to Recode on Sunday. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Papandriopoulos had told Fairfax Media in September that he had been in talks with several companies about acquiring the app, and Apple was understood to be among that group."In terms of commercial interest in SnappyCam, there's been quite a bit actually, which has been great in many ways," Papandriopoulos reportedly told Fairfax Media, adding that there was a "spectrum" of Bay Area companies showing interest. "There are a lot of big ones, Internet giants as you like to say, and I've spoken to several of those as well as some smaller companies."Update, January 5 at 9:30 a.m. PT: Notes Apple confirmation.


Apple reportedly acquires PrimeSense for $345M

Apple reportedly acquires PrimeSense for $345M
Apple has reportedly closed a deal to acquire PrimeSense, the 3D-sensor company behind Microsoft's Kinect sensor.Apple paid $345 million for the Israel-based company, according to a Calcalist financial newspaper report on Sunday that didn't cite sources. Perhaps best known for powering the gesture control used by Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console, the company's technology is also used in 3D scanners, iRobot's Ava, and the Asus Xtion. However, while noting that the two companies were engaged in discussions regarding a possible acquisition, sources told AllThingsD that that the deal has not been finalized. They also reportedly said the final value of the deal -- if it is ratified -- would likely be slightly greater than $345 million. CNET has contacted Apple for comment and will update this report when we learn more. PrimeSense declined to comment on the report."We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and natural interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices," a spokeswoman for PrimeSense told Reuters. "We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or recycled rumors."PrimeSense has raised $85 million from Israeli and US venture capital funds such as Canaan Partners Global, Gemini Israel, and Genesis Partners, according to Calcalist.Apple was said to be talks to acquire the 3D-sensing company since July when it was said to be offering $280 million for the Tel Aviv-based company.Apple has found Israel to be a veritable treasure trove: last year, the company confirmed that it acquired Israel-based flash storage maker Anobit for $400 million.Updated at 7:15 p.m. PT with details of AllThingsD's report.


Apple removes Secret from App Store in Brazil

Apple removes Secret from App Store in Brazil
Secret, the app that lets you to anonymously share thoughts with others, is no longer available in Apple's App Store in Brazil.Secret was leveled with a Brazilian court ruling this week that forced Apple to remove the app from its store within 10 days. Apple on Thursday complied with the ruling, taking down the app from its Brazil-based App Store, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to CNET. The issue for Secret has been its anonymity. In Brazil, the constitution strictly prohibits free speech when it's made anonymously. Secret users in Brazil were taking to the app to express themselves on a wide range of topics, including politics, and that apparently violated the country's laws.Related storiesNot so Secret? How a hack could have killed app's anonymitySo why isn't there more app store competition?Windows Phone Store hits more than 300,000 appsGoogle yanks BombGaza game for violating app policiesAs Apple's guidelines indicate, apps allowed into the App Store must adhere to both the company's rules and local law. The same is true in countries all over the world, not just Brazil. Whether the application will be brought back to the App Store in Brazil is unknown at this point, though it seems unlikely, given the country's laws on anonymous free speech.Secret's app is still available elsewhere around the world in both the App Store and the Google Play store.CNET has contacted Secret for comment. We will update this story when we have more information.(Via 9to5Mac)


Apple releases new Mac Minis with HDMI and SD reader

Apple releases new Mac Minis with HDMI and SD reader
The computer is designed based off Apple's aluminum enclosure which, similar to the MacBook and MacBook Pro family, has a unibody design. There is a single slot-loading optical drive on the front of the system, and Apple has reconfigured the back to include a HDMI port and an SD card slot.The $699 model sports the following features:Core system:2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 3MB of shared L2 cache2GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAMStorage:320GB Serial ATA hard drive running at 5400 rpmSlot-load 8X SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)SD card slotGraphics:NVIDIA GeForce 320M integrated graphics with shared memoryone HDMI port and one Mini DisplayPortHDMI to DVI video adapterNetworking and connectivity:AirPort Extreme 802.11n wireless networking and Bluetooth 2.1+EDRGigabit Ethernetfour USB 2.0 portsone FireWire 800 portAudio:combined optical digital audio inputcombined optical digital audio outputThe Mac Mini Server with no optical drive.Customizing options allow for up to 8GM of RAM and 500GB (7200RPM) of hard drive storage space. In addition, Apple's Mac Mini Server has the same features except for an additional hard drive in place of the optical drive, and has a 2.66GHz processor with 4GB of RAM as the default configuration.The bottom of the unit is designed for easy access to the RAM, so you can upgrade the system without prying open the top case, as was the case with the older models.Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or email us!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.


What Movie Have You Watched Most in Your Life

Over the holidays, I watched Emmet Otter;s Jug Band Christmas again. I;ve probably seen it at least once a year for maybe 35 years now, and as a kid I surely watched it more than once each season. The viewing made me wonder if, because of tradition, we;re more likely to have seen a favorite Christmas movie more than any other movie over the course of our lives. Maybe it;s not necessarily a Christmas movie, though. It could be anything we rewatch customarily whenever we;re with family. There was a period when anytime I was home for any reason, I;d end up watching Good Will Hunting with my mother. It was just our thing. The older I get, the less I tend to watch movies again and again. In fact I rarely watch movies I;ve seen before if I can help it, because I;m getting to an age where I feel I;m going to run out of time to see all the world;s classics. I;m unlike many cinephiles in that regard, but I;m sure I still share something with most: the movies we;ve seen more than others tend to be those we saw a lot as kids. Comfort-food titles, the lot of them. Beloved family films, comedies that still make us laugh out loud, fantasy adventure stories that never get old. Stuff that;s fairly light and easy. Namely, for me, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Time Bandits, The Goonies, Ferris Bueller;s Day Off, Duck Soup, North by Northwest. Some other movies I have to include on the list of those I;ve seen a whole lot are titles I wroteabout in school. When you;re doing a film-studies project, you typically have to see your topic titles over and over and over. I;ve probably watched Dancer in the Dark more than is healthy, especially since I replayed the ending even more than I rewatched the whole film. I also saw Frank Capra;s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Jose Padilha;s Bus 174 and Edgar Wright;s Shaun of the Dead enough to become an expert on each, for major assignments. I can;t say with any certainty given that I;ve never kept tabs (I;m sure some of you have, at least from a certain age), but I;m going to say the champion as far as the movie I;ve consciously rewatched the most is Heathers (which kinda turns 25 this month). And the majority of that was during my teen years. It;s the one I;ve read the most, as in I have a copy of the original script, too. Which movie have you seen the most times in your life? Here are some responses received so far via Twitter: @thefilmcynic Jaws — MargeGunderson (@SongWarmonger) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic JAWS. — Alan Cerny (@NordlingAICN) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic JURASSIC PARK, no question. Possibly STARSHIP TROOPERS in second place. This says a lot about me, I;m sure. — Peter S. Hall (@PeterSHall) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic DUNE (David Lynch, 1984) -- obsessed over it as a kid. — Jacob Powell (@Jacobunny) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Kill Bill. — Ieda Marcondes (@iedamarcondes) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Daisies, Hannah and Her Sisters, and maybe Party Monster — Daniel Walber (@DSWalber) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Rushmore — Steven Peterson (@Mimekiller) January 6, 2014 FARGO. RT @thefilmcynic: POLL: Which movie have you watched more times in your life than any other? — Jason Whyte (@jasonwhyte) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic either STAR WARS or THE PRINCESS BRIDE — Larry Wright (@refocusedmedia) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Return of the Jedi — justin robinson (@TheJSRobinson) January 6, 2014 THIS IS SPINAL TAP RT @thefilmcynic: POLL: Which movie have you watched more times in your life than any other? — Eric Melin (@SceneStealrEric) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Nothing To Lose/Hoosiers — Luke B (@RadioLuke) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Dawn of the Dead. — Jamie (@filmnerdjamie) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic National Lampoon;s Vacation. It was a staple when I was a kid. — John LaRue (@tdylf) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Lord of the Rings. Possibly Iron Man or Hitch. Transformers too. — John Andrews (@Jandies1) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic The Little Mermaid. Saw the movie like crazy when I was a kid(Easily over 50 times) and have it memorized. — August Macias (@August_Macias) January 6, 2014 Friday. @thefilmcynic: POLL: Which movie have you watched more times in your life than any other? — Shaun Carroll (@shauncarroll) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Probably ;Amadeus.; — Samuel W. (@TheatrOfTheMind) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic When Harry Met Sally... — Jennifer Campbell (@jbdcampbell) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Heathers followed by Dune. — Matty Mcboy (@RealMattyMcBoy) January 6, 2014 @thefilmcynic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers the Movie — Boro Y Boi (@ayobobun) January 6, 2014 Join in the next discussion: and