Podding.net

Apple’s retail stores have been ranked as the U.S. retail chain with the highest sales per square foot for a number of years and according to a new report from Asymco’s Horace Dediu, the company also outranks competitors when it comes to revenue per visitor, hitting a record high of $57.60 per visitor in the first quarter of 2013.

Apple experienced a seven percent growth in visitors during the quarter, leading to an average of $13 million in revenue per Apple Store, which is the highest it has been during a non-holiday quarter.


During its Q2 financial results call, Apple reported a total of $43.6 billion in revenue with $5.2 billion in retail, up 19% from the previous quarter.

Apple gets an average of 250,000 visitors per store per quarter, up from approximately 170,000 visitors per quarter in 2010. In recent years, the company has been focusing on building new Apple Stores across the globe and expanding existing stores to increase available square footage. Apple plans to open 30 new retail stores in fiscal 2013 and remodel 20.




Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Turkish Prime Minister Visits Apple Ahead of Major Tablet Purchase
• Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands

Digitimes briefly reports that Apple will be releasing updated notebooks “in the near future”, with supply chain sources indicating that Apple’s orders will rise 20% in the second quarter compared to first-quarter production.

The new MacBooks are only expected to receive specification upgrades to Intel’s latest Haswell platform and are estimated to be unveiled at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, the sources said.

Claims of a 20% increase in orders come less than a month after the site claimed that orders would see a 10% increase for the quarter, although overall notebook shipments for 2013 are expected to be flat or only slightly higher year over year due to a lack of major updates and a weak PC market.


Late last month, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that an update to the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro lines would be a highlight for next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which kicks off on June 10. Kuo had previously believed that Apple would consolidate its MacBook Pro lines into an all-Retina lineup in mid-2013, but he now believes that continued popularity of the non-Retina models has led Apple to push back its consolidation plans for the time being.

Kuo indicated that updated models of the non-Retina MacBook Pro and MacBook Air should ship relatively soon after WWDC, with updated Retina MacBook Pro models shipping somewhat later due to constraints on display production.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Turkish Prime Minister Visits Apple Ahead of Major Tablet Purchase
• Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands

Digitimes reports that Apple will soon begin trial production on its fifth-generation iPad, with full production said to be planned to begin in July. Based on that schedule, Apple could hit monthly production of 2-3 million units by September as it prepares to launch the updated version of its full-size tablet.

Mockup of iPad 5 next to iPad mini and iPhone 5
As with a number of previous rumors, the report claims that the new iPad will be narrower, thinner, and lighter than the current design, taking a number of design cues from the iPad mini. As a result, Digitimes says that the new iPad will be 25-33% thinner than the current models, in line with previous claims from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The display of the new iPad, which will hit market shelves as early as September, will still be a 2,048 x 1,536 Retina display, the same as the one used in the 4th-generation model, except that the new display is built on a glass substrate of 0.2mm, thinner than the 0.25mm one for the 4th-generation device, the sources said, adding the new table will has a narrow bezel.

The touch panel solution for 5th-generation iPad is GF2 (1 layer of glass and two layers of ITO film) instead of G/G bonding used in 4th-generation iPad, the sources added.

The new iPad will use one LED light bar for backlighting, compared to two LED light bars used in 4th-generation iPad, the sources noted.

Kuo had previously predicted that production on the new iPad would ramp up in August or September, with shipments following soon thereafter.

Rumors of an iPad mini-like design for the next-generation iPad have been supported by leaked photos showing what was claimed to be the front bezel and cover glass for the device, as well as photos of the device’s rear shell and cases said to be based on the product’s design.

Previous rumors have also suggested that Apple would be able to use more efficient backlighting in the fifth-generation iPad, reducing the device’s size both directly through eliminating one of the two backlight units and indirectly through allowing for a smaller battery.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Turkish Prime Minister Visits Apple Ahead of Major Tablet Purchase
• Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands

Japanese blog Macotakara points to a pair of reports in today’s edition of Taiwanese newspaper Economic Times addressing rumors surrounding Apple’s smart watch effort. According to the first report [Google translation], Apple has begun sampling 1.5-inch OLED displays from RITEK subsidiary RiTdisplay.

The report also claims that RITEK’s joint venture RitFast will be supplying the touch sensor technology for the watch.

Today’s report echoes a December claim about Apple’s plans for RiTdisplay’s 1.5-inch displays and word that Intel is involved in Apple’s effort, but includes a detail indicating that Apple had originally hoped to use a 1.8-inch display in the smart watch. That display, however, proved to be too large and the company shifted to the smaller 1.5-inch display size.

The second report [Google translation] offers an overview of the smart watch industry, with “market rumors” indicating that Foxconn has already received orders for Apple’s smart watch. But with order volumes said to be around 1,000 units, the production run would clearly be a small-scale trial.

Rumors of an Apple smart watch ramped up in the months following that December report about Apple and Intel working together, with The New York Times later reporting that Apple was “experimenting” with curved glass smart watch designs and Bloomberg following up to claim that Apple has 100 product designers working on the project.

“iWatch” rumors peaked in February and March of this year amid claims that the device could launch “as soon as this year”, but things have been relatively quiet for the past several months.

(Photo: HEX Vision Metal Watchband for iPod nano (6th Gen.))


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Turkish Prime Minister Visits Apple Ahead of Major Tablet Purchase
• Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands

• MacBook Air Inventory Shrinking In Leadup To Apple’s WWDC
• Battle Of The 13-inch MacBooks: Which One To Buy?
• Apple ‘Losing Innovation Magic’?
• 10 Photo Editing Programs That Aren’t Photoshop
• Lenovo Launches Yoga 11S Windows 8 Convertible
• Mad Catz Ships R.A.T.M Wireless Gaming Mouse…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry |

• AUO Supply Of iPad mini Panels In 2Q13 Expected To Slip Sequentially
• BlackBerry Introduces BlackBerry 10 QWERTY smartphone, the BlackBerry Q5, To Selected Markets
• Why a BlackBerry Is Better Than an iPhone
• Light Meter for iOS released – Lux Measurement Tool
• iCarMode – 50% Price Drop for a Limited Time…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry | iPhone | iPhone News |

A note posted to a longstanding mailing list run by Apple said that Cupertino in late April would “transition” the lists to other support sites. However, some lists appear to still be running.

Earlier today a report suggested that the launch of Apple’s upcoming streaming music service deemed “iRadio” may be delayed due to difficult negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music Group.

CNET is offering some additional information on Apple’s trouble with Sony Music, explaining that the fees to be paid for skipped songs have become a point of contention between the companies.

Apple and Sony Music, the world’s second largest music label, are still trying to hammer out details over how much Apple would pay for songs that people listen to a fraction of and then skip, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

While Apple’s music service is said to be more similar to Pandora than Spotify, Apple does plan to deviate from Pandora’s rigid station-based listening rules by giving users extended control, like the ability to rewind or skip a song after listening to a small portion of it. Pandora limits its users to 12 skips per day and pays the full royalty rate for each skipped track.

Apple has faced continual struggles over pricing during negotiations, originally offering to pay just half of Pandora’s royalty rate while demanding more flexibility. The company later agreed to up its offered price, but it may not be willing to make further concessions as an Apple-branded music service offers additional perks that other music streaming sites can’t compete with, such as an established market for purchasing streamed tracks.

The stalled negotiations between Apple and Sony Music are annoying other labels, who are eager to see iRadio launch. Apple finalized an agreement with Universal Music earlier this month and is close to signing a deal with Warner Music Group, according to CNET‘s sources.

That skipping has become an issue is frustrating executives at the other labels because they see Apple’s free radio service as a potential boon for the music industry overall and are eager to help Apple get it launched.

Apple was pushing for a summer launch of iRadio, with possible plans to unveil the service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, but it is unclear if the company will be able to meet that deadline.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers

`
• Microsoft Surface Pro vs Apple MacBook Air 11in
• Complete Guide to iCloud on Your Mac
• Pixelmator 2.2 First Week Downloads Top Half a Million
• Macworld U.K. Reviews Pixelmator 2.2
• Mac Spyware Found at Oslo Freedom Forum
• Kensington Gadget Gifts For Dads & Grads
• MCE Announces Internal Blu-ray Player for iMac, Mac mini…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry |

• Steve Jobs Triumphs Posthumously In Platform Wars
• Why Tablets Are Beating PCs
• Why We Need Apple
• New Generation iPhone May Adopt Sapphire Crystal Glass For Home Button
• New Phablet Device Rumor Steals The Show At Blackberry Live
• Kensington iPad Accessory Gifts For Dads & Grads
• UPS App for iPad Features Enhanced Map And Tracking Features Enabling Consumers To Closely Monitor Shipment Status
• Kabam’s Fast & Furious 6 Game Races to iOS and Android Devices…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry | iPhone | iPhone News |

As noted by AppleInsider, MacBook Air supplies are beginning to dry up as Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference approaches.

Currently, the 13.3-inch 256GB 1.8Ghz MacBook Air is out of stock at Amazon.com, with a listed one to two month waiting period. While the low end 13.3-inch MacBook Air is in stock, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is in short supply. Amazon lists an inventory of just ten 1.7Ghz 128GB 11.6-inch MacBook Airs and just one lower end 64GB 11.6-inch MacBook Air available through a third party.


Several other authorized Apple resellers, such as MacConnection, MacMall, and B&H, are also seeing dwindling MacBook Air inventory, with the higher end versions of 13.3-inch MacBook Air being the hardest to find.

Low inventory supplies at third-party Apple retailers are often one of the initial signs of an upcoming product refresh. According to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will be introducing new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines based on Intel’s Haswell processors at WWDC, which takes place next month from June 10 to June 14.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers

Last week, we noted that Apple was still struggling to convince the major music labels to sign on to its planned streaming service, informally dubbed “iRadio”, with Sony and Warner reportedly holding out even after market leader Universal had agreed to Apple’s revised terms.

In a new article highlighting how Google was able to announce its own music service ahead of Apple, The Verge notes that Apple’s desire to provide a hybrid listener experience has meant more work at the negotiating table.

For starters, Google chose to offer a standard subscription music service very similar to those built by Spotify and Rdio, and that meant the terms had largely been established, according to multiple sources close to the talks. Apple, on the other hand, is pioneering a hybrid web and radio service — one that resembles Pandora but melds it with some on-demand features, the sources said. The licensing agreement had to be created from scratch.

According to the report’s sources, number four music publisher BMG is also holding out against Apple’s proposed terms, and while there still appears to be significant momentum behind iRadio and a desire by many parties to get a deal done as quickly as possible, it is now looking as though Apple may not be able to launch the service at next month’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).

Word of Apple’s plans for a Pandora-like service surfaced last September, with subsequent reports indicating that Apple was targeting the first quarter of this year for a launch. As negotiations continued to prove difficult, Apple shifted its focus to a summer launch, but it now appears unclear whether the company will be able to meet even that revised goal.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers

Following a report from earlier this month indicating that the U.S. Department of Defense was preparing to approve Apple devices running iOS 6 for use on military networks, Bloomberg now reports that the department has officially issued the authorization, opening the door for greater use of Apple’s products.

The Defense Department said in a statement today that it has approved the use of Cupertino, California-based Apple’s products running a version of the iOS 6 mobile platform.

The decision eventually may spur a three-way fight for a market long dominated by Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry. The Pentagon on May 2 approved Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung’s devices, as well as BlackBerry 10 smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

The report notes that out of more than 600,000 mobile devices used by the Defense Department, only about 41,000 of those are Apple products, with most of those not connected directly to the military’s networks. With the new approvals, Apple and Samsung are expected to eat into BlackBerry’s roughly 75% share of mobile devices within the agency.

As noted in the report earlier this month, the Department of Defense’s approval of iOS 6 devices for sensitive applications is expected to have impact beyond the military, with other businesses requiring strict security standards becoming more likely to embrace Apple’s products.

Pentagon approval for iOS 6 devices comes just as The Street reports that the U.S. Air Force is expecting to save more than $50 million over ten years following last year’s decision to replace thousands of pages of flight manuals with iPads.

“By removing all that paper, [Air Mobility Command] will capture about $750,000 in fuel savings [annually] just based off the decreased weight,” said [electronic flight bag program manager Major Brian] Moritz.

Removing the need to print and distribute thousands of flight manuals, however, equates to an even greater cost saving. “It comes out to just over $5 million a year,” noted Moritz. “With fuel savings, it comes out to $5.7 million annually in pure cost. When you look at $5.7 million a year, over 10 years, that’s well over $50 million.”

The Air Force is not the only group switching to iPads to replace traditional flight bags used by pilots, as a number of commercial airlines have also begun transitioning to the technology in order to reduce weight and therefore fuel costs, as well as lighten loads for the pilots themselves.

(Photo: James Rogers/The Street)


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers

Corning yesterday announced (via Engadget) the launch of its latest glass substrate for LCD and OLED displays, Lotus XT Glass. While Corning is famous for its Gorilla Glass used by Apple and other device manufacturers to provide durable covers for their displays, substrate glass like Lotus Glass is used within the displays themselves to support the transistors and other components necessary for the displays to function.

The Corning Lotus Glass platform enables organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCD) that use either low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) backplanes. The result is an energy-efficient, immersive display device that features high resolution, fast response times, and bright picture quality.

Lotus XT Glass, an improved version of the original Lotus Glass announced in late 2011, offers improved thermal characteristics and stability to help increase efficiency and yield during display production. Lotus XT Glass is available in a variety of thicknesses ranging from 0.4 to 0.7 mm to support various applications.

In an introductory video, Corning vice president John Bayne outlines how Lotus XT Glass will enable better displays with improved yields:

Our customers, the panel makers, are basically making thin-film transistors and aligning those transistors with liquid crystal material and a color filter piece of glass. Everything has to line up just right to work.

The distance features move during processing is called total pitch. And if you measure that from sheet to sheet, it’s called total pitch variation. If panel makers can minimize total pitch variation, they can realize higher manufacturing yields and lower costs. In addition, they can design devices that have higher aperture ratios which are brighter and use less power.

It will still take some time for display manufacturers to adopt Lotus Glass XT for use in their processes and for those panels to make their way into finished products, but with Lotus Glass XT offering up to 75% better performance in total pitch variation than the original version, it seems likely that manufacturers will move quickly to adopt the product.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• 'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
• FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers

The CW has struck a deal that will bring the network’s content to the Apple TV, reports Deadline. At the company’s annual Upfront Presentation in New York today, CW president Mark Pedowitz announced that the CW’s TV Now applications, which are currently available on Xbox 360 and Windows 8, will be coming to the Apple TV as well.

“This year we’re reaching more viewers on more platforms,” said Pedowitz, speaking of the deal. “We are reaching our audience everywhere they are, and we want you to be with us everywhere we go,” he went on to say to advertisers at the event.


The CW told MacRumors that the app will function similarly to the company’s Xbox and mobile apps and confirmed that it will indeed be an app located on the Apple TV’s home screen.

It’s a dedicated CW app that will work like our Xbox and mobile and tablet apps – no cable authentication required, full episodes of our shows available next day after air, ad-supported.

The CW’s TV Now app for the Xbox offers free full streaming episodes of network shows like The Vampire Diaries with limited advertising. The app also includes additional content like previews and cast extras. Currently, Apple sells CW content through its iTunes store.

While the Apple TV offers apps and digital content from sites like Netflix and Hulu, it does not include apps from television networks. The partnership between the CW and Apple will mark the first the first network television app available via the Apple TV.

It is unclear if the CW’s app is part of a larger initiative by Apple to bring additional apps to the Apple TV. According to the CW, the app is set to launch in the coming weeks, though no exact release date was given.



Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers
• Mophie Introduces New 2,100 mAh iPhone 5 Battery Case
• Limelight for iPhone Lets Users Catalog and Share Movie Choices

In his interview with Politico earlier today, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared some additional details about the new Mac model that will be manufactured in the United States when it is announced later this year.

Cook said that not only will the machine be assembled in the U.S., many of the components will be sourced from suppliers in the country as well.

And Cook is also promoting a $100 million investment in domestic manufacturing, where the company will begin producing a new version of a current Mac product later this year.

“We’re going very deep in this project,” Cook said, noting that not only will the final product be manufactured in the U.S., but so will many of its components. Arizona, Texas, Illinois, Florida and Kentucky are among the states he mentioned as having parts and assembly located.

Cook announced in an interview with Brian Williams last year that an existing Mac line would be manufactured exclusively in the U.S. beginning in 2013.

Speculation had pointed to the Mac Pro, which is due for a significant update, though DigiTimes claimed it was Mac Mini production that would come back from overseas.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers
• Mophie Introduces New 2,100 mAh iPhone 5 Battery Case
• Limelight for iPhone Lets Users Catalog and Share Movie Choices

• PC Markets in Western Europe Collapse; Only Apple And Lenovo Growing – Gartner
• Windows ‘Blue’ Will Leave Microsoft Customers Seeing Red Says InfoWorld Pundit
• Apple Envy? Microsoft Exec Praises MacBook Air As Benchmark For One Of The Best Windows 8 Tablets
• Shhhhh! Das Keyboard Launches a Quiet Mechanical Keyboard
• E Ink Introduces Mobius, The First Large Format Flexible Display Technology To Enter Mass Production
• The Register Reviews HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
• Chromebook Pixel Revisited: One Of The Best Laptops I’ve Used – ZNet’s Kendrick…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry |

• Google To Enable Sending Money Via Gmail
• Belkin Dyle Mobile TV Receiver Lets You Watch Live, Mobile Television On Your iPhone or iPad
• Free VerifyMe App Provides A More Secure and Private iOS Password Management Solution
• Newer Technology Announces GripBase Podium Floor Stand For Apple iPad 2, 3, 4 And iPad mini Models
• Incipio Partners With AT&T for iPhone 5 ATLAS Waterproof Case Launch
• Free AstralPad Office Document Editing iPad App Adds Google Drive Support
• C1 Bank Launches Free C1 Bank Mobile Application For Quick Account Access And Mobile Deposits…….Continue Reading

Tags: News | Tech-Industry | iPhone | iPhone News |

Apple CEO Tim Cook, in a break from his predecessor, is giving a number of interviews to Washington press outlets ahead of his appearance in front of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation next week.


Washington newspaper Politico spoke to Cook about Apple’s offshore cash pile — which the company has thus far refused to repatriate to the United States because of the significant tax burden that would result — and Apple’s political activities.

“We don’t have a large presence in Washington, as you probably know, but we care deeply about public policy and believe creative policy can be a huge catalyst for a better society and a stronger economy,” Cook said in the interview.

He also defended his company’s conduct. “I can tell you unequivocally Apple does not funnel its domestic profits overseas. We don’t do that. We pay taxes on all the products we sell in the U.S., and we pay every dollar that we owe. And so I’d like to be really clear on that,” Cook said.

Cook has agreed to appear in front of the subcommittee on Tuesday morning personally, instead of sending a more junior executive to testify in front of the committee. His predecessor as CEO, Steve Jobs, agreed to very few interviews and tended to stay out of politics entirely.

Apple recently borrowed $17 billion in a bond offering, in part to return cash to shareholders without bringing some of its $100 billion overseas cash pile to the United States. If it were to repatriate that cash to the U.S., it would need to pay a more than $13 billion tax bill.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the comment thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All MacRumors forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.


Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
• Apple Releases MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0
• Google Play Books for iOS Updated with Support for Uploaded Files
• DirecTV Updates iPhone App With Voice Commands
• OS X 10.8.4 Build 12E52 Seeded to Developers
• Verizon Cuts Price on iPhone 5 by $100 for Some Customers
• Mophie Introduces New 2,100 mAh iPhone 5 Battery Case
• Limelight for iPhone Lets Users Catalog and Share Movie Choices

Apple today released MacBook Air Flash Storage Firmware Update 1.0, an update for Mid-2012 MacBook Air models to address an issue with recovering from crashes.

This update is recommended for MacBook Air (mid 2012) models. This update addresses a storage firmware issue that, in rare cases, may cause a system to fail to recover from a crash.

Flash storage module from mid-2012 MacBook Air (Source: iFixit)
The update is 1.69 MB and requires OS X 10.7.5 or OS X 10.8.3.