Computerworld Apple News

Parents get new weapons in war over kids' phones

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 26 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Kids' phones expose them to bullying, predators, adult content and Internet addiction. Now parents are fighting back, writes columnist Mike Elgan.

Apple CEO Tim Cook passes up $75M

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:08:00 GMT

Apple CEO Tim Cook has passed up about $75 million in dividend payments he would be due when his massive collection of more than 1 million shares vests in the next decade, according to a filing with the SEC.

Cisco all but kills Cius tablet computer

(Jim Duffy) — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:29:00 GMT

Cisco is slowly killing off its Cius business tablet less than a year after it started shipping.

Untethered jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1 available for download

(Loek Essers) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:56:00 GMT

Absinthe 2.0, the jailbreak for iOS 5.1.1, is ready and available for download, the Jailbreak Dream Team announced at the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam on Friday.

Apple settles patent lawsuit with SimpleAir

(John Ribeiro) — Fri, 25 May 2012 07:24:00 GMT

SimpleAir in Texas said Thursday it had settled its patent infringement litigation against Apple, and entered into a confidential license agreement by which Apple had taken a license to its patents.

iPhone, Android account for 82% of smartphones shipped

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:14:00 GMT

Android and iPhone smartphones together made up 82% of all such devices shipped to retailers in the first quarter of 2012, IDC said Thursday.

Diary of an App Maker: What it's like to develop for iOS

(Lex Friedman) — Thu, 24 May 2012 13:20:00 GMT

In my time at Macworld, I've reviewed and tested numerous iOS apps. I've also reported on the challenges that iOS developers face. But it was only recently that I built my first iOS app, along with developer (and frequent Macworld contributor) Marco Tabini. The experience left me with insights into the iOS development process that I probably would never have otherwise discovered, and a better understanding of what the developers of many of our favorite apps go through on a regular basis.

Apple claims US government sides with monopoly in e-book case

(John Ribeiro) — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:35:00 GMT

The U.S. government has sided with monopoly rather than competition in bringing a case of e-book price-fixing against Apple, the company said in a filing on Tuesday before a federal court.

McAfee reports big spike in malware

(Cameron Scott) — Wed, 23 May 2012 20:08:00 GMT

PC malware had its "busiest quarter in recent history," according to McAfee's quarterly security report released Wednesday.

Updated Soti SDK allows remote control of iOS devices

(Fred O'Connor) — Wed, 23 May 2012 00:22:00 GMT

Businesses can now remotely control enterprise mobile applications developed for Apple's mobile platform with the latest version of Soti's MobiControl Software Developer Kit for iOS, announced Tuesday.

Judge finds Kodak digital camera patent invalid

(James Niccolai) — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:14:00 GMT

A judge at the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined that a Kodak patent asserted in a complaint against Apple and Research In Motion is invalid, Kodak said.

Gifting Mac App Store apps, emailing videos, and more

(Christopher Breen) — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:39:00 GMT

It's time to flush out the latest collection of too-short-for-a-full-entry Mac 911 questions and answers. We start with reader SuSu:

Cloud computing: You can't outsource your compliance obligations

(Thomas J. Trappler) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:15:00 GMT

Even if your cloud provider is at fault should your company fall out of compliance, the law will come after you.

Apple files for preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1

(Marc Ferranti) — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:07:00 GMT

In the latest move in a complex series of patent-related cases, Apple filed a motion in a U.S. district court late Friday to ban Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S.

Inside Apple's secret plan to kill the cash register

(Mike Elgan) — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:00:00 GMT

Apple's plans for a Bluetooth 4.0-based iWallet could be the beginning of the end for the venerable cash register.

HP's layoff plans and what they mean

pthibodeau@computerworld.com (Patrick Thibodeau) — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:46:00 GMT

HP is expected to announce a large layoff at its quarterly investors briefing on Wednesday, losing as many as 30,000 employees. But for now, the company isn't talking about its plans.

Ask the iTunes Guy: Syncing tips

(Kirk McElhearn) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:43:00 GMT

[Ask the iTunes Guy is a regular column in which we answer your questions on everything iTunes related. If there's something you'd like to know, send an email to the iTunes Guy for consideration.]

Microsoft reprises free Xbox back-to-school PC promo

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:45:00 GMT

Microsoft will repeat last year's back-to-school promotion, kicking off the deal Sunday with an offer of a free Xbox 360 game console to eligible U.S. students who buy a new Windows 7 PC.

Mac-based Flashback click fraud campaign was a bust

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:17:00 GMT

The hackers in charge of the Flashback botnet managed to generate $14,000 from their click fraud campaign, but have not been paid, Symantec said today.

Apple victorious in iphone5.com domain dispute

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:33:00 GMT

Apple has apparently won control of the iphone5.com domain, according to changes in a Web record of the URL.

Why Israel is a hotbed for flash storage innovation

lmearian@computerworld.com (Lucas Mearian) — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:43:00 GMT

Israel is where the USB flash drive was invented and where innovative companies such as Anobit and XtremIO are drawing American companies to their shores in droves to get a piece of the intellectual property pie.

Apple 'head and shoulders' above phone rivals in satisfaction survey

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:25:00 GMT

Apple debuted in the top spot among mobile phone makers in a national customer-satisfaction survey, receiving a record-high score for the category.

Android, Samsung top smartphone sales, beat Apple's iPhone

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:06:00 GMT

Android smartphones made up 56% of the global smartphones sold to end users in the first quarter of 2012, giving them a far higher share than the 22.9% held by Apple's runner-up iPhone, Gartner said Wednesday.

Organize videos by groups in iTunes

(Kirk McElhearn) — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:04:00 GMT

In iTunes, there are two ways to categorize your videos: as either Movies or TV Shows. Movies are displayed individually, but TV shows are organized in groups, as they would be if they were episodes in the same show. One anonymous Mac OS X Hints reader takes advantage of this to organize all kinds of videos, regardless of their actual source. He uses his Movies library for very large files and puts everything else in TV Shows. So, for example, in his TV Shows library, he has groups called YouTube Videos, Home Videos, Work Stuff, and so on.

Mac clone maker Psystar saga ends as Supreme Court denies appeal

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

The four-year-old saga of Psystar, a Florida Mac clone maker that was crushed by Apple, ended Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear its appeal of a lower court decision.

Microsoft to charge $15 for Windows 8 upgrade deal

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:30:00 GMT

Microsoft plans to charge users who buy a new Windows 7 PC $14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8. The upgrade program is expected to kick off alongside the delivery of Windows 8 Release Preview in June.

Apple ships first Leopard security update in nearly a year

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 14 May 2012 23:47:00 GMT

Apple on Monday issued its first security-related update for OS X 10.5, or Leopard, in nearly a year, to disable long-outdated versions of Adobe's Flash Player.

MacBook Pro refreshes may be imminent, say reports

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:41:00 GMT

Hints that Apple will soon refresh its iMac desktop and MacBook Pro laptop lines accumulated today as several Mac-centric blogs revealed new details gleaned from the Web and unnamed sources.

Microsoft preps Windows 8 upgrade deal for early June debut, says report

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:52:00 GMT

Microsoft will reportedly kick off a Windows 8 upgrade program for buyers of Windows 7 PCs in early June.

Infringement case suspended; Samsung tests Apple's 'pinch-to-zoom' claim

(Loek Essers) — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:38:00 GMT

Samsung Electronics may challenge the validity of Apple's intellectual property claims before the Regional Court in Mannheim, Germany, rules on whether the company has infringed them, the court said on Friday. It is the second time in two weeks that the Mannheim court has decided to wait for a validity verdict from the Federal Patent Court before ruling on an infringement case.

Mozilla on new browser brouhaha: Microsoft, Apple different cases

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:46:00 GMT

Two wrongs don't make a right, Mozilla's chief counsel said Thursday when asked why his company hasn't lambasted Apple, as it did Microsoft, for blocking rival browsers from its mobile operating system.

Apple dominating Samsung in Japanese smartphone market

(Jay Alabaster) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:05:00 GMT

Nearly one in three smartphones sold in Japan last fiscal year was an iPhone, pushing Apple's sales far ahead of main rival Samsung in the country, according to data published by a local research firm.

Adobe's security chief praises Apple for Flash-crippling move

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 10 May 2012 20:17:00 GMT

Adobe's head of security is applauding Apple's move to block outdated versions of his company's Flash Player.

Apple patches 36 bugs in OS X, fixes encryption password goof

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 10 May 2012 19:01:00 GMT

Apple on Wednesday patched 36 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X, most of them critical, plugging a hole that revealed passwords used to encrypt folders with an older version of FileVault.

What the summer portends in new tablets

mhamblen@computerworld.com (Matt Hamblen) — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT

Summer 2012 promises to be the season of tablet experimentation. Just about every tablet maker is expected to announce a new product in the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple, bigger in the case of Amazon.

Apple patches Safari, blocks outdated Flash Player

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Thu, 10 May 2012 02:09:00 GMT

Apple on Wednesday patched four security vulnerabilities in Safari and blocked outdated versions of Adobe's Flash Player from running in its browser.

Is Apple's OS X Mountain Lion on early-release track?

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:57:00 GMT

Apple may release OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion earlier than expected, according to a report by a popular blog and clues found within the release dates of the three developer previews of the new operating system.

Pinpoint your location

(Christopher Breen) — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:07:00 GMT

Reader Catherine Bailey is interested in marking her territory. She writes:

How to time-stamp your video in iMovie

(Jeff Carlson) — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:43:00 GMT

I hope we can all agree that it's good that video cameras no longer burn the date and time into footage as they used to. If you missed this particular piece of video history, cameras had an option to include the date and time on every frame of video. (Many cameras can still do this.)

Apple's e-store satisfaction score jumps, thumps Microsoft's

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:15:00 GMT

Apple's online store scored the highest satisfaction rating of any computer-related company, and handily beat rival Microsoft, a consumer pollster said today.

Foxconn to open new facility in Shanghai

(Michael Kan) — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:18:00 GMT

Apple supplier Foxconn plans to set up headquarters in China, as part of the company's growing expansion in manufacturing and commercial operations.

Apple, Samsung pare down claims in U.S. smartphone, tablet patent case

(Marc Ferranti) — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:49:00 GMT

Responding to a U.S. district court judge's order, Apple and Samsung Electronics have trimmed the number of claims they will assert in a broad intellectual-property lawsuit regarding smartphone and tablet products.

Microsoft pitches SkyDrive over iCloud to Mac Office users

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:39:00 GMT

Microsoft is pitching its SkyDrive online storage service to Office for Mac users, calling Apple's iCloud offering "not enough" for collaboration, file sharing and anywhere-access to documents.

Symantec conference puts focus on mobile security

(Ellen Messmer) — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:31:00 GMT

At its annual Symantec Vision conference attended by enterprise customers and business partners, Symantec laid out its management and security product strategy for mobile endpoint devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Google Android devices.

Where did I come from? The origin(s) of my MacBook Pro

(Josh Fruhlinger) — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:52:00 GMT

I remember when I bought my first new Mac. The label on the box read something like "Assembled for Apple in California." Famously, that has now changed.

Apple patches Google 'Pwnium' bug with iOS 5.1.1 update

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 07 May 2012 19:33:00 GMT

Apple today shipped iOS 5.1.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch owners that dealt with connectivity issues on the tablet, fixed bugs in AirPlay's video playback and patched four vulnerabilities in the mobile operating system.

Half of all Macs will lack access to security updates by summer

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:50:00 GMT

Unless Apple changes its security update practice, nearly half of all Mac users will be adrift without patches sometime this summer.

Apple wants iphone5.com domain handed over

gkeizer@computerworld.com (Gregg Keizer) — Mon, 07 May 2012 10:35:00 GMT

Apple is disputing ownership of the iphone5.com domain, sparking speculation that the company will use the long-rumored name for its next smartphone.

Tibco adds Hadoop support to Spotfire analytics tool

(Chris Kanaracus) — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:06:00 GMT

Tibco has brought its Spotfire in-memory analytics software into the burgeoning ecosystem around Hadoop, an open-source framework for processing large sets of information, the company announced Tuesday.

Apple engineering mistake exposes clear-text passwords for Lion

(Jeremy Kirk) — Mon, 07 May 2012 01:47:00 GMT

Apple's latest update to OS X contains a dangerous programming error that reveals the passwords for material stored in the first version of FileVault, the company's encryption technology, a software consultant said.