Apple Seeds First OS X 10.11.1 El Capitan Beta to Developers
Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming OS X El Capitan update to developers, two weeks before OS X El Capitan will be released to the public on September 30.
The new beta, build 15B17c, is available through the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store and through the Apple Developer center.
It is not clear what improvements the first update to OS X El Capitan will bring, but it’s likely to include bug fixes and performance improvements for issues that have been encountered following the operating system’s official release.
Apple patent victory puts Samsung devices in jeopardy
Apple has won another small victory in its never-ending patent row with Samsung. The war that nobody asked for (and like most wars will have no winners, only losers) rages on with another appeals court decision. This one went in favor of Apple (as all but a few have), ruling that the company could force Samsung to stop using particular features on its cellphones and tablets. The ruling, while relatively narrow in scope, could still have significant consequences for Samsung and other device manufacturers.
The opinion from the court stated that “the right to exclude competitors from using one’s property rights is important.” What makes this particularly notable is that in this case we’re talking about specific, individual features and technologies in a complex device. If the ruling stands that means that future devices from any company could be delayed or even removed from the market temporarily over seemingly minor features. For example, the ability to slide to unlock your phone.
Apple won an initial trial saying that Samsung had violated its patents on slide-to-unlock, autocorrect and quicklinks. But the judge at the time declined to force Samsung to change its designs and instead only awarded Cupertino monetary damages. That wasn’t enough for Apple which has continued to chase a full victory in the court system.
Of course, this is hardly the end of the fight. Samsung is appealing the decision, as well as the original decision finding that it had violated Apple’s patents. And right now the case is being sent back to a lower court to reconsider an injunction. However, the court systems appear to be tiring of these constant skirmishes as much as the public.
While in general the patent skirmishes between these two companies and its proxies have have died down, they haven’t ended completely. We can all hope that one day there will be an Apple / Samsung peace accord, but for now it seems the best case scenario is that the collateral damage doesn’t extend to consumer choice.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Apple, Samsung
Source:
Bloomberg
Tags: apple, breaking news, court, lawsuit, patent, PatentInfringement, samsung
Apple is taking its e-book price-fixing fight to the Supreme Court
Apple’s long-running court battle over manipulating the pricing of e-books is getting even more dramatic. Next stop, the Supreme Court, Fortune reports. Back in June, Apple failed to get a Manhattan appeals court to overturn a 2014 ruling that would have it pay $450 million dollar settlement over the scandal. So Apple basically has no choice but to go to a higher authority if it wants to fight the case. A quick recap: The company was found guilty of fixing e-book pricing with publishers for the launch of iBooks on the original iPad, a move meant to raise prices from the low standard set by Amazon. Apple has argued that it didn’t do anything wrong, and indeed it maintains in a filing today that “dynamic, disruptive entry into new or stagnant markets — the lifeblood of American economic growth — often requires the very type of” behavior it exhibited. Apple obviously can afford to pay the settlement, but at this point the legal battle seems to be more about principles than anything else.
[Photo credit: John Baran/Alamy]
Via:
Fortune
Tags: apple, e-books, iBooks, mobilepostcross
Latest ‘Steve Jobs’ trailer has the energy of ‘Trainspotting’
The newest trailer for Danny Boyle’s upcoming Steve Jobs biopic is here, and it’s sure to get your blood pumping. In fact, it feels reminiscent of Boyle’s drug-infused ’90s hit, Trainspotting, except this time it’s driven by Aaron Sorkin’s razor sharp dialog. “We will know soon enough if you’re Leonardo da Vinci, or just think you are,” Seth Rogen’s Steve Wozniak says at one point. While previous trailers were all about setting the mood of the film, this one does a better job of setting up the stakes. We also get a better glimpse of Michael Fassbender as Jobs in several different time periods. Early word on the film out of the Telluride film festival has been incredibly strong, so it looks like we might have another Oscar-worthy tech biopic to look forward to. Steve Jobs hits theaters on October 23.
Tags: AaronSorkin, apple, biopics, DannyBoyle, hdpostcross, SteveJobs
Amazon Debuts New Fire TV with 4K Video & Alexa Voice Assistant
Amazon today announced the follow-up to last year’s Fire TV streaming device, simply dubbed “The New Amazon Fire TV.” The new $99 box is getting a handful of new features, including 4K ultra HD video streaming, the addition of the company’s Alexa voice assistant into the operating system, and a processing boost of 75 percent over last year’s model.
The introduction of Alexa will allow customers to play their music, check on the score of a sporting event, and see how the weather is outside, all while using their voice. Speaking into the Fire TV remote will bring the voice assistant up — who made her debut in the Amazon Echo last fall — and she will eventually become more acclimated to each customer’s speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences.
In addition to 4K ultra HD streaming, the company promises higher quality basic HD video for everyone who doesn’t have a television set that supports 4K settings. Amazon has also introduced expandable storage, allowing customers to increase the 8GB of on-device storage all the way up to 128GB for a variety of apps and games.
“The team has packed an incredible amount of technology and innovation into a tiny package,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “The new Fire TV includes 4K support, more processing power, Alexa integration, the largest selection, and exclusive features—for less than $100. The new Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote brings voice search and Alexa integration for less than $50. These are powerful devices at incredible prices.”
Concerning games specifically, the company also announced an entirely new Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition, which is essentially today’s newly announced Fire TV bundled alongside the new Fire TV Gaming Controller, a 32GB microSD card, and Shovel Knight and Disney’s Ducktales pre-installed. The new gaming controller includes voice commands and search like the traditional Fire TV remote, plus access to Alexa, up to 90 hours of battery life that use AA batteries, and an audio headphone jack.
With a launch date of October 5, both bundles of the new Fire TV can be pre-ordered beginning today, with the traditional Amazon Fire TV retailing at $99 and the Amazon Fire TV Gaming Edition going for $139. The company also introduced a new bundle of the Fire TV Stick for $49 that now includes the voice remote, which will begin shipping on October 22.
Universal Releases New Trailer for Upcoming ‘Steve Jobs’ Movie
Universal today launched the second official trailer for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie, directed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender (via Coming Soon). Set backstage at three of Jobs’ biggest product launches, the movie aims to showcase the personality of the former Apple CEO through some of the most intense and public moments of his life.
The film also stars Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, and Jeff Daniels as Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Joanna Hoffman, and John Sculley, respectively. Since initial rumors began on the movie’s production nearly half a decade ago, it’s faced multiple changes in directors and lead actors for the role of Steve Jobs.
The movie debuted last week at the Telluride Film Festival to nearly-universal positive acclaim. It will launch wide in theaters on October 9.
Apple Watch Launches in Belgium on September 19 Alongside Brussels Apple Store Opening
The Apple Watch will officially launch in Belgium this Saturday on September 19, after previously being given a vague “available in 2015” launch date (via Apple Weetjes) [Google Translate]. The release of the Apple Watch will also coincide with the grand opening of Apple’s newest retail location in Brussels, the first one ever in Belgium, which will see its grand opening on that day.
Photo of the new Brussels Apple Store via Niewsblad.be
In Belgium, the Apple Watch Sport models will sell for €419.00 (38mm) and €469.00 (42mm), while the mid-tier Apple Watch line will cost customers €669.00 (38mm) and €719.00 (42mm).
When first introduced back in April, the Apple Watch was restricted to Apple’s own retail stores and select boutique locations. Ever since, Apple has been slowly expanding the availability of the Apple Watch, with not only cell carriers offering the wearable device but new retail chains across the world.
Best Buy Begins Rolling Out In-Store Apple Pay Support in U.S.
Best Buy has accepted Apple Pay for in-app payments since April, and now the U.S. electronics retailer has begun rolling out the iPhone-based mobile payments service in stores.
A new YouTube video and Reddit thread confirm customers making successful debit and credit card purchases using both Apple Pay and Android Pay at separate Best Buy stores in California.
Best Buy is now permitted to support Apple Pay, Android Pay and other NFC payment services after its three-year exclusivity period with payment consortium Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) expired in August. MCX has developed its own mobile payments service called CurrentC, which some retailers began testing in August but may not see a broad launch until 2016.
Best Buy has not officially announced Apple Pay availability at its U.S. retail chain, but the company did confirm in April that it would roll out in-store support later in 2015. Best Buy joins Rite Aid, Meijer and other retailers as MCX members that now accept Apple Pay, but others such as Walmart have no plans to support the service.
T-Mobile and Sprint to Start Selling Apple Watch on September 25
While T-Mobile CEO John Legere announced last week that the carrier would begin selling the Apple Watch he did not provide a specific release date. MacRumors has learned that T-Mobile will begin selling the Apple Watch on September 25. Additionally, 9to5Mac reports that Sprint will also start selling the device on the same day.
With the iPhone 6s and 6 Plus launching on September 25, it’s likely carriers want the ability to sell Apple’s smartwatch as an accessory to the Cupertino company’s new flagship smartphones. While it’s unknown whether Verizon and AT&T will also sell Apple Watch on September 25, it’s possible they will also sell the device.
Since launching in April, the Apple Watch has slowly been expanding to retailers like Best Buy in the U.S. and other countries. Initially, Apple Watch was limited to Apple Stores and select retail boutiques.
Why Apple News isn’t available in the UK yet
So you’ve backed up your apps and data to iCloud and updated your Apple device to iOS 9. The new font, smarter Siri and slicker multitasking will probably take some getting used to, but did you notice that one feature was missing? Yes, Apple News is not available to UK users — at least not yet. So how do you get it? The official answer is: you can’t, unless you’re willing to change the default language on your device. According to reports, UK publishers were made to wait a little bit longer because Apple wanted to put all of its focus into making sure the US launch went off without a hitch.
It won’t be long until Brits will be able to get their hands on the app, though. How do we know? Well, Apple has already started development of iOS 9.1 and is currently seeding beta releases to developers. Inside these builds are, you guessed it, an Apple News app which features UK-specific content. Sure, it’ll take time for Apple to test and ship the next update, but when it does, you’ll finally get the app you’ve been so cruelly deprived of. Last year, the company took around a month to release its first iOS 8 update, so we’d expect the same will happen this time around.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple
Tags: app, apple, apple news, ios, ios9, mobilepostcross, news, uk-feature
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