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Here’s why Steve Jobs chose now to resign

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News,

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is no longer CEO of Apple. We all knew we'd hear those words someday, but today they've become startlingly, suddenly real. Jobs abruptly resigned from his post at around 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, taking the tech world—check that, the world—by surprise. Among the host of initial questions is, Why now?

I don't mean the reasoning behind the exact time, which is obvious. By making the announcement in the early evening after the markets had closed, Jobs was careful not to hit a jittery Wall Street with his bombshell. And I don't mean the end of August—though for the record all signs are pointing to the next Apple event happening in mid September at the earliest, so the announcement neatly avoids overshadowing other Apple business.

There's certainly the medical reason, which no doubt factors highly. Jobs was on medical leave, after all, most likely due to complications from the pancreatic cancer he beat a few years ago. But tellingly, Jobs isn't resigning to play golf or spend all his time with his family. He's been appointed chairman of Apple's board, and continue to be involved. His condition is certainly at the heart his decision, but given that he's clearly not on his deathbed, he could have probably waited months to make this move, if not until 2012.

Click to continue reading Here’s why Steve Jobs chose now to resign


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Download iOS 5 beta 6 9A5302b now!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

ios 5 beta 6 9a5302b

Apple has been busy updating their Dev Center with another iOS 5 beta update, and today developers can go and grab iOS 5 beta 6. If you are already running beta 5, then you can perform an over-the-air (OTA) update directly from your device, with no need to use iTunes. You can now grab iOS 5 beta 6 for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV, alongside iTunes 10.5 beta 6 and Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 6 for both Snow Leopard (4C5163c) and Lion (4D163b.)


Video: How iOS 5 Notification Center should really perform

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Software, Videos,

Have a look at the Notification Center overhaul that Jan-Michael Cart put together. iOS 5 and its Notification Center won't even be publicly available until the fall, and already this guy has made it look old and busted with his much-improved user interface. Kudos.


Skype for iPad now available

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Social Networking, Free Apps,

After a false start this morning, Skype today released its official iPad app.

Skype for iPad is now available for download in the Apple App Store. The free app is compatible with Apple tablets running iOS 4.0 or higher.

"Skype for iPad is beautifully designed and optimized for the iPad. It offers the best of both worlds for users who want a larger Skype experience, on-the-go," Skype said in a blog post. "The large iPad screen is perfect for bringing Skype video calls to life, in either landscape or portrait view, and because it is on the iPad, Skype video calls can be made at the beach, in a car or even lying on a couch."

Skype promised several iPad-optimized features, including two-way video calling for those with an iPad 2. Connect with other Skype users on PCs, Macs, or iPhones and Android phones with front-facing cameras.

Click to continue reading Skype for iPad now available


Bleeding Edge TV 384: iPhone 4 iOS 5 over the air update

In this episode we give you a first look at over the air updates in iOS 5! With the release of iOS 5 beta 4, Apple is now testing OTA updates, allowing users to update their iOS devices without connecting them to iTunes. Instead, the update happens right on the device itself, using Wi-Fi or 3G. We give you a look at how the process works on an iPhone 4 running iOS 5 beta 4 on a Wi-Fi network.

Big thank you to Carbonite and JackThreads for sponsoring the show - be sure to check them out! Carbonite offers off-site backup of your computer, and you can get two free months (no credit card needed!) by visiting Carbonite and using promo code TPN. As for JackThreads, we've got exclusive invite codes that give you $5 to use towards anything you'd like.


Here’s the iOS 5 OTA update in progress

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Software,

iOS 5 OTA update

One of the major features of iOS 5 is the ability to update your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad over the air. Today with the release of iOS 5 beta 4, Apple has released the first ever OTA update for iOS to developers. We figured we'd grab a screenshot and give you a look at the process. You simply check for updates in the Settings area, and when it finds one, you tell it to download it. The image above shows the download in progress. Once finished, you're asked if you want to install. A few minutes later, you're up and running again.


Download iOS 5 beta 4 9A5274d now!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

ios 5 beta 4 9a5274d

Apple has been busy updating their Dev Center with even more iOS 5 goodness, and today developers can go and grab iOS 5 beta 4. However, if you are already running beta 3, then for the first time ever, you can perform an over-the-air (OTA) update directly from your device, with no need to use iTunes. We will have a video up soon to demonstrate. You can now grab iOS 5 beta 4 for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV, alongside iTunes 10.5 beta 4 and Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 4 for both Snow Leopard (4C139) and Lion (4D139.)


Download iOS 5 beta 3 9A5259f now!

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

ios 5 beta 3 9a5259f

Apple has been busy updating their Dev Center with some new iOS 5 hotness. Developers, you can now grab iOS 5 beta 3 for iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV, alongside iTunes 10.5 beta 3 and Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 3 for both Snow Leopard (4C128) and Lion (4D75.)


Apple makes jailbreaking and downgrading tougher in iOS 5

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Handhelds, Software,

iOS 5 jailbreak shshApple has reportedly changed a part of iOS 5 to make it impossible for iPhone users to downgrade their phone's firmware, even if they'd rather run an earlier version.

The iPhone Dev Team, a well-known group of iPhone hackers, first discovered the change in an unlocked developer's version of iOS 5, which is expected to be released this fall.

Normally, to restore your iPhone to an earlier version, you'd save "SHSH blobs" (which are like digital signatures to authenticate software) at a specific timestamp and use a third-party app to restore your firmware back to that time. The SHSH blobs are static and can be used as often as you like.

But the team found that in iOS 5, Apple has prevented people from being able to save these blobs for a specific timestamp. Instead, Apple will re-assign your phone a new SHSH blob each time your reboot your device in jailbreak mode, making saved blobs irrelevant since Apple can just reject ones that were saved.

Click to continue reading Apple makes jailbreaking and downgrading tougher in iOS 5


Will Apple replace Google Maps in iOS 5?

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Google, Rumors,

Apple could be ditching Google Maps in favor of its own navigation software in iOS 5.

MacRumors uncovered a new section in the legal disclaimers section of iOS 5 called "Map Data" that references several different third-party mapping and naviation companies such as CoreLogic, Getchee, Localeze, and TomTom, among others.

It wouldn't be much of a shock if Apple ditched Google Maps and launched its own mapping service. In recent years, Apple has snapped up a couple of mapping companies, Placebase and Poly9. Apple has also been hiring engineers with mapping and navigation experience to join the iOS team. On top of that, when Apple responded to the outpouring of media scrutiny about iPhone location tracking in April, the company revealed it was creating its own traffic database.

Click to continue reading Will Apple replace Google Maps in iOS 5?


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