World of Apple

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple CEO who is currently on leave from Apple due to health reasons received a liver transplant “about two months” ago.

The operation which was said to have taken place in Tennessee is being reported by the Journal as fact more than rumour although no sources are identified and a comment from Jobs’ personal spokeswoman Katie Cotton prompted the customary; “Steve continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there’s nothing further to say.”

The report adds some validity to a rumour which was initially ignored which stated that Steve Jobs was receiving medical treatment in Memphis, Tennessee.

Steve Jobs is expected to return to Apple at the end of June.

O2 has issued a press release stating that the iPhone 3GS which went on sale at 9.02 a.m. in the UK had outsold the number of iPhone 3G units sold on launch day last year; all before lunchtime.

O2 expects that by the end of business on Friday they will have sold 50% more iPhone 3GS models than iPhone 3G devices at last years launch. This also caused a footfall ten times that of the average and a 150% surge in visitors to the carriers website.

While Apple began testing of Mac OS X 10.5.8 just prior to WWDC the latest builds have begun showing signs of another mammoth update.

Build 9L16 was given to developers earlier today and asks those with the build to focus on AirPort, ColorSync, AppKit, AddressBook, Safari and USB amongst others.

Seed notes below.

(more…)

Last week at WWDC attending developers were treated to what Apple is calling a “near-final” developer preview of Mac OS X Snow Leopard which will ship to consumers in September 2009. Several of the features demonstrated during the keynote such a Dock Exposé are not in build 10A380 which was given to developers.

Very little has changed since the earlier builds of Snow Leopard which have all been covered in detail by World of Apple in the past.

Below is a series of screenshots (and bonus video) highlighting some of the minor adjustments made in the latest build of Mac OS X Snow Leopard build 10A380.

(more…)

AT&T has put together a guide on how to obtain an iPhone 3GS tomorrow. The iPhone 3GS will be available at over 2,200 AT&T locations on launch day as well as the 211 Apple Retail Stores in the USA.

All AT&T stores will open at 7 a.m. local time to serve pre-order customers but be sure to check your confirmation email as some units are not due to arrive until after June 19. Anyone who hasn’t pre-ordered can turn up during normal business hours and will be served on a “first come, first served” basis.

Customers new to AT&T who wish to transfer their current number to AT&T should bring a copy of a bill from their current carrier. Customers will be asked to provide account information as it appears on record with their current provider, including:

• Account number
• Name of the account holder
• Account holder’s Social Security Number or Tax ID
• Billing address
• PIN or password (if applicable)

AT&T will initially only sell one iPhone 3GS to every new customer.

Description: THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! Play with your Sim using touch and accelerometer controls while exploring stunning 3D open-world environments. Customize your Sim with personality traits and physical characteristics, as you decide whether to fulfill their destiny…or not. Do good or mischief. Fall in love or watch them get dumped. Pick a fight or make a friend. Good or bad, enjoy the ride with The Sims as they experience everything “real” life has to offer.

Developer - EA Mobile

The Sims 3 - ($9.99) £5.99 - iTunes

EA Games have been working with The Sims series for a long time now, with which they have had great success. The series has sold surplus of 100 million copies worldwide and to date is the best-selling PC franchise in history. For these reasons and the fact that I have played The Sims in the past I had some great expectations for this game. It has been specifically made for the iPhone/iPod touch and there has clearly been a lot of effort put in.

When I have played previous versions of The Sims I have found that initially the game is very addictive and comes packed with a lot of entertainment, but once I have made myself a mansion, maximised all my Sims skills and so forth then I just lose interest. This game is a scaled-down version of The Sims, but it has moved away from the traditional style, where you would spend a lot of time producing your dream home (which is still possible), and moves more towards looking after your sim and individualising their personalities. This still involves improving various skills such as cooking, fishing, repairing and gardening; but now there is a lot more involvement with how your Sim socialises.

(more…)

Following the official public release of iPhone OS 3.0 earlier today Apple has also posted an updated version of iPhone SDK 3.0.

Build 9M2736 of iPhone SDK 3.0 includes several fixes and feature enhancements:

• Organizer: the iPhone Development grouping now collects crash logs, install bundles, and provisioning profiles in a single location
• iPhone OS 3.0 Simulator uses frameworks more closely matching the device
• Mac OS X: GCC 4.2 & LLVM GCC 4.2 optional compilers for use with 10.5 SDK
• Toolbar uses a single popup to choose platform, target, and debug/release
• Integrated SCM support now works with Subversion 1.5!

Apple today lifted an embargo on iPhone 3GS reviews, as with most big product launches the usual characters have had a chance to get in an early review.

Below is a summary of impressions about the iPhone 3GS:

Engadget

• Speed - “If you’re an avid gamer looking for the device with more power, the difference will be crystal clear: the 3G S obviously flexes in this department.”
• Oleophobic Display - “The most surprising thing about the tech is that it actually does what the company says it will: namely, it resists new smudges and wipes almost entirely clean with a single swipe on a pant leg.”
• Video - “Video recording on the iPhone 3GS is really quite impressive”
• Still Camera - “We do have some complaints about exposure, which seems to be permanently cranked to “blinding,” and while the shutter speed is faster than on the 3G, it’s still not quite snappy enough for our taste.”
• Conclusion - “For current users, we have this to say: the iPhone 3GS is a solid spec bump to a phone you already own”

Gizmodo

• Speed - “Safari, Email, Camera all load noticeably faster than on the iPhone 3G (both running 3.0 software). Even booting the phone takes about half the time.”
• Oleophobic Display - “Surprisingly, the coating actually works in preventing a good deal of fingerprints and face grease, and it allows the phone to still be smooth and usable even if there are fingerprints on the surface.”
• Video - “Even if it’s not quite 30FPS at all times, the video is smooth as hell. Recording still isn’t great in low light since it’s a physical limitation of cameras in general, but at least it’s fluid.”
• Still Camera - “I wouldn’t say it’s a mindblowing revolutionary step for the iPhone camera, but it’s definitely more than just shoving in more megapixels and leaving it at that.”
• Conclusion - “as a whole, the iPhone 3GS is the best all-around smartphone available.”

David Pogue - New York Times

• Speed - “If you’re used to the old iPhone, the speed boost hits you between the eyes, especially when you’re opening programs, playing games and loading Web pages.”
• Oleophobic Display - “It may sound like an irrational fear of yodelers, but in fact, it’s a coating that lets you wipe away fingerprints with a single rub on your clothes. It really works to keep the iPhone looking new longer”
• Video - “sharp, smooth, 30 frames a second. Once again, it’s not quite what you’d get from a proper digital camera or a Flip camcorder—it tends to “blow out” the bright areas — but it’s darned close.”
• Still Camera - “It still tends to blur moving subjects, and even still-lifes aren’t as crisp as from an actual camera. But the color and clarity are definitely improved, especially in low light.”
• Conclusion - “In short, the substantially improved, still elegant iPhone 3GS makes it dangerously easy for your heart and your head to agree.”

Walt Mossberg - All Things D

• Speed - “the new model proved dramatically snappier in every way than my iPhone 3G.”
• Video - “The new video recorder worked well, even in low light, and lets you post videos directly to YouTube”
• Still Camera - “didn’’t think the pictures it took were dramatically better than those on the old model”
• Conclusion - “Both the new iPhone and iPhone OS are packed with features that make a great product even better. But, for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model.”

Andy Ihnatko - Sun Times

• Speed - “Everything feels faster. Safari on the iPhone 3GS seems as interactive as a desktop browser.”
• Video - “The video quality is impressively smooth and natural given the source, and the sound quality is practically astonishing”
• Still Camera - “Other phones might have better lenses but the iPhone 3GS might be one of the best cameraphones on the market. For one simple reason: the Camera app’s ‘tap to focus’ feature.”
• Conclusion - “The new iPhone is more than its individual features. It’s a convincing vote of faith. Even if a current 3G owner decides to wait until his or her contract expires so they can buy the next-generation at a good incentive price, there’s little chance that they’ll switch to anything else in the interim.”
• Set of photos taken on iPhone 3GS.

Safari 4.0.1 - 43.8MB

This update addresses incompatibilities between Safari 4.0 and certain features in iPhoto ‘09, including Places and Facebook publishing.

Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0 - 1.8MB

This update provides bug fixes and better compatibility with the Apple Wireless Mighty Mouse and Apple Wireless Keyboard.

It installs on all Macintosh systems with Bluetooth based on the Broadcom chipset.

AT&T today announced that it is expanding the eligibility window for customers who wish to upgrade to the iPhone 3GS. Customer who would have previously not been eligible for upgrade until July, August or September will now be eligible on June 18th.

All of that said, we’ve been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3GS launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we’re extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time.

We’re now pleased to offer our iPhone 3G customers who are upgrade eligible in July, August or September 2009 our best upgrade pricing, beginning Thursday, June 18.

If you’re one of the many customers who will benefit from this change, please note that our upgrade eligibility tools will reflect this change on Thursday, June 18.

Those who are now eligible for AT&T’s lowest upgrade pricing will be able to purchase an iPhone 3GS for $199 (16 GB) or $299 (32 GB).

Customers who are now eligible but had already pre-ordered an iPhone will receive a credit for the price difference.