World of Apple

As announced last week during the WWDC keynote Apple has made iPhone OS 3.0 available for download for all iPhone and iPod touch models.

iPhone OS 3.0 offers well over 100 new features, most is the inclusion of cut, copy and paste which can be done within or across applications; MMS to send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app; and the ability to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. Landscape view will be available for Mail, Text and Notes. Search capabilities will be expanded, allowing customers to search within Mail, iPod and Notes or search across all key apps by typing a key word or phrase into the new Spotlight search, conveniently accessed from the Home screen.

World of Apple has had extensive coverage of iPhone OS 3.0 since it’s preview in March of this year, in particular we’ve posted detailed screenshot galleries at every important stage of development.

Along with the release of iPhone OS 3.0 comes the launch of Apple’s Push Notification service. The system offers developers the ability to notify users without an application actually having to be running. Apple’s own applications such as SMS and Mail already have these capabilities but with Apple now offering Push Notifications the popularity of IM apps will no doubt increase.

In a support document posted yesterday Apple has seemingly given a warning to Palm who recently released its Pre handset while touting one of the leading features as its ability to sync with Apple’s iTunes software.

It was reported at the time that the Palm Pre emulates an iPod therefore tricking iTunes into syncing with the device, in Apple’s support note titled “About unsupported third-party digital media players” the company warns that future updates to iTunes could break such features.

Apple designs the hardware and software to provide seamless integration of the iPhone and iPod with iTunes, the iTunes Store, and tens of thousands of apps on the App Store. Apple is aware that some third-parties claim that their digital media players are able to sync with Apple software. However, Apple does not provide support for, or test for compatibility with, non-Apple digital media players and, because software changes over time, newer versions of Apple’s iTunes software may no longer provide syncing functionality with non-Apple digital media players.

Apple has today posted details of the Mac OS X Snow Leopard Up-to-Date program aimed at customers who purchase a Mac after June 8th, 2009. The program will allow those customers to upgrade from Mac OS X Leopard to Snow Leopard for a nominal fee of $9.95 plus tax (£7.95).

Apple lists qualifying Macs both new and refurbished which will qualify for the up-to-date program if purchased after June 8th, 2009. The program requires qualifying customers to return forms postmarked or faxed within 90 days of the date of your purchase of a qualifying computer or by December 26, 2009, whichever is earlier.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard is expected to ship in September 2009.

Apple today release updated versions of Java for both Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5. The update contains several fixes for vulnerabilities which could allow Java applets to gain increased privileges and the ability to execute malicious code.

Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 4 - 158 MB

Java for Mac OS X 10.5 Update 4 delivers improved reliability, security, and compatibility for Java SE 6, J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 on Mac OS X 10.5.7 and later.

For more details on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3581

Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 9 - 80MB

Java for Mac OS X 10.4, Release 9 delivers improved reliability, security and compatibility for J2SE 5.0 and J2SE 1.4.2 on Mac OS X 10.4.11 and later.

For more details on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3593.

Apple is feverishly testing final implementations of Push Notifications while developers have begun pushing out application updates which contain the ability to receive Push Notifications in iPhone OS 3.0 which is due for release Wednesday June 17th.

Last week Apple began a second round of high-volume Push Notification testing following a week testing the APNews app, Apple has now begun asking developers to test the AIM instant messaging application.

As a developer actively working with iPhone OS, we would like your help in a private tes of the Apple Push Notification service. For this test, we have selected AOL’s AIM Developer Preview for iPhone OS 3.0 to create a high-volume test environment for our servers.

To participate, we ask that you follow these steps:



1. Download AIM Developer Preview for iPhone OS 3.0 from the iTunes Store via your desktop by entering this unique redemption code in the ‘Redeem’ section of iTunes, found under the ‘Quick Links’ section:



************


Note: the functionality of the application will expire in seven days.

2. Install the application on a development device running iPhone OS 3.0 GM Seed by synching it to iTunes. This application can only be installed on devices running iPhone OS 3.0 GM Seed.



3. Launch the application and accept to receive Push Notifications when prompted. You can log in with any existing AOL, AIM, .mac or MobileMe account.

4. If you do not receive notifications from the app within 48 hours after installation, let us know.

This week Tapulous released an update to Tap Tap Revenge 2 which features Push Notifications. A video of notifications has been posted on YouTube whilst anyone with iPhone OS 3.0 and the update app will see the basic infrastructure (pictured below).

Push Notification setup

Description: Experience Sonic the Hedgehog on the iPhone and iPod Touch for the first time! Relive your favorite memories of the Genesis era as you rocket Sonic through hair-raising loop-de-loops and dizzying dives as you gather up Rings and stop Dr. Eggman’s schemes for world domination! Dr. Eggman has turned all of the animals into mechanical monsters, and it’s up to the legendary hedgehog to save them.

Developer - SEGA

Sonic The Hedgehog - ($5.99) £3.49 - iTunes

Another timeless classic has been brought to the iPhone, which fills you with a deep sense of nostalgia if nothing else. If you enjoyed playing this for the Sega Mega Drive back in the day then this is the game for you; if not then you have definitely been missing out. Sonic The Hedgehog is a platform game with many hours of enjoyment. The aim of the game is to collect rings, destroy enemies and hurdle your way through various obstacles as you aim to defeat Dr. Eggman’s evil plans. There are seven stages, each with three acts and a fight with Dr. Eggman at the end of each stage.

The EVGA GeForce GTX 285 graphics card is now being listed on the online Apple Store in the US and Canada. The GTX 285 is listed as being compatible with the “Early 2008″ and “Early 2009″ Mac Pro models and is priced at $449.95.

The Queensland University of Technology based in Brisbane Australia has published an health advisory against using “Macintosh – Apple ‘glass’ or high gloss monitor screens.”

The advisory which only seems to pick on Macs and no PC counterparts claims that “Reflections and glare on high gloss monitor screens and their relation to the angle of the monitor screen, could cause the operator to adopt awkward postures when viewing the monitor screen”.

The University offers many solutions for the problem, some as extreme as consulting a “Lighting engineer to determine if overhead lighting can be modified” or “Consider the purchase of other types of monitors which are not high gloss.”

All of Apple’s notebook lineup has glossy displays with only the 17-inch MacBook Pro having the option of an antiglare covering.

Thanks to World of Apple reader MacMatte for the tip.

Philip Elmer-DeWit over at the Apple 2.0 blog has written a post on the mainstream media and the constant obsession with Steve Jobs’ health and future return to Apple.

The post is in response to several reports from top mainstream publications around the world who have supposedly received confirmation that Steve Jobs will return to Apple at the end of this month.

The first mention of Steve Jobs’ return was in his own memo that announced his medical leave for six months, at the end of the memo Jobs wrote, “I look forward,” adding “to seeing all of you this summer.”

Since that memo Apple has reiterated multiple times that Jobs will return to the company at the end of June, usually with the following thirteen words.

“We look forward to Steve returning to Apple at the end of June.”

Falling fowl of Apple’s consistent statement was UK based The Times who wrote:

“Steve Jobs will return to work at Apple at the end of this month, it was confirmed today…”

According to The Times confirmation comes in the form of an Apple spokesman who said:

“We look forward to Steve returning to Apple at the end of June.”

Seem somewhat familiar?

Luckily The Daily Telegraph didn’t fall down quite so hard, but the sensationalist headline has something to be desired.

Last week photos of both the 13-inch MacBook Pro unboxing and take-apart were posted as well as photos depicting the unboxing of an iPhone 3GS.

As with most new products iFixit was first on the scene to pull it apart, in particular the site notes that the battery is easily removed once the bottom plate is removed and that an inserted SD-card sticks out just under half way from the slot.

iFixit removes internal 13-inch MacBook Pro battery

Both Engadget and Gizmodo posted galleries of the unboxing which remains very similar to the previous 13-inch MacBook.

Finally photos of an iPhone 3GS unboxing turned up online long before the official release on June 19th, the images which have now been removed were posted on the Chinese version of Engadget.

Images reproduced below.

(more…)