iPad SDK Support for Front Facing Camera, Camera Flash, Zoom and Video Conferencing

Unfortunately, we already know how this story ends. Apple introduced the iPad in late January and made no mention of a camera - either on the front or back of the device. So that means no video conferencing or even photos are possible on the first ...

iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 3 available now

Filed under: Apple, iPhone, SDK

The new beta version of the 3.2 SDK (beta 3, for those of you keeping track) is now available for download. The Apple developer site will likely be getting slammed over the next hour or two, so plan your downloads accordingly. The beta is available to all paid members of the iPhone developer program, with at least the $99/year membership. You will need your credentials to sign in and download the new SDK.

As usual, the new beta SDK is under NDA, so please go check out the details for yourself to get further information about the changes between this beta and the last. Good luck, and happy programming!

Update: 6PM Pacific. It's baaaaaaaack.

Update: Here then gone? Readers report that Apple seems to have pulled Beta 3 for the moment and when I returned to Apple's iPhone developer site, I saw the same. Watch this space. We'll update as we find out more.

Update: This was not an accidental upload, per Michael Jurewitz, the Mac and IPhone Applications Frameworks and Developer Tools Evangelist:

iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 3 available now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 3 available now originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple COO Time Cook Speaks! Been Using iPad for 6 Months, iPhone Platform Just Getting Started!

Apple’s Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook spoke at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference 2010 today, and Apple provided a link for us to listen in to.

Overall, Cook came off extremely well. He talked about the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad extensively as well as their iTunes content, app ecosystem, and carrier partners. His key points included Apple saying “no” to good ideas that distract focus from the great ideas they say “yes” to, innovation being driven by their people, and their single-minded goal of making the best products in the world. That was “Apple’s magic”, and like a lot of magic its simplicity and obviousness are likely what keeps it a secret.

Longer form highlights after the break!

• Apple should be thought of as a mobile device company. If you watch iPad keynote, look at Apple’s latest revenues, compare them to Nokia, Sony, Samsung, Apple is largest measured by revenue.
• Transition to mobile for Apple began in 1991 with introduction of first portable Mac. Last several years, Mac has become predominantly mobile device business. Stats show Apple leads PC industry by 10-20 points in portable share. Last decade, Apple announced iPod in 2001, iPhone in 2007, iPad recently, all are mobile devices. Vast majority of revenues come from mobile devices and content purchased for mobile devices. Uniquely positioned to do extremely well, seamless integration of hardware and software, very few companies in the world can do that.
• World not as simple as biggest competitors, partners. Can’t cleanly put them in buckets. Take Microsoft, we love the Mac Office division, great product, work with them tightly. Balance of Microsoft they compete vigorously against, OS, mobile OS. Google is similar, partner in map, search, compete with them in mobile OS and now hardware phone space. Media companies, partner with them so well Apple is selling billions of dollars in content. Apple is biggest digital content company in world. Carrier partners also key.
• Apple TV is still a hobby. Other businesses, PC, MP3, phone, are all huge markets, huge unit volume. Apple TV is in small market today. Grew in last quarter 35% so Apple remains interested, improved UI significantly [3.0]. Gut tells Apple something is there. Today, however, go-to-market model is very difficult. Leads to TV and Apple has no interest in being in TV market. Tim Cook is avid Apple TV user, gut says something there, continuing to invest.
• iMac is best desktop computer in the world, doing phenomenally well, will continue to invest in it. 22% unit share in retail desktop (primarily iMac), revenue share was staggering 42%. iMac is key. People will continue to want gorgeous, big screen, simple to use, elegant machine.
• If you look at Mac, has outgrown market 20 or 21 last quarters, outgrew by multiple. PC industry over 300 million unites. Mac did over 10 million. Ceiling is far above. Apple continues to invest tremendous amount of energy and talent. Convince Windows users to switch. Apple provides much better experience. 50% comes from Windows. Going after that.
• iPod family, iPod touch is runaway hit. Helps iPhone platform. Grew 100% year over year, December quarter grew 50%. Every sale helps fuel more app sales, helps fuel more devs, helps fuel platform. Great growth vehicle.
• iPad hasn’t sold yet but a lot of interest. Cook has been using it for 6 months. Experience absolutely incredible. Very excited.
• iPhone, just gotten started. Only 2.5 years since first iPhone shipped. Now between iPhone, iPod touch, sold 75 million. iPhone 40 million up to last quarter. Making platform larger and larger, ecosystem better and better. Apps more and more what people desire, can’t live without. Very few companies can manage a platform. Apple’s been doing it for 30 years. Who would have dreamed of App Store numbers even a year ago?
• “Complete” is not in Apple dictionary. All about innovation, obsoleting themselves. Continue to make things better and better. Ecosystem is really good. Platform is really good. Foundation is in place. Will get better.
• On cannibalization, haven’t sold an iPad, Cook is paranoid, but isn’t losing sleep over it. Cook’s been clear on netbooks, most won’t want to continue experience with them, only interested in price. When they look at iPad, play with it, experience magic, compare to netbook, Cook doesn’t think they’ll buy netbook. Some of those customers are game for iPad. Many others. Will report back once they start selling them.
• iPad distribution will evolve. Launching new category. Launch in Apple direct channels (retail, online, education), and in indirect channels with assisted sales like store-in-store at Best Buy, internationally at Apple Premium Resellers. Places with really great assisted sales but will expand over time. Start where sales people will answer questions.
• Hit $500 for iPad so as not to leave umbrella beneath it for competition. Got very aggressive. Incredible value, amazing experience. Best browsing experience you can imagine, better than 99% can imagine. Have to try it. Email is off the chart. Platform allows apps from App Store. Share photos like never before. Watch video, listen to music, read books. iBook Store will launch when iPad ships. A number of things appreciably better than anything else offered today. Anxious to get it out.
• AT&T, primary advantage of single carrier model like with iPhone is simplicity and some cases can innovate with carrier, offer feature like Visual Voice Mail on iPhone 2G. Hard to do that with multiple carriers. Multi-carrier model question is can you sell more units? In some countries, carriers have sticky relationships with customers so more carriers allow you to sell more units. End of Q1, top 10 countries, 5 of those were single carrier, 3 were contractual exclusivity, 2 can add additional at any time. Added carriers France, UK, Singapore, Scandinavia, Canada. Pleasantly surprised that in every country units and share increased significantly. Good choices but may not be the case in every country, may not do it in every country. Case by case basis.
• AT&T iPad pricing is revolutionary. Unlimited data $29.99/month, 256MB $14.99/month. Dongle is $60 with contract. iPad is no contract. Wouldn’t want to speculate if other carriers would have to match that to carry iPad.
• Privilege and curse of technology is backwards compatibility vs. innovation. Balancing act between how far to go back, how much of install base to include. Apple’s done that for a long time, has come to intelligent conclusion each time. Part of their heritage.
• Doesn’t see it as Mac OS or iPhone OS, place for both. Mac OS is amazingly scalable. Huge competitive advantage for Apple. Mac OS from iPod touch to iPad to iPhone to Macintosh. No other company on earth can use foundation of their OS like that. Lets them innovate at fast speed with fewer people than it would take if they were [Microsoft]. Huge advantage.
• Seen interest in Enterprise for iPhone, Mac. iPhone is 2.5 years old. 75% of Fortune 100 are either deploying or currently testing for deployment. 50% of Financial Times 100 are doing same thing. Saw huge uplift in interest after 2.0, 3.0 due to Enterprise features in software. Sees this continuing.
• On Mac, amazing how many CIO’s are visiting Apple, interested in Mac. Don’t have huge Enterprise direct sales force. Many CIO’s who once thought standardization was most important think, now look at salaries and think creativity of people is at peek, increasingly let employees decide. Many employees have always wanted to use Mac. Who wouldn’t want to use Mac over Windows PC. Mac OS well known for being more stable, better security, and get ease of use features.
• Cautions people in general, hear Enterprise, think it’s bigger than consumer market but it isn’t. 10% is Enterprise but consumers are 50%. That’s where Apple’s heart and soul and DNA are. But these consumers want to use Macs. Now they’ve developed Bootcamp, can use that 1 Windows program, insurance. Spurred VM Ware, Parallels. Latest Mac OS, Snow Leopard, Exchange support built right in, just works. That’s why you see current survey results.
• Apple Retail started in 2001, at it for 9 years. Just short of 300 stores. Apple serious about Retail. 25-50 stores a year. They been at low end of expansion, high end. 2008 world economy began falling apart. Apple slowed down, looked for opportunities for top properties. Now there’s a lot of great properties, Apple wants to take advantage, turned dial up, be at high end again, do 50.
• Apple has for years been in silicon design business. PowerPC, Apple always personally crafted Northbridge, Southbridge. Not new. Looked at products they’re doing like iPad, future products, felt Apple had best knowledge of what they wanted silicon to do, best ability to deliver themselves (vs. going out and buying not exactly what they wanted). In mobile device world, tremendous parameters other than silicon, thermal characteristic very important. End of the day, they want to make world’s best products. [A4] makes them more likely to do that.
• Apple acquires companies for technology and talent, on small side. Have looked at large companies but not had large companies but not path. Don’t let money burn hole in their pocket. Unless it makes sense for shareholders, not going to do it. Small companies have been incredibly valuable. Especially talent. Will continue to do that. Find large on, not shy about it, but won’t do it to do it. Never been about being biggest, always about making best products. Not highest marketshare or revenue.
• Executive team at Apple spends lot of time thinking and discussing how to retain and recruit best talent in world. People are most important asset by far. People deliver innovation. Key to Apple.
• Apple is most focused company Cook knows of, has read of, has any knowledge of. Says “no” to good ideas, great ideas every day to retain focus on small number of things. Can keep enormous energy behind things they do choose, deliver best products in the world. Table they’re sitting at, probably put every product on it Apple makes, yet Apple revenue last year near 40 billion. Only oil company could say that. Not from just saying “yes” to right product, it’s saying “no” to many good ideas just not nearly good as other ones. So ingrained in company, hubris which happens to successful companies that decide to get bigger, start adding things, management team at Apple would never let that happen. Not what they’re about. Focus on people, ensuring small list of things to work on, put everything behind that, that’s Apple’s magic.

Apple COO Time Cook Speaks! Been Using iPad for 6 Months, iPhone Platform Just Getting Started! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple Releases iPhone OS 3.2 SDK Beta 3; Then Pulls the Update; Reveals More References Of Camera

TaskPaper for iPhone, simplified to-do lists go mobile

Filed under: Productivity, iPhone

TaskPaper, from the developer of WriteRoom, has been around for a while, and we've been talking about it since version 1.0. After what seems like a long wait, TaskPaper for iPhone is out. The super-simple to-do list with surprisingly robust capabilities is now mobile, and syncs with the desktop version (through Simpletext.ws) for a complete task management solution.

The interesting aspect of TaskPaper is that it uses plain text files with minimal formatting to create and manage to-do lists. The file is easily read by other applications, and things such as tags and due dates are handled in a very human-readable format. The iPhone version offers the functionality of the desktop version, and the two work together quite well. Current users of TaskPaper on the desktop should note the format changes in TaskPaper files.

TaskPaper costs $29.99US for the desktop version. At $4.99US, the iPhone version makes a great counterpart and a very useful addition to your productivity toolset.

TaskPaper for iPhone, simplified to-do lists go mobile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TaskPaper for iPhone, simplified to-do lists go mobile originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone’s Radio Configuration For Power Saving To Blame For Network Issues?

iPad Camera Spied Again in iPhone SDK 3.2?

WhenWillApple has found an interesting screen in the just-released(ish) iPhone 3.2 SDK for the iPad — one that once again hints at camera functionality.

We don’t want to set anyone up for anticipointment, so we’re seriously not expecting any last minute camera additions before next months iPad launch, but the regular stream of rumors sure isn’t helping!

[Thanks Justin for the tip!]

iPad Camera Spied Again in iPhone SDK 3.2? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Ngmoco acquires iPhone/Mac dev Freeverse

On Monday, Ngmoco announced that they have completed the acquisition of Freeverse, a developer best known for Mac and iPhone games like Skee-ball and Burning Monkey Solitare.

Review: FoodFinder for iPhone

This free app uses the location features of your iPhone or iPod touch to find nearby eateries. FoodFinder does what it promises, but it doesn't promise very much. And the information it does provides comes with very little context.

Apple COO Tim Cook Speaks at Goldman Sachs Conference

Apple Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook today participated in a Q&A session at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference, and while he did not offer any major revelations, some of his comments off...

Phil Schiller Comments On Ban Of iPhone Apps With Sexual Content - Attributes It To Complaints From Women And Parents

Apple Confirms: iPad Uses PowerVR SGX Graphics Hardware

While this shouldn't be much of a surprise to most, Apple has confirmed that the iPad uses the same family of graphics chip as the iPhone and iPod Touch. According to reports, Apple's latest iPad SDK Beta 3 documentation...

UPDATED: iPhone SDK 3.2 for iPad Beta 3 Now Live!

Right on schedule — if they stick to 2 week schedules! — Apple has released iPhone SDK for iPad Beta 3. It’s available now via developer.apple.com and if the past is any indication, we should be seeing the code explored and any new and interesting finds tipped and posted… well, from now until Beta 4 hits!

Go get it!

UPDATE: Or now, Apple seems to have pulled Beta 3 for now. Let us know if you still see it, if it’s gone for you, or if it comes back!

UPDATED: iPhone SDK 3.2 for iPad Beta 3 Now Live! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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TUAW Interview: Freeverse CEO Ian Lynch Smith on the Ngmoco purchase

Filed under: iPhone

We were all pretty gobsmacked last night with the news that iPhone gaming developer Ngmoco had purchased longtime Mac game developer Freeverse, so we went hunting for answers. Fortunately, Freeverse CEO and founder Ian Lynch Smith was nice enough to sit down and take our questions this morning, and he provided a little more background and insight on the deal.

The first thing we wanted to do was what would happen to Freeverse's extensive Mac catalog, and we were told conclusively that "it's not going anywhere at all." While Freeverse will still "sell and maintain" their Mac titles, Smith did tell us that they've "been pretty much exclusively focused on the iPhone for the last 18 months anyway," so while they have a legacy in the Mac, the company believes that OS X is "on a collision course with the iPad," and that the main opportunities and user bases for Mac software are now using the iPhone and, soon, Apple's tablet. "It's very hard," we were told, "to get the volume that the iTunes App Store has" for purely Mac software.

The other big question we had was what Freeverse thinks of Ngmoco's insistent support on the "freemium" model (where games are free-to-play, with extra content or add-ons to purchase later), something that has a lot of customers up in arms. Hit the "read more" link below to see what he said both about that and what he thinks about the iPad and the future of computing.

Continue reading TUAW Interview: Freeverse CEO Ian Lynch Smith on the Ngmoco purchase

TUAW Interview: Freeverse CEO Ian Lynch Smith on the Ngmoco purchase originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TUAW Interview: Freeverse CEO Ian Lynch Smith on the Ngmoco purchase originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TiPb Gear and Give-Away! PowerMat Home and Office, Portable, iPhone Case, and Receiver Cube

Star Trek time — today we’re looking at the inductive future of charging via the PowerMat Home or office Mat [$97.95 - TiPb Store link], PowerMat Portable Mat [$97.95 - TiPb Store link], PowerMat Receiver Case for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS [$39.95 - TiPb Store link], and PowerMat Universal Power Cube [$29.95 - TiPb Store link] for all your other gadgets.

Follow on after the break for our review, photos, videos — and did I mention we’re giving away the full review package?!

I first saw PowerMat when I stopped off at their booth at CES with CrackBerry Kevin, and it was immediately apparent why Dieter and our PreCentral.net friends are such fans of their Touchstones. The idea of just putting a device down and it starting to charge is right out of our collective science-fiction consciousness.

We’re not quite Sci-Fi yet, of course, especially since Apple — unlike Palm — hasn’t built an inductive battery into the iPhone (cue 4th gen iPhone speculation!) but PowerMat brings us a very cool step closer.

PowerMat

The system starts off with the PowerMat proper, which is the base. I tested both the Home and Office and the Portable mats, and they both worked very well. They’re almost identical in fact, with three magnetic charging points each, as well as USB, controls for brightness and volume (for the light and sound that indicates a connection for charging — in case you want to mute them in the bedroom), and the AC connection that gets plugged in. The big difference is that the portable mat can be folded neatly in three, creating a smaller if thicker footprint which is easier to store in a bag for traveling (hence the name portable!).

iPhone Case Receiver

To make it work with the iPhone you need a case that plugs into the iPhone’s 30-pin dock connector and has an inductive receiver (big square of metal) on the back. Slide your iPhone, carry it around with you, protected by the hard case, and when you get back to your PowerMat just set it down and it will begin to recharge. It’s really as simple as that (okay, you have to make sure you align the magnets but that’s very easy to feel and is accompanied by a sound to alert you when it’s just right).

Power Cube

You can get cases for a variety of other devices, but if you’re a real gadget-geek and have tons more you want to charge, each PowerMat comes with a Universal Power Cube that sits on the PowerMat and offers a Mini-USB tip for you to plug into. There’re also adapters for Micro-USB, Sony, Samsung, Nintendo, and a bunch of others, including a standard iPhone and iPod (and eventually iPad?) dock connector. I used them to plug in an iPod touch and Motorola H17 BT headset, but you can really use them to plug in almost anything. It even comes with a matching, handy-dandy holder for all the adapters.

You can also get the Power Cube’s separately, and those come with the Mini-USB tip and Micro-USB adapter.

Conclusion

Again, at this point it’s a work-around (thanks Apple!) and more of a cable-management system than real sci-fi solution, but frak if it isn’t cool. Just one plug and the mat, and you can charge virtually any gadget you own and just smile doing it. If you’re a geek, then seriously, this is the geekiest tech around and a must-have just to stick on your coffee table and show off when you drop your iPhone down in front of guests.

Give Away

So, the give-away! I have all this PowerMat gear sitting here, and while the boxes have been opened and the stuff tested for a few weeks, it’s all still in perfect condition. So, TiPb’s decided there’d be nothing better to do with it than give it away to a reader! That’s right, courtesy of the TiPb Store, here’s what’s included:

• PowerMat Home or office Mat [$97.95 - TiPb Store link]
• PowerMat Portable Mat [$97.95 - TiPb Store link]
• PowerMat Receiver Case for iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS [$39.95 - TiPb Store link]
• PowerMat Universal Power Cube [$29.95 - TiPb Store link]

That’s $265 worth of review gear, and all you have to do for your chance to get it is head on over to the TiPb iPhone Accessories Forum and let us know what you want to charge with it (in addition to your iPhone, of course!).

Give-away starts now and ends Thursday, Feb. 25 at 12pm PT. US or Canadian shipping address required.

Video and Galleries

TiPb Gear and Give-Away! PowerMat Home and Office, Portable, iPhone Case, and Receiver Cube is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Apple Releases iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 3 for iPad [Updatedx3]

Apple today released an update to its iPhone SDK 3.2 for developers looking to create applications for the company's forthcoming iPad tablet device. The new update is the third beta version of the SDK, and there is no word yet on changes inc...

Apple Releases iPhone SDK 3.2 Beta 3 for iPad

Apple today released an update to its iPhone SDK 3.2 for developers looking to create applications for the company's forthcoming iPad tablet device. The new update is the third beta version of the SDK, and there is no word yet on changes inc...

Apple’s Cost Of Developing A4 Chip For iPad Estimated To Be $1 Billion

Opera mini browser coming, iPhone refresh expected in April, Bowlingual translates dog barks

Of all the things I wish my iPhone had, a different browser isn't one of them. If you want an alternative to Safari, Opera will be showing off a version if its Mini browser for the iPhone at MWC. Analysts say that an iPhone refresh will do more for Apple stock ...

iPhone chalkboard lets kids be adults and adults act like kids

Filed under: Humor, Odds and ends, iPhone

There's a huge world of creative, crafty people on Etsy.com, and we're always hearing about new Mac or iPhone-related products that have been developed.

The latest, by Etsy shop owner and artist "PlayingGrownUp," is the cool iPhone Chalkboard (US$25.00 plus shipping), The chalkboard is hand cut and painted to look just like the iPhones that Mom and Dad use. It has a wonderful funky folk-art feel to it, which is exactly why I want one in my office.

Judging from some of the pictures accompanying the iPhone Chalkboard, you can use either regular chalk or Chalk Ink markers to draw on the surface. The artist notes that she will customize orders, so if you'd like an iPhone Chalkboard showing one bar of AT&T 3G service or your favorite grouping of home apps, you might be able to have one made. There's no word from PlayingGrownUp on whether or not an iPad Chalkboard will be forthcoming after the end of March.

[via iPhone Savior]

iPhone chalkboard lets kids be adults and adults act like kids originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iPhone chalkboard lets kids be adults and adults act like kids originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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