Apple Hot News
Fri Jul 8 23:46:49 EDT 2011
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Multinational Bank Goes Mobile with iPhone and iPad - For Standard Chartered Bank — a Global 500 international bank with 1800 branches on six continents — iPhone and iPad provide a perfect platform to expand its mobile services, both internally and to its increasingly tech-savvy customers. “With iPhone and iPad, we’re really looking at the next generation of banking,” says Todd Schofield, Global Head of Enterprise Mobility at Standard Chartered Bank. “Managing our customers’ money is a responsibility we take very seriously, and our mobile services reflect that.”

Latest iMac Looks Great, Runs Faster - Computerworld reviewer Michael deAgonia calls the new 27-inch iMac “a thoroughly modern all-in-one computer, with a sharp, bright screen that’s perfect for editing movies, organizing/editing photos, watching streaming video or making your own presentations.” Citing its minimalist design, enhanced performance from Sandy Bridge processors and AMD graphics chips, and the “very important addition” of Thunderbolt data transfer capabilities, deAgonia concludes: “Apple has delivered a solid update to what was already a popular and successful line.”

Apple Revolutionizes Video Editing With Final Cut Pro X - Apple today announced Final Cut Pro X, a new version of the world’s most popular pro video editing software, rebuilt from the ground up on a modern 64-bit architecture. Final Cut Pro X completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media, and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption. Final Cut Pro X is available from the Mac App Store for $299.99.

Apple Introduces iCloud - Apple today introduced iCloud, a set of free new cloud services that work seamlessly with applications on your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC to automatically and wirelessly store your content and push it to all your devices. iCloud services include new versions of Contact, Calendar, and Mail; iCloud Backup and Storage; Photo Stream; and iTunes in the Cloud. And for just $24.99 a year, iTunes Match will give you all of the benefits of iTunes in the Cloud for music you haven’t purchased from iTunes. iCloud will be available this fall, along with iOS 5. A free beta version of iTunes in the Cloud is available today in the U.S. and requires iTunes 10.3 and iOS 4.3.3.

Apple Previews iOS 5 - Apple today previewed iOS 5, the latest version of the world’s most advanced mobile operating system, with over 200 new features that will be available as a free software update to iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users this fall. New iOS 5 features include: Notification Center, an innovative way to easily view and manage notifications in one place without interruption; iMessage, a new messaging service that lets you send text messages, photos, and videos between all iOS 5 devices; and Newsstand, a new way to purchase and organize your newspaper and magazine subscriptions. And with iOS 5, iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch users can activate and set up new iOS devices right out of the box and get software updates over the air — no computer required.

Mac OS X Lion Available in July from Mac App Store - Apple today announced that Mac OS X Lion — the eighth major release of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system — will be available to customers in July as a download from the Mac App Store for $29.99. OS X Lion offers more than 250 new features, including Multi-Touch gestures; systemwide support for full-screen apps; Mission Control, a bird’s-eye view of everything running on your Mac; Launchpad, a new home for all your apps; and a completely redesigned Mail app.

iWork Now Available For iPhone and iPod touch Users - Apple today announced that its groundbreaking iWork productivity apps — Keynote, Pages, and Numbers — are now available for iPhone and iPod touch, as well as iPad. Created for the Mac and then completely redesigned for iOS and the Multi-Touch interface, Keynote, Pages, and Numbers allow you to create and share stunning presentations, beautifully formatted documents, and powerful spreadsheets on the go. iWork apps are available on the App Store for $9.99 each to new users and as a free update for existing iWork for iPad customers.

iMac Top Choice Among All-in-Ones - With its “souped-up” CPU and graphics performance, beautiful design, and best-in-class display, the 27-inch iMac earns a 9/10 rating and an Editors’ Choice award from Computer Shopper. Noting iMac’s strong productivity performance and excellent gaming capabilities, reviewer Jonathan Rougeout concludes: “In almost every way, this top-of-the-line model beats every other all-in-one on the market.”

New iMac Best in Class - CNET makes the new 27-inch iMac an Editors’ Choice (4/5 stars), writing that it “offers the best performance among current all-in-ones, along with the largest display, the best design, and exciting potential from its Thunderbolt ports.” Citing iMac’s competitive performance and price, CNET concludes that “for digital media professionals, or others in need of a fast, serious-minded all-in-one with a large display, we can make no other recommendation.”

Watching TV on an iPad - At AllThingsD, tech columnist Walt Mossberg compiles a comprehensive list of apps for watching network and cable TV shows on iPad, including iTunes, Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, MLB.com At Bat, ABC Player, XFINITY TV, and WatchESPN. Mossberg notes that iPad’s many viewing app options — along with its thin and light design, immersive interface, large screen, and strong battery performance — make it “by far the best tablet for TV watching now.”

iMac Blows Away the Competition - For its excellent performance, “gorgeous” design, and superior display, the new 21.5-inch iMac earns an editors’ rating of 8.9/10 from Computer Shopper, which makes it their overall top pick for an all-in-one desktop computer. Reporting that iMac blew most of the competition “straight off the test bench,” Computer Shopper recommends iMac to anyone focused on productivity and performance. They add: “With serious speed improvements and the promising new Thunderbolt port, the 2011 iMac keeps an iron grip on its position as today’s leading all-in-one PC.”

A Showpiece E-Book for iPad - Blogging in The New York Times, technology columnist David Pogue calls Our Choice — Al Gore’s new e-book app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch — “one of the most elegant, fluid, immersive apps you’ve ever seen.” Pogue notes that the Our Choice app updates Gore’s 2009 best-selling book about solving Earth’s climate crisis and that “the real magic” is in the visual elements, which include more than 400 pages of interactive photos, graphics, and video. Pogue concludes: “For once, here’s an e-book that really does redefine the net effect of an e-book.”

GarageBand at Guitar Center - Beginning May 7, you can visit any Guitar Center location and learn how to record and mix tracks using Mac and GarageBand. Guitar Center will present free “Recording Made Easy” workshops each Saturday from 10-11 a.m. in all of its 216 stores. Four different workshop sessions make it simple for even novice musicians to go from creating basic tracks to recording a finished song in GarageBand.

Apple Announces New iMac - Apple today updated its signature all-in-one iMac with quad-core processors, powerful new graphics, high-speed Thunderbolt I/O technology, and a new FaceTime HD camera. Starting at $1199, the new iMac is up to 70 percent faster and offers up to three times faster graphics performance than the previous generation.

White iPhone Arrives Tomorrow - Apple today announced that the white iPhone 4 will be available beginning tomorrow. White iPhone 4 models will be available from the Apple Online Store and at Apple Retail Stores, AT&T and Verizon Wireless stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers. “The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it’s beautiful,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we’ve worked to get every detail right.”

iPad 2 Stars in Vacation Videos - USA Today’s Jefferson Graham describes how he was able to capture and edit on-the-go travel videos in New Zealand using iPad 2 and the iMovie app, then instantly demo his movies on the “nearly 10-inch sexy screen.” Writes Graham: “Most people never get around to editing their videos. So having easy-to-obtain software on a device that lets you edit anywhere, like the iPad, will, hopefully, result in more polished videos.”

Apple Reports Second Quarter Results - Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 second quarter ended March 26, 2011. The Company posted record second quarter revenue of $24.67 billion and record second quarter net profit of $5.99 billion, or $6.40 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $13.50 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.07 billion, or $3.33 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. “With quarterly revenue growth of 83 percent and profit growth of 95 percent, we’re firing on all cylinders,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We will continue to innovate on all fronts throughout the remainder of the year.”

iPad 2 for Travel - National Geographic Adventure blogger Mary Anne Potts writes that iPad 2 is transforming travel with its smaller size, faster performance, robust battery life, front and back cameras, and a slew of innovative travel apps. After editing her own travel video with the new iMovie app (“optimized for iPad and so easy to use”), Potts predicts, “this app will transform you into a virtual filmmaker.”

Better Medicine Through iPad - iPad and more than a dozen in-house apps are helping Minneapolis-based Medtronic — a world leader in medical equipment and therapies — deliver its state-of-the-art products to physicians and patients worldwide. “iPad lets us get information to our customers much quicker than we could before,” says Michael Hedges, Medtronic’s Chief Information Officer. “On iPad, the information is delivered in a way that encourages people to use it.”

The New MacBook Pro: The Last Notebook You’ll Ever Need - Noting that the new 15- and 17-inch quad-core MacBook Pro models deliver “twice the CPU performance of Core 2 Duo, three times the graphics performance of the previous generation’s Nvidia GeForce GT 330M, and more than ten times the external I/O bandwidth of 800MHz FireWire,” InfoWorld reviewer Tom Yager writes, “This brand of magic can’t be conjured by Apple’s competitors.” He adds: “If, in all of this, you can’t see a reason to upgrade your notebook, maybe I can bring the point home: This might be the last notebook computer you’ll ever need or want.”