The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

It would have been nice for the App Store's public relations team if the biggest news in the past few days was the introduction of a more transparent progress report for applications under review, giving developers some of the feedback they need to see where their apps are in the pathway towards approval and release. Unfortunately, that minor but tangible step toward a more open approval process is overshadowed by a story of frustration and disaffection from one of the platform's rising stars: Joe Hewitt, the man behind Facebook's popular iPhone app, is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore.

Hewitt's frustration with the app review process isn't new, but in the same August blog post where he called for the elimination of review, he promised "I will not stop developing for Apple's platforms or using Apple's products as long as they continue to produce the best stuff on the market." A few months later, he's announced that he's handing off the Facebook app to another developer, and he's reached the point where his frustration has overcome his willingness to continue working on the iPhone. [Commenter 'Gak' points out that Hewitt's open-sourced Three20 library for iPhone devs has been flagged for use of private frameworks, which may have been one of the final straws.]

Hewitt spoke to TechCrunch earlier today, and his attitude is clear:

"My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer."

Losing the talent behind the top social networking app in the store is bad for users and bad for the platform, but I don't imagine that Apple is going to give up the lockdown of review anytime soon. Is there a way around this logjam that will let developers innovate at Internet speed while still giving Apple some semblance of control? Here's one idea...

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We've been saying it for years, but everyone thought that we Mac-heads had a chip on our shoulder from the once-sour relationship with Microsoft. Finally, however, the truth has come to light; a group manager from Microsoft has gone on record and admitted the source of some of Windows 7's prettier bits and pieces.

Simon Aldous sat down with PCR for an interview and when he was asked to comment on the agility of Redmond's latest operating system, he had this to say:

"What we've tried to do with Windows 7 – whether it's traditional format or in a touch format – is create a Mac look and feel."

While I am glad that people at Microsoft are finally accepting the superiority of OS X, it still stung a little when Simon started to backtrack saying that Vista was more stable than OS X.

Update: It looks like the Windows team had a few things to say about Simon's earlier remarks noting that "his comments were inaccurate and uninformed." It is, in my opinion, difficult to deny that the OS X dock has had a positive impact on how people use their computers whether they be PCs or Macs. That being said, I'm glad Microsoft didn't take this one lying down.

[via Engadget]

Here's one holiday treat that Mac and PC users alike can enjoy. Google announced yesterday that during the holiday season, it is sponsoring free Wi-Fi at 47 airports around the United States, as well as on every Virgin America flight. According to CNN, those who choose to take advantage of this will be urged to set Google as their home page, or receive an offer to download Google Chrome. Google has also suggested that those utilizing the free service should donate the money they would have otherwise spent on airport Wi-Fi to a worthy charity.

Full details, including a list of airports, a contest and the charity drive, can be found at FreeHolidayWiFi.com. To connect on a MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, simply make sure your Airport is turned on and look for the available networks at your airport, then launch a web browser to complete the connection.

Other free Wi-Fi deals for the holidays include Yahoo donating a year of free Wi-Fi service to Times Square in New York City, and Microsoft's Bing search engine joining forces with JiWire to offer free Wi-Fi at JiWire hotspots that opt into the program -- provided that you run a search using Bing first.

Apple doesn't make the most mobile phones but, as of the third quarter of 2009, the Cupertino company does make the most money from them. Research firm Strategy Analytics says Apple is now the world's most profitable mobile phone maker, kicking Nokia from the top spot between July and September.

Apple's phones only command about 2.5% of the world's cellphone market, though the iPhone's cool factor and the company's premium pricing let it rake in about $1.6 billion in operating profit from the iPhone in the third quarter of 2009, besting cellphone stalwart Nokia and its $1.1 billion in operating profit for the same period.

Alex Spektor, an analyst with Strategy Analytics, says, "With strong volumes, high wholesale prices and tight cost controls, the PC vendor has successfully broken into the mobile phone market in just two years."

What did Nokia do wrong? Reverse what Apple did right. Nokia seems to have slipped thanks in part to lower margins from the weak economy and a less-than-stellar presence in the United States, though Spektor thinks there is time to turn the Finnish ship around. He suggests the company focus more on the U.S. and less on traditional 'non-smart' phones, which don't make as much money per unit as the likes of the iPhone or the Blackberry.

While Nokia may not make the most money, at this point it still makes the most handsets. Nokia's worldwide market share for mobile phones sits at 37.9%. At least for now.

[via The Mac Observer, Electronista]

In just two days after Apple released the Mac OS X 10.6.2 update, there's now an update for Safari. This new version, 4.0.4, improves and fixes performance, stability, and security of Safari including:

• Improved JavaScript performance.
• Improved Full History Search performance for users with a large number of history items.
• Stability improvements for 3rd-party plug-ins, the search field and Yahoo! Mail.

This update requires Mac OS X 10.6.1 or 10.6.2, Mac OS X 10.5.8 or 10.5.7, Mac OS X 10.4.11
or Windows 7, Vista, XP and is available through Software Update, or on the Apple Downloads page.

Do you notice any improvements in this update? Leave a comment and let us know!

Now this is how we like our rumors: Cheap, fast and totally unsubstantiated. Phil Schiller told Gizmodo that Apple's holiday lineup is in place, but the rumor mongers seem not to care. Last week we heard that AT&T was considering an 8GB iPhone 3GS.

The latest speculation to hit is that a new iPod touch will be released before December, according to iPhone Alley. Citing a "reliable source" who couldn't go into details (mmm-hmm), iPhone Alley speculates that it could be the touch with a camera that we all expected several weeks ago.

Given that the iPod is typically updated in September and that some people have already begun holiday shopping (not us, of course), we'd be more than a bit surprised if this happened.

The "Reset Network Settings" button on the iPhone not only resets your Wi-Fi settings -- resulting in a clean slate with respect to Wi-Fi access points and their passwords -- it also resets your phone carrier settings. Several months back, I had the darndest trouble with cellular data access. I could place and receive calls, but couldn't get cellular data access no matter what I did. I tried going into and out of airplane mode, turning the phone on and off, and resetting it, all with no luck.

So I decided to call AT&T. Apparently, one of the cell phone towers near my office was having trouble and fell out of and back into commission. And although the tower was back up and running, my iPhone was stuck in cellular data purgatory. AT&T support suggested that resetting the network settings on the device would likely resolve the issue: and it did. Resetting network settings has also helped me resolve an issue I was having with Visual Voicemail on another occasion.

To reset your iPhone's network settings, tap your way to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. With great power also comes great annoyances, like having to reconnect to previously remembered access points and having to re-enter passwords.

The press release I received tonight said it all: "TweetDeck for iPhone -- now with added awesome." I use TweetDeck on my Macs, but had used another competing app for tweeting from my iPhone. After this update, which is the first major upgrade to this free Twitter client, I may have to reconsider!

The features in TweetDeck 1.1.1 [iTunes Link] have been given a squirt of goodness, with these new features added to the mix:

• Video tweeting via integration with 12seconds (record video and send to Twitter or Facebook using 12seconds platform)
• Facebook integration (updates, FB columns, wall posts, etc.)
• Landscape composing (for those with stumbly thumbs)
• Trending Topics to see what's happening RIGHT NOW
• Save Draft for later
• Bit.ly support
• And some additional goodies...

As with the Mac and Windows versions, the TweetDeck for iPhone user interface makes great use of columns, each of which can show a different feed, direct messages, or mentions for multiple accounts. Be sure to watch the video above, and if you're still looking for an iPhone Twitter client, give this fun freebie a try.

No, I'm not talking about any of these Lego Mac mods, A relatively new startup called MacSlaps brings us some personalization goodness in the form of custom vinyl stickers for your MacBook and MacBook Pro.

Using stickers (or even laser engraving) to customize your MacBook is nothing new, but what I think sets MacSlaps apart from some of the others I have seen is the designs are simple and creative. In addition to the Lego design pictured here, their site showcases a few other interesting designs, such as Mario, PacMacMan, and my favorite, Tic-Mac-Toe.

The stickers come on a square sheet of vinyl, ranging from about 4 to 8 inches, so most of them will even fit on the 13-inch MacBook. I know they say these are custom made for MacBooks, but I'm tempted to order one and try it on the back of my 24-inch aluminum iMac, since I'm guessing the effect would be about the same. They also offer custom designs, so if you've got a crazy idea in mind, they can probably help you get it onto your Mac.

Although the selection is pretty sparse, their designs are original and interesting. Plus, it looks like they've just recently started up, as their Etsy store opened in October, and some of their designs haven't shown up on the store yet, so I hope this means we will be seeing more from them in the near future.

All in all, these stickers would make a great stocking stuffer for your favorite Mac geek. Not to mention, if you're picking up a new MacBook for the Holidays, they are a great way to add a personal touch, especially with the custom design offer.

[via iPhoneSavior]

Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we've got questions about VOIP apps on the iPhone, auto-tagging music, Boot Camp, replacing a hard drive and more.

As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify). And now, on to the questions.

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