The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

Gameloft backs iPhone and backs away from Android

Ken Ray — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

To iPhone or not to iPhone? That is the question on which a number of high-profile app developers are weighing-in. A couple of weeks ago it was Facebook app developer Joe Hewitt and software maker Rogue Amoeba saying they'd had enough of jumping through hoops to be on the iPhone and that they'd be working on other things.

Last week, Instapaper web-service and iPhone app [iTunes link] developer Marco Arment said, "Go if you want to, but there are more than enough people in the App Store to keep me fat and happy and not nearly enough in any other mobile app ecosystem to draw me away." I'm paraphrasing of course.

Now, French mobile phone game developer Gameloft has given its two cents. According to a company exec, Gameloft and other software developers are drawing down the resources spent on developing applications for Google's Android platform. Gameloft finance director Alexandre de Rochefort said at an investor conference late last week, "We have significantly cut our investment in Android platform, just like ... many others."

Did he say what others? No. Did he say why? Yes.

Rochefort, like Instapaper's Arment, says the people just aren't there for the Android. "It is not as neatly done as on the iPhone," says the exec. "Google has not been very good to entice customers to actually buy products. On Android nobody is making significant revenue."

Meanwhile on the App Store, money flows like water for Gameloft and the water's fine. Games for Apple's handhelds generated 13% of Gameloft's revenue last quarter. According to Rochefort, Gameloft is selling 400 times as many games for the iPhone and iPod touch as it is for the various Android powered phones.

[via Reuters]

TUAW Gameloft backs iPhone and backs away from Android originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone launching in South Korea this week

Ken Ray — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

Just days after receiving final approval from regulators, the iPhone will go on sale this week in South Korea. KT Corp, the country's second largest mobile carrier, began taking orders for the iPhone today, with plans to launch the phone on Saturday, November 28.

Apple has confirmed the KT announcement, though it's offered no other comment. KT, on the other hand, is playing the announcement up. In a press release, Kim Woo-sik, CEO of KT's personal customer group, said, "We are thrilled to bring iPhone to South Korea. Our customers will enjoy the power and benefits of using the revolutionary iPhone on KT's 3G network."

Residents of South Korea will have access to the same array of iPhones available in the states. KT is offering the 8GB iPhone 3G as well as the 16GB and 32GB iPhone 3GS.

[via Associated Press, Bloomberg]

TUAW iPhone launching in South Korea this week originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Virgin Mobile Canada: Fifth Canadian outlet for iPhone

Ken Ray — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

The iPhone is getting yet another carrier in the great white north. Virgin Mobile Canada has announced that it'll start selling the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in the coming months.

When exactly? How much? Can I get a Richard Branson ringtone? Actually, I can make my own ringtones, but what about the rest of it? We'll have to wait to find out. All the company said in its incredibly short notice was that it'll sell the phones online and in its brick-and-mortar stores at some point. Well, that and that its gotten some love from J.D. Power and Associates for its prepaid and postpaid wireless services.

The phones are already on sale north of the border through Rogers Wireless, its subsidiary Fido, Bell Canada, and Telus. While a Canadian friend tells me Virgin Mobile Canada has a reputation for inexpensive phones with prepaid service, Canadian mobile news site MobileSyrup expects Virgin to charge roughly the same prices with the same three-year contracts as Canada's other iPhone carriers.

Thanks EZ Mac Mike for the tip!

[via iLounge, MobileSyrup]

TUAW Virgin Mobile Canada: Fifth Canadian outlet for iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac Tablet Files: Rumored delay for the rumored device

Ken Ray — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hardware, Rumors

DigiTimes stories are fun. They just are. Sometimes they provide insight into the components side of tech. Other times they make me wish I hadn't given up my dreams of writing fiction.

Today, unnamed sources from unspecified component manufacturers say Apple is postponing the launch of its amazing wonder tablet, moving the date from next March to the second half of 2010. According to the shadowy sources, Apple has decided to switch some components, and now plans to produce a tablet using a 9.7" OLED panel from LG Display. The panels would be provided under Apple's five-year, US$500 million display deal with LG Display revealed at the beginning of the year.

The nameless talkers say construction of the devices will be done by three companies, and that there will be two, distinct units, the previously mentioned 9.7" OLED screened unit, and a 10.6" TFT LCD screened version. OLED's are very expensive compared to LCD displays, a cost that will be passed on to consumers. Sources figure the OLED tablet will have a retail price of about US$2,000, though that could come down with subsidies from telecom partners. The LCD unit with its 0.9" larger display is expected to be priced between US$800 and US$1,000.

There are advantages to OLED versus LCD displays, but would consumers pony up twice the money for an untried device when they can get a bigger screen at a lower cost?

Thanks to Paul for the tip.

[via DigiTimes]

TUAW Mac Tablet Files: Rumored delay for the rumored device originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple seeks game guru for app development

Ken Ray — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch

While some say Apple never wanted the iPhone to be a gaming device, the company knows which way the wind is blowing and wants to get involved. Apple is looking to hire a game and media software engineer for its iPhone and iPod touch team, which could mean it wants to make games of its own.

The job description doesn't say "games" specifically, focusing instead on "interactive multimedia experiences." However, the ad is looking for someone with "3-4 years of video game development experience," someone who has "shipped at least one AAA title," and someone who is a "passionate gamer."

id Software co-founder John Carmack says higher-ups in Apple aren't overjoyed with the growing status of the iPhone and iPod touch as gaming devices. But there's big money in games. Research firm DFC Intelligence sees profits for dedicated game-device makers like Sony and Nintendo shrinking 27% over the next five years, while expecting revenue from games for Apple's handhelds to rise from $46 million last year, to $2.8 billion dollars by 2014. That's a lot of money flowing through Apple, though most of that will go to developers. With over 100,000 apps available in the App Store, only four available today are made by Apple, and only one of those - Texas Hold'em (iTunes link) is a game.

[via Apple Insider]

TUAW Apple seeks game guru for app development originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone leads Apple past Nokia to #1 in mobile phone profits

Ken Ray — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Apple Financial, iPhone

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]

TUAW iPhone leads Apple past Nokia to #1 in mobile phone profits originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone

Ken Ray — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Enterprise, iPhone

Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore says corporate IT is warming up to the iPhone. In a research note published yesterday das analyst says, "There is growing evidence that the iPhone is making inroads into the Enterprise."

Whitmore thinks Apple will sell 2 million iPhones to big business by the end of the year, some through reimbursements to employees and some through IT department purchases. If those numbers hold, the iPhone will own about 7% of the Enterprise smartphone market in 2009, up from the 2% it controlled in 2008.

What's up with the shift? Whitmore notes four reasons:

User satisfaction - highlighted by the recent J.D. Power surveys of both consumer and business smartphone users
Enterprise applications
The iPhone's level of innovation
The virtual keyboard - according to Whitmore, the thought that business users have to have a physical keyboard on a smartphone has turned out to be a 'fallacy.'

However, businesspeople might not agree that they don't need a physical keyboard if their first virtual keyboard isn't on an iPhone. UK researcher Canalys has taken a look at touchscreens and future smartphone purchases. The firm finds the ground shifting the touchscreen's way. Of the 3,000 survey respondents in the UK, Germany, and France, 38% say their next phone will have a finger-oriented touchscreen, while 16% say theirs will have a stylus-operated touchscreen.

But a lot of people who have virtual keyboard-only phones miss the physical keys. According to Canalys, 53% of people who own a touchscreen phone say they won't buy another one, though they may have bought the wrong one for them to start. A majority of iPhone and HTC users say they'll keep the virtual keys on their next phones, while less than a third of Sony Ericsson touchscreen phone owners say their next phone won't have buttons.

[via Fortune, The Register]

TUAW Deutsche Bank says IT warms to iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple seeds new Snow Leopard 10.6.2 beta to developers

Ken Ray — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Snow Leopard

The betas of the next Snow Leopard update continue at a fast and furious pace. Apple has reportedly begun seeding a new build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 to developers, just one week after the previous beta.

The new potential release focuses on graphics issues, specifically relating to drivers, QuartzCore, and ColorSync, as well as hitting issues with the Dock. Apple has identified no outstanding issues with the build, though the company is asking developers to pay special attention to graphics drivers, TrackPad preferences, and virtual machines.

The company says 148 components have been addressed in 10.6.2 betas so far, including issues in Dictionary, Expose, File Sync, Front Row, iPhoto, MobileMe, Parental Controls, QuickTime, Screen Sharing, Spotlight, Time Machine, and USB.

[via MacNN, Apple Insider]

TUAW Apple seeds new Snow Leopard 10.6.2 beta to developers originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple posts DIY info for new iMac memory installation

Ken Ray — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: iMac

If you're looking to do a DIY memory upgrade on your brand-spanking new iMac, Apple's more than happy to tell you how. The Cupertino company has posted info in the Support section of its website telling people who aren't afraid to pop the hood on the new 21.5" and 27" iMacs what kind of memory modules the new machines use and how to install or replace memory modules themselves.

While it's not the public's first look inside the machines, Apple lets the world know that the iMac (Late 2009) has four SDRAM slots, where to find them, and what types of modules will and won't fit happily inside.

Would-be do it yourselfers can search Apple's site for support document HT3918. Godspeed - and Godcaution - to you.

[via Softpedia]

TUAW Apple posts DIY info for new iMac memory installation originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Telus to start iPhone sales on November 5

Ken Ray — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

Rogers Wireless has a little over one week left of its Canadian iPhone exclusivity. Wireless carrier Telus announced today that it'll start sales of the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS on Thursday, November 5, 2009.

While the Telus network has been CDMA-only, the carrier is not selling a modified phone. Rather, the company is launching its iPhone-compatible HSPA network, which it's marketing to consumers as 3G+.

Prices on the new network match what many expected from Bell, which is also starting Canadian iPhone sales soon. Telus will sell an 8GB iPhone 3G for $99 (Cdn$), a 16GB iPhone 3GS for $199.99, or a 32GB iPhone 3GS for $299.99 with three-year contracts. Minus the monthly plans the 8GB iPhone 3G will run buyers $599.99, the 16GB iPhone 3GS will run $699.99, and the 32GB iPhone 3GS will run buyers $799.99.

[via Telus]

TUAW Telus to start iPhone sales on November 5 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Orange to start UK iPhone sales on November 10

Ken Ray — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

Update: Orange has announced pricing for the iPhone, in a dizzying matrix of subscription & pay-as-you-go plans (Monkey, Dolphin, Canary, Racoon & Camel? Really?) matched with varying purchase costs. All plans include free unlimited WiFi access; wireless data is 250MB/mo on the PAYG plans and 'unlimited' (meaning 750MB/mo) on the subscription plans. Tethering is only available on the subscription plans.

The wait for a new carrier for the iPhone in the UK appears to be nearly over. The Times Online out of the UK says Orange will add Apple's thrice-super phone to its stable on November 10, one day after O2's exclusivity for the device ends.

Orange announced in late September that it would be carrying the iPhone, though it only said then that it would have the phone later in the year. At least 200,000 people may want to circle the date on their calendars, since at least that many have reportedly pre-registered to buy the phone on the new carrier, despite not knowing how much the phone will cost nor how much the monthly plans will run them.

November 10 may be a bittersweet day for Vodafone. While it has announced its own deal to sell the iPhone in the UK starting in 2010, pent up demand from people who want the device but don't want O2 as a carrier may be lost to the new Orange option. Vodafone reports interim results on November 10, though it'll likely face as many questions about the phone it doesn't yet have as it will about its own numbers.

O2 will still carry the iPhone, though it's also got its mind on the Palm Pre, which it began offering as a UK-exclusive last week.

[via TimesOnline]

TUAW Orange to start UK iPhone sales on November 10 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Destroy the Death Star from the comfort of your iPhone

Ken Ray — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST

Filed under: Gaming, iPhone, iPod touch

Wanna blow up the Death Star? There's an app for that! At least there should be soon.

StarWars.com has word of the upcoming iPhone and iPod Touch game "Star Wars: Trench Run," letting players do the cool stuff Luke Skywalker did in Episode IV (minus the whining), namely: blow up the Death Star.

Developers say "Trench Run" uses simple motion controls, relying on a player's command of the iPhone's accelerometer to avoid walls, other ships, gun turrets, and inexplicable solid beams laid across the trench (video). Manage all of that and they can take their shot at the Death Star's exhaust port and send the Empire reeling. Why did they never cover that port, anyway (YouTube)? If blowing up a space station the size of a small moon isn't a player's cup of tea, they can engage in dogfights with TIE fighters over the Death Star instead.

The game's pitch promises music, sound effects, and clips from the movie for immersive gameplay, varying degrees of difficulty (from Easy to Jedi), and Leader Boards to let pilots see how they rank with other would-be Jedi from around the world.

As exciting as blowing up the Death Star may be, the game screams for in-app purchases. Can pilots buy "Battle of Hoth" expansions down the road? And fly against the second Death Star? Can we?!? I mean... can they?!? Please?

Until then, "Star Wars: Trench Run" has a price set of $4.99. No word on when the game will hit the App Store but it needs to happen soon. The Death Star must be stopped!

[via starwars.com]

TUAW Destroy the Death Star from the comfort of your iPhone originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q

Ken Ray — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: iPhone

Reports of trouble for AT&T's 3G network have done nothing to keep people from the iPhone in the U.S.

The nation's second largest wireless carrier announced third-quarter earnings Thursday morning that were full of iPhone goodness. AT&T (T) activated a record 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q, 40% of which went to people new to the company.

Wireless data was the supporting star of the show. Services such as messaging, Internet access and the like were up 33.6% from 3Q of 2008 to $3.6 billion. Data sales now account for 29.4% of AT&T's wireless revenue.

The company's earnings were relatively flat, having posted a profit of $3.2 billion, or 54 cents a share for 3Q '09 versus $3.23 billion or 55 cents a share for 3Q of '08. AT&T did, however, bring in enough to beat analyst expectations. The street was only looking for earnings of 50 cents a share.

[via MediaPost, Marketwatch]

TUAW AT&T activates 3.2 million iPhones in 3Q originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ihnatko says Apple tablet could play hero to comic books

Ken Ray — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:30:00 EST

Filed under: Rumors, Apple

Speculation based on rumor can be frustrating. But when the rumor is of Apple's fabled tablet, and the speculation is of a new golden age for comics, the 13-year-old kid in me comes alive.

Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Andy Ihnatko says there are hints that Apple is getting into the digital comic book market, a statement he likens to saying "Apple is helping to create the digital comic book market." Digital comics today, he argues, are where digital music was in 2002. Legitimate businesses are so fractured, clumsy, and behind the times that pirated comics (online illegally one day after hitting store shelves) provide the best user experience.

Enter LongBox, a company that has made the rounds at comic book conventions this year pitching an iTunes-like store for buying and selling digital comic books. Ihnatko talked with LongBox CEO Rantz Hoseley, peppering him with questions and looking for reasons that LongBox was doomed to failure. What he found instead was a company that respects the comic book as a medium, that has made publishing to the LongBox format (.LBX) as simple as adding a plug-in to the software publishers already use, and that has plans for outfits as big as Marvel or DC all the way down to the lone artists publishing on their own.

Continue reading Ihnatko says Apple tablet could play hero to comic books

TUAW Ihnatko says Apple tablet could play hero to comic books originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mickey Mouse + Magic Mouse = Mighty Steve

Ken Ray — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Apple Financial, Steve Jobs

Is it better to have a lot of something good or a little of something great? If Apple CEO Steve Jobs is any indication, it's better to have both.

In September, Alpha Steve had an estimated personal net worth of $5.1 billion, enough to end up the 43rd richest person in the U.S. according to Forbes' list of the 400 richest people in the states. This week he's up to at least $5.4 billion. If you think that's because of the tear on which Apple's stock has gone over the past few weeks, you're only a little over half right.

According to filings by Apple (AAPL), Jobs owns 5.426 million shares of Apple stock. As of Tuesday night, Apple's stock had picked up 26.39 points since Forbes' counted the 400 "haves." Jobs shares had gained $146 million in value. Not bad.

Disney (DIS) filings say Jobs owns 138 million shares of the happiest company on Earth. Those shares have not had nearly the run enjoyed by Apple shares over the last few weeks, gaining only 99 cents as of Tuesday night. Still, Jobs has so many of them that they've increased in value by $136 million. Not bad either.

Apple's meteoric rise plus Disney's incremental rise equals $282 million more for Apple's CEO and Disney's largest private shareholder.

It's better to have both.

[via Fortune]

TUAW Mickey Mouse + Magic Mouse = Mighty Steve originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch

Ken Ray — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST

Filed under: Hardware, OS

One week from today, Microsoft will try to shake the stink of Vista. BusinessWeek reminds the world that Microsoft is set to launch Windows 7 on October 22nd. I've got the day free, since all of my invitations to Windows 7 launch parties seem to have been lost in the mail.

As the spotlight shifts toward Redmond, WA, Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing Phil Schiller says that Apple sees "a very good opportunity" in the Windows 7 noise, in an interview with Business Week's Peter Burrows.

While no one expects Windows 7 to be as poorly received as Vista, the new operating system will mark the first time in a long while that millions of PC owners will start looking seriously at replacing existing machines, especially with so many PC-people having skipped the purchase cycle when Vista came around.

And there's where Apple gets them. Or tries to, anyway.

Apple is likely to aim new ads at PC users, trying to pull them to the Mac side in the coming days. The ads will probably hit familiar points, such as the susceptibility to malware worn by Windows, and extra programs buyers get with a Mac out of the box, like iMovie and GarageBand.

Continue reading BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch

TUAW BW: Apple's Schiller sees opportunity for Mac with Windows 7 launch originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iTunes LP broken for indie record labels?

Ken Ray — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: iTunes, Music

Update: ElectricPig is reporting on 10/13 that an Apple spokesperson said the LP format will be opened up for all, indies and majors alike.

There's word from an indie record-label that iTunes LPs are not for the indies. Introduced at Apple's "It's Only Rock and Roll" event in September, the iTunes LP format adds "bigger than a matchbook" album art, song lyrics, video clips, and other extra content to albums sold through the iTunes store.

Brian McKinney of Chicago-based label Chocolate Lab Records saw some promise in the new format and started looking into the idea of producing for iTunes LPs himself. But the truly small labels may have a hard time getting in. McKinney spoke to the digital distribution manager at his label's distributor, who reportedly told him that Apple charges a $10,000 production fee for iTunes LPs. $10,000 may be less than the heads of Warner Music Group, Sony BMG, Universal Music Group, and EMI spend on breakfast, but could be cost prohibitive for the little label that could (if it had $10,000 handy for each of its acts).

It's not just the cost that prohibits the little labels. According to McKinney, it's also Apple. McKinney says his dude in distribution was told "that LPs aren't being offered to indies and that there are only about 12 LPs being offered right now."

"Foul, foul, filth and foul," cries Cult of Mac's Pete Mortensen. Like a financial analyst moving a stock from "buy" to "sell," Mortensen says iTunes LP has gone from "the first digital album good enough to criticize," to "the first major content misstep in the history of the iTunes Store." Assuming that Chocolate Lab's distributor info is on the up-and-up, Mortensen thinks iTunes LP is "less a new format for music than it is a new form of paid advertising on the iTunes store."

Continue reading iTunes LP broken for indie record labels?

TUAW iTunes LP broken for indie record labels? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Greenpeace praises Apple's US Chamber of Commerce exit

Ken Ray — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Apple Corporate, Apple

Greenpeace has decided they'll get more attention from praising Apple than by trying to bury it.

The environmental organization is singing hosannas and heysannas to the Cupertino-company for taking a green stand and resigning from the US Chamber of Commerce. Apple walked away from the organization on Monday over Chamber actions seen by Apple as opposing efforts to limit greenhouse gases.

Chamber President Thomas Donohue says his organization does want to see "legislation to address climate change," though the Chamber is against current proposals that, he says, will "significantly raise energy prices, (and) throw more Americans out of work."

Greenpeace revels in the kerfuffle, saying in a post on its website, "Apple has stormed out of the biggest lobby group in the United States. At issue is the US Chamber of Commerce's use of funds to oppose climate change legislation. Apple has done the right thing, and IBM and Microsoft should think different too." (See what they did there?)

The environmental organization says the Chamber should consider the number of jobs that would be created by helping clean up the environment. It's hard to see these two groups hugging it out.

Still, it's praise and adoration for Apple, with the "save the whales" set saying, "The stakes have never been higher for the climate. Apple's move will throw an uncomfortable spotlight on any company that stays on in the Chamber but doesn't act to change its policies."

Interesting. I wonder if Apple thought of that.

[via cnet]

TUAW Greenpeace praises Apple's US Chamber of Commerce exit originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple's next mouse may be mighty, but probably not a "Mighty Mouse"

Ken Ray — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Peripherals

Talk around the water cooler (in particularly geeky offices) is that Apple is on the verge of launching a new, touch sensitive mouse to go along with the computers it hasn't announced and the keyboard it hasn't announced.

No doubt the company wants the mouse to be mighty, but it's unlikely the Cupertino-company will call it "Mighty Mouse" this time around.

Man & Machine, which specializes in making computer peripherals for the medical industry, has won the trademark on the term "Mighty Mouse" from the United States Patent and Trademark Office as it pertains to tech, though CBS still holds the mark for the cartoon mouse who comes in singing to save the day.

In its press release announcing the win, Man & Machine doesn't mention any other "Mighty Mouse" maker, though it does note, "Others have used the name Mighty Mouse for their computer mice and have sought registration of that trademark, but now the United States government has spoken."

The big question now: what will Apple call their new, touchy-feely pointer and clicker? While I'm partial to "Danger Mouse" (both the musician and the British cartoon), Apple does have friends at another mouse-house. Then again, with the touch sensitivity likely to be touted, shouldn't there be some tie-in with Lenny and George and a mouse you can pet?

[via TechCrunch]

Engadget's Nilay Patel adds some legal analysis here.

TUAW Apple's next mouse may be mighty, but probably not a "Mighty Mouse" originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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