Apple

Apple: App Store Counts 100,000 Apps, Hits 2 Billion Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:32pm.
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple (NASD: AAPL) said on Wednesday that there are now more than 100,000 applications available for download by iPhone and iPod touch owners at its App Store. The company said that users from 77 countries have downloaded more than 2 billion apps since the store's inception.

Report: Apple Stores to Utilize iPod Touch as Checkout Scanner

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 12:31pm.
Los Angeles - Apple (NASD: AAPL) plans to switch from using Microsoft Windows-based computers to register customers' checkout transactions in its retail stores to using its own iPod touch, Apple Insider reported. The device will be used to scan barcodes and swipe credit cards, while customers will sign for credit card purchases right on the iPod touch's screen, using the Pogo stylus accessory.

Apple Sells 5,000 iPhones in China Debut

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 3, 2009 - 8:52am.
Hong Kong - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has sold just 5,000 iPhones in China since its launch there last week with carrier partner China Unicom, Bloomberg reported, citing comments from China Unicom president Lu Yimin.

Report: Apple Pitching Networks $30 iTunes TV Subscriptions

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 7:59am.
New York - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has been pitching TV networks a plan to offer an iTunes-based TV subscription service that would cost about $30 a month, All Things D reported, citing multiple unnamed sources.
tags: Video | TV | Apple | Disney | ABC | iTunes | ESPN | Steve Jobs |

AuroraFeint Lands Funding for iPhone Game Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 2, 2009 - 7:13am.
Burlingame, Calif. - AuroraFeint, the provider of a game development platform for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone, has received a multi-million dollar investment from Japanese mobile service provider DeNA, VentureBeat reported.
tags: Games | Deals | Mobile | VC | Apple | iPhone | AuroraFeint | DeNA |

China Unicom Begins Selling iPhone Sans Wi-Fi

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:52am.
Beijing - China Unicom has begun selling Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone in China -- albeit without the key feature of Wi-Fi connectivity, Reuters reported. The iPhone is now available from 2,000 Unicom retail stores; the company hopes to sell 5 million in three years, according to Chinese news reports cited by Reuters. A company spokesman told Reuters the company expects its next batch of iPhones to include Wi-Fi.

Apple Breaks Palm Pre Sync with iTunes for Third Time

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 9:50am.
San Francisco - Apple (NASD: AAPL) has broken the Palm (NASD: PALM) Pre's ability to sync directly with iTunes, as if it were an iPhone, for the third time. The new 9.0.2 iTunes software update removes the feature. Palm had complained to the USB Implementers Forum that Apple was misusing the technology to lock out competitors back in August, but the standards body ruled in Apple's favor, and said that Palm may in fact be in violation of its terms.

tags: Mobile | Music | Apple | iTunes | Palm | Palm Pre |

Will Google Music Onebox be a Success?

Authored by Jay Baage on October 30, 2009 - 5:51am.

NBA Releases Live Mobile Video Streaming Application

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 9:34am.
Los Angeles - The National Basketball Association (NBA) has released a new live mobile video application, for platforms including Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone and the Google (NASD: GOOG) Android Marketplace, which will cost $40 per year.

MySpace Adds Music Video Portal, iTunes Links, Artist Dashboard

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 22, 2009 - 10:41am.
Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace on Thursday announced the launch of a number of new music-related features, including a music video portal, integrated purchase links to iTunes, and an analytics tool for artists and labels using the site to promote their recordings.

Lawsuit Claims Apple iPhone Infringes Nokia Patents

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 22, 2009 - 8:34am.
Espoo, Finland - Cell phone maker Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has filed a patent infringement against Apple (NASD: AAPL), claiming that the iPhone uses technology covered by ten Nokia patents without permissions. Filed in federal court in Delaware, the lawsuit alleges that Apple is infringing Nokia patents related to GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN standards, and technology such as wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.
tags: Mobile | Law | Lawsuits | Apple | Patents | Nokia | iPhone |

Online Music Industry to Develop EU-Wide Licensing Scheme

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 21, 2009 - 9:22am.
Brussels - The EU's Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, on Wednesday announced a partnership between European royalty collection societies, major labels and online music retailers including Apple (NASD: AAPL) and Amazon (NASD: AMZN), to develop an EU-wide licensing scheme for music. Currently, rights for music and other copyrighted works must be negotiated separately for each individual country, with that particular country's collection society.

RealNetworks: Rhapsody iPhone App Hits 500,000 Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2009 - 12:12pm.
Seattle - RealNetworks (NASD: RNWK) has seen more than 500,000 downloads of its Rhapsody streaming music application for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch, which requires that users pay a $14.95 per month subscription fee for unlimited streaming, All Things D reported. "Although we are pleased to see excitement and interest in the Rhapsody iPhone app, it is too early to tell how this will translate into subscriber numbers since we suspect many of the people who downloaded the app are current subscribers already or are trying Rhapsody for the first time with the seven-day free trial," spokesman Bill Hankes told All Things D.

"Rock Band" Game Released for iPhone, iPod touch

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 20, 2009 - 12:07pm.
Los Angeles - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS), along with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) MTV Games and developer Harmonix, on Tuesday announced the release of "Rock Band" for Apple's iPhone and iPod touch. The $9.99 game includes a full-band Bluetooth multiplayer mode, 20 full-length songs, and the ability to purchase additional songs from within the game.

Apple Enables Purchases Within Free iPhone Applications

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 16, 2009 - 9:48am.
Cupertino, Calif. - Apple has extended the ability for developers to sell content, subscriptions and other services from within their free iPhone applications, CNET News.com reported. Previously, the ability to sell in-app content was restricted to applications that cost at least 99 cents.

tags: Mobile | Apple | iPhone |

Rumor: Apple to Add FM Radio to iPhone via Software Update

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 14, 2009 - 11:41am.
San Francisco - Apple is preparing to add FM radio functionality to the iPhone and iPod touch via a software update, according to a report on the rumor site 9to5Mac. The application will reportedly work with all current models, taking advantage of an FM transceiver already present in the devices but not being used to receive FM radio signals.

tags: Mobile | Radio | Music | Apple | iPhone |

Report: Posthumous Michael Jackson Album to Sell at iTunes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 14, 2009 - 11:40am.
San Francisco - The posthumous Michael Jackson Album "This Is It" will be sold on Apple's iTunes Store on Oct. 27, meaning either Sony Music/Epic Records has caved and will sell individual tracks in addition to the full album, or Apple has made an exception to its policy of only accepting albums if they are also made available for purchase as individual tracks, Wired.com reports. An earlier report had proffered that the album would be absent from iTunes, due to Apple's policy. Epic Records SVP of publicity Lois Najarian told Wired.com the company is currently working on the bundling issue.

Update:
Wired.com reports that a compromise of sorts has been struck, which will see iTunes will stock both the full album, and a separate, six-song EP containing the previously unreleased tracks.

Apple, Google Resolve FTC Concerns on Shared Board Members

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 13, 2009 - 9:25am.
Washington - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said that Google and Apple have resolved its concerns over shared board members, following the departure of former Genentech CEO Arthur D. Levinson from Google's board yesterday. "Google, Apple, and Mr. Levinson should be commended for recognizing that overlapping board members between competing companies raise serious antitrust issues and for their willingness to resolve our concerns without the need for litigation," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.

Adobe Offers Free Photoshop App for iPhone

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 9, 2009 - 9:27am.
San Jose, Calif. - Adobe (NASD: ADBE) said on Friday that it has released a version of its popular Photoshop photo editing software for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone. The free app, known as Photoshop.com Mobile for iPhone, includes an array of tools to view and edit photos. It also integrates with Photoshop.com accounts, allowing users to share photos and back up data.

tags: Mobile | Apple | Adobe | iPhone |

Electronic Arts Plans iPhone Version of "Rock Band" Game

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 8, 2009 - 11:38am.
Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) is working on a version of its popular "Rock Band" karaoke console video game for Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone and iPod touch, TechCrunch reports. Slated for release later this month, the game will feature a Bluetooth-enabled four-player multiplayer mode, and 20 on-board tracks from artists including Beastie Boys, Blondie, Pixies, Foo Fighters and Motorhead.