Tuesday, October 30, 2012

iTunes 11 postponed

No new iTunes that was planned to be released tomorrow, but rather instead later next month.








When apple promised iTunes 11 would come out on Halloween, people were, of  course, a little  upset.seems like a similar with the itunes match was released.

" The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November."
This is the response as to why iTunes 11 was postponed.

Here is Apple's description on  iTunes 11;
"The redesigned iTunes features a full-window interface on your Mac or PC that’s simpler and cleaner, always keeping your favorite content in front of you. The new library view makes it easier to view your music, TV shows and movies, allowing you to click on the category of content you want to browse and that’s all you will see.
The expandable album view allows you to see track listings for an individual album, while letting you continue to browse your music library. The new search feature searches across your entire iTunes library, including music, movies and TV shows.
iTunes screenshot  of it's  newest  version   





The re-imagined MiniPlayer makes it easy to control your music with a small tool bar, you can skip to the next song or search for something new to play—all without having to open your library. Up Next is a fun new way to see what songs are coming up and queue songs or albums you want to hear next."


iCloud does even more.
The newest features are mainly focused on iCloud and how it is is now more developed into iTunes
It now puts all of your media on all your devices through iCloud. It has a new graphic interface, and finally it has better placement/bookmarking of things that you left off on.

I don't think this should really affect people the way it does now.
There's nothing wrong with any of the previous versions of iTunes,so don't freak out about it.

Apple has more information on iTunes 11 here.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Apple is Changing Management

This is an eMail from Apple's CEO Tim Cook:
“Team,
We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple’s history. The amazing products that we’ve introduced in September and October – iPhone 5, iOS6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications – could only have been created at Apple, and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.
Today, I am announcing changes that will encourage even more collaboration between our world-class hardware, software and services teams at all levels of our company. As part of these changes, Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue, and Craig Federighi will be taking on more responsibilities. I am also announcing that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple next year and will serve as an advisor to me during the interim. I want to thank Scott for all of his many contributions to Apple over his career.
Jony Ive will provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his longtime role as the leader of Industrial Design. Jony has an incredible design aesthetic and has been the driving force behind the look and feel of our products for more than a decade. The face of many of our products is our software and the extension of Jony’s skills into this area will widen the gap between Apple and our competition.
Eddy Cue will take on the additional responsibility of Siri and Maps. This places all of our online services in one group. Eddy and his organization have overseen major successes such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud. They have an excellent track record of building and strengthening our online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of our customers.
Craig Federighi will lead both iOS and OS X. We have the most advanced mobile and desktop operating systems on the planet, and bringing together our OS teams will make it even easier to deliver our best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms. Craig recently led the very successful release of Mountain Lion.
Bob Mansfield will lead a new group, Technologies, which combines all of our wireless teams across the company in one organization, allowing us to innovate in this area at an even higher level. This organization will also include all of our semiconductor teams, who have some very ambitious plans. As part of this, I am thrilled to tell you that Bob will remain with Apple for an additional two years. Bob has led some of our most challenging engineering projects for many years.
Additionally, John Browett is leaving Apple. Our search for a new head of Retail is already underway. In the meantime, the Retail team will report directly to me. Retail has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level, and they will continue the excellent work they’ve done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services and a focus on the customer that is second to none. This phenomenal team of talented and dedicated people works their hearts out making our customers happy. They have our respect, our admiration and our undying support.
Please join me in congratulating everyone on their new roles.
I’d like to thank everyone for working so hard so that Apple can continue to make the world’s best products and delight our customers. I continue to believe that Apple has the most talented and most innovative people on the planet, and I feel privileged and inspired to be able to work with all of you.
Best,
Tim”
 Here are three tweets about it too : )








Scot Forstall is leaving apple in 2013,and sadly is hardly acknowledged in the email...and it may not be, but it seems like "thank you" wasn't the phrase he wanted to say here.

For those of you who don't know who forstall is, he worked NeXT for Steve Jobs in '92, and he followed him in his return to Apple. ever since, he has been highly responsible for the innovation of both OS X (MacBook and iMac) and iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad Tablet)

Now he also had his competitive side and had "clashings" with other executives, two of them being Jony Ive and Bob Mansfield.They can't cooperate with each other, inconsistent UI elements in iOS and the recent iOS 6 Maps debacle, Forstall probaly didn't have a say in it.

Could this be a bad thing, what could happen to apple and the new CEO; Tim Cook?
Could this lead to a new vulnerablility for iOS hackers such as IH8Sn0w, Pod2G, MuscleNerd, and Comex (who might return to the jailbreak community soon)allowing a jailbreak for iOS 6.0.1?
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad,or good,or both...we'll find out sooner or later.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

You Should Be Aware of This...

The Digital Millennium Copyright makes it illegal to "circumvent" digital rights management schemes,but when Congress passed the DMCA in 1998, it handed the Librarian of Congress the power to grant some other exemptions, adding to the "list".Unfortunately, The newest add-ons to the "list", which will be enforced for the next (oh the horror) three years were announced on Thursday.
Well this sucks,from now to late 2015, there'll be five sections of circumvention that will be allowed under the Librarian's rules, one fewer than the current "list" of exemptions, which was announced in July around two years back. The new exemptions take effect October 28.
 The new list of exemptions draw a picture of the fundamentally arbitrary nature of the DMCA's exemption process,or simply how they roll, For the next three years, you'll be allowed to jailbreak smartphones but not even a tablet computer that came from a "librarian"...You can unlock phones purchased before January 2013 but after that, nope. 
Even MORE "great" news...
It will be legal to rip DVDs to use an excerpt in a documentary, but not to play it on your iPad... none of these make any sense or shouldn't for that matter,but if i had to blame somebody,it'd be Congress more than the Librarian of Congress.

So you can Jailbreak an iPhone, but not iPad...

The new rules allow circumvention of "computer programs that enable wireless telephone handsets to execute lawfully obtained software applications, where circumvention is accomplished for the sole purpose of enabling interoperability of such applications with computer programs on the telephone handset.". her is a quick summary;
  •   jailbreaking is permitted for "telephone handsets," as it was under the 2010 rules.
  •  You cannot Unlock any smartphone after january of 2013,do it now or never i guess.
  • It's illegal to rip DVD's to use as excerpt in a documentary,but it's not to be played on your iPad.(!?)

What about tablets? Not a chance. The Librarian "found" a significant merit to the opposition’s worries and burdens and concerns that this aspect of the proposed class was broad and ill-defined..., as a wide range of devices might be considered 'tablets,' not bearing the significant distinctions among them in terms of the way they operate, their intended purposes,which half of the buyers will hack or gain root access to...so scratch the intended purpose, and the nature of the applications they can accommodate. For example, an e-book reading device might be considered a 'tablet,' as might a handheld video game device or a laptop computer."
What?!who on God's green blessing we come to know as Earth considers their...i don't know,DSi or laptop to be a tablet?!
The Librarian ruled that "the record lacked a sufficient basis to develop an appropriate definition for the 'tablet' category of devices, a necessary predicate to extending the exemption beyond smart phones."
well not necessarily "ill-defined" My friend once left her Samsung Tablet in her Desk,back in one of her major classes in college with me...(she's lucky i found it :]),and i didn't text her saying "Oh hey i found your laptop(or handheld game device)"no in fact that would be sad.

No more unlocking

In 2006 and 2010, the Librarian of Congress hadn't put on the "list" that users couldn't unlock their phones to take them to a new carrier,welcome back to the control of the indecisive librarian...or as i call her the
" Librarian 'sudden flip flop of listing' of Congress",because that's coming to an end. While the new rules do contain a provision allowing phone unlocking, it comes with a crippling warning: the phone must have been "originally acquired from the operator of a wireless telecommunications network or retailer no later than ninety days after the effective date of this exemption."
talk about another evil list...
So, phones you already have, as well as those purchased between now and next January, can be unlocked. But phones purchased after January 2013 can only be unlocked with the carrier's permission.
Why the new change of diapers in the smartphone unlocking policy? The Librarian cited two key factors.

  • One is a 2010 ruling that held that when you purchase software, you don't really own it,your just licensed to it according to the terms of the End User License Agreement. The Librarian argued that this undermined the claim that unlocking your own phone was fair use. 
  • The Librarian saw that there are more unlocked phones on the market than there were three years ago,{oh gee...i "wonder" why...}.
So,the Librarian saw that there are more unlocked phones on the market than there were three years ago,{oh gee...i "wonder" why...} plus,most wireless carriers have liberal policies for unlocking their handsets,so the invisible domino makes the other one fall and chaos sets loose...or something,but just because it's invisible doesn't mean it's not there,the Librarian of Congress decided that it's illegal to unlock your cell phone without the carrier's 'Approval'.


DVDs: Excerpts,no space-shifting

The most Stupidest lit add-on is mainly about DVDs.
Between now and 2015, it will be legal to rip a DVD "In order to make use of short portions of the motion pictures for the purpose of criticism or comment in the following instances:
  •  in noncommercial videos;
  •  in documentary films;
  •  in nonfiction multimedia e-books offering film analysis;
  •  for educational purposes in film studies or other courses requiring close analysis of film and media excerpts, by college and university faculty, college and university students, and kindergarten through twelfth grade educators.
  • " A similar exemption applies for "online distribution services."
Here comes the stupid part;3...2...1...
  the Librarian does not allow circumvention for space-shifting purposes.
Though public interest groups have "screamed" that consumers should be allowed to rip a DVD in order to watch it on an iPad that lacks a built-in DVD drive,or add an iPad disk tray to the design, the Librarian concluded that no court has found that such "space shifting" is a fair use under copyright law.
summary:
  • No jailbreak for iPad
  • No Unlocks after january 2013
  • No DVD ripping if your going to put it on an iPad
So...The Digital Millennium Copyright makes it illegal to "circumvent" digital rights management schemes,but when Congress passed the DMCA in 1998, it handed the Librarian of Congress the power to grant some other exemptions, adding to the "list".Unfortunately, The newest add-ons to the "list", which will be enforced for the next three years,and it really sucks!

Yay

looks like the JailBreakingNews is up!