As I entered junior high, iPods were the big thing everybody had to have. I remember carrying around the fifth generation black iPod Video, the most awesome thing out at the time. When a repair accident left the LCD damaged, I shelved the aging unit and purchased the iPod touch once that landed in stores later in senior high. This was long before an App Store existed on the device, and after three years of owning the iPod touch, I’m looking forward to the next refresh later this year.
Is the iPhone 4 Having Bluetooth Issues?
Launch products can have software bugs (or hardware defects) that will need to be ironed out, and TUAW may have discovered an issue we were initially unaware of. The TUAW investigative team did a few unscientific tests and a little bit of a Apple research (perusing through support forums), and maybe verified the following.
While testing out the Jawbone Icon wireless Bluetooth headset recently, the parties I called complained of diminished sound quality on their end. They talked about overly compressed muffled sound, with decreased dynamic range. Over at the Jawbone end-user forums several threads have been discussing exactly that.
It turns out that problem is not isolated to the unit I tested, let alone the manufacturer. At Apple’s discussion forums, other Bluetooth headsets are apparently producing the same distortion effects when used with many iPhone 4 units.
TUAW questions whether this issue is related to the iPhone 4 antenna issues (it might be), but I’m not ready to confirm that just yet. For those of you with bluetooth headsets, how has your experience been with the iPhone 4?
[via TUAW]
Psystar Won’t Die, Still Battling Apple in Court
For those unfamiliar with Psystar, they’re the guys who adamantly want to sell OS X on PC hardware. They sold cheap alternatives to Apple products, and were challenged by Apple to cease and desist all activity. The courts issued Psystar a permanent injunction against making Mac clones, though that hasn’t stopped the crazed company from pursuing the case in the most ludicrous ways possible. They’ve now requested an Appeal against their injunction, and of whatever breath of life Psystar has left, they plan to persuade the “court to adopt a radical revision of the Copyright Misuse doctrine that would in effect destroy copyright and force all copyrighted works to be licensed.” A little insane, but expected from the bunch.
TUAW reports Apple’s response, stating that “Psystar’s grossly overbroad per se theory of copyright misuse would eliminate fundamental rights guaranteed by the Copyright Act – the rights to control the reproduction, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works.”
Honestly, this whole saga would have been a lot more awesome if Psystar had made an OS X tablet. I mean, they could have been cool at least.
[The Mac Observer via TUAW]
Scott Forstall Joins Twitter, TechCrunch Speculates
Senior Vice President of iPhone Software Scott Forstall has recently joined Twitter with a verified account, though if he’s just protecting his name, he may want to make his Tweets private to prevent the public from using him as a lever for customer support. I imagine Forstall is doing just that: protecting his name on Twitter. He doesn’t have a profile pic and hasn’t tweeted anything, so until we see those crazy eyes, the account’s just a placeholder.
However, TechCrunch speculates on the possibilities, mainly that Forstall is either interested in learning more about Twitter for a future iOS implementation. Though After Apple’s incredible profile on Twitter, I imagine Cupertino already has some insight into the company’s operations and software.
And don’t forget the rumors that Apple was thinking about Facebook integration for the iPhone. Nothing came of that with iOS 4, but integration of Facebook and Flickr in software such as iPhoto, suggests that Apple isn’t opposed to such partnerships. For the iPhone, Twitter could be a perfect one.
I can see the headlines now. “iPhone 5. 140 Characters Re-imagined.” Or something magical like that.
[via TechCrunch]
Gizmodo: Apple Stealthily Recalling the iPhone 4?
Take this with a grain of salt for the time being. A Gizmodo reader detailed a recent iPhone 4 replacement that seems to be… different. It has a slightly different stainless steel edge than the launch model, and doesn’t drop calls.
So yeah, I’m skeptical. If Apple was replacing models, I imagine the Internet would explode.
Microsoft Reeking of Desperation via iPad Study
Microsoft has been in the tablet business for years. Well, supposedly anyway. I’ve never seen one on the streets, but of the two users who actually used one, they say Microsoft made an okay product. But after events full of promised Windows tablets, the Courier, and some HP Slate thing that’s gone nowhere, Microsoft is left wondering how the hell to advance. It boggles my mind that after ten years of research, they have nothing to show for it but a standard Windows OS slapped onto a sheet of plastic.
AdMob CEO: Apple’s Ad Restrictions are not Enforced
We’ve mentioned before that AdMob was still existent in the App Store. Now AdMob CEO Omar Hamoui confirms that Apple hasn’t been enforcing their new policies.
CNET reports:
“They haven’t been enforcing (the new regulations) yet. We’re very appreciate of that.” Were Apple to actually enforce those terms, “it would mean we could not run ads on the iPhone at all,” Hamoui said, explaining that without the analytical data, AdMob couldn’t even track who had clicked on their customer’s ads. Advertisers won’t buy ads when they can’t even tell how many people had clicked on that ad, he said.
“The really rich pretty ads they’re doing are making advertisers and agencies think about what mobile means,” Hamoui said. “Anybody getting advertisers interested in mobile is a good thing. It’s not at all a zero-sum game.”
[via CNET]
Apple Shares Fall 4% Upon Consumer Report’s iPhone 4 Non-Recommendation
Apple shares are at stake as the iPhone 4 reception issue gains momentum among news outlets and various tech blogs. As the public demands answers, Apple dropped 4% from their 50-day average price of $256.26 to $246.43. Although Apple did recover a bit at $250 as the Nasdaq gained 1.7 percent.
Consumer Report’s iPhone 4 Study Flawed?
An electromagnetic engineer has stepped in to challenge Consumer Report’s testing method as they deemed the iPhone 4 unfit for consumer use.