Common Lockscreen PINs to Avoid on your iPhone

By Cody Fink

For those paranoid about both losing their phone and having your information be susceptible to criminal eyes, you probably lock your iPhone with a four digit PIN. While even I could tell you that ‘1234’ isn’t the finest choice in password security, Daniel Amitay took a moment to see what his customers were locking their phones with in his free app, Big Brother Camera Security for the iPhone. The passwords were recorded anonymously, and Daniel takes a look at everything from the most common passwords to suspect birth years in his results. Heck, the guy even built “heat maps” of the most digits pressed.

Naturally, 1234 is the most common passcode: mimicking the most common internet passwords. To put this into perspective, these 10 codes represent 15% of all passcodes in use. Most of the top passcodes follow typical formulas, such as four identical digits, moving in a line up/down the pad, repetition. 5683 is the passcode with the least obvious pattern, but it turns out that it is the number representation of LOVE (5683), once again mimicking a very common internet password: “iloveyou.”

With 15% of all passcodes represented by just 10 of these common passwords (out of a possible 10,000), Daniel concludes that 1 out of every 7 iPhones can be unlocked if a thief simply went through the list. Dear commenters, I now ask you, “Do you use one of these common passwords?” The results are fascinating, and I encourage anyone interested in keeping their iPhones secure to hit the source link for lots of juicy details.

[Daniel Amitay via Lifehacker]

The MacBook Air is Apple’s New Crown Jewel

By Cody Fink

Everywhere you look on Apple’s new Lion page, the MacBook Air is decisively front and center. From the gestures video to screenshots detailing the new features in Apple’s upcoming OS, Steve Jobs and company are decidedly proud of their thinnest Mac yet. AppleInsider reported that Apple would build 400k revitalized MacBook Airs this month (stuffed with Sandy-Bridge processors) after 1 million of them shipped in the first quarter; Phill Schiller at last Monday’s WWDC 2011 keynote went so far as to cite the MacBook Air for Apple’s continuing success. “It’s beautiful, it’s thin, it’s light, it’s fast… The whole PC industry wants to copy it.”

According to AppleInsider, Wall Street analyst Chris Whitmore of Deutsche Bank predicts that if 1.5 million MacBook Airs were shipped per quarter based on current estimates, that the MacBook Air would make up half of Apple’s notebook business. He predicts that many new customers are waiting for the latest technology such as Thunderbolt, Sandy-Bridge processors, and Lion to hit the laptops before consumers upgrade from their current setups.

Darrell Etherington from GigaOM wrote a piece on Lion’s hardware requirements, suggesting that the animation heavy interface would require the latest technology such as an SSD, core i-series processor, and lots of RAM to use comfortably. With Lion taking advantage of gestures on newer trackpads, and requiring the latest technology to use comfortably, he makes the case that the MacBook Air, boasting at an affordable price point, beautiful design, and fast tech, is the perfect candidate for consumers as they purchase new machines.

The MacBook represents Apple’s past; it’s a well-designed traditional notebook that provides users looking for an alternative to Windows laptops with a solid, high-quality, OS X-based alternative. But the MacBook Air represents Apple’s future. It’s a slim, lightweight device with a futuristic design aesthetic, but more importantly, it’s a perfect partner for OS X Lion and iCloud, and like Apple said at its WWDC keynote, iCloud is the new center of the Apple universe.

New MacBook Airs could be coming as soon as Wednesday as Apple’s back to school promotions kick off, but that rumor was later redacted as part numbers matched a series of unlocked iPhones instead of the new laptops. A June or July release is still predicted as MacBook Air supplies dwindle, and there even might be a Mac Mini and Mac Pro refresh to accompany the updated laptops.

Whitmore writes that Mac sales generally spike after a new OS update, and in combination with refreshed MacBook Airs, could fuel a very good summer for Apple. At its heart, however, Apple sees the MacBook Air as the driver of innovation - it is no longer the MacBook Pro or the iMac Apple wants you to think of, but their tapered and lightweight notebooks.

“In two years time, if not less, when you think ‘Mac,’ you’ll think about the MacBook Air first and foremost. And that’s by design, as Apple continues to have outsized influence in the changing definition of personal computing.” I tend to agree with Etherington. Today, the future of the MacBook starts with the MacBook Air.

[Sources: GigaOM, AppleInsider]

Nuance Releases Dragon Remote Microphone for iOS

By Cody Fink

With Nuance technology possibly sprinkled in iOS, why not show off with a brand new app that’s free in the App Store? Dragon Remote Microphone was announced by Nuance today as a sort of “wireless microphone” for Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Windows-only speech recognition software for the desktop. The best part is that all you need is a WiFi connection to the PC - you don’t need to crawl under your desk or visit staples to buy an accessory.

In conjunction with the launch of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11.5, Nuance introduced the Dragon Remote Mic App, a free application on the Apple iOS app store which makes it possible to use an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as a wireless microphone for Dragon via a Wi-Fi network connection. Many customers have requested to use their smartphones and other mobile devices with Dragon to have more flexibility with how and where they dictate with Dragon. The new Dragon Remote Mic App takes advantage of the nearly 200 million iOS devices in use today, and transforms the device into a wireless microphone that easily captures dictation and controls applications on your PC.

Leading up to WWDC 2011, the Internet was lit with rumors about Apple possibly integrating Nuance technology into iOS 5. Later leaked screenshots reveal Nuance dictation to be embedded, which may offer speech-to-text input thanks to a microphone button on your keyboard (not dissimilar from Android). Remember when Apple acquired Siri? Much of Siri’s technology was based on Nuance - TechCrunch speculated that Apple may already be running Nuance’s translation software in the Apple data center. That deal was rumored to be dismissed, however, as a partnership would reduce costs, yet it’s unknown whether a partnership could reveal itself by the time iOS 5 is released in the fall. As Nuance continues to release apps on iOS, including the previously released Dragon Dictation for iPhone and iPad (free in the App Store), they convey that iOS seems to be a prime candidate future integration.

[Nuance via MacRumors]

Want to Host Your Own iTunes Store? That’ll Cost You $1.3 Billion a Year.

By Cody Fink

If you were to run your iTunes Store out of your basement, just think about how much it would cost to serve Apple’s 225 million accounts on file. With 15 Billion iTunes song downloads, 14 Billion app downloads, and with those downloads soon to be happening simultaneously between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone thanks to iCloud, Horace Diedu writes that we can deduce a lot about how much it costs Apple to keep the operation running smoothly. “Since we know something about the average price of songs and apps, and we know the split between developers and Apple (and roughly between music labels and Apple) we can get a rough estimate of the amount Apple retains to run its store.”

Diedu took the margin of apps and song downloads per month (assuming if the app store runs ‘break even’) and added them together; the margin consists of what Apple pays out to content owners before processing, delivery, and maintenance costs. He concludes that it costs Apple $133 million a month, or $1.3 billion which is paid towards keeping everything operating smoothly. Remember, we’re not calculating the gross margin, but rather the amount Apple is left with after paying developers, record labels, and publishers, before pouring that cash into their operating fees. The leftovers, Deidu concludes, would go towards capacity increases, perhaps in Apple’s new datacenter.

[via Asymco]

iOS5: There’s a reason it’s called ‘beta’ software.→

Linked By Cody Fink

iOS5: There’s a reason it’s called ‘beta’ software.

Malcom Barclay comments on how iOS 5 is hurting App Store reviews,

I can understand users are very eager to get their hands on the latest & greatest iOS shown off at WWDC. So they sign up for developer accounts for £59, with a few clicks and an alternative restore through iTunes. Voilà new iOS on shinny iPhone. Problem is, this is beta software and there’s a very good reason it’s called beta software. It’s not finished.

Barclay writes, “The review system is not for leaving bug or support related questions, for example, ‘How do I add a favourite?’.” While the review system in the Mac App Store is generally unfiltered and used to spew much vitriol if an app doesn’t work, the iOS 5 beta adds to this problem since so many casual users are downloading the software early from Apple or somewhere online, and then complain when these apps are broken or crash.

Barclay reminds us that while Apple doesn’t provide a proper support system so developers can better engage with customers, that you should be mindful (in general) and contact the developer directly with any questions, concerns, or bugs. With iOS 5 just being released this week, developers have had little time to update their apps, submit it to the app store, wait for the review process, and fix any current bugs. Considering that iOS 5 is beta software, you shouldn’t expect anything to run smoothly - iOS 5 is scheduled to be released in the fall, and iterative updates will be made in the meantime. “There is no point in dev’s releasing fixes for these issues yet because this is just beta 1, there could be as many as 6 more to go.” Barclay concludes.

Many of us often forget that the beta labels software that is untested; instead it’s associated with ‘early’ or ‘preview’. If you currently have iOS 5 running on your devices, be aware that developers aren’t supermen. Many are just getting back from WWDC (full of knowledge), and will be working to update their apps for the scheduled Fall release. If stuff doesn’t work in the meantime, that’s the risk you take. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy your first look, but to simply to be mindful that you’re using an unfinished product.

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Alone, Apple is Worth As Much as Microsoft, HP, and Dell Combined

By Cody Fink

While market cap isn’t always the best tool to evaluate company vs. company in value, Apple’s estimate value of $301 billion isn’t to go unnoticed. Robin Wauters from TechCrunch took a look at Microsoft’s, Hewlett Packards, and Dell’s market caps in the PC industry to see of the powerhouses could stack up against Cupertino. Apple is doing pretty good for themselves; with a combined market cap of $302.4 billion, Microsoft (~$200.3 billion), HP (~$72.8 billion), and Dell (~29.3 billion) only have a solid billion over the competition if the estimates are accurate, and it’s only a matter of time before Apple has another record quarter to surpass the trio.

Right now, the difference in market capitalization between Apple and Microsoft is roughly $100 billion. That’s more than the combined worth of Research In Motion, Nokia, Netflix and eBay.

Or: $100 billion is the sum of markets cap of Amazon and Adobe.

Or: $100 billion is only $15 billion shy of Intel’s total market cap.

Apple has currently raked in $51.41 billion for the year, posting a record revenue of $26.74 billion in January and a revenue of $24.67 billion in March, with just under 70% of that being iOS device sales alone. In comparison, Microsoft posted revenues of $16.43 billion in April, and $19.95 billion in January, earning $36.38 million in their second and third fiscal quarters, with revenue deriving from Microsoft Office, Server, and Windows.

During this year’s WWDC keynote, Phil Schiller announced that the PC industry shrank by 1%, as Mac sales grew by 28%.

[via TechCrunch]

Munster’s WWDC 2011 Survey: Developers Choose iOS and Android Before Mac

By Cody Fink

Among the 5000 developers crowding Apple’s WWDC 2011 this year, Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster was on the scene, surveying a small pool developers on platform related questions. Munster’s sample of 45 participants consisted of only iOS developers, who’d naturally favor Apple’s development platforms over Microsoft or RIM. The results of the survey were published in a note to clients that compared these 45 responses to 20 he gathered in 2008, when the iPad and Android markets were non-existant. Of the developers sampled, Munster found that the pool of iOS developers typically favored smartphone development over desktop development, and that iOS was best for monetization. Philip Elmer-DeWitt highlights some of the findings:

Only 7% are also developing apps for the Mac, down from 50% in 2008.

Nearly half (47%) write apps for Android, 36% for Research in Motion’s (RIMM) BlackBerry, 13% for Microsoft (MSFT) Windows Phone 7 and 7% for Hewlett-Packard’s (HPQ) WebOS.

Asked which platform had the highest potential for future growth, none mentioned the BlackBerry, WebOS or Nokia’s (NOK) Symbian.

Although 100% preferred iOS for ease of development and monetization, they did have some complaints, chief among them Apple’s “strict limitations” (38%) and the App Store approval process (11%).

Lion, iOS 5, and Apple’s iCloud were hot topics of WWDC 2011 this year, and while Munster only surveyed a handful of developers, there’s a lot to be excited about for both Mac and iPhone development. Scott Forstall announced on stage that iOS development in particular is still a hot market with over 200 million iOS devices sold. iOS’ installed base is leading the market at 44%, compared to 28% for Android and 19% for RIM. Total, Apple has paid developers $2.5 million dollars for apps marketed in the App Store.

Desktop development is still strong, as showcased in Apple’s Design Awards this year, featuring amazing apps like Pixelmator and Capo. Many developers are going to be updating or releasing new versions of theirs apps for Lion through the Mac App Store, and if Reeder is any indication, I have a feeling Mac development is as strong as it’s ever been. Survey results have been posted after the break.

[via Fortune Tech]

image via Aaron Ash

Stay on Top of Retweets, Faves, and Follows from your Menubar with Bird Bell: Review and Giveaway!

By Cody Fink

If you’ve wanted to stay on top of your Twitter status in real time, many Twitter clients won’t show you whether that last tweet caused a few unfollows or if it was fave’d by a few of your fans. For those obsessed with getting realtime feedback, Bird Bell is an excellent companion app to any Twitter client you have on the Mac, integrating with Growl and displaying real time feedback on retweets, follows, unfollows, favorites, and lists you’re added to. Bird Bell integrates with both Twitter and Favstar, and can be customized to a wide extent in revealing growl or menubar notifications per account. With the official Twitter app for the Mac (which offers live streaming), Bird Bell can give you a bird’s eye view on just how responsive your audience is to what you’ve tweeted as soon as you’ve hit the return key. Bird Bell works in the background, and only notifies you based on your interests: I personally don’t care about follows and unfollows, and choose to see favorites and retweets instead.

Twitter junkies who want to revel in their tweets can purchase Bird Bell on the Mac App Store for $1.99 — it’s a great utility that works alongside your favorite Twitter clients. We’re also giving away five copies of Bird Bell, and you can click past the break for your chance to win.

More than Twitter: iOS 5 Built With Social Contact Integration

By Cody Fink

While Twitter integration is engrained in iOS 5 (heck, Apple even lets you know whether you have Twitter’s official app installed or not), All Things D reports that Contacts has received a small update which includes support for adding friend’s handles on Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, and Flickr. When you add a contact to your iPhone, you can link that person to all of their social accounts. If you tap the handle in your contacts list, you’ll be take to that person’s user profile page.

The inclusion of the feature shows Apple’s acknowledgement of the importance of Web presences and contact information. But it could be much more useful if users don’t have to enter each of their friends’ handles manually, as appears to be the case at least in this release.

There’s also an inactive “add custom service” button that may allow you to add someone’s Instagram or MLKSHK account in the future - currently I found this particular feature wasn’t working. To access these additional profiles, edit a contact, and add a Profile field. If tap on the word Profile, you can select between the various social networks.

[via All Things D]

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iOS5: There’s a reason it’s called ‘beta’ software.