Category: Apple

Apple PR, back in 2004:

Apple and BMW Group today announced the BMW iPod Adapter, the first seamless integration between iPod and a car audio system. The new system developed by Apple and BMW enables drivers to seamlessly use their iPod in BMW’s 3 Series, Z4 Roadster, X3 and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and MINI Cooper by simply plugging their iPod into a cable located in the car’s glove compartment. With the iPod safely located in the glove compartment and powered by the car’s battery, drivers can now enjoy high fidelity sound through their car’s stereo system and control their iPod using the standard buttons on their BMW or MINI steering wheel.

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Matt Brian has a great look at Apple’s new CarPlay technology.

While the demo is great, who gives it is interesting as well. It’s the only Apple product demo I can think of given by a non-executive in years.

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The Apple PR Machine:

Apple today announced that leading auto manufacturers are rolling out CarPlay, the smarter, safer and more fun way to use iPhone in the car. CarPlay gives iPhone users an incredibly intuitive way to make calls, use Maps, listen to music and access messages with just a word or a touch. Users can easily control CarPlay from the car’s native interface or just push-and-hold the voice control button on the steering wheel to activate Siri without distraction. Vehicles from Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo will premiere CarPlay to their drivers this week, while additional auto manufacturers bringing CarPlay to their drivers down the road include BMW Group, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia Motors, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan Motor Company, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota Motor Corp.

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The whole Mac Observer piece about today’s Apple shareholder meeting is worth the read, but this is the most exciting part, in which Tim Cook tangles with a representative from the National Center for Public Policy Research:

“When we work on making our devices accessible by the blind,” he said, “I don’t consider the bloody ROI.” He said that the same thing about environmental issues, worker safety, and other areas where Apple is a leader.

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Apple:

Apple designed the iOS platform with security at its core. When we set out to create the best possible mobile OS, we drew from decades of experience to build an entirely new architecture. We thought about the security hazards of the desktop environment, and established a new approach to security in the design of iOS. We developed and incorporated innovative features that tighten mobile security and protect the entire system by default. As a result, iOS is a major leap forward in OS security.

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Gregg Keizer at Computerworld:

Apple on Tuesday made it clear that it will no longer patch OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, when it again declined to offer a security update for the four-and-a-half-year-old operating system.

As Apple issued an update for Mavericks, or OS X 10.9, as well as for its two predecessors, Mountain Lion (10.8) and Lion (10.7), Apple had nothing for Snow Leopard or its owners yesterday.

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To the three of you who care, the update “improves the general stability of OS X Server” and resolves an Xcode Server bug.

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The update addresses Apple’s the following features, plus a whole lot of security issues, including that nasty SSL problem:

The OS X Mavericks v10.9.2 Update is recommended for all OS X Mavericks users. It improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac. This update:

• Adds the ability to make and receive FaceTime audio calls
• Adds call waiting support for FaceTime audio and video calls
• Adds the ability to block incoming iMessages from individual senders
• Includes general improvements to the stability and compatibility of Mail
• Improves the accuracy of unread counts in Mail
• Resolves an issue that prevented Mail from receiving new messages from certain providers
• Improves AutoFill compatibility in Safari
• Fixes an issue that may cause audio distortion on certain Macs
• Improves reliability when connecting to a file server using SMB2
• Fixes an issue that may cause VPN connections to disconnect
• Improves VoiceOver navigation in Mail and Finder
• Improves VoiceOver reliability when navigating websites
• Improves compatibility with Gmail Archive mailboxes
• Includes improvements to Gmail labels
• Improves Safari browsing and Software Update installation when using an authenticated web proxy
• Fixes an issue that could cause the Mac App Store to offer updates for apps that are already up to date
• Improves the reliability of diskless NetBoot service in OS X Server
• Fixes braille driver support for specific HandyTech displays
• Resolves an issue when using Safe Boot with some systems
• Improves ExpressCard compatibility for some MacBook Pro 2010 models
• Resolves an issue which prevented printing to printers shared by Windows XP
• Resolves an issue with Keychain that could cause repeated prompts to unlock the Local Items keychain
• Fixes an issue that could prevent certain preference panes from opening in System Preferences
• Fixes an issue that may prevent migration from completing while in Setup Assistant

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I’m all for it.

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Apple’s efforts in educating workers, creating safer work enviroments and enforcing better hours are to be commended. While there’s always more to be done, I appreciate the company’s transparency in these areas.

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It’s changed less than you’d think.

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While Apple TV (and Apple television) rumors have been spinning for a while, the real question in mind isn’t about specs or input controls. It’s about content.

Adam Satariano and Edmund Lee at Bloomberg — in an article that inexplicably runs with an image of the first-generation Apple TV — address this question:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is planning to introduce a new Apple TV set-top box as early as April and is negotiating with Time Warner Cable Inc. and other potential partners to add video content, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

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