Apple@VR - News, Previews and Reviews on Everything Apple

1. February 21st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
VR-Zone.com | Stuff for the Apple Fanatics!
Living Will, agreements, life insurance policies, home
Apple@VR - News, Previews and Reviews on insurance policies, a simple home inventory list or
Everything Apple video or perhaps something that’s really valuable to
most every iTunes fan: a copy of your iTunes Library.
Mac OS X Lion to feature a “Safe Well, there’s no certainty that this will or will not appear in
the next Mac OS. But this is surely something that Apple is
Deposit Box”? simplifying for Mac users.
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011 Largest Apple retail store to open
in Shanghai?
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Not much new features have been known to the public prior
to the expected Summer release of Apple’s upcoming OS,
Mac OS X Lion. Besides Launchpad, Mac App Store, Mission
Control and full-screen enabled apps, what else is installed
for us in Lion? According to a report, Apple has patented an
application. Is that headed for Lion or beyond?
Simply dubbed as “Safe Deposit Box”, it is a new Mac OS X
feature that might just appear in this summer’s release of Mac If you have been following closely on “Apple retail store”
OS X Lion. related news, you would have heard about the potential largest
Apple’s patent is about a safe deposit box for securing Apple retail store to be located in Manhattan’s Grand Central
important user files. In one aspect, when a user drags- Terminal in the States. But now, it seems like Apple have set
and-drops a file representation onto a safe deposit box their eyes on China instead.
icon, the file is secured. In another aspect, when a user According to an article reported by The Wall Street Journal,
selects the safe deposit box icon and verifies his or her the Mac makers is continuing its focus in the Far East and
identity, the user could access secured files through a plans to open the largest retail outlet in Shanghai.
safe deposit box window.
The company is planning to open a new store – it’s
By simply dragging your vital documents into this all-new biggest in China – on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing
“Safe Deposit Box”, files are automatically encrytped and Road, an Apple spokeswoman has confirmed to
stored in a hidden place. Original copies of the file will be China Real Time after news of the plan appeared in
securely wiped out and even copied into the cloud for backup Thursday’s Beijing Youth Daily.
purposes.
The newspaper reports (in Chinese) that Ron Johnson,
One of the key attributes or selling points of Apple’s the company’s senior vice-president of retail, said
Safe Deposit Box Application or OS X feature is that the company is now looking for bigger spaces to
your digital valuables could be stored “off site” or accommodate the crowds that routinely pack its
beyond the home computer to safeguard your digital China Apple stores, which are visited by more than
valuables which could be something like a Will or
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2. February 21st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
40,000 people per day–four times the average traffic
in their American stores.
NYTimes: “Apple is not currently
If this comes to fruition, this would be Apple’s third in developing a smaller iPhone”
Shanghai, with another two outlets located in Beijing. Bringing Apple@VR
a grand total of five retail stores out of the target of 25
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
retail stores spread across China by 2012. But Apple might be
slowing the pace if it shift its focus on quantity to quality.
Well, this is certainly not surprising if Apple’s China retail
efforts ranks as the company’s top performer worldwide in
terms of human traffic and product sales.
Apple has opened its first Shanghai store last year in Pudong
district. A second Shanghai store will be opened in Hong Kong
Plaza in September this year.
Apple to adopt Light Peak soon?
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Contrary to reports published by Bloomberg and The Wall
Street Journal, The New York Times published a report that
Various hardware vendors have already adopted USB 3.0 claims that Apple is not planning to launch a smaller iPhone.
as its choice for the next-generation high speed connection. However, they did report that Apple is planning on launching
Nowadays, USB 3.0 peripherals and USB 3.0 enabled a cheaper iPhone.
computers have started to pop up but Apple isn’t going to In a conflicting report to the other various published reports,
adapt it? A report is now pointing that Apple will adopt Light The New York Times has confirmed via their sources that
Peak instead of USB 3.0 for its products “in the near future”. Apple is indeed not working on a smaller version of the iPhone
According to reports by CNet, Apple is set and expected to (or N97, iPhone Nano) as well as integrating voice commands.
announce a “new high-speed connection technology” soon. But contrary to published reports, Apple is not
Apple is speculated to rebrand Intel’s Light Peak and use currently developing a smaller iPhone, according
another name for it. to people briefed on Apple’s plans who requested
Apple is expected to adopt this Intel technology in the anonymity because the plans are confidential.
near future–but likely use a name other than Light That said, the next-generation iPhone is “likely to be similar
Peak, a source familiar with this aspect of Apple’s in size” to the current iPhone. Which make sense as
plans said. Intel has said in the past that the first incorporating a smaller screen would require app developers
products using Light Peak should appear in the first to rewrite their Apps to fit to the new resolution.
half of 2011.
The New York Times’ piece, however, did conform to some of
While USB 3.0 is considered fast in today’s pace, Light Peak is the details spelled out by The Wall Street Journal’s report. In
significantly faster. So why would Apple adopt USB 3.0 now if specific, Apple is working on improving its’ voice command
Light Peak is going to debut soon enough? system to allow easier navigation with the iPhone
We are expecting Sandy Bridge processors to make an Apple is also working on changing some of the internal
appearance in the upcoming MacBook Pros and reports point components to reduce costs to possibly sell versions of the
that there would be additional enhancements. Light Peak? iPhone at a cheaper price.
Hmmmmm…
“Although the innards of the phone, including memory
size or camera quality, could change to offer a less
expensive model, the size of the device would not
vary,” said the person, who has worked on multiple
versions of the device.
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3. February 21st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
Reports on MobileMe seems to be on par with the others, citing
that MobileMe will be available for free and allow users to
Jetstar Airways to offer in-flight
wirelessly access their photos and other media files online. iPad rentals
Apple@VR
Five new MacBook Pro models to By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
arrive next week?
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Perhaps the first of its kind around the world,
Australia’s Jetstar Airways is going to offer in-flight iPad
rentals on every aircraft in its fleet starting as early as April.
A new series of claims have surfaced and continues to point And you can experience all of the fun that Apple’s tablet can
to tightening supplies of the current-generation MacBook Pro offer on-board for a mere AUD$10.
line. The latest rumour is that the upcoming refresh of Apple’s
MacBook Pro line could arrive as early as late next week. Back in June 2010, Qantas Airways‘ low-cost airline Jetstar
has been trialing the concept of in-flight rentals of Apple’s
According to the first report, Italian rumour site iSpazio claims iPad. Pre-loaded with movies, music, magazines, books, and
that it has recieved notification from an Apple employee that games, the rental program was suppose to launch at the end
Apple is preparing to release five new MacBook Pro models. of last year, just in time for the holiday season. But due
In specific, the model numbers are MC720, MC721, MC723, to contract negotiations and pending licensing agreements
MC724, and MC725. These five models will span across all with Apple, they weren’t able to get it ready in time.
three current MacBook Pro sizes of 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-
inch. With some airlines already offering integration between iPods
and in-flight entertainment systems and iPads being used as
Currently, Apple offers six standard configurations of the electronic flight bags for pilots, you can say that the sky isn’t
MacBook Pro. It seems likely that Apple will drop a standard the limit for Apple.
configuration from one of the 15-inch models if they were to
ever drop to offer five models.
Another Italian site, Slide to Mac, reports that Apple’s new
Apple’s iPhone 4 awarded “Best
models of MacBook Pro will arrive either on Thursday or Mobile Device” at MWC
Friday next week, and that the update is not merely just a spec
bump of the existing offerings. Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Apple Bitch, on the other hands, reports on the tightening
of supplies of MacBook Pro over the last month and it has
affected Apple’s own retail distribution points around Asia.
Apparently websites for Apple Stores in several Asian
countries have been updated today to reflect longer
shipping times for the MacBook Pro. For example, the
Malaysian Apple Store updated its website today to
show that shipping times for the 13 inch MacBook
Pro have slipped from 24 hours to 1-5 days. This is
You can say that the Mobile World Congress isn’t one of
also reflected in other countries such as Hong Kong,
Apple’s territory; arguably more of an Android-centric affair
Vietnam and Taiwan.
this year. But despite the lack of appearance of the iPhone
It is interesting to note that even though neighbouring makers, the company was awarded the award “Best Mobile
countries reflect a delay in shipping date for any MacBook Pro, Device” for the iPhone 4.
Singapore still shows “Today” for shipping.
According to the judges of the panel, the iPhone 4 has a “Great
screen, sharp design, fantastic materials, and phenomenal
ecosystem for app developers. In a tight race, the iPhone 4
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4. February 21st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
built on the success of its predecessors to set the pace for smart
phones.”
However, despite creating the “Best Mobile Device”, Apple
still lost to HTC as they were awarded “Device Manufacturer
of the Year.” What mounts up to HTC’s win includes “great
communication and good customer service” admist “a strong
portfolio of devices across many platforms.”
Check out other awards here.
App of the Week: Wasted Life
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Ever pondered about while commuting and wonder exactly
how much time are you wasting doing the same morning bus
ride? Or how much time of your life have you spent sleeping?
Well, today we’ve an app for that.
Why did i mention scientific? Well, this app actually accounts
for data such as sex, age, and even regional variables such as
life expectancy and annual vacation time.
And once you’ve found out the surprising and/or terrifying
data, share with your friends via Facebook and Twitter through
its easy integration.
Available now for just US$0.99, Wasted Life is on iTunes App
Store.
Transform your iPhone 4 from
black to white
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
Simply (and brilliantly) entitled as Wasted Life, this app allows
you to quickly tabulate and and find in a rather “scientific” way
on how much time you’ll be spending doing daily routines such
as sleeping, eating, reading or anything you would like to find
out.
Do you happen to own a black iPhone 4 and still have a burning
desire for the white one? Well, there are several options out
there. You can strip your phone apart and change the panels
from a third-party supplier. Or, you can consider one of these
vinyl decals for a less painful and cheaper alternative.
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5. February 21st, 2011 Published by: VR-Zone
- A geo-tagging system codenamed “Tokens” that tags
real-world locations, like Facebook Places on steroids.
All the above services will be accessed through the revamped
MobileMe and it will be constantly updated with user’s
latest activities from their iOS devices; from music to videos,
locations to photos.
“The concept is that you would have you own website
that’s dynamic, all based on what you are doing at
that moment,” said our source. “Apple thinks of it as
having a webserver in your pocket… everything will
be dynamically updated to MobileMe.”
Looking deeper into the geo-tagging system, “Tokens” would
allow other MobileMe users to tag reviews, photos and other
interesting information visitng those locations using the iOS
devices’ built-in GPS.
In a nutshell, it seems like Apple is trying to create an all-in-
one social solution for all iOS devices user.
Made out of high-quality water-proof vinyl, this skin can fool
As rumoured by The Wall Street Journal, the all-new
others into thinking you already own that illusive white iPhone
revamped MobileMe is expected to be launched for free in the
4. What’s more, it acts as a protective film and protects your
summer, alongside with the upcoming iPhone 5.
beloved iPhone from scratches and dings. But it does requires
you to have extremely delicate and steady hands.
Available online now at Etsy for just US$10.99 exlcuding
shipping.
What is Apple planning for
MobileMe?
Apple@VR
By Soundpunk on February 21st, 2011
While the Wall Street Journal has previously reported that
Apple is planning to revamp its MobileMe to include a cloud-
based media streaming service to iOS devices, it seems that the
Cupertino giants has more things planned up their sleeves.
Accoding to a source familar with the matter, Apple is going
to include social and location-based services on top of the
speculated “digital locker” streaming system as reported by
The Wall Street Journal.
Among the many services Apple is working on are:
- A live video-streaming service like Ustream
- A location-based check-in system like Gowalla or
Foursquare
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