We recently covered a story where we explained why Apple isn’t afraid of cannibalising its own products and the all-new Photos app is just another example of that. However, this time they have killed two of their powerful applications in favour of simplicity and making Mac apps work better with iOS devices. Earlier today, for the first time Apple made the new Photos app available for download to developers as a part of first beta of OS X 10.10.3.

According to David Pogue, “Photos is fast, slick, and very easy to learn and navigate”. Photos for Mac looks very similar to Photos for iOS. The new app will feature layout just like on an iPhone and iPad. With iCloud for Photos users will be able to store their entire photo library to the cloud and have them available across all Apple devices. Editing features like adjusting light, colour and more work just like on iOS and for the first time your edits will also be synced across iOS devices.

Every year we see Apple reducing the boundaries between OS X and iOS by re-writing existing apps and by enabling new capabilities. With Yosemite Apple introduced Continuity and Handoff that allows the user to switch between devices as if they are same but, just different in form factor.

Photos for OS X Yosemite is expected to be made available for download “this spring”.

Apple recently released all-new versions of iWork apps for Mac and iOS. The updated versions of Pages, Keynote and Numbers feature a complete design overhaul and also introduces some new features. However, as users began to explore the new update many found that some features were removed.

Users reported their concerns on Apple support forums and the started listing the features that had been removed. This isn’t the first time the company has faced strong comments or feedback after a major update. When Apple released a brand new version of Final Cut Pro many users said it was a step back rather than a step forward. But, Apple promised users that they would be restoring popular features in upcoming updates.

This time Apple has responded similarly, by announcing that many user requested features for the iWork apps will be coming in a future update.

The new iWork applications—Pages, Numbers, and Keynote—were released for Mac on October 22nd. These applications were rewritten from the ground up to be fully 64-bit and to support a unified file format between OS X and iOS 7 versions, as well as iWork for iCloud beta.

These apps feature an all-new design with an intelligent format panel and many new features such as easy ways to share documents, Apple-designed styles for objects, interactive charts, new templates, and new animations in Keynote.

In rewriting these applications, some features from iWork ’09 were not available for the initial release. We plan to reintroduce some of these features in the next few releases and will continue to add brand new features on an ongoing basis.

The new version of iWork apps ensure that there is complete compatibility between iOS and Mac version of the apps. This will server users better in the long run as they create files on their iPhone or iPad and the continue to work on it on their Mac without worrying about compatibility or messing up the format.

Some of the most requested features in the new iWork applications according to the threads on Apple support forums have been the ability to customise the toolbar, use AppleScripts and vertical ruler. Apple will re-introduce these features in upcoming updates over a period of six months.

It’s important to note that files created in new iWork apps aren’t compatible with older versions of the software suite. However, you can convert the files created with the new version to run on older iWork apps.

iWork apps are now free for anyone who buys a new Mac or iOS device. The update is free for anyone who previously owned any of the iWork apps.

Earlier today Apple released the tenth major OS X software release called OS X Mavericks. The software update is available for free as a digital download from the Mac App Store. The store link for the update is now live and users can download the update.

OS X Mavericks is a 5.29 GB data download which is certainly quite a lot considering the features included in the update. Many users who are rushing to download to latest software release from Apple are experiencing download errors.

A quick search on Twitter for “Mavericks error” reveals many customers tweeting about failed download error. I’ve already had five failed attempts at downloading the update from Mac App Store. Each time the download begins just fine however, after downloading nearly 1GB of data I got “an error occurred” message.

In order to re-download the update you need to go to the “Purchases” tab and then start the download again. Each time you start the download it will begin from the start so you’ll lose any data downloaded previously.

This year Apple announced the update is available for free. This shift in pricing strategy is being seen as an attempt to encourage customers to update to the latest software update offered by the company. Since, this years update is free it isn’t surprising that many more customers are probably hitting the download button right now.

Apple servers could be under huge load at the moment therefore resulting in unsuccessful download for many users. At the moment is there is no fix for this issue. We tried to reload the Mac App Store by pressing Command+R and even tried to sign out and then sign-in. However, this didn’t work and the update continued to fail after about 20 minutes of downloading.

If you’re getting repeated errors then it is advisable for you to wait and download the update later tomorrow hopefully Apple servers would be able to take the load by then.

Are you experiencing Mavericks download issues or errors? Let us know about it in the comments below.

During the special event today Apple announced the worldwide availability of OS X Mavericks. The tenth major release of OS X brings technological advancements, new apps and battery enhancements to the Mac.

Apple is beginning a new pricing model for its software updates of OS X with the release of Mavericks. Today Apple announced that OS X Mavericks will be available for free as a digital download from the Mac App Store.

The tenth major version of OS X brings iBooks and Maps app to the Mac for the first time. Users will now be able to read and buy books from their Macs. Maps app provides directions, street view and integrates with Calendar app.

Safari includes shared links from your social networking accounts like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. It also bring significant speed and performance improvements to the browsing experience.

OS X Mavericks brings new ways to organise your files by assigning tags to each file. Multiple tags can be assigned to a single file to make it easier for you find a file and organise your work flow. Finder now also includes tabbed browsing to avoid the clutter of multiple Finder windows taking up your screen space.

One of the most notable features in the new software update is iCloud Keychain. This allows you to upload your log in details from the KeyChain Access app to iCloud and autofill your username and passwords. This would also be available to iOS devices in a new update.

Advanced technologies included in the update make it more energy efficient and make your Mac more responsive even as you use more apps. One of the ways the company has accomplished this by introducing App Nap and Safari Power Saver. These features allot more resources to the app in the forefront while slowing the apps in the background.

OS X Mavericks is now available for download for free from the Mac App Store. Follow the download link here. The update comes at 5.29GB.

Apple’s next major mobile software release, iOS 7, is expected to receive a complete redesign of the user interface. Under the leadership of Jony Ive, the SVP of Industrial Design iOS 7 will get a “flatter” look.

An image recently posted by iDownloadBlog could possibly be the home screen in iOS 7. The photo appears to be taken of an iPhone running iOS 7 where the app icons look different when compared with iOS 6.

When you look at the current state of stock apps icons, it seems that all of them were designed by different teams. Most of them have a different look. They don’t have unified features that tie them all up together. Some of them have a gloss effect. Some of them don’t. Some of them have borders. Some of them don’t, etc…

From what we’ve seen, we believe Jony Ive’s touch on iOS 7 will homogenize the look of Apple’s stock apps icons.

While the authenticity of the photo could not be established, 9to5 Mac did note that the photo is of an early build of iOS 7 and added that the design has changed a lot since then.

It’s been widely reported that there was an internal divide in Apple over the use of skeuomorphic design elements. Jony Ive has been leading the hardware design at Apple and his focus has been clean minimalistic design. As he takes over of the human interface design of iOS many expect the user interface to be just like the hardware, clean and simple, without the glossy effect and the 3D textures.

iOS 7 will be unveiled at WWDC 2013 keynote presentation and will be released to users later this fall.

Early last week, reports of Apple Inc. (AAPL) opening a third store in Beijing were published, with photos from chinese site MicGadget showing the entrance of the new store under construction. On Sunday, Apple confirmed that they are going to open the third store in Beijing, located on the iconic Wangfujing Street. The Cupertino, Calif., company confirmed that the store is scheduled to open at 10am this Saturday, as with all other Apple grand openings.

China is a major market for AAPL, as the company has experienced massive growth in numerous Asian nations including China. Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated numerous times in past earnings calls that China is very important to Apple’s growth worldwide. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is also planning to open a massive data center in Hong Kong during the first quarter of 2013, allowing the company to expand and integrate more into the country and support its international users.

By opening the new store, Apple is looking at growth in sales, as the company receives a large part of its revenue from China, Japan and other Asian nations. During the grand opening, Apple typically gives out free commemorative t-shirts to the first 10,000 visitors and has even given out goody bags in its retail stores in China, consisting of gift cards, iPod Shuffles, and even iPads.

{Via 9to5Mac — Image Credit: MicGadget}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) products have been evaluated by the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for many years now, and a number of their products introduced were rated EPEAT Gold for staying in accordance with green practices. On Friday, AAPL notified EPEAT that they will be withdrawing their products from environmental rating because of design constraints. In an interview with CIO Journal, EPEAT CEO, Robert Frisbee explained Apple’s reasons for pulling their products from being rated.

They said their design direction was no longer consistent with the EPEAT requirements,” Frisbee said. The company did not elaborate, Frisbee said. “They were important supporters and we are disappointed that they don’t want their products measured by this standard anymore.”

EPEAT requires the products they rate to meet certain criteria, such as being able to recycle parts of the product as well as being able to disassemble the product. Apple’s recent design changes on the Retina MacBook prevent users and other 3rd party handlers from tampering with the battery. Apple replaced the previously accessible battery door with a solid piece of aluminum and customized screws.

As a result, Apple’s MacBooks no longer qualify for EPEAT’s evaluations. The “design direction” referred to in the report may also be shed light on Apple’s next generation of Mac computers, which may or may not use products that would meet EPEAT’s criteria. iFixit explained some of the criteria in a response to Apple’s decision to withdraw from EPEAT’s rating.

“According to my EPEAT contacts, Apple’s mobile design direction is in conflict with the intended direction of the standard. Specifically, the standard lays out particular requirements for product “disassemble-ability,” a very important consideration for recycling: “External enclosures, chassis, and electronic subassemblies shall be removable with commonly available tools or by hand.”

Currently, Apple’s iPhone and iPad are not certified by EPEAT and as a result are not affected by Apple’s decision to withdraw its Mac products. There is speculation that this decision may affect Apple financially. At this point, it is unclear if Apple will run into any issues, however, it is interesting to note that the U.S government does require 95% of all electronic purchases to be EPEAT certified.

{via MacRumors}

Apple launched its new iPad 3 earlier this year, and expanded it for sale in a number of international countries. On Apple’s iPad selection page in Latin America, additional countries have been added. Apple’s country page was recently updated to reflect the availability of the new iPad in 30 new countries, including Brazil.

The full list of countries for May 11 include: Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Malta, Martinique,Mauritius, Morocco, Peru, Taiwan, Tunisia, Vietnam.

May 12th will include: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates. Apple is also looking to bring its previous generation iPad 2 to a number of countries, including China, Honduras, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and the Philippines at a lower price, putting the finishing touches and securing final deals.

Apple continues to make its new iPad available in nations all around the world, allowing the company to expand its line of products and gain more users. Apple’s recent focus on Asia has given the company a significant boost in international sales and marketing. With these 30 new countries added, Apple continues to build upon its success.

{via MacRumors}

Apple Inc. (AAPL) on Tuesday reported their Q2 2012 earnings results. As always, AAPL is showing record numbers from revenue to profit and is seeing great increase in the sales of their mobile devices. The company reported quarterly revenue of $39.2 billion and quarterly net profit of $11.6 billion. That’s roughly $6.40 per diluted share, which is up almost 94% from the previous year.

Apple sold a whopping 35.1 million iPhones, 11.8 million iPads, 4 million Macs, and 7.7 million iPods in the quarter. This represents an 88 percent growth for iPhone sales a massive 151 percent increase for the iPad, a 7 percent increase for Macs, and unsurprisingly, a 15 percent decline in iPod sales. iPod sales have been steadily declining for the last two years, and decreased by about 21% just last quarter.

Even with this decline, Apple is surpassing its expectations from last quarter, where revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was projected to be $32.5 billion, with an earnings per diluted share of $8.50. Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about the earnings, noting that he is pleased with the profit margins and sales:

We’re thrilled with sales of over 35 million iPhones and almost 12 million iPads in the March quarter. The new iPad is off to a great start, and across the year you’re going to see a lot more of the kind of innovation that only Apple can deliver.

Apple has not been resting on their laurels with meeting their expectations and has continued to go above and beyond their financial projections. Following Apple’s earnings calling, CFO, Peter Oppenheimer even went as far as to say that he expects revenue of about $34 billion and diluted earnings per share of about $8.68.

{via Apple}

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), over the past two years has been not only increased its revenue but also its quarterly profits and on Tuesday, the company reported their best quarter ever for the 1st quarter of 2012. AAPL posted a revenue of $46.33 billion and net quarterly profit of $13.06 billion, which equals to $13.87 per diluted share.

This is much improved and higher than the same time last year, where Apple reported $26.7 billion and net quarterly profit of $6 billion, or $6.43 per diluted share.

Q1 2012 gross margin was at 44.7, higher than the 38.5 from last year, and international sales, unsurprisingly accounted for about 58% of the quarter’s revenue. This was a new record for the Cupertino company, in both profit and revenue, with the company increasing drastically higher each year, and is showing no signs of any slow down.

We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline.

Apple also shipped 5.2 million Mac computers during the quarter, a unit increase of 26 percent from the previous year. iPhone unit sales reached 37.04 million, up 128 percent from a year ago quarter, and the company sold 15.4 million iPods during the quarter, representing 21 percent unit decline.

Apple has not been experiencing the same heavy iPod sales as they once did, making the popular devices now a small part of the company’s revenue, with majority coming from the iPhone and iPad. Apple’s projected revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 is $32.5 billion and earnings per diluted share of $8.50.

Apple’s cables and wires for its iOS devices and Macs are all supplied by one company that manufactures them and ships them in large volumes. On Friday, in a report from The London Evening Standard, it was revealed that Apple is now requiring cable supplier Volex to spend an extra $6 million dollars in order to change its manufacturing process in order to eliminate halogens from the power and USB cables.

This change will positively affect the dangerous chemicals found in wires and cables in many computers and electronic products, and also allows Apple to reduce its carbon footprint.

Apple is the biggest customer of Volex, 23%-owned by billionaire financier Nat Rothschild, which makes the power cables and USB leads used in everything from laptops to iPhones and iPads.

But the US firm is on a drive to move its products towards halogen-free power cables, which are less harmful to the environment when disposed of.

The start-up costs in designing and making the new cables will cost it up to $6 million in the current financial year, Volex said today, although, stripping out these one-off costs, profits will be in line with market expectation.

Apple has been criticized in the past by many environmental groups such as Greenpeace, who claim that many companies are not doing their part to reduce the use of harmful chemicals in electronics.

However, Apple has been doing very well in recent years, opting for greener practices and safer options for materials used in their products. Apple launched an environmental footprint section on their main web site, showing customers their involvement in the clean up of chemicals in Apple devices.

With this new push for more environmental friendly cables and wires, Apple is slowly spreading eco-friendliness through all of their devices, including the iPhone an iPad, which currently use BFR free glass and a number of other eco-friendly materials.

{via MacRumors}

FileXChange Review: A great way to move files between your iPad and your computer, whatever flavor they might be.

Setting up FileXChange is super simple and the instructions are clear. You open the app on your iPad, and then open a browser on your computer, type in a numeric URL, and that’s it. You can now effortlessly move files to and from your iPad. You can even use your files right within the app without opening other apps, including documents and multimedia files.

FileXChange works with a variety of common file types including: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and most image, audio, and video formats. It also works between the iPad and Mac, Windows, Linux, and other iOS devices.

It doesn’t sync your files, but it could be used as a pass through to move files from one computer to another, say from a work and a home machine. The app could also be used as another possible location for backing up critical files. And it would be helpful getting files moved between one operating system to another. You can even share files with other people, as access to an account is not required.

This is a super simple, super powerful way to move and access files between your iPad and other devices.

Pros:

• Simple
• Let’s you access the files within the app
• Cross-platform

Cons:

• Have to be on the same local wifi network
• Syncing not included

Best Buy recently announced that they will match Apple’s $100 App Store credit for the ‘Back to School’ promotion with its own $100 gift card. Apple announced their annual Back to School promo only last week and replaced the typical iPod touch giveaway with a $100 App Store credit. Many customers were unhappy that Apple was offering very little for the purchase of a Mac.

However, many also argued that the $100 credit alongside Apple’s educational discount on the computer is a deal that is definitely worth taking. Best Buy will be matching this promotion with a $100 Best Buy gift card for the same qualifying customers although there has been no word on any further discounts. This promotion is unadvertised, and cannot be found on Best Buy’s online store, but instead must be asked for in person. It seems that Apple’s App Store credit of $100, plus the discount is worth more to a college student than a $100 worth of Best Buy products.

Apple’s Back to School promotion is open to college students, students accepted to college, parents buying for college students or faculty/staff at any grade level. Qualifying computers include the MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac Pro. Best Buy’s promotion is also only available to those mentioned above.

{via MacRumors}

We recently reported that Apple is expected to announce its annual Back to School promo in the coming week and now BGR is reporting that this years educational deal could be announced during WWDC.

It has been rumoured that the promotion could be extended to include iPad 2 as well. The rumored details say that everyone who buys a new Mac with their educational discount would receive a free iPod touch or $200 off the cost of an iPad 2.

For the past few years, Apple has kicked off new educational promotions in late May or early June. The promo usually clears out Apple’s stock of older model iPods. However, this year poses a new dilemma for Apple since they do not carry any older models of iPod touches.

The rumors seem to make sense, since the iPad has taken its place among educational instituions and is very popular among college students.

WWDC 2011 is widely expected to include Mac OS X Lion announcements, iOS 5 announcements, as well as the new educational promotion.

Are you excited about iPad 2 discounts? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

AppleInsider reported that according to their sources Apple’s annual back to school promotion will kick off early next week. The school promotion is expected to be one of the topics during the 10th anniversary Apple Store retail meetings on May 22nd.

Apple as early as next week will once again announce its annual back-to-school promotion that has historically offered a free or discounted iOS device to customers purchasing of a new Mac, an event that may prove to be one of the main topics of discussion at the much-hyped employee meetings set to be held at the company’s retail stores this Sunday.

Apple’s Back to School promotion allows customers to receive a free iPod touch with the purchase of a MacBook. This is expected to be a part of the retail meetings which will highlight the store layout and promotional changes in the company.

The Cupertino based company will most likely be giving out the new 4th Generation iPod touch, since they currently do not have stock of any old iPods. This will be different than in the past where Apple gave older models out for free with the purchase of a Mac.

Apple’s back-to-school promotion is a great time for college or University students to purchase their new Mac through Apple’s education channel.

{via AppleInsider}

The general consensus is that Apple Inc. will have shipped between 15 and 20 million iPhones. AAPL sold over 16 million in the quarter ending Christmas 2010. So somewhere approaching 18 million would seem to be a good bet for this next quarterly report – as iPhone sales have certainly not slowed, nor has production been a huge issue.

If you want to get the news straight from the horses mouth then you can tune in for the live stream at 5 pm Eastern (2 pm Pacific) for a live webcast of Apple’s conference call here.

Mac sales are expected to have sold in numbers approaching 4 million units. iPods are set to match their 20 million Christmas quarter figures, and iPads are set to do the same sort of figures as in that quarter also, totalling up at around 7.5 million.

All in all Apple are predicted to double their previous years revenue for this last quarter. Going from $13.5 Billion to $26.74 Billion – which makes the current price of AAPL, at $321.66, seem ridiculously undervalued.

Do you expect Apple to blow analysts predictions out of the water again? Or are we in for a shock fall in Apple revenues? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…

The research department of Concord Securities has predicted that, out of an estimated 4.1 million Mac shipments this fall, the MacBook Air will count for 17%. And 60% of MacBook Airs sold will be the 11.6-inch model.

If Apple manages to achieve these figures and ship 4.1 millions Macs, it would be yet another record for the computer giant. At the ‘Back to the Mac’ event earlier this week, it was announces that the company had sold 3.89 million Macs in the previous quarter, the best three-month frame for the company yet.

It is believed that Apple’s latest MacBook Air models carry a gross margin profit of greater than 30%, according to Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Company. Marshall sees the low-end $999 model with a total cost to Apple of $718, while the high-end 13-inch model boasting 256GB of storage retailing at $1,599 costs Apple $1,007.40.

While Marshall has not changed his forecast for just over 4 million Macs in the December quarter, he added the new lower price MacBook Air models could add a “kicker” in the future.

Earlier this week, Steve announced that Apple had overtaken the Canadian based BlackBerry creator: “We’ve now passed RIM and I don’t see them catching up with us in the foreseeable future.” And Canadian analyst Michael Walkley of Canacord Genuity agrees with him.

Walkley told the National Post daily that, in his view, Apple’s iOS – which runs on both the iPhone and iPad – would continue to gather smartphone and tablet market share. Walkley also compared the 10,000 apps currently available for BlackBerry devices with the 300,000 now available through Apple’s App Store. Furthermore, the analyst noted that Android’s disjoined open app market was also no match for the App Store in quantity.

According to Sameet Kanade, a financial analyst with Northern Securities, a real threat for RIM is its lack of profile in consumer markets. “Although RIM is attempting to make gains in this area as highlighted by the recent acquisition of California-based Cellmania, we believe the gap between RIM and the two leading competitors (Apple and Google) in the consumer market is increasing every quarter,” Kanade said.

He continued about enterprise with, “We believe the potential adoption of the iPhone by key RIM enterprise users may have a domino effect, creating further market disruption for RIM.”

Apple is holding a special ‘Back to the Mac’ keynote event today which will kick off at 10:00 AM PDT at Apple’s Town Hall building. We are expecting a sneak peek of Mac OS X 10.7 (rumored to be called Lion), iLife 11 and new MacBook Air (thinner & faster) to be introduced.

Mac OS X 10.7 is expected to have a much cleaner look and feature better integration with iOS devices. We will be bringing you the All-in-One live feed of the keynote.

Check you time zone below:

07:00AM – Hawaii
10:00AM – Pacific
11:00AM – Mountain
12:00PM – Central
01:00PM – Eastern
06:00PM – London
07:00PM – Paris
09:00PM – Moscow
02:00AM – Tokyo (October 21st)

You don’t need to refresh this page! Live updates will appear below:

UPDATE: We’ll be live here.

Apple on Wednesday confirmed that they will be providing live video stream of ‘Back to the Mac’ event. They previously provided live streaming of the special music event where Apple CEO announced the new lineup of iPods. Live video streaming of todays keynote will be accessible by anyone  using a Mac running Safari on Mac OSX version 10.6 Snow Leopard, an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad. The keynote event is scheduled to go live at 10:00 a.m. PDT on October 20, 2010.

Apple ® online broadcast of their event on October 20 using the HTTP Streaming Live from Apple at the forefront. The vision requires a Mac ® or Safari ® Mac OS ® X version 10.6 Snow Leopard ® or iPhone ® or iPod ® touch with IOS 3.0 or later, or iPad ™. The live broadcast will begin at 10:00 a.m. PDT on October 20, 2010 at www.apple.com.

This transmission is the property of Apple and protected by U.S. copyright law and international treaties. Any reproduction or distribution is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from Apple. Please contact the Public Relations or ‘Investor Relations at Apple for any information.

Apple designed the Mac, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife and iWork software professional. Apple is leading the digital music revolution with its iPod and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced the magical iPad that is defining the future of mobile devices and media in mobile computing.

The event has been widely discussed in the last few days and it is believed that Apple will announce the next version of Mac OS X 10.7 (called Lion?), introduce a faster and thinner MacBook Air and the ‘one more thing’ could be an announcement related to iPhone 4 availability on Verizon in early January.

We will be live blogging and bringing you the latest news, you can participate and share your comments during the announcements by visiting the liveblog post here.

Apple has once again launched its annual ‘Back to School’ promotion. If you’re a college or University student then with your new Mac purchase through Apple’s education channel you can get a free 8GB iPod touch model.

If you’re a college student or a faculty or staff member at any grade level and you buy a new Mac with Apple education pricing from May 25 through September 7, 2010, you can get a free 8GB iPod touch.* No wonder they call these the best years of your life.

The promotion runs through September 7th, 2010, and every customer is limited to five rebates per household.

Ready to buy a Mac for college? Visit Apple.com and you could qualify for a free iPod touch!

It makes compelling reading, and calmly and clearly outlines the many factors behind Apple’s current stance on Flash for the iPhone.

Many of the points he makes have been discussed before. But some key ones are worth summarising :

Steve explains quite simply how Flash is a closed system, where as the web standards that the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad are built on are all open standards available to all, which are more than capable of brining all the content that Adobe claim the iPhone is missing out on. With the one exception of Flash games that he admits. But even then the iPhone is not lacking for games as we all know.

He also goes on to point out that Flash is the number one cause of crashes on Macs, and despite promising fixes and updates Adobe are consistently late and unreliable with their support for the desktop version of Flash.

He even gives a timeline for broken promises from Adobe for a demonstrations of a usable version of Flash on a smartphone which to date has been postponed several times, and is currently slated for the second half of this year. Presumably on Android.

Finally he concludes that Flash’s interface does not work with touch screens as it relies on things touch screens don’t do, like hovering over items with a mouse pointer. It is, as he says, an environment designed for the PC era. A media system for the past.

It’s a far more eloquent and thought out reply to a business partner who’s history with Apple over the years, both good and bad, Steve clearly recalls in detail as he also details it in the letter, than the “[Expletive] You, Apple!” that Adobe shot at him from their blogs.

What is interesting to me is why he felt he had to do this? Is it for his own piece of mind, or for a more calculated legal reason. Or simply because he felt it needed to be said.

Have a read of Steve’s letter and let us know your view on the points he raises, and why he raises them, in the comments.

The full document is worth taking the time to read and can be found here: [apple.com] ]]> https://touchreviews.net/hot-news-steve-jobs-writes-an-open-letter-about-flash/feed/ 0