Apple : Apple's Podcasts app get another fix

Apple's Podcasts app get another fix
Mountain Lion hints new iMac and Mac Pro incoming
Sprint's iPhone price cut prompts Apple Stores to follow suit
Apple's suppliers see record July

Posted:

Apple has issued a second update for its standalone Podcasts app for iOS, which launched in June.

The app, which freed video and audio shows from the iTunes app where they had become somewhat lost in the shuffle, arrived to a luke-warm reception a few weeks back.

The iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app had been quitting on users regularly, and a first stability update didn't seem to cure the issue back in late June.

More performance enhancements

Now, reports 9to5Mac, update 1.0.2 is available for download, which brings more performance enhancements but no new features.

Apple's release notes say: "Podcasts 1.0.2 provides performance and stability improvements, including addressing an issue that may cause Podcasts to quit unexpectedly on launch."

You can update your app by accessing the Updates section of the App Store.

Mountain Lion hints new iMac and Mac Pro incoming

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Mountain Lion - Apple's latest version of its OS X operating system - may have just revealed two new desktop computers coming soon.

A couple of new model numbers have been spotted deep in the lines of code for Apple's dual-booting Boot Camp assistant software. These are MP60, thought to be the next Mac Pro tower, and IM130, a new iMac.

Both machines are overdue a refresh. In June Apple updated its MacBook range of laptops, including adding USB 3.0, more storage, quicker Intel chips, and of course that lovely retina display. But it didn't touch its desktop range.

Apple CEO Tim Cook responded to an email from a customer in June saying the company was "working on something really great for later next year".

So it seems we might be seeing a new Mac Pro, but not until 2013.

No more optical drive?

The next iMac and Mac Pro could also come without optical drives. Some speculate this will be the case because they're in the section of code in Boot Camp that lets machines boot using a USB drive.

The iMac and Mac pro are Apple's less popular computers. It started selling more laptops than desktops back in 2006. But considering Apple is now in the top five PC manufacturers in the UK, even a relatively low-selling machine is going to make big bucks.

Previous rumours have also hinted we'll see the retina display become standard across all Apple devices, including its fabled TV set. That's so that apps and programs will look the same no matter which device you're using them on.

Via AppleInsider

Sprint's iPhone price cut prompts Apple Stores to follow suit

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A leaked photo reportedly from Apple's systems indicates that the tech giant may have finally made its price-matching policy a little bit clearer to its retail store employees.

The photo instructs Apple Store workers that prices from various retailers, including Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, and Sprint, can be matched in-store, with the iPhone 4 and all three iPhone 4S models dropping by as much as $49.01.

Previously, Apple store employees were not officially permitted to match competitors' price or offer iPhone discounts, though the option was technically available to be used at their discretion.

Now it seems the policy has been spelled out, though sources claim the discounts are available only to customers who specifically ask for price-matching, and can cite specific competitors' prices for reference.

Thanks, Sprint

Apple's apparent new iPhone price-matching policy arrives on the heels of a particularly hefty iPhone price cut from Sprint.

Sprint began offering the iPhone 4S at $86 off its former price by lowering the retail cost by $50 and waiving a $36 activation fee earlier this week.

If the leaked photo is accurate and the reports are correct, then Apple's new iPhone price-matching policy is no doubt in response to Sprint's generous iPhone 4S discount.

Just don't expect Apple to ever admit that.

The cost of doing business

Purchasing an iPhone on its home turf at an Apple Store has become increasingly unwise as the smartphone has become available from more and more retailers and carriers.

But giving Apple Stores the option to match those competitors' prices may help Apple stay at the top of its own food chain.

If customers can cite the correct retailers, the iPhone 4 will drop to as low as $49.99, while the 16GB, 32GB and 64GB iPhone 4S will bottom out at $149.99, $249.99 and $349.99 respectively.

As CNET points out, former Apple retail chief Ron Johnson said in July in regards to competitors' prices, "As long as someone buys an Apple product, Apple's prospering. Maybe not at the same rate, but in the long run, you'll earn better profits."

Maybe so, but Apple must earn even better profits selling the phones themselves, even if they have to slash prices.

Apple's suppliers see record July

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As iPhone 5 rumors continue to stack up in anticipation of the phone's expected release this fall, Apple's part suppliers recorded their biggest month to date, adding further fuel to the iPhone 5 fire.

The latest research report from Topeka Capital Markets (TCM) revealed sales from its proprietary 'Apple Monitor' rose 14 percent month-over-month.

That number nearly doubles the average monthly growth of 8.5 percent that's been seen over the past seven years.

TCM's analytical tool tracks sales trends across the highest revenue-generating Taiwanese suppliers, which provide parts to Apple, and is then compared to additional research to account for factors such as inventory adjustments.

TCM analyst Brian White said, "This July represents the strongest month-over-month sales growth of any July we have on record over the past eight years for the Apple Monitor."

Apple readying for 'biggest product launch in their history'

According to White's analysis, the tremendous leap in growth from last July's 7 percent points to the iPhone 5 arriving earlier than its expected October launch.

White believes the data is indicative of production at Apple's manufacturing plants ramping up for multiple new products, and says this could be "the biggest second-half product launch in Apple's history."

Though the iPhone 5's possible arrival has certainly been the most talked about device in recent weeks, the other new products White mentions could point to the release of an actual Apple TV, or the much talked about Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire competitor Apple is said to be working on, the iPad Mini.

Until more concrete information arises, we'll just have to hope the analysts are correct in their assumptions, and that their data is accurate.

Yahuui Blog

Friday, August 10, 2012