Google is looking to bring a version of its Chrome OS app launcher to the Mac, possibly as an add-on to the Chrome browser, allowing users to access a slew of Web apps normally available only from within the

Starting this year, IBM’s Watson intelligent agent technology will debut as a customer service assistant. Customers of Australia’s ANZ Bank, Celcom, The Royal Bank of Canada, and Nielsen can query the system for general questions related to accounts with the companies. IBM claims to have the technology ready for deployment and integrated into consumer apps for computers and smartphones in the second half of 2013….

Apple has posted the opening statements two of its executives — CEO Tim Cook (PDF) — and CFO Peter Oppenheimer (PDF) — made during their testimony in front of the US Senate earlier today. The documents don’t reveal anything new, but do constitute a record of Apple’s stance during the Senate hearing. “We pay all of the taxes we owe — every single dollar. We not only comply with the laws, but we comply with the spirit of the laws,” Cook’s statement reads….

A new and interesting e-book trend has emerged showing that e-books…

Microsoft has announced a brand new game console today, though the company would probably disappointed to hear that I called it that. The Xbox One is really more of an entertainment center all-in-one — it’s designed to connect your games, your streaming media, and cable television all together in one set-top box. In some ways, it’s a competitor to Apple TV. The Xbox One will also include a new Kinect camera, which will boast Siri-like voice control over all of its functions, and allow users to switch back and forth between live games, live TV, or any of the console’s various apps.

Obviously, that release is only tangentially related to Apple and its products, but there are a few closer ties that might become more important in the future. First up, Microsoft has already confirmed that the Xbox One will work with its Smart Glass system, for which there is already an app on the iPhone and the iPad. It’s unclear just what Smart Glass will do for the Xbox One, but we’ll stay tuned for more functionality on that end.

And second, Microsoft is apparently learning from Apple. The Cupertino company has famously been making its own “system-on-a-chip” hardware lately to go into new iPhones and iPads, and Microsoft has now done exactly the same. The Xbox One’s CPU is a chip based on AMD designs, but customized by Microsoft’s own R&D labs. There are a few reasons for that, including the power requirements, and the fact that the Xbox One actually runs a few different operating systems at a time (to easily switch back and forth between the games and the TV content). But Microsoft clearly borrowed the model for the hardware from Apple, and presumably later versions of the Xbox One will have even more customized chips in them. The Xbox One is due out sometime this year, but there’s no official release date announced yet.

Microsoft announces Xbox One, with more Smart Glass and TV integration originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

There are several ways you can move a user account from one computer to another without having to set up the account again from scratch.

Apple is aiming to integrate Flickr and Vimeo into iOS 7, a source tells 9to5Mac. The integration is expected to work in much the same way as Facebook and Twitter support does in iOS 6, allowing single sign-ins via the Settings menu. In the case of Flickr, at least, signing in may not only add another option to iOS’ built-in sharing menus, but also simplify apps with their own hooks for the service, such as Instagram. Flickr is already integrated into OS X Mountain Lion and the iOS edition of iPhoto….

A ruling yesterday in the Northern District of California may have repercussions on the smartphone patent battles raging across the US court landscape. A federal judge granted a user of a standards-essential patent a preliminary injunction against enforcement of a possible US International Trade Commission (ITC) sales injunction. This decision by Senior District Judge Ronald Whyte is the first time a US district court is preventing the ITC’s only option to combat patent infringers in conjunction with standards-essential patents….

Today Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One at its Redmond, Washington campus…

Every year, Millward Brown Optimor produces the BrandZ list, a listing of the 100 most valuable brands. As with last year, Apple is at the top of the list with a 2013 brand value of just over US$185 billion.

Apple’s brand value rose only 1 percent this year, but that number is still well over #2 Google at $113.7 billion. How much of a gap lies in the brand value between Apple and Google? How about almost the value of the venerable Coca-Cola brand at $78.4 billion (the soft drink company is at #5 on the list).

Another tech brand rounded out the top three, with IBM coming in just behind Google at $112.5 billion. The value of the top 100 brands is a staggering $2.6 trillion globally, up 7 percent from 2012.

Although Apple’s share price and investor sentiment have lagged in the last year, BrandZ director Peter Walshe notes that brand is more sustainable than financials: “What we see with the most popular or powerful brands is that brand lasts a lot longer, is more robust and doesn’t tend to slip as much, whereas the finances go up and down.”

A PDF of the BrandZ Top 100 2013 is available for download here.

Apple still most valuable global brand originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

During Apple’s April 2012 earnings conference call, Tim Cook emphatically stated that he hates litigation.

“I’ve always hated litigation,” Cook explained. “I continue to hate it. I just want people to invent their own stuff.”

That notwithstanding, Apple today finds itself embroiled in a myriad of patent infringement lawsuits. With Samsung in particular, Apple has ongoing legal battles with its Korean-based competitor in 11 countries across 4 continents.

Oddly enough, Apple’s legal battles were tangentially brought up during Tuesday’s congressional hearing which was held to take a closer look at Apple’s tax practices. At one point during the hearing, the narrative veered a bit of course when Tim Cook was asked to answer a question about Apple’s challenges with respect to protecting its intellectual property in the U.S.

Cook took a moment to gather his thoughts and answered thusly.

I think the U.S Court system is currently structured in such a way that tech companies aren’t getting the intellectual property protection they need. Our cycles are fast, the court system is very long, and the foreign competitors in the U.S. can quickly take IP and use it and ship products with it and they’re to the next product as well. I would love to see conversations between countries and see protections between IP globally. For us, our intellectual property is so important, I would love the system to be strengthened in order to protect it.

Cook’s remarks regarding product cycles being much faster than the court system certainly resonates given that Apple recently filed a motion to have Samsung’s Galaxy S4 added to its second court case against Samsung in California. Inevitably, by the time that case is adjudicated, Samsung will already have out a new product that Apple will likely take issue with.

Apple has, in fact, referenced this very dynamic in court filings, alleging that Samsung has at times purposefully tried to slow down judicial proceedings as to make the products at issue irrelevant and outdated by the time trial finally gets underway.

Tim Cook on the state of IP protection: Our product cycles move much quicker than the court system originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

After installing OS X Mountain Lion, some people are finding their internal optical drives are no longer functioning.

After Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook and chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer appeared before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations to explain the tech giant’s offshore tax practices, the company has made available the opening statements as read in testimony.

In a brief sidetrack during his Senate testimony today, Apple CEO Tim Cook voiced his opinion on US intellectual property law. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) asked Cook about the IP benefits of running a company in the US versus other countries, but appears to have been surprised when Cook took a critical tone. “I actually think that we require much more work on IP in this country,” he said….

During his testimony before the Senate on Apple’s tax strategies, CEO Tim Cook restated an earlier promise that a forthcoming Mac model — not identified — was going to be built in the United States, and further revealed that it would be assembled in Texas. While the exact site wasn’t specified, Apple has established and is expanding an administrative campus in Austin, and manufacturing partner Foxconn has facilities in Houston….

It was with some trepidation that Apple investors tuned in…

We’re also giving our Flickr users one terabyte of space — for free…

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (free plus in-app purchases) is an epic iPad app that lets you explore one of the greatest symphonies ever written in a unique, compelling way. Classical music lovers will definitely want to check it out.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony uses every trick in the multimedia tool box. For starters, you can listen to 4 different performances of the work, taken from the well-known DGG catalog. As you listen, follow along with the the score in real time. The original manuscript displays each page as the music plays but with modern notation.

An interesting feature called the “BeatMap” offers an overhead view of the orchestra, complete with symbols of the various instruments that glow as they are played.

The app also features several interviews, both contemporary and historic, with notable people like Leonard Bernstein and Gustavo Dudamel.

The four included performances date from 1962, with the most recent from 1992 played with period instruments. The Leonard Bernstein 1979 recording contains video of the performance, that you can watch full screen. It’s interesting to compare the 4 concerts, and you can instantly switch between them, hearing how recording technology has advanced, and how performances differ. Having the four concerts in sync for comparison is unique and valuable.

This app is a great experience for adults and young musicians. I can’t think of a better way to share this musical treasure in such depth.

On to some negatives. The app does not directly support AirPlay, which is a mistake. You can certainly listen on headphones, but one should be able to hear this on a nice sound system. You can force AirPlay output with video mirroring by double-clicking the Home button and using the icon bar AirPlay tool, but the sound output stutters at times, and the video struggles to remain in sync.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is not cheap. While you can download the app for free, you only get 2 minutes of each movement. A $13.99 in-app purchase unlocks the complete works. While the app is relatively expensive, it’s less than the price of the 4 performances on separate CDs, and you wouldn’t get the videos, the interviews, or the full scores. Even if you opt for the free version, you download everything, and this is a large app at 1.53 GB. I had to do some housecleaning before I could run it.

I previously took a look at the first offering in this series, called The Orchestra. It was also excellent, but the Beethoven is superior because it goes into great depth on a single work.

If you’re interested in classical music, I think this is an app you will return to again and again. There’s a lot of information, as well as the visual and sonic joys.

I’d also suggest you take a look at some parallel and less expensive apps if Beethoven appeals to you. Beethoven Symphonies ($1.99) has some nice selctions and performances. I also liked the free, ad-supported Beethoven Symphony Collection which also includes the scores to view.

Beethoven’s 9th Symphony requires an iPad and iOS 6.

Just about everything you’ll want to know about Beethoven’s 9th on your iPad originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Ireland has responded to criticism from Senater Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that Irish tax laws allowed Apple to avoid playing taxes on tens of billions of dollars in profits using Irish subsidiaries. So what did Ireland have to say for itself?

In a statement to RTE, Ireland’s national broadcast network, deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore said:

These are not issues that arise from the Irish taxation system. They are issues that arise from the taxation systems in other jurisdictions, and that is an issue that has to be addressed first of all in those jurisdictions,

Ireland’s answer is simple. If American companies like Apple are using loop holes in the American tax system to skirt playing their taxes, it’s not Ireland’s fault, and we should fix our system before we come after theirs. It’s a good point.

The issue isn’t that Ireland provided a safe haven for Apple to hide profits. It’s that American tax law is so convoluted and full of loop holes that American companies like Apple can enjoy all the benefits of being an American company while paying a fraction of the taxes our laws say they own.

It will be interesting to see if these hearings will simply be an attempt to shame the company for tax avoidance, or if it will finally be the catalyst for closing the massive web of loop holes that make up its tax system.

Ireland distances itself from Apple’s tax inquiry originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Tue, 21 May 2013 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Source | Permalink | Email this | Comments

During Tim Cook’s appearance on Tuesday before the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (which is presently looking into the tax code), Chairman Carl Levin (D-Michigan) accused Apple of “exploiting an absurdity [in US tax laws] that we have not seen other corporations use,” referring to a loophole he believes should be closed. Cook maintained that Apple pays US taxes on its US profits as it should….