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Weekend Highlights: Dan Dilger is back this afternoon with a thoughtful analysis of the various strategic advantages Apple's 'cash hoard' provides at AppleInsider; Would switching to Intel processors really give Apple an edge in mobile? Mac Predictions contradicts popular 'wisdom' with the thought that assuming Jonathan Ive will remove all skeumorphism from iOS 7 isn't entirely realistic; Forbes reports on Tim Cook's profit repatriation tax change ideas; Apple 2.0 at Fortune asks how devoted are Apple users to the Apple ecosystem—with pretty positive results from a Forrester survey; Over at Macworld, the Macalope skewers the Motley Fool for unrealistic criticism of Siri before moving on to critique the ridiculous position that Apple should develop apps for Android; at AppleInsider, Daniel Eran Dilger calls out the hypocrisy of the tech press comparing Samsung's S4 sales data to the iPhone 5's; in OS X news, Adobe releases Camera RAW 8.1 with Retina support and updated camera profiles; Tapscape reports on pre-WWDC MacBook Air shortages; Fairer Platform notes that Handbrake 0.9.9 has finally shipped with several improvements; Tim Cook proposes offshore cash tax reform prior to his appearance before the US Senate; maintains Apple will be able to create more US jobs with these changes; Fortune's Philip Elmer-DeWitt suggests it is important to observe Tim Cook's press run in advance of his Senate testimony; more on Cook's tax talks in our Apple/Macintosh, and Op/Ed sections; sure to rile Apple fans, Derek Brown at ReadWrite pretty much hands Google the victory in its battle with Apple claiming "the company's days of dominance, let alone an effective monopolist, are behind it"; and supposedly three out of every four investors believes Apple is losing its edge in innovation; meanwhile, the U.S. Military Networks have approved Apple's iDevices for use, and another report shows AirForce saving upwards of $5.7 million per year thanks to iPads.
WEEKEND BLOWOUT: Every NEW or RENEWING paid subscriber receives 2 YEARS FREE.
"Apple TV set – an enduring fantasy? Rumours continue over CEO Tim Cook's phrase 'an area of intense interest', but an Apple TV set still seems unlikely" The Guardian 8:43 AM
"Parsing Apple's TV ambitions: People don't replace their TVs every few years, which makes the idea of an Apple TV set less plausible compared to an Apple set-top box, says former Apple exec Jean-Louis Gassée." CNET News 3:26 PM
"Tim Cook Won't Stop Dropping Hints About an Apple Television Set: The company might have to navigate the pitfalls that Google TV already discovered." Minyanville 1:19 PM
"Apple to bring Bluetooth to Apple TV, could add Siri, gaming" Macworld UK 8:50 AM
"2012: Apple's annus horribilis" Computerworld 8:27 AM
"Why Apple is Great and Everyone Else Is Not Even Close" Forbes 9:07 AM
"Apple's iMac on the road to irrelevance: The computer that saved company's bacon in '98 peaked a year ago" Computerworld 8:45 AM
"Apple's Solid Mac Performance Compares Favorably To Sluggish PC Sales" Seeking Alpha 10:20 AM
"Apple redraws maps after Australian drivers led astray in the bush: Mildura police issue warning after motorists lose way in scorching temperatures because town misplaced on Apple Maps" The Guardian 6:06 PM
"Apple Fixes 'Potentially Life Threatening' Australian Maps Problem" The Mac Observer 6:06 PM
"Apple Maps 'is life-threatening' to motorists lost in Australia heat" BBC 8:46 AM
"Australian travelers stranded in wilderness because of iOS 6 maps: Motorists were taken over 40 miles off course." Ars Technica 9:12 AM
"Police issue warning after Apple Maps leads drivers astray in Australian wilderness" The Verge 8:23 AM
"Australia Police: Don't Use Apple Maps" The Mac Observer 8:43 AM
"Australian Police Warn Against Apple Maps, Citing 'Potentially Life Threatening' Misdirection" TechCrunch 9:05 AM
"Apple Maps 'Life Threatening,' Say Australian Police" AllThingsD 12:14 PM
"Apple Maps guides Australian motorists into 'life threatening' situation" BetaNews 10:22 AM
"FTC's Second Kids' App Report Finds Little Progress in Addressing Privacy Concerns Surrounding Mobile Applications for Children: Kids' Data Still Collected, Shared without Parents' Knowledge, Consent" Federal Trade Commission 3:19 PM
"FTC Urges Apple & Google to Get Serious About Kid Privacy" The Mac Observer 4:28 PM
"Worldwide Smart Connected Device Market, Led by Samsung and Apple, Grew 27.1% in the Third Quarter, According to IDC" Business Wire 4:02 PM
"IDC: 'smart connected device' shipments reach record 303.6m in Q3 2012, led by Apple and Samsung" The Next Web 9:00 AM
"IDC: Samsung and Apple are driving holiday sales" Fortune 10:13 AM
"Smart Device Shipments Broke Records In Q3 2012, Reaching 303.6 Million Devices; Expected To Grow To 362 Million In Holiday Quarter" TechCrunch 9:06 AM
"Millennial Media: iPad mini impressions grew 28% per day" Fortune 12:36 PM
"Chengdu's First Apple Store Opening This Saturday Together With Hong Kong's Third Store" M.I.C. Gadget 8:53 AM
"Apple's Massive New Hong Kong Store with 30-Foot Tall Glass Windows Leads Next Weekend's Grand Openings" MacRumors 8:49 AM
"Black Friday on the iPad: Revisiting some dubious data/The holiday shopping news for Amazon was not quite as awful as it seemed" Fortune 8:52 AM
"Sprint: T-Mobile USA's Recent iPhone Deal Won't Allow It To Overtake Sprint" Seeking Alpha 8:46 AM
"Apple still one of the Happiest Companies in America — but not as happy as before" AppleDailyReport 9:40 AM
"Apple Plummets To 42 On This Year's List Of 50 Happiest Companies To Work For" Cult of Mac 9:15 PM
"Woman photographs herself unlocking stolen iPhone: A woman unwittingly took a photograph of herself as she tried to unlock an iPhone that had been stolen from a nightclub." Telegraph 10:12 AM
"8 great free Mac gifts" [Slideshow] Macworld 8:56 AM
Non-Apple News
"No password is safe from this new 25-GPU computer cluster: The setup uses 25 AMD Radeon graphics cards and can make 350 billion guesses per second. All eight-character passwords fall in hours; some take only six minutes." CNET News 2:53 PM
"Valve chief confirms Steam-centric console-killing PC" The Register 2:15 PM
"Police-themed ransomware speaks to victims -- literally: New variant of Reveton ransomware uses localized voice messages to trick victims into paying rogue fines" IDG News Service 1:19 PM
"With BlackBerry 10's Launch Fast Approaching, RIM Offers A First Glimpse At The Hardware" TechCrunch 2:05 PM
"RIM Releases BBM 7 With Free Wi-Fi Voice Calling" PC Magazine 1:13 PM
"Twitter may release its own Instagram-like photo filters this month" Los Angeles Times [Paid Membership Required] 1:04 PM
"Toshiba develops MRAM for smartphone processors" IDG News Service 11:47 AM
"Spotify Founder Daniel Ek Wanted to Create Something 'Better than Piracy'" ABCNews 11:03 AM
"Antivirus guru John McAfee sells rights for movie about his life" CNET News 9:25 PM
"John McAfee: Let me go to the USA - or old Blighty" The Register 2:13 PM
"Google Now, Google's effort to automate your life, may be coming to Chrome" VentureBeat [Free Registration Required] 2:22 PM
"Google Drive and Gmail services back online after outages" V3 2:20 PM
"Ada Lovelace: 'The Enchantress of Numbers'/Ada Lovelace was the visionary half of the team that helped create the modern computer. Lovelace is honored by Google as the 'first computer programmer.'" Christian Science Monitor 11:40 AM
"Google Stashed $2B in Taxes in the Bermuda Triangle in 2011" AllThingsD 9:59 AM
"Huawei to Open Research Center in Finland" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 10:44 AM
"Huawei Sets Up in Nokia's Back Yard" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 9:40 AM
"Google to sell off Motorola's set-top box business as Google TV flounders" AppleInsider 8:55 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"Record Breaking Price Paid At Auction For First Apple Computer - But This Collector Owns Two Of Them!" The Classic Computing Blog 3:09 PM
"Holiday Gift Ideas from The MacJury" MacVoicesTV 11:45 AM
"Our Christmas gadget wish lists. It's kind of like Oprah's 'Favorite Things' except without the ad support." The MT Show 8:26 AM
"Review: Apple Mac Mini 2012/Nice media centre, shame about the HDMI glitches" The Register 9:10 AM
"Nexus 10 vs Surface RT vs iPad 4 tablet comparison review" PC Advisor 8:48 PM
"Prizefight: Apple iPad 4th generation vs. Google Nexus 10/It's a slobber knocker between two of the heaviest-hitting full-size tablets. Can Apple's iPad 4 keep its spot as the Prizefight champion, or will Google's Nexus 10 finally take it down? Let's get it on!" CNET TV 5:41 PM
"Bill-Splitting Causing a Splitting Headache? Try These Apps." AllThingsD 8:59 AM
"Fly Delta App – 'This is not the upgrade you're looking for!" Best App Site 9:03 AM
"KitCam for iPhone review: New photo app from the creators of the PhotoForge series impresses" Macworld UK 10:22 AM
"Review - Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour - The Franchise FPS Returns On IOS" MacTrast 12:09 PM
"Appidemic: Monster Pinball for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch" AppleTell 8:58 AM
"'Partia' Review - A SRPG Diamond in the (Very) Rough" Touch Arcade 8:56 AM
"Wordistic iPhone Game Review: Fun Game, Strange Design" Tapscape 8:30 PM
"Audiobooks HQ Review: Audiobooks HQ gives users access to over 5300 audiobooks, comprising of many of the great classics over the years." 148Apps 10:13 AM
"Apple TV Holiday Apps Mistake, A Sign for Tighter Integration with iOS Devices?" PadGadget 3:26 PM
"Apple trolling us with Apple TV apps and games?" iDownload Blog 9:43 AM
"I Want HBO GO on my Apple TV" MacNews Blog 9:03 AM
"Apple Will Not Build A TV, Says Former Exec Jean-Louis Gassee" ReadWrite 8:59 AM
"Apple television: Where others failed, content could hold the key" ZDNet 8:46 AM
"Tim Cook Opens Up in First Extended Interview" TidBITS 8:25 AM
"Macs Made In The Good Old U.S. of A? Which Mac? This Mac? Really?" PixoBebo 8:25 AM
Non-Apple
"Android, too complex for its own good" ZDNet 2:28 PM
"Hardware, the Ugly Stepchild of Venture Capital, Is Having a Glamour Moment" Wired 2:25 PM
"Yes, Valve is prepping a Steam Box" TG Daily 2:12 PM
"Gift Guide: The Google Nexus 4" TechCrunch 2:04 PM
"LG Optimus G Android Smartphone Review" HotHardware 1:39 PM
"What Does a Cloud IT Career Really Mean?" CIO 1:18 PM
"Augmented Reality Is Revolutionizing the Publishing Industry (Finally!)" PC Magazine 1:14 PM
"Does it still make sense to buy an e-reader?" CNET Reviews 2:53 PM
"Very novel: Which e-reader is right for you?" The Independent 12:59 PM
"Your key technology decisions for 2013" InfoWorld 12:52 PM
"Why we need to win the battle for an ultrafast Internet: Do you really think the ISPs are giving us enough bandwidth? Think again" InfoWorld 12:52 PM
"8 biggest myths about managing geeks" InfoWorld 12:52 PM
"What If Google Ignores BlackBerry 10? Google's long-time support for RIM's BlackBerry platform seems to be waning. Will BlackBerry 10 be able to win back Android and iPhone users without mobile apps from Google?" InformationWeek 12:23 PM
"The Cloud: No Longer Distrusted and Misunderstood" [Podcast] E-Commerce Times 12:02 PM
"3 Windows 8 ultrabooks: Lightweight and powerful/We examine the HP Envy TouchSmart, Sony Vaio T13 and Toshiba Portege Z935 to see how these new Windows 8 ultrabooks shape up." Computerworld 11:49 AM
"All-in-ones don't deserve to be desktops" Boston Herald 11:19 AM
"BlackBerry 10 won't be PlayBook redux. Here's why" CNET News 10:35 AM
"Android Is Dead - Part 2: Titans Clash" Seeking Alpha 10:24 AM
"How T-Mobile's smartphone pricing could change the U.S. wireless industry" GigaOM [Free Registration Required] 10:03 AM
"Holiday Gift Guide: the best gadgets under $200" VentureBeat [Free Registration Required] 10:03 AM
"Is Amazon's 8.9-Inch Kindle Fire HD a Flop?" Gizmodo 12:55 PM
"Toward a More Informed Discussion on Android" Tech.pinions 9:41 AM
"Autonomy's Lynch Hasn't Heard From HP in Accounting Row" Bloomberg 10:17 AM
"HP still top of PC league, but trailing fourth in all-devices rankings: HP may still be clinging onto the top spot in the global PC stakes but in the world of smart connected devices it is becoming less and less of a relevant player, market stats show." Channel Register 2:16 PM
"Hewlett-Packard stirs more concerns with decline in printing" San Jose Mercury News [Free Registration Required] 10:20 AM
"Faster networks anyone? IBM pops optics on conventional silicon chips." GigaOM 9:31 AM
"IBM advances silicon nanophotonics: IBM's work on silicon nanophotonics could engender a new class of higher throughput optical networking equipment" Computerworld 11:48 AM
"Big Blue etches silicon nanophotonics with regular chip tech" The Register 2:13 PM
"IBM inches towards commercial 25Gbit/s optical chips" V3 2:19 PM
"IBM takes optical chip breakthrough to standard manufacturing" ZDNet 2:28 PM
"Microsoft Seeks to Invalidate Motorola Patent in U.K. Trial" Bloomberg 10:23 AM
"Windows 8 hybrid laptops will be scarce through the holidays" PCWorld 1:15 PM
"Microsoft Surface Coming To Store Near You? Microsoft hopes broader retail distribution strategy will boost Surface sales, says analyst." InformationWeek 10:55 AM
"Microsoft may not want smashing Surface RT tablet sales: Analysts say Microsoft is likely looking to seed market for key Surface partners like Lenovo and Samsung" Computerworld 11:48 AM
"Microsoft Has Reportedly Sold At Least 4.2 Million Windows Phones Since October" Forbes 2:50 PM
"The second annual Dell World kicks off this week in Austin, Texas, and more than 500 solution providers are expected to attend, according to the Round Rock, Texas-based company." [Slideshow] CRN 11:43 AM
"What's the way ahead for Dell storage?" The Register 2:17 PM
"Cisco Aims to Wake Up Sleepy Brand With New Campaign" AllThingsD 9:58 AM
"Cisco Busts Out New Brand Strategy" [Video Report] TheStreet 2:44 PM
"Cisco grabs for 'No. 1 IT company' crown" Associated Press [Free Registration Required] 11:18 AM
"Cisco: Still Marching To Its Own Beat" TheStreet 9:33 AM
"Intel Designs New Process for Mobile Chips" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 5:42 PM
"Deep Divides In Dubai At UN Talks On Internet" Associated Press 10:26 AM
"The meeting that could kill the internet? Fears of internet oppression by the UN are unfounded, writes Christian Caryl." Sydney Morning Herald 1:49 PM
"Russia backs down on proposals to regulate the Internet" Reuters 2:55 PM
"IEDM goes deep on 3-D circuits" EE Times 12:01 PM
"Is silicon's crown under threat?" TG Daily 2:11 PM
"Google, Facebook call for an end to 'abstract' patents: A group of tech companies including Google, Facebook, Red Hat and Dell have stepped into a US patent case to call for a ban on patenting abstract ideas." TG Daily 2:11 PM
"When is a patent too abstract? Google and Facebook weigh into key software case" ZDNet 2:28 PM
"Tech World Discovers New Species: The Cloud Architect" Wired 2:24 PM
"Apple could buy all the gold in China, more likely to increase investor dividend: Rather than purchase China's gold, it's been suggested that Apple will pay a larger dividend to shareholders" Macworld UK 12:14 PM
"Apple's Return On Capital Employed Is Not Sustainable" Seeking Alpha 12:09 PM
"Why Apple Should Not Give-in to Special Dividend Demands" The Motley Fool 12:06 PM
"Apple: Reasons for the Fall and What to Do About It" The Motley Fool 12:06 PM
"'Apple Has Become a Casino': Terranova" [Video Report] CNBC 12:39 PM
"Apple Stock Hardly Died After Past Death Crosses" Forbes 10:13 AM
"iPad Projected to Have Strong Growth the Next Four Years" Forbes 9:24 AM
"Asia Markets: Asia stocks mostly rise, but Tokyo, Shanghai lag/Most major Asia stock markets saw modest gains Tuesday, although the Japanese market slipped amid weakness for utility firms, and mainland Chinese shares pulled back after recent gains." MarketWatch 9:27 PM
"Tech Stocks: H-P rises on Icahn speculation, but Apple slips/Billionaire reportedly building position in H-P; Groupon stock falls" MarketWatch 8:43 PM
"U.S. stocks rise on hopes for fiscal-cliff talks: Market Snapshot: MarketWatch" MarketWatch 4:04 PM
"Wall Street Tilts Higher; Tech Shares Climb" FOXBusiness 12:20 PM
"U.S. Stocks Rise on China Amid American Budget Talks" Bloomberg 4:05 PM
"Stocks Inch Higher as McDonald's, HP and Cisco Advance" TheStreet 4:05 PM
"Stocks end higher as tech shares gain" CNNMoney 4:05 PM
"Dow Logs 4-Day Win Streak; Apple Slips" CNBC 4:05 PM
"Wall St edges up with help from McDonald's" Reuters 10:15 AM
"Stocks Notch Small Gains" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 4:06 PM
"Stocks weighed down by Europe: Investors will be cautious heading into the week, amid a fresh bout of uncertainty over Europe and ongoing fiscal cliff negotiations in Washington." CNNMoney 9:30 AM
"Resource firms rise in London, banks drop" MarketWatch 2:41 PM
"Asia Markets: Asia inches higher on China, U.S. data" MarketWatch 9:41 AM
"Asian Shares Rise as China, U.S. Data Support Sentiment" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 9:57 AM
"Europe Markets: Europe stocks track U.S. higher, Italy sinks" MarketWatch 2:42 PM
"Most active Nasdaq-traded stocks: Nasdaq's 10 most active stocks at 1 p.m." Associated Press 2:50 PM
"Most active Nasdaq-traded stocks: Nasdaq's 10 most active stocks at the close of trading" Associated Press 8:44 PM
"Final Glance: Computer companies/Computer companies shares mixed at the close of trading" Associated Press 8:44 PM
"Recent stumbles aside, 2 tech stocks to buy" MarketWatch 10:00 AM
"Three tech trading ideas for xMas" MarketWatch 2:46 PM
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