WEDNESDAY BLOWOUT: Every NEW or RENEWING paid subscriber receives 2 YEARS FREE.
Thumbs up/Thumbs down: iOS 7.1 on your iDevice?
Vote for the results in the left column below or go straight to the results here.
Tuesday Highlights: Los Angeles Times is reporting of Apple negotiations with record labels for exclusive iTunes releases, as well Apple's argument that "services such as Spotify and Beats Music have begun to cannibalize download sales on iTunes"; and a new survey of streaming music services reveals Pandora continuing to dominate with 31% of the market, but Apple overtakes Spotify, more in our General Interest section; Motorburn's Hilton Tarrant asks "just how big a deal" Apple's CarPlay will be in the auto industry; 9to5Mac pulls back the curtain to reveal what is up-and-coming in iOS 8, including better Maps data, among the improvements; Foss Patents reports that Apple is going to push for Samsung to pay $40 per device for five patents; Apple looking to retain top executives, doles out $12.1 million in stock that won't vest for several years; in the United Arab Emirates, Apple tops the rest in smartphone registrations; iPhone 5c to serve as inspiration of next iPhones according to rumor; Sprint's owner wants T-Mobile in the stable to combine the two carriers and price-battle Verizon, AT&T; iOS 7.1 hit the downloads yesterday, iPhone 4 models get speed improvements, all models see new UI tweaks, reports aplenty in our Hardware/Software section, where you'll also find the latest of Apple's granted patents, totaling 25 today, including new monitoring of device aging/optimizing performance, among others; InfoWorld tests iPhone, Galaxy, iPad, Nexus devices today "in light of a changing technology landscape".
Today's MacUpdate Promo offers 40% savings on Prizmo. "Prizmo 2 brings you more supported languages, faster processing, and improved OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Prizmo isn't limited by your scanner, either: It can perform fast and accurate character recognition on your DSLR or even your iPhone! Scan entire books and magazines with unprecedented speed. Get Prizmo, and get organized!"
"Apple is asking record labels for exclusive iTunes releases: Apple contends streaming services such as Spotify and Beats Music have begun to cannibalize download sales on iTunes." Los Angeles Times [Paid Membership Required] 8:04 AM
"Apple's CarPlay... just how big a deal is it?" Motorburn 8:29 AM
"iOS 8: Apple polishes Maps data, adds public transit directions service" 9to5Mac 8:32 AM
"Apple dominates 64-bit mobile chips as Android rivals lag: But ABI Research is predicting 64-bit chips will be on more Android mobile devices by 2018" IDG News Service 3:02 PM
"At upcoming trial, Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per device for only five software patents" Foss Patents 8:46 AM
"Apple wants Samsung to pay $40 per phone for five patents: 'I don't merely disagree with Apple but am rather wondering whether it has lost its mind.'" Fortune 8:46 AM
"Apple to Samsung: Give Us $40 for Every Android Device You Sell" The Mac Observer 2:50 PM
"Apple hands stock worth $12.1M to top execs in retention deal: Grants vest on April 1 of 2016, 2017 and 2018 if the men are still with the company" Computerworld 8:25 AM
"Mavericks - troubleshooting tips for webcam problems; changing From address in Apple Mail; performance problems vs. Mountain Lion" MacInTouch 11:45 AM
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Mac 101: Using the keyboard viewer in OS X Mavericks" TUAW 10:23 AM
"When Your Mac Slows Down, Give It A Tune Up [MacRx] Cult of Mac 8:11 AM
"Make Time Machine use a Local Volume as a Network Volume" Mac OS X Hints 9:38 AM
"Setting and Searching Your Default Bible" Accordance Blog 2:52 PM
"Printing Is Not Dead With This Mac App" Mac 360 7:36 AM
"The Website Photo Gallery App For The Mac" McSolo 7:35 AM
"Need Names? Put Roster On Your Mac" Mac 360 7:35 AM
"How To Create Living Photos On A Mac" Mac 360 7:35 AM
Op/Ed
"Imagining a Scripting Language" inessential 8:00 PM
"Product vs. process: Is it important how games for the Mac are made?" iMore 3:02 PM
Press Releases
"Office for Mac, Office for iPad Coming This Later Year" Tapscape 8:39 PM
"Microsoft Office 2014 For Mac Is Incoming" AppleBitch 3:48 PM
"Office for Mac to get new version this year, says Microsoft exec" MacNN 3:03 PM
"Aquafadas Little Red Riding Hood: Read, Listen & Play Free for 24 Hours" prMac 11:09 AM
"Apple updates Xcode developer tools, come and get 'em!" iMore 10:20 AM
"Publisher Unity Games today announced an agreement with Mimimi Productions to bring 'The Last Tinker: City of Colors' to Windows PC, Mac and Linux this summer." Unity Games 9:04 AM
"Star Trek™ Online Sets Phasers To Mac: Free-to-Play MMORPG Now Available For Mac Players" TransGaming 8:19 AM
"Hitman: Absolution coming to the Mac!" Mac Gamer HQ 8:35 AM
"Mac gamers get their shot at Hitman: Absolution – Elite Edition this spring" TechnologyTell 8:08 AM
"Picture Collage Maker Pro Creating photo collages, scrapbooks, posters, invitations, calendars, and greeting cards from your digital photos." PearlMountain 7:55 AM
"iTunes Radio overtakes Spotify, gaining on iHeartRadio in U.S.: But Pandora, with a 31% market share, still dominates Internet music streaming." Fortune 8:24 AM
"iTunes Radio now third most popular streaming music service: Apple's online music service has surpassed Spotify among US users and is nipping at the heels of iHeartRadio, says a survey from Edison Research." CNET News 8:24 AM
"iTunes Radio Hits Top 3 in Online Music Streaming" The Mac Observer 8:33 AM
"Apple's iTunes Radio May Soon Be The Second Most-Popular US Music Streaming Service" AppAdvice 10:23 AM
"Apple's Larger iPhone Design Said to Be Inspired by iPhone 5c and iPod Nano" MacRumors 9:53 AM
"Apple May Pull The iPhone 5c, But Not Its Design" AppAdvice 9:54 AM
"iPhone 6 phablet will reportedly look more like an iPhone 5c than an iPhone 5s" BGR 10:23 AM
"Apple's next iPhones will look like both the iPhone 5C and the 7th-gen iPod Nano, iOS 8 details leak" Unwired View 11:11 AM
"Apple to Raise the Price of the iPhone 6 by $100?" iClarified 11:11 AM
"Apple tops UAE smartphone registrations, but Nokia still commands overall market" FierceWireless 8:21 AM
"Apple Gets Final Okay for New Union Square Store in S.F." Re/code 7:15 PM
"Apple gets official green light to build San Francisco flagship store" AppleInsider 7:59 PM
"Apple's 'spaceship' campus architect dishes details" CNET 11:09 AM
"Shaq reveals Apple fanboy credentials: Shaquille O'Neal is not ashamed to be a geek and claims he pays 'real money' for apps. He reveals that he can't wait for the iWatch and used to pester Steve Jobs for new products before they came out." CNET News 2:57 PM
"ZiiLabs (Formerly 3DLabs) Sues Apple & Samsung for Patent Infringement" Patently Apple 9:49 AM
"Apple to open hundreds of franchise shops in 2nd-tier Indian cities" Tech in Asia 8:42 AM
"Apple to open small stores in India, focus on entry-level iOS devices in battle for growing market" AppleInsider 7:20 PM
"Apple improves discounts for Loyalty Program buyers, adds iPhone" Electronista 8:22 AM
"Reverse Wardriving: Tracking Apple and Google Commuter Buses by Their Wi-Fi Clouds" Wired 8:12 AM
"Former Apple VP named GoDaddy's first female board member" 9to5Mac 11:08 AM
"iPhone helps save Utah soldier's life" KSL Utah 10:23 AM
"U.S. soldier says his iPhone helped save his life from a suicide bomber" 9to5Mac 10:23 AM
Non-Apple News
"Xbox Live goes down, crippling the launch of 'Titanfall'" The Verge 9:26 PM
"Titanfall Goes Up, Xbox Live Goes Down" TechCrunch 9:07 PM
"Xbox Live problems keep many Xbox One owners from calling in their Titan" Engadget 9:07 PM
"No, Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg is not joining Disney" VentureBeat 9:06 PM
"California Mulls How To Regulate Driverless Cars" Associated Press 8:57 PM
"Amazon said to be adding a music-streaming service" CNET News 7:15 PM
"N.S.A. Nominee Warns Cyberthreats Will Only Increase" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 2:59 PM
"Google Isn't Stopping Children From App Binges: Why can't Apple and Google save people from their profligate children?" Bloomberg Businessweek 11:48 AM
"Owner Of Sprint: I Want To Buy T-Mobile And Start A Price War With Verizon And AT&T" Agence France-Presse 8:31 AM
"Attackers trick 162,000 WordPress sites into launching DDoS attack" Ars Technica 11:47 AM
"Hackers turn 162,000 WordPress sites into DDoS attack tools" V3 8:30 AM
"Samsung Reveals Possible Future Flex Display Form Factors" Patent Bolt 7:36 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"The Road to Macworld -Rene Ritchie of iMore on iCloud and iBeacons" MacVoices 1:32 PM
"iOS 7.1 Includes iBeacon Enhancements – Allows 'Always On' Beacon Tracking" MacTrast 11:47 AM
"New in iOS 7.1, Apple TV 6.1, Xcode 5.1, Configurator 1.5, Remote 4.2" FairerPlatform 7:35 AM
"Apple Once Again Thanks Jailbreakers For Helping To Improve iOS Security" AppAdvice 8:05 AM
"Apple taunts jailbreak hackers by thanking them for making iOS 7.1 more secure" BGR 8:08 AM
"Check Which iOS 7.1 Features Are Available In Your Local Region Using This Chart" AppAdvice 8:09 AM
"Apple credits jailbreakers for iOS 7.1 security fixes" CNET News 9:51 AM
"iOS 8 Said To Take Maps To The Next Level With Added Data And Transit Directions" TechCrunch 8:47 AM
"Apple preps boatload of 'under-the-hood' upgrades for iOS 8 Maps" CNET News 11:11 AM
"iOS Details: Improved mapping and transit, indoor mapping in iOS 9" BGR 8:47 AM
"Finally: Apple Will Fix Its Maps This Year, Adding Transit Directions" Business Insider 8:46 AM
"Rumor: Design of Apple's new big-screen iPhone will be cross between iPhone 5c & 7th-gen iPod nano" AppleInsider 8:08 AM
"Samsung to Supply iPhone 6's Screaming A8 Chip (Report)" LAPTOP Magazine 8:36 AM
"Apple TV 6.1 Update Fixes 31 Security Flaws" Intego 11:47 AM
Granted Apple Patents
"Apple Granted 25 Patents Today Covering Siri, Smart Retail Store Packaging, Multitouch and Touch Screen Camera Functionality" Patently Apple 7:36 AM
"Apple tech monitors device aging, adjusts operating parameters to ensure optimal performance" AppleInsider 7:37 AM
"Apple wins patent on tech for auto-optimizing aging devices" MacNN 9:47 AM
"Apple Publishes Historic 'Tap To Focus' Camera Patent" Cult of Mac 8:12 AM
"Apple patent filing involves input with Siri" Apple Daily Report 7:38 AM
"Apple wins patent involving image capturing on iPhones, iPads" Apple Daily Report 7:37 AM
AppleCare/Helps
"You Can Fix A MacBook By Baking It In An Oven Like A Pie" ["We are NOT recommending you try this at home!"] Business Insider 10:22 AM
"iPhone/iOS discussion reports on Apple's new iOS 7.1 update, with a couple of notes about a Siri iCloud issue and disk space recovery via deleting old iTunes backups." MacInTouch 11:46 AM
"Help discussion has tips today about copying and archiving audio CDs, using various applications and bin/cue format; plus a question about an over-full IMAP server account and a note about boot problems." MacInTouch 11:46 AM
"Apple TV: How to change the language" Apple Support 3:01 PM
Price Trackers/Deals
"Mutant Mudds For iPhone And iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $8.99)" Apple Sliced 11:04 AM
"InstaFisheye -LOMO Fisheye Lens For Instagram For iPhone Is Free Right Now (Previously $1.99)" Apple Sliced 11:04 AM
"Heroes And Zombies For iPhone Is Free Today (Was $0.99)" Apple Sliced 11:04 AM
"iPhone, Galaxy, iPad, Nexus: Here's how they really rate/The InfoWorld Test Center has reevaluated today's mobile devices in light of a changing technology landscape" InfoWorld 8:50 AM
"Review: The Sonos Home Theater System Will Blow Your Mind" Business Insider 7:59 PM
"Flip Wallet Review: Magnetic Leather iPhone Credit Card Case" The Mac Observer 1:37 PM
"Review: The Slap stylus doubles as a middle-school fashion accessory" Macworld 8:23 AM
iPad/iPhone/iPod touch Apps
"UpWord Notes review: Gestures make note taking fast and fun" CNET Reviews 9:06 PM
"AppAdvice Daily: iOS 7.1 What's Cool, What's Not And Stuff To Look Forward To" AppAdvice 7:17 PM
"Refinements, additions, and un-breaking stuff: iOS 7.1 reviewed/Apple's first major iOS 7 update makes the operating system feel whole." Ars Technica 11:07 AM
"What's new in iOS 7.1? Safe for Jailbreak? New Features!" YouTube: iTwe4kz 8:01 AM
"Dario Offers Glucose Meter and Connected Apps for People with Diabetes" The Next Web 10:23 AM
"Appidemic: Letterarium for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch" TechnologyTell 8:08 AM
"Super Asteroid Attack Is Everything You Love About Classic Arcade Games [Review] Cult of Mac 8:13 AM
"Lyne review: Sit back and relax with this iOS game" Macworld 9:38 AM
"'Rise of Mana' Preview - Early Impressions Of Square Enix's Latest Action RPG" Touch Arcade 11:16 AM
"Uncanny Comics Review: Uncanny Comics is a great resource for interesting articles and exclusive interviews, but it needs some fine-tuning to make it more interactive and iOS-friendly." 148Apps 8:33 AM
"Microtrip Review: Microtrip is a simple, cheerful little physics-based arcade game where players steer a dynamic white blob through the body of a strange creature, eating white cells and dogging monsters along the way." 148Apps 11:16 AM
"Defenders & Dragons Review/Fans of Samurai vs Zombies Defense will feel right at home with its medieval counterpart: the excellent Defenders & Dragons." 148Apps 9:38 AM
How-To/Tutorial
"How to teach Siri some manners: New features introduced in iOS 7.1 and 7.0 can help Siri be more responsive and better-behaved, at least if you know where to look." CNET News 11:49 AM
"Make iOS 7.1 less nausea-inducing" Macworld 9:50 AM
"How to Turn Your iPad Into the Ultimate Video Rig" Wired 8:27 AM
"How to Set Up a Gmail Account in iOS 7" Apple Gazette 8:03 AM
Tips
"The Only Way to Double Your Phone's Battery Life: Smartphone cases pack in extra battery life but thickness is a small tradeoff and price can be a poor guide" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 7:59 PM
"Clean Installing iOS 7.1 May Fix iPad Air Low Memory Crashes" OS X Daily 3:02 PM
"VirnetX Vs. Apple At The CAFC: Why VirnetX Will Be Just Fine" Seeking Alpha 8:39 AM
"Should Apple Consider Celebrity Voice Options for Siri" Patently Apple 8:38 AM
"Steve Jobs Thought Two-Buttons For A Mouse Was A Failure In Design" Business Insider 8:47 AM
"Former Apple Engineer Recalls Steve Jobs' Great Displeasure with Multi-Button Mouse Concepts" MacRumors 8:23 AM
"Norman Foster Talks More About Apple's Spaceship Campus" Apple Gazette 8:04 AM
Non-Apple
"Tim Berners-Lee: 25 years on, the Web still needs work (Q&A)/The World Wide Web is a smashing technological success. But the man who invented it wants it to break down more cultural barriers, thwart government snooping, and let the Web run applications not just house documents." CNET News 7:21 PM
"New York Times Mobile App Plans to Dumb Readers Into Addiction" Kirkville 8:18 AM
"HBO chief's comments give a (glimmer) of hope for a la carte TV programming" Apple Daily Report 7:55 AM
"The Market Disrupting Power Of Free" Mac 360 7:36 AM
"Freezing Hell: Microsoft And Android Smartphones" PixoBebo 7:36 AM
"All-New BBC iPlayer Launches" The Next Web 8:29 AM
"Instagram update adds Lux control slider" iSource 8:18 AM
"We've just released a new free iOS game, donkulous Donkeys. It's an unapologetically hard but insanely addictive retro arcade game, inspired by Bill Gates' first one-and-only DOS game." kamcord 7:56 AM
"Apple is the second biggest seller of tablets in the Middle East and Africa" Apple Daily Report 7:55 AM
"GlassesOff Announces Successful Completion of iPhone/iPad iOS Soft Commercial Launch; End of Q2 2014 Planned Android Version Release" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"WEX Inc. Brings Rebranded Mobile Application to Market" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"Biometrics & Tech Leaders Move Forward With Developments: Company Displays Advanced Smart Wallet's Diverse Capabilities And Functionality" PRNewswire 7:54 AM
"Absolute Software Supports Apple's New Streamlined Device Enrollment Program" PRNewswire 7:54 AM
"Pixorial Goes Universal with Updated iOS 7 Tablet Functionality – The Best Photo and Video Sharing Service You Might Have Heard of Now Enhanced for iPad" PRWeb 7:54 AM
"A New Era for Creating Mobile Apps: iGenApps Brings Mobile App Development to Your Fingertips" PRWeb 7:54 AM
"Deep inside Windows 8.1's spring update: New changes in pictures" PCWorld 6:34 AM
"Microsoft delivers new batch of Surface firmware updates: For Patch Tuesday, Surface 2, Surface Pro, and Surface Pro 2 users get multiple keyboard, Bluetooth, and wireless network firmware updates." CNET News 12:17 PM
"March Patch Tuesday Updates May Fix Critical IE Flaw" Tom's Guide 8:26 AM
"Microsoft Surface 2 with LTE nearing launch" bit-tech 6:35 AM
"Microsoft: Windows XP Is So Old School, Just like Audio Cassettes" Softpedia 6:35 AM
"CeBIT: Microsoft security chief chilled by Internet of Things fridge-hacking threat" V3 6:40 AM
"Microsoft fired up about 'Titanfall' debut: The game is expected to be a blockbuster akin to 'Halo' or 'Call of Duty' — so much so that Microsoft hopes it will help boost sales of its Xbox One console in a big way." Seattle Times 6:44 AM
"Why the next Nexus tablet may run on Intel's new 64-bit quad-core processor" BGR 6:04 AM
"Intel puts its energy into smart grid development: Chip maker joins EEBus Initiative, a smart grid standards group, and is testing smart monitoring units in German electrical substations" Computerworld 6:02 AM
"Intel to release 800Gbps 'mega cable'" PC Retail 6:30 AM
"Intel announces super-fast 1.6 Tbit/sec optical cable for data centers" VR-Zone 6:30 AM
"ARM wrestles with Intel on micro servers: Might win on price" TechEye 6:29 AM
"ARM to see pricing advantages against Intel in micro-server industry" DigiTimes 6:31 AM
"AMD Thinks Highly of China Market" MENAFN.com 6:29 AM
"AMD is on the verge of a turnaround" TechEye 6:29 AM
"Dell malware report paints a scary picture" CSO 6:26 AM
"Dell UP2414Q review/Stunning monitor with superb colour accuracy but Ultra HD is an issue at 24 inches" Expert Reviews 6:27 AM
"HP gains traction with augmented reality service: The HP AR service, called Aurasma, has been used by 40,000 customers to provide interactive sessions on portable devices" Computerworld New Zealand 1:03 PM
"IBM Analytics Improve BMW Auto Quality: BMW takes a predictive look at sensor data to eliminate flaws in new models before they go into production." InformationWeek 12:16 PM
"Lenovo: IBM server strike ain't our problem" Gigaom 6:02 AM
"Lenovo says China strike an IBM matter, but it won't cut wages" Reuters 6:38 AM
"Ten workers reportedly sacked in IBM China strike/Summary: Workers continue to press for higher compensation as protests go into their ninth day over the IBM-Lenovo server deal." ZDNet 6:32 AM
"Strike at IBM's China factory falters as hundreds quit jobs" PCWorld 6:32 AM
"IBM Workers Strike Over Transfer To Lenovo: Protests at Chinese factory concern the terms of new contracts following IBM's agreement to sell its server business to Lenovo" TechWeekEurope 7:28 AM
"IBM supercomputer satisfies taste buds from food truck" USA Today 6:32 AM
"Valve open-sources its DirectX to OpenGL translation software: Here come the SteamOS and Linux games?" ExtremeTech 1:02 PM
"Super-thin optoelectronic diodes could finally make flexible, wearable tech a reality" ExtremeTech 1:02 PM
"This Chart Tells You Everything You Need To Know About The Current State Of The iPhone Business" Business Insider 9:53 AM
"Will This Upgrade Help Apple Today?" TheStreet 8:49 AM
"Apple Inc. Is Climbing Following Upgrade" RTTNews 8:58 AM
"Apple Investors Happy Icahn Has Called His Dogs Off" Wall St. Cheat Sheet 11:59 AM
"Apple Has an Identity Crisis: McNamee" Bloomberg TV 8:47 AM
Industry News
"Tech Stocks: Apple rises in weak day for tech stocks/Tech stocks waver in late trading; Twitter goes down for while due to a 'service issue'" MarketWatch 2:53 PM
"Stocks fall slightly but sense of calm prevails" CNNMoney 2:53 PM
"Stocks Slump Amid Ukraine Gridlock; Men's Wearhouse to Buy Jos. A. Bank" TheStreet 8:01 PM
"US stocks end slightly lower for a second day" Associated Press 8:01 PM
"Stocks Hit Session Lows After Oil Sinks" FOXBusiness 2:53 PM
"U.S. Stocks End Lower: Investors Pause After S&P 500's Recent Record Run" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 8:02 PM
"Asia Markets: Asian shares rise; Nikkei gives up gains on BOJ/Asian stocks rose on Tuesday, as markets bounced back from a punishingsession on Monday, while Japanese stocks gave up most of their early gains after the Bank of Japan stood pat on monetary policy." MarketWatch 7:03 AM
"Europe Markets: European stocks waver as banks fall; car makers rise/BMW rises after upbeat sales results/European stock markets struggled to push higher in a choppy session on Tuesday, with major banks leading markets lower, while BMW advanced after an upbeat February sales report." MarketWatch 7:04 AM
"Most active Nasdaq-traded stocks: Nasdaq's 10 most active stocks at the close of trading" Associated Press 7:11 PM
"Final Glance: Computer companies/Computer companies shares mixed at the close of trading" Associated Press 5:16 PM
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , A. Spaulding and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
Fishing Crew: A. Lindner, D. Stange, K. VanDam
Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
Mascots: Cyberdog, Clarus the Dogcow
General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!
