Apple

The first man to "jailbreak" the original iPhone has done so again with the new 3GS model. Jailbreaking means users who install a piece of unauthorized software are then able to run any applications they like, not just those from the official App ... Store. George Hotz cracked the security system on the 3GS in just two weeks, releasing a Windows version of his jailbreaking tool, dubbed purp1erain, on Friday. Yesterday afternoon he released a Mac edition of the same tool. According to Hotz, his work was relatively easy. He took advantage of a security loophole discovered in the last new ... (view more)

Apple fans will be encouraged to hear that the company's iconic CEO Steve Jobs has returned from medical leave. Jobs had been away for several months due to what Apple has described as a "hormone imbalance". News of Jobs' recent health issues ... emerged back in January , when several reports suggested the dynamic Apple co-founder was suffering from an undisclosed but perhaps serious medical problem. Some insiders even worried that Jobs, who most can tell has lost a significant amount of weight, could have been experiencing the return of pancreatic cancer, which sidelined him several ... (view more)

Apple is celebrating after the latest incarnation of the iPhone sold a million units in its first weekend. However, the firm has issued compensation to some customers who were unable to fully activate their handsets. The sales figures of the 3G S ... are keeping pace with the 3G, which came out last August. That's an impressive number, given that many consumers are cutting back on spending this year and that there are no revolutionary changes to the new model other than an improvement in speed. Pre Sales Figures May be Inflated It's worth remembering that Apple's counting methods are considered ... (view more)

Four senators have written to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling for an investigation into exclusive deals between cellphone manufacturers and network carriers. Though the letter doesn't name any particular companies, it appears ... that Apple's deal with AT ... (view more)

According to popular blog TechCrunch, Apple is in the process of finalizing a sales pitch for Twitter that would see them acquire the microblogging platform for an estimated $700 million. The report comes off the heels of a different rumor ... suggesting that Apple is also in the process of securing the popular computer-game maker Electronic Arts. Rising Popularity to Explain Apple's Interest Oprah and Ashton Kutcher are not the only ones using Twitter. The social networking haven has attracted new users by the hundreds each day since its inception back in 2006. While Apple declined to comment on ... (view more)

According to reports, Apple is planning to cut its laptop, the MacBook, by around $100-$150. It's as much a response to the competition from netbooks as to the recession. The main source of the rumors is the usually reliable Appleinsider.com site. ... It says Apple's plans to develop a tablet computer -- perhaps like a much larger iPod Touch -- will wind up taking longer than expected. (Source: appleinsider.com ) That's a blow to plans that the tablet will stop users defecting to netbooks, the increasingly popular slimmed-down laptops which offer basic functionality, notably web surfing, at a ... (view more)

Apple has made a move towards constructing its own line of chips by acquiring the services of several IBM and Nintendo designers. It's believed the move is meant to help the company save money in the future. Ask any number of people to name the ... makers of the Mac, iPhone or iPod and expect almost everyone to say " Apple ". However, the truth is that there are many other additional companies needed to manufacture such small, yet complex devices, and so simply answering "Apple" does not tell the whole story. When Apple purchased chipmaker P.A. Semi back in April 2008, many viewed the acquisition ... (view more)

There's nothing hotter in the computer world than the "Netbook" . These slim, light, 8.9" and 10.2" systems feature impressive speed and abilities, so long as you're not looking for a Crysis fix on-the-go. And yet, industry powerhouse Apple doesn't ... seem to want a piece of the pie. Earlier this year, Apple COO Tim Cook referred to netbooks as "much less powerful" than the minimum requirements of the average user. Even with sales of Acer's Aspire One, HP's Mini-Note, and Lenovo's IdeaPad soaring, Apple's execs could only muster this in describing their own feelings about the market: "We are ... (view more)

U.S. soldiers are being issued iPod touches; however, it's not a morale-boosting exercise or a way to combat boredom, but a low-cost way to give them access to important portable tools. In the past, the Army gave soldiers dedicated electronic ... devices for key tasks such as on-the-spot translation. However, officials found this proved expensive, particularly when they had to issue different devices for different tasks. This approach also meant the military bore the costs of researching and developing the hardware and didn't get as many economies of scale as with consumer devices. (Source: cnet. ... (view more)