Apple and A123 Systems settle employee poaching lawsuit A123 filed its lawsuit against Apple and the five employees the iPhone and Mac maker hired. All were named in the filing. The company said Apple hired their CFO Mujeeb Ijaz, who then lured away four more employees over an eight month window. A123 said they were…
Jeff Gamet
Jeff Gamet is the Mac Observer’s Managing Editor, and co-host of the Apple Context Machine podcast. He is the author of “The Designer’s Guide to Mac OS X” from Peachpit Press, and writes for several design-related publications. Jeff has presented at events such as Macworld Expo, the RSA Conference, and the Mac Computer Expo. In all his spare time, he also hosts TMO’s Daily Observations podcast, co-hosts The iOS Show podcast, and makes guest appearances on several other shows, too. Jeff dreams in HD.
Articles by Jeff Gamet
Fiat Chrysler CEO Talks Cars with Apple's Tim Cook
Fiat and Apple CEO meeting backs up Apple's car plans Mr. Marchionne said Tim Cook is “interested in Apple's intervention in the car, that's his role,” according to Reuters. He didn't elaborate on what he meant, but his comment does add more weight to reports that Apple is designing an electric car. The Mac Observer's…
Home Depot Drops Apple Pay Support
Home Depot to customers: No Apple Pay for you Home Depot told iPhone toting customers who asked about the change, We currently do not accept Apple Pay in our local stores or online. We do have the option of using PayPal, in store or online. Since Apple Pay uses NFC, or near field communication, for…
Japan Postal Workers Team with Apple, IBM to Monitor the Elderly
iPads to help check up on senior citizens in Japan Currently postal workers check in on the elderly on their delivery routes as a paid service. Putting iPads in the hands of senior citizens will make it easier to check their status and, thanks to the apps IBM is developing, will help them stay in…
Tim Cook: Apple Watch Coming to Other Countries in Late June
Apple wants to launch Apple Watch sales in more countries in June “Right now, Watch demand is greater than supply. We've made progress over the last week or so,” Mr. Cook said during Apple's second fiscal quarter earnings conference call. “We're in a good position, and by late June we anticipate we can begin to…
Twitter's New 'DM Everyone' Sucks, But it's Off by Default
Twitter opens the door to private messages… sort of Twitter's Direct Message, or DM, feature has been a way for people to carry on a private conversation. It's been limited to users who follow each other—something that cuts down on just who can chat privately with each other, but also cut out the possibility for…
Apple CEO Tim Cook Makes TIME's Most Influential List
Apple CEO Tim Cook ranked as one of TIME's most influential people for 2015 Mr. Cook's entry on the list was penned by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), who is also a civil rights proponent. He said, Tim is unwavering in his support of an individual's right to privacy and is not only embracing equality and…
LA Schools to Apple: Give Us Back Our Money
LA school district backed out of iPad contract and now wants its money back Current Superintendent Ramon Cortines said, “I don't believe we can afford a device for every student,” according to the LA Times. “Education shouldn't become the gimmick of the year.” The school district signed a deal with Apple and Pearson under former…
Apple CEO Tim Cook goes on the Auction Block Again for Human Rights
Apple CEO Tim Cook supporting human rights through Charitybuzz auction Mr. Cook's 2013 auction raised $610,000 for the RFK Center, and his 2014 auction brought in another $300,000. Charitybuzz is expecting this year's auction to bring in at least $100,000. Bidding is currently sitting at $37,500, but you have until May 6 to break out…
USPTO Hands Podcasters a Win, Invalidates Personal Audio's Patent
USPTO throws a wrench in Personal Audio's paten lawsuit scheme The Electronic Frontier Foundation helped spearhead the effort to invalidate the patent. EFF Staff Attorney Daniel Nazer commented, “We're glad the Patent Office recognized what we all knew: 'podcasting' had been around for many years and this company does not own it.” Personal Audio found…
U.S. Apple Watch Pre-orders hit 975K on First Day
Apple ran through at least 975,000 Apple Watch pre-orders last Friday Apple launched Apple Watch pre-orders on Friday, April 10 as 12:01AM pacific time. Deliveries should start arriving on April 24. 62 percent of Friday's Apple Watch pre-orders were made up of the Apple Watch Sport which customers spending an average of US$382.83 per watch.…
Raymond James Downgrades AAPL Because Apple Watch isn't Insanely Great
Apple Watch reviews spur Raymond James analyst to downgrade AAPL The general consensus from early reviews is that you'll want Apple Watch, but don't need it. That, coincidentally, is exactly what can be said about anything that isn't necessary for basic survival needs—like oxygen. “Although the financial impact of the Apple Watch is almost immaterial…
iTunes Update Improves Mac Photos Compatibility
iTunes update improves Photos importing on the Mac Along with better Photos support, the 12.1.2 update includes stability improvements along with refinements to the iTunes Get Info window. Photos is the new replacement app for iPhoto. Like iPhoto, and Photos on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac version manages your photo library and includes basic…
AP Photos Review Says OS X 10.10.3 Coming Wednesday
AP may have jumped the gun on Apple's OS X 10.10.3 release news Apple has released several public beta updates leading up to the official rollout of OS X 10.10.3 and the new Photos app. Photos replaces iPhoto as the Mac's standard photo management app. It also replaces Apple's pro-level photo manager and editor, Aperture,…
Angela Ahrendts to Retail Staff: Push Online Apple Watch Sales
Apple wants us to buy Apple Watch online, not in its stores The memo marks a big change for Apple because its stores have always been the place to go see new products, make a purchase, and walk out the door with a brand new laptop, iPhone or iPad. In a memo obtained by Business…
Star Wars goes Digital, Coming to iTunes and Amazon
Star Wars is finally going digital The movies will include deleted scenes, cast and crew interviews, and behind-the-scenes looks into all six movies. There isn't any word on which versions of the movies we'll get this Friday—the original theatrical releases, or the updated bonus special effects versions that completely kill the growth of Han Solo.…
Apple Bans Felons from Space Ship Campus Construction
Felony convictions cost construction workers jobs at Apple campus site News of the now out of work construction crew came courtesy of Iron Workers Local Union 377 and site workers speaking with the San Francisco Chronicle. DPR, the company overseeing the construction project, sent the workers packing because being a charged or convicted felon “does…
OmniFocus 2 for iPad goes Universal, Now Runs on iPhone
OmniFocus 2 goes universal OmniFocus is a task management app that lets you organize your to-do lists based on projects, and can alert you to upcoming tasks based on location. Your task lists can synchronize automtically between multiple iOS and OS X devices. The 2.1 version of OmniFocus adds universal support, which brings pretty much…
Dolby VP Mike Rockwell Jumps Ship for Apple
Mr. Rockwell served as the leader for Dolby's Advanced Technology Group, and was involved in the company's Dolby Vision display technology, according to 9to5Mac. He has also been a part of Dolby's home theater product designs, along with the company's mobile products. Apple hired Tomlinson Holman, Lucasfilm's TXH sound system inventor, in 2011 for its…
Amazon Wants to Turn You Home into a Web Store with Dash Buttons
Amazon Dash turns your home into an online ordering tool The just launched program lets Amazon Prime subscribers pick up three of the key fob-size buttons so they can order items like laundry detergent, razor blades, and diapers without making a trip to their computer or having to pull their smartphone out of their pocket.…
Adonit, Evernote Intro Higher Precision Jot Script 2 iPad Stylus
Evernote and Adonis's new Jot Script 2 pressure sensitive iPad sylus The Jot Script 2's built-in lithium-ion batter charges in about 45 minutes and sports a thinner body compared to the original Jot Script. Like other styluses from Adonit, the Jot Script 2 uses a USB adapter for recharging. The stylus uses an updated version…
Facebook is Tracking You Even if You Don't Have an Account
Facebook can track everyone online thanks to website plug-ins Facebook's tracking uses Web browser cookies to track online activity, and those cookies can be set regardless of whether or not you have a Facebook account thanks to the Like button plug-ins that appear on many sites. The company's extensive tracking shouldn't come as a big…
In-store Apple Watch Purchases will Require Appointments
Want an Apple Watch right away? Make a reservation. Internal Apple documents obtained by MacRumors say customers will need to use an online form to reserve a specific watch model at a specific store they can then go in to buy. The new Product Reservation system will be used in lieu of the Personal Pickup…
UK Safari Users can Sue Google Over Unwanted Browser Cookies
Get ready for privacy violation lawsuits against Google in the UK The Court of Appeal said in its ruling, These claims raise serious issues which merit a trial. They concern what is alleged to have been the secret and blanket tracking and collation of information, often of an extremely private nature… about and associated with…