Apple released iTunes U 1.3.1 for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch on Tuesday. The update for the iTunes U online course management app added a pull-to-refresh gesture for checking for course updates, and also fixed an issue related to updating course information. iTunes U makes course updates easier with pull-to-refresh gesture The version 1.3.1…
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
FAA Easing Restrictions on Inflight iPhone, iPad Use
The skies may soon be a friendlier place for your iPhone and iPad if the Federal Aviation Administration follows through on a recommendation to lift a ban on using electronic devices in airplanes during takeoff and landing. The recommendation is under consideration by the agency following a report from a 28-person advisory panel that said…
B&N Drops Bombshell in DOJ's Price Fixing Case Against Apple
Online and brick-and-mortar book retailer Barnes & Noble shot a massive hole through the Department of Justice's ebook price fixing case against Apple on Tuesday. When Theresa Horner, B&N's Vice President of Digital Content, took the stand she told the court her company was already negotiating agency pricing deals with publishers before Apple was on…
Of Course iOS 7 is Broken, it's Beta
Apple gave the public its first preview of iOS 7 last week during its annual World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. A beta version just for iOS developers was released the same day, and it found its way to many people outside of that group who promptly started complaining about stability issues, non-functioning features,…
Wireless Emergency Alerts: What You Need to Know
U.S. cell service providers are rolling out support for Wireless Emergency Alerts. The service launched in spring 2012, and carriers have been slowly adding support since then. AT&T iPhone owners started receiving notifications over the weekend that they now have the feature, so what exactly is WEA? WEA is a system that local, state, and…
President Obama, Tim Cook Named in $20B NSA Privacy Lawsuit
Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with President Barak Obama, U.S. Attorney Genreal Eric Holder, NSA Director Keith Alexander, and the CEOs of several other companies have all been named in a US$20 billion class action lawsuit over privacy violations related to the PRISM domestic surveillance program. The lawsuit was filed by Larry Klayman who clearly…
OS X Mavericks: It's Really on the Map... In California
Apple dropped its cat-themed names for OS X with the introduction of OS X 10.9 on Monday and is now naming its operating systems after locations in California. OS X 10.9 is Mavericks, which isn't as high profile as other California spots such as San Francisco, or maybe the Golden Gate Bridge. So where exactly…
AirPort Extreme Gains 802.11ac, New Design UPDATE
Apple introduced a revamped AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi basestation at World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco on Monday. The new model supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and sports a redesigned body that can also hold a hard drive, turning the new Basestation into a TimeCapsule. The new Basestation was introduced along with updated MacBook Air models that…
OS X 10.9 Mavericks: Tabs, Tagging & Multiple Displays UPDATE
Apple gave users their first glimpse into OS X 10.9 on Monday during a keynote event at the company's annual World Wide Developer Conference in San Francisco. The next version of OS X does away with the cat naming scheme in favor of California locations — starting with Mavericks. OS X 10.9 Mavericks will also…
Can You Hear Me Now: NSA is Tracking Your Cell Calls UPDATED
If you think your cell phone activity is private, think again. The NSA reportedly obtained a court order requiring Verizon to hand over all kinds of data on subscriber activity — and not just for some customers, but for all customers. The order was issued secretly, and if the NSA targeted Verizon, there's a good…
Penguin Backs Apple in Ebook Price Fixing Trial
Penguin may have settled out of court in the Department of Justice ebook price fixing trial Apple is dealing with, but that hasn't stopped the publisher from backing the iPhone and iPad maker on the stand. Penguin CEO David Shanks took the stand on Tuesday to say that Apple was fine if negotiations didn't pan…
AirDrop May Finally Land in iOS 7
Apple's AirDrop feature makes it easy for Mac users to share files without any special setup, and while there was speculation that it would be a feature in iOS 6, it never materialized. Now there's word that Apple has been testing AirDrop for iOS 7 and it may finally show up on the iPhone, iPad,…
DOJ Ebook Price Fixing Trial Against Apple Starts Today
A U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit accusing Apple of colluding with publishers to artificially raise the price of ebooks is scheduled to start Monday in New York over a year after the Federal agency first made its accusations against the companies. Apple will be squaring off against the DOJ alone since the five publishers that…
Next iPhone to be Even More Retina
Apple's next iPhone model will bump its Retina Display to be evenmore Retina by increasing the total number of on screen pixels from 727,040 up to 1.5 million while keeping the same display size. That rumor comes from anonymous sources talking with Weiphone. Those sources said (English translation) the next iPhone will include a subtle…
Apple Ads Stay Positive Despite Microsoft's Negative Campaign
Apple has yet another new iPhone commercial out touting the smartphone's features by showing it as a personal device and a part of people's daily lives. In contrast, Microsoft's latest ads take a more negative spin by trying to show Apple's products are inferior. Apple's ads target emotion, not tech specs Apple's latest commercial shows…
Penguin Agrees to $75M Payout in ebook Price Fixing Settlement
Penguin is a step closer to ending its headaches over ebook price fixing allegations now that the publisher has agreed to a US$75 million settlement with states and consumers. The proposed settlement is part of a deal in a lawsuit that claims the company colluded with other publishers and Apple to artificially raise the price…
Senator Paul: Stop Bullying Apple
While Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Carl Levin (D-MI) are accusing Apple of using shelters in other countries to avoid paying U.S. taxes, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is accusing the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of bullying Apple. Senator Paul's comments came on Tuesday during a subcommittee hearing into corporate tax practices in Washington DC. Senator…
Samsung's Answer to App Developer Interest: We'll Pay You, Maybe
Samsung is hoping to draw more developers to the Android OS platform and to spark interest in the Group Play feature on the Galaxy S4 smartphone with a contest that includes US$800,000 in prize money. Group Play lets Galaxy S4 users share content like photos, music and games, and for the feature to take off,…
MiniPlayer Gets Album Art View in iTunes Update
Apple released iTunes 11.0.3 on Thursday with several changes including a new album artwork view in the MiniPlayer. iTunes is Apple's media player and management app as well as the gateway to the company's music, video, movie, and iOS app stores. iTunes 11.0.3 adds interface improvements and security patches The 11.0.3 update also added a…
The iPhone's Hidden Image Editor
Your iPhone or iPod touch makes for a handy camera, and both can take nice images. That doesn't, however, mean you won't need to make some quick adjustments on the go. You can turn to a long list of apps designed to help with that, including Apple's own iPhoto, but if you only need to…
Amazon Targets Photo Stream with Cloud Drive Photos
Amazon unveiled its Cloud Drive Photos for the iPhone and iPod touch over the weekend along with a companion Mac app in what looks like a move to compete with Apple's iCloud Photo Stream feature. Cloud Drive Photos includes 5 GB of storage and lets users upload images to their Amazon Cloud and then download…
T-Mobile Q1 iPhone 5 Sales Hit 500K
T-Mobile's first fiscal quarter results are out and show the company's iPhone 5 sales hit 500,000 during the one month Apple's smartphone was available. The carrier began officially offering the iPhone on April 12, making it the last of the big cell service providers to get in on Apple's smartphone game. This marked the seventh…
NPD Pins Retina iPad mini Production for June
Apple will start up production on the Retina Display version of the iPad mini in June or July, according to NPD DisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim. He also said the displays for the new iPad mini will come from LG and not Samsung. “Samsung is currently not in the iPad Mini and they won't be in…
Low Price iPhones: There's a Model for That
The idea that Apple is going to make a cheap iPhone just doesn't sit well with me because the low-end market is something the company has historically been willing to leave for its competitors to fight over. That said, Apple also has its own way of systematically working its way down the market ladder and…