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During the April 24, 2012 Apple Financial Results Conference Call, Tim Cook responded to an analyst question about a possible Apple hybrid product, one that can be used as both a MacBook and an iPad. He responded: Well, I think anything can be forced to merge. But the problem is that the products are about…

The dissenting vote came from Commissioner Sarah Eckhardt who said she had hoped Apple would’ve been required to promise more in exchange for the incentives, according to the Austin Business Journal.Tax incentives for Apple’s Austin center gets the go aheadApple now stands to get between US$5.4 million and $6.4 million in tax rebates from the…

Research in Motion made the case for the continued relevance of its BlackBerry platform during its Blackberry World keynote Tuesday morning. Three months after taking the helm at the struggling company, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins took the floor to argue for the “unique value” that BlackBerry delivers to its customers. Distinguishing BlackBerry customers from those…

Chart by The Mac Observer from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners data.The study, conducted in February, asked new iPad customers where they had purchased their product. As mentioned above, 26 percent of iPads were bought directly from Apple’s online and retail stores while long-time Apple partner Best Buy accounted for 24 percent. Walmart, with 11 percent, came…

“Apple reinstated @napkinstudio cancelled WWDC tickets. Still real annoying we had to go through all of that. Need better process next year,” the developer wrote. Andrew Gould Tweet Tickets for this year’s WWDC went on sale early on April 25th and sold out in just under two hours. Later that same day, several developers, including…

Apple Chomps Android Support… The decision to drop Android was expected—Apple has a long track record of limiting software and services that it buys to its own platforms. From Final Cut Pro to Quattro Wireless (which became iAd) to Siri, Apple either dropped support for other platforms or has limited development and implementation to OS…

Despite suggestions to the contrary raised by The New York Times this weekend, Apple pays “an enormous amount of taxes,” the company argued in a letter published by The Times on Saturday. The highly-profitable electronics company also referenced its controversial data released in March on the number of jobs it “creates or supports” in the United States,…

This week, we’re taking a look at the setup of TMO reader Jason (a.k.a “aftermac” on the forums). Jason, as you can see from the pictures, feels he has a bit of a “problematic” hobby. With 84 computers from all eras of computing history, however, we here at TMO think his only problem is an…

The film, written by Matt Whiteley, “chronicles Steve Jobs from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple, where he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time.” Mr. Gad, 31 years old, is best known from his role in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon, a religious satire musical written by South Park creators…

Poaching Apple Mr. Fay will be getting a new title at J.C. Penney, serving as executive vice president of real estate, store design and development, a significant step up from a senior director. “Ben is an incredibly creative professional with extraordinary leadership skills. Having worked with him over the last 12 years, I am delighted…

At first look, this didn’t strike me as a fair or wise way to have handled the ticket sales. What exactly was Apple thinking?Many west cost developers are missing out on WWDC this year According to John Martellaro, my colleague here at The Mac Observer, “events unfolded exactly as Apple wished…The developer community in California…

I really love getting something new to review from Just Mobile because I know it’s going to be interesting, beautiful and well made. The Highway car charger lives up to my expectations. It charges iPhones, iPods, and iPads. The MSRP is US$34.99. I found it on Amazon for about the same price, but shipping will be better from…

On Tuesday, Apple reported revenue of $39.2 billion and earnings per share (EPS) of $12.30, both of which were above Wall Street expectations. Consensus estimates had expected $36.8 billion in revenue and EPS of $10.04. “[Apple] reported an impressive March quarter fueled by a big iPhone upside,” the analyst wrote. “This was surprising in light…

Tickets for WWDC are priced at US$1,599 each, and you must be a member of Apple’s iOS Developer, iOS Developer Enterprise, or Mac Developer programs. Ticket purchases are limited to one per person, or up to five per organization. Each ticket includes full access to all WWDC 2012 session, labs and events. Age Limits Apple…

Apple CEO Tim Cook When asked by an analyst whether a time would come when Apple would rather put all the patent litigation behind it and instead focus on out-innovating the competition, Mr. Cook replied that he “hates litigation” and would prefer to find a fair settlement from which the company can move on.Mr. Cook…

Zynaptiq PitchmapSome exhibitors at Musikmesse have huge booths, so smaller companies have to be creative to compete for the show’s visitors’ attention. An excellent method to catch people’s eyes — at least in the keyboard and DAW software halls — is to prominently display a vintage synthesizer. Software maker Zynaptiq did just that, and it…

Source: Yahoo! Finance The primary driver for the sell-off appears to be concerns over iPhone growth, concerns sparked by a downgrade on April 9th by Walter Piecyk of BTIG Research. Mr. Piecyk argued that an effort by U.S. carriers to cut back on smartphone subsidies would result in slowing iPhone sales going forward. While some…

Intel’s Kirk Skaugen speaking Monday on Intel’s plans for Thunderbolt. Kirk Skaugen, corporate vice president and general manager of Intel’s PC Client Group, made the Thunderbolt device predictions during an Intel event focused on Ivy Bridge processors. He said that the growing number of Apple computers with Thunderbolt — all current Apple computers, except for…

FULL-DISKfighter (US$9.99) from SpamFighter is a new disk utility meant to slim down your Mac’s hard drive. How it goes about this is by scanning your Mac for files it considers unnecessary or redundant.  It’s broken down into three sections. The first one is Fast Clean Up which searches for junk files such as files…

A new volume licensing agreement called Companion Device License (CDL) will give customers rights to access Windows 8 desktops via a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) on up to four personally owned devices. In simplified terms, the CDL allows an employee of a business with Windows 8 volume licensing to use Citrix, VMware, or other remote…

LapDawg has introduced the X-4 Aluminum which converts from a flat, easy to store unit into a 20-in tall TV tray, a breakfast tray, or a laptop tray. Other configurations are possible as well. X-4 Aluminum in stowed position (LapDawg)The arms rotate 360°, operate with push buttons, and the joints auto-lock. The push buttons have degree marks…

If you’d like your workspace featured on TMO Workspaces, just send high-quality pictures and descriptions of your equipment to [email protected] with the subject line “TMO Workspaces”. This week, we’ll be taking a look at Mac Observer and Macworld senior contributor Ted Landau. Ted has a handsome custom-designed desk by Techline, as well as matching storage…

Apple already employs 2,800 at the Cork location, making it one of the top five multinational employers in Ireland—the company has had a presence in Cork for over 30 years. The location serves Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa and provides technical support, online sales, manufacturing and finance services.Apple also recently announced plans to…