• Apple iOS 4.3.3 iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Direct Download Repository

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Download, Featured, iPad, iPhone 12 Responses

    Apple just released iOS 4.3.3. It’s available now in iTunes if you check for updates.

    As mentioned iOS 4.3.3 improves the way iPhones and iPads handle the location tracking database stored on-device by making is smaller and encrypted. The location database will be no longer backed up to iTunes and it will be deleted entirely when Location Services are turned off.

    Here are the direct links for iOS 4.3.3:

    Or this more handy table for the complete set:

    device current version date found
    AppleTV(2G) (AppleTV2,1) 4.2.1 (8F202) 03/22/2011 16:12:01
    iPad (iPad1,1) 4.3.3 (8J3) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPad2,1 (iPad2,1) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPad2,2 (iPad2,2) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPad2,3 (iPad2,3) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPhone (iPhone1,1) 3.1.3 (7E18) 04/08/2010 21:05:48
    iPhone3G (iPhone1,2) 4.2 (8C148) 11/22/2010 13:08:57
    iPhone3GS (iPhone2,1) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPhone4 (iPhone3,1) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPhone4(vz) (iPhone3,3) 4.2.8 (8E401) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPodTouch(2G) (iPod2,1) 4.2 (8C148) 11/22/2010 13:08:57
    iPodTouch(3G) (iPod3,1) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    iPodTouch(4G) (iPod4,1) 4.3.3 (8J2) 05/04/2011 13:19:01
    last updated: 05/04/2011 13:20:01 EDT

  • EA Acquires Firemint

    // Gradly // blog, Games, iPad, iPhone, News No Responses

    Indie Studio Firemint, the Australian company that has produced iPhone and iPad gaming hits like “Flight Control” and “Real Racing,” which have 4.5 million and about 2 million downloads in the App Store, is about to be acquired by the game giant within the next four weeks. EA announced that they’ll likely close the deal soon, giving no financial details regarding the acquisition.

    “The Firemint team is remarkable for its critical and commercial success,” said Barry Cottle, Executive Vice President and General Manger of EA Interactive. “Having them as part of EAi will accelerate our position as worldwide leader in game development for mobile devices and online gaming platforms.”

    The agreement follows EA’s recent acquisition of Mobile Post Production Inc. (MPP), the worldwide leader in high quality cross-platform development and porting of games for smartphones.

    Late last month, Firemint released an HD version of “Real Racing 2,” which allows users with the iPad 2 to hook up the device to a 1080p HDTV. Users can disconnect without interuppting the game, Firemint said.

  • Can iPad Recreate The Magic of Microsoft Courier Using Taposé?

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Gadgets, iPad, Microsoft, Rants & Raves No Responses

    We all remember Microsoft Courier, the highly anticipated but ultimately cancelled dual-screen tablet. Here is what GIZMODO had to say about the device:

    Courier is a real device, and we’ve heard that it’s in the “late prototype” stage of development. It’s not a tablet, it’s a booklet. The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They’re connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre.

    Despite the fact that the Courier video about was little more than a tech demo, it turned heads like few other announcements in tech history. Part journal, part “digital scrapbook”, the Courier concept was everything Microsoft is least known for: enigmatic, magical, startlingly intuitive, strikingly beautiful.

    Part of what made Courier so exciting was how open-ended and freeform it was: it envisioned a future in which information is gathered, scattered, circled, captioned and written by hand, then tossed between the margins with (I imagine) a sort of da-Vinci-meets-Evernote bliss. It’s no surprise that, to many of us, Courier’s “death”—its entire existence a vaporware dream—was one of the sadder days in this industry.

    But now, some measure of the “little notebook that could” is coming back. A Kickstarter project called Taposé aims to bring Courier-like functionality (including split views, drag-and-drop mapping and organizing, and the infamous “Middle Bar”) to the iPad. It’s too soon to tell exactly what features will be included, and of course, the Courier was designed for use with a pen, but the Taposé project has already received nearly $15,000 in funding, with another 19 days to go. That means the project is legitimate, it’s got capital, and it’s really happening!

    Head on over to Taposé to see more about what went into the elaborate re-imagining of what’s considered by many to be Microsoft’s best idea to date. Could our iPads recreate some of that magic?

    [via appadvice]

  • Apple’s Q2 2011 Results Conference Call Highlights

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, iPad, iPhone, News No Responses

    Apple on Wednesday reported its best second quarter ever, with $24.67 billion in revenue and $5.99 billion in profit, propelled by sales of 18.65 million iPhones. Following the news, Apple executives participated in a conference call with analysts and here are the highlights:

    Apple’s iPhone sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2011 were an increase of 113 percent from a year ago. Mac sales also grew 28 percent to 3.76 million. Apple also sold 4.69 million iPads, a number that was below Wall Street expectations of about 6.2 million.

    Apple’s regional business segments

    • Apple’s revenue in America increased 87 percent in the second quarter of fiscal 2011.
    • Apple’s greatest growth came from Asia, where profits increased by 151 percent.
    • Japan also did well on the Mac for the quarter, and Cook said the U.S. had a “surprisingly” strong quarter for Mac sales.
    • Market share is less outside the U.S. in most places. Cook sees it as an opportunity for even more growth in the future.
    • “The momentum is still there. We seem to be the only guys that are focused on building innovative products in this space.”

    Apple’s Mac business

    • Mac sales during the quarter were 3.76 million, a 28 percent increase year over year.
    • Greatest Mac sales ever for a March quarter.
    • iPad has created a “halo effect” for the Mac, Cook said, driving sales in the enterprise.

    Apple’s iPhone business

    • iPhone sales grew an astounding 113 percent year over year, reaching 18.65 million for the quarter.
    • All-time quarterly record for iPhone sales.
    • Sales in America and Asia Pacific regions more than doubled year over year.
    • Strong growth in the enterprise segment. 88 percent of Fortune 500 are testing or deploying the iPhone. Examples: Cisco, Prudential, Boston Scientific, General Motors, Deloitte, Xerox.
    • Regarding the Japan earthquake, Cook said the economic impact “pales in comparison to the human impact.”
    • Impact in Q2 was not major. Does not see a major impact in Q3, but Cook cautioned that the situation remains volatile, particularly with aftershocks and potential power outages.
    • Apple employees have been working around the clock on contingency plans. Preference has been to remain with long-term partners in Japan. “They have displayed an incredible resilience that I’ve personally never seen before,” Cook said.
    • Cook: iPhone sales were “off the charts” in the U.S., with 155 percent year over year growth, thanks in part to Verizon. Also noted that AT&T did “extremely well.”
    • “We continued to be on a tear in China. Greater China saw iPhone sales being up over three times, almost 250 percent,” Cook said.
    • Cook said the $49 iPhone 3GS was “very popular, it did very well.”
    • “We are constantly looking at where we should bring on incremental partners,” Cook said. Apple brought on three large partners this quarter, particularly Verizon in the U.S.
    • iPhone focus has been on China. Overall sales in China was just less than $5 billion, or 10 percent of Apple. Cook said it’s a “sea change.”
    • Cook said Apple employees see Chief Executive Steve Jobs on a regular basis. He also said that Jobs wants to be back at work full-time as soon as he can be.
    • Cook said Samsung is a valuable partner in supplying components for devices.
    • “We felt the mobile communication division of Samsung ahd crossed the line, and after trying for some time to work out the issue, we decided we needed to rely on the courts.”

    Apple’s iPad business

    • Apple sold 4.69 million iPads during its second fiscal quarter of 2011, as the company struggled to keep up with demand for the iPad 2.
    • Oppenheimer said the company is “thrilled” with momentum for the iPad.
    • “We sold every iPad 2 that we could make during the quarter, and would have liked to end the quarter with more channel inventory,” Oppenheimer said.
    • Corporate demand for iPad is strong. 75 percent of Fortune 500 are testing or deploying iPad within their enterprises. Include companies: Xerox, AutoNation, ADP, Boston Scientific, Estee Lauder, Disney, Rite Aid.
    • Combining iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, Apple reached just under 189 million iOS devices sold.
    • On iPad 2 constraints: Cook called the demand “staggering.” Said the company is “heavily backlogged” in the face of demand.
    • “We are shipping to an additional 13 countries next week, and we’re planning to add even more countries through the quarter,” Cook said. He’s confident that the company will produce “a very large number of iPads” in the quarter.
    • Cook: Product transitions are never simple. Apple drew the channel down on the first-generation iPad by 570k units during the quarter, and added, at the end of the quarter, 170k of the new iPad 2s, although most of it was in transit.
    • Sell-through was about 5 million for the quarter. “This has to be planned quite a ways in the future.”
    • Won’t say breakdown of iPad 2 vs. iPad 1 sales for the quarter due to competitive reasons. But Cook said he wishes Apple could have produced a lot more iPad 2s.
    • Cook: iPad 2 is “the mother of all backlogs.”

    Apple’s iPod business

    • iPod sales were 9.02 million for the quarter, a 17 percent decline from the same period in 2010.
    • Total iPod sales were ahead of Apple’s expectations. iPod touch accounts for more than half of all iPods sold.
    • Apple’s share of MP3 players remain north of 70 percent. Still the top media player in most countries.
    • Revenue of almost $1.1 billion in iTunes. Best quarter ever.

    Apple’s retail business

    • Retail sales were up 32 percent in the second quarter of fiscal 2011, and in-store revenue from Mac sales was up 90 percent.
    • 10th anniversary of Apple retail stores is on May 19.
    • In the coming days, Apple will host its 1 billionth retail visitor.
    • About half of Macs sold in stores were to customers who never owned a Mac before.
    • In March quarter, Apple stores set up more than 1 million products.
    • Revenue from retail stores was $3.19 billion, an increase of 90 percent.
    • 323 stores in the quarter, with average revenue of $9.9 million, an increase of 67 percent.
    • International retail store volume exceeds average U.S. store volume.
    • Anticipate opening 40 new stores in fiscal 2011, nearly three-quarters outside of the U.S., including a fifth store in China.

    Apple’s next (Q3 2011) fiscal quarter

    • Apple provided guidance of about $23 billion in revenue and diluted earnings per share of $5.03 for its third fiscal quarter of 2011.
    • Projected gross margin of 41.4 percent. Expect the tax rate to be about 25 percent.
    • Guidance of $23 billion is a 7 percent sequential decline, uncharacteristic for Apple.

    [collected via: appleinsider]