iMac buyers can now opt for a solid-state drive
Apple buyers eyeing an iMac now have a choice between a conventional hard drive and a solid-state drive.Speedier than their mechanical counterparts, solid-state drives are available as options on both the 21.5-inch and the 27-inch iMacs. The 21.5-inch iMac offers a 256GB SSD for an extra $300 and a 512GB SSD for an extra $600. The 27-inch model presents the same options and throws in a 768GB SSD for an additional $900.If those figures seem too pricey, buyers can stick with a regular serial ATA hard drive. Apple includes a 1TB hard drive in the overall price of both model iMacs and offers a 3TB drive option on the larger-screen model for an extra $150.Customers who can't decide between conventional hard drives and SSDs can taste both worlds through Apple's Fusion drives. A Fusion drive combines 128GB of flash storage with a mechanical disk drive of either 1TB or 3TB in size. A 1TB Fusion drive costs an extra $250, while the 3TB option for the 27-inch iMac brings the price up another $400. Correction 9:36 a.m. PT: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect price for the 1TB Fusion drive. It costs an extra $250. Correction 11:49 a.m. PT: An earlier version of this story misstated the size of the regular serial ATA hard drive on the iMacs. The hard drive is 1TB.
Monday, March 23, 2015
iFixIt and Chipworks offer Apple A4 chip teardown
iFixIt and Chipworks offer Apple A4 chip teardown
The A4 has three layers: two layers of RAM (Samsung K4X1G323PE), and one layer containing the actual microprocessor.This Package-on-Package construction gives Apple the flexibility to source the RAM from any manufacturer it wants; it's not locked into Samsung.Samsung's 1Gb mobile DDR SDRAM (x2), with part number on each die being K4X1G323PE.Decoding this part number shows there is 2Gb of memory inside. This translates into ~128MB of memory per die, for 256MB total.There's not much revolutionary here. In fact, the A4 is quite similar to the Samsung processor Apple uses in the iPhone. It's clear from both hardware and software that this is a single-core processor, so it must be the ARM Cortex A8, and not the rumored multicore A9.In addition to looking at the details of the A4 chip, the teardown takes a peek at other components of the iPad, including the Broadcom and Texas Instruments controllers for the touch screen, as well as the audio, I/O, and power management units in the device.If you like close-up pictures of circuit boards and semiconductors, check out the full teardown.For the original iPad teardown from iFixIt, see this article.Questions? Comments? Post them below or e-mail us!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.
The A4 has three layers: two layers of RAM (Samsung K4X1G323PE), and one layer containing the actual microprocessor.This Package-on-Package construction gives Apple the flexibility to source the RAM from any manufacturer it wants; it's not locked into Samsung.Samsung's 1Gb mobile DDR SDRAM (x2), with part number on each die being K4X1G323PE.Decoding this part number shows there is 2Gb of memory inside. This translates into ~128MB of memory per die, for 256MB total.There's not much revolutionary here. In fact, the A4 is quite similar to the Samsung processor Apple uses in the iPhone. It's clear from both hardware and software that this is a single-core processor, so it must be the ARM Cortex A8, and not the rumored multicore A9.In addition to looking at the details of the A4 chip, the teardown takes a peek at other components of the iPad, including the Broadcom and Texas Instruments controllers for the touch screen, as well as the audio, I/O, and power management units in the device.If you like close-up pictures of circuit boards and semiconductors, check out the full teardown.For the original iPad teardown from iFixIt, see this article.Questions? Comments? Post them below or e-mail us!Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.
Ideo's David Kelley talks design, Steve Jobs
Ideo's David Kelley talks design, Steve Jobs
Meet one of the most innovative thinkers of our time. He is a man who has had an enormous impact on our everyday lives.David Kelley is the founder of the Silicon Valley global design firm Ideo. His company has created thousands of breakthrough inventions, including the first computer mouse for Apple, the standup toothpaste tube, and a better Pringle for Procter & Gamble. Ideo may be the most influential product design company in the world.Kelley was a longtime friend and colleague of Steve Jobs -- "He made Ideo," Kelley tells Rose -- and he is a pioneer in something known as "design thinking," an innovative approach that incorporates human behavior into design.David Kelley: "The big thing about design thinking is it allows people to build on the ideas of others. Instead of just having that one thread, you think about it, I come up with an idea, and then somebody from somewhere else says, 'Oh that makes me think we should do this,' and then we could do that. And then you get to a place that you just can't get to in one mind."If you follow David Kelley around Ideo, you can see how he has infused that thinking into the legendary Palo Alto firm he founded more than 20 years ago. Breakthrough ideas happen every day here. Read more of "How to design breakthrough inventions" at CBSNews.com.
Meet one of the most innovative thinkers of our time. He is a man who has had an enormous impact on our everyday lives.David Kelley is the founder of the Silicon Valley global design firm Ideo. His company has created thousands of breakthrough inventions, including the first computer mouse for Apple, the standup toothpaste tube, and a better Pringle for Procter & Gamble. Ideo may be the most influential product design company in the world.Kelley was a longtime friend and colleague of Steve Jobs -- "He made Ideo," Kelley tells Rose -- and he is a pioneer in something known as "design thinking," an innovative approach that incorporates human behavior into design.David Kelley: "The big thing about design thinking is it allows people to build on the ideas of others. Instead of just having that one thread, you think about it, I come up with an idea, and then somebody from somewhere else says, 'Oh that makes me think we should do this,' and then we could do that. And then you get to a place that you just can't get to in one mind."If you follow David Kelley around Ideo, you can see how he has infused that thinking into the legendary Palo Alto firm he founded more than 20 years ago. Breakthrough ideas happen every day here. Read more of "How to design breakthrough inventions" at CBSNews.com.
IDC- iPad loses market share as competitors close in
IDC: iPad loses market share as competitors close in
Apple may still rule the tablet market, but its Android competitors are gaining on the iPad, according to new data released by research firm IDC.The study, released Wednesday, says that the overall market for tablets grew 7 percent in the third quarter, with tablet shipments hitting 47.6 million units worldwide. The driving force behind that growth? The momentum of Android tablets. The iPad still leads the market with a 29.6 percent share. But Samsung, its most formidable hardware competitor, is closely tailing it at 20.4 percent. It's a starkly closer race than this time last year, when Apple had 40.2 percent of the market, and Samsung had 12.4 percent. Asus, Lenovo, and Acer -- which round out the top five vendors -- also made gains. IDC noted that part of Apple's decreased market share -- its lowest to date -- is due to the company's decision to move its product launches from earlier in the year to the fourth quarter. But with the newly introduced iPad Air being released Friday, and the iPad Mini with Retina Display hitting the market later in the month, the research firm expects Apple to bounce back.
Apple may still rule the tablet market, but its Android competitors are gaining on the iPad, according to new data released by research firm IDC.The study, released Wednesday, says that the overall market for tablets grew 7 percent in the third quarter, with tablet shipments hitting 47.6 million units worldwide. The driving force behind that growth? The momentum of Android tablets. The iPad still leads the market with a 29.6 percent share. But Samsung, its most formidable hardware competitor, is closely tailing it at 20.4 percent. It's a starkly closer race than this time last year, when Apple had 40.2 percent of the market, and Samsung had 12.4 percent. Asus, Lenovo, and Acer -- which round out the top five vendors -- also made gains. IDC noted that part of Apple's decreased market share -- its lowest to date -- is due to the company's decision to move its product launches from earlier in the year to the fourth quarter. But with the newly introduced iPad Air being released Friday, and the iPad Mini with Retina Display hitting the market later in the month, the research firm expects Apple to bounce back.
iCloud nearly back to normal after early morning outage
iCloud nearly back to normal after early morning outage
Apple's iCloud had a major outage this morning, but things are slowly but surely returning to normal.The outage was reported this morning on Apple's Status page, showing that 11 percent of users were affected. All of iCloud's services, including Mail support, Notes, and sign-in weren't working. Since then, the services have made a comeback and fewer users have been affected.As of this writing, just Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and Backup are not working. Apple says that it's affecting "less than 1 percent of users."Apple's iCloud is no stranger to issues. In September, the service was hit by an outage that lasted a couple of days. Last week, the company's App Store, iTunes, iCloud, and the MacBook App Store were inaccessible to many people through part of a day.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the latest outage. We will update this story when we have more information.(Via 9to5Mac)
Apple's iCloud had a major outage this morning, but things are slowly but surely returning to normal.The outage was reported this morning on Apple's Status page, showing that 11 percent of users were affected. All of iCloud's services, including Mail support, Notes, and sign-in weren't working. Since then, the services have made a comeback and fewer users have been affected.As of this writing, just Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and Backup are not working. Apple says that it's affecting "less than 1 percent of users."Apple's iCloud is no stranger to issues. In September, the service was hit by an outage that lasted a couple of days. Last week, the company's App Store, iTunes, iCloud, and the MacBook App Store were inaccessible to many people through part of a day.CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the latest outage. We will update this story when we have more information.(Via 9to5Mac)
iCloud logo unveiled as Apple sets up for WWDC
iCloud logo unveiled as Apple sets up for WWDC
SAN FRANCISCO--As it does every year, Apple started setting up for its Worldwide Developers Conference days in advance of its kickoff, offering a glimpse at what will greet attendees next week.Signage put up by the company today inside the lobby of San Francisco's Moscone Center doesn't unveil anything we didn't already know from a press release issued earlier this week, but offers the first look at the logos for iCloud and iOS 5.iCloud was first mentioned and named by the company on Tuesday, along with word that Apple CEO Steve Jobs would be doing the keynote address. iCloud's rectangular, app-like appearance on the banner suggests it will exist separately of iTunes, and potentially fit in with the company's existing lineup of MobileMe services to which it bears a resemblance. As for the iOS 5 logo, it's nearly identical to the one for iOS 4, short of having a 5 instead of a 4. That could simply be a branding choice rather than an indication it will be an modest update from the current version. Along with iCloud and iOS 5, Lion is given a spot at the very front of the pack. Apple first introduced the upcoming version of the Mac OS at an event back in October, and is likely to offer a price and release date at Monday's keynote. For more shots of the inside and outside of Moscone, hit the gallery below.iCloud unveiled as Apple readies Moscone...See full gallery1 - 4 / 7NextPrev
SAN FRANCISCO--As it does every year, Apple started setting up for its Worldwide Developers Conference days in advance of its kickoff, offering a glimpse at what will greet attendees next week.Signage put up by the company today inside the lobby of San Francisco's Moscone Center doesn't unveil anything we didn't already know from a press release issued earlier this week, but offers the first look at the logos for iCloud and iOS 5.iCloud was first mentioned and named by the company on Tuesday, along with word that Apple CEO Steve Jobs would be doing the keynote address. iCloud's rectangular, app-like appearance on the banner suggests it will exist separately of iTunes, and potentially fit in with the company's existing lineup of MobileMe services to which it bears a resemblance. As for the iOS 5 logo, it's nearly identical to the one for iOS 4, short of having a 5 instead of a 4. That could simply be a branding choice rather than an indication it will be an modest update from the current version. Along with iCloud and iOS 5, Lion is given a spot at the very front of the pack. Apple first introduced the upcoming version of the Mac OS at an event back in October, and is likely to offer a price and release date at Monday's keynote. For more shots of the inside and outside of Moscone, hit the gallery below.iCloud unveiled as Apple readies Moscone...See full gallery1 - 4 / 7NextPrev
Scan your real-life items into Minecraft
Scan your real-life items into Minecraft
What would you like to see in Minecraft? Your cat? The TARDIS? An upcoming app called DekkoScan will let you instantly build anything â€" as long as you have a real-life object from which you can create a scan.Using 3D reconstruction technology developed in its augmented-reality (AR) racing game Tabletop Speed, small developer Dekko has created an app that converts a 3D scan into voxels and exports it into Minecraft, where, if you have the materials, you can build it.It looks pretty easy to use. You move around your object to create a full 3D scan of it. To see what it will look like "cubified", you can tap "InGame View", and to send it to your game, just tap "Generate". This will create a zip file, and send it either to your saves folder or MCEdit.According to creator portemantho, the app is only capable of scanning relatively small items. "The size of the objects is limited by the (low) memory of iOS, and the tech is pretty intensive," he said. "Right now, I limited the resolution to 128x128. The app is designed to work decently with the slowest device it supports (A5 chip, so iPad2/mini and iPhone4S)."At this time, available colours are limited to the 16 shades of wool in the game, too.Hopefully, the app will be available on the iTunes store sometime this week, at a price point of no higher than US$1.99. An Android release will come once Dekko can come up with the funding. In the meantime, the team is hoping to include more features, such as a scale slider.Keep your eyes open for the app over the next few days. iPhone 4 users should be warned that the app will only work on the iPhone 4S or later.
What would you like to see in Minecraft? Your cat? The TARDIS? An upcoming app called DekkoScan will let you instantly build anything â€" as long as you have a real-life object from which you can create a scan.Using 3D reconstruction technology developed in its augmented-reality (AR) racing game Tabletop Speed, small developer Dekko has created an app that converts a 3D scan into voxels and exports it into Minecraft, where, if you have the materials, you can build it.It looks pretty easy to use. You move around your object to create a full 3D scan of it. To see what it will look like "cubified", you can tap "InGame View", and to send it to your game, just tap "Generate". This will create a zip file, and send it either to your saves folder or MCEdit.According to creator portemantho, the app is only capable of scanning relatively small items. "The size of the objects is limited by the (low) memory of iOS, and the tech is pretty intensive," he said. "Right now, I limited the resolution to 128x128. The app is designed to work decently with the slowest device it supports (A5 chip, so iPad2/mini and iPhone4S)."At this time, available colours are limited to the 16 shades of wool in the game, too.Hopefully, the app will be available on the iTunes store sometime this week, at a price point of no higher than US$1.99. An Android release will come once Dekko can come up with the funding. In the meantime, the team is hoping to include more features, such as a scale slider.Keep your eyes open for the app over the next few days. iPhone 4 users should be warned that the app will only work on the iPhone 4S or later.
Pulled iDOS app returns, update if you dare
Pulled iDOS app returns, update if you dare
The controversial iOS app that let users run an emulated version of the DOS prompt has returned to the App Store, more than two months since it was pulled by Apple.The app, which reappeared earlier this morning, has come back missing one key feature--the capability to use the file-sharing tool built into iTunes. This is what allowed users to add executables--including a full-blown Windows installer--into the app, turning the iPhone and iPad into nearly workable PC emulators. To make up for this deficiency, iDOS' developer Chaoji Li has added six shareware games from 3D Realms as well as built a simplified game launcher that will load up any of those titles without the user having to peck out commands on the virtual keyboard. And for those who do not want to use the virtual keyboard, and use the full real estate of the screen, the app now supports Bluetooth keyboards, however this only works in text-based games, Li says.Users who downloaded the app back when it was first available will get a notification to update from within the App Store. Li is urging users who want to get some of the new features, but who want to be able to come back to an earlier version of the app to retain the file-sharing feature, to first make a backup of the app file.Update at 1:16 p.m. PDT: iOS games blog Touch Arcade points out that there's still a way to add files to the application using Macroplant's cross-platform iPhone Explorer utility. This solution does not require jailbreaking of the iOS device, though it may lead to the app getting yanked again.
The controversial iOS app that let users run an emulated version of the DOS prompt has returned to the App Store, more than two months since it was pulled by Apple.The app, which reappeared earlier this morning, has come back missing one key feature--the capability to use the file-sharing tool built into iTunes. This is what allowed users to add executables--including a full-blown Windows installer--into the app, turning the iPhone and iPad into nearly workable PC emulators. To make up for this deficiency, iDOS' developer Chaoji Li has added six shareware games from 3D Realms as well as built a simplified game launcher that will load up any of those titles without the user having to peck out commands on the virtual keyboard. And for those who do not want to use the virtual keyboard, and use the full real estate of the screen, the app now supports Bluetooth keyboards, however this only works in text-based games, Li says.Users who downloaded the app back when it was first available will get a notification to update from within the App Store. Li is urging users who want to get some of the new features, but who want to be able to come back to an earlier version of the app to retain the file-sharing feature, to first make a backup of the app file.Update at 1:16 p.m. PDT: iOS games blog Touch Arcade points out that there's still a way to add files to the application using Macroplant's cross-platform iPhone Explorer utility. This solution does not require jailbreaking of the iOS device, though it may lead to the app getting yanked again.
iTunes Radio passes Spotify for 3rd in streaming music
iTunes Radio passes Spotify for 3rd in streaming music
StatistaiTunes Radio is only six months old but it's already snagged third place among people in the US who listen to streaming music services, at least based on a recent survey.Polling more than 2,000 people in the US, Edison Research found that 8 percent listened to iTunes Radio in the past month. That compares with 6 percent overall for Spotify and 9 percent for iHeartRadio, according to a Statista chart chewing over the survey results.Pandora is still by far the dominant streaming music service in the US with a 31 percent share based on the survey.Launched last September, iTunes Radio won over 20 million users by just a month later. Pandora holds more than 70 million active users in the US, New Zealand, and Australia. But it's been around in one form or another since 2000 though it officially debuted in 2005.Of course, listening to an online music service is not a case of choosing one exclusively over the others. Many people undoubtedly listen to multiple services at different times. But Apple already has a built-in audience of more than 600 million iTunes users based on data from 2013, so iTunes Radio still has a lot more room to grow.Conducted in January and February of this year, the survey culled responses from 2,023 people aged 12 and older in the US.(Via Fortune)
StatistaiTunes Radio is only six months old but it's already snagged third place among people in the US who listen to streaming music services, at least based on a recent survey.Polling more than 2,000 people in the US, Edison Research found that 8 percent listened to iTunes Radio in the past month. That compares with 6 percent overall for Spotify and 9 percent for iHeartRadio, according to a Statista chart chewing over the survey results.Pandora is still by far the dominant streaming music service in the US with a 31 percent share based on the survey.Launched last September, iTunes Radio won over 20 million users by just a month later. Pandora holds more than 70 million active users in the US, New Zealand, and Australia. But it's been around in one form or another since 2000 though it officially debuted in 2005.Of course, listening to an online music service is not a case of choosing one exclusively over the others. Many people undoubtedly listen to multiple services at different times. But Apple already has a built-in audience of more than 600 million iTunes users based on data from 2013, so iTunes Radio still has a lot more room to grow.Conducted in January and February of this year, the survey culled responses from 2,023 people aged 12 and older in the US.(Via Fortune)
Inside CNET Labs Podcast 92- This is the good one
Inside CNET Labs Podcast 92: This is the good one
Dong has had an epiphany and will no longer resort to excuses to explain his many, many Starcraft 2 losses. He believes the Killer 2100 will give him the edge he needs to take his beatings like a man. Then, Dong stands on a soapbox made of wet cards as he tries to convince me that the iPad's fancy graphics prevent him from actually reading books on the device. Typical day with this guy. Wi-Fi is moving to the 60GHz band, and say good-bye to your HDMI cables! Maybe. Dong drops science on WHDI and tells us why we'll soon be living in a wireless world--of home theaters. You see, there will still be wires elsewhere...Finally, we talk movies. I'm in the middle of crafting my top 25 of all time and I'm using Empire's list for some ideas. In the meantime, Dong and I go over its top 10. Not a bad list. To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the podcast link on the right. Don't forget to leave us voice mail at 1-800-947-6399 or e-mail us at insidecnetlabs@cnet.com.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Dong has had an epiphany and will no longer resort to excuses to explain his many, many Starcraft 2 losses. He believes the Killer 2100 will give him the edge he needs to take his beatings like a man. Then, Dong stands on a soapbox made of wet cards as he tries to convince me that the iPad's fancy graphics prevent him from actually reading books on the device. Typical day with this guy. Wi-Fi is moving to the 60GHz band, and say good-bye to your HDMI cables! Maybe. Dong drops science on WHDI and tells us why we'll soon be living in a wireless world--of home theaters. You see, there will still be wires elsewhere...Finally, we talk movies. I'm in the middle of crafting my top 25 of all time and I'm using Empire's list for some ideas. In the meantime, Dong and I go over its top 10. Not a bad list. To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the podcast link on the right. Don't forget to leave us voice mail at 1-800-947-6399 or e-mail us at insidecnetlabs@cnet.com.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
How to jailbreak your iOS device on 5.1.1
How to jailbreak your iOS device on 5.1.1
With your device connected to your PC, open iTunes and right-click on the device you want to jailbreak. Select Back Up from the menu. Wait for the backup to finish and then close iTunes.Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOn your iOS device, go into Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOpen Absinthe 2.0 on your PC, verify that the correct iOS device has been detected, and then click Jailbreak.The jailbreak process will only take a few minutes. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce the jailbreak is complete, close Absinthe 2.0 and launch iTunes again. Right-click on your device name, but this time select "Restore from Backup." Select the backup you just made. Let your device restore and finish syncing before disconnecting. Once the restore is complete, you'll have a jailbroken device, complete with all of your apps and information as it was before you began.I had been trying to get the jailbreak to work on my Verizon iPhone 4S all morning, with no luck. Then I took my experience to Twitter, and was sent a link to this post on Reddit. If you're having issues with the instructions above, give the Reddit link a try. It worked for me. If you were using a tethered iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak, open Cydia and search for "Rocky Racoon 5.1.1 Untether" and install it.
With your device connected to your PC, open iTunes and right-click on the device you want to jailbreak. Select Back Up from the menu. Wait for the backup to finish and then close iTunes.Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOn your iOS device, go into Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOpen Absinthe 2.0 on your PC, verify that the correct iOS device has been detected, and then click Jailbreak.The jailbreak process will only take a few minutes. Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNETOnce the jailbreak is complete, close Absinthe 2.0 and launch iTunes again. Right-click on your device name, but this time select "Restore from Backup." Select the backup you just made. Let your device restore and finish syncing before disconnecting. Once the restore is complete, you'll have a jailbroken device, complete with all of your apps and information as it was before you began.I had been trying to get the jailbreak to work on my Verizon iPhone 4S all morning, with no luck. Then I took my experience to Twitter, and was sent a link to this post on Reddit. If you're having issues with the instructions above, give the Reddit link a try. It worked for me. If you were using a tethered iOS 5.1.1 jailbreak, open Cydia and search for "Rocky Racoon 5.1.1 Untether" and install it.
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