iTunes U Content Tops One Billion Downloads
Apple announced that iTunes U has reached a new milestone — over one billion content downloads. iTunes U features the world’s largest online catalog of free educational content from top schools and prominent libraries, museums, and organizations.
This is the future of education.
Google Reportedly Planning Retail Stores
An extremely reliable source has confirmed to us that Google is in the process of building stand-alone retail stores in the U.S. and hopes to have the first flagship Google Stores open for the holidays in major metropolitan areas.
I want to get on the record early. If Google opens stores, they will fail.
Google’s obsession with Apple is getting ridiculous and it will be their undoing, if they keep it up.
Huge Shake-up at Apple
Huge news: Apple just announced in a press release this afternoon that Vice President of iOS Software Scott Forstall is leaving Apple next year. Additionally, John Browett, head of retail, is out. Apple CEO Tim Cook will take over retail as an interim until a replacement is found.
This is huge news. Firing John Browett is a no-brainer, he took over one of the most profitable and respected retail operations in history, and made significant cuts to employee numbers and hours. Apple makes more profit per square foot than anyone else in retail and has over 100 billion dollars in the bank, so it makes no sense at all to focus on cost cutting, especially when it jeopardizes the best customer service in the industry.
Scott Forstall leaving is a shocker. I know he was responsible for Apple Maps and he wasn’t on stage at the iPad Mini event, but he has been in charge of iOS from the beginning and he’s a Steve Jobs guy. Forstall was recruited by Jobs for NeXT.
This will certainly add more fuel to the “Apple is doomed without Jobs” fire, and it can’t help the stock price, but it does give Jony Ive more power and influence. No one has had more influence on Apple’s products than Jony Ive. Walter Isaacson famously called him Steve Jobs’s “soul mate”.
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Can’t wait to see what Apple reveals. Mountain Lion and iOS 6 are a lock, we might see new Macs, and a new iPhone is unlikely, but not out of the question.
Aaron Sorkin to Write 'Steve Jobs' Movie for Sony
It’s official: Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind The Social Network, A Few Good Men and TV’s The West Wing, has signed on to adapt Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson’s biography on the late Apple co-founder.
Great news. Sorkin is a fantastic writer, and he did a great job with the Facebook story.
Russell Brand blames Steve Jobs’ death for iPhone rage
Since Steve Jobs died I cannot bear to see anyone use an iphone irreverently, what I did was a tribute to his memory.
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) March 14, 2012
There are times when we simply can’t explain why we do things. I am, therefore extremely grateful to Russell Brand, who has shoveled deep inside his own psyche to explain an incident that involved him, a photographer, an iPhone, and the window of a lawyer’s office. His explanation suggests that the death of Steve Jobs has affected him more than anyone might have thought.
Interesting tribute.
Apple sells out of launch-day iPads, new orders ship by March 19
Less than two days after Apple’s new iPad was unveiled, the company has sold out of launch-day preorders in its online store, as new orders are now advertised to ship by March 19.
Via Apple sells out of launch-day iPads, new orders ship by March 19
Not surprising.
Report: iOS 5.1 Gold Master has passed QA, includes new features
Chronicwire reports that the Gold Master build of iOS 5.1 has been in a “vigorous quality assurance phase” for the past three weeks” with testing being done both internally by Apple as well as by various carriers/partners.
Makes perfect sense. Apple always releases a new version of iOS on the day of these events or very shortly after.
Apple announces top all-time paid and free apps | TUAW
With the 25 billionth app sold the evening of March 3rd to Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China, Apple has now taken the time to tally up the top all-time paid and free apps for iPhone and iPad. The last time Apple updated the list was when a paltry 10 billion apps had gone out the virtual doors of the App Store.
While space prohibits posting the entire list here, let it suffice to say that Angry Birds (US$0.99) topped the list for paid iPhone apps, Facebook was the most-downloaded free iPhone app, Pages ($9.99) was the most popular paid iPad app, and Angry Birds HD Free pushed its way to the top of the free iPad app list.
Via Apple announces top all-time paid and free apps | TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
No surprises here. I’d love to see the percentage of iPhone and iPad owners who downloaded these apps, I bet it’s really high.
iPad 3 Parts Put Together on Video, iPad 2 Smart Cover Still Works
Although we’ve already seen many stories about possible iPad 3 part leaks over the past few weeks, MIC Gadget has been able to get its hands on the rumored parts for the iPad 3 Front Glass, Rear Shell, and 3rd party cases.
The site put them together in this nice overview video:
Via iPad 3 Parts Put Together on Video, iPad 2 Smart Cover Still Works - Mac Rumors
iPad 3 part rumors are usually pretty dull, but this video is worth watching. I hope they’re right about the Smart Cover.
