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Fair/Unfair: That the US Senate is prominently targeting Apple in corporate tax hearings?
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Tuesday Highlights: Tim Cook defends Apple before US Senate panel accusing the company of dodging billions of dollars in payment of US taxes due to offshore loopholes; NPR, C-SPAN have live feeds, other sites with live coverage are down in our Finances section; Senator Rand Paul excoriates fellow Senators, says need to "look in the mirror", apologizes to Apple, more on the Senate proceedings in content-appropriate sections throughout MacSurfer; is Apple's brand leadership under threat due to the lethal Android + Samsung Galaxy duo?; or is the relationship between Samsung and Google a nightmare?; Apple is BrandZ's number one global brand; TekRevue explains how to make a 4GB/s RAM disk on your OS X machine; Amsys introduces beginners to using Kerberos in OS X; Apple iPhone satisfaction dropping from higher levels last year, according to American Customer Satisfaction Index; TechCrunch points to new smartwatch with power-management features; a thinner, lighter iPad 5 coming in September according to rumors; April sales of domestic Mac sales were flat, but AllThingsD says it's not a bad thing; and Apple has been granted 26 patents today, including Magic Mouse force sensor, palm touch detection, among others down in our Hardware/Software section; Macworld offers advice for those who've dropped their Mac; TechHive thinks the best Twitter app for iPhone is Echofon; PC Advisor explains how you can reset your iDevice to factory defaults, wiping all data; does Apple's new TV strategy consist of refusing approval of new TV tuners for iDevices?; poor Nintendo, Wii U sales are in collapse, perhaps the company needs to develop games for iOS; Microsoft readying reveal of new Xbox 720, reports down in our Computer Industry section.
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"Apple Caught in a Blizzard of Bucks: 'Tis the season for consumption, and it seems Apple fans are going out of their way to shower the company with money. The Apple Mac App store has climbed to 100 million downloads less than a year after it initially launched, and meanwhile Apple's cash cow retail stores raking in revenue, according to figures that show the company's retail employees are some of the most productive in the industry." MacNewsWorld 7:46 AM
"Why Apple is buying Anobit/Calcalist says that Apple is making its largest hardware acquisition ever: Israeli firm Anobit. Who are they and what would they do for Apple? I've spoken to Anobit's CTO and studied the technology. Here's what they're buying - and why." ZDNet 8:01 AM
"Apple + Anobit: Compeititive Advantage Through Flash Mastery" Tech.pinions 10:47 AM
"Inside Anobit: Why Apple is investing in flash RAM technology" AppleInsider 8:28 PM
"Report: Apple could turn Anobit purchase into development center, R&D VP Ed Frank touring Israel" 9 to 5 Mac 7:47 AM
"ITC delays ruling on Apple v. HTC again -- new date: Monday, December 19" Foss Patents 6:56 AM
"HTC says U.S. court postpones ruling on lawsuit vs Apple" Reuters 6:49 AM
"ITC needs more time to hand down Apple-HTC ruling" CNET News 7:48 AM
"Apple has big lead over Intel in mobile chips, analyst says" CNET News 6:56 AM
"Apple rolling out iTunes Match in UK, Canada, AUS and Europe, with some early bugs" The Next Web 8:26 PM
"Apple launching iTunes Match internationally in UK, Europe, Australia" AppleInsider 8:27 PM
"Chrome 16 Fixes High, Medium-risk Vulnerabilities" IDG News Service 9:30 AM
"Apple updates Logic Express to 9.1.6" Macworld 1:43 PM
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Memory Cleaner for Intel Macs: It Works" Low End Mac 4:29 PM
"Chrome 15.0.874.121" ["Most importantly: the spinning beach ball is mostly gone. Better still: one recuperates swap as tabs and windows close. How this is accomplished is another matter. But this rarely happens when Safari runs. Once the swap files are there, they stay put. As with Firefox. Not so with Chrome. Rarely will a session with Chrome force a reboot. Safari makes them happen on an hourly basis."] Rixstep 8:45 AM
"Reason 6 review: Synths, effects, sequencing, recording, editing and mixing in a single package" Macworld UK 6:51 AM
"Business Accountz 2012 review: Manage your business finances quickly and easily" Macworld UK 6:51 AM
"Check Your Grammar As You Type [OS X Tips] Cult of Mac 8:48 AM
"A Look At The Ultralingua French-English Dictionary App For The Mac" Mac 360 6:42 AM
"Address Book: Using Smart Groups to Find Missing Data" The Mac Observer 7:50 AM
"Mac Audio, Cheap And Expensive, Piezo To Logic Pro 9" Mac 360 6:42 AM
"Add your iTunes playlists to Rdio in two easy steps with Trnsmit" The Next Web 1:38 PM
"How to Schedule SuperDuper! Backups" Macinstruct 1:24 PM
"How to Update a SuperDuper! Backup" Macinstruct 11:14 AM
"Lion discussion continues to be the hottest topic in reader Reports, with more about user interface issues and operational changes; an interesting perspective on auto-saving; a development job opportunity; networking problems; and out-of-control text cursors." MacInTouch 10:36 AM
"Nokia back in USA with $50 Lumia 710 smartphone" USA Today 1:51 PM
"First flash-based supercomputer to go live in January: The San Diego Supercomputer Center unveils 'Gordon' for data-intensive problems" Techworld 1:45 PM
"Pogoplug's Series 4 offers personal cloud storage for $99" ZDNet 2:12 PM
"Nvidia: Gaming systems to reach 'tens of teraflops' by 2019/Future GPUs will allow consoles to generate real-time graphics comparable with the pre-rendered cut scenes found in games today" IDG News Service 11:41 AM
"Extreme tablets for extreme jobs: New rugged tablets marry the flair of the iPad to the brawn of a Mack Truck." Fortune 11:11 AM
"Pace chief quits after tough year" Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 11:07 AM
"CES: USB wall outlets power up consumer devices" EE Times 10:53 AM
"Silicon Valley companies pitch in at food bank" Silicon Valley 10:46 AM
"Paypal plans daily deal coupons to compete with Groupon" BBC 10:29 AM
"Social Overload? Bottlenose Promises Intelligent Filtering: Startup offers high-performance app to sort and organize social streams from Twitter and Facebook." InformationWeek 10:13 AM
"Verizon to Launch White Droid RAZR on December 15th" CNET 10:07 AM
"Logica to cut 1,300 jobs on eurozone woes" Financial Times [Paid Membership Required] 11:07 AM
"Google+ Adds Some Bells and Whistles to Live-Video Hangouts" Techland 1:50 PM
"Google Map Maker Gets A Makeover, Is Now Easier To Use" TechCrunch 1:42 PM
"Google Blocks Street View Shooter Game" PC Magazine 11:36 AM
"Google's vow to keep Android open source may hurt its bottom line" TheStreet [Free Registration Required] 11:13 AM
"Google fixes 15 vulnerabilities in Chrome browser" IDG News Service 11:23 AM
"Google buys developer of Alfred personal assistant: Clever Sense's mobile app Alfred offers personalized recommendations" IDG News Service 10:42 AM
"Google gives $40 million to fight slavery and other causes around the world and Bay Area" Silicon Valley 10:46 AM
"Google Gets Alfred But It's Certainly No Siri" Forbes 6:57 AM
Publications/Podcasts
"YML Archives for December 14th, 2011" Your Mac Life 7:49 PM
"The Zen Of Steve Jobs: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the graphic novel from Forbes and JESS3." [Video Report] Forbes 4:01 PM
"Steve Jobs, Reimagined: Forbes managing editor Bruce Upbin on how The Zen Of Steve Jobs mixes fiction and non-fiction." [Video Report] Forbes 4:01 PM
"TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET: Demos, demos and more demos" TUAW 1:43 PM
"Steve Wozniak: 'Think for yourself'" ["Speaking to Evan Davis for a BBC 2 programme about his former business partner Steve Jobs, he said that allowing creativity in the early days of Apple was far more important than how you dressed or the length of your hair."] BBC 8:38 AM
"Is Samsung's Apple fanboy bashing having an effect?" ZDNet 3:44 PM
"The REAL secret behind Microsoft iPad Apps" ZDNet 3:02 PM
"Rotary Dial Phone Hacked to Control Siri" Wired 3:02 PM
"Why Steve Jobs isn't Time's Person of the Year" Washington Post [Free Registration Required] 3:00 PM
"iPad vs. Android: Which tablet is right for you? Pointers for picking a tablet operating system" tecca 1:37 PM
"How Will Samsung Rip Off Apple Next? They Want To Launch Their Own iTunes" Cult of Mac 1:37 PM
"Samsung: Australian Galaxy Tab Ban was Great Publicity" The Mac Observer 1:24 PM
"Apple Yawns At The Hard Drive Shortage Paralyzing The Rest Of The PC Industry [Analyst] Cult of Mac 10:21 AM
"Microsoft's Steve Ballmer rated #3 worst tech company CEO ... can you guess who is at #1 and #2?" ["By comparison, Apple's CEO Tim Cook was rated at 96%, Google's Larry Page rated at 92%, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg rated at 89%."] ZDNet 9:58 AM
"Apple's Brazil-made iPhone S and iTunes to drive a new growth story" Computerworld 9:56 AM
"The Macalope Daily: Apple doomed, 2012 edition" Macworld [Paid Membership Required] 9:55 AM
"Is Apple Making More Advanced Chips Than Intel?" Cult of Mac 9:29 AM
"ITC Delays Apple/HTC Patent Ruling Again" The Mac Observer 8:57 AM
"iOS and Android dominate smartphone market, but how long until Apple feels the pinch?" ZDNet 8:58 AM
"iOS Found To Have 300% Revenue Advantage Compared To Android" RazorianFly 8:39 AM
"Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs and the Wrong Question" Dan Weincek 8:37 AM
"The two reasons I avoided Android and finally upgraded to the relatively boring iPhone 4S" ZDNet 7:53 AM
"Is the Next Steve Jobs on a Plane Back to India? The United States has again reached its cap of H-1B visas for highly skilled immigrants. Here's why you should care." Inc. 7:49 AM
"Perhaps Apple Was Right To Ignore UltraViolet" MacNews 7:05 AM
"The iPad as a work tool and serious writing machine" Appletell 6:57 AM
"iFlop? At 60% off, Apple's iAd platform still not attractive to advertisers" VentureBeat 7:04 AM
"Apple retools iAd - but is it enough? The Apple iAd mobile marketing platform is losing ground, so Apple is cutting prices and making some changes to help it compete" PCWorld 6:50 AM
Non-Apple
"Driver Cell Phone Ban Only the Beginning" Low End Mac 4:29 PM
"Why hasn't desktop virtualization taken over the world?" ZDNet 2:14 PM
"Microsoft's Steve Ballmer rated #3 worst tech company CEO ... can you guess who is at #1 and #2?" ZDNet 2:12 PM
"Twitter will tell you when a user blocks you" ZDNet 2:12 PM
"Gmail for iOS Updated with a New Notification Sound, Better Labeling, and a Whiteboard" MacStories 1:38 PM
"Miso expands app with SideShows: Miso is updating its social TV app for iOS devices in a move to make the app an integral part of your television watching experience." San Francisco Chronicle 1:28 PM
"New Menu Structure in iGO primo app" iGO 10:14 AM
"Handy little iPhone money app: Deposit -Canadian Dollar" ehMac 9:31 AM
"Microsoft offers SkyDrive cloud storage for iOS" The Loop 1:25 PM
"Tap into more storage on your iPhone with Microsoft SkyDrive" Appolicious 8:41 AM
"For The iCloud Disaffected, Microsoft Offers iPhone Users Skydrive Storage" paidContent 8:38 AM
"SMK Announces the New Bluetooth® Calculator Keypad: The Ideal Wireless Keypad and Calculator Peripheral for Apple® iMac®, MacBook® Air, MacBook Pro and Mac® Pro Users, Plus All Windows/PC Laptop Computers" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"It's 'Z Factor' vs. X Factor for Christmas #1: Crazy Dave from Best-Selling Videogame Plants vs. Zombies™ Releases Hip-Hop 'Masterpiece' Audio Single to Support Concern Worldwide this Christmas" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"Voice Assist Partners with TapFactory to Integrate Voice Command Technology Capabilities" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"eFax Releases its Popular iPhone and iPad Mobile Apps In Japan" Business Wire 7:54 AM
"eCrypt Announces Development of eCrypt Me App for iPhone" Marketwire 7:53 AM
"SkyDrive App for iPhone, iPad released" ITProPortal 7:53 AM
"Elevation Dock for iPhone gives upscale, case-friendly home" Electronista 8:38 AM
"Elevation Dock for iPhone blows up on Kickstarter" SlashGear 7:52 AM
"Stay Away from This Fake MineCraft App, It's a Scam" iDownload Blog 7:47 AM
"ISO500 For 500px - View The Beautiful Photography Of 500px On Your iPhone" App Advice 7:47 AM
"Microsoft Brings Its First iOS Game To The App Store With Kinectimals" Cult of Mac 7:05 AM
"Hipstamatic to launch new 'disposable' camera app Thursday" MacNN 7:05 AM
"Ford Launches 2013 Ford Fusion App for iOS" iClarified 7:04 AM
"Cool New Gadget Adds AirPrint iDevice Printing to Any Printer" Cult of Mac 6:57 AM
"Cuddle up next to a fire with A Very Cozy Fireplace for iPhone and iPad" TiPb 6:50 AM
"Bungie's Classis 'Marathon 2: Durandal' Hitting the App Store this Week" Touch Arcade 6:49 AM
"Apimac releases Memos 3.0 for iPhone and iPod touch" Apimac 6:43 AM
"We, at Techné Media™ are delighted to announce the release of Pixound™ for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, the world's first and only visual music-izer. The Pixound App turns your iOS device into an amazing musical/visual toy where three senses become one (Touch-Sight-Sound)." Techné Media 6:38 AM
"Dean Koontz And Auryn Bring Trixie Books To Life For A Charitable Cause" prMac 1:28 PM
"Watch out Sudoku, Rocky Isle reinvents numeric puzzle action on iOS" prMac 8:58 AM
"idig Co presents the AmazingZoo for iPad" prMac 8:44 AM
"zuuka Launches Professor Bumble Celebrates Christmas for iPhone and iPad" prMac 8:44 AM
"Meet the puzzle game with works of famous photographer Anne Geddes" prMac 8:44 AM
"Shared Paper Lite: Create and Present Ideas on Vast Free iPad Whiteboard" prMac 8:44 AM
"WeColor Christmas Edition for iPad is released" prMac 8:44 AM
"Chopstick Flick - New Sushi Game Challenges Diners to Play with Food" prMac 7:50 AM
"Design and Manage Survey, Inquiry, Support Forms on iPad with eContact2" prMac 7:50 AM
"New Fun Heppi App Encourages Children to Develop Good Bedtime Habits" prMac 6:43 AM
"Launch of the New Version of Minifono Candy Toy Phone by Toto Studios" prMac 6:43 AM
"Pink Princess Games Launches Princessy Cupcakes - Children's Mobile App" prMac 6:43 AM
"FLK VocalPost 2.0 for iPhone and Android" prMac 6:43 AM
"Slaughter: Bloody Stick Slayer - Greatest stick massacre for iPhone" prMac 6:43 AM
"Mechcraft 1.0 for iOS: Real-Time Strategy now available" prMac 6:43 AM
"Face-Mnemo released for iOS - Digital Memory Trainer" prMac 6:40 AM
"19 Year Old and Oxford University Press Release Christmas Book Apps" prMac 6:40 AM
"The new addictive game based on physics and social component has come" prMac 6:39 AM
"Apptly unveils Baldify to Help Users Face Hair Loss with 3-D Animation" prMac 6:39 AM
"New iPad Knitting App with Pattern Repository and Project Tracker" prMac 6:39 AM
"Major Revision of Peg Pals Pro - Now a Universal App" prMac 6:39 AM
"Screbl Pal - Easy to use iPhone app finds the best Wordfeud words" prMac 6:39 AM
"I.B.M. Settles Antitrust Case With E.U." New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 2:45 PM
"EU accepts IBM antitrust concessions, ends probe" Reuters 9:58 AM
"EU accepts IBM concessions in antitrust probe" Associated Press 9:57 AM
"IBM Settles European Union Antitrust Dispute Over Mainframes" Bloomberg 9:58 AM
"European Commission issues legal orders to IBM over mainframe dominance" V3 1:52 PM
"Europe accepts IBM antitrust concession; Drops investigation" ZDNet 2:13 PM
"IBM spends $1.1M to lobby government in 3Q" Associated Press 2:46 PM
"IBM to Build Food-Safety System for Pork in China's Shandong" Bloomberg 9:58 AM
"Novell's case against Microsoft goes to jury: Federal jury to get Utah company's $1 billion antitrust case against Microsoft" Associated Press 10:02 AM
"Novell, Microsoft Antitrust Suit Heading to Jury" eWeek 10:55 AM
"Danish Bank Believes Nokia Will Sell To Microsoft: Denmark's largest bank predicts Nokia will sell its phone-making business to Microsoft during the first half of 2012." InformationWeek 8:08 PM
"Microsoft's Steve Ballmer is Rated Third-Worst Tech Company CEO" Computerworld 11:38 AM
"5 Moves Microsoft Must Make In 2012: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's to-do list for 2012 should include acquisitions, a strong tablet launch, and a move into services." InformationWeek 10:13 AM
"Microsoft boosts Office 365 regulatory compliance: Microsoft will make new contractual commitments for regulations in the U.S. and Europe" IDG News Service 10:43 AM
"Introducing Windows Server 8: The InfoWorld special report" InfoWorld 11:22 AM
"Windows Phone 7 Caught in Mobile App Catch-22" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 10:01 AM
"Microsoft dissecting Windows Phone messaging bug: IM, SMS messages reportedly can freeze phone's messaging hub" Network World 11:42 AM
"Microsoft And Nokia Team Up To Take Back The Low End" TechCrunch 1:41 PM
"Microsoft gives up on proprietary 2D barcode, accepts NFC: MS Tag maintained as a 'curiosity'" The Register 1:48 PM
"Microsoft replaces veteran Xbox design boss" CNET News 2:51 PM
"Intel's emergency maneuver in mobile: The chip maker reigns supreme in the PC and server markets, but it's failed to crack mobile. It wants to change that." Fortune 9:59 AM
"Reorg aims to make Intel more competitive in mobile" CNET News 4:28 PM
"Intel combines divisions in bid to boost mobile" Reuters 8:07 PM
"Intel's weakness not just about HDDs, says Nomura" EE Times 10:53 AM
"2012 looking ripe for disgruntled IT pros to switch jobs: IT job opportunities, pay rising for experienced techies with the right skills" Network World 11:42 AM
"Merrill Lynch calls 2012 'the year of the tablet shakeout'" Fortune 9:52 AM
"Scientists break world record for data transfer speeds" BBC 10:30 AM
"Stocks, euro slide as worries about Europe persist" Associated Press 11:55 AM
"Dow Is a Loser; Exxon Off 1.4%" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 8:19 PM
"Stocks: Investors weigh Fed's decision" CNNMoney 9:35 AM
"Canadian stocks drop as oil, gold declines" MarketWatch 2:42 PM
"Mexican stocks down on heightened Europe worries" MarketWatch 2:42 PM
"Asia Stocks Fall as Fed Forgoes More Stimulus on Moderate Growth" Bloomberg 1:57 PM
"Asia Markets: Asia markets slide; China data on tap" MarketWatch 8:20 PM
"European Stocks Retreat After Fed Refrains From Further Stimulus" Bloomberg 1:57 PM
"Europe Markets: Europe stocks tumble as euro drops below $1.30/Italy pays high price at auction; Norway cuts rates to cope with crisis" MarketWatch 9:43 AM
"Most active Nasdaq-traded stocks: Nasdaq's 10 most active stocks at the close of trading" Associated Press 8:20 PM
"Midday Glance: Computer companies/Computer companies shares down at 1 p.m." Associated Press 2:44 PM
"Goldman Sachs' Top Tech Stocks for 2012" TheStreet 10:03 AM
"Two Chip Plays on Hard-Disk-Drive Production: LSI and Marvell Technology will see tailwinds starting in the first quarter." Barron's 9:49 AM
"11 Tech Stocks Undervalued By Earnings, Cash Flow, And Earnings Growth" Seeking Alpha 2:47 PM
"Top 3 Tech Stocks For Value Investors" Seeking Alpha 9:53 AM
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