"Fair Labor Association Begins Inspections of Foxconn: Apple® today announced that the Fair Labor Association will conduct special voluntary audits of Apple's final assembly suppliers, including Foxconn factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu, China, at Apple's request. A team of labor rights experts led by FLA president Auret van Heerden began the first inspections Monday morning at the facility in Shenzhen known as Foxconn City." Apple 8:20 AM
"Apple subjects Foxconn, partners to labor scrutiny" Reuters 3:56 PM
"Apple launches Fair Labor inspections of Foxconn" CNET News 8:45 AM
"Apple Asks Outside Group to Inspect Factories" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 3:57 PM
"Critics Question Record of Monitor Selected by Apple" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 9:22 PM
"Apple Invites Labor Inspectors To Foxconn, Other Suppliers: Fair Labor Association will review conditions at Chinese factories that make Apple products." InformationWeek 3:56 PM
"Apple Says Fair Labor Association Began Inspections at Foxconn" Bloomberg Businessweek 5:06 PM
"Apple's Foxconn Auditing Group 'Surrounded With Controversy,' Critics Say" Wired 5:07 PM
"Apple asks the Fair Labor Association to inspect working conditions at Foxconn" The Next Web 8:58 AM
"Chinese Authorities Starts to Pull iPads From Shelves in China (Updated): Apple fans in China, we have a very bad news this morning. Some Reports emerged from the China today are suggesting that Chinese authorities are starting to pull Apple iPads from retail stores in the country, as the iPad trademark in China does not belong to Apple." M.I.C. Gadget 7:42 AM
"Chinese City Confiscates iPads As Trademark Fight Continues" WSJ Blogs 7:50 AM
"Chinese city seizes Apple iPads in name dispute" Associated Press 7:51 AM
"iPads seized in China over trademark row" Los Angeles Times [Free Registration Required] 2:34 PM
"One Chinese City Raids An Apple Reseller In Growing iPad Trademark Row" mocoNews 7:51 AM
"As Apple Toils in China, Others Make it in America: There's a reason Apple is willing to take years of heat over the working conditions inside the Chinese plants building all those iPhones, iPads, and Macs. China is cheaper." Wired Magazine 8:17 AM
"Apple launches new legal attack on Samsung phones: Apple Inc raised the stake in an intensifying global patent battle with Samsung Electronics by targeting the latest model using Google's fast growing Android software, a move which may affect other Android phone makers." Reuters 7:28 AM
"Apple Hits Samsung Phone: Apple Inc. has launched a new legal attack on Samsung Electronics Co.'s flagship smartphone, escalating the sprawling legal battle between the two top sellers of the popular devices." WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 9:48 AM
"Apple files another US patent suit against Samsung" IDG News Service 7:33 AM
"Apple files patent claims v. Samsung to ban the Nexus 'iPhone-killer" Computerworld 7:43 AM
"Apple demands US ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus" The Register 8:44 AM
"DOJ greenlights bid by Apple, Microsoft and RIM to buy Nortel patents" Engadget 5:32 PM
"Justice Department approves Apple's purchases of Nortel, Novell patents" AppleInsider 8:55 PM
"ITV warns Apple off iTV name" Crave @ CNET 8:18 AM
"Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference: Apple CEO Tim Cook will speak on February 14, 2012 at approximately 12:30 p.m. PT." The Loop 3:53 PM
"Analysis: One area where Apple lags: Its low returns on cash" Reuters 5:15 PM
"Event: What's new in Vectorworks Landmark 2012" Architosh 2:02 PM
"Alien Skin Software Ships Exposure 4 Plug-In for Photoshop and Lightroom" PRNewswire 10:34 AM
"MuTools has released MuLab 4, a top-quality sound and music production system for Mac OSX and Windows, transforming a computer into an inspiring modular studio. MuLab 4 brings many new features while it's even more easy to use than ever before!" MuTools 9:35 AM
"Darkness II Coming This March To Macs" Inside Mac Games 8:49 AM
"Google Slips into Second as Apple Soars to Coveted Top Spot with Highest Reputation Score in History, According to 13th Annual Harris Poll RQ® Study" PRNewswire 10:34 AM
"Apple Beats Out Google, Amazon For Highest Corporate Reputation Score" TechCrunch 8:59 AM
"Apple dethrones Google as most reputable company" CNET News 3:57 PM
"NPD: U.S. Consumer Electronics Sales Reach $144 Billion in 2011: Apple Tops 2011 as the #1 Brand, and Best Buy is the #1 Retailer" PRWeb 10:33 AM
"Apple tops 2011 as the #1 Brand and Best Buy is the #1 Retailer" NPD Group 11:01 AM
"Where would U.S. consumer electronics be without Apple? Down 6% in 2011, that's where, according to the NPD Group" Fortune 11:01 AM
"Apple earned $1 out of every $5 US consumers spent on electronics this holiday" AppleInsider 4:33 PM
"Would Target and Sam's Club be drag on Apple's upscale image? Oh no, Apple. If you start to sell out of big-box stores again, you'll cheapen your brand. Don't let the iPad suffer the same fate as Calvin Klein jeans." CNET News 8:28 AM
"Independent group inspecting Apple suppliers" Associated Press 9:23 PM
"Apple's China factories to be investigated" Irish Examiner 7:01 PM
"Independent group inspects Apple supplier" Associated Press 8:50 AM
"Fair Labor Association Begins Its Inspections Of Apple's Suppliers" MacStories 8:51 AM
"Pegatron Says It Hasn't Been Informed of FLA Inspections" Bloomberg Businessweek 7:46 PM
"About those 4,400 MacBooks in Mooresville, N.C.'s schools: For once, an educational success story that's not really about the computers" Fortune 8:45 AM
"Air Force Could Buy Up to 18,000 iPad 2s" PadGadget 8:51 AM
"Steve Jobs awarded posthumous Grammy: Award received by Apple's Eddy Cue" Macworld UK 7:36 AM
"Steve Jobs Given Trustees Award at the Grammys" The Mac Observer 7:46 AM
"Eddie Cue accepts Jobs' posthumous Grammy" FairerPlatform 7:46 AM
"Apple to quadruple investment in India with new software outsourcing contracts" The Next Web 8:58 AM
"Apple's secret outsource: 'Even more software to be made in India'/Is Cupertino getting internal software from Bangalore?" The Register 9:47 AM
"A Great 3-Minute Video Look at Macworld|iWorld 2012" The Mac Observer 2:01 PM
"Whitney Houston album price hike sparks controversy: Sony Music under fire after cost of greatest hits set on iTunes rises by more than 60% after singer's death" The Guardian 7:35 AM
Non-Apple News
"Asus apologises for ICS Transformer update delay" ZDNet UK 11:59 AM
"NoSQL databases not just for the 'cool kids': Relational DBMSes 'too rigid'" The Register 11:41 AM
"Sony hints that Vita OS might head to smartphones" TG Daily 11:38 AM
"Blizzard Releasing Diablo 3 By End Of June" PCWorld 11:15 AM
"New TI Chip Could Spread NFC in Smartphones" PC Magazine 11:13 AM
"Acer to launch CloudMobile smartphone in 3Q12" DigiTimes 10:43 AM
"Mozilla patches critical Firefox bug: Firefox 10 is third straight release needing follow-on patch" Computerworld 10:34 AM
"Galaxy Tab 2's Big Leap is Android 4.0" PCWorld 11:15 AM
"AT&T Customers Surprised By 'Unlimited Data' Limit" Associated Press 10:04 AM
"Google Apps Backup Service Spanning Gets Sexy: Launches All-New Look & Admin Dashboard" TechCrunch 11:34 AM
"46: HotHardware's Two and A Half Geeks Webcast - Feb. 13, 2012" HotHardware 9:50 AM
"A week of sitting through some pretty pitiful PowerPoint presentations gives you a greater appreciation for Keynote and Steve Jobs' presentations." The MT Show 7:40 AM
"Report: Apple forcing contract manufacturer Pegatron to choose sides, give up Asustek Zenbook orders" 9 to 5 Mac 8:22 AM
"Pegatron Forced to Drop Zenbook Due to MacBook Air Similarities" The Mac Observer 11:01 AM
"Target Worker 'Confirms' iPad 3 Will Launch In Early March [Rumor] Cult of Mac 8:19 AM
"Leaked iPad 3 parts match, suggest Sharp-made Retina Display" 9 to 5 Mac 8:59 AM
"Apple may Breathe New Life into their Video Headset Project While Sharp Ramps-Up IGZO Displays for Tablets this Month" Patently Apple 8:52 AM
"Future iPhone user interface could detect eye movement: Apple granted 3D patent using motion sensors and facial recognition" Macworld UK 7:36 AM
"iPad 3 announcement March 7, quad-core, possible 4G LTE: According to sources who have been reliable in the past, Apple currently plans to hold their iPad 3 announcement on Wednesday, March 7, 2012. Along with the 2048×1536 Retina display, the iPad 3 will feature a quad-core Apple 6 system-on-a-chip, and possibly 4G LTE networking." iMore 3:58 PM
"Three alleged 'iPad 3' parts assembled, including possible Retina Display" AppleInsider 8:12 AM
"iPad 3 Release Date Expected in March; iPad Mini May Come Later" ABCNews 10:23 AM
"Meijer Discounts iPad 2 to $429, New iPad 3 Coming Soon?" PadGadget 10:15 AM
"Apple's iPad outselling Samsung's own tablets in Korea" CNET News 2:03 PM
"Apple TV update may come soon as retailers run out of stock" CNET News 9:51 AM
"Apple TV stock shortage sparks new gadget rumour fever" The Register 8:44 AM
"Low Apple TV Stock Suggests Refresh Scheduled For Next Month" App Advice 8:24 AM
"Apple begins offering 13.3-inch MacBook Air notebook to education buyers for $999" O'Grady's PowerPage 10:01 AM
"State of Thunderbolt? Expensive, hard to find" Mac.Blorge 2:02 PM
Price Trackers/Deals
"iCruciPuzzle For iPhone and iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $0.99)" Apple Sliced 8:16 AM
"Brain Challenge For iPhone Is $0.99 Right Now (Previously $4.99)" Apple Sliced 8:16 AM
"Earthworm Jim For iPhone Is $0.99 Today (Was $4.99)" Apple Sliced 8:16 AM
"PadGadget Daily App Deal – 10 iPad Apps on Sale" PadGadget 7:34 AM
"13" MacBook Pro Prices & Deals" MacPrices 9:06 AM
"15" MacBook Pro Prices & Sales" MacPrices 9:06 AM
"Kayak Pro for All Your Travel Booking Needs" Best App Site 7:41 AM
"Want a Challenge? Try Defense Zone HD for iPad" PadGadget 8:51 AM
"The Tiny Bang Story HD Review: Put Tiny Planet back together again by solving puzzles in a beautiful hand-drawn world." 148Apps 11:12 AM
"Dwarfs vs Orcs HD Review: A tower defense/RTS hybrid that's high on style and low on fun." 148Apps 8:25 AM
"Enter The SandBox Preview: Pixowl is working on the next big thing since... well, I'll just come out and say it... since Minecraft. There, I said it." 148Apps 11:48 AM
How-To/Tutorial
"The Most Complicated Way to Ruin Your MacBook" Gizmodo UK 5:34 PM
"Upgrading a First Gen MacBook Air With a SSD" Wired 11:48 AM
Tips
"Invisible iPad Keys Make Split-Screen Typing Easier [iOS Tips] Cult of Mac 2:33 PM
"Take Advantage Of iOS 5's Shortcut Feature" MacNews Blog 7:41 AM
"Apple admits it has a human rights problem: After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets" The Independent 6:18 PM
"Did Engineering Blind RIM to iPhone's Assault?" Tech.pinions 6:06 PM
"Samsung Galaxy Tab outsold by iPad on home turf" AppleInsider 5:17 PM
"Samsung doesn't think Apple can compete in the TV market. That sounds vaguely familiar..." Newsvine 4:44 PM
"Apple's Hottest New 'Thing' May Be Dividend, Not iPad3" CNBC 2:34 PM
"Here's What iOS Would Have Looked Like In The 80's [Gallery] Cult of Mac 2:33 PM
"Why Are Apple Fans so Annoying?" Yahoo! News 2:15 PM
"Fondle my slab, baby: Inside the tactile world of Apple-fan iDating/Even in the hearts of Apple fanbois, there's room to love another human being as well as machinery. But it's better if the human receiving that love also has an iPad, say those who are presumably experts in the matter." The Register 11:44 AM
"Going After Google, Apple Fires Shot To Android's Heart" Forbes 11:02 AM
"A Crazy Experience: Buying An iPhone 4S In Hong Kong" AppleBitch 11:00 AM
"AT&T And Sprint: First Move Towards Cutting Smartphone Subsidies" Seeking Alpha 3:53 PM
"The Macalope Daily: Order is restored" Macworld [Insider Content] 9:47 AM
"The world's biggest startup: Last year we began offering revenue and operating income comparisons between Apple and Microsoft. It was becoming evident that the iOS franchise was beginning to overtake both in revenue and profitability the Windows franchise. To offer more dimensions of comparison this time I am adding Google's top and bottom lines for comparison" asymco 9:15 AM
"Apple vs ITV? You're all missing the point" Electricpig 10:39 AM
"The Lesson of the Laptop-Shooting Dad" Time 11:46 AM
"Steam Hack Worse than Thought...Three Months Later" Techland 11:45 AM
"The God Box: Searching for the holy grail array" The Register 11:44 AM
"Most social network users behave 'generously', says Pew survey" Computerworld 11:37 AM
"Best monitors for about $200" CNET Reviews 11:27 AM
"Latest Droid features 'best keyboard yet,' iFixit finds: Phone is much more difficult to repair, however" Network World 11:18 AM
"How to Save the IT Industry in 4 (Not So Easy) Steps" CIO 11:18 AM
"RIM Still as Clueless and Arrogant as Ever" Minyanville 12:13 PM
"IT's worst addictions (and how to cure them): Jargon, data, power -- the first step to IT recovery is recognizing the monkey on your back" InfoWorld 10:58 AM
"The Rise of the International Cybervillain" [Podcast] E-Commerce Times 10:43 AM
"Multiple Cloud Formations Require New Security Approaches" eWeek 10:45 AM
"Get Ready for 1 Billion Smartphones by 2016, Forrester Says" New York Times [Free/Paid Registration Required] 10:11 AM
"Mozilla's plan for 2012: Break the ecosystem lock" CNET News 10:09 AM
"'Saturday Night Live' Has Verizon's Number in 4G LTE Spoof (Video)" AllThingsD 9:49 AM
"Microsoft Stores Are Very Sad Places" Forbes 11:45 AM
"The Lesson of the Laptop-Shooting Dad" Time 11:36 AM
"Why Amazon Will Create Brick and Mortar Retail Stores" Tech.pinions 10:13 AM
"Best Buy: With Lots of Unbiased Advice" Tech.pinions 10:13 AM
"H-P Banks on Digital Printing Presses" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 8:56 PM
"HP boss Whitman urged to get touchy-feely with resellers: HP CEO Meg Whitman, who will step out in front of a VIP audience at the invitation-only global partner knees-up in Las Vegas this week for the first since taking over at the vendor, should take a leaf out of Michael Dell's channel management notes." Channel Register 11:43 AM
"Has Hewlett-Packard Become the Perfect Stock?" The Motley Fool 9:55 AM
"HP Readies Open-Source WebOS Release" Computerworld 11:16 AM
"Meg Whitman Makes HP Execs Give Up Cushy Offices To Work In Cubicles" Business Insider 4:26 PM
"HP launches new generation of 'self-sufficienct' servers" Ars Technica 6:16 PM
"Microsoft Stock Going To $32 As Windows 8 Arrives This Month" Forbes 10:53 AM
"Windows 8 On ARM Won't Run Old Apps: Microsoft wants to create a closed Metro ecosystem for ARM tablets, which means no legacy support for existing Windows software." InformationWeek 10:57 AM
"Will WOA Fragment The Windows 8 Ecosystem?" BYTE 12:19 PM
"Windows 8 on ARM: Microsoft bets on Office 15 and IE10" The Register 11:41 AM
"AMD's shares rise on Bernstein upgrade: Analyst sees chipmaker as having cleared supply hurdle" MarketWatch 12:09 PM
"Cisco's John Stewart on the latest security threats ... and what enterprises can do to fight back: Cisco's vice president and CSO delivers advice for mobile security, identity management, and the need for companies to begin planning for IPv6" Network World 10:59 AM
"Hadoop wins over enterprise IT, spurs talent crunch" Network World 10:33 AM
"The Killer App for Tablets in Enterprise: With custom business apps to access corporate data from anywhere, ultra-portable tablets can make enterprise more efficient." PC Magazine 11:14 AM
MacSurfer Headline News Staff
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief: P. Pearson
Managing & Weekday Editor: D. Mahaffy
Evening Editors: S. Siegling and
D. Mahaffy
Weekend Editors: S. Siegling , A. Spaulding and
D. Mahaffy
CEO: T. Jefferson
CFO: K. Midas
Editor Emeritus: W. Shakespeare
Writers Emeritus: W. Lewis, R. Chandler, W. Morris, G. Simenon, C. Vallejo, F. Garcia Lorca,
P. White, R. Adams, P. Valery, C. Aiken, R. Bradbury, F. Pessoa, S. Bellow, F. O'Connor
Art Directors: V. Van Gogh, C. Monet
Advertising Managers: C. Chaplin, H. Marx
Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
Bomb Squad: Type 11 Errors
Chief Scientists: I. Asimov, S. Hawking
Road Crew: R. Petty, J. Cooper
Mechanics: Tom and Ray
Fishing Crew: A. Lindner, D. Stange, K. VanDam
Head Chef: Mom
Head Travel Guru: D. Pearson
Mascots: Cyberdog, Clarus the Dogcow
General Counsel: #%@*$$$$!