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Major/Minor Threat to Apple's living room vision: Microsoft's new Xbox One game+media hub?
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Wednesday Highlights: Tim Cook goes to Washington, under fire from the US Senate over offshore tax shelters including Ireland, China, makes no apologies, defending his company and telling senators they need to fix the tax system; Cook even plays a little Genius Bar as Senator John McCain complains of having to constantly update apps on is iPhone; plenty more in our Apple/Macintosh, Op/Ed, and Finances sections; Apple claiming Samsung Galaxy S4 infringes on five patents including customizations Samsung has done on the Android Jelly Bean OS; a "sophisticated 'operation hangover' gang in India" said to be responsible for new OS X Oslo malware; Mactuts+ offers help for those having issues downloading apps from the Mac App Store; Macworld shows you where to get some nice, free or low-cost fonts; and the staff at Macworld have another tutorial for switchers from Windows to OS X; and here's how to sync calendars for those of you balancing between Mountain Lion and Snow Leopard systems; according to new stats, Samsung and Motorola have cut Apple's lead in customer satisfaction by half; Apple updates online store in preparation for Father's Day; TechHive shows you which major US carriers have the most LTE throughout the states; Tim Cook says the USA-made Macs are to be built in the great state of Texas, with Apple spending $100 billion in the endeavor; Flickr, Vimeo integration rumored for iOS 7, and a couple interesting iPhone 6 concepts hit the web; LAPTOP Mag gets a hands-on with LifeProof's Fre iPad mini case; is Apple held to different standards than other companies?; Rush Limbaugh has no love for the Senates "high-tech lynching" of Apple; Microsoft's Xbox One means "goodbye freedom".
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"Apple analysts: Stupid or lazy? Lazy, according to a study of firms, like Apple, with periodic 14-week quarters" Fortune 5:30 PM
"Apple May Lose iPhone Naming Rights In Brazil" Forbes 4:41 PM
"Lenovo Wants A Piece Of Apple, Samsung" Forbes 8:17 AM
"4 February 'Feel Good' Factors For Apple Fanatics" Seeking Alpha 12:21 PM
"Kodak completes patent sale to Apple, Google consortium" iDownload Blog 4:43 PM
"Apple Becomes Largest Mobile Phone Vendor in United States in Q4 2012" Strategy Analytics 2/1
"Apple biggest phone maker in the U.S. for the first time: Apple bests Samsung by selling 17.7 million iPhones in Q4, as U.S. market share increases to 34%" IDG News Service 2/1
"With 18M iPhones sold during Q4, Apple outsells Samsung in U.S." GigaOM 2/1
"Apple Becomes Top Mobile Phone Vendor in the US for First Time" The Next Web 2/1
"Apple Ousts Samsung As No.1 Mobile Maker In U.S. In Q4 2012 — Taking Record 34% Marketshare, Says Strategy Analytics" TechCrunch 2/1
"Apple overtakes Samsung as top U.S. mobile phone maker" CNET News 2/1
"Apple Overtakes Samsung With 34% of U.S. Mobile Market" Bloomberg 2/1
"Apple is biggest US phone seller for 1st time" Associated Press 2/1
"Apple Becomes Top Mobile-Phone Vendor in U.S. During Fourth Quarter" WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required] 2/1
"Apple makes modest gains in Chinese phone share" Electronista 2/1
"Apple Executives Meet with Turkish President to Discuss $4.5 Billion iPad Education Initiative" MacRumors 2/1
"Apple Absolutely Has To Make An iPhone With A Bigger Screen" Business Insider 2/1
"Court denies Apple rehearing on Galaxy Nexus injunction plea: Apple said the court had introduced a new requirement for issuing injunctions" IDG News Service 2/1
"Are Apple users superior? Do Apple's mobile devices lead in the U.S. because of technological elitism? Of course not." Fortune 2/1
"Java updates available for OS X on February 1, 2013" Apple Support 4:43 PM
"Oracle rushes out another Java update, fixing 50 vulnerabilities" PCWorld 4:41 PM
"Apple updates Java for Snow Leopard following blockage: Following a recent addition of Java to its plug-in blacklist, Apple has issued an update to its supported Java versions." CNET Reviews 6:30 PM
"Apple Product Security - Java for Mac OS X v10.6 Update 12" Help Net Security 9:27 PM
"Macworld/iWorld 2013: OmniFocus 2 debuts" AppleTell 8:13 AM
"Lynx Sightings Rise, Mac OS X 10.9 Beta Nears" Tapscape 9:46 AM
"Java browser plug-in on OS X re-enabled with update to Java 7" 9 to 5 Mac 2/1
"Apple ticks off Mac users with silent shutdown of Java 7: Company sets XProtect to treat Java as malware, leaving Java-dependent users scrambling for guidance" InfoWorld 2/1
"Apple Thinks iWork Pro with Newly Acquired Patents" Patently Apple 2/1
"Apple nabs 18 patents related to 'axis-based user interface technology'" CNET News 2/1
"Apple Looking To Reimagine User Interface In iLife Apps?" AppleBitch 2/1
"Desktop Operating System Market Share" [Mac: 7.08%] NetMarketshare 2/1
"Don't type this phrase on your Mac unless you like crashing it: 'File:///'" 9 to 5 Mac 8:14 AM
"Strange Bug Causes Instant App Crashes in Mac OS X by Typing File:///" OS X Daily 2:39 PM
"Typing Eight Characters Will Crash Almost Every OS X 'Mountain Lion' App" Forbes 7:25 PM
"Q&A: MacFixIt Answers/This week, readers sent in questions about keeping a Mac clean and optimized, external drive permissions, and other topics." CNET Reviews 2/1
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Mastering The Option Key On Your OS X Mac [Feature] Cult of Mac 12:19 PM
"SCSC Releases a Major Update of Scannerz for Mac OS X" prMac 2/1
"MacX DVD Ripper Pro Updated to Rip DVD to ISO Image/MKV with Fast Speed" prMac 2/1
"Omni Group unveils OmniFocus 2, OmniPlan, OmniOutliner 4 for Mac: After going 'iPad or bust,' the company's getting back to the Mac." Ars Technica 2/1
"The Super Bowl of Video Games. Literally." Time 2/1
"Quantum crypto still not proven, claim Cambridge experts" The Register 2/1
"Filthy! old! blog! bug! blamed! for! Yahoo! webmail! hijacks! Yahoo! webmail accounts are being hijacked by hackers exploiting an eight-month-old bug in the web giant's blog, security biz Bitdefender warns." The Register 2/1
"GTA V delayed, will launch on September 17" TG Daily 2/1
"TeliaSonera Chief Nyberg Quits After Uzbek Bribery Report" Bloomberg 2/1
"Facebook doesn't talk to Google, says Zuckerberg" Mashable 2/1
"Google Gets Its Act Together: New Nexus 4 Orders Reaching Customers In As Little As 48 Hours" TechCrunch 2/1
"Google begs for secrecy as it files Glass design with FCC" The Register 2/1
"Rotund Mega baron Dotcom offers bounty for breaking his crypto: Kim Dotcom is offering a prize of € 10,000 ($13,600) for anyone who can break the cryptography of Mega, his recently launched cloud-based storage site." The Register 2/1
"French website hits stumbling block indexing Mega files: Mega is keen to avoid copyright infringement accusations" IDG News Service 2/1
"Verizon launches prepaid plans for 3G phones starting at $60" CNET News 2/1
"Panasonic-Sharp Win Time for Turnarounds as Yen Boosts Earnings" Bloomberg 2/1
"PlayStation 4 buzz begins as Sony teases February event" PCWorld 2/1
"Mega explains removal of public files after blocking a third-party search engine that indexed user uploads" The Next Web 2/1
Publications/Podcasts
"Macworld – Boom's Bluetooth Speaker Takes Your Music Almost Everywhere" MacVoicesTV 12:18 PM
"Gene Steinberg meets TechnoBuffalo's Roy Choi, AppleInsider's Daniel Eran Dilger, and the NPD Group's Stephen Baker, this week on The Tech Night Owl LIVE!" The Tech Night Owl LIVE 2/1
"We're not making this up: Apple trademarks the SHOP/Rectangular tables protected, no word on rounded corners" The Register 2/1
Price Trackers/Deals
"Geared For iPhone Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $2.99), The iPad Version Is Also Free" Apple Sliced 10:05 AM
"Rune Gems -Deluxe For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $2.99)" Apple Sliced 10:05 AM
"Sketch Rolls-Unique Sketching, Note Taking and Drawing Application For iPad Is Free Today (Was $1.99)" Apple Sliced 10:05 AM
"PadGadget Daily App Deal – 17 iPad Apps on Sale" PadGadget 8:14 AM
"Royal Envoy HD (Premium) For iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $4.99)" Apple Sliced 2/1
"SimplePhysics For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $1.99)" Apple Sliced 2/1
"EDGE Extended For iPhone and iPad Is Free Today (Was $2.99)" Apple Sliced 2/1
"Rarefied Retina MacBook Pros get priced closer to earth: The Retina MacBook Pro gets price cuts ranging between $150 and $200 at Best Buy." CNET News 2/1
"How to follow along with the Super Bowl on iPhone and iPad" iMore 1:28 PM
"Ask Rick: do iPhone and iPad use GPS? A reader wants to know if he can use an iPhone and iPad as an emergency backup for the navigation equipment on his boat." Telegraph 7:56 AM
"Did Someone Really Receive a Trademark for the Name Steve Jobs in Turkey?" Patently Apple 7:26 PM
"Windows 8 iPad killers: Round 1/Be careful what you wish for: Windows 8 tablets that promise to offer a twofer tablet-laptop device -- something not offered by Apple on the iPad -- are here. But are they up to the task?" CNET News 5:32 PM
"How I was able to achieve all my computing needs, for one week, just by using my iPhone 5" PalmAddict 12:18 PM
"The Macalope Weekly: So much better than Apple" Macworld 9:30 AM
"Reality Absorption Field: Forms without Apple function" TUAW 8:13 AM
"Are transparent displays dumb or brilliant? The answer is yes. See-through screens won't be used in phones and tablets, but they'll enable your windows to run Windows. A see-through iPhone hit the Google+ 'What's Hot' list this week. One day later, a transparent-display iPad hit the list as well." Computerworld 8:11 AM
"When Rumors Go Left on Stupid, They're Actually Quite Funny" Patently Apple 2/1
"Meet, The Transparent iPad – [Concept, Video] RazorianFly 2/1
"What's Apple's next big thing? A low-cost iPhone? An Apple TV set? Four experts tackled the issue at Macworld 2013" Fortune 2/1
"This Awesome iPad Concept Features An All-Transparent Body [Video] Redmond Pie 2/1
"Apple May be Reluctant to Revitalize the Mac" The Mac Observer 2/1
"Year-old iPhone 4S spontaneously combusts and oozes acid, but Apple refuses to replace it" VentureBeat 2/1
"FTC Wants Apple, Others to Improve Mobile Privacy" The Mac Observer 2/1
"The Collapse Of Steve Jobs' Empire And Other Quaint Tales" Forbes 2/1
"Graphic: Is this Apple's new lineup of mobile devices?" Fortune 2/1
"If Apple's iPad Has A 50-percent Market Share, What Do Other Tablets Owners Do With Their Tablets?" PixoBebo 2/1
Non-Apple
"Nintendo and the hardware business" Marco Arment 8:29 PM
"BlackBerry 10: Right For You? Use these smartphone decision points to compare BlackBerry 10 to its Apple, Android and Windows Phone rivals." InformationWeek 9:36 AM
"Novell aims to remake image: Will it work?" ZDNet 2/1
"Q&A: can my tablet replace my cable TV?" USA Today 2/1
"Why you should care about cyber espionage" PCWorld 2/1
"The cloud is coming to your business, like it or not/Survey: Significant adoption often had nothing to do with IT, suggesting many businesses have pulled ahead of their CIOs" InfoWorld 2/1
"Hot or not: 10 tech trends for 2013" [Slideshow] InfoWorld 2/1
"Sony Likely To Unveil PlayStation 4 On Feb. 20, But We'll Need To See More Than A Spec Show" TechCrunch 2/1
"Microsoft explains how Office 365 allow you to access your files anywhere, just by signing in" WinBeta 1:20 PM
"Suddenly, A Bunch Of Yammer Employees Are Reporting To A Microsoft Exec" Business Insider 8:03 AM
"Microsoft at Bett: UK has 'so much more to do' in IT education" ITProPortal 1:25 PM
"Oracle Loses Bid to End HP Itanium Lawsuit" eWeek 1:25 PM
"AMD Announces New Winter Video Game Bundle: Never Settle Reloaded" AnandTech 4:42 PM
"Google moves closer to resolving EU investigation: Google's offer includes labelling its own services in search results to make them stand out from rival services" Reuters 1:20 PM
"Google's attempts to circumvent grant-back clauses are evil, hurt its reputation as a licensing partner" Foss Patents 8:14 AM
"FTC issues guidelines for mobile applications" Reuters 12:21 PM
"Google's Schmidt: 'Twitter Can No More Produce Analysis Than A Monkey Can Type Out A Work of Shakespeare'" TechCrunch 2:08 PM
"WSJ: Eric Schmidt calls China 'the most sophisticated and prolific' hacker of foreign firms" Engadget 2:08 PM
"China's Cyberattacks — At What Cost?" ChinaFile 8:03 AM
"Dell Could Announce Deal to Go Private as Soon as Monday" AllThingsD 2/1
"Dell Buyout Deal Could Come as Soon as Monday" Reuters 2/1
"Buyout Deal To Take Dell Private Could Be Announced On Monday" BGR 2/1
"Dell LBO Reportedly Could Come Monday At $15-$16 A Share" Forbes 2/1
"Michael Dell negotiating buyout at $13-$14 per share-sources" Reuters 2/1
"Dell shares rise on report of buyout plans" Associated Press 2/1
"Buyout deal to take Dell private could be announced on Monday" BGR News 2/1
"Dell to go private in bid to dump ailing PC business" ComputerWeekly 2/1
"What does Dell expect by going private? Company is cursed by being known as a PC maker" MarketWatch 2/1
"Windows 8 Adoption Increased 2.26% In January" BGR 2/1
"Microsoft teases IE10 for Win7 with Blocker Toolkit: Microsoft has dropped a strong hint that the long-awaited version of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 might actually ship soon – ironically, by releasing a tool that blocks installation of the browser on users' PCs." The Register 2/1
"Some users reporting Microsoft Office 365 access issues" ZDNet 2/1
"Has Microsoft finally embraced open source? By implementing Git in its developer tools, Microsoft is using GPL-licensed software -- and perhaps ending its war on open source" InfoWorld 2/1
"With Sony Set to Reveal Playstation 4, When Will Microsoft Respond?" Forbes 2/1
"Court rejects Oracle's bid for a quicker end to HP suit" Reuters 2/1
"HP workers halt legal fight against bosses over 29,000 job cuts: HP employees have 'withdrawn' legal action against the company and agreed to return to the negotiating table to hear CEO Meg Whitman's plan to cut 29,000 jobs." Channel Register 2/1
"HP to Close German Enterprise Services Site With 1,100 Employees" Bloomberg 2/1
"H-P lays off 850 employees, closes Germany site" MarketWatch 2/1
"HP to close site in Germany, cutting 850 jobs" Reuters 2/1
"HP's building an avatar to manage your mobile connections: The company is developing a cloud-based service to manage mobile devices and wireless connections based on context" IDG News Service 2/1
"HP reels in late for LTO-6 party, yells: Tape is BA-ACK" The Register 2/1
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 , C. Rogers 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
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Public Relations Firm: Bits & Bytes
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