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Let's say you wanted to use Bluetooth to talk to an iPod or an iPad. You'd think you could just buy a Bluetooth module from, say, Roving Networks - say, the RN-42, and then connect it to your PIC/Arduino and start sending Hello World, right?

WRONG!

You're grossly overstating things. If you just want to "Hello World" with an iOS device (i.e., do standard things like OBEX or A2DP), you can just use Bluetooth-standard components and protocols. As Apple's documentation says, "Third-party accessories can use the iPod Accessory Protocol (iAP) to access advanced features of iOS devices. One such feature is the ability to communicate securely with third-party iOS applications via the iOS External Accessory Framework." (see page 21).

So, as you can see, you only need to support iAP if you want to do Apple-specific things. You can easily empirically verify that standard BT features don't need iAP support by noting that you can pair a generic Bluetooth headset (including ones that predate the iPod Touch) with an iOS device, and it will work. You don't need to get a special "Made for iPhone" headset.

Let's say you wanted to use Bluetooth to talk to an iPod or an iPad. You'd think you could just buy a Bluetooth module from, say, Roving Networks - say, the RN-42, and then connect it to your PIC/Arduino and start sending Hello World, right?

WRONG!

Apple has not only extended Bluetooth to require a special iAP authentication chip, but they have a special licensing program called MFi.

Okay, you say, so maybe this is like USB, you pay a few grand and get a VID and then go about your business.

WRONG!

The requirements surrounding MFi are ridiculous. For example, Apple will run a credit check on your company. If you are not a high-volume manufacturing company, then you're stuck with only the development license, and you will have to outsource your manufacturing. A development license is required even if you want to design an in-house app. Hobbyists need not apply - you cannot even get the development license if you want to design something for personal use. Oh, and you need to sign an NDA before they will tell you the royalty rates.

Let's say you wanted to use Bluetooth to talk to an iPod or an iPad. You'd think you could just buy a Bluetooth module from, say, Roving Networks - say, the RN-42, and then connect it to your PIC/Arduino and start sending Hello World, right?

WRONG!

Apple has not only extended Bluetooth to require a special iAP authentication chip, but they have a special licensing program called MFi.

Okay, you say, so maybe this is like USB, you pay a few grand and get a VID and then go about your business.

WRONG!

The requirements surrounding MFi are ridiculous. For example, Apple will run a credit check on your company. If you are not a high-volume manufacturing company, then you're stuck with only the development license, and you will have to outsource your manufacturing. A development license is required even if you want to design an in-house app. Hobbyists need not apply - you cannot even get the development license if you want to design something for personal use. Oh, and you need to sign an NDA before they will tell you the royalty rates.

Need to use iTunes 11 behind a proxy. No worries. You can't, so just don't bother. https://discussions.apple.com/message/20455396?tstart=0#20455396?tstart=0

The gapless field was removed because it is for the most part needlessly redundant. For some time now, the iTunes application and Apple's iDevices playback as gapless by default already, regardless of whether the gapless field is checked.

In fact, for some time it's been difficult or impossible to disable gapless playback. But this is an entirely different complaint.

For some reason, on some machines the ATH.exe (wifi sync) will take up 100% of one CPU. Happened on the old iTunes, happens on the new iTunes. https://discussions.apple.com/message/20463456?ac_cid=tw123456#20463456

Now, be nice. Your acidic remarks are unecessary and uncalled-for.

We are currently one of the cheapest products in our marketplace. We do not sell hardware - and for people who really want touch screens, we recommend wall mounted all-in-ones that sit around U$900.

Oh, and by the way, your ~0.5kg is false.

iPad weight = 652 grams (here is a citation: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/). That's the lighter version.
iPad cover weight = 338 grams (citation: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/features/apple/3345046/best-cases-covers-for-new-ipad/)
Apple make lighter cases, but the lightest I've seen still comes in at about 180 grams.
Total weight 830 grams at best - though if you choose the 'recommended covers', it will be much closer to 1kg.

Also, subby wasn't talking about reading books. He was talking about reading stapled printouts. There is a big weight difference. If you want an eBook reader for bedtime or on a plane - then, sure, grab one. Please do your research before posting snippy responses in /.

First, she needs to read claude shannon's "a mathematical theory of communication"

http://cm.bell-labs.com/cm/ms/what/shannonday/shannon1948.pdf

Also, this class may help:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/principles-digital-communications/id341597796?mt=10

Meh, Apple took the cheap/easy way out. They solved a software problem with Hardware. The effective resolution is the same as it was previously, They just double the amount of pixels used.

...and use the extra pixels to show stuff at higher resolution except for some applications.

"Low resolution" is a hardware problem - you want higher-res, you need smaller pixels and more of them, and the only software that would affect that would be the software in the machines used in the design and manufacturing process for the displays.

For the next time you're in the US: Transit ~ Directions with Public Transportation. It supports dozens of cities (not just in the US, either), though obnoxiously it doesn't list them anywhere.

1. (S)he said $500 extra, so in addition to the $250 that the summary mentions for the shitboxes that TFA is talking about
2. (S)he wouldn't even have to pay $500 more. Only $349 more.

You didn't catch the reference the GP poster was making.

This is the OEM business model. ... Even with a premium PC line, they won't turn down these dollars thrust upon them from Symantec, and the online-game-of-the-week.

This is a premium PC? Well, premium price anyways, when compared to an Apple iMac I see a higher res screen and better graphics for less. Of course, it'll also come sans all the fingerprints on the screen, since it's not a touch screen. I think that alone is worth several hundred $ in Apple's favor, or however much you value your finger should you ever try to touch my monitor. I kid, I kid... not.

Wanna take bets on that?

ProficySCADA By GE Intelligent Platforms, Inc.

(all though all it seems to be is link to the existing CIMPLICITY webserver component)

iPod touch is the price of the Wii U

iPod touch:
MUCH Weaker GPU.
No HD-DVD-like drive.
No SD slot.
Cheap low watt charger.
Has headphone port.
Choose colors! Aluminum.
Better touch screen.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/ipod_touch

Except you can get a 4S for $99 same spec as Nexus 4

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone4s

glass backetc.

Dumbass. $299 is the off contract price.

Except you can get a 4S for $99 same spec as Nexus 4

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_iphone/family/iphone4s

glass backetc.

Although three is way too young an age to have your mind warped by having whitespace define blocks, you can program in python on an iPad.

Another option is Codea to learn to code, or the more recent ScriptKit.

But really three is probably too young for a real coding environment...

My nephews want to play Subway Shuffle every time I bring my iPod Touch. It's a train shuffle game, but with the added twist that each train can only move along tracks of its own color. It's probably a bit too complex for a 3 year old, but in one or two years time your daughter would probably be able to solve the simpler levels. The higher levels are quite challenging even for adults.

You'll have to help, for a while...
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crayon-physics-deluxe/id300830915?mt=8

A friend of mine is behind a really well reviewed iPad app called Numbers League. This covers math down to simple addition and subtraction and up to multiplication, division and simple fractions.

Review: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/07/the-numbers-league-app-improves-on-a-masterpiece/

App store link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/numbers-league/id444781544?mt=8&ls=1

The app is based on a card game with info and online store here: http://www.bentcastle.com/nl.htm

Monkey Preschool Lunchbox https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/monkey-preschool-lunchbox/id328205875?mt=8

Of course, the "Cut the Rope" and "Fruit Ninja" games are good in there "can't lose" modes.

Starfall app (same as the website)

PBS.org (warning - essentially streaming video - you need to moderate use of this one!)

My kids love ABC Superstar Kids

It has fun puzzles, teaches how to draw letters, and you can customize the character.

Nice troll. Here's the real text: (bolded emphasis mine)

A. Preinstalled and Single-Copy Apple Software License. Subject to the terms and conditions of this License, unless you obtained the Apple Software from the Mac App Store or under a volume license, maintenance or other written agreement from Apple, you are granted a limited, nonexclusive license to install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software on a single Apple branded computer at any one time. For example, these single-copy license terms apply to you if you obtained the Apple Software preinstalled on Apple-branded hardware.
B. Mac App Store License. If you obtained a license for the Apple Software from the Mac App Store, then subject to the terms and conditions of this License and as permitted by the Mac App Store Usage Rules set forth in the App Store Terms and Conditions (http://www.apple.com/legal/ itunes/ww/) (“Usage Rules”), you are granted a limited, non-transferable, non-exclusive license: (i) to download, install, use and run for personal, non-commercial use, one (1) copy of the Apple Software directly on each Apple-branded computer running OS X Lion or OS X Snow Leopard (“Mac Computer”) that you own or control;
(ii) If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, to download, install, use and run one (1) copy of the Apple Software for use either: (a) by a single individual on each of the Mac Computer(s) that you own or control, or (b) by multiple individuals on a single shared Mac Computer that you own or control. For example, a single employee may use the Apple Software on both the employee’s desktop Mac Computer and laptop Mac Computer, or multiple students may serially use the Apple Software on a single Mac Computer located at a resource center or library; and
(iii) to install, use and run up to two (2) additional copies or instances of the Apple Software within virtual operating system environments on each Mac Computer you own or control that is already running the Apple Software, for purposes of: (a) software development; (b) testing during software development; (c) using OS X Server; or (d) personal, non-commercial use.
The grant set forth in Section 2B(iii) above does not permit you to use the virtualized copies or instances of the Apple Software in connection with service bureau, time-sharing, terminal sharing or other similar types of services.

Source: http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/OSX1082.pdf

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-complete-collection/id579356406

My Mac Mini (2008)

You're definitely trolling as there is no 2008 model Mac Mini. The only ones in that time region are the Mid 2007 and the Early 2009 Mac Mini. The 2009 Mac Mini has gigabit and the Mid 2007 Mac Mini has gigabit. Even the Early 2006 Mac Mini has gigabit. Wanna try again?

My Mac Mini (2008)

You're definitely trolling as there is no 2008 model Mac Mini. The only ones in that time region are the Mid 2007 and the Early 2009 Mac Mini. The 2009 Mac Mini has gigabit and the Mid 2007 Mac Mini has gigabit. Even the Early 2006 Mac Mini has gigabit. Wanna try again?

My Mac Mini (2008)

You're definitely trolling as there is no 2008 model Mac Mini. The only ones in that time region are the Mid 2007 and the Early 2009 Mac Mini. The 2009 Mac Mini has gigabit and the Mid 2007 Mac Mini has gigabit. Even the Early 2006 Mac Mini has gigabit. Wanna try again?

Mountain Lion no longer has Spaces. The replacement for Expose/Spaces is supposed to be Mission Control, but in reality it lacks Spaces functionality.
For example, say your Mac is feeding your monitor and also your projector. If your projector is in another room or turned off (and e.g. connected through KVM) you essentially can't see part of your desktop. That is no problem for Mac OS X 10.5-10.7. Say Firefox launches on the projector-part of your desktop and you want to move it where you can see it, hit F9 and drag it. On Mountain Lion you are SOL. And missing functionality is just the tip of the iceberg for Mountain Lion's broken multi-monitor support. Try having one monitor in portrait and start moving windows around or do whatever else you normally do. No, I dare you, try it. Since the first release portrait-mode users have been complaining on severe stuttering and many have reverted to Lion. Still not fixed. example posts.

Gee, I've had two friends in the last week also report their iphone 5s locking up and freezing. Guess this is âoenewsâ as well. And oh, here's an Apple forum with ooo a whole 25 replies on it about the iphone 5 freezing.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4396519?start=0&tstart=0

So how bout some real comparisons here instead of cherrypicking? How bout a satisfaction survey of 920 owners? Maybe some real journalistic work perhaps? How bout numerically compare the satisfaction of 920 owners to the rest of the field? Too defensible? Too much work?

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-Lumia-920-Windows-Phone/product-reviews/B00A2V7FCS/ref=sr_1_2_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

Btw, one SKU of the Lumia is currently #3 across all carriers on Amazon and moving up every day despite limited production. Whereâ(TM)s the story on that?

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Cell-Phones-Accessories-Service-Plans/zgbs/wireless/2407747011/ref=zg_bs_nav_cps_1_cps

Nice comparison, but to me fair it takes $100 plus an existing Mac to get started developing iOS games. At least that's what it cost me, https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/laundry-rush/id417527984?mt=8 /shameless plug

Ahh, so what you really want is the BSD rc subsystem or perhaps rcng in Gentoo

Or maybe launchd, which was one of the inspirations from systemd, but has 25022 lines of source code (as per a recent download of a source tarball of the 10.8.2 version) rather than 158743 lines (as per a recent checkout with git clone git://anongit.freedesktop.org/systemd/systemd), with "lines of source code" determined by finding all source files (files matching any of *.[chylsSxm], *.ch, *.fth, *.sh, *.m[td], *.asm, *.java, *.jav, *.cpp, *.cc, *.cxx, *.cp) and xargsing them through wc -l.

No, launchd probably doesn't do as much as systemd; some might consider that a feature.

Really?

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/09/24iPhone-5-First-Weekend-Sales-Top-Five-Million.html

Apple also releases how many phones it sells every quarter.

you assume sales are demand limited rather than supply limited.

http://www.apple.com/asia/iphone/buy/#cn

No I don't. I just don't live in the land of unicorns. The link is from the offical Apple site where to buy the iphone in china....Link No1 is Apple Online Store :) The Nexus devices sell out; not so much the iDevices.

TV is, strangely, one of those things that's begging to be reinvented in a way that integrates all of the great potential of internet + TV + consoles + disc players + multi-channel / caching devices, etc. Typically we'd look to Apple to show everyone how a problem like this really should be solved, but I think we all know how well that's gone. Speaking for myself, I will continue to simply plug in my laptop to my flatscreen's HDMI port and not bother with silly things like cable or satellite subscriptions. Until you can give me a way, for example, to watch HBO (and not Lifetime, or MSNBC, or any of the other 500 channels I'd never touch with a 31.5-foot pole) without paying hundreds of dollars a month for the Super Platinum Ultra cable package, the value just isn't there. A handful of networked (and some cable) shows are already doing this on Hulu, but the push for Hulu Plus subscriptions (and accompanying limitations on free Hulu) is really starting to get annoying.

In the long run, I think Google's approach is the one that time will show to be the winner. They're constantly looking for ways to extend search for better monetization (and after all the hammer thinks everything is a nail), but I think that's going to be the sustainable market path that can eventually take us to a day when I can--for example--pay a $10 subscription fee to watch real-time releases of Game of Thrones in the same way I can pay a modest fee for privileged access to my favorite Twitch channels. When the monetization comes full circle, and starts feeding back into investment and production of shows, it will produce a much tighter feedback loop and much better programming, much the same way cable did when it originally had its heyday so many years ago.

you mean this product

http://www.apple.com/appletv/

that has been out for several years with multiple hardware generations?

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know perfectly well what he means.

you mean this product

http://www.apple.com/appletv/

that has been out for several years with multiple hardware generations?

There is no additional money to spend

So they didn't need to hire anyone or develop any new processes, or any new systems to bring these features online? This is like claiming game developers never need to create a new engine since one already exists and works.

Apple does have a curated system. But I do not think they are spending a lot of human labor on it.

You're unfamiliar with the winding colon of their review process, there most certainly is human involvement otherwise it wouldn't take WEEKS to get something through, or deal with arbitrary rejections. Are you referring to expenses in time or personnel? Personnel are one of the largest expenses of an operation.

Perhaps an examiner will run the "ldd" equivalent against the binary; then will start the software and try a couple things... lacking the source code, there is no way to know what the software is really doing... All they can use is a threat of ejecting the bad developer from the store *after* the violation is noticed.

It's not done this way since you must supply source code. If you developed anything for iOS you'd be aware of this fact, here is a great place to educate yourself about their guidelines. And since you're uninitiated here is a run down of whats involved in submitting your first app.

As matter of fact, just a few days ago there was a discussion on Slashdot [slashdot.org] about an app that intentionally, maliciously hurt its users on mere suspicion (and a wrong one at that) of piracy.

Bummer, interestingly enough which platform features more pirated apps, or compromised apps posing as legitimate ones? Does that hurt or harm its reputation among users?

Apple cannot guarantee absence of viruses, and they don't even try.

I made no such claims other than one platform has virus scanners on it. If there weren't a demand they wouldn't exist.

There is no additional money to spend

So they didn't need to hire anyone or develop any new processes, or any new systems to bring these features online? This is like claiming game developers never need to create a new engine since one already exists and works.

Apple does have a curated system. But I do not think they are spending a lot of human labor on it.

You're unfamiliar with the winding colon of their review process, there most certainly is human involvement otherwise it wouldn't take WEEKS to get something through, or deal with arbitrary rejections. Are you referring to expenses in time or personnel? Personnel are one of the largest expenses of an operation.

Perhaps an examiner will run the "ldd" equivalent against the binary; then will start the software and try a couple things... lacking the source code, there is no way to know what the software is really doing... All they can use is a threat of ejecting the bad developer from the store *after* the violation is noticed.

It's not done this way since you must supply source code. If you developed anything for iOS you'd be aware of this fact, here is a great place to educate yourself about their guidelines. And since you're uninitiated here is a run down of whats involved in submitting your first app.

As matter of fact, just a few days ago there was a discussion on Slashdot [slashdot.org] about an app that intentionally, maliciously hurt its users on mere suspicion (and a wrong one at that) of piracy.

Bummer, interestingly enough which platform features more pirated apps, or compromised apps posing as legitimate ones? Does that hurt or harm its reputation among users?

Apple cannot guarantee absence of viruses, and they don't even try.

I made no such claims other than one platform has virus scanners on it. If there weren't a demand they wouldn't exist.

Where you getting your figures?

http://investor.apple.com/results.cfm

2011 - The Company posted quarterly revenue of $28.27 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.62 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $20.34 billion and net quarterly profit of $4.31 billion, or $4.64 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.3 percent compared to 36.9 percent in the year-ago quarter.

2012 - The Company posted quarterly revenue of $36.0 billion and quarterly net profit of $8.2 billion, or $8.67 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $28.3 billion and net profit of $6.6 billion, or $7.05 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 40.0 percent compared to 40.3 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Quarterly figures you compare to the same quarter, x years ago. Not Q4 to Q3, but Q4-2012 to Q4-2011. Holiday sales, summer slacking, start of school sales, etc. All those have an impact.

On the iPads, as previously stated. Market share is not important here. You don't aim for max market share, you aim for max profit.

2011 - The Company sold 17.07 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 21 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 11.12 million iPads during the quarter, a 166 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.89 million Macs during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 6.62 million iPods, a 27 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

2012 - The Company sold 26.9 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 58 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 14.0 million iPads during the quarter, a 26 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 4.9 million Macs during the quarter, a 1 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 5.3 million iPods, a 19 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

The market is bound to grow as a whole, how can it not? iPad sales have gone up 26%, and that was in the quarter just before the release of the new iPad which is bound to have an influence.

" the bombshell that Apple only managed to sell 14million ipads"

in the last what - three weeks of the quarter?

Really, apple haters are a pathetic lot - let's come back at the end of this quarter and see what tune everyone is singing...

Do not get confused what Apple call their Q4 is Q3. Its for a full quarter. The results are posted here. http://investor.apple.com/ They sold 17Million last quarter. Calling me a hater will not satisfy the shareholders or sell more iPads in that quarter.

On November 1, 2012, a version of the UniDict® iOS software revealed a bug that has embarrassed both our users and our company. We are sincerely sorry for the uproar and the bad feelings our customers have experienced. To everyone affected, we offer our humble apologies.

The story and tech details

On the morning of November 1, customers had an unpleasant surprise if they opened the app and let it go to sleep before it was closed. Upon waking, a dialog box showed "Run in Safe Mode" then the app disabled itself and performed an auto soft close. A notification appeared locally on the device and if the user had authorized the app to access their Twitter account, a tweet of the notification was sent out under their account with a hash tag #softwarepiracyconfession. This tweet only happened if the user tapped a send confirmation button.

As soon as we realised there was a problem, we corrected it by removing the anti-piracy module and working with Apple to get the patched version online for download. It was available before close of business on November 1. At no time was the device itself or personal information compromised; there was no virus, no unofficial APIs, no hacking and no malware involved. Nevertheless, a number of users with certain system configurations were affected during this time period. Some may still be if they haven't updated to the fixed version. If you are not running the latest version, we urge you to update your app immediately to avoid the potential embarrassment of an unexpected tweet.

Why this happened

Combatting piracy is challenging. As a small family-owned company with few employees every lost sale impacts our livelihood and our ability to continue developing apps that we are passionate about. Piracy of Enfour products happens at an astonishing rate. We have seen a 1:100 ratio of legal to pirated copies of our software. Ouch. We can't thwart truly determined hacker & crackers, but we wanted to possibly shame those who were opportunistically stealing our software. Just like installing a shop-lifting alarm in a store, we thought we were being creative with a notification and a timed tweet for users of a cracked app.

In retrospect, this was not the wisest choice. The bug that revealed this creative indiscretion was a screwup and we accept full responsibility. We have tried to reach as many affected people as possible using social media via our personal accounts as well as via our website and also the iTunes store -all in multiple languages. We have taken all possible steps to ensure that our customers are never affected again.

Piracy is a hot issue. Despite what some believe about piracy being acceptable and harmless, we know piracy does cost us money and affects us directly. It's far too large and personal a topic for us to pontificate upon, but if you are interested in a perspective that fits our opinion, there is a good article in Bloomberg Business Week. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-01/piracycuts-into-paid-app-sales

Thank you We appreciate the time you took to read this letter and if you would like to discuss the issue further, we are available for comment.
Tracey Northcott
VP International Communications
Enfour, Inc.
3F Kouju Bld 3-52-8 Sendagaya
Shibuya-ku Tokyo 151-0051 JAPAN
tracey@enfour.co.jp
http://www.enfour.com/
https://itunes.apple.com/artist/enfour-inc./id284965604?l=en
TEL: +81-3-5411-7738
FAX: +81-3-5411-7704

I'm not a user of their software, or apple products for that matter, but if I were affected by this bug I would def

Method 3: Screw patents, just build it try to make as much money as fast as possible. If the patent owner brings claims and asks for money, sue them. Countersue them for anything you can imagine. Winning or losing the case, your marketing strategy has assured that you will still be making boatloads of cash in the meantime to finance the decision of the courts*

*Method 3 is owned by by Apple, Inc. and is a registered trademark. All copyright rules apply
http://www.apple.com/legal/trademark/appletmlist.html

I run iFixit. We started writing our own repair manuals because of this very issue way back in 2003. Slashdot has run stories about us on a number of occasions.

Apple has been very aggressively protecting their copyright on service manuals pretty much since the dawn of the internet. Heres an example of them going after Something Awful. Many of the sites theyve gone after have ceased to exist.

Since then, with the help of tens of thousands of incredible repair technicians around the world (including many redditors), we have built the largest free repair manual. Because we write them ourselves, the manufacturers cant shut us down. The community has written over 6,000 manuals, and you can download and reproduce any of them to your hearts content. We even post all of our manuals on bittorrent and the internet archive so they are guaranteed to be free forever.

Heres our Toshiba laptop service manual. Weve made progress on half a dozen laptops so far, with more on the way. Not nearly as comprehensive as what timix had, but its a start.

Toshiba is not an outlier here--they represent the status quo. Many manufacturers havent gotten around to issuing these C&D letters, but its perfectly within their right. Any site hosting manufacturer service manuals without permission is at risk of a shutdown like this at any time.

Thats why what we do at iFixit is so important. The world needs to know how to fix these products. Repair is critical for the environment. Repair helps bridge the digital divide by keeping the secondhand electronics market alive. And electronics repair represents hundreds of thousands of jobs in the United States alone.

We cannot rely on the good will of manufacturers. Yes, many of them have looked the other way and ignored sites like timixs, but that is unlikely to continue. We have three options:

1. Create a free and open alternative to the manufacturers service manuals (thats what were doing at iFixit).
2. Pressure the manufacturers to waive copyright to their manuals so that we can reproduce them. Dell, HP, and Lenovo are the best targets for this because they already provide manuals online. (I am involved in discussions with some OEMs to make this happen. The more public support we have, the more success well have.)
3. Legislate. The auto manufacturers refused to provide independent shops with the information they needed, so they banded together and just passed Right to Repair legislation in Massachusetts last week. There's no reason we can't do the same.

Its easy to say, "shame on Toshiba" and move on with your life. But this is not unique to Toshiba. No cell phone manufacturer makes their service manuals available. In fact, outside of the heavy equipment industry (where customers demand it) and the automotive industry (where legislation requires it), its the rare manufacturer that does not use copyright to prevent publicat

Yes. OSX applications and documents are openable from the command line which creates an interface for X11: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/man1/open.1.html

Though I'd recommend if you intend to intermix X11 and Aqua applications you let Aqua via. quartz-x11 manage X11 applications rather than have the X11 window manager try and provide services to Aqua applications. If you use an X11 window manager the Aqua application will be oblivious to the desktop and you can end up with parts of the visual screen not corresponding to the functional screen.

This is what you call a bubble - worth on the order of $350bn and rising - paid by electricity consumers through their bills. The only people who profit from it are those who have enough money to pay for solar cells or wind turbines and the more money they spend on them, the more they get. A classic transfer of money from the poor to the richest of our society - all brought to you by massive lobbying of the Green party.

AU here: just paid AUD7600 for a 4.5 kW solar on my roof (equiv. 5 iMac 21") - the company offered also offered me to pay it monthly over 2 years (for $300 more at the total price. The rate would be a bit lower than the cost of ciggies I smoke during a month).
Based on your statement, this takes me in the "richest of our society" class now? Wow... I didn't know the disposable income I afford make me this rich.

http://www.realvnc.com/products/ios/ - why switch to a whole new platform, when you can just VNC in? If you really need something that does RDP on ios, that's out there too. https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/jump-desktop-remote-desktop/id364876095?mt=8

He has copied a well known app from one of the biggest motorcycle tire manufacturers (that I have used for some time now).
app in appstore
IS THAT REALLY NEWS WORTHY OF /.?

Using your arguments, then both Microsoft and Google are doing the same thing.

Or are you saying Google is open source, so it is not? Well, so is the OSX itself (without the UI). http://opensource.apple.com/

The overpriced server is gone but the Mac Mini can be purchased with OS X server preinstalled.

Can you tell me why Sony's ebook reader app was rejected at Apple's app store?

Because they violated the in-app-purchase policy. But rejoice: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reader-ebooks-from-sony/id566383171?mt=8