This Week In Apple: Unlocked iPhones, Slimmer iMacs, iTunes 11 and China

This week has been a busy one for the geeks over at Apple. Earlier this week Apple announced that their new slimmer more powerful iMacs would be going on sale today.The company followed that up with the release of an unlocked iPhone 5 which is now on-sale directly from Apple. To round out the week Apple today announced that the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad mini and fourth generation iPad with Retina display will officially be available for sale in China on Friday, December 7, and iPhone 5 will be available on Friday, December 14.

New 21" and 27" iMacs

The new slimmer iMac will come in two variants with ample upgrade options.

First is the 21.5-inch iMac which will be available with a 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.2 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M for a suggested retail price of $1,299; and with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M for a suggested retail price of $1,499 (US).

Net up is the 27-inch iMac which is available with a 2.9 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660M for a suggested retail price of $1,799; and with a 3.2 GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.6 GHz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX for a suggested retail price of $1,999. 

The 21.5-inch iMac comes with 8GB of memory and can be configured online with 16GB. On the 27-inch iMac, 8GB of memory comes standard, and you can upgrade to 16GB or 32GB. For those looking to boost in video performance you can opt for an upgraded NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX GPU and those needing more processing power can opt for a quad-core Intel Core i7 at up to 3.4GHz.

Unlocked iPhone 5 Directly From Apple

If having the ability to pick and choose your carrier is your thing then you might want to opt for a new unlocked iPhone 5 directly from Apple. But be warned these unlocked device carry a hefty price tag!

As of today, instead of choosing from carriers Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon when buying the device at the online Apple Store, the tech giant is also offering the option of an "unlocked and contract-free" iPhone 5. Unlocked phone carrier the full price not that traditional subsidized pricing you see at your carrier. Prices start at $649 for the 16GB model (compared with the subsidized $199 entry price on contract), $749 for the 32GB model, and $849 for the 64GB model.

"The unlocked iPhone includes all the features of iPhone but without a wireless contract commitment," Apple wrote in its description of the unlocked device. "If you don't want a multiyear service contract, or if you prefer to use a local carrier when traveling abroad, the unlocked iPhone is the best choice."

iTunes 11 Now Available

Apple's iTunes 11 is a complete makeover to Apple's media service. Now offering a more streamlined simplified interface, more iCloud integration, and adding a new mini player. Other highlights include a completely redesigned player view, a new library view, a new recommendation system, a redesigned store, enhanced iCloud and iTunes Match support, and a new feature that finally saves the position of a video or audio book if you pause on one device and continue playing on another. iTunes 11 is available immediately for both OS X and Windows, and it can be downloaded via this link or using Apple’s software update feature.

What Is iCloud And How Will You Use It?

Apple had a busy day yesterday with CEO Steve Jobs taking the stage at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference to introduce, iOS 5, the company's latest version of their mobile operating system found on the iPad, iPhone and iPods. Amongst several of the new features, which we'll cover later, was the much anticipated announcement of iCloud.Or as I see it Apple's go anywhere cloud based storage service.

What is iCloud?

To break it down to its simplest terms iCloud is Apple's new free cloud based service that works to allow you to seamlessly sync information from several different Apple based applications to almost any device connected to your iCloud account. You simply store your content in iCloud and it will automatically push the information and updates out to all your devices. When anything changes on one of your devices, all of your devices are updated almost instantly.

iCloud includes 5GB of free cloud storage for Mail, Document Storage and Backup. Purchased music, apps, books and Photo Stream do not count against the storage limit. Sp basically you get 5GB of free online document storage, I'm sure Apple will not let you store none-paid music, videos or anything that might be perceived as being a copyright concern.

How will you use iCloud?

For as much hype as it has receive iCloud is really not what the name implies. Its not some revolutionary new service that allows you to upload a ton of content to the cloud. Its not some ground breaking cloud computing project. Its really just a syncing feature much like Windows Live Mesh 2011 or an online storage system like Windows SkyDrive, DropBox or anything else.

What it does do is allow you to sync things like your contacts, calendar and mail across all your connected devices. If you update a contact on your iPad the same changes will take affect on your iPhone and vice versa. It also lets you share calendars with friends and family, and the ad-free push Mail account is hosted at me.com.

The biggest advantage iCloud adds is it make it easy to buy and sync music from iTunes, apps from the App Store and books from iBookstore. Once you make a purchase on say your iPhone it will automatically be delivered to your iPad or iPod. Meaning no extra downloads. Much like Amazon's new Cloud Player and Google's Music services it also adds music streaming via iTunes. Content can be saved on the iCloud servers and streamed to any device. No need to fill up your hard drive on your iPad or iPhone anymore.

iCloud will be available this fall concurrent with iOS 5. For more information see Apple's press release.

Apple May Face More Antitrust Issues This Time Over iTunes

Apple has undoubtedly seen some major growth over the past several years, growth that is now starting placing the company directly in the headlights of government regulators. According to many reports the DOJ and FTC have been keeping an eye on Apple, the App store and their recent stance on mobile advertising. Now it appears as though the Justice Department isexamining Apple’s tactics in the market for digital music.

According to the reports Apple is facing an antitrust inquiry is in the early stages involving the company's use of its dominant market position to persuade music labels to refuse to give online retailer Amazon.com exclusive access to music about to be released.

In March, Billboard magazine reported that Amazon was asking music labels to give it the exclusive right to sell certain forthcoming songs for one day before they went on sale more widely. In exchange, Amazon promised to include those songs in a promotion called the “MP3 Daily Deal” on its Web site.

The magazine reported that representatives of Apple’s iTunes music service were asking the labels not to participate in Amazon’s promotion, adding that Apple punished those that did by withdrawing marketing support for those songs on iTunes.

Apple has been the top music retailer in the US since early 2008, now holding as much as a 69 percent market share. Amazon, the second largest music retailer only holds and 8 percent share. This dominant position in the market is undoubtedly the reason why the DoJ has taken a special interest in the company's tactics.

iTunes 10 Billionth Download Winner Announced

Last Week when 71-year-old retired real estate broker Louie Sulcer of Woodstock, Ga., clicked the “Buy Song” button at the iTunes store he had no idea that that one song would net him a $10,000 iTunes gift card. Sulcer won the 10 billionth download contest Apple had been running in honor of their 10 billionth song being downloaded from the company’s iTunes Store since the site went active in April 2003.

Mr. Sulcer will receive a $10,000 iTunes gift card for his fortuitous purchase of Johnny Cash’s “Guess Things Happen That Way.” Mr. Sulcer said in an interview that he learned about his achievement when Apple CEO Steve Jobs personally called on Wednesday night. On Thursday Sulcer heard from Rosanne Cash, Johnny Cash’s daughter, who thanked him for buying one of her father’s tunes. She then put her husband, the musician John Leventhal, on the phone to play the winning song. Mr. Sulcer said he hadn’t had much time to think about how he would spend the winnings. “That’s the $10,000 question,” he said, though he said he expects that his three children and nine grandchildren would most likely benefit. “I don’t think I’ll have to worry about buying birthday and Christmas presents anytime soon.”

More details from Apple

Apple Announces "Countdown to 10 Billion Songs" Contest

Help Apple and iTunes reach 10 billion song downloads, and you could win a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

iTunes is closing in on their 10 billionth download mark and to mark the event Apple willing be giving one luck downloader, or entrant, a $10,000 iTunes gift card.Want to enter, well start downloading your favorite songs from iTunes or for the Non-purchase method: Go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/10-billion-song-countdown/entryform/, fully complete an online entry, including your name, complete mailing address (P.O. Boxes not acceptable), telephone number, and birth date. Once your online entry is complete, hit the “Submit” button to submit an entry. Entry via this method constitutes one (1) entry into the Promotion.

Regardless of which method of entry is used to enter the Promotion, only twenty-five (25) entries per person and/or iTunes account and/or email address, per day will be granted. 

For full details checkout the iTunes celebrates 10 billion page

iTunes Finally Goes DRM Free

Many Apple fans out there have said this years MacWorld has been less than stellar. Apple hasn't come through with anything that has much "wow factor". However there is one piece of good new coming from MacWorld today, Apple announced three new pricing tiers for its iTunes digital music store. Tracks will sell for 69¢, 99¢, and $1.29 based on a demand-based pricing system.

In all Apple promises that by the end of this quarter, all 10 million iTunes songs will be DRM-free, and released at the higher-quality 256 kbps iTunes Plus bitrate. This new policy change applies to all four major music labels (Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group, and EMI) as well as thousands of independent labels currently represented on iTunes.

Removal of the DRM copy protection is great news for consumers, you are no longer stuck with only making a couple copies of songs you have bought. You'll be able to copy the songs to as many different PCs or media devices of your choice.

FireFox, iTunes, Skype Amongst Top Apps With Most Security Holes

Bit9, Inc., the pioneer and leader in Enterprise Application Whitelisting, unveiled its annual ranking of popular consumer applications with known security vulnerabilities. This year's list, know as "the dirty dozen", is comprised of 12 widely used applications with known vulnerabilities.

Five of the top 12 applications include: Mozilla Firefox, versions 2.x and 3.x, Adobe Acrobat, versions 8.1.2 and 8.1.1, Microsoft Windows Live (MSN) Messenger, versions 4.7 and 5.1, Apple iTunes, versions 3.2 and 3.1.2 and Skype, version 3.5.0.248. The remander of the list includes products from Yahoo, Symantec, Sun, Trend Micro, Citrix, Aurigma and Lycos.

Each of the 12 applications on the list have the following characteristics:

• Each application must run on Microsoft Windows.


• Is well-known in the consumer space and frequently downloaded by individuals


• Is not classified as malicious by enterprise IT organizations or security vendors


• Contains at least one critical vulnerability that was:
  
  • first reported in January 2008 or after,
    registered in the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) official vulnerability database at http://nvd.nist.gov, and given a severity rating of high (between 7.0-10.0) on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).
    
  • Relies on the end user, rather than a central IT administrator, to manually patch or upgrade the software to eliminate the vulnerability, if such a patch exists.


• The application cannot be automatically and centrally updated via free Enterprise tools such as Microsoft SMS & WSUS.

While Bit9 says most all of the vulnerabilities listed have been patched they point out the fact that these patches aren't easily deployed by IT administrators, who many not even know what programs employees are running.

"The nature of these applications is such that the user is responsible for implementing the patch. Enterprise IT organizations can not reliably ensure these patches have been properly applied—if at all—representing an inherent exposure in protecting the enterprise network."

As we all know workers enjoy downloading software to their workstations that they feel either makes their life easier or the work day a little funner. This list outlines how much of a security risk that practice could be to companies.

The complete Bit9 report can be downloaded here, registration is required.