Apple jumps in to defend AT&T in the ad wars

Seems Verizon and AT&T are just at each other's throats as of late, with Verizon constantly attacking AT&T's 3G network and Apple's iPhone. AT&T responded back with a couple of ads of their own, featuring Luke Wilson, though the ads were weak for the most part.

Now, Apple joins in on the advertising fray and defends AT&T from Verizon's onslaught of ad campaigns: "There's a map for that", the iPhone in the Land of Misfit Toys, and "Droid Does".

The ads that Apple presents boast one [important and convenient] feature: the ability to use data while on a call, as long as you're in 3G coverage.

Though technically, Verizon phones can do this if they are on a WiFi network, I believe. And no, they aren't including T-Mobile when they say "Can your phone and your carrier do that?". I guess T-Mobile is not much competition for both AT&T and Verizon, who have started a war between the two.

Watch:

Apple iPhone Ad - Did You See My Email? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.

Apple iPhone showing simultaneous voice and data connections, relating to work.

Apple iPhone Ad - What Time's The Movie? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.

Apple TV ad for iPhone touting simultaneous voice and data connections.

Apple rejecting apps that use private API calls

Are you thinking of sneaking in a private API into your iPhone app, hoping it will sneak by Apple's watchful eye?

You probably shouldn't do that, especially now.

 

Using private APIs may work now, but if a future OS update breaks it, well, then you're out of luck. If an API is public, then it was designed to work and continue to work with future software updates.

Developers, you've been warned.

Apple releasing concierge iPhone app?

This is long overdue, but now there are rumors circling that Apple may in fact be releasing a Concierge iPhone app. This will be geared for the Apple Store customers, letting them make Genius Bar appointments as well as signing up for One-on-One appointments - all from the convenience of an iPhone or iPod Touch.

It would be great to be on your way to an Apple Store and to just make an appointment even when there's no computer available at the moment. This will be the first app that will tie in with the Apple retail experience.

No word on a release date.

via iPhoneAlley

New Droid Does ad targets Apple and Steve Jobs?

There's a new Droid ad out, printed by Verizon, that appears in a Sports Illustrated issue. However, this ad goes back on the original 'iDon't' ads rather than the clever "There's a map for that" ads that they have recently been putting on air.

The ad reads:

This is a world of “nope,” “nuh-uh,” and “sorry, Charlie.”

A world of smiling denial. Petty tyrannies that have made their way into our cell phones. Into the very way we choose to speak to another human being. There are dozens of doesn’ts. Doesn’t allow customization. Doesn’t run multiple apps. Doesn’t allow you to swap out batteries. doesn’t allow open development. These arrogant little devices are barely worth more than the pocket lint they rest upon. Because now there’s a phone so smart, so strong. So subservient to its user, it refuses to include “doesn’t” in its dictionary app.

In a world of doesn’t. Droid Does.

This actually seems like it's a personal attack against Apple and Steve Jobs himself, rather than AT&T, due to the words 'petty tyrannies'. Could it be the ongoing negotiations between Apple and Verizon to get the iconic phone on the CDMA carrier?

Just a bit ironic too, since before the Droid, Verizon was a bit tyrannical themselves with their own handsets. I guess it takes one to know one, right?

What are your thoughts on the ad?

10.6.2 Update Available

If you don't want to look at the snapshot above, here's what the update does:

The 10.6.2 Update is recommended for all users running Mac OS X Snow Leopard and includes general operating system fixes that enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac, including fixes for:

• an issue that might cause your system to logout unexpectedly
• a graphics distortion in Safari Top Sites
• Spotlight search results not showing Exchange contacts
• a problem that prevented authenticating as an administrative user
• issues when using NTFS and WebDAV file servers
• the reliability of menu extras
• an issue with the 4-finger swipe gesture
• an issue that causes Mail to quit unexpectedly when setting up an Exchange server
• Address Book becoming unresponsive when editing
• a problem adding images to contacts in Address Book
• an issue that prevented opening files downloaded from the Internet
• Safari plug-in reliability
• general reliability improvements for iWork, iLife, Aperture, Final Cut Studio, MobileMe, and iDisk
• an issue that caused data to be deleted when using a guest account

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3874.
For information on the security content of this update, please visit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222.

Happy updating!

Update on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 9:21AM by Christine Chan

Reports of 10.6.2 not supporting Intel Atom processors have been going around. No more hackint0shing after 10.6.2 it seems, only up to 10.6.1.