- New mapping app will offer turn-by-turn directions and live traffic updates, and incorporate Siri
- Facebook to be integrated into iPhones and iPads to provide status updates with the sound of your voice
- Upcoming Macbook Pro will feature the 'retina display' popularised in latest iPad
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Apple has revealed that it is creating a 3D map of the world in direct competition with Google over online maps.
The computer giant today admitted to having a fleet of planes and helicopters which have been flying over major cities around the world.
It also plans to monitor iPhone owners when they drive to create live maps of traffic congestion.
The maps have a special 'flyover' feature that let users virtually fly around major cities.
Re-making maps: Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iOS Software at Apple Inc., demonstrates turn-by-turn navigation in iOS6 using Siri during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2012 in San Francisco, California
'We have been flying in helicopters and planes, building up a 3D model of these places,' said Scott Forstall of Apple.
Apple's move to add 3D maps comes on the heels of Google's announcement last week that it would do the same with similar technology.
But Apple has aimed to one-up Google with its plans to use 'anonymous, real time data from iPhone users to keep traffic data up to date.'
The traffic monitoring is part of a new satellite navigation feature in the maps app.
Apple's own: A screen shot showing turn-by-turn navigation using Apple maps and Siri in iOS6 is pictured
Analysts said the decision to abandon Google Maps, which has provided mapping data for the iPhone since it was introduced in 2007, is the start of a 'mapping war'.
Its new mobile operating software, called iOS6 will come with a mapping system 'built from the ground up,' said Forstall, sidelining the Google map service.
Previously close partners who shared board members, Google is now Apple’s biggest challenger in the smartphone market with its Android operating system.
Facebook is getting a big boost from Apple in the wake of the social networking site's disappointing IPO, going deep into the iPhone and iPad software.
With the next Apple's iOS 6 software, users will be able to update their Facebook status by talking to their phones.
Users will also be able to 'Like' movies and apps in Apple's iTunes store, Apple executive Scott Forstall said in San Francisco at Apple's annual developers' conference.
Siri, Apple's voice-command application, will add a host of new languages, including Spanish, Korean and Mandarin Chinese, Forstall said.
'She' will also be able to launch applications and movies - all at the user's command.
Apple hasn't said when iOS 6, will be available. It will run on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touches.
It is also expected to release the next version of its mobile operating software, the iOS6.
Apple started its Worldwide Developers' Conference touting its hardware, its biggest edge over Google.
The tech giant also revamped its existing line of notebook computers.
Boss: CEO Tim Cook, who took over from late co-founder Steve Jobs last August, says customers have downloaded more than 30 billion Apple apps so far
New and improved: The MacBook Air Pro is pictured shortly after it was unveiled to the public in San Francisco
The new Macbook Air and MacBook Pro have upgraded graphics and memory, and go on sale today.
And at 0.7 inches, the new MacBook Pro - Apple's highest-end laptop - ranks among the thinnest laptops in the market.
They will employ the 'retina' displays that have won strong positive reviews for the new iPad, but start at an eye-popping $2,199 price tag.
The screen has more pixels than a HD TV.
'To create something genuinely new, you have to start again,' said Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple's British designer, who recently received a knighthood.
Craig Federighi, Vice president on Mac Software, said the new Mountain Lion system narrows the gap between the PC and phone software packages, allowing users to speak to their computers.
Another step forward: Craig Federighi, vice president on Mac Software, talks about the new Mountain Lion system, which he says would make Mac computers work more like iPhones
Mac makeover: Apple has unveiled a new version of its popular Macbook Pro laptop, complete with the 'retina' display, at an eye-popping price of $2,199
Speaking of phones, those who were anticipating the unveiling of the long-awaited iPhone 5 will have to wait longer, as Apple officials made no mention of a new mobile device.
Marketing chief Phil Schiller outlined how the redesigned MacBook Air notebooks, also unveiled at the conference, will be about $100 cheaper on average than predecessors, but sport quicker Intel Corp processors.
Analysts have speculated that the company will begin aggressively competing on price, gradually lowering the premium its Macs carry in general.
Long lines marked the beginning of the week-long annual forum, where Apple developers rub shoulders with employees, test the latest products and software, and connect with peers.
Queue: Attendees line up at outside the 2012 Apple World Wide Developers Conference at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco
More than ever, Apple finds itself in a pitched battle with Google: in smartphones, cloud computing, and a never-ending competition to attract the best software developers.
That is crucial as Apple looks to draw users deeper into its applications ecosystem.
CEO Tim Cook, who took over from late co-founder Steve Jobs last August, told the audience that customers have downloaded more than 30 billion Apple apps so far, choosing from more than 650,000 apps - the largest library in the industry.
The firm also launched a new app that aims to replace tickets and storecards with an iPhone app. Called passbook, it lets users download movie tickets - right to your phone.
Prying eyes: An attendee checks out the new MacBook Pro at Apple's annual conference for software developers
Samsung Says Speculation It Will Buy Nokia Is Groundless - Bloomberg
Samsung Electronics Co., the world’s largest mobile-phone maker, said market speculation that it is interested in acquiring competitor Nokia Oyj (NOK1V) is groundless.
Samsung, based in Suwon, South Korea, made the comment today in an e-mailed statement. Shares of Espoo, Finland-based Nokia fell 0.7 percent to 2.35 euros at 11:27 a.m. Helsinki time, after jumping 6 percent on June 8 amid speculation Samsung is preparing an offer.
Nokia, struggling to recover lost market share, has declined 46 percent in the past year as consumers snapped up Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhones and Samsung smartphones running on Google Inc.’s Android software. Samsung overtook Nokia in the first quarter as the world’s largest handset maker, according to Gartner Inc.
Samsung also denied it’s interested in Nokia a year ago, responding to reports that it was getting ready to make a bid.
To contact the reporters on this story: Saeromi Shin in Seoul at sshin15@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kenneth Wong at kwong11@bloomberg.net
A juggling act: iPhone users take 50% of all 3G traffic - meaning networks must invest in older tech rather than roll out 'next generation' 4G - Daily Mail
By Eddie Wrenn
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Smartphones such as the iPhone are slurping up a lot of date - around 350mb a month
Next time your mobile phone operator complains that you are using too much data, or whacks massive fines on you for using the internet abroad, spare a thought for the strain our smartphones are placing on the system.
For smartphones - Android and Apple in particular - are slurping up so much data, phone operators are having to put their resources into keeping the data flowing.
The biggest offender is the iPhone, which - despite being used by an average of 20 per cent of users, takes up nearly 45 per cent of all data traffic.
Next is Android, which has around 15 per cent of all users, and uses about 30 per cent of the traffic.
Users of both types of smartphone an average of 350mb a month, generally for web-browsing or downloading emails, videos, music and documents - although there is more variation in the Android figures as the brand caters to both premium and budget users.
The report was by analysts Ericsson, using data from Europe, America and Asia, who point out the great variance in different data deals across network and countries.
iPhone users are generally paying a premium for their service, and generally use a high level of data, so are seen as the greatest data users.
The problem is that phones and phone networks are beginning to upgrade to '4G', or 'LTE' in the U.S. which allows greater speed and greater capacity.
While other networks are beginning to upgrade their phones to this level, Apple is notoriously secret about its models, and if the next iPhone remains with a 3G antenna only, networks may keep needing to invest in the older technology to keep iPhone users happy.
Understanding the chart: With the iPhone, networks report between 5-65% of their users have iphones, using 5-80% of the date. The black bars show the average across all networks in Europe, America and Asia
The release of the latest iPad, which uses 4G networks, implies Apple will look to upgrade phones too - but 3G has a long shelf-life ahead
While the new iPad was 4G-compatible, indicating Apple may move this way on its mobiles, the launch of a new iPhone will also send prices plummeting fort he last few Apple mobiles, sending 3G usage soaring again, and meaning the networks need to spend more money on improving the older network.
As Donald Masters, at World News Resource said: The problem is, such favor toward the 3G iPhone could essentially prove disastrous for networks and carriers in the US, as large and ongoing investment is needed in order to keep up with demand. This in turn allows less time, efforts and cash to be focused on 4G LTE development and roll-outs, stunting the growth of an essentially progression.
Lenovo launches no-contract mobile broadband for select ThinkPad laptops - PC Advisor
Select ThinkPad notebooks built with a 3G module inside now have access to a new no-contract mobile broadband service offered by Lenovo that will provide on-demand access to the Internet, the company announced on Monday.
The pay-as-you-go service, Lenovo Mobile Access, is available in the U.S. and nine European countries, including the U.K., France and Germany.
In offering the service, Lenovo said in a statement the company wanted to offer users more flexible options to buy access to mobile broadband. For example, users can pay US$1.95 for 30 minutes of time, allowing access up to 30MB of data, or pay $8.95 for a full-day pass to access up to 200 MB of data.
Users can also choose to buy monthly plans with access to 2GB or 6GB of data. Pricing will vary depending on the country.
The Lenovo service is being provided by Macheen, a company that helps manufacturers of embedded devices to connect them to the Internet via mobile networks. Last year, Macheen and Dell launched NetReady, another no-contract mobile broadband service similar to Lenovo's.
Macheen partners with telecommunication operators in the U.S. and Europe to provide access to 3G mobile broadband.
Lenovo Mobile Access is available on ThinkPad Classic and ThinkPad Edge laptops containing a 3G module, and users can sign up for the service online. The PC maker is also shipping Lenovo Mobile Access on new ThinkPad laptops built with 3G modules.
Can't wait for Mountain Lion next month-they really seemed to have listen to people this time round rather than just putting what the big shots think is best
- Myself, UK, 12/6/2012 04:00
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