UK broadcaster ITV has written a new letter to Apple warning it not to use the name "iTV" for its upcoming TV set, claims The Telegraph. The newspaper notes that ITV CEO Adam Crozier first raised the issue with Apple when he took office in 2010. At the time, Apple is said to have reassured ITV that it wouldn't use the name, at least not in the UK.
Apple is planning to bring its store-within-a-store concept to the Harrods department store in London, England, sources within the latter company are said to claim. The store is a significant tourist attraction in the city, thanks to its unique architecture and size. Harrods spans 5 acres, with about 1 million square feet of showfloor space.
Apple has expanded an iPhone and iPad recycling program to the UK, France, and Germany, accounts say. In the US, people can trade in old iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards. The program is operating differently in the new countries, where people are instead getting cash deposited directly into their bank accounts.
Apple isn't planning to bid on the rights to stream English Premier League football games, claims UK newspaper The Guardian. Earlier in the week, the Daily Mail hinted that Apple might compete with traditional media outlets for the property. The Guardian says "it is understood that Apple has not discussed bidding for the rights," though, and moreover adds that the company is "unlikely to do so, despite rumoured plans to launch an Apple TV device."
Apple is engaging in a rare Boxing Week sale on the iTunes Store. Boxing Day takes place on December 26th in Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. The Boxing Week promotion is already active, however, if only in Canada.
Following a botched rollout on Wednesday, Apple has today officially expanded iTunes Match to Canada and the UK. In Canada the service costs $28 a year, while in the UK annual pricing is set at £22. Unlike regular iCloud options, iTunes Match allows a person to mirror and remotely access their entire music library, regardless of whether the content is on iTunes.
Apple appears to be quietly rolling out iTunes Match to a number of countries this evening, judging from reports of users who now see the option to sign up available under their iTunes account information pages. Pricing for the service has been revealed to be $28 in Canada, £22 (approximately $34) in Great Britain, and €25 (approximately $32.50) in Europe and equivalently-priced elsewhere.
BBC HD and Two are tonight airing a new documentary on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, titled Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy. The special goes on at 9PM local time, and is said to include insiders like Steve Wozniak and John Sculley, as well as other personalities like actor Stephen Fry, and an inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. It is however described as presenting a more "ruthless image of Jobs," for instance revealing that Wozniak cried after he learned through a book that Jobs had scammed money from him during a game project for Atari.
Following changes to the Global iPlayer app, the BBC's core UK iPlayer app has also undergone a significant update. The title is now universal, supporting not just the iPad but the iPhone and iPod touch. In its iPhone form the app's interface has been simplified to cope with smaller screen space.
The changes to Apple TV content made in Canada are also in effect in Australia in the UK, reports note. Residents of the two regions can now access TV shows through iCloud, rather than having to stream them from a computer running iTunes, or an iOS handheld. Pricing for episodes should remain unchanged.
Starting slightly earlier this year than normal, Apple has released its 12 Days of Christmas companion app for its upcoming promotion in the UK and other parts of Europe, along with Canada. The promotional period, which runs from December 26th to the 6th of January, offers a free "gift" from the iTunes Store every 24 hours -- usually a song, app, movie rental or e-book.
Apple is currently offering free shipping at its online store, at least in some countries, checks show. At the US storefront, shoppers are now promised "free shipping on everything" until December 22nd. The promotion is scaled back in places like Canada and the UK, where free shipping applies today only. At the Australian store, shoppers are only being given free gift wrapping for iPods and iPads until December 25th.
The chief rabbi for the UK, Lord Sacks, is attempting to defend a statement he made linking Apple to an overly consumerist culture, says AppleInsider. "The consumer society was laid down by the late Steve Jobs coming down the mountain with two tablets, iPad one and iPad two, and the result is that we now have a culture of iPod, iPhone, iTune, i, i, i," he initially commented at an interfaith reception held in front of the Queen last week. "When you’re an individualist, egocentric culture and you only care about 'i’, you don’t do terribly well."
UK wireless carrier O2 has said that it will soon begin trials for 4G LTE network services in the greater London area. O2 plans to deploy the service in a 40 square mile area and give users as much as 100Mbps downstream. The trials will begin later this month and last for the next nine months.
Britain's Employment Tribunal has upheld an Apple firing of a retail worker over posts on Facebook, reports say. The worker, known as Crisp, was specifically fired for "gross misconduct" after criticizing the company and its stores. Crisp appealed to the Employment Tribunal, complaining that the Facebook posts had been marked private. The Tribunal rejected that defense, arguing that even private posts on Facebook can be copied and shared; Crisp's comments came to Apple's attention, in fact, after a Facebook friend copied the posts and passed them on to the manager of Crisp's Apple Store.
Apple has unveiled plans for an iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour. Apple experts are scheduled to visit nine cities during the tour, including Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, São Paolo, New York City, Seattle, and Austin. Events will start in Berlin on November 2nd and end in Austin on January 23rd. Registration for January 13th's New York City event is already full.
Many US Apple Stores still have some iPhone 4S units in stock, despite sizable interest so far, anecdotal evidence and investigation by MacNN suggests. One explanation may stem from rumors that Apple decided to ramp up production further ahead of launch than usual, granting more breathing space. Work on iOS 5 may ultimately been responsible for the delay; the firmware has over 200 changes, including iCloud and the 4S-only Siri voice system.
The iTunes in the Cloud service is now available in several more regions around the world, users say. Canada, France, Australia and the UK are among the main territories, but other countries are said to be getting the option as well. When available the option lets people re-download music, apps and books from iTunes, or else have the content automatically pushed to multiple devices.
The Covent Garden Apple Store in London, England was the target of an overnight smash-and-grab robbery, the city's Metropolitan Police have confirmed. The Met say they received word of the crime at about 1AM local time, and believe that "around 7 moped riders/motorcyclists" were involved, most or all of which had passengers riding with them. In any case, everyone involved is said to have been wearing a full-face helmet.
One-time Apple CEO John Sculley is praising the company's most famous chief, Steve Jobs, in the aftermath of the latter's death. "His legacy is far more than being the greatest CEO ever," Sculley comments. "A world leader is dead, but the lessons his leadership taught us live on." He adds that Jobs was a "brilliant genius who transformed technology into magic," and that a part of the Apple co-founder "still lives within all of us through his beautifully designed products and his no-compromises media experiences."
Apple has essentially gutted its Covent Garden store in London, England to handle the European telecast of today's iPhone event, photos from The Next Web reveal. Much of the showfloor has been emptied out, the exceptions being one or two tables. Special curtains have been put in place, and a large screen has been installed to relay the broadcast via a satellite van stationed outside.
Aston Martin has beaten Apple to the top spot on annual CoolBrands UK rankings for a second year in a row, the BBC notes. CoolBrands' charts are based on a mix of public polling and opinions taken from marketers and business people. Aston Martin's win is thought to be linked with James Bond, since the movie spy's most popular cars have typically been DB5s or DBSs.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 in five countries on Friday, October 14th, claims Japanese site Macotakara. Specifically the device is expected to launch in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. The timing is consistent with accounts that Apple is blacking out the 14th and 15th for Apple Store workers looking to go on vacation, and past reports pointing to a launch sometime between the 7th and the 15th.
OnLive has announced that its cloud-based gaming service is now available to customers in the UK. The initial launch, which will be formally introduced later today at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo, will enable users to access approximately 150 games via broadband connections and a television, PC or Mac computer, and iPads or Android-based tablets.
Two more Apple Stores are set to open this weekend, making for a total of four, checks show. The first is based in Bologna, Italy, and will launch on the ground floor of a building in Via Rizzoli in the city's center. The historic structure has reportedly had its façade renovated, and should give Apple better coverage in northern half of the country.
Apple is doing an unusual Tuesday opening for its latest store in London, England, a report notes. The Stratford City outlet will open in the The Arcade, Westfield Stratford City at 10AM local time on September 13th. Apple launches almost all of its stores on Saturdays, making it easier for more people to visit. The Stratford City location will be Apple's fifth in London proper, not including surrounding areas. The timing of its introduction is linked with the premiere of its host mall.
Apple is hoping to open a new London retail store in the city's financial district, but may be stopped by laws meant to guarantee other property owners access to sunlight, Reuters reports. A source tells the news agency that a US developer, Hines, is looking to buy real estate at 100 Cheapside and build a 10-storey development with 87,000 square feet for offices and 13,000 square feet for retail. Apple is interested in occupying the retail space, the source says.
Apple is planning three major Apple Store openings for this Saturday, reports note. In the US Apple will finally be opening its long-awaited Berkeley store, located at 1823 4th Street. The outlet was greeted with some mild controversy before its construction, since plans called for it to swallow up an outdoor plaza frequently used by animal adoption agencies to showcase pets. As is usual with Apple Stores, the grand opening is scheduled for 10AM local time.
A young woman has been accused of using her BlackBerry to encourage others to commit looting and other acts of mayhem during the past week's disturbances in London and other UK cities. The 18-year-old has been charged with intentionally "encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence" under the country's Serious Crime Act 2007, the Telegraph said. The crime carries stiff fines and imprisonment for up to five years.
Some UK Apple Stores are temporarily moving stock out of their showrooms, according to photos and regional anecdotes. Even though the London area has been the epicenter of recent rioting and looting, Apple Stores throughout the country are said to be relocating stock at the end of the business day. The Liverpool ONE location, for instance, is allegedly moving stock to upstairs storage.
More misfortune has befallen Sony, this time the London riots has resulted in its sole UK warehouse being burnt down. According to Reuters, the 20,000 square meter facility, which stores CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray discs and PS3 games, has been burning since at least early Tuesday morning. Sony issued a statement indicating that supplies in Britain will be affected as a result.
Apple and Orange UK have launched a new iTunes movie rental program, Film to Go. Every Thursday, Orange customers will be able to get a code for a free iTunes rental, although only one pre-determined selection is being offered each week. The first movie is My Blueberry Nights; some other planned titles are The Wrestler, The Ghost and Che: Part One.
Vince Cable, the United Kingdom's Business secretary, has announced major changes to that country's copyright law concerning digital media. The government will legalize "format shifting," or allowing consumers to rip content from CDs and DVDs for personal use. The government will also reverse part of last year's Digital Enforcement Act, which would have blocked websites for hosting copyrighted material. Cable said the law needed to change to conform to reasonable expectations of consumers. "We've got to bring law in line with reality," he said.
iPad 2 shipping times at Apple's US online store have finally dropped to about 24 hours, checks show. The same timing applies to the Canadian store, which frequently follows suit in delivery times if not prices. Shipping delays remain longer in other regions, such as in the UK, where the wait is still between one and three days.
HTC has filed a new lawsuit against Apple in the UK, says Bloomberg. The complaint was originally submitted on July 29th. The exact details of the case await examination, but the plaintiff is identified as HTC Europe, which filed documents through the High Court of Justice, Chancery Division in London.
iTunes Connect is officially scheduled to undergo maintenance today between 9AM and 4PM Pacific time, developers reveal. The service represents the backend of iTunes, the means by which people submit audio, video and applications. Apple is cautioning app developers to avoid making pricing changes during the downtime, since that will cause an app to disappear from sale until the maintenance is over. At that point an app should return with its new pricetag.
The Mac mini is once again in short supply, observers point out. At the Best Buy US website the device is now listed as backordered, with a shipping time of one to two weeks, although pick-up should be possible at some stores. Amazon UK is also listing the computer as backordered, though with a specific resupply date of July 5th.
Apple is planning to open a new store in El Paso, Texas, city building permits show. The outlet will be based on the ground floor of the Cielo Vista Mall, which is found alongside Interstate 10 on the east side of the city. It will specifically be located next to a Gap clothing store, and the permits give an estimated construction cost of $500,000. It could open in early 2012 based on construction schedules.
Sony is allegedly planning to ship its S1 and S2 tablets in European markets by the end of September. The latest leak suggests the company will distribute the devices through Sony Direct, UK retail outlet John Lewis, and an unnamed third partner. Supplies are said to be ramping up after launch, sometime before the holiday season.
The BBC is developing a single app intended to allow its field reporters to file video, images and audio reports directly into the BBC News system from an iPhone or iPad, Journalism.co.uk reports. The new app, which will replace a hodge-podge of commercial apps like AudioBoo currently in use, will allow correspondents to broadcast live from an iPhone even using only a 3G signal.
Major UK newspaper The Telegraph has released a new version of its iPad app, bringing it up to v2.0. The paper is promising a "greater depth of content," including video, crossword puzzles, image galleries and cartoon archives. More significantly however it has adopted Apple's updated in-app subscription rules.
Online shipping times for the white iPhone 4 are stretching out in a number European countries. Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland and the UK are some of the major countries now listing a delay of a flat five days. Black iPhones are more readily available, shipping in the space of a day or two.
Details of several new confirmed and rumored Apple Stores have emerged. Two in the confirmed category are both planned for the UK; one will be located on the upper level of Festival Place in Basingstoke, 50 miles away from London. Job listings have been up since last week, and construction is already underway. Also currently hiring is a shop that will open in time with the Westfield Stratford City mall in September. The location is just five miles away from London city center, and will be extremely close to the site of the 2012 Olympic Games.
Ian Watmore -- permanent secretary of the UK's Cabinet Office, and in charge of a government efficiency drive -- is calling for the UK government to end its dependence on Microsoft products, according to the BBC. Microsoft products are currently used by about 90 percent of civil servants in the UK. The government is committed to using more open-source software to save money, says Watmore, although this is being balanced with attention to the threat of hacking.
UK carriers Orange and Vodafone have announced details of their subsidized iPad 2 plans. Beginning tomorrow, Vodafone is selling 16, 32 and 64GB tablets at prices of £199, £249 and £349 for existing subscribers. For new customers, a £30 premium is being imposed.
T-Mobile's UK division has officially announced some of its subsidized pricing for the iPad 2, which launches in the region tomorrow. At a base level a 16GB 3G model will cost £199 for existing customers, or £229 for new ones. In either case buyers will be tied to a two-year data plan, set at £25 a month for existing subscribers or £27 otherwise. This includes 1GB of regular data use per month plus an extra gigabyte between midnight and 10AM.
The UK is reportedly preparing its largest-ever spectrum auction, which will include bands spreading across 250MHz of spectrum no longer utilized by television broadcasters. The wireless regulation authority Ofcom is said to be working to finalize a strategy that will ensure the spectrum is distributed among at least four competing networks.
Jonathan Ive is not preparing to leave the US to return to his native Britain, claims British tabloid the Daily Mail. The Times of London recently suggested that Ive, Apple's lead designer, was interested in having his children educated in the UK, to the point of possibly exercising stock options and/or leaving the company in order to make it happen. A 2008 stock grant was likened to "golden handcuffs," and Ive has allegedly been at "loggerheads" with Apple trying to come up with a new arrangement.
The UK branches of Vodafone and 3 have both confirmed their intentions to sell the iPad 2. The carriers are mum on exact details, but are likely to carry over existing data plans. 3 charges £20 for 15GB of data a month on a two-year contract, or £15 for 10GB on a month-to-month basis; a contract also knocks down the price of the hardware. Vodafone is charging £10 for 1GB, £15 for 3GB and £25 for 5GB per month.
Most Internet providers in the UK are reportedly ready to adopt a set of principles that aims to ensure transparency surrounding throttling and other traffic management systems. The UK government think-tank Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG) suggests the large majority, if not all, of the country's ISPs will agree to the proposal.
