11/10, 10:55am
Banner replaced without warning
The latest incarnation of a controversial Boston iPod ad has been pulled from the building on which it hung, says the Boston Herald. Measuring some 13,750 square feet, a 2007 banner was larger than normally allowed, and deemed illegal by the state's Outdoor Advertising Board. One or more versions have nevertheless remained in place well through 2009; in June the responsible companies secured a permit after paying a $110,000 penalty.
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10/09, 9:20am
Groups take sides in row over environmental laws
Both Greenpeace and the US Secretary of Energy are welcoming an Apple decision to abandon the US Chamber of Commerce. The former's toxics campaigner, Casey Harrell, on Thursday issued a statement which applauded Apple for confronting the Chamber over its opposition to mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. Apple is the first technology company to have removed itself from the Chamber over the issue, though it was preceded by shoe maker Nike, and several energy companies including Exelon, PNM Resources and Pacific Gas & Electric.
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09/16, 4:05pm
Environmental organization claims health threat
Apple's latest iPhone, the 3GS, ranks almost squarely in the middle of smartphones in terms of radiation output, a non-profit activist organization says. The Environmental Working Group notes that according to compiled data, the 3GS produces approximately 1.19W/kg of radiation. The figure is substantially lower than the worst-case examples, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the Kyocera Jax S1300, which each produce 1.55W/kg.
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09/15, 1:20pm
Could impose harsh measures on suspects
The French government has taken one step further towards enacting a controversial piece of Internet piracy legislation, says the Associated Press. A bill today passed through the National Assembly, having already gained approval from the Senate in July. Only one step remains before it becomes law, that being a third approval by a committee bridging both houses of parliament.
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09/15, 12:30pm
Apple could require second license
Despite the announcement of a deal by local carrier KT, a South Korean iPhone is still being held up by government licensing issues, says the Korea Times. The Korea Communications Commission has put a hold on approving the device, as a result of the phone's location-based services. In general, any company providing location-based information to Korean customers must have a special license. Companies are often prodded to situate appropriate servers in the country, even though it is not a strict legal requirement.
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09/14, 12:15pm
Could also remove iPod touch upgrade fees
The US government has tentatively approved new accounting rules which could significantly impact the iPhone, and possibly the iPod touch, says Fortune. Under influence from corporations like Apple, TiVo and Xerox, the government has relented to pressure and made initial changes to regulations involving subscription accounting. Because Apple releases periodic software updates for the iPhone, the company has had to spread relevant revenue reporting across a two-year time period.
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09/01, 1:00pm
eBay sells off Skype
Auction site eBay has completed a deal to sell off its Skype VoIP division, according to an announcement. The deal is said to be worth $2.9 billion, granting a 65 percent stake to an investor group including Silver Lake, Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. eBay is holding on to a 35 percent equity investment, and gaining $1.9 billion in cash, plus a note in the principal amount of $125 million.
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08/27, 4:50pm
France talks iPhone woes
A regional commercial director for Apple will meet with France's consumer affairs minister on Friday, Reuters reports. The pair are set to discuss a series of incidents, in which the touchscreens on several iPhones allegedly shattered with no obvious cause. At least two such cases have been confirmed, which in both circumstances injured device owners with flying glass.
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08/24, 12:35pm
Apple political persuasion
Apple spent $390,000 in lobbying the US government during the second quarter of 2009, documents from the House of Representatives show. The sum is a $50,000 increase over the first quarter, and came despite slowing Mac and iPod sales. Apple's attempts to privately influence the government are recorded as connected to stimulus funding -- for educational technology, and increasing broadband penetration -- as well as a variety of environmental issues.
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08/14, 1:55pm
China holds on web filters
The Chinese government has relented in its plans to impose web filtering software on computers, a statement from the country's industry and technology minister suggests. Li Yizhong claims that the Communist Party will "absolutely not" force installation of Green Dam-Youth Escort on every computer sold in the country, despite the fears of both corporations and political dissenters. Nominally meant to block pornography, critics have claimed that the software could easily be used to extend censorship beyond current network filtering techniques.
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08/03, 5:10pm
AAPL, GOOG probes proceed
The resignation of Eric Schmidt from Apple's board of directors will not put to rest a Federal Trade Commission investigation, says the group's Bureau of Competition director, Richard Feinstein. Apple announced Schmidt's departure early Monday morning, citing the existence of Chrome OS as a potential conflict of interest. It is illegal for two US companies to share directors when they are also nominally competing in the same field.
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07/31, 3:20pm
FCC to probe iPhone gaps
The FCC will consider the limited rural availability of products like the iPhone as it explores the merits of exclusive American cellphone contracts, an interview reveals. "There are markets in the country where if you wanted an iPhone, if you wanted a Pre, you just couldn’t get it -- from anyone," according to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski. "So one question is, is that consistent with broad consumer interests?"
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07/07, 3:15pm
NC server farm worth $2B?
Apple's North Carolina server farm could ultimately become worth $2 billion, twice the company's minimum investment, claims a member of the Catawba County Economic Development Corporation. In exchange for tax breaks, Apple has agreed to build a $1 billion facility at the Catawba Data Park in Maiden. The building will occupy 500,000 square feet, and provide approximately 750 construction jobs running into late 2010.
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06/30, 4:30pm
MacBook in Maine schools
Plans are now in place to distribute MacBooks amongst Maine high school students, according to officials from the state's Department of Education. Known to have been in the works since at least March, a deal with Apple will see over 64,000 MacBooks reach students and teachers between grades 7 and 12. Another 7,000 notebooks should be ordered within the next few weeks, officials say.
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06/29, 11:45am
Apple settles on NC site
Apple has at last chosen a location for a North Carolina server farm, reports say. Though the company confirmed intentions for an iDataCenter on June 3rd, with plans to invest $1 billion in the state over the course of nine years, it has not so far announced a specific location. Representatives for the town of Maiden, however, have scheduled a July 6th press conference, in which they are expected to formally acknowledge a deal with Apple.
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06/19, 2:10pm
FCC probes cell exclusives
The next head of the Federal Communications Commission, Julius Genachowski, has promised to investigate the exclusives forged between phone makers and cellular carriers, Reuters reports. The information comes by way of a letter from Genachowski, written in response to an initial prompt from Sen. John Kerry and three other members of the Senate Commerce Committee. The FCC should not only investigate exclusives, the committee suggests, it should act "expeditiously" if it finds that deals are unfairly harming competition or public choice.
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06/11, 9:55am
Chinese iPhone deal near
After more than a year of efforts, a deal for a Chinese iPhone may finally be nearing completion, writes IDG. An unidentified Apple phone has appeared in the approved product list of the State Wireless Inspection Center, having last month been granted clearance for an assigned frequency range for up to five years. Apple is also said to have posted an ad for a Beijing-based worker, who would oversee creating training material for Asian iPhone carriers.
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06/02, 11:30am
NC approves Apple handout
The General Assembly of North Carolina has approved a new tax bill specifically geared towards attracting an Apple server farm, the Associated Press writes. The bill was approved by the state Senate on Monday night with a 40-to-8 vote, leaving only a signature from Gov. Beverly Perdue in the way of transformation into law. The final debate is reported to have lasted less than a minute, with Republican Senator Tom Apodaca noting that the state has been focusing too heavily on attracting large corporations, at the expense of small businesses.
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06/01, 3:15pm
Catawba, NC data center
It is "all but a done deal" that Apple will build its North Carolina server farm in Catawba County, state officials are said to have confessed. The word has allegedly been passed on to the backers of a site in Cleveland County, typically thought of as Catawba's only major competition. Both counties are some of the poorest in the state, making them suitable for the conditions of a corporate welfare bill directed at Apple. After some delay, the bill is expected to be given a final vote Monday night.
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05/27, 4:15pm
N. Carolina votes Apple
The state House of North Carolina has voted 81 to 31 for a bill handing out tax breaks to Apple, the Associated Press writes. Although the results are only preliminary, they may suggest the outcome of the final vote, scheduled to be held before Wednesday's end. If successful, the bill will divert $46 million of taxpayers' money towards a 10-year break for Apple.
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05/26, 11:50am
North Carolina server farm
North Carolina may be willing to provide special tax favors for Apple, should the company decide to build a server farm in the state, writes the Charlotte Observer. A state official cited by the paper says that a new bill, nearing approval, would offer breaks to corporations with a minority marketshare in the region but large quantities of property and workers. The bill is said to be explicitly aimed at luring the proposed Apple server farm, which could in theory save the company $46 million over the course of 10 years.
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05/21, 5:15pm
Apple in Taiwan labor row
Apple has become the focus of a conflict over worker rights in Taiwan, local reporters say. Labor groups today carried banners and microphones outside of Apple's Taipei office, hoping to put indirect pressure on Wintek, a major supplier of flat-panel displays. The latter is accused of firing over 600 workers in December without warning, moreover cutting salaries, and forcing some of its people to work unpaid overtime in order to fulfill rush orders.
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05/13, 12:55pm
FTC head sides with Google
The new chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, Jon Leibowitz, is sympathetic to Google despite the government body's investigation into antitrust concerns, a CSPAN interview has uncovered. While Google "certainly has a dominant position in search advertising," argues Leibowitz, "just having a dominant position doesn't in any way violate the law." Problems only arise when a company moves to exclude other competitors, as Microsoft did with Windows and Internet Explorer in the 1990s, according to the FTC head.
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03/13, 1:00pm
Bell threatens Can. gov't.
Bell may refuse to upgrade to next-generation networks if the Canadian government does not concede to demands, a statement from the company proposes. The country's telecommunications regulator, the CRTC, recently issued a ruling that would require the company to open up its next-generation networks to competitors. Bell is only one of two national Internet service providers in Canada however, and would likely gain no more than diminished profits if forced to cope with competition.
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02/25, 3:35pm
Apple board re-elected
Choosing at an annual meeting, Apple shareholders have voted to re-elect all members of the company's current board of directors. These include Al Gore, Intuit CEO Bill Campbell, J. Crew CEO Millard Drexler, Avon CEO Andrea Jung, Genentech head Arthur Levinson, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Harwinton Capital leader Jerome York. Most critical may be the re-election of Apple's own CEO, Steve Jobs, who together with the rest of the board will serve for at least one more year.
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01/15, 1:00pm
FCC OKs emerg. analog
The Federal Communications Commission has approved using over-the-air analog TV for critical broadcasts, if only on a temporary basis, Reuters reports. After the general transition to digital, people without digital converter boxes will still be able to see a notice in English and Spanish, directing them to a phone number with more information. Additionally, emergency information such as weather alerts will remain available over analog for 30 days after the transition date.
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12/29, 10:05am
TV converter coupons low
A recent rush in coupon demand may force some analog TV owners to pay full price for digital converter boxes, warns Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey. Reuters writes that Markey, evalauting the US government's subsidy for the converters, has called for an influx of money from Congress to pay for more coupons, the demand for which may soon outstrip supply. The converter program is currently expected to hit its $1.34 billion budget limit in early January, which may mean no new coupons after late January, or at least until some existing ones are officially unredeemed.
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11/10, 4:00pm
Obama revealed as Mac user
The United States' 44th President will be a Mac user, as President-Elect Barack Obama and his children have been revealed as having two MacBooks for personal use. Newsweek notes that Michelle Obama, the soon-to-be First Lady, recently purchased the two MacBooks so Barack and his two daughters can video-chat while he is on the road, something likely to be frequent in his new position.
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11/04, 3:35pm
Korean iPhone by Dec.?
The release date for a Korean iPhone is now dependent on government deregulation efforts, writes The Korea Times. The Korea Communications Commission is currently debating the future of WIPI, the wireless software standard which any phone in the country is obliged to follow. WIPI is said to effectively block the sale of foreign devices, however, and through negotiations the US government has pressured South Korea into opening up its market.
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10/29, 11:50am
New anti-censorship group
Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the founding members of a new anti-censorship group called the Global Network Initiative, reports indicate. The organization also has the backing of investor, human rights and press freedom groups, such as the Center for Democracy and Technology. The GNI is specifically aimed at forming a consistent approach to dealing with countries that block free speech on the Internet, such as China. Many governments around the world filter search results, or simply prevent citizens from accessing certain websites.
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10/28, 4:05pm
No iPhones in Congress
The US House of Representatives is not likely to adopt the iPhone in the near future, according to a press secretary. Recent reports had indicated that Congressional staff were testing iPhones for possible support; phones must not only meet technical needs but qualify for an allowance distributed to each representative's office. Jeff Ventura, speaking on behalf of Congressional chief administrative officer Dan Beard, now explains that while there has been "some interest from offices" for the iPhone, there is little chance of the device becoming standard.
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10/24, 2:55pm
Apple fights Prop. 8
In an unusually political move, Apple has taken a stance on a ballot issue affecting its home state of California, according to an announcement. The company has declared itself publicly opposed to Proposition 8, a measure which would amend California's constitution to ban gay and lesbian marriages. Such marriages were legalized following a decision of the California Supreme Court, which noted that sanctions against them violated an equal protection clause of the state's constitution.
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08/13, 5:45pm
iPhone app targets voters
Inspired Arts and Media is out with an iPhone app that helps voters learn where John McCain and Barack Obama stand on the issues. Fit 2 Vote is a game that displays quotes from Obama and McCain's speeches. Users are asked to choose which candidate made a particular statement. The game uses the iPhone's motion sensor in a unique way -- a tilt to the left indicates the quote was made by Obama, a right tilt signals McCain. Users are declared "Fit 2 Vote" when they get 50 correct answers.
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06/20, 5:25pm
time machine
Forum roundup: MacNN forum goers' Time Machine questions are answered in The Offical Time Machine Q&A Thread covering everything from how Time Machine works and what it is for, to steps on how to resolve issues with Time Machine when it is not working properly. High pitched noises from one member's CRT monitor sparked a conversation about possible causes for this problem as well as provided suggestions for more energy efficient LCD replacements. One user inquires about Booting OS 8 on a G3 from an external USB DVD drive and gets advice from other members about possible options that they could try. Other users converse about different styles of carrying bags for MacBook and MacBook Pro as well as post pictures and compare prices in a thread dedicated to backpacks, bags and sleeves for Mac Notebooks. In the MacNN lounge, users discuss signs that John McCain is too old as well as debate the differences between democrat Barack Obama and republican John McCain.
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12/13, 2:55pm
Pushing for a harder DMCA
Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), the chair of the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, today argued that the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) does not go far enough, despite common complaints about its severity. Berman is overseeing a hearing on the PRO-IP Act, a bill which could increase statutory damages for copyright violation, and even establish an intellectual property enforcement office in the Department of Justice. Before today's witness testimonies began, Berman admitted that there were things he would like to change in copyright law to make the DMCA more strict.
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