Microsoft attempts to lure Apple iOS developers to its Windows 8 and Windows Phone platforms

“On a rainy day last week, the scene at Microsoft's campus in Mountain View, California, looked rather incongruous: several dozen developers sat in an auditorium, many of them taking notes on Apple laptops, while another programmer, also using a Mac, stood behind a podium flanked with Microsoft's blocky logo,” Rachel Metz reports for MOT Technology Review.

“This wasn't a secret meeting of Microsoft rebels; it was Microsoft's attempt to lure developers who have been building apps for Apple's incredibly popular iOS platform, which runs on the iPad and iPhone, over to its Windows 8 and Windows Phone platforms,” Metz reports. “...With many developers building apps for Apple's gadgets and smartphones and tablets running Android software, the Redmond, Washington-based software giant finds itself in the unfamiliar position of needing to get developers' attention.”

Metz reports, “Microsoft's Windows Phone Store has over 120,000 apps, and the company has said it expects to have 100,000-plus apps in the Windows Store by January. Apple's App Store, by comparison, offers over 700,000 apps for the iPhone and iPad.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Pfft.

U.S. ITC judge wants Samsung to post a bond of 88% of its U.S. smartphone sales due to Apple patent case

“An October 24, 2012 preliminary ruling that held Samsung to infringe four Apple patents could have more drastic consequences for Samsung’s U.S. business than previously known,” FLorian Mueller reports for FOSS Patents. “If the U.S. trade agency affirms the judge’s findings of violations (which the ITC staff supports across the board) and adopts his recommended remedies, Samsung faces the following draconian combination of sanctions.”

a U.S. import ban that would enter into effect after the 60-day Presidential review period following a final ITC decision,

a simultaneous cease-and-desist order that would prohibit the sale of any commercially significant quantities of the imported infringing accused products in the United States (this remedy was denied against HTC), and

the requirement to post a bond of 88% of the value of all mobile phones, 32.5% of the value of all media players, and 37.6% of the value of all tablet computers found to infringe Apple’s patents-in-suit during the Presidential review period.

Much more in the full article here.

Mac mini said to be first US-built computer in Apple's domestic production push

Apple and Foxconn are moving Mac mini production to the US, says DigiTimes, contradicting earlier rumors that a redesigned Mac Pro would be the first to land in the country. Earlier this month, CEO Tim Cook told Brian Williams that Apple was planning to invest $100 million to bring Mac production home, and a spokesman for Foxconn has recently confirmed rumors that it would be expanding its operations in North America. According to DigiTimes, the company will run Apple’s new US-based production lines.

Components like Apple's Samsung-built SoCs are already manufactured in the US, and some of its computers, like custom-built iMacs, are already assembled in the country. But rather than just put more computers together in the US, Cook...

Sonos Playbar outed in new FCC filing

Sonos will be soon be extending its range of wireless speakers with a new model called the Playbar, according to a new FCC filing. Like all other Sonos devices, the new Playbar is likely to use a proprietary wireless system — this time based on dual-band 802.11n — but otherwise the filing doesn’t hint at where this new speaker will fall in the company’s lineup. Sonos could, however, be positioning the speaker as a soundbar for the home theater market. It’s a gap that the company has yet to fill, and a matchup with the Sonos Sub would almost certainly be a boon for home cinema enthusiasts looking to declutter their setup. For now, though, the world will simply have to wait until Sonos is ready to launch whatever it has in mind.

Steve Jobs' Yacht Released After Security Deposit Posted

Last Friday, we noted that the Jobs family's new yacht had been impounded by Dutch authorities as a result of a dispute over the design fee to be paid to famed French designer Philippe Starck. Starck had claimed that he was due to be paid 9 million for designing the yacht, while the Jobs family said that the agreed rate was 6% of the 105 million construction cost for the yacht, or roughly 3 million less than Starck claimed he was owed.

AFP now reports that the yacht has been freed after the Jobs family posted a security deposit to a bank account.

"The Venus is no longer impounded, we have found a solution," Gerard Moussault, a Hague-based lawyer for the Jobs estate, told AFP.

"A security deposit was paid into a bank account, but I cannot say for how much," Moussault said after French designer Starck last week asked Amsterdam bailiffs to seize the sleek 70-metre (230-foot) yacht.

The yacht remains in harbor in Amsterdam due to bad weather, and the report notes that the yacht is scheduled to be transported by ship to the United States to be turned over to the Jobs family at an unspecified date.

2011 Leahy-Smith America Invents Act made it easier to tentatively review Apple’s patents

“On Wednesday, Samsung informed a federal court — and the Wall Street Journal dutifully reported — that the U.S. Patent Office had ‘rejected’ all claims of an Apple (AAPL) patent (the so-called ‘pinch to zoom’ patent, or ’915) that the Journal described as ‘a cornerstone of its case against Samsung,’” Philip Elmer-DeWitt reports for Fortune. “In October, the Patent and Trademark Office tentatively concluded that all 20 claims of another Apple patent (’381) — the so-called ‘rubber-banding’ (or over-scroll bounce) patent — were invalid.”

“Two weeks ago, the office tentatively invalidated the broader ‘touchscreen heuristics’ patent (’949, A.K.A. the Steve Jobs patent),” P.E.D. reports. “From the headlines, you’d think that the foundations on which a jury awarded Apple $1.05 billion last August were crumbling.”

“The truth is a little more complicated,” P.E.D. reports. “All three rulings flow from changes in U.S. patent law that Congress passed last year as part of the Leahy-Smith American Invents Act... Key provisions of that act make it substantially easier to challenge a patent after it has been approved. For a filing fee of $17,750, anybody can anonymously demand that the Patent Office initiate a post-grant review on any invalidity ground.”

Read more in the full article here.

Related article:
USPTO tentatively - and likely temporarily - declares Apple's 'pinch-to-zoom' patent invalid – December 20, 2012

It’s Triple Witching Friday

“Triple Witching Friday is an event that occurs when the contracts for the stock index futures, stock index options and stock options all expire on the same day,” Golden Hammer writes for Seeking Alpha. “Triple witching days happen four times a year on the third Friday of March, June, September and December. It just so happens that today is that day.”

“Today I expect to see large volumes of buying and/or selling as investors try to cover their open positions,” Hammer writes. “I expect those who sold the naked calls to take large short positions this morning in an attempt to drive the prices lower before covering. This typically can allow for 2%-3% swings on a day like today.”

Hammer writes, “I expect all of the indexes to open approximately 1% lower tomorrow as the shorts begin to initiate their positions. Given the extreme caution surrounding this fiscal cliff, I doubt the bulls will have enough positive momentum to beat out the bears early in the day. I do believe however we can expect to see a sharp rise going into the final hour before the market closes. I base this option on the fact that next week holds potential for both a “Santa Claus rally week” as well as a possible cliff resolution. This would grant those who are willing to hold out a very happy new year.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: And, rumors of today’s apocalypse were greatly exaggerated.

Procedural review of Apple patents limits leverage of rivals for years; Apple patents remain valid and enforceable during review

“Apple Inc.’s patents behind the pinch-to-zoom, bounce-back and multitouch features of its iPhone aren't invalid, at least not yet,” Susan Decker reports for Bloomberg News.

“The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's initial rejections in recent weeks were consistent with a process in which most patents challenged over the past three decades, including ones rejected at some point, survived in original or modified forms, according to data compiled by the office,” Decker reports. “That process can take years. In the meantime, Apple's patents will be considered valid and enforceable in the global smartphone-patent litigation among it, Samsung Electronics Co. and Google Inc.’s Motorola Mobility unit.”

Decker reports, “‘It has to weigh on the judge's mind on how much damages to award,’ said Scott Daniels, a patent lawyer with Westerman Hattori in Washington who specializes in re-examinations, as the reviews are called. ‘If these are patents of questionable validity, can the judge in good conscience drop the hammer on Samsung?’”

MacDailyNews Take: Wouldn’t a patent lawyer know the simple-to-grasp fact that anybody with $17,750 can anonymously demand that the Patent Office initiate a post-grant review? These procedural, anonymous $17,750 USPTO “reviews” won’t weigh on any even semi-competent judge’s mind.

“The ITC is scheduled to end its investigation by March 13, and it has ruled in other cases that it won't wait for the patent office to complete its work,” Decker reports. “The patent office has sought to speed up the process. Even so, it would probably take at least two years, and possibly longer, before reaching a point where the Federal Circuit could rule on whether to cancel any of the patents, Daniels said.”

Decker reports, “According to patent office statistics from 1981 through June, owners get all of their patent confirmed in 22 percent of re-examinations, and all of the claims canceled 11 percent of the time. The rest involve modifications of the patent, which in some instances means the patent owner changes the wording of the patent, removes elements, or even gets to add more claims.”

MacDailyNews Take: In other words, 89% of patent reviews do not get canceled outright and 78% of patent reviews are modified, including the possibility of adding more claims, thereby strengthening the patent.

Read more in the full article here.

Apple appeals Judge Lucy Koh’s refusal to bar Samsung’s patent infringing smartphones from U.S. market

“Apple is appealing a judge’s refusal to bar Samsung smartphones from the U.S. market after a jury found Samsung used some Apple technology without permission,” Paul Elias reports for The Associated Press.

“Apple’s lawyers notified U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh on Thursday that the company would try to overturn her order with the appeal to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals,” Elias reports.

Read more in the full article here.

Beleaguered RIM posts loss of $114 million; sales tumble 47%; 1 million subscribers lost last quarter

“Research In Motion reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday, but recorded the first-ever drop in its subscriber base barely a month before the crucial launch of the new BB10 smartphone line,” Euan Rocha reports for Reuters.

“Excluding one-time items related to restructuring and other issues, the struggling BlackBerry maker reported a loss of $114 million or 22 cents a share,” Rocha reports. “The company said its subscriber base in the quarter fell to about 79 million from about 80 million in the period ended September 1.”

Read more in the full article here.

“BlackBerry maker Research In Motion reported that sales fell through the floor last quarter,” David Goldman reports for CNNMoney.

“RIM said it is likely to report another loss next quarter as it ramps up its marketing campaign for its new BlackBerry 10 operating system and smartphones, which are slated to go on sale Jan. 30,” Goldman reports. “The company said its sales until then will likely take a hit.”

MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, “until then.” The RIM zombie’s got some magical thinking going on.

“Sales during the quarter fell 47% to $2.7 billion,” Goldman reports. “RIM said it shipped just 6.9 million BlackBerry phones and 255,000 PlayBook tablets over the past three months.”

MacDailyNews Take: To where did they ship those PlayBooks, the Waterloo landfill?

Goldman reports, “Hopes aren’t high for the future of the platform. After dominating the smartphone market for years, RIM controlled less than 5% of smartphone sales in 2012, and it will own just 4% of the market in 2016, according to IDC forecasts.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: “RIM. Dead Company Walking.” – MacDailyNews, August 5, 2010

Related article:
Beware the sucker's rally in beleaguered RIM, Nokia – December 18, 2012

Take on the Role of a TSA Agent in Checkpoint Madness – iPad Game Review

In this silly time simulation game, you will take on the role of a security agent at an airport, manning the "Groping Line the "Naked Scanner," and the metal detector, while keeping airport patrons happy and watching for dangerous threats.

The game has three different difficulty levels ranging from easy to extreme, but you'll want to start out with easy, which isn't even all that simple.

Your goal in the game is to drag passengers, who line up on the right side of the screen, to a pathway through the security checkline. Each passenger has a different color, green, blue, or orange, which indicates which line that he or she needs to go through.

Direct passengers to these lines by drawing a pathway with a finger, but make sure not to let two passengers bump into one another, or they will get mad. You also need to be careful not to let any passengers approach the red security barriers, or the level will end with a security breach.

As you are directing passengers to their proper lines, you will need to keep an eye on all of the different scanners to make sure that no threats are passing through. Threats on the luggage machines will turn red and flash, while the passengers who are holding something will do the same.

To neutralize the threat, you need to tap on the scanner or the person. You can let three threats pass by before the game ends, and in later levels, passengers come quickly and the threats happen often, which turns this game into a tapping frenzy.

There are no levels, so the game is endless. Each time you play you will continue on until you are defeated by too many undetected threats, and the idea is to play again and again to beat your high score each time.

In addition to beating your high score each time, you can also earn achievements thanks to Game Center integration.

What I liked: Checkpoint Madness's fast-paced and frantic gameplay is fun, and trying to beat your high score over and over again will keep you coming back for more.

What I didn't like: The game doesn't have levels or anything, so it gets repetitive after just a few minutes.

To buy or not to buy: If you fly a lot and want to be on the other side of the security screen, this is a great game to pick up. And it's only $0.99, so it won't break the bank. There's a lite version of the game as well, if you want to try it out before you buy.

• App Name: Checkpoint Madness
• Version Reviewed: 2.0
• Category: Games
• Developer: SGM Games
• Price: $0.99
• Score:

PadGadget Daily App Deal – 20 iPad Apps on Sale

For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 20 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have 14 productivity / entertainment apps and 6 game apps in today’s bundle.

We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 80% off, several are even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.

Game Apps

1. Dragster Mayhem – Top Fuel Simulator () – This popular dragster racing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
2. Eve of Impact – This fun game is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
3. Ninja Ponk HD – This stealthy Ninja game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
4. Real Steel () – This very popular robot action game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
5. The Bard’s Tale () – This very popular role playing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99. This app is a whopper, it weighs in at 1.34 GB so be sure that you have enough space on your iPad and that you are on a speedy network before purchasing.
6. The Settlers of Tandria HD – This cool action game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.

Productivity and Entertainment Apps

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas () – This classic Carlie Brown storybook app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
2. Barnyard Dance – Boynton () – This kids book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
3. Blue Hat, Green Hat – Boynton () – This colorful book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
4. Chore Pad HD – This helpful kids chore tracking app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $1.99 instead of $4.99.
5. It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown () – This fun storybook app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
6. Maven Web Browser+ Speech Engine () – This speech enhanced web browsing app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
7. Moo, Baa, La La La! – Sandra Boynton () – This fun storybook app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
8. My Daily Journal – The Personalized Journal/Diary () – This journaling app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
9. PocketPharmacist – Drug Information and Medication Organizer () – This popular medical app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
10. PopOut! The Night Before Christmas () – This kids book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
11. PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit () – This popular storybook app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
12. Tap A Tune () – This education app is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
13. Textastic Code Editor – This popular text editing app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $4.99 instead of $8.99.
14. The Going to Bed Book – Sandra Boynton () – This kids book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.

Also be sure to check out yesterday’s Daily Deal to find more great savings.

= Indicates app is Universal and will run on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

We use our PadGadget Apps Tracker to constantly monitor the App Store to find the biggest price changes on iPad apps. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best deals on the most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis. All app prices are checked at the time of posting but prices are subject to change without notice. When developers put their apps on sale it’s usually for a very limited time, often 24 hours or less, so be sure to check pricing on iTunes before making a purchase.

Apple’s has their iPad cannibalization perfectly timed

“Ever since the iPad Mini launched, Apple watchers wondered how long it would take for the Mini to cannibalize the iPad's sales,” Erika Morphy reports for Forbes. “Not long, as various figures are showing.”

“Not that Apple was likely surprised or even dismayed by the turn of events,” Morphy reports. “As Azita Arvani of the Arvani Group told me recently, Apple has never shied away from cannibalizing its own products.”

Morphy reports, “Other statistics, this time from IDC, suggest that Apple made its move downstream in the tablet market just in time.”

Read more in the full article here.

WSJ: Apple moving closer to producing a television

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal once again stoked the rumor mill by reporting that Apple is making more moves toward coming out with a TV. According to AppleInsider, the article says that Apple is currently testing several designs for a large-format HDTV in partnership with the Asian manufacturers Foxconn and Sharp. The article does point out that this doesn't necessarily mean that Apple will manufacture a TV. Rather, it indicates just what Tim Cook recently said: the a TV is an "area of intense interest" for Apple. If they do decide to go ahead, they need to test whether their designs will work and whether the manufacturers can efficiently produce them. Any new product entails a lot of prototyping and testing just to make sure it works and can be manufactured with few defects. This is especially the case with Apple's technology, since their innovations, such as the in-cell display on the iPhone 5, tend to challenge the capabilities of the manufacturers.

Frankly, despite my admiration for Apple, I've been having a hard time imagining how they can revolutionize yet another industry. Their rumored offering of a la carte, app-based TV channels is certainly appealing. And their use of Siri and gestures for the interface would be cool. But beyond that, then what?

That question is answered in a fascinating article on the Forbes website, which describes new features that would help the Apple television crush the competition. The author describes how the interactive features of an iTV could make it stand out. Simply put, ads help TV content to be free, and if you have to watch ads, why not make it a better experience by showing you only ads for things you like? The author imagines a "like" button that would let you indicate which ads you like. Eventually, he says, the ads could have as much appeal as the programming itself. Not only could this improve your experience, but it would also have advertisers salivating at having such a targeted audience. 

He also imagines that Apple could integrate FaceTime with an iTV. Sort of seems like a no-brainer. TV wouild immediately become a more social experience. He says you could watch football games with your far-flung buddies, and even share virtual high-fives when your favorite team scores a TD. Imagine how this social experience would change TV. You could converse with someone about a program even as you watch it, with their image appearing in a corner of the screen.

Apple has gotten things right so many times, that consumers are confident that an iTV will deliver a new experience. A survey earlier this week found that 47% of U.S. households are extremely or somewhat interested in an Apple HDTV, with 20% of those surveyed saying they'd be willing to pay a premium to buy a TV from Apple. Those aged 18 to 29 are the most interested, and would be willing to pay 32% premium. What other company in the world has consumers lining up to buy a product that doesn't exist and indicating that they'd pay more for it, even though they have no idea what features it will have?

Twitter Announces Built-In Photo Editing for iOS App [iOS Blog]

Hot on the heels of Instagram's new update, Twitter officially announced the release of an update to its own iOS and Android apps, adding photo editing functionality and built-in filters.

Starting today, you'll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter. The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet. We're grateful to our partner, Aviary, for powering our filters and effects.

Twitter's photo editing capabilities include auto enhance, cropping and pinch to zoom, and an array of eight different filters.

Filters include Vignette, Black and White, Warm, Cool, Vintage, Cinematic, Happy, and Gritty.

Twitter and Instagram have become increasingly competitive when it comes to photo real estate, especially following the Facebook purchase of Instagram. Recently, Instagram officially shut off Twitter cards in an effort to direct Twitter users to its own website for viewing photos.

The change disallows Instagram photos from expanding in Twitter feeds, and instead, pictures from Instagram now show up as links. Photos edited with the updated Twitter app, however, will show up directly in user feeds.

Aviary, which is the photo editing SDK behind Twitter's new photo filters, is also used by Flickr, Yahoo, Box, Squarespace, and Walgreens.

The updated Twitter for iOS is available on the App Store. [Direct Link]

Yahoo Launches New Streamlined Mail Client for iPhone [iOS Blog]

Yahoo today launched an all new mail client across several platforms, including iOS, Windows 8, Android, and the Web.

According to Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer, speed and ease of use were the focus during the redesign of Yahoo! Mail.

You've told us loud and clear that you want fewer distractions when it comes to email. You want to quickly login, communicate, and get on with your day. And we've listened. Starting today, the new Yahoo! Mail is fast, easy and available anywhere you go. These improvements will be available on all major platforms: Web, Windows 8, iPhone/iPod touch and Android.

We've redesigned the new version of Yahoo! Mail with speed in mind - getting through your emails is faster than ever before. We've also made your inbox more intuitive and easier to navigate, allowing you to focus on what matters most: your messages. And, because mobile is everything these days, Yahoo! Mail now has a consistent look and feel across devices.

The new Yahoo! Mail app features a simple, clean interface with Yahoo's signature purple accents. It is similar in design to Sparrow, with an uncluttered inbox and a collapsible folder pane on the left side of the screen. The app has push notifications, infinite scroll, and quick photo insertion.

An additional blog post from from Vivek Sharma, General Manager of Yahoo! Mail and Messenger, states that Yahoo! Mail's underlying performance has been enhanced, making it faster to read and compose messages.

Our new, native apps have been built for speed. You can easily scan your inbox and quickly triage - starring important messages that need follow-up, filing messages to folders and deleting unimportant ones - all from the inbox. With infinite scroll, you can quickly find emails from last month or even, last year.

We've also reduced steps to save you time. When you log into Yahoo! Mail on the Web, it'll take you directly to your inbox. We've tweaked the underlying performance so it's faster to compose and read messages. After you send a message, we now take you right back to the inbox. Collectively, that works out to 36 million minutes saved every day.

Yahoo! Mail for iOS, which launched today in the App Store, is available for iPhone users. Yahoo! Mail apps for Windows 8 and Android are also available today, and the web version will roll over the next few days.

Millennial Media: iPad mini is a game changer, must have gift’ of the year; impressions grew 28% per day in November

“Every holiday season there seems to be one particular item that stands out as the ‘must have gift’ of the year, and in 2012, early figures lead us to believe that this could be the iPad mini. Truth be told, don't tell my kids but there are already two sitting under our tree at home,” Matt Gillis reports via the Millennial Media blog.

“While we expect a massive amount of iPad minis to be received as gifts (and not opened until the end of the month), it appears that many folks couldn't wait for the holidays to come and have rapidly embraced the newly sized iPad,” Gillis reports. “Specifically, we have already seen a noticeable number of impressions on our platform.”

“In the first weeks after the iPad mini went on sale, we saw an average daily growth in impressions of 28 percent,” Gillis reports. “Last holiday season, Amazon launched the Kindle Fire to much anticipation. As a comparison, we saw Kindle Fire impressions grow at an average daily rate of 19 percent in the first two weeks after it went on sale last year. So, by our math it looks like Apple could have itself another massive holiday season.”

Millennial Media: Apple iPad mini 2012 vs. Amazon Kindle Fire 2011 Impressions

 
Gillis reports, “Rather than cannibalizing other tablet sales, we see the iPad mini as a device that will simply expand the overall tablet market. Based on Nielson data from November - kids are asking for Apple products this holiday season. The number one requested gift is the iPad and 48% of American kids want one for Christmas. The iPod Touch and the iPad mini are close behind with 36% of American kids hoping they find one under their tree. If these numbers hold true, Santa could be very busy this holiday season - and there could be a lot of happy kids, and happy [iOS] developers.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Boom! (Meanwhile, the incongruent Apple sale continues on Wall Street...)

The mystery of Apple’s crashing stock price

“It is not unusual for investors to find the markets moving in ways that seem to defy common sense. Companies often feel the same way. They announce good results, they have a great product pipeline and plenty of cash in the bank, and the stock price falls off a cliff. The directors throw up their hands and wonder what on earth the markets expect from them,” Anthony Harrington writes for Seeking Alpha.

“However, what looks to be irrational or at best understandable as a wild amplification of a minor negative — something markets can do from time to time as investors overreact and ‘herd behavior’ sets in — can occasionally have a more rational explanation,” Harrington writes. “Apple (AAPL) provides an excellent case in point. The stock has a long history of soaring rallies and massive sell-offs. Why is this important? As arguably the most successful and iconic company in America, and as a company that has a reputation for rewarding buy-and-hold investors if they can ride out its price troughs, Apple is a major component in the portfolios of big institutional funds across advanced markets. Fund managers know that by maximizing their allocation to Apple, they are giving themselves a very good chance of outperforming over the medium term.”

Harrington writes, “In an excellent article featured in Seeking Alpha, Jason Schwarz points out that the key to understanding Apple’s huge sell-offs from time to time lies in the fact that most fund managers will have a rule that says that any single stock cannot be more than a certain percent of their total portfolio. The reason for this is to honor the idea of diversification as the best way of protecting capital. If you follow this idea of a restriction on the percentage any one stock can have allocated to it, then it follows that when Apple is doing one of its major run-ups, adding very substantially to its price, as happened when it went from $500 to $700, the total value of Apple holdings in many fund portfolios rapidly exceeded the allowed allocation. So the fund managers have to rebalance their portfolios by selling off a chunk of Apple stock to bring the allocation to Apple back within their policy constraints.”

Read more in the full article – recommended – here.

MacDailyNews Take: You can define “crashing” however you’d like, but while Apple is certainly down from its September 21st all-time high of $705.07, one year ago, on December 9, 2012, AAPL shares closed at $393.62.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "Arline M." for the heads up.]

PadGadget Daily App Deal – 18 iPad Apps on Sale

For today’s Daily Deal we’ve found 18 great apps to add to your iPad collection. We have 9 productivity / entertainment apps and 9 game apps in today’s bundle.

We used our PadGadget Apps Tracker to find these great deals and we’ll continue to look for the best app deals as they pop-up. Some of these apps are up to 80% off, several are even free, so be sure to check them out because they are on sale for a limited time.

Game Apps

1. Ace Rider () – This cool biking game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
2. Asphalt 7: Heat () – This insanely popular racing game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99. This app is a whopper, it weighs in at 1.27 GB so be sure that you have enough space on your iPad and that you are on a speedy network before purchasing.
3. Draw Something Pro – This entertaining word game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
4. Gardenscapes HD (Premium) – This very popular hidden-object game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $4.99.
5. Puzzle Quest 2 () – This very popular puzzler has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $1.99 instead of $3.99. This app weighs in at 599 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
6. Rail Maze Pro HD – This fun game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $0.99.
7. Save The Pencil HD – This cool little puzzle game has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
8. Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 for iPad – This popular arcade game from EA is now available for $0.99. That’s a savings of 80% off the apps’ normal price of $4.99.
9. VR Mission EXT () – This action game has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now available for Free instead of $2.99.

Productivity and Entertainment Apps

1. Avengers Origins: Assemble! () – This Avenger comic book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99.
2. Avengers Origins: Hulk () – Hulk smash! This fun book app is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
3. Bills for iPad – This very popular personal finance app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
4. Freefall Spelling () – This educational app is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.
5. Perfect Web Browser – EXTRAORDINARY Fullscreen Browser – This very popular iPad web browser is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
6. Spider-Man AR Book HD – This Spidey augmented reality app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $4.99. This app weighs in at 289 MB so please be sure that you have enough space on your iPad before downloading.
7. The Amazing Spider-Man: An Origin Story () – This web-slinger comic book app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $2.99 instead of $3.99.
8. Video Tube for YouTube () – This YouTube app has a 4 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $2.99.
9. Zen Of Snow HD () – This relax snow scene app has a 4.5 star App Store rating and is now on sale for $0.99 instead of $1.99.

Also be sure to check out yesterday’s Daily Deal to find more great savings.

= Indicates app is Universal and will run on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

We use our PadGadget Apps Tracker to constantly monitor the App Store to find the biggest price changes on iPad apps. Our editorial team goes through the data, picks the best deals on the most interesting apps and then brings them to you on a regular basis. All app prices are checked at the time of posting but prices are subject to change without notice. When developers put their apps on sale it’s usually for a very limited time, often 24 hours or less, so be sure to check pricing on iTunes before making a purchase.

Rescue Your Friends From Being Trapped in Crystals with Gem Smashers – iPad App Review

Breakout was created in 1976 as a cabinet arcade game. Since then, we have seen a plethora of clones, rip offs and homages. There are so many games like it that it has its own genre. Gem Smasher is a breakout type game with an adventurous plot that will give you a reason to keep going.

Players choose from a crab, chicken, or hedgehog to play the game with. The crab, named Bau, is free, but the others, Bam and Bom, cost $0.99 to unlock.

To unlock the exit portal, players must rescue all of the kidnapped creatures. Creatures are all inside gems, but be sure to smash the stones, too. There is always something hidden in them. In fact, there is a key hidden in one of the stones that unlocks the final boss level, allowing you to move on to the next world.

Each smash-em-up level has evil henchmen waiting in blocks to kill you off. If you bounce on one of these henchmen, you'll lose a life. Luckily, there is no penalty for losing a life other than the time it takes to refresh.

After a certain amount of time, the evil scientist IMBU will come out of his lair and chase you around the screen. He moves like a ghost, so you can avoid him fairly easily, but it adds to the difficulty of clearing the screen when you have IMBU chasing you and four henchmen waiting to turn you to worm food.

There are two levels in the first world that have special stones in them. These stones can only be busted open by Bam and Bom. In order to clear every stone on these two levels, players must purchase the additional characters.

That means that you can't clear the entire screen on those levels. Remember when I told you that some stones have hidden keys in them to unlock the boss level? Well, the keys are hidden in those stones. You can't complete the first world without buying the additional characters.

This game is lots of fun and worth the low price of $0.99 to unlock the additional characters. I recommend playing a couple of levels and then unlocking Bam and Bom right away so that you can move on with the story faster. You'll have to replay levels that are meant specifically for those characters anyway.

What I liked: As breakout type games go, this one is fun. There are interesting elements to it that make it worth continuing on.

What I didn't like: The graphics are pretty low-fi. It's not like a retro game either. They are just kind of weak.

To buy or not to buy: If you like games from the breakout genre, give this one a try. You'll probably end up paying the $0.99 to unlock the full game because it is fun.

• Name: Gem Smashers
• Version Reviewed: 1.2
• Category: Games
• Developer: Thumbstar Games
• Price: Free
• Score:

iPads continue to vanish at the airport thanks to thieving TSA workers

“A TSA agent caught stealing iPads and numerous other electronic devices was arrested this week following a sting operation at New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport,” Killian Bell reports for Cult of Mac. “Sean Henry, 32, joins the growing list of TSA workers who have been accused of stealing from passengers as they pass through airport checkpoints across the United States.”

“Henry's arrest follows an ABC News investigation carried out back in September, which revealed that 381 TSA officers had been fired for theft since 2003,” Bell reports. “Henry will be the latest, after Transportation Security Administration spokesman David Castelveter confirmed that the TSA has ‘taken the steps to begin processing [Henry] for termination.’”

Bell reports, “Apple's iOS devices - the iPad, in particular - appear to be a popular target for some TSA agents, who believe it's okay to take passengers' belongings home with them. Unfortunately for them, they're also the easiest to track... Officers used the Find My iPad feature to track the two devices that had been intentionally left behind, and they found them with Henry as they left JFK on the airport's AirTrain system. And that's not all Henry was carrying. In Henry's backpack, investigators found a MacBook Pro, a pair of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones - still boxed, an iPad mini, an iPod, and an iPhone. A subsequent search of his home also uncovered a stolen MacBook. Needless to say Henry was charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property.”

Read more in the full article here.

The ABC News report is here.

Related article:
ABC News tracks missing iPad to Florida home of TSA officer – September 28, 2012

Apps and accessories help make Apple iPad a hand-held darkroom

“Over the years, I've been in and out of relationships with dozens of film cameras, Pentax, Canon, Nikon, Minolta and others, as a result of my passion for photography,” Nick Bilton reports for The New York Times.

“In the late 1990s, after college, I snapped so many photos that I ended up building a 5-by-6-foot darkroom in the corner of my living room in Brooklyn. There, standing amid long, dark strips of film under the glow of a dim red light, I spent countless hours mixing pungent chemicals and developing and printing photographs,” Bilton reports. “I have since retired most of my film cameras. Now, my camera bag is all digital, and my darkroom is 7 inches wide and 9.5 inches long: an Apple iPad.”

Bilton reports, “The immediacy of digital has pushed photographers to want to edit their photos and then share them right away. A number of applications allow you to do this, some free and some costing as much as $20.”

Bilton covers:
SnapSeed (free)
iPhoto ($4.99)
Photoshop Express (free)
Photoshop Touch ($9.99)
ShutterSnitch ($15.99)
Photosmith ($19.99)
piRAWnha ($9.99)
Photoraw ($9.99)

Read more in the full article here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader "David G." for the heads up.]

And Now: The Taiwanese Animation Version of the John McAfee Story

Things aren't going well for John McAfee right now. He's been hospitalized with an unconfirmed condition, and his request for asylum was turned down by Guatemala. But let's take a moment to look back at the bizarre path we took to get here through the bizarre-is-what-we-do lens of the NMA, the Taiwanese animation studio.

Two minutes full of illegal Trojan horse immigration, bikini models living in a bunk bed in a gun locker, and Vice writers taking bong hits are satisfying. But with how this story has been going, how much of this would really surprise you if you found out it was a spot-on accurate portrayal? [NMA]

This Skull iPhone Case Is 3D-Printed and a Piece of Art

We might, at some point, stop being awed by 3D printed products. But that hasn't happened yet, meaning this 3D printed skull iPhone case ($52) is pretty damn slick.

Not only is it good looking, it's a piece of art. Inspired by "Degeneration," a series by Hugo Arcier that's based on an algorithm that makes faces. You can customize your case by selecting a color and some personal text. And it's a skull so maybe it will scare thieves from swiping your iPhone. [3DCase via CoolMaterial via Laughing Squid]

Tim Cook’s freshman year: Apple CEO speaks in extensive interview

“Prior to his death on Oct. 5, 2011, Steve Jobs made sure that the elevation of Tim Cook - his longtime head of operations and trusted deputy - to Apple chief executive officer would be drama-free,” Josh Tyrangiel reports for Businessweek. “‘He goes, ‘I never want you to ask what I would have done,” recalls Cook. ”Just do what's right.’ He was very clear.’”

Some snippets from Cook:

I love the company. A significant part of my life is Apple. Maybe some people would say it's all of my life. I would say it's a significant part. And you know, I feel both a love for it [and] I feel a responsibility. I think this company is a jewel. I think it's the most incredible company in the world, and so I want to throw all of myself into doing everything I can do to make sure that it achieves its highest, highest potential.

Creativity and innovation are something you can't flowchart out. Some things you can, and we do, and we're very disciplined in those areas. But creativity isn't one of those. A lot of companies have innovation departments, and this is always a sign that something is wrong when you have a VP of innovation or something. You know, put a for-sale sign on the door. Laughs

We don't subscribe to the vision that the OS for iPhones and iPads should be the same as Mac. As you know, iOS and Mac OS are built on the same base... Customers want iOS and Mac OS X to work together seamlessly, not to be the same, but to work together seamlessly.

The thing [at Apple] that ties us all is we're brought together by values. We want to do the right thing. We want to be honest and straightforward. We admit when we're wrong and have the courage to change. And there can't be politics. I despise politics. There is no room for it in a company. My life is going to be way too short to deal with that. No bureaucracy. We want this fast-moving, agile company where there are no politics, no agendas. When you do that, things become pretty simple. You don't have all of these distractions. You don't have all of these things that companies generally worry about. You don't have silos built up where everybody is trying to optimize their silo and figuring out how to grab turf and all of these things. It makes all of our jobs easier so we're freed up to focus on the things that truly matter.

If you look at our North Star, we're focused on making the best products, so ours is very product-centric. We care about every detail. We're also marrying hardware, software, and services. If you think about Android, it's more like the Windows PC model. The operating system comes from company A. Company B is doing some integration work, and maybe the services come from yet somewhere else. I think we know the kind of customer experience that produces.

Tons more in the full interview (it’ll take some time to read, so be prepared) – very highly recommended – here.

FTC slams Google for seeking ban of Apple iPhones, iPads

“The Federal Trade Commission is backing Apple in the company's battle with Google over standard-essential patents (SEP), arguing that any attempt to ban a product for allegedly infringing an SEP ‘risks harming competition, innovation, and consumers,’” John Paczkowski reports for AllThingsD.

“The patents Motorola had attempted to assert against Apple were SEPs, which it is obligated to license on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms,” Paczkowski reports. “And in the FTC's eyes, using the threat of SEP-based injunctions to demand higher royalties or other favorable licensing terms is bad business. It's a ‘patent hold-up,’ to quote the agency's term.”

Paczkowski reports, “It's worth noting that this isn't the first time the FTC has sounded off on SEP-driven lawsuits and Google's efforts to use them to enhance its negotiating stance. Back in June, the agency told the Federal Trade Commission that Google's request for import bans against Microsoft's Xbox and Apple's iPhone for their alleged infringement of its SEPs could hurt competition.”

Read more in the full article here.

Record AT&T Smartphone Sales Bode Well for iPhone in 4Q 2012

CNET reports on comments from AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega today revealing that the carrier has experienced record-breaking smartphone sales through the first two months of the fourth quarter of 2012.

The wireless carrier is selling smartphones at a record pace -- 6.4 million already in the first two months of the quarter, according to Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T's mobility arm. De la Vega, speaking at an investor conference today, said he now expects to sell 26 million smartphones this year, 1 million more than previously expected.

The current record for the carrier was set in the fourth quarter of 2011 with 9.4 million smartphone activations on the strength of the iPhone 4S launch.

Given that the iPhone typically represents 70-80% of AT&T's smartphones, the carrier's record numbers for the quarter so far bode well for Apple. Apple will likely also see a boost from its rapid rollout of the iPhone 5, which is already offered in nearly 50 countries and will be available in more than 50 additional countries by the end of the month.

Apple is clearly expecting a blockbuster quarter, having issued guidance for a record $52 billion in revenue on the strength of not only the iPhone 5 but also the new iPad mini and the just-updated full-size iPad, as well as recent updates to most of the company's Mac and iPod lines.

China Mobile President Says Incompatible Technology is Just One Obstacle to Carrying iPhone [iOS Blog]

Chinese carriers China Unicom and China Telecom may be receiving the iPhone 5 on December 14, but the nation's largest carrier, China Mobile, has been left out the launch.

Though speculation has targeted China Mobile's network exclusive TD-SCDMA technology as the problem, the company's president says that's not the case.

As reported by Unwired View, China Mobile President Li Yue today said that incompatible network standards are not the only reason why the iPhone 5 has yet to appear on the carrier.

Speaking at 2012 China Mobile Worldwide Developer Conference, when asked about availability of iPhone, he told the audience that "technology is not a problem, [it's] mainly about business model and benefit-sharing issues".

In May, it was confirmed that China Mobile had been in negotiations with Apple about acquiring the iPhone 5, but thus far those talks have failed to produce results, and today's comment may hint at the reason. It appears that the two companies may be hindered by disagreements over revenue sharing and carrier subsidies rather than technological difficulties.

China Mobile is China's biggest cell phone carrier, with 703 million subscribers. More than 15 million of those subscribers currently use gray market iPhones on the network, which China Mobile supports.

The iPhone 5 has been much anticipated in China. China Unicom began accepting preorders on Monday and received more than 100,000 first day reservations.

Netflix Inks Exclusive Content Deal with Disney

Things may be looking up for video-on-demand company Netflix, who just signed a huge deal with The Walt Disney Company. According to the terms of the deal, Netflix will be the exclusive U.S. subscription service for first-run live action and animated films that are produced by Disney.

There's just one caveat – the deal won't go into effect until 2016. But in four years, Netflix will have access to Disney movies that have been in the theater before they're available to other outlets, like Blockbuster and Redbox.

Netflix will get access to movies from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Studios, and Disneynature. These will become available during the pay TV window, which is typically the time when theater releases are available on channels like HBO.

The deal will also include first-run rights to direct-to-video movies, so all of those future copies of Beauty and the Beast 14 and The Lion King, Simba's Cousin's Little Brother's Uncle will show up first on Netflix, beginning in 2013.

Netflix subscribers will see an immediate increase in the availability of Disney catalog movies like Dumbo, Pocahontas, and Alice in Wonderland, which are available to view on Netflix right now.

You can access Netflix on your computer, or via the Netflix app, which is a free download from the App Store.

Zite Gets Total Makeover in Version 2.0

Fans of the popular personalized magazine app Zite might want to head to the updates section of their App Store app right now and download version 2.0. Not only did the media aggregate get an adorably hip new logo, but the entire app has also been redesigned from the ground up and it's gorgeous.

Zite just happens to be the app I use every morning to read up on trending baking recipes, photography how-to articles, and big news in the tech industry. I love the app because it doesn't just show me what is already in my RSS feed. It aggregates new stories from blogs I may or may not know anything about so that I can find out about all kinds of interesting new stuff.

I didn't think the app needed an update, but to see the new design, I'm glad it got one.

Users now see their top stories in a totally different, cleaner way. The home page doesn't show your Quicklist anymore. Now, to access it, users tap a menu icon at the top right of the screen.

The article layout is completely different now. Before, the look had a slight skeuomorphism look to it, which I personally liked. It made the stories look kind of like a newspaper. Even though I enjoyed the old look, the new one is even better. Articles are spread out in a variety of sizes and have a minimalist futuristic look.

Zite Before

Zite After

The best part of the update is that users now have the ability to immediately see other stories within a certain subject. Previously, if you wanted to see more articles about the iPad, you'd select that from a sidebar and the app would aggregate new stories that would appear the next time you refreshed.

Now, if you wanted to see more stories about a subject at that very moment, just tap the tag at the bottom of the article and you'll be redirected to a list of stories with the same tag. For example, if you were reading an article about Asthon Kutcher starring as Steve Jobs in a new biopic, you could tap the "Steve Jobs" tag at the bottom of the article and be redirected to a list of articles that have reference to Apple's former CEO. If you always want to read articles relating to Steve Jobs, tap the heart icon at the top of the screen and it will be added to your quicklist the way it used to be.

Zite is a free app and version 2.0 is available for download in the App Store today.