Is Apple eyeing a flashy acquisition? Why not? It’s already picked up an intern, and proved it’s willing to meet advertisers halfway. The remainders for Tuesday, December 13, 2011 are a package deal.
Apple in talks to buy Anobit for $400-$500 million: report (Reuters)
Apple may be doing a little holiday shopping: Reuters says Cupertino is considering buying Israel-based Anobit, which produces a chip that can enhance solid-state storage. Sources tell this reporter that one term of the deal involves Samsung’s stocking and a lump of coal.
Apple hires designer Jan-Michael Cart praised for his iOS interface concepts (9to5 Mac)
Jan-Michael Cart, a Georgia-based student who has drawn attention thanks to his videos of proposed iPhone interface improvements (and not the star of Airwolf), has been hired by Apple as an intern. Whether that means that Cupertino will be taking his suggestions under advisement, or just eliminating the threat depends on the threshold of your Conspirameter.
A Rare Apple Compromise (Wall Street Journal)
Looking to buy into iAd? Apple’s reportedly dropping the price of its mobile ad platform, allowing deals for as little as $400,000. That’s down from the heady $1 million that the company was first demanding when it launched the service last year. Apple is also apparently offering more flexible pricing, providing training courses, and considering sending Scott Forstall door-to-door to tell iPhone users about the wonders of Dove body wash.
Founding Apple Contract Sells for $1.6M (Bloomberg)
The three-page contract that established Apple on April 1, 1976 was sold at auction recently for $1.6 million. Which, by my calculations, means that it’s worth roughly 88,888,888 times the paper it’s written on.
FAA approves iPads in the cockpit; American Airlines to start Friday (ZDNet)
ZDNet reports that American Airlines pilots will be the first to use iPads during all phases of flight, thanks to approval from the FAA. But be warned: Your iPad is not a flotation device.
Apple’s rule of no sale put to test (Korea Times)
Despite generally good sales of Apple’s latest iPhone, it seems that there are still some weak spots. South Korea, for example: The iPhone 4S has met such a lackluster reception in the country that carriers are apparently dropping prices. If things get any worse, they’ll have to start putting the unsold phones in claw machines.
Product News:
Microsoft Office – Microsoft has issued security updates for the last three Mac versions of its office productivity suite. Office 2011 14.1.4, Office 2008 12.3.2, and Office 2004 11.6.6 tackle vulnerabilities that an attacker could have used to overwrite the contents of your computer’s memory with malicious code. Free.
iWeb Themes Collection – iPresentee released ten new themes that can be used with iWeb. Each theme uses layered images and can be modified by the designer. The themes are: Artificial Intelligence, Photos Fan, RC Cars, Country, Pilot Bear, Graffiti, Charity Center, Hotel, Church, and Family Clinic. $10 per theme.
Chronos SOHO Labels 6 – Chronos has released a new version of its label-making software, which features a new Layers pane that makes it easier to manage your designs. Labels 6 also has the ability to add reflections to design elements, a new project wizard, and support for more than 1000 new label formats. The software’s built-in photo browser has been improved to add support for Aperture and the iPhone, as well as the ability to add folders in the Finder. $40 for a single license, $70 for a family license; $25 to upgrade.
SkyDrive 1.0 – Microsoft’s answer to Dropbox has arrived on the iPhone and iPod touch, allowing you to store, manage, and share files from your device. Send links to friends, upload photos and video, create and edit folders, and more. Free; Xbox Live, Messenger, or Hotmail account required.
Kinectimals 1.0 – Microsoft’s Xbox game Kinectimals comes to the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, allowing you to interact with, feed, and play with your virtual animal. $3.