Apple’s independent auditors give an informal thumbs up to the company’s suppliers in China even as iPads are being booted from shelves in the country. And AT&T’s figures on wireless data growth may make your head explode. The remainders for Wednesday, February 15, 2012 are legging it.
Apple iPad plant conditions better than the norm: agency (Reuters)
If it seems like just yesterday that Apple CEO Tim Cook was talking about audits of Apple’s Chinese suppliers, then you, my friend, are a time traveler. Of the constantly forward, one-day-at-a-time kind, anyway. Auret van Heerden of the Fair Labor Association, the independent audition group, said that the facilities are “first-class” and described the physical conditions as “way, way above average of the norm.” My favorite part is that the auditors will enter their interviews with employees right on iPads. I wonder if they’ll be hot off the conveyor belts, like Krispy Kreme donuts?
Amazon China and Suning Quit Selling iPads in Ongoing Trademark Battle (Tech in Asia)
Want to pick up an iPad during your next trip to China? That might be a tall order, as both Amazon China and local retailer Suning have pulled the device from their catalogs in response to a trademark dispute between Apple and Chinese company Proview over the iPad name. We’re sure Amazon is so sad that it cannot sell iPads.
Wireless Data Volume on Our Network Continues to Double Annually (InnovationSpace)
According to John Donovan, AT&T’s senior executive vice president of technology and network operations, the carriers wireless data volume has increased 20,000 percent over the last five years. In fact, it’s been doubling every year for the last five years, driven primarily by the huge adoption in smartphones and the fact that Americans are only slightly less voracious consumers of data than of, say, Twinkies. Only just barely.
Product News:
Alfred 1.1 – Running with Crayons has updated its launcher utility to version 1.1, adding expanded Address Book integration, the ability to send selected text to Alfred via a hot key, and default actions for file-based filters. SInce the updates are part of Alfred’s Powerpack, you’ll need to download the new version from the company’s website. The update is free to existing owners, and £15 for a new license.
SoundBunny 1.0 – Prosoft’s new audio app lets you adjust the volume levels of any open applications on your Mac, making your browser quieter, for example, while making iTunes louder. $10.