Apple’s data centers are soon to stretch from sea to shining sea, even as iPhone thieves fail to crown their good with brotherhood. And the iTunes Store is filled with amber soundwaves of grain. The remainders for Wednesday, February 22, 2012 are above the fruited plain.
Oregon House OKs Tax-Break Fix for Data Centers (KTVZ.com)
Don’t let the headline fool you; it’s not just about tax breaks. Turns out Apple has confirmed that it’s purchased land to build a new data center in Prineville, Oregon—coincidentally, not far from one of Facebook’s own data centers. Apple’s involvement in the Crook County property was kept under wraps thanks to the company’s use of the codename “Project Maverick.” Well, in that case, Apple, you can be my wingman any time. (We’ve got more coverage of Apple’s data center plans elsewhere on Macworld.com.)
Apple Store thief can’t hold out for iPhone 5 (NetworkWorld)
From Crook County to plain old crooks. A Charlotte, North Carolina Apple Store is only the latest site of iPhone-related crime: 25 phones were removed from the store’s Genius Room between December 1 and January 11 by a “known suspect” who had access to the room. Actually, that is kind of brilliant: Every day you just walk out with a new phone, and pretend it’s yours. I guess we know what happens when geniuses turn to a life of crime.
’21’ Surpasses 2 Million Downloads On iTunes Store In The U.S. (PRNewswire)
Singer Adele’s album 21 has racked up more than 2 million downloads on the iTunes Store, making her the first artist to go double platinum on Apple’s online store. 8 million more downloads and she’ll be the first artist to ever go adamantium.
Exclusive Beatles Ringtones Now Available (iTunes Store)
That’s right, the iTunes Store is the only place to go for Beatles ringtones. By which I mean “only place to go if you don’t want to make them yourself.”
Platform wars (The Economist)
Are we in the midst of the latest platform war? Thanks to data from number cruncher Asymco, one can paint a pretty picture of the current smartphone market, which certainly bears a certain resemblance to the early days of the personal computer. Then again, it also bears a certain resemblance to Missile Command.
Product News:
PDFpen 5.7.1 – The latest update to Smile’s PDF editor for the Mac adds a Gatekeeper-compatible developer license, along with a number of bug fixes. $60 for a single license, $75 for a five-user family pack. Upgrades are $25, or free if you purchased on or after February 15, 2010.