The Air Force backpedals on its iPad order, the third Apple co-founder explains why he backed out of the company, and Adweek goes back over the history of iPhone commercials. The remainders for Thursday, February 23, 2012 have got your back.
Air Force Special Operations cancels iPad buy (Nextgov)
Apparently, the fine men and women in Air Force Special Operations won’t be replacing their flight bags with iPads, as reported earlier this month. It’s unclear, but the cancellation might be related to the Air Force’s plans to use the app GoodReader to securely store its documents—GoodReader’s developer is based in Russia, which might constitute a security concern. And yet nobody ever questions a Russian letter right in the middle of a toy store name.
Why I Left Apple Computer After Only 12 Days, In My Own Words (Facebook)
Speaking of pulling out, Apple co-founder Ron Wayne posted an essay on Facebook explaining why he left the company just 12 days after it was launched. Wayne was more focused on researching and writing his “treatise on the true nature of money,” which by the way, is available on, ironically, the iBookstore and thus subject to Apple’s usual 30 percent.
Rumor has it that Apple plans to open a mini version of one of its retail outlets in the renowned Harrods department store in the Knightsbridge district of London. 9to5 Mac also suggests that the store’s appearance could coincide with the launch of an iPad 3, but I’d say that if they bend over backwards any further to link the two, they should probably consider a career in the circus.
Apple’s iPhone TV Ads: The Complete Campaign (Adweek)
Has it only been five years since the iPhone came onto the scene? In that time, Apple has produced 84 commercials highlighting the device, and Adweek chronicles them all, from the very first teaser to the Siri-centric spots now airing. As I looked back over them, I found myself overcome by a wave of nostalgia. Man, remember when everybody was watching Heroes?
Factory workers claim Foxconn hid underage employees before FLA inspection (AppleInsider)
Hong Kong-based group Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) claims that Foxconn reassigned out of sight all 16 and 17 year old workers before last week’s inspection by the Fair Labor Association. Workers between the ages of 16 and 18 are permitted by Apple’s code of conduct assuming that a) they are legally allowed to work and b) there are limits on how much and what kinds of work they do.
Product News:
Hype 1.5 – Tumult’s HTML5 website and animation program, hits version 1.5, bringing many new features. The app sports a newly redesigned animation interface, layout grouping, zooming, rulers, and snapping; users can also build and export iBooks Author animations, as well as embed HTML widgets into their websites. Hype additionally now supports Lion features such as Auto Save and Versions, and adds a new vertical layout option, hex color picker, and contextual menus. Free for current users, $50 for new users on the Mac App Store. Free trial available on Tumult’s website.