AT&T may add an uncool fee for iPhone users; Apple may relent and make certain hot iOS 6 features work with the iPhone 3GS; and a couple of former Apple execs have warmed up to new companies. The remainders for Tuesday, July 17, 2012 are just trying to beat the heat.
AT&T appears set to control and charge for FaceTime over Cellular in iOS 6 (9to5Mac)
In a shocking rumor, it seems AT&T may charge users for chatting via FaceTime over 3G networks. A cell phone carrier nickel-and-diming users? That’s unpossible.
Apple Adds Shared Photo Streams and VIP Mail to iPhone 3GS with iOS 6 Beta 3 (MacRumors)
Seems Apple may be backtracking on making features available for earlier iPhones when iOS 6 ships this fall. While intensive capabilities such as 3D flyovers and turn-by-turn directions are not supported, MacRumors reports that other minor features—mail VIPs, the Flagged folder in Mail, and Shared Photo Streams—do seem to be available on the 3GS under the latest iOS 6 beta. Apple will maintain karmic balance by removing other arbitrary features, including the keyboard’s J key.
When Art, Apple and the Secret Service Collide: ‘People Staring at Computers’ (Wired)
One artist who installed software on Apple Store computers to snap shots of people staring blankly into machines recounts the story of how the Secret Service investigated him at Apple’s behest. A fascinating story that will some day probably make a very slow-paced, dull action movie.
Former Apple Executive Bertrand Serlet Joins Parallels Board of Directors (Parallels)
Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s former senior vice president of software engineering, has joined the board of Parallels, the cloud services and virtualization firm. I like to pretend that Serlet is actually just going deep cover, The Departed-style.
Former Apple iAd Exec Leaps to 3D Motion Control (The Mac Observer)
Speaking of former Apple executives, Andy Miller—who headed up iAd until his departure last year—has announced that he’s taken a job as president and chief operating officer of Leap, a new company specializing in 3D motion control. Get ready to feel fully immersed in 3D advertising, people!
Product News:
SpectraLayers – Sony Creative Software has released a new pro-level audio-editing program. It operates directly on waveform spectra and features smart-editing tools to let users divide files into discrete, user-defined layers; that allows for features like the ability to separate dialogue and music, perform pitch correction on certain specific elements; and more. New licenses start at $399.