10 billion songs downloaded from iTunes and counting

Apple’s iTunes has reached the milestone everyone has been waiting for – its song download count just reached the 10 billion mark. The Cupertinos have been tracking this milestone for the last couple of weeks. The consumer who downloaded the magical number song will be getting $10,000 iTunes Store gift card.

Apple is yet to announce the name of the individual who is the winner of this promotion. This is great news for Apple’s music store which has been in the mainstream since 2003. This landmark says a lot about the strong and firm position iTunes has in the music industry.

This is not the first milestone that Apple has reached. Its App Store has already provided download for 3 billion apps. I am pretty sure that the game is far from over for Apple and it will continue to touch new levels. How do you see Apple’s latest milestone? How many songs have you downloaded from the music store?

Source:http://www.geekword.net/itunes-10-billion-songs-downloaded/

iPad Review on Price, Display and Specs

Steve Jobs amazed the world with the all-new Apple iPad. Thinking of the possibilities with this gadget, it’s almost limitless. If you are really curious, check out the iPad review for its prices, display and specs details. It’s going to be a quick review on the specifications or the specs of the iPad. Anyway, the details of the new iPad is right below. The prices for the new iPad are as follows: 16GB Wi-Fi only: $499; 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $629; 32GB Wi-Fi only: $599; 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $729; 64GB Wi-Fi only: $699; and 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G: $829. Go on below for the fullspecs and display details.


iPad Display and Specs list:

The iPad comes in a display: 9.7 inch IPS, weighs around 1.5 lbs and 0.5 inches thin. It comes with a 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip, 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology 1024-by-768-pixel resolution at 132 pixels per inch (ppi), fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating, support for display of multiple languages and characters simultaneously, digital compass, Wi-Fi model: Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology,Wi-Fi + 3G model: UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz), data only, Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR technology. These are some of the great specifications of the Apple iPad. For more specs details, you can check out more source lists for the iPad Review on price, display and specs.


Source:http://www.buzzybloggers.com

Apple App Store Has Lost $450 Million To Piracy

Apple and the companies that sell software for the iPhone and iPod touch at the App Store have lost over $450 million to piracy since the store opened in July 2008 according to an analysis by 24/7 Wall St. There have been over 3 billion applications downloaded since the App program began. Bernstein analyst, Toni Sacconaghi, estimated that between 13% and 21% of those downloads are from paid applications. According to this analysis, the average price of an application purchased at the App Store is $3. Sacconaghi estimated that Apple’s revenue from the App Store is between $60 million and $110 million per quarter. That amount has certainly increased since this research report was published because of the rapid growth of the number of applications.

However, behind all this success lies an insidious force that has plagued the music, software, and movie industry for decades. Developers of iPhone applications have reported alarming piracy rates for their software, and the ease with which users may obtain pirated versions of paid applications for free is only increasing. The total number of applications available at the store, including those which are free and those which require payment, is in excess of 100,000.

Anyone who is familiar with the iPhone is likely to know that these phones can be “jailbroken” or, to use the more common term “unlocked”. Jailbreaking an iPhone modifies the OEM Apple iPhone OS. This allows the user to circumvent the limitations put on the phone by Apple. Apart from the ability to modify the OS itself to allow for customizing of icons, backgrounds, functionality and processes, a jailbroken iPhone permits the installation of applications from sources other than the iTunes store. It is even possible to use an unlocked phone for access to carrier services other than AT&T and the Apple-assigned retailers outside the US. The great majority of iPhones sold in China are unlocked and Apple partner, China Unicom , have only begun to sell locked phones in the last three months

Most iPhone users have not jailbroken their phones. This is likely a result of the perception that this process is incredibly technical for many non-tech savvy owners. Others may fear that Apple might retaliate. No rabid Apple fanatic would risk being placed on a DO NOT SELL list! However, the technical barriers to jailbreaking an iPhone or iPod touch are rapidly decreasing. The original process required at least some programming ability. The most recent jailbreak software makes the process accessible to even most Luddites, so the number of jailbroken iPhones will only increase.

Read More At:http://247wallst.com

Apple’s App Store Downloads Top Three Billion

Apple® announced that more than three billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store by iPhone® and iPod touch® users worldwide.

“Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months—this is like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon.”

iPhone and iPod touch customers in 77 countries worldwide can choose from an incredible range of apps in 20 categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

Source:http://www.apple.com/

Apple lifts veil on App Store approval status

Apple has added a feature to its Dev Center website allowing developers to view the approval status of submitted apps.

In a move that is sure to please many, developers tell AppleInsider that Apple's Development Center website has added the ability for developers to track the status of apps currently under review. In the past, Apple had notoriously kept developers in the dark about Apple's review and approval process.

There are allegedly nine status levels for submitted applications, including "in review," "ready for sale," and "rejected".

While this update to the Dev Center website may not seem like a major change, it is a step in the right direction towards greater transparency and disclosure about the Application review process.

Some still remain unhappy about Apple's overall App submission process. Joe Hewitt, developer of the Facebook app for the iPhone told TechCrunch Wednesday that he has decided to stop developing for the platform, citing Apple's App Store policies. "I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms," Hewitt reportedly said.

Earlier this year AppleInsider was told, "Many developers are pulling their hair out by the roots" over the approval process. Approvals that once took days were taking months and Apple's response to inquiry about the process was a stock answer or no received answer at all.

After weathering a storm of criticism by developers and pundits alike, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing directly reached out to the developer community - sending personal responses to many of its high profile critics.

Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/11/apple_lifts_veil_on_app_store_approval_status.html