T-Mobile to offer unlocked iPhone users additional support starting Jan. 30
by Jordan Kahn on Jan.28, 2012, under iOS Devices

T-Mobile will begin offering more than one milllion unlocked iPhone customers additional support starting January 30, according to a report from TMO News who obtained internal documents. The documents said the new support offerings would include, “common procedures, information about feature and specifications and other basic device questions.”
The carrier is also updating its iPhone page within the Community so it fits in with the rest of the T-Mobile supported device pages and “Integrated Scope of Support” for reps.
Big Bang Theory Asks ‘What If Siri Was A Sexy Real-Life Woman?’ [Humor]
by John Brownlee on Jan.28, 2012, under iPhone 4S, News, Siri, television
I’m not a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory, but this clip from the latest episode is too good not to post.
What if Siri wasn’t just Wolfram Alpha stapled onto a smart text-to-speech program, but instead an actual woman, working a call center, and just as slinky and sexually promiscuous as any bro showing off in front of his drunken friends by asking for a blow job could ever hope?
That’s probably not many people’s fantasies, but it is the hilarious chimera of Big Bang’s Raj, who is as cripplingly shy as he is addicted to his new iPhone 4S.
Similar Posts:- Woz Is a Scream on Dancing With Stars
- Game Center Beta Gets Updated With Felted Game Table Look
- Change Settings, Launch Apps And Dial Friends Through Notification Center, No Jailbreak Required
- iPhone Weekly Digest: Quality iPhone Pinball, More One-Joke Apps, and Bowling by a Legend
- Survey Says Verizon iPhone Users Experience Less Dropped Calls
Civil Suit Against Google, Apple and Others Over Employee-Poaching Ban Can Continue
by Jordan Golson on Jan.28, 2012, under Front Page

[Judge] Koh didn’t take issue with the allegations about the agreements between individual companies, Joseph Saveri, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview after the hearing. Instead, Koh has questions about “how it ties together,” or claims of an over-arching conspiracy between all the companies, he said.The case goes back more than 5 years, according to the lawsuit, which alleges that "no solicitation" agreements appeared in 2005 between Apple, Adobe, Google, Intel, Intuit, Lucasfilm, and Pixar. The agreements prevented companies from contacting employees at other companies who were party to the agreement, though employees were free to apply for jobs at other institutions.
The agreements were investigated in 2010 by the Justice Department. The claims were eventually settled, with the companies agreeing not to form no-solicitation agreements for five years.
The current lawsuit is a class-action civil suit brought by employees who said they were harmed by the anti-competitive actions of the defendant companies.
Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• Apple Offers Statement on Warranty Disclosures to Italian Customers
• Valve Releases Steam Companion App for iPhone
• When iPhone Apps Are Reduced In Price, Sales Go Up 22%
• Google Signs Off on Motorola Lawsuit Seeking Injunction Against iPhone 4S and iCloud
• Stephen Fry Narrates The World of Dinosaurs
This Is The Ultimate Steve Jobs Tattoo, But Feel Free To Show Us Yours
by Buster Heine on Jan.28, 2012, under apple, News, Steve Jobs
Getting ink inspired by your favorite company is a huge commitment. Our Portuguese friend Francisco decided he was ready to take the plunge and recently got this Steve Jobs portrait inked on his forearm. We’ve seen quite a few Apple tattoos over the years but Francisco’s is one of the best.
So what would compel someone to get a Steve Jobs portrait tattoo?
“I’m not afraid or ashamed to say that Steve Jobs was my hero and an amazing human being. Man, I loved him! .He has surely inspired me, he will, for life. I can’t really find proper words to describe what I felt about him. You can call me a ‘crazy one’ —I think that is what I really am. I’m crazy but aware of things. As an Apple and Steve Jobs fan, I can only happen to say that, Steve Jobs was probably one of the most important people in my life and I will never forget him. He’ll be missed. I want to share this with the world unpretentiously; that is truly my main purpose here.”
Do you have an Apple or Jobs inspired tattoo? We’d love to see it and hear your story too, so (sorry, you need Javascript to see this e-mail address).
Similar Posts:
- This Guy Really Loves Steve Jobs [Photo]
- Incredible Steve Jobs Portrait in Apple Typefaces
- Here’s to the Crazy Ones – Including Steve Jobs [Video]
- This Ex-Apple Employee Turned Rock Star Tattooed Steve Jobs’ Face Right On His Arm [Gallery]
- AdWeek Thinks Different, Adds Steve Jobs to the Crazy Ones
Samsung probably sold the most smartphones in 2011
by Erica Ogg on Jan.27, 2012, under apple, iphone, Samsung Group, Smartphones
Trying to count who sold the most smartphones is a difficult business. That’s mostly due to Samsung’s decision to stop releasing unit sales figures for its smartphone sales. The company has taken to releasing sales growth percentages, and it is on these figures that market research firms are basing projections of how many phones Samsung shipped last quarter and all of last year.
On Friday, IHS iSuppli is the latest to weigh in. The firm says that while Apple came in first place in the last calendar quarter of 2011 in smartphone sales with 37 million, Samsung actually took the crown of world’s largest smartphone vendor of the year with 95 million shipped. (That’s not “sold,” so this is not a great way to compare, as we’ve previously discussed, but it’s what we’ve got.) Apple sold 93 million iPhones during the year.
IHS iSuppli is basing its Samsung numbers on information gathered when the company announced its quarterly earnings earlier Friday. I asked iSuppli analyst Wayne Lam how he arrived at the number and he said he was basing it off the “approximately 30 percent growth” figure that Samsung publicly announced. He interpreted that as “under 30 percent but over 27 percent.”
Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.
- NewNet Q4: Platform mania and social commerce shakeout
- Connected world: the consumer technology revolution
- Flash analysis: Steve Jobs
Time to Move On
by Ed Sutherland on Jan.27, 2012, under News
This is my last regular news post for the Cult of Mac. Since my arrival at the site’s inception, there have been many changes in the Apple landscape — and on these pages. It’s time to move on.
When I first began here, the iPhone was new, Steve Jobs was still on the sick-leave roller-coaster and the Cult of Mac was just breaking away from its nest at Wired. Today, we are writing about the iPhone 5, getting comfortable with Tim Cook as Apple CEO and looking forward to the next stage of Cult of Mac as the news source for all things Apple. For myself, as Apple becomes a mainstay in business, I leave my duties as the unofficial Cult of Mac business editor for other tech news endeavors.
I want to thank my friend and boss Leander for bringing me onboard way back when. Also a hat tip to Deputy Editor John Brownlee for his patient working turning my Wall Street wonk into more interesting tech tabloid. I enjoyed working alongside a great bunch of news writers, their names well-known to readers.
But I especially want to thank the readers for supporting the idea that the Mac world is one cult you never want to escape.
Editor’s Note: We’ll miss you, Ed!
Similar Posts:- Meet Cult Of Mac’s CES 2012 Super Team And Make Sure To Follow Our Coverage Next Week! [CES 2012]
- Rupert Murdoch: The Wall Street Journal Is More Profitable On The iPad Than On Kindle
- News of the World to Launch iPad Subscriptions
- More Companies Let iPad Beyond IT Velvet Ropes
- Steve Jobs Authorized Biography Scheduled for 2012 Release
Apple Could Eliminate The 30-Pin Dock Connector With MagSafe Data Cables
by Killian Bell on Jan.27, 2012, under data, Dock Connector, iOS, News, patent
We already know from previous reports that Apple is working on a magnetic charging system for iOS devices, similar to the MagSafe connectors on its MacBooks. But one hurdle that stood in the company’s way was the MagSafe’s inability to transfer data.
However, a newly published patent entitled “Programmable Magnetic Connectors” seems to confirm that Apple is making progress on a magnetic connector capable of transferring power and data, which could spell the end of its 30-pin dock connector and even the headphone jack.
The patent, entitled “Programmable Magnetic Connectors,” was picked up by Apple Insider earlier this week.
Apple explains that the disadvantage to its existing 30-pin dock connector and headphone jack is that they precent a device from being properly sealed. This is why Apple places liquid damage indicators in those ports. Furthermore, the male end of these connectors is left exposed when it’s not inside your device.
However, a magnetic connector would allow Apple to seal the device, making it more difficult for moisture to penetrate through its ports. And not only would the system work for data and power transfer, but also as a replacement for the headphone jack.
Apple’s solution is a new universal cable that features programmable magnets unique to each device. When you attach a cable, it would automatically recognize the device it’s hooked up to and “reconfigure itself accordingly,” the filing reads.
In one embodiment, Apple details a headphone jack that is concealed within a plastic casing at the end of its cable. When the user attached it to their device, a magnet pulls the jack out of its housing and into your device.
But Apple explain that these magnets could also be used to “repulse, eject, and/or precent coupling of certain cables.”
This is very exciting stuff for those who use iOS devices. As much as I love mine, I hate the 30-pin dock connector, and I’d much prefer a universal solution — especially if it’s got magnetic powers.
[via Apple Insider]
Similar Posts:- Apple is Working on an All-In-One Data & Power Cable for Your Mac & iOS Devices
- Patent Shows Apple Dock Connector With USB 3.0, Thunderbolt
- Apple Patents MagSafe Connector That Can Also Sync Data
- New iPad Patents Show Off Dual Dock Connectors and Smart Bezel Button
- Apple Is Working On Tinier Audio Jacks To Make iPods Even Smaller
Brazil Foxconn To Begin Producing iPads As Tax Hurdle Overcome
by Ed Sutherland on Jan.27, 2012, under Brazil, Foxconn, iPad, iphone, New York Times, News
A Brazil-made iPad has been in the offing since July 2011. However, plans by Taiwan’s Foxconn to build the tablet in South America were held up by negotiations surrounding taxes that could double the cost of Apple’s tablet. Now comes word the government has exempted the iPad, freeing Foxconn to begin churning out iPads stamped “Made in Brazil.”
The tax issue was an important hurdle to overcome as they raised the cost of Apple doing business in Brazil as well as hiked the price of Apple products for South American consumers. The tablet and other keyboardless devices weighing less than 750 grams will forego Brazil’s Excise Tax, Social Contribution Tax and Federal Contribution Tax, according to the Portuguese-language news site FOLHA.
In September, Foxconn decried the taxes, warning they could threaten the $12 billion deal to build iPads in the South American country. The agreement, announced Monday in the Brazil’s Inter-Ministerial Decree 34, apparently suggests the parties have settled their disputes. A government minister in 2011 was quoted as calling Foxconn’s concerns as “crazy demands.”
The deal could also be seen as relieving some pressure from both Foxconn and Apple. The Cupertino, Calif. company was recently criticized for the working conditions at plants run by Chinese suppliers. Apple CEO Tim Cook refuted a New York Times front-page article about how iPhones are built, saying he was “outraged” about the report which he described as “offensive” and “patently false.”
Similar Posts:- “Crazy” Foxconn Demands Means Your iPad Might Not Be Assembled In Brazil Any Time Soon
- President Of Brazil Drops Taxes To Guarantee Your Next iPad Is Made In Rio
- Foxconn To Start Building iPhones and iPads In Brazil By Year’s End
- iPhone 4S Launches In Brazil Today With Jaw-Dropping 47% Import Tax Attached
- Brazilian iPads Will Be Born By December










