You can now pre-order Google Chromecast at Amazon.com. For those who have Amazon Prime would save on the shipping cost.
Apple Developer System Status
Apple has created status page for its Developer Website as reveal in emails sent to registered Apple Developer.
Apple Developer System Status Update
We apologize for the significant inconvenience caused by our developer website downtime. We’ve been working around the clock to overhaul our developer systems, update our server software, and rebuild our entire database. While we complete the work to bring our systems back online, we want to share the latest with you.
We plan to roll out our updated systems, starting with Certificates, Identifiers & Profiles, Apple Developer Forums, Bug Reporter, pre-release developer libraries, and videos first. Next, we will restore software downloads, so that the latest betas of iOS 7, Xcode 5, and OS X Mavericks will once again be available to program members. We’ll then bring the remaining systems online. To keep you up to date on our progress, we’ve created a status page to display the availability of our systems.
If your program membership is set to expire during this period, it will be extended and your app will remain on the App Store. If you have any other concerns about your account, please contact us.
Thank you for your continued patience.
As of this posting, Bug Reporter has just gone online.
Apple took down its Developer Website due to a hacking attempt on late Thursday July 18, 2013. Ibrahim Balic, a Turkish security researcher, believes that he is responsible for the intrusion that resulted in the downtime at Apple Developer Center.
While Apple is working to bring the Developer Webcite back online, Apple seeded OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4 through Software Update. Apple has yet seeded iOS 7 beta 4 which was expected for release on Monday July 22, 2013 for its previous two-week release cycle. Apple has the mean to distribute iOS 7 beta 4 via Over The Air (OTA) software update. Apple prefers to distribute iOS 7 beta ipsw to developers along the OTA software update.
Google Chromecast
New product from Google:
Introducing Chromecast
To help make it easy to bring your favorite online entertainment to the biggest screen in your house—the TV—we’re introducing Chromecast. Chromecast is a small and affordable ($35) device that you simply plug in to your high-definition (HD) TV and it allows you to use your phone, tablet or laptop to “cast” online content to your TV screen. It works with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music, with more apps like Pandora coming soon. With Chromecast, we wanted to create an easy solution that works for everyone, for every TV in the house.
From the faded fine-print:
Subscriptions may be required to use with certain content providers. Chromecast is compatible with WiFi-enabled Android 2.3+ smartphones and tablets; iOS 6.0+ iPhones, iPads, and iPods; Chrome for Mac® and Chrome for Windows®; and Chromebook Pixel. Power cord required (not shown).
It seems that Chromecast does not work on its own and requires other device such as Android and iOS devices as the remote; even though Google says “Remote-free”.
Remote-free
Once your Chromecast is set up, you can use your phone, tablet or laptop to browse and cast content to your TV, play and pause, control the volume, and more. But unlike other streaming solutions, you can still multitask—send emails or surf the web—while enjoying what’s on the TV screen. It works across platforms—Android tablets and smartphones, iPhones, iPads, Chrome for Mac and Windows (more to come), so your personal device is also now your remote control.
Chromecast comes with 3 months of Netflix included when purchased from Google Play, Amazon or Best Buy.
Apple Reports Third Quarter Results
Apple reports financial results for its fiscal 2013 third quarter ended June 29, 2013.
CUPERTINO, California—July 23, 2013—Apple® today announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 third quarter ended June 29, 2013. The Company posted quarterly revenue of $35.3 billion and quarterly net profit of $6.9 billion, or $7.47 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $35 billion and net profit of $8.8 billion, or $9.32 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 36.9 percent compared to 42.8 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 57 percent of the quarter’s revenue.
The Company sold 31.2 million iPhones, a record for the June quarter, compared to 26 million in the year-ago quarter. Apple also sold 14.6 million iPads during the quarter, compared to 17 million in the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 3.8 million Macs, compared to 4 million in the year-ago quarter.
That means Apple has sold 68.6 million iPhones in the first half of 2013, including the 37.4 million iPhones sold in the first three months of the year.
iPad sales is down compared to the year-ago quarter. That is expected since Apple broke its previously set iPad release cycle. For the first three years, Apple release new iPad in the month of March and April. Both iPad mini and Fourth Generation iPad were released in Fall 2012, six month after the release of Third Generation iPad.
In addition to that, Apple did not even bother to mention iPod sales figure in the press release.
Apple is providing the following guidance for its fiscal 2013 fourth quarter:
- revenue between $34 billion and $37 billion
- gross margin between 36 percent and 37 percent
- operating expenses between $3.9 billion and $3.95 billion
- other income/(expense) of $200 million
- tax rate of 26.5%
Apple might be expecting around $6 billion to $7 billion of net profit for the next quarter.
Apple Seeds OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4
Apple seeds OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4 as scheduled while the Developer Center is being down.
Apple is expected to release iOS 7 beta 4 today. Even though registered developers can not access the Developer Center, Apple can still deliver iOS 7 beta 4 update over the air.
Apple Developer Center is still under maintenance
Apple Developer Center front page is still up while member center has been under maintenance since late Thursday July 19, 2013.
The message says:
We’ll be back soon.
We apologize that maintenance is taking longer than expected.
If your program membership was set to expire during this period, it has been extended and your app will remain on the App Store. If you have any other concerns about your account, please contact us.Thank you for your patience.
John Gruber thinks that it is bad news since Apple Store was also down.
Obviously his spidey sense is either off or he doesn’t have one at all; John Gruber is not Peter Parker. Apple Store went back online right after Midnight on Sunday July 21, 2013.
During this period, Apple ID site is still working without interruptions.
Apple is expected to release iOS 7 beta 4 and OS X Mavericks Developer Preview 4 on Monday July 22, 2013; based on two week release schedule. Apparently many sites are reporting the obvious as news.
At this point our Apple contacts are either saying nothing or unreachable (out of the country).
Office 2011 14.3.6 Update
Microsoft releases Office 2011 14.3.6 Update on Tuesday July 16, 2013.
This update provides the latest improvements in Office for Mac 2011. These include the following:
- Message sending in Microsoft Outlook for Mac
This update fixes an issue in which Outlook repeatedly tried to send messages that exceeded certain server-side size limits from the Outbox. Now, messages that exceed these size limits are put in the local Drafts folder after three unsuccessful attempts to send the messages.- Syncing a folder from which lots of messages were deleted in Outlook for Mac
This update fixes an issue in which syncing a folder from which many messages were deleted on another client frequently caused Microsoft Outlook for Mac to freeze.- Saving files to a Server Message Block (SMB) share in Microsoft Word for Mac
This update fixes an issue that causes Word to be unable to save files to an SMB share.
For some reasons I didn’t get the update until today.