Most WWDC sessions feature a Q&A session afterwards, giving developers a chance to get answers straight from Apple engineers on pressing matters. However, the large crowd eager to get clarification about the App Store approval process were left hanging with no answers last week. Though Apple may be internally attempting to address the problem, the ambivalence it seems to show externally continues to upset developers.
Tomorrow at 12:01 AM PST, Microsoft will be taking down the whole Zune service, which includes the Zune Social, the forums on Zune.net, and the Zune Marketplace. At the same time, Xbox Live will also be offline, meaning the My Xbox section of Xbox.com will be unavailable, and the Xbox forums will be in read only-mode. Microsoft says that the downtime is scheduled maintenance and that it should not last longer than 24 hours. The software giant also notes that once service is restored, there will not be any new features for Zune users, unlike the update from last week, nor for Xbox users. Instead, the services are being taken down to prepare for a future update.
Last month we learned that Microsoft was dropping the three-application limit for Windows 7 Starter. We noted that this was excellent news for netbook customers who want Windows 7, but the biggest aspect (price) was still yet to be unveiled. It will be very important for PC manufacturers to offer Windows 7 without increasing the price significantly. Windows 7 Starter will not be sold at retail: it will be sold directly to OEMs, which will then include it on low-end computers like netbooks. Citing “industry sources,” DigiTimes reports that the XP to 7 transition for these computers won’t be so easy:
The finalization of the licensing agreement for the Advanced Access Content System DRM scheme used for Blu-ray discs comes with an analog sunset, and also means the long-promised “managed copy” feature will (hopefully) be coming as early as next year.
Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference came and went this week and our live coverage of the keynote went extremely well. Since there were many announcements that were covered by Apple’s team of execs, this week’s top news stories round up the highlights. If you need to catch up on what’s important, we have a cure for what ails you:
Psystar has filed updated forms related to its bankruptcy in Florida district court. In the filing, Apple is now listed as an unsecured, non-priority creditor to the tune of $75,000, though what that money is for remains a mystery. However, Psystar may have more to worry about than what is owed, as Apple has filed a motion to lift the automatic stay in its litigation against Psystar over its sale of unauthorized Mac clones.
Psystar has filed updated forms related to its bankruptcy in Florida district court. In the filing, Apple is now listed as an unsecured, non-priority creditor to the tune of $75,000, though what that money is for remains a mystery. However, Psystar may have more to worry about than what is owed, as Apple has filed a motion to lift the automatic stay in its litigation against Psystar over its sale of unauthorized Mac clones.
Archos has announced several additions to its product line. The first new product was the Archos 9, a 0.63″ thick tablet PC running Windows 7 with a 1.2GHz Intel ATOM Z515 processor and an 80GB hard drive. The Archos 9 operates with an on-screen keyboard and trackpad, has optional Bluetooth, and a DVB-T antenna that can pick up digital TV in Europe. Archos plans to release the tablet once Windows 7 has shipped. It will retail for 450 ($636).
The PS3 may not have enjoyed a price drop at E3, but today you can pick up the system for a little bit less money with Amazon’s Deal of the Day. The 80GB PS3 is $350. The systems are new, there is no gimmick, just a nice $50 savings.
Whenever Apple releases new hardware, two things almost always hold true: people will buy said hardware and our friends over at iFixit will take it apart. The new 13.3″ MacBook Pro is no exception. iFixit had a shiny new machine in its hands within three days, and had its tear-down posted soon thereafter. There aren’t to many groundbreaking surprises, but there are some interesting pieces of information and beautiful pictures nonetheless.
