Everything Macintosh

Audience’s ‘earSmart’ Technology Explains Siri’s iPhone 4S Exclusivity

Eric Slivka — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:45:04 +0000

CNET reports on a new research note from analyst Linley Gwennap, who believes that custom circuitry in Apple's A5 system-on-a-chip including "earSmart" noise cancellation technology from Audience is the reason why Siri is currently an iPhone 4S-only feature. Gwennap cites Audience's S-1 filing made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last month in advance of the company's initial public offering in backing up his analysis.

Audience revealed details of its Apple partnership in January, when it filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Teardown work from iFixit and Chipworks revealed a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 4S integrates Audience's "EarSmart" technology directly into the A5 processor, the company's S-1 filing said. [...]

"Even after accounting for the dual Cortex-A9 CPUs and the large GPU that provides the A5 with industry-leading 3D graphics performance, the remaining die area seems too large for the usual mundane housekeeping logic," Gwennap said in a report yesterday. "To reduce system cost and eliminate the extra package required for the Audience chip, Apple cut a deal to integrate the noise-reduction technology directly into its A5 processor, which appears in the iPhone 4S."

The earSmart technology found in the iPhone 4S is said to be significantly better at suppressing background noise than the technology used in the iPhone 4, enabling Siri to more easily pick out the user's voice.

Audience's standalone chip for the iPhone 4 was detailed last year, and teardown specialists quickly noted that a similar chip was missing from the iPhone 4S, with the presumption being that it had been integrated directly into the A5.

Audience outlines this development in its S-1, noting that it is now receiving royalties from Apple that will be lower than the payments it had previously received for the dedicated chips. Also of interest is Audience's disclosure that it has licensed its next-generation noise cancellation intellectual property to Apple, although Apple is under no obligation to use it in future devices.

Commencing in the three months ended December 31, 2011, Apple has integrated our processor IP [intellectual property] in certain of its mobile phones. Pursuant to our agreement, this OEM [original equipment manufacturer] will pay us a royalty, on a quarterly basis, for the use of our processor IP for all mobile phones in which it is used. We have granted a similar license to this OEM for a new generation of processor IP; however, this OEM is not obligated to incorporate our processor IP into any of its current or future mobile devices.

As part of the risk factors accompanying the regulatory filing, Audience notes that Apple and its contract manufacturers Foxconn and Protek represent roughly 80% of the company's revenue, and with payments from Apple decreasing under the new licensing arrangement, Audience's revenue could decline if it can not continue to bring new customers on board. Audience also acknowledges that it could see significant losses if Apple in the future develops its own technology or if it opts for a different solution such as noise cancellation technology integrated into baseband chips instead of Apple's own A-series chips.

Audience’s ‘earSmart’ Technology Explains Siri’s iPhone 4S Exclusivity

Eric Slivka — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:45:04 +0000

Audience revealed details of its Apple partnership in January, when it filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Teardown work from iFixit and Chipworks revealed a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 4S integrates Audience's "EarSmart" technology directly into the A5 processor, the company's S-1 filing said. [...]

"Even after accounting for the dual Cortex-A9 CPUs and the large GPU that provides the A5 with industry-leading 3D graphics performance, the remaining die area seems too large for the usual mundane housekeeping logic," Gwennap said in a report yesterday. "To reduce system cost and eliminate the extra package required for the Audience chip, Apple cut a deal to integrate the noise-reduction technology directly into its A5 processor, which appears in the iPhone 4S."

Commencing in the three months ended December 31, 2011, Apple has integrated our processor IP [intellectual property] in certain of its mobile phones. Pursuant to our agreement, this OEM [original equipment manufacturer] will pay us a royalty, on a quarterly basis, for the use of our processor IP for all mobile phones in which it is used. We have granted a similar license to this OEM for a new generation of processor IP; however, this OEM is not obligated to incorporate our processor IP into any of its current or future mobile devices.

Apple’s Grand Central Neighbor Seeing 7% Increase In Sales

Jordan Golson — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:05:10 +0000

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)'s sweetheart deal for Apple's just-opened Grand Central Terminal retail store seems to be paying dividends for the MTA and neighboring stores. One restaurant is reporting a 7 percent increase in sales since the store opened in December.

Michael Jordan's The Steak House is located across the terminal from the new Apple Store, Grand Central and co-owner Peter Glazier says the restaurant has seen a 7 percent jump in sales in the seven weeks that the Apple Store has been open, reports Crains New York. Glazier also says the rise isn't because Apple replaced another restaurant, Metrazur, in the terminal. "The jump only happened after Apple opened," said Glazier, not in the several months that the space was being renovated as the store was built.

There was some criticism of the deal that Apple and the MTA worked out, most notably around the lack of a revenue sharing agreement which is standard for most tenants of Grand Central. Apple's $60-per-square-foot lease agreement is also significantly lower than what most other tenants are paying. The MTA argued that a flagship Apple Store would bring in significant foot traffic to the terminal, benefiting both other GCT tenants and the terminal as a whole.

The MTA has previously noted that for every 1% increase in sales across the terminal's retailers, the MTA will gain $500,000 in rent due to the percentage rent provisions in place on the leases of nearly every other tenant with the exception of Apple.

MTA's gamble appears to be paying off, for at least one establishment.

(Photo via Yelp/Chris F.)

Best Buy Dreams Up a $1499 42-Inch ‘Apple HDTV’ for Customer Feedback

Eric Slivka — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:01:44 +0000

The Verge reports that Best Buy has been surveying some of its customers on proposed products and services, with the company including a description of a 42-inch "Apple HDTV" priced at $1499. The listing is undoubtedly simply a concept dreamed up by Best Buy to help gauge interest in such an offering, but provides an interesting perspective on what the major electronics retailer might be hoping for and what it thinks its customers would want in an Apple television set.

Be one of the first to get the all new 42" Apple HDTV at Best Buy for $1499. Apple finally reinvents what a TV can do:

- 42" 1080p LED flat panel display
- Incorporates Apple's operating system (iOS) found in its current Apple TV set top box which allows you to purchase and stream movies and other entertainment from the Internet
- Download and use apps from the App Store. Can you imagine playing Angry Birds on a big screen in your living room?
- Supports Apple's new iCloud service for storing your movies, TV shows, and music content that you've purchased from iTunes and beam them to your Apple HDTV.
- Use your iPad or iPhone as a remote control, and do everything from controlling your TV, to purchasing new shows and swapping content between your Apple devices and the iCloud service.
- Built-in convenience with built in iSight camera and microphone for Skype.
- In addition to iTunes, stream content from popular sites such as Netflix, YouTube, and flickr.
- Available for $1499

The promotional text makes no mention of Siri or voice control, which has been rumored to be one of the device's key revolutionary features following Steve Jobs' revelation that he had "finally cracked" how to reshape the way people interact with their television sets.

Best Buy's survey questions on the proposed Apple HDTV go on to assess respondents' level of interest in purchasing the product, whether they believe it is new and different and whether it would solve a problem or fulfill a need for them.

Samsung Continues to Poke Fun at Apple Fans in Super Bowl Ad

Arnold Kim — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:31:17 +0000

Samsung aired another of its series of Apple-mocking commercials during the 2012 Super Bowl tonight. In this ad, Samsung is pushing the new Samsung Galaxy Note.

Like the previous ads in the series, Samsung depicts iPhone fans standing in line for the new iPhone, while promoting their own products as the "next big thing".

Samsung's head of marketing has acknowledged she is directly targeting Apple and shooting to reach a more emotional connection with their consumers.

“Especially in U.S., people are obsessed with Apple,” Lee said, in a lengthy interview at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month. “It’s time to change people’s attention.”

The Samsung Galaxy Note that is depicted in the commercial is a 5.3" device which also comes with a stylus. Steve Jobs is famously quoted as saying "if you see a stylus, they blew it."

ARM-Based MacBook Air Unlikely Based on Analyst Talk with Tim Cook

Arnold Kim — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:24:30 +0000

There had been some interesting claims last year that Apple had been actively testing an ARM (A5) based MacBook Air. The ARM processor is the same one that is used in the iPhone and iPad. An ARM-based MacBook Air, however, would raise a number of questions about what kind of device it might actually be. Would it run OS X, or iOS? Would it be closer to a Mac or an iOS device? One of the main advantages of using an ARM processor would be a reduction in power-requirements, but with a corresponding drop in computing power. Using ARM, however, would abandon binary compatibility with existing Mac OS X applications.

CNet reports on a research note from Citigroup analyst Richard Gardner who was able to meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer on Thursday. Gardner addresses this question in his note with the following:

"Tim Cook reiterated his view that rapid innovation on the iOS platform (and mobile OS platforms in general) will significantly broaden the use case for tablets, eventually pushing annual tablet volumes above those of traditional PCs. We have wondered whether Apple might offer an ARM-based version of MacBook Air at some point; we walked away from this meeting with the impression that Apple feels iPad satisfies--or will soon satisfy--the needs of those who might have been interested in such a product."

Based on his conversations with the Apple executives, it seems Gardner believes that the iPad will evolve to meet any needs that might be met with an ARM-based MacBook air.

Rumors have suggested that the iPad will likely be getting a significant upgrade in the near future, with a faster processor, improved graphics capabilities and the long rumored Retina display. Of course, Cook is unlikely to divulge specific product plans at analyst meetings, but a complete Apple transition to ARM processors seemed an unlikely prospect regardless.

AT&T Starts Throttling Unlimited Data Users after 2GB of Monthly Usage

Arnold Kim — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:24:37 +0000

In October, AT&T announced that they would start throttling data usage amongst mobile Unlimited Data Plan users. While AT&T no longer offers an Unlimited Data plan to new customers, many of the original iPhone purchasers are still grandfathered into that plan. Those iPhone users have been able to retain these Unlimited plans, even though AT&T has since moved to a tiered data plan structure.

When AT&T announced their plan to start throttling users, the company said that they would only be throttling the top 5% of users. Early reports of affected users had pointed to 10GB-12GB per month users as the initially affected.

It seems that ceiling has decreased significantly over the past few months, at least for some regions. John Cozen reports that he received his top 5% data usage warning after reaching only 2.1GB of data for January.

I received a message during my last billing cycle, warning I was in the top 5% of my region and would experience reduced data speeds next time I reach that level of data use. I immediately checked my data usage on the AT&T iOS app.

2.1 GB. Less than I expected considering AT&T offers a 3GB plan for $30 a month. The same amount I’ve paid for the unlimited data plan since signing up with them many years ago. AT&T no longer offers an unlimited data plan, anyone still on it has been grandfathered in.

Cozen contacted AT&T to make sure it wasn't a mistake, and after several back and forth exchanges, it seems clear that it wasn't a mistake. The AT&T representatives seemed to confirm that 2.1GB did fall in the 5% range and the only option to avoid throttling was to move to a tiered plan.

Cozen was understandably upset since AT&T even offers an unthrottled 3GB plan for the same price he is paying at $30 month.

AT&T's top 5% measurement seems to be region-specific, as some users are continuing to see higher than 2GB usage without throttling.

Apple Revises Snow Leopard Security Update and Pulls 10.7.3 Delta Update

Arnold Kim — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:02:21 +0000

After a couple of issues with some software updates, Apple has made some quiet revisions to address the problems.

The first was a Snow Leopard security update which inadvertently caused problems with Apple's PowerPC emulation layer Rosetta. Macworld notes that Apple has since released Security Update 2012-001, version 1.1 for Snow Leopard. The new version seems to fix the PowerPC crashing issues described with the original update.

Meanwhile, the crashing/CUI errors with 10.7.3 Delta updater has also been addressed by Apple. 9to5Mac notes that Apple has responded by pulling the Delta update altogether, leaving the Combo updater alone.

The different between the Delta and Combo updaters is normally just download size alone. The Delta updater is a smaller download since it just includes the changes, while the Combo updater includes everything and weighs in at 1.3GB. The Combo updater should be available at this support page for direct download, but the page is presently not working. The direct download (1.3GB) link is still working at this time.

Uploaded iTunes Match Songs Inaccessible for Some Users

Jordan Golson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:52:33 +0000

Some iTunes Match users are encountering difficulties when attempting to download songs they have previously uploaded to iTunes Match. Matched songs appear unaffected for most users. Threads on both the MacRumors Forums and the Apple Support Communities detail the issues.

I keep getting the "error = -2114" and "Please check that the connection to the network is active and try again." It then moves to the next download and most times is succsesful. I am getting this error in the last few hours and to about 10-20% of my downloads.

The Verge confirms that the issue occurs in both iTunes 10.5.2 and 10.5.3, and on both Snow Leopard and Lion.

There has been no word from Apple about the outage and the iCloud System Status page does not reflect any current issues.

This isn't the first issue that Apple has run into with iTunes Match in recent days. Apple is reportedly investigating a problem with songs with explicit lyrics being converted from "explicit" to "clean" after being matched.

Genius Recommendations for Movies and TV Shows Appearing on Apple TV

Eric Slivka — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:56 +0000

Several Apple TV users have reported a new addition to the menus of their devices, with the new option bringing Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows in their libraries. Curiously, early reports noted that rather than carrying a correct menu title, the movie option carried the name "ATV.Menu.MOVIE.GeniusItem", suggesting that the new feature may have appeared prematurely. Apple seems to have fixed the issue, however, with the menu option now showing properly as "Genius".

Improperly-displayed (left, via @cthielen) and properly-displayed Genius option for Movies on Apple TV
Despite the strange display of the menu option, the feature does appear to have been functional since its initial appearance yesterday, with users being able to access Genius recommendations for their content.

Genius movie recommendations on Apple TV (via @benfurneaux)
Genius recommendations for movies and TV shows have been offered for some time in iTunes itself through the iTunes Sidebar, but those recommendations have not been available on the second-generation Apple TV. Genius recommendations are also available through the iTunes app on iOS devices.