During the last year, Internet Explorer’s market share lost six points, falling to 73 percent, still not a number to scoff at. Adversely, during the last year, Firefox’s market share rose by 19 percent. But still, Firefox and Safari have a long way to go before they can make a dent in IE’s dominance.

“We focused our work around three themes: everyday browsing (the things that real people do all the time), safety (the term most people use for what we’ve called ‘trustworthy’ in previous posts), and the platform (the focus of Beta 1, how developers around the world will build the next billion web pages and the next waves of great services),” the IE team reports.

I still don’t hear anything about speed, reliability or overall performance. Does anyone else think this still sounds like fluff?

The IE team continues to explain, “We looked very hard at how people really browse the web. We looked at a lot of data about how people browse and tried a lot of different designs in front of many kinds of people, not just technologists. As tempting as it is to list here all the changes both big and small in IE8, we’ll take a more holistic approach. That’s how we built the product and how we’d like to talk about it.”

ZDNet’s Ed Bott calls this a “top-to-bottom makeover.” He continues to say that “It’s packed with usability improvements, security enhancements, and a platform for new add-ins that third-party developers are already taking advantage of.”

It seems as though Microsoft and the Internet Explorer team especially, are still focusing on the wrong issues. Moving into Windows 7, after Vista (hopefully ASAP), is IE 8 still going to be all we get with a Windows machine? Will my first download still be Firefox on any PC I touch? Microsoft has the chance to turn things around here, and instead, they are focusing on surface elements while adding in features like “InPrivate” browsing mode. Which they explain as the following:

“Sometimes you don’t want to leave any trace of specific web browsing activity, such as when checking e-mail at an Internet café or shopping for a gift on a family PC. InPrivate Browsing in Internet Explorer 8 helps prevent your browsing history, temporary Internet files, form data, cookies, and usernames and passwords from being retained by the browser, leaving no evidence of your browsing or search history.”

Sounds like glorified “porn mode” to me.

Additionally, as a web developer myself, I have grown accustomed to writing code that works around Internet Explorer’s quirky non-standard adhering ways. Now, with Microsoft’s default, standards-compliant IE8, some sites are rendering poorly because they were “hacked” together to work in previous versions of IE. So, essentially this is a positive for the community and universally for web standards. But, if you, or anybody you know uses IE workarounds in their code, tell them to double check how it’s rendering in IE 8.

Hopefully Microsoft can turn things around in the future, rebuild IE from the ground up, start from scratch, give us a brand new interface, new graphics, new icon, the whole shebang. Maybe then we’ll have a contender on our hands. But then again, they have 74% market share, they don’t need to try.

I ask you IE Team… “How good can it feel to be #1 because your users don’t know they have another choice?”

Visit - Windows IE 8
Visit - Safari
Visit - Firefox
[via DigitalDaily]

Nothing radical or revolutionary, just some minor speedbumps.

“Separately, Apple is also planning to refresh its line of 20- and 24-inch iMac seasons ahead of the holidays. People familiar with these plans have described the refresh to consist of ’speed bumps’ rather than major internal or external changes. Based on the roadmap presented to AppleInsider, these systems would debut later this fall following the release of the new MacBooks, making their way to market with little fanfare,” Apple Inisder reports.

To catch up on the latest rumors, click here.

Wilton Lee Triggs II has become the second person involved in the suit initially filed by Jessica Alena Smith on August 19. The Birmingham-based Trimmier Law Firm has stated that both plaintiffs have suffered “significant monetary and non-monetary damages” due to the “defective” devices. Their suit entails that their iPhone 3G’s do not provide the data speeds and reception that Apple’s advertising has promised.

The lawsuit is aiming at class-action status due to the fact that the problems are affecting millions of users. There has been no word as of yet from Apple on how they planning on dealing with the situation. While the Cupertino-based company has been known to remain tight-lipped on legal matters, official court documents show that the legal summons had been received by Apple on August 21.

“The lawsuit states that the plaintiffs’ iPhones appeared to connect to the 3G network less than 25 percent of the time, and that Smith and Triggs experienced an “inordinate” amount of dropped calls as well as “slower than advertised” Internet connectivity, e-mail and text messaging services.”

The suit further adds that “defendant [Apple] claims the device is twice as fast as its predecessor,” and made “numerous express warranties about he quality and compatibility of the 3G protocol” included in the phone.”

[via InternetNews]

After word of the comics’ Tuesday night disappearance spread, publisher, Infurious Comics, had offered up the first episode for free along with a call for reader support on their blog.

“PLEASE leave a comment,” wrote the strip’s creator, Paul Jason Holden. “We’ll forward ALL of these to Apple, so that we can ensure that not only Murderdrome, but that ANY comic submitted to Apple doesn’t fall foul of the same censorship.”

In Murderdome’s defense, the post went on to cite several other, what appear to be equally violent media on the iTunes store including, South Park, Reservoir Dogs and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. By this morning the plea for help had grabbed the attention and support of numerous readers, all primarily critical of Apple’s censorship.

For all intents and purposes, Murderdome is not actually a book, but rather an application, called a comic reader of which Murderdome was the leading title. The app was rejected by Apple under violation of a paragraph in the SDK agreement saying, “Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgment may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”

The terms written in the SDK give Apple the freedom to not even have to play the role of a censor as the agreement is so cut and dry, yet they run the risk of upsetting current and future users. Instead of instituting such concrete rules, it would perhaps be in there best interest to purpose a rating system. This way users are warned of potentially offensive content, yet still have access to it if they wish to view it.

[via Fortune]

The television ad is nothing short of advertisement we see here in the states. While a voice over exclaims, “You never know which part of the Internet you’ll need…Which is why all the parts of the Internet are on the iPhone,” a visual of a live phone navigates from the weather forecasts of Cape Town to directions on getting to Heathrow airport. (No, they did not forget the whimsical music softly playing in the background.)

Reportedly, the ASA received two separate complaints stating that the ad is misleading in part because the iPhone does not support Flash or Java, which are both integral parts to a slue of web pages. Apple has recently shot back explaining that the iPhone was built to “open Internet standards” and that Flash and Java are not open source technology (yet) and that Apple could not guarantee compatibility with “every third-party technology in the marketplace.” Apple reiterated that the aim of said ad was to highlight the newest capabilities that the iPhone can offer, with more than common access to WAP versions of sites.

While Apple continues to defend itself by stating that none of the content used in the ad was Flash of Java based and that the line “all parts of the Internet” meant website availability, the ASA refuses to bend. And even though Clearcast (advertising pre-vetting service) gave the go ahead to Apple after they gave a “demonstration and gave advertisers assurance,” the ASA has ordered the TV ad banned from viewing in the same format.

This is the second time in two weeks that we have reported Apple having to bend overseas for cultural presidents. First, China and the debacle with iTunes. Now, the UK, and their yanking an ad after TWO complaints. What’s next,_________________________________? (You fill in the blank.)

Watch the banned ad on guardian.com here.

Despite Apple’s acknowledgment about poor 3G network reception, the latest update was supposed to “partially fix” the reception between the device and the network.

Unfortunately, most, if not all of the 3G reception issues remain, and now a major security flaw has been exposed. MacRumors forum user greenmymac has posted the flaw, and listed the steps necessary to recreate it.

1. Set iPhone to use passcode lock, have contacts marked as Favorites with links, phone numbers, addresses, etc in address book entry.

2. Tap “Emergency Call” keypad from passcode entry screen.

3. Double-tap home button.

4. Tap blue arrow next to contact’s name. You now have full access to applications such as Safari, complete Contacts list, SMS, Maps, “full” Phone access, and Mail by accessing various entries on the Favorite’s page, i.e. tapping their home page brings up a full, unrestricted Safari.

Pretty scary stuff here people. The iPhone has much more personal information inside of it then a regular phone. If it gets into the hands of the wrong person, they may have access to all of your email, notes, phone numbers, pictures, and any other personal information you may have stored on the device. Switching on the passcode lock was supposed to secure most of this information from prying eyes, however a savvy user may now be able to find his way around your passcode lock and into your information.

[via CultofMac via Macrumors Forums]

Google’s cafeteria hasn’t exactly been in the limelight lately. Rumors of illegal workers being staffed have caused some initial worry about the company’s cafe practices (although illegal workers are staffed in kitchens across the country, why would Google be so different?). Initial reports about the company cutting out free dinner from the menu have recently been clarified, and now Google is only “eliminating the evening meal in cafes frequented by nontechnical employees.” Apparently some people don’t like this (non-engineers I’m guessing), and the negative press or “feeling” around the googleplex hasn’t been very positive lately.

The situation at Google though, has made employees on Apple’s campus much more inclined to working those long hours and seemingly endless work schedules. John Dickman, Google’s former food director has been hired by Apple. Much to the delight of Apple CEO Steve Jobs I’m sure.

Maybe now those disgruntled Apple employees can take a little break and catch some fine cuisine before filing class action lawsuits claiming to be overworked.

[via ValleyWag]
Original Photo by Wired

While there is no doubt that Apple does have a sundry of products in need of a refresh, it may simply not be feasible to upgrade so many at the same time.  We are all too aware of Apple’s recent multitasking difficulties, and would not be inclined to see something similar happen.

At this point, it would seem that if a September event is in the works, I would not expect to see much more than iPod updates, as events such as these have historically been used as a launching pad for new iPods.  With all of the iPod rumors currently making rounds, the timing may indeed be more than mere coincidence.

The story has already been confirmed, but know there’s a whole section on Best Buy’s website paying homage to Apple’s coveted mobile device.

Oh man, I hope Apple doesn’t care if people selling their phone know nothing about it. Ah well, a sale’s a sale.

On August 4th, MacBlogz reported that Colby Springer, one of the three attorneys from Carr & Ferrell was set to represent Psystar, and had hinted that the Mac clone maker would bring up antitrust issues if the case went to trial.

While Springer would not elaborate on legal strategies, he did speak in general terms about the case during a recent interview. “This case has been mischaracterized,” said Springer. “There are a lot more complicated issues than just copyright or trademark. There are more complex issues [than those] in respect to the end-user licensing agreement. And antitrust issues come into play, too.

“Miami-based Psystar, owned by Rudy Pedraza, will sue Apple under two federal laws designed to discourage monopolies and cartels, the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, saying Apple’s tying of the Mac OS to Apple-labeled hardware is “an anticompetitive restrain of trade,” according to attorney Colby Springer of antitrust specialists Carr & Ferrell. Psystar is requesting that the court find Apple’s EULA void, and is asking for unspecified damages,” Cnet reports.

Springer additionally said that his firm has not filed any suits with the Federal Trade Commission or any other government agencies. The countersuit will be filed Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court of Northern California.

The core of the lawsuit lies here:

Psystar thinks that its OpenComputer products is shipped with an unmodified, fully licensed version of Mac OS X. The company thinks that they are simply leveraging open-source code including Apple OS, to enable a PC to run the Mac operating system. Psystar’s attorney’s are calling Apple’s allegations “misinformed and mischaracterized.”

Apple has not commented on the case. They have 30 days to respond to Psystar’s counter claim.

MacBlogz previously spoke with an Intellectual Properties Attorney and had him analyze a few statements from the fine print in Apple’s Software License Agreement for OS X, which ships with every single copy of Mac OS X that Apple sells. Check it out here (Attorney Analysis at the end).

Full article here.