Day: 7 November 2011

What’s the Holdup on iTunes Match? ⇥

John Mello Jr., writing for MacNewsWorld:

What could be a major snag for the service is ironing out the licensing agreements with rights holders to the content in the iTunes store.

Correct. That, and perhaps some identification and bandwidth snags.

“Apple is still struggling with the loss of Steve Jobs,” Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst of the Enderle Group in San Jose, Calif., told MacNewsWorld.

Oh Rob, you old fool. Do continue (emphasis mine).

“Steve was the guy who forced everybody to hit their dates,” he continued, “so when you remove someone like that, surprise, surprise, they’re missing dates.”

Jackass.

New iOS Code Signing Flaw ⇥

Jake Smith of 9 to 5 Mac:

Security expert Charlie Miller has found a flaw in code signing on iOS devices (via Forbes) that allows developers to sneak malware apps onto the App Store without Apple’s detection. The malware can then be used to read user’s contacts, make the phone vibrate or sound a ringtone, steal user’s photos, and more whenever the developer chooses.

In theory, this shouldn’t happen in a closed ecosystem such as that of the App Store. There have certainly been fewer incidences of malware as compared to a completely unregulated store (virtually none, as a matter of fact), but this is an enormous oversight on Apple’s part.

Enqueue ⇥

Enqueue is a really nice alternative to iTunes if all you’re interested in is a music jukebox. It can import your iTunes library, though it doesn’t appear to truly sync additions, and has integrated Last.fm support. Pleasant little details include fading out music on pause, and fading it back in.

The UI is a little wonky, but all told, it’s an application to keep an eye on.

Comparison of iPhone Low-Light Photography ⇥

Check out the massive improvement simply by adding autofocus in the 3GS, and the surprisingly enormous quality change from the 4 to the 4S. The 4S isn’t quite a point-and-shoot replacement, but in most conditions most of the time, it’s close enough.