Although the late Steve Jobs was undoubtedly one of the primary forces behind the success of Apple, it's sometimes easy to forget that in order to get to that point, Jobs was wise enough to surround himself with other smart and creative people, and that each of those folks brought something to the team that helped Apple thrive. A good example of this is Johnathan Ive, the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple. In an interview recently with the UK publication, The Telegraph, he shared that when it comes to great designs from Apple, the best is yet to come. The Telegraph's interviewer, Shane Richmond, asked Sir Ive which of his designs he will most likely be remembered for. The British designer, (who is scheduled to be knighted on Wednesday in London - which probably already happened by now), responded with, “It’s a really tough one. A lot does seem to come back to the fact that what we’re working on now feels like the most important and the best work we’ve done, and so it would be what we’re working on right now, which of course I can’t tell you about.”

Imagining the possibilities in his statement certainly is exciting. Right now there are several rumored new devices coming from Apple that should take things to a whole new level. Here's a reminder of what may be coming soon from the Cupertino crew:

• A smaller version of the iPad tablet
• A thinner MacBook Pro
• A high-definition television
• A redesigned iPhone that will launch this fall

What do you guys think? Could the best get any better? I wouldn't be surprised...

Source: BGR

ZDNet’s The Apple Core blog reports that TiVo streaming will soon be coming to iOS. This follows on from an announcement during the 2012 NCTA Cable show, when TiVo launched its new TiVo Stream, which enables TiVo content to be transcoded so that it can be viewed on mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad. The Apple Core says that TiVo first demoed a prototype Stream in several private meetings that took place at CES back in January of this year. The Stream is actually an external box that can be connected to a TiVo Premiere or Premiere Q box, in order to then stream content to your mobile device. According to the report, TiVo Stream is said to be the first device of its type to enable content to be streamed to multiple devices at the same time, and without interrupting what is being shown on TV.

Source:
TiVo streaming coming to iOS this summer | ZDNet

Boy Genius Reports has an exclusive scoop today about the possibility of Microsoft Office being launched for iOS this coming November. BGR says that it has heard from a reliable source that Microsoft will be bringing its full Office suite to iOS by the end of the year. BGR says that its source has even seen Office running on an iPad, and confirms that it looks identical to the version of Office for iPad that was leaked to The Daily several months ago, and the existence of which was vigorously denied at the time by Microsoft. BGR says that it has also heard word that Microsoft Office will be coming to the iPhone and iPod touch as well as the iPad, as the app’s loading screen most definitely says “Office for iOS”. I know a lot of people were really disappointed when Microsoft denied that it was bringing Office to iOS, so it’s great to hear that we may be getting it after all. I bet The Daily feels vindicated too!

Source:
Microsoft Office -- iPad, Android tablet version to launch in November

AppleInsider reports today on new figures from NPD Display Search which show that the tablet market is still growing strongly, thanks in main to the continued success of the iPad. According to the figures, in the first quarter of 2012, Apple’s mobile PC business, comprising both laptops and the iPad, grew 118% year-to-year, with the iPad accounting for almost four out of five of Apple’s mobile PC shipments, and growing 162% from the same quarter a year ago, with sales of 13.6 million units. Overall, Apple now has 62.8% of the global tablet market, with Amazon’s Kindle Fire being dumped from second place by Samsung, which shipped 1.6 million units of its tablet, earning it a 7.5% share of the market. The only area of the mobile market where Apple did not excel, according to AppleInsider, was in the notebook and mini-notebook rankings, where it didn’t even manage to make the top five, with HP heading the table with 8.9 million shipments.

Source:
Apple iPad drives 124% growth in global tablet shipments, study says

Apple has been doing business with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. LTd, known as Foxconn, for a long time, now. Thus, the electronics manufacturer has decided the timing is right to do a little investing in a new Apple production line - one that is worth $210 million.

The construction of the plant will start somewhere around October 2012 and the plans have already been confirmed by officials in Huai’an. The new facility will offer 35,800 new jobs and will take up to 40,000 square meters.

So far, details about what exactly Foxconn will be building are not known, but the project has already received the green light. A new factory in Hainan will be finalized by April, next year. At the moment, Foxconn’s biggest facility is located in Shenzhen and employs more than 200,000 workers.

Even though there’s no information on what products will be manufactured in the facility, some predictions have been made. It is expected that the output will be fixed at somewhere between $949 and $1.1 billion. The office of Taiwan Affairs of Huai’an city also predicted that the new facility will probably reach an import/export value of $55.8 million.

Apple and Foxconn have recently been involved in some scandals regarding working conditions for the employees. The two have decided to split the costs in improving things around their facilities for workers. Foxconn has even built new facilities so workers could be closer to their homes and wouldn’t be forced to abandon their families in order to make a living.

By Radu

Source: Foxconn reportedly investing $210M in new Apple production line | 9to5Mac | Apple Intelligence

Subatomic Studio’s tower defence game Fieldrunners was one of the first big iOS smash hits, so it really is about time for today’s announcement of a sequel for the game. Fieldrunners 2 will be coming to the iPhone at the end of June, with the iPad version being released just after. Subatomic says that the sequel will have more than 20 hand-painted levels across four distinct zones, from grassy fields to big cities, not to mention the secret volcano base. I said don’t mention the secret volcano base! Players will be armed with more than 20 upgradeable towers and customizable loadouts as they try to find new strategies to defend each unique map. Among the towers that fans can look forward to playing with are the limbo-of-death Link tower, the sniper-style Railgun tower, and the self-explanatory Nuke tower. As well as basic survival and newly revamped time trial maps, new map types have been added, including puzzle maps and sudden death maps. Also thrown in for good measure are air strikes and precision-based power up attacks.

And as you might expect with all this new hardware, there are more enemies than ever before too, with over 30 different types, all of them out to conquer your bases at any cost, and more relentless than ever as well!

Feast your eyes on the first screenshot - looking good!

Source:
Subatomic Studios

CookEatShare.com today launched a fully featured HTML 5 app for iPad. The app doesn’t need to be downloaded from the App Store, simply point your iPad browser to CookEatShare - Easy Recipes and Cooking Tips and app.cookeatshare.com will automatically launch. The app uses HTML 5 to provide an experience specially created for tablet users.

"Most iPad cooking applications, like those from Allrecipes and Epicurious, offer only a fraction of what's on their website," said busy mom and CookEatShare.com founder Nancy Miyasaki. "I wanted all the great functionality on CookEatShare to be available on the iPad app too. Creating an HTML 5 application, instead of a native application, made that possible." Source: PR Newswire (Searching for recipes or cooking with your iPad? CookEatShare.com releases the... -- SAN FRANCISCO, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --)

The app lets you search and browse through over 500,000 recipes, add them to a recipe box or weekly planner, share them with friends, and friend or follow over 50,000 professional chefs and home cooks who contribute to the app. It even has a special Cook View for those people who like to read and follow the recipe on their iPad while cooking in the kitchen.

Source:
CookEatShare.com

AppleInsider reports today on how the iPad has played a vital part in the restructuring of Greece’s debt. According to Philip Elmer-Dewitt on Apple 2.0, Bob Apfel of Bondholder Communications Group, the man whose job it is to get 100,000 bondholders around the world to sign off on various restructuring transactions, bought 100 iPads to help him in his task. Apfel installed a custom debt-restructuring app on the iPads, before handing them over to interested parties from several different organizations, including the Greek Finance Ministry, the Hellenic Exchange, and the Bank of Greece. Apfel said that the reason for choosing to use iPads to help move the process along was because he needed a “platform that could follow the financier,” because most of the team involved were out and about and on the road much more than they were in the office.

“It was the largest financial transaction in the history of the world,” Apfel told Elmer-Dewitt, “and we couldn’t have done it without the iPad.”

The deal was finalized on April 25, reducing the Greek debt by $130 billion.

Source:
Apple's iPad plays crucial role in Greece's debt restructuring
How 100 iPads saved Greece $140 billion - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech

Cnet writes that the 16th Annual Webby Awards paid a moving tribute to the late Steve Jobs with a video presentation featuring the likes of President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, George Lucas, and Bono from U2. The video was introduced by the actors John Hodgman and Justin Long, who played the “PC” and “Mac” in Apple’s famous series of ads. Actor Richard Dreyfuss, who had previously been the narrator for Apple’s “Think Different” ad, also gave his own individual tribute to Jobs before the video, saying that Jobs was “the exception that proves the rule.” Others featured in the video include Al Gore, Buzz Aldrin, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Fallon, Arianna Huffington and Vint Cerf. When you look at this, it makes you sad all over again. As President Obama says in his tribute, “The truth is when we are talking about Steve Jobs, we only need one word: amazing.”

Source: Obama, Clinton pay tribute to Steve Jobs at the Webbys | Apple - CNET News

Reuters reports that Viacom Inc, the parent company of MTV and Comedy Central has settled its lawsuits with Time Warner Cable regarding cable subscribers being able to watch Viacom’s TV shows on iPads, iPhones and other mobile devices. The settlement means that Viacom shows such as Jersey Shore, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and South Park should soon be available to watch on the Time Warner Cable TV app.

“All of Viacom’s programming will now be available to Time Warner Cable subscribers for in-home viewing via Internet protocol-enabled devices such as iPads,” stated Viacom and Time Warner Cable in a joint statement.

Reuters says that although the exact terms of the settlement were not revealed, it was also noted that Time Warner Cable will continue to carry Viacom’s Country Music Television programming. Viacom spokesman Mark Jafar said that the settlement is “very good news for consumers.” So, if you’re a Time Warner Cable subscriber, get ready for a much wider selection on the TWC iOS app from now on.

Source: Viacom, Time Warner Cable reach iPad views settlement | Reuters

Indie developer AlgoCrunch has announced that its iOS word game, Word Fusion, is available to download for free for a limited time, in conjunction with Daily App Dream. Word Fusion is a fast-paced word game with vibrant graphics and intuitive controls that sees the player going on an adventure with Otto and his magical chemistry set, the beakers of which must be filled with knowledge before the experiments explode. In order to win, players have to be both fast and smart. The game helps to develop speed and accuracy skills while also being a lot of fun for players of all ages. If you’re addicted to word games, as so many of us are, you’re going to love the way in which the game gets you to spell and write words in a fun and unique way by encouraging players to find as many words as possible on the game board in order to get bonuses. Word Fusion features 22 levels, and four multiplayer modes where you can compete against family and friends: via Game Center with real-time play, Game Center with turn-based play, Bluetooth, and pass-to-play on the same device.

Click here to download the game for free: App Store - Word Fusion

Source: AlgoCrunch

PCR reports today on a survey from cloud computing firm Nasstar of 300 small and medium-sized businesses, which found that companies that let their members of staff use their own mobile and computer devices, such as iPads and iPhones, at work are a more attractive prospect to employees, and also have better staff morale than those companies that don’t allow their staff to use their own gadgets in the office. Around three quarters of bosses polled in the survey said that letting their staff use their own smartphone, laptop or tablet at work made their company look like a more “flexible and attractive” employer. Sixty-four percent of those polled said that they already allow their employees to bring their gadgets to work, with the same percentage again having written policies already in use regarding taking one’s personal gadgets to work. Furthermore, 58% of respondents said that letting their staff use their own devices in the office had resulted in greater output and better efficiencies. Tellingly, 70% of those polled said that they thought that it was inevitable that staff would ask to use their own devices at work at some point.

Source: Staff happiest using their own tech devices | The latest news from the Computer and IT Industry | PC Retail