iCloud

Warner Music exec: We finally figured out free

With one foot out the door at Warner Music Group, Michael Nash doesn't try to sugarcoat the music industry's history of the past 10 years.

Nash has been the digital chief of Warner Music Group for four years but has been with the company for over 10. He started when Napster was just hitting the music scene--hitting it like a sledge hammer--and this month Nash announced he's calling it quits.

Nash said he came to Warner Music from the start-up community and joined because he knew the Internet would transform music. He wanted a role in changing the industry as it existed back then; the labels were built around the CD, the bundling of songs, and forcing fans to buy discs when they only wanted one or two tracks.

"That strategy was based on tricking people into buying an album that may not have been very good," Nash said in an interview with CNET last week. Consumer backlash to that was very much part of the digital revolution, Nash said.

He acknowledged that when it came to digital, the sector made mistakes as it tried to navigate "a perfect storm" of change. It's taken its toll on the labels' digital strategists, a fact that is reflected in the high turnover during the past four years. EMI for example went through four digital chiefs, including Douglas Merrill, a former Google exec, and Cory Ondrejka, co-founder of Linden Lab. … Read more

Apple releases another OS X 10.7.2 developer build

Apple's development of the upcoming 10.7.2 release is progressing, with another beta build being released for testing today. As we have been mentioning regarding previous developer releases, the update will contain support for Apple's new iCloud services, which seem to be the focus of these testing efforts. Like the last build from less than a week ago, this latest one was released with "no known issues," meaning Apple may be in the final phases of testing before releasing OS X 10.7.2 to the public.

Apparently in addition to the new OS X … Read more

Apple issues another OS X 10.7.2 build, with no known issues

A couple of weeks ago when Apple began ramping up its releases of beta builds of OS X 10.7.2, I made a premature guess that this indicated the final public release of the update was very near at hand. Two weeks later Apple is still issuing new developer builds of the update, suggesting it is working hard at refining the build and ensuring that the new features in it--namely those relating to iCloud--are as bug-free as possible. In addition to new features, the build should address a number of issues that have cropped up involving the initial OS … Read more

OS X 10.7.2 beta includes built-in iCloud

Apple stepped up the development of the upcoming OS X 10.7.2 update and released a new beta build of the OS to developers for testing on Sunday. The main focus of the 10.7.2 update is support for Apple's iCloud service, which is Apple's successor to its MobileMe online services and offers a more "Cloud-based" array of options for syncing documents and online purchases as well as managing their use on multiple devices you own.

Until now Apple's iCloud services have been a separate installation for OS X developers and testers, but with this latest update, Apple has included iCloud built into the OS as MobileMe has been in past versions of OS X, and as iCloud is intended to be in its final release.

The OS X 10.7.2 update is anticipated by many Lion users not only because of iCloud, but also in hopes that it will address some outstanding bugs that have cropped up with the initial 10.7.0 release. These include black screens when waking from sleep and when performing some graphics manipulations, shifting application windows and Finder items, touchy HDMI output when using adapters, and even a potential security flaw with handling LDAP-based authentication on enterprise networks.

Apple did issue a quick 10.7.1 update a few weeks ago that included new video drivers to address some graphics problems in Lion, but this small update was released relatively quickly and was likely already in the works before 10.7.0 was released, to address known problems.

In addition to developing iCloud support in OS X, Apple is also working on implementing support for it in various applications, including its iWork and iLife programs. As a result, when OS X 10.7.2 is released, expect there to be numerous updates available for other programs as well. In all, 10.7.2 will be a significant update that is likely due out any day now, so be sure you maintain a full and restorable backup of your system in anticipation of its release.

Questions? Comments? Have a fix? Post them below or e-mail us! Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.… Read more

iPhone 5 models hinted at on Vodafone Web page

An online product page for a Vodafone device may have spilled the beans on 16GB and 32GB versions of the iPhone 5 in both black and in white.

The U.K. carrier's Sure Signal device helps boost 3G reception for mobile devices in a home or small business. In addition to offering product specs, Vodafone's Web Site lists all of the various mobile phones compatible with Sure Signal.

Keen-eyed observers from AppleInsider, TechnoBuffalo, and other tech news sites noticed on Saturday that Vodafone had listed the iPhone 5 in both 16GB and 32GB editions and in black and … Read more

Did Steve Jobs help or hurt music?

Perhaps the question should be, "Did Steve Jobs help or hurt the sound of music?" He did not invent digital music or MP3 players, but that didn't stop him from redefining the way people buy and listen to music.

Then again, Napster was around before iPods and iTunes, and it allowed people to amass gigantic music collections at zero cost, which I don't see as something to be proud of. Having 10,000+ songs on an iPod is one thing, but do people ever really listen to all of that music? Record labels could not compete … Read more

Apple wants to help you find your friends

A new feature in Apple's forthcoming iOS 5 update, Find My Friends, will help users see where their contacts are. Think GPS tracking for your social life, included in iOS.

According to sources reporting to 9to5Mac a few months ago, Apple had been working on the Find My Friends feature for quite some time, though the project was on and off several times.

Now, after new HTML code in the MobileMe/iCloud Web site has been found, it appears that Find My Friends is back. And it could signal one of the most significant entries into the social networking … Read more

Arizona company drops iCloud suit, changes name

An Arizona company that sued Apple over its use of the iCloud name seems to have changed its tune--and its name.

iCloud Communications, which alleged in a lawsuit filed in June that the name of Apple's online storage service copied its name and caused confusion over competing products, has withdrawn its claim. The company claimed in its suit that "the goods and services with which Apple intends to use the 'iCloud' mark are identical to or closely related to the goods and services that have been offered by iCloud Communications under the iCloud Marks since its formation in … Read more

Apple now training employees on iOS 5, iCloud?

Apple has reportedly already begun training its retail store employees on both iOS 5 and iCloud, sources have told 9to5Mac.

Such training usually kicks in a couple of weeks before a new product actually launches, which could mean that the latest iOS release and new cloud-based service may debut before the rumored timeframe of mid or late October.

These dates may also indicate the timing of the iPhone 5, according to 9to5Mac, which says that Apple usually unveils a new iOS version "in the days surrounding" a new iPhone. Last year, Apple released iOS 4 on June 21, … Read more

OS X 10.7.2 and iCloud betas suggest impending release

Apple is ramping up development of OS X 10.7.2 and iCloud, which are both slated for release anytime this month. Today Apple issued yet another build of both the upcoming OS update and iCloud to developers for testing, just a little over a week since its last build release. The short time between builds suggests Apple is nearly ready to release the OS updates, implying iCloud may be available earlier in the month rather than later; however, we will wait and see.

Beside the new iCloud features, we are looking forward to these updates in hopes that they … Read more