Like it or not, December is here, and in a few short weeks we’ll be saying hello to 2012 and another new year of Apple rumors and product announcements. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet -- there’s still plenty going on in the final days of 2011, including the discovery of Carrier IQ in iOS, a MacPaw Mac App Store bundle that expires at midnight and a new report claiming iPhone 4S users are even happier than iPhone 4 owners. All of this and much more for December 1, 2011.
Unless you’ve been avoiding the internet for the last 24 hours, you’ve no doubt heard the firestorm of controversy that’s erupted over Carrier IQ, a user tracking technology that has Android fans up in arms. According to The Verge, Apple users might not want to start looking too smug just yet. Apparently, versions of iOS as recent as 3.1.3 also “contained references to Carrier IQ,” and iPhone hacker Chpwn has confirmed it even turns up in iOS 5 -- at least when the device is in diagnostic mode. If you want to be super-safe, Chpwn suggests toggling off the “DiagnosticsAllowed” setting (which is the default), but the good news is that Apple’s version of Carrier IQ “does not appear to actually send any information” in that mode. Looks like we’re dodging a bullet, at least for now...
First teased back in September at the introduction of the iPhone 4S, ChAIR Entertainment’s highly anticipated sequel to Infinity Blade has finally hit the App Store as promised. Titled simply Infinity Blade II, the second chapter in the award-winning story continues, now powered by Epic’s cutting-edge Unreal Engine 3 technology. If you were impressed by the original, just wait until you drop $6.99 on this one, which promises to take handheld gaming “to even greater heights with stunning visuals, new combat styles and advanced character customization in a beautiful, fully 3D world.” And of course, Infinity Blade II is optimized for the A5 processor of the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, although the universal app will also work on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad and third or fourth generation iPod touch. Just make sure you find something else to do while it downloads: The app is a whopper at 941MB and requires iOS 3.2 or later.
If you’re in the market for some new Mac apps, the folks at MacPaw are ready to please -- as long as you act fast. The company is touting “The First Mac App Store Bundle,” with eight of their apps available for only 99 cents each until midnight EST tonight. Titles include Ensoul, Hider, Focus, Blast Utility, Alarm Pro, Inpaint, Compartments and iResizer, some of which retail for as high as $9.99 or even $19.99 on a normal day. It’s not quite an actual “bundle” since you have to buy each app individually, but hey, eight apps for a mere eight bucks (plus applicable sales tax)… who’s gonna complain?
After plenty of rumors and speculation, Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal will soon open its doors to the latest Apple Retail Store at long last. According to MacRumors, the location has finally set a date for its grand opening and it’s just around the corner: December 9, 2011. That date was made official by Apple themselves today with an updated message on their digital signage at the location which reads simply: “Apple Store, Grand Central. Arriving Friday, December 9.” Can’t get much more confirmation than that! So who’s ready to climb the staircases and get their Apple on next week?
File this under “data we didn’t need to confirm with a survey”: According to ChangeWave Research, iPhone 4S owners have higher customer satisfaction ratings than those of the previous iPhone 4 model. Makes sense, right? Better camera, Siri, better antennas… what’s not to like? A whopping 77 percent of iPhone 4S owners rank themselves “Very Satisfied” compared to 72 percent for iPhone 4 owners over a year ago. And no surprise: Siri ranks as the number one feature of the iPhone 4S, with 49 percent ranking it above ease of use or even the eight-megapixel camera. So what don’t those iPhone 4S owners like? 38 percent say the battery life is too short, with 30 percent whining about the lack of 4G data. The survey was conducted with 215 iPhone 4S owners between November 2 and 9 and the full results are just a click away.
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