As 'Gangnam Style' hits 2B YouTube views, music fans should cheer. Really

As 'Gangnam Style' hits 2B YouTube views, music fans should cheer. Really
By contrast, the No. 2 most-watched YouTube video is Justin Bieber's "Baby," far behind at just over 1 billion views.K-Pop"has been exploding for 20-odd years, and its export has been more andmore successful," said Bess. "'Gangnam Style' really kicked off amassive wave of [K-Pop video] consumption. We now see 90 percent ofK-Pop is consumed outside of Korea." As a genre, K-Pop videos exploded in viewership on YouTube to more than 5.5 billion in 2013 from 600 million in 2010, Bess said. As K-Pop has become more popular, so has YouTube itself.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play The de facto home of Internet video hasjust turned 9 years old, and as of a year ago people were watching more than 6 billion hours of video a month on the video site. That's a 50 percent jump from 2012, and YouTube says that it's far surpassed that number since then. Of the 1 billion people who watch YouTube videos each month, nearly 40percent of them are watching via phone and tablet, and 80 percent arewatching from outside the US. Collectively, they upload around 100 hoursof video per minute. YouTube wouldn't break out music video statistics, but it's not hard tosee how important the site has become to the successful musician orband, and vice versa."I think there will be more mega-hits to come," Bess said. Korean pop music views on YouTube.Google/YouTube Engineering success at YouTube "Gangnam Style," which derives its name from awealthy neighborhood in Seoul but has a sardonic tone that's all Psy, has become the most-watched video of all time in less than two years. On reaching the milestone, Psy provided CNET with a statement: "Two billion views...They are very honorable and very burdensome numbers...With the appreciation, I will come back soon with more joyful contents!!"YouTube executives estimate that the video has inspired more than half a million more imitations, parodies, and homages. It was the first video to reach 1 billion views at the end of 2012, and it has garnered almost 100 million more views in 2014. Psy's also got a second song rocketing up the YouTube charts: "Gentleman" isboogieing skyward with nearly 700 million views in just over a year. It also holds the record for most views in a single day at 38 million views."I keep hearing these stories of odd J-Pop [Japanese pop] songs becoming major football anthems in South American countries," said Bess. "How did this happen? We spend a lot of time and money making the recommendation more nuanced."YouTube music partner manager Isaac Bess stands in front of the video site's logo at its San Bruno, Calif., headquarters.Seth Rosenblatt/CNET It's not just an attention to detail that drives YouTube's side of the success story. As evidenced by encouraging people to take itsvideo quality test, YouTube places a lot of importance on delivering the highest quality streams possible without freezing, said Andy Berkheimer, engineering director at YouTube. "We're really excited about 'Gangam Style' reaching 2 billion views," he said, "but we are already planning for a world where there's hundreds of thousands of videos that reach billions of views." Berkheimer said that YouTube's engineering success depends on three factors. It relies on a continuous stream of data on the network, telling YouTube's servers whether the network path is congested or not; adaptive bitrate technology, so that the stream quality fluctuates but keeps buffers and freezes to a minimum; andshrinking the size of the video by using the VP9 codec. Even with that future-forward technical approach, YouTube doesn't want to alienate any of its users. Berkheimer said that the site will still use the more restricted H.264 codec as "a billion devices" rely on it. "There will be no singularity," he said. Psy's success: Signpost to the future of music A technological singularity might never occur, but musicians appear to have nothing but love for YouTube right now. Much of Psy's success, said Public Enemy producer and music technologist Hank Shocklee, can be attributed to how people have come to view YouTube's playlist feature as a de facto streaming service. "My son, who's 15, he has a whole different take on what YouTube is," Shocklee said in a phone conversation. "It's his radio station. They find out more about what's coming out faster than anybody. It eclipses any other means of exposure."Andy Berkheimer, engineering director at YouTube, stands in front of a wall of screens highlighting the success of Psy's "Gangnam Style" at the company's headquarters.Seth Rosenblatt/CNET That exposure not only helps new artists rise, but rekindles interest in musicians who may have fallen into obscurity. Allan Merrill, who wrote the 1975 rock standard "I Love Rock'N'Roll" with Jake Hooker and their band The Arrows, said in phone call from his East Coast home that YouTube has reminded people that the song existed before Joan Jett covered it in 1982. "What YouTube does for me is it globalizes my career," Merrill said. "It takes a fragmented career and puts it into a solid ball. I get fan mail from China, and Russia, and the Ukraine -- all over the world. YouTube is great for that." "People are making fan sites for me in Polish," he said, chuckling. "This is what the companies want to block, when each one of us becomes important," said Shocklee, whose work has been notable not just for creating hits, but hits with a social message. YouTube is becoming the connective tissue that links music, musicians, and fans, with YouTube and its parent company Google replacing an invasive middle-man recording label with a more laissez-faire approach. In some cases, YouTube's Bess said, "we're creating a digital music economy where there wasn't one." He explained how in Nigeria, a country without the iTunes Store or a CD market, bootlegs are popular, but ex-pat Nigerians in London now can get the latest Nigerian music immediately over YouTube. "The idea that somebody can sing in Korean and make it the most popular song of all time globally speaks to the power of reducing barriers, the democracy that our platform lets percolate up to the top," he said.YouTube's Wall of Fame at its San Bruno, Calif., office, showcasing people and characters from the site's greatest hits.Seth Rosenblatt/CNET Shocklee agreed. "The internationalization of pop music is nothing new, as Western rock has been liberally borrowing from other styles for decades," he said. "But this latest wave is driven by the democratization of pop, thanks to the cross-national accessibility of YouTube." The idea that YouTube is simply replacing the big record labels didn't sit well with Shocklee, even if the site is building a more formal streaming music service."Musicians are not seeing income from videos, but we've never seen income from videos," he said. "The fact that you can get some income from videos [now] is a big plus," he said, but it's not the point.To Shocklee, who has helped define a generation of music, the potential of YouTube to reach everybody on Earth will continue to change music even beyond where it is today."You're not defined by the studio anymore. Your artist q-rating is not based upon how official your situation is," he said. "It's about how it resonates with the public."And what musician doesn't want to be heard?Update, 8:40 a.m. PT: Adds comment from Psy.Update, 11:55 a.m. PT: Corrects spelling of Oppan.


Nokia launches music-phone bundle in U.K.

Nokia launches music-phone bundle in U.K.
Nokia launched a new music service Tuesday in the U.K. that bundles free access to music with the purchase of a phone.The new service called "Comes with Music" offers users of certain Nokia phones a year's subscription to the company's music service. The program will initially be offered through Carphone Warehouse in the U.K., but Nokia has plans to eventually roll it out globally.Nokia first announced the Comes With Music service last year. The service essentially bundles access to digital music with the purchase of a new handset. The first phone to use the service is the 5310 XpressMusic device. With the free one-year subscription to the service, Nokia users can download as many songs as they want and keep the songs even after the subscription expires.This is a clear differentiator from other music stores and services. Apple's iTunes requires users pay for individual songs or albums. Verizon Wireless and Real have launched the new Rhapsody music store for mobile phones. It also allows subscribers to download and listen to as much music as they like for $15 a month. But once users stop paying the subscription fee, access to the music disappears.Like the Rhapsody service, Nokia's music service allows subscribers to share their music with other subscribers.It's not known yet how much Nokia will charge for the new 5310 XpressMusic with the one-year music subscription. Carphone Warehouse currently sells the prepaid version of the 5310 for about $145, including $18 worth of talk time. T-Mobile USA has subsidized it for about $50 with a two-year contract, making it much cheaper option than Apple's iPhone 3G, which costs$200 with AT&T's subsidy.Nokia is clearly going after Apple with the launch of the new music store and the bundled offering. The company, which is the No. 1 maker of cell phones in the world, sees services as a key component of its strategy going forward.While Nokia's music store is much smaller than what is currently offered by iTunes, the company has managed to sign up three of the largest music labels, Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner Music Group. Nokia hasn't said when it will begin rolling out the Comes With Music bundle in other countries. The Nokia Music Store is currently only available in a handful of markets, including much of Europe, Singapore and Australia. U.S. customers will likely have to wait awhile before they can get access to the Nokia Music Store or the Comes With Music bundle.


CES 2009- Home audio wrap-up

CES 2009: Home audio wrap-up
The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show is history. As far as the home audio world is concerned, the product lineup and trends were pretty much right in line with our predictions.Wireless speakers: Panasonic showcased the SC-ZT1, a unique "4.4" speaker system with wireless speakers (except for that pesky power cord, of course). But the bigger trend was wireless subwoofers: Samsung, Philips, and Polk Audio (among others) all showed surround systems with wireless subs, enabling more flexibility when placing them in the room.Network audio: Whether it was more affordable tabletop Internet radios from the likes of Sanyo and Acoustic Research or impressive streaming audio systems from Linksys or Philips, network audio was on the rise in 2009. If you don't want a dedicated network audio product, that's OK; products like Samsung's Blu-ray home theater systems have Pandora streaming built-in, obviating the need for other hardware. And the pre-CES announcement that Apple's iTunes Store is going DRM-free means that all major music download purchases are now basically free of copy protection, making streaming between multiple devices easier than ever.iPod- and iPhone-ready: Compatibility for Apple's iPod is essentially ubiquitous, but manufacturers are offering some incremental improvements. LG and Panasonic are including slide-out iPod docks (rather than add-on cabled cradles) on many of their home theater systems, while Pioneer's AV receivers offer improved on-TV screen navigation for attached iPods and iPhones. Blu-ray compatibility:Samsung and Panasonic offered the first home theater systems with built-in Blu-ray players in 2008, but they were expensive systems that were full of compromises (namely, the older Blu-ray spec). The picture is much improved for 2009: systems from JVC, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung are all Profile 2.0 (BD-Live) compliant, and many offer additional content from the Internet (Netflix and Pandora on Samsung; Netflix, YouTube, and CinemaNow on LG; Amazon and YouTube on Panasonic). Samsung upped the ante with Wi-Fi options available via an add-on dongle. Single-speaker audio and virtual surround: Another trend that's showing no sign of abating in 2009 is single-speaker and virtual surround systems. Polk Audio, Samsung, Philips, Panasonic, LG, and Sharp were among the manufacturers showing either speakerbars, 2.1, or other configurations that aim to deliver a 5.1- or 7.1-channel experience from one, two, or four speakers. A related trend: more audio systems are being touted as wall-mountable, presumably to sit underneath a wall-mounted flat-panel TV.The high-end: While we mostly stuck with mainstream brands and products, rest assured that there were plenty of high- and superhigh-end audio products on display at this year's show--everything from $1,400 headphones to stereo systems that cost $300k.CNET chose the Pioneer VSX-819H AV receiver, the Panasonic SC-ZT1 wireless speaker system, and the Samsung HT-BD7200 Blu-ray home theater system as the finalists in the Best of CES Home Audio category. The Pioneer receiver delivers an impressive feature list (three HDMI inputs, lossless Blu-ray audio decoding, onscreen iPod navigation) for less than $300--one of the best bang for your bucks, and especially compelling given our current economic woes. The Panasonic represented an interesting approach to wireless speakers. And the Samsung (pictured above) was an impressive combination of trends that encapsulated the show:Blu-ray Profile 2.0, virtual surround sound, built-in support for network services (Pandora, Netflix), along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility, all wrapped up in a unique-looking design.


The 404 425- Where the stress fractures in our metatarsals seem to have spread to our ankle

The 404 425: Where the stress fractures in our metatarsals seem to have spread to our ankle
Can 2009 give us any more bad news? I think at this point, the three of us are ready to move straight into 2010, mostly because we're too afraid of what's going to happen in the next three months. To put it lightly, this year has been a tough one for celebrities. Although it didn't exactly make Twitter headlines, we're all saddened by Patrick Swayze's death and take a few minutes out of the beginning of the show to talk about all of his great movies, including "Ghost," "Donnie Darko," "Dirty Dancing," and of course "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar." Lots more good and bad news to discuss, including Facebook jumping on the @ symbol bandwagon. After Twitter reportedly rejected its purchasing offer, Facebook is now starting to introduce features that mimic the microblogging site. The first change is that Facebook users can now tag friends using an @ symbol in front of their names. The other is Facebook Lite, a less-cluttered version of the classic that discards the left navigation and info page.Jeff found a pretty hilarious story from China about a bridge getting covered with butter, but before we get to that, we do a quick run-through of the 10 most pirated movies, and you'll be surprised at which flicks made the cut. Finally, we reminisce about high school LAN parties (look it up, young bloods), how to get 50 PC games for $5, and a new gaming console accessory called the Spawn Labs HD-720 that's making waves in the industry. EPISODE 425Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang


Minor music improvements in iPhone update

Minor music improvements in iPhone update
I updated my iPhone 3G to the new iOS 4.0 as soon as it became available this morning, so was able to avoid the four-hour download times reported by CNET's Josh Lowensohn. It's definitely a worthwhile update--the improvements to e-mail alone are worth the two hours it took me to download and install the package. But it doesn't do much new for music playback. I've noticed two minor improvements. First, it's now possible to create a playlist directly on the phone; before, you had to create playlists in iTunes on your computer, then sync those playlists to the phone. I can't imagine building a lot of new playlists from scratch while on the road, but this feature does provide a rough equivalent to queuing--you can edit playlists in mid-playback to add a particular song next. This is a welcome addition, but it's still a lot clunkier than the "Add to now playing" option that's available next to every song in my Zune HD library.The update also changes how albums appear in the library. Before, it simply listed every song in a boring white list. Now, album art appears at the top of the list with some information like release date and total playing time. That's about it for this go-around. There's still no on-demand streaming service associated with iTunes, which means you'll have to rely on third-party apps if you want streaming music on demand--I've been enjoying Thumbplay's service ($9.99 a month), but you could also use Rhapsody or Spotify (if you live in Europe), and Mog and Rdio are coming soon. Or, if you want to back your entire iTunes library up to the cloud, then access it from your phone, MP3Tunes and the companion Airband app work for me.One other thing to watch out for: on my 3G, the update performed a clean wipe of my phone, restoring it to its original "factory settings," then re-synced my contacts, apps, and finally my music library. If you've got a big music library, this could add a few minutes to your total installation time.


Genius makes iTunes 8 a worthy upgrade

Genius makes iTunes 8 a worthy upgrade
I was worried that the feature would be too obvious--for example, that it would just recommend songs in the same genre or by related artists. In fact, it's much more interesting than that. I'd guess that it's comparing data from millions of other iTunes users who have signed up for the service (part of the install process sends information about your library to Apple), then matching songs that appear frequently with the selected song. It's probably also using my own playback data, favoring songs I've played back to back and have not skipped. For example, when I picked a Love and Rockets song, it came up with some predictable picks--two more L&R songs, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Catherine Wheel--but also had some outside picks like Ministry, The Pixies, and Sisters of Mercy. All of these songs might be broadly categorized as "music that loud-rock fans in their late 30s liked in their wasted youth," but I wouldn't have put them together. Other experiments revealed a similar mix of expected responses and surprises: a search on a George Harrison tune from All Things Must Pass not only threw up other classic rockers Neil Young and Steely Dan, but also modern-country chanteuse Neko Case and ethereal country-psych outfit My Morning Jacket. Very nice.I did have some problems getting the Genius feature to recognize certain artists, like Fantomas and Fela Kuti, and my attempt to update the Genius feature from the Store menu resulted in an error message, as it couldn't find some mysterious folder it was looking for. (On my hard drive? At Apple? Who could tell?)There's also a Genius Bar that recommends similar songs from the iTunes Store that aren't in your collection already, but I hardly buy any music online, and many of the recommendations are already in my LP collection but not yet digitized. So this feature doesn't do much for me, but could be useful for folks who buy lots of music online.At any rate, it's a free update to a free piece of software, and I can recommend it without reservation for Windows XP users. Vista users, however, might experience the dreaded Windows blue screen o' death when they upgrade and connect their iPhone--check out iPhone Atlas for some possible fixes.


Gemini FirstMix for budding DJs (hands-on)

Gemini FirstMix for budding DJs (hands-on)
Young and broke. That pretty much sums up the DJ chapter in my life. Aside from the handful of celebrity DJs out there, most of us start out with only a few bucks, a love of music, and the goal of someday playing an unforgettable party.It is with these humble roots in mind that Gemini created the FirstMix. A combination of USB hardware and cross-platform software, the $99 FirstMix system gives newbies an inexpensive entry point into DJ stardom.As DJ rigs go, there isn't much to it. The hardware is a plastic slab with a toy-like feel, a crossfader, some knobs, and two jog wheel controls dressed up like little virtual turntables. The overall feel is about what you'd expect for the price. The sensitivity and responsiveness of the controls is impressive, though.A single attached USB cable sticks out from the back, and you can connect it to either a Mac or PC. There are no audio outputs or inputs, just a USB plug for sending MIDI control data to the software (or any MIDI-capable program).On the software end, you get a basic version of MixVibes Cross. The music library pulls in your iTunes collection or lets you browse folders manually. Compatible formats include AAC, AIFF, WAV, MP3, FLAC, and OGG. Waveforms of each track appear at the top of the screen, allowing you to eyeball intros and breakdowns, and giving you a general sense of the BPM. You'll also find some useful controls for EQ, effects, and beat synchronization, including automatic beat matching.Once you've practiced your mix, you can record it into the software and export it as a WAV or MP3. After that, all you need is a worshipful audience of DJ fanatics and you're home free.Gemini FirstMix DJ system (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 6NextPrev


How many iPhones were sold last quarter- Analysts chime in

How many iPhones were sold last quarter? Analysts chime in
Apple sold less than 33 million iPhones last quarter. No, wait, it sold more than 42 million. Actually, those are just the lowest and highest predictions offered by a bevy of analysts surveyed by Fortune.Among the 48 analysts questioned about Apple's iPhone sales last quarter, Sterne Agee's Shaw Wu was the most bearish, offering an estimate of just 32.5 million. On the other end of the spectrum, Michel Contant of the Braeburn Group was the most bullish, eyeing sales of 42.5 million.The average turned out to be almost 36.9 million, while the median came in at exactly 37 million.Whichever analysts are on the money, few expect a blockbuster quarter for iPhone sales. For the March quarter of 2012, Apple sold 35.1 million iPhones. But that proved to be an 88 percent jump over the same period in 2011.Even reaching 42 million in sales last quarter would be just a 21 percent rise from a year ago. Achieving the median estimate of 37 million would represent a gain of just 5.5 percent.Related storiesApple to reveal Q2 2013 earnings on April 23Apple's monster Q1 earnings still fall short on Wall StreetFrance Telecom CEO: iPhone too pricey for EuropeansT-Mobile kicks off preorders for iPhone 5Apple sold a healthy 47.8 million iPhones during its December quarter. But the stock was still rocked by Wall Street as analysts were anticipating higher overall revenues. The company is no longer the darling of Wall Street as its shares have been hit hard over the past several months.If Apple turns in another quarter that fails to match forecasts, just how strongly will investors react? We'll know the answer to that on April 23 when Apple reveals its results for the March quarter.


How many iPhones were sold last quarter-

How many iPhones were sold last quarter?
iPhone sales in the third quarter may have been as low as 21 million or as high as 32.3 million, according to a bevy of analysts surveyed by Fortune.The consensus from both professional and independent analysts led to an average of 26.4 million units and a median of 27 million. Based on the wide variety of opinions, projecting third-quarter calendar iPhone sales seemed to pose a challenge for Wall Street.This year Apple released the new iPhone in September instead of October to end the third quarter with a bang. But limited supply of the phone likely kept a lid on sales. And many consumers held off buying a new iPhone earlier in the quarter in anticipation of the latest model.Apple sold more than 5 million new iPhones in the first weekend alone. However, many analysts had been eying higher numbers.Related storiesAnalysts pare Apple estimates on iPhone shortagesBiggest quarter for iPhone sales, says iSuppliWhy the iPhone 5 is in short supplyiPhone sales could hit 50 million in fourth quarter, says analystDemand remains higher than supply for the new iPhone with Apple's online store still listing a wait time of three to four weeks, a range that's been firm for a while now.How did iPhone sales fare in past quarters?This year, Apple sold 26 million iPhones in the first quarter but bounced back with sales of 35 million in the second quarter. Last year, the company sold only 17 million iPhones in the third quarter but again rebounded with 37 million in the final quarter.Apple is due to report its third quarter earnings on October 25.This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.Play


Ho-hum first date with Apple at Black Hat

Ho-hum first date with Apple at Black Hat
LAS VEGAS -- Apple today gave its first-ever talk at the Black Hat security conference, and it left me feeling like I'd had a really disappointing Match.com date with the hottest guy on the dating site. The vaunted Apple decided to show up after snubbing the event for 15 years. As manager of the platform security team at Apple, Dallas De Atley seemed to have everything a Black Hat attendee could want -- popularity, experience, discriminating taste, a good sense of style, and a promising future. Playing hard to get only makes us want you more.But 15 minutes in, I was ready for the check. Atley spent an hour doing a slide presentation on the architecture in iOS. There was nothing new from what's in the iOS Security white paper Apple released earlier this year. Related storiesWindows malware slips into Apple's iOS App StoreApple to close in-app purchase hack in iOS 6, offers interim fixApple to talk iOS security at Black Hat confabAtley was in a hurry to leave afterward and didn't have a question-and-answer session as is customary. I thought maybe some private sweet talk from me could open him up, but he claimed he had an appointment and his entourage quickly shuffled him out the door. There was a universal sense of deflation in the room and we all went back to our lives. I know it was too much to expect that this desire for him would be requited, and we should feel grateful he showed up at all. Let's see if we get a second date next year and if he's ready by then to really get acquainted.


Hey, what's wrong with a small iPhone-

Hey, what's wrong with a small iPhone?
Is a bigger iPhone a better iPhone? The iPhone rumor du jour this week was about a big screen. In fact, "iPhone 5" rumors going way back almost invariably cite a bigger screen.Sizes run the gamut from 4-inch screens to 4.2-inch to, now, 4.6-inch. The iPhone currently has a 3.5-inch screen. And that's just fine with me.A smartphone should be as small as possible. Certainly notBlackBerry Curve small but not so big that it isn't compact.It's a phone, after all.Related storiesRumor: iPhone 5 with 4-inch screen expected this summerReport: Next iPhone to feature larger screenThe brave new big-honking-iPhone world that Reuters claimed is coming (only to be shouted down and debunked by Apple blogs), isn't one I'd necessarily look forward to. I don't need to haul around something brushing up against the mini-tablet category (e.g., a Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket).I have a real tablet for that.Though I may be in a minority with this opinion. That's not to say Apple can't do better.After all, there are large tracts (relative to the size of the iPhone's face) of do-nothing plastic on the front of the iPhone (see photo above) that could be better utilized as screen real estate.And that's not to say I'd object to a slightly larger iPhone. But I'd be perfectly happy with an iPhone 5 with essentially the same chassis and the same Retina display, but with an edge-to-edge screen all around. So, here's my question, is it retrograde for a smartphone to be small? (And note that the latest rumor says the next iPhone's screen size won't change).Should Apple worry about defying a big-screen smartphone trend in the Android world?


Here are 20 apps ready to go for the new iPad

Here are 20 apps ready to go for the new iPad
Apple's new iPad arrives in stores tomorrow (which has already happened in parts of the world), but app makers are still preparing their applications for the new device.We've just got a full list of the apps that are all ready to go (not including Apple's own apps), along with a list of apps that should be going live later today with Retina Display-ready updates:(Each app links directly to its page on iTunes)• Amazon Kindle• Barefoot World Atlas•Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy•Tweetbot for iPad• Flight Control Rocket• Solar Walk• NYTimes for iPad• SketchBook Pro for iPad• StockTouch• Martha Stewart Cookies• Evernote• Day One•Incredibooth• Joining Hands• Star Walk for iPad• Diamond Dash• iStopMotion for iPad• Labyrinth 2 HD• Calcbot• Foosball HD Apps that should be getting updates later today include Facebook, Flipboard, The Daily and Wired. Several high profile games also due for an update are Real Racing 2 HD, Flight Control Rocket, and Mass Effect 3 Infiltrator. ABC is updating its ABC Player app, Roambi's Flow and Analytics apps are getting tweaked, as are MLS Matchplay and Sesame Street's Another Monster At the End of This Book app. Developers have had just under a week and a half to prep their software for the new hardware. Among this list, Autodesk, Namco and Epic (makers of Infinity Blade) all had an extra week to prepare demos for the unveiling event. Hands on Apple's new iPad (photos)See full gallery1 - 4 / 23NextPrev


Apple releases iOS 6.0.1 with over-the-air update tool

A report from Boy Genius Report late last month suggested Apple had iOS 6.0.1 in testing phases withall of the above fixes, with mention that the company was also at work on a more full-featured release of 6.1 for after the holidays.As a frame of reference, it took Apple a little under a month to release iOS 5.0.1 following the release of iOS 5 last October. The release brought mostly bug and security fixes, though also added multitasking gestures for original iPad users. The jump to iOS 5.1, which reworked the camera application on the iPad, and increased the size limit for over-the-air app downloads, came about four months later.According to Apple, iOS 6 adds "over 200 new features" to iOS 5. Chief among them is Apple's own maps application, changes to Siri that add more information about movies, restaurants, and sports scores, as well as deep integration with Facebook.

Apple releases iOS 6 users guide as e-book

Users diving into Apple's new iOS 6 can get a helping hand from Apple's new guidebook, now available free via iBooks.The iPhone User Guide For iOS 6 comes packaged as a 153-page e-book detailing all the ins and outs of the new OS. The book is geared for the iPhone, but iPad and iPod Touch owners running iOS 6 can also glean a fair amount of information.Related stories:Big features, tiny tweaks: Up close with iOS 6Getting started with Passbook on iOS 6Apple Maps in iOS 6: What you need to know (FAQ)The latest guidebook joins other e-book efforts from Apple, including iOS 5.1 user guides for the iPhone, the iPad, and the iPod Touch. The books are nicely designed, well organized, and easy to follow. The latest book covers all of the features, new and old, in iOS 6, including Music, Mail, Clock, Siri, and Passbook.Whether you're new to the land of Apple or you're an experienced iOS user, the book will shed some helpful light on how to use the new OS to its full potential. If Apple follows its previous pattern, we should also see additional e-books focused on iOS 6 for the iPad and for the iPod Touch.