Time Capsule failures lead to opening of virtual cemetery

"On the surface, Apple's Time Capsule is an intriguing piece of technology. It offers automatic wireless backups to internal storage, works as a wireless 802.11a/b/g/n router, has gigabit ethernet ports, and even has the ability to share a USB hard drive or printer over a network. When you consider that the device has a footprint of a mere 7.7" square, what is pretty impressive today would have been almost mind-blowing ten years ago. It's not a mystery as to why people are buying the product despite the healthy price of $299 and $499 for 1TB and 2TB models, respectively.

The only problem is that these devices have been failing. No one is really sure how widespread the problem is, but it has been enough of an issue for one individual to start a website dedicated to cataloging the failures. The Apple Time Capsule Memorial Register collects Time Capsule serial numbers, date of purchase, date of death, and location, and displays the information along with the average lifespan of a failed device. In just one day, the site has 119 reports in its database with an average lifespan of 17 months, 19 days.

Judging by purchase dates and the absence of any 2TB units, it appears that there are only first-generation Time Capsules on the list so far. Because of this, it's unclear whether the problem has been addressed already or if the newer Time Capsules just need more time to fail. What is clear is that the failures have been enough to shake some people's confidence in the product.

Currently, all Time Capsules have a one-year warranty that begins on the date of purchase, but no option for extended warranty other than purchasing AppleCare for an eligible computer. When covered under a computer's AppleCare, the warranty on a Time Capsule is extended to three years from the original purchase date.

This doesn't help if all Apple does is replace the Time Capsule though. Replacing the device has the same result: people are losing their backups at some point in time. The majority of these Time Capsules in the database appear to be dying because of a PSU failure, though—a savvy person could potentially remedy the problem long enough to get his or her data off the internal disk. Still, the act will void any warranty and result in a loss of several hundred dollars if you bought AppleCare to begin with.

The whole thing certainly raises the question many of us don't want to think about: how often should we back up our backups? The answer may differ from person to person, but if you're using Apple's kit, 17 months and 18 days seems like a solid bet."

Written by Jeff Smykil

Apple Opens Up 'In App Purchasing' for Free iPhone Applications

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Apple has just sent out an e-mail to registered iPhone developers informing them that In App Purchasing, previously restricted to paid applications, is now also permitted in free applications. The change also permits developers to create a single version of an application to be sold for free with limited accessibility that can then be unlocked for full functionality via In App Purchases, eliminating the need for developers to create separate free "lite" versions of paid apps if they wish to offer such products.

In App Purchase is being rapidly adopted by developers in their paid apps. Now you can use In App Purchase in your free apps to sell content, subscriptions, and digital services.

You can also simplify your development by creating a single version of your app that uses In App Purchase to unlock additional functionality, eliminating the need to create Lite versions of your app. Using In App Purchase in your app can also help combat some of the problems of software piracy by allowing you to verify In App Purchases.

Visit the App Store Resource Center for more details about how you can add In App Purchases to your free apps."

Written by Eric Slivka

Will Apple Meet Quarterly iPhone Sales Expectations Next Week?

"Over the past several days, a number of analysts have raised the possibility that Apple may have some trouble meeting expectations for quarterly iPhone sales, currently pegged at about 7 million, at its earnings report scheduled for next Monday.

Yesterday, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster noted that supply constraints on the iPhone 3GS may have hindered Apple's ability to meet customer demand. Apple had noted during its July earnings conference call that supplies of the iPhone 3GS were constrained due to robust demand, and major shortages of the device were seen in several countries well into the quarter. Ever the Apple optimist, however, Munster still expects Apple to have shipped 7.5 million iPhones during the quarter, ahead of consensus estimates.

Today's story comes from Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Yair Reiner, who claims that Apple will have a difficult time meeting iPhone sales expectations after the company implied partial quarterly sales of only 3.5 million iPhones at its "It's Only Rock and Roll" media event just three weeks before the end of the quarter.

"The first hint of trouble," he writes, "surfaced during the iPod event on Sept. 9, when Apple implied that ~3.5M phones had been sold with only 21 days left in the quarter. Subsequent checks showed the iPhone 3GS sold out in many markets. Something was clearly preventing Apple from shipping to demand… Consensus estimates imply that 3.5M phones flowed out to customers in the final weeks of 4Q09, which may be too aggressive."

Reiner's estimate of 3.5 million iPhones sold, however, appears to be based on Apple CEO Steve Jobs' announcement at the event that the company had sold a total of 30 million iPhones since its initial launch in 2007, subtracting from that number the approximately 26.4 million iPhones recorded in Apple's earnings reports for previous quarters. But a key unknown in that calculation is the accuracy of the "30 million" number given by Jobs.

Apple is known for promoting its sales milestones and flashing round numbers on its slides during presentations for maximum visual impact. Apple could very well have sold 31 million or more iPhones, but announced only 30 million for an easy-to-remember presentation visual. In addition, Apple may have purposely understated its sales numbers at the event as part of its usual strategy of underselling its performance to investors and analysts in order to temper expectations enough that the company can easily beat expectations at its quarterly earnings releases, generating continued enthusiasm and publicity for the company's stock.

Reiner notes, however, that even if Apple struggles to meet iPhone sales expectations due to supply issues, consumer demand remains robust. Consequently, any dip in Apple's stock price that would likely accompany an unexpectedly low number of reported iPhone sales for the quarter could be seen as a buying opportunity for investors looking ahead to greater iPhone sales for the current quarter as supplies finally catch up with demand."

Written by Eric Slivka

FCC looks into AT & T complaints of Google Voice

"The Federal Communications Commission is looking into complaints by AT&T Inc. that the Google Voice phone service blocks some calls within the United States to avoid a high connection fee.

The FCC sent an inquiry to Google Inc. on Friday seeking information about the software's functionality, the number of users and the identity of its partners.

Google Voice allows users to consolidate their home, office and cellphone numbers by routing the calls through a central Google number. It records voice mail and sends written transcripts of the messages to users. The service also provides free calls within the U.S.

But AT&T alleges that Google Voice refuses to connect calls to rural communities where local telephone companies charge higher fees. AT&T did not immediately respond to e-mails seeking comment.

This isn't the first time Google's foray into telephony has drawn the attention of federal regulators. In July, the FCC began probing a dispute between AT&T, Apple and Google after Apple blocked Google Voice software from its iPhone App Store. Apple has said it has reservations about the application's interface and is still considering it for approval. AT&T said it was not involved in that decision.

In an interview Thursday, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said the commission was still keeping an eye on the iPhone dispute.

"We take Apple at its word," he said. "We'll continue to monitor the specific issue and to monitor the marketplace.""

Written by Mark Milian

App Store 'Name Squatters' Drawing Attention

"Recombu publicizes complaints from App Store developers about other users "squatting" on application names, taking advantage of Apple's policy requiring that each application have a unique name to claim certain names for themselves without actually releasing an application. The issue was brought to light by iPhone game developers at Atomic Antelope who recently discovered that the name they desired for their latest iPhone game was unavailable despite there being no application by that name in the App Store.

Having spent months developing an app called 'Twitch', when it came to Atomic Antelope registering the app's name, it couldn't. Someone else had registered the name 'Twitch' but when Atomic Antelope looked to see if it could find it on the app store, it couldn't. Worse still, unlike domain names, Antomic Antelope had no way of contacting the person who had registered the name.

The issue arises because iTunes Connect allows users to partially submit an application at any time without requiring that an application binary be submitted. Consequently, a developer need only register for the iPhone Developer Program, select a unique application title, and add entries for a few required data fields.

This practice is certainly not new, but is just now starting to receive significant attention.Recombu points to one developer who almost a year ago realized what was happening and decided to grab "dozens and dozens of good sounding applications names." Unlike domain squatting in which users have financial incentive to hoard domain names in hopes of selling the rights to them, the anonymous nature of this App Store name squatting suggests that users may simply be hoarding "good" application names "just in case" they end up developing an appropriate iPhone application. Many of these applications may never come to be, forcing other developers with actual apps into second or third choice names.

The reason for Apple allowing names to be registered before binaries are submitted is clear, as the application's name will almost certainly be featured in numerous locations throughout the application, requiring the developer to have the name already claimed before submitting the final application. But the question remains whether Apple can or should adjust its policies in some way to reduce instances of name squatting."

Written by Eric Slivka

Mac OS X 10.6.2 Build 10C519f Seeded to Developers

"Just four days after the first developer build of Mac OS X 10.6.2 was seeded through Apple's developer program, a second build termed 10C519f has been pushed to the community for evaluation and testing. The new update, which weighs in at 456.8 MB, brings several new refinements as Apple continues to press forward on the second maintenance update to Mac OS X Snow Leopard.

Apple reportedly notes approximately a dozen areas of change addressed in the new build, on top of the nearly four dozen changes included in the previous build. Apple also lists nearly 150 specific focus areas upon which developers are asked to place their testing efforts. As for outstanding known issues yet to be addressed, Apple apparently addresses four such items, including issues with video corruption, Core Data output, and System Preferences hanging."

Written by Eric Slivka