Best Buy is currently running an online survey asking for its customers views on a potential Apple HDTV. The survey suggests that the Apple iTV television could be available as a 42” 1080p LED Flat Panel set that will run iOS applications, stream movies and deliver other entertainment programs from the internet. The cost could be as much as $1499.00.

Apple finally reinvents what a TV can do,” saying that it’ll run iOS, support iCloud, be controllable from an iPhone or iPad, and have access to Netflix, YouTube, and Flickr — in other words, it’s an Apple TV wrapped in an actual television set, exactly as you’d expect.

Source: The Verge

iPad 3 is likely up next, and the big rumor is Retina display on the order of 2048×1536. Less certain but still desirable are quad-core chips and LTE networking. Much the same rumors apply to the iPhone 5, just replace the already-present Retina display with an oft-requested 4-inch screen. You could throw a 7-inch iPad in there for good measure to.

Is it something subtler you’re waiting for, like NFC support, or something more dramatic like 3D?

Apple TV hasn’t been updated in over a year, so are you really craving some 1080p or are you all about the Apple iTV televion rumors now?

Maybe it’s the Mac you want — more specifically a 15-inch MacBook Air? A redesigned Mac Pro? If you could get just one big hardware gift from Apple this year, what would it be?

Give us your vote up top and then give us the details in the comments below!

As part of Apple’s record breaking Q1 2012 financial results, Apple CEO Tim Cook took the time to break out Apple TV numbers — 2.8 million sold last year with half of those sales, 1.4 million, coming in the last quarter.

Cook insisted that Apple TV is still a hobby for Apple and while there was pressure to comment on the Apple iTV Television rumors, Cook managed to dodge his way around those questions simply by stating there was nothing else to talk about in that area. Of course, that’s what Apple said about phones and tablets, once upon a time.

Totally avoided by analysts and Apple execs alike — Apple TV 3 rumors. Where’s our Apple A5 powered, 1080p update already?

A is for AirPlay, a way to share everything from your music and movies to apps and games from your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to your Apple TV

If you’re new to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and are wondering just what exactly AirPlay is and what it means to you, worry not — iMore has you covered. AirPlay is Apple’s term for their audio and video streaming technology. It’s what lets your iOS 5 device, or iTunes on Mac or Windows, beam videos over Wi-Fi to your Apple TV so you can watch movies and play games on your big screen TV, or music to your AirPort Express router, so you can listen on your higher quality speakers.

AirPlay Mirroring is a more recent addition to iOS that works with iPad 2 or iPhone 4S and lets you not only beam music or video, but entire iPhone or iPad apps. Anything from Facebook to your favorite crosswords, racing, or fighting game can be sent via Apple TV to your HDTV, with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad remaining active as the controller. Some games, like [Real Racing 2](http://www.imore.com/tag/real-racing 2) even let you participate in multiplayer games using AirPlay, with each person using their own device to control their own car, all displayed together on the big screen TV.

AirPlay is proprietary and not an open standard, which means Apple gets to control who uses it. Several other companies have licensed AirPlay, however, and you can find a growing range of AirPlay-compatible audio equipment. There’s also some software out there that can run on your computer and tie into AirPlay, like BananaTV that lets you beam to your Mac instead of a TV.

Your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or computer running iTunes needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV, Airport Express, or other hardware for AirPlay to work, but because Wi-Fi has high bandwidth it usually makes for a solid, stable connection. It’s real time. It’s encrypted. And most of the time, it “just works”

Want to know more? Check out more of our iOS A-Z words-of-the-day, or jump ahead to our complete iPhone and iPad glossary for the full on dictionary list!

• Apple TV – Amazon link
• AirPlay compatible speakers – Amazon link

Firecore has released an updated version of its aTV Flash (black) software that runs on any jailbroken second generation Apple TV. The new update, version 1.2,  adds in some nice new features like video zoom options, grid view, watched icons, quick access to recently visited browser pages and a huge raft of bug fixes.

• Three all new zoom options (Normal, Crop, and Stretch) allow you choose how videos are displayed. You can keep videos in their native format (widescreen or pillar box) or crop/stretch them to fill the entire screen.
• Watched indicator icons have been added to the grid view. These icons allow you to quickly see which content is new and ready to be enjoyed. (Note: These can be disabled through the Media –> Settings menu if desired)
• Couch Surfer now displays thumbnail images in the ‘top shelf’ area of the main menu, which allows you to quickly get back to recently viewed pages.

• Added video zoom options (available through Playback Menu)
• Added watched indicators to grid view
• Added ‘Recently Visited’ section to Browser top shelf
• Added support for MicroDVD .SUB files
• Added screensaver during pause
• Added file delete option
• Added activity indicator for metadata clearing
• Added ‘tune’ icon placeholder for audio files without metadata
• Added episode number to the fetched name the list view
• Added Reload Metadata’ option in contextual menu for folders
• Added ‘no items’ message to the ‘Unwatched’ filter of the list view
• Added gray ticket image caching
• Added loading screen when opening Manage Extras menu
• Improved scrubber bar logic
• Improved audio feedback for watched and pre-playback screens
• Improved poster loading for large folders
• Improved support for DVDs without menus
• Improved subtitle support for right-to-left languages (e.g. Hebrew)
• Improved installer device detection
• Resolved minor memory management issues
• Resolved issues with subtitles settings while playing a playlist
• Resolved issues with yellow subtitles displayed for movies converted with Handbrake
• Resolved conflicts with default audio player
• Resolved issues with passwords that contain @ symbols
• Resolved issues with metadata loading for files that contain ‘/’ in folder or file name
• Resolved buffer overflow in libafpclient observed when navigating folders with long names
• Resolved issues with installer Bonjour detection
• Resolved rare crashes during web browsing
• Changed metadata format to S.# / Ep.# for TV Shows
• Disabled metadata processing during movie playback
• Corrected audio feedback when pressing Menu while in grid view
• Minor UI improvements
• Other miscellaneous bug fixes

If you’re not already jailbroken, you can jailbreak your AppleTV via Seas0nPass. You’ll just need the most recent version of Seas0nPass and a micro-usb cable. For help, you can check out our guide on how to jailbreak the AppleTV second generation. All the steps will remain the same as long as you grab the correct version of Seas0nPass for your AppleTV firmware.

Source: Firecore

Apple television — iTV if you’re trendy — rumors just won’t quit, but rather than bloggers and analysts, we’re curious what you, the super smart members of the iMore Nation think Apple might have in store for your big living room screens?

Will there be one-size-fits-all, like iPhone and iPad, or a couple sizes like iMacs? What size or sizes would you prefer? 32- and 37-inches? 55-inches? 72-inches? Will they be 16:10 or 16:9?

Are we going to see something sleek and sexy, a glass and aluminum unibody, like Apple’s existing product line or will we finely see some fancy carbon fiber or even liquid metal to cut down on the weight and take us into the future? Will there be input ports so you can hook up your existing cable or satellite box, your game console, or your receiver to the iTV? Will Apple want or even let all they cables muddy the appearance of their beautiful screen?

It almost has to run iOS like the existing Apple TV set top box, but will it run the same iOS as the existing Apple TV? Steve Jobs said he cracked the 10″ user interface, but does that mean a Springboard-style grid of apps like iPhone and iPad or will Siri be the primary way we launch apps and search for shows? (“Play me something with ninja assassins!”)

How will you control it? The current Apple Remote device and app are both… okay but neither are ideal. A Siri mic? Xbox Kinect style gestures? Will Apple keep it simple or will they really try to wow us again?

Will Apple be able to get content deals in place for network television stations? For major league sports? For pay-per-view movies? For specialty channels? And how will they present them? An ever growing list below “Shows” like on Apple TV or will each “channel” be an app like on iPhone and iPad? Will it have other apps like Safari or Twitter or Calendar so iTV is actually productive as well as fun? Or will it all be AirPlay from your iOS devices?

Would we even see it this year? Is 2012 the right time for an iTV or should Apple wait until 2013 to ramp up their television plans? And what happens to the existing Apple TV? Is it kept around for those who don’t want an Apple television but still want the content, or does Apple ditch it to force us to buy the more expensive television?

Apple hasn’t even announced the desire to announce a television set yet, and maybe they never will, but with so much speculation going on, we want to know what you want to have. What kind of iTV would like Apple to make you?

Following the hack that allows fullscreen apps to run on the Apple TV, developer Jack Perry, known as @Jackoplane on Twitter, decided to try porting his own apps to the bigger screen.

A quick preview of Frequencies for AppleTV… Waiting for @stroughtonsmith to test it on a real device.

The tweet was followed up by Steven Troughton-Smith showing the app running at full 720p on an actual Apple TV.

Some Beautiful AppleTV apps coming together right now; this one from @Jackoplane is nice.

The app, Frequencies, is a simple internet radio tuner, but demonstrates how the idea of fullscreen apps might work on the Apple TV. And it’s really quite exciting.

Source: @stroughtonsmith, @Jackoplane, Jackoplane Blog

USA Today, based on sources who have previously worked at Apple, is contributing some more information to the increasingly large Apple television rumor pile.

Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi. Inside the locked-down studio of Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, there’s a slick 50-inch TV, according to the source who worked at Apple.

Previous speculation out of China suggested a 32 or 37-inch television with Siri controls.

Although this report mentions that talks with media executives have stalled, it’s apparent that a 42 or even 50-inch model vs a smaller display would likely help Apple get a better foothold during their primary push into this new and already-crowded product segment. And with CES just around the corner, rumors of Apple making a television are only going to get more frequent.

Source: USA Today

According to an article in British newspaper The Daily Mail, Apple is considering throwing its hat into the bidding ring for the rights to broadcast English Premier League soccer games. The deal is open for a new round of bidding before the end of this season in May.

The Premier League is seen as the type of premium content that will help establish Apple TV in the UK and boost iPad sales, while the iTunes subscription service infrastructure is already in place.

Apple will face some huge competition if it is to get its hands on some form of TV rights for these games. Sky, who currently owns most of the rights for live games, had to pay around £1.6 billion ($2.5 billion) for the privilege. Competition is also likely to come in from Google, ESPN and Middle East Network Al Jezeera.

If Apple did manage to secure some of the rights to live EPL games, it would then have to force consumers to buy an Apple TV if they wanted to see the content on their big screen televisions. This does not appear to make a great deal of sense for the consumer unless of course the deal is just to sell the games through iTunes; in a similar way to its TV episodes.

Source: The Daily Mail

iOS and jailbreak developers Steven Troughton-Smith and Nick, who goes by the Twitter handle @TheMudkip have now managed to get iPad applications running on an Apple TV; in full screen mode running on a 720p HDTV. We told you yesterday how they were working on a way to bring iOS apps to the Apple TV. Well they have now moved a step closer to making this a workable solution.

The first Apple TV port enabled iOS applications to run in a windowed mode on the Apple TV; this allowed multiple applications to run side by side. Now however they have discovered a way to run iPad applications in full screen mode with a resolution of 720p.

The port is far from being ready for primetime however it doesn’t stop you dreaming about the possibilities of running iPad apps natively on your Apple TV. Apple has long been rumored to be bringing an App Store to the Apple TV platform. Maybe something like this will force its hand to get it done.

Source: 9to5Mac

iOS and jailbreak developers Steven Troughton-Smith and Nick, who goes by the Twitter handle @TheMudkip, have hacked together a working window manager for Apple TV, paving the way for the possibility of iPhone and iPad app compatibility on the non-touchscreen device.

I rewrote SpringBoard from scratch using only QuartzCore. MobileX isn’t linked against UIKit.

[The control scheme involves] remote events from an iPad. Or a cursor controlled by an apple remote.

It might be a while before we actually see this publicly available but the idea is as exciting now as the original jailbreak apps were back in the early days of iOS, before the introduction of the iOS App Store.

Source: Steve Troughton-Smith, @theMudkip

Hit-or-miss rumor site Digitimes has additional speculation from “industry sources” that Apple may be looking to Foxconn to assemble orders of their upcoming Siri-powered Apple Television.

Following sources’ claims that Samsung Electronics and Sharp will manufacture chips and displays, respectively, for the so-called Apple “iTV,” others have suggested that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) have the potential to win orders for Apple’s smart TV.

The “sources” also added to conjecture that Apple is planning to release the Apple Television in late 2012, which may debut in 32 and 37-inch form.

Source: Digitimes

Randomly accurate rumor site, Digitimes has word from “industry sources” that suppliers are starting to build materials for 32 and 37-inch Apple Televisions for release in the second or third quarter of 2012.

Instead of a form of set-top box (STB) like the Apple TV launched in 2006, Apple’s new products will be full TV sets, the sources added [...] The displays of the new iTV sets will focus on 32 and 37-inch sizes initially, noted sources in the supply chain.

Steve Jobs mentioned in his official biography that he’d finally “cracked” the television, and we’ve heard rumors that Apple was recently in talks with media executives about a television set product. However, Apple is no doubt working on a lot of new products in the lab, so keep this filed this in your “expect it when you see it” folder for now.

Source: Digitimes

Find some new Apple products under your tree this year did you?  Welcome to the family, we’re glad you’re here. Whether you’re new to Apple products or old hat — the TiPb forums are a great resource for discussing all things Apple. Have some questions? Just looking to help others? Join us in the forums, you can register now to get started today:

• iOS 5 Forum: Anyone else having issues with iMessage?
• iPhone 4S Forum: iOS Holiday gifts
• iCloud Forum Can I use iCloud on Windows XP?
• iPad 2 Forum Setting up iPad 2 for my Mom, please help
• Jailbreak and Unlock Forum Got a new Apple TV 2, should I jailbreak it?

If you’re not already a member of the TiPb Forums, register now!

In case you hadn’t heard — and really, there’s no helping you at this point! — TiPb wants to give you the iOS device — or devices! — of your dreams. That’s right, a brand new iPhone 4S, iPad 2, iPod touch, or Apple TV, or even iPad 3 in 2012, could be yours!

And this is week 4 so you now have a third chance to win!

The Prize: A $600 Apple gift certificate to put towards the iOS device — or devices — of your dreams. An iPhone or iPad for you or your special someone, a couple of iPod touches for the kids, a handful of Apple TVs for the whole family — you could even save it for an iPad 3 when Apple releases it! — whatever you choose!

How to enter: Each week we’ll have a special thread in a different TiPb iOS device forum. Just leave one (1) reply in each thread telling us why you’d love to have that week’s device. You can enter once per week, each week, for a total of four (4) chances to enter over the course of the contest.

The contest is on now and the winner will be announced on the iPhone Live podcast on December 28, 2011.

So what are you waiting for? Enter already!

• TiPb iOS Dream Device Giveaway: Week 4 thread!

Rumors of an Apple Television just won’t quit, and this new one from The Wall Street Journal pegs Apple ramping up for a release in the not-so-distant future with features like Siri voice-control, built-in AirPlay streaming and more.

Apple executives have discussed their vision for the future of TV with media executives at several large companies, according to people familiar with the matter. [...] In the recent meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple’s technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs, people familiar with the talks said. In at least one meeting, Apple described future television technology that would respond to users’ voices and movements

Details remain extremely vague, of course, with specifics being left off the table to help keep the essence of the future product closely guarded.

Before Steve Jobs passed away in October, he told biography Walter Isaacson that he’d “finally cracked the TV”. From user interface and experience to ditching the mountain of controls many of us now deal with, tons of speculation has followed. Some suggest an Apple Television will bring about new ways of communicating across multiple devices like the iPhone or iPad, where a users’ content can be switched from the television and onto their mobile device for consumption on-the-go. Imagine watching a movie in your living room and deciding you want to take a quick run, but having limited time. With something like an Apple Television using new technology developed internally at Cupertino, you could watch the rest of your movie on-the-go without any hassle; with everything working seamlessly and with very little setup involved.

With Siri voice control, the possibilites of what a future product like this could do seem almost endless.

Source: WSJ

Watching iPad Live, iPhone Live, or any of the other Mobile Nations Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad is kinda cool, but what’s really cool is watching them on your big screen TV. Luckily, with just an Apple TV, an app, and a few taps, it’s easy to do. Here’s how:

1. Grab the Ustream app for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
2. Wait for one of our shows to begin and search for MobileNations in the Ustream app
3. Hit the AirPlay button and beam it straight to your AppleTV

That’s it! Crack open a spicy drink, grab a tasty snack, and enjoy! We’ll see you on the big shows!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Apple has updated the 2nd-generation Apple TV software to version 4.4.4, which includes general performances and stability improvements and a fix related to an issue that displayed an error when attempting to play certain types of video content.

The new software update comes just a month after their 4.4.3 update, which added support for Netflix streaming in Mexico as well as addressing an audio problem when playing sound through the optical port when your television set is turned off, and carries a new build number (9A406a).

You can grab the update from the Apple TV Update Software option in the device’s General Settings menu.

Source: Apple

Last week an iTunes TV show menu suddenly started showing up on international Apple TVs, didn’t work, and subsequently disappeared. This week iTunes Match suddenly started showing up for international iTunes users, didn’t work, and Apple subsequently offered refunds to those who’d tried to purchase it.

So, we’d suggest waiting until a) Apple makes an official announcement about iTunes Match in your country, or b) significant reports come in of it actually working, before c) you give them any money for it.

Whether or not Apple is planning to officially launch iTunes TV shows and iTunes Match in more regions and someone accidentally lent on the big red “launch” lever at iCloud central a tad early — twice — or there’s some stranger problem going on is uncertain.

International licensing agreements are complex. Cloud services are complex. But false starts and pull backs seem decidedly un-Apple-like.

Here’s hoping iTunes gets their international launches back in order, and officially out the door, asap. If you saw either the here-today-gone-tomorrow TV show menu on Apple TV, or tried and failed to buy iTunes Match outside the US and Brazil, let us know in the comments below.

Japanese news site Macotakara reported last week that Apple has supplied Made For iPhone accessory makers with a new authentication chip using Bluetooth 4.0 and the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol, making it easier to setup and authenticate devices for use over the dock connector and Bluetooth with a specific push for fitness and health-related apps.

It was previously speculated that this new authentication system would support Bluetooth for carrying content over AirPlay, but The Verge was able to squash the rumor with a bit of clarification from Apple. Instead, Apple wants more MFI accessory makers to use the new spec in devices like the recently-released Jawbone UP and similar hardware. The process will make it easier for users to configure wireless devices by connecting to WiFi networks and grabbing Bluetooth configuration information, ultimately requiring little effort on the user’s part to get everything up and running.

The Bluetooth Accessory Protocol was introduced in iOS 5, but only around 2 percent of MFI accessory makers are actually utilizing the new stack. Hopefully this new authentication chip will bring wider adoption to less tech-savvy iOS users, but we’ll have to wait until we start seeing supporting hardware pop up in the market.

Source: Macotakara via The Verge

In the latest iOS 5.1 Beta 2 it looks like Apple has taken steps to start hiding future iPhone, iPad and other iOS device model references from the bloggers and deep code divers who have previously delighted in finding and exposing them.

Mark Gurman of 9to5 Mac first noted the new, obviously obfuscating entries on Twitter, and now it seems that in the USBDeviceConfiguration.plist, Apple has thrown in over 100 entries have been added for everything from iPad10,1 to AppleTV9,2, and so on.

Interesting new move in the cat and mouse game, to say the least.

Source: Mark Gurman

With rumors ramping up of a Siri-controlled Apple television coming from Apple, Todd Treece was able to beat them to the punch and get Siri to fully control his television set using an Arduino IR remote setup and SiriProxy.

We’ve seen Siri do amazing things like start your car and control your home thermostat using SiriProxy as well, but this setup actually shows the power of having Siri used as a remote control for your TV.

We’ll have to wait until Apple ultimately releases their own television set with Siri control before we see something like this hit the masses, but in the meantime you can get your own setup going as long as you don’t mind a little bit of hackery.

Source: Todd Treece via iDB

FireCore has released a version 1.1 update for aTV Flash. If you’re a jailbroken Apple TV user, aTV Flash is definitely something you’ll want to check out. It adds a great deal of functionality to your AppleTV, and new features include custom view options, web page auto-load, playback improvements, and much more.

aTV Flash for the 2nd generation Apple TV is super easy to install after you’ve jailbroken and doesn’t mess with any of the current features your Apple TV already offers. If you’re not already jailbroken, you can jailbreak your AppleTV via Seas0nPass. You’ll just need the most recent version of Seas0nPass and a micro-usb cable. For help, you can check out our guide on how to jailbreak the AppleTV second generation. All the steps will remain the same as long as you grab the correct version of Seas0nPass for your AppleTV firmware.

If you’ve checked out the new version of aTV Flash, let us know what you think of it!

As we bust on into the holiday season it’s time to get jolly. As you you can see, we spruced up the place for the event and we’ve got plenty more lined up for you both here on the blogs and in the forums. That said; if you have some holiday app suggestions or if you’ve got your hands on some great holiday recipes, join us in the TiPb forums and let us know! You can register now for the forums!

• iPhone 4 Forum: Why is there no 4G on the iPhone?
• iPhone Ringtones and Wallpaper Forum: Holiday wallpapers, share yours!
• Cooking and Foodies Forum: Have a great holiday treat recipe? Share it
• Apple TV Forum Do I want one?

If you’re not already a member of the TiPb Forums, register now!

Have you been dreaming of a free iPhone 4S for the holidays? Wishing for an iPad 2 with your name on it? Hoping for iPod touches or Apple TVs for the whole house? Already saving for an iPad 3 in 2012?

Well you’re in luck! The TiPb Nation is by far the best community on the ‘net and we want to say thank you — and spread a little holiday cheer! — by giving you the iOS device of your dreams!

The Prize: A $600 Apple gift certificate to put towards the iOS device — or devices — of your dreams. An iPhone or iPad for you or your special someone, a couple of iPod touches for the kids, a handful of Apple TVs for the whole family — you could even save it for an iPad 3 when Apple releases it! — whatever you choose!

How to enter: Each week we’ll have a special thread in a different TiPb iOS device forum. Just leave one (1) reply in each thread telling us why you’d love to have that week’s device. You can enter once per week, each week, for a total of four (4) chances to enter over the course of the contest.

The giveaway starts now and the winner will be announced on the iPhone Live podcast on December 28, 2011.

So what are you waiting for? Enter already!

• TiPb iOS Dream Device Giveaway: Week 1 thread!

9to5Mac has found some code references in the recently released-to-developers iOS 5.1 beta for iPhone 5 (or whatever Apple ends up calling it), iPad 3, and Apple TV 3.

• The next iPhone is model number 5,1, representing another large internal upgrade, likely a next-generation Apple A6 system-on-a-chip. (iPhone 3G was 1,2, iPhone 4S was 4,1, so factor that into your tea-leaf reading about Apple’s 2012 naming conventions.

• iPad 3 has already been seen in model number 3,1 and 3,2 and now it’s joined by 3,3 and a 2,4 (perhaps a Sprint version) as well.

• Apple TV 3 is model number 3,1, code-named J33, and again the jump likely represents a processor upgrade, but in this case to the current Apple A5 SoC.

While everyone expects Apple to keep producing iOS devices into 2012, it’s still reassuring to see the signs pop up along the way. iPhone 5 could be seen summer/fall 2012, iPad 3 spring 2012, and Apple TV 3… well, that’s anyone’s guess at this point.

Source: 9to5Mac, x2, x3

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Etsy – @andrewwray

A lot of you are probably already familiar with Etsy, the online e-commerce website that focuses on buying and selling handmade and vintage items, and they’ve recently released a really great looking iPhone app to help you browse the service on the go. Etsy for iPhone lets you browse and purchase one of a kind accessory items and clothing directly from independent sellers.

As a buyer, you can browse by category and set your own filters to narrow down your search results (there are a lot of things on Etsy!) and check out your shopping cart right from within the app. As a seller, you have most of the Etsy merchant tools readily available whenever you need to access your listings or manage your business without having to jump onto your computer. It’s a great way to sell and shop! If you’re into vintage items, Etsy has always been one of the best places to shop, and they’ve just made it that much easier by making the service accessible anywhere you are — check it out!

[Free - App Store Link]

Type2Phone – @sethclifford

Since the very first time I jailbroke my iPhone 3G a million years ago, I’ve wanted a way to control it without taking it out of the dock. I’ve used Veency to run a VNC server on the phone and then screen share into it, but it’s really overkill for what I need, which is essentially just text entry. I can manage to hit the home button and swipe around a little just fine while the phone is docked, it’s the typing that becomes laborious if I’m answering a text message or if I want to quickly paste some text into a field.

Enter Type2Phone. I’m sure you can figure out what it does, but it’s actually fairly slick in how it does it. You use Bluetooth to pair your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with your Mac, and activate the app on the computer. Tap into a text field and start blasting away. You’re using your Mac’s BT connection in lieu of a BT keyboard, but it works in exactly the same way.

Aaaaand… that’s pretty much it. Which isn’t a bad thing, because I’m sure if you tried to bolt a bunch of other unnecessary stuff onto an app like this, somehow it would stop working. The only thing I’d like to see would be a way to actually hit say, the “Send” button from the keyboard. Just hitting enter drops you down a line, but a Cmd-Enter would be a fine way to get that done. Then you could basically slide to reply to a text, fire off a response and not touch your phone at all. I can also see someone perhaps wanting to keep an iPad on as a secondary display for something like Twitter, away from his/her main workspace really finding this functionality pretty useful.

And for everyone who’s thinking “Why don’t you just use Siri to answer your messages? DUH!”, well, when other people are on a conference call or working around me, I like to embrace basic social courtesies and respect their needs. Otherwise, yeah, you’re totally right. In the meantime, Type2Phone is a cool little utility that makes life at least a little easier. I’m all for that.

[$4.99 - Mac App Store link]

Beauty and the Beast: Storybook Deluxe – @chrisoldroyd

My little girl adores the Disney Movie Beauty and the Beast. Now that Disney has released this app, she has completely taken over ownership of my iPad 2. Beauty and the Beast: Storybook Deluxe is based on the Disney movie and includes games, movie clips, puzzles, coloring pages and even sing-along songs from the film.

The animation, as expected is superb and the whole app is really well put together. It tells the story in an interactive way and offers a read along mode or the story can be read out to you. This one should keep any little princess happy for quite some time!

[$6.99 – App Store link]

Word Tumble – @Alli_Flowers

A familiar theme, this word game is great on either iPad and iPhone. Find a word inside the box of letters. You can go forwards, backwards, up, down, or diagonally. The longer the word, the more points you get. So far, so similar to a dozen other games, right?

Here’s the catch. When you find a word, the letters disappear from the playing field, just like Bejeweled or Tetris.

There are several versions you can play, although the basic game play is the same. I like the one minute game. The one minute game can stretch out and last for quite some time, because the more you score, the more time you get back.

The only negative to this game is the background music, which is either on or off. I’d like to be able to lower it because it also lets you know when your time is running out. The music is less than great.

But the game is addictive! I even found a fun way to play with a partner, and maybe keep the game going extra long. My nephew and I play together – he finds words on the left side of the board, and I find them on the right. (Hooray for capacitive screens!)

[$0.99 - App Store link]

Instagram – @iMuggle

This week i’m going back to an app that I’ve used for quite a long time but just recently started “really using” again. I have always loved Instagram and the ease of which you can share pictures and add cool effects.

Ever since picking up my iPhone 4S I’ve been blown away by the quality of photos it produces considering it’s a phone. I’ve found myself snapping more pictures than ever. Instagram makes is easy to share them not only with my Instagram followers but all my followers and friends on Twitter and Facebook. If I just want to share something quickly, this is the app I choose 99.9% of the time.

[Free - App Store Link]

Instacast HD – @reneritchie

My grand take-away from the original iPad launch was that it was the iPhone gone IMAX, and experiencing Instacast HD shows that, more than 18 months later, that take-away still holds true. Here’s why: Instacast on iPhone is all about quickly getting, streaming, and/or caching your favorite podcasts so you can listen to them feet down on the go. Instacast HD on IPad is a different experience entirely. It’s feet up, at pause, relaxed and ready to enjoy.

If that type of usage pattern sounds like it favors video podcasts, you’re not wrong. Settling back in the recliner, a tasty beverage to the side, a soft light in the back, a light rain-turned-snow-turned-back-rain outside, in just a few taps I was watching Georgia kick off the last iPad Live. A few more and I was watching TED. A few more and Steve Jobs was walking out on stage to introduce the iPad 2.

The interface took a bit of getting used to. Global tools like add podcast, refresh, favorites, AirPlay, volume, and action live along the thin left edge. Album art for your shows lives beside it for easy scrolling and selection. Episode-specific controls like mark, favorite, download, action, and play/stream live at the top, while mark all, the scrubber, and the show list live at the bottom.

Show notes get the rest of the screen, with a built in web view to handle links. You can swipe the browser away to get back to show notes, and you can swipe horizontally between shows.

Video shows go full screen with controls top and bottom and there’s even an embedded brightness control so you can make it look just so.

The one big bit of friction I hope gets addresses in an update is, while in video mode, tapping the “exit full screen” button takes you back to show notes while leaving the audio playing, there’s no equal and opposite “go full screen button” to return to the video. I should be able to toggle back and forth without moving my finger or having to figure out I need to cross back to the play/stream button to get the video back. Also, while they deserve a lot of credit for jumping on iCloud sync quickly, it’s still early days and some glitches will hopefully be worked out, by by Apple and developers.

Overall, Instacast HD makes fantastic use of the bigger iPad screen. It’s all the podcasts I want, right where I want them.

[$4.99 - App Store link]

Real Racing 2 -@llofte

This Black Friday, I picked up an Apple TV (finally!) and Real Racing 2 on my iPhone and iPad. One of the really cool features about this combo is that with AirPlay, you can play multiplier on your TV with a split screen. Firemint calls this Party Play. All that’s required is to have an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 work as a host. My husband and I had a lot of fun racing against each other, last night, which is saying a lot because my husband typically hates anything related to Apple.

I will say that playing with the iPad is a little awkward because of how big it is. By the end of the race, it actually begins to a feel a little heavy.

If you have an Apple TV and an iPhone 4S or iPad 2, and do not have Real Racing 2 – what are you waiting for? It’s actually still on sale for Black Friday weekend, so now is the perfect time to pick it up!

[$2.99 for iPhone - App Store link] [$4.99 for iPad - App Store link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

If you took advantage of the big moderate sales on Apple iOS devices today to score yourself a brand new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV, you might have opened the box, powered up… and then wondered what the heck to do next? No problem! TiPb’s got you covered!

And if you already know what you’re doing, just save this link to send to family and friends so you can get off the tech support hook and get on with having fun. We’ll do the heavy lifting for you!

• iPhone and iPod touch new users guide
• Top 10 apps for new iPhone and iPod touch users
• iPad new users guide
• Top 10 apps for new iPad users
• Apple TV coverage

Also, don’t forget to jump into the TiPb Forums for expert help and the best conversation on the ‘net! And when you’re done, leave me a comment and let me know how you’re enjoying your new device!

The iPhone, iPad and  iPod touch are pretty much the perfect mobile gaming platform and chances are you might be shopping for someone who just loves their iOS gaming. So what to get them? Luckily, there are lots and lots of gifts for gamers to choose from! Here are a few of my favorites, both for the hottest hardware and greatest games!

Don’t need anything for a gamer? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, check out one of our other 2011 holiday gift guides!

iOS device gifts

Does you gamer in your life not have an iPhone, Pod touch or iPad yet? Not sure which one you should get? Not a problem! Start here:

• iOS device gift guide

Accessory gifts

If your gamer already has their device, there are some great accessories out there to help them take their gaming to another level.

iCade

The iCade is a magical gift for the retro gamer. The iCade arcade cabinet is an accessory for your iPad which turns it into a retro arcade machine complete with joystick, six buttons and a glowing coin slot.

More and more games are being released that work with the iCade; including the Atari’s Greatest Hits app. The iCade is designed to work with the iPad and iPad 2.

The iPad slots into the arcade cabinet and the controls are done over Bluetooth. Buying a gamer one of these should keep them happy not just over the holiday period but for the rest of their life too!

• Get iCade at ThinkGeek.com

Fling and Fling Mini

What if you are watching your favorite gamer and they are constantly struggling with their game and can’t achieve even the simplest tasks due to their finger and thumb fumblings on the shiny iPhone or iPad touchscreen? Fear not, there is a solution for that too, Ten One Design have come up with a well designed joystick for the iPad and a mini version for the iPhone and iPod touch too. Called the “Fling”, it sticks to your screen with some small suction cups and claims to offer a console type gaming experience.

As you control a game with Fling, it pushes gently back towards the center position.  This haptic feedback guides and stabilizes your gameplay, making every action more accurate. Any gamer would love to get their hands on one of these, me included!

• Get Fling and Fling mini at Amazon.com

mophie juice pack plus

It is pointless having the latest games and accessories for your iPhone if the battery on your device is not up to the task. Thankfully we have just the thing to buy for the gamer to keep their iPhone fully charged and ready to play.

The mophie juice pack is a hard shell case which fits the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Built into the case is a 2000 mAh capacity battery. mophie claims that the juice pack plus will double your iPhone’s battery life which gives you double the time to play your favorite games.

The mophie juice pack is the ideal gift for the iPhone gamer, it not only protects your iPhone but also doubles its battery life, a perfect gaming combination!

• Get mophie juice pack plus on store.tipb.com

Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

It’s a classic story, they love to game, you’d dearly love some peace and quiet. Luckily, there’s a gift that can keep on giving to the both of you — stereo headphones! They get deep base and immersive sound, and the freedom of a cable-free experience, and you get blissful, well deserved silence.

While there are a ton of headphones to choose from, wire and unwired alike, the MOTOROKR looks and sounds great, and has just a touch of that futuristic feel to it.

• Get the Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones on store.tipb.com

App gifts

What better gift for a gamer than more great games to play? The App Store is chock full of them, and iTunes allows you to gift them straight to your special gamer. (If you’re not sure how, here’s quick guide to gifting apps)

First person shooter (FPS) games: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is the ultimate First Person Shooter for the iOS platform. If you want to treat the gamer in your life with a great game then this may be the one to go for. You can play a solo mission with over 13 different levels each with fantastic graphics and enemy AI.

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation also offers a highly polished online multiplayer game experience. You can battle up to twelve players in six maps with seven different modes of play. A word of warning, you can accelerate your gaming abilities in this game via in app purchase of weapons and health kits; some find this an unfair advantage!

It is also a universal binary so this particular game will look stunning on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• $6.99 – App Store link

Also check out:

• Dead Space is a gorgeous, terrifying shooter set in the depth of space. $6.99 – App Store link
• N.O.V.A. 2 is the closest thing to HALO on the iPhone. $6.99 – App Store link
• RAGE HD comes from John Carmack and while it’s on rails, it’s also off the hook. $1.99 – App Store link
• Call of Duty: Zombies is all the undead you can empty a clip at. $4.99 App Store link

Arcade games: Real Racing 2

If the gamer on your gift hit list is into driving games then they don’t get any better than Firemint’s Real Racing 2. Real Racing 2 lets you take the wheel of 30 officially licensed cars and each has its own characteristics too. You can race against 16 other cars all at the same time.

Real Racing 2 also offers 15 locations to race in with over 40 miles of highly detailed race tracks, speedways and city center circuits. You can also choose to race in the daytime, twilight hours or evening.

If you are lucky enough to own an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 and an Apple TV (Black) you can even play wirelessly on your HDTV. Friends can join in too with split screen multiplayer and Party Play.

• $9.99 – App Store link

Also check out:

• Infinity Blade brings the Epic Unreal 3 engine to iOS. ‘Nuff said. $2.99 – App Store link]
• Street Fighter IV Volt puts the classic fighter in the palm of your hands. $0.99 – App Store link
• Extraction: Project Outbreak is a fresh take on the top-down 3D shooter. $0.99 – App Store Link
• Atari’s Greatest Hits brings the oldest of old school to your brand new advice. Free – App Store link

Casual Games: Amazing Breaker

Amazing Breaker is a game for the more casual gamer. It involves ice sculptures; you remember them, popular at high class parties but nowhere else. Anyway, the aim of the game is to destroy the ice sculptures with bombs, and try not to leave any shards of ice behind.

Amazing Breaker is a highly addictive puzzle game with over 80 levels to keep you busy. Designed for the Retina display, it offers high resolution graphics, easy to learn game play and Game Center achievements. The bombs you use to destroy the ice sculptures come in many different flavors too with Spike Bombs, Ghost Bombs, Helicopter Bombs and even Split Bombs. The game is a lot of fun and once you start it, you will struggle to put it down. A great gift for the gamer in your life!

• $0.99 – App Store link]

Also check out:

• Catan is a great version of a great strategy game. $4.99 – App Store link
• Words with Friends isn’t Scrabble but it is an all out, all online spelling war. $0.99 – App Store link
• Carcassone is a beautiful rendition of the medieval strategy game. $9.99 – App Store link
• Poker by Zynga let’s you get your Texus Hold’em on your iPhone. Free – App Store link

More great games for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Every day, TiPb covers the best new games and best new game updates, so if you’re looking for more great game gift ideas, check out our gaming section! Likewise, the iTunes App Store has a games section with lots of great choices.

• TiPb Games
• iTunes App Store games

And if you’re still not sure what to get, consider an iTunes Gift Card, that way the special gamer in your life can pick their very own gift!

• Get iTunes Gift Cards

Your picks?

Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad gamer, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!

The biggest gift of the year, as far as TiPb is concerned, is a brand new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV. But with so many iOS devices on the wish list this year, how do you know which one to get and for whom? Well sit back, relax, and let us do the heavy gift lifting for you this year — with our 2011 holiday guides!

And hey — if you already have all the iOS devices you need, no worries! We have a full slate of 2011 gift guides coming your way!

iPhone

The iPhone was the first and in many ways remains Apple’s flagship iOS device. It’s highly portable, always connected, has the best design, fit and finish in the business, and the largest app and game catalog on the planet. It manages to be both easy to use and accessible to first time smartphone users and powerful and productive for power users alike.

The iPhone 4S has a dual-core processor, making it the fastest iPhone ever, along with a startlingly good looking 960×640 Retina display that looks more like paper than pixels. It’s 8mp camera and 1080p video camera are good enough to be on a point-and-shoot, and it includes Siri, the world’s first intelligent assistant that keeps track of your appointments, reminds you of your tasks, sends you mail and messages, and does a host of other tasks with charm and wit straight out of a Pixar cartoon.

It does require a carrier contract with a voice and data plan, however, which isn’t insignificant, and if you’re not buying with a subsidy, the initial price can be quite high. Apple also only makes one kind of iPhone, so anyone looking for a bigger screen, a keyboard, or anything other than an iPhone needs to look elsewhere.

iPhone 4S comes in black or white, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, and is available on AT&T and GSM carriers, as well as Verizon and Sprint in the US. While the iPhone itself is the same, they’re typically locked to a specific carrier and can’t be switched between them. Apple has also kept last year’s iPhone 4, and the 2009 iPhone 3GS around at reduced prices. If saving money up front is important, check them out as well.

• Full iPhone 4S review
• iPhone 4S buyers guide
• Get an iPhone 4S from Apple, local carriers, and electronics stores

iPod touch

The iPod touch might seem like an iPhone without the phone, and there’s a lot of truth to that. You can get 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage options, just like the iPhone, and now you can get it in black or white, just like the iPhone as well. It can run the same apps and games as the iPhone, including the built in ones like Mail and Safari, read the same eBooks, show the same TV, movies, and videos, and play the same music.

But that “without the phone” part is important. It’s significantly cheaper — don’t look at the iPhones subsidizes carrier price, count in the 2 years of voice and data plan and it can be a couple thousand dollars cheaper. It does use slightly lower end parts to keep the price tag low, like a screen that’s still a 960×480 Retina display, but doesn’t have the same fancy inter-plane switching (IPS) technology built in. But it’s also thinner. Almost impossibly thinner.

The iPod touch is perfect for people who want access to the App Store and iTunes Store, and all the great content that comes with it, as well as apps for everything from Netflix to Kindle, but don’t want or need a phone and phone contract. That includes kids (Nintendo and Sony are hurting for a reason), people who already have a phone but want an iOS device, and people who want a light, highly portable, multifunction device for the living room, travel, etc.

• Full iPod touch review
• Get an iPod touch on Amazon.com

Alternatives: Amazon Kindle

iPad

When Apple introduced the iPad, some people knocked it saying it was “just a big iPhone” — turns out that’s exactly what it was and why it’s been so successful. While it does pretty much everything an iPod touch can do — or an iPhone except for the phone part — and runs all iPhone apps, it also runs tens of thousands of iPad specific apps, custom built for the bigger, more expansive 9.7-inch screen.

For email, web browsing, eBook reading, and gaming it can be a much easier, more immersive experience, though the size makes it better suited to feet-up, at rest use rather than feet-down, on the go use. The size also makes it heavier than an iPod touch, and you can’t just throw it in a pocket and be on your way.

But oh, when you’re sitting down. Everything from curling up with a great movie to controlling your server over remote desktop from poolside to playing a first person shooter on the plane to building a presentation at the coffee shop, it’s a fully mainstream computer appliance in your lap.

Just like the iPhone and iPod touch, it comes in black and white, in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. Unlike the iPod touch, in addition to the Wi-Fi version, there’s also a 3G-enabled model that works on either AT&T and international GSM carriers, and a CDMA version on Verizon.

For people new to computers, for kids or seniors more comfortable with the bigger screen, for those who need more than a small mobile screen but nothing as complex as a laptop, the iPad is an excellent choice.

• Full iPad 2 review
• iPad buyers guide
• Get an iPad on Amazon.com

iPod nano

Although the iPod nano looks like an iOS device — especially with the 2011 software update — it doesn’t really run iOS and can’t run App Store apps and games. It can play iTunes music, however, as well as FM radio and several other handy, ultra-portable things like a pedometer.

It’s not as expensive as a full iOS device, however, and clips easily to your clothes to take with you on everything from a walk to a workout at the gym. It can also be worn as a watch, thanks to a variety of accessory makers, and Apple has recently added a bunch of great new clock faces for just that, including Micky Mouse!

• Full iPod nano review
• Get an iPod nano on Amazon

Apple TV

Apple TV is perfect for anyone who has a large iTunes library, and/or an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and wants an easy way to get all their TV, movies, music, and even apps and games onto their big screen HDTV. You can easily stream anything from iTunes and most everything from your iOS devices to an Apple TV over Wi-Fi. Start watching a show or playing a game on your iPhone, come home, hit the AirPlay button and keep watching or playing right on your television. It really is just that easy.

Even if you don’t have iTunes or an iOS device, Apple TV is an incredibly simple way to watch YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, and iTunes rentals on your television.

• Full Apple TV review
• Get an Apple TV on Amazon.com

Alternatives: Roku Player, Boxee Box

Apple has just released software update 4.4.3 for the Apple TV 2. The update carries a new build number (9A4051) following the last update that hit in October.

Details of the update include added support for Netflix in Mexico as well as addressing an audio problem when playing sound through the optical port when your television set is turned off. The Apple TV Software Update 4.4.3 is available now through the ‘Update Software’ option under General Settings.

(And yes, they’re still confusingly referring to iOS Software 5.x as Apple TV version 4.x — can we stop that please?)

Firecore has announced that its aTV Flash (black) software for jailbroken second gen Apple TV’s has finally come out of beta and is now at version 1.0. aTV Flash adds a whole host of additional features to your Apple TV such as a media player that can handle loads of different video formats, a WebKit web browser, Last.fm radio, Weather and RSS feeds.

• The new Media Player included in aTV Flash (black) empowers you to go beyond iTunes and play most popular media formats. This includes formats such as: AVI, FLAC, ISO, M2TS, MKV, MP3, MP4, MPEG, MPG, VOB, WMV and many others.
• Cover art and metadata are downloaded automatically and added to your files with an end result of amazing! If you’ve already taken the time to add your own metadata you can you can use that too.
• Surf the web with a native web browser that provides a rich web experience on the AppleTV. Included is support for things like HTML5 music and video streaming as well as easy to use bookmarks and history. Navigating the web is easily done with the included AppleTV remote or the free Remote app for the iPhone and iPad.
• Go beyond just listening to music and start truly experiencing it by utilizing the full power of Last.fm. While streaming Last.fm radio (or playing your own music) you’ll have access to artist bios, and a seemingly endless amount of artist photos.
• Get quick access to weather and RSS news feeds. Your current weather location will be detected automatically, and other locations can be easily added as well.

Source: Firecore

aTV Flash (black) Demo from FireCore, LLC on Vimeo.

Some major retailers seem to be selling the Apple TV 2 at a discount, leading 9to5Mac and TechCrunch to speculate a new model may be incoming and soon.

It’s also being tagged as the 2010 Apple TV, leading to further speculation a 2011 model is nigh, though I think the Apple TV 2 has been referred to as Apple TV (2010) almost from launch to differentiate it from the original, non-iOS model.

If there is a new Apple TV in the works, here’s hoping it gets an Apple A5 chipset for easy 1080p handling. (And no, there’s no expectation of Siri so let’s not anyone start going pre-emptively nuts, okay?)

Either way, if you want a cheap(er) gift for the holidays, head on over and grab an $89 Apple TV 2 on Amazon while you can.

Source: 9to5Mac, TechCrunch

While the big news yesterday was Adobe putting a bullet in the head of Flash Player for mobile, Ryan Lawler over a *GigaOm” noted a similar end for Flash for TV.

Adobe will continue to support existing licensees who are planning on supporting Flash Player for web browsing on digital home devices and are using the Flash Player Porting Kit to do so. However we believe the right approach to deliver content on televisions is through applications, not a web browsing experience, and we will continue to encourage the device and content publishing community down that path.

Apple TV, of course, never supported Flash Player, instead creating apps for YouTube, and a long while later, Vimeo and other web-based video sites. Google, however, decided to go all in with Flash — effectively turning their backs on a tradition of open, standards based web support — just to have a checkbox they thought would hurt Apple and help their ODM‘s compete.

Hopefully now, with all giant ships pointing in the same HTML 5 direction, users on all major platforms will get better technology, faster.

Source GigaOm

Speaking on his company’s earnings call, CBS CEO Les Moonves said that CBS had turned down the Apple TV as a platform for its content. The revelation was revealed in response to a question about CBS’s appetite toward striking deals with new streaming providers that may not have the cash to pay up front for its content. Moonves claimed that CBS had turned down Apple and its Apple TV platform because the offer was based on an ad split revenue source.

This seems to confirm rumors that Apple is trying to secure some sort of Apple TV subscription service however it looks like it is going to be much harder than Apple had hoped. Apple has been slowly adding additional media content to the Apple TV platform; the recent iOS 5 update brought Wall Street Journal Live and NHL content. Hulu Plus is also rumored to be ready to go on the Apple TV but political reasons are cited as holding it back from launch.

Source: Gigaom

Following up on the beta release of iOS 5.0.1 for developers, Apple has also released iTunes 10.5.1 beta 2, replacing the now timed-out iTunes 10.5.1 beta 1 and allowing for continued testing of iTunes Match.

The Loop‘s Jim Dalrymple also noticed iTunes Match is now up and running on Apple TV.

While Apple missed their previously stated goal of releasing iTunes Match in September, but since it’s still in beta, it looks like they’d rather take the time to get it right, rather than just right now.

Source: developer.apple.com, The Loop

Apple already has a Hulu Plus app up and running on Apple TV but may be delaying its launch due to concerns it will compete with iTunes TV Show sales, according to 9to5Mac. Their sources claim the Hulu Plus for Apple TV is now feature complete and ready for release, and has supposedly been ready for release for over a month. The reason for the hold is thought to be political and not related to any technical issues.

While Apple TV 2 has had Netflix since launch, their content is mainly older, catalog shows, not the new releases that are more profitable for iTunes.

Hulu Plus is already available on iOS, and in HD on a few other set top boxes such as the Roku and the Western Digital TV Live. It would make so much sense to have it available on the Apple TV too.

Source: 9to5Mac

FireCore has updated its aTV Flash (Black) software to RC1, which adds a number of new features including a new grid view browsing mode, subtitle related improvements and most importantly, a huge list of performance and playback related improvements.

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black) on your Jailbroken Apple TV, the new RC1 version can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu on your Apple TV. If you want to run it, you will need to jailbreak your Apple TV first. Luckily FireCore also released an upated version of its Seas0nPass Apple TV (Black) jailbreak which now supports fimware versions 4.4, 4.41and 4.4.2. So you are all set.

If you get stuck and need any help, don’t forget you can always visit our Apple TV forum!

Source: FireCore

Seas0nPass has been updated and it now supports a tethered jailbreak of the latest Apple TV iOS 5 software versions 4.4, 4.41 and 4.42. Unfortunately the jailbreak is a tethered solution which means if you have to reboot your Apple TV it will need to be connected to iTunes before you can use it again. Not that much of a deal for the Apple TV as reboots should be few and far between.

If you have been holding off for a jailbreak before updating your Apple TV, it may be a good time to do it. You are missing out on some great new features like AirPlay Mirroring, Photo Stream, Trailers, National Hockey League and Wall Street Journal Live.

If you do decide to update and jailbreak a word of warning, if you use Plex or Rowmote these plugins are not working with iOS 5. Also XMBC will only work if you use the nightly builds.

Source: Firecore

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV, this one is numbered 4.4.2.  It appears that Apple has been having some strange problems with recent Apple TV updates with widespread reports of devices having to be restored using iTunes after the 4.4 and 4.4.1 updates. If you are already running version 4.4 or 4.4.1, Apple wants you to perform a system reset before updating to this latest version.

Apple TV devices with software version 4.4 and 4.4.1 have an issue with updating software to later versions. The recommended way to resolve this is go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings, prior to updating. Note: If you apply the software update without resetting all settings first, the updater will reset the settings for you.

Source: Apple

Now that we have the iPhone and iPad, the next great unicorn to chase seems to be an Apple television. Not the Apple TV set top box, mind you, but a full on elegant glass and aluminium object de panel art from Jony Ive and co. Something to hang on our wall and banish cables and crummy cable boxes from our living rooms once and for all.

When last we got analyst-fueled Apple television rumors, it turned out to be the 27-inch iMac. This time, however, we have a nebulous passage from the just-released Steve Jobs biography to properly set the chase in motion:

“He very much wanted to do for television sets what he had done for computers, music players, and phones: make them simple and elegant. I’d like to create an integrated television set that is completely easy to use,’ he told me. ‘It would be seamlessly synced with all of your devices and with iCloud.’ No longer would users have to fiddle with complex remotes for DVD players and cable channels. ‘It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it.”

Interface is only one of the things Apple will have to crack, however. Content is called king for a reason. A gorgeously designed, cunningly coded TV set only goes so far if you can’t get your sports, your specialty channels and special events, and everything else cable and satellite currently has an locked up in their oligopoly.

Bloomberg, however, has added another face to the chase:

Apple Inc. (AAPL) is turning to the software engineer who built iTunes to help lead its development of a television set, according to three people with knowledge of the project. Jeff Robbin, who helped create the iPod in addition to the iTunes media store, is now guiding Apple’s internal development of the new TV effort, said the people, who declined to be identified because his role isn’t public.

Now don’t get me wrong — from 2007 to 2010 I went from a Treo 650 to an iPhone 4S yet my TV has pretty much the same crappy Scientific Atlanta PVR. If any dinosaur of an industry needs to get hit by the Apple meteorite and turned into the fossil fuel of the future, it’s television. The idea of an Apple engineered and programmed television is enticing — though my wallet threatens to punch me in the nose at the mere thought of lining up every year for that multi-thousand dollar product launch. It’s just trickier to see what an Apple television would be to a current Sony or Samsung set, as opposed to what an iPhone was to Treo or iPad to Tablet PC. It’s tricky to see what it would do that an Apple TV box couldn’t, aside from being neater and tidier.

Of course Apple probably has all sorts of products in the lab. Their success, however, has come from not shipping something until they knew how to go to market with it. The Apple TV is called a hobby for a reason, and at $100 it can easily afford to be. iPhone took Apple years to bring to market, after all. iPad years more. Conceivably Apple could pull the trigger on a television as soon as 2012, but until Tim Cook and co. show it off on stage, just like chasing unicorns, it’s just flights of fun and fancy.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple has released another update for the Apple TV which takes it from version 4.4 to version 4.4.1. The update claims to fix issues with a small number of Apple TV units that needed to be connected a computer running iTunes after last week’siOS 5 update.

Addresses an issue that required a small number of Apple TV units to be connected to iTunes in order to complete the update.

A word of warning before you update, there are widespread reports that this update is causing more connect to iTunes issues than the original update. It may be wise to hold off updating until more information is available.

UPDATE: One of TiPb’s Apple TV, which we didn’t try to update until last night, ran both 4.4 and then 4.4.1 without success, still resulting in the image you see up top. We’re trying again and we’ll keep you posted.

Source: Apple Support

Wondering how to turn use AirPlay Mirroring on your new iPhone 4S or iPad 2? Air Play Mirroring is one of the great features of  iOS 5 and enables you to mirror your screen on your second generation Apple TV. Here’s how to get it started.

First off we need to make sure AirPlay is enabled on the Apple TV

• Go into Settings
• AirPlay
• Turn on AirPlay

• Make sure it is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the Apple TV
• Double Click the Home Button
• Swipe twice from left to right in the fast app switching task bar
• Click on the AirPlay icon which looks like a rectangle with an arrow pointing up
• Select your Apple TV and turn the toggle switch on for Mirroring

Enjoy this awesome new feature!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Want to use your Apple TV 2 with fancy new iOS 5 features like Photo Stream and AirPlay Mirroring? Well go navigate over to Software Update and start your download because it’s available now.

Other new features include (at least in Canada):

• NHL Hockey
• Wall Street Journal

To find out more about these features, and to get help:

• Complete iOS 5 feature walkthrough
• iOS 5 help forum
• Apple TV help forum

Mark Gurman from 9to5Mac has spotted something interesting deep inside the iOS 5 file system — code references to a next generation Apple TV 3,1. Given Apple’s internal naming conventions, a move the current Apple TV 2,1 to an Apple TV 3,1 should signify a major upgrade, which could lend credence to rumors of a Apple A5 on the horizon, and perhaps even the 1080p video muscle that comes with it.

Another A5-powered, iPhone 4S feature that would be great to see? Siri, Apple’s artificially intelligent voice control system.

Source: 9to5Mac

Reed Hastings, the co-founder and CEO of Netflix has put up a video and blog post this morning apologizing to customers for the way their recent plan changes and increases were handled, and announcing that while streaming services will retain the Netflix name, the DVD (and now video game) mailer service will be spun off as Qwikster. Phew. This only really matters to US customers, and to those who in addition to streaming on iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, and iPod touch also have DVD mailer plans, but it’s an interesting case study in corporate communications none-the-less.

For the past five years, my greatest fear at Netflix has been that we wouldn’t make the leap from success in DVDs to success in streaming. Most companies that are great at something – like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores – do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us) because they are afraid to hurt their initial business. Eventually these companies realize their error of not focusing enough on the new thing, and then the company fights desperately and hopelessly to recover. Companies rarely die from moving too fast, and they frequently die from moving too slowly.

Commendable fearlessness. Apple has often said that if anyone cannibalizes their business, it’s going to be Apple themselves, and it’s good to see other companies take those types of risks.

So we realized that streaming and DVD by mail are becoming two quite different businesses, with very different cost structures, different benefits that need to be marketed differently, and we need to let each grow and operate independently. It’s hard for me to write this after over 10 years of mailing DVDs with pride, but we think it is necessary and best: In a few weeks, we will rename our DVD by mail service to “Qwikster”.

It’s going to be a different website — you’ll have to go to netflix.com for your streaming and qwikster.com for your discs — and different entries on your credit card statement. Hastings assures everyone, however, that the price hikes are done and the characteristic red envelopes will remain the same. However, for customers of both services, it could mean twice the overhead in managing those services, and a dilution of what Netflix means to them. (Twice as much is often half as strong.)

I want to acknowledge and thank our many members that stuck with us, and to apologize again to those members, both current and former, who felt we treated them thoughtlessly.

Check the video above and full post via the link below and let us know how you think he did, and whether you’ll be sticking with Netflix — and Qwikster — going forward.

[Netflix

It seems like September 1 not only saw Netflix‘s new, controversial price plans go into effect, but it also saw them begin to enforce their “one movie stream at a time” policy, which means you can no longer have one video going on your iPhone and another on your iPad or Apple TV. Stop the Cap! breaks down your choices moving forward.

1. Pay considerably more for a combo disc-rental/streaming plan which unlocks a corresponding number of concurrent streams. If you want two concurrent video streams, you will need to pay $19.98 a month, which also allows you two mailed DVD’s out at a time. Three streams (and DVD’s) runs $23.98, four: $29.98;
2. Sign up for a second Unlimited Streaming account at an additional $7.99 a month;
3. Forget about Netflix.

People don’t mind paying a fair price for a fair service, but they general don’t like feeling nickel and dimed. If the streams are all going to the same IP address, it seems excessive (or it seems like it’s lacking a simple option to have a multi-stream account.) Anything that results in user frustration isn’t good, not for us and not for Netflix.

Which way are you leaning?

UPDATE: Engadget says it might just be a glitch.

According to spokesman Steve Swasey, the policy is still the same and no Netflix member is limited to less than two streams at once. The messages people are seeing indicating otherwise? An “error” the company is correcting.

[Stop the Cap! via Mashable, Engadget. Thanks excaliburca!]

FireCore has announced a major update to its aTV Flash (black) software that runs on jailbroken second generation Apple TV’s. The update (beta 7) now includes music playback, cloud backup and even Last.fm powered artist slideshows.

• A new music player has been built into Media Player, which allows you to stream most music file types from a Mac, PC or NAS drive without using iTunes. During playback, album art, track info, and artist images will automatically be downloaded from Last.fm. Artist images are used in slideshows that can be viewed while music is playing in the background. Support for folder playlists is also included.

• New cloud backup feature that provides a way to easily backup all your 3rd party (FireCore, XBMC, Plex, etc…) settings and data to the cloud. Once backed up, a list of your previously saved backups will be available allowing you to to easily restore one of them if needed. Backups are stored securely in the cloud and will remain linked to the AppleTV’s serial number – this means they will always be available even if you update or restore your AppleTV.

• Media Player now features three distinct options for viewing different types of metadata. The the left (<<) and right (>>) buttons can be used to cycle through the views when browsing through your media.

Does anyone still jailbreak their Apple TV? What is the main reason you do it?

[FireCore]

Netflix couldn’t come to a deal to keep Starz content on their service, so they’ll be losing it next February, but it turns out Starz wanted more than just Netflix’s money to stay — they wanted more of our money too:

Netflix offered Starz more than $300 million per year to renew their agreement, but the pay cable channel was insistent on so-called tiered pricing, according to people close to the negotiations but not authorized to speak on the record. Tiered pricing would require Netflix subscribers who want movies and television shows from Starz and other premium providers to pay more than the standard $8 per month.

Basically, they wanted Netflix to become as expensive as cable so we, the customers are discouraged from leaving cable and living off digital antennas and services like Netflix.

That’s nice for Starz, but do you want to pay more for Netflix to keep The Karate Kid on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV?

[LA Times]

What’s the next iOS device you plan on buying? I’m guessing a lot of the TiPb Nation is waiting for the iPhone 5, but is anyone going to skip it and hold out for the iPhone 6? Maybe you hope that Apple discounts the existing iPhone 4 like usual, or puts out a budget iPhone nano instead?

The iPad 3 sounds like it’s not coming this fall after all, but are you planning to get it shows up this spring? Or does a new iPod touch 5 fit your needs better?

What if Apple finally makes a real iOS powered iPod nano, one that works amazingly well as a watch and shows all your notifications? Anyone else besides me really want one? And if they finally let Apple TV go a full 1080p, would that be on your shopping list?

Let me know what you plan on buying in the poll below, and give me the reasons why — or better yet, why not! — in the comments below!

Apple has just released iOS 5 beta 6 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV to developers, along with iTunes 10.5 beta 6, and Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 6.

As with the previous 2 iOS 5 betas, this one is available over the air (OTA) via Software Update in Settings.

No word yet on changes, so let us know if you see anything interesting and jump on over to our iOS 5 Forum for more!

CNET drops a big bottle of killjoy juice on recent rumors that Apple might just be ready to rollout their fabled iTunes Replay service — the ability to re-download and stream content to iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV and iTunes on Windows and Mac from the iCloud — or a Netflix-like subscription service.

While Apple has music and now TV available for re-download, at least in the US, apparently they’ve only got agreements with 4 of the 6 big studios needed to add movies to the mix.

One reason is the HBO window. During specific periods of time–often referred to in the film industry as windows–HBO owns the exclusive electronic distribution rights of films from three of the six top films studios: 20th Century Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros. Any retailer that wishes to sell physical DVDs from these studios during HBO’s window is totally unrestricted. But online retailers are legally prevented from delivering movie downloads from the three HBO-restricted studios during HBO’s window and they also can’t stream titles from those studios. This means that right now iTunes can’t stream a movie to a customer during the HBO window that the customer may have purchased outside of the window.

Broadcast windows are also the reason movies and TV Shows sometimes disappear and reappear from iTunes, Netflix, etc. But the bottom line seems to be, at least for now, that iTunes movie re-downloading, streaming, and subscription services are still a long way off.

[CNET]

Apple had finally released iOS 4.3 for Apple TV 2, adding the ability to stream purchased shows via iCloud (I’m betting this is US only?) and watch Vimeo video. As noted by Apple:

• iTunes TV Shows: Purchase your favorite TV shows directly from the iTunes Store, and watch the shows you already own, commercial-free in HD.
• Vimeo: Browse and play videos from Vimeo, access your video inbox, and mark videos you want to watch later.

(Developing…)

Apple has once again pulled a Friday trigger on an iOS beta, this time iOS 5 beta 4 for iPod touch, iPad, iPhone, and Apple TV, as well as iTunes 10.5 beta 5 for Mac and Xcode 4.2 DP 4.

If you’re a registered, paid developer head on over and grab it all now. If you spot anything new and noteworthy, let us know in comments, and discuss away in our iOS 5 forum.

UPDATE: We’re getting a bunch of reports that iOS 4 beta 4 is showing up as an OTA update. We tried it and it errors out for us but let us know if you have any luck.

[developer.apple.com]

If you’re in the US and you subscribe to Netflix, we’d like to know how you feel about the new pricing they announced yesterday? If you’re only into streaming, not much has changed. If you want unlimited DVDs as well, however, you need to cough up an extra $6 a month.

Maybe DVDs are a relic to you, or a bag of hurt, and you haven’t watched optical media in years. Hey, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV don’t support them anyway! Maybe, however, since Hollywood still can’t get their digital release act together, they’re a beloved part of your home theater experience.

Or maybe it’s not about whether or not you watch or want DVDs, but about how Netflix is treating you as a customer that matters? No doubt shipping all those envelopes around the country is getting more and more expensive, but are you perceiving increased value for the increased costs on your end? Or do you feel like you’re being weened off the old era before the new one is really ready to replace it?

Are you peeved enough to take your streaming elsewhere? To get your DVDs from a competitor? Or are you going off DVDs altogether?

Vote up top, and let us know how you really feel — and what you think Netflix should do about it — in the comments.

Have a Netflix subscription you enjoy for DVDs and iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV streaming? Well they’ve just announced they’re splitting your physical media from your online content, and changing the pricing on you as well. The new DVD-only plans start at $7.99 for 1 DVD at a time. Unlimited streaming remains $7.99 but if you want both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming, it’ll cost you $15.98 ($7.99 for each, no combo discount).

New members get the new pricing immediately, existing members get it September 1.

“Netflix members love watching instantly, but we’ve come to recognize there is still a very large continuing demand for DVDs by mail,” said Andy Rendich, Netflix Chief Service and Operations Officer. “By better reflecting the underlying costs and offering our lowest prices ever for unlimited DVD, we hope to provide a great value to our current and future DVD-by-mail members.”

I’m guessing there won’t be a lot of happy Netflix users following this announcement. Could be worse though, perpetually myopic Hollywood could force them to raise the prices for streaming — or simply deny Netflix more content — in the future.

Which plan will you be getting?

[Netflix PDF]

9to5 Mac has uncovered an interesting feature of iOS 5 beta 3 for the Apple TV. The previously unused Bluetooth chip appears to have been activated. It looks like Bluetooth support is aimed at integrating a keyboard into your setup, rather than anything more exciting. The new Bluetooth feature can be found in the normal settings menu, enabling you to pair a keyboard with the usual passcode setup process.

So what could this mean for the future of the Apple TV? Well at the very least we could see the Safari web browser making an appearance. Thinking a bit further outside the box and it all becomes a little more interesting. How about game controllers, similar to the iControlPad that we saw earlier today. Of course you would then need to be able to install apps and games on your Apple TV… See where we are going here?

Apps have always been strongly rumored to form part of the Apple TV’s future. Maybe we will have to wait for the next update of the Apple TV hardware for them to appear. The wait shouldn’t be too long as its already strongly rumored to be updated in the fall with 1080p playback and the dual core A5 processor. Either way this could be a very exciting development. Of course, we must remember that features disappear from beta software all the time, but let’s enjoy the possibility just for a moment!

[9to5 Mac]

Apple has just released iOS 5 beta 3 (9A5259f) for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV, along with iTunes 10.5 beta 3 for Mac, and Xcode 4.3 Preview 3 for developers.

While in previous years Apple had stuck fairly closely to an every-second-Tuesday beta release schedule, iOS 5 beta 2 hit on a Friday just over two weeks after beta 1, and now beta 3 is on a Monday just under 2 weeks after beta 2. On average, the pacing remains similar, however, and Apple has previously said the release version would come this fall. (Likely September/October to coincide with iPhone 5 and perhaps other new devices.)

Interestingly, they’re once again doing a traditional, tethered release. No signs of them testing the bit-differential/delta file update system yet.

If you’re a paid, registered developer with Apple, go get it. What if any changes have been made in iOS 5… we’ll have to wait and see. As always, we have comments below and a special iOS 5 Forum for your discussion pleasure.

(Reminder: if you’re not a paid developer, stay away. Buying slots can get you scammed, and running beta software on your main device can leave you stranded. Wait for fall.)

[developer.apple.com]

Previous years have seen Apple’s annual fall music event showcase iTunes and iPod in decreasingly spectacular fashion, last year’s exceptions being the iPod touch 4 with cameras and the all new, all iOS-powered Apple TV. This year could be very different, with the possibility of Apple introducing up to 5 new iOS devices to the family at roughly the same time. It would be unprecedented, but so was no new iPhone back at WWDC 2011 in June.

1. iPod touch 5

If anything would usually be considered a safe for the fall music event, it would be a next generation iPod touch. For the last four years, Apple has introduced a stripped down, non-3G version of the same year’s iPhone wrapped in iPod touch clothes. So this year we’d expect an iPod touch 5 with an Apple A5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) and enhanced cameras. (Along with fierce demands for 128GB option to finally retire the iPod classic, of course.) Since WWDC 2011 came and went with no new hardware, however, and we don’t have a new iPhone 5 to base a new iPod touch 5 on, that challenges all preconceptions.

A new iPod touch definitely makes sense for the lucrative holiday season, but with so much else on their plate, it could end up being massively over-shadowed at best.

2. Apple TV 3

Last year’s iOS and Apple A4-powered reboot of the Apple TV in a rental, streaming model at the low price point of $99 turned their previous set top box strategy on its head. An Apple TV 3 (or whatever a 2nd generation of the 2nd generation Apple TV would be called) is certainly a possibility for this fall, especially if the new Apple A5 chip could boost it to a true 1080p powerhouse. Would Apple have 1080p streaming content in place to support it? Would any other new technology, like AirPlay mirroring in iOS 5 make more horsepower make more sense? Quite possibly. There’s every indication this is Apple’s “hobby” entry into the living room app and console gaming market and they’re going to want to hit it hard before competitors catch up. Again, it feels like a safe bet but one Apple could just as easily hold off on for another cycle.

3. iPhone 5

Unlike the last 4 years Apple didn’t introduce a new iPhone back at June’s WWDC 2011 so it feels like we’re overripe for one. The general assumption — and a lot of rumors — indicate this fall we’ll finally see it. Whether the delay was due to Verizon contacts, iOS 5 delays, or hardware production lead times, Apple probably needs to get a refresh out the door just to keep up with competitive pressure from Google, expired iPhone 3GS contracts on AT&T and other contracts, and the increasingly fashion-concious mobile market. Thinner, lighter, faster, these aren’t the things Apple’s TV commercials tell us matter most, but they’re probably the things that will change the most for iPhone 5. The dual-core, ARM Cortex A9-powered Apple A5 processor is probably a given. An 8 megapixel, 1080p rear camera and FaceTime HD front camera feel likely as well. More RAM, 64GB of NAND Flash storage, and a larger, 3.7-inch screen, are on a lot of wish lists as well. (Hopefully 3D isn’t, and we’re still probably a year away from LTE 4G.)

The big question is whether or not it will be a major redesign or just a streamlined iPhone 4. Rumors have gone both ways, which isn’t unusual given Apple typically tests both less and more ambitious prototypes during the design face, and field tests camouflaged units as production gets closer. I’m guessing we’ll end up in between. A tweak, but not a major overhaul. Not yet.

4. iPhone nano

iPhone nano rumors have been around as long as… the original iPhone. There’s an iPod nano, after all, and it’s the most popular model in the industry. Every other manufacturer makes multiple models, so why not Apple? If they want to move into greater demographics and emerging markets, it’s a logical move. Just like Intel Macs and CDMA iPhones, they’ve probably had an iPhone nano, and other variants, deep in the Apple labs for a while, waiting until they felt was the right time for release.

With that in mind, we keep hearing it’s done, it’s ready, and it’s just waiting on Apple to pull the trigger. What “it” is, however, remains a mystery. Just like neither the iPad nor 11-inch MacBook Air are Netbooks, collectively they effectively address — and eviscerate — the netbook market. Apple is as notoriously hard to predict in advance as they are seemingly obvious in hindsight. A barebones feature phone is probably out of the question given the size and power of the App Store and iTunes ecosystems, but could a stripped down, 3- to 3.5-inch iPhone 3GS in new packaging work for the ultra casual and emerging markets? The lower resolution but still compatible screen and the other components, now enjoying huge economies of scale, make it an interesting idea.

(Georgia’s still hoping the iPhone nano is a watch that “AirPlays” iPhone information to a more convenient screen.)

5. iPad 2 HD/Pro / iPad 3

Whatever you want to call it, Apple really could release another new iPad this year. Since they called 2011 the year of the iPad 2, iPad 2 HD or iPad 2 Pro (given the MacBook Pro and Mac Pro branding) makes more sense, but either way we might just see a new tablet with a Retina Display this fall. It’s not an obvious choice, given how it will have only been 6 months or so since the (original) iPad 2 shipped, and since the “pro” market for iPads hasn’t even begun to be established. But Apple doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Component pricing and production yield rates could mean a 2048×1536 iPad can’t be produced at Apple usual $499 price points, at least not any time soon. And while competing tablets from Samsung, BlackBerry, and HP webOS have failed to gain any real traction, they’re going to keep coming. Getting a Retina Display iPad out on the market soon, before anyone else is even anywhere close, just makes competing that much harder, and going with a “pro” level price for those who want and can afford it protects Apple’s low cost of entry on the regular iPad 2. It would be a tactical gamble, but Apple has often been utterly fearless when it came to those.

Whether “pro” also means LTE, USB, SD, or any other acronyms you want to throw at it, and whether it mandates a newer battery or even newer A5 chipset remains a really interesting question.

6. There is no 6

Rumors of Apple television sets continue to swirl, and there are always other product areas Apple could and one day probably will explore (maintaining growth takes work). However, the last time rumors popped up about an Apple television, TiPb heard it was a 27-inch iMac and low and behold, that’s what we got. Could the latest round of rumors be a harbinger for a 32-inch iMac? No idea. The television business is low margin and everything Apple typically isn’t. That’s not to say they couldn’t revolutionize it the way they did smartphones, but I don’t think they’ll do it this fall.

FireCore has released an update to its aTV Flash (black) software that runs on jailbroken second generation Apple TV’s. The update includes a host of additional features like a brand new lightweight media player that has been specifically written for iOS devices.

The new media player will enable your second generation Apple TV to play a much wider array of media types without losing the simple Apple TV interface. Performance of HD content has also been greatly improved.

If you’re already running a version of aTV Flash (black) the new Beta 6 version can be installed through the Maintenance –> Manage Extras menu on your Apple TV.

The full list of fixes and new features are detailed after the break.

[FireCore]

What’s new in Beta6?

General

• Added show/hide options for standard AppleTV menus
• Added option to manually install if no AppleTVs are detected
• Improved auto-update disabling
• Improved installation error handling
• Minor UI adjustments

• Added new lightweight player
• Added recently played items to ‘Top Shelf’ in main menu
• Added Favorites to main menu
• Added option to manually mark files as watched/unwatched
• Added ‘Test Connection’ option for AFP/SMB shares
• Added support for DVD subtitles
• Added support for multiple DVD audio tracks
• Added basic support for M2TS files
• Improved overall video playback (especially HD video files)
• Improved thumbnail generation when cover art is not available
• Improved FF/RW controls
• Improved DVD menu and video playback
• Improved DVD playback progress reporting
• Improved memory management
• Improved AFP/SMB streaming
• Improved error handling for invalid files
• Resolved most video stuttering issues
• Resolved energy saver mode issue
• Resolved issue that resulted in some DVDs being displayed in (squished) 4×3 mode
• Resolved numerous DVD playback issues
• Resolved flickering when navigating through certain menus
• Resolved additional conflicts with XBMC
• Reduced number of network connections used
• Minor UI and other miscellaneous fixes

How do you watch videos on your iPhone? When the original iPhone launched — 4 years ago today! — it came with an iPod app that could play iTunes/H.264 MP4 movies and video podcasts, and a last minute YouTube app addition for online videos. Fast forward to today and iOS 5 is set to break the iPod app in two, Videos and Music just like iPod touch and iPad, YouTube can be played in Safari and embedded web views via Google’s web app, and a host of other sites and services now make apps and web apps as well.

There’s Netflix and Hulu, ABC and Global, and BBC and MLB, HBO and Comcast, Ustream and Air Video, and a ton of others.

In addition, since iPhone 3GS, you can now shoot your own videos and watch them in the Camera or Photos app, even Messages and email if other people’s videos are sent your way. And now there’s the iPad with a big, beautiful 9.7-inch screen to enjoy your videos on as well… or even beam them to your Apple TV via AirPlay.

So with so many video options on iPhone and iPad, what do you find yourself using the most?

Apple has just released iOS 5 beta 2 (build 9A5248d) for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV, and iTunes 10.5 beta 2 for Mac. It’s a rare Friday release for a company that, in the past, has typically released every second Tuesday.

It’s also a large release, the iPhone 4 version weighing in at over 817MB (hey, those notifications gotta sit somewhere!).

As always, you need a paid developer account with Apple to get it (don’t fall for those UDID slot sale scams!), and installing via Xcode is usually your safest bet.

If you’re downloading now, be patient. Apple’s servers are no doubt being slammed. When you get it, let us know what you think! And don’t forget to head on over to our iOS 5 Forum for the latest discussions!

Update: iOS 5 beta 2 gallery

Would you buy an Apple television? DailyTech is resurrecting that old rumor again this week with a claim that a former Apple exec spilled the beans on the project:

Apple plans to “blow Netflix and all those other guys away” by bundling Apple TV + iTunes inside physical television sets. According to the source Apple is teaming up with a major supplier (our guess would be Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEO:005930)), to provide the physical televisions, which will be rebranded as Apple television sets.

They’re also claiming a fall launch date to coincide with iPhone 5 and potentially iPad 3, and alongside the usual new iPods and probably an Apple TV with an A5 processor.

The last time rumors of an Apple television hit their peak, we got a 27-inch iMac, so who knows what Apple is really brewing up in the Cupertino labs. A 32-inch iMac? Anything is possible so we’ll go back to the question at the top of the post — if Apple ever did release a television set, would you buy it? Or are you happy with the $100 Apple TV option?

Vote in the poll and tell us how you really feel in the comments below!

[DailyTech]

One of the most exciting features of iOS 5 is the ability to mirror the iPad 2 screen on a high definition TV via an Apple TV. When it is enabled, you can see everything that you see on your iPad 2 on the TV, including videos, games, documents etc, all in real time.

Apple ‘n’ Apps has put together an excellent video walkthrough showing how it all works. The video demonstrates the speed at which the data is transferred between the iPad 2 and the Apple TV. It is very very impressive.

Gaming on the iPad 2 will gain a huge boost with the release of iOS 5 and AirPlay mirroring. It will no doubt enable new innovative ways to play games on your TV and iPad 2, at the same time! Take a look at the video after the break. Let us know what you think in the comments!

[Apple'n'Apps]

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Apple TV – @chrisoldroyd

This week I have gone for a piece of hardware and it’s the Apple TV. I have resisted the urge to buy one of these for a while now. When it comes to media players, I am very fond of my Popcorn Hour which plays every video format known to man.

I decided to take the plunge and pick up an Apple TV for my bedroom; mainly for AirPlay. So far it has worked perfectly. One thing Apple always excel at is the user interface. The Apple TV is no exception, it’s beautiful, simple and works so well with iTunes on your PC over home sharing or with AirPlay from an iOS device.

I use AirVideo on my PC which reads the hard drives connected to my Popcorn and trans-codes the non supported content on the fly. This makes the Apple TV a perfect solution for me. Sure it sounds a bit convoluted using an iPad with AirVideo and AirPlay but Apple makes it all so simple. I love it!!

[Apple]

TestFlight – @reneritchie

Apple only allows 100 UDID slots for developers to test their apps, and those slots are locked for one year. So, with four generations each of iPhone and iPod touch, two generations of iPad, and any replaced devices along the way, those slots can get jam packed and fast. What’s a developer to do? Until recently, not much but lose out on testing and beta testers.

Enter TestFlight. TestFlight is a web-based service that intermediates the app testing model. Instead of developers registering test UDIDs themselves, TestFlight does it for them, provides a profile for the registered device, and then re-distributes the test binary on their behalf via an on-device web app (home screen WebClip).

Now, that does mean developers have to trust TestFlight with their binary, but TestFlight is hoping that in the age-old battle between convenience and security, developers will side with convenience. (They also had the fiendishly brilliant idea to park a breakfast burrito and coffee truck outside the WWDC 2011 keynote line to feed the hungry devs while promoting their service.)

I’ve had several developers send me TestFlight versions of their apps to test now, and while the process isn’t always seamless, it works and its far better than my burdening them with UDIDs when I change devices so frequently. (I’ve had 2 black iPhone 4′s swapped out at the Apple Store and now am on a white iPhone 4, that would be a lot of wasted slots under the traditional model.)

[Web link]

Quick Status – @skeetobite

My pick of the week is Quick Status. This nifty little app is designed for one thing – letting you update your twitter and facebook status at the same time. I often find that I want to post the same status message in both facebook and twitter, but I don’t really want to type it in each of them individually. I know you have have facebook mirror your twitter status, but I don’t always want the messages posted on both. With Quick Status, you have your choice! You can type in a message, and on the top choose if you want to send it to twitter, facebook, or both. In addition to just using messages, you can also include photos. geotags, and music you are listening to. It also keeps a record of the messages that you have posted, and you can save drafts of messages as well. There is a free, ad-supported version and a paid, ad-free version as well.

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

dream:scape – @ JorjLim

dream:scape uses the unreal engine, that is famously used in Infinity Blade and Epic Citadel.

Rather than describe dream:scape as a game, I’d say its more of an explorable story where you play a terminally ill coma patient called ‘Wilson’ who must explore his dreamscape, to uncover the secrets of his life, You must find items along the way to get pass obstacles, like locked doors, a dog… and even an evil car.

While the graphics are nowhere near the quality of other unreal games, like Infinity Blade, and the gameplay isn’t particularly challenging, I find myself picking this purely because of its incredible storyline.

The storyline, music and voice overs combined makes this a great story to explore, and it keeps you hooked, wanting to find out what else happened in Wilson’s life.

Once you’ve completed the main story, you can freely explore the town of Bastion Falls.

[$1.99 - iTunes link]

MiFi wireless router – @Alli_Flowers

Not an app, this week, but an “accessory” of sorts. Generally, I have broadband access everywhere I go. When I travel, even in the worst case scenario, I can buy access. However, once a year, I head up to north Alabama, to a dot on the map where cell coverage is spotty, and I have to leave base and drive 25 minutes just to get to a Starbucks.

Because I know that Verizon has the best coverage in this area, despite having my iPhone with AT&T, I purchased a MiFi router and plan from Verizon. The peace of mind it offered for those two weeks alone, is worth the monthly fee. Of course, I figured I could also use it on a daily basis back at school, where I’m blocked from everywhere that is helpful to a foreign language teacher.

Up to five people at a time can connect to the MiFi router, and you can password protect it so that not everyone who comes within 30 feet can automatically connect. (Of course, this is a feature everyone should set up on any router right away!)

Although, the bandwidth was far from 4G, it did allow me to continue reading TiPb every day, do my job answering customer support email, and send in the daily reports at camp.

Home again, I’ve already gotten great use from my MiFi router as well. The first time during one of our famous weather-related power outages (who can last 4 hours without internet?!), and the second time when I returned my cable modem and set up the new one. (Why do products that allow you to get online only offer you online help options?)

These MiFi routers can be purchased from any mobile provider, and have rate plans similar to cellular plans, mostly limiting you to a 5GB cap. They are not meant to be used in place of broadband internet at home, but they are a wonderful solution to internet outages, travel, and local blocks.

Carcassonne – @llofte

Perhaps you’ve heard of the popular strategy board game, Carcassonne? If not, and you like strategy games, you must check out Carcassonne. It is a universal game for iPhone and iPad and will provide you with hours of both fun and frustration.

The general idea of the game is to build a medieval landscape, tile by tile, and claim landmarks with your “meeple” to score points. You can play locally against the AI or against up to 4 of your Game Center friends over the internet. Yes, that’s up to 5 people in a single game. There is also a “quick play” option against random opponents where each of your turns are timed. This game really is awesome. If you pick this one up, add llofte and challenge me to a duel! You’re going down.

[$9.99 - iTunes link]

HBO GO – @Stubbs69 (Reader’s Choice)

HBO GO is an excellent video app that brings all of your HBO shows together in a simple yet elegant package. It’s a free universal app that requires you sign in with your credentials and within seconds you are ready to catch up on all your original series episodes, comedy specials, movies, documentaries, and even sports.

What I love about it is the ability to watch old shows such as The Sopranos and Deadwood or grab the newest episode of Game of Thrones soon after it airs. Start it on iPhone on break at work and pick up where you left off on your iPad on the couch at home. Select a show and it brings up the cast and a description, air date, and a list of extras and behind the scenes. Right now, AirPlay only supports audio but hopefully with iOS 5 this fall we can mirror it on our Apple TVs. There are also parental controls and the ability to set it to 3G or WiFi only.

[Free, with HBO subscription - iTunes link]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so we will be choosing one reader to make a submission each week! Just look for the announcement on twitter or our Facebook page each weekend for a chance to be picked! In the meantime, jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

If you have an iPad running iOS 5, it looks like you can now sync 1080p videos. Previously, iTunes would refuse to sync 1080p video to iPad, and it still won’t sync to an iPhone or iPod touch. However, since the Apple TV also runs iOS, could we be seeing support for 1080p in the near future? Will iTunes begin to support 1080p movies? Will our bandwidth?

A string has also been spotted in the iOS 5 SDK which seems to allow 1080p video-exporting to iMovie, Photos and third-party apps. Does this confirm the rumour that the iPhone 5 will have a 8MP camera which may support 1080p video recording? May the iPad 3 get a better camera too?

What do you think?

[9to5Mac] [9to5Mac]

As promised during the WWDC 2011 Keynote today, Apple has posted betas of iOS 5, iTunes 10.5 (required to install iOS 5), the iOS 5 SDK, Xcode 4.2, and Apple TV OS.

There are versions for both Verizon and GSM/AT&T iPhone 4, as well as iPhone 3GS.

Developer.apple.com is getting slammed, of course, so whether you can get in or not is a different story, but once in it’s all there for your developer testing pleasure.

If you grab it, let us know how it works for you, and how you enjoy all the features Apple showed off today!

[]

When Apple finally announced the iOS 5 preview for next Monday’s WWDC 2011 keynote, they didn’t include Apple TV in the list of iOS devices. Now Apple has never really talked about Apple TV’s OS, not back when it was still OS X Tiger, not now that it’s iOS. They might just think, like iPhone and iPad CPU specs, it’s not something we consumers should worry about. Or it could just be that, because there’s no Apple TV SDK, developers don’t need any advanced information about iOS for Apple TV the way they do iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It’s just not meant for us mere mortals.

What about iCloud? If that’s going to be streaming or downloading all the music, and maybe even the media, we’ve bought from iTunes, wouldn’t that make a huge impact on Apple TV? Sure, it could just end up being yet another item in the long list of Internet source, but it could also become a new and important part of the iTunes menu.

Do you think Apple TV will get iOS 5 and iCloud, and what features would you like to see them bring to Apple’s favorite hobby?

Apple today released an update for Apple TV (2010), bringing it to iOS 4.2.2. The over-the-air update looks to be of the bug fix variety:

• Addresses an issue in which audio is not output when playing some video content.
• Addresses an issue in which video is not displayed when playing some content.
• Adds an audio output setting for switching to 16-bit audio for compatibility with some TVs and AV receivers.
• Improves the performance of fast-forwarding and rewinding live events.
• Addresses an issue in which the description information is not displayed for some movies.
• Addresses an issue in which YouTube subscription videos were not ordered by date.

As always with iOS, if you’re Jailbroken stay away until the usual tools are updated to support the new firmware or you risk losing your Jailbreak/untether.

If you notice anything else, let us know!

According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is weighing up the possibility of extending its current licensing of AirPlay to include video. Currently third party manufacturers can use AirPlay but only the audio protocol. This is why we are seeing high end stereos and iPod docks with AirPlay but no products that can receive video streamed from an iOS device.

Under the new plan, according to “two people familiar with the project”, Apple will license AirPlay video software to consumer electronics makers this year. This could then be included in TV’s, Media Players, Blu-ray Players etc.

AirPlay is one of the killer features of the new Apple TV. If Apple decides to let other manufacturers use the technology it would surely lessen the attraction of the Apple TV for many. On the other hand, it would make owning an iOS device with AirPlay a very attractive proposition to many more potential users; and open more iTunes accounts too.

What do you think? Would you still buy an Apple TV if you could use AirPlay directly with your TV or Blu-ray ? Let us know in the comments!

[Bloomberg]

Apple TV owners, Apple has just released an iOS 4.2.1 (4.3.1) update just for you. So turn on your television, click on over to Software Update, and start your download. It’s a bug fix update as far as we can tell, mostly geared towards fixing the screen flicker and color issues some users have been complaining about.

If you have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad there’s nothing for you (yet), which is interesting. I don’t believe we’ve seen Apple update just one iOS device independently before, have we?

(And once again we’ll ask Apple to end the insanity of having a 4.2.1 software that’s version number 4.3.1 and just settle on the same number as the rest of the iOS family — pretty please?)

If you notice anything else new or changed, let us know in comments!

[Thanks Anthony!]

Last night I sat down with my iPhone running iOS 4.3, tapped on the freshly updated version of Air Video, connected to my Mac Pro running the beta version of Air Video server, cued up some AVI and MKV files, and streamed them flawlessly to my Apple TV via iOS 4.3′s AirPlay. My iPhone wasn’t Jailbroken. My Apple TV wasn’t Jailbroken. But with a huge geeky grin plastered on my face I was finally watching all those old home videos and DVD rips that were never before supported, in any way, by Apple and their luddite Hollywood licensors.

iOS 4.3 might be a minor update in many ways but it’s also a game changer for Apple and iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users. It turns every one of those devices into a media server (AirPlay) and viewing client (Home Sharing or apps like Air Video) at the same time. And it cuts the tether of iTunes and the shackles of sync to do it.

That an iPad or iPhone had to be the intermediary was cumbersome, that the setup required an on-PC server component was complex, but it was all doable and once done it just worked. If you want to try it out, follow on after the break.

Here’s what you need:

1. iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad running iOS 4.3
2. Latest version of Air Video [$2.99 - App Store link]
3. Air Video server 2.4.5 beta [Free - Web link]

Set things up the same way we outlined in our how to use an old iPod touch as an Apple TV tip, but say goodbye to the wires because this is the future and the future is streaming.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

iOS 4.3 has a little surprise in store for Apple TV sports fans — integration of MLB baseball and NBA basketball. Sports has been one of the last strongholds of traditional broadcast, cable, and satellite. No longer.

Here’s the MLB news:

Enjoy select Spring Training games and a full slate of regular season games on Apple TV. Regular Season features include:

• HD Quality (where available)
• LIVE and archived games
• Home and away broadcasts*
• Quick navigation to run scoring plays or a particular at bat

On your Apple TV, sign in with the username and password associated with your MLB.TV subscription.

NBA hasn’t released any details yet but if you have league pass you should be good to go. The integration looks similar to Netflix — it’s built right in. Anyone trying it out yet?

[MLB, thanks everyone!]

Apple has jumped the gun and released iOS 4.3 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV ahead of the previously announced March 11 schedule. The update includes Wi-Fi personal hotspot for iPhone, iTunes Home Sharing, expanded AirPlay support for App Store apps, and more.

For more, see our complete iOS 4.3 walkthrough and our iOS 4.3 tips and how-tos, or visit our Forums for extra help.

Did you get it? If so, let us know how it’s working for you!

Popular video streaming app, Air Video has just received an update to provide AirPlay functionality under iOS 4.3. The stock Apple TV just became a whole lot more interesting with this update and here is why.

Currently the Apple TV has very limited support for video file types. If you have your media stored on a Mac or PC in any other format than mp4, mov or m4v, the Apple TV will not play it. Using Air Video on an iOS device you can watch nearly all video file types stored on your Mac or PC with the clever transcoding software. Air Video streams your content over WiFi to your iOS device. The file conversion is all done on the fly. Now with the AirPlay update for Air Video, this can now be sent onto your Apple TV or any other device that supports AirPlay. That’s right, AVI files MKV files and many more.

It is an extra step that shouldn’t be necessary; we would like to see apps on the Apple TV like Air Video to remove the need for the intermediary iOS device. Until that happens though, this is a great way to open up the Apple TV to your non Apple formatted videos.

The AirPlay improvement has to be the most important update that iOS 4.3 will bring to the table; it will be available this Friday. What features are you looking forward to with iOS 4.3? Let us know in the comments!

[$2.99 - iTunes Link]

Curious how to stream digital content to your old, standard definition TV? Since they don’t have HDMI ports, Apple TV is out but if you have an old iPod touch (or even iPhone) you can McGyver together something almost as good. We’ll show you how after the break!

The current Apple TV is a great, inexpensive way to stream content to your HDMI-equiped HD TV but if you have an older CRT TV with composite (RCA video/audio) plugs, you’re going to have to get just a little more creative. (You can look for component to HDMI converters but they’re expensive.) And if you have an old iPod touch lying around, why not put it to good use?

What you need

1. An old iPod touch
2. A set of Apple composite cables [$39 - Apple Store link]
3. A copy of the Air Video (or similar) app [$2.99 - iTunes link]

You could use an old iPhone or even a current iPod touch or iPad, though you probably don’t want to leave them connected to an old TV. That’s the reason I recommend an old iPod touch.

What you do

1. Setup your iPod touch as normal.
2. Plug your iPod touch into the dock connector on Apple’s component cables
3. Plug the USB out into an AC adapter (that way you won’t have to worry about charging)
4. Install Air Video’s server client on your Mac or Windows PC [download link]
5. Launch Air Video server
6. Go into Preferences and share the libraries that contain your media (e.g. /music/iTunes)
7. Launch Air Video on your iPod touch
8. Add your Windows or Mac PC as a server
9. Navigate to what you want to watch or listen to
10. Hit play or play with live transcode and watch away!

Unlike an Apple TV, there’s no remote for this setup which is a bit of a pain. However, Air Video can transcode non-Apple supported video formats like AVI and MKV on the fly so you don’t have to worry about converting your collection before hand.

I’ve set this up for my mother using an iPod G3 and it works great. Whenever my sister or I visit we can stream things we want to show her almost as if she had an Apple TV.

If you have any questions or other tips on streaming media or getting more use out of old devices, let us know in comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Apple has posted a job advertisement for a new position within the company that leads us to believe that it could be planning on making a full blown TV set. The job position entails working on power supply technology but specifically mentions displays and TV’s as separate products.

Apple already has a line of LED displays, so it is not that far-fetched to think that this could well be the next venture for Apple. Apple will never allow other TV manufacturers to integrate the Apple TV into their sets, so this could well be the future vision. You can already buy TV sets with integrated Google TV, Windows Media Center and other solutions. It would make sense for Apple to go this way too and eliminate another box, power supply and HDMI cable from behind the TV.

Of course this is pure speculation at this stage and it may just be referring to the current Apple TV; either way it is an interesting prospect.

Would you buy a high quality Apple TV set with an integrated Apple TV? Let us know in the comments!

[9 to 5 Mac]

The Phone Dev Team’s PwnageTool, which allows for the Jailbreak of iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV, has been updated to version 4.2 and now is untethered and fixes issues with iBooks.

With [Chronic Dev Team's] permission, we’ve incorporated their 4.2.1 “feedface” untether into today’s PwnageTool 4.2. This means iPhone unlockers can safely restore to a custom 4.2.1 pre-jailbroken IPSW and retain their current baseband and unlock.

PwnageTool also includes two very recent improvements to the 4.2.1 JB: iBooks was just fixed by @comex and @pushfix last night so that it works as intended on DRMed books, and the wifi problem on AppleTV 2G was fixed by @nitotv, @DHowett, and @saurik. Both of these fixes will also be available in upcoming Cydia package updates, so if you’re already jailbroken you can wait for those updates rather than restore and jailbreak again.

If PwnageTool is your preferred Jailbreak, go get it via the link below (they have mirrors posted as well) and tell us how it works for you! If you need help, head on over to the Jailbreak Forum.

[Dev-Team Blog]

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Georgia, Chad, and Rene discuss iPad 2 and iPad 3 (with Retina Display!) rumors, free MobileMe rumors, HP’s new TouchPad, true multitasking myths, Apple TV gaming, and the week in apps. This is iPad Live!

Complete show notes for the week in iPad after the break!

iPad 2

• iPad 2 in production, coming soon?
• Steve Jobs still running Apple, working on iPad 2, iPhone 5
• iPad 2 might switch from IPS to Samsung Super PLS display?

iPad 3

• Apple preparing iPad 3 for September?
• Expanding the iPhone and iPad family

iPad competition

• HP (not Palm!) announces Veer, Pre3, webOS 3.0 TouchPad
• iPad competitors: Will the true multitasking please stand up?
• (Discuss price points – Xoom ~$800, TouchPad ~$700)

Free MobileMe

• UPDATED: More iPhone nano, free MobileMe rumors

Apple TV

• Games coming to Apple TV in iOS 4.3?

Apps

• Livestand from Yahoo! set to take on The Daily

Help

• Check out our awesome iPad Forum!
• Tips and how-to

Hosts

• Georgia (@GeorgiaTiPb
• Chad (@iChadman)
• Rene (@reneritchie)

Credits

Thanks to the TiPb iPad Accessory Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

greenpois0n, the Jailbreak that supports iOS 4.2.1 untethered for iPhone, iPod touch, and ipad, has just gone into RC 6 and now also supports Apple TV untethered, and includes nitoTV. If you’ve been waiting to jailbreak your Apple TV (2010) but tethering was dealbreaker, now’s you chance to go grab it and get your Jailbreak on.

According to @pod2g RC 6 fixes emulator issues and can be applied over RC 5 without restoring. And no, it doesn’t fix the problem with iBooks.

If you want to Jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with greenpois0n, we’ve got your tutorials right here:

• How to jailbreak iOS 4.2.6 on your Verizon iPhone 4 with Greenpois0n
• How to jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 iPhone, iPad untethered via greenpois0n

And if you want to install XBMC on your Apple TV, we’ve got that covered for you as well:

• Daily Tip: How to install XBMC on Apple TV 2 [Jailbreak]

Link below. If you give it a try let us know how it works for you and if you need extra help check out our Apple TV Forum and Jailbreak Forum.

[greenpois0n, @pod2g]

According to one of TUAW’s tipsters, there is every possibility that the Apple TV is heading towards online gaming with the iOS 4.3 update. When we say online gaming, we don’t mean the poor offerings of Game Center, this could go much further.

References found in the latest beta of iOS 4.3, refer to “ATVThunder” and indicate online games and merchandising will soon be available via iTunes and then to your Apple TV. Think Apple’s version of Xbox Live! The possibilities are endless and could include scheduling online games with friends, viewing leaderboards and much more.

The Apple TV is more than capable of running iOS games, it has the A4 CPU, that is also at the heart of the iPad; which is a very capable gaming device. The A4 chip also supports Open GL rendering.

TUAW’s tipster also found a couple of other interesting references within the iOS 4.3 beta, “Sedona” and “Flagstaff”. Sedona is the name given to Apple’s video rental service and could point to streaming of content from the new Apple datacenter. Flagstaff is still an unknown service at this point.

Of course this could all be in place for a future iOS update and may not form part of iOS 4.3 at all. We will have to wait and see, hopefully it will not be too much longer. What do you think; would you like to play games online on the Apple TV? Let us know in the comments!

[TUAW]

Is the new Apple TV worth $99? Now that it has reached that magic price point it’s a question we’re being asked more frequently than ever. Being part of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad iOS family means it just works with the devices you already have but being part of Apple means it doesn’t work at all with other devices and formats. Does the good outweigh the bad? That’s the topic for this episode of TiPb TV!

Rene and I go over the basic hardware (HDMI yes, component or anything else, no!), content services like Netflix (US and Canada only but expanding), iTunes (TV Show rentals are US only), and YouTube, as well as streaming your own content from Mac or Windows via Home Sharing and now with iOS 4.2, your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad content via AirPlay. There’s still no word on Hulu for Apple TV, and no support for AVI, MKV and other file formats… unless you Jailbreak and install XBMC.

So is the new Apple TV worth $99 of your hard earned money? Watch the video above and let us know what you think in the comments!

Tired of the plastic or aluminum hardware remote and wishing you could control your Apple TV or iTunes on your Windows or Mac PC with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? Well thanks to Apple’s Remote app, you can. We’ll show you how after the break!

Apple’s Remote app is free on the App Store and it works through over your local Wi-Fi network. It is much more powerful than a hardware remote, especially for entering text like passwords or search terms.

Getting Apple’s Remote App

1. Download Remote for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch [iTunes Link]
2. Open the Remote app on your device
3. Switch on Home Sharing on iTunes on your Windows or Mac PC
4. Put in your Apple ID and Password (These are the same as your iTunes Account info, and yes it’s annoying you can’t use your iPhone or iPad to put in this information!)
5. Once you get confirmation for iTunes and Apple TV tap done
6. You’ll see a list of available Apple TVs and iTunes libraries (for example, your laptop and desktop might both be available via Home Sharing). Tap the one you want to control.

Bonus tip: There are other remote apps available in the App Store, for example for controlling VLC, Boxee, XBMC, and other media centers and audio/video apps as well.

Now enjoy! If you have any questions or have any other tips for controlling your Apple TV, iTunes, or Media Center libraries let us know in the comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Netflix has announced that people are watching their streaming movie and TV service more on the 1 million selling Apple TV than on the 15 million selling iPad.

Possibly related: Apple made a great native Netflix front-end for Apple TV while Netflix made an embarrassingly terrible web-based app for iPad.

Is Netflix self-aware enough to realize this and release better iOS apps?

[Yahoo!/Business Insider via counternotions]

Apple has approved an update to an app that required iOS 4.3 for all the features to work correctly. The app that has received the approved update is called StreamToMe. StreamToMe is an app that allows you to stream music, photos and videos from your Mac or PC over WiFi and 3G. Nothing special there except that this version has the option to use AirPlay which requires iOS 4.3 to function.

Apple seems to be in a hurry to get iOS 4.3 out of the door. The normal two week updates have been reduced to every week for this beta so expect to see iOS 4.3 sooner rather than later. As with all beta’s however major bugs can be found so this could all fizzle out and delay the whole process; it does however look like iOS 4.3 could be just around the corner.

[iTunes Link]

IAlready jailbroken your Apple TV 2 and curious how to install the nifty little XBMC add-on that allows you to stream and add even more content from your network? Since we don’t have Cydia for Apple TV (yet), the process of installing jailbreak apps is a bit different. Hit the jump for a quick walkthrough on how to get XBMC working on your jailbroken Apple TV 2.

First you’ll need a jailbroken AppleTV. If you haven’t done that already, check out our guide on jailbreaking the AppleTV 2 with Seas0nPass.

After you’ve done that, follow these steps.

1. Open a terminal app as you’ll need to gain SSH access to your AppleTV.
2. Type ssh root@apple-tv.local – if that doesn’t work for you, instead of typing apple-tv.local, replace it with your AppleTV’s IP address which can be found under Settings then Network on your AppleTV.

3. You’ll be asked for the password to your AppleTV next. By default, it is alpine. If you have changed it, enter the password you chose on your own instead. You may be asked if you’re sure you wish to continue, just type “yes”.

4. Once you are at the root menu, type (or copy/paste) this: echo "deb http://mirrors.xbmc.org/apt/atv2 ./" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xbmc.list and hit “enter”.
5. Next type (or copy/paste) this: apt-get update and hit “enter”.

6. A list of available apps will populate. Type (or copy/paste) this: apt-get install org.xbmc.xbmc-atv2 and hit “enter”.

7. You’ll see the app begin to install and once it reaches 100%, you’re done. Your AppleTV should flash briefly and when the main menu pops back up, XBMC should be added.

As a side note, I had issues getting my MacBook to connect to my AppleTV via SSH. I kept getting connection refused or invalid host errors. There is a file on your Mac you can delete in order to stop these errors (not sure where it would be located on a PC if anyone wants to chime in here). You’ll need to unhide files on your Mac first. You can do that by following the steps below.

1. Open Terminal and type (or copy/paste): defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE and hit “enter”.
2. Type (or copy/paste): killall Finder

That should unhide all of the hidden files on your Mac. Now you should be able to navigate to /Users/username (in my case Ally)/.ssh and delete the file titled “known_hosts”. It should be the only file in that folder. Then try the above steps again. Only some of you may need to do this but I figured I’d throw it in there for anyone who has issues connecting via SSH to their AppleTV.

If you tried this or have installed XBMC, let us know how you like it so far!

If you have any questions or need any extra help, jump on in to our Apple TV Forums.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Seas0nPass is a new jailbreak utility designed specifically for the second generation Apple TV (2010). It’s comparable to utilities like PwnageTool. I’ve used both and I personally find Seas0nPass to make the process much simpler when it comes to the Apple TV. Not only does it jailbreak 4.1.1 (4.2.1), it offers a pretty easy tethered boot mode as well. Hit the jump for a walkthrough on how to jailbreak the Apple TV 2 using Seas0nPass.

For this example, I’ll be jailbreaking an Apple TV 2 running iOS 4.2.1 (4.1.1), which requires a tethered boot. Here is what you’ll need in order to jailbreak your Apple TV –

• A Mac running the most current version of iTunes
• Newest version of Seas0nPass
• A micro-USB cable

Once you’ve got all the above, we’re ready to start.

Jailbreak your Apple TV

1. After you’ve downloaded Seas0nPass, open it and save it.

2. Place it in your dock, you don’t have to but I’ve done this as it makes it easy to access for tethered boots.

3. Open Seas0nPass.

4. First you’ll want to click “Create IPSW”.

5. This process will take a second, but once it’s complete, it will prompt you to plug your Apple TV into your computer via USB and boot it into DFU mode by holding down the play and menu buttons on your AppleTV remote for 7 seconds. You can tell it worked when the light on your Apple TV blinks rapidly. After that, it’s ok to release the buttons. Make sure you don’t have your power cable plugged in for this part.

6. Seas0nPass will recognize that your Apple TV is in DFU and do the rest on its own. You’ll see it open and restore in iTunes and navigate itself to the firmware bundle it created.

7. If all goes as planned, you should get a message saying your jailbreak was successful. You can now move on to perform a tethered boot.

Perform a tethered boot

1. Launch Seas0nPass again if you had already closed it out.

2. This time choose “Boot Tethered”.
3. Seas0nPass will prompt you to connect via USB and put your Apple TV back into DFU again, same as earlier.

4. After it performs a tethered boot, it will reboot in 10 seconds. In those 10 seconds, you’ll need to reconnect your Apple TV’s power cable and HDMI cord. (You can remove the USB cable now.) If you don’t do it fast enough, don’t panic. Simply repeat the tethered boot process.
5. You should now be able to turn your Apple TV on like normal. You’ll be guided through the setup again. This should only happen after your initial jailbreak, not every time you need to do a tethered boot.

The Apple TV is a little bit more friendly to a tethered jailbreak. You don’t need to reboot it as much as you would an iPhone, iPad, or iPhone. I’ve set mine not to sleep and just use a screensaver as well. If you’d like to do that, simply to go “Settings” and change the sleep option to never. This is always nice if you want to be able to rapidly change inputs on your television. Give it a try and let us know how Seas0nPass works for you!

If you have any questions or need any extra help, jump on in to our Apple TV Forums.

Reading up on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV and wondering what all those data specifications and cellular networking terms mean? From 2G to WDCMA, 802.11 to Bluetooth, we’ve got you — and every wireless term we can think of — covered below!

For even more iOS and Apple-related terms see our complete iPhone and iPad glossary. And as always, if we’re missing anything, add additions and corrections in the comments below!

[Special thanks to The Cell Phone Junkie, Mickey Papillon for help compiling this list!]

• 2G: Second generation data networking used by iPhone and iPad. Think of this like old-fashioned dial-up modems. (see EDGE.)

• 3G: Third generation data networking used by iPhone and iPad. Think of this like base level broadband Internet (cable/DSL). 3G is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by 3G next to the carrier logo. (see HSPA and EVDO.)

• 4G: Forth generation data networking. Also a marketing term used by Sprint for WiMax, T-Mobile for HSPA+, and AT&T for HSPA+. Think of this as super-fast broadband Internet (cable/fiber). (See HSPA, HSPA+, LTE)

• 802.11: The standard used for WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network), typically referred to as Wi-Fi, connections on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. While older models supported only 802.11b/g, 2010 models added support for the faster, longer range 802.11n standard. (Only iPad supports 802.11n on the clearer 5Mhz frequency, however.)

• A2DP: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile is a Bluetooth standard used to transmit and receive stereo music. Added to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in iOS 3. It’s what lets you send iPod music to your wireless stereo Bluetooth headset.

• Airplane Mode: A Setting on iPhone and iPad that turns off all radios, including cellular voice, data, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Called Airplane Mode because these radios are typically required to be turned off while on an airplane.

• AVCTP: Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol allows for the transmission of basic music controls between devices and accessories. Only properly supported for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad since iOS 4. It’s what lets you play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and skip through music and video via wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets.

• Bluetooth: Named after a Danish King (seriously), Bluetooth is a wireless technology used for exchanging short-range (under 30-feet) data between electronic devices. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad support Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for better security and simpler pairing. Apple currently supports Bluetooth for wireless phone headsets, stereo headsets, keyboard connections, and data tethering.

• CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access is an underlying network standard and the common abbreviation for CDMA2000, the technology used by Verizon and Sprint in the US.

• CDMA2000: The networking technology used by Verizon and Sprint. A single CDMA tower typically has a longer range and thus provide greater coverage than a single GSM tower.

• EDGE: Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution, also called 2G, 2.5G or 2.75G depending on the data speed, is an older data network used by carriers like AT&T. The original iPhone was EDGE-only. Current iPhones can use EDGE when 3G is not available (or on T-Mobile in the US where 3G frequencies aren’t compatible). Real world EDGE speeds max out around 150Kbps and do not allow simultaneous voice and data (calls will not come through while using EDGE data). EDGE is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by the uppercase letter E. iPhone 4 and iPad support EDGE on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies.

• EVDO: EVolution Data Optimized is the 3G networking technology used by CDMA carriers like Verizon. EVDO Rev A can achieve speeds up to 3.1 Mbps but cannot handle simultaneous voice and data, but does allow incoming calls to come through during an active data session. (Answering an incoming call will shut off the data connection.) EVDO Rev B can handle voice and data but is not planned for deployment by any US carriers. iPhone 4 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A on 800, 1900 MHz.

• GPRS: General Packet Radio Service is the oldest and slowest form of data networking available to GSM iPhones and iPads. Data rates are typically below 50 Kbps. GPRS is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by the lowercase letter o.

• GSM: Global System for Mobile communication is the underlying technology standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the US and the majority of carriers in Europe and around the world.

• HSPA: High Speed Packet Access is a fast form of 3G data networking. The iPhone and iPad support HSPA up to 7.2 Mbps (AT&T currently supports up to 14 Mbps in some areas). Typically split into HSDPA (download) and HSUPA (uplink/upload). iPhone 4 and iPad support UMTS/HSPA on the 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz frequencies.

• HSPA+: Enhanced High Speed Packet Access is a faster form of 3G data networking, now called 4G in T-Mobile and AT&T’s marketing. Apple will support HSPA+ in 2011. Top speeds can reach 56 Mbps. Bell and Telus currently offer 21 Mbps HSPA+.

• LTE: Long Term Evolution is a 4G networking technology currently being deployed by Verizon and scheduled to be deployed by AT&T, Canadian carriers, and others. Theoretical speeds are measured in the hundreds of Mbps but initial implementations haven’t reached those yet. Likewise initial implementations only use LTE for data while future versions could be pure IP-based for both voice and data. Neither iPhone nor iPad yet support LTE.

• Personal Hotspot: Introduced with the Verizon iPhone and iOS 4.3 it replaces Tethering and, on iPhone 4, adds the ability to share cellular data over a Wi-Fi connection with up to 5 additional devices. Availability will depend on carriers and some may/will charge extra for it. Think of it as a built-in MiFi or the ability to turn your iPhone into a mini mobile Wi-Fi router.

• Tethering: Sharing your iPhone’s cellular data connection with your laptop via USB (dock cable) or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Available since iOS 3 though AT&T only chose to support it with iOS 4. Not available on all carriers and some carriers charge extra for it. Replaced in iOS 4.3 with Personal Hotspot.

• UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a 3G, transitioning to 4G networking technology. WCDMA (including HSPA) is part of UMTS.

• WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access is a UTMS technology which, while easily confused with the CDMA network used by Verizon, is actually associated with GSM networks like HSPA.

Every week a few of us from team TiPb will bring you our current favorite, most fun and useful App Store apps, WebApps, jailbreak apps, even the occasional accessory, web site, or desktop app if the mood strikes us. As long as they’re iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch related, they’re fair game.

To see what we picked, and to tell us your pick, follow on after the break!

Ally’s pick: LockInfo 3.0

LockInfo and BiteSMS are the single 2 reasons I can’t live without jailbreaking. Little tweaks and customizations I can do without, LockInfo I couldn’t be without.

I was able to take a first look at LockInfo 3.0 before it was released to the public (it’s currently in public beta). This is a huge update to an already great app. The update adds themes, favorites, calendar status bar alerts, and more. If you’re a jailbreaker, make sure you check it out. There is a 14 day free trial as well.

[$7.99 via Cydia]

Brian’s pick: Chopper 2

Chopper 2 is a very fun game not only available on iOS but also on the Mac App Store as well now. There are 36 missions that take place on 12 different levels. Your job is to escot vehicles across levels, defend different items from enemies, and even pick up civilians with your helicopter. The game allows you to use your gyroscope as well for increased controls. It features leaderboards and achievements and is universal across all of your iOS devices which is the best part! But are you ready for my favorite part about this game? If you buy the Mac version you can sit back with your computer and use your iOS device as a remote to play the game with rather than the keyboard! I tried it out and it took a bit of getting used to but I love it now! This game actually got me away from Angry Birds believe it or not! It is insanely fun so give it a shot!

[$0.99 - iTunes Link]

Chris V’s pick: Ultimate Hangman

Over the last few days, I have been playing Ultimate Hangman with the family. This is a fun, well designed hangman game with a single or multiplayer mode. In single player mode, you can choose from a list of word categories (animals, SAT words, verbs, etc) although sometimes the words don’t quite match the categories. In multiplayer mode you can choose words for each other to try to guess. My wife and I have been focusing on playing three letter word hangman, which is actually much more difficult that you might think!

This hangman game has multiple background themes, including “chalkboard”, “snowman”, and “flower power”. My favorite, however, is “doodle”, where the hangman comes to life as you are trying to guess the word. Nothing like seeing the little hangman throwing up his arms in disgust or putting his thumb and pointer finger on his forehead like an “L” when you guess the wrong letter! I do wish the multiplayer mode had options like keeping track of scores or selecting a specific number of games to play (it just goes on and on right now) but it still is a great way to pass the time. Best of all, the app is a universal binary, so you can play on either your iPhone or iPad!

[Free - iTunes link]

Leanna’s pick: Starbucks Card Mobile

I go to Starbucks every morning that I teach and, until now, I would rummage through my bag for my Starbucks card while in line. Now, I browse email, Twitter, and Facebook, order my drink when it’s my turn, launch the Starbucks Card Mobile app for the barista to scan, instantly check my updated balance, and head out to class. Quick. Simple. Perfect.

[Free - iTunes link]

Rene’s pick: XBMC for Apple TV, iPad [Jailbreak]

I ran my original Xbox for a long time, longer than Microsoft supported it, longer than it ought to have been run. XBMC was the reason. Originally Xbox Media Center, it showed that independent software could not only do more than Microsoft at the time (and much more than Apple who hadn’t even tried yet) but do it better and more elegantly. XBMC was a set top workhorse, and thanks to XMBC we now have Plex, Boxee, and a slew of independent and open source media center software that almost always supports way more than established companies and their Hollywood overlords will allow.

And now it runs on Apple TV and iPad.

It does require a Jailbreak, which is an admittedly tethered pain in the ass for Apple TV on iOS 4.2 right now, but the leap in functionality is transformative. At $99 it literally turns Apple TV into the best deal in set top and that’s saying something.

Hopefully the install process will become as easy as ATV Flash but either way, XBMC is what a lot of home media lovers have been waiting for.

[Free - XBMC]

Your pick?

You’re part of the team as well, so jump into the comments and let us know your pick of the week!

XBMC is now available as a jailbreak app for the Apple TV (2010), iPad and iPhone 4. XBMC, for those that do not know, is a free open source media center application, that until today was only available for Linux, OSX, Windows and the original Xbox.

The Apple TV version is a full XBMC install and allows full network sharing of media, hardware decoding of 720p and 1080p movies plus everything else that XBMC has to offer. The iPad version also offers full hardware accelerated video playback and network access to media. The iPhone 4 has been included in the release however the devs do point out that navigation is a bit frustrating.

The app is jailbreak only and you will not find it in the App Store anytime soon. It is free to install, so what are you waiting for? Check out the videos after the break, one running on the Apple TV and the other on the iPad then let us know if you’re going to be jailbreaking and installing XBMC!

[xbmc]

Apple has just released iOS 4.3 beta 2 for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV to developers. This comes just one week after iOS 4.3 beta 1 was seeded, well ahead of Apple’s usual every-two-weeks beta schedule.

Registered developers can grab it via the link below and if anyone notices any new features or other changes, drop us a line or let us know in comments!

[developers.apple.com]

With Q1 2011 sales reported at 16.24 million iPhones, 7.33 million iPads, 9.75 million iPod touches (50% of total iPod sales), Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer and COO Tim Cook revealed that over 160 million iOS devices have now been sold.

Apple previously announced 120 million iOS devices back on September 1 at their annual special music event, so this represents 40 million additional sales since then.

No Apple TV numbers were broken out but Apple had just previously announced 1 million is sales for their most recent iOS device. Doing the math, 14.79 million iPads have been sold to date. Of the remaining 144.21 million iOS devices, based on historic ratios, there could very well be 40-50 million odd iPod touches on the market and 90-100 million iPhones.

Any way you slice it, whether old devices have been handed down or even fallen out of service, that’s one heck of an install base.

Any bets on when they crack 200 million?

New to iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV and looking for a glossary of terms or dictionary to help you know what all this tech-talk really means? From iOS or iCloud, from Siri to iMessage, from Jailbreak to SSH, look no further, we’ve got you — and every definition we can think of — covered below!

Looking for more? Here are a few other glossary’s you might enjoy:

• Common Internet and SMS/Text slang
• Common Twitter, Facebook, and social network terms

(Are we missing something? Add any additions or corrections to the comments below!)

0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

0-9

• 2G: Second generation data networking used by iPhone and iPad. Think of this like old-fashioned dial-up modems. (see EDGE.)

• 3G: Third generation data networking used by iPhone and iPad. Think of this like base level broadband Internet (cable/DSL). 3G is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by 3G next to the carrier logo. (see HSPA and EVDO.)

• 4G: Forth generation data networking, originally intended for use with full LTE systems. Also a marketing term used by Sprint for WiMax, T-Mobile for HSPA+, and AT&T for HSPA+. Think of this as super-fast broadband Internet (cable/fiber). (See HSPA, HSPA+, LTE)

• 802.11: The standard used for WLAN (wide local area network), typically referred to as Wi-Fi, connections on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. While older models supported only 802.11b/g, 2010 models added support for the faster, longer range 802.11n standard. (Only iPad supports 802.11n on the clearer 5Mhz frequency, however.)

A

• A2DP: Advanced Audio Distribution Profile is a Bluetooth standard used to transmit and receive stereo music. Added to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad in iOS 3. It’s what lets you send iPod music to your wireless stereo Bluetooth headset.
• Achievements: Some iOS games reward you with bonus points with specific achievements (See Game Center)
• ActiveSync: Microsoft’s Exchange push mail, calendar, contact, etc. protocol licensed by Apple for Mac OS X and iOS’s Mail app, and by Google for Google Sync.
• Ad hoc: A way to distribute apps outside the app store. Limited to 100 UDIDs (devices) per developer account.
• Airplane Mode: A Setting on iPhone and iPad that turns off all radios, including cellular voice, data, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Called Airplane Mode because these radios are typically required to be turned off while on an airplane.
• AirPlay: Let’s you stream video from iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or iTunes on a Mac or PC to an Apple TV, and audio to an Airport Express or other compatible speaker system
• AirPrint: Let’s you print from any iOS device from an AirPrint compatible printer
• Android: Google’s open-source mobile operating system. It’s used primarily in smartphones but also can be found on tablets, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) or even in kitchen appliances and automobile navigation. (see AndroidCentral.com)
• API: (Application Programming Interface) Part of the iOS SDK provided by Apple to developers that allows them to access official, publicly available functionality in their apps.
• App: Short for “application.” The programs you download and run on a smartphone. Can be free, or for sale. Most apps come from Apple’s iTunes App Store but some can be made specifically by and for businesses or schools, and some are made expressly for the Jailbreak Cydia app store.
• App Store: Part of iTunes on Windows and Mac and a built-in app on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, App Store is the only place to buy 3rd party apps and games for iOS. Introduced in 2008 alongside iOS 2 and iPhone 3G.
• Apple: Pioneering personal computer company founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, one of the most popular consumer electronics companies, and maker of iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV (among other things).
• Apple ID: An email address registered with Apple, typically for iTunes, the Apple Online Store, or Apple Discussion groups. (Not yet unified so you may actually have several Apple IDs.)
• Apple Store: A retail and online powerhouse that sells, and in the case of retail, services all Apple products including iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
• Apple TV: Apple’s original, Mac OS X Tiger-based living room set-top box designed to buy media from the iTunes Store or stream it from Mac or Windows iTunes.
• Apple TV 2: iOS-based second generation set-top box focused on streaming via Home Sharing or AirPlay, renting from the iTunes Store, and Netflix subscription content.
• AT&T: One of the four major U.S. carriers. Formerly the exclusive carrier of Apple’s iPhone in the US, still the only GSM carrier with iPhone in the US and the only carrier providing service for the iPad 3G.
• AVCTP: Audio/Video Control Transport Protocol allows for the transmission of basic music controls between devices and accessories. Only properly supported for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad since iOS 4. It’s what lets you play, pause, fast forward, rewind, and skip through music and video via wireless stereo Bluetooth headsets.

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B

• Banner notification: Unobtrusive notification that rolls down from the top of the screen to alert you to new messages.
• Baseband: The Modem Firmware of your iPhone
• Blog: (weB LOG) a ongoing internet-based publication, in chronological format, often focusing on a mix of news, commentary, and analysis, with frequent links to other sites on the web. (TiPb is a blog.)
• Bluetooth: Named after a Danish King (seriously), Bluetooth is a wireless technology used for exchanging short-range (under 30-feet) data between electronic devices. iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad support Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for better security and simpler pairing. Apple currently supports Bluetooth for wireless phone headsets, stereo headsets, keyboard connections, and data tethering.
• Bookmarklet: A Safari bookmark that contains JavaScript code to create additional functionality. Prior to iOS 4.2, Find in Page was a popular bookmarklet.

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C

• Calendar: One of Apple’s built-in apps, it handles events, invitations, and reminders on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
• Camera:: Built-in Apple app that handles the taking of photos and videos on iPhone and iPod touch 4.
• Carrier: A company that provides cell phone service.
• CES: North America’s largest consumer electronics show, held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• CDMA: Code Division Multiple Access is an underlying network standard and the common abbreviation for CDMA2000, the technology used by Verizon and Sprint in the US.
• CDMA2000: The networking technology used by Verizon and Sprint. A single CDMA tower typically has a longer range and thus provide greater coverage than a single GSM tower.
• Cocoa Touch: Apple’s iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad Objective-C-based API framework. Used to create iOS apps in Xcode.
• Cook, Tim: Chief Operating Officer at Apple. He makes sure things run on time, on budget, all the time. Cook ran Apple during Steve Jobs’ leave of absence.
• CSS: (Cascading Style Sheets) are used to style and control the formatting of HTML documents such as web pages.
• Cydia: Created by Jay Freeman (Saurik) in March 2008, Cydia is an application for jailbroken iOS devices that allows for the purchase and installation of 3rd party extensions or apps that Apple does not allow in the App Store.

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D

• DFU Mode: Device Firmware Update mode, most commonly used to exploit and gain access to iOS in order to Jailbreak. Requires holding down the Sleep/Wake button for 3 seconds, then also holding down the Home button for 10 seconds, releasing Sleep/Wake and continuing to hold Home for 5 or more seconds until the screen goes black.
• Dock: Special row of icons (or Folders post-iOS 4) along the bottom of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad that do not change when you swipe between Home Screens.
• Dock port: Apple’s proprietary 30-pin interface used to connect iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to a Mac or Windows PC via USB for syncing, or to connect to a variety of accessories for charging, audio, video, and more.

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E

• Early Termination Fee: Also known as an ETF, it’s what a carrier chargers you to break out of your contract. Usually are prorated.
• EDGE: Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution, also called 2G, 2.5G or 2.75G depending on the data speed, is an older data network used by carriers like AT&T. The original iPhone was EDGE-only. Current iPhones can use EDGE when 3G is not available (or on T-Mobile in the US where 3G frequencies aren’t compatible). Real world EDGE speeds max out around 150Kbps and do not allow simultaneous voice and data (calls will not come through while using EDGE data). EDGE is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by the uppercase letter E. iPhone 4 and iPad support EDGE on the 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz frequencies.
• EVDO: EVolution Data Optimized is the 3G networking technology used by CDMA carriers like Verizon. EVDO Rev A can achieve speeds up to 3.1 Mbps but cannot handle simultaneous voice and data, but does allow incoming calls to come through during an active data session. (Answering an incoming call will shut off the data connection.) EVDO Rev B can handle voice and data but is not planned for deployment by any US carriers. iPhone 4 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A on 800, 1900 MHz.

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F

• Facebook: Currently the largest social network on the internet, built on the concept of friend-to-friend connections. One of the few, and the biggest, places on the web Google is excluded from.
• FaceTime Apple’s video calling service. Requires Wi-Fi and is currently only supported via phone number on iPhone and Apple ID email address on iPod touch 4 and Mac (beta).
• FairPlay DRM: Apple’s DRM (digital rights management) security, used to protect iTunes movies, TV shows, music videos, apps, and iBooks from piracy. FairPlay can be authorized on up to 5 Windows and Mac machines at one time and a similar number of iOS devices.
• Fast App Switcher: Apple’s multitasking dock, hidden behind the regular dock and accessible under iOS 4 and later version by double clicking the Home Button.
• Flash: An application for developing interactive web content and the web plugin required to use it. Originally developed by Macromedia for frame-based vector animation, now owned by Adobe. Flash player is not supported by iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. (Apple thinks it’s a dead technology and wants HTML5 instead. Adobe thinks Apple is crazy.)
• Folder: An icon representing a group of apps. Introduced in iOS 4 they are created by dragging on app on top of the other in Jiggly Mode, and deleted by removing all the apps. iPhone and iPod touch can currently hold 12 apps per Folder. iPad can hold 20.
• Force Quit: In the Fast App Switcher, tapping and holding an app will put it in Jiggly Mode and tapping the X badge will force it to quit. Built-in apps like Mail and Messages will automatically and immediately restart while 3rd party apps will restart the next time you launch them.
• Forstall, Scott Senior Vice President of iOS software, came to Apple from NeXT with Steve Jobs. He’s in charge of everything that makes your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV run.

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G

• Game Center: Apple’s gaming portal where you can discover new games and share your game experiences with friends from around the globe
• Genius Bar: A counter located in Apple Retail Stores where Mac, iPhone, iPod, and iPad users can make appointments and get service for their products.
• Gmail: Google’s web-based e-mail service. Can be set up as an Exchange account on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad
• Google: The biggest company on the net and the provider of the maps data, YouTube videos, and Gmail for iOS users.
• GPRS: General Packet Radio Service is the oldest and slowest form of data networking available to GSM iPhones and iPads. Data rates are typically below 50 Kbps. GPRS is symbolized on the iPhone and iPad by the lowercase letter o.
• GSM: Global System for Mobile communication is the underlying technology standard used by AT&T and T-Mobile in the US and the majority of carriers in Europe and around the world.

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H

• Hack (Hacking): Modifying a Jailbroken iOS device in order to change or enhance functionality.
• Home Button: The physical hardware button on the front of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, beneath the screen. Used to wake, return to the Home Screen, cycle between the Home Screen and Spotlight Search screen, open the Fast App Switcher, and optionally enabled Accessibility features.
• Home Screen: The front end of Apple’s Springboard app launcher that consists of 11 screens that hold app icons, Folders, the Dock, the Fast App Switcher, and the Spotlight Search screen.
• HSPA: High Speed Packet Access is a fast form of 3G data networking. The iPhone and iPad support HSPA up to 7.2 Mbps (AT&T currently supports up to 14 Mbps in some areas). Typically split into HSDPA (download) and HSUPA (uplink/upload). iPhone 4 and iPad support UMTS/HSPA on the 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz frequencies.
• HSPA+: Enhanced High Speed Packet Access is a faster form of 3G data networking, now called 4G in T-Mobile and AT&T’s marketing. Apple will support HSPA+ in 2011. Top speeds can reach 56 Mbps. Bell and Telus currently offer 21 Mbps HSPA+.
• HTML: (HyperText Markup Language) is a standard for structuring text, images, and other content for display in web browsers such as iOS Safari. Tags are used to mark the beginning and end of elements that are then either styled by CSS or turned into actions like web links.

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I

• iBooks: Apple’s eBook reader, available from the App Store. It handles the standard ePub format protected by FairPlay DRM, and PDF. Introduced in 2010 alongside the iPad.
• iBookstore: iTunes for iBooks, it allows you to browse, search, and buy iBook format eBooks.
• iCloud: Apple’s online services, replacing MobileMe and integrating with all iOS devices and OS X Mac computers.
• iMessage: An SMS/MMS-like system for sending free text and multimedia messages from one iOS device to another over cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
• iPad: Apple’s first tablet device, announced in January 2010 and released in April of the same year. It runs a modified version of iOS optimized for its larger, 9.7″ screen.
• iOS: Apple mobile operating system and the software that powers the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV.
• iOS SDK: Apple’s official Software Development Kit for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad containing Cocoa Touch frameworks, APIs, development tools, and other elements necessary to create iOS apps.
• iOS 2: Originally called iPhone 2.0 it was announced at the first ever Apple Preview Event in 2008 and was released alongside iPhone 3G on June 29 of the same year. Major new features included an SDK for developers, and App Store for 3rd party apps, and support for Apple’s MobileMe service.
• iOS 3: Originally called iPhone 3.0 it was announced at the second Apple Preview Event in 2009 and released prior to the iPhone 3GS on June 17 of the same year. Major new features included copy/paste, MMS, and tethering (unsupported by AT&T).
• iOS 4: Announced at the third Apple Preview Event in 2010 and released prior to iPhone 4 on June 21 of the same year. Major new features included multitasking, folders, and FaceTime video calling.
• iPhone 2G: Original iPhone announced at Macworld 2007 and released June 29 of the same year. Major innovations included the multitouch user interface.
• iPhone 3G: Second iPhone announced at WWDC 2008 and released July 11 of the same year. Major new features included a 3G radio and an all new design.
• iPhone 3GS: Third iPhone announced at WWDC 2009 and released June 19 of the same year. Major new features included faster processors and video recording.
• iPhone 4: Forth iPhone announced at WWDC 2010 and released June 24 of the same year. Major new features included an A4 processor, Retina Display, front facing camera, and an all new design.
• iPhone 4S: Fifth iPhone announced fall 2011 and released October 11 of the same year. Major new features included an A5 processor, Siri, and an enhanced 8mp/1080p rear camera.
• iPod touch G1: Apple’s first generation multitouch, full screen, internet enabled iPod released September 5, 2007.
• iPod touch G2: Apple’s second generation iPod touch, it added volume buttons and a built-in speaker. Released September 9, 2008.
• iPod touch G3: Apple’s third generation iPod touch, it added more RAM and faster CPU and GPU. Released September 9, 2009.
• iPod touch G4: Apple’s fourth generation iPod touch, it added a Retina Display, front and back facing cameras with FaceTime, and a gyroscope.
• iTunes: Mac and Windows software used to activate and sync iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Also used to manage music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and other media, and access the Ping social music network. Currently on version 10, released September 2010.
• iTunes app: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad app used on-device to access the iTunes Store and Ping social network.
• iTunes Connect: Apple’s developer portal. Used to submit apps for review by Apple, and to manage them by developers, including setting price and availability.
• iTunes in the Cloud: Part of iCloud, iTunes in the Cloud allows you to re-download apps, and depending on your location, iTunes Music, iBooks, and TV Shows as well.
• iTunes Match: Apple’s $24.99/year cloud-based music locker service.
• iTunes Store: Online store run by Apple for purchasing music, movies, TV shows, and apps, and downloading podcasts and other media. Accessible via iTunes on Mac or Windows or the iTunes app on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

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J

• Jailbreak: Breaking open the root jail Apple uses to secure iOS, allowing a user to customize the device and install apps outside of the App Store. Also required for AT&T carrier unlock.
• JavaScript: Scripting language, not at all related to Java, used by web pages to program enhanced functionality and interactivity.
• Jiggly Mode: Tap and hold an app and it will begin to “jiggle”, indicating you can move them around the Home Screen, from screen to screen, put them into folders, delete them by tapping their X badge (App Store apps only), or Force Quit them if they’re in the Fast App Switcher.
• Jobs, Steve: Co-founder and CEO of Apple and product visionary behind iPod, iTunes, iPhone, iPad, etc.

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K

• Kernel: The basic Unix building block of iOS. Like Apple’s Mac, iOS devices are based on the BSD-derived Darwin kernel.
• KHTML: The original Linux browser technology WebKit, and hence Apple’s Safari comes from.

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L

• LDAP: (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) can view and search contacts on your company or organization’s LDAP server
• LTE: Long Term Evolution is a 4G networking technology currently being deployed by Verizon and scheduled to be deployed by AT&T, Canadian carriers, and others. Theoretical speeds are measured in the hundreds of Mbps but initial implementations haven’t reached those yet. Likewise initial implementations only use LTE for data while future versions could be pure IP-based for both voice and data. Neither iPhone nor iPad yet support LTE.
• Lock Screen info: Popup or list of notifications shown when the iPhone is locked but woken from sleep.

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M

• Mail: Built-in Apple app for handling POP3, IMAP, MobileMe, and Exchange/ActiveSync email accounts.
• Messages: One of Apple’s built-in iPhone apps that handles SMS text messages and MMS multimedia messages.
• MMS: (MultimediaMmessages), introduced in iOS 3 and support images, videos, sound, contact cards, and location. Sent and received via the Messages app on iPhone to other mobile/cell phones.
• MobileMe: Apple’s old push mail, calendar, and contacts service for iOS. Now replaced by iCloud.

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N

• Newsstand: A special folder in iOS 5 that collects together magazine and newspaper apps and allows for automatic downloading of new issues.
• NeXT: Company founded by Steve Jobs after he was ejected from Apple. Ultimately purchased by Apple, prefacing the return of Jobs. NeXT technology, like NeXTStep evolved into the foundations of Mac OS X and iOS.
• NeXTSTEP: Objective-C programming framework purchased by Apple as part of the NeXT acquisition and evolved into Cocoa on Mac OS X and Cocoa Touch on iOS.
• Nitro: Apple’s JavaScript rendering engine used in the WebKit-based Safari browser for Mac, Windows, and iOS.
• Notification Center: Pull down list of recent notifications accessible from any iOS Home Screen or from within any iOS app.

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O

• Objective-C: Apple’s superset of the C programming language used as part of the Cocoa Touch APIs to create iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps. Derived from NeXT’s NeXTSTEP.
• Open GL: An open source 3D graphics library used in many devices, including iOS devices
• Open Source: Software which is licensed to grant the right of users to study, change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code. BSD Unix, the foundation of Mac OS and iOS, as well a WebKit are examples of Open Source software.
• Open Standard: A technology developed and/or agreed upon by a governing or controlling body available for any organization to license (licensing fees may be involved). H.264 video is an example of an open standard that requires a licensing fee.
• OTA: (Over the Air) The act of moving data to your phone — downloading, really — without having to plug it in. iOS devices can buy music, download apps, sync data, etc. OTA.

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P

• Photos: Built-in Apple app that handles the camera roll for iPhone and iPod touch 4, and synced photos and videos for iPhone and all generations of iPad and iPod touch.
• Personal Hotspot: Introduced with the Verizon iPhone and iOS 4.3 it replaces Tethering and, on iPhone 4, adds the ability to share cellular data over a Wi-Fi connection with up to 5 additional devices. Availability will depend on carriers and some may/will charge extra for it. Think of it as a built-in MiFi or the ability to turn your iPhone into a mini mobile Wi-Fi router.
• Photo Stream: Part of iCloud, Photo Stream stores your last 30 days or 1000 photos online and on your iOS devices, and all your photos on your Mac.
• Ping: Apple’s social music network launched in September 2010 alongside the fourth generation iPod touch. It lives inside iTunes on Mac, Windows, and iOS and is hooked into Twitter.
• Private API: An API that may or may not be used by Apple but isn’t finished, polished, or otherwise approved for developers to use in App Store apps. Apple will reject any app that uses a Private API.
• Public API: An API approved by Apple and made available in the iOS SDK. Public API’s are a guarantee by Apple that developers can use them and not worry Apple will make changes, which could result in apps crashing or having experiencing other bugs.

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Q

• QuickTime: Apple’s 2D graphics layer, used to play movies and other video on iOS.

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R

• Respring: Relaunching iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad’s Springboard. Typically used by Jailbreak apps after installation or changes to Springboard.
• Retina Display: 960×640, 326ppi display available on iPhone 4 and iPod touch 4.

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S

• Safari: Apple’s web browser, both for Mac OS X and iOS (sometimes called Mobile Safari). Based on KHTML/WebKit renderer and the Nitro JavaScript engine.
• Schiller, Phil: Senior Vice President of Marketing at Apple. When Steve Jobs was on leave of absence, Schiller stepped in to the Keynote hot seat.
• SDK: (Software Developers Kit) a set of tools, including API, frameworks, interface elements, etc. used to create software, i.e. apps.
• SHSH Blobs: (Signature HaSH) is a 128-byte digital signature generated by Apple and used to verify firmware on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Since Apple will not verify older firmware, SHSH blobs are typically saved to Cydia or services like Tiny Umbrella by Jailbreakers so they can rollback to older firmware.
• SIM card: The little card used in GSM phones (AT&T, Rogers, O2, etc.) that connects the phone to the network.
• Siri: Apple’s intelligent virtual assistant that replaces VoiceControl on the iPhone 4S.
• Sleep/Wake Button: Physical hardware button on top of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Used to power on, wake from sleep, put to sleep, and power down iOS devices.
• SMS: (Short Message Service) Text messages sent from the Messages app on iPhone to other cell/mobile phones.
• Spotlight Search: Part of the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad Home Screen system, accessible by swiping left to right or clicking the Home Button when on the primary Home Screen, or inside Apple apps like Messages, Mail, Contacts, iPod, etc. Performs text-based search and shows results for contacts, apps, music, podcasts, videos, audiobooks, notes, mail, calendar events, and SMS messages.
• Springboard: The internal name of the program Apple uses to run the iOS home screen, including the app launcher and fast app switcher.
• Sprint: One of the four major U.S. carriers.
• SSH: (Secure SHell) is a secure network communication protocol used to communicate between Mac or Windows and a Jailbroken iOS device. Apple defaults all iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad SSH passwords to “alpine”, which should be changed for security reasons if SSH is enabled.
• Sync: Short for synchronize; the

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T

• T-Mobile: One of the four major U.S. carriers.
• Tethering: Sharing your iPhone’s cellular data connection with your laptop via USB (dock cable) or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Available since iOS 3 though AT&T only chose to support it with iOS 4. Not available on all carriers and some carriers charge extra for it. Replaced in iOS 4.3 with Personal Hotspot.
• Twitter: One of the most popular social networks built around a follower/following system rather than friends, and limited to 140 characters (think micro-blog meets SMS).

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U

• UDID: (Unique Device Identifier) The series of numbers and letters used by Apple and developers to uniquely identify your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Your UDID needs to be registered with Apple’s developer program to run beta versions of iOS and needs to be included in developer’s provisioning files to run Ad Hoc apps.
• UTMS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is a 3G, transitioning to 4G networking technology. WCDMA (including HSPA) is part of UTMS.
• USB: Stands for Universal Serial Bus. Is a method of connecting devices to a computer. Apple iOS devices connect via dock port to your computer’s USB port.

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V

• Verizon: One of the four major U.S. carriers. Currently the only CDMA carrier in the US to offer the iPhone 4. Also currently offers the iPad + MiFi combo.
• VPN: (Virtual Private Network) provides secure access over the Internet to private networks, such as the network at your company or school.

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W

• WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access is a UTMS technology which, while easily confused with the CDMA network used by Verizon, is actually associated with GSM networks like HSPA.
• WebKit: Apple supported open source HTML browser rendering engine that forms the foundation of Safari on Mac, Windows, and iOS. Also used by Google’s Chrome, Palm webOS, Nokia, and others.
• Wi-Fi: A trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance, commonly used to refer to 802.11g (pre-2010 iOS devices) or 802.11n (post-2010 iOS devices) wireless networking.

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X

• Xcode: Apple’s IDE (Integrated Development Environment) used to write Objective C code and create native App Store apps.

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Y

• YouTube: Google’s web-based streaming video service. Accessible from iPhone or iPod touch via the YouTube app, or iPad either inline or via the YouTube app.
• YouTube app: One of Apple’s built-in iOS apps that allows searching, browsing, and playback of H.264 format YouTube videos.

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Z

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What Apple products do you own? If you’re reading TiPb then chances are high you have an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad or Apple TV, but what about iPods nano, shuffle and classic? What about iMacs and Macs Mini and Pro? What about MacBooks Pro and and Air? Airports Express and Extreme? Time Capsules and Cinema Displays?

Apple products spawn like tribbles I tell you, really expensive tribbles! I know I have more than I ever thought I would. What about you, what Apple products do you call your own?

Engadget — which doesn’t just run any old rumor mind you — claims they have the goods on the next generation iPad 2, iPhone 5, and Apple TV (2011). The big news, if accurate, seems to be a blazingly fast, dual-core ARM Cortex A9-based Apple A5 system-on-chip (SoC) and a switch to dual GSM/CDMA (but not LTE) Qualcomm radios that can run on both AT&T and Verizon. (Which our buddy Mickey Papillon first heard were Apple-bound back at CES 2010.)

iPhone 5 is said to be a complete redesign, which would be very different than the identical casings used for both iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS. A “total rethink” that’s being tested but only on Apple’s campus (so it won’t turn up on the blogs, obviously). Apple has thus far introduced new iPhones in June.

iPad 2 still seems set for an April launch as expected. In addition to being slimmer and sleeker, it will include a higher resolution screen similar to but not the same as the current Retina Displays (yeah, we’re confused by these back and forth rumors too!), front and rear cameras (FaceTime, of course), and an SD card slot (though no USB, sorry). It’ll also have that Qualcomm chipset and Apple A5 proc.

Apple TV (2011), courtesy of the A5 chipset, will be able to play 1080p HD video “like running water”. Whether or not this is also on a yearly cycle, meaning we’ll have to wait until September 2011 to see it alongside the next generation iPod touch remains to be seen.

Again, these are all rumors and while Engadget is typically solid things can and will change. Apple reportedly had a more conservative “backup” iPhone 4 in case the one we got didn’t pan out, so they could have a more conservative “backup” iPhone 5 as well. Also, Apple has been known to spread disinformation. It is fun to speculate though so let us know what you think — are these the next generation iOS devices you’ve been waiting for?

[Engadget]

So anyone get a new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Apple TV or other sweet tech gift yesterday? Did you get any awesome accessories or really cool apps? And what did you give the kids, the parents, the friends… that special someone?

Was Apple a big presence in your presents? Let us know in the comments!

• Our podcast feed
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Georgia and Rene struggle through the great Skype outage (sorry for the terrible audio!) and talk App Store price wars, FaceTime in the workplace, iAd Producer, Apple TV and AirPlay hacks, and Android and BlackBerry competition. This is iPhone Live!

Announcements

• iPad 32GB Wi-Fi + 3G give away!!
• TiPb TV 9: Should you wait for the Verizon iPhone?

News

• Reminder: Why there won’t be any new or updated iPhone or iPad apps or games this week
• EA releases Battlefield Bad Company 2, Mortal Kombat 3 for iPhone, SimCity Deluxe for iPad, puts 70 games on sale for $0.99!
• Publishers cut game prices, hope to secure top spot before App Store holiday freeze
• Namco, Gameloft games join holiday App Store price war
• iOS 4.2 features: Augmented Reality in iPhone Safari browser
• No network admin? No problem if you have an iPhone and FaceTime!
• Apple Stores merry with FaceTime Santa displays
• Apple releases iAd Producer for iPhone, iPad developers

Apple TV

• Apple TV sales top 1 million
• Apple TV and AirPlay hacks: AirFlick, Air Video Server, XBMC, live conversion, DVDs, DRM, screencasts

Discussion

• Will Android phones ever achieve iPhone’s level of polish and usability?
• iPhone, Android, and the difference between usability and functionality
• Why is RIM running away from BlackBerry to battle Apple?

Tips

• Daily Tip: How to set custom app icons on iPhone or iPad [Jailbreak]
• Daily tip: How to invite someone to a Calendar event [Beginner]

Jailbreak

• Are tethered Jailbreaks worth the hassle?
• Put SBSettings toggles in the iPhone app switcher with SBSwitcher [Jailbreak]

Apps

• Facebook for iPhone updated with new notification UI, bug fixes
• NoseDial brings easy nose dialing to iPhone
• WikiLeaks App for iPhone gets pulled from the App Store
• UPDATE: Camera+ for iPhone coming back to the App Store

Accessories

• Top 10 accessories for your iPhone [Sponsored]

Hosts

• @reneritchie
• @GeorgiaTiPb

Credits

Thanks to the TiPb iPhone accessory store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Our music comes from the following sources:

• I Called You — iPhone Remix by Pete Leidy
via Sneakmove iPhone Ringtone Challenge

The Apple Remote for iPhone app has just been updated to include support for Airplay and Internet radio control. It also extends the ability to control iTunes.

• AirPlay video support to control iTunes on your computer to stream videos to an Apple TV
• Internet radio control to play thousands of internet radio streams in iTunes on your computer
• The ability to control iTunes on your computer to play Movies and TV shows that are rented from the iTunes Store
• Addresses issues connecting to an iTunes library or Apple TV
• Includes stability and performance improvements

If you pick this up, let us know how it works for you!

Erica Sadun from TUAW is relentlessly prosecuting her AirPlay and Apple TV hacks with a whole series of posts that include turning your Mac into an AirPlay server via the AirFlick app, transcoding AVI and other non-Apple supported videos for use with Airplay, running AirPlay on an XBMC Linux box, playing DVDs on Apple TV via AirPlay, playing iTunes FairPlay DRM protected videos, and sending Mac screencasts to Apple TV. Yeah. Phew.

A lot of this is strictly alpha and proofs of concept at this point and requires a good amount of ninja level skill to implement, but if that’s the way you like your hacks, head on over and try them out:

• AirFlick turns Macintosh into an AirPlay data server
• AirPlay running on XBMC Linux box
• Apple TV plays live-converted AVI files using Air Video Server, AirPlayer, and AirFlick
• DVDs are playing back on my Apple TV using AirFlick and AirPlay!
• Screencast your Mac to Apple TV over AirPlay

Video after the break!

iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox Kinect, PlayStation Move, Jambox, Nexus S, MacBook Air — there seems to be so much wonderful tech out there that I am finding it increasingly difficult to figure out what I would really like to receive this holiday season!

What type of tech gifts are you hoping to find under the tree? Is there something cool you really want from that someone special in your life? Help me out, TiPb community, and let me know what you want!