Posts Tagged ‘Steve Jobs’

Facebook Connect pulled from Apple’s iTunes Ping

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Facebook Connect is missing from Apple’s new social network, iTunes Ping, after it was apparently working on Wednesday night. There seem to be mixed messages coming from Apple, according to interviews that All Things D’s Kara Swisher conducted with Apple honcho Steve Jobs and VP Phil Schiller.

Jobs said Facebook Connect wasn’t in Ping, and gave a dismissive “I guess we could do that.” Meanwhile, Schiller said you can absolutely find your friends on Ping using Facebook Connect. Both are wrong, though: Apple apparently DID do that, and now the feature is gone.

However, there are clues that Facebook Connect was meant to be in iTunes. If you’re following no one, you’ll see a message on your People page that says, “You are not following anyone. Connect with Facebook, search for people, invite friends, or follow recommended people to get started.” Facebook Connect is even mentioned in the Welcome to Ping email you get when you first sign up.

At this point, it’s a mystery whether Facebook Connect will be back, but I hope it will. Although Jobs says Facebook demanded “onerous terms” from Apple, using Facebook Connect is way faster than manually adding all your friends to Ping. Hey Steve, can we get a Twitter or Gmail connect, at least?

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Internet Technology | No Comments »

FaceTime: iPhone 4 gets its own video calling app

Monday, June 7th, 2010

When Steve Jobs announced his trademark “one more thing” during his iPhone 4 unveiling at today’s WWDC keynote, it was a real doozy. FaceTime is Apple’s new video calling app, that works from iPhone 4 to iPhone 4 with no setup whatsoever. Just when we were getting excited that the iPhone 4’s front camera would let us video call with Skype, Apple delivered something even bigger.

FaceTime is not without its issues, though. First off, it’s going to be WiFi-only for at least the rest of 2010, while mobile carriers get their networks ready to handle it. AT&T, we’re looking at you! Get it together, guys! Also, taking mobile video calls mainstream presents some interesting issues of etiquette and decorum. With Skype, you know you can video call someone because they’re signed in. With FaceTime, you might get an incoming video call when you’re in public, or when you just got out of the shower. Plus, it makes drive-by flashing pretty damn easy … I wouldn’t hurry to answer any FaceTime calls from strangers, that’s for sure.

Despite the issues, though, I think FaceTime just raised the bar for what we expect from our communication devices. Plug-and-play video calling used to be Jetsons-type-future-stuff, and now it’s just the latest thing made mainstream by Apple. Love them or hate them, they’re pushing the envelope again.

For a recap of the keynote, check out the liveblog from our sister site, Engadget and further WWDC 2010 coverage on TUAW.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Internet Technology | No Comments »

Foxconn employees now getting 30% pay raise, and direct percentage of Apple sales

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

Fresh on the heels of a recent spate of suicides, it seems that Foxconn and Apple are determined to make the workers of the sprawling Shenzhen complex a bit happier. Generally speaking, if you’re looking to brighten somebody’s day, paying them more money is a great start.

Apparently, the focus groups and deep investigations have led Hon Hai Precision Industry to the same conclusion, because Foxconn employees are now getting a 30% raise. The raise, which is already in effect, will bring their monthly income from the equivalent of about $131.77 up to $171.30 (USD). Foxconn management was originally going to raise the employees’ salary by 20%, but it seems they’re more committed to really good PR than anybody gave them credit for.

But that’s not even the half of it. Rumor now has it that Steve Jobs is going to release between 1% and 2% of total sales of all Apple products manufactured at Foxconn to the workers who built them. This profit-sharing is supposedly starting with the iPad, which has already sold over 2 million units in less than 2 months. Even at 1%, that amounts to several million dollars heading back to Shenzhen and straight into the employees’ pockets. That is, if the rumors turn out to be true.

On that note, where can I get a job application for the Apple section at Foxconn?

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Internet Technology | No Comments »