Apple has announced details of the 2012 iTunes Festival, to be held at the Roundhouse in London, England. The event will consist of 30 nights of free concerts by over 60 artists, including the likes of Jack White, Norah Jones, and Usher; only a handful of artists have been announced so far. For 2012, the festival has been moved from July to September.
On May 16, British mobile telecom carrier O2 announced that they are building out a DC-HSPA wireless network capable of 42Mbps wireless downloads in the UK's largest cities. Samsung has jumped on board the effort by announcing yesterday that the Samsung Galaxy S III would connect to the DC-HSPA network. The Galaxy S III is expected to launch in the UK on May 29.
The Official Charts Company of the UK from Monday onwards will start releasing a chart based solely on streamed music tracks. The Official Streaming Chart will be the first chart ranking audio streams from both ad-funded and subscription streaming services in the UK, instead of product sales or radio airplay figures.
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority is expanding an investigation into Apple's marketing of the third-generation iPad in the country, the BBC reports. The ASA says it has received dozens of complaints regarding Apple's use of the term 4G in UK marketing; while the new iPad does support 4G, the option so far works only in Canada and the US. The BBC has allegedly learned that the ASA thinks Apple hasn't complied with an agreement to change its UK advertising.
There is no evidence of mobile phones being a health hazard, according to a review for the Health Protection Agency in the UK. The Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation checked hundereds of cellphone exposure studies and did not find any conclusive links to cancer, infertility, or brain damage.
Vodafone UK is launching the Huawei Ascend G 300 this Friday. The value Android phone will be the first Huawei branded handset sold in the UK, a milestone for the Chinese manufacturer.
British tabloid newspaper The Daily Mail has accused several leading technology companies, including Apple, of dodging their fair share of UK taxes by setting up operations only in parts of that nation that offer lower-than-average tax rates. The charges were triggered by an investigation of online retailer Amazon, which switched its European headquarters to Luxembourg and ended up not paying a penny in British corporation tax for the past two years.
Despite moves by Apple to update its website and change marketing materials making it clear that the new LTE capabilities in the latest iPad won't work on most world LTE networks, the company may not have done enough to prevent an investigation by the UK Advertising Standards Authority, which says it has received 24 complaints about references to "4G" on Apple's website which are considered "misleading" and may launch a full investigation.
A gang of 11 people of have been imprisoned or given suspended sentences in the UK after being convicted of scamming the Amazon and iTunes music stores out of royalty payments, according to Digital Trends. The scheme involved uploading music to the services and then buying it with stolen and cloned credit cards. To avoid being detected by credit card holders, the gang would never spend more than £10 in a transaction. It nevertheless managed to pull in almost £500,000, costing Amazon and Apple somewhere between £750,000 and £1 million after compensation was paid to the victims of credit card fraud.
Denmark and the UK are also getting involved in scrutinizing Apple's marketing of the LTE iPad, reports say. The Danish situation is the most significant, as the country's consumer ombudsman is now said to be investigating the issue. As in Australia and Sweden, Danish marketing touts the iPad's LTE support even though the only countries in which it's usable are Canada and the US. The tablet otherwise defaults to 3G or Wi-Fi connections.
A commission in the House of Commons in the UK will be deciding soon if all Ministers of Parliament (MPs) receive an iPad, reports the BBC. The Administration Committee believes that the device, even above other competing tablets, could save British taxpayers money despite the cost of providing all 650 MPs in both houses with the devices, which could cost as much as $415,000 not including cellular data.
Sales of the new iPad are up as much as 80 percent over last year's launch of the iPad 2, sources at one of the larger retail outlets for Apple gear in the UK have told Pocket-Lint. One PC World outlet in London, which opened its doors at midnight for a special first-day sale, says it sold a new iPad every 20 seconds for the entire 90 minutes it was open for the sale. Currys, owned by the same company, also reported 80 percent higher sales.
Famous London retailer Harrods is launching a new Technology department on March 16th that will include an Apple Shop, a Twitter post confirms. The company is moreover promising to have new iPads in stock, although sales will only begin at 10AM. Apple's own launch time is 8AM.
Third-party retailers around the world are starting to receive stock of the third-generation iPad, according to reports. In one instance photos are said to show iPads sitting in inventory at a US Best Buy outlet. In the UK, anecdotes suggest that PC World outlets are already receiving stock.
Apple today announced the third-generation iPad at an event in San Francisco. The device's main feature is a 2048x1536 Retina Display, twice the resolution of the iPad 2, rated at 264 pixels per inch; existing apps will be upscaled automatically. Color saturation is said to be 44 percent higher. The tablet also makes the switch to a new dual-core but quad graphics processor, the A5X, which Apple says is built with the Retina Display in mind. Interface-wise the tablet has been improved with features like voice dictation.
The UK Advertising Standards Agency has ruled in defense of Apple in the case of a complaint brought by an iPhone owner. The person specifically complained about an online Vodafone ad for the iPhone 4S, originally posted in October of last year. Even though the ad was devised by Vodafone, the carrier directed the ASA to Apple as the source of the offending text. "Simply ask Siri to help you send messages, set reminders or search for information, the ad read. "It can even use information from your iPhone -- such as your location, contacts and contact relationships -- to provide intelligent, personal assistance."
UK based firm Wapple says it has won a lengthy trademark dispute with Apple, thanks to a new UK Intellectual Property Office ruling allowing it to retain its trademark. The case began in 2007, when Apple challenged Wapple's 2006 trademark application, insisting that the company was attempting to exploit confusion in naming and branding. Wapple specializes in a platform for mobile websites, apps, and marketing.
The UK High Court has reportedly ruled that file sharing site The Pirate Bay has violated copyright laws. In a judgement that was presented on Monday, Justice Arnold concluded that "both users and the operators" of the site infringe on copyrights in the UK.
ZTE has introduced yet another budget-priced Android tablet, the Light Tab II, that is set to arrive in the UK market. The tablet offers a modest set of hardware features, centering around a seven-inch touchscreen and a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm processor.
Sony has now issued a formal apology following backlash from fans of Whitney Houston who discovered that the company had raised prices on the UK iTunes Store for compilations of her work just hours after her death. Sony raised prices on Sunday for Houston's The Ultimate Collection, an older compilation from $7.83 (US equivalent) to $12.54, and the price of Whitney: The Greatest Hits from $12.54 to $15.67.
Apple's Time Capsule routers are seeing delays or shortages in different parts of the world, notes 9to5Mac. The company's online stores in the US, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, and France are sometimes seeing delivery times of one to three weeks for 3TB models, or one- to two-week delays for 2TB routers. Third-party vendors Amazon and Best Buy are out of 3TB models, and some Australian Apple Stores may be completely out of stock.
UK broadcaster ITV has written a new letter to Apple warning it not to use the name "iTV" for its upcoming TV set, claims The Telegraph. The newspaper notes that ITV CEO Adam Crozier first raised the issue with Apple when he took office in 2010. At the time, Apple is said to have reassured ITV that it wouldn't use the name, at least not in the UK.
Apple is planning to bring its store-within-a-store concept to the Harrods department store in London, England, sources within the latter company are said to claim. The store is a significant tourist attraction in the city, thanks to its unique architecture and size. Harrods spans 5 acres, with about 1 million square feet of showfloor space.
Apple has expanded an iPhone and iPad recycling program to the UK, France, and Germany, accounts say. In the US, people can trade in old iPhones and iPads for Apple gift cards. The program is operating differently in the new countries, where people are instead getting cash deposited directly into their bank accounts.
Apple isn't planning to bid on the rights to stream English Premier League football games, claims UK newspaper The Guardian. Earlier in the week, the Daily Mail hinted that Apple might compete with traditional media outlets for the property. The Guardian says "it is understood that Apple has not discussed bidding for the rights," though, and moreover adds that the company is "unlikely to do so, despite rumoured plans to launch an Apple TV device."
Apple is engaging in a rare Boxing Week sale on the iTunes Store. Boxing Day takes place on December 26th in Australia, Canada, the UK, and New Zealand. The Boxing Week promotion is already active, however, if only in Canada.
Following a botched rollout on Wednesday, Apple has today officially expanded iTunes Match to Canada and the UK. In Canada the service costs $28 a year, while in the UK annual pricing is set at £22. Unlike regular iCloud options, iTunes Match allows a person to mirror and remotely access their entire music library, regardless of whether the content is on iTunes.
Apple appears to be quietly rolling out iTunes Match to a number of countries this evening, judging from reports of users who now see the option to sign up available under their iTunes account information pages. Pricing for the service has been revealed to be $28 in Canada, £22 (approximately $34) in Great Britain, and €25 (approximately $32.50) in Europe and equivalently-priced elsewhere.
BBC HD and Two are tonight airing a new documentary on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, titled Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy. The special goes on at 9PM local time, and is said to include insiders like Steve Wozniak and John Sculley, as well as other personalities like actor Stephen Fry, and an inventor of the web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. It is however described as presenting a more "ruthless image of Jobs," for instance revealing that Wozniak cried after he learned through a book that Jobs had scammed money from him during a game project for Atari.
Following changes to the Global iPlayer app, the BBC's core UK iPlayer app has also undergone a significant update. The title is now universal, supporting not just the iPad but the iPhone and iPod touch. In its iPhone form the app's interface has been simplified to cope with smaller screen space.
The changes to Apple TV content made in Canada are also in effect in Australia in the UK, reports note. Residents of the two regions can now access TV shows through iCloud, rather than having to stream them from a computer running iTunes, or an iOS handheld. Pricing for episodes should remain unchanged.
Starting slightly earlier this year than normal, Apple has released its 12 Days of Christmas companion app for its upcoming promotion in the UK and other parts of Europe, along with Canada. The promotional period, which runs from December 26th to the 6th of January, offers a free "gift" from the iTunes Store every 24 hours -- usually a song, app, movie rental or e-book.
Apple is currently offering free shipping at its online store, at least in some countries, checks show. At the US storefront, shoppers are now promised "free shipping on everything" until December 22nd. The promotion is scaled back in places like Canada and the UK, where free shipping applies today only. At the Australian store, shoppers are only being given free gift wrapping for iPods and iPads until December 25th.
The chief rabbi for the UK, Lord Sacks, is attempting to defend a statement he made linking Apple to an overly consumerist culture, says AppleInsider. "The consumer society was laid down by the late Steve Jobs coming down the mountain with two tablets, iPad one and iPad two, and the result is that we now have a culture of iPod, iPhone, iTune, i, i, i," he initially commented at an interfaith reception held in front of the Queen last week. "When you’re an individualist, egocentric culture and you only care about 'i’, you don’t do terribly well."
UK wireless carrier O2 has said that it will soon begin trials for 4G LTE network services in the greater London area. O2 plans to deploy the service in a 40 square mile area and give users as much as 100Mbps downstream. The trials will begin later this month and last for the next nine months.
Britain's Employment Tribunal has upheld an Apple firing of a retail worker over posts on Facebook, reports say. The worker, known as Crisp, was specifically fired for "gross misconduct" after criticizing the company and its stores. Crisp appealed to the Employment Tribunal, complaining that the Facebook posts had been marked private. The Tribunal rejected that defense, arguing that even private posts on Facebook can be copied and shared; Crisp's comments came to Apple's attention, in fact, after a Facebook friend copied the posts and passed them on to the manager of Crisp's Apple Store.
Apple has unveiled plans for an iOS 5 Tech Talk World Tour. Apple experts are scheduled to visit nine cities during the tour, including Berlin, London, Rome, Beijing, Seoul, São Paolo, New York City, Seattle, and Austin. Events will start in Berlin on November 2nd and end in Austin on January 23rd. Registration for January 13th's New York City event is already full.
Many US Apple Stores still have some iPhone 4S units in stock, despite sizable interest so far, anecdotal evidence and investigation by MacNN suggests. One explanation may stem from rumors that Apple decided to ramp up production further ahead of launch than usual, granting more breathing space. Work on iOS 5 may ultimately been responsible for the delay; the firmware has over 200 changes, including iCloud and the 4S-only Siri voice system.
The iTunes in the Cloud service is now available in several more regions around the world, users say. Canada, France, Australia and the UK are among the main territories, but other countries are said to be getting the option as well. When available the option lets people re-download music, apps and books from iTunes, or else have the content automatically pushed to multiple devices.
The Covent Garden Apple Store in London, England was the target of an overnight smash-and-grab robbery, the city's Metropolitan Police have confirmed. The Met say they received word of the crime at about 1AM local time, and believe that "around 7 moped riders/motorcyclists" were involved, most or all of which had passengers riding with them. In any case, everyone involved is said to have been wearing a full-face helmet.
One-time Apple CEO John Sculley is praising the company's most famous chief, Steve Jobs, in the aftermath of the latter's death. "His legacy is far more than being the greatest CEO ever," Sculley comments. "A world leader is dead, but the lessons his leadership taught us live on." He adds that Jobs was a "brilliant genius who transformed technology into magic," and that a part of the Apple co-founder "still lives within all of us through his beautifully designed products and his no-compromises media experiences."
Apple has essentially gutted its Covent Garden store in London, England to handle the European telecast of today's iPhone event, photos from The Next Web reveal. Much of the showfloor has been emptied out, the exceptions being one or two tables. Special curtains have been put in place, and a large screen has been installed to relay the broadcast via a satellite van stationed outside.
Aston Martin has beaten Apple to the top spot on annual CoolBrands UK rankings for a second year in a row, the BBC notes. CoolBrands' charts are based on a mix of public polling and opinions taken from marketers and business people. Aston Martin's win is thought to be linked with James Bond, since the movie spy's most popular cars have typically been DB5s or DBSs.
Apple will release the iPhone 5 in five countries on Friday, October 14th, claims Japanese site Macotakara. Specifically the device is expected to launch in the US, UK, France, Germany and Japan. The timing is consistent with accounts that Apple is blacking out the 14th and 15th for Apple Store workers looking to go on vacation, and past reports pointing to a launch sometime between the 7th and the 15th.
OnLive has announced that its cloud-based gaming service is now available to customers in the UK. The initial launch, which will be formally introduced later today at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo, will enable users to access approximately 150 games via broadband connections and a television, PC or Mac computer, and iPads or Android-based tablets.
Two more Apple Stores are set to open this weekend, making for a total of four, checks show. The first is based in Bologna, Italy, and will launch on the ground floor of a building in Via Rizzoli in the city's center. The historic structure has reportedly had its façade renovated, and should give Apple better coverage in northern half of the country.
Apple is doing an unusual Tuesday opening for its latest store in London, England, a report notes. The Stratford City outlet will open in the The Arcade, Westfield Stratford City at 10AM local time on September 13th. Apple launches almost all of its stores on Saturdays, making it easier for more people to visit. The Stratford City location will be Apple's fifth in London proper, not including surrounding areas. The timing of its introduction is linked with the premiere of its host mall.
Apple is hoping to open a new London retail store in the city's financial district, but may be stopped by laws meant to guarantee other property owners access to sunlight, Reuters reports. A source tells the news agency that a US developer, Hines, is looking to buy real estate at 100 Cheapside and build a 10-storey development with 87,000 square feet for offices and 13,000 square feet for retail. Apple is interested in occupying the retail space, the source says.
Apple is planning three major Apple Store openings for this Saturday, reports note. In the US Apple will finally be opening its long-awaited Berkeley store, located at 1823 4th Street. The outlet was greeted with some mild controversy before its construction, since plans called for it to swallow up an outdoor plaza frequently used by animal adoption agencies to showcase pets. As is usual with Apple Stores, the grand opening is scheduled for 10AM local time.
A young woman has been accused of using her BlackBerry to encourage others to commit looting and other acts of mayhem during the past week's disturbances in London and other UK cities. The 18-year-old has been charged with intentionally "encouraging or assisting in the commission of an offence" under the country's Serious Crime Act 2007, the Telegraph said. The crime carries stiff fines and imprisonment for up to five years.
