Apple makes good on CEO's promise to expand iPhone 5's 4G carriers

iOS 6.1 patches more than two-dozen security vulnerabilities and adds three-dozen LTE carriers to the supported list for the iPhone 5. Apple today released iOS 6.1, the first major update for the mobile operating system since its September 2012 launch, patching 27 security vulnerabilities and adding three dozen LTE carriers to the iPhone 5's support list.

At the top of Apple's list of improvements was an expansion of the LTE networks compatible with the iPhone 5, a move announced last week by CEO Tim Cook during a quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts.

"Next week, we are adding 36 more carriers for LTE support," Cook said Jan. 23. "And these carriers will be in countries that were currently not supporting LTE."

Among the iPhone 5 markets where customers now can connect to an LTE carrier are Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and South Africa.

iOS 6.1 also added carriers in countries already served by LTE. In the U.S., for example, the update expanded the list from AT&T, Sprint and Verizon to add Alaska Communications, Bluegrass Cellular and Pioneer Cellular.

A complete list of all iOS 6.1-supported LTE carriers can be found on Apple's website.

Other enhancements in iOS 6.1, according to Apple's typically terse note, included Fandango movie ticket purchases using Siri (U.S. only) and individual track downloads from iCloud for iTunes Match subscribers.

iTunes Match is the $25-per-year service launched in November 2011 that acts like a music storage locker in the sky, storing tracks purchased via iTunes or ripped from CDs in iCloud, then making the library available on all of a user's iOS, OS X and Windows devices.

Prior to today's update, iTunes Match automatically downloaded all tracks in an album, making it difficult to grab just a single tune to place, say, on a storage space-strapped iPhone.

iOS 6.1 also included patches for 27 security vulnerabilities, most of them labeled with the phrase "arbitrary code execution," Apple's way of saying they are critical.

Of the 27 total, 22 were in WebKit, the browser engine that powers Safari in iOS and OS X, as well as Google's Chrome. Not surprisingly, most were reported to the WebKit open-source project, and from that to Apple, by Google security engineers.

Eleven of the WebKit bugs were uncovered by the prolific Abhishek Arya, a Google engineer who goes by the nickname "Inferno."

The update also revoked several digital certificates improperly issued in mid-2011 by TurkTrust, a Turkish "certificate authority," or CA. While Google, Microsoft and Mozilla had previously revoked those same certificates, this was Apple's first move. It has yet to update Safari for OS X to do the same.

Today's update was the third for iOS 6, although the first two were minor refreshes that either fixed a handful of security flaws (November's iOS 6.0.1) or addressed a single issue ( December's iOS 6.0.2).

Owners of the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5; iPad 2, third- and fourth-generation iPad, and iPad Mini; and iPod Touch fourth-generation and later can retrieve 6.1 over the air by tapping the "Settings" icon, then the "General" tab, and finally "Software Update."

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, on Google+ or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed. His email address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

See more by Gregg Keizer on Computerworld.com.

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Apple gives Tim Cook 51 percent salary rise, but his total compensation drops 99 percent

Apple CEO Tim Cook received compensation totalling US$4.17 million in 2012, down 98.9 percent on last year -- although his 2011 compensation of $378 million consisted mostly of a one-off stock grant, worth $376.2 million at the time.

Cook's salary, on the other hand, rose 50.8 percent, to $1.36 million, and his additional incentive payments more than tripled, to $2.8 million, the company revealed in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday.

His predecessor, Steve Jobs, famously took an annual salary of just $1. He received no additional incentive payments, although Apple picked up the tab for his private jet, paying $1.1 million from 2008 through 2010.

Apple's compensation committee considered that Jobs was amply compensated by the growth in value of Apple's stock, of which he held around 5.5 million shares. Its grant of 1 million restricted stock units (RSUs) to Cook on Aug. 24, 2011 was an attempt to motivate him in a similar way. Half the shares will vest in 2016, five years after he became CEO, and the other half in 2021, assuming he is still with the company.

Jobs' holding of Apple stock was dwarfed by his stake in Walt Disney Co., of which he owned around 7 percent as a result of his sale of animation studio Pixar to the company. That reportedly netted a 2011 dividend payment of $82.8 million for the trust fund to which he bequeathed his shares.

Overall, compensation by stock price has been good for Cook. His one-million-share holding is now worth around $515 million, up 36 percent over the last 16 months, based on Friday's stock price.

That, though, is nowhere near the $705 high Apple shares hit on Sept. 21, the day the iPhone 5 went on sale. Since then, Cook has made a paper loss of $190 million.

The stock price decline was triggered, in part, by disappointment that the new iPhone did not exceed the numerous rumors about its capabilities, and also with dissatisfaction with the new mapping application that Apple included in iOS 6. Its poor performance prompted Cook to issue a rare public apology, and led to the departure of Apple software chief Scott Forstall, once seen as a contender for the role of CEO.

To get Apple's stock back on an upward track, Cook will have to deliver more inspiring products than the iPad Mini -- perhaps including an Apple TV. There are signs that Apple may be moving to extend its TV offering beyond the diminutive AppleTV set-top box and the sale of TV show episodes through iTunes. Earlier this month, Cook described TV as "an area of intense interest," a stark contrast to his predecessor's dismissal of it as a "hobby."

Peter Sayer covers open source software, European intellectual property legislation and general technology breaking news for IDG News Service. Send comments and news tips to Peter atpeter_sayer@idg.com.

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Apple drops bid to add Samsung Galaxy S III Mini to patent lawsuit

Apple has dropped its patent-infringement accusations against the Galaxy S III Mini, a mid-market Android smartphone that Samsung Electronics says it is not selling in the U.S.

In a filing in the U.S. District Court for Northern California on Friday, Apple said it would withdraw its request to include the Galaxy S III Mini in a patent infringement case against Samsung that is set for trial in 2014. On Nov. 23, Apple had asked to add the Mini and five other recently released Samsung products to its complaint, which originally was filed in February. The case is one of many in an ongoing set of disputes between the two companies in several countries.

When Apple asked to add the Mini to its case, the phone was expected to be released in the U.S. soon. Samsung subsequently filed an opposition to that request in which the South Korean company said it was not selling the Mini in the U.S.

In its filing on Friday, Apple said the Mini apparently was available for sale in the country, because its attorneys had bought multiple Minis from Amazon.com's U.S. online store and successfully had them shipped to addresses in the U.S. The company also said it appeared the device was still on sale at Amazon on Wednesday.

However, Apple wrote that because Samsung had represented it wasn't "making, using, selling, offering to sell or importing the Galaxy S III Mini in the United States," it would drop the patent allegations against the Mini.

Apple's move may rely on Samsung staying true to its statement. Apple withdrew its allegations "without prejudice," reserving the right to make the accusations again "if the factual circumstances change."

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com

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Apple starts selling thinner, higher-priced iMacs

More than a month after Apple unveiled new all-in-one desktops, the company today started selling its redesigned iMacs.

The 21.5-in. iMac, with standard configurations prices at $1,299 and $1,499, will ship in one to three days from ordering. The larger 27-in. iMac, which costs $1,799 and $1,999 for its two models, can be pre-ordered starting Friday, but won't ship for two to three weeks, Apple's online store showed.

The new desktops are $100 more than their predecessors.

Apple introduced the new desktops on Oct. 23, but said then that the computers would not ship for weeks. The same week, CEO Tim Cook acknowledged the delays, saying then that iMac supplies would be "constrained for the full quarter in a significant way."

The delays were unprecedented for Apple. Since the new iMacs' Oct. 23 unveiling, Apple has had none to sell on its online store, having also pulled the previous generation from the market. Only remaining inventories of the older models -- which were introduced in May 2011 -- were available at Apple's retail stores and those of its authorized resellers.

The most innovative addition to the new iMacs was "Fusion Drive," an option that combines 128GB of flash storage with a standard platter-based hard drive of between 1TB and 3TB. The hybrid drive significantly speeds up some chores, such as starting the iMac and opening often-used applications.

Apple charges an additional $250 for the option when fitted with the 1TB drive that comes standard with each iMac. To boost Fusion Drive to a 3TB drive costs $400: $250 for Fusion, an extra $150 for the move from 1TB to 3TB. The lowest-priced 21.5-in. iMac cannot be configured with Fusion Drive.

Analysts have said that Fusion Drive is likely composed of a Seagate platter hard drive and an SSD, or "solid-state drive" provided by Anobit, an Israeli company that Apple acquired in December 2011 for a reported $500 million.

The new iMacs feature Intel's "Ivy Bridge" 2.7GHz, 2.9GHz or 3.2GHz quad-core Core i5 processors, 8GB of memory, 1TB hard drives, and Nvidia graphics chipsets with 512MB of RAM. The desktops also shun optical drives -- Apple's been dumping the drives from systems as it rolls out new designs, leaving only the non-Retina MacBook Pro laptops and the low-volume Mac Pro tower with built-in DVD/CD drives -- and retained the previous models' screen sizes and resolutions.

While the 21.5-in. iMac has long been the best-selling desktop in the U.S., the line faces increased competition from Windows all-in-ones, said Steven Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group.

"Windows desktops have done well all year, with all-in-ones accounting for 20% to 30% of [Windows PC] retail sales," said Baker in a Thursday interview. "They make great touch devices."

Windows 8, Microsoft's new operating system, emphasizes touch capabilities. Apple's iMacs are not touch sensitive.

The new iMacs can be ordered today from Apple's online store; the 21.5-in. model is available today at Apple's retail stores. A 27-in. iMac ordered Friday will purportedly ship between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Read more about macintosh in Computerworld's Macintosh Topic Center.

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AC/DC finally rocks the iTunes Store

Apple and Columbia Records on Monday announced that AC/DC's complete catalog is available digitally for the first time--exclusively at the iTunes Store. The rock band had long been missing in action from online music stores, but now the entirety of the band's discography is available for digital purchase. All the music has been Mastered for iTunes as well.

According to a press release, all sixteen of AC/DC's studio albums, along with four live albums and three compilations, are now on sale in the iTunes Store.

Two collections are available: The $100 Studio Collection encompasses all of AC/DC's 176 studio-recorded songs, complete with an iTunes LP featuring photos and liner notes. The $150 Complete Collection adds in rarities, demo tracks, the four live albums, and an iTunes LP with "a detailed essay and photos from the era," according to iTunes. The compilation includes 312 tracks.

The iTunes Store also now offers AC/DC ringtones.

The AC/DC announcement comes two years after another significant iTunes hold out finally arrived in the store.

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Apple, HTC settle patent suits worldwide

Apple and Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC have settled all of their outstanding patent disputes, they said late Saturday.

The settlement includes a 10-year agreement under which the companies will license current and future patents from each other, they said in a brief statement. The terms of the settlement are confidential and were not disclosed.

The patent dispute between the companies, one of many being fought in the mobile device industry, began in March 2010 when Apple filed suits at the International Trade Commission and U.S. District Court for Delaware accusing HTC of patent infringement.

HTC hit back with its own lawsuit and the fight escalated.

The top executives from each company provided much the same commentary in the joint statement.

Peter Chou, CEO of HTC, said, "HTC is pleased to have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation," while Apple CEO Tim Cook said, "We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC. We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation."

Apple was the world's number two smartphone maker in the second quarter, accounting for 16.7 percent of shipments, according to research from IDC. HTC was in fourth place with a share of 5.8 percent, IDC said.

Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address ismartyn_williams@idg.com

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