Seen the first Steve Jobs movie? Ready for another one?
Um… sure?
Sure! But don’t worry too much, this one hasn’t even started filming yet so it’s quite a ways off, but you should probably be ready for people to start talking about it.
This new one promises to be different from the last one with famed wordsmith Aaron Sorkin ( West Wing and The Social Network) having just submitted the completed the script.
The script is based on Walter Isaacson’s biography and Sony is in charge of this one, hence it is purported to have a significantly larger budget then the Ashton Kutcher starring ‘Jobs’.
Sorkin has already revealed to the press in 2012 that he planned on having the movie take place across 3 30-minute scenes, all focusing on important Apple product releases. It is not known if that is still the case.
We liked Jobs, but being fans of Alan Sorkin’s script structure and sympathetic yet flawed characters, we’re quietly excited about this one.
Thanks to 9to5Mac, we have the full letter that Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, sent to his employees. The letter reflects on the last year, cements the ideals of the company and looks forward to 2014.
Team,
This holiday season, tens of millions of people around the world, from all walks of life, are experiencing Apple products for the first time. Those moments of surprise and delight are magical, and they’re all made possible by your hard work. As many of us prepare to celebrate the holidays with our loved ones, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve achieved together over the past year.
First and foremost, we introduced industry-leading products in each of our major categories in 2013, showing the breadth and depth of innovation at Apple. We extended our lead in the smartphone market with iPhone 5s; launched iOS 7, an extraordinarily ambitious project; released OS X Mavericks for free to our customers; introduced the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display; and this week began shipping the Mac Pro from a manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. We also marked our 50 billionth download on the App Store – a milestone no one could have predicted we would reach so quickly.
Together we’ve shown the world that innovation at Apple goes beyond our products to the way we do business and how we give back to our community. This year, Apple raised and donated tens of millions of dollars for important charities and relief efforts like Red Cross aid to typhoon victims in the Philippines, and we continue to be the largest contributor to (PRODUCT)RED, supporting the Global Fund in its fight against the spread of AIDS in Africa. Just a few weeks ago, Jony Ive led an unprecedented effort that brought money and awareness to eliminating the transmission of AIDS from mother to child.
And finally, Apple is standing up for what we believe is right. We know that equality and diversity make our company and our society stronger, so we’ve urged the U.S. Congress to support workplace protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. We are also laser focused on our contribution to several environmental initiatives and we will increase our efforts even more in this area in the future.
We have a lot to look forward to in 2014, including some big plans that we think customers are going to love. I am extremely proud to stand alongside you as we put innovation to work serving humankind’s deepest values and highest aspirations. I consider myself the luckiest person in the world for the opportunity to work at this amazing company with all of you.
Happy Holidays,
Tim
Makes you feel all kinds of goo inside, right? in 2014 we as customers can look forward to a bunch of new and updated software and hardware releases such as the iWatch, iTV, iPhone 6 and a larger iPad.
We’ll be going into the ins and outs of everything we can look forward to early in the new year. It’s very exciting!
Meanwhile, it’s Christmas eve eve! We hope your holiday season is everything you guys could have wished for so far, and is set only to get better!
We wished for a kitten wearing a santa hat and drinking eggnog, as well as a bunch of stinky old iPhones, so things are going excellently!
Alright, crash course in subsidies! A Subsidy is something you more than likely have used or been a part of. It’s a form of financial or in kind support extended to an economic sector, institution, business, or individual generally with the aim of promoting beneficial economic and social outcomes.
It’s also what happens when you buy a smartphone in this country, unless you buy it outright.
If you paid $199 for an iPhone 5S, or $99 for an iPhone 5C, your carrier subsidized the real cost of the smartphone. This means that you paid a certain amount, and because you signed a two year contract with them guaranteeing your continued business for a locked in period of time, they paid Apple the rest of the cost price of the iPhone.
All good, right?
Well, for now, yeah. Last week however AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson came out and dropped a little mini iPhone world bombshell on the future of subsidies in the smartphone industry.
His main point was that with smartphone saturation climbing rapidly towards 90% (!) carriers will need to move on to a different way of doing things, because the current model can’t be maintained at that rate.
Carriers like AT&T use the subsidies to drive demand, but with such a high percentage of the population of the country already owning a smartphone, demand moves to upgrades and the companies subsidy system was never meant to support a predominantly upgrading model.
So what now? & how will it affect you?
We’re heading towards a smartphone world with financing rather than subsidies. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said the company’s new AT&T Next program, which offers no-money down and 0-percent financing, “drives smartphone penetration in a way that is more sustainable over time.”
So if you buy an iPhone in the future, you’re still likely to sign a contract. That contract however will be broken up in a way where you can see that each payment period you are paying off a stated amount from the total cost of the smartphone. Separate to that amount would be what you are paying to use the carrier’s service- calls, texts, etc. You would of course also always have the option to buy the phone outright.
It’s the way that it’s done in a number of countries around the world and it will be interesting to see if and how the market here adapts and changes.
But don’t worry! Why not? Well, because the only things you need to worry about Friday the 13th is avoiding ladders, black cats and ridiculous superstitions.
AND checking out Walmart’s Holiday Sale!
Included in their holiday sale is the iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S! Whaaaa? Super awesome good luck! Take that unlucky Friday the 13th!
You can look forward to deals such as zeez:
The iPhone 5c will be offered at just $27 instead of the $99 price offered at Apple!
The iPhone 5S will be offered at $127 on a two year contract instead of the $199 price offered at Apple!
Also offered is a $50 gift card with the purchase of a $299 16 GB original iPad mini.
It all starts at 8AM on Friday, and runs through to December 24th!
AND THERE’S MORE!
Best Buy is now offering the iPhone 5S starting at $124.99 with 2 year activation! You can also get a $50 Best Buy gift card with the purchase of an iPad 2.
We don’t really know about this guys. We want to tell you about this game, but then we think about the consequences.
There will be lots of work not being done. Everywhere. Everywhere, everyone will be playing this game and not doing work. Society might break down.
But then we think of the positive’s, which are 1. It’s fun. 2. It’s not a solo player game and therefore can be enjoyed socially, 3. It can make you learn and 4. It’s CHRISTMAS! So we encourage playing!!
But here is your warning: It’s super, super addictive.
Despite only being a smidge over 3 weeks old, the game is the fastest growing mobile game. Ever. It’s made by some crazy Icelandic magicians and it already has 3.5 million registered users (and growing). The average player plays for 40 minutes a day. The average player. 40 minutes. It’s worth repeating that particular stat.
You can register using Facebook ( with the usual game access to basic information and friend list) or using your email address.
If you sign up using FaceBook, you’ll have your profile picture showing to your opponents, but just in case you don’t want your profile picture associated with the fact that you don’t know which movies Bollywood comedian Johnny Lever has NOT acted in, then you can change it to a cute logo of an octopus, or a sad panda.
Not really like that, but awwww.
The Gameplay itself is fast and clean. It’s your basic quizzy, general knowledge game, with a format that will be intuitive to you if you’ve ever watched Who Wants To Be A Millionaire or played Trivial Pursuit. Once you start playing you are given categories to choose from.
The categories are what you would expect and way, way more. They’re fluid with user submitted questions being added daily ( without the app needing to be updated!), and they are specialized, with categories ranging from Geography to European Countries to Fruits and Vegetables, to Biology. We could go on. So far there’s over 200,000 trivia questions.
If you sign in using Facebook, categories will be suggested to you using the basic information on your Facebook profile. For example, the category ‘The 49ers’ was suggested for iPhone Antidote. Because the 49ers rock, obviously.
Once you choose a category, you are set against another player and given multiple choice questions. You get points for answering correctly, and you get more points for answering correctly quickly. You have to beat the other person’s amount of points by the final question ( you get double points for getting the last question correct), and then you win.
Yay. And then you play again because you feel smart. And again because then you got too cocky and lost and you want to feel smart again.And so on. And on.
The more you play, the more XP you gain and you can then move up a leader board against both your Facebook friends and on global, local, country-by-country, and state-by-state lists.
For every category there is also a message board which so that those particularly passionate about the Herbs & Spices category can talk about it after a game if they feel the urge.
The game is free, but don’t worry, you won’t be annoyed by ads or be feeling the need to buy more lives or make any other in-app purchases. Plain Vanilla has partnered with brands who then create sponsored games, so you might end up playing a category sponsored by the Twilight Brand. And then you can show off everything that you know about Twilight. Like how Edward the Vampire is actually..something something.
Right now, QuizUp is only available for iOS. (An Android version is coming in January.) Get it in the App store!
Play away kids, but don’t say we didn’t warn you about the addiction!!
Oh, and try and find us on there, we’re a sad octopus and we’re really good at European countries.
For the first time ever, the US is included in Apple’s 12 Days of Gifts App! It should be pretty awesome, so big yay’s all around!
The app can be downloaded as of right now (although you do need to have iOS 7 installed) and is leading up to 12 days of free giveaways from Apple’s various digital stores starting December 26th.
That’s one free gift from Apple every day (think songs, books, apps, movies etc) for 12 days right up until January 6th!
This is a promotion that Apple has been running in other countries for years, but this is the first time we get to have some free gift fun too! Download the app today so you can be prepared when it comes to all the free stuff! Available now in the App store.
We told you we loved Christmas right? We also really like deals. Deals, tips, tricks, writlefifers, all of it. This is why we now proudly present the Christmas Gift Guide Part 3 – Tips & Tricks for buying Tech this Christmas!
According to Macrumors, Apple now has an official policy on price matching, which allows specialists to price match iPhones, iPads, and Macs, giving up to 10 percent off on products without authorization. Specialists are also allowed to give business customers up to 20% off a non-Apple accessory when purchased with an Apple product via special order.
Apple also has free shipping now through December 22nd.
If you’re thinking of buying that special someone a Smartphone this holiday season, you should get yourself along to Whistleblower – a fantastic tool that you can use to compare cell phone plans online, and see which one is best for your needs and your budget!
If you use Amazon ( and you should) you should be aware of a couple of things. Firstly, they will price match on cell phones and televisions within 14 days of shipment of the product. Click here to see the details.
Amazon also offers 3-months of Amazon Prime Membership for free for parents & caregivers. This includes Free 2-day shipping on qualifying items, 30% off Select Diapers & Wipes which qualify for subscribe & save (15% discount + 15% S&S discount, an additional month of Amazon Prime for each $25 you spend on a single order (up to 1 year total of free prime) and exclusive e-mail discounts and offers.
If you’re a college student you can also get free Prime membership for 6 months and only $39/year after that as well as a $5 credit for each friend you refer. Click here to sign up.
College students should also click here to apply for Best Buy’s student discounts, all you need is your student email address ( must end in .edu). With this, you’ll save $50 on MacBooks and receive similar discounts in your email.
You guys should definitely check out the refurbished products on the Apple special deals page here. You can find deals like the iPad Mini Wifi 64 Gb with a 1 year warranty for $419, 13 inch MacBook air for $849, or Apple TV for $75.
Target’s markdown day is usually Monday for electronics. Markdowns usually take place every two weeks and items will continue to be marked down every two weeks until sold or the discount reaches 75 percent. Markdown schedule’s might vary from store to store, so it won’t hurt to check.
You can get a bunch of sweet Mac applications all in one go from MacUpdate in corroboration with Macrumors. For only $39.99, the bundle includes 10 applications such as iStopMotion 3, Anonymiser, and Backblaze. All up it’s worth a cool $360 clams. Click here to check out the deal.
And here’s a couple of specific deals you should check out:
iPad Mini and iPad Mini with Retina Display Smart Cover by Apple – 19.99 for blue, 14.99 for all others including Red. Free Shipping. Click here to see the deal.
Pioneer A4 WiFi Speaker w/ AirPlay Streaming $80 + Free Shipping save $120! Check it out here.
Get a Apple 15.4″ MacBook Pro for $1549.99 with a discount and rebate at MacMall.
Happy dealing and Writlefifing and Merry Christmas!
iPhone Antidote LOVES christmas. We put our christmas tree up in October, no joke.
AND we’ve been tracking the best gifts this year so you can get everyone in your life the best damn christmas present they’ve ever had. We’re talking tears in the eyes of the toughest man you know kind of christmas gifts. You guys are gonna get so much christmas karma this year!
Although tech stuff tends to be on the higher side of the budget range, we’ve tried to include a broad range of prices AND gifts for a broad range of ages and interests.
We’ve also provided some nice gift viewing music to serenade you whilst you read. Did we mention that we love Christmas?
You ready? Here we go!
Health Conscious
For the health conscious in the family, any of the Fitbit product line will make for a perfect gift. At iPhone Antidote, we recommend the FitBit One (seen above), but the Fitbit Flex has been reviewed positively as well.
The gadget tracks steps, miles,and other activities undertaken as well as calories taken in and expended, weight and even your sleep patterns. A very effective tool for maintaining or improving healthy living.
The Fitbit range is sold in most good tech stores. The Fitbit One is $99.99 and the FitBit Flex sells for $99.99 everywhere. Try Best Buy or Target.
Speakers.
Cos everyone loves music, right? And how awesome is it when you can just press a button on a device and music comes pounding out across the room? Or across the campsite? That’s why everyone needs a portable bluetooth speaker, like the Beats by Dre Pill ( shown above), $199.95 at most good techy retailers. Try Macy’s or AT&T.
We’d also highly recommend the SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker from Bose. Get it here for $199.99.
Groupon currently has a good deal on the BassBoomz Portable Bluetooth Speaker, usually $130, now $29.99. Click here to see the deal.
On the other hand, Airplay speakers ( strictly Apple only connectivity) give better sound quality than bluetooth, but you certainly pay for it. The one we like the most is the Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin Air for $599.99. Click here to get that price.
The iKross Bluetooth Stereo Music Audio Receiver makes any speaker in your house a bluetooth connectable speaker. Uh, awesome? Get it for $24.98 here.
Game systems
If you haven’t already snapped up one of these and are wanting to, well, we wish you luck my friend. They are a little scarce on the ground at the moment, but we think that supplies might bulk up towards the pointy end of Christmas. Might.
But if you can, either of these would make a smashing christmas present. Just make sure you get the right one, and we’re not telling you which one that is- they are both awesome, but it is a fierce battle forged in people’s minds as to brand alliance, much like Samsung and Apple products. If the person you’re getting it for has no alliance, you’re good to go on what suits the budget and environment.
The Playstation4 is $399.99 at Walmart, Best Buy & most good retailers. The Xbox One is $499.99. Consider getting a product bundle as well.
The alternative to the two big players is the Nintendo Wii Ufor just $299.99 at Best Buy -that’s the Wii U Console Deluxe Set with New Super Mario Bros. U AND New Super Luigi U games.
Games
Games! Woop! These are the top coolest games we can think of to recommend!
Grand theft auto V. The game everyone’s been talking about! Be warned, this is not the game to get your 10 year old! Mature themes run throughout, but those, uh, mature enough to play it? They say it rocks socks. In a more mature way of saying that. Available now on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.$59.99 at Best Buy.
Groupon currently have a deal to buy Just Dance 2014 for Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect, or PS3 Move . Super fun and easy game for everyone to play. Usually $39.99, now only $29.99.
Toys
We scrounged the very bowels of the internet to get the top 5 coolest kids toys for your little munchkins this year.
The new Furby Boom toys are the most interactive Furbies yet. And they’re back, in a BIG way. Starting at $47.80 at Walmart.
Snap Circuits – super award winning learning toy, where the objective is to build projects such as AM radios; burglar alarms; games, etc. Shop Amazon for $45.07 with Prime here.
Romo Robotic Pet for iOS. Romo is a little guy creature ( downloadable app) that lives in your iOS device – attached to his wheels he can roll around, snap photos and interact with and adapt to his environment. Get this at Brookstone for $199.99.
Ubooly Smart Toy is an interactive smart toy that doubles as a really cute little thing AND an educational toy with 1,000+ fun activities for ages 4-10. Ubooly tells stories, plays games, teaches lessons and every week, new activities are pushed wirelessly to your mobile device. Yes please.
The iStabiliser Monopod. A smartphone and gadget holder thingy, so your photos turn out super stable, and your arm doesn’t hurt when you’re filming. Get it here for $ $34.95.
Hellonomad Charge card (seen above).USB powered charge card that is the size of two credit cards, so can fit easily in your wallet. Get it here for $25.
For cases, we reccomend trying out either Opena casefor function ( they have the bottle opener case among others) or Red Bubblefor design.
Groupon currently has a deal for Agloves Touchscreen Winter Gloves, so you can use all your smart gadgets even when it’s super cold! Usually $25.99, now only $ 7.99! Get in fast, it’s super limited.
Groupon currently has a deal on for the HMDX Bluetooth Speaker & Alarm Clock with Apple Lightning Pin Dock. Usually $79.99 now only $39.99! Get it here.
iHip Robot Mini Speaker. Super cute brightly colored little speaker guys! Groupon currently has them down from $29.99 to just $6.99. Excellent stocking stuffer!
Quadcopter/helicopter
No matter what age, a Heli or Quadcopter will bring a lot of joy this holiday season. The best of the lot would be the Stunt Copter ( seen above) at Brookstone for $69.99. It takes a little learning, but comes with a repair kit and takes some good smashes with no damage. Designed for inside and outside play, it’s a perfect toy that takes some practice- but the practice is hella fun.
For more of a toy than a project, we’d recommend this the Hovermaxx UFO RC Helicopter, for only $19.99 from Brookstone, it’s perfect for beginners age 6 and up for inside play and includes 6 LED lights on the device.
For the Quads, we’d definitely recommend the Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 App-Controlled Quadricopter($299.99 at Brookstone), it’s big brother the Parrot AR.Drone Quadricopter Power Edition which lets you stay in the air for 3 x longer ($369.99 at Brookstone), or if you want to go REALLY LARGE – the DJI Phantom Aerial UAV is really top notch. Check it out. ($453.44 with prime at Amazon)
Smartwatch if you cants wait ( but we suggest you do).
If you or one of your loved ones realllly can’t wait for the iWatch or similar expected far advanced tech, then it’s ok, we got you.
We recommend the Pebble Watch if you’re after a standalone smart watch (173.99 from Amazon), or the Martian Passport Smart Watch if you’re after a stylish accessory to go with your smartphone ($299 with Prime from Amazon).
Both are great Smart Watches and hella stylish to match, but expect big advances in battery time and capabilities as early as next year in their own updates and in new products.
Cool things
Light show fountain speakers. Turn on your favorite jam ( do we still say jam for music? ) and the water inside the speakers will dance to the beat and the 4 multi-colored LEDs will light up. Super rad. $49.99 from Thinkgeek.
GoPro Hero 3. You’ve all seen the video’s right? These are the cameras that you attach to things as you go hurtling down a ski-field, climbing up a rock or simply hiking to the ocean. They’re also beginning to be a must have. Starting at $199.99
Bird Photo booth. Catch the au naturale side of your backyard bird friends with this bird photo booth. Uses your own iPhone or GoPro, but comes with macros and polarising lenses. You can also, uh, talk to the birds using FaceTime? $149.99 from Thinkgeek.
Game boy watch. Everyone loves vintage gamer stuff! And now you can wear it on your hand! $86.87 including shipping here.
Perfect Drink App-Controlled Smart Bartending. Exactly what it says it is; a fancy cocktail machine. It includes a smart scale and app that lets you choose from hundreds of drink recipes, follow real-time pouring instructions, and watch as a virtual glass fills on your smartphone or tablet, as well as suggesting what drinks you can make from what you have. (Kahlua and Bacardi 151 anyone?) $69.99 from Brookstone.
Really cool things
ELECTRIC DELOREAN DMCEV.Brought to you by the DeLorean Motor Company in association with Epic EV, the Electric DeLorean is battery powered but its AC induction liquid-cooled electric motor packs 260 horsepower. That means a top speed of 125mph and 0-60 in 4.9 seconds.
The Flying Hovercraft. Yes, it’s a flying hovercraft. It glides over land and water yet also soars in the air up to 70 mph with the aid of integrated wings. A 130-hp twin-cylinder, liquid-cooled gasoline engine, turbocharged and fuel-injected, drives its 60″ wood/carbon composite thrust propeller while a 1,100-rpm 34″ lift fan inflates its durable vinyl-coated nylon skirt for hovering above the ground.
That’s a wrap! ( get it? …Christmas wrap? ..no?) I hope you guys found some nice gift ideas for your loved ones and enjoyed the dulcet tones of Miss Mariah!
Happy Happy Holidays!
P.S. Watch out for our 2nd tech christmas guide coming soon on where to find the best deals on everything Apple!
Apple is in the process of purchasing a company that has the technology to bring super, super exciting things to it’s product line.
The Israeli firm Primesense is responsible for the technology associated with 3D body sensing used in Microsoft’s Kinect platform.
You know, the thing where you dance around all silly in front of the game system and don’t care because it’s AMAZING that what you’re doing is copied/simulated on screen? Yeah, that stuff.
The original asking price back in June was 280 million buckaroos, but according to Israeli newspaper Calcalist, the deal is now worth a slammin $345 million. Yowzer.
There are still some minor issues that need to be settled before the transaction is done and dusted, but we’re on purpose getting ahead of ourselves here and getting excited about what this could mean for future products or what it could mean for current products, like the iPhone. Ooh, also The iTV, (duh).
Although Apple has not commented (not unusual), and PrimeSense has not publicly acknowledged the deal, the company did release the following statement:
“PrimeSense is the leading 3D technology in the market. We are focused on building a prosperous company while bringing 3D sensing and Natural Interaction to the mass market in a variety of markets such as interactive living room and mobile devices. We do not comment on what any of our partners, customers or potential customers are doing and we do not relate to rumors or re-cycled rumors.”
We’re hoping that ‘re-cycled rumor’s part is just PR spin. Cos this? Could be really cool.
We’re crossing our fingers and looking forward to an official announcement in the next 2 weeks!
Apple, Cool Features, iPhone, New Releases | iPhone-Antidote | 
January 15, 2014 1:31 pm | 
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