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Still not feeling the holiday spirit even though the calendar says we’re just over a week away from Christmas? Maybe today’s recap will cheer you up, particularly if you’re a Gmail user still struggling with OS X Mail on Mavericks. Or maybe you’re a Sprint customer in one of 70 new 4G LTE markets! Either way, our recap will get you up to speed as the pre-holiday week drags on…
Apple Releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 Update
OS X Mail still not playing nice with your Gmail account on OS X Mavericks? Apple released OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 Update on Monday, which promises “improved support for Gmail in OS X Mail, and fixes for users with custom Gmail settings” — although it’s unclear if these are the same fixes released separately last month or not. The update also resolves issues with contact groups not working properly in Mail and multiple prompts to unlock the “Local items” keychain. OS X 10.9.1 also includes Safari 7.0.1, which delivers fixes for unresponsive form filling on FedEx.com and other websites, improved Credit Card Autofill and periodic updates to Shared Links when the sidebar is open. OS X Mavericks 10.9.1 Update can be found in the Updates tab on the Mac App Store.
Qualcomm Employee Claims A7 Caught Industry “Unprepared”
MacRumors reported Monday that chipmaker Qualcomm was apparently among those caught by surprise when Apple unveiled its new 64-bit A7 processor on the iPhone 5s. According to an unnamed employee speaking with HubSpot journalist Dan Lyons, Apple’s A7 “hit us in the gut… we were slack-jawed and stunned, and unprepared.” Although the employee claims 64-bit is not “that big a performance difference right now,” the industry is scrambling to play catch-up. “Apple kicked everybody in the balls with this,” they remarked. “It’s being downplayed, but it set off panic in the industry.”
Sprint Adds 70 New 4G LTE Cities, Closes 2013 with 300 Markets
Third-placed U.S. carrier Sprint announced Monday that it now has 300 4G LTE markets across the country which tap into three different spectrum frequencies capable of wireless data speeds of 50-60Mbps. Sprint was able to boost its numbers significantly ahead of the holiday season by adding 70 new markets this week, including Green Bay, Orlando, San Diego and St. Louis — all helped by the acquisition of Clearwire as well as additional spectrum from U.S. Cellular, particularly in the midwest. A complete list of the new markets is on Sprint’s website, and you can bet there are many more to come in 2014.
iTunes Radio Ads Becoming “Top Priority” for iAd Team
AdWeek reported Sunday that Apple executives are ratcheting up the team responsible for selling iAds, making iTunes Radio sales a key focus of Cupertino’s advertising efforts. One insider claims the message from software chief Eddy Cue is that iTunes Radio has become a “top priority” for the company over in-app advertising — a move that comes on the heels of competitor Spotify announcing its own ad-supported music streaming on mobile devices. But in-app ads aren’t completely being ignored — the report claims Apple is working on a “real-time bidding exchange” to help automate those sales, according to multiple sources.
Windows Phone 8.1 May Get Its Own Siri Next Spring
The Verge reported Monday that Microsoft is hard at work on Windows Phone 8.1, the first major update to Redmond’s smartphone operating system expected to arrive in April at the company’s Build Developer Conference. In addition to a long-awaited, Android-style notification center, the update will reportedly include “Cortana,” a personal digital assistant in the style of Apple’s own Siri that is said to replace the current Bing search in favor of voice or text input “with conversational interaction and the ability to learn location context and data from the phone.”
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