Macgasm

I’m not one for hardware hacking. The last time I opened up a piece of electronics was to install a mod-chip in the original Sony Playstation. It was worth it for all of two months, then my Playstation went belly up. But, a nifty case tweak for the iPhone has me re-evaluating my stance on hardware hacking.

[...]

Apple has moved the production of its A5 processors to, wait for it, Texas. Here’s where things get even weirder. The chips are being fabricated by Samsung Electronics, but at a 1.6 million square foot factory in Austin. The factory is owned by Samsung. This should also be considered a bit of a rumor since neither Apple, nor Samsung, would confirm that the A5 chips are being made in Austin.

Poornima Gupta at Reuters:

Before we get all excited about the potential of Apple moving some of its production stateside, it’s important to realize that Austin is a bit of a hotspot for semiconductor companies. Currently, Freescale Semiconductor, ARM, Intel, and AMD are all operating in the area. There’s a great deal of engineering talent in the area. It also makes you wonder if we’ll start seeing “Designed by Apple in Cupertino, Assembled in China, CPU’d in Austin” on the next round of mobile devices.

Walter Isaacson, the biographer who wrote Steve Jobs, has let it slip that he may be considering an expansion of the current biography to include things like an addendum detailing Jobs’ death at some point in the future.

From Fortune:

The biography is well-written already, but it certainly leaves you looking for more information on some things. However, expanding the biography in the future seems like a bit of an odd thing to be talking about at this point. The biography is ripping up the charts, and we’re probably not alone in wondering if Isaacson and his publisher will use the interest in Jobs to maximize profits.

Something about addendums and still working on the book doesn’t sit right with me. If Isaacson feels like the book isn’t finished, why did he release it (obvious reasons like money aside)? I haven’t reached the end of the biography yet, so I can’t really comment fully on if it feels like it has an abrupt end currently.

Have you finished the book? Would you like to see more added to the biography in the future? I’m thinking we should just let it stand as it is.

YouTube has your back again, although given the popularity of the BBC documentary Steve Jobs – Billion Dollar Hippy it probably won’t be around for long. We recommend checking it out, despite feeling dirty for recommending you watch a bootlegged version on YouTube.

Ah well, enjoy! Also, anyone want to take bets on when YouTube gets a DMCA takedown notice for the video?

Irishmen, Canucks, Mexicanos and UKers (read: Brits) alike are now privileged to enjoy the wonder that is iTunes Match. My sources indicate that one Canadian has indeed subscribed, bringing the grand total up to, well, at least one. I’d propose a toast, but I’m sure the Irish have already taken care of that at least three times in the six minutes since this story broke.

Okay, all nationality jokes aside, we’ve personally confirmed that it works in Canada, and MacRumors is reporting that it is available in at least Ireland, Mexico and the whole of the UK. Let us know if you’re somewhere else and it’s working for you, and we’ll keep you up to date.

Update: Josh, who’s in Canada, had to click on the iTunes Store icon in the sidebar, then select iTunes Match in the far right sidebar on the iTunes Store page. It should have a blue “New” icon beside it, right under the quick links section. Once that was clicked, iTunes Match started working its magic.

It’s a first for Barbara Walters, naming someone who has passed on as person of the year. Turns out Walters is a little bit of a rule breaker herself, deciding that Jobs should be honoured with the title of ‘Person of the Year’ posthumously.

Jobs may have been snubbed by Time Magazine this year, but at least Walters took a moment to recognize Jobs’ accomplishments. How could she not? Everyone’s falling all over themselves trying to learn more about the man the last couple of months. The Jobs biography is absolutely destroying the charts over at Amazon.

Read Steve Jobs is ‘Most Fascinating Person’ of the year on The Washington Post

There are plenty of times when being naked is acceptable, but having to strip down to its birthday suit to get a charge is something that an iPhone shouldn’t have to do, let alone carry a fine. If the Elevation Dock has its way, it may be the single best dock on the market.

The Elevation Dock, yet another Kickstarter project hoping to change the world, has blown past its fund-raising goal of $75,000 and managed to raise $255,922 in a matter of days. [...]

Apple, Google, and Facebook employees have spoken loud and clear about how they feel about their employers. According to a study by Glassdoor, all three companies have ranked above 3.9 on a 5.0 scale.

What are they rated on?

The only tech giant not mentioned, Microsoft, didn’t make the top 50 list. Of the big four that did make the cut, all three were within the top ten of the listing:

• Facebook: 4.3
• Google: 4.0
• Apple: 3.9

Other than the information listed above, there isn’t too much information on how big the sample size was for this poll, which is a little suspect. The saving grace is that employees were asked to vote on their own experience. I would have expected Apple to top Facebook and Google. We always hear such great things about working for Apple, but it turns out that Facebook and Google employees clearly love their jobs more than Apple employees.

Who would have thunk it.

Consulting firm Bain & Company held the number one spot.