By Graham K. Rogers

Opening Gambit:

Apple Stuff

Define cheap. As we saw with the iPad mini not so long ago, the word "never" or even an outright denial, may not be worth much as changing markets and technology mean that a company such as Apple needs to stay flexible. Rene Ritchie on iMore has a few words on the iPhones, cheap or not, and Apple's changeability.

As well as Schiller's non-interview, MacNN reports that Tim Cook did give a fairly wide-ranging interview to Sina Technology. Most of the report was in Chinese and translations were limited, but Cook kept to some of the usual talking points. The MacNN article is a fairly good (but lengthy) summary of the main points discussed.

While we are on China, part of the trip news last week brought out some comments about China Mobile, but over the weekend, Patently Apple reports there was more information concerning the way that Apple has had a confidentiality agreement in place with them for four years. I love the way Apple works so secretly. All that speculation made worthless in a single report.

China has always had so much potential that the keys to the kingdom there mean untold wealth. Nations across the centuries have understood this, although many wanted control of China's resources, its biggest one now is the people: and through them, the market. Chris Umaistowski on iMore makes some interesting comments on the way that Apple has far better possibilities in the country, linking also to an important analysis by Horace Dediu on ASYMCO. However, he reasons that the size of the market is what will lead Apple to that cheaper iPhone (around $600, not the $200 that some think is the price point), while I think that the size of the market means it doesn't have to.

There have been a few executive personnel changes at Apple in recent months, mainly through the out door, but now we are told by Jim Tanous on The MacObserver, that (as some wags would have it) continuing a tradition of borrowing from Xerox, Apple has recruited Xerox CFO Luca Maestri to Join Apple As Corporate Controller. He will have accounting and financial responsibilities under Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's CFO who will be in the limelight nearer the end of this month. As Neil Hughes on AppleInsider calls it, this could be the most important set of figures for Apple for years.

On a few occasions, Apple has been cited for technology used by others to win Oscars but this week (a few days ago now) Jim Dalrymple reported on The Loop that Apple is being given an award for an "Eco-system for Real Time Presentation of TV Content to Mobile Devices without the use of Specialized Television Hardware." He thinks it is about Cloud technology.

Safari is actually 10 years old now, and there have been a few comments on its introduction, including from Don Melton who was involved in the development from the start. What I find most interesting, from a teacher's point of view, is the comments he has on how Steve Jobs put that initial presentation together: "What a privilege to be a spectator during that process. At Apple, we were actually all students, not just spectators."

There are all sorts of ways that Macs and iPads getting into education, although less so in Thailand where promises to the kids are diluted by cost considerations. Mike Wehner on TUAW tells us that Drexel university has a unique solution in a dispensing machine. Macs are not for sale, but for hire and students need ID to take one out for a 5-hour period. It may be iPad kiosks next.

There are reports of problems at Foxconn again. It seems that each year around this time (when there is movement back to the villages and towns after new year and before the Chinese New Year) there are troubles reported. Patently Apple covering China Labor Watch which does seem to have its own strategies regarding certain factories, suggests that recent strikes may be the precursor to later worker shortages.

I had a hint on Sunday morning that there was an app for the Oscars when I read an item from Michael Grothaus on TUAW but the link told me when iTunes opened, that this was not for the likes of us in Thailand. Never mind, Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival 2013 app can be had and it is really nice. This weekend I also looked at a lovely app for writing over photos on iOS devices, called Swipe: well put together.

I was intrigued by news of an app that Delta Airlines had. Not that is is unusual for airlines to have apps, it is what this one does. Ken Yeung reports on TNW that as well as a number of other features there is what is called a Glass Bottom Jet: users of the iPad with the App can see the ground beneath the aircraft. My original source for this was MacDaily News.

A new feature with OS X Mountain Lion is called the Gatekeeper and it is a way to keep users safe by allowing only applications from recognised sources to be installed. There are ways round it of course, but the user makes the call. Topher Kessler also writes about a way to manage Gatekeeper using Terminal. I love the way this stuff is discovered and the way it is written about.

A Zero-day flaw with Java this week - a possible security problem - prompted Apple to batten down the hatches using the Xprotect system which disables things by direction from the Mother Ship, AppleInsider reports. On Monday morning I also saw an article by Steven Musil with the news that Oracle has now released a fix for the vulnerability and it is available on their website. There is no news on this yet for Apple users, but I would not be surprised to find that either a silent fix comes via Xprotect or a Security Update is released.

Half and Half

Odd this. When Apple won the patents case in California, Samsung wriggled and wriggled and insisted on going to appeal on so many points that one wondered if they had been paying attention during the trial. Now, Foss Patents reports that Apple is asking for a rehearing of an appeal over the Nexus ban and Samsung is opposing that.

Other Matters

Indeed, by Monday morning here, I read an item by Steven Musil which reports the comments of MIT president, L. Rafael Reif, who has ordered a full investigation into MIT's involvement and the options it had.

On a lighter note, because there was a petition to create a Death Star (like in Star Wars) and the number who signed it exceeded a certain figure, it had to be examined properly, so the President directed Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget to examine the question. The reply, which is reported in many sources including by Andrew Kaczynski on BuzzFeed, does not support the construction of such an artefact, is well written, temperate and in places quite amusing. Note that "The Administration does not support blowing up planets," which is good to hear.

Local Items

After Friday's comments on the True Visions App, I could do no more than download and have a look myself. I am in two minds about this and while there is much data shown both on the iPhone and on the iPad (better on the iPad of course) there may be a thing about too much data. With scores of channels to choose from and only limited screen space in which to display it, there is now a question of too much data.

There is also the problem of registering for some of the services: things as simple as saving favourites, for example. True always overdo this, and I recently dumped their Thai-English dictionary app - one that I had used for a couple of years - as it was suddenly demanding that I log into my True account. This is not about normal usage, this is about control and about data mining.

Oh, and when I saw the screen of data I had to enter to make a registration, I was also put off: account number, email that I used when signing up (how do I remember that), and then a check box to agree that I want the "Green" solution (sigh). I have not even managed to get to the user problem of the bad server certificate. Great Scott, it is a TV guide for heaven's sake, not entry to the National Archives.

I expect to be writing about this in a day or so.

Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs.