Apple

You may have wondered why it's taking so long for the augmented reality application Nearest Tube to hit the App Store. This time the delay isn't really due to an Apple approval issue, it's just the small fact that the developers of augmented reality apps are using unpublished APIs (application programming interfaces).

That's right, Apple hasn't even released these development tools yet. The good news is that intrepid developers are soon to be vindicated by iPhone OS 3.1, which promises to include many new APIs that make augmented reality applications possible.

The Apple App Store is an unparalleled success with 1.5 billion downloads in the last year. There are 100,000 developers currently participating in Apple's iPhone developer program. Only one problem: sifting through over 65,000 applications to find something useful.

Unfortunately, the current layout of the app store means that most users will never see even a fraction of the 65,000 that are available free and for purchase. Sure there's a lot of junk, however there are also many great apps that get lost in the crowd.

We're in a global economic recession, right? You wouldn't know it from looking at the latest iPhone sales statistics. Apple's stock jumped six dollars to $158 per share after the company announced its revenues for the third quarter.

Total revenue was $8.3 billion, leaving Apple with a net quarterly profit of $1.2 billion. According to Tim Cook, the Chief Operating Officer, "Apple can’t keep up with demand in the 18 countries where the 3GS model is now sold, a situation that won’t change in the short term."

Apple is celebrating the one year anniversary of the App Store for iPhone and iPod Touch. Along with all of the fanfare and featured apps came a lot of impressive statistics. Apple has left the competition in the dust, with 65,000 mobile applications released to date.

Over 1.5 billion copies of these apps have been downloaded since the inception of the App Store one year ago. Apple CEO Steve Jobs remarked, "The App Store is like nothing the industry has ever seen before in both scale and quality."

iPhone OS 3.1 beta versions have already been seeded to developers, meaning an update for the general public is imminent. Apple released iPhone OS version 2.1 only a month after 2.0 was made available last year.

The iPhone 3GS hit store shelves on June 19th running iPhone OS 3.0, and reports have indicated that millions of iPhone 3G and original iPhone owners have already upgraded their operating system. The new version includes 46 security fixes and new features such as copy and paste. So will it be worth upgrading again so soon?

Sony may have brought us the Walkman, but Apple has been dominating portable music players in recent years with the iPod. With the release of the iPhone and iPod Touch, Apple is pushing further into Sony's territory with mobile gaming. Apple's AppStore has even started to attract major game developers.

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) has sold over 50 million units in the last four years, but Apple is quickly catching up, with 40 million video-game-capable units sold in only two years. According to the Nikkei Business Daily, Sony intends to compete directly with Apple's iPhone with its own mobile phone.

Complaints about the iPhone battery are not new to Apple. Owners of older iPhones often try to conserve limited battery power, especially since the iPhone is a power-hungry device. Unlike some other smartphones, spare batteries cannot be toted around since the battery is fully enclosed.

These issues pale in comparison to the latest complaints from some owners of the new iPhone 3GS. Apparently the batteries in some devices have become too hot to touch. In some cases, the white plastic back is being discolored by the excessive heat.

No more calling or driving around to the Apple stores in your area to hunt down an iPhone 3GS. After over a million units of Apple's latest model have already sold, the company has released an online tool so interested buyers can check current inventory themselves.

The latest version of Apple's online inventory tool should be updated hourly, which is an improvement over tools released for earlier iPhone models. The company previously updated in-store inventories of iPhone and iPhone 3G units only once daily.

Apple sold over one million iPhone 3GS units in three days. Of course there are bound to be some problems. Reports are starting to come in of some issues and bugs.

The problem pictured above is a white iPhone 3GS that has overheated. The abnormally high levels of heat have discolored the white plastic on the back of the iPhone so that it appears pink.

Apple engineers just keep coming up with cool ideas. It's too bad they are light years ahead of mobile carriers. Another patent has been discovered that would allow iPhone users to share media during an ongoing phone call.

Imagine talking to a friend and playing a pop hit for this person without leaving the phone call. Not only will you both hear the music, you can discuss how bad it is in real time.