Apple News, Analysis and Podcasts
 Apple will be showing off their new versions of iOS and OS X at WWDC this year. iOS 7 should see some big changes since Jonathan Ive took over development for Scott Forstall (fired by CEO Tim Cook in October 2012). Ive is expected to update the user interface, but Apple needs more than an iOS facelift to stay ahead of the competition.
Jonathan Ive took over iOS development in the middle of its development cycle. Apple had to pull developers from OS X to get iOS back on schedule. This means OS X 10.9 will be unlikely to see any major changes and may even be released after iOS 7. What are we likely to see from the next major operating system updates from Apple besides an interface change?
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By all media accounts, Apple's Maps app was an absolute disaster, at least at launch. Apple should have either announced the product as a beta solution, launched it later as a production level product, or never launched it at all. Truth be told, I've used it from day one, well over 100 times and it's never steered me wrong. But going far beyond the hysteria that Apple Maps was going to lead you into a dark cave of death instead of your intended destination, Apple achieved a major victory with the launch. Google was forced to pony up and deliver a quality iOS maps application. Apple would be wise to play the same card on Microsoft.
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Google is a powerhouse within the realm of Internet services. From Adsense to YouTube, Google's services drives an amazing amount of web traffic through their front door. The biggest draw to these services is that they are free, because they are augmented with ads. Google makes money by selling their users to ad companies, much like free broadcast TV.
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 The iPhone, iPod, iPad and iTunes, all seamlessly working in harmony with iCloud. But one main player has been left out in the cold -- the Mac. It's left users wondering whether iCloud is as useful as advertised for the heavy lifting file and folder world.
OS 10.8, Mountain Lion, promised to change the paradigm and bring the Mac into the fold of iCloud management. But outside the realm of entertainment, iCloud's power for the Mac is fuzzy math at best. Without the Mac and iOS devices having some form of built-in Finder or directory app, the methods of syncing files seamlessly between the Mac and mobile without third party solutions is dubious at best.
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In reviewing OS X Mountain Lion, I've come across two apps that I've become enamored with: Notes & Reminders. These apps were ported from the iOS to OS X. But what makes them powerful is their syncing ability through iCloud. This means if I were in a meeting I could quickly use my iPhone to write myself a reminder or to jot a note about a good idea and when I get back to my desk, there they are on my MacBook Air. However there's a problem with this "magic" called iCloud.
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 Losers not withstanding, here are the top 10 reasons why Apple's forthcoming iPhone 5 will be a mega hit:
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Install Base: 250 million iPhones have been sold-to-date. Apple's own addressable market for iPhone upgrades is around 170 million.
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New Carriers: By far, Apple getting onboard with China Mobile's nearly 1 billion customer base will allow the iPhone 5 to explode in new sales. In the U.S., T-Mobile may finally have worked a deal with Apple, leaving no major carrier in the states without the coveted Apple device.
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Larger Screen: Those waiting for Apple to deliver a larger screen iPhone are likely to get their wish.
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LTE: It's all but a given that iPhone 5 will deploy 4G LTE.
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iOS 6 & iCloud: The new iOS brings features like FaceTime over carrier networks, and seamless iCloud syncing for many common documents. iCloud API's will be a boon for developers, making iOS 6 coupled with iCloud an attractive selling point.
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Design: iPhone 5 may stay within the design lines of the current iPhone, but it's going to be taller, thinner, with a new camera position and an edgy feeling non-glass back.
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Hardware: Beyond LTE, iPhone 5 is likely to see a new ARM-based quad-core chip set, increased memory for running apps, boosted graphics, improved cameras, better speaker-phone capabilities. and an all new dock connector. All told, a new iPhone from the inside out.
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Mass Production: Don't count on Apple being unable to meet iPhone 5 demand. It has been rumored that Apple has been manufacturing the iPhone 5 since late June. With FoxConn producing iOS devices in China and Brasil, coupled with Pegatron's production, the iPhone 5 is likely to be Apple's most ambitious world-wide launch of any product, by any company in history.
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Lack of Competition: Microsoft has failed with it's Nokia and Windows Phone 7 debacle. RIM is on its last legs. Samsung, LG and Motorola Mobility are fighting, but Samsung shot its best salvo with the Galaxy IIIS earlier this summer to avoid colliding with iPhone 5 this fall. All the momentum Samsung has had better be enjoyed while it lasts.
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Marketing: No company does it better than Apple. When the iPhone 5 launches, nary a stone will be left unturned that won't bear iPhone 5 graffiti. Everyone living between plant earth and the space station will now the iPhone 5 has arrived.
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As HTML 5 continues to evolve, web developers are liking their new tools more and more. The question is whether the HTML 5 standard will ever be completed and browsers adjusted to tackle this brave new world.
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 The makers of Byword have updated their Mac application to include iCloud syncing. This new version can move files from the finder to iCloud. It can then open, save and edit those same files. Files that are saved onto iCloud are also stored on the local hard drive for off-line editing. This is only the first step for an iCloud editor.
In order to make full use of iCloud, files will need to be editable on more than just the Mac. The Byword developers have just solved this problem by releasing a version for the iOS. It is a universal application for both the iPhone and iPad. Does Byword have anything that makes it stand out from the rest?
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Apple has a way of causing the earth to move — well almost. When Apple introduced iTunes and iPods, people began to look at music in a totally different way. Moreover people started looking at digital music in a legal way. At the same time we said goodbye to buying our music at Tower Records and Walmart.
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 On Wednesday, March 7, Apple is highly likely to unveil the iPad 3. The rumored hardware looks to be breathtaking. A retina display, massive graphics and CPU processing power, and a camera that will rival that of the iPhone, all while sending this goodness up and down to clouds everywhere with 4G speeds. iPad 3 is going to be a major leap in iPad technology, so much so we'll wonder why the iPad 2 wasn't called iPad 1S.
But for all the hoopla and sex appeal iPad 3 hardware will contain, it's the core of the product, the software, that will send would-be rivals back to the drawing board all over again.
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