Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple and the original architect of the Apple I and Apple II computers in the mid-1970s, is a self-proclaimed Android fan (and of course he loves his iPhone, too). He has been quoted as predicting that Android will win smartphone wars (although he hopes Google’s platform will never beat iPad) and was one of the first customers in the United States to get their hands on the Galaxy Nexus handset.

Wozniak visited Bangalore yesterday, a city in south central India and capital of the country’s state of Karnataka, to speak to young entrepreneurs. AS always, everyone’s favorite geek had interesting thoughts to share, particularly on the state of mobile industry today. NDTV.com reported that the Woz likened today’s smartphones to the Apple III, an ill-fated computer of the 1908s that was largely considered a failure in the market:

If the guys at Apple had built the machine that they would love, it would have been successful. It came instead from formulas from Apple executives. Marketing people were in charge and some very bad decisions got made, in my opinion. There were hardware failures. You put out a product that has failures right away, and even if you fix it a year later, it just doesn’t sell. It’s the same thing with any smartphone today. It comes out and it has something horribly wrong about it. You can fix everything wrong about it, and it still won’t sell. It has missed its window of opportunity.

He hasn’t had time to read his copy of the authorized Steve Jobs biography he keeps on his Kindle, iPhone, iPad and computer (plus, he owns a hard cover) and said the death of Steve Jobs was shocking, but not hard emotionally “because we had expected his death for so long”, although Steve being such an important part of his life means he sometimes “tear up”.

He also said this on Apple’s first computer products:

The Apple III was a failure, the LISA was a failure, and the Macintosh was a failure. It was only by modifying the Macintosh hugely and over time that we made it a good computer.

And this on the failure of the Apple III:

If the guys at Apple had built the machine that they would love, it would have been successful. It came instead from formulas from Apple executives. Marketing people were in charge and some very bad decisions got made, in my opinion. There were hardware failures. You put out a product that has failures right away, and even if you fix it a year later, it just doesn’t sell. It’s the same thing with any smartphone today. It comes out and it has something horribly wrong about it. You can fix everything wrong about it, and it still won’t sell. It has missed its window of opportunity. 

According to Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs bio, Wozniak drew upon himself the wrath of Steve Jobs for inventing the universal remote outside the Apple umbrella. Wozniak commented on the remote incident:

That was about the only incident where he treated me like he has treated other people. The reason he did it was because of miscommunication. He thought that I was against him and Apple. I wasn’t. I had made one phone call to John Sculley (the Apple CEO then). All I told him was that during the shareholders’ meeting, the Apple II was not mentioned once. All they talked about was Macintosh, Macintosh, Macintosh! And the people that I worked with were hurt. They felt ignored; they felt that they did not matter. I stood up for people who had been ignored. But later I sat Steve down, and then Apple gave me a nice letter and let me start my own remote control company (CL 9) even when I was with Apple. So I am still with Apple. At a small salary, but I am still with them.

Isaacson shared a similar depiction of events in the biography book:

One Saturday, a few weeks after they had visited Washington together, Jobs went to the new Palo Alto studios of Hartmut Esslinger, whose company frogdesign had moved there to handle its design work for Apple. There he happened to see sketches that the firm had made for Wozniak’s new remote control device, and he flew into a rage. Apple had a clause in its contract that gave it the right to bar frogdesign from working on other computer-related projects, and Jobs invoked it. “I informed them,” he recalled, “that working with Woz wouldn’t be acceptable to us.”

When the Wall Street Journal heard what happened, it got in touch with Wozniak, who, as usual, was open and honest. He said that Jobs was punishing him. “Steve Jobs has a hate for me, probably because of the things I said about Apple,” he told the reporter.

Jobs’s action was remarkably petty, but it was also partly caused by the fact that he understood, in ways that others did not, that the look and style of a product served to brand it. A device that had Wozniak’s name on it and used the same design language as Apple’s products might be mistaken for something that Apple had produced.

“It’s not personal,” Jobs told the newspaper, explaining that he wanted to make sure that Wozniak’s remote wouldn’t look like something made by Apple. “We don’t want to see our design language used on other products. Woz has to find his own resources. He can’t leverage off Apple’s resources; we can’t treat him specially.”

Apple’s latest Mac OS X 10.7.3 release is a pain for some users due to its bugs surrounding CUI issues and the crashing of applications. Apple has already been investigating the issues with test groups, and it has apparently decided that the best thing to do at this point is remove the standard 10.7.3 update from its servers and provide users with the ability to only download the combined installation. This combo installer is not riddled with the CUI and app crashing errors as explained in our report from yesterday. Read on for all of the details:

Apple removed its online download page for the standard (client) 10.7.3 download, and now that website forwards to the combo download link. In addition, clicking a saved link that directly downloads the standard 10.7.3 installation puts up an Apple 404 page. On top of this, Apple removed the ability to download 10.7.3 (client) directly from software update, and it is now providing users with the combo installation. This combined installer is typically a few hundred megabytes larger than the standard installer, but users will not face the annoying bugs. This new build is reportedly showing up as “11D50b” instead of the client’s “11D50″ labeling.

Users who installed the client 10.7.3 download will need to manually download the combined update from Apple’s website.

Apple just updated its End User License Agreement for the iBooks Author application, and the changes clearly outline the Cupertino, Calif.-based Company only requires .iBooks formatted products created in iBooks Author to sell through the iBookstore.

With that said, Apple aims to sell the packaged format without claiming the content nor restricting where else authors can distribute the content.

iBooks Author released alongside iBooks Textbook last month and controversy immediately brewed over its terms and conditions, which many claimed infringed upon software rights and imposed unjust requirements…

The uncertainty stemmed from Apple’s language in the agreement, with critics convinced that Apple tried to claim content rights to all books created for iBooks Textbooks. Questions also arose concerning whether Apple intended to control books from publishing elsewhere in another form.

The modified license agreement simplified complex wording— especially in Section 2, which originally stated:

B. Distribution of your Work. As a condition of this License and provided you are in compliance with its terms, your Work may be distributed as follows:
(i) if your Work is provided for free (at no charge), you may distribute the Work by any available means;


(ii) if your Work is provided for a fee (including as part of any subscription-based product or service), you may only distribute the Work through Apple and such distribution is subject to the following limitations and conditions: (a) you will be required to enter into a separate written agreement with Apple (or an Apple affiliate or subsidiary) before any commercial distribution of your Work may take place; and (b) Apple may determine for any reason and in its sole discretion not to select your Work for distribution.

The new update reflects the following changes to Section 2:

B. Distribution of Works Generated Using the iBooks Author Software. As a condition of this License and provided you are in compliance with its terms, works generated using iBooks Author may be distributed as follows:
(i) if the work is provided for free (at no charge), you may distribute it by any means;

(ii) if the work is provided for a fee (including as part of any subscription-based product or service) and includes files in the .ibooks format generated using iBooks Author, the work may only be distributed through Apple, and such distribution will be subject to a separate written agreement with Apple (or an Apple affiliate or subsidiary); provided, however, that this restriction will not apply to the content of the work when distributed in a form that does not include files in the .ibooks format generated using iBooks Author. You retain all your rights in the content of your works, and you may distribute such content by any means when it does not include files in the .ibooks format generated by iBooks Author.

The new agreement explained that Apple never planned to confine the distribution of non-.iBooks content, and the EULA clarified users are allowed to distribute .iBooks formatted documents elsewhere—they just cannot charge elsewhere.

“If you charge a fee for any book or other work you generate using this software (a “Work”), you may only sell or distribute such Work through Apple (e.g., through the iBookstore) and such distribution will be subject to a separate agreement with Apple,” Apple stated in a note at the beginning of the license agreement.

The updated license agreement is a free download through the App Store.

In related news, Apple also updated its iBooks application to version 2.0.1 today. It fixes an issue concerning various iBooks Textbooks unable to successfully open. Although the problem was not fully detailed by the company, it did release a statement last month promising a prompt fix.

iBooks 2.0.1 is a free download through the App Store.

Last week we told you about a new online lottery system for reservations that Apple setup for iPhone 4S sales through its Hong Kong stores to combat scalpers after it was forced to suspend sales of the device in various locations throughout Mainland China. Unfortunately, until this week, Apple’s online store for China has been out of stock since the overwhelming launch.

After implementing the new reservation policies on Tuesday, and in Beijing on Wednesday, Apple has now resumed online sales of the device with shipments arriving to customers no later than March 2, reported ChinaDaily. Apple’s online store for Mainland China now lists the iPhone 4S with an expected delivery time of “February.” Customers are limited to two devices with all three models currently available in both black and white. An Apple employee confirmed the March 2 date to ChinaDaily:

“If you pay today, you might get the items tomorrow, and no later than March 2.”

According to a report from Beijing Times (via Marbridge Daily), Beijing Apple stores in Xidan and Sanlitun are still not selling the iPhone 4S and have not decided on a timeframe for resuming sales for walk-in customers. With the introduction of the lottery reservation system, Apple did not disclose the number of available devices, but confirmed it will “not be selling the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S to walk-in customers.”

ChinaDaily said prices for iPhone 4S on the gray market in Beijing are not likely to increase due to a more than adequate supply from Hong Kong. One scalper said it is easy to find “40 or 50″ iPhones, but Apple store employees have actually reported seeing a decrease in scalpers…

Despite industry analysts in Beijing being worried “scalpers may find ways to circumvent the restrictions” of Apple’s new reservation policies, Apple store employees in Beijing’s Xidan business district said they have noticed a decrease in the number of scalpers selling iPhones near the store since online sales resumed:

“Since we began accepting online orders yesterday, not as many people have been hawking iPhones nearby as before.” 

After receiving the necessary approvals from Chinese regulators, China’s third-largest carrier, China Telecom, announced last month it would be the second official carrier to offer Apple’s iPhone 4S with a launch expected by the end of February or early March. For the iPhone 4S launch in China last month, China Unicom remained Apple’s exclusive partner. The deal with China Telecom would allow Apple to tap into the carrier’s more than 36.3 million 3G subscribers currently on the network.

As part of the Mac OS X 10.7.3 update released earlier this week, Security Update 2012-001 [release notes] for Snow Leopard broke compatibility with several Rosetta Power PC programs. The issue, as described on Tidbits, MacInTouch and on Apple Support Communities threads (here, here and here), causes some third-party programs to crash unexpectedly under Snow Leopard. This includes popular applications such as Quicken, Filemaker 7, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office 2004 and X. There is a workaround solution that helps alleviate the issue, at least until Apple addresses it with another update, explained right after the break.

The problems appear to stem from Rosetta, a lightweight and dynamic binary translator (discontinued in Lion) that lets Intel-based Macs run programs written for PowerPC machines. Printing from programs that rely on Rosetta are no longer working and Excel 2004 also freezes when accessing the File > Open menu command. A partial fix includes the RosettaFix reversioner that replaces the files updated by Security Update 2012-001 with previous versions. The 10.7.3 update is not exactly a walk in the park for some Lion users, who reported numerous app crashes adorned by the CUI graphics. Apple acknowledged the problem and said it is working towards resolving it. Until a fix arrives, there are several solutions to tackle the problem, as 9to5Mac explained yesterday.

Update: 8PM ET: Apple has updated the store and all 3G devices are again available.

Just this morning Apple was dealt a patent blow by a German court that ruled Apple’s 3G products outside of the iPhone 4S were in violation of Motorola patents. The “Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory” (FRAND) nature of the patents means Apple should be able to purchase licensing rights to those patents at market rates (i.e. what Nokia, Samsung, and others pay). According to Apple, Motorola has not offered those types of terms.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago: Apple stated the 3G devices in question would be back on sale “shortly”…

Slashgear reported:

Apple has been granted a suspension of the German injunction against 3G-enabled iOS devices, with the iPad WiFi + 3G, iPhone 4 and other gadgets back on sale through the company’s online store. ”All iPad and iPhone models will be back on sale through Apple’s online store in Germany shortly” the company told us in a statement. “Apple appealed this ruling because Motorola repeatedly refuses to license this patent to Apple on reasonable terms, despite having declared it an industry standard patent seven years ago.”

Related articles

• Motorola German patent win bans online sale of Apple 3G devices (9to5google.com)
• Apple forced to remove all 3G devices except iPhone 4S from German stores following Motorola victory (9to5mac.com)

MacMall is offering 9to5 readers an additional 3% off of their already lowest prices on Mac Minis and iMacs this month yielding the lowest prices you’ll find anywhere (by as much as $50) with free shipping via this link.  The 3% is deducted at checkout and MacMall doesn’t charge tax in most states.

All discounts, including higher end models listed below:

.

Related articles

• MacMall drops Mac desktop prices down to lowest available (9to5mac.com)
• MacMall Leap Into February Sale: Up to $675 off + free overnight shipping (9to5toys.com)
• New Mac Minis starting at $557, iMacs $1097 at MacMall, Quad Core MacBook Pro $250 off, free shipping (9to5toys.com)
• Analyst: First Apple HDTV will be integrated into next-gen iMacs (unlikely) (9to5mac.com)
• Jeff Han demos 82-inch Multi-touch display, iMac-sized version too (9to5mac.com)
• Global hard drive shortage affects BTO 2TB iMac: Shipping times slip to 5-7 weeks (9to5mac.com)
• Research predicts iMac losing the title of the world’s top-selling all-in-one system (9to5mac.com)
• Apple Black Friday Price Guide — Get the lowest prices, updated live (9to5mac.com)
• iRocks Power Adapter for iPhone or iPod for $0 after rebate + free shipping (9to5toys.com)

Update: Apple had these videos taken offline.  We will make an effort to see if they exist somewhere else. Help us out in the comments if you find them.

Former Apple marketing executive Bob Borchers, who was part of the original iPhone team and helped lead the Nike+iPod partnership and third-party iPod integration with car manufacturers, recently gave a talk at a school in California to discuss his experiences at Apple (part 2 below). In case you are unfamiliar, you might remember Borchers from several “guided tour” videos for iPhone and other Apple products a few years back. He has also been a source for many of the interesting stories coming from Adam Lashinsky’s new book “Inside Apple.”

At the starting of his talk to students, Borchers surveys the crowd to find out the ratio of Android users to iPhone users, leading him to joke: “Alright that’s good. I’ll keep my Apple stock.” As a former marketing executive, Borchers showed and talked about a few ads, but also discussed the AT&T partnership, as he noted, “We broke rules in terms of how we worked with folks like AT&T”:

“AT&T as a company… they buy the cellphones and then they sell them to you and I… we said, ‘no we don’t want to do that’. We want to be able to sell the iPhone. We want to be able to talk directly to the customer. That was a big, big change for the industry.” 

Other than telling some recent stories that have debuted in “Inside Apple,” Borchers also talked about Steve Jobs’ initial mission to create the iPhone, describing the late CEO as wanting to create “the first phone people would fall in love with.” He also discussed how important the multitouch display and having the full “Internet in your pocket” was to the original concept. Before wrapping up his speech, Borchers talked about how the iPhone was developed from his point of view on the product marketing/product management team and the importance of Apple packaging:

“Our job was really to establish what the iPhone was going to be, and to work with all the engineers and everybody else to create that product… when we decided we wanted to do touch technology, i would then go work with the design team [etc]… If you think of an orchestra… our job was to be the conductor.”

Borchers discussed Apple’s obsession with attention to detail and gives the example of iPhone packaging: “One of the things that Apple is absolutely passionate about… and we spend too much time on… but as consumers I think you recognize it as being really important… you spend time doing even the silly stuff… like making sure the packaging is perfect… so when you open up an Apple product… you’ll see that it’s beautifully designed… that’s the attention to detail Steve was famous for.”

As for the Gizmodo iPhone “nightmare”:

“It’s like losing your keys only a hundred times worse cause Steve Jobs is going to come running after you. It was a big deal… but it’s a human process… occasionally people make mistakes… the iPhone has been ok.”

These days Borchers is a partner at Opus Capital, investing in startups after the iPhone business grew so much that, “it wasn’t as much innovation as it was just kind of keeping things moving forward.” He wanted to “go back to small again.” You can check out part two of the Borchers talk below.

Related articles

• Former Apple exec Bob Borchers talks Apple marketing, packaging, and his time at Apple (9to5mac.com)
• Apple PR’s control stemmed to who could discuss the iPhone after 2007 unveiling (9to5mac.com)
• Apple forced to remove all 3G devices except iPhone 4S from German stores following Motorola victory (9to5mac.com)
• Refurb Philips FM Alarm Clock Radio for Apple iPod / iPhone for $30 + $6 s&h (9to5toys.com)
• Motorola German patent win bans online sale of Apple 3G devices (9to5google.com)
• Acase Superleggera PRO Dual Layer Case for iPhone 4 / 4S for $6 + free shipping (9to5toys.com)

• Bryce Pro 
• Hexagon (named Amapi some times ago) 
• DAZ Studio Pro (rendering application)

ihttp://www.daz3d.com/

Only thing you will need is to register for being able to download application for free.

Seagate also announced that computer manufacturers are trying to sign long-term contract for securing plate-based HD supplies. In addition, Seagate is also planning to launch auction on batches of HDs, and will start with a test for 200,000 units in the coming weeks…