Apple launches 'Apple Customer Pulse' feedback site

Apple has launched a new site called Apple Customer Pulse which allows select users of Apple's products to submit feedback on a variety of issues. Currently the site is only accessible to those users who have received an email invite from Apple. Several TUAW reads have contacted us saying they have received invites, but there is no firm way to know what the total numbers of invitees are or how Apple goes about choosing them.

The site launched quietly a few weeks ago and represents an expanded effort on Apple's part to generate relevant and focused customer feedback. MacRumors did some digging and found out the site is administered by Socratic Technologies, a San Francisco-based market research firm that has worked with other tech companies, including Adobe. A WhoIs search lists the domain management MarkMonitor Brand Protection, a company Apple frequently uses to secure domain names. Additionally, the administrative registrant contact is Apple's Ken Eddings.

Apple launches 'Apple Customer Pulse' feedback site originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 06 May 2011 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/06/apple-launches-apple-customer-pulse-feedback-site/

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The legal implications of mobile health apps and devices

medical appsI'm neither a doctor nor a lawyer, but you don't have to have an MD to realize that medical apps are becoming an ever-more-important tool in managing our healthcare choices, costs and overall wellness. In a similar vein, medical accessories to our iDevices could make home medical care cheaper and easier.

Whether you're monitoring your blood sugar, looking up first aid advice or trying to find an emergency clinic, mobile medical apps are going to be huge; that is, they will be if the legal system doesn't stifle innovation in the space. As for hardware -- where are the devices we were promised?

There's very little case law around the liability of medical apps should something go wrong, ditto hardware and regulatory issues. Remember 2009, when Apple brought Johnson & Johnson's folks on stage for them to announce the LifeScan app for glucose monitoring, and then in 2010 when sanofi-aventis showed off the iBGStar? Both products replicate the functionality of existing glucose meters on the market, yet neither one has made it to the approval stage yet. There could be technical hiccups, there could be problems on the marketing front... or maybe there's a liability angle. We're still waiting on the Withings blood pressure cuff, although the iHealth unit has actually shipped -- a notable exception in the realm of iDevice health attachments.

This article from TechNewsWorld raises the point that liability for a medical app has yet to be determined in the courts. Who takes the blame if your first aid app winds up giving you incorrect advice on CPR -- the carrier, the developer or the distributor? Josh McKoon, a Georgia Senator and lawyer at a firm specializing in healthcare legal issues said "they all could be sued." Of course, you can sue anyone, any time. Luckily apps have disclaimers, and in reality anyone who (at this point) is solely dependent upon a smartphone app for their health is likely going to lose a lawsuit.

As the article points out, there are lots of issues at play here. FDA regulations, murky legal rulings, pending litigation: they all make medical apps a legal minefield should something go wrong and your disclaimer provide less-than-adequate coverage. In other words, it's a mess. Medical apps are cranking out all the time, but medical devices you dock with your iOS device, not so much. We'll have to wait and see how case law shapes this emerging market. Read the article from TechNewsWorld for a comprehensive breakdown of where this market is at now, and consider the future up for grabs.

The legal implications of mobile health apps and devices originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 05 May 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/05/the-legal-implications-of-mobile-health-apps-and-devices/

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Is a Nuance and Apple deal in the works?

TechCrunch is reporting that Apple is in the process of some sort of deal with Nuance Communications, one of the leading companies in the field of speech recognition. Many readers may be familiar with Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking software, however the Dragon speech engine is also licensed and used in a number of apps for Windows, OS X, iOS, and Android.

What could the deal be? The most obvious choice is an acquisition, but as TC points out, it would cost Apple at least US$6 billion to buy the company. Apple's got the cash, but even for them that would be quite a purchase. TechCrunch thinks it's most likely the two companies are entering into some sort of partnership "that will be vital to both companies and could shape the future of iOS."

Speech recognition has been rumored to be a big part of the future of iOS. Last year, Apple bought another speech recognition company, Siri, which itself is powered by Nuance technology. Perhaps with the release of iOS 5 we'll be talking to our phones more than using them to talk to people.

Is a Nuance and Apple deal in the works? originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 07 May 2011 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/07/is-a-nuance-and-apple-deal-in-the-works/

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iPad 2 Arrives in 25 More Countries This Friday

Apple today announced that iPad 2, the second-generation of its third post-PC device, will go on sale in 25 additional countries this Friday, March 25. iPad 2 will be available at Apple Retail Stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers at 5 p.m. local time, and through the Apple Online Store beginning at 1 a.m. Apple today also announced that all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, and additional countries in April.

Source: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2011/03/22ipad.html?sr=hotnews.rss

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iPad 2 sells out in 4 hours in Beijing

The iPad 2 made its official debut in China on May 6 and the popular tablet device sold out in just four hours at the flagship Apple store in Beijing. According to M.I.C Gadget, the scene at the Beijing store was reportedly wild with hundreds of customers waiting in line, scalpers on the sidelines looking to buy and sell iPad 2s for cash, security guards circling the crowd and even a German Shepherd on hand to keep the scene under control.

Similar to previous launches, demand for the iPad 2 greatly outstripped supply, a scenario confirmed by Apple during its latest earning conference call. Apple's acting-CEO Tim Cook said the company was facing "the mother of all backlogs" with the iPad 2. Apple is working on increasing production and hopes to reduce iPad 2 wait times in the upcoming quarters.

iPad 2 sells out in 4 hours in Beijing originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 06 May 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/06/ipad-2-sells-out-in-4-hours-in-beijing/

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Apple Continues to Close on Nokia for Title of World's Top Smartphone Vendor

Research firm IDC today announced the results of its survey of smartphone shipment data for the first quarter of 2011, following up on last week's release of data on the broader mobile phone market.


According to the new smartph...

Source: http://www.macrumors.com/2011/05/05/apple-continues-to-close-on-nokia-for-title-of-worlds-top-smartphone-vendor/

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