The VAR Guy

Apple’s Software Update application is one of the nicest things about OS X. You’re kindly alerted to a new update and can install at your leisure. But Apple slipped up Feb. 1, 2012, with the latest OS X Lion 10.7.3 update. Some users are reporting unsavory effects, the worst of which is heavy application crashing. But never fear, we’ve got the details on how to avoid any hiccups during your OS X update…

Ever since former Apple employee Ron Johnson set off on a new journey to revitalize J.C. Penney in November 2011, Apple has been searching for a new retail vice president. But the search is over: On Jan. 30, 2012, Apple appointed John Browett to head up Apple’s retail division, and it’s likely a very smart move. Here’s why Browett could be perfect for the position …

In 2011, Apple offset its iPhone launch cycle by pushing it into the fall rather than its traditional summer cycle, which coincides with Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Initial rumors suggested Apple would continue to host its launch events for the iPhone later in the year, but now rumors suggest Apple is going back to a summer launch. So what’s going on?

Apple’s Q1 2012 financial results, released today, were insanely great. Apple posted record profits, record revenues and rapid growth. For a company that does a relatively small number of things, this is kind of a big deal. Here are the numbers.

There is a list of competitors to Apple’s Siri that have evolved since Siri’s unveiling, but Evi particularly caught my eye, thanks to its near-Siri-like quality. Evi also caught the eye of the rest of Internet, which pretty much drove its servers into the ground. Oops. But what can we learn about how voice recognition assistants work? Here’s the scoop …

If you don’t know by now, RIM finally ‘shook up’ its leadership by appointing Thorsten Heins as the new CEO of RIM. Former co-CEOs Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie will remain at the company but in new positions. But RIM needs more than this new appointment to win in 2012. Here’s why.

The VAR Guy — like many media pundits — has openly questioned Microsoft CEO Steve Baller’s leadership over the past year or two. But while watching CNBC today, The VAR Guy heard a rather interesting thesis that suggests Ballmer has built Microsoft to stand the test of time — while Apple and Google could each suffer from one fatal flaw.

As predicted, Apple took the wraps off its new textbook initiative Jan. 19, 2012, at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Apple’s textbook move is big, bold and serious, judging by the partners Apple has signed on, and it has the potential to change the paradigm of the textbook industry and maybe even the educational vertical. Here’s why you should care …

Reports are coming in that Apple’s Jan. 19, 2012, media event, once originally thought to focus more on textbooks and education, actually will focus more on the publishing than educational aspect of textbooks. Here’s the scoop …

Apple almost always has an event in January. Sometimes the event focuses on something revolutionary, such as the iPad, and other times it’s about something less exciting. In this case, it’s the latter, as Apple looks to revamp the textbook industry. But that doesn’t mean there’s no channel perspective. Here’s why …

Apple, which no longer participates in any trade shows including MacWorld, had a tiny presence at CES 2012. One intrepid reporter spotted Apple’s iOS product marketing head Greg Joswiak moseying around the showroom floor. Read on for all the juicy Apple details …

Tim Cook was hardly a household name when when Steve Jobs still held his position as CEO at Apple, but with Cook heading the January 2010 launch of the Verizon iPhone, and the recent launch of the iPhone 4S, his presence as a leader at Apple quickly became clear. And while much has been discussed about what the post-Jobs Apple will look like, a better question would be to ask what a Tim Cook-led Apple will look like. As 2012 is Cook’s first full year without Jobs looking over his shoulder, here’s our take on what can we expect …

The AppleTV’s channel implications probably aren’t immediately obvious, but since hacked AppleTVs can run iOS apps full-screen, there are indeed opportunities for the taking. Here’s what I’m thinking …

Over the holiday vacation I had the unpleasant experience of someone hacking into my Apple iTunes account to make a fraudulent purchase. The result? A weeklong experience with iTunes e-mail support, which for all intents and purposes, is ineffective. Here’s my story.

Welcome to 2012. The first IT trend of the New Year:  Many high-tech companies enter 2012 with new or recently named CEOs (examples include AMD, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard and IBM). Plus, a lengthy list of prominent CEOs (representing Cisco Systems, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle and Research in Motion) are under pressure to boost sales, profits and channel partner success. Here’s what channel partners should expect.

Apple iOS 5.01 users can finally enjoy the jailbreak lifestyle, thanks to the intrepid efforts of the iPhone DevTeam. What’s more, iPhone 4 users can now use Siri, 100 percent functional, but there’s yet another snag. Read on for the deets …

The latest Apple news is that iPad 3 production is being ramped up in anticipation of Steve Jobs’ birthday Feb. 24, 2011. But can an iPad 3 be delivered on time in such short notice? Maybe. Here’s why …

What’s coming down Apple’s pipeline? In case we haven’t speculated enough, Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, has made his “seasoned” opinions known about what the future holds for Apple in 2012. It seems much of our speculation is being echoed …

Many of us have no issue with carrying around a smart phone, but what about wearing one? What about wearing a ‘smart watch’ or a piece of digital jewelry that augments your existing reality and life? Would you sign up? Apple and Google seem to think so, which is why rumor has it they’re both working to develop such devices right now.

Fresh from Globes, an Israeli business news publication, comes a report that Apple is building an Israel-based R&D facility based entirely around semiconductor research. Could Apple be setting itself up to be the next big chip manufacturer? Is there the possibility we could see Apple CPUs in non-Apple products? Speculation, questions and answers are all coming right up …

Aruba Networks continues to make moves to address the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace. This time, the company has made VIA, the Virtual Intranet Access Application, available as a downloadable app for Apple users. Features and details follow …

As you may or may not know, Apple rumors are often indirectly confirmed when developers or code spelunkers find new product IDs inside the iOS beta code. But Apple has wised up to how the Apple rumor mill works and deployed an interesting tactic to deter would-be investigators: spamming its own configuration files. Read on for the details …

Apple can’t keep everything a secret, as much as it would like to. This time, the secrets are leaking from its very own code. iOS 5.1 beta has been released to developers and inside it are references to some interesting devices Apple has in the pipeline. Here’s the quick rundown …