Apple has pushed out a new version 4.3 firmware update to Apple TV. New in this update is the ability to purchase TV shows. This is a shift in direction as 99 cents rental-only approach is the only option when Apple released second-generation Apple TV back in September 2010.

You can now buy TV episodes directly from Apple TV and your purchase will appear under the “Purchased” section of iTunes on both desktop and iOS devices. You can redownload and restream the purchased shows for repeat viewing.

TV shows is generally $2.99 a pop but most will welcome there is such an option. Fox and ABC remains the only two major networks offered in Apple TV, with CBS and NBC missing. With the offering for purchase option, lets hope more studio willl offer their contents in Apple TV.

The new update also adds Vimeo as a service accessible directly from Apple TV. A strong endorsement for Vimeo video site.

Apple has released iTunes 10.4 which supports full-screen mode and 64-bit cocoa under Mac OS X Lion. iTunes however remains 32-bit under Snow Leopard.

You can now use iTunes with OS X Lion’s new Full-Screen App capability, which allows you to use iTunes and other apps without distractions. Navigate between your full-screen apps with a simple gesture.

Note: iTunes is now a 64-bit Cocoa application on OS X Lion and includes a number of important stability and performance improvements. Some iTunes plug-ins may no longer be compatible with this version of iTunes. Please contact the plug-in developer for an updated plug-in compatible with iTunes 10.4.

Apple also releases iWork Update 6 which adds support for Mac OS X Lion’s Full Screen Mode, Resume, Auto Save and Versions features.

Apple released iTunes 10.3 which includes support for iTunes in the Cloud. Music you purchase from iTunes now can be pushed to your other iOS devices, and you can download past purchases as well. The full iCloud is set to release this fall with iTunes 10.5. Meanwhile you can update iTunes to version 10.3 to get a taste of things to come.

Introducing iTunes in the Cloud beta. The music you purchase in iTunes appears automatically on all your devices. You can also download your past iTunes purchases. Where you want, when you want.

• Automatic Downloads. Purchase music from any device or computer and automatically download a copy to your Mac and iOS devices.

• Download Previous Purchases. Download your past music purchases again at no additional cost. Your purchases are available in the iTunes Store on your Mac or in the iTunes app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Previous purchases may be unavailable if they are no longer on the iTunes Store.

iTunes 10.3 also adds Books to the iTunes Store, where you can discover and buy your favorite books on your computer and automatically download them to iBooks on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. This version also allows you to use Automatic Downloads with apps and books or download previously purchased apps and books from your computer or iOS device.

Updated: Apple has pushed out iTunes 10.3.1, a day after releasing 10.3. This is likely to solve the device sync problems reported by users in Apple forums.

Apple has just concluded its WWDC 2011 keynote, with Steve Jobs heading the pack of Apple top brass presenting and demoing Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud. Here are the easy-to-digest summary of the event:

Mac OS X Lion

• There are now over 54 million Mac users around the world. Year-over-year, PC growth has shrunk 1% while the Mac has grown 28%.
• Mac OS X Lion has over 250 new features.
• Multi-Touch Gestures: multi-touch gestures is fully baked into Mac OS X Lion and Mac notebooks.
• Full screen application: it is now easier for developers to create full screen apps. A number of Apple app will have full-screen mode such as Safari, iMovie, iCal, iPhoto, Preview etc.
• Mission Control: unify Expose and Spaces experience. Spaces can be create and destroy on the fly.
• Mac App Store is now ahead of Best Buy, Walmart and Office Depot for buying Mac apps.
• Mac App Store is build into Lion and will include In-app purchase and push notifications.
• Mac App Store will include delta upgrade to make app updates faster.
• Launchpad: launching app in iOS style. And you can create folder similar to iOS.
• Resume: Lion will brings the app right back to where you left off. It works system wide.
• Auto Save: Lion will automatically save the document for you without you having to do anything. Only the delta changes are saved. The control is at a drop down menu of the document title on the menu bar. You can create snapshots and duplicate document as well from the same menu.
• Versions: Automatically save versions of your document as you’re working.
• AirDrop: it is peer-to-peer sharing to replace using a USB thumb drive for file sharing. Auto discovery with no setup required. There is new option in FInder to see people using AirDrop around you.
• Mail: a completely new version of Mail in Lion. Favorites bar, new search suggestions, new conversation view.
• Lion Server add-on: server apps you can buy to run on top of Lion.
• Safari Reading List: read-later feature build into Safari.
• New Windows Migration tool.
• There are over 3,000 new API in Mac OS X Lion.
• Mac OS X Lion will only be available in the Mac App Store. No more disc. It’s a 4GB download with no reboots. You can use it on all your authorized Macs. Upgrade is $29.99. Available in July.

iOS 5

• There are over 1,500 new APIs. 200 new user features. 10 key features.
• Notification Center: access by swiping down from the top. Notifications no more interrupting. If you are playing game or using an app, notification appear on top and goes away after a moment. Missed notifications also appear on the lock screen.
• Newsstand: integrates all your newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Appear on home screen as newsstand. New issues are automatically downloaded in the background and available offline.
• Twitter: integrated Twitter. Configure Twitter account via Settings. Contacts integration. Many build-in apps such as Camera and Photos integrate with Twitter, Tweet articles from Safari, locations from Maps.
• Safari: Safari Reader for clean reading similar to Safari on Mac. Email web content, not just the link. Reading List for read later. Tabbed browsing.
• Reminders: store list of todos and setup location for reminders. Integrate with Calendar.
• Camera: camera icon on lock screen. Tap to launch camera app. Can use volume-up button to take picture. AE/AF Lock. Pinch to zoom. Edit photo: crop, rotate, reduce red-eye.
• Mail: Rich-text formatting, indentation control, draggable addresses, flag messages, search entire message, S/MIME support.
• Build-in dictionary for all iOS app.
• iPad split keyboard: You can split the keyboard into half by swiping the keyboard up.
• PC Free. No more cable and PC needed to start using iOS devices. Software updates are OTA (Over The Air). You can create and delete calendars and mailboxes from within iOS.
• Game Center: Achievement points. Friend discovery. Friends of friends. Game discovery. Turn-based games.
• iMessage: new messaging service between all iOS users, regardless of device. Supports iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Send text messages, photos, videos, contacts, and even group messaging. Works over WiFi or 3G.
• AirPlay mirroring. Mirror entire iPad to your TV wirelessly.
• iOS devices can sync with iTunes on your Mac/PC wireless over WiFi.
• New multi-tasking gestures to flick between apps.
• Others: Emoji, new iPad music app, hourly weather forecasts, personal dictionary, typing shortcuts.
• Developers get a beta today. iOS 5 to be available this fall. Supports iPhone 3GS and above, iPad and iPad 2, and third and fourth generation of iPod touch.

iCloud

• iCLoud stores your content, and wirelessly pushes it to all your devices. Integrated with your apps, so everything happens automatically.
• MobileMe Contacts, Calendar and Mail rewrites from ground up for iCloud.
• Calendar Sharing is new.
• Get an @me.com account and all new messages pushed to all your devices. No ads.
• iCloud will be free.
• App Store will be integrated with iCloud. Can see all purchases on all your devices. New download from cloud button on App Store app.
• iBookstore will be integrated with iCloud.
• Automatic daily backups to iCloud over WiFi: purchased music, apps, books, photos, videos, device settings, app data.
• Documents in the Cloud: Pages, Numbers and Keynote will integrated with iCloud.
• There will be iCloud Storage APIs for developers to tie in their own apps. Full documents or just key value pairs data. Available for Mac, iOS and PC.
• Photo Stream:  any photos taken on any devices are pushed to the cloud and then sent to the other devices automatically. Within Photos app as a separate album. Available on PC and AppleTV as well. Photo Stream will hold 1,000 photos for 30 days.
• iTunes in the Cloud: anything you purchased can be downloaded to any of your devices (up to 10) at no additional charges. Music is 256kbps AAC. Automatic download new purchases. New Purchased tab in iTunes app.
• Each user get 5GB storage free. This 5GB excludes Photo Stream, purchased music, apps and books.
• iCloud will ship together with iOS 5 this fall. It will be available for iOS 4.3 as well.
• iCloud is available today in iOS 4.3 beta for developers.
• iTunes Match: for songs you ripped and you want it in iCloud. Software will scan your iTunes and match it up with songs in iTunes store. Take minutes. There is no upload.
• iTunes Match costs $24.99 per year. Anything that is matched is upgraded to 256kbps AAC without DRM. Songs that can’t match will be uploaded.

When you use iTunes to sync to iPhone and then to iPad, all new iPhone only apps will automatically sync to iPad as well. Very often you’d desire iTunes to sync only iPad apps to iPad only. Currently there is no way to just check a preference option to do so. In order to sync only iPad apps to iPad, you need to manually deselect the apps before you press the sync button.

The first step is to disable automatic sync when you insert iPhone or iPad into USB port. Select iTunes->Preferences (or Command+,) from the menu. Select the “Devices” tab, and check the box for “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically”.

Connect your iPad to the USB port of your computer. On iTunes left column listing, select the iPad under “DEVICES”. And on the iTunes main screen, select “Apps” from the menu.

Ensure “Sync Apps” is checked, and select “Sort by Kind” from the drop down list. This will sort apps into three categories:

1. iPhone, iPod touch and iPad Apps
2. iPhone and iPod touch Apps
3. iPad Apps

Categories 1 and 3 are apps that are build for iPad and takes advantage of the bigger screen of iPad. Category 2 are apps that are build for iPhone only. Scroll through the list of apps under category 2 and deselect the checkbox.

You can now press the “Apply” or “Sync” button below the screen to start iTunes sync to your iPad.

Apple releases iTunes 10.2.2 which provides a number of bug fixes:

• Addresses an issue where iTunes may become unresponsive when syncing an iPad.
• Resolves an issue which may cause syncing photos with iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to take longer than necessary.
• Fixes a problem where video previews on the iTunes Store may skip while playing.
• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance.

Apple has released iTunes 10.2 which is required for sync with iOS 4.3 devices. Upgrade iTunes to version 10.2 before you upgrade your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch to iOS 4.3. iOS 4.3 is scheduled to release next Thursday on March 11.

Gorillaz is making a new album completely using just iPad while on tour around the world in its Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. Gorillaz will release a new video for one of the songs on Christmas Eve, and the whole album will be available for free on Christmas Day.

The music video and album will also be featured on the Advent Calendar on gorillaz.com. Check out the site to get ready.

Apple has rejected a magazine app about Android from iTunes App Store as “We cannot have a magazine about Android in our App Store”. Danish magazine publisher Mediaprovider got a call from Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino California explaining the ban of its Android Magasinet magazine app.

“You know… your magazine… it’s just about Android…. we can’t have that in our App Store.”

Apple bans mag-app on Android from App Store

Released on November 16, the catalog of 13 albums have brought The Beatles back to top selling charts: more than two million songs and more than 450,000 albums sold in their first week of release on Apple iTunes store.

“Abbey Road” was the top selling album out of the 13 albums, and “Here Comes the Sun” was the best-selling individual song.

Via Reuters