Apple is finding out the hard way that with financial success comes increased scrutiny of their business practices, and onetime friend The New York Times seems to be pulling no punches in the wake of co-founder Steve Jobs' death in their "iEconomy" series. The newspaper has moved from reporting on Chinese factories to how Apple uses the system to cut down its own tax bill -- but no matter which side of the debate you happen to agree with, it's a fascinating read. Some details left out of the NYT report and more in the recap for Monday, April 30, 2012 ahead!
More Details on Apple and Taxes
The New York Times exposé on Apple's tax situation continues to make headlines today, but it appears the newspaper missed a few things in their report. AllThingsD decided to set the record straight with a few details of their own, including the fact that the NYT story is about seven years too late -- Apple's Nevada subsidiary has existed for years, for one. While the report tries to paint Apple as a vampire upon the city of Cupertino, slowly draining the city government of corporate taxes, the reality is that state governments are largely responsible for funding the likes of De Anza College, the community college which the Times seems to indicate has fallen on hard times thanks to the loss of tax dollars from Apple and other corporations. The report also ignores sales taxes paid to states where Apple hardware is sold, which could account for another $3.7 billion more paid out across the country than noted. For its part, Apple is boasting about the number of jobs it's been able to create, apparently implying those hold more value than any lost revenue from corporate taxes.
Tweetbot 2.3 Released, Improves Tweet Detail View, Better Integration
We're still holding out hope for a Mac version of Tweetbot, but until then, developer Tapbots LLC continues to refine the existing iOS apps for both iPhone/iPod touch and iPad, with both hitting version 2.3 earlier today. Among the features in the update are a new tweet detail view with inline conversations and replies, new gestures, a new conversation view, Droplr support, optional setting for timeline sync bookmarks, a reorganized tweet drawer and oh so many more cool little things. Seriously, it's easier to just head to the App Store and get your update going than to sit here and read about it -- just make sure to come back and finish up when you're done, naturally.
Verizon Introduces New Prepaid Plans
There's still no prepaid iPhone available from Verizon (or any other big U.S. carrier), but Verizon Wireless announced today that the carrier will be rolling out some new prepaid plans starting tomorrow, May 1. The Android-powered Samsung Illusion will be available for $169.99 from retailers nationwide, but the more compelling prospect is Big Red's new Verizon Jetpack 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot MiFi 4510L, which can be picked up for $129.99. Prepaid 4G LTE plans are available starting at $15 for 250MB, with 3GB available for $60 per month or 10GB for $90 per month. Or, you know, you could just go buy a 4G LTE-equipped new iPad and have it double as a mobile hotspot. We're just sayin'...
iTunes Match Rolls Out in Austria, Greece, Italy
MacRumors is reporting that iTunes Match appears to be going live in a number of new countries around the globe, with confirmed launches in Austria, Greece and Italy thus far. Users in those countries are being required to agree to updated iTunes Store terms and conditions which specifically address the iTunes Match service, while some users have actually been able to sign up for the service as well. Apple has yet to announce additional countries, but evidence suggests that iTunes Match may also be rolling out to Bulgaria, Portugal and Slovenia as well. Any MacLife.com readers in these countries seeing some Match love?
Skype iOS Apps Updated with UI Enhancements
The Skype iOS apps for iPhone/iPod touch and iPad got bumped to version 4.09 today, including a variety of improvements to the user interface as well as a new feature, the ability to move the video preview on your own screen, particularly handy on smaller screens like the iPhone. Both apps will now automatically restart if they unexpectedly shut down, with improved accessibility and stability overall. Skype 4.0 now includes a new sign in screen with an updated design for contacts and messages as well as other minor UI improvements. As always, both apps are available free of charge from the App Store, so hit the links above to grab 'em.
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