Weekly News Roundup – 19 October 2012

Once again the week is coming to an end and that means it’s time for a roundup of the past weeks news!

Even Professional Analysts Aren’t Sure How Many iPads Apple Sold Last Quarter – CNN Money asked 61 Apple analysts, 31 from Wall Street and 30 independent analysts, what their estimates were for specific device sales in the quarter that just ended on September 29, 2012. Turns out, the analysts estimates were all over the place when it came to predicting the number of iPads sold.

J.K. Rowling says the MacBook Air ‘changed my life’ – Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling gave Apple an unexpected product endorsement during a public appearance at the Lincoln Centre in London earlier this week. According to the report in Publishers Lunch, Rowling talked about her writing habits and proclaimed that “the MacBook Air changed my life.” It allows her to write “everywhere, including some very strange places.”

Newsweek goes all-digital, will cease print publishing at end of 2012 – Newsweek Magazine is almost 80 years old, but the print edition isn’t going to get much older. The magazine’s December 31 issue will be the final one in paper-and-ink format. After that, Newsweek will be all-digital and change its name to Newsweek Global

Apple Kills Java On The Mac To Fight Malware Like Flashback – Apple released a small Java update for OS X users this Wednesday. The update effectively removed the Java applet plug-in that typically comes pre-installed in all web browsers on the Mac. Why? Well, Apple has been trying to distance itself from Java for quite some time, mainly due to the fact that most malware spreads via Java vulnerabilities.

A history of Apple print ads –  Retronaut has a wonderful page full of many of those print ads from 1976 through 2002, perfect for viewing the evolution of the company from a one-product (Apple I) hobbyist-oriented firm to a consumer electronics giant seeing a resurgence under the leadership of Steve Jobs.

iOS ‘uber hacker’ Comex no longer working for Apple – In a tweet on Thursday, Nicholas Allegra, better known by his hacker handle “Comex,” announced that he was no longer interning at Apple, ending a one-year stint at the Cupertino company.

GOG.com Announces Ongoing Mac Support For Its Library Of Classic PC Games – s GOG.com — a digital distributor of classic PC games updated to work on modern machines and distributed without DRM — is now releasing their titles to work on Mac.

Awesome iPhone mod illuminates Apple logo – OK, this is probably one of the greatest iPhone mods we’ve seen to date. Featured on Adafruit, this mod uses a “trademark-infringing” replacement back and some other parts to make the Apple logo on the back of an iPhone 4 glow.

Google expected to unveil Android ‘Key Lime Pie,’ new Nexus handset at Oct. 29 event – Less than a week after Apple’s “iPad mini” event, Google will host its own media briefing where the company is expected to unveil the next major version of Android, as well as a new Nexus-branded smartphone.

Apple Opening Massive New Beijing Retail Store This Weekend – Apple is preparing to open its third retail store in Beijing this weekend, with the massive new Wangfujung store representing yet another high-profile entry for the company.

Apple reportedly bought Color’s talent, but not the company – Apple didn’t buy social video startup Color, but it did acquire its engineering team of about 20 employees for as much as $5 million, according to a new report.

Google Suspends Trading After Financial Printer Releases Earning Report Without Authorization – It seems financial printer RR Donnelley made one hell of mistake earlier today, causing Google’s stock to drop 9% before Google was able to halt trading. What did they do? They filed an early draft of Google’s earnings without authorization.

New iMac and Mac Mini Models to Retain Current Pricing, Add 8 GB RAM Module Options – 9to5Mac reports that prices for Apple’s new iMac and Mac mini coming next week will be in line with current pricing, almost certainly confirming that the new iMac models will not carry more-expensive Retina displays.

Apple schedules November “MFi” conference in Shenzhen, China – Licensed third-party accessory manufacturers will meet in Shenzhen, China, November 7-9 at an Apple-sponsored “Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad” (MFi) conference. It’s expected that hundreds of manufacturers will attend to learn about Apple’s licensing program and hear details of new product directions.