Over 64% of compatible devices are already running iOS 7, according to Apple, making it by far the company's most successful mobile operating system. In all, iOS 7 was downloaded over 200 million times in the first five days after it was released. 
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/e7jhy1OgDyA/Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, introduces the new iPad Air on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, introduces the new iPad Air on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on stage before a new product introduction on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, speaks on stage before a new product announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks on stage before a new product introduction on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Craig Federighi, senior vice president of Software Engineering at Apple, speaks on stage before a new product announcement on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple Inc. is refreshing its iPad lineup in hopes of reclaiming lost ground in the tablet market and slashing the prices of its Mac computers to intensify the pressure on the beleaguered makers of PCs running Microsoft's Windows.
Tuesday's unveiling of Apple's latest products primes the company for a holiday shopping season onslaught aimed at a list of rivals that includes Google Inc., Samsung Electronics, Amazon.com Inc. and Microsoft Corp.
A thinner, lighter and faster-running tablet computer called the iPad Air highlighted the event in San Francisco. Apple Inc. also showed off a souped-up iPad Mini that boasts a faster microprocessor, a high-definition display screen and a higher price than its predecessor.
The iPad upgrades, coming a year after the release of the tablet's previous generation, fell largely in line with analyst expectations.
In a surprise, Apple is introducing slightly revamped MacBook Pros at prices 9 percent to 13 percent below the previous versions. What's more, Apple is giving away its latest Mac operating system — Mavericks — for free, as well as several pieces of software, including programs called iWorks and iLife that provide many of the same tools as Microsoft's Office.
"We are turning the industry on its ear," Apple CEO Tim Cook said of the company's strategy.
Technology analyst Patrick Moorhead predicted the discounted MacBook Pros will force personal computer makers to cut the prices of their machines by at least $100 for the holidays.
And Ovum analyst Jan Dawson thinks Apple's giveaway of the operating system and software programs "is now teaching people to expect both of those things to be free. While this won't disrupt Microsoft's business overnight, it will create further pressure on Microsoft to bring down prices."
If that happens, it would be another blow for Microsoft, which has seen its Windows revenue suffer in recent years as personal computer sales sink amid a shift to smartphones and tablets.
Apple triggered the upheaval with the 2007 release of the first iPhone followed up with the 2010 introduction of the iPad.
While both products have a fierce following, Apple has been losing market share to rivals who primarily make mobile devices running on Google's Android software. As Apple is now doing with its Mavericks software for Macs, Google gives away Android to device makers who can afford to undercut the prices for iPhones and iPads.
Despite the competitive pressure, Apple has steadfastly refused to cut prices on its top-of-the-line products. Instead, it has sold older versions of its Phones and iPads at slight discounts to consumers who are willing to settle for something less than state-of-the-art technology.
The Cupertino, Calif. company is hewing to that philosophy with its latest tablets. The iPad Air will start at $499, just like its predecessors, while the new iPad Mini will sell for $399 — a 21 percent increase from the price of the first Mini. The price of the original Mini, which runs at slower speeds and lacks a high-definition display screen, is falling from $329 to $299.
As it has done for more than year, Apple will continue selling the iPad 2 — a tablet that came out two-and-half years ago — for $399.
"Apple doesn't want to play in the mud with declining prices" on iPads, Moorhead said.
The strategy hasn't been a hit with investors who are unhappy with the Cupertino, Calif. company's slowing growth as it loses sales to lower-priced alternatives. Wall Street also is disillusioned with Apple's lack of another breakthrough product since the death of co-founder and chief visionary Steve Jobs two years ago.
Apple's stock dipped $1.49 to close at $519.87 Tuesday. The shares remain about 25 percent below their peak reached 13 months ago.
The iPad Air's main appeal is a more svelte design and a faster microprocessor, the same kind of chip in the iPhone 5S that Apple released a month ago. The new tablet weighs just 1 pound, compared with 1.4 pounds for the previous version. Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller hailed it as a "screaming fast iPad," noting that it is eight times faster than the original model that came out in 2010.
The iPad Air will go on sale Nov. 1. The new iPad Mini will be available at a still-to-be-determined date later in November.
They are coming out at a time when Apple needs to reassert itself in a tablet market. Google, Amazon.com and Samsung have been winning over consumers with flashy tablets that sell for $200 to $400. None of the rivals boast the 475,000 apps that Apple says are made for the iPad, but that vast selection hasn't mattered to many cost-conscious consumers.
The research firm Gartner Inc. estimates that Android tablets will end 2013 with a 50 percent share of the worldwide market versus 49 percent for the iPad. Just two years ago, the iPad commanded a 65 percent market share compared to 30 percent for Android tablets.
Apple sold 14.6 million iPads during the three months ending in June, down 14 percent from the same time last year. It marked the first time Apple has posted a year-over-year decline in iPad sales.
It might have happened again in the latest quarter ending in September. Although Apple isn't scheduled to report its results for the latest quarter until next Monday, a statistic released at Tuesday's event gave a hint of how the iPad fared in the period.
Cook said Apple's total iPad sales since the device's inception surpassed 170 million units earlier this month. Given that Apple sold 155 million iPads through June, that means fewer than 15 million were sold in the quarter ending in September. Apple sold 14 million iPads in last year's quarter ending in September.
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Ortutay reported from New York.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-10-22-US-TEC-Apple-Event/id-aacb1e53d77d46bda1e6493421b1a5d1WASHINGTON (AP) — There's some good news on college tuition. Yes, the cost has gone up — but not as much in the past.
For in-state students at a four-year public college or university, published tuition and fees increased this year on average $247 to $8,893. That's a 2.9 percent increase — the smallest one-year increase in more than 30 years, the College Board said Wednesday in its annual report on college prices.
Out-of-state prices, as well as the costs to attend public two-year colleges and private institutions rose but they also avoided big spikes, said Sandy Baum, co-author of the report. These more moderate increases could lessen concern that an annual rapid growth is tuition prices in the new normal.
"It does seem that the spiral is moderating. Not turning around, not ending, but moderating," Baum said.
The average published cost for tuition and fees at a private college for the 2013-14 academic year was $30,094 — up $1,105. An out-of-state student at a public college or university faced an annual average price tag of $22,203, which is up $670. The average price tag to for an in-state student to attend a two-year institution was much less at $3,264 — up $110.
Most students don't actually pay that, though. There are grants, tax credits and deductions that help ease the cost of going to college. About two-thirds of full-time students get grants, most from the federal government.
But, in the two years leading up to the 2012-2013 school year, the federal aid per full-time equivalent undergraduate student declined 9 percent, or about $325.
That means students have to foot more of the bill themselves.
"The rapid increases in college prices have slowed, however, student and families are paying more because grant aid is not keeping up," said David Coleman, president of the College Board.
While the average published price for tuition and fees for a private college is $30,094, the net price is $12,460 — up $530 from last year. The net price is what they actually pay after grants. There were years this decade that saw the net price going down, but it has gone up the last two years.
The average published in-state price for tuition and fees at a public four-year school is $8,893, but the average net price is about $3,120.
Molly Corbett Broad, president of the American Council on Education, in a statement called it "troubling" that overall grant aid is not keeping up with prices. Her organization represents the presidents of U.S. colleges and universities.
"Institutions are committed to holding down costs, but it is equally important for state and federal governments to play their part to make college affordable," she said.
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership group that promotes college access and owns the SAT exam.
The report spells out the large declines in state appropriations given to public institutions in recent years. These cuts have been blamed for rises in college costs. Other causes often cited range from the high cost of health care for employees to the demand by students for flashier campus amenities.
Among the other findings in the report:
— Adding in costs for room and board to live on campus, average annual published costs: At public, four-year universities, $18,391 for in-state students and $31,701 for out-of-state students; $40,917 for private colleges and universities; $10,730 for in-state students at public two year schools.
— The average published tuition and fees at for-profit institutions increased by $70 to $15,130 — an increase of less than 1 percent.
— New Hampshire and Vermont had the highest published in-state tuition and fees at both four-year and two-year institutions. Wyoming and Alaska had the lowest published in-state tuition and fees at a four-year institution, while California and New Mexico had the lowest in-state among two-year schools.
— In 2012-2013, $238.5 billion in financial aid was issued to undergraduate and graduate students in the forms of grants from all sources, Federal Work-Study, federal loans and federal tax credits and deductions. Also, students borrowed about $8.8 billion from private, state and institutional sources.
— About 60 percent of students who earned bachelor's degrees in 2011-2012 graduated with debt, borrowing a total of $26,500 on average.
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Online: http://www.collegeboard.org/
___
Follow Kimberly Hefling at http://www.twitter.com/khefling
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-23-College%20Costs/id-cbb97a1995f64809aef10822cba69da7Time to set up a play date! Following the surprise news that Jersey Shore star Paul "Pauly D" DelVecchio is a new dad, costar Snooki, who is mom to 14-month-old son Lorenzo, is sharing her congratulations.
"YAY so happy for Pauly!!" she says in a statement to Us Weekly. "Now Lorenzo has a girlfriend! Pauly will be an amazing father." (Snooki welcomed her first child with fiance Jionni LaValle in August 2012.)
PHOTOS: A look back at Snooki's pregnancy
The 26-year-old reality star and DJ confirmed to TMZ on Tuesday, Oct. 22 that he recently welcomed a baby girl with a former fling. "I'm proud I'm a father," he said. "I am excited to embark on this new part of my life."
A source tells Us that Paul D only found out he was a father recently. "She contacted him after the baby was born. He of course had to take precautions before believing the baby was his, but he is definitely excited to be a dad," the insider explains. "Pauly is taking responsibility and will be in this child's life one way or another."
Pauly D's relationship with the mother, who used to work as a cocktail waitress, was a "one time hook up," the source tell Us. TMZ reports that the woman is 26 and hooked up with Pauly D in Vegas. She currently lives in New Jersey, and an insider tells Us she also has a son from a previous relationship.
PHOTOS: Snooki's body evolution
On Tuesday, Pauly D retweeted a congratulatory message from AKR Public Relations. "Excited for my dear @DJPaulyD who is going to be an amazing father!" owner Amanda K. Ruisi wrote. "Proud of you. xoxo Auntie Amanda."
WASHINGTON (AP) — Here's more fallout from the government's partial shutdown: Early tax filers will have to wait an extra week or two to get tax refunds next year.
The Internal Revenue Service said Tuesday it will delay the start of next year's filing season by up to two weeks to give programmers time to finish updating the agency's computers.
The 16-day shutdown, which ended last week, came at a critical time as the agency was working to update more than 50 systems used to process returns, the IRS said in a statement.
The filing season had been set to start Jan. 21. Acting IRS head Danny Werfel said the agency is working to shorten the delay and will announce the exact start date in December.
The delay will affect early filers, many of whom rush their returns to the IRS so they can get refunds quickly.
The April 15 deadline for filing individual tax returns, which is set by law, remains unchanged.
"Readying our systems to handle the tax season is an intricate, detailed process, and we must take the time to get it right," Werfel said. "The adjustment to the start of the filing season provides us the necessary time to program, test and validate our systems so that we can provide a smooth filing and refund process for the nation's taxpayers."
This is the second year in a row the agency will have to push back the date when it starts processing tax returns. This year, the agency delayed filing season until Jan. 30 for most filers because Congress made last-minute changes to the tax law.
Federal income tax refunds averaged more than $2,800 this year. The IRS issued more than $228 billion in refunds this year. Most of that money was issued before March 1.
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Follow Stephen Ohlemacher on Twitter: http://twitter.com/stephenatap
This latest nugget of news out of Nokia's big event in Abu Dhabi should be of particular interest to mobile photographers. According to @tnkgrl, aka our buddy Myriam Joire, the phone manufacturer will be bringing RAW image support to its flagship Lumia handsets, the 1520 and 1020. This will allow ...
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PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Edyta Zielinska
edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu
215-955-5291
Thomas Jefferson University
When the pros and cons of prostate cancer treatment are spelled out using an online interactive program developed by Thomas Jefferson University researchers, more patients choose active surveillance over therapy, according to research being presented Wednesday (October 23rd) at the Society for Medical Decision Making annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
A recent clinical study showed that mortality rates for early stage prostate cancer were the same for men who choose active surveillance such as periodic PSA testing and biopsy, versus those who chose to treat their disease immediately with radiation or surgery (N Engl J Med, 367:203, 2012). The research suggested that in cases of low-risk prostate cancer, aggressive treatment may not offer a long term survival benefit, and yet is associated with a number of side effects such as urinary incontinence and sexual problems. However, the vast majority of men diagnosed with low-risk cancer undergo aggressive treatment rather than active surveillance.
To ensure that patients make their treatment decisions based on the most current medical evidence and their own values and preferences, a research team at Thomas Jefferson University led by Ronald E. Myers, Ph.D., developed an online program called the Decision Counseling Program (DCP) to help patients clarify their treatment preference and discuss their options with the clinical team. This online program is unique to Jefferson.
First, patients are shown a printed summary of answers to frequently asked questions by treatment type. Some of the questions include: "What treatment option is best for long term survival?" and "What are the side effects." With the help of a nurse, the patient then identifies the top 3 reasons the patient may or may not want to initiate active surveillance (pros and cons). The patient then ranks those reasons by importance. The nurse enters the reasons and rankings into the online program and generates a 1-page summary report that helps patients visualize their preference to active surveillance versus aggressive treatment. A copy of the report is given to the patient and the clinical team. The report is used as a point of discussion during the patient's clinical visit with an urologist and radiologist.
The research team tested the program with 23 low-risk prostate cancer patients. After participating in the Decision Counseling Program and speaking with the clinical team, 83 percent of the patients decided on active surveillance, rather than aggressive treatment. In addition, says Dr. Myers, "patients were more knowledgeable, and reported feeling more informed, more supported and less conflicted in their decision after going through the program. They understood their options better, and felt like they were making a treatment decision that was right for them."
###
Authors are available for interview on site at the conference or by phone.
For more information, contact:
Edyta Zielinska
(
215)955-5291
edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu.
Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia, is nationally renowned for medical and health sciences education and innovative research. Founded in 1824, TJU includes Jefferson Medical College (JMC), one of the largest private medical schools in the country and ranked among the nation's best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report, and the Jefferson Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions, Population Health and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Jefferson University Physicians is TJU's multi-specialty physician practice consisting of the full-time faculty of JMC. Thomas Jefferson University partners with its clinical affiliate, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.
Published 10-21-2013
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 22-Oct-2013
ShareContact: Edyta Zielinska
edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu
215-955-5291
Thomas Jefferson University
When the pros and cons of prostate cancer treatment are spelled out using an online interactive program developed by Thomas Jefferson University researchers, more patients choose active surveillance over therapy, according to research being presented Wednesday (October 23rd) at the Society for Medical Decision Making annual meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
A recent clinical study showed that mortality rates for early stage prostate cancer were the same for men who choose active surveillance such as periodic PSA testing and biopsy, versus those who chose to treat their disease immediately with radiation or surgery (N Engl J Med, 367:203, 2012). The research suggested that in cases of low-risk prostate cancer, aggressive treatment may not offer a long term survival benefit, and yet is associated with a number of side effects such as urinary incontinence and sexual problems. However, the vast majority of men diagnosed with low-risk cancer undergo aggressive treatment rather than active surveillance.
To ensure that patients make their treatment decisions based on the most current medical evidence and their own values and preferences, a research team at Thomas Jefferson University led by Ronald E. Myers, Ph.D., developed an online program called the Decision Counseling Program (DCP) to help patients clarify their treatment preference and discuss their options with the clinical team. This online program is unique to Jefferson.
First, patients are shown a printed summary of answers to frequently asked questions by treatment type. Some of the questions include: "What treatment option is best for long term survival?" and "What are the side effects." With the help of a nurse, the patient then identifies the top 3 reasons the patient may or may not want to initiate active surveillance (pros and cons). The patient then ranks those reasons by importance. The nurse enters the reasons and rankings into the online program and generates a 1-page summary report that helps patients visualize their preference to active surveillance versus aggressive treatment. A copy of the report is given to the patient and the clinical team. The report is used as a point of discussion during the patient's clinical visit with an urologist and radiologist.
The research team tested the program with 23 low-risk prostate cancer patients. After participating in the Decision Counseling Program and speaking with the clinical team, 83 percent of the patients decided on active surveillance, rather than aggressive treatment. In addition, says Dr. Myers, "patients were more knowledgeable, and reported feeling more informed, more supported and less conflicted in their decision after going through the program. They understood their options better, and felt like they were making a treatment decision that was right for them."
###
Authors are available for interview on site at the conference or by phone.
For more information, contact:
Edyta Zielinska
(
215)955-5291
edyta.zielinska@jefferson.edu.
Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), the largest freestanding academic medical center in Philadelphia, is nationally renowned for medical and health sciences education and innovative research. Founded in 1824, TJU includes Jefferson Medical College (JMC), one of the largest private medical schools in the country and ranked among the nation's best medical schools by U.S. News & World Report, and the Jefferson Schools of Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions, Population Health and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Jefferson University Physicians is TJU's multi-specialty physician practice consisting of the full-time faculty of JMC. Thomas Jefferson University partners with its clinical affiliate, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.
Published 10-21-2013
Share
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
