Keen Australian developers for Apple’s iOS and Mac OS platforms will need to be up early tomorrow morning, with tickets to the event to go on sale at 3am AEST Friday morning.

To purchase a ticket, you must be a registered iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or the Mac Developer Program as of the announcement of WWDC (5:30 a.m. PDT, April 24, 2013).

If previous WWDC events are any indication, WWDC 2013 will most likely sell out within hours, with last years ticket supply exhausted in less than two hours.

Those attending the event will be able to partake in over 100 technical sessions presented by over 1,000 Apple engineers, participate in hands-on labs about how to integrate new technologies into apps, as well as attend the popular Apple Design Awards in which apps that have pushed the boundaries over the past year are recognised.

As usual, Apple is remaining coy about what exactly will be announced at the event, other than confirming new versions of its iOS and OS X platforms will be announced.

“We’re excited to show them [conference attendees] the latest advances in software technologies and developer tools to help them create innovative new apps,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said in a statement today.

“We can’t wait to get new versions of iOS and OS X into their hands at WWDC.”

Last year, iOS 6, retina MacBooks, and other major software enhancements were announced at WWDC. This year, it’s expected more software-focused announcements will be made.

Australian customers who pre-ordered the iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular from Apple’s online store, on Saturday received a welcome update on the estimated shipping time, with the earliest date of arrival appearing to be November 26.

This would place the Australian launch just over a week behind that of the United States, where sales began of the 4G model on Friday at numerous stores across the country.

The iPad mini is Apple’s long-awaited 7.9″ tablet that fits between the iPhone and iPad. Capable of running full-sized iPad apps, the device supports Australian $G networks (Telstra and Optus) and has similar technology to that of the iPad 2.

However according to a number of posts on popular Australian forum Whirlpool, orders being placed for the device now are seeing delivery dates of early December.

The Wi-Fi only model of Apple’s iPad mini went on sale in Australia both online and in-store just over two weeks ago on November 2, with current shipping times via Apple’s online store of two weeks.

Apple has yet to publicly confirm the 4G variant of the iPad mini’s launch date.

Image Credit: Apple

Firstly, it seems to be a catchup move by Apple. Many of the Android phones have been larger and with a better aspect ratio than the iPhone, with Samsung leading the way with the screens for the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus S and the Note range. Moving from the 4:3 aspect ratio found with the iPhone 4 to 16:9 on the iPhone 5 is great, but this has been the default ratio for high end Android phones for a while now.

Secondly, that saved space. Given that the iPhone 5 is thinner, personally I think increasing the battery in the phone would have been a better option. Given the iPhone battery is non removable, they do not have to conform with any battery standard. And while battery use has been touted as a huge improvement compared to previous models, with the iPhone (especially with LTE radio), you can never have enough battery.

The third issue for me is the lack of Micro USB. While Apple loves its propriety standards in such a way only a Sony executive would understand, Europe and other nations are moving towards universal charger standards. So aparently Apple will give a free Micro USB adaptor to Europe, this was a missed opportunity to embrace a standard. After all, since they are breaking the previous Apple interface, it should have been a no brainer to move to a universal standard.

And lastly, the big surprise for many users: Mapping. The Google Maps app has been on the phone from day 1, but never improved. Now Apple has licensed the TomTom maps and created a new app. However TomTom is a new entrant into this area (map data API) and lack of experience has been noticable. While many see this as part of the Apple v Google war, Jeff Jarvis on This Week in Google. The issue here is that there is value in collecting location data, and many companies are trying to exploit it (Like Foursquare, Google and even Amazon is looking to start its own location data service). As a result, we have to ask how much is this part of the Google feud and how much is it Apple jealous of the different ways Google can collect this data (via Google Now, Maps, Latatude and Google Plus). Here is a good comparison between the two services in Brisbane, one city that seems to be hard hit by the mapping wars.

This is not to say it is all bad, the LTE upgrade alone is a good argument for people to upgrade, especially those who have access to Optus of Telstra 4G services. However, for someone who is always thinking “wait for the next version”, I am already planning to see if the iPhone 5S will be worthy for me to re-enter the iPhone ecosystem.

At long last, the company today confirmed it has made its Volume Purchase Program that allows businesses and education institutes to purchase multiple copies of applications from Apple’s App Store for use on the organisation’s iOS devices.

It confirmed the program is now available not only in Australia and the United States, but also Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.

For businesses, apps can be distributed using redemption coupons, managed by third-party Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions or Apple Configurator for OS X. Special custom B2B apps can also be purchased via the program.

Educational institutes are structured a little differently in Apple’s program, with a Program Manager appointed as the head of each organisation’s account. Program Facilitators – or people that are able to purchase apps and then share them – are then appointed.

Australian organisations have long been crying out for access to the program – this thread on Apple’s support forums in particular evidence of the need for it locally as more and more organisations roll out iOS devices.

“I have rung Apple several times about this issue and they know that it is necessary and will come this year (probably),” one poster going by the username Odanster wrote. ”I have charged of quite a number of schools using iPads and the licencing issue is of great concern.”

Apple also today confirmed it’ll hold an event on September 12, where the new iPhone is likely to be unveiled.

The Cupertino-based company sent out invites overnight to a number of United States media outlets inviting them to an event on the 12th September at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts from 10am PT (3am on the 13th for Australians) onwards.

“It’s almost here” the invite sent out reads, with a big 12 and a 5 in the shadow of the it – already prompting speculation about whether or not the 5 refers to the name of the device (iPhone 5) or something else.

A smaller iPad (dubbed online as the iPad Mini) and a refreshed iPod range are the latest speculation about what could be announced at the event – although it’s likely the iPad Mini will have an event of its own at a later date.

Image Credit: The Loop

So far, the simple game of, well, slicing fruit as achieved some impressive results:

• 300 million downloads
• 1.5 trillion pieces of fruit sliced
• 100 years of Fruit Ninja is played every day around the world
• More players than the combined populations of New York, London, Beijing, Paris and Tokyo!

These are impressive stats, especially when companies like Zinga find that mobile games players can be finicky after it spent $US200 Million for OMGPOP only to find usage of their “Draw Something” game plummet.

Te celebrate, Halfbrick had a contest for Australia’s Fruit Ninja Master. Melbourne’s Jess Nunn took out the prize (and a very large trophy!)

I spoke with one of the developers from Halfbrick at the Google Sandbox event earlier this year. Seeing a fully functioning game rendered in HTML5 was a surprise and shows that Halfbrick is innovating in the noble game space, as HTML5 will make it easier to port games to any mobile device that supports HTML5, as well as browser platforms like Google Chrome. As we can see from below, the game is available on all current smart phone platforms, (I bought it for my Xoom Android tablet).

I also noticed there was a Puss in Boots tie-in with the Dreamworks movie, so it is clear that the game has caught public attention. It is great to see Aussies able to compete with the big guns like Zinga, and EA, and it shows that Aussie game design is still world class.

Uniquely, Spotify is also the first music service to use the Freemium model.

There are three levels of service involved. The free low bitrate ad supported service, a $6.99 service which is the same without the advertising removed, and a high bitrate (320kbps) premium service priced at $11.99

Mobile streaming is supported, however there is no free subscription. I found that the android software works nicely on my Motorola Xoom tablet, installs but goes into a panic loop on my Samsung Galaxy S II, and will not install on my HTC Desire. I have not tested on iOS, but would suggest the service will work bette on it due to the more homogeneous Apple platform.

Already the music industry is complaining about the royalties paid by the service , however much of the money Spotify pays in royalties is taken by the Recording companies, and little is passed onto the performers.

As a result of royalties, some of the bands (classic example is of-cause the digital friendly Beatles) have removed their content from the service. However Spotify advertises a catalog of 12 million songs, which is larger than RDIO and MOG.

Having tested the service on both mobile and desktop, I found the desktop to be a more rewarding experience. The ability to create stations based on artists or songs reminds me of Last.FM. Also both mobile and desktop recognised locally stored music.

Premium Mobile users can also cache music for offline use (according to the FAQ 3333 songs) and the service ties in with the Sonos music system.

Many people complain that Stotify is heavily tied into Facebook, requiring a facebook sign in and uses the FB platform for the social eliminate. And unlike Rdio, Spotify is a stand alone program and not web based, which will annoy some users (I do not, I prefer the application method of delivery).

In terms of using the service, the sound quality is great, and new users can get the premium level free for 30 days.

So far this is the closest locally available service to my favourite Last.FM. I found the system easier to use than MOG and RDIO, and is the one I seem to feel comfortable with the most. Taste will vary, however with a better local content collection and a larger library, Spotify seems to be the current winner in the heating up music subscription marketplace.

In a statement issued late today, the organisation confirmed it would pursue Apple about the labelling of the “new iPad” to Australian customers as “iPad with WiFi + 4G” when in fact the device doesn’t work with Australian 4G networks.

This, the ACCC argues, may mislead customers and contravenes Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

“The ACCC alleges that Apple’s recent promotion of the new “iPad with WiFi + 4G” is misleading because it represents to Australian consumers that the product “iPad with WiFi + 4G” can, with a SIM card, connect to a 4G mobile data network in Australia, when this is not the case,” the ACCC said in the statement.

“Consumers who have purchased or are considering purchasing an “iPad with WiFi + 4G” should ensure that they have a proper understanding of the mobile data networks which this iPad can directly access by a SIM card.”

The consumer watchdog will file its complaint to the Federal Court in Melbourne at 9:30am tomorrow, Wednesday the 28th March, and allege that Apple’s marketing breaches sections 18, 29(1)(a), 29(1)(g) and 33 of the ACL.

It will seek “urgent interlocutory relief” that will insist Apple makes customers more aware of the fact that the new iPad won’t work with Australian 4G networks, while hoping for “final orders including injunctions, pecuniary penalties, corrective advertising and refunds to consumers affected.”

Apple is yet to comment on today’s developments.

Apple's iPad slowly invading the corporate world (Credit: yto/Flickr)

Australians have flocked to sites including eBay in a bid to sell off unwanted past-generation iPad devices, with almost 700 listed on the popular site as of Saturday afternoon.

It comes ahead of Apple’s Wednesday event (Thursday morning Australian time) at which the company is expected to unveil the next generation iPad – which the rumour mills suggest will either be called the iPad 3 or the iPad HD.

Features of the tablet are expected to include a higher resolution, retina display similar to that of the iPhone 4 and 4S and the current iPod Touch line-up as well as higher resolution cameras and potentially even support for next generation 4G or LTE networks.

And as if the March 7 event wasn’t firing up the rumour mill enough, overnight new suggestions in the form of web visitor logs have surfaced suggesting Apple is already in the midst of testing the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 6.

In Australia we have TV Network who own local rights of TV shows,local labels and recording companies that owns the rights of music, movie companies that control the price and way we watch movies, and local branches of UK publishing houses controlling distributions and pricing of books.

Apart from the TV networks (which still maintain local control or at least have limited overseas ownership) most of the content is owned by worldwide media companies. Companies like Sony (Japan), BMG (Germany), News Corp (Aus/US), Disney (US) and Viacom (US).

So why is it so hard to buy content?

Australia is per capita the largets downloaders of media content in the world. And while this is partly for piracy, this is mainly because Australians have little other choice. We can not download a book from Amazon because they can not sell the e-book outside the USA (but they will gleefully send the hardcover or paperback via the post). We can not watch a TV show via iTunes if iTunes do not have the right to do so (yet a proxy server and a US credit card will allow purchasing the same show from iTunes USA). We can not even play or download a copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic (yet we can again get a boxed version of the game sent via Amazon).

When content had to be shipped to Australia, localised content control makes sense. Today with worldwide digital download, it makes no sense. Even the act of converting Australian currency to US Dollars is handled instantaneously.

What we are doing in Australia is maintaining a business model that is as obsolete as buggy whip makers. If we head down the path of the USA, the local branches of large content companies are free to set prices and supply that is clearly for their intrest and not for the consumers. We see that now in e-books (agency pricing) and the fact that tV shows are not available to buy (let alone watch) until the local TV allows it.

Realistically the current system is a dead weight cost on the media content marketplace. Consumer demand plays little part in the setting of price or supply. Media companies must realise that content is no longer a finite item and the main cost of content is it’s production not distribution.

It is not the job of the Australian Government or the Australian consumers to protect inefficient industries. If media companies can compete against overseas competitors, all well and good. However, current evidence is that overseas competition will provide a richer and cheaper product in media delivery. We only have to look at the USA and its rich range of audio streaming, video streaming and on demand movies as an indicator what is possible.