Apple Orders DMCA Takedown of "Apple-Tracker" Website

Apple has a beef with the site's use of page-scrape tools for data on Apple's official online store

A website that takes inventory of Apple products in nearby stores has been shut down by the Cupertino giant itself.

Apple-Tracker, which was developed and maintained by Mordy Tikotzky, was a site that compiled data on in-store pickup purchases only from Apple's official online store. So if you were shopping for an iPad Air and wanted a specific model, you could've used Apple-Tracker to see which stores nearby had the item in stock.

However, Apple sent Tikotzky a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) take-down notice last month claiming that the site uses page-scrape tools to "access, acquire, copy or monitor" data from Apple's website.

The DMCA notice was sent October 17 by the law firm Kilpatrick, Townsend and Stockton LLP.

Hence, Tikotzky has decided to let the site go.

"I've decided to turn off the site," Tikotzky posted on Apple-Tracker. "I'm not doing this because I want to, but rather because I received a DMCA take-down notice from Apple.

I'm not really interested in picking a fight with Apple so..... I guess it time to just say good bye. Before I go though I just wanted to says thanks to all of you for the nice comments and emails that you've sent in the last few weeks.& It was fun while it lasted."

Apple-Tracker most recently provided inventory info on products like the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and was even gearing up for the iPad mini with Retina display.

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iPad Air Problems Reported Early On

The Apple iPad Air release took place November 1, 2013, and the device is currently making its way into the hands of eager customers. We often hear about the odd flaw or issue with a new major device launch, and it appears that some iPad Air problems are being reported regarding screen and text issues.

Before we go further we want to stress that we have no idea of these iPad Air issues are widespread or if these are very isolated incidents, so don’t panic if you have just purchased or are about to buy your iPad Air.

Very often some minor issues are reported on new devices to the market, and these are usually smoothed out quickly with software updates. Nevertheless we like to pass on this kind of information as readers can then share their own experiences of new devices and report other problems they may be having.

The iPad Air released running iOS 7.0.3 and previously we have discussed various problems resulting from this latest update to iOS 7 for other devices. It could be that any issues with the iPad Air are related to iOS 7.0.3 rather than hardware-related then, but that remains to be seen.

In a post about iOS 7.0.3 problems Product Reviews also mentions iPad Air difficulties for some. The iPad Air released with the new 64-bit A7 chip and PowerVR G6430 quad-core graphics, so shouldn’t have any difficulties coping with gaming requirements. However, an issue is noted regarding a flickering screen, as shown in the brief video below this story of Asphalt 8 being played on the iPad Air.

Another issue that has come to light concerns choppy text on the iPad Air. This could be a software issue but one owner of the iPad 3 with iOS 7.0.3 is not seeing the problem on this tablet, but is experiencing it on the iPad Air with the same OS.

Therefore it’s difficult to know at this stage whether these issues are software-related or not, or whether they are rare or will end up being commonplace. With this in mind we’d like to hear from readers who have the new iPad Air.

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Have an iPhone or iPad Touch? Get Last.fm Everywhere You Go

Use Last.fm on your iPhone and iPod Touch to track the music you and your friends have been playing. Get music recommendations wherever you are based on your taste.

From new releases to events near you, Last.fm does more with the music you listen to than anyone else. Not only that, but you can search for information about music and concerts at the tap of a button.

Last.fm subscribers can also use the app to listen to music recommendations with Last.fm radio, offering personalised stations based on the music they play.

What's in the latest version?

• Check your Last.fm profile (now with top charts, recent tracks and friends) on the go
• Get Last.fm music recommendations for artists and new album releases
• See what upcoming concerts are in your area; and what events your friends are going to
• Search the Last.fm music catalog for information about artists, albums, tracks and tags
• Listen to two new radio stations, plus "edit" stations on the go to fine-tune them to a tag
• Updated interface, now with retina display support

Currently available in:

• United Kingdom
• United States
• Germany

   Get the Last.fm App

 

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