Apple ran a new iPad television advertisement tonight during the Academy Awards telecast. The spot follows the same theme as Apple's two prior ads , 'Alive' and 'Together'. They highlight some of the 300,000 apps made specifically for the iPad, using a variety of words to describe them.

Apple tonight posted two new television spots for the iPad and the iPad mini on its YouTube page. The two ads, titled ' Alive ' and ' Together ', highlight some of the 300,000 apps made specifically for the iPad, using a variety of words to describe them. Apps shown in the ads include AmpliTube , Style.com , GarageBand , TED , iMovie , iBooks , Dinosaur Zoo , Toca Hair Salon , The Lonely Beast ABC , Brian Cox's Wonders of the Universe , Vimeo , Rockmate , Glow Hockey 2 HD , and FaceTime

Just over a year ago, a LinkedIn Q&A session with Inside Apple author Adam Lashinsky generated some attention for an exchange with a former Apple employee in the audience who reported that new Apple hires are sometimes placed on "fake" projects during a probationary period. The audience member's comment was sparked by Lashinsky's discussion of employees being hired into "dummy positions" where they do not know what they will be working on until they start at the company.

A newly-published patent application from Apple discovered by AppleInsider describes methods that would allow an iPhone to buffer a series of photos before the user presses the shutter button for the device's camera and then automatically select the best one. It is not uncommon for camera-shake or a less than optimal angle to result in blurry or dark photos in low-light conditions, even on the relatively capable camera on the iPhone

The New York Times reports that New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg today released crime data for the city as 2012 draws to a close, noting that a slight increase in the overall major crime index for the city can be entirely accounted for by an increase in iPhone and iPad thefts. As of Monday, the Police Department recorded 3,484 more major crimes in 2012 than for the same period last year. The increase in Apple product thefts: 3,890.

According to a new DigiTimes report , Apple is evaluating the feasibility of using IGZO displays across their iPad, iPad mini and iPhone products in 2013. The sources said Apple is in further discussions with Sharp over IGZO panel production capacity estimates for 2013 and is also inquiring about whether AU Optronics' (AUO) L5C line could be used to produce the technology

Apple has updated iTunes to version 11.0.1, fixing a number of bugs. The update is available in the Mac App Store or via Apple's support website .

U.S. Senator Claire McKaskill (D-MO) has sent a letter to the head of the Federal Aviation Administration saying the flying public is "growing increasingly skeptical" of prohibitions on the use of electronic devices like tablets and computers during the beginning and end of flights. The senator notes the "absurdity of the current situation" since the FAA has recently approved the use of iPads to replace paper flight manuals

Macotakara reports that Apple's new Lightning dock connector is capable of hosting USB peripheral devices, meaning that Apple could potentially allow users to connect devices such as keyboard and other accessories directly to their Lightning-equipped mobile products. Apple's Lightning to USB cable Even if the report is true, however, it would require that Apple build device support for such functionality on top of the Lightning compatibility in order to allow accessory manufacturers to tap into the USB capabilities

We've been following Apple's work at its Maiden, North Carolina data center for quite some time, and early last month we saw some good aerial photos showing ongoing work at the site including the installation of a major solar farm to help meet Apple's renewable energy goals for the center.