AppleInsider reports that Apple is closing in on the release of it’s next update for Mac OS X 10.4. The update released over memorial weekend weighs in at near 80MB for the Mac build and a huge 140MB for the Intel version. The new builds are listed as Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J2115 (Intel) and Mac OS X 10.4.7 build 8J115 (PowerPC). There appear to be no major issues with the software and a release looks ripe for shipment sometime next month. Mac OS X 10.4.7 is expected to deliver bug fixes and enhancements to a broad range of Mac OS X components, including Mail, Safari, Synching, and iChat. We’re getting closer to Leopard!
Update:AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is winding down development on the update. It is set to be released anyday now.
AppleInsider reports that Apple is working on a new all-in-one Mac for education, to replace the phased-out eMac, and that Apple is targeting release in the “September timeframe” 2006. If so, Apple would catch only the tail end of the purchase cycle for the school year beginning this Fall, since many educational institutions, faculty, and students are already planning their next purchases. The upcoming model is said to have a design similar to the current iMac, with a single enclosure, LCD screen, and an Intel Core Solo processor. It is not clear whether it will simply be a lower-end iMac or be a distinct model line. Apple’s challenge will be to keep the price down, despite the switch to LCD displays, because of the competitive pressures in the education market.
Apple previously trademarked the term “Mac Pro” in New Zealand in late 2005. On May 17th 2006, the same name was trademarked through the U.S. Patent Office under the following classifications:
computers; computer hardware; computer software; computer peripherals; notebook computers; laptop computers; tablet computers; computer servers; handheld computers; mobile computers; hard drives; audio speakers; speakers for computers; personal digital assistants; electronic organizers; electronic notepads; magnetic data carriers; computer gaming machines; microprocessors; memories boards; monitors; displays; keyboards; computer input devices; computer cables; modems; printers; parts and accessories for all the aforesaid goods.
Steve Jobs had indicated that Apple weas moving away from the “Power” name when the MacBook Pro was first announced saying “It’s a new name [MacBook Pro] because we’re kinda done with ‘Power’ and because we want ‘Mac’ in the name of our products.”
I swear I’ve seen this before as someones dream iPod video, anyway here are the specifications: the device has 4GB of flash memory, a 2.4″ colour screen, a microphone plug for voice recording, FM radio support, USB 2.0 support, it can play MP3/WAV/OGG/WMA audio and Xvid (.avi) video. It has 20 hours of battery life for audio and 6 hours for video. Lots of features in a little package! Available direct from Meizu in Korea, I think.
Download our new widget that countdowns to our 3rd birthday on 1st November 2006. It’ll be one party you won’t want to miss. Only 160 days to go! We’ll have our news widget up soon.
Nike and Apple have teamed up to launch a new line of NIKE+iPod products. The two companies today announced the first product developed through the partnership - the NIKE+iPod Sport Kit, a wireless system that allows Nike+ footwear to connect to an iPod nano to store information on time, distance, calories burned and pace. The kit provides real-time audible feedback through headphones, and includes an in-shoe sensor and a small receiver that attaches to the dock connector of the iPod. The new NIKE+ Air Zoom Moire is the first footwear designed to work with the kit. The NIKE+iPod Sport Kit will be available “within 60 days” for a retail price of $29. Please note that the battery cannot be replaced on the reciever, so a new one will have to be purchased when it dies. Also the kit requires iTunes 6.0.5 which has not been released yet.
According to Spymac, Apple is set to discontinue the iPod shuffle range once the current stock is depleted. This does make sense because Apple now offers a 1GB iPod nano and there have been previous rumors of the shuffle being cut. So if you have one pop it up on eBay whilst you can and if your an iPod collector then buy one soon. I always thought that the iPod shuffle was useless…
Thankfully Idol is over now so Daniel Powter can get out of the iTunes chart! Highest new entry this week is Nelly Furtado at number 1, if only she had released “Maneater” instead… Oh well, good work America.
The new MacBooks have been pushed off Apples front page less than 3 days after launch to make way for the new Apple Store “cube” on 5th Avenue, New York. The first 2000 people there are 6pm today get a t-shirt, and they’re giving away MacBooks every hour. Seems like the queue started last night though, so if you want that shirt eBay is your best option now. This is the second Apple Store in New York and the first 24/7/365 store of Apples globally. I’m still confused about how they’re going to clean the place. Anyway, it looks amazing and congrats to Apple!
Just a quick one this week, but it couldn’t go unmentioned: the new MacBook. This is actually causing a bit of a stir out there in the big wide world - more than probably would have been expected from the release of just another Apple consumer notebook. Traditionally the iBook line from Apple has been lacklustre to say the best - relatively cheap entry-level computers OK for light to moderate use and gaming by nothing too heavy. An update to an iBook may draw a few ‘woos’ simply because the audience for this model is so large (Apple are targeting the people at home here, instead of the people at work), but when the initial reaction to Something New™ is over, there’s rarely enough substance in an iBook update to keep interest levels really high. Sure, they sell well, but that’s because they quite cheap and quite well designed - not because they’re going to win any innovation or speed awards. Continue reading »
They come in White or Black and all feature: 13″ widescreen “glossy” at 1280×800 display, Front Row and Apple Remote, integrated iSight, MagSafe, integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics with 64 MB shared graphics memory, mini-DVI with extended display support, 512MB 667 Mhz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300), 1 Firewire 400, 2 USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet and Airport Extreme + Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR) Standard. The iBook G4 and 12″ Powerbook G4 have been dropped from the Apple Store. The MacBooks come in 1.83Ghz White ($1,099), 2.0Ghz White ($1,299) and 2.0Ghz Black ($1,499). Check them out at Apple. The Black one is horrible!
Please read only if you live in America or Canada, the other 191 countries on Earth won’t be very pleased. From today until the 31st December 2006 all US-to-US and Canada-to-Canada are free if your using Skype. So erm, how is eBay meant to earn money from Skype now?
Skype has now removed any cost barrier for its American and Canadian customers to keep in touch with friends, family and business associates. Skype anticipates that completely free calling in the US and Canada will expand Skype’s increasing penetration in North America and solidify Skype’s position as the Internet’s voice communication tool of choice. More people will now have the chance to benefit from Skype’s premium services and online calling capabilities.
Although the first generation of Origami (UMPC) devices are not all shipping yet, Sony has previewed it’s first entry into the space with their first second generation device. The device is set to be released in July and so far we know that it has a 7″ touch screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, Biometric scanner, 2MP camera, keyboard and WWAN. Seems pretty cool.
An unlikely case of mistaken identity resulted in a London taxi driver being questioned on the ins-and-outs of a copyright court dispute. BBC News 24 presenter Karen Bowerman asked the driver about Apple Computers battle with the Beatles’ Apple Corps. and was surprised when the “expert” had little to say. “I do not know. I is not sure what I is doing here,” he said on live television. Guy Kewney, expert and author on music and the internet, was waiting in the corporation’s reception when he saw his name pop up on the cabbie, who had just given him a ride.
Apple’s European VP, Pascal Cagni, told the French newspaper “Presse Océan” that a Paris Apple Store could be opened as soon as this year. He said that Apple has long been planning a store in Champs Elysées. However, the first location will open somewhere else in Paris, then a second location, in Champs Elysées, should open in 2007. Apple has been rumoured to be planning Apple Store locations in Paris since it started opening its first stores in Europe. I’m personally quite excited, way to go Apple!
This is pretty much the same as last Sunday. This is Rihanna’s 3rd week at numero 1. Daniel has been in the chart for nearly 2 months now, hopefully that’ll stop in 2 weeks when Idol is finished.
If you watch this, please note that you cannot reclaim the 3 minutes 56 seconds lost from your life back. This video was shown at the 1984 Apple shareholder’s meeting, what were they thinking!
Seashore is a free and open source graphics program. You can choose from the pencil, brush, eraser, or paint bucket to create your masterpiece. My favorite tool is the “smudge” tool, which gives the effect of running your finger across wet paint. This application is comparable to the Windows Paint program, but with an unbeatable Mac style.
Nikkei Net Interactive has a report claiming that Apple and Softbank are co-developing a mobile phone with iPod features. They have already reached an agreement on the development of this device. The new device will be Apple branded:
Apple, which will be selling cell phone handsets under its own brand for the first time, is expected to outsource production. The company is believed to have chosen Softbank as its partner because Softbank plans to offer high-speed Internet access for cell phones, for a mobile iTunes store.
SoftBank is known to have diversified its activities into the mobile business with the acquisition of Vodafone Japan. The new phone is expected to be introduced first in Japan then later in the USA.
Phwoor. Go off on a bit of sabbatical for a few weeks, and look what happens: some of the most important announcements to come out of Apple or Apple-related organisations in a good few years. Let’s have a quick recap and I’ll suggest why I think they’re so important.
First off, we’ve got the news of Boot Camp for Intel-based Macs. Well, actually we should probably backtrack a little further and quickly talk about Intel Macs in general. For those not in the know, Apple are in the process of moving all their computers (desktop and portable) to use Intel’s CPU instead of Motorola’s or IBM’s (these were called PowerPCs - G3, G4 or G5). Intel’s processors speak an entirely different language to the PowerPCs, so all applications are going to have to be ‘ported’ to speak the new language.
With the GL Image Browser, you can open a folder on your computer and look for all the pictures that are inside, even in subdirectories if you want. It is no iPhoto or Picasa clone, GL Image Browser is not meant as a tool to archive pictures, but as a tool to quickly browse through thousands of pictures to find a special one you are looking for. It is freeware.
IMPORTANT: THIS ARTICLE WAS POSTED IN MAY 2006, BEFORE LEOPARD’S DELAY WAS ANNOUNCED. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT IF ALL YOU ARE GOING TO SAY IS WE ARE “LATE”. LEOPARD IS COMING OCTOBER 2007. THANK YOU.
We’ve received unconfirmed reports that Apple is to reveal launch details for it’s next-generation Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard” at WWDC. According to the source, Apple will complete it’s Intel move by WWDC with the release of the new Intel PowerMacs and so the era of Mactel will truly begin. Mac OS 10.5 will be Apple’s most advanced OS to-date, concentrating more on the techincal side than eye-candy. New features will include radically improved Spotlight technology more tightly integrated with the Finder, more official Cocoa widgets, improved filesystem, Blu-ray support, Automater 2.0, optimized support for Intel processors, iChat 4 with whiteboard and tabs, new Front Row to be included as standard and the final release of Boot Camp. The November release date was chosen to bring strong holiday sales and so at least 2 “point fixes” would be released before updated iMacs and Mac minis come in January. It is expected to retail at $129.99.
Update: Sudeep has posted an interesting list of features he wishes to see in Leopard. It’d be great to see it all in Mac OS 10.5.
Apple has placed a new iPod ad featuring “Love Train” by Wolfmother online. Also I was browsing around and found the original iPod ad from 2001, it’s playing below. Don’t forget you can check out over 100 Apple ads in QuickTime format at our “Video” section.
Nike and Apple have teamed up to launch a new line of 
According to 
Although the first generation of Origami (UMPC) devices are not all shipping yet, Sony has previewed it’s first entry into the space with their first second generation device. The device is set to be released in July and so far we know that it has a 7″ touch screen, WiFi, Bluetooth, Biometric scanner, 2MP camera, keyboard and WWAN. Seems pretty cool.
Apple’s European VP, Pascal Cagni, told the French newspaper “Presse Océan” that a Paris Apple Store could be opened as soon as this year. He said that Apple has long been planning a store in Champs Elysées. However, the first location will open somewhere else in Paris, then a second location, in Champs Elysées, should open in 2007. Apple has been rumoured to be planning Apple Store locations in Paris since it started opening its first stores in Europe. I’m personally quite excited, way to go Apple!
With the 
