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- Analysis: AppleTV Hits Lower Margins Than iPod, iPhone
BusinessWeek and iSuppli partnered to analyze the costs of the AppleTV. Somewhat surprisingly, the $300 gadget was found to cost nearly $237, which yields a significantly lower margin than the iPod or iPhone. Even more interestingly, the analysis shows that...BusinessWeek and iSuppli partnered to analyze the costs of the AppleTV. Somewhat surprisingly, the $300 gadget was found to cost nearly $237, which yields a significantly lower margin than the iPod or iPhone.
Even more interestingly, the analysis shows that Apple makes significantly more money on each $400 AppleTV they sell, as the cost to upgrade the drive is much higher than the difference in raw cost to Apple. It is uncharacteristic for Apple to make this little of anything they sell. Anyone think this might be the source of Steve's calling the device "a hobby"?
Thanks, Bill!
Technorati Tags: appleTV, margins, profit
Pete Mortensen - iPhone Map App Pinpoints Infinite Loop.
Looks like Apple dropped an easter egg in its iPhone icons. An eagle-eyed blogger noticed something on the iPhone's Map application: it essentially doubles as a Steve Jobs locator. No, it doesn't pinpoint his house, but his office. Or at...
Looks like Apple dropped an easter egg in its iPhone icons. An eagle-eyed blogger noticed something on the iPhone's Map application: it essentially doubles as a Steve Jobs locator. No, it doesn't pinpoint his house, but his office. Or at least, it seems to show the Apple Campus at Infinite Loop in Cupertino.
Mat Honan - New Versions of Camino and NetNewsWire Roll Out
On Tuesday, while Apple was busy releasing new MacBook Pros, two of my favorite Mac apps received substantial updates. Camino was bumped up to version 1.5 while NetNewsWire went to version 3.0. I'm positively smitten with both apps. Camino, the...On Tuesday, while Apple was busy releasing new MacBook Pros, two of my favorite Mac apps received substantial updates. Camino was bumped up to version 1.5 while NetNewsWire went to version 3.0. I'm positively smitten with both apps. Camino, the mozilla browser written in Cocoa, is noticeably faster--and it already blazed--sports in-browser spell checking, and allows you to save sessions when you quit (so you can start up again with the same web pages you had open when you closed your browser). NetNewsWire added a bevy of new features as well, chief among them tighter Mac integration with Address Book, Spotlight, Growl, iCal, iPhoto and (unbelievably) Twitterific. I've been using both since yesterday, and am absolutely floored with how much faster each is. Go grab them.
Mat Honan - New MacBook Pro Unboxing and Screen Comparison
What would an Apple product launch be without a ceremonial unboxing? Incomplete. GeekSugar grabbed a new LED-screened MacBook Pro this morning and have posted the full results in a gallery. My geek-lust is strong right now... (Thanks, Angelica!) Technorati Tags:...What would an Apple product launch be without a ceremonial unboxing? Incomplete. GeekSugar grabbed a new LED-screened MacBook Pro this morning and have posted the full results in a gallery. My geek-lust is strong right now...
(Thanks, Angelica!)
Technorati Tags: macbook pro, unboxing, Unpacking
Pete Mortensen - Laptop Mag Picks Tiger Over Vista
The folks over at Laptop magazine ran a head-to-head competition with Mac OS X Tiger and Windows Vista. They compared the big tickets like interfaces, performance and security, along with several other interesting also-rans like widgets and search (which, as...The folks over at Laptop magazine ran a head-to-head competition with Mac OS X Tiger and Windows Vista. They compared the big tickets like interfaces, performance and security, along with several other interesting also-rans like widgets and search (which, as we approach terrabyte hard drives is probably becoming more of a big ticket item every year). We'll cut to the chase here: The Mac wins. Yet it's an interesting side-by-side comparison, especially given the surprising conclusions some of the ballot issues, such as media. It will be interesting to see what Leopard will bring to this matchup.
Mat Honan - iPhone Fan Ad Spoofs 2001
Apple rolled out its first iPhone ads over the weekend. They are, perhaps predictibly given the track record, cool and stunning. But just as good--well, maybe not just as good, but still damn good--is this new fan ad that parodies...
Apple rolled out its first iPhone ads over the weekend. They are, perhaps predictibly given the track record, cool and stunning. But just as good--well, maybe not just as good, but still damn good--is this new fan ad that parodies 2001 with an iPhone-as-monolith.
Mat Honan - Video: Steve and Bill On-Stage Together
Miss yesterday's historic chat between Apple founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft founder Bill Gates? The whole thing is online and broken into 7 parts at the site for the D -- All Things Digital conference website. I have the remaining...Miss yesterday's historic chat between Apple founder Steve Jobs and Microsoft founder Bill Gates? The whole thing is online and broken into 7 parts at the site for the D -- All Things Digital conference website. I have the remaining six parts after the Jump
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Pete Mortensen - Video: Steve Speaks at All Things Digital
Miss Steve's talk with Walt Mossberg at yesterday's D -- All Things Digital conference? Now you can watch the direct-feed video, linked above. Just wait until he admits to reading Fake Steve. Priceless. read the transcript of him admitting to...
Miss Steve's talk with Walt Mossberg at yesterday's D -- All Things Digital conference? Now you can watch the direct-feed video, linked above. Just
wait until he admits to reading Fake Steve. Priceless.read the transcript of him admitting to reading Fake Steve while watching the video and imagine what it might sound like. (That'll teach me to read the whole video first...)Via Digg.
Pete Mortensen - Rumor: New MacBook Pros on Tuesday, June 5
One of the most interesting side effects of Apple's switch to Intel chips for its computers is that it is now always possible to tell when Apple's hardware isn't keeping pace with the rest of the market. Take, for example,...One of the most interesting side effects of Apple's switch to Intel chips for its computers is that it is now always possible to tell when Apple's hardware isn't keeping pace with the rest of the market. Take, for example, Santa Rosa, Intel's newest laptop architecture featuring rev'd Core2 Duo processors. PC-makers started releasing gear based on the high-performance technology on May 9, and Apple still hasn't rolled out new machines.
People have been speculating all along that Apple would hold off updated computers until June 11, the beginning of the Worldwide Developers Conference, but now MacRumors suggests we might want to look at next Tuesday, June 5. Let's look at the facts:
- New MacBook Pros are likely to use the existing case and not innovate beyond updated chips, which isn't the sexiest Steve keynote launch.
- It is a Tuesday. Apple loves Tuesdays!
My name is Pete, and I approve this rumor. It also implies we might get the major iMac update at the WWDC keynote. That could really be something to see.
Pete Mortensen - Apple Rolls Out iTunes Plus, 160GB AppleTV, YouTube on AppleTV
Apple dropped a few lovely and unexpected tidbits in addition to the already anticipated iTunes Plus DRM-free music downloads. Specifically, Apple's new "hobby," the AppleTV, will soon have direct YouTube support, and an build-to-order option to quadruple the device's capacity...Apple dropped a few lovely and unexpected tidbits in addition to the already anticipated iTunes Plus DRM-free music downloads. Specifically, Apple's new "hobby," the AppleTV, will soon have direct YouTube support, and an build-to-order option to quadruple the device's capacity to 160GB will roll out soon, for $100 extra. It's still not a DVR out of the box, but this thing is getting very capable very fast...
iTunes Plus, meanwhile, includes the ability to buy-upgrade ("bupgrade?") any iTunes Store song you already own without copy-protection and a higher bit-rate for 30 cents per song. I must admit, I'd be moving what few iTS songs I have to the superior format, but none of the songs I have are in the first bunch of iT+ selections. Anyone making the move?
Technorati Tags: appleTV, itunes, itunes plus, youtube
Pete Mortensen - Steve and Bill Reminisce, Mock Gil Amelio
Today's D: All Things Digital conference has been quite interesting, from the introduction of Palm's ludicrous Foleo device to Microsoft's over-the-top (literally) Surface computing initiative and Apple's more modest but interesting announcements of YouTube for AppleTV, iTunes Plus and the...Today's D: All Things Digital conference has been quite interesting, from the introduction of Palm's ludicrous Foleo device to Microsoft's over-the-top (literally) Surface computing initiative and Apple's more modest but interesting announcements of YouTube for AppleTV, iTunes Plus and the Big AppleTV upgrade.
Nothing, however, compares to the currently rolling Steve Jobs and Bill Gates chat on stage together. They're mostly looking back with humor on their linked history. It's hilarious stuff, from Engadget's liveblog of it:
Steve: Gil (Amelio) had a saying, "Apple is like a ship with holes in the bottom leaking water. My job is to get that ship pointed in the right direction."
No, no. I'm not crying. It's just been raining...on my face!
Technorati Tags: bill gates, Steve Jobs, steve jobs
Pete Mortensen - Real Steve Reads Fake Steve
At the D Conference today, Steve Jobs admitted he likes the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. Walt Mossberg asked: Do you read the Fake Steve Jobs blog? Jobs: I have read a few of the FSJ things recently, but I...At the D Conference today, Steve Jobs admitted he likes the Secret Diary of Steve Jobs.
Walt Mossberg asked: Do you read the Fake Steve Jobs blog?
Jobs: I have read a few of the FSJ things recently, but I thought it was pretty funny!
lkahney - Apple Releases iTunes 7.2 Supporting DRM-Free iTunes Plus
After midnight Eastern tonight, Apple let its own cat out of the bag to go along with Microsoft's announcement of Surface. The Mac OS X Software update brings iTunes 7.2, featuring support for DRM-free downloads off of the iTunes Store,...After midnight Eastern tonight, Apple let its own cat out of the bag to go along with Microsoft's announcement of Surface. The Mac OS X Software update brings iTunes 7.2, featuring support for DRM-free downloads off of the iTunes Store, what Apple is calling "iTunes Plus." The update notice mentions this support from "participating labels" (does EMI have friends in its DRM-free world?), and then the help file goes further, as noted by MacRumors:
The iTunes Store also offers songs without DRM protection, from participating record labels. These DRM-free songs, called "iTunes Plus," have no usage restrictions and feature higher-quality encoding.
The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (when available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store.
If you already have iTunes Store purchases that are now available as iTunes Plus downloads, you may upgrade your existing purchases. To do so, visit the iTunes Store and follow the onscreen instructions.Perhaps there's hope for converting my library of FairPlay-encoded files to come back to life. We can only hope. Tomorrow's going to be exciting. Stay tuned...
Pete Mortensen - Oops: MS Launches Huge Multitouch Display Years Away From Home Use
Remember that totally awesome touchscreen demo at huge scale that had broad applications such as natural photo sorting and editing and fingerpaints? Well, in advance of the D Conference today, Microsoft decided it would be a good idea to launch...Remember that totally awesome touchscreen demo at huge scale that had broad applications such as natural photo sorting and editing and fingerpaints? Well, in advance of the D Conference today, Microsoft decided it would be a good idea to launch a product line that is...exactly that demo. They call it Surface, and if it lives up to the demo videos on the official site, it will be spectacular in use.
T-Mobile, Harrah's Entertainment and others plan to roll them out very quickly. You might be playing with one in a few days. So what's the problem? Why isn't Apple panicking? Because this is as far from a consumer application as you can get. A 30" touchscreen display built on a coffee table in the living room is years away from being something people will buy.
Granted, Apple's multi-touch product, the iPhone, is also very high-end, but a $600 phone is closer to reality than the Future Table 6000. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure that Microsoft will make money from this selling to stores and casinos. There are many people looking for an interactive table for what I would assume is at least $10,000, if not more. But this is like a new pinball machine, not a technology that will make an impact at home for years to come.
It is an amazing demo, but it's far from ready for prime-time. This is for an exciting display in a store. The fact that MS isn't talking about rolling this technology to other platforms yet indicates that they're not playing for those markets. And I will pit the iPhone or a touch-enabled iPod against a to-be-announced Surface Zune any day. If anything, launching this way is a sign that Microsoft knows it doesn't have a product to compete with the iPhone ready to go. So they brought out the circus edition of the technology.
I'm sure the clowns and the elephants are psyched.
Microsoft Surface: multi-user touch table [MacNN]
Technorati Tags: microsoft, iphone, surface
Pete Mortensen - Mac Plus Beats AMD Dualcore In Word, Excel Tests
Ever wondered what we've gained in 20 years of computing advancement? Other than better graphics, the answer is...not much, at least for basic office productivity tasks. Hal Licino at HubPages runs a vintage MacPlus from 1986 against a brand-new PC...Ever wondered what we've gained in 20 years of computing advancement? Other than better graphics, the answer is...not much, at least for basic office productivity tasks. Hal Licino at HubPages runs a vintage MacPlus from 1986 against a brand-new PC running on AMD dual-core hardware, and finds that the MacPlus is faster for virtually all comparable tasks, including booting and several ordinary MS Office tasks.
Just goes to show you -- computing peaked in 1988 (the Mac SE/30 dominates the Plus still).
86 Mac Plus Vs. 07 AMD DualCore. You Won't Believe Who Wins
Technorati Tags: macplus, quicktime vr
Pete Mortensen - Nominee For Oddest Mac Mini Case Mod
It's giant friendly green blob Haro from Gundam! And his back ate a Mac mini! Good thing he can dance or something. A very, very odd Japanese import. Check Ubergizmo for more. Via GeekSugar. Technorati Tags: gundam, mac mini, mod,...It's giant friendly green blob Haro from Gundam! And his back ate a Mac mini! Good thing he can dance or something. A very, very odd Japanese import. Check Ubergizmo for more.
Via GeekSugar.
Technorati Tags: gundam, mac mini, mod, accessory
Pete Mortensen - Apple v. Sony Difference Made Clear in NY Times Story
Each Apple Store is intimate, friendly, educational and filled with new technologies to discover. They're warm places, filled with helpful "geniuses," great gift ideas and room to learn, fail and succeed. Each interaction is an opportunity for Apple to directly...
Each Apple Store is intimate, friendly, educational and filled with new technologies to discover. They're warm places, filled with helpful "geniuses," great gift ideas and room to learn, fail and succeed. Each interaction is an opportunity for Apple to directly connect in an emotional way with its customers -- a pure brand expression.But as Apple's influence and power as a company has grown, another electronics powerhouse, Sony, has headed straight downhill, with a mediocre retail presence reflecting its overall woes. The NY Times's Randall Stross does an excellent job of chronicling the features that make Apple stand out and the symptoms of Sony's disease in this feature from the Sunday Times. He does not, however, truly diagnose the patient or recommend a cure that people can actually use.
I'll take that chance. Click through to hear what Apple is doing right, and why Sony Style stores feel so cold.
Technorati Tags: apple, retail, sony
Here's why Apple Stores are great: They are exactly like Apple and its products. Modern, simple, rife with false humility. On some deep level, Apple Stores are very proud of the company's achievements. The place unabashedly celebrates all things iPod, Mac, AppleTV and iLife like a proud parent. More than that, everything in the room says "Try me. Take me home. I'll make you better. I work well with the technologies you already own." The design of the retail experience is focused on emotional connections to Apple's customers. And it works really well, because that's what every Apple product, package, and business decision is also designed to do. It's honest.
Stross is very taken with Apple Stores, but I think this advice for Sony from Wendy Liebman of WSL Retail is a bit off. She's telling Sony to be Apple, and that really only works for Apple:
Wendy Liebman, the founder of WSL Strategic Retail in New York, was equally critical of the Sony Style store, which she faulted as being merely "a place of stuff." She said that a successful brand excites a passionate attachment, the way Starbucks or Target do, and that Apple's stores exemplify "emotional connection."
"People can just walk in, absorb the fumes and feel like the smartest technophile in the world," she said. Let's add that there is only one place to buy computers that features Geniuses at all times.The article struggles for a purpose. Is the issue that Sony needs to be more emotional? Or is it that the company needs an exclusive device that will drive traffic to the stores? Here's the big picture. Sony is not an emotional brand. It is a cool brand that pushes for sleek, clean, high-design, high-tech products that really push the edges of technical possibility. And the fact is, that isn't necessarily the most fun brand to embody in an environment. Sony Style is almost true to the overall Sony brand, but I think it tries a little too hard to allow people to experiment and discover, much like the Apple Store. Sony makes technology for people who want the latest and greatest. That says to me that maybe Sony Style should be more about a curated experience -- guided tours of the bleeding edge.
A Sony store feels too much like my living room and not enough like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. That's the problem. If I could be having this experience at home, I'd rather have Apple get me there. For Sony, I want to feel like I've stepped into the future.
Pete Mortensen - This Week Will Bring DRM-Free iTunes?
Ever since Apple and EMI shocked the world in April by announcing that they would sell music through the iTunes Store free from copy-protection constraints, the world has been waiting for the company's to actually make that announcement a reality....Ever since Apple and EMI shocked the world in April by announcing that they would sell music through the iTunes Store free from copy-protection constraints, the world has been waiting for the company's to actually make that announcement a reality.
This might be the week, if the rumor mill has it pegged correctly. MacNN claims we've been going through a delay of these products, which I can't say I noticed:
The seeming delay for introducing the new tier of content has been primarily attributed to a desire to offer the entire catalog at once in the unprotected format rather than a gradual rollout. The companies' technicians are simply in the later stages of encoding and hosting the files before they go live, the contact says.
Not too surprising, here. After all, Apple said they would launch an offering in May -- that means they'll launch it on the last Tuesday of the month, right? Wake me up when Apple actually misses launching during the month.
DRM-free iTunes set this week? [MacNN]
Pete Mortensen - Fact or Fiction: Video Shot on iPhone?
The next four weeks are going to be crazy. Maybe, once the iPhone is truly released into the wild, hysteria over sightings will recede until that day, however, the Internet is wild with any news of an iPhone in public....The next four weeks are going to be crazy. Maybe, once the iPhone is truly released into the wild, hysteria over sightings will recede until that day, however, the Internet is wild with any news of an iPhone in public. I won't even cover one of the big iPhone stories of the weekend here (a photo of a man who is either holding an iPhone or possibly any other object that fits in the hand is not news), but I am intrigued by this video find.
It purports to be an Apple Store employee sneaking an iPhone onto the floor of the shop, then shooting video of himself being shown on a store iMac's iSight. It looks pretty real. It could be faked pretty easily, though it would basically have to b e done with another camera phone or pocket video recorder dressed in an iPhone costume. What do you think?
iPhone Camera Video Mirror [YouTube]
Via TUAW
Pete Mortensen - Zombies Welcome at the Apple Store
A Zombie flash mob got a friendly reception at the San Francisco Apple Store, CNet's Declan McCullagh reports: It may be worth noting that the Westfield Mall and Disney security tried to bar the zombies from entering, but Apple store...A Zombie flash mob got a friendly reception at the San Francisco Apple Store, CNet's Declan McCullagh reports:
It may be worth noting that the Westfield Mall and Disney security tried to bar the zombies from entering, but Apple store security did not. In fact, salespeople were jostling one another for a position where they could take the best photo of the zombies (or themselves with the zombies, or their brains being eaten by the zombies).
More pix at Flickr.
lkahney - Apple: Keep Your Hands off my Power Supply
Apple's MagSafe power connector, the power cord that connects to new Mac laptops magnetically, is one of the more innovative hardware features to hit portables in years. The MagSafe connector doesn't jack in to a laptop; it connects via a...
Apple's MagSafe power connector, the power cord that connects to new Mac laptops magnetically, is one of the more innovative hardware features to hit portables in years. The MagSafe connector doesn't jack in to a laptop; it connects via a magnet so if you stumble over the cord, it just disconnects and your MacBook doesn't come tumbling off the table. It's saved mine from who knows how many spills, and is probably the only reason my MacBook hasn't had to endure frequent trips back to Apple's repair center like my previous Mac laptops. Yet after more than a year on the market, there still are no third-party accessories for it--adapters that will let you jack into the power ports on planes or cars for example. Why not? Dan Frakes discovered that it's because Apple won't license it. Apple owns the patent on the MagSafe, and it's not sharing. Perhaps it wants to corner the market on power accessories, it sells an airplane adapter for about sixty bucks, but that seems short sighted. As Frakes points out, licensing the technology and farming it out to third party vendors could earn the company plenty in licensing fees, while letting consumers get the accessories they want (probably at a lower price).
Mat Honan - Zune Headquarters Hosts iPod Amnesty Bin
Fimoculous brought Microsoft's iPod Amnesty Bin at the Zune Headquarters recently. Looks pretty empty to me -- think team members are taking the discards home to use instead of their Zunes? Or is it a place for iPods to escape...Fimoculous brought Microsoft's iPod Amnesty Bin at the Zune Headquarters recently. Looks pretty empty to me -- think team members are taking the discards home to use instead of their Zunes? Or is it a place for iPods to escape from Microsoft's labs where they were getting dissected and copied?
iPod Amnesty Bin on Flickr
Via TUAW.
Pete Mortensen - Mac Mini is Unloved, Not Dead in the Water
I'm genuinely puzzled by AppleInsider's melodramatic post pronouncing the death of the Mac mini. The article recounts Apple's many slights of its lowest-end platform and then proceeds to show know evidence that the line will soon be killed off. It...I'm genuinely puzzled by AppleInsider's melodramatic post pronouncing the death of the Mac mini. The article recounts Apple's many slights of its lowest-end platform and then proceeds to show know evidence that the line will soon be killed off.
It has seen just four updates since inception, one of which was so insignificant in Apple's own eyes that the company didn't even bother to draft a press release. Even now, the current minis' 1.66GHz and 1.83GHz Core Duo processors are a far cry from the silicon offered in the rest of Apple's PC offerings.
Well, that's actually to be expected. And I would say that hardware is significantly better than a lot of low-end PCs from other manufacturers. But that's neither here nor there. Apple needs the Mac mini just to get people looking for a cheap Mac in the door. The AppleTV might be incredibly popular as a hackable Mac substitute, but that's not what it is out of the box. Apple still needs a low-end entry, and the Mac mini costs very little to develop and revise. I don't see Apple just walking away.
And this quote says it all:
Whether Apple will squeeze another revision from the mini, and how long it plans to allow existing models to linger, are both unclear.
Oh, so at some point in the future, possibly after Apple releases new Mac minis, Apple will stop selling the Mac mini. Yep, dead as a doornail. What?
AppleInsider | Closing the book on Apple's Mac mini
Technorati Tags: mac mini, puppy
Pete Mortensen - Found Video: Homebrew PVR Software Running on AppleTV
Well, that's the missing link resolved. The above video depicts an AppleTV running MythTV, an open-source PVR program. If the AppleTV hard drive were a little bit bigger, it would officially be a real TiVo challenger. Will Apple ever release...Well, that's the missing link resolved. The above video depicts an AppleTV running MythTV, an open-source PVR program. If the AppleTV hard drive were a little bit bigger, it would officially be a real TiVo challenger. Will Apple ever release official PVR support?
YouTube - MythTV On AppleTV
Via Digg.Technorati Tags: appleTV, mythtv
Pete Mortensen - Are Tech Analysts Ganking Rumors from Prominent Mac Sites?
MacRumors founder Arnold Kim makes a very interesting point regarding the rumored new MacBook Pros and iMacs that Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster unleashed on an unwitting public yesterday. Like many others, I was fairly impressed that Munster took the...
MacRumors founder Arnold Kim makes a very interesting point regarding the rumored new MacBook Pros and iMacs that Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster unleashed on an unwitting public yesterday. Like many others, I was fairly impressed that Munster took the trouble to determine the average life cycle of both iMac and MacBook Pro generations.Well, as it turns out, Munster might not have calculated the numbers himself:
These numbers correlate exactly to the [MacRumors] Buyer's Guide averages. Some have asked couldn't he have come up with these numbers on his own? It's possible, but exceedingly unlikely as he would have had to choose the same releases (2002 PowerBook, 2003 iMac) to start counting in order to achieve the exact same averages.
Kim also implies that Munster's assumption that Apple will release new Macs at WWDC might be directly drawn from an earlier ThinkSecret report, which makes the reliability of tech analysts' reports about Macs questionable. Which they absolutely are.
Apple is the rare computer company that won't play nice and let analysts see their stuff earlier than the general public. There's no question that most reports or based on assumptions and reading rumor sites. I do question a commenter's conclusion that any of this is new. From what I can tell, the Mac rumor sites have been ahead of the analysts since the day Steve came back.
Technorati Tags: analysts, rumor
Pete Mortensen - New Macs at WWDC? (Well, yeah)
Analyst Gene Munster (not to be confused with Herman) today predicted that Apple will roll out new MacBook Pros and iMacs at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June. That's not the world's edgiest guess, given that it's been almost nine...Analyst Gene Munster (not to be confused with Herman) today predicted that Apple will roll out new MacBook Pros and iMacs at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June. That's not the world's edgiest guess, given that it's been almost nine months since either product line was updated. What is rather shocking is Munster's baffling logic for the update:
Munster added that he "expects" new MacBook Pros (1, 2) to make a showing at the developer conference and that it's "also possible" that Apple will introduce a redesigned iMac. He notes that on average, the Cupertino-based company has updated its professional notebooks every 182 days, with the most recent generation having launched 209 days ago (data presumably gathered via help from the MacRumors buyer's guide). Similarly, he said, iMacs have traditionally seen updates every 168 days but the current generation is now a whopping 257 days old.
Wow, and I thought it was just that Intel had new processors on the market and Apple's just about last to roll out hardware sporting the chips. I am mildly interested in the rumor that the iMac would actually be redesigned and not just refreshed. Looking back at it, the timing might be right. The iMac G4 was on the market for about 30 months, and we're now at 33 months for the iMac G5 enclosure. I think Apple is more than due for a real new design statement on its computers, so this will be one to watch.
Image via Wikipedia
Via Engadget
Pete Mortensen - No, DRM-Free Music Won't Create a New Bonanza
Silicon Valley raconteur Om Malik is always keeping his eyes peeled for something to surpass Apple's killer iPod+iTunes combo, and after endorsing Real Rhapsody the other day, he's now generally supporting the idea that a new generation of DRM-free music...Silicon Valley raconteur Om Malik is always keeping his eyes peeled for something to surpass Apple's killer iPod+iTunes combo, and after endorsing Real Rhapsody the other day, he's now generally supporting the idea that a new generation of DRM-free music will fuel a surge in digital music sales.
While online music downloads have grown rapidly, DRM (regardless of the flavor) has added more friction than security to the process, often slowing total sales, especially amongst the non-techie music fans.
I still don't buy it. Most people are willing to put up with minor DRM headaches for convenience. Most other people that really want to own their music are using services like eMusic or buying CDs. I don't think we're at a point where a lack of DRM-free Greatest Hits of the Eagles downloads is the bottleneck. Granted, Om thinks Apple stands to benefit here, but he also implies that the Sonos hardware that connects to Pandora could be the wave of the future. Which it isn't. I'm sorry, but radio, however evolved, doesn't hold the same long-term value as buying what you want. Pandora's a fun trick right now, but it's a long way from the music-brain I never realized I needed.
Pete Mortensen - Extra Reading, if you're bored.
If you've ever wondered exactly what I mean when I talk about innovation, feel free to take a gander at my other two blogs, both of which pertain to the subject. This is what I do for a living, so...If you've ever wondered exactly what I mean when I talk about innovation, feel free to take a gander at my other two blogs, both of which pertain to the subject. This is what I do for a living, so I think you should get a bit of my perspective on it.
The first blog, Better than New, is one I run with a friend. It's basically like what we do here, but as it pertains to design, innovation, cultural needs, stuff like that. It's newer but way more frequently updated.
The second, Pattern Linguist, is a misguided attempt to blog the complete history of the field of innovation as we know it today. It takes a long time to research, and I tend to be thoughtful instead of snarky here. Still, there's ample fodder at both. Check 'em out!
Pete Mortensen - MacBook Screen Lawsuit is a Tempest in a Teapot
About 95 percent of quality in a computer is subjective When a machine runs well, people aren't likely to become concerned about the specification of its memory controllers or the speed of its hard disk. But when things are bad,...About 95 percent of quality in a computer is subjective When a machine runs well, people aren't likely to become concerned about the specification of its memory controllers or the speed of its hard disk. But when things are bad, it doesn't matter if the machine is tricked out with the best components in the entire world -- it's a pile of junk.
This is all relevant to the current tempest in a teapot that goes by day as a lawsuit against Apple for "deceptively" using 6-bit LCD screens instead of 8-bit color on its MacBooks and MacBooks Pro. What this essentially means is that Apple advertises its computers as displaying millions of colors (presumably a full 16,777,216) but that they instead show only several hundred thousand (262,244). I am outraged! OUTRAGED!*
Why, just read this shocking quote from the lawsuit!
The reality is that notwithstanding Apple's misrepresentations and suggestions that its MacBook and MacBook Pro display "millions of colors," the displays are only capable of displaying the illusion of millions of colors through the use of a software technique referred to as "dithering," which causes nearby pixels on the display to use slightly varying shades of colors that trick the human eye into perceiving the desired color even though it is not truly that color.
And just imagine, if you sell that same computer to a color-blind person, they see far fewer than even the 262,244 colors you should be seeing! Horrors! And dogs can only see the screens in black and white -- a double-insult!
As several very insightful people have pointed out, virtually no laptop screens capable of displaying millions of colors are on the market. The fact that it's taken people this long to notice really is more indicative of what a non-issue it is. The only people who need such color range are graphics and video professionals, and we can only pray they're not relying on built-in laptop displays for their work!
(In case you're wondering where the figures come from, 6-bit and 8-bit refer to each color channel. That means (2^6)^3 versus (2^8)^3. That's because we're talking about the color-depth for red, green and blue. We're actually talking about 18-bit and 24-bit color. And none of it has anything to do with 64-bit processing)
So, yes, Apple shouldn't lie about it, but neither should other PC makers, and no one should be using laptops exclusively for mission-critical graphic design and color balancing. Can we go home now?
*I am not outraged.
Image and quote via Ars Technica.
Pete Mortensen - Sculptor Releases Wooden 128k Mac Replica
Artist Lee Stoetzel has a show of unique scale replicas of iconic products. The best, by far, is the Mac shown above. From what I can tell, even though it's non-operable, it's actually more powerful than the original 128k Mac....Artist Lee Stoetzel has a show of unique scale replicas of iconic products. The best, by far, is the Mac shown above. From what I can tell, even though it's non-operable, it's actually more powerful than the original 128k Mac. Especially is you drop it on your foot.
Wood Mac | The Apple Core
Via Digg.
Pete Mortensen - Found Video: Precocious 7-Year-Old Raves About Apple II in 1982
Future Cruxy blogger Nat Freitas has been at this tech thing for a long time. In the above video, he talks about the Apple II in glowing terms on a local cable access show. It rocks. 7 year old kid...
Future Cruxy blogger Nat Freitas has been at this tech thing for a long time. In the above video, he talks about the Apple II in glowing terms on a local cable access show. It rocks. 7 year old kid (me) talking about Apple IIs back in '82 from natdefreitas on Vimeo
Via Digg.
Pete Mortensen
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