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- Rumor Has It: New iMacs Already in Production, Could Sport Blu-Ray
Lately, rumors have been popping up that new iMacs could well be on the way. Well now AppleInsider is reporting that they’re not only real, but that they’re already here. Or, “here” in the sense that they exist in physical space, at least.
The Apple rumors site is reporting that according to reliable sources (in this case, “two people familiar with the matter”), new dual-core iMacs have been in production since early September, in preparation for an October launch. One of the two familiars cited also added that the new computers will sport new, slimmer aluminum enclosures, and that they will indeed be cheaper than their predecessors.
AppleInsider goes on to suggest that the revised all-in-one desktops will likely resemble the recently released LED Cinema Displays, although that doesn’t necessarily appear to be based on information from their sources. They also cite “people familiar with Apple’s thinking” as claiming it’s possible the new models could include Blu-ray, a technology Steve Jobs once referred to as a “bag of hurt,” and one which has yet to really catch on with the mainstream buying public.
The site also dangles the tantalizing possibility of an enhancement to something related to audio, and one other unspecified improvement, both of which are according to separate sources who didn’t go into further detail because they weren’t supposed to. Which suggests they were supposed to dangle a couple carrots, I guess.
There’s no doubt Apple will refresh its iMac line, which continues to be a strong seller. The only question is when. If AppleInsider’s information is correct, and if Apple intends to try and spoil Microsoft’s Windows 7 release party and bolster its holiday sales, we likely will see new machines sometime in October.
Переслать - Wacom Updates Bamboo Line With Multi-Touch
This news isn’t specific to Apple, but it definitely affects Apple users. As a longtime Mac user and amateur digital artist, I’ve also owned many a Wacom tablet over the years. Most recently, I graduated to a Cintiq 12WX, but the Graphire was my primary workhorse for many years. The Bamboo is the successor to that mantle.
Now, the Bamboo line is getting a much-needed update, and part of that update includes multi-touch gesture support. That’s right, the staunchly stylus-oriented Wacom is releasing touch-enabled devices, available today.
Gradually, Wacom has introduced customizable buttons, scrolls, rockers, and touch strips to make them easier to use without the aid of a keyboard and mouse. And they’ve made great strides. My 12WX has 10 customizable keys and two touch-sensitive scroll strips, all of which result in a much less clumsy drawing experience than I ever had using any of my Graphire tablets. Still, it can’t help but feel somewhat awkward and counter-intuitive.
The new multi-touch controls so closely resemble those already in use on Macs with trackpads that experienced Mac laptop users will likely feel right at home with them. Judging by the promo video, in fact, having a Bamboo with touch could actually completely eliminate the need of using a mouse at all, which represents a massive technical leap for the tablet maker.
Pinch to zoom and spread to expand, two-finger swipe left and right to scroll or move backwards and forwards, two-finger swipe up and down to scroll, and two-finger rotation are all included as usable gestures, and more besides.
The new Bamboo line now includes five distinct products, including one that doesn’t support touch at all, so if you’re thinking about getting one, think carefully about what you want out of the device. Since I already have a drawing tablet, I’m thinking about picking up the Bamboo Touch ($69), which doesn’t allow pen input at all and basically just brings multi-touch to your desktop. Could come in handy for browsing through large photo libraries, for example.
For the same price, you can get the Bamboo Pen, which doesn’t allow finger input at all. Maybe good for digital artists who only need the very basics, or for business people who only use it to digitally sign documents, but I don’t see this one being a hot seller.
The Bamboo ($99), Bamboo Fun ($199), and Bamboo Craft ($129) all offer both pen and multi-touch input. Price differences account for size, mostly, since every device includes the same ExpressKeys and pressure levels sensitivity. If you manage to get your hands on one of these, let us know how the multi-touch experience stacks up. Check out the following video for more info.
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Переслать - TomTom iPhone GPS Kit Debuts in Apple Store
Those of you hoping to augment your TomTom GPS iPhone experience shouldn’t have to wait too much longer. As Engadget reports, the TomTom iPhone Car Kit page on Apple’s online store temporarily went live earlier today in the UK, with an asking price of £99.95 (around $162). It also later went live for the rest of mainland Europe. Briefly.
It was set to ship in about two or three weeks, according to Apple’s web site. I say “was,” because it isn’t there anymore. At all. The device has been pulled from the product listings for the time being, and Apple isn’t saying why.
Many suspect that the real reason Apple has temporarily stopped taking pre-orders is because TomTom was offering the car mount and GPS signal booster bundled with its actual navigation app, the one that was released awhile ago with its own nearly $100 price tag — the one which many people already purchased, not suspecting that TomTom would offer the software free with purchase of this new hardware. This was apparently generating complaints.
So alienating your No. 1 target user base for a product at launch probably isn’t the best possible marketing strategy. How TomTom and Apple decide to get around this is going to be interesting to see. On the one hand, they could offer rebate vouchers towards the hardware to any customers who’ve already purchased the navigation app on its own. But that would probably result in them taking a huge bath on at least this round of mount sales.
On the other hand, they could simply remove the part in the blurb about the Car Kit including software, and not bundle anything with the device. It’s the solution that makes the most fiscal sense, but as I’m sure TomTom is painfully aware, the cat’s already out of the bag, so it’ll look like the company’s just backpedaling, with customers losing out in the end.
My advice to TomTom: Take the hit and offer the hardware with a discount for existing navigation app customers. Sure, it’ll probably result in a fair size loss until the market of people who already have your app are sated, but you’ll retain customer confidence and good will, and it won’t make you look incompetent and dishonest, which is what will happen if you try to say the bit about the app being included was just a typo.
Those interested in the hardware itself, regardless of selling conditions, will be interested to find that while the Car Kit dock is said to be compatible with all iPhone models, the navigation app only works with the 3G and the 3GS. Looks like the brave claims of iPod touch compatibility have yet to be substantiated. We’ll see if TomTom redacts that particular claim, too.
Переслать - iPhone Maps Icon: Close to Apple's Heart
Apparently, as far as the folks at Apple are concerned, all roads lead to Cupertino.
Toying with your latest Apple purchase, it’s not unusual to marvel at the visual joys of the Cupertino company’s product design — gorgeous electronic objects one and all, whether it be the pristine sheen of a brand new Unibody Mac Book Pro or the iconic form factor of an iPod classic.
Dazzled by these aesthetically excellent devices, it’s sometimes easy to forget the software. You might still get that warm glow as you swipe your finger across your brand new iPhone’s oleophobic screen, but did you ever stop to consider any of those lovely looking icons speeding past your extended index digit?
An icon that’s certainly worth a moment of your time is the one that Apple created for Maps. Grab your iPhone now and took a good look at it — notice anything familiar? Try looking a little closer.
Just in case you’re not familiar with that address – 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA — it’s precisely where the magic happens, the place where dreams are made: the location of Apple’s headquarters in California.
It’s not coincidental that the iPhone Maps icons references Apple’s headquarters. The Address Book application for OS X features the very same address for Apple’s HQ, and the Cupertino folks certainly aren’t strangers to incorporating curious details and other such Easter Eggs in their product designs.
If you’ve discovered any other interesting Apple Easter Eggs, let us know!
Переслать - NetNewsWire for OS X and iPhone Officially Released
NewsGator released todayNetNewsWire 3.2 for OS X. At the end of July, NewsGator announced the ending of its news feed subscription service and released a beta version of NetNewsWire 3.2 with Google Reader synchronization.
The way NewsGator handled the ending of its service and migration to Google Reader left a lot to be desired. After sending out an email advising people to immediately switch to the beta, it received many complaints due to the numerous bugs and the large embedded ad in the bottom left of the window.
The ad was removed for remaining betas — until today, when it was brought back at half the previous size. To remove the ad you must purchase a license for $10. I’m not sure if this is a special introductory price or not, but for me $10 is a great deal and buying a license was a no-brainer.
As well as many bug fixes and speed optimizations, the official release restores the much-loved Clippings functionality that was missing from the initial beta. On the OS X platform there are now a few options brewing for native Google Reader support, providing healthy competition in this area, from which we all benefit.
Also released today was the long-awaited NetNewsWire 2.0 for iPhoneOS. In a similar manner to its desktop brother, there are now two versions of NetNewsWire for the handheld devices. The free version (iTunes link) remains available with full functionality but now contains ads. To remove the ads, NetNewsWire Premium (iTunes link) can be purchased. This premium version is available for an introductory price of $1.99 until October, at which point it will go up to $4.99.
As well as the obvious synchronization with Google Reader, version 2 contains Twitter and Instapaper integration. This is a complete rewrite of the application; it contains a new UI and is much faster than version 1.0. It does require iPhone OS 3.0, but I wonder who’s still on 2.2 these days? The ability to forward an article by email without leaving the app is great and I wish all apps would be updated to do that (I’m looking at you, Byline).
The biggest missing feature, which is a deal-breaker for me, is being able to set an article’s status as unread. In the FAQ, they recommend using the ’star’ function to flag the article instead of a ‘mark as unread’ function, but that doesn’t suit my workflow. While I’m impressed with the improvements, until I can set articles back to unread I need to stick with Byline for my Google Reader syncing. I think Byline is still faster, too. But as I said before, competition is a good thing.
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