Tech Startups 3.0: New York Times: Inside Apple Stores, a Certain Aura Enchants the Faithful

"Apple now derives 20 percent of its revenue from its physical stores. And the number is growing. In the fourth quarter in 2007, which ended Sept. 30, Apple reported that the retail stores accounted for $1.25 billion of Apple’s $6.2 billion in revenues, a 42 percent increase over the fourth quarter in 2006.Apple stores generate sales at the rate of about $4,000 per square foot a year, according to a report last year by Sanford C. Bernstein analysts.As other electronics makers like Dell, Nokia and Sony still struggle to find the right retail formula, Apple seems to have perfected it."

Merry Xmas and Happy iPhone!

Analysis: The many faces of Apple advertising

"Among technology companies, Apple is often perceived to have something that the likes of rivals Dell, Microsoft, and Hewlett-Packard lack—that indefinable element of cool. Apple carefully cultivates a specific image for itself, and a cornerstone of those efforts is its advertising, especially the 30-second spots that air on television.
“Apple has long history of exceptional advertising, starting with 1984,” said Ross Rubin, director of analysis at NPD Group, referring to the iconic Super Bowl commercial that introduced the Macintosh to the world.
Hoag Levins, executive producer of AdAge.com, agrees, calling advertising a “core pillar” of Apple’s strategy: “It’s bringing in new people to Apple products.”
And these days, there are plenty of Apple products for that growing audience to consider. In the past year, Apple has added another major product line—the iPhone—to its existing Mac and iPod offerings. While all three of these product areas share common qualities—namely, style and ease of use—Apple and its advertising agency take very different approaches to get that message across.
Despite their differences, Apple ads have in common at least one major advantage over many competitors’ commercials: regardless of whether you love or hate the spots, you’ll likely remember them, and that’s the first step to building a successful image.
Hello, I’m a Mac
Apple’s current campaign for the Mac, “Get a Mac,” conveys just as simple and straightforward a message as the name would suggest. It’s a deliberate attempt to appeal to the vast majority of computer users who, as Apple sees it, are using a Windows machine either because they aren’t aware they have an alternative, or because they’re nursing some erroneous preconceptions about Macs."

iPhone/iPod Touch-specific sites

"I was trying out surfing on the iTouch (which, despite the vaguely scandalous nature of the nickname, is what I insist on calling it - iPod Touch is a bit kludgy) and went to one of my favorite sites, iLounge (which is the best all-around site for the iPod geek subculture). I was surprised by the first page that came up. Apparently it had detected I was using the new iPod and it invited me to surf the site on iPhone/iPod Touch-specific pages. Oooh.

So I went, and it showed me a portrait-mode Music menu-type of implementation which was all flickable text. Touch an item and it went to that redone article in the Phone/Touch manner of navigation."

Thin Apple notebooks may come clad in black aluminum

"A new line of Apple notebooks believed to be nearing release have been spotted in both black and traditional aluminum enclosures, according to a new report.The systems are said to be thinner than the company's existing MacBook and MacBook Pro offerings, while also sporting a more compact footprint that includes a thinner display bezel. Outside of this information, details appear to be scarce. It's not entirely clear whether the notebooks are part of an upcoming revision to Apple's consumer-oriented MacBook line or are simply one-and-the same with the much rumored "ultra-portable" design first detailed back in February.The latter systems are expected to include L.E.D-backlit 13-inch LCD panels, on-board NAND flash (for faster application launching and boot times), and lack a traditional optical disc drive.It's believed that Apple had originally intended to launch the slimmer notebook line alongside its next-generation Leopard operating system back in June, but subsequently pushed the release out to "late 2007 or early 2008" when Leopard's expected release date slipped to October. "

Unlocking an iPhone

Unlocking an iPhone

http://www.macworld.com/2007/09/secrets/iphone_sim_unlocking/index.php
Take advantage of hacking techniques to use non-AT&T SIM cards
By Cyrus Farivar
If you’re one of the million people who’ve purchased an iPhone since the end of June, you probably signed up with Apple’s exclusive carrier in the U.S., AT&T, when you activated your phone. That means your iPhone identifies itself to AT&T’s network using an AT&T SIM card, a smart card that’s located in a small tray between your iPhone’s sleep/wake button and its recessed headphone jack.

But what if you’re planning a trip to Europe and rather than paying AT&T to use the networks of its European partners, you want to take advantage of the favorable rates and local phone numbers offered by replacing your AT&T SIM card with a pre-paid European card? Or what if you’d prefer to use T-Mobile as your cellular provider, rather than AT&T?
In the past month several groups have announced that they’ve found a way to “unlock” the iPhone, allowing it to use a SIM card from any provider. (Keep in mind that this is only half the story: the iPhone uses the GSM radio band for its communications, meaning that it’ll only work with providers that use the GSM network. In the U.S., that means T-Mobile and AT&T.)
In August, a group of hackers demonstrated a method for unlocking SIM cards and sold its software to resellers, who in turn began selling it to the public for as much as $100 last week.
But another group has came up with its own hack that, with the help of some free, open-source software, lets you unlock your iPhone in about an hour, free of charge. Below, I’ll show you how it works — and it does work, because I’ve used this technique to unlock my own phone. (One important caveat: Certain AT&T-only features, such as Visual Voicemail, will not work when you’re connected to other cellular networks.)
Before we get started, you’ll want to disable the iTunes helper application that may get in the way of the installation. Make sure iTunes is not running, then open OS X’s Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder of the Applications folder. Search for or scroll down to iTunes Helper, select it, and then click on the Quit Process button in the top left of the screen. You’ll also need your iPhone, your data cable, and a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet.
(If you haven’t already activated your iPhone with AT&T—and aren’t planning to—you need to conduct a fake activation. To do this, you’ll need to follow the excellent instructions at ModMyiPhone and download and install a program called iNdependence.)
Install AppTapp
Apple doesn’t support the installation of third-party applications on the iPhone, but the enterprising developers at NullRiver have created a program called AppTapp that will let you install including chat clients, games, and other pieces of software — including those that are needed to unlock your iPhone. (For more detailed instructions on using AppTapp, see our iPhone Hacking Kit.)
Download and install AppTapp. Once you run the program, the first thing it will do is ask what version of the firmware you’re running. If you’ve just updated your iPhone, you probably have Firmware 1.0.2—select that and click on Continue.
Assuming all goes well, you should get a screen that begins with the words: “Congratulations! You have successfully installed AppTapp Installer onto your iPhone.” You should then find a new application on the iPhone’s home screen called Installer.
The next instructions will require downloading some applications from the Internet to your iPhone—so make sure your iPhone is connected to a WiFi network. Launch the Installer program, and you’ll see a long list of various applications that you can install. Scroll down, then select and install—in order—Community Sources, BSD Subsystem and OpenSSH.
Perform the GSM Unlock
First, download and install Unlock.app, lockdownd, and Cyberduck.
Then go to the iPhone’s General settings and set Auto-Lock to Never. Next, you’ll need to get your iPhone’s IP address on your local network. To do this, go to Settings: Wi-Fi and click on the blue arrow next to the network that you’re connected too. Write down the IP address, as you’ll need it for later.
Now, open Cyberduck and click on the Open Connection button in the top left of the window. In the connection window, type the IP address that you just noted. Make sure that SFTP (SSH Secure File Transfer) is selected, and that you are using Port 22. For the username, type root, with the password of dottie.
Once connected, navigate from /private/var/root to the main directory by choosing the / item. Next, navigate to /usr/libexec and drag the file named lockdownd (the one you downloaded earlier) into it. It will ask if you want to overwrite the existing file—click on Continue to do so.
Now, in Cyberduck, drag the Unlock file from the Mac’s desktop into the /Applications folder at the top of the main window. Once that’s done, turn off your iPhone and remove the SIM card, then turn your iPhone back on and choose the application on your iPhone called Unlock.
Assuming everything went smoothly, there should be a white screen that says “All files found. Ready to go. Press Start.” Once you press start, it will take about 20 minutes for all the files to install.
The progress messages will appear at the top of the screen as it progress—once you see “Completed” then you’re finished. Insert a new SIM card of your choosing into your iPhone. Congratulations, you’ve just unlocked your iPhone!
(If you’re planning on using a T-Mobile SIM card in your iPhone, you’ll want to modify the iPhone’s settings. Follow the instructions at the bottom of the ModMyiPhone tutorial to make sure the settings you enter conform to your T-Mobile data plan.)
The aftermath
One Macworld editor tried this approach — minus the faux-activation step — on his iPhone and was able to insert a T-Mobile SIM card from a co-worker and get the iPhone up and running on the T-Mobile network, as if it were her phone.
(To swap SIM cards in your iPhone, insert an unfolded paper clip into the small hole in the top of the iPhone, next to the headphone jack. This will open the iPhone’s SIM card slot, allowing you to remove your AT&T card and replace it with a different one.)
We don’t know if future Apple iPhone updates will break this functionality. But if you’re about to embark on a European vacation, or if you avoid downloading those iPhone updates, this method will allow you to use the SIM cards of other cellular providers in your iPhone, provided that those providers also use the GSM cellular radio frequencies.
[Cyrus Farivar writes for MacUser, The Economist, National Public Radio, Slate, and others. He is proudly using his new iPhone on T-Mobile’s network in Oakland, California.]

Apple Issues $100 iPhone Credit With Restricting Conditions - Apple Unvarnished - InformationWeek

"iPhone customers like myself have been waiting for details on how to receive the $100 credit we're entitled to. Apple finally released those details today and while I can't complain (since nobody forced me to buy the iPhone back in June), Apple's tactics are disappointing. Apple posted a notice on its Web site, saying that if you bought the iPhone before Aug. 22, you may be eligible for an instant $100 electronic credit toward the purchase of products at Apple's retail stores or its online store. Don't wait too long to claim it. Requests for the $100 credit must be submitted by Nov. 30, 2007. To receive credit, Apple tells you to complete the following steps:"

Valleywag: TheStreet.com is reporting that AT&T is paying unusually large fees to Apple

"TheStreet.com is reporting that AT&T is paying unusually large fees to Apple in exchange for the right to sell the iPhone. The totals? $150 to $200 per phone, plus a $9 per user per month cut of the service fees. The upfront commission, which you can also think of as a discount on the true cost of the phone, is common in the industry and widely predicted; sharing service-fee revenue is something new. For Apple, which already plans to account for its iPhone hardware revenues evenly over the 24 months after a sale, this means that iPhone sales will juice revenues even more than expected. And for AT&T? It's getting a lot of high-tech, early adopter customers who wouldn't have gone to the carrier otherwise, but at the cost of setting a revenue-sharing precedent that will ruffle feathers in the wireless industry. Steve Jobs strikes a hard bargain. "

Sources: Apple set to grow iPhone family pre-holidays

"Apple Inc. this fall plans to accelerate its assault on the 1 billion unit worldwide cell phone market with a second incarnation of its iPhone handset that will likely appeal to an even larger audience, AppleInsider has learned.


The move is believed to be part of a broader, all-out blitz on the consumer electronics sector this holiday shopping season, in which a staggering array of gadgets from the Cupertino-based firm is expected to leave would-be rivals confused and unable to react.

Bobbing for Glasses Humor

Referred by Brian @ The FeedCompany:

Apple to gather iPhone apps windfall - vnunet.com

"Business applications for Apple’s iPhone are beginning to crop up.
NetSuite will from next month offer SuitePhone, an optimised version of its hosted business applications for the iPhone. SuitePhone will provide subscribers with a free add-on that makes NetSuite’s accounting, e-commerce and business management tools available on the mobile Safari browser."

Apple iPhone: Too much hype!

From CNET REVIEW: "The good: The Apple iPhone has a stunning display, a sleek design, and an innovative multitouch user interface. Its Safari browser makes for a superb Web surfing experience, and it offers easy-to-use apps. As an iPod, it shines.

The bad: The Apple iPhone has variable call quality and lacks some basic features found in many cell phones, including stereo Bluetooth support and 3G compatibility. Integrated memory is stingy for an iPod, and you have to sync the iPhone to manage music content.

The bottom line: Despite some important missing features, a slow data network, and call quality that doesn't always deliver, the Apple iPhone sets a new benchmark for an integrated cell phone and MP3 player. "

wired.com: IPhone First Impressions: Not Worth The Money

"The camera isn’t bad either and even does reasonably well in low light situations, though the images are only two megapixels so I wouldn’t expect to them to look all that great when enlarged.

The other small widgets all work just as you’d expect, weather, stocks, maps and more are all easy to navigate and work quite quickly so long as you have a wireless connection.

Turn off the wifi and revert to AT&T’s Edge network and you’ll find yourself seized with an uncontrollable desire to do this.

Final verdict: There’s no denying the wow factor, but overall the iPhone isn’t worth the money. For $300 I’d give it the thumbs up, but at $600 you’re better off with something else for half the price."

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2007/06/iphone-first-im.html

VentureBeat » iPhone is phooey..shoo

VentureBeat » iPhone reviews are out — NYT says hype is merited: "Then there’s the small matter of typing. Tapping the skinny little virtual keys on the screen is frustrating, especially at first…The BlackBerry won’t be going away anytime soon."

Don't buy the iphone!

"We have been testing the iPhone for two weeks, in multiple usage scenarios, in cities across the country. Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions."

CNN: iPhone plans start below $60

"Service plans for the iPhone, the much-anticipated creation of Apple and AT&T Inc. slated for release at the crack of dawn Friday, will start at $59.99 per month, the companies announced Tuesday.
The three plans covering the Apple iPhone each will include unlimited data, 200 SMS text messages, rollover minutes and unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling, as well as the first-ever unveiling of visual voicemail."

Goople: Will Google Eventually Buy Apple?

"There’s a very long, worthwhile piece by the author John Heilemann on Apple (AAPL) in the latest issue of New York magazine. Among other things, Heilemann looks at the growing competition for Apple in the digital music business, and considers whether or not the iPhone will be a success. It also quotes an unnamed person asserting that - get this - Jobs might want to sell Apple to another very large company with which you are familiar.
“I think Google (GOOG) is going to buy Apple,” the unidentified person says. “It would be a victory for Apple; they’d get major-league partners, money and engineers. And it would be a victory for Steve - a huge win that lets him leave the stage.”
Heileman thinks, though, that in such a combination, Jobs would end up as CEO, or at least chairman."



http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2007/06/18/will-google-eventually-buy-apple/

Pollstar: The iPhone Cometh

"That's the day the world changes. The day the mute will talk, the deaf will hear and the lame will walk. It will be Christmas in June, New Year's in summer and Valentine's Day all rolled into one.
It's the day Apple's iPhone hits the streets."

News::Child Orders Apple Juice, Is Served Margarita

News::Child Orders Apple Juice, Is Served Margarita: "The two-year-old was supposed to get apple juice to wash down his food at an Applebee's. Instead he was served a margarita. The child grew drowsy and started throwing up a few hours after drinking the cocktail.

Applebee's says it keeps the apple juice and margarita mix in identical plastic bottles -- leading to the mistake.



The child's mother says she 'wasn't going to make a big deal about it' until the child had to be rushed to the hospital. ACT Policing are testing the contents of the drink a popular sparkling apple juice to determine whether it contained a caustic substance.

They are also investigating the circumstances of the incident.
The toddler is fine now, and the company plans to reimburse the family's medical expenses."

Is iPhone out of business?

"Jobs tells developers that for them, iPhone is purely a portable browser. Microsoft, Nokia, and RIM rejoice.

At Macworld Expo in January 2007, Steve Jobs told the crowd that Apple's upcoming mobile device, iPhone, runs OS X. I think that it's an easy and reasonable leap from that statement to the expectation that iPhone will be open to custom applications, an expectation that I held and which I'm sure many developers shared. A Unix phone with Apple's UI panache? Touch, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and mobile phone in one device? I was ready to take a three month sabbatical from InfoWorld just to spelunk around inside iPhone's APIs and its OS X core."

iLounge updates "everything iPod" guide, now with Apple TV and iPhone

"With less than 24 hours to go before Steve Jobs (hopefully) regales us all with more details on Apple's newest and most expensive iPod, it's worth remembering that there are still iPods out there that only play music and video, for pete's sake. In fact, some of them don't even play video. How are you supposed to keep on top of which model does what? "

MacDailyNews - Accessories makers prep for Apple iPhone launch

"Accessories makers are placing big bets on the iPhone [and] their payoff could be relatively huge, if the $1 billion a year spent on Apple iPod accessories is any indication," Ben Charny reports for MarketWatch.

"Yet despite their importance, Marware and other accessories makers say they began crafting iPhone items without the benefit of actually seeing the device. Apple, however, did release some basic specs about the iPhone in February, which made the process a bit easier," Charny reports.

"The accessories makers, for the most part, operate independently of Apple, which raises their risk even more. Apple only requires that accessories with the phrase 'works with iPhone' on the packaging first be approved by Apple. But in order to speed their goods to market, several accessories makers say they will go without the "'works with iPhone' on their packaging," Charny reports."

IBD: iPod's Been Mostly Virus-Free, But Hackers Might Be Lurking

"One downside to developing a successful electronics product such as the Apple (AAPL) iPod is that it often becomes a bull's-eye that hackers try to hit.
'Hackers have big egos and their main goal is to get their work into the newspaper,' said Peter Lindstrom, an analyst at market research firm the Burton Group.
Newspapers are attracted by firsts, and in April security supplier Kaspersky Lab discovered the first virus designed to infect Apple's iPod portable media players. The virus, named Podloso, was more of a proof-of-concept program than malware, or malicious software, designed to bounce rapidly from device to device."

Is iPhone Just a Widescreen iPod That Makes Calls? - PMP Today

"Even to diehard Apple fans, Steve Job’s 10 million iPhones in 2008 or one per cent of the entire mobile phone market is a i needed holds on my team or more good startingh pitchers. he's got great obp. someone gethim

if u have a good starting pitch i'll trade u either of my 2 bench playrs.wynn or mark reynolds (having an amazing yrs ambitious as it gets. Even if ten million people in the world can afford to put up $500 for an iPhone, there’s the AT&T exclusivity, which brings 56 million AT&T subscribers into the Apple iPhone market. But imagining even a tenth of a provider’s clients going over to one phone brand and one phone model is difficult. My own prediction? Why buy a product no matter how attractive when every other person on the street already has one."

YouTube - Macworld Boston 1997-The Microsoft Deal

Together at last / Tech titans Bill Gates and Steve Jobs appear on the same stage for the first time in 20 years at the All Things Digital conference

"For 30 years, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs have dominated the technology industry, often on opposite sides, each legitimately laying claim to many of the innovations that are now commonplace in today's computers.
After all the feuds, the rapprochements and the big business that continues to this day, the two tech titans, now elder statesmen, came together Wednesday night on a public stage for the first time in 20 years.
Gates, the co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Corp., and Jobs, the co-founder and chief executive of Apple Inc., appeared together at the D: All Things Digital conference at the posh Four Seasons resort in this coastal city.
The conversation had the feel of a front-porch reminiscence in a retirement home as each man reflected on the early days of computing. "

Steve Jobs Commencement

Zune Still Under 1 Million in Sales But Better Than First iPod - PMP Today

"So we got it wrong, along with the rest of the tech blogging world and a bunch of very respected print publication. Zune went over a million only through a mis-transcription by The San Francisco Chronicle. Robbie Bach didn’t say that Mcrosoft has sold over a million Zunes already since November. What he said was, “When we finish our fiscal year in June we’ll have sold a little over a million Zunes, so we feel very good about that.”"

Zune beating Ipod

"When Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) released the Zune digital music player last November, there were inklings that the company who could challenge Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)'s iPod dominance had finally arrived. The splintered digital music universe of a zillion companies making MP3 music players was a dizzying array of incompatibilities and cheaply-made junk that gave Apple no challenge in creating an complete "music ecosystem" that has made it the undisputed champion in the digital music player arena.So, when Microsoft's Zune was launched, the company was attempting to compete with Apple head-on with nicely-designed products and a complete set of online music download tools that would attempt to re-create and complete Apple iPod experience -- but from Microsoft. Its Zune music and media player had a few features the iPod lacked -- like WiFi wireless networking -- but limited the usability of some of those advanced features as to make them useless to experienced digital music player fans."

I'm Steve Jobs, and I'm Bill Gates - BizTech - Technology - theage.com.au

"No one expects sparks to fly when Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Apple's CEO Steve Jobs appear on stage together later this week. But it's clear there's no love lost between the two camps.
Apple's clever series of 'I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC' ads have needled Microsoft, portraying the software giant's products as awkward and unhip."

Tech Test: Sansa Connect is no iPod killer, but it combines solid mix of features, ease-of-use

"So far, nothing but a new iPod has been able to tear me away from my old iPod. But after spending some time cozying up to SanDisk Corp.'s new Sansa Connect WiFi MP3 player, I'm willing to admit there are other players I'd use in a pinch.
The $250 Sansa Connect is a flash-based music player that lets users access Internet radio, view Flickr photos, see what their Yahoo Instant Messenger buddies are listening to and download music, all via Wi-Fi -- something no iPod offers."

PiperJaffray analyst predicts Autumn 6G iPod - The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

"Gene Munster, a PiperJaffray analyst, is predicting the debut of a widescreen 6G iPod early this autumn, possibly at a $399 price point according to this article at the UK's PC Advisor. "

New Red iPod Unveiled

"Apple has launched a new special edition iPod nano, which comes in the colour red to support the Product Red campaign against HIV/AIDS.
Following the heels of companies like Motorola, which recently launched its own Product Red version of its popular Razr phone, Apple will give a portion of the purchase price of the red nano to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
Available in 4GB and 8GB models, the new iPod nano comes in a red aluminium enclosure and features the usual claimed 24 hours of battery life and Click Wheel
The special edition red iPod nano is only available at the Apple online store."

iPod Lets You Download a Personal Trainer

"It seems iPods and other digital audio players have become as important as running shoes and sweatpants to gym-goers. Now, instead of just music, exercisers can listen to a variety of prearranged playlists that also include virtual personal trainers pumping out instructions to digitally coach the workout."

Study: Half of iPod owners open to iPhone as next mobile phone

" A survey conducted in Europe by market research firm Canalys shows that those who currently own iPods are pretty receptive to buying an Apple iPhone as their next mobile phone. The survey was conducted in April of this year as an online questionnaire of over 2,000 employed, adult mobile phone users. Survey takers were located in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.
The respondents were asked to 'rate how likely they would be to choose different vendor brands for their next personal mobile phone.' While clear leaders such as Nokia and Sony Ericsson came out ahead, the iPhone didn't do too badly among iPod owners. Almost half of those who owned iPods said that they were likely to consider Apple's offerings for their next mobile phone—Apple even came out ahead of RIM, HP, and Palm in the ratings. "

Many iPod users will switch network for iPhone - iPod/iTunes - Macworld UK

"The iPhone looks set to make a big impression when it launches in Europe.
A pair of Europe/UK surveys published today reveal that almost half of Europe's iPod users participating in its 2,000-person pan-European survey by Canalys said that they are likely to consider Apple for their next mobile phone.

“Apple’s rating improves dramatically when you talk to existing iPod owners,” said Pete Cunningham, senior analyst at Canalys. “Almost half the respondents who owned an iPod rated Apple as likely to be considered for their next phone, compared to just 20 per cent for those who didn’t have an iPod, and they were five times as likely to give Apple the highest rating. There is a lot of loyalty that Apple can tap into.” "

Rumor: Apple considering 3G for upcoming notebooks

"With some US cellular providers having at least some kind of 3G cellular broadband coverage in many areas, it's no surprise that people are looking for ways to get their computers hooked up to the speedy new wireless broadband network. If you need some high-speed wireless from your laptop, you can always grab a 3G PCMCIA card, or get an ExpressCard from your carrier. Some of the bigger manufacturers like HP and Dell have also started offering internal 3G adapters as an option. Unfortunately, this option is usually only available on business systems and comes with a pretty hefty price tag, usually around $200. "

AppleInsider | Jobs: 'I make fifty cents just for showing up'

"Jobs quickly became the primary focus of the Q&A session at the end of the annual event, which created the first challenge for the Apple boss after otherwise rolling smoothly through the meeting agenda, in which his Board of Directors saw reelection and all shareholder resolutions were voted down.

Brandon Reese, a shareholder working on behalf of the AFL-CIO union federation was the most eager to grill Jobs on the matter, firing off a string of questions about the many elements surrounding the now-ended stock options scandal at Apple.

'What did you know and when did you know it?,' the union spokesman asked.

Rather than answer the question directly, however, Jobs instead pointed to the SEC exoneration issued late last month -- at one point deliberately re-reading the government body's statement to underscore his view that the firm's cooperation spoke for itself. The implication that there could be more to the story was rejected as irrelevant."

FIN24 : Apple wants music copying OK'd

" The last time Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs took on major recording companies, he refused to budge on his 99-cent price for a song on iTunes.
As a new round of talks ramp up this month, however, Jobs has opened the door to higher prices - as long as music companies let Apple Inc. sell their songs without technology designed to stop unauthorised copying.
Jobs contends that would 'tear down the walls' by allowing consumers to play music they buy at Apple's iTunes store on any digital music player, not just the company's iPods.
Although most of the major labels insist that safeguards are still needed to stave off online piracy and make other digital music business models work, one company has already struck a deal with Apple. "

Apple unveils plans to go greener - Yahoo! News

"Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news), responding to criticism from environmental groups, unveiled plans on Wednesday that Chief Executive Steve Jobs claimed would make the company greener than most of its competitors. "

WebWire | Steve Jobs to Kick Off Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference 2007

"Apple® today announced that Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO, will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 11, 2007 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. At WWDC, Apple plans to show developers a feature complete version of Mac OS® X Leopard and give them a beta copy to take home for final testing. Leopard is scheduled to ship in October.
The five-day event, scheduled to run from June 11 to June 15, will deliver more than 150 sessions and labs aimed at getting the most out of Leopard. The conference will also include new content to serve a wide range of developers, including Mac OS X Immersion Monday, designed to quickly get developers who are new to the Mac® up to speed; a content and media track that shows developers the best ways to integrate animation, motion graphics, video, rich-media and web-based content into their applications; and dozens of hands-on labs that offer a unique opportunity to work directly with Apple engineers. "

ABC News: Apple Shares Soar Above $100 Mark

"Shares of Apple Inc. soared above $100 for the first time after the company walloped Wall Street expectations with quarterly profits that jumped 88 percent on strong sales of its iPod players and Macintosh computers.
The shares gained more than 7 percent on the news in after-hours trading Wednesday.
Investor optimism in the trendsetting company may have also been bolstered by a vote of confidence the board of directors gave Apple's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs. The board on Wednesday defended the iconic CEO from new accusations by a former Apple executive who alleged Jobs may have had a more significant role in the company's backdating of stock options than previously stated.
For the first three months of the year, the Cupertino-based company said it earned $770 million, or 87 cents per share, up from $410 million, or 47 cents per share, in the year-ago period. "

Jim Cramer's Stop Trading! Eyeing Apple

"Cramer said the one tech stock he's looking at right now is Apple (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) ahead of Wednesday's postclose earnings report. Cramer said this is the last quarter before Apple's release of its much-anticipated iPhone, and buying the stock at a recent $90 is a good move considering the weakness of the competition. Cramer said Nokia (NOK - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) has tacked on 6 points from its January lows largely because Motorola (MOT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr - Rating) is sputtering and misfiring. "

Apple iPod™ nano Second Gen. Black (8 GB) MP3 Player

PC World review: Apple has released iPod nano software 1.0.2 on 9/27/06, which fixes the bug (noted in my review) that cause

Tech Startups 3.0: Photos: Vegas machines' new jackpot? iPods | CNET News.com

"Architecture, entertainment and vice. Everything about this city is famous for being over the top. You can now add vending machines to the list. Can't sleep after bucking the roulette wheel? Forget the flat soda and stale chips. Patter downstairs and pick up an 80GB iPod for $349. Don't worry about scrounging for change. The machine only takes credit cards. This iPod dispenser from Zoom Systems resides in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. The hotel is a stone's throw from where the National Association of Broadcasters is holding its annual conference this week."

Ipod for Every Student in Michigan

Press & Argus: "Of all the ludicrous ideas to come out of Lansing in recent years, this one has to rank right at the top. At a time when the state is staring at a massive budget deficit, two House Democratic leaders said last week that they wanted to spend $38 million on '21st Century Learning Environments.'
Part of the money, they said, would be used to buy an Apple iPod for every student in Michigan."

Apple might launch a Wi-Fi capable iPod later this year

"Apple might launch a Wi-Fi capable iPod later this year. Online tech site DigiTimes has reported that the iPod maker Apple is working on a Wi-Fi capable version of their Apple iPod digital media player.
Incidentally, the company is due to launch their iPhone in June this year which would come with Wi-Fi support. Microsoft’s own Zune player comes with some basic wireless capability which is limited to other Zune players in the surrounding.
DigiTimes in its report has suggested that for this upcoming product USI will be shipping the Wi-Fi component. Apple should be able to release the product by the third quarter of this year just in time for the holiday season in the United States."

YouTube - Conan Skit NBC - iPhone Commercial

YouTube - Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

DRM activists hail EMI Apple deal - vnunet.com

Digital rights groups have reacted with cautious optimism after EMI announced that it had struck a deal with Apple to distribute its titles in the iTunes Music Store without digital rights management (DRM) technology.
"Certainly this is a step in the right direction," Derek Slater, activism coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told vnunet.com. "It is long past time that the record labels opened up."
Under the deal, Apple will sell EMI titles free of Apple's FairPlay copy protection software for $1.29 (99p in the UK).
The DRM

MacNN | Apple lax in keeping Mac OS secure?

"Apple is falling behind in keeping Mac OS X as secure as it should be, according to InformationWeek. The author's latest article cites several sources as evidence, such as a recent Internet Security Threat Report by Symantec, which notes that it now takes an average of 66 days for Apple to patch a vulnerability; conversely, Microsoft is averaging three weeks. This is also substantially slower than what was noted in the last Threat Report issued six months ago, which gave Apple an average of 37 days. "

Real interview with Fake Steve Jobs - Engadget

"We got a precious few minutes to sit down and talk to the man himself. That's right, we landed a real interview with Fake Steve Jobs. In it, 'El Jobso' reminisces about his drug-addled youth, what he does to the traitorous wretches that leak Apple products before they're launched, the questions they ask you when you apply for a job at Apple, and even how he really feels about my girlfriend. Not to be missed!"

MacDailyNews | Jim Cramer: Michael Dell is no Steve Jobs

"The return of Michael Dell to his namesake company can't be compared to Steve Jobs' return to Apple, Jim Cramer said on TheStreet.com TV's Wall Street Confidential Web video Friday," TheStreet.com reports.

"'Jobs is a creative force,' he told Gregg Greenberg, the host of Wall St. Confidential. 'Dell is an efficiency of time and implementation and equipment force -- an operations guy.' Cramer said he fails to see how Dell is going to be able to maintain margins, especially with increased competition from Acer and Lenovo, two growing names in the PC market," TheStreet.com reports."

Apple's iPhone will be released on June 11 | News.blog | CNET News.com

"Ever since Steve Jobs' keynote at the Macworld Expo in January, we've known that the iPhone is being released sometime in June. But we haven't known exactly when.
Now Cingular is confirming that the release date will be June 11. A customer service manager at Cingular (we called 800-947-5096 and were transferred to sales) gave us that date late Thursday, but, alas, said he didn't have any additional information beyond that.
That date is no coincidence. It's the first day of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, scheduled to be held in San Francisco from June 11 through June 15. (Incidentally, the agenda includes a focus on Leopard, the next generation of OS X that's supposed to be released sometime in the second quarter of 2007.) "

Apple Gets Behind the Album Format with New Offer

"Apple is throwing its weight behind the music industry's efforts to protect the album format by allowing fans to buy complete digital albums without having to pay again for songs they already own.
The record industry is keen to maintain the profitable album format, which is under threat as users of Web-based music download stores, such as Apple's iTunes and Napster, prefer to buy individual songs rather than whole albums.
Apple said on March 28 that iTunes is introducing a 'Complete My Album' service that offers customers who want to turn individual tracks into an album a 99-cent credit for every song they have already purchased from the album.
For example, if a customer had bought three 99-cent singles and decides to download the entire album with a listed price of $9.99, the customer would only have to pay $7.02.
Fans will only be able to take advantage of the discount within 180 days after first buying the songs, Apple said. "

Nike Ipod

"In an interview with AP Nike President and Chief Executive Mark Parker said that Nike "plans to make all its running shoes compatible with its Nike+ technology by the end of the year".

Currently only available for one of the company's trainers the Nike+ system allows runners to track their time, distance, pace, and calories burned with the Apple iPod.

"I won't get into specific dates or executions, but you can expect to see some of these new Nike concepts at retail this calendar year", Parker said."

PC World - Review: Apple TV Just Plain Works

"To say that Apple TV is the world's best media streaming device could be considered faint praise, the tech equivalent of calling someone the world's tallest midget. After all, most previous versions of these devices, which take music, video, and photos from your PC and play them on your TV and stereo, have been very reliable, easy to use and generally shunned by the buying public.
Apple has managed to rise above that kind of failure with its typical mantra: Keep it simple and make it pretty. Setting up our $299 Apple TV was a breeze, and anyone who's used an iPod will be instantly familiar with its extravagantly attractive interface."

Elton John Music coming online on Apple iTunes

"Elton John Music coming online on Apple iTunes
Famed musician Elton John has revealed that he would soon be making his entire catalogue of more than 30 music album available for digital download.
This would be the first this all of his songs would be made available for sale on the net legally. The catalogue features more than 400 songs.
Elton has already released some of his more recent work online in the United States but this upcoming release would feature all of his songs from his 40 years of career."

Apple '1984' ad mashup markets Barack Obama, not Macs

"A remix of the classic Apple Inc. '1984' television advertisement has political tongues wagging, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign issuing denials and YouTube Inc. scoring more than 600,000 views.
Rather than pitch a new-fangled computer, the 74-second video (see below) replaces the droning Big Brother of the original with images and words from Obama's rival, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). And when it ends -- after the hammer tossed by an updated female athlete wearing, what else, an iPod, smashes an immense screen -- it's a revamped Obama campaign logo left standing, not the iconic Apple trademark.
The tagline of the mashup: 'On Jan. 14, the Democratic primary will begin. And you'll see why 2008 won't be like '1984.'' "

Strong Mac sales expected this quarter

"Via Jeff Gamet at The Mac Observer, interesting prognostications are coming from research and investment firm Piper Jaffray concerning this quarter's Mac sales. It turns out that Wall Street is expecting around 1.45 million Macs to be sold this quarter, compared to 1,606,000 last quarter. While a decline in sales may seem disappointing, the first quarter of the calendar year is normally weak, as it's after the holidays end and before the educational buying season begins. Last year, 1,112,000 Macs were sold during the first quarter of 2006, so an increase of 400,000 Macs sold would actually be quite startling. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster thinks it might be even more startling than that. "

Apple seeks to seize digital TV marketMSNBC.com

"The battle for control of the digital home reached a milestone on Tuesday as Apple began shipments of the Apple TV, the latest device designed to allow users to download, nuts store and play internet content on their televisions.
The devices could be in customers' hands as early as this week, according to people who said they had received emails from the company informing them that their Apple televisions had shipped. "

Matt Groening Apple Ad

http://homepage.mac.com/mbishop/PhotoAlbum30.html

Apple TV To Kill 30-Second ?

"Apple might well kill the 30-second TV commercial. The new Apple TV device that ships sometime this week will allow easy transmission of TV shows purchased on iTunes -- sans commercials. While some experts aren't convinced that Apple TV will be as big a hit as iPod, this could change how people watch television.

'There's no question that one of the problems with the traditional 30-second TV ad is digital video recorders,' says Tim Wilson, a general partner with Partech International, a venture-capital firm. 'The whole market is under threat from TiVo-like functions. And it's going to get easier to avoid commercials with Apple TV.' "

Glide Promises To Make Any Phone An iPhone - Yahoo! News

"On Thursday, media sharing service TransMedia plans to release its Glide Sync and Glide Mobile software for Mac users, finally fulfilling its promise to make desktop files available across different operating systems and devices.
'Mac users will be able to access all of their Macintosh files, whether they're documents, photos, music, videos, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, from their cell phones,' says TransMedia chairman and CEO Donald Leka. 'Effectively, we're turning every major cell phone on the market into more than an iPhone, before the iPhone comes out. From that phone, not only will you be able to access everything, but you will also have significant capabilities to edit, manipulate, and create files on that phone and then have it reverse synchronize back to your Mac.'
In other words, Glide gives supported phones music and video playback capabilities that are comparable to those of a video iPod. The difference is that files are streamed from Glide's hosted service instead of residing on the mobile device."

MacFixIt - Apple releases iPod Reset Utility 1.0... again?

"Today Apple posted an ostensibly new package to its software download page dubbed 'iPod Reset Utility 1.0,' which will restore first and second generation iPod Shuffles back to their factory settings when iTunes is unable to do so. The tool can solve a problem where iPod Shuffles appear dead or refuse to mount.
Confusingly, however, the company already released a package called 'iPod shuffle Reset Utility' last year, and later updated it to version 1.0.1.
Though it is not explicitly stated, this 1.0 release apparently supersedes the original 1.0 and 1.0.1 iPod shuffle reset utility versions, as the original shuffle reset utility was only labeled for use with first-generation iPod shuffles. "

Apple Second Life?

Site: Second Life
Publisher: Linden Lab
Genre: Role-Playing Game

http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/games/secondlifestatus.html

Exclusive Video Leaked: iPod Firmware Coming, Enables Cover Flow - Gizmodo

"A little birdie told us that a firmware update for iPods is coming soon, giving you that same Cover Flow view that you've grown to love in iTunes now. See it in action, right here."

Lily Allen slates Apple's iTunes tactics - iPod/iTunes - Macworld UK

Lily Allen slates Apple's iTunes tactics - iPod/iTunes - Macworld UK: "British singer Lily Allen has accused Apple of bullying musicians into providing exclusive content for iTunes.
Her comments were made in a radio interview. She stated: “They won't advertise your album unless you give them extra material,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal .

Allen claimed Apple pushed her to quickly produce a new version of a song for sale on iTunes, so she planned to give them a “rubbish remix'.
Apple shuns the typical pay-for-placement system used by high-street music retailers, which sees labels pay for good in-store placement of albums. Apple claims its stance enables it to make unbiased music recommendations. Apple iTunes VP Eddy Cue wants customers to feel that advice on music is “coming from someone who really liked it versus someone who was paid to say they liked it,” according to the Wall Street Journal report. "

3pointD.com » Blog Archive » New Apple Store in Second Life?

"An anoymous reader just sent me a link to this YouTube video of a replica, built in the virtual world of Second Life, of Apple’s glass cube store on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Keep in mind there were earlier reports of an Apple store in Second Life, but those didn’t show anything half as elaborate as the build on display in the video, which also features fairly high production values for machinima. I’m in Austin at SXSW and can’t get into Second Life very well on this laptop in this hotel, so I can’t go check out what’s at the old location, and there’s no location given for the store in the video. However, the video does end with production credits, and they don’t give any indication of whether or not Apple is actually involved. The video is credited to metaverse services firm AxisVR LLC, which advertises a number of interesting services but doesn’t provide a client list."

Apple Adding H.264 Hardware Decoder Chip to Macs? - Page 3 - Mac Forums

"H.264 encoding is prohibitively slow, even on Core Duo machines. I believe Apple has some sort of vested interest in making H.264 the standard of encoding in the upcoming years, (especially since the ipod doesn't play divx which is, imho far superior). If they want to do this they need to make it easier on the machine. Heck, my 5.5G ipod plays H.264 SO much better than my loaded PB, its rather sad, really... however even my Treo plays 800x600 divx flawlessly, and it looks basically the same, at smaller file sizes, and much faster endoding to boot!"

Apple's iPhone ad: Hello, this is white America calling... | BlogHer

"Woman of (an)other Color enumerates her thoughts about the Apple iPhone TV commercial, which is a series of clips from movies where the actors say 'Hello?': 'I can't get over the 'history of american cinema saying hello' tactic as my reminder that people of color can never really be American, especially not an American 'classic' (unless they are racistly portrayed of course).'
You can read the rest of the piece and see the TV ad at her blog."

Apple May Use Flash Memory For Notebooks - Hardware Technology News by InformationWeek

" Apple Inc. may sell zippy notebook computers later this year that use the same type of fast memory as music players and digital cameras, driving down prices of hard-disk drives, an analyst said Thursday.
The maker of the popular iPod music player and Macintosh computers hopes to introduce so-called flash memory in small computers known as subnotebooks in the second half of 2007, Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research who has a 'buy' rating on Apple shares and does not own any stock, said in investor notes Wednesday and Thursday.
A shift to flash memory in place of much slower hard-disk drives would eliminate one headache for consumers: lengthy start-up times when turning on computers.
Apple of Cupertino, California, already uses flash memory in its iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle music players. Flash memory is lighter, uses less power and takes up less space than hard-disk drives.
Wu, who was among the first analysts to forecast the unveiling of Apple's iPhone music player/phone earlier this year, cited unnamed industry sources as the basis for his report."

iPodNN | Prudential: Apple to rise on Leopard launch

"Apple is likely to experience significant growth due to an early launch of Mac OS X Leopard alongside Adobe's March 27th release of Creative Suite 3, according to Prudential Equity Group. The firm upgraded Apple's stock to 'Overweight' from 'Neutral weight' based on an expected late March launch of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and Adobe's Creative Suite 3 -- 1-2 months ahead of Wall Street expectations. "

ClickPress | Keyspan Enhances TuneView Remote for Apple iPod

"Keyspan announced that updated firmware is now available for its 'TuneView for iPod,' a powerful remote with color LCD screen and 2-way RF connectivity that allows you to browse and manage an iPod® throughout your house or office.

'Users have been telling us how much they appreciate TuneView,' explained Ridenhour, president of Keyspan. 'They have also contributed a variety of ideas for making TuneView even more useful.' "

YouTube - Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone

YouTube - Macworld Boston 1997-The Microsoft Deal

YouTube - iPhone

YouTube - iPhone: ""

YouTube - A Closer Look At The iPhone

YouTube - A Closer Look At The iPhone: ""

YouTube - Why This Guy got fired from apple computer: high resolution version

YouTube - why i got fired from apple computer: high resolution version: ""

Mac Rumors: Apple Mac Sales Grew Over 100% In January

"According to Pacific Crest Securities (reported by AppleInsider), Mac sales grew over 100% year over year during the month of January.

The firm based its numbers on recent NPD data which had implied that 'year-over-year growth in Mac unit sales accelerated in January to 101 percent, up from 55 percent in December.' More specifically, Mac notebook sales jumped 194% year over year in January."

Apple Culture

"Apple presented at Goldman Sachs' Technology Investment Symposium on Tuesday, leaving a taste of company culture on at least one analyst.

What cultish commitment to design fascism did they display this time?

"Apple's unusual culture is embedded enough into Apple to virtually ensure a continuing string of breakthrough products beyond iMac, iPod, OS/X, and soon the iPhone ...," wrote GS analyst David Bailey in a research note."

Tech2.com India > Apple, Samsung, Sandisk Sued Over Patent > News on Portable

"Texas -based company, MP3 Technologies has reportedly sued bigwigs Apple, Sandisk and Samsung on grounds of patent infringement.

The suit, filed on Feb 16, in Marshall, Texas alleges that the three companies have infringed on US patent 7,065,417, which was awarded in June 2006 to multimedia chip-maker SigmaTel and covers 'an MPEG portable sound reproducing system and a method for reproducing sound data compressed using the MPEG method'."

TECH.BLORGE.com » Don’t panic! Apple TV delayed, but it’s coming soon

"Apple’s recently announced media-streaming set-top box, Apple TV, has been delayed until mid March. The Apple TV had been schedule to ship in February, but since it is now the end of February, and there’s no Apple TV, the announcement comes as little surprise."

Digit Online: Users won't buy iPhone

"Consumers aren't willing to pay what Apple may ask for the iPhone but if the price drops they'll switch their mobile service to AT&T in order to get it, according to results of a survey released Thursday.
Online market research firm Compete Inc. surveyed 379 people in the U.S., most of whom had heard of the iPhone and have shopped for an iPod, to find out how interested they are in the device to produce the uncommissioned report. The iPhone is a combined music player and cell phone that Apple plans to start selling in the U.S. in June.
Among the 26 percent of respondents who said they're likely to buy an iPhone, only 1 percent said they'd pay US$500 for it. When Apple introduced the iPhone in January, it said it would cost $500 on the low end. "

Mac Rumors: Apple iPhone Teaser Ad Airs During Oscars [Updatex3]

"Apple aired their teaser ad for the Apple iPhone during the Oscars tonight. The ad has run multiple times during the Oscars.

The advertisement started with a collection of scenes from television and film with actors saying 'Hello' on a telephone. The scenes are played in rapid succession, and the iPhone appears on the screen. Then a black screen with the words: 'Hello' ... then ... 'Coming in June' and finally an Apple logo.

Apple Quicktime: Apple has posted an official version of the iPhone Hello ad on their website."

iPhone Disappointment!!?????

Why Apple’s iPhone Will Be a Disappointment

According to Barron's Tech Trader Daily:
"It’s been a couple weeks since we last heard about why Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone ain’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Well, today, on the heels of Apple reaching a legal agreement with Cisco Systems (CSCO) to share the name “iPhone,” a fellow named “Joel” over on Dethroner posts today his rants about why Steve Jobs’s phone is, as he sees it, the usual swindle from the cell phone operators, including Apple’s partner, AT&T (T). The iPhone will be business as usual for the cellular market, trapping customers into things they don’t really want.

Joel’s is not a stock tip, per se, but amidst the invective, it’s worth summarizing some disappointing facts of the iPhone that could limit its appeal among some parties. (Full disclosure: i’m saving my pennies to buy at least one $600 iPhone):

Cingular will share subscriber revenue with Apple: “How the fuck does Apple sharing our revenue help amid the flood of noxious service?”
You’re getting locked into another cellular 2-year contract: “You’ll not only have to pay full price for the iPhone—and I’ll bet you anything that $600 is going to be a break-even price for Apple by the time it launches—you’ll have to sign up for a two-year contract just to get the privilege of giving them your business. Don’t do this.”
You won’t be able to install your own programs on the iPhone: “Jobs only wants the iPhone closed to protect his revenue streams, both by selling you new applications and maintaining the video and music DRM. But whatever Apple’s rationale, who cares? If you’re going to buy a smartphone you should be able to install whatever you want on it—that’s what makes it “smart.””
And so, in sum: “I’m not blind. What Apple has done right with the iPhone platform is exciting. It won’t surprise me if the iPhone eventually ends up being a success, just like the iPod. But for the next year or two, before the iPhone hits the mass market, early-adopting gadget nerds actually have a chance to influence the company. Don’t just give your money away.”
Personally, I think the phone will be a hit, but we don’t have enough info to know how much of a hit it will be.

Thanks to Wired’s Gadget Lab tech blog for pointing this out.

Apple shares are up a fraction of a percent at $89.13. They are up 32% in the last 6 months."

RED HERRING | MSFT to Apple: No Vista for You!

"Cooperation between Microsoft and Apple may not have been all it was cracked up to be if Windows Vista is not allowed on Macs in all its forms, an analyst said Thursday.

The licensing agreement for Vista, Microsoft’s newest operating system, bans using the consumer versions of Vista on so-called virtualization engines, which are necessary to run a non-Apple operating system on Mac computers. Microsoft does allow the more expensive commercial versions of Vista onto virtualization programs.

The move is surprising because despite their rivalry, Microsoft and Apple have historically cooperated regarding Microsoft software running on Macs (see Macworld Brings Enemies Closer). Microsoft has an Office for Mac version of its suite of business application that even includes a spreadsheet— something even Apple’s iWork suite doesn’t have. Looks like the truce wasn’t meant to last."

RED HERRING | Apple TV: DVD Killer?

"Apple’s set-top box device for consuming digital media, expected to hit stores next week, has at least one analyst optimistic that it will be a DVD killer.

Apple TV could also haul in billions of dollars in sales within a few years, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore."

Apple Keynote Bloopers - LOL Jobs and Weird Asian Dude

Apple Switch Parody

Jobs lashes out against teachers unions

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs lashed out at teachers unions during an education reform conference this past weekend, claiming that no amount of technology in the classroom would better public schools until principals had authorization to fire bad teachers.


Speaking alongside Dell founder and recently reappointed chief executive Michael Dell at the Austin, Texas-based conference, the Associated Press reports that Jobs focused on comparing schools to businesses with principals serving as CEOs.

"What kind of person could you get to run a small business if you told them that when they came in they couldn't get rid of people that they thought weren't any good?" he asked. "Not really great ones because if you're really smart you go, 'I can't win."'

Jobs said the problem with U.S. institutions is that they have become unionized to a point where ridding public schools of poor teachers is prohibited. "This unionization and lifetime employment of K-12 teachers is off-the-charts crazy," he said.

YouTube - Gates vs. Jobs

YouTube - Apple Ad Spoof

iPhone to run $300-400 after contract? - Engadget

iPhone to run $300-400 after contract? - Engadget: "Everything we've been told with regard to the iPhone's pricing structure has suggested that the 4GB would hit at $499 and the 8GB at $599, and that this would be an on-contract price -- expensive, yes, but likely still in the right range to keep sales brisk. New advertising allegedly leaked out of a consumer survey suggests that the 2-year contract price could come in a full two hundie lower, though: $299 for 4GB, $399 for 8GB. This would sorta jibe with a Cingular exec's comment regarding the availability of units to folks outside coverage areas at a contract-free price, but perhaps more importantly, it's fabulous news for folks who will be able to take advantage of a contract re-upping. Of course, this is all coming out of a survey -- perhaps gauging reaction to pricing -- so we need to wait for some more clarification from the powers that be before declaring our wallets a little less burdened come June."

Bit Player AAPL and DRM

"Long before Steve Jobs penned his anti-DRM screed, lots of people were telling the major record companies that slapping electronic locks onto 99-cent downloads was a dumb idea. The ranks include David Pakman of eMusic and Dave Goldberg, a soon-to-be-ex-Yahoo VP who has been questioning the use of DRM for more than three years. I remember Goldberg talking at the Jupiter Plug-in conference in July 2003 about the pointlessness of imposing DRM on one version of a product (downloads) but not another (CDs). Right then, right now.
Anyway, when I asked Apple what to make of the timing of Jobs' statement, the company said there was no real trigger other than the criticism Apple was getting in Europe about its non-interoperable DRM. Two sources in the online music biz, however, suggest that Jobs might have been influenced by something a bit closer to home. Last year, RealNetworks (the company behind the Rhapsody subscription service) came up with a proposal for switching to MP3s and circulated it among the major labels. In response to that, or maybe just motivated by its need for a cash infusion, EMI started offering online music stores the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pay the label an extra lump sum in exchange for the right to sell MP3s. The money was described as a way to reimburse EMI for the increase in piracy that was sure to come once it abandoned DRM. Not surprisingly, that proposal didn't go over well with executives at the online stores, whose margins are thin enough already. So EMI came back with a more acceptable offer, asking for an advance against future royalties."

Silicon chip inside the Big Apple : HindustanTimes.com

Silicon chip inside the Big Apple : HindustanTimes.com: "There is only the haziest of jelly-filled cables connecting New York City with technology. It's not that people don't use the stuff. At every street corner you'll find people talking while looking steadfastly into space. The curious fallout of discrete hands-frees and Bluetooth headsets.

What New York City does take pride in is, one, putting together the money for a lot of the silicon and DNA bashing that takes place in caves astronauts cisco microsoft elsewhere. 'We're the finance side of hi-tech,' said one investment banker at a lunch."

Opus II - MP4 player that looks nearly exactly like Apple iPod

Opus II - MP4 player that looks nearly exactly like Apple iPod: "Sumvision wants you to say no, no, nano. They'd rather have you buy their media player, the Opus II, despite the fact that it looks nearly exactly like that more well-known iPod from Apple.

The Opus II has a tiny yet usable 65k CSTN screen, measuring in at 1.5 inches. You can play movies on there if you've brought your reading glasses along with you. You can also listen to music, lots of formats of music: MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV, and ASF. That's a lot more than the nano will allow. And you'll definitely appreciate the 4GB of internal memory, which equates to about 2,000 songs, give or take a few downloads.

You can even listen to FM radio, with no accessories needed. It even sports a built-in voice recorder with rechargeable lithium-polymer battery.

Want a low price? The Opus II has one at US$116."

Today @ PC World Cisco Cuts Apple Some Slack

Today @ PC World Cisco Cuts Apple Some Slack: "Late yesterday, Cisco gave Apple another extension on the deadline to respond to its lawsuit concerning the iPhone name.
Apple was hit with a trademark infringement lawsuit from Cisco Systems the day after it unveiled a new cell phone under the name iPhone at January's Macworld Expo in San Francisco.
Cisco says its Linksys division owns the trademark on 'iPhone' and filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court for Northern California seeking an injunction against Apple using the name."

Samsung takes on Apple - 12 Feb 2007 - Technology

"Samsung has unveiled a new mobile phone that features some of the sleek design and functions of Apple's much-hyped iPhone.
Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 will be exhibited at today's 3GSM World Congress, a telecommunications exhibition in Barcelona, Samsung spokeswoman Sonia Kim told news agency the Associated Press (AP) on the weekend."

Apple targeted in mobile music - vnunet.com

"Mobile network operators and music companies are joining forces to make sure that Apple's domination of the download market is not extended to mobile music.
Together they have launched a mobile music service that will give users unlimited downloads for £1.99 a week with data costs included across Europe and the Asian markets. For £2.99 users can also use a Mac or PC for downloads.
The software, dubbed MusicStation, has been developed by British firm Omnifone and will be preloaded onto new handsets from Nokia, Motorola and others. So far 23 mobile network operators, who have subscribers in 40 countries and a total customer base of 690 million subscribers, have signed up."

Omnifone MusicStation: Apple iTunes challenger

"Omnifone MusicStation: Apple iTunes challenger
Omnifone, a British mobile music company has launched a new music download service which is specially designed for owners of music playing capable mobile phones.
This could become a potential challenger for the Apple iTunes service if Apple indeed allows iPhone owners to buy and download songs on the move.
The company said in a statement that this newly launched service will be an “all you can eat” service that will enable users to download new songs from dozens of major music labels for a weekly cost starting at 1.99 pounds."

The Day Steve Jobs Killed Apple and Other Anecdotes - OSNews.com

"'Ten years ago to this very week, Steve Jobs killed Apple. Or he began to take apart many of the projects and organization that many inside and outside the company thought of as Apple's value to the computing industry. This event was the announcement of the company's infamous spring 1997 reorganization, which continued step-by-step throughout the spring. For the company's long-suffering developers and ISVs, push came to shove at the annual WWDC, where Steve Jobs revealed his plans for Apple's future direction. Today, with the iPod-influenced haze over of recent Apple history as well as the success of Apple's retail strategy and the Intel-Macintosh transition, we forget that some of that 'future' talked up in 1997 never happened.'"

VoIP Watch: Cisco and Apple..Just Say I

"Here's three reasons why...and it starts with the concept of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
1. Apple is the enemy to Microsoft and Microsoft and Cisco are not friends.
2. Cisco's biggest partner is IBM and IBM and Microsoft are really not friends.
3. Microsoft's biggest partner is HP and HP is not Cisco's friend.
Those are very good reasons why it would pay both Apple and Cisco to be working together.
From the Apple perspective it makes even more sense.
1. Anyone building a PC is their enemy.
2. Apple wants to get into the business and enterprise market and no one has better access in that channel than Cisco via IBM."

YouTube - Apple Lisa

St. Paul Pioneer Press | 01/10/2007 | Tech snacks: New kiosks dispense gizmos

"You can't buy pop or chips here, but you can get an iPod. High-tech local kiosks from Zoom Systems serve up tech gadgetry and more. Here's the skinny on those newfangled Zoom Shops. "

Apple to set up shop in downtown Sydney - BizTech - Technology - smh.com.au

Apple to set up shop in downtown Sydney - BizTech - Technology - smh.com.au: "Apple is finalising plans to build its first official retail stores in Australia, with at least one set for Sydney.
Recent media reports have suggested the iPod maker is also planning to open a shopfront in Melbourne, but the company would not confirm or deny this.
'We have submitted "

AppleInsider | Briefly: Preloaded iPods, Wal-Mart movies, Apple stores

"A truce struck between the two most famous Apple companies has cleared a path to iPods pre-stuffed with content, just as Wal-Mart takes its latest potshot at iTunes' throne with its own web store. Meanwhile, two decidedly more physical Apple stores are on their way.


Apple Corps settlement paving the way for preloaded iPods?"

EETimes.com - Apple releases Vista-compatibility patch for iTunes, but problems remain

EETimes.com - Apple releases Vista-compatibility patch for iTunes, but problems remain: "Apple has released a patch designed to fix a compatibility problem between its iTunes music player software and Microsoft's new Windows Vista operating system.
Apple's iTunes Repair Tool for Vista 1.0, posted to the computer maker's Web site over the weekend, is designed to 'repair permissions for important files required by iTunes to play your iTunes Store purchases,' according to Apple.
In blog postings, iTunes users who upgraded their personal computers to Windows Vista reported receiving error messages when attempting to play songs on their PCs that were purchased and downloaded from the iTunes Store. "

TidBITS: Apple Ships 802.11n Base Station and Enabler

The AirPort Extreme Base Station with 802.11n is now shipping. The software enabler required to update existing Macs that have 802.11n technology built in is included with the base station, and can now also be purchased from the Apple Store for $2 (see "Two Bucks for 100 Mbps 802.11n Enabler," 2007-01-22). All Macs with Intel Core 2 Duo processors (except the 17-inch 1.83 GHz iMac) or Xeon processors can be updated to 802.11n, including Mac Pro desktops that had the AirPort Extreme option added. Apple isn't offering 802.11n options for any older Macs; third-party adapters will be required.

YouTube - A Closer Look At The iPhone

ITworld.com - Apple and Nike sued over Sport Kit

ITworld.com - Apple and Nike sued over Sport Kit: "Apple and Nike are being taken to a Denver court by PhatRat Technology over claimed patent abuse."

Apple and the Beatles

"The Beatles on Monday buried their latest trademark dispute with US technology company Apple, removing one of the obstacles to a potential deal that could finally see the Fab Four’s music appearing on the iTunes music store.
The two sides did not comment on whether a digital music deal, which has been widely anticipated, would follow. However, Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps, which owned the trademark to The Beatles’ music label, hinted at the possibility of a future commercial relationship. “We wish Apple Inc. every success and look forward to many years of peaceful co-operation with them,” he said."

Article here

CSCO and AAPL

Cisco and Apple have declared a temporary truce in the legal battle over the iPhone trademark to give themselves until February 15 to resolve the matter outside of court. The Silicon Valley companies pushed back Apple’s deadline for filing a response to the suit in US federal court in Northern California.
“Apple and Cisco have agreed to extend the time for Apple to respond to the lawsuit to allow for discussions between the companies with the aim of reaching agreement on trademark rights and interoperability,” a joint statement read.

9NEWS - Business - Article - Apple: iTunes users should wait on Vista

"Apple Inc. (AAPL) is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) "

Apple warns iTunes users to wait on Vista until compatibility fix - USATODAY.com

Apple warns iTunes users to wait on Vista until compatibility fix - USATODAY.com:

"Apple Inc. is urging some iPod and iTunes users to hold off on upgrading computers to Windows Vista, warning that the iTunes music software may not work well with the new operating system from rival Microsoft Corp.
Apple said iTunes may work with many Vista computers, but the company knows of some compatibility problems and recommends that users wait until it resolves the issues with an iTunes update in the next few weeks, the company said in a statement provided Friday by spokesman Derick Mains. The iTunes software is key to synching music on computers with iPod portable players."