My Top 5 Apple Posts for the Past Week

Over the past week many stories, about Apple related things, where published and that got my eye. So, today, I would like to point out the five top stories that I found were especially interesting, informative and useful.  Here, presented below, are my top five stories for the past week, ones that, if you haven't already read them, I thought you may find interesting as well.

So here they are:

My first interesting post, Apple more undervalued than others tech heavyweights  is from AppleInsider, one of the best all-round Mac sites on the net. In this story, they bring to attention something that has always intrigued me and made me wonder: why is Google's value and market cap so much higher than Apple's? After all, Apple brings in more money, has higher profits and what have you? This has always been a mystery to me, and, at last, with the help of this very informative post I now at least have a better understanding of how Wall Street comes to value various individual companies. Mind you, I don't think for a moment, that their methods are actually very fair or reflect a company's true worth, which, of course, helps to explain Apple's lesser value vs Google's. In the end, this post is very informative and well worth the read if you, at all, have an interest in the wacky world of high finance.

My second favorite post of the past week is one from Register Hardware, titled, Rocketing iPhone sales drive Apple into phone vendor top ten . This informative post looks at the exploding sales of the iPhone G3 worldwide and how they quickly, in barely more than a year, rocketed Apple past more established mobile providers, and placed them into the top ten mobile companies in the world. As it stands now, Apple's position is resting comfortably at the sixth place, just behind LG. 

My third favorite Apple posting of the past week was, Reconstructing Apple’s 2008 Earnings to Reflect iPhone Sales from Bullish Cross. This post explores Apple's true Quarter 4 numbers, numbers that are considerably higher then the official numbers that Apple gave. Either way, whether you look at the official Q4 numbers, or the much more accurate adjusted numbers, one thing remains clear - Apple is on a roll and is anything but the small and insignificant company that Microsoft, it's old nemesis, and other competitors would have us all believe that it is. All-in-all, I highly recommend this well written article.

My fourth favorite post for the past week comes from one of the best tech sites out there anywhere - Ars Technica. Their post, Linux applications gain new developers on Windows and OS X, is a fascinating look into Linux and open source developers porting their apps to the Windows and OS X platforms. Personally, I think this is, more or less, very good news for the developers, Windows and OS X users alike, but I'm not too sure about the Linux platform, as it gives people one less reason to consider ever switching to Linux as a desktop replacement. I can't see how this will help add to Linux's market share, or help it capture more of the desk top market away from either Windows or OS X. All-in-all, however, this another fine post from another fine site.

My last, but certainly, not my least, favorite post from the past week comes from Mac Observer, one of my frequently visited sites. They have a post on How Netflick is Slowly Killing Apple's TV Hobby Off. Well, if anybody should read this post, it should be Apple's top brass, because Mac Observer brings out some interesting facts, facts that should send shivers down Steve Job's sides, if only he would read this piece.

Personally, I have always thought that the Apple TV was a fine concept, a concept that Apple could have developed into another block buster hit like that of the iPhone and iPod. I would hate to see Apple flitter this potential opportunity away the way they have, in the past, allowing others to succeed with them instead of Apple itself.

If you ask me, Apple should marry the Apple TV with the Mac Mini like many others have suggested they should. They could, as others have also suggested, start building them directly into large HD TV's, either under it's own Apple brand, or better yet, license the whole thing to Sony, Toshiba, LG and Samsung and simply let others build them into their own tv's, thus expanding both Apple TV and the Mac market at the same time! This way everyone, the tv manufactures, Apple and especially the consumer, will all come out winners! 

Well, there you have it, another week has come and gone. What will next week bring in Apple related news, we can only guess. Hopefully, the credit crisis that is gripping the world will somehow ease up, the economy will improve and Apple will continue to grow and grab more market share. So, regardless of what may happen, take care. See you all Monday.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, October 31, 2008 

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MacUser and M2C Awards 4 the Year Announced

The 2008 MacUser Awards have been announced. This year, in the reader choice section, MacUser readers named Leopard as Apple's product of the year, but MacUser's staff favored and picked Aperture, which won for best graphic program, while readers gave the most innovative product of the year award to the diminutive, and dare I say 'sexy'  -  MacBook Air. 

In the Reader Awards, Shure SE110 won the audio award of the year, while the video award for the year went to Adobe's After Effects CS3 Professional. The Nikon D3, a camera that I would just love to get my hands on, was named camera of the year. Good choice.

In the Editorial Awards, ProjectWizards Merlin 2.5 took home the top honors. As well, in the Readers Awards, that sexy looking MacBook Air scored again, winning it's second Innovation for the year award! The little laptop that could, did it again! You can read the full list of winners at  MacUser if your interested.

What got me thinking, while reading the MacUser awards list, was who would I personally give an award to, if I were in the award giving business, that is?  So, after giving it a thought, and not a long one at that, I have decided to do just that - give out the following M2C  Awards for the Year (My-2-Cents Awards) to the following:

OS of the Year:  OS X Leopard - what did you expect from a Mac opinion site? Seriously, if any OS deserves an award (it does, it has, and it will) it is Leopard. Built on an underlying foundation of BSD Unix, this is not only one of the most stable of all consumer OS's, but, in addition to becoming one of only a few 100% certified Unix 3 offerings out there, this OS has emerged into one of the most polished and easy to use OS's ever created. It is the OS that is 'the one to beat', the one that other OS's take their cue from. Don't believe me, just look at Linux's attempt to steal OS X's thunder with Beryl, Complz, or Vista's copying of it's features and looks, and that would include the upcoming Vista 2, or Windows 7. Windows 7 is looking good and very promising, but part of that is it's adoption of OS X like features including the ones found in it's new 'beefed upped' taskbar. Truly, this is indeed the world's  'most advanced OS' as advertised.

Camera of the Year:  Again, as with the MacUser Awards, it would be the Nikons. Nikons as in the Nikon D3 and the Nikon D300 which makes them a tie. The Nikon D3 is clearly the best of the two, but, as a professional camera, it's mostly for professionals, corporations and the rich folks out there. The D300, on the other hand, is sort of a baby D3, a D3 for the rest of us ordinary and not so rich folk. Both cameras are fantastic machines and I would take either one in a heartbeat. 

Printer of the Year:  The Epson Artiscan  800  This is Epson's flagship model and it is a beauty. It's black, sexy and it's features and specs are just as great as it's looks. This black beauty can spit out prints at up to 38 ppm and photos in as little as 10 seconds! In fact, the specs and features of this machine are so cool I will just let you discover them for yourself by checking out Epson's website directly.

Mac Site of the Year: AppleInsider is my choice for many reasons. For one, they are one of the most respected sites reporting on anything to do with Apple related subjects. They have been proven to be very reliable, something that is rare for a rumor site. Also, they are level headed in their reporting, something that none-Apple people may even find hard to believe, but  it's certainly true in their case. AppleInsider also has a tradition of reporting on Apple related stories, warts and all, and doesn't mince words. In other words: they tell it like it is! Of course, no site is error free, but when it comes to Apple related things I would be at an extreme loss without them, as I use them as one of my biggest sources of  Apple related info. There are many great Mac sites, some of which I have made my, 'Site-4-the-Day' feature,  such as yesterdays post on MacLife, but in the end, I give my 2 cents to AppleInsider for another year of outstanding Mac journalism. 

Mac Blog of the Year Award: Well, again, there is certainly is no lack of them on the net. However, when it comes to looking at all things Apple and the Mac, there is no doubt in my mind, that one of the best minds, one of the most analytical minds, and one of the most unbiased minds reporting on all things Mac, would be Tom Reestman and his blog, The Small Wave. His well written articles are well worth the time and effort to read. Tom pulls no punch's, he tells it exactly as he sees it, which is an honest, unbiased and intelligent look at the wonderful and wacky world of tech,  Apple in particular. His writing is refreshing and makes for good reading. Tom mostly, now a days,  writes for The Apple Blog, so be sure to go and check out  his great posts, such as this one.

Laptop of the Year:  You guessed it - the new, fantastic, though not perfect, MacBook Pro. Yes, despite that glossy screen, despite the fact that it's so expensive, despite the fact that I can't afford one, this is my choice for the best laptop ever! It's not too small, it's not too heavy and it certainly isn't too ugly! This laptop just  has so much going for it: that rigid unibody construction, that sharp, bright LED screen, those nifty NVidia dual graphics, that amazing big, new multi-touch track pad and that look........ so sexy - why, it's like Angela Jolie in metal and glass! Now, if I could only afford to get my hands on one of those babies, then I'd be a happy camper, a happy camper indeed.

Desktop of the Year:  The 24 inch iMac. Yes, as nice as some of the other all-in-one desktops are, and there certainly are some nice ones too, like the just upgraded 24 inch Dell XPS One and the new 'touch screen' equipped HP Touch Smart, still, for me, the iMac is still the best of the lot. In addition to it's sexy look, it's more than adequate specs, small foot print, this baby just happens to run my "OS of the Year' and helping to make it again, the best dang all-in-one computer for the buck. And, hopefully, if some persistent rumors are correct, this great machine will be soon upgraded, making the best all-in-one, even better yet!

And there you have it, the MacUser Awards for the year, and, as well, my very own M2C Awards, well, at least until next week when I may, or may not, want to give out some more, because, frankly - it's just plain fun doing so, and why not - it's free to do too, is it not? 

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, October 30, 2008 

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Site-4-the-Day: MacLife

I remember a time when, every month, I would look longingly for the next issue of MacAddict magazine. It was new, it was bold, informative and it was entertaining. I loved the whimsical, funny and, as well, the practical side of it's many well written articles. And, oh, how I loved pouring through all of those yummy goodies found on their inclosed CD that was just chock full of Mac Software including games, internet resources, demos, freeware and other such software. From the silly to the serious side of things, that monthly CD held so much software that I seriously worried they would soon run out of new material. I was amazed that there was even that much Mac software in existence!

MacAddict magazine first started to publish in 1994 and ran until 1996. It was published by Imagine Publishing, which is now known as Future US. The company also published, along with MacAddict, CD ROM Today, a simlar magazine but for the PC crowd. Even though I miss MacAddict, including it's stick figured mascot, Max, all is not lost, as MacAddict was simply re-branded and has now morphed into the excellent Mac magazine, MACLIFE, which I am proud to feature as my 'Site-4-the-Day.' 

MacLife, like it's older version, MacAddict, still puts out great content on a regular basis. The writing is still sharp and witty, informative and entertaining as it ever was when it was still called MacAddict, inspite of the fact that it no longer includes that very anticipated monthly CD. The reason they no longer include the CD is obvious - the net. Before the net became what it is today, that monthly CD with it's demos, freeware, shareware and what have you was indispensable, but no longer, since anyone, at anytime, can easily download anything included on the disk, whenever they choose, making the CD totally redundant, but, for me at least, still very much missed.

Today, MacLife continues in the fine journalistic pursuit of bringing you the best, the most interesting and the most informative Mac news that you could find anywhere. It features a rich selection covering reviews, how-to's, news, blogs, videos, forums and an Editor's Choice feature. All-in-all, without question, this professional and well done site is a must visit for anyone interested in the Mac way of life. I especially love their easily accessible podcasts.

One article that I personally found very interesting was their recent post on the 'Top 10 Apple Influencers.'  I knew, of course, that Jobs and Jonathan Ive's both played their part in influencing Apple and the success that it is now enjoying, but I didn't know, nor would I have known of all of the other interesting people that have also played a big part in influencing Apple amazing success, if it was not for MacLife.  A very good read indeed.

As of this writing, some of their more recent posts include:

- Communication Breakdown

- Get Your Zen On with Meditation Apps

- Things

- FireFox Getting Multi-Touch Gestures?

- Free Sonos iPhone App Controls Music Streaming and their How To post, Rock Out in Garage Band with Rock Band Drum Controller

And there you go, one of the best Mac sites and all-around best Mac resources for old and new Mac users alike, and one that awaits you just a click away at MACLIFE. Whether you access MacLife for their iPhone, Podcast, Tip of the Day, Video, or their amazing Software Vault sections, this is one Mac site that will continuely inform, educate, entertain and delight you.

I sure know it has for me.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, October 29, 2008 


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Apple's and the Press: Apple's Marketing Genius!

I remember how people, including Microsoft's colorful CEO, Steve Ballmer, balked and bitched that Apple's iPhone was, at $499 and $599, the world's highest priced phone and at those prices it would surely fail. At least, I'm sure, that is what they were hoping it would do.

Of course, that wasn't actual true then, nor is it true today. Despite their nay sayings, such as only fan-boys, geeks and early adopters would end up buying a few, the iPhone was and is a great success despite all of the frenzy media attention it received, both good and bad.

The funny thing, and the thing that really gets me, is that when some one other than Apple, lets say Prada, unveils another smart phone for $800 or even a $1,200 phone - nobody bitch's, nobody complains or says how it's going to utterly fail! Why is that?

Well, RIM is now selling their own BlackBerry Bold and guess what? It sells for a whopping $660 at Best Buy and yet hardly anyone notices - let alone bitch's or complains! Why is it that RIM, Prada and whom ever, can sell a high priced phone and yet gets little to no attention, where, on the other hand, the iPhone and everything that Apple touch's is closely scrutinized by a horde of press coverage? I sincerely doubt if Steve Ballmer or anyone else is going to make a lot of noise, bitch, complain or predict that the Bold will ultimate fail. 

The interesting thing about the BlackBerry Bold is that according to iSuppli the Bold costs around the same $169 to build as the iPhone. The difference, of course, is that RIM is building and selling it and not Apple. Since this is the case, I will predict that for that reason alone, not too many people will be raising a stink or reporting on the BlackBerry Bold's high price. Not only that, but probably no one is going to be stand up and voraciously predict it's ultimate failure the way many have done with the iPhone. Naturally, people will report on the Bold, but not to anywhere near the degree that they would have if it were an Apple product. If Apple were behind the Bold, well, let me say that just about everyone in the press would have reported and plastered it all over their pages by now. 

The BlackBerry Bold may be a fine phone, it may even be worth the $660 that they are asking for it, that I'm not too sure of. I am, however, sure, that it will probably get far less press attention then the iPhone ever did, simply because it's not from Apple. This just happens to bring me to the main point of my post: why is it that Apple and it's products, regardless of what they are, or what their respected price points are, invariably always end up attracting so much more media attention and scrutiny then they otherwise would if they were from any other single company?

So, just what is it that's so special about Apple and it's products that everyone, everywhere seems to end up being glued to it's every little move, it's every little whim and fancy, and just why does Apple, far more than any other compay, seems to garner and attract such close scrutiny and attention?

Apple, as a company, definitely seems to tower head-over-heels above every other company out there, in the sense that whatever it does, or whatever it doesn't do, gets every little nuance analyzed and reported on. Apple, regardless of what it does, seems to acts like a virtual lightning rod when it comes to attracting the media's attention and that of their readers. I can't think of any other company that attracts the media quite the way that it does. Apparently, Apple is the Paris Hilton and the Britney Spears of the high-tech world, and Jobs, himself, is viewed as a virtual rock star! 

If Steve comes on stage and looks just a wee bit thin, well you know the story - he's reported and rumored to be ready to die any second now, from God only knows what! If on the other hand, well he doesn't appear on stage, or if he simply decides to share the stage, well, then it's the same story all over again, but only more so! Seems to me, that neither he nor the company he runs can so much as wiggle a finger and the press will trip over themselves to report on just what it might mean. It's truly an amazing sight to see.

This is a remarkable thing when you really stop, analyse and think about it. Again, just what is it about Apple that brings out such a frenzy and such an onslaught from the press regardless of Apple's every little move?

Is it simply because Apple just happens to have the best possible marketing machine that money can buy? Is it solely because of Steve Job's charismatic personality? Or is it because of Apple's world famous flare for style and design excellence? Or could it be simply because Apple just keeps on raising the bar, or because of it's ability to 'think different', to think better and create game changing technologies like the iPhone, or is it simply a combination of all of these things, or is it something different - some kind of magic, or is it simply just a case of plain dumb luck?

I personally can't answer any of the above, because frankly I really don't know the answer. All I know is that when ever Apple's name comes up, the press and the rumors and speculations will start coming thick and thin!

The press, of course, isn't alone in drawing attention to Apple. Stock analysts, most of who's predictions are usually end up wrong, also feed the media frenzy regarding Apple's every little-itty-bitty move. In their case often, however, regardless if they are right or wrong, the results can end up having a huge impact on Apple's stock, be it for good or not so good. Just think of the billions of dollars wiped off of Apple's stock because of a rumor posted on CNN's community news web site started by an 18 year old boy! Image the damage that a well-respected analyst can do, and, in fact, have done in the past.

Again, in conclusion, why is it that people seem to either passionately love or hate Apple to the degree that they do? Just why, one way or the other, is it that people and the press seem to care so much about Apple every little move - and it's every word?

Again, in the end, I simply don't know the answers. All I know is that there are very few companies out there that can get people's attention in quite the way that Apple can and indeed does. Google, RIM, Microsoft and others, naturally, can generate a lot of attention and speculation, but none of them, as much as they might love to be able to do, can quite garner or grab the attention and spotlight anywhere like Apple can. 

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, October 28, 2008 

Photo:  BlackBerry.com

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Has Microsoft Anything to Fear from Apple?

Is Microsoft running scared of Apple, does it have reason to fear it's smaller rival? Well, if they are not - they should be!  As many people are now pointing out, Microsoft has a lot to be afraid of, a fear that is manifested in Microsoft's massive $300,000,000 ad campaign to bolster it's image and that of  it's much maligned OS, Vista. Despite Microsoft constantly portraying Apple as a small and inconsequential player,  Apple, on it's part, is making real and dramatic gains, as Fortune points out and as their graphic clearly illustrates above. 

In fact, when compared to both companies recent quarterly results, Apple, though still smaller than Microsoft, still compares very favorably with it's much bigger competitor. Not only does it compare favorably, but Apple looms very big and nowhere near as small or as insignificant as Microsoft would have us all believe. The truth is that Apple's, at the moment, is  doing considerably better than Microsoft. Considering Apple's present rate of growth, some people are even beginning to wonder if Apple may actually do the unthinkable and - become bigger than Microsoft!

As you can clearly see from the chart above, when it comes to the year-to-year revenue growth rate, cash-on-hand, market share, or revenue (non-GAAP) profit (non-GAAP), Apple is anything but a small and insignificant player. Apple, in fact, is now even richer than Microsoft and it's cash horde is now some five billion dollars bigger than Microsoft's own! 

Not only is Microsoft fearful of Apple, but, seemingly, it's becoming increasingly more paranoid and desperate to stop Apple's dramatic market share gains in their tracks. Why else would Microsoft, the day before Apple was to announce it's updated laptops, go to all the trouble of trying to down shoot Apple's new offerings by trying to convince us how Apple products come saddled with an Apple Tax? If they have nothing to fear, prey tell, why than did they go to such lengths or trouble? 

Most interesting, for me, was how Microsoft tried to eschew the facts by desperately comparing high-end Apple products only with much cheaper Windows versions, rather than actually comparing them, as they should have, with the higher-end Windows equivalents, such as HP's Voodu line of laptops! Could it be that they, if only they were honest to admit it, know that Apple products compare not only nicely in price with Windows higher end systems, but, also that in many cases they are actually hundred of dollars cheaper than their Windows counter parts?

I especially liked how they reminded us that you could get a Logitech wireless router for only $49, as compared to Apple's, $500 Time Capsule. How cheap, not to mention, how desperate on Microsoft's part! After all, anyone with two cents for a brain (like myself) knows that Apple also offers cheaper wireless products, just as Logitech also offers higher end, higher priced ones. Comparing Apple's  higher end, Time Capsule, with Logitech's cheapest priced model was a desperate act by a desperate company.  Microsoft deliberately failed to mention, for example, that Time Capsule also not only included additional USB ports, but, as well, a mammoth 1 TB hard drive, something the low end Logitech didn't! The really funny part, of the whole thing, something that Microsoft also deliberately omitted, was the fact that the Logitech wireless router was also a product designed to work equally with the Mac as well as with that of Windows! This also is true of many of the other examples, like hard drives, etc., that Microsoft used to convince us that made Windows a better and cheaper alternative than that of getting a Mac!

When it comes to Apple vs Microsoft, Apple's recent earnings, profits and stash of cash, more than embarrasses Microsoft, it also clearly shows that people are increasingly beginning to realize, that for the first time, they now have a real alternative to Microsoft's own buggy Windows! And this, naturally, really worries Microsoft, who before OS X and Linux came along, had no real competitor's or anything to worry about. Many companies have lived and died in fear of Microsoft, so now, it's Microsoft's turn to sweat a little, and this is something that they don't like and will, as can be seen, try to stop at all costs. 

As more and more people discover this fact, that Microsoft isn't the only game in town, the more fearful and the more desperate Microsoft will become in protecting their cash cow - Windows. This is fear and desperation on Microsoft's part can now be clearly seen in some of  it's most recent moves, which, from their point, I guess, is understandable. After all, if my bread-n-butter where seriously threatened, I guess I too would act in a similar way. Windows may not have been the best thing for it's users', but it certainly has been the best thing that ever came along for Microsoft's enormous bank account and they will defend and protect it anyway they can, trust me. This isn't peanuts we are talking about here.

As Microsoft becomes more and more fearful and paranoid from Apple's growing success (Google as well), other people, like those from The Standard, are beginning to notice and point out that:

Apple could, with just it's cash on hand, easily buy-out other notable companies such as.....

- Yahoo, with its $17.53 billion market cap, and still have about $7 billion in cash left over.

- Sun Microsystems, about seven times over, with its $3.38 billion market cap.

- Sony (at least the part traded on the New York Stock Exchange) with its $21.54 billion market cap.

- Netflix, which arguably competes with the Apple TV — about 20 times over.

- Blockbuster, which arguably competes with no one anymore — nearly 100 times over.

- Xerox, whose early experiments with graphical user interfaces (GUI) and the mouse influenced early Apple, about 4 times over.

- SanDisk, which, like Apple, loves flash memory, over 10 times over.

- PDA maker Palm, about 60 times over

- NVIDIA (which makes Apple’s graphic chips), about 6 times over.

- Chip maker AMD, over 12 times over.

- Texas Instruments, with its $22.14 billion cap.

- It could nearly buy BlackBerry-maker RIMM (one key iPhone competitor) with its $26.13 billion market cap.

So, as far as the question of whether Microsoft should fear Apple goes, the answer is quite obvious - yes and big time!  

Apple has been making a fool out of Microsoft, over the past several years and in more ways than just it's famous, "I'm a PC, I'm a Mac," ads. Apple has also been making a fool out of Microsoft, not only in it's ads, but, as well, also in it's earnings, profit margins, and from it's superior products, like those of the iPhone, iPod and software such as iLife, iPhoto,etc. And this is especially true where it hurts Microsoft the most, in it's very core - Windows! OS X has embarrassed Microsoft because where it, OS X, has garnered a lot praise and a lot of positive press, Microsoft's own OS, Vista, on the other hand, has garnered mostly negative press and endless criticism, so much so, that for the very first time in history, Microsoft now offers its' customers a 'down grade' option from it's latest and greatest product! 

OS X, the iPhone, the iMac, the MacBooks, software and Apple's remarkable financial success, has left Microsoft with a real and unpleasant feeling of envy and making it, in the process, for the very first time, fell vulnerable and threatened. This, now, more than ever, has made the giant of Redmond also increasingly angry, paranoid and all the more desperate to protect it's turf at any expense, and as you can also read and speculated about here.

Microsoft's increasing fear and paranoia, of all things Apple, is proof of that!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, October 27, 2008 

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Mac Mini to the Max! The Mini Lives On!

Apparently, the Mac Mini's death has been greatly exaggerated, as reports coming out suggest that the diminutive computer days may not be numbered after all! Apple Insider reports that informed players say that Apple Mac Mini is still kickin.

This is great news for all Mini fan's, myself included. There have been lots of speculation, recently and in the past, that the Mini was to go EOL (end of life) any day now. In fact, Apple Insider says that according to another report new features are coming to the Mini that are all but 100% confirmed!

Any death of the Mac Mini would be more than a blow to the poor among us who have been hoping to buy a new Mac, but also, very surprising to me, also a big blow to many, many business's that have been buying up the Mini at a rate twice that of consumers! Apparently, the liliputian computer makes for  a great and very economical server. Apple Insider, for example, reports that in the city of Las Vegas alone, one source estimates, that there are at least 10,000 Mini's running in the various hotels and casino's of the sprawling desert city, were they do duty as servers and for security purposes. 

Of course, one of the main reasons fueling all of the rumors and speculation that the Mini was about to die was due to the false impression that it was not selling particularly well. This is not true, and as Apple Insider pointed out, the Mac Mini has consistently been rated in the top 5 to 10 seller list on Amazon ever since it's inception, as you can see here.

When it comes to servers, the little computer that could, has become a big hit, especially for business's as you can see from the photo at the beginning of the post. Here we see the 'Mini-to-the-Max', being used in a server farm, consisting of a cluster of some four hundred machines. I love this pic and think it's absolutely amazing! Hmmm... just look at all them blinking lights..... oh, so, so pretty, aint' they? Maybe that's just because I'm a geek, or something, and have a big soft spot in my heart for the little fellow? Whatever, I think that the news that the Mac Mini may not only live on, but get some much needed upgrades in the process, which you can read about at Apple Insider, is great news indeed.

Personally, I would hate to see the Mini end up going the way of the sexy, but now dead, Cube. Both computers have their claim to fame, due, in no small part, to their extra small form factors, but apparently, and luckily for the Mini, were the Cube died because of it's high price, the Mac Mini will live on and keep on trucking because of the exact opposite - it's low price point! Some where in here there is a lesson to be learned. Hopefully, Apple has learned that lesson and we will see a lot more of the lil bugger for a long time to come.

Long live the Mini!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, October 24, 2008 

Photo via:  Apple Insider

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Are Apple's Multi-Touch Track Pads Revolutionary? Short Answer: Yes!

Thus far, most of the reviews of the new MacBook and it's big brother, the Pro, have been, for the most part, quite favorable. The biggest complaints have been mostly in the area of the exclusion of having a matte option for the Pro, or the lack of Firewire in the lower priced MacBook. Oh, and let's not forget the higher price! That's a big complaint, especially now in a world of such frightening economic uncertainty. Apart from that, well, the reviews have been mostly positive as I have said.

However, the one thing that seems to stand out, in a lot of these reviews, is the fact that the MacBook is, in reality, nothing more, nothing less than a smaller version of the MacBook Pro. The underlining specs, for the most part, are identical. Of course, the biggest differences, apart from the Pro's higher price, is the lack of Firewire on the lower priced MacBook and the Pro's beefier twin NVidia graphic capabilities, otherwise, the physical appearance is pretty much the same. Personally, from afar, I can't even distinguish them apart, as they look so much alike. Even close up, the only way that I can tell the difference between them is by looking at the name plate on the bottom of the bezel. I'm not sure if that is good news for MacBook owners, or, on the other hand, bad news for MacBook Pro owners?

What I want to point out, however, in this post, is the new enhanced multi-touch track pad. To me, this is absolutely one of the best things to ever come along in the world of laptops - and only Apple offers them, at least for now! Living in Canada, I have yet had the opportunity to see, yet alone, play with one of these new track pads, but hopefully soon I shall. All I know, in the meantime, was that the previous multi-track pads, as found on the previous MacBook Pro and it's anorectic little brother, the Air, were, for me, absolutely fabulous and downright revolutionary. Naturally so, I was very eager to see how the new enhanced version would work in actual use. Well, thanks to a post on JKOneTheRun, it's pretty darn slick, and yes, just as I thought of the previous multi-track pads, this one is being described as revolutionizing the way the reviewer, James Kendrick, uses his laptop as you can see in his YouTube video at the beginning of my post.

After viewing James video I must say that my interest in Apple's new laptops have reached a feverish peak. James makes using the new track pad seem like a marriage made in heaven. Truly, as his video shows, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words! In his video, James makes everything look so easy, so smooth and so functional that Apple should probably use it in their demos and adverts, as he ends up making the new track pad look soooooo cool and so desirable! I can't wait to get my anxious grubby little hands on one inorder to try it out myself and put it to the test. All-in-all, Jame's video looks pretty encouraging and I urge you to check it out if you had any doubts about Apple's new and 'different' way of track pading.

So, in conclusion, if you can't get the opportunity to enjoy using or owning one of Apple's latest-and-greatest, then, like myself, you can at least get to enjoy James enjoyinsg his! This is a great video that demonstrates Apple's "Thinking Different" approach in track pads. 

Thanks James.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, October 23, 2008

Video: JKOneTheRun

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Thanks to the iPhone - Apple is Now Bigger Than Microsoft!

Mission accomplished! Apple has easily met and exceeded it's goal of selling some 10 million iPhone's in it's first year!

Not only that, but on the way, they not only also surpassed RIM, the maker of the popular Blackberry smart phone, they became, in the process, the world's third largest phone supplier in terms of revenue generated, and, more interestingly, not only that  -  Apple became bigger than Microsoft!

Well, bigger, that is, than Microsoft in the 'money-in-the-bank category. As it now stands, Apple now sits on a very, very big pile of cash - some 24.5 billion dollars! The only other company that has more cash is Cisco, with some 26 billion dollars, but unlike Apple, which is 100 % free of debt, Cisco has some 7 billion of debt on their books, so in reality, Apple is even bigger than Cisco after subtracting Cisco's debt! Microsoft, of course, is still bigger, much bigger than Apple in either sales, profits, market cap or what have you. 

Well, after all of that said, what I personally wouldn't give to see the expression on Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer's face right now. This is epecially, as you might remember, after Mr. Ballmer laughed at the mere mention of the iPhone, telling a reporter, with a big smirk on his face, that it had to be the most expensive phone in history, and that even though Apple might make some money on it, it would never really catch on. He boasted that he much more preferred Microsoft's own strategy, because as a business phone, the iPhone would never appeal to anyone simply because it lacked a physical keyboard!  

Right now, from what I have heard in the past, it's probably not too good of a time to be a chair in his office! In an post from USAToday, Mr. Ballmer stated:

"Now we'll get a chance to go through this again in phones and music players. There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It's a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I'd prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get."

Charming, statement, just charming, isn't it?  Mr. Ballmer's not alone, of course, other people have made additional dumb predictions regarding the success of the iPhone as you can read here.

Back to Apple's recent and spectacular Q4 earnings, Apple reported a staggering number of iPhone's were sold for the period - some 6.9 million of them! That is just one of the reasons that help push the iPhone past RIM's Blackberry's, for the quarter, and also making the iPhone the third largest cellphone (all phones included, not just smart phones) in the entire world at least by revenue generated! That is simply amazing, any way you look at it, or as Mr. Job's, who made a special appearance at Apple's Q4 meeting said:

"“If this isn’t stunning, I don’t know what is ....... It is all due to the success of the iPhone 3G.” 

Stunning indeed and, what should be noted, is that not only did Apple officially report quarterly earnings of some 7.9 billion, but the actual amount was, in fact, much bigger -some 48% bigger, or some 11.68 billion! This is because, as AppleInsider reports:  

"In accordance with the subscription accounting treatment required by GAAP, Apple recognizes revenue and cost of goods sold for iPhone and Apple TV over their economic lives. Adjusting GAAP sales and product costs to eliminate the impact of subscription accounting, the corresponding non-GAAP measures for the quarter are $11.68 billion of "Adjusted Sales" and $2.44 billion of "Adjusted Net Income." 

Not only was the iPhone a big winner, but also so was the Mac's, who's sales of new computers reached a record 2.6 million for the same period!  Likewise, the iPod did very well, selling some 11 millon units!

You can read a full transcript of Apple's Q4 earnings report here.

Well, it would seem, to me, that if Apple can still perform this well in a not-so-well economy, then you have just got to echo Steve Job's confidence in Apple's future. A future where that 24.5 billion in cash reserves will come in handy. This huge horde of cash will not only help buffer Apple from the worse of the present economy, but it should also help it to take advantage of buying any promising tech company, or technologies that it needs or wants and  -  picking them all up at rock bottom prices!

This, of course, is not just due to the iPhone's spectacular success, but also, equally to Job's shrewd and impressive personal executive management skills, which has resulted in Apple posting a profit in every single quarter, except for one, since he returned to head Apple.

Of course, I can't predict when, or if, the current gloom and doom on Wall Street will improve, but I will predict that if anyone can survive and prosper through it all -  it will be Apple, a company now with more money in the bank than even big old Microsoft! If Apple can't make it, well, then nobody can - period!

As important as Apple's recently reported Q4 earnings are, it will be the next quarter, the holiday quarter, that will be much more important to analysts. Only God knows how that quarter will all shape up, but my  personally prediction is that Apple should not only survive, but maybe even prosper. 

Unfortunately, that will not be the case for many of Apple's competitors. 

Let's hope so at least!


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, October 22, 2008 

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Old Apple Concept Gear

Today, I will be away, but I still would like to take the time to point out, that if you hadn't already seen it, you might be interested in checking out a great post from yesterday's Apple Gazette on various old Apple concept gear, gear that quite never made the light of day.

It's mostly a visual look back at some, shall we say, quite interesting non-developments! As old as some of these concepts are, I must admit that some of them are still pretty spiffy looking, while others, more or less, kind of left me scratching my head! 

On the left and above is just one example of some of the old, but still cool and far-out looking Apple concepts, with this one being of an all-in-one Macintosh computer. If you find these old computers interesting then please check out the rest of the best at Apple Gazzette.

Until tomorrow, take care.



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, October 21, 2008 

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Apple Ads Versus' Microsoft's - Which Is Better?

Microsoft has responded to Apple's, 'I'm a PC, I'm a Mac,' ads with their own, 'I'm a PC' ads, and now Apple has finally hit back with newer ads attacking their ads, as seen above in this YouTube video.  

Which ads, Microsoft's or Apple's, are the better ones, the most effective and the most truthful?

The first of Apple's new spots shows Microsoft trying to convince people just how wonderful Vista is by throwing wads of cash into advertising, in an obvious attempt to mask it's many problems, instead of into actually investing cash into trying to fix Vista. A lot of people, like Paul Thurrot, are angrily hitting back at the new Apple ads for what he sees as being arrogant and libelous, but after reading his post, like many of his other posts, it is becoming more obvious to me, that he has a rather bias, arrogant and libelous view whenever he reports on Apple. Many, in fact, consider him to be one of the biggest Microsoft shills out there. That I don't know, but I certainly felt that his post, to me at least, seemed itself rather bias, arrogant, and yes, maybe even libelous to Apple.

So, are Apple's new ads,  in fact, really as arrogant and libelous  as Paul says they are?

Not in my book!  First of all, as far as I'm concerned, at least the Apple ads, past and present, are a lot more comical and entertaining than any of Microsoft's 'I'm a PC' ads. After all, it's not  the 'I'm a PC, I'm a Mac' ads that is the problem with Windows Vista. No, the problem with Vista is clearly, well -  Vista itself!  I won't waste my time listing all of the various problems associate with Vista, after all, the main press has been listing them for almost two years now and they are all well documented. All the Apple ads do is simply take advantage of them in a fun and amusing way. Vista's image problems lay squarely in Microsoft's court, not Apple's advertising methods. 

It's funny, when you think about it, that Microsoft feels it's necessary to spend over $300,000,000 to convince us that we should all love Vista, because, well, it's so great  - that they are going to replace as soon as they can - with Windows 7!  I don't understand, why, on one hand, they seem to be telling us that Vista is really great and, yet, on the other hand, they seem to be telling to us to forget all about Vista and concentrate instead on Windows 7, which, in reality, is nothing more than a rehash of Vista and Mr. Ballmer even  says so himself!

Yes, some PC folks may think that the new Microsoft ads totally mute and cancel out  all of Apple's ads, but, in reality, they don't. No, as they always do, these people just love to point out how many more people use Windows than any other OS.  As if somehow, in the process, that automatically makes Windows a better product.  After all, just because the majority of people drive Ford's,  Chev's, or Toyota's,  does that automatically make them better, or for that matter, more desirable than that of that of a Mercedes, BMW, or a Roll's? No it doesn't and neither does having a majority of the market automatically make Windows users, or Windows itself, a superior OS to either that of a Mac or Linux OS, including their users. So really, who is being the arrogant one here?

None of the Microsoft ads, the ones that I have seen thus far anyway, clearly shows what makes Windows so great or superior - none! All they do is show what a large (but shrinking) share of the market Windows has and how Windows users are real people! So, does this mean that Mac and Linux users are not real people?

Since the Microsoft ads love to show how many different types of great people use it, I guess, therefore, that automatically implies that these great numbers of ordinary people: doctors, actors, students, businessmen and women, scientists, housewife's, etc. somehow, as I said, also implies that Windows must also be great too. Credit by association, I guess? I'm not buying it!

So what? 

The funny thing is that all of those same great, everyday people - the doctors, actors, students, businessmen and women, scientist's, housewife's, etc., are also the very same type of people who also just happen to use a Mac, or for that matter, Linux! There is no difference here except the size of their respective market share.  They don't, for example, show how using the internet is somehow better on a PC than that of using a Mac or a Linux machine, now do they? Windows, yes, runs more games, for the time being, but all of those same games are also available, via Boot Camp, on the Mac too. Also, as the Mac's market share grows, also so does the number of native gaming apps ported continue to grow for the Mac likewise, making running Windows on a Mac less and less important with each and every passing day. 

So, again, what's the point? 

Of the two newest ads, the second one, seen below in this YouTube video, points out how Microsoft is seemingly going out of it's way to ignore even using the very word 'VIsta' in it's ads. This has not gone unnoticed by many people such as John Guber, one of the better writers out there.

My 2 cents on the Apple and Microsoft ads are that, of the two, Apple's is the most effective, something that can be easily demonstrated and seen in the Mac's explosive increase in market share since they came out. In just a few short years the Mac's presence in the market has grown within double digits, something that many predicted would never happen! 

Microsoft's new and massively expensive ads, on the other hand, simply say a lot of what we already know and very little of what we don't! They don't address, for instance, any of  the real issues plaguing Vista - all they do is simply point out that a lot of great folks use their software and by inference, imply that Windows must be also great,  since, after all, a lot of great folks use it. But then again, a lot of great folks also use a lot of things, like income tax forms, but that doesn't make paying income any more fun or desirable now does it? Trust me, I can think of a lot of things that people use, but don't want to, just like many don't want to use Windows and that goes especially for Vista.

My last words, on the subject, is how I find it so ironic just how so many people, like Paul Thurrot, continue to angrily and arrogantly react to Apple's ads, demonstrating in themselves, what they claim Apple and it's 'I'm a PC, I'm a Mac' ads are! For crying out pizza with anchovies, these are just ads, for goodness sake, not some type of religious event! 

Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to love shoving big numbers in our faces, numbers that show it's dominance of the market, including, for that matter, the size of it's advertising budget for these ads. Ads, that in the end, does nothing, absolutely nothing, that I can see anyway, to address the various and serious issue's with Vista. Like the Apple ad points out, they won't even mention, if they have to, the very name of Vista! 

Why is that? 

Could it be, in the end, that, when it comes to Vista, they really do have something to hid after all?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, October 20, 2008 

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Is The New MacBook Pro The Ultimate Gaming Laptop?

Unfortunately, if your really big into to games than you basically have no real option - you' ll need Windows! That, in the past, has been a real bummer for Mac and Linux users.

Fortunately, however, if your lucky or rich enough to have one of the new, but expensive, MacBook Pro's, than it means never having to be sorry again! No sir, not for one itty bitty minute, because now, thanks to all of the new NVidia graphic horsepower contained there in, the new Mac's can easily play all of them hardware intensive games pretty dang well, thank you very much.

Obbessable's C.K. Sample III, recently installed, via Boot Camp, Warhammer on a new MacBook Pro and took it for a test drive and gave it a hearty big thumbs up! As you can see, by clicking on the above YouTube video, Warhammer, running on the Mac, runs and looks pretty cool in-spite of the poor quality of the video itself. The reviewer even noticed that game play on the new MacBook Pro was, in fact, actually smoother and better than the performance that he got from his HP Pavilion PC! That's something that a lot of people, myself included, would have found to be completely unthinkable not that long ago. Not any more, mind you, because the newest MacBook Pro is definitely a power house that can compete with the very best of the higher end PC laptops out there. And, of course, it should, considering just how high all of this yummy goodness will set you back.

The one thing that really bother the reviewer, however, was the new track pad. He simply wasn't used to it. He kept trying to use it the way he instinctively always had on his previous two-buttoned MacBook Pro. Obviously, whether your a long time Mac user or a recent switcher from the PC or Linux camps, the new track pad is going to entail a learning curve of some kind. Old habits may die, but they don't all necessarily die that easily or as quickly as one would want. However, that said, I know that the learning curve for the previous multi-touch MacBook track pad, from that of the more traditional PC track pad, wasn't that difficult or took that long for me personally. I don't really see why that shouldn't also be the case here with the newer, more advanced multi-touch glass track pad.

The new MacBook's and Pro's have been criticized for their high price, but you have to remember:  these suckers are luxury products, and as such, they naturally, like a Rollex, BMW, or what have you, will entail, likewise, a higher price. Despite the higher prices, the new Mac laptops are receiving a lot of rave reviews. As Cult of Mac says in a recent posting , the new MacBook's:

"Kicks Serious Ass."

And that, mind you, is just the lower end, the Pro's are even more of a serious 'ass kicker' and besides that - they look oh soooooo pretty! So pretty indeed.

Cnet's Peter Glaskowsky says. in a post describing his hands-on with the new Pro:

"It looked as good in real life as it does in the pictures. The tapered edges make it look thinner than it really is, considerably more svelte than the older MacBook Pros like mine."

Well, besides the good looks, what else does he say? Well, for starters, the new track pad is to him,

".........  was very nice, easily the best I've ever used. It also doesn't look or feel like glass. I can confirm that Apple thought of the same thing that I did in my previous post--a click with one finger generates a left-click, and a tap with two fingers generates a right-click. Awesome. So now Apple has the world's only two-button mouse that doesn't have any buttons at all, and it isn't even a mouse!"

He's not too crazy about the "too glossy" screen, however, but in most cases it shouldn't be much of a problem he notes. You either love or hate em, I guess.

So, even though the MacBook and the Pro have only been out for a few days now, the very fact that you can now run a graphically intensive game, like WarHammer, even better on a Mac than some PC's certainly bodes well for the new machines.

If you got the cash, one of these beautiful masterpieces means never having to be sorry. With the new Mac's you can literally have your cake-and-eat-it-too! These are the only machines, currently on the market, that will enable you to easily and legally run virtually any and all of the software out there. Yes sire, with one of these sweet puppies, you can run virtually any software that your heart desires, be it from the Windows side of the equation, the Linux side, or the rapidly growing software side of OS X itself. Having a Mac now a days means never having to compromise or feeling that you are left behind - including running gaming software.

Ah, what a nice choice and what a nice feeling that is indeed! Too bad running unlimited softwar is currently only limited to just to Mac's, and those, I also might add, who can afford the price of admisson.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, October 17, 2008 

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Will The New MacBooks Sell?

So, now that the dust is beginning to settle on the recent introduction of Apple's newest and greatest MacBook's, the question, in my mind, is how well will they sell?

Apparently, if you take a glance at the top ten best selling list from Amazon, that would be amazingly well, as recently reported by MacDailyNews.  And the really amazing thing, in all of this, is the simple fact that the new MacBook's are not only already selling well, but are selling well indespite of Apple's famous high prices!

Apparently, Apple really does know best, and, I guess, this is also true when it comes to pricing. After all, as Piper Jaffray analyst, Andrew Murphy, wrote in an e-mail yesterday, when it comes to Apple, " They've never done cheap well - but the $999 MacBook is a good start."

I have to admit, that even though I thought that the new models would sell, I didn't exactly expect, for a moment, that they would sell that well, or sell quite that fast! Of course, the truth of the matter, is that these machines are all first class acts, luxury models that are premarily aimed at the well-to-do in the first place. They are not perfect mind you, but then again, no laptop, note book, net book, or what ever you wish to call them is.

My main complaint concering the new MacBook's, especially in this current global economic turmoil, is that the price is still much too high. That isn't to say that I think that Apple should be exactly giving them away (but I won't complain if they ever wish to give me one!), but as great as they are, I think that if the competition can successfully sell similar hardware for half, or in some cases, a quarter the price of what Apple is asking, then why, on earth, can't Apple do likewise? After all, I'm quite sure that there are tons of potential MacBook customers, out there, that would just love to get their hands on one of the gorgeous new MacBooks. Unfortunately, this is something that ain't going to happen, simply because of the higher price points that Apple charges for the price of admission. 

With Apple's Mac market penetration of the world's biggest economy, that of the U.S., now nearing 10%, I can't help but think how much higher that figure would be if Apple only would make their Mac's more accessible - price wise! I think it would be worth a price drop, on Apple's part, just to see the reacton of it's competition as they squirmed in their seats, something that Microsoft has been doing a lot of lately and can be seen in their recent attacks on the Mac. As it stands now, Apple's continuing high prices have them, no doubt, breathing a sigh of relief. 

The reaction to the new MacBooks have been all over the place, but, if your personally interested in the gorgeous new MacBook offerings, then you might, in the meantime, also be interested in seeing somehigh quality un-boxing shots, or a video review of the new MacBook's here? Whether you can afford them or not, you have to admit, they are still so beautiful to look at. 

Besides not having the option of buying a new MacBook without the glossy screen, my only quibble with the new MacBook's, which are heads and heals technically superior to any other on the market, if you ask me, is the still, in my opinion, is the high price. Yes, it's a luxury product, but who says that luxury can't be a little more affordable?

If it wasn't for the one major issue of price, plus a few minor ones, then, maybe, just maybe the new MacBooks might have been a contender to be called the first ever - 'perfect' laptop!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, October 16, 2008 

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The New MacBooks Are Incrediable and they Suck!

Apple's new MacBooks, both the 13 inch and the Pro, have been finally released. They are sexy, they are powerful, and they are both feature rich and they are probably the finest laptops that were ever created and - they suck! 

They don't suck because they have beautiful, crisp LED screens. They don't suck because of their CPU's. They don't suck because of their new NVidia GP's, or the new and very cool, large multi-touch glass track pads, or because of their new super rigid 'unibody' construction. 

They suck because of their high-end price!

That's right, in this scary economy, raising the price of an already expensive machine not only sucks, it could be down right suicidal! Yes, I know that the plastic model has been reduced by a hundred dollars, but that is still a far cry from the $900 or lower price points that analysts were hoping for, and prices which could have ended up giving Apple an extra 50%  or more in unit and revenue growth. A hundred dollars price reduction is less than 10% and when you compared that  to the fact that one can already buy hardware that is not only equal, but in some cases much better than that, for as little as $500 or less, it really, really, really sucks! And it sucks big time!

It's obvious, at least to me, that these machines were designed long before the current credit crisis blew up in our faces, a time when the economy, more or less, was booming and at a time when high-sky prices might have not been such an issue. But this is now and Apple should take into consideration this plain, but painful, fact and adjust their prices downward, not upward.

Apart from the sky-high pricing, what can I say? I love these machines! Apart from the prices no other laptop from any other manufacturer can even come close to what these beauties offer regardless of the price! Their aluminum 'unibody' bodies absolutely ooze's sexiness, sophistication, lust worthiness and bring out unbridled envy in all who lay their eyes on them. If it only wasn't for that little problem of price?

I was very happy to see, in fact, that Apple has indeed come out with that large multi-touch glass track pad, but a little disappointed that it didn't include that rumored video screen underneath. Still, no video or not, the new track pad is, by far, head and heals better than anything out there. Already, the multi-track pads found on the previous Air and Pro's, though not as advanced as the newer ones, were already miles ahead of the competition. As nice as some of the PC laptops are, in comparison with Apple's previous multi-touch track pads, as found on the Air and Pro, well, they seem rather primative, clunky and outdated.

Like the new track pads, I find the new graphic updates, as well, to be equally fantastic. The idea of using both the NVidia 9400M and the much more powerful 9600GT in the higher end Pro model is certainly intriguing to say the least. You can see from Apple's web site that they are very impressive beasts indeed. Both are real power horse's and they put out the kind of performance that finally leaves Mac user's in a position of never having to envy their PC counter parts again, at least, that is until the next generation of GPU's come along.

The new LED screens don't need much commenting on - their freaking awesome! That includes the new 24 inch matching LED monitor. This is another great product, but unfortunately, like the new MacBooks they are simply, for me anyway, much too expensive for the present economic realities, especially when you consider that you can already buy some pretty great monitors for prices that are 2/3 or less then it. I especially love the idea of the included built-in stereo speakers, the included built-in web cam and the iMac like styling, and, as well, the inputs on this beautiful piece of hardware. Maybe, someday, if I ever win the lottery, I will even buy one, but until that day, or the day that Apple substantially lowers their price I'm out of luck? Sadly, the odds of me winning the lottery is probably higher than that of Apple ever lowering their prices, but at least I can always dream!

All-in-all, the new, beautiful and powerful MacBooks and, as well, it's stunning matching LED monitor, are fantastic products, products that it's competitor's will have a hard time equalling anytime soon. These are all products that will have people lusting over big time because they are so beautiful, so powerful, so innovative and so downright gorgeous!

Now if only they weren't so damn expensive!


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, October 15, 2008 

Photo via: Apple

Today's Big Apple Annoucement: A Sneak Peak

Later today, Apple will finally put to rest all of the wild rumors and speculation concerning it's next generation of MacBook and MacBook Pro upgrades. I, like the growing legends of Mac fans, can barely wait to find out exactly what rumors will hit their mark and which won't.  

In the meantime, late last night, however, a leaked photo of what is believed to be the new MacBook Pro has emerged as first reported by Engadget.  According to AppleInsider, this photo has already been confirmed to be the real deal and their take on it is quite interesting to read.      

Among all of the gloom and doom of the recent financial news, the new MacBook upgrades had better be more than just your every day, average upgrades, or otherwise, you can expect Apple's hard hit stock to be hit even harder than it has. already been.

Yesterday, fortunately, Bernstein Research upgraded the company and stated if the Cupertino giant were to unleash a new MacBook in the $900 range, something that is widely expect, that it would have a very favorable effect on the company indeed. Believing such is going to be the case, they have upgraded the company to Outperform, even while, at the same time, they reduced their target price on Apple stock itself from $175 to some $135 dollars per share. 

Bernstein Research believes that a $900 MacBook would grow Apple's addressable market by an astounding 67%! The potential price drop could also broaden the company's customer base by some 50 percent in both terms of units sold  and revenue generated. This is indeed great news for the company and, in general, the overall personal electronic industry, something that has been sorely lacking of late. If Apple where to actually introduce models below the $900 price point, Bernstein Research  likewise says that the benefits for Apple's unit and revenue growth would even be greater.

Fortunately, we only have a few more hours to find out exactly what Apple has up it's sleeve and many analysts believe that Apple must deliver something a little more substantial than just your everyday speed bump. If Apple is to benefit from the introduction of any new MacBooks and it wish's to avoid any more downside to it's stock, then it is absolutely essential that Apple delivers something big and something that will excite the industry as a whole.

Hopefully, based on past comments by Apple's CFO, Peter Openheimer, Apple was about to introduce new and significant product changes that the rest of the industry simply couldn't and wouldn't be able to compete with. This can mean any number of things, of course, but hopefully  this is what today's annoucement will introduce - significant upgrades. At least I'm hoping.

Unfortunately, I will not be present or able to report on Apple's big announcement until tomorrow. However, in the meantime, Gizmodo and others will be featuring live, up-to-the-minute, blow-by-blow live blogging updates on today's newest MacBooks and MacBook Pro's, so be sure to check them out.



Also, in the meantime, for your amusement, go ahead and check out the YouTube video of Apple's very first laptop ad seen above. As you can see, Apple's MacBook design smarts goe's a long way back, even before they were even called MacBook's. In them old days, they called them, good-old Power Books! And Power Books they were indeed!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, October 14, 2008 

Thanks to Gizmodo for pointing out the first Apple laptop ad.

How Big A Threat Is Android To the iPhone?

The iPhone G3 is already selling like proverbial hot cakes through Apple and AT&T outlets, but now, Boy Genius is reporting that the world's biggest retailer, WalMart, may be about to give iPhone sales a really big shot in the arm along with that of Best Buy, by adding it to their sales. With it's millions of daily customers, WalMart should prove to be a huge bonus in driving further iPhone sales in the future.

Of course, there is still that little nagging problem of the economy, now isn't there?

Apple, however, is going to need all the help it can get, including Wal-Mart's, because with some one-and-a-half million pre-ordered Android base phones, well, the iPhone, as great as it is, is about to receive it's biggest challenge yet. I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that the figure of one-and-a-half million pre-ordered Android phones is a lot higher than the pre-ordered number of iPhone's ever were, and this clearly points that Android based phones are not only off to a fantastic start, but that it is virtually guaranteed a major position in the near future.

That could spell big trouble potentially for the iPhone.

There is no doubt that the iPhone is currently the better phone, but that could easily change as Android evolves over the next year or two. Of all the iPhone wanabe's out there, I believe that Google's Android is by far the biggest and most credible threat to the iPhone.  So far, despite their boasting, nothing thus far has come even close to the over all form factor of the iPhone, not even the first Android model, but that could change and it could change fast!

Does this mean that the iPhone will ultimately succumb to Google's Android initiative? Not at all, but it does make many question how Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, can continue to serve on the board of Apple now that they are obviously in direct competition with each other, as the iPhone and Android devices surely are.

Android is blessed, at the same time, with the benefit that any developer can help to improve on Android, but on the other hand, it is also cursed by the very same factor.

Android, like that of the PC itself, may end up a victim much like that of  Windows based PC's -  all messed up, which is what you get when you have lots of developers doing their own thing, each going off on their own little tangent, and this could easily get very messy for Android. The Mac, after all, is a much better computer experience simply because of the fact that Apple can direct each and every aspect of the experience to work perfectly with one another, in a single cohesive manor. Much like the PC platform, one will eventually find that Android developers, both on the software and and hardware side, will eventually try to differeniate themselves by developing their own different hardware, and software advantages, etc., that could, theoretically, conflict not only with one another, but also with the Android platform as a whole, resulting as it did for Windows based PC's, with less functionality, ease of use and, as well, adding to the platform's over all insecurity!

What some may also be forgetting, however, is that as Android proudly declares itself  an open system, it is also open to anybody and everbody period! And that's a problem!  A very big problem! Even though, in one sense, it's a plus for Android, it's also a big curse, because since it's also open everyone, it means it's also open to the bad developers as well! By bad developers I mean the ones that are naturally going  to deliberatly undermind Android's very security by developing all kinds of nasty Android trojans, spy ware, virus's and what not! If, unlike the iPhone, it is truly open, then it is also open to all those who wish to promote anything, be it pornography, commercial junk mail, fishing software and you name it. After all, Android is based on Linux and like any other Linux OS, anyone can study and modify it to meet their own ends - be those ends either good or bad! If evil developers have been trying hard to crack the iPhone, just imagine the field day they are going to have while having full access to all of Android's development tools, just like every other developer?

It doesn't look too pretty if you ask me!

What ever happens, Google's Android initiative will be huge and it will have a direct impact on any iPhone sales going forward. Whether that means that it will kill off, or just weaken the iPhone is yet to be seen, but somehow, I'm not only certain that the iPhone will survive, but that it should also continue to stay three or four steps well ahead of any other smart phone, be it an Android based or whom ever.

The iPhone, for the moment anyway, has still most of the buzz and it is the only phone that is put together beautifully by one source, something that neither Android or other based phones will never be able to claim, let alone accomplish. And, secondly, just as Android based phones are surely going to improve over time, so likewise will the iPhone also. As long as Apple makes the whole widget, the iPhone should easily continue to remain, by far, the sleekest, coolest, most capable and the most desirable smart phone on the market for a long, long time yet to come.  

Other mobile makers are thankful, the iPhone has opened their eyes and the whole mobile world will never be the same again, thanks to the iPhone's vision of what a smart phone should be.

Android itself may evolve into something that is even bigger than just mere mobiles, but the question still is:  will Android pose a real and credible threat to the iPhone? Yes, it certainly could, but as a threat, it's still probably not going to be a big enough of a threat to replace the iPhone from the top of the smart phones pantheon any time soon .

But then again, you never really know, you know?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, October 13, 2008 

Android photo:  Engadget

Apple Wins Big Time at T3 2008 Awards!

Every year Apple receives many awards and this year is no exception. Recently, Apple received several reader choice awards from Britain's T3, one of it's most popular tech sites.

In eleven out of sixteen categories, some 54,000 T3 readers, helped in pinpointing Apple to receive several awards, which just happens to include, one of the most prestigious - The commuter Gadget of the Year Award. 

And just what was that gadget you ask?  

As if you didn't know the answer: it was the iPhone, of course! 

Regarding the awards, T3 states:

"'The Garmin T3 Gadget Awards 2008 really do reflect the cream of this year's tech,' says Michael Brook, Editor of T3 magazine. 'And this is thanks to the T3 readers who voted in their thousands to sort the men from the boys. It's been important for us to have our readers involved in so many of the categories, since they are the ones using these products day in, day out, and can tell the hottest kit from the hype. The competition has been so strong this year, and some of the categories were just too close to call - we're hoping that the gadgets will be as fantastic in 2009, for the third T3 Gadget Awards."

The iPhone, as already stated, wasn't the only award that Apple garnered. Apple also received awards for the, 'The Best Music Gadget,' and, in addition, the greatest award of them all of them all, the 'Gadget of the Year Award,' which were both awarded to the 32 GByte iPod Touch. Like the iPhone, I''m sure that you got the answer to that one correctly as well, as it wasn't too much of a brainer. 

The awards don't stop there, because in addition to the Best Commuter Gadget, Best Music Gadget and  the 'Best Gadget of the year Awards, Apple also just happen to pick up the 'Best Candy Award' for the ultra-thin, innovative and downright sexy MacBook Air. All-in-all, I must say, not a bad showing for a single company. 

The a full list of the winners of this years gadgets are as follows:

Gadget of the year: Apple iPod Touch 

Best music gadget: Apple iPod Touch 32GB 

Best imaging gadget: Nikon D60 

Drop dead gorgeous: Audi R8 

Best new media: BBC iPlayer 

Gaming gadget: Nintendo's Wii Fit 

Toy of the year: Guitar Hero, music video game 

Commuter gadget: Apple iPhone 

Gadget Candy: Apple MacBook Air 

Retailer of the year: Dixons.co.uk 

Innovation of the year: Sony XEL-1 OLED television 

Green gadget: Honda Civic Hybrid 

Hi Def award: Sony PlayStation 3 

Home gadget: Sky+ HD, digital television 

Gadget you can't live without: TomTom GO 930

And there you have it, another fine showing from the giant of Cupertino, as it continues to flex it's design muscles. What's next for Apple, what new and innovative designs can we expect to see forthcoming? Well, obviously, we can't know that just yet, but I am predicting that Apple's future gadgets should do just as well, if not better, than it's past gadgets have already done. Innovation is in Apple's blood, it's what they do, and it's what they do best. If just a small portion of some of the rumors of what Apple is working on bears any kind of fruit in the coming year, we can expect Apple to continue to receive even more of these types of awards.

So, looking over the past year, I congratulate Apple for all of the awards it has earned and received thus far, and, at the same time, wish them well in the future where we, no doubt, can expect to see even more awards forth coming.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, October 10, 2008 See you next Monday, God permitting.

You can read more about T3's Awards HERE

Hackintosh Videos: Cool PC's Running OS X!

Whether you agree, or not, that Apple should, or shouldn't, license OS X to other manufacturers, you have to admit that seeing OS X running on hardware other than Apple's own looks pretty damn cool as you can see illustrated in the YouTube examples seen above and below, where OS X can be seen hacked and running on various PC's, including those from HP, Dell, Asus and, of course, from Psystar which is currently locked into a tense legal battle with the giant from Cupertino.

Personally, as cool as OS X looks running on non-Apple equipment, I still think that OS X looks better running on a real Mac. As nice as some of the other PC's are, none, if you ask me, look or are as nice as any of the Mac's hardware offerings.

So, naturally this brings up the question: will Apple ever license OS X to other OEM'? It's certainly possible, but bloody well unlikely. One probably has a better chance of seeing Bush and Obama Bin Laden getting hitched in a gay married! However, I'm sure It would be a good thing for other OEM's if they could finally offer OS X. However, I'm also pretty sure it would, at the same time, be a bad thing for both Windows and Linux. 

If Apple, however, were ever to license OS X, the time for doing so is now, before Microsoft gets the opportunity to fix Windows, something I sincerely doubt, or before LInux, which is very OS X like already, gets the chance to mature as Mark Shuttleworth says Ubunctu will do in the next two or three years. As it stands now, no one and I mean no one, can equal, let alone excel, OS X for it's ease of use, stability, and down right sexiness. True, OS X isn't standing still, but neither will Windows or Linux. Apple has paved the wave in OS X and it's competitor's have taken notice and are scrambling as fast as they can to copy it. They won't stand still and neither can Apple.

So, in conclusion, all I can say is that I honestly don't know about OS X licensing , or even if I even like the idea! All I know for certain, is that if Apple is going to do it, it has to act quickly before the competition has a chance to catch up, if they even can.  

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, October 09, 2008

A Great Apple Blog Plus a Great Writer = A Great Combination

Today, for the second day in a row, unfortunately I''m not able to do a regular posting, but I would like to take the opportunity to mention that a great Apple related blog, aptly named, The Apple Blog, a part of the GigaOM network, has just added to their stable of great writers one of the best writers, I feel, in the whole blogging community: Tom Reestman. Tom, who says in his own blog, The Small Wave that he loves to do:  "tech blogging for the fun of it." Tom has a rich history in technology, and, in his blog, he lists his tech credentials as the following:

"Technical background spans 30 years including operations, IT, consulting, training, software implementation and support. I’ve worked for numerous firms, large and small.I began in computers on an IBM 1401 (I’m not that old, my employerowned these). That experience is best summed up in what I’d say years later when teaching software workshops: “To truly appreciate an Operating System you have to have been one.”

Along with mainframes I worked with systems of every flavor from the mid-80s on. Of course PCs, Macs, and the major UNIX players, but also minicomputers like the AS/400. Along the way I’ve been a Network Administrator, a Lotus Notes Administrator, and all-around “IT guy”.

Numerous jobs in software implementation, consulting and support across large organizations provided practical, “real world” experience. This varied technical background provides a wide variety of application, systems, and business experience."

I feel and consider Tom to be among the very best tech writers that you will find absolutely anywhere on the net today and I'm not alone. As Philip Smith, from FixYourThinking, says:

"Tom Reestman is a relatively new "Mac blogger". I first noticed his writing a few months ago when he linked to his site, "The Small Wave" in an article of mine here on FixYourThinking. Over the last two months I have found Tom's writing to be as insightful as John Gruber of Daring Fireball and as thorough as Daniel Eran Dilger of Roughly Drafted . It's great to have a new bookmark for my iPhone to catch up on Apple news - I highly recommend your adding "The Small Wave" to your bookmarks as well."

I whole heartedly agree, Tom's posts are not only in-depth, insightful and very well written, but they are also the type that I greatly would miss if he ever would decide to stop writing (heaven's forbid!). I know that Tom will add greatly to the already great content found on the Apple Blog and I congratulate the Apple Blog for landing this great writer, and I also congratulate Tom for accepting the opportunity to write for them. After all, when you match a great writer with that of a great blog, well, then you naturally can expect to end up getting some great results, which is what I exactly expect to see from the both of them in the future.

So, if your into great technology blogs and writing, then by all means, check out the Apple Blog and, as well, Tom's own, and start enjoying these insightful and great articles for yourself, because a great blog, combined with a great writer, really do make for a great combination. 

I highly recommend both.  

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Please Note: My appologees, but I am having trouble with the formating of my posts lately. Not sure of the cause yet, but I will endeavor to try and fix it as soon as possible.

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Pics-4-the-Day: Creatures of Flight

Today, due to the lack of time, I am featuring, after a long absence, another 'Pic-4-the-Day' post. Fortunately, for all two or three of you, my faithful readers, I am happy to feature some excellent pics from Paul G's blog,  Vitalmuse. 

As you can see with the shot of the magnificent Egret above, Paul has a wonderful mastery of photography and timing.  What can I say about this photo other than I really love it and for good reason. The striking pose, those streamlined wings that enables it to speedily lift him high into the sky and all of his beauty highlighted by theblack background, really makes for a lovely shot if ever there was one.

Above, we next find a beautiful Florida Scrub Jay as he, or she, sits proudly on a tree branch, surveying the surroundings. This shot, like the rest, are just some of what awaits you when you visit his delightful blog.  I can't help but wonder what sights and sounds this little creature was experiencing while Paul quietly and wonderfully captured the moment.

Paul has shot some truly wonderful pictures of Monarch butterfly's, but the one above is absolutely one of my favorite of his and no wonder - just look at it - it's absolutely stunning! The color, the lighting, the background and the wonderful little creature itself are just perfect! Why, the only thing that I don't like about this photo is the fact that I didn't shoot it myself. I can't help but get a little jealous when someone with the talent of Paul or Rick Karr captures such beauty. All-in-all, another wonderful picture and if you treasure, like I do, such delights then, by all means, do yourself a favor by visiting Paul's blog and his Flickr photo stream for a real visual treat. 

Thanks Paul.


And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, October 07, 2008

The Amazing iPhone's Amazing Sales

Sales of Apple's ground-breaking iPhone are off the charts and could easily sell some 80% higher than what some of the more bullish analysts have already been predicting, meaning that Apple should not only handily meet it's goal of selling some 10 million iPhones, but that it could actually end up selling an amazing 18 million iPhones - almost double Apple's original estimate! 

Andy Azaky, writing for SeekingAlpha points out that new iPhone sales projections are not only appearing to be drastically over the top, but, at the same time, are actually making fools out of several analysts that were foolish enough to predict much more bearish iPhone results.  

Of course, Apple itself hasn't actually posted any iPhone sales numbers as yet, that should come later this month at it's regular quarterly earnings results, but by using the iPhone's unique 15 digit number, International Mobile Equipment Identity, one that is assigned to every cell phone when it is manufactured, it has allowed one clever London-based investor to track and gauge, to a rather accurate degree, the actual number of iPhone's currently being sold! He did this by posting, on MacObserver, a request for iPhone purchasers to submit their IMEI's to the forum, and then, with a little help from others, they were able to gain some interesting and revealing light on the actual numbers of iPhone's being sold and, as Fortune reports,  it was indeed, ".... a bit of upbeat economic news to brighten a gloomy Monday." 

Now, whether that "bit of upbeat economic news" is enough to help Apple's battered and bruised stock is still another question entirely? Hopefully, it will, but with the worldwide economy still on the ropes, Apple's stock, like that of many other companies, has bee on a long and steep decline. Apple's market cap, as of this writing, was down to approximately some $80 billion dollars, which still a lot, mind you, but when compared to the $172 billion it was just a few short months ago, it's rather heartbreaking.  

Even though we still have to wait, till the end of the month, for Apple to officially releash the actual number of iPhone's sold, this super-smart effort in financial investigating is at least very good news to hear. Apple should, by all accounts, post record breaking quarterly profits for the past three months not only in the sales of iPhones, but also, as well, in the sales of iPods and Mac computers. Even though the last quarterly sales are expected to be significantly high, what investors, however, are still most likely to be interested in will be in Apple's sales going forward. This is especially so now, because of the credit crisis, many people are now beginning to fear for their jobs - their very lively hoods and this is bound to have some effect on many people, be they rich or poor, to some degree or another. Necessities, after all, tend to take precident over luxuries which Apple products are precieved to be. 

As nice as Apple's quarterly earnings should be, we can only hope and pray that the economy will improve to the point that consumer confidence will return to the point that Apple's upcoming quarterly profit results will be as good going forward as they have been in the recent past. This will depend, as much as anything, on the overall general economy, something that Apple has very little control of. 

For Apple, over the past few years, it has certainly been one hell of an amazing ride. It has been one of many up and downs, but, for the most part, it's been a fairly consistent smooth ride on the road of success for Apple. The question for Apple, as it is for many companies, will be how bumpy will be the road up ahead? This will depend on how govenments react, among other factors, to the current econominc realities, but despite all of the wide ranging doom and gloom on Wall Street, let's all hope and pray that, for Apple and everyone else, that the ride will continue to be as smooth and profitable as it has been in the past and the road of progress won't be coming to a dead end anytime soon? 

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, October 06, 2008 

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New MacBook Pro Photos - Real or Fake?

Well, it's October and, if recent rumors hold up, Apple, after what seems like eons and eons, will finally introduce all new MacBook Pro's. There has been much speculation as to what the new MacBook Pro's will look like and there has been no lack of photos, mostly, no doubt, Photo Shopped fakes, all claiming to be leak photos as seen above, via CultofMac. The expected date for the new machines is believed to be October 14th.

Personally, I really doubt the above photo. The dark track pad certainly doesn't look like the glass video track pad that many have been claiming is coming and that I been wanting big time! As MacSoda points out, the enclosed photo below is probably a much better candidate for being a real shot of the new MacBook Pro, but even that is a little doubtful as they also mentioned. At least this photo, which doesn't claim to be the new Pro, by the way, is from an advertisement for NViidia's new GeForce discrete GPU's, which some are also claiming the new Pro will feature. From what I can see, it certainly looks more like the current MacBook Pro, only this time with that track pad. Time will tell of course.

As I reported on earlier, I really like the 'next' Pro shot shown below. As you can see from the photo in my post, the glass video track pad has the dock running inside of it instead of on the desktop. I particularly like this, because it frees up more space on the desktop itself and gives, as far as I'm concerned, an added touch of class to an already sexy machine. The rounded corners and the aluminum body certainly seems to be in keeping with Apple's current designs too.

With all of the so called leaked shots of the upcoming MacBook Pro's, I am really getting curious as to what the actual design and specs are eventually going to be. Hopefully, Apple will include that large video glass track pad. There are several reasons as to why I think that would be a killer feature. One, is that it would further cement Apple's laptops as a trend setter, and two, as such, it would also be the first such glass video track pad ever on any machine, at least, as far as I know of, and it could prove to be a major selling point just because of it's uniqueness, let alone it's advanced functions?

Another big wish, for me anyway, would be the addition of more multi-touch capabilities in the next version of Apple's top-of-the-line laptop. Obviously, such a sophisticated video track pad could make real use of such technology. The ability to simply touch, move or rotate objects, would render the new MacBook Pro unequaled and head-over-heals above anything else on the market. From what I heard, the multi-touch glass video track pad would enable you to maximize movements across a large screen quickly and easily and all with just the minimum of movement from your fingers across the track pad's much smaller screen. No need to extend your arm and risk injuring your wrist! Also, by simply 'pinching,' as you now do on the iPhone, you could easily enlarge any area on the main screen, enabling you to work in much finer detail.

Another thing that I am really hoping for, in the MacBook Pro, would be for a much better and longer lasting battery. That is one of the main goals for any laptop maker, and I am hoping that if HP can make a laptop that can run for 24 hours straight, well, hopefully, Apple can also too? A quick, pop in/ pop out, removable battery would also be nice addition as well. No matter how sophisticated, how beautiful, or how many features a laptop may have, they are all of little use if you have to keep stopping to recharge your machine every time you turn around.

Apple's CFO, Peter Oppenheimer alluded to it and, hopefully, the new MacBook Pro's will have it - substantially lower prices! This is especially true in light of the present economy that we all find ourselves living in these days. If most people want it, but can't afford it, then it's obvious that most people are not going to buy it no matter how great it is, or how much they want it! When it comes to usability, features, power and raw sex appeal Apple has, in the past, always delivered in spades, but what Apple hasn't historically delivered was affordability. Times have changed and I can only hope that when it comes to pricing, Apple will change it's pricing accordingly and keep them much more in line with it's competition. Mind you, for the money, Apple has been doing a much better job as of lately, but a better job must they still do, especially if they wish to make even more head way with the likes of HP and Dell. Hopefully, this time around, they will delight us in this regard.

As Steve Jobs is famous in doing, let's all hope that there will be another one of those, "Just one more thing!" moments and that Apple will totally surprise us with something so new, so clever and so ingenious, that we never could have never even imagined it - something so new and different and completely unexpected that it will totally blow our proverbial socks off!

Come this October the 14th., hopefully we will see?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, October 03, 2008

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Will iTune's Survive Governmental Interference?

In the wonderful, but wacky, world of all things Apple, several interesting stories are developing revolving around iTunes, the world's number one deliverer of online music, movies, tv shows and music videos.

One of these developments has the tiny European nation of Norway pitting itself against the tech giant Apple, namely a Norwegian consumer agency is challenging Apple's use of DRM, saying that it discriminates against users of other mpeg players, since only Apple's iPod's can access the service.

According to Norwegian law, a rather nutty law if you ask me, anybody should be able to buy music from the iTune store and be able to play it on any other branded music player of their choice. This, to me, makes as much sense as saying that Ford owners should be able to have their car warranties honored at any dealer of their choice, be it from GM, Volvo, Volkswagen, or whom ever!  It would seem to me, that if Apple prevented owners of other music players, let's say Zune owners, from being able to buy Abba's hit, 'Take A Chance On Me', for example, well, then maybe the nutty Norwegian bureaucrats would have a case on their hands, but, as it is, they don't. The reason is simple: Zune and other music player owners still have access to that same Abba song elsewhere on other music stores such as eMusic, Amazon's or the Zune store and others!  

It isn't Apple that is discriminating here, it's the hypocritical Norwegians - why are they picking only on the iTune store? After all, come to think of it, other services such as the Zune store, Amazon and eMusic being the exceptions, don't  allow iPod users the choice of being able to buy music from their stores!  The Zune store, for example, only allows Zune owners to buy from it! So, why is it not ok that the minority, of other music players, can't access the iTune store, but it's perfectly ok that iPod owners, the majority by the way, can't access the Zune and other music stores? I rest my case, this isn't really a case about bureaucrats protecting consumers, but rather about protecting themselves, the dumb ass bureaucrats, by making them appear to be that they are protecting the public, in other words - protecting their image and thus their high paying jobs.

The really big and most interesting iTune story, however, revolves around the threat by Apple to completely kill off  iTunes if a federal panel decides to give digital music distributor's, such as iTune's and Amazon, etc., an order to increase music royalties to the stores various artists! Apple is saying that if it where to absorb the cost of any such increase, that they would be in a very tight spot - namely, that they would no longer be able to make a profit, and after all, isn't that the whole point of running a business in the first place?

As  BusinessWeek  reports, the governmental body is expected to keep the current rate at 9.1 per cent, but what if it doesn't? Would Apple actually make good on it's threat? Well, some think not for the simple reason that it's much too big and important to Apple,  dominating, as it does, some 85% of the market!  I"m sure that Microsoft and the other iTune competitor's would love it, even though the same increase would just as surely impact them. No doubt, if Apple ever killed off iTunes it would lead to even more people jumping into the game by offering newer offerings, but could they ever equal or surpass it?  Some how I doubt it. Personally, I have to agree, that the odds of Apple actually killing off iTunes, despite any rate change, is pretty small. But then again, this is Apple that we are talking about, so even though it would shock me if they did, it wouldn't actually surprise me if they did carry out their threat either.

The 99 cent download feature that Apple created with iTune's is definitely, in my humble opinion, by far and away the best feature of iTune's. I really enjoy the convenience of the whole iTune's experience, but  it is that low price that is so addicting! It's because 99 cents is such a small price to pay for all of the choice and ease of use that the iTune store offers. What's a buck anyway these days? Not much, and if the price where to increase then I know for certain that I personally would be buying far less music, a lot less, if the government where to force iTune's and others to raise the price.  Such higher pricing would only make people much more tempted to steal music more, via a peer-to-peer networks. Especially, in this economy, this would end up hurting the very artist's that the increase is supposed to help!

So, is the world's biggest and best online music store really going to shut down, or will it still be standing tall come this time next year? I honestly don't know the answer to that one, but I honestly sure hope so! iTune's has not only been a blessing for music consumers everywhere, but also a blessing for the music companies and the artist's themselves, even if they are much too greedy to realize it yet!  Since the iTune store is so crucial to the iPod and now the iPhone, I am betting that it will still be around for a long time to come, but if the federal agency responsible for such changes, approves these changes then it's going to end up hurting a lot more than the iTune music store, or the iPod/iPhone and Apple - it's going to end up hurting even more the millions and millions of iTune customers and, as well, in the process, all of the other online music stores, and most of all, the record companies and the very artist's that they represent!

In conclusion, I say : let the proposed changes die; let the iTune store live!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, October 02, 2008

Image: Apple

UPDATE: The iTune store will live on. Government denies rate increase as reported HERE!

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Apple: The Coolest of the Cool?

Apple is cool, two times over! Well, that is according to a major survey in Britain conducted by Cool Brands. In the top ten category Apple managed to pick up two spots, the second and third, among the top brands in Britain. 

The first place winner was once again Aston Martin, something that is attributed to, in part, because of the popularity of the James Bond movie series. In good company, Apple, once again, joins the ranks of companies such as Google, Rolex, Bang & Olufsen and according to Vnunet Apple is the "Coolest name in tech". 

Vnunet quotes CoolBrands committee chairman Stephen Cheliotis as saying:

""On the one hand we've got established brands making the cool list because of their heritage and status," 

"But we can also see the most modern and high-tech brands hitting the dizzy heights at the top of the CoolBrands list because they offer an avenue for escapism and fun as evidenced by YouTube or Nintendo.

"There is one unifying key to all of the brands that have consistently innovated, refused to stand still and are at the top of their game."

Of course, as Vnunet points out, it's not the first time that Apple has received such honors, and as the following survey shows, people are very, very satisfied over all with the performance and the ease of use of Apple's products, which of and by itself, has got to guarantee Apple as being cool.

Even though Apple has recently been plagued with all sorts of issue's with the iPhone G3, MobileMe and other issues, over all they haven't seemed to dampen Apple's reputation and it's products still remain as cool and as lust worthy as ever. 

Just one of the many reasons why Apple is so cool is because, as their old ads use to say, is that Apple dares to "Think Different" and as such, tends to go where other companies would never even contemplate of going. Who, for example, would have ever dared to think of taking a plain old, every day, beige computer and wrapping it up in bright see through colors, in a packaged shaped like something out of a modern art exhibit, as Apple did with the original iMac? Who would have thought to take a computer and wrap it in a super thin, extremely large monitor the way they have done with the current crop of iMac's and other such products?  Not many companies that's who.

Of course, as daring as some of Apple's current and past products have been, I have no doubt that up coming Apple products will be just as radical in design, if not more so, than anything that we have witnessed thus far. When it comes to taking risks like Apple has done in design, such as killing off it's most popular iPod's and replacing it with the Nano, no one has thus far demonstrated the courage that Apple has, and it's this radical thinking and the courage to act on it that has contributed to Apple's perception of being cool. It is for these and other reasons why I believe that Apple is not only worthy of being labeled among the coolest of the cool, but also why it should remain there, among the coolest brands, for yet a long time to come.

Soon, very soon, I expect Apple to introduce new MacBooks and desktops that will not only be deemed ultra cool, but could also possibly change the whole course of high tech more than anything Apple has done in the past. 

For that, I can't wait!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, October 01, 2008.

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