My Top 5 Favorite Apple Related Posts 4 the Past Week

It's Friday and that can mean only thing: It's time for my '5 Top Apple Related Stories 4 the Past Week.'

Today, as usually is the case, there are far too many stories from which to choice from, but from the hundreds of Apple related news stories and various tidbits, my first post of the week is, "Apple's unadvertised retail store price matching policy," from AppleInsider.com.

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has an unadvertised PRICE MATCHING POLICY effort underway, for this holiday season, to help ensure that Apple's products won't be undersold. All of Apple's retail staff have been quietly notified that they now have "the authority to match the prices of other authorized retailers."

This is not only a good move on Apple's part, but frankly, in these tight economic times a very necessary one. I hate to see Apple lose a sale to a customer just because another retailer has a lower price point which ends up in a customer going down the street to buy a PC. As far as I'm concerned, its not only bad because Apple could potentially lose a sale, but its even worse if a customer ends up buying an inferior PC simply for the lack of a little wiggle room on Apple's part. Oh, the frustration of it all!

My second favorite Apple related post of the past week comes from the fine folks over at Edible Apple.com for their article: "Why the iPhone doesn't need to compete with the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP."

They go on to point out that, as nice as they are, many simply don't believe that either the iPhone or the iPod Touch, will ever be good enough to be able to replace either the DS or PSP. As Edible Apple.com points out, such thinking is faulty, because, as they put it:

"But this misses the point entirely. What makes the iPhone as a gaming platform so exciting isn’t that it’s going to compete with Sony and Nintendo for the hardcore gamers, but rather that it appears to be opening up an entirely new market of gaming by appealing to the casual gamer. "

I agree. There are tons and tons of folks out there, myself included, that will never be hard-game enthusiasts. No, you can give those types their PSP's and DS's if they want them. For the rest of, and I think that is the majority, we will gladly take the iPhone, because, like myself, most people only play games casually as a way of killing some time, for example, while commuting to work on a bus or train, or while waiting in doctor's offices, hospitals, airports, or what have you? For us types, the casual gamer, both the iPhone and Touch are the perfect solution and thus don't need to compete directly with the PSP or DS - they are their own unique gaming platform, fulfilling a unique need!

Trust me on this one, as far as gaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch are concerned, we have barely seen the surface scratched. A lot more is coming, and as great as gaming currently is on Apple's devices, we truly haven't seen anything yet - because the best is yet to come!

iTwire's wacky story, "Going green with an onion powered iPod and a paper iPhone dock?", is my third favorite Apple related post for the past week, simply because I remember seeing an electric alarm clock once that was powered by the current generated by a big, fat and juicy potato that I thought was just so cool! However, never in my wildest imagination would I ever would have thought that I would read about onion powered iPod's or a paper iPhone dock!

Sadly, as iTwire points out, this story is just a hoax, but it's a good one. After all, with the rising concern for products to go "Green" and with energy prices being what they are, who couldn't resist the idea of an onion power iPod? If, for no other reason than being entertaining, this very short post is a good read. I'm sure, someone, somewhere, someday, will somehow figured out a wacky and nutty way to get more juice out of an iPod or iPhone from an unconvential source, but until then, well, we at least can all have some fun reading article's like iTwire's to amuse us in the meantime.

My fourth favorite top 5 Apple related post 4 from the past week is from Fortune for their post titled: "The Beatles and iTunes: A question of money?" Well, it's always about the money for goodness sake, everybody knows that! Actually, many different posts have commented on this story. It seems, according to this article, that the Beatles, unfortunately, won't be coming to iTune's this year after all.

What a big fat bummer that is!

Even though Paul McCartney said that he really wants to see the Beatles on iTunes and soon, there is just this one little sticking point - EMI, the Beatles music distributor. But, of course, what he is really saying, at least according to Fortune, is what Sir Paul really wants is just more money! But then again, don't we all? Just as we would all like to have more money, the sad fact of the matter is that the present world-wide economic crisis makes that all so the much more harder to achieve and justify, whether your just an ordinary bloke and citizen, like most of us are, or you just happen to be Sir Paul McCartney!

All-in-all, the Beatles, in the minds of many, are simply the greatest band of all time, and that having them on the world's greatest distributor of online music, iTunes, would be greatest thing ever. However, just whether we actually end up seeing it happen anytime soon, I honestly can't say? But one thing that I will say is that I believe it will eventually happen and most likely by this February or coming March. This is pure speculation on my part, but still, if the remaining Beatles - all two of them, wish to see any more money, then they are going to have to reach an agreement soon. After all, they are not exactly spring-chickens any more and something tells me that they realize that, so expect to see the Beatles on iTunes come early in the new year.

My fifth and final favorite Apple posting 4 the past week was for a post titled: "Apple Macs and Notebooks Remain Hottest Holiday Gift Ideas in 2008," from eWeek.com, who state:

"With the 2008 holiday shopping season here, consumers looking for that special gift are likely checking out the new Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro that hit the market earlier this year. The two new Apple MacBooks remain high on the list of must-haves this holiday season. For those interested in PCs, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Toshiba all have new notebooks ready for the 2008 holiday season as well. While laptops remain popular, there are still bargains out there for a solid home desktop PC."

With so much depressing economic news out there, I guess what I really like about this article is simply that its just so refreshing to read of some good news for a change - anything positive other than all of the gloom and doom that we have been getting lately.

I only hope that this type of upbeat news is something that we will be reading a lot more in the future. Not only about Apple, of course, but about the entire economy in general.

And there they are, though not an exhausted list, or even a perfect list, these are my 5 top Apple related posts from the past week that I though were interesting and thought provoking, and, hopefully, ones that you will enjoy as well?. So, for crying out turkey neck sandwich's, do yourself a favor and check out these posts for yourself.

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Friday, November 28, 2008

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New iPhone Flip Phone Photos!

The iPhone is a great phone and it's innovative styling, features and functions have inspired a wave of knockoffs not only from it's legitimate competitors such as Nokia, Samsung, RIMM and others, but also from a wave of Chinese counterfeiters - downright frauds that try to pass themselves off as the real McCoy. However, as a recent post from Gizmodo points out some of these fake Apple phones can actually one-up Apple as is the case with a clam-shell version seen above.

The Gizmodo writer seems to like this version, as do I, but I bet to venture that if Apple ever did make a flip-phone version, it would be arguablly better looking than this one. As you can see from the photo below, it's a not a bad looking rip off at all.  I suppose that the MacBook Air like look of aluminum is in keeping with the 'Apple look', but on the other hand, the keyboard layout seems to be lacking. For one thing, there's no real 'BlackBerry' style layout, one that would lend itself for emailing and what have you - but what do you expect from a fake anyway?

As Gizmodo points out, this phony iPhone Flip mobile can be all yours all for the incredible recession proof price of only $100 - a steal of a price for a phone that steals heavily off of Apple's real McCoy! Off course, what we don't know much about is the actual functionality of this phony phone, or it's durability. Somehow, I expect that the old rule of 'you-get-what-you-pay-for' applies here as well.

Personally, I might go for a genuine  iPhone Flip phone, but not this one. Still, I can't help but wonder if Apple could learn a thing or two from this and the many other counterfeit iPhone's coming out of China these days, or, for that matter, come to think of it, the flood of fake iPod's, many which simply try to pass themselves off as the real thing, while others at least try to improve on Apple's offerings by adding various features that the real Apple products lack, such as radios, voice recorders and what have you?

Anyway, you can catch more photos at Gizmodo, just click on their link above, or you can access them directly from this Chinese site, including this shot of the fake iPhone's back side. I don't know about you, but it looks a little fat to me.

In conclusion, I think that the chances of Apple ever borrowing any ideas from the numerous Chinese fake iPhones is pretty small, if not utterly nil. All we know for sure, is that when Apple does upgrade their iPhone with newer models and features, that you can count on the phony Chinese iPod and iPhone counterfeiters will have a field day, producing ever more iPhone fakes, with some, like the one featured here, being better than the others!

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, November 9, 2008

Counterfeit iPhone pics via: Gizmodo         

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Apple to Break Sales Record Despite Current Economic Crisis?

No one in their right mind can deny that we are now facing one of the worst economic outlooks in the past 50 or 100 years. Already, the current economic slowdown is affecting many people in many different sectors of the economy. Three of the big five investments banks are now history; AIG, Citi-Bank and the big three auto manufacturers are all hanging by the skin of their teeth. Retailing, in particular, has been especially hard hit with Circuit City recently, as you probably already know, filing for bankruptcy. 

As terrible as all this surely is, there is apparently one exception: Apple! Yes, its hard to believe, but so far Apple seems to be doing just fine, thank you very much! Apple's 250 stores, for the most part, are jammed packed these days, something that is in stark contrast to the almost empty stores standing nearby. With almost half of Apple's 32,000 employees focussed in retail, the Apple store has been very successful thus far, but one has to ask, given the current economic crisis, can the Apple and the Apple Store continue on it's winning path?

LowEndMac.com posted an article today called, "Apple Retail Will Break Records This Christmas".  But in all seriousness,  can Apple really do that, do what most retailers can only dream of doing this season - break sales records? I don't know, no human can, but going through LowEndMac's article I am not only hoping that it can, but I am beginning to think that they just might do just that - actually break sales records! 

Apple isn't stupid, of course, which is why, as LowEndMac pointed out, they won't be opening up too many more stores for now, they will instead wisely wait for the economy to improve before doing that. After all, with virtually no debt and close to 25 billion dollars in cash reserves, Apple is a much better position to ride out any economic down turn far better than most companies  - period, let alone those in the rest of the PC business.

Even if Apple does break sales records this year, one has to ponder and ask the question: how much bigger and how better would any record sales numbers be if we were not in such uncertain economic times? That question would be very hard to calculate, of course, but just maintaining one's current sales, I would think, would count as a great achievement, let alone actually going on to break them.

If anyone can be expected, however, to actually grow and beat sales records it would have to be Apple. This is one company that is firing on all cylinders and if Apple is ever does get clobbered by the economic downturn, well, then I really hate to see how the rest of the industry goes. 

So far, as tracked by the various analysts and marketing firms, Apple growth rate is indeed down, but it's still up, over all, for the year and Apple should do far better than any of their PC counter parts. That is something that many other companies, unfortunately, won't be able to claim this year. The sad fact is that many companies simply won't be around come this time next year, as many of them will simply be forced out of bussiness and be no more! That is the sad reality of the very sad economic times that we all find ourselves in these days. I only wish I could report otherwise.

Yes, as far as Apple is concerned, it should easily survive this year, but the big question will be next year, and then, the year after that. Many great companies, ones that were a lot bigger and around for a lot longer than Apple, are simply no more! I'm not predicting that Apple will be going out of business anytime soon, but regardless of whether Apple breaks sales records or not, one thing remains crystal clear - everyone, Apple included, is going to have a significantly harder time not only in breaking sales records, but to even survive! Such is the reality of today's world-wide economic crisis. We can only hope that things will change and, hopefully, very soon.

However, in the mean time, as far as the question of whether Apple and the Apple Store can continue it's winning ways, or not, well, all I got to say is:  that if anyone can survive and actually go on to break sales records in this depressing economic climate - its got to be Apple, and that is a lot more than can be said for most other companies out there!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, November 26, 2008 

Apple Store Fifth Avenue pic:  Apple.com

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Is a Totally DRM-FREE iTunes Just Around the Corner?

Apple's iTune store is by far the largest distributor of music in the U.S., be it in digital downloads or be in the traditional brick-n-mortar stores.

However, its been increasingly frustrating that Apple also seems to be in a long-standing war with three of the four major music companies that have denied it the right to distribute their wares in the DRM-Free format. In their attempt to make iTunes over in their image, Warner Music, Universal and Sony's BMG, have all repeatedly denied what Apple has long sought to provide it's millions of patorns - DRM free music.

But could it now be possible that an all DRM-Free iTunes store is just around the corner as some recent reports are suggesting?

As it is now, all three music companies have hypocritical allowed other digital providers, such as Amazon and others, the right to distribute their music without DRM protection, but not Apple's iTune's. The the one exception being EMI. So why not Apple's iTune store? Simple: the remaining three music companies wanted to break Apple's seemingly unbreakable strangle hold on the digital download business, and thus allowing them to dictate iTune's prices and distribution policies.

By giving iTune's competitor's DRM-Free advantages, the three big music companies all hoped that customers would flock instead to Apple's competitors and thereby force Apple to raise their prices, thus removing one of iTune's biggest advantages. This, naturally, would have been, or so they thought, very, very good for the music companies bottom lines. On the other hand, it would have been anything but good for Apple's iTune store and it's legends of customers.

I agree with Apple, that such a dramatic increase in iTune's prices, through it's popular distribution model, which allows it's patrons to be able to buy, in addition to whole albums, singles at 99 cents a pop, would have been a bad move, and a move that would have only encouraged people to resort to buying, or should I say - steal their music by reverting to illegal downloading, something that Apple's low priced, easy-to-use, iTune store has helped to combat and lessen.

In other words, if the big three remaining music companies where hoping to shore up their dwindling bottom lines, then they are going about it the wrong way! They would have only ended losing additional sales to music pirating, something that surely couldn't be good either for them, iTunes and, most importantly, for us, the consumers of their music.

However, as I have stated, there are increasingly strong rumors that the long-standing war between Apple and the big three music companies may be finally coming to an end. Let's hope so. As some astute observers have pointed out, and as Distorted-Loop.com reported:

"Overnight sundry spies have spotted tracks from the three hold-out majors popping up in the ‘Upgrade My Library’ section of iTunes, where users can upgrade their purchases from DRM’d to DRM-free tracks.

For example, Rakim’s rather special ‘The 18th Letter/The Book of Life’ is currently available to upgrade to iTunes Plus. The major label behind this release is, of course, Universal.

iTunes Plus was introduced in April 2007 with DRM-free tracks from EMI. The catalogue later grew to include music from many independent labels. While songs cost slightly more, they ship in higher-quality 256k bitrates. You can upgrade existing purchases for 20-pence."

Well, there you go, just possibly, and very soon now, Apple will be announcing an agreement with the remaining three biggies of music that they will be joining EMI and the independent music companies in allowing the world's biggest and best download service to finally offer their millions and millions of customers the very same rights and benefits that it's competitors have unfairly, if you ask me, been granted now for some time.

The excuse that DRM removal would be have been a threat to the music companies is pure and utter bunk! After all, EMI didn't seem to suffer too much by allowing DRM-Free music on iTune's, nor the three big music companies themselves with their own DRM-Free offerings that they gave to iTune's competitors.

My hat off to EMI for being the first company with the guts and brains to recognize that DRM-Free music, through iTune's, was anything but a threat, but rather it was a very smart business move on their part and not only did it greatly enhanced their bottom line, but it also enhanced both the iTune store and it's thankful and appreciative customers.

EMI's move was courageous and it proved to be a win-win situation for all involved. Hopefully, this will also be the case for the other three remaining holdouts, if indeed the rumors turn out to be true?

Let's hope so, and that all of this speculation is anything but, and will prove to be true and that we shall soon see, indeed, a level playing field, and one that will benefit all concerned: the music companies, iTunes and we the music lovers the world over!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, November 25, 2008

iTune's Plus pic via: Distorted-Loop.com

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Steve Wozniak: A Video Look at the Woz

Most people in this modern, stressed-out, high-pressured and wacky world probably have heard of Apple's two famous Steve's, or as I like to call them: Big and Little Steve. Since Steve Jobs gets the biggest press coverage, he's naturally the Big Steve. The Little Steve, of course, is non other than Steve Wozniak.

Steve Jobs might have been the mastermind, the business wiz kid, behind Apple's success, but it was Steve Wozniak, on the other hand, who was the real technical brains behind Apple. He, more than anyone else, was responsible for Apple's early success due to his Apple I computer board, and much more importantly, his Apple II line of computers. It was, in the early Apple days, the initial driving force behind Apple, making possible, in the process, what Apple has become today.

That success, or more importantly, the money that it brought in, by the buckets full, was what enabled Apple to go on and do bigger and better things, such as creating the world famous Macintosh line of computers. This was the computer that forever changed not only the face of computers every where, but also, indeed, the entire world - the way in which it worked and played. It doesn't matter what platform you use or prefer, the Mac's influence can be see and felt in numerous ways, and all, in part, because of Woz's initial engineering talent at Apple.

Steve Gary Wozniak, was born in the Californian city of San Jose, of Polish background, in 1950 and was one of the three founders of Apple Computer. The other two were the famous Steve Jobs and the little known Ronald Wayne, who left Apple shortly after he helped to create it.

So, in todays posting, what I would like to do is to take a closer look at Steve Wozniak - YouTube style. Here are several videos of Steve, who is also known as Woz, The Woz and the Wonder of Woz. In the first video, which you can click on and view at the beginning of this post, is of a video interview with Steve on the program, 'On the Hour'.

Our second video, shown below, featuring Steve as he talks about the Pirates of Silicon Valley, a movie that highlighted the history of the rise of Steve Jobs and Bill Gates and, of course, their respected companies, Apple and Microsoft.,

Here, one of my favorite tech people, Leo Laporte, conducts a video interview with the Woz:

The next video shows Steve as he discuses his game of Breakout. Now that game takes me back.......way back!

Here, again below, we find a much younger Steve Wozniak being interviewed way back in 1984:

The Woz is more than an engineer, of course, he's many things, including that of being an author. In the next video, we see the Woz talking about his book aptly named: iWow. Enjoy:

Our next video is an animated video featuring the Woz as the Commander of the Future!

Here, in our next YouTube video, Steve gives his own unique view of the history of Apple computer:

No doubt about it, Woz boy, Steve Wozniak, is a fascinating character no matter how you wish to look at him. An engineer, a co-founder of one of the world's largest computer and most successful electronic companies, an author, lecturer, educator, and a celebrity in his own right, Little Steve was, and still is, the most approachable of the two Steve's. Technically, he's still an employee of Apple Inc., but it's more of an honorary position, as he rarely sets foot in the place these days, let alone actually do any real work or involved in anyway in the operation of the company.

So, in closing, I would like to thank the Little Steve for all of his Big contributions to Apple's glorious past, and to point out that you may also access online, the following Woz videos:

Why Apple founders got 'fired up,' BBC Click's recent Interview

An Evening with Steve Wozniak

Steve Wozniak Speaking Live At UC Berkely

Forbes Inteview

iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It

And, before I forget, be sure to also check out Woz's own personal site: Woz.org

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, November 24, 2008

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http://www.woz.org/

My Top 5 Apple Posts-4- the Past Week

Well, it's another Friday and its time for another one of my "Top 5 Favorite Apple Posts 4 the Past Week". I love doing these top 5, except that I really hate choosing from so many different Apple related articles - there's just so many great ones out there! 

Well, a guy's got to start somewhere, so my first top 5 Apple related post comes from AP Technology Writer, Rachel Metz for her article, "Review:  New BlackBerrys cool but can't beat iPhone". 

Rachel mentions in her post that the new BlackBerry Storm couldn't have come a moment too soon. After all, in a matter of no time, the iPhone has come from out of nowhere to become a very formable threat to BlackBerry's domination of the smart phone market.  As she points out, Apple recently has sold some 6.9 million iPhone's as compared to BlackBerry's 6.1 million in the last quarter and they had to do something  - and the Storm was the result. In other words, if it wasn't for the iPhone, the Storm would probably have never had seen the light of day, as would many other phones out there such as the Samsung Instinct!

Regarding the newest member of the BlackBerry family, Rachel writes:

"But while RIM's latest offerings are packed with features like stereo Bluetooth, standard headphone jacks, video recording, multiple e-mail options and, in the case of the Storm, a unique touch screen, the multifront attack may not be enough to unseat the mighty iPhone.

BlackBerry Storm: Set to be released Friday through Verizon Wireless, the much-anticipated Storm -- RIM's first touch-screen smart phone -- has slick looks and tons of features. But while the device gets some things right, a number of issues make it difficult to use."

I agree with Rachel, the BlackBerry Storm looks to be a great phone with some great features, especially it's innovative 'Sure Touch' technology that gives it's multi-touch screen more of a real keyboard type of feel. But still, compared to the iPhone,I still feel that neither the Storm or any other smart phone, for that matter, still quite measures up to Apple's offering. Apple set the standards for smartphones with the iPhone and the Storm and the rest, for the most part, are just desperately trying hard to copy it. They may add a little something here, or add a little something there, but in the end, they all seem to come up short including the new Storm. Mind you, these latest offerings from RIMM and others are great phones, but still they are just following the leader, Apple and it's amazing and trend setting device.

It's a great read, so if your interested in either the iPhone or the Storm, then I definitely recommend that you check it out by clicking on her post found  here.  

My second top 5 favorite Apple related post comes from InfoWorld's Tom Yager, who's titled article, "Test Center review: MacBook Pro is built to last". In it he states: 

"Apple has done a complete and meaningful redesign of its top-selling commercial notebook, the MacBook Pro, for durability, serviceability, energy efficiency, and eco-consciousness. A one-piece, rigid, machined aluminum frame ("unibody") forms the MacBook Pro's internal structure, a design feature it shares with the new aluminum MacBook and MacBook Air. As with the MacBook Air, the clamshell laptop that upended the thin-and-light PC notebook market, Apple made some marvelously unorthodox design decisions for the MacBook Pro."

Tom also goes on to state that he prefers the older MacBook Pro's backlit keyboard to the newer one, which leaks light under the keys as opposed to the older one which manages to only illuminated the individual letters. I don't know, however, because even though I liked the older illuminated keyboard, I still think that I rather much rather prefer the newer one. I don't know why, I just know that I do. 

All-in-all, a great article and one that this link will conveniently take you to.

My third top 5 Apple related post 4 the past week comes to us from Ars Technica for their article," Apple customer service gets highest marks among callers," written by Justin Berkin who says:

"When it comes to customer service satisfaction, Apple can normally be found towards the top of the list. The company seems to be holding on to its spot thanks to a recent survey conducted by a company  Vocal Laboratories (or VocaLabs). As pointed out by the Consumerist, Apple received Top Marks ,

Personally, I have always found Apple to be top-notched when ever I had dealings with them. I'm not alone, as countless articles from various sources have have also pointed the same thing out. This has mostly been the case with Apple's customer service in the past, and, as well, presently. God only knows, of course, whether this will continue to be the case, but I expect it to continue to remain true in the future as well. You can read Justin's short, but excellent post here. 

My fourth top five 5 post comes from Forbes's Brain Caulfield, who's article, "Snow Leopard endangers Vista," goes on to illustrate some pretty amazing statistics, statistics where Brian shows how the Mac is making some serious inroads into Windows once unassailable turf. Brain points out that Apple has grabbed some 20.1 percent of the U.S. retail market in October and how Apple is on track to sell between 2.4 and 2.7 million Macintosh computers for the quarter ending this December, up by some 13 percent from the year-ago period, and all of this in spite of the financial crisis that is now plaguing the world!

This is another short post, but again, its a great one, so check it out for yourself here. 

Finally, my fifth top five Apple related story for the past week is, "Why developers prefer Macs" by Peter Wayner, writing for InfoWorld. Peter starts his post:

"When Terry Weaver wants to create .Net applications, he fires up Visual Studio and types away like any other .Net programmer. The setup gets a bit weird when he wants to test how the .Net application might appear to a Mac user visiting the Web site. Instead of starting up another machine, asking a colleague with a Mac, or simply ignoring those crazy followers of Steve Jobs, Weaver just pops over to the browser in another window. That's easy because Visual Studio is running on Windows inside a Parallels virtual machine, which, in turn, runs on his Mac. He has a PC, a Mac, and a Unix development box all in one."

Peter points out there are many more similar stories like this out there and he illustrates some of the many reasons why developers really love and prefer the Mac as their main computer of choice. One of these, Peter points out, is the explosion of interest in smartphones. He points out that X marks the spot, simply because OS X has made it so easy, with its SDK, for developers to experiment in writing iPhone apps.

Personally, I think that the old human need to want to be seen as sophisticated, sleek, modern, sexy and popular probably has has a lot to do with it too. Not only for developers, but for the rest of us as well! After all, Apple's OS X based Mac, iPhone and the iPod exhibit all of the above traits and its only natural to see why the Mac and Apple's other products helps to enhance that image. 

So, if you want to know more on why developers prefer Macs, then you all know the drill - just click here!  

So, until next Friday and my next Top 5 Apple related posts 4 the week:  work hard, play harder and, for goodness sake - be safe while doing so!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, November 21, 2008 

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Psystar vs Apple, Round One: Apple Kicks Serious Butt!

Self appointed Mac cloner Psystar may be little, but, apparently, they are very big in the brave and fearless department. Or, rather is that suicidal?

After all, when your the little guy, it takes either one or the other when you decide to take on one of the world's largest corporations as they have done with Apple Inc. Psystar, as you may remember, is the little Florida based company that decided that they would boldly manufacture and sell Mac OS X clones - all on their own!

They claim that they are simply giving people the 'right' of having more choice by making and selling the fastest OS X machines that money can buy, for the lowest prices in town!

Too bad they didn't bother to tell Apple, or ask them for a license to do so in the first place.

So, it was no surprise when Apple, after taking what seemed like an eternity, finally decided to let the other shoe drop by going after Psystar with a legal vengeance. Apple claimed that Psystar violated Apple's user agreement, patents and copyrights and ordered Psystar to cease and desist immediately! Psystar did the opposite, however, and even went to court to counter-claim that it was Apple, not themselves, that were in violation of the law - the antitrust law that prohibited the creation of a monopoly!

Well, the nerve of those guys! How dare they, thought Apple who fought back by asking the courts to dismiss all of Psystar's antitrust arguments, that claimed that Apple was acting like an illegal monopoly.

Both Psystar and Apple have a lot riding on the out come of this case and, as it looks to me, well, it isn't looking too pretty for Psystar, no sire, not pretty at all. In round one, Apple's big boot kicked Psystar's little butt and it kicked it hard after U.S. District Judge Williams Alsup ruled against Psystar claims, stating that they failed to, "allege facts plausibly supporting the counter intuitive claim that Apple's operating system is so unique that it suffers no actual or potential competitors," with the judge also adding that Apple's huge extensive series of advertising campaigns were proof that was "..... a sign of competition, not a lack thereof."

Psystar's only hope now is to come up with a defense against Apple's original claims that it's OS X license can be strictly limited for use only on original Apple equipment, and that Apple's claims that no one has the right to use or install it's software on equipment other than it's own, is indeed monopolistic.

For Psystar that will be a tall order, especially considering that they have only the next 20 days in which to change the judge's mind! But just how likely are they to be able to actually convince the judge to do just that - nullify Apple's OS X software user agreement? Well, I guess I could always win the lottery jackpot, but as with the lottery jackpot, I wouldn't exactly want to hold my breath on that one. And nor should Psystar or anyone else that was hoping that they would win this case! For me, the merits were clear from the very beginning - Psystar was totally wrong in assuming that they could just take and do what ever they wanted, willy-nilly style, with somebody's else's intellectual property.

It was greed, pure and simple, on Psystar's part. It was not because they were trying to protect people's software rights, namely that people have the right to do what ever they want with whatever they pay for. Just because you pay for something doesn't mean you the right to do what ever you please with it. For example: just because I legally pay for a car, it doesn't exactly mean that I have the right to drive it at any speed I like, anywhere I like, or however I feel like - like on the wrong lane for instance! So it is with software. You don't pay for the software or actually own it, just the right to use it under the terms and conditions of it's licensing agreement - it's EULA! Of course, you also pay for the media that it stored and distributed on, but nothing more!

No, Psystar didn't have the moral, let alone, the legal right to do what they did. It's plain and simple for even a simple-minded person like little old me to see. And yes, Apple owns their software, not the user, and they have the right to set the terms and conditions for it's use, not Psystar or anyone else!

I hate to see a company get clobbered, but in Psystar's case they plainly deserve to get what's coming to them. People who think that software is their natural born right to use any old way the want, be it obtained by freely downloading it via P2P networks, or whether they obtain it legally by paying for it, are just wrong, plain and simple! Just as a car rental company has the right to limit and dictate to it's users how, when and where, their customers can use their cars, so does Apple and other software providers have the right to dictate how their software is used and governed as stated in their respective EULA's.

Psystar likes to appear like they are sticking up for all us little guys, by protecting our rights to have whatever we want, whenever we want, no matter what, and all in the guise of freedom of choice. Nothing could be further from the truth! What they are actually doing is sticking up for their little company, and what they see as their right to make a profit on somebody's else's hard work, as with Apple.

Even though I am neither a judge, lawyer or a prophet, at least from where I stand, I wouldn't be surprised if the last words we hear in this case will be something along the lines of:

"Psystar 2008-2009 RIP!"

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, November 20, 2008

Open Computer Image: Psystar

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Google's Voice Search: Is This the Next Killer App?

Apple's iPhone is a nifty little rid. You can browse the world-wide web, play games, send and receive email, make calls and do many other useful things, and now thanks to Apple's connections with Google, the iPhone may now have the biggest killer app of them all - Google's Voice Search.

When it was learned, several days ago, that Google Voice Search was coming to the iPhone, people actually expected it to arrive immediately. However, when it didn't arrive for 3 or so days, there was much speculation as to why, and some even feared and speculated that Apple may have been even foolish enough to ban it. After all, it has already banned several other cool apps. Any fears that people may have banned it, however, has thankfully been proven to be unfounded as Google's latest and greatest has finally made it's way into the App Store.

Google's Voice Search does basically what it's name implies  -  search's Google by simply talking into the phone! Wow, I must say that if your a lazy person (like me) or if you just hate to type, can't type well, or maybe you can't type a word to save your life - then this app is definitely for you!

And so far, judging from the reaction of many who have tried Google's Voice Search  - it's a winner!  The Inquirer even went so far as to report that it could very well be the iPhone's "Killer App"!  Indeed, it may, and after watching Google's demo of the app in action, it looks to me to be absolutely amazing, as you can judge for yourself by clicking on the YouTube video above.

CNet's iPhone Atlas  says:

"In initial testing, the feature works surprisingly well, easily recognizing simple, single words like “animals” and “cookies,” and even complex phrases like “what is my dog thinking” (don’t ask). In fact, despite our skepticism, this feature might actually be faster than the iPhone’s onscreen keyboard for complex phrases. Add to this well-oiled functionality the fact that search results are displayed in an iPhone-optimized format, and the app’s access to other time-saving features, Google’s iPhone offering may have actually become useful."

And according the web site, ReadWriteWeb:  

"This new capability takes the Google Mobile App for the iPhone from a rather bland search application to a whole new level. Now, you can just say something like "sushi in Portland" or "movie showtimes" and the application will return a highly relevant set of results. In order to be useful, voice recognition has to be extremely accurate, and here, the new Google Mobile App delivers.

The app also makes use of the iPhone's built-in GPS and always returns local results together with the standard Google search results whenever these could be relevant. For us, this worked especially well when we searched for restaurants or stores.

Surprisingly, the app also did quite well when we search for relatively complex addresses, though it didn't automatically take us to Google Maps, which would have been really nice."

As if the iPhone wasn't already an amazing device, then along comes this amazing application from one of the most amazing and innovative companies out there and el-presto - the iPhone suddenly becomes just as amazing as any Star Trek type Communicator that you'll find out there anywhere in the whole galaxy! But, that's not all, because as amazing as all this sounds, this is only the beginning! Trust me on this one, not only will Google's Voice Search evolved into a much better product over time, it will also inspire many other apps to do the same and become "Voice Ativated" as well!  

After all, if you can search Google via voice command, then you should also certainly be able to do a host of other voice activated things, via a host of other voice activated apps, such as using a voice activated calculator, a voice activated web and email reader, or a voice activated language translator.  In fact, voice activated programs are only limited, as they say, to the human imagination, which, as we all know, is virtually unlimited in it's scope and breath!

Yes, as amazing as Google's Voice Search is, the really amazing thing is that this is only the beginning. Google's Voice Search isn't perfect, but it's off to a flying start and it's accuracy and it's sophistication are bound to improve even further, and no doubt, a lot sooner than you or I can blink the old proverbial eye.

For the time being, Google's Voice Search is limited to the iPhone, but you can bet your last pair of woolly long John's, that Google will be adding it to their Android platform shortly, and maybe, who knows, even add it to Windows Mobile and Symbian based phone platforms as well?

So, could Google's Voice Search for the iPhone actually become it's "killer App"? 

Well, I suppose maybe if it remains limited to the iPhone then it  just might be. However, as I have already stated, we should reasonably expect that it will, at least with Android based platform, be ported over, which would 'kill the iPhone 'killer' part,  if you ask me.

But remember, the really important thing is this:  Google Voice Search is just the first voice activated phone application for the iPhone, and I assure you that  - it certainly won't be the last! You can expect a lot more voice activated, or voice recognition, applications will be forth coming to the iPhone from this point further and in ever increasing numbers and sophistication.

And you can quote me on that!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

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The Strange Apple: Growing Apple Logos On Apples!

Since I'm not able to do a regular posting today, I will at least like to take the time to comment on an interesting post in yesterdays TechEblog. The post is about a Japanese Apple fan who likes to grow Apples on his apples! 

Yes, you read that  right - he loves to grow apples on his apple's! But how do you do that, you say? Well, apparently, by simply blocking sunlight from certain parts of an apple, while it's still in it's growing faze, it will leave it's mark in the shape of what ever is blocking it when it fully ripens! 

Thats correct, my faithful two or three readers, why this cleaver Apple fan actually went to the time and the trouble of blocking parts of his still growing apples with special stickers - specifically, stickers of Apple and iPod logos, as you can see from the photo above!  Who would have thunked such a thing? Not little old me, that's who.

So, what's my take, or should I say, what's my 2 cents on the whole thing? Well, for starters, I sincerely think that there's one Japanese fellow out there with probably a little too much time on his hands. That said, I also have to confess that it's pretty cool looking too, if not down right apple-bubbly-delicious. 

By the way, if you like the above photo and you want more, well partner your in luck - TechEblog has several more interesting photos of these not so ordinary apples that you can easily bite into by clicking here .

So hats off to TechEblog for for pointing out this peachy little apple story. I must also say, that as much as I love most everything Apple related, I still sincerely doubt if I would ever go to the extreme of branding my apples with apples, but hey, when you don't have the time to do a regular post, why these cute little Apple branded tidbits sure come in handy!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, November 18, 2008 

Photo via TechEblog  

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Blast-from-the-Past: The Apple II

On June 4, 1977, one of the most famous and one of the biggest selling personal computers of all time, the Apple II, went on sale for the very first time.

Even though other personal computers were on the market before the Apple II, they were mostly kits, computers that you had to put together yourself, kits that took a lot of tech knowledge and hand holding to be able to use. The Apple II, many people felt, was different - it was the very first one that you could actually use straight out of the box - the world's first user freindly machine, and as such I have made it my, 'Blast-From-the-Day' feature for today.

The Apple II was a vast improvement over it's predecessor, the Apple I, as it included color video output, eight internal expansion slots and a built-in keyboard, a rarity at the time. It used the BASIC programing language as it's OS and it's expansion slots easily allowed it's users to expand the computers capabilities with various cards, either from Apple or from others, which enabled memory expansion, the addition of floppy disk controllers, PASCAL, CP/M emulator cards, parallel, serial, SCSI and, as well, processor accelerators cards and what have you.

Originally, as stated, the Apple II came with it's operating system in BASIC and burned onto a ROM chip, but later Apple DOS was added to support the diskette drive. This was later replaced by Apple ProDOS which allowed the Apple II to support a hierarchical filesystem and much larger storage devices. 

The first real spreadsheet, VIsiCalc, greatly helped the Apple II's popularity to sky-rocket. That popularity continued throughout the 80's and the 90's and it quickly became the de-facto standard computer used in American education. In fact, many of these machines are still operational in some schools even today.

The Apple II series of computers eventually grew into a family line which included the following models:

- The Apple II
- Apple II Plus
- Apple II Europlus and J-Plus
- Apple IIe
- Apple IIc
- Apple IIGS
- Apple IIc Plus

Along with the Commodore Pet, the Radio Shack TRS-80, the Apple II was among the earliest personal computer to achieve mass market appeal and I remember the very first time that I ever seen one up close and personal. I had a Commodore Pet, my pride and joy, at the time, and I thought that it was absolutely the pinnacle of technology. I couldn't imagine how anyone could create a computer better or more versatile than the PET - that was until I came across the Apple II that is! 

It was in a Radio Shack store of all places! No, they weren't selling the Apple II along side their lack-luster TRS-80, but my friend, the young manager of the store, had personally bought one and he would daily bring it to the store to use at every opportunity that he could get. How he could sell the TRS-80 in the front of the store, while gushing and gloating over his Apple II in the back of the store, is something that I never could quite figure out or understand.

I remember how passionately in love with the machine he was, and how it showed on his face each and every time he demonstrated it's amazing capabilities. His demos, I assure you, resulted in any pride or arrogance that I might have had for my Commodore Pet in quickly flying out the window! I was stunned on how his Apple II put my once invincible PET to shame! I will never forget the humbling experience. His exuberance for the machine was probably just as impressive as the machine itself. Somehow, ever since then I felt cheated each and every time I booted up my Commodore Pet, as his Apple II made my Pet look so old, so antiquated, and it's superiority in both hardware and software made me and my machine feel, well, oh, so, so inferior.

Now-a-days, of course, the Apple II is a relic, totally underpowered and next to useless as compared to the powerful computers running Windows, OS X and the Linux platforms that we have today. Yet, along with my Pet, the TRS-80 and many of the other earlier personal computers, I must say that looking back on that era, the Apple II era, I do so with a sense of wonder and longing. Personal computers, like the times, were so much simpler then. They were new and they were a rarity that left people with with a sense of wonder, something that the newer machines of today just quite don't seem to do, even though they are so much more wonderful in every sense of the word then either the Apple II or the others were. 

It was the times, not so much the machines themselves, I guess? 

The Apple II, of course, was and still is a great computer. Many Apple II's are still being used out there, doing what they have always done - entertaining and fascinating their owners. I never did buy an Apple II as the Macintosh and it's big sister, Lisa, replaced any interest that I may have had for the Apple II. 

However, whenever I look back at the Apple II and those early days, a time when the Apple II was the king of personal computers, I can't help but feel that, even though most of these computers have all been relegated to the history books, they still had something special, something that todays computers lack. This could all be due to the fact that personal computers were in their infancy and because they were simply so new, so mystifying and so utterly different from any other device or appliance that ever went before. 

However, one thing that I do know is that even though the Apple II has also been relegated to the history books, it, unlike most of those other now mostly forgotten machines, will still remain one of the few machines that will continue to have a warm and special spot in my heart and memory, as my reflections of it also brings back long forgotten memories from my youth and of those much simpler times - the very beginning of the personal computer era, an era that the Apple II helped to advanced and pioneered.

Those times are now sadly gone forever and are now nothing more than mere memories in the pages of history.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, November 17, 2008 

Apple II imagines: OldComputers.net  



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My Top 5 Apple Posts of the Past Week

It's Friday and time for my second, 'Top 5 Apple Posts of the Past Week' feature. 

My first top pick for the past week is a post called, "15 reasons Macs are still better than Windows". This is a great post that highlights some pretty sound reasons as to why, including these five:

1 - Reliable sleep mode. I have personally wowed several Windows users with this feature, one that I now couldn't live without. This is one feature that I use a lot and I too think that it makes for a very compelling reason for anyone considering a Mac. No wonder why they say it's a ".....killer feature of every Mac which can't be underestimated."

2 - Extremely fast boot times. Enough said.

  
3 - Apple uses good quality parts. What can I say, " you get what you pay for!"

4 - Less blinking lights. A biggy in my book.

5 - OS X + Windows is better than just Windows. This is one of the biggest advantages of owning a Mac - you can, if you wish, have the whole cake and eat it too! With a Mac, it means you never have to feel left out or left behind, because not only can you enjoy all of the benefits of the OS X platform and not only all of the benefits of the Windows platform, but also all of the benefits of the Linux platform as well!

Of course, APC has ten more solid reasons as to why buying a Mac is still a far better deal then buying a cheaper, but less capable computer which you can discover for yourself by clicking on their link above.

My second top Apple related post comes from Tech Crunch. In their post they speculate that Apple may be possibly working on creating their own search engine that would compete directly with Google and Yahoo. And why not? After all, Google is competing with the iPhone with their Android initiative, so tit-for-tat I say. 

Another reason, naturally, would be that search engines, at least Google's, is a proven money maker. Despite the fact that Apple has one of the largest bank accounts in the entire world, as we all know, you can never have enough money in the bank, now can you?

Seriously, as great as Google's search engine is, I think it would be better if there were even more alternatives to Google or Yahoo out there. Some people are speculating that one good use of Apple's mountains of cash would be if Apple simply bought out Yahoo, especially since Microsoft claims that they are no longer interested in buying it themselves.

 I would just love to see what would happen and what Microsoft's reaction would be if Apple ever did go after Yahoo? No doubt about it, if you ask me, I think that Microsoft would jump back into the game and we would see a fierce bidding war as a result.  That would be great for Yahoo stock holders, naturally, but not so good for either Microsoft or for Apple. In other words - it probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.

My third favorite top Apple related post is one by one of the absolutely best sites (if you ask me) on the web, Engadget. Their post is about Sparky, the amazing Mac Mini robot. In their post they say, "When robot builders try to put a human face on their creations, the results usually range between mildly creepy and downright disturbing." Personally, I say Sparky is frankly damn cute. Of course that's probably because I don't have Sparky following me around, watching my every move. Now that would be a little creepy, now that I think of it. 

However, if you want to find out more about Sparky the robot and you would like to view the YouTube video link of the little fellow, then, by all means, click on Engadget's link above.

And now onto number four of my favorite Apple posts for the past week. Number four is a post titled: "How Apple has affected the music industry"  by The Daily Barometer. 

This is a short post, but a good one. Apple, as the post says, has become the backbone of the music industry, which depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on, is either a good thing or a bad thing. 

No one, however, can doubt or argue the fact that Apple now casts a pretty big shadow on the world of music and entertainment as a whole. The reasons, of course, is the iPod and the iTune's commanding market share. Apple's market clout is now so enormous that it makes it very hard for even some of the biggest company's in the world, including even mighty Microsoft, to make a dent in Apple's dominance. 

Understandably, the five big music companies are all upset that Apple is now in the position to be able to dictate to them how to price and run their business, and yet, despite the many attempts by these giant corporations to lessen Apple's commanding position and influence, they have utterly so far failed to reign Apple in. This is bad for them, but over all it's been very good for music lovers since Apple has defended their famous 99 cent per song pricing policy, which many, many customers, including myself, just love and is one of the primary reasons why Apple and it's influence has gotten to be so huge in the first place. 

Finally, my last favorite Apple post of the past week comes from the fine folks at the online addition of the Wall Street Journal for their post, "Apple iPhone Faces Off With the Game Champs". I've already referenced this piece in one of my posts, but it's such an interesting read that I will highlight it again.

As the Wall Street Journal's post points out, the iPhone/iPod Touch is making some incredible headway into the world of hand-held gaming. Whether this is by design or simply by fluke, the results, none-the-less, is there for anyone who cares to look and they are truly amazing. With over a whopping 200,000,000 apps downloaded from the App Store, in the first six months of operation, many of which are games, it would be hard to dispute the fact that the iPhone and Touch have become overnight gaming sensations. 

This great post gives the reader a lot of facts and figures and lots to ponder and think about, so if your into gaming, especially of the hand-held variety, or if you are simply interested in all things Apple related, then this fine post is for you, so what are you waiting for - go check it out. 

Well, there you have it, my second, and certainly not my last, list of my favorite Apple related posts for the past week. My list isn't necessarily in order of importance, but simply lists posts that caught my eye and made me think. 

My hope is that some of these posts might just do the same for you, so enjoy clicking on and reading their respected links. I sure did.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, November 14, 2008 

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Blast-From the Past: The Macintosh Portable

The new MacBook and MacBook Pro's are certainly sexy, powerful and thanks to their new 'unibody' construction, they are also most certainly strong and durable. They are the new pinnacle in a long line of Apple laptops that goes all the way back to 1989. That was the year that Apple unleashed it's very first laptop, which was known simply as the Macintosh Portable, which happens to be my  'Blast-From-the-Past' feature for the day.

The Macintosh Portable was more than just Apple's first laptop - it was also one of it's biggest failures and considered by some to be one of the very worst tech products of all time! The reasons are simple as they were many. For starters, the all white laptop weighed in at a hefty neck breaking 15.8 pounds! Secondly, it sold for the mind-blowing sum of $6,500 dollars and that's without a hard drive! That little option would set you back another $800 dollars! A back lit option was another $1,900 or so! And to think that was also in 1989 dollars, which, in today's dollars, works out to be something like 8 or 9 trillion bucks, give or take a dime! Not really, but considering that the latest MacBooks are so much more powerful, feature rich and start at a mere $999, the newer Apple laptops seem like downright bargains. And to think that people complain about the glossy screen..... pleeeease!

Among the many big flaws that contributed to the failing of the Macintosh Portable was it's heavy lead-acid batteries. These batteries were charged, unlike later portables, in series with the supply of power to the computer. This meant that if the battery could no longer hold a charge, then unfortunately, the computer couldn't even start on AC power, or in other words - the bloody thing wouldn't be able to boot up - it was an expensive dud! At a whopping $6,500 or so, not starting up had to make a person feel down in no time flat. Those heavy and expensive batteries also just happened to be one of the primary reasons why the Macintosh Portable weighed so much and what made it so damn expensive. Interestingly, on the positive side,they also helped to give the machine a very respectable 12 hours of use!  

Since the Macintosh Portable used the lower powered version of the Motorola 68000, the16 MHz 68HC000, the machine was very similar, architectually, to the Macintosh SE. It came with 1 MB of RAM that was expandable up to 9 MB. The Macintosh Portable also used a much more superior active matrix LCD. This was in stark contrast to the much inferior, but cheaper, passive matrix displays commonly used in PC laptops. It was also one of the other main reasons why the Mac Portable was considerably more expensive. Sadly, the original computer had no back lighting at first, which made viewing the screen in darkened rooms next to impossible. This was corrected in later machines with a back lit display and as a very, very expensive add on option for earlier machines. In addition to the price, the superior screen also came at a considerable cost on the battery side, effectively cutting it's use in half.

Of course, despite all of the criticism of the machine and it's many flaws, the very first of Apple's laptops did have its virtues. It was, after all, the first Mac that you could lug around, something that also contributed to the success of many chiropractor's I'm sure. The Macintosh Portable also had a keyboard that was rather unique, in that you could easily switch the track ball, the very first, I believed ever on a laptop, from either the right side or the left side of the keyboard. This wasn't the biggest innovation ever, but it certainly was a blessing to those who were left handed.

Even though the Macintosh Portable was a business failure, it did it's part in helping to pave the way for it's successor, the successful PowerBook family of Apple machines, which, in turn, likewise, paved the way for the incredible new MacBook's of today. Looking back, a long way back to the Macintosh Portable, I can't but help but chuckle when I compare the Mac's Portable specs and pricing along side that of the new MacBook and MacBook Pro's. The newer machines are light years ahead in styling, features, size, weight, technology, software, power and construction, and yet incredibly, the newer machines cost only a fraction of $6,500 price tag of the original Macintosh Portable!  It kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

The Macintosh Portable brings back many memories of me when I was as a younger man. I remember longing and dreaming of owning one of these historical beasts. I can just see myself now, peering lustfully with bulging eyes through the windows of Crown Tech, a computer store that has long, long ago since gone 'bye-bye' just like the Macintosh Portable itself.

Gone but certainly not forgotten.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, November 13, 2008 

Mac Portable photo via: NewLaunches.com   

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Is Apple About to Take the Gaming World by Storm?

Several sites are reporting that Apple may be about to take on the giants of the hand-held gaming world, Sony and Nintendo. BBC's Newsbeat, for instance, stated that out of the first 6,000 apps created for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, some 1,500 or so are games. This is a remarkable statistic anyway that you look at it, and especially when you consider that all of those 6,000 apps, including those 1,500 plus games, were created in only the first 100 days of the App Store! 

So, could Apple really be serious about taking on the gaming world - can Apple really make a big gaming impact?

Of course, not all of those apps, all of those games, are necessarily of the highest quality, but many of them are. Many of the games now available for the Touch and iPhone are just as compelling as any of the games found on either the Sony PSP 3 or the Nintendo DS units. In fact, some of them are actually better then a lot of the games that you can find on higher end consoles like the PS 3 or the X-Box 360! 

What really sets the Apple devices apart, from those of the others, is it's distribution model of being able to buy and download games directly, versus the older and traditional model of selling physical cartridges. Not only is Apple's App store more convenient and a lot quicker, it's also, at the same time - a lot cheaper!  Downloading games for Apple's newest devices means that they can sell for only a fraction of the price of game cartridges. Producing game cartridges is not only more expensive to manufacture, but actually shipping and storing them presents added costs that Apple's download model doesn't have to worry about.

BBC reports that since Nintendo's Gameboy came on the market some 20 years ago, it has sold a whopping 85 million units! This is an impressive number and with so many units sold, and with 20 years of gaming experience under it's belt, some are saying that it will be next to impossible for Apple to make any inroads in hand-held gaming. 

However, others, such as 24/7 Wall Street.com, are beginning to question that assumption. They point out that this is the very same thing that people already said about Windows and the mobile space. Despite what people thought, that Windows was just too dominant and too ingrained for OS X to make any headway, the Mac has proven otherwise as it steadily eats into Windows market share and increasingly gains ever more momentum and market share. The same thing can be said on the mobile side as well. The iPhone has already proven and done exactly what they said it couldn't do - attract significant market share, not to mention - totally disrupting the entire mobile business in the process! 

Personally, even though I can't say for certainty that Apple will do with hand-held gaming what they did with the music, phone and OS markets , I do think it's safe to say that Apple finds itself certainly in the right place at the right time, to do exactly just that. As the Wall Street Journal also pointed out in a recent article,  both of Apple's devices feature big and powerful graphics, which, of course, are vital for any gaming device to be successful. Apple also has the marketing smarts, financial resources and the prestige of it's name and logo to really promote gaming in a big way. People have built up a certain confidence with Apple. They have learned, by using Apple products, that, for the most part, Apple not only delivers a great user experience, but products that are of top quality as demonstrated in several recent studies.

In order for any game platform to be successful, of course, it needs developers and lots of them. Already thousands of developers are working on new iPhone and iPod Touch games. This includes the big names such as Sega and Electronic Arts, and as the Wall Street Journal's article points out ,companies are already scoring big financially with Apple's devices, a sure guaranteed that they will not only continue to develop games for Apple, but in the process, their success will lure ever more  game developers to Apple.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

"Sega has sold more than 500,000 copies of a $10 game called "Super Monkey Ball" for the iPhone and iPod touch. The game, in which a player navigates a rolling orb around mazes by tilting the device, has reached a sales level that Sega says would be considered a hit for a DS or PSP game, which can cost up to $40."

With success, like that of Super Monkey Ball, and others, I think that it is safe to bet that the iPhone/Touch devices will succeed tremendously as gaming units. Whether that means that they can displace both the Sony PSP or the Nintendo DS Gameboys, that I don't know? I do know, however, that Apple will give them a good run for their money. 

However, if Apple doesn't, as gaming legend,John Carmack stated, at least: 

"I think they will be a fairly robust market all by themselves."

In other words: Apple is really serious about gaming and, yes, they will make a big impact in the gaming space, and yes, who knows, maybe even by storm? 

In fact, they have already made a big impact, as Microsoft and others, yet again, are following Apple's footsteps by planing to introduce their own app stores. Thanks to Apple, the gaming world will be forever changed, just as Apple forever changed the music and mobile spaces. Apple and gaming are here to stay and, I firmly believe, that gaming will continue to play (no pun intended) an even bigger and increasing role in Apple's future success.

  

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, November 11, 2008 

Photo via: Wall Street Journal

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MacBook Nano Pics: Are They Real, or Fake?

Just what many Mac fans have been hoping for has finally arrived, but sadly they can't buy one! What I'm talking about is the story of a new MacBook Nano that has been circulating on various web sites lately, and as you can see from the Gizmodo's  photo montage above.

Personally, even though I would much more prefer one of those recently introduced MacBook Pro's, I have to admit, by judging from the photos, this thing looks to be a very desirable machine indeed. The size of the thing is absolutely amazing - it's so tiny, especially when compared with existing MacBooks including the Air. I'm sure one could lug that thing around all day without any problems what's-so-ever. The Gizmodo writer says that he doesn't know if it's some kind of 'Hackintosh,' or what, but it sadly that's all it is. I'm sure who ever created this thing could make a small fortune by building and selling them, except, of course, that would be illegal.

You can see a lot more photos of this amazingly real, but amazingly really fake MacBook Nano on Mickphoto's Flickr photostream. Here you can see the MacBook Nano as it is apparently being put together. Oh, how I only wish that I had the spare time and cash, not to mention the patience and the technical ability to pull it off myself. It sure would make a great conversation piece, and for that reason alone I would love to have one.

As MacRumor's points out, this really fake MacBook Nano is actually a very real, but hacked, MSI U100 netbook, which you can see reviewed here on YouTube.

So, just what do I think? Well, as far as my two-cents goes, I think that the guy did an amazing job building this thing, but I just can't help but wonder just how much better, just how much cooler, just how much sexier and just how much more usable such a MacBook Nano would be if Apple actually created one itself? I would think that if an individual can come up with such an amazing machine as the one above, well, then just imagine what Apple could do? 

Whether or not Apple ever does build it's own netbook I can only speculate. However, if the popularity of the netbook continues to grow, then I'm equally sure that Apple's interest in producing one would certainly grow as well. Until then, I'm afraid that if you want your own MacBook Nano you will just have to build it yourself, like the clever guy behind the one who built the one above, or else get someone else to build it for you.

So, is the MacBook Nano real? Of course it's real, but sadly it's also a real fake! It certainly, however, shows promise and will undoubtedly inspire those longing for a such a machine from Apple. 

Are you paying attention Apple? I can only hope so?

In the end, I  certainly admire and congratulate the guy who took the time to put this thing together, as he did a splendid job in producing a machine that looks like it  could easily have come from Apple itself.  

Job well done, my friend.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, November 11, 2008 

Photo montage: Gizmodo's

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The iPhone Beats the RAZR to Become the Biggest Selling Phone in the U.S!

It's another day and you can mark up another victory for the Jesus Phone. 

That's right, shortly after Apple just announced that it had sold more iPhone's than RIM's popularly Blackberry, it has been announced that Apple's iPhone has just replaced the RAZR's three-year reign as the most purchased mobile phone in the U.S!

According to market research firm NPD, the iPhone trumped the RAZR as the biggest selling mobile phone, relegating the RAZR into second place, followed by Research in Motion's Blackberry Curve for third place, while LG's Rumor and enV2 respectively took the fourth and fifth spots.

Apple Insider reported that NPD's director of industry analysis, Ross Bubin, said:

"The displacement of the RAZR by the iPhone 3G represents a watershed shift in handset design from fashion to fashionable functionality".

Wow! This truly is remarkable when you really think about it. Despite all of the nay sayer's predictions that the iPhone would ultimately fail, and after being down played by the competition, who said one thing, and then, after pooh poohing the iPhone, tried to kill it off by copying it's looks and features, the iPhone continues it's steady march upwards! So far, I'm happy to report that all of their efforts, thus far at least, have failed, as the iPhone continues to go from strength to strength.

The iPhone, despite the competition's claims that it didn't need to worry about it, has managed to become the phone that everyone lusts after and the one that everyone tries to duplicate. And no wonder - the iPhone was totally unlike any phone that had gone before. It's the phone of the future, not the phone of the past, as were the competition. Apple truly applied their famous, "Think Different" approach when it came to the design and manufacture of the iPhone. In other words: the iPhone broke the mold, and since then, every other cell phone provider has been bending over backwards to come up with their own version of the iPhone. They certainly have gotten closer, but still none none of them are quite as good, overall, as the iPhone itself.

The iPhone's continuing success, as it racks up one achievement after another, is truly impressive indeed, but what about the future? What's next for the sexy device and can Apple hold off the competition - can it keep them from breaking it's stride? Well, anything is certainly possible. Already the competition is helping to counter the impact of the iPhone by coming out with some pretty impressive 'knock off' products of their own. However, as nice as the competition offerings seem to be getting, none of them seem to be slowing down the iPhone's continuing success, nor do I expect  that they will in the future. 

As it looks now, I really don't see them killing off the iPhone any time soon, but of course, who am I? It could be that the iPhone's competitors have that iPhone killer still under wraps just waiting to be released, but somehow, I doubt it, because it could also be that the next iPhone killer will come, in actual fact, from Apple itself, in the form of it's next iPhone revision?

Of course, the iPhone is more than just a pretty face. It's more than just about "Thinking Different" and doing things in a different and unconventional way. Though not perfect, the iPhone is very dependable and, for the most part, works as advertised or even better. For example: The iPhone has, in a recent study, been reported  to be twice as dependable as the Blackberry.

So, in conclusion, I just want to take the time to congratulate Apple and the iPhone team for racking up yet another impressive milestone. By replacing the Motorola RAZR as America's top selling phone, Apple has just sent out the signal that the iPhone is more than just a serious competitor, but also one that plans to stick around for a long time to come.

Way to go Apple; way to go iPhone!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, November 10, 2008 

iPhone photo: Apple 

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Amazing iPhone Facts!

In an amazingly short 18 months, the iPhone, an amazing device in and of itself, has amazingly turned Apple into the second largest smart phone provider in the world, after Nokia and ahead of RIM! 

One of the most amazing things, about all of this, is the fact that despite warnings from many companies for Apple NOT to get into the business, because it was next to impossible for new comers to get a foot hold into the market - Apple turned around and did just that! 

Why, even Bill Gates, personally, a day or two before the iPhone was launched, warned Apple that they be better off not to attempt it, because, why, the big players were just too entrenched for Apple, or anybody else, to even make a dent.

Well, in addition to Apple making a big dent, here's another amazing fact: the iPhone has now become the smart phone with the highest satisfaction rating of them all - period! But that's not all! No, in addition to that amazing fact, here is yet another one: this satisfaction rate happens to be among business users, the very one's that every one warned would hate the iPhone the most! I can still see Steve Ballmer laughing the iPhone off as a business phone when I read that particular piece of news. Truly amazing, and I only hope that Mr. Ballmer gets to see the J.D. Power and Associates graph, seen below:

The amazing facts don't stop there. No sireeee, just look at the amazing numbers of downloads coming out of the Apple App Store - over 200,000,000 plus and counting! That number is pretty amazing in it's own right, but what is equally amazing is the fact that all of those downloads happened in just six months or less! Of course, it had to - because the App store never even existed before that time - the App Store is still in it's infancy! 

The amazing success of the App Store has got a lot of developers excited, really excited. And for good reason, because of yet another amazing iPhone fact:  a whopping 74% of all mobile web traffic is now generated by the 10 to 20 million iPhones out there - worldwide! Yes, even though Nokia, Sony, Samsung, LG, Motorola and other mobile providers, have well over a quarter billion more smart phones out there, the iPhone still manages to dwarf all them combined in web use! Now that is truly an amazing fact indeed!

The iPhone is not only an amazing piece of kit, as the British would say, but it has had an equally amazingly impact not only in the mobile space, or in the increasing acceptance of touch screens, but it has had an even more amazing effect in the success and direction of Apple itself. Apple, thanks in part to the iPhone, has developed a much more global out look than it ever did before. It's no longer primarily a U.S. orientated business. It has more than doubled it's R&D, and helped shift it's business strategy from merely being a 'digital lifestyle' one, but also to one that now sees itself targeting big business, governments and the creative markets as well. 

The iPhone is not the only thing, of course, that is contributing to the amazing come back story that is Apple Inc., but it, along with the iPod, OS X and the Mac, helps explain why that even in these tough, scary economic times, Apple is still growing, from strength to strength, while other companies shrink back! 

The iPhone has helped Apple to grow in spite of the gloomy economy, were as many other companies are cutting jobs, or freezing new hiring. Apple, in fact, amazingly recently added over 10,000 new jobs and now employees some 32,000 people, up from 21,000 just a short year ago! Whether this will continue, it's hard to say, but hopefully, it will and not only for Apple, but for other tech companies as well, since we all have a vested interest in seeing the economy improve. 

The history of the iPhone, which is an amazingly short one, has been truly amazing and of the type that one rarely ever gets to personally witness. But what of the future of the iPhone - what can we expect to see in the upcoming months and years for this amazing device? Well, as amazing as the current G3 iPhone is, it's only the second version and you can bet your last Tootsie Roll, or your the last pair of your grandma's knickerbockers', that the next versions of the iPhone will, undoubtedly, and most probably be even yet far more amazing still! 

Recently, Fortune published an article where AT&T's CEO of Mobility and Consumer Product's, Ralph de la Vega, painted a picture of some pretty, if you ask me, amazing future iPhone facts that we can all expect to see soon. The AT&T executive, for example, hinted that even before your iPhone woke you up in the morning, it would have already, while you were yet asleep, downloaded all of your news, enabling you to leisurely read either it either on the phone, or by just pointing the iPhone to the TV, it would allow you to wirelessly read your news on the big screen!

According to the Fortune article, you will be able to lock or unlock your house, as well, as your car - all remotely via your iPhone! These are just some of the exciting and amazingly more powerful features that are coming to the iPhone. Best of all, a lot of these amazing new features won't required a newer iPhone - just a software update! I'm pretty sure, as the hardware progress's, we will see iPhone's with two-way video calling, iPhone's that will allow you to monitor your home, business or your kids via tiny security cameras, allowing you to, let's say, watch the postman delivering your home mail in San Diego while your on the other side of the world doing business in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, or where ever! 

The day may never come when you will be able to get your iPhone to "Beam you up Scotty" style, as in Star Trek, but I'm pretty sure that the amazing iPhone will, and sooner than you think, become a much more amazing device - a much, much more amazing device indeed. That's because, being a phone, these days, is no longer just about being a phone! It's about being a more connected, more informed, entertained, more satisfied and a more amazed consumer for your buck. 

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, November 07, 2008 

Graph via: J.D. Power and Associates  

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What's Next for the Mac Mini?

By now, many have probably read that Apple has assured one anxious Mac fan, via a direct phone call, that any questions regarding the lilliputian device would be soon answered in a future update, most likely to be at the next MacWorld conference this upcoming January, though no date was actually given.

Apparently, besides the anxious Mac fan mentioned above, the little computer has a big following in the hospitality, security and, as well, the entertainment industries, due to the Mini's small foot print, cost and it's security features. Since Apple has already let it be officially known that they will not be introducing any Mac updates for the upcoming holiday season, it certainly seems likely that both the Mini and the iMac, and quite possibly the Mac Pro, will indeed be introduced at next year's MacWorld in January.

But what can we expect? What's next for Apple's smallest and cheapest computer? Well, for starters, multi-hard drives have been speculated and newer, lower powered, higher performing CPU's are a given. What I and many others are hoping for, in addition to these, as well, is an increase in the Mini's graphic performance, most likely by using one of the new Nvidia graphic solutions that are now wowing people in the newly released MacBook Pros and MacBooks. 

Personally, what I would love to see, and what I consider would be a big selling point, would be if Apple made any upgraded Mini far more 'more user' accessible and user upgradeable. As it stands now, the current Mac Mini, as fine as it is, is hardly what I would call a pleasant or very user upgradeable machine. The standard memory is too low and Apple's own memory upgrades are way, way too high. If you ever tried to upgrade the memory, which is thankfully, very cheap these days, well, you will know first hand what a maximum pain, in the you-know-what, that the Mini can be! 

However, even though we don't know exactly what's coming, what is important is that apparently the Mini will live on. The Mac Mini may not be the fastest, most powerful Mac that you can buy, but as the smallest and cheapest that you can buy, it appeals to a lot of different people and companies for various and different reasons - reasons that apparently should see the Mini sticking around for a long time yet to come.

At least I hope so?

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, November 05, 2008 

Photo via: Crunch Gear
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Screen Saver-4-the- Day: Mathmos Virtual Astral Lamp

Even though newer energy saving monitors no longer really need the services of a dedicated screen saver, they are still very popular for the simple reason that they are just so much fun to use. 

Yes, I have to admit that I can't quite get enough of them for some reason. Why some days, it seems that most of my hard drive space these days are taking up with them because, as far as I'm concern - you can never have enough screen savers on hand. Like, I'm totally sure, I must have at least some eighteen billion, give or take 1 or 2, or so of them on file. And why not? As I said, they are just so much fun to watch. 

There are literally thousands of screen savers out there, with some screens savers being on the cute side, some being on the so, so side, some on the funny side, and some, and lets be honest, being on the down right boring and pathetic side.

Some screen savers, as I pointed out are bad, some great and some that are just down right fantastic. One of these is a screen saver that I recently came across called, Mathmos Virtual Astral Lamp, a freebie that brings that once popular fad of the Lava Lamp back and onto your computer screen. 

Ah, the colors of this saver are so soothing, so relaxing and, of course, oh so, so very colorful! Why it almost makes me feel like I was back in the sixties and I was a regular, certified, 100% long-haired hippy, chilling out to a tune or two from Donovan or the Grateful Dead, while smoking some crazy grass until the smoke, among other things, left me hazily and giddily  looking at the world in kaldoscope colors - not that I actually ever did any of those things mind you. After all, I was only a little kid in them days of long, long ago for crying out turkey lips.

Any way, if your into screen savers, like little old me, then, by all means, download and give Mathmos Virtual Astral Lamp a spin on your desktop and maybe, if your an old timer like myself, even bring back some memories of days gone by. Mathmos Virtual Astral Lamp is a screen saver designed to run on both Windows and Mac computers alike.

So, download it HERE, you just might really enjoy it; I did!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wenesday, November 05, 2008 

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Should Sony and Nintendo Fear Apple in Mobile Gaming?

With the success of gaming on the iPhone and the iPod Touch already well under way, is Apple on the verge of becoming a real and credible threat to Sony and Nintendo? Should they be fearful of Apple? That is a question that is beginning to be asked in many circles.

Bussiness Week is just one who is not only asking, but who is also increasingly beginning to believe that Apple may indeed be a force to reckon with in the area of mobile gaming. Business Week points out that games running on Apple's two hit mobile devices are a lot more than just simple and crude versions of solitaire. 

Arik Hesseldahl, writing for Business Week recently wrote:

"I didn't expect much from games on the iPhone. I had visions of casual games, perhaps a fancy take on solitaire or a version of poker that takes advantage of the handset's touchscreen. Surely not a true mobile gaming experience. 

Boy, was I wrong. For the last few days I've been sampling some of the games available from the iTunes Store on the iPod Touch, and I've been stunned at how elaborate and involved they are. On the iPod Touch I've played a version of Gameloft's Real Soccer 2009 that rivals the version of the game on the Nintendo DS, and I didn't even miss the buttons. I've seen demonstrations of Sim City, forthcoming for the iPhone and the Touch from Electronic Arts (ERTS), that look more elaborate and sophisticated than any versions I've played before on a desktop PC or console."

He's not the only one who has noticed either. A lot of people have been impressed by both the quality and the sheer number of the games which are now available for Apple's two hot-selling mobile devices. As Arik says, " Theyr'e immersive, addictive fun." And so they are. As he also points out, Sony has less then 300 title's available for it's popular PSP 3, and yet, in very short order, Apple can now boast of well over 1,500 games, games which are growing exponentially in number and sophistication with each and every passing day! Quite the feat I would say.

As Arik also pointed out, iPhone users, for example, play games significantly more than other mobile phone users, some 6 to 9 percent of them in comparison to only about 3 per cent for other mobile users. These figures, as well, are sure to encourage even more developers to write games for the devices. Personally, considering the sophistication of the games and their great playability, I am personally predicting that those user figures will continue to grow, along with the number of games and their level of sophistication.

Despite the fact that both the iPhone and the iPod Touch are relatively expensive, the low cost of their games, especially in comparison with the expensive physical game media found on both the Sony PSP 3 and the Nintendo units, actually makes them much more compelling choices, price wise, in the end. Also, the iTunes distribution model is considerably more convenient and economical than Sony's or Nintendo game media that have to be physically handled, transported and stocked in traditional brick and mortar stores. Physical media have the added costs of handling, storage, transportation and middle men thrown into the mix, something that Apple's increasingly popular units don't have to worry about. This is compelling, very compelling, as it makes Apple games not only easier to purchase or update, but also much cheaper to distribute and purchase. 

In the past few days it has been reported that IBM was in the process of suing Apple to prevent one of it's chief employees, Mark Pagemaster, from leaving IBM to join Apple. This has not only garnered a lot of press, but has got a lot of people speculating as to the reason why. Some are speculating that Mark Pagemaster's hiring may actually have a lot to do with Apple's gaming strategy. Desinformado, for example, brings this up in a recent post. Apple's previous attempt at gaming, the PipPin, was an utter failure, but now Apple may have a secret weapon - cheap, plentiful and powerful NAND-flash memory! Thanks to the fact that Apple has, more-or-less, cornered the market for NAND-flash chips, used in the iPhone and iPod, Apple now finds itself in the position of being able to do a lot more for a lot less money than it's competitor's can hope to match. This, in turn, may help propel Apple even faster to the top of the class in mobile gaming.

The recent success of gaming on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch has not only been impressive, it may be only the beginning. Could it be that Apple is planning to - conquer the gaming market -  just as it did with iTunes, iPod and the iPhone? Well, it's still early in the game, no pun intended, but it's beginning to look that way to me.  

So, in conclusion: should Sony and Nintendo fear Apple in the race for the hearts, minds and wallets of mobile gamers? Well, if they are not - they should be. If they, like those who dismissed Apple in music and cell phones, don't fear Apple, if they think that they have nothing to fear, then they would be wrong - DEAD WRONG!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, November 04, 2008 

Flying Aces YouTube video via:  TouchArcade  

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My 400th. Post and the Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev

Today is my 400th. post for this little practice blog of mine, one designed to help me get back into writing, after being crippled from a genetic liver disorder for the past several years and one that has left me too weak to write much of anything.

So, in celebretion of my 400th., I have decided to make this a very short post indeed. This brings me to the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev and two photos that  MacinStein recently posted of the young president, as he proudly works along side his comrades with his MacBook Pro in tow. Apparently, we see the MacBook Pro helping to assist the president in the important task of ruling the immense country's 147 million or so citizens. The photo was originally taken, as far as I can tell, from an official Kremlin site. 

Since the Mac and it's OS also just happens to be one of the most reliable, secure and stable laptops on the planet, I can only hope, that it will also likewise help the handsome, young Russian president to make Russia just as reliable, secure and as stable as his choice in laptops, for the benefit of both it's citizens and all of Russia's neighbors? 

Thank God, by using the Mac, at least I feel a little more secure than I would have if  he had been using another laptop from another OS source, that I won't bother to mention, or who knows - it could be the cold war all over again!  

And thats my 2 cents 4 this Monday, can you believe - it's November 03 already, 2008

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