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Updated iPod touch, now available in white, launches October 12th
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Handhelds, Portable Audio / Video
This morning at the Let's Talk iPhone event, Apple's Phil Schiller announced that the iPod touch is the most popular music player in the world, as well as the most popular portable gaming device in the world as well. The updated iPod touch will also be available in white, and you can get one on October 12th (along with iOS 5.) $199 for 8 GB, $299 for 32 GB, $399 for 64 GB.
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Apple releases updated iPod nano
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Music, Portable Audio / Video
At today's Apple event, Phil Schiller introduced the updated iPod nano. It's got a multi-touch display that's easier to navigate than last year's model, with a much-improved fitness experienced. Also, as an answer to the watch band accessories out there, Apple's added 16 new clock faces to make the nano more watch-like. They're available in seven colors, and are available today--8 GB for $129, 16 GB for $149.
The Blank Screen: How Apple Outsmarts Competitors
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Editorial, Features, Home Entertainment, Software
When the iPhone was launched in 2007, I met with Phil Schiller, SVP of World Wide marketing for Apple, and Greg Joswiak, the Apple VP in charge of marketing the iPods and iPhones. During the meeting they showed me the iPhone's many features and shared their goals for the device, which has now become a major business for Apple.
During that meeting, they made a comment that I believe is really the heart of Apple's secret sauce and the cornerstone of how it continues to outsmart its competitors. They laid the iPhone on the table, with it turned off, and asked me what I saw. I told them I saw a 3.5 inch blank screen. They said that from Apples point of view, the "magic" of the iPhone is strictly in the software. And, they de-emphasized the hardware.
Yes, the iPhone was a slick smartphone with a great screen and, at the time, it broke new ground in smartphone design, and Apple was very proud of that. However, with the iPhone turned off, it had very little value. But once it was turned on, the iPhone's OS and apps turned it into a completely different device. While it was a phone, the software made it much more—it became a vehicle for applications. It also had another component that really made it sing and dance; it was also an iPod and was tied directly to iTunes. Now it morphed into a much broader multi-purpose device. It was a phone, a vehicle for apps, and an iPod, which made it a great personal mobile entertainment system.
Click to continue reading The Blank Screen: How Apple Outsmarts Competitors
White iPhone 4 set for April release?
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Rumors, Videos
Perhaps having exhausted all the iPhone 5 rumors, it's back to the fabled white iPhone. Reuters reports that Apple suppliers have started production on white iPhones, which could be available within a month.
Apple has not yet made any annoucements; Reuters cited people familiar with the situation. Foxconn's Hon Hai Industry Co. would assemble the devices, the report said.
Chatter about the white iPhone 4 got reignited last month after Apple released the white iPad 2, with no iPhone version in site. Phil Schiller, senior vice president for worldwide marketing at Apple, later tweeted that the white iPhone would be available soon.
"Hi Eric. The white iPhone will be available this spring (and it is a beauty!)," Schiller said in response to a follower's question about where he could get the white iPhone.
Click to continue reading White iPhone 4 set for April release?
Phil Schiller confirms white iPhone 4 set for Spring launch
Posted by Reza Malayeri Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Corporate News
It looks like Apple executive Phil Schiller let the cat out of the bag on the white iPhone release date over the weekend. He promised a spring release date for the white iPhone. Apple has delayed the launch of the white iPhone 4 several times for various reasons. The problem with the device was "light leakage" from around the edges of the glass. The white paint on the iPhone was causing light to leak, and Apple developed a special manufacturing process to combat the problem. There were also rumors that Apple was not happy with the original shade of white that was being produced at the manufacturing plant.
Click to continue reading Phil Schiller confirms white iPhone 4 set for Spring launch
WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Updates
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Cell Phones, Features, Handhelds, PC / Laptop, Software
WWDC 2009 is about to get kicked off, with Phil Schiller kicking it off with the Apple keynote. We are hanging out at our local Apple store, and will be bringing you all the notable updates as things progress!
- Things get kicked off with a new Mac vs. PC commercial, where PC tries to discourage Mac from innovating at this year’s WWDC.
- At WWDC this year there are over 5200 attendees from 52 countries.
- We are starting with Mac news. Apple says they don’t want to stop leading with way with Macbook designs.
- Phil announces a brand new 15” MacBook Pro, with the Lithium Polymer battery that the 17” model sports. 7 hours of battery life 2 hours more than before. That is 40% longer.
- The new MacBook Pro has “the best display we’ve ever shipped on a notebook.”
- The 15” MacBook Pro picks up an SD Card slot, and drops ExpressCard.
- The price drops by $300. $1699 introductory price.
- At the introductory price, you get a 2.53GHz processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, and the SD card slot.
- The 13-inch MacBooks also get the same SD card treatment, non-removable battery, and FIREWIRE IS BACK. The unibody MacBooks are now officially MacBook Pros.
- 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1199 with 2GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, SD card slot, 2.26 GHz processor.
- MacBook Air updated as well. $1499 for the base model, $1799 with 256GB SSD. $700 cheaper than before.
Click to continue reading WWDC 2009 Keynote Live Updates
iWork ‘09 announced at MacWorld 2009
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Software
Aside from the new iLife ‘09 suite that was announced this morning, Apple is also showing off the new version of iWork, iWork ‘09. Here is a look at some of the highlights:
Keynote: New to Keynote, you can now identify objects within slides, and Keynote will take care of moving them around between slides. There is a Magic Move feature, which will do everything automatically, including resizing and rotating an object. There are new animations as well, featuring fly-ins on charts and graphs, rotating and grow on bars, zooming in on charts, etc. New deck themes have also been added.
As a side note, there is also a new Keynote remote control app available in the App Store that will allow you to use your iPhone or iPod touch to control your Keynote presentations. It will cost $0.99.
Pages: Pages ‘09 gets a few new features. First up is a fullscreen view that makes everything else on your screen disappear. Basically, you get the document you are typing on, and everything else fades to black, to help you focus. There are also new dynamic outlines, which let you outline what you are going to write before you actually start writing, and you can switch back and forth to reorganize your thoughts. Pages also gets a new mail merge feature, which works with Numbers, connecting to tables, and it also works with MathTpye and EndNote. Oh, and you get 40 new themes.
Numbers: Numbers 09 picks up easy formula writing, advanced chart options (like mixed chart types, error bars, trend lines) and new table categories. If you have a Pages document that is linked to data from a Numbers document, if you update it in Numbers, it is automatically updated in Pages. Nice. Lastly, Numbers also gets theme templates, which is rare for a spreadsheet application.
iWork ‘09 ships today, and sells for $79, or $99 for a family pack that is good on up to five Macs. If you purchase it with a new Mac, it costs just $49.
iLife ‘09 announced at MacWorld 2009
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Google, PC / Laptop, Software
During his first (and only) MacWorld keynote speech, Phil Schiller announced the latest update to the iLife suite of software, iLife ‘09. Let’s take each app, one by one, and look at the changes and additions:
iPhoto ‘09: New to iPhoto is Faces. Faces uses facial recognition to organize and tag photos of people. iPhoto will find a face in a photo, and you tell it who it is. It will then find other photos that it thinks are of the same person. Easy way to grab snapshots that feature the same person. Another new organization feature is called Places. This uses the geotagging feature available on a lot of modern cameraa, and puts pins on a map showing the different places that the images were taken. If you have photos that aren’t geotagged, you simply tell iPhoto where the image (or event images) was taken, and it fills in the rest. The map feature is based on Google Maps, so you can zoom in on a location, look at satellite or street view, etc.
Apple has also added in built-in support for Facebook and Flickr to iPhoto - that means no more fumbling around with clunky plugins to get your pictures out of iPhoto and onto those services. A very welcome addition. Facebook users can add the names of people in their images, and iPhoto will retain that info as well (presumedly for the Faces feature.)
iPhoto also gets new slideshow themes. You choose a theme and photos, and iPhoto puts it all together. It uses the Faces to find the faces in images so that those are centered and zoomed. You can save slideshows to iTunes, and they can be synced to an iPhone or iPod touch. Something new for the Books too, you can now automatically get maps included, with pins that show your location. Great for making travel books.
iMovie ‘09: Apple has admitted that, since it was new, iMovie ‘08 didn’t have all the features that older customer wanted. This year, they aim to change that. iMovie ‘09 gets a new Precision Editor, Advanced drag & drop (that give you context-sensitive menus,) dynamic themes, and even animated travel maps. So, again, you can use your location data to insert 2D and 3D maps of those locations into your movies.
GarageBand ‘09: GarageBand ‘09 is being updated with a new feature called “Learn to Play,” which brings up an instructor which plays video lessons. If that’s not enough to get you excited, there are even Artist Lessons. You get people like John Fogerty, Colbie Caillat, Sting, Sarah McLachlan, Norah Jones, and Patrick Stump, who will teach you how to play instruments like the guitar or piano.
iLife ‘09 also includes updated versions of iWeb and iDVD, and ships free on new Macs. You can purchase an upgrade for $79, or buy a family pack (good on up to five Macs) for $99, and it will be available in “late January.”
For those wondering, Apple has also released a new version of iWork - iWork ‘09.
Steve Jobs says he has hormone imbalance, isn’t dying
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Rumors
Steve Jobs has addressed his health, in detail, for the first time in a public venue this morning with a letter published by Apple. Since it was recognized that Steve had seemed to be losing a bunch of weight throughout 2008, many thought that either his cancer had come back, or that some other very serious affliction had caught up with him. Adding fuel to the fire was the news that Steve Jobs wouldn’t be delivering the MacWorld 2009 keynote address, with Phil Schiller filling in instead. Many figured it meant Steve was preparing for an exit from his position as Apple CEO. In order to quell everyone’s fears, Steve posted a note saying that he has been suffering from a hormone imbalance that had been “robbing” his body of the proteins it needs to remain healthy, and has recently begun treatment and is on the road to recovery. He also says that Phil is giving the MacWorld keynote so that he can spend the holiday season with his family, which is the first time in a decade that he is able to enjoy that pleasure.
We’ve posted the note, in its entirety, after the break. Give it a read - hopefully now we can finally put this Steve Jobs health issue to bed.
Click to continue reading Steve Jobs says he has hormone imbalance, isn’t dying
MacWorld 2009 to be Apple’s last, No Steve Jobs Keynote
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News
Well, how’s this for a shocker? After all the issues we’ve been hearing about as it pertains to MacWorld 2009, the final nail in the coffin has been delivered by Apple themselves - there will be no Steve Jobs keynote to kick off the show, and this will be the last MacWorld that Apple will participate in. Did you get that? Apple is pulling out of MacWorld! As for the keynote, Phil Schiller, Apple Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, will be taking the stage.
We don’t like it any more than you do. Phil’s awkward stage presence is nothing compared to the stuff of legends that Steve pulls off time and time again. Let’s just hope that this means more Apple Town Hall style events throughout the year, since they won’t be participating in the MacWorld event. Oh, and fingers crossed that Phil will announce new Mac Pros, Mac minis, and Cinema Displays. Thanks.
Click to continue reading MacWorld 2009 to be Apple’s last, No Steve Jobs Keynote
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