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iPod AV

Okay, something tells me that MacShrine has hit the jackpot with this one. We know, we were all almost duped by the Attack of the Show fake, resulting in our mega-disappointment in Steve Jobs last announcement. However, when MacShrine posted the images that we have in this post, they were served with a cease and desist from Apple. That is normally an indication that you are showing something that they don’t want you to be showing. In the image above, you see what we believe to be called the ‘iPod AV’ docked in the iPod Hi-Fi. I am still not overly excited to see the scroll wheel integrated onto the screen itself, but maybe if I stopped eating cheese puffs while licking my fingers, it won’t be so bad. We have a couple more pictures of the (supposed) device, after the jump.

Click to continue reading Is This The iPod AV?

Gallery: Is This The iPod AV?


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Anyone running a Mac out there, be sure to run Software Update. You will receive updates to iTunes, iPhoto, and Front Row, along with a security update. What’s stands out about these updates is the fact that the new Bonjour technology that Steve Jobs talked about yesterday is here. Now your Front Row Macs will be able to communicate to each other without the hassle. The iPhoto and iTunes updates also look to be a direct correlation to making sure they work right in Front Row sharing mode. As for the security update, here are the details:

Security Update 2006-001 is recommended for all users and improves the security of the following components:

apache_mod_php
automount
Bom
Directory Services
iChat
IPSec
LaunchServices
LibSystem
loginwindow
Mail
rsync
Safari
Syndication

Gallery: New Front Row Update Available (Among Others)


There’s something peaceful and serene about Apple’s current iPod packaging.  Their design works on the basis that less is more, and indeed it is.  Now visualize in your mind just about any product from Microsoft, and the packaging it came in.  Certainly a jarring contrast in styles isn’t it?  The Microsoft packaging is a visual flurry of activity, bordering on a graphical trainwreck.  This movie, certainly a parody, and rumored to be an internal Microsoft marketing movie (presumably to shake things up, if that’s possible), is quite humorous and sadly, very true.


Read More | The Apple Blog via OhGizmo!

Gallery: iPod Packaging Designed by Microsoft


iPod Leather Case

At today’s Apple event, Steve Jobs unveiled a new leather iPod case. The case is hand-crafted from Italian leather, and features a black ribbon that pulls your iPod from within. Nice to see the company finally providing something more than a thin piece of felt to store your iPod in, but couldn’t they have taken the hint from just about every other case manufacturer and given us the option of seeing the screen? Apple’s own case hides the iPod display, and doesn’t even give access to the controls of the device. This one doesn’t get our vote. Still, if you want it, you can get one for $99 USD for either the 5G iPod, or the iPod nano (which requires less material to construct, but costs just as much.)


Read More | Apple Leather Case for iPod

Gallery: Apple Finally Selling Quality Leather iPod Cases (That Suck)


iPod Hi-Fi

The biggest of the “fun new” Apple products of the day turns out to be the iPod HiFi Boombox. Calling the new accessory “Home Stereo. Reinvented,” the product shares some of the features of the iPod, but with the quality of a home stereo device. The boombox is a three-driver system enclosed in one unit, featuring an iPod dock right at the top. If you have an iPod shuffle, you can use the auxiliary inputs in the back to connect the device. The nice thing about the dock is that it will fit any of the dockable iPod models using inserts. The iPod Hi-Fi has built-in handles on both sides, making it portable. The power supply is built into the unit, so no need to lug around a bulky power brick. Even better, though, is that is can run on six D batteries. Nice for when you forget to bring your electricity generator with you to the beach.

Behind the black grating lie two 80 millimeter mid-range driver with sealed acoustic suspension, along with a 130 millimeter dual-voice coil woofer. In order to enjoy the iPod Hi-Fi to the fullest, you will need to download an iPod update that will be made available shortly. This will add a new “Speaker” menu item to the iPod menu interface, giving you control over tone, backlight, and album art settings. The iPod Hi-Fi can be controlled with the Apple Remote, which comes bundled with the unit. It can also accept audio input through an auxiliary jack and SPDIF optical audio input, which means it can be used with non-iPod audio players. Our only concern is the lack of an FM tuner. I mean, would that have been so hard? You can pick up an iPod Hi-Fi starting today for $349 USD.


Read More | iPod Hi-Fi Product Page

Gallery: The iPod Hi-Fi Boombox


Intel Mac Mini

Steve Jobs has just announced that transition of the Mac mini from the G4 processor over to Intel. The base model sports an Intel Core Solo chip, while the more powerful unit boasts a Core Duo chip. The Mac mini maintains the same form factor that the previous version had. This one looks to be the machine you will want to hook up to your television, as the mini finally comes installed with Front Row. The redesigned Mac mini features DVI video out, gigabit Ethernet, a total of four USB 2.0 ports, analog and SPDIF audio outputs (Dolby Digital 5.1), and a new IR sensor for use with it’s remote control. You can now stream music, iTunes television shows, photos, and more all on the fly. A Bonjour update allows all devices on the network to find each other seamlessly. The update will be made available to all Macs that run Front Row.

With a DVI out, Apple has entered the living room. With the new Bonjour software, they have made it a simple transition. No need to transfer all of your content to the mini, it can play media from any machine you have hooked up to your network. The 1.5 GHz Core Solo version has a 60GB hard drive, and combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive and will retail at $599 USD. The more powerful 1.67 GHz Core Duo Mac mini has an 80GB hard drive along with a DVD-burning SuperDrive, and will sell at $799 USD. Both are available today.


Read More | Mac mini Product Page

Gallery: Steve Jobs Announces Upgraded Intel Mac mini With Front Row


Mactel FirefoxRemember that G5-optimized Firefox build we told you about a couple of months ago? We have received emails here and there since Stevie-J announced the Intel powered Macs, asking if there might be an updated version specifically optimized for the Intel Macs. We are happy to say that the wait is over. The guys over at BeatnikPad have released the Intel version of DeerPark (what they call their Firefox builds), and it is damn fast. Head on over to their site to grab the download.


Read More | MacIntel Firefox

Gallery: Optimized Version Of Firefox For Intel Macs


iPod Video Device

Not surprisingly, the widescreen iPod video device has quickly been debunked as a fake. We know the screen color and orientation look a bit off, and a video has been released showing how it was all done. Now, don’t get all glum - word is strong that Steve Jobs will be debuting a true video iPod this Tuesday - just not the one pictured above. Click on to check out the video showing how the above image was crafted.

(Thanks Yashar!)


Read More | iPod Video Image Exposed

Gallery: Video Proves Widescreen iPod Image A Fake


MacBook Pro

The guys over at MacWorld have received a few MacBook Pros (they started shipping about a week ago) and are reporting back with some of their observations. Looks like the newest Apple notebook is almost on par with the Dual Core iMac in terms of speed in some instances. They compare different processing scenarios of the MacBook Pro against the new iMac Core Duo and the older PowerBook G4.  Oh, and they like the MagSafe power connection. Head on over for more details.


Read More | MacWorld

Gallery: MacBook Pro Reviewed And Benchmarked


iPod Video

No idea where this image came from, but we thought it looked interesting enough to warrant a post. Might this be the widescreen iPod video we have all been waiting for? Quite possibly. If it is, please tell us the click wheel is on the back, rather than integrated into the screen. Then again, there is nothing else in the image that we can use to determine the size of this device. Could it be an Intel-powered Apple tablet? For all of you Photoshop masters out there, let us know - does the image on the screen appear to be a bit off center? Perhaps this is all a rouse.

(Thanks zxvipxz!)


Read More | Mac Shrine

Gallery: Is This The Real Widescreen iPod Video?


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