Black Friday Sale on this Friday

It's that time again when Apple feels generous and decides to give away a free case with every iPod...or take 5% off a new PowerMac. Well, if you're buying one anyway you may as well take advantage of it.

iPhone Software Updated to 2.2

The best thing about this update is that it include Google Street View. This takes you on a virtual walking tour where you can navigate street-level photographs of places you've located in Maps. You can also get walking directions, find public transit schedules, check fares, and estimate your travel time.

Enhancements to Maps:
- Google Street View.
- public transit and walking directions.
- display address of dropped pins.
- share location via email.

Enhancements to Mail:
- resolved isolated issues with scheduled fetching of email.
- improved formatting of wide HTML email.

Improved stability and performance of Safari.
Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes application (over Wi-Fi).
Decrease in call set-up failures and call drops.
Improved sound quality of visual voicemail messages.
Pressing the Home button from any Home screen takes you to the first Home screen.
Preferences to turn on/off auto-correction in Keyboard settings.

Make your own MacBook Nano

A flickr user named Mick has uploaded extensive photos of how he modded an MSI Wind netbook to look and run like a MacBook. You have to agree, it does look cute and very desirable, but I would have spelt Nano with a lowercase 'n'. Read the story on Wired's Cult of Mac blog.

It's official: No more new products in '08

Apple have just told Macworld that the current product line-up will remain unchanged until next year. So, if you were hanging on for that rumoured, new iMac you'll have to wait.

Apple not interested in cheap computers. Netbooks? Maybe.

News from Steve Jobs' recent meeting with analysts show there's a glimmer of hope for those of us after an Apple netbook, but it does look like we'll have to make do with our iPhones and iPod touch's until the market for netbooks picks up (surely it has already?).

"As we look at the netbook category, that's a nascent category. There's as best as we can tell not a lot of them getting sold," Jobs said. "But we'll wait and see how that nascent category evolves and we've got some pretty interesting ideas if it does evolve."

"You know, one of our entrants into that category, if you will, is the iPhone for browsing the Internet and doing email and all the other things that a netbook lets you do, and being connected via the cellular net wherever you are, an iPhone is a pretty good solution for that, and it fits in your pocket."

Read the full article on MacUser.

MacLiveExpo free tickets still available

MacLiveExpo incorporative LinuxLiveExpo and CreativeProExpo is on this weekend. It's a shame Apple have lost interest in the show since they opened their stores. It's still worth a visit if you're in the area.

Yesterday's (not so) special event is online now.

Even ex-pat designer Ive gets a go on stage. See it here

New 15" MacBook Pro and updated MacBook Air.

I'm so depressed, I can't even be bothered to type anything about these. I'll just cut and paste from the Apple site. Before I do, the Air doesn't have the new glass trackpad.


MacBook Pro 2.4GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
15-inch widescreen
2GB Memory
250GB hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 256MB
£1,399.00

MacBook Pro 2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
15-inch widescreen
4GB Memory
320GB hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT with 512MB
£1,749.00



MacBook Air 1.6GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1066MHz frontside bus
2GB Memory
120GB SATA hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Ships: Early November
£1,299.00

MacBook Air 1.86GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 1066MHz frontside bus
2GB Memory
128GB solid-state drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Ships: Early November
£1,799.00

New LED Cinema Display

The cheap product that appeared on the leaked price list last week ended up being a new 24" LED Cinema Display. They say it's made for the new MacBooks and due to its connection cable (containing three connectors: Mini DisplayPort, MagSafe, USB 2.0) it can only be used with the MacBooks with a MiniDisplayPort. Unlike Apple's other Cinema Displays it also has a built-in iSight camera and 2.1 speaker system. There's no UK price yet but in the US it'll cost $899.

Apple shock (the price) and awe (the looks) with new MacBooks

OK, so they've given them faster graphics cards, precision aluminium 'unibodies', glass trackpads, LED displays, and therefore greener credentials, but unfortunately it all comes at a cost; they've only gone and bumped up the price of a MacBook by £250! What planet are Apple on? Alright, so they still sell the old plastic white Macbook, but for how long? (and how come it's gone up by £20?!) I have to agree with what Brad Brooks, vice president of Windows Consumer Product Marketing, said yesterday about Mac users paying an "Apple tax". Yes, Apple have produced a set of MacBooks that are engineered to standards that don't even exist yet, but couldn't they have applied all of that innovative thinking to produce a well-built, stylish notebook for under £500? When did any of them last read a newspaper? Perhaps to follow a trend isn't thinking different enough? Perhaps they have a larger iPod touch in the wings that will fill their ever widening compact portable hole? Perhaps I should bash my 12" PowerBook back into shape and modify its guts? Or maybe buy an Asus EeePC and stick an Apple logo to it? Linux can't be that bad.