New macbook?

New macbook Pro, originally uploaded by Sandy's Shots!.

Looks like a fake to me. The dock is in the glass touch-screen trackpad. I may have to eat my words later but I reckon the glass trackpad rumour is a load of old codswallop. The shape looks nice though.

New MacBook Pro photo momentarily appears on German T-Mobile site

The new MacBook Pro's screen has a black border like the iMac. It appeared on a German retail site for a while. When discovered, the person who accidentally put it there was most likely shot. See LOOPRumors for the details.

Don't believe the ads.

As you may know, I work in advertising. Most comparison or demonstration advertising is, most of the time, a lie. Never believe any ad that states this product is better, faster, cleaner, greener, leaner, etc. They always compare it to some crappy product that no one bought (read the small print). I recently worked on an ad where the client wanted to say that their product did it's job 30% faster. It was actually 30% faster than a previous product that company made, which wasn't very speedy to start with. Also, as with the majority of beauty products, clients spend hours with their legal teams, figuring out what they can actually get away with saying in their ads. So next time you read some headline that states "proven to visibly reduce the effects of ageing" that doesn't mean that this cream will reduce your wrinkles; it just means it will visibly reduce them, i.e. cover them up - it's just make-up.
The same goes for Apple advertising. Not even my iMac that plugged into a broadband modem can download the NY Times front page as quick as the iPhone 3G in the ad. Just look at the real-life version.
(Thanks to the Technology Guardian for bringing this to my attention).

Could 'Brick' Codename refer to new Macbook or Mac mini?

Everyone (well not quite) is wondering what the new 'brick' is. Mac Rumors say the codename was leaked by the same source who predicted 'rainbow' nanos. 9to5Mac reckon the new Macbook will be 'all about the brick'., whatever that means. It's also been reported that the new laptop will have a glass trackpad. MacEnstein thinks that as bricks can be thrown through glass, then the brick is the 'Windows killer' : 'we feel it is likely that it is simply a name for an upcoming product (or group of products) that Apple thinks will be sexy enough to pull a huge marketshare away from Microsoft'. Someone else thinks it may be a wireless USB hub for the new slimmer MacBooks.

My take is that it could be some sort of modular design that you can add to or build to suit your growing needs. Windows PCs are preferred by many for the simple reason that they are easily upgradable; the only Mac that Apple 'allow' you to upgrade is the MacPro and they start at £1749. Apple could steal a whole load of Microsoft users if they make the Mac mini more like the MAcPro, ie. something that's not already crammed-full and that can only be opened with a steady palette knife (like the concept above from iPhoneSaviour). It could also steal a few million Mac users who are considering a netbook by bringing out an inexpensive MacBook (fingers crossed). A mini laptop that you could attach to a larger hard drive and optical drive when you're sitting at a desk; a bit like the Old PowerBook Duo and its DuoDock. Now that would be cool.

The G1 will be here in November

The greatest threat to Apple's iPhone, the G1 will be made available through T-Mobile this November. It looks as clunky as the Amazon Kindle (HTC designed it), so Apple won't have to worry about losing their style-concious customers, but it does have a slideout keyboard. The G1 run on Asteroid, the new mobile OS from Google. It looks more customiseable than the iPhone, you can move the desktop widgets around and place them where you want to, just like on a regular PC. It also has both full touch-screen functionality, a trackball for one-handed navigation, plus access to mobile web applications like Google Maps Street View, Gmail, YouTube, etc. The key features are "Wi-Fi, 3G (HSDPA), multimedia messaging, email support (Gmail as well as other POP3 and IMAP email services), instant messaging (with Google Talk as an option of course), a full HTML browser, GPS functionality, a 3-megapixel camera(!), the ability to multitask(!), a music player, Bluetooth and quad-band GSM support".
A good thing is that it will support Google Maps Street View, which lets you explore cities at the street-level. It will also have a built-in compass on the phone and allow you to view locations and navigate 360 degrees by moving the phone around. There's also the Android Market, which is an app store similar to the one on iTunes.
The G1 is free on T-Mobile tarriffs of £40 and above.

Microsoft hit back at Mac vs PC guy ad.

Nerds and N.e.r.d alike, they all use PCs.
I use a PC too, you know? But only because the tight-fisted company I work for won't buy me a Mac.

If you hadn't seen it, here's the Jerry Seinfeld ad that ran last month. Obviously, no one got it. What a waste of money.

Leopard 10.5.5 hits the streets.

Another month, another update to the Mac OS X. Now, will MobileMe finally work?

What's included?

General
Includes recent Apple security updates.
Addresses stability issues with video playback, processor core idling, and remote disc sharing for MacBook Air.
Addresses an issue in which some Macs could unexpectedly power on at the same time each day.
Resolves a stability issue in TextEdit that could be found when accessing the color palette.
Improves Spotlight indexing performance.
Fixes an issue in which contacts might not sync properly with PalmOS-based devices.
Improves iPhone sync reliability with iCal and Address Book.
Includes improvements to Active Directory (see this article for more information).
Improves Speech Dictionary.
Fixes Kerberos authentication issues for Mac OS X 10.5 clients that connect to certain Samba servers, such as Mac OS X Server version 10.4.
Includes extensive graphics enhancements.

Address Book
Addresses stability issues that may occur when creating a Smart Group.
Resolves a printing issue with address cards containing information that spans more than one page.

Disk Utility and Directory Utility
Improves reliability when rebuilding a software mirror RAID volume in Disk Utility.
Improves reliability of server status displayed in Directory Utility.

iCal
Updates iCal to more accurately handle repeating events.
Improves performance when choosing meeting attendees.
Resolves an issue in which the "Refresh All" option may be dimmed ("grayed out") in the contextual menu for certain calendars.
Fixes issues with read-only calendars.
Addresses an issue that prevents an invitee from moving an event to a different calendar.
Resolves an issue with syncing published calendars.

Mail
Addresses performance issues related to displaying IMAP messages.
Resolves an issue with SMTP settings for AIM, Compuserve, Hanmail, Yahoo!, and Time Warner Road Runner email accounts.
Addresses stability issues that may occur when dragging a file to the Mail icon in the Dock.
Addresses an issue with the "Organized by Thread" view in which the date does not appear when the thread is collapsed.
Resolves an issue in which RSS feeds could temporarily disappear from the sidebar.
Improves Mail robustness when sending messages.
Improves reliability when saving drafts that have attachments.

MobileMe
Improves overall sync reliability.
Improves Back to My Mac reliability.

Time Machine
Improves Time Machine reliability with Time Capsule.
Addresses performance issues that may affect initial and in-progress backups.
Fixes an issue in which an incorrect alert message could appear stating that a backup volume does not have enough free space.
Time Machine can now back up iPhone backups that are on your Mac, as well as other items in (~/Library/Application Support).

Apple documentary on tour.

Welcome to Macintosh looks like the sort of film that Steve Jobs wouldn't want you to watch; i.e. It's full of many bitter and twisted ex-employees that have been spat out of the Cupertino sausage factory. The film's makers describe it slightly differently: "A documentary that explores the many ways Apple Computer (now Apple, Inc.) has changed the world. Whether a long time Mac fanatic or new to computers, Welcome to Macintosh takes you from the early days of the Apple-I to the latest the company has to offer."

MacBook Event on 14th October?

This just in from Gizmodo. Looks like we may have to wait until next month for the new Aluminium MacBooks; So DaringFireball reckons. Perhaps they'll colour-match them to the new iPod nanos? That would be a good way of differentiating them from the MacBook Pros. Even the old MacBook touch rumour is being bandied around.

The dumbest iPod headline ever.

Hey, if we use stupid words (because everyone loves 'stupid', don't they?) people might forgive us for hyping up just another iPod launch.
The iPod what is the most fun? Nah.
The funnest iPod ever, like. Yeah!
Dumb it down, why don't you?

Introducing the new iPod nano.

Last night's Special Event online now.

See it here. Doesn't Steve Jobs look gaunt?

All new iPods. New iTunes. No new MacBooks.

Tonight saw the introduction of a whole new range of iPods and iTunes 8. Here's a brief low-down.
Right 'let's rock!'


iPod Touch
New iPhone-like shape.
Side volume buttons.
Built in speaker.
Nike+ built-in.
8GB costs £169, 16GB £219 and 32GB £289.

iPod Touch Software 2.1
(includes iPhone Software 2.1)
Numerous bug fixes.
New Genius playlists.
Improved battery life.
Less App crashes.
Faster back-ups.
Free to those who paid for version 2.0 software.
£5.99 otherwise.
(available Friday).


iPod nano
Thinnest yet.
Widescreen display on its side.
Accelerometer detects movement to twist display for viewing film, photos and cover flow.
New shake-to-shuffle mode.
New Genius playlists.
Built-in voice recorder.
8 colours.
24 hours battery life for music, 4 hours for video.
8GB for £109, 16GB for £149
Available now.

Both the iPod touch and nano are made with more environmentally-friendly materials.


iTunes 8
New Genius playlists analyses track being played and complies a playlist of similar-sounding tracks.
Genius track data is anonymously sent to Apple for them to recommend music from the iTunes Music Store.
New Grid view.
HD TV Shows (NBC back on board - they know it makes sense).
Improved accessibility including access to the Voice Over functionality
Available now.


iPod classic.
Now 120GB only.
Costs £179.
Available now.


iPod shuffle.
Four new colours.
Available now.


New In-ear Headphones.
Two drivers in each ear.
impressive sound isolation.
Control capsule on cable with microphone.
Steel Mesh caps for protection.
Frequency response: 5Hz to 21kHz
Impedance (at 100Hz): 23 ohms
Sensitivity (at 100Hz): 109 dB SPL/mW
Much better than the last ones.


New MacBook Nano.
Oh. Sorry, that's the new Dell Inspiron Mini 9.
C'mon Apple. Sort it out!

Leaked iPod nano photo and iTunes 8 rumour.

True to the recently leaked drawings, here is a photo of a new 'tall' nano that was leaked to Engadget (orange is cool).
Also Kevin Rose has sources that revealed a new function for iTunes 8 called Genius. It "makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together (similar to the Bose UMusic system). Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don't already have." A new visualizer is also rumoured. He also talks about support for Blu-Ray in Mac OS X 10.6.

4th-Gen Nano and 2nd-Gen touch designs leaked

iLounge has published some leaked dimensional drawings of the forthcoming iPod (due to be unveiled next week). The new touch will look similar to the current iPhone 3G and has volume buttons on it's side, top left. The thicker body may attribute to a different, more powerful battery. The new nano looks just like the 2nd generation but with a taller screen. It's almost candy bar phone-like. What if it is an iPhone nano? The design of the nano disappoints me. The 1st-gen was so nice; a miniature version of the classic iPod - i bought one myself. Ever since Apple had to rethink it's design (after there was bad press about it's strength), it's asthetically hasn't moved on. The 2nd-gen was a step back (as it looked like a smaller iPod mini); the 3rd gen was just plain ugly (a short and fat sister) but nicely tapered around the edge. The design of the 4th gen nano (if these drawings are kosher) looks like Ive's design team were on holiday and someone dug out a prototype from five years ago. Shame on you, Apple.

UK event also organised for Let's Rock day.

Saw this on MacUser. Apple have booked to the Business Design Centre in Islington on the 9th. Invitees will watch a live satellite broadcast from California. MacUser are not only expecting new iPods, but a new MacBook (probably made of aluminum - could it be a MacBook nano?) So, to all those of my friends who bought a MacBook in the last month, don't say I didn't tell you so.

New iPods next Tuesday?

The invite is designed to look like the screen of a iPod Classic and reads 'Playing soon Let's Rock". Looks like there' going to be some updates to Apple's music player line. We'll have to wait a whole week to find out. See Cult of Mac.

Pay & Go iPhone prices announced.

We all knew that having an iPhone on PAYG would be ridiculously expensive...
Pay & Go customers can now enjoy the iPhone 3G without a monthly contract. The new iPhone 3G 8GB for Pay & Go will be available for £349.99 and the 16GB version for £399.99.

This also includes unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi for the first 12 months after you activate your iPhone 3G*. At the end of the 12 months you can continue to receive unlimited browsing and Wi-Fi for just £10 per month. We'll notify you before the end of the 12 month period by text and you can easily unsubscribe if you choose to do so.

It will be available to buy from 16th September in O2 stores, The Carphone Warehouse and Apple stores.