EA has been hard at work on iPhone Applications and has made and announcement that, along with Spore Origins, it has nine applications that will be ported to the iPhone.  SimCity is the one we are really excited to see.

Here's hoping that they totally redo these application for iPhone.  We are sick of the 200mb sized Sudoku type games that take 20 minutes to start and slow down our whole synching process.  Gameloft, we are looking at you.  EA games announced:

• YAHTZEE Adventures
• EA Mini Golf
• Lemonade Tycoon™
• Mahjong
• MONOPOLY: Here & Now The World Edition
• SimCity
• Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09
• Need for Speed™ Undercover
• The Sims™ 3.

Engadget surely thinks so....Apple lawyers, would you like us to take this down?

It’s Friday, thoughts are turning to weekend retreats after a shorter than average week, thanks to the US holiday Monday.

So - we’ve seen and heard all the pre-Apple event rumours this week - some will turn out to be true, some will be, erm, less true, and at this stage in the game the anticipation is fun all by itself.

We came across this latest image which claims to show the case for the new iPod nano, and yes, it confirms the time has come to say ‘goodbye’ to the fat nano (which we liked). We’re not saying this is true or false, by the way. Taken from Swedish site, MacFeber, we turned to the stalwart Google Translate service for its unique description:

“Our Bothan-spies have had hold of some nice pictures of the some of the first iPod nano 4G case, which is scheduled be shipped. 

“The new iPod nano is both elongated and slightly more rounded than usual can hereby be seen as confirmed. 

“Jivo distributed so far as we know from TNS here in Sweden.”

MacFeber

 “Back in 1984, Japanese manga artist Mitsuru Sugaya wrote a fun comic book for kids about the birth of Apple. It was originally published as a two-part series in a popular manga compilation called Koro Koro Comics in May and June that year, but Sugaya published the story in its entirety on his blog on July 11th—iPhone launch day in Japan. 

"The year before I wrote this, I went to Silicon Valley and stopped by Apple HQ," he writes.

Kudos to BoingBoing for this one.

BoingBoing

The Apple II Story on Sugaya's blog (Japanese)

Shaw Wu of American Technology Research has chimed in with his predictions for next week's special Apple event on September 9 - warning it could be "underwhelming". 

"We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event as the focus appears to be on its non-Mac businesses," he also observed.

 Not so underwhelming to matter a great deal - at least, not to Wu, who chose to maintain his Buy rating and 6-12 month price target of $220. We considered rewriting this release with our own special slant, but figured you may want it straight - here's what Wu writes...

Low Expectations for a Break-Through Announcement: 

While there is always room for surprise, it seems this event may be somewhat underwhelming vs. previous expectations and events. Over the past several days, AAPL shares have pulled back as expectations have likely come down.

Likely iPod Centric: 

The “Let's Rock” invitation and our recent supply chain checks suggest this will likely be an iPod-centric event. This may be viewed as disappointing as some were hoping to see new Macs. We think radical changes in the iPod portfolio are less likely given the great success and extensive refinement iPod has already undergone. We anticipate a modestly redesigned 4th generation iPod nano and slimmer 2nd generation iPod touch with lower price points and higher storage capacities. The future of the 6th generation iPod classic is unclear as our checks indicate build plans have been more modest as it has become more a niche product.

New Macs Not Likely At This Event: 

We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event. We are picking up that MacBook Air could see a minor refresh and potential price cut to increase its value proposition. Checks indicate that build plans have slowed somewhat from earlier robust levels with customers opting for MacBook or MacBook Pro.

Potential Wildcards: 

We believe wildcards on new products are:

 1) an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities and/or 

2) new touch form factors (iPod-Mac hybrid) with larger screens.

Conclusion:

 While AAPL shares will likely remain volatile given market sentiment, we view current levels as a buying opportunity for longer-term investors. AAPL remains one of the best positioned large-cap technology companies. We see upside to $220 based on 32.5x our CY09 EPS of $6.73.

Event Likely Less Surprising But There Is Always Room for the Unexpected: 

Heading into this event, our concern is that it could end up being one of the less surprising ones simply because AAPL product expectations are always high (given its strong track record and world-class R&D) and radical changes in its iPod business are likely more difficult to achieve given the great success and extensive refinement it already has. Nonetheless, there is always the likelihood for the unexpected and we think there are two potential wildcards including an advanced AppleTV with DVR and TV tuner capabilities and new touch form factors with larger screen (iPod-Mac hybrid).

New iPods Most Likely: 

Our recent supply chain checks indicate that this event will most likely usher in new iPods, including a modestly redesigned 4th generation iPod nano and slimmer 2nd generation iPod touch with lower price points and higher storage capacities. The fate of its 6th generation iPod Classic is unclear as build plans have been more modest. We think this product remains attractive to those users who value high-capacity storage (80 and 160 GB), but the “old” design and cannibalization by iPod touch limit its appeal.

New Macs Not Likely At This Event: 

We continue to believe that MacBook Pro and MacBook are due for refreshes with more radical redesigns, but won't likely be unveiled at this event as the focus appears to be on its non-Mac businesses. In addition, we are picking up that MacBook Air could see a minor refresh and potential price cut to increase its value proposition as build plans have slowed from earlier robust levels as customers have opted for MacBook or MacBook Pro instead.

Lower iPod Price Points Make A Lot of Sense.

 In this tough macroeconomic environment, we believe price cuts make a lot of sense to re-accelerate iPod sales, particularly iPod touch, which is somewhat mispriced (outside of its recent back-to-school promotion) at $299 (8 GB), $399 (16 GB), and $499 (32 GB) price points given the lower $199 (8 GB) and $299 (16 GB) price points of the 3G iPhone with 2-year service plans. We believe AAPL should be able to absorb lower price points without impacting its margins materially given very favorable component pricing trends.

Competitive Advantages Intact: 

We believe AAPL's key competitive advantages remain its 1) strong brand loyal customer base; 2) vertically and horizontally integrated hardware, software and service model (iPod + iTunes, Mac, Apple TV, and iPhone); 3) proprietary interface technologies (clickwheel and multi-touch); and 4) unique and pleasant customer experience with its Apple stores.

Macro headwinds are becoming more apparent: 

We continue to see AAPL as the best play on digital media in the home and a large beneficiary of the shift to mobile computing. In two of its three big franchises, Mac and iPhone, penetration is very low and starting in the higher-income demographics. The disturbance in the macroeconomic environment is within lower-income demographics and financial institutions with exposure and impact to overall liquidity. This could certainly spread, but we believe AAPL’s business will remain strong in the near- to medium-term. Enough high-end consumers are still buying tech, though commodities inflation could pressure future margins.

Comments?

There's a point where Microsoft goes from annoyingly copying Apple's best stuff well enough to grab marketshare, to today's news where you almost have to pity the lack of any type of real innovation happening there.   The Seinfeld commercial is pretty sad.  While it borrows heavily from the light hearted interaction of the recent Apple commercials, it really doesn't make us want to see any more....ever.   And this is from some Seinfeld junkies.

Microsoft tried to quell the fear/embarrassment from its own internal employees by sending out this email:

This first set of ads features Bill Gates and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Think of these ads as an icebreaker to reintroduce Microsoft to viewers in a consumer context. Later this month, as the campaign moves into its next phase, we’ll go much deeper in telling the Windows story and celebrating what it can do for consumers at work, at play and on-the-go. At that time, I’ll be back to share more information about our plans to further strengthen the bond between consumers and Windows–one of the most amazing products, businesses and brands of all time, and, with the right tenacity, passion and agility from all of us, a story that has many great chapters to come.

But it gets much worse.  That wasn't even today's most embarassing moment for Microsoft.

Case in point:  Microsoft Gurus...

Microsoft is paying people to hang out at Best Buy and Circuit City (and WalMart?) to try to help people navigate through the quagmire that is Windows Vista.  They of course won't be able to fix any hardware issues...or do much on the software side....but will otherwise be useful. 

We can actually see one really helpful area which they can provide assistance.   They will be able to help choose which brand of Windows to buy - there are 6 to choose from!

Oh, in case you aren't shockingly embarrassed for Microsoft yet, does Guru sound like anything you ever heard of from any of Micorosoft's consumer competitors?  Ugh, it is hard to watch.

Why not spend some of that time/$/energy bringing that Photosynth software to the Mac?

Whatever.  We don't buy into these things that much.  Especially Vanity Fair.  However, it is  a nice push for the Apple founder to be thrown in mainstream publication - one not about computers.  I guess tech may finally matter?  The Google founders made #3 while Vladimir Putin and Rupert Murdoch made the #1 and 2.  Great company to be in.  

Oh, in case you are worried, Bradjolina made number 9.  Whew! 

Anyway, here's their take:

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE: After changing the computer business with his Mac line and the music business with iPod, Jobs has completely upended the mobile business with iPhone. Rivals are scrambling to create products that stack up against Jobs’s mini-computers that also happen to make phone calls. And consumers who used to spend nothing for their cell phones are now willing to drop hundreds on Apple handsets.

CLOUD OF UNCERTAINTY: Jobs’s skin-and-bones appearance at the June unveiling of the new iPhone touched off several days of frenzied speculation about his health, prompting the tight-lipped Apple P.R. department to tell reporters that he was fine. Given that Jobs, 53, had previously lived with pancreatic cancer for nine months without disclosing it, it seems likely that his health will remain under scrutiny.

CAN BE PROUD OF: Pixar, his animated-film powerhouse. Its ninth animated feature, wall-e, won huge critical acclaim.

RARE EVIDENCE OF FALLIBILITY: Last year Apple began selling the eight-gigabyte iPhone for $599, then quickly cut the price by $200. When early buyers said they’d been ripped off, Jobs dismissed their complaint. A day later he offered them an apology and a $100 credit.

WOULD-BE DOPPELGÄNGER: Mark Zuckerberg, the precocious Facebook founder whose public presentations seem to be clearly modeled after Jobs’s renowned product introductions.

ON THE RECORD: When New York Times columnist Joe Nocera asked Apple about Jobs’s health, the Apple chief phoned him, snapping, “You think I’m an arrogant [expletive] who thinks he’s above the law, and I think you’re a slime bucket who gets most of his facts wrong.”

We've been hoping someone would get this together, so we figured we should shout about Shape Services, which has introduced a free instant messaging client for the iPhone which is compatible with many different IM services.

"The award-winning IM+ All-in-One Mobile Messenger for chats within AIM / iChat, MSN / Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, ICQ, Jabber, Google Talk and MySpaceIM from any iPhone and iPod Touch.

"Communicate with friends and colleagues wherever you are regardless of location and mobile operator," the App Store blurb says - the product's doing pretty well - it has shot straight into the top 25 downloads on the service.

Main features include:

- All public IMs in one client. 

- No cost per message.

- Simple and user-friendly interface.

- Inbox view to keep an eye on all open dialogs and unread messages.

The developer behind the software develops a wide range of solutions, with particular regard to mobile platforms.

 Is this the face of the new visualiser inside iTunes 8?

Enjoy the clip, more after the break...

Magnetosphere revisited (audio by Tosca) from flight404 on Vimeo.

So - rumours emerging from the excellent Create Digital Music website suggest that the new visualiser inside of iTunes 8 may be based on the Magnetosphere visualiser until recently made available as an iTunes plug-in.

As reported by video producer and designer Allan White, Magnetosphere has recently been sold to a third party, and the nature of the visualiser closely matches the description of the feature given by Digg founder Kevin Rose earlier this week.

"[Robert] Hodgins built a wonderful iTunes visualizer called Magnetosphere a while back - which mysteriously disappeared from his site a few months back. I wrote him, and he said that it had been sold to a third party. There’s strong evidence that this third party is in fact Apple, and that it may ship with iTunes 8, which could be shown as soon as next week at an iPod Event," White reports.

Via: TUAW

 The developer of Pull My Finger, an iPhone application, told MacRumors that Apple decided to reject his application from the App Store because it was of "limited utility to the broad iPhone and iPod touch user community".

The puerile application generates different sounds of flatulence, and while the developer knows its not world-shattering, he (rightly) argues that it's only a bit of fun - and there's many other limited use apps in the App Store. We ask, has Apple become far too judgmental? Comments...

Seriously. We just don't get it.

It kind of reminds us of this one:

Apple chief financial officer, Peter Oppenheimer, fielded the usual future product questions when he spoke at Citigroup's 15th Annual Global Technology Conference yesterday. His media trainers should be proud - he successfully managed to keep analysts interested while saying as little as possible. Here's some highlights from the chat.

CFO Oppenheimer confirmed Apple wants to introduce the iPhone into China, but offered no time scale, ad he reiterated company management's regret Apple didn't delay the launch of MobileMe.

"I don't have any announcements today regarding China," Oppenheimer said, "but for those who haven't seen it, we've had three in Russia in the last 24 hours. Couldn't be happier with where we are with iPhone distribution.

Oppenheimer's most critical statements - particularly as economists continue to warn of recession - stress the company's move to lower product prices..."We plan to keep offering products at a reasonable margin, but not so high to benefit our competitors," he said, advising that Apple has outgrown maret averages for the last 14-15 quarters, and confirming Apple's 80% market share of consumer notebooks priced above $1,000.

Oppenheimer refused to be drawn on any new product launches, beyond saying Apple has 4,000 talented engineers who continue to develop new things, and promising "we're going to rock" at next week's Apple event.

Asked about Apple's interest in netbooks, he once again refused to be drawn, saying, "but now, we have lots of great notebooks".

He also pointed out that a low dollar exchange rate is advantageous to Apple..

The CFO also noted the continued price fluctuation on SSD, saying "We'll see how competition between solid state and hard drives work out; think it'll be good for us and our customers in the end."

iPhone sales are pleasing: "We expect to sell more iPhones in the September quarter than in any prior quarter, " he said. "We're very focused on coming out with state of the art products for customers," he added.

Oh - and a message from Apple management to iPhone users...on the device's lack of voice dialling, he remarked: "That's the beauty of our software model. We have a team of people who are working on new innovations; can make them come out for current and new customers. Wouldn't rule anything out...."

 That's the thing with Apple - you must expect the unexpected... now it looks like new iMacs may be in the frame, boosting higher speeds at much lower prices...

According to tech site jon4lakers.com, the iMac is set for a price cut along with an increase in installed memory at the high-end.

From the site: "What you are looking at is a screen capture of an internal intranet of an anonymous apple employee.  According to our source, and the image, Apple is set to drastically drop the price of their consumer desktop iMacs within the next 3-5 weeks."

Fact or Photoshop? You decide, but why not hang over to the site and take a look at what they're saying...

Yeah, we know, nothing new here...but maybe you forgot?

Digg founder Kevin Rose is at it once again, following his accurate prediction Apple would reveal the next steps in its digital music strategy at a special event on September 9.

Rose reckons Apple will introduce iTunes 8 and newly designed iPod touch and nano ranges at lower prices - and has now revealed a host of new information concerning iTunes 8.

"iTunes 8 includes Genius," Rose writes on his blog, "which makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together. Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have.

"With iTunes 8, browse your artists and albums visually with the new Grid view; download your favorite TV shows in HD quality from the iTunes Store; sync your media with iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (2nd generation), and iPod touch (2nd generation); and enjoy a stunning new music visualizer."

Rose also adds, "the new iTunes 8.0 visualizations are really trippy - there is one with planet like objects wrapping around each other w/stars/light streams."

The news comes as some reports claim Apple will NOT announce its iTunes Unlimited music subscription service next week.

Via: Distorted

 Josef Pruiza (and his brother), a few iPhone 3G-loving Czechs, have figured out how to control their RC car with their iPhone's accelerometer. The 5+ minute video shows Josef wheeling and spinning his RC car simply by tilting the iPhone. 

Josef’s Blog on this

Via: ModMyiFone

We had a hunch this may happen - and the latest Business Week report confirms it has - the first-generation iPhone is become the second-hand market's plat du jour...

We anticipated that on the release of the iPhone 3G the market would initially be saturated with first-gen iPhones, as users got rid of them in order to upgrade.

We also thought that - given unlocking tools and a rich crop of applications are already available for any jailbroken iPhone (1G?) - the second user iPhone would become a cult object, creating its own alternate ecosystem.

The report hints that's what's taking place. eBay prices currently suggest the 16GB iPhone to be worth $600 while the 8GB model is worth a tidy $500 on the second hand market. As TUAW notes, "In other words, the $250 AT&T refurb specials from March are now worth roughly double what you paid for them."

The majority of these iPhones are being shipped out of the US for resale (or perhaps for use in countries such as India in which potential customers are a little reluctant to pay the huge price tag). 

However, there's also strong demand in the US for these devices, the report notes - particularly from users who don't mind sacrificing a few features in order to free themselves from the thrall of being hitched-up to AT&T.

"Whatever the reason, sales of the old iPhone are booming, and plenty of other companies besides NextWorth want in on the resale action. Many are striking trade-in agreements with retail stores like Circuit City (CC) to accept old iPhones on the spot," Business Week notes.

iLounge has some follow up images of dimensions of the new iPods that are slated to be released next week.  Peep them out...What other kinds of craziness do you expect to see next week?  Take a look at one guess and then vote!

Is anyone else feeling the iPod nano Zune vibe on these?

Apple will open its first retail store in Switzerland this month, sources claim - and there's a second - perhaps a third - store in the frame, too.

As we heard it, the first Swiss retail store will open for business within the next two weeks or so. It's situated on the Rue de Rive in Geneva.

IFOAppleStore confirms what we've been hearing, observing the front of the store has now been decorated with a HUGE Apple logo and a warning (in French) that the store will be "opening soon".

A second store in Zurich is also understood to be nearing completion. IFOAppleStore has previously suggested Apple may hold plans to open a third retail store just outside Zurich, but we've received no confirmation of this.