Microsoft Bowing Out of the Mac Platform? Could Office 2008 Be the Last from Microsoft?

9to5 Staff Jun 16 2007

The resignation of Roz Ho as General Manager of the Macintosh Business Unit before WWDC 2007 should have been a premonition of Microsoft’s incredibly poor showing at the event (either that or she knew how painfully lame it was going to be). It had been speculated that Redmond would announce the distribution of the new 2008 version of its market dominating Office suite at the event.  But Microsoft had nothing to announce. Is this a sign of things to come?  When will it get released and will Office 2008 be the last upgrade to Office that the Mac sees?  Are Bill and Steve not getting along as well as they appear to be with Walt Mossberg?

Apple $1000 RAID Card is Bland, Disappointing

9to5 Staff Aug 14 2007

August 7th brought many excellent product updates for the Mac platform but some product lines were sorely overlooked. Mac Pros, for instance, received very mild memory discounts and a surprising $999 RAID card.  This RAID Card isn’t the traditional type that has the SATA ports built in.  This one turns the Mac Pro’s motherboard SATA ports into something that can be used in a hardware RAID array.

For people in the know on RAID cards, the advantages are plenty. Mirroring (RAID 1) protects you from a hard drive failure. Striping (RAID 0) speeds up the data access speeds of your drives by writing to two drives simultaneously. RAID 5 does a little of both if you have three or more drives. From there, you can go on and on with different configurations and levels to your heart’s content.

Another popular Disk Array configuration is JBOD – which stands for “Just a bunch of Disks”  As the name suggests, it is a span of the disks available but it isn’t striped so that losing a disk doesn’t mess up any data not housed on that disk.  The speed is usually just that of the hard drives.

iTunes Minus

9to5 Staff Nov 16 2007

EDIT: Our mysterious friend, a Mr. Cruz X. Lefforts is not happy about his iTunes and needed a place to rant…it is Friday and why not?  So here, without further ado….

Cruz Lefferts is mad. Really mad. So mad, he’s talking about himself in the third person.

Cruz Lefferts wanted to believe that iTunes was The entertainment capital of your world, but Cruz found out that iTunes is only interested in his capital.

Sanyo Camera HD Video/ 7 Megapixel still camera half price at Amazon – Glitch?

9to5 Staff Dec 5 2007

Sanyo Xacti HD700 7MP MPEG-4 High Definition 720p Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom (Silver)

$299

(edit – too good to be true – wentback up to $519 – hope you got one early! We’ve linked to the Brown one which can still be had for a very reasonable $349)

Reatil Price: $600

Other stores: $530-600

BTW- we should be able to provide a review on oh about December 26th…

Manufacturer Description
Shoot high-definition today with this elegant state-of-the-art true 720p high-definition camcorder that doubles as a 7-megapixel digital camera. Encased in a stunning enclosure, the HD700 features a 5x optical lens and a large 2.7-inch widescreen display making the HD700 as convenient as it is useful. And, a HDMI port on the docking station allows you to simply connect to the latest high-definition TVs and recorders to view and share your footage. Also, the HD700 records to the latest MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 global standard, delivering exceptional video clarity and detail while maintaining the smallest file size possible.

New 8 Core Apple Xserves and Mac Pros released today

9to5 Staff Jan 8 2008

Apple today announced the availability of Apple Xserves that utilize the Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Harpertown” processors.  Eight cores, 1600Mhz bus, 32GB of 800MHz DDR2 ECC FB-DIMM memory supported.   As we said yesterday, Apple didn’t use an event to announce this.  Specs over at Apple.

The Mac Pros also got a set of Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Harpertown” processors  – which means nothing new design-wise at Macworld.  Check the specs.

Not too shabby. But not terribly impressive either.  The cheesegrader design is getting kinda tired.  And no…

Steve Jobs' sculpted form

9to5 Staff Mar 17 2008

Fortune magazine commissioned artist Karen Caldicott to create a Steve Jobs sculpture for the publication.

The creation features Jobs in tell-tale garb, replete with trimmed white beard, glasses, and (naturally) an iPod, though Apple’s CEO is seen here to be holding an older, second generation iPod nano.

The news first appeared on collaborative illustrators and artists weblog, Drawn!, which offers regular information and links submitted by its creative members.

Apple updates iMacs with faster processor, graphics

9to5 Staff Apr 28 2008

Apple today upgraded its iMac selection to include faster (and more efficient) Penryn (or Montevina QX9770!?) processors – topping out at over 3 GHz.  The iMacs can be configured with much burlier graphics cards (NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS) as well.  Unsurprisingly, Apple didn’t include Blu Ray as an option…perhaps next time?

“The iMac’s gorgeous aluminum and glass all-in-one design has been an incredible hit with our customers and is just one of the reasons Mac sales are growing three and a half times faster than PC sales,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With the latest Intel processors, a faster new graphics option and more memory, customers now have even more reasons to love the iMac.”

Also Apple touts the new iMac’s green credentials:

Apple not yet green enough – Greenpeace

9to5 Staff Jun 25 2008

While it excels in some areas, Apple needs to improve in terms of the energy used in computer manufacture and needs to deliver much improved global e-waste schemes, according to the latest Greenpeace report.

It’s not all bad news for Apple – the company is one of the two best firms in terms of energy efficiency in its products, with all of them meeting and, in many cases, exceeding Energy Star requirements. However, Apple missed a big chance to advance its score by not improving the environmental performance of the new version of the iPhone, Greenpeace notes.

Apple retail wins applause

9to5 Staff Jul 1 2008

 Retail Week has compiled a list of the 100 “must visit” shops from around the world – with Apple retail outlets in London and New York taking two spots on the list.

Apple Retail Stores on Regent Street, London and Fifth Avenue, New York won places. The criteria for selection demands each store excels in product, service and creativity. “For someone who has not grown up in the technical generation”, said one retailer about Regent Street, “this shop is very simple, has a great range, excellent service and everything is laid out easily

Upgrade season: Apple products enter upgrade cycle

9to5 Staff Jul 31 2008

 If you plan shopping for a MacBook, MacBook Pro or any iPod, then you need to move fast – Apple is running down available stocks.

The company is warning its products will be in short supply, telling resellers it has begun reducing production of its laptops and iPods.

Apple is even advising resellers to get a few weeks worth of stock in to deal with the supply problem.

We’ve been anticipating new iPods and MacBooks for some time now, and believe plans to introduced the all-new laptops were delayed when Intel was unable to manufacture  its new 45-nanometre Centrino 2 chips (expected to power the new range) to schedule.

Processors have always been a major concern to Apple, which is probably why it’s looking to license ARM technology for its mobile devices.

New Apple MacBook shells?

9to5 Staff Aug 4 2008

Apple.Pro, a Taiwan-based site, came up with some purported, blurry MacBook shells a few weeks ago that got everyone hella excited.  Today, they have a few more that are a little clearer.   It fits with the Aluminum with Glass trackpads…

More Pictures you know where…

Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope says Apple tablet might be coming

9to5 Staff Aug 10 2008

According to Silicon Alley Insider, Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope has been doing some research on Apple.  His conclusions seem pretty reasonable…with some caveats.  Here are his findings and our thoughts below:

Leaked new MacBook Pro ad?

9to5 Staff Aug 24 2008

In a word, no. Somebody with time+ Photoshop skills got this to the frontpage of Digg…but where is the glass trackpad?

Update: Mike Ciarlo has taken rightfull credit for the advert which is his artistic creation.  Expect a call either from Apple HR or Apple legal.  Mike, how about one with a glass trackpad and made with one piece of aluminum?

What is 'The Brick?'

9to5 Staff Sep 10 2008

There is nothing I love more than Apple rumors.  So, in that respect, I have some great news for everyone.   One of our tipsters has a bit of a riddle for us.  

S/he says that the MacBook update event in a few weeks (you know the one with the glass trackpads) is ‘all about the Brick’.  What does "The Brick" mean?  Can anyone out there help us out?  This is one of those tipsters that has a solid track record so we want to go along for the ride.  

Maybe we can figure out this riddle together?

Update: John Gruber from Daring Fireball says the announcement will occur October 14th

..those of you holding out for a new lineup of MacBooks will have to wait until October 14, according to sources who, as they say, are familiar with Apple’s hardware plans.

Is this the new MacBook Pro?

9to5 Staff Sep 26 2008

"The alleged MacBook Pro (pictured at right) appears to have the characteristics described in early speculation with aluminum casing, glass track pad and rounded edges. The addition of the black trim around the screen looks amazing,” writes iPhone Saviour.

The new designed Mac laptops are expected to have a black surround to the screen, a la iMac – but given that this image appeared shortly after a speculative report exploring the new specs, we think the presence of an Apple logo-T-shirt-wearing element to the image actually suggests this is a Photoshop job. Well, we should know soon enough, come October, – and we’re curious about the ‘brick’…

MacBook Pro upgrade – latest info/speculation

9to5 Staff Sep 27 2008

 Yet more claims as to what to expect from Apple’s future MacBook range….

This new set of claims tally with those we’ve been picking up, but news of the brick remains small. (Image here is not of the new device, by the way)

– New MacBook Pro won’t have the tapered edges of the MacBook Air, but will keep the current basic shape.

– MacBook Pro will be thinner and "as much as a half-inch narrower than the current model with less bezel around the screen".

My Predictions: October 14th Event

9to5 Staff Oct 1 2008

As you all probably know by now, there will be an Apple event on October 14th (it will be announced "officially" October 7th, but we know its coming). It is widely expected for Apple to update their MacBooks and MacBook Pros at this event. Mac Soda offers all of its predictions for the event.

Latest MacBook Pro (fake) images ship!!!

9to5 Staff Oct 2 2008

 We’re happy to reveal the all-new latest fake MacBook/MacBook Pro images. Get on!!

With the almost completely unlikely tag-line of, “A blend of beauty meets beastly power," (which sounds like a Dell marketing plug – on a bad day) and the notion. "Pro, on-the-go", these latest images claim a two-tone case, a magnetic latch and (we’re sad to note) no glass trackpad…

We aren’t sure about the two-tone design, for a start it looks derivative, for a second note, there’s lots of people who don’t like black keyboard on their Apple notebooks, and finally we note the Apple logo is white, meaning yet another colour.

Is the October 14th invite a glass trackpad?

9to5 Staff Oct 10 2008

It takes the kind of demented mind that is posessed by one Dr. Macenstein to see the cryptic messages Apple is sending us…or so we are hoping.  Dr. Macenstein reports that the October 14th event invite is actually a glass trackpad.  Yes, that glass trackpad!  If you look at it the right way, under certain conditions…well you get the drift.  Set your clock to count down until Tuesday.  BTW, We’ll be doing our livepanel, bringing you all of the best liveblogs on one page…check back here Tuesday morning..See Macenstein’s image after the break.

OLO makes iPhone netbook play

9to5 Staff Oct 13 2008

Well, here’s a thing – one day before Apple primes its spotlight on the laptop, upstart firm OLO has introduced its very own netbook concept that uses your iPhone as the CPU..

That’s right, this firm wants to build a netbook around your iPhone – you actually insert the iPhone into the notebook and use the iPhone’s touchscreen as a trackpad for the computer!!

There’s no shipping product, no spec sheet, no other information, and it is possible this gadget just lets you operate your iPhone in a normal way with the advantage of a keyboard and a bigger screen…

Still, in a sense this underlines what could be so phenomenally important about Apple’s glass trackpad, conceivably.

MacBook Pro will carry glass trackpad!

9to5 Staff Oct 14 2008

Apple’s new pro laptops will be packed with features and will indeed host a glass trackpad.

We’ve been banging on about this for months, and now our sources have been confirmed by another, this time over at Daring Fireball, where John Gruber writes, "And good news for those of you who’ve been bitching about Apple’s laptops having a single button: the single-button trackpad is gone. Which is to say there is no button at all….the MacBook Pro’s new trackpad is made of glass, and is a button itself. 

Essentially it’s a touch-sensitive user interface, a glass trackpad that acts as a physical button "with a click you can feel".  This was detailed here and here in July.

MacBooks, monitors and DisplayPort: a primer

9to5 Staff Oct 15 2008

Apple yesterday introduced a 24-inch LED Cinema Display and a range of MacBooks equipped with a Mini DisplayPort, and the company indicated this was a first step in transitioning all its products to DisplayPort. So what is it?

DisplayPort isn’t an Apple technology – it’s an emerging I/O standard that’s designed for video – effectively in the running against HDMI.

Steve Jobs offers Apple's 2008 Green Update

9to5 Staff Oct 16 2008

Apple today published an update on its environmental plans.

"For the past several years, Apple has made a concerted effort to be more transparent about the steps we are taking to protect the environment and make our business more sustainable. In this environmental update, I’d like to inform you of our recent progress and introduce you to a groundbreaking system of reporting that we believe is unmatched in our industry," the open message, signed by Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, explains.

What exactly did Jobs say during the earnings call?

9to5 Staff Oct 21 2008

Thanks to the transcribers at Seeking Alpha, we have the entire transcript of the call which sent to stock up over 10% in after hours trading.  Most interesting is what dear leader Steve Jobs said.  Here are some bits:

Hi, everyone. Some remarkable things are happening at Apple but everything is now set against the backdrop of this global economic slowdown, so it seemed like a good time for me to make a few remarks and help answer some of your questions.