9to5 Staff

As the Green wave grows, it seems the message is slowly percolating through, with fresh research this morning claiming consumers would be willing to buy a green handset. Apple’s recent moves toward environmental transparency could become another card to drive success in the smartphone war.

Results from a 2009 ABI Research survey of 1000 adult mobile phone users in North America reveal that approximately 7% would be willing to pay a premium for an environmentally-friendly handset. A further  40% would choose a green handset over a conventional one if price, features, and performance were equal.
 
“These survey results mean that almost half of those surveyed were at least committed in principle to use of a green handset,” comments industry analyst Michael Morgan. “However the public is largely uninformed about their availability: only 4% said they were ‘very familiar’ with green handsets.”

This could be bad news for many handset makers, as it implies growing public interest in and awareness of the need for greener consumer electricals.

“Creating a verifiably green handset can mean revamping the whole supply chain and retooling the production process,” the researchers said. Watchdog groups such as Greenpeace are on the alert for “greenwashing.” Says Morgan, “There’s an avalanche of information to be managed, just to prove that you’re green.”
 
We now know that Apple is already actively engaged in revamping its whole supply chain, most recently learning the company has already developed a replacement material for PVC, a material conceivably already used within the iPhone.

Quoting from Apple’s own environmental report on its iPhone 3GS, we learn it is designed with the following features to reduce environmental impact:

– PVC-free handset
– PVC-free headphones
– PVC-free USB cable
– Bromine-free printed circuit boards
– Mercury-free LCD display
– Majority of packaging made from post-consumer recycled fiberboard and biobased materials
– Power adapter outperforms strictest global energy efficiency standards.

Now, we’re not in a position to say this is the greenest mobile available on the market, Murphy’s law says it probably isn’t, but given the opacity with which many manufacturers reveal the green credentials of their products, surely Apple’s recent moves to become more open about these matters opens another front in the ongoing smartphone wars. And Apple has taken great strides recently to not just live within environmental legislation, but to exceed them.

Analyst Morgan observes, “There’s a difference between being merely compliant and being truly green. The three key factors are: using recyclable or renewable materials; ensuring that handsets are in fact recycled after use; and introducing low-power chargers. Even more crucial for the long-term: leveraging the lessons learned in this process and applying them right through entire handset portfolios.”

Clean Production Action and ChemSec recently issued a report that highlights Apple as one of seven companies that lead the pack in terms of eliminating toxic substances from electronic poducts.

They said: “Apple established an innovative program that restricts the use of nearly all bromine and chlorine compounds across all their product lines. As such, Apple now offers a wide range of PVC and BFR free consumer products including iPhones and iPods, as well as computers that are free of BFRs and most uses of PVC.”

Apple has worked with another company to develop a replacement for PVC, which is understood to become commonplace in use in Apple products during the coming year, BusinessWeek informs.

Apple’s recent move to quit the Chamber of Commerce underlines the company’s commitment to advance the green debate. It is also clear Apple is intent on genuine moves to engage with these issues, in order to avoid accusations of ‘greenwashing’.

We’re curious now what the green credentials of the host of Android and Win Mobile powered devices will be, and what the environmental impact assessments on the Palm Pre and RIM products turn out to be.

Apple’s at the top of the pack when it comes to choosing which browser you want to use with Windows in Europe – and Mozilla is furious at the deal done for detente in the EU’s spat with Microsoft.

Microsoft has proposed inclusion of a ballot screen through which customers get to choose which browser from a list of five they want included on their Windows installation, ending the company’s insistence on bundling Internet Explorer with MS-powered ‘puters in Europe.

Under the proposals, browsers will be listed alphabetically by company name, putting Apple’s Safari (for Windows) at the top of the list. This has given Firefox developer, Mozilla, what we in the UK colloquially express as “the hump”, with FF user experience designer, Jenny Boriss, complaining that inclusion of Safari at the top of the list will give Apple an unfair market advantage.

Available browsers include IE, Safari, Chrome, Firefox with Opera at the bottom of the list.

"This ordering is about the worst option possible," said Boriss. "Microsoft wrote in their proposal that ‘nothing in the design and implementation of the Ballot Screen and the presentation of competing web browsers will express a bias for a Microsoft web browser or any other web browser,’ but this is exactly what the current design does. Windows users presented with the current design will tend to make only two choices: IE because they are familiar with it, or Safari because it is the first item."

"The disproportionate advantage to Safari is what really makes this design poor," she said, "Frankly, Safari is a good browser for Apple computers, but Apple hasn’t put much effort to make it competitive on Windows. It’s just not their priority. So, by listing Safari first, the ballot is presenting as the recommended item the browser that is least likely to be the one the user wants."

She instead proposes browsers be listed by marketshare, with IE placed last as a reaction to the EU’s finding that Microsoft has so far violated antitrust laws by tying its browser to its operating system.

Well, we say surprise, but let’s face it, it’s not terribly exciting – seems Microsoft, sponsors of Family Guy, givers of Win Mob 6.5 and desperate to convince XP users to switch to its latest operating system plans to open its first retail locations on Windows 7 launch day, October 22.

We already know these locations emulate Apple’s cool shops in almost every way – video screens, layout, location, tech help bars, the lot. Engadget sources now claim Microsoft’s take on an Apple shop will begin opening up (to take business from nearby PC retailers) on that day.

“Specifically, the Scottsdale store will swing the doors wide on the 22nd, we’re not sure about the Mission Viejo location,” the report states.

In a separate report the Wall Street Journal notes the risks Microsoft runs, quite apart from the cost of its retail locations, “Microsoft depends on existing partners in the retail business that could be threatened by the company’s expansion into their turf," Wingfield reports. "Microsoft’s hardware partners could also be angered by its decisions about which devices to stock and which to exclude from its store shelves."

"The most eye-catching element of Microsoft’s store designs is likely to be the wall-sized high-definition screens, according to someone who has seen them. Laptops, mobile phones, Zunes and other devices will be arranged on spacious tables inside the stores."

Perhaps one of the more interesting things about the stores will be the chance they give to re-connect with those former Apple retail staff Microsoft has been recruiting to man its shops.

Investors may also be asking, with Apple scooping up the most profitable sales in computing with its machines, what exactly will be the viable margin for Microsoft’s shops? Presumably it won’t make a great deal from sales of hardware, other than its Xbox; though it may see some benefit from OS ad software sales. When the numbers for Microsoft’s retail segment begin to drop, we guarantee there’ll be some data-crunching as financial analysts and stockholders ask, “does this pay”?

Thanks to Engadget for the image, because we just lurve what they’ve done – we particularly like the small child to the mid-left of the picture, who is presumably desperate to be taken next door to that cool iPod shop. That’s what we call “pester power”. And the Windows user in the right of the pic seems, erm, somewhat “unusually” dressed….

Yesterday’s short item about Print, a $3.99 app which lets you print Web pages, contacts and photos from your iPhone sparked lots of interest in software that enables such operations, today that story gets joined by another as Canon U.S.A. today introduced its Canon Easy-PhotoPrint for iPhone, which is now available on the App store.

The App enables wireless photo printing from your iPhone or iPod touch to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer via a wireless network with a few simple taps.

Users can print photos as large as 8 1/2 x 11 on six different types of paper and to print up to 20 copies at one time to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer.

Yuichi Ishizuka, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Imaging Group, Canon U.S.A., bigged-up the new app, "This new technology enables users to print multiple images at one time while selecting varying sizes and paper types, making it easier than ever for consumers to print the images they want from their revolutionary iPhone or iPod touch."

Snag it here (it’s free).
 

Good morning all, welcome to our Friday collection of under the radar stories, your one-stop shop primer for all the rest of the Apple news today.. So what have we got?

Apple’s iPhone sales are bigger than ever and will exceed Wall Street estimates, an analyst has expressed – and we’ll be able to check these estimates on Monday when Apple has at last confirmed it will offer its Q4 financial call.

With Windows 7 looming, if you use virtualisation software, good news, VMware Fusion 3 (which is fast and recommended) is available now for pre-order on Amazon; If you’ve been investing enough in Apple stock you may already be a millionaire, and there’s an App for you if you are; also on an iPhone tip, the first paid for app has gone free with a changed business model following Apple’s introduction of in-app purchasing for free Apps yesterday; there’s some move in Apple retail; Michael Jackson will be making it to iTunes (well, he won’t be, but his label and his estate have figured a way to make a little money in his memory); oh, and Google announces stellar Q3 results and reveals a platform-agnostic eBook plan (tablet tablet).  Brief news: iPhone partner for Guam while Apple dominates Twitter buzz. And the usual pair of rather attractive bargains for our US and UK readers. — All after the blip…

iPhone sales up, up and away
Analyst Ashok Kumar says shipments of the iPhone in September exceeded Wall Street estimates of 7 million units by 25-30 percent. According to Kumar, the iPhone now accounts for 15 percent of the smartphone segment.

Read it here

Apple to webcast Q4 results, company confirms
“FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call
WHAT: Apple® FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call
WHEN: Monday, October 19, 2009, 10:00 p.m. BST
WEBCAST: Apple will provide live audio streaming of its FY 09 Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call using Apple’s industry-leading QuickTime® multimedia software. The live webcast will begin at 10:00 p.m. BST on October 19, 2009 and be available for two weeks.
(We mentioned this was coming weeks ago, folks – Read it here)

VMWare Fusion 3.0
Set to ship October 27, we enjoyed a demonstration of this yesterday at London’s Digital Winter event. While we are diehard Mac users we were impressed by the speed and parity with which both platforms performed. The Unity engine is extremely stable (as far as we can tell), the integration between the OS’s impresses, and it opens your Mac up for Open GL and Directx support. VMware Fusion 3 is available for pre-order.

iVIP
Something deeply decadent about this, we think it may be a fail, but for pure cheek alone, here we go: “iVIP Black is the iPhone’s first premium lifestyle application, an exclusive network of privileges and benefits across a range of luxury partners…users who download the app are required to complete a High Net Worth Individual certification, restricting use of the app to ‘Millionaires’.” Hmmm – your thoughts, people??

Read it here

Paid goes free for in-app upgrade deals
Push notification app, Boxcar, has gone free following Apple’s move to enable in-app purchases for free Apps yesterday. The free version offers you access to one service – so Facebook notifications or Twitter Stream, for example, and you bolt on other services at $1.99 each.

We expect much more of this as some developers experiment with the possibilities here, we also predict subscription-based App purchases are next in Apple’s sights, at which point Hulu may finally introduce its very own iPhone app…

Read it here

Apple retail draws more top-tier talent
Cushman & Wakefield retail team partner Will Vogt is leaving in mid-November to work with former colleague Chris Braithwaite at retailer Apple.

Vogt has experience in buying, selling, financing, leasing, managing and valuing of assets, and providing strategic planning and research, portfolio analysis, site selection and space location for property. We suspect he’s to be of some importance in developing Apple’s European retail expansion plans.

Read it here

iTunes makes a compromise, Jacko will be on iTunes
“An exclusive report by Digital Music News on Tuesday quickly reignited negotiations between the companies, thanks partly to a quick pickup by the Wall Street Journal and a pile-on by other news outlets.  On Thursday afternoon, Apple reached out to confirm that a deal was signed with Sony, after bundling specifics were ironed out.”

Apple actually conceded on one critical point, offering to bundle the lead single, "This Is It," into a larger album purchase.  The rest of the tracks, largely older Jackson classics, appear to be purchasable a-la-carte, though Apple will also position an EP alongside the full album download.  According to iTunes executive Jason Roth, the EP will contain six previously unreleased tracks, and "This Is It" must be purchased as either a full-album or EP bundle.  The availability starts October 26th.

Read it here

Google makes $1.64b, announces giant book shop plan
Google last night reported revenues of $5.94 billion for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, an increase of 7% compared to the third quarter of 2008. Google reports its revenues, consistent with GAAP, on a gross basis without deducting traffic acquisition costs (TAC). In the third quarter of 2009, TAC totaled $1.56 billion, or 27% of advertising revenues. GAAP net income in the third quarter of 2009 was $1.64 billion, compared to $1.29 billion in the third quarter of 2008.

The company also confirmed its intent to launch Google Editions in the first half of next year, initially offering about half a million e-books in partnership with publishers. These titles will be made available to any platform, conceivably including Android netbooks, Apple iPhones and any future eBook-friendly, erm, Apple tablet.

Read it here

iPhone comes to Guam
GTA TeleGuam and Apple have reached an agreement to bring the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS to Guam later this year.

Read it here

Apple, Google are the buzz online
Apple, Microsoft and Google are the major brands generating the largest amounts of online "buzz" among users of social media services like Facebook and Twitter, said social media analytics firm. Sysmos.

Google took the top spot. Apple took second, and Microsoft fell into third place, just ahead of BMW.

Read it here

Deals from the Toy Section
Do look at these deals, we try to find you something good each day…see more great deals in 9to5 Toys.

US Deal
There’s some steep – up to 65 percent – discounts on a huge collection of SwissGear laptop bags. These bags are tough and hard-wearing, look cool and, better yet, don’t look like laptop bags so you won’t stand out as a mugger’s target if you – or your child – ends up in a dodgy zone. Go take a look, with discount prices start at just $35.

UK Deal
We’ve stumbled across a great deal on one of the most essential books on Apple history that any convinced Mac, iPod or iPhone user should take a look at, Apple Confidential 2.0: The Definitive History of the World’s Most Colorful Company: The Real Story of Apple Computer, Inc. by Owen W Linzmayer. Normally retailing at £18.49, it’s currently available for just £12.45, and is without doubt one of the six books we’d most recommend you read if you want a strong understanding of the computer company. Go see…

Check back later on for more of our fast and actual, independent Apple news coverage….

Warning: Very strong language:

VMWare Fusion 3 is now avaialble for pre-order from Amazon.  We’re hoping to have a review up in the next few weeks, but until then we only have the company specs to go by

 

http://download3.vmware.com/demos/fusion/FusionVideo.swf

The San Jose Business Journal is reporting that Apple has been seeing iPhone 3GS shortages throughout the quarter.  This can be seen as both good news (selling well) and bad news (could be selling more).  Their evidence:

• PJC Wireless analyst Mike Walkley in the first two months of the first most recent quarter showed retail shortages for the iPhone 3GS
• Media reports indicate that the CEO of wireless carrier 3 Italia indicated that the company is selling 20k iPhones per month, but could sell more than double that amount if it had adequate supply.

As they note, this is the first full quarter reported since the iPhone 3GS was launched in late June.  Apple’s earnings call is on October 19th.  We’ll be covering it here at 9to5mac.

 

Until now, if you wanted to sell items inside your app, you had to make the app a paid app.  Today, Apple is letting free apps sell services in-app.  Will this be the end of the paid app?  Why not just make all apps free as a trial and make in app purchases activate the full version?

 the problem with free is then how do you replace the affiliate linking – which is certainly popular.

Doing his day job at Newsweek, Dan Lyons reports that Apple’s tablet warrants the hype that it is getting (without even officially existing) because it will usher in new era of computing – where the Internet is always on "Like the air you breathe".  If that is really the case, then we’re hoping that Apple picks a different provider because we’ve been suffocating on AT&T for too long!

These devices will play video and music and, of course, display text; they will let you navigate by touching your fingers to the screen; and-this is most important-they will be connected to the Internet at all times. For those of us who carry iPhones, this shift to a persistent Internet has already happened, and it’s really profound. The Internet is no longer a destination, someplace you "go to." You don’t "get on the Internet." You’re always on it. It’s just there, like the air you breathe.

Apple’s feeling the opportunity in Microsoft’s Vista-replacement, Windows 7, playing it cool as it plans its own new advertising blitz to tempt across those PC users who just can’t seem to put their faith in Ballmer’s boys any longer.

As Business Week (and, later, MacRumors, informs), Apple plans to begin its own ad-attack when Win 7 climbs out of the trenches on October 22. And Apple VP Phil Schiller thinks Microsoft’s handing Apple an advantage in the desktop OS game…

The ads will extol Mac OS X’s real virtues – lack of viruses, happy connections with iPods and iPhones and its simple upgrade process….after all, Windows XP users (still a big slice of Microsoft’s user base) are expected to jump through hoops and engage in mystical mantras if they want to upgrade to WIn 7. Well, OK, not quite that, but they are expected to:

1/ Back-up everything to an external drive.
2/ Reformat their PC.
3/ Reinstall all their old applications.
4/ Replace all their personal files.
5/ Live through all those steps while retaining sanity.

Far easier to switch to the Mac, Apple surmises. Particularly as those friendly staff at the Apple Store will swap all your personal files across for you.

"Any user that reads all those steps is probably going to freak out. If you have to go through all that, why not just buy a Mac?" Schiller helpfully points out to BusinessWeek.

Sure, we all expect Win 7 will boost PC sales slightly, it’s well-known that the market failure of Vista has served to depress the PC industry, while Apple market share grows.

Indeed, just 20 percent of Windows users have shifted to Vista, while over 70 per cent of Mac users migrated to Snow Leopard. "I expect Snow Leopard will have an amazing upgrade rate, and Windows 7 won’t,” Schiller said, bullishly.

With Snow Leopard available at a reasonable price, Schiller’s next statement could be prophetic: "We’ve been through these transitions before, and no matter how you look at it – it’s still Windows. When all is said and done, the Mac picks up share a bit at a time."

Will Phil Schilller one day refer to Windows marketshare as a “rounding error”?

It continues to vex many of us that we can’t print from our iPhone – surely it would be a simple matter to enable printing over WiFi or Bluetooth? Now you can, thanks to EuroSmartz new app, “Print” ($3.99), which joins the company’s popular “Print n Share” app ($6.99) to enable such functions.

The new $3.99 application lets you print contact address and phone numbers, web pages, photos from your iPhone Photo Album, and more. All it needs is for you to have an accompanying utility installed on your Mac or PC and you can print to any printer connected to your computer, including networked printers.

Better yet, you can even print remotely back to your office printer or print travel photos back home. If you want to print emails or documents, you’ll need to use ‘Print and Share”, however,

Quick features round-up:

– Select and print multiple contacts
– Select and print multiple photos
– Print shipping, address & other labels using Dymo 400 & 450 LabelWriters
– Print photos any size your printer supports
– Take a picture and print it
– Print Web pages
– Print via Wi-Fi or cell network
– Print quickly and easily from your iPhone & iPod Touch
– Print remotely back to your office or home printer
– Mac and Windows compatible

Nokia this morning revealed a chunk of lost smartphone marketshare, a $1.35 billion hit from its networks unit and more bad news generating an immediate sell-off of the company’s stock.

The company revealed a net loss of $834 million dollars for its third quarter, this is significant as it represents Nokia’s first loss-making quarter in a decade.

Sales fell 20 per cent and the company’s slice of the smartphone market fell from 41 percent to 35 percent, as it faces stiff competition from Apple’s iPhone and the round the corner threat from Google’s Android.

This isn’t expected to equate to bad news for Apple, which is expected to reveal c.7 million iPhone sales in its current quarter, generating more momentum as it climbs to the top-tier of smartphone makers.

"Consumer demand may be showing early signs of improvement but these results show sustained pressure on smartphone margins. Apple’s iPhone is defying gravity in the high tier," CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber told Reuters.

Nokia has released a series of new smartphone models in recent months, but has as yet not put forward a significant iPhone competitor, and its presence in the US is far more limited than in other territories.

Nokia mobile devices saw 108.5 million units ship, down 8% year on year, though up 5% sequentially.

Apple meanwhile’s looking good, "In our view, Apple is ‘THE’ undisputed growth name in tech with numerous catalysts on the horizon (e.g. China iPhone ramp, netbook/tablet launch, etc.) and no business model issues," Brian Marshall of Broadpoint AmTech wrote in a note to clients on Monday. "In addition, Apple is currently benefiting from a positive mix shift (to higher margin iPhones/iPod touches)."

Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope raised his price target on Apple’s stock to $235 a share from $200 on Tuesday, citing, an "increasingly optimistic outlook for 2010 iPhone demand and gross margins."

Responding to the changing cellphone market, Nokia is planning its own 3G netbook products – but these will also face Apple competition on launch of the much-rumoured Apple tablet.

Nokia shares currently stand at $13.82, down $1.57 on pre-market trading. Apple stock is at $191.29, though that’s down to $189.58, also on pre-market trades.

Elgato today announced the new EyeTV DTT Deluxe, a tiny DVB-T stick that’s barely larger than a USB connector.

For the European market, EyeTV DTT Deluxe offers Freeview reception and is available now for €89.95 / £79.95. It ships with Elgato’s Mac TV software, EyeTV 3. The package also includes drivers for Windows 7 and ships with TerraTec’s Home Cinema software for Windows.

The great advantage of the newly-introduced product is that because it it so small it slips easily into the USB port of any MacBook without blocking the neighboring USB slot for use by other devices.

The product also includes a miniature telescopic aerial that attaches to the end of the TV stick without wires or cables, and a larger portable rod antenna is also included as an alternative.

For really weak signal areas, the pack also includes an IEC-MCX adapter which will connect any type of independently-powered active aerial or any standard rooftop aerial. The EyeTV DTT Deluxe ships with an infrared remote control. The new product’s available now direct from the company, through the Apple Store and many retailers.
 

If you think unlocking your car with your iPhone is cool, how about driving your car with an iPhone?

“Spirit of Berlin” is a project of the Artificial Intelligence Group, directed by Prof. Raul Rojas, at Freie Universitaet Berlin. This video shows the projects autonomous car controlled with an iPhone – powered by Appirion, a spin-off of the AI group.

“Team Berlin is our entry to the 2007 Urban Grand Challenge Competition. We are one of the semifinalists selected by DARPA. The core of the team are researchers and students of Freie Universität Berlin working together with our partners from the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (IAIS), and Rice University in Houston, Texas and the Instituto Politecnico Nacional (Mexico).

“We have been building autonomous robots since 1998. Our group is the two-time world champion and five times European champion in robotic soccer. Our vehicle is up and ready with drive-by-wire technology. Its name is: “Spirit of Berlin”.

We think this is well worth seeing, thanks to gentle reader, Cornelius, for the steer (no pun intended, well, not really)…

At last – today’s updated handful of Apple-related nuggets in a bite-sized format for your edification and delight, and this morning seems a little, erm, interesting.

Here we go: Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer may have a hard time putting down Apple’s rapidly-approaching 10 percent market share as a “rounding error” this time around; Apple’s expected to deliver a strong report card for its fourth quarter (sales and earnings rise); Apple wins big at T3 awards; iPhone ships in China on October 30; Chrome browser for Mac edges to release; an interesting glance at what Intel plans next; classic rock ‘n’ roll photo collection reaches iPhone as an NME app; and something for the holy folk as Rome-based friars take their TV channel high-tech to the iPhone. All this and our friendly collection of fantastic Mac-related bargains.

Read on…

10 per cent ain’t no rounding error, Ballmer
Gartner and IDC released their latest PC sales tracker figures yesterday, confirming Apple has taken fourth place in the US market. IDC places Apple’s share at 9.4 percent, up from 8.6 percent last year on estimated shipments of 1.6 million; Gartner pegs it at 1.572 million. But word is Apple’s exceeded this. We’ll know during Apple’s financial call next week.

Read it here.

Apple results will focus on iPhone, holiday outlook
“Apple Inc. is expected to report strong sales and earnings growth for its fourth fiscal quarter, and Wall Street will be watching sales of the company’s popular iPhone in particular,” reports Marketwatch.

Analysts across the board are raising their estimates, with suggested sales of 7 million iPhones sparking a rise in the company’s stock. Don’t be surprised if Apple blows consensus forecasts.

Read it here.

Apple takes T3 crowns

MacBook Pro wins ‘Best Work Gadget of the Year’ and ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ awards from T3
Read it here

Apple iPhone 3GS is the Gadget You Can’t Live Without
Read it here

iPhone ships in China Oct 30
Not long now until Apple introduces its iPhone into the world’s biggest market, China.

As expected, customers will have to sign a two-year contract with China Unicom. "The iPhone is expected to help China Unicom grab market share in the high-end segment from rivals, especially China Mobile," said Wu Wenzhao, a telecommunications analyst at Analysys International, a Beijing-based IT consulting firm.

Users can expect to pay between 5,999 and 7,999 yuan, which includes the handset price and contract costs for 24 months, China Unicom said. It’s estimated that there’s 10 million grey markert iPhones already in China.

Read it here.

Chrome browser for Mac edges to release
Looks very like Google plans to keep its promise to ship the Chrome browser for Macs by Christmas, with reports developers have overcome a relase-delaying bug (printer support) in the current beta.

Windows 7 users however are watching the capabilities of the new software being cut back.

The present beta and stable releases that Google issued on Monday, Chrome version 3.0.195.27, are members of the 3.x family. The developer preview is in the 4.x family. The Windows 7 features had been slated for the 4.x series, but now are planned for version 5, according to the issue-tracking system.

Read it here.

Where is Intel going?
Lots of interest in this Fast Company report, just pulling out one of the many Apple quotes for your delight, but if you want to know more about Apple’s big processor supplier, then do read this feature.

“The alliance with Apple was a turning point for Intel….With Apple, it’s a totally different set of rules." Their bat, their ball, their game. "Apple doesn’t do comarketing or cobranding with anybody." Nor will the Apple folks tell their partners what they plan to do. "We were either going to learn to trust them to do a good job with the product and our brand, or we weren’t." So everything you wanted to do or know, they just said no? "Yes, exactly!"”

Read now.

This is – rock ‘n’ roll
UK music weekly, the NME, has announced an iPhone application offering users access to its vast repository of images taken across the history of the music industry.

While not available yet, the app will cost 59p on iTunes. As an example, it includes a Kings of Leon gallery of 20 captioned backstage images taken by NME on exclusive shoots and at festivals. Users can repost images as iPhone wallpapers and/or on their Facebook pages. While you wait, take a look at the app.

Holy Rome
Teleradio Padre Pio, the broadcasting station belonging to the Capuchin Friars Minor is today launching an iPhone application called "Padre Pio TV", which gives access to the channel programs live. iPhone users can now download the application from the App Store and watch the main celebrations which take place in the shrine of San Giovanni Rotondo, religious teachings, the Angelus, celebrations of Pope Benedict XVI as well as select activities of the Holy See and of the Bishops. The channel features messages and sermons contained in the Letters of Padre Pio, the Gospel and the Catholic Church.

“We have chosen the iPhone,” said Fr. Francesco Colacelli, president of Teleradio Padre Pio, “as a further instrument in the spreading of our television channel because of its great success in the global market of smartphones.”

Read it here

Daily Deals

US deal
You don’t want your shiny new 15-inch MacBook Pro getting damaged when you move about, and nor do you want to dress it up in anything shabby; why not take a look at the Case Logic SNS-15NAVY 15-inch Neoprene Laptop Shuttle (Navy). This little bag for your lappy has seen $20 cut from its usual $29.99 price and will cost you just $9.99. At that kind of price its protection you can afford, don’t miss it.

UK deal
We like the look of the Panasonic SDR-S26 Flash Memory Camcorder With SD Card Slot – Black, particularly given it has seen £100 cut off its price – you can pick one of these up for £178.47.

Features include:
– 70x Zoom with Advanced Optical Image Stabilizer
– Intelligent Auto Mode
– Face Detection software
– Special Web-Ready Shoot and Upload Function
– DVD Quality MPEG2 Recording
Go take a look.

For those who don’t have the latest and greatest in iPhone hardware, you might want to avert your eyes.  Today, two great apps came out for the iPhone – 3GS-only.  One is an Augmented reality app that was previously only for Android, the other turns your iPhone 3GS into a business cardscanner. Read on for more.

First up is Layar ($FREE – iTunes link), the Augmented Reality program we profiled when it was for Android only.  It needs the compass of the 3GS to navigate the Augmented reality world created with the iPhone’s camera.  It enters the App Store alongside other augmented reality apps that have been introduced over the past months.

Cardreader, which is $7.99 at the App Store, turns your iPhone 3GS into a business card scanner.  With the Autofocus camera, you can take a picture of a business card, the software then scans the picture, runs OCR software on it, and inputs the information into your contacts list (awesome!).  It even saves the business cards as images and creates a coverflow like interface for browsing the cards (below).

If you thought Microsoft could make Seinfeld unfunny, wait until you see the first bit of the Family Guy that’s been created for Redmond:

(Yes, that’s just repurposed footage/jokes from a previous episode)

Speaking of repurposing, the Wall St. Journal has a piece on the Microsoft Stores and how they are really just trying to copy Apple in every sense of the word – including Microsoft’s version of the Genius Bars.

The store will also have a counter, akin to the Genius Bars in Apple stores, where people will be able to bring products powered by Microsoft software for technical help, said a person familiar with the matter.

So they are opening up their Genius Bar during the public release of Windows 7? The Windows 7 that will require starting completely over for most upgraders (XP)?  This won’t blow up as big as the Sidekick fiasco, but it won’t be smooth sailing either.

It is never too early to start pontificating on next year’s Mac Pros and MacBidouille/Hardmac have today (tomorrow in France) put their cards on the table.  They predict a burly monster of a Mac will come out of Cupertino in early 2010 sporting some pretty amazing specs.  Here’s their roster:

• 10GB Ethernet – I’ve been saying for awhile that this would be a great addition to both XServe and Mac Pro.
• Support  for 8 and 16 GB RAM modules (vs. 4 GB today) to push the maximum memory to 128 GB.
• Support for video cards like GeForce Fermi or Radeon HD 5870
• The CPU will be Hexacore (6) CPU 32nm Gulftown Processor with 12 MB of shared cache

Hardmac thinks that Apple will get early access to this chip from Intel to showcase it in their new Mac Pros. 

Us? We’re excited about upgrading our switches to 10Gb.  via MacRumors

So we caught what we think is a little slip in today’s Performance Update.  In regards to iMacs, Apple says that iMac (24-inch, Early 2009), iMac (20-inch, Early 2009) are affected.  Makes sense – the last iMacs were updated in March. 

Then they say – iMac (20-inch, Mid 2009), –highlighted below.  Does anyone remember a mid 2009 silent update to the 20-inch iMac? – or do they mean the one that is going to happen shortly?  Or is this  a misprint?  Do tell.

Updated – we’ve figured it out.  It was that educational model.

 

If you are in the "small number" of people who are seeing hard drive stalls since Snow Leopard and that Unibody MacBook Firmware update that allowed 3Gbs SATA, Apple finally has an answer – in the form of a "Performance Update 1.0."  Though, it only affects a small number of users, anyone with a recent MacBook of any kind  running Leopard or Snow Leopard should download this update.

FWIW, I’m in the "small number of customers group" who’ve had the spins.  It is a 108K download.  Get it now – or simply do a Software Update.

Update: I am on the other side of the update.  No spins and long lost…dare I say…Snappiness™

Details below.