9to5 Staff

Update: It looks like someone (Apple?) has taken the auction offline:

 

It looks like someone got their mitts on a piece of technology history over at 1 Infinite Loop. Someone is selling some prototype iPhones with a wacky pre-iPhone type of OS on it. One of the iPhones actually even works. Check out more photos and a description below.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/sRxnZLLuLQs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1

 

Original Ebay posting

Here is a quite rare and collectable example of iPhone prototypes, one even running a beta OS.  Only one of the phones works however. Neither unit says "iPhone" on them anywhere, or list the storage capacity which is interesting. I did some research on the serial numbers, it appears they were both manufactured about 6 months before the release of the iPhone.

Phone #1:
-Powers on OK – GSM service works
-Plastic matte screen (see pics)
-Serial number YM649xxxxxx which corresponds to a factory in China, manufactured week 49 of the year 2006.
-Runs iPhone OS 03.06.01_G (iPhone Launch OS 1.0 was version 03.11.02_G)
-Good cosmetic condition

Phone #2:
-Doesn’t turn on (tried leaving on charger for awhile, along with various reset procedures)
-Glass screen
-Serial number YM650xxxxxx which corresponds to a factory in China, manufactured week 50 of the year 2006. (The iPhone was announced on Jan 6 2007 and release June 29 2007.)
-I replaced the battery and still doesn’t work.  Currently apart right now, can leave as-is for buyer or reassemble.
-Has various scratches, it is in fair cosmetic condition at best

The phone that works is pretty neat to use. It does make calls(with my ATT sim), and I can surf the net.  However when I did get to web pages they were the mobile versions, not the regular versions.  I can’t figure out how to set a ringtone, it is just silent right now.   I can receive SMS but not compose my own, other than 5 included test messages. It doesn’t sync to itunes. Camera seems to work. It has tons of testing options.

Also, the working phone has several interesting subtitles that alternate on the screens including:

[Skank is the new black]
[Nine parts perspiration]
[Say hello to the Newton MessagePad 3000]
[Skankphone]

The phones also comes with a really nice soft case for each.  I can guarantee that the working phone will work when you get it, but nothing else beyond that.  This auction includes the 2 phones, and the 2 cases, and that is it.  Shipping via USPS Priority Insured.  Paypal within 3 days.  Please ask any questions before bidding.

We all know that Apple innovates technology hardware and software like few other, if any, firms in the world.  Together with their Advertising firm, Chiat Day, they’ve also shown an affinity for pushing advertising and specifically banner advertising as well.  Recently they’ve added new forms of banner ads that shake up the site around them.  This weekend a cool new iPod gaming ad appeared on Pitchfork that takes this to a whole new level. 

 See some more examples below..

 

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/icKde-vRlYY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1

http://services.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1543292789

via Macuser

When will "we are watching this space very closely" turn into "here’s our super thin touch-based NetBook"?  Digitimes says that Quanta computer will be making a netbook product for Apple and shipping it in Q3, this year. It goes on to say that these Netbooks will have touch panels.

Taiwan-based Wintek will supply touch panels for Apple’s new netbook, and shipments will start in the third quarter this year, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report. Wintek revealed that it is currently working with Apple to develop some new products, but it said it does not know what applications the new products are for. Wintek added that no shipment schedule has been worked out yet, but shipments are likely to begin in the second half of the year. Quanta Computer will be the maker of Apple’s new netbook, the Commerical Times report said.

 

We’ve said in the past that we think that these products won’t be based on Intel chips but rather on ARM Cortex-based processors.

Here we go again.  The new 17 inch MacBook Pros seem to be having some video issues.  The crux of the problem is that the when 9600M not embedded video card is being used, the thing gets a little hot.  So hot, in fact, that weird things start happening to the video (see picture).  A work around found on Apple‘s Forums is artificially kicking the fan in at a lower temperature with SMC fan tools.  These need to be reconfigured after every restart – but obviously until Apple kicks in some update, this is the best option you have.  NVIDIA and Apple are so far quiet but look for a Unibody firmware update that kicks in the fans a little earlier in the overheating process.  Soon, hopefully!

There were similar issues with the MacBook Airs last year.

via Slashgear

A few years before Google’s founders were "household" names and billionaires, they weren’t recognizable by mainstream America.  Here’s a look back to 2001 on an episode of "To tell the truth" – with J. Peterman.   Google only had 170 employees (who are all probably also millionaires by now) at that point but went from 7 million searches to 100 million that year .  Anyway, see if you can guess which guy is Brin:

http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-5069489869556491312&hl=en&fs=true

via Google OS

 

Former Director of Field Engineering and Professional Services at Apple, Chuck Goldman, and some former Apple and Motorola employees have started a business that focuses on building mobile apps for Enterprise.  This field, which is blowing up at the moment, is ripe for exploration by smaller companies because the bigger consulting firms have little to no experience with mobile application development, especially on a platform like the iPhone.

Speculation is that Apple may be an investor. 

Though Goldman can’t yet name any of Apperian’s clients, he says they include “some unbelievable billion-dollar customers.” And when it comes to selling projects, the startup’s roots at Apple don’t hurt. “We have a great relationship with Apple,” says Goldman. “We can’t claim that we’re ‘officially supported by Apple’—no one gets that. But they are highly encouraged by Apperian.”

In Xconomy, Chuck lays out some of the interesting apps the Apperian team is currently building:

• For a large automobile insurer, Apperian is working on an application that would let insured drivers submit insurance claims directly from accident sites. (That’s what Goldman means by “point of service”—using the phone to take care of a situation where and when you need to.) “You get in an accident, you whip out your iPhone. The phone knows where you are. You take a picture of the accident scene. With a few clicks using a preformatted template, you send in a report. You’re on your way, and you get your claim adjusted quickly.”

• For a big commercial real estate company, Apperian is creating a mobile property management system designed to free agents from the hassles created by being in the field so much of the time. “Currently, all these agents have laptops and cell phones, and they’re ducking into the closest Starbucks and trying to access their corporate databases. They’re faxing blueprints. It’s a very manual process. With an iPhone app, they’ll have always-on access to everything that their prospective clients need. They can…flip through building portfolios, bring them up on a map, use a ‘Near Me’ functionality—the Loopt functionality—to see whether all their other agents are. Agents will have lease information at their fingertips, laser-measured blueprints that they can e-mail to clients right from their phone.”

Having access to Apple, their former client lists and a fresh new set of former Apple salespeople certainly gives Apperian a good start.

From the Toys section, we’ve got a few little products at never before seen prices:

 

A 1GB MP3 player that doubles as some emergency storage, a FM radio and a high speed SD card reader for $12.  You can even record voice or FM radio with it?!  All for under $15 including shipping.  It gets 4 out of 5 stars from 23 people so it can’t be THAT big a PoS.

We’ve found a Car/Home AC/DC iPod/iPhone charging unit/USB Adapter for $2 plus $2.98 shipping or free with $25 purchase.

Not sure of the quality of this one but a 1.5 inch digital picture frame on a keychain by Colby for $9.68 plus free shipping for orders over $25.  16MB of storage will hold about 60 128×128 thumbnails.  The software is Windows only.  Give this to someone you hate, you cheap bastard!

 

Easily the baddest Netbook out there, the Intel Atom N280 equipped EEE 1000HE Laptop which is hackintosh – able) hits all of the sweetspots.  It could also be the best Hackintosh around.  It is $25 off at $374.  Use that savings to buy 2GB of OCZ RAM (see deals below or click here).

 

Also we’ve found a super high end Plantronics Discovery Bluetooth headset for a 1/2 off  $77.

 

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thepartim-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000NDZ0O0&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thepartim-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B001630QZE&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thepartim-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000JLG5ZY&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Faber.se has posted the next Quicktime interface.   It was found in the latest Snow Leoprd build 10A286..Yes, it looks like DVD player.app and doesn’t have those ugly silver borders.  But is it snappie…?

 

A colleague at Computerworld posted this Magnum P.I.-narrated piece from AT&T in 1993. Even though they kill us with high iPhone bills, they kinda nailed this one.

You may or may not find this amusing:

http://player.ordienetworks.com/flash/fodplayer.swf

via Giz

World of Apple is publishing (naughty, naughty) Apple’s Snow Leopard release notes, below, which include a new Quicktime Player UI, a new Cocoa Desktop, Info Window and Contextual Menus and of course the new Safari 4 Web Browser.  All good news, but there seem to be some big hurdles to overcome by June..June you say?

David Zeller from the Baltimore Sun is reporting that he believes that Snow Leopard will be released on June 8th.  The logic (and it makes some sense to us) is that the only big summer opening at Moscone Center is a huge block from June 6-12 that is currently entitled "Corporate Meeting".  We know a company that likes to keep secrets.  That would put the Snow Leopard announcement (and the return of El Jobso?) at June 8.  Can we get  a witness?

Schedule and via PED@Apple2.0

…However, as I looked at the schedule, I noticed another generic “Corporate meeting” scheduled for Moscone West — for June 6-June 12. That’s the second week of June, the correct number of days, and ends on a Friday (WWDC nearly always ends on a Friday).

Yes, June 6 is a Saturday, but last year a similar generic listing on the Moscone Web site had the event starting on Sunday June 8 when the official start date was actually June 9. That means WWDC’s official start date this year probably will be June 7, a Sunday – unusual but not unprecedented. Back in 2005 WWDC’s official first day was a Sunday.

I deduced that we’d see Snow Leopard on June 8 because the keynote typically is delivered on a Monday, and that’s the moment at WWDC when Apple would announce a new operating system.

Actually we think the late May meeting is a Google event (the IO Conference). And Apple usually needs a few days to set up.  Obviously, nobody is showing their cards yet and Apple could have the WWDC at the Cow Palace if they really wanted to.

Release notes on Leopard build 10A286:

New Content

This seed contains some major new changes in the following areas:

QuickTime Player
The new QuickTime Player has a new minimal UI and is focused on playback.

Finder
Finder includes a new Cocoa Desktop, Info Window and Contextual Menu

Safari
Safari 4 beta is included in the seed as the default browser. 

Known Issues

• Remote Installs over Airport may cause panics (A workaround is to install via Ethernet or DVD.)
• Booting from the install DVD can take a long time
• Some settings are not migrated from the previous system when upgrading, including file sharing, sharing name and energy saver settings.
• Finder issues: Icon previews will not appear on the Desktop, selecting Clean Up does not change icon placement on the Desktop. Sometimes the Finder and Desktop will stop responding to input. A workaround is to restart Finder.
• iTunes will sometimes lock up when an iPhone is connected. A workaround is to rename or delete ~/Library/Lockdown)
• Microsoft Office 2004 applications can hang when using the File->Open menu. A workaround is to open the file by opening it in Finder.)
• On newer MacBook Pros, the screen’s backlight will not come on when booting into the installer if the brightness is set below 6.
• Hibernation is not working on machines with Nvidia graphics cards and will result in a frozen machine.
• The Time Machine UI cannot be activated in Finder and Mail in some cases.
• The linker creates a bad image when the minimum OS target is set to Mac OS X 10.5 and weak external symbols are used. (A workaround is to set Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.6 as the minimum OS target.)
• Xcode often crashes when navigating in documentation using the navigation buttons.
• We do not recommended installing this seed on the Nehalem Mac Pros.

Interesting story here.  Cydia, the most popular Jailbroken App repository (Installer.app never really recovered from being late to the iPhone 2.0 ballgame), is planning on having a paid apps store.  Apple just recently filed a motion that said it thought jailbreaking was copyright infringement and a DMCA violation so obviously this isn’t something Apple would be too happy about.  Plus there is that 30% of app cuts and AT&T isnt going to be happy about me buying PDANet either.

Oh, and it isn’t just Cydia:

Another small company plans a store called Rock Your Phone for iPhone users who have not yet modified their devices to make it easier to download and buy unauthorized applications. A third start-up is building an online store that specializes in selling adult games for the iPhone.

It will be interesting to see how things play out.  A great deal of the appeal of Jailbroken apps is that they are mostly free.  On the flip side, would you pay for something that Apple could wipe out in the next firmware update?   

 

For those of you wondering whether or not old Time Capsules and Airport Extremes would get the new Time Capsule and Airport extreme functionality, we have some good news and bad news.  After updating to 7.4.1 we learn that Apple has given us one out of three.

The bad news is that guest networking and dual band support aren’t available.  It looks  like that is a hardware-only update (meaning you’ll have to buy a new one). 

The good news is that if you have MobileMe and use Back to my Mac, you’ll be able, as of the 7.4.1 update, to access the data on your Airport Extreme USB Drive or Time Capsule over the Internet.    Visit Apple’s page on the updates for all of the juicey details on update 7.4.1.

More update pictures below.

 

It would be really kind of non-douche-baggy of Apple to allow non-MobileMe users to use Dynamic DNS from the Airport, instead of making people shell out $100 for this capability.  We aren’t holding our breath.

 

 

Yesterday’s news that a few heads were rolling in Apple Enterprise sales was probably a downer for those of us working on corporate Apple products.  The shift, however, in Apple’s Enterprise strategy is best explained by a questioner at the CIO Summit:

“With platforms like the Google phone and iPhone coming out, it’s really tough to continue to stand behind Windows Mobile when our employees are bringing these consumer devices into our environments,” the questioner explained. “And in your presentation you put Windows Mobile right in the center there, but it was a phone that doesn’t work in America and an operating system that you haven’t released. I’m wondering what your commitment is to continuing to get newer versions of the operating system in our hands so that we don’t have to fight this battle on the ground.”

Ballmer: "soon"

Just making the better consumer product sometimes works better than hiring salespeople for busting down corporate walls.

 

 

We are going to try very hard not to jump to any big conclusions on this one.   Verizon is asking a whole lot of iPhone questions to its departing customers according to BGR.  Remember, there were some questions about Apple hiring EVDO engineers and the length of AT&T’s exclusivity contract with Apple.  Here are the screengrabs:

Notice that all of these are things that Verizon could do except for one. Or?

You’ll also recall that Verizon turned down the iPhone initially before Apple went to its second choice, AT&T.

We’re not sure how many are affected or across how many parts of the business this goes, but Apple is doing layoffs, at least in Apple Enterprise Sales.  We’ve got two separate reports that a few heads (50?) are rolling. 

It doesn’t look like Apple is entirely immune to the economic downturn. 

This was first reported by Vallywag yesterday and confirmed today.  However, SAI talked to Apple PR who’ve recently been accused of having "issues with the truth" who denied everything.  Whether Apple chooses to call these "layoffs" or "downsizing" or whatever, a few people are now jobless. :(

 

Skype is offering up its high quality audio codec, SILK (as in "as smooth as") for other companies to use.  What is Silk (PDF link)?

SILK is Skype’s signature super wideband audio codec which achieves super wideband audio quality using 50% less network bandwidth than previously required. It is the outcome of a three year long development process in the Skype labs, which focused on four things:

1. improving audio bandwidth going from 8 kHz to 12 kHz…
   
2. providing real-time bandwidth scalability to deal with degraded network conditions
   
3. balancing codec optimization between voice, music and background noise…
   
4. delivering a robust solution that delivers a more consistent audio experience.

There are two directions where this could affect Apple.  First, applications like Apple’s own iChat and other voice over IP applications on the Mac could adopt this technology to improve quality and reliability of voice communications, even over bad connections.  Second, Apple could adopt hardware that can optimize the processing for this codec in their products, namely the iPhone and its mobile products.

The VoIP industry is in a unique position right now.  With Skype owning most of the marketshare (400 million users!), Skype is in a position to dictate how things go.  At the same time, Skype could eventually be a victim of its own success.  Skype makes its money from calling and recieving calls from voice lines.  If every cell phone and home device has Skype on it, no one will pay to call or get calls from land lines.  Obviously they could change their business plan at that point and do something like throw a little annoying advertising into your calls.

As far as SILK goes, all sides of of the conversation need to to have the technology enabled for it to work.  Currently only PC users with version 4.0 of Skype can take advantage of it but word on the street is that Mac users will be able to have a mainstream SILK-enabled version of Skype in April.  (beta is currently available here. 

We like the sound of all of this:P

You really have to admire the courage of companies like Amazon and Google who release their products on competitor’s platforms (Apple iPhone), knowing that they’ll lose some marketshare in exchange for exposure.  Google released its speech recognition app on the iPhone before its own device, the Android a few months ago. 

Today, Amazon is releasing kindle.app on the iPhone.  You no longer need to buy a $359 product from them to use the Kindle book, magazine and newspaper purchasing/downloading/reading application.  Great news for consumers.  Probably not great news for Kindle hardware sales.

Actually, the Kindle’s large, grayscale e-ink screen and the iPhone’s smaller, traditional color display are much different animals and will attract a different audience.  Also, the hardcore book reader will appreciate the Kindle 2’s big navigation buttons and dictionary/search funtionality which isn’t yet on the iPhone version.

Plus we have a feeling they are going to get a few book/magazine/newspaper sales with this one.

Get the free Kindle.app from the iTunes store by following this link.

From Amazon:

 

Kindle for iPhone allows Apple iPhone and iPod touch owners to read Kindle books using a simple, easy-to-use interface. You can shop for hundreds of thousands of books at www.amazon.com/kindlestore, and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone or iPod touch. Enjoy Amazon’s low prices on Kindle books, including New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases for $9.99, unless marked otherwise.

With Kindle for iPhone, you can:
* Buy a Kindle book from your Mac, PC, or iPhone using a Web browser and wirelessly transfer the books to your iPhone
* Read first chapters of any book for free before you buy
* Download the Kindle books you already own for free — they are automatically backed up on Amazon.com
* Adjust the text size, add bookmarks, and view the annotations you created on your Kindle device

Kindle for iPhone also includes Whispersync, which allows you to seamlessly switch back and forth between your Kindle device and Kindle for iPhone while keeping your bookmarks and reading location synchronized between devices. Now you can easily pick up reading right where you left off on your Kindle or iPhone.

Books you purchase can also be read on Kindle and Kindle 2, Amazon’s portable readers that wirelessly download books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs to a crisp, high-resolution 6-inch electronic-paper display that looks and reads like real paper.

Mac Mini Colo has somehow gotten their hands on a new Mini and already unboxed and undressed one for the world to see.  By now we’re almost out of things to say about these little guys.  Gaze upon the guts (which look kinda like the guts did 4 years ago). Pasted below for the Bottom Pheeders.

 

 

 

 

The New Packaging
The packaging for the new Mac mini is quite a bit smaller. Apple says it is 31% smaller. Below you’ll see it compared to the size of the software box that Leopard comes in. They have this Mac mini box wrapped in cellophane. I’ve seen that done with Mac minis bought from Best Buy, but never from the Apple Store.

Also missing from the box is the handle that used to be on top. Surprisingly, without the handle the box seems a little heavier. I suppose it’s because it’s not as easy to hold in the hand.

Another strange thing is that the Mac mini has 10 vents on the back, but the box only shows 9 vents on the back. (Arn at Macrumors pointed this out to me.) Opening the box used to be from the top, but now it slides out from the side. You are immediately greeted with the familiar "Designed by Apple in California."

You lift this small box up with a side tab. As you’d guess, the small box contains the the Applications Install DVD , the Mac OS X Install DVD, and your documentation. The Application Install DVD let’s you install Safari, Mail, Spaces, iChat and Time Machine without having to boot from the full Mac OS X DVD. This Application Install DVD wasn’t given with the last Mac mini. The Mac OS X Install DVD has version 10.5.6 on it.

The Mac mini itself has very little padding on the sides. In the last package, it was surrounded by styrofoam.

Under the Mac mini is one more cardboard box to pull up. Below that is the familiar power adapter, the extension cord, and a mini-DVI to DVI adapter. This will make it much easier for people to use their existing displays since the adapter is included. I was happy to see that the power brick no longer has the sticky wrapping on it. I can’t tell you how many Mac minis we’ve received with the wrapper halfway on still because they got tired of picking it off.

 

External Views
The outside of the Mac mini looks nearly identical. It has the same aluminum siding and the white plastic top. I guess I can’t prove it, but having handled several hundred of the last generation Mac minis, the aluminum feels different. Perhaps it was manufactured differently. (Though I doubt it comes from a single block of aluminum.) Below is a little Mac love with the previous generation on top, and the new version on bottom.

 

Taking A Look Inside

I don’t know hardware components as well as the guys at

ifixit.com

, so I’ll leave the in depth disection to them. However, I’ve opened up so many of these Mac minis I have a good feel for what has changed.

 

Luckily, they can still easily be opened with a putty knife.

However, one used to have to disconnect a cable on the front right corner. That is no longer there.

The screws are on all four corners still. There are now three antennas. From what I can tell, the back right is still Airport and the front left is Bluetooth. There is an extra antenna on the back left which I’m sure

ifixit.com

will identify.

On the last version, you just had to remove the front right power cable to remove the top section or it would disconnect as you pulled. Now, there are three cables that will disconnect if you pull straight up. Take careful note of where they detach from. Here are where all three antennas connect to the motherboard.

A full shot with the optical, the fan, and the hard drive removed. The RAM has changed orientation. (It used to be perpindicular to the front, but now it is parallel.

Three months ago, we published an article called

The State of the Mac mini

. In this article, we were the first the mention that the new mini would have a SATA optical drive, making it easier to have a second hard drive in it. It turns out that the optical drive is indeed SATA. (We also thought there would be a BTO option of replacing the optical drive with another hard drive, but we were wrong on that account.) Here is the info from the optical drive.

And the back of the optical drive and hard drive.

Well, those are the main parts of the new Mac mini. We’re going to get right to work on benchmarking this Mac mini in server performance. The last version was solid and performed well. With the extra RAM (at a faster speed), and the larger hard drives, these Mac minis should make even better servers.

Apple updated its Time Capsule and Airport Extreme’s with some new features today.  It isn’t yet clear if this is a hardware update or software only – we’re looking into this.  Guest Sharing and Simultaneous dual-band support.   Update: Oh, and a biggie, Internet sharing your Airport hard drive.

From Apple:

Guest Sharing:

 

Simultaneous dual-band support

Some Wi-Fi devices use the 2.4GHz wireless band, including iPhone, iPod touch, and devices using 802.11b/g. Other devices can use either 2.4GHz or the higher-speed 5GHz band, such as the latest 802.11n-based Mac computers and Apple TV. Instead of choosing one of the bands, AirPort Extreme now operates simultaneously on both bands, and your multiband devices automatically use the best available band. This means all your Wi-Fi devices get the fastest possible wireless performance and the best possible range.

 

 

We don’t put much stock in Valleywag.  When is the last time they were right on an Apple story?  Well, anyway, they say that Apple is going to announce layoffs (mostly to Sales staff) today:

One tipster tells us there are "major layoffs" at Apple. Another writes that "all sales teams have mandatory meetings today" and that "HR booked conference rooms in Cupertino." Is Apple cutting salespeople loose? If so, then Apple’s latest product announcements seem like a conveniently timed distraction. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has never been a big believer a corporate sales force, preferring to sell directly to customers online. Al Shipp, Apple’s SVP of enterprise sales, quietly left the company in November and was not replaced.

Don’t bet the farm on it.

Update: Equally-slightly less unreliable Barron’s says no way.