While there are lots of ways to measure the popularity and success of the iPhone (webpage marketshare, sales numbers, etc) PED from Apple 2.0 has a graphic which puts the stratospheric rise of the iPhone over the past two years into perspective. Google Trends of the term iPhone vs. Blackberry, vs. Windows Mobile..you get it:
It says almost as much, if not more about the iPhone brand’s strength as it does about the sales numbers.
Google updated their mobile spreadsheets this weekend to allow some pretty simple creating and editing capabilities on the iPhone. Check the details.
If only everything was multi-touch…
Joy of Tech via Superman of Steel. Silly.
From the Toys section:
We talked this week about the 500 GB sweet spot in laptop hard drives. Another good option has popped up. J&R just marked down the Western Digital 500GB USB External WDME5000TN (Midnight Black) hard drive to $104.99(+$6 Shipping). This is in retail box and is $45 off of list price and less than we could find anywhere else (J&R through Buy.com has it for the same price with more for shipping and tax). Other colors are also available at higher prices.
While that is slightly more expensive than the internal drives we talked about earlier, it comes with an enclosure (which is easy to open and swap with your laptop’s internal drive). It also features the Western Digital hard drive that gets higher ratings than either Seagate or Samsung at the same price we mentioned earlier without the enclosure.
Also, you can protect that portable 2.5 inch drive with a Case Logic portable hard drive case for another $10.
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Fred von Lohmann, a legal representative from the EFF, says that recent comments filed by Apple (PDF) with the Copyright Office as part of the 2009 DMCA triennial rulemaking state that iPhone and iPod jailbreaking constitutes copyright infringement and a DMCA violation.
Bummer. To quote the EFF:
Apple’s iPhone, now the best-selling cellular phone in the U.S., has been designed with restrictions that prevent owners from running applications obtained from sources other than Apple’s own iTunes App Store. "Jailbreaking" is the term used for removing these restrictions, thereby liberating your phone from Apple’s software "jail." Estimates put the number of iPhone owners who have jailbroken their phones in the hundreds of thousands.
As part of the 2009 DMCA rulemaking, EFF has asked the Copyright Office to recognize an exemption to the DMCA to permit jailbreaking in order to allow iPhone owners to use their phones with applications that are not available from Apple’s store (e.g., turn-by-turn directions, using the iPhone camera for video, laptop tethering).
Apple’s copyright infringement claim starts with the observation that jailbroken iPhones depend on modified versions of Apple’s bootloader and operating system software. True enough — we said as much in our technical white paper describing the jailbreak process. But the courts have longrecognized that copying software while reverse engineering is a fair use when done for purposes of fostering interoperability with independently created software, a body of law that Apple conveniently fails to mention.
As for the DMCA violation, Apple casts its lot with the likes of laser printer makers and garage door opener companies who argue that the DMCA entitles them to block interoperability with anything that hasn’t been approved in advance. Apple justifies this by claiming that opening the iPhone to independently created applications will compromise safety, security, reliability, and swing the doors wide for those who want to run pirated software.
If this sounds like FUD, that’s because it is. One need only transpose Apple’s arguments to the world of automobiles to recognize their absurdity. Sure, GM might tell us that, for our own safety, all servicing should be done by an authorized GM dealer using only genuine GM parts. Toyota might say that swapping your engine could reduce the reliability of your car. And Mazda could say that those who throw a supercharger on their Miatas frequently exceed the legal speed limit.
But we’d never accept this corporate paternalism as a justification for welding every car hood shut and imposing legal liability on car buffs tinkering in their garages. After all, the culture of tinkering (or hacking, if you prefer) is an important part of our innovation economy.
Of course, many iPhone owners will be happy to choose solely from the applications that Apple is willing to approve, just like many Ford owners are happy relying exclusively on their local Ford dealer. But if you want to pop the hood, the DMCA surely shouldn’t stand in your way.
Update: Um, so you, us and Ashton are criminals it appears.
We’re veering away from our technology coverage slightly today to illustrate a point. Jailbreaking your iPhone is pretty damn easy. And no it won’t void your warranty (just got back from the Apple Store replacing my jailbroken phone with broken volume control). It is so easy that That 70’s Show star Ashton Kutcher rolls with a jailbroken iPhone to make videos of Paparazzi.
http://qik.com/swfs/qikPlayer4.swf
For a look on the other side of the camera click here. Shame on you for saying that jailbreaking is too difficult!
OK, paprazzi make us a little sick, no more of this for awhile. Via Engadget
Hit that Software Update to get a comprehensive security updates and some new Java goodness.
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AFP Server
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0142
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: A user with the ability to connect to AFP Server may be a able to trigger a denial of service
Description: A race condition in AFP Server may lead to an infinite loop. Enumerating files on an AFP server may lead to a denial of service. This update addresses the issue through improved file enumeration logic. This issue only affects systems running Mac OS X v10.5.6.
Apple Pixlet Video
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0009
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Opening a maliciously crafted movie file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exist in the handling of movie files using the Pixlet codec. Opening a maliciously crafted movie file may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking. Credit: Apple.
CarbonCore
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0020
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Opening a file with a maliciously crafted resource fork may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in Resource Manager’s handling of resource forks. Opening a file with a maliciously crafted resource fork may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved validation of resource forks. Credit: Apple.
CFNetwork
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Restores proper operation of cookies with null expiration times
Description: This update addresses a non-security regression introduced in Mac OS X 10.5.6. Cookies may not be properly set if a web site attempts to set a session cookie by supplying a null value in the "expires" field, rather than omitting the field. This update addresses the issue by ignoring the "expires" field if it has a null value.
CFNetwork
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Restores proper operation of session cookies across applications
Description: This update addresses a non-security regression introduced in Mac OS X 10.5.6. CFNetwork may not save cookies to disk if multiple open applications attempt to set session cookies. This update addresses the issue by ensuring that each application stores its session cookies separately.
Certificate Assistant
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0011
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: A local user may manipulate files with the privileges of another user running Certificate Assistant
Description: An insecure file operation exists in Certificate Assistant’s handling of temporary files. This could allow a local user to overwrite files with the privileges of another user who is running Certificate Assistant. This update addresses the issue through improved handling of temporary files. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit: Apple.
ClamAV
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-5050, CVE-2008-5314
Available for: Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in ClamAV 0.94
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in ClamAV 0.94, the most serious of which may lead to arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issues by updating ClamAV to version 0.94.2. ClamAV is distributed only with Mac OS X Server systems. Further information is available via the ClamAV website at http://www.clamav.net/
CoreText
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0012
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Viewing maliciously crafted Unicode content may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A heap buffer overflow may occur when processing Unicode strings in CoreText. Using CoreText to handle maliciously crafted Unicode strings, such as when viewing a maliciously crafted web page, may result in an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit to Rosyna of Unsanity for reporting this issue.
CUPS
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-5183
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Visiting a maliciously crafted website may lead to an unexpected application termination
Description: Exceeding the maximum number of RSS subscriptions results in a null pointer dereference in the CUPS web interface. This may lead to an unexpected application termination when visiting a maliciously crafted website. In order to trigger this issue, valid user credentials must either be known by the attacker or cached in the user’s web browser. CUPS will be automatically restarted after this issue is triggered. This update addresses the issue by properly handling the number of RSS subscriptions. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5.
DS Tools
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0013
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Passwords supplied to dscl are exposed to other local users
Description: The dscl command-line tool required that passwords be passed to it in its arguments, potentially exposing the passwords to other local users. Passwords exposed include those for users and administrators. This update makes the password parameter optional, and dscl will prompt for the password if needed. Credit: Apple.
fetchmail
CVE-ID: CVE-2007-4565, CVE-2008-2711
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in fetchmail 6.3.8
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in fetchmail 6.3.8, the most serious of which may lead to a denial of service. This update addresses the issues by updating to version 6.3.9. Further information is available via the fetchmail web site at http://fetchmail.berlios.de/
Folder Manager
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0014
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Other local users may access the Downloads folder
Description: A default permissions issue exists in Folder Manager. When a user deletes their Downloads folder and Folder Manager recreates it, the folder is created with read permissions for everyone. This update addresses the issue by having Folder Manager limit permissions so that the folder is accessible only to the user. This issue only affects applications using Folder Manager. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit to Graham Perrin of CENTRIM, University of Brighton for reporting this issue.
FSEvents
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0015
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Using the FSEvents framework, a local user may be able to see filesystem activity that would otherwise not be available
Description: A credential management issue exists in fseventsd. By using the FSEvents framework, a local user may be able to see filesystem activity that would otherwise not be available. This includes the name of a directory which the user would not otherwise be able to see, and the detection of activity in the directory at a given time. This update addresses the issue through improved credential validation in fseventsd. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit to Mark Dalrymple for reporting this issue.
Network Time
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: The Network Time service configuration has been updated
Description: As a proactive security measure, this update changes the default configuration for the Network Time service. System time and version information will no longer be available in the default ntpd configuration. On Mac OS X v10.4.11 systems, the new configuration takes effect after a system restart when Network Time service is enabled.
perl
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-1927
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Using regular expressions containing UTF-8 characters may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in the handling of certain UTF-8 characters in regular expressions. Parsing maliciously crafted regular expressions may lead to an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue by performing additional validation of regular expressions.
Printing
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0017
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: A local user may obtain system privileges
Description: An error handling issue exists in csregprinter, which may result in a heap buffer overflow. This may allow a local user to obtain system privileges. This update addresses the issue through improved error handling. Credit to Lars Haulin for reporting this issue.
python
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-1679, CVE-2008-1721, CVE-2008-1887, CVE-2008-2315, CVE-2008-2316, CVE-2008-3142, CVE-2008-3144, CVE-2008-4864, CVE-2007-4965, CVE-2008-5031
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in python
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in python, the most serious of which may lead to arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issues by applying patches from the python project.
Remote Apple Events
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0018
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Sending Remote Apple events may lead to the disclosure of sensitive information
Description: An uninitialized buffer issue exists in the Remote Apple Events server, which may lead to disclosure of memory contents to network clients. This update addresses the issue through proper memory initialization. Credit: Apple.
Remote Apple Events
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0019
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Enabling Remote Apple Events may lead to an unexpected application termination or the disclosure of sensitive information
Description: An out-of-bounds memory access exits in Remote Apple Events. Enabling Remote Apple Events may lead to an unexpected application termination or the disclosure of sensitive information to network clients. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking. Credit: Apple.
Safari RSS
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0137
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Accessing a maliciously crafted feed: URL may lead to arbitrary code execution
Description: Multiple input validation issues exist in Safari’s handling of feed: URLs. The issues allow execution of arbitrary JavaScript in the local security zone. This update addresses the issues through improved handling of embedded JavaScript within feed: URLs. Credit to Clint Ruoho of Laconic Security, Billy Rios of Microsoft, and Brian Mastenbrook for reporting these issues.
servermgrd
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0138
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Remote attackers may be able to access Server Manager without valid credentials
Description: An issue in Server Manager’s validation of authentication credentials could allow a remote attacker to alter the system configuration. This update addresses the issue through additional validation of authentication credentials. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit: Apple.
SMB
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0139
Available for: Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Connecting to a maliciously crafted SMB file system may lead to an unexpected system shutdown or arbitrary code execution with system privileges
Description: An integer overflow in SMB File System may result in a heap buffer overflow. Connecting to a maliciously crafted SMB file system may lead to an unexpected system shutdown or arbitrary code execution with system privileges. This update addresses the issue through improved bounds checking. This issue does not affect systems prior to Mac OS X v10.5. Credit: Apple.
SMB
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0140
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Connecting to a maliciously crafted SMB file server may lead to an unexpected system shutdown
Description: A memory exhaustion issue exists in the SMB File System’s handling of file system names. Connecting to a maliciously crafted SMB file server may lead to an unexpected system shutdown. This update addresses the issue by limiting the amount of memory allocated by the client for file system names. Credit: Apple.
SquirrelMail
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-2379, CVE-2008-3663
Available for: Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in SquirrelMail
Description: SquirrelMail is updated to version 1.4.17 to address several vulnerabilities, the most serious of which is a cross-site scripting issue. Further information is available via the SquirrelMail web site at http://www.SquirrelMail.org/
X11
CVE-ID: CVE-2008-1377, CVE-2008-1379, CVE-2008-2360, CVE-2008-2361, CVE-2008-2362
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in X11 server
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in X11 server. The most serious of these may lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the user running the X11 server, if the attacker can authenticate to the X11 server. This update addresses the issues by applying the updated X.Org patches. Further information is available via the X.Org website at http://www.x.org/wiki/Development/Security
X11
CVE-ID: CVE-2006-1861, CVE-2006-3467, CVE-2007-1351, CVE-2008-1806, CVE-2008-1807, CVE-2008-1808
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in FreeType v2.1.4
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in FreeType v2.1.4, the most serious of which may lead to arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted font. This update addresses the issues by incorporating the security fixes from version 2.3.6 of FreeType. Further information is available via the FreeType site at http://www.freetype.org/ The issues are already addressed in systems running Mac OS X v10.5.6.
X11
CVE-ID: CVE-2007-1351, CVE-2007-1352, CVE-2007-1667
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11
Impact: Multiple vulnerabilities in LibX11
Description: Multiple vulnerabilities exist in LibX11, the most serious of which may lead to arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted font. This update addresses the issues by applying the updated X.Org patches. Further information is available via the X.Org website at http://www.x.org/wiki/Development/Security These issues do not affect systems running Mac OS X v10.5 or later.
XTerm
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-0141
Available for: Mac OS X v10.4.11, Mac OS X Server v10.4.11, Mac OS X v10.5.6, Mac OS X Server v10.5.6
Impact: A local user may send information directly to another user’s Xterm
Description: A permissions issue exists in Xterm. When used with luit, Xterm creates tty devices accessible by everyone. This update addresses the issue by having Xterm limit the permissions so tty devices are accessible only by the user.
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Like exciting analyst reports? Neither do we really. But here you go anyway. Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi says the following:
Apple today is off 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $96.63. Is it us or is Apple kinda in hibernation mode lately?
The iPod Observer (via MacBlogz) just posted what they believe to be the next model of iPhone’s back side. They point out that the number on the back is a model number that doesn’t currently exist and that it looks like a metallic black instead of the current plastic. Obviously this wouldn’t be rocket science to Photoshop either. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Updated: Macrumors has the following images which appear to be from the same series. It is getting a bit more realer.
Oh, and why not make it 32GB while you are at it?
Newegg.com trimmed its price on the Samsung Spinpoint M6 2.5" 500GB Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Notebook Hard Drive, model no. HM500LI, to $94.99 plus free shipping ($0.19/GB). That’s $5 under our mention from two weeks ago and the lowest total price we’ve seen. This 5400 rpm drive features an 8MB cache.
Also available is the Seagate Momentus 5400.6 2.5" 500GB Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Notebook Hard Drive, model no. ST9500325AS, for $99.99 with free shipping ($0.20/GB).
Amazon has the Western Digital 500GB Scorpio Blue 2.5 SATA II Laptop Hard Drive for $109 or less with free shipping. The WD drive gets the highest ratings of the three. Is the $15 worth it?
The hard drive swapout procedure in MacBooks (new and old) and the new unibody MacBook Pros is very easy. But you may also want to invest in a $39 USB SATA dock to help with the transition if you don’t already have external storage.
At ARM’s recent earnings call, CEO Warren East talked up a new type of hybrid computer platform. This platform would use Intel for serious processor intensive work and ARM as a dashboard type of OS for web browsing and email. According to East, Dell’s Latitude ON E4200 is already doing this. Other manufacturers are using Linux distros like Splashtop that run on Intel. Apple has every reason to do this as well. They already have a pretty solid ARM OS with an App store and plenty of applications.
An ARM chip from PASemi could also thwart Hackintoshes. Could hybrid Macs be coming down the pipe? Read More at Computerworld
For those who can’t wait for the Mac Tablet, the Modbook is a (pricey) stopgap. Ever wonder how one was made? Wonder no longer:
via Engadget
First, our take then we’ll let you read the story.
Ain’t gonna happen. Tim Cook specifically said in the last earnings call when asked about the $99 iPhone: "We don’t make the cheapest phones, we make the best phones." That being said, there were a few times already where AT&T was selling $99 iPhones (refurbished). Plus there are going to be a boatload of cheap iPhone 3Gs on the market when the next version is released (ours being some of them). That isn’t the point. Whether the iPhone is $99 or $199, isn’t really significant to consumers’ pocketbooks (mindset is another matter). AT&T will bill you the $100 difference in little over a month into your 2 year contract.
With that in mind, SAI quotes RBC analyst Mark Abramsky who states:
Apple will start selling a cheaper, ‘entry-level’ iPhone sometime this summer, for around $99 after subsidy, according to "checks," RBC analyst Mark Abramsky said in a note this morning.
The main cost reductions would come from fewer features — not a crappy ‘iPhone nano’ or something without a multi-touch screen. Abramsky thinks it might have a lower-resolution camera, no 3G Internet access or GPS, and a cheaper data plan (~$15/month) with a usage cap. We agree that lowering the monthly bill would help drive iPhone sales, but carriers won’t be thrilled.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 3G will get feature upgrades, such as a better camera, video capabilities. (See chart below.)
He thinks Apple could sell 20-30 million of these cheaper iPhones in fiscal 2010, boosting Apple’s smartphone market share to almost 20%.
Cheaper iPhone will eat into iPhone 3G and iPod sales. And a lower subsidy and lower margins means Apple will have to sell three times as many to make the same gross profit from one iPhone 3G. He expects fiscal 2010 iPhone gross margins to shrink to 35%-37% from 50%+.
Yeah, no.
Mr. Diaz seems to enjoy drawing up his idea of Apple prototypes. His latest, below. This one, we likey.
Venture Beat is reporting that Apple asked Google nicely not to implement the multi-touch technology that makes the iPhone and iPod touch easy to use. Google complied (was this just Eric Schmidt talking to himslef?). The G1 doesn’t have multi-touch although third parties have implemented it (video below). The Android developer who made the revelation to Venture Beat is glad Google didn’t so they don’t have to concern themselves with the legal posturing that is going on now between Apple and Palm over the Pre’s multi-touch usage.
Is this yet another smart move by Google?
Google, you got to love ’em. Apple decided to support Microsoft Exchange Server rather than Google or Lotus (or Apple’s own LDAP/iCalendar format!) on the iPhone. Lotus builds a Web Client so that iPhone users can access Notes servers. Google already has that in spades but that ain’t enough. They want to sync natively like Exchange. To Google, this is child’s play. They just do an "end around" by using Microsoft’s ActiveSync to sync Google Apps to the iPhone. This is some serious L33T work. Color us impressed.
Google Sync uses the Microsoft© Exchange ActiveSync© protocol. When setting up a new Exchange ActiveSync account on your iPhone, all existing Contacts and Calendar events will be removed from your phone. Please make sure to back up any important data before you set up Google Sync.
Oh, and Google Apps now sync with Windows Mobile devices. joy?
The "Apple is going to make TVs" thing is alive and well with Piper’s Gene Munster speculating that the $500 million deal with LG means that Apple is going to sell the whole package.
On paper, it makes sense. Apple likes All-in-ones (see iMac). Apple is spending a great deal of cash on LCDs for just its Cinema Displays, iMacs and laptop screens? Maybe there is some additional motivation in there, right? Everyone is going digital now – analog TV is dying.
Munster further speculates that a "future product transition" — mentioned by Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer in July — could have been a veiled reference to TVs, given that the transition was cited as a reason why gross margins would fall in sequential quarters. Suggestions previously pointed to tablets, new iMacs and/or lower costs on iPods as a trigger for lower margins. Apple has refused to comment on the possibility of TVs.
But again, Apple isn’t really going to be able to compete in the cut-throat low margin HDTV game. The current Apple TV is only a few bucks extra on the side of these huge purchases and seems to be the way to go. Its hard to see the value that a combo could add. Then again, we have Dell displays on our Mac so we aren’t the people to ask.
The device in its current form isn’t too bad as well. It wouldn’t be rocket science to make it even smaller and cheaper. Or they could add gaming or 1080p.
According to a recently unearthed Apple Knowledge Base Article, you PowerPCers out there aren’t getting the full iPhoto ’09 love when it comes to transitions effects. G4 users only get Ken Burns and Classic. G5 users get Classic, Ken Burns, Scrapbook, Sliding Panels. Intel owners get the whole nine.
The number of slideshow themes available in iPhoto ’09 depends on your Mac’s processor and, in some cases, available vRAM:
Intel-based Mac computers, PowerPC G5 with more than 64MB of vRAM: All iPhoto ’09 slideshow themes are available, as in the image below.
PowerPC G5 with less than 64MB of vRAM: Only Classic, Ken Burns, Scrapbook, Sliding Panels are availabe.
PowerPC G4: Classic and Ken Burns are available.
via ARS
From the Toys section: For $60, you get 1GB, 30 minutes of VGA quality video. The device has a built in USB adapter that allows you to upload videos to your Mac. The reviews are good, the quality is more than decent.
This is kinda cool unless you are jailbroken and have the same functionality on your iPhone. For free.
Product Details
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Manufacturer Description
It’s the power of video in your pocket. Capture the everyday moments that happen anywhere, and share them with family and friends everywhere. That’s idea behind the new Flip Video Ultra Series. It’s portable, simple to use and amazingly affordable. Shoot anything. Share everything.
Flip Ultra Series Camcorder Highlights
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Simple to Use
The Flip Video Ultra Series’ simple, one-touch recording and compact size make it the ideal choice for shooting video on the go. Capture memories as they happen – no fiddling around with memory cards, chargers or tapes, With four buttons, it’s incredibly simple to record, zoom, playback instantly or delete your videos. Flip Video’s internal flash memory holds up to 30 minutes of high-quality video.
Quality
The new Flip Video Ultra Series line produces video that rivals that of more expensive camcorders. With 1 GB of memory, a high-quality microphone and no-glare display, now anyone can make impressive videos.
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Organize, Edit, and Share
Flip Video makes sharing footage incredibly simple. Its revolutionary software enables you to share videos instantly. Plug the USB arm into your computer, upload your videos and share them in minutes. Direct links to AOL Video and YouTube make it easy to publish videos online.
Flip Video’s software also enables you to email videos or greeting cards privately, create custom movies and capture still photos. Perfect for video blogging and social networking
Customize your new Flip Video Ultra Series camcorder with a colorful protective pouch. Extra USB Extension Cables give you even more flexibility when uploading video.
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What’s in the Box
TV connector cable, soft carrying case, wrist strap, two AA batteries and instruction booklet.
Product Description
Pure Digital Flip Video Ultra Series is the next-generation line of highly compact digital camcorders to make it easier than ever for on-the-go consumers to shoot and share high-quality video. Slim-sized to fit neatly into any pocket, the Flip Video Ultra Series provides unmatched portability and simplicity for capturing, editing and sharing video – anytime, anywhere.The Flip Video Ultra Series is the newest member in Pure Digital’s popular Flip Video family of digital camcorders, the world’s first camcorders with on-board software to enable editing, organizing, and seamless video uploading to AOL, YouTube and other video sharing sites. Flip Video Ultra showcases Pure Digital’s next-generation video processing technology, which delivers stunning video and sound quality, even when played on large-screen TVs. The Ultra Series continues Pure Digital’s pioneering of a new category of camcorder that puts the power to instantly capture, edit and share video in the pocket of everyday consumers.The Flip Video Ultra Series incorporates a wide range of advanced new features, including a 1.5 inch transflective, no-glare display screen for clear viewing in even the brightest sunlight, next-generation video processing, and increased on-board memory.
Oh noes! The tables have turned against Apple in its fight against Psystar and its anonymous, loaded silent partners. Gregg Keizer (who has been following the case closely) from Computerworld Reports:
A federal judge last week ruled that Psystar Corp. can continue its countersuit against Apple Inc., giving the Mac clone maker a rare win in its seven-month-old battle with Apple. He also hinted that if Psystar proves its allegations, others may then be free to sell computers with Mac OS X already installed.
In an order signed on Friday, U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup gave Psystar the go-ahead to amend its lawsuit against Apple. According to Alsup, Psystar may change that countersuit, which originally accused Apple of breaking antitrust laws, to instead ague that Apple has stretched copyright laws by tying the Mac operating system to its hardware..
"Psystar may well have a legitimate interest in establishing misuse [of copyright] independent of Apple’s claims against it — for example, to clarify the risks it confronts by marketing the products at issue in this case or others it may wish to develop," Alsup said in his ruling..
This thing is a loooong way from being over and Apple has a few bucks (28 Billion) to throw around. But who knows, maybe you won’t have to feel so guilty about building that sweet new Hackintosh Netbook if it is OK’d by the Feds, right?
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