9to5 Staff

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Computerworld is reporting that Microsoft’s new ad campaign, ‘I’m a PC’ was made using a Mac.  They cite the press photos that were sent around to the press as having ‘created by’ tags for Adobe CS3 on Macintosh:

Four of the images that Microsoft made available on its PressPass site today display the designation "Adobe Photoshop C3 Macintosh" when their file properties are examined. The images appear to be frames from the television ads that Microsoft will launch later today.

One of the images is of a real Microsoft engineer, identified only as "Sean," who resembles John Hodgman, the actor who plays the PC character in Apple Inc.‘s iconic ads. Reportedly, Microsoft will play off Apple’s own campaign — during which Hodgman introduces himself with the line, "Hello, I’m a PC" — with its engineer saying "Hello, I’m a PC, and I’ve been made into a stereotype."

Interestingly, Crispin Porter Bugusky, Microsoft’s advertising partner and creative lead, was profiled on Apple’s Canadian website just a few days ago.  But for ‘some reason’ was pulled.  Luckily we have the magic of the Archive. 

Microsoft recently put the Bill Gates/Jerry Seinfeld act ‘on Hiatus’ while it shifted gears in its new Windows campaign. 

 This is an extremely interesting tale about an independent iPhone application developer, and his (perfectly normal, no hassle) experience developing his application, NetAwake.

NetAwake is a utility that lets you wake your Macs and PCs remotely with your iPhone, handy. Take a look. The development story is interesting, it involves lots of frustration – we think the process will be improved, because right now (according to the developer)..

“Development for iPhone is an incredibly difficult process, much more difficult than it needs to be. The arduous process of shipping an application for the Mac suddenly appears to be absolutely straightforward after going through this mess. I really don’t envy those companies who have staked their success to the iPhone platform. The amount of arbitrary hassle, uncertainty, and delay in the process can only feel vastly worse when your livelihood depends on it.”

It begins (and thanks to Daring Fireball for this tip)

“I just got my first application in the iTunes App Store, and I wanted to tell the story of what it’s like to publish one, from start to finish. The app, NetAwake, is an independent project I wrote with my friend Joshua. It makes an interesting story, I think, because unlike the sordid tale of some people’s struggle to get accepted into the iPhone developer program, my personal experience was perfectly normal. (As far as I know.)

“But even a perfectly normal experience with the iPhone developer program is intensely weird. Compared to the simplicity of developing and distributing a Mac app, Apple’s iPhone program is extremely convoluted and strange. Here’s the story, step by step…

Look, now go and read his story to find out what our app developers need to do to get their ideas realised and used by, well, by you – the people they build this stuff for…

Not sure why we are posting this really – probably because we like infrared photos and Apple stuff…but anyway, some dude took an infrared picture of the back of his iPhone. Not sure why, but this is driving everyone  nuts.  Anyone care to shed some light on this (har)?

 goo-goo-ga-ga

Hot off the presses. What do you think? Is this the card you want in the new MacBook? 

http://www.microsoft.com/PressPass/SilverlightApps/videoplayer_3/standalone.aspx?xml=mms://msstudios.wmod.llnwd.net/a2294/o21/presspass/PressPass_Bill_Veghte_MBR.wmv&r=embed&id=2&layout=top

Microsoft, the company whose copy machines never quite stop, is moving to the next phase of their Windows advertising campaign.  Dubbed, "I’m a PC" (why does that sound familiar), it allows Windows users to upload why they are a PC.  Microsoft will then plaster these videos everywhere.

Theoretically, the 90% of the population that has Windows will come up with reasons why the Windows operating system is better than Macintosh or Linux.   Very Web 2.0.

Really though, they are  breaking barriers…like the "There is no such thing as bad publicity" barrier.

We miss Seinfeld already.

Sorry about the Silverlight…URL us when it hits Youtube or whatever…

Oh if you want more gold from Bill Veghte, check out this youtube(found when looking for a silverlight replacement for this video)

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is in Europe, visiting European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes in Brussels yesterday, and no doubt dropping down the road to Paris, France to take a look at what remains of Europe’s largest Apple trade show, Apple Expo, which now features everyone, but Apple (maybe we’ll see a surprise announcement?).

Well, at least the CEO may – or may not – be there – he may instead choose to explore the sights and sounds of Paris. Or maybe he popped out for a meal with Mick Jagger, who was in the same meeting yesterday.

What was the meeting about? Well, that’s pretty important, really. Ostensibly Jobs, Jagger, Apple’s iTunes head, Eddie Cue, and representatives from EMI, eBay, Fiat, UK consumer association, Which? and sundry other chiefs were gathered for a round table debate exploring “opportunities and barriers to online retailing and the European Single Market”.

What this means, of course, is best summed-up by Kroes, who said: “The people of Europe were promised a union, a place without borders: but on the Internet they have not yet got it. Progress has been made; sometimes impressive, but it is not enough. As Competition Commissioner, I want to know why. If this is because the competition rules are not clear enough, I will clarify them. If it is because the competition rules are not up to date, I will update them. And of course, if this is because the competition rules are not being respected, consumers and companies should know that I will enforce them."

What that means is summed up by me as a pretty stern warning to companies doing business in Europe that they better forget the whole notion of charging more for the same product in one European country than in another, and they better get used to the idea that European consumers have the right to pick up new products at the best available European price. And the internet could be an absolute blessing on consumers shopping for goods in the recession we face. If the big firms who run everything step up to the plate and respect the common market laws that govern the EU.

Anyway, the people met, they talked, and there’ll be a publication later this year…And while everyone appears to be being all nice about it, under the surface there’s a threat – if big business don’t do what it’s told, then it can expect European laws to appear that will force it too.

Meanwhile, we thought you’d like a few pictures of Jobs and Jagger – and in the image below, you get to see Eddy Cue (to the left of Jobs).. and just below that you can enjoy watching Steve’s GulfStream land in Rotterdam! (Thx to One More Thing).

(Update) The One More Thing crew in the Netherlands caught Stevo’s plane at Rotterdam airport.  Apparently, it was parked in the handicap spot.

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1754655&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1
OMT nieuwsflits: Steve Job’s private jet op Rotterdam Airport from One More Thing on Vimeo.

Mac users are beginning to suffer from iPhone overload, and can’t wait for Cupertino to get some new computers out the door – and new MacBooks are a Mac geek’s wet dream right now…we know they’re coming, we think within weeks, but the anticipation…

So, the computer to the right has none of the new "curvature" we’ve been hearing so much about.  On that alone, we are calling fake.  It is interesting to note that there is no latch…something we’d be glad to see disappear.  At least we can agree with our imposter on that.

Apple is expected to introduce new Macs – MacBooks – by October 13, with some industry insiders anticipating an announcement of the new products by the end of this month.

While we wait we’re getting our fix pulling in the rumours, and we think this one’s interesting – see, these images depict a hitherto unknown MacBook model were published on German retailer, T System’s retail website. And then removed…

We love it when stuff gets removed, it’s all the more exciting for that – even Photoshop frauds are better with a take down notice, real or otherwise. 

Step in the lovely Danes at MediaMac – they snagged a few images just in time (apparently).

These will offer up to a 2.6GHz Core 2 Duo processor, will have a clear black frame around the screen (like the iMac). And prices seem set around €1,797. For the Pro machines….

Oh, and there’s a lovely little info-nugget that emerged this week…seems Nvidia will launch its MCP7A IGP chip by the end of the month, an updated Intel-platform integrated graphics chip that could well be scheduled for deployment in the new Macs.

And recent analyst remarks that Apple has already begun to move quantities of its new computer about in order to have them in place for the imminent launch don’t hurt at all.

And with Apple now holding 10.6 per cent of the US notebook market, well, the only way is up, right? 

Originally unveiled last month, we’ve seen some nice new improvements for Google Maps and Mobile, surely we won’t be waiting forever for these to appear for iPhone?

Techcrunch points us to what looks like an amazing new game for the iPhone.  iGolf allows you to use a regular swing to launch the ball off of the tee.  You can pick different clubs and you swing matters.  Perhaps it will take a few points off of your game?  Amazing, and it is free!  iTunes link

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I am trying to start up a little conversation about the new MacBook Pro specs over at my Computerworld Blog.  We have heard very little over here except that it will be released soon – possibly sooner than October 14.  Terms like "Big MacBook Air",  "Black and Aluminum beauty" and "Stunning – makes current line look like eyesore" have been thrown around.  What features do you think it will have?  Chime in and be heard. Or comment on Digg.

..Wired’s Howto has you covered.  They show you how to turn a $400 EeePC (+$15 for USB sound) into a "pretty snappy" Hackintosh netbook.  These are the most complete and thorough instructions we’ve seen so far though the process has existed for months.

The end result is surprisingly good with expected limitations…

The good news is everything else works. Except for Flash, no apps have caused any problems. Although, be aware that Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Contribute and possibly some other graphics apps require larger screens and won’t install on your EeePC.

The other good news is, even with the stock 1 GB RAM in the EeePC, Mac OS X is surprisingly snappy. Based on my own experience, the EeePC feels about as snappy as my Macbook. On the other hand, benchmarks actually put the performance on par with late model G5 Macs.

Battery life isn’t quite such a happy story. On average, my EeePC Hackintosh gets about 3.5 hours. Firing up Photoshop or Lightroom can reduce the working time to something around 2 hours — a far cry from the 6-7 hours some people can eek out of XP.

We’re not sure we’d even want to run Illustrator on something like this – even if it did install. 

Overall, however, this is more an exercise of what Apple "could do" more than a actual hack.  With optimized drivers, some expertise in the realm of power management and, of course, Apple hardware design genius, this could be a smash hit for Apple.  There is obviously a desire to get the best OS onto "everyman" machines that are also super-portable.

But only if Apple decides to play…would you buy a $500 Mac(Net)Book?

Gizmodo has the details…what do you guys make of it?

Apple’s more popular than ever with enterprise users, claimed IDC analyst, Michael Rose, this week.

Explaining the growing popularity of the Mac, he said: “As we’ve seen with consumers, small and medium businesses (SMBs) as well as large organizations are starting to consider the possibility of deploying more Macs within their corporate environment."

Why’s this happening? Well, we know it’s down to the iPod halo, the iPhone halo, the Mac halo, the OS X halo and the sheer media love-in surrounding Steve Jobs. We also know it’s because of the vexations of Vista, the lack of interest in any but the high-budget Windows machines, and finally, well, let’s just say it’s the software, stupid…

What this comes down to, according to the IDC analyst, is that business users as well as consumers are flocking to the Mac, "because of the company’s positive mindshare within the IT user market," the analyst said, adding, "among other reasons.” So that’s a lot of reasons.

Why hasn’t this story been more widely heard? Well, Rose’s observations were quietly made within the press release trumpeting the release of VMWare Fusion 2.0 (a free update for existing users, $79 for everyone else, and the new version promising a better user experience than ever, alongside a batch of features for enterprise users.

Rose plugged the virtualisation software, saying, “With technologies available today, like VMware Fusion, ‘switching’ to a Mac by individuals within organizations, whole departments or even across the entire company, is more conceivable because it allows users to adopt Apple hardware and software, while enabling the continued use of Windows applications and their associated management infrastructure."

Meanwhile in the red corner, CNNMoney has begun campaigning for the editors at the Wall Street Journal to drop ailing giant AIG (before it brings the entire global financial system to ruin) and drop Apple directly into the Dow Jones index.

CNNMoney editor at large, Paul R. La Monica, notes, "Apple dominates the consumer electronics market with its iPod and iPhone and is expected to generate $40.4 billion in sales in its next fiscal year – higher than the estimated revenue for Dow components Coca-Cola, Walt Disney and Alcoa."

Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, in a note issued to clients yesterday, estimated "that Apple will sell 2.8 to 2.9 million Macs and 11 million iPods [and 4.1 million iPhones] in its fourth fiscal quarter, which ends Sept. 30… based on data released at midday by the NPD Group," Philip Elmer-DeWitt also reports for Fortune.

We here at 9 to 5 Mac think the message to enterprise IT buyers is pretty clear: "Don’t settle for shoes that don’t fit that your employees can’t wait to cast off when they get home; don’t adopt suburban families in an attempt to make things real once you’ve made your millions, go for the best – Get A Mac."

Comment?

 Oh look, it’s an Apple Lisa demo as shown on a US TV station way back in 1984 – there’s a huge, big, long intro to this (by the man you’ll meet in the Lisa demo, giving the demo), so scroll forward to c. 5.02 minutes and you can jump straight inside. Have fun.

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Slow day here but we found a fun little rerun of sorts…

Yes!  According to Reuters.  Will it suck?  Yes, according to precedent.  They are also going to be making…wait for it…a remote control application as well.

Yes, the iPhone already has some pretty good video and VoIP applications – in fact the only thing holding them back from being better is…um AT&T…  AT&T currently only allows VoIP applications to work on WiFi.  Video on Youtube is compressed over AT&T’s network.  But by the end of the year, all of this will change:

At an event on Monday to showcase some recently developed technologies that are not yet being marketed, AT&T emphasized that in the future, consumers should be able to use their phones, computer and television in more interesting ways.

"We’re looking at the whole landscape, of what people use, and what’s out there in the home," said AT&T Chief Technology Officer John Donovan, adding that some of the services may be launched by the end of the year.

Amazing. 

Imagine what you could do if you weren’t being blocked by AT&T (or by Apple’s App Store requirements).  You could do a Fring type of application with visual voicemail.  Or a Slingbox application.  All tied to AT&T at premium prices WITH lock in. You could get things like:

For example, consumers will be able to listen to their voice mails on their screens, and download shows from their digital video recorders onto their iPhones.

They also will be able to use their iPhones to navigate channels like a normal remote control, and for entertainment purposes like virtually hurling tomatoes at the TV screen using iPhone applications.

We hope Apple got something good out of this whole deal…consumers certainly aren’t.

(Update see video of presentation below)

Google is preparing to introduce the first Android-powered mobile phone, putting the new device in competition with the iPhone during the coming Holiday sales market.

The device, Dream, is manufactured by HTC and available exclusively on T-mobile in the UK and to ship in early November. A local UK report predicts the device will be introduced at a New York press conference next Tuesday.

Unlike iPhone, Dream’s expected to carry a slide-out Qwerty keyboard as well as matching the iPhone with 3G and built-in GPS. It’ll also have Chrome inside, so it will run Google applications such as Gmail, Google Docs, Google Maps and so on..much like Mobile Safari.

HTC expects to shop 600,000 to 700,000 of its first Android phone, Dream, this year, a person familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal.

As a pilot that has been out of the loop for a few years, I have to say this one caught me by surprise.   I had no idea they’d be able to cram a full fledged flight sim onto the iPhone.  Bye bye $10 (iTunes link).

From Laminar Research:

X-Plane-iPhone is now here for iPhone and iPodTouch!
Go to iTunes, hit the HOME button, APP STORE, then then go to category GAMES, sub-category SIMULATIONS!
This is fun little mini-version of X-Plane that lets you fly 4 planes around the X-Plane demo area! The flight physics of the iPhone are actually about 95% as good as the physics in X-Plane, and the scenery is even pretty decent! You TILT the phone to fly! It is so cool that it is ridiculous.
X-Plane for iPhone is only $9.99, so grab it today … it is fun! Be sure to write a review if you like it!

(note: To fly it, simply click the brakes off, drag the throttle up on the left, and tilit the phone back to raise the nose when you have flying speed! Click around the center of the screen to invoke the view and settings controls.)

Here’s some more..