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Apple Macworld 2009 Keynote now live.

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 2:36 pm

Frankly we like to see a little more hardware at events but the 17 inch MacBook was pretty close to our description last week.  The $50 matte version should make people both happy and sad - as wil lthe internal long life battery.  We’d be lying if we said we didn’t want one…with 8Gb (will we be able to up our smaller MacBooks to 8Gb)?   No Mini or iMac however was rough.  We have a feeling they are coming.

iLife and iWork are both looking pretty exciting.   iWork.com is pretty close to what we envisaged.  There were lots of gray areas where we missed some stuff but we think we got the major gist of it across.  GarageBand learn-to-play is exactly what we had heard.  And the Magic hint?  Cool transitions in iWork.  They are Fun!

iTunes.  The end of the DRM era.  Now we don’t have to visit Amazon (but probably will continue for the dealz).  Amazon still beats Apple on price but iTunes is more convenient.

Apple Stock isn’t really reacting (update - whoops - it is tanking).

Overall however, we were left….wanting…although the Macrumorslive (best feed out there)  getting hacked was entertaining.  And obviously we have an Apple Mac hardware event coming up.

We’ll put up Apple’s videos as they become available.  What did you think?

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 12:28 pm

These applications look pretty exciting.  Check out the guided tours on Apple’s homepage.  iPhoto ‘09 and iMovie ‘09

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 12:27 pm

From Apple:

A new public beta, web-based service from Apple that lets you share your iWork ’09 documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in a way that’s both simple and smart.  Experience iWork.com. To get started, buy iWork ’09

I see what you mean.

Part of what makes sharing your work using iWork.com so great is that reviewers see your document, spreadsheet, or presentation just as you designed it, complete with proper layout, fonts, colors, graphics, and photos.

Comments welcome.

With notes and comments, iWork.com lets everyone have their say. Reviewers can leave feedback about the entire document, spreadsheet, or presentation with notes that appear in a discussion thread. Notes are time-stamped and color-coded, so you know exactly who said what and when. Or reviewers can leave comments on specific text in any Pages document, any cell on a Numbers sheet, and on a Keynote slide.

One for you, you, and you.

Sharing your Pages document, Numbers spreadsheet, or Keynote presentation on iWork.com truly means sharing. Because during the publish process, iWork not only uploads a web version, but it also uploads versions in iWork, Microsoft Office, and PDF formats. So should your reviewers need to view your work offline, they can simply download the format appropriate for them.

Manage what you share.

Access and manage the iWork files you share from anywhere with a handy document manager built into iWork.com. In one place, see a list of all the iWork files you’ve shared, and know instantly which ones have unread feedback. View or download specific files with a single click. And just as easily remove those documents, spreadsheets, or presentations you no longer need to share.   

Learn more about iWork ’09

    

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 12:14 pm

So far so good. Don’t go home yet!

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 11:37 am

We are firin’ up the livepanel again this year with Engadget, Macrumors, Gizmodo and Computerworld sites all set to be included.  If any go south, we’ll hook up a few backups.  As a bonus, we are hoping to get some Qik live camera feeds but are wary of the bandwidth in the hall during the event.  The show starts at noon eastern time, 9am pacific but stop in early to see the pregame show.

Remember, this page refreshes automatically so your trigger finger won’t be bloodied refreshing pages.  It is also big and works best on a 24 inch screen or bigger.

Get there!

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 10:04 am

In case you needed a reason to be excited, Andy Ihnatko seems to be a fan of something…or preparing for a epic buzzkill.

Oh and the "Magic" we mentioned before is in the iWork templates…sorry to not have closed that loop..Oh, and Apple’s Downloads page lists iWork ‘09 as the number 5 Top downloads.  We didn’t download iWork ‘09, did you?

and the Apple store is down

Article Posted on January 6, 2009 at 8:09 am

iWork.com, a domain that Apple has owned for a long time is set to go live this week with a public beta of the new iWork collaboration package.  We went over this briefly before but need to clarify our previous statements a bit.

iWork.com will be a online site where you can share and view (but not yet edit) iWork documents online.  Workgroups will be alowed to share documents, comment on documents and view them to a certain extent in the browser window.  We haven’t recieved clarification of how well this will work and how many capabilities this will have. Somewhere between reading a Pages document and viewing a full multimedia Keynote presentation we’d guess.

We expect it to go live tomorrow.

iWork.com Whois:

   Domain Name: IWORK.COM
   Registrar: MARKMONITOR INC.
   Whois Server: whois.markmonitor.com
   Referral URL: http://www.markmonitor.com
   Name Server: NSERVER.APPLE.COM
   Name Server: NSERVER2.APPLE.COM
   Name Server: NSERVER3.APPLE.COM
   Name Server: NSERVER4.APPLE.COM
   Status: clientDeleteProhibited
   Status: clientTransferProhibited
   Status: clientUpdateProhibited
   Updated Date: 07-oct-2008
   Creation Date: 22-aug-1995
   Expiration Date: 21-aug-2010

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 9:28 pm

Onion Story, via Gizmodo

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 9:14 pm

As we’ve been saying over and over (and over) again, Apple is set to end the era of DRM music.  We’ve been hearing it will be at Macworld but we’re now getting confirmation both from our sources and from CNet that it is going to happen.  This is turning out to be one heckuva Macworld keynote.  Even without Stevo, it looks like Apple wants to go out with a bang.

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 8:57 pm

We’ve had two sources corroborate that Apple isn’t putting together a home server just yet but instead is going to update Time Capsule at some point in the very near future (Macworld?).  The update is relatively minor and the biggest feature is that it will allow the Time Capsule to cache software updates for all Macs on the network.  This functionality exists in Leopard Server and would be nice to have in a home device - especially as updates get bigger and bigger. 

Current users should be able to take advantage of this, you guessed it - with a software update.

We’d still like to see Apple move into the home server market soon and will be keeping our ears to the tracks to see if anything is materializing.

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 12:46 pm

We’ve gotten a flurry of late reports that there is in fact a removable battery in the 17-inch laptop.     We don’t know what to make of it yet.  IT is probably noise/distraction but  maybe Apple has been pulling an Asteroid (seeding incorrect information to employees) or there are two batteries in the laptop.  One removable and one that stays inside.  More to follow as this develops….

Oh, also the Mac Pro is going to see some small form factor changes (possibly at Macworld).  We also expect Core i7 processors and NVIDIA 9800 chipsets.

Then there is iWork.com…more coming as we piece it all together..

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 7:58 am

Here’s the word directly from the horses mouth:

Dear Apple Community,

For the first time in a decade, I’m getting to spend the holiday season with my family, rather than intensely preparing for a Macworld keynote.

Unfortunately, my decision to have Phil deliver the Macworld keynote set off another flurry of rumors about my health, with some even publishing stories of me on my deathbed.

I’ve decided to share something very personal with the Apple community so that we can all relax and enjoy the show tomorrow.

As many of you know, I have been losing weight throughout 2008. The reason has been a mystery to me and my doctors. A few weeks ago, I decided that getting to the root cause of this and reversing it needed to become my #1 priority.

Fortunately, after further testing, my doctors think they have found the cause—a hormone imbalance that has been “robbing” me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy. Sophisticated blood tests have confirmed this diagnosis.

The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment. But, just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this Spring to regain it. I will continue as Apple’s CEO during my recovery.

I have given more than my all to Apple for the past 11 years now. I will be the first one to step up and tell our Board of Directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO. I hope the Apple community will support me in my recovery and know that I will always put what is best for Apple first.

So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.

Steve

Yes, Apple stock is up.  And the Apple Board of Directors came out with an additional statement.

 By the way, this also means that Macworld might in fact, rock.

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 7:48 am

Article Posted on January 5, 2009 at 5:54 am

Apple has a history of royally screwing over its partners.   We mean this in the best possible way because we can’t wait for AT&T to get theirs.  Their latest shenanigans? AT&T is winding down their EDGE service to get people to move to 3G.  According to OpenForBusiness:

Cell phones, like other wireless communications devices, have certain radio bands they communicate on. While previously the company had been primarily relying on the 850 MHz band that offers a more robust signal, including superior indoor reception, company technicians confirmed to OFB that transmitters for the 2G signal used by the original iPhone and most other handsets, including most AT&T offered BlackBerry and RAZR models, have been shifted to the weaker 1900 MHz band in some areas.

This shift has resulted in customers past their 30-day return policy, but still with relatively new phones, finding themselves stuck with equipment no longer able to pick up signals properly in previously strong coverage areas, even though the equipment itself is without defect.

OFB was able to confirm this situation for itself using multiple devices in St. Louis, MO, and also obtained information on similar cases across the country. Reports suggested the problem started to appear as AT&T ramped up its 3G network in preparation for the iPhone 3G in early 2008. Each AT&T technician OFB talked to concerning this problem offered the same solution: that the customer should purchase new, 3G-enabled equipment at the customer’s own expense. This has created a troubling situation for many owners of the original iPhone, a device that was as recently as May of 2008 selling for $400. These users are being told their expensive phones should not only be replaced at the subscriber’s expense, sometimes less than a year after purchase, but also at an increase in the monthly service rate of $10 for data and $5 for text messaging.

Typical AT&T move…maybe it is best to take AT&T’s own advice:

As an alternative, OFB was also advised by one AT&T customer service representative to consider terminating AT&T service. The representative then suggested using unofficial information on the Internet to unlock the iPhone for use on another cellular network.

Article Posted on January 4, 2009 at 9:06 pm

New York Times Tech columnist David Pogue gets behind the piano to do some self-hating Apple gadget geek bashing.  

No wonder the Times is floundering

CrunchGear Via Gizmodo

Article Posted on January 4, 2009 at 5:02 pm

Our folks in Asia are at it again with some pretty startling news.  The 17-inch MacBook Pro is going Unibody, like the 13-inch and 15-inch models.  That, in itself isn’t really that big of a deal; it was widely expected.  The big news is that Apple is making a super slim battery pack for the 17-inch MacBook Pros that will last much longer than current models.  However, you won’t be able to remove the battery pack.  It will be inside the machine, just like iPods and iPhones.  How?  I’ve outlined a hypothesis on Apple pioneering Silver-Zinc battery usage here.

Those of us with three year old MacBook Pros can attest that these batteries lose a significant amount of performance over time and need to be replaced. It isn’t quite clear how Apple will deal with this issue.  They may have new technology that can take more charges, or they may offer a service replacement similar to the replacement of a motherboard or hard drive.  Maybe swapping out the battery will be as easy as swapping out RAM.

Obviously, these new 17-inch displays are expected to be revealed at Macworld 2009 and will also likely be outfitted with Apple’s high gloss screens. Apple has come under fire from graphics professionals for not offering a matte option to their glossy screen Pro models.  

Additionally, the 13-inch Plastic MacBook is widely expected to be phased out which might bring the cost of the Unibody MacBook down closer to the $1000 price point.  We can’t verify this, however.

digg_url = ‘http://9to5mac.com/17-inch-unibody-macbook’;

Article Posted on January 3, 2009 at 9:57 pm

An interesting question has been floated over at Mac Soda.  Maybe Steve Jobs bailing on Macworld (and also on Apple) is somehow related to his appointment as Obama’s Chief Technology Officer.  Just for fun, let’s consider the connections. 

Obama is an Apple fan, we know he and his team use Macs.  And yes he does jog with an iPod (who doesn’t?).  Apple, as did most of Silicon valley, largely supported Obama’s presidency.  And there was the Obama iPhone App.  Obama has also been endorsed by Apple board member Al Gore, who also happens to be a good friend of Steve Jobs.  Fake Steve was even a huge Barry supporter.

Steve Jobs has done the Pixar thing, he’s brought Apple back to be one of the most, if not the most important technology companies.  How can he take it to the next level?  How can he spread his influence even further?  Would Obama be interested in Steve Jobs as a CTO type person?  We think so, he’s been a visionary on so many technology fronts.

Would Mr. Jobs be interested in the position?  Perhaps, but there would have to be lots of caveats.  Jobs hasn’t been a subordinate since he gave the Apple CEO position to John Scully.  We all know how that worked out.  Oh and Jobs’ health/weight issue?  We are still thinking he’s on a caloric restriction diet but that could be a non-starter.  The position would entail being a lot more public - something Steve Jobs has been acutely unwilling to do.  How about conflict of interest?  Jobs is vested in Apple, he could recommend legislation that is friendly to his holdings.  He would have to divest himself of Apple and Disney.  Not likely.

So yes, it is a very novel idea, but no it isn’t likely.

We’re putting this at the very bottom of our Macworld predictions, right after "Steve Jobs unveils Apple Jet Pack". 

Article Posted on January 3, 2009 at 9:36 pm

Got to love those Googlers…

Everyone loves a good Easter Egg and it looks like Google decided to add a few little treats to one of its iPhone apps. The Google Mobile App has some hidden menus that allow you to access a few fairly useless but entertaining features. It takes some perseverance but if you continue to swipe upward on the “About” screen, a new menu item “Bells and Whistles” will appear. Click on the new “Bells and Whistles” menu and you will be able to change the color of the application, change the default sound to a monkey or a chicken, select a waveform to appear when you talk and set the option to open links within the application (the one useful feature). Enjoy!

From the Google Mobile blog via BGR.

Article Posted on January 3, 2009 at 2:00 pm

Here’s another one for next week.  We know it seems a bit nuts but try to stay with us here, OK? 

Word on the street is that Garage Band users will be able to buy celebrity music lessons from Apple.  For instance, if you are a drummer, you might be able to purchase for $6.99, a drumming lesson from Neil Peart (we don’t know the specific artists/prices involved).  You then download the lessons and in a few (thousand) weeks you are hammering away YYZ like nobody’s business. 

That’s all the information we were given.  This could obviously go in a few directions.  Will the lessons be just videos or interactive media?  Will you buy them from iTunes or will Garage band incorporate its own storefront?  Will lessons from Green Day cost more than lessons from Yanni?  Can we get singing lessons from Brittney Spears? 

Update: Some have said it will be called Mentor

Article Posted on January 2, 2009 at 6:59 am

We aren’t head over heels for this one like Giz but it is still a great use of the iPhone’s "senses". iSteam.

1

Article Posted on January 2, 2009 at 6:23 am

The New Year was supposed to bring with it the new, easy to use, SIM unlocking tool for iPhone.   Dubbed YellowSn0w by its developers, it appears to have a few hiccups.  Hopefully by my next trip to Europe, they’ll have this sorted out.

Image courtesy

Frank Zappa, eat your heart out…

Article Posted on January 2, 2009 at 6:00 am

Yep, it isn’t just iWork.  iMovie is moving into the Cloud as well.   As Stevo said:

The MobileMe launch clearly demonstrates that we have more to learn about Internet services.  And learn we will.  The vision of MobileMe is both exciting and ambitious, and we will press on to make it a service we are all proud of by the end of this year.

Check the details at Computerworld…

We can already hear the naysayers…flame away!

Article Posted on January 1, 2009 at 8:43 am

TUAW is reporting that the Mac Mini will now be  a little black and aluminum box which will match the color scheme of the iMac.  The optical drive will now be a option according to the site and the lip of the box will partially conceal the nature of the optical drive much like the Time Capsule.  While we are still trying to figure out exactly what this will look like, it does make some sense to move in that direction. 

TUAW goes on to confirm that the launch will be at Macworld and the optional optical drive will likely be SATA which are both pretty standard rumor fare at this point.  Also, expect a NVIDIA 9400 Chipset and updated processor and hard drive options that miror MacBook options.

Perhaps without the Optical drive we’ll see a sub $500 price point?  We can dream can’t we?

BTW, that picture ain’t it

Article Posted on January 1, 2009 at 7:25 am

We just got a truckload of Macworld information dumped on us from our best source.  As we piece it together we’ll trickle it out.  The first big piece of information is that iWork is going into the Cloud.  Not just storage, either.  We are talking interface for Numbers, Pages and Keynote (which is going to see some interesting new templates and transition additions).   Yes, the iWork applications are now going to be Web Applications.

This isn’t a huge surprise as the industry (Google, Microsoft, Zoho) is heading in this direction.  Questions remain that we’ll try to get sorted ASAP.  Will this work on iPhone/iPod touch?  Will there be traditional apps that go along for offline access - or will this use Safari’s new Offline DB/SproutCore framework functionality?  Stay tuned…

Oh, and we’ve heard there is going to be some "Magic" involved.  (Yes this is a clue)

digg_url = ‘http://9to5mac.com/iwork-going-cloud’;

Article Posted on December 31, 2008 at 9:55 am