Perimbean's Hangout

2008-06-05T01:55:00.000+08:00

Apple And Google's Awkward Mobile Marriage (AAPL, GOOG)
Hank Williams | June 3, 2008 10:45 AM

The relationship between Google (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt and Apple Inc., on whose board he sits, must, at times be incredibly awkward.

Google is developing Android, an open source operating system for mobile phones, which is directly competitive with Apple’s iPhone. One would think that Apple (AAPL) would not be happy with this, and would ask Schmidt to step down. Yes, I know Schmidt leaves the room when they talk about the iPhone in board meetings. But this still must feel a bit like Apple having Microsoft on its board.

But here’s the thing. Apple *needs* Google.

Like it or not, Google is -- and probably will continue to be -- Apple’s most important iPhone developer. Google “gets” mobile in an incredibly deep way. And they are passionate about it. This “getting it” thing stems, in part, from Google’s pioneering almost every great idea in online mapping since the concept was invented. Mapping is also an incredibly deep area to mine, and depending on what you are trying to do, it can be very expensive work with no immediate opportunities for monetization. Perfect for Google. Not so great for anyone else.

The interesting thing about all of this is that, if you think about it, mapping is far more important to a phone than playing music or particularly watching movies. That’s not to say that music is not important. But if you let your imagination run wild, you can see that the potential for location based services and mapping tied to a mobile Internet connected device is profound. And no one on the planet is likely to do that better than Google.

Unfortunately for Apple, this cuts both ways. Apple loves the work Google does on the iPhone. But Google is so passionate, they want every phone on the planet to be as cool as the iPhone so they can deliver great experiences (and eventually ads —Ed.) for every phone. Hence Android, a free operating system that they are expecting to license to almost every major cell phone manufacturer. For Google, volume matters, profits not so much. For Apple, that formulation is reversed. From Apple’s perspective, that has got to suck.

More unfortunate for Apple: Google is now demonstrating features that, in this arena, are far more sophisticated than anything Apple has shown or is likely to show on the iPhone without Google’s help. The most stunning concept they have demonstrated is a kind of virtual reality for cell phones.

This new feature is based on a part of their web based mapping service called Street View. Street View allows users to go to a particular location and to see the street in moving pictures. You can turn 360 degrees and even walk down the street and get a kind of animated walk through effect.

What Google demonstrated was that Street View has now been implemented inside Android so that when you move the phone it detects where you are and what direction the phone is aimed, and shows you the view of the street on your phone. As you move the phone, the view changes. The effect is stunning. Of course this is much easier to see than to read about and so I recommend viewing the video below.

Presumably, at some point, these kinds of features will find their way into the iPhone, but probably not without Google’s help. Google’s innovation in this area means that, in some respects, Apple is really beholden to Google. This is because Google is the only company with the real chops and resources to deliver mobile mapping in a truly robust way (not including Microsoft, which is unlikely to develop for the iPhone).

And what Google is demonstrating is just the first little peek into what location based mobile services will bring. Google is baking programming interfaces (APIs) into Android that will allow *all* Android application developers to leverage their mapping and location based tools. So far there is little evidence that that will happen on the iPhone to the same degree, at least in the near future.

And so, while Steve Jobs is used to having the upper hand with his partners like the now supplicating record labels, this relationship is different. Indeed, Steve may hate the whole idea of Android, but he may soon need to get used to his new Google overlords just like the rest of us.

SAI Contributor Hank Williams is a New York-based entrepreneur. He writes Why Does Everything Suck? Exploring the tech marketplace from 10,000 feet.

Source: Silicon Alley Insider

2008-06-04T00:25:00.002+08:00

Kingston co-founder: DRAM makers have no way out
Josephine Lien, Taipei; Esther Lam, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 3 June 2008]

David Sun of Kingston Technology
Photo: Josephine Lien, Digitimes, June 2008

David Sun, co-founder of the number-one DRAM module company Kingston Technology, believes that no DRAM maker will voluntarily quit the market as they have no backdoor to exit. Even if more consolidation is seen in the industry, overall capacity will not reduce.

Sun commented that the recent trough in the DRAM industry is very different than the one seen in 2000. Companies such as Fujitsu, IBM, Mitsubishi Electric, OKI, Texas Instruments (TI) and Toshiba quit the DRAM market due to severe competition and shifted their focus to other products. Toshiba, for example, shifted its focus from DRAM to NAND flash and the company has a proven achievement in the NAND flash industry now, stated Sun.

The situation is different now. No DRAM maker will quit the market on their own as they are have no "backdoor" to exit, Sun stated. These players are forced to stay in the DRAM business. Taking Micron Technology as an example, Sun said the company is still having its core operation based on DRAM, despite its extended presence in CMOS image sensor and NAND flash production.

Reviewing major DRAM makers such as Elpida Memory, Nanya Technology, ProMOS Technologies, Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) and Winbond Electronics, Sun said all of these players have no other product line to shift to if they quit DRAM production.

Even if a price plummet spurs consolidation, Sun said global DRAM capacity is not going to decline. The only solution to return the industry to discipline is a rational expansion that will eventually reduce fresh capacity, he added.

Speaking on behalf of a memory module company, Sun said Kingston thinks visibility in the DRAM industry is relatively clearer than that for NAND flash. Since the price of DDR2 is unlikely to drop below US$0.80 again, procuring in this price range and selling it when the price appreciates will still guarantee profit for the company.

Source: DigiTimes

2008-06-01T10:05:00.001+08:00

Microsoft urges Windows users to shut down Safari
'Carpet bomb' Safari bug can be combined with unpatched IE vulnerability
By Gregg Keizer

May 31, 2008 (Computerworld) In an unusual move, Microsoft Corp. on Friday warned Windows users to swear off Apple Inc.'s Safari Web browser until a patch is available that plugs holes that could let attackers compromise computers.

One security researcher noted that Microsoft's public warning — and Apple's silence on the subject — are typical for the two rivals and illustrate their different approaches to security.

Friday, the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) issued a security advisory for what it called a "blended threat" caused by combination of a bug in Apple's Safari Web browser and a vulnerability in how Windows XP and Windows Vista handle executable files placed on the desktop.

"Microsoft is investigating new public reports of a blended threat that allows remote code execution on all supported versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista when Apple's Safari for Windows has been installed," said the advisory.

The Safari bug Microsoft referred to is the same one disclosed two weeks ago by researcher Nitesh Dhanjani, which Apple declined to treat as a security issue, said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc. "Clearly, that's what they're talking about," said Storms.

In mid-May, Dhanjani posted information about what he dubbed a "carpet bomb" attack made possible because Safari lacks an option to require a user's permission to download a file. Attackers, Dhanjani claimed, could populate a malicious site with rogue code that Safari would automatically download to the desktop.

Apple told Dhanjani that it did not consider the problem a security issue, but might fix it in a future Safari update. The next week, the anti-malware group Stopbadware.org criticized Apple for that position. "We encourage Apple to reconsider its stance and treat this as the security issue that it is," said the group in a statement May 19.

Then on Friday, Microsoft also fingered Safari as a problem. "Restrict use of Safari as a Web browser until an appropriate update is available from Microsoft and/or Apple," the company told users in the advisory.

But Microsoft also acknowledged that a successful attack would require not only leveraging the Safari bug, but also exploiting a vulnerability in its own software. "A combination of the default download location in Safari and how the Windows desktop handles executables creates a blended threat in which files may be downloaded to a user's machine without prompting, allowing them to be executed," said Microsoft.

In the advisory, Microsoft called out Windows XP — including SP3, the newest service pack — and Windows Vista as vulnerable, as well as Internet Explorer 6 and IE 7.

Microsoft, however, did not delve into details of the Windows or IE vulnerabilities that could be combined with the Safari bug to hack PCs.

Aviv Raff, an Israeli security researcher, filled in some of the blanks. On Saturday, Raff said a vulnerability in IE that he had reported more than a year ago was the Microsoft side of the blended threat. "The combined attack requires IE," Raff said in a e-mail, answering questions about the source of the Windows-side flaw.

He would not, however, get specific about the vulnerability. In a post to his own blog earlier Saturday, Raff said he would not publicly disclose any details until Microsoft or Apple patched the problem.

But he did ding Microsoft for telling users that they could prevent attacks by changing the default download location for files retrieved using Safari. "I can only say that Microsoft's suggestion for a workaround is not enough," said Raff in his blog post. "There are other vulnerabilities which can be combined with the Safari vulnerability to execute code," he added in the e-mail.

In the end, Raff's best advice was similar to Microsoft's: "The current best solution is to stop using Safari until Apple fixes their vulnerability," he wrote on his blog. "Even if Microsoft fixes their vulnerability, Safari users will still be vulnerable."

Odd though it is to see Microsoft issue an advisory that calls out software not of its making, the incident is a good example of the contrast between Microsoft's and Apple's approaches to security disclosures, said nCircle's Storms.

"It's not very surprising to see Microsoft in the forefront here," he said. "They're known to issue advisories without having all the information [about a vulnerability] and without a patch. Apple, on the other hand, is completely different. Until they release a patch, they say nothing, and when they patch, it's a complete surprise.

"It's two different ways to handle it," said Storms, explaining that the vastly different approaches stems from their core customer base. "Microsoft has really embraced the enterprise, and decided that disclosure and a regular patch schedule is what the enterprise needs to support and maintain its products.

"Apple, on the other hand, appeals to consumers, and believes that for the majority of consumers, issuing an advisory without a patch would probably just create FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt]," Storms concluded.

As Storms noted, Apple has remained silent on the Safari carpet bomb problem. Last week, it did not respond to a request for comment on its security team's decision against adding a user-approval option to Safari. The company was not available Saturday.

Microsoft did say that it is working with its rival, however. "[We] are working with our colleagues at Apple to investigate the issue," said Tim Rains, a product manager in Microsoft's malware protection center, in a post to the MSRC blog.

No timetable has been set by Microsoft for patching its software to block combined Safari-IE attacks. As it often does in security advisories, the company only said that it may issue a patch.

Source: ComputerWorld

2008-06-01T10:00:00.001+08:00

Me.com belongs to Apple; Vegas iMac deal
By Aidan Malley
Published: 11:25 AM EST, June 1, 2008

Apple's Internet service strategy has become clearer with the transfer of Me.com to the company. Also, Apple has struck a deal for iMacs in a Las Vegas hotel.

Apple's ownership of Me.com

Lending further support to notions that Apple will soon rebrand and overhaul .Mac, Daring Fireball and fellow technology pundits on Twitter have discovered that Me.com is now in Apple's hands.

On Saturday, records show the domain transitioned from any EasyDNS registration to MarkMonitor, a company that manages domain name services for commercial brands -- including Apple and its host domain. MarkMonitor was most recently used to park various MacBook Air-related domains by the electronics maker.

And while it's possible to abuse such registrations, a site report for Me.com points to the domain administrator as Apple's Ken Eddings, the same employee responsible for MobileMe.com as well as many other Apple-owned domains, including iPod.com. Currently, a simple NSLOOKUP command also confirms Eddings' link to the site.

The reason for the acquisition remains unclear, although the switch would give Apple access to a simpler domain than MobileMe.com for any future service; the company's most recent Mail and Safari updates have deliberately left placeholders for .Mac's new name that would allow a simple change.

Recent discoveries in the iPhone SDK have suggested that the future service will include tighter integration with iPhones and iPod touch players.

iMacs to populate Vegas hotel

In a more public deal, the upcoming Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas will partner with Apple for a unique addition to its suites, according to a fresh tip sent to TUAW.

The hotel's official brochure (PDF) notes an "innovative relationship" with Apple where each of the 3,889 rooms will have an iMac to "share memories and encourages personal expression." It also suggests a connection between the two companies for online booking and planning as well as interactive content at the hotel itself.

Few details beyond this are available, though the Fontainebleau opens the doors to its Vegas location in the fall.

Apple has a relatively strong presence in Vegas, operating two existing retail stores as well as a planned third store at Caesar's Palace.

Source: AppleInsider

2008-06-01T02:21:00.009+08:00

Intel X48 vs. Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI

The high-end chipset offerings from Intel and Nvidia couldn’t be more similar — at least at first glance. Both were designed to power the latest Core 2 Duo, Quad or Extreme processors, both support the latest technologies such as PCI Express 2.0 and DDR3-1600 memory, and both combine these with a plethora of interfaces. Both are highly overclockable and offer proprietary features to enhance performance.

The two target different types of enthusiast customers, however. Intel is the old bull in the chipset arena, owning roughly 50% of the core logic market, but has come a long way from providing reliable business products to also catering to the enthusiast. The X series, starting with the 925X, has been the enthusiast chipset line for some time, yet the Intel enthusiast series isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone. The mainstream chipsets, such as the P965 and P35, have provided similar performance, interfaces and overclocking features as the 975X and X38 models. The enthusiast chipsets mostly support faster system speeds or optional dual graphics configurations.

The X48 release once again introduces a new chipset that does not offer substantial advantages over the mainstream products — the main difference this time is its qualification for FSB1600 system speeds. At the same time, X48 had support for DDR2 memory and ECC DIMMs removed on the specification sheet, although DDR2 is physically still supported.

Nvidia has addressed the enthusiast audience ever since, which is obvious by its aggressive branding and graphics-centered strategy, paired with a strong feature set. Not only was Nvidia the first firm to introduce Scalable Link Interface (SLI) dual graphics with the nForce 4 family, but it also introduced SLI-ready memory with EPP in the nForce 600. EPP stands for Enhanced Performance Profiles, a technology that allows the motherboard to automatically enable the fastest memory speed and aggressive memory timings. The Nvidia chipsets also were first to introduce comfortable management tools, and the overclocking utility nTune. The latest nForce 700 chipset family focuses on DDR3 memory, two-, three-way and four-way SLI based on two x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots, plus an additional x16 PCI Express 1.0 slot.

Though Nvidia is the multi-GPU graphics specialist, supporting both dual SLI with two SLI-ready graphics cards, three-way SLI with GeForce 8800 GTX or Ultra and quad SLI using two GeForce 9800 GX2 double whoppers, Intel does in fact also support dual graphics. With the introduction of the 975X chipset, two x16 PCI Express lanes were available in X series chipsets to host two ATI Radeon graphics card in Crossfire mode.

If you favor either ATI’s Crossfire or Nvidia’s SLI technology then your chipset choice has been made. If not, then you’ll find our comparison of a Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 and an Asus Striker II Extreme useful. Look at the features, performance, overclocking abilities and power consumption of the two high-end choices before making a decision.

Some Chipset History

Despite being first to market with new interfaces, storage controllers and other motherboard-related features, Intel had always been more than conservative with regards to hardcore features. This in spite of having a hardware basis that has been powerful, flexible and usually possessing a lot of headroom for clock speed increases. Overclocking was a taboo that had to be broken carefully over time, and it wasn’t until overclocking had progressed from being an unwanted phenomenon to everybody’s favorite pastime that Intel finally acknowledged it.

Although the X48 is still a 90 nm part, it is highly overclockable, and combines maximum performance with a rich feature set. However, the X48 is only a moderate advance over the X38: the main difference is official support for FSB1600 speeds. Intel has always had a focus on strong interface subsystems, which includes many flexible USB 2.0 ports as well as a powerful storage solution, which it calls Matrix Storage Technology. Although the feature set isn’t richer than Nvidia’s storage feature lineup, Intel has provided better throughput and I/O performance (see storage benchmarks for details). Dual PCI Express interfaces were also introduced with the 975X chipset, supporting ATI’s Crossfire standard.

Nvidia has gone in an entirely different way. For them, entering the chipset business was a logical consequence in order to provide enthusiast and mainstream solutions, rather than just graphics cards. The 3D company had a hard time entering the chipset market with the first nForce chipset generation. AMD’s Athlon 64 success was a key driver for Nvidia’s success of the nForce 3 chipset family. The fourth nForce generation was the first product to also support the Intel platform, as Nvidia wanted to introduce SLI dual graphics support for the AMD and the Intel worlds at the same time.

The nForce chipset family has for some time had more sophisticated dual network controllers that allow users to combine two Gigabit Ethernet ports and to prioritize network traffic (via the DualNet and FirstPacket technologies). The storage management for the six SATA/300 ports and one UltraATA/133 channel is consolidated under what’s called MediaShield technology.

The X48 is a classic chipset that consists of two building blocks: the northbridge 82X48 MCH (Memory Controller Hub) and the southbridge ICH9 (I/O Controller Hub). Intel’s MCH includes the Front Side Bus interface to the processor, the dual channel DDR3 memory controller and two x16 PCI Express 2.0 interfaces. The memory controller supports Intel’s XMP technology, which stands for Extreme Memory Profiles. This is very similar to Nvidia’s SLI-ready memory, as it allows the motherboard to configure the memory according to its maximum capabilities. This means that memory clock speed and timings will automatically be set to ideal performance values. Other auto-configuration mechanisms rely on memory’s Serial Presence Detect (SPD) ROM data, setting workable timings that won’t deliver maximum performance. Intel’s and Nvidia’s approaches are similar, yet you have to get either XMP or SLI-ready memory if you want to use this feature. This chipset not only supports DDR3-1066 and DDR3-1333, but for the first time DDR3-1600 is supported as well.

The ICH9 southbridge is available in three different flavors: ICH9, ICH9DO (Digital Office) and ICH9R (RAID). The last of these is used for enthusiast-class motherboards, as it offers six AHCI SATA/300 ports with Native Command Queuing (NCQ) support, together with flexible RAID configuration options (RAID 0, 1, 0+1, 5). A High Definition audio sound system is mandatory today, and Intel also included a Gigabit Ethernet port (10/100/1000 Mbit/s). Although Intel’s block diagram doesn’t mention 32-bit parallel PCI anymore, it is still part of the ICH9 southbridge. However, Intel wants the industry to focus on PCI Express: the ICH9 offers six lanes, which can be turned into one x4 PCIe slot and two x1 slots, or into a larger number of x1 PCI Express slots. Finally, the ICH9 comes with 12 USB 2.0 ports; SATA and USB ports can be disabled for security.

Technically, the X48 chipset can support all Socket 775 processors, as the socket has only undergone small modifications. However, BIOS support from manufacturers will be limited for Pentium 4 or Pentium D class processors. You can be sure that all X48 motherboards will support the entire Core 2 processor lineup, though.

If you don’t want to go for an expensive X48 motherboard, you can certainly select a P35 or one of the upcoming P45 motherboards. These offer almost the same feature set, with the exception of dual x16 PCI Express dual graphics. Native FSB1600 support requires P45, but most upper-mainstream P35 motherboards will run reliably when overclocked from FSB1333 to FSB1600, if you planned on overclocking your system anyway.

Unlike Intel’s strict split between enthusiast products (X48) and the mainstream line (P35, G35), Nvidia has a more comprehensive chipset portfolio. The nForce 790i Ultra SLI, as reviewed in this article, is the top model for enthusiasts. The key feature for the Ultra version is SLI-ready memory support, which goes as high as DDR3-2000 speeds. None of the nForce 790i chipset versions supports DDR2, only DDR3. The nForce 790i SLI (non-Ultra) also supports SLI-ready memory, but only up to DDR3-1333. FSB1600 support is available with both 790i SLI versions.

Apart from the 790i flagships, the nForce models 680i and 780i also support three-way SLI (twin x16 PCI Express 2.0 plus one x16 PCI Express 1.0 slot), but these go with DDR2 memory instead of DDR3. There is SLI-ready memory support for automatic settings of ideal RAM clock speed and timings, which is limited to DDR2-1200 speed. Since there won’t be much faster DDR2 memory, this is more than adequate.

Finally, there is an nForce 750i SLI entry-level model, which is limited to two x8 PCI Express 2.0 slots, and so does not support three-way SLI. Memory support is restricted to DDR2-800, and SLI-ready memory is not supported. The nForce 750i has to live with one instead of two Gigabit LAN ports, and with only four instead of six SATA/300 plugs. While Intel is about to release single PCI Express 2.0 into the mainstream with P45 at Computex, the nForce 750i SLI is already there.

The block diagram of the 790i Ultra SLI is similar to that of Intel’s X48. The 790i Ultra SLI SPP northbridge (System Platform Processor) connects to the CPU via a 400 MHz quad data rate bus (FSB1600). There are as many as 62 PCI Express lanes; 2 x 16 of them are used by the northbridge to provide two x16 slots, the remainder are provided by the southbridge. The dual channel DDR3 memory controller supports speeds up to DDR3-2000, although SLI-ready DIMMs are necessary to have the system select ideal clock speeds and timings automatically.

While Intel connects its MCH and ICH via a 2 GB/s interface called the Direct Media Interface (DMI), Nvidia utilizes HyperTransport. This is particularly interesting since this is the interface that AMD uses to connect its processors and core logic — and it is being used on an Intel platform. However, HyperTransport is necessary, as the third x16 PCI Express slot for three-way SLI (using eight lanes) has to be provided by the Media and Communications Processor (MCP) southbridge.

The 790i Ultra SLI MCP provides two Gigabit Ethernet ports with teaming features, ten USB 2.0 ports (versus 12 ports with Intel), and six SATA/300 ports plus an UltraATA/133 channel for two legacy devices — Intel dropped support for parallel ATA with the introduction of the P35 chipset line. Nvidia also still supports up to five 32 bit PCI bus master slots for legacy expansion cards. High Definition audio is pretty much essential these days, so it doesn’t come as a surprise to find an appropriate unit on the MCP as well.

Intel X48: Gigabyte X48T-DQ6

BIOS version: F7

As mentioned in our introduction, we used a Gigabyte X48T-DQ6 to represent Intel’s X48 chipset. The DQ6 family is Gigabyte’s top model, offering a 12-phase voltage regulator. There are massive copper coolers and a copper heat pipe connecting the voltage regulators, the northbridge and the southbridge. The two x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots are blue; there are more x1 PCI Express slots, and two 32-bit PCI slots are available for add-in cards (these are black and white). Gigabyte didn’t want to offer only the six SATA/300 ports of the ICH9R southbridge, so it put an additional controller on the motherboard, which provides two more SATA ports and an UltraATA/133 channel. The latter is important for legacy hard drives or optical drives. eSATA is supported via a separate slot panel.

If you still have a non-USB keyboard or mouse then you’ll be happy to find PS/2 connectors on the back panel. There we also found optical and coaxial digital audio outputs, standard audio jacks, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, a Firewire port and as many as eight USB 2.0 ports — four more are on the motherboard, but those require a slot adapter.

The energy-saving feature called Dynamic Energy Saver (DES) enables or disables voltage regulator phases depending on the processor load. Using a large number of phases ensures reliable voltage supply at high-performance environments, but it decreases power efficiency. With DES, the system switches off up to eight of the 12 phases, even when using a Core 2 Extreme QX6850. DES, however, requires a driver and software to be installed, so it can monitor the CPU load.

The CPU Throttling Feature is supposed to help to further reduce power consumption, but it reduces system performance noticeably: we found that WinRAR took 2:40 instead of 2:10, and we didn’t detect any reduction in power consumption either. These are the power requirement levels using DES and its various settings:

Idle DES Off 12 Phase = 105W DES Level 1 Normal 6 Phase = 100W DES Level 2; Advanced Power Savings 6 Phase = 100W DES Level 3; Extreme Power Savings 4 Phase = 94W

Load (using Prime95) DES Off 12 Phase = 201W DES Level 1 Normal 6 Phase = 191W DES Level 2; Advanced Power Savings 6 Phase = 187W DES Level 3; Extreme Power Savings 4 Phase = 180W

Please be aware that you can either use the EasyTune overclocking utility, or enable the DES power saving mechanism: combining both isn’t possible, which we believe is a shame. Even when overclocked, there are ways to avoid unnecessary power draw. EasyTune is based on a graphically overloaded interface, but it allows you to tweak and overclock all the major settings in order to overclock the system without having to go into the old-fashioned BIOS.

We reached FSB2100 speed on this motherboard, which is 100 MHz faster than the maximum system speed on the nForce 790i Ultra SLI motherboard by Asus. FSB1800 can be reached without any modifications: just select the FSB speed and leave everything else on auto.

nForce 790i Ultra SLI: Asus Striker II Extreme

BIOS version: 0402

The Asus Striker II Extreme is called the “ultimate gaming/overclocking platform” on the Asus website. This seems to be the right product to represent the Nvidia nForce 790i Ultra SLI chipset, then!

It is equipped with an eight-phase voltage regulator together with Asus’s Energy Processing Unit (EPU). Depending on the power saving settings, EPU is intended to reduce power consumption by modifying the use of the voltage regulators depending on the processor load. Even the two memory channels are supplied by two independent voltage regulators, which may not be ideal for power efficiency, but for performance and stability reasons. The voltage regulators, northbridge and southbridge are connected with a massive heat pipe solution, and these components are also covered by heat sinks. The northbridge has been prepared for liquid cooling solutions by the addition of an integrated water block called Fusion; Asus also includes the necessary mounting materials.

The two x16 PCI Express 2.0 slots are blue; the third slot using eight PCI Express 1.0 lanes is white. In addition, there is one x1 PCIe slot — the second (black) one was designed for the SupremeFX II sound module, which carries all necessary 3.5 mm jacks for audio. Digital coax and optical audio outputs can be found on the motherboard back panel, together with the two Gigabit LAN ports, six USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, Firewire and a PS/2 mouse port. The remaining element on the back panel is a light switch called EL I/O that illuminates the back panel connectors if you want to plug in cables under your desk, where you typically lack light.

The Q connector is a small adapter that you use to connect all the internal cables such as power, reset or HDD cables. Once this is done, you can connect the adapter to the pin panel — obviously, this is easier and in fact, almost hassle-free. Finally, the LCD poster is a little LCD display that can be used to monitor system parameters without invoking any Asus application, such as while gaming. Other motherboard features are the Extreme Tweaker overclocking and tweaking software, COP EX component monitoring to prevent damage when components run overclocked, Q-Fan Plus temperature controlled fan speed management, and an on-board power switch.

We found that memory bandwidth and Prey performance were slightly faster on the nForce 790i SLI motherboard by Asus, but the X48 solution from Gigabyte provided the better results across almost the entire benchmark suite. Please be aware that the differences are minor and far from being noticeable, but for the record, Asus and the nForce 790i Ultra SLI won the benchmark comparison. Of course, this would be different for most of the 3D graphics and game benchmarks once two GeForce 9800GX2 dual-GPU graphics cards or up to three GeForce 8800 GTX or 8800 Ultra faced two high-end ATI Radeon HD3870 cards. In this case, Nvidia would win due to its current superiority in the graphics space.

We weren’t able to update the BIOS version using the Windows BIOS update utility, as the update feature didn’t find the appropriate files — we had to look for BIOS updates on the Asus FTP instead, which is a rather cumbersome task. We reached up to FSB2000 speeds on this motherboard, while the X48 board by Gigabyte was able to show even better overclocking results.

Source: TomsHardware

2008-06-01T02:07:00.003+08:00

$5K PC Takes On $4.6M Supercomputer
1:50 PM - May 30, 2008 by Wolfgang Gruener

Antwerp (Belgium) - Recent advances in general purpose GPU computing are beginning to shift perceptions in supercomputing applications. Belgian researchers have assembled a relatively simple enthusiast PC with an emphasis on graphics processing capability, which beats a multi-million dollar supercomputer in its target application.

The desktop PC, called Fastra, was built with a focus on the development of new computational methods for tomography. Tomography is a technique used in medical scanners to create three-dimensional images of the internal organs of patients, based on a large number of x-ray photos that are acquired over a range of angles. As these 3D images can be quite large, advanced reconstruction techniques can sometimes require weeks of computation time on a regular PC. Which means that supercomputers are usually required to process computer tomography (CT) images.

The research group Vision Lab at the University of Antwerp came up with a different solution and constructed a PC that integrates four GeForce 9800 GX2 graphic cards (with a total of eight GPU cores) that runs CUDA-optimized tomography applications. The specifications include a MSI K9A2 Platinum motherboard, an AMD Phenom 9850 CPU, 4 x 2 GB Corsair TWINX DDR2 PC6400 memory, a Samsung Spinpoint F1 750 GB hard drive, a Thermaltake Toughpower 1500W Modular power supply unit as well as four MSI 9800GX2 cards. The researchers said that the cost of the system was less than 4000 Euro or about $5300.

It isn’t quite a tricked-out gaming system and the 3DMark06 score is just above what your average PC can manage to come with today (12,603 points). However, it is the CUDA application where this PC really shines. Compared to the 512-processor, $4.6M CalcUA supercomputer purchased in 2005, the PC can be more than a match: The projection of image slices took 23.4 seconds on the supercomputer and 35.1 seconds on the PC. The reconstruction of the slices was displayed after 67.4 seconds on the supercomputer systems and after just 52.2 seconds on the PC. The Vision Lab crew now believes that a real-time construction is possible through GPUs and is now building a cluster of such systems.

While it is an impressive example how GPUs can be applied in non-traditional ways, there are a few notes to be added. Of course, GPUs cannot replace traditional supercomputers, which still can be applied to applications with a broader range. Also, supercomputers usually carry huge memories, often in the Terabyte range, which cannot be matched by today’s GPU clusters. When we talk to scientists working with supercomputers and GPUs, they typically believe that future supercomputers will not completely transition to GPU clusters, but may develop into systems that consist of a traditional supercomputer structure as well as GPU capability.

An interesting side note about the Fastra PC is its motherboard. Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed that the MSI K9A2 Platinum board is not an Nvidia SLI-based board, but uses AMD Crossfire (780 chipset). The simple reason to choose this board may have been cost, but it is unlikely to impact the performance of the system: CUDA does not support SLI at this time, which means that the GPUs have to communicate with each other as well as with the CPU via PCI Express. The researchers claim that they have not seen any impact on performance and the GPUs apparently are scaling well.

Source: TomsHardware

2008-06-01T02:03:00.001+08:00

Microsoft urges Windows users to shun 'carpet bombing' SafariRare security warning from Redmond
By Dan Goodin in San Francisco
Published Saturday 31st May 2008

Microsoft's security team is advising users to stop using Apple's Safari browser pending investigation into a quirk that allows miscreants to litter their desktop with hundreds of executable files.

Windows users who visit a booby-trapped site with Safari could be forced to download and execute malicious files with no prompting, Microsoft says. The "blended threat" is a result of the default download location in Safari and the way the Windows desktop handles executable files.

This Microsoft advisory suggests users "restrict use of Safari as a web browser until an appropriate update is available from Microsoft and/or Apple."

The recommendation comes a week after researcher Nitesh Dhanjani reported that Apple's browser doesn't seek user permission before downloading certain types of files. Even when encountering malicious iframes - a common occurrence these days even on the most trustworthy of sites - Safari obediently does what it's told to do, including downloading a file hundreds of times.

Apple's security pros, upon learning of the so-called carpet bombing vulnerability, said they didn't see it as a significant threat. A researcher in Cupertino wrote to Dhanjani that it may get fixed at some point down the road as "a further measure to raise the bar against unwanted downloads," but said it could take a quite a while, if ever, for that to happen.

Apple's unfortunate refusal probably explains why Microsoft's security arm has resorted to the unusual recommendation. We can't remember the last time Redmond counseled users to avoid installing a mainstream product for security reasons. Apple representatives didn't respond to a request to comment for this story.

And before any Mac users decide this is an issue they can safely ignore, remember this: While Microsoft's recommendation obviously is limited to Windows users, Dhanjani says the carpet bombing scenario can play out on OS X, too. ®

Source: TheRegister

2008-06-01T01:38:00.001+08:00

Apple store detains teens for installing iPhone gameCoppers called over demo unit download
By Austin Modine → More by this author
Published Friday 30th May 2008 21:53 GMT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four teens in Palo Alto, California, say they were detained and photographed by an Apple store after they downloaded a third-party application to an iPhone demo unit.

The youngsters told Mercury News that a manager of their local University Avenue Apple store called for police reinforcement after discovering the racing game, "Raging Thunder" had been installed on the touch screen phone. High school senior Daniel Fukuba was demonstrating the iPhone's features to his chums, when he downloaded the game.

Both the store employees and manager were at first unperturbed by the boys playing around with the demo unit. But after they left the store, a manager bolted out and demanded the teens return. The manager then called the police.

Sgt. Sandra Brown of the Palo Alto Police confirmed to Mercury News that they were called in by the Apple store, although no arrests were made.

The group claims they were also lectured by the manager about the dangers of "hacking," were all photographed, and told their pictures would be sent to surrounding Apple stores "so they'd be on the lookout for us," according to one of the teens involved, Noah Rogers. In all, they were detained for two and a half hours.

The boys also say they were issued a ban from all Apple stores, although an Apple spokesman has denied the claim.

In March, Apple opened the iPhone SDK to let third-party apps run on the platform — although apparently this is only something that should be attempted in the privacy of your own home. ®

Source: TheRegister

2008-06-01T01:34:00.000+08:00

Mobile phone users itching to take a bite of Apple
Garry Barker
June 1, 2008

THOUSANDS of Australian mobile phone users are trembling with anticipation at the imminent arrival of Apple's revolutionary iPhone, described by commentators as "one of the most talked-about consumer products in history".

The Mac community believes that new 3G, wireless broadband iPhones will be announced by company founder, chief executive and all-round visionary Steve Jobs in San Francisco at the opening of Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference on June 9.

This will coincide (June 10 Australian time) with the opening of Apple's first Australian company store on the corner of King and George streets in Sydney.

Apple Australia is preserving its usual monastic silence on anything to do with iPhone, although Optus and Vodafone have briefly said they will be selling it in Australia later this year.

Telstra has yet to announce its intentions, but few believe it can ignore iPhone. Telstra is also about to open a new shop, on the corner of Bourke and Swanston streets in Melbourne, and iPhone could feature there. That opening, however, will be towards the end of June.

Current iPhones are 2.5G devices and work best on Telstra's original GSM network, which, alone in Australia, has the higher speed EDGE technology that iPhones can use.

Until now, Apple has avoided venturing into 3G, mainly because available chipsets were physically large and power hungry, meaning a big phone and poor battery life. But microprocessor companies have been working on the problem. The new iPhones (there may be more than one model) are expected to use the SGOLD3H chipset from Infineon. This can handle the High Speed Packet Access data transmission technology used by Australian 3G networks and run at 7.2 megabits per second, giving good video and download performance.

Having established iPhone by doing exclusive deals in the US and Europe with single carriers in each region, Apple is now aiming for mass sales, with much attention focused on the big European and Asian markets in which 3G capability is vital.

Apple's ploy now is to take advantage of the high consumer interest now generated and sell it across entire markets, says Gartner Group mobile technology analyst Robin Simpson.

"In the beginning everyone was sceptical because Apple had no mobile phone history and they thought it could not do one well. Well, everyone was proven wrong. They have done a brilliant job," he said.

Figures of sales so far are hard to come by, but the iPhone's reputation and desirability far exceeds the 6 million or so it has sold since its introduction in the US in June last year.

It went on sale in Britain, and then in Europe, in November and gained a solid place in its high-end smartphone category, especially considering it did not offer 3G capability. Australia will be a significant iPhone market, Mr Simpson says.

Industry estimates suggest there are between 50,000 and 60,000 iPhones already in use here, bootlegged from vendors in Hong Kong and openly sold in computer shops in Melbourne and other Australian cities, or bought from US and Asian sellers trading on eBay.

It is relatively simple to "hack" an iPhone so that it can be used on an Australian mobile phone network, and nobody seems to mind that doing it voids the warranty.

Source: TheAge

2008-05-31T01:15:00.001+08:00

Apple releases security update for Mac OS X and OS X Server v. 10.4.11
Posted by Elinor Mills
May 28, 2008 6:06 PM PDT

Apple released a hefty security update for the Mac OS X and OS X Server on Wednesday that fixes more than 40 vulnerabilities, a number of which could be exploited to enable someone to run programs on the machine remotely or lead to the disclosure of sensitive data.

Security Update 2008-003 is for Mac OS X v 10.4.11 and Mac OS X Server v 10.4.11. The fixes are included in the latest Leopard edition, Mac OS X v 10.5.3, which also was released on Wednesday.

The software fixes vulnerabilities that could have led to arbitrary code execution and/or unexpected application termination related implemntaton of: AFP Server, AppKit, Apple Pixlet Video, ATS, CoreFoundation, CoreGraphics, Flash Player Plug-in, Help Viewer, and iCal. The iCal vulnerability was discovered by Core Security, which last week announced it had found three vulnerabilities in iCal.

It also fixes vulnerabilities that could have led to disclosure of sensitive information related to implementation of technologies including CUPS, International Components for Unicode, and CFNetwork when visiting a maliciously crafted Web site due to an issue in Safari's SSL client certificate handling.

Meanwhile, other updates fix vulnerabilities that could lead to information disclosure and allow a local user to manipulate files with the privileges of another user in Mail; allow a remote attacker to read arbitrary files related to Ruby; expose passwords supplied to sso_util to other local users when using Single Sign-On; expose user names on servers with Wiki Server enabled to a remote attacker; and not warn users before opening certain potentially unsafe content types.

In addition, the software fixes a vulnerability that could lead to information disclosure when viewing a maliciously crafted BMP or GIF image and lead to unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution when viewing a maliciously crafted JPEG2000 image file.

Security Update 2008-003 and Mac OS X v 10.5.3 are available from Apple's Software Downloads Web site.

Source: Cnet

2008-05-31T01:10:00.002+08:00

Apple to make major studios’ films available for download
May 29, 2008
by Dan Sabbagh

Apple is poised to announce it will start selling films from four major Hollywood studios for download in the UK as part of its iTunes internet service at prices on a par with DVDs.

The company intends to unveil agreements with Disney, the studio behind the Pirates of the Caribbean series and Paramount, the company behind the Indiana Jones picture.

Exact pricing details were not available last night, but studio sources said that they “would not want to undercut DVD prices”. That would imply prices ranging anywhere from £6 to £25.

Twentieth Century Fox, the studio owned by News Corporation, the parent company of The Times, and Warner Brothers, the Time Warner company that is behind the Harry Potter series and the Matrix trilogy are the other two majors to sign up.

Amazon and Play.com already sell DVDs on line. Sweeney Todd, the dramatisation of the familiar story starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter, and distributed by Warner Brothers and Paramount’s DreamWorks was on sale last night from Amazon at £12.98 and from Play.com at £12.99 — an indication of the potential pricing via Apple’s film-enabled iTunes service.

It is the first time that Hollywood films have been available to Britons, although similar agreements have been struck for the United States already. Canada is also expected to be covered by the new agreement.

Films will be available both for outright purchase and for rent, along the lines of video on demand services already available on Virgin Media and Sky, the satellite broadcaster, 39.1 per cent owned by News Corporation.

The exact date on which popular films will be made available is yet to be finalised, and the release schedule is up to the studios. However, the expectation is that studios will make films available for iTunes at prices that are compatible with movie rental for video on demand and with DVD for sales — and popular titles such as the Warner’s Harry Potter series will be available within the next few months.

Smaller studios such as Lions Gate, the horror specialist, and MGM, the independent studio behind the James Bond series, are also understood to be party to the impending deal, leaving only Sony Pictures, the producer of The Da Vinci Code, and Universal Studios, home to King Kong, outside the anticipated agreement.

The Hollywood studios remain mindful of the need to protect the still large revenue stream from the area, although DVD sales declined by between 2 and 3 per cent last year. In the UK the DVD market was flat in 2007 by value, amid pricing pressure from supermarkets who are keen to sell films at a discount to woo consumers.

Studio executives believe that it is possible to increase revenues through downloading because there is evidence from the United States that extra promotion and the availability of films on multiple platforms boosts interest. They are also confident that Apple is willing to accept varying price points for films, even though the technology giant insists that music should be priced at 79p per song regardless of how much in demand it is.

Source: TimesOnline

2008-05-30T01:00:00.001+08:00

Apple updates Leopard, issues 68 fixes
But it doesn't patch some iCal security bugs

By Gregg Keizer
May 28, 2008 (Computerworld) More than three months after it last updated Mac OS X, Apple Inc. today released 10.5.3, an upgrade for its Leopard operating system that boasts nearly 70 stability, compatibility and security improvements and fixes.

Apple did not include patches for two of three iCal vulnerabilities that were made public a week ago, however.

Mac OS X 10.5.3, the third upgrade to Leopard since Apple launched the current in October 2007, addresses issues in several components and bundled applications, ranging from the Address Book and Automator to Time Machine and VoiceOver.

Apple also listed a baker's dozen under a "General" category that included a fix for hard drives that wouldn't show in the Finder; an improvement in Spotlight, the OS's built-in search tool, for searches done on AFP volumes; and a patch for stuttering audio and video playback from certain USB-based hardware.

AirPort, Apple's label for its wireless technology, got a pair of fixes: one to improve wireless reliability in general, the other to boost reliability when used with the company's relatively new Time Capsule router-cum-backup-device that debuted earlier this year.

iChat, the Mac OS's bundled instant messaging and video conferencing application, received five fixes; Mail, Apple's own e-mail client, got 10; and Time Machine was the target of seven.

The Time Machine fixes, said Apple, resolve issues when backing up a notebook running on battery power, and address a reliability problem some users have encountered when restoring from a Time Machine backup.

Apple also tucked eight fixes for iCal, its personal scheduling program, into the 10.5.3 update, but failed to patch two of the three security vulnerabilities disclosed last week by Core Security Technologies.

It appears Apple did patch the most serious of the three -- dubbed CVE-2008-1035 -- which Core said was the only one of the three it had proven could be used to insert malicious code into a Mac.

The three iCal bugs, which were reported to Apple in January 2008, were revealed last Wednesday by Core after it had repeatedly been asked by Apple to delay publishing its findings. Core decided to unveil the vulnerabilities after Apple again postponed its patches.

"No vendor moves as fast as the vulnerability researcher wants them to," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security Inc.

Storms refused to blame either side. "It generally takes a major vendor, like Microsoft or Apple, about six to eight months to get a patch released," he said. "But Core had every right to push the vendor into delivering the patch."

In a follow-on interview last week, Ivan Arce, Core Technologies' chief technology officer, said that the current version of iCal is vulnerable to the flaws, one of which he considered critical. But his team had not found evidence of any in-the-wild attacks trying to trigger the iCal vulnerabilities.

"It wouldn't take a whole lot of reverse engineering to figure this out," Storms said, referring to the ease with which attackers would be able to put two and two together from Core's disclosures. "It's a valid concern," he added. "The moment you click on a malformed .ics file, you're done."

Apple did not respond to an e-mail Wednesday asking when it would patch the remaining two iCal vulnerabilities.

Mac OS X 10.5.3 can be downloaded manually from the Apple site, or retrieved and installed using Mac OS X's integrated update feature.

Correction: This story has been updated to note that Apple patched one of the three iCal vulnerabilities disclosed last week.

Source: Computerworld

2008-05-29T11:45:00.001+08:00

Two weeks until Apple’s WWDC event: Some keynote wild card options
MG SIEGLER | MAY 26TH, 2008

We’re now two weeks away from Apple chief executive Steve Jobs taking the stage at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) to give the keynote address. It’s pretty well accepted that the big announcement at the event will be the launch of the 3G iPhone, but Jobs does love his wild cards — could there be something else in the works as well?

An event with a 3G iPhone and the launch of the 2.0 software for the device wouldn’t need anything else — I foresee a lot of talk about amazing native applications built with the software development kit (SDK) — but if Jobs really wanted to make jaws drop, here are a few possibilities:

A smaller, cheaper second version of the iPhone. Think of this as perhaps an “iPhone Nano.” There is a lot of speculation that AT&T may subsidize the new 3G iPhone all the way down to $199 — but most analysts and experts are in agreement that it really doesn’t need to; the thing will sell like hot cakes even at $399. There are also some interesting questions this raises. Such as, if the sign-up process is once again online through iTunes, will users be getting $200 rebates after the fact?

Instead, what if Apple had a second version of the phone it intended to sell at the lower price point? Maybe this version would be a bit smaller than the current one and would lack some of the functionality, such as video streaming (if that is included in the 3G iPhone). This talk of a cheaper, smaller version of the iPhone has been around for about a year now, but nothing has come of it — yet.

A tablet Mac or new version of the Newton PDA device. While there are multiple rumors that Apple is working on such a device, a launch alongside the 3G iPhone is probably very unlikely. Still, imagine a larger version of the iPhone that was a full-powered computer. Maybe it has a 3G chip built in as well, but also has USB ports and even more advanced multi-touch capabilities. Some are betting on a launch of such a device this fall, others say 2009, but wouldn’t this just make a killer “One more thing…”?

Would anyone still want a Kindle? What about an Ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)? Did anyone want one of those to begin with?

A new Apple TV. While the Apple TV got a software upgrade and price cut at MacWorld in January, the box itself didn’t actually change. With increased pressure from the likes of Netflix and its Roku-built set-top box, this could change.

Apple hasn’t significantly updated the Mac Mini in years. (I would even say that it has never gotten a significant upgrade since its launch over three years ago.) What if Apple merged the Apple TV and the Mac Mini for the ultimate living room device?

Full computing capabilities, an optical drive, the ability to act as a digital video recorder (DVR) — yeah, I’d buy one in a second.

A revamped iTunes. While most people will focus on new gadgets, Apple is said to be working with the record labels on some new deals that could alter the iTunes store. Certainly the ability to buy music and ringtones any time and any place on the 3G network seems like a no-brainer. But what if Apple goes really wild and launches a subscription-based version of iTunes?

Apple is falling behind other services in terms of its DRM-free music availability, quality and its pricing isn’t even the best at all times anymore. This, combined with all the pressure it’s getting from rivals for its video content on iTunes (see above with the Apple TV), means iTunes itself could be in for a major shakeup soon.

If you think Apple won’t mess with something that is still working so well, note that it stopped making its best-selling iPod, the Mini, when it was still the king to launch the iPod Nano.

A revamped .Mac service. Apple tries hard to sell its .Mac online syncing service whenever you buy a new computer, but most people simply don’t need to pay $99 a year when there are plenty of free options that do the same things — though a little less conveniently. There has been talk for a while that Apple would need to make .Mac more meaningful, and full integration with the iPhone at a much lower price point could certainly help that.

New MacBooks. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster believes Apple will use the WWDC to launch some newly designed MacBooks as well. Other whispers are starting to circulate that Apple could completely revamp the product this fall, so an update at WWDC could just be an incremental one — if it happens at all. We previously wrote a bit about Munster’s comments here.

iPhone to China. This wouldn’t be huge news to many people in the WWDC audience — unless they were financial analysts. It’s no secret that Apple wants to get its device into the massive Chinese market. Recent news of the Chinese government’s overhaul of the telecomm industry could finally open the door. Forget the 3G iPhone, if Jobs announced a deal to get the iPhone to China at the WWDC, the company’s stock price could soar through the roof.

Conclusion

Some of these options are more likely than others, but all are far from sure-bets. They’re wild cards, plain and simple. Given Jobs’ penchant for mesmerizing people with one product and then tossing in another one from left field, you never know what you’ll see at an Apple event. In two weeks we’ll know for sure.

Source: VentureBeat

2008-05-29T01:00:00.000+08:00

Apple Reportedly Looking At Solar Power For Mobile Devices

Apple is not the first to consider this technique for using solar power; Motorola describes a similar approach in a 2001 patent.
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
May 27, 2008 08:08 PM

Apple is reportedly looking into solar panels as a power source for handheld devices and portable computers.

A recently published patent application discovered by the Apple enthusiast site MacRumors.com describes a technique in which solar panels would be built behind a portable device's LCD screen. From that location, the panels could absorb ambient light that passes through.

The technique would eliminate the need for Apple to redesign its iPods and laptops to make room for the new technology, MacRumors said. Among the problems with using solar panels on devices are durability and the need to take up valuable space on the compact devices.

Apple isn't the first to consider this technique for using solar power. Motorola describes a similar approach in a 2001 patent described in the blog TreeHugger.

Apple and technology companies routinely apply for patents on technology that may never find its way into products.

The U.S. Patent Office this year granted Apple a patent that describes a new instant messaging interface for touch-screen devices, such as the iPhone and iPod Touch. The technology lets users manipulate chat conversations in real time by editing old chats. It also enables people to embed video and images, which is something the iPhone can't do today.

In April, Apple filed two patent applications that describe improvements in head-mounted displays, which typically combine one or two small display screens with magnifying lenses inside a helmet or glasses. Apple claimed in the applications that its approach provides a "a wider field of view and [creates] a more natural viewing situation for a user of a head-mounted display, which results in improved comfort and usability for head mounted displays."

In March, an Apple patent application filed described a three-dimensional display system that could be used in computers for displaying 3-D images.

Apple doesn't comment on future products.

Source: InformationWeek

2008-05-28T11:45:00.001+08:00

Apple Will Rule Home Entertainment By 2013
By Branko Miletic | Friday | 23/05/2008

According to a report by Forrester Research and Computerworld, Apple will be the king of the living room in five years, with the company being firmly implanted in homes by 2013.

According to the report, Apple will leverage its existing products like the iPod, iPhone and Mac and its iTunes and retail Apple Stores that unite home audio and video with IT.

Moreover Forrester has predicted that Apple will:

-- Release a home server that "doesn't contain the word 'server.'"

-- Produce an all-in-one super remote that controls everything musical in the house, including iPods, the home stereo and audio-playing computers.

-- Sell network-enabled digital photo frames and room-specific "clock radios" that stream images and tunes from the server.

-- Extend the AppleTV into Blu-ray territory, or morph it into an Apple HDTV line.

-- Offer in-home installation services.

-- Revamp its Apple Stores into retail outlets that push the digital living room/digital lifestyle.

-- And push iTunes so it ties together digital content with cloud-based updates, remote management and editing.

Furthermore the report also pointed out what Apple would not become in five years. It won't, for example, "turn itself into a company that serves enterprise IT, or one that boasts an end-to-end presence in the mobile market by purchasing a mobile carrier or running its own network".

The report concluded that Apple has bigger ambitions, and that it's only interested in "having a love affair with consumers. And there's no better place for that love affair to culminate than in the home and the living room."

Source: SmartHouse

2008-05-28T11:45:00.000+08:00

Apple's Sydney Store To Open Next Week?
1:23 PM ON MON MAY 26 2008

As the countdown to June 9 and the Apple WWDC gets closer, more and more rumours are flying off the shelves regarding Apple's next-gen iPhone. But another big Apple launch may be happening even earlier if a conversation the guys from TechWiredAU had with some construction workers is true.

The guys were making their way down to CeBit last week via the corner of George and King streets in Sydney when they had a little conversation with some construction workers who said the store would be opening next week. Which would be this week, going off the date of the video. So are Apple about to wrench the covers off the store on an unsuspecting public without warning? In a word - no.

Overnight, some signage went up to tell people that the building is actually going to be an Apple flagship store, as you can see from the photo above. As silly as it sounds, Apple aren't going to put up a "Coming Soon" sign only to rip it down in the same week.

Then there's the rumour that Mr Jobs will be on hand to open the store first hand. If it is true (and part of me keeps looking at my X-Files styled "I want to believe" poster every time I think about it) then it probably won't happen until mid-to-late June at the earliest.

I'm sure Apple will be inviting local media to the opening, so as soon as I receive my invite, you guys will know.

Source: Gizmodo

2008-05-27T00:58:00.000+08:00

TeliaSonera, Apple sign deal to sell iPhone in Nordic, Baltic countries - Quick Facts
5/27/2008 3:15 AM ET

(RTTNews) - TeliaSonera (TLSNF.PK: News, Chart, Quote , TEE.L, TLSN: News, Chart, Quote ) announced the signing of an agreement with Apple Inc. (AAPL: News, Chart, Quote ) to bring the iPhone to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia soon this year.

TeliaSonera is a telecommunication services provider in the Nordic and Baltic countries, in Spain and the emerging markets of Eurasia, including Russia and Turkey.

by RTT Staff Writer

2008-05-25T22:30:00.001+08:00

GeForce 9500 Series

GeForce 9500 GT
65nm G96/D9M GPU
32 Stream Processors.
550 MHz core, with a 1375 MHz unified shader clock.
256 MB 1600 MHz GDDR3 memory with a 128-bit memory bus, although the memory type might change prior to release.
Will support DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
Supports 3rd generation PureVideo technology and Hybrid Power technology.

On 21 February 2008 the Geforce 9600 GT was officially launched.

GeForce 9600 Series

65nm G94/D9M GPU.
64 Stream Processors.
16 Raster Operation(ROP) units, 32 Texture Address(TA)/Texture Filter(TF) units.
20.8 billion texels/s fillrate.
650 MHz core clock, with a 1625 MHz unified shader clock.
1800 MHz memory, with a 256-bit memory interface.
256 MB, 512 MB, or 1 GB of GDDR3 memory[6].
57.6 GB/s memory bandwidth for boards configured with GDDR3 900 MHz memory.
505M transistor count
DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0[7].
Is compatible with HDCP, but the implementation will depend on the manufacturer.
Supports CUDA and the Quantum Effects physics processing engine.
Almost double the performance of the previous Nvidia mid-range card, the GeForce 8600GTS.
Estimated by NVIDIA to cost between $169-$189 MSRP.

Geforce 9600 GSO
The Geforce 9600 GSO is essentially a renamed 8800 GS. It seems they are repositioning the card into the 9*** series to combat slower than expected sales of the 8800 GS. Just like the 8800 GS the 9600 GSO features 96 stream processors, a 550Mhz core clock with shaders clocked at 1,375Mhz, and 384MB memory clocked at 1,600Mhz on a 192-bit memory bus.

GeForce 9800 Series
The GeForce 9800 series is reported to have GX2 (dual GPU), GTX, GTS, GT, and GS variants.

GeForce 9800 GX2
On 18 March 2008 the GeForce 9800 GX2 was officially launched.
The GeForce 9800 GX2 is reported to have the following specifications:.

Dual PCBs, dual GPU design
197 W power consumption
Two 65nm process GPUs, with 256 total Stream Processors (128 per PCB).
The 9800 GX2 is at least 30% faster than the 8800 Ultra.
Supports Quad SLI.
1 GiB (512 MB per PCB) memory framebuffer.
Supports DirectX 10, Shader Model 4, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
Outputs include two DVI ports, an HDMI output, and S/PDIF in connector on-board for routing audio through the HDMI cable
An 8-pin and a 6-pin power connector.
Clocks (Core/Shader/Memory): 600 MHz/1500 MHz/2000 MHz.
256-bit memory interface
128 GB/s memory bandwidth
Released date: March 18, 2008
Launch price of $599.

GeForce 9800 GTX
On 1 April 2008 the GeForce 9800 GTX was officially launched.

128 Stream Processors.
Clocks (Core/Shader/Memory): 675 MHz/1688 MHz/2200 MHz
256-bit memory interface.
512 MB of GDDR3 memory.
70.4 GB/s memory bandwidth
Texture Fill Rate (billion/sec) 43.2
DirectX 10, Shader Model 4.0, OpenGL 2.1, and PCI-Express 2.0.
Release date was 2008-04-01.
Launch Price of $349.

GeForce GTX 200 Series
It has been reported that Nvidia's upcoming GPUs codenamed GT200 (including the D10U-30 and D10U-20) will be named as GeForce GTX 280. Another slower GPU previously thought to be the GeForce 9900 GTS will be the GeForce GTX 260. These GPUs are expected to be launched between June 16th and June 20th. The GeForce GTX 280, the top end model, will launch with support for nVidia's technologies CUDA, PhysX and an upgraded version of PurevideoHD. The GeForce GTX 260, the high end model, will also support the same technologies as the 280. The GTX 280 is expected to be priced at over $600 and the GTX 260, at $449. The die size of GTX 280 and 260 is 576 mm^2 on a 65 nm process.

NVIDIA 9600 GT Has Launched - New Mid-Range GFX King?

Galaxy is launching a very different 9600 GT, featuring a custom board design, dual slot cooler, two BIOS and windows flash tool, it is geared toward the enthusiasts out there. This sample comes factory overclocked we compare its performance to a reference 9600 GT video card, as well as a 8800 GT, 8800 GTS and AMD's pride: HD3870. Read on to find out of this product is the best mainstream card out there!

Here are the different boards available from all known and lesser known companies:

Reviews from the big boys:
* Anandtech
* HardOCP
* Techreport

Source: Wikipedia

2008-05-25T02:27:00.000+08:00

Anti-malware group scolds Apple over Safari 'carpet bomb'
Stopbadware.org asks Apple to reconsider its refusal to address the flaw in its browser as a security problem
by Gregg Keizer, Computerworld
May 22, 2008

An anti-malware organization has called on Apple to beef up its Safari Web browser to protect users from exploits that could let attackers download malicious code to a Mac or Windows user's desktop.

Stopbadware.org, a group founded by Google, Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group, and Sun Microsystems, on Monday asked Apple to reconsider its refusal to address the flaw as a security problem.

"StopBadware.org believes that users should have control over software being downloaded to their computers, and we encourage Apple to reconsider its stance and treat this as the security issue that it is," Stopbadware.org said in an appeal posted to its Web site.

"Apple's Safari browser likened to malware" and "Apple dismisses Safari download issue."

The group's concern centered around an issue made public a week ago by Nitesh Dhanjani, a security researcher and the co-author of the book "Network Security Tools." In a post to his own blog last week, Dhanjani spelled out what he called a "carpet bomb" attack possible via Safari.

According to Dhanjani, attackers could take advantage of the fact that Safari lacks an option to require a user's permission to download a file. Those attackers, Dhanjani claimed, could populate a malicious site with rogue code that in turn would automatically litter a user's desktop with malware.

Although Dhanjani praised Apple's security team for its rapid response to his queries, he also noted that the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer and consumer electronics maker passed on updating Safari to lock out such attacks.

After he suggested that Apple add a setting to Safari that could be toggled to ask the user before downloads are allowed, Dhanjani said he received this reply from the company's security group: "... the ability to have a preference to 'Ask me before downloading anything' is a good suggestion. We can file that as an enhancement request for the Safari team."

However, the issue is not a security problem, said Apple. "Please note that we are not treating this as a security issue, but a further measure to raise the bar against unwanted downloads."

Other browsers, including Microsoft's Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox, include options that prompt users before initiating downloads of some or all file types.

"Assuming Nitesh's analysis is accurate, 'unwanted downloads,' as Apple calls them, represent a serious security threat to users, who can be easily tricked into executing a malicious file," argued Stopbadware.org.

The group has rebuked Apple before. In March, when Apple started using its software update utility to push Safari 3.1 to Windows users, Stopbadware.org first noted the move, then later said that, following its usual practice, it had notified Apple it would soon issue a "badware" alert for the company's Software Update.

The day before Stopbadware.org was set to release that alert, Apple modified how the updater offered Safari 3.1, separating updates for already-installed programs from offers to install new software.

Apple did not reply to a request for comment on its security team's decision against adding a user-approval option to Safari.

Source: InfoWorld

2008-05-23T03:00:00.001+08:00

The World's First 65 W Desktop Quad Core
1:30 AM - May 21, 2008 by Frank Voelkel

Introduction
As far as performance is concerned, AMD is lagging behind its competitor Intel. But few users other than gamers still care solely about performance. In this age of burgeoning energy prices, AMD has an ace up its sleeve: the world’s first quad core CPU that consumes as little as 65 W (TDP). In comparison, Intel’s smallest quad core absorbs 95 W (TDP), despite the fact that Intel is already using 45 nm technology and AMD is still at 65 nm.

In terms of power consumption, AMD’s platform as a whole — motherboard, CPU and graphics chip — is not bad either. Its performance is perfectly adequate for office work and entertainment, though not for games. The integrated graphics engine in the 780G chipset is capable of rendering Blu-ray movies in 1920 HD resolution under maximum CPU load without jitter via HDMI. With Intel, this is only possible with a separate graphics card, as a comparable platform is not yet available.

AMD still has difficulties with high clock frequencies. While Intel’s quad core easily touches the 3 GHz mark, AMD is barely capable of 2.5 GHz. The Phenom X4 9100e presented in this article operates at 1.8 GHz.

Compared to classic Athlon 64 X2 CPUs, the first Phenom models with the B2 stepping featured improved power efficiency, but due to a TLB error — largely irrelevant in practice — the maximum clock rate had to be limited to 2.30 GHz. The B3 stepping eliminated the error, allowing the clock rate to be pushed up to 2.50 GHz. As even the B3 update failed to provide a major boost to the clock rate of the Phenom core, AMD was forced to increase the core voltage. Thus, the Phenom X4 with the B3 stepping is characterized by an extremely high power consumption (TDP) of 125 W.

Nevertheless, Tom’s hardware test of Phenom X3 CPUs provides evidence that AMD is capable of reducing the Phenom’s power consumption by optimizing the production process. Using a core based on the B3 stepping, the voltage and current requirements are much lower compared to the quad-core models at the same clock rate.

The following sections will shed light on how AMD was able to set the bar at 65 W.

Like all Phenom CPUs, the 9100e is also produced via a 65 nm process. In terms of technical features, it is completely identical to the conventional Phenom X4 CPU; the only differences are clock rates and the supply voltage. On the low-power Phenom, the speed of the memory controller and Hypertransport protocol has been set to 1600 MHz. The standard Phenom X4 runs these components at 1800 MHz, while the Phenom X4 9850 Black Edition has a clock rate of 2000 MHz.

MC = memory controller, HTT = hypertransport link

The low-power model does not have an unlocked multiplier.

Core Voltage: only 1.10 V
The fact that the Phenom X4 9100e is a low-power CPU is evident from the core voltage: at full throttle, the quad core CPU gets by with 1.100 V.

The tool Core Temp reads out the VID of the 9100e CPU correctly. Evidently, the board manufacturers did not expect that AMD would introduce a Phenom CPU with such a low supply voltage to the market; on our MSI K9A2 Platinum board, the voltage cannot be adjusted manually. The VID is only set to 1.100 V if the board is set to auto. The board supplies the CPU with 1.096 V; at this supply voltage, CPU operation is absolutely stable.

The manual setting of the MSI board for the core voltage begins at 1.128 V.

The table shows the voltages used by our models.

If the Phenom 9100e enters the Cool’n’Quiet power-saving mode when idle, its core voltage drops from 1.10 V to 1.00 V.

In Cool’n’Quiet mode, the Phenom 9100e lowers its voltage to 1.00 V; the Phenom X3 reduces its supply voltage to 1.050 V.

By comparison, the Phenom X3, whose power loss is also much lower than that of the classic Phenom X4, reduces its voltage to 1.05 V.

Overclocking to 2.40 GHz: the Board Is the Limit

The Phenom 9100e has greater overclocking potential than the other Phenom X3 and X4 models. We were able to overclock the Phenom 9100e from its standard clock rate of 1.80 GHz to 2.40 GHz without increasing the core voltage.

At its original voltage of 1.100 V, the Phenom 9100e operates smoothly at 2.40 GHz.

There is, however, a slight hitch. As the Phenom 9100e has a fixed multiplier of 9x, it can only be overclocked by raising the front-side bus. To achieve a CPU rate of 2.40 GHz, we had to increase the FSB from 200 MHz to 266 MHz. This elevated FSB represents the limit for the AMD 790FX chipset with the SB700 southbridge. With a good portion of luck and by increasing all board voltages, some boards can be stepped up to 295 MHz. Most, though, are not stable enough for long-term operation in such a configuration.

When clocked to the level of a Phenom X4 9750, the power consumption of Phenom X4 9100e is fascinating — see the next page.

CPU Power Loss: 63.9 Watts Under Full Load

Our measurement confirms AMD’s TDP specifications. Under full load of all four CPU cores with Prime95, we measured a power consumption of 63.95 W. Our measurement also includes the power loss of the voltage stabilizers, so the Phenom X4 9100e actually consumes even less power.

In response to the many inquiries of our readers, we included Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q9450 in the power measurements. As we could only get hold of a 45 nm Intel CPU, the Core 2 Extreme QX9770, we simulated the Core 2 Quad Q9450. The freely selectable multiplier was set to 8.0 and the FSB to 333 MHz; the CPU’s core voltage was 1.2875 V. Our Core 2 Extreme QX9770 was a sample with C0 stepping.

Compared to the Phenom X3, which has one CPU core less, the low-power Phenom’s power consumption is approximately 10.5 W lower. Though the clock rate of the 9100e is 300 MHz below that of the Phenom X3, it also consumes less power at the same clock rate.

Compared to the other Phenom X4 CPUs, AMD’s Phenom 9100e succeeds in saving the power consumption equivalent of one CPU core.

For more detailed information, please go to the link below. :D

Source: Toms Hardware

2008-05-22T23:50:00.000+08:00

How AT&T spilled the Starbucks beans
MAY 10, 2008, 9:07 AM

Here’s one thing the folks at Apple could teach their friends at AT&T: how to parcel out the good news.

Case in point: the Starbucks-iPhone-Wi-Fi deal that’s been on and off all week and generating all the wrong kind of headlines (see for example, here).

If Steve Jobs were running AT&T, he would have kept it simple. And a surprise. The first we would have heard about it would be when he announced it, with a flourish, as a fait accompli. Starting today, free unlimited Wi-Fi for every iPhone owner at all 7,000 Starbucks coffee shops and every other AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot — 17,000 in the U.S., 70,000 around the world.

Boom.

What we got instead was the public relations equivalent of second-day coffee, starting with the press release AT&T (T) issued back in February. The 13-paragraph document talks about free Wi-Fi for “AT&T broadband, AT&T U-verseSM Internet [and] AT&T’s remote access services business customers” but never mentions Apple (AAPL) or the iPhone — two hot-button words that would have given the news some real buzz.

Instead reporters focused on the fact that Starbucks (SBUX) was pulling the plug on T-Mobile, which had been providing it with wireless service since 2001.

Then, last week, without warning, AT&T turned the service on. I spotted it on April 30 when I tried to log on to my T-Mobile account and discovered an AT&T link that wasn’t there the day before. I was already thinking about how many extra shots of espresso I could buy with the $39 a month I would save.

And I was not alone. Apple rumor sites that day were flooded with tips from both coasts alerting them that iPhone owners were getting free Wi-Fi at Starbucks by just by typing in their 10-digit AT&T phone number. AT&T had apparently launched a nationwide test without telling anyone.

Then, four days later, the service stopped, as abruptly and mysteriously as it started, setting off waves of confusion and speculation about what the company’s on-again, off-again behavior might mean.

You might think that AT&T would have learned their lesson. But no. On Thursday, the text on its website was changed to add language about the new service — “access to AT&T’s more than 17,000 Wi-Fi hotspots, including Starbucks* all for use (sic) in the U.S.” — that iPhone owners took as a signal that the game was on for good.

Then the language disappeared, along with the Wi-Fi service, triggering another round of second-guessing.

Apparently the habit of firing before aiming — not to mention clearing it with publicity — had spread from AT&T’s networking guys to its marketing staff.

Officially, both AT&T and Apple have no comment, but the folks in Cupertino are clearly miffed. They saw the Starbucks deal as big news for iPhone owners, and they had hoped to work with AT&T to package it for high-profile release, probably in a matter of weeks.

They would have done it right.

Source: CNNMoney

2008-05-22T02:20:00.000+08:00

Napster Challenges Apple's ITunes With MP3 Store
By Damon Poeter, ChannelWeb
2:50 PM EDT Tue. May. 20, 2008

Struggling music subscription service provider Napster thinks it has what it takes to finally challenge Apple (NSDQ:AAPL)'s dominant iTunes Store. The Los Angeles-based company on Tuesday launched what it is calling "the world's largest and most comprehensive MP3 store," available online at www.napster.com/store.
"Our goal is to enrich your life with music, in ways that are personalized to you," said Napster COO Christopher Allen Tuesday in a statement. "Napster now offers a truly complete and synergistic digital music destination, where music lovers can not only discover and listen to music, but also buy and own everything they want in MP3 format, which works on any music player. The combination offers consumers the best of both worlds."

The store features 6 million downloadable songs in DRM-free MP3 format, or 50 percent more than "any other MP3 store," according to Napster. Apple's iTunes also has a catalog of some 6 million songs, but only about 2 million are DRM-free and the bulk are in the less cross-platform compatible AAC format.

Napster, by making what appears to be its entire catalog available for a price as DRM-free music files, will offer customers songs that can be played on any device, including iPods. Apple's AAC files can be converted by purchasers to DRM-free versions when those become available, but with a 30 percent surcharge.

Napster won't charge a monthly fee for browsing the new download store as it does for its existing unlimited-subscription service, which costs $12.95 for an on-demand streaming service and $14.95 for a portable syncing service. Pricing for download sales will remain at 99 cents for MP3 singles and $9.95 for "most" albums, according to the vendor. The "vast majority" of the company's catalog "is available at a high-quality 256kbps bitrate," according to Napster.

Napster has also revised its Web interface, which means store visitors no longer have to download software to browse. Windows, Mac OS and Linux running Firefox 2.x or Internet Explorer 7.x are all supported. Non-subscribers can preview music at Napster in 30 second clips. The portable device syncing service still requires a download of Napster software which runs only on Windows XP or Vista and requires Windows Media Player 10.

"Music fans have spoken and it's clear they need the convenience, ease of use and broad interoperability of the DRM-free MP3 format, and they want to be able to find both major label artists and independent music all in one place. Napster is delighted to deliver all of this and more with the world's largest MP3 catalog," said Napster CEO Chris Gorog in a statement.

The Napster brand, formerly associated with the pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing service built by Shawn Fanning and others, was purchased and reconfigured in 2003 by a company called Roxio following Napster's extensive legal battles with the recording industry and subsequent bankruptcy auction in 2002. Roxio has since changed its name to Napster.

Source: ChannelWeb

2008-05-22T02:10:00.001+08:00

DoD reviewing Apple's bid for PA Semi
Rick Merritt
EE Times
(05/20/2008 5:06 PM EDT)

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The U.S. Department of Defense is reviewing Apple Inc.'s acquisition of embedded PowerPC designer PA Semi Inc. The acquisition put into jeopardy the future for the startup's processor which reportedly has been designed into a wide variety of military programs.
"The [PA Semi] 1682 is a very important and unique component required to meet performance requirements on a wide variety of defense applications," said an investigator working in the industrial policy unit for the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

"The Department of Defense had extensive discussions with various prime contractors and subcontractors on the matter," the investigator continued. "We discussed our findings with the FTC and Apple. The issue is still a matter under discussion," he said in an email exchange.

A spokesman for Apple had no comment on the on-going talks with DoD except to reiterate the company's original position when word of the deal was first tipped on Forbes.com. "From time to time Apple buys smaller technology companies and we don't comment on our purpose or plans for them," the spokesman said.

A source in the pre-merger department at the Federal Trade Commission also refused to comment on the case.

Apple scooped up PA Semi for a reported $278 million in mid-April without saying a word to investors or even PA Semi's customers about what it has in mind for the low-power-processor startup. At the time, analysts speculated Apple was trying to quickly bolster its silicon expertise at a time of hyper growth.

PA Semi originally hoped to snag design wins for its low power PowerPC CPUs in Apple notebooks, a fact that may have lead to a report that Apple was an investor in the startup. But when Apple shifted to the x86, PA Semi focused its energies on the embedded market, a highly fragmented collection of many low volume markets including military applications.

Apple is not likely to use PA Semi to make a broad shift back to the PowerPC, given the difficulty of quickly supporting the company's high volume requirements. But some observers suggested having a PowerPC capability in house would make an excellent bargaining chip for Apple in regular negotiations with its main vendor, Intel Corp.

PA Semi's customers said the dual-core chip's unique capability of running at 2 GHz while consuming just 15 watts had won a wide variety of design wins in DoD programs in an unusually short time. Cards using the chip delivered far greater performance than competing products while shaving power consumption by up to 30 percent.

One source said PA Semi's PWRficient processor is designed into DOD programs in every major branch of the armed services.

On April 21, PA Semi informed its customers it was being acquired and could no longer guarantee supplies of its chips. The startup said the acquiring company was not interested in its products or road map but had purchased the 150-person company for its intellectual property and talent. PA Semi did not identify Apple but said the acquiring company might be willing to supply the chips on an end-of-life basis, if it could successfully transfer a third-party license to the technology.

The license in question is probably a PowerPC architectural license PA Semi has with IBM Corp. that lets the startup design its own PowerPC chips from scratch. No one from IBM was immediately available for comment.

PA Semi's chief executive and founder Dan Dobberpuhl reportedly scheduled a conference call in May with customers. However sources at PA Semi and the customer companies refused to comment on the call, except to suggest the situation has not yet been resolved.

Kent Dahlgren, CEO of bridging IP specialist Praesum Communications, said his company had worked with PA Semi to develop FPGA-based bridging solutions between RapidIO and other interfaces. Dahlgren said several designs in military and wireless-infrastructure markets had been canceled within a few hours of the PA Semi acquisition news.

"Even if the Defense Department blocks the deal, the circle of trust between PA Semi and its customers is gone," Dahlgren said in an April interview, adding that several contracts involving military OEMs were now in jeopardy.

Source: EETimes

2008-05-21T02:00:00.000+08:00

Netflix's $100 Box Goes Head-To-Head With Apple TV

Netflix's long-term goal is to get digital TV makers, such as Sony, Panasonic, and LG Electronics, to integrate the Netflix service with their products.

By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
May 20, 2008 02:46 PM

In a move that challenges Apple for space in people's home entertainment centers, Netflix on Tuesday launched a player that would stream the company's movies and TV shows to a subscriber's television set.

Roku, a company specializing in digital streaming media technology, makes the box, which sells for $100 and is available on the Web. Beyond the cost of the player, subscribers of Netflix, an online DVD rental company, would be able to access content from the Internet at no additional charge.

In launching the device, Netflix is going up against Apple for a place in people's living rooms. Apple last year started selling the Apple TV, which connects via the Internet to the company's iTunes music and video store. Through the device, people can rent movies and TV shows.

While Apple and Netflix are going after the same potential customers, their offerings are very different. Apple is focusing on new releases, which customers rent individually. Netflix, on the other hand, is offering unlimited access to older titles, or about 10,000 movies and TV shows from a library of 100,000, said James McQuivey, analyst for Forrester Research.

"They don't compete head to head on content, but they do compete for real estate in the living room," McQuivey said.

Both vendors are trying to build a customer base to sell more services in the future. Netflix, however, is also trying to give its 7 million subscribers another reason to stay with the company.

But Netflix's long-term goal is to get digital TV makers, such as Sony, Panasonic, and LG Electronics, to integrate the Netflix service with their products. "That's where this is heading," McQuivey said. Netflix "wants to be an ingredient in every video device in your home."

For Apple, Apple TV rounds out the company's "three-screen strategy," said Ross Rubin, analyst for the NPD Group. The company can now deliver video through iTunes to a Mac or Windows computer, the Apple iPhone smartphone, and the television via Apple TV.

A wildcard is movie rental company Blockbuster, which has yet to make a move for the home entertainment center. The company rents movies online for viewing through a PC. Blockbuster, however, is likely to offer its own player in the future. "I would be surprised if they don't do that to keep up," McQuivey said.

The Netflix/Roku box feeds off of the Netflix Web site, where subscribers can make a list of movies and shows they want to watch. Using the player's remote control, people can browse the list, read synopses, and rate what they watch. They also can fast forward and rewind the video stream.

The player has no hard drive, and software upgrades are automatically downloaded, Netflix said. The box can connect to the Internet through either a wired connection or Wi-Fi. The player is about the size of a paperback book.

Source: InformationWeek

2008-05-17T01:15:00.000+08:00

Intel Germany 'Confirms' Apple Tablet
By Charlie Sorrel May 15, 2008 | 4:48:44 AMCategories: Apple, Rumors

If we take a statement from Intel Germany's CEO, mix in a little internet rumor and season with a salty sprinkling of speculation, we come up with an Apple Internet Tablet. Here's the first ingredient, machine translated from ZDNET, Germany:

Germany-World's managing director Hannes Schwaderer today confirms what has long been a rumor on the Internet [...]: namely, that there is an iPhone with Intel's new nuclear-chip type. The device is slightly larger than the current version, Schwaderer. This is not the Intel chip, but to the larger display in the new iPhone is used.

For "Nuclear Chip" read "Atom", Intel's 45nm x86 chip intended for UMPC use. Apparently, this will not be a replacement for the current iPhone, but an addition, like the MacBook Touch we last dreamed about back before MacWorld in January.

ZDNET thinks that the screen will sport a 720 x 480 pixel resolution, which suggests a mini-tablet sized device (the current iPhone's screen measures 320x480 pixels). That puts it close to the Eee PC's 800x400 resolution. A high-res, always connected tablet with movies, music and the Mac OS? Goodbye, Kindle.

UPDATE: The German blog fsck spoke to Intel's Mike Cato about this statement. It turns out that it was more speculation than confirmation (cleaned up from machine translation):

Intel's press spokesman Mike Cato made clear to me that the statement made by Hannes Schwaderer so definitely not taken. Rather, Intel has used (and in this case is Mr. Schwaderer) the iPhone as a long time example for the entire category of Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), that the Atom increasingly has to stop. Whether the iPhone, or other device from Apple's mobile wireless platform will use Atom still remains open.

Source: Wired

2008-05-14T01:10:00.000+08:00

Singapore Telecom, units to roll out Apple's iPhone in India, Australia
05.12.08, 3:23 AM ET

SINGAPORE (Thomson Financial) - Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and its subsidiaries have signed a deal with Apple Inc. to roll out its iPhone in India, the Philippines and Australia later this year, SingTel said on Monday.

The iPhone is Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people )'s internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone with a multi-touch screen.

iPhones will be available to subscribers of SingTel in Singapore, Bharti Airtel in India, Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Optus in Australia, the company said.

Apple has been negotiating with operators to bring iPhones into Asia, but had found it difficult to reach a deal particularly in China, where operators rejected Apple's demand for a cut in the operators' revenues from iPhone sales.

The gadget has been made available to consumers in Asia by traders importing it directly from the United States. The product is not yet supported by telecom operators in the region, which means some of the iPhone's multimedia functions will not be available to users.

It is not clear whether SingTel agreed to such an arrangements. SingTel did not provide additional details.

Last week, Apple signed a deal with Vodafone (nyse: VOD - news - people ), which aims to make the iPhone available in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey later this year.

Source: Forbes

2008-05-14T00:50:00.000+08:00

Apple collars Iphone clone
Cheapo Chinese knock-offs chased
By Stewart Meagher: Monday, 12 May 2008, 9:48 AM

APPLE HAS RELEASED the Dogs of Law on at least one trader flogging Iphone lookie-likies in Europe.
According to Macnn, a cease and desist order has been placed on an undisclosed Ebay trader who has been selling the Chinese clone, named the Hiphone.

The device bears a remarkable resemblance to Apple's massively popular handset, both in the physical tooling of the hardware, and the functionality of the software and interface.

Apple's Euro men in grey suits, Bird and Bird, have told the trader to stop selling the devices, and destroy any remaining stock on pain of a €25,000 per-unit slap in the courts if it doesn't comply.

The devices, which are still currently listed on Ebay for as little at £75, usually sell for around £125 but, according to a number of forum postings, don't actually offer all that they promise.

Looks like an Apple, smells like a lemon

The handsets are described as buggy and lacking the firmware and software support needed. Amongst the features promised which don't appear to work properly are handsfree speakerphone, Java support, and dual-sim operation. Users have also reported problems with support for a number of media files.

The Hiphone does, however, offer some features which genuine Iphone users have been missing out on, including a replaceable battery and removable memory in the form of a MicroSD slot.

It is also delivered unlocked which theoreticaly means it can be used on any network. µ

Source: The Inquiere

2008-05-12T23:40:00.000+08:00

Apple iPhone "out of stock" in US and UK
Is the launch of the new handset imminent?
10 May 2008 21:41 GMT by Stuart Miles

Earlier in the week O2 and Carphone Warehouse ran out of Apple's iPhone in both the 8GB and 16GB models.

It seems now Apple has run out online around the world with both the UK and the US store stating the mobile phone is "Currently Unavailable".

The news has sparked commentators to believe that the company is now more than ever going to be launching a new handset in the next 30 days.

Speculation has been rampant on the Internet that a 3G version of the iPhone would be launched at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

However some commentators are citing that the global stock shortage could prompt Apple to bring forward a possible launch.

We will keep you posted.

Source: Pocket-lint

2008-05-12T01:00:00.000+08:00

$150m BlackBerry Partners Fund goes against $100m Apple iFund
Posted on Mon, 12 May 2008 00:46:10 CDT | by Luigi Lugm

RIM and Thomson Reuters today announced plans to launch the BlackBerry Partners Fund, a US$150 million venture capital fund, to invest in mobile applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms. The Fund is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.

Apple recently announced the iFund with $100m in capital to fund iPhone and iTouch applications. RIM's venture capital fund is clearly aiming to counter Apple's initiative.

The BlackBerry Partners Fund is apparently not restricted to investments of BlackBerry platform application and services. That would mean the fund could also invest in an iPhone application.

About the BlackBerry Partners Fund
The BlackBerry Partners Fund is a US$150 million venture capital fund being formed to focus on applications and services for the BlackBerry platform and other mobile platforms including mobile commerce (payments, advertising, retailing and banking), vertical and horizontal enterprise applications, communications, social networking, location-based applications and services (navigation and mapping), media and entertainment, and lifestyle and personal productivity applications. The Fund will consider all stages of development and is to be co-managed by JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners.
More details on the BlackBerry Partners Fund site.

About the iFund
KPCB’s (Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers) iFund is a $100M investment initiative that will fund market-changing ideas and products that extend the revolutionary new iPhone and iPod touch platform. The iFund is agnostic to size and stage of investment and will invest in companies building applications, services and components. Focus areas include location based services, social networking, mCommerce (including advertising and payments), communication, and entertainment. The iFund will back innovators pursuing transformative, high-impact ideas with an eye towards building independent durable companies atop the iPhone / iPod touch platform.

Seattle-based Pelago Inc. is the first company to receive financial backing through the iFund. Their social discovery service, Whrrl, will be available on the iPhone as a native application in June 2008.

Source: I4U

2008-05-12T00:02:00.000+08:00

Toshiba to use Cell processor in future notebook
Posted by Brooke Crothers
May 9, 2008 6:30 PM PDT

UPDATE: Toshiba is expected to release a notebook PC this year that uses a chip based on the Cell processor, the same chip used in Sony's PlayStation.

The Toshiba Qosmio G40 notebook will sport a SpursEngine SE1000 chip based on the Cell Broadband Engine, which is also used in the Sony PlayStation 3.

The Cell Broadband Engine is a multi-core chip architecture jointly developed by IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. It is derived from IBM's Power Architecture, which was once used in Apple notebooks and desktops. Today, IBM uses the Cell processor in a line of blade servers.

Samples of the SE1000 chip began shipping from Toshiba on April 8. Toshiba has said it expects sales of 6 million units within the first three years.

The SpursEngine can do high-definition video encoding and decoding of MPEG-2 and H.264 streams, among other capabilities. The four processing elements inside the chip have a clock frequency of 1.5GHz, while boasting a relatively low power envelope of 10 to 20 watts.

Some other features of the SpursEngine: Its multimedia engine can deliver up to 48 GFlops (billion Floating point operations per second) or 12GFlops per processing element. Every element has 256KB of integrated memory. The circuit board (photo) supports a PCI-Express Base Specification Revision 1.1.

Toshiba also plans to release a TV with the Cell processor.

Source: Cnet

2008-05-10T16:30:00.002+08:00

Details emerge on Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi
by Donald Melanson, posted May 8th 2008 at 12:04AM

There weren't a whole lot of firm details on the reasons behind Apple's acquisition of chip designer P.A. Semi to be had back when the deal was announced last month, but it seems that a bit of the veil of mystery may now be lifting, at least if the word EETimes is hearing from its unnamed source is to be believed. Apparently, Apple was keen to have P.A. Semi's crack chip-making team design a new chip for them, but P.A. Semi had "more or less burnt through its venture capital funds," leaving them unable to take on the project. According to EETimes source, that meant that the only way to get P.A. Semi involved was for Apple to pay off all of P.A.'s investors and bring the company in-house, something they were able to do for a mere $280 million or so. Of course, as EETimes points out, the big question remaining is exactly what it is that Apple wants P.A. Semi to help it out with, and that's a detail we'd expect to take considerably longer to trickle out.

Source: Engadget

2008-05-09T16:00:00.000+08:00

Mophie’s iPhone battery extender gets Apple certification
by Dan Moren, Macworld.com May 8, 2008 3:05 am

Mophie announced the release of Juice Pack, the first “Works with iPhone” certified battery extender on the market. While other vendors have released iPhone-compatible accessories for charging the phone’s battery, devices that receive Apple’s official certification ensure optimal connectivity with the iPhone.

The Juice Pack is a ergonomically-shaped sled with a non-slip finish designed to fit the iPhone like a case. It attaches to the iPhone’s dock-connector port, providing additional battery power. The Juice Pack is rated for up to an additional 250 hours of standby time, 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and 24 hours of audio playback.

The Juice Pack also has four LEDs to indicate the device’s charge level. It provides its own 30-pin dock-connector port for charging the iPhone's battery with the Juice Pack still attached, though you cannot use the Juice Pack's dock-connector port to sync the iPhone.

The Juice Pack is available from Mophie’s online store and retail stores for $99.95.

[Updated on 5/8 to clarify the Juice Pack's dock-connector port functionality.]

Source: MacWorld

2008-05-08T16:15:00.000+08:00

A Tale Of Two Keyboards: Apple Extended Keyboard II Vs IBM Model M
By Charlie Sorrel May 07, 2008 | 11:54:29 AM

Computers are a lot better than they were even a few years ago, and compared to the machines of the 1980s they’re in a different world. But what about the peripherals? Mice are better, but keyboards seem to have got worse. I’m no keyboard fanatic (the one built into my MacBook works just fine for me), but there are two legendary models from the 80s which seem to be the zenith of QWERTY design. The Apple Extended Keyboard II and the IBM Model M.

Apple Extended Keyboard II

Apple Extended Keyboard II was the successor to, surprise, the Apple Extended Keyboard. Extended means that it had arrow and function keys, something the original Mac keyboard lacked. Steve Jobs hated buttons even then. The AEK II is still thought by many to be the best keyboard ever made. First, they seem to last forever. John Gruber of Daring Fireball recently replaced his 14 year old keyboard with another one he had thoughtfully squirreled away when it was brand new.

The keyboard is also legendary for the racket it makes when you type. This is the result of the Alps brand leaf springs under the keys. These mechanical switches are the reason for the durability and noise, but they also give tactile feedback not available from today’s membrane switches. When you press the key, you know you have pressed it. It also pops the key back up quicker than the rubber bubble in a membrane board.
The AEK II has another nice design feature: A power switch on the keyboard. If you want to use one today, though, you’ll need to pick up an ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) to USB adapter.

IBM Model M

It was Mac versus PC even in 1984. The Model M was possibly designed to feel like the old IBM Selectric typewriter keyboards that secretaries were used to. Like the Apple Extended, it was built like a tank and can still be bought today (good luck finding a clean, new one though). Try to find a pre-1993 model. Units after this were manufactured by Lexmark and are considered inferior.

The Model M has “buckling spring” keys. The picture shows how it works. The spring inside each keycap pushes harder the further the key travels, so there is a lot of tactile feedback. Again, like the Apple Extended, the M is noisy, so it might be best if you work from home. that said, I’ve seen plenty of people bashing living hell out of a laptop keyboard, so maybe you’ll get away with it.

It can prove hard to find a mint version of something this old. Ebay has both the M and the Apple Extended from around $10, but for that you’ll get the added bonus of years worth of keyboard cruft. There is a modern version of the Apple Extended II, which uses the same switch design, but users report that it falls short of the original. Called the Tactile Pro, it has the advantage of using USB (it’s a two port hub, too) and includes modern niceties such as the Optimizer, which is a key that alters the functions of the keyboard. It even has a power switch. The downside? It’s $150.

Another option might be the Steelseries 7G. Aimed at gamers, it has the mechanical switches prized by writers. These switches are gold plated, which is supposed to increase response time. You know, like gold plated plugs make your stereo sound better. The 7G is said to last for 50 million keystrokes, but as we don’t know how many keystrokes you get out of an old M or Apple keyboard, we don’t know if that is good or bad. We do know that it sounds impressive.

The other selling point is the buffer, although it appears to be PS/2 only. The buffer supports more multiple key presses than a regular keyboard. It, too, is $150, and you’ll have to put up with the ugly tangle of cables coming out of it: PS/2, USB, Mic and headphones.

You can get by with a modern keyboard. While they are usually cheap afterthoughts bundled with the computer, some models are at least designed to look good (Apple's new aluminum keyboard, for one). But it seems, in this case at least, they they don't make 'em like they used to.

Source: Wired

2008-05-08T13:00:00.000+08:00

Telecom tipped to join rush for iPhone
By JON HOYLE - The Dominion Post | Thursday, 08 May 2008

Telecom is likely to jump on the iPhone bandwagon within weeks, after Vodafone's decision to sell the phones in New Zealand, an industry analyst says. Paul Budde doubts Vodafone has an exclusive deal with Apple and says Telecom would probably announce a similar agreement with it soon.

Vodafone has not announced a price for the 8 gigabyte phone in New Zealand but it sells for about US$400 (NZ$515) in the United States.Mr Budde said the iPhone's spread would have far-reaching consequences for the mobile market. The traditional mobile revenue split, of 90 per cent from voice traffic and 10 per cent from data, would reverse in coming years, he said.
Another analyst said the fact that Vodafone had not said the deal was exclusive indicated it would be open to other operators.
Last month, Telecom hinted the iPhone could be used on its $300 million 850MHz GSM/Edge network, to be introduced in November.

Yesterday, a Telecom spokeswoman said it would not be revealing its plans just yet. Vodafone would not provide any details of the deal announced late on Tuesday. Apple introduced its iPhone, a combination cellphone, Internet browser and iPod portable media player, in the US last June. Nathan Burley, telecommunications analyst for research company Ovum, said Vodafone would probably pay Apple a big chunk of the calling and data revenues it earned from iPhone owners using the Vodafone network.

The revenue share paid to Apple would depend on several factors, including whether Apple would also sell handsets directly into New Zealand or if another mobile operator got rights to sell the iPhone. Details of agreements between Apple and other mobile network operators are scant, but reports have suggested AT&T, the mobile carrier and exclusive iPhone partner in the US, pays between 15 per cent and 40 per cent of calling and data revenue to Apple, plus a fat margin for handset sales.
Earlier this year talks between Chinese telecommunications company China Mobile and Apple stalled over apparent revenue-sharing differences.

Mr Burley said revenue sharing was unlikely to be a serious obstacle for Vodafone as iPhone users were heavy users and big spenders on data. Last year, AT&T said much of its 41 per cent jump in profit was thanks to increases in new subscribers, mainly iPhone owners. There has been a steady flow of iPhones parallel-imported or imported directly from the US into New Zealand since their introduction.

Jens Mueller, managing director of parallel importing company ToshComputers which specialises in Apple products, said in September his company had been selling about 80 iPhones a week.

Though he would not give current sales figures yesterday, he said the number had increased since September, then stabilised.
iPhone owners had used unauthorised methods to "unlock" the phones so they could be used on Vodafone's GSM network.
Mr Mueller said his company was selling unlocked 16 gigabyte iPhones for $979 including gst and 8 gigabyte unlocked devices for $869. Locked iPhones sell for less.

Apple should unveil the next generation iPhone next month at its Worldwide Development Conference.

Source: Staff NZ

2008-05-07T00:30:00.000+08:00

HTC Launches iPhone Killer Touch Diamond; Can Apple's iPhone Distribution Model Last?
Dianne See Morrison
mocoNews.net
Tuesday, May 6, 2008; 4:00 PM

Another handset manufacturer turning to the mobile internet to boost sales. Today, at a splashy launch at the smart Soho Hotel in London, Peter Chou, president and CEO of Taiwanese handset maker HTC, declared 2008 the year of the mobile internet as he brandished the company's latest device, the HTC Touch Diamond, which promises one touch access to a number of features, including the mobile web, photos and music among others, but will in most consumers' eyes appear to be another iPhone knock-off.

That's not to say the handset, which runs on Windows Mobile latest 6.1 version, isn't a worthy contender. The device sports a 3D user interface, a 2.8 inch display that allows users to zoom in on content with the touch wheel or tilt it by turning it on its side, is a mere 11.5 mm thick, making it even thinner than the iPhone, and includes a 3.2 megapixel camera and 4 GB of storage. The handset's designers were challenged with building a device that would be worthy of a place at the Museum of Modern Art and be instantly recognizable from across the street. They did this by creating an uneven surface of diamond shaped panels on the back of the phone. It certainly is recognizable, though it's a matter of personal taste whether its MOMA-worthy. More importantly, it beats the iPhone in the speed department, and runs on HSDPA networks.

The company obviously has high hopes for the Touch Diamond, which it claims has been in the works starting in November 2006 and launches in Europe and Asia in June. HTC's Chief Innovation Officer Horace Luke believes the device could help the company gain market share, and pointedly told Moconews that it was the company's "culture of innovation" that separated it from the struggling Motorola (NYSE: MOT). Will it be able to set itself apart from the iPhone and the growing number of iPhone killers on the market? HTC has done a good job securing a number of operator deals, having worked closely with them to tweak the phone to their liking. In the UK alone, the phone will launch with all five of the country's biggest networks. Orange, which was at the launch as a partner, says it plans to roll out the phone across all 27 of its country markets.

Still, its not hard to see how the HTC Touch Diamond and the growing number of credible iPhone knock-offs, such as the Samsung Instinct, steps up the pressure on Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) to innovate even further, and possibly even to reconsider its distribution model. Earlier today, news surfaced that Apple was not doing its usual exclusive deal in Italy, and had signed agreements with both Vodafone (NYSE: VOD) and Telecom Italia to carry the iPhone. No details have emerged on what this means for the fat revenue share Apple usually wrings from operators to get the iPhone. But rumors have been bubbling up that Apple's European operators have not been happy with the way the Cupertino-based company bosses them around. France's Orange was said to be more than annoyed with Apple's insistence that they cut prices to boost sales?though the network would be eating the loss. Finally, Apple is obviously not Motorola, but it's still an important point to note that Motorola was, in part, brought to its knees when LG (SEO: 066570) and Samsung quickly trotted out knock-offs of its hit handset the Razr.

Source: Washington Post

2008-05-06T00:25:00.000+08:00

Is Apple Set To Squash The Blackberry?
By Branko Miletic | Monday | 05/05/2008
According to a report in toptechnews.com, Apple's iPhone has “dramatically shaken up the smartphone market – especially for the leader, Research in Motion”, maker of the Blackberry.

In just the last three months of 2007, says the article, smartphone shipments "shot up 60 per cent from a year ago, according to industry research firm IDC. And RIM doubled sales of the Blackberry, adding 6.5 million subscribers in its last fiscal year, double the previous year".

But as the market has grown, says the report, the Blackberry's market share has dropped from "45 per cent to 40 per cent while the iPhone took 17.5 per cent in the second half of 2007".
The iPhone's consumer focus of the smartphone market has forced RIM out of its enterprise comfort zone and into the unchartered waters of consumer marketing, according to analysts.

In a desperate rear-guard action, the article notes that RIM is now working on a so-called "Apple killer" -- a device with a touchscreen and lines suggestive of the iPhone. "But US telco AT&T is said to have delayed its introduction of the new phone because of problems with call quality -- and delays hurt RIM as a new 3G iPhone is rumored for release this year".

Source: SmartHouse

2008-05-03T10:30:00.000+08:00

Apple moving 174 jobs to Austin
Friday, May 2, 2008
Austin Business Journal

Apple Inc. eliminated 174 sales jobs at its Elk Grove, Calif. campus, and is planning to move those jobs to Austin.

All affected employees were offered the option to relocate to a work site in Austin, or apply for another position at Apple in Elk Grove.

The job that were cut are Mac telephone-sales positions, said Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for the company. She said some telephone-sales jobs will remain in Elk Grove, though she declined to say how many.

"Apple's headcount continues to grow in Elk Grove with more than 1,100 employees working there today, up more than 50 percent in the past three years," Huguet said, reading a statement Apple issued Thursday.

Huguet declined to disclose the salary range of the affected employees.

The company has warehousing and distribution operations in Elk Grove, as well as a customer support call center.

Shares of Cupertino-based Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed Thursday at $180.00 per share, up $6.05, or 3.5 percent.

Source: BizJournals

2008-05-01T02:15:00.001+08:00

Mac Copycat Produces A Customer
Brian Caulfield, 04.30.08, 6:00 AM ET

Burlingame, Calif. - Mac clone maker Psystar has a customer, and it's not shy about letting folks know about him.

The customer, Patrick, said he took delivery of a computer from Psystar last week. Since then, Patrick, who lives in West Virginia and doesn't want all his personal information revealed for fear of being sued by Apple (nasdaq: AAPL - news - people ), has popped up on Gizmodo, where he has shared pictures and a video of his new machine.

It's hard to blame Patrick for being eager to show off his new toy. At a fraction of the cost of a comparably equipped machine from Apple, Miami, Fla.-based Psystar is offering a computer you can load up with just about any operating system you choose, including Apple's OS X Leopard.

Of course, plenty of small companies build and sell computers. What makes Psystar different is that it allows users to order machines with the Leopard operating system already installed. This appears to break Apple's licensing terms, which forbids users from jamming its software onto non-Apple hardware.

The novelty generated a storm of press coverage and accusations from bloggers that the start-up is a scam. Patrick says he was nervous after Psystar started getting a lot of attention from skeptical bloggers three days after he placed his order for a machine loaded with Leopard. However, after receiving his machine, Patrick says he's satisfied. "The computer I got is exactly what I ordered," he says. "The end result is I got a nice computer that I'm very happy with."

And despite critics who call Psystar "shady," company president Rudy Pedraza insists his business is for real.

Pedraza helped Forbes.com contact Patrick in order to back up his claims. Earlier this month, Psystar aroused suspicion by changing addresses on its Web site four times and getting cut off by the company that processes its credit card transactions. Since then, however, Pedraza has opened an office in Miami with Pedraza's logo proudly displayed. He also says Psystar is working with a new credit card processor.

And Pedraza's produced at least one customer who will get on the phone and talk to reporters about his product. Patrick has set up his machine, transferred files from an older Apple machine, and says his Psystar computer works fine. "So far, not a hitch," he reports.

And if bunches of customers come forward, Psystar will be able to make those who accused it of being a scam eat their words.

Other questions, however, still remain: how will Apple react to the company? What kind of phone support will Apple offer those who own its software that runs on Psystar machines?

Apple has declined to comment on the matter, but the Cupertino, Calif., company may well be waiting to see how many machines Psystar ships before taking action.

So, what's the deal? If Pedraza and Psystar are delivering machines, they deserve plenty of independent references. Contact us and tell us about your Psystar Mac clone.

Source: Forbes

2008-04-30T16:30:00.001+08:00

Apple's popular 20-inch and 24-inch all-in-one iMacs now come with upgraded specifications across the board; all available immediately.

Apple today updated its all-in-one iMac line with the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors and the most powerful graphics ever available in an iMac. With prices starting at $1200, iMac includes faster processors with 6MB L2 cache and a faster 1066 MHz front-size bus across the entire line, and 2GB of memory standard in most models.

For the first time, the 24-inch iMac features an optional NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory, to deliver up to two times standard performance for graphics intensive applications. Providing the latest in connectivity options, iMac also includes built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi networking, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, Gigabit Ethernet, built-in iSight video camera, a total of five USB 2.0 ports (including two on the Apple Keyboard) and one FireWire 400 and one FireWire 800 port.

The iMac furthers Apple's commitment to environmental progress with recyclable and durable materials including scratch-resistant glass and professional grade aluminum. Every model in the iMac line is rated EPEAT Silver and the iMac also meets the Energy Star 4.0 requirements for power consumption. Customers who purchase any qualifying Apple computer can recycle their old PC or Mac for free via the Apple Recycling Program.

Every Mac in the Apple lineup comes with iLife '08, the most significant update ever to Apple's suite of digital lifestyle applications, featuring a major new version of iPhoto and a completely reinvented iMovie, both seamlessly integrated with the new .Mac Web Gallery for online photo and video sharing. Every Mac also includes Leopard, the sixth major release of Mac OS X. Leopard features Time Machine (automatic backup), a redesigned Finder, Quick Look (instantly see files without opening an application), Spaces (creates groups of applications and instantly switches between them), a new desktop with Stacks, as well as enhancements to Mail and iChat.

The new 20-inch 2.4 GHz iMac has a suggested retail price of $1200, and includes 1GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 250GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, a slot-load 8x SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) and ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB GDDR3 memory.

The new 20-inch 2.66 GHz iMac has a suggested retail price of $1500, and includes 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 320GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, a slot-load 8x SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) and ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory.

The new 24-inch 2.8 GHz iMac has a suggested retail price of $1800, and includes 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM, 320GB 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, a slot-load 8x SuperDrive (DVD+/-R DL/DVD+/-RW/CD-RW) and ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO with 256MB GDDR3 memory.

Build-to-order options include a 3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS with 512MB of video memory and up to a 1TB SATA hard drive on the 24-inch iMac; up to 4GB DDR2 SDRAM and up to 750GB SATA hard drive on the 2.66 GHz 20-inch iMac; and up to 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM and up to 500GB SATA hard drive on the 2.4 GHz 20-inch iMac

Source: InfoSyncWorld

2008-04-30T13:00:00.000+08:00

Apple posts graphics firmware update for iMacs
by Peter Cohen, Macworld.com Apr 29, 2008 5:10 am

Apple on Monday released an update for iMac computers equipped with ATI’s Radeon HD 2600 Pro or Radeon HD 2400 XT graphics card installed, running Mac OS X v10.5.2 or later. The update is available for download from Apple’s Web site.

The update — version 1.01 — makes a change to the graphics card firmware on these systems that improves system stability, according to Apple. Once it’s done, the Mac’s Boot ROM or SMC version information (as listed in System Profiler) will read 113-B2250L-259.

The Radeon HD 2600 Pro and Radeon HD 2400 XT have been available in the iMac since August, 2007. They remain standard issue on the system today, though Monday’s introduction of a refreshed iMac model now offers Nvidia GeForce 8800GS graphics as a configure-to-order option; Apple claims the Nvidia graphics are up to 2.2x faster than the ATI graphics are in Quake 4 benchmarks.

Source: MacWorld

2008-04-30T11:30:00.000+08:00

Apple powers up iMac with Penryn processor
Faster CPU on tap, and better graphics for some
By Gregg Keizer

April 28, 2008 (Computerworld) Apple Inc. refreshed its iMac desktop line today by bumping up CPU speeds across the board and adding faster graphics to the top-end 24-in. model.

The graphics boost is aimed at gamers and at consumers and professional users who want faster image processing, said Apple. "We want to make the iMac even more appealing to even more people, whether that's gamers looking [to play] great games or consumers and creative professional who want to run pro-level software faster," said Tom Boger, senior director of Apple desktop product marketing.

Although the move had been anticipated by several Apple enthusiast sites and blogs, it was a low-key upgrade: Apple did not hold an event to announce the new machines.

Prices did not change for the three existing models -- $1,199 and $1,499 for the 20-in. iMac, and $1,799 for the 24-in. system -- while the high-end 24-in. configuration actually dropped by $100, to $2,199. The new model packs an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS card with 512MB of memory. It's the first time since last August's revamp of the iMac lineup that Apple has offered a card from Nvidia Corp. Until now, the only graphics supplier for the aluminum-clad iMacs was ATI, a division of Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

"In tests [the Nvidia card] is 2.2 times faster than the [ATI Radeon HD 2600 PRO] card that comes standard with the 24-in. iMac," claimed Boger.

Apple said it included Boot Camp drivers for the Nvidia GeForce 8800 GS card in the update it issued last week, for the program that lets Intel-based Macs run Windows XP or Windows Vista.

All iMacs received faster Intel Core 2 Duo processors based on the 45-nanometer Penryn architecture. The 20-in. iMacs are now powered by 2.4-GHz and 2.66-GHz chips, whereas they were previously running 2.0-GHz and 2.4-GHz processors, respectively. The larger, 24-in. systems come with either a 2.8-GHz or 3.06-GHz chip, rather than the 2.4-GHz or 2.8-GHz CPUs used earlier.

With the exception of the least-expensive 20-in. iMac, the new machines include 2GB of memory standard, twice as much as when they debuted last year. The revamped iMacs also boast a 1066-MHz front-side bus -- up from 800 MHz -- as well as 6MB of Level 2 cache on the CPU, up from 4MB. All systems come with Mac OS X 10.5.2, the newest version of Leopard, as well as iLife '08, a consumer-oriented suite that includes iPhoto and iMovie.

Apple launched the current generation of iMacs last August and until today had not updated them.

In the first three months of 2008, Apple sold 856,000 desktop machines, the vast bulk of them iMacs -- 37% more than in the same period last year. For the quarter overall, Apple sold nearly 2.3 million Macs, a 51% year-to-year gain; according to Gartner, that growth rate was three and a half times the industry average.

Source: ComputerWorld

2008-04-21T12:00:00.001+08:00

PayPal considers blocking browsers
Posted by Robert Vamosi
April 18, 2008 1:07 PM PDT

PayPal is seriously considering blocking some browsers from accessing its site, according to a paper (PDF) available to shareholders.

Titled "A Practical Approach to Managing Phishing," the paper admits that there's no one silver bullet to prevent fraudsters from making money on the Internet. However, authors Michael Barrett, PayPal's chief information security officer, and Dan Levy, the company's senior director of risk management for Europe, say companies could and should start addressing five specific areas:

Prevent fraudulent e-mail from getting into users' in-boxes

Prevent phishing sites by shutting them down

Authenticate users so that stolen credentials can't be used on PayPal

Prosecute fraudsters to the full extent of the law

Focus on brand and consumer recovery

Of these, the paper focuses mainly on e-mail prevention and phishing-site blocking. For e-mail prevention, the authors cite Yahoo Mail as an example and point to its use of domain keys to identify legitimate and illegitimate mail marked as coming from PayPal.

Most controversial is the idea of blocking "unsafe" browsers, or browsers that do not currently include antiphishing tools. PayPal says it would first notify users when they log in if they are using an unsafe browser. Later, PayPal would simply block the use of the browser entirely.

PayPal is interested in enforcing new Extended Verification SSL certificates used by Internet Explorer 7 and the upcoming Mozilla Firefox 3. EV SSL highlights the address bar in green when the site has been certified. Other browsers, such as Apple Safari and Opera, do not currently include these protections.

Browsers not on the desktop could also be barred. On Monday, researchers cited the Apple Safari browser on the iPhone and Nintendo's use of the Opera on its DS and Wii gaming systems as lacking adequate antiphishing protection.

Source: News

2008-04-13T18:30:00.001+08:00

China Mobile balks at iPhone talks
12 April 2008

(UPI Business News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) China Mobile isn't negotiating with Apple Inc. for sale rights to the U.S. company's iPhone because of concerns about business models and commercialization.

China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou said Saturday that such business concerns have prevented the two sides from initiating talks to sell the Apple phone system in China, China's state-run news agency Xinhua said.

Our door will remain open as long as there is customer demand, Wang said.

Apple initially planned to get its iPhone into the lucrative Chinese market this year, having released it in the United States last year.

The iPhone comes equipped with mobile phone services, as well as Internet, video and music services.

Wang told Xinhua the current number of China Mobile customers exceeds 380 million and continues to expand monthly thanks to customers in China's rural areas.

Copyright 2008 United Press International

Source: TMCnet

2008-04-13T18:30:00.000+08:00

China Mobile, Apple yet to open formal talks over iPhone launch
2008-04-12 21:09:11

BOAO, Hainan, April 12 (Xinhua) -- China Mobile has not started formal negotiations with Apple Inc. over the iPhone, despite the intention of both sides to cooperate.

Details about issues such as business models and commercialization have prevented the companies from entering formal talks. No time frame was available either at the moment, China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou said on the sidelines of 2008 conference of the Boao Forum for Asia on Saturday in China's southern Hainan Province.

"Our door will remain open as long as there is customer demand," said the head the country's largest cell phone carrier during a panel discussion on the sustained growth and development of the telecom industry.

Apple launched its iPhone -- a hand-held device that combines a mobile phone, a wide-screen iPod and an Internet device into one -- in the United States in January 2007. It planned to launch it into the Asian market this year.

Wang said China Mobile subscribers currently totaled more than 380 million, nearly 30 percent of the country's total population. The number had been expanding six to seven million per month, mostly fueled by consumers in the rural areas, he added.

He foresaw a robust future for the telecom industry, both at home and globally, as mobile communications were a "consumption of low energy" and a stimulus for other products such as mobile music.

More than 200 million China Mobile users have used their phones to download music or songs, he said.

China, one of the world's fastest-growing cell phone market, was expected to have nearly 600 million people using mobile phones this year.

Source: XinHuaNet

2008-04-13T18:15:00.000+08:00

Apple iPhone 2 features GPS, Nike+, Apple TV remote and more
APRIL 12, 2008 | BY DAVE PARRACK

The rumours concerning the next instalment of the iPhone from Apple are still coming thick and fast, and the latest concern some exciting new features. The next iPhone, as well as offering the obvious 3G connectivity, could feature GPS, Nike+, Bluetooth Stereo, and even double up as a remote control for Apple TV.

Of course, these rumours, compiled together by Gizmodo from various sources, except the Apple TV one, which is also doing the rounds, have to be taken with a pinch of salt. But still, it’s nice to dream isn’t it?

Nike+ looks like a shoe-in, with Nike supposedly confirming the inclusion itself. The applications will exploit the iPhone’s graphical capabilities, and also utilise Wi-Fi and 3G. The Nike+ Coach software, which you can use to log your training, and improve your routine, is set to make iPhone users fitter than they currently are.

The rest of the features are rumoured after strings were found in the firmware update indicating them.

‘HeadphonesBT’ and ‘RoleA2DP’ could indicate support for Bluetooth Stereo headphones.

‘RoleGPS’ may indicate GPS support.

‘RoleRemote’ has been translated as the iPhone being used in a remote control capacity, probably for Apple TV.

All or none of these could end up being accurate, but the chances are at least some will. Put these new features with the new pricing structure and design functions, and a total picture of the new iPhone starts to become clear.

It’ll be priced at the same level as the current iPhone, but will basically be a new and improved model in every way you can imagine.

We should know what is and what isn’t true in the next 60 days, as all the signs are indicating that Apple will officially unveil the release in that time frame. Until then, let the speculation continue - it’s the new game sweeping the nation.

Source: BLORGE

2008-04-12T00:57:00.001+08:00

New Apple seeds in Blackberry patch
Ray Beatty
April 12, 2008 12:00am

DID you know that there was once an Australian computer called the Wombat? Famous, even historic - it left the world a legal benchmark. The Wombat was an Apple II clone back in the mid-1980s.

Apple at this stage was the king of the personal computer and it fought like a tiger to protect the copyright of its read-only memory program.

The Federal Court found in favour of our marsupial, then the Full Court swung Apple's way, then the High Court swung back.

Meanwhile the world watched and waited - is a computer program a creative work, like a book or a painting, or not?

In the end Parliament amended the Copyright Act to cover computer programs. Apple won the battle - but lost the war.

IBM had meanwhile brought out the PC and allowed clones and third-party developers free rein, and today there are more than 10 PCs for every Apple.

A quarter of a century on Apple finds itself in the same situation. This time the contest is iPhone versus Blackberry.

That ubiquitous corporate yuppie tool has built itself a powerful fortress and it's going to be a long siege for Apple to conquer it.

Its major disadvantage has been self-inflicted: it did all the third-party development itself, whereas Blackberry has more than 650 companies devising programs and applications and games and gimmicks every day.

Apple boss Steve Jobs is no fool, and he learned his lesson all those years ago. In March he amazed the world: Apple unlocked the flood gates and encouraged the developers to flow.

For all the little computer companies it was like Christmas.

Papa Steve gave them the chance to create the enterprise mobile phone that they had always wanted - and that Blackberry already has.

Now they can create the hundreds of programs like you have on your office computer. These include access to music, movies, video, graphics - all working off your iPhone.

But of course Blackberry and its third-parties have been doing this for years. They have their own devotees.

And you can bet they won't stand still, so look forward to some fireworks and some great deals.

Mind you, Apple isn't all generosity - it also expects its pound of flesh.

Any iPhone application you successfully sell will be subject to a royalty fee of 30 per cent. Ouch, that puts a premium on the product's cost.

There's one major roadblock to this cosy plan for a happy marriage. And that is the problem of penetrating the glittering corporate market.

It has taken the MD a couple of years to get the hang of writing emails on the golf course and you can be pretty certain that he will be reluctant to learn a new machine in a hurry.

The same goes for his many executives, and the IT department which has a lot of expertise invested in keeping everyone's Blackberries humming.

Word on the street is that iPhone has not made much progress in penetrating the city skyscrapers - and that's where the real money is.

Now that Jobs has opened the field to the band of Apple developers, he must be anxiously waiting for one of them to invent the irresistible killer application that will drag in the punters and make Blackberry jam.

Source: News.com.au

2008-04-12T00:47:00.006+08:00

Apple's Time Capsule makes wireless backups a snap
This "AirPort Extreme on steroids" lets Leopard users perform quick and easy wireless backups
By Ken Mingis

April 11, 2008 (Computerworld) One of the biggest selling points in last fall's release of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard was the inclusion of Time Machine, a nifty new app aimed at making that most onerous of tasks -- backing up data -- not only easy to do, but fun.

For laptop users, however, Time Machine offered something of a conundrum. To back up files, you still had to plug in an external USB hard drive -- meaning you lost out on one of Time Machine's best features: the ability to back up your data continuously in the background without any extra work by you, the user.

Now plugging in an external drive may seem like a minor task, given the obvious advantages of having all of your files, photos, songs and applications safely backed up. Nonetheless, it was a hurdle. And since 90% of Apple Inc.'s customers told the company in surveys that they don't back up data regularly, any hurdle is one too many.

That's where Time Capsule, which was announced at the MacWorld Expo in January and is now on store shelves, comes in extremely handy -- especially for laptop lovers like me. By allowing wireless backups, it lets Time Machine shine for those of us who don't want to lug around a backup drive or tether our laptops to one sitting on a desk somewhere.

Apple offers two Time Capsules: The 500GB model sells for $299, and the 1TB version goes for $499. Both effectively cut the proverbial USB cord when it comes to backups.

AirPort Extreme on steroids
I've been using Time Capsule for a few weeks now, courtesy of Apple, and have found it to be an ideal backup for anyone with a Mac -- especially a MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Not only does it serve as an 802.11n Wi-Fi router, beaming the Internet throughout the house or small office, but it also marries that router with a server-grade Serial ATA hard drive spinning at 7,200 rpm.

(Incidentally, Windows-based systems -- and Macintoshes that haven't been upgraded to Leopard -- can use Time Capsule for wireless network access. However, these machines don't have Time Machine, which only comes with Leopard, meaning they're missing a key piece of the backup equation.)

The device itself it looks a lot like an AirPort Extreme on steroids -- it's housed in a flat, gleaming, all-white square case that's about 7 in. wide and about an inch high. It's also noticeably heavier than the Extreme, no doubt because of the hard drive inside. Time Capsule offers the usual complement of ports in the back that allow you to share an Ethernet Internet connection with three other computers and plug in a USB printer for shared printing. The only functional difference between it and an AirPort Extreme router is the ability to store data.

You can set up Time Capsule in one of two basic ways: as an all-in-one solution in which it serves as both your wireless router and your backup drive, or as an adjunct wireless drive that connects to your current network. If you're still using an old 802.11b AirPort base station -- or relying something more PC-centric such as a wireless router from Linksys or D-Link Corp. -- and you're looking for something simple to set up and use, you'll want to go with the first option. That's because Time Capsule allows you to take advantage of the greater data-transfer speeds offered by the newer 802.11n Wi-Fi standard while at the same time adding storage to your network.

An easy setup
Setup is simple. Plug your Ethernet cable into the Time Capsule, make sure it has a valid IP address (you may need to restart your Digital Subscriber Line or cable modem first), launch the AirPort Utility, and set your network preferences to your liking. Then launch Time Machine, which will recognize the hard drive inside the device and allow you to designate it as your backup drive. Select "Back Up Now," and sit back and wait. And wait. And wait.

According to Apple, you should plan on waiting a few hours while Time Machine does its first backup. Since it's copying all of your files wirelessly, this process will take longer than doing so over a hardwired Ethernet connection. Apple's advice: Start your first backup before you go to bed and let it run overnight. After that, each backup is incremental and takes no more than a few minutes, depending on how many files have changed since the last backup was done.

I can vouch for the amount of time needed for the first backup, which I started one evening just before 8 p.m. I needed to back up just over 68GB of data on my MacBook Pro. Since my network is a mixed 802.11b/g/n network, and the Time Capsule was 15 feet away from my computer -- and on the other side of a wall -- my transfer speeds were slower than if I had used 802.11n only with the device and my computer close to each other. It took all night for the backup to complete. But when it was done, all my files had been safely duplicated.

If you're only interested in adding wireless storage to an already-existing 802.11n network, just plug the Time Capsule into a wall outlet, launch the AirPort Utility, set up the device to join your network, and then use Time Machine to back up your files. No major network revamp is needed, although you will have to "switch" between your current network and Time Capsule the first time you add it to your network.

I used the "Manual Setup" option to make sure the Time Capsule settings matched those of my network; just make sure you choose "Extend a wireless network" in the Wireless Mode drop-down menu. I used this setup when connecting Time Capsule to my mom's pre-existing AirPort Express network -- and to my own AirPort Extreme network -- and it showed up on each network without a hitch.

Two storage options: official and not
If you just want to use Time Capsule to back up your data wirelessly on an existing 802.11n network -- and you already have an AirPort Extreme base station -- the decision-making can get a bit complicated. You actually have two options: one official, one unofficial. The official one is to buy a Time Capsule and just add it to your current network as I described above. Or -- and this has been a bone of contention in recent months for Leopard users -- you can plug an external USB drive into an AirPort Extreme and use that "AirPort disk" for backups.

This feature, which Apple does not yet officially support, was made live last month with the release of updates for AirPort Extreme and the AirPort Utility application. The move basically followed through on a promise that CEO Steve Jobs made last year before Leopard was released. At the time, he said AirPort disks would work with Time Machine. But that feature was pulled from Leopard before its release in October, to the annoyance of a lot of Apple users.

Although that function has been turned on (and is exactly how I use Time Machine at home), Apple does not yet officially offer support for it. In fact, the updates released last month made no mention of AirPort disks. Users first found out they could access hard drives attached to AirPort Extreme base stations through Time Machine only after the updates came out.

Is Time Capsule better for backups?
So why get a Time Capsule if you already have an AirPort Extreme? Why not just buy the external drive of your choosing and plug it into your Wi-Fi router?

According to Jai Chulani, senior product marketing manager for AirPort, the hard drives in the Time Capsule are "server-grade" models that have a higher mean time between failures (MTBF) rating than consumer-level drives. In other words, they should last longer than drives you buy off the shelf, although there's some dispute about how reliable a number that MTBF figure is. "These are the cream-of-the-crop drives," Chulani said in an interview. "They're the same ones we use in our Xserve products."

A second reason to opt for Time Capsule is that backups will be somewhat faster, since the drive is integrated with the device, not attached via a USB connection. According to Chulani, a Time Capsule operating in the 5-GHz band will offer read/write speeds of 10MB to 15MB/sec., while a setup with an external drive plugged into an AirPort Extreme router will offer speeds of 5MB to 9MB/sec.

Whether that difference in speed is a major selling point depends on the user's need. As Chulani was quick to note, those speeds are only ballpark figures, since interference and network quirks can easily affect them. Personally, I'm content with what I already have: an AirPort Extreme with a 1TB Lacie drive that I've partitioned so I can back up both of my laptops.

But being able to add a Time Capsule to an existing network like my mom's means she may luck out when her birthday rolls around in May. Right now, she has to plug in a USB drive to back up all the Clay Aiken songs, videos and pictures she's accumulated on her laptop. Remember what I said about eliminating hurdles? A Time Capsule means she wouldn't have to plug in her backup drive whenever she thinks about doing a backup.

Better yet, a Time Capsule allows you to archive data as well. In my mother's case, she could accumulate enough of her Aiken files (her collection is called "clack" for some reason and seems to grow exponentially) to fill up a Time Capsule. Those files could then be downloaded to an external drive for archival purposes, and Mom could start accumulating more.

The process is simple: Just plug an eternal drive into the Time Capsule, click on "Archive" in the AirPort Utility, and the files are stored for future use. When you think about the explosion in digital video that has occurred in recent years, being able to back everything up and then archive it will no doubt come in quite handy in the years ahead -- especially as the per-gigabyte price of storage continues to fall.

Final decisions
If you're uncertain about whether to get an AirPort Extreme or a Time Capsule, look at it this way. An AirPort Extreme base station costs $179. The entry-level Time Capsule gives you all of the features of the base station and 500GB of built-in storage space for an additional $120. The 1TB Time Capsule adds $320 to the cost of a base station (for a total cost of $499). Given that external 1TB hard drives sell for only a little less than that at retail, the price of convenience is competitive.

Time Capsule performs exactly as billed, offering an easy way to keep all of your files backed up wirelessly. Yes, the first backup will take a while, depending on how much data you have. But it's so set-it-and-forget-it simple that it's worth doing. After that, you can relax, knowing that if your computer dies unexpectedly or your internal hard drive fails, all of your data -- whether it's critical work-related files or a folder of Clay Aiken videos -- is safe and sound.

Source: ComputerWorld

2008-04-12T00:41:00.002+08:00

Nokia Tube to take on Apple's iPhone
New Delhi, Fri, 11 Apr 2008NI Wire

The colourful, multi-functional Apple iPhone has proven itself as an instant hit in the high-end phone market all over the world thereby challenging other mobile handset makers like Nokia to come up with such products. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone manufacture has announced to launch a new iPhone like product named ‘Nokia 5800 Tube’.

The new Nokia 5800 Tube is designed accordingly to the shape and size of iPhone with similar functionalities and certainly it is expected to further give a boost to the mass adoption of mobile internet. The Nokia Tube is designed to run on the lately developed Symbian operating system, the S60.

The company has not disclosed much about the device but mentioned that it would come with a iPhone like tilt touch screen with ‘3G’ or higher ‘G’ features and of course a camera with a minimum of 3.2 megapixel plus auto-focus.

As per speculations the phone would have a 3.2-inch touch screen having 16 million colours in comparison to the 3.5-inch multi-touch display of Apple’s iPhone.

On software application, Nokia Tube is expected to come handy with Java and flash support on its web browser, which iPhone has been reluctant to add on its Safari browser.

Nokia’s Tube is expected to have Wi-Fi or 3G HSDPA connectivity with Bluetooth 2.0 and even GPS. As per expectation it is also most likely to enable with a 3.5mm headphone jack and TV-output port for a wide-screen view.

As of now there is not much compliance about Nokia 5800 Tube’s price, availability and launch date. It is expected to be released somewhere in the last quarter of 2008.

However, it would be interesting to wait and watch the response of Apple as it is most likely that it may come with another more advanced 3G product by 2009 but considering the market share of Nokia this should not be an issue for the company.

Nokia 5800 Tube specifications
• 3.2-inch touchscreen display with 16 Million colors (Tactile Feedback)
• 3.2 megapixel camera plus autofocus
• Quad-band (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) GSM/EDGE radio
• 3G UMTS/HSDPA
• Bluetooth 2.0
• WiFi
• GPS
• 3.5mm headphone jack, TV-out port
• 140MB on-board storage
• First device powered with S60 touch

Source: NewstrackIndia

2008-04-12T00:37:00.002+08:00

Apple's OS Edge Is a Threat to Microsoft
A recent upgrade to the Mac operating system moves Apple closer to challenging Microsoft for overall computing dominance, even in the corporate market
by Gary Morgenthaler

The 20-year death grip that Microsoft has held on the core of computing is finally weakening—pried loose with just two fingers. With one finger you press "Control" and with the other you press "right arrow." Instantly you switch from a Macintosh operating system (OS) to a Microsoft Windows OS. Then, with another two-finger press, you switch back again. So as you edit family pictures, you might use Mac's iPhoto. And when you want to access your corporate e-mail, you can switch back instantly to Microsoft Exchange.

This easy toggling on an Apple computer, enabled by a feature called Spaces, was but an interesting side note to last fall's upgrade of the Mac OS. But coupled with other recent developments, the stars are aligning in a very intriguing pattern. Apple's (AAPL) recent release of a tool kit for programmers to write applications for the iPhone will be followed by the June launch of iPhone 2.0, a software upgrade geared toward business users.

Taken together, these seemingly unrelated moves are taking the outline of a full-fledged strategy. Windows users, in the very near future, will be free to switch to Apple computers and mobile devices, drawn by a widening array of Mac software, without suffering the pain of giving up critical Windows-based applications right away. The easy virtualization of two radically different operating systems on a single desktop paves a classic migration path. Business users will be tempted. Apple is positioning itself to challenge Microsoft for overall computing dominance—even in the corporate realm.

KERNEL OF COMPUTING MIGHT
Such an idea rarely finds expression in public. Apple today is a "consumer-products company." Each new Apple product unveiled—from iPod to iPhone—comes with the excitement and glamour of Steve Jobs' "reality distortion field." Yet if you look at the larger picture, broader battle lines are forming. It's as if Jobs were a general from the 19th century, quietly massing troops out of view and under cover of trees. Mere "features" like Spaces look increasingly "strategic." On present course, an Apple assault on Microsoft's (MSFT) seemingly impregnable enterprise monopoly now appears quite possible by 2010.

It all started with Mac OS X, the multi-core, multi-processor platform officially released in 2001. Based on "Mach," a university UNIX research prototype, Mac OS X represented a clean break with the computer industry's uniprocessor past. The modular new OS allowed Apple to condense its core task management function into a tiny computing kernel.

That kernel has proved easily adaptable across the entire Apple product line, from highly complex servers all the way down to the relatively simple iPod Touch. Such modularity allows Apple to add whatever functions are necessary for each product environment—all while maintaining cross-product compatibility.

By contrast, Microsoft has held on to an OS tethered to the 1980s, piling additions upon additions with each upgrade to Windows. With last year's arrival of Vista, Windows has swollen to 1 billion bytes (a gigabyte) or more of software code. The "Mach" kernel of the Mac OS X, however, requires less than 1 million bytes (a megabyte) of data in its smallest configuration, expanding modestly with the sophistication of the application.

This bloating has saddled Vista users with increased costs and poor performance on average computers. Bloating has also led Microsoft to fragment its OS product line: one OS for the server, desktop, and laptop; one for cell phones and Zune music players; and a separate OS for its Xbox gaming console. Finally, through sheer complexity, bloating makes every subsequent "enhancement" of Windows buggier than the last. Thus, the current Vista product fiasco (BusinessWeek.com, 1/23/08).

TOWARD AN APPLE-FLAVORED OFFICE
The contrast between Microsoft's and Apple's product development strategies couldn't be starker. Where Microsoft is increasingly hamstrung by OS rigidities, Apple moves flexibly and swiftly. While Microsoft struggles to bring a kernel-based "Windows 7" to market in 2010, Steve Jobs has declared Mac OS X the right platform for the next decade of new products. Engineering improvements in one Apple product quickly find use at low cost in another. While Apple's "multi-touch" screen innovation made its debut with the iPhone, it appeared on the MacBook within 60 days. With this sort of flexibility, Apple is ever-free to target existing markets or invent whole new ones.

Given these advantages, how might an Apple assault on the corporate market play out?
• Despite Apple's relative scarcity on corporate desktops, Mac laptops are already well accepted within the enterprise, with a market share of more than 20% and growing. For business travelers, the new MacBook Air, some three pounds lighter than comparable Windows-based laptops, already offers one huge advantage. And now, with the ability to jump back and forth between Mac and Windows applications, more corporate users are bound to embrace Mac laptops.

• While Mac desktops offer a growing number of superior features over Windows desktops, it's still not enough to persuade corporate IT departments to make a switch. So for now, Apple will merely strive to hold the line on its current share of the business desktop market and apply greater marketing pressure elsewhere.

• Apple's recently introduced Leopard servers compete in a market of unhappy Vista server buyers where Microsoft's market share is only 40%. Leopard has a decent chance to expand from its small beachhead.

• Surprisingly, it's the 4.8-ounce iPhone that will sweep Apple decisively back into the enterprise. Even without any enterprise applications, the iPhone has seduced business users with the prospect of easy listening (iTunes), easy surfing (Safari), and easy compatability with a Mac computer. And with the impending business push, the device will soon provide corporate e-mail access and perform serious computing tasks such as setting calendars, checking inventory, figuring prices, and taking orders on the spot.

MORE MOBILE, MORE APPLE
As corporations become increasingly mobile, the pressure will build to make them Apple-centric from top to bottom. Rising sales of Apple laptops and iPhones will make the Mac OS only that much more mainstream and acceptable to corporate IT departments. By 2010, the number of iPhones in use could approach 100 million. It's possible that the iPhone's share of the U.S. smartphone market (28% in the fourth quarter) will soon approach the 70% share iPod now holds in the MP3 market.

The final piece to this puzzle would be the rebirth of the Apple applications development ecosystem. The new Software Development Kit (SDK) for the iPhone not only allows independent developers to create new applications for that device but also brings them back to the Macintosh platform. That means any program written for the iPhone can be easily adapted into a Mac computer version as well. The response has been huge: More than 100,000 developers downloaded the SDK in the first week of its availability. And iPhone's popularity for mobile business applications can only grow. (Put Vista on a cell phone? I don't think so.)

So, the battle ahead seems clear: It's Apple's seamlessly integrated software strategy, minimally sized and maximally efficient, competing against Microsoft's strategy of multiple incompatible, bloated, and fragmented operating systems. It's Apple's growing customer acceptance vs. Microsoft's rising customer pain. By failing to modernize its operating system in a timely way, Microsoft has left its flank wide open for an all-out assault from a once-vanquished rival.

Source: BusinessWeek

2008-04-08T19:15:00.000+08:00

Apple to launch new, greener Macbook and Macbook Pro range
Author: Desire Athow| Date: 08 April 2008

Apple, the iConic computer and consumer hardware manufacturer, is reportedly planning to completely overhaul its current Macbook and Macbook Pro range of laptops to make them greener.

AppleInsider has news that Apple will introduce more eco-friendly material like aluminium and stainless steel which are more expensive and more stylish than bog standard plastic.

Upgrading to more noble material would also help differentiate Apple's laptops from other laptop manufacturers and justify the price premium.

Similarly, this will allow Apple to present a more uniform Mac product matrix and bring down manufacturing prices as well.

The next major refresh which will also certainly see the introduction of more solid state based laptops and brand new processors from Intel, will happen in August or September, on time for the US Back to school period.

The laptops will also come with second generation Centrino-bound Penryn mobile chips running at speeds between 2.26GHz and 2.8GHz.

Apple will also have cracked the problem of finding the perfect heat sink as the laptop itself will help dissipate the heat generated by its components.

Source: ITPro Portal

2008-04-08T18:30:00.000+08:00

Apple notebook lines to see major design changes, sources say
By Kasper Jade
Published: 12:35 PM EST
Apple Inc.'s existing MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks will be the last of their breed, as both product families are destined for major design changes upon their next refresh, AppleInsider has learned.

Of the two, the 13-inch consumer MacBooks will undergo the most significant metamorphosis, shedding their plastic enclosures for ones constructed from more eco-friendly materials such as aircraft-grade aluminum and stainless steel, people familiar with the matter say.

The move, which makes good on a promise by company chief executive Steve Jobs to push towards a "greener Apple," will also mark an end to Macs that come clad in the now tawdry looking white enclosures that began with front face of original iMac nearly a decade ago.

Similarly, the MacBook Pro is also bound for aesthetic revisions, which like their upcoming MacBook counterparts are described by those familiar with the products as borrowing several design cues from the August 2007 aluminum iMacs and all-new MacBook Air. The end result, those same people say, will be a more uniform Mac product matrix in terms of design and material usage, and a MacBook offering that will far outclass its rivals.

Though precise details are admittedly limited given the ongoing revision process, it's presumed this will include instances of matte black on portions of the casings, oversized trackpads, and the adoption of the MacBook Air's keyboard by the MacBook.

While the footprint of the 13-, 15-, and 17-inch systems will remain largely unchanged, Apple will reportedly be free to perform some trimming around the edges, similar to -- but nowhere near the same magnitude -- as what was accomplished with the MacBook Air, and to a lesser extent, the rear of the aluminum iMacs.

Compelling the Cupertino-based firm to introduce radical revisions across its notebook lines at this juncture are two primary factors. The first is the company's industrial design cycle, which typically spans 18-24 months.

Neither the MacBook nor MacBook Pro have undergone an aesthetic or structural revision since adopting Intel chips back in the first half of 2006, meaning both will sport outdated outfits by Apple's design standards come mid-year.

The design of the MacBook Pro is particularly dated, having been introduced in January of that year with a form factor largely reminiscent of the late PowerBook G4, only 20 percent slimmer. MacBooks, arguably the fresher of the two lines, saw the most significant overhaul of all Intel-bound Macs systems just a few months later with their robust, magnetic-latching enclosures. (AppleInsider provided coverage and details of both design revisions (MacBook Pro: 1, 2; MacBook: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in the months leading up to their respective introductions.)

Also paving the way for redesigned enclosures at this time are logic-board changes on the part of Intel that offer Apple the opportunity to reassess and slightly modify the notebooks' internals. Both the MacBook and MacBook Pro are to receive "Montevina"-based processors from the chipmaker's upcoming Centrino 2 platform, which require a new "Socket B" logic-board. The second-gen mobile Penryn chips will boast a 1066MHz front-side bus and clock between 2.26GHz and 2.8GHz.

Intel's roadmap calls for Montevina to splash down this June, around the same time Apple will host its annual developers conference in San Francisco. However, it's unclear at this time whether the Mac maker will use that forum to showcase its new notebook designs, or reserve their unveiling for a different stage at a slightly later date.

Although Apple has been amongst the first PC manufacturers to adopt Intel's latest mobile technologies over the past two years, there's often a window period of several weeks (or months) between the chipmaker's formal announcements and the arrival of supporting Mac systems. Therefore, it's believed volume shipments of Montevina-based Mac notebooks won't take place until sometime during the third calendar quarter of the year, which spans July through Sept.

Nevertheless, Apple has been on a tear as of late when it comes to notebook sales momentum, and the new models are only expected to accelerate that growth. According to the most recent data from research firm NPD, sales of Mac notebook systems in the US retail sector rose 64 percent year-over-year for the month of February, compared to an average 20 percent increase for the rest of the industry.

While awaiting new MacBooks and MacBook Pros in the third quarter, Apple enthusiasts will have a pair of other major product launches to anticipate. First and foremost will be a complete refresh of the company's desktop computer families, which will include iMac and Mac mini systems built around current generation Core 2 Duo mobile processors based on Intel's Penryn architecture.

Also expected within the next 60 days is an eagerly anticipated update to the company's iPhone handset that will operate on third-generation wireless networks, which promise speed increases of up to 10X for Internet-related functions.

Source: AppleInsider

2008-04-08T01:00:00.000+08:00

Apple Q2 2008 report on April 23 may show big Mac sales
By Charles Jade | Published: April 07, 2008 - 12:03PM CT

Apple will announce its earnings for the second quarter of the fiscal year on April 23, and while the second quarter is typically the weakest for Apple, there may be some surprises. Of course, it will be no surprise when Apple beats its guidance, which was $6.8 billion in revenue and $0.94 EPS. While this pales in comparison to record revenues of $9.6 billion last quarter, it is a marked gain from the same period last year's $5.26 billion in revenue. As impressive a 30 percent in revenue might be to shareholders and Wall Street, the real news for Mac users is talk of another 2 million Mac quarter.

Last quarter, Apple had record Mac sales of 2.3 million units, which broke the record of 2.1 million the previous quarter, which broke the record of 1.67 million the previous quarter—you get the point. The Mac platform has been enjoying the Intel Renaissance for two years now, and as the chart shows, analysts are predicting Mac sales to be up nearly a third from the same time last year. More astonishingly, Apple may nearly double Mac sales from the same period in 2006. While part of the success this quarter may be a result of the popularity of the MacBook Air, clearly the Mac has become the alternative platform of choice for consumers worldwide (who have lots of money).

Likewise, the iPhone has been enjoying some measure of success, though this quarter may reveal just how much. Expect the first question asked by analysts (and not answered by Apple executives) at the conference call to be about when the 3G iPhone will be released. However, the number of iPhones sold this quarter may be the best indicator of that. With a prediction of 10 million iPhones sold in CY 2008—don't even start with me about it being through 2008—Apple must sell, on average, 2.5 million iPhones per quarter. While the holiday quarter will no doubt boost sales, if the iPhone sold less than 2 million units this quarter, expect a 3G iPhone sooner rather than later. Conversely, if the current shortages are a result of insatiable lust for the greatest phone ever made, expect Apple to milk that cow for all it's worth before introducing a new model.

As for the iPod, sales are expected to be flat at around 10 million units—a flatness that Microsoft's Zune would no doubt kill someone for. Finally, we may see some numbers on the Apple TV, now that it has a business model worth a damn. If we don't, well, there's always Apple TV 3.0 next year at Macworld Expo.

This quarter, though, it's about the Mac. 2 million and counting!

Source: Arstechnica

2008-04-06T13:30:00.000+08:00

Study of iPhone Users Reveals Interesting Habits of Apple Customers
Posted Apr 3, 2008 by David Silverberg

iPhone users are happy with their gadget, use email as the top feature, but are upset at how some of the websites the phone fails to display, a new study has found. Find out why iPhone users are young technophiles with money to burn.

Digital Journal — Ten months after the release of Apple’s iPhone, a consulting company has released data on consumers who bought the much-hyped phone. A new study by Rubicon Consulting reveals several interesting tidbits about today’s iPhone users: they’re young, rich, and taking advantage of mobile email. Also, AT&T should be smiling wide these days – the study estimates the iPhone has increased the company’s gross service revenue by about $2 billion per year.

If you wanted to paint a complete portrait of the iPhone user, just pore through the 35 pages Rubicon compiled after interviewing 460 iPhone owners in the U.S. How would we describe typical iPhoners?

They’re young, with half of them under 30 and close to 15 per cent calling themselves students. They are also technologically sophisticated — only 1 per cent of respondents described themselves as a “Technology novice.”

There’s a price to pay for early adoption. The iPhone has increased a user’s monthly cellphone bills by an average of 24 per cent, or $228 extra per year. So is it more money, more problems? Or the opposite?

Close to 80 per cent of iPhone customers said they are very satisfied with their product. What gave them the grins? The music and touch-interface features pleased users the most, while battery life and wireless speed were not ranked high in the satisfaction score.

Reading email is common practice for 72 per cent of respondents. But the authors of the study note:
It's not at all surprising that the iPhone is used less often for composing email than
reading it, since the device lacks a physical keyboard.

And although iPhone users say their mobile browsing habits have increased since buying the unit, 40 per cent of them say they had trouble viewing some websites on the display. The authors once again chime in with their insight, saying, “This is not surprising, considering that the iPhone browser does not currently support Adobe Flash, which is used in many websites for animation and user interface.”

It looks like the iPhone packs a serious punch — a quarter of iPhone users carry it with them instead of a notebook computer. And half of the iPhones replaced conventional mobile phones.

Apple is selling to its subscriber base, the survey found: at least three-quarters of U.S. iPhone users are previous Apple customers. Apple is doing everything right by branching into a new market, the study said, adding:
The lesson for other companies is that satisfying customers is about a lot more than just selling them upgrades of what they have today. Managed properly, a loyal user base is also a springboard for creating new businesses.

Finally, the Rubicon study offered several suggestions to Apple. Most importantly, improving the iPhone browser should be a top priority, even though Apple and Adobe are fighting over how Flash can be implemented into the phone. The authors warn, “Until and unless Flash becomes available on the iPhone, another mobile company might be able to steal away iPhone customers by creating a better browsing device.”

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu predicted Apple will sell 11 million phones by the end of 2008.

Source: Digital Journal

2008-04-05T13:45:00.000+08:00

Apple, Adobe, and 64-bit Photoshop
Posted Apr 3rd 2008 1:00PM by Mat Lu

Adobe's announcement that Photoshop CS4 will be 32-bit only on OS X has the Mac web buzzing today. Accusations of blame are being shot at both Adobe and Apple by various pundits (though notably not by the companies themselves). Fortunately, some of the better Mac pundits are also weighing in with interesting opinions on this development.

Over at Ars, John Siracusa has penned an interesting historical account of the relationship of Adobe and Apple, and the Carbon API which is at the center of the controversy. He somewhat grimly sees this Photoshop development as the furthering of bad blood between the two companies and suggests that "the real storm may be yet to come" as Adobe and Apple clash over Flash and Air, etc. (witness the Flash on iPhone kerfuffle).

Over at Daring Fireball, John Gruber takes up the question of CS5 -- i.e. the next version of Photoshop after the aforementioned CS4 -- which will be biggest Cocoa port ever attempted. He points out the interesting difference between Photoshop and Microsoft Office in that the former shares a codebase between Windows and OS X, while the latter represents two completely separate projects on the two platforms. The big question is whether Adobe will even be able to pull off the Cocoa port in time and maintain its cross-platform nature (though as both Johns have pointed out, Lightroom bodes well in this regard).

In any case, this drama is just beginning to play itself out and depending on how you look at it we're in for a good many years of entertainment or frustration as the Cocoa transition of Photoshop progresses (never mind the next version of Office).

2008-04-05T13:00:00.000+08:00

Apple plugs QuickTime with 11 patches
Apple released a slew of patches for QuickTime, fixing a variety of security problems.
Jeremy Kirk
PC World
Thursday, April 3, 2008; 9:19 AM

Apple released 11 patches for its QuickTime multimedia program on Wednesday, fixing a variety of problems that could allow a hacker to execute malicious code on a machine.

It's at least the sixth time Apple has patched QuickTime since October, as researchers and hackers have been closely examining media players for vulnerabilities. As operating systems have become more secure, vulnerabilities in applications have become a favored route to break into a PC.

The patches address security issues, enhance reliability and improve the compatibility of QuickTime with third-party applications, Apple said.

Apple credited identification of more than half of the problems described to TippingPoint, a security vendor that runsZero Day Initiative, a program that rewards researchers for finding vulnerabilities.

Many of the problems with QuickTime occur when the application opens a movie that has been specially crafted to take advantage of flaws in the software. Several of the vulnerabilities are buffer overflows, where a problem with an application's use of memory can be exploited in order to run other code.

The up-to-date version of QuickTime is now 7.4.5. Apple's Software Update function will download the new patches for computers running Windows and Apple's Mac OS X.

Source: WashingtonPost

2008-04-05T11:56:00.000+08:00

Apple passes Wal-Mart, now #1 music retailer in US
By Eric Bangeman | Published: April 02, 2008 - 10:45PM CT

Over the past few years, we have watched Apple climb the music sales chart courtesy of the iTunes. Last month we learned that Apple passed Best Buy to become the number two retailer in the the US in December. Now, Apple has ascended to the top of the charts, surpassing Wal-Mart for the first time ever, according to an NPD MusicWatch Survey for the month January contained in an internal Apple e-mail which was leaked to Ars Technica but has not been officially published.

The news was announced in an e-mail sent this afternoon to some Apple employees, a copy of which was seen by Ars Technica. It includes a screenshot of an Excel file showing the top ten music retailers in the US for January 2008, and Apple is at the top of the list. The iTunes Store leads the pack with 19 percent, Wal-Mart (which includes the brick-and-mortar stores as well as its online properties) is second with 15 percent, and Best Buy is third with 13 percent. Amazon is a distant fourth at 6 percent, trailed by the likes of Borders, Circuit City, and Barnes & Noble. Rhapsody is in the tenth slot with 1 percent.

The fact that a digital-only retailer has ascended to the top of the sales charts is not unexpected, but it does demonstrate just how much the music landscape has changed since the beginning of the decade. The NPD Group has been tracking a "sharp increase" in digital downloads over the past several months as physical sales dry up. According to NPD's research, 48 percent of US teens didn't buy a single CD in 2007, compared to 38 percent in 2006.

It has been a dizzying climb for Apple, which only managed to pass Amazon to become the number three music retailer in June 2007. The biggest surprise is Amazon's drop to the number four slot, which might be explained by consumers using iTunes, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy gift cards to buy music after the holiday season—and those gift cards certainly helped propel Apple to the number-one position.

For the music industry, there is a dark side to Apple's ascension to the top of the charts. Buying patterns for digital downloads are different, as customers are far more likely to cherry pick a favorite track or two from an album than purchase the whole thing. In contrast, brick-and-mortar sales are predominantly high-margin CDs. For 2007, that translated into a 10 percent decline in overall music spending according to the NPD Group, and it's a trend that's expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Overall, paid downloads accounted for almost 30 percent of all music sold in January, a number that would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago. With the Big Four labels throwing off the DRM shackles and experimenting with new delivery models like Last.fm's free streaming service, the future looks bright for digital music distribution.

Update: note on "debunking"
We have seen some stories this morning claiming to have debunked this report based on conjecture (no factual detail or analysis). We repeat: the document says what we said it says, and you can see it for yourself. The documents were also distributed to Apple employees, and show Apple as the number-one music retailer during the period in question. That can't be debunked, sorry. (Sure, you can claim that the data is bad, or sampled incorrectly, but there's no proof of that yet.)

Also, I already noted that the results are influenced by gift card usage, and I noted that other retailers on the list have gift cards, too—don't forget that fact. A sale is a sale, as well. We could also argue forever over whether or not gift cards sales matter, but note that no one was bothered by Apple's December results which included a great deal of gift card purchases as well (but didn't inspire any debunking that time around).

This is a monumental event for Apple, because while the company may not be guaranteed the top spot for eternity—or even the following month—it is something many thought would never happen. But in closing, rest assured that this report is accurate.

Source: Arstechnica

2008-04-03T15:37:00.000+08:00

Microsoft says Apple "Not going to catch up" in phone market
Updated: Wednesday April 02 2008

Microsoft has said that its new Windows Mobile platform will be one you'll want to use for life before slamming Apple's mobile phone dominance plans.

Speaking to Pocket-lint at the launch of Windows Mobile 6.1 in London, Scott Rockfeld, group product manager at Microsoft's mobile communications business, when questioned how Apple and Google poses a threat to Microsoft's Mobile OS said:

"We are not at all worried. We think we've got the one mobile platform you'll use for the rest of your life."

Rockfeld also confirmed that Microsoft was still waiting to see what the Open Handset Alliance do with the launch of the Android platform before acting:

"As for Google and Android we are still waiting for what they are going to do", Rockfeld said.

However Rockfeld was quick to dash Apple's hopes of dominating the smartphone market: "They are not going to catch up", he said before reminding us that Microsoft shifted more licences of its mobile platform than RIM and Apple did handsets put together last year.

The comments come as the company announces a new version of its mobile phone operating system Windows Mobile 6.1.

Source: Sky

2008-04-02T19:33:00.001+08:00

Can the Apple logo make you more creative?
Posted by Andrew Nusca @ 7:26 pm

Apparently so, according to yesterday’s Science Daily. In a recent study by Duke University and the University of Waterloo, Canada, researchers found that even brief exposure to established brands can cause people to inherit the behaviors championed by those brands.

Or in other words, exposure to the ubiquitous Apple might just turn you into Justin Long.

In the study, the researchers pitted two distinct brands against each other — “nonconformist, innovative and creative” Apple versus “traditional, smart and responsible” IBM:

The team conducted an experiment in which 341 university students completed what they believed was a visual acuity task, during which either the Apple or IBM logo was flashed so quickly that they were unaware they had been exposed to the brand logo. The participants then completed a task designed to evaluate how creative they were, listing all of the uses for a brick that they could imagine beyond building a wall.

People who were exposed to the Apple logo generated significantly more unusual uses for the brick compared with those who were primed with the IBM logo, the researchers said. In addition, the unusual uses the Apple-primed participants generated were rated as more creative by independent judges.

Similar results were found with the Disney and E! Channel logos, with those primed with the Disney logo found to act more honest than their E! counterparts.

A fascinating bit of science, isn’t it? With findings like these, maybe I should retool my office desk a little bit — with logos from Google (thinking outside the box), Nike (speed) and Lexus (luxury). Or at the very least, ask IT to junk my crusty, less-than-inspiring Dell Inspiron.

With consideration to these findings, what logos would you surround yourself with?

Source: ZDNet

2008-04-02T19:25:00.002+08:00

Apple's 3G iPhone to debut in May
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-04-01 10:05

The much-awaited iPhone with 3G is coming in May, according to a report by the Bank of America. Both Apple and AT&T, its exclusive carrier partner in the US, have said a higher-speed version of the popular device is coming, but they haven't set a date. The BOA's research report was authored by analyst Scott Craig and cited Friday by the Reuters news service.

Three Million in May

Craig said that there will be "an initial small build in May," and "significant production" in June. Despite the report, AT&T and Apple declined comment. But June would be a good time for the release, as there is an iPhone developers' conference that month, as well as the release of new firmware.

Craig added that he expects production volume to be higher than earlier estimates, even his. He predicted the production run in May will be more than three million iPhones, with another eight million in the third quarter. Previously, he had projected eight million iPhones for all of 2008.

Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with JupiterResearch, said he expects Apple to refresh the iPhone sometime this year, but he doubted outsiders know exactly when that might be. "Apple keeps it own schedule," he noted.

A refresh of any sort could help Apple meet its target of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of this year. As of January, Apple has said it had sold about four million.

3G on the iPhone "would be a nice addition," Gartenberg said, but the real question is what Apple or third-party developers would do with the additional bandwidth that they haven't already done with, for instance, AT&T's EDGE.

Websites, Business Users, Europe

The faster cellular bandwidth could give users more reliable access to media-rich websites. It could also enable third-party developers to create applications that assume some consistent access to high-speed connections. Recently, Apple released the second beta version of its iPhone software developers kit, and a variety of developers are working on applications for the popular device.

One of those companies is Microsoft. Some observers have noted that extending its portfolio to the iPhone would be, in part, a defensive move for Microsoft, since it has been a leading provider of Mac-based applications, most notably Microsoft Office for Mac.

Microsoft's interest in application development is also related to Apple's plans to provide Microsoft Exchange support for the iPhone. If users send Microsoft Office documents as attachments, it's in Microsoft's interest to make sure everything works as it should. With 3G capability, the iPhone takes another step toward becoming a respectable tool for business users exchanging large file sizes.

Finally, 3G would make the iPhone more competitive in Europe and elsewhere, where 3G is more common than in the US.

Source: ChinaDaily

2008-04-02T16:00:00.000+08:00

Apple sued over missing millions of colours it claims for new iMac
Andrew Clark in New York
The Guardian, Wednesday April 2 2008

Apple's latest iMac desktop monitor boasts the broadest rainbow palette in the computer world with a capacity to display "millions of colours", according to its marketing material. Or does it?

A Texas resident has sued Apple for deceptive advertising on the grounds that a 20in version of the iMac can display only 262,144 true colours.

Any further hues, claims plaintiff Chandra Sanders, are produced through a technological trick of showing several similar shades at high speed. "Apple is duping its customers into thinking they're buying 'new and improved' when in fact they're getting stuck with 'new and inferior'," said Brian Kabateck of Kabateck Brown Kellner, a Los Angeles law firm seeking class-action status for the suit.

The updated version of Apple's popular desktop computer was launched by the company's founder, Steve Jobs, at a ceremony in August. Among the key selling points was a glossy display providing crisper images that Apple said was ideal for watching movies or editing photos.

A 24in version of the iMac, priced at £1,149, fulfils Apple's promise by displaying 16.7m different colours, according to the lawsuit, filed in San Jose, California.

But a 20in version costing £799 has a 98% narrower range, causing "crippling" problems for people editing pictures or movie clips because simulated "trick" colours do not appear smooth, the complaint alleges.

Kabateck said: "Beneath Apple's good-guy image is a corporation that takes advantage of its customers. Our goal is to help those customers who were deceived and make sure Apple tells the truth."

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal strikes against the Silicon Valley technology company, which is still fighting action over alleged boardroom abuse of executive share options.

A software firm called Mirror Worlds sued Apple last month claiming that the firm's iTunes store and iPod players infringed its patents for stacking files.

Krausner Technology, a New York company, filed a suit in March against Apple and AT&T claiming that the iPhone uses its technology for displaying information about voicemail messages on the handset's screen.

Source: Gurdian

2008-04-02T15:45:00.000+08:00

Could Samsung Instinct knock out Apple's iPhone all-touch king?
By Philip Berne, 2 April 2008

Around the time when AT&T will pick up the 3G iPhone, Sprint will start offering a, likely, cheaper competitor. Does the Samsung Instinct have what it takes?

Samsung Instinct

The Samsung Instinct is a surprising phone in many ways. It is surprising how similar the interface is to the iPhone. Don't think clone, it's more like a fraternal twin. It has its own visual flourishes and subtleties, and the overall effect was very smooth. The phone is still in beta, but many of the interface design features, like skimming through lists, worked nicely, better than we've seen on any non-Apple device so far. The device was a beta, so there were still bugs. most notably in the voice commands feature that controls the phone and enable voice searching. The Web browser has an interesting panning features that uses the phone's camera for browser navigation, it's worth checking out our video to see how it works. Otherwise, features like EV-DO Rev. A and laptop tethering means that this phone could take consumers to the next level in terms of mobile expectations. Let's hope the Web browser can handle today's internet well. Release: June 2008. Price: $300.

Pros: Cool interface, nice touches and a clear level of polish. Lot's of high-end features, including fast networking.

Cons: Beta version of the phone still a bit buggy. We worry it's too close to the iPhone, without enough originality.

Source: Infosyncworld

2008-04-01T21:00:00.000+08:00

Apple dealt double blow over Mac OS X security
Unpatched vulnerabilities and an arrogant attitude make Apple worse than MSFT

Security experts in Canada and Europe have served up a double dose of bad news for Apple in the last few days - proving the haters right when it comes to Mac OS X security.

Over at CanSecWest in Vancouver, a competition to hack laptops armed with Mac OS X, Windows Vista and Linux saw the MacBook Air fail on the second day with the successful hacker winning both the MacBook Air and a $10,000 (£5,000) prize. Windows Vista for its part didn't fold until the the third day (and then using a Adobe Flash vulnerability), while a laptop equipped with Linux prove to be unhackable by the time the competition's close.

Moving closer to home, two IBM researchers at a Black Hat convention in Amsterdam revealed that Mac OS X has a greater deal of unpatched vulnerabilities than Windows Vista, and that Apple had an unhealthy disregard for security experts who notified the company of flaws.

Both scenarios point to obvious shortcomings in both Mac OS X and Apple's attitude, but are things really as simple as that?

Mac OS X security row

A row has already kicked off over the CanSecWest event between OSNews and Mac site Roughly Drafted.

Roughly Drafted contends that CanSecWest - which is sponsored by Microsoft among others - has a vested interest in finding fault with Mac OS X. Site owner Daniel Dilger also accuses the hacker - Charlie Miller - of bias against Mac OS X and attending the event fully-armed with a hack that he knew would work, as opposed to probing the operating system for vulnerabilities 'on the ground'.

OSNews counters that the flaw shows how vulnerable Apple and Mac OS X are becoming now that Apple hardware and software are becoming more popular.

However some commenters at Ars Technica have also pointed out that the the Mac OS X flaw was only revealed after the competition rules had been relaxed after no-one gained access to any of the machines after the first day. Existing and known vulnerabilities were also excluded - something that will have worked in favour of Internet Explorer.

The vulnerability apparently exists in some open source code used in Apple's Safari web browser. The exploit is not publicly available and Apple is currently working on a patch.

Black Hat attack

The IBM researchers over at Black Hat reinforce this view, arguing that Apple tends to publish patches late, and that it seems more concerned about the negative PR coverage, rather than taking security seriously. Particularly worthy of note is this comment from the researchers' white paper [PDF link]:

"Comparing the number of unpatched vulnerabilities per vendor for the period since January 2002 we observe a striking difference between Microsoft and Apple.

"On average Microsoft succeeds to keep the average number of unpatched vulnerabilities below 20 at a steady number.

"On the opposite, Apple seems unable to stabilise the number of unpatches vulnerabilities in recent years. We observe a steady increase in recent years for Apple. It seems that Apple's security processes cannot cope with the side-effects of the increased popularity of their products."

You could argue, of course, that none of these things are as clear cut as that - the CanSecWest conference and competition is held precisely so security researchers can find and report vulnerabilities to software makers, and that the exploit Charlie Miller found was never likely to impact Mac OS X users out in the wild.

More worrying is the IBM finding. It seems to show that Apple has a cavalier attitude to security, but that doesn't really square with the facts. Apple has gone to great lengths in Mac Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard to improve security - from sandboxing to security signing for applications. It's also a fact that there are relatively few threats to both Mac OS X and Linux compared to the tens of thousands on the Windows platform.

If anything, the news from the last few days should show that Mac users have no reason to be smug or complacent on security - and that they need to start taking measures to prevent themselves from being exposed. And that has to be a good thing for everyone.

By Rob Mead

Source: TechRadar

2008-04-01T19:30:00.001+08:00

Apple was founded on April 1, 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne to sell the Apple I personal computer kit.

They were hand-built by Steve Wozniak in the living room of Jobs’ parents’ home, and the Apple I was first shown to the public at the Homebrew Computer Club. Eventually 200 computers were built. The Apple I was sold as a motherboard (with CPU, RAM, and basic textual-video chips) — not what is today considered a complete personal computer. The user was required to provide two different AC input voltages (the manual recommended specific transformers), wire an ASCII keyboard (not provided with the computer) to a DIP connector (providing logic inverter and alpha lock chips in some cases), and to wire the video output pins to a monitor or to an RF modulator if a TV set was used. The Apple I went on sale in July 1976 and was market-priced at $666.66.Wozniak came up with the $666.66 price because he liked repeating digits.”

Source: Wikipedia

2008-03-31T21:35:00.000+08:00

Apple testing Mac OS X 10.5.3
Mac OS X 10.5.3, which bundles over 75 fixes, has been released to Apple's developer community
By Jonny Evans, Macworld.co.uk
March 31, 2008

Apple has begun testing Mac OS X 10.5.3, releasing the software to its developer community for widespread testing.

The upgraded OS bundles over 75 fixes and first began to appear with developers on Thursday night. System components addressed in this release reportedly include: AddressBook, AppleScript, Audio, Back To My Mac, Dashboard, Dock, DVD Player, Finder, Graphics, iCal, Mail, Portable Home Directories, Printing, Rosetta, Spaces, Spotlight, Time Machine, and VoiceOver.

The release also implements patches and security improvements across system components. It's not known yet when Apple will ship the latest system update.

Apple shipped its last Leopard update, Mac OS X 10.5.2, in February. The update offered an extensive collection of fixes and patches across the OS and updated Stacks with the addition of a List and Folder view option and introduced an updated background for Grid view. It also added a menu bar for accessing Time Machine.

Macworld.co.uk is an InfoWorld affiliate

Source: InfoWorld

2008-03-31T19:45:00.000+08:00

BofA sees 3G iPhone build in May, predictions "too conservative"
By Aidan Malley
Published: 06:15 PM EST

Further fueling talk of a 3G-capable iPhone this spring, a research note from Bank of America claims knowledge of next-generation Apple handset production beginning in May, and warns that past sales predictions have been timid.

In his message to investors, financial analyst Scott Craig points to channel investigations which show an iPhone capable of faster, third-generation cellular Internet access produced in small numbers in May, with a larger number surfacing in June as Apple prepares a formal rollout for the new device.

"This likely implies a launch announcement in [the second calendar quarter]," Craig says.

Apple is also likely to significantly increase its iPhone production compared to its most recent full quarter. While iPhone production during the holidays totaled 2.3 million, the Bank of America researcher estimates about three million 2G and 3G iPhones made during the spring quarter and a much larger eight or more million during the summer. Each additional million units sold could add about $400 million to Apple's bottom line, Craig notes.

Simultaneous reports on Friday supported the analyst's statements., with the Taiwanese Commercial Times paper alleging that bidding is underway for 3G iPhone manufacturing while Dow Jones ventured so far as to claim that Hon Hai had already won a contract for production of an advanced model.

The investigations of the supply chain have been enough to warrant a significant rethink of longer-term predictions for 2008. As Apple may now produce the same eight million iPhones in one quarter that analysts have been predicting for the entire year, previous estimates are now "starting to look too conservative," according to Craig.

The expert maintained existing forecasts for the rest of Apple's lineup. iPod shipments are estimated to drop by several percentage points year over year for the first quarter, dipping below 10 million units, while a combination of the MacBook Air and refreshes to existing portables is tagged as a likely upside for computer sales.

Source: AppleInsider

2008-03-31T19:00:00.000+08:00

Apple job listing hints at handwriting recognition for the iPhone
Posted by Dusan on Sunday, March 30th, 2008 at 9:00 am

You never know what's Steve's up to. Apple already have the handwriting recognition software in OS X and now they are searching for a new person to help them out to extend the technology "beyond Max OS X to other applications and the iPhone." Hmmm, sounds interesting, even though we're not actually dying for a stylus on the iPhone. Here's the full text ad.

The Handwriting Recognition team is seeking an engineer who will be responsible for advancing Apple's handwriting recognition technology for Mac OS X. The ideal candidate will be an expert in the area of pattern recognition, with an excellent understanding of handwriting recognition issues. The person will also assume primary responsibility for maintaining and enhancing existing code and tools. The recognition technology you create may extend beyond Mac OS X to other applications and the iPhone.

You can find the ad — and apply if you have the skills required — from here.

Source: IntoMobile

2008-03-29T10:19:00.003+08:00

Apple Releases Aperture 2.1 with Powerful Image Editing Plug-In Architecture

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 28, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Apple(R: 60.83, -1.35, -2.17%) today released Aperture(TM: 103.79, +1.53, +1.49%) 2.1, which introduces an open plug-in architecture that makes it easy for photographers to use specialized third party imaging software right from within Aperture. Available today as a free software update, Aperture 2.1 includes the Apple-developed plug-in, Dodge & Burn, which adds brush-based tools for dodge (lighten), burn (darken), contrast, saturation, sharpen and blur. Over the coming months, third party software developers will deliver image editing plug-ins for localized editing, filters and effects, noise analysis and reduction, fisheye lens correction and more.

"The image quality in Aperture 2 has won over the most demanding photographers," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "Now, thanks to our open plug-in architecture, users can access an entire industry's worth of imaging expertise without ever leaving Aperture."

"To date, maybe two percent of my photographs needed to be touched up outside Aperture," said John Stanmeyer, founding member of the VII Photo Agency and contributing photographer for Time and National Geographic magazines. "Now that I can dodge and burn right within Aperture's new plug-in, I can't imagine when I'll have to open any other application to tone my images."

By clicking on one or more images within Aperture, users can choose from a menu of installed plug-ins and apply specialized imaging operations to either TIFF or RAW images. Apple is working closely with key developers to bring the most requested plug-ins to Aperture such as:

Nik Software's Viveza plug-in, powered by U Point technology, which provides a powerful, precise and easy way for photographers to selectively control and adjust color and light in their digital images;
PictureCode's Noise Ninja plug-in that delivers advanced high ISO noise analysis and reduction;
Digital Film Tools' Power Stroke plug-in that features a simple, stroke-based interface to quickly mask and intuitively perform targeted adjustments;
The Tiffen Company's Dfx plug-in that provides an expansive suite of creative filters and effects;
dvGarage's dpMatte plug-in, which is a high performance chroma key tool for creating seamless composites, and the HDRtoner plug-in that enables the selection of multiple photos to create a single high dynamic range (HDR) image; and
Image Trends' plug-ins that include Fisheye-Hemi to quickly and effortlessly correct fisheye lens distortion, ShineOff which automatically removes shine from faces and PearlyWhites that automatically whitens and brightens teeth.

Pricing & Availability

Aperture 2.1 is available immediately as a free software update to currentAperture 2.0 users. Full system requirements and more information on Aperture can be found at http://www.apple.com/aperture. Information and availability for third party imaging plug-ins can be found on http://www.apple.com/aperture/resources, http://www.apple.com/downloads and at the Aperture community site http://www.aperturepluggedin.com.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.

(C: 20.83, -0.96, -4.40%) 2008 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh and Aperture are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Apple

Source: FOX Business

2008-03-28T14:44:00.001+08:00

Nintendo Wii controller and Apple iPhone to be used by the US military
BY DAVE PARRACK
MARCH 27, 2008

The Nintendo Wii and the Apple iPhone are two of the most popular gadgets on the market right now. But their uses go beyond mere entertainment, and the technology in both devices has now been adapted to be used by the US military.

According to New Scientist, two boffins, David Bruemmer and Douglas Few from the US Department of Energy centre in Idaho, have adopted the Wiimote controller for use in a military robot used to dispose of bombs.

While gamers use the Wii remote controller to play tennis and baseball without ever having to leave the comfort of their own homes, soldiers will now be able to use them to clear war zones of potentially lethal mines, and bombs set to detonate on impact.

The robot system, called the Packbot, is already used by the American military, and there are 500 or so in Iraq right now, but traditional remote controllers were found to take up too much of the operators attention.

The simplicity of the Wiimote allows operators to instinctively operate the robot, allowing them to better concentrate on the data being collected.

Meanwhile, the Apple iPhone is also being targeted for use in a military setting, with the two scientists looking to utilise the design to help communication in the field.

It’s thought the iPhone could even replace the Panasonic ToughBooks which soldiers currently use to communicate with each other, and receive messages from base.

I’m all for popular applications being used in a military setting, especially if they can save lives, but the iPhone isn’t exactly the most sturdy of products. Maybe a little bit of a redesign is in order before it reaches the heat of battle.

The Wii remote though should be a good fit, as it was designed to be used by kids as young as five. If highly trained military personnel can’t operate one successfully, then I think we may have a bigger problem on our hands.

Source: Blorge

2008-03-28T13:49:00.000+08:00

RIM, Apple May Gain From Motorola Split
03/27/08 - 11:29 AM EDT

Motorola's (MOT - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) decision to splinter off its handset unit has come far too late, and it will actually provide a spark for smart-phone makers Research In Motion (RIMM - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr) and Apple (AAPL - Cramer's Take - Stockpickr), according to an analyst.

On Wednesday, Motorola announced it will divide its operations into two separate publicly traded companies, one for its mobile phones and the other for network gear and TV set-top boxes. The company expects that the separation of its businesses, if completed, would take place in 2009.

According to RBC Capital's Mike Abramsky, other smart-phone makers will see a hefty gain in market share as Motorola's for-the-moment leaderless and long-struggling handset unit is separated from the remainder of the company.

The decision is coming just as smart-phone adoption "is reaching an inflection point, offering an opportunity for RIM and Apple to gain share," said Abramsky in a research note. "RIM is positioned to take share in Motorola's key CDMA markets. Poised to launch a 3G iPhone, Apple ... is expected to continue rolling out innovations and gaining [market] share."

Shares of Motorola were falling 40 cents, or 4%, to $9.62. RIM was shedding $3.28, or 2.8%, to $114.86, and Apple was off 87 cents, or 0.6%, at $144.19.

Additionally, Abramsky noted that employee turnover, restructuring and strategy changes will likely put Motorola in organizational disarray until the company's 2009 separation target.

"Carrier disruption over Motorola's roadmap may impact strategic relationships with Motorola and increase 'shelf space' at carriers for RIM and Apple, given the clarity and compelling nature of their roadmaps," he said. "RIM in particular with its broad distribution is well positioned, as it is viewed as an enabler of carriers' mobile data strategies, offering a delivery platform to drive adoption of value-add mobile messaging, content, navigation, browsing, etc."

Abramsky isn't alone in his belief that Motorola's planned split may be too far out. In a letter released late Wednesday, billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who has waged a proxy battle with Motorola's board for over a year, called the announcement to divide the company "a step in the right direction," but also questioned the length of time to get it done.

"Time is of the essence and decisive action is required to reposition the Mobile Devices business for success as an independent company," said Icahn. "Why will it take you until sometime in 2009 to accomplish the separation? Do you intend to carry out your proposals or will it be a repeat of last year's proxy fight strewn with a string of broken commitments?"

Source: TheStreet

2008-03-28T12:47:00.002+08:00

iPhone – The DS/PSP Killer?
Posted by: Matt Vella on March 25

The buzz over Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone as a potential gaming platform has yet to subside. Ever since the company unveiled its SDK in early March, showing off a couple of stellar prototype games in the process, developers have rushed to the platform. But the chatter has been just that, mostly excitement over the potential and little real analysis.

Now, blogger and tech writer Daniel Eran Dilger has posted a length inquiry into what the iPhone’s chance might actually be, not against other phones with gaming chops but dedicated handhelds from Nintendo (NTDOY) and Sony (SNE).

I’ve boiled down the technical comparison in the chart above, but Dilger’s analysis is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the subject. Whereas the tech specs are the blunt force argument, the minor details are even more revealing. He points out rather astutely that Apple has cagily laid the groundwork for distributing its iPhone applications – games included – with the iTunes games store for iPods. From Dilger’s introduction:

At first blush, one likely wouldn’t think of the iPhone as being in the same league as handheld gaming consoles. However, when Apple showcased a half dozen prototype apps at the SDK launch, fully half of them were games. Clearly, Apple isn’t going to be ignoring games on the iPhone.

Source: BusinessWeek

2008-03-28T12:35:00.003+08:00

The new Apple TV: A true multimedia device
The recent update of the Apple TV fulfills its promise of easy home entertainment.
By Ryan Faas

March 26, 2008 (Computerworld) Although the Apple TV first shipped on March 21, 2007, it didn't get an overhaul for almost a year. During that year, the device, which promised to bring digital media (music, photos and video) from the computer to the living room, tried to establish itself in a marketplace rife with competitors. Systems such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Netgear's EVA series, not to mention TiVo, are all striving to dominate that elusive space.

Introduced at Macworld in January, this second iteration of Apple TV (which some call Apple TV Take 2) is a response to many of the initial criticisms of its predecessor as a media device that lacked direct access to online content. Users can now search and buy content from the iTunes Store directly on the Apple TV, including music, TV shows and movie rentals (which were introduced at Macworld).

In addition, it now allows users to browse Flickr and photo galleries from Apple's .Mac service just as easily.

In other words, the new-and-better Apple TV (a firmware/software update is free for existing owners) is designed to make the device an entertainment product in its own right rather than a computer accessory connected to a TV. The question is: At a cost of $229 for a model with 40GB of storage space and $329 for a 160GB model, does this new version of the Apple TV make the cut?

Improved interface
As with my first experience with the Apple TV, I found the menu structure and navigation to be almost brilliant in its simplicity. In Apple TV Take 2, the menu has been somewhat redesigned. Instead of maintaining an iPod-like navigation in which users must drill down through several options to locate a feature, the new two-column approach makes it faster and easier to switch from one facet of the device (say, music) to another (such as YouTube browsing).

Like the original Apple TV, Apple TV Take 2 includes and relies on Apple's standard remote, the same one that Apple ships with current Mac models. The remote carries through that ease-of-use theme: It features only six buttons (up, down, right, left, pause/play/select, and menu). Apple has certainly figured out how to limit the confusion often associated with remote control devices.

The one thing that I wish could be improved is the method Apple TV uses when you need to actually type in a search term or a site ID: You have to maneuver around an on-screen keyboard, picking out letters one at a time using the directional buttons on the remote. It works, but the process of entering even moderately long movie or song titles or search strings quickly becomes tedious.

Admittedly, there's really nothing that Apple can do about this, short of providing a remote with a keyboard on it — but at times it did feel like I spent more time typing with the on-screen keyboard via the remote than actually accessing content.

iTunes Store at your fingertips
One of the most exciting new features of the Apple TV Take 2 is its direct integration with the iTunes Store. This is one of the areas where the original Apple TV design failed to live up to its potential — you could use it with content that you owned, but adding to it required going to the computer, searching, buying and downloading, then syncing or streaming content to the Apple TV. All of this took you out of the TV/entertainment center experience that is the whole point of the Apple TV.

The iTunes Store integration now makes it effortless, for example, to buy yesterday's episode of The Daily Show after finding out that the guest had been, say, a certain senator running for the White House. It also makes it easy to add music to your library as you're watching or listening to something (during a commercial break in the middle of the Grammys, for example).

Combined with the iTunes preview feature, this integration is something that the Apple TV needed, and it works incredibly well. The fact that content becomes available while downloading and then automatically syncs to your computer with no effort at all makes it even easier than purchasing content from an iPhone or iPod Touch (although the only effort that they require is that you connect the device to the computer).

The one drawback to the iTunes Store on the Apple TV is that it may be too easy to use. I'm all too aware that the effortlessness of browsing and buying music, TV shows or movies could quickly become an expensive habit.

The integration of the iTunes Podcast directory is also well done. The Apple TV's new ability to not only browse and subscribe to podcasts directly from your television, but also to browse and listen to individual episodes without having to subscribe to the entire series, is a major boon. It reminds me of the way we browse on-demand cable content or YouTube. For anyone who has yet to become a podcast aficionado, the Apple TV Take 2 stands to change their mind by making podcasts more like other forms of entertainment — and less like a subscription-based service.

Renting movies: Good but not great
With deals in place with all major movie studios and the promise of HD and standard-content options, Apple seemed poised to deliver a user-friendly device that could be used to rent high-quality movies over the Internet and deliver them to a TV rather than to a computer.

That promise has still not been realized. Despite a commitment of 1,000 movie titles as rentals by the end of February in Steve Jobs' Macworld keynote, a recent inventory conducted by Christopher Breen at Macworld indicated that fewer than 400 were actually available. Many of those are not available in HD, and according to a recent AppleInsider report, those that are available in HD include a number of legacy titles that cannot make full use of the HD format because they were shot before modern film-making technologies and processes existed. Some movies also don't appear to include support for Dolby 5.1 surround sound — a major component of a home theater experience — even though they are recent enough to support it.

For those movies that are offered in HD, the quality is rather good, as is the Dolby surround sound support. It may not quite reach the level of Blu-ray, but it does come close enough that most viewers won't see a noticeable difference. It also tends to exceed the quality of many HD video offerings from cable providers. (iLounge has an excellent side-by-side comparison of Blu-ray, DVD, cable, HD and standard Apple TV formats.)

While there might not yet be that much in the way of selection of movie rentals through iTunes, the mechanism for renting and watching movies from the Apple TV is as simple as everything else about the device. It is, in fact, easier than most cable on-demand services and features similar pricing and time limits. Of the choice between an iTunes rental over the Apple TV and video on demand from my cable company, I would choose Apple TV.

ITUNES RENTALS VS. NETFLIX
While I can say that I'd have little problem relying solely on the Apple TV for movie rentals (and indeed for most of the cable TV shows I watch regularly), I can't honestly say that I see myself giving up my Netflix account any time soon. Though I think that the Apple TV and iTunes rentals deliver a much better experience than the Netflix watch instantly service — particularly if you want to watch movies on your TV instead of your computer. I think Apple falls short of Netflix in two ways.

First, iTunes functions on a per-rental pricing structure. While the costs aren't unreasonable — indeed they're comparable to most brick-and-mortar video stores and video on-demand services — Netflix's approach of offering an unlimited number of movies over the course of a month for a set fee is still very attractive. It is simple and cost-effective if you watch more than handful of movies per month. It's so simple, in fact, that I rarely ever think of it — the movies are just there, and I, like most Netflix subscribers, pay the associated credit card bill every month.

The second area where Netflix has a clear advantage is in the breadth of its selection. Even if Apple hit its end-of-February target of 1,000 movies, there would have been plenty of movies and TV shows available on DVD that will never make the iTunes Store. Netflix is a treasure trove of not only recent blockbusters but small independent and obscure films. It also has a much richer selection of major TV shows, both past and present, from all major networks that couldn't be matched — even before NBC's departure from iTunes. This rich selection goes beyond any service available online or in traditional video stores.

A glorified photo frame
While most of the focus on the Apple TV Take 2 has been on iTunes content, it isn't the only new source of content. The Apple TV had previously only allowed viewing of photos synced from a computer. Now it allows browsing of Flickr and .Mac Web galleries. If you have family and friends who use either service, this is a nice feature that has been almost lost amid the other advances.

The process of finding galleries works very much like YouTube browsing and allows Apple TV users to navigate through not only their own photos on Flickr, but also the photos of any Flickr contacts. This not only harnesses the power of sharing photos that Flickr offers but also the social networking aspects of Flickr. Likewise, photo sharing through multiple .Mac Web galleries allows easy access to photos from all your family members (including those added directly from an iPhone or similar phone/device).

The Apple TV screensaver also allows you to set Flickr and .Mac Web galleries as a source for photos — making your TV the worlds coolest digital picture frame (and far bigger than the ones you see in department stores).

Conclusions
I've been a fan of the Apple TV since its initial release. The addition of YouTube to its repertoire of features last summer became a major part of my home theater experience. (YouTube direct from the TV is still one of my favorite features of the Apple TV).
If I have one real criticism, it would be that the Apple TV needs more storage capacity. This is a device for multimedia content of all kinds and from sources ranging from purchases and rentals from iTunes to home photos and movies. Many people will quickly outgrow 40GB, and even 160GB can quickly get small. Although it is possible to stream content from one or more computers, with Apple positioning the Apple TV as a repository for directly purchased content, the ability to stream will probably be overwhelmed by the need to sync/store content on the device itself.

After renting movies, buying music and TV shows, picking through podcasts, and browsing photos of friends and friends of friends, I have to say that the new Apple TV has more than lived up to my early expectations and truly blew away my previous experiences. The iTunes Store integration (even with its small selection of movies) has brought Apple TV where it should have been from the get-go and has transformed it into both a spectacular entertainment device in its own right as well as an even better nexus of technology and entertainment.

Source: ComputerWorld

2008-03-28T12:31:00.002+08:00

Microsoft Sees Software Possibilities For iPhone
With the exception of Apple, Microsoft makes more software for the Mac than any other vendor.
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
March 26, 2008 06:00 AM

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) plans to offer software for the iPhone, saying in a recent interview that developers are considering a variety of possibilities that include offering Office functionality on Apple's smart phone.
Microsoft's focus on the iPhone stems from Apple's release of a software development kit this month. The iPhone SDK, released in beta, gives developers access to the same tools Apple developers use for building applications that run on the iPhone's Max OS X-based operating system.

In an interview with Fortune magazine, published online Tuesday, Tom Gibbons, corporate VP of Microsoft's Specialized Devices and Applications Group, said the software maker was looking closely at the SDK and considering its options.

"It's really important for us to understand what we can bring to the iPhone," Gibbons told the magazine. "To the extent that Mac Office customers have functionality that they need in that environment, we're actually in the process of trying to understand that now."

With the exception of Apple, Microsoft makes more software for the Mac than any other vendor. Among its most popular offerings is its Office suite for the Mac.

"We do have experience with that environment, and that gives us confidence to be able to do something," Gibbons told Fortune. "The key question is, what is the value that we need to bring? We're still getting comfortable with the SDK, right? It's just come out. So we had a guess as to what feasibility would be like, now we'll really get our head wrapped around that,"

Apple plans to release the final version of SDK in June, along with new versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch operating systems. The latter gadget contains the same platform as the iPhone, minus the cellular component. AT&T (NYSE: T) is the exclusive cellular provider of the iPhone.

One element of the iPhone upgrade that should prove helpful to Microsoft is support for the software maker's Exchange e-mail server. Earlier this year, Apple said it licensed Microsoft's ActiveSync protocol for connecting the iPhone's e-mail client directly to an Exchange server. As a result, e-mail, calendaring and contact items can be pushed directly to the smart phone.

Source: InformationWeek

2008-03-28T12:23:00.004+08:00

Apple orders 10m 3G iPhones - report
Apple is accelerating manufacture of the 3G iPhone
Jonny Evans

Apple has ordered the manufacture of ten million 3G-capable second-generation iPhones, according to Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney.

Dulaney cites sources in Asia that told the analyst of the news. He suggests the order for ten million units of the new model handset to be in addition to the ten million V1 iPhones Apple has ordered.

As reported by iPod Observer, the new version iPhone could also include an OLED display. This would make for a thinner device with longer battery life.

The analyst claims Apple to have accelerated development of the new model of the device in reaction to weaker than anticipated sales in Europe, where potential consumers aren't satisfied with the EDGE data connection offered by the first model.

Source: MacWorld

2008-03-28T12:23:00.001+08:00

Sony/BMG Supports Unlimited Music, Says Profits Rose 15 Percent
By Eliot Van Buskirk March 26, 2008 | 9:35:49 AM

The idea of tying unlimited access to major label music to devices has been gathering more steam. For record labels, it represents a chance to grab a percentage of the money being made by device manufacturers to create machines mostly used to play music people didn't pay for.

As for manufacturers, unlimited music will let them offer something extra to their customers.
And, of course, cellphone carriers love the idea of retaining customers by storing their music collections.

Rolf Schmidt-Holtz, the head of Sony/BMG, became the latest major label executive to announce support for unlimited music devices earlier this week. The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published an interview on Monday in which he said an unlimited music service could offer Sony/BMG downloads for six to eight euros per month ($9-$12).

Schmidt-Holtz also claimed the songs would play on the iPod. Either this is an indication of something new or he doesn't understand how subscription DRM works.

He said Sony/BMG is talking to a number of distributors -- most likely cellphone carriers, but possibly ISPs as well -- about tying unlimited downloads to their services.
Other nuggets from the interview (rough translation below):

- Sony/BMG is in talks with Nokia to join Total Music.

- Sony/BMG has 252 360-degree artist deals.

- He's not losing any sleep over label defections by Madonna and Radiohead.

- The unlimited music services he's talking about could roll out this year.

- Sony/BMG profits increased 15 percent last year.

Here's the Babelfish version of the article:

Sony BMG, the second largest music company of the world announces a new subscription offer and co-operation with mobile phone manufacturers. In the interview with the F.A.Z. speaks Rolf Schmidt Holtz, as he wants to stop so driving downhill of the music industry.

Mr. Schmidt Schmidt-Holtz, a whole generation of young humans wants to pay nothing more for your music. How is it to continue for disk companies such as Sony BMG?

Amazingly well it will continue for us. Because we by attractive digital offers and new business models will see medium-term again growth. And because we have fantastische artists - established like newcomers. Take only to Leona Lewis this year. Therefore are Sony BMG very well. We increased the profit in the past year by 15 per cent, although the music market shrank last year world-wide around approximately 10 per cent. To the topic *

How did this year begin?

For us very well. But the CD paragraph in the market falls at least just as strongly as in the past year. Growth in the digital business cannot adjust the losses with the CDs.

When does the music industry get again firm soil under the feet?

That is the hundredthousand dollar question. I expect that the industry still two to three years shrinks, then stabilized and afterwards again grows themselves.

How do you want to create that?

We have many ideas. For example a subscription offer in the digital music selling, on which we work at present. In the simplest and perhaps most attractive variant a kind would be inclusive the Musikflatrate for all MP3 Player iPod: For a monthly contribution the entire music world is open to you. With the Musikflatrate get you everything of us - from the fire-new Chart hit to Beethoven.

Subscription is called: If I do not further-pay no more, I can listen to also nothing more. Correctly?

If you do not extend the subscription, naturally also the music entrance becomes closed. It would be however even conceivable that the customers cannot partly evenly only listen to the music, but also some titles downloaden and thus possesses. They can develop themselves so a digital music collection.

How would much cost?

Six to eight euro in the month are realistic. That is half so much, as CD costs. And you consider: At the end of the yearly additionally 40 or 50 songs would belong to you. And counts itself for you? If there is sufficient prospective customer. Our market study shows that a large number of customers finds such an offer attractive.

Does the Musikflatrate come this year?

If everything runs smoothly, it can fold. We hold conversations.

Also with the other large music companies?

The offer becomes the more attractive, the music selection is the larger. I legend not that it would be uninteresting, if we make it alone. But it would not be reliably like that stretching.

Can you intersperse your Musikflatrate without the market leader Apple?

Apple is a very strong partner for us. We talk with Apple, as we with many other enterprises also talk.

Is Apples power too large?

The market share is enormous. On the other hand Apple developed a load-carrying digital business model for the music market, and of it we both profit.

They could boycott and on other selling partners set Apple?

That would not be present in our interest, and if we intended it, I would not say it to you.

Can you on the 99 cent, which Apple requires today for the Download of a song, live?

Compared with the margins in the CD business, our digital profit margin is good. But we cannot be lucky nevertheless with the today's prices. They reflect the value of the music not sufficiently. Our market study shows that the customers are ready to pay for the correct music more. And we will try to intersperse this.

How?

For example there is co-operation "Comes with Music", which locked universal Music with Nokia. Who buys a certain mobile phone, pays a unique surcharge and has thus unlimited entrance to the music. One pays thus for the music in the package with a mobile telephone. That is a large wachstumschance for the music industry. Sony BMG does not cooperate however at all with Nokia. Not yet. We have a total concept and to talk not only with Nokia, but with numerous mobile phone manufacturers and network carriers. They will hear very soon of us.

Also regarding Apples iPhone?

We talk with many offerers.

Which ideas have you still, in order to earn with music far moneys?

First of all: The CD market is not dead. It shrinks, but the people are still ready for example to pay for a Premium CD a Premiumpreis. In addition we lock ever more so-called 360-Grad-Vertraege with our musicians. That is, we participate also at their concert and Merchandisingeinnahmen. We want besides regionally to expand, particularly in India and China. In India for example the business with sound TRACKS is promising.

Are your artists really ready to divide their tour incomes with you?

Functioned better than original expects. We have today 252 this so-called 360-Grad-Vertraege with our artists. That I could not be dreamed before one and a half years, when we began thereby.

In addition nevertheless however only newcomers are ready, or?

Yes, but we make also with established artists new contracts, which include for instance the Merchandising. With "IL Divo" for example. We close each year more such contracts and make to it something money already. In two to three years we will make about a quarter of our business in this way - thus beyond the pure clay/tone carrier business.

Past year Topkuenstler such as Madonna and Radiohead began to bring their music out without disk company. Run away you thus not rather star?

Really prepares for me no sleepless nights. I am sure me that the large music companies - and we are world-wide the number two - are continued to use. An artist is a mark, and this to construct and maintain is not simple. The very most successful musicians, who tried it without major, failed and returned.

For example?

I do not call names. But I legend you: It needs hard work to make a newcomer the star and just as hard work, so that the new album of a superstar sells itself as well as its previous. Therefore 99 per cent the large star remains with us. Also to the Bertelsmann boss Hartmut Ostrowski applies.

Is the music fan?

Definitely. It was always inspired, if with Bertelsmann meetings Sony BMG artists arose.
Who will have interest in the future still to possess enterprises in a so difficult industry?
Enterprises, which believe in the music and its digital future.

And who does that?

At present Vivendi, Sony, Bertelsmann believe in it and obviously also financial investors. Bertelsmann is no longer very much interested in the music business. Otherwise they would have sold probably hardly the crisis-firm music publishing trade. The music publishing house of Bertelsmann was never part of Sony BMG; its sales does not concern us. We make money with clay/tone carriers, a music publishing house with author rights, thus for example with the percentages of profits of the music, which runs in the radio. There are however group advantages between publishing house and clay/tone carrier business. We would have gladly both together under our roof, because a broader and closer co-operation with our artists and producers makes possible for us. Our two owners Sony and Bertelsmann talk at present about it. We are optimistic that we in the publishing trade soon to become active to be able.

However on much smaller basis than with the earlier Bertelsmann publishing house, or?

Naturally, we must again develop the business.

It means, Sony is not inspired of the idea, because you could make their own publishing house ATV competition?

The rumor is wrong. In the opposite, Sony supports us. They are now 59 years old and oscillate between its residence Hamburg and the company center in New York.

How long do you want to still do yourselves?

For the moment my work makes large fun for me.

And which you make thereafter?

Their contract runs until March 2009. Legend I you today not yet, but it will remain interesting.
The discussion led Marcus Theurer.

Source: Wired

2008-03-26T12:05:00.000+08:00

Apple Is A Bad Windows Citizen
Posted by Dave Methvin, Mar 25, 2008 08:52 AM

Over the past week, Apple has been raked over the coals for its force-feeding of new applications through Apple Software Update. The "update" word there might lead you to believe that Apple would only use the utility to deliver updates to software you previously installed. Yet Apple also uses its "update" program to download software you never requested.

A thread at the Apple site shows some of the worst of Apple-fanboy behavior. If Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) tried to deliver, for example, an evaluation copy of Office 2007 through Windows Update, the industry and users would go into nuclear meltdown over the outrage. Yet the Apple regulars spend lots of time carefully parsing the English words in each Apple Software Update message and declare it to be no big deal that an updater tries to give you Safari even though you don't currently have it and didn't ask for it.

Perhaps Apple and its fans may feel comfortable about doing software distribution through the same aggressive techniques pioneered by Windows crapware makers. Maybe Apple felt like it should fit in with the crowd -- "when in Rome" and all that. If aggression and dirty tactics are the way to peddle Windows software, then darn it, Apple isn't afraid to throw an elbow. That's the way it works -- getting your software down on the user's system, no matter what the tactics.

Here's a conspiracy theorist's explanation. Apple makes a competing operating system and fights with Microsoft OEMs for the same hardware customers, so Apple may not be concerned that Windows users get a less-than-stellar experience. It's like Apple throwing a Baby Ruth into the pool while nobody is looking, then pointing and yelling, "Doody! What a horrible user experience! Buy a Mac!"

In some ways, Apple has cleaned up its act in the past year. It used to be that Apple's QuickTime download page offered a prominent download for the QuickTime-iTunes bundle but hid the QuickTime-only download in a tiny link further down the page. Today, both options get equal billing, although the bundle is still selected by default. The "please spam me" e-mail address entry is optional, although you wouldn't know it by reading the form.

Fortunately, there is a way to say "no, thanks" to Apple's unwanted software advances -- or at least get it to leave you alone for a while. When you get the Apple Software Update pop-up, check the items you don't want and click Tools, Ignore Selected Updates. You'll need to do that when the next "update" of the unwanted software arrives, too. That is a bit of a misnomer, of course, since they aren't really updates. But why argue semantics when you're trying to keep Apple's unwanted software off your system?

Source: Information Week

2008-03-26T11:49:00.003+08:00

How Apple Got Everything Right By Doing Everything Wrong
By Leander Kahney 03.18.08 | 6:00 PM

One Infinite Loop, Apple's street address, is a programming in-joke — it refers to a routine that never ends. But it is also an apt description of the travails of parking at the Cupertino, California, campus. Like most things in Silicon Valley, Apple's lots are egalitarian; there are no reserved spots for managers or higher-ups. Even if you're a Porsche-driving senior executive, if you arrive after 10 am, you should be prepared to circle the lot endlessly, hunting for a space.

But there is one Mercedes that doesn't need to search for very long, and it belongs to Steve Jobs. If there's no easy-to-find spot and he's in a hurry, Jobs has been known to pull up to Apple's front entrance and park in a handicapped space.

(Sometimes he takes up two spaces.) It's become a piece of Apple lore — and a running gag at the company. Employees have stuck notes under his windshield wiper: "Park Different." They have also converted the minimalist wheelchair symbol on the pavement into a Mercedes logo.

Jobs' fabled attitude toward parking reflects his approach to business: For him, the regular rules do not apply. Everybody is familiar with Google's famous catchphrase, "Don't be evil." It has become a shorthand mission statement for Silicon Valley, encompassing a variety of ideals that — proponents say — are good for business and good for the world: Embrace open platforms. Trust decisions to the wisdom of crowds. Treat your employees like gods.

It's ironic, then, that one of the Valley's most successful companies ignored all of these tenets. Google and Apple may have a friendly relationship — Google CEO Eric Schmidt sits on Apple's board, after all — but by Google's definition, Apple is irredeemably evil, behaving more like an old-fashioned industrial titan than a different-thinking business of the future. Apple operates with a level of secrecy that makes Thomas Pynchon look like Paris Hilton. It locks consumers into a proprietary ecosystem. And as for treating employees like gods? Yeah, Apple doesn't do that either.

But by deliberately flouting the Google mantra, Apple has thrived. When Jobs retook the helm in 1997, the company was struggling to survive. Today it has a market cap of $105 billion, placing it ahead of Dell and behind Intel. Its iPod commands 70 percent of the MP3 player market. Four billion songs have been purchased from iTunes. The iPhone is reshaping the entire wireless industry. Even the underdog Mac operating system has begun to nibble into Windows' once-unassailable dominance; last year, its share of the US market topped 6 percent, more than double its portion in 2003.

It's hard to see how any of this would have happened had Jobs hewed to the standard touchy-feely philosophies of Silicon Valley. Apple creates must-have products the old-fashioned way: by locking the doors and sweating and bleeding until something emerges perfectly formed. It's hard to see the Mac OS and the iPhone coming out of the same design-by-committee process that produced Microsoft Vista or Dell's Pocket DJ music player. Likewise, had Apple opened its iTunes-iPod juggernaut to outside developers, the company would have risked turning its uniquely integrated service into a hodgepodge of independent applications — kind of like the rest of the Internet, come to think of it.

And now observers, academics, and even some other companies are taking notes. Because while Apple's tactics may seem like Industrial Revolution relics, they've helped the company position itself ahead of its competitors and at the forefront of the tech industry. Sometimes, evil works.

Over the past 100 years, management theory has followed a smooth trajectory, from enslavement to empowerment. The 20th century began with Taylorism — engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor's notion that workers are interchangeable cogs — but with every decade came a new philosophy, each advocating that more power be passed down the chain of command to division managers, group leaders, and workers themselves. In 1977, Robert Greenleaf's Servant Leadership argued that CEOs should think of themselves as slaves to their workers and focus on keeping them happy.

Silicon Valley has always been at the forefront of this kind of egalitarianism. In the 1940s, Bill Hewlett and David Packard pioneered what business author Tom Peters dubbed "managing by walking around," an approach that encouraged executives to communicate informally with their employees. In the 1990s, Intel's executives expressed solidarity with the engineers by renouncing their swanky corner offices in favor of standard-issue cubicles. And today, if Google hasn't made itself a Greenleaf-esque slave to its employees, it's at least a cruise director: The Mountain View campus is famous for its perks, including in-house masseuses, roller-hockey games, and a cafeteria where employees gobble gourmet vittles for free. What's more, Google's engineers have unprecedented autonomy; they choose which projects they work on and whom they work with. And they are encouraged to allot 20 percent of their work week to pursuing their own software ideas. The result? Products like Gmail and Google News, which began as personal endeavors.

Jobs, by contrast, is a notorious micromanager. No product escapes Cupertino without meeting Jobs' exacting standards, which are said to cover such esoteric details as the number of screws on the bottom of a laptop and the curve of a monitor's corners. "He would scrutinize everything, down to the pixel level," says Cordell Ratzlaff, a former manager charged with creating the OS X interface.

At most companies, the red-faced, tyrannical boss is an outdated archetype, a caricature from the life of Dagwood. Not at Apple. Whereas the rest of the tech industry may motivate employees with carrots, Jobs is known as an inveterate stick man. Even the most favored employee could find themselves on the receiving end of a tirade. Insiders have a term for it: the "hero-shithead roller coaster." Says Edward Eigerman, a former Apple engineer, "More than anywhere else I've worked before or since, there's a lot of concern about being fired."

But Jobs' employees remain devoted. That's because his autocracy is balanced by his famous charisma — he can make the task of designing a power supply feel like a mission from God. Andy Hertzfeld, lead designer of the original Macintosh OS, says Jobs imbued him and his coworkers with "messianic zeal." And because Jobs' approval is so hard to win, Apple staffers labor tirelessly to please him. "He has the ability to pull the best out of people," says Ratzlaff, who worked closely with Jobs on OS X for 18 months. "I learned a tremendous amount from him."

Apple's successes in the years since Jobs' return — iMac, iPod, iPhone — suggest an alternate vision to the worker-is-always-right school of management. In Cupertino, innovation doesn't come from coddling employees and collecting whatever froth rises to the surface; it is the product of an intense, hard-fought process, where people's feelings are irrelevant. Some management theorists are coming around to Apple's way of thinking. "A certain type of forcefulness and perseverance is sometimes helpful when tackling large, intractable problems," says Roderick Kramer, a social psychologist at Stanford who wrote an appreciation of "great intimidators" — including Jobs — for the February 2006 Harvard Business Review.

Likewise, Robert Sutton's 2007 book, The No Asshole Rule, spoke out against workplace tyrants but made an exception for Jobs: "He inspires astounding effort and creativity from his people," Sutton wrote. A Silicon Valley insider once told Sutton that he had seen Jobs demean many people and make some of them cry. But, the insider added, "He was almost always right."
"Steve proves that it's OK to be an asshole," says Guy Kawasaki, Apple's former chief evangelist. "I can't relate to the way he does things, but it's not his problem. It's mine. He just has a different OS."

Nicholas Ciarelli created Think Secret — a Web site devoted to exposing Apple's covert product plans — when he was 13 years old, a seventh grader at Cazenovia Junior-Senior High School in central New York. He stuck with it for 10 years, publishing some legitimate scoops (he predicted the introduction of a new titanium PowerBook, the iPod shuffle, and the Mac mini) and some embarrassing misfires (he reported that the iPod mini would sell for $100; it actually went for $249) for a growing audience of Apple enthusiasts. When he left for Harvard, Ciarelli kept the site up and continued to pull in ad revenue. At heart, though, Think Secret wasn't a financial enterprise but a personal obsession. "I was a huge enthusiast," Ciarelli says. "One of my birthday cakes had an Apple logo on it."

Most companies would pay millions of dollars for that kind of attention — an army of fans so eager to buy your stuff that they can't wait for official announcements to learn about the newest products. But not Apple. Over the course of his run, Ciarelli received dozens of cease-and-desist letters from the object of his affection, charging him with everything from copyright infringement to disclosing trade secrets. In January 2005, Apple filed a lawsuit against Ciarelli, accusing him of illegally soliciting trade secrets from its employees. Two years later, in December 2007, Ciarelli settled with Apple, shutting down his site two months later. (He and Apple agreed to keep the settlement terms confidential.)

Apple's secrecy may not seem out of place in Silicon Valley, land of the nondisclosure agreement, where algorithms are protected with the same zeal as missile launch codes. But in recent years, the tech industry has come to embrace candor. Microsoft — once the epitome of the faceless megalith — has softened its public image by encouraging employees to create no-holds-barred blogs, which share details of upcoming projects and even criticize the company. Sun Microsystems CEO Jonathan Schwartz has used his widely read blog to announce layoffs, explain strategy, and defend acquisitions.

"Openness facilitates a genuine conversation, and often collaboration, toward a shared outcome," says Steve Rubel, a senior vice president at the PR firm Edelman Digital. "When people feel like they're on your side, it increases their trust in you. And trust drives sales."

In an April 2007 cover story, we at Wired dubbed this tactic "radical transparency." But Apple takes a different approach to its public relations. Call it radical opacity. Apple's relationship with the press is dismissive at best, adversarial at worst; Jobs himself speaks only to a handpicked batch of reporters, and only when he deems it necessary. (He declined to talk to Wired for this article.) Forget corporate blogs — Apple doesn't seem to like anyone blogging about the company. And Apple appears to revel in obfuscation. For years, Jobs dismissed the idea of adding video capability to the iPod. "We want it to make toast," he quipped sarcastically at a 2004 press conference. "We're toying with refrigeration, too." A year later, he unveiled the fifth-generation iPod, complete with video. Jobs similarly disavowed the suggestion that he might move the Mac to Intel chips or release a software developers' kit for the iPhone — only months before announcing his intentions to do just that.
Even Apple employees often have no idea what their own company is up to. Workers' electronic security badges are programmed to restrict access to various areas of the campus. (Signs warning NO TAILGATING are posted on doors to discourage the curious from sneaking into off-limit areas.) Software and hardware designers are housed in separate buildings and kept from seeing each other's work, so neither gets a complete sense of the project. "We have cells, like a terrorist organization," Jon Rubinstein, former head of Apple's hardware and iPod divisions and now executive chair at Palm, told BusinessWeek in 2000.

At times, Apple's secrecy approaches paranoia. Talking to outsiders is forbidden; employees are warned against telling their families what they are working on. (Phil Schiller, Apple's marketing chief, once told Fortune magazine he couldn't share the release date of a new iPod with his own son.) Even Jobs is subject to his own strictures. He took home a prototype of Apple's boom box, the iPod Hi-Fi, but kept it concealed under a cloth.

But Apple's radical opacity hasn't hurt the company — rather, the approach has been critical to its success, allowing the company to attack new product categories and grab market share before competitors wake up. It took Apple nearly three years to develop the iPhone in secret; that was a three-year head start on rivals. Likewise, while there are dozens of iPod knockoffs, they have hit the market just as Apple has rendered them obsolete. For example, Microsoft introduced the Zune 2, with its iPod-like touch-sensitive scroll wheel, in October 2007, a month after Apple announced it was moving toward a new interface for the iPod touch. Apple has been known to poke fun at its rivals' catch-up strategies. The company announced Tiger, an upgrade to its operating system, with posters taunting, REDMOND, START YOUR PHOTOCOPIERS.

Secrecy has also served Apple's marketing efforts well, building up feverish anticipation for every announcement. In the weeks before Macworld Expo, Apple's annual trade show, the tech media is filled with predictions about what product Jobs will unveil in his keynote address. Consumer-tech Web sites liveblog the speech as it happens, generating their biggest traffic of the year. And the next day, practically every media outlet covers the announcements. Harvard business professor David Yoffie has said that the introduction of the iPhone resulted in headlines worth $400 million in advertising.

But Jobs' tactics also carry risks — especially when his announcements don't live up to the lofty expectations that come with such secrecy. The MacBook Air received a mixed response after some fans — who were hoping for a touchscreen-enabled tablet PC — deemed the slim-but-pricey subnotebook insufficiently revolutionary. Fans have a nickname for the aftermath of a disappointing event: post-Macworld depression.

Still, Apple's radical opacity has, on the whole, been a rousing success — and it's a tactic that most competitors can't mimic. Intel and Microsoft, for instance, sell their chips and software through partnerships with PC companies; they publish product road maps months in advance so their partners can create the machines to use them. Console makers like Sony and Microsoft work hand in hand with developers so they can announce a full roster of games when their PlayStations and Xboxes launch. But because Apple creates all of the hardware and software in-house, it can keep those products under wraps. Fundamentally the company bears more resemblance to an old-school industrial manufacturer like General Motors than to the typical tech firm.

In fact, part of the joy of being an Apple customer is anticipating the surprises that Santa Steve brings at Macworld Expo every January. Ciarelli is still eager to find out what's coming next — even if he can't write about it. "I wish they hadn't sued me," he says, "but I'm still a fan of their products."

Back in the mid-1990s, as Apple struggled to increase its share of the PC market, every analyst with a Bloomberg terminal was quick to diagnose the cause of the computermaker's failure: Apple waited too long to license its operating system to outside hardware makers. In other words, it tried for too long to control the entire computing experience. Microsoft, Apple's rival to the north, dominated by encouraging computer manufacturers to build their offerings around its software. Sure, that strategy could result in an inferior user experience and lots of cut-rate Wintel machines, but it also gave Microsoft a stranglehold on the software market. Even Wired joined the fray; in June 1997, we told Apple, "You shoulda licensed your OS in 1987" and advised, "Admit it. You're out of the hardware game."

Oops.

When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, he ignored everyone's advice and tied his company's proprietary software to its proprietary hardware. He has held to that strategy over the years, even as his Silicon Valley cohorts have embraced the values of openness and interoperability. Android, Google's operating system for mobile phones, is designed to work on any participating handset. Last year, Amazon.com began selling DRM-free songs that can be played on any MP3 player. Even Microsoft has begun to embrace the movement toward Web-based applications, software that runs on any platform.

Not Apple. Want to hear your iTunes songs on the go? You're locked into playing them on your iPod. Want to run OS X? Buy a Mac. Want to play movies from your iPod on your TV? You've got to buy a special Apple-branded connector ($49). Only one wireless carrier would give Jobs free rein to design software and features for his handset, which is why anyone who wants an iPhone must sign up for service with AT&T.

During the early days of the PC, the entire computer industry was like Apple — companies such as Osborne and Amiga built software that worked only on their own machines. Now Apple is the one vertically integrated company left, a fact that makes Jobs proud. "Apple is the last company in our industry that creates the whole widget," he once told a Macworld crowd.
But not everyone sees Apple's all-or-nothing approach in such benign terms. The music and film industries, in particular, worry that Jobs has become a gatekeeper for all digital content. Doug Morris, CEO of Universal Music, has accused iTunes of leaving labels powerless to negotiate with it. (Ironically, it was the labels themselves that insisted on the DRM that confines iTunes purchases to the iPod, and that they now protest.) "Apple has destroyed the music business," NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker told an audience at Syracuse University. "If we don't take control on the video side, [they'll] do the same." At a media business conference held during the early days of the Hollywood writers' strike, Michael Eisner argued that Apple was the union's real enemy: "[The studios] make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners. They make all these kinds of things, and who's making money? Apple!"

Meanwhile, Jobs' insistence on the sanctity of his machines has affronted some of his biggest fans. In September, Apple released its first upgrade to the iPhone operating system. But the new software had a pernicious side effect: It would brick, or disable, many phones, especially those containing unapproved applications.2 The blogosphere erupted in protest; gadget blog Gizmodo even wrote a new review of the iPhone, reranking it a "don't buy." Last year, Jobs announced he would open up the iPhone so that independent developers could create applications for it, but only through an official process that gives Apple final approval of every application.

For all the protests, consumers don't seem to mind Apple's walled garden. In fact, they're clamoring to get in. Yes, the iPod hardware and the iTunes software are inextricably linked — that's why they work so well together. And now, PC-based iPod users, impressed with the experience, have started converting to Macs, further investing themselves in the Apple ecosystem.

Some Apple competitors have tried to emulate its tactics. Microsoft's MP3 strategy used to be like its mobile strategy — license its software to (almost) all comers. Not any more: The operating system for Microsoft's Zune player is designed uniquely for the device, mimicking the iPod's vertical integration. Amazon's Kindle e-reader provides seamless access to a proprietary selection of downloadable books, much as the iTunes Music Store provides direct access to an Apple-curated storefront. And the Nintendo Wii, the Sony PlayStation 3, and the Xbox360 each offer users access to self-contained online marketplaces for downloading games and special features.

Tim O'Reilly, publisher of the O'Reilly Radar blog and an organizer of the Web 2.0 Summit, says that these "three-tiered systems" — that blend hardware, installed software, and proprietary Web applications — represent the future of the Net. As consumers increasingly access the Web using scaled-down appliances like mobile phones and Kindle readers, they will demand applications that are tailored to work with those devices. True, such systems could theoretically be open, with any developer allowed to throw its own applications and services into the mix. But for now, the best three-tier systems are closed. And Apple, O'Reilly says, is the only company that "really understands how to build apps for a three-tiered system."

If Apple represents the shiny, happy future of the tech industry, it also looks a lot like our cat-o'-nine-tails past. In part, that's because the tech business itself more and more resembles an old-line consumer industry. When hardware and software makers were focused on winning business clients, price and interoperability were more important than the user experience. But now that consumers make up the most profitable market segment, usability and design have become priorities. Customers expect a reliable and intuitive experience — just like they do with any other consumer product.

All this plays to Steve Jobs' strengths. No other company has proven as adept at giving customers what they want before they know they want it. Undoubtedly, this is due to Jobs' unique creative vision. But it's also a function of his management practices. By exerting unrelenting control over his employees, his image, and even his customers, Jobs exerts unrelenting control over his products and how they're used. And in a consumer-focused tech industry, the products are what matter. "Everything that's happening is playing to his values," says Geoffrey Moore, author of the marketing tome Crossing the Chasm. "He's at the absolute epicenter of the digitization of life. He's totally in the zone."

Leander Kahney (leander@wired.com), news editor of Wired.com, is the author of Inside Steve's Brain, to be published in April by Penguin Portfolio.

Source: Wired

2008-03-26T11:47:00.002+08:00

Wired: Apple is Evil/Genius
March 25th, 2008
Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:37 am

Wired Magazine’s Leander Kahney has a cover story on Apple (”How Apple Got Everything Right By Doing Everything Wrong” Issue 16.04 ) that’s worth a read. Overall it’s pretty well balanced and fair and has just enough edgy snarkiness to keep you reading.

Kahney takes Apple to task for being the antithesis of Google:

Everybody is familiar with Google’s famous catchphrase, “Don’t be evil.” It has become a shorthand mission statement for Silicon Valley, encompassing a variety of ideals that — proponents say — are good for business and good for the world: Embrace open platforms. Trust decisions to the wisdom of crowds. Treat your employees like gods.

It’s ironic, then, that one of the Valley’s most successful companies ignored all of these tenets.

…by Google’s definition, Apple is irredeemably evil, behaving more like an old-fashioned industrial titan than a different-thinking business of the future. Apple operates with a level of secrecy that makes Thomas Pynchon look like Paris Hilton. It locks consumers into a proprietary ecosystem. And as for treating employees like gods? Yeah, Apple doesn’t do that either. (emphasis mine).

and Jobs for being a tyrant:

Jobs, by contrast, is a notorious micromanager. No product escapes Cupertino without meeting Jobs’ exacting standards, which are said to cover such esoteric details as the number of screws on the bottom of a laptop and the curve of a monitor’s corners. “He would scrutinize everything, down to the pixel level,” says Cordell Ratzlaff, a former manager charged with creating the OS X interface.

Source: ZDNet

2008-03-26T11:15:00.001+08:00

Installing Apple's Safari Web Browser in Ubuntu Linux
By Scott Gilbertson
March 24, 2008 | 8:36:24 AM

While Apple may be pushing Safari on Windows, the company has historically ignored Linux users. Fortunately, thanks to WINE, which allows you to run Windows applications without installing Windows, it's not too difficult to get Safari running in Linux.

The Ubuntu Unleashed blog recently posted instructions on how to install Safari using WINE on Ubuntu, but with a few tweaks, you should be able to get it running on just about any Linux distribution. The instructions even include installing the Flash plugin for Safari in WINE.

Of course if you aren’t looking for the Apple-specific front-end, WebKit, the engine that powers Safari, is also used in Konqueror. [Update: As Douglas Greenshields points out in the comments below, WebKit is actually based on KHTML (Konqueror's web browser), and it is not technically part of Konqueror.]

However, if it’s the Safari interface you’re after, WINE is your answer. The only real dependency, aside from WINE, is that you install Microsoft’s Core Fonts, but you’ll need them for just about any application running under WINE.

I tested the install out of curiosity and it worked without a hitch. As you can see in the screenshot above, I’ve got the Windows version of Safari running in Ubuntu and the Flash plugin works just fine. The main menu items are a little bit off, but it’s still usable and surprisingly snappy.

Source: Wired