Author: Jeff Morgan (Page 119 of 168)

Analysts Say No iPad In September

August 27, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Despite all the rumors flying about an impending Apple tablet release, analysts don’t expect we’ll see one at the glamorous September Apple event. Instead, you should be looking for an iPod Touch/Nano refresh that includes cameras for both models and possibly a video cam on the new iPod Touch, bringing the flagship mp3 player in line with the iPhone.

The Apple tablet rumor got a whole lot bigger back when Borders posted a survey regarding ereaders that referenced an Apple device. Since then it’s been a lot of speculation, but nothing truly official has surfaced. The camera rumor, on the other hand, has more substantial evidence. There are countless cases with camera ports all in the same place, along with insider info that the cam is coming. I’d say it’s definitely a safer bet.

There’s also the nature of a tablet release for Apple. It has to be good. It has to be really good. The netbook craze is already starting to decline as the models get stuffed with more and more features and look more and more like actual notebooks. Convincing the world to reconsider what is essentially an MID will take an exceptional product, and that’s something Apple may not be ready to roll out by September.

Apple, Computers, News

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Apple Genius Jails A Kiddie Porn Pervert

August 26, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

A notice to all the perverts out there: Don’t get any smarter. It truly warms my heart to see you morons doing something stupid enough to land your own ass in jail. Case in point – Raymond Miller, an aforementioned pervert from Connecticut, recently took his laptop to be serviced at one of Apple’s Genius bars. The local genius found, among other things, pictures of ten to thirteen year-old children in compromising positions.

What’s worse is that Miller brought the computer to the Genius bar specifically because he was having problems with image files. Yes, you read that correctly. I’ll say again, please don’t get smarter, perverts. Miller was promptly arrested while the Genius attempted to “fix” his computer.

Possession of child pornography is a class-B felony in Connecticut, where Miler will be serving a minimum five-year sentence if he’s convicted.

Apple, News

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Stand That Macbook On End

August 26, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

There’s a nice new periph for you Macbook owners who like to add a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to your experience from time to time. The Bookarc from twelvesouth stands your Macbook on end for a desktop space-saver. There’s also an added bonus – you get a speed increase just by closing your notebook.

Now granted, you’re also losing a secondary screen when you flip your notebook shut, but it might be nice to give that graphics processor a little break here and there. Who knows, you also might like the extra desk space.

If there’s one gripe I have, it’s that the thing costs $50. That’s obviously a tribute to the sexy design, fat price tag mantra that’s so popular in Cupertino. The stand does look really nice, though, so maybe it’s worth it for some of you.

Apple, Computers

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Facebook App Still Isn’t Approved

August 25, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

Apple’s been hard at work trying to remedy the disease that is the App Store review process. It’s lengthy, arbitrary, and creates more drama for the company than other issue. But Phil Schiller can only be in so many places at once, and try as it might, Apple is still letting apps fall through the cracks. Big apps. Highly anticipated apps. Facebook 3.0 apps.

We’ve been hearing about the new Facebook app for months, and it really does sound awesome. It adds a lot of features I won’t re-reprint here. But the app is stuck in review limbo, awaiting the whimsical approval of the 40-man review team, and even the developers are starting to speak out.

Facebook 3.0 developer Joe Hewitt has been the man primarily responsible for keeping the public up to date on the app’s progress. You really have to applaud the guy for making his submission public because it puts a lot of pressure on Apple (a move Real copied this week). Hewitt’s gone public again, this time with a long list of level-headed complaints for the review team. My favorite goes like this:

Oh, but you say that iPhone apps are different, because they run native code and can do scary things that web pages can’t? Again, you’re wrong, because iPhone apps are sandboxed and have scarcely any more privileges than a web app. About the only scary thing they can do outside the sandbox is access your address book, but Apple can easily fix that by requiring they ask permission first, just like they must do to track your location.

Be sure to read the rest of the post. It could have been a lot of whining and moaning and “I’m smarter than all of Apple combined.” Instead, Hewitt put together a solid argument for the dissolution of the App Store review process.

Uncategorized

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Macbook To Get A Makeover

August 25, 2009 / Jeff Morgan

When Apple bumped the 13-inch unibody Macbook up to “Pro” status, you knew they were planning a refresh for white polycarbonate version. It’s been the lone wolf sporting the Macbook name for some time now, and the body design is three years old.

That’s all about to change, according to a rumor posted at AppleInsider. Apparently Apple is going to redesign the Macbook and add a few more models to the lineup. The polycarbonate Macbook, it turns out, is one of Apple’s best selling devices. In fact, it beats out just about everything other than the iMac on Apple’s online store. That’s probably due to the $999 price tag. New Mac users find the price appealing enough to make the switch, and frankly, it’s a pretty good deal.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see this happen within 4-6 months. Adding an even lower model would allow Apple to continue to perform well in the face of economic crises and steal more users away from Windows machines.