Macworld cult gathering

Apple faithfuls are making pilgrimages to San Francisco for the start of Macworld, an annual cult-like gathering that this year is expected to lack revelations and iconic leader Steve Jobs.

In a move that has upset Apple followers and investors, marketing vice president Phil Schiller will replace Jobs on stage on Tuesday for a keynote presentation traditionally considered a Macworld highlight….

Full Article here.

Filed under: Industry News, Mac Related , Apple, Mac, macworld

New Mac Products To Hit the Markets?

At the upcoming Macworld Expo it has been rumored that new iMac’s and maybe even Mac mini’s will be released, but more excitingly is a rumored new home server device with sharing facilities and iTunes.

If Apple is to release a new server, it will be competition for the new HP MediaSmart servers which boast similar functions with same ARM-based platform, the same WiFi functionality, and with Time Machine supported. Though the new Apple server is rumored to have some new features such as; AFP file sharing, full support for a shared iTunes library, as well as media sharing to iPhone, iPod touches, and Apple TV devices.

Additionally, the new server is said to integrate the recently introduced MobileMe in order to provide remote access to the device, as well as photo integration with MobileMe, and the server is to have a me.com subdomain (which would allow access to its files and iTunes library via the Internet).

Filed under: Industry News, Mac Related , Apple, xserve

The Biggest Problems With MacBooks

I am the proud owner of a MacBook White – 2.2Ghz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 120HDD

Although this laptop to me is next to perfect, there are a few things that could be improved:

1. The start-up tone – I can’t tell you how many times I try to disguise the ear penetrating dong when I start my mac up in class. There are how ever two ways to resolve this, firstly you can hold down the mute key when you boot your mac, or you can download an external application that will let you control volume etc.
2. Sharp edges – I personally don’t mind this, though some people with big hands or those who type in a particular way may find the sharp corners of the mac a discomfort.
3. The back-space key is very close to the eject key – this mean you can often end up ejecting a disk while trying to remove a word.
4. No delete – there is no delete key on the keyboard which means you have to use the shortcut of ‘FN’ + ‘Backspace’.
5. The CD ROM makes a noise – possibly the loudest part of the MacBook is the ejection of a disk.
6. Shut Down is a patient task – unlike most laptops you cannot close your laptop while it is shutting down as it will go to sleep instead.
7. Screen brightness – personally find the screen to be a bit too dark at times.
8. Speakers – they aren’t good quality.

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, Mac, Macbook

Apple prepping a 32GB iPhone update; bringing back at-home a

We’re not particularly inclined to believe them, but the whispers that Apple is about to bump the top-end iPhone capacity to 32GB are getting harder to ignore — especially since 8GB inventory is drying up, leading to speculation that’s it’s going to be dropped as soon as next week. We think the timing’s a little odd on the heels of the Let’s Rock

read more | digg story

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, iPhone

Google is Top Growing Brand

2008 marks a memorable year for search engine giant Google as that jump into the Interbrand Best Global Brands 2008 Top 10. The report shows that the value of the Google brand has grown 43% since 2007, and is now worth 25.6-billion which makes it the worlds fastest growing brand.

Coca-Cola remained the most valuable global brand with a brand value of 66.7bn, though Google remained the biggest mover by knocking Mercedes-Benz off the top 10. Asides from Google, the other big IT brands were Apple with a 24% move up the ladder into 24th, Amazon.com with a 19% growth and Nintendo with 13%. Another brand rapidly increasing in value is Spanish fashion house Zara, which has expanded operations to 72 countries.

Financial services brands like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citi slumped and were among the biggest losers of brand value. The big losers included Ford and Gap.

Filed under: Google Related, Industry News, Mac Related , Apple, Google, top 10

Is Apple’s success the result of luck or skill?

Is Apple’s success in the computing market a by-product of Steve Jobs’ insight and uncanny knowledge of what people want? Or is it pure luck, thanks to questionable moves by competitors and being in the right place at the right time?

read more | digg story

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, Mac

Ubuntu to Take on Mac

Written by Alastair Otter of MyBroadband:

Canonical, the corporate backer of Ubuntu Linux, is hiring a team of designers and developers to make desktop open source software easier and more appealing to use.

Canonical head and Ubuntu founder, Mark Shuttleworth, said in a blog post last week that the company plans to hire a team of designers and user interface experts to contribute to not only Ubuntu’s usability but also to other upstream open source applications.

Shuttleworth says that he plans to hire designers and interface experts that will “work on X, OpenGL, Gtk, Qt, GNOME and KDE, with a view to doing some of the heavy lifting required to turn those desktop experience ideas into reality”.

It was in July that Shuttleworth first raised the challenge of improving the appearance and usability of Linux. At OScon in Oregon, he said that Linux developers needed to improve the interface so that it could “blow right past Apple”.

And earlier this week, announcing Jaunty Jackalope, Shuttleworth said that Ubuntu 9.04 should be comparable to those of the traditional big OSV’s – Microsoft and Apple.

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, Mac, Ubuntu

New MacBooks this October?

Apple really do seem to be in a hurry lately. With most people still raving about the 1G iTouch, the 2G arrives to astonish us all, and now this…new MacBooks.

Nothing is official yet, but according to inside sources as Apple, the new babies are to be shipped on the 18/09/08. The date stands to reason, as Apple’s annual high season is coming up – back to school and just after college returns. The only specifications available at this stage that we know for sure are that they’ll be upgraded with the latest Intel chips.

So as we don’t know much about the new MacBooks, and personally can’t figure out why they need to ship new ones just months after the upgraded old ones,we’ll be left guessing (for the next few weeks at least). Oh…and keep and ear open for new iMacs, there’s a whisper in the wind about them too.

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, Macbook

iPod touch 2G – first hands-on

We just got some hands-on time with the new iPod touch, and we’re really feeling this one. Jury’s still out on the new nano, but the second-gen touch is a marked improvement over the first gen model. The WiFi antenna looks much better integrated, the speaker doesn’t sound like complete trash despite not even having any speaker holes, and…

read more | digg story

Filed under: Mac Related , 2G, Apple, iTouch

5 iPod Features Apple Won’t (but Should) Unveil Today

This list isn’t mere fanboy fantasy: Every single one of these upgrades is something that Apple is perfectly capable of delivering (or allowing another company to deliver through a piece of software or approved iPod accessory). Too bad the AT&T iPhone deal and Jobs’ stubbornness won’t ever let them become reality.

read more | digg story

Filed under: Mac Related , Apple, Mac