MacBook White with Nvidia chipset!
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Rumor: Mac mini to use Intel Atom, Nvidia Ion?
Tom’s Hardware reports that the expected Mac mini refresh will be coming in March and will be based on NVIDIA’s new Ion platform utilizing Intel’s dual-core 1.6 GHz Atom 330 processor. The Ion platform, announced in mid-December, also utilizes the GeForce 9400M integrated graphics found in the current MacBooks and MacBook Pros.
The source also revealed that the new Mac mini should be released around the time of the CeBIT computer expo beginning March 3rd in Hanover, Germany. No pricing information has been revealed, but Tom’s Hardware believes that the new Mac mini will be priced in the same $500-$700 range as the current model. They also believe that the use of this platform will enable Apple to reduce the size of the already-diminutive Mac mini.
Evidence found in OS X configuration files in mid-December has pointed to the use of NVIDIA chipsets in upcoming Mac mini and iMac revisions, but this is the first indication that Apple plans to use Intel’s low-power Atom processor instead of the larger Core 2 processors found in Apple’s notebook computers and the current Mac mini.
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App Store Hits 15,000 Apps, 500 Million Downloads
\Apple last reported on December 5th, 2008 that they had surpassed 10,000 available applications and 300 million downloads, and the latest numbers demonstrate a significant acceleration in downloads when compared to previous milestone announcements.
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Rumor: Snow Leopard to have "Marble" Interface?
Last year, Apple announced that they will be releasing the next major revision of Mac OS X (10.6 Snow Leopard) in 2009. The focus of Snow Leopard has been on performance and quality of the underlying codebase rather than introducing new end-user features.
Based on our sources, however, Apple will apparently use Snow Leopard’s release to tweak the overall user interface for Mac OS X and unify it across applications. Exact details of the theme changes have not been made public, as the current developer seeds for Snow Leopard still retain Apple’s existing Aqua theme. The new theme will likely involve tweaks to the existing design and perhaps a “flattening” of Aqua in-line with Apple’s iTunes and iPhoto interface elements.
The codename for the new interface is said to be “Marble” — though that seems likely to be an internal codename only. John Gruber had also hinted at such changes in a pre-Macworld prediction piece and had independently heard the codename “Marble”.
Apple’s Snow Leopard is rumored to be released as early as the first quarter of 2009.
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Mini DisplayPort to Be Adopted as Part of Official Spec
According to the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA), Apple’s Mini DisplayPort will be included in the upcoming DisplayPort 1.2 specification and will allow other manufacturers to incorporate the ports into their products.
Apple introduced the miniaturized port as part of their new MacBooks and MacBook Pros and expects to adopt it in all future products. Apple offered the mini DisplayPort as a no-fee license to third parties while the specification was undergoing approval by VESA.
The incorporation of the design into the official DisplayPort spec should alleviate any concerns that Apple had too much ownership over the technology.
Thanks to MacRumors.
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Steve Jobs leaving Apple for 6 Months
A test was sent to all Apple staff today. Read it here:
Team,
I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my
health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought.
In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June.
I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan.
I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.
Steve
The press release is located here.
Thanks to TechCrunch for breaking the news.
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Apple allowing Web Browsers into App Store!
Over the past 24 hours, Apple has begun to approve 3rd party web browsing applications for the iPhone. A number of new web browsing apps have suddenly appeared with original submission dates ranging as far back as October.
While Apple has made no official acknowledgements, it appears these applications were likely in a special queue awaiting for approval. We had seen a similar “group” delays with other categories of apps. The most notable example involved flatulence applications such as Pull My Finger and iFart Mobile. Once Apple decided to allow the category within the App Store, a backlog of apps quickly appeared.
Web browsing applications were previously charged with “duplicating functionality” of other iPhone apps and was felt to be the reason why Opera would never be approved by Apple.
A partial list of these new applications include:
- Edge Browser (Free) – No loss of screen real estate to the address or navigation bars.
- Incognito ($1.99) – Now you can browse without leaving a history of any kind.
- WebMate:Tabbed Browser ($0.99) – Web Mate simplifies browsing by queuing up all the links you click on, then allowing you to view them one by one when you’re ready.
- Shaking Web ($1.99) – adds a sophisticated algorithm to compensate for small hand shaking to allow for easier reading.
This could open the door for mobile versions of prominent web browsers such as Opera and Firefox, though there remain other SDK restrictions that could prevent full-featured versions of those browsers from appearing. Still, Apple appears to be loosening some early restrictions they had applied to the App Store approval process.
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Tag: Microsoft’s SECOND iPhone app
At CES, Microsoft has introduced its second iPhone app after dipping its toe with the release of Seadragon Mobile last month. The name of the application is Microsoft Tag, and it enables users to instantly access mobile content, videos, music, contact information, maps, social networks, promotions, etc. simply by pointing the device’s camera to a custom tag.
If this makes you think about the principle behind QR codes, you’re not the only one. Like QR codes, Microsoft Tags are unique two-dimensial codes that can be used to open URLs or multimedia files. The big difference is the tech behind it: Microsoft Tag is based on a whole new technology developed in-house by Microsoft Research called High Capacity Color Barcodes (HCCBs), and offers a significant twist.
Microsoft Tags are smaller than QR codes and uses triangle shapes and colors to store data instead of square pixels. Actually, Microsoft Tags doesn’t actually store any information, except for a unique ID which can fetch more data stored on Microsoft servers. This allows way more information to be attached to tags than with QR codes.
Microsoft Tags are available for the iPhone as well as Windows Mobile, J2ME, Blackberry, and Symbian S60 phones. The application can be accessed by visiting Gettag.mobi using your mobile phone browser.
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How to: Install Mac OS X on your Eee PC
Don’t be a twat. Buy a MacBook.
MacWorld Keynote Total Roundup
If you are like me, who live in a completely different time zone to the US, you’ll have missed the MacWorld 2009 Keynote. Well, no fear, we have a complete roundup just for you.
17″ MacBook Pro
Apple just confirmed the totally expected yet eagerly anticipated unibody 17-inch MacBook Pro. They’re calling it the world’s thinnest and lightest 17-inch laptop. It features a 1900 x 1200 LED backlit display, with a 700:1 contrast ratio, wider color gamut and a glorious $50 matte option. Most of the specs are otherwise quite similar to the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but unfortunately Apple went with a MBA-style non-removable battery, claiming that the lack of removable mechanism allowed for more battery — they’re speccing it at 8 hours of lithium polymer juice on integrated graphics, 7 hours on discrete, and it’s rated at 1000 recharges. There will also be an exchange program, like with the iPod. The base model hits at $2799, spec breakdown and more shots after the break.
iTunes: DRM free, OTA downloads
At today’s Macworld Expo keynote, Apple announced several changes to the iTunes store.
Starting today, 8 million of the iTunes Store’s 10 million songs are now available DRM-free via iTunes Plus. All 10 million songs in the iTunes Store will be offered DRM-free by the end of March. Apple will also offer users a one-click solution to upgrade their entire library to iTunes Plus for 30 cents per song or 30% of album prices.
Additionally, the iTunes Wi-Fi music store is now compatible with 3G, allowing iPhone users to preview and download the entire iTunes music catalog over the 3G cellular network. Songs are available at the same price and quality as over Wi-Fi.
Finally, beginning in April, the iTunes Store will offer pricing in three tiers ($0.69, $0.99, and $1.29) based on the prices the music labels charge Apple.
Several users have reported that iTunes Store downloads are also working over AT&T’s slower EDGE network.
iLife 09
At MacWorld San Francisco today, Apple announced a major update to its iLife suite of applications. iLife ’09 will be available by late January 2009. Upgrade costs are $79, with a family pack at $99. It is shipping on all new macs. Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the standout features of the new apps:
iPhoto ’09
- Faces: Addition of facial recognition to events. Photos can be tagged to recognize faces, as in Facebook.
- Places: Uses geotagging to find information about the latitude and longitude of a photo. This information can be supplied either by a newer camera with built-in gps capabilities, or manually by user input.
- Slideshow Themes: Uses facial detection to properly position pictures in a slideshow. There’s also support for Facebook and Flickr, with built-in geotagging.
iMovie ’09
- Dynamic Themes: Context-sensitive menus for clips, along with animated travel maps
- Automatic Image Stabilization: Helps reduce motion in shaky video
- Precision Editor: Video and audio
- Advanced Drag and Drop: For placing video wherever you want it in the timeline
- Video Effects: Brings back special effects to iMovie
GarageBand ’09
- Learn to Play: Teaches how to play an instrument with video instruction from professionals/celebrities. Nine basic lessons included, with additional downloads available at $4.99 each from within the app.
Since OS X 10.5.x is required to run the new iLife, Apple is also offering a package of OS X 10.5, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 for $169. This “Mac Box Set” will ship in late January when iLife ’09 ships.
- Faces: Addition of facial recognition to events. Photos can be tagged to recognize faces, as in Facebook.
- Places: Uses geotagging to find information about the latitude and longitude of a photo. This information can be supplied either by a newer camera with built-in gps capabilities, or manually by user input.
- Slideshow Themes: Uses facial detection to properly position pictures in a slideshow. There’s also support for Facebook and Flickr, with built-in geotagging.
- Dynamic Themes: Context-sensitive menus for clips, along with animated travel maps
- Automatic Image Stabilization: Helps reduce motion in shaky video
- Precision Editor: Video and audio
- Advanced Drag and Drop: For placing video wherever you want it in the timeline
- Video Effects: Brings back special effects to iMovie
- Learn to Play: Teaches how to play an instrument with video instruction from professionals/celebrities. Nine basic lessons included, with additional downloads available at $4.99 each from within the app.
iWork 09
In addition to iLife ’09, Apple announced a major revision to its iWork suite of applications. iWork ’09 is available now for $79/single user and $99/family pack, or only $49 with the purchase of a new Mac. It begins shipping today.
Keynote
New transitions, chart options. There’s also a new Keynote Remote app for the iPhone and iPod touch to control Keynote wirelessly with video preview that changes depending on orientation.
Pages
Full screen viewing of documents, dynamic outlines, and a new mail merge with Numbers, which can connect with tables and lists in Numbers. Pages will also offer integration with MathType and EndNote. Additionally, there’s a new set of 40 themes coming with the app.
Numbers
Table categories and 250 new functions will make things easier to understand.
iWork.com
A beta of this will be announced soon – offering collaboration options for notifying other people that you’ve changed documents, and allow others to review and edit them online. This will be a fee-based service offered by Apple once iWork.com launches.
Since OS X 10.5.x is required to run the new iLife, Apple is also offering a package of OS X 10.5, iLife ’09 and iWork ’09 for $169. This “Mac Box Set” will ship in late January when iLife ’09 ships.
New transitions, chart options. There’s also a new Keynote Remote app for the iPhone and iPod touch to control Keynote wirelessly with video preview that changes depending on orientation.
Full screen viewing of documents, dynamic outlines, and a new mail merge with Numbers, which can connect with tables and lists in Numbers. Pages will also offer integration with MathType and EndNote. Additionally, there’s a new set of 40 themes coming with the app.
Table categories and 250 new functions will make things easier to understand.
A beta of this will be announced soon – offering collaboration options for notifying other people that you’ve changed documents, and allow others to review and edit them online. This will be a fee-based service offered by Apple once iWork.com launches.
New to Josh’s Blog? Make sure you follow my RSS feed so you don’t miss anymore great stuff!
