Hey, it's Jake again, Jason's evil twin. My big brother liked my last three columns [1, 2, 3] so he's cool with making it a regular thing. I hope that you do to.
Anyway, here's the latest Apple rumors making the rounds:
Fans are creating mockups of the aluminum MacBook. But that's all they are is fan mockups, not a leaked Apple site as originally thought. Looks good to me though. I think that the MacBook should go aluminum and the MBP carbon fiber.
Update: Apple has apparently already placed an order for the aluminum enclosures for the new MB.
Apple is in talks with Orange, it exclusive French wireless carrier, to lower the price of the iPhone in France after disappointing sales.
Times Online claims the reason for the UK and German iPhone discounts are to clear room for the 3G iPhone... which will have a "radically different" appearance.
Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard - as opposed to a touchscreen one. (MacRumors)
Also from the iPhone desk, the Apple smartphone is coming to India in September on Vodaphone. Which should be good for 1-2 million unit sales in 2008.
Apple sources are telling the Business Standard that the iPhone is launching in India on carrier Vodafone, with an expected release date this September. The 8GB version is supposedly launching within the year for sure, with a 16GB version "based on buyer response" in 2009.
And from the patent applications departmentwe get an Apple Laser-Based Head Mounted Display. I don't know about yo, but lasers = good.
While these headset displays already exist, Apple describes decoupling a "laser engine" from the goggles itself. Instead, it is a separate piece which generates the laser light which is piped into the headset. This helps reduce the bulk of the goggles themselves.
"A user simply plugs their handheld video player such as the iPod manufactured by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif., into the compact laser engine attached to their belt, and places the headset on their head. The user then selects a video to be played at the handheld video player (viewing through transparent display elements)."
