The Apple Core

September 4th, 2008

Is this Tuesday’s 4G nano?

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:51 am

Categories: Rumor, iPhone, Nano

Tags: 4G, Cellular Phones, Wireless, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

This picture just cropped up on MacRumors of a screen cover for the 4G nano.It comes from Alibaba, a B2B marketplace (via Zollotech).

Who cares about the screen protector frankly, look at the photo. It looks like it could be the real. It’s much clearer than the previous, fuzzy shots we’ve seen. But then again, why would a screen film manufacturer have a real, live 4G nano to photograph? Hmmm…

September 4th, 2008

Super Tuesday: Nike Pro, iTunes unlimited, Sirius, NFL?

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:44 am

Categories: Rumor, iTunes, iTunes Store

Tags: Nike Inc., NFL, Apple iTunes, TUAW, Digital Media, Digital Music, Digital Rights Management (DRM), GPS, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

With Tuesday’s iPod event beginning to take shape, a couple of Super Tuesday rumors slipped through the cracks in my fortune teller piece yesterday.

1. TUAW thinks that we may see an updated Nike+ rig (Nike Pro?) for the runners out there. Since the original Nike+ kit came out in 2006 it kinda smells like an old gym sneaker these days. How about adding using the GPS chip and maybe make it work for walking too? Nike could take a page out of Loopt’s book, IMHO.

2. Also lost in the excitement is iTunes unlimited. Apple’s rumored subscription service is rumored to cost US$130 per year and I think that it’s only a leak to gauge interest. Mostly because I’m not a big fan of renting my music, or DRM.

3. Sirius satellite radio. Content is king and what better way to boost iPod/iPhone sales than with more content. Don’t look for a satellite radio radio though. Sirius/XM content will most likely be streamed.

4. Oh and NFL. Kickoff for the world’s greatest sport begins tonight and Apple really needs an NFL app for us junkies. I need something to replace wap.nfl.com and myiphonefootball.com. Please?

September 4th, 2008

Leaked in iTunes 8.0: Genius

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:02 am

Categories: Rumor, iTunes

Tags: TV, Apple iTunes, Music, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jason D. O'Grady

It may have gotten lost in the end of yesterday’s particularly long-winded fortune teller piece, but the Oracle of Cupertino, ahem Kevin Rose, posted a pretty convincing-looking snippit of a document proclaiming to be “What’s new in iTunes 8.”

It goes like this:

iTunes 8 includes Genius, which makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together. Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have.

With iTunes 8, browse your artists and albums visually with the new Grid view; download your favorite TV shows in HD quality from the iTunes Store; sync your media with iPod nano (4th generation), iPod classic (2nd generation), and iPod touch (2nd generation); and enjoy a stunning new music visualizer.

If true, the Genius feature is a brilliant idea by Apple to capitalize on the popularity of music recommendation services like Pandora and Last.fm. What makes it different is that Genius is rumored to recommend music from your existing iTunes library, potentially re-introducing you to music you haven’t heard in a while, or possibly, never at all. Where it gets good for Apple (and its shareholders) is that the Genius service will also recommend music from the iTunes Store in hopes that you’ll buy it.

I’m not sure what to make of the grid view thought, it sounds kinda like that funky start page in Google Chrome. Last, and arguably most interesting for TV junkies, is the addition of High-Definition (HD) television programs, which were previously only available in Standard Definition (SD).

And let’s not forget about the rumored new visualizers. It’s about time Apple did something with them frankly.

(Image credit: MacRumors forum member swinneyn)

September 3rd, 2008

Handicapping Apple’s September 9 event (updated)

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 11:45 am

Categories: iPod, iTunes, Apple, Prediction, iTunes Store, App Store

Tags: Apple iPod, Apple Inc., Apple iTunes, Kevin Rose, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jason D. O'Grady

Now that it’s official that Apple will be holding a special “Let’s Rock” media event in San Francisco on Tuesday let’s take a look under the curtain to see what announcements may be in store from Cupertino.

It’s pretty apparent that new iPods are in the offing, mostly because the invitation clearly shows and iPod display (not to mention the campy “Let’s Rock” theme) and because new iPods have been announced at the last two three years’ September events.

Let’s recap:

At the September 2007 event Apple announced:

• iPod touch
• iPod nano 3G
• iPod classic 80, 160GB
• iPhone price drop $599 to $399
• iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store
• Apple and Starbucks Music partnership

At the September 2006 event Apple announced:

• iTunes 7 w/Movie purchases
• iPod 5G (30 & 80GB)
• iPad nano 2G (aluminum)
• iPod shuffle 2G (micro)
• Apple and NFL Highlights on iTunes
• Preview of “iTV” coming in January

At the September 2005 event Apple announced:

• iPod nano 2 and 4GB (replacing the iPod mini)
• iTunes 5
• Motorola ROKR E1 - iTunes Phone
• a bunch of other iTunes-related announcements

Digg’s Kevin Rose’s has made a number of predictions… Read the rest of this entry »

September 2nd, 2008

Apple: “Let’s Rock” on September 9

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:08 am

Categories: iPod, iTunes, iTunes Store

Tags: Apple Inc., Media Players, Corporate Communications, Digital Music, Digital Media, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Marketing, Jason D. O'Grady

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple has sent out media invitations for a special event next week.

An invitation for the Sept. 9 event in San Francisco, sent to media today, is entitled “Let’s Rock” and shows a silhouetted dancer holding an iPod, Apple’s music and video player.

The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Fransico, CA at 10 am PT on Tuesday, 9 September 2008 according to the invite.

Time to speculate on what the announcements will be!

(Picture: TUAW via Ars Technica)

September 2nd, 2008

Google’s new Chrome browser based on WebKit (updated 3x)

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 9:21 am

Categories: Google, Safari

Tags: Google Inc., Web Browser, Web Browsers, Open Source, Internet, Jason D. O'Grady

One of the biggest tech news story coming out of the Labor Day holiday here in the U.S. is that Google is going to be releasing an open source operating system in the form of a Web browser.

Google’s new Web browser – Named “Chrome” – is being released in, what else, beta form tomorrow in 100 countries according to a post on the official Google blog. They’ve chosen to announce Chrome with a 38-page comic book illustrated by Scott McCloud.

So why are we launching Google Chrome? Because we believe we can add value for users and, at the same time, help drive innovation on the web.

What’s even more interesting is that the new gBrowser is being using components from WebKit, like the Apple Web browser, Safari.

We owe a great debt to many open source projects, and we’re committed to continuing on their path. We’ve used components from Apple’s WebKit and Mozilla’s Firefox, among others — and in that spirit, we are making all of our code open source as well. We hope to collaborate with the entire community to help drive the web forward.

Update: Google is releasing a version for Windows tomorrow, with the Mac version coming soon, once Chrome is “faster and more robust.” Bah. (Tip TUAW)

Lot’s of additional Chrome coverage here on ZDNet blogs:

• Ryan Naraine: Google Chrome, the security issues
• Larry Dignan: Google to launch browser to battle IE
• Garett Rogers: Chrome–a good idea?
• Adrian Kingsley-Hughes: Is Google Chrome an IE/Firefox/Opera/Safari killer?

Update 2: MacRumors gleaned several of Chrome’s features from the comic book:

- New JavaScript engine called V8 for faster performance
- “Special tabs” above the window, not below the address bar (see image above)
- Address bar auto-completion
- Opera-like “Speed Dial” with thumbnails of your most visited 9 websites
- Privacy mode
- Web apps can be launched in their own window without addressbar/toolbar

Update 3: Screenshots

September 2nd, 2008

8 million iPhones sold; 10m by end of September

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:57 am

Categories: iPhone

Tags: Apple iPhone, Apple Inc., 3G, Corporate Governance, Engineering, Blogging, Cellular Phones, Wireless, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology

According to a piece at Fortune’s Apple 2.0 blog Apple has sold 8 million iPhones to date. But that’s not an official stat from Apple, it’s an approximation based on collected International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers.

A joint project of AFB and Investor Village’s AAPL Sanity board have been collecting iPhone IMEI numbers and recording them on a big Google speadsheet here.

According to the IMEIs Apple has manufactured at least 5,649,000 iPhone 3Gs. When you add to that the 2.4 million first-generation iPhones that Apple reported selling in the first six months of 2008, you get a total of more than 8 million iPhones.

With Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn turning out more than 800,000 units per week, Apple appears to be on a pace to build its 10 millionth iPhone before the end of September.

September 2nd, 2008

What’s on Obama’s iPod?

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 8:44 am

Categories: iPod

Tags: Apple iPod, Obama, Digital Music, Digital Media, Personal Technology, Consumer Electronics, Jason D. O'Grady

On 15 August I posted a piece about what’s on Michael Phelps’ iPod (spoiler: lots of hip hop). Over the weekend I came across a piece in thew September issue of Macworld magazine about What’s on Obama’s iPod.

The story which quotes The Examiner (article offline) says that Obama’s iPod contains an ecclectic assortment of music including classic folk (Bob Dylan), classic classical (Yo-Yo Ma), contemporary female singer songwriter (Sheryl Crow, who performed live at the DNC), and some hip-hop (Jay-Z).

Obama’s iPod also includes dedicated playlists for jazz legends Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Charlie Parker.

“Actually, one of my favorites during the political season is ‘Maggie’s Farm,’” Obama said of one of Dylan’s tracks. “It speaks to me as I listen to some of the political rhetoric.”

Note: The Examiner article is offline but the UK’s Telegraph also has a story about Obama’s iPod.

Photo: MacUser.

August 29th, 2008

iPhone tethering rumored

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 10:36 am

Categories: Rumor, iPhone, App Store

Tags: Apple iPhone, Phone, Apple Inc., 3G, Wireless LANs, Wireless, Wi-Fi, Cellular Phones, Telecom & Utilities, Consumer Electronics

When I travel I carry a second phone alongside my iPhone – for one reason. Tethering.

I need to be able to get online wherever I am and Wi-Fi isn’t exactly ubiquitous and free Wi-Fi seems to be getting scarcer with each passing day. To make matters worse, Apple removed NullRiver’s NetShare tethering software from the App Store.

My second phone of choice is the LG Dare running on Verizon. It’s a very capable 3G touchscreen phone that runs on Verizon’s CDMA network, and unlike the iPhone, it allows tethering. (CNet reviewed the Dare in June 2008).

A Gimodo reader sent a squawk to Steve Jobs complaining that AT&T offers tethering for their 3G Blackberry handsets (granted, at a spendy US$30 premium per month) but yet it’s not available on Apple’s “advanced” device.

“Steve” (likely, one of his minions) replied:

We agree, and are discussing it with ATT.

Steve

If anything, this new iPhone tethering rumor confirms that Apple pulled NetShare from the App Store at the behest of AT&T who is trying to protect a huge potential revenue stream.

One request Steve: Don’t insult us by requiring the stupid, proprietary and expensive dock cable to tether. Tethering should be available via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

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August 28th, 2008

Steve Jobs death has been greatly exaggerated

Posted by Jason D. O'Grady @ 7:29 am

Categories: Steve Jobs

Tags: Steve Jobs, Apple Inc., Corporate Governance, Venture Capital, Business Operations, Corporate Law, Finance, Financing Startups, Jason D. O'Grady

News outlet Bloomberg gave Apple fans and investors a huge scare late yesterday when it accidentally published an incomplete version of Steve Jobs obituary over its wire service.

Although the service quickly retracted the release, it’s an eerily-fascinating read complete with XXXX marks for the cause and date of his death.

What’s even more interesting is Blolomberg’s internal notes to reporters as to who to call for comment. On the list are:

• Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak
• Jon Rubinstein, former head of Apple’s iPod division
• Heidi Roizen: venture capitalist who once dated Jobs
• A.C. Mike Markkula, the first VC to back Apple
• Larry Ellison of Oracle (one of his best friends)
• Jerry Brown California Attorney General
• Al Gore: member of Apple’s board of directors
• Bill Gates
• Bob Iger at Disney
• Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google and member of Apple’s board
• Paul Otellini, CEO of Intel Corp.
• Scott McNealy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems
• John Lassiter and Ed Catmull: Pixar-nee-Disney executives
• Guy Kawasaki, one of the first Apple evangelists
• Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari

So, the question begging to be asked is why is Bloomberg working on Jobs’ obit, anyway? Is this standard operating protocol for the company or do they know something that we don’t?

(Picture: Gawker)