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Apple Inc

• Jonathan Ive wins 'Great Briton' award - Jonathan Ive pips long-time Mac user Stephen Fry to claim Morgan Stanley's 'Great Briton' award for 2007. Macworld UK
• Analyst: Apple to double market share by 2011 - 'Apple's gains in computer market share reflect as much on the failures of the rest of the industry as on Apple's success,' Gartner analysts said Macworld UK
• Gartner offers cloudy forecast for Redmond - Firm's predictions should have Microsoft worried. It sees Apple's market share doubling, open source rising, and laptops being left at home. C|Net News
• It's 'Jobsniak' - Disney claims Epcot display doesn't depict either Apple founder... Insanely Great Mac
  

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Mac Hardware

• MacBook Air ships in UK - MacBook Air is beginning to ship in UK, though customers ordering one through the Apple Store must expect a three week wait before new orders ship. Macworld UK
• Falling flash prices spur invention - 'Apple is a critical driver of flash consumption and will continue to yield great influence on flash vendors' Gartner said in a report on Monday. Macworld UK
• Report: DVI declines as HDMI, DisplayPort grow - DVI, facing strong competition from other technologies, including HDMI and the DisplayPort standard in the personal computer market, will begin a steep decline in 2008, reports In-Stat. DVI will decline from 112 million device shipments in 2007 to just three million device shipments in 2011, the high-tech market research firm says. MacimumNews
• Analyst: Mac production numbers up, iPod numbers down - Following a series of checks with sources in the Far East, the Banc of America investment firm thinks that Apple has commissioned a significant increase in production of Macs for the current quarter while simultaneously reducing iPod production, according to an AppleInsider report. MacimumNews
• MCE releases SuperDrive upgrade for MacBooks, MacBook Pros - MCE Technologies has announced an 8X DVD-Recordable internal SuperDrive upgrade for the MacBook and 15-inch MacBook Pro. MacimumNews
• STM Bags previews Rogue laptop backpack - STM Bags has announced the Rogue backpack for laptops up to 13 inches. It’s designed to conceal your laptop compartment from view and hide it in an internal wall of the bag so nobody knows you’re carrying a laptop except you. MacimumNews
• ‘iFixit’ disassembles MacBook Air, posts break-down photos - The iFixit has disassembled the MacBook Air. High resolution disassembly photos and component information are now online. MacimumNews
• Man buys MacBook Air, pulls it apart, takes pics - Inside Apple's latest The Register
• The History of the Apple II as a Gaming Platform - Matt Barton writes "Gamasutra is running a feature on the venerable Apple II platform, which practically defined the early home computer industry and was home to many of the greatest games and developers of all time. The authors discuss the platform's lifespan and many iterations, struggles with illegal distribution, and legendary Apple II games such as Prince of Persia, John Madden Football, and Ultima. 'How big of a problem was piracy? Although several software authors claim that they stopped developing games because of rampant piracy and the subsequent loss of revenue, piracy did expose more computer owners to more games than they otherwise would have been -- this was at a time before ubiquitous demos made it easier to "try before you buy." Another benefit of this piracy is that much of the software archived today at online repositories are the cracked versions.'" Slashdot
• Review: MacBook Air - The decision about whether the MacBook Air is a product worth having can be answered by one question: How much are you willing to compromise? In his extensive review of the latest Apple laptop, Jason Snell looks at what trade-offs you'll have to make and whether the MacBook Air is the right machine for your needs. Macworld
  
• MacBook Airs On Display at Apple Stores, Disassembly Photos - We've had reports of several Apple Stores setting up their MacBook Air displays overnight, confirming that today (Friday) is the retail launch of the MacBook Air. MacRumors.com
• FastMac Announces High Capacity Battery for 17-in MacBook - FastMac announced on Thursday the first and only high capacity, extend life battery for the Apple 17 inch MacBook Pro. This offering fills out the FastMac line of battery upgrades for all MacBooks and MacBook Pros. Mac Observer
  
• STM Intros small rouge Laptop Pack - STM unvieled its new small rouge laptop backpack on Friday. The pack holds computers with displays up to 13-inches, and includes a concealed internal pocket to hide your laptop. Mac Observer
• iFixit Shares MacBook Air Take Apart - The Mac parts and upgrade company iFixit didn't waste any time tearing apart a brand new MacBook Air. If you are ready to disassemble yours, but still want to see what it looks like on the inside, check out iFixit's fully documented breakdown. Mac Observer
• Mac Bloggers Gush Over Air, Salivate Over MB Pro, Ponder iPhone Firmware - Apple's super-thin MacBook Air notebooks shipped this week, and the first units have been arriving on customer doorsteps. For Mac enthusiasts, just a glimpse of one in an Apple store was enough to start the gushing. "First impressions are VERY positive," noted mashoutposse in a MacRumors.com forum created just for the MacBook Air. "First off, this is one beautiful computer. The curves and taper are just right. Thin is definitely the name of the game here -- it is as thin as we've all been told it is. Thin, but not at all flimsy."MacNewsWorld
  
• Apple’s MacBook Air teardown notes and photos - It won't be long before we, along with the rest of the Mac market, will be selling replacement batteries for this machine... MacDailyNews
• SlashGear reviews Apple MacBook Air: If you rack up the miles, this machine is for you - Never before has a keynote product announcement from Apple prompted such contrasts of praise and vitriol... MacDailyNews
• Beleaguered Dell closes Oklahoma call center; axes 225 people - Dell eliminated its consumer sales division Thursday at its Oklahoma City call center... MacDailyNews
• Aluminum keyboards still can't do startup commands on some Macs - Users continue to lament the fact that Apple's aluminum keyboards do not support startup commands (holding the option key to select a boot volume, holding the "C" key to boot from an optical disc, etc) on some Macs. Even though this issue has existed for months, Apple has yet to document it in its Knowledge Base or anywhere else we could find. In the words of one MacFixIt reader: MacFixIt
• Report: Apple ups Mac orders by 20 percent, scales back on iPods - Following a series of checks with sources in the Far East, researchers for Banc of America have put out a call indicating that Apple has commissioned a significant increase in production of Macs for the current quarter while simultaneously reducing iPod production. AppleInsider
• Analyst Bajarin: Apple has another winner on its hands with MacBook Air - Technology analyst Tim Bajarin took his MacBook Air to an Apple store the weekend before it actually hit the market... MacDailyNews
• THIS DAY IN APPLE HISTORY February 1, 1981: No More Typewriters! - Apple computer’s list of either perceived or real competitors is long and colorful. For example, when the Mac debuted, IBM was clearly the heavy, a spot later taken by Microsoft. (read more) Applematters
• Reach out and touch someone - The iPhone and its ilk are brilliant at transforming from a cell into a TV, PC and stereo. CNN Money
• Mac production up - While iPod orders said down, iPhone called 'lackluster' Insanely Great Mac
• iPod doesn't cause pacemaker failure - So, a 'study' created by a 17-year-old wasn't worth the hot air it generated Insanely Great Mac
• AUO snags MBA display order - Multiple manufacturers offering similar CCFL panels Insanely Great Mac
• MBA: Gutted - Step-by-step, inch-by-inch, slowly it gets turned inside out Insanely Great Mac
• Satire: Gartner, Dell should sell themselves - Put it all on the block and give the money to the investors Insanely Great Mac
• Refurb'd mini's back - Just a single model, likely to sell out quickly... Insanely Great Mac
  

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OS X & Software

• Adobe and Microsoft in war of word and pictures - Home user needs have expanded over the past few years, and as a result new applications from Microsoft and Adobe seek to address these new requirements. Macworld UK
• Microsoft bids $44.6 billion for Yahoo - Confirming months of speculation, Microsoft today made a $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo in attempt to take a larger slice of the online advertising market. Macworld UK
• European OS X Training Camp for June - European OS X Training Camp is an intensive seven day residential event offering in-depth sessions on Mac OS X (desktop and server). Macworld UK
• Macsimum Migration Kit: farming/agriculture software for the Mac - For those new to the column, Macsimum Migration is our term for companies moving from Windows machines to Macs—or at least adding or increasing the number of Macs they use. A Macsimum Migration kit is an overview of Mac OS X products for a particular occupation, such as dentistry, accounting, etc. This week we’re looking at farming/agricultural software for the Mac. Unfortunately, we only found three apps. MacimumNews
• David Biedny to teach Photoshop class at Mac Support Store - Photoshop guru David Biedny will teach a “Photoshop-Master Class” session at the Mac Support Store, an Apple Authorized Help Desk Specialist, Reseller, and Service provider in New York City. The session is free and will be held on Saturday, Feb. 28. MacimumNews
• Real People Reviews: AlienSkin Exposure2 - Do you miss taking pictures? I don’t mean “digital images” or Flickr phone shots. I’m talking about emulsions and drive-thru one-hour photo shops that have “that smell” of the freshly printed (ok, not always properly) snapshots taken with anything from a point-and-shoot 110mm, 126mm, 35mm, 120/220mm that so many people grew up with? MacimumNews
• Info needed on GEDsoftware for the Mac - Our next Macsimum Migration Kit will update its look at GED software for the Mac. If you use or know of such goodies, drop us a line (dsellers@macsimumnews.com) by Wednesday, Feb. 6. Macsimum Migration Kits appear on Friday and round-up Mac solutions for specific industries and areas as dentistry, engineering, sales, etc. MacimumNews
• PhoneValet Home Edition gets better audio compression, more - Parliant Corp. has updated PhoneValet Home Edition—a telephone assistant designed to simplify life for busy households and families by announcing callers aloud and delivering personal voice mail by email—to version 1.1. MacimumNews
• Microsoft offers to buy Yahoo for $44.6 billion - Microsoft went public Friday with a US$44.6 billion cash-and-stock bid to acquire Yahoo, reports CNET. In its response, Yahoo called the Microsoft bid “unsolicited”—but didn’t reject it. MacimumNews
• DX Toolbox updated for Leopard - Black Cat Systems has updated DX Toolbox— a radio propagation/conditions analysis and forecasting tool for amateur radio operators, shortwave listeners, and other radio enthusiasts—to version 3.2.0. It’s updated for Mac OS X 10.5 (“Leopard”). MacimumNews
• Shock and Awe: Microsoft Bids $44.6B for Yahoo - In a desperate grab for the online advertising market, Microsoft came through and bid $44.6 billion, or $31 per share, for Yahoo. Wired
• Ballmer! explains! hostile! Yahoo! bid! - !!!!! 'We've been engaged for months' The Register
• Microsoft! bids! $44.6bn! for! Yahoo! - Update 3 F*ck! me! The Register
• PMA Notes: Whither Aperture? - As the annual PMA show starts up in Las Vegas, there’s one topic that pro photographers have been kibitzing about: Where’s Aperture 2.0? Macworld
• Microsoft Makes $44.6 Billion Bid to Acquire Yahoo - CNBC reports that Microsoft has made a hostile takeover bid for Yahoo for $44.6 billion in stock and cash. MacRumors.com
• Yahoo: MSFT Is In, How About AAPL? - Hot Forum Topic - Microsoft tossed a bid on the table for Yahoo, and now some people are wondering if Apple might do the same. Today TMO readers are sharing their thoughts. Mac Observer
  
• iPresent It 2.2 Gets PowerPoint 2008 Support - iPodObserver - ZappTek announced the immediate availability of iPresent It 2.2 on Friday. The updated version of the slideshow-to-iPod application added support for PowerPoint 2008. Mac Observer
• Microsoft Makes $44.6B Bid for Yahoo - Microsoft took a big swing at Internet giant Google on Friday when it presented a US$44.6 billion buy out offer to Yahoo. The two companies have not been able to overtake Google on their own, but acquiring Yahoo would put Microsoft in a much more competitive position. Mac Observer
  
• Twitter Clients 101 - TMO Quick Tip - Twitter is a cool tool for keeping everyone up to date on what's going on in your world or your head. One of the things that really sets this social networking Web site apart is the spontaneity it brings to user's mini-blog entries. Creating and following tweets from the Twitter Web site, however, can really kill the mood -- at least for some people. Mac Observer
• Microsoft offers unsolicited $44.6 billion for Yahoo - Microsoft Corp. has pounced on slumping Internet icon Yahoo Inc. with an unsolicited takeover offer... MacDailyNews
• Mail.app inexplicably deleting messages - Mail.app may suddenly exhibit an issue in which messages dragged from one folder to another are inadvertently (apparently) deleted, or moved to an incorrect folder. The behavior is more likely with IMAP accounts and (based on reader reports) occurring more frequently under Mac OS X 10.5.x (Leopard). MacFixIt
• Problems installing iWork '08 updates; fix - Several users have reported an issue in which the recent iWork '08 updates (including Keynote 4.0.2, Pages 3.0.2, Numbers 1.0.2) fail to properly apply, with the installer indicating that the appropriate application(s) cannot be found. MacFixIt
• Leopard bug fix list swells to 130 with latest Mac OS X 10.5.2 seed - Apple this week provided its developer community with yet another pre-release build of its upcoming Leopard operating system update, which remains on tap for a release sometime this month. AppleInsider
• Microsoft makes $44.6B bid for Yahoo - In its latest bid to challenge Google's dominance in the online search and advertising markets, Microsoft on Friday issued a hostile takeover offer for Internet staple Yahoo valued at $44.6 billion. AppleInsider
• Getting More out of Leopard’s SIdebar - The Finder of old has been replaced with one resembling iTunes in looks and functionality, taking design hints on how the Sidebar should be redesigned sporting smaller icons that mimic (read more) Applematters
• Microsoft's bold bid for Yahoo - Redmond antes up $44.6 billion for the Net pioneer. But for all its woes, is Yahoo ready to be swallowed up? C|Net News
• Microsoft bids $45 billion for Yahoo - Software giant offers $31 a share - a 62% premium - in deal that could reorder online ad market. Microsoft's Ballmer: 'Major milestone.' CNN Money
• Microsoft wants to buy Yahoo - An audacious move for a convicted monopolist Insanely Great Mac
• OS X 10.5.2 (9C27) - Another build of this hotly anticipated update, but this one comes without release notes Insanely Great Mac
• 'Welcome to Macintosh' - Another movie that looks at the rest of us Insanely Great Mac
• Microsoft offers $44 billion for Yahoo! - Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has written to the board of Yahoo! with an offer of $US31 a share, in cash or Microsoft common stock, to buy the online giant. itwire
• Leopard Mk 3 inching along - Despite already having distributed one developer build of Mac OS X 10.5.2 that was free of known issues, Apple has decided that the eagerly awaited Leopard update needs to go around the block once more. itwire

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? - Post your comments in the OS X & Software Forum

 

iPods, iTunes & Apple TV

• iTunes usage overtakes RealPlayer - iTunes ended 2007 with 35,664,000 US users, up from 669,000 users in December 2003. Apple's iTunes surpasses RealPlayer's usage for the first time. Macworld UK
• Apple TV 2.0 guide hits the web - Online video tutorial guides users through the new features inherent in APple TV 2.0 software update. Macworld UK
• YouTube pays UK contributors - The YouTube Partner Programme offers users the chance to make money from videos they post on the Google-owned video-sharing site. Macworld UK
• Amazon buys Audible for US$300 million - The $300 million price tag for Audible includes the assumption of outstanding stock option obligations. The companies expect to close the deal by April. Macworld UK
• Report: iPods unlikely to interfere with pacemakers - Contrary to earlier speculation, oortable media players such as iPods are unlikely to interfere with heart pacemakers, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration researcher reported on Thursday. According to a Reuters report the tests of a variety of iPods showed they did not produce enough of an electromagnetic field to interfere with the devices. MacimumNews
• Old iPods Make Artful Racket - Here's an interesting alternative to tossing your old iPod into a recycle bin: Follow the lead of Norwegian avant garde musician Espen Sommer Eide and turn it into a kind of musique concrete instrument. Eide's "Slattberg" combines an old iPod... Wired
• Inside Apple’s iPod sales figures - Why did Wall Street react so negatively to Apple’s record sales of iPods during its fiscal first quarter? Because the rate of growth for the company’s mobile music player is slowing down from its breakneck pace. But Dan Moren discovers there’s more to the iPod’s prospects than growth rate. Macworld
  
• FDA: iPod is Pacemaker Safe - iPodObserver - Following concerns that Apple's iPod posed a health threat to pacemaker users, the Food and Drug Administration conducted its own study into the safety of the portable media player. The verdict: The iPod poses no threat to pacemaker patients. Mac Observer
• Reining In Parental Control Options in iTunes - To Leesa Threatt, mother of two preteens in Lone Oak, Ky., Soulja Boy could have been a new G.I. Joe figurine. To her kids, Tucker, 12, and Lee Carol, 9, he was a rapper with one of the hottest songs on iTunes, and they wanted it on their home computer. "I heard about [Soulja Boy's] song on the radio and that there was some controversy about it," Threatt said. MacNewsWorld
• FDA: Apple iPods unlikely to interfere with heart pacemakers - iPods are unlikely to interfere with heart pacemakers... MacDailyNews
  

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iPhone

• O2 announces iPhone 'bolt-on' package deals - O2 has announced a series of iPhone 'bolt-ons' that enable owners to add unlimited calls or free texts to their existing tariffs, they also include a range of deals designed to cut the cost of calling when an iPhone user travels abroad. Macworld UK
• Google execs - iPhone a trailblazer - Google fourth-quarter revenue up 51 per cent, company discusses mobile initiatives and praises the Apple iPhone. Macworld UK
• February: iPhone for Spain, Italy, Switzerland? - Is Apple preparing to introduce the iPhone in more European countries in the coming weeks? The looming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona may be the launch point, reports suggest. Macworld UK
• Motorola may spin off mobile phone division - Hammered by falling market share and intensified competition, Motorola mulls spinning off its mobile phone division. Macworld UK
• New Google’s My Location on the iPhone is a ‘Grand Prix’ - setteB.IT has published report on what what Google said at yesterday’s 2007 Q4 conference call about the new My Location system on the iPhone. The version for Apple devices is a new one, faster. MacimumNews
• iPhoneDrive update adds camera photo access support, more - eCamm has updated iPhoneDrive, a US$9.95 utility that lets you use your iPhone for file storage, to version 1.4. This free update adds support for camera photo access and the ability to play music stored on an iPhone or iPod touch. MacimumNews
• AT&T EDGE Outage Impacting Customers Across US - iPodObserver - AT&T's EDGE wireless data network went offline in many areas across the United States on Thursday, and many customers hoping for a fix by Friday morning were disappointed to find the network was still offline. AT&T support confirmed that the outage is not Apple-related and includes more than its iPhone customers. Mac Observer
  
• iPhoneDrive 1.4 Adds SMS, Call Log Access - iPodObserver - Ecamm Network announced the immediate availability of iPhoneDrive 1.4 on Friday. The updated version of the iPhone and iPod touch data management and backup application added support for SMS message and Call Log access. Mac Observer
  
• PhoneValet Home Edition 1.1 Improves iPhone Support - Parliant Corporation announced the immediate availability of PhoneValet Home Edition 1.1 on Friday. The updated version of the Mac-based voicemail and call management system improved audio compression for better sound quality and smaller file sizes for iPhone and iPod touch users. Mac Observer
• Google’s Sergey Brin loves his Apple iPhone - For a company that is busy building its own cellphone operating system, Google shared... MacDailyNews
• Apple cannot afford to keep single carrier policy - When iPod global marketing director Steve Joswiak was asked at Macworld 2007 why Apple had chosen to restrict iPhone to AT&T in the US, he replied that Apple could not have delivered functions such as visual voicemail without AT&T. That was no doubt true when iPhone was still under development but how can Apple afford to stick to exclusive carrier deals as it takes iPhone global? itwire
• Garmin Nuvifone: iPhone wannabee or breakthrough product? - The airwaves are buzzing with news of yet another iPhone challenger, the Garmin Nuvifone, a touchscreen handheld that attempts to bring together the best of GPS navigation and phone functions, with web browsing and entertainment thrown in. The Nuvifone is not slated for release until Q3 but everything about it from its 3.5 inch touch screen menu based display to the way users place calls smacks of iPhone copy. That said, the Nuviphone does promise to deliver a number of things not available on the iPhone - yet. itwire

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? - Post your comments in the iPhone Forum