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Apple Inc

• Gates calls for 'creative capitalism' to improve life - Bill Gates calls for businesses to adopt 'creative capitalism' to help solve needs of global poor. Macworld UK
• Obama Appeals To Apple Fans - Making an appearance on David Letterman's "Late Show" last night, senator Barack Obama delivered the show's Top 10 list, which was pretty funny. The Democratic presidential candidate's number four promise: "I won't let Apple release the new and improved iPod the day after you bought... Wired
• Analysts: Apple beefing up R&D efforts - In a note to clients, Katy Huberty and Alice Hur of the Morgan Stanley investment bank said that growing research and development expense reported by the Apple in its latest filings with the SEC indicate a fresh product cycle is well in the works.MacimumNews
• Apple going after Russian customers - Apple made its first direct pitch to Russian consumers this week, showcasing a line of new products in Moscow, reports the Moscow Times. Some of the products showcased, such as MacBook Air will go on sale next week in the U.S., while others, such as iPods and Apple TV are already on sale in Russia. MacimumNews
• Predicting AAPL: End of 2008 - Hot Forum Topic - Apple's stock may be lower now than it has been for some time, but that doesn't mean it has to stay that way. Today TMO readers are sharing their predictions on where Apple's stock price will be by the end of 2008. Take the reader poll and let us know what you think. Mac Observer
• CNBC’s Erin Burnett: ‘Apple is the shit stock of 2008’ - Erin Burnett has a potty mouth... MacDailyNews
• Ockham Research: Apple shares are low hanging fruit - Apple Inc. has enjoyed being a cornerstone of the bull market of recent history... MacDailyNews
• Got cash? Let the bidding wars begin - Apple, Google and Microsoft are flush with cash and could go on a shopping spree for startups at the upcoming entrepreneurial gathering. CNN Money
• Time for Apple to use some of their $18 billion war chest? - Buyouts have always been the primary exit strategy for high-tech startups... MacDailyNews
• Time to take advantage of Apple’s Q2 guidance misdirection? - No analyst is including Apple's tsunami of revenue sharing due from iPhone sales and partnerships... MacDailyNews
• Morgan Stanley advises investors not to bet against Apple - While researchers for investment bank Morgan Stanley aren't disputing that slowing iPod growth presents a negative scenario for Apple's share price, they're pointing to recent history this week in advising their clients that now would be the wrong time to bet against the company. AppleInsider

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Mac Hardware

• Why Not to Buy a MacBook Air - You rely on we professional scribes to suck all the excitement out of life, and Computerworld steps up to the plate this week with a list of 10 reasons not to buy the MacBook Air now or maybe ever. Some... Wired
• Fujifilm announces new digital snappers - Fujifilm has unveiled its spring range of digital cameras, including a new entry-level range and a power-packed digital SLR. Macworld UK
• Apple applies to light up laptop touchpads, iPod clickwheels - Visual feedback The Register
• New Mac Pros have sluggish hard drives? - In a Baltimore Sun report on the new Mac Pro, tech writer David Zeiler notes that he’s disappointed with the hard drive that comes with his new 2.8GHz Mac Pro. He says the Apple-supplied Seagate drive is sluggish.MacimumNews
• SoundTech announces Guitar Home Theater Interface - SoundTech Professional Audio has announced the SoundTech Guitar Home Theater Interface, a new device that enables musicians to plug their guitar directly into their home theater stereo system. It will be available June 1 ath a suggested retail price of US$99.99.MacimumNews
• MacBook Air: First Tests - The MacBook Air has finally arrived at the Macworld offices and we've run our very first lab tests on the diminutive laptop. The results are pretty much what you'd expect: with a slower processor and slower hard drive, the MacBook Air is Apple's slowest laptop. Macworld
• From the Lab: More benchmarks - We test two more configurations of the new Mac Pro models, one with eight 3.0GHz processor cores and another with four 2.8Ghz cores, and compare them to Apple's suggested configuration as well as past Mac Pro and Power Mac G5 models. Macworld
• ComputerWorld: SSD Option Compelling for MacBook Air - The MacBook Air comes standard with an 80 GB, 4,200 rpm Parallel ATA drive. However, one can elect to have a 64 GB solid-state drive (SSD) instead for about $1,000 more. That seeming downgrade could be a compelling option for some, according to Computerworld on Friday. Mac Observer
  
• MAC BLOG SAFARI Apple Bloggers Talk Performance, Portable, Pro and Pink - This week, the Apple- and Mac-focused blogosphere is all over the map. Macworld is far from gone, of course, and while the MacBook Air is still hot enough to float, there's Apple's quarterly financial report, OS X 10.5.2, pent-up demand for a MacBook Pro refresh, and even some talk about the cute little pink iPod nano. First, the money. Apple released its financial earnings for the fourth quarter of 2007, which turned out to be the company's "best quarter ever."MacNewsWorld
• Computerworld reviews Apple’s MacBook Air: incredible, amazing, truly innovative Mac - There can be no real question that the MacBook Air is a truly innovative product... MacDailyNews
• Are growing legions of Windows PC to Mac switchers diluting Mac community’s IQ? - According to one security vendor, Mac users are at a crossroads this year: if they prove to be as gullible as PC users... MacDailyNews
• HD DVD player sales grind to virtual halt - Warner Home Video's defection from the HD DVD camp may have put a damper on hardware sales... MacDailyNews
• Benchmarks for all three 8-Core Penryn Mac Pros reported - Following up on a previous set of 2.8GHz Mac Pro benchmarks, Geekbench developer Primate Labs has expanded its report on the latest Apple workstations to include performance measures for all three models, including the 8-Core 3.2GHz configuration. AppleInsider
• Benchtests: MacBook Air - The tests are in.Insanely Great Mac
• Report: Nvidia working on first GPGPUs for Apple Macs - Graphics chipmaker Nvidia Corp. is in the early developmental stages of its first Mac-bound GPGPUs... MacDailyNews
• Apple files patent app for Illuminated touchpads - On January 24, the US Patent & Trademark Office published Apple’s patent application titled Illuminated touchpad... MacDailyNews
  

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OS X & Software

• Reports: Mac OS X 10.5.2 update imminent - Among the anticipated fixes and enhancements expected in Mac OS X 10.5.2, most bets have been placed on changes to the new Stacks feature in the Dock; an option to turn the now-translucent menu bar opaque again; and modifications to Time Machine. Macworld UK
• QuickTime 7.4 offers unexpected After Effects - Apple's latest edition of QuickTime reportedly disables After Effects and presents pro video editors with unexpected DRM permissions error - are iTunes film rentals the unexpected miscreant. Macworld UK
• Microsoft confirms Office for Mac 2008 security risk - Office for Mac 2008 incorrectly assigns ownership of some files, Microsoft has confirmed, creating a potential security problem for businesses installing the new application suite. Macworld UK
• SecureMac MacScan goes for the family market - MacScan detects, isolates and removes spyware from Macs and is now available in a three-licence edition. Macworld UK
• Microsoft claims 100 million Vista's sold - Microsoft reported revenue of $16.37bn, an increase of 30 per cent year over year and exceeding the $15.95bn Thomson Financial analysts had estimated. Macworld UK
• Adobe releases Flash Media Server 3 product line - Adobe has released the Adobe Flash Media Server 3 family of products, which offers streaming media and real-time communication capabilities. The new product line includes two offerings: Adobe Flash Media Streaming Server 3 for live and on- demand video streaming and Adobe Flash Media Interactive Server 3 for customized scalable video streaming services, plus multi-way social media applications. MacimumNews
• Leopard 10.5.2 update to add surprise improvements? - One thing Steve Jobs failed to mention in his Macworld keynote speech, is “surprise improvements” that may be coming any day in the Leopard 10.5.2 update. Remember when Apple announced Leopard and advertised 300+ new features? Well, some were omitted because apparently they weren’t quite ready for prime-time. So is Apple about ready to redeem itself? MacimumNews
• Open source developers unhappy that Apple has undermined DTrace code - Open source developers are unhappy with Apple for “undermining” a key piece of open source developer code, called DTrace, in its Mac OS X implementation, according to Macworld UK. DTrace provides an infrastructure to permit administrators, developers, and service personnel to answer arbitrary questions about the behavior of the operating system and user programs. MacimumNews
• Office for Mac 2008 glitch can create security problems - Office for Mac 2008 incorrectly assigns ownership of some files, Microsoft Corp. has confirmed. The creates a potential security problem for businesses installing the new application suite, reports Computerworld. MacimumNews
• QuickTime 7.4 incompatible with After Effects, Premiere Pro - The QuickTime 7.4 update introduces a incompatibility with After Effects and Premiere Pro, Michael Coleman, Adobe’s product manager for After Effects, said in a company blog. MacimumNews
• Mac OS X 10.5.2 Inches Closer... Build 9C23 Seeded - Apple appears to be working hard on Mac OS X 10.5.2, and has seeded yet another build to developers. Today's build comes in at 9C23 and offers a number of fixes to CoreGraphics, DVD Playback, File Systems, BackupCore and Web Content Filter. Apple again lists "no known issues" with this seed of Mac OS X 10.5.2. MacRumors.com
• Microsoft Reports Strong 2Q Earnings - Those who expected Microsoft to fall prey to the tech slowdown didn't get what they expected when Microsoft reported a 79 percent jump in profits and a 30 percent rise in sales, according to BusinessWeek on Friday. Mac Observer
• An Introduction to Twitter: TMO Announces New Twitter Feeds - Most Web surfers are familiar with the concept of blogging. For some, the idea of taking the time to compose an entry with substance is enticing, for others, however, that just takes too much time. Sharing thoughts and ideas on the Web can be more appealing if you do it quickly and with spontaneity, and that's the whole idea behind Twitter. Mac Observer
  
• The Making of Other World Computing - When Larry O'Connor was a teenager, he was frustrated with high prices for Apple II memory, seemingly held artificially high. So he found a source for DRAM memory chips and started building his own Apple II memory cards for sale at a third of what others were charging. Now, twenty some years later, he's running Other World Computing, still selling memory at great prices, and still taking great care of his customers. Mac Observer
• MemoryMiner 1.8 Adds Lightroom, Flikr Support - GroupSmarts announced the immediate availability of MemoryMiner 1.8 on Friday. The updated version of the image tracking and linking application added the ability to browse Lightroom libraries, and can now upload images to Flickr. Mac Observer
  
• Office 2008 Installer Creates Mac OS X Permissions Problems - Microsoft's freshly released Office 2008 for the Mac is good news for users looking for better cross-platform compatibility, but bad news for anyone that strictly controls user access in Mac OS X. Mac consultant Joel Bruner discovered that the Office applications and files are installed with the owner set to user 502 which could potentially create control or security-related issues in multi-user environments.Mac Observer
• DiskWarrior 4.1 Adds Leopard Support - Alsoft announced the immediate availability of DiskWarrior 4.1 on Friday. The updated version of the system and disk repair and maintenance utility added support for Mac OS X 10.5. Mac Observer
• Freezes when switching network locations/ports: fix - Repeated system freezes in Mac OS X can occur when the user switches network locations. Locations are sets of network preferences that can be toggled on the fly, frequently used by portable Mac users when accessing different services in different physical locations, or by users who routinely switch between wired and wireless networks (if one network requires a manually entered IP address, for instance). MacFixIt
• Top Leopard Rumors - Leopard has already been released to the masses, proving to be a bigger success than Tiger during its launch; but before the Beta was seeded, rumors on what the final (read more) Applematters
  
• Another 10.5.2 build - But, still no Air Disc backup support... Insanely Great Mac
  
• Office '08 permissions issue - Not a big deal [yet]. Highlights quality control... Insanely Great Mac

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iPods, iTunes & Apple TV

• Friends, Babylon 5, more come to iTunes UK - Friends, Wonder Woman, V: The Complete Series, Babylon 5, West Wing, The Jetsons, The Flintstones and Martin now available for purchase and download through iTunes. Macworld UK
• Vertical integration key to successful Internet–television convergence - Early attempts to bring networked video to consumers’ television screens have fallen far short of success, but that may change soon with the arrival of new vertically integrated solutions and business models, according to a recent study from ABI Research. And Apple is apparently moving in the right direction. MacimumNews
• Review: CoverScout a handy iTunes accessory - If, like me, you have an extensive iTunes collection of music with several gaps in the album artwork despite iTunes’ attempts to find it, you’ll find CoverScout from equinux a very, very handy utility.MacimumNews
• GizMac releases Aluminate, DuraSport cases for third gen iPod nano - GizMac Accessories has announced their DuraSport and Aluminate product lines for the third generation iPod nano. The DuraSport (shown) is a nano iPod case for the active lifestyle. Made of thin, resilient silicone, the DuraSport protects the Nano and includes a clear, plastic face shield for screen protection. Click wheel protection is provided by the silicone case itself. MacimumNews
• iPod touch update not (easily) available for users in Asia - Apple Singapore says its AppleCare centers won’t be offering any services for users in Asia to upgrade their iPod touch software. The only way to do so is still via the iTunes Store, which is currently available only in selected Asia-Pacific countries.MacimumNews
• Extending iTunes rental times - Need your iTunes movie rentals to last longer than 24 hours? Chris Breen has some tips on how to do just that. And be sure to check out Dan Frakes’ first look at iTunes Digital Copy. Macworld
• WEEKLY RECAP MPAA Admits 'Math Error,' Viewers Flock to Online Video - Now, we all know that college students aren't necessarily the best-behaved people on the planet, but to hear the movie studios tell it, college students are the enemy that must be destroyed. Much of that belief might have been based on a study the Motion Picture Association of America commissioned in 2006, which found that college students were responsible for more than 40 percent of all illegal movie downloads. MacNewsWorld
• Ars Technica reviews Apple’s iTunes Movie Rentals: slick, friendly, and easy-to-use - Apple introduced a new feature to its iTunes Store, iPod, and Apple TV ecosystem last week at Macworld '08... MacDailyNews
  

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iPhone

• Apple lowers iPhone shipment projections - Apple has lowered its projected iPhone shipments for the current quarter, reducing component purchases from its Far East manufacturers, a report claims. Macworld UK
• Where are Apple's missing iPhones? - An estimated 1.3 million iPhones may be unlocked, not yet activated, or languishing on shop shelves, analysts speculate. Macworld UK
• NTT DoCoMo in talks on Android phone - NTT DoCoMo is discussing development of a mobile phone based on Google's Android platform, a senior executive said Thursday. Macworld UK
• Apple's iPhone numbers do not add up - Millions being unlocked - or gathering dust at Carphone Warehouse The Register
• Edward Tufte Weighs In on Apple's iPhone - An anonymous reader writes "Via Daring Fireball, a post from design guru Edward Tufte's site discusses his views on the interface used by the Apple iPhone. The post includes a video presentation by Tufte on the subject of video resolution on the phone. His argument is primarily that while the iPhone does a lot of things very well, Apple hasn't quite realized the platform's full potential by making screen real estate all it could be. " Slashdot
• YouTube offers videos to mobiles - YouTube for Mobile, previously only available through deals with Verizon, Helio and Apple, can now be used on phones that can run video streaming and are supported by any 3G operator. Macworld UK
• Fox, Apple launch iPhone tie-in for ‘Jumpers’ movie - 20th Century Fox and Apple have launched an iPhone tie-in site for the forthcoming sci-fi adventure film, Jumper, reports IGN. The site is formatted specifically for iPhones, allowing the user to experience the “jumper” phenomenon by redirecting them to other iPhone sites, the article adds. MacimumNews
• iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak In the Wild - iPodObserver- Apple released iPhone Software Update 1.1.3 just a little over a week ago during Macworld Expo 2008, and the creative minds behind the iPhone Dev Team didn't waste any time coming up with a jailbreak procedure for the new software. Like prior jailbreak methods that let users add extra applications to their iPhone, this one is not authorized by Apple, and will likely break with future software update releases. Mac Observer
  
• PRODUCT REVIEW Apple's Handy Touch-Up Highlights Touch Shortcomings - In a review of Apple's iPhone, I wrote glowingly about a few features that had nothing to do with making a call. I loved the simple Notes program used to jot reminders you could then e-mail to a friend or your office inbox. Another plus was the ease of e-mailing a photo, the best such application on any device I have used. MacNewsWorld
• AT&T to offer 'no-commitment' plans [updated] - Though iPhone customers may be too valuable to see free Insanely Great Mac
• Apple trims iPhone forecast - A 40% reduction 'caused' by disappointing European sales Insanely Great Mac
• iPhone sales shaky, 10 million by end of 2008? - Over at CNet they're quoting analysts saying that iPhone stocks are building up and gathering dust on the shelves of retailers in the US, while European sales languish. At Zdnet, a blogger actually believes that one third of iPhones sold are unlocked and pleads for customers to "do the right thing by Apple!" Whichever way you look at it, iPhone sales are shaky. itwire
• FUD Alert: CNET article based on lone analyst’s view tries to gin up iPhone demand issue - Apple announced at Macworld that it has sold 4 million iPhones through the middle of January... MacDailyNews
• 'On a shelf somewhere' - There are quite a few iPhones unaccounted for... Insanely Great Mac

 

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