Apple Mac News

As we get closer and closer to the release date of iPhone 3G we are all wondering what Apple will release in the App store that will be available for us to purchase. They released a few insights into some Apps we’ve all wanted to see. The first that I know I am looking forward to is EasyTaskManager, which is a desktop manager that supports “GTD, the ‘Get it done’ method”. You will be able to organize your life between home and the office and now on the go, with this application you can sync between multiple computers including a Windows PC and a Mac. Next, iSharephone is an application allowing you to connect to the Microsoft SharePoint servers form your phone. This lets you see any of the information on your phone from the SharePoint portal. Some little ones that will keep you busy waiting at the DMV or in the back of class will be Rusty Red Wagons port of Solitaire, Klondike, Spider, and Freecell. Along with Rusty Red Wagon, Ambrosia is introducing Mobile Mahjong, which will allow you to have the ancient Chinese game at the tips of your fingers….literally.

As the release of the iPhone nears we will begin to see some more Apps leaking through. Check back for updates on new releases.

[Via iPhone Alley]

Section: Apple, Apple News, Conferences, WWDC, iPhone + Communications, iPhone

If the stories here at Appletell about the iPhone weren’t enough, 2,781 stories about the iPhone were submitted to Digg. There’s also been an additional 24,066 about the iPhone on Google News. 47 of the iPhone stories submitted to Digg hit the front page. We also saw about 24 “iPhone Killer” stories. Regarding price, 21 of those 2,781 stories were about the iPhone’s price. Another interesting stat, 121 images of the iPhone stories were posted, though none made the front page.

Does the iPhone deserve all this hype? There are still tons of features we didn’t get from the iPhone, such a frontside camera for video confrencing and a replaceable battery. Apple’s apparently the type of company that doesn’t have do a whole lot to grab a huge amount of free press.

Via [Popfail]

Full Story » | Written by Nicholas Montgomery for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

Section: Mac + Computers

This speedy chip almost makes me want Apple to switch to AMD. Today, the FireStream 9250 stream processor was announced with more than one teraflop of processing power. A teraflop! The chip fits in a single PCI slot, and only uses less than 150 watts of power. This speedy friend can deliver a rate of performance per watt, with up to eight gigaflops per watt. The Firestream 9250 is capable of a hundred parallel calculations per clock cycle, where most proccessers can only do a few. NetworkWorld points out that, “A gigaflop is 1 billion floating-point operations per second.” So, the 9250 tops 1 teraflop, or 1 trillion floating-point operations per second.

Hopefully, Apple will read this and upgrade the entire line of Macs, not that they need it, but how can they compete with a teraflop? The Firestream 9250 and the SDK for it will be seeded to developers in the third quarter of this year for an MSRP of $999.

Via [Network World] and [AMD Press Release]

Full Story » | Written by Nicholas Montgomery for Appletell. | Comment on this Article »

I remember back when the original iPhone came out, there was much buzz surrounding the possibility of it being released in Canada. Unfortunately the only carrier that uses GSM phones is Rogers Wireless, and due to their outrageous data plans, it was unlikely that it would ever be introduced to the north. However, with the impending release of the iPhone 3G, will Rogers be updating their crazy data prices?

Rogers Wireless president Madir Mohamed announced recently that they are, in fact rolling out new data plans to accommodate more frequent data usage. He notes that the average Rogers customer pays roughly $63 each month for voice, data and messaging service. They expect that the average iPhone subscriber will end up paying more like $90, with most of the additional expense being attributed to data usage.

This gives Canadian users an idea of what they can expect to pay per month for their iPhone. Unfortunately it will still be a couple of weeks before the actual plan prices are revealed.

[via Electronista]

I had an interesting chat with an AT&T customer service rep yesterday that I thought I would share with you, as you might find the information useful. See, my old phone contract expired shortly after the announcement of the iPhone 3G, so naturally I decided to make the switch to AT&T. However, there is still some dispute as to whether or not you’ll be able to snag one for $199 if you are already a customer who isn’t eligible for an upgrade.

Initially I posed this question to the person I bought my service off of, however, they seemed to have less knowledge on the subject than I did (they were still claiming that the old 2.5G iPhone plan would work for the 3G phone) so I wasn’t exactly trusting. However, I really didn’t want to be without a phone until July 11th. So since AT&T still hasn’t said exactly what they’re doing for customers that aren’t eligible for upgrades, I thought I’d give their customer service line a call.

When I got a rep on the line, I explained my situation to him, and he replied that I was the fourth or fifth person today he’d spoken to with a similar situation. Fortunately, the higher-ups had sent down an email with simple instructions for those of us that had recently purchased service with them. The solution? Just go back to the store and exchange my cheap-o phone for a 2.5G iPhone, and they’ll just exchange it (minus 10% restocking, of course). That seems simple enough, right?

I don’t now if any of you have attempted to purchase a 2.5G iPhone in the last few weeks, but it’s becoming nearly impossible to find one in stock. I explained this to the rep who seemed a bit surprised. He then read off the email which stated that the 2.5G iPhone had been discounted for this exact reason, and that customers should be directed to the store where they purchased service so that they can purchase one, and thus ensure that they won’t have to pay an unsubsidized price (it was also noted that they weren’t yet sure if they were going to be selling it unsubsidized, and they were still working out the details).

I decided to try a different route with the rep and asked exactly what the new discounted price was for the 2.5G iPhone. He spent roughly 10 minutes searching for this information and came up dry. I suggested that I could simply call my local branch and inquire, and he said he’d be kind enough to do that himself. I was put on hold for a few minutes, after which time he came back on the line and sounded rather surprised. Apparently my local branch had no 2.5G iPhones, and the manager had informed him that almost none of the stores nationwide would have stock on them due to the new version.

We already knew that AT&T was caught a big off guard with this whole iPhone 3G situation, but this shows just how bad it really is. It has been known that the iPhone has been out of stock nearly everywhere for a good while now, yet AT&T is telling new customers that they need to purchase one in order to be eligible for a 3G iPhone at the subsidized price. That’s terrible.

I don’t blame the rep which I was talking to, he was simply passing on what he had been told to say. He was kind enough to make a special note on my account that explicitly stated that I was to be given a 3G iPhone at the proper subsidized price, and the manager on duty was to override the upgrade eligibility requirement.

Here’s my suggestion to anyone who has recently purchased service (or plans on purchasing it before July 11th) and wishes to get an iPhone. Call the AT&T customer service line and have a conversation similar to the one I had. It may seem like a lot of trouble, but at least you should be ensured an iPhone for the proper price. If you don’t call, there’s a chance that you’ll be presented with a much higher price at the checkout. Hopefully AT&T will have a solution to this before launch day.

“In the creative world,” says Euro RSCG executive creative director Hal Wolverton, “everyone is looking for the new thing, the new way to say something.” RSCG has found it in Color. “People may have wondered what Color is capable of,” points out colorist Alex Bickel. “We’re achieving looks that are as good as if not better than anything you can get in a high-end finishing suite. And we’re doing it with Final Cut Studio.”

There is one big question that has had Adobe working around the clock , will there ever be flash in the iPhone?

During Adobe’s Q2 earnings call Monday, chief Shantanu Narayen said that Adobe had tackled some of the technical challenges to getting Flash to work on the iPhone:

We have a version that’s working on the emulation. This is still on the computer and you know, we have to continue to move it from a test environment onto the device and continue to make it work. So we are pleased with the internal progress that we’ve made to date.

The next hurdle will be convincing Apple’s boss, Steve Jobs, that this mobile version of Flash will be powerful enough for the iPhone, which hes been skeptical of in the past.

Even if Adobe aces Flash for the iPhone and makes it the most efficient version of its plugin ever, the business part of the process could hold things up for a while longer.

The iPhone has a huge future ahead of it, and all I can say is I sure hope Adobe is a part of that. Integrating Flash into the iPhone would be a revolution we have yet to see, but doing so would call for a much stronger business relationship with Adobe than Apple has with any of its other partners. The simplest way to go about it would be to incorporate Flash right into the Safari browser on the iPhone. Will this be done? Maybe, but for now we’ll settle for a 3G network and GPS.

[Via Alley Insider]

Classical mechanics, fluid dynamics, kinetic energy — if you thought you were just playing a good game of baseball, wait till you watch “The Physics of Baseball.”Oone of the highly enjoyable programs brought to us as part of KQED’s QUEST: Science and Nature series on iTunes U, “The Physics of Baseball” explains the role physics plays in throwing a curve ball and hitting a solid shot to left field.

On Thursday, June 19, the Apple Retail Store, Sydney — the first Apple store in Australia — opens its doors for the first time. With two floors dedicated to the Mac and iPod and a third to training and the world’s largest Genius Bar, “this breathtaking new store will be the ultimate place for the people of Sydney to shop, learn and be inspired,” says Ron Johnson, Apple’s senior vice president of Retail.

Per AT&T representative Brad Mays, current iPhone customers can of course upgrade to the 3G iPhone and pay $199 for the 8 GB model or $299 for the 16 GB version.  They will need a new two-year contract. Customers who purchased a 2.5G iPhone on or after May 27 and want to swap it out for a new iPhone will be able to do so. without incurring an additional handset charge for the new device.  (There will be a 10 percent re-stocking fee.)  They will of course need to turn in their 2.5G iPhone.  For other situations, there will be an unsubsidized price, which we have
not yet announced.  We will announce that price in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Remember that pesky lawsuit that Apple and AT&T were hit with regarding their visual voicemail technologies? Well it seems that they have reached an agreement with Klausner Technology Inc. to license their patented technology.

None of the juicy details regarding a settlement have been announced, however, I suspect that Apple was eager to settle the lawsuit before the July 11 launch of the iPhone 3G.

[via Apple Insider]

“When Mac OS X was released with VoiceOver, it was a lifesaver,” says Elliot Aronson. Though he’s lost 90% of his vision to macular degeneration, the social psychologist used VoiceOver, which he calls “the single most important technical invention for me,” to write his latest book on his Mac mini. “The Mac with VoiceOver is indispensable. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to write or edit my work.”

Some people might be wondering why the new iPhone 3G is going to be so cheap in comparison to the first-gen device. While it’s easy to point out that Apple is likely getting more money from AT&T, rather than relying on actual sales of the device, that’s not the only reason. Analysts suspect that the newer iPhone really only costs around $100 to manufacture.

Portelligent estimates that with this lower manufacturing cost that Apple stands to make around $90 per phone on hardware alone. While that is significantly lower than the estimated $229 profit earned on the original iPhone, the extra money from AT&T that they are likely making in addition to the number of new users that will be attracted by the lower price will no doubt make up for the difference.

According to David Carey, president of Portelligent “Gen2 iPhone pricing is aggressive enough that it made me think Apple’s really taking the gloves off on this one. They are probably not as worried about iPhone hardware profits as they are about getting a piece of the action on service revenues and getting more Macs in homes and offices all around the globe.”

I have to agree with Carey on those points. With such a low price point, it’s going to be hard for other high-end phone manufactures to compete. Not to mention the number of new users that will be introduced to Apple’s products and therefore be tempted to “switch” to a Mac.

[via Macnn]

Would you believe that iTunes already has the soundtrack for the soon-to-be-released “Get Smart available for you to preview and purchase? You’ll also find Filmmaker Talk podcasts (two posted and more on the way) and the exclusive — and free — Get Smart clip.

There have been many rumors floating around about whether or not new iphone users will be able to go and buy their new iphones and activate it at home on iTunes. There was speculation from an article posted today that there may be a possiblity you can still activate your new iPhone 3G at home. Under AT&T you may be able to sign an intent to obtain a two year contract, and then take the phone home and activate it through iTunes.The only alternative to speeding up this activation process in the store would be the following:

“customers may be able to agree to terms and select a new rate plan at home before July 11th, and then print and bring with them on July 11th a document that AT&T and Apple reps can quickly scan and verify before handing over a new iPhone. This would speed up the first-day sales process and function similar to the $100 iPhone credit coupon offered following last year’s iPhone launch.”

Though nothing has been confirmed, many rumors will continue, AT&T is expected to release finalized details closer to July 11th.

[via Apple Insider]

Since the big announcement last week, every picture and video which included the new iPhone 3G has been put under a microscope by enthusiasts. One video that has been making the rounds is below. Roughly 5 seconds into the video you get a glimpse at the iPhone 3G, with something strange in the top left corner. Is it a smudge, or perhaps a front-facing camera?

I’m actually going to guess that it is the second proximity sensor that was mentioned last week. While I’d love a front-facing camera, I’d think that if it were included, Steve might have mentioned something by now.

[via 9to5Mac]

Thanks to their “updated CPUs,” “improved battery life,” and the incorporation of “touch-pad gestures from the MacBook Air,” the new MacBook Pro models led the pack with a rating of 8.2 (out of 10) in CNET’s review of desktop-replacement laptops.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster calls them “‘more powerful and attractive’ than anything he’d seen on a mobile device before.” He’s talking, of course, about the iPhone applications demoed at Apple’s recent developer conference. And, according to John Boudreau (mercurynews.com), Munster believes “Apple could be creating a billion-dollar industry built around the iPhone.”

So we know that the iPhone 3G has download speeds that are 2.4x faster than the EDGE connection found on the previous version of the phone. While this is all good and well, we’re still curious why the download speed for the iPhone is capped at 1.4Mbps down when AT&T’s 3G HSDPA network is fully capable of 3.6Mbps down. Thankfully, AT&T has the answer.

Apparently all mobile smartphones on the AT&T network are capped at this 1.4Mbps speed. They cite battery life as one of the primary concerns for maintaining the lower data speed. Essentially, the faster you’re downloading data, the quicker you’re going to use up that battery. Another concern is likely that there will be a lot more 3G users come July 11th, so they will need all of the bandwidth they can get.

[via Gizmodo]

“Macs have always given me the feeling that I can figure anything out,” explains Tal Yarden. And in his latest project, the video designer has figured out how to use the Mac, FInal Cut Pro, Motion, Keynote, and other Mac software to stage an innovative production of Wagner’s Götterdämmerung that adds video via a Mac mini-controlled 66 screen array.

Apple today celebrates the achievements of many innovative developers by revealing the winners of the Apple Design Awards 2008. The awards recognize technical excellence, innovation, and outstanding achievement in software development in seven categories. Take a look.

Apple’s tight-lipped security, and a plethora of Non-Disclosure Agreements with the companies it has on board to test the iPhone 2.0 software, is making it difficult to recommend the iPhone 3G to enterprise, according to a Gartner analyst. Though Apple has promised much when it comes to making the newest iPhone software - coming on 11th July - far more business-friendly, there’s no easy way to confirm how suitable it will be for enterprise until it launches next month…

One notable omission from the iPhone, which many would like to see added, is support for Flash. Adobe has reportedly been working on porting Flash to the iPhone for some time. In a recent statement, CEO Shantanu Narayen said that the company had a version of Flash working on an iPhone emulator, and was working on getting it onto a real iPhone…

On June 18, just two days before the hilarious Get Smart opens in theaters, stars Steve Carell (Maxwell Smart) and Anne Hathaway (Agent 99) visit the Apple Retail Store, SoHo, to discuss the film, screen clips, and answer audience questions. Seating is limited, so come early to the 9:00 pm event.

Presuming the figures are true, and not spin, early indications suggest that the iPhone 3G could do very well in Britain. O2 has said that over 130,000 people registered their interest in the iPhone 3G online, to be notified when more details about getting the handset are available. Of course, simply registering interest in the iPhone doesn’t mean everyone will buy one, but it must be an encouraging figure for both Apple and O2…