MacNewsBlog

Well here we are! I'm still setting things up and it'll probably take a while to get a new layout/look going so this one will have to do for now.

I'll be compiling a bunch of hints and tips about using Macs and Mac OSX Server in the real world as well as some info on what I find useful on an almost daily basis. I'm really creating this site as a repository for all of my scattered info so I always know where to find things as well as the people I work with or come across.

Feel free to read along and contribute! I'm always open to new stuff.

Found this on AppleInsider.com

It reminds me of my Color Timex/Sinclair 2000 back in the day. AI also reports that the Hard Drive is user upgradable in the MacBook as well!

We just added email notification via FeedBurner to MacNewsBlog. If you want to be notified whenever we update the site just add your email addess and you'll get updates! Thanks for reading!

Steve's Glass Cube is on display over at the Apple Website. Go check it out. It really is a sight to see!

Now everyone's getting into the "What's on your iPod" thread including Hillary Clinton. Hillary reveals her mix includes Aretha Franklin's "Respect," the Beatles' "Hey Jude" and "Take it to the Limit" by The Eagles. If you're interested in this kind of info you can read a little more about Hillary and her iPod here.

I guess this should be classified as news but I'm not sure what to make of it. It seems like some Nike shoes will be able to communicate with Apple's iPod using a new wireless system called the Nike+iPod SportsKit.

From The Washington Post:
"Expected to retail for about $29, consumers will be able to access distance, time, pace and calories burned on the screen of a nano version of the iPod via a sensor inside the shoes that communicates with the digital music player."

I guess Nike has finally caught iPod fever too. I'm sure their clothing line will be upgraded in design to hold iPod in the future.

AppleInsider claims that they have the scoops on the soon to be released (2nd half of 2006) eMac replacement. Ever since the eMac disappeared from the market a few months back there has been a lot of speculation as to what Apple would be bringing out to replace it.

"In keeping true to its roots of designing educational Macs as plug-and-play solutions, people familiar with Apple's product roadmap say the company is building the new Mac around an all-in-one enclosure. Though unlike the eMac, which employed cumbersome CRT-based displays, the new educational computer will follow a design pattern similar to the company's LCD-based iMac Core Duo desktops, these people say."

read more here.

If you're curious about Windows Vista but don't wanna install that beta copy that you got, maybe you don't have to waste your time. ComputerWorld writer Scot Finnie will give you the low-down on 20 Things You Won't Like About Windows Vista. In this visual tour, Finnie showcases things he dislikes or finds cumbersome in Vista.

To break it down Finnie writes:
I feel comfortable predicting that Windows Vista will not outpace Mac OS X Tiger for overall quality and usability. It's hard to beat Apple's top-notch GUI design grafted onto an implementation of Unix variant BSD. Mac OS X has excellent reliability, security and usability. That isn't to say that the user interface wouldn't gain if Apple adopted some other best ideas of the day, but Apple has the best operating system this year, last year and next year. It'll be interesting to see what the company delivers in its 10.5 Leopard version of Mac OS X.

Get the full article here.

ArsTechnica's John Siracusa has a great piece on what he thinks is going on with all these Mach Kernel rumors of late. Is Apple going to replace the Mach Kernel? Read the article for some insight as well as the comments that come from people in the know as well.

Just thought I'd pass along this great deal I found on Amazon for a WD 250 gig external HD that has USB2 and Firewire ports!

* Instant addition of massive data storage capacity for PC or Macintosh
* Dual-option backup--automatic or on-the-spot
* USB 2.0 hub with two ports; one conveniently located on the front for easy connection of USB peripherals such as a keychain drive, printer, keyboard, or mouse
* 7200 RPM rotational speed and 8 MB cache for maximum storage performance
* Includes Dantz Retrospect Express backup software

Not a bad deal!

Well, after moving the server to various machines, I was bound to lose a configuration or three. I didn't notice that my feedburner feed wasn't working until today. *GAH* Well it's back now. Sorry for that! Hope all of you in RSS land will forgive me and my infrequent updates!

If you're looking for a few good deals on a MacBook or MacBook Pro, or maybe just a gift for Christmas, check out Apple's website for some really great deals on refurbs! They just slashed some prices on their stock of refurbs and now you can get a MacBook with Intel Core Duo for just $899!

Check it out: Apple Refurbished Products

According to various reports, Apple has placed an order for 12 million units to Foxconn Electronics who will be building their iPhone. The product would most likely ship in the first half of 2007.

CNN Money reports that The Beatles catalog may have an exclusive deal with Apple's iTunes to distribute their tunes. Along with the massive music catalog theres also the expectation that a Beatles iPod similar to the U2 iPod will be released as well.

When news that Apple Corps, the company that holds distribution rights for the Beatles Catalog, was close to a deal for electronic distribution, many speculated that the deal would be struck with Microsoft for their Zune music player.

It's been pretty quiet here as of late besides the Security Update [PPC, UB] and a few other things you probably read about on other MacNews sites. If anything comes up we'll post here, but if not, Have a safe and Merry Christmas!

A Business 2.0 article touts Apple as the Next Sony:

"Let me be the first to say that anyone who claims the ability to specifically divine Apple's future is delusional; the best any longtime Apple watcher can do is read between the lines. That's what I'm doing here."

Jon Fortt goes on to examine how Apple might actually do this by using iTunes. Interesting? Read more here.

Over at iPhone News Blog, they have a prediction about the next iPod being the next PDA. We'll place our bets on this one. Will you?

Take a read: Prediction: iPod will Become the Next PDA.

Carl Howe blogs today about the rumors of upcoming Apple events. So far around the net there have been talks about a February 20 secret event, a Beatles Yellow Submarine iPod, new MacPro's with quad chips and more.

But Carl really focuses on what he thinks will be key elements in the upcoming release of Leopard namely:
Multi-touch gesture support everywhere
A redesigned-from-the-ground-up Finder
New environmental sensing.
New screen sizes supported by resolution independent interfaces

To read this go check him out at SeekingAlpha.com.

Jon Fortt over at Business2.0 wrote a very personal story about his "encounter" with Steve Jobs. While covering the story of Apple's first retail store, Jon got the facts wrong over the lease. Jobs emailed him and seemed quite upset.

The rest of the story is a great read, and I won't spoil it for anyone. Fortt does relate the tale to the upcoming iPhone though. An interesting story and something to ponder as we await the release of the iPhone

Check it out here.

We're giddy like kids around a Christmas tree just waiting for Monday to come! Steve Jobs is set to give his WWDC keynote on Monday, 10am PST. We're curious what he'll pull out of his bag of tricks.

It's already the middle of the year and so far, nothing too spectacular from Apple. Speculation suggests that the reason Apple released those new MacBook Pro's early is because there's tons more things that will be announced at WWDC tomorrow. So much so that the MacBook Pro's are probably very minor in the grander scheme of things.

We did this before and we're hoping you'll play along: John Siracusa has WWDC 2007 Keynot Bingo here. Play along during the keynote and see if you win!

We haven't talked much about the iPhone since we'd rather have our sister blog iPhoneNewsBlog handle it, but after the last week of countless stories about the iPhone being unlocked we've decided to ask the question:

Does Apple care that the iPhone can be unlocked?

According to contract, AT&T will only allow the subsidy unlock code for the iPhone after 3 months of service with AT&T. This means that everyone that bought an iPhone the day they came out SHOULD soon be able to ask AT&T to unlock their iPhone. Unlocking the phone is necessary especially if you are traveling outside of the US since a different carrier's SIM card will be needed to make calls without huge bills.

SInce unlocking the phone will eventually be a reality, we have to think that Apple, as a hardware and software company, could really care less whether or not the Phone was hacked to be unlocked. No matter what network the iPhone runs on, everyone still has to buy an iPhone from Apple.

The only iPhone unlocking hack that isn't considered vapor ware is the physical hardware hack developed by student George Hotz, and that requires that you disassemble the iPhone, have nerves of steel when using a soldering iron and also voids your warranty for sure. None of the other hacks have been released into the wild yet, although different news sources claim that it's real.

We'll see just how serious Apple is about keeping the iPhone locked when the next round of software updates come around. If they care about keeping the iPhone locked down to AT&T, it's possible that those with the software hack might find themselves digging around for that AT&T SIM card again.

Fake Steve Jobs on CES 2008 Keynote:

As you probably know, the Consumer Electronics Show begins tomorrow in Las Vegas, kicking off with a big keynote by the Beastmaster where I'm guessing he will talk about all the new ways in which Microsoft hopes to add extra layers of frustration to people's lives by turning ordinary everyday experiences like making phone calls and watching television into annoying, confusing processes that require you to integrate multiple unreliable and incompatible digital devices into a Frankenstein system that needs a dozen different remote conrols (each one bigger and uglier than the others, with a zillion tiny buttons) and which freezes, hangs and crashes without warning. Or something.

We couldn't agree more! Check out more on what Fake Steve thinks about CES 2008 here.

My eagle eyed wife pointed out to me that John Mayer already got his hands on a MacBook Air, a full week before it's even shipping! I guess it pays to be a celebrity. Even though John uses a Blackberry and not an iPhone, we do know for sure that he uses a Mac for everything else.

Check out John Mayer's MacBook Air here.