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  • EFI
    Looks like AT&T spilled the beans on this one..er..again. According to the latest 2nd quarter earnings posting from AT&T, they revealed how much iPhones were activated through their service in the first 30hrs upon going gold:
     

     
    Earnings documentation link
     
    These first 30hrs of sales include only June 29 going into June 30. Upon hearing this news, Apple stock plummeted this morning back to the low 130s. Many speculate this being the result of buying into the hype of the iPhone sales/activations that were previously posted within the days of release. These hyped numbers went as far as 500,000, to (this date inclusive) 1,000,000. Seriously this was not the case. Many also state that there were activation problems/issues with some customers, and therfore the purchase date and the activation date varied among individuals. This, however, accounted for only 2% of the users.
     
    For a more official (from the monster's mouth, so to speak) breakdown, Apple's 2nd quarter earnings are coming up very soon. July 25 to be exact. Whether this number will be the same/approximate from Apple, or different is yet to be found out.
     
    EDIT: Apple actually shifted a pretty respectable 270,000 iPhones in the final 30 hours of its 3rd fiscal quarter - not too bad!
  • Paranoid Marvin
    This truely is a CompactFlash card suitable for the almighty himself!
     

    *Note, this is not actual size
     
    Kingston's new lineup of 'Ultimate' CompactFlash cards come in at 2, 4 and 8GB. But most importantly they are fast! The write speed is up to 266x, which Kingston claims is "twice the minimum sustained write speed previously available in the Ultimate line."
    Unfortunately, they are a tad expensive, at $83, $144, or $280 respectively.
     
    I would just buy it so I can tell people I have "the ultimate CompactFlash card", but that's just me
     
    Full details available here.
  • EFI
    Unlike the last so-called "security threat" that was posted by an anonymous blogger claiming to have created an exploit for OS X, which he took back the same day as he was unable to prove it (and refused to send the "threat" to Apple therafter)due to increased pressure from Mac users...this vulnerability, actually has some significant and serious thought behind it.
     
    Reported by The New York Times (online edition), and discovered by researchers at a security firm Independent Security Evaluators, this vulnerability will take advantage of the iPhone from visiting a malicious website, or through a WiFi hotspot. In detail, the exploit can read the log of SMS messages, address book, call history, voicemail data and transmit it to the malicious site.
     

     
    Apple has apparently been notified of this vulnerability as of this finding, and an Apple representative has replied:
     

     
     
    There is no evidence so far however, that this flaw had been exploited or that users have been affected. It is, at this stage, still a proof of concept vulnerability only. A personal statement from the finder of the vulnerability on the iPhone hereafter:
     

     
    Full article link
  • Paranoid Marvin
    Mac OS 9 is coming, and it’s going to make your Mac more powerful—and more Internet-friendly—than ever before. Designed to be your co-pilot on the Internet, Mac OS 9 is packed with over 50 new features.
     
    OS9 is released on the 23rd of October, 1999, so make sure you have a suitable computer!
    The minimum specs are:
    Mac OS-based Apple computer with a Power PC processor 32MB of physical RAM, with virtual memory set to at least 40MB And for you lucky folks that have just bought the new super fast 500mhz Power Mac G4, you're going to have to hold on tight, as the G4 is the most powerful personal computer in the world! OS 9 is, of course, an OS designed for the internet. AOL has some good offers at the moment that can get you online and enjoying OS 9 to the full.
    Some of the new features in OS 9 are impressive! Sherlock 2 will make it so easy to find stuff on the internet and will make shopping easier. Voiceprint Password and built in Encryption will make your Mac's data invulnerable.
    As expected, OS 9 also features a new, metallic looking UI.
     
    I've ordered my disk and hopefully it will be here soon - I'll post screenshots as soon as I have updated
     
    October 1999
  • Takuro
    For months it's been speculated that Apple iPod line would get revamped some time after the iPhone's launch. Now many believe new iPods may be arriving as soon as early-mid August. For a while, most sources hinted at a possible touchscreen interface, but new leaks are beginning to prove otherwise.
     
    MacRumors has exclusively grabbed what may be the first video captures of the 6th generation iPod user interface. If their source is authentic, the videos lead one to expect a forthcoming iPod with a standard 4:3 screen and clickwheel (contrary to previous reports of a large wide-aspect screen and virtual clicker.)
     
    Click here to check out the videos.
     
    Taking visual cues from the iPhone, the supposed new iPod interface offers smoother transitions and menu options. A new split-screen view enhances media browsing. CoverFlow may actually still be a viable possibility.
     
    Although it cannot yet be confirmed if this is in fact how the 6G iPod's UI will look, there's one thing that cannot be denied: It's pretty darn convincing.
     
    Update: As of this morning the Apple legal team requested that MacRumors remove their videos. It seems this is much more than a simple mock-up. Special thanks to Zimmoframe for finding a video mirror on YouTube.
  • EFI

    iPhone Nano

    By EFI, in OSx86,

    Knowing Apple, we all knew this was going to happen...at one point or another. However, could it really be true that we have underestimated the delivery time for the smaller, and more affordable iPhone Nano (if that's what it's even called finally)? Latest rumor has it that it might be much closer to reality than we originally imagined it to be. As the iPhone; the current full featured model (that is out now) went into the production stage...AppleInsider (who got the information from 'extremely reputable' sources) states that the smaller iPhone Nano, came out of the engineering labs.
     

     
    Full article link
     
    This means that the iPhone Nano, with that hypothetical name, has been in the works for quite some months now. Thus (from the article) pricing wise it is said to be much lower than the full featured iPhone, however not low enough and near the iPod Nano range, to prevent cannibalization of it's sales.
     
    As for how the user input is going to be for the device:
     

     
    Source in the full article link.
  • Takuro
    What began with iPods has now become a hot seller for Best Buy retailers: Apple products. After a recent announcement to greatly expand their Mac program, stores nationwide have begun to retrofit sections of their stores in an effort to resemble to Apple stores.
     
    Best Buy has gone through great lengths to give their Apple display an authentic feel. A large black wall fitted with cinema displays and illuminated Apple logos welcomes customers to the "Apple Shop." A wooden table adorned with iMacs, MacBooks, and MacBook Pros is available for shoppers to try the latest Apple machines hands-on, just as in full-scale Apple stores. Next to the table lies a wooden shelf stocked with cables, mice, routers, replacement notebook batteries, and 3rd-party Mac peripherals. The "shop" certainly serves as a convenient way to fulfill most of your Mac needs.
     
    The Apple Shop is just one step in Apple's ongoing effort to spread its product line to areas that don't have local Apple Stores. Apple projects that over 200 Best Buy retailers will participate in the program by Fall 07. For people who never previously entered an Apple store, the program allows a wider customer base to get a taste of what it's like to "Think Different."
     
    "Apple Shop" Pictures: (Courtesy of AppleInsider)
     
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/frijole/sets/72157600838727626/
  • EFI
    While recent efforts to successfully create a true "virus" through a "complete hack" for OS X has failed on numerous accounts, there have been some accounts of creating an application exploits under OS X. The most recent one, is documented by an "anonymous" researcher who claims to have proof of concept worm under OS X, which (he says) works by manipulating the mDNS stack in Apple's Bonjour network service.
     
    The individual claims that the worm was only created in several hours, and states that the worm is fully automated and ready for use:
     

     
    Full article link
     
    There are several reasons to speculate and doubt the individual's motive and claims behind this worm. Firstly, why keep the anonymity level if this is infact a real threat to OS X? Previously, Dino Dai Zovi, who was able to create a worm lower in significance to this individual, was appraised for doing such an accomplishment, so when this is at a highler level of threat...why hide the name? Secondly, the individual states that he/she will at some point report it to Apple...not immediately. Why the wait time?
     

     
    OS X is not invincible, nor invulnerable, but regardless of that above statement however, as of today, this hour, this minute, and this second...the total exploits (viruses) in the wild for OS X (from a time period of 6 years)...still stands at 0. Go figure.
  • Ed

    Future Hardware Rumour Round-up!

    By Ed, in OSx86,

    iMacs
    Dear oh dear, the poor old iMac has been starved of an update since last September. Rumours are abound of an entirely new, aluminium-wrapped enclosure just around the corner, combined with an all-new keyboard to boot.
     
    AppleInsider speculates that the new keyboard will be a very slim affair, drawing upon the current 13" MacBook's low-profile keys - here's hoping Jonathan Ive & co. aren't about to ship us a laptop keyboard with our new iMacs in the name of cool aesthetics, but knowing Apple we're sure they'll achieve the perfect balance.
     
    As Apple moves away from the gloss white plastics, we can also expect to see this new aluminium iMac to benefit from an enclosure just 2" thick according to ThinkSecret - a hefty bit of bulk shed compared to the current 17" iMac's 6.8" depth and the 24" mother's 8.1" depth.
     
    Specs-wise, given the iMac's similar architecture with the MacBook Pro's, it is fair to expect speeds of 2.4GHz, possibly 2.6GHz if the recently shipping Intel Core 2 Extremes are implemented. Current launch date expectations are a July/August timeframe which would coincide with the annual iLife update, so expect iLife '07 to be bundled too.
     
     
    iPods
    It's fair to assume that future iPods will be touting many of the features of the new iPhone - in fact, the iPods may well share a very similar enclosure to the iPhone and, in conjunction with rumoured new aluminium iMacs, completely leave behind the old gloss plastic designs originally pioneered 10 years ago with the first bondi blue iMac.
     
    These new iPods are likely to be Mac OS X-based and of course share the same touch screen interface that the iPhone uses. The current range of iPods haven't been updated since 2006, but the expected launch date for the latest generation of iPods is some time in August according to DigiTimes.
     
     
    Ultra-portable MacBook (Pro?)
    Rumours have been abound for quite some time about Apple's return to the sub-notebook market. Their initial foray into the market with the PowerBook 2400 in the 90's was short-lived, but with advances in technology, Apple's move to Intel, and the combo of Jobs and Ive, this could be a real winner, especially in Japan.
     
    AppleInsider reports the ultra-portable is being built around a 13" display which is LED-backlit, like the current 15.4" MacBook Pro. Assuming that this new sub-notebook forms part of the MacBook Pro family, it is fair to assume that this too will don an aluminium enclosure.
     
    Specs-wise, expect the DVD drive to be an external affair in keeping with it's ultra-portable-goodness, as well as the option to have a solid-state flash drive for those who can afford it. Don't expect this bad boy any time soon though, at least not til this fall at the earliest.
  • EFI
    The Mac gaming front has always looked quite bleak compared to the PC side, however there are some top games that do find life on the Macintosh. Needless to say, two of the most hottest games (one of them carrying the hype for several years now on the PC side) are coming to the Mac platform.
     
    They are:
     
    1. Gears of War
    2. Unreal Tournament 3
     
    Article link
     

     
    Both of these games use the spectacular and highly technologically advanced Unreal Engine 3.0.
     
    Update:
    In light of making the Mac version more easier to develop, these games use the TransGaming Cider engine wrapper, so as a result, they will only play on the Intel Macs. Ryan Gordon (programmer), states that neither of these games are utilizing the Cider wrapper. MacRumors.com, as well as the original article linked have updated their stories as well.


    For PowerPC users, there is good news on the front. Unreal Engine 3.0, which has now been in development for several years is also in the process of being ported to Mac and Linux platforms, and on the Mac side will be universal, thus providing PPC support. However, the downside is that the final exact date of release is as of today still yet to be confirmed.
     
    Article link
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